Appearance:

Name: Elya Aven
Age: 16

Personality:

Children are odd little people, really, especially those who, when a bit older, will inherit the earth. As an heir to a throne, the first in line, the princess Elya Aven is just as you might suspect. She is simply a spoiled child, who does not yet know much of the world she is expected to one day rule.

Lovely though she is, the girl has always led a privileged life. Due to her lack of any real suffering, she has never built up a tolerance to pain, be it physical or psychological in nature. If anything goes wrong in her life, if a mean word is spoken, or harsh action taken against her, she often meets whatever it was with a severe equivalent. If she is unable to do so, the girl retreats into herself, as if a turtle retreating into its shell. Despite this lack of tolerance, though, she is rather bold and brave, often brazen; she does not let her fear hold her back unless she has truly been injured in such a way that she cannot fight back.

Her world is very narrow, as is her understanding of it. She is conscious of this, though, unlike many young ladies her age. Well aware of her lack of any real knowledge pertaining to life, Elya constantly strives to learn more. The world, to her, is an open book, filled with words begging to be read. She fulfills this hunger for new knowledge through actual books, anything she can find, and through conversation with any person willing to speak to her.

Backstory:

The Queen went into labor on a nice, pleasant day, in the middle of spring. Her family’s sigil, a rose, intertwined around a sword, became symbolic on that day. The blood that dripped from her, upon the birth of her child after a full seven hours of labor, was as painful as the stabbing of a sword, and as beautiful as the reddest rose. The baby cried and cried for hours; the wet-nurses attributed this to her father not being present, as he was meeting with one of the Lords in the southern areas of Edessa at the time. A raven’s note brought him back to see his newborn daughter, as the sun was setting. Elya, he named her, after his mother, as they both shared the same golden-blonde hair- though Elya’s was merely a tuft.

It did not take long for the child to reveal herself for who she was really like- her father’s uncle, who had died in a duel long ago. This fierceness that presented itself in the King's daughter was not unexpected, nor was her passion for life. However, her attitude did lead to that which was unwanted, namely, the specific yearning for power. Even as a small child, Elya was troublesome. Interrupting the meetings of her father's council, disrupting intense discussion as she wished to take part, she became known to her father's closest advisors as a nuisance, while her father simply recognized her wish to understand his work. Unlike his advisors, King Johannes loved his daughter all the more for this.

At the age of twelve, Elya was determined to become a knight. She begged her father to allow her to squire for one of his many young knights, to let her learn from them both combat skill and the meaning of honor. He insisted, however, that a princess's place was not one of servitude. Instead, he suggested that if she truly wished to have power one day, she should strive for political power; she should pay more heed to her history lessons and the like, so that one day, she might serve as an advisor to her king, whoever that would be. This sparked a new interest in her, as she spent increasing amounts of time in the castle library, studying the histories of man to better her understanding of the world.

As she grew older, Elya became secretly infatuated- not with a boy, but with the south. Their traditions, their fashions, their everything was fascinating to her. The wild people seemed to have more freedom than she could ever dream of, and that excited her more than anything else in the world. The idea of getting lost in the middle of a forest, to spend her days running free, was almost more appealing than someday sitting alongside a King. The south lost its distant allure, however, when she walked in on a council meeting in which a representative of the Welds was pleading to her father for his aid.

Gradually, the city received more of these refugees of the south, bringing with them stories of the horrors down there, of the beasts who had driven them from their homes. Elya saw her home as they did, at this point- the only safe place in a world of danger. However, her perception began to change when she learned that the refugees were followed by the Orcs. When one slaughtered a Lord's keep, her father set up a caravan for her to leave. Elya, stubborn as ever, refused to leave her father's side, insisting that unless imminent danger was present, she would not budge.

Upon the word of the Varyan attacks on their lands, Johannes finally convinced his daughter that she needed to leave. Elya was about to set off with her mother, when a raven came, bearing a threat from the Varyans. They had taken hostage a cousin of Elya's, her mother's sister's son; though an unimportant boy, he was still royalty. Elya, to her father, was even more important- he paid the ransom for his nephew, but could not bear to think what would happen should Elya be found, and taken.

Elya was given a scroll marked with her father's unbroken seal, meant for the leader of the Ardel people. While others took refuge in the north, Elya would be made a temporary ward of the Kingdom of Ardel. It would not be safe for her to travel with a royal company, with the threat of the Varyans who might take her hostage if her identity was discovered. Her recognizable blonde hair was dyed a dark brown, her lovely gowns and jewelry replaced with a commoner's clothes and cloak, and she was given a temporary name.

