Jericho Cross

Jericho Cross: Outlaw, outcast, and vampire is the main protagonist of the video game Darkwatch: Curse of the West. Jericho is a jaded American Civil War deserter turned train robber looking for one last score. During his "one last job," the train Jericho is about to rob is the property of an elite secret society known as the Darkwatch. Jericho unwittingly releases a sinister Vampire King known as Lazarus Malkoth from his prison in a failed attempt to steal the contents. While dueling with Lazarus, Jericho is bitten and infected by the vampire curse, thus transforming him into a half-vampire.

With a mysterious past and an uncertain future, Jericho is your archetypal western hero with a twist - he's changing into a vampire. Jericho must join the Darkwatch to save the Wild West and himself from the vampire curse, not to mention seek vengeance on Lazarus with his new abilities.

Biography
Jericho Cross, born in 1848, is a man with a checkered past. During his youth, he left Missouri after a tragic argument and violent run-in with his slave-owning father and fought on the side of the Union during the Civil War, until he deserted his regiment for reasons known only to him and became an outlaw. He is said to have murdered his father, but he is also said to have witnessed others commit violent and other atrocities around him. Numerous counts of robbery, murder, and wanton mayhem have been committed by him, particularly along the Mexican border. Jericho then tried his hand at a new trade – robbing trains near Arizona’s southern border. Wanted posters across the frontier soon featured the lean and hungry one-eyed face of Jericho. The last, big job that Jericho had planned to complete turned into a nightmare when he robbed a Darkwatch armored train and released a Vampire Lord of the undead.

Appearance
Jericho is a very tall man with a lean physique. Despite his lanky build, he is much stronger than he appears. He has a black hair that falls above his shoulders. His face is weathered and boney. His right eye is blue, but his left one is missing, and the socket surrounding it is covered in deep scars. The eye that was once missing begins glowing a deep crimson after being bitten and infected by Lazarus' curse. With his sharp jaw and dead-eyed gaze, Jericho Cross looks the part of a tough outlaw and cowboy from hell. There is something dust-covered and rumpled about him. Even while wearing his brand new Darkwatch uniform, Jericho looks as if he hasn't slept indoors for a month.

Personality
Despite the fact that little is known about Jericho's personality (which is due to the game's morality system, since Jericho's character largely depends on the choices the player makes), it can be noted that he is very rugged and isolated. Combined with his insatiable lust for blood and intimidating demeanor, Jericho isn't one for socializing. One can never tell if Jericho has a deeper side, or if something more lurks beneath that stoic and rough exterior. Maybe Jericho is nothing more than a husk of a man, and is simply a cold-blooded killer.

Powers and Abilities
As well as being an excellent shot, Jericho is a fine rider who thinks on his feet and is tough as nails. In addition, as Jericho changes into a vampire, these traits are only enhanced by his vampire powers that give him superhuman strength, endurance, jumping ability, and enhanced senses after the vampire curse surges through his veins. With the progression of the story, Jericho begins to acquire Vampiric Powers. As he becomes less human and becomes more of a vampire, his powers increase, as does his blood link with Lazarus, which allows him to hear Lazarus speak to him from afar with a form of telepathy, and also allow him to destroy anything Lazarus creates.

Jericho is only capable of using his vampire abilities in darkness, and while sunlight won't harm him directly (as he still retains some humanity), exposure to sunlight will strip him of those abilities and render him mortal.

Neutral Vampire Powers
As Jericho progresses through the story, he gains the following basic vampire powers in order:
 * Blood Shield: A regenerative shield that protects Jericho from losing health. It decreases as he is hit, and increases as time passes between hits and as he feasts on blood. When the Blood Shield is depleted, every hit Jericho takes will result in losing health.
 * Blood Vision: This blood-red orb blooms from Jericho's empty eye socket to work as a device of infra-red vision and zooms in on his surroundings, highlighting key elements like enemies and weapons.
 * Vampire Jump: An enhancement of Jericho's jump that allows him to jump twice as high.

Special Vampire Powers
While Jericho views becoming a vampire as a curse, there are a number of unique abilities that you can acquire depending on your moral stance throughout the story. You will occasionally encounter a victim of Lazarus Malkoth, depending on whether you choose to be a saint or sinner due to story altering events based on your choices, your soul will become increasingly "good" or "evil".

