Hibiscus Springheart

[Leichenengel]

✿❁Name❁✿
Hibiscus Springheart

✿❁Race❁✿
Fae

✿❁Personality traits❁✿
friendly | caring | sweet | communicative | responsible

✿❁Alignment❁✿
Hero/Resistance Warden

✿❁Title❁✿
Sweetcheak

✿❁Sub-Title❁✿
Physician



✿❁Secret Identity (for Day Jobs)❁✿
None (she is always herself)

✿❁Home❁✿
A forest in a very rural area of pre-war Canada

✿❁New Home❁✿
Little magical wood several miles away from the First Ward/Praetoria

✿❁Current Residence❁✿
Paragon City/Primal Earth



✿❁Origin❁✿
Magic

✿❁Archetype❁✿
Defender

✿❁Powers❁✿
Nature Affinity
Archery
Flight

✿❁Battle Cry❁✿
-/-

✿❁Super Group❁✿
Hilariously Mental

A little lost Praetorian history of faekind
[spoiler]Before there was mankind a mysterious force created a race called Fae to be Wardens and Protectors of this new created world. All Fae served this purpose but as the Creator decided to add other races and deities to that world and from there on only watched how all of it was unfolding, the Fae devided into numerous clans and factions because they started to develop different views on creation, life, death, destruction, good and evil. Some clans lived in harmony with other races, others decided to go against them. Eventually humankind emerged to be the primal race of this world and upon discovering magic for themselves most of the previous harmonic synergies between mankind and fae became forgotten. Some clans were even wiped out in the crossfire of human wars or due to the environmental changes humankind brought forth. The remaining clans hid away from humankind or found means to secretly live among them. They became legends and myths. As humankind was developing fast the mysterious creator decided to make a copy of this world and see to it, that both of them developed in a very similar way but at a certain point he ceased to control the events. On the Primal Earth project that lead to a different outcome than on the other world. And then humankind on both worlds discovered how to travel through dimensions and the whole project developed beyond his control. He abandoned both worlds but did not destroy them. Thus the history of faekind is also only similar to a certain degree and at least on the second world became a real nightmare when humankind discovered nuclear weapons which led to several very destructive events. In the end it was the Hamidon who led not only humankind to the brink of extinction but also faekind.[/spoiler]

After the Hamidon Wars devasted most of the Earths surface, or even still within those wars, her clan, led by her father moved from habitat to habitat losing many members, including her mother, to radiation induced diseases or the creatures of the Devouring Earth and Tellurian Plague. When the wars reached their conclusion and subsided due to the actions of Marcus Cole, they had reached a perimeter of unpolluted ground featuring a small wood and a creek fed by an underground spring that still produced fresh water. There also was fresh air and good soil. The invisible magic forces radiating within and around this place had most likely protected the perimeter from destruction, pollution and invading creatures of the Devouring Earth and most likely it also filtered harmful particles out of the air. By the time they settled down within that wood their original clan had waned down to only 30 members including her father and herself. 12 of them were too ill to be able to recover and died within a week. The rest of the clan members were able to recover due to the the high density of magical waves and impulses that triggered their inherent selfgenerative powers or intensified their healing magic.

While the survivors of the original Springheart-Clan were recovering and organising housing, food supply and some other bare necessities nature was able to provide them with, other survivors of other shattered fae clans arrived at the perimeter also drawn to the high density of magic. A lot of them also died within days from radiation disease or Tellurian Plague, but those who were able to recover asked to join the clan as they had lost their previous one due to the war and the Devouring Earth. Some didn't want to stay as they were talking about some kind of save city in the vicinity where they wanted to travel to. In fact this save haven for faekind they had found was located approximately 35 miles south from the outskirts of the First Ward. Around that perimeter every source of life had been destroyed, buildings reduced to ruins or rubble, the ground polluted and still infested with Devouring Earth monsters. But for some reason they kept away from that perimeter. Most likely the form of magic energies there were harmful to them. Her father and her clan weren't able to really pinpoint most of the reasons things were as they were but it didn't matter. They were save and able to start over.

