The Gothic Journals Bios'

Fiction about Ravenloft or Gothic Earth
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The Gothic Journals Bios'

Post by High Priest Mikhal »

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Alexander Dreamfire
Gestalt Soulknife-Wilder/Illumine Soul/Soulbow/Illithid Slayer
LG Male Outsider (Extraplanar, Good, Psionic, Spirit)

Alexander's life is detailed in the Gothic Journals.

Being an outlander on Gothic Earth has always been like walking a tightrope. For nearly fifteen years Alex was able to maintain balance. Yet the formation of the STARS and the outbreaks that led to Raccoon City's destruction brought him to the attention of both human authorities of the occult and the Red Death itself. Yet he still holds back from using his true abilities whenever the eyes of the ignorant are on him. And for a good reason.

People can't handle the truth.

For all that he rails against their willful ignorance, Alex understands that society simply isn't ready to accept the reality of the supernatural. Humans are panicky animals that lose their heads over a mere rumor; how would they react to the revelation that there really are things that go bump in the night? Individuals can and have accepted this and taken up the fight. But the masses are less than prepared.

Plus the very creatures he opposes have infiltrated society on every level. He is outmatched and it wouldn't be wise to go off half-cocked. So instead he uses their own tools against them. Joining the Office of Supernatural Affairs was his first attempt, only to discover the corruption went far too deep for him to stomach. Then came the Regional Biohazard Countermeasures Unit, a group of para-military independents who opposed Umbrella in its waning days and sought out others who had access to the Viruses. Had Curtis Miller not shot his mouth off in a national press conference the group may well have survived. Instead the RBCU was forcibly dissolved after only two years of operation.

Finally an attempt at being a contracted agent for the OSA came to a disastrous end due to the lax security of the Office and the actions of an as-yet-unknown party in WilPharma. Only this time the consequences threatened not just him, but the lives of a friend and of his beloved wife Kyra. In response he did the only thing he could think of: he stuck his neck out and taunted the axe to fall on him alone.

By the beginning of 2004, Alexander Archer has (willingly) become the scapegoat for governments and big business alike to blame for a shift in power many regular people don't even know exists. Ironically it's those same regular people the governments and corporations don't want their dirty secrets revealed to lest they lose the foundation of their power: money.

The Biohazard Security Asessment Alliance--BSAA--offers yet another chance to keep fighting the same evils he always has. Only now it's not just one or two groups that have access to a threat that makes the atomic bomb look like a firecracker; it's anyone and everyone with the money and contacts to get it. But wait, there's more.

After the Antarctic fiasco the Red Death has acquired a sample of the T-Veronica and will, in time, be able to learn about psionic power and even assimilate such into its corrupt web. Given when it was acquired, the earliest that it could do such is 2012. Thus Alex is living on borrowed time and is rapidly running out. Soon his powers will no longer be the blank spot on the Red Death's radar and it will have its revenge on him for all he has done to spoil its plans and those of its pawns.

Knowing that, Alex has become desparate to find some way to fight back against the Red Death directly. Yet it remains highly unlikely even an epic hero like Alexander Dreamfire could succeed against even a lowly avatar of the Red Death.
Last edited by High Priest Mikhal on Sat Jul 30, 2011 2:37 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by High Priest Mikhal »

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Kyra Dreamfire
Gestalt Archivist-Divine Exorcist/Radiant Servant
NG Unique Outsider (Redeemed ex-Succubus) (Extraplanar, Good, Spirit)

Kyra has a naturally white-hot fiery personality. She takes great exception to being insulted or attacked and is not above attacking someone who first attacks her, even in public. While not any match for a true warrior, she's still a competent combatant and has nearly every divine spell ever created at her beck and call in her enchanted prayerbook. The latter fact is what attracted the attention of the OSA; few spellcasters were as powerful. But even after she signed on they learned the price they had to pay. "Firebrand" is a woeful understatement.

