Chapter 25: Obeah Man
Obeah Man is a pure DCU villain. I borrowed him for my story. It helps my kids to see Batman while they are in training. Ra's al Ghul already knows about Batman. This lets the idea tickle their brain. A Batman-Green Arrow conversation is percolating at the back of my brain. In this AU it is YEARS away.
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ORIGIN:
Obeah Man is a Haitian criminal. He discovered his limited abilities with illusion early on in his life. His research into the occult exposed him to Voodoo and all of their imagery. The more he studied, the more certain he became that he could use the beliefs of local Haitians to gain power. His natural hatred of Americans and white men cemented his schemes. He uses his knowledge of Voodoo to present himself as a learned Obeah. A Voodoo priest. He discovered ways to use death and torture to create power. The local Haitians became his followers. He would prey on the tourists from America to fuel his greed for power.
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FAMILY:
Obeah Man has no family.
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MOTIVATION:
Obeah Man is motivated by greed and power. He frequently used torture and death to get his followers to believe in his powers. He has some small bit of magic, but he is far more knowledgeable about how people work. He easily swayed the malleable minds of his followers into doing his bidding. He uses his magic to form illusions to influence the minds of his followers and to induce fear in his victims. He uses their hatred of America and white men to provide himself with power.
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PERSONALITY:
Obeah Man has a strong personality. He is very convincing and confident in his knowledge. He frequently calls upon Baron Samedi and Papa Legba as if those spirits give him his powers. They don't. The death of his victims releases power. It is often used to cement is followers into the beliefs he desires. He preys upon the minds of his followers. By using his illusions, he gives the appearance of divine influence.
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ABILITIES:
Magic: Minor ability. His skill is limited to illusion casting. Death magic rituals boost this power.
Occultism: Focus on Voodoo native to Haiti. He has learned how best to use his illusions to influence the minds of those who believe in the native spiritualism of Voodoo. He claims the title of Obeah or priest in that culture to claim a spiritual connection and power over his followers.
Hand-to-hand Combat: He has gained some minor skill with hand-to-hand combat and with the knife in combat, but relies on surprise as his main tactic. This does poorly against a skilled combatant.
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NOTES:
The DCU is good for one thing… the many established characters with it. Obeah Man is the DC villain who is responsible for the death of Janet Drake and the coma of Jack Drake (Detective Comics #618-621, Rite of Passage). The story plays out basically the same in my AU. My characters do not interfere with Batman. They just help and clean up the mess. Batman leaves with the Drakes. I allowed myself to vent some of Batman's tactics through my characters. Remember, Oliver is very young at this point and has killed. He just doesn't get Batman's perspective. This influences how Oliver sees Batman's actions.
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