SHADOWS ANGELUS II

It has often been stated that XSWAT has 5,000 officers. While true, this is a misleading number, leading many to think that there are 5,000 XSWAT personnel in the field, patrolling the streets of Angelus. In truth, the number is half that, with only 2,500 officers divided among Angelus’s 12 sectors. Thus, the numbers work out like this:

These numbers are estimates, and don’t account for officers augmented with bio- or cyberware, genetic upgrades, those who posses enchanted artifacts, or certain unique individuals (such as free-willed spirits and the like). As you can see, there’s at least one Clade on every Squad, an esper on more than half the squads, and a mage on every other squad.

The non-patrol officers handle all of XSWAT’s internal affairs. This includes human resources, financial issues, medical assistance, research-and-development, maintaining XSWAT vehicles and mecha, armory duties, and so on. All precincts have a handful of such officers on hand, to help with paperwork, look after squad spinners, deal with minor medical issues, and handle basic administrative tasks. However, the bulk of such officers are at XSWAT HQ.

XSWAT HQ contains the XSWAT database, in which all officers records are kept, as well as medical histories, financial data, criminal data, case reports, and so on. It also has an extensive library (both physical and virtual), classrooms (for a wide variety of subjects), a medical center (for those officers who require specialized treatment), a research wing (for investigations into both material and supernatural issues), a forensics lab (connected to the research wing), a motor pool, a garage, armory, meeting hall, living quarters (for visitors and the like), top-end administrative offices for the highest-ranking XSWAT officers, and, finally, The Vault. XSWAT HQ also can serve as a defensive fortress if needed, with all officers to report there in case of another invasion (from within or without).

XSWAT looks after its own, and Director Renuka is known to offer those officers injured in the line of duty positions within where they can put their expertise to use (i.e. “desk duty”). Thus, XSWAT does its best to avoid hiring out-side contractors for anything but the most basic of needs (such as trash removal). In addition, XSWAT encourages its officers to cross-train, so that they can be more self-sufficient and avoid the need to call on outside sources.

About the only thing XSWAT has contracted out is a dedicated IT staff for HQ. While most of the database management is done in house, as is testing of new computer systems and the like, someone needs to move systems, run cable, set up new systems, and respond to desk-side support issues. While small, XSWAT HQ’s IT team is known to be highly committed to their jobs. They are all volunteers (owing to XSWAT’s rep), are well-paid, and tend to take great pride in their work. It is also a common opinion that they’re crazy, one-and-all.

ASSORTED XSWAT NPCS

Captain Akiko Keegan Tsinnie

A former APD officer, Captain Tsinnie joined XSWAT after 12 years with the regular police, having worked herself up from patrol officer to precinct captain. Placed in command of a newly assembled squad, she quickly came to Director Renuka’s attention for her strict discipline, strong work ethic, and commitment to honesty in all legal dealings. After receiving several citations of bravery as well as two stints in the hospital, Director Renuka promoted her to the rank of Captain and put her in charge of a Sector.

As virtually no one can pronounce her last name (“Tsinnie”) she tends to go by “Captain Keegan.” In addition, her first name is only listed as “A” on virtually all of her records, leading to a betting pool as to what it really is. In addition, it’s a well-known fact that she has no real paranormal powers, although she does have an assortment of internal bio- and cyber-implants (such as blood and toxin filters). On the other hand, she does wear a rather unusually-shaped pendent around her neck consisting of a roughly five-pointed star with a flame in the center. Magically active officers have confirmed it’s a artifact of some sort. It’s unknown where she got it, but she apparently never takes it off.

Captain Tsinnie holds the distinction of being the second-shortest officer in XSWAT, standing all of 5’1”, right behind the Director herself, and right before Miko Akizuki (see below). She’s of mixed Japanese-Navajo ancestry (although virtually no one knows this), with waist length black hair and green eyes. She chain smokes, drinks coffee by the pot, exercises with fanatical regularity, and often trains with Director Renuka personally, pitting her Kenpo Karate versus the Director’s Pentjak Silat. Such matches tend to get a reaction similar to “Morpheus is fightin’ Neo!”

