[hider=Isabella Nunes]
[center][h2]Isabella Nunes[/h2][/center]

Age: 21 

Appearance: Isabella is a little above average height for a woman her age, at 5’ 8”, with a build that is noticeably muscular and athletic, particularly around the arms and shoulders. Her skin is a light brown, tanned, with reddish brown hair, not vibrant enough to be called auburn, and her eyes are a dark brown that is almost black. Calloused hands show the signs of her work ethic and she has a scar on the knuckles of her right hand from one of the times she pushed herself too hard.

She could be described as having harsh features, but a lot of that just comes from her expression; even so, she has an angular face, with a sharp pointed chin, cheekbones that are just about visible and a thin nose. 

When it comes to clothing Isabella tends to keep things simple, while also prioritising clothing that is durable or multi-purpose; a leather jacket that looks well worn, with scratches around the elbows and the hem, a pair of jeans that are faded and torn, but weren’t when she bought them, various pieces of clothing that show signs of repair. She had never been in a position in her life where she could afford many luxuries, so any clothing she buys needs to have a reason to be in her wardrobe and tough enough that she doesn’t often need to worry about replacing things that break or get worn down.

In her sorcerer form, Isabella looks much the same. Her clothing changes to be heavier and darker, with a black leather jacket that has a collar made of coarse brown fur, black jeans made of thick and durable denim and a pair of heavy black boots; different from her normal clothing but not much different from what she would choose to wear herself. The biggest differences are in her eyes, now dark throughout with pitch black sclera, and her finger nails which are also completely black. 

Pronouns: She/Her

Personality:
-	Self-sufficient: Isabella has always had to take care of herself, as no one else was dependable enough to rely on. It has meant that she had to mature faster than those around her, leaving her out of sync with her peers. If something needs to be done, she will always try to do it herself first and asking for help is anathema to her.
-	Hardworking: Growing up she developed the mentality that it she didn’t do things for herself then they wouldn’t get done. Isabella is someone who is always willing to put the effort in when it is needed; a job left unfinished or a job done poorly will just create problems further down the road.
-	Driven: Isabella is not content with her current situation and is looking for a way out. There are better things ahead, but they will not come to her unless she puts in the effort to reach them. She will keep moving forward.
-	Serious: She doesn’t have time for fun or relaxation when there are things to be done.
-	Mistrustful; People have let her down in the past, people who should have been there for her. Isabella does not count on other people to help her, nor does she expect them to come through for her in her time of need. She is alone.

Aspirations, Goals, ideals, or Ambitions: Prior to becoming a sorcerer, Isabella’s ambition was just to… succeed. To finish college with a good degree, to get a job with decent pay, most likely as a physical trainer or maybe a physical therapist, to not have to constantly count pennies or worry about how to cover next month’s bills. To reach a place of stability, if had to sum it up.

Since she made the contract though, and found out about spirits and sorcerers and the veil and all of that stuff? Nothings really changed. Things have become more complicated, she had more responsibilities to think off, but she also has more opportunities at the same time. The world has gotten larger, scarier, but… nothings really changed.

A place of stability. That’s still the goal.

History:
[hider=A short novel]
Isabella’s parents were young when her mother become pregnant; it had been unplanned and neither of them felt like they were ready for the responsibility at the time, her mother was nineteen and her father twenty, but they also didn’t see any alternative once they were in that situation. Both came from religious families, they were both raised with certain beliefs that made the idea of not having the baby unpalatable and they both feared how their families would react even if it was an option. As such, Isabella was born and Carlos and Maria Nunes became parents.

At the time Carlos had just started working at a mechanic’s shop owned by a friend of his father’s, while Maria had yet to find work after dropping out of high school in her last year, meaning that the couple did not have much of an income between them. Nonetheless, though they hadn’t been planning on it, the two of them moved in together following the birth of their daughter and moved in a small apartment that they could barely afford; this decision was also made partly due to the expectations of their families, even though such a living arrangement was difficult for them financially. Isabella’s mother began to look for work only a few months after she was born in order to bring more money into the household, leaving her in the care of either her parents while she did so.

