Shang Tsung

[Shang Tsung]

Biographical Information

Name: Shang Tsung
Occupation(s): Shaolin Monk (Former), Tournament Master (Former), Tournament Grand Champion (Former), Sorcerer, Defender of Darkshire

Age: Close to 1100
Height: 6’6”

Point of Divergence – Immediately the events of the original Mortal Kombat

Appearance -

Late Teens , Twenties - This is what Shang looks like now, but he's wearing the monk robe outfit he's normally in , Thirties - This is Shang's most common appearance , Forties, Sixties, Eighties

Personality -

Shang Tsung is a noble and valiant warrior, who would do his best job to save the down-trodden.  Although he has a very secretive private life, his public life is devoted to justice and truth and all that lovely saccharine stuff.  Despite having a tender soul, Shang is relatively reserved and usually carries a neutral expression, making it hard to discern what may or may not be on his mind.  A noble Defender of the city of Darkshire, he fights valiantly, although he is never one to turn down an advantage in mortal kombat.  A renaissance man who has lived for nearly ten centuries, he watched society grow up and has seen the best and worst of men.

Shang Tsung - The Nicest Guy in the Omniverse ™

Abilities

[float=right][/float]Flaming Skull - Shang launches a fiery skull from his palms. The skull erupts with concussive force on impact, making this more akin to a ki attack than a fireball. If the situation calls for it, the projectile can be launched with speed equivalent to a gun, although Shang prefers to use it at closer ranges to maximize the terror aspect of someone hurtling a flaming, open-mouthed skull at your face.

Surprise Skull - With a series of rapid gestures, Shang can shoot a flaming skull from a surface that is not his palms, usually up from the floor to a wall. Other than making it easier to surprise foes before or during combat, this is functionally identical to the normal variety.

Jian - A Chinese double-edged straight sword, usually wielded with one hand. Shang prefers to fight with his hands and feet, but he is nevertheless skilled with the jian, as it blends well with his training in the Snake style of martial arts.

Soulfire Desert Eagle - A powerful, large-caliber handgun that fires 50 millimeter shells. The rate of fire is slower than a normal pistol because it has a rather potent kickback. It has a modified clip that allows it to fire 14 rounds before needed to be reloaded and re-imbued (a process that takes long enough that it is impossible to do so without cover or relief of some form). The bullets are imbued with 'soulfire,' which means they leave trails of green smoke when fired and green residue when they hit a target (a cosmetic effect, nothing more).

[float=left][/float]Tarkatan Blades - Shang shapeshifts one or both of his arms into Tarkatan arms, complete with the retractable 3-foot blades. While they look like the metallic bones they are, they function identically to a sword of the same size. See the included image of a Tarkatan warrior for a visual on the appearance of this move. The strength and durability of the blades allows Shang to use them to effectively parry blows and deflect visible projectiles as if it was a fully functional shield. Shang may dual wield his Jian and a Tarkatan blade (as a weapon or shield)

Controlled Fire - An ability claimed from the soul of King Axorn Gonin, Shang breathes out a 3 inch diameter flamethrower-like blast of hot fire which can, if Shang wishes, can be changed to any temperature at which a fire is possible.

Day'Suis - [float=right]Link to Visual[/float]A double-handed great hammer once wielded by the paladin Argento (now sadly deceased). It can be summoned and dismissed in a flash of sunlight (2-3 second process). It is used to bludgeon things and generally make people feel sad to be alive. The size of the hammer gives it a decent reach and range of motion, but due to its heft, Shang doesn't use it for extended periods of time. It's best used as a quick game-changer or an ace-in-the-hole kind of deal.

Day'Suis (Lightning Bolt) - After a five-second charge time (usually accompanied by the crackle of static electricity and the a few peels of thunder, Shang fires a bolt of lightning from the head of the hammer. This powerful blast hits with enough force to smash through wear, non-metal fortifications and potentially knock over individuals.

