Background

Early Life

Kendrick’s grandfather, Richard Clifton Mason was a lieutenant in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Since he and his wife could not conceive, they adopted an orphan Korean boy named Jihun whom Richard rescued during his tour. The loving couple raised Jihun, now Michael, as their own child.

Michael Jihun Lee Mason grew up in New York City and eventually became a CIA agent working in Hong Kong to gather valuable Chinese government information during the 1970s. There he met Victoria Clark, a British MI6 operative who was also working in a similar capacity. The two paired up and successfully extracted valuable information for their respective nations. They fell in love and married a few years later. The married couple relocated to Los Angeles. Michael continued his work in the CIA while Victoria found a new position as a British liaison to the agency.

A couple of years later, wanting to raise a family, Victoria retired from her position while Michael reduced his field work with the CIA to concentrate on his family. Kendrick was born at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center two years later. Eight years after Kendrick’s birth, Michael retired from the CIA when both his parents passed away. Richard had left his successful engineering company to his son who converted the company into what is known today as Synergy Technologies.

Kendrick attended the most prestigious private schools where he excelled in both academics and athletics. From an early age, Michael knew Kendrick was special and pushed his son as far as he could by supplementing Kendrick’s studies with private tutors. He was very popular in school, especially with the ladies and used his connections with these future industry leaders to forge SynTech into a dominant global player when he legally took ownership later in life.

Outside of school, Kendrick trained in multiple forms of martial arts and combat styles by leading experts in those fields. Michael heavily emphasized fencing and swordsmanship of various styles and traditions. Hyun Kyu Park, a renowned Korean martial arts teacher, was Kendrick’s private trainer. Initially Hyun refused but upon meeting Kendrick, he sensed the young boy was unique and after speaking with Michael he agreed to train Kendrick. By the time Kendrick graduated high school (as valedictorian), he was an expert in hand to hand combat but his primary skill was handling a sword.

At Stanford University, Kendrick continued his excellence in academics and sports, playing Division 1A football and baseball. He graduated with honors with a degree in Psychology and many expected him to enter professional sports. Instead, he entered the military as a commissioned officer.

Military Life

His superior officers were immediately impressed with Kendrick’s skill and intelligence. He seemed very ambitious and enrolled in the U.S. Army Special Forces Qualification Course at age 22 and successfully completed the course in two years.

During his time with the Green Berets and Delta Force, Kendrick was involved in multiple covert missions throughout the world, in some cases involving superhuman combatants. He achieved the rank of Major and also earned advanced degrees in Psychology and Criminal Psychology. Kendrick was honorably discharged by the U.S. Army after 11 years of service (7 years with Special Forces; 4 years with Delta Force).

Defining Point

A year after leaving the Army, two critical life events occurred in Kendrick’s life. Both his father and his long time mentor, Hyun died within the span of two months. Hyun died peacefully in his sleep and Kendrick was grateful he was able to speak with his longtime mentor before his death. His father on the other hand was killed in a horrible automobile accident when he was returning home from a business trip.

After the death of his father, Kendrick finally learned why he was pushed hard to hone his mind and his martial skills. Michael had left a priceless sword for him. When Kendrick gripped the blade, everything changed. Michael had discovered the weapon during his mission in Hong Kong when he met Victoria. He knew of the sword’s power and in death he knew the sword would be passed onto a new master. Michael made sure Kendrick would gain possession of the blade and would be prepared to use it wisely and with great effect.

Silverblade

Immediately Kendrick had suspicions regarding his father’s death. Using his investigative skills, he learned Michael’s death was planned. A highly secretive assassin’s guild known as the Red Hand (five fingers represented each member), orchestrated Michael’s death in order to retrieve the Sword of Terra. Once they learned Michael had passed on the sword to Kendrick, the group pressed their attack against him and his mother.

Using his superpowers and training, Kendrick subdued the group but they refused to quit in battle. They would track and hunt him and his mother relentlessly. It was then Kendrick knew there was only one way to be free of the Red Hand. He slew all five members of the Red Hand and ended their quest to retrieve the fabled blade.

His experience with the Red Hand convinced him to keep his new identity a secret. He knew villains and criminals would always try to use his loved ones as leverage against him. Kendrick wished to deny them of that power. He began his hero career in Los Angeles and apprehended a serial killer who was dubbed the Dollmaker with the help of the LAPD. Since then, he has travelled all over the world to combat crime in all its facets.

Appearance

Kendrick is half Caucasian and half Asian, blessed with good genes from both sides. He is generally considered very handsome by most accounts with facial features resembling his mother but having a physique similar to his father. He has a toned, athletic body with moderate musculature due to his constant workout regiment and his superhuman regeneration. Aware that he is often in the public’s eye, he is often seen wearing exquisite tailored suits at all times, with or without a tie. His idea of casual wear would be jeans, oxford shirt and blazer.

As Silverblade, he wears a custom dark grey stealth body armor suit. Designed by Scott Hughes, the body armor is a flexible weave of super strong material that provides protection to small arms fire and blunt force trauma. His boots are for rugged work and his gloves come with sensors connected to his goggles. On his head is a helmet that looks like a mask but is in reality made of a hard composite material that offers greater protection than his body suit. Goggles cover his eyes and offer him additional tactical information. Slung across his back is the Sword of Terra in its scabbard. A utility strap and belt holds numerous pouches carrying various gadgets for use in the field.

Personality

Behind the mask, Silverblade is a cold and calculating warrior. He is quietly efficient and focused, rarely showing any bravado or arrogance. Direct and blunt to most, to those whom he knows and trusts Kendrick softens his personality. Silverblade is renowned for his unwavering moral compass, something villains often try to exploit but fail. His sense of justice is strong and will do what is right even at the cost of great sacrifice.

When not donning a mask, Kendrick is a very personable man. He is confident like most of his financial stature and avoids demeaning or belittling others. Intelligent, full of wit and humor, he is quite capable and comfortable in a social setting but prefers more quiet and intimate circles. His social status forces him to attend extravagant events but he is widely known by the jet set as the one who politely leaves the party to finish his evening at home.

His true personality is a mixture of both his masked identity and his public identity. Kendrick is a pragmatic man with a good heart. He is kind and caring with a great deal of empathy towards others. But he understands his particular career prevents him to have deep personal relationships. He has meaningful relationships with his support staff but those were developed out of necessity. A romantic relationship would be a personal choice which would potentially put his work at risk. It is why he has such a hard time committing to anyone because he believes it is just too dangerous. As a result, he sees himself a bit as a martyr, sacrificing his life for the benefit of others.

Powers

Silverblade’s powers are derived from a variety of sources. He is a meta-human capable of supernatural regeneration with superhuman abilities and senses. His weapon, the Sword of Terra, is a powerful magical artifact. He has trained countless hours perfecting his fighting skills as well as his skills as a detective. He wears an advanced technology stealth suit and employs various high tech gadgets and equipment. All this is by design as it allows him to counter all types of villains and criminals, whether they are magical, technological, specially trained or superhuman.

PRIMUS and UNTIL have basic information regarding Silverblade’s powers and abilities including their general limits and power levels. They would not have knowledge of specific weaknesses and vulnerabilities nor do they know his true identity.

The Sword of Terra

The Sword of Terra is an ancient blade forged when magical energies on the planet were coalescing. These magical energies combined with the energies of the earth, formed the blade. The sword and the Earth are forever linked; if the planet were to be destroyed, the sword would lose all its powers. Throughout history it took on the shape of an exquisitely crafted blade most suited to its master. Currently, it holds the shape of a single edge sword like a katana and is the primary weapon of the hero Silverblade. Even to the most casual observer the sword seems extraordinary and magical.

The sword is made of undetermined mystic metals and other rare alloys. The weapon is impervious to all damage and cannot be broken. It never seems to lose its keen edge and has been documented to easily cut through modern heavy armor plating. Its most impressive power is its ability to take on the material properties of any substance that will be most efficient against a particular foe. For example, against werecreatures, the sword acts as a silver weapon even though the blade is not made of silver.

The sword only functions for its owner. Anyone other than the owner using or holding the blade will find it dull and unbalanced. The magical blade will take on a new master when the old one has died. Once the sword is transferred to a new master, it reshapes itself to best suit its new master.

The Sword of Terra cannot be lost. Even when forcibly separated from its owner, it can be called and retrieved. When called, the blade will return to the hand of the master through speedy levitation and/or teleportation. Distance is not a factor.

The Sword of Terra cannot harm its owner. No matter how hard someone tries, the owner of the blade cannot be cut or stabbed by the blade, even if it requires the sword to teleport away from its current position. If the weapon is burning hot or freezing cold, the master of the blade can hold it without harm.

