Post by Doctor Cyber on Jun 18, 2012 12:50:54 GMT -5
Real name: Sandra Woosan
Alter Ego: Lady Shiva
Status
Occupation: Assassin
Martial Status: Single
Legal Status: Unknown
Group Affiliation(s): League of Assassins, Birds of Prey
Origin
Place of Birth: Unknown
Known Relatives: Carolyn (sister, deceased), Cassandra Cain (daughter)
History
Little is known about Sandra Woosan's early years - except that she was extremely close to her sister Carolyn. Both sisters were highly gifted for the martial arts, and avidly followed lessons from local teachers in kung fu and various other competitive martial arts. They particularly enjoyed sparring together - however their form was closer to dance and acrobatic dancing than combat, though they did achieve excellent results in combat sports.
Sandra, in particular, was bursting with potential. It is unclear if either sister was trained by Carolyn's godfather, the O-Sensei - but it would appear not.
While the sisters were in their late teens, David Cain, arguably the best assassin in the world, was meeting with failure with his dream project - to raise a child who would only know the language of violence from its earliest months on, and would be free of most human limitations when it comes to fighting and killing. Cain eventually decided that what was needed was the right genetics, and thus started to quest for a woman with formidable natural talent for the martial arts. This is how he spotted Sandra Woosan.
Cain's immediate assessment was the correct one - Sandra had unbelievable talent that could easily make her one of the greatest living fighters, but she was subconsciously holding back to remain at the same level as her beloved sister Carolyn. Cain decided to terminate Carolyn - but before he could move in, he heard about Carolyn Woosan's uncle, Mr. Shiruto. Shiruto, a scientist, was hunted down by the Swiss, a sadistic killer operating for the crimelord and industrialist Guano Cravat. While Shiruto managed to kill himself rather than be interrogated by the Swiss, Cain floated the rumour that Shiruto has sent the documents Cravat was after to his niece.
The plan nearly went awry - while the Swiss managed to capture Carolyn Woosan, he soon found himself opposed by formidable martial artist Richard Dragon, the best student of the O'Sensei. On several occasions, the Swiss narrowly fled from the unstoppable Dragon with Carolyn (presumably drugged to pacify her) as his hostage ; eventually, though, he panicked and crashed the motorbike he was driving while Dragon was closing on him. Carolyn Woosan was killed in the collision.
Sandra Woosan was extremely distraught, since her sister meant everything to her ; rejecting Dragon's and the O-Sensei's way, she investigated the Swiss, which eventually lead her to the feared League of Assassins. As she angrily engaged the elite killers of the League, her style of combat started evolving at an unbelievable pace, making her an incredible fighter ; still, this wasn't enough to defeat David Cain himself when they met in single combat. Cain offered her a deal - he would impregnate her and claim the child as his own, in exchange for showing her how to go beyond her current limitations. Still driven by anger and grief, Woosan accepted and started training with Cain, sparring with him even months within her pregnancy and continuing to bloom as a grand mistress of the martial arts, starting to gain ground on Cain himself. She presumably also trained under the dread Sensei of the League of Assassins.
She eventually gave birth to baby girl named Cassandra, and walked away without turning back. She had by that point reinvented herself as an entity bringing creation through destruction - Shiva or, as she was soon to be called, Lady Shiva. Shiva then started her long path of confronting other fighters and martial artists, more often than not in fights to the death, to learn from them and become the very best fighter in the world.
Through his extensive contacts with the League of Assassins, Guano Cravat contacted Lady Shiva and fed her a version of the death of her sister where Dragon was the villain. Working for Cravat, she infiltrated the mysterious, covert organization known as G.O.O.D., where Dragon and his friend Benjamin Turner, also a master of the martial arts, occasionally worked as star free agents. Shiva swiftly became another such top agent, and arranged for Dragon to attempt a lone invasion of Cravat's fortified headquarters. As expected, Dragon made it, proving he was indeed worthy of meeting her in single combat under Cravat's gleeful eye. To make the fight funnier to watch, Cravat perched himself on a laser cannon whose beam was randomly rotating throughout the arena. Both fighters engaged each other in combat, with Shiva soon proving she was a world-class fighter, operating at nearly the same level as Dragon himself.
However, the somewhat deranged Cravat, babbling, let slip that he was actually behind Carolyn's death, thus confirming what Dragon was attempting to tell Shiva. The two fighters turned against Cravat, with Dragon using Shiva's metallic belt to reflect the laser beam on Cravat's cannon, then convincing Shiva not to kill the depraved crimelord.
Shiva started hanging around Dragon, as she soon noticed that danger was clinging to him and that his life was an endless source of trouble she could get involved in ; presumably she was also interested in observing his and Turner's techniques. She thus repeatedly fought along with the kung-fu fighters, often as part of the forces of G.O.O.D., which allowed her to cross swords or fists with a wide variety of deadly opponents.
Eventually, Ben Turner disappeared and was believed dead in the explosion of the Arctic base of Professor Ojo. This event sent Dragon into a depression ; feeling contempt over his sorry state she sternly castigated him and hit him, then walked away to begin working as a solo mercenary.
Shiva went on her own way, eventually returning to Manchuria to visit with her godfather the O-Sensei (teacher of Richard Dragon and the Bronze Tiger). The "master in many ways" had lived over 150 years, and had finally decided to die, and fulfill his promise to his wife by having his bones rest beside hers. The wife's family, angry at the O-Sensei, had hidden her remains and intended to fight him. Although this was actually no problem to the O-Sensei, he had Shiva select three warriors to aid him on his quest; she selected the Question, Green Arrow, and Batman.
Shiva's actions while aiding her god-father on his final mission might well be described as being erratic, perhaps giving some insight into their relationship. At one point she seemed to accept his decision to finally die, only to turn to him and ask "is that necessary?" Soon after she slew several men for threatening the O-Sensei. Seeing something in his face Shiva angrily gestured at the men, saying "You disapprove? You thought the violence unnecessary?" After another look from the O-Sensei Shiva knelt before the old man, taking his hands in hers, and said "Well, they meant us ill. Besides, I like violence". Shiva returned with the O-Sensei to Hub City, meeting with the Question for the first time since she had left him with Richard Dragon. She used the Question to set up a meeting with Batman, her first meeting with the Dark Knight. Although Shiva needed Batman's aid, she nonetheless began fighting with the vigilante, only stopping when the O-Sensei said "Enough". She turned and began defending her actions, saying "You know I could not help myself. I had to test him. I had to".
Notably, Shiva took some time from her journey to kill a number of slave traders, sparing the only one to successfully cut her and actually rewarding the man with a kiss to the forehead (although she still broke the man's arm). During this time, while seeking out Green Arrow, she first encountered and sparred with Black Canary. Although Canary apparently did not realize it until later, the two had both studied under Sensei Otomo for a period. After recruiting Green Arrow, Shiva returned again to Hub City.
At this point, the insane Reverend Hatch had been dead for about a year, and Shiva saved the Question from the last of Hatch's men, killing them before idly setting fire to the fortune in money Hatch had embezzled from the city. Shive nursed the Question's elderly friend Tot back to health, after which the hero told Shiva that he could never seem to understand her. She replied: "Your mind is not ready to understand me. It may never be ready to understand me. Content yourself with this: I am outside" (the terms "Outside" and "Inside" had taken on a special meaning for the Question after training with Richard Dragon.
