Cloak |
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Portrayed by |
Statistics |
Full Name |
Tyrone Johnson |
Age |
19 |
Build |
Runner's bod. |
Eyes |
Brown |
Hair |
Black |
Factions |
Cloak and Dagger |
Occupation |
Superhero |
Alignment |
Hero |
Claim to Fame
Connected to a string of grisly murders, Cloak is known to the police only as a potential serial killer. To the downtrodden of New York City, he is a guardian angel who removes the worst of humanity from their midst.
Reputation
Sticking as close to the shadows as possible, Cloak has managed to remain enigmatic.
Biography
Tyrone Johnson grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. He came from a poor background and lived in an impoverished area of the city. On top of that, he had a terrible stammer which impacted his ability to communicate and drew laughter from his classmates. However, despite this, he proved to be a good student, and was a 'good kid.'
When Cloak was 17, he and his best friend Billy happened to be in the wrong place during a robbery. When Billy tried to run from the area, the cops mistook him for one of the suspects. Tyrone had a chance to shout something, possibly tell Billy to stop running, or explain to the cops the situation. Instead, he simply stared while the words refused to leave his mouth. Billy was shot to death, and Tyrone left Boston in a fit of grief and guilt.
He found himself heading to New York, which was as good a place to go as any. But as a runaway high school dropout, he didn't have any chance at finding legitimate employment. Finally, he found himself hungry enough to steal, and lurked around the bus stop for an easy mark. However, when he saw another person trying to rob a helpless-looking blonde girl, his good guy impulses kicked in and he helped her fend off the robber. He found himself filled with shame when the girl bought him some food, and he resolved to do his best to be good from then on.
But his new friend was in basically the same boat that he was in, which meant they would soon be in trouble if they didn't find food and shelter. Just when things seemed desperate, they received an offer that seemed (to Ty, anyway) to be too good to be true. A mysterious man named Simon Marshall offered them food and a place to stay. Despite his misgivings, Ty accompanied his friend, if only to keep an eye out for her.
Ty's misgivings turned out to be justified. The man was using teenagers for some sort of nefarious purpose. He gave them some sort of experimental drug, and they underwent a process that none of the other test subjects had survived.
When Ty awoke, he felt as if he were hollow on the inside. He had become an avatar of pure darkness, with an all-consuming hunger for light and life. Using their powers, the two escaped, and Ty hid his now monstrous features underneath a cloak. Over the next few weeks, he began stalking the city of New York, draining the lives of the worst scum that he could find.
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Character Details
Cloak's personality is a case study in what would happen if an otherwise good kid was suddenly given the irresistible compulsion to take the lives of others in order to maintain his own existence. Due to the supernatural elements involved, such a case study would be of extremely limited use to anyone with an actual medical degree.
Essentially, Ty is a decent, shy, awkward kid who studied hard in school and wanted to make something of himself as an adult. His stammer made him bashful, but he excelled in academics and athletics. He's the kind of kid who could be so emotionally traumatized by an event like the tragic death of his friend that he would have to pack up and leave the city he was born in to escape his feelings of misplaced guilt.
But after 'the incident' that turned him into Cloak, his basic personality received a bunch of extra baggage. He has a deep-rooted need to 'snuff out' light, which extends not only to actual light but also to the life force of organic beings. He craves 'life' the way a zombie craves brains or a vampire craves blood. Additionally, he constantly hears whispers from a malignant being from the Darkforce Dimension, 'The Predator.' This being constantly attempts to coax him to commit ever greater atrocities.
Cloak is, therefore, a being of perpetual cognitive dissonance, and one who must maintain strict control over himself in order to keep the balance he's been able to find.
