Post by dual on Apr 12, 2010 21:01:25 GMT -7
THE HANDLER
NAME: Benjamin Cormack O'Rourke
NICKNAME: Benny-boy, Benji, mick, miscellaneous terms for Irish people, the Dublin Devil
CLASSIFICATION: Demon
GENDER: Male
AGE & BIRTHDAY: 317- June 10th, 1692
APPEARANCE: Benjamin, as a rather powerful demon, wields two forms (one of which he fabricated about two hundred years ago). In his true state, he has completely onxy-colored skin that has a scaly texture like a crocodile, and his eyes are dark and malicious, but with a reptilian slit instead of a rounded pupil. His head is shaped like a mixture between a human and a large reptile, with a protruding mouth and no ears or hair to speak of. He possesses a thick, prehensile tail and ragged bat-like wings that were badly damaged earlier in his life, and as a result, he cannot use them for flight. They fold into his body and lay flat on his back, so much so that they are perfectly camouflaged with his black scales and do not impede movement. His hands have five, clawed fingers, and his feet are taloned, as well. He stands at precisely 6'6'' inches and weighs about 265 lbs, most of his mass consisting of slim muscle and highly dense bones. He can maneuver on walls and ceilings with surprising dexterity and speed, which serves him well enough. On the center of his forehead is a scar in the shape of a cross where he was touched with a crucifix when he first arrived on Earth in his weakened form.
On the other hand, his human form is very slim and lithely built. His slender frame is further accentuated by his height, which is about 6'5'', and he weighs in at about 200 lbs. His dark hair hangs loosely around his gaunt face, and the sunken, black eyes that stare out from behind the smirking expression always seem to be saying, "Oh, please." Furthermore, his skin is pale- abnormally so- and as such, he cannot tan in any shape, form, or fashion. His nails are always neatly trimmed, his teeth remarkably similar to fangs, but this is just a trait carried over from his demonic appearance. This shape is actually an ancient tool of all powerful demons, specifically the ones that often interact with human-kind. Ben's demonic heritage is referred to as the Erinyas, which are mentioned briefly in Dante Alighieri's "Inferno" and Greek mythology, being monsters that assume a pleasing form in order to decieve humans and sate their desires for the destruction of mankind. In this form, he appears to be in his late twenties to early thirties.
ATTIRE: Benjamin usually wears baggy or loose-fitting clothing, since he prefers his true form over his human shape. As such, his scales and tail must be kept in mind, so he commonly wears as little as possible while remaining "decent." Typically, he's seen wearing a loose hoody, no shoes, and long shorts with a hole for his tail. For "mission wear," he typically abandons all clothes except for the long shorts that better fit his legs. He is already built for agility and blending into darkness, so he sees no need to wear anything else. In human form, he wears basically the same thing, but with the minor adjustments being removed, like the tail-hole in the pants and not wearing footwear.
PLAY BY: Trent Reznor
THE CREATION
NAME: Tarragon (Gaelic for "Dragon," name given based on his appearance)
POWER LIST: Astral Projection; Telekinesis; Shapeshifting
DETAILED POWER: Astral Projection is the ability to manifest one's psychic form outside of the physical body and venture away from the "anchor," which is the body, itself. The form is invisible unless someone else can see the astral planes or is also there, themselves. Also, this form can be seen by those gifted with higher forms of sight or senses that enable the wielder to observe the astral form. For the most part, however, the projected mind is invisible and unable to physically connect with anything in the actual world, including people, technology, or even obstructions such as fire or walls.
Telekinesis is the ability to move objects with the power of the mind. This allows Benjamin to lift people or things that would otherwise prove too dangerous or are too heavy, too far away, or simply inconvenient to actually touch. Larger objects require more concentration to move, and smaller objects require less. While Benjamin can use this power without his sight, it is difficult and requires intense concentration. So, he opts to use things in his line of sight more often than not, as it is more practical.
Shapeshifting is the power to alter one's appearance or traits, and Benjamin possesses this ability, somewhat. He can only transform into a human version of himself, though with some of his demonic traits showing through, such as his sharp teeth and nails. He can activate this at will, and it places no strain on him whatsoever to do so. However, he is unashamed of his true shape, and only uses this power for infiltration or during operations in the public view.
