NightErrant, The
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| Duke Harrison, A.K.A. The NightErrant | |
| The NightErrant | |
| Player: @CubeB | |
| Origin: | Magic |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Brute |
| Threat Level: | Confidential |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Duke Harrison |
| Known Aliases: | Night, Errant |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 30 |
| Height: | 8'6 |
| Weight: | 820 lb (All Muscle, Not counting the weight of the armor) |
| Eye Color: | Blue-Green |
| Hair Color: | Dark Brown |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Mercenary/Bounty Hunter |
| Place of Birth: | Steel Canyon, Paragon City, RI |
| Base of Operations: | Etolie Isles |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Bert Harrison (A.K.A. the Green Knight) (Deceased), Vanessa Harrison (A.K.A. Fata Morgana) (Deceased) |
| Known Powers | |
| Superhuman Strength, Increased Durability. | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Minor Magical Talent, Basic Street Brawling Skills. | |
| Equipment | |
| The Black Armor, Hero Corps Issue Jump Pack (Defective), Transport Beacon (Access to Pocket D, Ouroboros, Assignment Coordinates, and Phoenix Insurrection's base via Temporal Disruption), PI Issue Comlink, Raptor Pack (No longer used), Zero G Pack. | |
| A former Hero who draws his strength from the enchanted armor he wears. | |
Duke Harrison (A.K.A The NightErrant) is a former Superhero currently working in the Rogue Isles. He is currently a member of Phoenix Insurrection, and is one of the many self described "heroes" in the region.
Contents |
Origin
Duke Harrison was born January 1979 to former Midnighter's Bert and Vanessa Harrison, more commonly known as the Magical Heroes "The Green Knight" and "Fata Morgana". Both had retired from the hero business to focus on raising their young son, though they did continue to practice magic on the side.
Duke himself never bothered to learn magic, lacking his parent's natural talent. He was a relatively average child, with a slightly skewed sense of normalcy.
He was however, a relatively insecure child, well aware of the fact that he was a normal human living in a City of Heroes. Duke would frequently daydream of becoming a Superhero like his idol, Hero 1.
Shortly after graduating from Steel Canyon University with a degree in the liberal arts, Earth was invaded by the Rikti. Duke was sent away by his parents and spent much of the war abroad, as far away from the numerous "Battlefield cities" as possible. When he returned, he was greeted with the news that his parents had disappeared. However, they had left him a gift... a suit of armor they were trying to secure when the Rikti had defeated them. Upon donning this armor, Duke was transformed into an 8 foot tall, massively muscled brute, capable of lifting several tons. After getting over the initial shock, Duke immediately registered with Hero Corp as "The NightErrant", and began working to help defend Paragon City.
Downfall
Duke enjoyed minor success as a hero, defending the Steel Canyon area from crime. However, he met his downfall after tracing a shipment of Rikti Weaponry to a Crey facility, and inadvertently discovering a list of fallen heroes as subjects of a strange "Revenant Hero Project".
Crey immediately sued Hero Corp, forcing them to sever ties with Duke. However, Duke continued his investigation into the RHP, eventually being labeled as a criminal for doing so. Finally, he discovered a laboratory in the Steel Canyon Region dedicated to the study of replicating magical ability. Inside, locked in suspended animation, were the mutilated bodies of Fata Morgana and the Green Knight, being held as test subjects for Crey's twisted experiments. Enraged, Duke disabled the life support before going on a rampage, tearing the lab apart before going after the Countess herself.
Unfortunately, he was captured and stripped of his armor, before being sentenced to life in the Zig for the murder of "two Crey employees".
Breaking Out
The Zig was unnaturally tough for Duke. Without the magic of his armor, he suffered from "power withdrawal", and physical illness. To try to replicate the "rush" he got from his armor, he began feverishly working out in the prison yard, eventually peaking at 500 pounds before his escape.
Duke preferred to isolate himself to his cell to avoid the ire of other prisoners, but that doesnt mean he wasnt attacked. He was the victim of numerous assaults, and for a time had multiple wounds to prove it.
All this time, Duke lamented his current state, blaming Crey for the death of his parents.
It was also during this period where Duke would develop a hatred of Longbow, due to their verbal treatment of Zig inmates. He did, however, study up on various paranormal phenomenon in the Zig, though much of his knowledge is still fairly novice.
Finally, in 2009, Duke was approached by an Arachnos Soldier during one of their infamous "Zig Breakouts". The Soldier claimed that Duke was selected by the Arachnos Fortunatas as a "Destined One", before directing Duke to the "Dangerous Artifacts" facility of the Zig, where his Armor was being kept. Reunited with his Armor (and therefore his power) Duke reluctantly escaped to the Rogue Isles, where he wasted no time in giving the whole "Destined One" thing a huge "Screw You". He began doing mercenary work on the isles for a time, primarily cleaning out snakes and dealing with gangs.
