¶ Lizbeth Locke
- Age: 115 (36)
- Rating:
P7S-M0 - Preferred Schools: N/A
- Known Schools: N/A
¶ Public Bio
Lizbeth Locke, world renowned mercenary and shameless womanizer, has led a very interesting life. An expert with not just firearms, but also bladed weapons, it has been rumored that the dynamic woman is unkillable. Scoffing at the idea, all she has ever said on the subject is that she's better at living than her enemies are at killing her. Considering some of her rumored exploits, however, many find that hard to believe.
Recently, Liz has taken an 'early retirement'; much to the frustration of her former clients and enemies alike. Buying a medium sized estate in a relatively well known city wasn't exactly subtle, but it fit Liz's flamboyant lifestyle. To make matters even more interesting, she's started surrounded herself with a collection of some of the most interesting people she's ever crossed paths with. No one quite knows what she's up to, but considering some of the residents of her house... she has enough "talent" on hand to start a war... or end one.
¶ Abilities
¶ Note on Rating
Because of the nature of her abilities, it's difficult to actually test their upper limits. Normally 'immortality' would have bumped up her rating, but a few well-places bribed made sure to get it listed simply as an extreme healing factor, keeping her rating low. She prefers to be underestimated.
¶ Physical Enhancement
Lizbeth exhibits your standard super-hero package of abilities. She has at least 2x the strength of a strong human and 4x the reflexes of a normal human. Her strength seems to depend, at least a little on the situation, or how much effort she's putting in. As a general rule, if she were a Marvel character she could arm wrestle Captain America or Thor, but not the Hulk.
Additionally, she has a healing factor, but her rate of healing is related to the amount of damage she's taken. She will heal cuts and scrapes at an accelerated but not unreasonable rate; a day or so. A broken arm will take days not weeks. Cutting off a limb will take weeks. Killing her, on the other hand... that gets interesting.
¶ 'Unkillable'
"You've heard 'nature abhors a vacuum'? Well, it's like that, but with a person."
If Liz is killed, she will eventually return. The time depends on several things. First, if the damage she's taken is enough that it can be handled by her healing factor, then she simply heals until she's alive again.
Often, however, she will take enough damage from (or be completely destroyed by) something. In these circumstances, she will be spontaneously created ex nihilo. When this occurs, the parts of her that were attached pre-destruction will disappear.
Some magics and/or methods of destruction can delay her return. For example, keeping her just at the edge of life will hold her in limbo perpetually. If she is killed with Light magic, she will take roughly twice as long as normal. If she is killed with Dark magic, she will be back twice as fast.
¶ Weapons Proficiencies
Liz is proficient with most weapons. She as experience with almost every firearm manufactured in the last hundred years, as well as impressive skills with swords. She has two modern manufactured (and magically imbued) short swords she uses on occasion, though her primary weapons of choice are two heavily modified pistols that she had an almost supernatural accuracy with.
¶ Martial Expert
While she doesn't have an official ratings, Liz is considered a master of a half-dozen martial arts and has made her living off being an expert at hand to hand combat. Many people have claimed she's the closest to a real-life super hero, and she takes that as a source of pride
¶ Infiltration
Despite her flamboyant nature, she's actually very skilled in social engineering and infiltration. She has full etiquette training and can fit perfectly in a high-classed setting, assuming she wears a wig or dyes her hair. She's impersonated a helpless high-class hostage on a few jobs, to great success and surprize.
One of her biggest sources of pride is that on several jobs she's done, no one's ever been able to figure out how she got in or out. She says she will take those secrets with her to the grave.
¶ Prescience
Something that Liz has told very few people about (two exceptions being Simon and Emerwyn) is that she has prescient visions. She has always taken these visions to be warnings; hints from the universe that terrible things are about to happen and she is the only one who can stop them.
Over the years, these visions have driven her to some pretty extreme (and lonely) ends. She feels compelled to at least attempt to right the wrongs she sees in these visions, and sometimes they can become almost like an obsession.
¶ Rules
Liz's visions follow some very strick rules.
- Liz ALWAYS sees through someone else's eyes.
- She doesn't know (intrinsically) whose eyes she is seeing through.
- She has seen herself in these visions before.
- She has, once or twice, been killed by herself.
- What Liz sees will ALWAYS happen.
