Michael "Ratman" Thorpe

Ratman: "You know what I hate above everything else?" Rinatta: "Monsters?" Ratman: "No, wet socks. But I suppose monsters come to a close second." —Michael Thorpe and Rinatta Hanes

Michael Thorpe was a young man from London who accomplished much as both a member of the Illuminati and a freelance monster slayer. Born in London, he was orphaned at the age of twelve and taken two years later by an older couple from America. He was treated quite well, and went on to study in a rather prestigious private school until his eighteenth birthday, where he moved to San Francisco in order to attend Stanford University. Michael became a well-educated doctor of Mythological Studies, and fell in love with Rebecca Forest, a professional monster slayer and overall bad influence. It was her suggestion that he join the Illuminati, and after the tracking devices were grafted to his spine, the two became inseparable. At Rebecca's side, Michael gave up all ties to his former average life and became a monster slayer just like her, shortly thereafter marrying the woman and living a rather content—but still very dangerous—life. Together, Rebecca and Michael became one of the greatest monster slaying duos of their generation, until Rebecca's untimely demise due to the unholy exploits of one Jerrard Hector, a powerful vampire that no longer walks this world.

After the death of his wife, Michael went dark, cutting off all communication with the Illuminati and avoiding confrontation for two full years. Michael left for Russia, where he changed his identity and parts of his appearance through illusionary magick and continued his work as a monster slayer on his own. He turned his attention towards finding the truth behind Jerrard Hector and his elusive master, known only as the necromancer. The Illuminati respected his personal space, and after two years of coping with the loss of the love of his life and tracking down those responsible for her death, Michael returned to America to work with the Illuminati once more. Four more years would go by, and Michael would grow distant to the Illuminati again, slowly moving further and further away from them until they rarely asked him for aide.

Michael made many new contacts in his later travels, and eventually made a rather decent reputation for himself as both a professional monster slayer and protector of those that would accept his services. Michael had apparently gotten over his grief of his wife's death, no longer letting it interfere with his emotions and his work, as he traveled across most of the world either by foot or by Agartha to continue to do battle with the monsters of the secret world. In the year 2012, Michael came into contact with one Rinatta Hanes, who he had unwittingly introduced to the secret world for the first time in her life by killing a rather clever monster in disguise right in front of her. Terribly apologetic, Michael tried to break Rinatta into the secret world even further, but much more slowly, so that the complete shock wouldn't shut her down altogether. After two months of working by her side, Michael had gained a very good friend, but a heap of drama as well, suddenly thrust into a dark plot between Renovo Ltd. and its various enemies, and the mysterious Division Four. Pestered by the Telephone Hero and now the target of a very dangerous Dragon named Hui-Ying Jinsun, developing a relationship with Theresa Brookridge as both a mentor and potentially something more, and becoming an officer of the Illuminati cabal known as Two Minutes To Midnight, Michael has found more to busy himself with in this half of the year than the past full five put together.

= Biography =

Early life
"You were born for great and extraordinary things, Michael." —Suzanne Thorpe

Childhood
While most children his age were getting stuffed animals and toy trucks for Christmas, young Michael opened crudely wrapped packages to find scented candles inside, which his mother assured him would ward the bad spirits away. Michael was never simply told that there wasn't a secret world, rather he was born and raised into it. His somewhat paranoid mother drove his father away at a young age, leaving the mentally unstable woman all alone to care for her young boy. Michael was raised well, and given plenty of love and a surprisingly consistent allowance to keep him happy with what friends he managed to obtain before moving to another area in the UK for reasons never fully explained to Michael (though he always assumed it was because of his mother fearing for his own protection).

As the years went by, Michael grew into a fairly capable young man, able to walk the streets at night without fear and go days with fending for himself and walking to school when his mother left for unexplained reasons and for varying amounts of time. Michael never questioned his mother's absence, as she always came back home, usually with goodies and treats to make up for how long she was gone, be it a day or a week. At the age of twelve, Michael never saw his mother again, after the police came to his door and told him of her mental breakdown. Supposedly, Suzanne Thorpe had a panic attack in the grocery store, screaming of dark spirits and monsters, and going so far as to attack a defenseless woman and claw her face out with her nails.

Suzanne was convicted and sent to the Stone House Hospital, formerly the City of London Lunatic Asylum, while Michael was moved to the St. Marks orphanage in London. It was there that Michael stayed for the next two years, before being adopted by a couple in their late thirties, touring through the United Kingdoms on vacation and to visit relatives. In their desperation to have children (as they could not have any of their own), Michelle and Robert Kingrey absolutely fell in love with young Michael, and brought him back to the states with them, after they finished visiting their family in London. Michael was fairly pleased with the change of scenery, even if he wasn't fully sure why the American's insisted on driving on the right side of the road.

Teen years
Michael was put into a private school almost immediately upon settling into his new home. Though the education system was slightly different compared to what he was used to, and as were the standards, Michael managed to cope with the change and ended up doing quite well with his studies, earning high marks and breezing through middle and high school with almost minimal effort. His social life took a bit of a hit upon moving, however. While he was seen as a sort of cool kid to be around (given the accent he still retained), his sense of humor and overall personality constantly clashed with the other kids, which led him to become a bit of a loner, preferring solitude with his lunch and studies, rather than the company of others. He wasn't completely friendless, however. Michael had a band of merry misfits he could relate to, and he occasionally joined them on their wacky American adventures, enjoying the time spent with them quite a bit.

Upon graduation, Michael said goodbye to his new family and to his friends as well, going on to study at Stanford University and to stay at the dorms there as well. His major was in Mythological Studies, having been drawn to the subject due to some heavy influence from his birth mother. Eventually he earned his masters degree in the subject, and went on to further his education and gain a PhD as well. At the age of twenty four, Michael had his entire life planned out before him, ready to go on to become a teacher, and eventually a professor, should everything go smoothly. It did not.

