River Chance
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| |
| Ante up | |
| River Chance | |
| Player: @Blue_Memento | |
| Origin: | Magic |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Stalker |
| Security Level: | 46 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Bree Greene |
| Known Aliases: | None |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 24 |
| Height: | 5'6 |
| Weight: | 117 lbs. |
| Eye Color: | Green |
| Hair Color: | White (originally Orange) |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Irish American |
| Occupation: | Professional Gambler |
| Place of Birth: | Paragon City (Independence Port) |
| Base of Operations: | Paragon City (Atlas Park) |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Father (Alive), Mother (Alive) |
| Known Powers | |
| Ninja Blade/Ninjitsu | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Invisibility, Flight, Cat-like Reflexes and Senses | |
| Equipment | |
| Assorted magic items, 'Heartbreaker' (magic sword) | |
| No additional information available | |
A self-admitted gambling addict, River has taken to collecting magic trinkets through winning wagers with less than reputable sources and varying auctions. Her love of risks and games of chance often overrides her common sense, and it was these traits- along with a chance encounter- that pushed her to take up the title of hero.
Contents |
Origin
Jack of All Trades
'Find something important to you, and stick with it'. Among the many things a young Bree learned from her parents, that was one she took to heart. Another was 'be careful with money'. Though she lived as part of a middle class family in Atlas Park her entire life, both her parents came from poor backgrounds centered in the seedier parts of Independence Port, and had to earn every cent tooth and nail. They took care to impart that whatever she did with the money she earned, she should take care to keep necessities her first priority and store away some for emergencies. This ensured that later in life, despite her gambling addictions and generally reckless personality, she never found herself hurting for cash.
Perhaps because they didn't want their daughter to be restricted the same way they were, Bree's parents supported her hobbies as best they could. She had a great deal of trouble finding something that held her interest. The many clubs she joined and left during school lacked what she was looking for: thrills and excitement. She eventually gained a knack for picking up on the basics of a subject in a short time, thanks to her constant bouncing between hobbies, but the ability to grasp the finer details eluded her. Nothing could get her attention long enough because it was all too stable and repetitive.
So when she found something with uncertainty and actual stakes to it, Bree latched onto it like a hungry lion to a piece of meat. A few classmates invited her to a game of poker, hoping her inexperience with the game would earn them a quick buck. After finding their wallets significantly lighter, they decided to come up with a different scam, and Bree decided she'd found something important to her.
Queen of Cards
Careful to avoid cluing in her parents, Bree delved right into the world of gambling. She learned how to maintain a good poker face and read other people, studying probability in whatever spare time couldn't go towards gambling. She also learned how to insert herself into a crowd and walk out of it when it was convenient, something that was necessary to find groups of people who would be willing to gamble under the table without getting dragged into their other shady business.
Even after reaching the legal age to gamble, Bree found herself drawn to the excitement of tables hidden from the eyes of the law. Taking on several aliases, she started to gain a reputation as the 'Queen of Cards' for her luck and eventual winning streak. Her wallet grew fatter and fatter, something that was convenient but not what she cared about. It was the sheer thrill of walking in, cleaning house, and walking out with the knowledge she was beating slimmer and slimmer odds that drew her in.
After a while, Bree found herself seated at tables where things other than money were being wagered. Magic trinkets of questionable use and historic value were being played- the leftovers from thefts and investments that didn't fit into whatever scheme or collection the perpetrators had going or were too out there to be worth the trouble of selling. A few such items fell into her growing pockets, and curiosity led her to investigate their origins and effects. It was becoming harder to find tables willing to play against her for money- already there was a nagging concern that her win streak would rub someone the wrong way- so the seemingly useless trinkets became the majority of her winnings. Perfectly fine as far as Bree was concerned, as it let her keep playing and earned her some nicknacks far more interesting than just more money.
King of the Hill
It was inevitable that criminals would take offense to someone strolling off with their ill-gotten gains. Despite her best efforts to keep people from recognizing her, people began to connect one story of a woman who always seemed to get the right cards at the right time to the dozen or so others that were floating around, and rumors of cheating or some sort of luck manipulation ability was suspected. As she was walking home from another successful night of gambling, playing with her latest apparently useless trinket (a small jade coin with a cat carved into it), she was struck by the sudden feeling that she was being watched.