Regeneration

Silverblade’s meta-human physiology provides him with an accelerated healing factor. His body will rapidly heal him of any wound or damage at astonishing rates. Even damage to vital organs or amputations will eventually be regenerated without reattachment. Short of complete annihilation or disintegration, he will eventually fully heal although it may take a long time. As a result he is unable to have piercings or tattoos as they are eventually healed or absorbed.

His regenerative powers also makes him highly resistant to disease, fatigue, drugs, alcohol, toxins and other influences that may weaken him physically or mentally. In addition, his healing factor has stunted his aging. Silverblade has not aged since his 28th birthday.

He rarely tires as his body cells are constantly rebuilding. Silverblade can survive without breathing for extended amounts of time and can survive hostile environments such as space without the aid of protective suits for a short time.

Extraordinary Physical Attributes

Physically, Silverblade can perform abilities well beyond peak human potential. He is super strong (lift around 10 tons) and is blindingly fast and agile with a reaction time equally superhuman. He is capable of leaping long distances and his body and skeleton is superhumanly durable and resilient to absorb punishment of hard impact from such travel without damage. This durability also functions in combat where wounds that would typically cripple or incapacitate most people would just be shrugged off by Silverblade.

His superhuman regeneration has also affected his mental capacity. Since his brain cells are supercharged and no longer deteriorate, Kendrick is able to process and retain information at a superhuman level. It is reason why he has mastered so many combat skills along with his other advanced academic knowledge in such a relative short time.

Extraordinary Senses

Silverblade’s senses are also beyond the parameters of normal human beings. All his senses are highly acute making him very intuitive and aware of his surroundings. He can focus upon a single sense making it even more sensitive and powerful. He is capable of fighting in complete darkness using his sense of hearing and smell to provide him with tactical information. These super senses can be turned on or off at will due to his extensive chi training.

Weaknesses

Although Silverblade has some great powers and abilities, he also has some specific weaknesses that can be exploited by a clever villain. These weaknesses are not common knowledge and to date only one of Silverblade’s nemesis know of his vulnerabilities and she would never make them public knowledge.

Sensory Overload

Because Silverblade has highly acute senses, they can be used against him. Due to his masterful control of his powers, he can adjust the sensitivity of his senses but if he is caught unaware or off-guard, he can be disoriented or even rendered unconscious by overloading his senses.

Right or Wrong

Silverblade has an unbreakable moral compass with a strong sense of right and wrong. He will never kill his opponent unless he absolutely has no other option. He will not settle for a questionable solution due to convenience. He is a man of his convictions and a clever villain may be able to exploit this trait.

Frost Vulnerability

Skills/Abilities

Kendrick has had a wealth of training since he was a child. He was born and raised to be a very effective and dangerous field operative. Because of his excellent focus, intelligence, athleticism, drive and determination, Kendrick was an ideal student and as a result has a collection of skills and talents that few have in the world.

Martial Arts

Kendrick trained in martial arts at a very young age. As a teenager, he was privately trained by a very talented and knowledgeable teacher. He has mastered a wide range of forms and styles but his training with a sword is peerless. He can easily be considered one of the finest swordsmen in the world.

His training in a multitude of martial arts also affected his mental fortitude. Kendrick is an iron will and psionics will have a difficult time trying to control his mind. In addition, combined with his extraordinary senses, this training has made his perception beyond human levels and illusions and other methods of mind play generally fail against him.

Academics

Kendrick attended Stanford University and received a degree in Psychology. He continued his studies and has advanced degrees in Psychology and Criminal Psychology making him a keen investigator and profiler. In addition, he has extensively studied chemistry, physics and engineering.

Besides English, he is fluent in Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, Arabic, Russian, French and Spanish. He also is well versed in world cultures and can blend in almost anywhere.

Military

As a former U.S. Army Special Forces officer and later in his career a part of 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Delta Force), Kendrick is a highly trained combat soldier. His specialty was counter-terrorism, infiltration and hostage extraction. In addition to his Special Forces and Delta Force training, Kendrick is also a very skilled pilot with experience piloting helicopters, jet fighters and heavy armored vehicles.

Although he generally does not carry firearms, Kendrick is well versed in modern weaponry and is an extremely accurate marksman. This marksmanship translates well into his ability to throw his kunai spikes with amazing precision.

Equipment

Silverblade uses a number of high tech equipment to augment his powers and skills. His general set of equipment that he carries is listed below. On special assignment, he might have additional tools for a specific purpose or advantage. All his equipment is designed by Scott Hughes.