Day'Suis (Solar Flare - Debuff, Area Attack) - After the same type of charging period, the Day'suits releases a blinding yet nonlethal burst of light. Those caught in the flare are momentarily blinded, as if someone shined a strong flashlight in their face. This can be avoided by shielding one's eyes or looking away, but both of those actions may likewise leave the target(s) open to a follow up attack.

Marvelous Energy - Just like Ms. Marvel, Shang can fire powerful concussion blasts or beams of photon and stellar light energy from his hands and fingertips. He can do this at will, instantly. He can use it while moving, but obviously long periods of use can be draining.

Lightsaber [float=right][/float]- a small metal cylinder the same size and shape that you would expect a sword grip to be. When a button is depressed, a three-foot, red cylindrical energy blade pops out from one end. The blade can cleave through most thin fabrics, and with some effort, it could probably cut through harder materials. Against primes, it is more or less a really hot sword, as it can't lob off prime's body parts with the same ease that it can cut through a tree or something. Shang often wears this weapon on his belt under his robes.

Sparks - Shang's stolen abilities allow him to sacrifice portions of his flesh and blood in order to call upon devastating magicks. Like Strazio Rockwell, he can only use sparks when he is bleeding. He touches some of his own blood and dumps a small amount of magick into it, starting a reaction. The magick acts as a catalyst within the blood and after one second the blood will explode violently. Shang can use sparks on any of his blood that he can physically touch, once the reaction is started he throws the blood at his opponent and after one whole second the blood explodes.

Cauterize - Shang's stolen control over energy allows him to sacrifice his own flesh for the explosive power within. He can do this on a much smaller scale and release a very small about of energy, enough to sear his own skin. When he is injured with a laceration or an open wound he can spend about two seconds concentrating, during which he can move but cannot attack. During these two seconds the cells around the open edge of the wound explode and cauterize the nearby cells, effectively sealing the blood vessels and staunching the flow of blood. This doesn't actually heal Shang, and in fact might even impeded the later healing of certain wounds, all this does is staunch blood loss.

Time Crawl - (Ranged Debuff)
Like little Adam Gaite, Shang Tsung lifts one hand, palm out toward his target, where the image of an old analog clock is superimposed over his palm. The displayed clock begins to tick slower, until it comes to a complete halt, a process which takes approximately three seconds. The designated target's perception of the world is then slowed dramatically. To them, it suddenly seems as if the rest of the world is moving much faster -- over twice as fast, in fact -- when in reality nothing has changed at all. Their reaction times will be completely thrown off, in most cases, making fighting effectively extremely difficult. Shang can maintain this effect for up to a full round of combat before it starts to lose its cost-effectiveness, stamina-wise, though he cannot do anything else while maintaining the effect. Should he stop actively maintaining it, then the target's perceptions will return to normal over the course of the next several seconds.

Crumble - (Ranged Area Attack)
Holding up both hands, Shang focuses on disrupting and accelerating the flow of time in a localized area, centered around a specific target. With this, he can cause entire sections of walls, floor, ceiling, or the like to rapidly age, degrade, and erode in mere seconds, creating handy ways to get around what would otherwise be moderately annoying obstacles. It can be used on smaller objects, such as weapons, but has virtually no effect at all on living beings, and moving objects are much harder to get a focus on. Due to intense focus required, this ability is not typically usable in one-on-one battles.

Crash Magic -
Shang battled the Bandit With No Name and claimed a metal arm that seemed to harbor power.  Unknown to him, it belong to Gildarts.  Shang Tsung devoured the arm, acquiring the Crash Magic locked inside.  This lets the sorcerer throw a massive (and easier to dodge) haymaker punch that can blow objects apart and deal a little bit of extra damage to living things.  

If the attack hits, a white grid pattern appears from within an object before it breaks into small cubes. The total volume of the destroyed object depends on its density and how hard she swings, but the maximum is about 50 lbs.  If the punch hits a living target, a grid-pattern cut opens up along it's surface. Other than the visual descriptor, it deals about as much damage as a normal haymaker from a person who can punch as hard as a bullet hits.

