Overview[]

Mercenary


File:Cat2.jpg

Name:	Shen Kuei
AKA:	None
Codename:	The Cat
Age:	27
Race:	Human
Role:	Neutral
Type:	Marvel FC
Registration:	Unregistered

The Cat

You make for a very formidable opponent, Mr. Wilson. Though for some reason, I seem to be the only one doing the talking. Ah, yes, of course, I ruptured your trachea. How rude of me.

One of the foremost martial art masters, espionage, counter-espionage, bodyguards and infiltration experts that money can buy, the Cat has relocated to New York City, hoping for things to be more interesting. However, it might end up that curiosity does indeed kill the cat...

Sheet[]

Character Sheet

Abilities: Attributes

Intelligence: 6, Physical Condition: 3-4, Willpower: 7

Abilities: Skills

Acrobatics: 8, Chi Manipulation: 5-7, Covert Ops: 9, Martial Arts: 10, Perception: 7, Ranged Weaponry: 8, Tactics: 8

Abilities: Gear

Armor: 4-6, Equipment: 1-6, Glasses

Advantages: Information Network, Safehouses, Wealthy

Flaws: Anger, Bare Minimum, Hard to Hire, Honor, Professional, Public Identity, Renegade, Reputation, Son, Tainted, The Tattoo

Languages: ASL, Arabic, Cantonese, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, and Xiang

Abilities

Attributes: Intelligence (6)

Shen Kuei has always been an exceptionally gifted individual from birth, and his capacity to learn both quickly and efficiently has been what could be called the Cat's greatest innate power. Such becomes evident in the level of mastery he has obtained in many skills despite a relatively young age that rival some of the greatest who have ever lived, able to intimately and intuitively learn things in a fraction of the time, and with an always insatiable appetite to improve himself mentally and physically. This limitless potential was fully embraced since he was 4 by a grandmaster, and further by the Chinese government. It is what truly defines him compared to the purity and directness of his rival, possessing all the benefits of an exceptional IQ, and extending to his success in multiple avenues as a mercenary, martial artist, and shadow agent.

Attributes: Physical Condition (3-4)

Note: Strength and Toughness are 3, Dexterity is 4.

Shen Kuei has been performing monstrous feats to master his physical and mental abilities since he was only four years old, and has never slacked a single day in the pursuits. He has carefully assumed the precise body type he desired, one exceptionally flexible yet allowing for incredible strength, and dexterity at the peak of human ability. Although he looks slender and lean, special training has resulted in his muscles having incredible power, and he is able to go toe to toe with the best in the human world without being a step behind. He is far stronger than he looks, even his rival admitting being inferior to him in pure mundane strength.

Attributes: Willpower (7)

Through a life perfecting body and mind in the pursuit of martial perfection, combined with an extraordinary self-confidence and extensive training to resist and endure a broad spectrum of distractions, both painful and horrifying, the Cat has achieved an extreme level of willpower. However, he still has a spark of anger and arrogance within, tainting him and preventing him from transcending to the zen-like levels of others able to manipulate chi.

Gear: Armor (4-6)

Although the actual amount of armor that the Cat wears varies wildly, at his utmost peak he dons a full bodysuit of reinforced kevlar and advanced ceramic inserts, with a zipper down the front to his stomach (Just in case anyone has to see the tattoo.) The overall toughness of this is 5 to most Arsenal weapons, and 4 to impact forces. On certain portions of his armor he usually wears special titanium-ceramic composite reinforcements, which can stop automatic weaponry or almost any bladed melee weapon, which he uses to great effect and allows him to fight enemies with melee weapons unarmed with almost no handicap. His favoured outfit is a simple black trenchcoat with gloves, with the titanium-ceramic composites on the outside edge of his right forearm and bicep, allowing him maximum mobility. He tends to wear the bare minimum, and much of his early career he wore naught but flowing pants.

