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It's all for you! |
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— Himself |
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Damien Thorn is the son of Robert and Katherine Thorn, who were briefly in the public eye with Robert's appointment to the UK. Damien is the heir to his parents' estates, though he is not a socialite and only quietly assists with managing the Thorn Museum, which enjoys a modest prominence.
Background
Damien Thorn was born to Robert and his wife Katherine in a church hospital in Rome, at 6 AM on 6 June. Or so the official story went; Robert was told his child was stillborn, but a child born at the same time just lost his mother. A priest in attendance convinced Robert to have him switch the babies, and his wife and son would never have to know. And so they didn't know, and when weird things started to happen, Robert quickly caught on.
After looking extensively into the matter, Robert discovered a conspiracy to arrange this from the beginning. He discovered that the remains of Damien's true mother were either those of a jackal, or they had been replaced or transformed into them. From the other information available, Robert concluded that Damien's father must be Satan. It was in fact Azazel. But now, convinced he knew the truth and had made a mistake more terrible than he could ever have understood at the time, Robert met with archaeologist Carl Bugenhagen and received a number of the Daggers of Megiddo. Bugenhagen instructed him on how to kill Damien, and so Robert went to do just that, in a church.
Things did not go as planned, and Robert ended up shot by the police. Damien, of course, survived. However, he didn't remember much of all this. It was traumatic and unpleasant, and he ended up being adopted by relatives and sent to school at a predictably wealthy academy. He had a relatively calm time in school, with only a few things of interest happening. Mostly, he excelled at his subjects and received recognition multiple times for exemplary scholarship. He was very popular, though even then he refrained from taking the spotlight too much, something that only made him more popular with his admirers.
For some time after graduating, Damien drifted around aimlessly, considering the wide range of options before him. He rarely stayed long in any place, but eventually he returned to Port-Au-Feu and the Thorn Museum. Featuring art from ancient to modern, the museum motivated Damien to become involved in the improvement of culture and society. After some further adventures abroad, this time in the pursuit of protecting art, Damien returned home again to stay for a longer term.
SIGNATURE ABILITY
Imperious Will
At times, Damien's will can be imposed upon the world, in a way similar to magic. It tends to require significant emotional investment, which normally means a moment of overwhelming passion or even trauma. It is most often accidental or incidental, and it frequently manifests as seemingly natural occurrences or incredible coincidences. Very occasionally, something may happen that seems supernatural, but this is significantly less likely and seemingly more easily disrupted.
When this occurs, its immediacy often depends on the situation and how much focus Damien is able to dedicate to it. He may also, if he is conscious of the effect, force it to stop, though this is difficult due to the often incidental nature of his will's manifestation.
These effects are highly infrequent, and they generally focus on a single highly specific effect on a highly specific target, usually (especially for larger or more impressive effects) such as would be explicable as a natural phenomenon. For instance, while a "big" event might involve a sinkhole opening up outside his apartment, large enough to swallow a person or a car, a "small" event might involve someone becoming unable to speak due to an overtly supernatural cause, such as choking on a cloud of flies.
SKILLS
Athletics - Competent Level
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Fighting - Competent Level
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History - Competent Level
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Investigation - Competent Level
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Writing - Competent Level
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ABILITIES
Magic: Familiar - Enhanced Level
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Several animals attend to Damien's defense and enacting his will, though he is unaware of this fact. A number of shapeshifting hellhounds, usually masquerading as regular dogs, and some remarkably formidable ravens and crows are the most prominent of his familiars. They are all much tougher than the actual earthly animal, and they also have the ability to influence the minds of the weaker-willed, which usually has chaotic results.
Power: Illusion - Enhanced Level
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Another aspect of Damien's influence on those around him is his ability to manifest illusions so real that they fool even the attentive. He can potentially make someone think they're seeing a stranger in place of someone they've known all their life, or a familiar face on an unknown person.
Damien isn't consciously aware of this ability, so manifestations of these illusions are few and far between. If he were able to focus on the act, he could extend the ability's duration and likely enhance its realism. Presently, it mostly causes flashes of an illusory vision to occur, making its victim question whether they really saw it or not.