Elya was placed in one of the final caravans- it took much convincing to get her to leave, on her father's part. She was given a small sword, much smaller than any a knight might carry, to defend herself; thin, and only the length of her arm. A Mithril sword, it was crafted specifically for her. Rather than a sheath, it was to be hidden in a staff, a walking stick, a deception. One of the youngest of those leaving, she is claiming to be a mere scullery maid of the royal household, so as not to attract attention.

Skills and Abilities:

Novice Dancing - Even though she has been taught for years the arts of dancing, Elya does not take to it well. She can walk gracefully, but her dancing skills are not very advanced at all. She is, however, rather flexible, but not enough to make a difference with her dancing skill.
Novice Sewing - Similarly, her lessons in sewing have not gone well. She is not able to embroider anything more complex than simple letters; her skills mainly translate to mending, rather than aesthetic value.
Novice Healer - Elya knows she cannot fight well at all, so she began to learn in the last year how to tend to minor wounds. She has sewn up a deep gash before, but not without her hands shaking.
Novice Swordsmanship - Despite being told she could not take lessons, Elya befriended (or rather seduced) a few squires, and they taught her a bit about defending herself with a sword.
Journeyman Magical Healer - When using water from a natural source (rivers, lakes, seas, or even the rain) Elya can use it to heal more severe wounds, however, it takes time, and extreme concentration.
Adept Horse riding - Despite being refused the opportunity to become a squire, Elya was still allowed- in fact, encouraged- to learn to ride. She took to it quite well, and has her own horse, named Nimerya. She is particularly skilled at maneuvering horses through difficult terrain, as well as being able to calm them with relative ease.
Adept Diplomat - As she has spent so much time around her father's council, and all of her free time pondering over books concerning political theory, Elya has become a rather eloquent speaker when necessary.
Accomplished Viol playing - From the age of three, Elya was taught the art of the Viol. The stringed instrument is her favorite, as the music it makes sounds almost like that of a human voice.
Accomplished Gittern playing - To accompany her voice as she sings, Elya picked up the Gittern around the age of eleven. Having an aptitude for music, she learned rather quickly.
Master Singing - From a young age, Elya has developed her naturally beautiful voice. Being talkative translated well to music, as she learned quickly. She knows many traditional hymns of Edessa, but much prefers folk songs of foreigners, and improvisation.

Equipment:

Thorn; Small Mithril Sword, New - A gift from her father, the king, concealed in a staff, rather than a sheath.
Simple Edessian Armor, Copper alloy, New - Another gift, but from her horse riding teacher, who was convinced she needed to learn to ride in armor rather than in a dress. She wears it concealed beneath a cloak.
Nimerya; Horse, Brown - A gift from her mother, Elya has had Nimerya for years now.
Tiara, Golden - Hidden in her bodyguard's bags, Elya smuggled with her a favorite tiara, as she did not wish to leave behind all of her pretty things.
Viol and Gittern

Name: Born Pietra Maximov, now, Rose Smith

Codename: Phoenix

City of Operation: New York, now Cleveland

Appearance:


Cybernetic Arm: (left; carbon fiber; steel version used while Phoenix)


Age: 26

Gender: Female

Superpowers:

She is known as the phoenix because that is exactly what she is. The firebird, just like the girl, is famous for its ability to be reborn in a burst of flames. Every time Rose is killed, she is resurrected, in a blast of fire. Upon this rebirth, however, she still retains the marks of however she was killed, which fade into scars. Along with this comes the obvious power of being immune to the effects of heat and fire; her internal body temperature is constant, and cannot be brought above 100 degrees fahrenheit by external forces (she can still get sick and have a fever, though). And finally, just as the bird is able to fly, so can Rose. The wings of an angel sprout from her shoulderblades, granting her the ability to fly; her wings are each thrice the length of her body. The wings are also quite strong, each feather having the strength, resistance, and constitution of steel, while still being as light as any other. They fold into her back when she is not actively using them, retreating into what looks like two long scars.

Skills/ Talents:

Knowledge of the human body - Rose took the GED test to graduate high school early, at the age of 14. It took her four years to earn her bachelor's degree in Biology, with a focus on the human body. She completely understands the human body, with a better perception of anatomy than even most doctors, as she has memorized Gray's Anatomy. With this knowledge, she is able to affect people in ways that are not only efficient and effective, but painful without being permanently harmful. In addition, she has focused on neurology, studying the brain, and focusing on paralysis and ways of subverting it, among other things.

Engineering and Technology - It took only another two years to earn her master's degree in Engineering- she took to the subject as a natural. Despite the torment she received from her colleagues in the field (she being the only girl in all of her classes, and quite young at that), she excelled amazingly. Her perception of technology is as advanced as any professional's, and she has worked hard to obtain the knowledge she has gained. She understands the innerworkings of any tech that is open sourced as far as its components go; when presented with foreign tech, she is usually able to at least figure out the basics of it, and the general logistics. With this skill, she has been able to invent her own cybernetic arm, and strives to further such technology, working with the combination of her knowledge of the human body and robotics.

