Jambalaya
From Handbook of the Union Universe
| |
| Getting ready to kick some Hellions | |
| Unknown | |
| Player: @LoupGarou | |
| Origin: | Magic |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Scrapper |
| Level: | 14 |
| Primary Set: | Martial Arts |
| Secondary Set: | Willpower |
| Epic Set: | N/A |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Nicole |
| Identity: | Public |
| Aliases: | Jambalaya |
| Species: | Human |
| Date of Birth: | unknown |
| Age: | 40 |
| Height: | 5'10" |
| Weight: | 150lbs |
| Build: | Very toned and athletic |
| Eye Colour: | Glowing white |
| Hair Colour: | White |
| Skin Complexion: | Deep reddish brown |
| Distinguishment: | Afro-carribean |
| Medical Status: | Confidential |
| Financial Status: | Confidential |
| Religion: | Santeria |
| Sexuality: | Heterosexual/polyamory |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Confidential |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Haiti |
| Ethnicity: | Confidential |
| Legal Status: | Confidential |
| Place of Birth: | Confidential |
| Education: | Confidential |
| Occupation: | Martial arts instructor |
| Group Affiliations: | Sword of Redemption;S.O.A.R |
| Base of Operations: | Confidential |
| Residency: | Confidential |
| Known Powers | |
| Crane Kick, Thunder Kick, Storm Kick, Hover, Focussed Fighting, Agile | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Confidential | |
| Equipment | |
| Confidential | |
| Awards and Collections | |
| Confidential | |
| Licenses and Certificates | |
| Confidential | |
| IC Accessibility of Article | |
| Mostly public information | |
Character concept
This is the second incarnation of Jambalaya. Afro-centric cultures have been practicing martial arts for hundreds of years, most developed in order to permit their survival when being captured and shipped to other climes as slaves. Bangarang is one such martial art - learned by "quadroons" (interracial Afro/Indian/Spanish/French), this style is handed down by generations and stays very much in-family; it's a dizzying style of kicks, leaps, spins and is an incredible show of agility. I decided to give this style as well as a general laid back "island" feel to my character. I'm sure there will be more about her as she develops, so watch this space.
Contents |
[edit] Affiliations
Sword of Redemption; mostly she just seems to be pursuing him for a date.
[edit] Personality
Nicole is a very up front, rather blunt woman, who while she's very pleasant and laid back can seem rather crude and boorish to those who don't understand the rather laid back approach to life which stems from Haiti. She's more than happy to pursue whichever man catches her eye at the time, and every day is a party day. It's a rare day to see her out of sorts. There is another side to her, however; she is very quick-minded, intelligent, and while she doesn't necessarily have "book learning" there's a certain wisdom there which seems to be coming from experience...or from Beyond.
[edit] Motivation
At first Nicole just seemed willing to take in the sights and do a bit of business with her defence school - now, however, it seems she's more focussed in making a difference, especially when it comes to keeping arcane knowledge out of the wrong hands and dealing with the Rikti, whose last attack nearly destroyed Haiti and terrified her.
[edit] Powers
Primarily, Nicole is a martial arts expert, and uses her own fists and feet as weapons, performing a rather acrobatic form of martial art which is rarely seen outside of the Caribbean. She also has a considerable amount of willpower and stamina, able to perform feats due to her magical background which others cannot - this is done by awakening her "ka" spirit and allowing the knowledge of many generations of fighters to flow through her.
[edit] Vulnerabilities
Nicole is for all of her voodoo training and martial arts, only human, and if caught off guard can be wounded just as any human would do. Everything she does takes vigorous training and preparation.
[edit] Character History
There's very little known about Nicole at this point other than she hails from the Haitian isles, has some definite magic training which she attributes to Santeria, and seems to be trying to settle in. She does however use a rather obscure fighting style called "Bangarang", which is taught from generation to generation only - it's a style she refuses to teach to anyone who is not a direct relative to her or her family.
Nicole ventured to Paragon City to begin training and set her sights on the then very-reluctant Sword of Redemption. In between teaching students and fighting crime, she harassed the man of the cloth relentlessly for a date. However, she eventually admitted defeat and "settled" for Arrow Flame, setting up the supergroup S.O.A.R - a magic-based supergroup focussed upon collecting and saving various magical artifacts. Sadly, Arc disappeared without a trace, and as a result S.O.A.R itself went defunct (or at least is no longer public knowledge). Nicole returned to her native islands to teach and work with her own magic, attempting to carry on the work. This was however brought to a rather abrupt end when the Rikti invasions occured in such massive numbers worldwide; the Haitian isles were completely decimated, and Nicole found herself unequal to the task. With new resolve, she returned to Paragon City to train and take up the work of S.O.A.R once more, on her own if need be. It was in Paragon City she was informed of Arrow Strife's death, and the urn containing her former lover's ashes was brought to her safekeeping, having been guarded loyally till her return by Efranof.
[edit] Trivia
Nicole is in her 40's, however it would be difficult to tell due to her heritage; "black don't crack", as they say!
Nicole belongs to a certain Santeria sect which allows the practicioners to converse with their ancestors for as far back as they can possibly access. This is a form of racial memory, and an incredibly powerful tool. As none of the Haitian/African cultural stories are written down, vast thousands of years of memory can be at Nicole's beck and call. This of course is knowledge which comes at a price, and many a practitioner of these arts ended up going insane. Preparation is rigorous, and apparently in Nicole's heritage the knowledge and preparation for these rites is only handed down through the female line.
Due to severe trauma which Nicole is unwilling to discuss, Nicole had a hysterectomy and is therefore incapable of having children. This is something she will rarely discuss, if ever, but is something which affects her quite deeply, as island culture reveres and adores children.
Nicole has awakened her "ka", essentially, her soul-spirit, which can manifest itself into physical form. This gives her fighting advantages, though it does tend to weaken her considerably.
Nicole is a raging flirt and has zero issue telling a man she's interested in him. The difficulty usually is trying to get her to stop.
