”I’ve got it under control. Just… give me a second.”

Age: 27
Appearance: Abel is a young-looking man of unknown background. At first glance, Abel appears rather ordinary. His hair is lazily buzzed at the sides and often messy. Despite his perpetually tired expression, his blue eyes have a sharp intensity. He often wears heavy coats over his tank tops in an attempt to obfuscate his silhouette and conceal some of his less savory features. Looking closely, you can see polymer spines sticking out the back of this jacket. At his feet coils a heavy, mechanical, serpentine tail.

When he isn’t trying to conceal his appearance, the scale of his modifications are shocking to some onlookers. His spine has been entirely replaced with a metal and polymer composite material. His spine continues onward beyond his hips in the form of a large, lizard-like tail. Polymer spines grow out of his upper back and must regularly be trimmed. The spines are surprisingly durable. Abel has mostly given up trying to keep them completely concealed and only trims them when they are cumbersome. Other notable features include lengthened canines.

When Abel is under the influence of an adrenal flush he will also display some changes to his appearance. Most notably, the semi-transparent composite material composing his spine, tail, bones, fingernails, and spines ignites a luminous green. His eyes also display a shimmer that is most commonly observed by nocturnal animals at night. There is also a static element when he is flushing. His hair and clothes will often surge, taking on a wild energy.

Faction: Abel primarily operates within a small cell of misfit Sk8ters. With this small group he views as his family, he completes various odd jobs in order to afford suppressants which he needs to curb his sensitive adrenal system.

He purchases these suppressants from a mysterious member of “The Pack” named “Lanterna”, an owl mask-wearing pharmacologist. She claims to be working independently of her faction yet Abel rebuffs every proposal to explore a supposed “initiation”.

Abel is forced to put some trust in this strange woman because she is willing to provide the drug he requires and seems to be aware of his unique condition. Despite her awareness, she reassures him that she would never sell him out to the “Heirs” that are surely still looking for him.

Sk8te Cell: “The Warren”

Background: L-4265 is an experiment code designated by Heir scientists. L-4265 represents significant investments in material and cybernetic sciences. Very few withstood the double-edged torment of reconstructive physical surgery and the psychic load required to remain sentient and aware throughout the procedures. Not only has L-4265 remained within his mental faculties, but still displayed emotional intelligence and staunch loyalty towards certain science personnel. The subject’s capability of rapid bonding combined with immense physical competence and ferocity meant L-4265 would be a great asset to the heirs, as a specialized unit or soldier.

Unfortunately, L-4265 broke out of the development wing following the summary termination and execution of his primary caregiver. Dr. Susanne Lansdowne was recognized to be having COI (conflict of interest) thought patterns that would place the Heirs’ investment at risk. Witnessing Dr. Lansdowne’s execution, L-4265’s body flushed with extreme amounts of adrenaline, which interacted with the previous modifications to bring about physical results that were outside of any previously predicted margin. A brilliant and beautiful outcome, if not for the woefully underequipped security personnel and pitiful airlock doors, soon L-4265 was loosed upon the Megacity.

L-4265 wandered the streets and tore out any diagnostic and acquisition paneling from his back collapsing to the ground. He bled on the floor, clutching the cracked spectacles that once belonged to the woman he had come to view as his mother. A small sk8te cell found him in the rainy gutter in search of valuable cybernetics to scalp off of whatever poor schmuck they could find. Recognizing something special in L-4265, the eldest, “Fiver” of the sk8te cell “The Warren” took him in. While he was initially ostracized, his fierce loyalty soon earned him the love of his cell, and for the first time in his life, a family.

He lived for many years under a few nicknames including “L”, “Lizard,” and “Green” but one day, the Fiver took him aside, recognizing L’s rising difficulty both in limiting adrenal flushing as well as his lapses in control. Fiver gave him a name, from an old dusty tome handed down by his grandfather. “From now on, your name is going be Abel. The future is gonna be hard for you kid, and sometimes a name is there to remind you what you’re fighting for. I know you’ve got a good heart kid, that’s something worth fighting for.”

