User:Bill/Rifts Week by Week/Jimena
Long ago, in the mostly forgotten history of the palladium world they mystical secrets behind the creation of the rune weapons were discovered. These weapons granted their wielders tremendous power and from them legends were born. To this day, powerful men will beggar great nations for the chance to own one of these near mythical weapons.
It is no secret that many rune weapons have personalities and can communicate with their wielders. What is less known is that particularly rare blades are able to manifest bodies for themselves. Immortal, powerful, and nigh indestructible, the few people that know of these weapons fear them.
The woman known as Jimena Diaz passes herself off as a powerful psychic who possesses an ancient magic sword. When questioned about her weapon, she admits that it is one of the fabled rune swords. Her secret is that Jimena is the rune sword. Once a powerful psychic known as Tizona, her soul was bound into the weapon and she was wielded in the wars against the Old Ones. After the battles were over Tizona was spirited away and hidden on ancient earth. Buried in a hidden tomb, millennia passed.
Tizona's last period of activity was more than a thousand years ago. Unearthed by treasure hunters and sold in a market, Tizona came into the possession of Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar. A common soldier, he knew only that Tizona was a fine sword with a perfect balance. It was only after a few battles that he came to realize that the weapon was special. Meanwhile, Tizona watched the man and saw in him the potential for greatness. With a gentle push and a little psychic encouragement, Rodrigo grew to be a respected leader. He ultimately came to be known as El Cid. Tizona revealed herself to Rodrigo and finally became his wife, taking on the identity of Jimena. Using her powers to aid him both in and out of battle, the couple lived happily for many years. When El Cid finally died, Tizona was overcome with grief and reentered hibernation.
After the cataclysm, Tizona was once more entombed. Buried in the ruins of the Iberian peninsula, she could only wait. Finally, she was uncovered by scavenging gurgoyles. Tizona manifested her body and slew the beasts without mercy. She connected with other resistance fighters in the south of France and ultimately participated in the NGR invasion that swept the gargoyle menace from the Gallic lands. Wishing to continue the good work, Jimena joined the German's special tactical assault regiments.
Notes[edit]
This character presents a variety of unusual situations. First, it's an incredibly powerful magic weapon that is easily recognized and coveted. On the upside, the NGR is a technologically advanced society where even an amazingly powerful rune sword can be easily overlooked. Second, while Jimena is a supernatural being with some MDC she has limits to how much punishment her body can withstand and once destroyed it is gone forever. While she is able to dish out a substantial amount of damage, she's not in the same class as Theophorus and Ashara.
This character offers the widest range of options in melee combat of the six that I have generated for this first series. She can choose to throw or sweep an opponent to move them to the bottom of the initiative order and deny them the opportunity to attack. The character's powers also offer several means of bypassing conventional detective work and getting straight to the information that will enable the story to move forward.
