Flair never knew his father and his mother died when he was very young. He and his brother grew up in the care of his elder sister, Sha'ala, in a small village in the mountainous Greater Wilds of the continent of Caevalonia. His main occupation was keeping his younger brother, Jed, out of trouble. Although they both had a keen sense of adventure, Jed was more mischievous than his elder brother and had a generally wayward nature. It wasn't an easy existence - many of the villagers saw the three as troublemakers, or at least bad news due to the fact that their mother had been burned as a witch. They never even knew who their father was.

Everything was fine (as it could be in their situation) until one day they ventured too far alone into the forests. The Greater Wilds are not a safe place to be - the deep woods are inhabited by all kinds of creatures, from wolves, gorrta (a type of big cat), giant spiders and even rogue demons to - if you were *really* unlucky - the cruel green dragons who favour such forest environments. But even worse fates than death at the claws of a dragon lie await in some of the most ancient dells...
After becoming lost the Hartland siblings, alone and vulnerable, were attacked by a vampire. Before they even realised what it was, F'lair and Jed saw their sister killed and drained dry by the evil undead creature. Then it attacked Jed. F'lair had no idea what to do and was too terrified to act to prevent his younger brother being carried off into the darkness and foul mists, leaving him alone with his guilt for not even trying to save him.

Lost, hurt, starving and truly alone, F'lair finally stumbled across the isolated tower of a crazy old wizard called Shreve who took him in as a servant. Although he only performed menial tasks such as cleaning etc, when the wizard was not about (as he was usually holed up in his study most of the time) F'lair read his spell books and taught himself some basic alchemical skills such as how to mix potions.

It was never quite clear as to whether the wizard left his servant unsupervised around his magical books on purpose or not. F'lair often wondered this himself - he wasn't even sure what kind of magic Shreve practised, save that he was in suspiciously good condition for someone as old as he was and *no one* ever came to the tower. This was unusual as in Caevalonia wizards were always sought by people for advice, potions etc. But F'lair never asked because he didn't know if he would much like the answer. Also he was too preoccupied in his own guilt most of the time to take much of an interest in the world about him. Although there had been nothing he could do, he still saw himself as completely responsible for the deaths of his sister and brother.

He remained here for several years, reaching adulthood. Until one day, while sneaking into the library, he found a very intriguing book on making contact with the dead. Not once did F'lair stop to consider how the book had been left out in an obvious place with the summoning spell page marked. All he saw was the opportunity to call upon his siblings to tell them he was sorry and make his peace and then allow them to return to whence they came.

Unfortunately the spell went horribly wrong and a gateway to the Spirit World was opened instead. F'lair was dragged into the vortex and so left the realm of the living.

He has no memory of what happened to him in that nightmare realm as he has a mental block on the entire ordeal and, to be honest, nor does he really want to know. He also doesn't know how long he was trapped there. Eventually he escaped with the 'help' of a skeletal being called Ymmu who was right-hand man of the Lord of the Dead, Ra-Sep-Re-Tae. He was granted access to the Plane of Shadows - a dimension of pure darkness that exists at the edge of reality on the barriers of the Chaos realm.

When he finally made it back to Tymaera, F'lair found he was irrevocably changed. His soul was trapped in the Spirit World and he was now an undead lycanthrope: a dire werewolf. At this time he took the usename 'Shade', referring both to his undead nature and to the fact he feels he is barely a shadow of his living self. It seemed more fitting than 'F'lair' which, ironically, means 'light'.

His memories of his youth also seemed distant and fragmented. Shade honestly could not say whether his lycanthropy had come to him before his visit to the Spirit World or not. All he knows is he is a dire werewolf - a true Lycanthrope as opposed to the far more common werefolk.

Alone once more he roamed the land like a lost soul, learning to survive both in the wilderness and in the lawless Caevalonian towns and cities he visited where people were superstitious so he had to hide his supernatural nature. Things were made even worse by rumours of an army of evil coming from the lands to the east of the Evermoors (where the evil dragon of ancient dark legend, Bloodbane, was believed to have once lived). He became a mercenary but he tended to prefer working alone rather than joining with parties of others, apart from one occasion when he joined a party of werebeast mercenaries.

They were led by a were-panther called Calisha, but all knew her as 'The Panther'. Although he was the only true lycanthrope member of the group (not to mention the only undead member), his fighting abilities and competence soon earned Panther's respect followed by her frienship and, later, her love. But Shade was not the only one who loved her for he had a rival, Rhaka. Also a were-panther, Rhaka was her second-in-command and held a deep resentment for this outsider and always gave him a hard time. Over time their rivalry escalated until finally it reached breaking point. It was never clear who threw the first punch, but a fight broke out nearly resulting in F'lair killing Rhaka before Panther intervened. Panther had never been too skilled in matters of the heart and always let her head do the ruling. So when the very fabric of her team - her livelihood and family - became threatened by this infighting she had to make a decision. The next morning she told Shade he had to leave - for the good of the team. So once again he was alone, and this time heart-broken too.

Rhaka's hatred reached much further than either Shade or Panther realised. He tracked Shade, and in the climate of fear generated by the demon blight upon the land, betrayed his nature to an isolated township where he was staying. Panic swept through and a mob was formed and Shade found himself hunted. Rhaka 'helped out' by joining the mob and to ensure Shade did not escape he shot him with a single silver arrow. Fortunately for Shade it caught him in the leg, not his back, and he was still able to at least crawl. Fate has strange designs and Shade's flight brought him upon a traveller's campfire. The mob caught him there but it so happened the camp belonged to a creature of near-demonic appearance who called himself Blackjack...

Shade had no idea who Blackjack really was (and neither did he!) but they managed to stop the demonqueen Shine, who had been orchestrating the chaos demon attacks upon their world, from entering the Prime Material Plane by disrupting the sacred rite designed to bring her forth. The damage to the spell cast her into the Void, the place of emptiness beyond the Chaos Realm where all turns to nothing and from which there is no return.

Shade was forced at one point to invoke the power of the Raven Staff he has had to deal with the evil that is Raven (ed's note, this will be explained better in the future since I'm taking any crossover stories out of the continuity).

Shade met Soul when the worlds of Earth and Tymaera came too close through a rift caused by a demon. Shade and Blackjack had travelled to earth before using the Journey Gate in chase of Saragoth after the events that had lead to them swearing their blood oath. Saragoth caused havoc in a tiny, isolated town in the Rockies where it so happened Meccha, a half-fay, was trying to escape the weirdness of her own existance. Shade rescued her when the entire town was sucked into the Chaos Realm. The two started off by not getting on at all, but eventually became friends and slowly an attraction beyond mere friendship grew between them. But for a long time neither of them did anything about it - Shade was too distrustful of love after Panther, and Meccha had avoided love since, being immortal, she knew that any mortal partner she took would grow old and die in the end resulting in yet more heartache for her. They finally admitted their love when Meccha was nearly killed and the only way F'lair could save her life was by transforming her, through his bite, into a werewolf. He always wonders if there there was another way and feels guilty that she will be cursed - like him - by lycanthropy for the rest of her life.

Now, after her soul was stolen by the demons Saragoth and Aster, Meccha - or 'Soul' as she is also known as - has joined Shade and Blackjack in the hope of one day finding and destroying Aster to get her soul back. F'lair's relationship with her is steady but he inwardly blames himself for the calamity that has befallen her.

