clanjos

Heroes Reborn - A DCAU Roleplay (Always open!)

Sorry it took me a while to see this! I think your version of Bane would be right at home in the tournament. Hit me up on Discord or somesuch.

Heroes Reborn - A DCAU Roleplay (Always open!)

April 13th, 4:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
The Astral Plane, Downtown Manhattan.

Lord Death Man's body was deep in meditation in the Crime Castle of Coney Island. His mind, however, had wandered to a museum in Manhattan. Here, the greatest criminals of history were enshrined in a temple of thievery. Unseen, Death Man walked through the walls of the building. A number of security cameras. Alright, that was expected. These were valuable historical artifacts, even removed from the criminal context of their use. He needed to know where those were. And nobody could see him on the astral plane anyway. He set to work memorizing the layout of the museum, down to the guard patrols. The exhibits were tempting targets indeed, but even he'd have trouble even getting past all the cameras outside. However, as he stepped through the "under construction" bit of the museum, he discovered a much easier way into the museum. He spent hours poring over each and every detail of the grounds, before discovering the easy access to a 3-way intersection in front of the museum... and the manhole cover smack in the middle of it. That would make the escape child's play.

Immediately upon awakening, he put his efforts towards figuring out a few shipping schedules...

June 3rd, 12:30 PM
The International Museum of Crime, Downtown Manhattan

It was the opening ceremony for a new exhibit at the Museum of Crime, showcasing a number of items on loan from the Tokyo Museum of Crime. Zenigata Heiji's coins, the cauldron in which they boiled Goemon, and a camera left behind during a heist by Arsene Lupin were among the items on display alongside statues of the men in question. However, the tour group reached a rather large exhibit, backed by a portrait of a laughing man in a skull mask and matching black costume throwing his cape back with one hand and holding a massive jewel aloft on the roof of a train with the other. There was a book of Manga called "Kaitou Death Man," a number of elegantly written notices of intent, a series of replicas of the masks he wore throughout World War 2. In the center, a statue stood covered with a white sheet.

"...Many of James Moriarty's crimes, however, were completely fictional, created by Sir Author Conan Doyle while collecting Dr. Watson's stories of Sherlock Holmes to fill in certain gaps. We now come to a collection on loan from the Tokyo museum of crime, detailing the exploits of the eccentric 'super-criminal' known as Death Man. Complete with a recreation of his original costume."

The guide removed the sheet from the display, showing the man in the portrait in a jovial pose, cane raised high overhead.

The high society types socially obligated to come to this sort of function looked around, some feigning interest, others looking at the exhibits in question with earnest curiosity. The reporters present were taking notes on the display.

"Death Man was a self-described phantom thief, who began operating in the 1910's. He would often rob museums and noble homes, but his most ambitious crime was breaking into the Imperial Treasury of Japan, where he stole a few hundred million yen in gold, jewels, and other valuables. In modern terms, that would be almost three billion dollars!"

A lady in a red dress gave a derisive laugh, obviously having already started the day-drinking. "Oh please... That costume is absolutely ridiculous! Doesn't he know Halloween is an American holiday?"

Ignoring her, the guide continued. "...We have on display the original notices of intent to burglarize. Death Man's MO often included a warning that he intended to rob a given facility. We are also displaying a list of the treasures confirmed stolen by Death Man. While working for the Imperial government as a special agent in World War 2, he was sent to the armory of Saint Petersburg, where he stole the plans for a new Russian tank... as well as one of the Faberge Eggs. Towards the tail end of the war, he stole the Amber Room being transported on a Nazi train bound for Berlin. Of course, even Japan was not safe from his criminal ambitions- it is confirmed that he stole the treasure of the Awa Maru, and believed by several prominent figures in Japanese law enforcement that he stole the Hanjo Masamune."

"Pfffft!"

One of the reporters pinched the bridge of his nose and glared at the woman in the red dress. "Miss Weatherby, I'd ask you to calm down and let the man speak."

"Awww, c'mon! He looks like a moron in that suit! How could a man dressed like that sneak in anywhere? Let alone steal like... like... anything!"

At this moment, the statue moved, bringing the cane down on the back of the tour guide's head with a mighty whack... leading the gathered crowd to gasp in shock as he collapsed to the floor. Death Man locked eyes with the woman, pointing the cane at her.

"Oh, far more easily than you'd think, my dear!"

Death Man jumped down from the plinth, stretching. One of the security guards scrambled for his pistol as people began screaming.

"In fact, I've been inside this museum for about a week! Along with my henchmen! BEHOLD, MY SKULL-MEN!"

With that, the retreating crowd found their path blocked as the ceiling tiles shattered, dozens of men in similar skull masks and jet-black unitards popping out with a resounding cry of "YEEEEEEEEE!" and dropping directly in their path... and the remainder immediately set themselves upon the guards. As they struggled, one of the skull-men held out a bag.

