[hider=Serena Hale/Salem]
[center][h1][color=silver]Serena Hale[/color][/h1][/center]

[img]https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/118b82d5-a8a7-4ea5-a69d-4c9d600bab84/dm7yv68-d1a96c7c-fc92-42c5-b0cc-1b12a7439486.png/v1/fit/w_828,h_1242,q_70,strp/serena_hale___civilian_by_ryutheswordsman_dm7yv68-414w-2x.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTUzNiIsInBhdGgiOiIvZi8xMThiODJkNS1hOGE3LTRlYTUtYTY5ZC00YzlkNjAwYmFiODQvZG03eXY2OC1kMWE5NmM3Yy1mYzkyLTQyYzUtYjBjYy0xYjEyYTc0Mzk0ODYucG5nIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTEwMjQifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.jERmK6oj6OdjZHQI98Xzb8qFKh19lLZ8JDHFt5oK9yY[/img]

[I][center]"Stealing? Please. I'm just taking what's owed."[/center][/i]

Age: 27

Appearance: To say Serena Hale is beautiful would be an understatement. Years of heavy physical training and rooftop heists have left her with a figure that could rival most athletes. Her amber colored eyes carry a wicked twinkle that always seems to light up whenever she gets "excited" regarding a job or dispatch. Standing around 5'8, she always seems taller thanks to constantly wearing heels in her civilian attire. She claims it's her way of practicing "balance" since much of her former life required being on her toes constantly. In contrast to the form fitting attire she wears when she becomes Salem, Serena prefers to wear looser clothing when she's not in action. Another item she's never seen without is her Black Cat Talisman which she can wear either as a necklace or strapped to her purse. 

Role at SDN: Phoenix Program

Background: If there were ever a case study in being born under a bad sign, it was Serena Hale.

Serena was only seven years old when a freak accident claimed the lives of both her parents. With nowhere else to go, she moved into a rundown apartment complex in Reseda with her grandmother. The building was in a constant state of disrepair, and the residents often found themselves ignored by landlords and local authorities alike. When something broke, people either learned to fix it themselves or learned to live without it.

Serena adapted quickly. Small, athletic, and clever beyond her years, she developed a habit of sneaking into places she wasn't supposed to be. More than once, she found herself slipping into the office of the complex's corrupt superintendent to "borrow" tools and supplies that should have been available to tenants in the first place. What began as necessity slowly revealed a talent for getting in and out of places unnoticed.

Then, just before her thirteenth birthday, tragedy struck again. Serena's grandmother suffered a fatal heart attack, leaving her alone and entering the foster care system.

Among the few possessions left to her was a strange talisman shaped like a cat's paw. A note accompanying it claimed the charm had belonged to the Hale family for generations, dating back to the witch trials of colonial America. Whether the story was true or simply one of her grandmother's old family legends, Serena treasured the talisman. It became a reminder of the last person who had truly cared for her, and she rarely went anywhere without it.

In the months that followed, Serena began to notice that her luck seemed to be improving.

Opportunities appeared when she needed them most. Lost items turned up at convenient moments. Mistakes somehow went unnoticed. At first, she dismissed it as coincidence—or perhaps the comforting belief that her grandmother was still watching over her.

The turning point came during high school.

Competing for a limited spot on the gymnastics team, Serena found herself up against several more experienced athletes. Before one practice, a teammate offered her an encouraging pat on the shoulder. The touch sent a strange warmth through the cat-paw talisman Serena carried in her pocket. She thought little of it at the time.

Days later, the same teammate suffered an injury that forced her out of competition.

Serena made the team.

At first, she felt guilty for benefiting from someone else's misfortune. Then similar incidents began to occur elsewhere. A classmate who had bumped into her in a crowded hallway forgot an important assignment. Another who had shaken her hand before a competition suffered an improbable streak of bad luck. Individually, each incident was explainable. Together, they formed a pattern Serena could no longer ignore.

Every person whose fortunes seemed to worsen had one thing in common:

They had touched her.

Fearful of what she might be responsible for, Serena began investigating the talisman and the history of the Hale family. What she uncovered changed her life forever.

The cat-paw charm was no ordinary heirloom. It was a genuine magical artifact tied to an ancient form of witchcraft centered on fate, fortune, and probability. Through physical contact, the talisman could siphon luck from one person and transfer it to its bearer. More alarming still, the artifact appeared capable of acting on Serena's unconscious desires, draining fortune from others without her knowledge whenever she desperately wished for a different outcome.

For years, Serena struggled with what she had inherited. Yet as she grew older, curiosity gradually overcame fear. She studied the talisman, experimented with its limits, and unlocked new abilities. What began as the subtle theft of luck evolved into something far more potent. Stolen fortune could be stored, shaped, and weaponized, manifesting as supernatural energy that enhanced her agility and eventually took the form of spectral feline claws.

When Salem first appeared, few took her seriously. To the public, she seemed little more than another costumed cat burglar. A thief with a flair for theatrics and an unusual talent for escaping impossible situations. Security footage captured a masked young woman dancing through laser grids, slipping past guards, and vanishing moments before authorities arrived. Rumors spread that she was impossibly lucky.

Despite mostly stealing for herself, Salem would also take up jobs from criminal organizations when the payout was worth the risk. During a routine heist for the Red Ring, Salem didn't realize she walked headfirst into a sting operation. Surrounded by cops and SDN heroes, she panicked. Salem reached out and did a mass drain of the people around her. What followed was a city-wide blackout. Salem escaped. Several people lost their lives. 

After discovering what her powers had caused, Serena was overcome with guilt. In exchange for her cooperation, testimony against several criminal organizations, and a commitment to rehabilitation, she accepted a plea agreement that spared her from a lengthy prison sentence. Despite struggling with the consequences of her past, Serena is dedicated to making sure no one else suffers because of her mistakes.
 


[hider=Phoenx Program: Salem]
[center][h1][color=silver]Salem[/color][/h1][/center]

[img]https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/118b82d5-a8a7-4ea5-a69d-4c9d600bab84/dm7yv6m-73465c77-83cc-448a-97e0-a8a1d00f701f.png/v1/fit/w_828,h_1242,q_70,strp/serena_hale___salem_by_ryutheswordsman_dm7yv6m-414w-2x.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTUzNiIsInBhdGgiOiIvZi8xMThiODJkNS1hOGE3LTRlYTUtYTY5ZC00YzlkNjAwYmFiODQvZG03eXY2bS03MzQ2NWM3Ny04M2NjLTQ0OGEtOTdlMC1hOGExZDAwZjcwMWYucG5nIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTEwMjQifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.wmMTnZWxYJeDRoMrden60doR1D0ZlUdTm-O7067d7Vw[/img]

Appearance: Unlike most heroes, Serena doesn't need to "change" into a costume when she becomes Salem. A side effect of the talisman gives her the ability to create a shadowy catsuit around her. She resembles a cross between a cat burglar and a modern day witch. Shadows form around her whenever a fight is near. Made from stolen fortune, these shadows can form "tools" for Salem. Typically, she'll create a set of claws around her hands, but she can form whips, lock picks, and other items for her heist work.

Powers:
 - Luck Drain: Her talisman's main power. When she wants something bad enough, Salem can drain the luck from anyone who touches her. She takes this luck and can use it for herself or to "feed" the talisman's power. 
 - Shadows: By channeling the luck she's drained, Salem can form shadowy energy around her. This energy can be turned into weapons or tools to accomplish her tasks. Among the tools she can make are lock picks, a grappling hook, and even a platform to cross between spaces (She calls this her "Catwalk")

Crimes: Involuntary Manslaughter (Multiple Counts), Grand Theft, Burglary (Multiple Counts), Breaking and Entering, Criminal Association, Illegal Possession of a Restricted Magical Artifact
[/hider]


Likes: List some things your character likes
- Designer Brands
- Good Coffee
- Days where she doesn't need her powers

Dislikes: List some things your character dislikes
- Being reminded about her past
- Reseda (Too many bad memories)
- Cheap Sushi

Quirks: 
- Since joining Phoenix Program, Serena has been discreetly sending a portion of her paychecks to families affected by the blackout. She donates anonymously. Always.
- Because she gave up Red Ring secrets in exchange for leniency, Serena stays away from villain bars. She doesn't know who might have it out for her.
- Serena has a soft spot for cheesy action movies. She'll often say the Karate Kid movie was "the only good thing that came out of Reseda".
- Serena HATES being called "lucky". It doesn't make her angry. The word just means something very different for her. 

Stat Specialisations:

Combat:1
Vigor:1
Mobility: 5
Charisma:4
Intellect:4
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