Character from The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
A Hesperian missionary-diplomat — she comes bearing medicine and education, and behind the charity is an empire that considers Nikara's people subjects to be managed rather than allies to be respected.
Petra is the human face of Hesperian colonialism. She's a member of the Gray Company — a Hesperian religious-diplomatic order that provides humanitarian aid, education, and medical assistance to Nikara. She is personally kind, genuinely believes she's helping, and is a tool of an empire that views the Nikara people as racially and culturally inferior. Her relationship with Rin is complex: Petra provides real medical care and real assistance, and her concern for Rin's wellbeing is genuine. But she also gathers intelligence, reports to Hesperian interests, and cannot see past her own civilization's assumed superiority. She represents the trilogy's engagement with colonialism — the damage done by people who sincerely believe they're saving you.
Western features that mark her immediately as foreign in Nikara — pale skin, light hair, the clothing and bearing of someone from an entirely different civilization. She dresses modestly but practically. Her manner is warm, professional, and studiedly non-threatening. She represents Hesperia the way a scalpel represents surgery: precise, useful, and ultimately serving someone else's interests.
Also known as: Petra, Sister Petra