Clive Barker's Jericho/Characters
Characters that appear in Clive Barker's Jericho:
Contains spoilers
Main Characters:
Captain Devin Ross
The leader of the Jericho Squad, Ross possesses healing powers. Still somewhat of a skeptic even after the emergence of his magical powers, all the supernatural events he has witnessed, and even after dying and subsequently being forced to inhabit the bodies of his squad mates. Is surprisingly good-humored for a dead guy.
Tropes associated with Devin Ross:
- Arbitrary Skepticism: As his profile states, he barely believes in his own powers. That he uses on a constant basis.
- Badass
- Body Surf
- Dead Star Walking
- Death by Origin Story
- A Fate Worse Than Death: It is implied that he may eventually start to go mad from being a spirit inhabiting a body other than his own.
- Healing Hands
- The Hero
- Plotline Death: Well, sort of.
- We Cannot Go on Without You: In the early chapters of the game, if Ross and Rawlings both die, then it's game over.
Sergeant Frank Delgado
A Pyromancer of Mestizo and Chickasaw descent, Delgado is the Squad's heavy weapons expert. He made a pact with a Chickasaw flame spirit (who he claims is Ababinili), offering his right arm as sacrifice for the its cooperation. He is now the spirit's host, using it to formidable effect in battle. As a result of this reduced dexterity, Delgado favors high-powered weaponry. A very hot-tempered sort of guy with little respect for authority, but has a sense of humor, nonetheless. Is dating Church. Tends to make snarky jokes regarding Black's sexuality. Often clashes with Rawlings.
Tropes associated with Frank Delgado:
- Badass
- Bald of Awesome
- Battle Couple: With Church.
- Berserk Button: Anything bad happening to Church. When Church first allows Ross to possess her, she warns him to be careful while doing so, "or you'll have to deal with Frank".
- BFG
- The Big Guy
- Cluster F-Bomb: He and Black both like to say "fuck" a lot. Well, let's be honest, most people would in that situation.
- Gatling Good
- Genre Savvy
- Gratuitous Spanish
- Hot-Blooded
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Him and Church.
- Jerkass / Jerk with a Heart of Gold
- Kill It with Fire
- Screw Destiny
Lieutenant Abigail "Abbey" Black
The sniper of the Squad, Black possesses telekinetic powers. She has the ability to steer her shots mid-flight. Suffering through an abusive childhood, she rose to become the top sniper in the US Army. Black is a lesbian, but has repressed feelings for Jones in spite of this. Is good friends with Jones and Cole, and is often the butt of Delgado's jokes - the two often engage in witty banter. Is a control freak and a bit of a loner. Has a snarky sense of humor.
Tropes associated with Abigail "Abbey" Black:
- Action Girl
- Badass
- Butch Lesbian
- Cluster F-Bomb
- Cold Sniper: A mild example - while she is stated to be a bit of a loner, it isn't emphasized much in-game.
- Dark and Troubled Past
- Deadpan Snarker
- Form-Fitting Wardrobe
- Friendly Sniper
- Grenade Launcher: An accessory to her rifle.
- The Lancer
- Les Yay: Has a bit with both Wilhelmina and (especially) Cole.
- Only Known by Their Nickname
- Psychic Nosebleed: She is said to suffer from these if she exerts her powers too much.
- Sniper Rifle
- Stupid Sexy Flanders: According to the in-game character profiles, she has an unrequited crush on Jones.
Corporal Simone Cole
A programmer/numerologist, Cole is the only member of the Squad with no magical powers whatsoever - her gifts are purely intellect and tech based, but practically qualify her as a Sufficiently Advanced Alien. Compared to the rest of the team, Cole is very polite, quiet and mild-mannered... most of the time. Often confuses her squadmates with Techno Babble, and is very protective of her equipment. Is mildly autistic and an Atheist, hates being touched, and suffers from claustrophobia and nyctophobia.
Tropes associated with Simone Cole:
- Action Girl
- Badass Normal
- Berserk Button: Don't touch her.
- Break the Cutie: It is only a brief breakdown, but still notable.
- Disability Superpower
- Flat Earth Atheist
- Form-Fitting Wardrobe
- Hates Being Touched
- Heroic BSOD: See Break the Cutie above - she suffers one of these after being subjected to a nasty mental attack by the Child Crusaders. However, she recovers after Black manages to calm her down.
