Eclipse

Origins
Before there was the world, there was nothing but darkness and shadow. As the stars were born, so were the moons that orbited them, and on this confluence of light and darkness the Norse moon god Máni danced. Upon the conclusion of the War in the Heavens, the mischievous god was locked away in Asgard with his comrades, but ever tricky he left a small piece of himself behind, a sliver of moonlight and shadow that would come to be known as the Eclipse.

This being of two elements gained sentience and a solid form over the years that followed, seeing the humans growing on the planet Earth and shaping itself to match them. It formed a humanoid body of silver moonlight and wrapped itself in a cloak of pure shadow, appearing primarily to children in the night, dancing and playing with them and fluttering in joy at their laughter.

The Gathering of the Host
Its playful and mischievous nature brought Eclipse to the attention of the powerful being known as Pantheon, a human vessel for the power of the gods themselves. By calling on the powers of Máni she was able to speak with the spirit, and told it of a great darkness that would come and put an end to all the fun the new world had to offer.

The first being to be inducted into The Host, Eclipse and Pantheon danced across the world together, fighting back the forces of true darkness that would threaten to smother the light. Eclipse was childlike and playful, rarely speaking but frequently singing as it swirled and shimmered, drawing power from the moon and watching and laughing as the shadow engulfed it.

As they traveled the new world they met a variety of new and interesting creatures that Eclipse couldn't wait to play with. It was instrumental in recruiting Shenlong the Mighty to the cause, as the thunder dragon was highly amused by the little spirit's playful nature. Merlin the sorcerer, on the other hand, was far less enthusiastic at first, but eventually came to see the benefits of approaching life with a more childlike eye.

The Coming of the Breaker
Immature and unwise in comparison to its comrades in the Host, Eclipse was terrified by the fearsome visage of The Breaker as he came to level his wrath on the planet Earth. It was weakened further when the Breaker blocked out the light of the moon, diminishing one of Eclipse's primary sources of power. But earth spirit Gaia saw this fear, and comforted Eclipse, showing that there was truly nothing to be afraid of as long as they were together.

Ultimately Eclipse proved instrumental in defeating the Breaker. As Merlin shifted the creature away from the moon, Eclipse was able to use its power to shine a bright light into the being’s dark heart and weakening it to the point that Pantheon and Merlin could tear the beast into particles that scattered like dust on the wind.

Eclipse danced and sang with the burgeoning human race, who had been saved by the Host and would be forever grateful.

Aftermath
After the Breaker’s defeat, Eclipse stayed with Pantheon, dancing with her as the world grew around them. But all things must come to an end, and they parted ways along with the rest of the Host, going on to spread their influence throughout history, but with an unspoken promise that they would see each other again, wherever in time and space they both ended up.

But parting with its friends made Eclipse weaker, and the little spirit soon realised that, as well as moonlight and shadows its strength was built on love and companionship. So, after forging an unbreakable bond with the human race in the aftermath of the Breaker's defeat, Eclipse would join with a single member of humanity each time the moon passed between the Sun and the Earth. This gives the human access to incredible power and the ability to combat injustice wherever they see it, to be a meeting point between darkness and light and embody the power of the Eclipse. In return, Eclipse draws power from the positive traits of humanity, the love and companionship its hosts feel towards others.

To date, there have been over 1200 hosts of the Eclipse, each of whom has been gifted with powers directly related to the lunar cycle, growing stronger as the new moon came and weaker as the full moon arrived. Each host has been different, but all share a desire to do good, and to battle injustice in all its forms.

The Eclipse always has been, and always will be a constant presence in the universe, a force for good in a dark and strange world.

Legacy
The Eclipse (Franklin Bloom)

Operating the in the early 20th Century, Franklin Bloom was an adventurer and bounty hunter who was left for dead on a mission gone wrong in Siberia. As the moment of his death coincided exactly with the moment of totality during a solar eclipse, Bloom was offered a chance to live again with the powers of the Eclipse. He accepted, and became a crimefighter operating in the shadows of Starkweather, fighting injustice and evil wherever he found it.

He became a popular hero with the general public, inspiring a series of comic books, films and even a long-running television show. Following the Founder Invasion in 1947, Bloom was accepted into the ranks of the Superior Squad, where he stayed until they disbanded in the mid-1960s, when he chose to retire and relinquish the powers of the Eclipse.

Eclipse (Teejay Singh)

A young man with a popular culture obsession, Teejay Singh was a particular fan of The Eclipse TV series and ultimately became inspired to take up a life of vigilantism to carry on his hero's legacy. Unfortunately his training was not enough, and on his first patrol as a new superhero he was mugged and left for dead in an alley.

Similarly to his hero Franklin Bloom, his death coincided with a total solar eclipse and he was visited by Máni, who gifted Teejay with the powers of the Eclipse. He returned to life and took up arms against crime and injustice, now able to draw strength from the light of the moon.

Personality
As a spiritual being born into a strange new world, Eclipse was always playful and childlike, fascinated by new things and overjoyed to find and explore them. It loved nothing more than dancing and playing in the moonlight, bouncing around on glowing silver beams and singing into the night.

Eclipse also loves other beings of all shapes and sizes, although it has a particular soft spot for humanity. This may be because of its early bond forged with Pantheon, who was still a human even with the power of the gods within her. It tends towards trusting other creatures implicitly, and generally only changes when a creature becomes angry or aggressive towards its friends and allies.

Superhuman Abilities
Eclipse is a being of moonlight and shadow, and is able to use and manipulate both of these for a variety of purposes. It can travel quickly, bouncing around on beams of moonlight or dashing between shadows while maintaining a flowing, smoky appearance. It can even help other beings to move at the same speed by enveloping them in tendrils of shadow and shifting them from one pool of darkness to another.

In more offensive terms, Eclipse can use moonlight to create bright, blinding flashes of light to confuse and disorient its enemies, or even channel the silvery energy into a beam capable of cutting through even the strongest armour plating. However, its ability to call upon these techniques is dependent on its access to the naturally-occurring light of the moon: if it is kept in the darkness, or the sunlight for too long, it will become weaker and take on an almost translucent appearance. It is able to store up moonlight to keep its strength up during the day, but using this energy offensively is more draining when there is no natural moonlight to replenish it.

When bonded to a human host, the range of powers Eclipse can offer varies depending on the person. Some are more attuned to the offensive powers of moonlight, while others prefer to sneak around in the shadows, but they are all similarly dependent on the light of the moon. They all become stronger as an eclipse draws nearer, and their powers wane in the bright light of the midday sun.

Weapons and Equipment
Eclipse eschews the use of weaponry as its spirit form is highly malleable and able to change shape and density at will, meaning that it can shape itself into a wide variety of different objects.

However, some of the hosts of the Eclipse over the years have used weapons to channel their powers, as they are bound by their mortal form.