Leona Volpe

**Leona Volpe** is a chemically-altered human, who has made a living by smuggling a variety of things across galaxies and realms. She is the pilot of the *Gloriosa Calamitas*, her first and only ship. She is currently the commander of the U. C.’s personal fleet as well as the Smuggling unit of the faction.

## History

### Serpensia, Draconian Nebula

Kaida Wyrvis grew up on the planet, Serpensia. Her father was one of the most reputable inventors in her native galaxy, Draconian Nebula. Her mother was a scientist, who performed experiments among living creatures in order to recreate the perfect civilization that was once rumored to walk their planet. Kaida was told that this first civilization was nearly immortal and unaging. Their senses were heightened, and their brains functioned at a higher capacity than their own brains did currently. They were still human, but they were elite. Her mother became obsessed with her work, so Kaida rarely saw much of her. Instead, she spent a lot of her time building with her father. She became his apprentice at age 15. She and her father built for the imperial legion of Serpensia, providing them with over-the-top technological weapons and transportation. During this time, Kaida began to build up her own ship, *Gloriosa Calamitas*. She experimented with a vast array of materials before deciding on using magic-infused technology to set her ship apart from everyone else’s.

When her mother realized that her daughter had the potential to become a test subject for her DNA experiments by the age of 19, she began to try and keep Kaida out of her father’s workshop by having her work in her lab instead. It was here that Kaida discovered her affinity for kleptomania. She would take basic things, like test tubes and syringes, at first. She slowly began to build her way up to more ancient artifacts that her mother used to try and replicate whatever energy they contained. By the time her kleptomania reached this point, her mother realized that Kaida was ready for her trial: inject the perfect civilization’s energy into her daughter to cause a cellular mutation, which, if successful, would allow her genetic makeup to morph into the likeness of the first civilization’s DNA, making her into one of them.

The changing of Kaida’s genetic makeup did not happen immediately. In fact, her mother didn’t think it worked at all. She allowed Kaida to return to work with her father and dove back into her work. During mealtimes, her mother included extra supplements of the serum into her food to see if the energy mechanisms of the prime civilizations required an activation. As the years passed, the only thing that the extra supplements seemed to do for Kaida was drive her mad. Her original brown hair turned snow white and her brown eyes turned into a blue, similar to the summer afternoon skies. Her kleptomania became out of control to the point she had to stop working alongside her father due to the patrons’ fear of her stealing from them. One day, at the age of 22, she was looking in the mirror and decided that she’d like to have one of her own eyes as a trophy for herself. She removed it herself, and that was when her understanding of what was happening to her snapped into place.

Up until this point, her mother was sneaky in her experiments with her daughter, but now with her enhanced understanding of the world and all its things, Kaida started to become cleverer. She began to skip mealtimes where her mother was involved, opting to stay at the shop to eat instead. She did go to her mother’s lab, only to steal away any intellect that she could as to what she had become, what her mother referred to as the Primus. Once she pieced the puzzle together, Kaida completed her ship, after seven years of building and upgrading its design and machinery. She had to remove herself from her situation or else her mother might find other ways of vaccinating her with the serum. Her father understood that, and when Kaida was getting ready to depart for the last time, he confronted her with a gift: a canesword with a hidden revolver. Her father named it, ‘Vici’.

### The Kessel Run Association

After her escape from Serpensia, Kaida joined a thieves/smuggler’s guild named The Kessel Run Association. Here, she trained with the top smugglers of the Draconian Nebula, before she ventured out beyond that galaxy. As her reputation continued to grow, she took on a name for herself: Leona Volpe. She became one of the greatest smugglers known throughout dimensions and several galaxies. She ended up in another realm, on a country called Terrasen, when she was approached by a woman named Isabelle Lightwood. She was a regular at the bar she was at to the point everyone knew her by name, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when Isabelle Lightwood confronted her. Isabelle talked to her about some secret society with a lost queen in another realm, who was in need of a smuggler like herself. Leona pointed to other smugglers in her guild, attempting to sway her towards them instead. Though, Isabelle was persistent in getting Leona for her group instead. Every time Leona visited Terrasen on a job, Isabelle would be there waiting for her with the same offer. Every time, Leona turned her down.

Eventually, Leona Volpe refused to return to Terrasen, because of the annoyance that was Isabelle Lightwood. She turned down every offer that might have sent her to the realm until she learns of a mission that she couldn’t resist. A group was forming within the guild to go on a quest to retrieve the Amulet of Orynth, a priceless heirloom held by a Celaena Sardothien, Queen of Assassins. The amulet supposedly held significant power and would sell at a high price, keeping the guild, which was currently struggling, on top of their budget. Everyone on the mission would receive a massive stipend for their efforts, if they were successful. Leona Volpe signed up, and the group of five of the top recruits ventured forth on this adventure. The mission was a failure from the start. While they planned to infiltrate the Keep when Celaena was away, they weren’t expecting a whole range of assassins to still be inside. Their intel was that the Keep was abandoned except for their queen. They were more than wrong. They entered through a roof latch on one of the towers, falling into a suite that seemed abandoned, though there were many things pointing to a possible Russian male inhabitant. As they moved throughout the Keep, it was eerily quiet, and the shadows seemed to be moving as they travelled. It wasn’t until they moved to the main second floor of the Keep that they’d run into three members of the Keep, all three female. One of them recognized Leona, and that was Isabelle Lightwood. “Come to talk about our offer… with comrades?” Isabelle asked with one of her charming head tilts as she took in Leona’s companions. That’s when the fire broke out between her group and the three assassins. One of her friends bolted the way they had come, abandoning them, which she hoped meant he was going to get help. The fight was over as quickly as it had begun, leaving Leona alive and alone, thanks to Isabelle Lightwood, who had lowered an elfish-looking female’s hand. Again, Isabelle let out the offer for Leona to join them, and this time, Leona could not say no.

