[hider= Natalia Etkel]
[b]Name[/b]: Natalia Etkel
[b]Gender[/b]: ♀
[b]Appearance[/b]:
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[img]http://i.imgur.com/IjPrmjs.jpg?1[/img]
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[b]Starting Artifact(s)[/b]: Psyche Bracelet - Allows the user to sense the emotions of others. 
[b]Orphanage Hometown[/b]: Baston
[b]History[/b]: Growing up, Natalia was raised by a single mother, a drug addict that hardly paid any attention to her. So, she had to learn how to take care of herself and developed a disillusioned outlook on life. Natalia frequently wandered into the forest surrounding the town to escape from having to deal with her addicted mother. There, Natalia aimless roamed and observed the world around her while lost in thought. What was she going to do with her life? Natalia knew nothing of her father and her mother was too busy spending her time in a drug induced haze to get a coherent answer from her -- let alone provide for her like a normal parent. She had no good future prospects as it stood now.

In her outings, Natalia passed by many people living on the streets looking hopeless and dejected. If Natalia did nothing, she would most likely wind up like them. She was already barely feeding herself by foraging through the forest, using cues from wild animals to figure out what was safe and what wasn’t. As luck would have it, her mother died several months later due to drug overdose and Natalia gladly went to the local orphanage, Baston Orphanage. At the orphanage, Natalia ingratiated herself with the others. Connections were important, and a lot of the homeless adults had no connections with people that were able to help them. She was determined to never be put in a position where she had to rely on someone else’s mercy in order to live. 
 
When she turned 16, Natalia jumped on the offer to go to Liravel Orphanage. Although Natalia would accumulate debt, being transferred to Liravel would grant her an opportunity to become an Artificer and the ability to carve out a life for herself. 

[b]Personality[/b]: Thoughtful, smart, and fairly selfish, Natalia’s primary goal is to survive in an unfair world. 
[b]Theme Song[/b]:[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwohhs3LvRQ[/url]
[b]Theme Song[/b] (During fights): [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmOZL_0rj70[/url]
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[hider= Sirius]
[b]Name[/b]: Sirius 
[b]Gender[/b]: ♂
[b]Appearance[/b]:
[hider]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/OgRNzc6.jpg?1[/img]
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[b]Starting Artifact(s)[/b]: Light Ring - Allows the user to emit a beam of light that burns on contact
[b]Orphanage Hometown[/b]: Almerry
[b]History[/b]: Sirius lived a relatively normal life in Almerry until his parents abandoned him in the streets. Normally, Sirius would’ve been swept up by an orphanage, but a kindly old man took him in and essentially adopted him. While grateful towards the man, Sirius still harbored much resentment towards his parents. Being with the old man, who introduced himself as Nathaniel, softened Sirius over time. He watched as Nathaniel gave food to those that had none, draped blankets around the homeless, and helped virtually anyone he came across -- all the while not having much himself.

Soon, Sirius participated in Nathaniel’s activities too out of respect for his foster parent. He still didn’t understand why they had to give away things to no benefit of themselves. The townspeople warmed up to Sirius, throwing cheerful greetings his way whenever he passed by. He continued running these errands with Nathaniel and eventually accepted it as part of his life now. During a particularly harsh winter though, Nathaniel fell gravely ill. Sirius braved the blizzard outside to contact the local doctor and tell him about Nathaniel’s plight. Upon hearing the news, the doctor immediately rushed out into the unforgiving weather until he was at Nathaniel’s bedside. Unfortunately, Nathaniel was diagnosed with pneumonia and unlikely to survive the illness. Sirius felt crushed and helpless. He knew that there were artificers specialized in the healing arts, but those were much too expensive for a small town to pay for one. 

From then on, many townspeople would visit Nathaniel daily, bringing gifts and items to make the old man more comfortable. Sirius was overwhelmed by all the kind words directed towards him and Nathaniel. Moved, Sirius asked Nathaniel why and where all these people came from. The old man cracked a smile and said, “You’ve always wondered how giving to others benefited us, right?” Sirius mutely nodded. “It’s because material goods aren’t the only things that matter. Love, kindness, and a sense of meaning are things that no material good can ever replace and it is something that keeps on  giving.”
Nathaniel’s words rang true when somehow, the town had managed to pool enough money to request the service of a life artificer. Nathaniel turned it down (much to Sirius’s dismay), proclaiming that the life he lived was enough and thanking the townspeople for their generosity. 

The old man grew weaker and weaker everyday, but always had someone by his side taking care of him, amicably swapping stories, and laughing with him. When Sirius finally had some time alone with Nathaniel, he demanded to why the old man didn’t accept the town’s offer. Nathaniel retorted and gestured around him, “Is this not the perfect way to die, surrounded by friends and loved ones?” Indeed, there had not been a shortage of kindness or love in the past week or so and Sirius reluctantly agreed. 

Sirius was there when Nathaniel pressed a letter into his palm and peacefully passed away. He barely was able to read the note through the tears in his eyes. The letter laid out several paths Sirius could take from then on -- another family could take care of him and he’d live out the rest of his days wanting for nothing, or he could go to Liravel Orphanage and become an artificer. While the thought of having a loving family taking care of him was tempting, nothing could replace Nathaniel. In addition, being an artificer would grant him the ability to help more people in need. Remembering the way Nathaniel lived, Sirius made his choice.

[b]Personality[/b]: Strong sense of justice, level-headed, kind, and compassionate. 
[b]Theme Song[/b]: [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSLNiOMLYqU[/url]
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