Kara Miller is a stout woman with a stern demeanor, but pretty enough in her way. She has brown hair and dark eyes, which contrast well with her fair skin, she'd look good if she smiled.
When not wearing the guardsman's uniform, she dresses in simple, but clean clothes, generally of lighter colors.
Personality:
In her youth, Kara held an ardent belief that the political system of Korvosa could be reformed to serve not only the law, but the intent behind the laws - justice. She's mellowed with age, but these days she still think of Law as a good way to enforce a fair and equal society, even though in practice Korvosa isn't there yet. She doesn't believe she can do much to change it though, life having ground that project ino the mud.
These days she's serious, and perhaps even a bit unstable, prone to periodical angry outbursts. The search for Mera is taking its toll, that's for sure, making her an imposing woman to deal with. She wasn't always like this, though. Infrequently, she acts as she did before, happy, and, if not carefree, then at least content with her life.
Backstory:
Kara grew up knowing that the law was not kind: her family was evicted multiple times, her farther, out of desperation, pledged himself to bargains that, while perfectly legal, left the entire family in abject poverty as they slaved to generate profits for wealthier employers.
But the city never jaded her - she grew up, moved out, joined the city guard, and married a young and charismatic dockworker called Rane Miller. He was charming and bright, mysterious and vibrant; full of ideas and himself. They fell in love. They were going to make the city a better place for their newborn daughter, Mera.
She rapidly advanced in the guard, becoming corporal after just a year of service. She was well-liked on the force, had a good level head on her shoulders, and a reputation for fairness. She believed she'd be able to change the ways of the city, in small increments, working within the system.
Her good fortune would not hold, however. She routinely managed the law according to the situation at hand - while she did not take bribes, she sometimes hurried slowly when it came to chasing down hungry kids stealing food off of wealthy merchants, and similar affairs. This practice got her into trouble with a merchant, who, as it turned out, was related to Magistrat Tann. In the political fallout that followed, it was all her superiors could do to make sure she kept her job, nevermind her rank.
She has been unable to advance ever since then, but the worst blow came two years ago. She was off-duty, and buying fish at the market. Her daughter, then nine years old, was with her, tumbling along the streets, laughing and screaming, with her white dress in disarray and her brown curls dancing as she ran.
She stopped to haggle with a merchant, and when she turned back to her daughter, she was gone. Kara searched the crowd, panic steadily rising, but to no avail.
That night she prayed fervently to Iomedae, for the safe return of her daughter, and for justice to be done.
On one particularly fervent occasion, she swore to serve the goddess, champion her cause in al things in exchange for her aid. This was the first time Kara's prayers were answered. She had been kneeling before her guardsman's sword, the tip thrust into the ground to create a fascimile of the Inheritor's holy symbol. Now, the sword flared up with white light, filling Kara's vision and flowing into her mind. When the light receeded, the sword had changed. It was much better balanced than before, and at times, flames seemed to flow down the blade. There was also a stylized sunburst engraved in the center of the crossguard, which definately had not previously been there. Since that night, she has felt the prescence of the goddess whenever she calls on her. It has been a great aid and one of the few comforts in her search.
Search she does, in every waking hour. She trawls the markets endlessly, where the pickpockets are known to work, and the bars, searching for rumours of her lost child. She even devotes her working hours to the task, and her already tenous position on the force is dangling by a thread because of it. The only reason she hasn't gotten booted yet is a mixture of past goodwill back from her hayday, and pity. She's not proud of that, but she'll take what she can get, if it means a chance of having her daughter back.
At home, Rane had become despondent. He went to work, and when he was done, he went to the alehouse and drank himself into a stupor, returning home late in the evening. Then he got up and did it all again. In many ways, him being home was even worse. He simply sat in his chair, staring at the wall for hours straight, not speaking, nor eating.
Kara knows he blames her for their daughter's disappearence; she blames her too.
There's not a lot she wouldn't do to get her daughter back, but currently she walks in the light of Iomedae, in both deed and prayer. She wants to be able to pick up her daughter, hug her, knowing she did the right thing. That last part isn't as important as having her be safe, though.
Should this lead her down paths so dark as for Iomedae not to recognize her amongst her flock, well, then there's always Lamashtu. Her plight is similar, and it is not unthinkable that she'd let a fallen warpriest of the holy gods take up her mantle.
