[hider=Isana WIP] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/CNk9vmY.jpg[/img][/center] [center]"I've seen the end of the world...my past fears seem trivial in comparison."[/center] [h3][b][i]Isana Marcia Kaides[/i][/b][/h3] [b]Age:[/b] 19 y/o [29 y/o] | [b]Height:[/b] 5'11 (180 cm) | [b]Voice:[/b] Soft-spoken mezzo [h3][i]First Life[/i][/h3] [hider=Backstory] Her earliest memories of happiness are so faint, she sometimes doubts they were real at all. A strong, loving mother. An incredible older sister. A precious baby sister. Those halcyon days when they could still laugh together, unaware of one fundamental truth: The world was a cruel place. It first bared its fangs when Ophelia was nearly assassinated at three. The attempt left her a wreck. A young life, irrevocably altered. [i]Forever.[/i] How? That was her first question. How could it have happened? Her mother was the strongest woman she knew; her father the strongest man. With all their power, how could anyone attack their family – and succeed? [i]What was the point of all that power, if it couldn’t protect their loved ones?[/i] Why? That was the second question. Why would anyone want to hurt sweet, innocent little Fi? That answer came far too soon. The whispers. The stares. [i]The judgement.[/i] “Well, [i]that one[/i] was born a country hick, after all…” [i]“Serves them right.”[/i] “The tallest fall the hardest.” Envy. Pity. Hatred. False sympathy. “Oh, it’s a shame the youngest was crippled. At least the older two–” There it was. The expectation that they would excel. Estelle did. A prodigal huntress born to a genius swordswoman. Blood had bred true, they said. But Isana? She couldn’t muster the same resolve. Her body was whole, but her soul wasn’t. Her spirit was weak. Damaged. How often did she wake to Ophelia’s cries? Her sister’s harrowing wails as she was plagued by nightmares? How often was [i]Isa[/i] the one beset by nightly terrors? But she hated the worry in her family’s eyes. She didn’t deserve it, not when Ophelia suffered the most. So, she learned to keep quiet. She stifled the screams, hid the fear, buried the pain. For a time, she managed to pretend she was fine. She wasn’t, but she was [i]supposed[/i] to be. She was a Kaides, after all. For a time, Isana convinced herself that she [i]was[/i] okay. At home, surrounded by her family, she thought that, just maybe, they could be alright again. That illusion shattered at twelve, during an in-house Kaides tournament. She entered the stadium, alone. She [i]felt[/i] their eyes. Saw them staring. Her heart slammed against her ribcage, and refused to settle. [i]Thump.[/i] [i]THUMP.[/i] [b]THUMP.[/b] She gasped. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Shaking like a leaf, she forced herself step by step until she stood in the centre of the arena. They were cheering, but for what? To see her win? To see her fail? She never found out. Mid-match, she was knocked out. They claimed she’d fallen ill. But Isana knew the truth. [i]Something was wrong with her.[/i] She failed, and there was no explanation for it. She turned to the only solution she could think of. She trained harder. Studied more. Yet, at the Collegem, she ran into the same problem once again. In some exercises, she performed adequately. In others, it was as if she forgot everything she knew. Ultimately, the verdict came: She was a disappointment. She lived like a shadow, avoiding the spotlight. She did alright when working solo or supporting others. But [i]alright[/i] wasn’t enough. Not for a Kaides. Then, without warning, her worst nightmare returned. Estelle was attacked, nearly killed. Isana’s mind blanked. Static filled her head. For days, she drifted. Until one day, she found herself holding a knife to the neck of one of Estelle’s so-called [i]teammates[/i]. She didn’t know how it had come to that. Didn’t know what she would have done had she not been stopped. They called her mad. She thought the world was. After that, people left her alone. The exceptions were those few who tried to corner her. But she followed Ophelia’s example, learned how to make them pay. Estelle fled home at 20. Isana wasn’t surprised. Why would anyone stay in such a hostile environment? She consoled Ophelia. “She will be back, you’ll see.” Months passed without a sign. “I’m sure she’ll visit.” A year went by. Still nothing. At 21, she gently patted Fi’s head, and said, “I will find her, alright?” It never occurred to her that Ophelia might want to join her. But the truth was, Isana had another reason for leaving. She had come to a terrible conclusion: someone within the Kaides family must have orchestrated the attack on Estelle. Nothing else made sense. She wouldn’t serve a house where monsters hid in plain sight and rot festered deep beneath the gilded surface. She traveled far enough that no one recognized her as a Kaides. She signed up at a local Adventurer’s guild, taking on solo missions. Pursuing rumours of a giant, one-eyed bowwoman - Estelle. She never found her. But she did find something else: friends. They met by chance. She was clearing out goblins in a ruined settlement, picking them off one by one. A commotion disturbed her. A hobgoblin leapt from a crumbling rooftop toward a quartet of adventurers. Another emerged from inside. Curiosity drew her in. She watched them fight. They lacked experience and stamina, but they were determined. Goblins from vicinity began swarming them. A single misstep, and their leader faced certain death. Isana moved on instinct. Her blade plunged through the hobgoblin’s neck, striking from behind. “MOVE!” she barked, and the four listened. Though strangers, they fought with surprising unity. Isa filled their gaps with her skill. Together, they cleared out the nest of goblins. That night, they celebrated with drinks and laughter. Afterwards, Isa simply…stayed. At times, she worked alone, but more and more, they took missions as a team. They trained together. Ate together. Lived together. For the first time, someone outside her sisters and mother valued her for who she was. She never revealed her last name, but told them about her sisters. They helped her gather leads. Encouraged her to visit home. After a year, she did. But standing before Ophelia, she didn’t know what to say. Her sister seemed so distant now. Instead of trying to talk it out, she left gifts from her travels, then left. The next visits were the same. Then the war began. Battle became her life. Desperation coloured her world. Respite came only in brief, broken moments. So many strangers died, their lives became mere numbers. When a friend fell, there was no time to grieve. When she awakened her Aura, she didn’t rejoice – it was just another weapon to use in humanity’s last stand. At Hadrum, she finally reunited with both sisters. But their mother was gone. Only two of her friends remained. Then, they all were killed. A bitter end.[/hider] [b]Biggest Failure:[/b] She gave up on herself before trying. She ran from her pain, her family, and her name, and thus, left behind people who needed her. She turned her back on House Kaides, and by the time she wanted to help, it had been too late. [b]Biggest Regret:[/b] Besides the war itself? She wishes she’d been able to share what little happiness she found with her sisters. [b]Biggest Obstacle:[/b] For most of her life, she was hounded by anxiety, mistrust, and social judgement. Later, as she learned to overcome her fear, she discovered a deep-seated grudge. She came to hate the whole damned ‘Kaides equals greatness’ mentality. It was flawed, it was hurtful, and ultimately, she was sure it was the cause of their downfall. She will need them, but hell, can the Kaides and their worshippers be a gut-curdling lot. [b]Greatest Achievement:[/b] Even as the "Failed Generation," there had to be ONE good thing that happened to you. Maybe it was stolen away, but at least for one brief moment...You were happy. [b]Driving Hope:[/b] Her friends and her family. The people she loved were her true treasure. In the end, desperation kindled a new idea. The faintest, impossible hope that if they succeeded, they might once again experience peace. [h3][i]Equipment[/i][/h3] (You can give yourself something nice for the scenes before you die if you'd like, lol. Different materials conduct Aura/Mana to greater degrees. Aura-user Equip: Iron Weapon > Steel > Mythril > ??? Magic-user Equip: Bone Wand/Staff/Deco > Gold Deco > Wooden Wand/Staff > ??? Remove this blurb.) [list][*]Preferred Weapon Type/Magic Focus/Important Tool [*]blank[/list][h3][i]Abilities[/i][/h3] [list][*]Physical Strength: 1st Rate [*]Aura: 2nd Rate [*]Magic: 0th Circle [list][*]Blindside - In a moment of enemy’s inattention, she delivers an incapacitating strike. Exploits blind spots, targets least defended areas.[/list][/list][/hider] Will fill in the missing touches tomorrow. Feedback appreciated. Will also create the NPC blurb for their mother, I'm definitely accepting name recommendations for the mother, heh.