Phoenix Insurrection
The darkest moment in Duke's life came shortly after he was asked to rob a bank by broker "Mikey the Ear". Duke, lacking any alternative options, reluctantly agreed, once again finding himself labeled a villain. Upon his return, Duke headed to the Pocket D, where he was approached by Chelsea Miller of Phoenix Insurrection. Stunned by the fact that the Rogue Isles had an organization dedicated to helping the oppressed, Duke immediately signed on. Since then, he's dedicated himself to helping the citizens of the Rogue Isles however he can, though he still struggles to escape the Villain Stigma imposed upon him.
Powers
Duke derives his powers from his armor, only known as "The Black Armor". Duke simply refers to it as "his armor", and often notes that "he didnt design it", and "It's kind of morbid."
The Armor itself is of an unknown age, and the only recorded appearance of it in history is in an Old English Legend of a super powered knight.
The Armor is apparently magical. It works by recording the strength level of the current wearer, and then applying the strength of all prior wearers onto to the user at once. This is signified by an increase in bone and muscle mass, as well as a drastic increase in strength.
This effect is maintained as long as a single piece of the armor is worn. If that piece is removed for more than ten minutes, the whole suit must be donned again.
The Armor does not provide invulnerably, though it is remarkably strong. The wearer is still susceptible to whatever can pierce the armor. In addition, the wearer is effectively only half as strong partially armored as they are fully armored.
Attunement Levels
The maximum power of the Black Armor is absolutely astounding, exceeding Class 100 Superhuman Strength. However, this power is not unlocked all at once. The armor must be "attuned to" first.
The user starts at attunement level one, which grants Class 2 Strength. With each attunement level, the user gains the ability to lift two more tons, up to Class 100+ at attunement level 50. However, it takes more than simply being attuned. Even at attunement level 50, the maximum strength level can only be obtained for a few moments at a time. In order to actually lift 100 tons, an Attunement Level 50 Wearer must be in total sync ((Read:Maximum Fury)) with the armor's enchantment. This is impossible unless the full suit is being worn. The armor's current owner can briefly tap into a deeper level of the armor's enchantment for a brief time, though this will temporarily weaken them for a few moments after the rush of power subsides.
Obtaining a new attunement level is characterized by a brief rush of energy, and occasionally the development of a new power, such as flight.
Weaknesses
Duke's largest weakness is his dependency on his armor. If it is removed, he goes immediately into a panic, before collapsing to a smaller weaker form and suffering from severe, potentially life threatening withdrawl.
Similarly, spells that can drain or suppress magical energy can weaken him severely, as his armor cannot protect against it properly. While the armor itself cannot be disenchanted, it's wearer can be deprived of power and rendered helpless if the suppression lasts too long.
Finally, Duke himself only possesses minor physical resistance. He's slightly more durable than average, but only to the level required for a person of his stature to use the armor without injury. All other protection is provided by the armor, which is far from indestructible.
On the non physical side, Duke can be a bit oblivious as to the significance of a situation, and at least one important mission has been compromised due to ignorance as to a supposedly minor detail's significance. (Like forgetting Widows can teleport for instance...)
Personality
Duke is essentially a geeky guy who won the superpower lottery and is now a hulking wall of muscle. Duke is still interested in geeky hobbies (and he's still a huge Lady Grey fan in both senses of the word), though he does adopt the tougher persona of "The Night Errant" when donning his armor. After all, you'd feel tough too if you were basically a walking bulldozer.
In casual situations, Duke is much softer, having been described as a "Teddy Bear" by members of PI. He tells bedtime stories to the kids, isn't afraid to give (very gentle) hugs, and has allowed at least one person to use him as a jungle gym.
Under his mask however, Duke is quite insecure. He places all his self worth in his armor, giving it credit for all his strength, and himself credit for all his failures. He is at the point where he cannot function emotionally (or physically) without it now. The fact that his powers aren't naturally his and can be taken away is something that he's had difficulty coping with, and encounters with individuals as tall (or taller) that him seem to leave him feeling emasculated.
He describes himself as doing two things extremely well: "Worrying, and hitting things". Certain teammates, such as Caoimhe (Clarion Hope) and Salazar (Ssalassar), are frequent subjects of his worry, albeit for different reasons. (Caoimhe for her physical well-being, and Salazar for his emotional health.) He often finds himself unable to actually express this worry in meaningful terms, and his attempts at assistance are shaky at best. Indeed, many of his perceived worries are often blown out of proportion.
