Splinter

Splinter (Scenesys ID: 1491)
Quote
"Death comes for us all, Oroku Saki. But something much WORSE comes for you! For when you die, it will be..." "...Without honor."
Profile
Full Name:	Yoshi Hamato
Gender:	Male
Species:	Mutate
Theme:	IDW (FC)
Occupation:	Ninja Master
Citizenship:	Japan / United States of America
Residence:	New York City
Education:	Privately Educated; Foot Clan
Status:	Dropped
Groups:	Turtle Family, Martial Arts-OOC, Street Level-OOC
Other Information
Apparent Age:	{{{PAge}}}	Actual Age:	58
Date of Birth	10 December 1968	Actor:	Pat Morita
Height:	165 cm (5'5")	Weight:	61 kg (134 lb)
Hair Color:	Brown (Graying)	Eye Color:	Black
Theme Song:

Profile

If he had his way, Hamato Yoshi would spend the rest of his days pruning his bonsai trees, shuffling around his New York lair in fuzzy slippers, and watching his soap operas. He is a simple man, of simple pleasures. But life saw fit to gift him with four rambunctious terrapin sons and a bitter vendetta with a madman who was once his closest friend. Now that his sons are grown, it's time for Hamato Yoshi to leave the lair and take his place as one of the world's foremost martial artists and ninja masters. It is time for Master Splinter to remind the Shredder exactly what kind of enemy he's up against.

Sheet

Description

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Given the way most people feel about rats, one as big as a man ought to be terrifying. But there's something about Master Splinter that seems to banish fear, rather than inspire it. Maybe it's the inquisitive way his muzzle twitches and whiskers flick when something gets his attention. Maybe it's the way his black eyes reflect serenity and kindness, rather than malice. It could be the spry yet gentle way he moves. Or it could be the soft, loose red kimono he wears. Maybe it's the fuzzy slippers he's fond of wearing. Either way, he seems like the kind of nice old man who probably has a pocket full of sweets. ...Which means he must be a REALLY nice guy, considering that he IS a giant rat.

History

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Hamato Yoshi's life is a tragedy written over two lifetimes.

His first life began in feudal Japan, centuries ago, where he was a ninja master and one of the highest-ranking members of the Foot Clan. After a falling out with his best friend and Jonin of the Foot, Oroku Saki, Yoshi fled with his wife, Tang Shen, to safety in another part of Japan, where they had four sons. Saki, unwilling to let the matter lie, eventually found Yoshi, and murdered Tang Shen and his sons before killing Yoshi himself.

That was not the end. Hamato Yoshi's skills as a ninja master had given him abilities beyond the human norm, including a coherence of spirit which most people lack. Eventually, centuries later, he reincarnated as a young man in Japan, where, driven by memories he didn't truly understand, he found the reincarnation of his lost love, and they traveled to New York City to make a life together. Oroku Saki, having survived the centuries with the help of science and sorcery, struck again, sending Foot Clan assassins to kill Yoshi and his lover. While Tang Shen once again perished, Yoshi was merely injured, and he faked his death and hid from the Foot Clan by living on the streets of New York.

Plans for vengeance were laid aside, however, when Yoshi moved to pull a young man carrying a glass bowl holding four baby turtles out of the way of an oncoming truck. The truck swerved, and the canisters of chemical ooze it was carrying spilled onto the street, dousing Yoshi and the turtles (and giving another bystander, a young boy, a face full of the awful stuff).

After being doused, Splinter realized his form was rapidly changing -- he found himself degenerating into a hybrid man-rat, because he had taken to befriending and feeding the city rats as a way to pass the time. The turtles, on the other hand, were becoming more humanoid, and rapidly more intelligent. At the same time, something about the ooze unlocked Splinter's submerged memories, and he found himself once again in the full flower of his skills and abilities as a ninja master, and with full awareness of who had killed his love and why.

Faced with no other choice, Splinter fled with the turtles into the sewers. He suddenly found himself twisted into an inhuman form, and saddled with four terrapin toddlers who had no one else they could rely on. So began the tale of Master Splinter and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as Splinter cared for his adopted sons in the sewers of New York, training them in the ways of the Ninja, and preparing them for the day when they would emerge in the light as protectors and avengers. And for the day when his war with the Shredder would reach its final, bloody conclusion.

