Sunk Cost

"You buying something or what?"
Sunk Cost
Player: @McSpazz
Origin:	Natural
Archetype:	Sentinel
Security Level:	30
Personal Data
Real Name:	Iliana Rentz
Known Aliases:	Sunk Cost, Sunk
Species:	Human
Age:	28
Height:	5'4"
Weight:	125 lbs
Eye Color:	Brown
Hair Color:	Brown
Biographical Data
Nationality:	Etoli Citizen
Occupation:	Unconventional Acquisitions Expert (Thief), Fence
Place of Birth:	Port Oakes, Etoli
Base of Operations:	St. Martial, Etoli
Marital Status:	Single
Known Relatives:	Cyrus Rentz (Father, Deceased), Eve Rentz (Mother, missing)
Known Powers
Fateless
Known Abilities
Thievery, stealth, research, tracking, marksmanship, combat maneuvers
Equipment
A beam rifle she named "Universal Key", grappling hook, assorted gadgets
Known to be snarky.

"I swear to god, if I hear one more person suggest blowing up a bank to get to its vault, I'm the one that's going to explode."

Overview

Illiana (far more commonly known as Sunk Cost) is a thief and fence that carries with her sarcasm, a dry sense of humor, a laser she uses to open things, and a heaping teaspoon of disbelief at how weird super villains are. She is based out of St. Martial and runs a shop on Firebrand Island.

Fateless

It's said that everyone has a destiny. A path they forge in reality and bind people to set outcomes. When the past is altered, the future changes along with it in a predictable manner. This theory is the core of how those who work alongside Ouroboros tweak the past for a safer future.

There are, however exceptions to every rule. Individuals who, for whatever reason, exist within time as entirely free agents. Incapable of landing in any prophecy or neatly landing into a prediction of the future. Incomprehensible to seers, invisible to Fortunas, immune to curses made to destine one to disaster. Those with this trait often are entirely unaware they have it and often chalk up the twists of fate they ripple along the timeline as good luck. People previously fated to do one thing get pulled along an entirely new path by these mavericks of fate and objects previously intended to land in the hands of one person find their way into another.

Looking into their past is simple. Looking into their future is impossible. An entity of truly unlimited possibilities culminating into a singular point in the present. There are many who would want to eliminate such people. Unfortunately for them, finding one is like finding a needle in the haystack.

The exact reason for this isn't entirely clear. Sometimes, they simply have such immense willpower and determination that even the fates bend to their whims. In others, some kind of irregularity occurred while time traveling and now their own strand of fate is warped. In the case of Sunk Cost, she carries a line of causality that, for reasons unknown, constantly split from that of the world around her. This has led to countless moments of what appeared to be insanely good luck or perfect timing. In reality, many of those moments was her own causality twisting the timeline down a new path. Or perhaps it was luck.

Not that she'd know. As of now, she is entirely unaware she has this ability.

