Korra Zerlinda Francisco

*"I was hired to slay the Count, and you were hired to defend him. I was successful and you were not, so my work here is done, and you need a new employer."*
*~Korra Zerlinda Francisco~*

Korra Zerlinda Francisco is an orphaned swordmaster and natural-born Kumenza from the eastern fringes of East Aurum near its border with southern Naizszi near Sacrisola. She and her brother Kuro are two of the last members of the Saitan-Mka, an organization famous for its masters of the blade.

While she is not amoral, she has been raised and reared as a mercenary and a killer, and so has little qualms with ending lives in combat. As a peerless warrior and mercenary of frightening renown, she was known by the moniker "Silverheart", due to the cold, metallic nature of her behavior on the battlefield, and because her elemental affinity for Light earned her a "lighter" nickname than her brother's moniker "Steelheart."

## History

### Early Life

Korra was born in 4644 in East Aurum, 9 minutes after her elder twin brother, Kuro. However, given that her parents were both artificial Kumenza that were part of a genetic experiment, she never got to know them, as they were slain after they threatened to break free of the system that had created them. Inspired by tactics used in Krippan Military academies, her adoptive parents trained her and her brother in the art of combat and swordplay from as early as 3 or 4 when they were first able to pick up a wooden sword. In truth it was a cultural tradition of a faction known as the Saitan-Mka, which was a culture of blademasters that had since fallen from a once-glorious organization into a scant few members who were mostly nomads or Kumenza. Kuro and Korra were chosen as part of an experiment in this regard, due to them being 2nd Generation Natural Kumenza.

They were among the many men and women taken during the Mad Murderer's regime in Shahar-Eka where violence was widespread and forced gladiatorial combat was commonplace, and they were forced into this capacity in their early adolescence. Due to Korra's talent keeping her alive and putting on a good show, they kept a blade in her hand all the way until she joined the others who would later overthrow the regime, but until then, she was kept occupied, primarily by the regime.

### Prisoner of the Arena

Korra's training with the sword benefitted her in some of Shahar-Eka's sadistic gladiatorial games, some of which also turned into days-long games of survival. Despite her young age, she became a proficient killer, and survived multiple sojourns in the Shaharzé arenas. It was not without cost though, and it scarred her heavily. Korra's emotions were already subtle to begin with, but by the time she escaped the gladiator pits and arenas, she was all but emotionless, giving her fallen enemies one last cold, blank stare before cutting them down and ending their misery.

While the nation of Shahar-Eka was thrown into a brutal and long-lasting dictatorial regime during its attempt at recovery from the Kroggñan invasion, it was through the mercenary acts of people like Kuro and Korra, among others, that prevented the Talaki from destabilizing the area again.

### Life as a Free Woman

Once she was free from the gladiatorial cycle that she had been put through in Shahar-Eka, Korra joined many other Kumenza as refugees who then crossed the bay into Koldia. She found sanctuary in the Shiarzen Highlands among the Winter Elves, and later even travelled to Capital Kerala where she enrolled in an Imperial mercenary academy with her brother and several other students, under the tutelage of many powerful warriors, as well as the slightly out-of-place Tzakani Nezami Serénez. While none of their instructors had the same fearsome reputation as Korra, she found many of their teachings to be insightful, which only made her an even deadlier combatant with a blade or out on the field.

### Elven Civil War

Due to the treatment of Kumenza under the existing monarchy, Korra and most other Kumenza had no qualms lending her strength to Leto's Rebellion when the Elven Civil War kicked off. She proved swiftly to be one of Leto's finest commanders, and reminded much of Koldia why she was nicknamed "Death's Left Hand." Morale among many Imperial troops plummeted when she or her brother was spotted on the battlefield, as Korra allowed her blade to taste the blood of her enemies without so much as an expression of remorse.

## Appearance

### Physical Appearance

Korra is a small but athletic woman with well-defined musculature, honed from her time as a gladiator and her time studying swordplay. She has particularly strong hands and feet, to the point where others have commented on them, although this coupled with her already formidable strength also makes her a surprisingly talented grappler and brawler. Like all Kumenza, she has dark grey skin, silver hair, and red-orange eyes, but also has a blank, almost vacant stare that often makes others uncomfortable. This appears to be due to both her childhood and from the trauma she experienced as a gladiator, but it has not shown to hinder her performance as a mercenary, and thus she and her brother are still some of the best in the business.

### Clothing

Korra's attire varies based on her current capacity, but she tends to dress fairly simply and practically. While she is rarely seen without a sword of some kind at her side, She can just as easily swap to unarmed combat, and so will often wear plated gloves and/or boots when she expects a fight. Her favourite schemes are blacks and greys, although there are sometimes smaller patches of dark blue or swathes of purple, sometimes even bits of pink. Overall, however, she prefers darker or cooler colors, despite her elemental affinity for Light.

## Personality

Korra is often accused of having no emotions due to how stoic and expressionless she looks. While many say that this enhances her metallic and ruthless moniker even more, it often makes friends or allies a little uncomfortable, with Korra's subtle motions and severely limited emotional range making her come off as cold and mechanical. It serves as a great intimidation factor for her enemies, however, many of whom get that stoic thousand-yard sale as the last thing they see before they are cut down.

In truth however, Korra is a gentle woman by nature, who takes no enjoyment of killing others. However, she carries out her tasks with ruthless efficiency, and has acknowledged that her line of work requires her to take lives in order to do so. She is dangerous due to her power and abilities with a sword or with her bare fists, but unless provoked or hired to do otherwise, she is a very peaceful woman with no interest in causing harm.

## Trivia

* Korra was sometimes nicknamed "Death's Left Hand" due to her deadly reputation, and for being left-handed.