Kentucky Devil
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| "I need a drink after seein' that..." | |
| Kentucky Devil | |
| Player: Kentucky Devil | |
| Origin: | Natural |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Scrapper |
| Security Level: | 26 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Andrew Williams |
| Known Aliases: | Kentucky Devil |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 33 |
| Height: | 6'1" |
| Weight: | 245 lbs |
| Eye Color: | Teal |
| Hair Color: | Dark Brown |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Former Small Time Criminal, currently working in construction |
| Place of Birth: | Louisville, Kentucky |
| Base of Operations: | Kings Row, Paragon City |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Mother: Rose Fambrough Father: Chuck Williams |
| Known Powers | |
| Natural Fighting Ability, Some Control of Dark Magic | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Fading from this realm, Super Speed | |
| Equipment | |
| Hand made suit of leather armor, a set of throwing knifes he keeps around his waist | |
| No additional information available. | |
Contents |
Background
History
Early Life
Born in Louisville Kentucky on November 15th 1974 there really was nothing that seemed to make him destined for anything greater than being your average joe. His young life was a rather simple one, with his family living in a rather normal neighborhood. He grew up a bit spoiled by his grandmother, but that didn't make him a greedy sort of person, nor a mean one even though he did have a short temper. In fact he was that kid, you know the one. The one being pushed around daily by the other kids, not only for being different but also for being, or seeming overweight. One could blame what his grandmother had done for him turning out like that, but he prefers not to. He was born big, big frame with big arms and big legs, being overweight had little to do with why he was big. His father was that way, as were many of his other relatives... but everyone knows how cruel kids can be to someone who is different, even in a slight way. He endured the treatment throughout elementary school, though he did gain a few friends during this time. By the time he went on to high school he had gotten a better grip on his temper, though he still had quite the short fuse.
Teenage Years
High School
High school was some of his best years, not only did he lose a good bit of weight but he also started to do minor training in a gym near where he lived, somewhat for his health, but mostly because he enjoyed the rush it gave him. Now that the stress of being picked on was off of his shoulders he began to focus harder on his schoolwork, doing far better than he had in elementary school. However soon this would put him into another class one generally sees in schools, 'geeks'. Soon enough him and his friends encountered similar treatment he had received when he was younger. He was able to keep himself calm through nearly all of it... until it got taken too far.
The Incident
It was a normal day really, for everyone but him and his best friend that is. It was sometime after lunch that they were cornered by three other students, all of which were on the football team... all several times bigger than either of them. It was Andrew they let their anger out on first, it looked like he had been beaten to the point of tears... and he practically had been. But then he heard the pleas of his friend as they beat down on him, each hit bringing out a yell. The faculty didn't give a damn what these jerks did... they'd gotten away with so many things. That and the fact that he couldn't stand the sound of his friend in pain tipped him off the edge, years of anger and hate kept inside of him were unleashed. The three of them never saw it coming, never thought that he could fight... let alone get back up after what they did. After he was done with them they looked far worse than him or his friend did..., he did not hold back an ounce of strength and because of this nearly beat two of them to death.
The Punishment
It turned out that the two boys he had almost beat to death were the sons of the principle, to stack things worse on his shoulders the other was the son of the local police chief. Because he had hurt them so badly, even in self-defense no one believed him. He was put into juvi until he was eighteen, which from the time of the incident lasted three years. Being there didn't help him at all, in fact it seemed to change his outlook on things to be the opposite of what they were before. No one believed him, not his family, not the teachers not even his friends except for the one he had fought for. Once released from Juvi he never returned to school, and took to a life with one of the gangs in his old neighborhood. It stayed this way for so long, him going in and out of prison for his varied crimes, although he never allowed himself to get mixed up in anything much worse than simple theft or tagging.
The Gang
Early Twenties
The best way to describe the group of people he hung out with would be with a rather strong word: punks. Unlike himself they held little regard for others safety, performing acts ranging from arson to armed robbery. Even so he had nowhere else to go, no one else to turn to. In comparison to many of the larger gangs in his city the one he belonged to was very small, only consisting of six or seven members. One evening his so called friends pressured him into joining one of their usual acts of arson. They had chosen an old apartment building to set ablaze, they kept reassuring him that it was empty and had been for years. Knowing this he had less trouble going through with it, and by the end he was enjoying the sight of the blaze on the rooftop of a nearby building. He laughed with them and enjoyed the beers they had brought along, in his mind he thought maybe they weren't as bad as he thought, after all the building was empty... right?