Hard-Light Construct – (Requires Ranged Proficiency, Remote Control Proficiency, Ranged Materialize Proficiency)
Shang, after studying and analyzing Sinestro's technology, created his own version of other prime's 'Power Ring.'  With this ring, Shang can summon objects to interact with and manipulate objects at range. These manipulations are analogous to the things that a person with two large hands could feasibly complete (moving, pushing, pulling, pressing, turning, etc).

These objects have superficial images associated with them, always in the form of an object that is completing the task. If the object is grabbing and moving another thing, it will have a "grasping" mechanic, be it a hand, a mouth, a clamp, a claw, etc. These images are purely illusory, and the strength of the object is always the same. That means that a Construct shaped like a hand and a Construct shaped like a crowbar are equally good at prying something open and etc. These grabbing constructs appear as a tendril of rope-like light that extends from Shang's power ring, ending in the chosen 'grabber'. They can extend as far as Shang's concentration allows, but the longer the grabber, the more easily it is broken.

While these objects are illusory and can fulfill only one purpose, they can be attacked, damaged and destroyed. The more damage they take, the more strain it puts on Shang's mind. The more energy he puts into these objects, the harder they are to break but the more physically and mentally exhausted he becomes. These objects will immediately dissipate upon his breaking his concentration for any reason. Maximum range of ~30 meters (~100 feet)

Hard-Light Weapons
Shang can create melee weapons from orange Hard-Light in most forms that a melee weapon can come in. These can be short (like a dagger), medium (like a sword) or long (like a spear) in length. The more energy he puts into these weapons, the harder they are to break but the more physically and mentally exhausted he becomes. These weapons will immediately dissipate upon his breaking his concentration for any reason.

Hard-Light Blast –  (Ranged, Remote Control, Ranged Materialize)
The ring can fire a concentrated beam of orange hard-light when Shang concentrates. This can take the form of a single beam or appear as any other ranged weapon Shang imagines. Shang can put more energy into each shot, the strength of which relates directly to how physically and mentally drained he is after the attack. If he chooses to create a hard-light weapon, it must be roughly the size of a pistol for a weak shot, or the size of a rifle for a charged shot. These weapons and projectiles will immediately dissipate upon his breaking his concentration for any reason.

Hard-Light Shield – (Area Shield Proficiency)
Shang is covered in an orange aura that protects him from attacks and environmental effects. This shield can grow as far as he wills it, usually in the form of a shield or wall, however the shield's overall strength remains the same. This means that a 1'x1' shield will be 100 times stronger than a 100'x100' wall (which almost any attack from a Prime would break through). The more he focuses, the more damage the shield can take, but the more physically and mentally drained he is after the defense.

Hard-Light Tethers - (Ranged, Remote Control, Ranged Materialize, Debuff)
In the same way that Shang can manipulate objects in creative ways, he can also manipulate characters. Iron chains, ribbons of light, crushing snakes can all be used. In general, these tethers always accomplish the same goal: they slow a character down and they immobilize their arms. However, these shackles can be broken just like any other item: hitting, cutting and ripping free in a feat of strength are all options. Additionally, if he loses his concentration, the tethers immediately dissipate. The more energy he puts into these tethers, the harder they are to break but the more physically and mentally exhausted he becomes.

Hard-Light Grab - (Ranged, Remote Control Proficiency, Ranged Materialize, Hard-Light Tether)
When a Hard-Light Tether has successfully attached itself to an target, Shang can then use that tether to move the target, be it Secondary or Prime. The bond can firmly grab, but not crush his opponent. The bond can move the target off of the ground and in all the cardinal directions. The Tether can be broken as usual.

Level 1 Super Defense (Level 1 Super Defense) - Shang, channeling a great deal of power and thrusting both his hands forward, generates a defensive bulwark of telekinetic energy in front of him. This shield, while not inclusive of his entire body, allows him to deflect away minor attacks or neutralize a Level 1 Super Attack.

