[center][img]https://67.media.tumblr.com/de3092dc084ea1c1df0e072de62fd2c5/tumblr_nq0744RQTS1sk51m7o1_r2_500.jpg[/img] [color=gray][h3]"I was baptized thrice. Once in water as a child. Once in blood as an adult. And once in fire when I awoke."[/h3] [h1]Minerva Grimm[/h1][/color][/center] [b]Full Name:[/b] Minerva Iverson Grimm [b]Age:[/b] 37 [b]Gender:[/b] Female [b]Physical Appearance:[/b] Minerva has always looked more masculine than a typical female and acted as such. She has a firm muscular figure with stocky shoulders and stands a bit taller than most women, not to mention having a nearly flat bust. Her dark brown hair is always cut short and never does the woman wear any makeup, not even a bit of eyeshadow, but who needs to look pretty when you're out to collect Parliament heads? Her eyes, cold and dark, when you peer into them, it's as though you are staring into the gaping jaws of the endless Abyss. [b]Backstory:[/b] The first time Minerva ever killed someone, she was eight years old. Her father returned home drunk one night in a rage, and in a rather violent altercation with her mother, stabbed the woman fifteen times before turning to little Minerva with a murderous glint in his vicious, bloodshot eyes. Minerva ran from her father and hid in the woods behind their old, run down cabin. When her father, like a hungry beast, emerged from the corner, that's when he got a wood axe to the face. Minerva then proceeded to chop the man into several gory pieces. She walked to the nearby city in a daze covered in blood afterwards. The authorities caught her at the city gates. When asked what happened to her, they were horrified. Minerva looked at them with dark ebony eyes absent of emotion, like the eyes of a demon, simply whispering, [i]"I killed my father..."[/i] Minerva was too young to be tried, so instead she was declared insane and made a ward of the state. For the next eight years, Minerva endured the hardships and cruelty living under the state run orphanage and their religious doctrine, religious as in revering the High Chancellor as a god. Her mind was molded by their indoctrination, taught to hate those who were weak, feeble in the eyes of the Chancellor. The children were told they were the warriors of Heaven, sent to crush the enemies of their Lord and defend their holy land of Velorio from the infidels. Minerva took this to heart. At seventeen, Minerva enlisted in the State Military of Velorio and was deployed to serve in the annexation of Kalardia, a mineral rich continent. While most of the young recruits' innocence was shattered upon the field of battle, Minerva was numb to the horrors of war. The sight of bloody, burned, and mutilated corpses never once made her stomach turn. In fact, there was an account of a man's head being blown off right next to the soldier. While the others shook with terror, Minerva didn't even flinch, even as the man's blood and brains splattered all over her face. This numbness to death, as well as her prominent skills with firearms and bladed weapons made her a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Her unit would storm across the bloody plains on horseback and armored tanks, crushing the enemy forces beneath their feet and decimating her ranks. Some would even lay down their arms and surrender upon seeing that vicious woman riding forth with her cavalry sabre drawn. For years, she rose through the ranks of the Military, winning every battle in the name of her Chancellor. By the time she was twenty-two, Minerva was already a decorated Captain of the State's 175th Armored Cavalry Unit, the [i]Blitzkrieg[/i]. A musketball wound to the gut however took her out of the fight for months. She lied in recovery in the State Military Hospital ashamed she wasn't out on the fields fighting for her country and her glorious High Chancellor. While she was there however, Minerva became quite smitten with a nurse who tended to her everyday. Her name was Valerie duMare. Minerva eventually fell in love with Valerie and decided to go on leave after her stint in the hospital was up. The two moved from the city to the lovely countryside kn a cottage beside the Silver Lake. Minerva was not yet ready to retire from the Military and live a peaceful life. The transition from soldier to civilian took its toll on not just her, but Valerie as well. They were constantly bickering because of Minerva's panic attacks and often violent outbursts, the soldier slowly succumbing to postwar trauma. It all had come to the boiling point when Minerva discovered Valerie's terrible secret one night, when she caught the woman passing on classified intelligence to Kalardian soldiers. Valerie...was a spy. She was loyal to her country, yet Minerva loved Valerie too much