Metalworkers

The Metalworkers are the new Union cell in Atlanta, led by Philadelphian Eric Hanlen. The cell is based out of the Krueger Metalworks Co. in the northern neighborhoods of Atlanta, though the men in the shop are spread through the suburbs and edges of the city. The cell members are all part of the Union, though only Eric has any real experience with actually fighting the monsters in the shadows. They've taken as many steps as possible to ensure that their shop owner and bosses are as far away as possible from actually knowing their involvement with anything illegal, though Eric's attitude about managers in right to work states has been seen as an issue. While Eric is trying to actually organize things within the cell, he's also been trying to keep an eye on what's going on in his own part of the city. They've already organized the first "conclave" of hunters in the city, and they don't like what they've seen.

Eric "Philly" Hanlen
Eric Hanlen was raised in Fishtown, where he was taught from day one to avoid members of certain families in the neighborhood. Growing up, he also learned to hate the rich kids from Center City, the ones who got whatever they wanted without even working for it, while his family had to scrimp and save every penny to afford their monthly bills. He wasn't a genius, but he was bright enough to get decent grades in high school. Like his father and grandfather, though, he became a metalworker, and after getting his certification in technical school, became a journeyman with the Sheet Metal Workers. This was a jumping point into the Union itself in '98, when the latest monster purge of the forum resulted in a desperate group of cell leaders trawling the city's labor force for trusted associates who could take up the fight. It was logical for him; monsters were just another bunch of spoiled punks that thought other people didn't matter, just another way to get what they wanted without regard for the consequences or the people nearby.

That was over a decade ago, and with a marriage and five kids under his belt, Eric knew the time had come to leave the Philly Vigil. The hunters of the city were seemingly more occupied with their petty territory battles than they were trying to fight the monsters, and his wife needed him to be a father for their children, not a corpse on a table or slave to some creature. Making peace with his cell and finalizing his new job in Atlanta, he left the very day the blizzard hit.

At first Atlanta was perfect. Violence in the city was practically non-existent, and his cost of living actually went down a little to the point where he could afford to let the family splurge on things more often. Atlanta was a paradise away from the Vigil...until a few months later. Strange crimes started to appear in the paper. Reports of increased gang violence in parts of the city where he hadn't heard about any before. Police using the same lies he'd heard in Philly to cover up the truth.

Knowing that truth, Eric couldn't turn his eyes away and shut them until later. He dusted off his screenname and logged back into the forum. He gathered as much information as he could, and did his best to report on what was happening. At the urging of basically everyone, he's started recruiting. He's told a few of his fellow workers, and showing them Network Zero videos has helped them realize a little what's really going on. He knows they're green, and he also knows that nascent hunters are causing trouble across the city. What he doesn't know is that more and more of his time is being taken up by the Vigil, and that he's falling into old habits his wife had hoped he'd left behind in Philly. He's trying to stay true to his family, but he can't let them know the truth. All he can do is keep fighting.

Information

 * Concept: Die-Hard Union Man
 * Profession: Laborer
 * Virtue: Fortitude
 * Vice: Envy
 * Cell: Metalworkers
 * Compact/Conspiracy: Union
 * Faction: Home First

Attributes
Power:      Strength  ●●●       Presence       ●●     Intelligence ●● Finesse:    Dexterity ●●●       Manipulation   ●●     Wits         ●● Resistance: Stamina   ●●        Composure      ●●     Resolve      ●●●

Skills
Mental                  Physical                 Social (-3 Unskilled)          (-1 Unskilled)          (-1 Unskilled) Academics:    ●●          Athletics: ●●            Animal Ken: Computer:     ●●          Brawl:     ●●            Empathy:      ●● Crafts:       ●●●●        Drive:     ●●            Expression: Investigation: ●●         Firearms:  ●●            Intimidation: ●● Medicine:     ●●          Larceny:   ●             Persuasion:   ● Occult:       ●●          Stealth:   ●●            Socialize:    ●● Politics:     ●●●         Survival:                Streetwise:   ●●● Science:                  Weaponry:  ●●            Subterfuge:   ●