Money was always a concern for their family. Both of Isabella’s parents were working long hours just to keep their heads above water in a situation that neither of them were prepared for. As such, her parents relied heavily on the support offered by Isabella’s grandparents; specifically those on her mother’s side, as Maria’s parents lived closer to them and both were retired, meaning they were more available than Carlos’s. As such, as a child Isabella was raised more by her maternal grandparents than she was her mother and father. This support, while at times necessary, was also something of a double-edged sword, as it provided the young and somewhat unwilling parents to avoid having to learn how to raise a child and push the responsibility onto others.

If they sometimes handed Isabella off to her grandparents for longer than was necessary, or when they could have taken care of their daughter themselves, it was intentional.

Her mother’s parents were strict people; hard people set in their ways and though they were happy to help the young couple at first, what was being asked of them now was beyond just helping. They were disappointed in their daughter for having a child so young and then being unable to care for her, they were also disappointed in her for dropping out of high school in the first place; while they were not so heartless as to completely neglect Isabella they did not do the things that they saw as a parents responsibility in the hopes that either of her parents would step up. As they did not, this meant that Isabella was slow to develop in certain areas, but not in others; for example she learned to walk and talk just fine, but struggled when it came to reading because her parents were never around to read to her and her grandparents wouldn’t do it in their stead.

This left Isabella at a disadvantage when it came to her education, not just because she was behind by the time she started school, but because there was nobody at home who could or would help her with homework or school projects. She underperformed compared to her peers in class and would often fail to hand in homework or hand in incomplete work, which led to her often getting in trouble. When she tried to explain to her teachers that she didn’t understand the homework, she was told to ask her parents, when she tried to ask her parents she was told to ask her grandparents and when she tried to ask her grandparents she was told to ask her teachers or her parents.

It wasn’t until two years into school that Isabella met a teacher who was willing to give her the extra attention and tutoring that she needed to catch-up with her peers, someone who was willing to ask why she was underperforming instead of just punishing her for it. They quickly found out about her home situation and the lack of support she was receiving; her parents were called into the school, only for them to send Isabella’s grandparents in their stead, who then proceeded to push the responsibility back onto the teachers in a circular conversation that led nowhere. It was not until the end of that school year that her teacher was finally able to get a hold of her parents and explain the situation to them that her parents finally stopped burying their head in the sand.

However, even now that they were the parents of a six year old child, Isabella’s parents were not much better prepared than they had been when she was born. They were present and they were trying, but they were still overworked and Isabella still found herself without the support she needed; it was just that now, instead of the indifference of her grandparents she was met with the unavailability and inability of her parents. She had expected them to help with her homework, or to read her stories, or to come to school events; sometimes they did, but more often than not they couldn’t. It came as a disappointment, even at that age she [i]knew[/i] to be disappointed, but if there was any silver lining to her situation it was the fact that had taught her how to figure stuff out for herself. She now had a teacher who was understanding and willing to offer extra help and Isabella had learned when to ask and when to figure stuff out herself, rather than to wait for help that wasn’t coming.

A few years later, when Isabella was nine or ten, things changed again. The owner of the mechanic’s shop her father worked at had decided to retire and he was going to hand the business over to Carlos. It meant he was going to be even busier from then on, work even harder, but it also meant he would bring more money home with him; this in turn meant that Maria didn’t need to work as often and could afford to take fewer shifts, leaving her more time with Isabella. But while the presence and attention of a parental figure was appreciated, Isabella had by this point long figured out that it was often easier or just better to be self-sufficient in whatever areas she could manage; making herself breakfast or lunch, getting herself ready for school and dealing with school work were all things she could and would do herself. Even when her mother or father offered to help or tried to play a bigger role in her life, she would often reject them; not harshly, but just saying she had things handled.

In the years since, Isabella has only learned to become more and more independent; if she can do something herself, she will, and if she can’t she will figure out the best person to ask and then learn how to do it herself next time. Her teenaged years were defined by her attempts to be fiercely self-reliant, even when it wasn’t practical; studying by herself, learning how to do her own chores, even getting a part-time job as soon as she was able to so that she could begin saving up money just in case. A year after entering high-school she began taking lessons at a boxing gym, which she begrudgingly let her parents pay for after some arguing, so she could even defend herself if need be.

The result was that she developed into a very capable person at a young age; smart, hard-working, driven. However it also meant that she was harder, as a person, than someone as young as her should be. In some ways Isabella had made her life more difficult than it needed to be, by placing a lot of responsibility on her own shoulders and eschewing help were it was available; in doing so she also consciously created rift between herself and her parents, who found themselves at a loss of how to interact with their daughter who was actively trying to avoid needing them.

After graduating high school, Isabella moved out of her parent’s place as soon as she could; moved to a whole new city. Her hard work had earned her a scholarship; nowhere fancy, just some college in a place called Millburn City, but that was good enough. The money she had saved up over the last few years was spent setting herself up in a tiny apartment long enough for her to find more part time work, and the money she earned from that was enough to keep the roof over her head and food in the fridge while she attended lectures and worked towards a degree.

Living in a tiny apartment, earning a wage that barely covered the bills while she worked to keep her head above water long enough to maybe swim to shore one day? Young and out of her depth and less prepared for her situation than she thought she was? Isabella’s situation wasn’t too different from the one her parents had found themselves in.

And she would hate the comparison.
[/hider]

Contract(s): Standard

Contract Interaction: 
[hider=Read the fine print]
There was a weight pressing down on her. A crushing, smothering weight that kept her from sitting up and which made it hard to breathe. It was uncomfortable, but strangely enough it wasn’t an unfamiliar sensation; Isabella knew was it was like to feel under [i]pressure[/i], even if this was a little more literal.

[i]Oh, but what if there was a way to free yourself of the burden?[/i]

There was. It was college; it was a degree and the job that would come with it. Money, stability, self-reliance.

[i]But those things are[/i] sooooo [i]far away. And there’s no guarantee you’ll ever achieve them.[/i]

She would. She was capable of it.

[i]All by yourself?[/i]

She’d always been by herself. It had never stopped her before.

[i]Just because you’re moving forward doesn’t mean you’re going anywhere, you know?[/i]

…

Power. [i]That’s what you need. Those with power can get money. Power brings with it stability. Power gives you self-reliance. Do you want power?[/i]

Yeah, of course. Who doesn’t.

[i]That’s all I needed to hear.[/i]
[/hider]

Level: 1

Key: A cross pendant necklace. Isabella isn’t religious, but it was a gift from her grandmother on her father’s side that she always wears.

Mana Colour: Purple.  

Artifact points: 2
[list]
[*]Weapon (1 point) – A pair of brass knuckles.
[*]Talisman (1 point) – A little silver cube, attached to a charm bracelet. Notable only for the fact that it is the only charm Isabella has.
[/list]

Artifacts: Isabella’s weapon looks relatively mundane; just a regular set of brass knuckles, albeit one made of dull black metal. They are imbued with a piece of a Nightmares power; the dread weight that sits atop your chest and makes it hard to move, that locks you in place and keeps you in a state of paralysis even after you wake.

Every time Isabella hits an opponent with the brass knuckles, they will feel a slight weight settle on their shoulders. Barely noticeable at first, but with each hit it will increase until every step feels heavy and plodding and their movements become sluggish. The feeling with fade after about a minute, but the timer will be reset whenever Isabella lands the next hit.

Her talisman is also fairly ordinary looking; a little silver cube with black lines drawn diagonally on each face, one running from the top-left corner to the bottom-right and two short lines on either side of it. It is attached to a charm bracelet she wears on her left wrist and is the only charm on said bracelet.

The talisman has the same power at her weapon, but much stronger and shorter lived. When activated it places a huge sense of weight atop the target; not enough to harm them, but usually enough to pin them in place or even drive them to the ground. The effect only lasts a few seconds at most before ending.

Familiar: Isabella’s familiar with a Nightmare. Not a creature responsible for bad dreams, as the name suggests, nor a manifestation of a bad dream; Nightmares are creatures that feed off of the dreams of humans, by sitting atop their chest as they sleep and draining them. Such creatures are responsible for the phenomena of sleep paralysis and though they usually cannot be seen their presence can be felt as a crushing, suffocating weight that holds you in place.

Nightmare’s vary in their appearance, but the one Isabella contracted with takes the form of a rat; a particularly ugly, mangy looking rat. Isabella tries to avoid dealing with it as much as possible.

[/hider]