The Mentors

Each of you has spent extensive time with one of the following individuals.  Naturally, some are very helpful and others less so.  Some have lots of equipment and a great base, others are working out of their house.  They all are familiar with each other and in many cases have had a long (decades long) level of interaction.

Master Builder (Max Hammond) - Mechanic, Architect, Weapon Designer, Scientist

Originally known as Dynamax, when he retired from active adventuring he gave the Dynamax suit of powered armor to another legacy hero who has moved on and continues the good fight in another city.  Max took on a new protege to to fill the hole left.

Having the most outwardly elaborate and most publicly known base, he is at Central Technical University (CTU), the city's largest campus, where Max also serves as a professor in various science related subjects.  He's the busiest man on the planet, some say, and thus while he has a lot of knowledge to offer, he doesn't have much time.

(A simplified version of the above logo is stamped on most things Master Builder owns, and is trademarked.)

Max has gray hair, which he cut short after being likened to Doc Brown (Back to the Future).  He typically wears coveralls of varying color and has the physical bearing of a linebacker, given his many years of lifting and moving heavy equipment, though his strength is only above average.  He's friendly and understands most jokes (even obscure ones) though his own jokes are often strangely abstract and esoteric.  He's always in a hurry.  A government psionicist was once quoted as saying "His mind is a paradox.  It's chaos and order.  Bustling highway traffic that somehow plays a concerto."

Flashpoint (Roy Lounds) - Speedster

Roy is reputed to be the fastest man on Earth.  With movie star good looks and a propensity for privacy, there is a paparazzi feeding frenzy to catch him in his every day life.

He lives in the high security penthouse of the forty-four story Concord Building, downtown.  the city has passed ordinances just to eliminate the chopper traffic that happened at the Concord.

He has resisted having a sidekick because of the scrutiny about his private life, but it was the incident of Sampson (aka Simple Simon) that caused him to decide that knowledge could be lost.

(The above logo appears on the lapel of Flashpoint's uniforms)

Outwardly, Roy is cold and reserved, with immaculately groomed auburn hair and deep brown eyes and the average build of a male gymnast in his early thirties.  To people he knows and trusts, he's more open and personable, willing to talk about racing, extreme sports of one sort or another, or MMA at the drop of a hat.

Simple Simon (Simon LeFluer) - Brick

Once called "Sampson", his mind has been degenerating.  He spends his days performing puzzles to keep sharp.  Once a master of "Strength Tricks", in his calm moments he teaches some of arsenal of tricks, but when he is forced into combat his instincts kick in and he is a straight-forward brute, some even refer to him as a force of nature.

He lives in a house at the unused Mammoth Quarry, where he can be alone in peace.

(As Sampson, he did not use a logo but would sign all signatures with a stylized "S", which to him represented both his hero name and his real name.  Like most mean-spirited things, the name Simple Simon and the symbol with the raised "2" to make it look like a math formula or element on the periodic table originated on the internet after it became known that he was slipping, courtesy of the notorious website "zirconz"; a den of some often cruel and degenerate human beings.)

Simon is hulking, like a large bodybuilder, with trademark long blonde hair.  His degeneration has him somewhere around a high school level of knowledge, unable to remember and do things he used to know intimately.  After footage of him busting up a bar made the rounds most people tip-toe around him for fear of a sudden rage, but those close to him realize that it's hatred of losing his mind that causes these tantrums.  Resembling a professional wrestler to some degree, his costume is typically a wrestling singlet and a chain link belt made of a rare metal.

Gray Griffin (Merrick Hamilton) - Pilot, Soldier, Aerialist

former member of the British Military and Long-time partner of Warhound, they were subject of a WWII era comic book retelling their exploits, called "Cry Havoc and the Dog of War".  Equipped with mechanical wings and a sonic resonator, he's simply known as The Griffin in the UK (The name was in use here when he emigrated).  A notorious lady's man, he's been warned against taking on female sidekicks.

His home is a small estate modeled to look like a castle, like a slice of England transplanted here.

(The above logo is trademarked in the U.S. for use in his comic book.  His U.K. and international logo, where he's simply "the Griffin" is three red claw marks.)

Merrick, often just called "Griff" by his friends, has been dying his hair to its natural brown for decades to help stave off his elderly appearance.  He's actually 92 years old, having enlisted very young, but appears to be closer to 50.  He's sharp as a tack and most likely to hit on nearly any pretty girl he comes in contact with.  He's a heavy drinker, but has the constitution for it.