Specialties

 * Crafts: Metalwork
 * Politics: Worker's Rights, Local Area
 * Brawl: Dirty Fighting
 * Streetwise: Local Workers

Traits

 * Willpower: ●●●●●

Merits

 * A Little Knowledge: ●
 * Favored Weapon: "The Pipe": ●●
 * Status: Union: ●●●
 * Status: Sheet Metal Workers: ●
 * Professional Training: ●●●
 * Contacts: Philly Union, Sheet Metal Workers, Neighborhood Workers, Occultists, Spirit Mediums: ●●●●●
 * Allies: Union: ●●
 * Allies: Local Workers: ●
 * Common Sense: ●●●●
 * Crafter's Sense: ●●●
 * Make Do: ●●

Flaws

 * Sadism: Eric's found that when he's smashing in a monster's face or "convincing" a local hood to stop being a criminal, he's getting some kind of sick enjoyment out of it. He recognizes it, but it feels good to let out the stress, rationalizing it by telling himself that they're monsters and criminals. If they get their licks from someone normal like him, they'll learn a lesson they'll never forget.


 * Family Unties: Eric's wife Marlena is doing most of the heavy lifting at home lately. Sure, most of the kids are old enough to take care of themselves, and Eric's still the breadwinner, but with her own job as a nurse she's started to slip a little. Eric's become distant again, and she fears that she'll again have to accept that her husband will come home again with strange scars and bruises. The kids are also feeling distant from their father, and Eric's having trouble connecting with any of his family again.


 * Philly Personality: Eric's a Northerner in a Southern town. He works by the clock, while most of his cellmates still work by the sun. That's not his biggest problem though, it's that kind of personality that's led them to find union memberships. The problem's become his bosses, who haven't quite warmed up to the idea of unionized labor yet. Eric and his bosses are in a tense situation right now, with Eric desperate to keep them from cutting wages in the shop while facing a shocking reality that the area workers are woefully under-unionized (to him anyway).


 * Paranoia: After years in Philadelphia's Vigil, Eric's rightfully suspicious of any other hunters outside the Union. He's seen MIBs dose witnesses with strange chemicals, drug dealers working with vampires, and Catholic priests torturing protestants for information. He can only barely tolerate Atlanta's Angels, but he's got plans to deal with them too. Any other hunters answer to him, or are out on their ass.

Morality

 * 10:---
 * 9: ---
 * 8: ---
 * 7: ---
 * 6: Fail to steal from the enemy (Start here)
 * 5: Let the monster's hideout stand
 * 4: Fail to drive the monster out of the neighborhood
 * 3: Let a monster live/Let a criminal go free
 * 2: ___________
 * 1: ___________

Combat

 * Size: 5
 * Speed: 10
 * Init. Mod: 5
 * Defense: 2
 * Armor: N/A
 * Health:  ●●●●●●●

Tactics
The cell knows the following tactics:


 * Good Ol' Fashioned Beatdown
 * Dentistry
 * Distraction
 * Lobby
 * Moral Support
 * Territorial Recon

Weapons and Equipment

 * "The Pipe": A custom-modified section of piping, Eric has over the years added spikes, blades, and nails to make sure he can do the damage he needs. In mechanical terms, The Pipe does Lethal instead of Bashing damage, and thanks to years of use no longer suffers from the penalty for improvised weapons: Dmg 2L; Size 2; Drblty 3; 9-Again, Aggravated Damage against fae
 * Shotgun: Dmg 4L; Rng 20/40/80; Ammo 5+1; Str 3; Size 2; Two-Handed, 9-Again
 * Cell Phone
 * Desktop
 * Flashlight Baton
 * Multi-tool
 * Talcum Powder

The Metalworkers
The Metalworkers are the seven men Eric has brought into the Vigil; willingly, knowing what they might see, and being shown what they might face. Clay Bertrand, Jack Oswald, Willie Peters, Javier Fernandez, Devon Jones, Ewan Roberts, and Sal Falcone. Each of them had decided to trust Eric with introducing unionization to their shop, and they are trusting him again with leading them again the monsters. None of them have actually seen contact yet, but Clay and Javier are vets, and Devon was in a gang before he had a chance to die. Jack Oswald is an avid hunter, Willie has a large family in the city limits, Ewan has a brother who's a lawyer, and Sal knows some family of his own back in Jersey. Each of the men knows the same tactics Eric does, but they also subtract one dice each if they participate due to their inexperience.