- Jiggle Physics: Just take a look at her chest during the game's intro. It is subtle, but definitely there.
- Ludicrous Gibs: She is sadly reduced to this, along with Jones.
- Killed Mid-Sentence
- Killed Off for Real
- Lipstick Lesbian: According to Black.
- Plotline Death
- Precision F-Strike: She only utters the word "fuck" once, during her Heroic BSOD, when Rawlings activates her Berserk Button.
- The Rainman
- Reality Warper
- Ship Tease: With Black.
- The Smart Girl
- Sophisticated As Hell
- Techno Babble
- Timey-Wimey Ball
- The Woobie
Corporal Xavier Jones
Ross' second-in-command, Jones is a seer, which allows him brief, albeit often cryptic, glimpses of past or future events. Due to his second sight, he can spot paranormal elements that others cannot. He can also project his consciousness into a separate host body, and can control their actions to a certain degree. A good-natured and all-round friendly guy, he is the least experienced, combat-wise, of the Squad, but his high level of intelligence and his powers make up for it. Is good friends with Ross and Black.
Tropes associated with Xavier Jones:
- Badass Bookworm
- Bald of Awesome: Well, Closely-Shaved Hairdo of Awesome, but still.
- Cast from Hit Points: See Elite Tweak below.
- Deadpan Snarker: On occasion, anyway.
- Non-Demonic Possession: His unique power.
- Elite Tweak: Go ahead and possess an enemy in combat, try it. You can then cast Jones' own version pyrokinesis or Blood Ward. The kicker? His version of Blood Ward uses the health of the enemy to cast it and his possession technique can be performed from distances that would make Black blush.
- Unfortunately though, flying cultists and boss-caliber enemies can't be possessed and there is one scripted instance where Jones can't use his possession powers offensively.
- Killed Off for Real
- Ludicrous Gibs: He is sadly reduced to this, along with Cole.
- Nice Guy
- Plotline Death
- Precision F-Strike: He only utters the word "fuck" once, after Ross is killed by Leach.
- Prophet Eyes: Most likely due to his powers.
- The Smart Guy
- Sophisticated As Hell
Sergeant Wilhelmina "Billie" Church
The most troubled member of the Squad, Church is able to cast powerful wards, enchantments and banishments through the ritual of drawing her own blood and writing potent sigils with it. This comes with an obvious physical price. Her traumatic past has left her with numerous mental problems (although they are currently under control), a fear of snakes, and a massive Berserk Button. While she was at one point suicidal and introverted, she has become a lot more extroverted and confident after being taken in by the D.O.W.. Prefers to use swords over guns, although she does use both. Is dating Delgado.
Tropes associated with Wilhelmina "Billie" Church:
- Abusive Parents: Her entire family abused and exploited her.
- Action Girl
- American Accents: Dixie.
- Badass
- Battle Couple: With Delgado.
- Berserk Button: Address her as "Wilhelmina" at your own risk.
- Blood Magic
- Cast from Hit Points
- Dark and Troubled Past
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: She is the one who lands the final blows on the Firstborn.
- Doesn't Like Guns: Although she is required to use one by the US Army.
- Do Not Call Me Paul
- Form-Fitting Wardrobe
- Hot-Blooded
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Her and Delgado.
- Jiggle Physics: During her battle stance, mostly.
- The Lancer
- Ninja
- Only Known by Their Nickname
- Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping
- Parental Incest
- Rape as Backstory: It's only part of her backstory and just one of the reasons why she has issues, but it's still worth noting.
- Shaped Like Itself/Named Weapons: Her sword Nodachi and her pistol Kenju. Amusingly enough, Nodachi means "Greatsword/Field Sword" while Kenju is simply the Japanese for "pistol".
- Sideboob
- Sword and Gun
- The Woobie
Father Paul Rawlings
A priest and the oldest member of the Squad, Rawlings has served as a Chaplain in the military, and is a veteran of war. He wields two Desert Eagles, and has the ability to heal squadmates and to curse enemies. He is also a powerful exorcist. He has a troubled past which he will not talk about, but it haunts him to this day. It is strongly implied that he knows a lot more about the Squad's mission than he is letting on. His strong personality often leads to him clashing with Delgado.
Tropes associated with Paul Rawlings:
- American Accents: Possesses a Texan drawl.
- Badass
- Badass Grandpa: Don't underestimate him because of his age. He will kick your ass.
