Deadly Nightshade

"I always honor my deals."
Deadly Nightshade is a notorious Siren bounty hunter with a reputation for success. Born and raised in Blossom Village during the Benefactor occupation of Meadow, her family and friends were torn away from her by their oppressors. She joined a resistance movement called the Spines to fight back, picking up skills and becoming even more fiercely dedicated to their cause. By the end of the occupation, she was one of their finest soldiers and pilots.
As the Sirens regained their independence and the Spines disbanded, Deadly Nightshade became increasingly disillusioned with their government and the public at large. Feeling as though her and her comrades' accomplishments had been ignored, she decided to put her skills to use as a bounty hunter, leaving her people and her planet behind. Neither a hero nor a villain, Deadly Nightshade's ethics are a mystery, but one thing is sure: when she sets her sights on you, you're as good as dead. Reception for the character has been (TBA).
==Appearance==
Deadly Nightshade is a beautiful Siren woman in her early 30s with sharp features and a toned body. She has black hair in a bob cut, pale skin, and bright red eyes. There's a noticeable scar across her left cheek. While working, she wears sleek black armor branded with the Spine insignia and matching boots. When relaxing on her ship, her usual outfit is a thin white shirt, a brown leather belt, and dark blue jeans.
==History==
===Early History===
Deadly Nightshade was born under another name in Blossom Village, a small town located in the lush Pine Valley. The Benefactors relied on this beautiful region of Meadow for its sentelenium deposits, which the local Sirens would mine and sell to their oppressors at a significant deficit. Nightshade's father was one such miner, while her mother was a schoolteacher. Nightshade was an intelligent, happy child who was well nurtured by her parents and enjoyed her life in the village.
Unfortunately, while her childhood was peaceful, the rest of Meadow suffered under the heel of the Benefactors. Tired of not receiving fair payment for their work, several Pine Valley towns refused to sell the precious metal to their oppressors, including Blossom Village. As it was one of their biggest sentelenium suppliers, the Benefactors decided to make an example of the village. Late one night, they sent troops to torch the village and leave no survivors.
A fourteen year old Deadly Nightshade was the only survivor, having escaped while her parents distracted the Benefactor soldiers. She fled the small town, escaping into the valley. After surviving for a few days on her own with the skills her father taught her, she was discovered by the Spines, a group of freedom fighters opposing the Benefactors. They raised her, with their stern but reasonable leader Fern practically becoming a mother to her.
Fern taught her how to fight and how to pilot, with Nightshade becoming their youngest soldier. Though she was typically assigned to missions that didn't involve combat or guarded their camps, she got a chance to prove herself at 16, when the Spines raided an important Benefactor installation. This mission was of special significance to her, as the base was run by Low Warlord Vex, who had given the order to burn down Blossom Village.
Fern lead the Spines into battle, with the element of surprise allowing her Sirens to overwhelm the Benefactors. As they secured the fortress, Nightshade witnessed yet another tragedy in her troubled life, watching as Vex killed Fern. Enraged, she charged the Benefactor leader, knocking him through a window and sending him falling to his death. With one death on her hands, she fought on, encouraged by her mentor's death.
At great cost, the Spines won the day, gaining control of the base. They elected a new leader and continued the fight, both to honor their fallen leader's memory and free their planet from Benefactor control. Over the next twelve years, Nightshade became one of their best, having the highest Benefactor kill count of any of their members. This lead to her fellow soldiers dubbing her "Deadly Nightshade", a nickname that stuck to the point that most didn't even know her real name by the end of the occupation.
The decades long oppression of the Sirens by the Benefactors ended when the vigilante Thorn destroyed the Hive with the High Council on board. Thorn became a legend while the now disbanded Spines were relegated to history books alongside the other freedom fighters who took on the Benefactors. This frustrated Deadly Nightshade, who felt that the general public ignored their important contributions to the fight. Even worse in her eyes was the fact that Meadow came under the rule of Queen Rose, whom she viewed as an opportunistic collaborateur for her servitude to the Benefactors.
Deciding to put her skills to use for her own gain, Nightshade took the Poison Dart, the old but reliable ship she had commandeered during the Benefactor occupation, and left for outer space. Using a suit of armor, jetpack, and ion cannon that belonged to the Spines, she became a bounty hunter. Her skills sharpened by war, she quickly became one of the most infamous bounty hunters in the galaxy, her success rate far above that of her competitors. Today, she travels the stars, taking out her targets with deadly precision. Still, some say that beneath her cold exterior, the rebellious hero whom she once was remains.
==Personality==
Deadly Nightshade is a tortured woman who has seen things most people would consider unimaginable. She's been fighting for over half of her life, with the idea of a peaceful existence being nothing more than a distant memory to her. Unsurprisingly, she doesn't make friends easily, and few can pierce her defenses. The only living people she still cares about are her fellow Spines, most of whom she hasn't even seen since the end of the occupation. Nightshade has grown accustomed to being alone and finds peace in it, spending almost all of her free time thinking, repairing her equipment, or training for her next fight.
