Shadehand

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History
Early life: Born one hot summer day in the steamy jungle village of Ndi Ebe Abam, young egbuta was a laid back individual in his youth. As a member of the upper echelons of Nigerian royalty, he grew as a naive and immensely spoiled boy. His mother and father presided as members of a council of chiefs and ranked at the top two highest seats, his father seated at the very top whilst his mother took second seat. Together, they governed over the local government, maintaining a steady and tranquil peace. Young Egbuta continued to grow completely unaware of the monumental responsibility his family carried. Unbeknownst to him both his mother and father worshiped the great Ikenga, the igbo god of strength. Through the deity's power, they were able to govern with a stern and just hand, unknown to Egbuta and all the other members of their home village.

Their social status did not sit well with the retainer of their family, Oluchi Uba, who happened to be the younger sister of Egbuta's mother. Day and night, she worked to usurp the power vested in Egbuta's parents from the shadows. Eventually, she came across a being of discord and chaos known as Ekwensu. The wicked demon granted her the power to oppose her relatives openly, and many died at her hand. Egbuta's mother put him to sleep as they made their way out of Nigeria to hide on the east coast of the United States, where they continued life as if nothing had ever happened. Little did they know that they were followed by Oluchi's men, who had since then been watching them settle in to their new life.

The Awakening: Biding her time and waiting for the opportune moment to strike, she allowed them time to grow older, more lax in their defenses while Egbuta grew as any other normal child would. He developed a strong sense of pride at a young age which got him involved in more fights than any normal child would have endured. His parents, now old and past their prime could only teach him the values and mannerisms of their people in the hopes that he would not grow to become corrupted by western civilization. By the time he entered college however everything changed when Oluchi's men sprung a surprise attack during one of Egbuta's father's lectures. They were on the way to a bus stop in the Bronx when Egbuta's dad fell in a hail of bullets fired by oluchi's men. As Egbuta desperately dragged his fallen father to safety, Egbuta's dad touched his forehead revealing his power to his son for the first and final time. With his dying breath he uttered "To attain spiritual awakening from Ikenga, one must witness great sacrifice... You now have the power to carve your own destiny. My son, Ikenga be with you always."

Flying into a righteous rage, Egbuta was briefly made the avatar for Ikenga's wrath and with his might, he utterly destroyed the men who threatened Egbuta's life. It was at that time that he himself lost consciousness, laying beside his fallen father until a passerby late at night stumbled upon them and called the ambulance. When he awoke in the hospital, Egbuta felt different somehow, invigorated. He immediately rushed home to find his mother still at home, who had sensed that he had come into his birthright as well as the death of her husband. Immediately knowing there was no time to waste, She sent him back to Nigeria in secret, opting to face whatever Oluchi could muster alone. She did not know of Oluchi's new found ability to sense other mystics, and Egbuta was in danger yet again.

Birth of Shadehand: Once arriving in Nigeria, he found his only loyal and closest friend from childhood waiting. Knowing this day would come, she grabbed hold of Egbuta and whisked him away into a closed sanctuary separate from the mortal plane. Explaining in full the tyranny of Oluchi and the powers he had sleeping within him, she began to train him in the ways of mystic combat. The scales of time weighed differently within this odd space, and the year of intense training spent within only registered as an hour or so in the mortal realm. He was taught the value of patience, concentration and focus. The life that was once governed by arrogance and whim now was guided and possessed purpose. Endless possibilities became a reality in his mind as he discovered that what he had could effectively change the world.

Near the end of his basic training, Oluchi after much effort was able to break into their realm after tracing his last whereabouts before his seeming disappearance. A fierce battle ensued, with Oluchi dominating the both of them. Lef with no other option, Egbuta's caretaker tossed the book of ancient black magics that he had been studying from and forced him out of the realm and back into the real world. Sacrificing herself to trap Oluchi in that realm with no escape would buy him substantial time to grow stronger or to hide. Egbuta resolved within himself that he was through with running.

When he returned to the United states, he magically crafted a suit of armor for himself and cloaked himself with the cover of nightfall. He decided that evil does not respond to the conventional do-gooder and would instead take a more effective approach. Evil had shown him no mercy since birth, taken him from his home in Nigeria and thrust him into a harsh environment, stole his family from him and now his only trusted friend. He wished for peace but fate denied him his request and thrust him into war... Now evil would know no peace. As a vigilante without a name, he came with the night and destroyed evil wherever it reared its head. The people who were able to spot his clouded form in the night dubbed him "Shadehand".

