Arbiter Death
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
[[Image:[IMG] [/IMG]|300px|]]
| |
| Starkweather, last seen walking away from a burning PPD Precinct. | |
| Arbiter Death | |
| Player: | |
| Origin: | Mutation |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Mastermind |
| Threat Level: | 50+3 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | John Starkweather |
| Known Aliases: | Arbiter Death, Arbiter, Death, Arbiter of Death, Arby, Arb, John, Mr. Starkweather, Boss, Dad, Dude, Arbiter Starkweather, Starkcakes, Sweetheart, Babe, Honey, etc. |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 38 |
| Height: | 5' 11" |
| Weight: | 155 lbs(without armor) |
| Eye Color: | Brown |
| Hair Color: | Dark brown |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Leader of the Villains of Paragon City and The Starkweather Association; former leader of the Arachnos sub-organization, the Shadow Spiders. |
| Place of Birth: | Astoria, Paragon City |
| Base of Operations: | Paragon City |
| Marital Status: | Divorced |
| Known Relatives: | David, Arren, and Daisy (children).Night Widow Scourge (Cousin), Sophie Starkweather (Wife, deceased), Leah Starkweather (Sister, presumed deceased). |
| Known Powers | |
| Ice manipulation abilities, superspeed, high-class regeneration due to viral infection with pathogen known as the Alpha 'Regenerative Virus' or R-Virus. | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Confidential | |
| Equipment | |
| Teleportation transport system, 9mm Barreta, Type V Meta-human protection cuffs (Currently used in the Ziggurat), etc. | |
| No additional information available. | |
((Note from creator: I'm not the best at making long articles such as these; so you may see some errors here and there.))
((Another Note: This has not been edited in a while (and needs some MAJOR editing). I will get back to this page shortly.))
In Paragon City
Astoria
John Starkweather was born in Astoria, Paragon City. Which is more commonly known as "Dark Astoria," due to the takeover of a cult organization known as "The Banished Pantheon".
John was an only child living a happy and good life, he spent all of his childhood in Astoria until he reached the age of 10; a couple months after his birthday the Astoria incident occurred.
It all started while he was in his living room on a late afternoon watching his favorite television program, The Tales from the Crypt. Soon after, the show was interrupted by a "Special Report," and the face of a news anchor appeared on the screen. The anchor calmly reported that Astoria was being attacked by indescribable entities, and suggested that all local residents locked their doors and closed their windows.
It was later reported that these entities, or creatures were being spawned at the old Moth Cemetery. Even with the spawn location there was no success on taking down the invaders, as the Longbow and PPD attacked the cemetery with all the units they could send out.
Due to the chaos of the situation the PPD was forced to call in The Freedom Phalanx. Unfortunately, The Freedom Phalanx was busy stopping a plot from their long time enemy, Arachnos; and could not help the situation in Astoria.
A couple hours later of endless combat, a darkish-grey fog began to settle in. As it engulfed Astoria anyone who was outdoors had a hard time seeing clearly with all the fog. The only sound John could hear from his house were gunshots and screams.
Even with the remaining reinforcements trying to defend the area, the Longbow and PPD were soon overwhelmed, and had no choice but to retreat.
Due to the growing numbers of casualties, the young boy decided to flee to the safest area he could think of. The closest, safest area was Talos Island as he recalled the anchor say, "A warning to all Paragon City civilians, Astoria has been overrun by an unknown force. All efforts to contain the epedemic has failed. Anyone still alive, make your way to Talos Island. The Paragon Police Department will be there to escort you out. This signal will repeat."
He was trapped in his house for a week, after receiving no phone calls from his friends or parents that's when he realized that he had to leave his house. He barely had any courage to go outdoors as he thought he would be killed in an instant.
A couple hours later he decided to face his fears and go outside with the little courage he had. However, as he exited his house everything was disturbingly silent. No sirens, no gunfire, no screaming, nothing. It was just the fog and him.
