Character sheets

[Anastasia]

No 'witty' title here, just the basics. Put sheets here.

[Dracos]

Bureau of Paranormal Activity, Advanced Human Research Division Personnel Files
Top Secret Clearance Required

Personnel Data
Name: Kunia Makoto Thorssen the "Ruffian"
Rank: Captain
Current Unit: 1st Allied Special Ops under commanding officer Major General Haxton Briggs
Age: 25
Height: 9'4''
Weight: 318 lbs
Eyes: Green
Hair: Brown, long and loose.

HP: 110 HP
EP: 60 EP
ACV: 9
DCV: 6
HP recovery: 32 normal, 64 resting
EP Recovery: 30 normal, 60 resting

Body: 12
Mind: 2
Soul: 10

Traits/Flaws/Hobbies:

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Traits
Overwhelming Strength (Body) - With the stature of a giant and supernatural strength, Kunia's blows simply hit like tank shells by themselves.  Her long reach lets her more easily connect in a melee (+1 ACV) and deliver blows that can tear through metal (x2 ACV damage).

Amazing Durability (Body) - Through a combination of some of the best lightweight (to her) body armor the US has to offer and increased muscle density, Kunia is especially hard to injure.  Taking her down without gunfire or other artillery is just an exercise in frustration and it's amazing how she can actually keep going after being shot repeatedly.  She ignores the first 7 points of damage on any hit.  This doesn't negate it hurting though and tough as she is, she's still flesh and blood.

Backstreet Saavy (Mind) - Familiar with ne'er-do-wells and thugs from a life of trawling the backstreets, Kunia is easily able to banter and track the flows of the underground in a way unexpected from the uneducated girl.  Her experience there is something that can felt by others who've spent time back there, allowing them to realize that she is one of their own.  In the context of sub-city living, Kunia gets a -5 bonus to her mind rolls, experience and intuition covering for cleverness.

Lightning Magic (Soul) - Kunia can channel lightning to strengthen her body and her attacks.  While it doesn't go far beyond her body, she's a natural as well at frying electrical equipment.
   Overload - 10 EP - For pretty much any electronic system Kunia is in hand to hand contact with, she can funnel more electricity than it is able to handle.  Put a hand against a primary computer system and nothing is going to get that working again.  A tank's firing controls?  Gone.  (Special Effect, Destroys/Overheats electronic systems as if someone plugged them into a lightning bolt)
   Lightning Legs - 9 EP - Gathering quite a lot of charge, Kunia confuses people's motor skills.  Against anything with a normal nervous system, this often causes jitters for several minutes that interfere with defense.  It can be done with her hands, but she usually channels it through a kick.  Lucky, nobody is around to call her thunder thighs?  (X3 ACV Damage, -1 to DCV, can stack to -2). 
   Electric Punch - 5 EP - Gathering just a bit of charge, Kunia augments her strikes, doing a bit more damage than her already bear strong blows do.  Usually used when she's tearing through metal though, as most people can't stand up after a few of her punches anyway.  (X3 ACV damage)
   Shock Shield - 10 EP - Lasts for 3 hits.   Kunia cloaks her form in electricity.  This does not provide damage reduction or increased DCV, but instead returns ACV damage on offensive direct contact (does not do anything for ranged attacks).  If it is not discharged by enemies, she needs to find a ground to get rid of it, as it isn't discretionary (will damage anyone that touches her).  Normal soil is generally fine for that though.
   Supreme Thunder - 25 EP - The most strenuous of Kunia's magical skills, Kunia simply pulls forth enough electricity to flash-fry anything nearby.  Dealing electrical damage to everyone in a fifteen foot radius of her, it is indiscriminate crowd control and doubles as an EMP wave that shorts out nearby electronics and radio communications for a good deal past it.  (X3 ACV, 15 foot radius)
   Fuck You, I'm not an outlet - 2 EP - In the absence of available power, Kunia can trivially provide enough power to get pretty much anything working.  If you can talk her into it and she doesn't fry it by accident.  Just holding the plug is enough usually.

Flaws
[Noticeably Bad: Gives off a very memorable impression of being a violent thug almost immediately.  While this can have positives (Intimidating the enemy), for much of her life it's been a negative and likely will continue to be so.  Normal folks seeing her come into a hotel might immediately assume she's there to assault them and she's effectively the worst person to try and be a spy.  To find her in a city of one million would take under an hour of asking around, as anyone would remember seeing her.

Hobbies
Kunia enjoys smoking and drinking, but generally spends much of her time being sullen or in the gym.

  She used to enjoy street fighting and is pretty good hand with crafting, but her hands are a fair bit too big for both these days.  No one has been willing to get in any kind of fighting ring since the first test involved her shattering Corporeal Shawn's arm with a single punch.

  She's very good and enjoys volleyball and basketball, but hasn't had much opportunity to play them in a number of years, and some consider it cheating that she can literally reach over and just put the ball in.  A good card game will usually find her, even if she's not that good at them.

  She's been to the movies a few times, but doesn't like them particularly.  She doesn't get it and finds the seats too small.

  These days, she tends to carve wood or drink to pass the time.

Equipment/Gear:

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Titanium gloves/Boots - Protecting her hands and upper arms and legs from the force behind her own blows, Kunia tends to be wearing thick gloves produced by R&D.  It lets her magic through, and lets her put her fist through a steel wall without turning it into a bloody mess.  Gives a fairly distinctive clink to her walk, the same as wearing steel sole'd boots. (Flavor)

Body Armor - Weighing in at nearly two hundred and fifty pounds, the resurrection of early efforts in infantry battle armor is far from reasonable for most people to carry.  Kunia wears a variant that looks for all purposes like a thick leather jacket and thicker grey pants.

M26 Shotgun - Supplementing Kunia's reach with mid-range firepower, Kunia carries a shotgun, usually looped over her left shoulder.  Accurate to around fourty yards with a wide spread, it's primarily used for suppression fire.

Trench Knife, strapped to her thigh.  Sharp and oversized to fit her, it'd have good odds of tearing right through someone's arm.

3 fragmentation grenades

3 packs of smokes.

1 deck of poker cards

1 lighter

Grandfather's carving knife.

Photograph Taken in 1949, Following Release from Research Lab:

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Early Life

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1915:
Georg Thorssen immigrated from Oslo, Norway through Ellis Island at 23.  Renamed George Thorssen, he stayed in New York, following his family heritage and opening a crafter's shoppe, building furniture for people in the city.  Like many immigrants, he ended up in the poorer sections of the city, his small shop with his apartment above it was located in the northern part of the Bronx.

1917:
Makoto Kino, age 19, moved from Tokyo, Japan with her aunt Misaka Kino, age 56, seeking a better life and a second chance.  Renamed Megan Kino, she quickly hunted for a job to help her aunt with supporting them both.  The opportunities were slim for a woman, and her size and temper didn't help much.  Moving from job to job, incident to incident, she finally held a position helping a local baker.  Her aunt arranged a marriage to a tall local furniture craftsman later that year.

1920:
Megan and George Thorssen were happily married, becoming the Thorssen family.  Not wealthy,  but happy.  Working together in a small storefront and apartment in the Edenwald neighborhood, Bronx New York.  Selling furniture, sweets, and books, they made a modest living.

1925:
Kunia Makoto Thorssen is born to two happy parents, a very healthy young girl, energetic with brown hair, she was a very happy addition to their lives.

1927:
Bjorn Afvaldr Thorssen is born, named after George's grandfather and uncle who lent him the money to head east.

1930:
Kunia starts 1st grade at Bronx Elementary School 112, already 4'4'' and was often mistaken for a fourth grader because of it.  Gets "Doesn't Play Well With Others" on her first report card.  Reported to be slightly more withdrawn as many kids her age are intimidated, assuming she's going to cause trouble from her size.

