THEMIS DATABASE: AURORA SANTOS

AURORA SANTOS

BIOMETRICS
FULL NAME: Aurora Santos
KNOWN ALIASES AND TITLES: None
DATE OF BIRTH: August 17, 1991
AGE: 71
NATIONALITY: Filipino-American
DISTINGUISHING MARKS: Has several Artisan tattoos on her body: a tiger on her back, dragons both of her thighs and legs, and a snake on her right arm.

HUNTER DOSSIER
CLASS: Artisan
HOME COMPACT/CONSPIRACY: Netsach
RANK: Inquisitor
POSITIONS HELD:

• Operative of Ziz, Leviathan and Cerberus (Liyab; Blade: “Wolf’s Choice”)
  
• Part-time Instructor at Balamb
  

AFFILIATED COMPACTS/CONSPIRACIES:

• The Methuselah, pre-2012 (Seventh Circle Hunter, Anino; Blade: “Wolf’s Choice”)
  
• The Methuselah (Senior Operative; Themis Committee, Anino)
  
• Zangyaku (Oni-Tsukai {Ten}/Gishi {Ten}, Kibo)
  

OTHER AFFILIATED GROUPS: The School of Colors (Founding Member)
TACTICAL DESIGNATION: Liaison, Researcher, Smith
FAVORED WEAPONS: Kurasigama
COMBAT ASSESSMENT: Defensive fighter that prefers to use her abilities as a means to manipulate her surroundings to her advantage.

HISTORY
Aurora spent over a decade of her life believing that her parents were dead. She had supposedly witnessed the murder herself and continued to live in fear of their murderer, who had promised to come back and “finish the job”. Thankfully, the connection she possessed with Jesus Reyes – then a retired Methuselah operative, and the man who had taken over her family’s case after the original detective had passed away – together with her associations with Hikaru Shinta managed to save her and also served as a venue for her to realize her gift as an Artisan. Anino immediately took her in, and put her in touch with Zima White, a man who was associated with Aurora’s father. She also learned that her father Isaac was still alive and constantly on the run in an attempt to escape from the cabal of Banishers that were responsible for the death of her mother.

Aidan Clayce had Aurora join Wolf’s Choice, but she only managed to participate in a few engagements with them before Anino changed its priorities: they wanted to make better use of her abilities as an Artisan by making her an independent agent, especially in light of the fact that people like her were incredibly rare. Aurora herself was agreeable to this move: she wanted to help Isaac, and avenge her mother. As such, she spent most of 2012 on the road with Zima, and trained with Beleth Nightingale – then a member of the Searing Wind, and another associate of Isaac’s – during her spare time. She and Isaac were reunited a little before Netsach broke away from the Methuselah. Aurora was quick to leave the Methuselah and join Aidan’s new conspiracy together with her blade mates.

Three of the major things that Aurora did was participate in the clean-up of the Canadian Rockies, use her powers as an Artisan to fix anomalies within the Fifth World as caused by the realm bleed, and serve as a mentor to Cora Bahaghari, the “chosen one” of Ameterasu’s paintbrush. She returned to the Philippines in time for the final battle against Nyx.

On the evening directly after the end of Operation Nyx, Aurora sat down with her friend and one-time student Cora Bahaghari. The pair spoke of future plans, and realized that the one thing that the both of them wanted the most was to learn more about their gift, and to see more Artisans in the Fifth World. Cora, however, was the chosen wielder of Amaterasu’s Paintbrush – that factor alone, Aurora believed, might have been enough to get some answers. Furthermore, the conspiracies that they were aiding needed them. As such, when Cora left on her journey, Aurora elected to stay behind and Keep the Vigil.

During the Breaking of the Veil and the First Reforms, Aurora trained with two other conspiracies beyond Netsach: Zangyaku, and the Methuselah. When the Darkest Vigil swept over the entire world, Aurora was a full-fledged Inquisitor, a senior operative of the Methuselah (Themis) and an oni-tsukai of the Ten rank. While balancing her time between assisting relief operations to distressed countries and full-scale battles, Aurora served as Cora’s connection to the Prime Material Plane while Cora traveled through the different Realms, and an endless source of support and research. During this period, she became romantically involved with Inquisitor Abel Nebel, a Netsach hunter that she had grown close to over the course of several missions. Tragically, Abel was killed in the Middle East in 2027, barely a month after he had proposed to her. Aurora later discovered that she was pregnant with Abel’s child. Aurora stepped off of the battlefield during the entirety of her pregnancy, and waited until her son was twelve before she returned to active duty.

