Karin

"'I don't need some flaky eyepatched foreigner telling me what's possible and what's not.'" Karin Algernon Sauer is a playable character and a potential party member in Fear & Hunger 2: Termina. A journalist that has covered wars, coup d'etats and other disasters, she has picked up various skills that help her survive, with persuasion skills definitely not being last on that list.

She covered wars, you know?

Lore
Karin, a spirited journalist and participant in the Termina festival, is known for her fervent disdain for both Kaiser and the Bremen army, whom she often derogatorily labels as "pigs." Impulsive and easily irked, she exhibited clear frustration when the train halted, and her sharp-tongued interactions with Daan were quite evident.

As a child, Karin's restless spirit was uncontainable, often leading her on wild adventures beyond her home, much to the distress of her nanny. The daughter of wealthy yet non-noble aristocrats, she was primarily brought up by Dalia, her family's housemaid. In a society where lineage mattered, her parents, lacking noble ancestry, were often snubbed by Bremen's elite. The war's onset further exacerbated their predicament, making them easy scapegoats for the public's anger. An advancing mob, intent on raiding their mansion, forced a desperate decision.

Karin was told that, in an act of sacrifice, her parents entrusted her to Dalia and urged them to flee the country. But the vagueness of her childhood memories sowed seeds of doubt—had Dalia, in fact, abducted her? Their escape took them to Jettaiah, a sacred city. Overwhelmed by the unfamiliar surroundings, young Karin fled into the sprawling streets, only to be retrieved by Dalia. They continued their life there, with Dalia claiming financial support from Karin's parents. But Karin, ever perceptive, sensed something amiss.

As she entered her teenage years, Karin's fiery spirit found purpose in human rights activism, as she joined the crusade against government tyranny. However, one fateful rally turned bloody when the military retaliated with lethal force. A wounded Karin awoke in a hospital, surrounded by Bremen embassy officials, and learned her image from the protest had gone viral. Bremen beckoned her back home, where she was reunited with her mother and introduced to her new stepfather. The horrifying truth soon emerged: during the uprising, her father had perished when the mansion was torched by the mob. To add to her pain, Karin discovered that Dalia had deceived her all along, having kidnapped her as a child and later extorted money from her family.

With a life marred by chaos and deceit, Karin found solace and purpose in journalism. The sudden rise of the enigmatic Kaiser had cast a shadow over the continent. Accused of instigating uprisings against the nobility, Kaiser became the center of Karin's investigative obsession, particularly given his perceived role in her father's tragic demise.

Yet, as she delved deeper, the waters grew murkier. Rumors linked Kaiser to the elusive "New Gods", a shadowy society whispered about since the Cruel Age. This covert collective, purportedly manipulating global power structures, seemed to have their fingerprints on two major wars. Europe was on the cusp of momentous events, and when news broke of the Kaiser's occupation of Prehevil in Bohemia, Karin saw her chance. Determined to uncover the truth, she set out on a journey to the heart of the mystery.

Traits
Karin is incapable of wielding two-handed weapons, but she can utilize guns. She comes equipped with a Knife and a Pilot jacket.

If recruited, Karin will have the Lockpicking skill learned, and will unlock doors for the player when the opportunity arises. As one who does not have skills geared for combat by default, she is more a utility party member that saves the player the need to use Small Keys or bash down doors with somewhat limited usefulness in-battle - something that can be easily fixed by equipping good weapons or teaching her skills and spells from the Hexen.

Character History Choices

 * 1) Character choice 1: What did you do when you escaped Dalia?
 * 2) Convince passerby that you were kidnapped - Gain [persuade] skill
 * 3) Run into the crowd and hide - Gain [escape plan] skill
 * 4) Character choice 2: What did you do at the riot?
 * 5) Help the wounded - Gain 4 [cloth fragments] and 2 [blue vials]
 * 6) Grab a gun - Gain the [lugr pistol] and 6 [9mm bullets]
 * 7) Run away - Gain [escape plan] skill
 * 8) Character choice 3: What did you take with you to Prehevil?
 * 9) Medical goods - Gain 2 [blue vials] and 1 [cloth fragment]
 * 10) Self defense items - Gain 1 [Lugr pistol] if not taken yet, 5 [9mm bullets] and [fencing gambeson] armor.
 * 11) Food - Gain 2 [dried meat] and 1 [moldy bread]
 * 12) Skip Character History
 * 13) * 1 Lugr pistol, 6 pistol 9mm bullets
 * 14) * 2 blue vials (5 on Easy), 1 moldy bread
 * 15) * Escape Plan and Persuade skill

