Post by Nightcrawler on Jun 30, 2006 0:06:29 GMT -5
Name: Kurt Wagner
Codename: Nightcrawler
Affiliation: X-men
Age: 33
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 161 lbs
Hair Color: Indigo
Eye Color: Yellow
Appearance:
Unlike most mutants, Kurt’s mutation was evident at birth, given away by his dark blue skin, yellow eyes, pointed ears and long, pointed tail. His three-fingered hands and feet tipped with two toes — all with thick yellow nails — gave further evidence to his differences, and his teeth soon grew in as sharp fangs that appeared better suited for tearing than chewing. His entire body is covered in short, soft fur approximately the same consistency as a deer pelt that, unless viewed from up close, still has the appearance of skin, and his head is topped with a mop of curly indigo hair kept wild by Kurt’s normally acrobatic movements.
Nightcrawler’s body is thin and athletic with definition usually concealed by his clothing. He is covered in self-inflicted scars in the shape of angelic symbols passed on to humans by the angels; Kurt discovered the symbols as a child in the records of the nearby monestary in Winzeldorf. The swirling markings line his upper body, arms, hands and long face, extending just above his waist.
Kurt can usually be seen dressed in subdued colors. He is almost never without his long dark brown leather coat, and he usually wears a leather vest of slightly lighter brown over a long-sleeved shirt; vertically striped pants of faded burgundy and sienna with flared bottoms conceal most of his odd feet. His X-Men uniform is of the same design, but the material is the traditional black with dark red striping running across it. A small rosary can always be found hanging from his belt.
Personality:
Soft-spoken and kind, Kurt is at first shy, accustomed to being judged by his appearance. He is non-confrontational and prefers to remain hidden in the background around people he doesn’t know. Once he is familiar with someone, Kurt is nearly a different person; he is intelligent and quick-witted with a well-developed sense of humor, and he enjoys small practical jokes so long as they won’t actually injure anyone. He is talkative and insightful and enjoys the company of others.
Kurt is a pacifist, preferring nonviolent solutions to any problem. He has become begrudgingly accepting of the fact that sometimes violence is a necessity for self-defense, but he will not strike first and he refuses to kill. A Catholic, Kurt tempers the strict dogma of the church with compassion born of his struggles because of his severe mutation. He is extremely tolerant of others, though he is hard on himself, having carved one angelic symbol for every sin he has committed that he considered severe enough; he has since given up this religious self-mutilation, believing that God desires creation as opposed to destruction.
Powers and Abilities:
Nightcrawler’s primary mutation is teleportation, allowing him to travel almost instantaneously between locations. This is accomplished by traveling through a parallel dimension; a puff of brimstone-scented blue-black smoke from the dimension’s atmosphere appears at both the departure and arrival points. Teleporting also creates a small explosive noise, often described as sounding like “bamf,” when air rushes in to fill the vacuum upon departure or is displaced on arrival. An unconscious extrasensory perception keeps Kurt from teleporting to places he cannot see or has not seen before, though this ability is limited and he can override it. This perception also prevents him from materializing partially or entirely inside solid material, an experience that would prove fatal; liquids and gases are displaced on arrival.
Kurt’s teleportation is limited by distance, and the strain is greater the farther he travels. His teleporting is strongest when traveling north-south with the planet’s magnetic field, and he can successfully teleport approximately three miles in those directions; teleporting east-west or vertically decreases his range to approximately two miles. He is also able to teleport other objects or people along with himself by physical contact, though the limits of how much mass he can teleport are currently untested. Any inertia he has upon departure is retained upon arrival, but he can lessen his momentum by teleporting short distances in the opposite direction.
Nightcrawler is able to cling to solid surfaces with his hands and feet. He can also become nearly invisible in shadow by unconsciously manipulating the ever-present portal to the dimension he travels through to teleport, causing light to bend around him.
