[b]Name:[/b] Darcy Jeanette Mercier
[b]Sex:[/b] Female
[b]Age:[/b] Twenty-four
[b]Codename:[/b] Magpie
[b]Nation of Birth:[/b] South Africa

[b]Appearance:[/b] Magpie’s features are soft, although marred with scratches and old wounds from half a dozen years of mercenary work. She stands at five-foot seven with an athletic frame that lacks much in the way of curves but carries a surprise amount of lithe muscle, with once fair skin tanned bronze and decorated with scars across her arms and legs, and freckles on her cheeks and shoulders. Her skin is free of piercings or tattoos, although Magpie is a fan of using dark war paint, typically around her eyes to further disguise her features that are not already shielded by clothing. Her long, wavy blonde hair is lazily tied back behind her head in a loose ponytail, cut shorter along the sides of her head, and a single, unkempt lock of hair falls down from the side. Her face, hair, and shoulders are usually kept hidden by a short, dusty hooded cowl in greys, browns, or greens, chosen to best match the terrain, with only her rusty brown eyes and fringe visible from beneath it.

Favours the unassuming and the practical, Magpie shuns the advanced stealth suits and powered armour many of her companions favour in exchange for simple, light, and comfortable gear that allows her to make full use of her agility and stamina. A loose, lightweight shirt and pants are common, usually in whatever colour would best keep her hidden in the current terrain, and sturdy leather boots are worn on her feet that reach up her shins, just below her knee guards. Further protective gear shields her elbows and forearms, ending in fingerless gloves that provide some protection from the elements while still keeping her fingers free to perform more dexterous acts. A simple, ballistic vest covers her torso, and a belt hangs loosely around her hips. Together these store the bulk of her ammunition and weaponry, kept secure and easy to reach at a moment’s notice.

[b]Personality:[/b] Magpie is a feisty individual, as cunning and quick witted as the other Devils, but perhaps more prone to outbursts than her associates and can be fiercely passionate when taken by the moment. A fighter at heart, Magpie is happy to speak her mind and take the first step for better or for worse, and will just as happily solve a dispute with a scrap as she will a civilised discussion, but in the past couple of years she has become more aware of her brasher and bolder habits and has started trying to reign them back, albeit with mixed results. 

Those that Magpie is close to will find a fiercely loyal friend in her, but she is a woman who is used to erecting walls around herself. She keeps her allies at a safe distance, and while she is approachable, polite, playful, and sometimes even flirtatious around those who treat her with respect, she knows just how easily it is to lose someone you care about, and tries to ensure that not too many people get close, for her sake and theirs. Life as a mercenary is a short, dangerous life, and Magpie has been burned too many times.


[HIDER=Biography]Darcy Jeanette Mercier, or Magpie as she would later become known, was the eldest daughter of three, the children of second-generation French immigrants living in South Africa. She was an intelligent woman, even in her youth, but often too rebellious for her parents and teachers to handle. Darcy was rowdy and chaotic, a free spirit that seemed determined to break every rule she found. In an attempt to drill some discipline into the young girl, from her early teenage years she was educated at a military boarding school, which tried its best to batter and break her disobedient streak. It did not, but something about the military life clicked with Darcy though and she stuck with it, eventually joining the military upon her graduation.

It was during this time that Darcy met four of her closest friends. The five of them were almost inseparable, and after three years in the army together, they realised they were only still there because of their friendship. They were sick of patrolling borders, getting into rows with the locals, and putting up with bureaucratic bullshit. The government didn’t seem to care that half a dozen new wars broke out every year and thousands were dying because of it. If they were going to make a change in the world they needed the freedom to make their own choices… and so it was decided that the five of them would leave the South African military as deserters, take off into the wilds north, and become independent freedom fighters and protectors of the people who needed help most. Darcy did not feel so strongly about her friends’ decision, but she would have gone to the ends of the Earth with them, and so followed in their footsteps.

To represent their newfound freedom they took inspiration from birds and they called themselves the Corvidae Rangers, and later took up names to further reinforce the theme. Their real names were no longer important; they were now Crow, Raven, Jackdaw, and Jay. Darcy took up the name Magpie, thinking it appropriate as she was the group’s primary spotter, and the Rangers set about their new life. Although Magpie had long been friends with her four fellow mercenaries, she grew to love Crow, the sniper whom she acted as spotter to, over time, and a relationship blossomed between them. It was not glamorous new life, but it was exciting enough to satisfy Magpie, and by the end of their second year they had killed a dozen would-be warlords and drug lords in Central and Eastern Africa, and their troupe became something of local legends. They survived off of the gear they stole from their foes and the gifts given to them from those they had helped, and scraped just enough to get by.

