Edwards, Blank

[Blank Edwards]

DOSSIER: DEMON HUNTER

   
   "THE LORD KNOWETH THEM THAT ARE HIS
UNKNOWN AND YET WELL KNOWN, DYING AND BEHOLD WE LIVE
GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS
IN CHRIST SHALL ALL BE MADE ALIVE"- Tomb of the Unknown Warrior

   BASIC DETAILS

   NAME:
   "Blank" Edwards

   AGE:
   21

   GENDER:
   Male

   NATIONALITY:
   British

   BIRTHPLACE:
   Bristol, he currently lives in a flat in London, paid for by the council.

   BIRTHDATE:
   January the 6th 1991

   PICTURE:
   

Spoiler:

   

*********

   

PERSONAL DETAILS

   DESCRIPTION:
   Short cut blond hair for purely practical reasons, he does a lot of martial arts training (using the term lightly) and as a result he keeps his hair trim to ensure a minimum of grabbing, tugging tomfoolery. He's got a surprisingly angular face and his body's in pretty good shape for someone without a gym membership or a particularly stable income, he's not peak fitness but it's not far off. His eye's a pretty standard grey colour and the other one's... well, not there. He lost one and keeps an eyepatch on pretty much the whole time to hide it. He's a little shy about it and says it was an accident when he was a kid( which is as far as anyone needs to know). He's about 6'1 in height, so pretty tall and usually makes himself look inadvertently intimidating by scowling at nigh on everyone. It isn't out of dislike, he's just generally a bit anti-social but it reflects in his appearance.

Clothingwise, you'll usually see him rocking a T-shirt and a loose pair of 'kicking' jeans (as in jeans loose enough to perform martial arts kicks in), his style's pretty generic, the T-shirts change colour sometimes but usually a dull pastel shade of colour and maybe a wristband if he has the urge. Interestingly, his attire doesn't change much in Inferis. Perhaps due to his early exposure, Blank doesn't alter much about his appearance when he crosses, except for his eye. The missing eye-socket will began to grow a second eye out of what looks like Soul Energy, a swirling vortex of black and red. Blank claims he can't see out of it but given the sharp increase in his vision and 'other' minor attributes, it's dubious how true this is. He'll often keep the eye-patch on while he's in Inferis just out of habit

   PERSONALITY:
   A quite literal blank slate, the young son of Henry Edwards has lead a tumultuous life, which has made him at the least somewhat ambivalent. He doesn't feel a drive to do good or protect others, he isn't in it for the rewards, accolades or to make friends yet somehow he feels compelled to help. Perhaps contradictory but he approaches most such scenarios with a cautious sense of duty coupled with a dislike for demons, results of his father's training. He doesn't actively hate them as a collective, but he hates the ones he sees since they often remind him of his past. He's incredibly self conscious about his missing eye and will often become irate or even downright angry if someone he doesn't know well mentions it. Mocking it is a pretty good way to push the usually calm Blank's rage button. Other than that he usually seems cool and detached, often keeping a fixed expression and being at least somewhat inscrutable. This detached calm could well be interpreted as PTSD from his horrible childhood but it's made him incredibly hard to intimidate so he could well be mistaken for being incredibly brave when really he doesn't understand how to be afraid. He will of course react to things and he isn't stupid (so if something is intimidating he will acknowledge that it IS intimidating while also not being intimidated) so he often takes time to think things through.

If you manage to get close to him, piercing the veil of distance and cool detachment you'll find a cynical, sarcastic young man but one who does care about the people dear to him. He's got a bad habit of sarcastically mocking his nearest and dearest with a biting kind of affection. If he'll deride your habits and make fun of your face, then he's clearly warmed to you and is just naturally reticent about your various positive aspects. Rude to your face, respectful behind your back. He does struggle somewhat when it comes to the opposite sex, he isn't quite sure what to make of them. If a girl likes him he's immediately baffled and refuses to acknowledge that they have a reason for it, he's willfully unware of whether or not he's attractive. In fact, he has difficulty understanding people in general, his upbringing has made him almost like a soldier in his attitude towards people and demons. He must protect humans while destroying demons, he only recently began to consider alternatives to this outlook and has begun to keep a more open mind. He still has a tendency to obey authority and it often takes him some effort to keep his mind on task.

When it comes to Demons, Templars and the touchy subject of  Ritualists, Blank's got a fairly open mind due to his odd experiences. He can see why Demon's think they're superior to people (hell, it's hard to argue humanity could beat them in a fight without the Demon Hunters), Templars are only keeping the peace as it were and the ritualists are just cowardly sellouts. But each of these groups can, and do, build his ire. The demons for the horrible things they do (and whenever he looks in a mirror he remembers that), the templars for failing so often but still thinking their the greatest heroes of their time and the Ritualists because, shit, isn't it obvious? As far as Blank's relationship with fellow hunters goes, he'll rarely interact socially if he bumps into them, just lend a hand and move on, often doing as he's told if given an instruction. Or at least he has up til now.

   HISTORY:

     The moment of happiness
   Before we can talk about 'Devil-Eye' we need to talk about his father.

   Henry Edwards was a demon hunter, his evocation was an old rifle that shot specialised rounds and to say he was a good shot was an understatement. He had a minor reputation for his vision and he usually used the sight with his right eye (which is relevant to what happens later). Henry was in love with a woman, as most men are at some point in their life, and it was this woman who he decided to marry. He spent a week or two with his beautiful wife and then a week in Inferis exterminating who he could in exchange for some money from a particularly savvy Templar. Life was, indeed, pretty good.

  Until the fall.

  Henry's wife was entering labour, the baby they'd waited so long for was coming and Henry was running through the hospital, joy and anticipation mingling on his face as he went. What were they going to call it? That was the last happy thought Henry Edwards would have for some time. What were they going to call it?

It was the blood he saw first. He'd been expecting some so he managed to keep his wits about him as he entered the room but he wasn't expecting to see the head. His wife's head held in a shaking pale hand, the mucky robes and cracked glasses of a ritualist. The sweat streaked face was cracked in a smile, the baby was lying in a circle, some attempt to summon a demon was clearly on the ritualist's mind.
"You'd better cool your-" the explosion of his skull was surprisingly therapeutic, Henry noted as he holstered the 9mm. The police would be here soon, he scooped up his mewling son and with a nod, walked calmly out of the hospital. He saw his mistake now. He couldn't love something defenceless, but he couldn't abandon his son.
So he would teach him.

The child soldier

Henry never named his son, always calling him boy or brat or some other unpleasent expletive. It'd take Blank years to be able to travel to Inferis by himself. So Henry took him himself. Inferis is no place for a baby. Blank was taught how to fight on Earth, living in hardship as he was dragged through it and toughened.  Every now and then given a gaze at Inferis, to the hell that awaited the dead, as his father took him across. Blank learnt well, he became a proficient fighter, decent shot, tough, fast. His father raised him as a child soldier, a smaller more agile unit to employ in his campaign against the demons. His father felt they were ready.
He was wrong.

It was Blank's first real mission. Henry took him along with some partners of his to raid a ritualist's ceremony. It was uncomfortable for the partners. Why was Henry bringing his damn brat along? He should be at home in bed! He was only 7! Henry wouldn't hear of it, the boy was coming and that was that. They didn't know they were too late to stop it. In Inferis, they might have stood a chance against the amalgam. Henry was the first to die, mortally wounded he had to watch as his friends fell next, save one who lingered. Blank was the last, his knife held like a sword as the child stared down this monstrous creature. The thing turned to Henry
"I remember you, Henry Edwards, who used to enjoy aiming so well with that eye of yours. I wouldn't want your... spawn to have the same benefits.." Blank was barely aware of the sharp pluck until he realised he couldn't see anything out of his right side. He'd been trained well by his father, never to show weakness. He screamed for nearly a minute. The amalgam was caught off guard by the sole survivor who managed to get a shot off and finish the fight. It took the older man almost half an hour to calm Blank down.

The eye of the Devil

Blank was 'rescued' by the man in question (who to this day is just called Uncle) and according to the tabloids 'saved from a maniacal father on a drug-fueled nightmare bender!" Staying with his grandmother (on his mother's side) Blank found himself back in Bristol and happily free of venturing into Inferis, at least for the majority. When he turned 13 he felt something strange happen, like he could suddenly feel the tear his father used to show to him and he realised the nightmare was far from over. Uncle came back, asking how he was and Blank ignored his urge to lie and told Uncle the truth. For the next 5 years while he had a normal life in Bristol, Blank was taken by Uncle to Inferis and taught the ropes. Blank's got a fairly good handle on the Necropolis now. On family 'holidays' Blank would visit other rings and gain a better understanding of how the demon's world operates.

