The Pale Jackal

Jake Gyllenhaal as Ambrose Llewellyn Atherton

GENERAL

Name:	Ambrose Llewellyn Atherton
Birthdate:	04/30/1880
Faction:	Superhero Team
Codename:	The Pale Jackal
Position:	Lieutenant, Esquire, Master Cat-Burglar
Hometown:	None; his is the epitome of wanderlust

FAMILY

STATISTICS

Partner(s):	None	Height:	6'0"
Father:	Robert Phillip Atherton, Esq. (Deceased)	Weight:	170lb
Mother:	Clara Anne Atherton (Deceased)	Hair Color:	Brown
Siblings:	None	Eye Color:	Blue
Children:	None

Background

Born in Britain in 1880 and dragged along by his consulate-bound parents to Basra (modern-day Kuwait), Ambrose spent his days doing his best to be the dutiful son to a father intent on seeing young Atherton, Esq., rise to star-status in the political theater. Ambrose had other ideas and when he wasn't being tutored, he was off running with the children of the city and learning the ways of the streets. At one point, his father had enough of him gadding about and when Ambrose was an older teenager, he was remanded to the local military regiment. 'Whip him into shape,' said the man, and by jove, they did.

Ambrose reached the rank of infantry lieutenant before the first World War put a strain on the local military. Bored and left behind, he and a small group of soldiers turned to tomb-robbing for excitement as well as income. They disturbed a Mesopotamian tomb-site and all were struck with the Bane of Eternal Thirst and Restlessness. It took him several months to realize that he was the reason for people dropping like flies around him and this scared him to his god-fearing soul. He left Basra and family behind to keep them safe and took to the four winds.

The curse came with no manual and Ambrose has no idea that having a male heir will break it. He believes that returning antiques to their original countries of origin will earn him enough 'good karma' to break the curse. World War II was dark fun and he did his damage to Rommel's campaign before slipping into Europe proper and eventually to New York City, where the museums and collections are chock-full of artifacts from foreign nations. So many things to return!!!

IC Events

Shanghai, China, 1921-192? : Having established himself as the skulking demon of the black market antiques trade in Shanghai, Ambrose then comes into a questionable partnership with one Kent Allard, known at this time as "Ying Ko" or one Robert Black. Together, they wreak their havoc upon the opposing crime-clans and suffer in turn.

Traits

The jackal cannot curl his lip
to snarl or sneer.
As predator he chooses
intricate ways with a smile on his face.
"Morning, stranger," he says,
the eyes blinking with innocence.

You can scare him away
if you think about it,
but no one usually does.
He seems to be tentative;
he looks away, sometimes;
he has a beggar's heart;
he can't think about tomorrow.

He wants you to believe in him.
He compliments you in every way
and wishes you were dead.

- "The Jackal", Ray Skjelbred

BANE OF ETERNAL THIRST AND RESTLESSNESS: Ambrose constantly absorbs life-force from the environment around him at all times. Any organic life-force is targeted, from grass up to sentient beings, and the potency of the power increases alongside the complexity of the life form itself. It is not dramatic enough to be felt in normal, controlled circumstances by anyone around him within five feet, especially in a group setting; if anything, people may get tired.
It can be focused by Ambrose to intensify upon a single target (physical touch is required for maximum effect). Staying present in a location for more than seven days is risky to the city-dwellers around him and to himself, by proxy of suspicion falling upon him. Each additional week that passes doubles the radius of the Bane's absorption affects. Few barriers can stymie his Bane.
INSOMNIAC: Ambrose has no need to sleep per the Bane and the constant influx of life-energy. It is possible to knock him unconscious or put him into a comatose state, but his body defies conventional circadian rhythms otherwise. While unconscious/comatose, his powers remain active at continuous low levels.
SUGGESTION: Ambrose, upon physical touch to a single target, is able to absorb a small portion of someone's life-force and then return the energy to the target's body along. This energy is imbued with his own suggestion. The target is highly responsive to his suggestion as long as it does not run completely counter to their nature or sense of self-preservation.
HEALING TOUCH: Ambrose is able to expend absorbed life force in order to heal someone upon touch. The output is enough that he takes from his own life force and brings himself closer to death in turn. He cannot reverse death, seeing as it would cause his own in turn and ultimately fail. He is able to speed up the body's natural healing process, but in cases of severe medical trauma, he can only delay the worst.
He can do this to himself as well, but it comes with the cost of needing to absorb additional power to his reserves within the day.
PHYSICAL BOOST: Ambrose is able to spend some of the absorbed life energy in order to boost his own physical abilities for a short period of time (read: the duration of a scene) at the cost of visibly aging. He can run up to 60 miles an hour, scale a twenty-foot high fence in one leap, lift up to two tons, and react to sudden events at a superhuman speed. He is able to dodge a bullet shot at an appreciable distance if aware of it; a sniper could still end his life. During this period of boosted ability, his Bane is inactive.
He must absorb the same amount of life energy utilized in the next day or suffers the aging as a permanent state.
STATE OF IMMORTALITY: Ambrose ages at a fraction of the normal human rate, given that he is constantly absorbing life-force from around him. He has visibly aged since the striking of the curse due to actions both within and beyond his control, but he still looks the part of a man in his late twenties. While he may make himself more durable when taking a physical blow or by utilizing the collected life-force to combat a poison, he is still mortal and can die of untreated severe wounds. Eating is nice, but unnecessary. Drinking is moderately necessary.