1934:
A schoolyard fight breaks out following a sixth grader, pressing mud into one of Kunia's classmate's hair.  Kunia gets involved trying to protect the smaller girl from bullies and breaks his arm.  Kunia is suspended from school, blamed for the incident.  Sent to her room without supper by a worried Megan, hoping to break her daughter of the habit early.  Kunia doesn't feel she did anything wrong though...

Trying to give his daughter a more calming distraction, George began to teach Kunia wood carving.

1938:
Kunia is admitted to Cardinal Spellman High School.  Joining the girls basketball team, she helps lead them to a dominating season.  Her away games are often met by protests by the opposing schools and general boo'ing for fielding a 'thug'.

  Inter-school fighting has become somewhat common in the bronx as tensions during the depression hits in full swing.  It's a particularly dangerous time in the area with large numbers of young people out of work and starving.  Despite always being quick to step in to defend classmates, Kunia makes few friends, her actions often misconstrued by the teaching staff.

At home it's significantly stressful, George and Megan struggling to make ends meet.  With little patience for hearing about yet another fight in school, Megan and Kunia constantly end up in screaming matches that often end with the young teen wandering the streets of New York.

1939:
Kunia reaches 7'0'', passing her father in height and gaining some minor notoriety in the Guiness Book of Records as the tallest woman currently in America.  Currently a sophmore, she misses school for a couple of days following a freak accident where was hit by lightning during gym class.

  Strangely, the girl got up right afterwards, and it was only the insistence of the school and the public hospital that she stay for examination.  No explanation is found to how she survived it and it's written off as a lucky freak occurrence in the local papers.

Kunia's recent smoking habit has become yet another source of argument with her mother, leading to her often spending considerable amounts of time wandering the streets of the Bronx. 

1941:
Kunia is one of the best known ruffians in the area, the hero to all the delinquents in the school, despite the fact that she doesn't ride a motorcycle like any good thug would.  No matter the trouble, she's up to solving it with her fist.  Still she has tremendous problems with getting along with folks and is regularly seen in detention for glaring at the teacher.  She's gotten into the habit of ignoring guidance councilers who act like she's a villian no matter what she does.

Midway through the school year, a skinhead from one of the nearby Joyce High lead a group to 'shut up the oversized Jap'.  Cornering her on her way out of school, one of them drew a knife.  Several were severely injured and Kunia was expelled for her part in the conflict.

1942:
Following her expulsion and with her spotty school record, Kunia has no luck finding a place that will let her finish her senior year.  Despite her mom's disappointment at her daughter's fate, Kunia starts working as an apprentice under her father, learning to craft furniture together and picking up the basics of metallurgy in order to help out in the store.  She often helped with delivery of the furniture.

Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Kunia joined the army.  Intending to help out on the front lines, she was quite frustrated to be sent to a home front woman's role, helping in the factories in Jersey.  Her build made her good with the heavy lifting and long labor hours the factories required to help support the war effort.  Still, wanting to do all she could, she worked hard at her job.  She wrote home when she could and worked hard for the army manufacturing plant.

1944:
Bjorn Thorssen joins the air force, performing exemplary in training, he's shipped out to Japan to assist with the current main war front.  Distinguishes himself well.

1947:
Moved to the African front, Bjorn is kept as one of the many reserve soldiers in position in case of a renewed german advance.  Later that year, his plane is brought down during a routine scouting patrol.  Reported MIA, Presumed dead.

Military Record:

Spoiler: ShowHide

1947:
During a routine government inspection in early January, a freak accident occurred that drew Kunia into notice as something more than just a very tall factory worker.  A restraining bolt on one of the melting irons came lose, causing the heavy piece of machinery to twist and fall, nearly smashing atop the inspector.  On duty that day, Kunia attempted something positively foolish, shoving the inspector aside and catching the machinery that should've crushed her arms and smashed her into the ground.  Turning to the sight, the inspector saw lightning streaking briefly up and down her arms as she was driven to one knee and managed to deflect it off to the side.  Nearly six hundred pounds of machinery were left on the floor.

Following inspection declared it not to be sabotage, though noted ionization damage was found along the fallen machinery.  Kunia is soon pulled in for a transfer to the nauscant Bureau of Paranormal Activity and flown to a top secret facility in Burbank, California.  Her parents are frustrated as her departure, location and assignment are deemed top secret, part of the American effort to compete successfully on every front of the war. 

1948:
Kunia receives word of her brother's death on the german front.  Trapped on the research base, one of a small handful, there was little she could do about it.  Throwing herself into training with abandon, she performs well in the early militant bootcamps for the Bureau's research, but but shows little actual ability to replicate her strange feat and is repeatedly denied fielding.  Seeking an outlet, Kunia volunteers for an experiment in genetic manipulation to bring out latent magical potential, the brainchild of Dr. Abraham Erskine.  Hoping to be the first step in fielding augmented mystical humans on the field, the dangerous experiment is hoped to at least not kill its first live human test subject.  Months of painful drugs and evaluations follow.

1949:
  Kunia's latent potential to bring forth lightning at will is successfully achieved, though it was hardly the most noticeable side effect of the experiment, her natural traits augmented as well, leaving her easily the tallest person in the world, strong beyond any ordinary measure, durable, and able to summon lightning in her hands.  Week by week, she grew, subjected to dozens of physical tests as the American researchers sought to measure and analyze the effect of their latest approach.  Able to tear through twelve inches of steel when wreathing her arm in lightning,

She also was overwhelmingly intimidating though, grown men flinching back from a sudden look and with an enhanced temper she had to fight to control, especially in the months of study and analysis that followed.  The experiment was put for further review, though it was likely to be continued despite the side effects.  The American's simply needed superior capabilities in the field too badly to ignore.

Even following the research though, they fail to field her.  Too big for a stealth operative.  Not destructive enough for sabotage work.  Good for assault, but they couldn't just field her alone.  She's left in a bureaucratic black hole for several more months, while the experiments continue and the search for additional magical capabilities spreads.  Three months after the experiment, Subject 3: Della Orchard has a fatal accident during the augmentation.  Her fire magic goes entirely out of control, nearly burning a quarter of the base down.  Live experiments are temporarily stalled and the early subjects are subjected to psych evaluations.

1950:
Finally deemed 'safe enough' to be allowed back on active duty, Kunia continued to languish on the base unaware of the changing political landscape that would soon bring her a chance.  Even more frustrated now that she wasn't yet allowed to head to the front nor to write or call off the base, she encountered a bold young sharpshooter freshly transferred in, bold enough not to simply be dissuaded from teasing the 'Ruffian'.  Little did either of them know their hopes would soon be granted...

[VySaika]

Mechanical Stuffs
Name: Marley McBride

Body: 9
Mind: 4
Soul: 11

HP: 100
EP: 75
ACV: 8 (10 during Ancient Lineage of the Hero)
DCV: 6/8 (8/10 during Ancient Lineage of the Hero)

Trait: Stormbound Answerer - "Fragarach" - The weapon given to Marley by who she can only presume is the god Manannan mac Lir himself. It possesses the unique abilities to force the truth out of anyone who is unfortunate enough to have the point of the blade held to thier throat(EP cost: 20), as well as granting control of the winds to it's possessor(Marley cannot use Windblade Dance with any weapon but Fragarach). Having something of a mind of it's own, the sword will only allow one who it considers to be a hero to use it's power. In anyone else's hands it is merely a well made blade.(Tied to Soul.)

Trait: Windblade Dance - Combining her natural talents for combat and dance, along with the power granted to her by Fragarach, Marley has developed her own fighting style that uses the wind to punish her enemies(this trait is the source of her attacks, which will be detailed below. This skill also happens to make her an amazing dancer! Tied to Body.)

Trait: Ancient Lineage of the Hero - Unknown to her, Marley does in fact have the blood of at least one ancient hero running through her veins, which causes incredible increases in her abilities when in dire need. She currently just chalks this up to being a redhead. (When under 1/3 max hp, Marley enters a state of increased speed and strength, gaining +2 to her ACV and DCV until she stops fighting. Consumes 2 EP/round. If an ally is reduced to 0hp within her line of sight while she is above the hp threshhold for this ability herself, she may voluntarily enter the state, but in that case it consumes 5 EP/round. It may, upon odd occasions, also allow her to pull off incredible feats of heroism she could not otherwise. Tied to Soul.)