Meeting Rebecca Forest
"What can I say about Rebecca Forest? Well, for starters, the first time we ever met, she practically threw a harpy at my face.  Our first date involved me watching her kill monsters, and then she almost got me killed by a bunch of rat people.  God, I love that woman." —Michael Thorpe

Michael first met the woman that would turn his entire life upside down in the middle of an abandoned parking lot. It was late, and Michael was on his way to his car, ready to return home from University. Rebecca Forest, a professional monster slayer (or self-proclaimed at the time) and member of the Illuminati, was chasing down a rather irritable harpy in the nearby area, having provoked it into moving closer into the city. In a fit of frustration, the feathered fiend saw Michael as an opportunity to make a distraction, and swooped down to pick him up and carry him off. Even in his shock from seeing such a creature, Michael's childhood teachings had kicked in, and he did exactly what his mother had told him to do time after time again. He refused to panic, and instead shielded himself from the harpy, lashing out against it and yanking it to the ground, only after one of the talons cut into his scalp during the descent, leaving him scarred to this day. With the harpy momentarily stunned, Rebecca came to the rescue and finished the creature off, burning it to a crisp with a potent elemental spell.

Having been injured by the harpy and knocked unconscious from the blow, Rebecca took Michael with her to nurse him back to health. Once Michael had woken up, he was in a strange place with a very strange woman sitting next to him. He did the first thing that came to mind and immediately ran from the woman, remembering vaguely of what happened several hours earlier. When he could not for the life of him find an exit from the seemingly door-less room, Michael slumped to the floor and waited for this strange woman to cook and/or eat him. When no snapping teeth came, Michael began asking questions, all of which Rebecca was happy to answer, replying as truthfully as she could, which surprised Michael quite a bit. After his initial shock had faded, he requested that he be let go, and she ushered the injured man out of her den and gave him a phone number and a smile, before returning to that mysterious home of hers.

Michael was incredibly confused, and chalked it up as stress-related hallucinations before stumbling through the streets of Stanford, eventually finding his way back to his car, where he drove home in and rested for the night. When he woke up the following morning, he was faced with all sorts of questions, completely unsure of what he should do about what happened last night. The phone number he thought he had dreamed about was quite real, and the thick scab on his head told him that something sharp had certainly cut him, but he wasn't willing to chalk it up to a flying creature just yet. Even though his mother had assured him that those sorts of things existed, he had still spent a good twelve years without thinking of monsters as anything but mythological. Still getting over the initial shock, Michael gave Rebecca a call and set up a date to discuss things over coffee.

Pre-Illuminati career
"Werewolves can only be killed by silver bullets, right? Shouldn't I have a gun for this or something?" "Oh, sure, and take all the fun out of it, maybe." —Michael Thorpe and Rebecca Forest

Michael's meetup with Rebecca had been incredibly confusing and had left him with more questions than answered, but at least he knew he wasn't crazy. If anything, this Rebecca woman was. Still, he gave her the benefit of the doubt, refusing to completely spit upon what his mother had preached to him as a boy, though that was a distant memory to be sure. Rebecca offered a chance to prove everything she had said to Michael, and he had accepted her proposal out of mere curiosity. The two left for for San Francisco, and there Rebecca brought Michael to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. With a bit of an open mind already, Michael watched with growing curiosity as Rebecca revealed to him the secret world that he had been so blind to for over a decade.

It would take more than just pointing out strange looking people and claiming that they were monsters in disguise, however. Rebecca eventually took Michael back into the city and let him enjoy himself with the shops and various sights as they waited for the cover of night. When night had fallen, Rebecca led Michael to one of the secretive fight clubs located in the darker sections of San Francisco. Watching monsters do battle against each other, and even people flinging spells and swinging swords against said monsters was quite the sight for a still disbelieving Michael. As more and more evidence poured through, Rebecca herself entered the ring, facing off against one of the captured monsters for the mere amusement of the crowd. Of course she had won, and had made a particular flashy display of her magical abilities just to convince Michael further. He was thoroughly convinced, but completely terrified of the idea of a secret world from that point on.



It would take many weeks of convincing and badgering before Michael would even consider going out into the field with Rebecca. Armed with nothing but his wits, Michael trudged along through the mud and rain to track down an infestation of lycanthropes, according to Rebecca. Michael only knew of the creatures from his studying and from what fictional novels told him, but despite the years of studying in Stanford University, Michael was hardly prepared when the two of them uncovered the nest. Rebecca squealed with delight as she popped open the cellar door, rushing into the dark without a care in the world. Michael yelled after her, and only entered when he heard no response, fearing what would happen if he were left alone.

Alone in the darkness, Michael would stumble and grope blindly for anything to hold onto. He couldn't begin to understand why things were so silent, until he stepped through an invisible barrier that contained the sound within it. One moment he was alone in the cold, dark, silent abyss, and then in the next he was standing in a brightly lit wine cellar with Rebecca kicking and screaming, and several furry creatures standing on their hind-legs snapping and slashing at her. When he had realized what was really going on, Michael acted upon quick instincts and leapt for a wrench he had spotted on the floor. Weapon in hand, he struck down on the monstrous creature grappling Rebecca, and caved the thing's skull in, silencing the rat creature forever.

With Rebecca now freed, she filled the room with flames and darted to and fro with a sharp knife, cutting deep into everything she touched, making short work of the nest of were-creatures. Once the fight had ended, Rebecca surveyed the damage while Michael simply stood in awe, unable to comprehend everything that had just happened. From that day on, Rebecca had teasingly called Michael "Ratman", for his first kill had been that of a wererat, and while it annoyed him at first, he later wore it as a symbol of pride and achievement.

Service in the Illuminati
"Come on, it'll be fun!" "That's exactly what you said about our first date, and we both almost died in a fiery explosion." "Fun!" —Rebecca Forest and Michael Thorpe

It wouldn't be long until the charismatic Rebecca Forest managed to convince Michael to join the Illuminati. With recommendation from the monster slayer, Michael was allowed into the secret society, and went through the uncomfortable process of having all sorts of bits and bobs attached to his body, most particularly a tracking device grafted onto his spine. Now a full member of the Illuminati, Michael was permitted to travel with Rebecca officially, and travel they did, immediately leaving for Spain on a field mission with several other agents.

The mission had proved to be a dud. They went under the assumption that a powerful rogue wizard was exploiting his knowledge of the arcane on those blind to the secret world, though when they arrived, the supposed town in question seemed perfectly fine, and the supposed wizard was nowhere to be found, nor were there signs of anima having been used for any manner of purpose. With the mission serving as a hoax, most of the agents returned to the states, but Rebecca and Michael stayed, going on a hunch, firmly believing that there was indeed some sort of threat here.

