Gelatinous Cube

Branded

Hope this is alright. I'll update it with a picture when I find the right one.

Name: Edward Harmon

Age: 47

Gender: Male

Personality: Edward at first comes across a little...unhinged. Get to know him however, and you'll find out his head head is screwed on just fine and that he's just a bit of a free spirit. Albeit one with an almost frightening drive and intense passion for what he wants to achieve, even if that passion tends to burn itself out quickly a lot of the time.

Appearance:

Brand: Murder, Arson, Anarchy, Treason, Theft, Blasphemy.

Backstory: Edward grew up not too far from Kansas, a city that became a religious fortress. They definitely followed in the footsteps of medieval catholic practice. The smell of burning heretics used to carry on the wind. He was just another slum rat, scraping a living together rather unscrupulously. He learned how to fight by being viciously and repeatedly beaten and flogged from age nine to fifteen.
He developed among a large, but not at all close-knit "family" of what the religious folk of Kansas called Heretics. Really just people who despised the iron grip of religion that was exerting too much control over the common people.

They slowly, but surely armed themselves. Through a lot of trial and error and several difficult negotiations with smugglers and arms dealers, a small group of them managed to formulate a plan.
It all came down to a single moment. Edward's thumb was millimeters from pressing down the trigger of the detonator that would incinerate the Great Kansas Church, and with it the leader of their brutal regime. They had underestimated their enemy and overestimated their own abilities. They should have known it was all wrong the moment they had to start shooting. If only they'd retreated and come back another day.

Equipment:
- A 20 Gauge Pump Action Shotgun w/16 shells
- Rope
- Three canteens of varying size filled with water
- Some dented tins of food, all missing labels
- Crowbar
- An unreliable flashlight
- Basic med-kit

Goal: Once the fire in his eyes burned out about taking Kansas down, and he was exiled out into the wastes, he just tried to survive for a while. Rumors began to gain traction of the "Branded Haven". With no better goal before him, he has devoted himself to finding the place, welcoming anyone who wants to join him so long as they don't pray to anyone or anything.

What Are You Listening To?

It always blows me away when a relatively older band come out with one of their best works in years. Fates Warning are no exception.

Branded

I have ideas! I have so many ideas, I have the BEST ideas! A friend of mine, let me tell you he's a good, GOOD friend of mine, he'll tell you.
My ideas are the best.

What Are You Listening To?

^ "All Along The Watchtower" reminds me of Battlestar Galactica every time. I agree, great song.

Anyway, here's what I'm listening to:

I've been listening to this band non-stop. Powerful, female-fronted progressive metal.

@LuckyBlackCat

Yes yes YES! Oceans of Slumber are amazing! Winter is one of the best things I've heard this year.

Branded

Yeah, you know what? This could be fun. I'll take a slice of the pie too.

War Never Changes

I was thinking about posting but I think it's open for @Always to respond now.

My dog just died so...

Nothing. Nothing at all can or will go wrong.

Just ask my Mother, she'll tell you.

What Are You Listening To?

War Never Changes

It was enough to make his head spin.
He had held onto Charlotte's gaze for as long as he could, before he lowered his eyes like a damn coward. He was suddenly aware of the two new faces in the room, and how the attention was focused on him. His face flushed red, and the heat made his scars itch like made. It was everything he could do to keep from scratching them like a feverish junkie. He was thankful for the poor light.
He shook his head.

"Jake," he said at last, "You used to be a policeman. You're the closest thing we have to law right now. If you let me walk out now, I'll never come back and you'll never have any trouble from me. Though, I'll be the last person to argue against you executing me right now."
It was living with himself that he struggled with so much. Every good deed done, every life saved, or settlement helped was an act of atonement. He never accepted any remuneration for his work unless he was truly desperate and even in those circumstances he only took the bare minimum.

The question remained his mind.
Is it enough? Will it ever be enough?
There was no taking away from the terrible things he had done, no excuses. He could try and preach survival, but the reality of it was that he had been too dead inside to fight it. The loss of his wife and two daughters had been devastating.
Lastly, the thing he would never admit to anyone for as long as he drew breath.
He had gotten to the point where he had liked it. The rush he got from killing, or dominating another human being, stripping them of their worth...it had become intoxicating.
That was when he had left as pleasure turned to disgust and his nauseating conscience had seeped back in through his skin.

War Never Changes

"I couldn't stand it anymore...the killing, the torturing...the raping. I tried to run away after dark, but they followed me. They don't punish desertion lightly. I barely got away, nearly died. I wish I had."
That night had been a blur of running, gunfire and explosions. He could clearly recall blinking through hot, sticky blood as it poured down his face. His breath grew more and more labored as his legs burned and turned to jelly.

When they eventually gave up the ghost it was because he managed to reach the city limits and steal away into the night. Guess they figured that the shambling freaks of the night would have gotten to him.
Instead, he survived until morning until the caravan of merchants rolled by and got him. It felt like a dream, they seemed so damn out of place. Quinn spent almost three weeks drifting in and out of consciousness before finally awakening free of pain and infection.

"I'm sorry you had to find out like this. Were it up to me, I would never have even told you."