Arbiter Shade
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| Arbiter Shade | |
| Player: | |
| Origin: | Natural |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Scrapper |
| Security Level: | Confidential |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Sol Shade |
| Known Aliases: | None |
| Species: | Presumed Human |
| Age: | 24 |
| Height: | 6' 3" |
| Weight: | 216 |
| Eye Color: | Ice Blue |
| Hair Color: | Brown |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Confidential |
| Place of Birth: | Confidential |
| Base of Operations: | Confidential |
| Marital Status: | Married to Gelle |
| Known Relatives: | Father (Deceased), Mother (Deceased), Brother (Assumed Deceased) |
| Known Powers | |
| None | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Sword master and marksman | |
| Equipment | |
| Two swords and scavenged armor | |
| No additional information available. | |
Contents |
Affiliations
Supergroup
Physical Description
Arbiter Shade is a muscular man in his mid twenties, with a deep, sardonic voice. His eyes are ice blue and his hair is dark brown. He always wears his costume and armor as a habit from when his body was afflicted.
History
Origins
"Sol, the name my mother gave me, is Latin for sun. I was her sunshine, I was the light and joy that kept her going. My father was like any other father, and thought I was perfect... I made him proud. What do I think? They made that shit up to try and overlook the fact I was a freak, born with this disease that is slowly killing me."
Sol Shade was born into a rather influential family of Paragon City. His father was a prominent judge and his mother was a social worker helping fight the gangs that seemed to spring up like wildfire. He also had a brother, but they never talked much; his brother was in the USMC and wasn't around most of the time. Sol's childhood was a nightmare, he could hardly go out in public because of his deformed and maligned flesh. Everywhere he went people would cringe, kids would make fun of him, and scientists would try to study him; He spent most of his life at home with private tutors. In his free time he would study the ways of combat; while flowing through the forms he was at peace and all the pain he felt was lifted.
During his early teens Sol began the life of a gang member, starting off as just a petty thug and burglar. Soon enough his actions caught the attention of the Family, they could always use more goons. It didn't take long for the Family to learn of his impressive skills with a gun and swords, yhey found a place for him quite easily as a hired killer. Sol didn't really know how to handle killing at first, but it didn't take him long to displace all of the pain and anguish he felt over the years of torment and impose it on his targets. He became brutally efficient and never left a witness. Even when the PPD found enough evidence to accuse him his father and ties with the Family always got him out in the end. Sol was on top of the world, he had money, in a way was famous, and no one could stand up to him.
On a new years eve five years ago Sol got what the Family called a "special" task with a bounty he couldn't refuse. When he looked over the information given to him he found that his target, to his surprise, was his father. Apparently this judge had outlived his use to the Family and needed to be taken out of the picture. He pulled up to his family's estate and sat in his car, searching his soul to see if he could really do this. The answer he received was a resounding "yes". He entered his house through the front door, he had no reason to hide his presence. He calmly walked through his house to his father's study; his father was admiring his stuffed bird collection with his back to the door. He never saw it coming. The blade pierced the base of his skull with ease, quick and clean. Sol knelt in a pool of his father's blood, his mind lost in the act. A scream broke this trance as his mother, standing at the door became a witness and alerted everyone in the house. He silenced her with a gun shot and set the house ablaze. Sol stood vigil outside the house making sure no one made it out.
Sol knew at this moment that this life was a lie and something had to change. This wasn't him, this wasn't the way things were supposed to be. He began the process of destroying this life; he killed any member of the Family who knew him, and broke into government offices to destroy any information about him. He destroyed himself and became a no one, a nothing. Four years later Sol reappeared in Paragon City under the name Arbiter Shade as a vigilante, for reasons unknown.
Rouge Islands
During the fours years Sol spent outside Paragon City he acted as a gun for hire in the Rogue Islands. Due to his effeciency he gained the attention the Arachnos and was soon under contract with them. It was during this time he met a kid named Pud Scyfe who became a brother of sorts to Sol. Pud developed armour and weapons for Arachnos and created many of the weapons that Sol uses today. During his service to Arachnos he also met another mercenary who called himself Pyrogenic Gore. Sol never trusted the guy enough to call him a friend but he was reliable when it game to getting the job done.
Sol spent his life in a daze at this time, one day melded into the next. Then he got a distress call from Pud, apparantly the kid had poked his nose into Black Scorpions business and got himself hurt. He didn't know how bad it was until he found Pud with his arms torn off dieing in the streets of Grandville. He wasn't about to lose the only companion he had in his life so he took Pud to the hospital for immediate care, then turned his attention to Black Scorpion. Sol killed any Arachnos agent who got in his way without mercy until he was stoped by Silver Mantis. He doesn't know exactly what happened to him but the last thing he remembers is rushing her and waking up in Atlas Park.
