From The Pages Of... RPG APPLICATION
Screen Name: Optikal
Character you'd like to portray: Shang Tsung
Superhuman powers, traits, other attributes of interest: Shang Tsung is a powerful sorceror who relies on absorbing the souls of mortal to sustain his own life. He has powerful magic including necromancy and shape shifting.
Originally appearing from (which comic, and company?): Mortal Kombat: Blood & Thunder, Malibu Comics.
Fictional history of the character (as you're going to interpret it):
Shang Tsung's past remains shrouded in mystery. Shang Tsung was cursed by "his gods" not only to kill his enemies, but to take their souls as well. Only in this way would he hold off his grim fate: to age rapidly and die prematurely. As a side effect of his consuming the souls of others, Tsung was able to access their memories and knowledge, an ability which would greatly benefit him years later.
Tsung entered the Mortal Kombat tournament, quickly overcoming all competition and becoming Grand Champion. How long he retained the title is unclear; however the overconfident Tsung would eventually have it taken from him by the legendary Shaolin warrior monk, the Great Kung Lao.
Shang Tsung returned years later, now appearing far older, after the "mysterious" death of one of the tournament's three Grandmasters. He brought with him his greatest student: the Shokan prince Goro. He had been ordered by the ruler of Outworld, Shao Kahn, to finally bring about the winning streak in Mortal Kombat necessary to unbalance the Furies and weaken the dimensional gates, thus allowing the Outworld Emperor to conquer Earth. After a valiant but doomed fight, The Great Kung Lao was defeated by Goro and killed. Tsung consumed his soul, and the Outworld's domination of the Mortal Kombat tournament had begun.
However, Shang Tsung was impatient in his quest to overthrow the Earth Realm and began to lay plans in place to bring on an apocalypse and merge both dimensions into one.
Shang Tsung made contact with another sorcerer, Quan Chi. He had become aware of Quan Chi's quest for Shinnok's amulet, the location of which was known only to the Shaolin Monks. As a result of consuming the Great Kung Lao's soul, Shang Tsung had learned of it. In exchange for Quan Chi's, and Shinnok's, aid in completing a task for the Emperor Shao Kahn, he gave the location of the Map of the Elements. With this amulet and the combined power of the three sorcerors, Shang Tsung could put his plans into action and begin his quest to forcibly defy the Gods and take Earth Realm for himself.
Hero, Villain, or Walking the line?: Villain
List a few reasons why you chose this character: He's aweome. I've just watched the MK films. JB made me.
Write two complete sentences explaining what you can bring to this RPG: I can bring writing skillz and a shed load of awesome. I can also bring sexy back.
How many days a week you intend on posting in the RPG: 1
Please provide a small sample post as your character, at least three paragraphs and one line of dialogue in length:
The Mirror shimmered and shivered on the edges of its border, the dragon-headed frame that had kept it prisoner for countless centuries. Its surface glowed faintly in the oppressive gloom of the Black Tower's lowest level.
It was his, now: his prisoner and servant. Shang Tsung knew better than to brag: the Mirror of Souls, though not alive, still had a mind of its own. He must be careful, or it could destroy him. Angry as it was, the Mirror might reflect him as an old man, or an ordinary mortal, or a powerless infant.
Then there was the worst possibility: it might not reflect him at all. If that happened, he wouldn't even die. He would simply never have existed.
"It's powerful, that thing, whatever it is," said a woman behind him.
Shang Tsung turned to face her, shaking his head in irritation. Only one of the Tower's residents would be so addicted to magic that she'd dare to follow him here: Mileena, child of the Emperor. She'd been designed that way--a living tuning fork for magical energies. And, as usual, her homing instinct had proved right.
Tsung only wished she weren't so damn accurate
all the time. Not when he would've rather kept this a secret. From everyone, but most of all from Shao Kahn, and Mileena was sure to tell him all she knew.
"You've a gift for stating the obvious, girl," he said smoothly.
Mileena scowled at him, but not for long: she was far more interested in the Mirror.
"What is it, exactly?" she asked.
"I don't know what you mean," Shang replied, deciding to go for the innocent act.
She hissed at him, an eerily snakelike sound.
"That's no ordinary mirror," she said.
"It's way too--loud." She 'heard' magic as a whistling, shivering song, and the louder the song, the stronger the magic.
"Besides," she went on, "
If it were an ordinary mirror, you'd be preening in front of it."
Now it was Shang's turn to scowl.
"I do not preen," he muttered.
"I care about my appearance, that's all."
"Uh-huh," Mileena said skeptically.
"Right." She turned as if to leave and said,
"Very well. I'll simply walk back upstairs and tell Father all about your little mirror-that-is-not-a-mirror."
"Wait!"Shang yelped, a good four notes higher than usual. He could snap the wench's neck with his bare hands, but facing Shao Kahn was something else again. If the Emperor realized his chief wizard was keeping secrets... Shang cleared his throat and forced himself to sound stern.
"Wait, I said!"
"Tell me what the Mirror does, and I'll think about it," she said. He gave her a look that could've melted metal.
"All right, curse your pathetic soul!"he growled. It took him a moment to calm down.
Memories of his fall from the ledge of the Dragon Temple were still fresh in his head. Liu Kang had toppled him, sent him plummeting down onto the vicious hooked spikes rising up from the Temple floor.
Then, the Emperor had come, and healed him.
Even now, Shang could not say which was worse.
"The Mirror of Souls," he said at last.
"No one's sure where it came from, or why it's here. Only one thing is certain: the Mirror is an object of vast power.
"It is a reflection of our world, though it reflects only what it wants to, and the way it wants to. Beyond that, I know very little. There aren't many legends concerning the Mirror, except that it is dangerous."
"I meant to ask you something," Mileena began. But whatever she had been about to say, it would have to wait.
High above, in the top of the Tower, bells announced the time. The bells, rather than echo into silence, instead gave out a low, mournful sound that reminded Shang Tsung of the screams of the dying.
"Mid-morning,"he said quietly. He had been dreading the arrival of this day for some time now.
There would be practice matches in the Courtyard, preparation for the Tournament against Earth's fighters tomorrow.
"At last," Mileena hissed. The Tournament had been long in coming, and it was finally here.
The pair of them paused to scowl at each other once more before striding silently up the stairs.
Mortal Kombat was about to begin...again...
Unnoticed by the two warriors, the Mirror once more shivered on its hinges.
Do you know how to post pictures on the Hype boards?: