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July 25, 2013 at 12:24 pm #28442
AnarchangelParticipantI’m going to warn you all right now. There is a fair chunk of reading behind this spoiler as it’s the crossing point of at least five different characters stories. And even more are mentioned.
I’ve been trying to use Heromachine to create these guys for months upon months now so I can’t quite express just how absolutely relieved I am to finally add them to my archive here.
Nightstalker
Jason “Jay” Sorensen comes from a long line of bad guys.His grandfather and father both used the Nightstalker name before him and used their powers to take what they wanted. Not that Jay ever met either of them. It was his aunt, the villain known as Crimson Wraith that both raised Jay and pushed him into entering the family business.
It seemed like becoming a bad guy was really the only course Jay’s life was ever going to take. And he was perfectly OK with that. He practically idolized his aunt and wanted to be just like her…Only with a less revealing costume.
He was even enrolled in a special school for young villains. An institute that Jay thought to be utterly ridiculous. Despite his disinterest in this establishment, he soon graduated and took to the streets as the third Nightstalker. He used his ability to teleport through shadows to amass quite a large sum of money. More than enough to live comfortably on. But he never quite made it to the level of some of the truly grand villains and some of the more powerful heroes considered him little more than a nuisance.
Nightstalker lurked in the shadows, waiting for his opportunity to hit the big time. Little did he know that when he finally did become something to worry about…It would be the worst thing to ever happen to him.
Entropy
No one is entirely sure what the being that refers to itself as Entropy really is. And Entropy sure isn’t telling. The one thing that is known is that it seemingly hitched a ride on the same comet that brought Jack Holmes (a.k.a the hero Comet) to our world. Since it’s arrival on Earth, Entropy has been bent on the planets complete destruction and will stop at nothing to achieve this goal.
Entropy’s first known victim was the mystical hero Shaman. He possessed Shaman for months, knowing that he would need the hero’s vast magical powers to weaken his true target, Comet, enough to possess him instead. With complete control of Shaman, Entropy forced the mystical warrior to commit truly horrendous acts until the day finally came when he battled Comet. Shaman was aware of everything that was happening but was unable to stop it. He tried to warn Comet of Entropy’s plan but to no avail. Shaman and Comet battled across half of North America until Shaman finally gained the upper hand and weakened Comet enough to allow Entropy to jump ship.
Now in control of Comet. Entropy began to use the heroes telekinetic powers in ways Comet had never even dreamed of. He tore apart matter at an atomic level, destroying entire buildings like they were nothing. It was only Comet’s sheer force of will that stopped Entropy doing the same to people. Comet’s resistance allowed the worlds heroes to gather and attempt to take down the overpowered Entropy/Comet. The battle that ensued again weakened Comet physically. Finally allowing the hero, with the aid of a trio of psychics, to push Entropy from his mind.
Cursing the blasted do-gooders for preventing “the natural destruction of life”, Entropy vanished into the shadows. After waking and realizing what he had done, Comet went into self imposed exile high above the earth, feeling as though he was no longer worthy to set foot on the planet that had accepted him.
Entropy however had other plans. Comet may have forced him out but he knew now that there were other powerful beings on this planet. One of them could help him achieve his goals, whether they liked it or not. Unfortunately, the first unwitting soul to cross Entropy’s path was young Jay Sorensen. Nightstalker.
Entropy used Nightstalker as a rest stop while he regained his strength. The villain’s ability to teleport through shadows would come in handy if any of those annoying “heroes” came looking for him. Like Shaman and Comet before him, Nightstalker became a prisoner in his own body, forced to watch as Entropy committed heinous acts, unable to stop him.
For months the world thought they had seen the last of Entropy until suddenly a number of heroes received a desperate psychic message for help from a terrified Shaman. Shaman had become convinced that Entropy planned to abandon his current host and possess him again. The heroes rushed to Shaman’s aid and found that he was right. The mystical warrior was engaged in a battle with an individual who appeared to be Nightstalker.
The heroes, including Apollo, Magenta, Dragonfly, the Freedom League, a contingent of AEGIS agents and eventually a returning Comet, all battled Nightstalker with Entropy again using his hosts powers over darkness in ways they had never even dreamed of. The battle raged across half of Freedom City but eventually Nightstalker was weakened.
