Username: Zagreus
Name: Mara
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Birthday/Zodiac: February 12th, Aquarius
Allegiance: Sacred Blades
Class: Cleric -> War Cleric
Clothing: Same as appearance
Weapons: Heal Staff, Barrier Staff
Appearance: Personality: Mara is not the sharpest of wit, but her fiery spirit more than makes up for it. To others, she may appear as stubborn or hidebound, but this came about as a necessity in light of the sheer amount of stress she has been exposed to in such a short amount of time. While a healer and caregiver at heart, Mara practices "tough love" with those she cares for, and tries to push them beyond their normal means in light of the difficulties she herself had to transcend in the past. She also is quite skilled at putting on a poker face when the circumstances may require her to stay calm and composed. When alone, she tends to dwell on her past and relive old pains, although she does her best to hide this if anyone were to happen upon her.
History: Mara grew up in a rural farmland. Her father was a shepherd while her mother was a seamstress who would go on frequent trips to town. Mara had developed a very close bond with her father by age nine, and would much rather be out herding sheep and milking cows than sewing and cooking at home. She was teased relentlessly for this. Despite her seemingly tomboyish proclivities, Mara embraced her feminine side and learned to ignore the opinions of others. As she grew older, it became clear to her parents that her reputation around town would make it difficult to marry a local. This did not bother Mara, as she was not particularly interested in suitor so early in her life. Mara instead had dreams of spreading her wings and traveling, despite a total lack of funds or support from her parents.
Unfortunately, Mara got to see firsthand how cruel the world could be outside of her little bubble. Shortly after Mara's 17th birthday, her mother passed away. Aside from the grief that wracked Mara's family, the more immediate problem came to be affording to live. For the next year, Mara and her father struggled to keep the farm. When things had finally been looking up, misfortune once again struck when a group of bandits raided Mara's farm and the nearby town. Mara and her father were forced to flee with barely anything to their names. They later tried to settle down in Ylisstol with the hopes of starting a new life. Not long after their residence in Ylisstol, Mara's father grew ill, and she was forced to find work to help support him. Mara settled on apprenticing to the local clergy while spending most of her time assisting them with menial tasks. She did manage to pick up a thing or two during her time, but it was not enough to save her father, who passed away when she was 20.
Mara managed to hold herself together and survive on her own. Well, not quite. She could not bear the painful memories of her past, and sought to always be around others. To others, this appeared as if she had a terrific work ethic, but in truth she was just doing everything possible to distract herself from the pain. When the Sacred Blades came around, Mara knew it was her time to leave the city and go on to help others. In some ways, she hoped this would help her deal with her inner demons.
Ability: Unflinching in the face of danger, and happens to be a good bullshit detector.
Quirk: Terrible insomniac
Strengths: Can swing a staff and have it
hurt, fairly agile, great at coordinating with and assisting others while under pressure.
Weaknesses: Terrible liar, can't be alone for too long without consequences, very guarded emotionally
Likes: Rural areas, swimming, cows, helping others, listening
Dislikes: Emotions, being vulnerable, music, talking too much
Other: "You're hurt when I say you are!"