[hider=Isana]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/CNk9vmY.jpg[/img][/center]
[center][color=de8f4e]"I've seen the end of the world...my past fears seem trivial in comparison."[/color][/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] She and her adventuring friends had many small victories Though insignificant in the grand scheme of things, yet precious to them. Isana's last happy memory came during the war, when her friends were all still alive. In 1014, they reclaimed an occupied bridge and freed nearby settlements. That night's celebration felt like the old times; laughter, warmth, and the faint illusion of peace.

[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]
[list][*]Shortsword & daggers
[*]Leather armour, a hooded cape
[*]Alchemical solutions: poisons, 'smoke bombs'
[*]Slingshot and ammo
[*]Misc tools (wire...)[/list][h3][i]Abilities[/i][/h3]
[list][*]Physical Strength: 1st Rate
[*]Aura: 2nd Rate 
[*]Magic: 0th Circle 
[*]Skills:
[list][*]Blindside - In a moment of enemy’s inattention, she delivers an incapacitating strike. Exploits blind spots, targets least defended areas.
[list][*]Sub-Sub-List for Upgrades.[/list][/list][/list][/hider]

[hider=Isana's adventuring party]
[table]
[row][cell][img]https://i.imgur.com/0E49irn.png[/img][/cell][cell]Eustace "Ace"
[color=#2E2C2C].
.
.
.
.
.
.
.[/color][/cell][cell]Charismatic, kind, private.
A lord of a Noxicana-Vassal family.
Disillusioned with politics, he left.
He set out to see the world,
and gathered trustworthy allies.
Isana saved him in 1009.
He died in 1017 at Hadrum.
[color=#2E2C2C].
.[/color][/cell][cell]Mace and shield warrior
Leader, tank, support
2nd Circle mage
Light spells to distract enemies
[color=#2E2C2C].
.
.
.
.[/color][/cell][/row]
[row][cell][img]https://i.imgur.com/wBpAldE.png[/img][/cell][cell]Miles[/cell][cell]Born to a militant family. 
Dismissed as dim-witted in his youth. 
Taken advantage of, he was robbed blind.
Not knowing what to do, he joined Eustace.
He died in 1015, defending the capital.[/cell][cell]Sword and shield warrior
Tank and DSP
Notable skill: Cleave[/cell][/row]
[row][cell][img]https://i.imgur.com/taBlyeV.png[/img][/cell][cell]Vivian "Vivi"[/cell][cell]Abandoned as a baby for unknown reasons.
Adopted by elves.
She became a wanderer, sightseeing.
Joined up with Eustace on a whim.
She stayed for the friendship and fun.
She died in 1017 at Hadrum.[/cell][cell]Archer
DSP, support
Agile, keen eye-sight
Bow & arrows, hunting knife[/cell][/row]
[row][cell][img]https://i.imgur.com/gN8dWwC.png[/img][/cell][cell]Amaryllis "Amy"[/cell][cell]Clever but deemed strange since childhood.
A bookworm and aspirant academic.
Studied at an Arkivum affiliated academy.
Seeking rare spells, interested in 'dark' magic, 
she became an adventurer.
Eustace and Vivian convinced her to join.
She died in 1015, defending the capital.[/cell][cell]4th Circle Mage
Support
Spells to bind, daze, confuse
Notable: Shadow bind, Smoke cloud[/cell][/row]
[/table][/hider]