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Red Raven
Strength 6x |
Agility 4d |
Intellect 3x |
Willpower 6x |
Known Powers:
Longevity: though he is otherwise a perfectly normal human, the Red Raven seems to have something of an age suppression factor, for he is just as spry as he was during his time with the Liberty Legion. This may simply be a result of advanced medical science available within the Aerie, but the Red Raven nonetheless has this power at least at intensity 1, though his eventual lifespan is as of yet unknown.
Equipment:
Mace: over the last couple of years, the Red Raven has risen to command of the Aerie and those who dwell within it. As such, he has taken to using a kingly (to him) weapon, which is basically a large, spiky steel ball on a stick - though it may actually be a custom-built, one-piece item. Either way, he can use it as a +2 weapon while engaged in melee.
The Red Raven Suit: his primary claim to fame, the Red Raven suit is the vehicle by which Red Raven fights evil and participates in the actions of Aerie society. Though it is a construct, and thus marks its wearer as something less than a true native of the Aerie, Red Raven wears it with pride, as it allows him to fly at a respectable speed, and has several other useful functions. They are:
* Flight: the primary ability of the Red Raven suit is, well, its ability to fly. It can carry Red Raven at an approximate speed of intensity 5; while the suit acquires lift via anti gravity generation, it needs Red to flap the wings in order to generate forward movement. This is still rather fast, mind you, and I'd call this about ninety miles per hour.
* Body Armor: the suit is also proof against small attacks like pistols and such, adding a +2 modifier to Red Raven's inherent protection from attack. Furthermore, Red Raven can use his wings as an additional shield, adding another, +3 modifier to his armor. Of course, this is a challenging Agility action for him while he is in flight (but he can still try it).
* Pinion Pistols: hidden within the pinion 'feathers' of the Red Raven Suit's wings, these twin guns fire to inflict +3 damage, based upon Red Raven's Agility score of 4. Alternately, Red Raven can bludgeon a body with the barrels of these pistols, inflicting +2 damage (as long as he is within striking distance of his target, of course).
Hindrances:
(none)
Skills:
Aerial Combat: having spent a lifetime flying about in the air, Red Raven is naturally rather skilled in airborne fighting techniques. Having honed his skills with the citizens of the Aerie for years and years, Red can use his Agility to resolve battle actions instead of his Strength, and he uses his Agility instead of his Intellect to resolve the order of action declaration while conducting aerial combat.
Calling:
Explorer, later Protector, finally Majesty: when he began his adventuring career, Red Raven was exploring the world, having no experience with it until he'd arrived. Later on, in modern times, he served only as the protector of the Aerie, since its inhabitants were all supposedly in stasis. Finally, he acts solely in their best interests as their leader.
Costume:
The Red Raven wears a primarily red suit with red wings, boots, gloves, and a partial mask (head covered, but face exposed). It is complemented with yellow stripes on the ends of his boots and gloves, a yellow belt, and yellow 'Y' straps running from the front center of his belt to his wings. Lately, however, Red Raven has taken to not wearing a mask, allowing his long red hair to flow free.
Personality:
Back in the Golden Age, the Red Raven was portrayed as an inexperienced, yet extremely willing hero, more than ready to put villains in their place. In his later years, he has gone to great lengths to protect the people that he has come to lead, going so far as to actually invade the 'surface world' in order to ensure that the Aerie's citizens can live a normal, peaceful life.
Real Name: unrevealed
Occupation: adventurer
Legal Status: no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: none known
Group Affiliation: the Liberty Legion, the Invaders, leader of the Aerie
Height: 6'
Hair: red
Eyes: blue
Weight: 180
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: none
Story:
Many, many years ago, one of the earliest trans-Atlantic flights disappeared into a dense cloud-bank, never to be seen by humans again. While it was thought that the plane had crashed into the ocean, it had in fact collided with the Aerie, a floating island created and maintained by an offshoot race of Inhumans, all of which wished to isolate themselves from both the Inumans and regular humanity.
Everyone on the plane died, save for one lucky youth that the natives decided to raise as one of their own. As he lacked wings and the physical structure necessary for flight, these citizens of the Aerie made for him an advanced flight suit that gave him abilities similar to their own. However, the youth eventually wanted to experience his own kind, and left the Aerie to meet them.
This youth eventually landed in America, and decided to make it his home away from home. During World War II, the young hero (having taken the name Red Raven) happened upon a German plane flying high over Pennsylvania, and decided to do something about it. However, when he boarded the plane, he was laid low by a blow to the head, but was eventually rescued by the Thin Man.
This hero, also changed during a chance encounter with a hidden civilization, defeated the villains who downed the Red Raven, and saved him from an untimely end. Once these Germans were dealt with, the two heroes then responded together to a call for help from the well-known sidekick of Captain America - Bucky - who needed help to save the captured Invaders!
Arriving in New York to help in any way they could, Red Raven and Thin Man joined the nascent Liberty Legion to save America from a mind-controlled group of Invaders. After several battles up and down the east coast, the Liberty Legion finally cornered and freed the Invaders. After this encounter, the Liberty Legion continued on as heroes who fought internal troubles, while the Invaders battled evil abroad.
Over time, though, the two teams sort of blurred into one big group of heroes, fighting super-threats much more effectively. Thankfully, however, the second World War eventually ended, and many of the heroes in this rather large assembly of such were no longer needed to keep the peace. As such, the Red Raven returned to the Aerie a changed man, much wiser about the ways of the outside world.
Years later, the Red Raven launched a campaign to hide his people from humanity, first by putting them in suspended animation and then faking the destruction of the Aerie itself during a conflict with Namor the Sub-Mariner, feigning insanity all the while. This plan worked, and noboby was even aware that the Aerie continued to exist, guaranteeing years of further solitude.
However, due to the machinations of the Condor, a rogue Aerie scientist, a large array of Aerie technology had fallen into human hands. He was captured by Nova during his latest scheme, and his equipment had been confiscated. In order to recover this gear, as well as to generally punish humanity for polluting the skies that house the Aerie, the Red Raven led his citizenry into battle.
He'd taken to leading them in the years since his return, and thought that his was the best way to protect his people. However, a short time after this attack had begun, the Red Raven was confronted by Nova, the Human Rocket, who convinced him that warfare wasn't the way to ensure a peaceful future for the Aerie. Taken in by the young hero's restraint, Red Raven then took his people home.
His activities since this incident have yet to be detailed.
Using Red Raven in other stories:
This is quite simple. It was believed that, until very recently, the Red Raven and the people of the Aerie were killed in the explosive destruction of the Aerie during a conflict with Namor, the Sub-Mariner. However, it was revealed that this was a ruse perpetrated by the Red Raven to protect his people (who he's come to lead of late) from humankind.
The weird thing about this, the really weird thing about this, however, is that a new, female Red Raven had supposedly appeared in a single tale somewhere during the last ten years, which makes this a bit more complicated. This could mean that there are two Red Ravens running about, one being the original and a second thinking that the first is 'still' dead.
Only time will tell...
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