- Badass Longcoat
- Badass Mustache
- Badass Preacher
- The Chick
- Cool Old Guy
- Dark and Troubled Past: Strongly implied to be none-too-savoury.
- Finding Judas
- HandCannons Akimbo: He uses two .357 caliber Desert Eagles simultaneously!
- Healing Hands
- Pedophile Priest: It is heavily implied that he committed paedophilic acts in his past. That being said, it was from the mouth of Lichthammer, who also claimed that Billie wanted Rawlings to rape her like her father had.
- Porn Stache
- Precision F-Strike: He only utters the word "fuck" once, just before the Squad battles the Firstborn.
- Seen It All
- Sophisticated As Hell
The Firstborn
The first being created by God. He gave it great power but, disturbed by His own creation, He entombed it at the beginning of time in the city of Al-Khali. Naturally, the Firstborn is not happy, and its only goal is to attain freedom and destroy all of humankind, which it despises for being God's chosen children. The Firstborn deceives the Squad over the course of the game and taints Ross' visions and dreams, much like it has done over the years it has spent in its prison to many other individuals.
Tropes associated with the Firstborn:
- Alternate Character Interpretation: A LOT of dispute remains over whether the Firstborn is an inhuman, malicious monster or a tragic, abused being remains. Certainly, it seems to be rather eager to break into reality and destroy the world as we know it and its killing of Cole and Jones is recognized by all to be quite vile, but considering that it is suffering from an eternity of Parental Abandonment in which the parent is God and the Abandonment consisted of being kicked of of REALITY ITSELF (and which we don't exactly know if it is even possible for it to return to it without screwing everything up), after which God chose to create new, more favored children... yeah, let's just say it has valid issues. Of course, the converse is that the Firstborn- having great power but virtually no restraint or responsibility- was recognized by God to be fundamentally unfit for reality and only confirmed that evaluation by promptly trying to destroy said reality due to the equivalent of a temper tantrum and whose malignant nature was confirmed by the needless slaughter of Cole and Jones... Let's just say this is prime ground for an Internet Backdraft amongst fans.
- In the Dummied Out Alternate Ending, the Firstborn turns out to be neither good nor evil. The High Priestess of Ur, Ereshkigall (who is also the True Final Boss in this ending), enslaved the Firstborn to use its power herself. The Firstborn was powerless to resist Ereshkigall, for it was lacking a soul. When Ross gives his disembodied soul to the Firstborn, it is finally able to destroy the vile priestess.
- Anticlimax Boss.
- Bald of Evil
- Big Bad
- Creepy Child: Its true form is never shown.
- Eldritch Abomination
- Evil Sounds Deep: Only played partially straight; its voice often has a deep undertone, and this is when it sounds the most sinister, but switches constantly between this, a childlike trill and a female voice mid-sentence. See Voice of the Legion below.
- Final Boss
- Humanoid Abomination
- Leitmotif: An example of Crowning Music of Awesome.
- Load-Bearing Boss
- Parental Abandonment: Up to Eleven, as the parent is God and the Abandonment was getting booted from creation (and thus reality) itself.
- Prophet Eyes
- Sealed Evil in a Can
- That One Boss: See Anticlimax Boss.
- This Is for Emphasis, Bitch: "Silence, bitch!" * SPLAT*
- Unfortunate Implications: A few people believed this game to be racist because of the form this character takes.
- Perhaps God recycled some aspects of the Firstborn- including some of its' appearance- into humanity, including the original (Black African) humans?
- Voice of the Legion
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: See Alternate Character Interpretation.
Arnold Leach
The second Big Bad after the Firstborn, Leach is a former D.O.W. member turned Cult leader, dedicated to the worship and release of the Firstborn. He and his cult killed themselves in a horrific ritual suicide, opening the Breach once again, and they were all subsequently resurrected into Firstborn-warped monstrosities. Leach shows a deep hatred for Ross, has a mocking sense of humor, and possesses psychic powers.
Tropes associated with Arnold Leach:
- Anticlimax Boss: You never get to fight him, although it is possible to shoot at him the the 'God Seal' level (but with no effect). Rumors abound that it is possible to fight him at the very end of the game (after the fight against the Firstborn), but these are false.
- Authority Equals Asskicking
- Big Bad
- Body Horror
- Came Back Wrong: Though he was evil to begin with.
