Riley Bannon

Scion of Ares

"Sometimes all you can do is draw your weapon, say 'fuck it', and see what happens."

Best known for his devil-may-care approach to life and his short-fused temper, Riley Bannon is quick to display a smile and a laugh, but even quicker to lose them in a fit of anger. His acquaintances are many, his friend are few but fiercely protected.

Riley was born in New Jersey across the water from New York City. He had a typical family with a mother, father and two older brothers, Michael and Gabriel. He was a very bright kid, reading incessantly about anything that his father brought home from work. His father worked in the city dump and would often find books and magazines that had been tossed for recycling, and knowing Riley's insatiable drive for knowledge, brought home as much as his boss allowed.

Riley's brothers were both athletes and played in various sports, to varying degrees of success. Riley, idolizing his brothers, tried out for whatever sport his brothers were into at the time. Where his brothers failed to shine on the field, Riley mastered sports within moments of understanding the rules. As he grew into his body, his power and control over the sports and his opponents grew exponentially.

His oldest brother, Michael, felt a lot of bitterness towards Riley's academic and athletic aptitude, and his family's adoration of him. When Riley was 12, Michael damaged his leg and was unable to play College Football anymore. Michael's bitterness grew and he dropped out of school and got involved with a woman who introduced him to heroine which lead to a life of crime to pay for his addiction. When Riley was 13, Michael took out some bad loans with a local shark (Freddy Link), who took out the debt on Michael's head, killing him.

Though his parents tried to hide the facts, Riley found out about what really happened to Michael through Gabriel. The rage and desire for vengeance lead Riley to the shark's door, baseball bat in hand. When the police responded to a neighbor's frantic call, they arrived to the scene of Riley standing bloody and battered with 3 bodies at his feet.

If not for the leniency of an judge who secretly supported vigilante justice, Riley would have seen nothing but the inside of a prison for the next 20 years of his life. But instead, due to his age, circumstances of Freddy Link's business and the fact that no witnesses were alive to testify, Riley was given 2 years in Juvenile Detention followed by 4 years in a Military Academy.

In Juvie and the Academy, Riley turned further from academics and learned more and more about fighting, combat and tactics both from strict instruction and lessons of "hard knocks". By the time Riley joined the Marines (after marginally passing grades), he was already unmatched in both marksmanship and martial weaponry. With his nearly inhuman scores, Riley was ushered into Special Ops training. His hot temper and lack of respect for authority did not win him any medals or respect, but what he lacked in attitude he made up in mission successes. He was a leading wet works op, until it was discovered that Riley was performing jobs for local crime organizations. Though no money was found in his possession and no evidence of his association with the groups surfaced, Riley was still court marshaled due to 'behavior unbecoming an officer'. Throughout the trial, Riley never denied nor acknowledged his less-than-savory dealings. He merely insisted with a large smile, when asked where he was during the times in question, "I was just finding something to do."

"Give Lt. Bannon a gun and a target, and mark it up as a success. I never approved of his face-to-face tactics. I preferred the distance and security a sniper scope provided. But he would get in and get out undetected, his target would disappear and I would be home for supper. So don't blame me for not writing him up for his behavior. Men like Bannon should be kept on a short leash. It keeps them angry... anger can be channeled. But I pity the man who holds his leash." - from Riley Bannon's Court Marshal report.

Due to a lack of evidence and witnesses, Riley saw no jail time, but was stripped of his military rank. He quickly found a job in New York City as a night watchman at a rundown warehouse. With a listless job and a life of boozing, womanizing and bar brawls... one would question where his excessive amounts of money comes from. Many have speculated a return to working odd jobs for different organizations, but all investigations have lead to dead ends.

On occasion Riley can be found in a history, politics or science classroom at the local community college, still possessing his childhood's desire for information. But if you ask his friends, his true home is a pub, surrounded by beer and women, forcing himself into the center of attention, either through words or fists.

