Moonshade

Jakkai Cobra
Moonshade
Characteristics
Race	Jakkai
Gender	Male
Magic Affinity	Earth
Personal Status
Status	Active
Relative(s)	Rhea Snaketail (daughter) Moku the Earth Snake (father) †
Relationship(s)	Unnamed Mate
Professional Status
Affiliation	Hell's Army (Iratu Squad) Mokurynn
Occupation	Scout
Attributes
Weapon(s)	Dagger
First Appearance
Slightly Damned #86 [HQ, TS] (silhouette) Slightly Damned #389 [HQ, TS]
Image Gallery

Moonshade is a mysterious Jakkai whose tail is about the same abnormal length as Rhea's, later revealed to be Rhea's father. His name is apparently based on his eye-color, with him having heterochromia with a green right eye and red left eye which matches the moons of Medius in the night sky.

Moonshade is positioned as one of the major antagonists as he has more or less admitted responsibility for Rhea's death. He was also responsible for killing his father, Moku the Earth Snake, and stealing his power.

Appearance

Jakkai

Moonshade appears much like any Jakkai, however like Rhea, he has a abnormally long tail. He wears a brown cloak and black leather pants, and also has cloth padding wrapped around his feet like many other Jakkai (and Rhea in particular) but also has wrappings on his wrists for some reason. He has heterochromia iridum (his right eye is green while his left eye is red) which matches Medius' moons in the night sky (hence his name). He also has roughly sown up rips in the middle of both ears as though he used to wear earrings and had his ears torn when they were ripped off somehow.

His cheek fur patterns extend all the way across his eyes to his forehead and end with single points.

Guardian Form

While using the power of Moku, Moonshade takes the form of a large cactus cobra; with a serrated hood and a long, slender body. He retains his red-green heterochromia iridum, but his eyes become solid red (left eye) and green (right eye).

Personality

Sadistic and possibly deranged, Moonshade has shown to be quite sinister and acts much like a predator seeking his prey. He displays some aspects of a “chess master,” being cold, self-controlled and choosing his actions with care for the most benefit to him. He takes his “snake-like” traits (his tail) oddly seriously, having developed a habit of hissing, stating that it is “a slip of the forked tongue, all an’ all”; though given the subsequent revelation of his having absorbed the power of the Snake Guardian Moku whom he slew, including the ability to physically transform into a Snake Guardian-like being himself, he may actually retain some physical characteristics of a snake even in Jakkai form (such as an actual forked tongue and resulting hissing sibilants in his speech), similar to how Kazai retains a wolf tail even in Angel form.

While mostly serious in his role, he is, much like Tsavo, shown to be impatient as he will yell back at those who don't listen to what he says, providing a more comical persona occasionally. And while he enjoys the sight of death he does not like the smell of it, especially after more than one corpse is left alone for days.

Moonshade is shown to be a heavy sleeper (though likely due to having exhausted himself from transforming), as he slept through all the loud-talking and rough-housing Demons gathered in a small tavern and even after being held up by his tail.

Overall, Moonshade has shown himself to be nothing short of a murdering psychopath, absolutely remorseless in killing and even not caring for the death of his own daughter.

History

Past

Moonshade's past is heavily shrouded in mystery. As he refers to Moku's powers as "powers of our bloodline", it can be assumed he is the son of Moku the Snake. At some point, he met a Jakkai with "eyes like the sun" and had a child with her; it turned out to be Rhea, making her Moku's grandchild through him. It's uncertain whether or not Moonshade lived in the same village as Rhea, or if by chance their egg came into possession of Stonepaw and the village Jakkai. Regardless, he would end up joining Hell's Army to help in Syndel's plans to move all the Demons to Medius and even kill Moku the Snake to obtain his powers.

Being highly valuable to the Demons, he aided them in their endeavors while slowly carrying out his plan to kill everyone that may happen to be related to him. With the aide of an associate named Mokurynn, they were able to track down his daughter and had her murdered before she could react. From there they most likely continued his murdering spree up to his eventual reveal in the story.

