Powers
None
Equipment
Azrael Holy Armor: The Azrael costume is red, gold and a darker shade of red. The costume is a very dark red body suit that is in fact so dark that most of the time it appears black. The upper torso sports a triangular gold armorpiece flanked by two dark red banners with a gold fleur-de-lys that looks like three crossed wide blade swords. The armor is made of a bullet resistant metallic fiber similar to Kevlar with a Flameweave composite. In all, his armor provides the following:
- The bodysuit, cape, and mask are made of Excellent Material Strength and provide Excellent protection vs Physical attacks and Fire attacks to any spot not overed by the upper torso armor.
- The upper torso armor, arm casings, gauntlets, and belt are made of Remarkable Material Strength and provide Remarkable protection from Physical and Energy and Fire attacks (A Bullseye, aimed shot, or Yellow FEAT must be made to avoid this thicker armor on a shot to the body. If it suceeds, it still has the bodysuit to get through. The arm casings can be used for Blocks).
Forearm Bracers: Contain triangular foot long sword blades (Claws). These are made with Remarkable Material Strength capable of inflicting Excellent Edged damage. Also capable of generating Remarkable fire shealth. When activated the blades inflict Remarkable edged damage and Remarkable Fire damage. By slashing with a flaming blade, he will leave a trail of fire in its wake which will last for 1 turn. He can also fire the blades with Remarkable range, but he must retrieve and reload them in order to use them after this has been done.
Flaming Sword: Made with an Incredible material strength material. Capable of inclicting Remarkable edged damage. Also capable of generating an Incredible rank fire shealth. When activated the sword inflicts Remarkable edged damage and Incredible Fire damage. By slashing with a flaming blade, he will leave a trail of fire in its wake which will last for 1 turn.
Limitation
Jean Paul needs his glasses (or other corrective lenses) to see. Without them, anything beyond 3 areas is blurry and indestinct.
Talents
Computers, Chemistry, Sharp Weapons, Weapon Specialist: Forearm Sword Blades, Acrobatics, Tumbling, Engineering, Repair-Tinkering, Military, Martial Arts- All, St. Dumas Lore
Contacts
Batman, Oracle, Order of Saint Dumas, Nightwing, Robin, Ra's Al Ghul, The Question, Nomoz the gnome
History
Jean Paul Valley was trained from birth through drugs, physical workouts, and hypnosis to become a lethal weapon of the Order of St. Dumas--to punish the unobediant, destroy the unfaithful, and terrify the unrighteous. The zealous faith in Saint Dumas and the Order was instilled in Azrael in addition to the variety of martial arts, weaponry, fighting tactics, etc. He has been genetically engineered, as have all Azrael's, to achieve maximum, inhuman strength, stamina, speed, agility, etc. through his "half-animal" breeding. As a fetus, the Grey Abbott tortured him with volts of powerful electricity to generate an innate, pure, angelic rage. Growing up was lonely for him, as he was isolated from the "un-holy masses" by his father and the Order, for Azrael must be an angel among men. He was enrolled as a very good computer science student at Gotham University. It was when his father died, while he was in college that Jean Paul took over the role of Azrael. Trained by the Order's Nomoz, he became a fearsome angel of vengeance. But, hating the bloodthirst that he had, he rejected the Order and the killing when he rescued Bruce Wayne from certain death he was cast out of the cult that created him. Bruce decided to help the young man and had Robin begin training Jean Paul as a crime fighter. Not much latter Batman was defeated by Bane. Bruce unable to continue as Batman because of his back injury chose Jean Paul instead of Dick Grayson as the next Batman.
The demonic Batman costume triggered the System (the mind programming that gave Jean Paul his abilities) incorrectly. At first he seemed simply more brutal in combat. His different nature began surface even more when he started changing the Batman costume. After creating a completely new Batman costume Azrael as Batman (to be hereafter referred to as the Rogue Batman) defeated Bane. Soon later the visions came of both his Father and Saint Dumas either praising him or condemning him. Jean Paul snapped and his Azrael persona began to consume him.
After the Rogue Batman kicked Robin out of the Batcave and allowed a man to die. Bruce returned healed from his injury and decided to reclaim the Mantle of the Bat. He had quite a fight on his hands. The Batmobile was destroyed and Nightwing was gravely injured. Eventually Bruce resorted to exploiting the one thing he new about the System: the mask triggers the personality change. Bruce used daylight, his intellect, and his superior knowledge of the Batcave to trick Jean Paul into removing his mask. Batman the cast Jean Paul out of the cave.
Jean Paul was broken. His mind and will were shattered. The visions had taken their toll and stripped Jean Paul's mind of it's strength. He was plagued by new visions of himself in combat as Azrael or as the Rogue Batman. These visions however were a symptom of the weakening of the barriers between his personality and his Azrael persona because when he had these visions he fought as Azrael.
Batman decided that he made a dreadful mistake in turning Jean Paul away and decided to try and help him regain his sanity. Batman came to Jean Paul and gave him an Azrael costume, the Oracle's phone number, information about the location of the Order's headquarters and over a million dollars. Jean Paul and a ex-psychiatrist named Brian Bryan traveled to the Order's headquarters. After arriving at the Order's base of opperations, the Ice Cathedral, Azrael got himself into a little trouble with the Order and with the help of high ranking woman in the Order named Sister Lilhy they escaped and sought refuge with Ra's al Ghul.