Meditating was referred to as "going inside", and Sage, at one point, speculated that when he adopted his Question persona it "put on the outside what I was feeling inside"). Sage speculated aloud that if he kissed Shiva she would probably break a dozen of his bones. Smiling slightly she replied that she might do worse, but neither of them could know unless he tried. She then referred to the O-Sensei as "the one man I am certain I would not harm if he kissed me". Even with the aid of Batman, Green Arrow, and the Question, Shiva was unable to deliver the O-Sensei to the small island Batman believed the O-Sensei's wife was buried on, and the master was lost overboard during a storm. This may well have been intentional, however, for it was soon discovered that the wife's remains had likewise been lost overboard when they were being moved to the island.
Shiva would encounter Sage twice more. By this point the city was beyond saving, with only a dozen trustworthy police, five judges, no jailspace, no money, repairs to be done everywhere, and a governor that had decided to just let the city go. It was repeatedly called a modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah. Shiva first returned to Hub City to offer her services to one of the gangs ruling the city, but decided to kill the gang instead for sending unskilled men to kill her (the attempt on her life itself did not bother her). Upon encountering Sage she was dismayed to find that his doomed attempts to save the city had greatly atrophied his skill.
Nonetheless she repeatedly saved Sage, along with his lover (the city's mayor) from assassins. She vanished soon after. Sage himself finally left Hub City (along with Tot and his lover's daughter), having finally been convinced by Richard Dragon that his crusade was no longer doing anything but destroying him. Shiva stepped out of the helicopter meant to pick them up, explaining while it had become a place they would leave, it was now something she would go toward. Sage and Shiva said their final words before she left toward the city.
Shiva continued to sell her services as a mercenary for the money and the challenge it brought her. Eventually, she crossed paths with the League of Assassins, and its leader, Ra's Al Ghul. Shiva’s primary concern is the perfection of her skills and she has kept close ties with the League over the years, though this has not stopped her from turning against them, such as during the Batman: Legacy affair.
Shiva was also hired to train prospective assassins, mercenaries or terrorists. She was training a small group of would-be terrorists in war-torn Lebanon when it came to light that she had something to do with the father of Jason Todd, the second Robin. This connection caused Jason and his guardian Batman to seek her out, thinking that she might perhaps be his mother. Batman and Shiva had met before and, eager to finally face a man of Batman's skills without interruptions, she knocked Robin unconscious and challenged the Dark Knight.
At first Batman treated this challenge as simple vanity on Shiva's part but was quickly impressed enough by her skill, speed, and power to take the fight seriously. He soon realized that underestimating her could possibly kill him, and stopped holding back his full strength. It did however take Robin's intervention to knock Shiva unconscious and subdue her for interrogation. When asked if she was Jason’s mother, she laughed, finding the idea amusing, claiming to have littered dozens of babies across the globe. Batman gave her sodium pentothal, and Shiva admitted she did not have any children. Although it is true that Jason was not her son, it is later discovered that she did indeed have a child.
Batman left her in the desert reasoning that a woman with her skills would soon free herself from her bonds. When Shiva warned him that they'd meet again, he muttered "Too bad": it is not specified if this was a contemptuous remark to a defeated opponent, or the dread, on Batman's part, of another beating by her.
Shiva began to track down those who referred to themselves as Shihan, "Master," or any other title proclaiming mastery of a martial arts form. She would learn what she could from them and, depending on their skill, kill them when they were of no further use to her. Shiva’s decision whether or not to kill a particular opponent seems to be based on whim.
Later, Shiva developed a specific interest in Koroshi, master of the art of empty-handed fighting, after hearing that he had been defeated. Any time a true martial arts master is defeated, Shiva does her best to verify the fact and discover how it was accomplished. After gaining no information from Koroshi himself, she started to look for the man rumored to have defeated him, King Snake, to get the information from him instead.
During her search, she met Tim Drake, who was undergoing training to become the third Robin. Tim was fighting King Snake's criminal organization, the Ghost Dragons, with the help of a former DEA agent, Clyde Rawlins. Shiva could see that Tim had the potential to become a great fighter, and decided to take him under her wing and trained him in martial arts. As a bonus, she offered to train him in one weapon - he chose the bo staff. Shiva mentioned, somewhat derisively, that it was not a lethal weapon, to which Tim replied that was the reason he had chosen it. At the end of his training, he defeated Shiva in a sparring match with the bo, and she gifted him with a collapsible bo staff which fit under his cape.
King Snake was creating a virulent plague. The three attempted to stop them from releasing it, but the Ghost Dragons escaped with a few of the canisters. After tracking them to Hong Kong, they eventually defeated King Snake, though Rawlins died in the attempt and Shiva mostly watched the proceedings. Shiva ordered Robin to kill King Snake while he hung from a building to signify his 'graduation' and thus become her 'weapon'. Robin, of course, refused to do so and left. It is believed that Shiva threw the King Snake off the ledge of the building theoretically to his death, though later it would be revealed that he did actually not die.
After Bane broke Batman's back, he sought out Shiva to help him regain his skills and fighting spirit. She deemed him unworthy of her efforts. Out of respect for what and who he was before his back was broken, she devised a training regimen for him. As part of this training, Shiva killed the Armless Master (a sensei living in Gotham, most notable for having trained Catwoman), while wearing a tengu mask, making sure that his death was witnessed, and word of it passed on to his best students.
Knowing that the Master's greatest students would be seeking revenge against the "Tengu Mask" warrior, Shiva then made Batman wear the mask while performing training missions. He was taken by surprise when he was attacked by the master’s students, who mistook him for Shiva. He defeated all of them in turn. Shiva was attempting to "complete" Batman’s training by manipulating him into killing an opponent. Batman fooled Shiva into believing he had done so, using a false imitation of the Leopard Blow killing technique she had taught him. Shiva later discovered the truth, but did not seek vengeance.
When the Gotham Earthquake hit, Shiva's former pupil Robin had been furthering his training in Paris. While there, Robin met a young woman named Dava who had been a part of a Middle-Eastern rebel alliance. Dava had left her home to train herself in martial arts techniques that could defeat a foe with the first blow (many of them lethal). When Dava informed Robin that she would soon seek out Shiva and learn the Leopard Blow, Robin grew concerned and followed Dava back to her home country. His concerns were with good reason when it turned out that Lady Shiva had heard of Dava and desired to battle her.
Robin agreed to work with Dava on an assault of an enemy base, at which point he discovered that Dava had access to a chemical which gave the user periods of super-speed. Dava then kissed Robin, giving him super-speed to aid in their mission. It was at this point at which Shiva appeared, demanding to fight Dava. Robin however jumped in first and using his super-speed fought Shiva. Unfortunately Robin found himself unable to hold back as he fought, and ended up not only defeating Shiva but killing her.
However, he quickly administered CPR which revived her. This also transferred some of the super-speed chemical into Shiva, however, and she used this ability to quickly kill the soldiers while Robin and Dava made their escape. Shiva vanished immediately after.
After the earthquake in Gotham, the Brotherhood of the Monkey Fist held a martial arts tournament in the ruined city, attempting to prove their worthiness and skill after having been dishonored. Under the alias "Paper Monkey," she fought and defeated many other competitors. Her final opponent was Connor Hawke, the Green Arrow. Though it was a very close and taxing contest, Shiva was the winner. Robin had saved Shiva's life previously and asked her not to kill Connor, trading a life for a life. After warning Robin that using the favor now meant she would challenge and kill him when he was older, she refrained from killing Connor.
Over the years, Shiva amassed groups of followers who seem to worship her as an incarnation of Shiva, the Hindu goddess of death (Shiva within the Hindu mythology actually is both male and female). Shiva pays them little attention, other than occasionally using them as lackeys or killing them when it suits her whims. Some of her followers have even created temples to honor her victories. There was one such temple in Gotham, which she destroyed, and there are likely others around the world. Her followers are nearly as obsessed as she is, though they do not come close to matching her skills.
Shiva's daughter, Cassandra, at age 8, fled David Cain's charge after being horrified after killing a man during her first assignment as an assassin. She then wandered the world without a spoken language but seeking redemption, eventually finding herself in Gotham City during the events of No Man's Land. Seeing promise in Cassandra, Batman (Bruce Wayne) and former Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, gave Cassandra their blessings to take up the mantle of Batgirl, undoubtedly attracting the attention of her mother, Shiva.
Without telling Cassandra of their relationship, Shiva challenged her to a battle to the death. To Shiva's disappointment, she defeated Batgirl soundly due to the inhibiting block that learning language from a psychic had effected on Cassandra's physical skills. Shiva did not kill Cassandra because she wanted to fight her at her peak. She then promised to teach her the secret of regaining her abilities under the condition that they have a rematch in one year's time. The secret to being undefeatable, Shiva instructed, simply was to not fear death--even to seek it. Cassandra was soon back on her game.
Shiva appeared to fight Batgirl at the Forum of The Twelve Caesars. Initially, Shiva defeated Batgirl, rendering her clinically dead. Realizing that Batgirl had not given her all, Shiva revived her. Batgirl admitted to Shiva that she had been fighting suicidally, harboring a death wish due to the fact that Cain had forced her to kill a man with her bare hands when she was only a child. Her ability to perfectly understand the agony of her victim traumatized Batgirl. Having now overcome her death wish, Batgirl fought Shiva again, shattering the sword she wielded. In the midst of battle, Batgirl accused Shiva of having a death wish herself, and that she was really only traveling the world and fighting other martial artists in search of her own death. Batgirl defeated Shiva by breaking her jaw, but refused to kill her.
Shiva decided after her defeat to become a sensei, both for Bird of Prey Black Canary (Dinah Lance) and the new League of Assassins. Cassandra began to suspect that Shiva was her mother, but could not provoke Cain into an admission. She then embarked on a search for Shiva, finding her with the League of Assassins under the control of Nyssa Raatko, Ra's al Ghul's eldest daughter. When Cassandra sacrificed her life to save a former League of Assassins member Tigris from an attack by Mad Dog, her own predecessor and unsuccessful experiment of David Cain, Shiva realized that Cassandra was not a pawn of Batman, but that she made her own mind up to be a preserver of life. Shiva decided to resurrect Cassandra in a Lazarus Pit to reveal the truth of her heritage to her and fight her one more time.
The battle ensued when Cassandra seemed determined to end Shiva's reign of destruction, and Shiva admitted that that was the reason she agreed to give birth to her. To Shiva's satisfaction the fight was evenly matched and Cassandra ultimately won by dodging Shiva's Leopard Blow strike and snapping her mother's neck. Shiva, still alive, refused Cassandra's attempt to heal her in the pit. Cassandra granted her mother's deathwish, but still unwilling to kill, decided to suspend her precariously over the Lazarus Pit before she left to renounce her role as Batgirl and find her own place in the world. Due to later events, it is most likely that Shiva's body fell into the Pit and brought her back to life.
Having switched places with Black Canary in order to allow them both to experience each other's life experiences, Shiva joins Oracle's covert team of female operatives known as the Birds of Prey (with Canary hoping that spending time with them would soften Shiva), using the name "Jade Canary". However, she retains her hard and cold personality. Oracle semiseriously refers to Shiva as being possibly sociopathic, and refuses to call Shiva by the Jade Canary title, even though Shiva (as part of the deal with Canary) has taken to wearing Black Canary's boots and trademark fishnet stockings (though she hates wearing them).
Shiva continues to perform solo-work however, and visits Robin to assist him (much to Robin's chagrin) in discovering the truth behind Batgirl's recent disappearance and recent upheaval within the League of Assassins. She refuses to allow herself or Oracle's team to be involved, and instead trusts her former pupil to handle the situation. It appears that she holds no ill-will towards Cassandra as she informs Tim that she hopes that her daughter is well.
During a recent mission, Oracle's team confronted the villain Prometheus, whose helmet allows him to copy the skills of 30 of the world's greatest martial artists, including Shiva herself. This had allowed him a victory against Batman in the past. Shiva believed that his files on her would be out of date, and that she would be able to defeat her "old self". She seemed unconcerned about the skills of the other 29 fighters, and apparently decided to attack Prometheus head-on. Prometheus, however, had more up-to-date files than Shiva suspected, and in three seconds had knocked her to the ground. After this defeat, Shiva vanished, leaving a message for Black Canary: "Tell the Canary, I release her."
Characteristics
Age: 38 (appears younger from Lazarus Pit)
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 105lbs
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Unusual Features:
Personality:
Powers
Known Powers: No known powers
Known Abilities:
Strength Level: Shiva possesses peak strength for a human of her height and weight.
Weaknesses:
Misc (optional)
Equipment: None
Transportation: None
Weapons: There is very little that has stayed around long enough to have any sort of personal attachment or meaning to Shiva. While, typically, there is a kit of weapons she prefers to have on her at all times, most of it is easily replaceable with time and money. All of the weapons she uses are of the highest grade and make, not wanting inferior equipment to damage her art or her reputation.
Sample RP Post
Alter Ego: Lady Shiva
Status
Occupation: Assassin
Martial Status: Single
Legal Status: Unknown
Group Affiliation(s): League of Assassins, Birds of Prey
Origin
Place of Birth: Unknown
Known Relatives: Carolyn (sister, deceased), Cassandra Cain (daughter)
History
Little is known about Sandra Woosan's early years - except that she was extremely close to her sister Carolyn. Both sisters were highly gifted for the martial arts, and avidly followed lessons from local teachers in kung fu and various other competitive martial arts. They particularly enjoyed sparring together - however their form was closer to dance and acrobatic dancing than combat, though they did achieve excellent results in combat sports.
Sandra, in particular, was bursting with potential. It is unclear if either sister was trained by Carolyn's godfather, the O-Sensei - but it would appear not.