- Any attempt to stop what she sees always ends up with the event happening anyway.
- The more she attempts to avoid the event she sees, rather than what the event is telling her, the more the universe seems determined to punish her for her hubris and the more painful the end result is without fail.
- Liz is limited to the perspective of the person she is seeing through.
- She is limited to just the senses the person she's seeing through possesses. (If they are blind, she won't see anything, if they are def she won't hear anything, if they have the abilit to read auras, she'll see the auras of those in the vision, etc.)
- Any attempt to stop what she sees always ends up with the event happening anyway.
- What she sees is ALWAYS in the future.
- She may see the same vision multiple times.
- The more frequently she sees the vision, the closer it is.
- The vision stops repeating once she's solved whatever problem the vision was warning about.
- She will NEVER see the same even from multiple angles.
- Once she thought she did; instead she saw a murder and then a copy-cat murder six months later, where the killer staged the scene to be exactly like the first killing, believing himself to be the reincarnation of the murderer (whom she killed).
- Her visions are ALWAYS cliffhangers, i.e. no definitive conclusion to the problem is ever seen.
- Whever terrible thing her vision is warning of CAN be avoided.
- If she ignores a vision, she will live the moment over and over again until it happens, at which people she will live the moment at the exact same time as it happens. After which she's free.
- Sometimes the strain of the vision, in the moment, is so much, it actually kills her.
- The "problem" of the vision is SOMETIMES unclear.
- She has thought she knew what she was supposed to avoid, only to find out later she was wrong.
- The person she sees through ALWAYS meets violence.
- While it almost always ends in death, the person could just be unconscious and near death, or maimed, or brain damaged...
- Liz ALWAYS looses her sense of self in the moment; she is the person she sees through.
- She feels whatever terrible thing happens to them as if it had happened to her.
- Often it can take her minutes or hours after a vision to remember who she is, and mentally distance herself from the vision.
- Liz can NEVER force a vision.
- External attempts to force or bind this ability result in Liz seeing a vision of the person making the attempt's violent death, generally by her hand.
- All other rules still apply, meaning if you attempt to gain control of this ability, you will die. There are NO exceptions.
- External attempts to force or bind this ability result in Liz seeing a vision of the person making the attempt's violent death, generally by her hand.
¶ Keeping it hidden
Because of the nature of this ability, and what has happened to people who've learned of it and attempted to control it, Liz no longer talks about it, or tells people about it. The only people who know about it are the ones who've been close enough to her for long enough to have had to experience it.
It's not about trust for her. Rather, it's about protecting everyone from what she sees as a burden only she needs to bare.
¶ History
Liz was born in the year 1907. Her family were wealthy business owners in New York at the turn of the century. Liz was a debutante, raised with proper etiquitte and to be the perfect well-bred young woman. She bristled under that, often escaping to her Uncle's farm farm for days or weeks at a time. It was there she learned useful skills, including how to shoot a gun, hunting, and basic survival. Her Uncle also forced her to learn the things her parents wanted, too. That was the deal; she could go be a tomboy all she wanted out on the secluded farm, but only if she learned the things her parents wanted her to know and behaved while home.
She felt bad; she had this haven, but her brother had little interest in the farm. Instead, her Uncle gave Simon books on all sorts of things, including science and occult things. That was the best he could do for the boy. She couldn't do anything, but be his punching bag when they were home together. It was the least she could do for her brother, she felt.
¶ Her First Death
One day his venting went too far and he accidentally strangled Liz with shadow tenticles. Simon broke and hours later Liz woke up with her brother covered in blood and several members of the staff having been killed. They never told their parents what really happened, playing it off as an attack. To this day, not even Simon knows everything, he blacked out. However, since this day, she has been unable to truly die. (Even when killed by an Nephilim.)
¶ Unnaturally Long Life
She and Simon both realized they weren't aging at the same rate as others by the time they were both in their late thirties but looking like they were barely mid twenties. Simon realized, for him, it was a function of his Dark Magic. He could move his age along the spectrum however he wished. For Liz, however, she simply aged slower. (At 38 she honestly looked barely 21.)
¶ Mob Work
The family business went under durring the Great Depression, as did her Uncle's farm. He died from a combination of malnutrition, and the flu, and her father and mother died in a break in. Simon and Liz were left with nothing, no family, no money, and only their kills to survive.
