[b]| [i]NAME:[/i] |[/b] [indent]Richard John 'Dick' Grayson[/indent] [b]| [i]ALIAS:[/i] |[/b] [INDENT]Nightwing[/INDENT] [I]Formerly[/I] [INDENT]Robin The Boy Wonder[/INDENT] [b]| [i]ORIGIN:[/i] |[/b] [INDENT]Born on the first day of spring on one of Gotham's rare sunny days, Richard John Grayson was handed into the hands of his loving parents who looked down on their son overwhelmed with pride. Upon first looking at her newborn baby boy, Mary called the boy her 'Little Robin', relating to his birth on the Spring Solstice. This term of endearment would imprint on the young Grayson for his entire life. Like his father, Richard comes from a line of Romani descent. The Graysons were the ancestors of a roaming gypsy family who had been part of the circus for longer than any written record could tell. However unbeknownst to them, the Graysons were also the descendant of one of Gotham's most deadly legends, a man by the name of William Cobb. Cobb lived most of his life as a Talon, a highly feared enforcer for a group that has been all but long forgotten save for the haunting rhymes told to children who disobey their parents. As such the history of William Cobb fell into obscurity, lost in a history of circus performers and Romanies. As his parents had, Richard or as he preferred to go by, Dick lived his whole life travelling from city to city in Haly's Circus. Trained by his parents, Mary and John Grayson, Dick was taught to be an acrobat and began performing at an early age, wowing crowds with his natural prowess on the trapeze. Together with his parents wo were both world renowned acrobats, Dick would begin his introduction to performing at a young age and essentially from birth was trained to be a performer in the circus. His mother's nickname for him only became further enforced as Dick learned to perform on the trapeze, as Mary would constantly comment how he reminded her of a Robin while flying through the air in his red leotard. Together they were collectively known as the 'Flying Graysons' and were recognized as being one of the biggest shows in the circus business. In fact the circus' owner Jack Haley often remarked that the Grayson's were the biggest asset to the circus' business. Known for performing without a net, the 'Flying Graysons' true trade mark was their signature quadruple somersault, a move that only the three Graysons were known to be capable of performing. Growing up in the circus, Dick made several friends with the children of the other performers such as Jimmy, Zane and his childhood crush Raya Vestri. Travelling the world with the circus, Dick became very cultured and outgoing though his education did suffer as he was only taught what those around him knew. None the less, his quick mind grasped onto most concepts quickly and Dick was recognized among the other performers as being a very sharp kid. At the age of fifteen, Dick found himself in Gotham City as the circus rolled into town for its annual performance. Dick had only ever performed in Gotham a few times previously, but that said having heard of Gotham's reputation for crime he had always been understandably nervous about leaving the circus grounds to explore the city like he had in Paris, New York, and numerous other locations. However, staying at the circus gave the boy a unique opportunity as he was able to meet a young fan of his by the name of Timothy Drake. At the time, Timothy was only about nine years old, but none the less he remembered seeing Grayson's performances in previous years, wanting nothing more than to soar through the air like the older boy did. Having his picture taken with Tim and his parents, Dick wandered off through the circus to kill time before his family's show that evening. Dick's world suddenly changed that fateful night. It was one of the biggest shows of the year as Haly's Circus had once again returned to Gotham City to help ring in the New Year. But Gotham wasn't the same place it was twelve years ago, not that it was some shiny metropolis then either, yet the city had managed to become worse. Stumbling across an argument between the circus' owner Mr. Haly and a well-known and feared crime lord by the name of "Boss" Tony Zucco. Dick hide in the shadows as he heard Zucco threaten Mr. Haly unless the circus's owner paid protection money. Being an honest and moral man, Haly refused not knowing the horrors he had released. That night Dick watched in horror as his parents' high wire snapped, sending his parents hurtling to their deaths, all while many of Gotham's elite watched on. A burden of guilt came over Dick as he stood there, the realization that he could have warned his parents washing over him, downing him in anguish as he collapsed into bitter sobs. Shortly after the tragedy of his parent's death, Dick was placed in an uncaring juvenile services system, reportedly on the grounds that social services was full. While in the juvenile systems, Dick found himself dragged into numerous brawls where he was beaten up by a number of the inmates. He was eventually passed onto a Catholic orphanage where he stayed for a couple miserable months. Though life seemed to have taken a permanent turn for the worse for the young boy, seemingly out of nowhere, infamous billionaire Bruce Wayne rescued Dick by adopting him. Dick insisted on only being adopted as his ward, because he did not want to replace his deceased father with the billionaire who he only knew from the tabloids. In fact, Dick originally believed that Bruce only adopted him for the good press and this was further supported by the amount of time that Dick found himself spending alone in the near empty mansion. Living with the billionaire at first felt like Dick had won the lottery, but after several weeks of growing loneliness, Dick's bitterness began to resurface. Growing frustrated by the lack of attention from his new guardian and the mystery still surrounding his parents' death, Dick snuck out of Wayne Manor one evening to solve the crime on his own - only to stumble upon Gotham's mysterious Batman, who was also investigating the murder. Feeling it would be cathartic for Dick to apprehend Zucco, the Batman allowed Dick to work with him, acknowledging their similar parallels in life. The pair succeed in tracking down Zucco. Despite this, Batman was unable to apprehend Zucco as the man died of a heart attack before his arrest. While working with Batman, Dick began to get a familiar sense about the mysterious man. An expert in reading body language, a skill inherited from the circus and playing up to crowds it didn't take Dick long to deduce that Bruce Wayne and Batman were actually the same individual. Exploring the mansion for further clues, Dick eventually found himself stumbling upon the Batcave where Batman himself was awaiting his arrival. Bruce offered to train Dick, turn Dick into a crime fighter in his own right and pass along each and every skill he himself possessed. Wanting to honor his parents, Dick wholeheartedly agreed and was put through a rigorous training regime. Exercise after grueling exercise nearly brought Dick to his knees, but the young acrobat managed to excel through all combat and physical based training. Where Dick struggled however was the more academic departments although he eventually overcame these obstacles once he was able to put his own perspective on them. Despite training with Bruce for a year, Dick had still not been allowed in the field since the night he first snuck out. However it seemed luck was not on the side of the Batman as he found himself caught in the trap set by one of his many rogues. Stubborn still, Bruce refused Alfred's suggestion to send Dick into the field, but fearing for Bruce's safety and having complete confidence in Dick, Alfred made the decision to disobey Bruce and presented Dick with a [url=http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/7/71436/1704830-robin.jpg]costume[/url]. Taking the name Robin in honor of his mother, Dick managed to rescue Batman. With the rescue of Batman, Dick was finally deemed worthy to hit the streets. However Bruce had one final test for Dick to pass - "the Gauntlet". Dick had to elude the Dark Knight on the streets of Gotham for one night - from sundown to sunrise - without any outside help. Dick succeeded, simultaneously bringing Gotham gangster Joe Minette to justice. Dick took to the streets as Batman's full-fledged partner in crime-fighting: Robin, the Boy Wonder. From that point on the two would patrol Gotham together and the name Robin became just as well known as Batman. Just as the dynamic duo were becoming well known, rumors of a female Batman began to circulate Gotham however neither paid them much attention at the time despite the rumors becoming more persistent as time went on. It would be a year later that the pair confronted the Batgirl. While Bruce reluctantly agreed to train her, Dick became immediately smitten with the redhead and much to Bruce's chargin would go out of his way to both flirt and attempt to impress the older girl. However Batgirl took no interest in the much younger Robin and repeatedly pushed him away. Failing with Batgirl eventually lead Dick to dating other girls. In particular at the age of 19, Dick found himself attracted to one of the daughters of Gotham's socialites. While Dick Grayson enticed her, Dick soon found out that the young Bette Kane was heavily infatuated with Gotham's Boy Wonder. Meeting her as Robin, Dick used his secret