Bloodhound

Hard-Boiled Detective
I don't know about angels, but it's fear that gives men wings.
Contact Owner	Lieutenant Lethargy
Metatype	Human
Street Cred	0
Notoriety	0
Public Awareness	0
Titles and Awards	0
D.O.B.	April 25th, 2045
Folder	Dossier
Priority	Metatype - E Attributes - A Magic/Resonance - E Skills - A Resources - C

Character Information

Summary

Bloodhound is a mixed drink in a smoky downtown dive, you might've heard of it; two parts loose cannon, one part nothing to lose, well-shaken and served cold. He's a gun-slinging, curse-flinging, whiskey-drinking detective with a death wish.

Goals

• Justice for the people of Redmond and Renton
• Oversight on the actions of Knight Errant within the Seattle Sprawl
• Vengeance for his slain partner, destruction of the Syndicate responsible
• Redemption for his actions during the Tempo-Drug War

Background

There was a time when Nicholas believed in the letter of the law – after all, he was a cop once. Lone Star, Narcotics Division. As one of the poster children for their outreach program to recruit from the lower-income neighborhoods, Nicholas was something of a rising Star in the Service – straight-laced, efficient, and loyal. Loyal! Rare word in the Sixth World, as valuable as orichalcum. His superiors loved him. Got results. Would’ve been on the fast-track to captain too if it weren’t for a messy drug bust in Renton – how he could have known one of the gangers was packing a Cortex Bomb, I’d never know – but overall his track record was nothing short of stellar. For a time, life was looking good for Nicholas; stable career, stable income, stable relationship with a girl from Everett. Elvish lass, Irish accent, vibrant red hair and eyes as emerald as the Isles. Nick loved her – back then, he had a lot of love to give.

Somewhere out in the Astral Plane, the Fates were laughing.

Trouble started in 2069 with the serial killer that became known as the Mayan Cutter. You’ve heard of the guy, yeah? Of course you have, everyone has; sick fraghead would string his victims up and bleed ‘em like pigs. Cutter was a real piece of work, a monster torn out of some grim bloody fable, and Lone Star could not touch him. Not that they didn’t try, mind, but the freak always seemed to be one step ahead of the authorities. Nick insisted, and then implored, his superiors to put him on the case, but they always gave him the same excuse, that it would be a “misappropriation of resources.” As though they were doing any better rounding up Metahumans and forcing them to give information. Nick could see the cracks in the edifice of his grand institution, and from there things only got worse.

Much and more could be written of 2071, but that is a story for another place and another time. The Drug-Tempo War was a real fragging piece of work, and as the year progressed the situation grew ever more desperate. Nick doesn’t like to talk about his past, but this is the year he likes to talk about the least. He broke vows he swore he wouldn’t, crossed lines he never dreamed to step over, and in the end it was for what? A dead partner, a hospital bed, an empty home. Dreams dashed, a future denied. When the Ides of March came to find Lone Star had a Brutus in Brackhaven, all Nick could do was wish he could've been there to drive his own daggers into the venerable Caesar’s back. Termination of contract meant a termination of personnel, and Nicholas was all too happy to add his name to the list of those “retired.” There were overtures of joining Knight-Errant, but it would be a cold day in Hell before Nick signed up with those goose-stepping pawns – Lone Star had its fair share of problems, make no mistake, but Knight-Errant? An army that played at being police, a steel fist wrapped in velvet.

SINs were burned along with bridges, and by 2072 Nick was his own man. He had seen the institutions he loved shackled by incompetence and soured by tyranny, so he chose the Shadows. He chose to get mad, to do things his way. Bloodhound doesn’t need a badge to administer justice, only a gun and the will to wield it.

Narrative Significant Qualities

Positive

• Analytical Mind

Beneath all the booze and bilious banter, there's still a cop in there, one that earned a glowing reputation within Lone Star before the troubles of 2069. Nicholas has a knack for puzzling over disparate points of information and weaving them together into a timeline worthy of a trideo montage, the kind with floating figures and cheesy revelatory music.

