Soul Taker
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Real Identity: Not Applicable
Appearances: Tests, Safe, Broken, Family, Sacrifice, Fall, Darkness, and Reckoning
Appearances (Comics): Law & (Dis)Order, The Rule of Three, and Suitable for Framing
Powers/Skills: Soul Theft and Armed Combat
Voiced By: Not Applicable
The Soul Taker is a mystical sword wielded by the League of Assassins. According to legend, the sword has the power to steal the souls of men and leaves them a shriveled husk. It was a vessel of power for more than 1000 years, hosting souls of conquerors and conquered alike. The League used it to rain terror on the world. Its mystical powers are activated by a Scythian, an ancient Iranic tribe, chant. The sword became an asset of interest by MI6 and the CIA. Agent Pennyworth tracked down the elusive Ra's Al Ghul but was captured when his partner Agent Yamashiro betrayed him. To prove his loyalty, Yamashiro was given the activated Soul Taker by Ra's and ordered to take Pennyworth's soul. Pennyworth escaped his restraints at the last second and rushed Yamashiro. Just as the sword began to draw out Pennyworth's soul, Yamashiro sacrificed himself and released the sword. The sword took his soul instead. Decades later, while working undercover for the CIA, Tatsu Yamashiro witnessed the Soul Taker being used by Silver Monkey against a fellow assassin.
Yamashiro faked her death in Shiruta and stole the sword from the League of Assassins. The sword was believed to have been destroyed. She thought the sword was too dangerous to even hand over to the CIA so she went into hiding. To keep the sword hidden, she took a job offered by her godfather Alfred Pennyworth in Gotham City. She managed to smuggle it in a cargo freighter. Yamashiro kept it in a case in her room at Wayne Manor. While battling Silver Monkey, Yamashiro used the sword to force Silver Monkey to surrender his detonator. He, however, turned the tables on her and was about to strike when Batman intervened. Yamashiro placed the Soul Taker in a vase before following. Silver Monkey reported to Lady Shiva that Yamashiro was still alive but didn't say anything about the Soul Taker. Pennyworth found the Soul Taker and hid it in a room. Yamashiro searched for it in vain and finally asked Pennyworth for help.
Pennyworth showed her the sword and revealed he knew its name. They relocated to the private library below Wayne Manor where Pennyworth found a book about the legend of the Soul Taker sword. He also pointed out why they were still alive if the League of Assassins knew where the sword was. Dr. Ravencroft and Silver Monkey conspired together to leverage Bruce Wayne for the Soul Taker. Batman was fully aware of the League's plans to get the sword and used it as an opportunity to turn them against itself. Tatsu Yamashiro took the Soul Taker to the Argus Club and demanded Bruce Wayne's release. Lady Shiva was aware of Silver Monkey's intention to use the Soul Taker to usurp leadership and had him taken away. She also used the sword on Ravencroft and reduced her body to a shell. Lady Shiva left the club with the Soul Taker but Batman vowed his family would take it back.
Batman theorized if souls could go into the sword, souls could come out. He went to work on a reversal chant. The Batcomputer slowly began the complex task of reverse engineering a chant in a dead language. Only fragments of the ancient Scythian language used in the Soul Taker chant had been translated. The reversal chant was a theoretical composite at best. Batman instructed the Batcomputer to upload the finished reversal chant audio to his suit memory. After Batman and Katana found Dr. Burr in the Fallpoint Underground Power Substation, Katana managed to snap Burr to normal with a kiss. Burr rushed to disable the Ion Cortex but Lady Shiva used the Soul Taker on him and took his soul. Ra's Al Ghul revealed himself and defeated Batman in one-on-one combat. Shiva was about to use the Soul Taker on him but Ra's ordered her to stand down as he had other plans for Batman. Ra's ordered Katana to take Pennyworth's soul with the sword but determined he wasn't a killer.
After Barbara Gordon overloaded the Ion Cortex, Katana drop kicked Lady Shiva and threw the Soul Taker to Batman. He chanted the reversal spell and released all souls imprisoned in the sword. The souls dragged Ra's down a shaft. Katana took possession of the sword once more.