The first thing Liz did was track down the person who killed her parents. She wanted to kill him, but Simon calmly pointed out she could just turn him in for a reward. She did, and they were able to eat decently that night. So, she started picking up odd jobs that her skills made her well suited for and got herself a job working for an organized crime family. She was good, and despite not being an actual member of the family, they couldn't argue with her results, so she quickly became their primiere enforcer. Before she knew it, she'd spent the last 30 years as a mercinary. It was at this point she decided to stop working for other people, and start working for herself.
Her mob family didn't exactly want to let her go, but none of them felt like they could take her, so she walked away clean.
¶ Independent Work
From then on, Liz has sold herself as an independant who takes jobs that others either can't or won't do. She charges people based on who they are. It's not unheard of for her to do a job for free if someone is desperate and she believes in their cause; she's also been known to set up trusts for young kids she's helped get out of terrible situations. But she also will charge millions for jobs when the clients are people who can afford it.
She has worked for all 5 of the UN Security Council member countries, sometimes against other Security Council members. She is well known by most major organizations; all three letter acronym organizations try to maintain friendly relations with her. Once, in the 80's, the KGB decided she was a threat and put a hit out on her; her response was to show up at KGB Chairman Vladimir Kryuchkov's doorstep the next evening. They shared a very expensive bottle of vodka, and had a pleasant chat. She left and the KGB left her alone until it was dissolved in 1991.
¶ Retirement
For the last two years, Liz has been 'semi-retired', not taking many jobs. People have started rumors that she's finally feeling her age, that she just looks young, but actually has be come a frail old woman. She finds these funny, since (near as she can tell) she's just stopped aging entirely.
She's been encouraging the rumors of her retirement, so that it gets to the ears of the people she wants to think she's out of the game. Those same people might just make the mistake of assuming that means she'll be an easier target.
¶ Relationships
¶ Jonathan Simon
Liz and Simon have a complicated relationship. Their family was a relatively wealthy going into the 1920s, meaning Liz was expected to be the perfect debutante, while Simon was expected to learn the family business (textile manufacturing). Both of them bristled under their respective roles, often taking their frustrations out on the other one, since taking them out on their parents wasn't an option.
Simon demonstrated his affiliation for dark magic when he was 10. By the time he was 12, he's learned he could terrorize the family staff, never letting his parents know what he was up to. Liz, on the other hand, had no defense against him either, but she could threaten to tell their parents what he really was. One day, his taunting of her went too far and he accidentally strangled her with his shadow tenticles. Holding his sister's lifeless body in his arms broke Simon. He'd never intended her any lasting harm; he'd always loved his sister, he just also knew she was the one person strong enough to take whatever he dished out.
To this day neither of them really know what happened. But Liz woke up hours later and three of the staff were basically just piles of flesh. Simon was covered in blood, passed out on the floor. She assumed there'd been an attack and called for their parents and a doctor. The Simon Murders were never solved, but many years later Simon confessed to being willing to do whatever it took to bring Liz back. He honestly doesn't know what he did; he blacked out. But he has no doubts he killed those staff.
It was after this that Liz exhibited her inability to die, and after that, her physical abilities. However, she'd had her presience before this, so neither of them is exactly sure if whatever Simon did brought her back, or if her abilities were always there and he killed those people for nothing. Each has their own prefered version of the story.
Since that time, however, Simon and Liz maintained their outward warring attitudes, with the understanding that they will drop anything for the other one with no questions asked. Simon belittles her and she curses his name, but they are the single most important person to the otherone and they will do anything for each other. (There have been incidents where Simon has been in deep trouble and just laughed in the face of whatever person or creature was stupid enough to kick his ass; Liz always shows up at the right moment and lays waste to whatever it was. He's only been able to return the favor once or twice, but the two of them love the chance to fight back to back against impossible odds.)
¶ Invitation to Locke Estate
After Liz had her vision, she explained to Simon what she thought she needed to do, and that it was a vision. She didn't tell him the while thing, but he knew better than to ask when she didn't want to share. So, after she outlined the basics of what she wanted, he proposed building a house on some land he'd aquired. The entire concept (which he nicknamed 'Bedlam') was his.
