Coldwave
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| Coldwave | |
| Player: @Downrange | |
| Origin: | Magic |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Controller |
| Security Level: | Confidential |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Pierre Corbin |
| Known Aliases: | Arctic Ranger (deceased) |
| Species: | Presumed Human |
| Age: | 39 |
| Height: | 5'11" |
| Weight: | 185 lbs |
| Eye Color: | Confidential |
| Hair Color: | White |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Canadian |
| Occupation: | Confidential |
| Place of Birth: | Shawinigan, Quebec |
| Base of Operations: | Paragon City |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | No known next of kin |
| Known Powers | |
| Ice/Storm control | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Confidential | |
| Equipment | |
| Confidential | |
| Coldwave used to be Arctic Ranger. What you do with that information is your own business. Its no big secret. | |
Contents |
Character History
Early life
Pierre Corbin was born to mixed anglo/franco parents in Shawinigan, Quebec on December 29th, 1968. He lead a normal life throughout his early childhood, going to catholic school, and was a model student. This changed drastically in 1981, at the age of 13, when his parents died after running their car off the road in a freak blizzard. Suddenly, school wasn't so important to Pierre, and he began to run with a rough crowd. Minor crime, drug usage, and a general bad attitude became Pierre's modus operandi. After numerous visits to the province's court system, he was given a choice: Go to jail, or enlist in the Canadian Armed Forces. The choice, given Quebec's prison system at the time, was an easy one, and Pierre reported for basic training in St. Jean-sur-Richelieu.
Army Life
As can be expected, the Army turned Pierre right around. Brought in before the ban on physical contact between NCOs and soldiers, lessons on discipline and duty were often beaten into the young Quebecois. Not only was it enough to turn him around, Pierre began rising through the enlisted ranks. Time spent in Qatar during Desert Storm, Somalia, Rwanda, and Bosnia on peacekeeping missions began to show Pierre that the world is not a safe place, nor is it easily defined. Rwanda in particular left a mark upon his soul that will never really come clean. Seeing hundreds of thousands of people slaughtered while being powerless to do anything about it was not an easy event to live down.
After Bosnia, and becoming a Master Warrant Officer, one of the highest enlisted ranks, Pierre was transferred to Canadian Forces Station Alert in what is now Nunavut, to provide support to the command and control operations in the high Arctic. Rikti raids were becoming more common in the far north, and Alert was coming on-stream to be a staging base for Canadian patrols.
It was on one of these patrols that Pierre Corbin would experience a life changing event.
The Change
February, 2000. MWO Corbin lead a patrol out on snowmobiles and snowcrawlers into the frozen wasteland, on patrol for Rikti and other miscreants in the land of endless night. The weather reports seemed clear when heading out, but Environment Canada had managed to miss one howler of a winter storm. Trained as they were, the patrol set up shelters around the snowcrawlers and dug in. Pierre himself was on his way to check on a squad dug in at the north side of the makeshift camp, but became disoriented, and moved in the wrong direction. Stumbling into a small cave in the ice, he dug in as best he could to wait the storm out.
The storm grew ever more intense, with odd flashes of light in the dark whirling clouds, and the sound of ethereal laughter on the wind. Pierre did his best to convince himself he was hallucinating, but the voices and light show would not fade. Eventually, overcome by the madness, he collapsed.
That morning dawned clear, bright, and bitterly cold. Pierre awoke, marvelled at the miracle of not dying from frostbite and hypothermia, and dug himself out. He made his way from section to section, organizing medevacs for injured men and women, and getting the patrol back into fighting shape. It wasn't long before a corporal pointed out that Pierre's parka was open.
"Aren't you cold, Sir?"
"Non.... mais attendez une minute..."
Indeed, Pierre /wasn't/ cold. Not even a little. Instead he felt charged by the cold air around him. And that wasn't all! While cleaning the snow off of one of the snowcrawlers, a slight mental "push" and the snow fell off the machine in a heartbeat.
Pierre kept his newfound powers secret for quite sometime, until his unit visited an Inuit hunting camp that spring. Upon entering the presence of the elders, he was accosted by them. One of his rangers translated the agitated inuktitut.
"You who are blessed by Sedna... you hide your gifts from us... Sedna can be fickle, she will take your gifts away if you do not use them to help the land."
Sedna, according to the elders, was the Inuit goddess of Winter and the Sea, and she had marked Pierre as one of her chosen, to guard his home and native land from all that would prey upon it.
Unfortunately for Pierre, word got back to his superiors about his newfound abilities, and he was transferred yet again. This time to 42 Brigade Group: A brigade-level unit for co-ordinating Canada's superheroes. He was assigned a costume, (the familiar blue and white avec maple leaf), and a codename: Arctic Ranger.
