The Capoyabun
The rumors first began to circulate in the early years of the current century, growing harder to ignore with each passing year. The claim that many of the leaders of organized crime answered to a common master was an old one -- at certain times, and in certain places, it had even been true. But the breadth of the rumors, stretching from coast to coast in the United States and Canada, with similar accounts arising in Europe and Asia, was certainly new. Eventually, the claims earned their own file designation -- as they pertained to both Sicilian and Japanese organized crime, the hypothetical unifying figure was dubbed the Capo-Oyabun, and eventually, Capoyabun.
Not until 2008 did some definitive evidence of the existence of the Capoyabun's syndicate come to light, when a former member of the Freedom City's mob turned state's evidence in exchange for protection, telling the story of how the gang war in the city had been ended when something dubbed the Midnight Syndicate had come to the assistance of Don Tonifanni to end the struggle, and that the Don now owed allegiance to this syndicate. The witness had evidence and showed it to the police, but it all disappeared immediately after the witness vanished from police custody despite the presence of the Arsenal of Democracy, temporarily loaned to the FBI, guarding the witness' safe house.
Speculation about the identity of the Capoyabun has run rampant ever since. Is he an alternate identity employed by some better known supervillain, or an agent thereof? Is he the head of some extraterrestrial criminal cartel, taking command of Earth's criminal activities as part of, or as prelude to, an invasion? Is he perhaps a god of crime? Is there even truly such an individual, or is the Midnight Syndicate ruled by a senate of criminals rather than a dictator?
All wrong. The man that the legal authorities have failed to identify, much less capture, is by all standards just that -- an ordinary man, not transhuman, metahuman or inhuman.
Arthur Hobbes, born in the late 1960s, was raised in a wealthy Chicago family; he was rarely denied anything he wanted and everyone loved him. He was recognized as a gifted intellect early in life, and was taught by private tutors who were supposed to nurture his gifts. His life followed a fairly normal course until the age of twelve, when his father was arrested for insider trading. Although this saddened Arthur, it fascinated him even more. He had never been exposed to anything as sordid as crime, and it interested him intensely.
This wasn't just a passing phase, as his mother and step-father hoped. The more he read, the more he became obsessed with crime. By his fifteenth birthday, he had formed the idea of establishing a global criminal empire, with himself as its emperor. His studies showed him that although such a conspiracy did not as yet exist, it had been attempted before, and so the seeds were there, if they could only be properly grown and cultivated. As soon as he seriously began to consider these ideas, he began to hide his criminal studies, so that his parents would think that he had "returned to normal." After he turned eighteen, Arthur poisoned them for his inheritance.
His initial idea was to rise as high as possible in an extant criminal organization, and from that position of power begin to unite other organizations under his banner. However, Arthur's investigation of the Chicago outfit uncovered the fact that the overwhelming majority of its leaders were under the domination, in one form or another, of vampires. While he had no moral objections to vampirism, he rather enjoyed the sensation of the sun on his skin and so had no interest in becoming one, and certainly none of serving one. The only thing to do, then, was to create a separate criminal organization and take control of other groups by gaining influence over them.
Three years later, with his new organization doing rather well, he was contacted by agents of the notorious Dr. Destroyer and somewhat bluntly informed that his group was now part of Destroyer's much larger organization. Unfazed by this development, Arthur agreed to these terms and went to work for the supervillain. He rose quickly in Destroyer's service, and soon was running the entire 'criminal' wing of the enterprise. In the process, he learned that the majority of Destroyer's agents came from the isolated valley of Javangari in India, and worshipped the Destroyer as an incarnation of Shiva. He filed that fact away for later use, careful to seem loyal to his new master in all ways.
In 1993, his patience paid off when Destroyer met his end. Arthur seized the opportunity to reveal to the Javangaris that the Destroyer spirit had, of his own choosing, withdrawn for a time from the mortal sphere, but that he would be watching as his faithful followers conquered the world in his name, that he might reign over it. They bought it. Before his thirtieth birthday, Arthur Hobbes was in command of the vast fortune, advanced weaponry, and armies of one of the world's mightiest supervillains, and he began to shape the Destroyer's organization into a more covert and criminal-oriented direction.
Since then, the power and influence of the Capoyabun -- a name he didn't choose, but genially accepts -- has grown even greater. His first major success, in his opinion, was taking over the organized crime of Freedom City. If his orgranization can operate in the same city as the most noteworthy superheroes on Earth, he must be doing something right. He has also known setbacks. His ability to operate in Eastern Asia outside of Japan is very limited as a result of Doctor Sin's activities, and the two masterminds are dueling for control of crime in India's cities. Much to his annoyance, his new power has also availed him not against the vampire lords of Chicago.
Perhaps his greatest failing, however, is that he underestimates the influence of the Labyrinth on his organization. If the two groups ever went to war, the Midnight Syndicate would be hurt (though not crippled) by the Labyrinth's infiltrators, who fortunately have never been able to penetrate the operational security of the valley of Javangari. Another problem is the way that he believes that he will be easily able to seize control of the extraterrestrial organized crime syndicate Voskhone, which he views as just another ethnic mafia. He is in for some very unpleasant surprises.
The Capoyabun -- PL 12
Abilities: STR 3 |
STA 3 |
AGL 2 |
DEX 5 |
FGT 11 |
INT 7 |
AWE 8 |
PRE 6
Powers: Befuddling Lie (Selective Auditory Perception Area Affliction 12 [Resisted and Overcome by Will; Entranced, Stunned, Unaware], Subtle),
Master Plan (Variable 5, Affects Others and Self, Free Action, Slow)*,
Quick Wits (Quickness 3, Limited to Mental),
Situational Awareness (Senses 1 [danger sense]),
Unfazeable (Immunity 5 [interaction skills]).
Advantages: Assessment, Benefit 6 (Crime Lord, Billionaire), Connected, Contacts, Defensive Roll 3, Equipment X, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Improvised Tools, Languages 5, Leadership, Minions X, Ranged Attack 6, Seize Initiative, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge.
Skills: Acrobatics 4 (+6), Athletics 5 (+8), Deception 12 (+18), Expertise: Criminal 15 (+22), Expertise: High Society 8 (+15), Expertise: Streetwise 15 (+22), Insight 12 (+20), Intimidation 10 (+16), Investigation 12 (+19), Perception 10 (+18), Persuasion 12 (+18), Sleight of Hand 12 (+17), Stealth 12 (+14), Technology 10 (+17), Vehicles 4 (+9).
Offense: Initiative +6, Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 3), Befuddling Lie -- (Perception Area Will 12).
Defense: Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 8, Toughness 7/3, Will 16.
Totals: Abilities 90 + Powers 90 + Advantages 31 + Skills 47 + Defenses 20 = 278 points
Complications: Power--Motivation. Secret Identity.
* Essentially, what this means is that the Capoyabun can assign up to 25 points of traits to himself or his agents as a Free Action, but once those traits are assigned they can't be
reassigned until at least a few days pass.