Ariella's background
From Arispemage
Having been raised in Queens, Ariella Hart is the child of a gentile father and a jewish mother, thus inheriting a gentile name. When Ari's father, William Hart, died of a mundane heart attack when she was 14, she was besides herself with grief - her family divorced when she was 11, and she blamed her father for the breakup.
In a hospital room at Columbia Presbyterian, Ari was in a haze, since she was trying to kill herself by way of bulimea. In that haze, she and her father had a long talk, by the bedside. She promised to remember him, always. When she did so, a nurse asked her to sign her medical chart - a curious one with a lead backboard. She signed her name in hebrew - strange, she was always awful at hebrew - and thus was the binding of her name to the Watchtower of the Lead Coin complete.
After her clinical death experience in the hospital, the formerly social girl became fascinated with history and archaelogy. "These were living things, held and used by real people. They have their own lives. They deserve to be preserved and recorded." As such, she was snapped up by a local New York Mysterium Chapter, the Singers of the Departed. Composed of those who were dedicated to preserving the memories and knowledge of those who passed, this was the foremost necromancers cabal in the 5 Boroughs and Jersey, renowned for their victories in preserving ancient lore against the Seers and in destroying soul devourers of all types - with destruction of the Soul is the destruction of memories and a lifetime's wisdom. During this time, Ari learned of her own heritage - her grandfather on her mother's side, and several polish European relatives, fell to the Shoah. Her Jewish faith become a subtle yet powerful thing during this time.
In her quest to join the Stone Scribes, she decided to travel to Israel and enlist into the Israeli army. During this time, she actually picked up the rudiments of many survival and combat skills. As such, she came to a profound respect for the struggle of the Palestinian people, while experiencing her own nation's struggle to survive. The experience made her a rock solid socialist, and she sees the conflict of the middle east as a largely created phenomenon by the wealthy of both sides. Behind them she sees the Seers - it's much easier to destroy ancient knowledge in the chaos of warfare than during peacetime. While working with a joint Arab/Israeli Cabal known as the Preservers of Galilee, she made the mistake of in a rage destroying the soul of one particularly vicious Seer. That, as well as some of the terrible choices she had to make in Palestine in the occupied territories, has lead to her current degree of Wisdom. The deed still haunts her.
Now, she assists her new Cabal in their current struggles.
