Penance
"I only inflict what they would have inflicted upon others with malicious intent." - Penance to local law enforcement.A non-human being that has the uncanny habit of showing up at locations of active mass unlawful actions, such as riots.
Description
Penance about eight feet tall, though this is only an estimation due to his habit of levitating and suspicion he may be capable of manipulating his size. He's always draped in a long, black, hooded robe with gold trim, which almost completely conceals his body, including his face. What can be seen of his face is the tip of a narrow snout which appears to be somewhat draconic in appearance, but smooth skinned and bluish-grey in color. The hands, when exposed, have three fingers and a thumb, with thick, sharp claws.As for what the rest of his body looks like, most of it is unknown. From observations and rare glimpses of his legs, they appear to be very thin, digitigrade, stilts.
Personality
Usually very calm, with a 'kindly old grandpa' type air about him. He always tries to deescalate a situation and shows exasperation, even remorse when violence continues or starts despite his efforts. On the same token, while he does not react to attacks upon himself, nor does he show any remorse or pity upon those that did the attacking.Also has a snarky/sarcastic side when it comes to countering tiring, 'lame' excuses for certain bad behaviors.
Abilities
Retaliation
An invisible 'field' that completely surrounds him, it's purpose is to stop or redirect any attempted harm back at the one attempting to inflict it upon him. The redirection aspect is only 'activated' when the attack is done with malicious intent: this field acts more like absorption shield when the attack is done out of fear or self-defense (of both themselves and others). It is also scarily accurate when redirecting: if, for instance, a gun was fired at Penance's head, the bullet would strike the shooter in the head instead.However, this ability is unable to recognize threats from indirect attacks, such as explosive or environmental. For instance, if someone threw a grenade at him, the field would react to initial blunt impact of the device itself, but not to the explosion that comes after.
Sound Amplification
The ability to amplify any sound his body makes, usually his voice or foot steps. Usually used to either draw attention to himself or ensure his voice his heard over everyone else. This may be more 'telepathic' in nature, as there have been conflicting reports between law enforcements and suspects on what was heard. Example: suspects claim to hear a loud 'tik, tik, tik' in their heads before they notice Penance, but others that are not his targets (such as cops) do not.Levitation
He dislikes stairs. A lot. So he just floats over them....Containment
In truth, his clothing is a conjured object with the purpose of containing a much darker and dangerous side of him....Weaknesses
Physically is weak, thus relies on avoiding physical conflict, but if such conflict is unavoidable, relies on his abilities to protect himself, particularly his retaliation field. However, as mentioned previously, that field is not perfect and in certain situations damage does get through. This damage only seems to affect his clothing: his physical body appears to be impervious. If too much of his clothing is damaged however....Alternate Form
When the containment spell (aka, his clothing) fails, he transformers into massive beast appropriately called Wrath. In this form, he will attack and kill anything around him, regardless of innocence or guilt, until he is stopped.Description
A black quadruped standing over ten feet at the shoulder, with a red, smoky 'aura' constantly emitting from it's body. Head a mix of wolf and draconic features, with many sharp, fangs lining it's long mouth, but no visible eyes. Thick neck and broad shoulders with sharp spines/quills. Heavily muscular forearms with strong hands tipped with large claws. Legs, much like his 'peaceful' form, are digitigrade, thin and stilt-like.Abilities
Very physically strong, capable of ripping through most materials with not much effort. While his hind legs appear to be a weak point, they can easily pierce and cut into objects: a back kick can easily slice a car into two.Unlike his 'peaceful' form, his body can receive damage, but it only serves to enrage him more.
Weaknesses
Holy objects, like the crucifix, causes him to recoil. If surrounded by such objects, he'll freeze and after a few moments revert to his 'peaceful' form. Having holy water thrown on him causes him to revert immediately.Occasionally, his friend Monster is able to talk him down, but usually the shapeshifter is only able to stall him until holy objects/water is brought into play.
Relationships
His relationships with the police, super heroes and the general public is hit and miss. While, in general, his efforts to try to deescalate violent situation is recognized, it is when those efforts fail that things turn sour. The 'they hurt/killed themselves' as the result of the perps trying to attack him is considered 'very shaky ground' legally, as there is yet no consensus on whether his retaliation field can be considered 'self-defense': some claim his actions are provocative, thus null any notion of self-defense.Monster
These two are BFFs. They are sometimes seen at random cafes, bantering and trading snide and sarcastic barbs in a playful manner while having a snack. When one is in danger, the other seems to know and will come to their aid."My apologies, priest, but I need to borrow this...as my friend is having a 'PMS' moment...." - Monster when he senses Penance is in 'Wrath' mode.
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