Alias: Nightengale
Real Name: Robin Ravenwood
Age: 26
Height: 5’8″
Hair: Black
Occupation: Socialite
Abilities: Flight, Enhanced Agility, Control of Winged Spirits
Affiliations: Superheroine Squad, Action Cats
The Cloak of the Nightengale has been handed down from one defender of justice to another throughout the ages. Today, Robin Ravenwood bears the mantle of the Nightengale.
A member of Metrobay high society, Robin accepted the cloak reluctantly. Her progenitor was equally reluctant to entrust Robin with the cloak. Although not officially a member of the villainous Circle of R.O.P.E., Robin mingles with many in the organization and possesses charter membership. As such, she rubs shoulders with its members with casual ease.
The former wearer of the Cloak of the Nightengale, Swan Starling, is regarded as a legendary superheroine and was one of the founders of the original Superheroine Squad. Swan Starling continued to fight the good fight for many decades, her mythical powers slowing her aging process and keeping her strong and fit for her noble task. However, even the powerful Cloak of the Nightengale cannot forever ward off Father Time, and decades later Swan was nearing her 80th birthday and desperate to find a new heroine to take over her charge. Robin was the only eligible candidate, but lacked the moral qualities Swan hoped for in her successor.
Often more interested in seeking pleasure than fighting crime, Robin finds the responsibility of being the Nightengale more of an amusement than an endeavor to be taken seriously. As an associate within R.O.P.E., she has a dark side of her own and routinely engages in questionable behavior. Other members have commented and mocked her for rejecting their views of forced sexual games, though Robin has stated she has no qualms about enjoying the company of “willing” sex slaves.
Robin is, however, very good friends with fellow socialite Kaitlin Sinclair, who is secretly the superheroine Pink Pussycat. The two friends often work together both in public and in their mutual costumed identities. Robin is considered an honorary member of the Action Cats and often accompanies Pink Pussycat and others on various missions where her expertise might come in hand.
Also, as a member of the Superheroine Squad, Nightengale’s answer to the call of duty can be unpredictable at times. But for the most part Robin’s contributions have helped her teammates defeat many threats to Metrobay’s citizens.
When she dons the cloak, Robin actually transforms into a fusion of herself and Avia, the queen of winged creatures. Each heroine who has worn the cloak has a different appearance because of how the cloak merges their spirit with Avia’s. In this modern age, the slick and glamorous Robin Ravenwood causes the creation of a sleek, shiny Nightengale.
A fourth (and former) Nightengale, Samantha Sable, held the title in the years before Robin came along. The cloak came to reject Samantha for her less-than-pure spirit, and possession of the cloak reverted to the elderly Swan Starling until a suitable heir could be found. It seems that Robin also carries some of the same attitude and moral ambiguity that caused the cloak to reject Samantha, and even their outward appears bears striking similarities, so it remains to be seen how long this partnership will last.
Powers
The powers of Nightengale vary from host to host and situation to situation. At times she has been observed to cast magical illusions, summon ethereal spirits to her aid, and fly. Other versions have shown her without her flight abilities and more dependent on supernatural weaponry, such as an enchanted bow and arrow. There appears to be no limit to the power of the Nightengale Cloak, but the limitations of its human host and their respective hearts and imaginations holds it back from being an overpowering tool that might lead their host to become consumed with power and to be corrupted.