While the sisters were in their late teens, David Cain, arguably the best assassin in the world, was meeting with failure with his dream project - to raise a child who would only know the language of violence from its earliest months on, and would be free of most human limitations when it comes to fighting and killing. Cain eventually decided that what was needed was the right genetics, and thus started to quest for a woman with formidable natural talent for the martial arts. This is how he spotted Sandra Woosan.
Cain's immediate assessment was the correct one - Sandra had unbelievable talent that could easily make her one of the greatest living fighters, but she was subconsciously holding back to remain at the same level as her beloved sister Carolyn. Cain decided to terminate Carolyn - but before he could move in, he heard about Carolyn Woosan's uncle, Mr. Shiruto. Shiruto, a scientist, was hunted down by the Swiss, a sadistic killer operating for the crimelord and industrialist Guano Cravat. While Shiruto managed to kill himself rather than be interrogated by the Swiss, Cain floated the rumour that Shiruto has sent the documents Cravat was after to his niece.
The plan nearly went awry - while the Swiss managed to capture Carolyn Woosan, he soon found himself opposed by formidable martial artist Richard Dragon, the best student of the O'Sensei. On several occasions, the Swiss narrowly fled from the unstoppable Dragon with Carolyn (presumably drugged to pacify her) as his hostage ; eventually, though, he panicked and crashed the motorbike he was driving while Dragon was closing on him. Carolyn Woosan was killed in the collision.
Sandra Woosan was extremely distraught, since her sister meant everything to her ; rejecting Dragon's and the O-Sensei's way, she investigated the Swiss, which eventually lead her to the feared League of Assassins. As she angrily engaged the elite killers of the League, her style of combat started evolving at an unbelievable pace, making her an incredible fighter ; still, this wasn't enough to defeat David Cain himself when they met in single combat. Cain offered her a deal - he would impregnate her and claim the child as his own, in exchange for showing her how to go beyond her current limitations. Still driven by anger and grief, Woosan accepted and started training with Cain, sparring with him even months within her pregnancy and continuing to bloom as a grand mistress of the martial arts, starting to gain ground on Cain himself. She presumably also trained under the dread Sensei of the League of Assassins.
She eventually gave birth to baby girl named Cassandra, and walked away without turning back. She had by that point reinvented herself as an entity bringing creation through destruction - Shiva or, as she was soon to be called, Lady Shiva. Shiva then started her long path of confronting other fighters and martial artists, more often than not in fights to the death, to learn from them and become the very best fighter in the world.
Through his extensive contacts with the League of Assassins, Guano Cravat contacted Lady Shiva and fed her a version of the death of her sister where Dragon was the villain. Working for Cravat, she infiltrated the mysterious, covert organization known as G.O.O.D., where Dragon and his friend Benjamin Turner, also a master of the martial arts, occasionally worked as star free agents. Shiva swiftly became another such top agent, and arranged for Dragon to attempt a lone invasion of Cravat's fortified headquarters. As expected, Dragon made it, proving he was indeed worthy of meeting her in single combat under Cravat's gleeful eye. To make the fight funnier to watch, Cravat perched himself on a laser cannon whose beam was randomly rotating throughout the arena. Both fighters engaged each other in combat, with Shiva soon proving she was a world-class fighter, operating at nearly the same level as Dragon himself.
However, the somewhat deranged Cravat, babbling, let slip that he was actually behind Carolyn's death, thus confirming what Dragon was attempting to tell Shiva. The two fighters turned against Cravat, with Dragon using Shiva's metallic belt to reflect the laser beam on Cravat's cannon, then convincing Shiva not to kill the depraved crimelord.
Shiva started hanging around Dragon, as she soon noticed that danger was clinging to him and that his life was an endless source of trouble she could get involved in ; presumably she was also interested in observing his and Turner's techniques. She thus repeatedly fought along with the kung-fu fighters, often as part of the forces of G.O.O.D., which allowed her to cross swords or fists with a wide variety of deadly opponents.
Eventually, Ben Turner disappeared and was believed dead in the explosion of the Arctic base of Professor Ojo. This event sent Dragon into a depression ; feeling contempt over his sorry state she sternly castigated him and hit him, then walked away to begin working as a solo mercenary.
Shiva went on her own way, eventually returning to Manchuria to visit with her godfather the O-Sensei (teacher of Richard Dragon and the Bronze Tiger). The "master in many ways" had lived over 150 years, and had finally decided to die, and fulfill his promise to his wife by having his bones rest beside hers. The wife's family, angry at the O-Sensei, had hidden her remains and intended to fight him. Although this was actually no problem to the O-Sensei, he had Shiva select three warriors to aid him on his quest; she selected the Question, Green Arrow, and Batman.
Shiva's actions while aiding her god-father on his final mission might well be described as being erratic, perhaps giving some insight into their relationship. At one point she seemed to accept his decision to finally die, only to turn to him and ask "is that necessary?" Soon after she slew several men for threatening the O-Sensei. Seeing something in his face Shiva angrily gestured at the men, saying "You disapprove? You thought the violence unnecessary?" After another look from the O-Sensei Shiva knelt before the old man, taking his hands in hers, and said "Well, they meant us ill. Besides, I like violence". Shiva returned with the O-Sensei to Hub City, meeting with the Question for the first time since she had left him with Richard Dragon. She used the Question to set up a meeting with Batman, her first meeting with the Dark Knight. Although Shiva needed Batman's aid, she nonetheless began fighting with the vigilante, only stopping when the O-Sensei said "Enough". She turned and began defending her actions, saying "You know I could not help myself. I had to test him. I had to".
Notably, Shiva took some time from her journey to kill a number of slave traders, sparing the only one to successfully cut her and actually rewarding the man with a kiss to the forehead (although she still broke the man's arm). During this time, while seeking out Green Arrow, she first encountered and sparred with Black Canary. Although Canary apparently did not realize it until later, the two had both studied under Sensei Otomo for a period. After recruiting Green Arrow, Shiva returned again to Hub City.
At this point, the insane Reverend Hatch had been dead for about a year, and Shiva saved the Question from the last of Hatch's men, killing them before idly setting fire to the fortune in money Hatch had embezzled from the city. Shive nursed the Question's elderly friend Tot back to health, after which the hero told Shiva that he could never seem to understand her. She replied: "Your mind is not ready to understand me. It may never be ready to understand me. Content yourself with this: I am outside" (the terms "Outside" and "Inside" had taken on a special meaning for the Question after training with Richard Dragon.
Meditating was referred to as "going inside", and Sage, at one point, speculated that when he adopted his Question persona it "put on the outside what I was feeling inside"). Sage speculated aloud that if he kissed Shiva she would probably break a dozen of his bones. Smiling slightly she replied that she might do worse, but neither of them could know unless he tried. She then referred to the O-Sensei as "the one man I am certain I would not harm if he kissed me". Even with the aid of Batman, Green Arrow, and the Question, Shiva was unable to deliver the O-Sensei to the small island Batman believed the O-Sensei's wife was buried on, and the master was lost overboard during a storm. This may well have been intentional, however, for it was soon discovered that the wife's remains had likewise been lost overboard when they were being moved to the island.
