The Deadly NightShade

I have been working on my western comic hero style for a while and this is one of the characters that emerged out of some warm-up sketches I’ve been doing based around old RP characters from my childhood.

The origins of the NightShade go as far back to Irelands prehistoric period to the first great age of magic. During this time The Nightshade acted as a the herald of Donn. According to Irish mythology, Donn, or the Dark One, was the Lord of the Dead and the god of Darkness.
However after losing a war with the servants of the Christian god the NightShade's physical body was drowned and his bodiless spirit imprisoned on a small island off the coast of Ireland called Tech nDuinn. There the NightShade’s spirit remained until the medieval period when a drowning fisherman, Liam Mac Loingsigh, was washed onto the shores of the island dieing. A deal was struck between the two, in return for the dying man granting the trapped spirit the ownership of his body, after he died, the spirit would protect the dying man's family for all time.

In this way the NightShade escaped from his imprisonment and returned to the world. Since that time he has become and a inadvertent hero. In seeking to keep it's geas to Liam Mac Loinsigh, the Nightshade has found itself battling demons, dragons, and the agents Holy Inquisition itself. Now, in the 21st century, the NightShade’s finds it's geas has drawn it to Boston where it maintains a silent vigil over the descendents of the Loinsigh clan, the thriving 3rd generation Irish immigrants the Lynch Family. Since moving to america the Nightsahde has become a scourge to the criminal element of Boston as he zealously guards the Lynch family annd the community in which they live.

The NightShade in terms of personality is quiet, brooding entity with a morbid fascination for humanity. Over the years he has observed that humanity has begun to rub off on him leading him to become increasingly "weak" (emotional and empathic to those around him). To better protect his charges he has even adopted a human identity of Kelly O'Donald, a local homeless drunkard living in the area surrounding the Lynch family home.

Powers: As powerful minion of Donn, the NightShade is capable of manipulating darkness in a number of ways.
* Firstly he is able to fashion himself weapons made out of darkforce with the seeming strength of steel. Mostly the NightShade favors axes, spears, and daggers of Celtic construction, however in more modern time the NightShade has become familiar with firearms and regularly wields a pair of colt 45's that fire bolts of darkforce (darkforce is a strange quasi-magical energy source and as such is capable of harming enchanted and magical creatures no matter what their respective invulnerabilities)
* The NightShade can become almost invisible when in darkness or shadows seeming to become a shadow himself.
* Through the use of extreme effort the NightShade may teleport from one shadow to another (Note: the effort of doing this all but incapacitates the NightShade).
* As servant of the old gods the NightShade cannot truly die. When killed or severely hurt the NightShade will draw upon of the shadows to use them to heal his body (which is mostly darkness itself). In fact Nightshade requires no air or food to fuel his body, only regular refuge from the light.
* The Nightshade since it's escape , through some means unknown, has aqquired the ability to alter its outward appearance into any human form it wishes (this includes clothing).
* Finally NightShade's cloak act as an extension of his will and may be used to entangle or grab people or objects (Note: Nightshade's cloak is only cloth and may be cut or ripped as normal). Typically NightShade uses his cloak as a mode of transport allowing him to scale walls or as a rip line).
* Nightshade is a creation of the magical world and is highly sensitive to anything that affects the natural order (picture a much less accurate version of the Silver Surfer’s cosmic awareness).

Weaknesses:
* A magical entity, NightShade is highly susceptible to the effects of magic.
* As a being of darkness incarnate NightShade is very sensitive to bright light. Even the light of day makes it very hard for NightShade to see and hurts his skin when it comes into contact with him (this is actually closer to a tolerable pain). Sources brighter than this may blind or even physically harm him.