Hyperion Force
Shortly after the begining of his new career Sol was approached by Brendan Aft about joing a group called The Hyperion Force. Sol figured it would be best to set up a group of conections if he was to get anything done so he agreed. This was the begining of a very hard time for him. Almost immediatly after joining Sol had issues in the group, they stood for good and justice, he was just a drunk merc looking for his next job. He began lashing out at the people in the group, he was losing his mind generating an alternate personality that attacked Tenarco and Neo Trick Shot. Everytime they tried to help he struck out at them believing they were the ones clouding his mind. Eventually he left without a word or where he was going. He left for the Rouge Isles to find answers.
When Sol came back he was a different man, more withdrawn and hesitant. He talked at great lengths with Neo Trick Shot about what he had learned. He finally knew who he was and why he had taken up the mantle of "hero." It was then he decided that he could only do so much in the Force and decided to leave and help those who were in trouble of falling from the light.
Villains of Paragon City
After wandering the city looking for a new place to call home Sol began to feel hopeless that there really was a place for him. He began taking up bad habits again, all the while thinking of his past and what it ment. It was then that he decided on his next course of action, to take vengence on Black Scorpion. What better way to get at the big guy than through Arachnos? He searched for a cell working within the city and eventualy met up with Arbiter Death, a man runing a group called Villians of Paragon City. Villians of Paragon City was a group of Arachnos operatives working to take the city down from the inside. After a brief discussion it was agreed, Sol would work for Death and Death would supply the means for Sol to get at Black Scorpion.
While Sol wasn't happy with the means all he cared about was the end. He treated the other members of the group with disdain, he still considered himself a hero and all of these people were villians after all. There was one exception, a women named Gelle. Sol met her one night in the VoPC's base as she was talking to her adopted daughter, Spanish-Doll, about her love lost. He had no reason at all to care about these people so this was the perfect oppertunity to cause a little heart break. After listening to her story Sol began to see her for what she was, a good person in a bad place. All she cared about was keeping her little family together and finding what happiness she could. After she was done telling him her story Sol knew he had found a way to do a little good in the world and vowed to help her.
As the weeks went by Sol and Gelle became closer friends. He told her his story and how he ended up in the VoPC, why his vengence was so driven, and what he had done in his past. With her guidance Sol began to see past his need for vengence and gave up on his desire to strike back at Black Scorpion. He would now stay in the group with the intent to help her out of the nightmare she was living.
While in the VoPC Sol was pulled into a nightmare world of Arbiter Death's. A hospital where Deaths deceased wife was tormenting him for his wrong doings. Gelle and Spanish-Doll were also pulled into this nightmare and together the four of them would have to fight their way out. It was during this tradgedy that Shade performed something completly foreign to him, a truely selfless act. Sol saved Gelle from a spector of her dead husband Deadshadow and in the process was cured of the disease that had afflicted him at birth.
The Hideout
A shortwhile after Gelle left the Villains of Paragon City to start her own business when it became apparant that her love, Vincent Jaeger, did not need her protection. So she founded a mercenary business called The Hideout and invited Sol to come with her. He grew up a merc so he gladly followed her, after all it was his comfort zone. Gelle called the business her little family, it was a funny choice of words because thats what it would become litteraly. Shortly after the founding of The Hideout, Gelle finally discovered Vincent Jaegers true feelings towards her. She was heartbroken and driven to the brink of insanity. Sol was the only one there to consul her, he did everything he could to help her through the pain. Gelle and Sol had acknowledge they had feelings for each other but never acted on it because she was with Vincent. She remaind in a fractured state but eventually she gained a small bit of sanity. But peace wouldn't last long....
Into the Darkness
Things were finally looking up for Shade a home and a stable life. But what he didn't know was that the true source of his earlier disease and his alternate personality was a being of pure darkness, one bent on breaking his will to make him a sutiable host. The darkness within him began to once again show itself in his actions, he became hostile and lashed out of the people close to him. It took Gelle's death to truely drive him over the edge and loose himself completly to this creatures control. When Gelle was ressurected she finally realized that Sol was the man she wanted to be with. She searched him out in a back alley in Galaxy City, where he was completly controled by the Darkness. All it took was a kiss and a simple "I love you" to break the Darknesses control of him. The creature was defeated but not gone and now Shade knew of his adversary.
Feelings and Attitudes towards Arbiter Shade
"Shade is the only person I can cry for. I love him more than anything in this world. As a Spartan I keep an icy disposition towards others. However, with Shade I feel protected enough to show him who I really am. I have two faces for this world, and Shade and our sons are the only ones allowed to see the secret one." -- Gelle