Over a century of shedding her tainted origins has instilled an undying and zealous desire to promote the tenets of Good through actions. Though her magic doesn't automatically call for a powers check, it does attract the full attention of anything in the service of the Red Death due to the dearth of magic users and even magical energy itself (until the Ritual was disrupted as described in the Gothic Journals). Kyra walks a fine line in her pursuit of righteousness, knowing one misstep could draw the Red Death's attentions at any time.

Around Alex, she undergoes a remarkable transformation into a calmer and less impulsive person. This isn't a repression of desire; this is a true change in personality. Just as Alex becomes more energetic, driven, and less prone to melancholy around her. The two figuratively and spiritually complete each other.

Kyra is also shameless when it comes to sexuality, a holdover from her succubus origins. The American attitude towards sex in the 1980's and 90's continually frustrates her to no end, though she knows when to draw the line to avoid trouble. This attitude has not won her many allies among less liberal people and her circle of friends has always remained fairly small. In New York, where she was stationed for nearly twenty years by the OSA, this wasn't too much of a problem among the cosmopolitan population. In fact it helped her to win friends as far away as the Netherlands and Denmark, countries known for more open-minded attitudes towards sex. At the same time it's also alienated her from many British MI-7 agents and the German Der Wachters agency.

Background
If the Abyss is truly alive as some scholars say, than even it makes mistakes. Kyra was "born" directly of the plane of chaos and evil, yet from the start it was clear she was a "mistake." She was only half as strong as her sisters and had no real taste for evil. Even her chaotic tendencies felt muted. Yet she possessed a keen mind and strong will, as well as a knack for the workings of the divine. Elisime, the Succubus Goddess, was not one to let a potentially useful servant go. Instead she put Kyra into a tiny office as her official "archivist," head of records the goddess kept. Given the chaotic nature of the goddess though, this turned into a form of exile and Kyra was largely left to her own devices.

Then a special prisoner appeared. Kyra had heard about the komanie, how the incubi/succubi were their most hated foes, but upon seeing one in person she didn't feel loathing or repulsion. Instead she felt pity that he had the bad luck to be captured by Elisime. Her incessant questions about him led to her being assigned to be his caretaker when he wasn't being used and abused by the goddess. She healed his body with her magic and his soul with her words. When he returned this simple respect it awoke a part of her that had never been before. More and more she began to study the tenets of good and talk with Alex about his own beliefs and ideals in an attempt to understand these new feelings that were so taboo to Elisime's own teachings. Things like respect, fondness, friendship, and love.

In the time she took care of him she underwent a redemption of the soul and a revelation of the heart. She had grown to love him and he began to return her affections. If Elisime found out, she would be destroyed. Thus it was serendipity that Tyriana, the same woman he'd pursued into the Abyss had a change of heart. She allowed them both to escape and Kyra never looked back.

Yet despite her honest to gods conversion, the powers of Good didn't trust Kyra in the least. Except for brief, supervised visits they refused to let the two stay together while Alex was in Celestia. That was unless she found a way to strip all traces of the Abyssal taint from her soul. To that end she began to scour the planes, seeking out places of power that would literally remake her into a being of Good. Her powers as a succubus were traded in as payment each time and her journeys left her stronger and wiser. but by the time she had completed her work, Alex had already departed for the Realms of Dread in pursuit of the stolen artifact from the Celestial Armory. Though convinced of her honest desire to pursue good, the archons of Celestia were bound by Law not to say where Alex had gone. Not to be beaten, Kyra merely renewed her resolve and began an all new campaign to learn where her beloved was.

76 years of searching, adventuring, and learning finally led to the day when, using an epic spell, she found Alex on a Material Plane world sealed on the inside. Without hesitation she gated there and began to look for Alex. Only her magic drew the attention of other, more malevolent and dire entities. Her activities had also attracted the attention of the Office of Supernatural Affairs. Though the creatures were no threat to someone of her experience, she took the OSA on its offer in the hopes they would help her find Alex. And to their credit they tried. But he had gone too deep for them to trace. Indeed, it was largely due to a fluke of Fate that she was at last reunited with the only other being she's ever loved.

