Individual

Character's full name: Clayton Stark
Alias/ Nickname/ Code name: The Skeleton Detective
Gender: Male
Age: 85
Date of Birth: 23/12/1928
Date of Death 08/08/1953
Date of Undeath 09/07/2012
Birthplace/ Home/ Place of origin: London, England
Nationality: British
Ethnicity/ Cultural Heritage: Caucasian

Appearance

Hair color and style: None (formally black)
Skin Tone: None (formally pale skinned)
Eye Color: None (formally green)
Height: 6'0"
Build: very errr... skinny...
Visible mutation: Skeleton Physiology
In life Clayton Stark was a tall thin man with dark hair, and green eyes. His features were relatively handsome. Well he thought so anyway…

Now in death Clay looks a great deal different. He is still tall, but has lost quite a bit of weight, well more than a bit really. His hair has fallen out, mostly because somewhere along the way he lost his scalp. And his eyes lets not even discuss what happened to his eyes, it involved worms. His features are now a lot less hansom, but a lot more open.
All this is mostly because Clay is now a walking talking skeleton.

As a skeleton looks like well, a skeleton. There is not a scrap of flesh not a strip of muscle nor a drop of blood to be found anywhere on or in his body. He has a complete set of 206 bones (well technically 208 if you count the sternum as three bones). As a result of his mutation he can move around walk and talk.
Scars/ Tattoos/ Piercings: None
Other features: None

Everyday clothing style:
In both life and death Clay has had a passion for wearing suits. In life this wasn’t a problem, but in death it is a little more complicated. His usual body shape means that no clothing made for normal people will fit him. As a result all of Clays suites are tailor made. Despite this they still hang off him a little.

His suit of preference is a black jacket and trouser combination with pencil thin white pinstripes. Around his neck he supports a black tie as well as a white scarf, which he uses to hide the bottom of his face when in public. He wears thin dark leather gloves to hide his skeletal hands. A black fedora with a white stripe above its wide brim hides the top half of his face quite well when tipped forward.
Uniform: None
Sleepwear: Doesn’t not sleep.
Miscellaneous clothing: None

Character

Personality:
Clay, despite his dark appearance (which he takes lengths to hide while in public) is very much the gentleman. He is always polite and has a old-fashioned way of speaking. Mostly because he is much older than he seems. He’s the kind of guy you can imagine sitting in a café drinking a pot of tea while reading a newspaper. Which he did use to do, when he still had organs…

Despite the inconvenience of being a walking talking skeleton Clay truly enjoys life… if you could define him as alive that is. At any rate Clay fully intends to make the most of his second chance. His reasoning is he should enjoy it while he can. For all he knows the mutation that brought him back could end tomorrow, today or in a minutes time. Live life while you can.

He is extremely egotist and sarcastic, often congratulating himself on his own accomplishments. When he talks to people he dose so in a mockingly sarcastic way, joking and making wisecracks. But never in a cruel way, he enjoys a joke but not at anyone’s expense.
He also has a bad habit of telling people his plans, even his enemy’s Not because of overconfidence but because he likes people to know how good he is. He also has a habit of showing off. Be it his investigative skills, how shiny his skull is on that day or even what he didn’t eat for breakfast.

Even though his appearance suggests otherwise, he is a good man. After his own death he has come to place a higher value on life in general. Being so close to death himself makes him sensitive to the loss of others. He protects innocents whenever he can, whether they want his help or not.

Hobbies/ Interests:
Reading anything he can lay his skeletal hands on from fantasy to history, at least one pocket usually contains a slim book. He recently discovered computers and is avidly checking them out with much interest but zero skill. His main love is his job though. A good mystery or investigation can hold his attention like nothing else. Perfect for whittling away at those long sleepless nights. When he was alive he loved a long quiet smoke of his pipe and still dose even if the smoke has a tendency to escape through his eye sockets.
Job or part time job and description:
Unlicensed Private Investigator, specializing in cold cases.
Fears/ phobias/ concerns:
How long will he stay undead? Is there a time limit? Will he always be able to inhabit his skeleton or will it eventually fall apart? His biggest fear is falling back into that hell of being trapped outside a body, unable to effect the world. Doomed to silently watch for all eternity.
Special talents:
Excellent card player.

Morality

Good/ bad/ neutral/ other:
Clayton was and remains a good man. Just because he’s lost a lot of weight doesn’t change that. In fact since rising from the dead he understands death and loss, grief and madness. He is more than willing to help anyone he feels needs his services. Even if they don’t think they want it.

