Ashlynn Caider

*This is the Sherwoodverse article. For the Havenverse article, click here.*

**Ashlynn Caider** is a talented and trained killer who commands the remnants of Nox Company, an outfit of assassins. Her abilities are second to none, being a woman who has seen the front lines of war many times over. Due to some incident or another, Ashlynn went missing from her original homeland; how she arrived in Sapphiria is unknown.

## Biography

### Origins

More than 300 years ago, Ashlynn was born in the beautiful city of Athens, Greece. She was raised by both of her parents, and through their eyes she had begun to learn much about the old world. Since she was born in the year 1669, society was still fresh. Sophisticated gentlemen roamed the streets and scholars studied hard in their educational halls. Ashlynn had a good life. Her father, Vincent, realized that the world was a dangerous place and tried his best to prepare her daughter for the world. All of this became important when she reached the magical age of eight.

In a tragic evening, inhuman assassins broke into Ashlynn's Athens home and slew both of her parents in cold blood, leaving her to watch from the safety of a closet. She was alone in the world now. After the dust had settled from the vicious crime, local police tried to their best efforts to identify the criminals. But with no such luck. Her father's body was missing, though it was assumed that he had perished as well. With the tragic end to her parents, Ashlynn could not accept another family as her own. She rejected the prospect of an orphanage or foster parents, and instead lived on the streets. After a long while, she unearthed her latent abilities, inherited from her parents; pyrokinesis and electrokinesis. With these powers and an amazing agility, she took to a life of petty crime. For her, it was easy to steal from the rich and give to herself. Yet, she only stole what she needed and never anything more.

Almost 336 years later, Ashlynn had seen the world over many times. She saw people live and die, cities rise and fall. And so entered the dawn of the 21st century. She had become a rather prolific pickpocket by now, easily snatching up wallets from unsuspecting pedestrians. It wasn't until she met a rather interesting man called Magnus that she decided, maybe a life of theft wasn't worth it. As the two of them grew closer together, the world was thrust into a new age. An age where non-humans were able to live alongside humans.

### Imperial Syndicate

As years went by, she became more involved with several associations of other assassins. She often coordinated with Maverick Corporation to deal with supernatural threats, but eventually found her own way. Late one night, she was nearly killed by one of her assassination targets, but a rather strange man saved her life. This man introduced himself as Nixon, owner of an assassin's agency called the Imperial Syndicate. With this man having saved her life, he was in her debt. So Ashlynn went on to work with the syndicate, and in only a few short months, became its top assassin. This of course, came with many risks. Ashlynn became so involved in her work that she rarely ever saw Magnus; she would often come home beaten up, with bruises and cuts all over. Magnus expressed his dismay but she pushed him away, too focused on her career.

On one of her missions, yet again she was nearly killed. However, it was revealed that Nixon had expected her to die. The owner of the Imperial Syndicate figured that Ashlynn, and the rest of his assassins were completely expendable assets; if one of them died, he would find a replacement pretty quickly. Rightfully so, this pissed Ashlynn off immensely. When she went to confront Nixon, she found that he wasn't so willing to let her go. She had become their best assassin faster than anyone in the Imperial Syndicate, and she was a treasured asset, no matter how expendable she was. Magnus found out and was equally as pissed as Ash was; he arrived on a visit and was quick to threaten Nixon. But his threats would fall short as if he tried anything, there would be an entire group of assassins waiting for war.

Instead of going to war, there was another solution. One of Ashlynn's closest friends, Anaithnid, arrived upon hearing of the machinations of Nixon from Magnus and Ashlynn. With him came the whole might of the FCRF, and much to the anger of Nixon, the Imperial Syndicate was absorbed into the mighty space military. Nixon was imprisoned for his crimes, and so ended his reign for the time being. A few whispers here and there spoke of what became of him, but nothing conclusive.