to kill her. She was angered by the woman's betrayal and left Valerie for three years, without a single goodbye. In those three years, she suffered without her beloved, drinking heavily and causing trouble with the authorities. Then, one night she was arrested for smashing a man's face in with a whiskey bottle at the Scarlet Carson. She wasn't taken to jail however, but a Military barrack in the city. Before she knew it, soldiers were dragging her out of the Kommisar's carriage and throwing a burlap sack over her head. She was taken to a dark, empty room in the barracks where the young Governor, the general, and a captured Kalardian soldier with a bag over their head awaited her as the men tore the bag off Minerva. The general revealed to Minerva they knew Valerie was a spy and that Minerva was her lover. They were going to execute her, unless she proved her loyalty to the State and the High Chancellor by killing the captured soldier. They uncuffed Minerva and handed her a dagger. Minerva clutched the sinister blade in her hand, poised over the whimpering soldier with a murderous glare. She plunged the dagger straight into their chest, stabbing them numerous times before taking the knife and slitting the soldier's throat. Minerva made a terrible discovery soon after. As she yanked the bag from the dead soldier's head....there before her, slaughtered by her hand...was Valerie... Minerva let out a scream full of rage and attacked her general, carving the man up till there was nothing left. She rose covered in the man's blood, a ghastly, demonic look in her eyes towards the Governor. She lunged at him next, her bloody dagger raised high until- *BANG!* The young man drew his flintlock quickly and fired a shot into the woman's chest. She survived, but immediately after was burned to death by the Governor's men. As the flames charred her skin black, a ghostly figure appeared before her, like a man made of pure darkness, two glowing, phosphorous eyes peering into her damaged soul. It spoke to her from beyond the fire, whispering, [i]"Embrace the darkness. Embrace your hate. Seek the shadows, and seal your fate. The Abyss Walker calls, so answer to thee. Embrace the darkness, and be set free."[/i] Embrace the darkness...it said. She clutched it in her burning, bloody hands. After her death, her burnt corpse was thrown in a ditch to rot with the other dishonorable soldiers of Velorio. Suddenly, the skin grew back on her body good as new, a thick black mist enveloping her as she rose from her grave howling in agony. Her beloved...she had been tricked into killing Valerie. Even still she could feel the cold blood of deceit on her hands. Her eyes burned with Abyssal flames and her heart was filled with nothing but furious anger towards the State of Velorio, the Governor...and the High Chancellor. The Abyss Walker...that was its name, the one who gave her power over the darkness. She would use that power to wage a bloody war against the Parliament. ...And kill every last one of them. [b]Weapons:[/b] A highly trained soldier, Minerva is the true weapon while guns, knives, and swords are just the mere tools she utilizes. She is a proficient marksman and excels greatly in close quarters combat, both armed and unarmed. For the time being, Minerva gets the job done with two long steel daggers she keeps sheathed on both hips, an assortment of throwing knives, fire bombs, and a specially made one handed crossbow with poisonous steel bolts. [b]Magick:[/b] Becoming a conduit for the Abyss Walker has given Minerva wuite the repitoire of shadow-based spells and enchantments. She can disappear in a shroud of conjured black mist, summon shadowy tendrils to grasp her enemies and choke the life out of them, and teleport damn near everywhere. She can even summon shadow creatures, such as dogs, ravens, and rats to do her bidding. [b]Personality:[/b] Despite joining the Rebellion and eventually becoming leader, Monerva's never cared much about the [i]plight of the poor[/i] like Claudia. Her main goal is revenge against the Parliament. Whatever becomes of the others she doesn't honestly care. This has put her at odds with Claudia as the two clash ovr how to lead the Rebellion. Minerva has a strong war leader mentality and an intimidating presence. Those of weak will who gaze into her black, soulless eyes are sent fleeing in terror while mych stronger opponents simply shudder in fear. She does not tolerate any signs of weakness and lashes out angrily at those who fail her. Rarely, there are moments that show the bitter woman has a heart, but they are few and far in between. [b]Other Info:[/b] [hider=SPOILERS!] Minerva has no idea Claudia is planning secretly to overthrow her and lead the Rebellion herself. [/hider]