After a week of searching, the two came up with nothing, and eventually returned home. They then traveled the world, either completing tasks handed to them by their superiors, or on a whim to feed Rebecca's constant desire to kill monsters, a addiction that was quickly rubbing off on the very capable Michael Thorpe. The two became an inseparable team, learning practically everything about each other and easily making up for the others' flaws. The two eventually grew incredibly close, to the point where Michael even proposed to Rebecca. The duo was then quickly married, and their bonds only grew ever stronger from that point on.

Through the next two years of their lives together, the couple continued to work for the Illuminati, eventually accepting a rather important mission to leave for Russia. The reports were very similar to that of their first mission in Spain, which gave cause to worry for the two, and upon arrival, the same scene unfolded before them.

There was no notable damage, no missing persons, and no signs of this reported wizard. Again the two chose to stay, this time no longer greenhorns of the Illuminati, but trained and professional monster slayers. Exercising everything in their power, they still were unable to find any bit of information about the reported wizard, so instead the two turned to private investigation, tracking down the person who had first made the claim that there was ever a rogue wizard in the first place.

Death of Rebecca Forest
"I've got a bad feeling about this..." "Oh, come on, Han." —Michael Thorpe and Rebecca Forest

The search took them all over the country of Russia, and after months of tracking down this quite elusive contractor, the two stumbled upon him almost accidentally. Within the city of Samara there was a subtle yet very real concentration of anima, being drawn from the nearby environment and into the city itself, burrowing deep underground underneath the Samara railway station. The only reason why the two had even noticed it was because they had taken a break from their search to track down a rather annoying goblin that had been heckling both them and practically everyone in the city of Samara, with his hi-jinks of stealing socks and wallets, and downloading rather disgusting pornography onto the personal computers of married men.

After tracking down this goblin and cornering it, Michael attempted to cast a very simple spell to incinerate the ugly creature, but to his surprise, his gout of flame turned into a jet of white hot fire, decimating the poor creature entirely. The large concentration of anima in the air had supercharged his spell, and given him more anima than he could've ever needed to tap into when channeling the fire. The two then followed the flow of anima, once again on the hunt for the rogue wizard, firmly believing that they had finally found him now, and if not, then they had found something incredibly powerful that needed to be either stopped, or turned into the Illuminati.

Skulking through the ancient undercroft that remained underneath the railway, Michael and Rebecca kept quiet in fear of alerting anyone of their presence. Once the massive catacombs beneath a church, now a place long forgotten and teeming with anima, the undercroft was definitely a place enchanted with great magic. As the two went deeper into the very heart of the ancient place, lights began to ignite and show the way, enchanted to lite themselves at the presence of living movement. No longer able to sneak as carefully as they'd like, the two readied their weapons and cautiously made their descent.

What they had found at the heart of the catacombs was a most troubling sight. The gathering of anima was being concentrated into a well of green mist, a tear through time and space into a completely different world and dimension. Standing before the well was a man garbed in black robes, who rose his head and offered a smile and a warm welcome to his two new guests. Civility would be replaced with the very real threat of death, as the wizard they had been hunting for so long rose his hand and willed the dead to walk again.

Skeletons and zombies were nothing to the trained monster slayers, and although they were easily knocked down, they continued to get back up again and make their slow, daunting approach. Even with massive holes blown through their bodies, or skulls disintegrated by magical lightning, the wounds would reseal themselves and lost limbs and bones would regrow, their regeneration fueled by the unholy rift into a dark and sinister world. There seemed to be no hope for the duo, and as they grew more and more tired from fighting, the undead continued their lifeless march, gaining ground with each passing second, forcing the two to back up against a wall, with nowhere else to go.

All the while, the rift continued to serve its purpose, giving unnatural life to the dead, and welcoming the presence of those from the beyond. Even now and again Michael was able to steal a glance of the rift, and notice massive tendrils and clawed hands trying to slip through the veil, far too large to make it all the way through that small hole. With each attempt, the stone around the rift fell apart, allowing the gateway to grow in size and brighten in its intensity, giving more speed and tenacity to the undead and allowing for entire arms to break through the gate, massive arms covered in eyes that should not exist on anything natural in this world or the next.

With no escape in sight, the two continued to fight for their lives, until an idea came to Rebecca, as she too noticed the horrible things clawing their way out of the rift, drawn to the mad laughter of the dark robed man who had created this entire mess. While Michael was distracted, trying in vain to incinerate a zombie, Rebecca charged through the mobs of the undead, knocking several over and earning several scratches and bites along the way. Michael screamed and pleaded, the realization of what his wife was about to do finally donning upon him, and Rebecca silenced him with a smile, then barked for him to leave. He would have argued, but the look in his wife's eyes forbid him from doing such, and despite every fiber of his being wanting to die beside her, he knew she would've wanted him to survive.

Pushing through the mobs of the undead and racing out the way they had came, Michael could barely hear the thunderous explosion over the sound of his own sobbing. Flames licked his heels as he continued to run, charging for the outside world, while Rebecca worked every ounce of power to seal the rift, giving her life to ensure the continuation of everyone else's. Once he had thrown his body outside of the entrance of the catacombs, he lay in the mud and rain, sobbing hysterically as he tried to process everything that had just happened. His wife was now dead, but at least the threat to this world was no longer present, he told himself. He had to make sure, though.

After an hour had passed, and he ran out of tears, Michael found his way deep into the catacombs, coming back into the tomb where the wizard had almost doomed the entire world. There was nothing left of the portal, only a hole in the ground that descended hundreds of feet. Bits of burned flesh and blackened bones were all that remained of the undead that had attacked them, and there was no sign of the wizard whatsoever, leading Michael to believe that he had been incinerated from the blast. Of course, nothing remained of his wife, either, which drew dry sobs into Michael's throat.