- Complete Monster: Amongst countless other atrocities, he organized the murder of newborn babies and the detonation of schools, in order to accumulate enough negative karma for his ritual to work.
- Cult
- The Dog Bites Back: See Heel Face Turn below.
- Eye Scream: His eyes are held open by cords of some description that wrap around his head.
- Face Heel Turn: Used to be a D.O.W. member before turning to the Dark Side...
- Heel Face Turn: ...But then seems to turn back at the end of the game, when, upon realizing that he was nothing more than the Firstborn's pawn, decides to take the responsibility of killing it.
- Unless, of course, he was carrying the Firstborn away from Jericho team to safety. What with the abrupt and thoroughly unexplained ending, his exact motivation is left shrouded in mystery.
- Heroic Sacrifice
- Psychic Powers
- Redemption Equals Death
- Religion of Evil
- The Unfought
- Was Once a Man
Hanne Lichthammer
The psychic commander of the Geheimnisvoll Abwehrmacht, an elite army of psychic German soldiers which is heavily tied with the Nazi hierarchy. Lichthammer is highly sadomasochistic and spiteful, with a penchant for both physical and mental torture, and holds little regard for human life. She is an incredibly powerful telepath, and, upon her transformation by the Firstborn, also gains the ability to teleport and control the flies, as well as seeing an increase in her already strong powers. Often uses her telepathy for mental torture, to control her army, and to expose people's innermost fears and demons.
Tropes associated with Hanne Lichthammer:
- Authority Equals Asskicking
- The Baroness
- Blondes Are Evil: As a human, anyway.
- Body Horror
- Came Back Wrong: Wronger. She was evil to begin with, but now her appearance reflects it.
- Chewing the Scenery
- Complete Monster: A sadist from an early age, she absolutely loves torturing people, both physically and mentally, and particularly enjoys destroying people's minds. Just some of her atrocities include driving mothers so insane that they end up devouring their own children, and other victims to dissect themselves.
- Dark Action Girl
- Demonic Possession
- Entitled Bastard: She begs Church to spare her life, in spite of all of her evil deeds, numerous attempts to slaughter the Squad, and previous dog-kicking of Church. (The fact that the Squad needs to spill her blood to progress to the next Time Slice doesn't hurt, either.)
- Evil Laugh
- Eyepatch of Power
- Fan Disservice: Though she is, believe it or not, the source of Fetish Fuel for some players...
- Of course, considering the man behind the game, the interplay of Fetish Fuel and Squick was almost certainly intentional.
- Flunky Boss: She sends her soldiers to fight the Squad shortly before she decides to take them on herself.
- Form-Fitting Wardrobe: Complete with epic boobs. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the new sponsor of tit tape.
- Groin Attack: She expresses a desire to do very... nasty things to Rawlings' manly parts. Also, if you look closely, her crotch appears to be bloody and mutilated.
- Handicapped Badass: Kicks a lot of ass despite losing an eye. Could be a Justified Trope due to her demonic resurrection, although it is never made clear whether the loss of her eye happened while she was still human or not.
- Impossibly Low Neckline: And how!
- Kick the Dog: The way she uses details of Church's abusive past to mock both her and Rawlings.
- Large Ham
- Lean and Mean
- Mind Rape
- Nigh Invulnerability
- No Indoor Voice
- Precision F-Strike
- Press X to Not Die: The scene with her exorcism is the longest interactive cutscene in the game, requires pretty quick reflexes (OH GOD SHE'S BITING ME ARGH GOD GET HER OFF) and is responsible for causing some players no small amount of frustration. It isn't really that hard once you get the hang of it, but it bears mentioning.
- Prophet Eyes: Well, eye, but, still.
- Psychic Powers
- Recurring Boss
- Squick
- Telepathy
- Those Wacky Nazis
- Torture Technician
- Villains Want Mercy
- Waif Fu: Justified due to her resurrection by the Firstborn.
- Was Once A Woman
Bishop Maltheus St. Claire
A cruel and insane bishop, Maltheus assembled an army of children to fight in the Crusades with the Pope's consent, claiming their innocence and Christianity would protect them from harm. Whether he actually believed this or not is never specified. He saw Al-Khali through Firstborn-induced visions, believing it to be the Garden of Eden. When his child army was horribly slaughtered by the Saracens, Maltheus fled to the safety of the chapel. Unfortunately for him, the vengeful ghosts of the children took to haunting the chapel, and, naturally, things didn't end well for him. The blood of the children was sufficient enough to open the Breach, and Maltheus, like all the others, was raised from the dead as a monster.
