Sgt. Maris

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((Currently a major WIP))

"I'm going t' save th' world, n' matter who r' what I have t' kill, betray, break, destroy, r' sacrifice t' do so."

A. Maris
Player:
Origin: Natural
Archetype: Soldier Of Arachnos (AT closest to how she currently fights, no affiliation with Arachnos whatsoever.)
Threat Level: 50
Personal Data
Real Name: Anna Maris
Known Aliases: Pvt. Taggart.
Species: Augmented Human
Age: 29
Height: 5'7
Weight: 131 lbs
Eye Color: Unnatural grey/blue.
Hair Color: Dirty blonde/brunette
Biographical Data
Nationality: American
Occupation: Tactical Operative/Military Leader within various organizations
Place of Birth: New York
Base of Operations: Currently unknown.
Marital Status: None, dabbles in affairs on an unhealthy basis.
Known Relatives: Two brothers and her parents. Dull, unsatisfying lives compared to hers.
Known Powers
None.
Known Abilities
Extraordinary athleticism, stamina, pain tolerance, and willpower, very perceptive, excellent with all forms of firearms, knives, and explosives (and quite a good demolitionist and trap-rigger), decent hand-to-hand training, and inhumanly agile reflexes.
Equipment
The Shotgun,TAR-21 Assault Rifle, numerous mines, bombs, and lightweight devices, Talosorian combat knife, several other standard lightweight titanium ones, Redding Rail Rifle, cybernetic eye, DAS (Defense Augmentation Suite), passively enhances marksmanship and vision, removes her need to sleep, enhances her ability to survive severe wounds, and can be activated to provide a massive burst in reflexes and strength.
No additional information available.



Contents

[edit] Personal History

"Th' only things from th' past worth rememberin' are your mistakes an' your victories. Everythin' else s' bullshit."

[edit] Early Life

Born to an English father and an American mother to a reasonably comfortable family in New York City, Anna Maris was, as she grew up, quite a source of frustration to her parents. Her tomboyish nature, combined with her steadfast resistance of any attempts to "feminize" her by her parents and relatives sparked some tension. Growing up, most of her friends were male, her interests were rather inappropriate for her gender (in her parents' opinion at least) As she neared her teenage years, this turned into anger, not only at her parents' refusal to accept who she was, but their "softness". She began to lash out. Her aggression and her attitude nearly got her expelled from both middle and high school multiple times, and her grades were consistently poor due to her focus on rather shady "extracurricular activities" It's thought that some of her skills with knives and explosives, as well as her penchant for dirty fighting came from this. This is not to say she was an unintelligent person, though. In spite of her lack of attention to formal education, she was still very perceptive, and a quick learner.

At the age of eighteen, due to a mixture of discussions with some of her older male friends, and a desire to show her parents (who had practically disinherited her at this point) that she wasn't completely worthless, she joined the military in the year 2001.

[edit] Military Career

While she did complete boot camp (her leadership, marksmanship, and physical fitness had impressed a few higher ups, meriting her a promotion to Sergeant rather early in her career), and was certainly quite eligible for special forces training, she was never given a chance to participate, due to the panic and chaos caused by the Rikti Invasion in 2002. Maris and her squad, as well as a rather substantial amount of the country's armed forces, were assigned to Paragon to help battle the bulk of the invasion. There, she caught her first glimpse of metahumans. They both impressed her, and sparked a certain frustration. At first, it was mere suspicion from the idea of working alongside something so utterly alien, but as the war raged on, and lives were lost, it turned from simple fear to rage. All she could wonder was "Why the hell are we here in the first place?!" While her own squad's performance was, due to her leadership, quite close to meta levels, she couldn't help but wince with disgust at how high the casualty rates amongst the non-heroes were. It seemed like they didn't need help in the first place, so why was her squad and the others there? Simply for show?

A vent for this frustration presented itself when, shortly before the end of the war, several men in dark blue tactical gear mysteriously appeared in the camp Maris and her men were stationed in. The leader explained that they were fellow normals who had shown their "supremacy" over superhumans, and through a mix of careful persuasion, bribery, and manipulation of her emotions, turned her and her squad against their Hero allies, as well as granting them some specialized equipment to help them make short work of them. The next morning, Maris and her men carried out the task given to them by the mysterious men...until Maris herself was subdued by a right-thinking member of her squad who realized the insanity of what they were doing. Maris was court-martialed, and through some strange quirk in the legal system, ended up in the Ziggursky Penitentiary, when she spent four long, boring years.

