Info
REAL NAME:
IDENTITY:
AFFILIATION:
REGISTERED?:
​RELATIVE AGE:
MARITAL STATUS:
Johann Mannheim
Secret
Germany/Hero
Yes
Late 20s?
Single?
ALIAS(ES):
CURRENT TEAM:
FIRST APPEARANCE:
APPEARANCE DATE:
CREATED BY:
CREATION DATE:
Pastor Mannheim (secret); Jo-Jo (secret name by grandma)
N/A
N/A
Don "Major Deej" Finger
3 Nov 2012
History
In 2012, Europe was beset by a strange wave of abductions and killings of super-powered beings. Dead super-powered beings were found along the shores of rivers, on school playgrounds and even on the steps of government buildings, all mutilated, dissected and/or decapitated. Germany, who'd lost most of their super-powered beings in the Soltan Invasion of 2000 saw this as a superhero genocide; a genocide that needed to be stopped and shutdown immediately. That's when Halberd came to be.
​
Damon Kaufmann, a retired German intelligence officer who's once operated a secret super-powered group in Germany (against the law) under a hidden government office, the West Germany Ministry of Agriculture, Division 8, was now recruiting for one of Germany's premiere supergroups called the Teutonic League. While using social media, the press and all means of classified data tracking, Damon came upon a highly skilled pole fighter who'd stopped 'militant-looking' aggressors attempting to abduct a pair of new super-powered teens who'd just learned of their powers. This masked pole fighter stopped the kidnapping and saved the teens. It was stated that this same pole fighter was also seen in several other German cities doing the same thing saving others, all with his highly skilled pole fighting ability. Nonetheless to say, Damon had to track him down and at least try and invite him to the team.
​
Damon and his team went to Leipzig (sightings via social media) and created a staged 'street gang war' with a handful of government security guards dressed as street toughs. He used this event to draw out the masked pole fighter...and to that, with great success.
Not only did Damon's staged fight draw out the masked pole fighter, but the masked pole fighter beat the stuffing out of the those highly trained security guards dressed as thugs. Before anyone could talk to the pole fighter, he took off, running through the back alleys and narrow streets of Leipzig. Damon's surveillance units were taken on a 5-mile chase through the city and eventually out into the countryside. When Damon's team finally caught up with the pole fighter, the pole-fighter set traps for his pursuers and once those were exhausted, he turned and beat the stuffing out of the remaining pursuers. Finally, Damon went in to introduce himself personally and explain what their purpose was.
Damon then explained why they'd wanted to find and 'test' the pole fighter (to which Damon noted to the fighter that he was thoroughly impressed with him) and that they wanted the pole-fighter to join the German superhero group, the Teutonic League. The pole fighter immediately stated disdainfully that he was not interested in any way and began to walk away. Damon, thinking quick, mentioned about the deaths of the dozens of superheroes that had occurred all over Europe and they needed someone like the pole fighter to help track down and put an end to these murders of young teens and adults.
The pole fighter stopped in his tracks and turned abruptly.
​
The pole-fighter, strangely enough, dropped his guard and immediately walked up to Damon, sat on the ground before him, set his pole down and asked for more details of what Damon wanted and was looking for. After talking for the next 10 minutes, Damon and the pole fighter agreed to work together; the pole fighter would join the Teutonic League, but with a short list of demands, particularly, having Sundays off unless there was it was life or death, he'd not be allowed to have himself registered to anyone except Damon, keeping his name and identity a complete secret, and that when the pole fighter believed that his work with the team was done or was no longer tenable, he'd be allowed to quit unconditionally, without discord or conflict. In addition, the pole fighter handed a folded paper to Damon. The paper had designs for a new armored costume with a unique type of pole weapon he called a 'halberd', all of which the pole fighter demanded for Damon to make at least 4 copies of, and present them to him on his first day in working with the Teutonic League.
Damon agreed to the deal.