Darkforce |
Cloak is linked to the Darkforce Dimension, effectively serving as a conduit between our dimension and that one. He exists partially in both dimensions at the same time, only fully in one or the other under certain specific circumstances. Because the Darkforce Energy constantly emanates from inside him, he seems to be perpetually covered in shadow. Cloak feels a constant craving, and must consume the equivalent lifeforce of a human being every day (although more is always preferred). If he does not 'feed' the craving builds up until he quite literally goes out of his mind and becomes almost animalistic. Although he craves life and light energy, he can not be exposed to too much of it. Direct sunlight causes the Darkforce Energy to hide beneath his cloak, and too much light energy or life force will cause the Darkforce Energy to recoil with pain, temporarily leaving Tyrone weakened or even completely depowered. |
Mental Drain |
When a victim is drained by Cloak, they experience a mental effect separate from the physical life force drain. The freezing, unsettling sensation of being touched by the Darkforce Dimension can cause intense fright, nightmares, or insanity and can even cause a person to be permanently tainted by the Darkforce, which leaves them evil shells of their former selves. Just how strong these mental effects are depends upon the willpower of the victim. A weak-willed person who survives an attack by Cloak might need to be institutionalized for the rest of his life, while someone like Doctor Strange would probably suffer no damage whatsoever to his psyche. |
Darkfore Manipulation |
Cloak is able to manipulate the Darkforce energies that emanate from his body. These energies usually manifest as tendrils which Cloak can use to grab things or attack victims. Visually, it often looks as if his cloak is animated, stretching and engulfing his opponents. However, as Cloak exists only partially in our universe when his powers are in effect, any contact with Cloak's body is actually contact with Darkforce Energy. Cloak lacks the skill required to make intricate constructs with Darkforce Energy, using it primarily as a substitute for his hands and feet. However, he can also use it to extend his reach a good ten feet or so or to vault himself to heights he would not otherwise be able to reach. He can also use these tendrils to cushion his falls, or make him appear to be hovering off the ground. |
Intangibility |
Cloak exists partially within the Darkforce Dimension and partially within our own universe whenever his powers are in effect. This means that he can pass through solid objects at will and can avoid damage from virtually any physical attack. Energy attacks are also mostly ineffective, with the obvious exception of pure light or life force attacks. Certain types of magic, however, can damage him regardless of his intangibility. |
Teleportation |
Cloak can travel vast distances by taking shortcuts through the Darkforce Dimension. He can travel to virtually anywhere on the globe almost instantaneously in this fashion. He does not need to see where he is going, be familiar with an area, or even necessarily have a layout of the place in order to teleport there. Given his intangibility, teleportation is usually safe regardless of where he goes, but he doesn't ever accidentally teleport into solid objects anyway. He can transport inanimate objects with him by engulfing them within the folds of his cloak. Using this technique, he can serve as an effective cargo transport. However, because most people can't be exposed to the Darkforce Dimension without suffering severe injuries to either mind or body, and Cloak is unable to offer passengers any sort of protection, this puts a severe restriction on the amount of people he could potentially carry. Only the very brave should attempt to hitch a ride with Cloak, without some sort of shielding. |
Life Force Drain |
Cloak keeps madness at bay by draining the life force from victims. When touching a living being, Cloak automatically begins to absorb their life force. The victim feels this as a freezing sensation, which is usually enough to cause a victim to involuntarily withdraw if the touch was accidental, or begin fighting to get away if it was not. A full recovery is still possible at this point, but the freezing sensation can leave the victim decidedly unsettled. Touching Cloak for more than a few seconds will result in the victim feeling as if he is being drained. During this stage, fighting becomes especially frantic. Recovery is still possible at this stage, but the victim will probably feel weak for some time after the attack. Eventually, within about twenty seconds, the victim becomes a lifeless husk. Obviously, at this point recovery isn't really an option, but resurrection might be if their insurance covers that.