The next major tragedy that hit Aurora’s life occurred in 2036, with the death of her mentor Zima White. Only a few weeks after that, Isaac – her own father – went MIA after a failed expedition into Grendal-controlled territory. Although she was near crippled with grief, Aurora understood the significance of their loss, and what she needed to do. She participated in the Ceremony of Measuring of the Searing Wind, and became Beleth’s replacement. From that point until the end of the Darkest Vigil, Aurora concentrated on Zangyaku-led operations against Grendal, close to the Russian borders within the Asian continent. This allowed her to go home to her son after every battle, and check up on Cora whenever she managed to get a hold of the other girl.


CURRENT STATUS
Aurora has retired from active duty since the end of the Darkest Vigil. She now lives permanently in Siquijor, and helps Cora Bahaghari manage the School of Colors.

PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE
At the heart of Aurora’s disposition is a quiet resolution to never be caught in a position of absolute helplessness again. The supposed loss of her parents at an early age and the sensation of living in constant terror of an enemy that she could not beat made Aurora a survivor who greatly valued control and her sense of independence. This also makes her incredibly stubborn, and more likely to continuously butt heads with any problem she faces in the hopes of bowling through rather than searching for a way around it, or avoiding it entirely. It has also made it difficult for her to open herself up to other people, as a part of her was always wary to trust the rest of herself with someone who could very easily be stolen from her without a moment’s notice.

While successfully navigating the responsibility of having to mentor someone, falling in love, and having a son have softened Aurora, her deep experiences of loss and personal suffering over the deaths of some of the people who were closest to her have made her grow distant from people. She remains inclined to throw up walls between herself and anyone who tries to get close, and has the tendency to cling almost possessively to the few who remain in her life.


THREAT LEVEL
COMMENDABLE/NON-FACTOR. Aurora is one of the most powerful Artisans that the Fifth World has seen, but she is now limited by her very real human nature. Furthermore, her loyalties remain staunchly with the Vigil. It is unlikely that she will be any cause for worry.


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THEMIS DATABASE: NEEKA ZOBEL DE AYALA

NEEKA ZOBEL DE AYALA

BIOMETRICS
FULL NAME: Neeka Zobel de Ayala
KNOWN ALIASES AND TITLES: CEO of Ayala Incorporated
DATE OF BIRTH: October 5, 1991
AGE: 71
NATIONALITY: Filipino-Spanish
DISTINGUISHING MARKS: None

HUNTER DOSSIER
CLASS: Touched (Impervious)
HOME COMPACT/CONSPIRACY: Netsach
RANK: Inquisitor
POSITIONS HELD:

• Inquisitor of Behemoth, Cerberus and Maenad (Liyab; Blade: “The Pack”)
  
• Primary Liaison to the Philippine Government and Philippine Businesses
  

AFFILIATED COMPACTS/CONSPIRACIES:

• The Methuselah, pre-2012 (Sixth Circle Hunter of Anino; Blade: “The Pack”)
  
• Zangyaku (Oni-Tsukai {Ten}/Gyoseisha {Ten} of the Myobu; Kibo)
  

OTHER AFFILIATED GROUPS:

• Ayala Incorporated (CEO)
  

TACTICAL DESIGNATION: Defender
FAVORED WEAPONS: European Long Sword and Shield
COMBAT ASSESSMENT: Defensive fighter, taking full advantage of her Gift in order to protect her comrades.

HISTORY
Neeka was, initially, the only daughter of Roco and Karina Zobel de Ayala, the oldest son of the Patriarch of the Ayala Family. She grew up, oblivious to the connections that her clan had with the Methuselah, until she received her Gift. The first Ayalas that came to the Philippines were Keepers of the Vigil, specifically assigned by Aidan to aid the Malice Kings with spreading the Methuselah’s influence throughout the archipelago. As they entrenched themselves within the political system of the Spanish colony, the Ayalas eventually moved away from being Hunters and focused their efforts on being Watchers and operatives for Cerberus and Leviathan for Anino.

The Gift of Imperviousness manifested when Neeka was twelve years old. She saved one of her classmates from a speeding car by throwing herself in front of it, and ended up, as expected, totaling the car instead of killing herself. Her parents immediately informed their comrades in Anino, and covered the incident up from the press. Both of them then took their young daughter aside, and told her everything that she had to know. From that point on, Neeka worked hard to make sure that she’d have the grades and the snuff to enter Ateneo de Manila University – Anino’s best Hunter campus – on her own merit. It would have been easy to rely on her family’s connections and sit on her laurels. However, that was the last thing that the girl wanted to do. Receiving her Gift was, in a way, a turning point for her: she wanted to make sure that she could use her Gift to protect her family properly, and Keep the Vigil.

