Meriana Casterian

Meriana Casterian is a member of the Malakim, an elite force of Seraphim pilots commanded by Hannibal de'Zama. During the Grand Army Civil War, Meriana was one of the few Malakim to side with the Grand Army instead of White Cell. She acted as the combat escort for the battleship Reinhardt when it crashed on the world of Avalon, in Carrionspace.

Meriana Casterian

Biological
Full name:	Meriana Vanessa Casterian, née Lionel]]
Born:	June 22, 12 WR
Birthplace:	Nikeah, Esper Dimension
Sex:	Female
Race:	Human
Hair:	Red, a few hints of grey
Eyes:	Blue
Height:	5'9"
Weight:	130 lbs.
Personal
Marital Status:	Divorced
Family/Relationships:	{{{family}}}
Religion:	Atheist
Title:	Hauptmann in the Grand Army; Lieutenant in the Sky Riders Aerospace Navy (honorably discharged)
Nicknames:	Meri, The Scarlet Wind
Hobbies:	Singing, dancing, flying aircraft
Known skills:	Seraphim piloting, sharpshooting with pistols
Favorite color:	Red
Inspiration:	Decidedly lacking
Motto:	Two kinds of people run away. I know which kind I am.

History

Meriana Lionel was born in Nikeah in 12 WR. She came of age during the Great War, born to two merchants who later provided financial support for Mic Hosluft and his rag-tag band of airship pilots, the Sky Riders. This investment proved wise for the Lionels, who rose to the forefront of Nikeahan and later Esperian society. Meriana came of age during the tumultuous Esper Wars, joining the Sky Riders at their tail end as a pilot of fighter craft. Her parents, however, intervened to keep her from flying combat missions. She met a young man during the early days of the Esper Union, though, thanks to this military commission.

Hadrian Casterian did not come from a good family, but courage in battle had earned him the experimental magitech infusion procedure that made men into Sorcerous Tactical Reconnaissance Marines (STORMs). The two fell in love; she was a woman of means, he was an up and coming officer. Her parents approved of the match and they married. His rising fortunes helped her secure a position as a test pilot in Kohinglen, where the family lived. The Casterians had one daughter, named Lera.

By the time of the Leviathan War, though, their marriage had become strained. Hadrian spent most of his time in Maranda, with the rest of the STORMs and the Republican Expeditionary Force. Meri raised Lera in the relative safety of Kohinglen, while she helped test the earliest testbed models of the new KN Garrison mecha. It was during the war that she made a startling discovery: her daughter, aged four, could use magic. Other parents were making similar discoveries, finding their children to be among what would later be called the Imbued, but the war overshadowed these developments.

It would prove to be the wedge between Meri and her family. After the War, as those with magitech infusions and their children came into more power, those without were further divided. Meri and her husband spent less and less time together; Hadrian's career in the STORMs had taken off. In 46 WR, for reasons she never quite articulated to anyone, she left Hadrian and Lera. Meri joined with the Grand Army; her role as a test pilot placed her with the Malakim. She did not have much contact with her family after that, partially (but not entirely) because of her awareness that Hannibal de'Zama lived.

She served with the Malakim as a loyal pilot for the next six years. When the Grand Army Civil War erupted, though, she chose to not side with de'Zama and many of the other Malakim. She went with the battleship Reinhardt, accompanying it when it crashed on the world of Avalon in Carrionspace.

Personal Life

Meri is a friendly, gregarious woman outwardly. She has experience with high society and military society, and can seemingly fit into most roles well. However, her personal life is something of a mess, and people know it: she isn't in contact with her parents, she doesn't speak with her ex-husband, and she hasn't seen her daughter in years. She has a reputation for being nice, but flighty -- and, perhaps, for not caring as much as she should about people. Whether this is deserved is another matter entirely, but people talk about Hauptmann Casterian.

Special Skills/Abilities

Meri is a superb combat pilot. She flies a Seraphim, specifically a Seraphim-R. It is a standard production model, with an anti-gravity system that lets it escape orbital velocities. The robot's armament includes a rail gun, a beam saber, and hip-mounted rocket tubes. She is a well-rounded pilot, skilled at close- and long-range combat with her Seraphim.

She is also a skilled shot with a pistol and an adept martial artists. Meri may be forty years-old, but she hasn't lost her combat prowess with age.

OOC Trivia

• Meri keeps a silver locket around her neck at all times.
• Her ex-husband, Hadrian Casterian, is the Lord Commander of the Phoenix Knights.