Strikeshadow
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| Taran McAllister and Kyriakos | |
| Strikeshadow | |
| Player: Trystan Laryssa | |
| Origin: | Science |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Warshade |
| Security Level: | (varies) |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Taran McAllister / Kyriakos |
| Known Aliases: | Strikeshadow |
| Species: | Human / Altered Kheldian |
| Age: | 22 / Unknown |
| Height: | 6' 0" |
| Weight: | 165 lbs. |
| Eye Color: | Hazel, though iridescent and foggy |
| Hair Color: | Black, with a dark violet sheen |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Celtic / Caucasian |
| Occupation: | Student / Investigator |
| Place of Birth: | Brickstown |
| Base of Operations: | Paragon City, RI |
| Marital Status: | In love with MadX |
| Known Relatives: | Kurt Broadhurst, father (The Council) Lora McAllister, mother (deceased) |
| Known Powers | |
| Umbral energy powersets | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Manipulation of umbral energy, hand-to-hand fighting | |
| Equipment | |
| ' | |
| No additional information available. | |
Contents |
Affiliations
Bluesiders:
- Light Stream - A Peacebringer who had been helping Taran on his missions; recently he attacked Strikeshadow, mistaking Kyriakos to be a parasitic nictus.
- Linus Red - An eccentric bartender in Pocket D, also helping in the fight against the Council, among others
- MadX - Short for Madeline Xion, a young half-demon with whom Taran and now Kyriakos have fallen in love
- Tetsuryou - An able fighter who has symbiotically bonded to a mysterious suit of armor; Neviah's boyfriend
- Cole Snap - A young hero with the ability to sap heat and create ice, yet is still learning to control his powers
- The Cobalt Streak - Ignatious, a Paragon hero who is currently in search of his family and his girlfriend
- Enduring Victory - A young martial artist who has been working on improving her fighting abilities
- Willow the Wisp - A ten-year-old girl who, for one reason or another, bonded with a Kheldian... and has since come to believe she's a fairy
- Grifolken - An ancient elven mystic who has taken in Maddy and Willow; they help him and his team fight against dark magic
- Heartscry - A strange young woman he met in the D, whose odd pattern of speech he's begun to translate for others
- Shadows Dance - A young woman who recently became host to a Nictus, after which they joined the Warshades to fight the Council; now also Akashi's girlfriend
- Captain Ion - The hero in charge of the Cosmic Defenders, who introduced Light Stream to him
Redsiders:
- First Impression - A mysterious mime by the name of David who frequents Pocket D... sometimes in makeup, sometimes without.
- Edwin Wayland - A dark figure with a sharp wit and a sharper (often unpleasant) tongue, he has several thugs taking his orders.
- Tanshin - The dark Ninja who has managed to cause everybody in Taran's life a lot of grief or anger by his twisted sense of honor
- Poca Muerte - Also known as Petite Le Morte, a young woman with a troubled past.
- Fearen Lock - Petite's rather mercurial lover, a man with past trouble of his own, most of which he has difficulty recalling.
- FelFox - A friend of Petite and Fearen, a young woman with a foxlike form.
- Xaeda Kitosai - A suave assassin for hire who becomes an entirely different person at the D.
- Lazuli Fade - A woman who has played on Taran's sympathies more than once, usually as a result of her having gotten in over her head.
Supergroup:
- The Cosmic Defenders
- The Underworld Legion
Personality
Taran McAllister is something of a young hotshot, only 22 years of age when Kyriakos joined him. He has always been driven in his goals, and is somewhat reactive in nature. His temper can flare when he's in a foul mood, but he's generally friendly and approachable, and can be fairly talkative when he gets going. Kyriakos, by contrast, is often sullen and reserved, and is very reluctant to trust other people, having been lied to for most of his Kheldian life. He feels a deep shame for what he's done in his own defense, trying to survive among the Nictus, and as a result, has a moderate paranoia that everybody dislikes him for who and what he was. He's not the most approachable being, but he can be receptive if he feels he can trust somebody.
The combination that is still emerging as they grow closer in the meld is interesting to say the least. Taran's determination combined with Kyriakos' hurt and distrust has resulted in a very driven and demonstrative fighter, who makes no effort to disguise his hatred and fury at the Council. Taran's loyalty and Kyriakos' unwillingness to trust have fused into an almost fierce protectiveness of those who have stayed by him, and who despite everything still call him friend. He has a much quicker temper than his host ever did, but he is determined to try to show people that he doesn't have to live within the lies anymore, and he can forge his own path.
Character History
Backstory
Taran grew up in the Paragon City child welfare system, his mother having died young and his father serving time in the Zig for crimes committed on behalf of a group calling themselves the Fifth Column. Nobody would talk much about the group and what they stood for, so Taran grew up not knowing whether his father was a rebel for a cause, or truly a dangerous criminal. He studied Martial Arts from a young age, and once he was a legal adult, he began pursuing a security clearance out of Paragon City... not an easy undertaking as he had only his skills to rely on. Finally he was granted registration, and began looking into the Fifth Column, only to discover it had recently been overrun by a group called the Council... and finding anything about them was nearly impossible. Using his new security clearance, he started tracking down the Council, looking for the answers he'd been denied for so long. Not long afterward, he began working with Light Stream, and the pair began unraveling clues to an illicit shipping of some very strange weapons that did incredible damage to Kheldians. They made it their goal to find out more about the connections the Council have to the Kheldian race.