Mutations

Mutation description: Undead
Clay spent his entire life unaware he possessed the x-gene until it was activated when he died. Upon his death Clay did not move on instead he was forced into staying on earth in some form of astral projection. His mutation tried to reunite his consciousness with his body but the pain, shock and fear of his death caused Clays thoughts and memories to scatter and be lost for a great deal of time.
By the time consciousness and body were reunited all that remained were his bones.

Clays consciousness is now bound to his skeleton. His mutation basically forces the consciousness/soul/psychic energy (whatever) back into the body after death. So as long as there's a body he can inhabit Clay wont die a true death. But if he has no body/skeleton for his consciousness to be bound to he will die. Also true if there isn't enough left for him to inhabit, he wont for example still be around if he only has his original skull left.
And without all that pesky flesh with its wants and needs he's far more efficient. He no longer needs to eat, sleep or breath. He retains the same strength he had when he still had muscles and still has all his senses. Except for maybe taste, he hasn’t figured out how to test that one without a tongue. His bones also heal at the normal human rate. And while he can hold his bones in their proper place breaks need to be supported and held together so they can mend. Dislocations aren’t a problem and his party trick is showing up with his skull tucked under his arm.

Being dead himself allows Clay to see and interact with ghosts. Not everyone who dies makes a ghost. But some who die with unfinished business or in a violent way linger among the living. Clay has no control over them, there just kinda there, getting under foot and complaining a lot.
Strengths:
- Clay is both are often faster and more agile than a normal person, which is justified by his extremely low weight. (In fact the human skeleton is 14% of the body’s weight. 14% of 15 stone is 2.38 stone.)
- Able to reassemble himself with little effort.
- Clay is self-sufficient. He no longer needs food, drink, sleep, oxygen and is immune to all but the most extreme changes in environment.
- Can see and converse with ghosts.

Weaknesses and Limitations:
- The undead are usually frowned upon by most of society. Also he doesn’t have a face.
- Being only bones, Clay is more fragile than persons with flesh. Any breaks need to be supported and held together so they can mend.
- If he’s hit hard enough Clay runs the risk of bones being dislocated or knocked out of place.
- An Adapteds aura would drive his consciousness back out of his body leaving him a pile of bones and clothing until he is moved out of the field of effect.
- Still feels pain.
- Cannot sleep. Constantly aware for 24/7.
- Looks like he’s talking to himself when talking to ghosts.

Physical Abilities

General Physical Capabilities: Those of a normal human male.
Fighting Style: While he doe’s prefer to settle differences verbally first but if he is unable to Clay is more than willing to fight. His style of combat is brutal but effective, disregarding finesse for efficiency. Since his recent reanimation Clay has had to get used to fighting as a skeleton. The drastically decreased weight allow him to move around faster. He has adapted this into his fighting style, leaping around and avoiding his enemy and then darting in for a fast and hard strike.
Fighting Style Pros/Cons: Being only a skeleton held together by willpower if he’s hit hard enough Clay runs the risk of bones being dislocated or knocked out of place. Whilst he can easily fix himself he might not be able to in the middle of a fight.

History Of Your Character

Clayton Stark was born on the 23rd December 1928 in London. He had a normal happy childhood for that era, learning the joys of reading, ball-in-the-cup, rugby and other activity that didn’t involve either television or any kind of computer. It was boring but he didn’t know any better so he was quite content with his childhood. Nothing interesting ever happened to him. He was as normal as a kid in 30's London could be. That all changed at the age of eleven when WWII broke. Clay like a lot of other children was evacuated during the blitz to the English countryside.

By his sixteenth birthday the war was only a year from over. Clay join the army that year, the nice recruitment man kindly overlooking his age. He ended up as a runner assigned to the military police. This was he beginning of his career as a policeman but not the end. After the war was over Clay moved back to London and became a police constable.

His career went well and her was soon promoted again and again. By twenty two he was a Detective for New Scotland Yard. Here he was in his element. He thrived on investigation and intrigue. His success rate was high and with that his confidence sky-rocketed. It must be said that perhaps he became a little too over confident with his trill seeking lone wolf attitude towards investigation. During an arrest this overconfidence reared its ugly head and a suspect escaped. Clay gave chase around a corner and was savagely beaten to death by the suspect. And so ended Clayton Stark

Or rather that’s where it should have ended. His long dormant mutation was triggered on the event of his death. It tried to force Clays consciousness back into his body. But Clay still reeling from the shock, pain and fear of his own death resisted. Something tore and thought and memory were scattered to the winds. And his body was quietly found and removed.