The Sunk Cost Pawn and Curiosities Brochure

TL;DR 9000
Sometimes, you just need something simple. Sometimes you need something weird. Sometimes you don't even know you want something until you see or hear about it. Sometimes you just need to sell something to someone who won't ask questions. Sometimes, you need to make up for a sunk cost. Welcome to Sunk Cost Pawn and Curiosities! You want something the other stores don't stock? We might just have it! If we don't, you better believe we can get it for you! WARNING: Shoplifters will be beaten and/or fed to local wildlife for ecological recycling. WE BUY At Sunk Cost Pawn and Curiosities, we promise competitive offers on anything you might want to unload! Just What Will We Buy? •Magic Items --No matter how strange or seemingly useless, we will give you an offer! You will receive a more favorable offer if your item has been appraised by a trusted magical expert based out of Firebrand Island. •Cursed Items --So long as we will not be horribly cursed simply by taking the item off your hands, we <i>will</i> accept cursed items! All cursed items/artifacts must be appraised by a trusted magical expert based on Firebrand Island before they will be considered. •Weird Technology --We don't care if you don't know what it does or if it's useless. You might not be able to find a use for it, but we bet we can! You will receive a more favorable offer if your item has been referred to us by Rachet's Wrench. •Collectibles --Have an item that's only interesting to a select potentially very strange population? We're still interested! Your holographic Charzard has a place on our shelves! •Random Junk --Even if the only value of an item is the scrap materials that can be pried from it, we will STILL consider it! We do not accept nor will consider buying slaves, organs, souls, IOU cards, high yield nuclear warheads, or hugs. The purchase of information may be accepted on a case by case basis. WE SELL Looking to spend some money? We got you covered. While our inventory is constantly changing, we ensure that some of our inventory is always well stocked and available. Regularly Stocked Items •<u>Ammunition --It might not be fancy, but sometimes you don't need a silver bullet with incendiary capabilities. •Basic Bitch Weapons--What do we look like, Specialty Weapons? If you want something fancy, go talk to them. If you want a gun (with or without the serial number filed off) you can safely throw into an incinerator after use, come here. We also offer both 3D printed guns as well as flash drives with the files required to make more loaded on. •Burner Phones--Don't even need to explain. Use and happily abuse our somewhat out of date selection of phones to your content. After paying of course. •Computer Components --Graphics cards, CPU's, monitors, power supplies, you name it! Note that we cannot advise on the best build for your crypto-mining rig. We're not the Geek Squad. •Home Appliances/devices --Blenders, coffee makers, basic security systems, charging cables, and other assorted items you might want around the mansion/shack you call a home. •Fuel/Power --Diesel, gasoline, propane, and more! If you got something you need to power, we can get you moving again. WE “FIND” Have you searched all over the island but have yet to find what you seek? Do we not happen to have it in storage ourselves? No matter how hard you might have sunk into finding the object of your obsession, we will make an attempt to locate if not bring it straight into your hands. After providing all information you have on the object you want acquired, you will be given a general estimate of the cost to complete your request and a general time frame for completion. 50% of the estimated cost will be required upfront before work can begin. After the research phase is complete, a more exact estimate will be given. If you decide against continuing or we are unable to locate the item, the request will conclude and we will give you any information gathered at no extra cost. After given confirmation of the request and the final payment is given (to be held in escrow), we will do whatever we can to fulfill your request. If we are unable to retrieve the item and have to call it quits, you will be refunded 50% of the final payment and any additional information gathered will be given to you at no extra cost! Potential Fees •Operations in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Japan, or Western Europe: Due to legal risks that have been determined to exist in these areas, an extra fee will be applied to any job that will require operations after the research stage. This fee is doubled if operating within Paragon City. •Actions Taken Against Nation States or Super Villains: While we understand that some governments/super villains have some of the best/most interesting stuff, actions taken that directly oppose them will obviously come with extreme risk. The fee to continue the operation against these entities will be variable depending on who they are. •Withholding Important Information: The safety of our employees is of the up most importance to us and certain information, if withheld, could lead to unnecessary risk to our operations. If you have been discovered to have withheld information that could have caused unnecessary risk, you could be served a fee at no matter what stage your request is currently in at the operative's discretion. NOTE: We will not accept any job that intends to acquire an object that will result in or inevitably lead to the destruction of the planet/humanity/the property or employees of Sunk Cost Pawn and Curiosities; will be utilized to conduct a mass casualty event, or will implicate employee(s) of Sunk Cost Pawn and Curiosities in a crime as some kind of patsy. If we discover that you have employed us to do any of those things despite agreeing that you were not, anything gained from operations as well as any money that has been paid will kept and the management of Firebrand Island will be notified of your breach of contract.

Her Personal Collection

Sometimes Sunk comes across items she cannot bear to part with. Be they gifts from employers, carry emotional significance, or items that carry fun stories, she proudly puts them on display in her home as a means of showing that you don't need powers to find items of worth.

Roman

"Roman" is a simple clay vase that is likely worth quite a lot to a museum but not much beyond that.

