Carina Petras

Her Origin

catrina tate petras was born as the youngest of three children, in avery, montana, to tatum and elsbeth petras. as their third born and a girl none the less, they were less than thrilled. however, thanks to the preaching of a high priest, they do try to find purpose. the petras family is immersed in a religious cult based in a polytheist faith, striving to connect with the gods in order to save themselves. they're willing to do anything to achieve this, including submit their children to become swords of the gods.

beside's being born catrina, as her family joined a local church, her name was changed to carina, merely due to the high priest preferring the name. this is merely the beginning of her upbringing in the old faith of mon. 

her older brother, jude, is accepted into the sanctuary, when carina was 4 and he was 8. he was different when he came back, only  for week between seasons. eventually his fall trips home became spring trips abroad. he came home less and less. taking his only time away from the sanctuary to travel and spread their scripture. but when he did come show, he showed his sister the way lights could dance across his palm, and how he could light the candles on their prayer table with a wave of fingers. she was 6 when she first mimicked him. she'd never forget his face at the sparks on her fingertips.

her potential, and capacity for power caught the attention of the high priest. he expresses to her that she's been chosen by their gods to be a peer, a soldier. the gods had deemed her worth. thus it was her duty to join her people at the sanctuary, and seal her fate with the gods. she's very excited, as are her parents. but she's too young to realize that her brother's weren't shaking with excitement ... they shook with fear for her.

carina's first weeks at the sanctuary involve prayer and glasses,. she's fitted for a ceremonial dress, of ivory silk. she's taught a mantra that she's meant to repeat during the ceremony. it doesn't make sense until they press the  magical item against her skin. at first it's just warm to the touch, heating the light lair of holy oil anointing hers skin but then it begins to burn. when she screams and thrashes, the priests hold down her limbs. for every scream, the high priest pulls her by the hair, and hitting her head against the stone alter.

eventually, she begins to recite the mantra, keeping it going for every laceration, every cut, every crevice burned into her skin. until one doesn't merely burn through skin. instead, it melds to her skin, spreading from where it had been dug into her hip. it moved down the skin of her leg, sinking into her skin.  carina only stays conscious for long enough to feel her body flipped to her stomach, a brand searing into the skin of her upper thigh. branding her with the name of the god who "blessed"  her.

Her Metamorphosis

carina remains at the sanctuary, with only a few opportunities to go home. the high priests looking for any sign that the ceremony worked. she exhibits divine energy  potential within days, an accident occurring in the gardens of the sanctuary as a boy her age makes fun of the way she walks, the brand on her leg still smarting despite the accelerated healing she experienced. and so begins her training. between studies of scripture and prayer hours, carina finds herself in a training room with various teachers, coaches ... but never other children. she always trains with those who cannot truly fight back. she wonders why.

carina possesses an ability to harness and project divine or celestial energy, often displaying as a warm gold light. her eyes shine with the same hue when she uses them. this power can be used as merely a light, soft lighting to help in times of darkness. however, it can also be used to generate holy flame. this light, energy, giving her the capacity for quite a bit. it's quickly learned that she by far as the most raw magic in her, likely causing her amplified abilities. it also makes her the most powerful of the blessed.

by the time she is 14, she can take down just about anyone she is put in a ring with. only the eldest of the blessed hold their own, and that's largely due to the fact they have more patience. more experience in strategy. but the trainers what that to change, quickly pairing her up with older students to train her further.

Her Now

eventually, as carina reaches adulthood and is ultimately sent into the world to do the bidding of the faith ... she begins to doubt. through a great deal of confusion and debate, she ultimately leaves the faith. but it isn't without blood and loss. leaving her family in the faith, and nearly killing her brother, theo, when he attempts to stop her. but now she  is trying to find her place in the world that she was taught she was meant to save, that didn't quite seem to need her.