Another Ref sheet done by the beautiful dolorosacake

The cold touch of rot and rain, where the trees choke out the light of the sky-- Eternal grief where betrayal comes early; learned in blood, remembered in scars. Trust gets you followed. Mercy gets you eaten. She leads, but doesn't command. She cuts a path, and survives it. Brutal and ruthless, only the strong may breathe. Stay close if you want to live. Stay closer if you want to die.

Kha'rissa is a reckless and hard-headed survivor who puts strength above all. If you are not strong, you do not deserve life. A chieftain of a forest, she was raised in the wilderness, taught by beasts and learned by the cold. Her respect is reserved for those who prove their worth; for those who show their strength. Aggressive and abrasive, she leads with intimidation, controls with violence. Loyal and protective to those who she respects, she will never hesitate to defend others from harm. Fearless, ruthless, relentless. Her wrath is fierce, and it is swift. Boisterous and rowdy, Kha'rissa is not without her warm sides. She loves a good drink and enjoys a hardy laugh, she will never turn down friendly competition. Though she reserves it to those she trusts, Kha'rissa is quite lively and has her affectionate sides. Always energetic, always vibrant. She will never forget her past, those who wronged her, those who protected her. But she is not alone defined by the cold.

Kha’rissa — The Rejected Daughter of the Chieftain
In the tribe where Kha’rissa was born, there was no place for daughters. The birth of a girl was considered a disgrace—especially for a chieftain. To erase that shame, the chieftain banished the newborn Kha and her mother into the jungle, a land from which no one returns. Knowing it meant death as the jungle does not forgive the error of solitude.
Kha'rissa's mother protected her as long as she could. She hid Kha, fed her, taught her how to stay silent and breathe with the forest. But everyone knew even the strongest warrior cannot survive the jungle alone… and a woman with a child even less so. Kha was only a baby when the jungle’s beasts found them. Her mother was torn apart by claws and fangs before her very eyes.
But the child survived. The jungle did not end her. It raised her. Nourished her. Years later, Kha’rissa returned not as an exile, but as retribution.

In memory of her mother, she took two of her feathers and two gladie flowers, symbols of loss and bitterness, attaching them to her spear. These flowers represented pain and agonizing death, for they were filled with poison. A poison that coated the tip of Kha’rissa’s spear. When she came for the chieftain, he had already claimed a new mate, bore a new child. She pierced her father with her spear before the tribe, the gladie poison made his death slow. She killed the chieftain’s son, scalping him and taking the feathers with it, marking the end of the old bloodline. His lineage ended, and her reign began. Kha’rissa became the first female chieftain, not by birthright, but by the right of survival. The jungle accepted her. The tribe submitted. And Kha’rissa’s name became a whisper even the trees feared to speak.