The Guardian

Cast List of the Guardian

Character name: Melke Dsharin
Age: 23 (appearance)
Gender: Female
Race: Demon, 2nd class
Weapon: Bladed staff, the claws/strength of her species
Power: Some accelerated regeneration, ice magic
Bio: Her powers are a little bit ironic, given she comes from a land that is very hot and dry, to say the least. She was summoned to bet the Guardian of the infant daughter of a head priest of a community, somewhat to the man's horror. Having a demon in the House of God seemed a bit sacrilegious, but then, so was the fact that he had a daughter. Vows of celibacy and all that. Needless to say, she was protective of her charge, even despite the father's dislike, and has done everything in her power to ensure she grew into a strong young woman. However, she neither encouraged nor discouraged the girl's rebellious streak. Taela got in trouble, Melke was there to bail her out. It's a good system. It's hard to say whether or not she misses her homeland, after all, she could have resisted the summons, but instead chose to enter this world more or less willingly.
Protector/Protected: Guardian of Taylan Sharp
Appearance:

Character Name: Taylan Sharp
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Weapon: one small knife, kept secretly, prayer beads/rosary
Power: Holy magic, both offensive and defensive
Bio: The sheltered child of a priest and a laywoman, she was kept a secret within her father's church. Her mother was not allowed to see her, nor was she allowed to visit with any of the visitors, for fear that the resemblance would be detected. Thus she has grown up rather isolated and awkward, save for the company of her Guardian Melke. The demon has instilled in her a bit of a trouble-making streak, and she is often locked up in her room for trying to escape the confines of the church. But one day, she will escape and see the world.
Protector/Protected: Protected by Melke Dsharin
Appearance:

Character Name: Blaire St. John
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Weapon: knives/shortblades, hell, blades of any sort
Power: Fire Manipulation
Bio: Blaire came from a sun-scorched southern land, where the main civilization was built on several factions of nomadic tribes. Her wanderlust stretched a bit farther than theirs, bringing her and her Guardian to the colder north. At first, she'd tried to fit in, only to realize there was something desperately wrong with the way people lived, the way they were ruled. Raised to value honesty, integrity and independence, she couldn't imagine swallowing the sort of oppression she saw day after day, throughout the land. So she decided she was going to do something about it. At first she'd joined with a group that had a similar purpose, but their ways were too mild, too peaceful. They weren't going change anything like that...not for a long time. Blaire decided to take matters into her own hands and split from the group, forming the Sword and Shield with her Guardian and attracting others like her, that wanted to actually do something.
Protector/Protected: Protected by Darien Fang
Appearance:

Name: Leah Fairfax
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Weapon: She prefers defensive weaponry; studded greaves, sharp gauntlets, broad shields.
Power: She used to be able to see glimpses of the future.
Bio: Leah has been called ignorant. She has been called an idealist. She has been accused of being in over her head, of being too young for what she's trying to accomplish. Not, of course, by anyone who knows her. Not by anyone who has ever even looked her in the eye. It takes just one glance to know that she has seen things beyond her years. She has seen war, and she has seen death, and she has seen the end of he world. She has seen the face of the man responsible.
She gouged out the eye which allowed the visions before it cost her her mind. It's impossible to shake those images, though. So she won't be the one to initiate violence. She won't be the reason things turn to that madness. But she knows things need to change.
And so she founded her peaceful rebellion.
Protector/Protected: Protected by Alp
Appearance:

Name: Alp
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Race: Human guardian
Weapon: Any number of an array of hidden daggers
Power: Has lost a foresight that was stronger than Leah's, and he can influence the thoughts of others
Bio: For all that Leah was never the talkative type, Alp has always made her seem rambunctious by comparison. Ever since the voluntary loss of his eye and that half of his power, he has been all but silent, and his influence over the minds and emotions of others has grown stronger.
He saw more of the future than his charge did before they decided to end the visions. It changed him more. And he doesn't seem nearly as intent on a bloodless transfer of power as Leah.
Protector/Protected: Protector of Leah
Appearance:

Name: Claw
Age: He thinks he'as around early twenties
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Weapon: The list of weaons he can't use is much smaller than the list of weapons he can. He's particularly partial toward his chain and sickle.
Power: Unnatural agility
Protector/Protected: Protected by Talon
Bio: No one knows where he came from. For all that anyone can see, he doesn' t remember his own past. And that's pretty much true. There are certain things he can remember, albeit it a bit fuzzily. Living among soft greens and browns. A woman's voice, which may or may not belong to Talon. A sharp, psychic pain. Laughter. Waking unclothed and confused in a world of grey.
He's made it work well enough. Losing his memory hasn't robbed him of his sense of right and wrong, so he quickly fell in with Blaire's rebellion. And he's been very, very helpful.
Appearance:
Behind the mask:

Name: Talon
Age: However old Claw is
Gender: Female
Race: Human guardian
Weapon: She is at least as adept with weaponry as her charge, although she favors her scythe and the vicious claws at the ends of her boots
Power: She can create silence, forcing a lack of sound over the greatest tumults
Bio: She remembers less of her previous life than Claw does of his. The only thing to remain in her memory was her name, which inspired her charge's new title.
Protector/Protected: Protector of Claw
Appearance:

Name: Dalton Mignione
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Weapon: Violence? Excuse me?
Power: He can't heal himself, but he can heal the damage done to others
Bio: The Migniones are one of the few well-to-do families left in this day and age. And that's the only their only son is still alive. Dalton was born with a sickly constitution, and his parents poured enough money for an entire family into keeping him comfortable and well. So he's spoiled, but in a good way. It has left him naive, and he doesn't seem to comprehend the fact the volume of money he has access to is highly unusual.
Beyond that, though, he's well educated, and he has a fair grasp of how things work, despite having seen very little of the world. He's aware of the deteriorating state of things, and he uses his portion of the family's fortune to finance Leah's efforts.
Protector/Protected: Protected by Rowan
Appearance:

Name: Rowan
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Race: Human guardian
Weapon: Broadsword and the chimes at her hip
Power: She can manipulate preexisting sound waves into unseen weapons, though she can not create them from nothing
Bio: It is always difficult, to be the guardian of the ill. They are often in more need of protection, but their inherent weakness creates a lack of ability in their guardians, leaving everyone involved vulnerable. Luckily enough for Rowan and Dalton, all that he lacked physically, he more than made up for with his mind and will, leaving her more than capable of defending him where he cannot protect himself.
Not that she really needs to. She's a bit pampered, herself.
Protector/Protected: Protector of Dalton
Appearance:

Name: Victoria "Taurus" Anderson
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Weapon: Spiked brass knuckles
Power: Transmutation and slightly augmented strength
Bio: Stubborn as a bull. That's what everyone had always said about Victoria. No one was quite sure how it was she came out so very strong, considering the oddity of her parents. They rather expected her to be broken, as her mother bore a child with her own guardian. Perhaps having that Other blood in her is what makes her so determined, so strong-willed. Maybe that's what gives her such an unorthodox view on guardians.
It's not that most people don't respect them. It's just that very few actually see them as equals the way she does. She doesn't let herself rely on Faris; she pushes herself to be as good as him, to be his partner rather than his charge. Of course, that just makes him stronger, but she appreciates the challenge.
Protector/Protected: Protected by Faris
Apperance:

Name: Faris
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Race: Beastling guardian
Power: Manipulation of magnetic fields to control metal
Weapon: A simple sword, though he is more than capable of adapting to anything else.
Bio: Faris is an oddity among guardians, thanks to his charge's perceptions of the world. He doesn't feel the seperation from the rest of humanity that most of his brethren do, and he is not shackled by Taurus's desires. He is granted a freedom that most people would deem unorthodox, and some are concerned that their relationship might mirror that of Taurus's parents.
Of course, that's ridiculous. They respect each other, trust each other. Nothing more.
Protector/Protected: Protector of Taurus
Appearance:

Character Name: Kamion Handic
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Race: Hellhound
Weapon: Teeth and Claws, along with a cursed shortsword.
Power: Immunity to fire, shapeshift to hound
Bio: Kamion was always a little...odd. At least for a hound, that is. A Guardian by nature, it was only natural for him to take a partner as soon as his Queen sent him to another world, hunting a rogue creature. But he'd ended up stuck on that different plain, cut off from his world and his Queen. For lack of any other tie, he made one with Sara Lydell, a lonely girl with no family and no friends. He was drawn to her, and has been with her ever since.
Protector/Protected: Protector of Sara Lydell
Appearance:

Character Name: Sara Lydell
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Weapon: powdered poisons, to be mixed with substances
Power: Spiritual summoning/communication
Bio: Sara was a quiet child, introverted, and usual kept to herself, save for her constant companion, Kamion. Without him, she might as well have been a ghost, he is the only thing that makes her want to be strong, so that he can be strong. The daughter of a well-to-do merchant, her mother had an affair shortly after her birth and disappeared, and her father...well, her father couldn't be bothered to look after a little girl and give her the love she needed. Kamion provided that instead, being a father figure, an uncle and an older brother all in one. And when her powers first surfaced, it was he, not her father, that looked for a teacher to help her get the madness under control, and teach her how to channel and use the spirits that seemed to follow her everywhere. Though she knows little about the reason for the resistance or fighting, sometimes they cooperate with Leah and her organization, spreading information and harboring other potential recruits.
Protector/Protected: Protected by Kamion Handic
Appearance:

Name: Kailya Ventus
Age:19
Gender: Female
Power:Magic clearly attributed to the wind/air. Can be both offensive and defensive.
Weapon: Pipes, small knives
Protector/Protected: Protected by Cyril
Bio:Whoever said that children should be protected obviously never wandered long in the slums. There children, and their guardians, were deposited like so much garbage, and left to make their own survival. Those who were lucky lived into their early teens. Those who didn't well...you had to pick your battles carefully and make sure that some act of kindness wasn't going to get you killed. No such thing as honor among theives in this part of town. How she survived, Kailya could only contribute to two things. The magic that seemed to allow her to speak to and use the air, and the unfailing strength of Cyril. She knew it cost him, protecting her, which is why she's always tried to be strong. After all, you didn't grow up in a place like Rix...or rather the underbelly of Rix, without developing a tough skin. And a mask. Now at the age of nineteen, Kailya has learned to control her powers, and use them for the benefit for herself and her guardian. It landed them a few shady jobs, one plus to the slums is they were a perfect training ground for developing the ability to melt into any background, decieve even your closest friend, by simply changing slight things. Mannerisms, hair color, that sort of thing. So really, assassination and trickery suit them just fine. It's good money, and no morals needed. She has a serious weakness for feathers and shiny things, and has a rather...forceful grudge against the wealthy that can sometimes distort her judgement,:[/b] [/size]
Appearance:

Character name: Cyril
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Race: human
Weapon: scythe
Power: Now you see him, now you don't. He has a gift for illusions that are verging on flawless. One becomes quite good at hiding when it's a matter of life or death.
Protector/Protected: Kailya Ventus
Bio: Jaded, really, is the best way to describe him. He took it upon himself to spare Kailya from as much of the darkness in their lives as he could, choosing to accept it into himself rather than place it on her shoulders. Where anyone else is concerned, he's cynical and callous, always quiet. But to her, he is warm and gentle, despite the fact that she is very much no longer a child. His devotion to her fuels his every action, his every thought. And anyone who even thinks of harming her is doomed to an unpleasant madness.Despite being an assassin, he actually prefers not to kill, or even cause serious wounds. Physical violence just seems brutish, and the smell of blood bothers him. He'd much rather toy with a target's mind; it's much more elegant that way.
appearance;

Name: Reginald Marstons
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Weapon: He works in creation, not destruction
Power: He can produce paint of any color from his fingertips. Quite useless or combat, really, but it helps in the fields he cares about.
Bio: Reginald is an orphan, having lost his parents to illness at a very young age. So he was raised by his very bohemian aunt and uncle. They raised him to abhor violence, and he's been so removed from it to such a point that he would likely fall apart in the face of any actual danger. Everything that he lacks in physical strength, though, he more than makes up in artistic ability.
All the unrest int he world provides a great deal of material, though it snuffs out the opportunities to spread his work. And that hurts, almost physically. So he cooperates with Leah and her organization, as much as he can given his upbringing, typically turning his artwork into propaganda to spread the message.
It works. But gods, does he hope it's only temporary.
Protector/Protected: Protected by London
Appearance:

Name: London
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Race: Sprite guardian
Weapon: Paintball guns hurt more than you'd expect
Power: Flight and the creation of light, on top of being an unconscious source of inspiration for people around her
Bio: London is more a muse than a guardian, if you get right down to it. She doesn't know the first thing about fighting, she's not all that strong physically, and she's at least as squeamish as her charge. But that works, both for her and Reginald.
She sings to him while she paints, and they have been told that he somehow manages to capture her voice in his work.
Protector/Protected: Protector of Reginald
Appearance:

Name: Lionel Kinem
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Weapon: There's something very satisfying about a good, old-fashioned mace. Not that he gets many chances to use it.
Power: Manipulation of ash
Bio: No one is quite sure what Lionel wants. His guardian isn't sure what Lionel wants. Lionel isn't sure what Lionel wants. But they both know that they don't want the world they see around them, and they both know it isn't going to change without serious prompting. So they cooperate with with the Sword and Shield.
It's made them as happy as he seems to be capable of, which isn't very. He seems to be removed from all manner of emotion, though there hardly seems to be any reason for it. He's just inexplicably stoic.
Makes killing people easier, when he needs to.
Protector/Protected: Protected by Sanura
Appearance:

Name: Sanura
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Race: Humanized lioness
Weapon: Pictured hand blades
Power: She can revert back to her feline form and her roar, in both shapes, can cause severe sonic damage
Bio: Sanura and Lionel don't say much to each other, less than they say to anyone else, actually. There is an unspoken understanding between the two of them that transcends the need for verbal communication. He was not born into her care simply by accident. His is the soul of a lion, and she nurtures that, supports it, lets it grow where others would try to suppress it and him with it.
They trust each other implicitly, and both would gladly die for the other. There is no doubt in anyone's mind, even those who just happen to catch a glimpse of them walking down the street, that should one of them die, the other would quickly follow. There would be no replacement, no second charge or guardian. Neither could ever dream of working alongside another.
Protector/Protected: Protector of Lionel
Appearance:

Character Name: Gray Flyss
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Race: Harpy
Weapon: Throwing spears/bow and arrow
Power: Shifting into any sort of bird/flight
Bio: Gray was a member of a flying calvary within his people, but fighting didn't really suit him. At least the sort of fighting that the Harpies did. They were a jealous, violent people, and so...he tried to get himself placed elsewhere. And ended up being bound to the infant son of a visiting diplomat. And so, he left without a fight. After all, escape was what he'd wanted, and the little boy didn't require much protecting that his parents didn't provide. Of course, it was a little draining that Michael was physically delicate, due to random fits of illness. But the best doctors were working on him, and physical therapy was making Michael stronger, and the boy had dreams of being a pilot. As a harpy, that idea suited him just fine. But the world outside is changing, and Gray is no longer sure that the same innocent dreams will work. He's heard rumors of a few rebel groups trying to change things, and wondered if Michael would be able to handle helping such a cause.
Protector/Protected: Protector of Michael Carrowyn
Appearance:

Character Name: Michael Carrowyn
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Weapon: None...though I'm learning with some.. Gray's helping.
Power: Kinesis
Bio: His mother was sickly, and died at his birth. Whatever illness she had passed on to her son, giving him physical weakness and a weakened immune system. He's thankful for Gray and his seemingly unending patience as he struggles to fight his illness and learn the quirks of his powers, things that scare his father and the staff of the mansion. He has noticed that the Harpy seems worried about something, and constantly suffers from feelings of inadequacy, since Gray's strength suffers for his weakness.
Protector/Protected: Protected by Gray Flyss
Appearance:

Character Name: Fantasia Craven
Age: She's long since stopped keeping track
Gender: Female
Race: Shadow Wyrm
Weapon: Pah. Who needs mortal weapons when you've got fangs the size of a man's arm and claws to match, along with a nigh impenetrable hide?
Power: Shifting into the Wyrm, black magic/necromancy
Bio: Fantasia is quite possibly one of the strongest Guardians ever to exist, part of this is her own doing, part of it is due to the incredible power of her charge. In any case, she has become the black dragon of Arthurian legends, a nearly indestructible beast with an appetite for flesh, death and destruction. She is not mindless, however, and her more human-like form is equally powerful, and blessed with the knowledge of forbidden dark arts. Small wonder she can help keep her charge in power, all he would have to do is say the word and a undead army would be at his command. She lives for him, truly, if he were to die she would disappear back to wherever she was birthed rather than serve another master. But he won't die. She gave him some of her blood to rid him of his mortality and let him speak any language of the world, but no threat will ever get close enough to do him harm. She has sworn this to herself.
Protector/Protected: Protector of Varden
Appearance:

Character Name: Kharmine Myste
Age: As old as the forest...
Gender: Male
Race: Kirin
Weapon: Horn and hooves, my nature prevents me from using weapons made from metal...
Power: Healing and manipulation of wood/vegetation
Bio: He was never supposed to have to left the woods. It was...chance, or perhaps fate that drew him to the girl lost in the woods, her innocence and distress attracting his attention. He was guardian there, and disliked seeing anyone in pain, even if they did not specifically belong to his realm. But when she'd looked at him, things changed, and she became part of the woods he was supposed to protect. If anything she became more important, her safety and well-being raised above even the welfare of the trees. That doesn't mean he's abandoned them, after all, Catare is more than well-suited to forest life, and has never demanded that he leave the other place he is bound to protect.
Protector/Protected: Protector of Catare Genald
Appearance:


Character Name: Catare Genald
Age: 19
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Weapon: Bladed staff/bow and arrow
Power: Adaptive Camouflage, aka, blending into any surrounding environment
Bio: Life has taught her to always wear a mask. The sixth daughter of a wealthy merchant, you'd expect her life was handed to her on a silver platter, even being one of six. The problem? She's not supposed to acknowledge he's her father. Legalities of being an illegitimate child. She was passed from foster home to foster home until the time when she was sixteen and her powers began to emerge. It was handy, being able to hide in plain sight but when they found out...oh, they didn't trust her at all, never knowing exactly where she was. If something was broken, or missing, Catare took it. You just couldn't prove it cause you couldn't see her much of the time anyway. Eventually it got so bad that Catare cut her losses and ran off, deciding she'd be better off on her own anyway. Having basic knowledge of outdoor survival, she set up a temporary house in the woods bordering her home town. She didn't expect anything magical to be living in them, but well. Kharmine has been a blessing in so many ways, does it matter that she'd been bitter and envious of the girls in fairy tales once? He's vowed to protect her, but he must also protect the woods. So she helps him by making herself stronger, and serving as the human voice against the hunters and loggers that try to invade her home. Mostly by making them think the trees are haunted. She has become somewhat of a legend herself, it'd made the news that she'd disappeared, and a body was never found. But sometimes, you can hear her laughter in the trees, if you listen hard enough.
Protector/Protected: Protected by Kharmine
Appearance:

Character Name: Tatinia Merle
Age: Oh...a hundred and something I think.
Gender: Female
Race: Devil (until i come up with something more fun)
Weapon: Hand held sickles, various assortments of explosives and the claws/weapons of her race.
Power: Time manipulation. Speed up/slow down/ stop for certain durations
Bio: Tatinia is...unique among her species. Time manipulation is rare, and feared for obvious reasons. And it is a hunted ability. When it was discovered that she had it...well. There were two options. Run, since they wouldn't dare let her bond with anyone on her plane, or stay and be killed for something she couldn't control. So when a mage mistakenly summoned a devil instead of an imp, she grabbed at the chance to take its place. But the mage who'd called her was weak and greedy. She couldn't swallow obeying him and when he tried to coerce her...She'd killed him. His apprentice had been a different breed entirely, a kindred soul as it were, that made her wonder exactly what he was doing there. In any case, she became his Guardian, and he was her tie to this plane. They made each other safe.
Protector/Protected: Protector of Connor
Appearance;

Character Name: Connor Demshan
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Race: Mage
Weapon: Ceremonial daggers, but not much else. He doesn't really go for weaponry.
Power: Dark Magic, with the odd talent for some healing spells and minor hedge-witch type spells.
Bio: He'd never liked killing things. Never liked watching things suffer. But equally undeniable was the fact that he had magic, and the symbol scrawled his back made every Wizard, Witch, and Magic-handler with any sort of association with good, helpful magic slam the door in his face. He sought help, wanting to control his powers, that lashed out with deadly consequences when he managed to lose his temper, but as soon as they saw it...or something in his oddly colored eyes, they refused. He has no idea what the symbol on his back means, but when Baniard, a well-known, if seedy, Dark Mage, took him in and agreed to train him, he was so grateful to learn some degree of control, he tried to ignore what the Mage would make him do. Of course...sometimes it wasn't easy. And then, Baniard's arrogance got the better of him. He'd meant to summon an imp to do some of the dirty work for them, but got a beautiful, fiery-eyed devil instead. And the fool thought he was better than her, thought to use her. And died in front of his eyes. And yet, Tatinia didn't scare him as she should have, after all, he was more or less staring death in the face when he looked at her, but instead, she agreed to help him, if he agreed to 'grow a backbone' as she'd put it. And he had. He has become one of the strongest Dark Mages in the area, but still wishes that his Mage didn't require so much pain. He tries to avoid using the spells that call for the death of an innocent as a catalyst. The sign on his back throbs sometimes, like a living thing, and it makes even Tatinia nervous sometimes. He wonders, if it is a symbol of doom or death, or something similar, it has certainly made his life difficult.
Protector/Protected; Tatinia Merle
Appearance:

Name: Varden Loshki
Age: 64
Gender: Male
Race: Augmented human
Weapon: He's more than adequate at unarmed combat when it is necessary. But it never is.
Power: Apart from the gifts of youth and languages given to him by Fantasia, he is blessed with tactile persuasion. All he has to do is touch someone, and he can make them think whatever he wants them to.
Bio: Varden was born with nothing. His parents lived, if it could truly be called that, in the heart of the slums. Every day was a fight for survival. The only good thing they had in life was each other, and their son when he was born. They loved him dearly, at least as much as they hated the world around them. They had done nothing to it, yet it had reduced them to living in conditions worse than would be allowed for animals.
He grew up surrounded by their love and their hatred, and it became a part of him. He stole for them, manipulated for them, killed for them. And they took the blame for him. They died for him.
That love is gone now. Just the hatred for a world that robbed him of his parents. It attracted Fantasia, who helped him secure a position in a ring of elite criminals. Drug sales, prostitution rings, hired murderers; he has a hand in all of it. He's going to spread the life he knew to the whole of the world if it's the last thing he does.
And then he's going to destroy it.
Protector/Protected: Protected by Fantasia
Appearance:

Name: Jasper
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Race: Human guardian
Weapon: Just a staff
Power: Hyper-sensitive hearing
Bio: Jasper is not an anarchist. But Williams is. Jasper does not particular enjoy the thought of blowing buildings up. But William does. Jasper does not think that his kind are the tools of their charges. But William does.
So, Jasper is stuck. It would go against every fiber of his nature to turn against his master, no matter how much he is belittled and used in the process of aiding him. He is too weak to stand a chance of changing things, anyway. William's small mind keeps him chained to a weak guardian, despite his own considerable strength.
His greed, though, keeps him blind. They were recently offered no small amount of money to silence a voice crying out for change. Jasper does not like the idea. But William does.
Protector/Protected: Protector of William Stryker
Appearance:

Name: Liadan Grey
Age: Old enough
Gender: Female
Race: Dryad
Weapons: ivory knives bow/arrow
Power: Healing and influencing the mental states/thoughts of others
Bio: She's been by herself for so long, Liadan has been turned into something of a myth. Once she was called the Lady of the Forest, to others she was the Lady of the Mist. To all she she is an oddity, a Guardian who has long since lost her charge, yet has survived eons without one. Even so, when she lost her charge, she retreated into the woods to mourn and disappeared. Everyone forgot her, even the Guardian of the Woods himself, Kharmine. The only exception is her young apprentice, a man with the gift of the languages of living things. He came to her asking for a cure to a strange and violent disease, trailing behind him a Guardian whose bond was...altered. They were not each others natural partners, but they had adapted well enough. She could not say why she insisted they stay with her, or why she thought to teach them what she knew, something that not so long ago she never would have considered. There is change in the wind, she can feel it coming, she just doesn't know when.
Protector/Protected: None, to replace Fantasia as Guardian of Varden
Appearance:

Name: Kaden Azak
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Race: Whisperer
Weapon: Scimitar, his birds
Power: Communication with living things, especially good with birds
Bio: There were four of them, initially. He and his Guardian Aya, and his friend and his guardian. They were happy, really, things seemed to be going really well. After all, they were children, well-fed, loved and protected. What could possibly go wrong?
A lot, as it turns out. Foreigners came to their village on a visit and brought with them a strange and terrible disease. It wiped out half the town, Guardians and charges alike. He wasn't sure if there was any household that did not bury someone. Among them were his Guardian and his friend. Faced with the madness of losing one's other half, he and the surviving guardian bonded, though it was clear to both that such a thing could never replace what either had had before, it was something. Fearing for her remaining child, his mother sent him and his new Guardian into the woods to find the Lady of the Forest, who was rumored to have a cure for all ills. She gave it to them, for a price. He and his Guardian must return to live with her for a time.
Kaden never thought to argue. The forest was better than his hometown now, where people were bitter with their losses, suspicious of strangers and travelers. They had lost something vital, and the town was becoming little more than a great reminder of his buried Aya. So with his Guardian he went to train with the Lady of the Forest, whose name, he learned later, was Liadan. There are things he's noticed about her that he will never ask. Like why she can live alone and still keep a firm hold on her sanity.
Protector/Protected: Protected by Ariel
Appearance:

Name: Ariel
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Race: Naiad
Weapon: One can hardly be able protection if limited to just one
Power: She is capable of completely rendering her body into water and reassembling it from there. The adaptations are almost limitless - everything from easy transportation to weapons at a thought to flawless disguise.
Bio: Gavin had been special. So very, very special. Such a sweet boy, slow to anger and quick to forgive, and so full of love for everyone around him that it was easy to be awed by him. And he was a healer. If they hadn't gotten sick, he would have spent his life helping people, improving lives.
But they got sick. And when he saw Aya die, what that did to Kaden, he knew he could never stand to see Ariel meet that same end. So he used strength he couldn't afford to lose to cure her. He died smiling.
For a time, his guardian defined herself by his memory. She as an individual ceased to exist, replaced by an extension of his spirit and a fierce need to protect her new charge. She lost herself, forgot the pain, for a while. But it was pushing Kaden away. Losing a second charge was not something she could live through.
So Gavin's guardian became Ariel again, her own person, her own ideas. And while she still remembers Gavin fondly, and knows that that first bond can never be replaced, she has come to love and trust and respect Kaden in a new way.
Protector/Protected: Protector of Kaden
Appearance:

Name: Azamat Heraldsson
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Race: humanish
Weapon: Metal clawed gauntlet that allows him to manipulate a length of chain, short swords.
Power: Premonitions. He will get a single image some time before the event actually happens with a feeling accompanying it that focuses on the person involved. As the event gets closer, the feeling worsens, but he never knows the specific when or where, all he knows is the how.
Bio: Azamat walks a thin line of sanity. It's been that way for a long time, perhaps ever since he first started having partial visions. It's guilt, mostly, that they are so imperfect and that the most advice he can offer is be careful. But when he got a vision of Linette lying in a pool of blood, and the subsequent bad feeling circling tighter around her, it was the worst. She was his charge, the one person he was not supposed to fail. But he did not see that the carriage they took would crash and be splintered under the heavier vehicle, and that she would end up crushed under a set of iron wheels, while he inexplicably remained alive. People left him alone after that, not knowing what to do with someone who was only barely surviving. There was something in his eyes that scared them. The family dismissed him, but he would have left anyway. He had failed his charge. For whatever reason the guilt of that pulled him onto a road, he figured he'd just keep walking until he collapsed. Seemed as good a way as any to die.
Protector/Protected: Protector of Colleen.
Appearance:

Name: Colleen Roland
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Weapon: She's been trained to adequately defend herself without a weapon, mostly relying on her ability
Power: She can tap into the power of ley lines. It's all a matter of chance, really - she never knows exactly what she'll be getting, or whether or not there is even a well of power for her to borrow from until she's put herself at risk by distancing her mind from her body to reach out.
Bio: Her father, Harold Roland, is a prominent political figure. He is the most vocal about dealing with the rings of crime that are ignored by the rest of the heads of state. He cooperates with both Blaire and Leah, and provides a great deal of funding for both. And while others who give that support are assured safety from their beneficiaries, he boldly makes no attempt to hide what he is doing, given confidence by the knowledge that he is right and his peers are either cowards or dirty.
It's a good way to make enemies. And he was prepared for that. Until it effected his daugher. A hit meant for him found Colleen instead, and only the fact that her guardian Felix was gifted with speed saved her life. Not without injury to them both. But the ley lines surged forth to repair her damage without prompting, as they are sometimes prone to do.
They did no such favor for Felix.
Her parents are desperate to find her a new guardian before she drifts away too far.
Protector/Protected: Protected by Azamat
Appearance: