Jericho Cross

 Jericho Cross is the central character in "Darkwatch," a first-person shooter developed by High Voltage Software. The game is set in a supernatural Old West, where Jericho, a former outlaw, becomes entangled in a battle against dark forces after accidentally unleashing a vampire plague

Biography

Born in 1848, Jericho Cross is a man with a checkered past. As a young man, he left Missouri after a tragic altercation and violent encounter with his slaveholding father, and fought on the Union side during the Civil War until he deserted his regiment for reasons known only to himself and became an outlaw. He reportedly murdered his own father, but reportedly witnessed others around him commit violent and other atrocities. He committed many robberies, murders and rampant rioting, especially along the Mexican border.

 Jericho then tried his hand at a new profession - robbing trains near the southern border of Arizona. Soon the wanted posters on the other side of the border showed the thin, hungry, one-eyed face of Jericho. The last big job Jericho planned to finish turned into a nightmare when he hijacked a Darkwatch armored train and freed the undead vampire master.

Darkwatch 

In 1876, Jericho decided to rob the "last train" in the Arizona Territory. One small problem - the train did not carry goods or gems. In fact, it carried Lazarus Malkoth, a very old, very powerful vampire who bites Jericho, infecting him with the vampire disease. Jericho must join forces with Cassidy Sharp, a female member of the Darkwatch Society who tried to stop Lazarus from being released. To fight Lazarus and his minions, his side of the train is blown up. As the pair approach the steed, Jericho feels the curse take over and attacks one of the horses. It infects the horse and turns it into Jericho's horse.

They eventually reach the Darkwatch citadel, where they are confronted by Brigadier General Clay Cartwright, a veteran American Civil War turned  vampire hunter who believes that Jericho killed Cassidy, freeing Lazarus. Clay then subjects Jericho to a series of tests, even exposing him to sunlight to test his weakness, which instead of killing the vampire-turned-outlaw, drains him of his powers. When Jericho passes the Darkwatch tests, Clay reluctantly makes him a member and connects him with Tala, an Indian who has plans for power unknown to his Darkwatch colleagues. After one Darkwatch mission, Tala has sex with Jericho and tricks him into turning her into something like him. Tala then betrays the Darkwatch and allows Lazarus' forces to invade the fortress. Clay sets himself up for destruction as Jericho and the Darkwatch Regulators try to escape.

Jericho then confronts Lazarus one last time, and after a fierce battle, 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 become the new vampire lord. Either way, Jericho accepts his vampiric nature and kills Cassidy and Tala, or kills Tala and Cassidy enters Heaven. Regardless, Jericho rides off into the moonlight.

Good Ending

As the Curse of the West dies with Lazarus, Jericho confronts Tala, who usurps his power. Tala leads Cassidy and Jericho to Lazarus' cave, where it is said that the old world will end and a new one will be born, and Lazarus will remake it in his own image, just as Tala is doing now. Tala transforms into a demon and fights Jericho. In the end, however, he is killed, and in his last words he says: "I would love you." Both Cassidy and Jericho later returned to the human world. The glow in Jericho's eyes goes out, indicating that the curse has been lifted and he has returned to being human. Cassidy ascends to heaven as an angel, says goodbye to her friend, and asks him to remember her as he rides off into the moonlight.

Bad Ending

Jericho becomes the new Vampire Lord when he accepts the curse, causing Cassidy to turn against him and Tala to work with him again. Tala leads him to Lazarus' cave, a hell-like dimension where the old world is said to end and a new world begins, where Lazarus would remake it in his own image, just as Tala and Jericho are doing now. They cross paths with Cassidy, who transforms into an angelic being. Tala tells Jericho to kill her, then he follows Tala's orders by killing Cassidy. Just as they embrace, Jericho kills Tala by furiously biting his neck, draining him dry and becoming a full vampire, discarding his Darkwatch badge. His two eyes glow red, indicating that he has become a full vampire. He rides on the moon, ready to rule the West completely unopposed.

Appearance 

Jericho is a very tall and thin man. Despite skinny, he is much stronger than he appears. he has black hair that falls over her shoulders. His face is weathered and bony. His right eye is blue, but his left eye is missing and the swamp around it is covered in deep scars. The once lost eye begins to glow a deep red, bitten and infected by Lazarus' curse. With his sharp chin and dead eyes, Jericho Cross looks like a tough outlaw and cowboy from hell. There is something dusty and wrinkled about him. Even in his brand new Darkwatch uniform, Jericho looks like he hasn't slept in a month.

Personality 

Although little is known about Jericho's personality (due to the game's morality system, as Jericho's character is highly dependent on the player's choices), it can be said that he is very tough and isolated. With his insatiable bloodlust and terrifying demeanor, Jericho is not the one to meet. You never know if Jericho has a deeper side or if there is something hidden beneath his stoic and tough exterior. Maybe Jericho is nothing more than a shell of a man and is just a cold blooded killer.

Power and abilities

In addition to being a gunslinger, Jericho is a rider who thinks on his feet and is tough as nails. Furthermore, when Jericho becomes a vampire, these traits are only enhanced by his vampire powers, which give him superhuman strength, durability, jumping ability, and enhanced senses after the vampire curse floods his veins. As the story progresses, Jericho begins to gain vampiric powers. As he becomes less human and becomes a vampire, his powers increase, as does his blood connection to Lazarus, which allows him to hear Lazarus speak to him from a distance in the form of telepathy, and also allows him to destroy anything Lazarus creates.

Jericho can only use his vampiric powers in the dark, and while he is not directly harmed by sunlight (since he still retains his humanity), exposure to sunlight robs him of these powers and renders him mortal.