Personality

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Master Splinter is... well, he's a bit of a paradox. He's wise, but he's also insatiably curious and adaptive. He's placid and patient, but he's driven by a deep-rooted need for revenge against Oroku Saki. He's staid and dignified, but he's also sly, sardonic and playful, not above jokes and pranks.

In a way, Splinter reflects parts of each of the personalities of his four sons in his own. He has Leonardo's discipline and seriousness, Donatello's inquisitiveness and creativity, Michaelangelo's love of a good joke and televised entertainment of questionable quality, and Raphael's passionate anger and deep-rooted sense of righteousness.

He can at times be overly cautious or slow to act, but that's only because life has taught him that a lack of caution coupled with impetuousness can cause big problems. He doesn't want the people in his charge to get hurt, and this has on occasion resulted in people getting hurt because he elected not to act - and at such times, when finally shocked out of his placidity, his wrath has been terrible to behold.

Who is Master Splinter? He's Hamato Yoshi, a man who found true love and had it taken away from him over two lifetimes. A wise old rat. A badass ninja master. A disciplined sensei. And as his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stand on the verge of becoming Adult Mutant Ninja Turtles ready to make their own paths through the world... he is also a proud father. This, above all, he feels defines him -- and he considers it his greatest accomplishment, and the noblest accolade of his life.

Abilities

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PSYCHIC
As a master of the spiritual aspect of Ninjutsu, Master Splinter has developed formidable psychic powers. Through deep meditation, he has developed the ability to astrally project, enabling him to send his consciousness traveling over long distances to observe individuals and events. While astrally projected, he is capable of manifesting in the material world as a psychic "ghost" image, usually by taking advantage of the release of energy from a localized source such as a bonfire to do so, though this is not needed, merely easier. He has also demonstrated great skill in astral combat, engaging in psychic battles with similarly projected entities.

Splinter's psychic abilities also include precognition while in a deep meditative state, though he has no control over when he will receive these dreams or what they will impart.

Splinter's psychic abilities are largely self-oriented. He has no innate mind-reading abilities, and no outwardly-projecting telekinesis, though he has shown the ability to levitate in the air while meditating.

RAT MUTATE

Splinter is a rat mutate, which means he combines the best of being a human with the best traits of being a rat. He is fast and highly agile, with a superior sense of balance and climbing abilities. While his vision is only average in terms of distance and acuity, he has the ability to see into the UV spectrum, and he has acute senses of hearing and smell. He has strong jaws with razor-sharp teeth, and can chew through an alarming number of things with ease -- he has been documented breaking an enemy's katana in his teeth on at least one occasion. His tail is semi-prehensile, and he makes use of it both as a balance aid and in combat as a fifth limb, entangling enemies and delivering powerful strikes from odd angles with it.

Skills

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BA-JUTSU
"Horsemanship" - Though he has little use for it in the sewers of New York City, Splinter is an accomplished equestrian and rider, versed in both riding skills and in mounted combat. One can only imagine the look on his sons' faces if they ever saw him on a horse.

BO-RYAKU
"Strategy" - Deception, battle, plotting and politics, taking advantage of the current situation, and psychologically maneuvering the "enemy" into doing what you wanted them to do all along. Whether that involves luring them into a trap or simply getting a lazy teenage mutant ninja turtle to do his chores without having to nag him, Splinter is a master manipulator and a scheming rodent... even though he prefers to plot for people's benefit rather than their undoing. The ultimate goal of Bo-Ryaku is seemingly effortless manipulation of events, the ability to work your will upon others without seeming to have done anything at all. This ability also entails seeing the plots and manipulations of others -- and seeing through them. The old rat's cunning is not to be underestimated.

CHI-MON
"Geography" - One of the most important skills of the ninja is awareness of your terrain, whether operating in the wilderness or within the confines of a city. Developed geographical knowledge gives you an awareness of your avenues of attack and escape -- and how an enemy might use those to attack you. Splinter knows most of New York City like the back of his hand, including back alleys, sewer pathways, and even internal maps of important buildings, and when traveling, he is trained to build that knowledge of new areas, quickly.

CHO-HO
"Espionage" - A ninja is trained not only to observe and spy on others themselves but to build networks of spies and operate intelligence networks over a large area. Even his sons would be astonished by the breadth and depth of Splinter's spy network covering New York City and the individuals involved - a quiet favor here, a kindness there, and years of patient work mean that there is little that happens in the Big Apple that the Rat Master can't find out about... if he needs to. This also accounts for his seemingly mystical ability to know what his sons are up to even when they're taking astonishing pains to hide it.

COOK
Teenage mutant ninja turtles don't live on pizza alone. Splinter is a skilled cook, capable of scavenging ingredients to make healthy, nutritious, tasty meals. He watches a lot of cooking shows, and has lovingly dog-eared copies of Julia Child's 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking'. As much as they dread his salty vegetables and rice (good for the body, good for the soul) his sons would, if pressed, admit they'd be lost without their sensei's cooking. And, while he prefers to be a disciplined eater, Splinter enjoys a slice as much as any of his sons do. Preferably with extra cheese.

HEALER
Physician, heal thy self. Splinter is something of a home-grown healer. A ninja has to be prepared to bind their own wounds, an Splinter raised four rowdy sons - he's skilled at everything from applying poultices to bruises and cuts to stitching wounds and setting broken bones and dislocated joints, along with the use of creams, salves, smelly homemade remedies and massage. "Sensei, it hurts when I do this!" "Then don't do that, my son."

HENSO-JUSTU
"Disguise and Impersonation" - one of the most famous abilities of the ninja is their ability to infiltrate secure areas through the use of clever disguises. This deep training involves complete impersonation of the target, not merely the use of clothing and makeup. The goal is to completely become the individual you're impersonating, or completely submerge yourself into an identity you've created. Splinter's ability to use this aspect of his training is somewhat hampered these days, because he is a rat... which is hard to cover up. But he retains the ability to disguise himself with surprising effectiveness by simply changing his posture and the tone of his voice. He is also an expert ventriloquist, and skilled at disguising his voice and imitating the voices of others, once he's had time to study them.

INON-JUTSU
"Escape and Concealment" - The other part of the ninja's formidable stealth techniques, Inon-Jutsu covers the legendary "Ninja Vanish" ability to seize a moment of distraction to instantly disappear, to cover one's tracks, and to evade pursuit. Philosophically, it involves the use of the five elements, earth, fire, water, wood, and metal, along with the local environment. This ability also covers training in tracking, following, and observing others. He is capable of remaining fully concealed while actively moving even from exceptionally observant targets.

KAYAKU-JUTSU
"Fire and Explosives" - Part of a ninja's training is the use of explosive devices as offensive weapons and as a distraction. This involves both the creation and use of such devices. Ninjas are taught to create and employ smoke bombs, flashbangs, choking gas, demolition explosives, and fireworks. Guns are also covered under this aspect of ninja training, and though Splinter considers them crude and inelegant - and has steered his sons away from such noisy, unsubtle tools, he is a qualified expert in the use of most modern firearms as well. In a pinch, a ninja must use all the tools he has at hand to survive. While Donatello is Splinter's best student in this aspect of the Ninja arts, having long ago surpassed his sensei in all areas of chemistry, Splinter's skills with explosives remain formidable.

MARTIAL ARTS
Over the course of his life, Master Splinter has made a disciplined study of hand to hand and weapon-based martial arts from across the world. He has been *documented* using techniques including Shotokan Karate, Aikido, Mantis-Style Kung Fu, Muay-Thai Kickboxing, Savate, Capoeira, and Krav Maga, mixing styles as needed. More to the point, he has added his own catalogue of techniques to the mix, creating his own unique combat style centered on lighting-fast, debilitating strikes coupled with maneuvering for position to strike, apparently vanish, then strike again from another angle, which he calls "Mienai geijutsu" or "The Art of Invisibility." He taught each of his sons to specialize in kenjutsu, bojutsu, Okinawan kobudo (sai and nunchaku styles, respectively), but is a grand master of each of these weapon styles all on his own. Those aware of him treat Master Splinter as expert-level in all known forms of hand-to-hand and armed combat. Furthermore, he combines his high level of skill with his physiological abilities as a Rat Mutate, employing his sharp teeth and strong jaws in combat, along with his enhanced senses and agility. While he may seem like a placid, creaky old rat, he is capable of moving from placidity to explosive action in the blink of an eye -- as his sons have all learned when they get just a little too sassy.

SCROUNGING
A rat, scrounging? ...Well, yeah. You can find ANYTHING tossed out with the trash in New York City if you're patient and clever, and Splinter had four rambunctious sons to raise. He built a life for them in the sewers out of discarded trash, turning it into treasure, and then he taught them how to do it too. Scrounging involves knowing where to look, knowing what to look for, how to evaluate for usability, and then figuring out how to get it home without being spotted.

SHINOBI-IRI
"Stealth and Entering" - The other legendary ninja ability is the ability to get in and out of areas without being seen, contributing to their legend as the most fearsome assassins in the world - it combines silent movement, free-running, situational awareness and the use of clothing and camouflage to maximize one's ability to remain hidden. Splinter is possibly the world's most accomplished master of the techniques of Shinobi-Iri, capable of moving with speed and complete stealth through virtually any terrain. He's fond of using it to surprise his sons when they're goofing off and don't think he'll be home for awhile.

SPIRITUALITY
"Seshin Teki Kyokyo" or Spiritual Refinement - the skill that elevates a ninja above being merely a hired thug or mercenary. Meditation, self-reflection, awareness, insight into one's own motivations and the motivations of others, mental endurance and willpower, patience and the ability to endure extreme mental stress for long periods of time. Splinter has achieved such a deep level of mastery of this aspect of Ninjutsu he has developed psychic powers. More mundane aspects of the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment include artistic skills such as painting, religious study, poetry, philosophy, bonsai, and other mind-enriching pursuits. Even cleaning can be a mentally-enriching exercise, if you come at it from the right perspective. Splinter has had less luck convincing his sons of this when the time comes to dust the lair. But they do it anyway.

SUI-REN
"Water Training" - This aspect of ninja training involves swimming techniques, including encumbered swimming, silent swimming, and holding your breath for long periods of time to swim underwater. It also includes boatsmanship, the use of floats and other tools to cross the water, and underwater combat. Splinter has a high level of skill in all these abilities, aided by his rat physiology, which naturally makes him a strong swimmer.

TEN-MON

"Meteorology" - Ninja are trained to read the weather, for survival purposes and to use weather conditions to their best advantage. A snowstorm hampers concealment, but can also bog down a target in one spot, creating an opportunity to strike. A thunderstorm can create distractions that allow for a surprise attack. Splinter is still skilled at reading the weather, even though these days, he lives within the relative snug security of a sewer. Still, it's nice to know when it's going to rain.

Resources

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FAMILY
What more do you need when you have family? Splinter has four sons, all devoted, each with their own unique skills and abilities. He has an adopted daughter, April O'Neil, whose guile and nerve are almost limitless. He has an adopted son, Casey Jones, who can... be counted on to carry heavy things with very little complaint. Really, family is warmth, a place of safety, a reminder of his humanity on the days when he feels the most like a giant rat, an endless source of will and a bottomless well of love. What more could Splinter ask for... except maybe that his four sons go out and get jobs so that they can support their aging master in his dotage? ...Oh well. You can't have everything.

THE LAIR

The Turtles (and their master) have repurposed an old abandoned subway station and adjoining tunnels - including several abandoned train cars - as their lair, and through scrounging and skill they have converted it into a fully functioning home with all the luxuries that you could ask for. It includes training and workout facilities, TV, sleeping areas, library, lab and workshop, kitchen, vehicle bay... pretty much everything that they need. As ninjas are wont to do, they've concealed it, so much so that no one's going to wander upon it by happenstance -- even the official maps of the city that show where the station was are buried in moldering archives or have... disappeared (they're actually in Splinter's personal collection for now, where he takes loving care of them until the day when the lair is no longer needed and they can be returned to their rightful owners). Home sweet hole in the ground.

Weaknesses

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AGE
Splinter is getting on in years. He's still spry, but age catches up to everyone. His joints ache when it rains, his whiskers go gray, if he doesn't watch himself his step's just a LITTLE slower than it used to be. As he enters his golden years, Splinter is becoming possessed of a greater urgency. His sons are ready to strike out on their own, and he needs to strike at the Shredder before he's too old to stand a chance at defeating his adversary. Time is not on Splinter's side, and he knows it.

RAT-RAGE
Those who meet Splinter might think that out of all his sons, the one the most like him is the disciplined, diligent Leonardo.

Wrong. Raphael is the most like him, which is why Splinter has such a soft spot for his hot-headed, wrathful son.

Those who knew Hamato Yoshi as a young man (and really, these days, that's just Oroku Saki) knew him to be hot-tempered, quick to judge, quick to act, and capable of holding long-simmering grudges that could explode into harsh violence. It was Tang Shen who tamed the savage beast. He has mostly tamed his anger through age and the careful cultivation of a seemingly limitless patience.

But when Splinter well and truly loses his temper, when he gets absolutely fed up... it's not so much an explosion of wrath anymore, so much as it is a meticulous, long-burning, exacting, deadly rage, as slow to quench as it is to stoke. That's when the parts of Splinter that are like Raph emerge. Stubborn, stony, unwilling to listen and *frighteningly* violent. It's hard to come back from the brink.

THE RAT KING
The Rat King is a... eh, recurring foe of the TMNT. He has the ability to control rats, either psychically or through the use of a special flute or both, nobody really wants to get close to this bundle of rags and sores to find out. But boy howdy, do his powers mess with Splinter. They cut right through his considerable mental defenses, and if he's not careful, Splinter winds up dancing like a puppet to this lunatic's tune. He's shaken it off before, when the Rat King's commands contrasted with his deep love for his sons and others... but Splinter still has to be on guard for him. It doesn't help that the Rat King is obsessed with rats - and Splinter is pretty much the ur-rat. Gross.

THE SHREDDER
Though he keeps it under a tight leash so as not to let the depths of his emotion poison his sons' thinking...

Master Splinter hates the Shredder. No, that's an understatement. Hate is not a strong enough word for the depth of feeling between these two men. They were once, in another lifetime, the best of friends. Brothers. What exists between them is nothing less than a deep fraternal bond twisted into blackest enmity, a blood vendetta that will only end when one or the other is dead for good, never to walk the Earth again. Even as he strives for serenity, Splinter is driven by revenge against Oroku Saki. Though he regrets it, he has trained his sons to be the soldiers of his vendetta. It defines his life, so much so that he has not really thought about what might happen if he wins their ancient struggle. Only that one way or another, it will end in blood.

Logs

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Title	Date	Scene Summary
Explorer Xiang Finds Magic in Sunnydale	March 20th, 2021	There was rain, shelter, much chatting. Some things making for thinking. Then gifts! Who doesn't like gifts?
City Fall: Nemean's Return	August 3rd, 2019	Nemean meets with Splinter to attempt to undo the damage caused by Shredder and Kitsune. (backdated to 8/3/19)
Into the Lion's Den	July 29th, 2019	Nemean is faced with a choice. Stay with Shredder, or go with the Turtles.
A Bat, a Rat, and a Turtle Walk Into an Abandoned Building...	July 27th, 2019	Splinter and Leonardo have a clandestine meeting with Damian.
A Killer of Men	July 1st, 2019	Splinter confronts the Punisher. They have more in common than you'd think.
Turtle Family Matters	June 30th, 2019	Donatello queations Leonardo's tendency to do things on his own lately. Pippi overhears.
City Fall: A Meeting of Mutant Minds	June 16th, 2019	The Turtle Lair gets a little more crowded.
Learn to be an Idiot, My Son	June 6th, 2019	Splinter decides it's time to introduce Leonardo to the astral plane. He also directs Leo to try to be more like Michelangelo in certain ways. (Backdated to early June)
From The Field of Weeds	June 2nd, 2019	Splinter and Leonardo have a talk.

Cutscenes

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Title	Date	Scene Summary
By Candlelight	June 2nd, 2019	Summary needed

Gallery

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