[edit] Semi-Recent History

Maris understood the Isles from the day that she arrived there. She had two choices - be a weak, cowering citizen, or use her abilities to grab whatever she wanted. What she chose is quite obvious. Starting with a handful of riot control "sticky" grenades, a stolen shotgun, and a set of stolen fatigues, she worked her way up, initially sticking with Arachnos as, well, it's generally good to take the hand of the biggest, toughest guy in the place when he offers it to you (though she never believed in the Destined One idea, it seemed completely stupid to her from the get-go), but gradually slipping away and choosing to commit to more "independent" work, with her "patron" Black Scorpion being used as not much more than a source of weapons and money.

While, for the first couple years, she enjoyed this "take what you want, do what you want, the Isles is just one big violent playground" lifestyle, she began to become frustrated with it, as she witnessed the decadence and hedonism of other Rogue Islanders, she grew increasingly discontent. When the Vanguard began to occupy the Rikti crash site in Paragon City, she found a chance to make herself useful. As she paid agents to steal scans of Rikti Earth, and thought increasingly about the war, she began to formulate a plan. She would save this Earth by destroying another. It was insane. It was inhuman. She knew the workings of the race, the Restructurists and the Traditionalists, but she did not trust any of it. If the latter were so powerful on the homeworld, why had they done so little to rein in the former? And how could the Rikti be so well equipped if the main source of their men were converted Prime Earth humans? It didn't make sense to her. And hey, even if she was wrong, she'd be able to scare their race into leaving Earth, show them, in her words, "Y' don't fuck with humanity. Period." Her plan's been more than a year in the making, and the pieces are falling into place...


[edit] Personality

To most, Anna is cocky, amoral, motivated by nothing but her own selfish beliefs and desires, and her loyalty is, at best, inconsistent. (more comin soon!)

=Beliefs/Morality= (being revamped)

Maris' prime belief could best be summed up as "Adapt to circumstance or else". She views the various revolutionaries in the Isles as naive or delusional, and views her own method of living as simple necessity.

She believes free will and determination are the most valuable assets in any human being, and admires them. In a related note, she despises those who would willingly give it up, or those who attempt to erode or annihilate it.

While she doesn't have a MAJOR bias against mutants or supernatural types, she despises those who think they're above her, or those who view her as simple prey, and will go out of her way to prove them wrong. Honestly, she can't stand being looked down upon, period.


______________________________________

[edit] Mental and Physical Attributes

Maris has developed in her time in the isles from a dirty little trickster who happened to be a pretty damn good shot, to one of the most formidable human beings around there. Though gifted with no supernatural abilities by magic, science, technology, or birth, she does have keen reflexes and eyesight, combined with an incredible tolerance for pain and resistance to shock. She's also rather cunning, and quite good at bringing along the right tools for the job, and even making clever use out of the wrong ones if she's caught off guard. She favors small arms and grenades at a distance, and blades up close, combined with a crude but effective mix of grappling, elbowing, and kneeing.

[edit] Mind

Mentally, Anna's stubborn as hell. Though she might not have any fancy psychic shields, she's still just jaded and clear-headed enough to resist most tricks. Visions of the Netherworld? Pft. She's fought things like that, and WON. Attempt at mind control? Get the hell out of her head before she puts a bullet in yours. Even her 'spirit' is difficult to harm.

[edit] Body

Anna's body is, well..it's your above average, toned human body for the most part, save for the cybernetic augmentations added in by the DAS, and her cybernetic left arm.

[edit] Weaknesses

If Anna has one major weakness, it's her pride and her temper. Her belief that there isn't a single obstacle that can't be overcome on her own with an unbreakable will and a good, reliable rifle has lead to some of her most painful lessons, and her staunch refusal to run away doesn't help. Nor does her weird sense of "honor". In spite of claiming to be devoid of it, she shows a preference for fighting her foes on even grounds, no fancy tricks besides what they each have up their sleeves, and their own skills being what determines the winner. She's gotten more comfortable with rigging the battlefield, though she still dislikes it.