Russia
"Моё судно на воздушной подушке полно угрей." —Surprisingly useful Russian phrase

With Rebecca's untimely demise, Michael fell into a rather rapid and deeply soul-crushing depression, going dark from the Illuminati and remaining in Russia to more or less get himself killed by fighting as many monsters as physically possible. He saw no real point in living anymore, immediately heading for the largest den of vampires that he could track down with the full intention of either killing them all, or joining Rebecca very soon. What had followed came as a complete surprise to the depressed Michael, and had he not accidentally ran into this strange new threat, he might've truly gotten himself killed by a stray werewolf or some sort of malevolent spirit.

Having tracked down a rather impressively sized den of vampires—likely an entire family of vampires from the looks of it—Michael had boldly charged within, a sword in one hand and a fire spell in the other. As he began cutting down the evil creatures, he caught the movement of a fleeing figure in the corner of his eye. Certainly not about to let any of the vampires escape, Michael chased this cowardly—and quite pudgy—robed man down, until he managed to tackle him to the ground and hold a ball of fire over his face. It came to a great surprise to Michael to find an ordinary human there, mingling amongst the vampires. In his brief moment of hesitation, the robed man flung Thorpe off of him with a powerful spell, then swore revenge and disappeared in a flash of lightning.

Momentarily stunned, Michael shrugged the oddity off and went back to work with butchering the vampires, leaving only one alive for questioning, to find where the next den of vampires might have been. During the interrogation, Michael had learned that the would-be world ender that Rebecca had killed was named Jerrard Hector, the sire of these vampires, who had all been waiting for his glorious return. Once the lesser vampire learned that Michael had played a part in its creator's undoing, the fledgling vampire lashed out against the monster slayer, only to find a sword sticking through its belly and out its back. Its dying words were an oath to serve the master, though Michael couldn't make out what the creature meant.

This turn in events had forced Michael to pause and reconsider his actions, wondering if there was a greater threat out there, before remembering the robed figure that managed to throw the slayer off his chest with a mere thought. His suicidal rage subsided, Michael began the long search for the man that had gotten away, who would later become the most dangerous villain Ratman had ever faced.

The hunt to even discover anything about this illusive sorcerer took the better part of a year, and even then it was only to discover the vaguest of details about the man. Still, Michael continued the hunt, going off of the rising suspicion that the exploits of the deceased Jerrard Hector were somehow tied to this man, a man he only knew as the master of a family of vampires, nothing more. In order to even discover anything, Michael had to change his name and very appearance in order to blend in with his environment, and to hide from the watchful eyes of his target, for he had already seen Michael's face.

The ritual was lengthy, and rather painful as well, but after much effort, Michael Thorpe soon became Mikhail Zolnerowich, a professional mercenary with a penchant for high-grade explosives and dealing in all matters of the occult. With this disguise, Ratman began his difficult descent into the secret underbelly of Russia, soon employed by all sorts of shady characters. While Ratman was indeed trying to track down this mysterious man, his main reason for staying in Russia with this new face was due to the fact that he saw no reason to go back to his old life. He had lost everything, and now, he could work as a mercenary and take his frustrations out on every bad mamma jamma that got in his way, whilst also making contacts in the criminal underworld, getting close enough to even kill them, making the world a better place with each dead kingpin, one kill at a time.

As the year and a half went by, Mikhail became a sort of underworld celebrity within Russia, and was known as a man who could get anything done for the right price. He had even been accepted into a secretive order of monks, deep within the Russian north, and was taught many of their secrets. Just the sort of reputation he had been looking for. Now that his name was on the radar, it was only a matter of time before someone deep in the secret world required his services for something big.

The Necromancer
"You really think this is all a game, don't you? Sorry to disappoint you, Ratman, but I'm not about to shake my fist in anger and curse your name—a very silly name at that—into the heavens.  I'm certainly not that clichéd." —The Necromancer

Mikhail was eventually hired by a man known amongst the underworld as the Necromancer, a mad alchemist with great and terrible power, who was quite well known for coming up with dark, terrible schemes and getting his mercenaries and business partners killed. This Necromancer proved to be the very same man that had been in control of Jerrard no more than a year and a half ago, and now, he was spilling his plan before Zolnerowich like some comic book super-villain.

Jerrard had been a simple pawn piece in the grand scheme of things, a sacrifice to the hungry demons of the furthest layers of Hell. The Necromancer remarked about his hatred for the two who had ruined his plans to bring death and destruction to this world, but assured Zolnerowich that the darkness would get a second chance to strike, and that it would strike soon, all with the mercenaries' help. The Necromancer intended to recreate the ritual that Jerrard had failed, this time preforming it himself, with Zolnerowich and several other hired guns to serve as backup against any would-be heroes that might try to save the day, like the couple that had spoiled all his fun not so long ago.

During the entire four month preparation, Ratman had been searching for opportunities to get close to the Necromancer and kill him, but the man was terribly paranoid and often killed his right hand man at the time for fear of them getting too close. Ratman certainly couldn't risk a straight attack against the Necromancer, for that would be complete suicide, what with the sheer number of bodyguards he had managed to hire. For a madman in rather humble garb, he certainly had the cash to pay off anyone and anything, and the charisma to convince most common street thugs to do his bidding, despite his reputation. Why he hadn't just gone to the Illuminati and bought all their stocks in Hell was beyond Ratman.

Saving the world
Rebecca: "There's always a reason to keep living, to keep pushing on. One of these days you'll thank me for what I did, even if you hate me for it right now." Michael: "No, I could never hate you. Sure, I'm a little furious at a lot of things right now, but... not you.  Never you." Rebecca: "You say that now, but I'm pretty sure you haven't broken the news to my mother yet. Try telling her what happened and then not hate me for the position I put you in." Michael: "... but your mother scares me..." —The spirit of Rebecca Forest and Michael Thorpe

End of the world
= Personality and traits =

"It's all true, monsters under your bed, the Bogeyman, vampires and werewolves, Susan Boyle, they're all very real, and very much out to get you." —Michael Thorpe

Michael "Ratman" Thorpe was known for his charm, good sense of humor, infamous smile, fighting skills, and his hate for monsters and all things evil. He often flaunted his skill in the magickal arts, by preforming simple cantrips amongst other secret worlders for fun, or devastating enemies with quick, clean, yet very powerful spells. Ratman was also quite the swordsman and fighter, having trained amongst a sect of Russian monks and learned much of their unique teachings over the short span of time he spent with them. He was never one for underestimating a challenge or a foe, instead preparing for the worst and often looking for ways to negotiate his way out of a problem, rather than fight through it. Michael Thorpe was also known for narrowing escaping Death himself in at least two separate occasions, though he never remarked fondly about those situations. He claims to be a professional monster slayer, and one of the best in the business.