Gear: Equipment (1-6)

The Cat has no lack of items and toys to use, depending on his needs. Through extensive black market connections that include the most cutting edge in modern technology, including some a bit beyond, he can outfit himself with a variety of equipment depending on what is needed. Goggles with advanced thermal and night vision and anti-flare capacities that have access to private databases and advanced facial recognition technology, trackers palm-sized blowtorches able to melt through titanium, equipment to scale buildings, machines to interface and assist with hacking, special bodysuits that completely remove his scent, thermal signature, and even the sound of him breathing or his heartbeat. He only uses them on a 'need to' basis; he prefers the bare minimum, for his ultimate desire is to succeed with his own merits and not depend on technology as much as possible. He also has weaponry ranging from high end blades, throwing knives, shuriken, multiple types of staffs and other martial weaponry of a very high quality, tasers, flashbombs, smoke bombs, and even pistols or blowguns able to use potent tranquillizer or poisons lethal enough to put the strongest of regenerators down for a long period of time, as well as demolition charges and other explosives that could rupture through steel doors and reinforced walls if he lacks more subtle methods, all compacted to a minimal shape. He has assembled enough gadgets to be called the Mancat (Catman is taken) and roam as a caped vigilante with all these tools in tow, but that is far beneath him.

Gear: Glasses

Often, the Cat wears a pair of wraparound sunglasses flush with his skin. Although this does make him indeed look cool, they seal his eyes from irritating chemicals such as tear gas, and also will mute sudden flashes of light to harmless levels, removing some common methods of incapacitating mundane humans from the equation.

Skills: Acrobatics (8)

A cat always lands on his feet, and one of the primary advantages he possesses within the realm of human abilities is that he has an almost perfect centre of balance, able to fight at maximum effectiveness even on slippery, treacherous, complex, or slick environments that others might struggle with, which he can then use to his advantage. He is capable of moving light as a feather, leaping from wall to wall, running at full speed across a lax line or very narrow beam, or doing multiple backflips and other complex evasions through his martial principals allowing him momentary bursts of explosive strength. His abilities at parkour are similarly at a phenomenal level, and he can climb things with bare fingers and shoes that should be impossible for most. This makes him exceptionally difficult to pin down or strike if he is aware such is coming, and can evade gunfire and other attacks with surprising ease by tracking the motion of the barrel and when one's finger squeezes, rather than reacting to the bullet itself.

Skills: Chi Manipulation (5-7)

Mental Break: After a few seconds of focus, Shen Kuei's willpower is temporarily bolstered by a focused burst of chi. This can dilute even high end effects like the darkforce which locks one into a fantasy world, allowing his naturally high willpower to overcome what is left. If he is unable to assume the meditative stance, this power cannot be used. Psychic Shield Rating: 7.

Physical Boost: Shen Kuei can strike with an impact force able to shatter stone and dent steel, at a Strength Rating of 5. This can be done in a split second in the midst of active combat. However, this is weaker than his rival, although he has focused on other aspects. It is also equally steeped in technique, and cannot be used without being able to use a full martial motion unimpeded. Minor boosts at Strength 4, that can shatter through wooden walls and the like, can be incorporated into his normal martial arts. With a split second and time to assume a defensive stance, his Toughness becomes 5 against impact blows such as blunt weapons or martial strikes for a half-second. Against other forms of trauma, it becomes a Toughness Rating of 4. If in a position he cannot take this stance, such as mid-air, it cannot be used.

Speed Boost: Through a sudden surge of chi, Shen Kuei's Speed can raise to 1 for a single round. This requires a second of preparation, making it far more useful offensively than defensively. While this is active, his Dexterity becomes 5.