Current Sketch
Marriage has not cooled Kyra's spirit. If anything it has stoked the fires and made her more daring. She's not a jealous wife (indeed, if she can join or watch in she's very willing to share Alex with other women) but doesn't take insults to him any better than she does to herself. In some ways she is even more sensitive of derogatory remarks made about him. Alex regularly has to keep her from going after someone--literally holding her back as she yells obscenities at her target and struggles to get at them. The few times he couldn't hold her back--or she managed to slip free--have resulted in several police records for assault and battery.

When not fighting, Kyra enjoys drinking. Where Alex has developed an allergy to alcohol, she can still imbibe and does so in great quantities. Kyra tends towards being a "happy drunk" while around Alex, who must then take responsibility for her actions much to his chagrin. Then he has to tend to her once the inevitable hangover sets in. While not an alcoholic--yet--she is treading a fine line. Unlike her husband she doesn't drink to escape so much as to just get drunk and enjoy the disinhibited state. As a result of her consumption she's had to master drunken fighting as well as any monk. Not that she wants to fight while hammered, but her often abrasive and brutally honest side comes out and rubs people the wrong way.

Combat
Well aware of the hazards of magic on Gothic Earth, she has changed much of her combat style to purely mundane attacks and uses magic only in dire circumstances. Her other supernatural abilities attract less attention but remain a possible weakness even as they cull away evil. Where once she let an aura of positive energy emanate at all times--driving away all but the most powerful of undead and destroying even more potent forms of lesser undead--now she suppresses this aura most of the time. Secrecy remains both her and Alex's best defenses against the very creatures they hunt.

She prefers her rod of epic might over other weapons, but has been trained in the use of firearms all the same. The form her rod takes varies on what the situation calls for. She tends to favor the flaming blast longsword form over others, if only because it's proven to be most effective against creatures not resistant or immune to fire. For ranged combat she deigns to use a gun but finds it distasteful. She can't stand the smell of cordite or the feeling of the weapon as fires.

Sun Domain: By sacrificing her bonus Scribe Scroll feat at first level and subsequent bonus feats as an archivist, plus her Still Mind class feature, Kyra has been granted access to the Sun domain and its granted power; spells from the Sun domain were automatically added whenever she learned to cast a new level of spells. This counts towards the abilities of her radiant servant PrC. This unique feature is a substitution level available to archivists only at first level.
Last edited by High Priest Mikhal on Sat Jul 30, 2011 2:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Gothic Journals Bios'

Post by High Priest Mikhal »

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Karen Baker
Fighter (Soldier)/Warden (Officer)
LG Female Human (Humanoid [Human])

Karen Baker is a no-nonsense woman with a severe attitude, razor mind, and even sharper tongue. Growing up in the inner city during the 1960's and 70's has left her with little patience for racism or sexism. She struggled hard to get where she is and shows no signs of backing down even when things look truly grim. Twenty years in the Marines has left her trim, though she still has a naturally large frame that many mistake for fat. That doesn't bother her much; what does rub her the wrong way is whenever someone tries to make her gender or ethnicity an issue. As a black woman growing up during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, she's learned not to take it and always stand her ground. This assertive attitude, coupled with her keen mind and natural self-discipline, is what led her to a career in the military, and later, the Office of Supernatural Affairs when she came to realize what was truly lurking out there.

Background
Karen Baker was the fourth of five children to Jonas and Holly Baker, a poor black couple living in the slums of Detroit. Her elder brothers succumbed to the lure of gang life while her elder sister became "just another statistic" when her brothers' gang fought another near their home. Seeing three family members lose their lives--figuratively and literally--to gang life, Karen vowed to get out of the slums and make something of her life. She also vowed to protect her younger brother and help him get out as well. On both accounts she was more than successful. Her younger brother became a doctor of neurology on a full scholarship while she found her way to the United States Marine Corps to help pay her way through college.