Entering Ateneo and actually training as a Hunter made Neeka realize, the hard way, that she may have bitten off much more than she could chew. She had difficulty keeping up with her blade mates, and the fact that everyone knew who she was did not help in the slightest. Interestingly enough, the people who seemed to hate her the most (or people that seemed like the kinds of people she would never get along with) ended up accepting her first. These people were Paolo Inojosa, Jennifer Deveras, Matteo Tupaz and Gideon Reyes: her future blade mates in The Pack.

While most of her blade mates ended up taking care of novices the moment they hit the Sixth Circle in the Methuselah, Neeka joined Cerberus and focused her efforts on using her connections and her name to maintain the Veil and get whatever her conspiracy needed in the Philippines. This did not, of course, prevent Neeka from doing her job as a Keeper of the Vigil. She balanced both duties perfectly, silencing any naysayers that wrongfully thought that she was nothing but a pretty face. Neeka also defected to Netsach along with her blade mates, and continued her work with her new conspiracy.

In order to join the final battle against Nyx, Neeka ended up giving up her womb. This was especially significant to a woman in her position: she had a legacy to uphold outside of the Vigil, and she also wanted to always have the option to marry somebody she loved and settle down. Many people admired her sacrifice, even if they did not necessarily approve: anyone who went into the battle had given something precious up to them. Interestingly enough, this was one of the main reasons why her parents eventually stepped up and decided to have more children. They had initially wanted to avoid having others, as they were naturally ambivalent about introducing more potential Touched into a world that would sooner see them dead than help them.

In spite of the fact that she could not bear children and the fact that she had siblings on the way, Neeka ended up taking control of Ayala Incorporated barely five years after Operation Nyx. Her father believed in her daughter’s capabilities, and was also convinced that Neeka was in an ideal position to aid her conspiracy by having a position of influence within the corporate world.

Granted, becoming the CEO of one of the largest corporations in the world and thus being someone constantly in the public eye of a developing Catholic country forced Neeka to make some sacrifices. Officially, she is married to Danilo dela Rosa, the only son of an influential NGO leader. In reality, however, Danilo is homosexual; the two of them agreed to marry on paper in order to keep up appearances for them both. Neeka’s actual wife is Inquisitor Juliana Katik, a Netsach hunter from Spain and the person that made Neeka realize that she wasn’t actually straight. It should be noted, of course, that this is an arrangement that Neeka’s parents are fully aware of, and it has not, in the slightest, compromised her relationship with them.

Neeka adopted a son a little after she became the CEO of Ayala Incorporated. She spent the majority of the Darkest Vigil managing things from the home front of Liyab, and waited for the end of the war before she retired from Hunting. She is currently making preparations for transferring control of the family business to her son.


CURRENT STATUS
Retired from active duty, and focused solely on tying up all loose ends that existed within the “family business” in order to make sure that her adopted son could inherit the corporation without too much trouble. Neeka does not come to Falner as often as she used to: she’s rather content with being comfortably ensconced within her own mansion, watching over her family – or, barring that, flying off to Spain to be with her wife.

PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE
At first glance, Neeka appears to be like any other empty-headed socialite with way too much money and time on her hands. What many fail to realize is that she purposefully plays this image up and uses it to her advantage. Her approach is subtle, deliberate, and careful, built on deception and positioning herself in way that makes her intriguing enough to make sure that other parties keep coming back to her without ever actually giving them anything substantial: she excels in making sure that no one ever sees her coming until it’s too late. And she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty.

Where many others who had found themselves in her position had quailed, Neeka wholeheartedly embraced the family legacy that she had to uphold and did everything in her power to be worthy of her name. It was incredibly difficult for her to separate who she had to be from who she could possibly be for herself in the past, which might be one of the major reasons why it took her so long to realize her own sexuality and own up to her “inclinations”.


THREAT LEVEL
NOTABLE/NON-FACTOR. Because of her age at present, what makes Neeka a formidable threat to any who might choose to cross her would be her network, her allies, and the connections that she has at her disposal. As things stand, however, she does not appear to be an issue for Pax Deorum or the Vigil.



