Name: Nashandra Katona
Age: 36
Race: Human
Height: 5'11"
Physical Description
When it comes to first impressions, Katona intimidates; after all, what Battlemage doesn't? Most people will avert their gaze and slink away upon recognizing the red leather gloves of her "profession", unnecessarily fearful and often obedient. In a city like Marn, the stories of magic are twisted towards horror so strongly that even the bravest of men will fervently avoid any kind of confrontation with a trained mage.
Katona's height – several inches above most women, and quite a few men - lends to this fear-inspiring image, as do a well-practiced and rather ominous assortment of facial expressions. Her features rarely, if ever, show any reflection of a sense of humour; in fact, she is not prone to expressing any emotions beside "bored", "annoyed", and "infuriated".
Being a rather gangly and inelegant woman, Katona shows none of her mother's beauty or grace, unlike her elder brother. On the other hand, both children inherited their father's height, his stern gaze, and, most notably, his sense of conviction. Katona's hair is a dull dark brown, in a mess of curls and waves that fall almost level with her shoulders. She has fair skin, small eyes of dark blue set in a face one might describe as angled, with a sharp jaw and prominent cheekbones.
Her clothing, if not typical Battlemage attire, tends to be in dark colours, and often consists of simple items (e.g., trousers, a long-sleeved tunic, and a plain robe). Katona's red gloves have been altered to be without the fingertips, as the thick leather could potentially hamper the reach of her magical ability.
She always carries at least one weapon on her at all times, as she was trained to do. Most often, when on duty, she'll take the sword; otherwise, she prefers a dagger or two.
Possessions
- Standard armor for a Battlemage.
- Standard mace and sword used by guards, as well as a pair of daggers and a crossbow.
- Enough Bishani to stay well fed and buy what she wishes, within reason.
Powers or Strengths
Sensory Manipulation: Katona has the ability to alter the electrical signals in a person's nerves so that she can, in effect, induce "hallucinations". This talent has taken years of training, and still is far from perfection, the greatest hindrance being that Katona must be in physical contact with her target to have any real control. That's not to say her ability doesn't work at all from a distance, but the connection is so weak that it is mostly ineffective.
Katona can only properly manipulate the afferent nerves (those which run from sensory organs to the central nervous system), and thus she cannot control the movements of a target's muscles, for example. She has the potential to learn how to control other parts of the nervous system, which could increase her power significantly, but it would take a lot of time and training. How the ability works, physiologically, is beyond Katona's knowledge, and most of her direction comes from instinct and practice, along with a few clever tips from those who tutored her in the art of magic.
It is often much easier for her to use the ability on a person whom she has already attempted it before; the more she touches a person, the more familiar she will become with their nervous systems. As one would imagine, it is also much easier to use on races she is familiar with than those she is not. Theoretically, she could use the ability on herself, but in doing so, often loses the concentration required to maintain the connection, with the one exception listed below.
Examples of how this power can be used:
Sounds: A target could hear someone calling out to them from across the street, and will leave Katona to investigate. She could also have them hear something said by someone else, when they did not say it at all, such as an order given by someone else so as not to implicate Katona herself.
Visions: This is a difficult sense to manipulate, so Katona tries to avoid it, preferring to use one of the others instead. When details are required, the easiest thing for Katona to do is create an image in her own mind and attempt to "transfer" that to the target; her own memories are the most accurate and therefore most useful.
She might attempt to cause the target to think they are in another location, bring about images of something they fear, or make them see shadows and lights dancing about before them. The easiest thing to do is simply stop the signals, rendering the target effectively blind, but this can be difficult when the person, in their panic, refuses to remain still.
Smell/Taste: Fairly straight-forward, Katona can make most people taste or smell whatever she wishes them to. Sometimes their mind interprets the signal in an unexpected way, but not often.
