Joshua Hart

Joshua (NMI) Hart is an American citizen of half Caucasian and half Native American descent, with legal citizenship in the United States and residence in the state of New Mexico. His occupations before joining the Templars were as both bounty hunter and freelance security consultant; he will continue to act as a bounty hunter as a cover occupation.

= General Information =

The following information is Classified Level One.

Background
Joshua Hart was born near Ipswich, Massachusetts. The identity of Hart's Native American birth mother is unknown, and she reportedly died giving birth. His father is a man named Alistair Black, is reportedly alive, yet is unable to be located. There are no available records confirming the existence of Black, and it is likely that the name is an alias.

He was raised by Phoebe Hart, now deceased, presumably at Black's request. After her death, he was adopted by a Native American family, who taught him many of their ancestral skills and culture. He also reportedly has a half-brother--Nathaniel Black--who is likewise unable to be located. Mr. Hart claims to have had 'no meaningful contact' with either for some time.

Recruitment
Hart has appeared in several Templar case files involving happenings in North America, albeit peripherally. It was not until his involvement in the LaBrea Breeding Ground incident in Los Angeles, California,[Case File N12-887-2] that he had been flagged for possible recruitment.

During the relatively minor incident, agents were sent in to monitor the situation in case it grew beyond the local authorities' ability to handle. Mr. Hart was in the area and became embroiled in the incident. It was observed that Mr. Hart conducted himself with an impressive amount of both skill and knowledge concerning the nature of the situation. Of particular interest was what one agent noted as 'apparent experience in dealing with the ghoulies.' He was thus flagged for pre-recruitment background checks.

Upon completion of the investigations, Hart was contacted and urged to attend a meeting in London. Apprehensive at first, he finally decided to enter the probationary recruitment programme, and has since become a full-fledged Templar.

Assets
Hart is skilled in the use of all types of small arms, particularly shotguns, which he often loads with non-lethal 'bean-bag' rounds. He is also adept in hand-to-hand combat and fighting with knives and small blades. Hart is an expert tracker and hunter, and shows exemplary investigative skills, as well as being a capable combat medic. Initial tests reveal a fighting style that is very aggressive; he seems to have little apprehension about putting himself in harm's way.

Psychological assessments show Mr. Hart to be somewhat introverted, yet open enough when necessary. His sense of humour tends to the ironic and slightly sarcastic--definitely an 'American' style. He displays confidence that may manifest in cockiness, yet he doesn't typically boast as is common for many of his nationality. It appears he would rather act than talk; one begins to wonder how he has survived for so long.

Mr. Hart has no known form of higher education, yet presents himself as rustically wise, well-read, and able to learn quickly.

= Classified Information =

The following information is Classified Level Five.

Background Investigation Findings
Background investigations revealed the following concerning Joshua Hart:


 * Personal records go back to approximately 1980, then stop. Several photographs uncovered show that he appears to be the same age now as when the oldest photograph was taken (1987). Licensing documents (automobile operator's license, concealed weapons permit, US Marshall Service bounty hunter registration) all appear to be in good order.


 * Further investigation reveals that someone with the same name and countenance had enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1939 and was stationed on mainland China throughout the Second World War.


 * Records were located, with a tintype photograph attached, showing that he had been hired after the American Civil War to locate Southern dissidents. Appended to that record was a note indicating that the Union Army had lost contact with him and presumed him to be dead.

Mr. Hart's apparent agelessness was taken into account before recruitment, and coupled with his demeanour in Los Angeles, it was decided that he might possibly possess experience deemed useful by the Templars.

Recruitment Interview
In our first recruitment interview, it was made clear that there were unanswered questions that we wished to have resolved before allowing him beyond any probationary period. When Mr. Hart returned, he gave what appears to be full disclosure into his life's events. It should be noted that, given the nature of Hart's declarations, he had been placed under tight scrutiny as a precaution. It has been the opinion of several senior officers that he has performed admirably and has since been removed from probationary status.

According to Mr. Hart, he is one of a sub-race called Nephilim, (Hebrew: fallen ones) the result of a demon breeding with a human. Hart claims that the agelessness is the only attribute he has inherited from his demonic sire, while inheriting a soul from his mother--something unheard of in all the Templar records to date. What follows is a summary of Hart's declaration.

Circumstances of Birth
Joshua Hart was conceived in 1685 when a demon wearing human form and calling itself 'Alistair Black' raped a Native American woman of the Misquat tribe as part of a ritual performed by a coven of witches. The woman was then sequestered to a cabin in the woods and cared for by one of the coven, Phoebe Hart. He was born in March 1686, his mother dying in the process. Black, apparently disappointed by the child's normalcy, ordered Phoebe Hart to adopt the boy and train him in witchcraft--perhaps in an attempt to 'redeem' the boy.

Early Life
Until the time Joshua was six years old, he had met Black only once when the demon visited to check up on his progress. At this time, Hart claims that Phoebe had converted to Christianity and was preparing to make a break from the coven; consequently, she had only been teaching him parlour tricks in hopes that Black would believe Joshua had no magical aptitude and let him alone.

In 1692, Phoebe Hart was arrested and tried for witchcraft. Before her execution, she urged 6-year-old Joshua to hide in the woods east of Ipswich. He did so, and as he was being pursued by the town's citizens, he was captured instead by a hunting group of Misquat.

Hart recounts that he was brought to the tribe by the hunters and was going to be made a slave, but the tribal elder intervened on his behalf, essentially adopting him. It was clear to the natives that Hart was an 'half-breed,' although most likely not to what extent.

The old man was the tribe's leader, and he had two daughters, one of which went missing some years prior and had never been heard from again. That, coupled by his insistence that Joshua call him 'Grandfather,' led him to believe that the man was indeed just that. Nonetheless, he was raised as the chief's grandson, and though the tribe never accepted him as such, he was at least well cared for instead of becoming enslaved.

It was here that Hart learned his hunting and tracking skills, as well as a little healing magic from his Grandfather's daughter (his aunt?). As time went by, Joshua aged as a normal boy. When Grandfather was close to death, he insisted to the tribe that Hart be made the new chief--an idea that was greeted with outrage. He was young--about twenty--and still considered an half-breed by the others. Hart swiftly decided to relinquish his leadership to his aunt's husband, a move that raised him in the tribe's esteem--and probably saved his life.

Realising His Nature
Hart points out that, at this point, he had no idea he was anything but an half-breed--Native American and European--young man. Phoebe had told him little about Black except that he was to be avoided and feared. As the years went by, he and others began to notice that his aging was slowing down. He estimates that the aging stopped altogether somewhere between 32 and 38, which appears to be accurate. It wasn't long before he began to be shunned by the members of the tribe, and eventually he decided to strike out on his own.

Much of what followed is exceptional only for the span of years it represents, although there are moments of extreme interest, which will be added to this dossier at another time.