Shiva would encounter Sage twice more. By this point the city was beyond saving, with only a dozen trustworthy police, five judges, no jailspace, no money, repairs to be done everywhere, and a governor that had decided to just let the city go. It was repeatedly called a modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah. Shiva first returned to Hub City to offer her services to one of the gangs ruling the city, but decided to kill the gang instead for sending unskilled men to kill her (the attempt on her life itself did not bother her). Upon encountering Sage she was dismayed to find that his doomed attempts to save the city had greatly atrophied his skill.
Nonetheless she repeatedly saved Sage, along with his lover (the city's mayor) from assassins. She vanished soon after. Sage himself finally left Hub City (along with Tot and his lover's daughter), having finally been convinced by Richard Dragon that his crusade was no longer doing anything but destroying him. Shiva stepped out of the helicopter meant to pick them up, explaining while it had become a place they would leave, it was now something she would go toward. Sage and Shiva said their final words before she left toward the city.
Shiva continued to sell her services as a mercenary for the money and the challenge it brought her. Eventually, she crossed paths with the League of Assassins, and its leader, Ra's Al Ghul. Shiva’s primary concern is the perfection of her skills and she has kept close ties with the League over the years, though this has not stopped her from turning against them, such as during the Batman: Legacy affair.
Shiva was also hired to train prospective assassins, mercenaries or terrorists. She was training a small group of would-be terrorists in war-torn Lebanon when it came to light that she had something to do with the father of Jason Todd, the second Robin. This connection caused Jason and his guardian Batman to seek her out, thinking that she might perhaps be his mother. Batman and Shiva had met before and, eager to finally face a man of Batman's skills without interruptions, she knocked Robin unconscious and challenged the Dark Knight.
At first Batman treated this challenge as simple vanity on Shiva's part but was quickly impressed enough by her skill, speed, and power to take the fight seriously. He soon realized that underestimating her could possibly kill him, and stopped holding back his full strength. It did however take Robin's intervention to knock Shiva unconscious and subdue her for interrogation. When asked if she was Jason’s mother, she laughed, finding the idea amusing, claiming to have littered dozens of babies across the globe. Batman gave her sodium pentothal, and Shiva admitted she did not have any children. Although it is true that Jason was not her son, it is later discovered that she did indeed have a child.
Batman left her in the desert reasoning that a woman with her skills would soon free herself from her bonds. When Shiva warned him that they'd meet again, he muttered "Too bad": it is not specified if this was a contemptuous remark to a defeated opponent, or the dread, on Batman's part, of another beating by her.
Shiva began to track down those who referred to themselves as Shihan, "Master," or any other title proclaiming mastery of a martial arts form. She would learn what she could from them and, depending on their skill, kill them when they were of no further use to her. Shiva’s decision whether or not to kill a particular opponent seems to be based on whim.
Later, Shiva developed a specific interest in Koroshi, master of the art of empty-handed fighting, after hearing that he had been defeated. Any time a true martial arts master is defeated, Shiva does her best to verify the fact and discover how it was accomplished. After gaining no information from Koroshi himself, she started to look for the man rumored to have defeated him, King Snake, to get the information from him instead.
During her search, she met Tim Drake, who was undergoing training to become the third Robin. Tim was fighting King Snake's criminal organization, the Ghost Dragons, with the help of a former DEA agent, Clyde Rawlins. Shiva could see that Tim had the potential to become a great fighter, and decided to take him under her wing and trained him in martial arts. As a bonus, she offered to train him in one weapon - he chose the bo staff. Shiva mentioned, somewhat derisively, that it was not a lethal weapon, to which Tim replied that was the reason he had chosen it. At the end of his training, he defeated Shiva in a sparring match with the bo, and she gifted him with a collapsible bo staff which fit under his cape.
King Snake was creating a virulent plague. The three attempted to stop them from releasing it, but the Ghost Dragons escaped with a few of the canisters. After tracking them to Hong Kong, they eventually defeated King Snake, though Rawlins died in the attempt and Shiva mostly watched the proceedings. Shiva ordered Robin to kill King Snake while he hung from a building to signify his 'graduation' and thus become her 'weapon'. Robin, of course, refused to do so and left. It is believed that Shiva threw the King Snake off the ledge of the building theoretically to his death, though later it would be revealed that he did actually not die.
After Bane broke Batman's back, he sought out Shiva to help him regain his skills and fighting spirit. She deemed him unworthy of her efforts. Out of respect for what and who he was before his back was broken, she devised a training regimen for him. As part of this training, Shiva killed the Armless Master (a sensei living in Gotham, most notable for having trained Catwoman), while wearing a tengu mask, making sure that his death was witnessed, and word of it passed on to his best students.
Knowing that the Master's greatest students would be seeking revenge against the "Tengu Mask" warrior, Shiva then made Batman wear the mask while performing training missions. He was taken by surprise when he was attacked by the master’s students, who mistook him for Shiva. He defeated all of them in turn. Shiva was attempting to "complete" Batman’s training by manipulating him into killing an opponent. Batman fooled Shiva into believing he had done so, using a false imitation of the Leopard Blow killing technique she had taught him. Shiva later discovered the truth, but did not seek vengeance.
When the Gotham Earthquake hit, Shiva's former pupil Robin had been furthering his training in Paris. While there, Robin met a young woman named Dava who had been a part of a Middle-Eastern rebel alliance. Dava had left her home to train herself in martial arts techniques that could defeat a foe with the first blow (many of them lethal). When Dava informed Robin that she would soon seek out Shiva and learn the Leopard Blow, Robin grew concerned and followed Dava back to her home country. His concerns were with good reason when it turned out that Lady Shiva had heard of Dava and desired to battle her.
Robin agreed to work with Dava on an assault of an enemy base, at which point he discovered that Dava had access to a chemical which gave the user periods of super-speed. Dava then kissed Robin, giving him super-speed to aid in their mission. It was at this point at which Shiva appeared, demanding to fight Dava. Robin however jumped in first and using his super-speed fought Shiva. Unfortunately Robin found himself unable to hold back as he fought, and ended up not only defeating Shiva but killing her.
However, he quickly administered CPR which revived her. This also transferred some of the super-speed chemical into Shiva, however, and she used this ability to quickly kill the soldiers while Robin and Dava made their escape. Shiva vanished immediately after.
After the earthquake in Gotham, the Brotherhood of the Monkey Fist held a martial arts tournament in the ruined city, attempting to prove their worthiness and skill after having been dishonored. Under the alias "Paper Monkey," she fought and defeated many other competitors. Her final opponent was Connor Hawke, the Green Arrow. Though it was a very close and taxing contest, Shiva was the winner. Robin had saved Shiva's life previously and asked her not to kill Connor, trading a life for a life. After warning Robin that using the favor now meant she would challenge and kill him when he was older, she refrained from killing Connor.
Over the years, Shiva amassed groups of followers who seem to worship her as an incarnation of Shiva, the Hindu goddess of death (Shiva within the Hindu mythology actually is both male and female). Shiva pays them little attention, other than occasionally using them as lackeys or killing them when it suits her whims. Some of her followers have even created temples to honor her victories. There was one such temple in Gotham, which she destroyed, and there are likely others around the world. Her followers are nearly as obsessed as she is, though they do not come close to matching her skills.