Shen Kuei has transcended past the mundane limits of martial arts into some feats which are nearly supernatural. He has managed to identify and control the flow of chi within his own body and understand it at the core, something only a very small handful of individuals have accomplished who are otherwise completely mundane. This allows him a high degree of control over his own body, and by entering a meditative trance he can ignore pain within his own body, slow or resist toxins and poisons, control his core body temperature, or allow himself to not require air for 10 minutes. Only one of these can be active at a time, and takes a few seconds of focus to enact. He is also able to sense the chi of others within about five meters. This also allows him to detect life forces, especially strong ones, based on the spirit and will as opposed to power. This operates passively, but is much more potent when focused through meditation. This allows him to operate martially even against invisible opponents, or under the effects of illusions or other misdirections, or detect individuals who are hiding. Other skilled martial artists can conceal this from him; most any with a Combat Rating of 9 have the knowledge required to avoid it. Lastly, he can use it as a sort of 'mental purge' to escape most mental-clouding effects that still allow conscious thought. This is a Consent-Based ability regardless. Combatively, Shen Kuei is capable of using chi to bolster his body in the following ways. However, chi usage is incredibly draining in fatigue, and he has not developed the endless endurance of his rival. Maximum strikes can be done mayhaps a dozen times, defensive stances a half-dozen, and speed boosts only twice, before fatigue would become a significant issue.

Skills: Covert Ops (9)

The Cat earned his nickname through his superhuman abilities at stealth, infiltration, espionage, counter-espionage, and subterfuge. His foundation was intensely trained by the Chinese, and expanded massively on his own when he became a free agent. He has a complete, full understanding of most every modern and supra-modern countermeasure that exists, and methods to defeat it. He can enter the most secure of facilities like a shadow, if there is any possibility at all of it being breeched by a human, even managing to slip inside floating fortresses of futuristic technology to the bafflement of those inside. His abilities at being stealthy and hidden are enough to utterly surprise even people with superhuman reflexes combined with erasing his chi, the only proof against him being exceptional smell, hearing, or specialized vision; although he can counter these with equipment, if he knows what he might be facing. Having both the born capacity to be the peak of the world, and receiving more than enough training to realize it, he comfortably performs most everything related to this spectrum at an extreme level. From arts of escape, disguise, sabotage, electronics and hacking, manipulation, fast-talk, tracking and tailing, avoiding being tracked, and more, he is on a short list of people including the Batman in terms of keeping him out of any installation you would rather he not be in, or vanishing the moment you blink. Incredibly resourceful and intelligent on top of years of missions, training and experience, he has well earned his moniker as one of the best in his particular business that money can buy.

Skills: Martial Arts (10)

Armor Bypass: Shen Kuei is capable of striking in a manner that transfers kinetic force through most forms of traditional body armor up to a Rating of 4 before scaling down rapidly, allowing him to injure individuals who wear it as if he had struck bare flesh. This is a singular technique, and cannot be done repeatedly. People naturally invulnerable are not affected.

Physiology: Shen Kuei knows how to hurt people with a single blow. He can knock unconscious people in a heartbeat, or strike at vital points that cause terrible pain, hit pressure points that disable, or shatter joints in countless methods.

Inertia Control: If one is of mundane speed, super strength, but low martial arts, Shen can often defeat them by turning their energy upon themselves. By controlling the flow of their kinetic force, he can leverage it into throws that hit them as hard as they tried to strike the Cat, or break joints and dislocate arms in similar techniques.

The result of a one in a million potential in the perfect circumstances, Shen Kuei was raised to live, breathe, and become martial perfection since the age of 4. As he grew older, he sought out countless other grandmasters and martial experts, learning the core of dozens of styles. He will innately use the best combination of various stances, assaults, and movements to counter an opponent, bolstered by massive amounts of applicable experience and intense training. He is little hampered by raw numbers, and is particularly masterful in feinting, which can surprise even near-master opponents. He has literally never been bested by an unenhanced human yet in his life, having fought inconclusively against someone considered by some the greatest martial artists alive many times, each agreeing that one or the other would have one as circumstances dictate. And in many cases, he can be a significant threat against even powered or enhanced opponents, even in multiples, depending on their capabilities. All forms of weaponry are included, from blades, three-part staffs, to the more esoteric. They are considered an extension of his body, and integrate seamlessly into his fighting, usually making him a much greater threat; his one true rival made every effort to keep him from arming himself, as he retained a slight edge in pure melee compared to armed. He is also a master of pressure points, joint assaults, and specialized counter-attacks that can turn multiple tons of force around and send a far less trained superhuman flying. However, Shen Kuei is but a mundane human, despite his ability to bolster himself with chi. Truly enhanced or superhuman fighters, particularly those capable of inhuman speed or other advantages such as invulnerability, can best him even if they would be a martial inferior in a 'straight' fight, because no innate aspect of him truly surpasses the human limit on a constant basis.

