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Name: Mercy Blake

Commander, Praetorian Knights

Commander Blake
Agent of S.C.O.R.P.I.O.
Player: @RPAngel1
SCORPIO Intel
Division:	Confidential
Rank:	Confidential
Origin/AT:	Mutant Brute
Security Level:	30
Agent Personal Data
Real Name:	Mercy Blake
Known Aliases:	None
Species:	Homosuperior
Age:	29 (Born 1981)
Height/Weight:	5'6" / 122lbs
Eye/Hair Color:	Blue / Black
Citizenship:	Praetorian
Current Residence:	Founders Falls
Marital Status:	Single
Known Relatives:	Unknown
Known Powers
Pain Absortion
Training / Abilities
Enhanced Physical Abilities
Equipment
See "Equipment"
Footnotes
Strategist, Praetorian War College

Early Life

Mercy Blake grew up without her mother. Catherine Blake was a mutant who died in the battle against Hamidon. Mercy was raised by her father Dr. Reginald Blake, a renown scientist who specialized in mutations and energy fusion. As a child she and her father were very close. Dr. Blake worked a lot, but whenever he wasn't working he was spending his time with his daughter.

Being the daughter of a world class scientist, intelligence was in her genes. She was extremely bright and very intelligent. Her father taught her how to play chess when she was very young. They would play each other, complete with made up sound effects and lots of laughing. Growing up without a female figure also made her a bit of a tomboy, who never really felt comfortable in dresses.

The Hamidon War had only recently come to an end, and Marcus Cole had saved the Earth and pledged to clean up their fractured world. Reginald praised Cole as a hero and a savior. Mercy wanted to follow in Cole's footsteps and be a hero too. However, unlike a passing phase, Mercy's intrest in being a hero never waivered. Though she was dissapointed that she didn't have any superpowers, Reginald encouraged his daughter. He told her that she didn't need powers to be a hero. At her father's suggestion, Mercy took up fencing when she was 10. Despite the chaos around her, Mercy enjoyed a childhood that was as normal as could be expected.

Reginald's Breakthrough

When Mercy was 14 years old, Reginald make a breakthrough that would be both a gift and a curse. He had been researching mutations to try to gain a better understanding of what causes mutations in humans. He also researched different energy types trying to provide a safe cure to those who sought one.

While experimenting with new fusion methods he discovered a new type of fusion and energy. He called this new energy "Prime Fusion Energy" (PFE). This energy was unstable and unpredictable, however early testing showed that this new energy might actually cause mutations in normal humans. Reginald believed this new type of energy could hold the key to curing mutations provided he could reverse engineer the effect. He was granted full government funding to continue his research.

A Hidden Agenda

While working in the database late one night, Reginald came across information he wasn't supposed to see. It was a memo from a man named Dr. Blair Vance who was one of Reginald's long time rivals. Vance didn't care about the science as much as he did the money and glory.

It was unclear who the memo was written to. However, Vance theorized that mutations were in a constant state of evolution. That one day "Mutant power X" could evolve into a superior version of itself. Vance believed that while Reginald's new PFE could not only cause mutations in normal humans, it could also evolve existing mutations to their pinnacle. It was clear that Vance had been given funding to build his machines, and sooner or later they would try to use his PFE to create some kind of "evolved mutant"

Reginald shuttered at the thought of what that kind of power could do in the wrong hands. Every ounce of reason told him to get his research and leave. However, the scientist in him could not bring himself to go. He believed that he was getting closer and closer to a cure. There would be no way for him to complete his research without the funding he was recieving.

Mercy's Mutation

Attributes
	Statistic	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
	Fortitude
	Stamina
	Speed
	Melee
	Blasts
	Support
	Control

Mercy's mother was a mutant. Reginald knew that there were good odds that Mercy would also be born with a mutation. When Mercy started going through puberty, her father prepared for the worst. "The worst" is exactly what he got. Mercy's mutation manifected putting her in terrible pain that never seemed to subside. Reginald brought Mercy to his lab to try to find a solution. First thing first, he had to find the problem.

