Rorschach

*"Stood in firelight, sweltering. Bloodstain on chest like map of violent new continent. Felt cleansed. Felt dark planet turn under my feet and knew what cats know that makes them scream like babies in night. Looked at sky through smoke heavy with human fat and God was not there. The cold, suffocating dark goes on forever and we are alone. Live our lives, lacking anything better to do. Devise reason later. Born from oblivion; bear children, hell-bound as ourselves, go into oblivion. There is nothing else. Existence is random. Has no pattern save what we imagine after staring at it for too long. No meaning save what we choose to impose. This rudderless world is not shaped by vague metaphysical forces. **It is not God who kills the children. Not fate that butchers them or destiny that feeds them to the dogs. It’s us. Only us.** Streets stank of fire. The void breathed hard on my heart, turning its illusions to ice, shattering them. Was reborn then, free to scrawl own design on this morally blank world. Was Rorschach. Does that answer your questions, Doctor?"*

## History

**Rorschach** (pronounced Roar-shack) is the vigilante name of Walter Joseph Kovacs; he was born March 21, 1940. His mother, a prostitute who resented his interference in her business, abused him viciously. His father never knew his son, and nothing is known about him other than he liked President Truman and his name was "Charlie". At age 10, Walter attacked two bullies that had cruelly abused him, partially blinding one with the bully's own lit cigarette. Kovacs became a ward of the state and was sent to the Lillian Charlton Home for Problem Children. In high school, he excelled in religious education and literature, as well as in boxing and gymnastics. He also wrote an essay in which he praised President Truman's decision to use nuclear weapons against the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, asserting that the bombs helped save lives by stopping the war.

During those high school years at the age of 16, Walter was informed of his mother's gruesome murder; her pimp force-fed her a bottle of Drano until she died in agony. Walter's reaction consisted of only a single word: "Good."

At about the same time, he found work as an unskilled garment worker; noting later to a prison psychiatrist: "Job bearable but unpleasant. Had to handle female clothing". Working in this capacity, in 1962 he grew fascinated by a new fabric made possible through technologies developed by Doctor Manhattan. Two viscous liquids, one black and one white, between two layers of latex, continually shifted in response to heat and pressure, forming symmetrical patterns like a Rorschach inkblot test while never mixing to produce a grey colour. Kovacs learned of the fabric when a young woman chose not to buy a dress which she had ordered made from it; subsequently Kovacs took the dress home and experimented with the fabric. He learned to cut the fabric and maintain the seal using heated scissors.

The real life 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese (in front of a building full of tenants who did not bother to help her) was made part of the Watchmen universe backstory, providing a trigger for Kovacs's decision to avenge the powerless victims of crime. He decided that Genovese had been the woman who had ordered the dress ("Young. Pretty. Italian name. I'm sure it was her"), cut up the dress, and made it into a mask -- becoming Rorschach (taking his name from the test).

Eventually, in 1965 he teamed up with another superhero, the second Nite Owl, whose technical skills and resources complemented Kovacs' skills as an investigator.

In 1975, Rorschach was searching for a kidnapped child and found her captor's vacant hideout. A cursory inspection revealed, to his horror, that the girl had been murdered, butchered, and fed to two German Shepherd dogs. In the face of this atrocity, Kovacs' mind snapped and assumed the mental identity of Rorschach as a separate personality. He killed the dogs with a meat cleaver and waited for the kidnapper. Kovacs later mentioned, "shock of impact ran along my arm. It was Kovacs who said :mother' then, muffled under Latex. It was Kovacs who closed his eyes. It was Rorschach who opened them again." When the man returned, Rorschach wordlessly chained the man to a pipe, ignoring his claims of innocence (the man telling Rorschach: "Y-you can't prove anything. I mean, wh-where's the evidence", suggesting that he fed the girl to the dogs to get rid of the "evidence"), then placed a hacksaw near him and set the house on fire. Finally speaking, he told the terrified man that he would not have time to cut through his restraints before the fire killed him (implying that he would have to sever his own arm to escape). Kovacs calmly watched the structure burn from across the street; the suspected kidnapper did not emerge. In an interview ten years later with psychologist Malcolm Long, Kovacs explicitly mentioned the incident as the point after which he became "Rorschach, who sometimes pretends to be Kovacs"; before that, he claims, he was only "Kovacs pretending to be Rorschach." He no longer refers to his "mask"; now he only calls the mask his "face".

After the 1977 Keene Act outlawed costumed vigilantes, demanding his retirement, Rorschach grew even more violent. Murdering notorious multiple rapist Harvey Charles Furniss and leaving his corpse in front of a police station with a note pinned to his chest read, "Never!" True to his word, Rorschach remained an active "adventurer" in open defiance of the law.

Rorschach lives in a slum run by a landlady who has had multiple children by multiple fathers; he pointedly comments on his belief that she cheats on welfare. It is never mentioned whether he continued to work in the garment trade or found some other source of income. During the day, he walks around New York as a vagrant with a sign reading "The end is nigh."