identity to score with Bette only for Batman to confront him. Yelling at Dick, words were exchanged between the two with Bruce accusing Dick of manipulating the girl, being irresponsible and compromising their identities while Dick reminded Bruce that he does the same thing with Catwoman on a regular basis. In addition to this confrontation, their idealisms began to differ as Dick looked towards moving forward while Bruce was still firmly tethered in the past. The widening gyre between the two only became worse as Dick was shot and injured during a confrontation with the Scarecrow. Subjected to a near lethal dose of fear gas, Batman put Dick on 'Cave Arrest' out of fear of seeing him further injured. However left alone in the cave, Dick discovered that Bruce had been training Jason Todd in secret which he assumed was meant to replace him. Bruce tried to explain that they were at war and Jason was a soldier for their crusade, some much needed back but Dick refused to hear any of it. The conversation got heated as Dick began to run down Bruce's crusade calling him a 'Scared Boy hiding up a blanket' and saying that 'Bruce Wayne could do ten times more for Gotham than Batman ever could.' After a final sucker punch and a dramatic exit, Dick Grayson left the Batcave. Without Bruce, Dick was out on his own but at the age of 19 he was more than capable for looking at himself. Alfred had been kind enough over the years to teach Dick the domestic side of life and revealed to the young man that Bruce had been given control of a trust fund that Dick's parents had created for him. This trust fund had been left in the hands of financial expert Lucius Fox who had grown it into a modest fortune for Dick. Thanking Alfred for everything, Dick embarked on a soul searching trip. Spending nearly a year backpacking through Europe, Dick took it upon himself to return to his Romani roots and explore the world as they had, living as a nomad and travelling from town to town. The experience was wholly enriching and exactly what Dick had needed on his trip of self discovery. Returning to North America, Dick avoided Gotham and instead went to New York. It was here that Dick met and enjoyed a whirlwind romance with fashionista Cheyenne Fremont. Though their romance came to an end, the two parted on friendly terms and Dick continued his journey eventually coming into contact with a Tamaranian named Koriand'r. Kori, as she preferred to be called opened Dick's eyes to the further wonders of the world as he was able to live vicariously through her optimistic and naive point of view about Earth. The two became rather passionately involved and were almost married at a Vegas Chapel until the ceremony was disturbed by the interruption of a localized zombie apocalypse. However despite intending to continue their romance, Dick returned to Gotham when Alfred contacted him regarding Barbara. In his quest to break the Batman, The Joker had crippled Barbara Gordon but it was Dick who was out for revenge. A burning fire inside his chest once again united Batman and the former Robin on the same path. There wasn't a waking hour that Dick didn't stop by the hospital sitting at Barbara's beside. It was during this time the two became quite close, Barbara beginning to see Dick as more than the annoying kid who had a crush on her. As Barbara regained her independence, Dick continued on his trip, reunited with Kori as the two traveled to Metropolis where he came across Superman who much to Dick's surprise recognized the former Boy Wonder. Showing Dick and Kori the city, Kal and Dick eventually sat down for a meal where the two heroes had a heart to heart, sharing their frustrations about Bruce and ended the night with Superman sharing a story he heard about two Kandorian heroes not unlike Batman and Robin, Flamebird and Nightwing. The story stuck with Dick and he took up the mantle of Nightwing stopping crime on the road alongside Kori before breaking up their partnership and returning to Gotham upon hearing that Tony Zucco had managed to evade death. In the weeks that followed, Dick was able to track Zucco and his activities to Blüdhaven, a city possibly worse than Gotham. Finding himself in a familiar pit of criminal activity, Nightwing realized that Blüdhaven could use a protector. Setting up shop, Dick had finally found a purpose. He was out of the shadow of the Bat, he was his own hero. Using a web of allies, Dick has worked closely along side the Oracle as well as assisted in the raining of a new hero, Timothy Drake.