"I can't save everyone; none of us can. But if you focus on saving one life at a time, eventually they add up."
Always someone who could make best out of any situation, Mags was determined to face the Games the same way. The audience remembered her smiles, but few of them pegged her as victor material. Once in the arena, however, Mags quickly found her confidence - and a river, the arena's only source of edible game. Living off fish, nuts, and water, Mags zigzagged up and down the river and managed to avoid confrontation until a tribute stumbled into a net she had set for fish. Mags quickly killed the girl and fled. Later, pursued by the other four remaining tributes, Mags used the river to her advantage. With the others close behind, she waded into the river at a point that seemed shallow enough to cross - until the ground dropped out beneath the other tributes' feet. As they were swept away by the current and drowned, Mags swam to safety, their cries still echoing in her ears as the fanfare sounded, proclaiming her the victor.
Mags returned to District Four changed but unbroken, ready to put the Games behind her and focus on saving lives. To her surprise, the very next year brought a volunteer - and the next year, two reaped tributes who seemed almost eager to participate in the Games. Slowly, the pattern spread throughout the district. Nearly every year heralded at least one volunteer. Then, a mere six years after Mags' victory, District Four welcomed their first Career victor, cementing the change. For years, the Career system grew and flourished, but, following the 42nd Games, it has begun to dwindle once more. Throughout its rise and fall, however, Mags has remained constant, focusing not on the glory of bringing home a Victor but on the importance of saving as many lives as she can.
Age of Victory: 15
Reaped
Training Score: 6
Kills: 5
Arena: Rain Forest
Length of Games: 7 days
Current Age: 57
Successful Mentorships:
Naomi Darya
Kalypso Wayland
Naomi Darya
Victor of the 14th Hunger Games
"Nothing seems quite as simple as it used to."
It looked so easy. During the Eighth Hunger Games, eleven-year-old Naomi watched with surprise and delight as Mags - only four years her senior - lured the last of the tributes into a river and swam safely to the other side while her opponents drowned. She made it look so simple. Naomi began training and, six years later, volunteered for the fate her mentor would have given anything to escape. The Career pack that year was small - just Naomi and the tributes from One - but no less deadly. During the bloodbath, Naomi quickly drove a spear through the boy from Ten - only to realize later that he was still alive, bleeding and in terrible agony. Afraid to look weak in front of her allies, Naomi finished him off, but not before their eyes met briefly. Naomi spent the rest of the Games trying to purge that image from her mind - but only ended up replacing his eyes with others: the girl from Ten, the pair from Five, and, at last, her final opponent, the boy from One.
Her dream of a guiltless victory shattered, Naomi returned home and focused her attention on training other prospective tributes - not just physically, but mentally. She prided herself on preparing her students for the mental stress of the Games as well as the physical trials. But even her best efforts couldn't prevent those same tributes from dying - or, in one case, returning with lasting mental scars. After Misha's death during the 42nd Games, Naomi has slowly begun to distance herself from training future Careers, leaving the task largely to Kalypso.
Age of Victory: 17
Volunteered
Training Score: 8
Kills: 6
Arena: Aviary
Length of Games: 8 days
Current Age: 53
Successful Mentorships:
Misha Brimmer
Misha Brimmer
Victor of the 22nd Hunger Games
"I did what I could. I failed. But I hope I paved the way for someone else to succeed."
Considered by most to be the clown of the Career pack, Misha stayed under the radar until only nine tributes remained. Then the mysterious killings began - mysterious to the Careers, at least. The audience could see the boy from Twelve sneaking into the Careers' camp at night and silently killing only the tribute on guard duty with poisoned darts - a poison that paralyzed the victim for a few hours before becoming fatal, giving the boy time to scamper off before the cannon sounded.
One of these deaths was enough to cause suspicion among the Careers. Two bred outright paranoia. Misha, not knowing which of his allies to suspect, gleaned a little of the poison from a dart and mixed it with their food, rendering all three of them paralyzed but alive and conscious. As the sun set, he propped his helpless allies up against the mouth of the Cornucopia and positioned himself inside, a crossbow in hand. When the boy from Twelve came to make his kill, Misha struck first. It was a clumsy shot with an unfamiliar weapon, only striking the boy's leg, but it was enough to disable him long enough for Misha to finish him off. He then turned on his allies, stabbing each one through the heart as they lay unable to resist.
Misha left the Games with minimal injuries - at least physically. Despite this, he never felt safe, even after returning to District Four. Considered by most to be mentally unstable, Misha managed to avoid mentoring altogether until the 25th Games. Despite his own erratic behavior, Misha grew very fond of his tribute, Barclay. Following Barclay's sacrifice to save the lives of his allies, Misha vowed revenge - not against the tributes involved, but against the Capitol. During the 41st Games, he got his chance, quickly persuading his own tributes to join the rebel volunteers. When their efforts failed miserably, Misha knew it was only a matter of time before the Capitol dealt with him and decided to go out with a bang. He managed to burn down District Four's training center before being shot by Peacekeepers, crippling his district's Career system and scarring their reputation in the Capitol for years to come.
