History Characters / PrincessTheHopefulAshesOfTheMotorCity

* {{Foil}}: He and his family act as one to Thomas Walker. Fighting for the Union in the Civil War is what started his family's proud military tradition of fighting for liberty, and they took to it like a duck to water, rising to serve in many of America's wars and to become officers. Walker, despite being a slave, lost a life of comfort and power when the Union defeated the Confederacy, and could never really move on from his days running a plantation, becoming bitter and hateful towards everyone, eventually subverting a well meaning organization meant to help African Americans into a Dark Cult aiming to cause ''everybody'' to suffer. As well, Hill joined the Army to fight for liberty and justice, and hates how, in his view, the military was misused by corrupt politicians and businessman to line their pockets in Iraq and Afghanistan. Walker spent his early years running a plantation and lining the pockets of his master, and is now a corrupt activist who gained much of his power and influence through bribing politicians and public figures and corrupting Detroit's government. Both men are also in charge of the organizations that pose the biggest threats to Detroit: Walker wants to corrupt and destroy Detroit, and if he isn't stopped, Hill will be forced to destroy the city just to cleanse it of Walker's corruption. Even physically they are opposites, with Hill being a fit soldier with close cut, greying hair and a well trimmed moustache, while Walker is a slightly pudgy old man with a limp who has bushy white hair and sideburns.

** A mentioned above, if things in Detroit don't turn around soon, the plan is to fake an emergency, evacuate as many civilians from the city as possible, and destroy every building and area tainted by the Darkness. Luckily for Detroit, the US military isn't that desperate yet, the politicians with the authority to authorize this know just how much of a PR disaster this would be, and don't want to be caught in the fallout (though if things don't turn around, the moment they figure out a way to shield themselves, they will give the order, whether the military wants to or not), and the US military is currently too busy to provide enough manpower.

* SharpDressedMan: Dresses like the Hollywood image of a 1920's gangster, having adopted the look after becoming an immortal smuggler. It helps that his abilities mean that, unlike a regular smuggler, he doesn't have to blend in with the general public, meaning the impressing his clients is more important.

* IronicName: A primarily white Hunter group that looks down on the primarily African-American Local 911 and Lost Boys shares an acronym with a [[Music/NWA famous African-American rap group]].

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: The generals that O:AH answers to. The plan to evacuate Detroit and go scorched earth on the Darkness in the city is a worst case contingency plan and they treat it as such. Currently, their plan is to have O:AH provide intel and support to the other Hunter groups in the city. Unfortunately, this hasn't been working, and if things don't turn around soon it ''will'' become a worse case scenario. And the politicians they answer to would prefer a fast solution...

* JustFollowingOrders: At first O:AH was sent to observe and report on the supernatural struggles in Detroit so Valkyrie could develop more potent tactics to fight against monsters (including the Princesses). A contingency plan they've been ordered to enact should the supernatural overcome the mortal: evacuate and destroy Detroit, leaving hundreds of thousands of Americans homeless. It's still in the planning phases, and if better option comes along they'll do it. It is made clear that the military would prefer not to carry it out, but if the politicians give the order, they have no choice.

* MundaneUtility: Being a Mnemosyne has given him the ability to travel through the Dark World, which he is extremely adept at navigating. He uses this ability to smuggle things for mortals, other Darkspawn, and even other supernaturals, being nearly impossible for normal law enforcement to catch.
* SharpDressedMan: Dresses like the Hollywood image of a 1920's gangster, having adopted the look after becoming an immortal smuggler.

* DeepCoverAgent: On the surface Jenni is everything C.O.R.D. criticises about the suburbs, and she in turn looks like the last person who'd be sympathetic to C.O.R.D.'s politics. In reality the Darkness is playing both sides.

!!C.O.R.D.

The shadowy rulers of Detroit, the Community Organisation to Reform Detroit (C.O.R.D.) publicly resembles an insignificant community activism group, and to their rank and file they're righteous crusaders fighting against the white oppressor that drove Detroit into the ground. But the upper ranks have no motive save evil and cruelty for their own sake.

* TokenWhite: One of two white characters with a full write up.

* AChildShallLeadThem: He's only Fourteen.

* StoicWoobie: Grew up in a monster infested inner city hell-hole, and is stated to be clinically depressed. But don't expect him to show any weakness.