Marine Corps Skills - As soon as Rose earned her Masters degree in Engineering, at the mere age of 20, she enlisted in the Marine Corps. She was an ideal recruit, and an even better Marine. Even now, she is always ready for combat- psychologically, and physically. Her physical fitness is that of any marine. She can run a mile in six minutes flat, and can run a full marathon at that pace before getting tired. She still trains every muscle in her body to be as strong as it can be. In her training, she became a black belt in Northern Shaolin kung fu and Hung Ga kung fu, learning from two different masters. As far as armed combat goes, she is proficient with knives, bayonets and rifle blocks and strikes. Like all marines, she has also studied the art of war, and has a vast knowledge of strategy and tactics both in and out of combat of all types.

Other Assorted Skills - Rose's native tongue is a Romani dialect, spoken by her mother. She learned German as a child as well. However, she has completely ridded herself of her accent, and speaks in a voice that sounds as if it is completely without an origin, unrecognizable. While the Phoenix, she instead speaks in her native accent, a blend of strong Romani influence with the affects of German, plus an odd southern twang. After losing her arm, she decided to pick up a new skill; she mastered driving her motorcycle one-handed, and occasionally participates in races.

Equipment:

Valkyrie Armor - The Phoenix (when she has time to prepare) wears steel armor, which covers and protects her vital organs; it is, however, light armor, so that it is easier for her to fly. It is in the style of classic Viking armor. It is complete with a helmet that obscures her face completely.
Kjósa - A sword, made of fine steel, was given to the Phoenix by the mayor of New York city for her work there. It is an old relic from the Viking age, of Nordic design.

Bulletproof jacket - No matter where she is, while dressed in civilian clothes, Rose wears bulletproof clothing. Whether it's a kevlar vest beneath a loose fitting outfit, or a jacket over something else, she is paranoid of being shot.
Handgun - She has a license to carry a gun, and always has it with her, in a little sheath strapped to her thigh.
Motorcycle - When traveling as a civilian, she drives a motorcycle if the distance is too far to run.
Pocketbook - Rose always carries a purse filled with everything she might need in any number of situations, namely feminine products and the like, as well as pepper spray, and snacks.

Weaknesses:

Rose is a badass, there is no doubt about that. However, she is still human, and has her weaknesses. The loss of her arm has left her with an imbalance in her strength- her instincts can be off sometimes, as she was born left handed. She tries her best to become ambidextrous, but her right arm is harder for her to control when it comes to finer functions.

Ever since she was small, Rose has been terrified of the water, as she watched her younger brother drown at the beach. The Lake Erie is, to her, the scariest thing in the city, scarier than any villain. She will not go near big bodies of water unless it is absolutely necessary, and even then, she is off her game in such circumstances.

Due to her time overseas, Rose has suffered more than just physical damage. Inflicted with psychological effects as well, Rose suffers from post traumatic stress disorder. When not in battle, any loud noise can trigger a panic attack, as well as the sight or mention of a body of water. She is haunted by nightly nightmares of her time in war, and so, rarely sleeps; when she is asleep, it is often with her hand on the gun she keeps beneath her pillow. Whenever she wakes from a nightmare, she goes to train, or run a few miles. She is paranoid that she will be killed if she ever lets her guard down, and so, becomes close to very few people. She keeps her identity secret for this very reason, even from the love of her life.

Speaking of which, Victor Knight is the only person alive that Rose actually loves. This puts her at a disadvantage- anyone aware of her identity would quickly become aware of his existence, and might threaten to hurt him. Rose believes that Victor is under her protection, and so, he is her weakness. Any threat to him takes her perfectly trained mind and turns it soft, so that she can't think straight. Logic becomes irrelevant in the face of love.

Psyche:

Rose is driven by the vow she made when she became a Marine; the vow to protect the people. Her life is centered around one thing, and that is the protection of civilians, and less obviously, villains.

Her ideals are that of justice and righteousness, and she lives according to a very strict moral code. She treats every person as she believes a person ought to be treated, unless they prove that she should do otherwise. Even when a person must be treated unkindly, Rose only resorts to violence as a last option. Another aspect of her code is that everything she is given must be earned, that charity cannot be accepted- unless it is given by the American government, as she fought in their army.

Rose refuses to give up her faith and hope in humanity. She believes that even the cruelest villain has some shred of decency remaining. To her, morality is not black and white- no one is purely "good" or purely "evil", so everyone deserves a chance for redemption.

In conversation, Rose is, in complete contradiction with her resume, lighthearted and casual, always seemingly happy. She does not seem to take much seriously, but that is just a facade- if things get serious, she reverts to her stern, stoic self, the creature that was created in the Marine Corps.

