Nigel Toombs

WORK IN PROGRESS

Nigel Toombs is an character made by Kyran Kandosa for his Silver Moon Chronicles fanon. Nigel is a veteran Huntsman who is associated with the Silver Moon Clan.

Appearance:
Nigel is a tall, wiry man, with brown eyes, a clean-shaven face with aquiline features, and crew-cut white hair that was black in his youth. He wears jaw-length, L-shaped sideburns and an goatee, all close-cropped. Scars received from a lifetime as a Huntsman cover his body. For civilian clothes, Nigel wears a grey hooded jacket and pants, with an black turtleneck, gloves, belt, and combat boots. He also carries Memento Mori with him in the event of an emergency. Nigel's basic combat gear consists of Shroud and a combat harness on his torso to carry supplies and ammunition for Memento Mori. He primarily uses this for fighting Grimm. For his full combat gear, he puts on his reaper costume.

Weapons:
Memento Mori: Shroud:
 * Weapon: Dual Dust Gun Scythes
 * Type: Dust, Melee, Ranged
 * Weapon derivation: Plasma gun, Kama, Scythe
 * Description: Nigel's signature tools, Memento Mori consists of a pair of Dust Plasma Gun Scythes. Holstered on magnetic hip plates, Memento Mori has 3 forms. An pair of plasma guns that fire elementally charged bolts, an pair of one-handed scythes that resemble oversized kamas, and one two-handed scythe with a forward facing blade on each end. In plasma gun mode, Memento Mori is an pair of carbine-sized guns that fire bolts of plasma, which have an elemental charge based on the Dust inside the currently loaded power core. Nigel typically fires them onehanded, but will holster one and use the scope of the remaining one for more precise fire when needed. In Dual Scythe mode, the undersides of the barrels unfold to become scythe blades, with the stocks turning into hilts that allow for two-handed use if necessary. In this mode, Memento Mori no longer fires plasma bolts, but can charge it's blades to enhance melee strikes or release AOE attacks. In Two-handed Scythe mode, the halves of Memento Mori are joined together at the pommel. The hilts then telescope into a full-sized haft that can release Dust attacks from either blade. Nigel's favorite element to use with the breach-loaded Memento Mori is Lightning, but he carries power cores loaded with other Dust types to be used as needed.
 * Weapon: Multi-Element Dustweave Bodysuit
 * Type: Dust, Melee, Ranged
 * Weapon derivation: Bodysuit
 * Description: Nigel's secondary weapon, Shroud is an one-piece turtleneck bodysuit that has integrated gloves and boots. The limbs are composed of Dust-infused fabric, arranged in 6 stripes running vertically from hands to shoulders, and from feet to hips, each containing a different element. The three stripes on the inside of the arm are, starting from the thumb, Fire, Impact, and Stone. The three stripes on the outer arm are, starting from the thumb, Lightning, Water, and Ice. The legs mirror this configuration. Nigel primarily uses Shroud to augment the smoke generated by his Semblance with elemental effects, though he is capable of using it to great effect in hand-to-hand.

Notable Equipment:
Reaper Costume: Nigel's reaper costume is designed specifically with psychological warfare in mind. It's helmet is an bone white skull, with pointed teeth, lenses, and Grimm markings all colored blood red. A button in the temple causes LEDs in the eye sockets to glow red. The smoke-grey robes help to conceal Shroud's glow, and Nigel's body, making him appear bigger than he really is. This makes seeing where he is and how he moves in them harder, making it more difficult to aim at him properly, and also prevents them from seeing the damage they do to him. The robes are worn open, allowing him access to his weapons and to simply shrug them off if need be. Nigel also wears a hooded cloak with an elbow-length mantle fastened onto the robes, further concealing himself when the hood is up and the rest is drawn around him, as well as making for a more dramatic appearance. The mottled, smoke-grey color of the robes and cloak helps to camouflage him inside his smoke clouds and in nighttime urban environments.

Semblance:
Called Veil, Nigel's Semblance allows him to create and control clouds of black smoke. The smoke blinds everyone inside it besides Nigel, but is otherwise harmless on it's own, and can be blown away. This can be a problem when he infuses it with Dust, as he can be damaged by his own Dust-infused smoke once it's released. He can only maintain and control his smoke within a thirty foot distance of himself, and requires more concentration and Aura to use it the more smoke he generates. Hence, startling him or otherwise breaking his concentration will evaporate the smoke and leave him exposed.

Battle Style:
Nigel makes heavy use of psychological warfare, using his smoke to blind his opponents while concealing his movements, allowing him to use hit-and-run attacks. He also intimidates those outside his smoke clouds by using lightning-based attacks on those within, mimicing the appearance of a thunderstorm. Charging his smoke with Water Dust to increase the power of Ice and Lightning-based attacks is another favorite tactic. Nigel tends to send out elemental smoke in focused streams, like a flamethrower, to avoid contacting it and damaging himself. When fleeing a battle, he uses Fire-charged smoke on Water-charged smoke to create a more permanent mist to conceal his retreat, though he is unable to control or see through it like his smoke. To make himself more intimidating to human and Faunus opponents, he wears his reaper costume. Because Grimm aren't easily susceptible to intimidation, Nigel doesn't bother with this set-up when he is dealing with them. As an older fighter, Nigel now prefers to conserve his strength and fight from a distance instead of engaging in melee, where he is more likely to use Memento Mori's two-handed scythe mode, for better reach, power, and defense. He rarely uses Stone Dust in his smoke, normally restricting it to creating walls and other instant cover. When the situation requires him to avoid encumbrances, such as when dealing with a particularly difficult opponent, he will remove the cloak and hood of his reaper costume. If he has the time, Nigel may engage in tactics over several days or weeks to shake his opponents' nerves and make them easier prey during their actual battle, or draw them into fighting in an battlefield he has prepared with traps, etc.

Abilities:

 * Psychology: Nigel is well-versed in psychology, applying what he's learned to profile his opponents and tailor his scare tactics to suit them.
 * Strategy: Nigel is an expert at guerrilla warfare, setting traps and using hit and run attacks to surprise his enemies and wear them down. He is also an skilled planner.
 * Stealth: In addition to his smoke and camouflage, Nigel has learned other methods of concealment and infiltration, to make himself harder to detect and add more shock to his eventual appearance.
 * Martial arts: As a result of his usual methods of engaging the enemy, Nigel has maintained enough skill to be able to fight when deprived of Memento Mori, but little more, and relies on the Dust woven into Shroud to make up the difference.

Trivia:

 * Nigel's first name is derived from Neil/Niall, meaning "Champion/Cloud", and is associated with the Latin word Niger, meaning "black".
 * Because Toombs is derived from the word Tomb, a type of grave, Nigel's name can be translated as "Champion of the grave".