Atamagaokashii
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
This page is very much under construction, information will fill out and change as ideas come to me and I find time to slap them in here.
As a warning, there may be mature content below. Mild to severe swearing, innuendo, gratuitous violence and sexual situations may all appear through histories and stories. Please consider yourself informed.
Atamagaokashii, in this context, refers to two different but related things: Atamagaokashii the Mercy Island gang that has been gaining some small notoriety; and a demon the gang claims belongs to them that they've monikered after themselves. The villain box to the right is for the demon herself, but there's more information about the gang and some of it's members below.
| |
| Atamagaokashii and Johnny Browbeat | |
| Atamagaokashii | |
| Player: | |
| Origin: | Natural |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Mastermind |
| Threat Level: | 38 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | None or unknown |
| Known Aliases: | Ata, A, Atama |
| Species: | Unknown demonic |
| Age: | Unknown |
| Height: | 6'3" (7'1" with horns) |
| Weight: | 183 lbs. |
| Eye Color: | Dark red |
| Hair Color: | Green-blonde |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | None |
| Occupation: | Gang Member(Sort of) |
| Place of Birth: | Otherworldly |
| Base of Operations: | The Gangs converted warehouse on Mercy |
| Marital Status: | Assumed single |
| Known Relatives: | None known |
| Known Powers | |
| Dark/Void Energies | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Wings give her incredible airborne maneuverability, but limited height and no flight or hovering. | |
| Equipment | |
| A semi auto nine and a match modified semi auto nine with a laser guide. Also carries the Dagger of Erishkigel, a small cell phone in the straps of her left arm and a tarot card: The Moon. | |
| ' | |
Contents |
Atamagaokashii: Mercenary Gang
Sitting at several hundred members strong, this Mercy-originating gang has definitely made a place for themselves on the isles. They've recently started operating more like a mercenary group than an actual gang, but maintain the typical appearance and mentality of street thugs. Despite that, they've obtained a bit of a repertoire for getting the jobs done. None of their regular clients have been found out, if indeed they have any, so they seem to excel at secrecy despite their often vocal approach.
History
This gang, originally calling themselves Mercy Beatings, had no happy beginning. The thugs had tried to carve a small piece of the neighborhood for themselves, but between the Snakes making off with inexperienced members, losing a few here and there to the infected and showdowns with the Rogue Island Police leaving bangers dead the gang never had the manpower to gain foothold. Only a few weeks after getting any notice at all it seemed the gang had all but disappeared. Though the leader, Johnny Browbeat as he called himself, was still seen around his normal haunts, not even he talked about his gang anymore.
A few months later, a rumor spread through a neighborhood that a bloody, demonic-looking creature had been seen a few times in an old abandoned building. The rumors quickly died down as would-be investigators couldn't catch any sightings at the complex. Less than a month later, the rumors returned in a different context: Johnny Browbeat had a new gang, calling themselves Atamagaokashii. This time, though, he brought claims of a powerful demon pet that he had tamed. The rumors spread and the gang grew, this time the Snakes and RIP stayed far away from their turf.
The rumors of the demon were left unconfirmed until a few months had passed. Footage of Johnny himself, along with a few bangers and a tall, horned and winged demon spread around his neighborhood: they were robbing a bank in Paragon and the police and the hero sent to stop them seemed powerless against them. Their local notoriety skyrocketed and they began to grow in size, though many potentials were left disappointed. Several were interviewed by nameless journalists and their stories all seemed to point to the fact that the demon didn't like them.
It wasn't long thereafter that they began taking jobs, starting fairly small. Arachnos was directly or indirectly involved in several of their earlier 'jobs' around Mercy, though the gang seems to have steered more into the private deals with unnamed benefactors.
It didn't take long for the general face of the gang to change, the abandoned complex the gang had holed up in became quickly fortified. The many windows were literally walled up. The snakes began to completely ignore their members, and in returned were mostly ignored. Even the RIP turned their eyes and even occasionally participated in arena-like brawls hosted by the gang.
