OOC: App
PLAYER INFORMATION-
Name/Nickname: Andy
AIM/E-mail/Contact: AIM: Dominoak47, email: 2icSection9 (at) gmail (dot) com
LJ: Nique
CHARACTER INFORMATION-
Canon Character and Series: Nikolas Kamarov (aka: Winter) Stormwatch, Wildstorm comics
In-Game Name: Nikolas Kamarov
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Position & Ship (first and second choice for position please): Boatswain on the Silvana (former), Boatswain on the Convoy
Appearance: Nikolas is of average height, in very good physical condition with long white hair he usually keeps pulled neatly back in a ponytail, and light blue eyes. He can usually be found with a rather stern expression, though he'd be a reasonably handsome man if he ever actually smiled.
Personality: The first impression anyone is likely to have of Nikolas is that he's distant. It's not an aloof sort of distance, he just seems to have difficulties connecting with people, and chooses to spend most of his free time alone. He's also very driven. When he's been given an assignment, he will give it his all--provided he sees no major flaws. He's not the type to follow blindly, and can be very stubborn if he does find some fault with a task he's been given, but for the most part, he's more than happy to perform his assigned tasks. His loyalty is a great asset to have. His wrath is not something you'd want to be on the receiving end of. That said, he's not a cruel man, and doesn't believe in punishing people needlessly.
He does have a sense of humor, though a person would first have to complete the complected task of befriending him before it could be witnessed, and in the end, it tends to be quite morbid. It wouldn't be out of place to call him a pessimist, though he tends to keep his more gloomy views of the world to himself. He can be quite self-depreciating at times... Nikolas isn't looking for praise or glory. He wishes only to do his job and be of service.
He has a strong sense of justice, and will go a long way to correct wrongs he feels have been committed. This can sometimes manifest itself in a long-standing grudge or need for revenge, though he is very good at only pursuing these vendettas when it will not impact his other duties.
Abilities/Weapons:
Nikolas is a demihuman with the ability to absorb and redirect energy of all types, be they kinetic, thermal, or magic-based. On a practical level, this means he can draw on energy from any sort of impact (being punched, for example) or from the environment (the thermal energy present in the air around him; sunlight) and use it for defensive purposes. He can use this to enhance his own physical strength, or create energy blasts. He can also use this energy to fly, though the amount needed is nearly prohibitive, and he doesn't really like doing it except in emergencies. One final advantage of his powers is the ability to use any energy he absorbs to heal himself--from minor injuries to quite serious ones, though the more egregious the wound, the more energy--and time, it takes to heal. Even without putting any conscious effort into this particular use of his abilities, Nikolas' recovery time is much faster than a normal person's.
Weaknesses: As noted above, Nikolas can utilize all forms of energy, even magical ones. However, absorbing magical energy causes him a great deal of pain, and thus he has a certain amount of weakness towards these sort of attacks. Nikolas' energy blasts are limited in scope, capable of injuring people and causing localized property damage, but incapable of large scale destruction. Additionally, while Nikolas' body is efficient at absorbing energy, it cannot absorb one hundred percent of what is directed at him. When the quantity is small, this discrepancy is hardly noticeable, but under more extreme circumstances, it means that he can still sustain serious injury despite his abilities. Nikolas rarely absorbs energy that he does not then immediately expend. Failure to do so causes a certain amount of physical pain, and, after a period of time, stored energy will dissipate. While his energy reserve is never 'empty,' due largely to passive absorption of things like ambient heat and sunlight, the amount he normally stores is low. On the rare occasion that he does expend even this small reserve, leaving himself completely depleted, he experiences exhaustion and fatigue that require either a ready source of energy to cure, or several days rest in order to regain his 'natural' level.
On a more psychological level, Nikolas tends to be moody and depressed, which can occasionally make him somewhat unreliable, though these moments are rare, and usually triggered by some larger event.
History:
Nikolas Kamarov was born and raised in Tulgim, the son of a miner, and one of the relatively few families who lived permanently in the frigged town. An only child, Nikolas spent most of his time alone, owing to a combination of his somewhat unconventional appearance, his introverted personality, and the relatively rapid change in the town's population. From the boy's standpoint, there was very little point in making friends who would leave again in short order.
