Flambelle
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| Flambelle Confronting a Pack of Circle Demons | |
| Flambelle | |
| Player: | |
| Origin: | Science |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Blaster |
| Security Level: | 50 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Eileen Caitlin Kincaid (secret) |
| Known Aliases: | Belle |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 31 (41 after time/space sojourn) |
| Height: | 5' 10" |
| Weight: | Undisclosed |
| Eye Color: | Green |
| Hair Color: | Red-Gold |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Professor (secret) |
| Place of Birth: | Richmond, VA, USA (secret) |
| Base of Operations: | Sebastian Greylock Building, Atlas Park, Paragon City, RI, USA |
| Marital Status: | Engaged |
| Known Relatives: | Grandfather, H.R. Kincaid (newspaper publisher); Father, Dr. Charles F. Kincaid (deceased); Mother, Mary McMurray Kincaid (deceased); Brother, Captain Andrew J. Kincaid, U.S. Army (deceased; KIA 31 July 2002 at Baumton, RI, USA); Fiancé, Peter T. Harrison (FBI) |
| Known Powers | |
| Manipulation of fire and energy, flight, hyperactive reflexes | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Skilled stage actress, knowledge of Madison Avenue, Broadway, and Hollywood practices | |
| Equipment | |
| Fireproof costume constructed of patented materials | |
| ' | |
Contents |
Character History
Born in Richmond, Virginia and raised by her grandfather, the wealthy and influential newspaper magnate H.R. Kincaid, Eileen Caitlin Kincaid could have been an idle member of “Society.” Drive, ambition, and talent, however, compelled her to follow her passion for the arts … and a sense of duty, honor, and dedication later required her to don the mask and cape to protect the people of Paragon City from miscreants alien, foreign, and domestic.
Despite the untimely death of her parents in an automobile accident when she was but three years old, or perhaps because of it, Eileen devoted much of her young life to charity work and theatrical productions. After starring in several junior high school and high school productions, she became deeply involved in community theater. A well-reviewed turn as Lady MacBeth in “That Scottish Play” bolstered her ambition to perform. At the tender age of 17, meanwhile, she chaired the annual fundraising drive for the Community Arts Foundation and helped raise enough money to rebuild the Old Stanley Theater, which had been destroyed under suspicious circumstances fifty years before. Of course, Grandpa Kincaid owning the local newspapers and providing free advertising didn’t hurt her fundraising efforts, either.
Her passion for treading the boards was readily apparent, and so she decided to seek training and education to refine her skills. Encouraged by her grandfather, she applied to and was accepted by the University of the Atlantic. Schooling occupied most of her time (considering she was seeking a double major in Theatre and English Literature) but Eileen felt compelled to experience the world outside of her classes. Needing a source of income (for she insisted to her grandfather that she would look after herself while at school), Eileen applied for and took a position as a lab assistant in the Physics Department. There were a lot of questions as to why a student of theatre and literature wanted to work in the Physics department, but Eileen had a solid high school education that had included advanced chemistry and physics courses, and she also quickly comprehend basic principles and theories. Despite the misgivings of the department head, she was hired as a departmental assistant … in other words, a go-fer.
After spending a year toiling with menial tasks in the general pool of assistants, Eileen was placed with Dr. Richard Symington-Harrison, a brilliant physicist working on several very hush-hush projects for the U.S. Government. Needless to say, Eileen was not working on those projects, but rather assumed the responsibilities of Dr. Symington-Harrison’s personal secretary. She kept him on track, wrote his speeches, and reminded him that green ties did not work with red shirts. It was through her employment as Dr. Symington-Harrison’s assistant that she met her fiancé, but that is a story for another day.
