The Liberty Bowman
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| Rangers lead the way | |
| The Liberty Bowman | |
| Player: @Angel Silhouette | |
| Origin: | Technology/Mutant |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Defender |
| Security Level: | 35 |
| Personal Data | |
| Given Name: | Confidential |
| Legal Name: | Croham "Cro" Ravenscourt |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 29 |
| Height: | 6'3" |
| Weight: | 210 |
| Eye Color: | Blue |
| Hair Color: | Brown |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | United States |
| Occupation: | Hero, Freelance marine salvage captain |
| Place of Birth: | Otterwater, VA |
| Base of Operations: | Paragon City, RI |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Freedom's Archer: Rusk D'Abernon |
| Known Powers | |
| Machine Empathy | |
| Equipment | |
| 120lb recurve bow and a sheaf of tech arrows. | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Woodsmanship, survival training, marksmanship, stealth, salvage and repair | |
Contents |
Super Group
- Founder of "World Heroes"
Affiliations
- US Army Rangers
- French Foriegn Legion
Personality
- Cro and his cousin Rusk are, despite their battlefield experiences, very flippant and easy going people; that's part of the reason they are heroes, though. What they saw changed them for sure; but instead of making them hard, distant people, it only made them happier that life wasn't like that in any other situation. When seen without his mask, Cro is always smiling and jovial, glad to be in Paragon fighting for what he believes is right.
Powers
Machine Empathy
- Cro feels a special kinship with all things mechanical and electronic. This feeling has made it unnervingly easy for him to strip down, repair and build from scratch or salvage, nearly anything he can imagine. While not a very useful power on the surface, he has found that it has been extremely useful in many of the situations he has been in; during the Rikti battles, he was able to cannibalize the alien technology to modify and improve his unit's personal equipment.
- Currently he uses the ability to create gadget arrows that he uses to apprehend wrongdoers, micro optics for his bow and holo displays on the interior fabric of his hood to display what the bow's optics see. He has also managed to cobble together a rudimentary teleportation device with which he can summon anyone to whom he has given a special transponder.
Tech Bow & Arrows
- Cro's Machine Empathy has allowed him to create several different types of gadget arrows.
Snares
- Upon impact, the arrow explodes into a tangle of thick, sticky rubber bands that adhere to both the target and the ground around him, anchoring him in one spot. In the interest of the target's health, the glue that is used on the elastic bands begins to dissolve immediately upon contact with air.
Flash
- An arrow that creates a blinding flash as it hits its mark, leaving anyone in the area blinking away the spots in their eyes.
Glue Bomb
- Because of the shape of the mechanism, this arrow has a very short range; however, the effects are impressive. When this arrow strikes its target, it sprays out an omnidirectional blast of the same type of glue used in the snare arrow. Anyone running through the field of glue will immediately find that it is difficult to move, as rapid movements and impacts cause the glue to splash and spread.
Gas Arrow
- Like the glue bomb, this arrow sprays liquid out in an omnidirectional aerosol; the arrow is more streamlined, however, giving it a better range than the glue bomb. Upon contact with air, the liquid begins to evaporate into a non-lethal, choking fog; reducing the efficacy of enemy attacks.
Flaming Arrow
- While not in use, it appears to be a type of grapnel arrow; but when it is knocked, tiny holes lining the arrowhead ooze lamp-oil and an electrical charge arcs across the tip to ignite it. Once the arrow strikes its mark, the grapnel latches on to the target and the shaft drops off shortly after.
Disruption Arrow
- An aural version of his flash arrow, the Disruption Arrow generates infasonic pulses that destabalize armor layers, softens thick skin, and weakens pliable combat armor. Another notable distinction of the Disruption Arrow is that it is fired into the ground, instead of at a target, and generates a constant pulse until he disables it.