Arctic Ranger
Working solo and with small groups of highly trained solders and other canadian superheroes, Arctic Ranger lived up to his name. Until 2006, he was almost continuously based in the far north, repelling Rikti and other menaces. He became known to the myriad of small communities surrounding the Arctic Ocean, and even co-operated with the Red Machine superheroes out of Russia on matters of international significance. He was well received by most, though a few former compatriot soldiers resented his superpowered presence on the tundra. The inuit, without variance, treated him with wary deference. As noted before, Sedna's a fickle goddess, and the elders had no particular desire to be around if she ever wanted to vent her considerable rage through Arctic Ranger's frail still-human self.
In June 2006, Arctic Ranger was redeployed after a harrowing battle with some Rikti artifact hunters in the frozen wasteland. As a sort of R&R, he was deployed south to Paragon City as liasion staff between various hero associations and NGOs, and the Canadian Government and Armed Forces. While nowhere near the magnitude of hero that most Paragonians have come to respect and expect, Arctic Ranger did his job to the best of his ability, helping out where he could, and educating several heroes on arctic issues. He began to associate with members of a social club known as T.U.M.B.L.E.R off and on, and found their ability to educate the northerner on how things are done down south to be a particular boon. While he was never wholly accepted by T.U.M.B.L.E.R, he maintained links for quite some time, as well as with several like minded fans of The Cape Radio station.
Coldwave
It was in late September 2007 that MWO Corbin was called back north in a state of heightened alert. Under the arctic sea ice, a new force was stirring. It didn't appear to be related to the rikti, but several CF soldiers and Inuit had gone missing already. Arctic was put in charge of a small unit of powered soldiers and heroes, and sent to investigate and deal with the threat.
Official reports are still classified about this encounter. All official reports out of the Canadian government merely state that Squad C , 42 Brigade Group, are all listed as KIA from an unfortunate accident during a training exercise.
And yet, trapped under the ice, horribly wounded and breathing his last breath of stale air, Arctic Ranger was pulled abruptly from this reality for an audience with She Who Made Him. Once you are blessed with Sedna's kiss, She is not so willing to let you just idly slip those bonds of life. Pierre was changed once more by ice, water, and wind. No more a human with some level of control over snow and ice, he is now ice personified. Warm blood replaced by chilled essence running through his veins. Even standing near him can bring significant chills to humans nearby. His body is so cold as to condense water vapour out of the air around him, giving him an ethereal presence wherever he happens to be.
Pierre was dumped back into reality not far from the site of that frightful lovecraftian battle of which none may speak. Sedna's harsh cold laughter still ringing in his ears: "Go now, little one. I'll have need of you later...." He staggered his way to the nearest camp he could find, to be marked, shunned, and cast out of the village by those who recognize him as what he is now, an instrument of Sedna's wrath against the injustice of the world. Checks in with army or government contacts found him listed as KIA, and with hunter teams established to make sure the reality matched the paperwork. With no home or hope, he headed back to Paragon City.
Pierre exists on the edge of life and death. He's not quite sure what state he's in himself, and he's rather afraid to find out. He's changed significantly on the personality front. The shock of 'death', the ostracizing from his former peers, have all damaged his psyche significantly. He's become cold, pardon the pun, and cynical. While he no longer associates with T.U.M.B.L.E.R, he does still have some manner of contact with a few Cape Radio friends who manage to tolerate his presence. He goes by a new name now, as Arctic Ranger no longer fits as a title. He's simply known as Coldwave.
On a cool day as the cold season approaches, you can sometimes find Coldwave staring to the north, head cocked slightly as if listening to voices that no one else can hear. Those who ask him what's going on always get the same response. Eyes now hidden behind dark glasses turn to look at the source of the question, and a voice as cold and as certain as a glacier's progression emananates forth:
"Winter is coming."
Two recent events have begun to change Coldwave's life yet again. For one, he has joined a supergroup, finally. Nova Watch was kind enough to accept his services. Coldwave is working hard to fit in, and provide value to the group.
Coma
Coldwave knew that his days were numbered. No conduit can channel the will of the divine forever. As he began to burn out, Sedna made her presence known directly more and more, often speaking directly through Pierre's voice. This has been met with some opposition from Pierre himself, as he really doesn't want to burn out OR fade away. Finally, when Sedna began negotiating with Pyrria to become a new conduit, Pierre had enough. He has managed to sever the link to consciousness, and is physically in a coma in Brickstown Hospital.
A battle raged in Pierre's mind, and he was on the losing end of it, until Nova Watch's chief medical officer managed to make contact with what's left of Pierre's being and essence. Currently Pierre's consciousness resides in Ella, until Sedna can be evicted.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
- Mastery of Ice and Snow control is increasing. Coldwave, when properly motivated, can lock down some fairly fearsome foes, or at least slow them down.
- Immune to temperature variance. He can handle extreme cold without any problems. He's uncomfortable in the heat, but his natural chilleration functionality keeps him surviving.
- Thermal sensing ability: Coldwave can detect temperature changes in a specific pointt, a person, or the ambient temperature.
- Tenacity: Coldwave has extensive army training, and will keep at a task until its complete, despite the obstacles in the way or the damage he takes.
- Teleportation: Apart from his ability to teleport locally, Coldwave can bounce between the Arctic and Paragon with ease, as long as the ley lines are aligned properly.