At one point he had Mokurynn's egg in his possession before losing it. At some point after, he would join Iratu's team of Demons and assist as a scout.

Forgive Me

Journey to St. Curtis

You should have been more specific!

At the point he was introduced, he was looking for an egg that supposedly belonged to Mokurynn after Moonshade accidentally misplaced it somehow. He loses interest almost instantly once Azurai kills the only witness of where the egg went instead of interrogating him correctly, so it was apparently not particularly important to him. Tsavo brings up how he saw a Jakkai who had a long tail like him, but Moonshade dismissed it, saying that Mokurynn had already ensured “that the bloodline ends with [him].” Eventually Iratu and his group would destroy the town, though it’s unclear whether or not Moonshade took part in it.

Together they traveled on their way to St. Curtis where they would stop at a cave, while Moonshade went on ahead to scout a safe passage to the city without being noticed. It can be assumed that Moonshade is acting as liaison between the Demons and other contacts who would not be willing to work with Demons directly.

The Flower Festival

Pre-Festival Events

Moonshade, along with Iratu and his group eventually arrived in St. Curtis during the lead up to the Spring Flower Festival. He continued his apparent role as a scout and later he, along with Tsavo, would report that Angels and Demons were able to walk around openly. They set up a base inside the Coiled Cobra Bar after Azurai killed the couple who worked there. There he revealed that the chaotic destabilizing occurrences (such as Spring arriving much later than usual) were caused by him. He also expressed his interest in the festival since his "prey" will come to him and even laughed maniacally before being disgusted by the smell of the rotting corpses in the room.

Elite warriors indeed...

Iratu entered the room shortly after, where Azurai made fun of him for being about his size. This resulted in the two fighting as Moonshade questioned their status as Elite warriors. Iratu then decided that based on the information they gave him they should go out into the open like everyone else until the time of the "gathering".

Current Arc

Day 3

Moonshade shows his killing intent.

During the third day, Moonshade can be seen amongst the crowd of people at the Midway. He saw Buwaro and Kieri, who were being threatened by the Archery stand owner and told them to run. He noted that they should not fight someone like her, saying that he knows those two were good since he was saw them a few times, and that he would take care of her for them. Buwaro thanked him as the two ran, while Moonshade faced the stand owner. The owner demanded him to step aside as they might be dangerous, but he told her they weren't as dangerous as he was and proceeded to cut her with the dagger. As she realized her wound wasn't healing, he then announced that he knew her true identity as Melli the Fire Bee Guardian and that because she has no descendants it would make his job a lot easier. He then started to transform with a snake-like appearance as he asked if she knew who 'he' was. Melli looked on in horror as she recognized the form, but yelled that he was not Moku; however as he takes the form of a large snake he claims that he killed him.

During the battle, Melli transformed into her true form but he was able to overpower her, leave her with a large bite mark on the left side of her neck and throw her onto the ground, killing several bystanders in the process. He slowly made his way toward her, laughing as he does, where he asked why she isn't using her Fire Magic; asking if she was afraid she would ignite the town. She replied it was a Guardian's duty to protect and that he was a corruption, but he then countered by saying that it was her who caused the fire in St. Curtis those many years ago. Melli, unable to give an explanation to why she did or if she did, listened to the people's distrust in what she might have done and especially after many of them were injured by her. He then told the people that he would purge her from their lives with his venom. He watched as Melli slowly died, after which she exploded in a large flame that scattered around her. He laughed and proclaimed her demise and that even in death the city still caught fire because of her.

Shortly after, Meeros the Mortori Bird arrived to confront him. Moonshade jeered at him for saving him the trouble of finding him and asked if he was here to make up for the Great War. The two then began to fight as Moonshade used mostly magic to attack while causing collateral damage to the surrounding area.

