THE NEW ULTIMATE DC RPG
Character Application
.Character you wish to portray: Azrael/Jean-Paul Valley
.Hero, villain, or walking the line?: Hero
.Powers and physical attributes: Trained since birth to be a holy assassin for the Order of St. Dumas, Jean-Paul is incredibly skilled at hand-to-hand combat and gymnastics, and with nearly all conceivable bladed weaponry.
.Origin and backstory (as you see it): Not knowing anything other than what the Order of St. Dumas had taught him all his life, Jean-Paul was given the mantle of Azrael, the Avenging Angel, and instructed to be their agent in Gotham. Somewhere along the way in that mission, Azrael fell under the sway of the Joker and joined the criminal's traveling circus. It took weeks of struggle, but Valley's mental conditioning finally took hold and allowed him to break free and leave the circus, but it left him more confused than ever. It seemed as if St. Dumas' forces had abandoned Gotham when it was apparent that their knight had deserted them, and Jean-Paul himself was left with a crippling sense of guilt over his half-remembered actions when he was a part of the Joker's circus.
Out of this guilt, he sought out the newest crimelord in Gotham at the time: the monster known only as Bane. Underestimating Bane's skill and overestimating his own, Valley was drastically outmatched and barely escaped the fight alive. Since then, he has been retraining and honing his body to new heights, because his rematch with the monster will be different. Azrael can feel it in his bones. If he cannot be an agent of St. Dumas any longer, then he will honor the lost hero of Gotham and become and Agent of the Bat.
.The burning question - Why this character?: Jean-Paul is a troubled man but with a heart of gold, and I'm interested in showing the character's journey for redemption after he was brainwashed by the Joker into doing horrible deeds. He wants to help fill the void left by Bruce Wayne's Batman and make Gotham City a safer place.
.How will this version of your character differ from others? How will it be Ultimate?: Jean-Paul's motivations are different, although the vague broad strokes are kind of there. His vendetta against Bane is less about him trying to prove himself, and more about trying to atone for past sins and fighting what he sees as the personification of the corruption that the Order of St. Dumas originally wanted him to fight.
.What do you believe you can bring to the RPG?: Bananas.
.Provide a short sample post as your desired character, in three paragraphs or more:
Once Bane is beaten, where will I go next? I have no way of tracking the Order, but maybe
they'll contact
me. Man, who am I kidding? They cut their losses with me, and I can't blame them. The second I let that clown dig his psychic fingers into me, I became a liability. I'm far more of a risk than they're willing to take, which begs the question of whether or not I can even trust myself any more. I
think I broke free from the circus, but for all I know this could all just be more of that clown's mindgames. I could still be going through his mental hoops and wondering what's what while he sits back and laughs his ass off.
I need to find Batman. He'll know what to do. The Order isn't exactly fond of him, but he clearly has resources and his heart is in the right place, so doesn't that make him the closest thing I have to an ally right now?
No. No, I think he... I'm so confused! Batman has been gone for so long, hasn't he? It's why this city has fallen so hard! God, my thoughts are so damn foggy right now.
The sudden thunder clap brings me crashing back to reality as lightning illuminates the churchyard in front of me. This was supposed to be the Order's base of operations in Gotham, but there's nothing here for me any more. Nothing except for the crime. It's impossible to ignore, and the man at the center of it--if that villain can be called a man--will be made an example of. This time, Bane, I'm ready for you.
.Preferred roster pic? (No preference, and one will be chosen for you):