Abel could feel judgemental glares from his Sk8te peers. He had gone berserk again on the most recent job. No one was saying it, but it was undeniable. The adrenal rushes were becoming more severe and more frequent, and with it, strange appetites and lapses into instinctual rage. There was a significant risk to his outbursts, not only for the jobs but also risking an heir agent discovering that their precious asset is still alive.

He searched desperately at the neon night markets for a solution, before he would lose the one and only family he had ever had. Piercing through the crowd, an owl-masked woman approached him and offered a medication that would suppress his urges, but at no small price. She demands credits, yes, but also offers some sort of salvation in the form of an initiation. One that Lanterna cautions will mean an end to his life as he currently knows it. She appears to know much about him but refuses to share too much. Abel refuses to leave behind his family, instead buying the medication, having no choice but to rely on this mysterious woman, both for the medication and to protect his secret origin.

Cybernetics: Abel refuses to take on any cybernetics willingly. However, there is a range of capabilities granted to him by his Hier tormentors.

Metal Polymer Composite Spine: Enhanced durability and flexibility, allowing him to withstand large pressures and powerful blows. Since this composite is laced throughout his whole body, it generally leads to greater physical strength including grip and jaw strength.

Adrenal System: Housed within the spine, this is a reactive chemical release of adrenal chemicals that interacts with other systems within his body. The general effects include greater awareness and senses, greater potential exertion of muscles, reduction of pain, and suppression of secondary logical centers leading to efficient instinctual behavior. Most recently it appears that the adrenal system will slowly fill up and eventually lead to a flush of hormones if the chemical is not neutralized with a drug.

Composite Lizard Tail: This is a subconsciously rooted (meaning it does not require mental exertion to wield) prosthetic that is permanently fused to this spine. It is more accurate to say it is an extension of his spine. It has prehensile properties, but its main function is enhanced balance. During a flush, it may open its paneling revealing sharper internal edges. In a pinch, it can be an effective weapon, though it is not designed explicitly as a weapon.

Weapons/Tools: Apart from basic communication devices, and his medical autoinjectors, Abel does not really use technology. When he is on jobs with his Sk8te crew, he uses his body to move around. With controlled releases of adrenal chemicals, he is capable of leaping exceptional distances and climbing freely. In desperate or out-of-control circumstances he may climb by plunging his hands/ tail into buildings to climb them. While his tail is durable, his arms would be significantly harmed by climbing in this way.

Likes:
-Nature, trees, animals
-heavily fermented meat/fish
-His family

Dislikes:
-Royal /medical environments
-Guns
-Inquisitive Outsiders

Quirks:
-Likes to wrap his tail around his legs while sitting.
-a sensitive sense of smell. can (and will) eat foods that have gone off. Insists they taste better this way.
-Has a slight mechanical purr when he is very relaxed. It originates somewhere deep in his chest. Embarrassed/ Ashamed about it.

Places of Interest:

”The Warren”

A crawlspace leads to a staircase that leads deep into an industrial complex. What feels like a treehouse made of steel, various Warren folk work away on their little gadgets and scheme for their next job. Many of them are scrappers, inventors, and mechanics. Many have created their own transportation systems. The signature creation of the Warren is the “Heelspring” a specialized air compression that allows one to launch into the air every time the air compressor completes a cycle. Warren folk are sometimes seen breaking the skyline over the industrial district. The leader of this Cell is a gaunt man in overalls named “Fiver”. He’s known as an agile jumper. Despite being in his early 40s he seems to have an unparalleled wisdom for opportunities, (and catastrophes).

”Lanterna’s Den”

Lit by various shining baubles and vials, Lanterna’s den is filled with various trickets and obscure finds in the neon markets. Various animal masks dangle from the ceiling lined with mysterious technology. The Owl-masked woman insists she is working alone as a practicing doctor of sorts, but rumors in the market claim her to be a witch. Her den is carved out of a little nook near the neon markets, completely unseen by day. By night it can be found by following the luminescent blue glow mirrored in her owlen eyes. “Welcome back,” She says to anyone that enters, even for their first time.