[hider= Mirage] Name: Kassandra Keigwan Alias: Mirage Image/Description: Kassy is about 5’6 and rather pudgy, with dark skin and thick, curly white hair. Her eyes are bright orange, with wide pupils. She tends to wear feminine clothing and lots of jewelry, long skirts and a continuous lack of shoes when inside the base. Age: 16 Gender: Female Race: Atlantean Alignment: Hero Mentor: Technically Aquaman but they’ve never actually trained together, he’s more like her sponsor. Skills/Meta Abilities: *Illusions - Kassy's most versatile ability is that she can form illusions of all 5 senses. Sight and sound are the easiest for her; tactile illusions a bit more difficult. Smell and taste are possible for Kassy, but she's not very good at them; mostly because those are quite subjective. Her favorite tricks are to make herself invisible and soundless, leaving her able to easily surprise unaware enemies. Her illusions do not work on robots or electronic devices, and most of the time, animals won't be fooled by the sight/smell illusions. The more people she is trying to fool, the weaker the illusions are. *Resistance - Kassy has a natural resistance, and in some cases, immunity to other mental attacks. Another illusionist will be ineffective against her, and another mind controller would have to be extremely powerful (and only focused on her) to defeat her. *Atlantean Physiology: Due to generations of living under the sea, Atlantean have evolved to breathe underwater and be far superior to any other human. *Staff combat – Kassy’s magic staff is very durable, and she’s learned to use it as a physical weapon. The octopus figure topping it is weighted, and packs a punch. *Knife combat – While she would much prefer to stay out of the action, if she has to, Kassy can defend herself with a small hooked fishing knife. Weaknesses: *Aquatic form - Kassy has to sleep submerged in water, and has to drink constantly to properly maintain a bipedal form. If she gets dehydrated, she reverts back to what many would call a 'merperson'. Further dehydration would be fatal. While she does drink almost constantly to counteract this weakness, there is no way around this part of her physiology. *No Confidence – Kassy is capable of more than she knows. Due to her Atlantean physiology, she is capable of great strength and has superhuman durability as well. However, she doesn’t really believe she can do anything spectacular. She is usually convinced she will fail, and punishes herself harshly for not meeting expectations. *Controlled Suppression – Some elements of Kassy’s power have been blocked off by her own extensive training, due to the dangerous and forbidden aspect. She has the ability to use them, but would have to concentrate or be under severe duress to bring them to the forefront. Equipment: *Mage Armor – Kassy’s battle dress is magically reinforced to be durable and element resistant, made of the same material that other Atlanteans’ suits. It also absorbs water, to keep her cool and hydrated in battle. *Elemental Staff – The staff Kassy carries is made of metal with a magical core, and it’s covered in various runes. She has elemental spells ‘programmed’ in, ones that she can use at will to control fire, water, air and earth. There is a figure of an octopus that tops the staff, whose eyes light up to correspond with the running spell. (Kassy has named this figurine Damiek.) *Static Illusion charm – Kassy has a seashell-shaped pendant that she wears when outside of the team quarters. It gives her a human appearance, changing her white hair to black, and her orange eyes to a more human-standard brown. When she’s at home with the others, she leaves it off. Personality: Kassandra comes off as initially shy and reserved, an unusual trait for a hero. She keeps to herself. She seems somewhat unconfident in her abilities, despite being vetted just like the others. However, once she warms up to people, she is sweet-hearted and charming, always ready with a smile for others and a kind word. She has a strong sense of justice and will fight for others faster than she will defend herself. Likes: Food, jewelry, music, singing (though she never sings in front of others) Dislikes: extreme heat, being the center of attention, peanuts Backstory: Kassandra was born with a rare type of magic, one that had been systematically expunged from her race's DNA long before she was born. Magic powers over the spirit, the mind, the unconscious - things that couldn't be quite quantified or explained. Many centuries ago, Atlanteans with that kind of power used it to do all sorts of unspeakable things. Rule over others, change their emotions, create forced loyalty or fear, or love. They were called 'sirens'. It took a massive uprising to release them from the sirens' control, but once they did, they took care to try and kill each and every siren they found, whether they had done anything wrong or not. Some survived, burying their power and keeping it hidden, never staying in one place for fear of discovery. Kassy's grandfather could read minds. Her mother could speak to the dead. Kassy herself can cast illusions of all sorts, tricking minds into seeing or hearing things. Her mother and father traveled the planet, never staying in one place for a long time. Her mother took work from those who didn't hate her power, and they lived this way until Kassy was about eight. Her mother's spirit was torn from her body in the middle of a channeling, and despite attempts to keep her vessel alive, her body ceased to live. Her distraught father took young Kassy to the home of her aunt, promising to return for her soon. He never did. Young Kassy grew up isolated. She was shunned by the townspeople, and shamed by her aunt. Her aunt considered her a freeloader and a budding sociopath, and was determined to beat the magic out of her. Her uncle did nothing to stop his wife's poor treatment of their niece. Kassy's only solace was in her cousin Leonce, who ignored his mother's opinions and treated her as a sister. The two grew up close, and he was her savior many times over. Her aunt was not much kinder to her own son, and as soon as her cousin became of age, he pledged (married) to someone and moved far away from home. While he did offer to take Kassy with him, she declined. Left on her own, Kassy honed her magic in secret, growing more controlled and powerful by the turn of each tide. All she had to do was make it four more years, and then she would be an adult in the eyes of the law. Unfortunately, four years proved to be too long. Her aunt’s attitude got worse, and without her cousin interfering, Kassy felt she was close to snapping. After one particularly rough night, Kassy gathered what she had and left home, determined to find somewhere that she belonged. She swam on and on, only stopping permanently in the massive city of Atlantis. When browsing the market for food, she ran into - and stopped - a robbery attempt with quick use of her magic. Instead of being thankful, the man she helped was terrified. She didn't have time to consider the consequences of using her magic in such a public space, and word spread like squid ink in clear water. She was arrested that same night, and brought to the palace. Although the guards were skeptical of how someone who was still just a girl could be dangerous, Kassy agreed to go, already defeated in spirit and feeling she deserved to be in prison. She spent the night locked up, most of it crying and absolutely certain she’d never see the outside world again. With the new morning came a change in fate. Kassy was fed, bound, and led to an official chamber for sentencing. There she was introduced to no less than the king of Atlantis, Arthur Curry himself. Her immediate thought was that the lifetime in prison she thought she was destined for had been upgraded to an execution. However, the king took pity on her, saying that she had potential – not to be a hindrance, but a hero. They spoke for hours, and by the end of it, Kassy agreed to his offer to be trained as a royal magician. She was given a room, a small stipend, and several tutors. Her skill grew, and her magic flourished. When the King got word of the new Titans team being formed, he volunteered Kassy for it. Kassy still isn’t sure she’s the right fit. [/hider]