THE POTENTIAL
ALIGNMENT/OCCUPATION: BPRD
WEAPONS: Standard issue handgun; concealed, serrated, black-frosted dagger with a blade measuring approximately 10 inches long.
PERSONALITY: Benjamin is a fine example of an Irishman. He speaks with a thick accent and is considered by some to be "boisterous," but that is just his nature. He loves company and having a good time, and is very fond of any form of alcohol, though he favors Guiness. In fact, one of the best ways to get on his good side is to offer him a drink, or tell a joke, as he appreciates nothing more than a good laugh and a strong pint. On the other hand, he is prone to bouts of unpredictable violence and has a dour temper that flares up at the oddest of times. His psychological profile labels him as a "drunken sociopath." His reaction was simply, "Poor lads. They've no idea."
Though he doesn't necessarily dislike anyone, he is particularly unfriendly to anyone that has a close-minded personality. He loves life, and regardless of his heritage, he finds the human race appealing and oddly entertaining. Bigotry, in other words, as well as inequality, is likely the only thing in the world that Benjamin hates. He still begrudges the British for making his early life miserable. To put it in his words, "it was like a second Hell." Benjamin holds no company with fools or incompetent people of any sort, and is downright nasty to those who pity themselves.
SKILLS: Benjamin knows how to speak Gaelic, English, German, and Vietnamese. The last two he had to learn for his infiltration missions involving the Nazis and their occult research, and the Vietnamese branches of supernatural defenses. He is also a skilled marksman, and possesses the uncanny ability to use his prehensile tail to hold a weapon and use it, such as a handgun or his dagger. He is very good at stealth operations, and is an excellent scout and infiltration agent, capable of assuming a combat role when needed. As part of his training in the BPRD, Benjamin was taught several forms of close-quarters combat, most of it focusing on quick strikes utilizing his tail, clawed hands, and taloned feet and out-maneuvering his opponent.
STRENGTHS: Benjamin's biggest strengths are psychic power and physical dexterity. He utilizes his speed and accuracy to counter his opponents attacks and shots, and makes the most out of any opening in a defense. Because of his psychic ability to assume a invisible, intangible form of his physical self, there is virtually nowhere he can't go. He is dangerous in hand-to-hand, and even more deadly with his blade. Using his powers, he often distracts a foe and then uses that opening to either disable them or to kill them. This method of "seek, distract, destroy" is what earned him his place in the BPRD, and he has not slouched in his years to incapacitate a foe, no matter how badly the odds may seem.
WEAKNESSES: For all of his speed and psychic power, Benjamin is not a strongman or a dynamo of any sort, and is vulnerable to holy items. His physical power is nothing extraordinary, and it is not uncommon for another "enhanced" foe to physically overpower him. Though this is a weakness, his Achilles' Heel is his weakness to holy items and places. Hallowed ground, like pure churches, can sap him of his power and can even force him to take his true form if he tries to hide in his human shape. Likewise, he is prone to losing his psychic power when in proximity to holy objects like blessed crucifixes. Holy water can take away his psionic powers completely if he comes into contact with it, and in large quantities can even prove to be physically harmful. However, though the vulerability to holy items exists, it only reaches its full potential when in the hands of a person of deep faith. Unlike Hellboy, Benjamin's demon blood is very potent, and since he still has supernatural ties to Hell (as evidenced by his psychic powers), he has NO resistance to holy items or artifacts whatsoever. Being near a cross can cause his powers to go completely haywire, and contact with it can burn his skin. Further examples include holy water acting like liquid fire, and the charring flesh anytime he enters hallowed ground, like a sanctuary or a cathedral.
