Name: Konrad Locke
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Ability:
Fleshcraft: Konrad is able to alter the skin, tissue, musculature and skeletal framework of his body, contracting or expanding it, altering pigmentation and thickness of his skin and so on. The transformative process, while varying dependent on the scale of the transformation take roughly between thirty seconds and a minute to complete and is disturbing to behold, muscle rippling under the skin like wax and punctuated by sudden spasms as the bones beneath break and reform. The scale of the transformation also dictates the amount of time Konrad may hold to that shape before returning to his original dimensions, so that a ten foot tall giant with skin like a rhinoceros may be held for less than a minute, whereas a form much like his own but with an extra inch of height or smoothed out finger prints may be held without much trouble for several hours. For reasons currently unknown, while the transformative process only produces mild discomfort, the restorative process is remarkably painful, with smaller alterations leaving Konrad panting, and larger ones leaving him in debilitating agony for minutes after.
Background:
Konrad was not born in London, instead growing up in one of the rougher areas of Liverpool in the North of England. When he was seventeen his younger brother had run afoul of a pair of local delinquents who had ambushed him on the way home from school, leaving him with broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder. Young and impetuous, Konrad had gone out after the two boys, intent on retaliation for his injured brother. In the fight that ensued after Konrad found the pair, one of them fell (or was pushed, to this day Konrad cannot remember clearly) and landed badly, cracking his skull on the pavement and suddenly falling still. With the situation abruptly out of hand, both Konrad and the remaining boy panicked and ran, the former thinking clearly enough after a time to call an ambulance before sprinting the rest of the way home.
The next few days were spent hidden in the garage of his uncle’s house while his family tried to learn exactly how much trouble Konrad was in. Through a friend of his mothers who worked as a nurse, Konrad learned that the boy had survived to the hospital, but had not regained consciousness, remaining comatose with doctors unable to say when he might wake up.
With his whereabouts already being asked by the police, and knowing that he would almost certainly be charged with murder if the boy died in the coma, Konrad was convinced by his family to run, fleeing from Liverpool a couple of nights later. Over the last two years Konrad has moved from city to city, losing himself in the crowd, working his way steadily down the country, taking whatever jobs didn’t require identification and never staying in a single place more than a couple of months.
Konrad came to London a little over a month ago, with an eye towards perhaps getting to Dover and out of the country by boat. Unfortunately finding a job thus far has been tricky and the little money he had saved is fast running out.
On March 1st, Konrad had been living in a decrepit hotel out near the east end, trying to decide if he should continue to look for work or trek to Dover on foot. Suddenly though of course, that was all turned on its head. That day was bizarre, terrifying even, the knowledge appearing inside his head doing little to limit the shock (and pain) Konrad felt as his abilities began to manifest. Alone in a cordoned off city, wielding incredible capabilities with no idea of where they came from or what will happen to those that have them, Konrad has never felt more vulnerable. However, amid all the jumbled feelings since that day, there is a sliver of something else, hope; for the first time in over two years, Konrad potentially has the beginnings of a way out.
Appearance:
Konrad is of average height, with a build that, while not bulky, is almost entirely muscle; product of a less than comfortable existence the last two years. Heavy brows top a pair of hazel eyes under which lurks a nose clearly broken more than once. His dark brown hair is shaved short and a few days stubble shadow his cheeks. For the most part, Konrad does his best to look utterly usual, a person almost certain to be quickly forgotten.
Personality:
Konrad is a wary guy, well used to keeping his head down and not letting anyone know him too well. Convinced that it is only a matter of time before the police kick in his door, Konrad hasn’t developed any new friendships since leaving Liverpool, believing it would be better for those would-be friends and safer for him to keep people at arm’s length. Despite his inherent caution, Konrad is not an introvert by nature, and a dedicated effort on another’s part would find him a young man who has been tempered by his last few years, but still cares deeply for his friends and family, a man who, while prone to bouts of melancholy and silence, will speak his mind when needed, either with solid, dependable advice or occasionally a (admittedly grim humoured) joke.