As members of the faction Home First, the Metalworkers all gain specialty Streetwise: Names and Faces except for Eric, who's still learning who's who in his area.

Clay Bertrand, Javier Fernandez
In the military, Clay and Javier were infantrymen, but transferred to logistics due to wanting a wider skillset on their resumes than, "Killed Bad Guys, 1980-1986". Assigned to maintain base facilities, the pair was able to find employment in Atlanta, the closest city to Clay when he was growing up, and far away from Las Vegas where Javier hated growing up. They believed Eric when he showed them a friend of their the military said had died on a Youtube video shooting at a tentacled...thing. They've dug out their old skills, and are ready to make sure their families aren't gonna become the next victims.

Skills

 * Athletics: ●●: The military ingrained a sense of physical discipline in both men, and even if they're getting older, the two are still able to keep themselves ready for any eventuality.
 * Firearms: ●●●●: The military taught them well, and while they don't have their old M16s, the AR-15 is still a deadly weapon in their hands.
 * Brawl: ●●●: Another lesson from the military, and well practiced in the bar brawls after they left.
 * Weaponry: ●●: Combat knives are good, but Clay and Javier more or less have lost a lot of their skills without practice.
 * Crafts: ●●●: Whether it's welding a pipe seam or riveting some vents, Clay and Javier cut their teeth on Army systems first, and know more than enough to make themselves worthwhile employees.
 * Politics: Local Area: ●: As former vets, many people in the community look to Clay and Javier for advice on which candidate is better for the country, which usually translates into, "Which one is more likely to protect my interests".

Merits

 * Status: Union: ●
 * Combat Awareness: ●●
 * Contacts: Veterans: ●
 * Crafter's Sense: ●
 * Firearm's Retention: ●
 * Iron Stamina: ●

Devon Jones
Devon grew up in South Central, and a life of petty crime made sense as a way to get ahead quickly. He fell in with local gangs after a while, but when friends started to die or turn states witness, he got the sneaking sense it wasn't the life he wanted. An actual job was hard to hold down after years of criminal action, but also more rewarding. He felt that metal work would be a stable career, and after getting his certifications he found work in Atlanta. He's been active in local anti-gang initiatives, but since joining the Union he's kicked these efforts into overdrive where he lives. Knowing that the Union is fine with beating down criminals as well as monsters, he's started to organize his own "neighborhood watch". They don't know all the "particulars" about Atlanta's underground yet, but they're more than willing to start fighting for their neighborhood.

Skills

 * Brawl: ●●: Growing up with more fighting experience than most, Devon remembers enough to be a decent threat against
 * Crafts: ●●●: When he was in technical school, Devon dove into metalwork with a passion that has yet to fade.
 * Larceny: ●●●: Devon remembers what windows people leave unlocked, when people are most likely to leave for a day, and why people in the nicer parts of town hardly ever use their expensive security system.
 * Weaponry: ●●: Whether it's a knife or a pipe, Devon has a better chance in a fight up close and personal than from a distance.
 * Empathy: ●●: Devon knows why some kids think gang life is a better chance for something than being an honest man, and he uses this history to try and reach them before it's too late.
 * Streetwise: Local Area: ●●●: Devon's biggest asset to the cell, his knowledge of Atlanta's streets and their culture has been what's kept the Metalworkers solvent with the locals.

Merits

 * Status: Union: ●
 * Common Sense: ●●●●
 * Crafter's Sense: ●●
 * Make Do: ●
 * Heavy Hands: ●●●
 * Iron Stamina: ●●
 * Your Friends and Neighbors: ●●

Jack Oswald
Jack Oswald shares the names of two men forever intertwined. One, a brilliant political mind with inner demons that would make Nixon turn pale. The other a disturbed and lonely man who will forever be known as either the killer of the first or a patsy for a vast conspiracy. Jack took the ribbing in stride growing up, learning to find solace in the woods and quiet places away from the city and suburbs. At first it was hunting with a camera, but eventually he learned that learning how to shoot would help his family cut down on food bills. Squirrels and rabbits weren't beef, but they helped his mother keep the icebox stocked and his siblings fed. Of course, with a budget like that, college was out of the question. Oswald at first wanted to be an auto mechanic, but something about shaping the metal instead of repairing it drew him to metal working.