Her only vice that she is conscious of is her boyfriend. He is to her an indulgence, something that interferes with her work- both her science, and her vigilante activities. However, she loves him too much to let him go, and would sacrifice anything to keep him safe.

Science is, to her, of the utmost importance. Some small part of her wants to be famous, wants to create something that will change the course of history forever. She has a soft spot for others missing their limbs, and for those suffering from paralysis.

History:

Pietra Maximov was born in Germany, to a Romani woman by the name of Cleo. She was raised there until she was four years old, in a roaming caravan, alongside her brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, and mounds of cousins. Sometime in her fourth year, though, Pietra was taken by her mother to the United States, so that she could live a more stable life. This was due to an event which scared the poor girl to death- she went to a lake with her younger brother, alone, and they played for a while. However, the young boy could not swim very well, and Pietra watched him drown.

Raised then in Charleston, South Carolina, Pietra grew up next to the Marine Corps recruits and training facility. She admired them greatly, and from a very young age, strived to be like them. Each morning, she would go and sit outside their gates at six AM, watching their morning routines. When she was older, she would begin to mimic them, and upon reaching her teenage years, she would actually do them well.

School always bored her, as they never discussed the things she wanted to learn. Fed up with it all, she received her mother's permission and took the GED test at the age of 14. As she was three years too young to be recruited into the military, she instead went to an Ivy League college to earn a degree. She became fascinated with the human body, and found that her studies related rather well to fighting, as she began to study with two different kung fu masters to earn her belts.

Martial arts were hard, for her, so she practiced for several hours each day. Her work paid off, and soon, she went on to earn a more advanced degree. Knowing that she would be dealing with tech in the military, Pietra earned her master's degree in engineering in a mere two years. At the age of twenty, she was already quite accomplished, and she applied to the Marine Corps.

Returning to Charleston, Pietra changed her name to Rose Smith, not wanting to continue to attract attention from the world by her Romani name. She worked fiercely to train her body into its peak conditions, and bested all of her fellows in combat. Finally, after only half a year of training, she was sent overseas.

Her location undisclosed, Rose was the leader of her group. The men who followed her respected her, and not one of them attempted to pursue her romantically; every one thought of her as a sister. One day, though, two years into their stay overseas, their loyalty was tested. In the middle of the night, a bomb went off. Rose and her men were ambushed by a group of terrorists brandishing swords. All of them unarmed, the Marines fought off the attackers- however, many of them were slaughtered. Their loyalty was true, though, and they all fought until they were all killed. All except for Rose.

She was still fighting when it began to rain. The white liquid soaked her to the bone, but she kept fighting. She was left alone with seven terrorists attacking her with swords, with only her fists to defend herself. Not even Rose could defeat them. One hacked off Rose's arm at the shoulder, and she screamed, in deep anguish and agony. They left her there, in the rain, as she died a painful death, from blood loss.

The sun rose, and so did Rose, in a burst of flames. She flew through the air, suddenly, wings sprouting from her back like an angel. Convinced that she was dead, and now an angel watching over the Earth to continue her work protecting the people from beyond the veil, she flew over to a town, smiling down at the people below. She was met with screams of terror.

Returning to the ground, Rose realized that she was still alive- in the rush of it all, she had not recognized that her dominant arm was gone. Rose returned to camp, and contacted the main base. They sent a car to pick her up, and then a plane to return her to America.

Flying over the ocean in the plane, Rose suddenly felt lightheaded, her heart beating fast, and her vision blurred. Her mind was filled with images of horror, of her brothers- both by the blood of the womb and the blood of the covenant- dying. She screamed, convinced that she had been poisoned. It took nine officers to calm her down, to tell her that she was having a panic attack.

Upon reaching the states, Rose began to receive checks from the government for her time in the service, as well as for unemployment and disability. Unable to return to her home, as her mother had died during her stay overseas from a congenital heart problem, Rose moved to New York. There, she spent most of the money she was given on therapy for her newly developed PTSD. All of her free time- which was all of her time- was spent retaining her body, and training her muscles to the breaking point.

Simply existing was not enough for Rose. She had to do something to better the world, and despite her power to come back from the dead and fly through the skies, she was useless without her arm. She had heard of a company, though, which occasionally offered grants for research in esoteric fields- Knight Industries. Contacting their executives, she set up a meeting with the CEO of the corporation himself, Victor Knight.

Presenting herself as professionally as she could, Rose wore a bulletproof vest to their first meeting, giving off a vibe that she did not trust the man, when that was not the case. She presented her resume- though short, it was impressive- and her proposal; that he provide her with the funds she needed to create a cybernetic arm, to replace the one she had lost. He agreed, so long as he could supervise the research, and that it could be done in the name of his company. She obliged.