"Finding" this demon seemed to be the best thing that happened to Johnny Browbeat.
Notable Bangers
These are the boys most likely to be seen about on the streets or being dealt with by anyone but other gang members.
- Johnny Browbeat: The gang's leader and something of a jack-of-all-trades. He's good with weapons, decent with mechanicals, knows a thing or two about the occult and doesn't let on. He's a lesser mutant, stronger than any normal human and fairly resilient to boot, but not on the level of most 'solo' villains. He leads his gang with a fairly steady hand, using strength when necessary and diplomacy when prudent, though you wouldn't come to hear of the latter half easily. He tends to approach most unknowns cautiously but with an open mind - for gain mainly.
- Warren Piece: Warren is known to be the gang's most charismatic member, and handles all external dealings himself. He's well spoken, presentable and it isn't evident why he's running with thugs at all. He's something of a leader, and one of Johnny's most trusted.
- Dropkick Nick: Nick has become the gang's security expert. He can hack and crack most systems that aren't tailor-made. Though he rarely speaks and even then doesn't say much, he has an air of confidence and the gang as a whole seems to operate better with him around.
- Robin Childs: Robin is a crazy son of a bitch, and has absolutely no problem letting it be known. A pyro through and through, he's also actually a demolition's expert and has spent time in a bomb squad back on the mainland. He got rather sick and tired of the stale and restrictive work, and ended up in the right place at the right time to join up with the gang. Some have described him as downright suicidal.
- Bert Defect: Bert is a loudmouth, egotistical bastard, and an all-around prick. He has no problem letting his woes be known, and has even less of a problem telling you just where he'll be doing what to you, before shooting you in the face. Johnny has him reeled in, though if Johnny's not around he tends to shoot off.
- Ned Banger: Ned is a smartass and has the bruises to show for it. If anyone in the gang is going to make a snide, smart alecky comment, it'll be him. He tends to get the worst kind of attention, and has been known to piss off even the most tolerant of his buddies on occasion.
- Arthur Humanity:
- Brian O'Blivion:
- Vic Sinex:
- Tom Tumor:
- Mike Mange:
- Brian Basher:
- Skip Practice:
- Henrik Maneuver:
- Steph Infection:
- Stix Pelton:
- Gnarlie Charlie:
- Ima Jones:
- Gunther Kinte:
- Buster Stiggs:
- Jonesy O'Doules:
Allies
EX:
- Person: Yadda ya
Enemies
Demon? Atamagaokashii herself
Even the occultly ignorant would take a gander at Atama and think her a demon, or whatever their native language allows for. And even though they wouldn't be too far off, the general phrase is far too vague to be used to specify exactly what they were looking at. What she is, exactly, isn't particularly clear.
What she isn't, however, is a number of things. She is far from evil, inherently or by choice. She is not unholy, compelled by the power of Christ, or capable of supernatural corruption of man. She doesn't appear to be here to corrupt, defile or particularly punish the human race. And although she may kill, it isn't for evil's sake, but rather for lack of a 'better' direction.
She isn't magical: Spells of summoning, binding and other demonic controls have no affect on her. It's presumed she is not banishable, but not known for certain, as there is no practical way of retrieving her True Name. How, exactly, she was brought into this dimension is unknown to all but those who witnessed the event first-hand.
She is not particularly susceptible to telepathy: Empaths and Telepaths would do well to not purposefully pry. She does not emit either, although she experiences emotions and has thoughts, her brain is not human in the least, and is far from compatible with human thoughts. She has no mental barriers, however, so those attempting to pry will find no resistance, but understanding what lies beneath would take a mind completely unrestricted by logic and structure. Her thoughts are pure chaos, and while contained, may do actual harm to unwary psychics who intrude. Mental attacks are another story, and she is fully susceptible to them.