Officer Amara Asano

No one really knows what to make of Officer Amara Asano. For starters, she has made various claims about her parent’s origins, ranging from the fairly normal (her father ran a kendo school, while her mother was a physical therapist) to the outlandish (her father was some form of military special forces/covert operative and her mother was a Nordic witch). It doesn’t help that her parents were killed in Gurzorath’s attack, and most of her family records were destroyed. In addition, she practices a rather obscure form of kenjutsu (which she says her father taught her), with other experts stating it looks like a style that died out around 200 years ago in the 1860s. Finally, she apparently knows a single spell (which she says her mother taught her), a ritual to increase her fighting prowess before a battle. When active, her eyes almost glow read, her strength, endurance, and agility reach super-human levels, and she gains an almost single-minded desire to destroy the enemy. Director Renuka says the ritual allows her to call upon the collective memory of her Nordic ancestors, turning her into a ‘berserk’ of sorts. No one sure if this is supposed to be a reassuring statement or not.

Although a terror in combat (to both allies and enemies), most everyone agrees that Amara can be a lot of fun to hang with when off duty. She has a free-spirited ‘live for the moment’ attitude, and almost never plans for the future, taking everything as it comes. Of course, this, coupled with a fearlessness in combat that borders on the foolhardy, means that she accumulates disciplinary actions about as fast as commendations for bravery, relegating her to her Officer status despite her time in service. Privately, The Director is of the opinion Amara’s personality is a cover for some deep-seated emotional issues dealing with the loss of her parents and the attack of Gurzorath. Kicking her “up-stairs” to a desk job would almost certainly do her more harm than good, so Director Renuka figures its best to leave Amara where she is.

Recently, she’s started seeing Sergeant Enrique Figueroa, which caused more than a few of her fellow officers to breath a sigh of relief (Amara’s appetites are the stuff of legend). Oh, and for the record, Officer Natasha Weischlange refuses to serve anywhere near Amara (the rumor is Amara tried to seduce her).

Amara is a towering 6’ tall (give-or-take a half inch or so), with an athletic build and proportions best summed up as “imposing” (taking after both of her parents in this regard) Her eyes are gray, while her hair is a thick black mass that falls down past her shoulders. She’s doesn’t carry a Stunstick, preferring her katana and her .454 Casull revolver.

Officer Carmencita Ibanez

Blind since birth, Carmencita is another of XSWAT’s graduates from IOTA. She is a powerful esper, with impressive telepathic abilities, including the ability to “see” through the eyes of others, gaining a visual impression of her surroundings by skimming the visual impressions she picks up from people around her. Much like Manon (see below), she’s a devout Catholic, and tries to balance the requirements of XSWAT with her beliefs and refusal to take lives (Entities and similar beings don’t count). This has lead her to act as a counselor for officers in her Sector, as well as a coordinator for various programs to help the poor and disadvantaged.

Due to her empathic/telepathic powers, Carmencita does her best to avoid excessive emotional displays. She can interact in a normal fashion with others (she’s not cold or utterly emotionless), but tries to avoid displaying excessive worry, sadness, mirth, and so on. Her empathy makes her an excellent counselor, but also can result in her feeling ill due to overwhelming strong emotions from outside sources. by the same token, she never drinks or takes any sort of drug that might affect her emotional stability.

Carmencita (or Carmen to her friends and squadmates) is tall, standing around 5’9”, with a fit build, darkly-tanned skin, and rich black hair that falls well down her back. She keeps a long strip of cloth tied across her eyes at all times, having found it an excellent distraction when dealing with others.

Officer Manon Déroulède

Originally a native of Quebec, where she studied criminal law and acted as a liaison with the Service de Police, Manon came to Angelus after she experienced a vision of God telling her that monstrous and hellish creatures were seeking to break through and overrun the Earth. Accepting the vision as a command from on high, she promptly transferred to Angelus, completed her studies, and applied to XSWAT. The Director, who’s had first-hand experience with the divine, accepted her into the force without hesitation.

Manon is on a mission from God, and it shows. An esper of middling power, she also carries a pair of blessed St. John’s Knives, which have proven rather effective against Entities and other summoned beings. Around her neck she wears the cross, while her desk holds a small shrine (open Bible, a crucifix, a statuette of Mary, hooks for her Knives and rosary beads, vials of holy water, and so on). She prays at the shrine every day, goes to Catholic Mass regularly, and tends to cross herself and move away from those who engage in questionable practices (she’s wise enough to not argue theology with fellow XSWAT officers, she also is a deep believer of Christian tolerance). Soft-spoken, (partly because she's not speaking her native language), pleasant, and scrupulously tactful, Manon is socially conservative, and is still coming to grips with the question of Clades and other such beings. About her only vice is coffee, which she drinks in quantities that would almost put Captain Keegan to shame.

