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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Davies" data-source="post: 8626539" data-attributes="member: 30538">Yamaguchi Kotaro<img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-xpMwmZM/0/07855869/M/ezgif-3-b040eb1d68-M.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />For Yamaguchi Kotaro, the Warhound of the Shēngxiào -- he prefers that self-appointed title to "occupant of the house of the Dog" -- it is an article of faith that he has seniority over all other members of its innermost council. He sincerely believes that Diorite recruited the members of the group in the reverse of the order of the progression of the cycle, so that only the first occupant of the house of the Pig (who died two years ago) would have been recruited before him. He thus possesses a primacy that other members of the group ought to respect ... they do not, but they should. Well, that will come in time.Yamaguchi got his start as a member of a gang affiliated with the Sanno-kai yakuza, doing rather well for himself and rising in their ranks. By 2009, however, he had become dissatisfied with his lot in life. The increasing violence and treachery within the syndicate was not the problem -- honestly, that was fun -- but he was bored with how rarely such opportunities for amusement came his way, and how repetitive his daily tasks were. Yamaguchi wanted something new, and Diorite gave him what he wanted and then some. He was granted superhuman strength and toughness, and the ability to call up shadowy creatures that resembled dogs that could tear people apart without those people ever knowing what was happening to them.His primary task within the Shēngxiào is to manage and supervise its illegal sales of weaponry, usually manufactured by factories in Vietnam and illicitly shipped to customers throughout the Pacific and parts of Central and Southern Asia, particularly criminals and terrorists. Matters being what they are, some of those "criminals and terrorists" are rebelling against unjust authority, and the Shēngxiào is notably supplying the resistance in both Hong Kong and the Korean Empire. This is done solely in the interest of escalating these conflicts to involve more death and destruction, rather than any benevolent motives.For his own part, Yamaguchi does not care about the goals of his master, nor even about the money involved. (He makes a pretense of caring about the latter so that the customers do not come to think that they can take advantage; losing money is only fun if it is also exciting.) His sole interest in these activities is coming up with and implementing clever schemes to avoid (or subvert) the authorities so that the deliveries can be made. Well, maybe not his sole interest, as he also enjoys watching the weapons in use. Because of this, he is often absent from Japan while engaged in such adventures.In the course of his exploits in Hong Kong, Yamaguchi has frequently found himself in conflict with its vigilante protector, Dú Láng. The fights between these two are some of the greatest thrills that Yamaguchi has ever experienced, even though he has usually either come out the loser (though never fatally) or had to flee to avoid capture, only rarely knocking out his opponent and never being able to finish him off. Truthfully, he is not sure he would want to do that even if he had the opportunity. Fighting him is just so much fun ... and the Lone Wolf of Hong Kong is rather attractive, if Yamaguchi was being really honest.As a consequence of this, he finds it somewhat hard to listen to the complaints of his fellows about the problems that they face in fighting the Ghost Sweepers or that frog, who are (he thinks) just a bunch of children. And that is without getting into the annoyance that he feels about the lack of respect shown to him, especially by Shēng Lóng and that ape Akamatsu. Yamaguchi usually tries to keep a handle on his temper, but has not always succeeded when it comes to those two. One day, they are going to go just one step too far and he will take the pair of them down. Then they will all know who the top dog is.Yamaguchi Kotaro - PL 10Abilities:STR 7/2 | STA 1 | AGL 1 | DEX 1 | FGT 10/5 | INT 3 | AWE 2 | PRE 4Powers:Aspect of the Dog: Array (31 points)<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">"Let Slip the Dogs of War": Cone Area Damage 10, Concentration, Subtle - 31 points</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Strength of the Hound: Enhanced Defenses 5 (Dodge 5); Enhanced Fighting 5; Enhanced Strength 5; Protection 5 - 1 point</li> </ul>Shielded Mind: Impervious Will 8, Limited to mental effects - 4 pointsAdvantages:All-out Attack, Benefit 3 (millionaire), Connected, Defensive Roll, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative, Ranged Attack 8, Startle, Well-informed.Skills:Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+13/+8), Deception 8 (+12), Expertise: Criminal 8 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 9 (+12), Insight 8 (+10), Intimidation 9 (+13), Perception 6 (+8), Persuasion 7 (+11), Technology 6 (+9), Vehicles 6 (+7).Offense:Initiative +5Unarmed +13/+8 (Close Damage 7/2)"Dogs of War" -- (Cone Area Damage 10)Defense:Dodge 10/5, Parry 12/7, Fortitude 4, Toughness 8/6/3/1, Will 10Totals:Abilities 38 + Powers 36 + Advantages 18 + Skills 35 + Defenses 17 = 144 pointsOffensive PL: 10Defensive PL: 10Resistance PL: 7Skill PL: 8Complications:Thrills--Motivation. Rivalry (Shēng Lóng, Akamatsu Gori.) Subject to Orders. Temper. Veneer of Professionalism.</blockquote>

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