Realization
It started one day, which seemed like any other day for him. Kicking back on the couch in his gangs usual hangout while watching the television. Bored with what was currently on he turned to the news, and noticed the fire they had caused was the focus of the current report. He yelled for his 'friends' to come and watch, and they did while having a good chuckle... everyone except for him, that is. The reporters words echoed in his head loudly, almost drowning out the laughter of the rest of the group. 'Twelve people died last night in a fire caused by a currently unknown source, police are still investigating the scene of the crime' It hit him hard, and quickly his mind snapped back into reality... he realized the others were still laughing even after hearing all of that. He waited till they had left before calling the police and telling them he knew the location of the people responsible for the fire. With his things packed and him long gone.. when the police arrived they'd only find his friends, he was glad in a way he could at least have them pay for their crime but the realization that he too helped cause it stuck with him.
Paragon City
Kings Row
He couldn't stand the guilt of knowing he helped in causing both the fire and the deaths of the people within the building, it was so bad for him he had to leave his hometown, the city... even the state. He had heard of the amazing courses the University in Paragon had so he chose that to be his destination. The first part of the city he came to know was Kings Row, it reminded him so much of his old hometown that he chose to find an apartment and try to get his education back on track. Sadly someone like him who had only gotten through half of high school, and had little skill other than fighting made it nearly impossible for him to find a good job which he'd need to enroll in the University. Eventually he thought of the petty things he did to survive back home... stealing and the like, but he tried his best to not go down that route. It was only when his hunger became too much that he was pushed to crime again, and in doing so the people he became familiar with were once again those in a gang... but what he didn't know was that in Paragon, being in a gang was a lot different than back home.
The Hellions
When he was first introduced to the leader of the local chapter, he got along quite well with many of the gang members he met, most of them had an attitude he was familiar with from his old hometown... it all felt so right to him really. It didn't take long for them to initiate him into the gang... or try to at least. He had done some minor crimes to 'prove' himself to be willing for the test... but he never could have imagined the initiation was so horrible. Clothed in the red and orange of the gang, mask over his face and small handaxe in hand he followed the two other members who had been ordered to show him where his test would take place. The destination seemed to be an apartment building in Atlas Park, old and beaten down... it was obviously abandoned so he was curious why his initiation would happen there. Once they reached the room he was blindfolded and led down the hallway to another room... he could hear some kind of muffled sounds, but let them lead him on. Once the blindfold was removed the sight he saw startled him, it was a young girl... no older than sixteen gagged and bound. He was even more startled by what one of the lieutenants present told him. 'Spill her blood, kill her and defile her... then you'll be one of us'. He was frightened beyond belief... he had thought he would have to just damage property or steal something... he never would have thought they'd want him to kill someone. As he thought the grip on the axe he held grew tighter... and the girl let out a muffled scream when he raised his arm... but he couldn't do it...
The Devil Comes A Knockin'
It happened so quickly that it was hard to remember it all... He remembered the Fallen grabbing his wrist, yelling that if he didn't complete his initiation they'd kill him, and then her, and then... the sound of a window shattering. It was strange to him thinking back, how the sound of him dropping the axe seemed to be the only thing he heard... for all his senses but sight were deafened. Up in the rafters of the ceiling was a set of bright red glowing eyes, and then his senses came back to him. Gunfire and the sound of fighting went into his ears, it wasn't long before whatever it was had taken out the others... except for him. He remembered being scared... it was a tall figure, with almost onyx skin. Those same eyes glowed... and the hood that covered its head seemed to be sprouting a pair of black horns. He didn't know if the others had been killed or not, he couldn't imagine that this was... a hero, all he thought about was that if it did kill them, it would kill the girl too. He fought back, with far more skill and strength than the others had... but even so he was overpowered. Each punch and kick he received from the hooded figure felt as if something was at the same time being ripped out of him and forced inside. The beating he had received reminded him of the one the bullies had given him so long ago. Watching as the tall figure walked towards the girl... he was frightened once again, until he saw him untie her and remove the gag, seeing this relief washed over him... and he felt darkness take over his mind.
Back On Track
Incarcerated for almost a year, the jail system of Paragon was far better than the one back home. While others in the prison either mocked or outright refused the classes that were offered, he took them gladly. By the time that he was released he had finally gotten a proper education, and a diploma to prove it. Settling this time in Atlas Park he found himself a job working on the reconstruction of Overbrook. A year passed with him as a construction worker, as well as taking courses at the University in Steel Canyon, life seemed to finally be turning around for him after so long. During his free time he read up on the various heroes, and villains of notoriety in Paragon and was amazed at some of the things he learned. He knew heroes existed in the world... but he could have never thought there were so many. During his search of the Hero Database he found a rather long file on a hero named The Red Devil, he read through each paragraph closely, memories flooding back to him... and then he saw the photograph of the man in costume. It was the 'thing' that had interrupted the initiation ritual, he even found the information on it further on in the file, but it was small compared to the other things this hero had done... and then he came to the end, which showed a sad clip from the newspaper. 'The Red Devil killed in action'.