The pole fighter shook hands with Damon to seal the deal and then surprisingly walked up to each of Damon's disguised security guards and not only shook each of their hands, but thanked them for being 'good men and women'.
Days later, the pole fighter showed up for work with the Teutonic League. After changing into his new costume, meeting the team, the support staff (all of them, one at a time, learning each of their names) and even shaking hands with the building's landscaping contractors, the new pole fighter of the team, now calling himself 'Halberd' went into the team's training room in the basement and commenced training there for the next week, uninterrupted with the exception of eating and sleeping. He was a hard working dynamo of a man, focused on mastering his new weapons, costume and honing his skills more every day.
After one week's time on a Sunday, he mysteriously (somehow) left the building without being tracked and didn't come back until the following day (Monday) where he requested to train with each team member independently for a few days each, eventually leading to what he called a 'final training exam' wherein the team would then fight Halberd and he would fight to win against each and all of them; a condition he stated that was mandatory on his decision to either 'stay with' or 'leave' the team.
​
Over the next few weeks, Halberd diligently trained against each of the team's members, failing against them more than winning in combat sequences. Eventually, Halberd's self-imposed 'exam' day arrived. He stated that he knew what each of them was capable of and that he'd know if they were holding back (to which he stated he'd just walk out right then and there from the team) and that regardless if Halberd won or lost, he held the highest respect for each of them. Of course, he went around and shook their hands each before they engaged in the 'exam'.
​
Halberd defeated the entire team in less than 40 seconds.
​
Nonetheless to say, Halberd, became an official member of the Teutonic League that day. Without so much as a delay, Halberd went on patrol that same night and stopped over a dozen robberies, assaults and carjackings.
​
Since 2012, Halberd has remained one of the most dedicated and energetic (as well as honorable) team members ever. He loves to practice and train nearly every other day and loves to engage with kids, teaching them self defense, perseverance and tolerance.
When Halberd fights the 'bad guys', he is a fighting machine. He won't stop fighting until he himself is either rendered unconscious or ordered to stop by the team leader. Thanks to Halberd, several dozen raids Halberd helped lead led to helping shut down most of the superhero killings in Europe (which he'd unmasked as a group called 'The Exterminators' who were behind all of that). He's gained national recognition and accolades, all of which he modestly doesn't accept, but instead turns about and as always, thanks the 'good men and women' such as police officers, firefighters, hospital workers and volunteers for doing what they do.
Today, Halberd remains a beacon of humility and honor all while being one of the fiercest fighters in the team. He respects others who work hard and try hard, and is highly critical of those who don't try or 'buck the system' to get unfair advantages over hard workers. He is friendly to kids and teens and teaches them skills as well as provides sage and respectful advice.
Halberd's incredible fighting skill, tenacity and loyalty have definitely earned him his reputation as heart and soul of the team. To this day, no one has yet to see his face or know his true name. He still takes off each Sunday when he can and has never been able to be tracked to find out where he goes. Several attempts by his teammates to track him have usually led his teammates to 'traps' involving custard pies to the face, barrels of stinky fish goo dumped on them and even the use of paparazzi to bar the way, forcing Halberd's pursuing teammates to have to stop and give interviews and engage with the press. They're all relatively harmless traps, and as such, the team has learned to respect Halberd's 'non-pursuit' wishes, especially when Halberd has at times become frustrated enough to dare to quit the team if his fellow teammates didn't stop tracking him when he didn't want to be tracked. Nonetheless, it is all good between all of them, since Halberd's teammates think the world of him anyway.
Maybe one day, they'll actually learn who Halberd REALLY is...but then again, being doused with barrels of stinky fish goo can be an effective deterrent from wanting to pursue trying to find out Halberd's real identity.
​
Powers
Power Origin: Natural
​
He has no powers.
