Shanks Wain

"There are few things as terrifying as a truly amoral man. Even more so when said man is a beast pretending to be a man."

- excerpts from Regulator Bowden's journal.

"Shanks" Wain, full name unknown, otherwise known to locals as The Barghest or The Barghest of Boston, is a professional assassin and tracker for hire in the Commonwealth.

Unlike other types of mutants found in the Wastelands, Shanks has transformed into the form of a bipedal wolfdog. Due to the mutation, he also received all the senses that came with the animal, such as hearing, sight, smell, taste, agility and a foul temper.

History
Little is known about Shanks' previous life before the Great War. He is not entirely sure himself what his life was like, safe for a couple of details, due to his regressive memory. He was in the US Military, spec ops, and participated in several campaigns. He was estranged from his wife and had one daughter whom he loved dearly, presumably named Shannon.

In 2066, Shanks participated in the Gobi Campaign during the Sino-American war. His Vertibird was shot down by a rocket and he was the last man to leave the vehicle before fire had spread to its engines, causing it to explode. He dropped with a parachute and went temporarily mad with fear, believing that it wouldn't open before he reached the war-torn desert beneath him. Plenty of his comrades were killed, yet he somehow managed to land safely. Though he does not recall how he managed to activate his parachute. Down on the ground he kills a Chinese soldier out of pure reflex and then proceeds to stab the man to death with a combat knife, continuing even long after the man has died. He was found by the Corporal of a surviving survey squad who then proceeded to pull him away from the corpse, as Shanks had gone insane out of fear and grief.

Some time shortly before the Great War, he joined a secret governmental project as a test subject, exposing himself to a mutated strain of the FEV virus. Whatever the purpose of the project was it seemed be the cause of Shanks' own animal-like mutation. He inherited all the senses of the dog, as well as a remarkable healing capability and unnatural long lifespan.

Thanks to these attributes Shanks has established himself as one of the most deadliest and iconic assassins known, killing his enemies with swiftness, stealth, cruelty and cunning.

Some time after 2282, Shanks became a regular visitor to Goodneighbour, where he became good friends and drinking partners with the Ghoul mayor Hancock, and later his wife Naomi. According to Shanks, Naomi had almost kicked off one of his shins and it the damage had seemingly refused to heal, when he had called her "meat".

In 2290, Shanks reluctantly joined Miller's Coalition, with the promise of caps, if he assisted in their assassination of Shrike. During this time he seems to find himself instantly attracted to Kayleigh Carruthers, whom he commonly refers to as the "redhead" or "redmeat".

Personality
Shanks is crude. He is mean-spirited and is more often than not found in a foul mood. Centuries of hardship and bigotry have left him embittered and gruff, preferring to keep to himself. He has little regard for the well-being of others. And though he generally lacks concern for others, he is not completely bereft of conscience, and has established his own code of morale, principles and discipline. He has a tendency to dwell on grievances and slights, no matter how major or trivial.

Shanks seems to suffer from some unspecified type of regressive amnesia, as the memories of his pasts constantly shifts from being clear one day to a blur the other. Despite his confident persona, he seems very insecure about his own appearance to the point of self-loathing. It has also been revealed that he has contemplated suicide more than once, but that he refrains from taking such an action until more of his past has been revealed to him.

Shanks often refers to people as "meat" instead of by their names or "you". Whether it's an insult or just an unfortunate choice of moniker for them is up to speculation.

Appearances

 * The Legends of the Wastes - Part 1
 * The Legends of the Wastes - Part 2
 * The Legends of the Wastes - Part 3
 * Barghest: On the Prowl
 * Barghest: Stray Pup
 * Barghest: Taming of the Beast - TBA
 * Barghest: Demon Dogs - TBA
 * Barghest: Jaws of Victory - TBA
 * Barghest: The Broken Collar - TBA
 * Barghest: Black Beast Unleashed - TBA