Winston White

Real Name: Winston White
Hero Name: Vertigo
Alignment: Neutral Good
Age: 25 Years
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Hair: Reddish-Brown
Eyes: Greyish-Blue
Height: 5'10 (177cm)
Weight: 155lbs (70kg)



[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Artwork by [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

Winn is an average example for a man of Caucasian descent, standing at a moderate 5’10 (177cm) and an equally mundane 155lbs (70kg) with greyish-blue eyes and swept reddish-brown hair. A bit lanky, he has has lost a considerable amount of muscle from having been confined to a wheelchair. While his work clothes usually consists of a white plaid dress shirt with a blue tie, a navy button-up sweater, and a dark pair of dress jeans, on his lazy days he enjoys showing off his collection of geeky t-shirts and some comfy sweatpants.

The Vertigo Bird outfit makes him appear considerably more bulky than he actually is and consists of a flat white mask with a small vent, slanted red eyes, a complete bodysuit made of black polyward, clawed black gloves with red and white eyespots on the palms, plated black boots, and a white longcoat that resembles a swallow’s tail when spread. The undercoat sports two large red and black eyespots.



Winn is a hardworking and good-natured soul. Eager to feel useful, he frequently offers his smarts and talents to help others and desires the appreciation of those around him. Geek culture is his jam, especially science-fiction, and there’s rarely a day that he doesn’t appreciate a good sci-fi book, game, or show. A night owl by nature, one well-spent is one of consoles or clubbing with a close circle of friends.

Oftentimes fragile, he shuts himself off from the negative reception of others in order to protect his own feelings. While not as hot-headed as his parents, he still secretly has that legendary temper that seems to run in both bloodlines. Harboring unresolved feelings for both of his mother and father has left him a bit sour when it comes to family, and while angry, he does his best to understand and work through them.

As Vertigo, his character drastically changes. Winn has built up a personality and backstory for his alter ego, and when in-costume, he adopts the mannerisms of a raptorial bird, becoming alert, ominous, and moving and vocalizing in a way that could be described as predatory. While he aims to invoke terror in his enemies, he doesn’t have it in him to kill, and he isn’t afraid to let events run their natural course.



0-10 Years
Winston White was born to Noah Harrison and Jane White, though his parents' relationship didn’t last. When his father became unstable, he and his mother left, leaving him with little memory of the man that sired him. Fortunately, his mother had connections. They fled to the Vagabonds, a futuristic sanctuary for aliens, metas, and all manner of odd peoples, where he spent the remainder of his childhood.

10-20 Years
Growing up alongside aliens and metas left its mark. By the time he had finished school, Winn was certain that he wanted to become a Vagabond agent. With his father's natural smarts and his mother's tenacity, he climbed his way through the academy where he graduated with a concentration in computer sciences and earned himself a position among the Vagabonds. On some occasions, he would venture out as a field agent, where he would help find and capture dangerous rogues.

A trip in the field gone wrong left both of his legs nonfunctional at a young age. Doctors with access to futuristic medical technology managed to save as much of his mobility as they could, and while he was fortunate enough to keep his legs, it was clear that he was never going to be able to walk again.

20-25 Years
A disabled Winn sought comfort during his rehabilitation through one of his friends, Neyri, an extraterrestrial zoologist. It was through his time at the wildlife sanctuary that he gained a fascination with one the animals, a vertigo bird, which would serve as his muse when he came around to creating his superhero persona in the future.

The more time that passed, the more resentful he grew with his condition. Winn decided to take matters into his own hands. Using his wits and technological prowess, he broke into one of their vaults and stole an Equilibrium Cortex, an alien disc created by Jay'ku that was meant to create artificially-enhanced elite agents.

Equipped with his newfound technology, Winn once again took up the mantle of a extraterrestrial field agent. No one could ever find out that he stole from the vault, so any time he used the Equilibrium Cortex would have to be as his vigilante persona, Vertigo. Between his day job as a computer scientist with the Vagabonds and being a professional geek at home or the bar, he has been thwarting alien outlaws in secret.



Minor Skills
Winn possesses a number of minor skills.
- Gaming
- Hacking
- (De)coding
- Programming
- Computer Aptitude

Agent Training
Winn knows the basic skills that were taught to him during his time as a Vagabond field agent. He's proficient in hand-to-hand combat and self-defense, can identify several different types of aliens and their languages, and knows how to operate both futuristic and foreign technologies.



