Flavian Renault

> *"The blood on my hands... it'll never leave me, will it?"*
>
>

**Flavian Renault** is young man that has fled his home country of France to escape prosecution from the Blackwatch and the french government for the accidental slaughter of close to eighty people at his academy. His ability has been dubbed **"Dead Man Walking"** by Blackwatch officials and is extremely difficult for Flavian to control. Because of this, Flavian is inadvertently responsible for the deaths of up to a hundred and eighty people, and is quite possibly to blame for tens more.

## Appearance

Flavian is a young man of average height and with a slim build. His eyes were formerly blue, but after Dead Man Walking manifested the sclera on his eyes turned black, along with his pupils, but his iris is black. He has a scar running from the top of his left eye down to the bottom of it after a brief scuffle with a fellow student. His hair is long and blonde and his ears are pierced.

If he can help it, Flavian will dress as nicely as possible. His "containment suit" is in actuality a collar fitted onto Flavian's neck. The reason it is referred to as a containment suit is because the collar is consistently pumping a layer of light nullification energy to keep DMW processes within Flavian's body.

## Personality

> *"Please... Stay away."*
>
>

Renault is haunted by the dangerous, uncaring nature of Dead Man Walking, having seen its effects on people up close while generally being unable to do anything to save those he is killing. As a result, he has a very bad case of post traumatic stress from his own ability. The guilt he feels is tremendous.

Regardless of whether or not his containment suit is on, Flavian is very antisocial and does not like interacting with anyone unless he needs to. This is, again, thanks in part to Dead Man Walking.

Having always been a rather smart person, Flavian has found himself in New York after escaping Blackwatch custody after Roland Masseau punched Captain Jurek Horace through his own ship and has done well to keep himself under the radar since then.

## History

### *Early Years, Alliance-Iron Talon War, and Spellplague*

**Flavian Jacques Renault** was born in Calais, France to an French father and an English mother, both of whom were highly respected artists in the fashion and art industry. Flavian would grow up in a household with a deep appreciation for the arts and ever evolving fashion trends, which would later influence Flavian's decision to become an artist like his mother, while pursuing fashion design as a hobby rather than a career unlike his father. While inspired by the two, both were often away from home due to their jobs, thus leaving Flavian somewhat lonely as he attended school at Calais throughout his life. Other than this, Flavian's life was rather normal.

When the Alliance attempted an invasion of Europe through Spain, both of Flavian's parents were caught in the crossfire at the siege of Madrid during a work trip. Flavian was distraught when the news came, and had wished circumstances had allowed for his parents to be around more. Had this been the case, they would not have been killed in Spain. Flavian, not wanting to go into foster care, simply filed for emancipation and lived on his own with the wealth his parents accumulated, which all went to him as he had no remaining family members to take it. Now, Flavian was truly alone.

With the introduction of the Spellplague, France was one of many countries damaged by the supernatural distortions it brought. Super populations rose, and many people died or were permanently crippled because of the plague. Unbeknownst to Flavian, he was one such super. His ability, Dead Man Walking, would remain dormant until it's activation in 2060, three years after the Spellplague and his senior year at high school.

### *The Lycée Hqe Léonard De Vinci Massacre and Blackwatch Intervention*

Sometime during his senior year at his high school in Calais, Flavian accidentally activated his ability for the first time. According to Blackwatch investigators the Dead Man Walking virus was airborne at around 9:24 A.M. By 10:30 A.M. that day, 82 students and teachers were found dead at the high school after police arrived (initial reports only listed students complaining about random cuts and feelings of paralysis). Flavian was found to be the source and was detained by the Blackwatch at the sight of the massacre and nullified as to prevent more casualties from the virus.

In a matter of weeks, Blackwatch officials and the French government tried Flavian for the massacre he committed through his ability, and had come to consensus that life in prison was the only option for him other than the death sentence. Flavian had no choice but to agree to these terms and agreed to serve a life sentence, which the Blackwatch volunteered to carry out by keeping him detained with one of their most secure legions - The Brass Hussars.

### *Escape and Current Status*

Flavian would remain in Blackwatch custody for close to nine months until the ship he was placed in - Jurek Horace's flagship - deployed over New York to deal with the civil unrest rampant across the city. Following Jurek's later defeat at the hands of Laura Wilkinson and Roland Masseau, Flavian escaped the ship as it's crew desperately attempted to stabilize it. Coming to terms with his ability since then, he killed close to 30 Blackwatch members in the detainment ward during his escape, using Dead Man Walking in an offensive manner for the first time. He managed to leave the flagship on an escape pod and left unnoticed as Lieutenant Evelynn made her leave from the ship to terrorize the city in pursuit of Roland.

Since Flavian's escape he has made sure to stay hidden within the less favorable sections of the city (specifically around the Brooklyn area). Rumors have begun to spread regarding a gaunt, red eyed man who wanders around at night who kills those who pursue it and will avoid you if seen. He is known as the Dead Man, and will turn the dead against those who mean him harm.

## Powers and Abilities

### ***Dead Man Walking***

Otherwise referred to as the Dead Man virus, Dead Man Walking is an ability where Flavian has the potential to create a catastrophically devastating neurological virus that attacks the nerves directly. The virus also attacks cell metabolic functions, causing violent cellular reactions to occur across the body resulting in the appearance of random cuts when affected. The virus is so potent that Blue Juice only dampens the symptoms and barely slows the spread of the disease. Dead Man Walking, however, takes time to completely kill someone. The first symptoms show after around ten minutes of exposure, whereas death can occur an hour and thirty minutes after. While very, very fast when compared to other viruses, there is a window to counterattack if Dead Man Walking is active.