Hexen
If a player character kills Karin in combat, they will absorb her Endless soul, which unlocks her skills at the Hexen.

Location and recruiting
When the introduction with the rest of the characters ends, the player can follow Karin as she makes her way into Prehevil. Her journey appears to end just outside a house before the street to the Mayor's Manor. If you recruit Daan on Day 1 evening and prompt him to leave by moving towards the Mayor's Manor, Karin and Daan can be found discussing the moonscorched in that same area, where she will remain until morning Day 2.

Karin will initially refuse to join you on Day 1, but can be found outside the News Agency (Directly south of the Orphanage) on Day 2, where she will join the party.

There is also an alternate way of recruiting Karin at a later time: if the player did not prevent Henryk from turning into the Gentleman, he will kidnap Marina on Day 1 Night. If one saves and recruits her at the Mayor's manor, while restraining themselves from recruiting Levi but saving him from an altercation with Caligura on Day 2 Morning at the West part of Prehevil, a scene at Day 2 Evening at the West part of Prehevil where Karin and Marina avoid the attacks of the Weeping Scope, a recently Moonscorched Levi, will take place. Both women will be available for recruitment afterwards, while the Weeping Scope will flee to the Orphanage.

If the player avoids recruiting Karin on these occasions, she will start to break under pressure during Day 3 Evening, explaining that while commonfolk might see war journalists as vultures, she sees herself as a valkyrie that immortalizes the fallen by telling their stories.

Moonscorched
If not dealt with, Karin will eventually suffer the effects of Moonscorch and turn into the Valkyrie, a twisted bird with a humanoid face hidden beneath hair carrying multiple Bellends on its wings. The fusion of human and bird physique is so perfect that it is pratically impossible to tell which is the point of origin in her transformation. An exoskeleton-like growth works as an organic armor of sorts for the Valkyrie, and the monstruous claws it sports are its main weapons.

Said transformation will have happened by Day 3 night. She can be fought on a lonely foggy island beyond the lake only accessible by boat. The fact that her Moonscorched form is a mixture of a vulture and a valkyrie might indicate that she feels some degree of guilt over profiting on war casualties instead of simply seeing herself as a savior of memories.

Strategy
In her human form, Karin will use Shoot every single round unless her arms are removed: as she is holding a pistol with both hands, both of her arms are a single target. In the case the player dismembers her, she will use Tackle instead, a much less damaging attack.

Trivia

 * She works at "The Midnight Gazette" and she's author of "Kaiser critique", one of the readable files the player may come across.
 * Using Steal on Karin can provide 9mm bullets.
 * Playing as Karin drastically changes the introduction of the characters outside the train, Olivia starts to theorize that they're still dreaming and in the after-life, Marina starts theorizing it's a premonition, and Henryk theorizes that it's just a dream.
 * Karin's Moonscorched form resembles Louhi in the painting "The Defense of the Sampo". Most likely being the inspiration.
 * Karin's name is a Swedish form of the name Katherine/Catherine, which comes from the Greek καθαρός (katharos), meaning 'pure'.
 * Karin is another form of Karen, which fits because of Karin's blunt and arrogant personality, which are often associated with 'manager-asking' women that are derogatively called 'Karen'.
 * The element of Karin's backstory mentioning "Covering Wars" is a reference to the protagonist of Dead Rising ( 2006 ), Frank West, who has also "Covered Wars" as said in the game's first case cutscene, more specifically when she says "I've covered wars, you know", a quote also famously said by Frank West.
 * Her middle name "Algernon" might be another reference to Frank West, whose full name is Francis Algernon West.