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THEMIS DATABASE: ARIA SKYE

ARIA SKYE

BIOMETRICS
FULL NAME: Camilla Skye
KNOWN ALIASES AND TITLES: Aria Skye, Katherine Stiles, Aria, the Living Land of the Searing Wind
DATE OF BIRTH: March 11, 1988
AGE: 74
NATIONALITY: Filipino-Spanish
DISTINGUISHING MARKS: None

HUNTER DOSSIER
CLASS: Mage (Thyrsus, Embodiment of the Living Land)
HOME COMPACT/CONSPIRACY: Netsach
RANK: Inquisitor
POSITIONS HELD:

• Inquisitor of Behemoth, Ziz and Cerberus (Liyab; Blade: “Wolf’s Choice”)
  
• Instructor at Balamb Academy
  
• Liaison to the Great Spirits of the Philippines
  

AFFILIATED COMPACTS/CONSPIRACIES:

• The Methuselah, pre-2012 (Sixth Circle Hunter, Anino; Blade: “Wolf’s Choice”)
  
• The Methuselah (Senior Operative, Erinyes)
  
• Zangyaku (Oni-Tsukai {Ten}/Isha {Ten}, Kibo; Wolfborn; Member of the Searing Wind)
  

OTHER AFFILIATED GROUPS:

• The Harper-Hartzler Medical Foundation (Field Operative)
  

TACTICAL DESIGNATION: Front Liner, Defender, Cleric, Liaison
FAVORED WEAPONS: Herself
COMBAT ASSESSMENT: Versatile fighter capable of switching tactics on the fly through clever and creative uses of the abilities at her disposal. Often chooses, however, to eliminate big targets and focus on defending her team mates or providing support for them.

HISTORY
Prior to her Awakening, Aria was standing at a major crossroads of her life. Inasmuch as she loved her family, she had no desire to continue being their ideal daughter and allowing them to dictate every aspect of her life. On a fundamental level, however, she herself was uncertain of what she wanted to do. Ironically, it was her first encounter with what lay beyond the Veil, together with her Awakening as a Mage, that began pushing her in the right direction. It was almost as if receiving the “legacy” of magic made everything make sense. It should be noted, as well, that her first encounter with the supernatural involved extended exposure to Hikaru Shinta, who would soon prove to have a lot more to do with Aria than either one of them had initially believed.

Anino took Aria in as one of their novices, and she began to train with the Hunters of Ateneo de Manila University. She was assigned to Wolf’s Choice, a group of operatives that she would later come to view as her own family (especially Elias Tagabigay, Anton dela Cruz and Deirdra Max). She also allowed Cerberus operatives to fabricate a story for her Sleeper family, and moved in with Rilea Heartnet. Rilea later became a surrogate mother figure to her, and also served as her mentor in the ways of the Awakened. It should be noted, as well, that she developed a rather interesting relationship with Hikaru following their one night stand in Palawan after the end of Aria’s first engagement.

The Great Schism that occurred between the Methuselah and Netsach was difficult for Aria on several counts. For one, she defected with the rest of Wolf’s Choice but found herself standing at odds with Rilea for a significant period of time. For another, she was forced to face Hikaru in combat in order to recover him from Death, and later learned that she was actually the reincarnation of Katherine Stiles, the only woman that Hikaru had ever brought himself to marry and unfortunately ended up murdering while he was blinded by Rapture. On a final note, Aria’s decision to show her “true nature” to her Sleeper family ended badly, and she was forced to leave them – she later sacrificed all of her earthly connections to the Skye family in order to advance from the 195th Floor of the Unnamed Tower.

While she continued to remain as consistent and as active as possible both for her conspiracy and for her friends, many of these issues weighed heavily on Aria’s mind all the way until after Operation Nyx. Furthermore, her discovery of Sara Shinta’s existence put her in an incredibly awkward position. She desperately wanted to have a place within this new family dynamic that existed between him, Anton, Hikaru and Sara. She also wanted to find a way to get Katherine back, even if everything in the universe seemed to be telling her that Katherine’s soul had already moved on. A part of her wished, as well, to rediscover her biological family.

These were the reasons why Aria spent the entire stretch of 2013 to 2018 juggling her duties to Netsach and Zangyaku, training under Rilea Heartnet in order to become the second person to be the Living Land of the Fifth World, serving as an instructor at Balamb, aiding Lars and Miriam Hartzler with the Harper-Hartzler Medical Foundation, recovering the essential pieces of her memory with regard to her biological family, assisting the Methuselah and Cerberus with initiatives geared towards instilling tolerance and understanding of the World of Darkness, and finding herself. She went off the radar often, as she took long dives into the other Realms in search of Katherine. While she did not manage to find Katherine, Aria found her biological family again and patched things up with them. She also managed to find the inner strength to acknowledge the feelings that she harbored for Hikaru Shinta, and the resolve to do something about it.