Shiva's daughter, Cassandra, at age 8, fled David Cain's charge after being horrified after killing a man during her first assignment as an assassin. She then wandered the world without a spoken language but seeking redemption, eventually finding herself in Gotham City during the events of No Man's Land. Seeing promise in Cassandra, Batman (Bruce Wayne) and former Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, gave Cassandra their blessings to take up the mantle of Batgirl, undoubtedly attracting the attention of her mother, Shiva.
Without telling Cassandra of their relationship, Shiva challenged her to a battle to the death. To Shiva's disappointment, she defeated Batgirl soundly due to the inhibiting block that learning language from a psychic had effected on Cassandra's physical skills. Shiva did not kill Cassandra because she wanted to fight her at her peak. She then promised to teach her the secret of regaining her abilities under the condition that they have a rematch in one year's time. The secret to being undefeatable, Shiva instructed, simply was to not fear death--even to seek it. Cassandra was soon back on her game.
Shiva appeared to fight Batgirl at the Forum of The Twelve Caesars. Initially, Shiva defeated Batgirl, rendering her clinically dead. Realizing that Batgirl had not given her all, Shiva revived her. Batgirl admitted to Shiva that she had been fighting suicidally, harboring a death wish due to the fact that Cain had forced her to kill a man with her bare hands when she was only a child. Her ability to perfectly understand the agony of her victim traumatized Batgirl. Having now overcome her death wish, Batgirl fought Shiva again, shattering the sword she wielded. In the midst of battle, Batgirl accused Shiva of having a death wish herself, and that she was really only traveling the world and fighting other martial artists in search of her own death. Batgirl defeated Shiva by breaking her jaw, but refused to kill her.
Shiva decided after her defeat to become a sensei, both for Bird of Prey Black Canary (Dinah Lance) and the new League of Assassins. Cassandra began to suspect that Shiva was her mother, but could not provoke Cain into an admission. She then embarked on a search for Shiva, finding her with the League of Assassins under the control of Nyssa Raatko, Ra's al Ghul's eldest daughter. When Cassandra sacrificed her life to save a former League of Assassins member Tigris from an attack by Mad Dog, her own predecessor and unsuccessful experiment of David Cain, Shiva realized that Cassandra was not a pawn of Batman, but that she made her own mind up to be a preserver of life. Shiva decided to resurrect Cassandra in a Lazarus Pit to reveal the truth of her heritage to her and fight her one more time.
The battle ensued when Cassandra seemed determined to end Shiva's reign of destruction, and Shiva admitted that that was the reason she agreed to give birth to her. To Shiva's satisfaction the fight was evenly matched and Cassandra ultimately won by dodging Shiva's Leopard Blow strike and snapping her mother's neck. Shiva, still alive, refused Cassandra's attempt to heal her in the pit. Cassandra granted her mother's deathwish, but still unwilling to kill, decided to suspend her precariously over the Lazarus Pit before she left to renounce her role as Batgirl and find her own place in the world. Due to later events, it is most likely that Shiva's body fell into the Pit and brought her back to life.
Having switched places with Black Canary in order to allow them both to experience each other's life experiences, Shiva joins Oracle's covert team of female operatives known as the Birds of Prey (with Canary hoping that spending time with them would soften Shiva), using the name "Jade Canary". However, she retains her hard and cold personality. Oracle semiseriously refers to Shiva as being possibly sociopathic, and refuses to call Shiva by the Jade Canary title, even though Shiva (as part of the deal with Canary) has taken to wearing Black Canary's boots and trademark fishnet stockings (though she hates wearing them).
Shiva continues to perform solo-work however, and visits Robin to assist him (much to Robin's chagrin) in discovering the truth behind Batgirl's recent disappearance and recent upheaval within the League of Assassins. She refuses to allow herself or Oracle's team to be involved, and instead trusts her former pupil to handle the situation. It appears that she holds no ill-will towards Cassandra as she informs Tim that she hopes that her daughter is well.
During a recent mission, Oracle's team confronted the villain Prometheus, whose helmet allows him to copy the skills of 30 of the world's greatest martial artists, including Shiva herself. This had allowed him a victory against Batman in the past. Shiva believed that his files on her would be out of date, and that she would be able to defeat her "old self". She seemed unconcerned about the skills of the other 29 fighters, and apparently decided to attack Prometheus head-on. Prometheus, however, had more up-to-date files than Shiva suspected, and in three seconds had knocked her to the ground. After this defeat, Shiva vanished, leaving a message for Black Canary: "Tell the Canary, I release her."
Characteristics
Age: 38 (appears younger from Lazarus Pit)
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 105lbs
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Unusual Features:
Personality:
- Assessing: All of her life, since she became who she is now, has been focused on making herself worthy and judging the worthiness of others. Within moments of meeting someone, whether or not they are worth more of her time can be ascertained. Those who are unworthy are ignored and those who are worthy are studied for future challenges.
- Confident: The line between confidence and arrogance but Shiva will ever be on the side of confidence. While she is the best, there is always someone who could become better. There is always a way she could improve. As long as there is still room between her and perfection, there will be room between her and arrogance.
- Driven: It is amazing that this source of energy, this indomitable will does not come from something outside of Shiva. She is not driven by guilt, or atonement, fear or desire. The only thing she strives for, that propels her through everything, is to achieve the impossible - to achieve perfection. Constantly, she can see where there needs to be improvement and anything less than her best in anything is unacceptable.
- Elitist: There is no patience for those who are not able to keep up with her. Shiva will not slow down for anyone else and is highly unlikely to have prolonged contact with anyone who is not willing to push themselves as hard as she pushes herself. In Shiva's world, there are those who are good, those who might one day be excellent and those who can challenge Shiva. No one else holds any lasting importance.
- Few Morals: Right and wrong have little bearing on Shiva. She does what she does and she does it better than anyone else. Killing, maiming, torturing or anything else she may have to do during the course of a job or a fight is something she will do without regrets. While she is not cruel and will not go out of her way to cause someone pain, neither will the necessity for it cause her a moment of pause.
- Indifferent: The pain of others has no effect on Shiva. Any sense of empathy or caring she had has been nullified years ago. In fact, she's pushed it so far that at times the pain of others seems somewhat amusing to her. Pain is a motivator, pain is a reason to push harder. People who let pain stop them are weak and if there was any sympathy in her for them, their weakness would banish it.
- Loner: It is more than obvious that Shiva just doesn't quite get along with the average person. The fact that she kills people for a living makes socializing with them difficult, even if she were so inclined. The elitist in her doesn't allow for the inclusion of lesser people in her life, making the number of possible conversation partners even smaller. Shiva can lead a group but she does not play well in one.
- Oddly Honorable: People speak of honor among thieves and it may or may not hold true there but it typically does for mercenaries. Employers must trust your word. Once Shiva gives her word on something, it is solid. It will happen or Shiva will be dead. She has no reason to lie, especially since she is unlikely to do so out of a desire to be polite or spare someone's feelings.
- Observant: Training for over half of her life, Shiva has a highly developed sense of observation, especially for people. When you fight someone you must fight them and not their weapon or their style. Everyone gives away details and clues about themselves when they move and react. Shiva has been watching people for so long; she started to give out signals of her own, just to see how others would react.