Winn does not possess any powers or enhancements.



Personal Belongings
Winn carries with him some personal belongings.
- Wallet & ID
- Cellphone
- Duffel Bag
- Notebook
- Pencils
- Laptop
- Portable Consoles
- Baggie Snacks

Equilibrium Cortex
Winn wields the Equilibrium Cortex, a self-sustaining power disc made of alien technology that balances and enhances the state of his nervous system. When active, it increases his strengths and reflexes to enhanced levels and mends his paraplegia.

Installed into the Equilibrium Cortex is a Polyward Harness. When active, it covers him in a regenerative polymer-like substance in the form of a bodysuit capable of resisting knives and basic bullets, providing him with a layer of armor comparable to kevlar. With persistent force, it can be penetrated.

Also installed into the Equilibrium Cortex is a Chameleon Circuit. When active, it can turn him invisible by hiding him behind a spectrum of light imperceptible to the human eye.

VB Gear
Winn’s superhero gear gives him the abilities and powers of a vertigo bird.
- The Mask comes with a setting that allows him to see the world through electrical signals, a vocal reverberator to mask his voice, and grants him psionic protection.
- The Coat can adopt a rigid form and sports two psionic eyespots underneath that can induce confusion, sleep, or a whammy of vertigo when looked upon.
- The Gloves are tipped with metal talons and sport psionic eyespots on their palms.
- The Boots are reinforced with light metal plates to protect and fortify his feet.



Mortal Flaws
Winn is still just a mortal being. A bullet to the head would kill him just as dead as it would anyone else, and when stripped of his powers and equipment, he is as powerless as any normal man.

Paraplegia
Winn suffers from paraplegia due to an incident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. This affects his daily life, from having to get around via wheelchair to being unable to stand without outside support.

Gear Faults
Winn must always defend his central chest area. While the Equilibrium Cortex is capable of deflecting minor damage, an otherwise massive blow to the centerpiece would be enough to dwindle its functions.

The Equilibrium Cortex only lasts for around 6 hours and requires an equal recharge period after being fully drained. Even though the device is self-sustaining, it cannot recharge while it's in use.

The Polyward Harness is susceptible to forms of extreme heat and cold, such as fire and ice. Extreme heat and cold melts and chips away his armor and prevents regeneration.

The Chameleon Circuit has a few select bypasses. It does little to mask his body temperature and glistens when it gets wet, shattering his invisibility.



Something hummed in the earth - something raw, something primal. Could they feel it in their bones?

Power so real, so fierce that with each lurch, it practically shook his little wheelchair. Of all the people they could’ve called in for their so-called expertise, Winston genuinely felt he might’ve been ill-equipped, or worse yet, unprepared. Extraterrestrials and their technology were among his playthings, but ever since arriving on Earth 616, he felt completely out of his ball park, and why wouldn’t he? The world was so much bigger than before - so much crowded.

The object itself was unremarkable. Plain. Seemingly uncomplex - a large, shiny, grey sphere. No, what was truly interesting about it was the effect it seemed to be having on the earth itself. The land seemed to hum and thrust. Vegetation began to turn brown at the point of impact. Even the animals that were unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity had begun going crazy - so much so that handlers, medics, and security have been called onto the set in order to keep agents as well as any potential nose-stickers safe.

As for scans, they came back all but negative. Nada. Inconclusive. Just what was it that had landed in Central Park? If Winn was being quite honest with himself, at this point, it resembled something more akin to a ticking time bomb.

“What are you thinking?” one of the agents suddenly asked, rolling up to the side of his chair.

Winston paused for a moment, lost in thought. “Well, the design alone doesn’t remind me of anything Celestial. Not Skrull, either. Certainly not Klyntar. If you want my honest opinion, this could be some sort of fluke, or something we don’t know of yet.”

Not a great answer, but the agent nodded nonetheless. Unease was in the air - cold, distant discomfort - as other agents scittered around with their advisors and technology, desperately trying to get a handle on what could be a very real, very potential threat. The real kicker? No one even knew what kind. Thankfully, it wouldn’t be long until the choppers got here with their moving equipment and toted the massive thing away to someplace more appropriate.

Until then, it would probably be best to just let sleeping dragons lie, so to speak.