Pistoleer Creed

Joshua Lockham, also known as "Pistoleer Creed" is currently one of three known such instances of the 'Creed' phenomena in existence at this time. He is currently 25 years of age, and works as a Special Investigator for the United States Federal Bureau of Investigations.

History
Like many young men of the 60's and 70's, Joshua found himself drafted in the United States Army at the age of 18 to be sent overseas to fight in the jungles of Vietnam. He was sent to join Charlie Company, 1st Battalion 20th Infantry Regiment, of the 23rd Infantry Division. The war did not treat any of the American soldiers kindly. To this day, Lockham counts himself lucky to be alive after a run-in with a psychopathic NVA soldier they called 'The Butcher', who took great pleasure in torturing United States' soldiers to death with sharp blades. He escaped his encounter with a horizontal scar under his eyes, and more than a few along his abdomen. Lockham was one of the soldiers ordered to lay waste to the Vietnamese village of My Lai, under orders from Lieutenant William Calley Jr. He was acquitted of all criminal charges, but that day changed Lockham for the rest of his life. They say that killing gets easier every time, and after taking part in the slaughter of 347 innocent civilians....He barely felt a thing. Almost a year went by without anything more life-threatening than usual, when his position was struck by an NVA mortar attack. Lockham took significant shrapnel to his chest, spine, and posterior. He was MEDEVAC'D to an army hospital in Japan, where he was stabilized before being sent home for rehabilitation and discharge.

After his discharge, Lockham felt unable to face his father, a veteran of both WW2 and Korea, and instead became homeless, and took to life on the streets. He wandered for close to a year, still carrying shrapnel in his spine, before being taken in by a kind police officer in a small town in Iowa. With a steady place to stand, Lockham decided to find a way to use his only skillset. He got a job at the local police department, and continually asked for transfers higher and higher up the chain, finally reaching the FBI. Now, he works as a Special Investigator, assigned to many of the more unusual cases. It was on one such occasion that he came into contact with a piece of the Deadman's Hand, a set of weapons from the American Wild West which carry a memetic infection and unique powers. The moment Lockham picked up the Colt Dragoon, he ceased to be just Joshua Lockham. Now, he was Creed just as the first Creed was Creed.

Lockham's personality closely matched that which the Creed anomaly normally manifests, and it appears to have melded seamlessly with the Investigator. His case otherwise was fairly textbook, and every symptom manifested in proper order. Now, Creed does more than just investigate crimes. When evil men walk free from the courts, they must watch over their shoulder. Rapists, Child Molesters, Serial Killers.

The Hangman is Coming.

Appearance
Subject has Dark Brown Hair, a Caucasian complexion, and blue eyes. He stands at 6'1, and possesses a lean, muscular build. He has a wide horizontal scar which crosses below both of his eyes. His typical clothing is a leather duster and a wide-brimmed hat, over a canvas vest and white shirt, a set of nice slacks, and a pair of combat boots.

Personality
Creed is a cynic, but a practical man. Despite the war turning him into a jaded human being, he still strives to protect the people he considers as innocents. He no longer feels any emotional pangs when he pulls the trigger on a human being, as it's become close to second nature for him at this point. Under his gruff exterior however, he still believes in charity. A kind act got him where he is today, and he is quick to try to repay that debt.

In Combat, Creed becomes entirely practical. If he knows he can't win, he won't stick around if there's an exit available. Powered humans in the same battle shouldn't count on Creed to do anything to save them, as he's more likely to seize the opportunity presented to try and get a leg up on the enemy while they're focused on disemboweling you.

Relationships
With Lockham's experiences in the war, it's been nearly impossible for him to relate to other people properly. As such, he has no significant other. He hasn't seen or spoken to his family since he was 18 years old, and has never returned to his hometown.

Powers and Skills
Creed has a supernatural ability to detect incoming gunfire, and what seems to be a kind of mental third eye which allows him to quickly engage enemy combatants regardless of whether he has eyes-on.

The Infernal King: Originally, the Colt Dragoon's only ability was inflicting wounds which could never heal. Now, Creed has fed his weapon a Magic Gemstone, and the Infernal King has taken on new characteristics. It is now even more a part of Creed. In addition to it's most basic function, the Infernal King now reloads itself, and can manifest fully-functional copies.

Hellfire Form: After feeding the Infernal King, Creed's soul has become one with the weapon. It's inner hellfire is now his inner hellfire. His physical body is now but a shell for the raging inferno inside. Creed can become a mass of green Hellfire, which has what appears to be a set of eyes and a large maw. It can fire it's Infernal Kings without hands, and can also manifest black claws. Whether Creed's physical body is still present in the Inferno is unknown at this time.

Time Magic: Despite Lockham's intensive study session, his abilities with Time Magic are still very limited. He can travel with a fair degree of accuracy, but he can only suspend objects in time for a maximum of ten seconds, or the world around him for a two seconds. The amount of time something can be suspended is inversely proportional to it's mass. Anything much larger than that ball is out of the question entirely.

Channeling Magic: Creed has learned low level Channeling magic, which allows him to boost certain parameters of his body with Magic. Normally, this manifests in the form of a boost to his speed, though he typically does not maintain it long. He is also capable of temporarily hardening his body against injury, which allows him to survive some impacts without fatality. He is also able to heal his own wounds using channeling, though it takes a considerable amount of time still.

Spirit Summoning/Speaking: Tome Acquired, No Study Yet

Trivia
Lockham smokes around a pack of cigarettes a week. The number would be much higher, but circumstance appears to have a funny way of ruining his smokes before he can properly enjoy them.

For More Information
The Creed Phenomena