Ezekiel Stone from 'Brimstone'

Time to give the Devil his due!

The short-lived Fox series Brimstone didn’t necessarily have the draw of other, later fan-series, but I always like it. Partially it was the portrayal of the Devil by John Glover, but the over-all set-up and concept was fairly new for the time and it was decent enough take on a procedural cop show…but not really.

Ezekiel ‘Zeke’ Stone was a copy whose wife was attacked and raped in 1983. After the assailant was cleared of charges, Stone killed him in cold blood, later dying in an unrelated affair. Sent to Hell, Stone remained until 113 evil spirits led by a priestess named Ashur Badaktu broke free. The Devil, having no real power on earth offered Stone a deal – Recapture and resend the dead spirits to Hell and gain a second chance on Earth or even at Heaven. As fifteen years had passed since his death, Stone must now hunt for the 113 spirits while trying to reconnect with the mortal world and hindered at some level by the Devil.

I had wanted to do Stone and Lucifer for a different set of write-ups on one of the projects I never really got off the ground, but as we are entering Halloween I thought it would be kind of cool to feature Zeke Stone. 

Why Zeke Stone?

There were two reasons I thought of Zeke Stone. For one, he’s a fairly interesting protagonist who is bound by his bad choices and failings to perform a series of tasks for a second chance at life and redemption. A big part of it was it was how the series portrayed both the nature of the hero, who was deeply flawed, and the murky aspects of his task/taskmaster – It is never really clear that Stone was chosen at random for the task, and in some cases, is suggested that he alone was capable of it.

Another thing I rather liked was the abilities of those who had escaped – The longer that they spent in Hell, the more that Hell dwelt inside of them and granted them greater power. It was an interesting concept and explained the superhuman/supernatural nature of the beings that Stone had to deal with on a regular basis.

Ezekiel Stone

Ezekiel ‘Zeke’ Stone

(Post Hell)

F: Ex (20)

A: Ex (20)

S:  Ex (20)

E: In (40)

R: Typ (06)

I:  Ex (20)

P:  Ex (20)

Health: 100

Karma: 46

Resources: Pr (04)* See Below

Popularity: 0* See Below

Talents:

Mystic Origin* - Although reborn and with memories of Hell, Stone does not possess occult lore as a sub-skill.

Law-Enforcement*

Detective/Espionage*

Firearms

Marksman*

Knowledge: Greater New York

Knowledge: New York Underworld (Criminal)

Powers:

Returned Soul:

While not quite undead, Stone and the others like him are not human in the traditional sense and possess powers and abilities that far different than a normal man. For instance, while Stone has to sleep and eat, he cannot be killed or harmed by traditional means, and the only instances of real pain he suffers is either at the hands of other escapees, spirits, demons, and/or angels. The only permanent damage that can be done is through the destruction or harming of the eyes, which will cause the escapee to lose their connection to Earth and return to Hell. For the purposes of the write-up, Stone is considered to have the following abilities:

• Ignore traditional damage:  Stone ignores most traditional damage but can still take stun and slam. Damage as outlined above such as mystical/demonic/angelic do full ranks. In other cases, Stone reacts to damage but does not suffer kill results or loss of Endurance ranks which his ‘health’ reaches 0.
• Improved FASERIP: Stone was the most decorated cop within NYC history and was already in exceptional shape, but his FASERIP has been improved with his return (Most notably seen in his Strength and Endurance).
• Supernatural ‘Contact’: Stone is under the direct orders of Lucifer, and as such, Lucifer often appears to Stone offering half-concealed truths or directions to finding one of the 113. Stone is usually put on the trail of the person by Lucifer who then supplies the vaguest of help in information, leaving very little for stone. Those with such perceptions can determine Lucifer’s presence.
• Restoration Each Day: Stone awakes each morning in perfect state with the clothing and items he was wearing when he died. As such, Stone always awakens in his casual clothes and coat with his badge, service revolver, and $36.27. The items can be destroyed during the course of the day, but as Stone awakens refreshed and renewed each morning, so do his items. Stone can never have more than 36.27 on his person, and as such, his resources are always hovering between Fe (2) and Pr (4).

Equipment:

Stone carries a police service revolved which is always fully loaded at the beginning of the day. There is some debate that the gun itself may have special properties, but there was no significant evidence to suggest it.

Contacts:

Stone is widely believed dead and has no access to his previous contacts.

While Lucifer is always present, it is doubtful Stone would or could use him as a contact.

Stone has made associates since his return, including a priest and the owner of the hotel he’s staying.

Limitations:

Stone has a few serious limitations:

• Paying the Devil his Due: Stone must do what the devil requires in recapturing the 113 souls or risk returning to Hell. This is a fact that the Devil has used on multiple occasions to coerce cooperation from Stone.
• Greater Destiny: Stone is not fully aware of where he places upon the grand scheme of things, but it was suggested that Stone’s role wasn’t something that the Devil chose by himself, and that Stone is actually serving God and greater powers. Whatever the case is, Stone is unaware of his real role in his actions or his potential.
• Enemies: Stone has many enemies, 113 to be specific, who are aware that he has been sent to bring them back.
• Weakness: Eyes: As with all of those who escaped, Stone’s eyes are the most vulnerable point of his body, and if destroyed, Stone would be returned to hell. All escapees know this to be true.
• Legally Dead: Stone is legally dead and has been for fifteen years at the beginning of the series. It also explains Stones lack of popularity, as he is considered dead.