Post by DornKoon on Oct 2, 2023 21:05:30 GMT
General Information
Full Name:
Richard Swift
Codename or Alias:
The Shade
Mister Black
Louie Fox
Anonymity
Secret Identity
Gender:
Male
Race:
Shadow/Demon
Age:
Born in 1808
Place Of Birth:
London, England
Occupation/Status:
Mercenary/Gentleman
Alignment:
Neutral
Factions:
The Shade is strictly Freelance but has affiliations with many different factions that have used his services for years—most notably The Hellfire Society and, surprisingly enough, Planetary.
Canon Or Original?:
Canon (The Flash)
Powers/Abilities:
Umbrakinesis
The Shade's most famous and dangerous ability is the power to manipulate and control shadows. He is an infamously powerful being, able to command the shadows and darkness to take any form he desires. The Shade strongly connects to the Shadowlands (or Dark Zone), a dimension of primordial, quasi-sentient darkness that Shade and other creatures with similar powers can channel for various effects. He is also one of the most potent users connected to this plane, which can be accounted for due to his advanced age. The Shade also has the power to summon and command demonic creatures from the Dark Zone or call upon the energies in the Zone to fight using blasts of raw darkness. It is also possible for The Shade to "swallow" attacks with his shadows and redirect them from another one of his shadows, as long as these are not based on pure light.
Immortality
Because he serves as a vessel for the dark energy summoned from The Shadowlands, Richard is an immortal man who has lived since at least the 1800s. He shows no signs of ever having aged since then. This immortality is not tied to a type of magic as it would be with a spellcaster, neither is it a mutation as would be seen in a mutant. He is less human and more of a shadow, taking the shape of a human.
Sensing
The Shade has sharp senses and can detect when someone tries to sneak up on him. He can also detect other connections to the Shadowlands when they are found in other creatures, places or objects. He can also sense the presence of shadows and darkness at a great distance, using this in combination with his Umbrakinesis to teleport anywhere you can find such shadows.
Weapons/Items:
Appearance
Image:
Physical Appearance:
Richard Swift is a man of average height who walks with a permanent limp and always walks with a cane. He appears to be a middle-aged man with black hair, dark eyes and pale skin, creating a noticeable contrast of black and white in his appearance.
Clothing and Armor:
He exclusively wears dapper suits of the highest quality, fitting his long frame perfectly, paired with shiny black dress shoes. Always perfectly groomed, with a pocket handkerchief, black ascot, polished shoes and pressed pants. He is also never seen without his black top hat, and darkened circular sunglasses.
Personality
Sexual Orientation:
Heterosexual
General Personality:
Tall and slim with an elegant 19th century way to his speech and manners, Richard is an English immortal who masks the horrors he's experienced and people he's lost in all his time alive with wry, witty retorts and a false sense that nothing matters. The Shade is known for his elegant and sophisticated demeanour, contrasting with his dark and shadowy powers. He is often seen as a cultured and well-spoken man who enjoys art, literature, and fine living.
The Shade has made a name for himself as an enigmatic, pragmatic, and morally ambiguous person whose alliances shift depending on his current mood. One would be wrong to call him a villain, at least not outright. The Shade can do the right thing when push comes to shove and is not above burying old grievances for a good cause. But, he is not above breaking the law if he feels like it, depending largely on what law. He is not a murderer, at least not actively. He is not above killing and has done so in the past, but he has his ethics and always tries to remain a gentleman.
Richard does hold children in high regard and seeks to protect them, or at the very least, he is not one to go about murdering them, even if they possess superpowers. Neither would he underestimate the capacity of the young generation of heroes and villains. Still, instead, he despises the idea of stunting their path or cutting their journey short when it has only just begun. That is not to say he can't enjoy the occasional scrap and bout of combat from time to time. It only facilitates further growth, and he is not so old that he will be outdone. At least not yet anyway.
