Crow Talon

By Jack Baker

• November 18, 2016

Age: 45

Gender: Male

Species: Earth Pony

Appearance: Short, white hair. Has a silver coat and a light beard.

Cutie Mark: A dagger, representing his skills as an assassin.

Personality: Crow Talon is the type of pony who could kill his target without a moment of hesitation. Cold and calculating, years of assassination have made him into a no-nonsense type of pony, only showing emotion to those he truly cares about.

Backstory: The story of Crow Talon is a story of suffering, pain, loss, but also gain; the gain of two powers, one lesser, and one greater. Born into this world as James Moneybags Jr., he was the son of James Sr. and Pearl Moneybags, two aristocrats from Trottingham. As a baby, his parents were cold and distant, neglecting him to count tend to their fortune and leaving the help around the house to care for him. When he had finally learned to take his first steps and speak his first words, he was forcibly thrusted into the world of higher class living; partaking in lessons and events of which he had no desire to be a part of. Whenever he resisted, he was whipped. This lead James to be quite the rebellious colt, often escaping his parents's mansion at night to explore the city of Trottingham via its rooftops whenever he had the chance. More than anything he wanted to be free from the possessive grasp of his mother and father, and his nightly rounds across Trottingham made him feel as if he did, if only for a moment.<br /><br />His life would forever change when one night, at the age of twelve, an assassin, hired by one of the rivals of the family, infiltrated their home; killing all the guards and subduing him and his parents, holding them captive in a large dining hall. Making a twisted game out of it, the assassin gave James Jr. a knife, saying that he wanted him to do the job for him. James, reluctant at first, remembered all the things his parents had done to him. The beatings, the forced lessons, everything. He then accepted, much to the assassin's surprise, and slowly walked towards them, knife raised.<br /><br />The father, outraged, somehow broke free of the assassin's grasp and pinned his son to the ground, knocking the knife out his hands. He began to strangle him, yelling at how he and his wife never really loved him, and how he was just a way to keep the family inheritance going.<br /><br />Something in James Jr. broke that day. While he knew his parents did not care for him, it still hurt him to hear those words. Sadness turned to fear as he then realized he was going to die, alone and unwanted, at the hooves of the one who brought him into this world.<br /><br />It was at that moment that James had obtained the greater power.<br /><br />As he felt the life slip away from him, and was about to fall unconscious, a flash of blue light appeared followed by a strangely soft sound of shattering glass; and above him loomed a guardian spirit, a humanoid creature clad in black, with a giant steel wheel floating behind it. James Sr. stopped strangling his son and looked up, surprised. The spirit affixed its gaze at James senior, and raised its hands, opening them and pointing them at him. The wheel began to spin and light up in flame, and suddenly James Sr. was covered in fire, along with the walls of the room. His screams were short, frantic, and agonizing, as he rolled across the floor in a useless attempt to put the fire out, until his entire body was charred beyond recognition. Pearl, the mother, screamed, wide-eyed and in shock of the tragedy that befell her husband. The assassin could only stare in awe, inadvertently letting go of Pearl in the process. Even James did not know what was going on She scrambled to her feet and tried to run to the end of the dining hall and escape. Suddenly, the spirit zoomed towards her, and blocked her escape. It grabbed the flaming wheel behind it and hoisted it in the air like a weapon, bringing it down and smashing the unfortunate woman's head in. When the deeds were done, it placed the wheel on its back again, where it began to float again. It slowly approached James Jr., who was cowering in fear of the creature. This was it, he thought. This... thing killed his parents, now it would kill him...<br /><br />Instead, the spirit stood there, staring at him. The boy stopped cowering after a minute of it not doing anything, and stared back. Suddenly, a voice rang out in the back of his mind, a voice which carried a tone of authority and strength with it. The voice uttered a single word:<br /><br />[i]Throne.[/i]<br /><br />He looked around, then back at the creature. Did it... speak to him? Suddenly, he heard the voice again:<br /><br />[i]Thou art I, and I am thou. From the sea of thy soul, I have come from, and in thy time of need I hath awakened. I am Throne, and to the very end, I shall serve thee...[/i]<br /><br />James Jr.'s eyes widened. This... Throne was to serve him? What did that mean? Suddenly, he felt something in his hooves. He looked down, and saw that an ornate looking pistol was placed there. He looked up at the spirit, thinking he also had something to do with this. It was then he saw Throne beginning to slowly fade away in a soft flash of blue light, parting with strange, cryptic advice:<br /><br />[i]When thou hast need of my assistance... evoke death with thine own hand. Then, I shall come...[/i] With that he disappeared. <br /><br />James looked up, and then suddenly remembered that the room was on fire, forgetting that while he was mesmerized by Throne's presence. Clutching the gun, he looked around, and saw the assassin trying to break free from the room. He called out to him, saying that he wanted to go with him, as he had nothing left. The assassin, surprised once again, stopped for a moment and quickly considered his plea. The kid seemed to have it in him, the ability to kill without remorse. Plus with the... event he had just witnessed, and that strange spirit, taking the kid in as an apprentice assassin might prove to be beneficial. He silently nodded towards the kid motioning to him to get a move on. James helped the assassin escape by pointing him to a secret underground tunnel system running beneath the mansion that led outside the mansion gates, something that James had used during the times he escaped from the house. When they finally made it outside, they watched as the house was slowly being consumed by flame. Panic could soon be overheard as other onlookers saw the fire, and the assassin quickly took James back to his hideout, a small house near the outskirts of Trottingham. He gave James some food and water, and a place to rest his head. James fell asleep that night with the screams of his father and mother, along with the mysterious words of Throne, echoing in the back of his mind.<br /><br />The next day, the assassin woke him, and brought him outside. He told James that if he wanted to stay, he would have to relinquish his old name and serve as the assassin's apprentice. James, willing to rid himself of all the bad things and memories the Moneybags name left behind, agreed without a moment's hesitation. The assassin then gave him a new name: Crow Talon. While it sounded super edgy in the back of James's mind, he was just happy to have another chance, a chance to start over and begin his life anew.<br /><br />Years had passed, and James, now known as Crow, had just turned 18. He had learned many things about the world of assassination since he left his home. His mentor had taught him how to fight with a sword, teaching him a style that combined the graceful yet deadly movements of Trottingham swordsmanship with the dirty, underhanded techniques of back-alley fighting. He learned how to use firearms, such as a pistol, and how he could apply that with his sword techniques. He had also learned how to control his new guardian spirit known as Throne, and eventually realized that the ornate pistol he had received was not a real gun, but an "evoker" to call out the spirit when he needed him. By pointing it to his head and pulling the trigger-- by evoking death with his own hand-- he could summon Throne at will, however this task proved to be both mentally and, to an extent, physically straining.<br /><br />(Stopping here. Will continue later.