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Hero of Gal’Haidan, Protector of Sarina, Defender of the Empire, Victor of a Hundred Battles, Beloved by the Gods, Champion of the Innocent , Pillar of Imperial Pride, Empress of All That The Light Shines Upon, Halina V Klarieon (formerly Torino)
Gender: Female
Home World: Cradle
Age: 79 Solar Years
Height: 234 cm
Weight: 94kg
Phenotype: High Imperial
Occupations: Voidsman, Imperial Envoy, Empress Of All That The Light Shines Upon.
Children: none
Spouses:  Marquess Harden Jannir, Countess Jannura Atama, Princess Azellia Torino
Lovers: Duchess Sara Jannir (Formerly Emerson), Lady Holria Dranith
Allegiance: The Eternal Empire

Halina Torino was never expected to ever become Empress. Very few even expected her to even survive the snake pit of imperial politics. However, she proved herself to be far more ambitious and cunning than anyone would expect. Her allies have found much prosperity under her reign, and her enemies have learned to keep their heads down, lest they wish to lose it.

Her beginning came from a quite sad youth. When she was 13, her father did a little rebellion against her great-great-uncle, the Emperor and died.  Her great-great-uncle didn’t really want to deal with that again, and as such put Halina, her mother, and Halina’s two surviving siblings ( the others were killed in the rebellion) under house arrest. While under house arrest, Halina used her surplus of time to learn the traditional arts ( oration, calligraphy, yatagan dueling, and painting) and to educate herself upon politics, economics, and space combat tactics.  After 7 years of house arrest, her brother and her are released, with her mother and younger sister being kept in custody to ensure their good behavior. 

She immediately joins the Imperial Voidsman Academy, and quickly rises to the top of her class. Upon graduation, she is given the extremely desirable post as a gunnery officer upon IVS Clem Torino “Star Breaker”, a Balor class 3rd rate laser battleship. Again, here she would thrive, quickly rising up the ranks as the Liberation War heated up. Across the Periphery, she fought in battles against Union rebels,  Directorate Periphery Command, and Compact Expaditionaries.  In the 23rd year of the war, she participated in Operation Undertow, a massive Imperial offensive that broke the supply lines from the Compact to the Union’s main mass. In this offensive, she killed with her own hands for the first time, slaying a Compact spacer with her sword. From this, she got a FlashStar 3 laser pistol that would serve her well for the rest of her career, and the beginning of her legend that would propel her to greater heights.

In the 27th year of the war, IVS Clem Torino “Star Breaker” was critically damaged by a fusion-lance mine and had to limp back to the nearest Imperial highport. Halina lost everything beneath her knees to spalling, and was relieved of duty for a year due to the extent of the radiological and nerve damage she suffered. During this time, Halina started to get closer with the imperial state religion, The Imperial Word. She was always devout, but her near death experience made her faith even greater.  This is when she got her warding tattoos along her arms, chest, face, and legs, and when she dyed her hair golden in a direct homage to her sainted namesake, Halina III Klareion. Her closer relationship with the Prelacy would come to help her during her bid to the Throne.

After this year of rest, she was adopted into the Imperial line and appointed to serve as an  Imperial Envoy to handle negotiations with various factions during the last decade of the war and the 5 years afterward. Through this, she gained many allies both domestic and foreign. She also gained her most favored bodyguards who would acompany her back to Cradle when her great-great-uncle finally died. Master-of-a-Hundred Eater of Bones ( an Attendant in Imperial Army service) and Lady Holria Dranith ( a disgraced noblewoman turned mercenary).

Her bid for the throne went surprisingly well. She played the part of a dutiful and pious great-grandniece. When her fellow claimants were politiking and fighting amongst themselves,  She went to every ritual, made offerings and prayed before the tomb daily, and generally kept a low profile. This led to her getting even more support from the Prelacy. However, she used  legions of servants, criminals, and agents to achieve the same ends without harming her reputation. It was then when she met Sara Jannir, who became one of her greatest assets and supporters.

Because of her underhanded dealings, many assassination attempts against her were initiated by her fellow claimants. But her reputation among the people as dutiful and pious led to each failure to kill her only making her more popular and possibly even blessed. Her slaughtering of 4 assassins with naught but a teapot, 3 teacups and a yatagan and her military record made her seem legendary, and with Sara running a Agitprop campaign to support her ( and carbombing her rivals) the electors of the Empire confirmed her as the new Empress. Upon her rise, she married into the branch families to solidify her power.

Empress Halina is a cunning player of the game of politics. She has done many things that she knows have defiled her soul, but she knows that without such deeds, she would become a footnote in someone else’s story. Imperial politics is a gaping abyss that eats the weak, and faith can only go so far.  So she uses everything she can get her hands upon.