[hider=Professor Mariana Guerra] [center][img]http://www.bellezavenezolana.net/2014/Octubre/21/Patricia-Velasquez-pantera-fina_NACIMA20140920_0048_6.jpg[/img][/center]

[b]Full Name:[/b] Mariana Paola Carmena Guerra (Formerly Guerra-Barnett)

  [b]Nicknames/Aliases:[/b] Mari; But also answers to: Mom; Mommy; MOOOM; We're Out of Milk; Have You Seen My Left Boot; But I Don't Want to Go to School!

  [b]Age:[/b] 47

  [b]Gender:[/b] Female

 [b]Primary:[/b] Defense

[b]Professor of Toxins and Levitation[/b]

[b]Secondaries:[/b] Toxins and Levitation


 [b] Description:[/b] Mariana is a medium-tall woman with a soft, slightly curvy build. Her facial features are gentle and pretty, if not showing some signs of age, with very expressive brows. She has kind brown eyes, medium olive-toned skin, and wavy black hair that falls to her mid-back when not tied up.

   [b]Personality:[/b] Mariana is a mother, and her patience with children and teens extends beyond her own. She is quick to mentor and take those in distress under her wing, and is always willing to lend and ear or a hug to someone in need. While her kindness is bountiful, her trust is hard-earned. She is cautious of others that she does not know, and while not mean, will keep them at a healthy distance until she can gauge their intentions. 

When it comes to protecting those she cares about, she has a fierce streak parallel to none. No means is to extreme to protect her loved ones, and her morality can become clouded in do-or-die scenarios. Her kindness is not weakness. 
    
  [b]Skills:[/b] Very strong defender, specializing in shield work; well-controlled toxin specialist; competent at levitation; basic combat and marksmanship ability; good judge of character; strong willed; basic first-aid ability, further assisted by toxins knowledge; cooking; cleaning; repair sewing; expert cleaner of both spilled milk and tears.

   [b]Weaknesses:[/b] Quick to make impulsive decisions when someone is in danger; easily swayed by the well-being of her children

  
  [b]Brief History:[/b] Mariana was born to the Guerra family, a modest Defender line living in Miami and known for inconsistent descendants. Some were decent shielders, about a quarter were very strong, and a quarter were born with no magical ability at all. Mari was one of lucky ones. 

In her late teens, she was courted by Martin Barnett, a young idealist from a considerably more prominent Defensive line than her own. At twenty, she was married and conceived a son. 

A few years after the birth of her first child, Barnett pressured her into joining an elite organization fighting for the future of the magical community. They spoke of a better world for magical children, and Mariana was more than happy to oblige her husband's wishes. By the time it became clear that this utopia was to be achieved by the mass genocide of anyone in opposition, it was too late. Mariana was afraid for her life and the life of her son if she chose to flee.

Barnett grew more fanatical in his fascism as time went on, becoming first verbally and then physically abusive toward Mariana. She dealt with it, keeping up the front of the loyal wife to protect her son. After about seven years, however, her child had not manifested a Primary magic. She grew worried. Another member of the cult, Roderick Montana, began reaching out to her so that the two formed a sort of trust. 

When her son turned ten, there was still no sign of magic. Barnett dragged him before several other members of the cult and forced him to undergo a ritual beating in the hopes of forcing a Defense magic to show itself. When that proved ineffective, the child was burned. Mari only found out that evening, when she saw the blood on her child's clothing. After tucking her son in for the night, she went to bed with her husband. 

Barnett never left that bed again, and Mariana and her son left the cult along with Montana, who made a very timely appearance in aiding their escape. 

Mariana subsequently left her child in the care of her parents in Miami, and went off to aid in the war effort, providing vital intel based on her insider experience. She found out that she was carrying another of Barnett's children a few months into the war, and left for a month after giving birth only to return with a renewed determination to protect the future of her children. 

She served alongside Montana on and off for the remainder of the Civil War, though she was bounced between bases whenever another shielder was needed elsewhere. Her friendship with Montana grew both during and after the war, though the two were frequently pulled in different directions over time. 

After the end of the war, Mariana became pregnant for a final time with her third child, and moved home to live with her family. She took up a modest tutoring post for other Guerra-line children, and was quite content with it up until the disappearances began. 

Mariana was offered a teaching post at Marchand as an emergency replacement, and took it so that her youngest son, now thirteen, could attend the school within the next year without having to be away from home.

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