¶ Emerwyn Achenson
Liz and Emerwyn met when Emerwyn was just 18. Emerwyn was training with the Olympic Fencing team, and their coach brought in a guest that he claimed was an expert at 'almost all bladed weapons'. Liz demonstrated her ability to beat the coach handily, and asked the trainees if any of them felt like fighting her. Emerwyn, knowing she could also beat the coach challenged Liz and won. Impressed, Liz confessed fencing wasn't really 'her thing' and asked Emerwyn if she'd fight according to SCA rules, rapier vs short swords. Emerwyn agreed, and Liz demolished her. Even now, Emerwyn refers to that as the most bitter defeat she's ever had. To this day, Emerwyn has still never beatten Liz, despite spending nearly 15 years challenging her ever few months.
Needless to say, Liz was impressed by the young woman, especially her tenacity. Liz gave her special training, and while there was flirting between the two, Liz never made a move, something Emerwyn thought odd, considering. (Emerwyn had already realized she was demi, but the chance to inform Liz never seemed to come up.)
It was when Emerwyn was 23 that she realized Liz was more than what she claimed to be. First off, it'd been five years and Liz looked no older. She looked at photos and couldn't see any sign of aging. What's more, she'd slowly put together what Liz did for a living. Wanting Liz to finally acknowledge her, she started learning infultration techniques and security systems, hoping to be prove herself useful to Liz on her jobs. Another few years later and Emerwyn had landed a very good job in the field as a penetration expert. She was hired to harden an existing security system, which they were going to have tested be 'an outside expert'. The expert ended up being Liz, and once Emerwyn worked that out, she specifically built the system to defeat her. The two of them played cat and mouse with various tweaks to the system and infiltration attempts for two months without actually being in the same room. Finally, once the contract was done, Liz showed up at Emerwyn's door with the former's favorite chineese food and they didn't leave Emerwyn's apartment for the enxt three days. Both of them consider that the absolute best sex they've ever had with any other partner, period.
Emerwyn wanted very badly to date Liz, and while Liz tried it, things quickly spiraled. Emewyn was heart broken and there were a few years the two avoided each other and Emerwyn became involved with a man at her work. Liz showed up again, warning her about this man, claiming he wasn't who he appeared to be, that really he was in the same line of work as Liz and Emerwyn's company was his mark, but she didn't listen. Once he finally showed his true colors, it was too late. Emerwyn was black-listed from the industry, her public reputation ruined, and she was left with nothing, save for her (rather sizeable) personal assets.
Liz made her job offer the next day. Emerwyn's only condition was that they'd life together. Liz explained that, actually, that's part of the idea, but not how she might want it. Emerwyn accepted that and the two agreed to be open about their feelings for one another, but Emerwyn wouldn't try to force Liz to be monogomous, as long as she got Liz at least some of the time. Liz agreed.
Thing are still complicated between the two of them. They both readily admit to be in love with the other one, and Emerwyn would accept a proposal at any time. But, she's clear on two points: Liz would have to propose, and Liz would have to agree to a (mostly) monogomous relationship. Liz wishes she could agree to the vary concept of being in a relationship, but just can't. She loves Emerwyn so much it hurts, some days, but she just can't bring herself to do it. Emerwyn knows both things, and does her best to accept it.
¶ Invitation to Locke Estate
Emerwyn was the first to be recruited because Liz was in love with her, but also is bad at managing her own money. She needed someone to do that, so she put Emerwyn in charge of that years before the Locke Estate was even built.
¶ Fhadiana Fletcher
Fhadiana and Liz met at a low point for both. Liz and Emerwyn had broken up about a year earlier and Liz still wasn't taking it well. She took a job to collect a magic Tome from a collector of rare books, who'd been unwilling to part with it. Liz quickled realized this strange, skitish girl kept the book with her at all times, so she decided a direct approach was warrented. A little mild threatening and... well, the Tome didn't exactly hold back. Liz hadn't been vaporized before, it was a learning experience.
A week later, Liz's employers had assumed her dead and attempted to collect using anothe group. Liz showed up before the Tome could activate and maimed a few of them, before convincing the others to leave before the died a horrible death. Fha was freaked out that she'd returned, but Liz was able to explain the situation and told Fha that she'd make sure the contract was canceled. She didn't explain to Fha that she did that by killing her client after they refused to listen to reason.
