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Post by Nevermore on Feb 18, 2017 22:50:22 GMT
NEVERMORE
Real Name: Jacob “Jake” Jenning
Alias: Nevermore
Identity: Secret
Age: 22
Species: Neo-Human (cheated on a deal with a devil)
Physical Appearance: As far as the norm and expectation of superhero appearances go, Jake does not exactly represent the typical “young hero” archetype. A bit on the short side at 5'7” and rather lean, his musculature is nowhere near as sharply defined as his peers and gives off the air of someone who could easily be knocked over by a feather. He seems to smile a lot, exemplifying his round grey eyes and softer features, but it seems a bit fake at times - those with a deeper sense of perception and empathy would notice that he often seems out of the moment or faraway from the here and now. In his civilian identity, Jake appears somewhat lazy and disheveled looking, like he rolled out of bed and figured that was good enough for the outside world. A studded leather band is always tied around his wrist, and he's rarely, if ever, seen without it.
In his superhero persona, Nevermore simply dons a black ritual cloak (made by his mother), and an antique plague doctor's mask (stolen from his mother) over his regular street clothes for a quick change of costume. He keeps these stashed in a backpack when he goes out, just in case he finds trouble. Or more accurately, trouble finds him.
Personality: Brash and overly impulsive on the surface, Nevermore is not the sort of man who thinks his actions through, often preferring to jump in head first and figure a way out later once he’s neck-deep in trouble. He’s still relatively new to the superhero business, having only had four years of field experience before he hung up his mask and quit the first time, and his inexperience becomes apparent when teamed up with heroes who actually have a clue as to what they are doing. He always seems to be smiling and is generally kind and encouraging to those he comes across, both in and out of costume, though it seems he's trying just a bit too hard to keep his emotions either even or towards the positive.
Despite his powers being demonically based, Jake himself is not a wicked person, the thought of killing his enemies never even on the forefront of his mind. Beating someone back with a magically-charged baseball bat, sure, but outright cold-blooded murder is not a method he'll ever be comfortable with and is completely against his nature. Being the cause of someone's death is one of Jake's deepest fears, and he tries to avoid it best he can.
Due to the events that led to Nevermore's early retirement, Jake suffers from depression, and has more days than he cares to admit where he just wants to mope about and do nothing, or worse, start acting out with violence. He tries to hide his “bad brain days” from those around him, not wanting to be seen as weak or in need of advice or protecting. Being offered unsolicited advice on his mental or emotional state tends to put him on edge, causing him to lash out, sometimes violently if pushed too far.
Powers:
Hellfire Enhancements: Nevermore’s ill-gotten superpowers allow him to endow anything he physically touches with the flames of Hell itself, imbuing it with demonic energies. Despite Jake not being all that physically strong or fast, channeling hellfire greatly increases the strength of his strikes as well as his endurance to take a powerful hit. These flames only cause physical harm to demons, devils, and other similarly powered creatures, searing the flesh off their bones until a well-aimed final “lethal” strike burns them up wholly and transports them back to Hell where they belong. Those who contracted with a demon or devil for power (such as Nevermore did) would be harmed by this ability as if they were demon themselves. The same goes for those possessed by demonic entities - the hellfire harms both the host and the creature inside, though this starts creeping into the realm of the morally ambiguous.
Nevermore is not harmed physically or spiritually by his own powers when he wields them, as it is created through a combination of demon energy and his own spiritual energy. However, if another character has a similar powerset (IE: Rogue touched him and siphoned off his powers), he can be harmed by their attack like any other demon-like being.
Soulburn: To non-demonic beings, the sensation of burning alive occurs upon being struck, causing what seems to be physical pain, but no marks are left on the body and the attack is entirely non-lethal. What is being damaged is the soul or spirit of the target (the form that can travel astral planes and the like), which is what causes the feeling of being set on fire and boiling underneath the skin at the same time. Multiple strikes in rapid succession cause more severe spiritual damage, but the worst that can occur through a catalyst, such as Nevermore's improvised weapons, is long-lasting burning pain, unconsciousness or temporary coma.