When F'lair first invoked the power of the Raven Staff, (see 'Unkindness of Ravens, part 3') he unwittingly became the vessel of the soul of the ancient dracoliche itself which had been imprisoned for aeons within the relic. Because F'lair has no soul himself, he was the perfect vessel for Raven and now he has to put up with the creature as a 'passenger'. Fortunately Raven is dormant somewhere in the back of his mind for the majority of the time but otherwise he and F'lair can communicate telepathically and if F'lair either allows him, or he is unconscious, Raven can actually take physical control. They usually argue as Shade avoids using the powers the dracoliche offers (ie, his death magic) and refuses to take his advice since the dracoliche thinks that the only worthwhile mortal (apart from other dragons) is a dead one so he can use his necromancy to re-animate its corpse and turn it into one of his minions. But being stuck with someone with a more moral attitude like F'lair is slowly teaching Raven to see things from a better angle (maybe...). Occasionally he can 'jump ship' and invade a mortal and try to get control of them. Usually when he does this Raven tries for people who are already corrupt and not pure of heart so they are more vulnerable to his empty promises of great power and wisdom in order to get control of them.
When he actually uses the dracoliche's necromancy, F'lair can only do so through using the Raven Staff. Except for Raven's ability to drain the soul from an enemy, which needs physical contact for this to occur. It simply involves the dracoliche leeching out another's soul and using it to augment his own power. It is lethal for the opponant. Also, when using Raven's powers or when Raven is in control, both of his eyes become completely black with only a small yellow-green pupil.
The shape of the Raven Staff can be altered when its magical powers are not in use. Normally F'lair wears it as a ring (so it is less cumbersome to carry round) and it resumes its proper shape when it needs to be used.
The only physical signs of Raven's possession are Shade's right eye - now completely black with a green pupil (he usually keeps it covered with a bandage) and the rib cage armour he has which cannot ever be removed unless Raven goes along with the idea. This can extend (or rather, 'grow') into almost a full exoskeleton with a cloak that acts as 'wings' that allow F'lair to take long falls safely. An animate bone tail can grow in when needed (gives that extra edge in combat). The armour can grow extra spikes and bones and generally morph its appearance if need be.
Often he wears his armour without the skull helm unless he wishes to invoke fear in his opponants or keep his identity hidden - he finds that people are less afraid of the skeletal armour's fearsome appearance if they can see his face and sometimes the visor gets in his way. So in a way Shade got his wish of having a soul again, just it's not exactly the one he wanted...

The quietest of the Daemonslayers, F'lair's easy-going, a nice guy and given to occasional 'blonde moments'. but it's not too advisable to get on his bad side since he is ever so slightly... unstable. Most of the time Shade is of a suspicious, slightly paranoid and jumpy disposition (can you blame him after what he's been through?) but is a ferocious fighter, verging on a beserker. Unfortunately, though, he doesn't always think things through and can land himself in trouble for it. He's the only person who can get Syrax to curb his natural appetite for fear and destruction. He seriously misses being alive, and constantly seeks a way to find his soul although he knows this quest could well be futile. And, more recently he has been preoccupied in trying to deal with (and preferably get rid of) his 'lodger', the dracoliche Raven. F'lair rarely allows people to get too close to him because even he doesn't fully understand his own nature and believes that any relationship he has is doomed to end in failure, so he never gives it the chance.
Shade has a problem in that he doesn't truly believe in himself any more and has little self-confidence. He blames himself for the death of his sister and loss of his brother Jed (whom he also believes dead). He's mostly honest with people and isn't a very good liar. During his quieter moments he’s given to dark musings about the curse of his undead nature and the series of uncontrollable events that brought him to this pass, making him feel he’s not in control of his existence and never will be. If it wasn't for his girlfriend and fellow daemonslayer Soul, he'd probably spend all his time brooding.
Because of his demeanor, F'lair is often underestimated by enemies. This is a mistake. Besides his excellent fighting skills, his ability to transform almost instantaneously into his wolf form and the extra powers lent him by Raven, Shade's instability means that he can become extremely dangerous if he snaps. Normally he won't attack unless he has been seriously provoked.
One thing he still retains, though, is his sense of adventure, and he does enjoy the thrill of his lifestyle, although this isn’t always too obvious.

Soul : F'lair has found at last that it is possible for him to trust his heart to someone ... Meccha. Though he is still cautious at times. They love being together and, since she is new to Daemonslaying, stays close to her in a fight and tries not to let anything happen to her. But sometimes he has to intervene when she and Black' argue and he doesn't know which side to take (his best friend or his girlfriend --- he'd be treading on thin ice either way!). He also feels guilt over turning her into a werewolf when he sees the ferocious lupine side get the better of her.
Sometimes Shade wonders if Meccha would be better off without him - it was his fault that the demon Saragoth, whilst tracking him, found her and took her soul, and without him she would still be leading an almost normal life (apart from the fact that she is immortal!).
Like any couple, they do have the occasional "lovers' tiff", but they get over it (even if it takes them a while).

