| Ra's al Ghul |
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| Portrayed by Liam Neeson |
| Statistics |
| Full Name |
Ra's al Ghul |
| Age |
48 (600+) |
| Height |
6'4" |
| Build |
Aged but athletic |
| Eyes |
Green |
| Hair |
Black/White |
| Factions |
None |
| Occupation |
Leader of the League of Assassins |
| Alignment |
Villain |
Claim to Fame
The Head of the Demon, and legendary immortal assassin.
Reputation
The legendary immortal leader of the mysterious League of Assassins, Ra's al Ghul is famous only to the very few in the know, and those who /do/ know, almost certainly wish they didn't.
Biography
Ra's al Ghul was born over six hundred years ago to a small nomadic village somewhere in the Middle-east. Very little is known about his early years, even to him, as his memory is certainly not what it used to be. What he does remember, however, is that long ago his life was dedicated to saving others, rather than killing them. A doctor of sorts, Ra's had a general understanding of the concepts that would much later be known as germ theory well before it had been discovered making him well-known for his skill. It was because of this, that the king of a nearby land sent for Ra's to come to his palace and save his dying son. Upon arrival, however, Ra's knew immediately that the cause was hopeless. That is, of course, until he remembered a discovery he had made some months ago of a pit buried deep beneath the Earth. Ra's had no idea of the exact properties of the pit, but he theorized that the chemicals within might very well be medicinal in nature. Rushing the prince to this pit, Ra's bathed the dying man in the green liquid and was astounded when he emerged several minutes later completely healed — but also completely insane. In a fit of rage, the prince strangled Ra's wife, Sora before fleeing back to his kingdom.
Unwilling to admit that his son was responsible for the murder, the king charges Ra's for the crime and has him sentenced to death. Fortunately, the son of a woman he had previously aided was able to free Ra's and together, the two escaped back to the tribe of Ra's' birth. Forging an alliance with his rescuer and his uncle, the leader of the tribe, Ra's swears revenge on the prince and the king. Using his knowledge of diseases, Ra's made an anonymous gift of several contaminated fabrics to the king and the prince, infecting them both with a host of deadly diseases and taking the first step down his path of assassination. Declaring himself the Demon's head, Ra's leads his tribe to invade and burn the kingdom to the ground, thus marking the birth of the League of Assassins.
Over the years, Ra's would gather many killers and thieves to himself, and in secret, he began to lay the foundation for one of the most wide-spread and legendary orders of assassins to ever exist. Sustaining himself with regular dips in the Lazarus Pits which he had become so adept at locating, Ra's soon began to see humanity as a blight on the planet. The League still carried out assassinations for the highest bidders, but Ra's started to direct his army of killers to carry out more widespread destruction, always striking from the shadows, manipulating events, but never declaring outright war themselves. For years he carried out his plans with near impunity. That is, of course, until his eye settled on the famously corrupt city of Gotham…
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Character Details
Driven, stubborn, and entirely ruthless, Ra's al Ghul pursues his goals with an implacable determination no matter what they may be. Convinced his path is the correct one, there is rarely any stopping Ra's once he's set his mind to something. Even still, a certain amount of honor exists amongst thieves and assassins. Not much, but some.
| Combat Ability |
| Ra's al Ghul is a centuries old assassin with extensive combat experience under his belt. As combat has evolved, so has he, uncontent to merely remain a master in the styles of his homeland and time, Ra's learned as the world steadily advanced its methods for killing, and as a result, he's become one of the deadliest men on the planet, matched only by a few and only partially hindered by old age. Whether he wields a weapon or strikes from the shadows, few can match his proficiency in dealing death. |
| Strategic Expertise |
| Even before Ra's al Ghul quit the field and left the dirtier work to his underlings and associates, he was a master of strategy and manipulation. It was necessary even as a lone assassin, but grew in importance as he gathered followers and needed to plan multi-person infiltrations and the like. Though the time of rank-and-file armies, clashing with sword and bow has long passed, Ra's has remained a leader in the field of tactics and strategy, whether it be a simple three-step, one-man infiltration or a thirty-step, multi-agency invasion, few have managed to foil the plans of the Head of the Demon for long. |
| Intellect |
| A medical genius even before he had centuries to devote to his studies, Ra's al Ghul is widely considered to be in possession of a respectably large intelligence. Perhaps not exactly in the running for world's smartest man, he's still intellectually brilliant and well beyond the general ideas of average. In fact, though he's largely attempted to keep his name out of any sort of record, Ra's was largely responsible for the evolution of germ theory. |
| Immortality |
| Unlike some, Ra's al Ghul's immortality is not an internal ability, but rather a result of the dedicated use of a series of naturally occuring chemical pits dubbed 'Lazarus Pits.' One of his own discoveries, Ra's has been using the pits to extend his lifespan well beyond that of any mortal human being and as a result, has managed to survive for well over six centuries. |
| Mysticism |
| A little known aspect of Ra's extensive knowledge is his familiarity with the arcane. While it's true, Ra's possesses no natural magical abilities himself, and has never cast a true spell in his life, there are certain shamanic arts passed down through the ages that have attracted al Ghul's attention. Usually involving a practice closely resembling alchemy or more ritualized arts, Ra's has dabbled in various magical and arcane fields, usually those concerned with life and death. Though his knowledge has no direct, practical use in combat, it has more than once come in handy. |
| Ubu |
| Ra's al Ghul is almost constantly accompanied by an individual known only as Ubu. There are many misconceptions surrounding Ubu, the first of which is that Ubu is his name. It is, in fact, a title handed down through generations of men and women who have served Ra's al Ghul closely. Once or twice an Ubu has been saved through use of the Lazarus Pits, but this is highly rare and only reserved for the most useful of Ra's' servants, a fact all Ubus have known and accepted. The second misconception is that Ubu serves as Ra's bodyguard. This is only half-correct. Over the centuries, Ra's has learned that few suspect the graying, aging old man to be the biggest threat of the two, and has used this flawed perception to his advantage. Many times a rival assassin or warrior has targeted Ubu from the shadows, thinking to eliminate the only true danger only to reveal themselves in their arrogance and get cut down by Ra's with hardly any effort. The third, and almost paradoxical misconception that many are under when it comes to Ubu, is that Ra's is the /only/ threat, and that Ubu serves in a more servitorial position. In fact every iteration of Ubu has been almost as dangerous as the League's most storied members, Ra's himself, excluded. Naturally, the second and third misconceptions are rarely if ever held by the same people. |
| Lazarus Pits |
| One of his greatest discoveries, and perhaps Ra's al Ghul's most defining aspect, is his knowledge and possession of the Lazarus Pits. A naturally occuring phenomenon, Lazarus Pits are chemical pools usually found underground that can be found the world over. Capable of extending life, reversing the aging process, healing any wound, and even resurrecting the dead, they are Ra's' most closely guarded secret, though each is limited to a single use before being rendered inert for decades. With his knowledge of science and the arcane mysticism of his former tribe, Ra's is fully capable of locating any current and future Lazarus pits. Using this knowledge, he has set up a massive network of monasteries, temples, and palacial estates over these sites, all of which are heavily guarded, their whereabouts closely-kept secrets. Unfortunately, the use of the Lazarus Pits are not without consequences. For those who are perfectly healthy and the undead, the chemical pools are deadly, acting more like a highly corrosive acid than a pit of life-giving elixir. As well, even those who survive and are healed by the pit emerge changed. Cursed with temporary insanity and a largely enhanced strength and resistance to injury, many who have used the pits over the years have woken from the haze and found themselves covered in the blood of their loved ones. |
| Wealth |
| Safe behind a labyrinth of offshore accounts, dummy corporations, and fake identies so convoluted many of the world's leading accountants might go mad trying to track it all down, resides a fortune large enough to rival even the deepest of pockets, and all of it belongs to Ra's. Of course, while it's true, the sheer amount of wealth is immense, the costs of running the League are almost just as massive. Still, even though he might have well been the richest man on Earth if he had only spent his many long years saving up every penny, Ra's is no beggar. Very little currently exists with a price tag that would make him flinch and question if he really /needed/ that moon-sized death ray after all. |
| League Of Assassins |
| Being the largely undisputed leader of a legendary, globe-spanning League of deadly assassins has its perks. Not the least of which is being able to command said League to help you carry out your every plot. Though an unfortunate number of his subordinates could easily be considered 'faceless goons,' Ra's does still command a large number of named, feared, and sometimes legendary killers, thieves, soldiers, and mystics. Though many of the more influential assassins tend to keep largely to themselves and carry out their own plots, when the League calls, few ignore the summons, even if it's only to keep the perks of membership. |
| Contacts |
| Long ago, Ra's established a network of contacts that spanned the globe and evolved with the world's technology from simple messages carried by runners and birds, to encrypted emails and burn phones. Naturally, few things of import escape his notice for long, and almost no resource is beyond his reach in today's world of smart phones and computers. |
| The Detective |
| Over the long years, Ra's has searched high and low for a suitable heir to his 'kingdom.' Unfortunately, when he finally found him, The Detective didn't seem all that receptive to the idea. It was at that point that a very long and bitter feud began, at least in Ra's' mind. For denying him, The Detective must die, but for so long evading his killers and interfering with his plans, Ra's developed a healthy respect for his foe. To his repeated downfall, Ra's can't quite bring himself to forget The Detective, often making plans to involve him in most of his plots, if only to gloat that he finally won — which of course, he has yet to do. |
| Enemies |
| The assassination game is a dangerous field, obviously. Even the head of the legendary League of Assassins isn't perfectly safe. Ra's possesses many enemies, most of whom are rival assassins or groups of assassins looking to kill the competition. Most would never stand a chance on their own, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't prove valuable to anyone looking to bring the Demon's Head down. |
| Lazarus Dependent |
| At this late stage in the game, Ra's al Ghul is virtually dependent on the Lazarus Pits to keep him going. At first, after every dip in the pits to maintain his youth, Ra's could go decades without needing the life-giving chemical again, but now, in order to stay alive, he must visit a Lazarus Pit once every two or three years. In between visits, he may look old, but for all intents and purposes, he may as well be in his prime. The only exception is when he's getting close to needing another visit to the Pits. At this point, he is weakened and aged, still dangerous, but a mere shadow of his normal self. |
Relationships
| Image |
Name |
Relation |
Information |
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Character Name |
Friend |
Insert a description of the relationship here. |
Notes
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