The Shade is also something of a nihilist and has no interest in using his considerable power to rule anything. What good would a country be if he had it? Why would he ever want the weight of leading on his shoulders? The universe is worth neither saving nor taking over, at least not from his side. As many who have worked with him can attest, he is neither a coward nor a snitch or traitor. He always makes his allegiances known to all parties and never dreams of betraying a client, or revealing their secrets. Due to this, he has formed working relationships with several influential individuals over the years.
He is also cautious and patient in a way that only someone who has lived for hundreds of years could be, and he usually only takes part in a battle he knows he can win and is not above fleeing if things turn sour, which in itself is a strong reason why he has rarely been captured. He can form friendships and bonds with others, though he avoids it due to his immortality forcing him to outlive everyone he's ever loved.
Face/Voice: Jonathan Cake
Anything Else
Anything (for this section or anywhere else in the profile) that you think isn't covered in the sections of this character sheet can go here.
Character's History
Siblings:
Mother:
Father:
Other Family:
History:
From Man to Shadow
Richard Swift was born in London in 1808 to two high-end socialites, James and Elinore Swift, and he also had a younger sister named Emily. A man of wealth and possessing a keen interest in art and literature, Richard travelled within the literary circles of Victorian Era England, befriending authors Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde, of whom he still owns first edition copies of several of their works from the time. He was also a thief before receiving his powers, not out of a need for money, but more out of boredom, even when he made himself known as a Gentleman Thief of renown.
However, he was not without enemies and ended up the victim of Simon Culp, a man in search of power who planned to use Swift. Simon Culp attempts to sacrifice Richard in a ritual which inadvertently imbues him with a mysterious shadow power and turns him into the Shade. This did result in the death of 100 other people that were similarly sacrificed, an event that still linger on Richard's mind even to this day. From this, Richard would gain immortality and become more of a demon than man.
Fued with Culp
As time passed, Swift began using aliases for himself, such as "Mr. Black", and went by "Shade" to those he was on good terms with. He also gained a long-standing rivalry with Simon Culp but later came to possess powers similar to Swift. After gaining power, they began a feud that lasted until the early 2000s in Opal City.
Other enemies included the murderously corrupt Ludlow family, whom Shade had all but wiped out when the family manipulated Shade to murder him for sport, with the surviving generations of the family vowing revenge on the Shade. This was ironic since Culp was the one to start everything in the first place, so for Richard, his quest for revenge seemed largely misplaced and foolish.
Shade kept a lengthy journal and eventually fell in love with the United States east-coast city of Opal City. Setting up residence in Opal City, Shade befriended Opal City's sheriff, Brian Savage (the Scalphunter) and slowly amassed a small personal fortune while moonlighting as a hired killer. But his past with Simon was not going to go away and emerged once more during the events of the second world war. His hate for Swift was so great that Culp wished to kill The Shade himself, to the point of killing others before they could kill him, which happened at least once during the early 1880s in Opal City. Shade fled back to England during the early days of World War II to aid the Allies in fighting the Nazis. While on patrol with the British hero Captain X, Shade was ambushed by Culp when a bomb fell from a German fighter plane onto the two men. Culp was forced to seek shelter by merging with an unknowing Shade to survive.
When the age of costumed heroes began and unknowingly influenced by the malevolent Culp, Swift gave himself the name "The Shade" (added a 'the' to his nickname) in 1942. Downplaying his formidable shadow powers, Shade committed crimes in various cities, most notably Keystone City, where he found himself a nemesis in the form of the Flash, Jay Garrick. The Shade would privately refer to his battles as "the joust", which he engaged in for the simple thrill of combat with another super-powered combatant.
Despite his turn to super-villainy, though, Opal City remained untouched by Shade as the villain considered the city he lived in off-limits. Indeed, The Shade has been known to protect Opal City to the point of using his powers to kill any criminals who attempt to commit crimes in the city. The Shade even would engage in the occasional superhero battle, saving Howard Hughes from the villainous Johnny Sorrow. However, Culp slowly began to fight Shade to gain dominance of Shade's body, culminating in the Shade believing that Culp is alive and plotting against him and ultimately to him and Dr Fate teaming up to find Culp, never knowing that the villain he was seeking was inside him.
