Zambesi
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Real Identity: Not Applicable
Appearances: Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 9, Episode 12, and The Movie
Powers: Not Applicable
Voiced By: Not Applicable
Zambesi is a village in the M'Changa Province of west Africa. Zambesi was once a fertile land and the envy of its neighboring nations. The Zambesians long sought to protect themselves from their neighbors and nature itself. Their prayers were answered by the god Anansi. He gifted them with five totems, one for each great Zambesi tribe, in exchange for their worship. Each tribe's chief could channel and wield the powers of nature, one of each elemental force: air, earth, water, fire, and spirit. As a result, Zambesi existed in a rare state of harmony and prosperity for nearly a thousand years. One of the first to possess an Anansi Totem was a warrior named Tantu. A tradition began and the Spirit Totem was passed down from generation to generation. However, Zambesi, like the rest of Africa, fell prey to the forces of colonialism, changing faith and war. The five totems were lost and forgotten. Countless explorers and archaeologists spent their lives searching for the infamous "Lost Totems of Zambesi" but none were found.
In 1992, a four year old girl named Kuasa was chosen to be the next guardian of Zambesi but a local warlord sent his men to raid the village. Kuasa's father tried to protect the village but was executed by gunfire. The men burned the village to the ground. Kuasa's mother, Esi, fled Zambesi with the Spirit Totem and Kuasa's infant sister. Esi was unable to find Kuasa and was forced to fight General Eshu, the leader of the raiding party. He coveted the totem. She nearly died and chose to leave the village with her infant daughter rather than die fighting. In time, Kuasa struck bargains with others who also craved the power of the totem in order to spare the village, albeit in ruins. M'changa remained an archarological gold mine for ancient Zambesian artifacts. Decades later, Kuasa discovered her sister still had the Spirit Totem and was in Detroit. She made her move and took Mari to Zambesi. Kuasa explained the history of Zambesi to Mari then used a spider bite to remove the totem. Kuasa assumed the plains would claim McCabe and left her to die.
Instead, the Animal Spirits came to her and pledged they would stand with her if she embraced her calling. She returned to the village and confronted Kuasa. The Animal Spirits made quick work of Kuasa's followers. As the two dueled, McCabe wounded Kuasa in the arm with a stick but was launched into a table by Kuasa's elephant form. McCabe grabbed the spider and waited for Kuasa to get close then slapped it on her wound. The effects of the poison quickly took hold and Kuasa lost the ability to use the Totem. McCabe knocked her out with an uppercut and took the totem back. A short time later, Professor Macalester's expedition arrived in M'Changa. He spent six months in Zambesi. The Fire Totem was discovered along the M'Changa River. Eshu took a long trip from Zambesi to Detroit upon funding a break in at the Detroit Museum aimed at stealing the Fire Totem. Macalester and McCabe returned to Zambesi to seek out Kuasa for her knowledge on the totems. They found her in a hospital where she was suffering from long lasting effects of the spider bite.