Nightcrawler is an Olympic-level acrobat; he has a flexible spine, allowing him to perform contortionist-like movement and remain in a crouched position for long periods of time with no adverse effect. He is skilled at hand-to-hand combat and, thanks to his training at the circus, is a master of fencing, which he can even perform with his tail. His tail is also strong enough to support his entire body weight hanging upside down.
Weaknesses:
While he can teleport frequently, Nightcrawler is not immune to fatigue. Teleporting long distances and with increased frequency tire him faster, and teleporting additional mass, be it inanimate objects or other people, can exhaust him. Teleporting is known to make passengers feel weak and nauseous, and on longer jumps both Kurt and whoever accompanies him have been known to pass out upon arrival.
History:
Kurt Wagner’s life truly began when he was found floating in a river in the Black Forests of Bavaria and was taken in, despite his freakish appearance, by a gypsy woman, Margali Szardos. Taken to the small Bavarian circus where Margali worked as a fortune teller, Kurt was raised by the entire circus, never formally adopted by anyone. The members of the circus had no prejudices against “freaks,” and Kurt trained and grew with Margali’s natural children, Stefan and Jimaine, the three becoming the best of friends. Kurt’s natural agility lent well to circus life and he soon became the star attraction, acrobat and trapeze artist; audiences assumed he was simply performing in a demon costume, and he became known as the Incredible Nightcrawler. Growing closer to Jimaine, the two began a romantic relationship.
After many successful years, the small circus drew the attention of Texas millionaire Amos Jardine. Jardine ran a large circus in Florida, and he quickly purchased Kurt’s circus with the intent of using the best acts in his shows. However, he imprisoned Kurt and placed him in the circus freak show, keeping him drugged so he couldn’t escape. Eventually freed by a young boy from his humiliating months-long imprisonment, Kurt threatened Jardine into being a better owner who was more sensitive to the needs of his performers.
Running away from the circus, Kurt made his way back to Germany only to find that Stefan had gone mad and had brutally murdered several members of a small village, Winzeldorf, near his former home. Kurt attempted to fight Stefan to a standstill, hoping to stop the horrible rampage, but accidentally broke his friend’s neck in the struggle. The villagers of Winzeldorf discovered Kurt as he stumbled away from the fight and assumed he was a demon responsible for the killings. They attempted to corner him, but he managed to escape and fled into the forest.
Deciding to leave Germany again, Kurt made his way back to the place where the small Bavarian circus had once stood so he could explain Stefan’s death to Margali, but he was unable to find either Margali or Jimaine. Kurt made his way back to America with a heavy heart and holed himself up in a church in Boston, tacking up a few posters as memoirs of his former life. It was here that he was captured by Col. William Stryker who, through the use of a mind-controlling substance, had Kurt attempt to assassinate the president, believing that his teleportation would be an invaluable skill as a mutant assassin.
After being jolted out of his controlled state, Kurt made his way back to Boston only to be found for a second time, this time by Storm and Jean Grey. After a very brief game of “hide and seek” that ended with a very anxious and immobilized Kurt, he agreed to travel with the two X-Men and meet with Professor Xavier.
His journey with them continued as it was revealed the mansion had been attacked and Stryker had taken Xavier, Cyclops and a handful of students captive. With the location of Stryker’s hidden base revealed through a scan of his mind, he assisted at Alkali Lake, helping Storm rescue the children Stryker had taken captive and teleporting Xavier out of the path of falling debris inside the mock Cerebro.
After the death of Jean he agreed to stay and help with the inevitable aftermath. He was uncomfortable with the often required use of violence, however, and after a two-month trial he declined Xavier’s offer to remain as an X-Man and left the mansion.
Wandering from belfries to church attics for months and stealing food he needed to survive, Kurt was shaken by the revelation of a possible cure for his appearance, but in the end, he decided that he could do more for the world exactly as he was. Unaware of the professor's passing, he returned to Xavier’s in the hopes of helping only to find it in chaos; believing he had found the purpose he was looking for, he joined the X-Men permanently. Along with his duties at the mansion, he has taken to searching through genealogic records, hoping to discover some clues to his past.
