YUNLONG

BIOGRAPHY

Xu Yunlong was born in to wealth. Born in Hong Kong to a businessman turned Triad boss, Xu was practically a prince. He was groomed from an early age to take over the 'family business' so to speak, with only the best education in martial arts and business. Had he gone legitimate he may have been one of China's greatest lawmakers, graduating from an overseas tenure at Harvard in only a few short years. At the young age of twenty five Xu was already making a name for himself as an attorney at law and a broker for the Demon's Hand gang operated by his father. By this point in the world the existence of magical beings and the validity of the ancient mysteries of magic had intrigued him and he began to covet a dark power. His family held more power in China than many politicians, but he wanted more. [break][break]

Xu got his chance unexpectedly. Victims of a coup from the Hand's top enforcers the entire Xu family was shot and butchered in a display of power, Xu clutching a dark tome he had purchased from an unsightly hag some days before. As his blood mingled in the pages he found himself in contact with a dark power that had slept sealed within for ages. The demon whispered words of power, of becoming a god like those in the days of old, and of averting his own death if only he entered in to an agreement. Despite the shock of the situation Xu took his chances to bargain with this dark power. A deal was struck; his life would be returned to him and the powers of dark magic would become his for a tithe of his soul. But Xu was crafty; he did not pledge his soul but made a bargain. In his readings he had learned that consuming souls could grant power greater than what this dark being had. The demon agrees with the man's arguing and in an instant he found himself back in his body, cold and cut open by the attack, and he took his revenge. The enforcers never expected the heir to the criminal enterprise to be returned to life and were no match for the new dark powers he held. In the ten years since that day Xu has become one of the most powerful dark magi on the planet; the Demon's Hand found themselves with new power as the magi gathered dark spirits and bound them to his lessers at the cost of their souls. The spirits found new life and the destitute, awful men of the Demon's Hand turned from street thugs to monsters.[break][break]

The Demon's Hand spread across the world as Xu's ambition drove them onward, for he craved power and control and he would do anything to get it. Many in the super human community have come to understand that the Demon King Xu Yunlong is a supervillain but the clever man has been quite careful to never give himself away. There is always an air of plausible deniability to what he does; he simply owns a large Chinese company and employs those less fortunate, what's wrong with that? The mysterious circumstances regarding the death of his family remain unsolved, and with each new recruit Xu's power grows, to the point where even powerful demons seek to be bound to the souls of his enforcers for a chance to wreak mischief and havoc upon the world. So long as they do as he says, he's quite happy to oblige them...[break][break]

In recent days Reign has brought the Demon King in to their fold, though their reasons for doing so are shrouded in mystery as anything regarding the shadowy organization is. Xu is happy to make use of their resources as he grows his power.

CHARACTER POWERS

✰ DARK ARTS [break]
Dark Arts [break][break]

A powerful practitioner of dark magic, the Demon King can bend the laws of the universe and magic at his whim. He gains his power through a contract with a dark entity in exchange for souls, each one granting Xu more power. He is capable of calling down eldritch blasts that tear the fabric of reality, bind the souls of those who enter in to pacts with him to demonic spirits, twisting the flesh of men in to monstrous forms, even summoning demons from the beyond and binding them to his will such is his power. The cost of magic however is that it takes time to prepare and use spells properly; one cannot simply clap their hands and tear the world asunder. Powerful magi or not there are rules to be observed and procedures to take for all spells and the winds of magic do not treat with disrespect kindly. As such if he is called on to fight himself the Demon King will channel his eldritch power inwards to enhance his physical abilities. [break][break]

Eldritch Blast: A powerful blast of channeled evil, the Demon King can summon blasts of energy at will powerful enough to break down diamond at the molecular level. They range in power from anywhere to the force of a fist to being hit in the face with the power of a black star. He prefers to use it channeled through his own body in destructive close combat moves, infusing his body with dark energy to punch with the force of a freight train or weather blows by mighty super heroes and move with short bursts of incredible hundred-mile-an-hour speed. [break][break]

X - As with all magic, channeling energy uses power and stamina. The Demon King is an incredibly skilled and powerful caster but even he must keep a close eye on himself lest he overextend. The more powerful the blast, the more it draws on him. Additionally the power he calls upon is dark in nature and suffers when used against beings and magic of light. It can also be warded with proper spell precautions or redirected through magic crystals if one is well prepared. He has a great amount of magical energy and can project eldritch blasts of wall punching strength for hours, but applying more magic takes more of his energy. At his maximum his eldritch blast could destroy a city block, but his power would be nearly spent doing so. The natural recharging of his magical energy depends largely on lunar cycles and complicated rituals, but he's ready to go again with basic spells in a matter of hours if he doesn't have something on hand to restore energy directly. [break][break]

Teleportation: By opening a corridor through a dark realm Xu can cover great distances in the blink of an eye. Travel through this dark dimension still takes time, but with it he can be anywhere. [break][break]

X - Unlike simpler teleportation, Xu's method of teleporting requires him to first create and then enter a portal. If he is interrupted in his casting and unable to open a portal he cannot teleport, and he does have to have some idea of where he's going. Teleporting to a bank vault is all well and good but he has to know the layout of the inside lest he exit his portal in to solid wall. [break][break]

Conjuration: With the proper preparation and incantations Xu can call forth demons and wayward spirits from the world and bind them to his service. By forging a contract with willing (or otherwise) members of his crime syndicate he can bind these demons to them to grant the demon a host and himself more power. He is also capable of conjuring more mundane things like clothes, weapons or ammunition provided he knows what it is he's looking for. [break][break]