After a couple days of testing Reginald learned his daughters cruel fate. Mercy's body absorbed pain from everyone around her. The more pain she absorbed the more her strength, speed, agility and even regeneration were increased. This power seemed to always be on, with no way for Mercy to control it. Mercy's body gave off a blackish blue glow, and during spikes of pain her eyes would turn as black as her long hair. Worse yet, it appeared Mercy's body was literally fueled and sustained by pain. As a survival mechanism, her bodys pain receptors created constant searing pain in order to survive. Giving her sedatives to dull the pain caused her body to begin shutting down. In order for Mercy to live, she had to suffer.

Reginald found unending motivation with his daughters pain. He worked feverishly trying to discover his cure. Every step closer he got, an unexpected setback would take him two steps back. His hopes of a cure were going nowhere, and his beautiful daughter was still crying, suffering. In an act of desperation, Reginald could think of only one solution left.

Project Evolution

Vance's lab was locked. Reginald peered in though the window at the machines. It wasn't anything that looked extremely complicated. The lab seemed fully functional but it was missing one thing, PFE. Afraid they wouldn't allow him to use the machine on his daughter, he took the choice out of their hands. He grabbed a nearby chair and smashed out the glass as alarms sounded thoughout the building.

He picked up his daughter, rushing her into the machine, promising her that it would make the pain go away. Once she was set, Reginald made his way to the controls. He entered the formula for PFE, bringing the system online. As the fusion began the cylinder above Mercy lit up bright white with PFE. He said a quiet prayer before pushing the button. The energy blasted down into the chamber Mercy was in, the light was so bright that Reginald had to cover his eyes.

When the light faded he saw his daughter, still alive but changed. Mercy's long black hair was now solid white. She looked at her father with a smile and told him it didn't hurt anymore. The machine had worked, it evolved her mutant ability to it's pinnacle. That also made this machine potentially the most dangerous discovery since the atom bomb.

Reginald could hear footsteps comming down the hall. He typed quickly, deleting all data on Prime Fusion. Without that fusion, the machine was nothing but a million dollar light show. He completed the file purge and managed to get himself and Mercy out before the guards reached them. He knew they would try to find him, either to get the data, or to execute him for treason. Reginald dropped Mercy off with her grandmother. He gave her a kiss, told her how much he loved her, and then he was gone.

Mercy Evolved

Attributes
	Statistic	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
	Fortitude
	Stamina
	Speed
	Melee
	Blasts
	Support
	Control

Over the following two years, Mercy lived with her grandmother. While she missed her father, she understood why he did what he did, and why he left. She only hoped that wherever he was, he was safe. Since the incident they had come looking for him repeatedly, likely hoping he would come see his daughter.

Mercy took the time alone to get aquainted with her new abilities. Her body was no longer sustained by pain, hence her body no longer created her constant pain to survive. In fact it was the opposite. Her body's pain receptors now dulled pain to comphensate for the pain she absorbed. She felt enough pain to know she was being hurt or absorbing pain, but not enough to cause her any more than moderate discomfort. She also no longer absorbed pain from people around her constantly. There was a slight learning curve, but her new power seemed more a part of her and easy to control.

As far as her ability increase, the changes were quickly apparent. Before. her abilities increased gradually, in proportion to the amount of pain she absorbed. Now, absorbing any amount of pain gave her a massive jolt to her physical abilities, which continued to increase the longer her absorbtion was active. Instead of the black/blue aura her body produced before, her powers now gave her a gold/while glow. Seeing it made her feel more like a hero, and less like some evil "thing".

There was only one aspect of her new self that took a lot of getting used to. The white hair.

Powers Division

When Mercy turned 18, she immediately applied to Powers Division. However, they were not quick to welcome her seeing how her father had been blacklisted as a fugitive. Normally, a recruit with a family history like hers probably would have been denied. The higher ranking members knew what Mercy was, and despite their reservations they were curious to see what this supposed "evolved" mutant could do.