Power: Intuition - Enhanced Level
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Damien tends to have better luck when he follows his intuition. He can instinctively use his circumstances to an advantage, and it often works out for him. That same luck doesn't always extend to others in the situation, so discretion must be used. It has served him well, though, and it has kept him wealthy and comfortable, with minimal need to rely on others.
Power: Presence - Enhanced Level
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Damien possesses not only a broad appeal for his natural charm and appearance, he also has a profound impact that comes with his presence. He is more persuasive than most and tends to be successful when he genuinely attempts to manipulate others. He has a quality about him that tends to make most people want to believe him and to believe in him.
However, this great presence can also affect others in the exact opposite way. This tends to only affect the extremely religious and otherwise mentally unstable, provoking a violent rejection, to the point where they may inexplicably feel an urge to attack Damien, or even try to kill him.
It makes it difficult for Damien to try and conceal his presence anywhere, though unless he consciously tries to project it, responses tend to be less extreme.
Power: Protection - Enhanced+ Level
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Aside from the Daggers of Megiddo, or possibly other high-grade supernatural weaponry, Damien is nigh-impervious to harm. Disease will not touch him, and he ages so gracefully that he seems hardly to age at all. He also seems to be reasonably protected from legal entanglements, more than simply his inheritance would allow. This can extend to occurrences such as disrupting his appearance on video footage, for example, when that footage might be used against him. It seems to have a limit, however, of small but crucial details to individual situations.
Power: Provocation - Enhanced Level
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An extension of his profound presence, Damien can influence the minds of those around him. The stronger the mind, the less he is able to affect it, and the strong-willed and dedicated tend to be completely immune. The weaker and more fragile the mind, however, the easier it is for Damien's influence to affect them into even extreme acts, and unintentionally. If he focuses on the attempt, it can be more likely to be successful. However, when Damien influences the mind of another, it almost invariably excites them in some direction emotionally along with that.
There can be a variety of responses to this provocative aura, of sorts. Besides the occasional violence or powerful lust it can incite, it can also be inspirational to creative types. It can be intimidating, or it can be reassuring. The response can vary greatly between individuals. It's not always certain what reaction someone will have to Damien, but it is almost always certain that it will be emphatic.
Due to his nature, Damien cannot be possessed or controlled directly by other demons or demonic forces.
Power: Visions - Basic Level
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Occasionally, Damien experiences visions and hallucinations, typically of unknown people with some oddity in their appearances. He may experience premonitions, and the figures he encounters may speak to him about future events. He is also prone to dreams where those he knows appear in strange, grotesque, or twisted situations, usually with some element for Damien to interpret.
ADVANTAGES
The head of the Armitage Group, a multi-billion dollar global corporation, Rutledge seems to know a decidedly dangerous amount about Damien's lineage and true nature. While she does have a strong incentive to make sure Damien accepts his power, she also is loyal first and foremost to Damien, whether he likes it or not. She has virtually unlimited resources, but she is very careful about how she applies them. She also acts with decisive resolve and rarely, if ever, shows vulnerability of any kind. Understandably, she seems to be far beyond the league of most lesser players and everyday people.
Ann is aware of the existence of the supernatural, and she possesses the ability to command familiars. She keeps at least a trio of hellhounds for her protection and the execution of her wishes, most of which are dedicated to keeping Damien safe from any threat that presents itself. Ann possesses a library containing everything from grimoires to cursed books, to simply curiosities with grains of truth in them. She also has a collection of items, many of which pertain to Damien, that can be considered magically significant.
A former schoolmate of Damien's, Charles was burnt over his body when a silly stunt went shockingly wrong. However, after skin grafts and therapy, he was able to move on with life and open a flower shop that has become popular. In school, Charles was deeply dedicated to Damien, and if anything, time has only made him more so. To say he worships Damien is an understatement. To say he would kill for Damien is no exaggeration.
Damien has as much impact on demons sometimes as he does with humans. Lesser demons tend to defer to him naturally, and they are likely to obey his wishes. Other demons, however, won't attack him, thanks to his heritage. Even if they aren't friends with him, they aren't likely to be offensive or aggressive toward him.
