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From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe

Ace Spader
Player: @Halloween Jack
Origin:	Natural
Archetype:	Mastermind
Threat Level:	20
Personal Data
Real Name:	Ace Spader
Known Aliases:	The Ace of Spades
Species:	Half human/half demon
Age:	23
Height:	5'11"
Weight:	180 pounds
Eye Color:	Light purple
Hair Color:	Black
Biographical Data
Nationality:	Caucasian
Occupation:	Leader of The Deck of 52
Place of Birth:	Kings Row, Paragon City
Base of Operations:	Rogue Isles
Marital Status:	Single
Known Relatives:	Martha Spader - Mother, Zachariah Barr - Father
Known Powers
Naturally resistant, but not immune, to magic
Known Abilities
Natural leader, very intuitive
Equipment
Two black pistols
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[edit] OOC Stuff

I used an early version of this character on the test server. After talking about him with a friend I decided to resurrect Ace, this time as a gang leader, as opposed to the "Strong, Silent" hero he was before.

Theme song: Fooling Yourself by Styx

If you want to use Ace in any stories, plots, or whatever just let me know, I'm always up for it.

[edit] Character History

[edit] The Early Years

On March 21, 1985 in Kings Row General Hospital Ms. Martha Spader gave birth to a son. She named him Ace and thought he was the most beautiful baby she'd ever seen. Except for the color of his eyes. They were a light shade of purple, like his father's. From the day she brought the baby home to the day Ace left home for the Rogue Isles he was trouble. The boy never listened to his mother, talking back and locking himself in his room. Ace constantly got into fights with teachers and fellow students at school. Martha partly blames herself, but mostly the absence of Ace's father, for the boy's behavior. Despite feeling that Ace needed a male role model in his life she never found a boyfriend, and whenever Ace would ask about his father, or why he was the only kid with purple eyes at school Martha would refuse to answer.

On March 21, 2005, the day Ace turned 20, he simply walked out the door, taking nothing with him but the clothes on his back, his favorite sunglasses, a leather jacket, and $54. Martha didn't even realize her son had decided to go to the Isles until he called her a week later, saying he wouldn't be coming back.

[edit] Humble Beginnings

Ace got to the Rogue Isles by stowing away in the cargo hold of a fishing ship, sharing the space with 3 tons of stinking fish. When the ship docked Ace waited for the crew to leave and then scavenged the vessel, finding a measly $13 dollars and two twin pistols. He kept it all. When Ace stepped off the boat and onto Mercy Island he was greeted by the towering shadow of Arachnos fortresses. He whistled at the sight and strolled down the beach, getting his bearings and memorizing the landscape.

He spent his first night there sharing a cardboard shack with a bum. And he didn't mind. Ace was finally free. Nobody could tell him what to do, what to wear, or how to act. This was what he was craving. Leaning against the wall of his temporary home Ace thought up a plan. He'd always been able to get people to do what he wanted, he had even been looked up to by the weaker-willed kids when he was in school. Ace looked over at his homeless roommate and said, "Hey, want to join a gang?" The bum studied Ace for a minute, decided the kid was serious and asked, "What kind of gang?" "The regular kind. Looting, mugging, all that good stuff." Ace answered. The bum thought about it, looked up at Ace and said, "Name's '8-Ball', and you've got yourself a deal. What're we called?" "The Deck of 52." Ace answered, and with that his gang was born. Three years later The Deck of 52 is a thriving gang. Not as big as the Hellions, or Skulls, but they're getting there.

[edit] A Father's Legacy

((This section is a work-in-progress and it -will- change))

As The Deck of 52 grew in size Ace was able to leave Hallow Hogashi in charge of most things. Utilizing his new-found free-time Ace began tracking down his father. Ace had questions regarding his strange resistance to magic, and his purple eyes and his father is the only person he could have inherited them from. It started with another questioning of his mother, who refused to reveal anything to Ace. Ace checked his birth records at the hospital where he was born, but the father was listed as John Smith. An alias. Returning to his mother's house Ace crept into the attic and searched through every box he could find, finally coming upon a letter to his mother, sent to her by a man named Zachariah Barr. The letter read:

"Martha, We both knew that I only had a small amount of time to be in your life. My new assignment in the Rogue Isles is too important, the higher-ups would never allow me a stay of leave, especially if they knew I had fallen in love with a human! An elite demon falling in love with a human woman is unheard of. The child you carry in you will be all you have to remember me by. I can never see you again. Just writing this letter is a risk. Please, do not tell him who his father is. The boy deserves the opportunity to grow up normally. With love, Zachariah."

A half-demon. Ace stared at the letter, and read it again four times before it sank in. He was a half-demon. He had the answers he was looking for. It made sense that he was resistant to magic, since his father was evidently an elite demon. But, still Ace wasn't satisfied. The next thing to do would be to find the man. The letter said that he was in the Rogue Isles. Had Ace's father been right under his nose this whole time, or had he moved on? The letter had been sent from Cap au Diable, and that's where Ace headed next.