[edit] Equipment

Redding Rail Rifle: Barely used due to its weight and size, this weapon's still quite handy to keep around for sniping purposes. Capable of easily piercing tank armor with its supersonic Impervium spikes, and gifted with a very long range. It takes a while to readjust after each shot, though, and certainly isn't a very stealthy weapon.

"Mage-Killer" .44 Magnum Revolver In light of suffering rather badly at the hands of an astrally-projected foe, Maris commissioned a specially enchanted .44 Magnum revolver from some "friends" of hers. Runes carved on its barrel infuse every bullet fired from the gun with a small amount of pure magical energy, and, in addition, have an enchantment on them which can sever, or severely weaken a victim's connection with other dimensions or planes of existence, making it very effective against summoners and necromancers.

Another ammunition type for the "Mage-Killer" simply "short-circuits" the magical energies inside a magic-wielder's body, causing a backfiring effect that, if it does not kill the user through a gruesome death (being torn up by their own magic), will incapacitate them.

Plasma Lighter: A lighter built from a Rikti plasma gun. An intensity adjuster is built in, allowing her to set it from anywhere between weak enough to serve as some illumination and a cigarette lighter, to strong enough to weld steel and permanently char flesh into blackened cinders. This function has quite often been utilized to "send a message" to her enemies, generally by burning a copy of the scar on her face onto their face...or...lower, if she's feeling sadistic.

Knives & Grenades & Other Stuff, Oh My!: Maris carries lots of both on her. She usually wields a Talosorian combat knife, as well as two standard military ones, and a small set of throwing knives. In addition, she tends to carry frag, web, and flashbang grenades (generally specialized "smart" models designed to lock on and fly towards the nearest threat), as well as whatever she needs. In addition, she usually keeps a magnum revolver in her belt, though this is rarely used. A small grappling gun has also found its way into her armory.


-Gear- Maris is certainly not the most heavily armored figure in the Isles, preferring mobility over protection. Nevertheless, she usually does wear some protective gear. Usually, this consists of a flak vest, with a tight Kevlar shirt and thin strips of Impervium over it. She does own heavier suits, though these are rarely used. __________________________________________

[edit] Allies & Enemies

-OOC descrips plus, occasionally, a little IC commentary from Anna-

ORGANIZATIONS ((SGs and in-game groups))

[edit] Allies

Shadow Spiders: While no longer officially with them, she's still trusted and loved by their organization, and quite often aids them. She has some dislike of how they run things though, and thinks they'd be more effective if they removed some of their "chaff"

Adversity Solutions Incorporated

The Vanguard: Probably the only official group Maris trusts. She considers them to have a very realistic worldview, and wishes they would get more support. Plus, they have good gear.

[edit] Enemies

The Rikti: Not only does Maris hate the Rikti for invading Earth, she also hates them for what they did to themselves. They're one of the few exceptions to Maris' general "Hate the group, but be neutral on the individual" rule of thumb.

Longbow: No comments needed, really

INDIVIDUALS

[edit] Friends & Allies

Adam Fairfield: To say Anna simply admires Adam would be an understatement. To her, he's everything she aspires to be, and more. She frequently seeks out his advice during lengthy engagements, and is generally the first person she'll notify of just about anything. Her trust in him is absolute and without any catch. She currently acts as his protege, and trains with him on a regular basis.

Glimmershade: While they used to have some minor animosity towards each other, recently they've become rather good friends. They were involved with each other for a time.

Havencrabs: While she finds it somewhat embarrassing that he's gotten her out of so many nasty scrapes, she's also very grateful towards him, and perhaps has something of a crush towards him. As of late, they've fallen in love, and enjoy a satisfying (if incredibly sadomasochistic) relationship.

[edit] Neutral

-Irmine: On one hand, they have had some relations, are both fairly militaristic, and both have something of a "survival of the fittest" worldview. On the other hand, she is insane, genocidal, and, hey, some people will go through a -lot- to get some extra territory...

-Sky Scar: While her and Robin were formerly on fairly friendly terms, their relationship went downhill after he threatened to kill Maris and a friend of hers for their "poor treatment" of him. After one brutal fight, with Maris suffering from a completely disabled left arm and Robin from several broken limbs and a bullet to the back of the neck, complications arose. For some strange, inexplicable reason, they aren't trying to kill each other anymore.


