Ikana was a language researcher at a university, specializing in obscure languages, especially those used by cultists (and possibly demons). When dead bodies started showing up in a nearby town, Ikana was asked by a local investigator to see if she could identify the myriad runes and symbols carved all over them. The runes were so intricate and etched so carefully and the victims posed so deliberately that locals referred to the killer as "The Artisan."
The runes were from a obscure language that was similar to other demonic languages she had seen, but she has only been able to figure out a small number of them. One night Ikana was kidnapped by The Artisan. For days, The Artisan worked. He said he was doing so for a purpose, but refused to explain what the purpose was, only telling her, "If you are worthy, you will live; if you live, you will see."
She did manage to live, unlike all the others. Locals believe it is because she was left at the feet of a fountain dedicated to the local god. She believes she was just lucky enough to be found by an insomniac cleaning lady. When she recovered enough, she left the area and changed her name to Lashana. Partly to make sure The Artisan didn't find her and finish her off; partly because she was tired of all the looks she was getting.
The wounds were healed (a painful process), but the symbols remain on her skin as pale scars. After months of researching and scraping together a lot of gold, she found an illusion magic specialist who created an unusual flask. When she drinks any liquid from the flask, her scars are hidden and she looks like her normal self. But she must drink from it regularly or else the illusion fades.
Lashana is very careful about what she drinks, preferring to buy sealed bottles of water, then empty them into her flask. She is very attached to said flask, to the point where others have asked if she's an alcoholic because of how defensive she gets about it.
She carries multiple sketchbooks, one specifically filled with sketches and notes about The Artisan runes. She always looks for books on ancient languages and rituals in a desperate search to find out what they are for. She has others dedicated to new words, phrases, and even one for names she likes, as she is a lover of languages in general.
She is uncomfortable around certain types of daggers.