((WiP))
Talos Island
((WiP))
In The Rogue Isles
The 3 allies
During his time in the Isles he was raised by the Fortunata who saved him, since she considered him like son she put him in the most difficult training program Arachnos has to offer.
She also put him in a mind-clearing machine that was used on civilians to make them more susceptible to Arachnos influence. The Fortunata Kalinda saw his past using her psychic abilities and recommended clearing his memory on the events that happened in Astoria. However, the machine had a dysfunction and erased only parts of his memory in Astoria as he still had faint memories of what happened. He knew that creatures invaded Astoria, but, he didn't know how his parent's died or how he got into Grandville. The last thing he remembered was getting shot and then waking up in a mysterious hospital in the Isles.
Arachnos told him a lie and said that his parent's died in a car accident while trying to escape, in return, he believed them.
He knew that Arachnos saved his life and felt it necessary to serve them, he considered the Fortunata who saved him like a second mother, and even grieved when she died in a battle in Bloody Bay. He began his vigorous training at the age of 14 as a Wolf Spider, and ended training at the age of 27. He proved himself to be a worthy servant of Lord Recluse, and slowly climbed the ranks of Arachnos, finally reaching Arbiter status.
However, at the age of 16 he discovered that he had psychic abilities(very small); and was moved into the Bane Spider class. He was then taught from age 16 until the age of 27 close counter combat, and ranged combat.
Arbiter Death's capture
((WiP))
He traveled to Paragon City via submarine, and ended up in the waters of Independence Port at midnight. Soon after he arrived he received information by the operators that a meeting would be held at King's Row at the PPD station.
He went across the city unnoticed traveling through alleyways and hiding in the shadows. Unfortunately for the Arbiter a Longbow soldier was patrolling the the city and saw him with binoculars watching the PPD station on a rooftop above. He thought it was just some random hero at first, until he saw his insignia. The Longbow soldier panicked and reported him to the nearest Freedom Phalanx member he could find, which was Back Alley Brawler. The Arbiter was watching the station until he felt this hard grip on his shoulder, the next thing he saw was a fist to his face, and a trip to "The Zig."
The Arbiter escapes
The Arbiter was judged and convicted for crimes such as infiltration and assassinations and was sentenced to The Ziggurat for 50 years.
He was incarcerated in the Zig for approximately 5 months, until a breakout occurred. He soon remembered that Arachnos was planning to carry out the "Destiny" program, and considered it a means of escape. He escaped his cell and decided not to go back home, but to move into Paragon City.
Apparently the Arbiter thinks that Lord Recluse is moving slowly on taking over Paragon, and that he should help take it over and put it under Arachnos control.
The Arbiter also decided to act as an intelligence agent to further his objectives.
Revisiting Paragon City
When the Arbiter made it out of "The Zig" he decided to ask permission on helping Recluse take over Paragon. Recluse took it as a grand opportunity for one step closer on world domination, so he gave the Arbiter permission to do as he pleases.
In time he knew he cannot take over Paragon alone, so he gathered villains from Paragon City and The Rogue Isles to aid him.
Arbiter Death and Dark Astoria
John Starkweather has a heavy connection with 'Dark' Astoria and it's dismal past--the most notable being that he was actually born there; thus creating a link between him and the zone itself. As always, there are pros and cons of assosiating yourself with such a dark area in Paragon City.
Pros:
1. John has the ability to manipulate his foes deceased loved ones; albeit, they are illusions. This doesn't mean he literally controls the spirit of the said loved one(s), but rather use his magic oriented source to manipulate his opponent's mind -- there also doesn't seem any consequence for using this type of magic. If an opponent of his doesn't have any known loved ones, the illusion would transform into something close enough such as a friend.
2. The forces of Astoria enable John to blind his enemies with horrific images of past events, or simply give them pointless images that don't make any sense (pictures of men and women jumping off a ledge, a disfigured boy standing alone, etc). This is a rather common attack John uses when in dire situations, or in any "normal" one.
