BurgerSlave/DaidoJiUrsus
Daido Ji Ursus
For centuries, the Daido Ji family has been one of the most ruthless and sinister criminal powers in the city of Nexus. The bosses of Daido Ji grew fat and wealthy through running drugs and backing gambling casinos. They were notorious for their extortion and jade-laundering businesses. Their legbreakers and enforcers were among the most feared men in all of Nexus. It was even whispered (very quietly) by some that the family's oyabun was in league with certain powers in Malfeas.
It was into this dark and deadly world that Ursus was born. He was a big child when he was born, so big that he killed his mother coming out. But if the criminals of Daido Ji knew any virtue, it was that of solidarity. Through thick or thin, Family takes care of its own. Ursus was raised by various aunts and uncles, indoctrinated at an early age into the criminal underworld of Family business. He was six years old when he killed for the first time. By the time he was ten, he was an accomplished legbreaker. He wasn't the brightest of children, but he was big, and strong enough to overpower a large man twice his age.
Ursus never thought to question his place. He was content to do his Family's bidding. He learned early on not to feel guilty when his victims begged for mercy. After all, the worst thing anyone can do is betray the Family. Those who did went to see the oyabun and were never heard from again. He did not speak much, and was slow to learn. Many believed him to be a simpleton and paid him little mind, and to some extent, this was true. Why should he question his place, after all? The Family would always take care of him.
Ursus gained a reputation as one of the most fearsome legbreakers in all the Daido Ji family. Everyone in Nexus learned that when Ursus the Terrible showed up on your door, it meant you were finished. It wasn't long before Daido Ji had a protection racket going, collecting money from terrified customers eager to avert the Family's wrath. For his part, Ursus was content to simply do as he was told, for he did not want to be sent to the oyabun.
For his part, Ursus lived well. The Family takes care of its own, particularly those who serve with excellent ability. He lived in a nice house in the bottom-most block of Sentinel Hill, ate fine foods, and wore well-tailored clothing. He had his pick of the Harlotry every week, and indulged in exotic intoxicants from all around the world. And yet, despite all this prosperity, Ursus had begun to feel an ache deep inside. Something was terribly wrong, but he did not have the wit to understand what it could be. He dared not complain to his bosses, lest they send him to the oyabun.
Ursus was thirty when he first began to have the dreams. In those dreams, he was a strong and stalwart defender, providing safety and security to those beneath him. He used his mighty strength to provide a bulwark against the enemies of the people, and he was hailed as the greatest of heroes. These dreams would leave him in a cold sweat, shivering and weeping with shame. How he longed to be the man in his dreams. How he yearned for people to cheer for him and chant his name, rather than have them cower away from him, begging him for mercy. But how could he betray the Family?
A time finally came, however, when Ursus' bosses noticed his flagging confidence and his slipping performance. Rumors began to circulate. Perhaps their legbreaker had been seduced by one of the other crime families in Nexus. Maybe he was going soft. Maybe his simplicity was finally getting the better of him. It did not take long for these rumors to reach the Daido Ji oyabun, and he sent word to the bosses. He wanted to meet Ursus the Terrible personally, and perhaps set things to right.
Ursus had never been afraid before in his life, but he quaked with terror that awful night, when he was sent before the oyabun. He did not know what to expect when he was ushered into the finely-appointed chambers. But when he beheld his oyabun for the first time, divine inspiration struck. Without even understanding why or how, Ursus realized Daido Ji's terrible secret. The whispered rumors were true--the Daido Ji oyabun was Demon-Blooded, and his servants were bound demons from Malfeas. In that moment of perfect, shocking clarity, Ursus drew his Second Breath and knew what it was he had to do in order to save his Family from being completely corrupted.
The Hellborn fought with savage fury, and the demons did their best to pull Ursus down. But the Unconquered Sun lent Ursus strength to his arms, and toughened his skin so that their claws could not harm him. One by one, he destroyed the demons and sent them howling back to Malfeas. With the last of his strength, he killed the oyabun, cleansing its taint from the world. When the Daido Ji bosses arrived, Ursus sat in a circle of carnage. That very night, he declared himself oyabun, and admonished anyone who did not wish to follow him to leave the Family forever. Once the truth of the old oyabun got out, there were few who chose to leave.