With seemingly unlimited funds at her disposal, Rose designed the arm over the course of a year, and it took only a month for her to build it. Finally, testing began- and the tests were a success. Rose presented the arm (attached to herself) to Victor, with joy. It received the signals from her brain, and acted accordingly, as any human arm might. However, fine motor controls were not quite mastered yet, so she still had much work left to do before it could be marketed to the public. Victor asked if she would accept a high position at the company, as she had proven worthy of it- she refused, as her job was to protect the people, not to claim titles. Of course, she told him that she simply didn't want the attention.

This meeting was over dinner, at a fine establishment with a romantic environment- candlelight, piano music, a bit of wine, et cetera. Perhaps it was the influence of that which caused Rose to ask Victor out on a date. Having become friends over the course of that year, the transition into romantic partners seemed as if it was going to be easy. It would have been, had it not been for Rose's assumption of her new alter-ego, as the hero Phoenix; a just and righteous figure.

Everything worked between Rose and Victor, as his fake lightheartedness and true core seriousness were matched by Rose's honest self as well, save for the secret she harbored from him. Each time she was killed in a fight, she would come back, but still, she bore the mark of the death, and had to find excuses to explain these things to Victor.

Over the course of the following two years, she and Victor were in a steady, committed relationship (and the media had a field day with it). At the same time, the Phoenix rose from the ashes time and time again, becoming a more and more well known and loved figure to the people of New York. She fought against injustice wherever it was to be found, indiscriminate and focused on all walks of life, and often did so without the killing of innocents, or those who had done wrong, unlike many other superheroes. For her duty, and for her respect for humankind, the Phoenix was named a hero of the city, and given a sword by the mayor of NYC at a ceremony.

When the tragedy in Cleveland occurred, though, she wanted to go there, to help as Phoenix, but needed an excuse to do so. Luckily for her, Victor wished to provide philanthropic aid, so she moved with him to Cleveland. Unable to afford to pay for a new apartment there, as she refused to accept money from Victor besides that which went into her research, she sleeps alongside him in his bed, which has presented two major problems. Primarily, it is now much more difficult for her to sneak out and become the Phoenix. Secondarily, she still suffers from PTSD, and will wake up in the middle of the night, screaming, after reliving death in her dreams.

As the Phoenix, she strives for justice, and acts accordingly- anyone who acts unjustly is wrong in her book. The Crisis, and his psychopathic methods of slaughtering those who do wrong, inspires fear in millions, rather than hope. Though his results are effective and to be respected, his methods are hated by the Phoenix, and she considers him to be hurtful to her cause. He takes lives, and she saves them, at least, that's how it seems to her. In her book, the Crisis is an enemy of the people, and needs to be stopped, no matter what it takes.

Her primary goal, though, is to protect the people. Young and old, innocent or guilty, people deserve dignity, even despite whatever wrongs they have committed in the past.

Name: Zarqa Nadir

Codename: Dragon

City of Operation: Cleveland

Appearance:


Age: 20

Gender: Female

Superpowers:

Zarqa's body has become a router of sorts; she is basically a walking wifi hotspot. Her brain is a computer, and her mind a monitor- she can access the internet inside of her head, at near instantaneous speeds. Due to her experiences hacking in the past, she is able to bypass most security. As she has all of the information about all of the superheroes and villains at her fingertips, she knows the identity of almost every single superpowered person, if only by connecting the dots.

She uses her powers to catalogue all superheroes and villains and their real identities, to find their weaknesses and strengths that the public does not know about. Her own abilities aren't public- the general population has no idea she even exists, as she erased herself from public record. She was close to all of the superheroes who died, and often acted as their coordinator, directing them from her base in her cozy little apartment, watching from security cameras, and talking through their bluetooth devices.

Skills/ Talents:

Computer Programming/Coding - From a very young age, Zarqa has loved computers. Not the hardware aspect of them, but the software. She is incredibly talented at picking up programming languages quickly. By the age of ten, she already knew C++, Java, Python, and around twenty others. As she grew older, she became interested in cyber defense, essentially hacking.

Languages Spoken - As she is muslim, she speaks Arabic as a first language. She also learned Hebrew, as her father believed that the Torah was also a necessary read. When she was a child, all of her nannies were from around the world- through them, she learned Spanish, Italian, and multiple asian languages and dialects, namely Mandarin and Korean. In school, she learned French.

Sewing and Fashion Design - Zarqa is gifted with an eye for art. When she was little, her nannies also taught her how to sew. When she and the other superheroes were a team, she made their costumes for them, sewing in the necessary body armor and equipment each one needed. She does not have a costume of her own, she just wears her hijab all the time.