They were not dissapointed. Mercy excelled in almost every aspect of her training. Her stratigic skills had been honed by years of Chess with her father, and her swordsmanship had been forged through her fencing skills. Still, her abilities had not even begun to mature. The rigorous training of the Powers Division pushed her skills to the next level. The better she got, the harder they pushed her. Add her natural abilities to her mutant powers, and it was easy to see why she was quickly becoming one of the best. Her superhuman pain tolerance allowed her to take massive amounts of punishment and still continue fighting, while her pain absorbtion and ability increase made sure she could give as good as she got.

Mercy completed her training with top honors. While some were still suspicious of her, she had earned the respect of many of her peers. After completing her training she quickly got into the field. Immediately, she was swept up in the constant struggle with the Resistance. Mercy tried to keep her opinions and politics out of her work as much as possible. Instead, she focused her efforts on protecting the people of Praetoria. Like a real hero would.

During her time in the Powers Division she had seen the "Loyalists" doing some things that made her feel uncomfortable. Many were so caught up with trying to end the Resistance, they didn't care what they had to do to reach their ends. Mercy also heard rumors and whispers about Emperor Cole. Some called him "Tyrant". Mercy never understood that title. Cole had saved the world. Not only did he save it, but he rebuilt it and had created a utopia for people to live in peace. Mercy saw complaints about the Emperor as ridiculous. Almost like someone standing in a golden city, and complaining that they prefer silver. For all their claims that Cole was evil, the Resistance wasn't much better. They certainly did a fine job at representing the old ways of war and misery. Even going so far as to plant explosives in Cole Memorial Hospital

Violation

When the call came in that bombs had been planted within Cole Memorial Hospital, Powers Division was immediately dispatched. Mercy was assigned to the team dealing with the bombs. As they arrived and began heading into the Hospital, they recieved another transmission. It seemed the resistance, along with one of their top leaders, was still in the area. Orders came for their team to apprehend the resistance leader. Mercy asked about the Hospital, but was only told that there was a team heading that way and for her to follow her orders.

The rest of the team changed direction, heading towards the resistance. After a moment of thought, Mercy continued to the Hospital against orders. Her Captain barked at her over her comm. She tried to explain that there may not be time to wait for another team, but nobody wanted to hear it. Mercy finally growing tired of the shouting, turned off her comm and entered the Hospital.

Once inside, Mercy immediately ordered the evacuation of all able personnel. She ordered nurses to help the patients out, and doctors he help direct traffic out. Once she had them set, she began her sweep for the bombs. She headed straight for the basement as it made the most sense. Placing a bomb in the sublevels not only provided a direct strike against the buildings foundations, but also greatly decreased the chances of detection. After a frantic search, she found the bomb. It was large and powerful, but poorly assembled. It used a cell phone as a remote detonator. Mercy was able to sever the connection between the phone and the bomb, leaving it without a detonator.

Less than a minute had passed when the phone rang. Mercy smiled knowing that she had disarmed the bomb, and that she would later trace the call and maybe get a good lead on the resistance. The second Powers Division team arrived, finding Mercy in the basement. They didn't say anything about the bomb, but they immediately disarmed Mercy placing her under arrest for willfully violating her orders.

The Praetorian Knights

Mercy had only been jailed for a week when she had a visitor. The man wore black and gold armor, with black hair that hung in his eyes and a stern face. He ordered Mercy's cell open and took her out. The man's name was Ashton Prescott and he was a Commander of a new group called The Praetorian Knights. Her actions had caught their attention, and after reviewing her performance records they offered her a position among them.

A few days later Emperor Cole gave a speech to all the Praetorian Knights, to let them know what he expected of them.

'"Men and women of the Praetorian Knights...

Many of you who stand here today are no strangers to service and sacrifice. Most of you have served within the Powers Division and proven your skill and dedication. Together we have forged this great utopia, a place where people can live and raise their families in peace and safety.

