Wayworn
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| No music, no life | |
| Wayworn | |
| Player: @Talen Lee | |
| Origin: | Magic |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Dominator |
| Security Level: | Low |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Harlem Foreman |
| Known Aliases: | Harm |
| Species: | Homo Sapiens |
| Age: | 19 |
| Height: | 5'7 |
| Weight: | Well over two hundred million tons, and about 90 kg |
| Eye Color: | Brown-Green |
| Hair Color: | Brown |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | US resident |
| Occupation: | Shaman |
| Place of Birth: | Kings Row hospital |
| Base of Operations: | Kings Row |
| Marital Status: | Taken |
| Known Relatives: | Father, mother, one sister, two half-brothers, a half-sister |
| Known Powers | |
| City manipulation, the rhythm of the city | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Musical prodigy and gifted singer | |
| Equipment | |
| None. Harlem is remarkably austere. | |
| No additional information available. | |
- Some will win, some will lose
Some are born to sing the blues
Oh the movie never ends
It goes on and on and on and on...
- - Don't Stop Believing, by Journey
Contents |
Character
A poor child from a poor background, Harlem is a high-school drop-out who developed a strong spiritual connection with the essence of the city as a young man. The city that he knows has chosen him to be its shaman, a guide and a helpmeet, a man capable of changing the world one city street at a time - and he has taken this responsibility seriously, seeking to make the city a better place.
A simple, uncomplicated person, Harlem is frustrated by the world around him being complicated and tedious; he's a firm believer in Karma, but doesn't believe in gods, further believing it falls to him to make things that are unfair into things that are fair.
Powers
Harlem is in direct communion with the city; wherever he goes, the city bends to his will, throwing up slabs of concrete, deforming and shaping to aid him, before resolving itself back into the shape it 'should' have when it's no longer needed. Battering opponents with slabs of the city itself, Harlem is a terror to fight - where do you stand when the earth itself is your enemy?
Wherever he is, however, the city lends itself to Harlem. Each city offers different truths, different voices; Steel Canyon must be asked, Kings Row offers its aid without request; the Hollows must be coaxed, and Crey's Folly must be muzzled and reigned like a dog. Wherever he is, however, there is part of the city - and wherever the city is, Harlem is not alone.
Metatext
RP Notes
- Harlem is meant to intuitively know the city; he's aware of what's going on in various places, he doesn't get lost, and if there are events going on, experiences people are suffering.
- Harlem is also very kindhearted, despite his often cranky manner. He's a bit bitchy about his desires to improve the lives of others - often irritated when they do things that hurt themselves.
- Harlem is meant to be something of a loved figure amongst Kings Row's gangers - chances are, if you've a character who grew up in KR in the past five years or so, you know Harlem, if only by repute.
Themes
Harlem doesn't really have a single central theme, predating most of the characters I conceived in this way, and not fitting neatly into a single category; if I had to, perhaps meanspiritedly I'd say his theme was angst, that adolescent and helpless sensation that stems from a dozen sources. Now, however, Harlem is best fitted to themes of music - of a transition from a starting note to a finishing one, a sense of a musical arc.
Trivia
- Harlem's original incarnation as a controller was earth/sonic; I found in any situation, this completely overkilled the needs of the team to mitigate damage, and I found earth assault quite exciting when it was first rolled out. It's been two issues, but I finally got around to making an earth assault dominator.