Weaknesses
- Coldwave really can't take a hit. While he bounces back again, he's really not the suited for frontline combat.
- Cold presence. Coldwave's body temperature ranges from -45C to +4C At its coldest, it condenses water vapour out of the air around him. Humans feel uncomfortable if they stand too close, and risk frostbite if they come into contact with him.
- As a puppet of Sedna's will, he is sometimes forced to engage in combat actvities that he himself is not particularly proud of. Sedna is not a subtle goddess, and he's yet to win an argument with her.
Associations and friends
Coldwave used to hang out with a social club named T.U.M.B.L.E.R. He still has acquaintances in Lunarwind, Sentinel Omega, and Thag Zhug, though he's not seen any of them for some time, and they may not know of his changed name and status. Coldwave's current form sort of precludes most social RP, though there are a few people in Pocket D who seem to tolerate him:
- Lunar Eclipse: Coldwave and Lunar Eclipse often exchange in minor insults and japes, but Pierre considers Connor to be a friend, even if Connor is too much on the side of the goody twoshoes.
- Folie: As Arctic Ranger, if Pierre really sat down and thought about it for a while, he would have recognized he had a bit of a crush on the now-discorporated Cajun, once upon a time. He's cast any such idea from him now, due to not wanting to be seen as a cradle-robbing creep, and not understanding the process she's going through, but still considers her a friend.
- Pyrria: As she's so often seen with Lunar Eclipse, Pierre and Pyrria have formed something of an friendship. When Pierre was declared KIA, she asked to be adopted so that she could get his death benefits. This has lead to a number of occasions where Pyrria calls Pierre her dad, also a possible dig at the fact that Coldwave is older than most heroes encountered. Hilarity usually ensues.
- Many of The Cape Radio DJs and fans are also known to Coldwave. He does his best to relate to them, but usually with limited success. Still, they're they closest to a social group he's likely to obtain.
- Coldwave's new membership in Nova Watch, part of the Renascent group, has introduced him to a host of new characters.
Trivia
- Coldwave can dance a little. Ballroom and swing mostly. He claims this comes from certain classes high ranking NCOs are supposed to take in order to be proper ambassadors for the armed forces, but who knows for sure?
- Coldwave can also cook somewhat. While not a chef by any stretch of the imagination, he had to learn to cook after moving to off-base residency while in the army.
- Pierre seems to have a hobby of carving soapstone in an inuit-influenced style. He's by no means an expert at it, but can at least get the point across with whatever he's creating.
- Theme Song: "Cold Blooded" by Damageplan. (thanks to Posthaste for that)
- Coldwave's com-wave ring tone is the Hockey Night In Canada theme.
- Pierre's torso is covered in scars. Farily horrible ones. He was pretty torn up when Sedna converted him. The wounds have healed, but the scars remain. Pierre is almost never seen without a shirt on though.
Player's Notes
(this section is for OOC random Player Notes to try and further flesh-out Coldwave's concepts. Feel free to add any notes you notice about him as a character)
- Coldwave is a heavy RP character. If he's talking locally or on a team, chances are its all IC.
- Coldwave's arctic adventures are off camera, for obvious reasons. They're a way to flesh out the character without bothering too many people. People are free to play along and add to this concept though. Just send me a tell.
- Pierre is a rather broken individual. A trained psychologist would recognize symptoms of PTSD from too much combat in his life, not enough downtime. As well, the fact that he can't touch most people without causing injury due to frostbite really has put a damper on his ability to cope and relate. Some part of him realizes the right thing to do would be to shun face-to-face socialization, but there's a deeply selfish part of him that enjoys socializing with other beings. This is going to continue to plague him for some time.
- Pierre has a magical origin, thanks to Sedna, but doesn't actually understand much about magic. He's just a conduit. The way he figures it, if Sedna wanted someone who understood magic, she would have picked a mage, not a soldier.
- Pierre is woefully underprepared on the psychic front, though Sedna will not allow certain events to transpire due to psychic control. Please send a tell if you are going to try anything psychically.
- Due to the frozen aura he projects, Coldwave doesn't shake hands with or hug people. He tends to be hyper aware of his space limitations, and will often move out of people's way in the D when he sees them get too close. On a team, he won't, as he figures in combat, everyone knows the risks.
- Is Coldwave actually Dead? Doubtful. I let this be ambiguous for quite some time. He owes Sedna his existence now, but he's not actually dead.
- Sedna does talk to Coldwave directly sometimes. Its not terribly pleasant. She's rather capricious.
- Coldwave was being actively recruited back to 42 Brigade Group, his old unit that left him for dead. This has been supplanted and rejected after joining the Nova Watch super group.
- Coldwave will kill if necessary. He spent too long as a soldier to take the high road. This does put him in contrast with several friends and his new supergroup. To him, its a matter of shooting (or freezing) before being shot. On Nova Watch missions, he'll follow the lead of his superiors, but when on his own, or when rikti are involved, all bets are off.
- There is a brief vignette of a night in the life of Coldwave here: Coldwave/Wintertime In The Void