[/INDENT] [B]| [I]ATTRIBUTES:[/I] |[/B] [INDENT]MASTER ACROBAT: [INDENT]Grayson is a prodigious natural athlete, possessing a peak human level of agility/acrobatic skills. He is generally regarded as the greatest human acrobat in the world. Batman himself is an incredible athlete in agility, but even he can admit that Grayson's skill surpasses his own. Grayson is the only person on Earth who can do the quadruple somersault (formerly one of three, the other two being his parents).[/INDENT] MASTER MARTIAL ARTIST: [INDENT]He is a master of many martial arts disciplines with an emphasis on Aikido, Jeet Kune Do, Escrima, Tae Kwon Do, Judo, Wing Chun, Hapkido, Jiu-jitsu, Shotokan Karate, Savate, Kendo, Ninjitsu, Boxing and Tang Soo Do . He has effectively combined the martial arts he has mastered into a unique style that suits his strengths. This makes him a challenging opponent for even the world's best martial artists.[/INDENT] MASTER OF DISGUISE: [INDENT]Taught by the Batman in the art of disguise, like his mentor, Grayson had mastered the art of disguise by the time he was 21. Grayson has used many aliases to infiltrate the underworld or just to go undercover in public situations. However unlike Batman, Grayson doesn't keep a standing collection of identities and instead invents them on an as needed basis.[/INDENT] EXPERT DRIVER: [INDENT]Grayson is proficient at driving many vehicles like cars, motor bikes, trucks and he is also skillful at driving jets, helicopters and auto boats and small ships.[/INDENT] EXPERT ESCAPOLOGIST: [INDENT]Due to his training with Batman, he possess extreme skill in escapology. Grayson has shown such proficiency as escaping a straightjacket in 4.5 seconds and was able to use a Tibetan Mind Technique to escape virtual reality. Grayson has even been able to escape a maze faster than Wally West due to his training under Batman.[/INDENT] EXPERT MARKSMAN: [INDENT]Grayson is skilled enough to use modified Shuriken (Wing-Dings) to hit thugs at a great distance with his eyes closed, despite even giving him a head-start and disarm others with his wingdings. He is also capable of using firearms, as he was trained by Batman to do in order to gain a better understanding to disarm those who use them. [/INDENT] SKILLED DETECTIVE: [INDENT]Grayson is a world class detective, though not quite as proficient as Batman. In light of that, Grayson has been said to be third to Batman who is widely regarded as the 'World's Greatest Detective'. Grayson was able to solve a riddle by the Riddler before Batman himself even figured it out and this was before Grayson had become Robin. Furthermore, he has been known to solve mysteries and cases in a speed that even impresses his mentor. Barbara Gordon even commented that he was able to solve 4 cases in "America's Most Wanted" in a single morning and solved a homicidal case that went unsolved for 14 years.[/INDENT] SKILLED HACKER: [INDENT]He is skilled enough to hack into the Batcomputer emergency override codes during a time when he and Bruce had a falling out following his evolution from Robin to Nightwing. During his travels with Kori, Grayson also hacked a Alien Terminal with the use of the Tameranian Language he had learned from former teammate and romantic interest Starfire.[/INDENT] SKILLED MULTI-LINGUALIST: [INDENT]Having had the finest education as Bruce Wayne's ward, he speaks with fluency in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Farsi (Persian), Mandarin and Cantonese, and has some knowledge of Romany and the alien language of Tamaran.[/INDENT] SKILLED TRACKER: [INDENT]Gryason has been trained in hunting techniques by Batman who learned by the way of the African Bushmen (the Ghost Tribes of the Ten-eyed Brotherhood, among others). As such Grayson's skills are quite considerable both in natural and urban environments.[/INDENT] PEAK HUMAN CONDITIONING: [INDENT]Grayson possesses the peak athletic strength and endurance of a man who regularly engages in intensive physical exercise. As such Grayson possesses the normal human strength of a man that has intense physical workouts at the height and weight of 5"10 175 lb. While he relies more on speed and agility than strength, Grayson has shown incredible strength throughout the years. On a peak day, Grayson can press lift 350lbs, basically meaning he can lift twice his own weight above his head. Grayson's human conditioning also grants him something in the way of durability, though more specifically it's through the fact he's used to enduring pain and can ignore and work through it. This can give the impression to lesser minds that he's superhuman.[/INDENT] STEALTH: [INDENT]Grayson is capable of breaching high security facilities without being detected. He can even sneak up on Batman himself on occasion. He is also skilled enough to even sneak away and keep hidden from Speedsters such as Jesse Quick or others with abilities that allow them to survey environments precisely and quickly.