KNIGHTWATCH
Knightwatch is a covert, rapid-action strike force formed by the United Nations to combat global
threats like terrorist organizations H.I.V.E. and Tarot as
well as extra-terrestrial threats.
HISTORY
The disruption to the intelligence community caused by the Janus
Directive spread beyond the United States and lasted for years. World governments were further shaken
up when it was revealed that the major powers had been secretly manipulated by the entity known as
OMEGA, resulting in a rush to review all intelligence policies.
Faced with the risk of further attacks from the likes of Kobra and other global terrorist organizations,
as well as extra-normal dangers like alien invasions and world-dominating super-villains, the United Nations
Security Council sought a way to manage a coordinated global response to these threats.
Following months of negotiations a framework was agreed upon to create a United Nations-led organization
to monitor for such threats that would also include a rapid-response capability. This organization was
named Knightwatch.
ORGANIZATION
Knightwatch is a relatively small intelligence organization, with few field agents. Rather it operates
more as a clearing house, receiving intelligence data from the national agencies of most member states. To
facilitate this every major contributor has a senior intelligence operative in the organization's inner
circle. The bulk of the organization is made up of analysts who process the incoming intelligence to assess
threats and coordinate responses with national assets to deal with the threats.
While it does not have a cadre of conventional field agents or troops, relying on those from member nations
instead, Knightwatch does have a dedicated elite response team. This team is made up of experienced operatives
who either possess superhuman powers or have experience dealing with metahuman and extra-normal threats.
In overall command of Knightwatch is Colonel Justin Storm,
a veteran Canadian intelligence operative who goes by the codename Knight Prime. The field commander of the
Knightwatch response team is the American hero and former Checkmate operative Paladin,
codenamed Knight One. Other known members of the elite response team are:
- Vanguard (United States)
- Cavalier (no national affiliation)
- Defender (Japan)
- Templar (United Kingdom)
- Guardsman (Russia)
- Spartan (Greece)
- Highlander (United Kingdom)
- Chevalier (France)
- Grenadier (Germany)
CAVALIER
PERSONAL DATA
- Alter Ego: Trent Blackman
HISTORY
Trent Blackman is one of the few survivors of a parallel Earth. On his
world he was an archaeologist who discovered the tomb of an 8th Century knight in southern England. Rumors
of a treasure trove being part of the tomb led to a criminal gang attacking the dig site. Fleeing the
attackers into the tomb, Trent would draw the remarkably preserved sword of the knight in a desperate
attempt to defend himself. The word would prove to be magical and Trent found himself possessing the might
and skill of a great warrior. He was able to fight off the attackers and save the other members of the dig.
Trent would use the sword to become a crimefighter, defending people against a variety of threats as the
Cavalier. His heroics would eventually result in an invitation to join the Vindicators, one of his Earth's
preeminent super hero teams. Cavalier would battle a variety of threats over the next few years, on his own
and alongside the Vindicators. The heroes of this world finally met their match when Darkseid of Apokalips
attacked their Earth and devastated it. Cavalier was one of the few remaining heroes and he fought to keep
the people of the ruined world safe. When Darkseid returned a few years later the few remaining heroes were
helpless to prevent the tyrant from destroying the world completely. Only the intervention of the heroic
Guardians from this Earth prevented the death of every living
being left on the parallel Earth. A handful of the population, less than a thousand, were saved and were
able to escape back to the Guardians' dimension. Cavalier and two other heroes were among the survivors to
escape.
After arriving on this Earth as a refugee, Trent spent most of his time trying to help the other survivors
to adjust to their new home. He had thought his days of being a hero were behind him, but from nowhere he was
offered a position with the newly formed Knightwatch. The leaders of Knightwatch had been recruiting individuals
with super-hero experience and had sought out one of Trent's fellow survivors, his former Vindicators teammate
Silver Vixen. The Vixen had been an intelligence agent on their
world before she became a super-hero and had done some freelance work for American intelligence agencies since
arriving on this Earth, just the sort of candidate Knightwatch was looking for. Silver Vixen declined the
offer, but recommended Cavalier in her place. Seeing this as an opportunity to help protect his fellow
survivors and their new home, Trent accepted and Cavalier became a member of the Knightwatch elite response
team.
POWERS & WEAPONS
Cavalier's magical sword transformed him into a skilled warrior. He became an accomplished swordsman and
gained an innate sense of battle tactics, able to instinctively come up with strategies. The sword itself
appears to be immune to the affect of time, remaining as shiny and sharp as it was when it was created centuries
ago. The sword is very strong and sharp, able to cut through armored steel with ease, suffering no damage
itself. While holding the sword, Cavalier can see through lies and illusions. In the field Cavalier wears a
suit of medieval-style chainmail armor, though one made of advanced lightweight modern material. Trent
Blackman is a skilled archaeologist, though his focus now is on mapping out the differences between this
Earth's history and that of his own.
DEFENDER
PERSONAL DATA
HISTORY
Defender was an official hero of the Japanese government, given his identity as part of an initiative tied
to the schemes of OMEGA to create a global metahuman force secretly under its control. Defender's true identity
is a classified secret of the Japanese government, as is the origin of his powers. He is believed to be a
veteran of either the Japanese Self-Defense Forces or of the Public Security Intelligence Agency, and that
his powers may have come from government-sponsored experiments to develop super-powered operatives. Defender
operated as a public hero in Japan for several years, sometimes teaming with Rising Sun and other Japanese
heroes to combat threats to the nation. When Knightwatch was formed, Defender was assigned by the Japanese
government as their representative on the response team.
POWERS & WEAPONS
Defender has the ability to absorb electricity. Absorbed electrical energy is eventually dissipated internally,
or Defender can release the energy in a burst of electricity. The burst is typically uncontrolled, spreading in
all directions but with a suitable conductor Defender can focus and direct the burst. Defender carries a
specially designed reinforced katana that has was created for him by the Japanese government and provides him a
convenient instrument to direct his electrical blasts. Defender is a veteran operative, expert in several kinds
of firearms and martial arts and skilled at intelligence gathering and small-unit tactics.
TEMPLAR
PERSONAL DATA
- Alter Ego: Colin Brandywine
HISTORY
Colin Brandywine was a soldier in the British Army who gained superhuman powers in as-yet-unrevealed circumstances.
Colin continued to serve after gaining his powers, but was eventually hired away from the Army to become a
member of one of the later iterations of the Conglomerate, a
corporate-sponsored, for-profit super-hero team. As Templar he stayed with the Conglomerate through several
incarnations of the team. When the most recent version of the team was disbanded, Colin was called back to
service by the British government and assigned as one of the United Kingdom's representatives on Knightwatch's
elite response team.
POWERS & WEAPONS
Templar possesses telekinetic powers, which he most often uses to increase his physical strength to superhuman
levels and defensively as a form of force field to shield himself from attacks. He can project his telekinesis
at a distance, which he usually does to extend his defensive force field to protect others. As he gains more
experience and practice Templar is expanding his skill with his power, learning to lift and move objects at a
distance, and to use the power on himself to be able to fly. Colin is a trained soldier, skilled with firearms
and basic hand-to-hand combat.