While in Inferis, Blank's evocation activated and he demonstrated his unrestrained power. Uncle never bothered to chart it but the level of power far outstripped the rather unskilled older hunter. His ability's oddness was something Uncle never really examined, maybe he should have considered it rather than bringing him in over and over. The high-point in this time was Blank successfully killing a relatively famous demon, blowing the evil bastard's head clean off and earning him his own nickname. Son of 'Dead-Eye' Edwards, 'Devil Eye'.

It wasn't until he was 17 that Blank finally told Uncle he'd had enough. He was done, no more Inferis, he didn't want to keep risking his life. Uncle tried to cajole him but it was no use. Blank was set. With a heavy heart, Uncle said goodbye to the kid and journeyed off by himself. Blank didn't give it much mind, he spent 3 years being himself, studying martial arts and failing to fit in socially at school.

It wasn't until he heard some news in January that he changed his mind. A letter from Uncle. In the event of his death. It was stupid, the letter was mostly an apology from Uncle for not stopping Henry, for pushing him to hard. Why did Blank keep feeling tears well up as he went. He's decided to give it another shot in Inferis, maybe he will help the Demon Hunters...

   

*********

   FACTION:
   Until he meets someone, Freelance

   REAL-LIFE SKILLS:

   -Skilled Martial Artist, Blank was taught how to fight since he could stand, the intensive level of training not reflecting his years. In a hand to hand fight, Blank could probably go toe to toe with a fully trained marine in the real world, let alone Inferis.

  -Free running, more of a side effect, since Henry often had his son runaway he got pretty agile as a kid and picked up the hobby of parkour later. There were a few choice spots in Bristol before he moved to London but he still practices some days.

 -Survival skills, Blank's upbringing means he's able to survive if abandoned in the middle of the woods (which is SIGNIFICANTLY easier to survive in than the middle of the Necropolis), a combination of stealth and observation essentially.

 -Lockpicking, because they had to pay for Henry's food somehow, Blank got taught how to pick locks.

 -Extensive demonic knowledge, Blank's got an encyclopedic knowledge of Soul energy, demon types and how the tears work. He's also up to date on the Templars and he's pretty good at gathering the information as well, which is handy since he can often spot a ritualist at a glance.

 -Extensive combat knowledge, raised like a soldier, Blank is able to assess an opponent's fighting style after a few minutes of combat and can often adapt to it. He's got knowledge of weapons and guns, even if he doesn't know how to use them.

   INFERIS SKILLS:

   -Reflexive, Blank's reflexes improve sharply as he becomes able to move sharply and utilise his martial arts and free-running to their extremes. The increase also helps his co-ordination meaning rather than his muscles getting much stronger he just manages to channel the power more accurately through them to generate power as well as making his automatic and instinctual responses like dodging faster. Which is a problem since if he doesn't know why he's dodging he'll be disorientated and open to attack. Fortunately, his second skill compensates for this.

  -Spatial Perception, Blank gains 20:20 spatial awareness, he can understand movement within a region of about 2 metres and fully comprehend where things are going and how force will alter the directions. Also makes him unnaturally accurate as he can translate the space into movement. The downside is, if he uncovers his other eye in areas of high soul energy concentration his spatial perception is muddled by all the excess energy.

 -Soul Energy Vision, with his regenerated eye, Blank can see soul energy. It's hard to explain, he claims he can't see out of the eye but when it's uncovered he can see ambient energy and get a rough gauge of an enemies power through what he can see. Of course, in areas of high concentration it means he's blind in that eye (which he's used to) but this also cuts down his spatial perception.

 -Resistance, For some reason, Blank's resistance to injury increases noticably as well. He can still BE injured but he recovers faster and can sustain significantly more damage than a normal person. Probably a reflection of his childhood, Blank can usually survive impacts and other attacks that would normally prove fatal. Noticably his blood clots easier and his bones are incredibly hard to break. Whether his eye regeneration is connected remains to be seen.

   WEAKNESSES:

   -Vision problems. Such as depth perception (well he only has one eye). He often has difficulty with this in the real world but in Inferis it can be even worse since Soul Energy can interfere with his vision (hence his tendency to keep the eye-patch on). He's adjusted over time but he can still make slips and if you stand on his right there's a chance he won't see you (at least in the real world)

 -No weapons, Blank isn't skilled with weaponry, only using his bare hands. As a result he isn't sure how to handle blades and guns, he knows the means but not how to apply them. While he would theoretically be able to use projectiles well, his evocation is more effective, and in the real world he has the whole depth perception problem.