Standing 5’6”, Manon has jet-black hair, very pale skin, and the sort of face and figure that makes others wish she wasn’t such a moral ‘pude’ (in their opinion). On the other hand, she enjoys ginger beer, the movies, and the beach, so.... Manon’s XSWAT uniform has been customized at her request. It bears the Christian cross on the shoulder patches, a second cross pinned to the front, and fleur-de-lys pins on the lapels.

Officer Miko Akizuki

At 4’3” and weighing only 70 lbs, Miko is the smallest officer on the force. She’s also a potent esper, with a mix of telekinetic and telepathic talents (mostly involving precognitive abilities). A native of Japan, she came to Angelus to study at IOTA and because she found the work of XSWAT fascinating (as well as feeling it was one place she’d most likely fit it). Although Director Renuka was a little hesitant at accepting an application from someone who looked like a child, Corporal Cadbury took an instant liking to Miko, which helped seal the deal.

Miko has served with distinction ever since her induction to XSWAT. The many misgivings about her size vanished once she had a chance to demonstrate her esper talents in the field, and while the APD may snicker at the “doll-sized” officer, they know better than to do so any where the rest of Miko’s squad might overhear. As for Miko herself, she tries to consider herself an unofficial “ambassador” from Japan to Angelus and XSWAT and goes to great pains to be polite, honest, and truthful with anyone she meets. On the other hand, she has a noted dislike for short jokes and/or comments (even if her desk has been specially modified for her height).

As stated, Miko is 4’3”, weighs 70 lbs, and has a slight build. her eyes are brown, while her black hair is worn in a pageboy cut. The best description one can give of her is “cute.” Due to her size, Miko doesn’t carry the issue Stunstick, and uses a maser specially modified for her hands.

Officer Natasha Weischlange

The common opinion is that Natasha is one of the most unlikely XSWAT officers you can imagine. On the other hand, even the Director has admitted that Natasha is one of the more competent Thaumaturges she’s ever seen, and very few question her magical prowess. It just, well... how many XSWAT officers can claim to having been arrested for practicing magic without a license?

In truth, Natasha never planned to be an XSWAT officer. Her wealthy parents indulged her interests in magic, thinking it to be “just be a phase,” never expecting their only daughter to graduate from Angelus University with a degree in magical theory. A little miffed that she had apparently wasted her college years and gotten a useless degree, they gave her a small stipend and conveniently forgot about her. As for Natasha, she used the funds to live fairly meagerly, spending most of it on books and curios, all in attempt to further plumb the depths of Thaumaturgy and Hermatic traditions—which is how she got arrested.

Although the charges were eventually dropped (it wasn’t like Natasha was actually casting spells on anyone), the scandal caused her parents to virtually disown her and saw her stipend cut off. At this point the Director made her an offer—join XSWAT. Initially hesitant, Natasha finally agreed when it was pointed out to her that she’d actually get paid to research new forms and styles of magic, would be able to practice her current skills freely, and would have access to a fairly large collection of books and artifacts for study.

Natasha Weischlange stands 5’10”, making her one of the tallest non-Clade female officers on the force. She also has probably the longest hair of any officer, with a fall of raven-black tresses that ends somewhere around her knees. Finally, common consensus agrees that she has the largest bust of any female officer on the force, a distinction she finds highly embarrassing (At one point someone suggested an XSWAT fund-raiser in the form of a “Girls of XSWAT” swimsuit calendar. Natasha would have been the centerfold. The Director almost agreed to the idea.) This has resulted in Natasha going to great lengths to never remove any part of her uniform outside of the women’s locker room.

As a final note, Natasha is very hesitant about many modern surgical procedures, fearing they’ll disrupt her magical talents. Thus, she is one of the few people in the world who still wears (reading) glasses.

Officer Trent Dasteel

A former APD detective, Trent came over to XSWAT to “see what all the fuss was about” (his own admission). He quickly discovered that life in XSWAT was far different than anything he’d experienced in the APD and soon found himself almost regretting his decision to transfer. Then came the incident with the ghouls....

Once he recovered, Trent found he had a new, cybernetic, leg, several new and interesting scars, and a limp. He could get around okay, but still needed a cane, cyberleg or no, and certainly wasn’t in any shape to return to the field. He ended up working in the Vault, assisting Lieutenant Anubis in cataloging items. His personal part of the project is use his drafting skills to produce line drawings of artifacts.

Trent is tall and slim, and since he no longer conducts field work has let his hair grow out. It now reaches well down his back, resulting in more than one person mistaking him for a woman (much to his annoyance).

Sergeant Alexander Maximillian

Originally from England, Alexander hails from a long line of magicians. His family has practiced the hermetic arts for centuries, and have advised (or claim to advised...) kings, queens, prime ministers, lords, and generals. Alexander was no exception, and spent his teenaged years at one of England's most prestigious schools studying (among other things) magical theory as well as English history, folklore, and mythology. Upon graduation he found his options limited, as the need for magicians is no longer as great as it once was. He ended up traveling quite a bit, eventually arriving in Angelus, where he found the concept of XSWAT intriguing, not to mention a practical outlet for his talents.

Alexander has proven to be one of the most powerful mages on the force and is a highly accomplished hermetic magician. His tradition allows him to call upon the powers of various celestial spirits, meaning his spells tend to relate to the ascribed nature of the celestial body he’s called upon. This makes his magical visually showy and impressive, even more so than the Director’s, with various translucent figures (such as “angels,” winged horses, birds, and other animals) accompanying or forming the core of his spells. The Director is considering bringing him into HQ to work in the research section, but has acknowledged his magical prowess in the field is nigh-unmatched.

A squad sergeant, Alexander is know to be rather fastidious about his appearance, and tends to wear a longer than normal patrol coat in order to keep the muck and grime off. He stands over 6’ in height, with a full beard and has a marked resemblance to a young John Cleese.

Sergeant Enrique “Rick” Figueroa

Sergeant “Rick” transfered to XSWAT from a West Coast North American police department, since they seemed to feel an officer who could light fires with his mind would be perfectly at home with “all those other wierdos.” As for Enrique, he didn’t mind. Becoming part of XSWAT meant a chance to meet other pyrokinetics and espers, better training in pyrokinesis powers, better gear, better pay, and if the Director was any indication, the chance to meet some utterly smokin’ hot babes.

Poster-boy for Latino machismo, Enrique can best be described as “hot headed” (literally). He’s a bit of a maverick (which seems to be par for the course for XSWAT), and has the almost stereotypical cop view of the world, dividing it up into three types of people: police, perps, and victims. It’s not a good idea to move from ‘victim’ to ‘perp’ around Enrique.

Enrique has a reputation as a ‘ladies man’ and is somewhat infamous for the sheer number of names in his ‘little black book.’ He dates other XSWAT officers exclusively, and doesn’t seem to care about such factors as race, ethnicity, or even genetic make-up (he’ll mack on Clades just as much as humans). Interestingly, the sentiment among his former lovers is that while the relationship will almost certainly be a short one, it’s worth every minute of it. Recently he’s started seeing Amara Asano, with the general opinion that he’s finally met his match. In fact, the question now is not when the two will break up (that’s a given), but if all the rumors of threesomes are true....

Most people expect Enrique to be tall, dark, and handsome... well, two out of three aren’t bad. He’s “only” 5’6”, but it’s a well-muscled and fit 5’6” with wide shoulders, a washboard stomach, and narrow hips. His hair is back, his eyes a dark brown, and he has the natural bronzed tan of the Latino. In other words, your typical Latin hunk. Aside from his looks, Enrique’s man distinguishing feature is the paired salamanders tattooed onto his forearms. They run from elbow to wrist.

Sergeant Matthew “Mack” Willaims

A former New York City police officer, with eight years on the force, Mack came to Angelus after a visit to NYC by the Director. He managed to wrangle a personal meeting with her, and the two ended up speaking for several hours. He won’t say what the subject of discussion was, but examination of his NYPD records show he was involved in an undisclosed “incident” about 6 months before the Director’s visit. While the AAR of the “incident” is sealed, Mack himself spent a two weeks in the hospital afterwards. The Director, when asked, has simply stated “I gave him a chance to learn the truth.”

Mack is an apparently rarity in XSWAT—a completely normal human, with virtually no augmentation of any sort. Like Captain Keegan, he’s submitted to some basic bio-implants, mainly blood and toxin filters. Otherwise, he’s normal flesh and blood. On the other hand, he’s fairly tall, broad, well-built, and extremely strong. He’s also has a reputation for being nigh-on to fearless, or, at least, possessing an icy calm and self control in the face of danger. He’s proven to be an excellent squad leader and leads by example, having a “first one in, last one out” mentality.

Mack is in his mid-thirties and stands over 6’ in height, with a well-toned physique. His skin is a warm brown color, and he has black hair and brown eyes. As he has a receding hairline, he shaves his head, but makes up for it with a well-trimmed goatee. He carries the standard XSWAT equipment, but has added a large revolver on his right hip, a smaller automatic at the small of his back, and a combat knife.

