Shade

**Shade** is a character in Villainy and Virtue, created and portrayed by Arbor.

The result of a combination of the monster Nightmare, and a young police officer named Lucy Erikson, Shade is a powerful being of shadow lost in her own conflicting souls.

## Biography

When Nightmare died in the battle of the Heatainia museum, the Broker assumed that would be the last of it. Chance, and the mutant Ftangr, had it that he slew his hunter that day, and in his mind he would never deal with such horrors again. Fate is never so clean, however, and his actions did not banish the shadows forever. Instead, they were reborn, to the doom of upstanding police officer Lucy Erikson.

Erikson, a young woman relatively new to the force, arrived on the scene just as the Broker was triumphant. It was to be her undoing. As Nightmare died, the shadow of his being fled, taking root in the depths of the police woman's mind. There it slowly grew, until, hours later, it absorbed her being. Lucy died that night, her body left unmarked in a deserted alley, as did Nightmare, burned into nothing forever. What came next was the combination of them both- the woman who would come to be known as Shade.

The new creature was lost and confused, awash with the shattered memories of her parent beings. The only word in her mind that gave her any drive was that which held the most emotion- *Broker*. She chased into the darkening evening, hunting down this single person to give her an insight into who she was. In the end, she found him, and he gave her purpose and a chance. Few others would accept a creature like the one who tried to kill him hours earlier, but for whatever reason, Kramer did.

Since then, Shade worked hard to protect and help the Broker. As it was, however, this trust would be short lived, as in an exchange after she became enraged at him for committing torture, he called her *Nightmare***.** Using the name of the despised being shocked Shade, and it told her something important. The Broker had never seen her as anything other than that monster, and was only helping her because she was useful. Although she eventually returned to his side, it was not in friendship. Shade remains at the Citadel for the express reason of keeping him in check. If Kramer ever resorts to torture and cruelty again, it will be Shade who he answers to first. The other reason, to which she is far less likely to admit, is because she feels affection towards Jade and Jason and Claudia and the rest. She'll fight for them, at least, if not High Chancellor Kramer himself.

## Appearance

Shade appears to the world as a woman made of shadow. Her body is black and featureless, her face little more than a blank mask that shows no emotion. Looking as if she were a silhouette made physical, Shade is the stuff of dark dreams, and if she desires it is very possible of her to induce horror. Her voice carries reverb, and iy echoes slightly, as if it is coming from a place darker and deeper than the world we inhabit.

## Personality

Shade is practical, observant, and grounded, preferring to meet every situation with a level head. This gives her a distant yet dependable attitude, and it is rare for her to engage too heavily with her emotions in life. This is because she is fully aware that deep within her is a desire for violence and passion that is just waiting to burst forth. This side of her, characterised by the growling voice of Nightmare in the back of her head, is a piece she despises and fears, and she keeps it hidden through strict moral code and emotional distance. When anger, fear, or sorrow get too much, she may lose this control, and in those moments she will howl with all the rage her body can contain, striking back at all those who challenge her, be it with words or weapons. Around people she trusts or knows well, she will be comfortable to make jokes, but around strangers (or even very emotional friends), she will come off as awkward and introverted, finding it difficult to talk and interact with confidence.

## Abilities

**Body of Shadows**: Shade is a being of shadows made solid, and has the power to return to this ethereal form. When Shade "shrouds", as she calls it (as Nightmare did before her), her form turns translucent and she becomes untouchable. Unable to interact physically with the outside world, Shade can pass through solid objects while shrouded and cannot be touched by solid items. Only bright light can drive her away, as all other substances pass right through her, slipping off or through her ghostly visage. Light is her weakness, and in intense blasts, can deal immense pain to her unlike anything else. Enough of it, and you can vaporize her completely, as is what happened to Nightmare.

**Mutable Form**: Shade's body is far more fluid and unstable than a normal humans, and thus it can be easily warped to her whim. Her body can stretch, harden, and sharpen at her will, allowing her limbs to become weapons such as claws, blades, or spiked whips. Equally, her inhuman form gives her abilities beyond that of a living person- she is faster and stronger than the typical human, and due to a lack of blood, bone, or internal organs, she is more resilient, as wounds that would gut or kill a mortal will only cause superficial pain.

## Relationships

**The Broker**: Once friends, Shade currently views Kramer with a feeling of distrust and fear. She knows he is dangerous and a liar, and she always fears he might turn on her without a moments notice. However, she still believes there is some good in him, and so long as she is there to mitigate his more lethal outbursts, he will do right by his friends and by his city.

## Trivia

Lucy Erikson held serious respect for current police chief Monica Johnson, and this has carried over, in some part, to Shade.