Jean "John" Samuel Baptiste a.k.a. Dirge

[Raigen]

Player Nickname: Raigen

Name: Jean Samuel Baptiste
Codename: Dirge
Age: 27
Date of Birth: 1991

Height: 5'11"
Weight: 175
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Green
Place of Origin: Chalmette, Louisiana
Nationality/Race: French-Irish
Classification/Origin of Powers: Mutant/Supernatural

Status: Resident
Occupation: Forensic Pathologist

Personality Profile: Withdrawn, Aloof, random spurts of sociable behavior, recluse.

Physical Description: Slender, tall, with an almost Nordic profile. Not muscular enough to be considered athletic, noticing fit in the abdomen. His piercing eyes would be considered his best feature, but they have an unsettling look to them, as if gazing into your soul in an uncomfortable cliche.

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General Power Information: Jean' s Communication with the dead is a mutation that manifested during puberty. He received his Necrokinetics and Umbrakinetics gifts from the Loa, Baron Sandi, in exchange for acting as a sort of demi-avatar on earth.

Ability One: Necrokinetics - Jean can create and direct blasts of necrotic energy that manifest in his hands as blobs of green, plasma-like smoke. He has a limited ability to shape the energy into simple objects such as staffs or barriers or he can throw and control the orbs in flight. They cause cramping pain and nausea to his victims when they come into contact with the energy. Too much exposure to the necrotic energy can cause death, especially in the case of those that are already sick or injured. The necrotic energy does no harm to Jean and emits a soft green glow, allowing him to illuminate some areas should he wish.

Ability Two: Communication with the dead - Jean need only be near the place of death or the body of a deceased person to communicate with their spirit. He can see and speak with any spirit or similar entity near him. On the downside, he has no way of turning off this power.

Ability Three: Umbrakinetics - Shadows bend at Jeans Will, and may even grow at his beckoning. An oak trees shadow can quickly cast a seeming overcast during the day and a simple street lamps light could be diminished to sheer darkness at night. These illusions are susceptible to the powers of other meats, as they seem to cancel each other out. The shadows on his face can darken and shapen into a dark, illusory costume of sorts, providing him with the appearance of the Dirge. Jean has the limited ability to create illusions and tricks with these shadows, making it appear as if something is following behind someone, create dark silhouettes of menacing creatures, but the shadows themself don't damage people unless they have some aversion to darkness. While normal darkness can limit his ability to see, Jean can see clearly in darkness he has created, as if his environment hasn't changed at all. He can also remove normal shadows that are hindering his vision. That isn't to say he can see inside a closed off room with no light source.

For some reason or another, the shadows that make up Jean's "costume" are particularly resistant to light based attacks. One can't simply demask him by throwing a light attack at his face, although enough of it over time could wear down the illusion.

Drawbacks & Weaknesses:  Jean' s Umbrakinetics and Necrokinetics do not work in natural sunlight. He is weakened by telepathic attacks and photogenic attacks (visible light spectrum).

His communication with the dead is not a power he controls, it is always active, meaning he can be distracted by spirits at times and can become mentally overwhelmed in places where mass numbers of people have perished too soon.

Skills: Liscensed Medical Doctor of Forensic Medicine
Notable knowledge of Voodoo and it's various subgroups.
Able to move about stealthily and lose trails with the aid of Umbrakinetics. (Especially with regards to keeping his identity a secret when changing into Dirge.

Background: The son of a teacher and local politician in a low income suburb of New Orleans, Jean's ability to speak with the dead manifested shortly after witnessing his parents murdered outside their house by a local gang. From that point on, he could see and speak with the deceased, although never his parents. After years in foster care with foster parents that couldn't understand the jaded teen, Jean was blessed enough to make it into college on a scholarship and study pre-med. Eventually becoming a doctor in forensic medicine, Jean finally thought he'd found a place where his powers and talents could help him overcome the struggles of his childhood. He was wrong. Being able to communicate with the dead meant only that he wad badgered and pestered by the spirits of vengeance, seeking to right their wrongful deaths. Pushed to the end of his rope, Jean traveled to a cemetery near his hospital with the intentions of hanging himself from a tall sepulchre. It was there that he was approached by the Voodoo Loa, Baron Samedi and granted with the ability to help the spirits that surrounded him. Fueled by the death of his parents and those of the dead that seek him out, Jean took up the mantle of Dirge, Vigilante and bringer of death and vengeance.

Criminal Record: Negligible. One or two speeding tickets.

Quirks, Extras, Random Character Facts: Jean owns a rooster, but not for religious purposes and as to date no one can really figure out why. The rooster' s name is Craig.

Jean owns a yellow Buick GSX with some notable engine and suspension modifications for speed and handling. With the aid of his Umbrakinetics, he can make the car appear vaguely shaped and completely black by encompassing it in darkness.