Ystina (New Earth)

Born around the year 8,000 B.C., Ystina (pronounced Yoo-stee-na) was a female admirer of Sir Galahad of the Round Table who disguised herself as a boy named "Ystin" to be close to him. When the monstrous Sheeda invaded Camelot with their ship, Castle Revolving, Galahad knighted Ystin so the "he" could fight alongside the other knights. The battle, however, was a disaster; the Sheeda slaughtered the knights and their Queen, Gloriana Tenebrae, captured the Caliburn, the indestructable sword wielded by King Arthur, as well as the Undry, the Cauldron of Rebirth. In a desperate final attempt, Ystina managed to unsheathe the Caliburn and attacked Gloriana, then but was stopped when she attempted to help a friend who turned out to be a Sheeda agent in disguise, who promptly stabbed her. Hoping to keep the sword away from Gloriana, Vanguard retrieved Ystina, and together they plunged into a pool that sent them through time.

Arriving in 21st-century Los Angeles and seperated from Vanguard, Ystina was pursued by the LAPD, as well as a Sheeda Mood 7 Mind Destroyer called Guilt, which sought to goad her into suicide by telling her that she doomed Avalon to destruction by leaving. However, Guilt dissipated after Ystina saved a homeless man from a pair of thugs. Shortly after, Ystin resolved to clear her name by going to the police. However, at the police station, she was ambushed by Gloriana, who captured her and took her to the Castle Revolving.

At Castle Revolving, the Queen intended to force Ystina to fight against Galahad, who had been brainwashed into a monstrous brute. However, just as the fight was beginning, she discovered that "Ystin" was in fact a girl, and so instead she resolved to have Galahad either torture or rape Ystina until she submitted. Ystina thus killed Galahad, swearing to avenge him and set off to attack Gloriana, hiding inside the Cauldron of Rebirth^[1]. When the queen later came to bathe in the cauldron and ensure her immortality, Ystina sprang out and ambushed her. In the ensuing battle, the young knight stabbed Gloriana through the chest and sliced off a significant portion of the Sheeda-Queen's face, but was unable to kill her, and ended up being thrown off of Castle Revolving, saved only by the sudden intervention of Vanguard (Gloriana, meanwhile, died shortly after, betrayed by one of her minions and killed in a collision with the Bulleteer.)^[2]

Her quest over, Ystina has since aided other heroes in the battle for Metropolis, and in World War III. She has also enrolled at the H. S. Johnson School for Heroes, resigned to a lifetime spent so far away from her own time. She was recently approached by Red Devil, who sought to offer her a membership in the Teen Titans, but she mistook him for a hostile demon and attacked him, causing him to flee.^[3]

When a future version of the Titans called the Titans Army invaded the present, Ystina was seen among their number.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Ystina is able to wield the Caliburn, which is apparently impossible for the average human to wield. She is also much stronger and more durable than the average human. In addition, she spent a significant period of time submerged in the Cauldron of Rebirth; whether this has granted her the kind of near-immortality enjoyed by the cauldron's previous owners has yet to be determined.

Abilities

Ystina is skilled at the use of a sword and at horseback-riding

Weaknesses

Since her sword can only be wielded by someone "pure", there may come a point when she becomes unable to wield it.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Full shirt of mail (the strength of which is questionable in light of the fact that Galahad ripped part of it away), gauntlets and a helmet.

Transportation

Vanguard, a winged horse descended from the mythical Pegaseus, capable of human speech and possibly able to shoot energy beams from his eyes. Vanguard is very protective of his knight, and seems to share a psychic bond with her.

Weapons

Caliburn, sword of King Arthur (well, her King Arthur, anyway), which is only capable of being wielded by someone "pure".

Links and References

None.

Footnotes

[0] Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein #4

[1] Seven Soldiers #1

[2] Teen Titans Vol 3 #66

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