Sample Post:
Kurt knelt on the cushion before the crucifix on his wall and reverently crossed himself; shutting his eyes and folding his hands in front of him, he let his mind stretch for the peace he had been so accustomed to in his life before all this.
Was I ever so calm? Or was my life ever so simple? It seemed so long ago that his small circus home had been snatched up by Jardine; that was when everything seemed to begin. Everything had fallen apart with that simple transaction.
And yet, here he was in his own room, something that he couldn’t remember having before. Even as the star performer in the circus he had shared a room with Stefan in the Szardos cabin.
His hands drooped slightly, still held against each other in front of him. My family. It had been far too long since he had lit a candle for them; there had been so much to take his mind away from the past. But there are too many loose ends that have been left untied. Oh Margali…
Laughter from outside his window snapped Kurt from silent reflection. Glancing out he caught sight of students running in the sunlight toward the baseball field, carting their equipment along behind them. A small smile slid across his features and he turned back to his crucifix. God has given me a new family now, a new place.
Bowing his head, he let his lips form familiar words, sinking into the words of his prayer. “Vater unser im Himmel, Geheiligt werde dein Name. Dein Reich komme. Dein Wille geschehe, wie im Himmel so auf Erden. Unswer tägliches Brot gib uns heute. Und vergib uns unsere Schuld, wie auch wir vergeben unsern Schuldigern. Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung, sondern erlöse uns von dem Bösen. Denn Dein ist das Reich und die Kraft und die Herrlichkeit in Ewigkeit.”
The word amen was barely on his lips before he heard an ominous, far-off cry from the baseball diamond followed swiftly by the crash of a window downstairs. Crossing himself again, he glanced up at the cross with an amused and pleading expression on his face. “Mein Gott, gibt mir Stärke,” he muttered before teleporting downstairs to see just what damage had been done.
(I'm Crypt, just so everyone knows.)
Codename: Nightcrawler
Affiliation: X-men
Age: 33
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 161 lbs
Hair Color: Indigo
Eye Color: Yellow
Appearance:
Unlike most mutants, Kurt’s mutation was evident at birth, given away by his dark blue skin, yellow eyes, pointed ears and long, pointed tail. His three-fingered hands and feet tipped with two toes — all with thick yellow nails — gave further evidence to his differences, and his teeth soon grew in as sharp fangs that appeared better suited for tearing than chewing. His entire body is covered in short, soft fur approximately the same consistency as a deer pelt that, unless viewed from up close, still has the appearance of skin, and his head is topped with a mop of curly indigo hair kept wild by Kurt’s normally acrobatic movements.
Nightcrawler’s body is thin and athletic with definition usually concealed by his clothing. He is covered in self-inflicted scars in the shape of angelic symbols passed on to humans by the angels; Kurt discovered the symbols as a child in the records of the nearby monestary in Winzeldorf. The swirling markings line his upper body, arms, hands and long face, extending just above his waist.
Kurt can usually be seen dressed in subdued colors. He is almost never without his long dark brown leather coat, and he usually wears a leather vest of slightly lighter brown over a long-sleeved shirt; vertically striped pants of faded burgundy and sienna with flared bottoms conceal most of his odd feet. His X-Men uniform is of the same design, but the material is the traditional black with dark red striping running across it. A small rosary can always be found hanging from his belt.
Personality:
Soft-spoken and kind, Kurt is at first shy, accustomed to being judged by his appearance. He is non-confrontational and prefers to remain hidden in the background around people he doesn’t know. Once he is familiar with someone, Kurt is nearly a different person; he is intelligent and quick-witted with a well-developed sense of humor, and he enjoys small practical jokes so long as they won’t actually injure anyone. He is talkative and insightful and enjoys the company of others.