Mrs. Baylock, also known to those in the know as B'aalack, is an apostle of the demonic powers. She was part of Azazel's elaborate plans to raise Damien as the Antichrist and have him ready to dominate the world. A woman of many talents and cultivated skills, she was easily able to both work as a nun in hospitals, as well as a nanny. Any house with Mrs. Baylock will, at the very least, be well-run and organized.
She possesses slightly greater strength than an average human of her appearance, and she is also slightly but significantly tougher than one. She is able to easily interact with demonic creatures such as hellhounds, and of course she interacts freely with demons. She is not able to be stopped by typical demonifuges or devil's traps, nor can her will be controlled by supernatural forces. She is impossible to dominate.
Mrs. Baylock is devoted to Damien, and she would give anything and everything, including her life, to protect him. If any threat presents itself, it can be assumed that Mrs. Baylock will address it, promptly and decisively. While she is loyal to Azazel, Damien far outranks him in her loyalty. When Mrs. Baylock sets her mind to something, she will not be swayed from her goal, except possibly by Damien.
Damien is the sole heir of his parents' estates, which include his father's business holdings and the Thorn Museum. He will almost certainly be very comfortable for the rest of his natural life. He also employs advisors and investors to assist him with the needs of these endeavours, and maintains a myriad of contacts both professionally and personally.
WEAKNESSES
Isolated groups of agents exist, acting on behalf of the Church as a larger entity, who believe they must defeat Damien or else he will bring on the apocalypse. They are dangerous and, even if they aren't able to harm Damien in their attempts, might certainly endanger anyone around him or dear to him. But they also might know enough to be a threat, or somehow get lucky. There's seldom anyone so dangerous as someone who believes they are living up to a great destiny.
The Daggers of Megiddo are seven in number, and they are the only thing known to be one hundred percent effective on Damien. He must be stabbed in the heart with one, in order to potentially kill his body. However, to fully banish his spirit, all seven daggers must be used. Each must be placed in a specific spot, forming a cross shape with the first dagger as the central point. This must be done on a consecrated altar.
The Daggers are indestructible by conventional means, though supernatural forces may be able to damage or destroy them. They are usually intentionally kept separate, so that no one will have all of them at any time and it will be difficult to gather a full set. It is impossible to know which Dagger is which unless all of them are present.
Even if one dagger is successfully used to kill Damien's body, if the other six daggers are not used properly, his spirit will persist and inevitably incarnate again, as soon as possible. If the first dagger stabs him elsewhere than his heart, it will not be enough to kill him, and he will recover rapidly unless the dagger is left inside him for some reason.
Damien is not comfortable in most churches, due to his nature. He often rationalizes it as being part of his natural disinclination towards religion. He has never been fond of it, so the houses that commemorate that as an institution are not anything he likes or enjoys. A devil's trap is unable to bind him, though it can make him uncomfortable as a church.
Sometimes, Damien will feel powerful urges to do things that appeal to certain passions. He may feel a potent desire for violence, or a searing lust. Though he can often push through it and resist the temptation, he may also enter into a kind of trance, like a fugue state, for the duration. Afterwards, his memory of the indulgence tends to be spotty. During this state, he may remain subtle, or he may experience moments of clarity wherein he plays with others around him, as if in a dream.
The demon known as Azazel, called the Yellow-Eyed Demon by some, created Damien with a purpose in mind: to theatrically bring on the apocalypse, on Azazel's terms. He arranged for a conspiracy and called in favors. There were even artifacts created to give it more credibility. And of course, Azazel made sure that Damien was looked out for, secretly and at a safe distance. Once the time had come, he hoped to use his secret slow plan to take the victory, by subverting the expectations of prophecy and scripture.
Naturally, Azazel has a stake in this going according to what he put into motion decades ago. It may not be quite as much time to a demon, but it's also something he's invested large amounts of money and influence into bringing to fruition. Sooner or later, he's likely to come at least check on how things are coming along.
