Lore:Damali Richards-Rivera

Damali Richards-Rivera
Alias(es)	D (Carlos) The Slayer The Huntress Damali Richards
Age	15 (Nothing Like the First Time) Infant, 15 (Minion Prologue) 20 - 21 (in Minion/The Awakening) 39 (Shadow Walker)
D.O.B	August 15, 1982
Gender	Female
Race	Black
Species	Human-Powers Healing Angel Hybrid
Status	Alive
Allegiance	The Light Neteru Guardian Team
Family	Marlene Stone (Adoptive Mother) Nafes Shabazz (Adoptive Father) Carlos Rivera (Husband) Sarah Rivera (Daughter) Alejandro Rivera (Son)
Guardian Type	Neteru, Medic

Damali Richards-Rivera is a hip hop spoken word artist, performing neo soul songs. She's also the newest made female Neteru, and the first to bridge two millenniums, the Millennium Neteru. She is the wife of Carlos Rivera, mother of Sarah Rivera and Alejandro Rivera (SW), and the adopted daughter of Marlene Stone and Nafes Shabazz.

Biography

Early Life

Damali Richards was born in New Orleans, to Armand and Sarah Richards. Her father was secretly a guardian, hunting at night. When Fallon Nuit abducted and turned her father, her mother, jealously thinking her husband was cheating on her, went to a root worker. Her mother went to Fallon Nuit's lair to confront him. Armand attacked Nuit, who staked him. Seeing what she was going to become, Sarah staked herself. Marlene Stone was handed the responsibility of protecting Damali. Secretly pregnant and worried about her own daughter, she was thrust into the foster care system by Marlene and lost to all Guardian teams.

Damali was nearly molested by her faster father, the Uncle/Stepfather of her best friend Inez Porter, she smashed his jaw/skull and fled. (Who he was and what she smashed varies by version.) Damali encountered Carlos Rivera on the streets and her took her in, offering protection. He plead to his mother for Damali to be able to sleep on the couch. Carlos taught Damali a little bit of Spanish and how to shoot a nine. She remained there for a month until Inez's mother came to the states and took her in.

She performed on open mic stages, trying to get spotted until she was discovered by Marlene Stone. Living in Los Angeles, California, taken under Marlene’s wing, Damali was taught the ways of being a slayer.

Physical appearance

• Height: 5 ft 7 in
• Eyes: Dark brown
• Hair: Shoulder length brown Nubian locks.

Damali is described by Carlos as having butter-smooth, cinnamon brown/cocoa-brown and bronze skin, a luscious mouth and velvet locks the color of wild sable. She smelled of almond oil and shea butter.

The Hunted: Damali's hair was adorned with Ankh fertility symbols, lions teeth and tiny silver charms. She wore silver earrings.

Abilities

• Extrasensory Specialty: Omnivoyant – possesses all six areas of extrasensory perception plus a seventh capacity only held by a Neteru.

demon blood is drawn. Companion weapon – “The Baby Isis” dagger.

Appearances

Nothing Like the First Time

Damali is in the basement of her best friend Inez, as her foster father attempts to sexually assault her. She beats him, steals his wallet and runs. As she's making her escape, she sees something in the shadows with fangs. While running to safety, she's confronted by several gang members. Brandishing a pipe, Damali breaks the jaw of the leader and prepares to take on the rest when Carlos Rivera shows up and sends them packing. Sensing that Carlos doesn't mean her any harm and taking comfort in how Carlos' presence seemed to have sent the shadowy creature packing, she agrees to go with him. Carlos takes her to his mothers house and requests permission for Damali to stay there as a house guest.

Note: This version of the story takes place from the perspective of a 15 year old Damali and a 17 year old Carlos, as opposed to the other tellings of the story throughout the series where adult Carlos and Damali are looking back on their lives or re-living memories.

Minion

After hearing about the death of Juan Dejesus, Damali visits Carlos in his club to offer her condolences and although annoyed at his blindness and lack of faith, she makes him promise to always keep a cross on him and say a prayer if he finds himself in a situation he can't get out of. 

During a hunting trip with Rider, Damali begins to have bloodlust.

The Hunted

(Between the books) The Neteru Guardian Team spent 3 days traveling from Synagogues to Mosques, Churches and hallowed ground for 3 days after the Raise the Dead Concert.  

After the battle in the tunnels, and seeing Carlos supposedly die, Damali shut down her third eye.

Relationships

• Sarah Richards † (Biological Mother)
• Armand Richards † (Biological Father)
• Marlene Stone (Adoptive Mother)
• Nafes Shabazz (Adoptive Father)
• Carlos Rivera (Husband)
• Sarah Rivera (Daughter)
• Alejandro Rivera (SW) (Son)

Gallery

• 

  Official website art.

• 

  Damali as she appears in the comics.

• 

  Damali wanted poster.

Additional Information

AKA: The Neteru, The Huntress.

• The Neteru: Ancient Egyptian, or Kemetian translation – God’s divine powers latent within humans… divine ways. A Neteru is only created once every thousand years, and Damali Richards is the only one to date to span two millennia.
• Birth Date: August 15, 1982
• Age: Almost 21 (20 years and counting down the months)
• Power Color: Gold
• Astrological Sign: Leo
• Numerology Quotient: 8+1+5+1+9+8+2 = 34 or 3+4 = Lucky 7
• Favorite Quote: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." - Psalm 23 -and- "A thousand may fall at my side, and ten thousand at my right hand; but it [evil] will not come near me." - Psalm 91, verse 7
• Aura: Light Blue

In Other Languages

Language			Name
English		UK	Damali Richards (Pre-Marriage) Damali Richards-Rivera (Post-Marriage)
Italian			Damali Richards

Trivia

• In Minion, it's stated that Damali's favorite music is 'loud thumping music'.
• A "number one hot button" issue for author L.A. Banks was child abuse which is why she wrote Damali going after her predatory foster father and into the arms of Carlos.