Shrapnel
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| "Honey... I AM the evil twin." | |
| Shrapnel | |
| Player: @Scathe | |
| Origin: | Mutation |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Brute |
| Threat Level: | ' |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Naomi Chalice |
| Known Aliases: | "Shrapnel" |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 21 |
| Height: | 5'11" |
| Weight: | 157lbs |
| Eye Color: | Blue |
| Hair Color: | Dyed blue |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Exotic dancer |
| Place of Birth: | Hamilton, New York |
| Base of Operations: | Branded safehouse |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Eloise Chalice, sister. Edith Chalice, mother. |
| Known Powers | |
| ' | |
| Known Abilities | |
| ' | |
| Equipment | |
| ' | |
| ' | |
Contents |
Physical Description
Lean and athletic, Naomi has always been in peak physical condition. She bears no scars, and carries herself with a sense of self assurance and grace. Though she often wears a sardonic smile, the look in her eyes is cold and challenging. When not dancing or clad in one of several freakish costumes designed to instill fear and shock the unwary victim, she can be found wearing an assortment of leathers, chains, spikes and netting. Her clothing ranges from home-made outfits of electrical tape and ripped 80's T-shirts, to custom fitted designer jeans and expensive calf hide jackets.
Background
Born a few minutes before her twin sister, Naomi wears the badge of elder twin with pride. The sisters were born in a small private hospital in Hamilton, New York, to George and Edith Chalice. Their father's career as a lawyer was a successful one, and the sisters enjoyed privilege during their early childhood until George's death in an auto accident. Ruled as accidental, due to a faulty brake line, life insurance and a substantial trust fund was placed aside for the girls on their 18th birthday.[1] Edith, also in the vehicle, received a head wound that permanently damaged her temporal lobe, and was placed under the care of private physicians at the Bellevue Mental Ward.
For several years the girls bounced from foster home to foster home, and with each relocation lost more of their innocence and childhood naiveté. Naomi, always the more cunning of the two, saw the greedy expression in the eyes of a slew of foster fathers as they watched the two redheaded girls. At the age of thirteen, Naomi drew her first blood, slicing a kitchen knife across the arm of the first man to reach for her sister. The twins fled to the streets, foregoing money, regular meals, and a warm bed in exchange for personal safety and pride.
At first forced to rely on wits and quickness, the girls became amateur thieves. Wide, guileless blue eyes helped the twins in numerous escapades into food markets and to escape notice that other pick pockets might attract on busy streets. For two years they survived as street rats until Naomi's first real job landed them a steady, if meager income and a small crawl space to call their home. Dancing came naturally after a few months spent helping around the bar, and as adulthood filled out lanky limbs the girls began to grow truly beautiful. Despite several offers to include them both in a 'twins' show, Eloise kept to the bar and Naomi the stage.
This rough existence would have condemned the girls to early aging and likely a life of prostitution and drugs, had Eloise not encountered a group of young thugs one evening on her way to work. The boys assaulted her, first verbally, then physically with fists and a wooden bat. It was under this stress that her mutation manifested in an explosive and deadly way.
Experts from Paragon rushed to New York City to investigate the occurrence, and both girls were taken to Rhode Island. Eloise began training as a heroine, and Naomi was taught advanced self defense by the same experts that tutored her twin. Unlike her younger sister, Naomi accepted the tutoring but did not see the value in becoming a defender of the innocent. Her conscience did not lead her to uphold the law, all her protective instincts focused on family, rather than strangers. She threw herself into the training, remaining by her sister's side throughout the battle simulations and tactical lessons. When Eloise graduated her status as trainee and stepped foot onto the streets of Paragon as the firestarter heroine Scathe, Naomi took a vacation.
She disappeared for several months, only calling on occasion to catch up with her excited twin's escapades. Naomi volunteered herself for study, bored with existence in the 'perfect' world of Paragon's hero crowd, and curious why her twin, a genetic equal, might develop super powers while she had not. It was to Crey that she turned and spent over a year in their care, her life consisting of gray walls and hospital gurneys. The Crey genetic scientists were only too happy to study this willing guinea pig and poked and prodded with abandon, running series after series of stress tests, mental exams and genetic map work. Though Naomi is by no means a Crey creation, she owes much of her own advancement to a team of geneticists given too much money and no moral restraints. Genetic anomalies were indeed found within her DNA, and despite the original assumption that her twin had manifested powers first it was discovered that Naomi's had been a constant thing. Subtle and beautiful, the smooth differences in her genes created a 'supreme being,' a truly evolved creature.
Nearly beside themselves with their discovery, her own personal geneticists lost no time in drawing blood samples meant for a phalanx of Paragon Protector clones. Cloning is still an imperfect art, and those created from Naomi's sample developed her powers on a skewed basis. More capable of healing, they did not have her ability to resist forms of damage until pushed to their extremes. It was a constant example of mutations manifesting under stress. Naomi lost count of how many clones she ripped apart in the testing arena as Crey tried over and over to perfect their human Xerox machine. As though a switch flipped inside her one day, she simply woke up and decided that enough was enough. The girl, then eighteen, strode through the facility in her open-backed hospital gurney and punched her way into the storage area to retrieve her personal affects. The attempts to restrain her were halfhearted at best, as they already had the test results and blood samples they needed. It included several doctors who believed their rapport with the mutant was enough to convince her to stay. One remains in traction to date, the other recovered after only a few months in a leg cast.