Equipment:

Hijab - Zarqa is never seen without her hijab. Usually, she wears black, but occasionally, she'll spice it up with varying colors and/or patterns.
Kevlar - Always equipped with a kevlar vest, Zarqa only wears it at the insistence of her friends, as she doesn't believe she'll be discovered by the public.
Bluetooth earpieces - Zarqa gives these to her superfriends, and is able to talk to them through the devices at any time, namely during fights.

Weaknesses:

As a believer in Islam, Zarqa practices her religion with fervent love for her god. However, this puts her at a great disadvantage to the public, as most Americans have a predisposed hatred for any Muslim they ever meet. People mock her to her face, and whisper behind her back; they judge her before they even know her name. This is a great source of self hatred for Zarqa, even though she loves Allah with a passion, and the traditions of her culture.

Zarqa has internalized racism, and unconsciously thinks that she is ugly because of her dark skin and Arabian features. Due to this, she does not actively seek out relationships and friendships with anyone who does not approach her first. It is difficult for her to maintain relationships once they are founded.

A great fear lingers over her head whenever she uses her powers- what if the government finds out? Surely her talents are not at all legal, and given her religious background, their prejudice might lead to her execution. So, she tries to stay out of the spotlight, helping others from the shadows. Her codename, "Dragon", is only known by the dead at this point.

Unlike most of the superpowered heroes, she is completely untrained in any form of combat. If ever attacked, she would be completely useless.

Psyche:

Zarqa Nadir is fueled by rage more than anything else. Her kind and quiet exterior is but a mask she wears, whether she is conscious of its falsehood or not. Her brain now functions as a computer- everything she does is perfectly and precisely calculated. She relies very heavily on having all of the knowledge in the world at her fingertips.

(She wants to go on Jeopardy really badly)

History:

Zarqa Nadir was born in Saudi Arabia, to a mathematician and his wife, a painter. When the girl was only a few hours old, her mother died of blood loss. Akil Nadir took his newborn daughter away from the home he and his wife had lived in for so many years, to the United States. There, in America, he would be able to find work as an actuary; insurance companies offered him jobs as if they were free mints.

Akil moved around the country a lot, never really settling down in any official home, and his baby girl came with him. As he worked as an actuary, Akil spent most of his days at home, however, in an office of his own design in whatever hotel room or apartment they were staying in for the time. Therefore, the man had very minimal free time, and was unable to spend much of it with his infant daughter. This called for nannies.

As they did not stay in one place at a time for longer than a month, Zarqa never grew very close to her caretakers; however, she did pick up their languages rather quickly, having a knack for that. When she was old enough for school, she was instead of being sent to public school taught by private tutors, in a homeschooled fashion. She was therefore able to move at her own pace, which was rather fast. She would later graduate from high school at the age of 17.

Being homeschooled and cared for by nannies was boring to Zarqa, so she searched for something to bide her time. It was around the age of six that she discovered computers. By the age of ten, she had learned all of the standard programming languages, and mastered the art of coding. When she graduated from her high school program, though, things hit a hitch.

It rained. She was on her way to the grocery store, dressed in her long black outfit and hijab- one droplet of water fell onto her nose, and that was enough to give her powers. Suddenly, a headache, unlike anything she had felt before. The world before her was spinning, and her head seemed like it was going to explode. Dropping her bags, she fell to her knees in pain, and passed out.

Six weeks later, she woke up behind the bars of the Northeast Ohio Penitentiary. She was told that she had been accused of hacking into the CIA and FBI databases, because when she was found, it was by two representatives from each of the organizations; they had pinpointed the location of an IP address that had done so, and it matched where her body lay. She had two days before her trial.

The first day was spent entirely in her head, as she explored the extent of her powers, and caught up on her favorite TV shows. The second was spent developing a strategy to hide her powers from those who had accused her.

On the stand, she admitted her past involvement with computers and cyber defense, and insisted that yes, she had the capability to hack into the aforementioned databases. However, given her lack of having any technology on her at the time of the intrusion, and the security footage showing that she did not access anything before she passed out, she seemingly proved her innocence, and was let free.

She returned home, relieved, but excited. Running into her father's office, she flung open the door with glee- only to see his body lying there on the floor, a bullet in his head and a gun in his hand. His was not the only body there, though. A man stood there, glaring at Zarqa, obviously waiting for her. He explained his newfound ability; to force people to commit suicide. When the girl choked out one word- "Why?"- he answered that her father had no right to decide how much people's lives are worth, and that his estimations did not factor in love and compassion. His work was 'unethical', so he took Akil Nadir's life.

Zarqa didn't have the capability to kill a man, she simply watched him as he left. Feeling like a coward, she swore that she would avenge her father.

