Orixa

> "*"I’m quite glad it didn’t kill you" - The Orixa*"
>
>
>

## Background

The Orixa is a long legacy dating back to times unknown. Zeze gained her powers in the early 50s. The legacy taught her a great deal but most of what she did was distinctly her own. Her power lead her to be a leading figure in the golden age of Superheroes. She made her mark being one of the few female and black Superheroes of her day. She advocated for a great deal of political equality in Brazil during her time there as Orixa. When the Brazilian Labour Party was deposed in the military coup, Zeze fought for free political rights in Brazil. The girl, who recently had her first child, had been active in her civilian life getting people literate so they could vote feared the possibility of being labelled “socialist” fled.

The women now in her mid-20s could not continue her fight and moved to Canada joining AEGIS and working on progressively larger super problems. She also finished her degree in Labour History. She pursued further study and work as a labour historian for about ten years before fully coming out as a super-heroine in her mid-30s. She never settled down with someone but was said to have had relationships with various other heroes of AEGIS.

She became a public figure due to her determination to continue her advocation for the rights of prisoners and ideological enemies of the state despite AEGIS’ opposition to her political activity. This resulted in a split in the organization. Eventually leading to Zeze’s dismissal in the late 70s. Her career eventually faded into obscurity in the early 200Xs

For 20 years, she continued to operate as Orixa until she sealed away the greatest foe of her legacy, A Spirit Who Has No Name. She soon had grandchildren on the way. Having little funds besides the pension that she received from her series of interesting careers, she got a job operating as a handler for a group of unaffiliated heroes decreasing her own front-line action. She also began to train the youngest of her grandchildren, Adria, control her portal powers.

When he reached her early teens as all good grandmothers do, she encouraged Adria to try out being a hero. She instilled a love of it into her and it caught on well. Adria even fell in with a team that worked against bigger threats. As all successes that Orixa had seen this was doomed to wither. Her flower, Lavender, eventually fell in with AEGIS joining the private military school in Canada. Zeze, disappointed with Adria’s allegiance to AEGIS in her early teens and due to Zeze's own issues with Blackjack and some of the dirtier parts of the organization, she moved to Halcyon with her grandson, Leo, to retire while still doing some minor work for unaffiliated heroes on the side.

Orixa got to be close to some old colleagues and even helped around Leo’s mechanic shop doing the books for him.  She’d invite Adria, once again, to come to Halcyon after her mother left her to her own devices at 15 but Lav turned it down. Adria’s mother had moved to Europe to live with her new partner and Zeze had disowned her after that. She could not tolerate someone abandoning their child. She did her best to keep in contact with Adria while helping the rest of her family.

It took a few years but one day she got a phone call. Adria crying and very unsure of the world. She got her to her. She set her up in school. Used her contacts to make sure that AEGIS could not contact her directly. She did her best welcoming and comforting her granddaughter but it was really Leo that got through to her. She encouraged the new identity that Adria took on changing her back from a rigid professional to a free-minded jokester. She made Adria be social and even used a bit of her influence to get her scouted by several private universities for basketball. Though Adria doesn’t seem to interested in any of them and Zeze isn’t about to force her to do anything. She is pleased that he has decided that he is continuing to be a superhero.

Zeze went missing for a few months. She was tracking down a lead into a case of hers. She still liked to do super-work every now and then despite doing less and less with each year. She was found early December alongside Rhiannon having been kidnapped by Whitelight and having her magic and life energy drained. She sent Whitelight and Blacklight somewhere else and has since been recovering in the apartment she shares with her two grandchildren.

Zeze is one of the last heroes of the golden generation. She is searching for an heir to her legacy. She wants to leave the world in better hands than they started in but this seems increasingly more difficult.

## Appearance

Zeze is an elderly woman standing at about 5’10 and weighing approximately 160lb. She has an athletic build despite her age but needs to move with a cane due to an injury sustained in battle a long time ago. She mostly wears a mix of dresses and cardigans in her civilian form looking like a stereotypical old woman.

As Orixa, her body seems to be covered in shadows with highlights of green that look almost like an inlay of scales into the costume. Hiding whatever clothing she had been wearing underneath. The scales and green highlights in the costume were not an expression of the legacy but her own identity. The costume has mostly been done away with and she mostly used her civilian clothes in her later years.

## Personality

Mischievous, sarcastic, and at times sharp but ultimately kind. She has softened over the years being a very no-nonsense young woman to an elderly and fun-loving grandmother. Her constantly positive attitude is part of a façade to keep spirits high among her friends and allies. Zeze believes strongly in familial bonds and would sacrifice anything to protect her family.