Main Information:

Name: John Harker

Age: 20

Height: 5 ft 10”

Weight: 66kg

Location: London, England

Appearance:

Atlantean Tattoo: John’s tattoo is on his right hand and arm. The loop is situated on the palm, the horizontal section stretches over the wrist and the vertical section stretches down the forearm ending at the elbow. The cross resembles a sword in that it ends in a stake-like spike and the top of the vertical line stretches to the centre of the loop as if it was a hilt with spiked pommel. The section akin to a cross guard ends in curved spikes pointing towards the end of the vertical line.

Physical: John is of average height and a lean, muscular build. His skin is pale with only slight tanning on his face and forearms. His hair is pitch black and is neatly cut so it falls only just over his ears. The colour of his hair is nearly matched by that of his eyes, which although not a true black the unnaturally dark brown is as near as makes no difference. John ensures he is always cleanly shaved and rarely does he forget to do this.

Everything about John’s face could be described as sharp. His jaw, chin, nose, eyes and everything else is stern looking and has a pointed appearance. The eyes are sunken slightly and as a result seem steeped in shadow when in low light.

Clothing: John’s clothes are plain and consist of slim, straight cut jeans in a dark wash which are complemented by fitted shirts with sleeves rolled to the elbow. The shirts have reserved colour schemes of either white or white with various patterns. His shoes are plain black. His only accessories to speak of is a metal, analogue watch adorning his left wrist and a balisong which, when safe from the view of U.K law enforcement, he will play with while thinking or bored. As can be told by his dress John prefers to keep things simple and functional and is loath to stand out in any way.

Personality: John is an introvert and prefers time alone to that of other people. This does not mean he is ill equipped for social situations but that he would rather avoid them if possible and prefers to fade into the background. This has led to him adopting an observational role in everyday life as he watches other people and judges them from a distance. Although a common phrase is not to judge a book by its cover John finds that this is completely practical and it has rarely proven misleading. John’s analytical attitude to other people has seeped into all aspects of life.

From his position in the background of life he will make sarcastic or jokey comments and observations as to the actions or traits of other people. These can be particularly cutting or just harmlessly witty but are rarely meant in a malicious way. This could be considered a defence mechanism and as a result of this and his fierce judgement of others he has avoided growing close to anyone for many years.

John’s motives and goals in life are not clear and he rarely reveals such things even to those few people he has ever called friends. He works hard towards these goals and does not rest until he achieves them.

History: John was born to an English father and a Romanian mother in a large hospital in Doncaster, Yorkshire. It was here he lived the first year of his life before moving to the south east. He has lived a very normal life despite his relative strangeness and the only real worry for his parents was that John would repeatedly choose to spent time with his pets over spending time with other children. When questioned the boy would state that, “But the animals won’t lie,” and other similar statements showing a dislike for people in general.

At the age of 15 John’s grandfather passed away. The man was considered a kindred spirit by John and the loss affected him deeply, leading to John retreating further into his own mind and beginning to refuse outright any interaction with others. His grandfather had left a pair of antique balisongs of intricate design to John. These knives (also known as butterfly knives) are illegal to carry in public in the U.K and so John practised in private using the knives as a way of linking to the memory of his grandfather.

After a year of grieving John began to open up once more and could even be said to have improved, becoming more open to social interaction. This was merely a show and in reality John was less open to other people but more aware of how his behaviour distressed others and held him back. As a result he had decided to work at appearing more social but never truly becoming attached to another human. This was particularly apparent when John entered into his first and only romantic relationship and subsequently devastated the girl in question as his façade of feeling was broken.

John was accepted into the Royal Veterinary College London at the age of 18 after receiving the appropriate A level results.

He was shaving as the television aired the BBC coverage of the revelation of the Atlanteans. The TV flickered in the mirror as he ran the shaver along the skin of his neck. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the tattoo slowly form on his inner forearm, the deep black seeming to snake along his skin leaving the lines of the ankh in its wake. This came as such a shock that John jumped and dropped his shaver, leaving a deep gash along his neck. Crimson mixed with the water in the sink and as John brought his right arm up, past the sink, the blood seemed to jump as if drawn to his body. He continued to play with the blood in the sink, moving it around and even making it float in the air and form specific shapes at will.

Ability: Haemokinesis – John has the ability to control his blood. Due to his requirement of his own blood to use his powers his replacement of blood is more rapid than others taking hours opposed to weeks. His manipulation of blood is harnessed in various ways. These include firing blood at high pressure as if a bullet, shaping and clotting the blood to form various functions (although in the current state these shapes can prove too brittle for practical use)

As his ability can require him to let his blood for its use John runs the risk of passing out or even death when losing large quantities in a short period of time.

The potential of this ability is great and with development could allow him the control of other humans or animals blood and developing his current list of skills (such as more durable clotted blood). There may be other functions unprecedented by John but at this early stage he finds them difficult to contemplate.

Writing Sample:
Rickard Mayce stood at the helm of the Shadow Swan, a triple decked war galley boasting three sails and 300 oars. The figurehead was not the traditional mermaid but rather a woman with wings spread as if to catch the winds and glide to shore. The sails were a brilliant white and the banner which hung from the tallest mast sported an ebony swan soaring over a sea of crimson, its neck entwined around a sword of silver. Rickard himself was clad in dark, salt stained leathers and a cloak of black feathers fastened at the shoulder with a clasp in the shape of the swan. His only metal armour was a dull and scratched steel plate over his right breast which bore the same sigil as that which adorned the ships banner. He strode across the ship to the edge of gang plank as he heard the monk’s summons. Glaring down at the group below he grimaced and descended to the wooden jetty his ship had been moored to.

As he descended the steep plank he took his first true look about the island. A barren land with little scenery of interest bar the docks and the tower. The tower stretched high into the heavens, the top obscured from view by the clouds which swirled about it as though drawn by some force.

“I am no Lord, eunuch. My lord father saw to that, just as the man who cut you saw to your own fate; nor am I any knight…I’m here for the promise of gold…nothing more and nothing less,” as he spoke this he met the gaze of each person in turn. He raised his voice as he began to address the entire group, “I was led to believe I would be aiding men and women of skill and reputation. I did not expect to be dragging around this mummers farce,” his stare settled on Ser Roland Grey and his eyes screamed disgust at the foppish man before him. After a short pause Rickard cleared his throat and began to speak once more, “You have been informed that this ship is indeed the Shadow Swan, the flagship of my trading fleet. There is enough room on board for a horse per person and enough cots for those who wish to bring a squire. You will be bunking with the crew and are expected to work while aboard. Does anyone have any questions or objections?” He stood awaiting their answers.