Ace questioned every contact he knew, asking about a man named Zachariah Barr, finally hitting paydirt with Boris the Russian. Boris had done some business with a Zachariah Barr two years ago, and according to Boris Zachariah hadn't left the Isles. Boris gave Ace an address and Ace sped off. The address was a small apartment, one that Ace had walked by many times. He had been just feet away from his father, and hadn't known it. Walking in, Ace asked the landlady what room Mr. Barr was staying at and after being told he climbed the stairs to the third floor and knocked on door 3C.

The man that answered was wearing a perfectly white suit and fedora, and had unnaturally dark, red hair, and skin as red as blood. His eyes were purple.

"Zachariah Barr?" Ace asked.

"Yes, can I help you?" the man replied. Ace removed his sunglasses and revealed his purple eyes, a perfect match for Zachariah's.

"You...are my son, aren't you?" Zachariah sighed, "Come in. I knew this day would be coming." He opened the door wider and let Ace into the room. "Do you know how much danger you're in? If my supervisor's knew of your existence you and your mother would be killed."

"I gathered that when I read the letter you sent her." Ace said, taking the letter out of his coat and throwing it on a table. "I don't care. And don't worry, I'm not here to catch up on all the years we missed, I just wanted to know you existed."

"As you can see, I'm no figment."

"Yeah. So, I'm a half-demon, then. I should have thought of that. It explains my power." Ace said, staring at the man.

"You're immune to magic, then?" Zachariah asked.

"Not immune, but highly resistant. I haven't tested the limits but it takes a strong mastery of magic to affect me."

Zachariah slowly paced the room, thinking. "There is one thing I can do for you. You can call it a parting gift, since we can obviously never see one another again. Much too dangerous. Come here." Ace strode over to his father, who placed a hand on Ace's forehead. His hand was very warm. Before long it began to glow and the brightness spread from Zachariah's hand to Ace's entire body. For a brief moment Ace levitated before a blinding flash exploded and Ace dropped to the floor. Standing up Ace felt extremely different. He looked at his hands, they were now claws! And his skin was blood-red, like Zachariah's. Ace ran into the bathroom and saw his reflection in the dirty mirror. He was a demon. His ear were pointy, and fangs had grown inside his mouth, and his tongue was forked. Ace had even sprouted a tail. Zachariah walked into the room.

"I've unlocked your bloodline. Whenever you are in this form, you will be impervious to even the strongest magic. You should be much stronger as well. You will be able to switch back and forth between this and your human incarnation with a snap of your fingers." To test it, Ace snapped his fingers. His body blurred for a moment then came back into focus. He was human again.

Ace's demon form.

"Amazing." Ace whispered, and Zachariah ushered him out of the apartment.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, my son. Let's not do it again." Zachariah smiled, revealing a sharp set of fangs, and closed the door in Ace's face.

When he returned to The Deck's base Ace spent the next week researching demons and testing his new abilities.

[edit] House of Cards

To read about the fall of The Deck of 52, go here: [http://www.virtueverse.com/index.php/House_of_Cards ]

[edit] Allies

[edit] Hallow Hogashi

Ace's closest friend. Hallow acts as the voice of reason for Ace, often keeping him from taking things too far.

[edit] Enemies

Ace doesn't have any nemeses at the moment. Feel free to apply for this position by pissing him off.

[edit] Abilities

Ace is a natural born leader, and is able to charismatically command his gang. His abilities as a tactician have made it easy for him to coordinate multiple robberies at once, confusing the Isle's police. He is very intuitive as well, able to tell people's emotions by their stance, or their ancestry by their bone structure. Despite being a high school drop out Ace is very intelligent and an avid reader. Ace is also very resistant to magic, and when in his demon form he is completely unaffected by it.

[edit] Weaknesses

Ace's resistance to magic also works against him. Helpful spells cast on him do very little. Even though he's a half-demon, he can still be severely beaten or killed. Ace also finds it hard to resist a challenge, so he may bite off more than he can chew.

[edit] Personality

Relaxing in Pocket D.

Ace is very confident in himself, and very outgoing. He rarely lets people get close to him and hardly ever removes his sunglasses, preferring to keep his strange eyes a secret. In front of members of The Deck Ace puts on a misogynistic attitude, but secretly wants to meet his "Soulmate". Despite the constant horrors Ace deals with he is very light-hearted and loves to joke around. He can often be heard putting on various accents or making subtle jokes in an attempt to get someone to laugh. He likes to show off his demon form and will try to goad magic-users into attacking him so he can laugh when he's not affected.

[edit] Trivia

Ace's favorite movie is The Professional. Even mentioning it around him will get him to immediately jump into your conversation. His favorite book is Stephen King's The Gunslinger. His favorite hobby is discussing books with friends. Unfortunately most of the people he hangs around don't have much of an interest in reading.