Though many in Opal distrusted the Shade, he slowly won the trust of many in the city. That was until Culp, furious at how the Shade had rejected evil, finally assumed full control over Shade's body. Culp (in Shade's body) cast a spell that allowed him to trap everyone inside Opal City using his shadow powers. He began to destroy the entire city before Starman and the Shade (who ultimately expelled Culp from his body) opposed him. Ironically, the Shade's former ally, the Mist, would kill Culp, as Mist sold his soul to Neron to restore his mind (nearly gone due to Alzheimer's Disease) in exchange for his killing the Shade.
The Immortals of the World
During his long life, from the moment he gained immortality to the present day, The Shade has met and joined forces with many different people whenever their goals happened to align. He has never claimed to be a hero and has left his past as a "super-villain" on the shelf. With the death of Culp, Swift was free of his influence and instead began to take on a freelance way of thinking and a neutral stance between the ongoing conflict between the supposed "good and evil."
One long-standing acquaintance has been the Demon's Head Ra's al Ghul, founder of the League of Assassins. It was largely unavoidable that two immortal beings would run into each other. The Shade's power over shadows and darkness made him a valuable friend to the League and Ghul personally. Though Swift never officially became a member of the League, he occasionally assisted them as a personal favour to their founder. He saw the wisdom in what Ra's al Ghul was striving for, to stop humanity's course of destroying itself, whatever the cost.
He has also had a long-standing rivalry with heroes such as The Immortal, as they originated from the same part of the world, albeit from vastly different periods. At the start of their acquaintance, The Shade was a villain and The Immortal a hero, and it was only natural for them to butt heads on occasion. But, in the grand scheme, The Shade was far less of a villain than others, as he did not make a name for himself as a murderer hellbent on world domination. At most, he was a thief and a con man with questionable connections. Still, they occasionally clashed over differences in morality, with The Shade rather escaping than risking a prolonged battle, which was his go-to solution.
The Shade is Strictly Freelance
Lately, The Shade has made more of an effort to do some Freelance work, not because he really needs the money, but because it is enough to kill boredom. Usually, these missions focus on the areas of espionage, theft, and the occasional smuggling. He is NOT an assassin, nor will he accept missions that actively harm children. As for who he is working for, it tends to be more villains that hire him since the heroes usually have a more restricted relationship with the law, with the exception of Planetary, with whom he does have a surprisingly good working relationship, largely due to Elijah Snow being another acquaintance from the past. The Shade has assisted them with exploration because he can get into places without triggering dangerous traps and avoid ambushes. It could also be due to his fascination for history and the idea of the world's secrets being most appealing to a man with nothing left but time to kill.
Role Play Sample:
"I would say ignorant at best and not a little arrogant, don't you think?" said Swift, slowly turning the page without looking up from his newspaper. "Suppose it brings to mind the old saying: "We don't truly appreciate what we have until it's gone", and I suspect the good doctor will find that out sooner rather than later. If you ask me, I think him a fool for letting pride overshadow his commitment to family."
"I never took you for a family man, Shade."
"Then you took me right, old friend. Because I am not a family man, far from it." Swift replied with a dry smile, closing and folding the newspaper before taking a sip from his tea. "It's the principle: if you commit yourself to making a family, you have an obligation to ensure your offspring don't turn into reprobates and delinquents, set out into the world to make the rest of us suffer for it."
A few minutes of silence followed as The Shade continued sipping his tea, leaving the room silent until his guest spoke up again.
"So, have you been thinking about my offer? It remains open if you're interested in assisting us."
"I have," he replied. "I am intrigued, but you are not my usual clientele, and honestly, I was surprised when you contacted me in the first place. That being said, I am in no way averse to the idea of trying something new. But are you certain my aid would even be welcome? Seeing how several members of your little group fall under the umbrella of heroes."
"Our purpose is to do more than simple hero work. We seek to break open secrets of the world we share, secrets that people in power would rather keep hidden."
Richard was used to breaking the law. It was as easy for him to do as it was to brew a pot of tea or put on his glasses. Yet, he was still surprised at being contacted by a group of heroes who clearly knew what they did could cause them to end up in conflict with many potentially powerful people. Then again, it was not much different from what the heroes usually did; still, the prospect was fascinating, and it would be a lie to say he was not tempted.
"If you put it like that, how can I refuse, Elijah." He raised his hand before the other man could comment. " But I will not join your little faction. I do this strictly on freelance terms. I shall, of course, not disclose any information pertaining to work if anyone else should ask. Rest assured, you're secrets will be safe with me. I trust this won't be a problem?"
A few moments of silence followed, with The Shade feeling the eyes of Elijah Snow scrutinizing him, before he finally nodded.
"Yes, that works. Thank you, Shade."
"My pleasure."
Full Name:
Richard Swift
Codename or Alias:
The Shade
Mister Black
Louie Fox
Anonymity
Secret Identity
Gender:
Male
Race:
Shadow/Demon
Age:
Born in 1808
Place Of Birth:
London, England
Occupation/Status:
Mercenary/Gentleman
Alignment:
Neutral
Factions:
The Shade is strictly Freelance but has affiliations with many different factions that have used his services for years—most notably The Hellfire Society and, surprisingly enough, Planetary.
Canon Or Original?:
Canon (The Flash)
Powers/Abilities:
Umbrakinesis
The Shade's most famous and dangerous ability is the power to manipulate and control shadows. He is an infamously powerful being, able to command the shadows and darkness to take any form he desires. The Shade strongly connects to the Shadowlands (or Dark Zone), a dimension of primordial, quasi-sentient darkness that Shade and other creatures with similar powers can channel for various effects. He is also one of the most potent users connected to this plane, which can be accounted for due to his advanced age. The Shade also has the power to summon and command demonic creatures from the Dark Zone or call upon the energies in the Zone to fight using blasts of raw darkness. It is also possible for The Shade to "swallow" attacks with his shadows and redirect them from another one of his shadows, as long as these are not based on pure light.
The Light: As a creature of darkness, the Shade has a natural aversion for powers which come from the realm of light. Light, in its rawest and most powerful form, is a crippling enemy. Bright light rays can physically disrupt his powers, cause pain, and disintegrate his shadow constructs. Despite being able to take a lot of punishment, light attacks will still cause the darkness to spray off of him. The Lantern Rings are a powerful example of a weakness The Shade cannot ignore.
The Shadowlands: After 200 years, much of who Richard used to be is lost, as he is more a creature of the Shadowlands than a human. As such, he is deeply connected to it and would potentially die if this connection is severed, as it would with other creatures native to the Zone.
The Shadowlands: After 200 years, much of who Richard used to be is lost, as he is more a creature of the Shadowlands than a human. As such, he is deeply connected to it and would potentially die if this connection is severed, as it would with other creatures native to the Zone.
- Darkness Force Field: Using shadows and darkness, Shade can generate powerful forcefields capable of blocking incoming attacks. He can defend himself and others from a wide assortment of assaults, both physical and magical, with pure light being one of the few major weaknesses.
- Electromagnetic Interference: The Shade can cause artificial sources of light to fail just by being around them. He can also cause faults by interfering with electromagnetics, such as those found in cameras and surveillance equipment.
- Flight: By turning himself into darkness, the Shade can fly as a cloud of shadows.
- Shadow Stealth: Perhaps The Shade's most used ability is his power to move without being detected. Disguise or cloak himself within shadows, becoming virtually invisible. Richard's powers don't just allow him to control darkness but also turn into darkness, letting him move between shadows, turn invisible, and evade attacks, slipping in and out of rooms undetected, with others only noticing his presence when he declares it. There are those with heightened senses who can sense his presence, but those usually required to be powerful users of mental powers or mystical arts.
- Teleportation: The Shade can travel great distances in short amounts of time by travelling between Earth and the Shadowlands. He can safely move from one location to another without leaving a trace of evidence behind. He can also speak through shadows and communicate using them. It is also possible for him to teleport with other people using this method, and he prefers using Teleportation when moving around, both for the drama and the convenience.
Immortality
Because he serves as a vessel for the dark energy summoned from The Shadowlands, Richard is an immortal man who has lived since at least the 1800s. He shows no signs of ever having aged since then. This immortality is not tied to a type of magic as it would be with a spellcaster, neither is it a mutation as would be seen in a mutant. He is less human and more of a shadow, taking the shape of a human.
However, it appears the only way he can lose his immortality is if he loses his shadow, which would require someone from likely the same event back in 1838 to meet up with him (very unlikely).
- Enhanced Durability: The Shade is highly resistant to attacks of all kinds and can survive a direct bomb falling on top of him, appearing only slightly dazed.
- Regeneration: If he can draw upon the powers of the Shadowlands or spend time inside it, The Shade can quickly regenerate wounds that would otherwise kill any normal or super person.
Sensing
The Shade has sharp senses and can detect when someone tries to sneak up on him. He can also detect other connections to the Shadowlands when they are found in other creatures, places or objects. He can also sense the presence of shadows and darkness at a great distance, using this in combination with his Umbrakinesis to teleport anywhere you can find such shadows.
Weapons/Items:
- Cane: The Shade uses a cane to support his leg due to a permanent limp. His shadow powers allow him to move without walking, but it adds a certain elegance. Some claim his powers are tied to the cane, but that is silly nonsense.
Appearance
Image:
Physical Appearance:
Richard Swift is a man of average height who walks with a permanent limp and always walks with a cane. He appears to be a middle-aged man with black hair, dark eyes and pale skin, creating a noticeable contrast of black and white in his appearance.
Clothing and Armor:
He exclusively wears dapper suits of the highest quality, fitting his long frame perfectly, paired with shiny black dress shoes. Always perfectly groomed, with a pocket handkerchief, black ascot, polished shoes and pressed pants. He is also never seen without his black top hat, and darkened circular sunglasses.
Personality
Sexual Orientation:
Heterosexual
General Personality:
Tall and slim with an elegant 19th century way to his speech and manners, Richard is an English immortal who masks the horrors he's experienced and people he's lost in all his time alive with wry, witty retorts and a false sense that nothing matters. The Shade is known for his elegant and sophisticated demeanour, contrasting with his dark and shadowy powers. He is often seen as a cultured and well-spoken man who enjoys art, literature, and fine living.
The Shade has made a name for himself as an enigmatic, pragmatic, and morally ambiguous person whose alliances shift depending on his current mood. One would be wrong to call him a villain, at least not outright. The Shade can do the right thing when push comes to shove and is not above burying old grievances for a good cause. But, he is not above breaking the law if he feels like it, depending largely on what law. He is not a murderer, at least not actively. He is not above killing and has done so in the past, but he has his ethics and always tries to remain a gentleman.
Richard does hold children in high regard and seeks to protect them, or at the very least, he is not one to go about murdering them, even if they possess superpowers. Neither would he underestimate the capacity of the young generation of heroes and villains. Still, instead, he despises the idea of stunting their path or cutting their journey short when it has only just begun. That is not to say he can't enjoy the occasional scrap and bout of combat from time to time. It only facilitates further growth, and he is not so old that he will be outdone. At least not yet anyway.
The Shade is also something of a nihilist and has no interest in using his considerable power to rule anything. What good would a country be if he had it? Why would he ever want the weight of leading on his shoulders? The universe is worth neither saving nor taking over, at least not from his side. As many who have worked with him can attest, he is neither a coward nor a snitch or traitor. He always makes his allegiances known to all parties and never dreams of betraying a client, or revealing their secrets. Due to this, he has formed working relationships with several influential individuals over the years.
He is also cautious and patient in a way that only someone who has lived for hundreds of years could be, and he usually only takes part in a battle he knows he can win and is not above fleeing if things turn sour, which in itself is a strong reason why he has rarely been captured. He can form friendships and bonds with others, though he avoids it due to his immortality forcing him to outlive everyone he's ever loved.
Face/Voice: Jonathan Cake
Anything Else
Anything (for this section or anywhere else in the profile) that you think isn't covered in the sections of this character sheet can go here.
Character's History
Siblings:
- Emily Swift - Sister (Deceased)
Mother:
- Elinore Swift (Deceased)
Father:
- James Swift (Deceased)
Other Family:
History:
From Man to Shadow
Richard Swift was born in London in 1808 to two high-end socialites, James and Elinore Swift, and he also had a younger sister named Emily. A man of wealth and possessing a keen interest in art and literature, Richard travelled within the literary circles of Victorian Era England, befriending authors Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde, of whom he still owns first edition copies of several of their works from the time. He was also a thief before receiving his powers, not out of a need for money, but more out of boredom, even when he made himself known as a Gentleman Thief of renown.
However, he was not without enemies and ended up the victim of Simon Culp, a man in search of power who planned to use Swift. Simon Culp attempts to sacrifice Richard in a ritual which inadvertently imbues him with a mysterious shadow power and turns him into the Shade. This did result in the death of 100 other people that were similarly sacrificed, an event that still linger on Richard's mind even to this day. From this, Richard would gain immortality and become more of a demon than man.
Fued with Culp
As time passed, Swift began using aliases for himself, such as "Mr. Black", and went by "Shade" to those he was on good terms with. He also gained a long-standing rivalry with Simon Culp but later came to possess powers similar to Swift. After gaining power, they began a feud that lasted until the early 2000s in Opal City.
Other enemies included the murderously corrupt Ludlow family, whom Shade had all but wiped out when the family manipulated Shade to murder him for sport, with the surviving generations of the family vowing revenge on the Shade. This was ironic since Culp was the one to start everything in the first place, so for Richard, his quest for revenge seemed largely misplaced and foolish.
Shade kept a lengthy journal and eventually fell in love with the United States east-coast city of Opal City. Setting up residence in Opal City, Shade befriended Opal City's sheriff, Brian Savage (the Scalphunter) and slowly amassed a small personal fortune while moonlighting as a hired killer. But his past with Simon was not going to go away and emerged once more during the events of the second world war. His hate for Swift was so great that Culp wished to kill The Shade himself, to the point of killing others before they could kill him, which happened at least once during the early 1880s in Opal City. Shade fled back to England during the early days of World War II to aid the Allies in fighting the Nazis. While on patrol with the British hero Captain X, Shade was ambushed by Culp when a bomb fell from a German fighter plane onto the two men. Culp was forced to seek shelter by merging with an unknowing Shade to survive.
When the age of costumed heroes began and unknowingly influenced by the malevolent Culp, Swift gave himself the name "The Shade" (added a 'the' to his nickname) in 1942. Downplaying his formidable shadow powers, Shade committed crimes in various cities, most notably Keystone City, where he found himself a nemesis in the form of the Flash, Jay Garrick. The Shade would privately refer to his battles as "the joust", which he engaged in for the simple thrill of combat with another super-powered combatant.
Despite his turn to super-villainy, though, Opal City remained untouched by Shade as the villain considered the city he lived in off-limits. Indeed, The Shade has been known to protect Opal City to the point of using his powers to kill any criminals who attempt to commit crimes in the city. The Shade even would engage in the occasional superhero battle, saving Howard Hughes from the villainous Johnny Sorrow. However, Culp slowly began to fight Shade to gain dominance of Shade's body, culminating in the Shade believing that Culp is alive and plotting against him and ultimately to him and Dr Fate teaming up to find Culp, never knowing that the villain he was seeking was inside him.
Though many in Opal distrusted the Shade, he slowly won the trust of many in the city. That was until Culp, furious at how the Shade had rejected evil, finally assumed full control over Shade's body. Culp (in Shade's body) cast a spell that allowed him to trap everyone inside Opal City using his shadow powers. He began to destroy the entire city before Starman and the Shade (who ultimately expelled Culp from his body) opposed him. Ironically, the Shade's former ally, the Mist, would kill Culp, as Mist sold his soul to Neron to restore his mind (nearly gone due to Alzheimer's Disease) in exchange for his killing the Shade.
The Immortals of the World
During his long life, from the moment he gained immortality to the present day, The Shade has met and joined forces with many different people whenever their goals happened to align. He has never claimed to be a hero and has left his past as a "super-villain" on the shelf. With the death of Culp, Swift was free of his influence and instead began to take on a freelance way of thinking and a neutral stance between the ongoing conflict between the supposed "good and evil."
One long-standing acquaintance has been the Demon's Head Ra's al Ghul, founder of the League of Assassins. It was largely unavoidable that two immortal beings would run into each other. The Shade's power over shadows and darkness made him a valuable friend to the League and Ghul personally. Though Swift never officially became a member of the League, he occasionally assisted them as a personal favour to their founder. He saw the wisdom in what Ra's al Ghul was striving for, to stop humanity's course of destroying itself, whatever the cost.
He has also had a long-standing rivalry with heroes such as The Immortal, as they originated from the same part of the world, albeit from vastly different periods. At the start of their acquaintance, The Shade was a villain and The Immortal a hero, and it was only natural for them to butt heads on occasion. But, in the grand scheme, The Shade was far less of a villain than others, as he did not make a name for himself as a murderer hellbent on world domination. At most, he was a thief and a con man with questionable connections. Still, they occasionally clashed over differences in morality, with The Shade rather escaping than risking a prolonged battle, which was his go-to solution.
The Shade is Strictly Freelance
Lately, The Shade has made more of an effort to do some Freelance work, not because he really needs the money, but because it is enough to kill boredom. Usually, these missions focus on the areas of espionage, theft, and the occasional smuggling. He is NOT an assassin, nor will he accept missions that actively harm children. As for who he is working for, it tends to be more villains that hire him since the heroes usually have a more restricted relationship with the law, with the exception of Planetary, with whom he does have a surprisingly good working relationship, largely due to Elijah Snow being another acquaintance from the past. The Shade has assisted them with exploration because he can get into places without triggering dangerous traps and avoid ambushes. It could also be due to his fascination for history and the idea of the world's secrets being most appealing to a man with nothing left but time to kill.
Role Play Sample:
"I would say ignorant at best and not a little arrogant, don't you think?" said Swift, slowly turning the page without looking up from his newspaper. "Suppose it brings to mind the old saying: "We don't truly appreciate what we have until it's gone", and I suspect the good doctor will find that out sooner rather than later. If you ask me, I think him a fool for letting pride overshadow his commitment to family."
"I never took you for a family man, Shade."
"Then you took me right, old friend. Because I am not a family man, far from it." Swift replied with a dry smile, closing and folding the newspaper before taking a sip from his tea. "It's the principle: if you commit yourself to making a family, you have an obligation to ensure your offspring don't turn into reprobates and delinquents, set out into the world to make the rest of us suffer for it."
A few minutes of silence followed as The Shade continued sipping his tea, leaving the room silent until his guest spoke up again.
"So, have you been thinking about my offer? It remains open if you're interested in assisting us."
"I have," he replied. "I am intrigued, but you are not my usual clientele, and honestly, I was surprised when you contacted me in the first place. That being said, I am in no way averse to the idea of trying something new. But are you certain my aid would even be welcome? Seeing how several members of your little group fall under the umbrella of heroes."
"Our purpose is to do more than simple hero work. We seek to break open secrets of the world we share, secrets that people in power would rather keep hidden."
Richard was used to breaking the law. It was as easy for him to do as it was to brew a pot of tea or put on his glasses. Yet, he was still surprised at being contacted by a group of heroes who clearly knew what they did could cause them to end up in conflict with many potentially powerful people. Then again, it was not much different from what the heroes usually did; still, the prospect was fascinating, and it would be a lie to say he was not tempted.
"If you put it like that, how can I refuse, Elijah." He raised his hand before the other man could comment. " But I will not join your little faction. I do this strictly on freelance terms. I shall, of course, not disclose any information pertaining to work if anyone else should ask. Rest assured, you're secrets will be safe with me. I trust this won't be a problem?"
A few moments of silence followed, with The Shade feeling the eyes of Elijah Snow scrutinizing him, before he finally nodded.
"Yes, that works. Thank you, Shade."
"My pleasure."