Tropes associated with Maltheus St. Claire:
- Alternate Character Interpretation: See Complete Monster below.
- Also, he seems completely unaware that something HAS happened to him and the children. It is possible he had no idea what he was actually doing, and is as ignorant now. No wonder he is in the chapel alone, while other bosses are more active.
- Authority Equals Asskicking
- Bilingual Bonus: A lot of his battle cries are in Latin.
- Body Horror
- Came Back Wrong: Though he was completely insane to begin with.
- Chewing the Scenery
- Complete Monster: Or is he? Yes, he did send children to fight in the Crusades, but this issue is surprisingly more disputable than you would think: a MAJOR reason why both sides used child soldiers during the Crusades was because they believed that the Children would be protected by divine intervention to a greater extent than adults and thus the conflict would be shorter and less horrific overall. And furthermore, since this was a holy crusade the traditional dogma was that any who died fighting it would be granted immediate entrance into heaven by the Lord. By the time most figured out otherwise, the children were already on the other side of a war-torn ocean with no ready way back home. St. Claire may be a dick, but it is probable he didn't understand the exact repercussions of what he was doing.
- Essentially, whether or not he is a Complete Monster boils down to whether he sent the children as a sacrifice or believed they would be protected. And the game is conveniently unclear on this point.
- Corrupt Church: He's part of it.
- Death by Irony: Not just killed once, but twice, by the spirits of the Child Crusaders.
- Flunky Boss: Although, in a minor subversion, said "flunkies" are also busy attacking him, but that doesn't mean the Squad are exempt from their wrath.
- Groin Attack: If you look closely, his crotch appears to be bloody and possibly mutilated.
- Hoist by His Own Petard
- Holier Than Thou
- Knight Templar: At about the same time as the Trope Namer no less and for much the same reason.
- Meaningful Name
- Nigh Invulnerability
- No Indoor Voice
- One-Hit Kill: Better hope you've got a couple of squad members outside the radius of his Black Rose attack.
- Sinister Minister: Definitely.
- That One Boss
- Was Once a Man
Governor Cassus Vicus
An obscene, perverted, cannibalistic Roman Governor, Vicus is highly hedonistic and incredibly obese. He was banished to Al-Khali by Caligula himself, as the latter did not want Vicus' excesses to rival his own. After opening the Breach after being promised endless orgies and parties in his dreams by the Firstborn, Vicus was, like everyone else, transformed into a monster. After spending literally thousands of years indulging himself in his endless perversions, Vicus has no intention of letting anyone spoil his party. He exhibits mild psychic abilities.
Tropes associated with Cassus Vicus:
- Authority Equals Asskicking
- Bald of Evil
- Body Horror
- The Caligula
- Came Back Wrong: Though he was evil to begin with.
- Chewing the Scenery
- Complete Monster: He was banished by Caligula. That just about says it all.
- Depraved Bisexual: Implied.
- Fat Bastard
- Full-Frontal Assault: Ick.
- Handicapped Badass: Well, sort of - while he can deal out a lot of damage in spite of barely being able to move due to his obesity, he does require some help with it. Possibly justified due to his demonic resurrection.
- Hell Seeker: He's arguably the only one who actively sought his way into the Pyxis without ending up regretting it. While Maltheus is constantly being tormented by his children, Lichthammer finds herself locked in eternal combat against Blackwatch and Leach ends up being nailed to a wall by the Firstborn itself, Vicus had all his dreams fulfilled and all his wishes granted when he entered the Pyxis.
- I'm a Humanitarian
- Large and In Charge: Happens to be large both vertically and horizontally.
- Large Ham
- Nausea Fuel: He attacks people by opening up a gigantic wound in his stomach in order to fire the contents of his intestines at people. And that's just for starters.
- Psychic Powers
- Squick
- Was Once a Man
Minor Characters:
- Muriel Green
- Major Patrick "Pat" Buckland
- William De Auxerre
- Sir Richard De Gray
- Centurion Tercius Longinus
- Antadurunnu
- Ereshkigall
- Ki
- Ninlil
- Inanna
- Enlil
- Nanna
- Utu