[/INDENT] WEAPON PROFICIENCY: [INDENT]Due to his training with Batman, Grayson has been taught and displayed skills and proficiency in various weaponry ranging from shurikens (which the Batfamily uses in the forms of Wing-Dings and Batarangs), to eskrima sticks and staves to swords and even bows to various modern firearms.[/INDENT] CHARISMATIC: [INDENT]Probably one of the most charistmatic people you will ever meet, despite living with Batman for five years, Dick still retains his bright and sunny disposition and as such is very easy to get along with. The former circus boy is very much still a charming performer and is a huge flirt, something that is generally returned from members of the opposite sex and even those who aren't. Grayson makes the clothes fall off faster than Tequila.[/INDENT] BEST BUTT IN THE DCU: [INDENT]Dick Grayson has the finest ass in the entire world. It's a fact, deal with it.[/INDENT][/INDENT] [b]| [I]STOMPING GROUNDS:[/I] |[/b] [indent][b]Blüdhaven[/b] [CENTER][I]“When you die in Blüdhaven -- going to Hell is considered a promotion.”[/i][/CENTER] [INDENT]Once nicknamed, "Asbestos Town, USA," Blüdhaven is a former whaling town, which was officially incorporated as a "Commonwealth" in 1912. The town had a generally poor socio-economic populace, owing in part to failed efforts to transform itself into a manufacturing and shipping center. This however rapidly gave way to highly industrial sectors which then fell into urban decay as businesses collapsed or moved out of the area during the Depression. It's infamous for its somewhat rank odor and high crime rate. Approximately 33 minutes' drive from Gotham City, Nightwing moved here initially to solve a string of murders related to a thoroughly corrupt police force, only to remain there to carve out his own reputation away from his family and loved ones. The city lived through a corrupt balance of underhand dealings and unlawful policies, which was helped kept in check by the local police force.[/indent] [HIDER=Neighborhoods] Avalon Hill Melville Section Waterloo Docks The Zee Moores Caernarvon Section Central Business District Fort Joseph District Fear Cay Avalon Heights The Narrows Island Point Mealtide Public locations Halyard Square Thrawn Park Melville Park Lanely Point Mealtide Park Byke Beach St. Bernadine's Church Stadium Baily Church Blüdhaven Natural History Museum Thrawn Terminal-Red Line Elevated B&O Rail Terminal Port Authority Railhead Port Authority Bus Terminal Central Station Rail Blüdhaven Law Enforcement Center St. Anthony's/Anthonio's Airport RABE Memorial Hospital Consolidated Buldhaven Electric and Steam Municipal Sewage Treatment Municipal Train Yards Municipal Landfill Blüdhaven Garbage Dump Streets and Highways Bloodhaven Drive and Park Red Line North Red Line South Green Line Blue Line Elevated Blue Line Tubes US Highway 61 US 61 Bypass/RT 91 "The Spine" Halyard St Stark Ave Little Drawbridge Island St Skunk Ave Red Line East Ext. Littleneck Narrows Bridge B&O Rail Blue Line North Blue Line South East Lamar Highway 6 Businesses City Dock-Commercial Midtown Exchange 28 Phraim Moore Housing Project St Eustace Church Band Shell Forsyth Building Hogan's Alley Mr Pickle Deli Brenda's Cafe McSweeny Properties Media Talking Johnny's All-Night Bull Session Sports Teams Blüdhaven Bloodhounds (baseball) Blüdhaven Brawlers (football) Other locales Marsh Swamplands Fireflaught Mount Skirl Rocks Spuyten Dyvil[/HIDER][/indent] [b]| [I]PEOPLE OF NOTE:[/i] |[/b] [indent][b][i][color=0072bc]ALLIES:[/color][/i][/b] [INDENT][b]Bruce Wayne/Batman:[/b] Despite the riff between Bruce and Dick, the latter will always look up to the former in both gratitude and awe. Bruce Wayne took Dick in when he was 15 after watching his parents die before him. After Dick discovered Bruce's dual life, the Dark Knight trained Dick as his apprentice. The two still operate as allies and should anyone threaten the other, they have each other's backs. [b]Barbara 'Babs' Gordon/Oracle:[/b] Older and definitely smarter, Babs always seemed unobtainable to Dick. Perhaps that's why he fell for her almost immediately after meeting her. It might also have something to do with her red hair, a definite weak point for the Boy Wonder. Either way, Barbara Gordon has always been a friend to Dick Grayson even when they spent the first few years bickering back and forth. What started as a one sided crush eventually blossomed into a very close friendship especially after Joker's attack on Babs. Nowdays, Babs is one of Dick's closest allies and the two share a mutual attraction that neither one is exactly sure how to act on. [b]Jason Todd/Robin:[/b] He's a dick. [b]Timothy 'Tim' Drake/Red Robin:[/b] The newest addition