THE STORY
HISTORY: Born on June 10th, 1692, Benjamin was abandoned on earth by his Erinyas sire and mother, and was left to die in Cork, Ireland. However, this day coincided with the infamous Salem Witch Trials, and the entry of so many souls into the afterlife was enough fuel to open the portal to the human world- which was the leading cause to Benjamin's existence in the mortal realm. Immediately, he was found in the streets near a Catholic monastery, and the monks instantly knew what it was, and branded it with a crucifix on its forehead to mark "the beast." They left the wounded, infant demon in the muddy streets just like his sire had done, but the young devil-spawn was found by the impoverished O'Rourke family. Seamus, the man, was wary of the black, humanoid infant, but Katherine, his wife, was barren and longed for a child of her own. She convinced her husband to let her take him home, and the two raised him in complete secret, teaching him in their spare time and nurturing his fondness for them. In time, he grew into a frightening image of and representative of demon-kind, and it was at his own discretion that he set about trying to make something of himself. It was in these early years that he discovered his latent psychic powers, as well. He used these abilities, for the most part, to help his family in whatever ways he could, which often involved deceiving them into thinking they had "good luck" when he was simply stealing for them.
Venturing out at night only, Benjamin would observe any human he saw and would mimic their behavior and speech, learning to adapt to their culture and way of life. When he was 48 years old, Seamus and Katherine both died in the bitter cooling of the country, and he was left entirely alone. However, he had learned to hunt and fend for himself, so he set out into the wild green countryside to hide. It was in this manner- alone and feral- that he lived for another 117 years. During his solitude, he witnessed many changes come to his adopted homeland, including the forming of the Constitution of 1782, and the Irish Rebellion of 1798. These events were ones that he merely took witness to, and made use of his anonymity to steal what food and tools he needed. In 1809, he happened across another demon- one that possessed the ability to take on a human form. Benjamin, longing for human contact after so long, apprenticed himself under this man to learn his trade. Ironically, the demon-man's human occupation was a soldier, and Benjamin (after learning to assume a human form, himself) also took up the sword for his country. His tutor was evil and vicious, and despite Benjamin's warnings to the contrary, he tried to attack a church and its priest. He was killed with holy water, and Benjamin simply moved on with his life, used to having his associates and fellow soldiers die beside him. He continued to serve until 1845 when the Great Famine consumed Ireland. The army fell apart, and Benjamin was simply one of the many soliders that returned back home to nothing.
Watching from the shadows, citizens of Dublin began to report strange sightings of a "dragon" in the wildlands. This dragon, they claimed, brought good fortune to the faithful and benevolent, and harm to the wicked. If a child misbehaved, he was warned to reform, or else the "Dublin Devil" would find and devour them. In actuality, Benjamin would care for the people to the best of his ability and only stole what he needed, offering protection from crime as repayment. This steady occurence was noticed by the citizens, and so the practice arose of placing food and tools on the doorstep on Sunday night and the "Dublin Devil" would watch over their household for the remaining week. 77 years of living as an urban legend and a "patron" had its toll on the demon, and when he heard tale of the Free-Staters fighting the Irish Republicans, he stayed out of the fight, believing that both sides were too dedicated to violence to properly end the conflict. He came to America in 1922 to escape the war, but could never maintain a steady job, being a "Mick." As the Irish were looked down on in those years, he ignored the naysayers and simply served his time to live comfortably and without anymore bloodshed.
However, when Nazi Germany began to build their power and the United States entered the war, he was drafted. Trying to escape the conflict again, he evaded the authorities for several years by fleeing across the country. Moving so unpredictably across the U.S., he was impossible to properly track even while in human form, and it is because of his intense upbringing in the outdoors that he managed to stay so hidden for as long as he did. World War II came and went, along with the Korean War, and the urban legends of a "snake man" throughout the central United States continued to grow, though his most famous sightings were relegated as "a camera trick," and various hoaxes. In 1966, one year after the Americans began sending troops to Vietnam, he was sighted in southeast Connecticut and vanished from the public eye. Many of his "trackers" believed that he was an alien and had finally returned to his extra-terrestrial homeworld, but he was- in fact- taken in by the BPRD upon his discovery of the Bureau's existence. He originally detected them through rumors and various inhuman contacts, and investigated the location for several weeks until his astral form ventured into the Bureau itself. He sought refuge from them, and they accepted. He participated in the Vietnam conflict as a stalker agent, and has since served the Bureau with his skills ever since. He is utterly devoted to their cause, and tries his best to get to know the other agents, since he may likely work with them in the future.