Over the course of the following year, Zarqa began to find and catalogue the identities of all superpowered people- heroes and villains alike. By doing this, she discovered four in the Cleveland area; Hologram, Pokerface, Miss Understood, and Captain Cuyahoga. With Zarqa's help from the shadows, it only took a year for their names to dominate the presses. Her influence eventually reckoned justice for her father's killer; the man was captured and imprisoned by the four, the first time they worked as a team.

Knowing that it could not be coincidence they all happened to go after the same man at the same time, the four tracked down Zarqa. She admitted her involvement, and asked their forgiveness. Instead, they gave her a job. She would act as coordinator for them whenever they had group missions, acting as a fly on the wall for them, whispering in their ears information and tactical advice whenever necessary. Zarqa was thrilled, and began to work with (or rather, for) them- still remaining in the shadows. She even designed their costumes for them.

When Veritas, a villain who could force anyone to answer any question truthfully and used this ability to bring down politicians, villans, and heroes alike, met the Captain at a bar, he accidentally let slip Zarqa's name, and involvement with the four- somehow, though, his own identity did not escape his lips. Veritas broke into Zarqa's apartment, and captured her, bringing her to an abandoned underground sewage facility. Zarqa was immune to his powers, as he directly affected the brain, and her brain was no longer wired the same way as any normal human's would be. So, Veritas resorted to torture.

Zarqa was saved by Miss Understood, but only after being tortured for a full 72 hours. She was forever changed by the experience, more solemn and scared than ever.

When the purple fire came and engulfed her friends, Zarqa was miraculously away, back in Saudi Arabia, visiting her mother's grave. When she returned, she attended their funerals only through security cameras- she could not risk someone realizing her connection to the four. Now, she has returned to working behind the scenes completely, orchestrating everything as well as she can; at the same time, she is attempting to trace who lifted the electronic locks of the penitentiary.

Outside of her heroic activities, Zarqa has a part time job. She is a librarian at the Cleveland Public Library.

Appearance:

Having the typical features of any Earth Kingdom woman, Kala has olive skin, and dark brown hair. Time training in the light of the sun has tanned her skin considerably, and lightened her hair slightly. Her wide eyes, though worn and tired, always with bags beneath them, are a pale green. She could be called pretty, but not beautiful- she has too many scars to be aesthetically appealing. On her back, she has a burn from the nape of her neck to the small of her back, jagged and dark. Due to this, she always wears high collared outfits, concealing her long, slender neck. Her body is built with strong bones, and very little fat, except around her hips and thighs; beneath her loose fitting clothes, she is incredibly muscular.

Age: 27

Personality:

Quiet, and civil, Kala is a gentle person. Just by looking at her, and talking to her, one would never know that she is a master of swordplay. She is nothing if not modest, though she is very knowledgable in many subjects, especially history and military tactics. Her speech is ever so eloquent, as are her movements graceful. In battle, she is singularly minded, but able to manage multiple tasks at once. Her concentration and focus are unmatched by anyone she has ever fought in the past, no doubt due to her meditative practices.

Master of: Non-bending skills

Skills:

Swordplay - Her mother was a master swordsman, and she trained Kala with swords from toddler to teenager. Eventually, she went on to forge her own swords, which she dual wields in battle. She is now one of the greatest masters of swordplay in the world, it being her primary talent, as she has developed her own style combining the movements of dance taught to her by her father with the traditional methods taught by her mother.
Hand-to-hand Combat - Kala's uncle, an earthbender, taught her hand-to-hand combat, so that she would be able to defeat a bender one on one without being armed with sufficient weaponry.
Dancing - As a professional dancer, Kala's father trained her from a young age in the art of dance. She was privy to excellent training from him, mastering styles known by the poor and the privileged alike, from all four of the kingdoms. Her favorite is water dancing, as the movements are the most conducive to swordsmanship.
Blacksmithing - Kala travelled to the fire kingdom to learn the art of blacksmithing. Befriending one, she learned to forge her own swords, and did so from an alloy of steel and obsidian. Eventually, she married the smith, and during their short time together, became even more familiar with the skills necessary to forge and improve weaponry and armor alike.
Meditation - In recent months, Kala has become more solemn and stoic, and has begun to meditate. This has greatly improved her concentration and focus, and has aided her when she finds it difficult to sleep. She has regularly practiced meditation since she was a child, she has simply increased the frequency as of late.

Weaknesses:

Fire - Kala was overtaken by the soldiers of the fire nation laying siege on her hometown, when one of them shot fire at her back, leaving a jagged and ugly scar that covers almost her entire back. Due to the traumatic event, she has developed an intense phobia, a fear of fire- more specifically, fire benders. If she is controlling the fire, it is much easier, but still hard for her. Smithing is difficult to do as well as she could before, and cooking is often impossible to do alone. Fighting against a fire bender is not an option.
Her Daughter - Kala's daughter was stolen from her, by fire nation soldiers. She does not know the girl's whereabouts, but would do anything to see her, to save her, even though she doesn't even know if she's alive.

