So, while poking about the Virtue wiki, I found a variety of interesting characters(and looked up a few Legendary ones), which led me to this question: what
would be some of your favorite "making of" stories for you characters?
For me, well, everyone knows the story about Silicon Sabre, aka Sylia. Saw the costume part, said "could we?" and the avalanche started.
Sell-Sword, however, was probably more interesting. His motivation is profit, pure and simple, and super-villainy just isn't profitable in his long run
analysis. However, this outlook is something of a mutation from his original concept. A friend and I were discussing DnD and he noted his great distaste for
the concept of Drizz't Du'orden, the first of many, many "good" Drow, which watered down the concept of such a well-designed evil
society/race to the point that more people think of "how can I make a good Drow" than "how can I make an interesting evil one?", thus
hammering the concept into the ground.
Proto-Sell-Sword was born of the desire to balance the two, essentially making him a Drow that was an upstanding member of his own race, but liked by good
characters....he plays the True Neutral card to the hilt, not being unnecessarily cruel or backstabbing because it'd aggravate potential customers/allies
that he could manipulate later. By contrast, he's a "good" Drow, but his actions aren't rooted in morality, but aggressive self-interest. He
plays the "good guy game" because playing that well keeps heroes off his back, not because he wouldn't appreciate torturing a defeated foe for
the heck of it.
However, the lack of a good DnD group to create the character for meant that the concept remained in my head for the foreseeable future, until I got into CoH.
The Drow mentality made Sell-Sword a former mercenary, with few moral scruples, and his pragmatism(and the game's salvage function) meant he became a
rather mercenary character even as a hero. He realizes he won't be a Lord Recluse or a Nemesis, and thus contents himself with living the good life off the
profits of "do-goodery", while his lack of moral fiber means he gets jobs from clients other heroes would soon spit in their face as touch(Crey, the
Family, the Tsoo). He works with Riot Force because it's an up and coming group whose loyalty to their membership will keep him safe if he pisses off the
wrong people(and, to be frank, he doesn't see it as "good and evil", so why not hang out with people he likes for his own reasons?). Betraying
them loses that, so he won't turn turncoat, but if he gets some money to turn a blind eye and not notify the group of something going down,
well...that's not technically violating his contract with Riot Force...they can't prove he knew about it ahead
of time.
Thus, you have the long and twisted mental track that led to the modern Sell-Sword. So what's your story?
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."
would be some of your favorite "making of" stories for you characters?
For me, well, everyone knows the story about Silicon Sabre, aka Sylia. Saw the costume part, said "could we?" and the avalanche started.
Sell-Sword, however, was probably more interesting. His motivation is profit, pure and simple, and super-villainy just isn't profitable in his long run
analysis. However, this outlook is something of a mutation from his original concept. A friend and I were discussing DnD and he noted his great distaste for
the concept of Drizz't Du'orden, the first of many, many "good" Drow, which watered down the concept of such a well-designed evil
society/race to the point that more people think of "how can I make a good Drow" than "how can I make an interesting evil one?", thus
hammering the concept into the ground.
Proto-Sell-Sword was born of the desire to balance the two, essentially making him a Drow that was an upstanding member of his own race, but liked by good
characters....he plays the True Neutral card to the hilt, not being unnecessarily cruel or backstabbing because it'd aggravate potential customers/allies
that he could manipulate later. By contrast, he's a "good" Drow, but his actions aren't rooted in morality, but aggressive self-interest. He
plays the "good guy game" because playing that well keeps heroes off his back, not because he wouldn't appreciate torturing a defeated foe for
the heck of it.
However, the lack of a good DnD group to create the character for meant that the concept remained in my head for the foreseeable future, until I got into CoH.
The Drow mentality made Sell-Sword a former mercenary, with few moral scruples, and his pragmatism(and the game's salvage function) meant he became a
rather mercenary character even as a hero. He realizes he won't be a Lord Recluse or a Nemesis, and thus contents himself with living the good life off the
profits of "do-goodery", while his lack of moral fiber means he gets jobs from clients other heroes would soon spit in their face as touch(Crey, the
Family, the Tsoo). He works with Riot Force because it's an up and coming group whose loyalty to their membership will keep him safe if he pisses off the
wrong people(and, to be frank, he doesn't see it as "good and evil", so why not hang out with people he likes for his own reasons?). Betraying
them loses that, so he won't turn turncoat, but if he gets some money to turn a blind eye and not notify the group of something going down,
well...that's not technically violating his contract with Riot Force...they can't prove he knew about it ahead
of time.
Thus, you have the long and twisted mental track that led to the modern Sell-Sword. So what's your story?
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."