"Now! Please put your valuables- that is to say, wallets, purses, jewelry, you can keep your phones and your tacky clothes- in the bag!"

As the minions collected the loot, Death Man looked over the display of his handwriting as he headed to a nervous reporter and looked straight into the video camera. This, of course, was his real reason for such an open crime.

"Is... is this a live feed?"

"N-No sir. I... Five o' clock news."

Death Man sighed and shrugged. "Good enough, I suppose."

With that, he pointed to the camera.

"This is a message for everyone in the world. I have learned that, during my absence from the public eye, there has been very little sensational crime! Well, let the crooks of the world consider this a remedial lesson- and the headmaster is..."



"Don't limit yourself to the conventional! Conventional crime is boring. It's overdone. I, Lord Death Man, the Mikado of Mayhem, the Shogun of Sorrow, urge the criminals of the world- with the advent of these bizarre heroes, it's time to step up your games!"

Death Man then proceeded to throw his cape over his shoulder.
"You rob a bank, knock over a gas station? You get a one-day blurb on page six at best! But if you steal a train... a battleship... vatican gold?! You're the headline! You want to make history?! Codenames! Costumes! Make your mark on history, and some day you might have a museum exhibit too!"

"Lord Death Man! We've got the goods."

The Skull-Man with the bag of jewelry, wallets, and purses, hands the sack over to Death Man, who opens it to the camera.

"These are the spoils of the Super-Criminal! Remember that, as I begin my cross-country crime spree! Death Man... Out!"

With that, he knocks the camera out of the cameraman's hands and heads for the front door, to a closed intersection where sewer work is currently being done... and jumps straight into the manhole, followed by the skull-men just as the police round the corner! Flashing sirens, gunshots, and shouting policemen were all Lord Death Man heard as he dropped onto the jetski between the tied-up sewer workers and gunned it, dashing south. All in all a clean getaway- his henchmen that remained in the museum, actually his mystically generated clones, would soak up bullets from the police. The fact the faceless minions would all be genetically identical was going to be a real mindfuck for some poor mortician. For now, though, LDM contented himself with the knowledge his message had been delivered. Now all that he needed to do... was wait.

Heroes Reborn - A DCAU Roleplay (Always open!)

March 20th, 8:00 AM-
Camelot Park, Coney Island

After a long drive through New York's awful traffic, Death Man pulled his car into the hidden garage at Camelot Park. Abandoned around 1975, the park's medieval themes had just fallen out of the youth's interests. However, like abandoned theme parks across the multiverse, this monument to merriment had a new, far more sinister purpose! For as Death Man stepped through the service door of the garage to the walk-through tour of a medieval dungeon- complete with animatronic skeletons and "authentic" torture devices, A panel on the floor rose up, revealing an obsolete- but still quite functional- elevator that lead to his base. From outside, this lead-and-concrete structure was invisible to most forms of detection. It wasn't even in the city's municipal plans anymore- but the medieval aesthetic continued as Death man descended, finding himself in a magnificent feasting hall within...

March 30th, 8:05 AM

A number of skull-masked grunts milled about the room, cleaning up from breakfast. It was a busy day here in the office, and the boss had just arrived. Death Man inspected everything as he passed- wooden tables, fancy carpets, tapestries depicting the greatest of Britain's medieval criminals- from Eustace Folville's outlaw ways, to Lord Despenser The First's thefts. Yes, this was thematically appropriate for the base. There were suits of armor with axes, halberds, and greatswords. Again, appropriate, though he was unsure if they were merely decorative or if they were haunted or something. He was hoping they were haunted.

Inspection continued as he entered various side doors on his way through the bunker. The labs where his inventors and scientists reverse-engineered technology and electronics were off the main path, to avoid the aesthetic conflicts of their clean, sanitary working conditions. The enforcers had their own rooms, appropriately furnished... aside from the posters, and Kid Kafka's TV. Well, he wasn't going to fault Greg for wanting a TV after Doctor Denki figured out how to pirate satellite channels. That would slide as well.

Eventually, he came to a large, seemingly oaken door... with a keypad on it. He put in the code- his wife's birthday- and made his way across a regal carpet to the mahogany desk, eased himself into a vintage office chair, and logged into the 2004 desktop computer that awaited. He slapped a large folder on the desk, looking quite pleased as he flipped through it. Profits were up, as usual. He pushed the blinking button on the video chat client that popped up on his screen- a custom number that Doctor Denki had come up with. He was met with thirteen shadowed figures that promptly saluted.

"HAIL, LORD DEATH MAN! Eternal is his reign of terror!"

"I apologize for my tardiness, men. This city's traffic is apalling. However, until we secure the sewers, we must deal with it. Let us begin the reports."

The first to respond is a man in a full-body suit and wrestling mask, decorated with designs of the human muscular system.

"Senketsu Joe The Fifth, reporting! Lord Death Man, the Rogue Alliance of Wrestling has announced our intention to square off with the stars of a Mexican promotion in their next Battle Royale. They have agreed to do some pushing for some of our guys. But we believe that in addition to the ticket sales, the prize for this event may be worth the Death Syndicate's attention."

Death Man steepled his fingers as he leaned in towards the webcam, raising an eyebrow under his mask. Senketsu Joe was a mantle assumed by the head of the Rogue Alliance of Wrestling- a wrestling promotion he had acquired from one of the smaller families he absorbed. It had always been headed up by Senketsu Joe- a wrestler who was forever banned from the ring for being too brutal. That is to say, for bringing a knife into the ring and shanking the promotion manager for forcing him to job constantly. This was one of his successors, Joe the Fifth- a striker as opposed to the original's power moves. Still, he had a decent head for business.

"And what is this prize, Senketsu Joe?"

"The golden mask of the wrestler who retired in 1975... and the large jewel that is attached to it! It's the mask of Aztec!"

Aztec. Death Man vaguely remembered that name. Senketsu Joe the Third, the previous owner of the Senketsu Joe gimmick, had spent enough time complaining his diva personality. Back in the days when wrestling promotions around the world were willing to work together on a regular basis, Aztec flew from Mexico to Japan to "seek revenge against Joe the Third for crippling his mentor in a steel cage match." It was a cliche, and the man was an awful person. But Aztec's high-flying moves sold tickets, even if he just sort of disappeared after beating Senketsu Joe the Third once... due to allegations of drug abuse. It was no great loss to the organization, and they still had the rights to his image in Japan. The man had always claimed that the his mask- and particularly the Star of Quetzlcoatl on it- was part of ancient priestly garb that gave his predecessors in the Aztec mask phenomenal mystic powers. It sounded like it was a pretty standard gimmick for a luchadore, but with the advent of mystical events... Maybe there was something more to the claim. And really, would they miss what they thought was a dusty old prop?

"Excellent. Joe, I want that mask. If it has half the power that Aztec claimed, it will be invaluable to the syndicate. While the promotion is underway, I will make an attempt to steal it."

With a hearty salute, Senketsu Joe bows. It'd be time for the writers to get together soon and start planning.

"Of course Lord Death Man! It will be done!"

The next to speak up is a figure with yellow scaly skin, sitting on a boat beneath a starry sky.

"Imori here. Everything seems fine on thisssss end. We've got a shipment of chocolate to be delivered to Ssssssydney. They won't suspect a thing."

Imori. That would be confusing soon, if the yokai were to return with the magic. A man with thick, scaly skin that made him immune to small arms fire was a real nightmare for shipping officials. An ex-pirate recruited by an organized crime syndicate was worse still. Next a traditional-looking shrine maiden spoke up.

"Greetings, Lord Death Man. I have begun searching the wilderness and rural towns of Japan in search of the objects you have described... We will find what we can and try the mystic rites."

"You have all done well. Continue, and we shall have wealth beyond our wildest dreams. Fail, and you are aware of the consequences. Death Man, out."

With that, Death Man returned his attention to the folder on his desk- a rather large set of pictures and blueprints, as well as a newspaper with some very promising words at the headline: "INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM OF CRIME PREPARES TO WELCOME NEW EXHIBITS FROM THE TOKYO MUSEUM OF HISTORY".

Heroes Reborn - A DCAU Roleplay (Always open!)

March 20th, 7:00 AM
7 AM is a late start for Death Man. Usually by now he'd be at one of his offices, taking reports and calls. Deciding which businesses needed extra protection, whether or not any messages needed to be sent for the good of the organization as a whole. Normally, he'd be in Tokyo. Today, however...

New York, Staten Island Port- Warehouse 52

He was jetlagged. Tired, angry. Still though, he'd come to this warehouse- legally purchased using some loan-sharking money- to deliver a message. A message that would not be undermined by the sounds of the bustling docks outside, or the beep-beep-beep of heavy machinery at work. He paced back and forth on the shipping container before a small crowd of very nervous men and women in very nice suits with high collars, a makeshift stage for his little presentation. Some of his audience were new recruits from the Americas and back overseas, some were old blood from Japan. The new kids, he could understand. They didn't know how things worked. But the ones who'd been in his syndicate before didn't look any more pleased than he did. Stopping, he sighed. A large red curtain hung behind him, and he turned to face the crowd, leaning on his cane for effect.

"Gentlemen. I came all the way from Tokyo to check on some... disturbing reports I've received of this cell's activities. I've been lead to believe that you have been buying and selling human beings."

He spun the cane, pointing to the gathered crooks, glaring under his skeleton mask. The reaction of fear was consistent, at least. That was good. The new blood had likely been informed of what happened to those who crossed him.

"Now, I feel like I've had this conversation every few months, and it's getting tiresome. I just got the blood off my favorite shoes from last time. Human trafficking is not the purview of Tekiya. It takes advantage of the lonely and downtrodden. It is a shitty thing to do, and the exact sort of thing the Yakuza formed to prevent. I'm not angry with you, just... disappointed. Satou, the curtain."

With that, the curtain spread open to reveal a young, tattooed, bare-naked Japanese man bound with chains and gagged, hanging upside-down from a crane. As the man struggled, Death Man leapt down from the container.

"However, I am positively LIVID with Shotaro here. I understand this was his idea, so he's the one who's getting punished. Now, the last few times someone tried to start an operation like this, I just cut off a finger, as is tradition. But that's not getting the message across. Satou, the crate."

The crate slid aside, a man in a similar skull mask using a forklift to do so. Lord Death man tapped on a large aquarium full of crystal-clear water... in which a half dozen alligators eye the meal above greedily. Death Man flipped the top of his cane open, pressing a button as the hook dropped the bound man into the aquarium. As the water churned and turned to a deep red, one of the men at the back- his mottled skin covered in red and blue lines- laughed and patted a squeamish looking Asian-American youth's shoulder.

"Thus, I direct your attention to the tank of sewer gators that Shotaro is currently taking a swim in! These alligators infest the sewers of New York, abandoned long ago by tourists who thought a pet alligator would be a wonderfu souvenir from a vacation to Florida. Now, as he preyed upon outcasts, these outcasts shall prey upon him. Going forward, remember- we are criminals, not monsters. There's plenty of gators for the traitors. I suggest you focus on your smuggling of electronic parts and luxury goods in the future. Now... I have other business to attend."

With that, Death Man walked towards the exit of the warehouse, his cape swirling dramatically behind him as he headed to the car he used while operating in New York... a powder blue Trabant. Small and nonthreatening, the tinted windows didn't even register to most. Now he just had to make his way through traffic. He switched on the radio and began the long, arduous journey back to HQ...

Heroes Reborn - A DCAU Roleplay (Always open!)

Intermediate Low Tier Villain

Lord Death Man

Superhero/villain Name: Death Man
Civilian Name: Shousei Kougami
Origin city: Osaka, Japan
Hometown: Tokyo
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 175 lbs
Age: 122
Birth Date: October 2nd, 1897
--------
Costumed Appearance: "There's something really, *truly* wonderful about Sakura in bloom..."
Civilian Appearance: Here.
Icon: The Mon of the Death Syndicate

Costumed Personality: Lord Death Man has seen the highs and lows of life. And it shows. He's a tired, cynical old man who finds an inordinate amount of joy in sensational crimes- whether it's stealing an entire battleship, or converting large sections of the homeless population to monsters. He doesn't commit these crimes for the possibility of profit or power, but rather for the sheer spectacle of it- in an age where the heroes of children are in colorful costumes flying about and bench-pressing trains, the idea that one man could orchestrate the theft of Mt. Fuji serves as an excellent counterpoint. Believing that the natural home of the outcast is the criminal organization, he sympathizes with those on the fringes of society- from mutants and Ainu to aliens and the homeless. Of course, he also seeks to recruit these individuals to his organization. Bizarrely, he has a soft spot for disaster victims, and as such has a code not to mess with cities recovering from natural disasters. This does not make him any less brutal, however- he is known for over-the-top executions of those who wrong him and his love of violence.
Civilian Personality: Out of costume, he's a lot less dramatic and a lot more grandfatherly to his men.

Super abilities:
-Skills: Lord Death Man is a master acrobat and contortionist, able to bend and squeeze his body into impossibly small spaces. He's also highly skilled in Jiu-Jitsu and Sumo, two of Japan's traditional martial arts.
-Powers:
--Yoga Mastery: Lord Death Man, despite his criminal nature, is a yogi of immense power- and one of the few superhumans of the Golden Age. He has achieved a number of siddhi and rddhi, the physical and psychic powers of a master yoga mystic.
--Siddhi: These are states of cosmic awareness that allow him to alter the way his body works.
--- svachanda mṛtyuh: Lord Death Man has the ability to choose when he dies. He just happened to choose "never," becoming completely immortal in the process. If his body is slain or dismembered, he returns to life- and full health- in a matter of moments.
---ājñāpratihatā gatiḥ: While commonly rendered as "your orders and commands shall not be impeded," a more accurate translation would be "your words will not be impeded by language." Death Man can choose to make his words understood by any living creature- extremely useful for evil monologues.
---manojavah: "The ability to send the body to where the mind wanders." This is, more simply put, Astral Projection. His mind and perception can leave his body and travel anywhere in the world. However, his body is left vulnerable- well, as vulnerable as an immortal can be, anyway.
--Rddhi: These powers are psychic in origin, and focus on affecting the outside world.
---Addhitana iddhi: Lord Death Man has attained an ultimate willpower, rendering him immune to mind control or mind reading- even from other Yogis.
---Replication of Self: Lord Death Man is capable of creating an endless army of clones. However, as his yoga secrets are stolen rather than obtained by his own merits, the clones are faceless, nearly mindless, and highly aggressive, possessing none of his skills or knowledge. They know well enough to obey his orders, though.
Civilian Occupation: Oyabun of the Death Man Syndicate.