Touch: It is simple enough to make someone feel different sensations of touch anywhere on their body. Katona can tickle them, cause them to itch, or make them think someone's tapping them on the shoulder or grabbing them around the ankles. It's fairly easy to make most people trip over themselves in confusion.
Pain: The skill Katona is called upon to use most often is that which allows her to cause unbearable pain to an individual through light touch. For a little over a decade, Katona has been given work in the dungeons of Justice Hall making nightmares come true for its residents. While some of this torture is psychological, physical pain tends to be the easiest and most effective method of extracting information or otherwise getting what you want out of a prisoner. Nashandra can recreate the experience of any injury without leaving a mark on the victim's body -- all the damage is psychological.
Nervous Shockwave: Although it's true that Katona has no direct control over nerves from a distance, she can still use the ability to her advantage in such a situation, by throwing out a wave of magic that can distract or disorient an individual or a group. The effects are usually a combination of tingling, slight aching, seeing a brief flash of light, hearing an odd humming or buzzing, and the occasional phantom taste or smell. Rarely does Katona have any control over which occur.
Desensitized to Pain: Aside from, as a child, having learned to take pain and learn from it, Katona has gradually learned to use her magical ability to numb herself to pain at will. She likes to use this ability when in a fight, as pain is an unnecessary distraction, a disadvantage. If she cannot focus, she cannot use her power, and she tends not to use it without good reason. It will not rid her of all pain, but it is useful. She can also do the same for others, of course.
Connections and Influence: Power means influence, and influence is the key to power. As a battlemage, Katona has access to many locations and resources that the general population do not.
Weaknesses
Physical Limitations: Although she is as well-trained in combat as any of Marn's guardsmen, Katona has a lighter build than most fighters, leaving her at a disadvantage in any circumstances where she cannot use magic. Against an untrained fighter, her wit and training may save her, but anyone who really knows how to use their strengths and their opponent's weaknesses will leave Katona without any real chance of coming out on top.
Illusion of Authority: Katona is watched carefully by those ruling over the city. After all, magic is a crime, and inherently evil, even when being used to rid the world of similar evil. Though her role in society leaves her powerful through influence, there is very little true freedom in the situation as a whole. Any action that might negatively affect those in power, directly or indirectly, could easily lead to Katona's untimely death.
Unpopular: Only those who command Nashandra have any real faith in her. Almost every other member of the population, even those with respect for her power, would rather have nothing to do with her. She tends not to associate with her fellow Battlemages, and has little interest in pursuing personal relationships with others. She doesn't particularly care how she's seen by others, but it does mean that she has almost no allies and no reason to cause any trouble for those she serves.
Unambitious: Even if she were to put her reasons for remaining where she is aside, Nashandra would not care to change anything. Most of what she enjoys is simple. She'll settle for comfort and an engaging occupation, both of which she has, and she can take joy in music, a good drink, and training her magical abilities. She won't try too hard to take power or be a leader unless it's part of her job, in which case it has no personal meaning – it's just a means to an end.
History
Note: a lot of this information is going to be moved to a Katona family wiki page soon. The information relevant to the character's life can be found in the last two sections of the history, so feel free to skip to that if you don't want to read everything.
Nashandra was born into one of the oldest families still living in Marn, the Katonas being Descendants of the First Settlers. They arrived in Fort Marn roughly 200 years ago, and the Katona name can often be found in writings of the history of Marn, such as the following excerpt:
The Katona family has resided in Marn since before its official founding. As historical records show, the first was a guardsman named Sandor, permanently stationed at the fort with his wife and children. Of their life prior to living in Marn, very little is known; only that they originated from a small city named Abrany and are believed to have had a history of military service to Eyropa.
At least one male from every generation since has served in the enforcement of Marn's laws, even before the Marn City Guard was officially formed. Two females have also served the city in the same manner, while several other members of the family have been associated with aspects of the city's administration.