[edit] Enemies

-Arbiter Death: While she did enter in an alliance with him a while ago (simply to get some inside information from The Shadow Spiders), after him pursuing her friends, sending mercenaries after her to kill her, and aiding her recent enemies...she's got a bit of a grudge against him.

-Bad Dream: Every other rivalry Anna's had is petty, schoolyard stuff compared to the one she's had with Dream. After attempting to kill him due to his attacks on her friends and allies (and losing an eye for it), the two have clashed, the first few times wiping the floor with poor Anna...the last proving that the two may just be on the same level now. Anna harbors a sick sort of respect for Dream, if only for turning her from a wealth-and-thrill-seeking merc into the woman she is today. Still, he's wronged her, and she is not going to let him (or Black Tie, for that matter) forget what they did...or the consequences. For now, she's standing by, waiting for him to do something extreme, something to bring the world near the apocalypse (yet another reason she's after him), so she can strike and kill the bastard. Because it's right. Because he has it coming. And because damn, it's about time she really tested herself.

-Mr. Soot: She's only recently learned of Soot, the method behind Dream's madness. Naturally, she wants him dead too by association.

-Timmy Turbulon: Ever since he abandoned the Villains of Paragon City and allied himself with the Shadow Spiders simply for a better paycheck, Maris has been suspicious of him. While she did stick up for him a few times, overall, she felt he was arrogant, and his brutal maulings of some of the Spiders, combined with the apparent willingness of the group to take him back in again and again made her think of him as little more than an ungrateful child, and a sign of the group's naive idealism and unwillingness to get their hands dirty. She's sworn to track him down and kill him, simply because she feels it is right.

-Commander Engel: Formerly an ally within the Shadow Spiders, Maris witnessed the defeat and humiliation of Engel at the hands of Dr. Von Havencrabs after his betrayal. As an attempt at revenge, after being restored and "improved" by cybernetic surgery, Engel located Maris and injected her with a paralytic, after which he beat her savagely with his mace. Finally being dissuaded from his assault by a hidden sniper, Engel vanished for some time, reappearing only recently. They fought each other in a vicious battle in Sharkhead, ending with Maris crippling Engel with a highly concentrated acid grenade to the chest, and finishing him off with a 5.56 NATO round to the back of the head. Of course, nobody stays dead around here...

-Kira ______________________________________________

[edit] Character Comments

((Your character got something to say about her? Put it here))

