The Keeper of Infinite Earths - Union of Peace
Created by Bob Justice
"Dead Knight" Created by Barry Mulvihil
Silver Paladin
Alter Ego: Brian W. Austin
Occupation: Superhero
Known Relatives: None living
Group Affiliation: Union of Peace
Base of Operations: New York, NY
Background/History:
During the age of magic, a great paladin named Bolland was granted a magical
suit of armor and a mace which appeared to made of fine silver, but was
mystically blessed to be virtually impervious and to protect him from evil. The
mace was able to adapt it’s size and shape to fit any circumstance. Sir
Bolland was a great crusader for good and feared by those who would do others
harm. The paladin was struck down by a poisoned drink and an evil necromancer
place a horrible curse on him. His soul was bound to his weapon and armor. The
vile wizard separated the helmet, armor, and mace and hid them leaving Sir
Bolland’s soul trapped, unable to reach his final reward. Hundreds of years
later, the three pieces ended up in the collection of Henri Mortimer in NYC. The
helmet and armor were considered decorative and were in a display case together.
The mace hung on the wall mere yards away. Brian Austin was a guard for the
Mortimer Collection and was expecting a typical boring evening. He was
interrupted by the Attackers. As the supervillians burst in, Brian called for
help and foolishly tried to stop them. Tiger hacked him to shreds and left him
to bleed to death near the case that held the armor. Tusk was momentarily
fascinated by the silver mace and, seeing the ‘Do Not Touch’ sign, ripped it
from the wall. To his surprise, it burned his hand to hold it and he hurled it
away, across the room. As fate would have it, the mace crashed through the glass
case and into the armor and helmet which all landed in a heap on the dying
guard. The soul of Sir Bolland revived and he spoke to the dying man who would
never have known he was there, if not for his own approaching demise. He could
recognize the evil in the Attackers and he wanted to offer Brian the chance to
avenge himself, so he offered to merge with him. His abilities could heal Brian’s
wounds and together, they could wield his weapon against their foes. Brian
agreed and the paladin’s soul entered his body. The Union of Peace had arrived
and the battle was raging. The tide turned for the Union when the Silver Paladin
announced himself and let loose his fury on Tiger. When the villains had been
defeated, Crypeace offered the Paladin a spot in the Union and he accepted. Sir
Bolland’s desire to move on to his eternal rest would have to wait since their
souls had become as one. For Bolland to go, Austin would have to die as well.
Personality/Motivations:
When Austin puts on the helmet, he takes a mental back seat to Sir Bolland.
Austin wanted to be a policeman, but his health was a problem. He became a
security guard because it was the closest he could come to being a policeman.
Sir Bolland had sworn to protect the weak and dedicated his entire being to it.
Together, they make a great addition to the forces of good by making Brian’s
dream come true and giving Sir Bolland another chance to smite evil before he
goes to his final reward.