Staff Sergeant Michael Erica de Normandy

One of many people to come to XSWAT from IOTA, Michael Erica de Normandy serves in XSWAT HQ’s records division, specializing in database management and data analysis. Unlike some of IOTA’s more visually impressive graduates, Michael’s esper powers are low-key and subtle, focusing more internally then externally. For example, she always knows the correct time, never gets lost, can work complex mathematical problems in her head, never forgets anything she commits to memory, has perfect coordination, and can absorb written data at a phenomenal rate.

Michael is one of the few XSWAT officers who has never served in the field. Instead, her talents have been put to excellent use maintaining XSWAT HQ’s computer systems, a job she enjoys greatly. As for Michael herself, she is an albino, suffering from oculocutaneous albinism type 1, resulting in her having pale, almost white skin, white hair, and light blue eyes. Due to her condition, she tends to remain in the depths of the server rooms, where she keeps the lights down and/or run with red filters. Naturally, her sensitivity to sunlight means she usually wear full-covering clothing, as to avoid sunburn and other issues (although the weather on Angelus helps a great deal in this regard).

Michael stands 5’5” with a slight build, and barely breaks 100 pounds. She wears her hair well down her back, and wears the standard XSWAT office uniform, opting for a long-sleeved top, and pants as opposed to the optional skirt.

Rumored Officers

The Cyborg: The story goes that XSWAT has a full-conversion cybog who’s been so modified all that’s left is a brain in an armored box. The ‘borg has a whole suite of bodies to pick from, in a wide range of ages, ethnicities, sexes, and sizes. Most are of the “softshell” style, with synthetic muscle over a reinforced skeletal frame. The bodies are used for a wide range of duties, ranging from acting as a bodyguard to infiltration of suspect criminal operations. However, no matter what the body, the chassis is stronger and tougher than normal, with plenty of hard-wired combat skills and integrated smartgun links and the like. Rumor has it, the cyborg has switched bodies so often, no one can recall what it originally looked like, or even if it’s a he or a she....

The Dragon: Yes, you read that right. A dragon. Supposedly, a kioh-lung (a type of Asian dragon) is a member of the force. He serves in human form (most of the time) and only reports to the Director. As a human he’s tall, dark of skin, with straight black hair that falls past his shoulders, and brilliant green eyes. He’s also supposed to be cyborg-level strong, faster than he looks, and very tough. If needed he can assume his true form, which is roughly 50’ of Chinese dragon. In this body he can fly, summon rainstorms, call down lighting, and... well... you get the idea.

To make things even more confusing, a second rumor says that the dragon isn’t in XSWAT, but his daughter is. She’s supposed to look Chinese and be about 6’ tall with a virtually perfect face and figure, really long hair, and green snake-like eyes. It’s not known if the daughter can become a dragon like her dad.

The Ghost: Is there the ghost of a dead cop still on XSWAT’s books? That’s the question, isn’t it? According to rumor, there’s a “Ghost Cop” walking the streets of Angelus, dealing out justice a she sees fit and looking out for her fellow officers. She’s supposed to be of average height, with unkempt black hair and red eyes. The rest of her, skin, clothing, armored jacket, equipment, the works, is stark white.

Only a few people have ever claimed to see the Ghost Cop, with an even smaller number sure it was her. Not surprisingly (considering their line of work), a large number of XSWAT officers believe she exists. A number of candidates have been put forth, but the most likely is Officer Miyako Benedict, who was killed (along with two other members of her squad) responding to what turned out to be a black magic summoning ritual (the fact her body was never recovered helps the theory). Although the identification isn’t a positive one, at least two reports of the Ghost Cop have her carrying the same sort of shotgun Miyako was known to use. Others have pointed out that Sergeant Griffin, commander of Miyako’s old squad, has been remarkably closed-mouth about the whole affair, while the Director has never actually denied her existence....

The Vampire: A dead cop is one thing, but an undead one? Only the most hard-core conspiracy theorists in XSWAT’s ranks will submit this one for consideration. The story is that there’s a special solo XSWAT operative who reports to Director Renuka alone. While more than a few officers are willing to believe that the Director has convert operatives working for her, most agree that idea that one is a vampire to be a bit much. Still, there are the stories of a tall, gray-haired man with flaring yellow-red eyes and extremely long and sharp teeth floating around. He’s supposed to wear an ankle-length version of the patrol jacket, in black with gold trim and no insignia (although one report has a cross pinned to the lapel of his jacket). He doesn’t bother with the Stunstick or restraints, but instead carries an whole assortment of weapons—knives, a sword, an overclocked maser, powerful handguns, and so on.