During his teens, Nikolas discovered his abilities, though fear and confusion lead him to keep them a secret. Shortly there after, his father died--a result of years spend in the mines--and Nikolas was left to care for himself and his mother. He tried a variety of odd jobs, but quickly grew disgusted with the lack of opportunity in the town. His mother forbade him from working in the mines, and so he turned to the only lucrative means of support he could find--underground fights. While the local government frowned on such things, they were allowed to continue, and with his abilities, Nikolas quickly climbed to the top. It wasn't long, however, before rumors began to circulate. His successes were too great, his injuries healed too fast, and people began to suspect that he was not all that he seemed to be. Threats began to mount, both against himself and his mother, until finally, he was forced away from the ring.
Fortunately, an officer from the near by military base had seen Nikolas' performance, first coaxing the truth about the young man's abilities out of him, and then encouraging him to join Ivona's military. While reluctant at first, Nikolas realized in the end that it was likely the only way he would ever be able to care for his mother.
The life of a soldier suited the young man. He enjoyed the order and the discipline inherent in the life--though he didn't like being surrounded by the troublemakers who were shipped to Tulgim to be 'punished.' Nikolas continued to isolate himself, working hard at the assignments he was given, and at honing his special abilities. Before long, he was shipped away from Tulgim in order to serve as part of an select, and very secretive force sent in to deal with problems the Ivonan government wanted cleared up 'quietly.' While Nikolas found this work to be brutal and distasteful, he followed orders and made himself a model soldier, though it meant sacrificing a little of his humanity in the process.
Several years passed this way, before a letter came from Tulgim, informing Nikolas of his mother's death. Included was a sealed envelop containing a letter in his mother's writing, divulging a secret that she and Nikolas' father had kept from him his whole life. The letter claimed that he was adopted--that his birth mother, whose name was not known to them--had given the infant to them in hopes that he might live a normal life.
The letter, in combination with the news of his mother's death, and the stress placed on him by his job, was finally too much. Nikolas defected from the army, fleeing Ivona to drift between the badlands and Vohemar, aware that the knowledge he carried from his days as an officer in the Ivonan military would render him a marked man. He dared not return home, instead working on a succession of less than legitimate airships, torn between his betrayal and his desire to return to the orderly military way of life. In passing, he heard of a ship--one that was regarded with both fear and awe--one on which someone with a checkered past such as his own might be safe. He set out in search of the Silvana, hoping to find his own salvation.
SAMPLES-
Third Person (roleplay): It was a fool's errand. That was what everyone questioned told him. The Silvana was a cursed ship, and no one in their right mind would want to get near it, let alone serve aboard her. Nikolas simply shook his head at the talk. He wasn't one to believe in curses, though the more cynical side of him might have been willing to admit his own life was anything but charmed. He was determined, however, and some might have argued obsessed with finding the mystery ship. If what he'd heard whispered was true, it would likely be the only chance he had to return to a life more orderly than the one he was living now.
And he was tired. So very tired of running, of trying to stay one step ahead of the people bent on either killing him, or dragging him back to Ivona to face punishment for his actions. And, as much love as he still held for his homeland, he had no desire to return to its embrace. It was an experience, he was sure, that he would not survive.
Checking over his carefully made notes, Nikolas began formulating his next course of action. He had the name of the port the ship was supposed to dock at next. He simply had to be there when it arrived, and then convince whoever was in charge of such things that he could be a valuable addition to the crew. It was a long shot, and he knew it, but it was one he'd been chasing for a long time, one he wasn't quite ready to give up on.
First Person (journal):
Another dead end. I don't know why I find myself surprised by such things. If I have learned nothing else in all this time, it is that the Silvana is an elusive prey, at best. Still, I have been trained to run just this sort of quarry to ground, though I admit a whole ship is something a bit beyond the scale I am used to. I must press on, regardless. To give up now would be to admit defeat by a foe I have never so much as laid eyes upon, and that is something my pride could not bear. I will find her. There is one more place to check, and if I do not find her there, I suppose I will simply have to resign myself to going to Boston in the fall.
Feel free to use this post as a con/crit post. Anon commenting is on and screened.