### ***Attributes of Dead Man Walking***

The virus provides Flavian with a large number of advantages, disadvantages, and miscellaneous effects.

#### ***Disadvantages***

* ***Visible*** - The virus can be seen in the form of a faint red haze due to its potency.
* ***Scented*** - When the disease is in effect, it gives off a scent akin to blood or rust.
* ***Weakness to Low Temperatures*** - The disease moves slower in cooled rooms, and is utterly ineffective in places like freezers.
* ***Control Difficulty*** - DMW is too powerful and unpredictable for Flavian to currently handle. Several aspects of Dead Man Walking can only be controlled momentarily as a result, or cannot be controlled at all. He is fitted with a kind of containment suit that keeps him from harming others. He has unlocked the suit, and thus can enter and exit it freely.
* ***Kill Code*** - If Flavian is rendered incapacitated either by being knocked unconscious or by a direct null effect (on Flavian, not the Virus) the instances of the virus in organics will shut down, and symptoms will fade away in a matter of minutes.

#### ***Advantages***

* ***Affinity for High Temperatures*** - The disease's symptoms are significantly worsened in warmer environments and the disease reacts quicker.
* ***Marked*** - Cuts will randomly form on those afflicted with the disease over time, varying in severity depending on the amount of time infected and temperature of the room/infected. This can lead to death by blood loss in some cases.
* ***Range*** - Dead Man Walking can cover an entire professional football field and then some. However, it is much more effective in some sort of enclosed area rather than an open field.
* ***Direct Transfer*** - Flavian can directly transfer the DMW virus to someone if he can grasp them for a certain amount of time and he is able to trigger a blood crystallization reaction upon doing so.

#### ***Sub-Abilities/Miscellaneous Effects***

***All Men Are Dead Men Walking*** - Dead Man Walking is indiscriminate, and has it's own set of effects on Flavian as he is it's "wielder".

* The DMW virus gives Flavian the ability to periodically detect living beings who have been exposed to the virus for more than 10 minutes. The infected will "feel" whenever they are being watched by Flavian.
* His movement speed is extremely slow but his strength is increased exponentially, along with his durability.
* Corpses afflicted with the virus can be used as organic automatons.
	+ Organic automatons can be used as conduits for Flavian's speech, controlled directly, or left automated with simple objectives.
* If DMW is active for too long, Flavian will enter a state of hibernation.
* Flavian can crystallize blood to form shards with Dead Man Walking. Sizes of the shards can range from a small speck of what seems like glass to a spike that spans several feet. Size is heavily dependent on the amount of blood available, and shape is influenced by Flavian's mastery. At his current level, if he is at all able to perform this ability, he can only create spikes.
	+ This ability only utilizes DMW's complete range on corpses. To be used on living beings, they must be within 6 feet of Flavian. When utilized on living beings, it can only effect around 4 inches of the body and uses very little blood. However, if Flavian maintains a solid grip on an individual's **flesh**, the ability becomes much more effective and he can cover a foot of flesh and utilize much more blood.
	+ Flavian can crystallize his *own* blood. While currently very, very difficult to do, it can be done.

### ***Dead Man's Land***

When Dead Man Walking is left active for too long Flavian will experience a series of symptoms that will eventually lead to him entering a state of hibernation he refers to as being caught in "**Dead Man's Land**". While asleep, DMW will begin acting in an automated and aggressive manner free of Flavian's influence. Dead Man Walking will follow a self preservation procedure and do everything in it's power to protect Flavian (and prevent him from waking up). If he *is* woken up, a kill code is automatically launched and DMW will cease all activities outside Flavian's body for 6 hours.

The list of symptoms, in order of appearance:

* **Inability to Reason**
* **Increased Rage and Aggression**
* **Catastrophic Loss of Mental Function**
	+ Flavian will also begin to experience hallucinations and DMW will begin it's transition to high aggressiveness and will cause the infected to hallucinate as well.
* **Terminal Burrowing**
* **Hibernation**

## Equipment

* **Blackwatch Containment "Suit" Prototype**

## Significant Traits

* ***Scarred*** - The effects of Dead Man Walking on it's victims has scarred Flavian for life.
* ***Backed Into a Corner*** - On the run from the Blackwatch and left to fend for himself, Flavian is desperate and ready to defend himself if need be.
* ***Straight A Student*** - He can assess situations pretty well, and is clever when faced with problems.
* ***It's not like I've Never Been in a Fight Before...*** - Flavian isn't the best at fighting, but he can still throw a punch.
* ***Rigor Mortis*** - Flavian is **extremely** slow, but his movements carry weight.
* ***Stay Away From Me!*** - Dead Man Walking gives Flavian an inhumane degree of strength, being able to pierce a human being with a single concentrated strike if need be. Flavian's only history of using DMW this way was during his escape from Jurek Horace's ship, where he swung his hand in a downward motion and completely cleaved through a fully armored Blackwatch guard's right shoulder down to their diaphragm.
* ***Potential for Growth*** - He is a relatively new super, and has plenty of room to grow. As of now, he barely has control of his ability and the only feature of it he can access with a 100% guarantee is its strength. The other attributes of the virus (i.e blood crystallization, organic automatons) are **very** iffy and can easily malfunction. It is quite possible that there is more to Dead Man Walking than it lets on due to how recent it's development is.

## Trivia

* He is most often heard with an English accent when speaking English, but the pronunciations of several words give hints of his French background. When he is emotional, his English accent may also revert to that of a French one.
* While considered an academic student to most, he generally participated in out of character activities such as smoking and fighting during his time at school.
* He likes to draw, paint, and write when he has the time.
* He is a heavy coffee drinker.