Warhound (Hal Briggs) - Soldier, Strategist, Psychic

His WWII antics are well documented alongside his partner, the Gray Griffin.  Hal is actually retired from heroic life, but is still a wealth of information.  Long thought to be a Psychic, he actually absorbs information from people whom he touches, which allowed him to alter allied battle plans accordingly.  Tragically, during an attempt on his life, his power caused him to absorb the psyches of the five-man team of killers who came to assassinate him.  While he ages at 1/5 the rate of a normal man, he at times has difficulty separating out the other personalities from his own.

He lives in a modest house in the suburbs.

(Not fond of logos and such, the above one was trademark protected by Howl and all proceeds for its use are sent to Warhound.)

Though he's two years older than the Gray Griffin, Hal appears to be in his early 40s.  He's handsome, with dark hair and blue eyes, his temperament varying with whichever of his six personalities is dominant.  Only one of said personalities is truly bad, the others just being his normal heroic self and four German soldiers of varying backgrounds and demeanors.  "Nicholas" is the dangerous personality.

Howl (Ellie Holland-Briggs) - Singer, Broadcast Empath

A singer with the ability to bend the emotions of the listener through her pitch control, she was once the youthful sidekick of the Gray Griffin, until an affair and their noticeable age difference caused a scandal.  She was solo after that but came back to assist Warhound and Simple Simon with their mental issues.  During her work with Warhound, she fell in love with him and married him.  She divorced when she realized she was coming between the two long time friends.

She owns an 18 room estate that Briggs gave her in the divorce.

(The above logo does appear subtly in Howl's costume as "cut-outs" where skin is exposed.) 

Ellie is striking, with long red-brown hair and green eyes.  she's often tan and wears the latest fashion, having modeled extensively on the catwalk, print ads, and in commercials.  she had a co-starring role as "Mina" in "Around the Sun", an above average sci-fi/vampire flick about a vampirism prospering on a space colony that only sees sunlight a few days a year.   She's friendly to most but very guarded about her cohorts, especially Simon and Hal because of their infirmities.  she spends a great deal of time signing autographs.

Seraph (Susan Sutherland) - Linguist, Mystic

Able to transcribe any language, her reading of dark texts has granted her terrible and forbidden power.  Beautiful but eerie, she's quite knowledgeable in the ways of magic.

Her base is said to be a lighthouse only reachable through use of a ritual.

(Above is her most recognizable logo, suggested by someone else after the ones she created were too obtuse.)

the antithesis of Howl's outgoing, stunner, Susan is almost equally as attractive but has spent so long absorbing dark knowledge that her personality has evolved.  those who have known her since she started ten years ago note an evolution from meek bookworm to stoic, almost emotionless font of power.  simply put, her mind does not work in a straight line like most.  she has jet black hair and eyes to match.  when she opens her mouth, black smoke emanates, as if she's a vessel for something toxic.  despite howl's dual exposure as sci-fi actress and superhero, Seraph is the subject of more strange admiration and cosplay mimicry.  Most people are simply creeped out by her presence, from something intangible.

Thoroughbred (Anita Hawks) - Naturalist, Limited Shapeshifter

Born in Africa, Anita is able to shapechange into various horse forms from real life and mythology.  To date no one knows the source of her power, her included.  She primarily fights hand-to-hand (Hand-to-hoof) specializing in move-throughs, but also has partnered with skilled riders.

She lives on a 40 Acre horse ranch.

(A publicist once tried to assign her a horseshoe as a symbol, a symbol of "horse slavery".  She was promptly fired.)

Very sympathetic to animals, Anita spends all of her off-time tending various creatures on her ranch, including dozens of abandoned animals and injured beasts, who seem to see her as a friend.  in her human form she's tall, thin, with dark skin and calf-length hair that she typically lets flow freely. her most common animal forms are standard horses, unicorns, fire-breathing night mares, pegasi, centaurs, and a sort of inverse centaur with a horse head and human body.

Thirst (Real Name Unknown) - Demon

Summoned from the 9-Hells by a polish sorcerer, his controller died in the 1960s.  He is compelled by binding enchantment and agreement to fight for good.  He does not say whether he enjoys this or not, pointing out there's no answer he could give that people would believe.  He has a long history of performing good acts since his summoning.