Skills: Perception (7)

Instincts, experience, chi mastery, and work in a trade where discovery is failure or death, the Cat is at the sheer height of human ability in perception. His ears, his eyes, even the vibrations in the ground, he can detect and isolate threats in manners that can seem almost superhuman to observers. This extends to an incredible ability to read body language, allowing him to tell whether a person is lying, or from the contractions of muscles what their next action might be, one of the factors to his amazing capabilities in the martial realm, although not to the degree of some other martial masters who were raised or developed this ability intentionally.

Skills: Ranged Weaponry (8)

From throwing shurikens and knives, to blowdarts, manipulating nooses, or even simply firing pistols and tranquillizer guns, Shen Kuei is equally efficient across the entire range, even with improvised items through intuitive understanding. However, these only supplement his normal capabilities, although he is capable of incredible feats all the same, such as flinging four shuriken from a single hand and having them all impact the same spot within an inch of each other, or strike someone in a precise spot. Generally, he prefers melee combat, and these are used as either a deterrent, fallback, or if the mission requires him to use particular weaponry to achieve success.

Skills: Tactics (8)

Shen Kuei is an exceptionally intelligent individual, who has been known to orchestrate entire plots revolving around his supposed defeats that end up giving him his end goals, with people believing they have bested him only to find such was part of a grander plan. He is capable of complete situational awareness and mastery, knowing innately how to place himself and his opponent into situations that grant him a benefit, outside unexpected, innovative, or genius manners of attacking and defending. His capability to manipulate, seduce, and be diplomatic is similarly at an incredibly high tier, often able to get opponents to concede a draw and speak reasonably rather than fight to the end, even if in reality he might ultimately lose.

Advantages

Advantage: Information Network

Shen Kuei has his fingers on the pulse of the world, from the underground channels to current events. He knows dozens of people who might be interested in hiring him and has contacts, agents, and informants involved in all areas of countless government, political, syndicate and underworld positions, and is able to usually figure out many details through his connections or resources that many would find surprising. He always does a thorough audit on potential employers, and is rarely dragged into a dangerous situation due to a double-layered approach. Any job that someone wants him to do, he will check if others will pay him money NOT to do it, or if others will vouch and pay him to do it also. That means in many instances, he will either get paid to do a job (Possibly twice), or get money NOT to do the job, a win/win.

Advantage: Safehouses

The Cat has a number of safehouses, easily a dozen, ranging from Hong Kong to America. There isn't a continent that doesn't have a couple. These are very comfortable and well-equipped with all the requirements of high life, and have been thoroughly, carefully hidden through countless false paperwork and hidden identities that only someone of a master detective level could unravel with effort. These tend to be used to keep the heat down after an operation, but he prefers his penthouses when possible; even if that means resourceful people are able to find him much, much easier. His largest one is in Hong Kong, but recently he has purchased a large one in New York as well, although it is mundane (If expensive).

Advantage: Wealthy

Even when actually working for government agencies, the Cat was always well paid, although at the time he declined many indulgences. After he went out on his own as a mercenary for hire, he has acquired a literal fortune, nest egg easily in the fifteen to twenty million range hidden in dozens of concealed accounts across the world. At this point he has no need for more money, and it is more an act of enjoying the reputation and challenge of the job than anything else. He no longer eschews the perks of high society and money, and lives quite a lavish lifestyle.

