| Introduction
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xxxxxA recent immigrant to the Colonies, Mariot has been recruited to teach at the prestigious academy run by Charles Xavier. That she lacks any formal qualifications in the role might be considered a little unusual, but the School does have a rather eclectic recruitment policy, doesn't it? Still, there're rumours that she was formerly quite a high-ranking officer in the British Army, and that there might be a bit more to her new post than just making use of her university studies...
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| History
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xxxxxAll-girls boarding school; two prestigious universities; the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst; the British Army's Intelligence Corps; Iraq; Afghanistan; mentioned in dispatches for sustaining wounds while saving civilians... and then Major Mariot Gall drops off the public radar. Honourably discharged on medical grounds, she disappeared from view for some time, before resurfacing with a firm job offer - and the necessary paperwork as a skilled professional providing unique talents - to take up a post at Xavier's School for the Gifted in a sleepy little town outside New York City.
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| Powers
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xxxxxPut simply, mutant abilities can't "lock on" to Mariot. She doesn't show up like lead to superman's x-ray vision or a 'hole' in a telepath's awareness: she's simply imperceptible to mutant powers. Of course, many abilities require no power-based perception or targeting to affect her: a mutant who devastates a city block with an earthquake, or who simply punches her with super-strength, isn't using his power to target her. Anything which requires a specific "lock", however, runs up against her defences. The precise details of this can get a little complex... but for most purposes anything directly affecting her (a power that stops her heart, changes her emotions, alters her shape, etc) will fizzle, while anything indirect (enhancing the power-user himself, generating an effect away from her, etc) or affecting someone else is likely to work.
xxxxxThese defences can be extended to others by touch, though this is taxing. Determined mutants can try to force their way through her defences, though few are powerful enough to do so without other drains on her willpower and energy. Similarly, she can consciously suppress her defences to allow friendly contact, but this requires at least a measure of concentration.
xxxxxShe suspects that suppressing other mutants' internal abilities via touch (effectively removing them from the reach of their own powers) is a possible development, but it's not one that she has yet achieved. Experimenting with it strikes her as frankly rather dangerous.
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| Classes and other excuses for meeting Mariot at the Institute
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It's a long list, but many of her classes are unlikely to be have enough students to run year-round, and she can usefully serve as a backup for a number of other teachers should they have been folded into a pretzel by a supervillain this week. Basically, they're all just excuses for RP.... ;)
Extra-Curricular
- Fencing
- Role-playing (if she can find some willing victims!)
- Soccer (football, darnit!)
- Swimming
History
- Advanced Placement: European History
- Advanced Placement: World History
- Medieval Worlds
- Contemporary Middle East
- Early Modern Europe - Backup tutor
- Absolutism & Revolution - Backup tutor
- Revolutions
- War & Peace in Modern Times
Languages
- Arabic (basic) - Backup tutor
- French - Backup tutor
- Latin (very basic)
Philosophy & Ethics
- Justice & Globalisation
- Power & Social Responsibility - Backup tutor
Physical Education
- Self-Defense/Martial Arts - Backup tutor (specialising in non-lethal capture)
Social Science
- International Relations - Backup tutor
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| Connections
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Friends
- Moira MacTaggert: There's a reason for Mariot having found her way to Xavier's School for the Gifted, and the Institute's hidden co-founder is it...
Foes
And everything in between
- Eric - Flirtatious but apparently amiable bike cop. He seems to be mutant-tolerant, to judge from his banter with the blue-and-fangy duo.
- Elli - My first long-term swimming pupil! I must resist inclinations to try to get her hooked on fencing. And equestrianism. And playing real football. And.... In all honesty, it's great to have the chance to work with someone who already understands physical training. And she seems like a nice girl, to boot.
- Faelan - Scared, fragile youngster who struggles to realise that he's free to try for happiness rather than frightened seclusion. It's been a delight to see him starting to acquire more self-confidence to go with his intelligence and morality; the officer in Mariot sees him as a recruit with immense potential.
- Ghost - Enthusiastic... seemingly about pretty much everything. Could do with learning to have second thoughts rather more often, it seems, but there doesn't appear to be any doubt that her heart's in the right place. It'd be no surprise if she went on to become a significant force for good in the world.
- Kisha - Extrovert tank and siege-weapon enthusiast. Appears to regard history and PE teachers as intrinsically evil, while finding me to be fascinating for my power and the prospect of undertaking practical demonstrations of historical weapons....
- Iolaus - Medical researcher and affiliate of Xavier's; quite famous in his own right. Seems nice.
- Jackson - Not exactly Army material. But seems as friendly as he is flamboyant, and makes Trek jokes. Also has Danger Room privileges, of course, which served as a point in his favour even before he became a world-famous hero. It hasn't even occurred to Mariot to wonder if the accusations of terrorism might be justified: to her, Jax seems unequivocally one of the good guys.
- Jennifer - One of those rare women who intimidates Mariot with her athletic prowess, even when not Hulked out. Fortunately, she's an altruist, if not always the best at thinking before acting.
- Mallory - An educated Briton... whose appearance provides a test for Mariot's still-developing ability to cope with the array of forms taken by mutantkind. She seems lovely, fortunately.
- Parley - Quiet, shy nerd with an interest in historical theories of the paranormal. May be a mutant; either he is, or someone nearby briefly activated my defences....
- Peter - "Hyperactive" doesn't do him justice. Appears to be responsible for more additions to school rules than any other pupil. Blessedly, he seems to be entirely well-intentioned.
- Rasa - One of those for whom Xavier's seems to be a welcome sanctuary. The best thing I can presently offer her is probably the chance to make use of her Farsi - even if my Dari sounds rather odd to her ears, I can at least offer a taste of something reminiscent of her home-life.
- Rasputin - Of everyone and everything I've directly encountered since the world changed, the animal-rider is quite possibly the oddest. Amiable, but a bit flighty - though how much that was a result of being in possession of a bird, I have no idea.
- Scott - The one team-member thus far encountered who seems to regard the X-Men as a formal, hierarchical organisation: he rather gives the impression that he might have been at home in the armed forces. Appears trustworthy and competent, which are both exceedingly good points in favour of someone serving as the leader of a team of superpowered operatives.
- Sebastian - The polite one of the blue-and-fangy duo: he seemed genuinely rather nice, while deeply embarrassed by his twin.
- Selene - Pretty, hard-drinking heiress and telepath. Doesn't seem entirely moral, having identified me as "fascinating" because she couldn't enter my head uninvited... and given an overheard comment she made to one 'Casper' she might have ulterior motives for being interested in me. Still, it's sensible to at least try not to be paranoid, eh? And perhaps she's a wonderful person when not at the tail-end of an evening's lonely drinking.
- Shane - Short, fangy, and blue, the kid seems to feel the need to compensate for his oddities with an ostentatious line in loud-mouthed banter. What he's actually like, I've no idea.
- Shelby - The first person I've rescued in America... albeit merely from Ivan's pets, let loose in one of the girls' bathrooms.
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| Gallery
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| Mariot Catriona Olwyn Gall
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| Codename
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Eclipse
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| Birthdate
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13/02/81
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| Species
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Mutant
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| Affiliation
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Xavier's School
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| Alignment
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Idealistic Altruist
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| Powers
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Targeting Immunity
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| Occupation
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Teacher, X-Man
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| RP Hooks
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| New(ish) teacher - ...of many things, academic and otherwise. She loves to discover and share knowledge, but struggles to tolerate fools.
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| World-traveller - ...and with that accent. By British standards, she's somewhat right of centre: by US standards, she's a radical liberal.
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| Superheroine - She's an X-Man (X-Woman?) A superpowered, leather-clad altruist who wants to change the world for the better.
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| Combat-trained geek - Ex-military (with an official Mention in Dispatches and an honourable discharge) with as much interest in nerdery and geekdom as in athletic pursuits.
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| Psychic Absence - For those accustomed to getting a 'read' on everyone they meet, Mariot might be rather unsettling. She's not a 'black hole' or a constant generator of interference: to extra-sensory perceptions she's simply not there...
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