It should be noted that while Nevermore can potentially use his hellfire on a non-demon living being flesh to flesh, his own moral code and mental blocks prevent this from being able to occur. He would need to be provoked to outright murder the target in order for his powers to work this way, and this is so against his nature and every fiber of who he is, it's unlikely to happen. As far as he knows, his powers only work on inanimate objects.
Flight: When Nevermore uses his Hellfire on his cloak or clothes, it grants him the ability to focus those energies into the air, allowing him to fly about the battlefield (or just around the city), at an average speed of 25-30 miles per hour. This only works on clothing that he is wearing, since his powers don't harm him as they do others. Using this on another person's outfit only burns them as usual, and does not give him the ability to let them fly or toss them around.
Dimensional Portal*: If, and only if, Nevermore recklessly overuses his powers, he loses complete control of them, which can potentially rip through the dimensions and open a portal to Hell itself, releasing the denizens therein. The last time this happened, it was revealed that his spilled blood was the only way to close it, though it needed to be untainted by his demon powers (IE: demon powers need to be removed for this to work). It had been proven that family blood also counts towards this. More powerful magic users and sorcerers should be able to close the portal through other means at their disposal.
*PLEASE NOTE: This is only something that could happen, but not necessarily something that will happen during the course of this RP. This ability is not something Nevermore ever wants to tap into, as it is nothing but bad news, and is listed here because it is a driving force in how he behaves as a powered human and hero in the current timeline. It will only be used with unanimous mod permission, and only for the sake of a major story event, if requested.
Abilities:
Given his Neo-Pagan upbringing, Jake has a healthy amount of knowledge on magic items and energy work. He also can identify rituals and sacred relics from different old-world religions. His connection to magical metaphysics and understanding of the energies around him allow him to feel powerful magical energies around him as a prickling of his skin or a warm or cold sensation, but only within a nearby range.
While not particularly adept at any specific type of weaponry, Nevermore is skilled in improvisation with the random items he finds around him, and generally tries to use his cleverness to outsmart his foes as opposed to spamming his powers.
Weapons/Equipment: Most anything he can get his hands on can become a weapon with Nevermore's abilities, but his usual weapon of choice is a baseball bat. The leather band he wears on his left wrist is often used as a catalyst to add a bit of demon energy behind his punches, but only in the one hand.
History:
Growing up in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Jacob Jenning always dreamed of being a superhero. When his father first went on tour in Iraq, Jake made a promise to him, along with his twin brother Jason, to be sure they took care of each other while he was away and to protect their mother, Serena, but Jake couldn't help but worry that he was too weak to keep such a promise. If he was strong, powerful, more like the heroes from the books and movies of magic and adventure he would often read or watch, he would be unstoppable.
When Jake was fourteen years old, his wish would be granted to him by an enterprising devil by the name of Leedis, who lured and trapped the boy in a small pocket section of Hell, offering him a deal in the form of two chalices. Should he drink from the goblet encrusted in diamonds, filled with a white liquid, Jake would be able to escape Hell and return home to his old, boring life. However, should he drink from the one adorned with rubies, brimming with violet foam, he would gain extraordinary powers beyond his imagination. He could become a superhero...but at the cost of his very soul. Jake thought long and hard about this, weighing the options back and forth until he finally mentioned to Leedis that he was forgetting Option C. The demon noted that there was no Option C and to just choose from the two choices he had before him, but Jake insisted that there is always an Option C.
Without considering what was going to happen, other than really, really pissing off a denizen of Hell, the brash teen snatched up both goblets and poured the pale contents of the diamond cup into the ruby one, mixing both liquids together. He gulped down the mixture before the demon even realized what was going on. Leedis screamed out, and the hellscape stretched and contorted, and Jake found himself spat back out into the Rutgers Gardens, as if he had never left, a horrible burning sensation emanating throughout every vein and artery of his body. His stomach wretched and his whole body writhed with pain as he reached his hands out forward, grasping onto a fallen branch to just hold on to something. The branch immediately ignited into a brilliant purple flame – a flame summoned from the pits of Hell.
