Neferet

Neferet was groomed from birth by the nobility as another pawn in the web of arranged marriages within the kingdom. With her divine heritage manifesting early, many suitors quickly came a-knocking. Yet Neferet found more joy in the solitude of nature and the quiet of the night, refusing every offer made for marriage. One such evening, she found a falcon by the roadside, its body broken beyond aid. Weeping at its death, she held it close to her breast, letting her warmth comfort it in its last moments. Suddenly, the bird's corpse burst into smokeless fire, the flames harmlessly touching her eyes briefly before granting her a vision of the gods. Returning home, she firmly told her family that she was entering the God-King's priesthood as soon as possible. It was a shocking move, for only the highest of nobility were permitted to marry such exalted ones. Yet she succeeded despite their fears, and her rapid ascent was said to be a sign of heaven's favor. She was soon known as a fair judge of character and a trustworthy soul, although her nighttime excursions - mostly spent tending to the outcasts and the poor - caused many to question her true motives. During one of her trips, she saw some royal scions beating up a blind woman and stepped in to stop them. While successful, the outcry against her actions led the God-King to assign a sharp-eyed bodyguard to her, ostensibly to limit her movement and keep her safe within the palace walls. Angered, she slipped out one night, but was surprised to discover that her bodyguard had followed her with ease and seemed to share her sentiments about the situation. Matters came to a head when the God-King's own son tried to cut down an innocent man, framed for a crime she instinctively knew he didn't commit. Her shout of anger shook the walls of the palace that day, and for a moment it seemed that every light had lost its luster in the wake of shadowy wings. Annoyed at her temerity, the God-King swung his massive blade at her, but her bodyguard shielded her from the blow. Without a second thought, she wove her divine heritage and struck the God-King with all her might, ripping his divinity into shreds as she made part of it her own. As the ecstasy of power filled her body, a sound ripped the air with triumph and mirth - the voice of a falcon's victorious cry as it devoured its prey.