Archetype: Superpowered Assassin.
Alias: While he doesn't have an official alias, he generally goes by his first and last initials R.G.
Age: Grimes is in his mid-to-late thirties.
Alignment: Rodney's actions pin him as a Lawful Evil alignment with a strict code of conduct regarding his fellow assassins within the organization. Otherwise he isn't one to go out of his way to help others, unless it helps him in some way, and will generally leave you to sort out whatever mess you've created.
Appearance: Rodney is only distinct in terms of apparel. Otherwise he's pretty average for a man of his age, standing at around 5'10", with light skin, light brown eyes, a somewhat weathered complexion, short raven black hair, and an overall average physique. While he does wear different clothes depending both on his mood and availability, Grimes generally prefers to wear his usual outfit, which generally consists of a dark Trimble hat, plaid jacket, pants, polished loafers, charcoal zip-up vest, white undershirt, and black tie.
Personality: A rather serious man both in appearance and demeanor, although his choice of clothing can seem a bit odd to some, Rodney Grimes is a man who's made killing his way of life. As such, he has become rather desensitized and cold to violence in the world at large, but not cruel. If a price is put on your head, and he's called in to collect, then you can look forward to a relatively quick and mostly painless death. A much better way of going out honestly, especially when compared with some of the methods other-far more violent-members of the syndicate have used to eliminate their targets.
Powers: Rodney has Umbrakinesis of a sort. While he can manipulate the absence of light, I.E. darkness, he can only do so with his own shadow rather than ambient pools of darkness that might be nearby. Currently, he can extend his shadow to just about anywhere so long as it's within clear line of sight, hence why he's always facing his opponents or allowing himself to be cornered. As for the specific capabilities of his power, Rodney can control the size and length of his shadow, in addition to forming it into three-dimensional objects such as blades and the like. He cannot, however, use it to teleport, make any sort of darkness projectile not connected to his actual shadow, or use it to possess other people's shadows.
Furthermore, the quality of ambient lighting greatly affects the overall strength, availability, and usefulness of his power. So if he were inside a cell without any sort of light source-artificial or otherwise-for example, then he would not be able to manipulate his shadow, let alone call upon it. If he were in moonlight, however, and his shadow was at least
somewhat visible, then he would be able to call upon his power, but should the light be too dim or weak then any weapons he fashions from it would be minor annoyances at best. This is the main reason why he prefers to use his abilities during the day, when the light is strongest, to maximize his powers' overall effectiveness.
Weaknesses: As stated above, should the light quality be too poor, absent, or if he does not have a clear line of sight, his power will be useless. Additionally, he has the same weaknesses like any other human being, as his umbrakinesis does not confer any enhanced condition, although it should be noted that he has a slightly higher tolerance for pain and the like due to his occupation.
Biography: Born on January 12th, 1985 to Ashley and Matthias Grimes in a modest Boston suburb, Rodney had a relatively normal life. His early years were pretty average, as were most of his early teen years, until one day when he noticed he could control his own shadow. Not knowing exactly what this power of his was, he began playing around with it in various minor ways, eventually scaling it up with more risky escapades. After a while of this, he found himself unable to contain his more selfish impulses and got caught up in the schemes and turf wars of the various gangs that were operating in the area. These unlawful activities of Rodney's eventually led to his parents deaths as members of a rival gang lit their house on fire during the night, hoping the act would demoralize him and weaken him, thus undermining his efforts in the area as a whole. Unfortunately for his rivals, this act did not weaken Rodney in the slightest. In fact, it did quite the opposite. Rather than completely breaking him, it enraged him, and he used his ever growing powers to go on a warpath, systematically hunting down and eliminating those who had wronged him.
It was during this rampage of darkness and death that he met a member of the Black Rose Syndicate who had a contract on one of the gangbangers he had killed. Not wanting to leave a job unfinished, the Rose came to him with a deal. He'd spare Rodney's life if the boy agreed to apprentice under him so he could take credit for the kill, claiming it was his student acting under his orders rather than some random kid who managed to get there before he did. Not having any real choice in the matter, as the particular Rose he was up against was capable of manipulating light and did so to counter Rodney's power after the boy had tried to use it against him, Grimes accepted the offer and allowed himself to be smuggled off to the Big Apple where he spent the next couple of years running jobs for the group of cutthroats. During this time he had the fundamentals of discipline and the Triumvirate drilled into his head, to the point where he became a completely different person. Where before there had been an impetuous child, now there was a somber and apathetic man, hardened by all the things he'd seen and done.
Where there had once been a heart, there was now a rose.
A
Black Rose.
Potential Storyline A New Player In Town - Rodney arrives in Mountain City tracking down a target and becomes embroiled in its conflicts. During this time he sets up shop in a small safehouse over in Riverview.
Getting To Know The Locals - Set sometime after the first portion where he hunts down his target, Rodney decides to learn who the big players are and attempts to contact and/or work with several of them, possibly getting them to owe him favors he can call in later on. When not doing this, he will be hunting down targets marked for assassination.
Home Away From Home - Having to rely on discreetly wired funds and a shoddy one-room apartment safehouse, Grimes begins working on getting a proper base of operations up and running. Or at least one that is 1/4th as decent as the Black Rose's main headquarters back in New York.
---
The following are not yet decided on---
Trouble Comes A' Knocking - A fellow Rose shows up in Mountain City with a kill contract on one of Rodney's new allies. Does he betray the Triumvirate and side with his new accomplices? Or does he follow code and stand aside?
The Bloodhound - A detective, or police officer, who has not yet been paid off by the Onyx follows or catches wind of Rodney's activities in Mountain City, and launches on a warpath to take him down by any means necessary.
Notes: The Black Rose Syndicate is a rather large coalition of assassins-ordinary and extraordinary alike-operating out of NYC who follow three core tenants that have been handed down through the years following the groups founding back in the 1980's. These rules, referred to internally as the Triumvirate, are as follows...
- Never spill another Rose's blood without just cause.
- Never betray the organization.
- Never get caught. <---We'll only pull your ass out of the fire so many times
The syndicates' name became more widely known due to a tradition they began practicing sometime in the early to mid 90's where they would take a rose shaped onyx ring, dip it in black ink, and then use it to mark the notes they'd leave near their kills in order to notify clients the job had been completed. Nowadays, however, they just use various ciphered messages and burner phones, although members are still given the papers, ring, and ink should they wish to indulge in this old ritual.
Recruitment for the Black Rose Syndicate is usually conducted via shared external contacts who can vouch for any interested parties. A meeting will then be arranged, after which the prospective inductee will undergo a test of their skills out in the field under the careful supervision of a long standing syndicate member. There is, however, another form of recruitment in which a fully fledged member of five years or more with at least twenty completed contracts can take someone into the organization as an apprentice, though this is rarer than the previous method due to the fact that very few inside the organization wish to spend that much time training someone else.
Banned