Biography
---------
Character History/Origin: Ever since the first half of the 20th century, one name was synonymous with Japanese crime: the allegedly immortal Yakuza boss, Death Man. Generations of crimefighters, from the last of the Okkapiki volunteers to modern policemen, rose to face him, and withered in the face of father time. Death Man preferred to play the long game. No one is sure where this skull-masked marauder came from, who he really is, or what has allowed him- or, possibly, his successors- to avoid the ravages of time and violence.

The answers are surprisingly simple. Shousei Kougami was born in 1897 to a fisherman and a prostitute, and was left at an orphanage. At the age of nine, he was sent to live with Buddhist monks. These monks told him that through meditation and self-perfection, practitioners could achieve superhuman abilities... but these were extremely rare gifts that even some of the most dedicated monks never achieved. For eight years, he was raised in the strict environment of the monastery, watching as they performed amazing feats- to his young mind, these leaps and feats of strength were beyond the limits normal men. He came to believe that this was the mystical power the elders spoke of. In reality, they were merely the results of intense training in martial arts- the sort of thing anyone with the time and dedication could learn.

However, no matter what sort of talent he displayed at the yoga, acrobatics, or martial arts meant to teach him discipline, he was forever told that he would receive the mystical powers the elders told him of only when he was spiritually ready. An ill-timed outburst saw him get expelled from the monastery, and thrown from its gates. Thus, at the age of 13, Shousei committed his first theft- a small corner store- and left to join the yakuza. He worked loyally, serving as a lookout and decoy for years and slowly working his way up to an actual member of the family. It was with this criminal organization that he first truly felt at home.

While he wasn't capable of the incredible abilities like changing his size or teleportation that the elders told him were among the siddhi, he was more than capable as a contortionist, martial artist, and acrobat. Inspired by the (to his mind) noble criminals around him, he decided to use his talents to become the greatest Phantom Thief Japan had seen since Ishikawa Goemon. It was during this time he discovered a love of sensational crime after a number of well-documented heists in his now-iconic skull mask. While the Yakuza had a policy against covert crimes like theft or fraud, there was nothing covert about a man in a garish skeleton costume sneaking by security and foiling guards as he snatched a number of artifacts from their place in museums and noble homes. It wasn't long before the police- and populace- began talking. Calling him "Death Man," describing him as a twisted version of the American Actor Activists. Death Man took this new mantle and made it his own, becoming feared far and wide as an uncatchable thief.

Things began looking up for him during what he considers his true start as a supercriminal. In 1919, after leaving a note warning of his intentions, he successfully eluded the guards, foiled the security systems, and broke into the Imperial Treasury. In addition to the gold and jewels he stole, totaling in the neighborhood of a few hundred million yen, he appropriated a few scrolls. Of particular note was a set of three given to the emperor over two hundred years ago as a gift from Indian diplomats, offering a far more detailed study of yoga than the monks ever did. Seeking further knowledge of the alleged mystic secrets, he studied them fervently for years. Over time, he began noticing his body was more flexible than ever, and even that his aging had slowed. Of course, just like martial arts or yoga, these abilities were skills to be practiced, honed, and perfected. By 1937, he had discovered incredible secrets hidden in those two scrolls, and once more donned his now-iconic skull mask and costume to challenge the heads of a few of the smaller Yakuza families. One in particular managed to shoot him directly between the eyes... only for Death man to stand once more and shoot him in the back. Building a gang for himself, he declared himself an Oyabun. With his newfound immortality, it was easy to maintain the position.

As he worked to become the head of organized crime in a large section of Japan, using his yoga powers to maintain his position and gather followers- thugs, spiritualists, ninja, inventors, even the ethnically and religiously persecuted of Japan. Lord Death Man's syndicate was unstoppable... but never moved beyond organized crime. After all, while he had a powerful criminal empire, there was no sense risking it by getting greedy. No, he had a clear goal in mind: to maintain his power in Japan's criminal underworld and use that power to track down any scrolls with similar knowledge... as well as any other secret lore he can get his hands on. Some of his enforcers took a liking to the striking image of the skeleton costume, and created colorful personas of their own- the first syndicate of costumed criminals. Though they had no unusual powers, the reputation of Death Man's strange abilities was enough to strike fear into the hearts of those outside the syndicate's protection.