Jake only told Jason of the insane ordeal and of the powers he had been gifted, who at first thought he was out of his mind, but quickly warmed up to the idea of his brother having these amazing powers. They agreed it was probably for the best that they not tell their mother, keep this as a secret between just the two of them, and start coming up with a persona for the Hero of the Hub City. Jake threw on a black cloak that their mother had sewn for him to celebrate Sabbath holidays, and Jason slipped an antique plague doctor's mask from their mother's collection of weird things, claiming it would be best if he kept his face covered, like a real vigilante. The long nose of the old mask reminded the boys of a bird's beak, leading Jake to proclaim himself The Raven as his superhero moniker.
During an early adventure, Jake used his new powers and costume to stop a mugging on a dark side street in his hometown, which ended up filmed on a bystander's phone. When asked who he was, Jake, thinking he was being dark and mysterious, merely said, “Quoth the Raven, Nevermore,” and flew off to the rooftops amidst small embers of violet flame. When the brothers found the trending video on the internet, they found it was titled “Who is Nevermore?” over and over again. Jake was a bit annoyed at this, but the name had stuck.
Jake spent four years as the hero Nevermore, not only taking down the scum that sneaked about the dark corners of the Hub City, but also the monsters and demons that always seemed to be on his tail. The devil who originally granted his powers, Leedis, was adamant on being the one to collect the boy's soul, his pride thoroughly smashed to pieces after the humiliating trick. But he'd soon exact his revenge, as Nevermore was growing more and more cocky and reckless with his powers, allowing him to more easily pinpoint his location and send more of his demon troops after him. In his final assault against the young Hell-powered hero, Leedis bombarded New Brunswick with legions of demons, forcing Jake to keep wielding his powers to hold the horde back.
The demon energy within him overwhelmed his human body through overuse, and Jake found himself being spiritually ripped apart by it, his own powers tearing through the dimensions and ripping open a portal to Hell itself. Demons and devils and all manner of evil creatures swarmed out of the portal and into the city, and Leedis offered Nevermore one more deal. If Jake's blood was to be spilled onto the spot where the portal opened, it could be shut down, but it must be untainted by his demon magic. The demon could take Nevermore's powers from him, clean his blood of the dark magic he had grown accustomed to, and all at the small price of his immortal soul. Of course, he could always remain a stubborn fool and allow the denizens of Hell to make their home in his city instead.
Jake was about to relent and give up his powers and soul for the sake of saving his home and everything he loved, when Jason interrupted the conversation, claiming that the demon was forgetting Option C. Leedis, once again, insisted that there wasn't an Option C, there's never an Option C. Jason looked to his twin and thanked him for always trying to protect him, and to allow him to return the favor for once, before slitting his own throat with the blade still clutched in the demon's hand, his blood glowing brightly as it seeped into the ground where the Hell portal formed. Every demon, including Leedis, was sucked back through the portal as it sealed off, and Nevermore was left alone in the streets, exhausted and sobbing over his brother's corpse.
Jake decided to quit being a superhero after Jason's death. The sacrifice he was forced to make, and likely will be forced to make again in the future, was more than he could mentally and emotionally handle, and he hung up the cloak and mask for good. As far as their mother was aware, Jason had committed suicide in the wake of what was considered a terrorist attack, with Jake supposedly having no idea why, and both spent a long time mourning their loss together. The truth has never been revealed to her. He tried to attend college for a little while, but his depression made him unable to focus on his studies, and he ultimately failed out of school.
By the time Jake was 20, two years following Jason's death, his mother decided that they needed to turn over a new leaf and start a new chapter of their lives, or else all this negative energy was going to consume them. After a lot of planning and work, Serena opened up an occult and metaphysics shop in their hometown of New Brunswick, selling charms, books, incense, and various curios. Jake still held onto his Nevermore gear, more out of sentimentality than anything, though he hoped never to tap into the magic that he could still feel coursing through him and threatening to unleash at the tiniest shift in emotion.