Blackjack : He and the dragon are friends as well as brothers in arms, although the dragon’s attitude can sometimes put this to the test. When F'lair first knew Blackjack, the two took a while to get used to each other as their personalities were so different but he felt he owed the dragon for saving him and so helped in the escape from Tymaera before Shine's demon forces took hold. They still often have 'differences of opinion' as their attitudes are so disalike and sometimes bicker (surprisingly, this will usually be over something pathetic), but they make an excellent fighting team although sometimes Shade must remind Syrax that he's not supposed to be evil anymore. They always watch one anothers' backs in a fight.
When Blackjack rediscovered his true nature - that he was in fact the legendary dragon known as Bloodbane - Shade found this rather difficult to become accustomed to. After all, Bloodbane was a dark legend, often used to frighten young children and even used on him during his (short) childhood (since by F'lair's time, the memory of the dragon's rule was fading as Caevalonia had had centuries in which to rebuild itself).
Shade has learned to ignore the dragon's oft-cutting sarcasm and they enjoy each other's company as much as the next pals, always ready to share a drink and a laugh. Particularly the drink bit. But if the two are bored, then it usually leads to them seeking trouble (with Black' leading the way).

Both forms:
Healing -Shade is undead. His body retains its ‘memory’ of how he is supposed to look and will mend itself if damaged.
Clairvoyance - he can sense the spirits of the dead. Usually this is only a vague sense, and depends upon how strong the supernatural presence is. He can even see them sometimes but needs Raven to communicate with the dead. This is a fairly new ability and is developing slowly - one day he'll develop the power fully and be able to commune with the dead. In fact, Shade is not aware he actually has this power and just thinks he's slowly going mad. This is the reason Raven will not leave his body to find another vessel - Raven himself is not a clairvoyant and he wants Shade's growing power for his own as it would give him nigh unsurmountable power.

Human form:
Swordsman -F’lair is an expert with a sword, and can fight just as well with his right and left hands. And is excellent with one blade or two. He’s a natural and can take to any blade, but prefers his curved fireblade.
Strength -Shade’s undead nature gives him almost inexhaustible energy and supernatural strength (he is more than powerful enough to punch his fist right through a human body - something he has done in the past when losing control of himself) and has faster reactions since he doesn't need nerve impulses, synapses etc, like a live person

Wereform:
In general he is a lot stronger and faster (and bigger and heavier). Only needs his claws as a weapon.
Fast Transformation - Shade can transform into his wolf form at night if he wishes (apart from full moons when there's no choice). His transformation only takes moments. This makes Shade dangerous since, due to his slight mental instability, if he snaps then he can suddenly attack in his wolf form.

Both forms:
Pain - F’lair doesn’t actually have to feel pain, but he thinks more like a living human than undead, and so will actually experience the memory of how pain should feel. So although he can sustain and heal terrible injuries, he’ll suffer agony and will effectively be taken out.
Luck - He suffers from bad luck. A lot. If any of the Daemonslayers is going to get caught/hit or anything, it’s usually him. It doesn’t help that he is not always very forward-thinking.
Silver - Although Shade cannot die by any normal means, he is very vulnerable to silver, which can sap his energy if it is even in close proximity to him. Weapons formed from silver do him a great deal of damage, which takes a lot longer than normal to heal.
Meccha - Another of his weaknesses is Meccha: he's afraid of losing her (espescially as she has nearly died because of him twice before!) and is sometimes too busy watching out for her that he forgets to watch his own back!

Human:
Weight - Shade is stronger than most people, but although well built, he is actually quite light ... a fact which means that, in a fight, larger enemies tend to pick him up and throw him (usually at Blackjack) - an event that happens a little too often for the werewolf's liking.

Wereform:
Lack of Control -his animalistic nature comes to the fore, making him dangerous and unpredictable. Can also get in trouble as he won’t hold back.
Unable to talk - it’s hard to communicate with members of other species when all you can do is howl and snarl.