Ivy - Deadlock

Ivy The Savior of Spanish Harlem / Gargoyle Vigilante of the Cursed Apple

Basic Information

• Full Name / Alias: Ivy (no surname; named by Sophia Arroyo)
• Species / Origin: Living gargoyle (technically a grotesque — architectural guardian statue come to life). Originally stone; exact method of animation remains unknown and she does not care to investigate it.
• Age: Chronologically ~20 years old (alive for 20 years; spent her first moments as a statue before animating).
• Pronouns: She/Her
• Voice: Warm, peppy, confident, with a Spanish accent and frequent Spanglish or full Spanish lines.
• Role in Deadlock: Support / Disruptor / Team-up specialist (Marksman category). Excels at linking with allies, controlling space with vines, becoming invulnerable stone, and aerial ally/bomb delivery.

Appearance

Short and slender with a hunched back that makes her appear even smaller. Beige/stone-toned skin, androgynous build, reptile-like face with large bright green-yellow eyes (vertical slit pupils), short messy black hair with side bangs, tall pointed ears, two small horns, a nose ring, and a wide joyful smile featuring two prominent lower fangs.

Large bat-like wings on her back (with patterns resembling church windows), four-fingered hands, digitigrade feet with two toes, and a long tail ending in stone spikes. Vines naturally grow across her arms and hands like living gloves. Roman numeral “IV” is carved into her back.

Outfit is practical and tomboyish: wine-red/purple pants held up by suspenders (often leaving the upper body bare or minimally covered), a matching newsboy/flat cap with holes cut for her horns, and stone-like bracers/anklets. She carries a vine-covered rapid-fire weapon resembling a modified Sten Mk.5 submachine gun styled like a crossbow (“Protector’s Hand”).

When she uses Stone Form she becomes an impervious living statue, often settling into a classic gargoyle squat.

Personality

Kind, friendly, noble, and deeply protective. Ivy genuinely cares about people and simply wants to help them. She is optimistic, earnest, and a little naïve in the best way — the kind of person most other heroes apologize to when they have to fight her. She loves hugs when she’s sad, enjoys people-watching, plants, and flying around New York, and considers the city the greatest in the world.

She does not shy away from violence when protecting others and admits she enjoys punching criminals, but she prefers non-lethal solutions and dismantled an entire crime syndicate “without murdering everybody.” She dislikes the title “Savior of Spanish Harlem” because she was just trying to keep her neighborhood safe.

After nearly two decades of single-minded purpose, she is now searching for a new one — job interviews, supporting her family, sightseeing, and figuring out who she is when she is no longer defined solely by the fight against the Mendoza Syndicate.

Backstory / Lore

One day a stone gargoyle on a building in Spanish Harlem suddenly came to life. The first thing she saw was a large human and a small human being attacked. She leapt into action and drove the attackers off. The little girl thanked her and asked her name. Having none, the girl looked at the vines covering the statue and said, “I’m going to call you Ivy.” Ivy thought the name was a bit obvious but went along with it.

The family — the Arroyos — invited her home. That night she learned about mofongo, family, and the Mendoza Syndicate that preyed on good people like them. From that moment she dedicated her life to dismantling the syndicate. Eighteen years later she succeeded, forcing Mendoza himself to leave (though he still operates in secret elsewhere in the city).

Now, for the first time, Ivy is ready to step outside Spanish Harlem and discover what the rest of the world — and the rest of her life — has to offer beyond vigilante justice. She participates in the Ritual for several reasons: keep Spanish Harlem safe, improve life for the Arroyos, help her adoptive father Carlos become mayor, find a new purpose, and (if she learns of it) protect her sister Sophia from the dangerous side-hustle Sophia has taken to pay for college.

Family & Key Relationships

• The Arroyos (adoptive family she loves fiercely):
  • Carlos Arroyo — adoptive father, 1st-grade teacher running for mayor of New York. Ivy idolizes him and frequently asks herself “What would Carlos do?”
  • Maria Arroyo — adoptive mother.
  • Sophia / Sophie Arroyo — the little girl who named her; now a university student under Dynamo who secretly works for Wraith to afford tuition.
  • Manny Arroyo — little brother; Ivy takes him to story time.
• Strongly dislikes organized crime (especially residual Mendoza influence).
• Generally well-liked; many heroes express respect or fondness for her idealism and heart.

Abilities & Combat Style (Deadlock)

• Entangling Thorns / Kudzu Bomb: Summons patches of choking vines that damage and slow (later immobilize) enemies.
• Kudzu Connection / Watcher’s Covenant: Links with an ally to share fire-rate, bullet lifesteal, and replicated healing while ignoring move-speed penalties while shooting. Creates powerful “power duo” play.
• Stone Form: Transforms into invulnerable stone, smashes into the ground to stun and damage nearby enemies, and heals herself. She dislikes the sensation of being a statue again.
• Air Drop: Takes flight while carrying an ally (or a bomb), then drops them for an explosive impact, granting barriers and damage buffs. Perfect for both aggressive engages and dramatic rescues.
• Passive reduced gravity helps her aerial mobility.

Motivations in the Ritual

Keep her neighborhood and family safe, support Carlos’s mayoral campaign, find a new life purpose now that the syndicate is gone, and protect Sophia if/when she discovers her sister’s secret job.

Extra Flavor

• Implied Catholic (like the Arroyos).
• Loves mofongo.
• Wants to see South Pacific.
• Hobbies outside punching criminals: plants, people-watching, flying, and simply existing as part of a family.
• Internal codename during development: Tengu.
• Fan community affectionately calls her a “scrunkly gargoyle” with severe back issues and an enormous heart.

Ivy is the living embodiment of a protective architectural spirit who chose a family, cleaned up her neighborhood the hard way, and is now tentatively stepping into a wider world with an open heart, a vine-wrapped gun, and the quiet hope of finding something new to protect.