As all of you know, there has been a growing resistance within Praetoria. Those who would see us return to the old ways. War, destruction, hunger...we lived that way once and I say to you now...NEVER AGAIN!

The PPD and Powers Division, along with the Praetors are working tirelessly to stamp out this resistance to ensure the security of Praetoria. In the coming days there will be battles, there will be losses on both sides, but we will prevail.

Today I am here to charge you with what may be the most sacred duty that any of us could recieve. The mission of the Knights, their ONLY mission is to protect the innocent lives of Praetoria. Each one of you is tasked to ensure that our conflicts never reach their doors. You sacrifice to ensure their peace, you fight to ensure their safety.

I swear to you all now, that we will do everything we can to stop the resistance, to end the conflict once and for all. The safety and security of the Praetorian people, I entrust to you all today."

Mercy was moved by Emperor Cole's words and his passion. She had always idolized him, and finally seeing him and hearing him had exceeded her wildest dreams. His words would stay with Mercy through her entire career, and she took her mission seriously. Her mission with the Knights allowed to to stay clear of the politics, and focus on keeping the people save. In Mercy's mind, she had finally become the hero she had always dreamed of being.

A Knights Duty

The Praetorian Knights wanted to be more than police. They wanted to be a symbol of justice, kindness, and chivalry much as Emperor Cole carried himself. To that end the Knights created a code to help guide their actions, and all were expected to follow it.

The Knights Code:

A Praetorian Knight is

Kind, but never weak

Strong, but never cruel

Brave, but never foolish

Proud yet always humbled

Willing to sacrifice self, but never others

The Knights did follow their code, and through it they gained the respect and trust of the Praetorian people. They were seen as selfless heros, not interested in fame or power, only to help and protect those in need. The success of the Knights among the people, as well as the attention they recieved from Emperor Cole, prompted widespread jealousy throughout the Powers Division. Even the Praetors began to resent the Knights success.

On several occations the Knights would recieve orders meant to make them look bad or tarnish their reputation. Emperor Cole became aware of the trend and not wanting to tarnish the public image of his newest project, he removed the Knights from the chain of authority. Commander Prescott was made General of the Knights, and reported directly to Emperor Cole. He would then pass information to his Commanders. This move ensured that the Knights would continue to do what was best for the people, and not fall prey to jealousy or politics.

The TPN Bombing

Of all Mercy's accomplishments, none have been more defining than what came to be referred to as "The TPN Bombing". Emperor Cole was giving a public address regarding the state of Praetoria and his plans for the future. Hundreds of people gathered to witness the address, and the Total Praetorian Network (TPN) was there to broadcast the event live to the world.

Security was heavy at the event, PPD and Powers Division were in charge of Emperor Cole's security. The Knights, due to their popularity with the people, also attended. However, their presence was meant as nothing more that a show of support for Emperor Cole. The Knights spent most of their time before the address speaking to people in the crowd and answering questions of starstruck fans of Emperor Cole.

Once the address had started, it proceded on schedule and without incident for the first half of the speech. During the middle of the speech, the Resistance attacked in force. The PPD and Powers Division sprung into action, intercepting the Resistance fighters before they could reach the stage. However, something didn't add up.

Why would the resistance try a frontal assault on the most heavily defended site in the city, outnumbered and outmatched? Mercy knew enough about strategy to know a diversion. She started scanning the area, looking over the crowd and surrounding areas for further signes of trouble. She saw one man pulling a large device from the back of a van. The man began to run through the crowd towards the stage with the device. Everyone's attention was on the ensueing battle, and the man proceeded unchallenged. Mercy ran through the crowd, intercepting the man with a hard right hook that knocked him out cold. She pulled the device out of his hands before he hit the ground, and began to examine it. It was definately a bomb, and powerful enough to kill everyone in a half mile.