Spoiler warning: Details about a player-created storyline, or information currently unrevealed about a character, within.
This is probably the most boring of her collection, but it was the lowest valued piece from her first big haul. The job was pretty simple. Steal a luxury yacht from some St. Martial high roller that was using some fancy legal strategies to avoid paying his dues. The mission was pretty straight forward, but given the payout and the risks involved, she still hangs onto one of the items found on the ship that her employers offered to let her keep. Unlike the rest of her collection, there is no amazing story to put to it. Simply a memory of simpler times.
Spoilers end.

Funny Money

"Funny Money" is an ATM machine has a 2 square feet footprint and is 4'6" tall. It has many of the hallmarks of a standard ATM machine except that any indication of the company that made it has been scratched off with the rear sticker that would normally have the relevant product ID spray painted over with a smiley face that cannot seem to be removed by any means. The chassis of the machine has been hit with multiple blunt objects out of likely frustration, though the screen remains in perfect condition.

Spoiler warning: Details about a player-created storyline, or information currently unrevealed about a character, within.
Found during one of Sunk's rare bank heists, this was actually taken before the bank was ever hit. This ATM was laying in a nearby dumpster and was was covered in dents and marks as if someone(s) had assaulted it with hammers and other blunt instruments. Curious to see what was wrong with it, she brought it home and tested it out. Much to her surprise, it seemed to be entirely functional. She had no issues depositing money to her test account. However, when she tried to pull the money back out, she didn't get real money. It wasn't even actual counterfeit money. Instead, it was a random assortment of Monopoly money from different versions of the game. To further her confusion, when she opened the machine up, she found that it had a few legitimate bills in it, but no monopoly money nor a means of printing it. Deciding that this was one of the most hilarious finds of her life, she kept it and put it on display in her house. She will occasionally use it on new visitors as a prank. She just makes sure they don't withdraw that much.
Spoilers end.

Sleep Paralysis Button

The "Sleep Paralysis Button" is a button carved out of lapis lazuli set inside of a simple iron cylinder that has the approximate dimensions of a large can of field rations. Despite seemingly man-made, it has no seams, any indication of how one would access its interior, or even signs of tool marks.

Spoiler warning: Details about a player-created storyline, or information currently unrevealed about a character, within.
Unlike most of her display items, this wasn't part of a job. Instead, this was something she was hunting for personally. Rumors were spreading of a strange mystical button that would do something miraculous. The stories were all varied, but she decided there were too many common threads for this button to not exist in some form. Thus, she entered the fray and joined numerous other treasure hunters and thieves to locate the button first. While it was close, she managed to snag the oddity just before several others arrived and began to fight amongst themselves for the contents of the chest she had already plundered (and left a "too slow <3" note). While it certainly looked impressive, every appraiser be they mundane or arcane had little to say about it. It was simply a fancy button on a platform that seemingly had no purpose. After she could find no reason for the device to exist, she pressed the button out of frustration and, after nothing happened, went to bed. That night, she had what she would best describe as a waking nightmare. She lay in her bed, eyes wide open but unable to move. The darkness was absolute and instead of the sounds she normally expected out of her home, there was absolute silence. That is until the deep echoing thrumming hit her ears. It sounded as though it belonged to a creature that dwarfed not only her but the city she resided in. If she wasn't already unable to move, she would have been stone still in a state of primal, absolute terror. She lay like that for the entire night, only being released from the horrifying vision in a blink after her alarm went off to indicate it was morning. The strange environment and thrumming halted with the call of her alarm and, as far as she is concerned, the button was the cause and is remaining under lock and key indefinitely. She has no interest in learning what was making that sound...or if it wants its button back.
Spoilers end.

Hat of Stolen Goods

The "Hat of Stolen Goods" is a black leather hat made in the style of a classic witch's hat. It has several enchantments which improve magical performance, but is otherwise unremarkable.