Liz was pretty broken inside and Fha saw someone willing to put themselves on the line to do the right thing; she admired Liz and wanted to thank her. So, she gave Liz a place to stay, 'until she got on her feet'. Liz didn't tell her she could easily buy the whole city block, if she wanted; it was honestly true that she didn't have a house at that point in time.
The two became friends, with Liz dragging Fha around on some of her crazy adventures, but through that the two developed a deep trust. While Liz would make comments about it 'being a shame' Fha wasn't interested in women, Liz never once tried to seduce the wizard. Fha deeply appreciates that, because, if she's honest with herself, there's a chance she could have succeeded. Not that Fha harbors any romantic or lustful feelings towards Liz, but rather that she wasn't strong enough to say no if Liz insisted. Both of them know it would have been a terrible thing if Liz had persisted.
Liz did eventually move out, but when she did, she'd gotten over a lot of her issues regarding Emerwyn. Liz also left because her presence was starting to be dangerous that simply letting Fha be. Idiots had mostly stopped taking an interest in Fha's Tome; it was bound and could kill anyone who came for it. People started to believe those rumors, so it was time to move on. Still, they kept in contact, and kept up their freindship.
Neither woman feels the need to flaunt their friendship, especially since it's a bit of an oddcouple thing. They both secretly like that no one realizes how deep their friendship runs, and so they make a game out of pretending to be strangers sometimes. Neither is quite sure why, but they both find it amusing.
¶ Invitation to Locke Estate
After Liz had decided to assemble people, Fha was top of the list, after Emerwyn. No one else knows that Fha was, technically, the second to be invited, but Fha knows, and that's enough. Fha didn't say yes immediately, however, and only relented a few years later once she and Miranda were an item and Miranda was invited too.
¶ Miranda Collins
Liz met Miranda through Fhadiana. After Liz had moved out, she got a letter (yes, a letter!) from Fha, explaining she needed help. Romantic help. A friend of hers had kissed her and she didn't pull away, so they were dating now, right? Liz dropped everything in order to both help her firend, and see this hilariously naive trainwreck.
Meeting Miranda, Liz instantly was wary. The daughter of the Hekate was not someone Liz felt Fha should get involved with, but Fha didn't know any of that. So Liz started spending time getting to know the cop, even working a few cases as a consultant. She liked what she could see, and even more liked how much of an effort Mir was making to make things work with Fha, despite both of them being super confused at the 'liking girls' thing.
Liz and Mir have mutual respect for each other. They trust each other deeply, but they have only just started to form a real friendship. Liz is still a bit standoffish, and Mir questions Liz's intentions with Fhadiana, though also admits that's probably just her jealous nature, combined with frustration at how easily Liz navigates her own queerness.
¶ Invitation to Locke Estate
When Liz proposed Mirand move in, the idea seems crazy. But then yet another attept on Fha happened, and Miranda felt like there was little choice for Fha. She could take it or leave it, but once Liz showed her the kind of facility she could build for doing her Magitech research, Miranda agreed, on the condition Fha came too.
¶ Ginerva MacKenzie
If you asked Ginerva how she and Liz met, you would get a very different story than if Liz told it. Neither of them is entirely correct. For that, you'd have to ask Simon, and he probably wouldn't tell you. Or if he did, he'd probably lie.
The true story dovetails with Simon and Ginerva's rather tumultuous relationship. One of the many complaints against Simon as a romance partner is the fact that he is not very good at showing affection. Ginerva, though she'd deny it, actually craves affection and affirmation. This combiation of oil and water didn't mix well. But, Simon did care deeply about her. When he found out she'd gotten herself in way over her head, he had to do something. Unfortunately, if he intervened, that would make him look like he cared too much. So, instead, he asked his sister for a favor.
From Liz's perspective, Simon asked her to do a job for him. Some former associates of his were going to make a trade; a powerful magical item for something... he didn't get the details, but didn't care. She'd have to dress up and get her own invite to an upscale party, but that was something she was used to.
A few hours into the party, Liz finds out the exchange is going down in a back room. She sneaks in to break up the party, when she finds that the 'something' Simon didn't care about was wa short blonde woman with a foul mouth. Liz takes the girl and the item Simon wanted and dumped them both on his doorstep three days later with a note pinned to her shit that said "You owe me. Waaaay more than usual."