Perfect Shapeshift (Tier 1 Super Utility) - At the expense of 1 SP, Shang can 'perfectly' shape shift into another person. This means that taking physical damage won't cause his appearance to glitch out or otherwise betray his true identity. Useful for long-term subterfuge. The normal rules of shapeshifting apply (Shang doesn't gain any new powers or moves nor do his stats change in any manner), and someone who would be able to overcome his Advanced Suppression would still be able to tell who he really is.

Spirtken (Tier 1 Power Up) - Long ago, Shang Tsung was a Shaolin monk. He was one of the best young monks, hence his selection for the Mortal Kombat tournament held back when he was a mortal. One of the greatest skills a Shaolin monk can master is the art of dipping into their 'ki' for greater strength, speed, and endurance. This technique manifests itself as a light green aura that glows around the sorcerer's body for the duration of its activation. Shang mastered this skill when he was still human and retained it mostly for the sake of later using it to butcher the entire monestary after his return from Outworld.

Kaioken (Tier 2 Power Up) - Fueled by anger, rage, and determination, Shang summons up the power of Kaioken. A red aura burns like wildfire around his lithe physique as he lashes out, his punches quicker, more accurate, and horrifyingly stronger. Like all bouts of rage, the fire tends to burn out quickly, but not before most vile adversaries have been vanquished.

Assists -

Tarkatan Maruader - Shang enjoys the 'company' of Tarkatan soldiers due to their multiple 'talents.' Unfortunately, they're rather ineffective against primes and more powerful secondaries, so to mitigate this, Shang infuses any nearby Tarkatan with one of the countless souls he has taken over the years. This turns a simple Tarkatan into a 'Tarkatan Maruader,' giving them a fleeting amount of strength that lets them fight against Shang's most formidable adversaries.

ATK 2
DEF 1
SPD 1
TEC 1

History – Shang Tsung was a warrior monk in ancient China, born during the Tang dynasty.  Even he isn't aware of his parentage of formative years.  All he knows is that he was taken in by Shaolin monks as a youth.  He trained all of his life to compete in the Mortal Kombat tournament, but unlike the other monks who trained for the sake of defending Earthrealm, Tsung aspired to personal glory.  During the tournament, Shang unknowingly cheated in an attempt to win—an act that came with a death sentence from the judges.

The emperor of Outworld, Shao Kahn, saw the darkness in the disgraced monk’s soul and spared his life.  To escape death, Shang Tsung had to pledge his soul to the emperor.  As part of the deal, Shao Kahn took him to Outworld and trained the monk in the black arts.  For forsaking his realm and the dignity of the tournament, the Elder Gods cursed Shang to hunger for souls.  The monk had to consume the souls of the living or else he would age quickly, weaken, and perish.

At the next Mortal Kombat tournament, Shang returned, his formidable martial arts talents now enhanced with his training in dark magic of Outworld.  Tsung won the tournament, and he went on to win the next eight tournaments.

At the final tournament, the sorcerer was defeated by Kung Lao, a shaolin monk from Ming China.  The monk spared Shang Tsung, who vanished for another fifty years.  When the sorcerer appeared at the next tournament, he was elderly and unable to compete, but in his place, he brought Goro, a Shokan prince and his greatest student.  Goro defeated Kung Lao, and Shang Tsung consumed the monk’s soul.

For the next 500 years, Goro dominated the tournament.  Shang Tsung became the sole tournament grandmaster and held it on his own island, which existed between Earthrealm and Outworld.  When it seemed as if Outworld was on the verge of winning the tenth tournament and merging with Earthrrealm, Goro was defeated by Lui Kang, another shaolin monk and a descendent of the same monk who had bested Shang Tsung so many centuries earlier.  In an attempt to salvage a tournament victory, Shang challenged Lui Kang, who defeated him just as his ancestor had.

In defeat, Shang lost his grip on all the souls he had consumed over a millennia over murder and treachery.  As he limped and crawled his way back to the portal connecting Earthrealm and Outworld, he was deposited in the Omniverse rather than the realm of Shao Kahn.