​
Equipment
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Bodysuit Armor
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Typical protection from physical and temperate attacks
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Good protection from energy attacks
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Incredible protection from radiation and toxic/toxin attacks
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Mask
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Halberd's own personal item; not government made
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Mask is a spectacular material of an unknown potentially magical origin, however, several hundred years old
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Protections (face protection only unless stated otherwise)
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​Amazing physical and energy protection to the face, but not the rest of the body
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Incredible magical protection (applies to whole body and anything Halberd is touching so long as he's wearing the mask), also preventing spells, curses or magical attacks from harming the mask's wearer (or whatever Halberd touches)
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Monstrous psychic, mental/psionic protection for head and whole body (so long as mask is worn on the face)
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Night Vision
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When in the dark, Halberd's mask allows the wearer to see in the dark akin to a magical form of night vision at a remarkable level
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Environmental Awareness
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The mask is an ancient magical, hand-down family legacy mask that was charged with magic to provide an environmental awareness to the wearer at amazing levels
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Anyone that is 'following' him, or anything that is 'out of place' can be detected and identified by him at an amazing level
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It also allows for him to perform parkour and agile moves, knowing what and where to land well in advance, upping his innate agility to remarkable levels
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Halberd Staff
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Spectacular composite material, providing equal protection from energy, temperate, physical and toxic/toxin forms of attack
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Energy blade at the end can be turned on or off. Has a 2 hour charge and can be used to as a fantastic plasma energy blade that can slice through anything up to fantastic material (with enough force and patience)
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Pole can be disconnected into six equal length parts. When not being used in combat, the Halberd staff is normally broken up into its sis parts and placed in sheathes on his costume
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Takes him less than 3 seconds to reconnect all 6 Halberd segments to make his Halberd staff combat ready
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Communications earwig
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Encrypted communications transceiver. Range: 50 miles
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Battery can last 2 days before recharging required
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Does not carry this on Sundays
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Bandoliers & Belt
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Lock-picking Kit
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Signaling Mirror
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Flares (2)
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Smoke Markers (2)
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ELT (1); battery= 5 days
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Dye Markers (2)
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Food & Water Rations (2 days)
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Grappling Rope, Hook and Line
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Carries over 200 yards of remarkably strength tensile wire in sheaths in his bandoleers
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Carries over 200 yards of compressed excellent strength composite fiber rope for rappelling or binding
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​Carries a wide variety of traps, trap-like equipment, smoke bombs, flash grenades, holy water vials, flechettes, snares, unique mechanical devices, motion detectors, remote controls, remote/motion activators, cameras, recording devices, paper, pens, and lots of little things that have little meaning or purpose in combat, but seem to have meaning to Halberd himself (things like as a small compressed ball of yarn that smells of mothballs? What would he use or need this for, hmmm?)
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​
Talents
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Olympic-level training practices/methods (Master)
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Decathlons (Professional)
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Martial Arts: +Fighting (Professional)
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Martial Arts: Dodge/Evade (Professional)
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Martial Arts: Block/Deflect (Professional)
- Martial Arts: Holds/Releases (Professional)
- Martial Arts: Slam/Stun (Professional)
- Martial Arts: +Initiative (Professional)
- Martial Arts: Escrima/Pole/Halberd/Staff Fighting (Master)
- Acrobatics/Tumbling (Master)
- Parkour (Master)
- First Aid/CPR (Professional)
- Christian Religion (Professional)
- Germanic/Teutonic Lore (Professional)
- Trap Creation/Kitbashing (Professional)
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​Halberd can create traps from nearly anything. He has a talent in quickly creating traps and devising different means of activating and/or triggering them.
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Languages:​
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German (Master)
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French (Professional)
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English (Professional)
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Dutch/Scandinavian (Professional)
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Polish (Professional)
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Russian (Proficient)
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Italian (Proficient)
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Greek (Proficient)
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Latin (Barely Proficient)
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Aramaic (Professional)
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Arabic (Professional)
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​​