Or so the rest of the Rangers thought. Magpie knew that it was not nearly enough for them to survive on, and every day was a struggle for survival. Lack of food, medicine, and the constant threat of raiders and military forces made life dangerous. The Rangers needed protection and resources, which the Chinese presence in eastern Africa could provide. Magpie offered them a deal; in exchange for information and taking up the occasional job that gave the Chinese zero accountability, the Rangers would receive the resources and protection they needed. Magpie’s friends would never accept if they knew, and so she kept it a secret. It was good for a while, but it did not last. Maybe a mission had gone wrong, of the Rangers had targeted something they should not have. Maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe the Chinese simply stopped needing their help. The town they were staying at went up in flames and gunfire, beset from all sides by Chinese forces

Magpie had been just outside of town when it happened, but ran as quickly as she could to investigate when she started to see smoke. She reached the top of a tall hill just overlooking the small town, and watched as the town burned. She brought her rifle up and peered down the scope of the gun… she could see her friends. Her Rangers, fighting, surrounded, but still alive. She fired her rifle, bringing down two Chinese soldiers in just as many shots, giving her friends a little more breathing room. There was no time to run and meet them, and so she covered them from where she was most affective; afar.

The fighting was fierce, and while civilians ran and fled or were cut down by gunfire, the local militia fought bravely with the Rangers at the helm… but there were too many of them. Magpie saw Raven fall first. The crazy bastard threw himself on a grenade to shield his twin sister, Jay. He loved her beyond all else, and would have wanted to go out protecting her. Jay screamed for her brother for what seemed like hours, but it was only a second before a Chinese soldier drove a knife throw her spine. Magpie fired a shot through the soldier’s head, killing him in an instant, but it was too late; Jay was dead.

Jackdaw was almost oblivious to this, already overtaken by a battlerage. Hefting his machine gun he stepped out from cover fearlessly, clad in the heavy, expensive armour that he fawned over so much. Magpie tried to cover him, firing round after round at those that shot at him, but it was all too much. Jackdaw was tough, and Magpie had seen the man shot, burned, and skewered, only to get back up and beat his attacker to death with his own fists. He might have survived this too, but when he saw Raven and Jay… Magpie had never seen him freeze up like that. He was gone a moment later, but Magpie never saw it. Tears had long since clouded her vision, and she could barely see down the scope of her rifle.

Crow was the last to die, and was the death that tore at Magpie’s heart the most. She had loved the man, more than she had ever liked to admit, but he made her proud to see how fiercely he fought. He took a bullet to the shoulder, the arm, and the back of his right leg, but it was not until he was shot through the left knee that he was finally brought to the ground. He fired, taking out almost a dozen soldiers before he was finally captured and beaten by them. They picked him up and dragged him away for “questioning”, the common euphemism for relentless, brutal torture. The Rangers knew how dangerous their life was, and knew that that kind of torture was worse than death. There was no way she could save him, and they had a deal. For his sake, she would carry through with her side of that deal. 

She fired a single shot into Crow’s chest and saw his body go limp, and then the world fell painfully silent… She wanted to just lie there and waste away, but when she heard the harsh voices of Chinese soldiers who had come to investigate the mysterious gunfire, she pulled herself back, grabbed her things and ran. Her friends had made their sacrifice; the least she could do is survive and honour their memory. She fled Africa, finding no comfort in the familiarity of it all, and eventually came into contact with the Devils for Hire. Her skillset was limited, albeit refined for her age, and she slowly found herself settling into the organisation as a Devil. It was a rough initiation, and while relatively new, she is slowly proving herself as a skilled member.[/HIDER]
 

[b]Skills~[/b]
Crackshot (Long-range accuracy/precision): II
Hunter (Stealth, general reconnaissance): II
Hunted (Speed, endurance, and athletics): II
Quick Fire (Reload/manual weapon speed): I
Spotter (Visual perception/observation): III

[b]Equipment~[/b]

Winchester Model 70 - Telescopic Sight, Lightweight Parts, Plastic-Tip Ammunition: III
> Sunray brushed finish, hickory stock. Small, simple image of a bird etched into the stock.

Vektor Z88 – Extended Magazine, Converted to Fully Automatic: II
> Silver, matte black grip. Heavily modified to accommodate automatic firing mode.

Combat Knife: I
Laser Rangefinder: I
Ballistic Vest: I
Basic Climbing Gear: I
Smoke Grenades x2: I