Stealth Combat Armor

Comprised of a unique weave of specialized polymer blend, the suit is light, flexible and resilient. Its molecular structure is incredibly stable preventing tears and ruptures. It easily fends off small arms fire and edged attacks. The bonding structure also absorbs kinetic energy and spreads it across the suit giving the wearer great protection against blunt force trauma. A secondary lining provides extreme temperature resistance and insulation that also functions against electrical shock.

Advanced Optics Mask

Silverblade wears a rigid full mask with matching goggles. Because the mask is rigid, it offers significantly more protection than his suit. In addition, it contains a secondary layer of psionic dampening material that provides extra protection against mental intrusions. Unfortunately it also prevents benign telepathic communication as well. The goggles have advanced optics that allows telescopic, full spectrum, thermal imaging vision. It can also record point of view video and audio data. The helmet contains radio, satellite and laser communication systems. Satellite relays also allows him to access data and information through the Synergy computer network and is displayed on his goggle lens.

Electrical Pulse Generator

Silverblade’s belt buckle can fire off a spherical electric pulse to subdue groups of attackers in close proximity to him. The weapon takes a few seconds to charge up and it cannot be used constantly as it is run by fuel cells that get depleted with repeated use. The electrical wave also serves as a form of EMP, short-circuiting electronic equipment that falls within its radius of attack.

Due to how the weapon works, those standing close to Silverblade (literally standing up against him), will not be affected by the blast.

Grapple Gun

To be used in multiple situations, Silverblade carries two grapple hooks with launchers attached to a 50 foot high strength tensile line.

Kunai Knives

Silverblade carries numerous throwing knives of various materials and effects. Explosive, homing tracker, silver, cold iron, flashbang, smoke, EMP types are just some of the possible varieties.

Wasp Gravity Bike

Silverwing Fighter

Support Characters

Silverblade can’t do it alone. He has a few people in his life that he trusts implicitly. Not only are they there to offer him emotional and mental support but they also provide valuable knowledge and skills that allow Silverblade to be the hero he is today.

All these people know Silverblade’s true identity and background. They each provide value skills and resources to aid him in the field.

These people are also the main reason why Silverblade guards his secret identity fiercely. He would tear apart the world in order to save and protect these few individuals and would gladly sacrifice his own life for theirs. They are his greatest vulnerability but any villain who would use them as bargaining chips would bring the full wrath of Silverblade upon them.

”Minerva” Chloe Fontaine (NPC)

In her public role, Laura Bishop is Kendrick’s personal assistant. As Minerva or Minnie, she is his mission guide and operator. Minerva is an extraordinary hacker and computer specialist who works behind the scenes, collecting information and data for Silverblade while he is on the field. Silverblade’s comlink communicates directly to her station and often, she is his sole companion during his long nights patrolling West Side.

Laura is an attractive young lady with flowing dark hair and blue eyes in her mid-twenties. She is a French national and speaks French, English and Italian fluently. She has a mischievous personality and keeps Silverblade entertained with her sarcasm and snarky remarks. Laura also flirts mercilessly with Scott.

”Vulcan” Scott Hughes (NPC)

Scott is one of SynTech’s top researchers and engineers. He is also responsible for Silverblade’s high tech gadgets and equipment. When Minerva is unavailable, Vulcan takes her place as Silverblade’s mission controller and operator.

Scott is a geek at heart. He loves science fiction, fantasy and plays video games. He does not look like a stereotypical geek though. Silverblade’s encouragement and influence drove Scott to the gym and he is very physically fit. Unfortunately he is also very socially awkward. Graduating from MIT at the tender age of 16 prevented him from developing socially.

He is slightly older than Laura and he continues to be her favorite punching bag with her flirtations and snarky comments. But deep down they are good friends, dedicated to Silverblade’s cause and most likely attracted to one another but unable to express them openly.

”Apollo” Dr. Timothy Coles (NPC)

Dr. Coles is the CEO of SynTech and handles all of Kendrick’s finances. He was also very good friends with Kendrick’s father. He originally headed one of SynTech’s biotechnology companies researching the meta-human gene. When Michael Mason was killed, Kendrick was able to lean upon his shoulder. Eventually, Kendrick promoted him to the position of CEO of SynTech where he continues to expand the company’s influence and success.

