| The Shroud |
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| Name: | Maximillian Coleridge III |
| Gender: | Male |
| Place of Birth: | Las Angeles |
| Age: | 90 (looks 30) |
| Aliases: | Master of Darkness |
| Origin: | Mystic |
| Origin Earth: | 616 |
| Present Location: | Tower of Shadows, New York |
| Occupation: | Undercover Crimefighter/Criminal |
| Team: | Night Shift (leader), SHIELD (asset) |
| Alignment: | Lawful Neutral |
| Significant Other(s): | N/A |
| Powers and Abilities: | Mystic Arts, Mystic Senses, Darkforce Manipulation, Longevity, Willpower |
| Portrayed by: | Viggo Mortensen |
Shroud was born Maximillian Quincy Coleridge, of the English Coleridge family (who were very wealthy) in Los Angeles. He was raised in a world of privilege and power, wanting for nothing - travelling the world. He knew nothing of his parents' 'other dealings' (with the criminal underworld) until his parents were gunned down in front of him while visiting Moscow. Max was ten.
Relatives took over the responsibility of raising young Coleridge from that day on, in New York. He attended school, then college - studying law and criminology, among other things - and spent every other moment of his time training himself to one day repay the criminal underworld - starting with the Russian mafia - for what it had taken from him.
After college, he toured the world - but not for the same reasons as his parents had. In fact, for quite some time Coleridge dropped off the map entirely. His journeys eventually brought him into the Himalayan mountains - chasing rumours of a Cult of Kali that might agree to helping him achieve 'the edge' he was seeking.
He found them.
As it turned out, they were expecting him. For the next seven years, Coleridge stayed with the cult. He trained with them, learned their ways. He mastered his mind, body and soul, and on the last day of the seventh year, they declared him 'one of them' and worthy of the mark of Kali.
They branded it onto his face. Over his eyes, nose and forehead.
In agony, Coleridge fled out of the main doors of the temple and into the Himalayan snow to ease the pain. When he finally raised his head, he realised he was blind. Instead, replacing his eyesight was a mystical 'sense' that revealed the world to him in ways he could not have imagined.
Only then did he realise the temple, the cult - everything - was gone. He was alone.
In the years that followed, Coleridge discovered other 'gifts' of Kali (such as the same longevity that the monks enjoyed, mystic sight, and the power to summon Darkforce energy). He combined these with all of his knowledge, skills and resources to take the fight back to the law-breakers who remained as yet untouched by the forces of justice. With some careful alliances on the 'right' side of the law (people within Interpol, S.H.I.E.L.D., etc), Coleridge became 'The Shroud' - a criminal mastermind who built his own modest empire by taking down other criminals in the process.
In the meantime, Shroud returned to his life as 'Maximillian Coleridge, heir to the Coleridge family fortune', in order to 'keep up appearances'. To hide his longevity, Coleridge 'reinvented' himself as his own son, and then grandson - all the while continuing to operate as the Shroud - mainly in foreign countries, but the United States of America as well. He and his shadowy band of criminals (the Night Shift) even assisted other, more famous, heroes from time to time… under Shroud's leadership, that is. He would, however, occasionally vanish for a while - ceasing to operate as either criminal or crimefighter altogether, leaving his team in the care of others. As for his public identity, sometimes he created a cover-story - other times, he let people assume whatever they liked.
Few knew why he would leave. There were rumours, however, that the Shroud had raised a family of his own - in secret - and left his 'double life' to lead a simpler existence as husband and father. Other rumours suggested that he returned to Tibet to live in solitude, meditating, honing his gifts… either could be true. Or both. With the fall of the multiverse, Coleridge emerged once more, operating just about everywhere, if only briefly at a time. Once more the urban legends surrounding him grew.
Nowadays, the Shroud is something of a 'bogey-man' - wanted for questioning in regards to a string of criminal charges. He has never been caught. His 'operation' is either very small or very well hidden - but likely both. He has recently returned to the States to focus his attention on New York and surrounding cities.
Brooding
It would be fair to say that 'The Shroud' is Coleridge's true identity, while his 'Maximillian Coleridge III' persona is the lie. As the Shroud, he is given to a great deal of brooding and with good reason. He has lost much, suffered much, and it shows in his demeanour. It is not impossible to make him smile - merely difficult - and he can be prone to holding grudges even if he keeps them well-hidden. When he speaks, he likes to make his words count, even if they are taunts or quips. He can come across as quite… cold.
Warrior
There are two principal sides to Shroud's 'real' self - the Warrior is one of them. He is not afraid of combat - in point of fact, he is not afraid of a number of things - and he fights with the determination of someone who has been born to it (even though he wasn't, technically). He is not above killing, but chooses not to (if he can help it), as it draws more 'heat' from those on the right side of the Law. Killing would make his job - his real job - harder.
Monk
This is the other side to Shroud's general outlook on life, and it 'shines through the dark' (so to speak) much more than one might expect. He spends a great deal of time in meditation, and has highly attuned himself over the decades to the various currents of mystical energies all around. He can be calm, patient - 'zen' even - especially when investigating a crime. There is a gentleness in him and many do not get to see.
Iron Will
Shroud does not like to let things go. He will pursue an adversary across continents if need be, in order to 'see it through'. He has a habit of showing up at the oddest moments, always in pursuit of something or someone - to make the world a safer place for the innocent. The strength of his willpower is mighty, and it shows in both his meditative activities as well as his tenacity.
Family Man
Somewhere out there Shroud has a family. Almost no one knows of it, but sometimes people get to see that kind of potential in him. He has a soft-spot for kids - particularly those who have experienced just how cruel the world can be - and he will usually find a way to help them, even if it means going without notice or thanks.
Secretive
Shroud is not the kind of person to 'fight fair'. He fights dirty - often resorting to trickery and illusion to win, or at least survive. What one sees is seldom what one gets, and same is true of how he behaves in general. He has many secrets and is very good at keeping them. One truth can be used to cover up another, and another, and another…
The 'Maximillian Coleridge' persona is a prime example of how secretive the Shroud can be. 'Max' is a lackadaisical playboy who lives off his family fortune, tours the world for the fun of it, entertains women and 'lives it up'. His family company has fingers in many pies, so to speak, and 'Max' donates a great deal of his fortune to charities and medical research. Some of these things are genuine passions of his, while others… are merely more illusion.
Motivation
Necessity. Revenge. Justice. The 'ones that slip through the cracks'. These are the reasons Shroud does what he does. The Law cannot go everywhere; it cannot catch everyone. It has rules, and other consequences for keeping to those rules. Shroud does what he has to. If he can help it, no other son or daughter will have to grow up an orphan as he did; no criminal organisation will be allowed to thrive in the darkness. Of all his possible motivations, 'Necessity' comes out on top.
Goals
Shroud has claimed the shadows - wherever they are - his own. He considers his 'territory' to span the globe, even if he cannot be in all places at once. He wants to keep the shadows 'clear of monsters' - 'grue-less'. At some point he would like to step out into the light, so to speak (and he may well do that, and out himself as a crime-fighter rather than a crime-lord), but not yet. He has moved his base of operations to New York and intends to 'keep tabs' on its criminal underbelly, while pretending to be part of it.
To do this, he will commit crimes - but he will also do the 'good thing' if it suits his purposes at the time. 'The Shroud' is not wholly bad at all, even among other criminals. Having been away for some time, he has to rebuild the Night Shift somewhat, and re-establish his powerbase - which should not be hard, considering his wealth.
Darkforce
Shroud is able to open various portals to the 'Darkforce Dimension' and summon massive amounts of inky darkness from it whenever, however, he wishes. It is the complete negation of light. The effect is not instantaneous, but occurs very quickly and may render some foes (barring effective super-powers, or training), confused, disoriented, terrified or otherwise incapacitated. Utter darkness (such as in deep caves) has been known to drive some people insane.
Effect - Nothing can be seen IN the darkness, but the edges of it move like a thick mist of inky blackness that spreads, billows, blankets… shifting as if alive.
Max Amount - It is easy for Shroud to blanket an auditorium in a few seconds.
Max Duration - until/unless Shroud is knocked unconscious.
Control - extremely precise.
Illusions - are a specialty of Shroud's, and limited only by his imagination. Aside from the fact that his illusions are all shadows (and that they have no true mass), they can be extremely complex. Shroud is known to mimic 'normal-seeming' shadows in which to hide, as well as creating and controlling decoys of himself (making them appear to move and/or fight just like him). In this manner he has fooled trained assassins.
Force - Shroud can sometimes project the 'mist' with concussive force (from his hands, like a gust of wind or torrent of water), enough to shove a car out of the way or incapacitate a 'street-level' foe. It is also possible for him to 'thicken' the mist to create a 'quagmire' (it works very well against the average opponent), but he cannot form solid objects with it. These aspects of his powers are relatively recent, and require more practice on his part.
Mystic Sight
Shroud can see shapes and contours all around him (to a range of about 100 feet) in a faintly glowing shade of violet. It does not matter how much (or how little) lighting there is around him, or if there are objects in the way. When he looks at a person, he sees the contours of their bones and organs, as well as clothing (although he can focus himself to limit the input). He can see how emotions affect biorhythms in much the same way that Daredevil can.