Good Powers
By choosing the path of good, Jericho will be rewarded with powers that correspond to the purity of his soul. Good powers are an expression of Jericho's strength and determination to resist the curse of the vampire blood in his veins. Good powers are active powers, which means that they must be activated by gathering blood clouds from slain enemies.
 * Silver Bullet: In following the path of Good, Jericho will receive Silver Bullet as his first power. By activating this power, Jericho imbues his current weapon with the holy fire power of silver bullets. This results in more damage per round. When Jericho utilizes 'Silver Bullet' with his Redeemer, a weapon fired rapidly by holding down the fire button, he becomes an unstoppable killing machine. The carnage is further enhanced by the fact that Jericho doesn't need to reload weapons when Silver Bullet is active; he can continue to slaughter the undead until the power runs out.


 * Fear: By using Fear, Jericho can instill terror into the undead hordes attacking him. Activating Fear will cause enemies to cower, run back and forth, or flee. If Jericho is caught in a flurry of activity, the power can be used to confuse enemies and cause chaos among them. Also, it is a great tactic against large crowds of advancing enemies as the power can kill quickly. Despite this, players should be cautious when using Fear since some of the more fearsome elite enemies aren't affected by it and will simply ignore it.


 * Mystic Armor: Once acquired, 'Mystic Armor' becomes one of Jericho's core powers. By creating a mystical barrier around his existing Blood Shield with the blood of the slain, Jericho can further protect himself from incoming enemies. Essentially, it is a shield on top of a shield. Mystic Armor is great for just about any situation, whether you are fighting bosses or hordes of elite enemies.


 * Vindicator: Vindicator, the penultimate Good power, represents the fury unleashed by Jericho on those who have fallen to the forces of evil. When activated, it summons bolts of lightning that destroy all enemies nearby. Vindicator is best used against large groups of enemies to maximize its effectiveness.

Evil Powers
By following the path of evil, Jericho will obtain the dark powers of a true vampire. In essence, "evil powers" are manifestations of Jericho's blood. Through them, he can steal the souls of others or whip himself into a vampire rage. Evil powers are active powers, which means that they must be activated by gathering blood clouds from slain enemies.
 * Blood Frenzy: Jericho will gain Blood Frenzy as his first vampire power, which is the superhuman strength of a vampire. As a result of Blood Frenzy, Jericho gains two major advantages: both his melee attacks and immunity to damage are significantly increased. The two elements combined enable Jericho to wade deep into hordes of enemies without fear of death, and then to fling a barrage of melee attacks at them. As Jericho deals vicious damage at close range, Blood Frenzy diminishes the damage dealt by other melee enemies. Blood frenzy is also effective for preventing damage. In use, Jericho can use the power to hunt down enemies at a distance, like snipers, whose bullets simply bounce off. Also, he can run up to TNT barrels with enemies in tow, activate Blood Frenzy, shoot the barrels, and watch the undead fly.


 * Turn:   Using the Turn brand, Jericho can manipulate undead enemies to join his cause by influencing their psyches. Once afflicted by the power, these enemies become his comrades, attacking other undead foes on his behalf. When there are no targets available, turned enemies will wait for Jericho or follow him wherever he goes. What you Turn is almost as important as when you use Turn. In order to disrupt ranged attacks, turning undead enemies with melee attacks, such as Reapers or Tomahawk Braves, is a great way to get around them. Jericho's turned enemies will act as a buffer between him and his foes, essentially taking their bullets. Alternatively, turning ranged enemies, such as the Rifleman and Gunslinger, provides extra firepower against hordes of enemies with melee weapons attacking Jericho. Turn can be used effectively against elite enemy types; for example, turning a Bandito or Banshee will cause their powerful attacks to decimate their weaker former brethren. You can also use Turn to stun a single elite enemy, allowing you to take easy shots and kill them quickly.


 * Black Shroud: With the elite evil power Black Shroud, Jericho has spiralled so far down the path of evil that his mere presence is enough to kill or harm others. Black Shroud steals the energy of nearby enemies and turns it into armor for Jericho. When enemies are nearby, Black Shroud will continue damaging them and fueling Jericho's armor. As all enemies within range are affected by the Black Shroud, it is highly effective against large groups of undead. More enemies closer to Jericho, the greater his shield and the more damage he does to all targets. Black Shroud is best used in enclosed areas where the undead cannot escape Jericho.


