Coalfire
Name: Jackson Cassidy
Background: Tragic
Power Source: Nature
Archetype: Elemental Manipulator
Personality: Nurturing
Description: Long, dark brown hair; often fights bare-chested, displaying the runes tattooed and scarred into his arms and torso.
This character is inspired by the outstanding Old Gods of Appalachia podcast (and upcoming RPG).
No two ways about it — the Cassidy family was cursed.
They say it started back in Kentucky during a mining disaster, when old Julius Cassidy was so afraid to die that he cried out for any god or demon to save him, didn't matter who. And something answered. He alone survived the underground flames and emerged from the mineshaft carrying soot and coal dust with him — along with something much darker still.
It wasn't long before old Julius was running after every witch and wise woman in the hills to free him from the pact he had made with that voice in the darkness. There was only one that agreed to help him, and she warned that the only ritual that could save him came with great risk. She invoked the oldest spirits of the forest to do battle with the holder of the pact.
When the working was over, the Cassidy homestead had burned to the ground. No one ever found out how the fire started, or why the charred remains of those unidentified bodies rotted away so quickly, because the Cassidys had left Kentucky before the embers had even cooled.
It was 1930 when they made their way west, and if it seemed like blight and drought followed them, surely it was just a coincidence.
Their fortunes turned around in California, though. A couple generations of the Cassidy boys worked for the railroads or the chemical plants without any major misfortune.
Then, young Jackson found the old trunk in his uncle's attic and put on the old miner's helmet he found. When he went outside to show his father, a few motes of coal dust shook loose, drifted down, and met the earth. And that was all it took.
When the superheroes found him, he stood surrounded by the blackened husks of buildings. He wore darkness and flames like a cloak. He was lost in rage and grief and emotions not his own. It took strong magic to subdue him, for the light in his eyes to subside, for him to return to himself. He asked where his family was, and it was a while before anyone had the heart to tell him.
It took a set of magic runes engraved into his flesh to contain the warring powers within him. It took relentless training and discipline to learn to control them. Now, he wonders if he might just be able to use his curse for good.
Principles
Great Power
Your powers are so strong they can even scare you sometimes, but you work hard to control them.
Action: Overcome with one of your highest rated powers with Max. Hero points for all.
Minor Twist: How do you restrain yourself from unleashing your full power?
Major Twist: What major damage do you inflict in the process of saving the day?
Inner Demon
You have a darkness in you that you strive to keep suppressed. You can reach out to your dark side to connect with similar forces.
Action: Overcome by tapping into your dark psyche with Max. Hero points for all.
Minor Twist: What sinister act comes from tapping into your dark side?
Major Twist: What havoc does your dark side inflict as you allow it to take control?
Powers
- Fire: d10
- Leaping: d10
- Speed: d10
- Infernal: d8
- Wall Crawling: d6
Qualities
- Imposing: d10
- Ranged Combat: d8
- Magic Knowledge: d6
- Cursed by the Dark Earth: d8
Abilities
Green (d6 / 34–26)
- Burning Brambles: (Grasping Vines) Hinder with Fire with Max; may split penalty across multiple nearby targets
- Drown in Blackness: (Backlash) Attack with Infernal with Max, take Min damage
- Move Like Whispers: (Energy Conversion) Hinder with Speed, Attack with Min; if in Red, may apply penalty to multiple nearby targets
Yellow (d6 / 25–13)
- Bargain with Flame: (Energy Redirection) When you take Fire damage, you may do that much damage to another target
- Rotwolf: (Call to the Wild) Gain d8 minion; it takes its turn before yours, disappears at end of scene; may only have one
- To Dust Again: (Wild Strength) Reaction, when you defeat a minion, roll it and Boost self
Red (d12 / 12–1)
- Flicker of Shadow: (Untouchable Movement) Boost self with Leaping with Max + Min; end up anywhere in scene, avoiding all danger
- Rage of the Dark Earth: (Charged-Up Blast) Attack with Infernal and at least one bonus with Max + Mid + Min, adding all bonuses to attack, including exclusive; destroy all your bonuses
Out
- Boost ally with single Imposing die