Spoiler warning: Details about a player-created storyline, or information currently unrevealed about a character, within.
If there is one thing that frustrates Sunk to no end, it's people who insist that people like her are inferior to metahumans or magic users. That's why when a particular witch put out a public challenge that mundane humans were incapable of infiltrating her home and stealing something, Sunk took it personally. It took over a month of planning and preparation, but Sunk did manage to break into the witch's sanctum. Once inside, however, Sunk realized that everything of value was hexed so thoroughly that she couldn't possibly get away with it without suffering a high cost. However, Sunk can be petty and decided that what mattered wasn't that what she took had value, but showing that she was capable of doing it. So instead of taking something the witch expected, she instead took something simple: one of the witch's hats. While it was of exceptional quality and had a few built in enchantments, it was relatively worthless in comparison to the rest of the magic user's collection. But the point was made and, impressed with the accomplishment, the witch told Sunk that she was welcome to keep the hat without fears of appraisal...just so long as she shared how she broke in. Given that pissing off a powerful witch wasn't high on Sunk's list of fun activities, she agreed. The hat now sits on display as a reminder to herself that, with enough planning, anything is possible.
Spoilers end.

The Worst Crypto Theft

The "Worst Crypto Theft" is a bag carrying a large number of coins made of hard plastic made to look like gold. On the "face" side of the coin is a poop emoji with "in memes we trust" etched into its edge. The "Tails" side is a cartoon butt with the words "om nom nom" randomly etched into the space around it.

Spoiler warning: Details about a player-created storyline, or information currently unrevealed about a character, within.
It was supposed to be an easy job. She had a contact that wanted a more secure means of holding onto crypto currency. But this contact was also completely bonkers, so their best idea was to create a device that would take crypto and physically manifest it into the physical world. All Sunk had to do was go to a specific location in Cap au Diable and use a remote translation device (whatever that means) to steal from the wallet of someone within the university. However, there was a minor problem. There was another valid target within range of the device who was technically closer. So that's who it stole from. Instead of Bitcoin or Etherium, Sunk instead ended up with a bag stuffed full of coins that had a poop emoji on one side and a butt on the other. After a bit of searching, she discovered that she had accidentally pulled from the wallet of Cryptocurrent who was chilling out on a donut innertube in the ocean nearby. His creation, Eatass Coin, was what was sitting in her bag and was worse than worthless. Given the price of Eatass Coin, she would likely have to pay someone to take this off her hands. While the two are now friendly with one another, she never did get paid for that job. All she has to remember it for is a bag full of worthless manifested cryptocurrency.
Spoilers end.

Emergency Horse Escape Vehicle

The "Emergency Horse Escape Vehicle" is a standard issue Nemesis Attack Jet Horse that has had various decals stuck onto it.

Spoiler warning: Details about a player-created storyline, or information currently unrevealed about a character, within.
In Sunk's mind, having to fire her rifle at someone else even once during a job means that she failed somehow. If she ends up having to shoot at many people, something has gone horribly, horribly wrong. Such was the case of her attempt to rob a collector based out of Mercy City. Her hope was to get her hands on some rare cybernetic components from discontinued models to sell on the black market. However, her contact turned out to be a rat and Sunk was, in fact, being used as a means of testing the building's security system. When she began to bag the cybernetics, all hell broke loose. Robotic sentries began to pour out of hidden compartments, turning the area into a free fire zone. While she managed to hold them off, she realized that she wouldn't last forever. She needed to get out and the front door was no longer an option. There was one solution, however. There was a Nemesis rocket horse nearby that, based on it having no means of preventing someone from just climbing on, was not believed to be operable by the owner. Sunk, on the other hand, knew that there was a good chance that the vehicle simply would only work if whoever was riding it was wearing the right Nemesis garb. After some clever maneuvering, Sunk found and put on a pair of gloves used by Nemesis troops and, in the middle of a lull in the assault, got onto the horse, turned it on, and broke free via the skylight. After a quick visit to her contact (to show how appreciative she was), she returned home and hung her new acquisition in her home. It's not every day you find a functional Nemesis horse.
Spoilers end.

Babycide

"Babycide" is a large baby carriage that has had a military grade heavy beam rifle integrated into its carrying space. A trigger lock has been placed on its activation mechanism to prevent accidental use.