3. Using the darkened magic of Astoria, he could confuse his enemies or mind-control them for a short time; however, weaker minds become confused longer. Varying strengths of the psyche could mean a few minutes of confusion to even a few days.
4. Can heal himself using the darkened essense of Astoria quite drastically, mended in with siphoning his opponent's life essense as a whole. Unfortunately, this allows other tormented spirits to temporarily possess him if used too much. Additionally, due to the fact John isn't infected with the R-Virus anymore, he seems to use this often when in combat.
Cons:
1. Is tormented by random spirits of Dark Astoria at random times, which tends to actually cause John to go on guard.
2. At times, the Astoria 'otherworld' visits John forcefully; thus changing the surrounding area around him into a more hellish environment (Think of the shift in the Silent Hill series). This happens more frequently than being tormented by spirits, and is far more bizzare.
John the Megalomaniac
After many years of serving Lord Recluse and the shady organization, Arachnos. John couldn't take the responsibility and tireless work and stress Arachnos greived upon him; so he resigned. The former Arbiter thought it best to live out and raise his family for the remainder of his years in Paragon City and attempt to live a normal life; unfortunately, fate had other plans for John...
One day, while taking a stroll around Atlas Plaza, John was approached by a strange cat-like woman. She wished to join his now defunct "Villains of Paragon City." He then explained to her that he is no longer any sort of villain, but was trying to live a normal life. The feline woman chuckled at Starkweather and told him of what great power he can gain, and how she believed that he can achieve these goals. John, enthralled by images of power, easily agreed with the woman and started to resurrect the Villains of Paragon City once more.
List of tortured individuals
1. Jack Travers
5. Red Komodo
6. Semjaza
9. Johnny Turbo
10. Ultra Assassin
11. Luficia
12. Cylia Darque
14. Agent O'Malley
15. Grimaulkin
((Too damn many to count, it's been a while since I've updated the list.))
Affiliations
- Villains of Paragon City: Once an organization used for Recluse's cause. This group is now used for John's personal army and his desire to take Paragon for himself.
- Starkweather's Association: An underground network created for the purpose to liberate the Isles from Arachnos and Longbow. Any opposition is an additional enemy.
Opinions and feelings towards the Arbiter
((A small section where anyone can put IC quotes or thoughts of the Arbiter.))
"He was another paycheck. Now he's gotta die..."-Trooper Harris o "The Arbiter...is a determined man. I respect that." -Vincent Jaeger
"John was a mistake of my past...he was something I had planned as a fail safe incase my immortality went downhill...i failed and soon things got nasty, now we are at odds, once more he is the hunted, and I am the hunter"-ShadowWings
"I don't know why the hell I trust John. He's put me through the wringer time after time. But damn it all I still feel like he needs me, and that if I leave him alone I will cause something awful." -Gelle
"Vell...He'z not vith ze counzil! Zat'z a pluz! *Night Bot beeps* Oh yeah! You're right ze Bonuz Counzil missionz in exchange vor a hit iz alvayz appreciated! Ummm... I guess deep down inzide... He'z not az vreaky az he lookz... az long az he'z not zuddenly trying to kill you... zen it goez into ze whole chase zcene muzic und ztuff... He al--COUNZIL! NIGHT BOT AIM VOR ZE VACE! *The message is filled with screams and gunfire* Oppz vorgot to turn zis zing off... VREAKY!" - Nacht Sniper
"We had peace once...I might try to achieve it again. We've both seen our allies go to extreme risks...and I was the one to kill him. Too bad the people forcing me to do it, didn't realize my potential in magic. I consider Death as a older son now, but when hes ready to face me, face to face, we will end the conflict"-ShadowWings
"The Arbiter? He's a good employer, but I can't help but feel a little... manipulated by him at times. It doesn't matter, I still get my paycheck. If he died, I'd be surprised, and perhaps a little shaken. But I'd get over it. So long as I got my last check..." -Asperitance
"He's a bit like me, he likes to torture people, he likes to fight... He listens to this god awful techno music though. I can't stand it! Luckily for me, and everyone else who's ever heard me angry, I always keep an Arch Enemy CD handy." -Arren Starkweather
"It's my fault that -Starkweather- hurt my friends. So, I'm going to fix it." -Nyak
"Wow...I never knew Death has a good side. He's much cooler on his good side. I should enjoy trying to make him an ally. -Nyak
"The Arbiter is one of the most dangerous people I have ever met. He's taken people who I thought were friends and turned them into his own allies. He tortures and murders and everyone thinks this is okay. Even the people he blackmails seem to forgive him and show him actual loyalty. I am one of the only people he has made no attempt to control, and even I find myself on occasion liking the man. It's hard to keep in mind what he's really like. I wonder how much longer till I too succumb to him." - Spanish-Doll
"Arbiter Death tortures pregnant women and small children. There is nothing good or decent about that. Anyone that says differently is deluding themselves." -- Shelly Lightfoot, circa April, 2008
"He is my lord and master... and I'll serve them for as long as we're alive... and remember... messing with him is a ticket to your very own irradiated hell." -- Byaeecon, demon enforcer of the Villains of Paragon City.
"Meh, he's a good kid, he knows how to talk business, unlike some of the other goombas out here in the Isles. He knows when to negotiate, and when to bust the other guy's freakin' skull. As long as he doesn't f**k with the Tattaglia Family's business, he's ok in my book." - Don Tattaglia
"Arbiter Death, yes I infiltrated his coupe of villains, stole a disc. He got it back? no that is a rumor, I still have it. Yes he is very vile and cruel. I hope that soon other heroes and maybe myself can put him away for good. He deserves it." - Richard Geoff Waverson aka Azure Sentry formerly Solar Wonder
"Well I've only worked for him a bit, but... he is a smart villain, knows how to keep quiet and hidden. I just hope that he will approve of the secret of myself building an army, I will be glad to lend a couple of ReaverTroopers to him." - Phantom Tyrant
"John Starkweather's going to get a one-way ticket to the Zig - just as soon as I get my hands on him." -- Maniac Marcosy
"John? He is a misunderstood guy. We got people from all sides talking crap, extremist heroes and megalomaniac villain. If you ask me they are all the same, everyone wants to be seen. Now John is different. He is a class act most of the time, but he can really mess you up if he needs to. Then again, i don't know him that well." -Agent engstrom
"Johnny boy! What is there to say about him? Well he's a complete utter tool, but somehow he has this uncanny ability to muster an army of viciously loyal followers in a very short amount of time. Don't ask me how he does it; I don't know. Still, in the long run he may be a liability." -Bad Dream
"John.....yes.. John, that maniacal bastard. He'll pay for what he did. If the PPD doesn't take him out--I'll be more then willing to carry out the action. Arianna's death will not go unavenged." Phantom Paladin, Former member of VoPC.
"People always ask me how I can stand hanging around someone like Starkweather when I've got all this Vanguard security clearance and I work with the Wire and blah blah blah. I always tell them to f*ck off. Seriously, though, Starkweather's not that bad of a guy, and yes all the irony in that statement was intentional. Really, I respect him for helping me on the front lines during the second Rikti War. However, I will -never- stop questioning the horrid smells in the base." -Talisien
"death well hes one of the villians at the top of my "list" but ill give him this hes one tougth basterd to find and kill but ill find him and i assure you when i do it aint going to be pretty." -avenging specter
"Arbiter's on our case all the time, and he won't give up. He may or may not know me, but I know exactly what kind of man he is. A coward and a pawn" Andrew Cortez
"Arby, Arby, Arby... He's oblivous. Really, He's so fun to mess with... It's like chess but Funny." Feral Rath
"That Arbiter is something. He's screwed up his life and he's still going on with this. I'm surprised he tried from the start. Really, he could be a successful college professor or businessman, but no. He chose to screw up his life for the better, and for that I respect him." Talus Nightmare
"A penguin. Liked the water so much, he decided to trade his wings for flippers. Too bad. His time is drawing near, but not as quickly as I would prefer... nor as quickly as he will prefer once things start to get interesting" Kevon J. Millno
"What am I gonna say? He's my boss. Fine. In depth, you son of a bitch, cuz you just couldn't leave it alone. I don't trust him. I'm a tool, and I know it. It's more a matter that I get to choose who uses me. In the Boss' hand, I feel best. Useful. Like a good, sharp knife married to a skilled and sadistic hand. And I know that if I'm suddenly no longer useful, I'll get tossed away. That's why it's a good idea to be the best at what I do. And staying useful at a job I enjoy isn't exactly disagreeable. Besides, Arachnos has surprisingly good Dental insurance." Operative Griffin
"The only man I trust less than myself. Not sure why I even decided to hang around. Good deal, I guess. Then I had to deal with that asshole Grifferroonie? Griffindor? Man I don't remember these people's names half the time. They didn't have any good salvage at the time anyway. So soon as that Grriffifer-whats-it character vanished, I loaded up on office supplies and ran. As for the man himself, there's just something behind those eyes that throws me off. I can't explain it. I do what I do for money and fame, others do it for the myriad of reasons that lurks in the oh-so-exploitable hearts of men. I don't see any of that in that man's eyes. Either he's dead inside, or there's something in that peanut brain of his I simply cannot fathom. That or I'm just really bad at reading people all of a sudden." Vinnie Frizzle
"He is my leader, my mentor. I look up to him. To be honest, I don't enjoy having him around -that- much. I find some of his missions... or at least operations just... cruel. But, then again, I just make it worse. Still. I don't particularly -like- Starkweather. If it weren't for him we wouldn't have a dead body somewhere in our base every day. -Malevolent laughter behind him- Oh. And stuff like that. He seems to like having total morons and psychopaths here, residing in our very base of operations. Sure, I don't want him dead buuuut... I do at the same time." Operative Valos
"When I look at the Arbiter... All I see is an Arachnos Soldier doing his job. Nothing personal, but I'm definitely putting him behind bars." Hellion MK1
"What can I say?... He's my Dad... We've had ups and downs but he's still Dad... I'll follow him for as long as I can..." Arren Starkweather
"I owe Starkweather much for getting me into the Spiders. I respect his drive, commitment and ability to maintain a family in this life of ours. I may have issues with the way he does things, occasionally, but now that he's made me the strategist of the Spiders, we should be able to work that out." The Blood Red Rook
"On one hand, John can be a caring person. He's also partially responsible for inspiring me to join the Spiders. On the other hand, I actually got to know the guy, and now I have to clean up his mess he left for us known as the Shadow Spiders. I want to strangle the guy, but at the same time, I want him to be alive so he can see how much his daughter Arren his better than him at well, everything." Dr. Von Havencrabs
"The so-called 'Arbiter of Death' returns to Paragon City... We kicked him out once and we'll do it again, and it will be for good this time." Officer Trent
"John gave me a home in the Isles. It was in the Shadow Spiders that I met many of the people I still treasure today. I'll give him that. But then he decided to go after the bigger fish and he left us holding the bag. I pity the men under John's command. I really do. They have no idea; John will use them and throw them aside, just as he did us..." Markel Smythe
"If there was even an ounce of justice left in this world, he'd be in an unmarked grave... several actually, I'll see to that myself." - Seere Dulmaire
"He's one of the worst foes I've run across. Not THE worst, but he's up there. I do have to thank him a little, though. Fighting against a strong enemy forces you to become stronger, and what I learned when I fought against John made me very strong indeed. I don't think he'll ever achieve what he wants...his madness will always get in his way. However, if someday I have the opportunity, I'll end him. You know...just to be on the safe side." Mindstryker
"The law of the jungle is that there is no room for the sick or weak. And John very sick indeed... he has to be stopped." - Raina Sylvir
"Don't think anyone can really know John. He is many things to many people. But from what 'I' know of him, I find that I deeply respect him for what he has accomplished. I just don't have to like it." - Rusty
"It doesn't really matter who goes after John. His mind will waste itself away until there is nothing left...no ambition, no pride; just a paranoid old man sitting in the corner of his base with nothing to do but stick a gun in his mouth and pull the trigger. Or I do the deed myself. Whichever comes first." Temporal Assault
"You and I, Starkweather - we're over. Whatever soft kinship we had has diminished. You will pay for what you did to Nate. You will pay." Gelle
"... I've had super-feminists, working girls, trolls, and what looked like a very angry dwarf for bosses. None of them stack up on the freaky meter compared to Johnny and his lackies. He's pretty buff, though... and he pays well. What'cha gunna do?" Courtney
"I'd die for that man--kill for that man--and I have done both, several times." - Femme Fencer
"Virus or not, he's still just a man with his flaws... and I intend to exploit them and bring him to justice." - Cross-Fist
"He's the best father a girl could have. I love you father." - Daisy, daughter of John and Sohpie Starkweather
"One of the best leaders I have had the honor to work with. He makes a plan, gives you a task, and doesn't change it in the middle of the operation." - Kora Lee
"Starkweather. If it wasn't for him, I might not've met a lot of the friends I have now-- especially Arren. ...But if he ever approaches me again, my blade is going through his neck." - Mako Avalar
Theme Songs
((Links will be added later))
OOC: The VEAT version of Arbiter Death
The VEAT Arbiter Death is actually him during his training days. So, if you want to roleplay with him your conversations -will- be only a flashback or a faint memory.
He may remember these conversations, and he may not. It just depends on the importance of the conversation.
Your character may go back in time via Ouroboros, and try to change him up a bit.
((Note: His in-game name is 'John Starkweather' and his past starts off at age 14 and will end back into the 'modern times' at his current age of 29 once he reaches threat level 50. ))
Personality
Good Side: Arbiter Death actually isn't that cruel or demented as one may think. He's actually a kind and friendly man to those who're friends with him.
Bad Side: The Arbiter can become a bloodthirsty psychopath if an adversary of his is captured. This can lead to an excruciating amount of pain to the victim as they will be physically and mentally tortured.
Homages
Arbiter Death is primarily a homage of the Resident Evil character Leon Kennedy. However, he is also inspired by other characters such as: Silent Hill's James Sunderland, Full Metal Alchemist's Maes Hughes, Resident Evil's HUNK, Manhunt's Lionel Starkweather and Resident Evil's Chris Redfield (mildly).
Trivia
- The Arbiter's voice, face, and even physique would be exactly like the Resident Evil (4) character Leon S. Kennedy.
- Would have the hairstyle of the Resident Evil (5) character Chris Redfield.
- Arbiter Death's favorite music is Techno and Trance
- Arbiter Death has 3 other old friends in Arachnos; Arbiter Pestilence, Arbiter War, and Arbiter Famine.
- Arbiter Death has psychic abilities, albeit, an extremely small amount.
- Arbiter Death has died and come back from the dead.
- Arbiter Death is Entomophobic(Fear of insects).
- Arbiter Death's Special Forces uniform is inspired by the Resident Evil character HUNK.
- Arbiter Death ironically hates cold weather.
OOC NOTE
Due to the unfortunate closure of City of Heroes, I'm putting an email list of my friends in from the game. So these are, more or less, personal notes:
- imaqt2you@yahoo.com - Heather Myrick and Lilliana
- beatnikdancer@mail.com - Femme Fencer
- sciftan@aim.com - Doctor Blythe
- Delta@Roflmao-Gaming.com - Melixia
- greenhoodyman95@gmail.com - Sparrow Eye
- Daedalus426@hotmail.com - Dominitus
- graviradia@earthlink.net - Daisy, Kora Lee, Keri Kindle
