Cedric Moseley
Cedric Gorman Moseley
Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp as Cedric Gorman Moseley
Name Cedric Gorman Moseley
Status Alive
Age 26
Occupation Network Admin
Place of Origin London
Date of Birth 31 May 1986
Player warriorinside
Timezone US Eastern (GMT -5)
Notes Notes for Cedric Gorman Moseley

Cedric Moseley is 26, and his life has been shattered by the Gloom. A promising computing system architect, newly affianced - and one night on holiday cost him everything. Now, he wonders how he can keep the monster at bay….

Background

Cedric is the only child of Victor and Helen Moseley. His family hails from the Bath area; hers hails from Cardiff and is all over the whole Welsh pride thing, an obsession that he deems jingoistic and silly. Both of them are investment bankers with a good amount of money, and Cedric had the benefit of good schools and good tutors growing up. They were both busy, but made time for him in their lives, as long as he was the good and successful little boy they wanted him to be.

And he was, although he didn't take to finance. Instead, he took to computers, playing around at first on desktops and then on the Internet as he became old enough. This turned out to be a decent compromise between his parents' wishes and his own. His A-level scores in secondary school were good enough to net him a place at Kingston University London, where he met his girlfriend Darla Jenkins and acquired IT certifications in addition to his degree. These together plus his parents' connections were enough to find him a job on graduation, as a junior sysadmin for a financial corporation. He'd been there for two years, nearly three, was starting to dig into encryption and security architectures, and had just proposed to Darla when disaster struck.

He was at a pub with a few friends and had gone outside for some fresh air - too many people! when a noise in the dark alley next to the pub drew his attention. He went to investigate…

He still isn't sure how long he was in the Gloom, because his only clear recollection out of the halls of funhouse mirrors was the monster that he saw in each and every one, in a place where time seemed to have no meaning. His mates tell him that he vanished that night, to be found naked and weeping outside the pub the next morning. They thought he'd been raped and promptly reported it to the police…but he knew better. What's more, he knew that there was no way the police would believe him if he told them the truth. So, he told them that he'd simply gotten drunk and robbed.

Over the next couple of weeks, he discovered that he could become the monster from his dreams - here, in this world. And it was strong … something he never was. Was this his true self? They say most people can't handle the truth about themselves. Experimenting in private, he figured out that he could transform at will, and though it was painful, it was easier than he thought it would be. Too easy. This was too creepy. He's not a monster!

Darla, however, knew something was wrong. He was hiding too much, and this wasn't like him. When she asked him about it, though, he simply evaded. It disturbed and frightened her … and the night she followed him to learn the truth, she saw far too much. He turned and advanced on her…and she screamed and fled, putting out a restraining order on him and informing his parents of the awful truth.

This would never do, said his parents. What would happen if their friends found out? Best to simply say he'd gone mad and lock him away. A pity, but … necessary. Fortunately for him, he still had one friend left - Gordon, who'd stuck by him through thick and thin since primary school. Gordon was the son of friends of the family, and his parents tipped him off to the Moseleys' plan, to "prepare him". He in turn alerted Cedric, who broke down and confessed. Gordon is the one person who believes Cedric, and more importantly, believes in him - and believed him when he said he was afraid of what would happen to the people in the ward if he did. The two concocted a plan - he left his money to Darla, wrote a suicide note, and made it look as if he'd jumped into the Thames. Taking only a couple of changes of clothes, his iPad, and enough quid to hold him for a few weeks if he was careful, he set about making a new life for himself.

Good thing it didn't take the Watch long to find him. One report of a hideous monster flaying alive the gang of toughs that decided they needed his iPad more than he did was all it took - and they gave him the shelter and fresh start that he needed to hide away. That was six months ago, now, and he's been more than happy to help pick up maintenance of their computer systems in exchange for food, shelter, and a small stipend. With it, though, came knowledge of what had hit him, knowledge that eats away at him, of the Gloom and what it did to him. He still believes that it showed him his true self, and that's a knowledge he still struggles to come to terms with. He has replaced his glasses with contacts, thinned out, gotten a tattoo, taken to working out obsessively, and has taken up kendo, ostensibly as a means to defend himself from other young toughs, but also as a means to disguise himself from those who might come looking for him. It is in the gym and in the dojo that he finds the briefest of respite from the truth of his situation … a truth that he thinks he understands better than he does.

He is a full-time Watch operative, but he does not often take lead on investigations. His job is primarily an internal one, but he will go along on investigations if asked to, and usually if the Watch asks, it's either because they need a straight man to act as cover, or muscle.


Personality

Cedric is the man with two faces. Mild-mannered and friendly, his human self classifies as ISFP under the MBTI. He likes people but doesn't often express it, all of his emotions running deep and intense under a kind and quiet exterior. He is highly intelligent and loves to explore his subject, but is also keenly aware of the human side of problems that he faces, applying all of his skills to help people where he can in a practical and "here and now" sense. His upbringing among money gives him an appreciation for the finer things in life. At his best, he is mannerly, gentlemanly, and caring, respectful and considerate, although he's not always so good with the whole words thing.

His experiences in the Gloom are slowly stripping him of his appreciation and caring for the human condition, leaving a moody, conflicted, and angry individual. He subconsciously believes - and fears - and yet consciously denies that he is the monster he believes he is becoming, and is desperately trying to hide the truth about what is happening to him, not that he understands it correctly anyway. He hates killing with a passion … and the fact that there's a tiny part of him that is starting to enjoy it terrifies him beyond words.

He smokes like a chimney and drinks copious amounts of coffee - he likes Mountain Dew and it's an occasional indulgence, but his workout obsession has caused him to limit his soda intake and turn to less carb-heavy alternatives. He does everything at breakneck speed when he's not paying attention.


Paranormal Abilities

Cedric possesses the ability to turn into a monster. Strong and fast beyond normal human abilities, this being is approximately 8 feet tall and looks like a hideous cross between a demon and an insect, humanoid in shape with black chitinous skin, four razor-sharp, barbed legs in place of two arms, with grotesquely muscled legs and core. If he must fight, he is most effective in this form. He can long jump at least his own height in this form and two-three feet straight up, and retains all intelligent thought in this form, although he has no hands.

The downside? He believes that it is his true form, and he will assume his true form if he does not keep it at bay. He sees it in his nightmares - either it eats him, or he is the nightmares and consumes his friends and associates. Worse still, every time he takes the form of the monster, it inches a little closer to his soul. Every use of this form costs him a little bit of his empathy for others. If he uses it too often, he will become the monster in his soul….

Those Touched who look at him in a mirror might see Cedric's human form…or the monster. Or both. It might change from glance to glance, or changing one's perspective with respect to the mirror might show them the other side. Which they are more likely to see will depend on how much hold the monster has on him at the time.

Oh, and by the way? The transformation into the monstrous form leaves Cedric naked physically and, until he can pull his wits together, emotionally, and is disturbing to watch.


Skills

Computer: He knows how to make electronic devices of all kinds behave, but especially the computers attached to the Watch's private network. He knows the ins and outs of the Watch's computer systems and how they all fit together, and can fix any issues pretty quickly.

Because he deals with the end computers at various locations and is learning the larger network, he knows the locations of multiple safehouses and is learning more as needs arise. He has the necessary skills to maintain the infrastructure as well, but whether the Watch trusts him to do so is another matter.

Computer Programming: Although he hasn't used it much since getting out of university, Cedric has a formal education in computer programming logic and design, and can both read others' code and write his own. He knows C++, Fortran, Java, and Perl.

Computer Security: While not a "hacker" in the traditional sense, Cedric knows the basic principles of to secure a network and how to identify the signs of a security breach. He knows the basics of cryptography and is learning and studying more in his spare time.

Athletics: Cedric works out obsessively, sometimes for hours a day if nothing else is going on. He's only been doing it for a few months, but he is ramping up his speed, strength, and endurance quickly.

Kendo (the way of the sword): At the suggestion of a close mate, Cedric has found a ''sensei'' and has taken up kendo as a means of fighting the monster within that he believes to be there. He is now 4-kyu and works hard, but is struggling with the ideals of Zen Buddhism that are at the foundation of this martial art.

Drawing: Cedric is a talented pencil sketcher. His style is rough and stark, with many extra lines, but is realistically evocative and reflects people, places, and things that he has seen. He doesn't let just anyone see his sketchpad, though.

Languages: English, a smattering of Welsh, a smattering of Japanese (fluent only in English)


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