When the heroes closed in to apprehend the monster, what they heard terrified them all. In a desperate cry for them to be careful, they found Nightstalker back in control of his own body as he bellowed a warning that Entropy had already abandoned him. Everyone froze, knowing well that Entropy was capable of possessing practically anyone he chose and there were some incredibly powerful people in the area. He could be any one of them. But in a move that surprised everyone, it quickly became apparent that Entropy hadn’t chosen to possess Shaman or even the demi-god like Comet but had instead had chosen subtlety over brute force and possessed Dragonfly. The villain monologued about how he was going to make every one of the heroes lives miserable and that they would never even see him coming thanks to his new hosts powers.
He didn’t even manage to finish his speech before he realized something was wrong. Dragonfly had been training to withstand just such an event (after several encounters with Vox and others who attempted to override his free will) and had contracted several trustworthy psychics to install psychic barriers to prevent anyone from truly taking complete control of his mind. Dragonfly was now fighting to regain control.
While Dragonfly’s will was incredibly strong and his training good, it didn’t seem to be quite enough. But the distraction this turn of events provided gave Shaman an opportunity to work an impromptu spell to literally rip Entropy free of Dragonfly.
Dragonfly/Entropy dropped to his knees and with a deafening bellow that shattered every window within a square mile he declared he would kill them all. But Shaman now had a hold on the spirit and with one last wrench, the mystic would finally have a measure of revenge on the being that held him captive within his own body for so many months. Unfortunately in freeing Dragonfly from Entropy’s control, Shaman had left himself wide open for the now enraged Entropy to possess him once again. But in another shocking turn of events, Nightstalker, who had until now only thought of himself, dived in front of Shaman before Entropy had a chance to possess the hero, sacrificing himself to once again be possessed by the malevolent spirit. Now displaying his own inner strength, Night Stalker managed to prevent Entropy from leaving once again and vanished into a nearby shadow. This proved to be an incredibly traumatic event for Comet, Shaman and Dragonfly
Comet feels guilty for bringing the creature to earth in the first place, Shaman feels guilty that Nightstalker felt he had to sacrifice himself to save him and Dragonfly feels guilty that Night Stalker had to be possessed by Entropy again instead of him. He believes that if he had the strength to push Entropy out, he may have had the strength to keep him under control. At least that way no one else would have to suffer. The heroes continue to search for Nightstalker, knowing that no matter how strong his will may be, it’s only a matter of time before Entropy exerts control once again.
So far, Nightstalker has managed to keep hold of Entropy, theorizing that Shaman’s spell weakened the creature. Entropy is inclined to agree. He hates Shaman with a passion and hates Comet, Dragonfly and Nightstalker almost as much. The malevolent spirit of destruction feels that if he is forced to inhabit this snivelling brat then he will be content to make Nighstalker’s life as miserable as possible. At least until he regains his power and he can be free of his “partner”.
For now, Nightstalker and Entropy play each others jailer, fighting for control of Nightstalker’s body on a daily basis. Nightstalker is still forced to watch as Entropy uses his body to commit truly horrendous act but he comforts himself with the knowledge that he now has a measure of control over the evil creature and prevented him from gaining control over someone even more powerful.
It’s very little comfort though, as Nightstalker knows that one day Entropy will regain enough strength to either regain permanent control or abandon his host. Either way, he worries that a vengeful Entropy will seek to take out his anger on him. And on that day, Nightstalker’s story….and his life…may well be over.
July 25, 2013 at 2:03 pm #28452
JeimuzuParticipantOh my gosh, I am obsessed with Nightstalker! Just so much awesome!
July 25, 2013 at 4:26 pm #28459
Alexander of LimboParticipantthat is one of the coolest stories going.
July 25, 2013 at 6:15 pm #28464
NobodyMemberAwesome story and great design
July 26, 2013 at 5:34 am #28481
AnarchangelParticipantThanks guys. The Entropy saga (as a friend dubbed it) is one of my favourites. There will be more to this story.
July 26, 2013 at 7:43 am #28488
AnarchangelParticipantFirst draft costume for Crimson Wraith. You’ll probably see more of her in the future as I want to get a shot of her actually using her powers to become more wraith like. For now I’m just working on the costume.