to the extended Batfamily though notably the only one not to train under Bruce. Instead Tim works for the Oracle which often brings him in contact with Nightwing. Having assisted in Tim's training, Dick wishes that Tim had took his place instead of Jason. [b]Alfred Pennyworth:[/b] Somewhere between Barbara and Bruce lies Alfred's close relationship to Dick. While Alfred may have been a surrogate father to Bruce, he was a surrogate grandfather to Dick. The two have a very friendly relationship with Alfred having something of a soft spot for Dick and is more than willing to go out of his way to assist the 'young Master' if need be. Likewise Dick is just as protective of 'Alfie' as he is of Barbara. That doesn't however stop him from making fun of Alfred's cooking. [b]Raya Vestri:[/b] A childhood crush and acrobat like Dick, Raya Vestri was the first (but hardly the last) redhead that Dick Grayson ever loved. While they've met for coffee and drinks a few times over the year, it has yet to be fully revealed what kind of role she'll play in the young hero's life. [b]Cheyenne Freemont:[/b] A New York fashionista and metahuman who enjoyed a brief whirlwind romance with Dick Grayson. Dick has recently heard she relocated to Gotham to open a new line of clothing. [b]Koriand'r:[/b] An alien from the planet Tamaran who Dick ran into in his travels. They have an on and off again romantic relationship however Kori is very possessive over Dick and will help him without a second thought. The two were almost married in Vegas however the 'ceremony' was disturbed by a zombie apocalypse. [b]Joanna 'Joey' Greene:[/b] A software engineer who Dick saved from a mugger. The two eventually ended up becoming roommates after Joey ran into Grayson again while he was apartment hunting. While she's suspicious of his late night activities, Dick believes that Joey is unaware he is the Nightwing. [b]Michael 'Mike' Pearson:[/b] An aspiring photojournalist who met Dick when the latter moved in with Mike and his roommate Joey. Mike is untrusting of vigilantes believing they create more threats for the general populace than they solve and is hoping one day to write an exposé which will see the downfall of the Justice League. [b]Amy Rohrbach:[/b] A police detective with the Blüdhaven Force and one of the few honest officiers in the city. She has an uneasy alliance with Nightwing being wary of vigilantes.[/INDENT] [color=ed1c24][b][i]ROGUES:[/i][/b][/color] [INDENT][b]Tony 'Boss' Zucco:[/b] A Gotham crime lord, Zucco tried to extort money from Jack Haly who refused leading to Zucco killing the Graysons. After being tracked down by the Batman and Dick Grayson, Zucco was able to fake not only a heart attack but his own death. Later reappearing in Gotham, Zucco attracted the attention of Dick Grayson who pursued him into Blüdhaven/ [b]William Cobb:[/b] Otherwise known as Talon, William Cobb is Dick's great-grandfather and an assassin for the Court of Owls. So far he remains unknown to his great-grandson, but Cobb has but one goal in mind and that is to recruit his last living descendant to Court of Owls. Now by order of the Court, he hunts his great grandson in order to kill the boy and subject him to programming at the Court's hand in order to turn Dick into a proper Talon. [B]The Court of Owls:[/B] A mysterious organization that once ruled all of Gotham and Blüdhaven. Thought to only exist in fairy tales and rhymes used to scare children into obedience. They have an army of assassins known as Talons at their disposal who are essentially immortal. [B]Blockbuster:[/B] Roland Desmond is a criminal mastermind who manipulated his brother into performing numerous criminal actions while under the influence of a strength-enhancing steroid. After his brother's death, he too took this steroid and found his intelligence much reduced - until signing his soul away to the demon Neron. Using his combination of brute strength and great intelligence he took over most of the criminal operations in the city of Blüdhaven. [B]Lady Vic:[/B] Lady Elaine Marsh-Morton is a genuine English Aristocrat, descended from a long line of British soldiers and mercenaries. She is an expert martial artist, proficient with many different kinds of firearms and melee weapons, and works as an assassin-for-hire. The money she earns from her secret career helps prevent foreclosure on her impoverished family estate. Lady Vic sets herself apart from most other supervillains not just by her considerable skill, but by her ruthlessness and determination. She has been shown to be more than willing to kill small children for her paycheck, and once actually jumped out of a plane without a parachute to chase an escaping hostage. She most often appears in Blüdhaven