Name: John Merci
Alias: the Count
Age: Unknown, presumably over a hundred years old
Gender: Male
Appearance:
Occupation: Criminal Mastermind, Boss of the Night Childe Gang
Family: His Children (Thralls)
Personality: Merci is a mysterious figure, acting mostly through his Thralls. Those who meet him are one of three things, none of them pleasant. Either you are to be his new Thrall, his next meal, or his torture victim. He is cold and calculating, believing all are beneath him. This arrogance is probably his greatest weakness, as it has led to NOVA almost capturing him on several occasions.
Notoriety: Wanted
Class/Level: 6 / Black
Powers/Abilities:
Vampire PhysiologyPossesses almost unlimited regeneration ability, and immunity to aging, as well as superhuman speed and agility. As well as this he can use 'Life Essence' which he can adsorb from humans to manipulate minds, create illusions, or even turn people into Thralls. Thralls are completely subservient to him and have superhuman strength and regeneration, but age at an accelerated rate. However, despite possessing these insane powers, he requires Life Essence to sustain him, and will fall into a coma if he does not feed every 48 hours.
Other Skills: Criminal Genius, Master of Torture
Equipment: Night Childe Gang (Human Trafficking Organisation)
Bio: The first appearance of the Count was in 2036. A skinless man was hanged above the Grand Theatre in the Ville Rouge. A post-mortem examination of the body found that he was abused in various forms of torture while he was alive, though no cause of death could actually be found. Over the next few weeks, more of these bodies kept turning up, each showing clear signs of physical abuse, but no definitive cause of death. When an early version of NOVA investigated, they caught the man, codenamed as Ripper, in the act. Though they suffered a number of losses, the forces managed to capture Ripper, however they were unaware of his power of mesmerism. He convinced them to let him go, and say that he'd died in transit.
The first time the name of Count was used was in the May of 2073. A couple of the smaller gangs were sent a message; "You work for me, or you die. ~The Count".
Many of the gang bosses laughed this off, until the head of the Yancy Street Boys was strung up in front of the town hall, with the phrase: "The Count is displeased." carved onto his chest. At the same time, these gray haired people started coming down to the various gangs, to repeat the earlier offer. And so, the smaller gangs were condensed into the Night Childe Gang.
NOVA again investigated the strange occurrences surrounding the Night Childe gang, and managed to drive the Count out of the city, though his Thralls maintained his empire during his absence.
The last interaction with NOVA was at the dawn of the new century. Tired of the incessant hounding by the organisation, Merci created a stronger Thrall, and made him believe that he was the Count. The faux Count was captured by Nova, and exectuted for his various crimes. The Count now works entirely from the shadows, his Thralls being his only link to the outside world.