During the fight, Meeros avoided being bitten by Moonshade by kicking him off. Meeros flew up and told him that he was no match for his “ultimate technique.” Moonshade told him to bring it on as Meeros called for many Mortori Birds to peck him; after which he flew up into the tree but after some time never returned. This lead to the conclusion to everyone present that he might have ran away.

Demon Invasion — The Gathering

With Meeros gone, Moonshade announced to the people of the city that their guardian was dead and with one who ran away, Hell was upon them. This triggered every Demon present in the city to begin attacking. After which, he reverted back to Jakkai form and was immediately attacked by Kazai Suizahn and Sanjulo, before being rescued by Tsavo. Tsavo would fight Kazai while Moonshade had a brief skirmish with Sanjulo, attacking him with a Terra Spike spell that left him exhausted and Sanjulo hurt. Eventually Tsavo overpowers the Angels, grabs Moonshade and retreats.

Hiding in a tree, Tsavo discussed the importance of keeping him alive, while Moonshade explains that his transformation takes a lot out of him while also saying that any time a Guardian dies, it throws the magic in Medius out of whack and all descendants would feel it, himself included. He berated Tsavo for ignoring him and was confused over the naming of the Rainbow Reverie when he ordered Haury and his team to get it.

Demon Invasion - The Gathering: Part 2

Later on he would return to the Coiled Cobra Bar where he would be seen asleep in a corner, just as Rhea arrived with Buwaro and Kieri. As the drama unfolded he would remain asleep, even when things got rough and various individuals yelled. Shortly after Buwaro told his story about how he and Rhea came to Medius, Azurai held Moonshade by holding his tail, saying it was thanks to him that their plans have been going well, while commenting that he was out cold. Azurai asked Rhea if she knew him and after she thought about it she nervously said no. Iratu added that if she did know him she would have to die again if there were any reaction from him, and explained that he was needed to help kill any Guardians that try to stop their plans.

Moonshade remained asleep through most of the events that followed, including when Buwaro entered a Berserk State thanks to ingesting the Red Potion, even while being dragged around by Azurai. He did eventually awaken just after Rhea ingested the Yellow Potion as he felt her power awaken. He explained that he felt Guardian Magic, with Mokurynn's Egg being among them, and that his descendant reconnected to the power of their bloodline. Azurai then mentioned how he met Rhea and after Moonshade learned what color her eyes were he concluded that they were his daughter's. He pondered whether to go after her or find the egg.

Powers and Abilities

Earth Magic: Moonshade has shown the capability of utilizing this magic. While unclear if he always used this magic or if he gained it as a result of killing Moku, because he killed Moku his skill and proficiency in it has increased to where he can use spells while in his transformation form, and that his spells can damage even a Guardian.

• Rock Barrage: By levitating large rocks around him, he can launch them forward in order to attack from long range. The size and velocity of the rocks can knock back and cause a Guardian to bleed if hit hard enough. (unnamed)
• Terra Spike: First used while in snake form, by slamming his tail on the ground he can cause massive earth spikes to rise out of the ground and travel a considerable distance. Otherwise in his normal form he channels his magic power into a fist and punches the ground to cause earth spikes to rise out. When used in snake form the power and scale was massive enough to destroy a house and puncture one of Meeros' talons, but as a Jakkai it is only strong enough to knock down a Warrior Angel.

Guardian Magic: As a descendant of a Guardian, Moonshade has access to various abilities that normal Medians wouldn't be able to utilize. Most of these features have seemingly been enhanced by killing Moku and obtaining his power.

