General Julia Whiteflame, the First Angel

General Julia Valentina Whiteflame

Heroes aren't born, they're made.
This is especially true in the ranks of the Sentinels of Thunder.  The Sentinels had long been guided by the Winged Radiance, the goddess of victory and warfare. She valued honor and strength, and no one at the time exemplified these traits more than Julia Whiteflame, a human, the rising star second lieutenant in First District's military. She was quickly chosen to stand at the right hand of the goddess herself, and the two became close friends. But after an accident that would have cost her her life, she was granted immortality and the gift of flight. She now leads the Sentinels alongside a small cohort of other angels, hoping to bring justice and peace to a frighteningly unstable world.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Julia is very fit and supernaturally fast and strong.

Body Features

She looks like any normal human, except for the large white wings on her back which she uses to fly.

Identifying Characteristics

Wings, long white hair, golden armor.

Special abilities

Julia and the other angels are the only humanoids on Z'hrat capable of flying without using magic to do so.

Apparel & Accessories

Julia frequently uses the Winged Radiance's old equipment- the golden armor, spear, and winged shield- although she prefers her own white steel great-sword in combat.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Julia was raised by her father after her mother died in childbirth. As a child, she was spirited and athletic, but struggled in school. She would work at a neighbor's farm during the planting and harvest times in exchange for food for the family, so most of her father's meager salary could go towards rent and power.
She found the Sentinels out of pure luck. Because she had a reputation for being kind, friendly, and helpful, the local families found the money for her to take the Guild Placement Aptitude Test in hopes of getting a scholarship to guild school. Despite her poor education, she actually did extremely well. The test reported that she had great aptitude as a soldier at a time when the Sentinels of Thunder were looking to expand to increase safety along trade roads, so they agreed to pay for her schooling and apprenticeship.
As a soldier, she would often question orders or break rank to protect injured civilians. Her CO's hated this, but her Major realized that she had an aptitude for command, so during her early years on the force, she was constantly being promoted and demoted, rewarded and penalized, shuffled around to different units, until enough was enough and she was finally put in officer training classes. This is when she met the Winged Radiance, who was her teacher. The two got along very well, and Julia served as her personal squire for about a decade.
During a fairly-routine disaster relief mission following an earthquake in Third District, Julia was gravely injured by falling rubble while attempting to evacuate a family. The goddess refused to let her friend and squire (and, some speculate, lover) die, and so in order to save her life, she granted Julia immortality, magic, and feathered wings of pure white.
Julia then became the first of many angels. In honor of her friend, the Radiance decided to grant the blessing only to human women she felt had earned it, those that displayed the qualities she thought befitted a leader of the Sentinels. Due to the goddess's death, there are no longer any more angels being created. Most of those that exist now serve under General Julia Whiteflame as tacticians and the political core of the Sentinels.

Gender Identity

Julia identifies as a woman. As an angel, she knows she probably is or should identify with one of New Z'hrat's supernatural-related genders, but she generally doesn't feel comfortable with the idea that her blessing could've changed her gender.

Sexuality

Julia keeps her personal life extremely private and never publicly announced any sort of relationship, but people close to her mention that she's been seen with people of all genders. The tabloids speculate that she may have had an intimate relationship with the goddess, and although she's never confirmed this, she does seem to get a little flustered whenever it comes up in conversation.

Education

• Basic school in childhood (though with spotty attendance and poor performance)
• Guild School- Sentinels of Thunder
• Apprenticeship- squire in First District's early road guard program
• Officer Training
• Apprenticeship- squire under the Winged Radiance
• Elite Officer Training

Employment

• Farmhand, as a minor
• Julia has worked for the Sentinels of Thunder her entire adult life, having moved up the ranks from first-time Squire all the way to General (guildmaster).

Accomplishments & Achievements

• Graduated Guild School on a full scholarship, in the top 5% of her class.
• Has obtained the Radiant Medal of Heroism, given to those who willingly enter active danger to aid civilians, six times over the course of her career. The guild insists she's earned more than that, but now that there's no one above her to award them to her, it feels too arrogant to award them to herself.
• Is one of four individuals to have served as squire to the Winged Radiance.
• Climbed from first-time squire to second lieutenant in under a decade.
• Took up the mantle of General after the Winged Radiance fell in battle during the Serpentine War.
• Currently stands as General and Guildmaster of the Sentinels of Thunder.
• To her, her biggest accomplishment is being generally regarded as a hero of the weak and an inspiration to her guild.

Failures & Embarrassments

• Many demerits and demotions over the course of her career.
• Strongly disliked by many by-the-books officers.
• Several mistakes and hard decisions made on the battlefield, costing the lives of soldiers and civilians.

Mental Trauma

Being an angel has not made Julia immune to the heavy emotional weight of commanding troops and fighting on the battlefield, and she'll occasionally step out of the office and the public eye for a few weeks to grieve and cope in private.

Intellectual Characteristics

• Clever, a quick-thinker with a focus on practicality
• Julia is generally honest and kind, but with a stern and occasionally grumpy exterior.
• Protective, sometimes overly so. She can easily be pushed into anger and rashness if her guild or community is threatened.

Morality & Philosophy

Julia believes in helping the weak and downtrodden whenever she can. Although it's hard to find the time now with all of her many Guildmaster duties, she'll occasionally be seen on the battlefield, and charities often receive large donations sent from her office.

Social

Reign

She has been leading the Sentinels since 2494. She's generally well-liked, but her methods are controversial within Sentinel leadership, and many civilian groups dislike her due to the fact that she runs what is often seen as an overprotective police state.

Religious Views

She was the Winged Radiance's best friend and never really saw herself as a worshipper. Despite not being a deeply religious person, Julia is drawn to the traditions of the faith, and she feels responsible for keeping the traditions and her friend's memory alive.

Wealth & Financial state

As Guildmaster, she is the highest-paid Sentinel, but she keeps very little of it for herself and lives far below her means.

Current Status

Guildmaster of the Sentinels

Species

Angels

Honorary & Occupational Titles

• General
• Guildmaster of the Sentinels
• Sometimes referred to as The First Angel or The Guardian Angel.

Age

Immortal, appears 45

Birthplace

First District

Pronouns

she/her

Sex

Female

Gender

Woman

Presentation

Feminine. She is mostly seen in armor, but that doesn't mean anything; armor is a gender-neutral style among the Sentinels.

Eyes

golden

Hair

White, waist-length

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

She has fair skin with pink undertones, and her feathers are pure white.

Belief/Deity

The Winged Radiance

Aligned Organization

The Sentinels of Thunder

Known Languages

Common