Spinerette
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Contents
Little Miss Muffet...
Nancy Clark was a young Archaeologist and folklore authority. Her specialty lay in West African folklore. She spent much of her time digging in Ghana and other areas around what is commonly called the Cradle of Life. On one expedition her team was digging several miles outside of an Ashanti settlement when she found an ornate clay chest. The chest was carefully removed and cleaned at the main camp. The depictions were of Anansi, the Spider. She spoke with villagers and all of them seemed nervous even discussing the find. Anansi was also famous as a trickster god and they felt even talking of it might bring misfortune. Nancy had no such fear however and prepared to crate her numerous discoveries for travel back to the United States.
Along Came a Spider...
Nancy was positive that she'd secured the crate properly. When she was going over the manifest before the ship departed, one crate fell off the top of the stack and broke open. The crate contained the Anansi Chest. The ancient pottery shattered into countless pieces leaving a pile of dirt and scattered pottery. But in the middle of the pile was a black ornate bracer. It was remarkable clean and untarnished despite being in the ground for untold years.
She sent the ship back to America and remained to discuss further with the Ashanti villagers. The Ashanti have no written history, passing the stories down from generation to generation. After discussion with the elders she learned that in legend Anansi tricked the villagers into making him cuffs for his legs, saying that they were cold. This was supposedly one of the cuffs that their centuries dead ancestors had made for the spider. She examined the cuff, amazed at, if the story were true, how large the spider Anansi must have been. She put her hand through the wondrously light cylinder of metal and lost consciousness.
And Sat Down Beside Her...
Nancy found herself in the Dreamtime; a mystical place where the sleeping mind goes when it dreams. She looked around the scrublands and spotted a small oasis. She walked towards it, the cuff still around her forearm. Under the tree sat a large spider. "Ho Ho Ho child. You don't belong here. You are far too pale." Nancy stopped, shocked but not surprised of the talking spider. "You must be Anansi." The spider took the form of an aged man, as dark as tanned leather. "Sit child and tell me a story for once. All other stories belong to me so it will be nice to hear a new one."
Surprisingly Nancy sat down beside Anansi and told the tale of her finding the box and the accident. Anansi just laughed and smiled. "That's quite a tale child, but it was no accident. I intended for that box to fall. I knew you would put the cuff on and we would talk." "But why?" Nancy wasn't sure what the trickster's motivations could be. "Because child, you love the stories, and as all stories are mine, you love me. The Ashanti are slowly forgetting the old stories and are becoming far less numerous. So I give you my gift. Use it wisely."
Nancy woke up on the dirt floor of her hut. The cuff's large green jade stones were glowing with power. She discovered that she was gifted with magical powers when she wore the cuff. She also found that her eyes glowed a green that matched the jade of the Arm of Anansi as she determined to call it.
Personality
Nancy Clark is an adventurous soul. She loves the thrill of hunting through ancient ruins or digging around the beginning ground of human life. This adventurous spirit is on full display when she's fighting crime as Spinerette. She loves the thrill of flight and the power of Anansi flowing through her as she risks death fighting crime.
Powers
Spinerette has a host of powers at her disposal. She's still discovering powers as her experience with the artifact increase.
- Flight - Spinerette is able to fly. She hasn't found the upper limit on how fast she can fly yet.
- Jade Blasts - Spinerette can draw upon the power of the bracer to fire damaging green blasts from her hands.
- Binding Web - Spinerette is able to fire green magical webbing to bind an opponent temporarily.
- Spider's Web - While only a web in description, Spinerette can create an eldritch pattern on the ground that damages all foes who enter, while she stands in the center and is almost completely immune to their damage.
- Regeneration - Spinerette uses the power of the bracer to heal damage.
The Present
Spinerette fights crime wherever she is. She has powers only when she wears the bracer, so she maintains her secret identity to the best of her ability. Her career as an archaeologist takes her all over the world and so Spinerette gets international press.
Trivia
- Spinerette must travel back to the Ashanti once a year to share the stories of her exploits with Anansi otherwise the bracer loses its power.
- There were at one point eight identical cuffs, one for each of Anansi's legs. These have been destroyed or lost over the years, though its possible that others might be found.
- Spinerette's costume appears now when Nancy wears the bracer. While this might seem like an absolute advantage, it means that she can't use it in plain sight and keep her identity a secret.
- Spinerette keeps in mind that Anansi was a trickster and his true motives aren't entirely clear. She's wondering if there is a grand trick being played on her.