Mercy looked around for a moment trying to decide the best way to go, but people were everywhere. Almost everywhere. Mercy activated her Propulsion Field Generator (PFG) taking flight straight up at max speed. Using the momentum from her flight, she hurled the bomb further into the air. The bomb detonated, catching Mercy in the blast, but the crowd wasn't touched. The crowds attention was pulled to the sky. The force of the blast damaged her PFG, knocking her back down to the ground. She smashed into a fountain like a cannonball. Only a few moments later Mercy began trying to stand up, her superhuman pain tolerance masking the true severity of her injuries.

The other Knights that witnessed the explosion rushed to her, pulling her out of the fountain. Mercy's face and body were covered in blood, visible through her tattered clothes. Her legs shook as she tried to support her weight, finally collapsing onto the support of the other Knights. They laid her down on the concrete waiting for medical personnel. The surrounding crowd stood in silence, like a quiet vigil as the Knights tried to stop some of the bleeding. Mercy was eventually picked up and rushed off to the Hospital.

Soon after the bombing, the resistance was beaten back with many of them being detained on the spot. While most of the cameras had been focused on the battle, a single cameraman had seen the man pulling the bomb from the van and caught the entire incident. Within the day, footage of the bombing and Mercy's heroism was being broadcast accross Praetoria. While Mercy was in critical condition, they tracked and broadcast updates on her condition, even following progress of her recovery. When the news was released that Mercy had lost her eye in the explosion in order to save hundreds of lives, her fame only increased.

Mercy Blake, Commander

The coverage of Mercy's release from the Hospital was covered by TPN, as was the announcement that Emperor Cole would be holding a public meeting with Mercy to show his appreciation for her selfless actions. Mercy was escorted out of the Hospital by Commander Slade of the Praetorian Knights. While Mercy and Slade had never really got along, her newfound fame seemed to have only increased his animosity towards her. They were both to meet with Emperor Cole in private to discuss the deatils of the public meeting later that day.

Once they arrived at Emperor Cole's chambers, he congradulated Mercy on her performance, calling her actions inspirational. Mercy enjoyed a private lunch, discussing the Knights and the future of Praetoria. The Emperor playfully scolded Mercy for refusing to call him "Marcus" as he had requested. Marcus had seemed genuinely humble and true in his desire to protect his people.

When the Emperor and Mercy emerged to a anxiously waiting Commander Slade, they began to discuss the ceremony, and how the events would transpire. Commander Slade suggested factually that the ceremony would be a prestigious way to announce Mercy's retirement from the Knights. Slade hesitantly praised Mercy's actions, but claimed that her visual "handicap" made her unfit for duty with the Knights.

Mercy tried to remain calm, but her face had clearly betrayed her emotions. Emperor Cole asked what Mercy thought of the Commander's recommendation. Mercy's blood was boiling, as she told the Emperor that she was fit to continue, going as far as to issue a formal challenge to Commander Slade. Slade initally scoffed at the idea, until much to the Emperor's amusement, she goaded Commander Slade by adding, "...unless of course, the Commander too cowardly to fight one "handicapped" girl".

The verbal attack to the Commander's pride was enough to make him accept Mercy's challenge. Her armor and weapons were brought to her, and the challenge began with Emperor Cole as the witness. While Commander Slade was more experienced, he could not make up for Mercy's natural ability and enhanced powers. Mercy decimated the Commander in a clear and one-sided victory. Mercy moved in for a killing blow, but stopped her blade inches from Slade's neck. The battle was over, and Mercy had proven herself to be as capable as ever.

A few hours later, the official ceremony began. Emperor Cole stood before the massive crowd, saying that while there may be more powerful people in Praetoria, there was nobody who was more an inspiration than Mercy Blake. He praised her selfless actions, and unwaivering dedication to Praetoria. Emperor Cole then announced that Commander Slade was retireing and prestigiously thanked the Commander for his many sacrifices, presenting him with a medal to honor his service to Praetoria. Finally, Emperor Cole announced that Mercy was his choice to take Commander Slade's position. The crowd erupted in applause and cheers as Mercy accepted her new role as the first female Commander of the Praetorian Knights. As a personal gift from the Emperor, and symbol of her new status, Mercy recieved two ornate Impervium swords.