* ChurchMilitant: Downplayed. While hardly a superpower they were an organised vigilante movement formed around Detroit's black churches.

* BoomerangBigot: He hates black people even more than white people, as he blames them for dragging him down by association.

* DramaticIrony: Slavery made him bitter and hateful, but it was the abolition of slavery, the loss of his power and wealth from running his master's plantation, and his inability to adapt to the new world that finally broke him and allowed the Darkness to corrupt him.

* {{Expy}}: His backstory is Stephen from Film/DjangoUnchained. His modus operandi of using the African American community's legitimate grievances as a justification for omnicidal mania gives him a lot in common with [[Film/BlackPanther2018 Erik Killmonger]] though this was a coincidence, as he predates the film.

* ForcedIntoEvil: Jenni was a young homeless woman who was offered support by C.O.R.D. affiliates. This was of course a ploy to transform her into a monster.

A breed of Darkspawn born from the dehumanizing evils of plantation slavery, marked by the blighted and thorny cotton plants that sprout from their arms. Thomas Walker brought a number with him to Detroit, and uses them as his muscle.

* UndergroundMonkey: The book mentions that wherever you have agricultural slavery, you'll find Darkspawn similar to Whiphands, with some slight variant based on the local crop.

* {{Foil}}: He and his family act as one to Thomas Cotton. Fighting for the Union in the Civil War is what started his family's proud military tradition of fighting for liberty, and they took to it like a duck to water, rising to serve in many of America's wars and to become officers. Cotton, despite being a slave, lost a life of comfort and power when the Union defeated the Confederacy, and could never really move on from his days running a plantation, becoming bitter and hateful towards everyone, eventually subverting a well meaning organization meant to help African Americans into a Dark Cult aiming to cause ''everybody'' to suffer. As well, Hill joined the Army to fight for liberty and justice, and hates how, in his view, the military was misused by corrupt politicians and businessman to line their pockets in Iraq and Afghanistan. Cotton spent his early years running a plantation and lining the pockets of his master, and is now a corrupt activist who gained much of his power and influence through bribing politicians and public figures and corrupting Detroit's government. Both men are also in charge of the organizations that pose the biggest threats to Detroit: Cotton wants to corrupt and destroy Detroit, and if he isn't stopped, Hill will be forced to destroy the city just to cleanse it of Cotton's corruption. Even physically they are opposites, with Hill being a fit soldier with close cut, greying hair and a well trimmed moustache, while Cotton is a slightly pudgy old man with a limp who has bushy white hair and sideburns.

* IronicName: A primarily white Hunter group that looks down on the primarily African-American Local 911 share an acronym with a [[Music/NWA famous African-American rap group]].

* TheSmartGuy: Has the highest mental attributes of anyone except [[BigBad Thomas Cotton]].

* KeystoneArmy: Averted. It is explicitly stated that, while it took someone with the intellect and skill of Thomas Cotton to turn C.O.R.D. into what it is today, now that it is established there are plenty of high-ranking members that have the skill and motivation to keep it running should he be killed. Even destroying the entire organization won't save Detroit from the Darkness unless something is done about the economic and societal issues C.O.R.D. took advantage of. Though killing Cotton ''will'' throw them into chaos for some time as the upper ranks start fighting over who will replace him, giving both the Radiant and the Hunters some breathing room to organize and strike back.

[[folder: Thomas Cotton]]

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Primarily racist against African Americans and white Americans, but he also hates Mexican Americans (and Mexicans), Asian Americans, Catholics, and any other ethnic, cultural, or religious group. Though he hides it for practical reasons.
* TragicMonster: Thomas started life as a plantation house slave and hated it, and despite becoming the ruler of the city he's still trapped living everything he hated about his past, having power but being unrecognized for it (though now it's for his own safety rather than due to racism). Played with, as he was almost more angry about the fact that he wasn't being recognized for how good he was at running the plantation than he was about being a slave, to the point that he came to hate other slaves as much as, if not more than, he hated white people, but that also shows just how horrid the system was, that it twisted him until he hated his fellow victims, many of whom had it worse than he did (it is noted that he actually had a better standard of living than many poor ''white'' families of the time).

[[folder: Cottonpickers]]
A breed of Darkspawn born from the dehumanizing evils of plantation slavery, marked by the blighted and thorny cotton plants that sprout from their arms. Thomas Cotton brought a number with him to Detroit, and uses them as his muscle.