History:

Kala was born in the western side of the earth kingdom, to a dancer and his wife, a sword master. Her father trained her in the art of dance, styles from all four kingdoms, and her mother in the art of swordplay. Her uncle, an earthbender of the earth kingdom army, taught her the arts of hand-to-hand combat, and helped her train herself to the point where she could fight against a bender, and win. They all supported her, when she decided to follow in her mother's footsteps.

The first step of her journey to become a legendary swordsman required that she forge her own sword. The blacksmiths in the earth kingdom were fantastic, there was no doubt about that- however, their caliber was greatly exceeded by the fire nation. As a mere teenager, she made her way to a fire nation colony of the earth kingdom, disguising herself in fire nation clothes to hide her identity as a true born earth citizen. She did so against the wishes of her family, who insisted that the land was full of dangers. Once there, she began familiarizing herself with the layout of the land, with the people, and with their customs. Through this process, she was able to assume the identity of a fire nation citizen.

After a year of intense study of the fire nation people of the colony, she felt ready to continue her journey, to the fire nation itself. Boarding a boat as a stowaway, meant only for soldiers of the fire nation, she remained undiscovered for quite some time. However, upon docking, she made the mistake of coming up early- one of the soldiers spotted her, and took her back to his cabin for questioning. As a lieutenant, he did not have much power, but he did act as her arresting officer. Kala did not fight back, as she knew that this would be seen as an act of guilt. Brought to a minor court, Kala was pardoned. The sign of an earth kingdom citizen, apparently from one of the colonies, sneaking to the fire nation was not seen as an illegal act, but as one that was expected by Sozin. She claimed that she wanted to become a fire nation citizen, and was welcomed into the small city with open arms.

Kala befriended a blacksmith, who taught her how to forge a sword. Over the course of a year, through constant trials and errors, Kala eventually forged two swords, deciding to dual wield, rather than using a shield of any sort. Her swords were made of an alloy of obsidian and steel, a beautiful black metal, both strong, and durable. After a year of working with the blacksmith, they became more than friends- the man proposed, and they were married.

She felt invincible, armed with her dual swords, and happily married, until she received a letter from her family. They were being attacked by armies sent by the fire nation. The soldiers were laying siege to their homes, trying to break through to the center. Though the earth kingdom was holding its own, her family was frightened, and they needed her to come home. Saying a teary goodbye to her husband, Kala promised to return, with her family in tow, to bring them to safety, as she had truly come to love the fire nation, and was sure that the 'siege' was a misunderstanding.

Once again, she stowed away on a fire kingdom ship, sending in reinforcements to lay siege to the earth kingdom. This time, she was smart, and escaped the ship unscathed. However, she was faced with the problem of returning to her city- after two years, much had changed. Namely, the walls protecting the city were now surrounded by fire nation soldiers, waiting, and occasionally attacking. Kala saw no option other than to use brute force to try to force her way back to her home.

In the dead of night, Kala snuck through the fire nation camps, hoping that sleep would keep them occupied. Taking out guards one by one, she was able to take out around three dozen of those stationed around the area before one slipped away. He blew a horn, and woke the infantry. Overwhelmed by firebenders all around her, Kala was overtaken. A soldier seized an opportunity, and sent her flying into a wall with a burst of flame to her back.

She woke up in a bed that was all too familiar- she was home again. Her parents, her city, they had all surrendered. Her hometown was colonized by the fire nation, and she began to see how truly horrible that was. For one thing, the taxes were tremendous; the fire nation soldiers also claimed military rights over the goods made by the citizens, taking things for free from hard working civilians. Kala felt idiotic for taking so long to see the injustice, and was about to set out to fix it, when she was given a reason why she could not fight.

Another year had passed since she had come to the city, and she had been comatose the entire twelve months. During that time, they had discovered that she was pregnant- that was the factor which convinced her family to surrender, and caused a domino effect. While in her coma, Kala had been cut open by the fire nation soldiers, and her baby taken into their custody. All she was told was that the child had been a girl, and was still alive. Kala swore vengeance on the fire nation- however, she found that she had two newly formed weaknesses; her daughter, as she did not want them to harm her, and a fear of fire. The trauma from that fight had been enough to create a newfound phobia, which she could not help.

Upon receiving word from the fire nation soldiers that her husband had been accused of treason, and killed for it, Kala determined to set aside her fears, and do what she could. She caught wind of the avatar's death, and the subsequent birth of the new one, and set her mind on one new goal- to find and train the avatar as best she can, to help him defeat Sozin. She was smuggled out of the city by a wine merchant, and has proceeded to wander the world in search of the avatar.