A Devil Never Dies
The Red Devil had been a darker sort of hero, but even so did just as much as the ones who ran around in uniforms bright enough to make them an eye-sore... The man had been named Gerald Trenth, born and raised in Kings Row and the high crime in that part of town was what drove him to become a hero. It seemed that Gerald's family had a long ancestry in the dark arts, and he studied this and used it along with sheer physical prowess to fight crime. Andrew worked day in and out, taking his classes and passing quite swimmingly. Even so his free time was spent at home, sketching out on spare paper different kinds of costumes, he simply did it for fun really... how was he to know that the sketch he did before going to school one morning would change his life forever. He had worked on a 'costume' for fun in a sewing class the University had, it was made of a tough nearly armor-like leather that was still flexible, to go along with it he had a pair of his black work boots and some hand tape as well as an old leather jacket, along with the simple mask that covered the eyes. His class mates dared him to wear the costume for the rest of the day, and he did... aside for the mask of course. During the late afternoon once classes were over he headed home, still wearing the costume when he heard the scream of a woman, yelling that someone was trying to take her purse. He waited... listening, figuring that any second a hero would come soaring out of the sky... but the screaming continued. Filled with worry, he chose to act instead of just walk on, dropping his backpack and pulled out the mask he was off in the direction of the yelling, having it on properly by the time he got there. Two Hellions were pushing a woman around, one trying to pry her purse from her hands while the other rooted him on. The one just standing there watching never saw him coming, and dropped to the ground after a swift kick in the head. The other took off running, scared that he was an actual hero. The woman thanked him, asking what his name was. He nearly told her his real name... but instead he thought about the name of that one hero who cracked down on the ritual... and said three of the most important words he'd ever say. "The Kentucky Devil".
Hero
Things Keep Changing
It wasn't until after that day, and a bit of bragging to his buddies that he found out that he could get into serious trouble for doing what he did. Taking action like that without a Hero License could net him a big fine, one he likely couldn't pay off no matter how many years he worked. After class a few days later he went to the heart of Atlas City itself, City Hall. The sight of the gigantic statue of Atlas was an awe-inspiring sight, but so was the various heroes simply standing about, running this way and that... flying. It took him almost half an hour just to get to the actual building. Once he did he went to the Hero Registration Desk and spoke about getting the proper license. At first things seemed grim, his rather spotty record nearly got him denied but it was his good behavior and willingness to take the courses in the local prison that got him approved. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now... he knew doing what he had done was considered heroism but he also knew without a contact he'd get nowhere. When he returned the next day with these questions he was sent further into the building to meet the local representative of E.L.I.T.E. named Susan Davies, she helped him quite a bit in the beginning and he still goes to her for advice on some things.
More To You Than You Realize
It had been a strange occurrence for him to be working with a member of M.A.G.I., especially when he was sent to a place like Croatoa. Walter Daschle was the man he worked with, though he was sent to do far more mild things what with Walter knowing that he had not quite gotten used to some of the more... strange things in Paragon. But it was one day while Walter and him were speaking that he brought up something about Andrew. Saying that he could sense something dark within him... not evil, but it certainly was a dark energy. Walter had him meet with a member of M.A.G.I. who knew more about undiscovered power... and it was found out that pieces of his own soul had been changed somehow. He was taught how to call on this inner darkness, but through it all he never told them what had happened when he fought with The Red Devil, but it was obvious that he was what caused the change in him. As his skill in controlling this new power grew he thought over his costume... true it protected him, but it didn't seem to match the name he had chosen for himself. Days of sketching, finding materials and hard work with a sewing machine produced the visage most people connect with the name Kentucky Devil today.
The Devil Returns
It was true that his name was in honor of the hero who had literally changed his life for the better, but it wasn't until his costume was finished that he could truly honor him. Strong, hard red leather, small plates of steel placed into it to reinforce... a emotionless and almost skeletal mask, cloaked by a hood... with horns ripping through the fabric. That sight came to be feared by many of the lesser gangs of Paragon, but none more so than The Hellions. They worshiped the devil, and he gave them their just reward anywhere he could. Wherever there was a scream for help, or the sound of a fire and smell of brimstone... he was there. Compared to many heroes The Red Devil had not been well known, but even so there was only one thing that covered the front pages of every newspaper in Kings Row for weeks on end. 'THE DEVIL IS BACK WITH A VENGEANCE' 'KINGS ROW HELLION CHAPTER WIPED OUT' He stands watch where The Red Devil had once been, he will fight the evils that plague Paragon till the day he dies. Watch your back, villains. A new devils in town.