X - Depending on the size and power of the thing Xu is attempting to summon he may need to set up rituals or perform certain rites to call forth what he seeks; greater demons that aren't simply drifting aimlessly in Earth's realm typically require a sacrifice and supplications to draw them in. For objects Xu has to know specifically what it is he's looking for in many cases; summoning a straw or 9mm bullets is one thing, but if he were to summon a specific magic item such as Excalibur he would need to actually know where it was and be able to break seals around particular objects. Like most magic these rituals can be interrupted or thwarted, and take some time and magic energy on the part of the conjurer to complete.[break][break]

Curse manipulation: The power to lay curses upon someone is perhaps what dark magi are best known for, and Xu too possesses this power. He can curse those he dislikes by either alchemical or magical means, perhaps robbing one of their powers or inflicting them with horrible luck, or even giving them an illness that cannot be cured by modern medicine. [break][break]

X - Curses are tricky things that must be prepared carefully. A potion or amulet must be carefully sealed and physical contact must be made with the one you wish to curse, lest the fickle winds of magic inflict a caster with their own curse. Curses must be discussed in advanced with other players and will not be placed without permission. [break][break]

Extrasensory Perception: As a powerful magi, the Demon King can sense the presence of magic and magical entities near him. The more powerful the magic the easier it is to detect. [break][break]

X - While Xu can detect magic and spirits intuitively, magical beings can hide themselves from him through a number of means both physical and mystical. Certain kinds of crystals block his perception, as do masking spells. He may also not be able to pinpoint where exactly the magic he detects is coming from, but he is exceptionally perceptive of magic not tainted by evil like his [break][break]

Mutation inductment: Using his dark power and the soul of one of his bound servants Xu can twist the forms of men in to horrible monsters. This is an endeavor that takes time but once performed the demon within now has full control of the proxy body, giving him an army of not just criminals but proper monsters. [break][break]

X - The more powerful the demonic form he creates, the longer it takes to perform the ritual. He cannot simply snap his fingers and create a dragon, though he can create simple beasts given flesh in this manner. Golems of rubble or whatever happens to be handy at the time are easiest, but are also the weakest, while some are towering monstrosities that it takes hours to craft in to the perfect killing machine. This cannot be performed on unwilling player characters. [break][break]

Life Manipulation: A devious twist of his negotiations with the dark power that revived him, the Demon King is nearly immortal. Make no mistake his body can be broken and he can be killed, but his soul will not move on. One of those who has given over his soul to the dark powers will be taken instead and Xu returned to life some time later, making the proliferation of his bound subjects worse than it already is. He can also restore his physical injuries by draining the life force from someone else he touches. It remains to be seen how long the dark powers will make use of him however... [break][break]

X - While he is powerful when channeling magic, Xu is still a man. He can weather an enormous amount of punishment but wear through his magical reserves of pierce his dark magic with light and he can be killed as any man. The revival process takes between a few hours and a few days. His wounds also do not heal on their own like a normal man; he must drain the life force of another being to heal. This may be used on PCs only when discussed with the player. [break][break]

↣ SPELL CASTING [break]
Spell Casting [break][break]

In addition to his dark magic spells the Demon King can cast any variety of spells. He cannot use light magic due to his connection to the dark, but he is capable of learning and executing most other spells with the right resources. The most powerful spell he can summon is a meteor storm of eldritch wrath capable of decimating an entire city and more, but the casting of such powerful spells requires a great deal of preparation and concentration (and an event purchase from the shop) and isn't likely to manifest itself often. [break][break] [break][break]

MISC.

⍟ QUOTE/CATCHPHRASE:[break][break]

"A pleasure doing business with you." [break][break]


✽ Shaolin Kung Fu [break][break]

A style of martial arts known around the world, Xu is a skilled practitioner of Shaolin Kung Fu. He's a formidable fighter up close and combines his eldritch magic with his own body to make himself far stronger than a normal man. His skill makes him hard to contend with. [break][break]

✽ Lawyer's Wisdom [break][break]

After obtaining his law degree from one of the world's most prestigious learning institutions, Xu is very intelligent and very knowledgeable about international law. He knows exactly how far he can push without incurring investigations or arrests and makes sure to maintain a level of plausible deniability most of the time. [break][break]

✽ 9mm pistol [break][break]

A rather basic handgun that remains in a small black box in his bedroom until it is needed, sometimes sending someone to the shadow realm is just not as efficient as a bullet to the back of the head. [break][break]

✽ Mystic Artefacts [break][break]

A result of years of purchases and bargains across the globe, Xu can call upon a number of magic artefacts to aid him in his rituals and summonings and is always on the hunt for rare and exotic pieces to add to his collection. While none of them are of much direct use should a fight arise, these summoning tools mean he is well equiped to expand his power base while he seeks out objects of power.

✽ Jueyun Electronics Stipend [break][break]

As the new CEO and heir of a large electronics company, most people don't know the name Jueyun Electronics. They primarily make components that go in to everything from microwaves to smart phones and occasionally push out mobile games. He is immensely wealthy as a result even without the criminal enterprise. [break][break]

✽ The Devil's Hand [break][break]

A street gang started nearly forty years ago by Xu's father, the Devil's Hand has become an international crime syndicate with its hands in everything from drugs to assassinations to illegal weapons dealing to shaking down street vendors for protection money. They're most well known as a super criminal organization interested in magic artefacts and known for their dangerous enforcers, their souls bound to demons and their bodies twisted in to inhuman monsters in the pursuit of power. At the head of this organization sits the Demon King, Xu Yunlong, known to the hero community as a criminal despite the lack of hard evidence to bring him to justice.[break][break]