During her final year, tragedy struck in the lab. Two of Dr. Symington-Harrison’s lab assistants were killed in an accident during the construction of a device so secret that even knowledge of its codename was limited to a very select few. While disassembling the malfunctioning machine while trying to figure out what had went wrong, Dr. Symington-Harrison accidentally powered up the machine. The capacitors charged faster than normal, several circuit boards shorted out, and several small but crucial components started vibrating violently. Twenty seconds into this catastrophic malfunction, the discharge coils triggered and unleashed a wave of coruscating energies. Although the workshop was separated from the rest of the lab by thick, leaded windows, heavy steel, and dense concrete, the blinding bolts inexplicably surged through the partition and into the only other person present that night: Dr. Symington-Harrison’s assistant. Eileen had been in the lab to secretly practice her lines for the Spring semester production of The Tempest, and she had used a spare key that had been provided by Dr. Symington-Harrison to let herself in. No one heard her scream, but after the energies finished washing over her, there were no apparent changes to the startled student -- no burns, marks, or even a misplaced strand of hair.
She never let Dr. Symington-Harrison know about her presence in the lab that night, and over the next few years she gradually forgot about the unfortunate event. She obtained her dual Bachelor’s Degrees, then enrolled in the graduate programs at University of the Atlantic and was awarded dual Master’s Degrees in near-record time. Following her graduation, Eileen performed for a year and a half in the touring production of The Phantom of the Opera (playing the role of Meg Giry and as understudy for the role of Christine Daaé), then applied for and accepted a position on the faculty of the prestigious Paragon University. It wasn’t until she was cornered in a darkened alley one night, just off of the Founders Falls campus, that her powers manifested themselves. Two muggers, seeing the pretty little blonde walking alone, decided to have a little bit of fun. They soon learned of their mistake, as they fled from the alley with their clothes and hair alight. Eileen has gradually learned control over her powers, but sometimes they manage to take her by surprise, especially if she is startled.
Affiliations
Flambelle is Paragon of the Gods of the Golden Age
Personality
When not in combat, Eileen is calm and easy-going, though she has a bad predilection towards creating puns. When struggling for justice, however, Eileen is impatient and always eager to engage her foes in fiery mayhem. Furthermore, her Southern accent becomes more pronounced when she is under stress, and it can make understanding her difficult for some people.
Learning her lessons well from her professors and her time upon the stage, the red-gold hair and green eyes of Flambelle are the result of wig and tinted contact lenses. Theatricality and deception are powerful weapons, after all.
Powers
Due to her exposure to the unclassified energies from Dr. Symington-Harrison’s secret project, Flambelle is able to generate, manipulate, and project flame within her near vicinity. Generally she focuses the flame into either a spherical construct (for throwing) or a razor-thin plane approximately a yard in length (when in melee). She can also manipulate potential energy in objects around her, and can even cause what appears to be a rain of fire to burst above her foes. As she is still learning the extent of her abilities, she frequently discovers new – and frequently dangerous – ways of focusing the energy. She suspects that she can also drain the heat from an object, living or not, but, if true, this ability is not yet subject to conscious control.
Flambelle is also able to levitate herself through a complex process involving manipulating thermals and her own physical form. Her control is somewhat erratic, and so she isn’t the fastest (or most reliable) of flying heroes. There are also flashes of hyperactive reflexes, which may be due to the fundamentally unstable nature of her powers.
Abilities
Eileen is well-educated, even if many people have dismissed her public persona outside the classroom as a ditz. She is a skilled actress and enjoys her time upon the stage. She is also extremely loyal to her friends.
Weaknesses and Limitations
Flambelle’s vulnerable is a creation of her own powers; as the temperature decreases, her ability to manipulate flame is likewise reduced. She has no way to explain why her powers are affected by temperature, although continued practice and growth in her powers has reduced the correlation. Eileen also will go to extreme lengths to protect her identity, and, unless in the last defense of her life or that of her comrades, she will not display her powers.
Equipment
Flambelle’s costume appears to be composed of Lyrca, but is completely resistant to fire, whether “normal” or that which Flambelle can generate. Her gloves, boots, and belts are composed of a flexible metallic alloy. Both materials are patented by Dr. Symington-Harrison and were obtained for her by her fiancé, Peter.