Trait: Winds of the King - With Fragarach in hand, the wind itself moves to protect Marley from the slings, arrows and bullets of outrageous fortune...and her enemies! (Passive trait, adds +2 to DCV against all ranged attacks of any source, providing no benefit against melee attacks. Stacks with the bonus from Ancient Lineage of the Hero. Only functions while Fragarach is drawn, not merely carried on her person. Tied to Soul.)

Flaw: Flow of the Dancer - While Marley has many attacks granted by her Windblade Dance trait, she can only use them in certain orders, with her strongest attacks unable to be used until her weaker attacks have been performed. Once using her final attack in any chain, she must return to the begining and build up all over again. Likewise, if she is disrupted from her attacks, she must begin at the begining of the chain again. Her attacks do not have to connect or deal damage to let her move on to the next step, merely be performed.

Attacks(Still a work in progress)
Verse of Breeze(Basic Attack) - Marley begins her dance with a basic strike, begining the motions that will allow her to use the wind. (melee attack, 0 EP cost, roll vs 8, ACV damage)

Gathering Wind(Chains from Verse of Breeze) - Moving into the Winddance, Marley strikes again while gatheirng slashing winds about her sword. (Melee attack, 0 EP cost, roll vs 8, ACVx2 damage)

Song of Storms(Chains from Verse of Breeze) - Faster then the Winddance, the first step of the Stormdance directly pulls magical energy into the second blow.(Grants a +1 bonus to hit.) (Melee attack, 5 EP cost, roll vs 9, ACVx2 damage)

Punishing Gale(Chains from Gathering Wind) - Releasing the gathered wind, Marley swings her sword and a gale of cutting blades of wind towards a distant enemy. (Ranged attack, 5 EP cost, roll vs 8, ACVx2 damage)

Vortex Blade(Chains from Gathering Wind) - Slashing the area around her with a single powerful swing, Marley releases the gathered wind into a vortex of blades that cut all around her. ("ranged" attack, 10 EP cost, roll vs 8, ACVx2 damage, damages an area of effect centered on Marley)

Stormbound Blow(Chains from Song of Storms) - Using the speed from Song of Storms, Marley focuses the gathered power of an entire hurricane into a single point on her sword and strikes. (Increased damage.) (Melee attack, 10 EP cost, roll vs 8, ACVx3 damage)

Divine Mist(Chains from Song of Storms) - Instead of building the speed of the building storm to strike harder, Divine Mist allows Marley to move herself across a battlefield to strike a distant target so quickly she seems to vanish and reappear in a cloud of mist(Essentially an attack + short range teleport) ("ranged" attack, 15 EP cost, roll vs 8, ACVx2 damage, moves Marley adjacent to her target.)

Enlistment Form:

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Name: Marley McBride
Nationality: Scottish
Age: Don't you know you're not supposed to ask a lady tha...oh, official forms then? Fine, 23.
Sex: Is there something wrong with your eyes?
Height: 5'5"
Weight: Mind your own damn...right, official stuff. 136lbs.
Type: ...now you're just getting smart with me you yankee bastard.
That's blood type, for medical records: Oh. Uh...beats me! I think I've got a paper that says it on me somewhere.

Employment or Service record: Uh, well my fiance was in the army, Corporal Matthew Craig. He died back in '45 though. I suppose I fought a bit after that, if you consider beating the piss out of a couple squads of Nazis to be "service".

Excuse me: Oh, you didn't know about that? I guess it's the main reason they asked me here at all. Lost my head a bit after Matty was shot, took my gramps' old sword and went after the ones what did it. Think I killed about two dozen of 'em, though it was dark and that whole point's still a bit muddy for me so I could be off on the numbers.

You did what: Don't believe me, do you? Can't blame you too much, I know I don't look that strong. But it happened, and that's why I'm here. What, you don't think I was offered this commission for my good looks and stunning personality, did you?

Certainly not: See you get what I'm...hey!

Employment record then: ...don't think I'm letting that one go, but fine. Well, I got engaged to Matty pretty much right out of school, so I moved to Liverpool to be closer to his family. Ended up working as a dancer, mostly been doing that since then. ...that's a ballet dancer at a theatre, not a pub floozy so wipe that damn smirk off your face before I do it for you.

Next of kin: Well, there's Matty's mum, Matilda. We're not technically related, but I let her move in with me after she took ill a couple years ago anyway. Probably best to notify her if something happens to me. There's also my own mum and sister back in Edinburgh, Regina and Natalie McBride, respectively.

No father or brothers: Hmm? Yeah, I do suppose it's just us girls. Men in my family always seem to die young for some reason, even after they marry into it. ...or right before they do, I suppose.

...sorry: Nah, it's alright. Been five years, can't go on grieving forever. Any more questions?

What exactly is it that you do: Oh, the magic thing then? Right, well this thing I've got here is Fragarach. Yeah, that Fragarach, the Answerer, sword that controls the wind, all that nice stuff.

THAT was your grandfather's sword: ...yes and no, it's a long story.

I'm listening: Well...alright. I was on my way back home after my little stunt there and passed out in the middle of nowhere. Maybe it was exhaustion, maybe blood loss, but I just collapsed right in the middle of the thickest mist you've ever seen. Well I wake up and there's this man standing over me, looks like a decent sort but I could still tell at a glance that picking a fight with him would be the last thing I'd ever do. I was still in a mood, of course, but I calmed down a bit from that. He didn't introduce himself, just told me he saw what I did and was impressed, asked if there was anything I wanted as a reward for my courage.

And you asked for a magic sword: Come on, do I seem that sarcastic? ...don't answer that. No, I just said all I wanted now was a quick trip home, though I wouldn't say no to a bath. Well he cracked right up and started laughing his fool head off, right before he picked me up like I didn't weigh a thing. Next thing I know I'm home, just dumped right on my own doorstep, easy as you please. As I'm sitting there trying to figure out what the devil was going on, he said something that's stuck with me. He said "perhaps it is time for a new age of heroes" right before he picked up my sword, kinda nodded at it a couple times and set it back down. Except the sword he set down...wasn't the same one he picked up. Well, it was and it wasn't. It was my sword, grip was the same, weight was the same, it was sure enough the same weapon I'd been using all my life. But...it was something else now too, Fragarach.

So that man was...: Manannan mac Lir, clear as I can tell.

I...: Yeah, was about my reaction. So...any more questions or are we done for the day?

No I think that's all: Great. Anything decent to drink around this place?

Picture: I can find a new one if photo type instead of anime type is a major issue for people.

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[Iron Dragoon]

Name: Martha Jane Canary
Age: 24
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 165 lbs
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde, Long Loose

Spoiler: ShowHide

 

Body: 4
Mind: 10
Soul: 10

CV: 8
ACV: 10 (8+2)
DCV: 6

HP: 70
EP: 100

Traits:

Perfect Shot (Mind): Martha can imbue her magic into her ammunition, causing them to alter their ballistic trajectory. The result of this is that the bullets fly faster, flatter, and longer by way of the magic manipulating how the round travels through the air. (Gives +2 to ACV when using a rifle)

Elemental Impact (Soul): Martha can overlay elements into her rounds, each having a different effect.
-Air: Adds a bleeding effect to the round, like a flechette round. A flechette round is, basically, a piece of aimed shrapnel, designed to cut/rip through it's target and leave a bleeding, gaping wound.  1 shot per 8 EP
-Earth: Adds +1 armor penetration per 8 EP
-Fire: Adds a incendiary effect to the bullet, 1 shot per 8 EP
-Water: Adds an impact effect to the bullet, which causes non-lethal damage. 1 shot per 8 EP

Concealment (Mind): Due to her training and the effects of how in-tune with world her magic makes her, Martha can 'fade' into nearly any environment. This is especially useful for her in her role as a sniper. (All enemies receive a +2 penalty on rolls to find/notice Martha)

Wilderness Stalker (Mind): Due to training given to her by her family, who regularly live in the middle of nowhere for extended amounts of time for cattle driving, Martha can always find what she needs to live comfortably, and is an expert tracker. When entering the military, she went out of her way to study up on military equipment to supplement this skill and can now get detailed information, given time to study tracks.

