EBONY BANSHEE
PERSONAL DATA
- Alter Ego: Nicholas Black
- Occupation: Mystic Protector
- Group Affiliation: Justice Inc., The Arcane
- Known Relatives: Angela (wife, deceased)
- Base of Operations: Cloister, Vermont
HISTORY
Nicholas Black was an agent working for a secret government agency that specialized in paranormal investigations. His wife, Angela, was also an agent for the same agency. On an assignment the couple found themselves under attack by a powerful entity. Angela was killed, as was Nicholas when he retaliated for his wife's murder. Nicholas found himself condemned to Hell for his actions, he learned that his wife had been a succubus and their attacker was an angel sent to destroy her. By attacking the angel Nicholas had damned himself.
Imprisoned in Hell, Nicholas was approached by a mysterious figure that offered him a way out, for a price. Nicholas agreed and was released, and transformed. Nicholas was now the incarnation of the Ebony Banshee, charged with keeping rogue magic that threatened the Earth realm in check. He was given a black-feathered hawk as a familiar and a sword which he could not draw from its scabbard. Drawn to mystical events, Nicholas found himself siding with Justice Incorporated against Klarion the Witch Boy and the demon Belial. After the two demons were defeated the Ebony Banshee felt compelled to remain with Justice Inc.
Nicholas was with Justice Inc. when they were sent into deep space by Vandal Savage. As the team made its way back towards Earth, the Banshee came across a powerful magic artifact. Using the artifact the Ebony Banshee led Justice Inc. to the Sorceror's World in time to witness the awakening of the wizard Mordru. Justice Inc. set out to stop Mordru but failed. They were eventually joined by several other heroes from Earth and beyond and were able to defeat the sorceror, but not before Mordru banished the Ebony Banshee back into Hell.
In Hell, the Banshee was held by the demon Neron, who tortured him ceaselessly, even tearing his wings off and replacing them with the wings of a demon. The trickster demon, M'l'khan, aided the Banshee in escaping to get back at Neron, and Nicholas returned to Earth. Soon after his return the Ebony Banshee was recruited by Zodiak to join his mystical team, the Arcane, to combat a demonic invasion.
On missions with the Arcane, the Ebony Banshee was often charged with keeping an eye on fellow member Wraith. When the Arcane came to Superior City to help the Enforcers of Justice deal with a mysterious "Pit of Darkness". Zodiak and Solitaire worked at closing the pit from the outside and the Banshee and Wraith attempted to do so from within. While inside the Pit Wraith turned on the Banshee using a mystic artifact to assume the essence of the Ivory Banshee, the Ebony Banshee's antithesis. As a result Nicholas could not harm Wraith, who had struck a bargain with the power behind the Pit. Zodiak and Solitaire succeeded in closing the Pit and Wraith and the Ebony Banshee have not been seen since.
POWERS & WEAPONS
Nicholas has assumed the role of the Ebony Banshee, a mystic protector of the Earth Realm. The Banshee has a powerful scream that can shatter steel. His wings allow him to fly and he can teleport short distances (approximately a few hundred yards). Nicholas can also telepathically communicate with his familiar, the Ebony Hawk and can, if he chooses to, see through the hawk's eyes. The Ebony Hawk can also see through the Banshee's eyes and has the power to heal the Banshee's injuries at the risk of it's own health.
The Ebony Banshee also possesses a magical katana. At first Nicholas was unable to draw the sword from its scabbard but he later learned that it required a drop of his own blood to bond itself to him before he could use it. The katana is unnaturally sharp and can augment the power of the Banshee's scream and teleportation. The sword also gives the Ebony Banshee the ability to detect magic and augments his knowledge of the occult.
Even before his transformation Nicholas was a skilled detective, occultist and an expert in a rare mystic form of martial arts which centered on focusing the user's chi. The Ebony Banshee has learned to focus his chi into a powerful blow designed to harm magical creatures.
