List of Warrior Nun Areala Characters - Sister Shannon Masters

Sister Shannon Masters

Of all the Warrior Nuns, the most famous of them is their founder, the original Sister Areala who renamed herself after the angel Areala who chose her as her avatar. Since then, every few decades, a new Sister Areala comes along when a sister of the order has a vision of the original Sister Areala or the angel Areala during a near-death experience. Afterwards, the angelic Areala will periodically meet with her avatar, giving her needed advice or information. The current Warrior Nun Areala, is Sister Shannon Masters.

An American, she was born in 1959 and was orphaned at the age of four where on she was left at the steps of a convent, the Our Lady of the Virgin Mary. After showing exceptional academic and athletic abilities, she was chosen for the Silver Cross Program and was raised to be a Warrior Nun at upper New York State's Saint Thomas Academy. Growing up at the Saint Thomas Academy, she wrestled with feelings of self-worth over how she had been orphaned. However, she over came those doubts and found a purpose for her life in her service to the Church as did her adopted sister, Sasuki Yoma of Japan. While Sister Shannon's birth parents are unknown, she was adopted early on into the Yoma family; thus her experience at the academy was more of a boarding school. It was while she trained there under a young Mother Superion that she first met and befriended the future Sister Sarah, her best friend; Father David Crowe, her future love interest; and Shotgun Mary. After being trained at the academy by Mother Superion, she received final training from her at Vatican City.

Though a rookie, Sister Shannon training was completed and she was sent home to New York City where she patrolled two sectors from her assigned Manhattan parish on the grounds that she was assigned to an area where there had not been demonic activity since the Purge of 1985. Replacing Sisters Sanguine and Hannah, she soon saw a sustained surge in New York City's demonic activity after her arrival. (A stock situation in comic books wherein the supervillains can appear only after a hero shows up.) She soon received her calling from the first Sister Areala after she was nearly killed in a battle with minions of Satanist and arms dealer Julius Salvius. On recognizing her as the Chosen One of that generation, the original Sister Areala gave Sister Shannon her name and awakened her latent power. It was made official when the Areala confirmed her as her avatar after a battle against the avatar of mad valkyrie Helga.

Now, Sister Shannon Masters patrols the region and in addition to being the Warrior Nun Areala, she is acknowledged as one of the best and bravest of the order. The other sisters look up to her and she tries to be an effective role model. However, while she is very devoted she initially lacked much combat experience and shows it with the cybernetic arm that replaces her original left arm she lost while combatting Salvius' attempts to free Lucifer. When out of combat, Sister Shannon trains, instructs future Warrior Nuns, and (before he left) looked after her ward/"son" Jason, or pray.