Chapter 13: Ra's al Ghul
Title of the leader of the League (of Assassins). The title is assumed upon the death of the previous leader. The new leader gives up all former names when they assume this title. The character in this story is a combination of both the Arrowverse and the DCU versions of Ra's al Ghul. The League of Assassins is the name given to the League by the outside world.
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ORIGIN:
Ra's was born several hundred years ago in the Middle East. His village experienced tragedy and he killed his first man defending his family from raiders. He joined the League not long after the death of his entire family at the hands of raiders. Ra's served in the League faithfully. He rose to the rank of Fasir (Horseman) under the former Ra's al Ghul. He was the Fasir (Horseman) who led the Demon's Claw, Makhlak al Ghul. He became close to another Fasir (Horseman). Damien Dahrk. Dahrk led the Demon's Venom, Daghn al Ghul. (See description for the League.)
The former Ra's al Ghul chose the current Ra's al Ghul to be his chosen Heir. One of his duties as the chosen Heir was to kill all rivals for the title of Ra's al Ghul. His friend Damien Dahrk also coveted the title, but Ra's failed to kill Dahrk. Dahrk fled the League and created HIVE. HIVE evolved into an organization bent on destroying the goals of the League.
Ra's al Ghul has not found a worthy Heir at this time. He felt that Bruce Wayne was a man worthy of the title, but Bruce refused to join the League. Ra's al Ghul knows that his time as Ra's al Ghul is ending. The Lazarus Pits are not as effective at healing him any longer. He knows that he has perhaps 50 years of life left before they fail.
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FAMILY:
Ra's al Ghul has had three children by various women over his long life. All of these women were given to him for the League's assistance.
Dusan al Ghul was born albino. Ra's was born in the Middle East. Albinism was a curse and children are often killed at birth. Ra's could not kill his firstborn. Instead, he trained him and sent him to the priesthood. His condition would make him ineffective outside of the priesthood.
Talia al Ghul was born almost 20 years after Dusan. She is brilliant tactician and very talented. It was when she led the Demon's Fang, Nab al Ghul, that Ra's became aware of Bruce Wayne. Talia became infatuated with the man. Talia now leads the intelligence division of the League. The Demon's Shadows; Alzalil al Ghul.
Nyssa al Ghul was born 20 years after Talia. She is still young and passionate. She has a martial skill that is matched by few in the League. She is a Wahy. She can see ghosts and spirits at the Great Nexus of Nanda Parbat, but she has no magical talent. She trained in the Demon's Venom before taking leadership of the Demon's Fang. She would prefer not to lead, but as a child of Ra's she will hold the title of Heir until one is chosen.
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MY AU MOTIVATION:
Ra's al Ghul has been a member of the League since he was a young boy. He was indoctrinated into the culture of the League before his teenage years. This had a huge impact on his personality and his motivations. Everything he does is for the good of balance and the League. Every command he gives is weighed against the League Code and balance.
The League was created at the direction of the Source to ensure the balance between good and evil. The League was charged by the Source with ensuring that evil could never outbalance good. That even extreme good could become evil if left unchecked.
Ra's is motivated to ensure this balance is maintained. He will consider all angles and often consults his Fasir for the best approach. He prefers to eliminate the source of the evil and those most heavily influenced by evil, instead of killing all around that evil. He follows the League saying replace evil with death for any source of evil. True evil. Not just wrong actions as determined by outside society.
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PERSONALITY:
Ra's is very reserved. He has lived a long life, but his original culture was from the Middle East. It was very patriarchal. Men in his culture were reserved. They preferred duty and honor to random acts of emotion. They saw brigands and bandits as overly emotional fools. To this end, he takes his duty and responsibility with the League and his children very seriously. Honor is very important to him.
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NOTES:
With the character of Ra's al Ghul, I found that both the Arrowverse and the DCU took opposite directions for this character. Many of his personality traits stayed with both. Some were even contrary to the story they were spinning. I mixed and matched and came up with a believable backstory. How the character of Ra's al Ghul developed had a huge impact on how I spent time World Building the League. I am very proud of this character.
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