Supervillainy A-To-Z: D is for Doomsayer

I am having one of those weeks.
 
OK, actually, I'm having one of those lives. You know the kind. Like Charlie Brown has.
 
Roger Ebert, film critic and genuinely funny individual, has passed at the age of 70. My business is about to become a bit slower, which is never good. A favorite local dining spot is set to move downtown.
 
Is there any good news? Why yes, there is.
 
Happy Whisk and her husband, Tim Shorts of Gothridge Manor fame, celebrate their 10 year wedding anniversary today. This makes me smile as both are the nicest of people.

A new RPG is available called 'Worlds Apart' which uses the classic Traveller RPG rules system, especially the you-can-die-in-the-process character creation, to run Medieval Fantasy! Reminds me a bit of the Japanese TRPG Sword World (the original, 1st Edition). That needs checking out.

I am up to Day 4 of the Challenge and I am still enjoying it and liking the characters I am posting. Much more than the preparations I am making for actually running a new Superheroes game. Crap. I'm back to sad.

Well, this oughta cheer me up...

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DOOMSAYER
 

 

 

True Identity: Deaven Mosley

Description/Appearance: Underneath his light body armor and stylized skull helmet, Deaven Mosley is a handsome African American male in his mid-thirties with short cut hair and strangely pale brown, almost amber, eyes. He is slim, with a tight muscular build. Mosley stands about 6 feet tall and weighs about 160 lbs. with his gear and protective clothing. Add a few inches and a dozen pounds for his paraphernalia.

His armor consists of a series of lightweight polymer plates over a ballistic cloth mesh. His helmet, aside from being intimidating in appearance, is made of the same polymer as his armor. It contains HUD displays and range finders as well as specialized vocalization and speaker enhancements to carry his power to his enemies even across a raucous battlefield.

Origin and Background: Deaven Mosley was born and raised in rural Mississippi. His father was poor, his father having been killed in action overseas and his uncle injured in the same conflict. On his return to the states, Mosley's uncle grew to be a Judgment Day/End of the World herald, proclaiming its near future arrival on a nearly daily basis.

At a very early age Mosley left school to get a job to support his family. Eventually, Mosley returned, finished high school and qualified to enter the military himself. While his remaining family was against this, he determined it to be the best way to help support them.

After basic training, Mosley saw action immediately and it was thoroughly life changing. He snapped a little, more than anyone realized, and remembering all the apocalyptic warnings of his uncle he began to see signs of the end of days everywhere he turned. While he excelled at being a soldier, even showing signs of leadership level thinking, no one wanted to serve with him or under him because of his negative, gloom shrouded outlook.

On his final mission with the US armed forces, Mosley watched his entire group die in a hail of automatic weapon fire (as he knew they would) as he dove behind cover. Looking over the wreckage that hid him he saw the man who had done the damage and yelled out, "I curse you! You're time on this Earth can be measured in minutes." The man took off running and stepped on the only active land mine within a hundred yards.

Mosley wouldn't stop saying how he had killed that man by cursing him and eventually he was discharged from active duty due to mental illness. While on his way to a meeting with a military psychiatrist, Mosley jumped from the vehicle he was in, certain it would crash...and it did. Not long after, Mosley was approached by a mysterious organization calling itself 'The Last Rite'. The group explained that Mosley had a gift, a special power and the only way to truly be safe from Judgment Day was to be among the judges. Mosley excepted their offer to work as one of their agents under the name Doomsayer.

Powers and Abilities: An accomplished military officer, Doomsayer has been further trained by 'The Last Rite' to become one of the world's best gunmen and a skilled martial artist. He is generally encountered equipped to two automatic pistols and a heavier handgun firing explosive rounds.

For reasons as yet unknown, Mosley has the power to bestow 'bad luck' on a target by talking to them. Essentially, by communicating with an individual verbally, Mosley alters the nature of probability on that person. The results are Murphy's Law in the worst possible way. As a personal affectation, Doomsayer has come to begin such an 'attack' by saying the target's name followed by, "I am your doom".

Personality and Motivations: It is unclear at this point what continues to motivate Mosley, other than the fact that his family now lives quite comfortably, having been wired hundreds of thousands of dollars through hundreds of false fronts and dummy money transfer services.

In truth, Doomsayer may really believe his own rhetoric. He may feel the world is coming to an end and he would rather be an usher than one of the billions soon to be swept off the stage.

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Doomsayer has never been used before and was created only a week ago specifically for the next Champions campaign I intend to run and this A-to-Z Challenge. His concept is inspired by many characters and ideas including such Supervillain mercenaries as Taskmaster, Deathstroke and Deadshot, as well as the anti-hero 'Merc with a Mouth' Deadpool.

Doomsayer for ICONS:



 

 

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UPDATE: Comic Book Artist, Publisher and Legend Carmine Infantino has passed away at the age of 87. Rest in peace Mr. Infantino. Sorry, Carmine. He taught at my college and I met him many times. He'd get mad if you didn't call him Carmine.

 

See, one of those weeks.

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