While in college she became involved briefly with the Black Panthers before turning away from the increasingly violent methods they pursued. She turned her focus to the Marines and towards her studies of administration, history, and strategy and tactics. Only a year after Basic Training she earned a promotion to Sergeant and was made into one of the first female Drill Instructors in the history of the Marines. There she proved herself a tough but fair officer, turning out some of the finest soldiers. That many were being trained only to die in the last years of the Vietnam War ate at her until war ended. After earning her master's degrees from college she went into Officer Training School, learning the finer points of being an effective leader on and off the battlefield but finding her niche would always be with the grunts.

At the beginning of the Gulf War she was promoted to First Lieutenant and sent to help root out insurgents in Iraq. Rather than sit back behind the lines, she took a hands-on approach, letting the squads' sergeants handle the majority of commanding the troops but sometimes getting into the fray directly when the fighting got to be too much. She quickly distinguished herself as both an effective fighter and an inspiring leader, earning her countless decorations and even the Medal of Honor for pulling the survivors of a disastrous assault out of harm's way. It was this that opened her eyes to the realities of Gothic Earth and changed her life forever.

A mission sent in to take down an insurgent group discovered the insurgents dead and drained of all bodily fluids. The soldiers sent in were securing the area when they were attacked by strange humanoid things with dessicated flesh and circular mouths. The team radioed in the attack before communications were lost. Karen took in another team personally and found half of those originally sent fighting off things that just wouldn't die! They took wounds that would kill an ordinary man without even flinching, including shots to the head. More creatures appeared not long after she and the reinforcements arrived, pinning them down. By nightfall, though, they had fought off most of the things--what she would later find out were called muduat. Yet not all the dead were actually dead; bio-monitors linked to the first team's APC's computer revealed there were survivors scattered amongst the bodies. Their vital signs were low, but they would make it if they were given medical treatment. None of the other soldiers were willing to go back out there, especially in the dark, and so Karen went alone. She had managed to bring back three of the five left when the muduat attacked; two went down from gunshots, while a third exhausted her magazine and forced to butt and bayonet the thing until it stopped moving. The rest for her was a blur of adrenaline as she finished gathering the survivors and, somehow, had the presence of mind to take back one of the corpses for study.

The next day a second team went in to recover the bodies, only to find the bodies of the fallen soldiers and no more of the strange things Lt. Baker had brought back. Military doctors performed an autopsy and were baffled at how something that had no real functioning organs could still move around and attack. That's when federal officials came in and claimed jurisdiction over what happened. Karen refused to just take their vague answers and pursued several inquiries. For her efforts she was invited to join the Office of Supernatural Affairs. Her military training and experience helped her move quickly through agent training and she went on more missions in one year than many agents did in ten. By 1998, she felt the weight of age and emotional exhaustion setting in and agreed to take on an administrative role as the second-in-command of the Michigan Office branch until events conspired in Utah to cause a massive purge of ineffective bureaucrats and even infiltrators of the very things the Office was fighting against in every part of the Office from the street agents up to the federal level. The rest is history.

Current Sketch
Having proven herself a capable person despite being a woman, and sometimes despite being black, Karen Baker understands all too well the evils of both humanity and the supernatural. Her training and experience have combined to make her an effective leader as the ultimate head of the Utah branch of the OSA. She has zero tolerance for either racism or sexism, and has found a kindred spirit for "the good fight" in Alexander. Yet her position of authority means she is often privy to secrets that make her question the legitimacy of the Office's claims to fighting all forms of malevolent supernatural forces. Perhaps even more than Alexander, the revelation that the US government had secretly stockpiled the T-Virus burns her up and brings out a righteous anger. But instead of taking the most direct and violent route, she has learned to use the methods of her foes against them.

Outside the Office, she is a loving mother and wife. Her son and eldest child has become (by 2008) a renowned pediatrician and her daughter has joined the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (Profiling). Her huband, Gerald, is an ex-military man himself and one of the toughest, meanest, and most disgustingly incorruptible stock brokers. His connections to the corporate world act as a means for Karen to know where to investigate and why, and she often feeds key pieces of information to Alex even after his forced resignation from the Office following the WilPharma Facility Incident in '03.

