| Lalita "Lanna" Pillai |
 |
| Status: | Active |
| Age: | 30 |
| Calling: | Karmic Enforcer |
| Pantheon: | Devas |
| Divine Parent: | Vishnu |
| Significant Other(s): | Not Currently |
Background
Lalita Pillai, or Lanna to her friends, is of somewhat rare lineage even for a Scion, being the offspring of two Gods, Vishnu and Lakshmi, both in mortal avatars at the time. Though this isn’t unheard of given the two deities rather legendary faithfulness to each other. With Vishnu playing the part of a politically active public defender, and Lakshmi his supportive socialite wife, the two were somewhat instrumental in rallying support to improve the conditions for children in the urban slums of New York. By all accounts they were superb parents for their newly born daughter, but the life of a deity is a busy one and they eventually needed to move on. The pair were tragically caught in the crossfire of a spat of gang violence, encouraging yet more renovation of the sprawl and allowing them to move on to other places in need. However, without a mortal family, their daughter was left to test the slum renovations more directly armed only with her father’s old trench coat that she guarded more closely than her life.
Despite a rocky beginning to life, Lanna was blessed with a fair amount of good fortune that kept the harsh conditions from grinding her away. The homeless toddler went through the machinations of the system to end up at one of the group homes her parents helped to fund, St Bartholomew’s. While temporary foster families never seemed to give way to anything permanent, she was blessed to find caregivers who did actually care and kept her on the right path, particularly in regards to education. It was made very clear to her throughout her childhood that her brain was the only thing that would free her from mean streets and the struggle for survival.
It was a lesson she learned well. Already a bright child, she practically lived at public libraries, and she did not need to be coerced into going to school. She remained at the top of her classes despite her disadvantages and expanded her knowledge voraciously with the help of what few computers the schools could afford or were available in some libraries. Unfortunately, her constant movements from family to family and back to the group home kept her from forming many lasting relationships. As a result, she had a tendency to avoid other children her age. While not actually hostile toward anyone, she preferred the consistent company of her studies.
And those studies paid off. Her exceptional grades and disadvantaged background combined to help her collect enough scholarships to attend MIT, where she flourished. She would eventually receive degrees in both Computer Science and Urban Studies and Planning. Her luck continued beyond college as she was immediately picked up by a defense contractor in charge of designing systems and programs for law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. By all measures, she had clawed herself up from obscurity and poverty and would very likely make a very good living at the top of her field for the remainder of her days. She had made it. Yet, somehow she didn’t feel like she was doing what she was supposed to. Long days and nights spent programming systems for catching criminals while she remained safe in front of her computer seemed too…indirect. After a year of work, she resigned her position and moved to participate more directly.
Joining the police academy was considered a strange move by most but it felt right to Lanna, as though she were finally doing what she was supposed to. While never the toughest, she was hardly pampered during her childhood and the physical conditioning was not too difficult for her, nor was the coursework. She graduated with honors, and spent several years as a patrol officer, making far less money but feeling considerably more satisfied that this was her place. Despite her inability to play politics, her raw skill eventually won her the rank of detective, beginning first in the Autos division before transferring to Narcotics taskforce. Her eyes were set on a position at the Homicide table, and those that worked with her felt she wouldn’t have any trouble making the cut once she clocked the experience.
Unfortunately, that was about the time New York City ceased to be and New Atlantis sprung in her place. Worse, her colleagues don’t seem to even register that there’s been any change at all, much to her chagrin. She was almost convinced that she’d lost her mind. Then, he father came back from the dead to tell her that he was really a God…which didn’t help in the sanity department. He did, however, explain the situation, taking Lanna to his palace to remeet her mother and to understand him better by speaking with some of his other avatars and the duties they performed. Krishna, Rama, and Buddha answered some of her more pertinent questions, giving her the vital groundwork of the titans and the war against them, as well as the situation in her home city. They also gave her gifts to help her in her sudden quest, though Rama’s she technically already had in the trench coat her father wore and that she had kept safe for so many years.
Vishnu hadn’t intended to call her to service yet, but the emergency had left him with little choice. Alone on the street she would have been killed almost immediately without access to her birthrights, but the odds are still stacked against her. In his final words, he instructed her to seek out others like herself, and to follow them in the war against the Titans. Then she was returned to her shattered hometown, to once again find some way to survive the even meaner streets.
Personality
Lanna is a brand new Scion. While she has come to grips with having some special abilities, the magnitude of what she, and her fellow scions, can do will likely elude her for sometime. She’s still half convinced she’s insane, but she’s playing along for now…mostly because that’s the only thing she can do.
Cautious and methodical by nature, Lanna has a tendency to remain slightly aloof from her surroundings. Whenever possible, she prefers to observe and research before becoming involved herself. Once involved, however, she frequently puts herself into the middle of things on emotion rather than logic if she believes it the right thing to do. Loyal to a fault and single-minded in her goals, she never stops pursuing her ambitions.
Relationships
Coming Soon
Events Thus Far
Coming Soon
Character Sheet
| Strength 3 | Charisma 2 | Perception 4 |
| Dexterity 3 | Manipulation 2 | Intelligence 4 |
| Stamina 3 | Appearance 3 | Wits 4 |