 * Soul Stealer: With the penultimate evil vampire power, Soul Stealer, Jericho has proved himself a true vampire, capable of annihilating enemies with just a glance. By activating Soul Stealer, all nearby enemies will collapse to the ground as their souls are ripped from their bodies. In the form of blood clouds, the energy of these souls is pulled towards Jericho to fill his health gauge or the blood bar gauge, the gauge of his vampire brand. Soul Stealer works best with large groups of enemies, so get as many enemies in close proximity as possible before activating it. As you kill more enemies with Soul Stealer, the more blood clouds you collect, allowing you to refill your blood bar and prepare for another Soul Stealer attack.

Summary
In 1876, Jericho decided to rob 'one last train' in Arizona Territory. One small problem - the train didn't carry any goods or jewels. It was in fact carrying Lazarus Malkoth, a very old, very powerful vampire, who bites Jericho, infecting him with vampire sickness. Jericho must join forces with Cassidy Sharp, a female member of the Darkwatch society, who was trying to prevent Lazarus from being released. In the process of fighting Lazarus and his minions, they blow up his half of the train. As the pair make their way to the horse car, Jericho feels the curse taking hold, and attacks one of the horses. This infects the horse and makes him Jericho's steed.

They eventually reach the Darkwatch Citadel, where they are met by Brigadier General Clay Cartwright, an American Civil War veteran - turned - vampire hunter who believes Jericho killed Cassidy by freeing Lazarus. Clay then subjects Jericho to a series of tests, even exposing him to sunlight to test his weakness, which doesn't kill the outlaw-turned-vampire, but takes away his powers. When Jericho passes the Darkwatch tests, Clay reluctantly makes him a member, pairing him up with Tala, a Native American with her own plans for power unknown to her fellow Darkwatch members. Following one of the Darkwatch missions, Tala then has sex with Jericho, and tricks him into turning her into something like him. Tala then betrays the Darkwatch and allows Lazarus's forces to invade the Citadel. Clay sets the place to self-destruct with Jericho and the Darkwatch Regulators trying to escape.

Then, Jericho faces Lazarus for the final time, and after a hard fight, he kills the Head Vampire. After that, Jericho must decide whether to break the Curse of the West and rid the land of the undead, or to become the new Lord of Vampires. In either case, Jericho accepts his vampiric nature and kills Cassidy and Tala, or he kills Tala and Cassidy enters heaven. Regardless, Jericho rides off into the moonlight.
 * Good Ending: As the curse of the West dies along with Lazarus, Jericho is confronted by Tala, who seizes his power for herself. Tala leads Cassidy and Jericho into Lazarus' lair, where it is said the old world ends and the new originates, and Lazarus remakes it in his own image, just as Tala will do now. Tala transforms into a demon and battles Jericho. Eventually, however, she is killed, and in her last words she says, "I would have loved you". Afterward, both Cassidy and Jericho returned to the human realm. Jericho's eye glow dies, indicating the curse is lifted and he is back to human. Cassidy ascends as an angel to heaven, bidding farewell to her friend and asking him to remember her as he rides off into the moonlight.


 * Bad Ending: Jericho becomes the new Lord of Vampires by embraing the curse upon himself, causing Cassidy to turn against him and Tala to ally herself with him once more. Tala leads him into Lazarus's lair, a hell-like dimension where it is said the old world ends and the new world begins, where Lazarus would remake it in his own image, just as Tala and Jericho will do now. Their paths are crossed by Cassidy, who transforms herself into an angelic being. Tala orders Jericho to kill her, he then obeys Tala's orders, killing Cassidy. Just as they embrace, Jericho kills Tala by savagely biting into her neck, bleeding her dry, and turning into a full vampire while throwing aside his Darkwatch badge. His two eyes glow red, indicating he has turned into a full vampire. He rides off into the moonlight, ready to rule the West completely unchallenged.

Trivia

 * In spite of being the main character, Jericho does not utter a word throughout the entire game. Eexcept for pain grunts and death wails, all voiced by Christopher Corey Smith.
 * Shadow is Jericho's demonic horse that appears at his call.
 * According to the developers, they created "deep psychological profiles of every character in the game" with "hope that Jericho's character arc — as this desperate lone wolf that is robbing trains with a subconscious death wish — makes a believable transition into this half-vampire hybrid gunslinger and will ultimately envelop the player in his destiny: which is a guy that can be either a hero or a terror. Basically, we just want people to care about this character and what happens to him — and I can't think of a first-person shooter that's really made us do that yet."