* EliteMook: Thomas Cotton has a few more powerful Cottonpickers that possess the Miasma of Madness Umbra, causing them to release clouds of near-invisible cotton fibers that cripple those who inhale them. Thomas keeps them for emergencies.
* UndergroundMonkey: The book mentions that wherever you have agricultural slavery, you'll find Darkspawn similar to Cottonpickers, with some slight variant based on the local crop (Sugarpickers in the Carribean, Rubbermen in the Congo, etc.)

* JustFollowingOrders: At first O:AH was sent to observe and report on the supernatural struggles in Detroit so Valkyrie could develop more potent tactics to fight against monsters (including the Princesses). A contingency plan they've been ordered to enact should the supernatural overcome the mortal: evacuate and destroy Detroit, creating hundreds of thousands of American homeless. It's still in the planning phases, and if better option comes along they'll do it. It is made clear that the military would prefer not to carry it out, but if the politicians give the order, they have no choice.

* HeroicFatigue: He's only in his forties, but already planning to retire from the army. Part of why he is fighting the supernatural is because he hopes it will be a worthy cause to fight for.

* KnightInSourArmor: Colonel Hill truly believes in the ideals of America, but he has become very cynical about the politicians running the country and giving him orders that force him into untenable tactical positions.

* BornIntoSlavery: Specifically an American plantation.

* EvilGenius: Explicitly a genius, and the mastermind behind C.O.R.D.

* ForcedIntoEvil: Thomas was born a slave and didn't have any choice about running a slave plantation or any chance to avoid the evil Taint of slavery before it destroyed his humanity.

* ObfuscatingStupidity: Is normally found with a big fake senile smile.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Racist against both African Americans and white Americans. Though he hides it for practical reasons.
* TragicMonster: Thomas started life as a plantation slave and hated it, and despite becoming the ruler of the city he's still trapped living everything he hated about his past.

A secretive operation sent by the United States Army to monitor the supernatural situation in Detroit. They're highly skilled and equipped with military hardware (thanks to U.S. Army tank command being found just outside the city), but they are critically under funded and bound to follow Washington's directive.

* BadassBureaucrat: O:AH is first and foremost, a reconaissance operation. For every soldier in the field, there's at least one analyst at their headquarters crunching numbers and developing countermeasures. Each of them is Army personnel, so they cleared Boot Camp, but they're not all a unified combat force.

* CovertGroupWithMundaneFront: However instead of pretending to be ordinary civilians they pretend to be an ordinary part of the army's bureaucracy. Field agents change covers as and when it is nessacary.
* TheDitherer: O:AH's commanders in Washington. The analyst reports coming from them are opting for a full scale, scorched earth destruction of Detroit to cleanse the Taint found there. None of the politicians that would have to sign off on it want to shoulder any of the blame (on the off chance the operation is leaked to the public). For now, this has saved Detroit from complete annihilation.
* GovernmentConspiracy: A top secret monster hunting operation hidden inside the United States Army.
* GodzillaThreshold: Aside from Princesses, they're the only organization in Detroit able to employ this option. Usually involving M1 Abrams tanks...
* JustFollowingOrders: At first O:AH was sent to observe and report on the supernatural struggles in Detroit so Valkyrie could develop more potent tactics to fight against monsters (including the Princesses). A contingency plan they've been ordered to enact should the supernatural overcome the mortal: evacuate and destroy Detroit, creating hundreds of thousands of American homeless. It's still in the planning phases, but unless a better option comes along they'll do it.

A career officer in the United States Army, Colonel Alexander fought in multiple campaigns over the decades. Apolitical by nature, Col. Hill became disillusioned by the Washington politics giving the army it's orders and decided figthing the supernatural might be a cause worthy of his talents. An uncle gave him an way into the government's covert anti-Supernatural outfit he accepted the position as head of Operation: Automatic Heartland.

* HeroicFatigue: He's only in his forties, but already planning to retire from the army.

In Princess, evil actions create [[TheCorruption Taint]]. This means that any smart criminal organisation needs to know how to manage or clean up the Taint they create. The Lost Boys are an alliance of [[GangBangers inner city gangs]] who didn't know how to deal with Taint until it was too late, and teamed up to protect themselves from the monsters they accidentally created. Their neighborhoods are still blighted by the Darkness, but the Lost Boys fight on.