When finally she returned to Paragon City, she took up another job dancing in the inner city. This time, the girl came armed with knives, and her routine regularly took advantage of her physical prowess. When an inebriated patron would reach out towards the stripper, her blades stopped him. Often men went home grumbling, bandaged but never hurt severely, with wounded pride and lightened pockets. Still, they would return for more, drawn to the dancer who was her own bouncer. She became known as "Shrapnel" on stage, and developed routines built to make the most of her weaponry, often shredding meticulously designed outfits in a single show.
Years passed, as Scathe's powers developed and her reliance on her sister's inner strength remained steady. The drama, the politics, the uselessness of her twin's attempts at saving the world from itself finally began to weigh heavy on Naomi's mind, and she left Paragon for the Isles in search of a more interesting setting. Still close with her fiery tempered twin, the two regularly pass across the borders to visit each other, one relying on the other for emotional support. To date, their differences in lifestyle and moral beliefs have not yet created a problem.
Abilities
Often refers to herself as a 'regener.' This is only the most obvious of Shrapnel's abilities, as wounds taken in battle close up with remarkable speed. She does not heal as fast as those labeled with the Regeneration tag, however, and some heavier damage may take a day or two to repair. Though she is aware of this, Shrapnel often boasts of her ability, as though it is top notch. Her skin resists damage, and it is incredibly difficult to hurt her. As well, her nerves seem deadened somewhat, or perhaps this is psychological; when damage no longer becomes an issue what need is there for the nerves to warn the body? With faster reflexes, denser bones, and a perfected muscular structure, Shrapnel is naturally faster and stronger than the average human.
While impressive when combined, none of these abilities can alone stand up to their individualized counterparts. She will not heal as fast as a true regenerator, cannot withstand the amount of punishment the 'invulnerable' crowd will shrug off, and will never bench press a train. She can boast one skill that seems to stand apart in its rarity, however. When pressed with psionic attacks or the like, her mind seems to set up a natural blockage that first slows, then grinds the psychic's powers to a halt.
Weaknesses
Other than a weakness for cheesecake and well built men with attitude, Shrapnel has one defining flaw in her advanced physiology. Toxins that enter her body will break down its defenses, corroding her cellular structure and wreaking havoc on her well being. In time she will heal, but the initial damage is devastating.
Gear
When fighting, Shrapnel is usually seen wearing her Death's Head costume. Covered in spikes and blades with a white skull on the full face mask, it is a freakish design. The mask sports two holograms in the eye sockets which release blue phosphorescence and make her eyes seem to glow. [2]
Shrapnel has several sets of blades. Most are simply steel, bought for on black markets in Paragon. Two sets are special however, and highly prized. Each was given to her by Dinx[3], another mutant and a close friend. One is a set of slender daggers that carry a minor incantation. They are capable of raising aggravating welts on the toughest of hides. The second seem more like sacrificial blades, curved with cruel serrations. The metal on these knives is an uncharted substance thought to have originated in another dimension. With a bit of pressure they cut through powerful armor and metal.
Acquaintances
Friends
Shrapnel does not make friends easily. For some reason the people of Branded have taken to her despite her gruff exterior and often insulting sarcastic commentary. In return she has given them her loyalty; it means everything to Shrapnel. In the past she has taken extreme measures to defend her friends and family, and it is not so far of a reach to expect incredible violence at the slightest perceived insult to those she loves.
Scathe Shrapnel's twin sister. Loved above all others, there is nothing Shrapnel would not do to protect her family.
Marco Cain Shrapnel's "main Cain." She is often seen in the presence of this enigmatic human, laughing, goofing around and generally flirting heavily.
Brian Foster A close friend of Shrapnel's, the two have had their rocky spots. One of few people Shrapnel is capable of being angry with and then moving on without destroying their friendship.
Cold Fusion Girl Staci is what Shrapnel is not in almost every sense of the word. Pale, blonde, up-beat and outgoing. The two are pals and contrast each other nicely.
Luna Firespeaker Shrapnel cannot help but like the little New Yorker firebug.
Woefull One of the leaders of Branded. Shrapnel respects Woe, and likes her because of her quirks rather than in spite of them. Woe has an interesting outlook on life that Shrapnel finds relaxing.
Dinx One of Shrapnel's favorite people. In a short time she developed a lot of loyalty toward the stoic mutant. Once a leading player in her old group, the Blackwolves, Shrapnel developed quite a crush on the Swede. [4]
Kaino A leader of the Iron Wolf Cartel, Shrapnel considers him one of her buddies. Usually 'one of the boys' in her own right, the two have fought each other, both with words and with weapons. [5]
Rumors
Shrapnel is often called Janet in public.
Footnotes
- ↑ The twins are now wealthy again, though Shrapnel won't admit it.
- ↑ This gives the world a weird blueish caste when she is staring out through it.
- ↑ Shrapnel gave him a private strip dance in exchange for the final set
- ↑ Dinx is currently missing. When asked about him, Shrapnel will become defensive.
- ↑ Shrapnel won. Kaino had to wear a bunny suit because of it.
[Enjoy the Silence]
[Going Under]
