Thalassophobia

Real Name: Sophia Von Claremont
Villain Name: Thalassophobia
Title: The black blight of the seas
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Age: 100+ (Born more less exactly in 1900)
Gender: Female
Race: Sea Vampire / Ooze hybrid
Hair: Black
Eyes: White
Height: varies
Weight: more or less around 1000-1500 pounds, depending on recent feeding.
Blood type: "I'm not picky"



While at ease, Sophia assumes a form similar to her human self, albeit her entire body is inky black, punctuated only by two milky white eyes, giving her an all too alien appearance. She can morph this human form from her original human form of 6', or if in particular need to dominate, expand up to a towering 9' tall humanoid.

As a shapeshifter, there are few forms Sophia could not take, though she will always appear solid black, so black as to strain one's eyes but from darkness rather than bright light. She keeps her enemies on their toes, whether fighting like a conventional warrior, then perhaps assuming the form of a giant spider, then constricting an enemy as a serpent, to truly abominable tactics such as becoming a writhing mass of tentacles studded with razor sharp fangs, exsanguinating enemies with each blow.




Due to her vampiric nature, Sophia vacillates between a noble anti-villain and a complete monster, depending on whether she’d fed lately. Though she wears the trappings of a knight, she is a reaver at heart, and yearns only to be free to make war on the strong and plunder and feed upon the weak.  
In her more sober states, she adheres to her old codes chivalry, targeting only criminals and tyrants, remembering the yoke of oppression and thinking herself having some lofty goal of freeing the oppressed… until the Thirst sets in, and she will gladly feed on those she sought to protect. She is self-aware on these tendencies, and seeks to feed regularly to stay in her former state of mind, perhaps make small differences in the lives of a few, though ultimately recognizing she fundamentally exists as an inhuman monster than can only kill and feed upon the human race.




EARLY LIFE
Sophia Von Claremont was the daughter of a noble house in the old Austro-Hungarian empire, and part of the royal family’s retainers who had preserved the chivalric ways. As such she benefitted from a full classical education for the time, learning arithmetic, history, philosophy and literature. She also developed incredible proficiency in medieval combat, and even the more modern fencing. Unfortunately, Sophia entered adulthood just as the Austro-Hungarian empire disintegrated, the Hapsburg royal family exiled, and their house finding itself reduced to “historians” in the new Germany.

THE NAZIS  
Sophia spent much of her adult life after the disastrous end of the Great War securing her family’s estates in Berlin, becoming a trainer of the new Weimar republic’s armed forces’ officer corps. She was a vehement anti-Nazi, but rather than leave Germany and thus her family destitute, she stood her ground firmly and protested their many underhanded tactics as they rose to power. And when they did so, the Claremont household were among the prime targets, “dissidents” that were threats to the new Nazi state, though no small number of goose-steppers were cut down within their family manor by her blade.

Unwilling to summarily execute such a famed and useful figure, but eager to test their new occult sciences for the coming war, Sophia was subject to the vile experiments of their occult division for the coming war.

EVIL NAZI EXPERIMENTS

The Nazi Occult Division had taken the initiative to travel to the arctic some years prior to their ascension and found the remains of a strange creature within a comet, frozen in the ice. The thing was not dead, but a long dormant vampiric creature, and the occult division had to contain it. This creature, known only as the Dark Water, demonstrated intelligence, and useful properties to them.

Sophia was chosen as the recipient of a transformation to replicate the creature. They succeeded all too well in creating a free willed monster, and Sophia devoured them all. She rescued her family and arranged for them to travel to America, though she could no longer be in their lives.

Sophia traveled the world rather than be involved in yet another European centered conflict, becoming a mercenary and corsair, vacillating between a noble anti-villain and full-blown monster. She took refuge in the heart of the African Congo, creating a sort of refuge for herself, far, far away from her original family even as she sent them resources to survive in their new home.

PRESENT DAY

Sophia had fallen into a lull in the past century in Africa, until one fateful day that her resting place was disturbed by civil unrest. Looters, in the employer of a local warlord, sought to plunder her burial grounds, which locals have long known to be cursed by a blood sucking monster. Angered by the disturbance, she slew them all, but not before facing off against one who could command the earth and wear it like armor. After a difficult battle, her first of the century, she slew the geokinetic and found the taste of metahuman blood to be beyond anything she had tasted before. She established order in her local village, and later the region, disposing of the warlord and installing a more compliant puppet.
Once her cove was once again in order, she began to make contact with old vampire acquaintances and allies, to get a sense of this strange new world she awoke to.



Shapeshifting – Of a sort, as playing with 1000 pounds of a black matter can be shaped, and being able to control her density and hardness. This power has many, many applications, limited only by  Sophia's imagination. She can assume any humanoid or animal form but it would always be inky black and roughly 1000 pounds, so it’s no use for camouflage- but many forms, like a spider, or a scorpion, can be an unnerving and effective battle form. She cannot fly but can glide, and she can slimb sheer walls by digging into the climbing material.

Sophia may shapeshift into objects and stay very still, being much less conspicuous. Or she can blend in with shadows, spreading herself out like a sheet and following lighting conditions. She also can control her density, being as soft as a sponge or as dense as reinforced steel or granite. Very helpful for when she morphs her body into weapon shapes or utilitarian objects. She can also stretch out her body out to over 100 feet without suffering density problems; any more and she’ll be spreading herself too thin. Finally, being a semi-liquid state, she can squeeze through small spaces, cages, cracks and so forth. Creative applications may include becoming a parachute, a makeshift boat, or using her arms as slingshots to hurl herself great distances.

Plastic Durability – due to the amorphous / plasticine properties of her body, Sophia is extremely difficult to harm, albeit instead of conventional durability, her body is extremely efficient at dispersing physical force. Bullets pass through her, she can morph an opening to allow spears, javelins or other missiles to pass through, and she can reattach severed pieces of herself without ill effect. Severed parts of her are reduced to inert puddles of oily black goo.

Supernatural Strength – possesses incredible strength due to her control over her body, able to subdue large sharks and whales with constriction, being able to pull double duty as a ship crane, dragging full shipping containers onto her ship, and expanding to destroy smaller vessels with impunity.

Aquatic – As a  vampiric ooze creature, Sophia can swim through water like a barracuda, and she can see much farther even in murky waters.  Assuming the form of sea creatures only makes this more effective.

Eyes Everywhere A distinct part of her shapeshifting is the ability to create eyes anywhere on her body. These eyes are a milky white and capable of incredible vision even in pitch darkness, and capable of detecting living beings at distances. In addition, her standard eyes have the same capabilities.

Blood Drain – Out of combat, Sophia can rapidly heal herself and gain nourishment from the consumption of warm blood from living things. The vampiric sponge/ooze/leech thing that is Sophia must infiltrate her willing/subdued victim's epidermis, and directly absorb blood and bodily fluids, her body directly metabolizing the fluid. Cutting a victim in half just wastes precious fluids.

This is a process that would take up to five minutes if completely draining a body down to a dry husk. However, Sophia can control her intake from willing victims, taking just two minutes to absorb a liter of fluids. She can dine with her fellow vampires by slowly absorbing blood from a glass, but a refined lady does NOT drink blood spilt on the ground.

Note: Requires Permission if used on a PC.



Direct Sunlight – Direct sunlight / UV radiation causes intense pain and massive damage to Sophia.

Copper– this metal is highly toxic to Sophia on contact.

Coarse Rock Salt –  pure rock salt rapidly dehydates her flesh, causing an osmosis reaction on skin contact. Similarly, she cannot cross a line of salt, and weapons coated in salt act like blessed weapons.

Fire Attacks - As an undead abomination, fire burns away her mass and causes her intense pain.

Sonic Attacks: - extremely loud noises disturb Sophia greatly, and past a certain decibel level will stun her momentarily.

Holy attacks - holy energy or holy weapons deal their full damage to Sophia.

Holy Places - due to her own previously held beliefs, she may not enter any temple or church that contains a pious soul.



Medieval Combat – having been trained by the actual European masters of warfare, Sophia is capable with almost all melee weapons, hand to hand, horse riding and other such skills.

Nautical – Spent a good twenty years of her life on a ship, and has learned to navigate the open seas and oceans “the old fashioned way”.

Animosity – all land and air dwelling animals, even insects are repelled by Sophia’s presence. They will flee and panic when within 30 feet of her, likely giving away her vile nature. Similarly, plants (but not fungi or molds) wither and die in her presence as well.