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History

Waku was a prince of the Bantu nation, located in the hidden depths of South Africa. Waku's father was Kaba, the chief of the tribesmen of Bantu. In 1954 Kaba fell ill to a fatal illness and chose his son to succeed him, however on Kaba's deathbed he forced Waku to swear that he will never use violance to lead their people. He should instead be an enlightened and gentle leader. Waku swore to this, wanting to honor his father's deathbed wish.

Kaba died shortly afterward and Waku was to succeed him as the leader of the tribe. To retain the title he had to prove his worth, Waku had to fight and defeat the strongest of their young men. Waku refused, which angered the Bantu, and they casted him out. His rival, Mabu, seized the opportunity and became the chief of the Bantu, first by fighting the other Bantu as Waku was supposed to, and then by claiming that he had killed a mad elephant that had been terrorizing the Bantu village. In reality Waku was actually responsible for the kill, using only a spear. Mabu, once in control, directed the Bantu to hunt for the white hunters, which Waku objected to, as the illegal hunters had been after his father to get them cheap hunters and they were refused.

The Bantu were worked as slaves for a month, with Mabu growing rich and the tribe being treated abominably, but on the night of the one month anniversary of Kaba's death the tribe gathered around the campfire worshiping Kaba's memory. Lalei, Waku's beloved, put on Kaba's robe and headdress and told the Bantu of the oath Waku took; she was eavesdropping during Kaba's death and heard everything. The Bantu then made a move to overthrow Mabu. Waku, who was listening and watching from the trees, jumped down and challenged Mabu.

They fought, and Waku threw Mabu into the campfire. The Bantu proclaimed Waku chief, but he said no, "I have broken an oath to my father...and the spirit of the fire must claim me now!" Lalei did not want him to go, and vowed to walk with him into the fire. Kaba then appeared from the flames and released Waku from his vow. Waku gladly accepted the role of Prince of the Bantu[1].

Later when floods threatened the Bantu tribe, Waku led his people to higher ground near their ancestral grave yard. There the tribal witch doctor Hoda attempted to usurp control of the tribe by using his magic to raise an army of zombies to overthrow Waku. Waku fought off the undead warriors, prompting Hoda to raise an army of zombie animals to enhance their ranks, however this backfired as the zombified animals attacked the human zombies and slew Hoda[2]. Shortly thereafter, Waku found his rule briefly usurped by his own friend Jobu, who convinced the locals that the "Fire God" were mad at Waku. Waku clashed with Jobu, who was slain in a fire. Following Jobu's defeat the real "Fire God" appeared before Waku and decreed that Waku was fit to lead his people[3]. His title of leadership was once again challenged by the warrior Rakatu and when the gorilla Gondo capture Lalei. However, Waku proved his superiority by defeating Rakatu in battle in hand to hand combat and Gondo returned Lalei to him[4]. Waku's leadership was once more challenged by Kom, who kidnapped Lalei, but like other attempts Waku rescued her and defeated Kom[5]. Still, Waku still continued to have to prove himself as he underwent the annual Trail of a Thousand Perils to prove his right to lead the Bantu. Zabu and the local medicine man attempted to thwart this, but Waku passed his trails with the help of Lalei[6][7]. Later when the tribe is threatened with starvation thanks to a lava flow that cut off their water supply, Waku ventured off to free the water. He was opposed by Omando and Chomanchi who captured Lalei in order to eliminate Waku in order to take control of the tribe themselves, but Waku defeated them and freed the water from its naturally made dam[8].

Waku acted as ruler and defender of his people for many years.

Attributes

Powers

None

Abilities

Waku was a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, as well as skilled in the use of a spear. He also has a very good knowledge of jungle survival.

Paraphernalia

Weapons

Spear and traditional tribal shield

See Also

Links and References

References

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