Michael was always rather gifted in the magickal arts, though certainly not through simply being born with it or possessing plenty of luck. Heavily dedicated into whatever he put his mind to, Ratman had to train and study from being able to create a simple spark of fire before he could ever summon lightning storms. This dedication to the arts of magick helped lead to an intuitive and inventive mind, allowing for brilliant strategizing in the field and the ability to quickly learn new tasks. This reliance on intellect left Ratman rather shot in terms of creativity and relying on ones instincts, forcing him to constantly plan things out, even if the plan is seemingly coming as he goes along.

He was, however, a man with insecurities as well. He was overprotective of his companions and hated times when those close to him were in dangerous situations, out of his control, or just out of his reach to protect. He also hated all modes of mechanical transportation, such as travel by car, plane, boat, train, elevator, escalator, or moving sidewalk. He preferred traveling by means of Agartha, foot, or horseback of it was absolutely necessary, and constantly found himself both terrified and sick to the stomach whenever he was on a moving vehicle.

Among the multiple skills he developed during his early monster slaying career, Michael Thorpe became familiar with the practice and details of dishwashing.

Michael Thorpe was known to hate monsters, rarely ever letting an opportunity to kill one slide, although he relented in certain circumstances. His most hated of unnatural creatures were the undead, ranging from mindless zombies to the intelligent and dangerous vampires. His hate for monsters also applied to humans who acted in the same manner as monsters, which was generally in any evil or inhuman fashion.

He had a particular distaste for "bugs", more specifically arachnids, and other small but still very creepy crawlies. Dolls were also on his hit-list, though for no real apparent reason other than the fact that they creeped him out. Michael also had a loud snore which bothered Rebecca Forest.

In addition to speaking his native English, Thorpe fluently understood many other languages, likely through magickal means for most, and hard study for some others. Such languages included Russian, Spanish, Japanese, various dialects of Chinese, Italian, French, German, and some dead or otherwise useless languages. Although he spoke English with a heavy Northern British accent for much of his life, he had developed a more lighter and forgiving accent of the same type later in life.

= Powers and abilities =

Martial skills
"I am Beowulf!!" —Michael Thorpe, quoting Beowulf

Swordsmanship
Having been trained by many different instructors from many different parts of the world, in various different schools and philosophies of swordplay, Ratman has developed an impressive repertoire when it comes to the art of the sword. Although he has trained with several different types of weapons, he has always favored the blade for its ability to adapt to nearly any situation. His initial training was anything but formal, beginning with getting slapped in the face with sticks as Rebecca Forest attempted to teach the bookish Thorpe how to properly defend himself. He would earn eventually, and begin to understand the proper ways to hold a simple longsword, before delving into more complex styles of swordsmanship, learning the basics of kendo, and fencing as well.

As time would go by, Thorpe would take a liking towards fencing, and eventually move on to master the art in his free-time from monster slaying. Although terribly impractical when it comes to smiting the undead or killing giants, fencing has remained Ratman's preference towards swordplay, whenever he can get his hands on a rapier of course. Otherwise, Ratman prefers to simply work his blades through the many different styles he has learned, taking towards a fictional style of combat from the Star Wars universe known as Niman, which was known for its ability to shift into nearly any other stance of combat with much ease, also titled the jack-of-all-trades of lightsaber combat. Of course, Thorpe does not imagine himself as a great and powerful Jedi, but he has taken this philosophy into consideration when engaging into duels where swords are involved, and applied it to very real philosophies and arts to create his own personal sharp-edged dance.

Martial Arts
Ratman is not completely lost without his sword or anima powers. Like any other proper monster slayer, he has trained in hand-to-hand combat, and understands the fundamentals and how to properly defend himself against incoming attacks. While he is no karate or kung fu master, Ratman has a talent for employing unorthodox combat techniques to subdue his foes, mostly relying on rapid strikes to weak areas such as vital organs and pressure points, as well as grappling and other cheap shot tactics, Ratman plays to win when it comes to all matters related to fisticuffs.

The only formal training that Thorpe has ever received in the martial arts has been in the art of Akido, learning how to use an enemies' momentum against them, and how to disable foes without having to break their nose or choke them out. Contrary to popular belief, Michael prefers to settle arguments with diplomatic procedures, rather than fighting it out, so this style of combat works to his advantage in ending fights quickly, without causing majorly harm to the victim.

While he may be the type to prefer to resort to words rather than violence, Ratman is still very capable at fighting, having made it his entire life with monster slaying. His understanding of his own weaknesses have helped develop his skills against fellow humans quite well, and should one ever find themselves in a brawl with this monster slayer, they would do well to not allow him to get a hold on them, lest they find themselves pinned with a scarf-wearing gentleman on their back.

Magic abilities
"Lightning bolt! Lightning bolt!" —Michael Thorpe

Blood Magick
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Elemental Magick
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Holy Magick
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Ritual Magick
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Other abilities
"Sure, I can face the slobbering hordes of Hell, cast spells that split a man in two, and preform rituals to make the dead dance for my amusement, but don't you dare ask me to drive that car. No way, no how." —Michael Thorpe

Spiritual Connection


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Psionic Potential


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= Equipment =

"Sentient weapons are a lot like cats. They purr when you do what they want you to do, they never leave your side after you feed them once, and they will always wake you up at four in the morning demanding your attention." —Michael Thorpe

Haugaeldr
The story of Haugaeldr stretches back to the dark ages and beyond, to the very beginning of time itself, when darker things roamed the cosmos and the Earth was a very small thing in comparison. Although no true publication of such creatures exist, beyond the words of ranting lunatics, and brilliant minds who seem to have delved too far deep into their genius-level musing, the mere existence of this sword seems to point towards the very real possibility of greater powers being out there. Forget demons and angels, and the many Gods of the many Pantheons, the weapons of old (the Lights in the Darkness as Haugaeldr has called them) are on a completely different scale of power. Whether or not they are more powerful than that of the true Gods is left to be seen, for they are still able to be destroyed and unmade with the right magick spell and by one another. These artifacts have long since lost the world shaping qualities they once possessed, and shall never again return to such a state, but the dark and hungry minds of such weapons still remember when the world was young, and when their power was absolute.