Energy - Heat registers as a 'sheen' or faint nimbus to Shroud's sight, and he can spot infrared beams (like the lasers in a security grid). Magical energies also show up to varying degrees (unless mystically shielded somehow) when within his range. He has little difficulty spotting ghosts, astral projections etc - unless they are also somehow hidden/shielded.
Reading - He cannot read as he used to (no flat images with no contours - like words on a page or a computer screen). However, the Cult of Kali have used scrolls written in ink that their mystical senses CAN see. Some of Shroud's most-trusted contacts have the same ink.
Mystic Arts
Shroud spent seven years with the Cult of Kali. He has enhanced his body and mind to levels beyond the capabilities of normal humans, and is sensitive to supernatural energies. Some of his skills in this area are:
Meditation Techniques - for focus, rest and healing (to a modest degree). He has an unusually high pain-threshold, and some of these techniques can be used to help fight off toxins as well as fatigue.
Channelling 'Ki' - to momentarily augment his strength, stamina and agility (to 'peak human' or a little higher). No throwing cars or dodging bullets, etc but he can perform feats that other 'warrior-monks' have been seen doing (like smashing several bricks at once).
Controlling Bodily Functions - such as slowing his heart-rate, holding his breath.
Throwing His Voice - which works wonders along with his Darkforce illusions.
Mystic Illusion - The power of suggestion, although it is not entirely reliable. Shroud will sometimes use this to conceal the mark of Kali on his face, when going about as 'Max Coleridge', or even alter his face altogether, as well as his voice. He cannot mask his scent this way.
Longevity
Shroud heals only slightly better than the average human. He still has to take care of himself. Barring injury or illness, his lifespan has been greatly increased compared to that of a normal human being. He is already 90, yet appears to be in his 30s.
Willpower
Very much tied to his mastery of the Mystic Arts, Shroud's will is exceptionally strong, the product of decades of training. While it is not a foolproof discipline, it has helped him to survive without detection - or at least without arrest and conviction - for several decades. Granted, the Shroud operated in the world before mutants and other powered beings were as numerous as they are today. He is still difficult to read (even by some telepaths), and difficult to sway - but not impossible.
Glider
Worn on his back, under his cloak, Shroud employs a highly advanced collapsible glider to navigate the city. When activated, it deploys wings (with about a 6' span) for control, and uses anti-grav technology to achieve flight. The glider has no heat signature, is completely silent when in use, and appears to be connected somehow to Shroud's Darkforce powers (it leaves a trail of Darkforce behind it, like smoke).
Max Speed - 75mph.
Max Range - unknown. Shroud powers it via Darkforce; it works as long as it needs to.
Armour
Shroud's suit is moderately resistant to low-calibre arms-fire, knives and other basic forms of damage. Both suit and cloak are fireproof. He has a small comlink built into his cowl, and keeps a small array of gadgets in his belt, boots and wrists: Shuriken, Lock-picking Tools, Explosives etc…
Night Shift
The 'Night Shift' is Shroud's own team of criminals. They operated overseas before (recently) moving their base of operations to New York, and have been instrumental in the take-down of many drug-lords, arms-dealers, terrorist cells… whilst making a tidy profit in the process. The team is small, and members have come and gone since Shroud first set up business. It is unclear if any of them are aware of their leader's true motives - most of them, certainly, are not.
Tower of Shadows
This is an old castle formerly located high in the Santa Monica mountains, and the former base of the Night Shift, in L.A. Eventually the tower was moved - brick by brick - to New York, and once again made available for Shroud's use. There are a few other heroes (and some villains) who know about it. It is heavily booby-trapped. More interestingly, it is also haunted. A number of restless spirits lurk in the tower, some of them quite chatty.
Govt Contacts
There are people in SHIELD who are aware of Shroud's true goals - to take down criminals from within - and they can often ask for his assistance, or vice versa. Shroud would be considered something of a hidden 'asset' of SHIELD's, rather than an agent as such. Not everyone in the organisation would be aware of Shroud's status, and would thus treat him as a criminal.
Fortune
Maximillian Coleridge is the sole heir to his parents' fortune, which numbers in the millions. Much of Coleridge International's money is invested in medical research, and Max himself is a well-known philanthropist.
Criminology
Shroud has a doctorate in criminology, and has a great deal of experience in exploiting the criminal mind. He has put his knowledge and skill into effective practice both as a 'criminal' - by manipulating the underworld to bring about the downfall of his 'rivals' - and as a highly gifted freelance investigator/detective. Coleridge also has a doctorate in Law (particularly international law), which he exploits in order to help him remain 'at large'.