Dr. Coles never had children of his own and sees Kendrick as one of his adopted children. Besides his mother, there is no one in the world who loves and cares for Kendrick more than Dr. Coles.

”Juno” Victoria Elizabeth Mason (NPC)

Victoria is Kendrick’s mother and a former MI6 agent. She is Kendrick’s foundation and support because she understands the risks he takes every day to be a hero. Victoria tries to live a quiet simple life in her country estate near York but she still manages to perform some freelance work for MI6 to much chagrin of her son. Due to her connections with MI6 and the British government, Victoria has access to extremely high clearance secrets and documents.

Rogue's Gallery

DOLLMAKER

Dr. Aimee Farrell was once a promising research scientist before a freak lab accident disfigured her beautiful face. The trauma of the accident, compounded by her dysfunctional childhood, brought upon her insanity. Unfortunately, the accident also granted her tremendous telepathic and mind control powers which she used as a tool for vengeance.

Silverblade encountered her in Los Angeles and it was his very first criminal case as a hero. With his detective skills, he managed to find her but was captured. Using her psionic skills and her chemistry training, she managed to siphon a portion of his healing factor allowing her to heal her face. The side effect of the procedure also linked their minds and as a result, Dr. Farrell and Silverblade have full knowledge of each other up that point in time.

She was captured with the help of the LAPD but later escaped. Dr. Farrell is still very insane and knows of Silverblade’s true identity but will never reveal or acknowledge this information. Her twisted mind fell in love with Kendrick during their mind link and her only goal is to claim him for herself.

She has been diagnosed as criminally insane and will do almost anything to gain Silverblade’s attention. Ironically, she also tends to subconsciously sabotage her criminal plans to garner Silverblade’s approval.

RED HAND

The original Red Hand organization consisted of five top tier professional assassins. Their goal was to retrieve the Sword of Terra but missed their opportunity when Kendrick’s father, Michael claimed it first. They tried again after orchestrating his death only to learn that Michaels’s son Kendrick now owned the fabled blade.

They believed they could easily defeat Kendrick only to learn he was even more formidable than his father. They hunted him for months and ultimately threatened the life of Kendrick’s mother. Unable to find a non-lethal solution, Kendrick dueled each of them, slaying them all.

The new Red Hand is led by Drakken, the son of the leader of the original assassins. His thirst for vengeance is great. Unlike the original Red Hand, the new group is comprised of meta-human assassins. They are unaware of Silverblade’s true identity but know he is responsible for the death of the original Red Hand. They seek to face Silverblade in combat and defeat him to restore their honor.

THYRM

Thyrm is a fae, a troll to be precise. He is immensely powerful and due to his many millennia of war, is an incredible warrior. He carries a magical double headed axe that can cut through steel and has frost like abilities. He cannot be killed outside the Fae realm. Thyrm was defeated and banished back to his world but he bids his time when he can return to Earth to face Silverblade, his banisher once again.

Trivia

• Kendrick is a classically trained pianist and can also sing and play the guitar.
• He is a car and motorcycle enthusiast and has an impressive collection of classic cars and motorcycles.
• A decent cook but not world class, Kendrick particularly likes spicy foods.
• When ordering pizza, he likes having anchovies included with his other toppings.
• He drinks beer and other types of liquor even though alcohol has no effect on him.
• Due to his work, he is rarely committed to any serious romantic relationships but he does have a tendency to be attracted to blondes.
• He sees choices as right or wrong, not black or white, which is a significant difference to him.

Notes

• Unless discovered some way, almost all the information provided on this page is purely OOC, except for Kendrick’s public personae. Please do not metagame or godmode using information on this page if you wish to roleplay with me. If you think your character may know some information (former spy, soldier…etc), then let me know and we can discuss what information may be available.

• Due to the limitations of the game, Silverblade is seen as fighting with his katana at all times. He has enough superpowers, as well as his training, that typical thugs and low grade villains do not pose a real threat to him. In these cases, he would simply incapacitate them with his martial arts skills and not use the blade at all. The blade is only used when he encounters foes that are very powerful requiring a powerful weapon to defeat them. In all cases, he tries very hard not to kill anyone but he understands sometimes it is unavoidable.

• Silverblade is inspired by characters like Batman, Wolverine, Captain America, Black Widow, Snake Eyes, Miyamoto Musashi and Blade. He is also modeled after some of my old fantasy characters from my tabletop days who typically at some point could be recognized by a familiar weapon of power.