It took twenty years to rebuild his shattered mind. Twenty years of fleeting thought and fractured memories. Of being less than a ghost, held together by a stubborn streak a mile wide and an ego that didn’t know the meaning of the word fail. Finally Clay managed to pull enough of himself together that the rest was able in stops and starts to gravitated back. And so began the wandering years.

He walked and learned and listened. Unable to touch or feel or make himself heard he wandered aimlessly for years. Clay tried to figure out why this had happened, and how. He watched and wandered and screamed with frustration for thirty eight years. He went mad twice but then got over it, reasoning it was none productive.

Then he felt the tug again. It was so slight he almost missed it. It gave him hope. He carefully followed the little tug out of London, down through England until he reached the cost. Across the sea he floated through sun and rain, that little tug getting stronger and stronger. Until at last he was pulled of his ghostly feet pulled along faster and faster through the buildings and streets of New York until his consciousness slammed back into his body. This conscience was bonded to his body (or what was left of it) and slowly but surly Clay started to figure out how to make it work.

His body it turned out had been donated to medical science. It was used by medical students as a prop to learn how to assemble a human skeleton using real human bones. They got such a shock one day when the bones bounced and clattered and snapped themselves into place. The skeleton sat up swung its legs of the side of the table and rather innocently stood. It walked over to the glass case on a sideboard and removed its skull, carefully lifted and placed it where it should be. It the turned to the class of chalk white medical students and asked in a casual voice. “Could I trouble someone to lend me a coat? Its a little drafty.”


Roleplay
Where did you learn about this site?: Google
Do you have any other characters on MRO, if so who: No
Sample RP:
Clay was causally still pondering his predicament as his polished white fingerbones fastened the tailored buttons of a new shirt. He could remember what death had been like, and remembered not liking it at all. Well he was still dead but at least he had something to move around in now. Being a skeleton was much better than being an invisible bundle of consciousness held together by willpower and ectoplasm.

He straightened the slim black tie before carefully slipping on the jacket. So far it was perfect, measured to fit from every angle. Not an easy task when you had no flesh to fill you out. Eventually he’d found a tailor skilled enough to make the suit, and willing to work for a skeleton. A tailor had ample experience working with people with unique needs.
“After all sir if I can make an outfit for a three armed man with a tail and purple fur I can probably make one for anyone.”

Clay looked himself up and down in the full length mirror. His skull set itself at an angle that may once have been a smile. He looked good, great even. He affectionately adjusted a cufflink and strode out of the dressing room.
The little tailor sat at his counter reading a ancient looking newspaper. He glanced up and gave a toothless grin as the skeleton stood in front of him arms wide.
“Well what do you think?” The customer asked spinning around, the jacket flaring out as he moved.
“Sir looks…ahhh.... splendid”
“Yes I do look rather dashing don’t I, but then again its me so what did I expect”
“As Sir says.” The tailor replied neutrally. “Would Sir like the rest?”

Clay nodded and the tailor passed him the last items of his new outfit. The fedora perfectly matched the material of the suit. He pulled it low and the peak shadowed his skulls eye sockets. The dark gloves fit the bones of his hands snugly, but were not quite long enough to completely hide his wrists. And last but not least a white scarf which the skeleton pulled up hiding his jaw. The effect hid his skeletal frame, making him seem like a tall but extremely thin man, who was possibly very sun shy. It would do.

One payment later and Clayton Stark stepped outside into the street. He had no plan for the future and not the slightest idea why or how he was still alive, or undead even. Clay head tilted too a more determined angle. That would be the first thing he’d find out. A good investigation was what he needed. He was always at his best whilst in the midst of a particularly challenging case. He wheeled and started down the street in a random direction, whistling a jaunty tune. Quite a feat for someone without lips.

A gentleman skeleton. I love it!!

Welcome to MRO!

Wonderful character and a very unique mutation! Welcome to MRO

Well, if you come by the Mansion, there will probably be at least one person hiding, but I do so look forward to seeing what happens with this guy

Welcome to MRO! Excited to see you on the forums!

*Stears clear of walking skeleton man* Welcome to MRO!

How do you kill what is already dead? I don't know but I'll have a lot of fun finding out.

Daniel and MRO welcomes you! Beast does not.

I may have a bone to pick with you, Sir. *noms thy shinbone, and has great pun doing so*

Welcome to MRO!