Personality
Despite being chaos by mind, her actions are usually guided, however she may switch focus and action at a whim. Her personality may change, but one thing remains constant: Curiosity. If it's something she's not experienced before, it will almost always catch her attention. Her attention is flighty, and stray or specific sounds can catch her attention easily.
Her personality can also change drastically when different people are around her. When she's unaware anyone is near, she may seem completely idle, standing staring at nothing in particular for even hours on end. When Johnny is around, she's always in her most manipulative state, able to be coerced easier. Though it seems he has some influence over her, and getting her to do things that would put his wellbeing in danger may very well be impossible.
She often appears to adore soft and smooth things: Soft fabrics such as fine cottons and silk, highly polished metals and glass all can readily catch her attention.
It almost appears she's used to living in a similar family-group to that of a gang. Things are shared and there's a sort of strength-driven hierarchy. Those outside of her 'group' she approaches timidly, if at all. Those approaching her may get a hostile reaction, especially if she's alone. When with the gang she's rarely ill-at-ease.
Fighting also seems to be natural, as it appears she enjoys the act as much as anything else. She also seems to either have no sense of pain, or a highly subdued reaction to it. She definitely understands she's hurt, though, as at a certain point she'll retreat to nurse her wounds, and will often user her natural abilities to mend those she considers her allies.
Morality
Atama is completely and utterly without a moral compass. She has very little in the way of apparent understanding of simple concepts such as personal space and ownership. She does seem to understand the concept of death, but she doesn't appear to be bothered by killing another, or those around her dying.
She doesn't appear to have a bully mentality and is often very submissive. If it becomes blatantly obvious that you're weaker than her, however, she may play a dominant role.
Powers
All of the abilities Atama uses come naturally to her, with the exception of the pistols she wields. The thugs power set requires a bit of explanation as to how it's played.
Thugs
Except for the pistol powers the thugs are played as completely self-contained. That is to say she does not call on them, they are either already there or Johnny calls them. She doesn't hand out equipment, they come fully equipped and ready to rumble. Anything missing and Johnny is typically the one to handle it. That said, if a thug falls in combat it is played as Atama getting them back into fighting order.
Johnny is pretty much always wherever Atama is when she's out and about. If Johnny isn't near her typically either Nick or Warren are. If she is alone it's either a rare or prearranged occurrence. Due to the nature of the beast it isn't possible or feasible to always have henchmen present. Likewise, sometimes Atama isn't actually there, but instead it would be Johnny or another thug in her place. It's typical when shopping at the black market, for example.
And while she's not directly controlling them she definitely has an influence on the thugs: most of them are normal humans, and they're often going up against metas or anti-metas. This would end very badly for the thugs if not for her direct influence on them. Part of this is played in her Dark Miasma power set, but much of it is not: she has created a link between herself and them, and it protects them. It's most powerful when attacks are directed at her, but can also make direct attacks that would normally kill them less lethal.
This link is more or less permanent, only broken by loss of concentration or distance from the affected. It's also difficult to detect, as it isn't easily classified: More physical than magical. Those that can read auras may notice oddities, but it wouldn't be readily evident what is causing them. The link also isn't something she can whip up on anyone on whim. Though it would be possible for the link to encompass others, it would take considerable time and familiarity.
Dark Miasma
All of her dark powers are quite natural to her, and appear to be actual physical extensions of her, rather than magical abilities. All of the abilities revolve around draining the afflicted in some way or another, sometimes using that drain to fuel some other beneficial effect. The draining sensation can manifest in many ways: Grogginess, clouded thoughts and judgment or even an abrupt absence of all certainty, often leaving the afflicted disoriented, incapacitated or left trembling.
These afflictions are quick to take effect, and equally quick to subside. A victim may find they've had a temporary lapse in memory if she concentrates on them enough, and may just come to with no awareness of the previous short bit of time, and perhaps a few gunshot wounds to facilitate confusion and dismay.