Thirst appears to be human and lives in a pocket dimension adjacent to our reality, which he calls "The Eye".  It's a one room library/laboratory with an enormous skylight.

(Being a demon, thirst recognizes that true names and sigils hold sway over people.  He has advised many heroes against becoming associated with a logo because it becomes a means of mystical control.  Most ignore him, wanting the money from licensing.)

he smells like sulfur, despite his attempts to mask it with cologne and other scents, so he just lets it be now.  he's around 5' 6", with sculpted features (brown, nose, cheekbones) that are pronounced enough as to make him resemble sculptures of gargoyles and satyrs.  He wears a business suit most of the time, even at home in his base, where he smokes a pipe and reads nearly every earth periodical.

Host (Hasani Masri) - Energy Projector and Healer

Seventeenth possessor of the "white scarab", an ancient talisman that grants its owner immortality, he has command of light powers and healing.  He is a nearly one-hundred year old man in the body of an eight-year-old boy.

He lives in a renovated warehouse just outside the edge of the CTU campus. 

(The above stylized scarab symbol is not worn by Host, though he retains rights to it.)

Hasani is physically Eight years old, with brown skin and a scar on his throat from where he was near-fatally injured before the 16th possessor of the white scarab sacrificed all his energy to bring the boy back.  nothing about the way he acts says "eight year old".  He typically wears a white dashiki.  The scarab itself is visible a few inches below the scar as an oddly shaped lump in his skin.

While the above mentors are missing at the start of the game, the following two mentors are not.  One is unreachable, in outer-space and the other is deceased before the game begins.

Pathfinder (Nina Grace) - Astronaut, Earth Ambassador

Nina's birth was the most witnessed birth in history, being the first birth to take place in space, on a live feed.  Her parents were astronauts and she was born on the international space station.  A proclamation by the U.N. made her an honorary citizen of all countries.  While some ascribe her abilities to the circumstances of her birth, subsequent space births have not resulted in superpowers.  At 19, she's travelled further than any human being ever and prefers the cold of space to the insanity of Earth.

She has a Suite in the Concord Building that she rarely visits and a shelter on the moon that a few visitors have likened to an igloo in shape.  Her work with sidekicks has been limited to occasional visits, remote contact (when in communication distance), and visits from her pet, Jax, a species of ethereal alien bird.  She puts her ambassador work first and thus trainees suffer for lack of guidance sometimes.  She is included in this list as a means of introducing alien characters to Earth if that's not built into their origin.

(Pathfinder actually has no logo, but the above is a sampling of a famous drawing done by renowned artist Takanori Hioki, who did a twelve foot tall anime-style painting of her on a subway wall in Japan.  It's a minor tourist attraction for tube riders.)

A pretty brunette with ice blue eyes often hidden behind red goggles, few really see her face as a featureless black mask covers the rest.  She's an exceptionally physically fit, woman of average height and weight otherwise.  Her katana is usually not far away.  She doesn't speak much, especially in groups, though she does appear to be listening.

Time Specter (Hans Rhineland) - Time Traveler, Deceased

Hans was always out-of-phase with our time.  He was intangible but could with great concentration interact with our world.  He was a professor of physics and died when a common bank robber managed to actually hit him with a bullet.  No one can diagnose exactly how he managed this (including the robber himself).

He had no known base of operations.  His body is in a grave at Salvation Cemetery.  The tombstone reads "unable to touch, he touched the soul"  Time Specter is included in this list only as an option to help flesh out a character without much background; losing a mentor can be a powerful motivator, as can the stares, pointing, and murmurs of "That's the guy".

(While the above is not technically a logo, Time Specter had an affinity for the number 3.  He obviously can't answer questions about it now but theories are that, being religious, it represented the trinity, the past/present/future, and 3am as the "Soul's Midnight".

Hans was the classic Aryan with Teutonic features and short cropped hair.  He sported a thick German accent though he could speak most common languages without accent if pressed.  Most of the time he was ghost-like and simply walked through objects while if he concentrated he could sometimes purposely touch and move objects, though it was very taxing to do so.  His offense mostly involved creating a "pocket".  This was an area of temporal instability in which objects would vanish, reappear, and move slightly, often damaging opponents and sometimes resembling the acts of a pack of poltergeists.