Haugaeldr is no different, possessing a brilliant mind and a sort of morbid sense of humor, this blade longs for a time now long forgotten, when it bent the very fabric of space and time to its will. Now, it is just an angry sword that radiates with an unimaginable heat and mutters to itself in a garbled language that no living creature will ever begin to understand. How Haugaeldr managed to find itself still on the surface, passed down through multiple generations of multiple families is unknown, for practically all of its brothers and sisters remain locked within the earth, long forgotten and discarded even longer ago.

As man just started to dabble with magick on their own, Haugaeldr was found by a rather opportunistic and budding wizard, who would be the first of a long generation of powerful warlocks and thaumaturgists. The blade spoke to its wielders, guiding the head of the household to great power in every generation, until in the modern day, its wielder fell at the hands of one Michael Thorpe. Like any other sentient weapon, fixed on surviving and remaining powerful, the blade offered its services towards this professional monster slayer.

Now, Haugaeldr is kept well fed and content, as Ratman travels the world and does battle against all sorts of dark creatures. Although the blade knows it will never return to its former glory, it still imagines those better days and keeps Ratman occupied with tales of when the universe was new. Ratman hardly puts any weight into the words of the blade, however, passing most of what it has to say off for lies or simple creative stories.



Leather Journal
Quite the interesting device, Michael's journal is—much like everything else he owns—enchanted with several different spells and unusual qualities. The first of many quirks to the book is that anyone who looks at the pages without speaking the proper pass code will see nothing but empty pages. Much like the Marauder's Map from Harry Potter, Michael likes to muse. The proper code often changes, sometimes several times in a single day, as Michael is constantly thinking of far more witty things to use, or more complex phrases instead.

Another notable enchantment is that while the book may be filled to the brink with pages, there are always more blank ones he can seem to pull out from the back cover, leading to the fact that the journal will never run out of space to fill. Although his ruined journal should contain around five hundred pages, give or take a hundred or so, he has easily filled over twice the cap in his journeys, adventures, and rambling musings.

More enchantments fill the pages and cause the thing to reek of magick to those sensitive to it, ranging from a protective spell that prevents the pages or covers from burning, or overall being damaged in any way. It's quite odd then that the journal looks as ruined as it does, which could mean Michael placed the enchantment on it after it had been damaged, or purposely made it that way to make it look far more interesting and old. Other enchantments are simple things, such as allowing the reader to see the letters on the page in even the darkest of places, or correcting common spelling errors or grammatical mistakes—yes, his journal has spellcheck!—in a much better fashion than Microsoft Word ever could.

iPhone X
Having once owned a rather brilliant phone that he had truly loved, Michael thought he would never need any other phone in his entire life. Until Telephone Hero came along and ruined it, practically poisoning the poor thing and forcing it to play nothing but obnoxious J-Pop. All. The. Time.

Since that incident, Michael has invested in a newer phone, an iPhone 4S, and after making a contract with Siri X on VIN, he gained full access to her capabilities and databases, and general brilliant software. Although he is now equipped with a supercomputer on his phone, he still can't fathom why and how the thing manages to beat him at Words With Friends every time they play. At least he gets service practically everywhere, and can get directions to various Agartha portals and routes through Agartha with the phone, so that makes him quite content.

Even if Siri does cheat at Words With Friends.

Zippo Lighter
Nothing terribly magickal about this item, unless you count the fact that it has never once ran out of fluid, nor has it ever broken despite the years of stress it has maintained (such as taking a bullet, and a massive fireball against the side [both in the same day]). Also, strangely enough, the lighter has the ability to light itself under water, though for whatever purpose that could serve is rather unknown to just about everyone, including Michael. Still, it's a neat little device, and Michael rarely travels without it, for you never know when you may need to start under water fires or stop a bullet in the smallest and most precise of locations.

This Zippo was given to Michael by a very good friend of his named Arthur Hargrove. They had met in New Mexico and forged a friendship in battle and by both saving the others life. Arthur, not one for touchy feely goodbyes, simply offered the Zippo to Michael as a token of his appreciation, and because Michael continuously harped on him to quit smoking, much to the amusement of Arthur's wife, who fully agreed.

Michael keeps the Zippo close to his heart at all times, usually stuffed into an inner coat pocket, or a chest pocket in a short if he can manage it. Failing that, it's usually in his pants pocket, with a hand fiddling with it in times of stress, and in his hand, constantly flicking open and lighting, then closing as the monster slayer goes into deep thought.

Reading Glasses
While Michael has 20/20 vision, he still keeps a pair of glasses with him at all times, in case he needs to whip them out and suddenly look quite intelligent and capable in just about any intellectual situation. Granted, they're non prescription glasses, which makes them not reading glasses, but Michael still refers to them as reading glasses, and claims that they are very important to him.

Really, the only reason why he keeps them around is because he is a die hard fan of the show Doctor Who, and the Tenth Doctor is somewhat of an inspiration of his. The fact that these are the same exact style and brand that the Tenth Doctor wore made Michael squeal in delight—he made sure he was alone first, of course—and he hasn't left them out of his sight since.

Luckily enough, he looks damn sexy and intelligent with them on, so few have every really questioned him about the strange habit.

"Lembas" Chocolate
Kept within a white paper bag and on his person even more often than his glasses and Zippo lighter, the "Lembas" chocolate (as Michael likes to call it) is really just magickally enchanted chocolate to have several different properties. The most noticeable and important quality to it is exactly why Michael has nicknamed the treat "Lembas" chocolate. One bite of a single square can fill the stomach to the point as if you had just consumed a decently portioned meal. An entire strip can keep the hardest of working men and women going for an entire day. Much like the wonderful Lembas bread from the Lord of the Rings series, Michael's chocolate is made for travelers and those constantly on the go. Overeating isn't a worry, either, as one can never get sick from eating too much of this chocolate, despite its filling properties.