Characters with more life force energy than normal human beings possess differing types of immunity to Cloak's draining powers. If they are trained to control their chi, they might be able to prevent Cloak from draining them at all. If they are trained mystics, potential victims might actually be able to cancel the Darkforce Dimension's effects on them. Or in the case of very healthy or energy-powered characters, they might simply have so much life force that they are able to 'spare' more energy than Cloak can drain in one sitting. In the latter case, these characters might barely notice the effects, or might be able to shrug them off fairly quickly depending on how much 'extra' life energy they have or how superhuman their vitality is. Excessive life force might actually cause Cloak's Darkforce tendrils to retract as if they were exposed to direct sunlight. However, the typical person with normal vitality is drained in the fashion described above. |
Good Student |
Tyrone was a good student when in school. He has an inquisitive mind, and a genuine thirst for learning. He has even been known to read a book every now and then. People are often pleasantly surprised to hear a 'monster' quoting Emily Dickenson. |
Boston |
Tyrone was born and spent the majority of his life in Boston. His family and his friends are still there, many of whom are worried about him. Should he ever return there, he would know his way around town with the proficiency of a native, and probably have plenty of potential couches to crash on if he should require them. |
Craving |
Cloak's mind is constantly influenced by the Darkforce Dimension. More specifically, there appears to be an entity within the darkness who Cloak knows only as 'The Predator.' This being is always whispering in Cloak's ear, telling him to feed on the life force of others. In order to satiate this craving, Cloak tends to drain the life force from the truly despicable, which necessitates patrolling every night. If he avoids 'feeding' for too long, the craving intensifies until he can no longer control it. Eventually, regardless of how hard he fights, Cloak will always give in to the craving. |
Light/life |
When exposed to direct sunlight, or a source of light as intense as natural sunlight, the Darkforce Energy which surrounds Cloak is forced to withdraw, manifesting only within Cloak's cloak. This makes him unable to use his Darkforce Manipulation powers to create tendrils of darkness. His ability to drain victims is also lessened, but anyone entering the folds of his cloak will still feel the same effects as always. If the source of light is intense enough, it can cause the Darkforce Energy to fully withdraw, effectively depowering him. This causes Cloak to exist fully within our world, and therefore makes him susceptible to all of the frailties of a normal person. It also effectively cuts off his gateway between here and the Darkforce Dimension, which makes him unable to teleport. Exposure to intense light can actually leave him depowered for some time afterward. Therefore, Cloak doesn't do much superheroing during the day.
The same thing happens when exposed to too much life force, chi, or vaguely-defined 'light magic energy.' The Darkforce Dimension reacts to things which cause it pain, and will simply react by closing the conduit (ie, Cloak) rather than suffer. |
Hunted |
The people who were involved in Cloak's transformation are still out there and are almost certainly still interested in either harming him or using him for some purpose. Additionally, since escaping, he has been patrolling the streets and draining criminals of their life force. This can't be good for his public image and will almost certainly bring him into conflict with somebody. |
Stammerer |
Tyrone Johnson speaks with a very noticeable stammer when not empowered by the Darkforce. This makes it difficult for him to communicate, and in times of stress he can find it virtually impossible to get a single word out. |
Runaway |
Tyrone left home because of the guilt he felt over the death of his friend. Ever since the experiment which changed him, he has been perpetually on the run, and superheroing doesn't usually pay much. He is basically homeless as a result, finding whatever shelter he can and stealing food when he can't rely on the kindness of strangers. |
Guilt |
Since the day his friend died, Ty has been racking up guilt points like a champ. At his core a very gentle, good-hearted person, he has been draining the life from some of New York's criminal population. Even though these people are usually scumbags, this still takes a toll on him, and he spends a lot of time brooding about the bad things he has done. |
Image |
A hooded figure wrapped in a dark cloak. A weird, otherworldly voice that chills people to their cores. Tendrils of shadowy energy. Cloak does not look the part of a hero by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, he is usually mistaken for some sort of monster. It doesn't help that when people see him fully empowered he's usually on the prowl for the life force of criminals. |
Dropout |
Ty ran away before completing high school. All the intelligence in the world won't help him hold down a job if he can't show a potential employer a diploma. |
Relationships
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Name |
Relation |
Information |
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Character Name |
Friend |
Insert a description of the relationship here. |
Notes
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