During the second World War, he sought to infiltrate the hidden city of Nanda Parbat with the sanction of the Imperial Government- such a city would be an invaluable staging ground for them, and likely contained one or more of the scrolls Death Man sought. The fact they offered total amnesty for the treasonous act of robbing the Imperial Treasury was just icing on the cake. It was here that he first came into contact with a costumed crimefighter- Jade Mantis was there to keep Japanese forces from finding the city. Believing absolutely in the advantage his immortality gave him, his overconfidence was his undoing. Jade Mantis humiliated him in the fight, leading him to slip and fall from the mountain. When he was found by Japanese soldiers days later, he was impaled on a number of icicles. Once his wounds healed and he returned to life, he knew he had to save face... and told them of a great, white, hairy ape that had ambushed him on the mountain pass through the Himalayas, a story from one of the guides they press-ganged into leading them through the mountains. (This was not the last time he would set his sights on Nanda Parbat, but that's a story for another time.)

Of course, things changed for Death Man- and the Japanese crimefighters who opposed him- in 1967, with the change in attitude towards costumed crime and crimefighting. Forced to surrender their masks and costumes to the authorities, the heroes were to return to civilian life. Being a criminal, he didn't obey the government's order to unmask at first... but discovered without heroes to oppose, being a costumed villain just wasn't as fun. As such, he focused on the more mundane operations of his syndicate- no more did Lord Death Man, the immortal terror, have an iron grip over the seedy underbelly of Japan. No, now Shousei Kougami, a distinguished gentleman of 70 (though he only looked to be in his mid-40's or early 50's) married 20 years, father of two beautiful sons, the skull-masked criminal kingpin, stood over an incredibly boring empire of gambling, protection money, loan sharking, gang politics, and smuggling. For fifty-two years, he kept up operations- and actually did better than anyone would have ever thought he could. It was profitable, yes, but it lacked the spark of the old days- and administration work just didn't compare to the sheer joy of robbery and assault himself. The only real joy he felt during that time (outside of time with his wife and sons, of course) was traveling the world in search of any surviving scrolls.

Now, though, the costumed heroes are returning- and Shousei's joy de vivre with them. There are even new costumed villains coming about- ones that will need an experienced, guiding hand. Perhaps even a home in an existing syndicate- after all, the Yakuza is a home for all the downtrodden.

Optional information
----------
Nemesis: Formerly Jade Mantis.
Allies: Veiniac (THE MAN WITH HIS BLOOD OUTSIDE HIS BODY!), Kid Kafka (The Roach-Boy of Brooklyn), Kappa Mickey
Team: The Death Man Syndicate

Heroes Reborn - A DCAU Roleplay (Always open!)

Aaaalright... here's the villain. Intermediate Low I suppose? He doesn't have a lot of destructive power at the moment.

Hider

Superhero/villain Name: Death Man
Civilian Name: Shousei Kougami
Origin city: Osaka, Japan
Hometown: Tokyo
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 175 lbs
Age: 122
Birth Date: October 2nd, 1897
--------
Costumed Appearance: "There's something really, *truly* wonderful about Sakura in bloom..."
Civilian Appearance: Here.
Icon: The Mon of the Death Syndicate

Costumed Personality: Lord Death Man has seen the highs and lows of life. And it shows. He's a tired, cynical old man who finds an inordinate amount of joy in sensational crimes- whether it's stealing an entire battleship, or converting large sections of the homeless population to monsters. He doesn't commit these crimes for the possibility of profit or power, but rather for the sheer spectacle of it- in an age where the heroes of children are in colorful costumes flying about and bench-pressing trains, the idea that one man could orchestrate the theft of Mt. Fuji serves as an excellent counterpoint. Believing that the natural home of the outcast is the criminal organization, he sympathizes with those on the fringes of society- from mutants and Ainu to aliens and the homeless. Of course, he also seeks to recruit these individuals to his organization. Bizarrely, he has a soft spot for disaster victims, and as such has a code not to mess with cities recovering from natural disasters. This does not make him any less brutal, however- he is known for over-the-top executions of those who wrong him and his love of violence.
Civilian Personality: Out of costume, he's a lot less dramatic and a lot more grandfatherly to his men.