During the battle of Detroit, Shadehand was calming night riots in the streets of new york. Unable to come to the heroes' aid against Dr. Destroyer, he waited until the next worldwide crisis struck... The qulaar invasion of Millennium City. Vanishing through a rip in space he created, he was able to arrive on the scene and help the many heroes present drive back the invasion. He has since then taken residence in millennium city, where he finished college and was able to balance his personal life exposing evils on the cover of magazines and eradicating evil within the city as Shadehand.

Personality
Considered a myth even among the citizens of Millennium City, Egbuta Otisi (A.K.A Shadehand) is a pivotal force in the battle against evil. Less favorable amongst the other super heroes due to his ruthless style of fighting fire with fire, Shadehand's icy gaze is ever upon the streets of Millennium City watching and waiting for someone to step out of the boundaries of the law. With the removal of human emotion from his system, he brings down the hammer of judgment without mercy. He is cold, relentless sometimes calculating in his pursuit to rid the streets of justice. He strongly believes in an eye for an eye and often refers to himself as the "seeker of absolution", with his goal to rid the earth of the scum of evil or die trying.

When assuming his day to day role as a journalist and author, he feigns friendliness although he still retains the quiet, almost solemn attitude that he adorns during his nightly patrols. Despite his quiet, solitary attitude he is quite wise and well versed in plenty of proverbs from his homeland. He doesn't hesitate to impart wisdom to those who seek it, but will almost immediately retreat into his inner shell and become defensive if approached about his past, family or background. He is slow to grasp the concept of friendship so although he is very polite he is also rarely seen in the company of others, opting to live alone as a bachelor rather than share his space with someone who could potentially be "a wolf in sheep's clothing".

Egbuta possesses a very dark sense of humor, often frightening others with the jokes he tells. He can be a bit socially awkward when approached unexpectedly, but when his composure is solid he is an unreadable wall of steel. He is also brutally honest, and will not hesitate to tell the truth in its purest form. This has garnished a lot of disdain amongst his colleagues, but has not convinced him that he should do or say otherwise.

Being the chosen of his people's deity, His pride borders on blatant arrogance. He is incredibly hard to persuade and what is left of his conscience cannot be swayed once set on a particular direction. He is highly reluctant to ask for help, but wise enough to know when he's in over his head. He will never show panic or fear, but can easily grasp a hopeless situation and behave accordingly. He may come across as pushy at times when in the midst of a battle but has leadership traits due to his father's tutelage in the ways of chieftainship.

Powers and Abilities
As the name implies, Shadehand has powers that draw from the occult. He is imbued with the will of Ikenga, granting him untold supernatural powers. Although still a fledgling when it comes to incantations and spells his experiences and from studying the book of ancient black magics continues to unlock the true potential of his power.

Various Magic spells: Shadehand can cast highly potent destructive spells, possessing enough power to reduce a truck to smoldering metal with a single charged blast. His ability to summon protective sigils around him make him incredibly difficult for those without any super powers to defeat, making him more than a match for any mere human. His powers aren't limited to destructive purposes, however. He can cast spells that imbue those around him with an invigorating aura, granting them strength or can cast spells that speed the healing process of those in range which can help the injured recover quickly and painlessly. He can also move through the astral plane, disappearing from the normal frame of existence very briefly in order to move at incredible speeds. Since he can only remain in the astral plane for brief periods, Shadehand has practiced his teleportation skills so well that it is said he appears to be flying whenever he uses it. He cannot teleport through walls or force fields without aid, as their density often breaks his concentration.

Transfiguration: When under moments of dire stress and great emergency, Shadehand can call on the full power of Ikenga and become it's host, transforming him into an unearthly apparition. When in this form he is beyond human, receiving a massive boost in vitality, strength and durability as well as a pool of nigh limitless power in exchange for his free will. When in this form, Ikenga recognizes only the prayer of its chosen vessel and carries it out to the full extent of its power. He takes a form that would strike fear in mortals and can preform feats such as ripping holes in space-time, assaulting foes with energies not of this dimension and possesses enough magical energy to move and bend reality. It is to these ends that Ikenga's power can be classified as cosmic. However when he's sustained enough damage or completed his task, Shadehand is granted his free will and humanity which allows him to transform back to normal.