Minerva

"Has Minerva always been so casual with her threats? Threatening to burn Oren's hand off after he was the only one who was openly offering to help them with their... feeding."

- Gwendolyn

Minerva Cosette is a 26 year old human woman. She is a member of The Lyriad, and fought The Rorgh alongside her father, Samson. After her father died she started travelling with the other Children of Destiny in order to stop The Elyde and save Iquai. As a Child, she has been gifted with the power of fire.

Personality
Minerva, like the element she represents, can be hot-headed and destructive, but also warm and comforting. She tends to commit herself fully to causes before calmly thinking them through, and is typically more reckless than rational. However, she is highly devoted to those she deems friends and believes fervently in the power of groups over going it alone.

History
Minerva was born in Tezef on the 18th of Frayne, 7404, to human parents Samson and Cerena Cosette. Her father worked as a shipbuilder in Tezef, felling trees for lumber with blows from a mighty axe.

Three months after Minerva was born, the Elyde rebelled and claimed governance over Sylvatir, backed by the Rorgh Clans. Samson secretly founded the Lyriad with Hiram Roze, Trelor Hanbeck, and Linea. Minerva spent her childhood growing up within a hidden organization amongst others that believed passionately in their causes, instilling in her both a sense of loyalty to others and the importance of teamwork.

When Minerva was nine years old, on the 16th of Nuvea, 7415, her mother, Cerena, was killed in an orcish raid. Cerena, having the briefest of moments to secure the safety of her daughter, hid Minerva away as the orcs approached and faced her death alone. This event transformed the young Minerva from a child into a motivated Lyriad operative-to-be. Minerva spend her adolescent years learning to fight with daggers and training her body to move quickly and quietly.

Minerva spent the better part of 10 years training and honing her skills before Samson deemed her ready for actual Lyriad missions, and even then he would only assign her to the most basic and low-risk of operations. It took another two years, and Linea's interjections, for him to finally see her as the capable rogue she had grown into.

When Minerva was 26, she met Eliam Westmonte, Oren Lane, and Votig Kegbringer at the Grainhouse in Ushad. This set off a series of adventures across the face of Sylvatir that Minerva hoped would conclude with the cessation of Elyde rule in the country.

Skills and Powers
Minerva has trained for approximately ten years with the Lyriad. She is a fully combat-capable rogue who specializes in dual-wielding daggers. Minerva is dextrous and prefers to outbattle opponents by evading their attacks and striking before they can defend themselves. As this style of fighting can be particularly tiring, Minerva has, for many years, worked on her stamina to ensure she can last through difficult battles.

She is not an exceptional conversationalist. When faced with a target she requires something from, she is more likely to use stealth and guile to attempt to get what she needs. She will also, on occasion, attempt to gather information through seduction, though this by no means her first, or best, strategy.

Additionally, Minerva is a Child of the Maker. As such, she is blessed with control over a certain type of aether. In her case, she demonstrates control over Fire. Minerva is able to create small and large flames for offensive, defensive, and non-combat purposes. She can also heat an object or an area without conjuring fire by exciting the strings of aether that run through an area, though this has proven far more difficult for her to do.

Minerva's Child powers have thus far manifested in the following ways:
 * Minerva can extend the length of her daggers by creating a blade of fire that reaches out from the hilt of her weapons.
 * She can heat the armour of an opponent while they are wearing it, softening it and rendering it less effective at providing protection.
 * She can summon a blazing conflagration that sears away flesh and leaves only bone behind.
 * She can create and sustain small flames in her hand for light or warmth.
 * She can turn sliced bread into toast, a skill she learned to impress Oren.