- Perfectionist: It is impossible to achieve and she knows it. If it were not, Shiva would have stopped striving and reaching years ago. There are some days when the only thing she really has is the drive to perfect her art. The thrill, the challenge - these mean nothing without the quest. Much like Batgirl, Shiva would rather be perfect for a year and die at the end of it than mediocre for a life time.
- Remote: If there was any empathy in the girl named Sandra, it was slowly eliminated as she turned into Shiva. The further she distanced herself from the distraction of her emotions, the more she distanced herself from the world and most in it. Little of the day to day concerns of normal life affect her and only rarely do the tragic or extraordinary seem to touch her. The cowardly and dishonorable, however, do seem to provoke a distinctly displeased reaction from her.
- Spiritual: Though it is a side most people do not see of her, Shiva has not only trained herself in the physical side of martial arts, she is very devoted to the spiritual side of things. One's mind and body must both be focused to find the optimal level of achievement. Delving into her mind and spirit for truth is what lead her down the path from Sandra to Shiva. The truth is one of the factors that make it possible for her to continue her quest for perfection.
- Territorial: Batman has Gotham City. Superman has Metropolis. Shiva is far too nomadic in her travels and her searching for her territory to be bound to a piece of land. Shiva has her list of the best fighters in the world. There is also a small list of those with talent she feels almost... protective about. If one of either list dies or is killed, it can be certain that Shiva will know of it. And she will come looking for the reasons why.
- Unpredictable: The only rule to follow when trying to guess what Shiva will do next is: Shiva will do what Shiva wants to do. Today could just as easily be filled with assassinating the Prime Minister of England as it is could be tracking down an excellent Chinese restaurant. In fact, a perfect day might well include both.
- Wicked Humor: So far removed from normal emotions, the strangest of things begin to tickle thus funny bone. Tragedy, torture and pain make for the greatest moments of comedy. Irony, satire and sarcasm, the more bitter forms of humor, are more likely to get a reaction. Failure, especially failure on the cusp of great success brings laughter that lingers for some time. Most everything else is a flip of the coin as to whether something might amuse or annoy, depending on whim and it appears by the same token.
Powers
Known Powers: No known powers
Known Abilities:
- Acrobatics: A Flying Grayson she is not. What Shiva is, however, is in the best possible physical shape and entirely without fear. Often she sends herself flying through the air, performing leaps, flips, rolls and tumbles most would call crazy if not out right impossible without some sort of assistance. Often the best way to avoid a blow is to simply not be there at all and barring that, to roll with the punch. Besides, most people always forget to look up.
- Ambidextrous: Once she had a side which was weaker, a hand that was preferred. In her quest for absolute perfection, Shiva has trained herself to be just as good with one side of her body as she is with the other. Losing a fight because a limb has been made unusable is unacceptable.
- Athletic: The years of training have honed Shiva's body into a weapon. There is not a single day that goes by that Shiva does not partake of some activity which trains her body and holds it in that zone of near perfection. The knowledge of exactly how far she can push herself is second nature to her and she will not hesitate to push herself even harder so that each time she can go further and do more than the time before.
- Assassination: There are certain procedures which need to be followed as an assassin. There are contacts, methods and unwritten rules to be dealt with. And among the professionals, there is a degree of honor and decorum. There is not much worry about making or keeping her reputation these days but still, Shiva would be a good mentor for someone looking to get started. Beyond that, Shiva is very practiced at killing - anything from instant death to dragging a death out over a specified length of time.
- Body Reading: There are hundreds of little signals the average person gives out telling those around them what they are doing, what they are thinking and how they are feeling. Most people don't pick up on these, let alone consciously interpret them for use. While she couldn't tell you what you had for dinner, where you grew up or what you're thinking right now like Batgirl can, she could tell which hand you prefer or if you've had any formal combat training. The same things that help her in a fight here would make Shiva an excellent poker player.
- Breaking and Entering: One of the tools of the trade. A large part of the time, in order to kill someone, it is needed to get to them inside their houses. While sliding into a house, shadowing someone, is the preferred method of entering a house, Shiva can pick simple locks and jimmy doors open if it is needed. This is not a great skill for her and it is mostly patience and sensitive fingers.
- Climbing: As she isn't typically one of the rooftop set, this is not one of her greatest skills but she can more than make due if it is required. Knowing how to use the equipment does not mean that she does so. The challenge of climbing a mountain or a wall using just her hands and feet is a thrill. Whether it is a thousand foot ascent or just the side of a two story building, there is no point in trying to convince her to take the easy way.
- Escape: There are very few things that can hold Shiva if she does not wish to be held. Straight jackets, hand cuffs, chains, ropes, buildings - all of them can be and have been defeated and escaped by Shiva. While not as good at this as Batman is, she also did not have the teaching he did. Twisting, turning, dislocating, contorting and even breaking are things that will be done willingly to her body to escape from a situation.
- Explosives: The Anarchist's Cookbook is just a starting place for someone such as Shiva. These days she'd just as often be labeled a terrorist as a mercenary for some of her tactics. As long as the job gets done, she has no concern for innocent casualties. While she is capable of making bombs herself, she is much more used to using professional grade explosives and shaped charges to accomplish her goals.
- Firearms: Guns are distasteful, inelegant, impersonal things. That does not mean that they are not useful from time to time. Typically, missions where guns are a necessity are missions that Shiva will pass on. All knowledge is power, especially when the weapon may end up in the hands of an opponent. Shiva knows how to assemble, clean and fire most guns and will typically hit what she is aiming at, but she is no great marksman.
- Hand to Hand: There is a difference between fighting and martial arts. There are few people in the world who can really appreciate the difference but for Shiva there is a distinct delineation between the two. For most people, this is all they see of Shiva, as they are not worthy of her art. Here is boxing and brutality, here is fighting for the sake of utility. There is no less grace or power or lethality in this than in the other but for those who have seen both, there is something missing. Almost as if her true spirit is not in it.
- Improvised Weapons: Anything can be a weapon. After training for as long as she has, there is no situation Shiva enters without scanning for weapons and she is never truly without them. Hairpins are lethal and concealable. A high heeled shoe can penetrate the temple with a quick sharp blow. When stretched even things so innocuous as handkerchiefs, pieces of paper or a flower arrangement.
- Intimidation: Shiva is walking danger. Sometimes that is enough to get the information she wants. Other times she has to go further than that. Some people might call what she calls intimidation torture, but she's not one to argue over semantics. Skilled in using her arts to cause first discomfort and then pain. If needed, she knows how to break bones and tear muscles.
- Languages: Shiva does business with many different kinds of people all around the world and there isn't always a translator available. Also, while most of the masters Shiva has learned from are Asian, she has also studied Savate, Capoeira, Krav Maga and Sambo thus needing to know French, Portugese, Hebrew and Russian. While languages are not simple for her, immersion is the best way to learn.