In her day, Crimson Wraith was one of the best. A dangerous and utterly unpredictable villain, any who crossed her path would be fools to take her lightly. The Wraith stalked the streets like an ethereal menace, using her powers to take what she wanted. She was so good that she was never once apprehended by the law or those goody-two-shoes heroes. Sure, her plots were foiled from time to time but she always managed to slip away. What made all of this even more impressive was that she did it all while raising her young nephew after his mother died and his father ran off. She even trained the boy to use his own powers to follow her into the family business.
By the time she reached her early thirties, Crimson Wraith had decided she’d had enough of being a villain. After all, why risk her neck every day as a super villain when she could spend the rest of her life living comfortably off the money she had already stolen? After this decision, the always unpredictable Crimson Wraith seemed to vanish off the face of the earth. Everyone thought they had seen the last of her. They were wrong.
When news reached Crimson Wraith that her nephew, now known as Nightstalker, had been possessed by the entity known as Entropy, she became enraged. How dare that detestable alien menace have the audacity to lay a hand on her family?! Her family! The one thing she cared about above all else. Still not 40 years old, she was still in the prime of her life and decided to don her costume once more. She would make Entropy pay. She would force the wretched creature from her nephews mind if it was the last thing she ever did!
The Crimson Wraith returned to the world with a vengeance.
She hunted down every lead she could for her nephews whereabouts. She raided every safe house she knew he used. She eventually managed to track Nightstalker down. But he was no longer the boy she had raised. He had become twisted by Entropy. The creature mocked the wraith, revelling in the knowledge that he was hurting her simply by inhabiting Nightstalker’s body. It was a mistake.
Crimson Wraith lashed out with a fury that Entropy was unprepared for. He realized this woman had strength. He even tried to take the easy way out of the fight by possessing his opponent but quickly learned that this seemed to be impossible. Crimson Wraith’s mostly incorporeal form prevented Entropy from taking hold of her. What was worse was that he seemed almost unable to touch this woman while she seemed more than able to hurt him. This fight was not going well, so Entropy ran, using Nightstalker’s ability teleport through shadows to flee this crazy woman.
This would not be the only encounter the two would have. Crimson Wraith tracked Entropy/Nightstalker down several times and each time Entropy has fled in fear of the wraith. Crimson Wraith know’s it’s only a matter of time. There are only so many placed the creature can hide. She will find it and she will force it from her nephew’s mind.
Crimson Wraith has returned to the world to seek vengeance for her family.
Those who stand in her way will quickly learn their mistake.July 26, 2013 at 3:55 pm #28503
RobMParticipantBeyond the general awesomeness of the characters, I’m enjoying what you’re doing with the fonts.
July 26, 2013 at 4:13 pm #28506
JeimuzuParticipant@RobM said:
Beyond the general awesomeness of the characters, I’m enjoying what you’re doing with the fonts.
Agreed, the fonts really take the pictures to a whole new level of awesomeness, I really dig the pose on Crimson Wraith.
July 26, 2013 at 6:07 pm #28508
amsParticipantI’m totally on board with the “awesomeness” of your last characters. Nightstalker is KICK-ASS!
July 26, 2013 at 6:52 pm #28517
AnarchangelParticipantHeh. Thanks guys
July 27, 2013 at 7:08 am #7992
Alexander of LimboParticipantvery very cool
July 28, 2013 at 10:03 am #28605
AnarchangelParticipantI’ve just been backing up my txt files and thought I’d take the chance to make a few cosmetic changes to a couple of characters while I had them loaded.
I’ll get back to new characters eventually but right now my inspiration is kind of dead.
(Also, I just realized how similar all of their costumes look)
July 28, 2013 at 5:45 pm #28644
AnarchangelParticipantHere’s another character I’ve been trying to do for a long time.
Shade is a new hero. amateur witch, federal agent in training and Surge’s younger sister (God help her).
Shade and Surge are personal favourites of mine as they, the other three members of their team and the other characters in their stories were all created with the help of some really good friends.
July 28, 2013 at 5:50 pm #28645
The Atomic PunkParticipantWow.
July 28, 2013 at 6:14 pm #28648
AnarchangelParticipant@The Atomic Punk said:
Wow.
“Wow” good or “Wow” bad?
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