Until Marcus Cole and his men stormed the wood also drawn to the magic energies they were able to locate with scientific gadgets. The Springheart-Patchwork-Clan was in the middle of improving their housing, their food supply and making friends with the few animals that were also living within that area. The new clan had 37 members, 18 of them were original members, the others a versatile mix of of survivors from other good-natured fae clans. Cole threatened to destroy the perimeter and kill the clan for being magical creatures unless they would be willing to swear loyalty towards him and support him by lending him their power to protect his main capital and save haven for mankind and in case of their allegiance even faekind. In fact he told that a group of fae had requested to live in his city earlier and joined his cause being currently trained to serve in his Power Division - the highest organ of security to ensure peace and safety for everyone. Hibiscus was still only a fae child at that time, approximately 9 years old in human measurements.

Her father and 2 older fae of the other survivors discussed with Cole about the conditions of the mentioned loyalty and then decided for swearing allegiance. Not because they really believed in his sucess or ideology, but because they didn't want all of the clan killed for just being blessed with magic abilities that Cole sought to destroy even though they never did anything to him. Well, at least not theirs. As a sign of loyalty they elected 5 from the 37 fae of the clan to go with Cole and his men to support him. Compared to having all of them killed and their newfound habitat destroyed it was a reasonable price to pay. The agreement included, that Cole would regularly send agents to check on their loyalty, teach them the rules of the Praetorian society and to get more capable clan members for his Power Division if needed.

While Hibiscus continued to grow up she saw several members of the clan to be taken away by Cole Agents while others came to indoctrinate them. One of these times one of the agents received a call and was talking with someone about some kind of Resistance movement. Her father asked what this Resistance was and was told that it was a petty terrorist organization that would spread lies about the safety within the Capital City and kidnap people or even murder innocent citizens and that the Power Division was more important now to stand against this threat so the citizens wouldn't again loose their peaceful life, but also, because the Resistance had started to talk Power Division members into joining their cause. It was then that her father formed a plan. He had never forgotten or forgiven the killing threat with which Marcus Cole suppressed his clan into supporting him. So the next time an agent came to take someone from the clan to this Power Division, he'd give them his one and only daughter if she was old enough by then, but not without preparing her. Since she was already learning to use her inherent magic he also taught her how to use a bow and arrows so she was able to defend herself from threats that might await her. One day after training he said to her:

"In human years you are almost an adult already, even though within our brethren you are still considered a child. Don't be mad at me but as soon as your training has progressed a little more, I'll send you with the next agent that comes to take another clan member. I want you to learn about that city and about that Resistance movement. They will most likely make you do horrible things but bear with them. You have a strong heart and a lot of willpower just like your mother. If you got a grasp of the situation make your decision. Stay with Cole if you think this Resistance movement is really on the side of the bad men, but in case you get the impression what the Resistance is fighting for is a good cause, join them and maybe this clan will be able to be free again one day. Maybe we will be able to meet again, but even if not, we will always live within each other just like your mother. You may not remember her well, but draw strength from the few memories you have of her and all the good moments you were able to enjoy in this clan. Our spirits will always be with you."

