Karen Croyd
Overview
Karen's adventures began when she ran away from home; she was 13 years old and quite capable of taking care of herself or making important decisions. She couldn't see why her parents didn't understand her or her needs. It didn't help when, during her first night away from home, she had a series of soul-searingly vivid nightmares which threatened to tear away her sanity. It helped even less when she awoke to see one of the creatures from her nightmares bending over her makeshift bed. It vanished nearly immediately, but her fear did not.
The dreams returned every night without fail. She somehow realized that they would keep coming until she "let them out." So she did. Or rather, she drew them, painted them, brought them to some form of life on paper. She discovered that each nightmare she drew weakened. The more vivid the image, the weaker the offending vision.
She somehow managed to get herself to San Francisco despite troublesome developments, and managed to make a niche for herself among the street kids. One in particular attracted her strongly, a young man named Rob. He was witty, always knew where the coolest stuff was, and truly loved her art. At first, everything was just fine for Karen. Then the headaches started. They were little things. She'd be in the midst of drawing a picture when one struck, and then she couldn't draw again for a day or two. Unfortunately, the headaches grew worse. Also, without the drawing, the nightmares came back. When the headache (which had resisted everything she could find to take for it) finally faded, she would go into a frenzy of drawing to rid her head of the images that dwelt there.
One night, when the nightmares were at their worst, she awoke to see Rob hovering over her, a vicious gleam in his eye and a cruel twist to his smile. She grabbed the nearest heavy item at hand, a flashlight, and hit him repeatedly with it. He ran away from her, cursing her name to the uncaring night. His words sent a chill down her spine which has never left.
It wasn't much later when the police rousted Karen and turned her over to Children's Services. Getting caught did not do her frame of mind any good, but it did shape her ambitions for the future. Karen hated the idea that anyone had more power over her life than she herself did, and she projected that feeling onto the cops who caught her. She decided that the best way she could control her own fate would be to become a police officer herself.
It didn't help that her parents decided that they didn't want her back with them, so California Children's Services controlled her fate, but only because the police handed her over. She didn't bother trying to run away from the foster homes she was shuttled through. She would simply be caught again and Karen could not countenance the idea of always being locked up. Instead, she worked on excelling in her studies to maximize the possibility of acceptance at the academy.
She graduated with honors and moved on to the police academy with a strong sense of purpose. She wasn't in this to serve and protect, except to protect herself. She was in it to control her own destiny and destroy those who would bring the nightmares. She never told anyone that she was convinced Rob was bringing her nightmares and stealing something precious from her. Other people, too, now gave her an eerie feeling, reminding her of Rob. She watched them carefully, certain they would bring nightmares given a moment's notice. Fortunately, the nightmares never returned.
The turning point in his life came during her first day on the force. She happened to spot Rob in the midst of some (obviously) illicit business, so she called to him to halt. He, of course, did not. She chased him down, only to have him lash out with nightmares.
This was the last straw for Officer Croyd. She had no desire to be Rob's plaything again. Instead of succumbing, she fought her way through the mad visions he threw at her and grabbed him. Her hatred seemed to take on a tangible force. She lost control and attacked him. Each blow hit like a hammer; he couldn't even fight back. When she was done, he was comatose.
Karen left him lying in the gutter. When she returned to her partner, she told him that the perp had escaped. However, the encounter had done something for her resolve. She knew she could identify the monsters like Rob, those who would rape a young girl's mind for dreams. So she decided to hit them down and make them pay for their crimes. She hasn't considered that not all of these beings would do such a thing or not. She believes they are monsters who invade minds and destroy sanity for the sheer pleasure of it.
In the time since she began, she's been promoted to lieutenant and received several commendations. She has begun to suspect that Rob's people form a shadow society which lives alongside, but not within, human society. They hide themselves so as to better devour dreams, but are not human themselves. She has never told anyone else about her vendetta. Instead, she uses her position as lieutenant in the SFPD to organize some operations against the monsters, keeping them off balance. She hunts them more directly during her off hours. She has noticed that when she strikes one of these creatures, they react as if burned. Even a slap across the face causes them to flinch as if an open flame were held nearby.
Until recently, Lt. Croyd has not ever seen more than one of these beings at a time. Now, though, she has found a small group of them. Through her contacts, she has determined that they prefer to congregate in a coffee shop known as "The Toybox." Her next plan is to organize some form of police raid, perhaps on the pretext of dealing drugs, to put them off balance. Then she will hunt them down.
Image
Karen is a tall, cold-eyed, athletic woman with severely cut black hair. While on the job, she is always in uniform. Off the job, she wears comfortable clothing which affords maximum freedom of movement and conceals whatever weapon she chooses. Kithain who actually overcome her Banality enough to Ken her kith will see that her eyes, teeth, and fingernails are of iron and her hair has a metallic sheen.
Personal
Karen is a woman driven by a need for satisfactions. She won't relinquish her mission until she feels she's fairly traded an eye for an eye. This isn't likely to happen soon; she blames the Kithain for the soul-destroying feel of Banality. She doesn't attack Kithain on sight, but rather prefers to observe and attack later with more information. For the most part, all she's done is strip a few Kithain of their temporary Glamour and sent them scurrying for medical attention (of whatever sort they use). She greatly craves a lasting way to deal with the monsters.
Stats
Doom: Lost
Court: Seelie
Legacies: Paladin/Beast
Seeming: Wilder
Kith: Unknown
Physical: Strength 2, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3
Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2
Mental: Perception 4, Intelligence 3, Wits 3
Talents: Alertness 3, Athletics 2, Brawl 3, Dodge 3, Intimidation 2, Streetwise 3
Skills: Drive 2, Firearms 4, Leadership 2, Melee 3, Stealth 2
Knowledges: Computer 1, Investigation 3, Law 2, Linguistics 1, Medicine 1
Backgrounds: Contacts 4, Resources 2
Agendas: Webcraft 4
Arts: None
Realms: None
Stigma: Iron ward
Glamour: 3
Willpower: 8
Banality: 7
Equipment: Badge, uniform, tonfa, .357 Magnum pistol (not issue, but she somehow gets away with more than usual).
References
- CTD: The Autumn People, p. 87-89