Black Rose

Black Rose is a mystic hero, originally from Scotland but has made her home in New York for nearly fifty years. She is a founding member of the Sentinels.

## Biography

Sometime around 700 A.D., Ròsnacc was the daughter of a Pictish chieftain in what would come to be known as Scotland. Her family had risen to prominence thanks to *Souldrinker,* a mysterious blade that promised its wielder eternal youth and vigor in exchange for ever-increasing slaughter. When the last of her brothers fell in combat with their rival tribesmen, the enchanted sword came to Ròsnacc's hand. But while she was as fierce as her fallen kin, she tempered violence with wisdom, and she had come to realize that the Picts' time was done. If they wanted to survive at all, they must intermingle with the stronger tribes of Scots or be destroyed. She walked away from war, taking *Souldrinker* with her, and left her people to make peace.

Outcast and immortal, Ròsnacc decided to make the most of her time and undertook a methodical exploration of the world, studying languages and taking on new identities to better blend into the nations she visited. The Romans knew her as 'Rosa,' the Polans as 'Roz', and the Normas as 'Roehse.' Initially Rose worked as a travelling sell-sword, but she eventually realized there was more money to be made as an exorcist: *Souldrinker* was just as happy devouring a pesky ghost as it was a living soul, and it could easily track such creatures like a hound following blood. She pursued this new career as the centuries went by and eventually she gained a reputation as someone who could resolve even the most extreme hauntings. This reputation persisted even as the world grew less superstitious and belief in the supernatural waned. She became an integral part of the mystical underground that formed in the dark ages and which persists to this day.

Heroic by nature, Black Rose eventually cast her lot with Earth's heroes for good during the return of Takofanes the Undying in the early 1800's. *Souldrinker* proved invaluable against the hordes of specters drawn to the necromancer king's service. Rose was part of the arcane army that forced its way into Takofanes' shadow realm, and one of the few survivors to return to Earth after he was slain. The things she saw there were enough to convince her to battle evil full-time, and in the two centuries since she has been an ardent if somewhat shadowy force for good in the world. In 1940 she founded the Sentinels along with Diadem and the original Amazing Man in order to better combat the sinister supernatural forces threatening mankind.

## Personality

Although she marked her 1,000th birthday before America declared independence, Black Rose has yet to fall into the trap of eternal ennui that afflicts so many immortals. She is bright, charismatic, humorous, and vivacious. But she also has a pronounced cynical streak, and her teammates have long since learned to take her biting sarcasm in stride. On the battlefield, she is a tough and unflappable commander, dauntless even in the face of overwhelming horrors.

*Souldrinker's* state of satiety can have a heavy influence on Rose's mood. As the sword grows hungrier, its demands for souls grow steadily louder. This causes Rose severe anxiety and she even feels echoes of the blade's hunger that no food can satisfy. If she doesn't feed the blade in a timely fashion, it quickly drives her into a miserable, anxious state of anger and depression from which she cannot escape.

Black Rose is no stranger to killing, and while she understands casual slaughter is no longer as acceptable as it was in the time of the Picts, she occasionally grows tired of young heroes lecturing her about the sanctity of life and just wants to lop a villain's head off.

## Powers

Black Rose has wielded her mystic sword, *Souldrinker*, since she first picked it up many centuries ago. In that time she has become a warrior of remarkable skill and has unlocked a number of potent abilities that draw on her sword's vampiric nature.

Although she has learned a modest number of minor charms and hexes, Black Rose's powers lie almost entirely with her blade. *Souldrinker* is capable of not only slicing foes to ribbons but shearing through their very essence. When well-fed with souls, *Souldrinker* increases its bearer's physical and mental attributes with the stolen power of the slain. It also feeds on magic, and its hunger for arcane energy actually provides an excellent defense against incoming offensive spells. *Souldrinker* may occasionally allow a trusted wielder to disgorge its undigested souls as tormented phantoms which can be interrogated or even pressed into service. Black Rose has earned this level of trust, but even she must use this power sparingly or risk the ire of her inherently self-serving weapon.

Black Rose is gifted with both eternal life and eidetic memory, and although she is not a very avid scholar, she has picked up a vast trove of mystic information over a thousand years of fighting arcane and divine foes. Although she doesn't realize it, she knows more specific information about demons, spellcasters, mythical beasts, godlings, and other esoteric foes than almost anyone else on Earth.

## Weaknesses

Black Rose is an extremely well-known figure in the mystic underworld and both her allies and enemies know her secrets. Tales of her exploits go back centuries, and she is often hunted by villains eager to capture her in order to steal her immortality for themselves.

Although she can't be permanently separated from *Souldrinker* by anything short of death, most of Black Rose's abilities rely on the sword and if she loses contact with it (or does something to anger the blade) she can lose much of her power instantly.