Submitted by Heather on Mon, 06/10/2002 - 19:05
Posted in
Race: Human
Sex: Female
Real Name: Natasha Brookes
Nickname: Tash, Tasha
Birth Date and Location: 20th March, 1978 - St. Louis
Position: Vampire Hunter
Group Affiliation: The White Hats
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Description
Natasha is 5'7" (170cm), weighs 136lbs (62kg), dark skin, deep brown eyes and short-cropped black hair.
(Tash is played by Josette Simon)
Background
Early History ~
Natasha was born in St. Louis at 17:34 on 20 March, 1978 - the exact minute of the spring equinox, which symbolises rebirth. This gave rise to her name, which also means rebirth.
Her childhood was fairly normal, except occasionally people would look at her strangely when she said something that she wasn't supposed to know about. After a while she realised that not everybody could see the pretty colours around other peoples' heads, nor could they "hear" the odd stray thought or pick up images from objects. Natasha learned to control her reactions to such things so people wouldn't become uncomfortable around her. Even her own parents grew jittery whenever they noticed Tash responding to her psychic impressions. Her younger brother Patrick seemed to be the only one who really understood, and it seemed to Tash that he was developing a few psychic powers of his own.
When Natasha was 14 her world changed forever. Her parents and twelve-year-old brother Patrick were walking home one night. Natasha, at home, felt a terrible sense of foreboding. Then it seemed as if she could see monstrous faces, mouths dripping blood, and she knew something horrific had happened.
She rushed out of the house and towards where she could feel her family was. The scene before her has been seen by her every night since in her nightmares. Her parents' throats torn out, her little brother's twisted body so covered in blood he was barely recognisable. A pall hung in the air, a sense of a dark presence that had gone just moments before.
She followed that presence, her heart cold and her mind numb. As she approached an old, rundown tenement she could feel a chill seeping out from that place. There were several of those awful black souls inside. Before she could go further she felt another presence behind her. Whirling, she realised this one was human, but with a brighter aura than most she'd seen. He hushed her questions and drew her back into the shadows in which he'd been hiding.
He was Matthias Perrett, who introduced himself to her as a vampire hunter. He told her the monsters she'd been tracking were a group he'd been observing, waiting until they were all inside their lair. Tash picked up the merest hint of something left unsaid, but he destroyed the nest and took Natasha under his wing. Watching this, Tash felt a cold calm settle over her, knowing the killers were gone.
The desire to avenge her family's deaths didn't abate, however. She vowed to destroy every vampire in existence so that nobody should have to live with the fear and suffering those soulless creatures caused. Under Matthias' tutelage, Natasha became skilled with a variety of weapons - guns, crossbows, swords, staffs, martial arts, and her own mental abilities which she learned to use to best advantage.
Matthias was Tash's best friend, mentor and father during her transitional years from adolescence to adulthood. During her life she had kept herself aloof from people, not because she was a cold person - quite the opposite - but because most people just couldn't understand or deal with her strangeness. Although Matthias never explained much about himself he at least seemed not only willing to understand her powers, but to help her hone and control them.
Despite spending eleven years with him, Natasha never learned much about Matthias - he was very reticent about his past and for some reason she couldn't 'read' him very well. Natasha liked his aura, though, and he was incredibly single-minded about killing vampires which was fine by her. Sometimes, if she wasn't wearing her gloves, she'd pick up disturbing images from items Matthias had handled, but they never made sense. She would see flashes of beautiful but stern faces. Associated with those sometimes was the sense of some heavy burden imposed on Matthias.
One day in mid-2003 Natasha returned home to find Matthias out. This in itself was not unusual, except that he never came home. There was no sign of disturbance, no note, nothing of his was packed. He just disappeared. Natasha checked all her contacts and began the search for her friend and mentor. He had arranged for a monthly allowance to be deposited for Natasha and this didn't stop, so Natasha used the money she had to follow Matthias's trail all over America and then to Europe when information led her there.
Season One Developments ~
In early 2005 Tash heard rumours of someone hunting vampires in L.A. so she returned to America to follow up this latest lead. The lead itself proved false, but in her first few days in Los Angeles Tash finally found her old friend and mentor. What surprised her was that she found him by recognising his aura around the form of an elderly homeless man. Tash thus discovered that Matthias was Oillill, a half-sidhe.
She soon became embroiled in Matthias' task to find and neutralise the crystals of the Cloch Cosan. The lives of many different people grew entangled during this process and Tash found for the first time in her life since meeting Matthias that she was developing close relationships.
This has already led to her not only helping to deal with the Cloch Cosan, but to deal with the dilemma of befriending people who aren't vampires but do have vampire traits. She also finds herself in the morally ambiguous postition of having found a soulmate who happens to be a demon. The first few weeks in LA have proved to be life-altering for Natasha. Now she's simply looking forward to a quiet birthday celebration with those of her friends who are still in Los Angeles.