Neutral Vampire Abilities

As Jericho's story progresses, he gains the following basic vampire abilities:

• Blood Shield: A regenerative shield that protects Jericho from losing health. It decreases when he is hit and increases when time passes between hits and when he enjoys the blood. Once the Blood Shield is depleted, anyone hit by Jericho causes a loss of health.
• Blood Vision: This blood-red orb blooms from Jericho's empty eye socket and functions as an infrared vision device, zooming in on the surroundings to highlight key elements such as enemies and weapons.
• Vampire Leap: An upgrade to Jericho's jump that allows him to jump twice as high.

Vampire Special Abilities

Although Jericho considers becoming a vampire is a curse, throughout the story you can gain some unique abilities that depend on your moral stance. From time to time you will meet a victim of Lazarus Malkoth, depending on whether you are a saint or a sinner thanks to story changes according to your choices, your soul will become more and more "good" or "bad".

Good Powers

Choosing the good path, Jericho is rewarded with powers corresponding to the purity of his soul. The good powers represent Jericho's strength and determination to resist the curse of vampire blood running through his veins. Good powers are active powers, meaning they must be activated by collecting blood clouds from slain enemies.

• Silver Bullet: Following the Good Path, Jericho receives the Silver Bullet as his first power. Activating that power, Jericho imbues his current weapon with the sacred firepower of the silver bullets. It deals more damage per round. When Jericho uses the "Silver Bullet" with his Redeemer weapon, which is fired rapidly by holding the fire button, he becomes an unstoppable killing machine. The kill is further enhanced by the fact that Jericho does not need to reload his weapons while Silver Bullet is active; he can keep killing the dead until he runs out of power.
• Fear: Using fear, Jericho can instill fear into the hordes of undead that attack him. Activating fear causes enemies to retreat, run away, or run away. When Jericho gets into a flurry of action, the force can be used to confuse enemies and wreak havoc among them. It's also a great tactic against many attacking enemies, as the force can kill quickly. That being said, players should be careful when using fear as it doesn't affect some of the scarier elite enemies and they just ignore it.
• Mystic Armor: Once acquired, the Mystic Armor becomes one of Jericho's main powers. By creating a mysterious barrier around the existing blood shield with the blood of the slain, Jericho can further protect himself against future enemies. It's basically a shield on top of a shield. Mystic Armor is good for almost any situation, whether you're fighting bosses or elite enemies.
• The Vindicator: The penultimate good force, the Vindicator, represents the wrath that Jericho unleashes against those who have fallen to the forces of evil. When activated, it summons bolts of lightning that destroy all nearby enemies. Vindicator is best used against large groups of enemies to maximize its effectiveness.

Evil powers

Following the path of evil, Jericho acquires the dark powers of a true vampire. Basically, the "evil forces" are manifestations of Jericho's blood. Through them, he can steal the souls of others or drive himself into a vampiric rage. Evil powers are active powers, meaning they must be activated by collecting blood clouds from slain enemies

• Blood Frenzy: Jericho gains his first vampire power, Blood Frenzy, which is the superhuman power of a vampire. As a result of Blood Frenzy, Jericho gets two big benefits: both his melee and damage resistance are greatly improved. Those two elements combined allow Jericho to penetrate deep into hordes of enemies without fear of death and then do melee attacks on them. When Jericho takes nasty damage up close, Blood Frenzy will reduce the damage taken by other melee enemies. Bloodlust is also effective at preventing damage. When activated, Jericho can use the Force to hunt enemies from a distance, such as snipers, whose bullets simply ricochet. He can also run into TNT barrels when enemies are behind, activate Blood Frenzy, shoot the barrels and watch the dead fly.
• Turn: The Mark of Turn allows Jericho to manipulate mortal enemies to join his cause by affecting their psyche. When afflicted by the Force, those enemies become his minions, attacking other mortal enemies in his name. If no targets are available, enemies turned will wait for Jericho or follow him wherever he goes. What you rotate is almost as important as how you rotate. Reflecting undead enemies with melee attacks like Reapers or Tomahawk Braves is a good way to clear an attack. Jericho's transformed enemies act as a buffer between him and his enemies, absorbing their bullets. Alternatively, spinning ranged enemies like the Marksman and Gunslinger will provide additional firepower against the hordes of enemies attacking Jericho. Turn can be used effectively against elite enemy types; For example, flipping a Bandit or Banshee causes their powerful attacks to destroy their weaker former brethren. You can also use Spin to stun one of the elite enemies, allowing you to take simple shots and kill them quickly.
• Black Shroud: With the Black Shroud of the Evil Elite, Jericho has progressed so much on the path of evil that his presence is enough to kill or injure others. Black Shroud steals energy from nearby enemies and transforms it into Jericho's armor. When enemies are close, Black Shroud will continue to damage them and eat Jericho's armor. Since Black Shroud affects all enemies in range, it is very effective against large undead. The more enemies are closer to Jericho, the bigger his shield is and the more damage he does to all targets. The black shroud is best used in enclosed areas where the dead cannot escape Jericho.
• Soul Stealer: With the power of the penultimate evil vampire, Soul Stealer, Jericho has proven himself to be a true vampire who can destroy enemies with a single glance. Activating Soul Stealer causes all nearby enemies to collapse to the ground as their souls are ripped from their bodies. In the form of blood clouds, the energy of these souls is drawn to Jericho to fill his health meter or blood barometer, a measure of his vampire mark. Soul Stealer works best with large groups of enemies, so get close to as many enemies as possible before activating it. The more enemies you kill with Soul Stealer, the more blood clouds you collect, allowing you to refill your blood bar and prepare for another Soul Stealer attack.