  • You are nothing but a dog that's gone mad who no one has bothered to put down yet. Don't worry. I'll fix that soon. -Kira
  • Anna Maris may be one of my most formidable opponents yet, but Maris has one large glaring weakness. Maris's sin is pride, and she reeks of it to the point it's sickening. She's arrogant, over-confident, and underestimates any opponent. Not only that, she has a nasty habit of picking fights with too many of the wrong people. Maris likes to think she's building a sort of legacy, but in reality, it's as flimsy as a house of cards. If she continues to operate the way she does, her life expectancy won't be much longer, which is a real shame. I almost could say I'd miss her if he died, but that would be a lie, as she's still little more than a rock in my shoe. -Bad Dream
  • There is a very agile mind behind all of the slang and clipped speech. Most--don't recognize that fact because they aren't perceptive enough to see the real woman, or simply do not care to. This is a remarkably bad move. Don't worry---I've got your back, Anna. -Adam Michael Fairfield "Moone"
  • Nothing gets me worked up like a cute, sweaty gal in a tank top and camo pants wielding a giant railgun hellbent on causing as much destruction and damage as possible while at the same time maintaining an elegance that can best be described through the phrase "Incredibly Arousing". Oh, and she's got a nice smile. -Dr. Von Havencrabs
  • She's a soldier and a friend. As a soldier, she understands things few people understand. I like t'think I feel a bit of comraderie with'er. I just wish you'n the Doc would stop that Lovey Dovey bullshit. It's soft. Makes you look soft. Now is not the time to be showin' weakness. But for your sake, and the Doc's, I got your back. Nobody, not God, the Devil, or Bad Dream himself are gonna get close without gettin' through me. -Operative Griffin
  • For all her self-importance, she's nothing but a petty thug. She hides behind her supposed noble causes as an excuse to fulfill her violent urges. Behind it all, she's nothing but a child with a handgun, treating her weaponry like a set of toys to show off. I used to respect her natural skill, and then she decided to enhance herself. To use a crutch. What I thought was dedication to her goals was a facade, just an excuse for violence for its own sake. A excuse to play the 'badass.' Whatever respect I ever had for that childish sociopath is gone now. -Rook the Vaulted
  • Cool under pressure, and doesn't blink. She's good at keeping discipline when things get hot. I've run a couple ops with her, and tried my hand against her. She's definately worth more respect than she gets. -Setsuka
  • She is proud of her natural human existence yet cannot seem to resist the desires and feelings of the inhuman's surronding her, the inhumans she supposedly loathes. Which seems to either ring with a hypocritical oath or an honor system she isn't sharing, Well or blue skin is a fetish for her, which would make more sense then most would suspect. Whatever the case it's an interesting thing to look into and despite her obvious instabilities I find her company worthwhile in small bursts. -Seer Malak
  • Eh. Fuckin' indifferent. I mean yeh, prolly take 'er down a peg'r two if she wud'n buds with Glim. But th'bitch is kinna like those fuckin'.., what's it... I dunno, pretend I jus' put out some awesome analogy that makes total sense an' shit. Yeh, bitch is like that. I ain' impressed. -Raine Heartfall, who unfortunately doesn't make sense.
  • Smart and cunning, with a natural predilection for combat. It's unfortunate that she is no longer with the Shadow Spiders, but she remains a friend and I know we can count on her in the future. You certainly would not want to have her as an enemy. -The Blood Red Rook
  • I trust very few people at all, let alone at my back, but Maris seems to have been a constant in the people I can count on to shoot first and ask questions later when it comes to me needing shit done. Some might see that as a fault, but I'm not them. -Eve Summers
  • Yeah sure, I know Maris. She's angry, curses and refuses to admit she's wildly attracted to me. I like her more everyday. -Dimitri Sylvan
  • You couldn't possibly ask for a greater ally and friend. And heaven help you, should you piss her off! Not that I've thought about it. I mean I have. But then I wouldn't get to hang out with her all the time and that would make me rather sad.... WE LOVE YOU ANNA! WOOO! -Felicia Grant
  • Just another overconfident soldier.. She is still green as grass.. Still has much to learn.. -Dimitrious Vladimire
  • HRRRRRAAUUUUUUUUUUUUGHFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!! I! HATE! I HATE. I HATE! -Atrox Carnifex
  • She won't die! -Markel Smythe, overheard in Pocket D when asked how long he thought Anna Maris had left to live.
  • I really don't like talking about Anna, but I'll say she's one of the greatest tragedies of the Isles. -Jean-Luc Bedeau

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[edit] OOC Notes

Maris never really "formed" until about I7/I8. Originally she was just a generic mercenary character. I have no clue how she became the tomboyish, secretly English, manipulative, and completely sane person she is today

Truth be told, Maris, as with most of my characters, just "forms" from RP.


[edit] IC Notes

Maris has an odd fixation on military technology, and collects guns and gas masks (which may or may not be a slight fetish for her) in her spare time

Her real voice is much smoother, with a slight English accent.

In spite of the wealth she has amassed, she feels uncomfortable with luxury, and tends to prefer to keep her places of residence slightly groddy, and stick with cheap beer as a beverage of choice

Wears boxers

Gifted with an incredibly high tolerance for pain. According to her, it's not so much that she doesn't feel it, as she simply controls how she reacts to it.

Has a love of metal, especially old-school stuff. It's not foreign for her to enter battle while blazing Iron Maiden's "The Trooper" as a way of boosting morale.

Is STUPIDLY stubborn, and often will refuse to recognize that she cannot win, taunt others into fighting her, and other such...things. She's the kind of person who will spit "Fuck you" when she has a gun to her face.

Is, by the conventional sense...not very educated. Her handwriting is awful, her knowledge of most school subjects is...lacking to say the least, and her appreciation for culture is almost non-existent.

Is (naturally) very Libertarian/Objectivist in her worldview.

Has some medical training, at least enough to treat her own cuts and bullet wounds.


______________________________________________________________ Fitting Songs:

"Professional Killer" by KMFDM: Anna on the job. Her "true self". "Unrelenting, [her] conscience clear, beyond a shadow of doubt, a force to be feared". There's no regret. No self doubt, no hesitation. Just a nigh-unstoppable killing machine with impeccable accuracy who cuts off her foes' pleas for mercy with a bullet right between the eyes.

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