Flaws

Flaw: Anger

The greatest weakness of the Cat is that he never truly gained control over his emotions and impulses, having ceased the zen-like advancement of the mind where he felt it sufficient while his rival went further. He is capable of intense rage and desire for vengeance, if he feels he has been crossed or betrayed, especially in matters of martial honor. Even if his professional nature would make him unable to directly attack someone due to an owed debt, he is not above sending others by proxy to deal with them, this aspect even able to stress his normally honorable disposition. Similarly, raw anger grants him no strength in combat, only a lack of focus, which can mean everything in close fights and would have lead to his eventual defeat against his rival at one time. However, he is reasonable and not impossible to dissuade, although mere words are often not enough.

Flaw: Bare Minimum

The Cat does not overpack. That is to say, he purposefully brings only the bare minimum he feels is required to complete his mission. Unlike the Batman, he does not bother with a utility belt, or bring along every gadget he has, although many are quite powerful and effective. The reason is that he enjoys both a challenge and to accomplish things as much as possible with his own martial skills, despite his dedication to success. That means if caught by surprise, he might be missing one or more vital pieces of useful equipment for no reason other than his pride, and might end up defeated by threats he could handle if he was prepared beforehand with the appropriate countermeasures that could easily fit on his person at all times.

Flaw: Hard to Hire

If you want to hire the Cat, you have to acknowledge the risk that the operation in question is going to get out. He will always verify through his information network two things; whether anyone else benefits and can vouch for veracity (Which generally requires additional payment), and whether someone would be willing to pay him more NOT to take the mission. In many cases this does not cause issues as he's quite professional about the whole process, but if it's something of absolute secrecy that needs immediate attention, the Cat is not your merc. At least, not /easily./ He is a 'highest bidder' in normal situations, and this is not about raw money, but something of a personal indulgence.

Flaw: Honor

Despite his line of business, the Cat is quite an honorable individual. When he owes someone a debt, he will not renege upon it, even if it means failing a job. If in the midst of a contract he came across someone he swore not to hurt, he would back off without a second thought. There are a few men in the world who can take advantage of this or earn such debts, but Shen Kuei is not a ruthless assassin by nature, coming from a background of strict martial arts training and philosophies that have followed him into his new path as a mercenary for hire. He is not an evil man at heart, despite the seemingly evil things he might do. However, betrayal and manipulation of random people for the purposes of accomplishing a mission is another matter -- this is martial honor, not ethics and morality.

Flaw: Professional

Despite his pride, when it comes to his work, the Cat is the supreme example of being a professional. He does not mess around, pull punches, or draw things out unless part of a greater plan. However, this has the downside; he WANTS it to be a challenge, to find someone able to counter or stop him at his game, doing his best. As such, he is more and more willing to bite off more than he can chew, especially as the need for monetary gain decreases and his fame increases to ever greater levels...

Flaw: Public Identity

Shen Kuei can be recognized at a glance by anyone with the slightest knowledge about mercenaries for hire or martial artists of note. He has a distinctive look to him, and does little to conceal it. If he is out in public, people in certain circles can tell immediately who it is they are facing. This also is an issue in missions; it is almost impossible for him to stumble across someone else and have them not know who he is.

Flaw: Renegade

The Cat no longer works for any government or agency, and he is privy to an exceptional amount of secrets uncovered or told across China and other nearby agencies, or through mutual work with criminal elements and syndicates. To make matters worse, he was incredibly good at his job and a large loss when he went rogue. Understandably, it has resulted in him making many enemies from powerful networks, although some simply hire him through third parties to retain use of his skills. Others wish him dead to hide what he knows. Either way, it is always a danger.