Over the next few years, Ursus used his newfound insight and intelligence to consolidate his position. Daido Ji pulled out of all its illicit dealings. They stopped running drugs and brothels. They closed down the gambling dens and opium halls. There was only one service Daido Ji would provide from now on: protection. And it would be a fairly priced protection, for everyone deserved safety and security. If not for the Family's blood-soaked past, perhaps Daido Ji might have gone fully legit. But positioned in the shady fringes of the criminal underground was the best place for it, as it allowed Ursus to keep abreast of all the goings on in the city where such things truly mattered.
This rapid about-face drew the attention of many interested parties in Nexus. Not the least of which was Ophilis Ses, head of the Tang-Zen crime syndicate. Power tends to call to power, and it did not take long for the snakeman to dedeuce Ursus' newly Exalted state. In Ses' mind, two Night Castes in the same city was one Night Caste too many, and he sent demands to Ursus that he place Daido Ji at Tang-Zen's service. Of course, Ursus refused, for he would brook no threat to his Family. This was the start of what would become a long-running and bitter feud between the two criminal groups.
It has been fifty years since Ursus' Exaltation. He has accomplished much in that time. Daido Ji has become the top provider of protection in Nexus. All the neighborhoods that pay for Daido Ji protection are happy and healthy places, for the inhabitants know that their jade is well-spent. Ursus himself has sired two children, although his relationship with his sons has been less than successful. In fact, due to Ophilis Ses' meddling, Ursus succumbed to the Great Curse, and killed his younger son in a fit of rage. He has since taken in his granddaughter, Ilya, who has inherited a touch of God Blood from him through her father. Ursus has begun grooming her for the time when she will come to use her gifts for the good of the Family, even though he is still eaten by guilt for murdering his son. He currently travels with his Circle, hoping to find pennance and absolution for his crimes. For more details, see the story Fine Vintages.
Image: Ursus is a large, husky man who, at over eighty years of age, is as strong and healthy as a man of thirty. He keeps his head shaved, but keeps a bushy black goatee around his square jaw. His strawberry nose is crooked from having been broken many a time. His frame is packed thick with powerful muscle, which has only grown with his Exaltation. Though his intelligence has grown over the years, he still speaks with the rough, uncultured manner he learned as a common thug, preferring to cultivate an air of ignorance so that his opponents might underestimate him. He likes to dress in fine clothing, reflecting his station as the Daido Ji oyabun, and enjoys the finest sake and tobacco in all of Nexus.
Statistics
Name: Daido Ji Ursus
Nature: Bravo
Caste: Night
Anima: A dark golden bear surrounded by dark blue-black fire, which rears up and bellows soundlessly.
Strength 6 (Bustin' Heads), Dexterity 2, Stamina 5 (Takin' It)
Charisma 4 (Looming), Manipulation 3, Appearance 2
Perception 5 (Keen-Eared), Intelligence 3, Wits 2
Favored Abilities: Brawl 5, Endurance 5, Presence 5, Resistance 5, Investigation 3, Athletics 5, Awareness 5, Dodge 1, Larceny 5, Stealth 3
Abilities: Craft (Calligraphy) 1, Lore 1, Bureaucracy 1, Ride 1, Socialize 2
Specialities: Intimidation (Presence) +3
Backgrounds: Artifact 1 (orichalcum smashfists), Backing 5 (Daido Ji family), Influence 2, Resources 3
Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 3, Temperance 1, Valor 5
Virtue Flaw: Berserk Anger
Advantages: Willpower 8, Essence 4 (Personal 20, Peripheral 47)
Charms: Ferocious Jab, Thunderclap Rush Attack, Hammer on Iron Technique, Ox-Body Technique x2 (+2 -1 HL, +4 -2 HL), Essence Gathering Temper, Harmonious Presence Meditation, Durability of Oak Meditation, Spirit Strengthens the Skin, Graceful Crane Stance, Monkey Leap Technique, Lightning Speed, Increasing Strength Exercise, Sensory Acuity Prana, Keen Hearing and Touch Technique, Unsurpassed Hearing and Touch Discipline, Keen Sight Technique, Owl-Eye Technique, Barrier Bypassing Senses, Surprise Anticipation Method, Seasoned Criminal Method, Flawless Pickpocketing Technique, Easily Overlooked Presence Method, Invisible Statue Spirit, Mastery of Small Manners
Combos: Da Tao of Da Bloody Knuckles (Durability of Oak Meditation + Spirit Strengthens the Skin
Merits: Legendary Strength +3, Large +4, Lucky +3
Flaws: Disciple -3 (Ilya), Rival -3 (Ophilis Ses), Greater Curse -3, Wanted -1