Kurt is a pacifist, preferring nonviolent solutions to any problem. He has become begrudgingly accepting of the fact that sometimes violence is a necessity for self-defense, but he will not strike first and he refuses to kill. A Catholic, Kurt tempers the strict dogma of the church with compassion born of his struggles because of his severe mutation. He is extremely tolerant of others, though he is hard on himself, having carved one angelic symbol for every sin he has committed that he considered severe enough; he has since given up this religious self-mutilation, believing that God desires creation as opposed to destruction.
Powers and Abilities:
Nightcrawler’s primary mutation is teleportation, allowing him to travel almost instantaneously between locations. This is accomplished by traveling through a parallel dimension; a puff of brimstone-scented blue-black smoke from the dimension’s atmosphere appears at both the departure and arrival points. Teleporting also creates a small explosive noise, often described as sounding like “bamf,” when air rushes in to fill the vacuum upon departure or is displaced on arrival. An unconscious extrasensory perception keeps Kurt from teleporting to places he cannot see or has not seen before, though this ability is limited and he can override it. This perception also prevents him from materializing partially or entirely inside solid material, an experience that would prove fatal; liquids and gases are displaced on arrival.
Kurt’s teleportation is limited by distance, and the strain is greater the farther he travels. His teleporting is strongest when traveling north-south with the planet’s magnetic field, and he can successfully teleport approximately three miles in those directions; teleporting east-west or vertically decreases his range to approximately two miles. He is also able to teleport other objects or people along with himself by physical contact, though the limits of how much mass he can teleport are currently untested. Any inertia he has upon departure is retained upon arrival, but he can lessen his momentum by teleporting short distances in the opposite direction.
Nightcrawler is able to cling to solid surfaces with his hands and feet. He can also become nearly invisible in shadow by unconsciously manipulating the ever-present portal to the dimension he travels through to teleport, causing light to bend around him.
Nightcrawler is an Olympic-level acrobat; he has a flexible spine, allowing him to perform contortionist-like movement and remain in a crouched position for long periods of time with no adverse effect. He is skilled at hand-to-hand combat and, thanks to his training at the circus, is a master of fencing, which he can even perform with his tail. His tail is also strong enough to support his entire body weight hanging upside down.
Weaknesses:
While he can teleport frequently, Nightcrawler is not immune to fatigue. Teleporting long distances and with increased frequency tire him faster, and teleporting additional mass, be it inanimate objects or other people, can exhaust him. Teleporting is known to make passengers feel weak and nauseous, and on longer jumps both Kurt and whoever accompanies him have been known to pass out upon arrival.
History:
Kurt Wagner’s life truly began when he was found floating in a river in the Black Forests of Bavaria and was taken in, despite his freakish appearance, by a gypsy woman, Margali Szardos. Taken to the small Bavarian circus where Margali worked as a fortune teller, Kurt was raised by the entire circus, never formally adopted by anyone. The members of the circus had no prejudices against “freaks,” and Kurt trained and grew with Margali’s natural children, Stefan and Jimaine, the three becoming the best of friends. Kurt’s natural agility lent well to circus life and he soon became the star attraction, acrobat and trapeze artist; audiences assumed he was simply performing in a demon costume, and he became known as the Incredible Nightcrawler. Growing closer to Jimaine, the two began a romantic relationship.
After many successful years, the small circus drew the attention of Texas millionaire Amos Jardine. Jardine ran a large circus in Florida, and he quickly purchased Kurt’s circus with the intent of using the best acts in his shows. However, he imprisoned Kurt and placed him in the circus freak show, keeping him drugged so he couldn’t escape. Eventually freed by a young boy from his humiliating months-long imprisonment, Kurt threatened Jardine into being a better owner who was more sensitive to the needs of his performers.
