Kaelin

Kaelin was born in Purehaven to two prolific Witch Hunters in the throes of the magic wars. What she has seen from these wars have shaped her entire childhood and way of thinking, and the pain that she’s seen magic bring people has burned itself into the insides of her eyelids. Though never on the front lines, Kaelin suffered the painful effects of being raised in the middle of war, protected only by Purehaven's walls and witch hunters. She was determined to start helping Purehaven destroy magic as early as she could realize it was behind all the suffering she was surrounded by.

Kaelin held a dark secret close to her chest from a very young age, however. Her mother had been unknowingly cursed by an angered mage to have a fae child in revenge for the pain the Witch Hunters had caused. As she began to age, more fae traits emerged, and Kaelin was disgusted by herself and desperate to hide it from the world and force her body to be human. She cut her ears from their natural pointed tips to shape them more human-like, and stifled every hint of fae behavior or appearance she could. Her hate for magic only grew as she discovered she was a part of that disgusting faction. But she believed she was different from them. She had to be.

At the young age of 6, she was already weaving her way around the blacksmith trying to help make magic-destroying weapons and learn all she could. Though she had a habit of accidentally tripping him up, he found her curiosity endearing. Eventually, the blacksmith introduced himself to her. He was Leroy Atkinson, Purehaven's most skilled blacksmith and nephew to Wren Limore, Purehaven's fearless leader. He quickly became an older brother figure she never had.

At age 10, she became Leroy's apprentice. The two bonded over lessons and she became a skilled blacksmith in his shadow in only a matter of months. As this went on, tensions began to steadily rise in Purehaven. Public executions were becoming a daily occurrence, and drowning out the sickening snap of necks during lunchtime was a skill Kaelin was quick to take on.

And at 14, Blight's spell hit, and chaos tore the lands apart. She was forced to supply Purehaven with all of their tools in their biggest battle yet as Leroy left for the wilderness to protect the city. Her mentor died there on the battlefield. She was too young to fight by his side at the time. In the end, she never got to know what killed him. His body was too mangled when recovered to ever tell, or even properly bury him. She discovered one of the swords she recently made to have been the weapon he used in battle, and quietly took it from his memorial to keep. She was forced to mourn quickly and silently, as Purehaven's new blacksmith in a new era of hostility and pain. For the next 4 years, she works tirelessly to perfect her craft, with dreams of someday being allowed to become a Witch Hunter.

Her dreams come true when a new member of Purehaven is able to take her place, and she is instructed to leave the safety of Purehaven to aid the other Witch Hunters in destroying magic. She is welcome back in Purehaven, but only with the blood of their enemies on her gloves and a magic sacrifice to prove her productivity. The story starts with her stranded from Purehaven, building a fortress for herself outside of its walls, and beginning her quest to purify the world of magic.