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Since his Visitation and employment by the Naos group, Riley is finding great amusement in his new-found powers and resources. Always up for a new challenge, he views these adventures as ways of honing his skills and providing the entertainment his previous job lost after his Visitation. "Since dear old dad handed me these powers, my job became dull. They would never have a chance... Hell, I let a guy run for a few days and hire some muscle just to give him a glimmer of hope."

In a recent post-op interview by Sambethe, Riley gave his initial impressions of each team member:

• Aiden: "It's ok to be gay. Fought along side a few... If they can handle a weapon and watch my back, I don't care who they drag to bed with them. But if Aiden is going for subtle, the glowing spear and flashy dance moves are a dead giveaway."
• Jonathan: "Weird bug fetish, like 'The roaches are eating my soul' kinda weird... but knows his way around a computer and a sword."
• Chiyoko: "There was a woman on my strike team that would be jealous of both Chiyoko's strength and her shoes... that girl knows how to throw!" Sambethe: "You do know Chiyoko is a man, correct?" Riley: "Ahh, that explains Aiden's fascination with her.. or.. him."
• Lora: "Good kid mixed up in a tough situation. She needs friends and mental healing. I figure its not all that healthy talking to animals like people... but hey, she could talk to chalkboards and plastic spoons like Chiyoko... so Lora still has a chance at recovering."
• Vladimir: "Someone should warn Jonathan and Lora to keep their dogs away from that freak... he has an unhealthy obsession with dead things and embalming... I mean its one thing to like your job, its another to take it home with you... in plastic bags..."

Riley's To-Die List:

1. Rikert Drager
2. The Bitch with the Spear

• Calling: Ex-Military, Gun-for-Hire; Nature: Bravo
• Attributes: Str 3, Dex 5, Sta 4; Cha 3, Man 1, App 3; Per 3, Int 3, Wits 3
• Abilities: Athletics 5, Awareness 3, Brawl 3, Control (Car) 1, Fortitude 3, Investigation 2, Larceny 1, Marksmanship 5, Medicine 1, Melee 5, Stealth 4, Survival 1, Thrown 2
• Legend: 3
• Boons: Arete Marksmanship 2 (Pantheon 2), Arete Melee (Pantheon 1), Blessing of Bravery (War 1)
• Epic Attributes: Epic Dexterity (2), Epic Stamina (2), Epic Strength (2), Epic Wits (1)
• Knacks: Holy Bound (Epic Strength), Holy Rampage (Epic Strength), Damage Conversion (Epic Stamina), Self Healing (Epic Stamina), Untouchable Opponent (Epic Dexterity), Trick Shooter (Epic Dexterity), Meditative Focus (Epic Wits)
• Willpower: 7
• Virtues: Expression 1, Intellect 3, Valor 1, Vengeance 4
• Join Battle: 7; Soak: 6B/4L/2A; Armor: Bullet-Proof Body Armor: 2B/2L, Mobility -0, Fatigue 1; Dodge DV: 9+2; Parry DV: 8+2B/8+2M; Move: 7 yds; Dash: 15(30) yds; Jump: 20 yards vertical, 40 yards Horizontal; Lift: 1800 lbs.
• Health Levels: -0 / -0 / -0 / -0 / -0 / -2 / Inc.
• Languages Known: English, Spanish, French
• Other Notes: Riley has three relics as follows:

Deimos (Relic 3): Speed 5, Acc +3, +4L, Rng 20; Boons: Shadow Mask; Unique Abilities: Accuracy +1

Phobos (Relic 3): Speed 5, Acc +2, +5L, Rng 20; Boons: Eye of the Storm, Night Eyes; Unique Abilities: Damage +1

Kydoimos (Relic 2): Speed 4, Acc +1, +4L, Def 2; Purviews: War; Boons: Sky's Grace

Experience Points

Earned (Total: 20) Pregame: 5 Pilot - The Recruitment: 10 Ep. 1 - First Mission (pt. 1): 5

Spent: 15; Unspent: 5 8 = Strength 3 (2x4) 4 = Epic Strength 2 (1x4... favored by parent) 3 = Arete Melee 1

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Residence