Spoiler warning: Details about a player-created storyline, or information currently unrevealed about a character, within.
Normally, a mission to find a highly reclusive weapons manufacturer who specializes in shock and horror would be a hard task. Sunk had several possible locations with few leads, but when one of those locations was leveled in a massive, fiery explosion, she was very quick to get to the scene. The nearly indestructible combat armor she was looking for was, of course, mostly scuffed in the crater left behind. What was more interesting to her was what was located not far from the center of where the explosion must have been. A child's carriage with what appeared to be a high tech rifle built into it. Why a baby's carriage? Why was it turned into a weapon? Was it actually the cause of the explosion? Sunk had none of the answers to this, but curiosity got the best of her and she took it home with her. While she was sure to take out some key components to ensure it cannot be fired, she still isn't certain if it was the cause of the explosion. One hell of a conversation starter, though!
Spoilers end.

Pruner, Trimmer, and Shredder

"Pruner", "Trimmer", and "Shredder" are a collection of Circle of Thorns weapons that have had their respective names etched into them. Alongside these weapons is a copy of an invoice alerting the recipient that an extra fee was requested after job completion due to purposefully withheld information that resulted in the mission becoming significantly more dangerous than it otherwise would have been. There is a note at the bottom that says "Not paying you this extra crap. Sounds like a personal problem."

Spoiler warning: Details about a player-created storyline, or information currently unrevealed about a character, within.
It was supposed to be an easy job. Steal a teleportation device from a mage and take it to the client. What they didn't tell Sunk was that the mage was inexperienced and they believed that the mage had modified the device. Getting it was easy, but what came next became a nightmare. Now tuned to bring the user to the heart of Oranbega, the modified device was practically on a hair trigger and quickly shunted the thief to the middle of hostile territory. Over the following 48 hours, Sunk sneaked, fought, and struggled through the city's native population to find freedom. After pushing her way through the maze, she finally managed to find an exit point to the surface and freedom. Much to Sunk's frustration, the client was unwilling to pay additional money for the trouble that their withholding of information gave Sunk. She walked away a little wiser with a few of the weapons she utilized to protect herself after she ran out of beam rifle charges. Suffice to say, she never worked with that client again.
Spoilers end.

An Ordinary Gargoyle

"An Ordinary Gargoyle" is a large gargoyle like statue which can best be described as extremely creepy and always seems to be watching you no matter where you are standing. While it has the appearance of being old, it only has slight wear and tear that one might expect from a statue made from stone sitting in the open air by the ocean. Oddly, if the case is opened, its interior always smells faintly of salt water.

Spoiler warning: Details about a player-created storyline, or information currently unrevealed about a character, within.
It isn't often you are asked to steal a statue from a building sight unseen. The statue was located on one of the older buildings in Port Oakes and was believed to have been put there by one of its previous inhabitants. Her client believed that the statue was somehow protecting one of the building's inhabitants as multiple assassination attempts had utterly failed at that location. Their task was relatively simple: steal the statue and bring it to them as proof of work done. Given its potential magical nature, they wanted it stolen and NOT destroyed. What followed was several months of a combination of bribes and social engineering. By the time she arrived with a small crew to remove the statue, everyone believed that the statue was due for repairs and was simply being hauled away to get renovations. Nobody realized, of course, that the statue that was being returned was simply a cheap but convincing replica. The payday was sweet and it was the last she expected to see of the statue. However, a few weeks later, the representative of her clients called in a frantic state. They begged her to take the statue off their hands. When she refused, they offered double what they paid for the job to take it in the first place. Unable to resist easy money, she accepted and soon found it sitting in her collection. To this day, she doesn't know why they were so desperate to get rid of the statue or why nothing has happened since. She has a few protective wards built into its display case, but it concerns her that she has never heard from the client again. She can't help but wonder why...and how much the explanation involves the statue now sitting in her home.
Spoilers end.

The Corpse Maker

"The Corpse Maker" is a standard issue Rikti short sword. Below it is a sign pointing to it with a stereotypical body chalk outline.