MULTILINGUAL: Every self-respecting child living in a British consulate learned French and German alongside the native English in the early 1900s. Latin was offered and learned half-heartedly, resulting in a far less complete understanding. While living in Basra, Ambrose picked up conversational Urdu and Persian.
GUNSLINGER: The Maxim gun was a lot of fun way back when, but put his Webley & Scott service revolvers in his hands and Ambrose can fill an enemy full of holes in a short period of time. He's a fair shot with a rifle, though nowhere near the accuracy of a trained sniper. Knowing how to use a slingshot with high accuracy is always a bonus.
SURVIVALIST: While serving time in the local military in Basra, he was taught the art of living another day in the harshness of the surrounding desert beyond the reach of the river's fertile growth. While potentially unnecessary for himself with the Bane, the skills are handy no matter the environment.
FORGERY: Having to cross borders regularly, both on land and across water, means needing a solid stash of IDs as well as the ability to change them. Ambrose has become moderately accomplished at forging travel documents, though he still relies on connections elsewhere for the more difficult documents.
SLEIGHT OF HAND: A hobby turned habit turned full-time job, he picked up the skill on the streets of Basra and refined it in the military. He can pickpocket a wallet, show you which card you chose from a fanned hand, or make a small ball disappear, all while making something else vanish entirely.
TECH SAVVY: With the passing of the decades, society and technology continue to advance. Ambrose tries to keep aware of these advances, especially in terms of weaponry and area-defense systems. He's savvy with the latest security systems that could be used both in private collections and in public places, such as museums.
FALCONRY: Back when the world was simpler and before the Bane, Ambrose took up the hobby of falconry. He flew multiple sakar falcons and enjoyed the freedom and thrill of the birds. He still looks to the skies from time to time, hoping to see a svelte silhouette.

PEOPLE: The Bane ensures that Ambrose has fleeting relationships at best. Human beings remain the purest source of life-force and assuaging the Bane is relaxing to him, almost like an addict with their drug of choice. He's outlived all immediate family by now and has little interest in hunting down his relatives. He loves human interaction, but knows better than to hang around for too long. People get hurt.
VEXED: Frustration is a weakness for Ambrose. He's not a perfectionist by any means, but being denied a success seems plain unfair. He's already got a curse to deal with, how much more cruel can life be? It makes him downright prickly sometimes and shockingly rude to anyone, even women and those of status. Who cares if someone's insulted? He's not going to run into them again anyways.
TICK-TOCK: The Bane needs fulfilling regularly or it takes from Ambrose's life-force instead. The constant necessity is a source of stress.
STEADY INCOME: Unable to stay in one place for more than a week at most due to the Bane's inevitable spread, Ambrose has never been able to hold down a regular job unless it required constant travel. The monetary rewards of returning antiques to their home countries has been enough to sustain an ability to get groceries and keep himself clothed, but the risk almost always outweighs the payment.
ALMOST A GHOST: Interpol is aware that he exists, though not to what extent. He has been brought before authorities overseas, but never got to processing after he used his Suggestion power upon the officer in control of him. His face is in a folder somewhere and a high-ranking agent or someone aware of his propensity to rob museums would recognize him.
FEAR OF FIRE: Ambrose is convinced that at one time, back in the early 1900s, he saw another person succumb to the Bane. They caught on fire and screamed themselves into a pile of ash before a bone-chilling wind scattered them across the desert. He dislikes fire out of control in any form and is quick to scamper if the blaze exceeds his concept of 'controlled'.

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Marvel: 1963

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