Cherry Butler

Cherry Butler was born and raised on the border of the Burned Frontier, a region known for its dangerous weather and even deadlier inhabitants. Violence was commonplace, and Cherry had no choice but to pick up a gun as soon as she was able to walk. Her mother, a former soldier, taught her how to defend herself. Her father, a pastor who valued life, urged his daughter to find diplomatic solutions to her problems. Due to the harsh conditions of the Burned Frontier, Cherry was an only child. Her older siblings perished long before she entered the world.   Cherry, much like many of her neighbors, was sickly due to her proximity to the coast. While the worst of the Ashen Tide stayed close to the sea, the remnants of its storms would bring in toxic fog and acid rain. She suffered from respiratory illnesses, namely chronic bronchitis. Despite her health problems, Cherry dreamed of bringing peace to the Frontier. Far too often, she watched the local gangs terrorizing both her neighbors and harmless travelers, yet they were never punished. She wanted to be like the heroes she read about in her comic books, protecting the weak and leaving the world a better place than it was before her existence.   When she turned sixteen, she was nearly a victim of gang violence herself. It was then that she met the Sunward Sentinels and their bright leader, Elias Walker. Elias was everything Cherry wanted to be: charming, kind, and generous. He offered her a place among his people, and she accepted without hesitation. The members of the Sunward Sentinels, like her, were struggling people looking to do the right thing. This often put them at odds with one of the area's most violent gangs, the Vipers' Nest. After they successfully chased the gang out of the town, the vipers retaliated by executing Elias in broad daylight.   They wanted to send a message, one that shook the sentinels’ faith in their mission. No one wanted to incur the gang's wrath, but Cherry wasn't willing to back down. She stepped up as the Sunward Sentinels new leader and under her guidance, the group flourished. Cynicism was frowned upon in their ranks, but Cherry taught her peers to think for themselves, even if they disagreed with her decisions. It was during these years that she met her future wife, Nellie Pearson. Nellie was a traveler trying to escape a terrible life within the Burned Frontier, and Cherry was the knight she desperately needed.   They became fast friends, and when Nellie was diagnosed with lung cancer, Cherry was by her side throughout her medical journey. Cherry promised that when Nellie was cancer-free, she'd propose to her and move them far away from the madness of the Frontier. She kept her promise, stepping away from the Sunward Sentinels as she did, and left with her wife in tow. Unfortunately, the Frontier had no intention of letting her go so easily. Before the pair could truly enjoy their new lives, the Vipers’ Nest caught up with Cherry.   For ruining the empire they built, the vipers took Nellie's life without question. The life that Cherry dreamed of was over in a flash and a spray of blood. She was left for dead. For days, she was paralyzed, trapped beside the woman she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with. For several agonizing nights, she looked into Nellie's eyes, hoping to find a spark of life that was long gone. The silence was brutal. It was isolating. Her life would never be the same ever again.   Cherry was found by a group of kind travelers, musicians who were heading eastward with the hopes of finding better lives. They showed Cherry a great deal of respect, even taking time out of their trip to bury Nellie and mark her grave. With nothing left for her out west, Cherry joined them on their travels, using her charm to promote them wherever she could. She had no desire to fight anymore, but corruption was widespread throughout the country. She couldn't turn a blind eye to it forever.   The bullet in her spine from the day Nellie died left her paralyzed. With the money she had left, Cherry had the majority of her body replaced with cybernetics. It wasn't a choice she wanted to make, but she felt like it was the only way she could join the fight once more. She feared losing her humanity, but her deep compassion and empathy for the world around her persisted despite everything. Through her surgeon, she met Malik Frazier, another freedom fighter trying to make a difference in the wasteland. They bonded over their shared ideals, eventually gathering up like-minded people and forming the Watchfire Rebels.