Mid-Season One Developments ~
Tash's birthday (20 March 2005) was rather more eventful than the simple night out she and Victor had originally planned. A group of African vodoun priestesses kidnapped her to perform a sacrificial ritual. It seems that her parents had been manipulated as part of a breeding program in order to fuel the growing necromantic needs of a 593 year old witch who used the life-force of psychic women to feed her own youth and power. Tash was especially tasty because she'd been born exactly on the equinox.
With the help of Galen and Daye , Victor was able to reach Tash just in time to stop the witch from draining her life-force. However, Tash was left with the legacy of the full memories of the witch.
A few days later, Tash was able to use some of that new knowledge to deal with the trapped souls in the orbs that Talhu had planted on Victor back in February.
Soon after this, Tash began throwing herself into her vampire hunting work. She claimed that she'd been distracted from her real task, and started spending every single night out until two or three am dusting vampires. She has been slowly growing more manic in the performance of her chosen duty.
Season Two Developments ~
Unable to cope with Ohenewaa's memories, Tash's behaviour becomes increasingly erratic. Then suddenly she seems to go right off the deep end, but the real Tash has been taken captive while a doppelganger masquerades as her. Victor is likewise attacked by a doppelganger of himself, but it's Vrithetek who wins that battle, taking over the new body.
Victor discovers the captive Tash and they merge to form the being Vicasha, who then tracks down the doppelgangers and restore the missing bits of themselves. During the reseparation of Vicasha, Tash is able to properly integrate Ohenewaa's memories, but the fight with the doppelgangers has revealed the driving force behind them. Tash and Victor gather their friends and allies to help defeat the creature that's manifesting in the basement of Poplar Avenue.
During this time Deon - who used to be Tash's younger brother Patrick before he was turned - has arrived in LA and is watching his sister.
Mid-Season Two Developments ~
Tash helps Sorrow to find Jade in Europe, where she's been taken by the Ministry of Magic. Valerian goes with them in an uneasy alliance, and upon their return to LA Victor and Tash go on a holiday to Mexico.
Later, in early 2006, Deon finally makes his move against Tash, teaming up with the dark fae Loki to set Tash against a new arrival in town, Darian. Eventually Tash and Darian see through the subterfuge, but Deon enlists the help of a mage to cloud Tash's perceptions and continues to plague her.
Season Three Developments ~
On 13th July 2006 Tash and Victor are married, but only days later they wind up in G'rnatha with Darian, Reah, Nikolai and Alice. The journey ends in personal tragedy for Tash as Victor remains on G'rnatha in order to save his people, unable ever to return to Earth.
The few days in G'rnatha translate to a few months in LA, and the five surviving expedition members return to discover that The Brotherhood have moved into LA. During her attempts to locate their headquarters, Tash encounters Deon and dusts him, ending that chapter of her life. The battle against the Elder vampires is fierce and although they are defeated, Tash also loses her friend Sorrow.
Mid-Season Three Developments ~
Tash decides to make something of the legacies of Victor and Sorrow, and conceives of making the 'good guys' a more organised force, using the resources of the Foundation to form the White Hats - a term Victor used to use for them.
While she's working to bring the White Hats to fruition she's embroiled in the confusion of temporal mechanics, wherein an adult Cole from the future leads Tash, Alessa, Chance and Darian to Sunnydale, where they aid Reah in defeating a demoness called Proserpexa.
Poplar Avenue rapidly fills with new tenants - most of whom are White Hat members, or prospective members. Just prior to the inaugural meeting Tash is captured and tortured by James, but is rescued by a mysterious group of commandos.
Items
Natasha normally wears jeans (shorts if it's hot), leather gloves and a long-sleeved top to hide the scars (Not all her vampire battles have been without cost). She wears a large cross on a chain around her neck. Now she's back in America she carries a Heckler & Koch P7M10 and her crosses and holy water are never far away. In Europe, because of the gun laws, she took to carrying around a bright plastic water pistol loaded with holy water and often used it to great effect. Her weapons stash in St Louis include various crossbows, swords and a shotgun. This stash is one of the first places she'll visit upon her return to the US.
Powers and Abilities
Tash has no magic ability whatsoever, but was born with innate psychic powers which have been developed over the years.
Aura Reading
Tash can discern the aura that surrounds all living things. The colours within each aura will indicate emotional state and general disposition (eg. anger, fear, corruption etc.). Magic potential shows as blue, healing power shows as green. Vampire auras appear to her as pure black. Tash uses this to help identify and track her prey.
Telepathy
Tash can pick up surface thoughts and feelings from people. Her telepathic ability is one she's learned to shield, else the constant barrage of thoughts would have driven her mad. When in proximity to people, she can 'hear' most surface thoughts with little concentration. She can discern the thoughts of people in other rooms provided they are feeling strong emotion and Tash concentrates specifically.
Psychometry
Tash also has the ability to receive visions from touching items with her bare hands. When touching inanimate objects she will see a vision pertaining to a powerful event in that item's past or from the last person to touch it before her. When touching people, however, Tash tends to get flashes from that person's past not just as visions but as full experiences. This can be incredibly overwhelming, and Tash won't do this lightly.
Character Questionnaire
All You Ever Wanted to Know About Natasha Brookes