Hailfire
Contents
Background
Analyn Cacalda was born and raised on an island where magic and myth are very, very real. With most civilization coming in the form of rural settlements separated by large swathes of wilderness belonging to the spirits, it was no surprise that she quickly came to yearn for a life of adventure outside her isolated village. Analyn would frequently sneak out in the evenings to explore the woods surrounding her home, often getting lost for days before she found her way back. Her parents always scolded her, warning her that one day she would get herself eaten alive or anger the spirits of the land or some other nonsense. Analyn, with all her youthful confidence, would always tell her parents that something like that would never happen to hear – which made her sudden, years-long disappearance all the more painful.
During one of her outings, Analyn lost her footing and fell into a deep and dark ravine. She felt bones throughout her body shatter as she landed. A chilling warmth washed over her body and, as her grip on consciousness slowly started to slip away, the last thought that passed through her mind was that she was going to die in here, afraid and alone.
Fate, however, had cast a different lot for Analyn.
As her eyes fluttered open for the first time in years, the first thing that Analyn noticed was that she was not alone. She could her voices, two of them, chattering away as if they were right next to her. Analyn asked who was there – after one of the voices, passionate and male, responded that they were her new tenants, a cold and female voice butted in to offer the ‘’real’’ explanation: they were a pair of nature spirits that were imprisoned within a natural cavern inside the ravine by a spiteful wizard long ago. When Analyn fell in, they sustained her broken and bloody body over the course of ten years, allowing her wounds to heal and her strength to grow. In return, the spirits had taken up residence within her aged body so that they could finally escape their prison. The three would now have to live in unity as, without the others’ power, they would die. Analyn remained silent after receiving the news, up until the point she passed out again.
Analyn never returned home after that. She had lost ten years of her life, ten years that her friends and family had had to mourn her apparent death and move on. The spirits advised that it would be cruel to them to return after so long, especially as she was no longer the girl they once knew. Analyn chose to travel the wilds instead, finally having the adventure she had wanted for so long, though hardly under circumstances she desired. It was during this time that she met future friend and travelling companion Alchemia, with whom she would eventually leave the island and take up residence in Millennium City, where she – and her companions – live to this day.
Appearance And Personality
Hailfire appears to be in her early thirties, with lightly tanned skin and long black hair. She's fairly attractive, though not entirely beautiful, and usually has a small, somewhat shy smile on her lips. She stands at around 5' 8" and, while she's not fat or even chubby, she doesn't have the athletic frame that most superheroes tend to sport; she likes to refer to herself as 'healthy'. Her most outstanding features are her eyes: her left eye is orange and her right blue, a sign of the spirits watching the world through her eyes. They glow more intensely as she draws more and more upon their powers.
Analyn is fairly scattered when she's put into a social situation. She hardly ever seems to be paying attention, and when she is there's a certain timid air about her, like she's unsure of what she's about to say before she says it. Even when she is actively engaged in conversation, however, her reactions and personality seem to change on a whim: at one moment she can be calm and cool, almost serene to the point of being cold, to being fiery and hotheaded, like she's going to lash out at anyone next to her at a moment's notice. This has earned her a reputation amongst those she knows as being what the experts call 'batshit insane'; in truth, they aren't that far off. At almost all times, Analyn is listening to the voices of Tala and Amihan inside of her head, offering often conflicting advice on how to deal with any given situation, to the point where sometimes she can barely hear her own thoughts. The former is mostly responsible for her angry outbursts while the latter is usually responsible for her almost cold replies. Analyn herself is a fairly normal and down to earth, if somewhat shy, girl, though her own personality rarely has time to shine now that it's overshadowed by the other two.
Powers And Abilities
- Frost & Fire Magic: Hailfire is a powerful and experienced wielder of any spell that has to do with the elements of frost or flame, due to being able to draw upon the power of spirits that are representative of these two aspects of nature. She prefers to lead with ice magic, as it is inherently less destructive than her fire spells, but she isn’t afraid to turn up the heat if she deems it necessary.
- Astral Sight: Hailfire has the innate ability to perceive the Astral Realm with the assistance of her spirit companions. This allows her to see spirits and other mages passing through the Astral, as well as other entities that may manifest there. This, however, does not allow her to act on their presence - she cannot physically strike anything on the Astral, for example.
- Passing The Lead: In a pinch, Hailfire can allow one of the spirits possessing her to take complete control of her body, allowing them to ‘pilot’ it as they see fit and manifest their powers at their full strength. This is only used as a last resort, however, as the immense strain that channeling the spirits’ power puts on her body shaves off years of her life at a time.
- Ritual Magic: Along with her fire and ice spells, Hailfire also knows how to carry out long and complex rituals to accomplish less destructive tasks. This frequently requires her to draw out a circle and focus her attention entirely on the spell, so its usefulness in combat is limited at best, nonexistent at worst.
- Three Minds: When dealing with Hailfire, one is actually dealing with three separate entities. Though they often bicker and argue, when it comes time to get serious, they (usually) put aside their differences and work together to achieve their goals, effectively providing Hailfire with a support crew at all times. The spirits are also capable of helping her ward off mental attacks, as they themselves have a stake within her mindscape.
Equipment
- Warding Necklace: Hailfire wears a necklace that provides her body with a buffer against physical and magical attacks, allowing her to absorb more punishment and survive what would normally be fatal blows. A powerful enough attack can shatter the ward, requiring her to recharge the necklace, and it is ineffective against psionic attacks.
Weaknesses
- Spiritual Symbiosis: While the spirits are Hailfire’s greatest strength, they are also her greatest weakness; if one were to be forced out of her body, the other two would die within hours. If all three are separated, then they will die immediately.
- Indecisiveness: The spirits and Hailfire do not always agree with each other. They each have their own separate opinions on how to approach a situation and this can sometimes lead to internal bickering that prevents Hailfire from taking immediate, decisive action. It also sometimes leaves her looking a little nutso, as she sometimes replies to the spirits out loud.
Friends, Allies and Acquaintances
- Alchemia: An alchemist that Hailfire met in her travels on their home island. Though they sometimes argue due to Hailfire’s ever-shifting attitude, Hailfire genuinely cares for Alchemia and considers her not only a friend, but part of her family as well.
Important NPCs
- The Spirits: Hailfire’s closest and constant companions are a spirit of fire and a spirit of ice. The former identifies as a male and the latter a female, and they are just as different as their natures would imply. The fire spirit is carefree, brash and tends to favor more impulsive resolutions, while the ice spirit is cold, calculating, and prefers logical thought over anything else. Hailfire never refers to them by any name; the only ones they ever offered were abstract concepts rather than words. As such, she simply calls them ‘the spirits’.
Trivia
Comments
Comments from Hailfire's superhero peers go here!
"She was instrumental in taking down a force that could have possibly taken over the world. A bit of enigma at this point, but as they say 'don't look a gift horse in the mouth'. Hopefully we'll be seeing her in the days to come around Millennium City." - Sparrowhawk
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