Spoiler warning: Details about a player-created storyline, or information currently unrevealed about a character, within.
Sunk, these days, is not what you might call a conventional thief. Not flashy, not super powerful. Simple information collection and the implementation of a tight plan. While many modern day thieves rely on metahuman abilities and flashy tricks, Sunk focuses on tried and true methods. That, in part, is why she was hired to steal a stockpile of Rikti weapons from a Council site in the Rikti Warzone and simultaneously pin the blame of the theft on a nearby Arachnos cell. No guns. No bodies. Get the goods and get out with the Council none the wiser over the actual perpetrators. It took some doing, but she delivered. She was certain that this theft was part of a far greater plan, but her involvement ended there and the client appreciated her discretion. In addition to the payment, they gave her one of the weapons from the stash she took: a simple Rikti blade. While she had no use for the blade, she was flattered that they would give her something that on its own could effectively double her pay on the black market. Being more than a little sentimental, instead of selling the weapon, she hung it in her home as a reminder of a job well done. While her involved was indeed concluded, she couldn't help but wonder where things were going to go from there.
Spoilers end.

Midnight's Minute Hand

"Midnight's Minute Hand" is a hunk of technological equipment that looks to be part of something far larger. Its exact function cannot be determined simply by looking at it.

Spoiler warning: Details about a player-created storyline, or information currently unrevealed about a character, within.
Sunk has no interest in jobs that would result in the destruction of the human race or of the planet. Not only does she fall into both categories, but she really doesn't want that kind of bloodshed on her conscience. She has had to turn away plenty of clients who couldn't respect this. However, the one time she made an exception to this wasn't when she was told to steal something to create a doomsday machine but, instead, to steal multiple parts of a doomsday machine and break what she couldn't to ensure it couldn't be used. The job took some time and the vast majority of it was information hunting. In fact, the actual heist was only half an hour long. However, as she stared at the massive machine capable of causing the entire Earth to quake with magnitude 9.9 tremors, she came to decide this job was worth taking even if she never saw a cent. What lies in her collection now is the only piece of the machine that couldn't be easily destroyed. With the rest of its parts impossible to reproduce, she decided to hang onto this as a reminder: Not every payday comes in the form of hard cash.
Spoilers end.

The Rifle of the Conscientious Objector

"The Rifle of the Conscientious Objector" is an ornately crafted long rifle made of extremely durable, unidentifiable metal alloys. Not only does the trigger mechanism lack a means of locking it, but it also appears to be loaded.

Spoiler warning: Details about a player-created storyline, or information currently unrevealed about a character, within.
This rifle has changed many hands over the years and she was tasked with getting it. According to every bit of information available on the gun, it was a powerful psionic weapon which was capable of scoring a killing blow on the intended target no matter where they stood. They could be on the other side of the planet and the bullet within would strike true. While she would normally hesitate to give something so powerful to a client, she trusted them well enough to acquire it for them. While she was caught in the process of breaking into the manor of its then owner, she was surprised when, upon discovering her target, he laughed and asked his guards to let her go and led her straight to it. "Do you want it? You can have it. So long as you have the guts to use it." The challenge was simple: If she could shoot it, she could keep it. He even offered himself as a target. The problem was that no matter what she did, she couldn't fire it. Something would happen that would prevent her from using it. A sneeze, a flash of light, something would always stop her from pulling the trigger. Utterly frustrated, she finally snapped and instead shot the rifle at a nearby vase and, to her surprise, the gun fired and struck true. As everyone stood in shock, Sunk bolted and managed to escape with the gun. The client, however, was not amused. They asked her to wait in the other room while they worked to find a way to use the gun. After an hour of waiting, she came back to discover that every member of the small group had died of heart attacks after going out of their way to ensure there was no way they could fail to fire the weapon. In the end, she was left with a check and the weapon...and one less client. She supposed that even some guns must want love and not war.
Spoilers end.

Bob

Bob is the complete skeleton of a male adult human located behind one of the walls in Sunk's home. There is a headstone inside of her house beside this wall reading, "Rest in peace, Bob. If that was your name."

Spoiler warning: Details about a player-created storyline, or information currently unrevealed about a character, within.
The story of Bob is mostly unknown to her. A literal skeleton in the wall of her home that was discovered when she tore down a wall to expand her storage space. She doesn't know who the skeleton once belonged to nor how it died. All she knew and knows for sure is that there is no way she is going to disturb the resting place of some mystery skeleton and risk a haunting. Instead, she closed the wall back up and placed a headstone at the wall. She has even come to sit at the spot once in a while and talk to it. Not that it ever answers back, but she finds it oddly comforting. Why Bob? She's not sure. Kind of looks like a Bob to her.
Spoilers end.

History

Early Childhood (1996-2002)

"We had it really good, you know. I don't know where I would be if things hadn't gone belly up. Maybe I'd be managing dad's business. That would have been nice..."

Spoiler warning: Details about a player-created storyline, or information currently unrevealed about a character, within.
Born Iliana Rentz to Cyrus and Eve Rentz, it initially seemed Iliana was going to live a fairly easy life. Her father was the owner of a family run fishery in Port Oakes that had been passed down several Rentz generations. From a young age, Iliana was very good on her feet and was taking well to gymnastic classes. Her family life was fairly good and while her parents didn't always get along with one another, they thought the world of her. She was given a solid early education and the resources she needed to succeed. In fact, because the Rentz family had something of a history with local Family mob bosses, they were relatively unmolested by the gang and only rarely had to contribute care packages. The easy life, however, life had other plans.
Spoilers end.

Sunk (2002-2012)

"That...that bitch Ms. Liberty took everything from us on that day. She took my dad's business. She took my mom's confidence. She took my dad's pride. She took my god damn future as I watched on! Nothing was the same after that. I almost wish she threw Thermonuke at the docks and just killed us all. Let's see her spin that into a PR victory..."

Spoiler warning: Details about a player-created storyline, or information currently unrevealed about a character, within.
The peace did not last long for the Rentz family. One ordinary day in early 2002, Ms. Liberty began a brawl with Thermonuke not far from shore. Sunk watched on with excitement as the two fought in the distance, then in horror as Ms. Liberty smashed the super villain into the core of a cargo ship, causing it to partially sink and begin spilling massive amounts of oil into the ocean. That action spelled doom for many local fishers. The waters became heavily polluted and saturated with crude oil and made fishing in the area impossible. The future suddenly became uncertain and while Iliana was mostly unaware of just how bad things were initially, the adults in the room were keenly aware that this could mean financial ruin. Unable to take in any product to sell, Cyrus desperately held on and petitioned everyone he could to get the waters cleaned. After pulling in every favor he could, it looked like he was going to get the right people involved to clean the waters. Then the Rikti came. The war was rough on everyone, of course, but to say that it left an impact on the Rentz family is an understatement. Even at seven years old, the horror of the Rikti War did not escape her. She still remembers the dark spaces they hid in and the quiet murmurs of the hopeless civilians around her. Whispers of the end of the world cut short by her young gaze. Worse, as the months dragged on, it became clear that the help that Cyrus secured wasn't going to pan out. Even if the world was saved, there was no way attention could be diverted from post-war reconstruction. When the dust settled and the family was finally able to assess the damage, it was clear that even if the waters were cleaned, there wasn't enough to both throw money at that problem and repair the damage the invasion did to their own business. It became clear after a few months that the family business was done for. Eve Rentz, suddenly and without warning, disappeared and was presumed to have run away once she realized that their easy life was no longer going to be so easy. Left heart broken and devastated, Cyrus was forced to lay off all of his employees and sell all of his company's assets. After one last favor with the local Family, the two moved to St. Martial for Cyrus' new job as a warehouse manager at the local port. Things ended up devolving from there. Suffering from severe depression, Cyrus tried to cope with alcohol and gambling. The funds that at first were set aside to continue Iliana's education gradually were shifted to his vices and bad habits. The young girl soon found herself taken out of her private school and placed in a public one which, while serviceable, was nowhere near as dedicated as her old one. She ended up having to practice her gymnastics around the harbor and city as she was no longer given any money to do so in a proper gym. Year by year, the father she once knew became less and less recognizable. At best, her father was negligent which forced her to tend for herself. At worst he was verbally and physically abusive, his alcohol driven mood swings and abuse horrifying him and leading him to further alcohol abuse which only furthered the cycle. Soon, with most of the money coming into the household going to booze and gambling, Iliana began to feel helpless.
Spoilers end.