Combat
Karen Baker is no stranger to combat. She maintains a concealed carry permit and has a .44 Magnum Desert Eagle (3d8+3 Piercing, six rounds) on her person at all times as well as a unique enchanted dagger concealed in a jacket or else inside a secret compartment in her purse. The dagger is a +2 holy dagger from outside Gothic Earth and thus is free of the Red Death's corruption, though it still gives itself away with a white glow (light equivalent to a candle) and a faint rumble of thunder whenever its used. She is also quite skilled in unarmed combat.

Often, though, she will try to intimidate her opponents into backing down first. Failing that, they often still suffer morale penalties and are thus more easily dispatched than they otherwise would be. She also knows when to cut and run and doesn't feel any shame about running from a fight she can't win. She exhudes a nearly palpable aura of inspiration (+3 to Attack and Damage for herself and allies) as well as authority (-3 to Attack and Damage for enemies), even if she isn't wholly aware of it.
"Money is the root of all evil...I think I need more money."
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Re: The Gothic Journals Bios'

Post by High Priest Mikhal »

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Yomubo "Bo" Imbawe
Rogue (Thief)/Fighter (Soldier)
NG Male Human (Humanoid [Human])

Yomubo Imbawe is a naturalized citizen originally from the Kijuju Autonomous Zone in Nigeria. His life has been one of struggle and endurance since he first remembers. Umbrella held authority in the KAZ when he left and he's more than familiar with the horrific conditions there even after the fall of Umbrella Corp. Though only in his early thirties, he carries himself with a wisdom borne of a life where no one gave him a thing. He had to work to earn what he has achieved and works still to ensure his seven-year-old daughter and five-year-old son don't have to face the same tribulations he did growing up. As commander of the small Utah office of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance he's been saddled with a desk jockey position when there's no need for an agent of his caliber. Fortunately, or not, the increasing rise of bioterrorism means he sees nearly as much action as any lesser agent.

Background
Yomubo Imbawe was born to poor parents in the Kijuju Autonomous Zone operated by Umbrella as a front for research into the Progenitor Virus. Though the Zone did produce both crude oil and natural gas, the unique conditions that led to the formation of the Progenitor in the flowers deep underground was their real interest. Conditions were horrendous and when native workers ran short due to "accidents," real or otherwise, the company began importing poor Europeans to help pick up the slack. For both groups life was hell. Food was doled out in starvation rations, pay for even the most hazardous work was miniscule, and punishments for slacking off or stealing always meant the offenders (real or contrived) disappeared.

By the time Yomubo was thirteen his parents have saved enough to send him to America to live with his aunt and uncle. The boy was already showing signs of a genius IQ and had taught himself English, French, and Spanish in addition to his native Swahili. He jumped at the chance to escape and promised his parents they would be brought to the States as well. Not a year later he got word that his parents had been killed in an "industrial accident" that claimed the lives of at least six dozen others. Umbrella paid him a pittance of a few hundred dollars and sparked an intense hatred of exploitation by corporations.

Life in the States was a paradise compared to the KAZ, but Yomubo had his eyes set on making something more of his life. After graduating from high school he joined the Army and signed up for the GI Bill. In school he'd found an interest and aptitude for biology, specifically virology and epidimiology, and in college he worked towards his doctorates. His professors marveled at how he finished in one year what other students took five to accomplish. In the Army his superiors were likewise amazed at his keen tactical mind and marksmanship skills. He was inducted into the Rangers and made a name for himself as the guy that everyone wanted watching their back. The World Trade Center attacks happened during his last tour of duty. In one year he and his team saw more combat than some saw in a decade. In Afghanistan he studied the tenets of Islam and realized how deeply terrorists violated its teachings before converting and studying the peaceful philosophies. Especially the warrior ideal of one who fights so others don't have to.

When his discharge came in June of the next year he returned to America and finished studying. In only three years he'd earned two Ph.Ds. But given both his own experiences with pharma corps and the growing distrust of such following Umbrella's fall he didn't feel comfortable working for any of the companies who courted him. Instead he joined the nascent BSAA, putting his skills as a scientist and a soldier to better use. There were also...things he'd seen that he knew defied logic. In Agents Archer, Redfield, and Valentine, he found others who'd seen the nature of the world he could confide in.