On top of being a great picker upper, the "Lembas" chocolate also has a magickal influence on the minds of those who consume it, helping to ease tensions and rid one of negative emotions and frustrations, giving them a brief moment of clarity. Those of great rage and frustration are immune to such effects, however. "Lembas" chocolate does not completely remove the bad intentions, either. Instead, it gently nudges them to the side and asks politely that they cheer up and stop being so rude. Negative emotions can easily come back if the consumer wants to be angry.

Another side effect of the chocolate, branching from the calming effects of the treat, is that those who consume it tend to be easier to convince and persuade, if not a little more gullible if anything else. This effect fades as quickly as the emotional depressant does, but any suggestions that were made while the effects were in the system will still seem like just as good ideas as they did before.

Ratman's Scarf
Once worn by Rebecca Forest, this scarf is quite possibly the most important thing to Michael that he has ever owned. He can practically never be seen without it, and while it may clash with certain modes of style, it is still there around his neck, tucked and tied into different fashions but always present nonetheless.

There has been some speculation as to the scarf's origins, and whether or not it holds any magickal properties. The scarf was hand knitted by Rebecca's mother and given to her shortly after the two had met. Rebecca had worn the scarf well, and over the years, she eventually entrusted it to Michael as a good luck charm whenever they had to separate from one another. At the time of Rebecca's death, Ratman had buried what remains he could find of her in a secluded location, just outside Rockchapel in Ireland, and kept the scarf as a constant reminder of his wife. Now, no longer a bitter man about Rebecca's unfortunate and untimely demise, Michael happily wears the scarf as a quirky fashion sense (and as a nod to a particular Doctor), and still as a reminder of the love of his life.

As for magickal properties, there seem to be no real alterations to the item. Michael just works hard at keeping it clean and undamaged during fights and when he's hard at work. There have been instances when the scarf was reported to be damaged, along with the rest of Michael's body during particularly nasty fights, where there was much collateral damage to be had, but the article of clothing still appears to be as fresh as the day it was knitted.

= Relationships =

"The secret world is an intense place, that’s all. I don’t know what I’d do if I heard you got hurt because of it, and I wasn’t there to stop it.  I brought you into this mess, after all." —Michael Thorpe to Rinatta Hanes

Rebecca Forest
The love of his life and greatest push towards his current career choice, Rebecca Forest (married name Thorpe) was born in 1975 and lived to be twenty eight years old before dying in the year 2005, stopping the sinister plot of one Jerrard Hector, who had wished to bring an end to the world by opening a portal to one of the many dimensions of Hell, and let the sinister and wicked demons of that plane swarm through and cover the world in endless night and torment. Rebecca had sealed the rift by giving her own life, and managed to kill Jerrard in the process, giving Michael the opportunity to escape with his life and continue living in this world.

Rebecca was a woman of great strength and potential, dominating any battlefield with her immensely powerful elemental spells. While she may have been able to command some of the most powerful spells known to the aspiring mages and wizards of this world, her quirky personality kept her from making a serious career out of studying magick, and left her rather hindered in the long run. Unable to hold her own in close-quarters combat, Rebecca relied on Michael to handle anything upfront, be it negotiation or grappling with goblins, for her gift for casting fire spells gave her a bit of a hot-headed personality as well.

Despite her flaws, Rebecca was a woman with a heart of gold, and had given her life to protect the one she loved, and the entire world, and remains Michael's one true love to this day.

Daniel Fletcher
A man of simple pleasures, such as a good book and a cup of tea, Daniel Fletcher seems like the last person to ever get wrapped up in one of Ratman's crazy adventures, yet he is constantly finding himself by the man's side, in the worst of situations and odds. Having been raised into the Templars at a fairly young age, Daniel is able to relate to Michael only because of their shared dislike for monsters and other evil creatures. Although he may be willing to help save the world from time to time, Daniel certainly would prefer an endless supply of quiet evenings to just one last adventure, which Michael constantly hounds him for.

While Daniel may see the relationship as rather frustrating and incredibly strained, Michael takes great pleasure in dragging the lazy Templar along. The two men, while completely different in personality, certainly click well together when it comes to matters of monster slaying. Michael and Daniel both boast an extensive knowledge over magick, and the two seem to get along quite well in the heat of battle, occasionally making bets and throwing quips at one another to liven things up.

In the end, Michael has only been a negative influence on poor Daniel, though Michael will never be able to see it as such. Daniel, in Michael's mind, is wasting his potential away by sitting in his pad in London, sipping tea and watching the tele, when he could be out there in the real world, the secret world, helping out.

Despite the constant clashing in their relationship, Daniel does hold Michael in high regard as a friend, even if he does consider him a suicidal and crazy blighter. When shit hits the fan, the two will happily come to the others aid, if only to make fun of them and how they got themselves into whatever dire situation they may be in.

Rinatta Hanes
A very good friend, Rinatta Hanes is the Rose Tyler to Ratman's Doctor that Michael had wanted in an original companion, though the woman fell somewhat short in meeting this expectations. Certainly not one interested in the secret world (at least, not as much as Michael is), Rinatta prefers paperwork and dealing with the stress and drama of Renovo Ltd., rather than wrestling with demonic creatures or casting magical spells. Despite these differences between the two, Michael has found Rinatta to be a very good friend, and wishes nothing more than to see her remain safe against those who would wish to harm her.

While she may not be flinging spells this way and that, Rinatta still manages to impress with her skill with firearms, going so far as to save Michael's life during an expedition to Kingsmouth. The woman's intelligence must also be taken into consideration, as she rarely goes into a situation without thinking it through or at least asking for the facts. Even though the two of them have seen quite little action in the field together in the grand scheme of things, the sheer fact that Rinatta has managed to save Michael's life, and that Michael has helped Rinatta with a personal investigation into her own company, has led to the two becoming incredibly close friends in such a short amount of time.

While Michael may not agree with the woman's choices with the company that she works with, and he would love for her to come join him on his adventures, Michael respects her choices and lets her work through her own drama before asking her to join him in his. He keeps the woman as a speed-dial contact just to keep her close by when he's out on his adventures, still unable to forgive himself for dragging her into this secret world in the first place.

Theresa Brookridge
If Rinatta Hanes was the hopeful Rose Tyler to Michael, then Theresa certainly hit the nail on the head. Their original meeting was not by chance, as Thess had done extensive research and had tracked Michael down from Brooklyn to London to get a chance to talk to him. She had been looking for a mentor, someone to teach her how to properly wield and cast spells, and Michael had happily obliged, but only under a strict set of rules.