* BeneathNotice: All the stereotypes about C.O.R.D. are dismiss them as unimportant or respond to their fake politics.

A seemingly cheerful senile senior, Thomas is secretly the most powerful man in Detroit and the leader of C.O.R.D. He has been profiting from every social and ecconomic crisis to hit Detroit, turning the motor city into a hell-hole of monsters, and supernatural taint.

* {{Expy}}: His backstory is Stephen from Film/DjangoUnchained. His modus operandi of using the African American community's legitimate grievances as a justification for omnicidal mania gives him a lot in common with [[Film/BlackPanther2018 Erik Killmonger]] though this was a coincidence.

* EliteMook: Thomas Cotton has a few more poweful Cottonpickers that possess the Miasma of Madness Umbra, causing them to release clouds of near-invisible cotton fibers that cripple those who inhale them. Thomas keeps them for emergencies.

* AbsurdlySharpClaws: Her nails are explicitly magic.
* AmazonianBeauty: Stated to have the body of an Olympian when in her Princess form.

* TheDarkArts: She has a single dot of Tempesta and a Bequest containing the Purgation Charm.

* MagicalGirlWarrior: Mostly averted. Most of the warriors have left for Detroit.
* [[NonActionGuy Non Action Magical Girl]]: Most of their fighters have gone west to Detroit now that the Campaign has formed. The Princesses who stayed behind in Windsor have other callings.

A minor character mentioned to be one of the two leaders of Windsor's Nobles.

* LifeOfTheParty: Her popularity among the Nobles is in part through throwing the best parties.

* SuperIntelligence: As a Princess of Diamonds this is a given.
* TheSmartGirl: She's a Princess of Diamonds and a research scientist.

Between the ultimate victory of the Darkness over the city and the fracture of the mortal population by economics, politics, and along other lines, the organized resistance found in the area took many forms, most adversarial to one another- to the glee of the Darkness.

->"I can't risk my life trying to clean up Detroit. I got a family to protect." - NWA to Radiant

->"There's no one I'd rather have watching my six in a fight than someone who can make me bulletproof. Too bad they can't fix the economy with a wave of a wand." - Locals to Radiants

->"This is your fault! You didn't give a fuck until it was ''your'' necks on the line!" - Lost Boys to NWA

In Princess, evil actions create [[TheCorruption Taint]]. Which means any smart criminal organisation needs to know how to manage or clean up the Taint they create. The Lost Boys are an alliance of [[GangBangers inner city gangs]] who didn't know how to deal with Taint until it was too late, and teamed up to protect themselves from the monsters they accidentally created. Their neighborhoods are still blighted by The Darkness but the Lost Boys fight on.

* EvilVersusOblivion: Ultimately they want to survive another day, having no clear vision for rebuilding Detroit. They fight the Darkness which wants to consume them all.

* {{Expy}}: Averted. They're the only group without a clear parallel in TabletopGame/HunterTheVigil. While they have a lot in common with the Jagged Crescent, they neither use alchemy nor have ties to a wider international organization.
** Their closest parallel is the Night Watch, which is a hunter compact that is also known for being made up mostly of gangbangers, thugs, pimps, prostitutes and the like, and they could easily be construed as a local branch of that movement. The main difference is that the Night Watch focus mainly on hunting vampires, not dealing with the Darkness.

* MirrorSelf: To the Neighborhood Watch Alliance. Both are disparate bands of neighborhood based mortals fighting the Darkness with their own flaws- the NWA with its members' casual racism toward Detroiters and the LB's with their, well, vices.

[[folder: Jerome “Four” Lucas]]

* StoicWoobie: Grew up in a monster infested inner city hell-hole, and is stated to be clinically depressed. But don't expect him to show any weakness.

[[/folder]]

* AngryBlackMan: An African American community group who preach that hatred is a positive force.

* {{Expy}}: Averted. They're the only group without a clear parallel in TabletopGame/HunterTheVigil. While they have a lot in common with the Jagged Crescent, they neither use alchemy nor have ties to a wider international organisation.

* {{Transgender}}: A key element of her back story. Jenni was kicked out of her home when she came out the closet, leaving her vulnerable to the Darkness' predations.

* HatesEveryoneEqually: Averted with the lower ranks who share the citizens' views, but the upper ranks are so thoroughly warped by the Darkness that they'll destroy anyone they can.