Scarlet Winter

General Information
Scarlet Winter, born 966.M41, is an Inquisitor Acolyte of the Imperial Inquisition's Ordo Malleus. She and her mentor, Inquisitor Gaelen Reed, are presently assigned as Inquisition liaisons to the Stonehides Chapter Space Marines, located in the Damocles Gulf.

Winter's surname is oddly fitting, as she is affected with albinism, lacking pigmentation in her skin, hair and eyes. She is highly photosensitive as a result. This naturally poses a problem, given the Stonehides' home planet of Arghor is a scorchingly bright desert world.

In 983.M41, at the age of 17, Winter was reported to the Inquisition as a possible Psyker, having displayed what appeared to be minor precognitive abilities. A relatively young, newly inducted Inquisitor, Gaelen Reed, was dispatched to collect her. Having a small degree of psychic ability himself, Reed took an interest in assessing the nature of Winter's psychic powers. Upon arrival at Terra, Reed vouched for her appointment as a Sanctioned Psyker, citing that she had displayed faith in the Emperor, and by extention the Inquisition's decision to collect her, despite being removed from her family onto one of the infamous "Black Ships." After a lengthy vetting process during the course of nearly two years, it was determined by the Inquision's internal review board that Winter did in fact posess the willpower to control her psychic abilities, and as such could be a valuble addition to the Inquisition.

As a Student
Following official recognition of her Sanctioned status, she elected to act as an Acolyte to the then-solitary Inquisitor Reed. She is Inquisitor Reed's first and only follower, and her reserved demeanor helps to balance out his occasionally eccentric and radical views. Most of Reed's direct teachings during the subsequent years have been focused on helping Winter hone her psychic abilities. In all other areas, he simply prefers to lead by example.

As a Psyker
Winter's psychic abilities are fairly understated, nothing so extreme as conjuring fire or lightning. Rather, she seems to have a sort of precognitive sixth-sense for danger, making her a valuble indicator to anyone in her vicinity. In battle, her powers may manifest as dropping into cover moments before an enemy reveals themselves, giving those around her precious instants to ready themselves for danger.

As a Warrior
In combat, Winter's chosen armament consists of a Bolt Pistol (Astartes MkIII, compact), and a heavy Imperial Guard combat knife. She is a crack-shot with the Bolt Pistol, her psychic abilities giving her a preternatural ability to lead moving targets. Initially, her skills with the combat knife consisted simply of standard Imperial Guard techniques. As knife-fighting is a specialization of the Stonehides Chapter Space Marines, Winter's time liaisoned to them has drastically improved her abilities with the combat knife.