Super abilities:
-Skills: Lord Death Man is a master contortionist, able to bend and squeeze his body into impossibly small spaces. He's also highly skilled in Jiu-Jitsu and Sumo, two of Japan's traditional martial arts.
-Powers:
--Yoga Mastery: Lord Death Man, despite his criminal nature, is a yogi of immense power- and one of the few superhumans of the Golden Age. He has achieved a number of siddhi and rddhi, the physical and psychic powers of a master yoga mystic.
--Siddhi: These are states of cosmic awareness that allow him to alter the way his body works.
--- svachanda mṛtyuh: Lord Death Man has the ability to choose when he dies. He just happened to choose "never," becoming completely immortal in the process. If his body is slain or dismembered, he returns to life- and full health- in a matter of moments.
---ājñāpratihatā gatiḥ: While commonly rendered as "your orders and commands shall not be impeded," a more accurate translation would be "your words will not be impeded by language." Death Man can choose to make his words understood by any living creature- extremely useful for evil monologues.
---manojavah: "The ability to send the body to where the mind wanders." This is, more simply put, Astral Projection. His mind and perception can leave his body and travel anywhere in the world. However, his body is left vulnerable- well, as vulnerable as an immortal can be, anyway.
--Rddhi: These powers are psychic in origin, and focus on affecting the outside world.
---Addhitana iddhi: Lord Death Man has attained an ultimate willpower, rendering him immune to mind control or mind reading- even from other Yogis.
---Replication of Self: Lord Death Man is capable of creating an endless army of clones. However, as his yoga secrets are stolen rather than obtained by his own merits, the clones are faceless, nearly mindless, and highly aggressive, possessing none of his skills or knowledge. They know well enough to obey his orders, though.
Civilian Occupation: Oyabun of the Death Man Syndicate.

Biography
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Character History/Origin: Ever since the first half of the 20th century, one name was synonymous with Japanese crime: the allegedly immortal Yakuza boss, Death Man. Generations of crimefighters, from the last of the Okkapiki volunteers to modern policemen, rose to face him, and withered in the face of father time. Death Man preferred to play the long game. No one is sure where this skull-masked marauder came from, who he really is, or what has allowed him- or, possibly, his successors- to avoid the ravages of time and violence.

The answers are surprisingly simple. Shousei Kougami was born in 1897 to a fisherman and a prostitute, and was left at an orphanage. At the age of nine, he was sent to live with Buddhist monks. These monks told him that through meditation and self-perfection, practitioners could achieve superhuman abilities... but these were extremely rare gifts that even some of the most dedicated monks never achieved. For eight years, he was raised in the strict environment of the monastery, watching as they performed amazing feats- to his young mind, these leaps and feats of strength were beyond the limits normal men. He came to believe that this was the mystical power the elders spoke of. In reality, they were merely the results of intense training in martial arts- the sort of thing anyone with the time and dedication could learn.

However, no matter what sort of talent he displayed at the yoga, acrobatics, or martial arts meant to teach him discipline, he was forever told that he would receive the mystical powers the elders told him of only when he was spiritually ready. An ill-timed outburst saw him get expelled from the monastery, and thrown from its gates. Thus, at the age of 13, Shousei committed his first theft- a small corner store- and left to join the yakuza. He worked loyally, serving as a lookout and decoy for years and slowly working his way up to an actual member of the family. It was with this criminal organization that he first truly felt at home.

While he wasn't capable of the incredible abilities like changing his size or teleportation that the elders told him were among the siddhi, he was more than capable as a contortionist, martial artist, and acrobat. Inspired by the (to his mind) noble criminals around him, he decided to use his talents to become the greatest Phantom Thief Japan had seen since Ishikawa Goemon. It was during this time he discovered a love of sensational crime after a number of well-documented heists in his now-iconic skull mask. While the Yakuza had a policy against covert crimes like theft or fraud, there was nothing covert about a man in a garish skeleton costume sneaking by security and foiling guards as he snatched a number of artifacts from their place in museums and noble homes. It wasn't long before the police- and populace- began talking. Calling him "Death Man," describing him as a twisted version of the American Actor Activists. Death Man took this new mantle and made it his own, becoming feared far and wide as an uncatchable thief.

Things began looking up for him during what he considers his true start as a supercriminal. In 1919, after leaving a note warning of his intentions, he successfully eluded the guards, foiled the security systems, and broke into the Imperial Treasury. In addition to the gold and jewels he stole, totaling in the neighborhood of a few hundred million yen, he appropriated a few scrolls. Of particular note was a set of three given to the emperor over two hundred years ago as a gift from Indian diplomats, offering a far more detailed study of yoga than the monks ever did. Seeking further knowledge of the alleged mystic secrets, he studied them fervently for years. Over time, he began noticing his body was more flexible than ever, and even that his aging had slowed. Of course, just like martial arts or yoga, these abilities were skills to be practiced, honed, and perfected. By 1937, he had discovered incredible secrets hidden in those two scrolls, and once more donned his now-iconic skull mask and costume to challenge the heads of a few of the smaller Yakuza families. One in particular managed to shoot him directly between the eyes... only for Death man to stand once more and shoot him in the back. Building a gang for himself, he declared himself an Oyabun. With his newfound immortality, it was easy to maintain the position.

As he worked to become the head of organized crime in a large section of Japan, using his yoga powers to maintain his position and gather followers- thugs, spiritualists, ninja, inventors, even the ethnically and religiously persecuted of Japan. Lord Death Man's syndicate was unstoppable... but never moved beyond organized crime. After all, while he had a powerful criminal empire, there was no sense risking it by getting greedy. No, he had a clear goal in mind: to maintain his power in Japan's criminal underworld and use that power to track down any scrolls with similar knowledge... as well as any other secret lore he can get his hands on. Some of his enforcers took a liking to the striking image of the skeleton costume, and created colorful personas of their own- the first syndicate of costumed criminals. Though they had no unusual powers, the reputation of Death Man's strange abilities was enough to strike fear into the hearts of those outside the syndicate's protection.

During the second World War, he sought to infiltrate the hidden city of Nanda Parbat with the sanction of the Imperial Government- such a city would be an invaluable staging ground for them, and likely contained one or more of the scrolls Death Man sought. The fact they offered total amnesty for the treasonous act of robbing the Imperial Treasury was just icing on the cake. It was here that he first came into contact with a costumed crimefighter- Jade Mantis was there to keep Japanese forces from finding the city. Believing absolutely in the advantage his immortality gave him, his overconfidence was his undoing. Jade Mantis humiliated him in the fight, leading him to slip and fall from the mountain. When he was found by Japanese soldiers days later, he was impaled on a number of icicles. Once his wounds healed and he returned to life, he knew he had to save face... and told them of a great, white, hairy ape that had ambushed him on the mountain pass through the Himalayas, a story from one of the guides they press-ganged into leading them through the mountains. (This was not the last time he would set his sights on Nanda Parbat, but that's a story for another time.)

Of course, things changed for Death Man- and the Japanese crimefighters who opposed him- in 1967, with the change in attitude towards costumed crime and crimefighting. Forced to surrender their masks and costumes to the authorities, the heroes were to return to civilian life. Being a criminal, he didn't obey the government's order to unmask at first... but discovered without heroes to oppose, being a costumed villain just wasn't as fun. As such, he focused on the more mundane operations of his syndicate- no more did Lord Death Man, the immortal terror, have an iron grip over the seedy underbelly of Japan. No, now Shousei Kougami, a distinguished gentleman of 70 (though he only looked to be in his mid-40's or early 50's) married 20 years, father of two beautiful sons, the skull-masked criminal kingpin, stood over an incredibly boring empire of gambling, protection money, loan sharking, gang politics, and smuggling. For fifty-two years, he kept up operations- and actually did better than anyone would have ever thought he could. It was profitable, yes, but it lacked the spark of the old days- and administration work just didn't compare to the sheer joy of robbery and assault himself. The only real joy he felt during that time (outside of time with his wife and sons, of course) was traveling the world in search of any surviving scrolls.

Now, though, the costumed heroes are returning- and Shousei's joy de vivre with them. There are even new costumed villains coming about- ones that will need an experienced, guiding hand. Perhaps even a home in an existing syndicate- after all, the Yakuza is a home for all the downtrodden.

Optional information
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Nemesis: Formerly Jade Mantis.
Allies: Veiniac (THE MAN WITH HIS BLOOD OUTSIDE HIS BODY!, one of his metahuman enforcers)
Team: The Death Man Syndicate

Heroes Reborn - A DCAU Roleplay (Always open!)

So I sort of had an idea for a hero and villain. The hero would be a sort of Etrigan equivalent, a demon who screwed up somewhere along the chain of bureaucracy in hell and now has to hunt vengeful souls that have escaped. He last saw Earth circa 1840, where he was dubbed "Spring-Heeled Jack" as he hunted damned souls (as well as vampires and a certain serial killer) through the fog-shrouded streets of London.

The second is playing off Lord Death Man's old story of being a Yogi who learned to fake his death and the extrapolation of that to the point of immortality- this version would be someone who tried to steal the secrets of Buddhist enlightenment to help become the ultimate criminal, but due to his worldly attachments and generally evil ambitions, has instead been subjected to the tortures of the narakas- the Buddhist Hells. Having adapted to the eternal torment, however, he's able to control the hellish energies flowing through him, having become immortal and able to call upon the tortures to emulate various superpowers.

Rider Mayhem (IC) (Title is WIP)

So have I, but I tend to remember when a main character dies and stays dead.

Anyway, I'm probably going to have the Cadet use a Ghost or Specter-style powerset, being an actual ghost or something.

Rider Mayhem (IC) (Title is WIP)

...Alright now I know you never watched Double.

Super Robot Tournament (Name Pending)

I'm kind of leaning towards the Gorg aesthetic for my super robot- just incredibly strong, fully sentient, and entering because he wants to buy his pet human something nice.