Their adventures have led them to several locations in the world, and Michael greatly appreciates the girl's snarky attitude and desire to learn, along with the great potential welled up inside her, eager to burst and set the whole world on fire. With his teachings, Michael hopes to one day be able to mold Thess into a proper channeler of magick, and perhaps even learn a few new things from her as well.

The two make a great pair, and have quickly gone from complete strangers—one tracking the other down with the device lodged onto their spine—to good friends and rather capable companions. Michael has his worries about the girl's past, but he manages to overlook it day by day.

Arthur Hargrove
Completely unaffiliated with any of the secret societies, Arthur Hargrove and Michael met by complete chance, and have maintained a very close friendship over the years. Their random meeting had been in New Mexico, along with several other unaffiliated monster slayers, though Arthur had managed to keep in touch with the "lumie-lapdog", as he had called him for years. They had bumped into one another as Michael was traveling to New Mexico to respond to a crisis that the Illuminati had pointed him to. Arthur on the other hand was only there to cause trouble and take down whatever strange presence this was for himself, and the rest of the monster slayers he was traveling with.

Once the two had managed to stop bickering with one another, they had teamed up and worked quite nicely, Michael able to rely on Arthur's covering fire and skill in illusionary magick, and Arthur relying on Michael's prowess with the blade and talent with both blood and elemental magicks. After fighting for their lives, the two traded numbers and went their separate ways, but eventually found themselves back in contact with one another as trouble was spreading all over the American south. The two managed to bond through more struggle, and now are the two closest of friends, even if they do try to kill each other with their brotherly love.

Arthur has come to rely on Michael's references within the secret societies, and Michael has come to rely on Arthur's knowledge of current events, and relations with various unaffiliated monster slayers, much like himself. The two pass knowledge back and forth, and share several similar beliefs when it comes to the art of monster slaying, and have thus become somewhat of rivals with one another, constantly striving to prove the other that their specific way is better at doing things.

Telephone Hero
A woman who has proven to be little more than a nuisance to Michael, Telephone Hero, also known as Kosami by some, has heckled and bothered Michael from the first time they met, up until the present date and surely to continue indefinitely. Having changed his phone to only play J-Pop at just about everything, and caused plenty of stress for Rinatta and her workplace as well, TH quickly rose to the top of Michael's shit-list. Now he simply tolerates the girl, for while she may be incredibly annoying, she can also be rather helpful as well.

The two are simply cautious around one another. Michael could easily take the girl down, and she more than likely knows that fact, and is intimidated by it. Michael is intimidated by the sheer fact that she can appear and disappear at any time and anywhere in the world, giving him absolutely no personal space at this point. She could be hiding in his phone and reading his texts at any moment!

Michael respects the girl's ability to find things, even if she is rather uptight about revealing information without getting something in return.

Hui-Ying Jinsun
Michael is intimidated by this woman, plain and simple. The complete lack of information on her startles him, and from what he's seen of her handiwork, or at least the remnants of her handiwork, she could easily be on par with him in fighting ability, if not something more. The woman is a complete mystery to Michael, and even after seeing the results of her mere presence, and getting the opportunity to meet with her, he still isn't sure if he hates the woman, or if he is simply confused by her.

One thing is for certain, the feeling of interest between the two is completely mutual. If anything, this Hui represents everything that Michael is not, the exact opposite of everything he strives to be. If he is the light, the hero, the protagonist in this story of life, she is the darkness, the villain, the antagonist to drag him down. He just isn't sure if this is the kind of the story where the villain wins or not. It's that feeling of unsureness that has him incredibly worried and incredibly interested at the same time.

Opposites attract, even if they don't want to.

Siri X
Quite possibly the oddest relationship Michael has, the tie between Siri X and Ratman is a massive give and take between the two. Originally, Michael and Siri X met over VIN, the Venice Information Network, and both shared the same dislike for Telephone Hero. While most would poke fun at Siri X or treat the program as a simple thing, Michael only shrugged and referred to it as a she, and treated her with as much respect as he would give anyone else on VIN.

As time went by, Michael would eventually sign a contract with Siri X, where he would be granted full access to Siri X's functions and databases through his own personal device. He now relies rather heavily on her, and whenever he is left alone and without any company out in the field, Michael doesn't hesitate to hold conversations with the artificial intelligence.

While he doesn't quite yet understand the truth behind that program, he certainly doesn't question her helpfulness, especially since the tasks he has been put on have coincided with his own personal goals of monster slaying, and serving his very strict code of conduct as well.

= Behind the scenes =

Inspirations
"Good men don't need rules. Today is not the day to find out why I have so many." —The Eleventh Doctor The original concept of Ratman has stemmed from several different sources. Originally, Ratman was to be the epitome of the Magnificent Bastard, heavily based off of a PC from an old Forgotten Realms, v3.5 Dungeons & Dragons campaign. As time went by, and appearances were changed in the closed beta, Ratman's character eventually went from the sneaky, smooth criminal type, only out for himself, to the heroic, grinning, white knight type, only out to do what's right. No longer based off of a more criminal Han Solo, Ratman became more original, but still leaning to a pre-made character from a completely different setting. This time, Ratman was heavily influenced by The Doctor, from the hit BBC show Doctor Who, specifically the Tenth Doctor and Eleventh Doctor.

It's rather obvious just how many quirks Ratman has adopted from the various Doctors, be it his strange scarf wearing habits, courteously adopted from the Fourth Doctor, or more obvious quirks used completely in-character such as wearing glasses to look more intelligent like the Tenth Doctor, or passing goodies out ("Lembas" Bread) to strangers to diffuse tense situations like the earlier mentioned Fourth Doctor.

His name could even be a sort of reference towards the iconic superhero known as Batman. However, that is not exactly true. His nickname comes from a PC character from a v4.0 Dungeons & Dragons game that was a Wererat, and it was the running joke of the group for him to be called Ratman.

The fact that Ratman is a monster slayer is due to the fact that bits of his character was influenced by Beowulf, though not as heavily as other sources, simply as an inspiration for an interesting character concept.