Lord Alamout
Context
Lord Alamout was one of the attempts at using the Masters of the Assassins, a Middle-Eastern legendary figure, as the basis for a comic book character. I suppose that Ra’s al Ghul was the most successful among those.
The redoubtable Alamout clashed with the vigilante X in the super-hero series published by Dark Horse Comics during the early 1990s.
Background
- Real Name: Unrevealed.
- Marital Status: Unrevealed.
- Known Relatives: None.
- Group Affiliation: The Assassins.
- Base Of Operations: Arcadia.
- Height: 6’ Weight: 205 lbs.
- Eyes: Green Hair: Black
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Powers and Abilities
Alamout is a highly skilled swordsman, and an excellent mastermind, spy and actor.
He has an army of sword-wielding, brainwashed teenagers at his command.
His plans are exquisite pieces of efficient viciousness.
History
Alamout claims to be the near-immortal descendant of Hassan ibn Sabbah, the historical Master of Hashishin, better known as the Old Man of the Mountain.
Alamout’s actual lifespan, date of birth, etc. are unrevealed. His physical appearance is uncertain, as there is a high chance that even his usual appearance is a mask.
He owns large high-tech facilities in Arcadia where numerous teenagers are brainwashed using drugs and a VR rig. Just like the Assassins of old, they see and experience “Heaven”;
When they are unplugged from their VR paradise, they are told that they will return to Heaven if they please the Master. And that if they die on a mission, the Master will send angels to take them to Paradise forever.
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A vigilante comes to Arcadia
It seems that Alamout has been building a power base from the shadows, manipulating second-tier players through murder and terror, for a few years before X started his crusade in Arcadia.
Alamout had X captured, but the brainwashing didn’t go right. The drugs could barely affect the vigilante, and X’s subconscious kept twisting the VR scenario.
Alamout gave him a sabre and sent him on a mission against Arcadia’s crime lord, Carmine Tango. But when rising his weapon to strike X had a vision from the past and snapped out of his conditioning.
The rule of X
X now had to be eliminated. Alamout told the police where X’s base was. Although X escaped arrest, his base was destroyed.
Alamout then had data about Mafia heiress Diana Goretti’s secret financial connections with X leaked to Tango, leading to a war between the two.
Alamout’s next machination was to impersonate another Arcadia player named Teal. He arranged for X to locate him, then unexpectedly drove a sword in the vigilante’s chest. Lord Alamout’s assassins finished the badly wounded X, killing him. X’s corpse was thrown in Arcadia’s bay.
Alamout then started impersonating X. He aimed to bring all crime lords in Arcadia under his rule by finishing what X had started. Disguised as X, he surprised Carmine Tango in the middle of the night and had him call a conference of Arcadia’s underworld in a stadium.
However, the conference was rushed by the true X, who had again survived. He and Alamout duelled with swords. But it was a trick – X had not intention of abiding by the implicit rules of such a duel. He gunned down Alamout by surprise before stabbing him with his own sword.
Description
See illustrations.
Personality
Smooth, slick operator with huge ambitions and inexhaustible patience.
Alamout is in love with his own voice. He often launches into long, elaborate speeches about various philosophical matters.
He considers himself so skilled as to be invincible and always in control, and will not hesitate to conduct some parts of his operations personally (notably those that include disguises and manipulation) or challenge his foes to a sword duel to the death.
Alamout enjoys being in control. He’d much rather break and control an adversary, unlocking all of his mysteries, than simply slay him.
Quotes
“It was fated that we meet, and that you should take the worst of it.”
DC Universe History
Alamout can be ported over intact as a Batman foe. Perhaps he’s the former leader, or some sort of secret master or renegade member, of the League of Assassins.
He’s not *quite* redundant with Ra’s al Ghul, but there probably exist a connection between the two… Or Alamout might actually not be from the Middle-East in any way, and exploit a body of tales completely unrelated to his own heritage.
For extra points he could be from a rarely-featured-in-comics area, such as being a Malay or Argentinean passing himself for a pulp fiction Arab using masks and theatrics.
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Lord Alamout
| Dex: 07 | Str: 04 | Bod: 05 | Motivation: Power |
| Int: 07 | Wil: 06 | Min: 05 | Occupation: Master of assassins |
| Inf: 06 | Aur: 05 | Spi: 05 | Resources {or Wealth}: 015 |
| Init: 022 | HP: 040 |
Skills:
Artist (actor): 08, Charisma: 08, Martial artist*: 07, Weaponry (melee): 10
Advantages:
Expertise (Disguise), Scholar (Arcadian underworld), Schtick (Paired swords).
Connections:
His assassins (High), Underworld (Low).
Drawbacks:
MIA toward Power.
Equipment:
- Katana [BODY 09, Enhance (EV): 02 (cap is 09), Descriptor: Slashing, Piercing, Recommended STR 02].
- Blow pipe [BODY 01, Poison touch: 09, Range: 03, Ammo 01, Limitation: cannot penetrate physical EVs above 06 or any level of Skin Armour or Force Field/Shield].
Night of the ninja
Alamout’s assassins dress more or less like Japanese ninja, all in dark gray. Their eyes glow red, and their melee weapons do not look particularly Japanese. Their combat training is not very good – what’s important is that they’re numerous and ready to die. They operate in groups of at least six when engaging a capable fighter.
| Dex: 03 | Str: 03 | Bod: 03 | Motivation: Fanatic |
| Int: 03 | Wil: 04 | Min: 04 | Occupation: Thug |
| Inf: 03 | Aur: 02 | Spi: 05 | Resources {or Wealth}: 000 |
| Init: 009 | HP: 005 |
Skills:
Acrobatics: 04, Thief (Stealth): 06, Weaponry (Melee): 04
Advantages:
Iron Nerves.
Drawbacks:
Age (Young), CIA toward Obeying the Master of Assassins.
Equipment:
Short sabre [BODY 04, Enhance (EV): 02 (cap is 05), Descriptor: Slashing]. They often have a pair of those, but that gives them no bonus.
The brainwashing equipment is considered to have Control: 07 over the assassins. If the subject physically resists the drugs and other chemical treatments (BODY/BODY against an AV/OV of 07/07, Systemic Antidote applies), the efficiency of this Control is lowered to 05.
Source of Character: Dark Horse’s CGW.