Katie Gladberry

Katie Gladberry (formerly Shan) is a young medical student who serves as the assistant to Crieff in the town of Yana. She was adopted by Crieff into the Gladberry family at the beginning of 844 P.D.

Appearance
Katie is a 5'5" human woman with light brown skin. She has dark brown hair and brown eyes. Her hair comes down to just below her chin, though she often ties it back into a bun or ponytail when she is working in the clinic. She wears simple outfits, although typically she covers them with a dark poncho style cover that keeps her clothing clean while she works. She often wears Crieff's old coat as a comfort both in and out of the clinic.

Personality
Katie is a kind young woman who is highly intelligent. She has strong social anxiety which causes her to hesitate when not in the clinic. While she works, Katie overcomes her anxiety and becomes much more assured and confident, safe behind her medical knowledge. Katie looks up to Crieff and respects his authority and knowledge. However, she is able to push past this when examining and advising Crieff on his own medical health. She briefly dated Garion Strenger, a fellow Yana resident, though she lacked the courage to approach him until encouraged by Crieff. Following Garion's death at the hands of the Defiant Legion, Katie became absorbed in her work, trying to avoid her grief. She also confessed to Crieff that she is very lonely, having been abandoned by her parents when she was young. As such, when with the other Gladberries, Katie is often overcome with happiness, often hugging or standing close to her newfound family.

Katie's alignment is Lawful Good. Her birthday is Dualahei 29th.

Early Life
Katie was born in a small fishing village to the west of the city of Whitestone. She was orphaned at a very young age when her parents abandoned her, having never wanted a child, and taken in by a school in Whitestone. She was schooled in Whitestone under Jaina, a childhood friend of Crieff, and showed great intelligence, quickly gaining a strong medical knowledge. In 843 P.D. Katie was eager to gain field experience and she put in for a placement position. Due to her knowledge and academic performance thus far, her application caught the eye of the new Arlessa of the town of Yana in the Grey Valley, Music. Music reached out to Katie and hired her to become the assistant to the town's doctor, Crieff Erhart.

Grey Frontier
Katie arrived to Yana in the final days of summer in 843 P.D. and met with Crieff who was preparing to travel away from Yana alongside The Sterling Rams. Katie was unsure of being left with the clinic but accepted her role and for a month, she took over the running of the clinic alone.

Upon Crieff's return to Yana, he discovered Katie treating a poison ivy injury on Ysabel Rand before she happily handed him back control of the clinic. She then assisted Crieff during the checkups he performed on the people of Yana and he learned that she had a crush on Garion Strenger that she refused to act on due to her anxiety. He encouraged her to carry out Garion's checkup and discovered that the crush was mutual between them. Katie also performed a medical checkup on Crieff and encouraged him to potentially get glasses to counteract his damaged right eye's blurred vision. She also encouraged him to cut down on his drinking, having uncovered the man's alcoholism.

Over the next few months, Katie continued to serve as the assistant to Crieff and began her relationship with Garion. She was given a gift of a personalised jumper by Crieff for Winter's Crest. When Crieff and the Sterling Rams left to hunt the Defiant Legion, Garion was kidnapped and killed. When Katie found out about this upon Crieff's return, she was distraught.Rather than face her grief, Katie instead poured herself into healing and treating the wounded Opus, at a detriment to her own health. She also took to wearing Crieff's old coat and acting more like him as a defence mechanism. She later discovered that Opus was the son of Crieff and Music. Katie was brought into a family hug by Crieff and overheard Music proclaim that she was part of their family. Katie also asked Tred to collect a package from the general store for Crieff in the form of a pair of glasses to treat his damaged vision.

What Music had said stuck with Katie and, later that day when she had a moment to herself, she began to slip into grief. Crieff caught wind of this, and took her back to her home, telling her to pack her stuff and move in to the clinic. Katie then confided in Crieff about her feelings of loss and grief and revealed her past as a mostly abandoned orphan to him. Crieff then officially adopted Katie as his daughter and she took his last name, becoming Katie Gladberry.

Katie was present with Music and Opus when they and the people of Yana were seeing the Sterling Rams off as they went hunting for the Defiant Legion. She hugged her adoptive father and wished him safe.

Once the Sterling Rams returned, Katie showed a much stronger bond with her new brother Opus, having begun secretly preparing for the upcoming war with the Defiant Legion alongside him. Katie recieved Healwell and other alchemical ingredients from Juhann Galanodel and began developing Potions of Healing and other treatments while Opus began honing his magic. Katie arrived to Music's trial for the murder of Acora alongside her brother and her friend Elwen Galanodel where she witnessed the formation of the new town council.

Katie agreed to run the field hospital for the upcoming attack on Yana and recieved specialised surgical training from Crieff in order to prepare her for the role. During this time she also thanked Crieff for adopting her and told him she was proud to be a part of his family. Often the two of them slept holding one another, particularly if she had a bad spell of grief again, and when Crieff couldn't be there to hold her, he left her the music box that Opus had given him, so that she was never far from family. Opus and Katie were together told of Crieff being an Aasimar and of his story since Emon. Katie was supportive, telling Crieff that what had happened didn't change anything for her, it had been Crieff Gladberry that came to bring her into his family and that she knew who that was, weird wings or not. Katie took on a major role in the Battle of Yana, serving as the medic in charge of the defenders' field hospital. Her surgical skills, along with Crieff's training, saving the lives of many allied troops, including Cooper, Mission, Janos Wiltshire and Halstein Varlund. She helped Crieff give Music medical attention and save her adopted mother after she received a major wound in the fighting. When Crieff became distracted and wouldn't leave Music to assist the other Sterling Rams, Katie finally got through to him by calling him "Dad" for the first time. In the aftermath of the battle, Katie was seen crying into Opus' shoulder when Tred brought the body of Oloric Silveraxe into the field hospital.

Crieff Gladberry
"'Katie... Katie Gladberry, I like it.'"Katie serves as Crieff's assistant in Yana and she respects his medical knowledge and experience. She is eager to learn from Crieff and he gives her occasional guidance in more than just the medical field. She has also helped Crieff discover that he needs glasses and she also attempts to help Crieff with his alcoholism. Crieff later adopted Katie into his family, making her into his daughter and prompting her to take his true last name of Gladberry."'I never said 'Thank You'. For taking me in. For giving me a real family.'"Katie quickly warmed to her new family, often hugging her adoptive father either for comfort for both of them, or to keep her grounded and reminded that he had actually adopted her. She later thanked Crieff for adopting her, saying she was proud to be his daughter and how grateful she was to feel truly wanted by someone, particularly after being abandoned when she was younger.

Garion Strenger
Katie and Garion have a mutual crush on one another. She initially refused to approach Garion due to her social anxiety but she eventually did so with encouragement from Crieff. This developed over time into a loving relationship but it was cut short by Garion's murder, leaving behind a heartbroken and lost Katie.