Age of Victory: 17
Volunteered
Training Score: 7
Kills: 5
Arena: Carnival
Length of Games: 9 days
Age When Deceased: 37
Kalypso Wayland
Victor of the 30th Hunger Games
"Sure, the Games are awful. Lots of things are. But they're a means to an end, and, for some of us, they're worth it."
The daughter of two rather unremarkable shipwrights, Kalypso grew up with a chip on her shoulder, always wanting to be something better, do something worthwhile with her life. Once in the arena, though, her experience served her well; the ships docked in the harbor were familiar to her, and the Career pack relied on Kalypso and her district partner for guidance. Kalypso knew it was only a matter of time, however, before the others decided they didn't need both of them. After a rather uneventful day, she slew her district partner in his sleep, but the ship immediately began to turn against them. The ropes, the planks, the sails - all took on a life of their own, trapping the Careers, entangling them in the rigging. Desperate to escape, Kalypso dove into the sea with nothing but the clothes on her back, leaving her allies to perish.
Without her allies to protect her, Kalypso had to rely on her own wits. Most of the tributes had taken refuge aboard the various ships, which she used to her advantage, eventually learning that the ships came to life and turned on their passengers once blood was spilled on their decks. One by one, Kalypso boarded the ships, spilled a few drops of her own blood, and dove off, leaving the passengers to their fate. In the finale, Kalypso faced the boy from Three, the one tribute who had stubbornly stayed on land the entire Games. Trained, strong, and already a killer, Kalypso had little trouble finishing him, as well - officially, only her second personal kill.
After returning to District Four, Kalypso built the life she had wanted for her family. To her, the Games were only ever a means to an end. Her parents have retired from shipbuilding, and Kalypso has turned their house in Victors' Village into a refuge for those less fortunate and in need of help. She serves alongside Naomi as a personal trainer for the Games, focusing on potential tributes from less privileged backgrounds who can use the Games the way she did: to build a better life for themselves. While Naomi became disheartened after the loss of Misha and the district's training center, Kalypso has seen it as only a minor setback, weeding out those who weren't really serious about training and leaving only those who, like her, are driven not by the prospect of glory but by the promise of a better life.
Age of Victory: 16
Volunteered
Training Score: 8
Kills: 2
Arena: Harbor
Length of Games: 10 days
Current Age: 36
Successful Mentorships:
Bierce Lascher
Imalia Grenier
Bierce Lascher
Victor of the 35th Hunger Games
"The Games were enough of an adventure for a lifetime. Now? Now, a little boredom doesn't seem so bad."
One of Kalypso's first students and only four years younger, Bierce quickly developed a strong bond with his mentor and entered the Games a Capitol favorite, due at least in part to their assumed relationship. The Gamemakers, however, had no favors planned for District Four, as the tributes were released in a dry forest that was soon set ablaze. The most levelheaded of the Career pack, Bierce held his allies together, and they quickly found and monopolized the only source of water in the arena - a small pond at the edge of the forest. With weaker tributes dying left and right from burns and smoke inhalation, Bierce led his allies on several raids into the forest, seeking out the dying tributes and keeping their alliance entertaining enough to avoid being targeted. Soon, only the Careers remained, and mutts drove them into the forest, where battle ensued with everything from swords and spears to flaming branches and charred rocks. After a long struggle, Bierce was the last tribute standing - burned, dehydrated, and exhausted, but very much alive.
Bierce returned to District Four to find his relationship with Kalypso suddenly strained. While she was still dedicated to training future Careers, Bierce had seen his fill of death. Uninterested in training, Bierce found his niche where Kalypso had always wanted to escape: working as an ordinary shipwright, using his status and winnings as a victor to help the less fortunate learn a trade, rather than learn to kill.
Age of Victory: 17
Volunteered
Training Score: 9
Kills: 5
Arena: Forest Fire
Length of Games: 4 days
Current Age: 32
Imalia Grenier
Victor of the 42nd Hunger Games
"I'm not really sure what I'm looking for now. But, because of the Games, I have the chance to find it."
Training was everything Imalia wanted - an exciting relief from the drudgery of life as a fisherman's daughter. Confident the Games would be a welcome challenge, Imalia took advantage of the increased number of tributes, securing a place in the Games. Despite the harsh treatment of the extra tributes during training, Imalia remained certain the Games would level the playing field. But as the Games began, the tributes landed on opposite sides of an island, giving them room to spread out, but also separating alliances. With her pack split in two, Imalia and Jarlan recruited Indira and Shale, and, later, Jarlan extended the invitation to Delvin, as well. This increased their numbers but left Imalia wondering whether Jarlan was really capable of killing. Wary of her own allies, Imalia suggested the group split up, then instructed Delvin to kill Shale and Jarlan. With their allies gone, she and Indira quickly became a formidable team, eliminating several tributes together before being left to face each other in the finale. Using the rapidly rising water to her advantage, Imalia managed to drag Indira underwater with her, drowning her last opponent. Her ally. Her friend.
Physically, Imalia recovered quickly, taking to the stage early to express her pride in her district, salvaging Four's reputation as a Career district in the wake of Misha's actions. Since returning to District Four, Imalia has sporadically joined Kalypso in training prospective Careers, but spends most of her time seeking out new opportunities, new challenges, searching for something to give her life meaning outside the Games.