During a mid-1980s murder investigation of a man named Eddie Blake, Rorschach discovered that the victim was the alter ego of the Comedian: an amoral government-sponsored "costumed adventurer" and former colleague whom he seemed to admire. Suspecting a plot to eliminate superheroes, he pursued the investigation accordingly while interviewing and warning several former members of the hero community. Although no one took his theory seriously, the sudden public denunciations and subsequent self-exile of Doctor Manhattan and the attempted murder of Adrian Veidt (the former Ozymandias) bolstered his confidence that he was on the right track. Before long, however, he was framed for the murder of Moloch, an ailing former adversary, and was about to be captured by the police. During the take down, Rorschach fought the heavily-armed officers with improvised methods using ordinary household materials (with surprising effectiveness). But in the end, he was knocked unconscious as he fought to escape.

In prison, Kovacs was examined by a clinical psychologist, Doctor Malcolm Long, while also subjected to numerous death threats and attacks by vengeful prisoners. When taunted by inmates about being trapped inside with them, his only reply was to say that they had it backwards...they were, in fact, trapped inside with **him**. He prevented an attempt on his life in the prison cafeteria by calmly and wordlessly grabbing a pot full of boiling cooking grease and hurling it into the assailant's face. Doctor Long later described the resultant burns on the attacker as "horrific". A former organized crime head called The Big Figure orchestrated a prisoner riot as a distraction, while his flunkies attacked Kovacs. He easily, almost leisurely, dispatched the would-be assassins before he escaped his cell to pursue and drown The Big Figure (a diminutive old man) in a prison restroom. During this battle, the current Nite Owl and Silk Spectre were attempting to break Kovacs out of prison and used the chaos of the prison riot to do so. They sought his help in their own investigation into the murders of the former superheroes.

Investigating jointly, Nite Owl and Rorschach learned that the mastermind behind the plot was Adrian Veidt, who had been hailed as the smartest person in the world. Rorschach and Nite Owl traveled to his home in Antarctica to confront him; however, they were unable to prevent him from accomplishing his ultimate goal. Before the duo arrived, Veidt teleported an enormous Lovecraftian "alien" that he had manufactured into the heart of New York City, killing millions and psychically traumatizing millions more. Exactly as Veidt had predicted, the hoax forced the nations of the world to halt their mounting hostilities towards one another and unite against the perceived alien threat, thereby preventing the inevitable nuclear showdown.

Shortly after Veidt confessed his plot to Nite Owl and Rorschach, they were joined by Doctor Manhattan and the Silk Spectre, having just returned from Mars. After a brief struggle, the adventurers realized that by exposing Veidt's act they would only manage to return the world to the brink of nuclear catastrophe. The other heroes agreed that they must keep the hoax a secret, but Rorschach flatly refused to comply ("Never compromise. Not even in the face of Armageddon. That's the difference between us, Daniel."). Manhattan told Rorschach that he "cannot allow" him to reveal the truth to the world, but Rorschach maintained his defiance. Enraged and in tears, Walter Kovacs removed his mask and demanded that Manhattan kill him if that is what it took to protect Veidt's utopia. Although reluctant and showing emotions again, Manhattan silently complied with Kovacs' request.

However, Rorschach's legacy may have had greater consequences. Prior to departing for Antarctica, he wrote a lengthy journal detailing his investigation and sent it to a reactionary right-wing newspaper The New Frontiersman. While Veidt was confident Kovacs would not be believed by the public, since his mental illness was well known, the question of whether the journal's contents would be printed and his evidence examined was left unknown.

## Powers & Abilities

* **Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced)**: Rorschach was a brilliant street fighter, and has since honed this skill during his years of crime-fighting and his stint in prison.
* **Acrobatics**: Training himself to become a gifted athlete, Rorschach has been able to jump from roof top to roof top, scale tall buildings and land on his feet without ever making a sound.
* **Genius Level Intellect**: Rorschach has been described by Nite Owl as "tactically brilliant". He has excelled in religious education, political science and literature in his schooling days. He is also able to string weapons out of anything, like a cooking fat spray can and a match.
	+ **Investigation**: Rorschach is an accomplished detective, figuring out the "mask killer theory" and eventually Ozymandias' plan with little to no help. His zeal for crime-solving has been mentioned multiple times.
	+ **Interrogation**: Rorschach has his own special brand of asking questions, mostly involving breaking body parts and otherwise scarring or maiming victims (or suspects) to get answers.
	+ **Espionage**: Rorschach has proven himself quite skillful in the act of espionage, spying on his enemies and allies alike just to keep tabs as well as confirm his suspicions.
	+ **Journalism**: Rorschach kept a journal of his adventures when it was most necessary. He's proven to be a deep thinker; and ever since he began as a witness to what occurs in the underbelly of the city, Rorschach has at all times cataloged its many nightmares.
* **Intimidation**: Rorschach's mental instability is well known; even without his costume or any of his friends about, he is an intimidating man and has made many people flee in his presence.
* **Indomitable Will**: After the events which made him take on the personality of Rorschach, in every aspect of his life, he developed a desire to make sure that all crime is punished. Even after masked adventurers became detested and banned, he continued his vigilante activities. He has also defied odds against a large number of armed police officers that surrounded him at Moloch's home. Veidt described Rorschach as having the "tenacity of a true sociopath."

### Weaknesses

* **Mental Illness**: Some call Rorschach a sociopath, driven to his nature by the horrid nature of mankind. Whatever the case or cause might be, Rorschach is not a stable individual in modern public society and is only suited for his special brand of justice.

## New History;

**In the Land of the North; Rorschach finds a slaughter.**

*Rorschach Journal - A Cold Night.*

*As peaceful as it might look like, he's not at ease. Oh no, that corner of his mind where his most dark nature came at surface, he can still feel the butcher of that girl that turned him into Rorschach. It's not something he can control, a feeling that he can simply throw away under layers of gruffness. But right now, his responsibilities make him more careful as he investigates, he saw the slaughter, something on a scale of terror that he had never seen before. It's his experience, that gives him the bittersweet taste on his tongue, he doesn't expect others to understand that.

When he stared over, he looked at their lifeless faces in a way that grows his rage and he sighs. It's true that the cold doesn't affect him. His face is as stoic as ever despite the anger running inside his veins only to think about potential clues to track the killer, so he continues to focus on the task at hand, though he knows it won't take long until the rage bursts out of his very face. He's aware of this situation, and the situation was dark. They are the ones who bled, they are the ones who died and lost it all. He could even feel their pain. That's why he's motivated, a constant moving shape on his face when he continues to look. Anger growing. Not towards anything else, but the one who caused this.

He can smell the blood - two hours old. After days of travelling through the North without any sign of a human being, now he finds the death of human beings. It doesn't take long until he sees, a pack of wolves in pursuit of the bodies, and among them - a direwolf. Taller even than what he could of imagined for a wolf. So he looks over, his features flattening and his head lowers, no sound is made. But the wolves stay still, look back at him without signs of hostility, head held high, and after a few long moments, they were afraid it seemed. Afraid of whatever done this.*

*He can smell the blood - two hours old. After days of travelling through the North without any sign of a human being, now he finds the death of human beings. It doesn't take long until he sees, a pack of wolves in pursuit of the bodies, and among them - a direwolf. Taller even than what he could of imagined for a wolf. So he looks over, his features flattening and his head lowers, no sound is made. But the wolves stay still, look back at him without signs of hostility, head held high, and after a few long moments, they were afraid it seemed. Afraid of whatever done this.

It ran deeper than that, though, as he felt the void in their souls. They were lonely, the pack. Not to show submission, but to show he's no threat, he lows his head a bit, watching them approach. A whimper leaves their throats, something that was unexpected. His face meets the wolves, but he showed that he was no threat. It was his thought, though, to realize what they were here for. To say goodbye. To their former masters.

A wicked hatred grew across his face, as wicked as it could be. His eyes grew narrow as he continued to look. He touched the bodies, he came up with theories in his mind and were always relevant and never menial. He took a long large sigh before getting more comfortable with the dead. He came to slightly raise his mask and smoke bellowed into his lungs with a cigarette beforehand, feeding his addiction. There's a bitter taste in his mouth. It's getting dark, late at night. He stood there, with a hand over the lower belly of a corpse examining it further. He was lacerated with a claw & his guts came out. Grizzly sight. His questions has him confused, shaking his head slowly.*

*To feel the gnawing desire for justice. He recalls the deaths of the innocent when he was less monstrous and more human. Too soft on criminals. When he visualizes their screams he hears voices. For a second, he felt like he was in the scene. Piecing together evidence on his own thought process. A laugh, ancient as time comes from the killer, making the people shake & tremble. Almost as if the killer was toying with them. Rorschach knew this was no simple mauling by rabid dogs or animals; it was too personal. Far too calculated & precise. If that were the case; what kind of animal would leave the corpses untouched? As he continued to study more clearly, his clarity became clearer. He wondered. A man that acted like an everyday monster and animal - yet with the precision of a human. It is contradictory.

Rorschach was dealing with a new kind of criminal, so he needs to be careful with his actions, to carefully plan everything out. He held his cigarette between his lips and it mixes together in the air. He's no fun, not at all. He takes another deep breath through his cigarette, filling his lungs with the cheap smoke. He had little to go with, as there wasn't much evidence left behind, but his theory was solid.*

*Rorschach Journal - A Cold Night. "Found dead bodies after my travels. Lacerated with claws. Mercilessly killed. I've seen a new face. The land of this place is cold, and the cold brings the welcoming death, and the snow is draped in their blood. The innocent murdered in a way that I have never seen before. Tonight a Village died in the North. Somebody is responsible. Somebody is. I cannot let this continue. I will find the one responsible."*