However, despite shutting off emotionally and refusing to allow his hellpowers to surface, the story of Nevermore still whispered on the wind as an urban legend and the Jersey Devil Incident, as it had become known as, had become a subject of several conspiracy theories as a tie to the hidden world of Neo-Humans. Information was dicey, but out there, and eventually, Jake was targeted by a demon-worshiping cult that had put enough pieces together and narrowed him down as Nevermore, and the cause of the covered-up portal rip to Hell. He was abducted by these cultists in the hopes to use his abilities to summon their demon masters, but Jake refused to tap into his powers again, especially the one that lead to the death of his brother. Despite fighting as best he could to keep his hellfire down, his fear, anger, and distress started flashes of flames to emerge in bits and pieces, leading the cultists to focus harder and harder on what was setting him off and allowing his powers to eke through. Just before Nevermore's powers were nearly unleashed in full-force, an unexpected hero came on the scene, a supernatural detective in a mantis-themed suit known as the Sting, and shut down the operation, leading to a timely rescue and a powerhouse team-up between the pair. Upon their victory, Sting remarked on Jake's potential as a hero and arcane fighter, and the two became fast friends, leading to several conversations and a number of unwitting occult/supernatural based team-ups regarding his return to the path of the superhero.
Eventually, after a lot of thought and soul searching, Jake recalled how much he loved being Nevermore, how everything about being a superhero always felt right, like something he was always meant to be a part of, and that cutting it off from his life was the equivalent of losing an arm. After four years of holding back and hiding in retirement, Jake finally donned his mask and cloak to become Nevermore once again.
Weaknesses:
Nevermore has to be physically touching an item to imbue it with his hellfire enhancements. The flames immediately fizzle as soon as the object leaves his person, so long-range combat is not an option if he's to use his powers. He is currently not all that strong or fast physically without the use of his hellfire.
Nevermore is still a human with an unclaimed soul, so whenever he summons hellfire for an extended period of time, he is sensed by the denizens of hell in order to claim it, his flames like a shining beacon that grows stronger and stronger the longer he allows them to burn. His hellfire also allows those who are sensitive to magical and metaphysical energies to pinpoint his location as well.
Since his magic is specifically drawn from hell, he is to be treated as human with demonic traits. Items made of or containing gold or silver is immune to his powers, and have the capability to neutralize them. Silver manacles or cages can effectively block his powers entirely and weapons specifically designed as demon slayers would affect Nevermore like any other demonic entity. However, religious paraphernalia, such as crosses or rosaries, have no effect, with the exception of holy water, which has the capacity to douse his hellfire temporarily. It doesn't hurt him, physically, though, and is more a nuisance than anything.
Given his fear of what his powers are capable of, Nevermore tries to scale back how much of it he uses at any given time. Strong surges of negative emotion, mainly fear, anger, or powerful sorrow cause his abilities to surge involuntarily as well, leading to a bit of a control issue if he doesn't keep himself in constant check.
Since Nevermore's costume is so minimal, the clothes that he wears beneath his cloak makes him more easily identified, despite wearing a mask. This will likely come into play and be corrected at some point during the course of the RP.
Other Information:
The “Jersey Devil Incident” has been covered up by the government as a “domestic terrorist attack upon a major university campus”, and those who claimed to see the event for what it was have been brushed aside by psychologists as simply suffering from a “group hallucination” effect, where mass hysteria and panic caused swaths of people to believe they saw something that was never actually there. Nevermore vanished the day the demon portal opened, so further investigations were slipped away in an unresolved case file for years, though it has become the subject of several conspiracy theories regarding Neo-Human incidents and the government's attempts to keep them swept under the rug prior to the appearance of the vagrants of other dimensions.
Despite using demon energy, Jake takes great offense at being called a devil worshiper, having been raised in an earth-based, polytheistic household that advocates helping and protecting others. Much of his moral structure is based in the faith he was raised in.
The leather strap Jake wears on his left wrist originally belonged to his twin brother, Jason, and he keeps it in memory of him.
OOC Information
OOC Name: Cali
Face Claim: Logan Lerman