and is frequently employed by gang boss Blockbuster. [B]Brutale:[/B] Brutale was a top-level interrogator/torturer for the secret police in the Latin American country of Hasaragua, until a revolution forced him to flee. In his native Hasaragua, Guillermo Barrera served the secret police of his government as a savage interrogator, extracting confessions efficiency with blades and tools used for surgery. When the Marxist regime of Hasaragua fell, Barrera escaped the country to America, fleeing execution for the atrocities he committed. Adopting the name Brutale, Barrera put his "Surgical Skills" to use as a hired assassin. He eventually began working for Blockbuster II in Blüdhaven while donning a costume that resembles a gargoyle. [B]Shrike:[/B] Boone harbors a long standing enmity for Dick Grayson dating back to their youth, when the two shared a friendship that was in many ways doomed from its inception. While Grayson served as the Batman's partner Robin, the boy who would became known as the predatory Shrike traveled alone throughout the Pacific Rim, gleaning an array of martial arts skills both from a variety of unsavory teachers, including several former operatives of insidious League of Assassins. In the back streets of Hong Kong, Shrike met the "Master" who would forge the already hardened youth into a disciplined killing machine, undertaking contract eliminations throughout Asia and the former Soviet bloc-and never once failing to make a kill. [B]Saiko:[/B] As a young boy, Raymond McCreary was a circus performer at Haly's Circus alongside Dick Grayson, Raya Vestri, and Zane. Raymond, Dick, and Raya were really good friends, but Raymond and Raya had a secret disapproval of Dick because of his stardom in the circus. For a long time, Dick was the star of the show and his friends merely assistants. Upon the death of Dick's parents and his subsequent adoption by billionaire Bruce Wayne, the Court of Owls, having lost Dick as their candidate for a new Talon, had Mr. Haly fake Raymond's drowning in a car accident, taking him instead. Torturing him to his breaking point, he was then trained as an assassin for the Court, only to be rejected and left in the woods to die, birds attacking the skin around his eyes, giving him his distinctive scars. [B]Stallion:[/B] Randy Hanrahan kissed good-bye both a promising football career with the Dallas Cowboys and a much-desired Super Bowl ring when he suffered severe anterior-cruciate ligament injuries to both knees during pre-season scrimmage. "Stallion," as Hanrahan was nicknamed, subsequently moved north and tackled work as a bouncer in Penguin's Iceberg Lounge, where the notorious Penguin promoted him to "reposessor of defaulted loans." Stallion eventually became a free agent, plying his bone-crunching strength as a successful stone-cold killer, most recently in the employ of Blockbuster. Unfortunately, Stallion hasn't had much luck in completing his benefactor's contract in Nightwing, despite tag-teaming with both Lady Vic and the knife-wielding Brutale to bring down the young vigilante. Stallion has no formal martial arts training, but instead relies on his steroid-enhanced physique to muscle opponents into submission or death. [b]Marionette:[/b] Malina ‘Mali’ Lewis, a former Alice of Jervis Tech aka The Mad Hatter, Mali was left with a shattered mind which gave her symptoms similar to a split personality disorder. This leads to Mali often holding ‘Gollum-esque’ conversations with herself but also the unique side effect of making her something of a mimic. Most notably, Mali repeats phrases spoken to her but most extraordinarily Mali is able to mimic any skill she witnesses. [b]Amygdala:[/b] A man who endured terrible experiments on his amygdala making him unstable. When enraged or overly excited, Amygdala transforms from a meek human appearance into a hulking red beast complete with a child-like mind set meaning his fits are often comparable to tantrums. [b]The Prankster:[/b] Several years ago, a man named Harold Loomis became the electrical engineer as part of William and Wallace Cole's initiative to bring a train line through their old neighborhood. However, the deal went sour, and Harold Loomis was murdered by the Cole brothers on Halloween, left for his son Oswald to find dead on their front lawn after returning from trick-or-treating. William was eventually arrested for the crime but didn't rat out his brother, who went on to become mayor of Blüdhaven. Little Oswald, swearing revenge on the men who killed his father, sent the mask he wore as part of his costume to William in prison, to remind the criminal that he and his brother's punishment wasn't over yet. In a twisted way to get justice for his father, Oswald, donning a