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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Davies" data-source="post: 8466336" data-attributes="member: 30538">The January Man<img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-Rj9mPgK/0/ae94d306/S/vignette-lol-silco-arcane-prochain-champion-S.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />From 1997 to 2006, a man who went by the name Paul Hardison, also known by the nickname 'the January Man' (though never in his hearing) was reputedly the boss of the Chicago Outfit. Little definite is known about his background, but it is believed that he was actually born Paoli Accardo in Oak Park, Illinois, around 1938, and was distantly related to former Outfit boss Tony Accardo. (Rumors that he was the illegitimate son of the elder Accardo should probably be discounted.) While arrested for numerous crimes in the sixties and seventies, he had always been released due to a lack of evidence.It's also not clear when exactly he suffered the facial scarring that inspired his nickname, as no photos of him without it are known to exist. After his death, there arose an account which claimed that he had secretly provided state prosecutors with evidence that ensured that John DiFronzo's 1993 conviction was upheld rather than overturned, leaving control of the Outfit in those hands from which he took it. However, DiFronzo's girlfriend responded by splashing his face with a corrosive substance that left him permanently scarred. This account seems extremely unlikely; had rumors of such treachery been circulating during his rise to power, Hardison would likely have suffered a much more severe fate.Regardless, it was the January Man's misfortune to be directing the Outfit at the start of the career of Darkwing, and later that of Jack as well. It is a coin toss as to which of those two whom he despised more, and the frustration that he felt at their respective repeated escapes from the final fates that he tried to arrange for them boiled over into his dealings with other mobsters, often making him behave in an extremely erratic manner that contrasted greatly with his usual cold reserve. There are even reports that he tried to handle the matter personally on some occasions, though this worked no better for him than any other strategy.In 2004, the January Man was finally arrested and charged with various racketeering offenses. His schemes were not finished, however, and he arranged a deal with prosecutors by which he would serve as informant about Chicago's various superpower residents in exchange for the most serious charges being dismissed. This offer was accepted; to ensure the security of their source, Hardison was 'revealed' to have superpowers himself and assigned to serve his sentence in a supertech prison facility in New Mexico.It seems likely that his intention was to arrange his escape from there with the help of authentically superpowered inmates. However, the January Man had outsmarted himself, and died when the facility was destroyed during Billie Zane's coup.The January Man -- PL 7Abilities:STR 1 | STA 2 | AGL 2 | DEX 3 | FGT 4 | INT 5 | AWE 5 | PRE 4Advantages:All-out Attack, Benefit 4 (crime lord, millionaire), Connected, Contacts, Daze (Intimidation), Defensive Roll, Equipment 4, Improved Initiative, Leadership, Startle, Well-informed.Skills:Athletics 4 (+5), Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+7), Deception 6 (+10), Expertise: Crime 6 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+11), Insight 6 (+11),Intimidation 8 (+12), Investigation 4 (+9), Perception 4 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+8), Ranged Combat: Guns 6 (+9), Sleight of Hand 4 (+7), Stealth 6 (+8), Vehicles 3 (+6).Offense:Initiative +6Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 1)Heavy Pistol +9 (Ranged Damage 4)Defense:Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 5, Toughness 4/2, Will 9Totals:Abilities 52 + Advantages 17 + Skills 35 + Defenses 17 = 121 pointsOffensive PL: 7Defensive PL: 7Resistance PL: 7Skill PL: 7Complications:Greed/Power--Motivation. Distinctive Scars.</blockquote>

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