• Transformation Form — Cactus Cobra: As a result of killing Moku the Snake, his act of transforming has increased in proficiency as his size rivals that of an actual Guardian, which seemingly causes people to mistake him for Moku himself. In this form he has light-green scales and a cream underbelly, a spiky mane along the upper part of his body and two sharp upper fangs. His eyes now have no irises, making them more reptile-like, and his tongue is now forked. The stitchings on his ripped ears are also present on both sides of his head. A yellow aura emits from his body while in this state, as all Earth Guardians do while in their true form. He can maintain this form for a long time before reverting back to normal, which seems to leave him drained of his power. In conversation with Tsavo after the latter’s battle with the Suizahn Twins and Sanjulo, Moonshade alluded to this being his “most powerful” form, implying that he has other forms as well in addition to that and his (presumably) normal Jakkai form.
  • Bestial Combat Specialist: While in this form, Moonshade makes use of his snake form's natural features; such the use of his fangs and his long body.
    • Venomous Fangs: Much like an actual cobra would, Moonshade carries a deadly venom in his fangs that will slowly drain away at the victim’s life until they expire. It is potent enough to down even another Guardian of Medius.
    • Immense Strength: Given his enormous size while in this form, Moonshade is capable of handling other beings of his size; even more impressive given his lack of limbs and seems to rely on using his fangs and the ability to coil his body around his victims.

Overall Abilities: Given the circumstances, Moonshade can be considered to be one of the most powerful Jakkai in the series, if not one of the most powerful Medians to date. In his prime, as a Jakkai, he is capable of concealing his murderous intent long enough to land clean killing blows or severely wound powerful individuals; while in a transformed state he is capable of going against two Guardians in a row without much effort. His only weakness being that such a transformation leaves him unable to fight effectively for a period of time. Even then it is enough to consider him a valuable asset to Hell's Army.

Immense Magic Power: Because of his bloodline with Moku the Snake, Moonshade's overall magic power is considerably higher than any Jakkai like him and due to having killed his respective Guardian, his power has increased to the point where he can transform into a large snake, whereas someone like Cliff could only transform into a lynx of average size. The extent of his abilities and power are slowly being revealed, though he has stated that he is performing some task that is causing serious, large scale effects across Medius. Such effects include somehow lengthening Winter (causing a very late spring) as an “unavoidable side-effect", possibly due to absorbing a Guardian's power directly given their ties to all magic in the world.

Keen Intellect: Moonshade seems to be fully aware of who each of the Twelve Guardians are as he fully understood the kind of power that Melli the Fire Bee had and even claimed to know all about her. It can be assumed that given his past actions that his knowledge of her is tied with the others.

Equipment

Dagger: Moonshade possesses a strange, possibly enchanted dagger that he used to attack Melli with. The blade has a slight crescent shape curve, with the front of the blade forming a sharp point halfway down before curving back toward the hilt. The hilt of the dagger is brown; while the the front of the hilt shares a similar appearance to the how the blade is curved and the handle covered in bandages. He seems to have multiple daggers of this kind as the one that was used to kill Rhea had two bells attached to it by two thin strands of string.

• Anti-Healing Properties: The actual cause to this effect, whether through poison or from the blade being enchanted, has yet to be revealed. It has the power to prevent a Guardian of Medius like Melli from healing after receiving a cut, something that should not happen from normal mortal weapons.

Other Appearances

The Legend of Buwaro: Soprano of Time

Having turtle soup!

Moonshade makes a brief cameo in place of the Gerudo's of Gerudo Fortress, with his insane personality exaggerated for comedic effect. Because Rhea decided against saving the Khamega carpenters, due to the fortress being an unappealing maze, he gleefully prepared to have "turtle soup" with the Khamega in mind.

Trivia

• Moonshade's one line and behavior in his one appearance in "Soprano of Time" seems to be a reference to Shredder from the 1987 TV series of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
• A conversation he had with Azurai could imply that like Rhea, he died at some point and was used as a Median escort for the Ascension ritual in Hell. This could be how he met Iratu's team and started working with Hell's Army.

Quotes

• (to Azurai) "Whether the flowers are late or not... I, for one, am looking forward to the Flower Festival. It will bring my prey to me!"