mask and calling himself the Prankster, began his crusade against the corrupt officials of Blüdhaven that helped the Wallace Cole rise to power. [/INDENT][/indent] [b]| [I]CHARACTER GOALS:[/I] |[/b] [indent][b][color=ed1c24][U]A Knight in Blüdhaven:[/U][/color][/b] [INDENT][i]-Establish Nightwing[/i][/INDENT] [color=ed1c24][b][U]Team Nightwing:[/U][/b][/color] [INDENT][i]-Gain Allies[/i][/INDENT] [U][color=ed1c24][b]Block Party:[/b][/color][/U] [INDENT][i]-Take down Blockbuster[/i][/INDENT] [U][b][color=ed1c24]Night of the Owls:[/color][/b][/U] [INDENT][i]-Tangle with the Court of Owls[/i][/indent] [U][color=ed1c24][b]Justice for All:[/b][/color][/U] [INDENT][i]-Join Justice League[/i][/INDENT][/indent] [b]| [i]SAMPLE POST:[/i] |[/b] [INDENT]A stilted silence fell over the cave as Dick glared towards Bruce, an outstretched arm pointing towards the image of a younger boy on the screen. "Who is he Bruce?" Dick yelled, anger practically seething from every ounce of his being. "Did I truly let you down so badly that you found a replacement? Were you just going to take me out in the Batmobile and dump me on the side of the road like some stray puppy who had finally grown into an ugly dog?" The Dark and Stoic Knight remained completely unphased in the face of Dick's outburst as he carefully manufactured a inoculation against Crane's newest fear toxin. "All I wanted was to feel some semblance of a normal life. Perhaps it was wrong of me to use Robin to get a date with Bette Kane, but how is that truly any different than you sleeping with Selina Kyle on half of the roof tops in Gotham!" Dick placed his hands on either side of his head in frustration. "They're your rules until you decide their note. Why is okay for you to have such a double standard. I'm not a fifteen year old boy who's happy to play dress up anymore Bruce. Between my studies, training and patrol, you're smothering me. All I'm looking for is some 'me' time. But no, instead you go and replace me!" Dick began to pace back and forth as Alfred stood quietly to the side, his ever unflappable demeanor never changing nor reflecting his true emotions as the most loyal member of the Wayne estate played Switzerland. "Or wait, is this because I was shot and gassed? Even criminals can be prepared Bruce, they knew we were coming. Like Alfred said, I'll make a full recovery. You worked alone for years, surely a weeks would have been fine while I healed. Instead you bring a petty criminal, he's a thief Bruce!" "We are at war Dick. You're a soldier, Jason's a soldier." Bruce answered flatly as he poured the inoculation into a syringe before loading it into a small gun. "I looked up to you as a father!" Dick roared. "You weren't my commander, you're weren't a general. You were my guardian, my protector and mentor." Suddenly Batman turned and injected the inoculation into Dick's arm. His face curling into an expression of sheer rage, Dick turned and let loose a sucker punch. From the corner, Alfred flinched as Bruce dropped the administration instrument, the syringe breaking open on the floor as Dick stood tall. His chest heavily heaving up and down. "You're nothing but that same scared boy from the alley Bruce, hiding beneath your armor so you don't have to feel emotion. But what you fail to realize is that if you truly wanted to help Gotham, you would have hung up your cape years ago. Bruce Wayne can do ten times more for Gotham than what Batman can." "Get out of my cave." Bruce growled as he finally turned to look at Dick. "And don't come back." "I was already gone." Dick retorted from halfway up the stairs. Silence once again descended over the cave as the elevator departed leaving Alfred to hang his head as Bruce resumed his work.[/INDENT] [url=http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/13/133962/2826075-Nightwingsuit2beltColorNOpadsReddarkMesh.jpg]New 52 Suit[/url] [url=http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/5/51394/1905144-tumblr_lk0of7zj5u1qc8925o1_500.jpg]Blue Suit[/URL] [url=http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/3/31666/3161351-ntw_cv24_r4ctzv5sch_.jpg]Burning City[/URL] [url=http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/3/31666/3161393-nightwing_ann_1_2qhbe8mqoj_.jpg]Dick and Babs[/url] [url=http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/3/31666/2988193-nightwing+2.jpg]Taking the Subway[/url] [url=http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/3/31666/2988192-nightwing+1.jpg]Welcome to Blüdhaven[/url] [url=http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/3/31666/2923047-ntw_cv21_1vqpw3i4mo_.jpg]WAAANTED[/URL] [url=http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/3/31666/2971635-ntw_cv22_1hli8p2m6w_.jpg]The Big Top[/url]