Oil Slick Arrow
- A bit bulkier and more frontheavy than his other arrows, the oil slick arrow is by far his favorite. The arrow is actually a two piece contraption: The shafts are carried in Bowman's hip-quiver and the arrowheads on his belt. It's a bit of a process to draw the shaft, attach it to the arrowhead one handed, then fire it with accuracy, but well worth it in his eyes. The arrow works by taking a small amount of oil, be it vegetable mineral or engine, and aerosoling it over a large area. Each arrowhead is under high pressure, requiring a two stage trigger to release the contents. The first being the force of the arrow being shot from the bow, the second being the impact of the arrow with its target. Once triggered, the high pressure release of the oil creates a very well dispersed mist that coats everything in an approximate twenty foot area, causing a loss of friction and many stooge-like pratfalls. Aside from the hilarity that ensues its initial activation, he enjoys using the oil as an offensive weapon against hard targets by igniting it with his flaming arrow.
Teleportation
Teleport Ally
- Both Cro and Rusk kept some of the salvaged Rikti technology and were able to create makeshift teleporters capable of locking onto an ally's transceiver frequency and bringing them instantly to their immediate vicinity.
Teleport Self
- Cro has managed to modify his recall device to allow him to project himself to a target location up to 150 yards away.
Buoyancy field
- After using his teleportation system a few times, Cro discovered that if he is not quick or careful, he can end up falling from a great hight. In order to give him breathing time, he has modified the teleporter to allow him to remain suspended in the air long after he completes a teleport.
Abilities
- Born and raised in the backwoods and swamps of Otterwater, VA, Cro is an experienced woodsman and survivalist. Paired with his US Army, Airborne, Ranger, Legionnaire training and combat experience, he is a formidable stalker, hunter and hero.
Weaknesses and Limitations
- Being a relatively ordinary man with no superhuman powers to speak of, he is vulnerable to all conventional weaponry. Likewise, his family are vulnerable; if an antagonist were to find his family, it would be a sure way to hurt him. Because of this latter weakness, The Liberty Bowman not only has a secret identity, but the secret identity itself is false.
Character History
- Cro and Rusk are third cousins who joined the Army to escape the doldrums of their tiny town of Otterwater. They made a promise to their families to watch out for and take care of each other whislt away, but were seperated early by the beuracracy of the Department of Defense. After many failed attempts to reunite, they both joined the Army Ranger program as it seemed the only way to beat the system.
- The going was rough, to say the least, but the boys were naturals. Their childhood in the backwoods and swamps of their home made them experienced woodsmen and pathfinders. Although it was no walk in the park, the pair did find it easier than most and graduation came soon for them; just in time to witness the carnage of the Rikti invasion. During the battles that followed, the military was unprepared for the strength of the Rikti, but they were not as ineffectual as the historians had portrayed them. Cro and Rusk's company, in particular, did quite well against their assigned targets without the help of supers.
- During the battles with the Rikti menace, they had discovered that they had a disconcerting aptitude for disassembling the Rikti technology and using it to modify their comrades weaponry and equipment. It was this amazing skill that helped their company to take several strategic locations and destroy several key targets, turning the tide of many a battle. The fact that their efforts and accomplishments were glossed over by the media and historians gave them a slight bitterness towards the heroes who were given the complete credit; and it was the bitterness they felt towards the military that did nothing to vindicate their accomplishments and the accomplishments of their fallen brothers that led Cro and Rusk to resign their field commissions and leave the country that they felt had wronged them.
- After spending several months hiking across europe, they finally cooled their heels and felt guilty for leaving their comrades and their country when they were needed so badly. They talked at length about returning and how best they could atone for their indiscretion. It was finally decided that they would go back not as soldiers, but as masked heroes. The only problem was their family; if their identities were discovered it placed their loved ones in danger, and that was something they couldn't have. A further decision was made: to change their identities before returning.
- While they were in Ranger School, the pair had heard of a place where Rangers, Seals, and Green Berets go to prove their prowess and earn a badge of honor amongst their brothers: The French Foreign Legion. It was also said that one could create a new identity in the legion and have a completely new life. This, they felt, was the most attractive option; no fuss, no legal hullabaloo, and no paper trail leading back to their original identities.
- Four years and several battlefield injuries later, they declined the offer for Français par le sang versé and returned to the United States as Croham Ravenscourt and Rusk D'Abernon, The Liberty Bowman and Freedom's Archer.