Flaw:
Outspoken- Martha will always speak her mind and argue her point. Always. She completely disregards any 'proper' behavior or social structures and will speak to everyone she meets as an equal. Normally such an attitude could be ignored or dealt with,  but in a military structure, and as a woman, this has, and will continue to, cause her no end of problems.

Back-story:

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Martha Jane Canary was born in North Eastern Texas, the fourth of her name. She grew up with stories of her namesake and her exploits and skills. Trained in the traditional way on her family's land, she specializes in sharpshooting using a customized Winchester Model 1894 re-chambered in .30-06 with a scope. Her secondary weapons are an original set of Colt 1851 Navy's, supposedly obtained by her ancestor during her time with Wild Bill Hitchcock, and believed to be Wild Bill's original pistols.

She spent most of her time dodging through the woods and plains of her native Texas hunting and tracking local game when not helping on the family farm/ranch. She is well skilled in tracking, survival, and horseback riding. Her magical abilities are believed to have been taught to her ancestor during while in Wild Bill's show and passed down. It's believed that these abilities were originally taught to her namesake by an Indian wise-man, though from what tribe is unknown.

The magic was rumored to be originally made to be used with the traditional spear and bow; to call on the spirits of their ancestors to augment their shots and skills. Because of original intended use with the traditional weapons, the magic is not suited to bullets, and each bullet must be imbued prior to use, instead of on the fly as originally intended. Because her magic requires her to call on the spirits of her ancestors and nature, she is more 'in tune' with the world than others.

Personality wise, she's brash and straight forward, much like her name-sake. At the age of 18, she was already a large fan of whiskey, bourbon, and thick, dark beer while smoking a cigar. She's a rough and tumble girl, a scrappy fighter and she knows it. This can make her hard to get along with, especially in an environment as professional and disciplined as the military.

But regardless of this, when the war came about, she was determined to make a difference; much like how her namesake did during the war of her time. She enlisted in the military, but was outraged when she was slated to be a nurse. Though she was able to hold her temper for some months, she blew up while at a rifle range, attending as a stand-by nurse during her training.

After seeing the horrific marksmanship skills of the soldiers, she began jeering and heckling the soldiers. The platoon's officer, determined to shut her up challenged her to do better.

With a snort of laughter and a grin, she accepted the challenge and bet the young officer a month's worth of his pay against a month's worth of dates with her.

Accepting the seemingly easy win, the young lieutenant handed her a rifle and a pistol. Never losing her grin, she took a moment to prepare and let her magic work on the rifle's bullets, then snapped the rifle into position and rapid fired, hitting every target in the bulls-eye ring at the 100, 200, and 300 yard ranges with only the barest glance at the targets.

Her grin now blown into a full-out smirk, she then grabbed the lieutenant's pistol from his holster and with another moment with her magic, preceded to quick-fire the pistol at the 50 yard targets, again destroying the bulls-eye.

Predictably, her bruising of the young lieutenant's ego came with consequences, and she quickly found herself doing the most undesirable duties, and as far from the firing ranges as possible.

Though, apparently, her performance garnered more attention than she expected, if the reporting orders she received were any indication. After all, her commanding officer seemed to think the unit she was reassigned to was one of those units people never talked about...

Though, the over-large and seemingly perpetually disgruntled girl she met at the 'new' barracks might present more than enough opportunities for fun..

Equipment

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Cowboy gun holsters and belt:
- 2x Colt 1851 Navy
Military Pack w/sleeping roll
Custom Winchester Model 1894 w/scope
Canvas Trench Coat and leather cowboy hat

[Brian]

THE FOLLOWING IS CLASSIFIED TO ULTRA/MAGIC CLEARANCE:


NAME/STATUS:

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        Katarina (meaning 'pure'), Rubinoff (assumed last name, after the famous 'peasant-born' Russian violinist, David Rubinoff, as Katarina admires his music).

     Description:
      Katarina is a moderately attractive woman, who could probably be beautiful if she smiled.  She keeps herself neat and presentable at all times, and attempts to always show an unflinching outward demeanor.  Her taste in clothing is usually severe, but refined, without too much emphasis on frills (meaning, she dresses like pretty much anyone else in a wartime shortage situation, and doesn't go out of her way to dress up especially).

      Currently, she is 20 years old (born May31st/April 1st exactly at midnight, 1930).  Katarina's build is slightly taller and bulkier than average, thanks to her upbringing (she stands 5'8", and weighs 138lbs).  Her hair is black, shoulder-length, so it can be simply styled, and reliably not get in her way, and her eyes are dark brown.

          File photos:[spoiler]

     Profile:
        Soul:  6
        Mind:  10
        Body:  8

        ACV:  8
        DCV:  6

        Hit Points: 70/70
           Daily recovery: 28 (normal) / 56 (well rested)
        Energy Points: 80/80
           Daily recovery: 26 (normal) / 52 (well rested)[/spoiler]


KNOWN ABILITIES:

Spoiler: ShowHide

      -- Sound and Fury (Mind):  Manipulation of sound through a series of magical formulae.  This incidentally requires (or grants) perfect pitch.  Most of Katarina's effects are to either amplify or subdue sound for the purposes of eavesdropping/stealth, though she can also use sonic effects offensively:
         -- Aural Awareness: The ability to pick out sounds over great distance with unerring accuracy.
                    This is a passive +2 bonus to hearing-related checks.
         -- Still Mind; Silent Steps: A particular mode of sound control (based on a meditation exercise) allows Katarina to muffle sound in an area (except those she chooses to allow through).
                    Envrionmental control over sound in a fifteen foot radius centered on Kat.  10 EP to muffle casual noises, 15 EP for louder ones.
         -- Discordance: A combination of nauseating sounds that disorients and confuses the target briefly (target is confused/dazed after being hit).
                    One round confuse/stun (cone); costs 10 EP.
         -- Disruption: A burst of sound at a frequency designed to disrupt matter.  Normally used for breaking-and-entering, or very small-scale demolitions (safe-cracking).  Because of the modulations required to affect most materials in a destructive capacity (except for things that resonate, like crystal, tuning forks, etc.), this is very draining and is only used against enemies as a desparation move.
                    Mechanically, this has two modes:
                         As a sonic cutting torch, allowing Kat to break through some barriers and seals when subtlety is not an issue; costs 5 EP.
                         As a desperation move; this costs a minimum of 30 points, and will use all but 10 EP.  For every 10 EP spent past 30, the attack gains +1 ACV.  Deals ACVx3 damage + one-round stun (as per Discordance).

      -- Resiliantly Resonant (Body): Through a constant defensive application of her sonic magic, Katarina has spent years effectively giving herself continual, nearly bruising impacts.  This has toughened her enough to be more resistant to most pain, as well as generating a constant field around her.  This field is normally undetectable, unless someone comes into physical contact with Katarina (though she can focus and temporarily disable it for handshakes, etc.); it feels like putting your hand into water that't being agitated with sonic waves (most people find this weirdly uncomfortable, like a squishy, buzzing tingle)
                    This allows Katarina to ignore the first 7 points of damage from any attack she recieves.

      -- Speed of Sound (Body/Mind): Using vibrations to shift air in front of her away, Katarina can generate a vaccum that allows her to move much faster than normal for brief periods of time to cross uncovered terrain with minimal damage.  This ability tends to be very loud, and combining it with a muffling effect makes it innordinately draining, meaning this is not a very good ability for stealth.
                    At the cost of 5 EP (or 20, muffled), Katarina can cross the ground incredibly quickly (gaining a +2 DCV bonus and losing the ability to attack).
                    When carrying someone else, the cost is increased doubled to 10 EP (regardless of their weight).  After the incident with Anastasia outside of Moscow, Katarina is extraordinarily reluctant to carry a passanger and attempt to muffle them (30 EP).

      -- Cryptologist (Mind): A fascination with sound, mathematics, and communication have caused Katarina to always be fascinated with codes and languages; she avidly learns new languages whenever possible, to better prepare herself to understand the patterns hidden within messages, be they written, spoken, or in a cipher.
                    Mechanically, Katararina probably always knows how to speak the local language and is gifted with numbers and logic puzzles.

     Earned:

     -- Nothing yet.

EQUIPMENT/HOLDINGS:

Spoiler: ShowHide

Wealth:
   Katarina has a small amount of money saved from past work for emergencies that she has left with a bank.

Personal posessions:
   Beyond clothes and other trivial items, the only things of personal value that Katarina posesses are a pair of pictures of herself with Anastasia, her collection of books (most valued, an illicit copy of the underground novel, "The Master and Margarita"), and her violin.

Reference library:
   Katarina has amassed a sizable collection of illicity gathered research material on subjects of interest to herself and Anastasia.  Most of this centers around lasers and resonance theory, and it's uncertain how much of her collection she was allowed to keep after being recruited.

Equipment when fielded:
   [this is something of an in-progress work]
   Firearms: Katarina has not trained extensively with firearms, though she is familiar with their use.  She is most comfortable with shotguns and other short-range weaponry that does not rely on accuracy, where she can gain an advantage by muffling the sound.
   Explosives: Being able to diminish the volume of an explosion can sometimes allow a stealthier entry that would normally be expected.  Karatina is not likely to load herself down with extra grenades, but a satchel or demolitions charge is not entirely out of the question.
   Armor: With her focus on movement, Katarina would not use any armor that cost her mobility, and mosty rigid armors would resonate against her forceshield, possibly in a distuptive manner.  Most likely, her best armor option is a durable buff-jacket, to allow her to maintain her speed for evasion.
   Camera: For intelligence gathering, Katarina can carry and is familiar with the use of cameras.
   Melee weaponry: For desperation situations, if her firarm is already lost, Katarina is unlikely to rely on any melee weapon over her innate abilities, and will only carry one if required (being much more likely to hand it to Anastasia).

PERSONALITY DETAILS/ASSOCIATES:

Spoiler: ShowHide

   Flaw:
      -- Coldly logical.  While effective, Katarina is not an outgoing or social person.  Her standoffishness is a great asset to stealth, and she's reliable for rescuing her allies, but in social situations she tends to be 'stiff', and stick out, making undercover operations very difficult, and interactions with people who she hasn't had frequent interactions with difficult.


Background:

   Notable allies:
      Anastasia Cherenkov -- The Light to Kat's Sound.
      Baba Yaga -- Katarina's trainer/handler, until she met Anastasia.  Called Katarina 'niece', though the crone vanished as soon as Kat made another ally, and hasn't been seen since.
      Yuri "Lucky" Kolenav  -- Hard-bitten would-be alcoholic (if he could find booze) ex-reporter and anti-Nazi contact in Lenningrad.  Hasn't seen Katarina or Anastasia in many months, and thinks his life is better for it.  He'd help them out if they met again ... though he'd expect his luck to run out at any moment, if it happened.

   Goals:
      Katarina's goals are to continue expanding her knowledge of languages and cryptology.  She has some interest in discovering the history of her family, and the possibility of any relatives, but it's not of driving importance to her.  More important is her desire to protect those few people who have become her friends and allies.

   Hobbies:
      Books/reading takes up much of Kat's time, as she enjoys taking a break from her incredibly sound-focused world.
      After spending a short time with Anastasia, Katarina took up playing the violin, which she had a natural knack for, thanks to her sound-based abilities.
      Cooking is not something Katarina is usually very interested in beyond surviving, but for special occasions she happens to be able to make soufles quite well (no sound-based collapse, here!).
      Photography is also a casual hobby for Katarina as suggested by Anastasia.  Because of this, Katarina has used cameras to copy documents on various infiltration missions, but has to rely on Anastasia to develop the film.
      Athletics are of primary concern to Katarina, even though she doesn't particularly care for sports or similar activities.  However, her health is the health of those she cares about, so she keeps herself in good condition with a rigorous exercise routine.
      Tea appreciation.  Katarina's only real indulgence before meeting Anastasia, and one she still enjoys.

HISTORY:

Spoiler: ShowHide

Missive decoded by Lawrence Waterhouse, Cryptoanalyst/Ph.D; final proofing and preface by Earl Comstock:

The following document was originally provided by Miss Katerina 'Rubinoff' when we asked for an account of her activities and history, combined with intelligence gathered from various sources.  Additionally, through interviews, we were able to address some questions, though certain elements remain unclear.  Where required, translation and decyption for all articles has been provided by Miss 'Rubinoff', and independantly verified by Waterhouse against the latest Cryptonomicon guidelines and protocols.

1930:

INTELIGENCE SOURCE: These singed and tattered documents appear to be authentic; the seal marks their source as OGPU (Ob'edinennoe Gosudarstvennoe Politicheskoe Upravaline; the State Political Directorate).
[spoiler]

Date: April 7th, 1930.

ATTN: [REDACTED]

Recieved field report from agent Novikov.  The man came before the tribunal shaking; more than expected from a man who merely faces execution and interrogation from an OGPU investigation such as this.

A doctor who had inspected Novikov's health beforehand demonstrated proof that the man was deafened.  The condition seemed persistant, and his literacy is limited.  We have been able to determine through investigations so far that while his team was in the process of dekulakization of a small village, they had an encounter of the type intended to be submitted to your department of [REDACTED].

As for the specifics of the encounter, Novikov has been able to verify the precise date and time of an infant, during a midnight raid to route a village population for type two purposes (sentenced to the gulag and seizure of property).  This child cried so loudly that all glass items in the village burst, and all witnesses were deafened.  The unknown infant has been believed to have survived and been evacuated by her family.

This is now and issue for [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] to handle; I wash my hands of it.

1934:

INTELLIGENCE SOURCE: This pristine, but somewhat aged and brittle document can be verified to have come from NKVD (Narodnyy komissariat vnutrennikh del; the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs) offices.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Date: November 12th, 1934

ATTN: Main Directorate for State Security (GUBG) offices

Report of field agent encounter with hidden former kulak group.  Concealed in rural village in lower Ukraine; small population of naitives.  Significant portion of village showed signs of deafness/damaged hearing, aiding in ease of capture.  Some kulak most likely evaded capture, including the parents of NDVM #247, 'Katarina'.

NDVM #247 is our primary concern; despite peaceful capture, the child is both confused and dangerous, a poor combination for the People.  However, according to preliminary research, she is a good candidate to be transfered into [REDACTED]

[After the illegibly censored section, a whole page passes before the document resumes again]

could safely be controlled, then in our analysis this is the proper way to go.  If those conditions are met, then NDVM #247 will be transfered immediately.

Precautionary measures: NDVM's age is young enough that she does not show strong recognition of her parental figures; possible deafness on their part could indicate cause for emotional distance.  GUBG intelligence officials believe that this makes her a prime candidate to place with a surrogate and be properly indoctrinated for the People.

The choice is yours, [REDACTED].

1936:

INTELLIGENCE SOURCE: This is a typed report from the NKVD, department of Sharashka ('Goofing-off-place; a known cover for the location of a place where military experiments and research are performed); the top of the entire stack of documents has been sheared off to remove the header.  The top page is exceptionally faded, as though it spent a great deal of time exposed to sunlight.

Spoiler: ShowHide

DATE: February 17th, 1936

DVVM #247 ('Nadezhda') is performing with parameters.  The child does not demonstrate much enthusiasm in general, but is accepting and docile of most instruction -- save insistence that she properly recognize her own name.  Her ability use is very poor and seems so far to be subconscious control.  At this point we have her slated for another year of indoctrination and morality training before we believe that she is prepared to begin learning combat-related skills.

[What follows is a lengthy assesment of Katarina's six-year old personality and physical condition.  Exceptionally healthy, remarkably resilient, and emotionally distant (though very logical).]

1936:

INTELLIGENCE SOURCE: This is a handwritten journal, of which some pages are torn out.  There is no way to validate or verify the authenticity, and the identity of the author cannot be confirmed.  Certain ... questions are raised by this journal that go beyond the scope of translation or decryption.

Spoiler: ShowHide

DATE: January 19th, 1936
[spoiler]

Journal,

Nadezhda still does not like her proper name.  I do not understand!  A year and a half, near, and she shows no signs of remembering her former family, but still says she is Katarina?  I suppose at this time, I should be pleased she speaks at all!  A year almost in silence, before she uttered sound.  So if she calls herself Katarina, then I say, Nadezhda is her name, and Katarina is a lovely nickname.

The people from the institution do not like this, but for now, Nadezhda is mine, and so I will take care of her.  I raise her to understand the importance of the people, and the value of working for the people.  That is good enough.

[Several pages are missing here]
DATE: ???

Spoiler: ShowHide

[It appears that this is continued from a missing page:]

dream again!  Every night, now, since Andrei came home drunk!  Not a glass left in the house, either!  Such a fit -- but the fool, what did he think would happen, drinking so?  We don't get paid by the institution to be so careless!  We're meant to be good examples, and that idiot of a man frustrates me so!  Should I complain to the institution about it?  Is it maybe ... not too late that Nadezhda won't mind?

It is something to hope for.

[Several pages are missing here, as well]
DATE: March 23rd, 1936

Spoiler: ShowHide

[It appears that this is continued from a missing page:]

pushed her too far and I shouldn't have.  such a good girl, she wouldn't do that without reason.

Katarina is a good girl.  It will be fine without Andrei; Ivan at the butcher shop can help.  No one needs to know; the institution can just be told it was drinking, yes?

Of course--  Andrei drinks so much.  That is what....  Naturally.  Andrei drank too much and ran off!  Into the ice, like a fool!  This is the truth of things now.

[Dozens of pages have ripped out here, allowing a clear view of the binding in the gap]
Date: July 17th, 1936

Spoiler: ShowHide

[It appears that this is not continued from a previous page; the writer starts abruptly due to panic or shock:]

all along, I thought it was Katarina.  I was a fool; she's just a little girl.  The institution has decided to end everyting; there's no way off Rebirth Island, now.  The witch has been corrupting the minds of everyone, killing off those who would go after the children one-by-one.

Was the experiment about the little girls?  Or the witch I can't name?  Does it even matter anymore?

Katarina, dear, pure little Katarina ... not Nadezhda.  She is pure, but without hope!

[Discolorations here suggest wet spots -- some sort of water damage]

Where she can't, I must.  They are coming for me even as I speak; I will hide this, and hope that some day Katarina, or someone who can bring it to her finds it.  I am not truly her mother, but what other pieces of her history will be left after this?  What more can we give these children?

How much do w

[the final letter stretches into a long, ugly black streak, dotted with slightly lighter, almost brown spots that speckle the rest of the page]

[there are no further entries in the remaining pages of the journal]
[/spoiler]
1936:

INTELLIGENCE SOURCE: This document is creased, and shows signs of faint water damage, but is most likely authentic; it appears to be an address from someone above the NKVD, though identities have been censored out.

Spoiler: ShowHide

DATE: August 2nd, 1936

ATTN: Vozrozhdeniya Island District Governer

FROM: [REDACTED]

Rebirth Island/Vozrozhdeniya Island is no longer open to public access.  You will report that it is being used for military testing purposes.  Anyone who sets foot on that island without permission will die; the town of Kantubek is closed, and all citizens are happy and safe within the confines of its borders, but all contact is closed.

1938:
[This document appears to be an incident report submitted by the head of the GULag (Glavnoye upravlyeniye ispravityel'no-trudovih Lagyeryey i koloniy; Chief Administration of Corrective Labor Camps and Colonies) -- location unspecified.

Spoiler: ShowHide

DATE: March 15th, 1938

ATTN: Administration

Total number of sites affected is now up to seven known.  This season has demonstrated a marked upswing in sightings of the mysterious figure the locals and kulaks would have called 'Baba Yaga' (speculative: NDVM #04).  This figure had not previously appeared for around thirty years before the incident filed for Vozrozhdeniya island.

Speculation suggests a strong connection between 'Baba Yaga' and NDVM #247 (if still alive).

General symptoms of contact with (speculative; NDVM #247) are consistent with established reports.  Initial attempts resulted in dead/deafened guards, while the most recent has reduced the damage level to merely 'rattled'.  NDVM #247 appears to be able to use some sort of sound-based disorientation effect that can cause glass bottles and china to shatter, as well as causing stolid men (with enough exposure) to lose all voluntary muscle control, even to the point of soiling themselves.

This is an embarassment to us and our guards to be so incapacitated by what appears to be nothing more than a doddering old woman, and a small girl-child.

To accounts, NDVM #247 has been taken under the wing of NDVM #04.  Worse, NDVM #247's skill at incapacitating and moving undetected increases.  Before me are an additional dozen 'mysterious circumstance' reports.  Any one of them them could be her work, merely at an increased level of subtlety.

Based on our investigations, we suggest escalating this issue to [REDACTED]

[The document ends abruptly here]

1939-1943:

INTELLIGENCE SOURCE: This is a transcript of an interview with Miss 'Rubinoff' in 1949, conducted by Chaplain Enoch Root (AKA: Enoch the Red):

Spoiler: ShowHide

[Playback begins with a crisp spatter of static, and the background noise of something metal clanging dully in the distance, with reglar beats]
Root: "Today is June 17th, 1949.  This is Chaplain Enoch Root conducting an interview with Katarina Rubinoff.  Ah, is it alright if I call you Miss Rubinoff?
Katarina: "Yes; I use that name."
Root: "So long as you understand no offense is intended, then."
[silence, as the static abruptly cuts off, all background sound-effects suddenly vanishing completely]
Root: "Er ... thank you.  Now, I see that you take your tea with a bit of honey and lemon?"
[the soft clinking of ceramic, followed by the clear sounds of splashing water]
Katarina: "...thank you."
Root: "Miss Rubinoff, may I ask you a few questions about your ubpringing?"
Katarina: "I have provided all documentation I am aware of that can provide answers to those questions."
Root: "But, you yourself may know things that have yet to be documented.  There are some small gaps I was wondering you might be able to fill in...?"
Katarina: "Is this an order?"
[Another extended pause; about 40 seconds]
Root: "...no.  This is not an order.  We would like to have your answers and your cooperation, but if they aren't given freely, I won't press further."
Katarina: "This is why my questioner is a chaplain?"
Root: "Ah ... your English is very good.  I expect that is part of the reason why I was requested for this interview.  However, for my own reasons, I believe in a certain right to privacy, and I am a chaplain, as well.  If you wish to say something in confidence, that's fine.  If you don't wish to answer, there is no need."
Katarina: "I see."  [A pause, the sound of someone sipping at something before the soft clink of ceramic again]  "And Anastasia?"
Root: "We have no plans to coerce you.  Cooperation that is forced, is not true cooperation."
Katarina: [Abruptly switching tack] "My earliest memories are of a woman that I know now is not my mother.  She raised me to the best of her ability, but her practice in those regards was limited because she was a prisoner, firstly, and not well suited towards the task she was chosen for, besides."
Root: "I see.  This matches the, uh ... journal, then?"
Katarina:  "It could be hers, or any other woman with a similar story.  'Katarina' is common enough a name."
Root: "So ... you yourself aren't convinced of its accuracy?"
Karatina "While relative to the mindset of the recorder, the accuracy is unquestionable.  The relevance has yet to be determined.  It may or may not have anything to do with me specifically ... except for Baba Yaga.  Her I do recall."
Root: "Right.  And that was our next question; did you meet her, then?  Is she ... er ... real?"
[This pause is much longer than the others, and there's the sound of cloth shifting around, as though someone were repositioning themselves before Katarina's answer finally comes; this takes about two minutes]
Katarina: "She was ... 'real' to me.  I cannot provide proof of her existence, if that is what you are asking.  That she is flesh and blood, and walks the earth in the same sense we do.  She taught me what I needed to survive, and demonstrated that the families I had relied on before were false, even if well-intentioned.
Katarina: "At the same time, with the hindsight of my current outlook, and my understanding of how things were at the time ... if you are asking if the being I percieved as Baba Yaga were merely a figment of my imagination, then I cannot say.  I can only confirm that as I grew, she did less and less for me, trusting me to rely on my own strength, and not hers.
Katarina: "I will say that even if she is not 'real', my belief is that she exists as a thing that is separate from me, even if we may have overlapped at some points.  Perhaps what Baba Yaga is and does goes beyond any one person, and in some small sense ... I am a part of her."
Root: "Okay.  Ah.  Um.  That's very interesting; could you go into a bit more detail on 'going beyond one person'?"
Katarina: "Certainly.  Are you familiar with resonance theory?"
Root: "I--  Er, yes, I am.  As presented by Nikola Tesla?"
Katarina: "And before him, Galileo Galilei, in 1602.  A theory centuries old, and only now can we truly begin to realize its magnitude...."
Root: "That's ... very well informed for a woman of your age, with no, er, institutionalized, formal education."
Katarina: "And likewise for a chaplain."
Root: [chuckling] "Er, yes, I have a passion for the sciences, especially theory.  But we're wandering a bit far afield, here; back to resonation?"
Katarina: "Indeed.  My personal speculation is that 'Baba Yaga' as my younger self percieved her was a manifestation of the same strange power that others ... like myself are occasionally found with.  My speculation is that by resonating along familiar lines of power -- powers which modern machinery may not yet be able to detect -- whatever the being that I saw was moves from girl-to-girl, offering the advice they need to understand their powers and their way in the world.
Katarina: "In a sense, I believe it was my aloneness that caused her to manifest to me, and a reverberation along those same invisible lines thatr we do not yet know that led me to Anastasia.  As Baba Yaga exited my life, Ana entered.
Katarina: "I suppose to put it most clearly, I believe there is a system of the world that can elevate us from the confusion.  A series of logical and natural patterns that move us all in an ancient, baroque cycle, to eventually right what went wrong."
Root: "And by that you mean...?"
Katarina: "Working with my allies against the Axis and discovering new intelligence."
Root: "I see.  May I ask you to expand on your activities between 1936 and 1943?"
Katarina: "I spent that time in training with Baba Yaga; learning how to use my abilities and gather intelligence from my enemies, to better use it agains them.  She taught me to sharpen my attention to true pragmatism.  I spent those years moving from place to place, each day with slightly less guidance, until I learned to walk on my own.
Katarina: "At first, I would follow Baba Yaga's instructions, but as time went on, I eventually learned how to get jobs on my own.  The last job she had any influence over was the one where I met Anastasia."
Root: "Fascinating.  Well, thank you again very much for your time, Miss Rubinoff.  The interview is over, but would you be interested in discussing resonance theory at some point later?  Perhaps over tea in a more comfortable setting?"
Katarina: "No, thank you; I promised Anastasia soufle tonight."  [The clinking of ceramic sounds again, slightly louder] "Thank you again for the tea.  We shall meet again when you have further questions, I expect."
Root: "Er ... yes.  Thank you as well, Miss Rubinoff.  Take care."
Katarina: "Good health; long life."
[There is the sound of a door closing, before Root sighs loudly -- the background noise abruptly resumes again before the tape is stopped]

[/spoiler]

[Halbarad]

Name: Anastasia 'Cherenkov'
Age: 19
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 120 lbs
Eyes: Extremely pale blue
Hair: Platinum blonde, shoulder-length

Body: 8
Mind: 7
Soul: 9

ACV: 8 (10 on surprise attack)
DCV: 6

HP: 85
EP: 80

Traits:

Spoiler: ShowHide

Heightened Senses (Body): Anastasia's senses - particularly hearing and touch - have been heightened to extremes as part of her training. While she can't pick up on visual cues for obvious reasons, her hearing and touch are sensitive enough that she can function normally in most environments without appearing to be blind.

Stealth (Body): Ana can move almost impossibly silently if not hurried; while detectable to heightened senses or a highly focused observer, under normal conditions her movement can't be sensed by average humans.
As part of this, Ana can perform surprise attacks from concealment; if the target is not aware of her presence through any means, any attack gains +2 to ACV. In addition, if the target has no reason to suspect danger (i.e., warning that an assassin is in the area or targeting that person, a base on alert, etc.), they also receive a -2 to DCV penalty to defend.

Close-quarters Combat (Body): As an assassin trained in the use of knives, Ana is remarkably deadly when she closes to striking distance with them - both in attacking and dealing with attackers. If she is close enough to reach her enemy with her blades, she gains +1 to ACV and DCV against that opponent. If multiple opponents are within range, this bonus applies to each, although normal penalties for dealing with multiple attacks still apply. This bonus also applies to basic unarmed hand-to-hand combat, as she was also trained in self-defense if ever to be caught without her weapons.

Light Magic (Mind/Soul): Anastasia has an attunement to visible light - she can sense and manipulate its flow. She gains several effects from this:
- Invisibility: Given time, Ana can conceal herself and a small area around her from sight. Movement is possible while concealed thus, but can't be performed quickly or the effect will break, resulting in a rippling irregularity in the air. Concealment takes time, however, particularly during the heat of combat, and the focus required to resume the effect lowers Ana's ability to evade attacks. (-1 to DCV while attempting to go invisible) (20 EP cost per attempt)
- Flash: Ana can release a burst of intense light that can temporarily blind enemies. This imposes a temporary -1 to ACV and DCV to all (both enemy and ally) that do not evade the attack. (10 EP)
- Coherent Light Blades: While Ana uses standard combat knives as weapons, she has learned to sheathe the blades in coherent light, increasing their penetrating power immensely. When enhanced, the blades can cut through almost any material with ease, and increase the damage multiplier from Ana's knives to x3. (10 EP to activate, no cost to maintain once activated)

Flaws and Hobbies:

Spoiler: ShowHide

Blindness: Anastasia is completely and totally blind. Her enhanced other senses allow for her to compensate for this in many ways, but she is unable to react to any kind of visual cue whatsoever (such as, for example, hand signals). She can read most printed documents (her sense of touch is enhanced to the point she can feel the difference in textures between the inked and blank portions of the paper), but it's a slow process and prone to errors, as it requires a large degree of concentration to focus on the minute differences. She's not yet capable of reading English by touch, only Cyrillic script.

Due to her training and the manner in which she was raised, Ana also has a strange disregard for the value of human life. While she seems to be a fairly normal young woman, slightly on the cheerful side, others can find it very disturbing how casually she can speak of what amounts to cold-blooded murder, and attaches little significance to the permanence of death.

Hobbies:

Ana is a fairly good jazz clarinetist. She was introduced to music as a way to keep her occupied in the laboratory where she was raised, and after hearing recordings of jazz musicians from the West, she's done her best to learn to emulate the style.
She was heavily educated in physics and chemistry, and still has an avid interest in pursuing the latest developments in both, particularly in the physics of optics and light. Even aside from 'business' uses, Ana loves to play and experiment with her ability; this can occasionally be disruptive, although not usually destructive. Her familiarity with chemistry allows her to support Katarina primarily through the development of Kat's photography, although she has at times formulated explosives for use when needed.

Equipment:

Spoiler: ShowHide

Subject to modification based on the costuming rules.

Armaments:

2 long tanto-style knives
Utility combat knife (on belt)
Punch dagger (strapped to thigh)
Lockpicks + small vial of oil

Backstory:

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'Anastasia' was discovered as a child during the Ukrainian famine of 1932. During a food confiscation raid, NKVD operatives discovered her family dead, victims of an attack by other starving farmers in the area. Investigation of their home revealed Ana hidden under a blanket in a back room of the house, apparently not noticed by the attackers. With no interest in the child, the NKVD officers left her in the room where she was found, but upon leaving the house a faint glow was noted from the window of the room where she was left - further examination revealed that in the absence of other light, Ana emitted a faint glow.

With something clearly unusual about the child, the NKVD officers brought her in to a government lab for examination, and she was turned over to a Dr. Vasily Bedankov for research and evaluation. Cursory examination revealed no apparent source of the effect, and rather than submit the child to destructive testing, Dr. Bedankov elected to withdraw her to a laboratory for further evaluation as she matured. Upon reaching further cognitive maturity, the child was found to have some control over the abilities she exhibited, although she herself was completely blind. Bedankov elected to give her the name 'Anastasia', given that she was brought back from what almost certainly would have been death if left in the Ukraine.

Numerous experts from around the Soviet Union were brought in to examine the child as she grew; Ana's most notable memory of these was Dr. Pavel Cherenkov, a noted physicist specializing in phenomena regarding light. While most in the lab around her were primarily businesslike, Dr. Cherenkov - the father of two children himself - was moved by the isolated young girl and recommended that she be given more freedom to pursue additional interests, such as music, even providing her with a jazz recording from the United States himself.

None of the scientists to examine her were able to discover the source or mechanism by which her abilities worked, however.

During the course of her training, Ana's ability to manipulate light grew, culminating in an experiment at the age of 7 where she managed to completely conceal herself from vision. With the rise of the Third Reich to the west, the military provided the project with funding and resources to begin training Ana as an assassin, able to slip in and neutralize targets completely undetected. This training continued uninterrupted until 1941, when the Wehrmacht's advance into the Ukraine forced the relocation of the lab to the eastern steppes. Military funding was also cut, although several of Ana's trainers continued to assist without funding, using the remote outpost's isolation to remain apart from the political upheaval in the more populated areas of the country.

In this way Ana's training and education (particularly in the sciences of physics and chemistry, for which she showed a natural aptitude) continued until 1945. Political infighting among the Soviet leadership during that year highlighted the laboratory as the source of a secret weapons project; fearing its use by an opposing faction, an as-yet-unknown group sent a strike force to destroy the institution. The strike force left no survivors aside from Anastasia herself, who remained invisible during the assault and undetected by the execution squad.

Following the assault, Ana continued to live in the facility, using her abilities to steal food from nearby farms and villages. A couple of months following the strike, however, a dark-haired young woman entered the mostly-abandoned facility for reasons unknown; calculating the odds in her favor against a lone intruder as opposed to a fully armed military squad, Ana was prompted to intervene...

[Zephyrus]

Name: Eliza Howell
Age: 21
Height: 6'1"
Weight:  145 lbs
Nationality: British
Eyes: Amber
Hair: Honey blonde

Backstory:

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Eliza is one of the youngest and most talented members of MI12, the paranormal branch of the foreign espionage office, MI6.

She entered into His Majesty's service when she was 18, two years after the death of her mother at the hands of the notorious German Secret Police, the Gestapo. She and her father, who acts as her handler (despite some grumblings of blatant favoritism), have worked in some of the hottest theatres of action in the world, including North Africa, the Eastern Front, and a few ventures into China. She works best behind enemy lines, utilizing her mind magic to gather intel on high ranking Nazi officers and politicians, and wreaking havoc on military, industrial, and commercial installations with her explosives.

Eliza was especially close to her mother, who had just begun to teach her the Florica Mind Arts before she died. Esmerelda Florica was from an old French gypsy family and broke her own mother's heart when she chose Hugo Howell for a husband and spurned the Old Ways in favor of settling down with her British husband. The Florica family was renowned among the Gypsy Tribes of Europe for their mastery of the mind magics, a trait that seemed only to be passed down among the women in the families.

A great patriot and firebrand, Esmeralda became a major mover and shaker in the French Resistance, much to her husband's despair and her daughter's delight. The Gestapo somehow connected Esmerelda to acts of sabotage and brutally tortured her and then summarily executed her without a trial. Fearing that he and his daughter would be next, Hugo fled with Eliza to London, England, where he was given a job by an old friend in a newly instated branch of His Majesty's SIS, Military Intelligence Section VI.

Driven by thoughts of revenge against the Nazi regime that had killed her mother, it took Eliza three long years to teach herself what few tricks she knows now, built upon the foundations of her mother's teachings. She will free France and the rest of Europe from Hitler's iron grip if she has to kill every Nazi in Germany to do it.

Body: 6
Mind: 9
Soul: 9

ACV: 8
DCV: 6

HP: 75
EP: 90

Traits:
Mechanically Inclined (Mind) – Though Eliza's specialties lie with Explosives and Infiltration, she is very talented with machines and electric devices in general. This allows her to repair moderately broken devices, build simple to somewhat complex tools or weapons if parts are provided, and cobble together traps of terrifying efficiency a la MacGyver. -2 to roll involving Trap Making, Mechanics, and Electric Devices.

Saboteur Savvy (Mind) – Among Eliza's specialties are explosives. Anything that can go boom will go boom if Eliza can get her hands on it. Give her a satchel of C4 and she'll bring down the house, literally, atop her enemies heads. Conversely, she is also something of an expert at defusing explosives, though she far prefers to set off a bomb to defusing it. Eliza is also surprisingly adept at scrounging mundane materials behind enemy lines to build explosives on the fly, if need be. -2 to rolls involving Bomb Creation, Bomb Defusing.

Mind Magic (Soul) – One of Eliza's most valuable assets as an MI-12 agent is her skills in manipulating her mind and those of others to her advantage. She is a master at tweaking others' perception of her and delicately delving into a target's mind for whatever information she needs to retrieve from them.

• Memory Wipe: With great care, Eliza can select and wipe memories from targets as recent as a half hour from the time she activates this ability. (20 EP)
• Diversion (These Aren't The Girls You're Looking For): Eliza can't outright control someone with her mind, but she can give it the occasional nudge in the right direction: away from her.  (15 EP)
• Empathy: This ability allows Eliza to pick up the surface thoughts and emotions of whomever she happens to be focusing on at the moment. This is an invaluable skill during negotiations, interrogations, and Eliza's favorite persona as the alluring socialite. (10 EP)
• Inception:  Eliza can plant very simple ideas in someone's brain. "Hey, I'm hungry!" or "Hey, I should give this pretty lady the combination to my vault!" (30 EP)

Femme Fatale (Body) – Eliza prefers to watch the fruits of her labors from a good distance away, but occasionally, she's forced into combat. Eliza is highly skilled in the art of Gun Kata, a method of fighting that utilizes both her body and whatever handguns that she has at her disposal, though she prefers her lovingly crafted Desert Eagles. (Unfortunately, those Desert Eagles are a bit too noticeable to be used if a mission calls for her to don her rich, alluring young socialite persona.)

• First Kata – Devotion: Eliza's ACV increases by +2 whenever she uses her Desert Eagles in combat. She really, really loves those guns. (5 EP)
• Second Kata – Eagle Eye: With intense focus and concentration, Eliza can heighten her senses with a small burst of Mind Magic and send bullets screaming unerringly to their targets. +1 to ACV. (5 EP)
• Third Kata – Wildcat: For a short period of time, Eliza can push her body to the limits, increasing her speed, agility, and reaction times. +2 to DCV. (5 EP)

Flaw:
Explosive Temper – Eliza is usually very cool under pressure. You have to be, if you wish to be a successful (read: alive) agent. There are several triggers to her rage that she simply cannot overcome, and it has gotten her nearly killed on several occasions along with her team. One such trigger is the mention of her mother's brutal treatment and murder by the Gestapo during a French Resistance operation when she was barely 16 years old. Chauvinism is another trigger. Bad manners gives her an itchy trigger finger.

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