Ra's being an ancient enemy of the Order of Saint Dumas happily gave refuge to the now enemies to the Order. Ra's seeing Azrael's great potential tested Jean Paul's capabilities as a fighter. After Azrael trounced the testers Ra's offered his daughter and the position as his successor to Jean Paul. Jean Paul refused saying that he needed to learn more about himself before he made any commitments of that nature.
Lilhy told Jean Paul the location of the Gray Abbot's laboratory which was where Azrael's were created. So Jean Paul hoping to find outsomething about himself and the System went to the lair of the Gray Abbot. The Gray Abbot was perverse genetic engineer who told Jean Paul far to much about his creation. Azraels were taken from their mother's (the mothers were then slaughtered) shortly after conception and then nurtured with animal fluids. The unborn assassins to be were then altered with genetic engineering and the ancient sciences of alchemy. Every several hours the child would be tortured with electricity "imparting wrath." The knowledge that he was not fully human traumatized Jean Paul, again. He lashed out in pain and rage and while destroying the Gray Abbot's lab he accidentally killed the Azrael being created there: his little brother. Jean Paul snapped with even worse results: his personality ceased to be and only a feral animal-like Azrael remained.
Azrael returned to Gotham City and returned to Wayne Manor. Where Alfred, the kind soul that he was, tried his best to help Jean Paul. Azrael saw a children's book there about guardian angels. This made quite an impression on Azrael whose only knowledge of angels was of the avenging kind. Armed with his idea of being a guardian angel he rushed to Shondra Kinslov's home and protected her from grave danger. When the danger had passed Shondra asked Azrael if he was were guardian angel he said the first words he had said since he declared himself damned in the Gray Abbot's lair he said "yes, I am."
Since that time Azrael's nature changed he was still fierce and cruel but he was no longer merely an avenger now he was a protector and this changed how the System responded. When contagion hit Gotham Azrael was eager to offer assistance to Batman. Batman sent Azrael to Robin and Catwoman's aide. He was to protect Robin while he searched for a cure, Catwoman was just along to collect the reward money for finding a cure. Robin was not pleased he was still upset with Jean Paul for tarnishing the Mantle of the Bat and trying to kill him. Catwoman was amused with this insane pyromaniac who outside of combat acted like a schoolboy. However it was Lilhy and Brian who saved the day. Lilhy had found the cure to the plague when she studied the Gray Abbot's texts. Azrael decided to take the formula and run the blockade that quarantined Gotham. While Azrael ran the blockade easily his efforts were in vane. The Azrael personality thought that he must take the formula to Gotham while Brian just phoned it in.
Later when Jean Paul and Lilhy (whom the now reemerged Jean Paul had become quite attracted to) were taking walk they were ambushed by the two people that had attacked Shondra a short time ago. Lilhy was injured and Jean Paul lashed out with the full might of Azrael without either the costume or the mask! He would have killed the attackers if Lilhy had not stopped him.
Brian was greatly disturbed and he decided to send Jean Paul to an acquaintance who might be able to help Jean Paul shed himself of Azrael once and for all. Doctor Orchid however was not so kind, he endeavored only to control Azrael and perhaps even destroy Jean Paul. Azrael was not so easily controlled and after escaping the not so good Doctor's influence Jean Paul took advantage of a side effect. Jean Paul abandoned Azrael's armor and walked away free of the Azrael personality.
Then shortly after Jean Paul returned home he was attacked by the Order of Saint Dumas. Totally helpless Jean Paul was saved by Nomez a dwarfling who had first trained Jean Paul as Azrael. Nomez declared that the Order's leader an old man named Rollo had betrayed the Order's precepts and had to be destroyed. Jean Paul received a new Azrael costume from Batman. He then learned he could not become Azrael decided to return to the Gray Abbot's lair and learn what they could about the System in order to reactivate Azrael and destroy the Order. Upon arriving at the Gray Abbot's lair they were attacked. However Nomez had spent his time productively he had used simple techniques to reactivate Azrael. Azrael defeated the Order's forces and the Order of Saint Dumas's Ice Cathedral crumbled.
However the Order of Saint Dumas did not die. Lilhy showed her true colors she had been using Azrael all along and now she took over the Order and began "modernizing" it. Jean Paul both refused to serve her or to raise a hand against her and left.
Ra's al Ghul arranged once again to make his offer known to Jean Paul. After another elaborate test he decided to join Ra's al Ghul and become his next successor. However just as Talia was begining to tolerate Jean Paul, Ra's discovered Jean Paul's impure genetic heritage. He declared that he was not fit to be his heir and that his grandson must be "genetically pure". After declaring that Jean Paul was unworthy Ra's al Ghul decided to kill Jean Paul. However Azrael escaped.
Jean Paul now after tasting the pain of betrayal a second time had become more mature and was now more stable. He turned to Batman this time not pleading for help but asking for guidance he wanted to know what he should do with his abilities now. Batman sent him on what he thought was a wild goose chase. However it was not and Azrael faced both a vampire and a werewolf. In the end Jean Paul learned that even though he wanted to be angelic and was supposed to be angelic that he had still to face the demon inside of him in order to become truely angelic. It would not be an easy task but now Jean Paul is determined to conquer his inner demon. Now at last Jean Paul has returned from his fall that began when he donned those demonic vestments of the bat so long ago. Now he begins to grow as he faces his greatest foe: himself.
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