### The Exile

Before Leona could properly move into the Keep, she requested to return to her guild one last time to gather her belongings, most importantly her ship, *Gloriosa Calamitas*. Isabelle suspiciously complied, and Leona returned to The Kessel Run Association. Upon arrival, she was immediately on edge. Word had gotten out about her mission, and she was to blame for its failure and the cost of the other 3 guild members’ lives, according to the one recruit who had abandoned them. She begs for them to take her back, for she had no intention to return to Terrasen. They refused her and announced her exile. Leona refused to go down without a fight. While she was exiting the base, she took a sharp turn over to the impounded vehicles, where her ship lay waiting. She snuck into the cockpit and slowly rolled it out to the exit. Typically, she didn’t start up the fire shields until she was safely out of the base, but in her pit of rage, she turned them on. A ring of dragon’s fire ignited from the magic runes that encircled her ship, causing an array of flames to catch fire on the base, slowly pouring out towards the other impounded ships. Leona bursted forth from the base and in her peripheral vision, she watched as half the base exploded into pits of flames from the impounded vehicles fueling catching fire. With a snicker, Leona returned to Terrasen to begin her new life with her new faction.

### Avashesh

Leona Volpe has traveled the entire world of Avashesh, particularly mapping it out from the skies above. Her favorite places were Neo Haven and Annwfyn, particularly the latter because that was where Celaena Sardothien now ruled over her lands. She was in charge of not only the Smuggling Unit for the Umbra Cadre, but also now the architect of the hangar of ships that will be at Celaena and Annwfyn's disposal. Though, her plans have gone a little awry due to Candle coming aboard with a mission that intrigued Leona more than annoyed her.

## Appearance

Leona Volpe has a slim body type, even though she does not train very often. Due to her Primus genetics, her original brown hair has turned snow white, and her dark eyes have turned into a brilliant sky blue. She wears an eye patch over her left eye, which varies in color depending her outfit, to conceal the maimed eye socket beneath from her removal. She is typically depicted in her pilot uniform: a black fiber-armored bodysuit with black, leather greaves and a black long-coat, which has red hues on the inside of the coat tails. On the sleeve of her coat, the U.C. insignia is embroidered into the fabric: a sword with stag antler's acting as wings and a crown floating above the sword's hilt. She walks with a her canesword, *Vici,*which gives her a slightly more elegant appearance.

## Personality

Leona Volpe's name gives a hint at her personality. While she is fierce and brave like a lion, she is also as sly and clever as a fox. Her predatory nature flows mostly through her intense kleptomania, making her someone that should be watched at almost all times. She's quite jovial and extremely skilled in sarcasm. While she makes friends easily, she does not trust anyone. She often refers to her ship as her child and gets very defensive if someone physically damages it or insults its beauty. She prefers to talk her way out of a fight, due to her sly side. She isn't big on killing and has quite a distaste for it, which is why she tends to turn her nose at the U.C.'s contracts.

## Abilities

Leona Volpe is an expert swordsman. She can also fly most aircrafts and sail most sea vessels on her own. Her directional capabilities are superb; she does not require a map to know where she's going. Her Primus blood gives her heightened agility and lifespan. She is a kleptomaniac, so her sleight of hand is rather toned.

## Relationships

### Celaena Sardothien

Leona Volpe and Celaena Sardothien have an understanding: stay out of each other's way. While Leona will gladly transport Celaena wherever she needs to go, Leona doesn't do it out of friendship. While their relationship is still growing as Celaena incorporates her more into the Umbra Cadre, their relationship is still very professional and almost cold. Celaena nicknamed Leona "The Lion" for the U.C. database. During the reunion between the two women, though, it seemed as if Leona looked highly up to Celaena for giving her this chance to live rather than exist.

### Isabelle Lightwood

Leona Volpe owes Isabelle Lightwood her life, for sparing it during the Kessel Run mission. Leona supposes Isabelle may be her only true friend, which is why she's yet to fully try to run from the U.C. since her exile from the Association. Isabelle entrusted her to the Smuggling and Thieving Unit of the faction, and so Leona is attempting to live up to Isabelle's expectations. Their relationship is overall positive and continues to blossom.

### Callum Grant

Leona doesn't like Callum Grant, but she doesn't dislike him either. They are more like acquaintances, who bicker like siblings. She constantly calls him names, to which he responds by name-calling as well. Their intelligence clashes, but together- they could probably solve any puzzle thrown at them. They both feel like outsiders in Annwfyn, which is one of the only feelings they have that is mutual between them.

### Candle

Leona and Candle are the two most unlikely pair to ever team up. Leona is seclusive, while Candle is inclusive. The two are constantly in an argument over whom can be more sarcastic than the other or whom can annoy the other first.