Of all the cell, Jack has the biggest doubts about the supernatural. He's been hunting many times, and he's found it hard to believe that some of the werewolf vids Eric has shown the cell were anything more than people in costumes or shaggy dogs out of focus. What he can't explain are the videos of ghosts and demons, and that's what he's afraid might really exist.

Skills

 * Crafts: ●●●●: Jack feels like every piece of work he makes or repairs is his baby, and he takes a lot of pride in that.
 * Science: ●●: An avid National Geographic and Popular Science subscriber, Jack knows everything from the possibility of cloning extinct animals to why lasers aren't all they're cracked up to be.
 * Athletics: ●: Still making time to head into the woods when he can, Jack's body is in decent shape from all the hiking.
 * Firearms: ●●: Though he's nowhere near Clay and Javier, Jack is still a decent shot with his .22.
 * Survival: ●●: On long trips when he takes a vacation, Jack can live of the land for a time using skills he's picked up from everything, from the Boy Scouts to Mythbusters, as well as his own self-education.
 * Animal Ken: Dogs: ●●●: Jack has two bloodhounds he takes with him hunting; Hedley and LaMarr. With no kids in middle age, Jack's dogs are the best family he can ever have. The dogs see Jack as their alpha, and normally follow his commands instantly.
 * Politics: Local Area: ●: The only time politics ever really impacts with Jack's life is when the state is debating to either limit or expand hunting seasons and limits, but he knows his local government's names and faces well enough.

Merits

 * Common Sense: ●●●●
 * Tolerance for Biology: ●
 * Crafter's Sense: ●●●
 * Make Do: ●
 * Danger Sense: ●●
 * Direction Sense: ●

Willie Peters
Willie Peters has a big family. How big? Family reunions have to be held in public parks, no ballroom or catering hall can fit them. The oldest is 95, the youngest a few months. Willie has his own family, two boys, a girl, and a dog that might as well be a fourth kid. Men in the family were all breadwinners, the women allowed to get jobs but mostly stayed with the kids. He learned metalworking early from an uncle in the Navy, and went into trade school to get his own education. He's lived in the city for most of his life, and he's raised his children to know how to behave themselves dammit, or they'll get the belt.

He's almost as forceful a personality as Eric, though he's not trying to seize power over the cell. What Willie wants is the same as the rest of the cell, security and safety for his family. And that's a big family. He wants to bring many of them in too, but Eric's constantly pushing it off. Willie's starting to chafe at his "Northern ego", while Eric just tries to keep track of what's going on.

Skills

 * Crafts: ●●●: Metalwork feeds his family and his pride, so of course Willie's going to be good at it.
 * Politics: Local Area: ●●: While Eric understands the intricacies of unionized labor, Willie knows how Southerners work their own come election time. Even in the city, there's a sizable population of God-fearing, gun-supporting, fried-chicken eating, fiscally-conservative voters willing to fight for their own. Where Eric is forceful and bombastic, Willie instead uses his down home nature to win support.
 * Athletics: ●: Even with three kids, a mortgage, and a wife, Willie has still somehow found the time to keep in some semblance of shape; a keg's better than nothing after all.
 * Empathy: ●●: Willie knows how to read people, and how to make people read him. Every vocal inflection, every gesture, it brings people closer to understanding Willie.
 * Persuasion: ●●: He's no silver-tongued devil, but he's good at getting small favors from close friends.
 * Socialize: ●●: In new situations and groups, Willie almost immediately dives into the fray with a warm smile and shining teeth, his well-worn hands like leather during introductions.
 * Streetwise: ●: Though nowhere near as experienced as Devon or Ewan, Willie is still smart enough to tell what streets are better than others.

Merits

 * Status: Union: ●
 * Common Sense: ●●●●
 * Crafter's Sense: ●●●
 * Informative: Local Politics: ●●
 * Make Do: ●●
 * Allies: Peters Family: ●●
 * Contacts: Local Families, PTA: ●●
 * Your Friends and Neighbors: ●●

Ewan Roberts
Ewan Roberts isn't his real name. The man calling himself Ewan Roberts is actually a thug from Montana named Dale Alcot, and Dale needed to leave his old biker gang when they started to get too close to this pale biker that kept forcing them to kidnap young women, and then dump the bodies later. A rare biker, one who actually respected women, Dale skipped town and changed his name, getting a new identity that made him into a nobody, a far cry from the rowdy and raucous biker he was as a younger man. What Ewan had going for him was a knowledge of metalwork from his old job in one of the scrapyards the boss owned before he got weird. Now hiding out and hiding his knowledge of the weird as best he can, he's decided that he won't wait for whatever took over his gang to come for him. He'll fight if it ever shows it's pale face. The part about having a brother is true though, and he is a lawyer; a bankruptcy lawyer, which Eric sees as more valuable than anything else where the Union's concerned. But said brother still thinks Dale still uses his birth name and that the gang let him go peacefully. His world's are coming closer together each day.

Skills

 * Crafts: ●●: Even if he's a little rusty, Ewan's skills with a blowtorch are still good enough to make what looks non-salvageable into useful metal again.
 * Brawl: ●●●: If being an outlaw biker teaches someone anything, it's how to hit hard, fast, and then kick the bastard while he's down.
 * Drive: ●●●: On his Harley ("Fuck those damn rice rockets, a Harley's a real fucking bike!"), Ewan and Dale almost swap with each other, trailing down the road with the wind in his face and the promise of freedom ahead.
 * Firearms: ●: His club wasn't so much interested in using guns as running them, but Ewan still remembers the basics of "Thumb safety, Point, Shoot"
 * Weaponry: ●●: Knives and brass knuckles are tools that Willie knows as well as his torches and lathes. A few ER cases back in Billings were Dale's handiwork, and though he knows he was a criminal, he still smiles when he thinks about it.
 * Intimidation: ●●●: With arms full of tattoos and a patchwork face, just the sigh of Ewan is enough to make most punks cower.
 * Streetwise: Local Area: ●●: After a few brief talks with local members of the Sons of Silence, Ewan's gotten a good feel for who's got what hoods, and where the fences and gun dealers wait.

Merits

 * Status: Union: ●
 * Common Sense: ●●●●
 * Danger Sense: ●●
 * Make Do: ●●
 * Brawling Dodge: ●
 * Demolisher: ●●
 * Entering Strike: ●●
 * Wheelman: ●●

Sal Falcone
Sal's family moved to Georgia when he was two, and since then he's become an almost unnatural hybrid of Jersey attitude and Southern grit. With a temper and a willingness to use his fists too quickly, his parents were forced to enroll Sal in a technical school. To their surprise and relief, learning a trade seemed to focus their boy's energy anywhere but towards violence. The youngest member of the cell, Sal's in because Eric needed someone with energy to be the cell's legs. As many stereotypes would have you believe, Sal's father does know a guy who knows a guy too. Guys who owe his father favors. Of course, they might give Sal those favors instead if his father doesn't use them. The men Sal's father knows hate to see things go to waste, like untraceable weapons or guys that need to be hidden from the state police.

Skills

 * Crafts: ●: He's got the raw talent, but Sal's skills are still forming with age.
 * Brawl: ●: More of a street brawler than anyone with experience or skills, Sal still knows a trick or two.
 * Drive: ●: Since he's still training with his metalwork, Sal handles the small deliveries and getting supplies for the shop.
 * Persuasion: ●●: A fast talker with a face, Sal's got a talent for making people he's never met see things his way.
 * Socialize: ●●●: Tied in with his persuasive nature, Sal is that kind of guy that can walk into almost any situation and make a good impression.
 * Streetwise: ●●: Though he never won too many of his fights, Sal at least learned where not to go looking for one.

Merits

 * Status: Union: ●
 * Make Do: ●
 * Allies: DeCavalcante crime family: ●●
 * Barfly: ●

Related Pages

 * Cell 15
 * Atlanta's Angels
 * Firebird Crew