• Cynic

The best way to be prepared for disappointment is to expect it. While Nicholas isn't the type to call a glass "half-empty," he is the sort that expects it won’t get refilled any time soon.

• Guts

Confidence. Elan. Moxey. While Street Sams use Pain Editors to reroute their fear of pain, Nicholas makes do with nerves of steel.

• School of Hard Knocks

Bloodhound always had a bit of blue in his blood; his grandfather was a police officer - a real one, the kind that got paid with taxes, not trademarks. The old man taught Nick a thing or two about police work; more than knowing the geek end of an Ares Thunderstruck, a good officer knew the streets. "There's more to Seattle than facts and figures", he'd always say, "and the only way to understand it is to walk the beat and feel the city's pulse." It was a lesson that Nicholas has taken to heart.

Negative

• Dependent (Nuisance)

"Old-fashioned" describes more than just his modus operandi. Nicholas has a problem with the sauce, and has found himself falling into functional alcoholism. While innocuous in the day-to-day, this addiction tends to flare up during periods of high stress. Speaking of flare up, Nick's never far from his sweet, sweet nicotine. Cigarettes have been a constant companion for the former officer, and one will nearly always be found betwixt his fingers.

• Big Regret (Tempo-Drug War)

The Tempo-Drug War was a watershed moment for Lone Star, a true defeat on a scale hitherto unimaginable for the venerable Security Agency. Forced to engage in activities beyond the pale of even the more aggressive Megacorp Security Forces, Lone Star lost the trust it had cultivated with the people of Seattle well before Brackhaven terminated their contract. Nicholas, being a Star at the time, was every bit as guilty of those sins as any other Star, and his actions during 2071 still haunt him to this day.

• Insomnia (Basic)

Kind of goes with the lifestyle, doesn’t it? Sleepless nights and midnight prowls are the name of the game for a man like Nicholas – he’s got his fair share of ghosts, and wakeful vigils keep them away until the sun rises once more to burn away the pain.

• No Man Left Behind

Turn around, walk away, accept the losses. That would be the smart thing to do. Guess Nick isn't that smart. He ain't no knight in shining armor, but he'll certainly save a damsel without a second thought - just don't expect him to go out and slay a dragon any time soon.

Run History

There was an empty space here, it's gone now.

Affiliations

Contacts

• Jinx - Connection 5, Loyalty 2 - Fixer (Fixer)
• Joseph A. Halberstein - Connection 5, Loyalty 2 - Lawyer
• Dr. Gotham - Connection 3, Loyalty 4 - Swag (Street Doc)
• Stockpile - Connection 6, Loyalty 1 - Infobroker (Shadow Services)

Organizations

There will undoubtedly be many names and organizations to put here in the days to come!

Allies

There will undoubtedly be many names and organizations to put here in the days to come!

Enemies

There will undoubtedly be many names and organizations to put here in the days to come!

In Character Information

SINs

• Richard Conway - Rating 4 Fake SIN (UCAS)

Appearance

Clothing

Bloodhound looks like the sort of guy you don’t want to get into a brawl with on a rowdy Friday night. He’s taller than most, with broad shoulders that taper to narrow hips and a brawny physique covered in body hair. His features could be called rugged – handsome in a fashion, but with hard, flinty eyes and a nose that has clearly been broken more than once.

On the prowl, Nick wears a tan-colored duster inundated with pockets filled with the tools of his trade; cameras, autopicker, commlinks and more. Concealed on his hip is his trusty Savalette Guardian, well-maintained and well-used. When work calls for getting loud, Nick likes to put on a stark white ballistic mask and a SecureTech PPP protecting his vitals. And his boots, you can’t forget those. They’re big, they’re plasteel reinforced, and they’re ready to kick in doors and heads alike.

Matrix Persona

An anthropomorphized bloodhound wearing a tan trench coat, collar popped with a starch white button-up and black tie beneath. Bears a striking resemblance to the Old World figure, "McGruff the Crime Dog" from the 1980s.