Specialties: Medicine (Emergency Care), Occult (Spirit Lore), Survival (Foraging)

WoD: Geist – Daniel Blackburn, the Gentle Giant

Intro

Daniel Blackburn holds great hope for mankind. He's a very muscular and spiritual man, believing deeply in animism as he was connected to the world of spirits (the WoD kind) since he was a kid. Being empathic to all living creatures -- humans, flora, and fauna -- it was no great leap that when he became one of the Bound, his compassionate nature turned to include the bereaved dead as well (Virtue: Charity). This four way split can sometimes cause trouble and in the end, Daniel may decide the best course of action is to let the situation handle itself (Vice: Sloth).

Description

With a height of 6’5, the nickname “Gentle Giant” is well deserved, even if not fitting the exact height requirements of a giant. He typically dresses in loose, flowing, earth-toned garments so as to not to restrict the flow of energy. His darkly tanned skin goes in shocking contrast to his short, blond hair and vibrant blue-grey eyes, giving him an alarming “I-would-follow-him-anywhere” presence.

History

Prior to the Bargain – Daniel had always been a naturally big guy without any kind of weight training whatsoever. He never played competitive sports in high school, as the antagonistic disposition did not mesh well with his harmonic lifestyle. While growing up, he had many acquaintances and a few friends but no true best friends, wishing instead to simply be alone. He often spoke to the spirits of the things around him as he could see or sense them easily. Daniel would also care for whatever injured animal he might come across, sometimes to the detriment of his health. He loved all and simply wished for peace in all things.

The Bargain – Daniel grew up and began work at a natural remedy store where he would inform customers of the benefits of homeopathic and holistic medicine, and the force of self-empowerment. By this time, he had become acquainted with many materials making up the genre known as metaphysics and was an avid follower of the power of the self. He was often outdoors, collecting the remedies himself and bringing them back to the store for processing.

It was some time later, in a dream, the shadow of a circling bird told him the next step in his path to self-enlightenment would be a vision quest out in the wilds of Arizona, his home state. Taking this dream as prophetic, he took time off work and immediately set out.

Daniel was out in the desert landscape for an unknown length of time. He accordingly deprived himself of food and drink and waited for the epiphany – the coming of his animal guide. It was on the brink of death, ravaged by the harsh sand-filled winds and empty stomach that The Circling Hawk finally visited him.

The Circling Hawk told him – in a series of squawks, wind gusts, and wing flaps – he was Daniel’s Spirit Animal and that he was here to guide him in his life, wherever it might take him. With the help of the Hawk, he could assist those that have been unable to move on to the Next World, help them come to terms with their new existence, and make peace with their former lives. No matter how hard he squinted, Daniel could never see a very detailed version of the Hawk, only a silhouette against the blazing glare of the sun. Nevertheless, Daniel readily accepted the assistance of The Circling Hawk and the Bargain was sealed.

Post Bargain – It was then that Daniel began his travels. At first it was just here and there in his hometown, following the shadow of the Hawk – fixing fences, tending a garden to appease the ghost of a housewife, volunteering at the local animal shelter. Finally, one day while he was collecting various plants for his own personal collection, the shadow of the Hawk took off. Daniel ran right after it and soon, he was outside city limits, always moving, always helping, making a zigzag path for the northeast coast of the US.

He arrived in Queens a month later with the aid of friendly truck drivers and the Hawk leading the way. Stepping into the city, The Circling Hawk finally settled down. Daniel took a mental note and for the first time in a long time, began setting up a life here. At first, he was sleeping on the streets, which is where he first ran into the Castaways. The giant stayed with them for a while, learning a few tricks of the trade he hadn’t already picked up from the Hawk. He began volunteering at the local YMCA that quickly turned into an actual paying job. With the steady income, he could afford an apartment, if just barely, with the rest of his money going towards his benevolent projects. His walks around Central Park brought him into contact with the ghost, Pigeon Woman, and he occasionally speaks with her though it's nothing more than a simple acquaintanceship.

After some time in Queens, he began having a reoccurring dream about a screaming child. Filled with a need to help her, he sought the Twilight Network and asked around if anyone had any information to which he could help the young girl. Astonishingly enough, he found others that had had the same dream. Being the charitable person that he is, he invites the others over to discuss their shared dream. The Hawk cawed its agreement.

Geist: The Circling Hawk

Throughout the shaman's life, he existed only for the people: he cured their ills, chased away evil spirits, and prayed for rain. As a 90-year old venerated elder, he was sought after for advice and highly respected.

At a time of great drought, the shaman retreated to the desert to commune with the earth spirits. Through his great power and relationship with the elements, he called down a rainstorm with a mighty voice trembling with age, giving succor to his people. There was a flash of lightning, and then he vanished.

He was vaporized in that instant, leaving only ashes to be carried on the wind but generating a ghost that sought to continually assist his people. It was then that he fully saw his guardian animal, the red-tailed hawk, as the spirit of an errant cooling zephyr blowing through the desert. He merged with it, becoming The Circling Hawk.

The Circling Hawk looked after his people for many hundreds of years, watching in horror as all his attempts to stop the tide of European colonization failed. With no one left to protect, the Hawk floated aimlessly on the winds of the desert.

Time passed, and it wasn't until The Circling Hawk saw Daniel go out into the Arizona wilds to beseech the spirit world for an animal spirit that the Hawk realized what its new role was to be. He waited until the exact moment, and the Bargain was struck.

Details of the Geist

The Circling Hawk is a geist of compassion and benevolence...mostly. As it had formed from the ghost of a kindly aged shaman and the spirit of a much needed breeze in the heat of the desert, they formed to assist the shaman's people in life, becoming, for a brief time, a god in Native American lore. But, as the white man's push into their territory continued, his people were scattered, decimated, and finally, non-existent. This had an interesting effect on the nice geist, in that it developed a bit of a mean streak. While normally helpful and willing to lend its assistance to people, in the event of it witnessing some kind of persecution, the game is on, and it will be fixated on delivering revenge upon whoever created the situation for a long time.

Kinda makes you wonder what it may have in store for the current inhabitants of the US, eh?

Description of The Circling Hawk

The Hawk appears only as a spinning shadow cast on the ground from the blazing sun above. It speaks with the voice of the wind and the harsh cries of the hawk. It acts as a guiding force in Daniel's life, usually in the form of leading him to his next task at hand.

At times when the geist becomes fixated on revenge, the Circling Hawk transforms into a physical form -- at least in appearance to Daniel, who's yet to see this -- a form reminiscent of his old human body, only his shamanic robes and scarves appear to flutter against a harsh blowing wind and the red glowing eyes from under the hood no longer hold peace in them.

Keystone Memento: Charred Walking Stick (Shaman's Walking Stick)

Threshold: The Torn
Keys: Cold Wind, Passion
Skill: Survival

The walking stick of the Native American shaman holds the feathers of his spirit guide, the red-tailed hawk, attached near the top and fastened with leather. The stick itself stands to about 6 feet, gnarled, and increases in thickness as it goes from the bottom to the top. The wood was blackened when the high voltage passed through the shaman to the ground, also singing the red-tinted feathers a little. When dropped, the stick always falls orienting itself to true North with the feathered end.