Life In The Facility

Stand Subject 1 - 'Deodand' was the first of three coyotes successfully bred with immediate access to their Stand abilities. He was intended to be no more than a lab rat, existing to prove that the procedure was possible and to test and see if it could apply to androids. For much of his early life, he was subjected to stress tests to find the limits of his power compared to individuals who gained their abilities naturally. His mind was also probed on a number of occasions to measure strain. Life was not easy for Deodand.

Things began to look a little brighter for him when his creator moved on to Stand Subject 2 - 'Haku', and the attention shifted from him to her. Many days would go by that he spent alone in his chamber, sometimes joined by Haku when her testing was paused. He was deeply depressed and in a constant state of fear for both his life and Haku's.

The cycle recurred again with the creation of Stand Subject 3 - 'Asthma'. Deodand hardly saw Asthma, his only company being Haku who now very rarely left the chamber. Together they fantasized of a life free from their bondage, and what they'd do to help prevent future mistreatment of themselves and others. Haku had very ambitious dreams, but Deodand struggled get past his feelings of fear. They would play-fight with each other using their Stands, learning new things about them. Haku would often win since Deodand was very careful not to hurt her.

As time passed, Asthma would be sent to the chamber more often. Neither Deodand nor Haku could ever truly get through to her; her mind was often far away. Deodand wouldn't find out much about the masked coyote until a lot later, though the three felt an inexplicable deep familial bond to each other.

When Haku proposed the concept of escape, Deodand was skeptical at first. His fear had turned to compliance as Stockholm's Syndrome took hold. It was eventually Asthma who convinced him to join them when she shared an emotional episode with him, telling him of her very real suffering that she normally is incapable of expressing.

Deodand was tasked with the destructive part of the escape plan, his ability being suited for breaking down doors and barriers. He and Asthma forged a path through the facility, Asthma using her control over nitrogen to stun the defense systems while Deodand's powerful phantasm tore down anything in their path. Meanwhile, Haku's illusionary ability provided the perfect cover for their escape.

Deodand and Asthma successfully breached the facility walls together, with the daring Haku following some time later. To leave the island, they apprehended a decommissioned small plane. They successfully started it and flew on autopilot until it ran out of fuel, forcing them to land in the ocean. Still miles away from land, they used Deodand's ability as a motor for a small life raft provided by Haku's ability.

The trio made it to land by dawn, and camped out at the coast while the exhausted Deodand rested. While he was out, Haku and Asthma disposed of a unit sent to recapture them. The group soon realized they would always be on the run; as cover and as a way to disconnect himself from his past, Deodand shortened his name to Deo and vowed to protect the group at all costs. They also gave names to their abilities, Deo choosing to call his Seizure of Power.

With the help of a kind citizen, the coyotes soon adapted to society, however, Deo struggled to find something to do with himself. He developed a passion for martial arts, but most of his time was spent as a caretaker for the badly damaged Asthma or as a bodyguard for Haku as she pursued the career of a travelling magician.

Life On The Run

Through a connection from a jujutsu class, Deo learned of the Sons of the Flame, a cult that believes they can become an ultimate supreme entity by merging their souls into a collective conscience. Deo saw this as a means to achieve peace of mind. Upon meeting the cult leader, Morgana, Deo was convinced to join, under the condition that his membership be kept a complete secret from his comrades. For the deadly initiation, Deo and Morgana agreed on a spear to the eye, which would be always hidden by his hair, imperceptible to all whom he didn't want to see.

Upon his death and revival, Deo's soul was attached to the Unholy Flame. Since the Stand ability comes from the soul, this resulted in key changes to Deo's Seizure of Power; it became a powerful embodiment of both Deo's soul and the Unholy Flame, dubbed Seizure of Power: Daybreaker. Through its ties to the flame, it also became a pawn to the keeper of the flame: Morgana has influence over Daybreaker and can extinguish its power like snuffing out a candle.

Having little purpose before joining the cult, Deo began to adopt some of the ideals its members shared. Although Deo is good at heart, the repressed Daybreaker part of him wants to use his spiritual power fueled by anger and fear to clense the world in fire. Deo vents these feelings through the sacrificial requirements set forth by the cult.

The main thing Deo gained from the SotF is confidence. He learned to break out of his shell and to assert himself, traits that were not developed within the facility. He grew into his skin and was no longer afraid to be intimidating.