Another great concept done for me by  hanazawa

As part of my ongoing project of creating and worldbuilding Libertyverse; character concepts play a major role in helping build the world setting.This time we explore the backstory behind Poison Lily.

Note! The information below is subjected to change as the concepts and worldbuilding is further fleshed out!

Rina Tanuma hails from the Izanagi Empire, located within the Tayiō system; and served originally as an officer within the system wide imperial police force. The Izanagi empire itself predated mankind’s own space age; with its kitsunaki race having been responsible for influencing and meddling with humanity for centuries; effectively manipulating the colony flotilla that arrived in Tayiō into joining the empire as it’s willful servants.

Rhia served a number of years, enforcing the law of the empire, laid out by the eternal empress Ayano Sumiko; which included preventing subjects of the empire from leaving the system without proper authorization. This however grew to be an unpopular directive to Rhia, who saw this as a great hampering of freedoms for the imperial citizens; and seemed to be an effort to prevent the empress’s political opponents from fleeing the system.

This eventually resulted in Rhia herself breaking this very directive by using her position to assist families and those seeking to flee Sumiko’s ever growing power, in escaping to nearby systems; often by editing database records and giving escapees a heads up on imperial patrol routes and patterns. In doing this Rhia was effectively committing treason against the empire; but her own conscience and good hearted nature outweighed her love of the empire.

This resulted in her being investigated for subversive activities; but she would weigh these as a lack of evidence and Rhia’s own service record serving enough to stump imperial interrogators. However her luck would run out when the empire's main spymaster Noboru Hinata personally took control of all matters resulting in those defecting from the empire. Noboru Hinata would arrange for fake patrol routes to be given to Rhia’s unit, resulting in the refugees she would be assisting to run into a waiting trap.

Confirming the leak was from Rhia’s unit, the Hinata personally ordered nearby Imperial units to attack all police patrol craft within the zone aiming to set an example to those that would dare defy the empress and the empire. Rhia’s had to fight for her life against imperial marine boarding parties that openly attacked the border station she was assigned to; barely escaping with her life but riddled with guilt for the deaths of her fellow officers and innocent civilians caught up in the purge.

She escaped to the Vega system, laying low and avoiding imperial agents who tailed her, before leapfrogging to the Boella system, managing to seek refuge within the New Kansas Republic. She managed to cross paths with some of the refugees who she helped escape Tayiō, which in turn would have a profound effect on her, giving her the conviction she needed to become a force of justice.
Using the skills and training she had done while still a part of the empire, she would don an outfit and take on the name of Poison Lily; with her new persona based upon the ancient tales of Shinobi and Kunoichi from pre-cataclysm earth. She would go after imperial agents, organized crime groups and those that preyed on the weak; and dismantled corporate operations that benefited individuals like Noboru Hinata and even Empress Sumiko herself.

Her actions which often resulted in bodies piling up, resulted in her having bounties placed upon her head by various law enforcement agencies, and for a time she would come into constant conflict with Cascadian Federation superhero War Wolf; however it would seem that in later years Rhia’s methods have become more refined, willing to allow her opponents to surrender and giving them a fairer chance than she did before.

Art by  hanazawa

Rina Tanuma/Poison Lily belongs to myself  wolfrider