Combat
Shroud's training in combat has been as intensive as some of the best in the world. He is proficient in multiple forms of martial arts, and especially in 'blind-fighting' (even without his Mystic Sense). He seldom uses firearms but will often take up various melee weapons (the bo-staff, sai, escrima sticks etc), and employs a few select gadgets (thrown weapons: shuriken, darts, explosive devices…) when it suits him. He excels particularly at using illusion, misdirection and stealth in combat, heavily incorporating his powers as well.
Stealth
Even before he could envelop a stadium in a cloud of impenetrable night, the Shroud was highly proficient in the art of stealth. Generally, if he does not wish to be seen or heard, he won't be. He can pick most locks, and/or bypass a number of security systems (with a bit of help from his tech-dept - members of his team) in under a minute. He is a gifted practitioner of Parkour and also knows a variety of sleight-of-hand techniques.
Multilingual
Shroud speaks English, Hindi, Mandarin, Spanish, Farsi and Russian.
Crimelord
When it comes to 'what he does' in his criminal activities, Shroud specialises in thievery, sabotage and intimidation more than anything else. He seldom carries out assassinations, but can if the job requires it. He has grown adept at using his Darkforce abilities as a means of interrogation as well.
The Boss - Shroud has managed his own, modest, criminal 'empire' (although one could hardly call it that) for a very long time. He is a gifted leader and tactician and commands the loyalty of a small band of criminals (who have changed over the years, even if Shroud himself has not).
Piloting
Learning to fly was part hobby, part necessity, to survive. He uses this skill mostly when employing his glider wings, but he can take the yoke of most small aircraft with modest skill.
Occult
'Occult' is a general term to cover an array of supernatural phenomena, manifestations, studies and counter-measures. Shroud is not an expert as such, but is familiar with such things - and he generally knows whom to ask when he needs more information.
Branded
If Shroud wishes to go about as 'Max Coleridge', he has to put on some measure of makeup to conceal the image of Kali branded onto his face, or fall back on mystic illusion (which does not work on strong telepaths, or those with particularly strong will and/or training to resist such things). It will fool a camera in the same way the Cult of Kali's monastery has remained hidden from satellites all these years. Even out of his armour and cloak, that brand would identify Shroud anywhere, particularly to those who know what it means. It is black and covers most of his face, just like a tattoo.
Blind
Max Coleridge is blind. This still affects his daily life - even with the mystical sight gifted to him by Kali. Flat objects with no contours are still blank to him. That is to say, he cannot read the screen of a computer - but he can see the computer itself, and all its inner workings. He cannot read the writing on a piece of paper, but he can see the indentations left by the pen (if any), with a bit of focus. He can only read street signs if the lettering is raised (thus creating more contours). He has no perception of colour at all - not as other people do.
Criminal Rep
The only drawback to working within the criminal underworld, is that those on the other side of the Law also see Shroud as a criminal (granted, this is part of the deception - they simply can't know, or it'd blow his cover). Shroud cannot really afford to be revealed as a superhero, and he cannot afford to be caught as a criminal… although either could occur.
Should he ever be revealed as a hero, it would drastically change the way he does things - but it would not be the end of the world, so to speak. That day is always 'one decision away'.
Distrusting
Shroud tends to be suspicious of everyone, although he has learned to trust some people over the years. Playing things close to the chest over time can cause stress to build up, resulting in brooding. A man needs to trust someone, or he would go mad. Max knows this. It is just… old habits die hard.
Cult of Kali
Leadership changed within the Cult shortly after Shroud was cast out. As a consequence, the Cult has become an enemy of the Shroud's - and a formidable one at that. It does not help that there is rumour of a prophecy… that Shroud will one day destroy the Cult. Or remake it. Or both.
The monastery itself tends to appear wherever it likes (so it could theoretically appear somewhere in New York), which only makes the Cult that much more dangerous.
Dark Side
It might come across as a pun, saying that 'Shroud has a dark side', but it is still true. Part of the reason he meditates is to calm the rage inside him, to help him focus… after all, he has lost a great deal. He could be tipped over the edge at some point, and become a villain in truth - if he were not careful.
The Shroud is something of a 'bogeyman' who has been 'around' — here and there — over the last several decades. There are stories, in the States (mainly L.A.), the UK, Europe… about him and his team (Night Shift). They're efficient, principled — 'choosy' about their targets — and elusive. Shroud has only just returned from a long sabbatical, so there are only a few 'current' rumours about him. There are ways of reaching him (i.e. he will usually find you).
As for 'Max Coleridge III', he is… a lot like Tony Stark, but has kept himself busy overseas (as opposed to in the U.S., until recently). He is the CEO of Coleridge International, a business greatly devoted to medical research (among other projects), and spends the rest of his time 'living it up'.
The right clearance in SHIELD would reveal that the Shroud is a SHIELD asset (but not exactly an agent).
The Secret Files (A.K.A. Scene Logs)
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