Nightshade is a patriot of sorts, but not in the traditional sense. The great love of her life is Meadow, a world which she holds close to her heart. She considers it to be the greatest planet in the galaxy, a one-of-a-kind natural wonder that she's proud to have protected. This adoration of Meadow was instilled in her both by her peaceful childhood in the beautiful Pine Valley and by her years of service. Unsurprisingly, her favorite place on Meadow is the long gone Blossom Village, where she spent the happiest years of her life. Part of that love comes from the association she has between the small town and her parents, whom she was very close to. Though they've been dead for decades, not a day goes by where she doesn't think about and miss them. Heartbreaking in it's own right was the loss of Fern, her mentor and caretaker after the death of her parents. While they only knew each other for two years, she's partially responsible for forging Nightshade into the person she is, having taught her most of what she knows. It was her murder by Low Warlord Vex that inspired Deadly Nightshade to become a legendary freedom fighter.
Over the years, she's grown quite fond of her new home, the Poison Dart. Nightshade is very comfortable there, to the point where she can't bear to sleep anywhere else. A soldier through and through, she has an appreciation for finely crafted weapons and armor. She swears by her jetpack and ion cannon, both of which have gotten her through some very dangerous situations. Nightshade isn't particular about what she eats or drinks, but she insists on starting her day with Violet Drop tea, a Siren drink that her mother used to make for her. Best enjoyed hot, it's a light purple beverage with a strong, somewhat bitter taste.
Even though he's long dead, the person Nightshade hates the most in the entire universe is Low Warlord Vex, who was responsible for all the great tragedies of her life. While she's considered a noble woman by many, she undeniably harbors some prejudice. Her hatred for the Benefactors applies not only to their leadership and military, but to their citizens as well. Though not violent towards the average Benefactor, she resents them all the same. While she dislikes Benefactor commoners, she despises any and all oppressors. No matter what she's in the middle of, she'll take the time to kill or at least wound them if possible. She also harbors some ill will towards her own people, feeling as though her and her fellow freedom fighters went unappreciated. While most of her people think of Thorn as a war hero, Nightshade believes her to be an attention seeker who unjustly claimed the victory against the Benefactors for herself. Nightshade holds a special grudge against Sirens she considers culpable in the Benefactors' crimes. This includes Queen Rose, whom she views as traitorous scum unfit to rule Meadow.
Even though her anger towards all these groups and individuals varies wildly, the thing that ties them together is that she views them all as liars. Nightshade greatly values honesty and tries to always honor her deals. When she takes on a job, she dedicates herself to doing it as well as possible. Though she's aware of her reputation as a bounty hunter, she dislikes it due to the way it can interfere with her job, and tries to go unnoticed whenever she can. This is her justification as to why she tries to tie up business cleanly without any innocent lives being taken, but those who know her best suspect that this is her true colors shining through. Despite her impressive success rate, a few high paying clients have complained that she's terminated her contract with them. Whether this was because she failed to kill the targets they assigned to her or she purposefully left them alive for some reason is unknown.
==Abilities==
Deadly Nightshade is a master combatant, tactician, and pilot. In the prime of her life, she trains vigorously every day and is incredibly fit as a result. Though she's best with a good weapon in her hands, she's also a highly competent hand-to-hand fighter. She's trained in several Siren martial arts practiced across Meadow, including Vine's Feet, Bark Boxing, and Rose's Thorns. While decent at improvisation out of necessity, she prefers to be prepared. A gifted combat strategist, she's skilled at accurately assessing her targets and putting together a plan on how to most efficiently take them out with minimum collateral damage. Nightshade is a legend among Siren freedom fighters and flying enthusiasts for her talents as a pilot. While her experience is limited to Siren and Benefactor ships and jetpacks, she's become very good at maneuvering about her corner of the galaxy.
Deadly Nightshade's sleek black armor was custom made by the Spines. It's incredibly light, allowing her to move about with ease, and fairly durable. While it can sustain a good amount of blunt trauma and laser fire, it's not immune from being pierced, scratched, or dented, whether by sheer brute force or unusual weaponry. Her ion cannon is a Benefactor antique, stolen during her first combat mission. It releases powerful pulses of energy which can cause incredible agony and if fired point blank, kill someone in a single shot. Unfortunately, as a vintage energy weapon, it can take an entire minute to recharge. Meanwhile, her jetpack is a Siren invention from before the occupation. As such, it uses fuel rather than the more common energy propulsion technology seen in contemporary jetpacks, and could very well explode after being hit by a single laser blast. Still, it can stay in the air for an impressive amount of time and is rather maneuverable.
Perhaps the most important part of her arsenal is the Poison Dart, a pre-occupation Siren starship. Built with the military in mind, it acts as her home, primary mode of transportation, and greatest weapon. The ship consists of a cockpit, a planning area with a holographic table, a sparsely decorated lounge, two bunks, a holding cell complete with force field, and the engine room. The Poison Dart is equipped with twin laser cannons as well as a primitive but useful homing missile launcher. Though it shows its age in appearance, the ship is remarkably reliable. Its main weakness is a lack of defenses, with most modern ships being able to put it down with a few well aimed shots.
==Gallery==
TBA
==Trivia==
*Deadly Nightshade was inspired by the Star Wars franchise's many bounty hunters.
Category:Sirens