Arrowverse - The Starling Slasher

The Starling Slasher

Alter Ego: Richard

DEX: 3 STR: 3 BODY: 3

INT: 8 WILL: 7 MIND: 5

INFL: 4 AURA: 3 SPIRIT: 4

INITIATIVE: 15 HERO PTS: 15

 

Skills:

• Detective: 7

• Charisma: 5

• Thief (Stealth): 5

• Vehicles (Land): 4

   

Advantages:

• Rich Family/Friends: As a successful lawyer, Richard possessed a public image and the wealth that came with it. This provided a cover and resources for his crimes.

• Scholar (Law): Richard is a highly skilled lawyer, and used his qualifications to successfully evade prosecution and even identification for his crimes for a time.

• Connection (GCPD): His status as a lawyer would have provided him with some influence or access to law enforcement, making it even easier to avoid suspicion.

Drawbacks:

• Psychological Instability: Richard is described as a "highly disturbed individual". This instability drove him to commit his horrific acts, slicing his victims with a ceremonial dagger.

• Fear (Roy Harper): After a violent encounter with a Mirakuru-enhanced Roy Harper, Richard was terrified and offered money to be spared. He likely harbors a profound fear of superhumanly strong individuals.

• Secret Identity: Richard was able to operate as the Starling Slasher for a period while maintaining a public image as a successful lawyer. The concealment of his true nature was central to his ability to kill and evade capture.

Equipment:

• Ceremonial Dagger: A weapon Richard used to slice his victims. [BODY: 1, EV: 3]

Background:

Richard, a successful lawyer by all public accounts, led a dark and twisted double life. At some point in 2013, he started a series of gruesome murders in the Glades, targeting prostitutes and using a ceremonial dagger to slice them. His clever use of his public image and legal background made it remarkably difficult for authorities to capture or even identify him. He was, I think, quite cold and calculating in his spree, leveraging his position to operate in plain sight, you might say.

This all came to a head when he became the target of a short-lived vigilante duo: Roy Harper, enhanced with Mirakuru, and his informant, Sin. They set a trap, using Sin as bait, and eventually stumbled upon Richard in a deserted parking garage. His careful composure broke, showing a cowardly side, and he tried to buy his way out of the situation with money when faced with Roy's uncontrollable rage.

The beating left him with severe head trauma, a ruptured spleen, and brain swelling. It seems fair to assume that even if he recovered, he was imprisoned for his crimes. The whole affair became a tool for Oliver Queen, who used the incident to begin training Roy, a rather ironic twist of fate for the brutal killer. His story is a chilling reminder of how the most terrifying monsters can be the ones hiding in plain sight.

GM Note: This is a very minor character and based off of the Seattle Slasher from the comics, but while a minor character, he is perfect for a couple of sessions in game as street level heroes can investigate and track him down.