### The Fall

After a rather deadly incident in Haven City, due to unforeseen circumstances from higher powers, things seemed to reach a point that most could not explain. Sometime during these events, Ashlynn disappeared off the radar, for reasons unknown. She went missing entirely, not bothering to explain her whereabouts to anyone but herself. She had become cold and distant in the weeks prior, breaking off contact from even her most trusted friends. The only few people she kept in contact were some of Nox Company, being her faithful agents in the field. Where she was headed, even she didn't know; all she did know what that there were rumors on the wind that one of her old adversaries had resurfaced, and they were up to no good. Being the hunter that she was, Ashlynn deemed it fit to take care of matters herself. Little could she have known, another hunter was hot on her trail. It was none other than Bastien, a demonic killer who was related to the murderer of Ashlynn's mother. The two engaged in a deadly battle, but Ashlynn was quickly outmatched. The two had dueled many times in the past, but Bastien was always one step ahead.

Having gotten her right where he wanted her, Bastien took the time to remind Ashlynn why he did what he did. He regaled her in the tale of how her father survived that night, and went on to slay the culprits, who happened to be Bastien's parents. Ever since then, Bastien had felt an overpowering animosity towards the Caider family name. Hundreds of years later, a battle between their parents would end with their children. Before the final blow could be struck, Ashlynn somehow managed to escape. It wasn't by her own will, but rather providence that swooped in to save her. A portal had suddenly tore open beneath her, sending her tumbling into an infinitesimal void of nothingness. Bastien cursed the skies, as his prey had eluded him yet again. He was nothing if not determined; he had almost killed Ashlynn this time, and surely he would finish her off the next time. Though, where Ashlynn ended up going, even she didn't know.

## Appearance

Despite being over 300 years old, Ashlynn holds the physical appearance of someone in her late twenties; her facial features are smooth, but in contrast, have the sharp eyes of a killer on the prowl. Her eyes are a normal blue but shift towards a harsh red when the female is angered. Her hair is a deep ebony, which flows just down to her shoulders and no further. Though she usually doesn't wear the same thing, Ashlynn is typically seen using form-fitting suits meant to be of limited hindrance, keeping her at maximum mobility at all times. One thing she is rarely seen without is her pet, Maru, a black cat which can usually be seen hanging off of her right shoulder.

## Personality

Since her disappearance from Haven, Ashlynn has grown more reserved and cold than she had been before. Apart from a select few of her most trusted agents, Ashlynn is reluctant and stubborn to accept outside help, possibly due to her fear that she may just get people killed again. It's entirely possible that Ashlynn carries a deep trauma over the events of Haven's fall, and may hold herself responsible, judging by her secluded nature. On a surface level, Ashlynn is rough around the edges; she's cold and cruel and doesn't get along with most people. Her attitude can be abrasive at times and she'll often poke fun at others, either in playful jest or just for a laugh. She does care about people, however. She tries her best to keep her friends and loved ones from harm, and innocents if she can manage it. The fact that she is both talented and confident makes her a reckless fighter; she will do just about anything if it means winning a fight. Ashlynn is a sadistic weapon of mass murder and prides herself in the art of the kill; she even takes some degree of thrill from stylishly eliminating her foes.

## Abilities

Ashlynn is a skilled assassin with centuries of training; her expertise extends to multiple areas of engagement, and multiple fighting styles. Her close range options include utilizing a variety of different bladed weapons, most notable being her dagger and blades hidden in her sleeves. Her combat skills involve working her speed to her advantage, employing hyper fast and hyper lethal stabs meant to take her opponents down as quick and as stylishly as possible. She can also use pyrokinesis and electrokinesis, infusing fire and electricity into her attacks. Though adept at close range combat, Ashlynn excels at long range engagements. She will often use her trusted sniper rifle to put maximum distance between herself and her target, allowing her to pick off her foes before they know she's even there. When both ranges aren't an option, Ashlynn can cover medium distances with her customized Colt Peacekeeper.