Duelist
| Duelist | |
|---|---|
 Duelist in her tailor-made suit of armor. | |
| Author | /u/Magos_Nashoid |
| Civilian name | Dorothy Russo |
| Alignment | Villain |
| Affiliation | Mafia (Devilfish) |
| PRT Classification | Mover, (Blaster, Striker), , |
| Status | Active |
Duelist is a small-time villain originally located in Chicago, mostly known for small but extremely dramatic robberies, that were committed very consistently approximately every month.
Duelist was the sole parahuman member of a small but not insignificant Chicago street gang known as the East-side Deviants although Lowlife has not been seen with the gang recently, nor have they continued their previously rather consistent robberies. Rumor has it that they have left Chicago to set up shop elsewhere.
Noted to have attended at least one Endbringer event, acting as search and rescue.
The PRT file on Duelist contains a note from SWORDFISH that she is suspected of having ties with the New York Mafia Families.
Character Sheet
Appearance (Civilian)
Dorothy is a Caucasian woman in her twenties, standing at about 5'10" with short black hair (with a sidecut). Dorothy has permanent dark-spots under her eyes, even when Dorothy has had plenty of sleep, and is feeling lively.
Dorothy adheres to a grunge aesthetic. Dark colored Flannel, over-sized t-shirts, chokers, and step-on-me combat boots are a common look for Dorothy.
Appearance (Costume)
Duelist's costume consists of a highly customized suit of armour, with steel plates that are painted black and green, the gauntlets and boots are made of leather. The Left side has a short green duelist cape, and the helmet has a small plume.
Duelist wears a padded jacket underneath the armour plates to help maintain a bit of a more comfortable and snug fit. They also wear a small domino mask under the helmet incase it gets knocked off in combat.
Resources
Wealth Level: 4
Lives out of a surprisingly well-maintained, well-furnished RV, which they've put a decent chunk of their time and resources into renovating.
Other than Dorothy's RV, her most valued possessions include; three sets of armour, lovingly custom-ordered from a metallokinetic whom they are on good terms, made for use in Dorothy's cape ID.
As well as a small collection of replicas of antique weapons, namely half a dozen flintlock pistols, as well as a musket, and a blunderbuss. (The latter two adorn one wall of their RV, and are seldom touched outside of maintenance or emergencies.)
Additionally owns a small electric scooter, that she uses for errands in her Civilian ID.
Equipment
- Armor (and padding)
- Flintlock
- Crossbow
- Phone
- Medkit
- Satchel
- Zipties
Skills and Specializations
- Fencing: could consistently reach the finals of most Fencing tournaments
- Kendo: has some experience, enough that they wouldn’t be embarrassed in front of an expert, but nothing that stands out too much.
- Historical European Swordsmanship: They can handle themselves well, often attending Renaissance fairs in order to trounce people in duels.
- Archery: Good enough that they don’t usually miss a stationary target, and that they have decent odds against a moving target, but they aren’t gonna be shooting an apple off anyone's head anytime soon. (This includes Crossbows)
- Sharpshooting: An excellent shot, this is offset somewhat by their insistence on only using notoriously less-accurate historical firearms, but they can handle a flintlock, a musket, and a blunderbuss better than most.
- Automotive repair: Nothing world-class, but they could work at a run-of-the-mill auto body shop.
While not fitting neatly under any one skill, Dorothy has experience with the inner workings of organized crime, having learned from practical experience in the New York Mafia. She know how drug deals are typically done, she know how to toe the line with the cops, and she knows enough about how a gang functions that if she wanted to start one, she's not be at square one like a fresh trigger straight out of highschool.
Mentality
Regardless of whether you know her through her civilian identity, or her parahuman identity, most people will agree that she is a dramatic theater bitch. She lives and breathes for dramatic theatrical bullshit.
She enjoys having a group to work with, in the past this has consistently led them to associate with gangs, they’ve since moved onto newer and greener pastures after having grown distant from their prior affiliations.
