Koschei the Deathless
The undisputed head of the syndicate bearing his name for decades, Gregor Malakov long ago traded his humanity for power and would gladly trade whatever remains of it for the promise of a few more years of life. For the ability to live forever, he would sacrifice anything or anyone.
The scientific experiments intended by his enemies in the KBG to destroy him instead unlocked Malakov’s latent psychic potential. Initially, his mental powers were limited, but subtle and persistent, like their master. He used them to extricate himself from a nest of vipers and set himself up as a crime lord in Emerald City. There he acquired the fist-sized chunk of green viridian he keeps close at hand at all times. The stone greatly enhanced his psychic powers. With it, he is “Koschei the Deathless,” fearsome master of the Mafiya.
Typically, while appearing to members of his organization or fellow criminals, Koschei wears a full, concealing hood of dark green, showing only his glowing green eyes, with wristlength leather gloves (to conceal his fingerprints) and a dark, tailor-made suit. In his public identity as “humble importer” Gregory Malinski, he dresses in similarly fine fashion, with his silverygrey hair neatly trimmed. Decades of use of the viridian stone have left their mark in his eyes, now permanently a vivid green rather than Malakov’s former pale blue (another useful quirk for concealing his true origins and identity).
Gregory Malinski’s legitimate business interests serve primarily as a means to launder Mafiya money by investing it in shipping, real estate, warehousing, contracting, and various other businesses. Malakov is careful to keep his criminal connections hidden and does not generally deploy Mafiya resources against his business rivals, although he sometimes indulges in using his powers to his advantage in business negotiations, relishing the advantage—and the reputation as a shrewd businessman—they give him.
Physical Description
Special abilities
Koschei has formidable psionic powers when wielding his viridian stone, allowing him to read thoughts and memories, project illusions, and strike foes with powerful mental blasts. He can also exert mental influence over the minds of others, editing their memories (a useful means of concealing his activities). Koschei’s powers make his position as mob-boss almost unassailable, since he knows every disloyal thought and can deal with any plot against him before it happens.
The viridian stone has also granted Koschei a degree of mind-overmatter, somatically controlling his body to resist aging and shrug off some harmful effects while healing quickly from any injury.
Mental characteristics
Morality & Philosophy
Malakov’s greatest fear is mortality: His viridian stone and mind-over-matter have maintained him in a relatively hale and hearty state. For a man nearing one hundred years old, he seems only in his fifties. Still, age has taken its toll, and Malakov wants to find a way to reverse it and perhaps secure true immortality. He obsessively pursues various methods of life-extension and enhancement, careful not to show his hand, lest his enemies try to exploit any sign of weakness.
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