Liz Swan Head
Darth Talon Torso
25A Lady Jay Waist and legs
Cade Skywalker arms and coat
Luke Skywalker (desert) goggles


She was a prodigy in the truest sense. Rayana Steele was 5 when she first picked up an interest in the martial arts. By the time she was 10, she was a blackbelt in numerous disciplines, and by the time she was 12, she was a national champion in both Karate and Jujitsu. Her passion however, was for the armed techniques, and that is where her focus remained for many years, until a well publicized incident changed her life.

She had not meant to carry an actual edged weapon into a scheduled sparring session with her master. Her master realized the error immediately, and it was a rare bout of foolishness which allowed his ego to silently take on the challenge of beating his star pupil while she was armed in this way. Zoned in on her technique alone, and continuing to fight as though it was simple sparring, Rayana, using mixed techniques she had developed on her own, gained the upper hand via the element of surprise. What should have been a simple blunt scoring blow to her master's chest, however, was instead a blow of steel on flesh, as her blade pierced her master's heart. Though his dying words were of forgiveness, 16 year old Rayana Steele felt a darkness pass over her own heart.

Though she was not charged criminally with the death of her master, she soon found other ways to attract the attention of the law. Disillusioned, she lost her discipline and herself, and slipped into a world of crime, petty at first, more substantial later on. By the time she was 18 she had attracted the attention of the FBI, and of the many crime lords who sent lackeys out to recruit her. Most importantly, however, she attracted the attention of the Batman, Bruce Wayne.

While working on her dossier, Wayne realized that Steele was not the usual thug on the streets of Gotham. There was an inner turmoil he could sense, not unlike his own. He knew from the accounts of her childhood friends, that her heart was strong and good, and that she simply needed to channel her anger, and regain her discipline. Wayne confronted her as the Batman, and upon defeating her in hand to hand combat, showed her mercy by not turning her in, but instead brought her home. Soon, he confronted her as Bruce Wayne, and the leap of faith he showed her by doing so was just the right move to pull her from her inner hell. Rayana Steele was back. Thereafter, Wayne put her through her paces, renewing, and adding to, her former training. While he never let her accompany him when he was the Batman, he did train her for a life of fighting for good over evil. When he had offered all he could offer, he encouraged her to expand on her training, to include all forms of weaponry, telling her that she would be best served in the world she was choosing by not following the restrictions of her chosen martial arts. At Wayne's request, she did just that.

Of course, by then Wayne was already in the process of forming the organization now known as EXCAL, and his encouragement was with the direct intent of having her jump on board with the full range of skills required to assist the mission. She adopted the code name Steel Rain, and quickly made a name for herself. When the Paladin Knight program was initiated, she was the first knight to be inducted after Knighthawk. While she is second in seniority, she has not yet achieved the title of Paladin Knight Master (only one other knight has done so since Knighthawk). It is not for lack of skill, but is instead based upon her lingering bouts of anger and instability which might forever hold her back from that position.

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