Swan
There was once a place called Camelot. And then, somewhat later, there was not. Shortly before that, however, a daughter was born to the Irish mistress of the Once and Future King. The child was named Siobhan by her mother and kept hidden from those who were tearing the realm apart both before and after his death. In one brief interval of peace, mother and child were discovered by the Aquilonian warrior who'd served as one of Arthur's greatest knights, who swore to protect both their lives and to raise the daughter of his friend, whom he had betrayed.
However, he was somewhat ill-informed about child rearing, and so treated her less like a princess and more like a squire. Her mother allowed this to happen, mostly because she had no interest in jeopardizing her new living situation. And so Siobhan became one of the most peerless warriors of the age after Camelot fell, and when the spirit that called itself Albion bestowed upon her what it claimed to be the sword of her father, there was no chance that she would not use her newfound might in the service of right, as the Swan Knight.
Less than a decade and a half later, her war was at an end -- not in battle, but slowly dying of infected wounds and despair. For all that she'd done, all the monsters and sorcerers slain, she'd never been able to restore the rule of law in the anarchic lands of Britain. The technologies that the Boss had introduced, two generations earlier, had been abandoned and forgotten, viewed with superstitious dread and even destroyed as instruments of the devil. Might no longer even bothered to pretend to be right. She was a failure as a hero.
And then she heard a voice, asking her if she truly believed that. There was a way that she could escape this dead end, to continue her battles in other times and places. She suspected that if she wasn't hearing the voice of the devil, it must be that of his most notorious son, but she was too tired, and in too much pain, to refuse the offer. So it was that the gates to the Imageria opened, and she was drawn within, to become something more than human.
Many times over the centuries that followed, Swan (as she became known) would be summoned as a servant to assist wizards in their battles with their rivals. In the process, she learned of the fate of the lands she'd defended, how Camelot had passed into legend as well, and came to realize that she had helped to create the foundation on which the later nations of Britain rested. She found some comfort in that notion, which allowed her to focus on the invariably red business at hand.
Most recently, she was summoned in the year 2008 by an amateur mage who served as a student council president at Akizuchi Academy in Japan, to serve as his bodyguard and champion. Bemused that he had risked his life and soul to gain a mystical servant for such
petty purposes, Swan nevertheless guarded him loyally. In the process, she often clashed with members of the school's Campus Defense Club, who found themselves at odds with the school's student council.
Eventually, however, her master managed to graduate from school, and no longer needed her services as a bodyguard. But moved by the nobility of Swan's spirit, he chose to give her the freedom to continue existing in the world rather than returning to the Imageria, which she was glad to accept. They parted ways, promising to meet again and wishing each other well, and then Swan set out to experience the world and all its wonders. Specifically, its culinary wonders. Dark Ages Britain had not been known for excellence in this area, and the discovery of Japanese cuisine had awakened something in her.
It was while she was in Bangladesh that she first heard herself being compared to another Westerner who'd passed through sometime before, who had strength matched only by her appetite. She gave this no particular thought, for there were doubtless many individuals who fit that description. But when the comparisons continued when she moved on to another venue, she began to find herself perturbed. Who was this "Charlie" person and why did it seem that she was being compared to her no matter where she went, no matter what she did? (Well, granted, she was really only doing one thing, but still.)
Eventually, the same tendency towards obsession that had made her a ferocious warrior and later an effective bodyguard fixated on Charlie Graham, and she began pursuing rumors of her, always arriving just a little too late to meet her and confront her to see if she truly was all that the stories claimed. Swan finally decided to travel to the place where the stories said she had come from, and arrived at Charlie's bar just a few weeks after the last time she visited the place. She demanded to be given the opportunity to challenge Charlie ... and when members of Project Freedom's A-Team attempted to calm her down, she settled for the opportunity to challenge them.
Since then, Swan has been an occasional pain-in-the-ass for Project Freedom. She's not a supervillain -- by the 'rescuing cats in trees' test, she is actually something of a superhero! -- but she is willing to take jobs on the far side of ethical if they will provide her with the funding she needs to maintain herself in Freedom City, enjoying the food there and waiting for the day that she can finally settle matters once and for all with Charlie Graham (who has no idea who Swan is, remember.)
Swan -- PL 12
Abilities: STR 7 |
STA 7 |
AGL 8 |
DEX 8 |
FGT 12 |
INT 0 |
AWE 2 |
PRE 2
Powers: Armor (Protection 5, Move Activation, Subtle, Removable),
Gift of Tongues (Comprehend Languages 3 [speak, understand and read all languages]),
Magic Resistance (Reaction Simultaneous Nullify Magic 8, Broad),
Swiftness (Array: Speed 8, AP: Leaping 8; Movement 2 [wall-crawling 2], Only When Moving),
Sword of Promised Victory (Feature [Appears as cane]; Strength-based Damage 3, Affects Insubstantial 2, Improved Critical 2, Easily Removable),
Undying Spark (Immunity 10 [aging, cold, disease, heat, poison, pressure, radiation, suffocation, vacuuum]; Impervious Toughness 7)
Advantages: Accurate Attack, Attractive 2, Defensive Attack, Evasion, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative 2, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Startle, Takedown Attack 2, Weapon Bind, Weapon Break.
Skills: Close Combat: Sword 2 (+14), Expertise: Harper 4 (+6), Expertise: History 8 (+8), Expertise: Riding 12 (+20), Intimidation 8 (+10), Perception 8 (+10).
Offense: Initiative +16, Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 7), Sword of Promised Victory +14 (Close Damage 10, Critical 18-20).
Defense: Dodge 12, Parry 12, Fortitude 15, Toughness 12/7, Will 7.
Totals: Abilities 92 + Powers 99 + Advantages 16 + Skills 21 + Defenses 17 = 245 points
Complications: Thrills--Motivation. Gluttony. Obsessive Tendencies.
Notes: Swan is obviously inspired by the Saber characters of the Fate franchise, both the original Saber and her counterpart in Fate/extra. She also works in elements from the backstory of the Algernon Files universe, which in turn pays tribute to the 'heroic masked knight' characters produced by both Marvel and DC. I was originally planning to use her as an NPC in the Freedom Panic game, but it ended before she could be introduced.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."