Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2018 20:07:53 GMT -7
THE HAND
The hand has five fingers, each of which can exist independently of others. Not unlike the five islands that form Japan. However, when the five fingers of the hand come together for a single, unified purpose... the hand becomes an object of unwavering power!
In 1588, Kagenobu Yoshioka became sensei of the Ishiyama Sword School located in the Japanese village of Kyushua. Facing growing frustrations with the corrupt government that had been tainted by foreign influence, Yoshioka transformed the school into a training ground for samurais whose goal was to put power back in the hands of the Japanese people. Thus, the Hand was born. Just as a hand has five fingers, members of the inner circle of the Hand were leaders of organizations which each operated from one of Japan's five islands.
Their story begins 800 years ago, in feudal Japan. Seeking autonomy from the oppressive class system of the time, a few citizens fled into the mountainous regions of Iga and Kōga. There they developed ninjitsu, a stealthy martial art perhaps inspired by Sun Tzu's The Art of War. Over a period of centuries, they refined their art in secluded camps or clans (some of which would have split off over the course of time). Students trained and practiced the art from birth, playing children's games designed to impart expertise in unarmed combat, swordplay, weaponry, camouflage, escape, and evasion. Ninjitsu was also designed to encourage spiritual growth by pushing oneself physically and mentally beyond normal human limits. The ninja were experts in espionage and assassination, and offered their specialized services to samurai warlords and others who could afford them.
While other factions (clans) continued to exist in Japan, The Hand worked as mercenaries, seeking power for themselves. They sought dominance over all others, working for allies of convenience while seeking to eliminate their enemies.
THE BEAST
Before the evolution of mankind, a cabal of immortal hooded reptoids came to Earth, planning to start a legacy of evil. Millions of years later, they corrupted an Asian secret society of geniuses known as the Brotherhood of the Spear, which resulted in that group being called "the Beast" by the Brotherhood of the Shield. The BEAST is a demon that is worshiped by the Hand, the Snakeroot Clan, and the True Believers.
THE NINJA OF THE HAND — Descendants of the Snakeroot Clan
Masters of every form of subterfuge, the ninja were the most efficient and deadly warriors on the face of the Earth and became feared throughout Japan. Hearsay gave rise to the myth that ninja were the spawn of the Tengu, and that their divinity gave them extraordinary abilities. These myths were likely spread by the ninja themselves. Nonetheless, it would seem that an ancient ninja clan known as the Snakeroot can and does trace their bloodline back to these demons.
Upon the mutinous murder of Yoshioka, the Snakeroot ninja clan took control of the Hand and corrupted it by imposing the cult of a demon known as The Beast, which imbued them with dark magic. One of these black spells causes a Hand ninja's lifeless body to return to dust and prevent another from directly gazing at the Beast itself. Thus the Ninja of the Hand when killed turn to a black dust but there are even deeper forms of magic.
The Hand Ninja where their traditional costumes out of respect to their art and religion. Red is ‘The Hand’s’ colour but when employing their trade they often where dark grey to blend in with their surroundings. They also move about in the various guises, using a trustworthy face to catch their prey off guard.
The ninja are highly capable assassins and should never be treated as lowly back alley thugs or cannon fodder operatives of Hydra. Even a ‘novice’ ninja is deadly, and as they often work in teams, one can be sure that where they see two, there will always be at least two more hidden the shadows awaiting to throw a shuriken, a poisoned dart, or an arrow when least expected. Ninja, DO EVERYTHING they can to AVOID direct confrontation as their strength lies in subterfuge. They want the demise of their victims to look like an accident unless they are killing to send a statement.
All Ninja of ‘The Hand’ are practiced in blind-fighting. They are able to fight with a multitude of weapons and are exceptional hand-to-hand fighter trained to to withstand pain. The style of ninjutsu varies from clan to clan, ‘The Hand’ utilizes a vicious ‘bone-breaking’ style that utilizes a precision strikes capable of dislodging joints and producing breaks to cripple an opponent. They are also specialized in moving in shadow, a skill which may be magical in nature as they are able to move silently through the darkness in a supernatural fashion that can even at times defy thermal imaging.
The ninja also use the classic smoke bombs to conceal their movement and disorient their opponents. Some of these smoke bombs are laced with a mind-altering drug which they have been made immune to. A drug similar LSD, with very short lived effects, the body quickly metabolizing it, leaving no trace.
THE RETURNED
The Hand are also known for bringing the dead back to life. This is an honour earned by the strongest of warriors whereby their body can be called back to form through ancient ritual. These ninja are particularly powerful as they are numb to pain, possess heightened speed, do not tire, and will not die from blood loss. Their wounds heal quickly (over the course of days) and they can only be killed by death blows such as piercing their heart or removing their head. The legend behind the ritual states that what comes back is not the original person at all but some form of demon inhabiting their body. Indeed, they lose something once brought back. They lack compassion and some crave killing, thus they will never be whole, never be a complete warrior, but possessed of new abilities they tend not to care.
HYDRA
After the end of World War II, a select few of the more politically oriented members of the Hand formed the original HYDRA as a cabal of Japanese ultranationalists who plotted to overthrow the Japanese liberal democratic government, assassinate the prime minister, and install a neo-militarist government, which would rearm Japan. This particular ‘group’ of individuals possessed strong ties to the original ‘Brotherhood of the Spear’ which gave rise to ‘The Beast’, using their influence to manipulate their country. Unfortunately their control would quickly wane and succumb to the will of Baron Von Strucker, who seized control of the organization from its Japanese founders and slowly steered the organization towards the goal of world domination. The Hand and HYDRA have nevertheless collaborated in numerous subversive or criminal conspiracies over the years.
MODERN TIMES
The Hand has survived into the early 21st century, still seeking power in various forms, and using their lethal skills and brutal methods. The Hand's most dangerous adversary is The Chaste, a band of warriors once led by Stick. Much of their New York history entwines around Daredevil and Elektra.
GORGON
Tomi Shishido is the leader of the Madripoor Sect or Clan of ‘The Hand’. He possesses strong ties with Hydra, however, and often works over seas in North America as the organization ever serves the needs of those seeking to undermine the American government. As Red Skull has set his sights on surruptitiously ruling over America, ‘The Hand’, particularly those under the leadership of Gorgon are often employed to assassinate government officials, loose ends and superheroes that get in the way of Hydra’s goals.
Gorgon himself is best defined as an anarchist who has found purpose serving ‘The Hand’. His life is devoted to the mastery of the sword and to use it to strike down the illusion of order, painting his own canvas with the blood of liars. Tomi, however, is hardly noble and would be the first to dispel any such notion; nor he is but a tool. The hand that wields the blade that can cut a god is the strongest of all and he has killed a god.