These powers by themselves cannot physically harm even the most fragile of persons, however they can mentally and emotionally traumatize beyond rehabilitation, though only the already-unstable could be so affected. The true physical symptoms end immediately once her concentration is broken.
Others
Other abilities, whether evident through power sets or through some other less obvious source.
Demon-like Physiology
Easily noticed even at a distance: Large, black and red leathery wings. These allow her to move very quickly in the air. While they're quite powerful, they can't keep her afloat even at a low hover. Nor can she particularly glide very high.
Less noticeable and less frequently used: A spaded tail. With the exception of the spade tip, the tail is boneless, pure muscle, much like one's tongue. As such, it is prehensile and quite capable of gripping even very small objects. Considering she has two very capable hands, she rarely uses it for that purpose. The spade tip is not particularly sharp, but with enough driving force it could be used effectively as a deadly weapon against an unarmored human.
Noticeable from a good distance, especially from the side are her horns. Six of them drive out of the center of her skull, from her forehead to the back of her head, curving back as they extend to a point. They are very tough bone, quite solid and somewhat sharp. While no danger to your average villain, they could easily impale or lacerate an unarmored human. She rarely uses them as a weapon, and is more likely to use the foremost horn in a headbutt due to the awkward positioning of the Pointy Tips of Pain.
Dagger of Erishkigel
This weapon is said to prevent the resurrection of anyone killed by it. And for the most part, that's exactly what it does. Some beings can resist it's curses however, such as Atama and most unbound creatures. She always carries this dagger on her person in a rather well hidden sheath, but she very rarely makes its presence known.
The dagger itself is cursed, and would afflict most humans with insanity within minutes of handling it. Strong magic users and those otherwise strong against such magic would be resistant to the curse. Most those afflicted by the insanity end up killing themselves with the blade.
Due to the nature of the blade, those who can see magical auras will definitely sense it's dark/chaotic presence, but it may appear as though it's coming from Atama, especially to those less sensitive or trained.
Strengths, Limitations and Vulnerabilities
Due to her chaotic nature, and despite her demonic appearance, she carries no 'kryptonite' type weaknesses. There are a number of minor strengths and weaknesses that may drastically change the way she is affected by some things.
As mentioned earlier, she's practically immune to empathy and telepathy and persuasion techniques relying on either. However direct domination techniques, most notably possession, work particularly well with a caveat: The duration of a mind control is very likely to come to an abrupt end earlier than intended, while possession may last quite a bit longer.
Chaos type magic, which are rarely used, are particularly weak against her. The converse is also true: Magic that alters probabilities/chance/luck are particularly strong against her, whether used in her favor or not.
While she is practically immune to most forms of disease and parasites, toxins and poisons can affect her for a very long time. Her natural abilities can cleanse her of most of these, though only if she knows to.
Her metabolic rate is incredibly slow. Enough so that it would appear she doesn't require food, water or sleep. She will eat, occasionally, and usually whatever she eats contains a good amount of moisture, such as berries or melons. She hasn't voluntarily slept since she appeared in the isles, though she's been knocked unconscious a few times.
Known History
What's known about her history is very limited, and even further limited except for a select few. Namely the oldschool gangers, Johnny, Warren and Nick.
Origin
Through something of a freak incident, a scientist's attempt at duplicating portal corp technology for his own ends worked not at all like he'd hoped. Several rips opened in specific points around the earth. Almost all of these had no actual effect on anything. A bit of toxic fumes here, a few alien rocks there, mostly just sharing of atmosphere. From one of these rips Atama fell through, landing in the middle of a Mercy Isle street. Shoftly after, the portal's reactor overloaded and the rips all snapped shut. The whole ordeal was over in less than a second.
The disoriented creature was spotted by Johnny and a few other Mercy citizens and caused a bit of a stir. Johnny was intrigued and decided to take matters into his own hands, moving to capture and subdue the creature as he wondered just what she was.
- TBC*