Flaw: Reputation

Shen Kuei is not a subtle individual since going out on his own. He rather enjoys the international fame he has, and many people consider him the best and most reliable espionage agent that money can buy in many fields. Understandably, a number of people who believe the opposite are less than thrilled by this, and it's not uncommon for him to be sought out by a rival who wishes to put him down. In some cases, these rivals can be well out of his league in terms of physical power. It also leads those who enjoy the thrill of battle in seeking him out for no other reason than that, and it is rare for him to go long before some aspiring martial artist or fighter wishes to test their mettle against the Cat, as he stands in a narrow field of people on Earth who have achieved perfection and even unleashed the potential of chi.

Flaw: Son

One of the Cat's former lovers bore him a son many years ago, when he was still working primarily for the Chinese. They are six years old now, but Shen Kuei has not involved himself in their life, beyond keeping an eye on them and financially supporting them. As far as threats go, he is the one living person that the Cat would die to protect, or kill to save. If his son was captured, he would trade his life in a heartbeat for his son to be released and his family be unharassed; he considers him a symbol of purity born from the sins and darkness of the path he has walked and become. However, threatening or kidnapping his son will cause the Cat to bring all of his fury and resources against those who attempt it... which may or may not be exactly what is wanted. The knowledge of his son is exceptionally guarded and concealed, but not impossible to find, despite him moving them constantly amongst safehouses and locales just to be safe.

Flaw: Tainted

At the age of 4, the Cat lived purely for martial arts. He lived and breathed it, growing up with it as his iron focus. The subterfuge, the contracts, all were merely secondary to the honor and life of such things. Yet from the start he had never purged certain mental weaknesses that linger to present day. To make matters worse, once he went rogue, certain aspects have begun to slip. His code of ethics has loosened like a belt, he enjoys the luxuries of the world, and has allowed his pride to raise. Although this has done nothing to his current skills, his desire to improve and retain a sharp edge have laxed a bit, and amongst those that stand at the top of existence in martial pursuits, he is not king of the hill in that elite group... something he may come to realize once true challenges oppose him once more. He has also become touched with darkness over the years due to his sins and employers, something he struggles to suppress but continues to only grow...

Flaw: The Tattoo

The Cat has a very distinctive tattoo on his chest of his namesake, a black cat. It is a rather famous symbol for him, tattooed on him while still living the pure life of a martial artist and a symbol of his origins. Many people wish to see it even if facing him with intent to kill, and he often indulges such things, if nothing else than to prove who he is. This has the side effect that he does not wear traditional armor on his torso that make it impossible to showcase, if any at all. After all, it would restrict his ability to showcase his signature feature. On top of such, any disguise rapidly fails if his shirt is lacking or ripped open.

History[]

Born in China, Shen Kuei's genius and potential was realized almost immediately. He had an older brother of mundane talent, the only consistent anchor he had through his life. At the age of 4, he was given to a grandmaster of the martial arts, living, breathing, and becoming all there was to it. By 8, he was beyond his master. He would travel from dojo to dojo, learning and surpassing his masters one by one to the age of 18. At this point, there was little more to learn. He battled and incorporated elements from countless other styles into his own, but found himself without a peer or rival.

It was then that he was taken in by the Chinese, who offered him direction. He learned espionage and counter-espionage at an extremely high level, never neglecting his martial prowess throughout, earning the nickname of the Cat. Taking pride in his achievements, he had his distinctive tattoo done. During such operations was when he finally met a peer in another master of kung-fu, a man who he would come to duel with multiple times to no conclusion. He had a few lovers during this time, one of which got pregnant and bore him a son, of which he has purposefully kept distant from to protect them.

Working for a criminal syndicate, his brother was killed. Swearing off any allegiance to country or organization, he then became freelance. In the following years, he slowly built up a formidable network of information using knowledge known from working for former governments. Now, the Cat is known as one of the greatest mercenaries that can be bought with money, a professional with a nearly pristine success rate.%r%r%tBored by his successes across the world, the Cat has now relocated to New York City, sensing the central point of heroes and villains might grant him the challenge and excitement he now craves.

Logs[]

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Associations[]

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Wanted[]

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Shen Kuei's Wanted List