The Cost (2012-2020)

"What else was I supposed to do? Throw myself into the arms of the Family? Hell no. I wasn't about to turn myself into one of their flunkies. I had to find my own way through the world. Without my dad. He made it pretty clear I couldn't rely on him anymore."

Spoiler warning: Details about a player-created storyline, or information currently unrevealed about a character, within.
A fellow classmate of Iliana aware of her situation gave her an offer: join his gang of thieves and she would never go to bed hungry again. While initially hesitant, her love for her father had waned. While he would have never wanted her to become a thief, she doubted that the drunk husk her father would become would ever be sober enough again to care. With her acceptance, she began down a path that would end up defining her life. It started with simply acting as lookout, but soon she found her gymnastic skills provided her the dexterity to get to places her fellows couldn't. For better or worse, she proved to be an absolute natural with sticky fingers and the necessary wit to avoid capture. The small band of thieves were by no means famous in St. Martial, but their exploits did bring in enough money to allow Sunk to move out of her dad's immediately after high school and into a small studio apartment. Given his state, much to Iliana's frustration and horror, it took him a solid week to realize she had even moved out. Seeing this as the last straw, her last communication with her father was that she hoped the booze was worth it. The continued on for several years with their thefts eventually graduating to move between multiple islands. They kept their work quick, professional, and focused. Much of what Iliana would later implement was learned during this period through trial and error. After three years, however, the group reached something of an impasse. Some of their members gained abnormal abilities by a variety of means. Their thefts became more violent and reliant on brute force to obtain the goods. After one particularly grizzly operation left the owners of a business painting a wall with their own blood, Sunk dropped the group like a sack of bricks. She was told that, sometimes, violence was unavoidable in their line of work and she had to grow up and accept it. She argued that given how they were operating these days, violence was becoming inevitable. She signed up to steal things. Not lives. While she hasn't spoken to any of her former partners since, given how messy of a break-up it was, she is in no rush to reach out. The next five years of her life was spent building a name for herself. As metahumans began to run the racket of smash and grabs, Iliana focused on more creative thefts without casualties or collateral damage. It wasn't easy making a major impression when your entire appeal is leaving no footprints, but given the number of her jobs that were successful or at least partially successful, she developed enough of a reputation to start getting customers seeking her out instead of the other way around. Now with a growing customer base, she felt it was time to take on an alias to truly leave her past behind her. After taking on so many jobs that the client had already put a ton of money into, she felt the term Sunk Cost resonated with her. Given what led her down this path, she felt the hidden meaning in the name was also a decent reminder to herself why she had to do this.
Spoilers end.

Sunk Cost (2020-2022)

"Sure, I might not have been rolling in money...but I finally had shit figured out. I had a proper business and things were finally looking up. Just a matter of maintaining it."

Spoiler warning: Details about a player-created storyline, or information currently unrevealed about a character, within.
Sunk's luck dramatically improved when she garnered the interested of the elusive owner of Firebrand Island: Izick. After unknowingly doing several jobs for his merchants, he referred her to a small hamlet in need of the services she could provide. If she could keep her mouth shut, she would be welcome into Lower Babylon with many future opportunities on the horizon. She was skeptical, even more so upon seeing the state of the cave system she would now be working in. However, while the psudo-Mayor of the haven was nowhere to be seen, it was clear that they were at least doing something with the place. However, money didn't grow on trees and part of the reason she was even there was to help fund the operation. Not being one to give up easily, Sunk began to split her services both to the local residents as well as those on the outside. She had several exploits over the next few years, but what mattered was that she was actually managing on her own. Not just that, but she was successfully taking on more and more jobs that some assumed a mundane human could never accomplish. At last, at long last, she had it made
Spoilers end.