Past Events
Taran, after learning that his father was broken out of prison two years ago, found his name in a Council file. He began trying to track down his father, to learn what had become of him, and made the critical error of turning his watchful eye from the Galaxy branch. Following up an anonymous tip from one of his "contacts", Taran was ambushed and captured by a Galaxy named Archon Moreaux and his men. He was held against his will for over a week, during which Moreaux tried to weaken him for interrogation. One of Taran's escape attempts led to a confrontation in which, exhausted, he tried to fight Moreaux, and dealt him a surprisingly devastating blow. Enraged, the Nictus fled his mortally wounded host, and locked himself in a battle with Taran. His friends, who had been plotting his rescue, teleported him into Pocket D, unknowingly bringing the Nictus with him.
Current Story
Taran won the mental battle against the already-injured Kyriakos, but few know that it was because the nictus chose to give up the fight when it realized that winning the battle would likely damage Taran as badly as the hostile meld had damaged Moreaux. Taran came to know the mind of Kyriakos during the ordeal, and when he learned that the failed attempt would leave the nictus too weak to survive without a host, he offered Kyriakos once chance to change his fate: IF he was capable and willing to meld with Taran symbiotically, in such a way Taran could break the bond if need be, he would agree to meld with Kyriakos, at least temporarily, to save the kheld's life. Kyriakos didn't really trust Taran at first, but having little choice, he agreed, and the two melded.
What's done, however, is not always as easily undone. Once Taran and Kyriakos became symbiotes, they both realized that even a voluntary split would leave them both feeling incomplete... a sacrifice Taran would be willing to make if it came down to the choice between Kyriakos and his relationship with Madeline Xion. Kyriakos being party to Taran's reunion with Maddy made many of Taran's memories and feelings of her his own, and this has led to a great deal of conflict within the former nictus. He has emerged from a life of lies into a world full of close friends he has barely met, and a deep love for a woman who quite honestly hates him right now. Kyriakos is determined to try and win the trust of Taran's friends on his own merit rather than just on Taran's word, but with the kheld's quick temper and sharp tongue, the road will not be easy...
Already there has been trouble. Most of Taran's friends have been supportive, though a few have kept somewhat distant. However, after being weakened in a fight against Cole's evil robot brother, Strikeshadow was discovered by Light Stream, who had been away during Taran's disappearance and knew nothing of what happened. Driven in his cause to fight the nictus, Light Stream attacked, sending the already weakened Kyriakos into a nearly dormant state. The encouragement of his friends, as well as Maddy's determination to learn who he is and stay at his side, had so far been much more than Strikeshadow had expected, or even felt he deserved. However, he had always had the feeling that sooner or later, somebody Taran trusted would not accept him, and Light Stream struck him a serious blow in more ways than one, all but confirming his fears. While his dual consciousness was still intact, Strikeshadow was without his energy while the kheldian within him mended.
Though they both tried to move forward, his relationship with Maddy was falling father and farther out of reach. Despite their difficulty even making eye contact some days, fate seemed intent on keeping them working side by side. Recently, her brother Lyonis had been suspicious about the Council... apparently Maddy's father, Dark Xion, had been investigating their activities, which was a new thing for him. Tanshin had also shown up again, this time with reports that the Council was apparently making a whole new kind of aberration fit to rival their warwolves and vampyri. It looked like there would be more trouble ahead with the Council as Strikeshadow and Maddy prepared to head back to Striga to find some answers...
Powers
Strikeshadow is learning to use his energy, and discovering what works best for his unique bond. He is still getting the hang of things.
Vulnerabilities
Like most Kheldians, Strikeshadow is very susceptible to certain types of energy damage, especially Quantum weaponry, and certain types of concentrated attacks from beings like the Void. Also, Kyriakos is a relatively young and inexperienced kheldian; he has only ever merged with humans, and so lacks some of the experience and ability afforded by bonding with other alien races.
Rogue Gallery
The Council will always be at the top of this list... however, Tanshin, of late, follows close behind.
To contact this character's creator
Send a message in game... it is my preference for things related to CoX. Global handle: @Trystan Laryssa
Creator Notes and Trivia
Taran has been an interesting project... instead of just creating Strikeshadow as he was and writing his backstory, I wanted to know his host before the meld, and to play out the reasons why he met with, and fused with, a former nictus. So I created Taran McAllister originally, in order to explore this. Every name on this page, and on Taran's original page, has done something to help me know this character, and I am extremely grateful to each of them. The road to this character has been long and rewarding, and here I'm only at the beginning... :)
Rumors
Taran is of no relation to Beatrice McAllister (aka Mistress Ohm). -- Soul Train