- Martial Arts: It almost goes without saying, Lady Shiva is one of the best martial artists on the planet. This is not nearly enough to explain exactly how good Shiva has become. Most people approach the martial arts as a form of defense or fighting or even something so mundane as exercise. To Shiva this truly is an art. It is an art she has dedicated herself to mind, soul and body. She has been practicing and perfecting this art for over two decades now and it shows in every motion she makes, her body moving with a grace and fluidity which has become unconscious.
Thousands of different punches and kicks and moves all combine in her head to create an almost infinite number of ways to take down an opponent. Not only will she choose the most effective way to fight an opponent but the most aesthetically pleasing, the most stylish and artistic way to win. Every blow is placed precisely for an intended effect, followed by another and another, making a composition beautiful to behold.
There are few people who Shiva even considers to be within the realm of her ability right now (Batgirl, Batman, Black Canary, and Connor Hawke), though there are some who could be trained into it (Robin, Cheshire, Nightwing). Then there is Val Armorr, someone she has recently met. Val Armorr is an enigma to her; someone so young, but yet so out of her league. He defeated her…killed her in one move, and that had opened her eyes that there truly is so much more she can learn. - Melee Weapons: Just as there is for any martial art without weapons, there are thousands upon thousands of moves and combinations of moves that can be used - for each and every distinct weapon. In Shiva's hands a melee weapon becomes and extension of her, moving with the same fluidity and grace. Swords and staves are preferred weapons due to reach but she is just as proficient with nunchaku, sai, tonfa, wind and fire wheels, daggers and manrikigusari.
- Ranged Weapons: Kyudo, The Way of the Bow, is considered by many to be the purest of all the martial ways. There is much more elegance and honor in using bows than in firearms. The three elements of attitude, movement, and technique unite in a state of perfect harmony. A true shot in kyudo is not just one that hits the center of the target, but one where the arrow can be said to exist in the target before its release. This translates very well into Shiva's style for all of her martial arts skills that the practice of this has been vitally important.
- Reflexes: Not only is she the greatest martial artist in the world but she has trained herself to act upon her observations almost before she has fully process the thoughts. There is no hesitation in her, there is observation, decision and motion, all linked together as one, allowing her to perform feats such as catching arrows. More than once has a sound or a flicker of motion allowed her to dodge an attack, to avoid knives, arrows and even bullets on occasion.
- Streetwise: All cities have a darker side to them. Shiva quite often travels in the circles of the druggies, the whores, the runaways, the pushers and the homeless. Quite often this is the best place to find information about what is happening in a city. All things flow downhill and sooner or later they pool at the bottom. While she doesn't strike fear into the heart of those who live in the shadows, that isn't what she wants. Shiva would rather blend into the shadows than be noticed. Fear is easily enough created if needed.
- Stealth: Blending into the shadows, keeping her step soft, Shiva is skilled in using distraction and cover to stay out of sight. Those who are looking, those who are perceptive are likely to notice her but those are exactly the people she wants to notice her. Some blend in by looking as though the belong there but that route will never be open to Shiva, as she draws too much attention to herself and that is the way she likes it. It is much better for her to just move out of where people will be looking for her.
- Survival: Shiva possesses excellent skills for survival in the wilderness. More than once she has been left on her own in the middle of the wilderness and made to fend for herself. Dropping her into the middle of no where with very little equipment and Shiva will likely be able to survive long enough to get into civilized territory. Only in the most extreme circumstances, such as the middle of the Sahara desert without any supplies, would be outside of her abilities.
- Tactics: Having been hired for many different sorts of mercenary jobs, Shiva has learned how to plan to complete jobs as quickly and smoothly as possibly. She is just as capable at planning for an army as she is for a small covert teams. This also applies to positioning and choosing battlegrounds for her own fights with masters. Studying her prey, Shiva knows what will be the most effective, silence or taunts, punches or kicks and there is no hesitance in her to use an advantage.
- Thrown Weapons: Shuriken, bolas, batarangs, or even silverware or pencils. Precise and accurate, Shiva can hit what she wants with rapidity. Much like with kyudo, the best way to perform this is to imagine the weapon hitting the target before it is released. She is better than Nightwing at this but not quite so good as Batman when he is using batarangs.
- Tracking/Shadowing: On the streets and in the forests, there are always ways to follow someone. Shiva knows this just as well as everyone else. While she likely could track wild game, there is only one sort of prey that interests Shiva in any way - humans. There are tracks on the ground and in the minds of others - both can be followed by Shiva.
Strength Level: Shiva possesses peak strength for a human of her height and weight.
Weaknesses:
- Human: Shiva can be shot, stabbed, wounded, inflicted by disease, gassed, killed by beam blasts, and whatever else humans can be harmed with. Continuous fighting will tire her out, making her more vulnerable to be killed by her enemies or whoever she's fighting against.
- Emotional Distance: Emotions get in the way of true focus. Shiva feels very little other than amusement about most of the other inhabitants on the planet. Any greater emotion (such as anger, love or sorrow) has been sacrificed or channeled into her quest towards perfecting her art. On the rare occasion that someone or something penetrates the wall she has built- Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and Shiva is no ordinary woman.
- Enemies: Being considered one of the best in the world makes you enemies. When you are the best, everyone who wants to make their name comes after you. Normally these challengers are not worth Shiva's minimal effort. Other times they are a pleasant diversion. Beyond those, having been an assassin and mercenary for over a decade, there are plenty of people who would pay to see her dead. Her path has crossed those of heroes often enough that she has some of them in the number of her enemies as well, though she does not try to antagonize them.
- Death Wish: Death is courting Shiva or perhaps it is the other way around. She brings it to others and yet cannot seem to touch it herself. While Shiva would never kill herself, she would and does take insane risks with regularity, trusting in her skill to save her. Each time is a spin on the roulette wheel. Some part of her wants to fail, wants to die. What is there that is worth doing without risk? What risk is greater than death?
- Obsession: At all times there is a list of the world's greatest fighters in Shiva's head. On that list is marked which of those fighters could be a threat to her and which cannot. There is no one on that list which is not one or the other for very long. The threats are dealt with and the other are watched carefully. The number of the world's heroes on that list varies and those she keeps an especially close eye upon - at one time or another, they will all likely receive a visit from Shiva.
- Perfection: The biggest factor in keeping her at the top of the list is her total focus on pushing herself as hard as she can. There are milliseconds she could take off the time it takes to throw a punch or kick. The angle of a form could be held more steadily and accurately. If anyone could force themselves to become superhuman by act of will alone, it would be Shiva.
- Talent: Vic Sage. Tim Drake. Cassandra Cain. Shiva has a weakness for the spark of talent in others. Normally it triggers the obsession in her and she must destroy the person who has it before they become too great of a threat to her. From time to time, however, she shows a fondness for someone with talent - almost sentimentality. This may be as close as Shiva comes to love. One thing is certain, if anyone other than herself were to kill any of the people on this short list, they would have to answer to Shiva.
Misc (optional)
Equipment: None
Transportation: None
Weapons: There is very little that has stayed around long enough to have any sort of personal attachment or meaning to Shiva. While, typically, there is a kit of weapons she prefers to have on her at all times, most of it is easily replaceable with time and money. All of the weapons she uses are of the highest grade and make, not wanting inferior equipment to damage her art or her reputation.
Sample RP Post
Codeword: