Name: Dwayne Matthew Childress

Alias: Nightshade

Occupation: Freelance demon hunter, mercenary, government special op (formerly US Marine.)

Residence: A rather medium-sized home in suburban Fresno, California, USA.

Age: 20

Gender: Male

Species: Demonically-Altered Panther

Race: Terran

Family: Nightshade has only vague recollections of his parents, as he was far too young to remember them entirely when he and his then-infant brother, Kevin, were separated from them. He recalls the image of his father being a "tall man in a cloak and hood. [He] never saw his face." Since his youth, he had recurring dreams of a masked woman in a robe holding his hand while he was about two years of age while cradling his infant brother in her other arm. He presumed that this was a calling of some sort, that his mother is still alive somewhere out there. But for as long as he could remember, the only real living relative he had in life was his younger brother, Kevin Bradley Childress, who would later make a reputation as one of the most effective bounty hunters in the United States under the alias of "Razor". The brother's clearly possess different, and sometimes conflicting, personalities and views on life, but they both are as close as brothers can get, and they aren't often seen very far from each other (they even still live in the same house together.) Both of them grew up in the care of Aftershock Cybernetics founder and lead developer, Dr. Marcus Anthony Bryer. The good doctor raised the panthers lovingly as if they were his own sons alongside his only biological child, Kayla Leanna Bryer, who they both looked onto like a true older sister. Some many years after Dr. Bryer's passing from a long battle with lymphoma and Nightshade turned to the US Marines, he met up with a marooned Elsyan solider from the Sons of Astraea rebel faction named Kesandra Wallenson. Though the two of them initially weren't very fond of each other, but through fate or sheer coincidence, the two of them gradually became more attracted to each other, eventually marrying and conceiving an infant daughter, Lexa Victoria Childress. Though Nightshade's new status as a husband and father haven't slowed down his life as a warrior, his new family means more than anything to him, and he sometimes worries to himself if his daughter will inherit her father's curse.

Friends: Through his many experiences in life, Nightshade's become a staple in the lives in many of many people working actively in the field of "underground volunteer peacekeeping." Both he and Razor make themselves good company with the dhampir knight called Raven, whom Nightshade often discusses the current status of their work with. Melody, an Aussie bounty hunter, is also a welcome presence with the panther, despite their polar opposite views on firearms and the politics involved in them. Remiel, an acrobatically gifted vigilante, is another invaluable ally, even if Nightshade's cold and intimidating nature make the ninja weasel feel uneasy. Nighty, a homeless thief and pickpocket, is a being Nightshade is known to not only show considerably less outward coldness towards, but also occasionally provides the ghost fox with clothing, food, and, shelter.

Enemies: Nightshade has barely any recurring foes, as most of the time he simply just kills his enemies outright. But most notable of his biggest enemies include the fanatical cultists worshipping the long-forgotten civilization that crafted the Hellstone called the Angels of Apocalypse, and their mad leader, Nightbane. Valdis, princess of the vampire domain on Erebus, as also been a major annoyance to him in the past, and remains one of the few targets he tried and failed to kill. His biggest concern at the moment now is the current Avatar of the Corruption: Abbadon, the Crowned Emperor of Hell. Abbadon is perhaps the only existing being that Nightshade actually fears, with his only spoken view on him being "God help us all if that thing comes for us..."

Alignment: Good

Appearance: Nightshade has black fur and brunette hair in a military buzz cut. He mostly wears a white wifebeater shirt underneath a dark grey Kevlar tactical armor vest with his personal logo (a horned demon's skull with a lit cigarette in its mouth and a bullet hole in its crown over two crossed shotguns) and shoulder pads (the right pad adorned with a painted US flag), a utility cap the same color as his tactical armor, the dog tags he wore in his services to the Marines, a pair of camouflage jeans, and combat boots, as well as thick aviator sunglasses to conceal his glowing red and yellow eyes and the scar in the shape of an upside-down cross across his left eye. Underneath his clothes, he has three tattoos: a bald eagle on his left shoulder, a Star of David on the back of his right hand, and a stylized white wolf with angel wings howling to a crescent moon encircled by a heart (a memento to his wife) on his back. But the most noticeable physical trait of his anatomy is the ancient and terrible relic known as the Hellstone that lies embedded in his chest. It appears to be carved into the shape of a demon's skull, its four horned tendrils dug and planted firmly into his very flesh, its eyes glowing with the anguish of the lost souls it has devoured.  Should Nightshade go too long without consuming enough souls to satiate the captive essence of the demon lord within the relic, Alastor, his flesh will begin to decay and spread across his entire body until he perishes in agony.

Personality: Nightshade's philosophy on how others perceive him can be summed up as "So I'm a freak. Big fucking deal." He knows that people fear his demonic nature and curse his very existence, and he doesn't care, bearing a rep as a cynical and stern warrior. Whereas others would likely lose their cool in a situation, Nightshade usually replies with a calm and unflinching sarcastic remark. He's also known to be an avid chain-smoker, and it's estimated that he goes through at least twelve cigarettes a day. Despite his nihilistic and cynical views on society and the world, Nightshade's bravery and prowess on the battlefield is unquestionable. He and Raven usually take charge of joint-effort operations, with Nightshade using his military experience and no-man-left-behind philosophy to coordinate attack positions. He's far from reckless, however, and he often reminds his comrades of his personal motto: "Take cover if you want to keep your ass like it is," with the only times he's shown to violate his doctrine of trench warfare would be to pull an ally or civilian out of harm's way. Despite his occasionally moving acts of selfless heroism, he's not known to be very merciful or forgiving on his enemies, known to end his downed enemies in quick and simple yet brutal execution-style actions (such as curb-stomping, shots to the head, neck breaking, etc.) and following up with a humorously grim insulting remark. When not out on the field, he mostly enjoys country music, NASCAR, hockey, and war movies. Nightshade's also known to be an avid gun enthusasiast and he houses many different assortments of firearms within his home (and out of his daughter's reach.)

Powers and Abilities:  As part of his curse from bonding to the Hellstone, Nightshade must continually hunt down and kill others in order to devour their souls and preserve his life. In doing this, he not only negates the curse of his flesh eternally rotting and in turn preserving his life-force, but also can heal bodily injuries and gather "ammunition" for his hellish powers. Nightshade can tap into the Hellstone's reservoir of souls and use the energy gathered from them to mutate his form into something more demonic, which grants him improved physical strength, endurance, and agility. He can also manifest the energy from the souls held captive by the Hellstone to energize a blade-like strand of energy that emanates from either of his arms and fire projectiles burning white-hot projectiles from the other arm. But doing so burns away at Nightshade's life force, and for that reason, uses his abilities seldom, and usually only in the case of a severe emergency when his firearms aren't enough to do the job.

Personal Quote: "Violence is acceptable when your enemies are too stupid to try other ways."