Unfortunately, this revelation came roughly two seconds before the feeling of cold metal pressing against her head, and the very loud bang that followed came before she could get a word in edgewise. The next thing she knew, she was on the ground, her assailant having dropped his weapon and stumbled back in surprise. Immediately leaping to her feet, the incensed woman kicked away his gun and pounced on him before he could recover, punching and scratching at him in a frenzy of anger and panic until he dropped back to the ground. Not out of a sense of mercy, but more from the surprise of her reflection in his sunglasses.
Her orange hair had turned a silvery white, a thin coat covering her left hand and the long tail now sticking out from the back of her pants with the same color. Her teeth felt subtly more pointed, just enough to be noticeable when she leaned in and barred them to look closer. Spotting lines cut into the man's clothes and flesh, a quick glance revealed her now furry hand had a set of claws in place of nails. On her palm was a slight green discoloration in the same shape as the symbol on the coin she'd been toying with- no doubt the reason for her not being dead on the ground with a hole through her head.
The man, who had started shaking the moment she presented a mouthful of teeth, yelped as she pulled his face closer to hers. After a few minutes of furiously demanding to know who he worked for, why she had been targeted, and why she shouldn't tear his head off with her new strength, she eventually managed to get a tale about a Family member calling himself 'King of the Hill'. Unable to get anything more out of the man or even gauge whether he was telling the truth because of his panic, she realized there was little she could do. She let him go, carefully instructing him to inform whoever hired him that he had completed the hit- technically true, she realized with a shudder- so she wouldn't have to worry about another assassin attacking her.
Aces High
That left Bree with two major problems. As much as she wished to find the person responsible for the attempt on her life, all she had was an excessively generic self-imposed title from a highly untrustworthy source and no idea at all if the thug wasn't acting on his own and lying to save his skin. Letting them go was a dumb idea in retrospect, even though the lack of further hitmen reassured her. Asking for help from a legal source wasn't an option; there would be too many questions about why she was attacked and where she obtained the coin that saved her life, and for someone who valued their freedom as much as her jail was the last place she wanted to be.
The second issue was that her hobby was now off limits outside of low profile and legal games. Rumors of another person dominating the tables immediately after would draw attention, ensuring that this person (assuming he or she existed) would find her instead of the other way around, if another crook with a chip on his shoulder didn't have a go at killing her first. She had to admit her priorities were out of order when a potential assassin didn't bother her as much as being limited in her hobby.
So, after she spent a few weeks utterly bored out of her mind and at a loss for what to do, Bree happened upon a scene during a quick walk around town. Or more specifically, she narrowly ducked out of the way of the 'scene' (two Outcasts who had been attempting to snatch a purse) that had gone flying towards her head, courtesy of a wind-manipulating hero calling himself something along the lines of 'Aerial Ace' or 'Sky Ace'.
She didn't bother to remember the name; her attention was focused on running towards the nearest tram station so she could visit the city hall and register as a hero. She'd have the perfect excuse to beat up thugs and ask around for a 'King of the Hill' should people start sticking their noses into her business, and the more she thought about the dangers of fighting crime the bigger her smile grew. In addition to her enhanced senses and dexterity, her collection of magic trinkets carried a few gems that would be perfect for the job- a ring that let the wearer turn invisible at will worn under her glove and a sword that inflicted wounds that couldn't kill unless the wearer wished it stood out. Swiping a few things here and there from the magically-inclined villains' collections was always an option if she needed to expand her arsenal.
With the ideas hammered out on the trip over, Bree settled on the name 'River Chance' for her second identity and took to the streets to help make Paragon City a safer place- and her life a far more interesting one. It wasn't long before River became the name she associated herself with most of all.
Personality
Adventures in Paragon
Relationships
Allies
-Steel Darksaver: Thanks to several slips of the tongue on her friend's parts and various other misadventures, River figured out Steel Darksaver's identity without too much delay. Originally content to keep it to herself- hardly any of her business, after all- Ava injuring herself in a panic when confronted by the possibility of someone else figuring out her identity lead to River confiding in them that she knew and offering to cover for her as she fled. Also played poker together once. Currently concerned and agitated towards SDS for not visiting a hospital after the injury.
-Alice:
-Tyrric Zec:
-Aviel:
-Professor Dr Science the Second:
-Ms. May I: Though only having met her once, River found herself enjoying the arachnos agent's no-nonsense personality. The circumstances of their last parting has also caused her genuine concern for the more hot headed woman's health, and not just because of her connection to SDS, who she considers a friend.
Acquaintances
-Breakveil:
-Impulsive Man:
-Corvus :
