Obsidian Heart
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| Obsidian Heart in the Legendary's conference room. | |
| Obsidian Heart | |
| Player: @Obsidian Heart | |
| Origin: | Mutant |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Scrapper |
| Security Level: | 44 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Melissa Smithwick |
| Known Aliases: | None |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 22 |
| Height: | 5'6" |
| Weight: | Private |
| Eye Color: | Blue |
| Hair Color: | White |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Photographer |
| Place of Birth: | Rebecca, GA |
| Base of Operations: | Paragon City, RI |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Kacey Smithwick (aunt), William Robert Smithwick (father), Mary Beth Smithwick (mother) |
| Known Powers | |
| Dark Melee, Dark Armor | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Teleportation, Fitness | |
| Equipment | |
| Blackwand, Sands of Mu, Jump Pack, Base Transporter, Pocket D VIP Pass | |
| No additional information available. | |
Obsidian Heart splits her time between fighting crime (and alien invasions, giant monsters, etc.) in Paragon City, and travelling around the country as a music photographer.
Contents |
Affiliations
Supergroup: The Legendary (Rank: Rumor)
Personality
Obsidian Heart was raised by her aunt, a martial arts instructor in Atlanta. During combat she stays focused on fighting, and isn't much for witty banter and small talk. She mostly operates alone, but she has joined other members of The Legendary on several Task Forces.
She loves photography, and when she's not doing anything else she enjoys walking the streets of King's Row, photographing people and places that grab her interest.
Powers
Obsidian Heart's powers are based on control of the darkness she is able to gather around herself—where it comes from, she doesn't know (or care).
Dark Melee
When fighting Obsidian Heart strengthens her punches with some of her darkness, which ignores most forms of defense. In addition, a little darkness remains behind and interferes with the vision of her opponents, making their own attacks less accurate. She can also project darkness over short distances, causing opponents to be overcome with terror or to be crushed by tentacles of living darkness.
Dark Armor
By wrapping herself in layers of darkness, Obsidian Heart can protect herself from every conceivable form of attack, mental control, or physical restraint. She can even hide herself and inflict terror on nearby enemies. Rumor has it that she can even come back from the dead.
Additional Powers
Over the years Obsidian Heart has collected a large assortment of gadgets and magical items. She rarely uses them, with the exception of a Blackwand that was a gift for her years of service to Paragon City. Because it works like her own powers, she has an affinity for it and can use it more effectively than most heroes.
Teleportation
Obsidian Heart gets around by teleporting. She also has the power to teleport others to her from far away, but because she generally works alone, this power is mostly used during rescue missions after natural disasters, to save people who are trapped under rubble.
Fitness
Although she doesn't use martial arts herself, growing up in a dojo has given her improved toughness, speed, and endurance.
Abilities
Melissa Smithwick is a well-known music photographer whose work is regularly published in major newspapers and magazines, and has been shown at the Morrison Hotel Gallery in Los Angeles. Because of her distinctive appearance, her identity as a superhero is well known. This has helped her career, as many musicians (and their labels) appreciate the exposure of being photographed by a well-known superhero.
Weaknesses and Limitations
Because of her small size and light weight, Obsidian Heart tends to get thrown around when fighting much larger opponents. Against individuals or small groups this is merely an annoyance, but a large group of such opponents can keep her too off-balance to fight back.
Equipment
Besides her Blackwand, Obsidian Heart has also been given the Sands of Mu and a jump pack. She carries a Pocket D VIP Pass, and as a member of The Legendary she has a base transporter.
Character History
Melissa Smithwick was born in a small town in rural Georgia on February 25th, 1986. Her fundamentalist Christian parents were horrified by their daughter's "demonic" appearance, and made her life miserable until she was eight, when she was sent to live with her aunt in Atlanta. After this her life was much happier, but she retains a deep dislike for overt displays of religion.
Her powers manifested in her early teens, and she learned to control them with the aid of her aunt—a normal Human, but with considerable experience in teaching mental discipline to her martial arts students. She also discovered her love of photography, and began photographing musicians in small clubs around Atlanta.
After high school Melissa moved to New York to study photography. Soon after she used her powers in battle for the first time, stopping a gang of muggers. In the wake of the Rikti Invasion, she decided to move to Paragon City and make use of her powers as a superhero. She has also continued her career as a music photographer.
Melissa frequently travels away from Paragon City for her photography career. During her travels she also uses her powers to assist those in need. Following the second Rikti attack on Paragon City, she joined Vanguard and often acts as a liason to local authorities while travelling.
Trivia
Direct sunlight makes her uncomfortable. When outside during the day she normally wraps herself in a thin layer of darkness to shield herself.