Running away from the circus, Kurt made his way back to Germany only to find that Stefan had gone mad and had brutally murdered several members of a small village, Winzeldorf, near his former home. Kurt attempted to fight Stefan to a standstill, hoping to stop the horrible rampage, but accidentally broke his friend’s neck in the struggle. The villagers of Winzeldorf discovered Kurt as he stumbled away from the fight and assumed he was a demon responsible for the killings. They attempted to corner him, but he managed to escape and fled into the forest.
Deciding to leave Germany again, Kurt made his way back to the place where the small Bavarian circus had once stood so he could explain Stefan’s death to Margali, but he was unable to find either Margali or Jimaine. Kurt made his way back to America with a heavy heart and holed himself up in a church in Boston, tacking up a few posters as memoirs of his former life. It was here that he was captured by Col. William Stryker who, through the use of a mind-controlling substance, had Kurt attempt to assassinate the president, believing that his teleportation would be an invaluable skill as a mutant assassin.
After being jolted out of his controlled state, Kurt made his way back to Boston only to be found for a second time, this time by Storm and Jean Grey. After a very brief game of “hide and seek” that ended with a very anxious and immobilized Kurt, he agreed to travel with the two X-Men and meet with Professor Xavier.
His journey with them continued as it was revealed the mansion had been attacked and Stryker had taken Xavier, Cyclops and a handful of students captive. With the location of Stryker’s hidden base revealed through a scan of his mind, he assisted at Alkali Lake, helping Storm rescue the children Stryker had taken captive and teleporting Xavier out of the path of falling debris inside the mock Cerebro.
After the death of Jean he agreed to stay and help with the inevitable aftermath. He was uncomfortable with the often required use of violence, however, and after a two-month trial he declined Xavier’s offer to remain as an X-Man and left the mansion.
Wandering from belfries to church attics for months and stealing food he needed to survive, Kurt was shaken by the revelation of a possible cure for his appearance, but in the end, he decided that he could do more for the world exactly as he was. Unaware of the professor's passing, he returned to Xavier’s in the hopes of helping only to find it in chaos; believing he had found the purpose he was looking for, he joined the X-Men permanently. Along with his duties at the mansion, he has taken to searching through genealogic records, hoping to discover some clues to his past.
Sample Post:
Kurt knelt on the cushion before the crucifix on his wall and reverently crossed himself; shutting his eyes and folding his hands in front of him, he let his mind stretch for the peace he had been so accustomed to in his life before all this.
Was I ever so calm? Or was my life ever so simple? It seemed so long ago that his small circus home had been snatched up by Jardine; that was when everything seemed to begin. Everything had fallen apart with that simple transaction.
And yet, here he was in his own room, something that he couldn’t remember having before. Even as the star performer in the circus he had shared a room with Stefan in the Szardos cabin.
His hands drooped slightly, still held against each other in front of him. My family. It had been far too long since he had lit a candle for them; there had been so much to take his mind away from the past. But there are too many loose ends that have been left untied. Oh Margali…
Laughter from outside his window snapped Kurt from silent reflection. Glancing out he caught sight of students running in the sunlight toward the baseball field, carting their equipment along behind them. A small smile slid across his features and he turned back to his crucifix. God has given me a new family now, a new place.
Bowing his head, he let his lips form familiar words, sinking into the words of his prayer. “Vater unser im Himmel, Geheiligt werde dein Name. Dein Reich komme. Dein Wille geschehe, wie im Himmel so auf Erden. Unswer tägliches Brot gib uns heute. Und vergib uns unsere Schuld, wie auch wir vergeben unsern Schuldigern. Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung, sondern erlöse uns von dem Bösen. Denn Dein ist das Reich und die Kraft und die Herrlichkeit in Ewigkeit.”
The word amen was barely on his lips before he heard an ominous, far-off cry from the baseball diamond followed swiftly by the crash of a window downstairs. Crossing himself again, he glanced up at the cross with an amused and pleading expression on his face. “Mein Gott, gibt mir Stärke,” he muttered before teleporting downstairs to see just what damage had been done.
(I'm Crypt, just so everyone knows.)