So the still young and inexperienced Hibiscus was sent with the next agent that came for a member of the clan and ended up in some sort of facility, where she was examined and questioned and had to demonstrate her skills in archery and also her magic abilities. It didn't go well, since she was actually still too young in fae years for really having developed and honed her skills. She would need training, but she was able to convince the people from the facility, that she was totally capable and that her lack of experience was due to her being a very young fae. Since Cole's Power Division was in urgent need for a promising recruit they sent her to the 5th Precinct to undergo the basic training there before being sent to see Praetor White and receive further instructions and missions and talk to the trainer also located in the vicinity. But already during this basic training she learned a lot about the city and its circumstances, those loyal to Cole's regime and the Resistance movement. In her first more complex mission she already faced the decision of either killing the Resistance Leader to prove loyal towards Cole or to kill the Police Sergeant to go against Cole and join the Resistance. Since that whole save haven and happy populace stuff sounded more than fishy and she had also picked up expressions like 'thought control', 'tyrant', 'oppression', or 'rewriting of historical facts' she chose to join the Resistance. And though she was send to work undercover on the topside, which also meant to defeat some Resistance recruits, she soon started to accomplish important things for the Resistance. The experiences she made during those tasks assured her in her previous decision for the Resistance. The thought of supporting a man threatening to kill her entire clan and basing peace and safety on a scaffold of collective ignorance, thought control, martial law and absolute control and who aimed to rewrite history to benefit himself and his ideology didn't seem like a good thing given, that those speaking against this regime either vanished into the brainwashing jail of the city, were put into the madhouse of the First Ward or wound up dead somewhere - unless they had people like her from the Resistance to help and rescue them.

But even the Resistance had some really bad apples among them who called themselves Crusaders. They used whatever means necessary to bring Cole down and some even just enjoyed chaos and wracking havoc, while the other members of the Resistance focused on doing as much damage to the regime as possible while trying to keep the number of innocent casualties low even helping Loyalists that were secretly aiding the Resistance. She never saw anyone of her previously taken clan members within the city or within the underground bases of the Resistance. While she refrained from asking around about them on the topside to not appear suspicious, she at least asked a few people of the Resistance and learned, that a few fae had once joined the Resistance just like her, but that her lack of real offensive means to defend themselves got some of them killed by ghouls and the others were missing. She also learned that some fae worked at the Mother Mercy Psychiatrical Hospital and one of the newer Resistance recruits even recalled having seen a fae in one of the hospitals while he was still living on the topside. In the end she was asked to stop searching for her kin and to focus on her undercover work for the Resistance. Due to the mediporter that she was equipped with she happened to meet one of the clan members at the hospital after having been defeated the first time but due to not knowing who might be listening they only greeted each other and talked about a few trivial things before she went back to complete her mission. Knowing of at least one clan member to be alive and somewhat eased her worries a little, also because she got to know that two of the others were working at the Mother Mercy place. Filled with fresh hope and determination she ended her mission and continued her journey through the capital city of Praetoria eventually leaving Nova Praetoria behind following the path down to become a Resistance Warden and that way also a warden of the innocent citizens and her own brethren caught in the crossfire or being manipulated by the regime.

The path revealed a lot of atrocities that were happening within the regime and eventually made her meet The Dark Watcher an agent of a Primal Earth group called Vanguard. With him she gathered allies among the Longbow and in the end ordered her to destroy the Enriche supplies with Resistance Leader Calvin Scott himself so the Vanguard would be able to move in and aid the Resistance and the citizens of Preatoria. Instead of helping with the fight against Cole she was sent to Primal Earth to fight for the acceptance of Praetorians so they'd be able to get more support from that Mirror World against Cole. So she left behind not only her allies from the Resistance but also her father and her clan in her endeavor to fulfill her mission of proving to the people of Primal Earth that not all Praetorians were monsters. The choice was easy. She wanted to continue to do good and be a bright example of not only a good-natured fae but also a trustworthy and responsible Praetorian.  Due to her previous actions and her choice to become a hero and help Praetoria and her clan by becoming a part of the heroic landscape of Paragon City she finally earned her wings. The rift of the Resistance led her to Talos Island in Paragon City where an evil clone of herself seemed to be causing  trouble. Not knowing how someone would have been able to copy her when she only just entered this world and not willing to risk her mission by letting someone do evil in her name, she set out to clear her still unknown name to be able to properly get to work on the image of Praetorians not knowing, that the overthrowing of the Cole regime including the defeat of Cole himself would cause the Hamidon to wreak havoc once again and possibly even imperil her clan ...