Gunflint

Generations

Jack Rogan was almost literally born with a gun in his hand. 1974, in the tiny iron range town of Embarrass, Minnesota, during the most bitter of winters. The fuel crisis had caused a strike from the range workers as the equipment became two expensive to operate. The strip mines closed and the north woods of the midwest fell to a primitive savagery. Angry starving men turned violent, and the citizens, cut off from the world by harsh blizzards, turned to a garrison that would rival the legends of the wild west.

His father Warren was deputy chief of the small northern town, and kept his family safe from raiding parties using all he had; his hunting and trapping equipment. It was a brutal time. Maniacs were put down like dogs. When the thaw came, civilization slowly returned, but Warren was forever changed. He took his calling to protect the American people and registered as the now famed hero, Tamarack.

Jack was raised in the shadow of this legend, the man who saved the north woods. His statues stood shoulder to shoulder with Paul Bunyan. It was a standard he would learn to hold himself to, as others naturally did the same. Legacy followed Jack like a spectre, so it was little surprise when one found him.

Legacy

Tamarack took up arms during the First Rikti War when the Freedom Phalanx was called upon. Commanding a brigade alongside his comrades, Strike Force Tango was locked down in White Plains during the assault. When the Rikti mothership was destroyed, it crashed into White Plains and the entire Strike Force was lost. Among the dead was Tamarack's close friend and colleague, Gunflint.

Gunflint, it turns out, was not just one hero, but a legacy of heroes spawning from the dawn of America. From the Revolutionary War on through the ages, one man has always taken the mantle and fought for justice and righteousness. When a Freedom Phalanx emissary arrived in Minnesota to deliver the news, he discovered Jack had come of age, and was already a local hero for continuing his father's legacy as a keeper of the peace, allowing the iron range to thrive and prosper.

Without ceremony or fanfare, Jack adopted the moniker of Gunflint. When asked why he didn't take on his father's identity, he simply stated that since his body was never found, he didn't truly believe Tamarack to be deceased.

Tenure

During his first years in Paragon City, he operated in a youth-based hero program called the Teen Phalanx, where he met Bossany, soon to become a long-time friend. After a short few years of intense training, Jack left the Phalanx and elected to be instituted into a special branch of ELITE, performing bodyguard duties for high profile prosecutors and witnesses to villainous crimes. From sharpshooter to secret service, Gunflint performed admirably, and rose quickly in the ranks.

‎Jack's government duties became more obscure as his prowess set him apart from the other operatives. He began working on covert operations overseas. His agency had him instated with the Marines, often orchestrating special operation missions and strike teams. He rescued prisoners of war and brought down dictators. His commission earned him the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, but ELITE returned him the private sector when the threat of the Rikti returned.

Gunflint relied on his hero registration to continue operating in the homeland. Through his old friend Bossany Sand, he was extended an invitation to join an elite mercenary brigade based in Paragon City, the AEGIS Project. Within AEGIS, he was a founding member of a specialized task force called the Brute Squad, which was highly effective against supernatural threats including the Rikti. The circle was now complete, as Jack lived in the footsteps of his immortalized father.

Eventually the Brute Squad dissolved, Gunflint was determined to stay active. For a short time he operated aboard The Tortuga, serving as a ballistics advisor. He left the Tortuga to rejoin the Marines under ELITE, and earned the rank of Major General. Blue Steel spoke at his coronation. By this time, the Rikti threat was overwhelming Paragon City, and Gunflint made the conscious decision to return to heroism full time. He found Bossany once again, and convinced her to help him in restoring the AEGIS Project.

Once the AEGIS Project was underway, Gunflint once again found himself enlisted with his government. As a liaison for the US Marine Corps, he took on service as an intermediary through Vanguard to monitor the integration of a new squad of heroes working aboard a derelict spacecraft. The Derelict is registered as the CMF Rho Majoris from a planetary system called Cygnus, and Jack has been working personally with Captain Irondrake Xenophon to ensure their cooperation with safeguarding Earth.

Headlines

September 22nd, 2004 - Gunflint rescues Maj. Arnold Ranzen's platoon from an Iranian POW camp, disabling no fewer than fourteen enemy spy satellites and an orbital laser array in the covert assault.

March 6th, 2006 - Gunflint confronts the notorious villain Rex the Cat in Warburg, preventing yet another nuclear threat from destroying the eastern seaboard.

October 19th, 2008 - Gunflint recovers an onyxian shard from Oranbega, giving strength to the Kheldian Reclamation Movement and mending the ties between humanity and kheldian refugees.

Febrauary 14th, 2009 - Gunflint is recruited by the Menders of Ouroboros to help track down a previous Gunflint hero. The past bearers of the mantle meet, and form a pact to assist eachother through the reaches of time.

Roleplay elements

Jack's history may be ridiculous, but that's comic books for ya. As a character he is pleasant and approachable, and holds a humble attitude to his accomplishments.

Jack is a very human everyman, and tends to only survive by the graces of good storytelling. Think any Harrison Ford character. Work with the player first if you wish to induce a conflict.

I do not godmod, but I reserve the right to not kill my characters off. I don't PvP, so if you must resolve a conflict by PvP, just know that you will probably win outright. So save me the embarrasment.

Players willing to recognize Jack's military rank may address him as Major General Rogan.

I generally don't roleplay in teams unless the team is RP-specific.

Trivia

Gunflint is named after the Gunflint Trail, a scenic byway near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Northern Minnesota.

Gunflint is @lemmo's second level 50 hero.

Originally @lemmo avoided the Assault Rifle powerset due to the absurd-looking 'super soaker' gun, the introduction of customized weapons spurred him to try out the unexplored set. It was soon discovered to be his favorite blaster set, and sits just behind Martial Arts as his favorite set in the game.

While Gunflint doesn't seem to stay in any single supergroup for long, he owes most of his endgame progress to The Legion of Livejournal.

Gunflint's original story was to avoid military elements altogether, but his tenure with other Marine superheroes in the game gave reason for a retcon. He currently sports an accurate Marine officer uniform as one of his costumes. (side note; Lemmo has never served in the military, and appreciates roleplay corrections when applicable)