Current Sketch
Imbawe's decision to join the BSAA over any pharmaceutical corporation, coupled with the fact he was highly educated and intelligent, was seen as a threat by the Global Pharmaceutical Consortium. A threat best handled by sticking him in an administrative position so he wouldn't be able to uncover their illegal and unethical experiments.

Their decision backfired horribly.

In a position of power but also an active field agent when necessary, Imbawe has given the real dirt to agents on what's going on and uncovered more than a few skeletons the GPC would have preferred stayed in the closet. He knows too much, but is also too popular to just remove or kill. Doing either would provoke a mass outcry among the BSAA and spark investigations that would topple several multi-national corporations. He has also forged alliances with several governmental groups investigating the supernatural and has become well aware of the true nature of some of the nastier bio-weapons like Umbrella's Viruses and Las Plagas. His wife and children are under the protection of powerful people and agencies as well, preventing them from being used as any kind of leverage.

The restructuring of the BSAA in 2007, coupled with revelations about what really happened with the aquapolis Terragrigia, the FBC, Il Veltro, and the events a year later, has soured much of his faith in the US government. Particularly since the very people he swore to protect and serve in his oath as an Army Ranger have essentially betrayed him and everyone else who believed they were serving a greater good. Instead he's sworn to protect humanity as a whole, not just a single nation. His investigations into TriCell Africa, and Excella Gionne in particular, have drawn a lot of heat. But he refuses to stand down and if push comes to shove, he'll take up arms to stop any sort of illegal or immoral activities.

As part of his conversion to Islam he has embraced most of the restrictions--including dietary laws similar to Jewish kosher laws--save those regarding violence. As much as he hates it the reality of being in the BSAA is that one must fight and even kill at times. It's not the BOWs or the infected that truly bother him but those all too human monsters often involved. It would be more preferable to bring them in alive for proper judgment. Yet the same people who stoop to bioterror are often those willing to do anything to escape justice. Even so he always takes time to repent for such. Despite the fact the Commandment is, "Thou shalt not murder," not, "Thou shalt not kill at all."

Outside the BSAA, Bo has embraced life's simpler pleasures. A weekend barbecue with friends and family, playing with his children, or having a night out with his wife. He knows that monsters are real, that magic exists, but also realizes he doesn't have the skillset to fight such. He leaves that to people like Alex Archer and the OSA. Besides his hands are full fighting very human monsters. Including, unfortunately, the bureaucracy that ultimately runs the BSAA from on high and dances to the corporate tune rather than putting their stated mission first.

Combat
Bo approaches combat less as a mindless soldier and more as an experienced warrior. He never stands straight in the middle of combat and takes full advantage of everything he can. Victory does not go to the one with the bigger weapon but the one who knows how to fully use every advantage available. At long range he uses a tactical sniper rifle outfitted with a telescopic thermal scope. At medium range he switches to an AR-RN, an assault rifle equipped with a heavy bayonet in case anyone is foolish enough to close in on him. In tight quarters he switches to a heavy aluminum baton that can cause electrical stuns with the press of a button. Unarmed he is only marginally less dangerous, trained in Israeli Krav Maga. The style's emphasis on quickly subduing foes by focusing on weak points fits with his own desire to end combat as soon as possible. A disabled foe is one that can't cause trouble.

Given his early life as a petty thief to survive he is not above using the same methods he learned back then. Catching a foe unawares and allowing for a sneak attack that can incapacitate living, human foes or destroy infected ones and BOWs with one hit. Given the nature of some BSAA missions where agents must go in with minimal armament for diplomatic purposes and use on-site acquisition (OSA) for heavier weapons and additional ammo this philosophy makes total sense. A foe taken down without firing a round means more for those times when the crap really hits the fan and a major BOW is the enemy.
"Money is the root of all evil...I think I need more money."
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