 -Rusty, Blank hasn't been keeping up with his training so in Inferis he'll often attempt moves or abilities he can't perform well because his control over Soul energy has dropped. As it stands he can only use one Evocation from his old repertoire.

   COLOURS:
   Blank's a native speaker of "English [Cyan]" and has terrible grammar in "Demonic [maroon]" but that's about it. He has a cursory understanding of the languages spoken in other tear cities but he can't speak any of them.

   TRIVIA:

   - Because he's been a cyclops as long as he can remember, Blank is insistent that he can see 3D films in real 3D. He can't. At all.
   - His name is literally because his father didn't complete his Birth certificate, it just says Edwards and so his family started calling him blank as a kind of joke until the name stuck.
   - Blank has managed to win two different karate tournements despite not knowing or training in Karate but by using his various kick-boxing lessons while wearing some white clothes. The trophys are in his grandmother's house.
   - Blank's abilities have actually degraded over time, prior to his 'retirement' he was at level 2 of power but a long time of not using them has caused him to regress back to level 1. The skill remains but he can't utilise the applications at his current level.

  -He's memorised the entire bestiary of Inferis that his father left so he can recognise just about any type of demon on sight (give or take). Along with a plethora of misuses for his impressive memory, he's also memorised, for some reason, a large series of sutras from buddhism. He doesn't believe in buddhism, and they have no affect on demons, but he has yet to provide a decent explanation for why he learnt them.

 - Can eat ALL the pizza. One of the elite few humans who like anchovies.

 - Blank is quite possibly the youngest person to ever be taken into Infernis, at the tender age of 3 weeks old.

 -Blank has accurately called every coin toss for the last month and 90% of every coin toss he's ever participated in. It isn't supernatural in anyway just ridiculously unlikely.

-He's surprisingly geeky, he likes tinkering with electronics and reading fantasy novels in his spare time (though only the elves and dwarves kind, anything with the world 'Hell' in it gets thrown in the fire-place). He's also into comic books, his favourite character being Deathstroke (no points for guessing why).

   

*********

   

USER DETAILS

   ALIAS:
   Breeze

   OTHER CHARACTERS:
   Zilch

   ROLEPLAY HISTORY:
  12 years ish?

   FACECLAIM:
   

Code:

[b]TENJOU TENGE[/b] :: [b]SOUICHIRO NAGI[/b]

   CUSTOM RANK:
   Devil Eye

[Lazarus Carter]

REVISE

This app is absolutely stellar, Breeze - I really enjoyed reading it, and as I've said, Lazarus and Blank will definitely have to meet at some point. Great character - just a couple consistency issues.

1] Jack of All Trades - This is kind of a little overkill as he becomes noticeably faster. Normally, people have noticeable changes in one, possibly two attributes when they enter Inferis. It might be worth going for specialisation - after all, his training and free-running should already give him something of an advantage over others for brute strength and speed.

2] Spatial Perception

It's pretty much how he can dodge bullets, he sees the flight path before it launches.

You noted this was a later Evocation; however, if it's not, he can't be able to do this outside of his Evocations at Level 1.

3] Soul Energy Vision - This is kind of borderline Evocation-tier, considering it's essentially a sort of thermal vision - see Damon, whose "vision" abilities are each separately Augments. Perhaps it just allows him to sense threat levels of Demons he's going toe-to-toe with, instead of being able to sense Apparatus usage and other such intricate things?

4] Accelerated Healing - Ah, this old chestnut. Healing factor is a large request for most Demon Hunters - however, it can't really be accelerated that much in Inferis, again, unless it's an Evocation. Accelerated clotting and even scabbing is fine; but the wound can't take monumentally less time to heal without delving into regenerative Evocation territory.

5] Trivia - Just a nitpick, so you know what's up:

Blank's abilities have actually degraded over time, prior to his 'retirement' he was at level 2 of power but a long time of not using them has caused him to regress back to level 0. The skill remains but he can't utilise the applications at his current level.

Blank'll start at Level 1. ^_^

Sorry to be a killjoy surrounding these - but it's just important to tone stuff down so you don't have essentially 2 or 3 Evocations at Level 1 >_>

[Blank Edwards]

Makes perfect sense to me, it'd be no fun to start way OP.

I think I toned things down enough, hopefully :)

[Lazarus Carter]

APPROVED

Perfect! Just use your abilities sparingly and tactfully and we'll have no problem here.

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