Dorothy has a generally upbeat attitude, often coming off as naive, but this is not necessarily the case. Dorothy has some aspirations for herself to become more than a simple indie cape, but is well aware that she's a street tier at most without others to synergize with.
Power
Trigger type: Single Coven Trigger
Can create a small number of constructs (2-3) that take the form of melee weapons (Swords, Maces, etc) or simple Ammunition (Bullet, Arrow, Bolt, etc). These are typically mostly metal, but can incorporate wood, leather, or gunpowder in the case of ammunition, as well as trace elements for the purposes of aesthetic (gold filigree, paint, etc.)
They have a kinesthetic sense over their constructs, that gives them an awareness of the positioning of their constructs compared to themselves.
To change the shape of a construct, they must concentrate by envisioning its new form, this takes a few seconds, but after their idea solidifies for a moment, the actual change itself happens faster than the eye can perceive.
When physically separated from one of their constructs, they have things they can do:
- They can teleport to the construct. (max range 100 meters)
- They can teleport the construct to themselves.
- They can dismiss/resummon the construct (This takes a couple seconds, opposed to nigh-instant teleporting, and they can only form a construct within touch range of themselves.)
Typically their combat style incorporates the following:
- A primary melee weapon (Rapier, short-sword, Mace).
- A secondary short range throwing weapon (Throwing Knife, Javelin, Dart)
- A Piece of long ranged ammunition (Bullet, Arrow, Bolt) fired from a mundane ranged weapon (Flintlock, Bow, Crossbow).
While not a proper combat thinker, their kinesthetic sense, and spacial awareness of their constructs makes them a quick-study when learning combat techniques related to utilizing their weapon constructs. In their case the metaphor that your weapon is an extension of your body, is quite literal.
Backstory
Born as Dorothy Russo., Dorothy's parents were deeply involved with the New york Mafia, Her father being a well-respected capo. Her upbringing was fairly traditional for a New york Italian. Her parents were good to her, making sure she kept out of trouble, instilling in her the importance of loyalty and comradery.
Meanwhile a contingent of the local mafia, a group of Mid-to-High ranking Capos were planning on bolstering the forces of their parahumans, they had finally made arrangements with a mysterious benefactor who promised they would empower a number of individuals for them.
It was decided that those they would choose would need to be of their own flesh and blood, in order to ensure loyalty. Dorothy was approached by her father, whom she idolized, and given the offer, promising her that she could be her father’s right hand in his part of the organization, but warned that the Benefactor required her to give something up as an offering. This did not deter her in the least.
When she was growing up she only really had one good friend, and that had lasted even into young adulthood. When she was brought before the benefactor, she bargained away her friendship. Of course she doesn’t remember that there ever was a friendship, but she felt a profound sadness when remembering key moments of her childhood, and she never quite understood why.
Empowered her father saw that she got the time and resources to train, while her powers weren’t the most impressive of the new Mafia capes, she wasn’t a pushover, and her father was true to his word, she became his right hand.
The Mafia (at least the family she owed allegiance to) wasn’t the kind that made headline news by letting their capes duke it out with the New York Protectorate. And most of her interactions with other capes was her mob allies or dealing with upstart villains and heroes who thought they could get one over on the Mob.
This went on for several years, before her father was killed, she didn’t even get the satisfaction of revenge, as the hitman had been gunned down before she could get her hands on him. She stayed long enough to ensure that her dad’s legacy would be handled by one of her uncles, before she left entirely. Her uncle knew she was loyal enough that she’d come back if he called, but also that she needed time to herself after all this. She’d come back on her own terms, and in the meanwhile he had other capes than his mourning niece to call upon.
Dorothy found her way to Chicago, knowing that she needed to get out of New york if she didn’t want to get drawn back into mob business. She found her place in a street gang, as an enforcer, it was familiar enough to feel like home. But the leadership changed after an unfortunate drug bust, and those in command she had been on such good terms with went to prison. She bid farewell to the gang, and set out to start over… again.