After touching base with her friends briefly at the Falner Estate, Aria went to Tokyo in 2018, directly after Tohru Fukuzawa left the Searing Wind; he had been called away by Elias Tagabigay, his student, in order to join the Wiseman’s Committee. She surprised Hikaru by participating in the Ceremony of Measuring, and – after soundly defeating many of the members – taking Tohru’s place as their Mage. This was her way of acknowledging her feelings for Hikaru, and showing him just how much he meant to her. Unfortunately, before either of them could act on it fully, the Black Christmas occurred in 2022, heralding the beginning of the Darkest Vigil.

Aria spent the first year of the Darkest Vigil going wherever she was needed, as an Inquisitor of Netsach and the Living Land of the Searing Wind. She, like Anton, focused more on aiding her direct and extended family members, which took her all over the world. However, when Hikaru began showing more visible signs of decline in 2024, she promptly returned to Japan in order to support him. Unfortunately, he ended up dying on her watch: he was killed while engaging Yama Kings off the coasts of Japan.

Interestingly enough, Alistair’s brief and quiet presence at Hikaru Shinta’s funeral made Aria think twice, yet again, about pursuing a relationship with Hikaru. Hikaru’s own absence from her life for the next thirty-six years, together with Alistair’s own resounding absence and near-absolute radio silence, only deepened her doubts. As such, she spent that period engaged in anti-Grendal operations, aiding Elias Tagabigay and Rilea Heartnet in the United States of America, and holding the fort for the family in Liyab.

She and Hikaru were reunited by chance in 2059; she was operating undercover in Russia, and the operative who was supposed to be her partner had been killed en-route, forcing Hikaru to take his place. Prior to their meeting, Aria had only received orders from him remotely, seen him on television screens, and heard of his exploits over Vigil-controlled networks. That, of course, made her painfully aware of the fact that the Emperor of Japan wanted Hikaru to marry Satsuki, the Crown Princess. Nevertheless, the two of them reconnected during the operation, and – while busying themselves with the end of the Darkest Vigil, and all of the relief and rehabilitation operations that followed the Armistice at Blaece – tried to enter a romantic relationship.

Unfortunately, as of 2062, Aria and Hikaru are not on good terms. Aria, to the end, could not fully accept the fact that her relationship with Hikaru was genuine, and that his feelings for her were real. Hikaru appears to have given up on her out of frustration.


CURRENT STATUS
Currently spends most of her time shuttling between the Philippines and Japan, but usually remains in Falner Estate in order to stay close to the Heartnet-Duskriders and help out at Balamb Academy. If she isn’t on Falner, she’s at Kibo – unless, of course, Hikaru happens to be there.

PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE
Aria’s strong need for independence and deep pride over her capabilities only too often come in conflict with her emphatic nature. Because she is incredibly perceptive and sensitive to the emotions of other people, she has the tendency to let the deep love that she possesses for those closest to her define her actions, and habitually stretches herself too thin in her attempts to keep them safe and happy. This occasionally makes her resentful, as many of the people she assists rarely acknowledge her efforts, and – because she appears to be a constant, omniscient presence in her life – sometimes take her for granted.

Positioning, for Aria, is essential: beyond disliking anything that violates her sense of control, Aria also hates feeling helpless, and cannot stand the thought of being unable to provide aid to others. Any failure (or perceived failure on her end) to do everything in her power to show the depth of her devotion are things that wound Aria deeply; in order to avoid this, she has the tendency to withdraw into herself and contemplate her moves very carefully. Suffice to say, there are times when she gets lost in contemplation, and ends up frozen by her inability to act.


THREAT LEVEL
COMMENDABLE/NON-FACTOR. Aria has not even begun to reach the “peak” of her abilities as a Mage, nor is she anywhere near “middle age” for an Awakened. Furthermore, she is one of the only two Mages in the Fifth World who has mastered the Attainments of the Living Land. She is a formidable force on and off the battlefield, and has proven, time and again, that she will not rest until she has destroyed anything or anyone that she has perceived to be a threat to her conspiracy, and to her loved ones. Thankfully, this makes her an incredibly devoted and active Keeper of the Vigil, and an operatives that is fully supportive of Pax Deorum’s methods.

ELIAS’ NOTES

• Approach Inquisitor Skye re: semi-hostile Great Spirits in distressed areas. It is entirely possible that they will listen to a Mage of her caliber. Approach her, as well, about Hikaru. This has gone on for too long.
  

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