Name: Kat(erina) Wythburn
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Description:
A tall, dark skinned woman with an athletic build and light brown eyes. Her hair is close to her scalp. She dresses in a bastardized version of the Imperial military officers uniform, reflecting her long time on the frontline. Much of the outfit has been replaced with materials that are better suited for the jungle. Much of her clothing is caked in mud and grime. Her hands are rough and callused. She has a notable scar on the back of her leg, and another just below her hairline. If she had lead a different life, she would have been called beautiful. Instead, she's called striking. Her teeth are stained the pearly white of a habitual Ladral user. Her mouth is grimly set, but on the rare occasion that she smiles, she looks like an entirely different person. On her shoulder blade she has a tattoo of a Candorian heraldic crest.
Bio:
The bastard child of a Tarrmenian kitchen maid and the heir apparent to a wealthy Candorin Earldom. Kat's early childhood was formed by the tenuous legal position she held. She was raised primarily by her mother in the servants quarters of her grandfather's- the Earl Wythburn- estate. In those early years, when her grandfather still possessed full health, and the concerns of succession were far from the minds of all, Kat's father, Jaxon Wythburn, would spend time with his daughter, playing with her and making sure that her and her mother were treated well. As she got older, her interactions with the royal side of her family became more and more tense, as they became more willing to show their disdain for her. The servants were also jealous of the favored position Kat and Kat's mother held with the future Earl, and would try to sabotage them both. Fortunately, Kat's aunt, Helena Wythburn, took pity on the young mother and her younger child, and would step in frequently to help care for her young, illegitimate niece. Helena taught Kat how to read, and inspired her love of reading. But as Kat's grandfather's health began to fail, and Jaxon started to look for a noblewoman to marry and have future children with, it became clear that Kat's time within the estate was coming to an end. And so Kat's father, the inheritor of an ancient and wealthy title, gave Katerina the best gift that he could. Ensuring that her mother would find employment as the head of the household in another noblefamily, Jaxon paid the full tuition for Kat to enroll in the Imperial military academy, and a commission for a minor officer position with an expeditionary force on the western outskirts of the Empire. And so Kat, having never traveled more than 50 miles from the estate, went 200 miles away to enter into the academy. Although she had initially hard time by not being a full blooded noble, there was a large contingent of royal bastards in the academy, so she fell into the social group happily. Kat excelled in the academy, and graduated 5th in the class of 300. During her time in the academy, she had a covert romantic relationship with a local Sendar. During this time, Kat discovered she had an aptitude for magic, and illegally learned the basics of using magic. She never swore the Vows of Purity. Although she and her romantic partner split shortly before Kat's graduation, they left each other amicably, and the Sendar promised not to reveal her secret magical power, in exchange that she not reveal who taught her.
Upon graduation, Kat was sent as an officer to oversee the western trading posts with the Tribals. A few months after she arrived, war broke out.
She's been there since, and has seen some of the heaviest fighting. To deal with the stress, she's taken to chewing Ladral, a narcotic made out of boiling certain Amaran flowers and shaping it into cakes, which are sliced and then chewed on.
Strengths:
Officer: Kat can handle herself in a fight. She keeps her cool, can strategize on the fly, and issue orders. And she's not afraid to get dirty, either. She's comfortable with physical encounters herself, and has the scars, and the kills, to prove it.
Hedge-Sendar: Although she isn't capable of many of the complex spells that even the most novice Sendar can perform, Kat isn't limited by the Vows of Purity, and has become incredibly adept at creating violently effective combat spells.
Lover of Knowledge: Kat loves to read, and knows much more about the world than she lets on. She's a regular eavesdropper, and is always desiring to learn as much as she can, be it ancient, pre-imperial histories, or the gossip on who the postmaster is tupping.
Ruthless: Kat's conscience has been quieted on so many occasions, it's rare that she'll have qualms executing acts that many would hesitate at.
Weaknesses:
Ladral Addict: Although she only started chewing Ladral a year and a half ago, Kat now has trouble functioning without it. She's been through a withdrawal a few times when she couldn't get her hands on any, and has since tried to keep a reserve stash in case of any disruptions in her supplies.
Regrets of the Ruthless: Having a muted conscience isn't always a benefit. Although it's rare the she'll have qualms about her actions, it can be dangerous for her to reflect on past actions, lest she be subsumed by guilt and self hate. She doesn't like to think about what sort of person she's become since the war started.
Ruinous Secrets: Kat has managed to climb into a position of some importance through the generosity of others and her own unrelenting hard work. But she's afraid that if her exact history is revealed to the world, all of it will come crashing down around her.
