Player Name: Ellen Carmichael
Faceclaim: 
Nationality: British
Age: 23
Personality: Passionate and hot-headed, Ellen throws herself full-force into anything she sets her mind on. It's extremely difficult to dissuade her. Over the years, she's forgotten what it's like to participate in challenges for fun, treating them as serious undertakings instead. Any playful banter is reserved for before a match begins. While she treats fellow gamers respectfully, her overly invested attitude and tendency to overstrategise can make her difficult to get along with.
Backstory: Ellen's love of video games began at an early age. As a child, she'd frequently play competitive games against her sister Eva, and her school friends. This caused no small amount of conflict with her parents, who were old-fashioned, believing there were more valid activities. Accusing her of wasting her potential, they discouraged her beloved games, and pressured her into sports.
Although she resented this at first, Ellen discovered she had a talent for gymnastics. She channeled her former love of gaming into athletic competitions, winning several medals throughout her teenage years. However, when she was 17, a severe knee injury put an end to her career path. Even after rehabilitation allowed her to function normally day to day, and do light exercise, she was never able to pull off the moves she once used to.
What saved her from the depression she fell into was taking up her true favourite activity once again - gaming. To her, it was just as valid a form of competition as sport, although her parents didn't see it that way. They never said they were proud of her again. Ellen decided she'd prove them, and others like them, wrong. Hence her participation in tournaments.
Over the next few years, she climbed up the ranks. So, when Rift Warriors X was announced, she knew she had to fight to the top and get her hands on a copy, to make a point. Upon making it into the top five, she was overjoyed, but when she announced the news to her family, something Eva bluntly said made her stop and think.
"What's the point of winning a copy if you're not going to enjoy it?"
Nonsense, Ellen replied, of course she'd enjoy it. To which Eva was quick to point out that Ellen no longer played games like she used to. She took them much too seriously, and played to prove herself rather than to have fun. These words struck a nerve, but Ellen insisted this wasn't the case. Suspecting that her sister may be jealous, she promised to let her play during visits.
When Ellen booted up the game, though, she discovered it was more worth taking seriously than any other. For reasons she hadn't expected.
Rift Warrior Character: Princess Sitra
Rift Warrior Faceclaim:
Debut: Rift Warriors III
Rift Warrior Backstory: An ancient Egyptian warrior princess who commanded armies against Hyksos invaders. Known for her wildcat-like grace and strength, she sucessfully led battles that drove away the nation's enemies. However, one battle turned out even more of a brutal struggle than most, with heavy losses on both sides. Just as Sitra and her army were gaining the upper hand, she was dragged into the Rift. With no idea what became of her troops or her nation, she's single-mindedly determined to win the tournament and return home.
Rift Warrior Powers: Sitra was granted traits of the animal most sacred to the ancient Egyptians - a cat. While fighting, she gains feline ears and a tail. She has considerable agility, able to leap to great heights and attack in midair.
Since the cat goddesses Bastet and Sekhmet are connected to Ra and considered solar deities, some of Sitra's abilities are light based. She can grow six-inch-long hardlight claws, which she uses for a flurry of strikes. When she raises her shield, she can briefly create a solid light barrier, resembling a much larger shield with a lion's head motif at the centre. This barrier's weaknesses are its cooldown period of several seconds, and its inability to block attacks from behind. Her low defensive stats mean this has to be used at exactly the right moment.
Finally, she's able to enter a super mode, which buffs her strength and speed. In this mode, her ears and tail become lion-like, and she becomes surrounded by a golden aura. This lasts for ten seconds, and has a cooldown period of thirty.
Playstyle: Sitra is all about timing and precision. Since her HP and defense are nothing to write home about, she relies on her strength and agility, as well as fast reflexes on the part of the player. It's a matter of deciding when to use certain abilities - timed well, they can be devastating.
Her fighting style consists of either attacking from a distance with her two javelins, or quickly closing in, striking and leaping aside. When she throws a javelin, it vanishes and reappears at her belt shortly afterwards.
Other: Ellen adores cats, which is why she usually plays as Sitra. While cats may give her haughty looks from time to time, they don't judge in the same way humans do.
When she was getting back into gaming, she used to cosplay as Sitra at conventions, although her days of doing silly fun things are behind her.