It was in that awkward three days together that Liz learned about Ginerva and Simon being an on-again-off-again couple, her genius at genetic engineering, and her penchant for pissing off anyone and everyone. Liz didn't think much about the weird blonde for a couple of years, until Simon mentioned her. Planning for the Estate was already happening, and Simon casually mentioned that, without assistance, Ginerva would probably be dead or in jail in a few weeks time. She'd finally gone too far.
What Simon didn't know was that while they weren't friends, Ginerva and Liz had remained in contact, with Ginerva making attempts at returning the favor. Not that she felt she owed the mercinary, but just because she didn't want Liz thinking Ginerva owed her or anything.
Liz and Ginerva are too much alike and Ginerva is too broken for the two of them to have a normal friendship. Ginerva is weirdly flirty with, but often scared of Liz. She isn't actually interest in Liz (or women in general, outside of the thrill of it being taboo) but that hasn't stopped the two from probably having slept together. There's always a lot of drinking, so Liz isn't honestly sure.
¶ Invitation to Locke Estate
When Liz offered to help Ginerva out, again, the scientist refused. She said she'd rather die or rot in prison than get help from Liz. Liz nodded said that's nice, and started asking Ginerva to make a list of lab equipment and facilities she'd need so she could get the contractors on it. Ginerva blinked and Liz explained not only is her help not something that can be refused, but she was moving in with a bunch of other geniuses in their fields. She could get over it, pack her shit and move gracefully, or Liz would pack it, tie her up and throw her in the trunk. Ginverva countered by packing up the things she cared about, tossing Liz a rope and saying, "I'd prefer not the trunk, but I'm down if you want to tie me up." Liz smirked, took the rope, bound and gagged her, and then threw her in the trunk anyway.
¶ Ezekiel
Liz and Ezekiel's story is a complicated one. She was protecting a young woman that Ezekiel had been sent to kill. Accourding to him, it was "Heaven's Will" the woman die. Liz gave everything she was to save the girl, being killed by Ezekiel dozens of times. She stood no chance. But each time she did just enough to thwart him.
Finally, he informed Liz if she didn't relent, He'd make it so she never returned. She didn't. He killed her. He killed the girl. And Liz didn't return.
Five days later, Simon set a trap for Ezekiel, capturing him and stripping him of his power. Simon informed the Nephilim that he would remove a thirty-second of an inch from the angel's left arm each day until Liz returned. Oh, he'd torture him in other ways, certainly, but those tortures would be as the mood struck him.
Eight hundred days later, Liz woke up in a dingy basement, looking at Ezekiel strapped to a board, covered in blood, missing his entire left arm. Simon, also covered in blood was putting down a knife. Ezekiel just said, "Huh." Simon calmly explained the situation, and Liz rather coldly told Simon to stop cutting on him. But to also leave him there. She then proceeded to make sure the building above them was empty and collapsed it in on him. She then stole a cement truck and poured it into the ruins.
Two years later, Liz ran into Ezekiel on the street. He had two arms again, and looked perfectly normal. He walked past her without even looking at her, but at the exact moment the crossed paths he simply said, "Sorry."
Since then, Ezekiel has, as Liz likes to put it, 'become an apostate'. He doesn't consider himsel an 'angel' any more, and he's tried to help people rather than being a sword of 'justice' or 'vengence'. Liz has come to trust him to do the right thing and protect people worth protecting. They aren't friends, but they both respect each other.
¶ Invitation to Locke Estate
Ezekiel is Liz's trump card. She always planned on inviting him, but didn't accept him to take her up on the offer. Crypically, when she asked, he said, "I know your visions. I'll live in the attic. When the time comes, I'll be where you need me." That was all Liz got out of him, and he has made no effort to explain since.
It should be noted, she's the only one who can come and go in his attic room as she pleases, though Fhadiana can enter if she asks. No one else can.
¶ Hessa Charon
Liz met Hessa for the first time at Ignite while waiting for Simon, a week before the events of Chapter 1. (This story is actually told in Chapter 2.) A week later, she goes to see Hessa's show, meets her afterwards, and informs her that she's coming home with Liz. Intrigued, Hessa ordered them drinks and the night proceeded as Liz intended.
The events following are told in the comic.
¶ Linore Charon
The events of their meeting are told in the comic.