Who is 'The Black Knight of Nebula-X'?
Before I tell you all about her my fellow Space Cadets, I want to address the trope from whence she came - The Masked Mystery Villain!
While the West certainly has its far share of mysterious masked menaces, what were discussing here is a little more specific and particularly, if not uniquely, Japanese.
In Japanese pop culture media dating back to origins of Kabuki and Noh theatre, where masks represented a particular negative emotion such as anger, greed, or jealousy for example. As these art forms developed there was, on occasion, the idea that a mask of happiness hid sorrow or a mask of rage could be turned to understanding.
In Japanese Manga and Anime, the trope of the Masked Mystery Villain takes this further with some very specific elements. Usually the Masked Villain isn't THE villain, not the Big Bad. They are the Second-in-Command, right hand 'man' of the leader of the evil organization or power. They are more 'physical' then the Big Bad however, actually going into battle to face off (pun intended) against the heroes while the main antagonist hides in their secret fortress.
The Masked Villain in many stories is someone the PCs are connected or even related to. They may not know they know them but the writer knows there are ties between the heroes and the villain.
They could just be a well known person in disguise but this is much less common. The cowled antagonist seems to know one or more of the PC heroes as well, occasionally dropping clues to this fact, making the main characters actively wonder who they are. Their identity, their TRUE identity, becomes an important part of the narrative.
At some point, the moment where the PCs/heroes finally get one up on this villain [who has up until now has seemed unbeatable], their mask cracks, partially revealing their true face. This is often a turning point in the story where the relationship between the heroes and this villain changes. Maybe the Masked Mystery Villain starts to see the era in their ways or redoubles their efforts to destroy the protagnists, embarrased to the point of unrivaled fury!
The perfect version of this character in the West is Darth Vader of course; he is Obi-Wan's former Padawan, Ashoka's former Master, and Luke's Father. His face mask has been damaged to reveal his face in Star Wars REBELS, the [awful] Obi-Wan streaming series, and in Return of the Jedi. He goes to meet the heroes while the Emperor remains an even more mysterious mystery character.
With that...
The Black Knight of Nebula-X, or simply The Black Knight of Space, is a being of unknown origin who occasionally works for the Lord Kowai of the Meraisekai, the Emperor of the Dark Pulsar Imperium, and other interstellar ne'er do wells. At the same time, 'she' (the Black Knight is believed to be female based solely on their appearance - true gender unknown) doesn't take any job she doesn't agree with and it has been theorized her agenda and goals are very much her own.
She possess a suit of Powered Armor of highly advanced design that has capabilities rarely seen in a powersuit of this size. The armor appears essentially unique in that there is no record of any other Powered Armor of the exact same design being identified elsewhere.
She carries a Ray Sword that is clearly of an older style than the sort seen in modern times. Many believe the Black Knight also has Psychic Abilities but this has not been confirmed at all. A popular theory among the Galaxy Police is that her evidenced supernormal powers can be attributed to her powersuit.
Her starship is as impressive as her skills and armor, being a custom Boomerang Class vessel heavily modified to allow for great speed, maneuverability, and possessing a Cloaking Device! That's right, the Black Knight's ship has an energy shield capable of bending light to appear completely invisible to visual sight and a stealth coating making sensor detection very difficult.
OK but who is she and what is Nebula-X?
Nebula-X is a common use name given to the Adiaphoron Nebula, a breathtaking but extremely dangerous gaseous nebula roughly 100 light years across. It is a malformed stellar nursery; a region where fluctuating gravitational forces cause stars to form and get pulled apart on a regular basis. Due to the extreme levels of radiation and electro-magnetic discharge, sensors and communications do not function properly, if at all, within the Nebula. Many brave and ambitious explorers have attempted to map the Nebula's interior...never to return.
Somehow, the Black Knight's base of operations is somewhere within Nebula-X. On several occasions, her vessel has been confirmed to be entering or existing the Nebula. In fact, in one notable instance, the Black Knight escaped a squadron of Galaxy Police Patrol Ships by entering the Nebula. How this is accomplished is unknown.
The Adiaphoron Nebula or 'Nebula-X'
As far as who she is...obviously no one knows. Captain Lacey Pepper of the Galaxy Police of Frontier Sector Zeta has several theories. Based on her technology and previous actions, Capt. Pepper thinks The Black Knight may have adapted artifacts of the ancient Forerunner species that went extinct in our universe many eons ago. Their tech often defies logic when compared to current levels of engineering. It may also be that the Nebula itself is the result of Forerunner experiments and her ship is geared to function within its particular conditions.
On a few scant occasions The Black Knight has encountered the explorer Gidget Starseeker and refused to attack her or take any action that would caused her serious harm. She has damaged Gidget's ship to slow her down and prevent the Wanderer from giving chase. Capt. Pepper suggests The Black Knight may be of the same Alien Species, one rarely seen in the galaxy.
The Black Knight of Nebula-X - Masked Myster Villain
Ability Scores: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Agility 3, Intelligence 5, Luck 0, Size 1.
Skills: Evasion 3, Firearms-Pistol 3, Melee Combat 3, Powersuit 2, Ray Sword 3, Spaceship Piloting 2, Stealth 3, Tactics 4.
Powered Armor-Unique: Anti-Gravity Assisted Jetpack (Super Leaps, Limited Flight), Built-in Communicator (can summon Starship), Energy Shield (+2 to Durability B), Palm Laser (Damage 4, Skill Dex+Powersuit+1D6), Physical Enhancements (Already Adjusted).
The Ebony Dragon, The Black Knight's Starship
Ability Scores: Structure 8, Size 7, Agility/Maneuverability 3, Armor A 1 and B 1.
Final Hull Durability: Base 15, Durability A 16, B 16.
Weaponry: Two Particle Beam Cannons Foreward and one rear. Skill: Spaceship Weapons, Damage 17, Damage Type B, Size 4, Rate of Fire 1.
Modifications:
Nebula-X Protective Shield - Enable ship to enter and operate in Nebula-X.
Cloaking Device +2D6 to Avoid Detection or penalize opponent with 2D6 Detection Disadvantage (Attempts to Detect the Ship roll 3 Dice on their Check and take the lowest).
Cloaking Device can not be maintained for more than 5 rounds.
There you go, an antagonist with a concealed identity and a hidden agenda! Exploring her and her role in the game would definitely be fun.
AD
Barking Alien
*Adiaphoron means indifferent or indifference. Nebula-X does not care about you. It is not your friend.
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