While the family is wealthy enough to live relatively easily, and most citizens regard them highly as Descendants, they do not quite have a place in upper class society. Those who bothered with the upkeep of an aristocratic social life generally ended up marrying into other families. Those who go by the name Katona remain seen as hard-working and reliable, yet not quite as sophisticated as their peers.
Rebellion and Honour
Reonus and Askar
Nashandra's grandfather, Reonus Katona, was born back in 199PW, to Emil and Teodina Katona. Stern and professional, Emil was a strict puradyne and an ambitious, dedicated guardsman, whose near-infallible contribution to the protection of Marn led him to become a highly regarded Guard Captain and keep the position for many years.
Unfortunately for Reonus, his father was not quite as good at parenting. Emil treated his sons as he did his fellow guardsmen, and Teodina was not much better. They'd been raised tough and it had led them to good, fulfilling lives serving the community; surely more of the same could only do good for their children.
For as long as he could remember, Reonus had lived and breathed his future as a guard - a future he wanted no part of and would gladly fight against. His little brother Askar wasn't pushed as forcefully, especially when he made it known that he really wanted to become a blacksmith in service of the guard: a position that was useful, and perfectly suitable for a second son.
Reonus was never given that freedom, so he stole it instead. In his youth it meant beatings, lectures, and extra chores, but once he was old enough to take off on his own, he took the chance and ran with it. He began drinking, staying out late and making trouble, and sleeping in whatever bed he could find that wasn't home and didn't cost him anything.
Once Reonus' family finally realized he wasn't going to come crawling back to them ready to don the guard's uniform, Askar decided to take it upon himself to follow in the family tradition. He was naturally obedient, happy to please, and couldn't deal with the disappointment that showed in everything his parents said and did.
The boys had always been close - the best of friends, even while Reonus was spending all his time away from home and Askar was busy with his apprenticeship – and the hostility between his brother and parents was tearing Askar apart inside. To join the guards was the least he could do, even if metalworking was his real passion, and Reonus didn't hold anything against him for giving in to their parents' wishes.
What spurned this change of circumstances was the birth of Reonus' first son, whom he chose to name Emil at the behest of his brother and the mother of his child. The young girl's name was Aledora Javris, and her family had also been in Marn for several generations. Not quite as long as the Katonas, but certainly enough to earn themselves a high standing in the community. It was only the reputation of Reonus' father that kept Aledora's family from objecting to the sudden, unplanned parenthood of the two teenagers.
Despite all of Askar's wishes, the naming of the child in tribute to their father, Emil, did nothing to mend the broken bonds – if ever there were any to mend – between Reonus and their father. Life continued on as usual, with the exception of a new addition to the family.
Meanwhile, Askar was too busy working towards his father's expectations to seek romance just yet, but he indulged his desire for a close family life by playing the part of loving uncle. He spent all his free time babysitting for his brother and sister-in-law, who were yet to fully accept their roles as full-time parents.
He told the young boy stories of their family, especially his father's admirable resilience in face of all the hardships his job presented to him. When Aledora brought another child into the family – a girl, Malena – Askar was more than happy to play dolls and dress-ups, and add a damsel or two to his more fantastic tales. Things has settled and fallen into place, despite the conflict that had plagued their youth.
Askar was only 22 when he lost his life in the line of duty. It was unexpected: a routine night patrol that ended with one guard dead and the other severely wounded and permanently scarred. Askar had a keen instinct for finding trouble, whether due to learned habits or natural talent, and he'd led his partner off their normal route when he'd decided that something didn't seem quite right.
They ended up finding a young girl – a fire-wielder – conjuring a blaze to keep herself warm, and the following confrontation was a complete mess. Askar was publicly commended for his bravery and honour, for all the good that did a grieving family, and a rift was torn between Reonus and his parents that they all knew could never be mended.
The younger Emil was left in shock, at the delicate age of seven, when the most important person in his life suddenly disappeared. "Death" was the only explanation he was given, but it didn't mean much to him, except for the knowledge that a mage had caused him this pain and all that he had ever been taught about magic must be true as a result.
Without the extra hand around to help take care of the children, Reonus and Aledora were forced to find better jobs and work more often. Emil made a lot of trouble as he grieved, and even though Aledora's family were willing to babysit young Malena, and Emil spent as much time as possible in the school's care, the unexpected arrival of a third child put a lot of strain on the couple, who weren't used to taking care of the children on their own.
This new child was a boy and the name Askar was given without question or second thought.
Love and Resentment
Emil and Vivyena
It wasn't long before Emil made it his life goal to serve the guard, hoping to join them as soon he was old enough. At first, his mother was uncomfortable with the idea knowing that the same choice had led Askar to an early demise: a painful, distressing death long before his time. But the reality was that a well-trained guardsman generally wasn't in so much danger, and any job for a man outside of an office brought with it the risk of injury.
Reonus, who'd never actually resented the position itself -- only the lack of choice he'd had in his own future -- was willing to support the boy's choice, as long as Emil remained sensible. He was quietly relieved for his son's ambitious attitude towards life, a trait which would hopefully ensure that Emil had a long and comfortable life ahead of him.
This was largely a reflection of his own inner guilt and self-doubt; Reonus' dependence on alcohol had only become worse in the years following Askar's death and it was an escape he felt he couldn't live without. He blamed himself for his brother's death, and his father had blamed him just as easily. The stress of parenting and making enough money to support his young family was wearing him down, and his parents wanted nothing to do with him.
Emil realized his father's faults much earlier than a child should have to, and the truth left him jaded and despondent. He came to realize that the family his beloved uncle had belonged to -- the sturdy and brave Katonas that he admired -- was not to be a part of his life, as he'd been given the "disappointment" for a father. The alcoholic, the coward, the man who let Emil's best friend die because he had no honor in himself, no sense of duty, responsibility, or respect.
But Emil still loved his mother, Aledora, despite her own faults. In a way, he saw her as the helpless victim, too kind for her own good. In truth, she was really quite a passive woman, as long as she had what she deemed valuable. In her youth, true love and freedom were all she wanted, and later, the well-being of her children -- anything else, she simply accepted or ignored.
For reasons unclear, Aledora's health slowly declined during Emil's teen years, and Reonus could barely stand to watch the woman he loved fade away. His alcoholism, and with it his ability to care for his family, became much worse. He wasn't normally a violent man, but during the darkest days of his life, Reonus had beaten his own son on occasions where Emil had been especially insulting and critical of his father's behaviour. The distance between them grew, and Reonus was forced deeper into his despair with every day that passed by him. Once again he was losing his family, and it was no less tragic than it had ever been.
When Emil left home to train with the City Guard, it was Malena, Emil's younger sister, who was left to care for her mother, as well as their younger brother Askar. Nurses and doctors were hired to seek treatment for the condition, and although little could be done for Aledora, Malena made many friends and contacts through the work she did caring for her mother. Many of these "friends" were perhaps only interested in the connections Malena had with Descendants and Synevives, but there were a few people she became particularly fond of. One of those was a girl named Aloisia Meier, who often visited the hospital with her mother -- the two became very close friends.
- Establish initial connections with medical community for Malena, and her relationship with Emil's family
- Emil's relationshp with his brother Askar to be detailed
- Need to finish details about Reonus's relationship with Nalei, and Emil's hatred towards them and their daughter Shiyaleung.
- Describe how Emil and Vivyena met and the relationship with Vivyena's family
Nashandra's Childhood
Holding her baby daughter in her arms was the happiest moment of Vivyena's life. Her first child, Justin, had been born five years earlier, and since then Vivyena had suffered the heart-wrenching loss of her second, a stillborn son. Nashandra was tiny and sickly, but alive and crying - enough for Vivyena to know that she would be alright, if they were careful with her. The young woman, only twenty at the time, decided then and there to devote the rest of her life to ensuring her daughter's well-being.
Their father, Emil, on the other hand, had little interest in the poorly girl. She had no use to him, and Justin was at the age where a firm hand was needed to keep him in line and direct him towards his future as a guardsman. Until the day Nashandra decided her future was in fighting or metalworking, she was her mother's problem.
And so, for the first few years of Nashandra's life, she was her mother's treasure, while Justin became the focus of their father. Vivyena often pleaded for more time with her son, but Emil claimed her influence would soften the boy to the point of being completely useless. Subservient and easily bruised, Vivyena soon settled for what she already had. She was still so grateful for her daughter; it felt like a miracle, almost too good to be true.
It was as Nashandra was nearing her 5th birthday that Vivyena first noticed something wasn't right. Recurrent headaches and odd physical sensations began to interrupt her daily life, and they seemed to be increasing in frequency. She began to notice disturbances in her vision, phantom scents and sounds, and terrible nausea.
It got to the point where Vivyena was having trouble keeping the house in order while still caring for her family, so while Emil and Justin were out one day, she left young Nashandra with Nalei and Shiyaleung and visited the hospital. Strangely, no cause for her condition could be determined. She was given various healing concoctions to treat her symptoms, but she seemed only to receive the side effects and none of the healing benefits.
From then on, she would occasionally spend the day resting, the children left with Nalei and Shiyaleung, and it was only then that her symptoms would abate. It was easy for her to assume that the stress of motherhood was weakening her, but this view was changed when she chose to discuss her concerns with Nalei. Normally Vivyena tried not to spend too much time with the elven woman, afraid of Emil's anger and discipline, but she knew Nalei was a capable mother and needed her advice.
It wasn't until Vivyena finally broke down in tears as she discussed her inability to take care of her children properly that Nalei admitted she had an idea why Vivyena was ill: Nashandra was a magic user. As first the idea seemed impossible -- there was no way Emil Katona would stand for his own child being a mage, it just couldn't happen. But it made sense, and Nalei would never lie about something like that, Vivyena was sure. Still, the moment of realization was heart-breaking for the young mother, and she vowed never to tell anyone of her daughter's problem so that the girl could live a normal life.
In her panicked desperation, Vivyena sought out a cure, and it was through this mistake that Emil soon became aware of the secret his wife was hiding. At first he couldn't believe it himself, and he punished his young wife for spreading such disgusting lies and tarnishing the Katona name. To reassure himself, Emil handed his daughter over to the authorities to sense through their own magical means whether she had any hint of magical ability. But hearing the truth from someone whose honesty he trusted devastated Emil almost as much as when he'd heard about his uncle's death.
The betrayal he felt was almost too much for him to bear: not only had his wife given him a magically-tainted abomination for a child, but she had lied to him about it and hid their daughter's disorder from him. If not for the fact that she'd given him a perfect son, and that his reputation was already damaged enough without further controversy, Emil might have beaten her to death that night.
Instead, he decided to give Nashandra in service of Marn's law enforcement. He knew of the Battlemages, and it seemed most appropriate to get rid of the girl and have her made into something useful, if they wanted her. The agreement was settled quickly, the girl being allowed occasional family visits despite guardianship being officially taken over by staff at the Marn asylum.
Purpose and Productivity
Becoming a Battlemage
There's really not much to say about Nashandra's early years, as her world became routine and training, her life and her personality dictated by her new guardians. She barely has any memory of her childhood; spoon-fed propaganda and taught to fear the questioning of orders, her mind so thoroughly cleansed of "distasteful" thoughts and ideas, she was molded into a puppet of the government and their wishes. It takes surprisingly little time to make a young child forget her family, with the right procedures.
To fill the void left behind in the process, to feed her youthful inquisition, Nashandra was given a thorough education on things like writing and mathematics, and how the practical world works. Science and history, law and religion, all kinds of knowledge that wasn't necessary but gave the child answers so that she wouldn't start trying to imagine outside of the given guidelines. Even when Nashandra began to notice that few others were given the same treatment, it was merely explained that "mages have a higher purpose in this world", as though they were the noble martyrs and not ostracized manifestations of evil.
Once her compliance was assured, the young girl was passed along to the battlemages who studied her magic to learn how best to cultivate the powers she held. The nature of her magic caused suspicion from all involved – the girl could deceive them quite easily if she learned how to control her abilities – so, for a while, she was trained in such a way that she wasn't able to use her powers willfully, but still practiced skills that would make it easier for her when the time came.
At 13, Nashandra began training for combat, and a year later she was finally introduced to techniques on how to use her magic. And so followed the next five years, as she became more adept, though restricted to working as "errand girl" for her superiors. She gradually learned the way the guard worked and how the battlemages fit into the picture. She also picked up a lot about government administration and similar fields, as well as how banks and businesses and various other organizations worked.
It was in her late teens that Nashandra had begun to fall into depression and a feeling of hopelessness haunted her. She thought of death frequently, but never seriously considered ending her life, until finally enduring the ritual that officialised her status as a battlemage. The arduous test which all battlemages must go through was given to Nashandra for her 20th birthday. It was the most difficult experience of her life and she willed death so strongly in that time that she could hardly believe she managed to survive the stress.
And yet, as soon as it was truly over, Nashandra felt as though such a weight had been lifted from her shoulders that she might drift away with relief. She was gradually allowed greater freedom and power over her own life, a feeling that left her feeling slightly empty at first, but she filled the gaps that were forming in her life with new experiences. She felt as though she'd never truly had the chance to enjoy simple things such as art and music, good food or nice weather, or even the beauty in the less desirable aspects of life. She enjoyed her work more and her appreciation for aesthetics and details began to grow. It was perhaps the first time since her childhood that she'd had anything resembling a personality, however detached she remained from people as individuals. They remained little more than names and faces to her –- colleagues, allies, or targets were all she generally cared for, as she had uses for them.
At 22, Nashandra began renting a small place of her own, deciding that she would prefer to live alone than remain at Fort Omenbyrn where she'd been residing for almost a decade by that time. Her walls became decorated in information for work, such as maps and schedules and information on active investigations and known suspects. She had a bed and a large desk, as well as a pair of bookshelves full of both fiction and non-fiction, and only kept it as clean as was practical. When Vivyena was first allowed to see her daughter's new home, she had to clutch the young woman's arm for support.
Nashandra's parents were perhaps the only people she felt any impractical affection for, though her feelings were more akin to those a child might feel towards a pet goldfish than any real compassion. She appreciated them as though she'd been ordered to do so, and perhaps she had, but nevertheless she treated them with a similar respect that she did for her less authoritative colleagues. She gave the same respect to her grandparents and other relatives, although they preferred not to associate with her if they could avoid it.
The young woman began her work in general crime investigation, where she would be sent out on missions to gather information, and this soon led to the role she is most well-known for amongst her peers: leading interrogator for Justice Hall. Her ability to manipulate criminals into giving up information is remarkable, and so she has spent quite a lot of her time doing just that. Of course, such a task is quite mentally exhausting, so Nashandra has also been given quite a variety of jobs fitting for a battlemage. Her extensive education and willingness to work had made her quite a flexible asset, and the most was made of the full range of her skills.
Eventually Nashandra's connections allowed her to afford her own place, a slightly larger and more work-efficient setup which she made her personal "base of operations". She has made friends and enemies in her years of working for the government, despite her relative indifference towards people on a personal level. Those who get in the way of her work earn her dislike, and those who aid her become the closest thing she has to friends. She has gained and lost a sense of humour, and has also learned to lead as well as she can follow.
Currently her focus at work is on rumors about a so-called "rebel force" opposing her city's government, as one might be able to tell from the mess of documents and diagrams littering her home.