Primal Earth

Once she was promoted to Commander, Mercy was informed of a great threat looming over Praetoria. An alternate world known as "Primal Earth". A twisted mirror world of Praetoria, Marcus Cole was not Emperor, but a costumed hero named Statesman and lead protector of a place called Paragon City. His rival and nemesis was a villain known as Lord Recluse, who ruled a place called The Rogue Isles with an iron fist. The two sides had been locked in conflict for years with neither side able to gain enough of an advantage to take down the other.

Paragon City, along with it's costumed heroes, also had a division of enforcers known as Longbow. The Rogue Isles had Lord Recluse's army, called Arachnos. Both sides had learned of the existance of Praetoria, and both Longbow and Arachnos had already begun sending advanced troops into Praetoria. Mercy wasn't sure if they were invading out of fear or greed, but they posed an immediate threat to the people of Praetoria. That simply would not due.

Mercy led her group of Praetorian Knights and began tracking and taking down Longbow and Arachnos cells. However, it seemed the foreign troops were entering Praetoria faster than they could stop them. After weeks of these battles, Emperor Cole announced that he would be sending advanced teams to Primal Earth as ambassadors, to try to convince the natives there that Praetoria was not a threat to them. Mercy was hand picked to act as one of these ambassadors, and excepted her task, knowing that she may never be able to return home.

Revelation

Only days before Mercy was supposed to leave for Primal Earth, she recieved a frantic message from one of her contacts. An Interrogator who had worked with her on several high profile assignments. He asked that Mercy meet him as soon as possible. When Mercy arrived, the Interrogator was nervous and still frantic. He warned Mercy that what she was about to see would change everything.

He played a recording for her. In this recording, Emperor Cole stood in a lab in front of dozens of Warbots. He revealed that his intention was a full scale invasion of Primal Earth. His goal was the death of every powered person living on the parallel world. Emperor Cole belived that war was inevitable due to the greed and fear of those on Primal Earth. The Emperor felt that the only way to ensure the future of Praetoria was a preemptive strike that would cripple Primal Earth and ensure Praetorian dominance.

The Interrogator insisted that the information be given to the Resistance, for them to rally the people against Cole and his mad war. Mercy advised against it. A full scale Civil War in Praetoria would only weaken it, leaving them vulnerable to invasion from Primal Earth. The Interrogator insisted, but Mercy was not about to allow the Interrogators concience to threaten or endanger the entire world. Mercy quickly drew her sword and cut down the Interrogator where he stood, taking the information for safe keeping.

The Only Option

A full scale war with Primal Earth would cost hundreds of thousands of innocent lives, on both sides. This scenario was unacceptable. There was only one sane course of action to take, prevent the war from ever happening. Some of Mercy's sources insisted that Paragon City was the best bet to preventing the war.

Mercy's plan revolved around one basic principle of war; No leader would take his people into War unless confident of success. Emperor Cole had superor technology, and a entire world united behind him. He had little reason to doubt that he would be successful, and that is what needed to change to prevent the war.

Mercy's plan followed a simple theory. It started with leaking information to the resistance in order to sabotage Emperor Cole's war effort and buy time. This borrowed time would be used to help build Primal Earth's power base in Paragon City. By creating a balance of power, Mercy could ensure that neither side had enough of an advantage to risk a full scale war. Emperor Cole would never risk a full scale invasion if he believed he would meet with anything short of total success. Once again, a simple theory, but a dangerous plan to carry out.

While most would consider her actions traitorous, she had a mission, given to her by Cole himself. Protect the people of Praetoria. Ensure Cole's wars never made it to their doors. Stopping the war was the only option. Mercy had her plan, all that was left was to get started.