the vast hallways of the castle had echoed with the whispers of fae , from royals to servants , and all that settled in the between. their hushed voices had fluttered at his ears as if they were nothing more than a pestering insect , buzzing and humming , ever persistent. words of fear , of anger , of the unknown. for how long had they been under the assumption the vampires had all but gone extinct ?
then again , based on the echoes of fear in each of their voices , it seemed very few had even recalled the species to begin with. an intriguing thought , if soren weren't already annoyed with their cries in the darkened corners. he'd much rather they make their thoughts known to his face.
❝ princess , ❞ his acknowledgement of the approaching fae royal allowed his mind to return to the present , to the few feet around him , rather than the voices that still echoed so softly. ❝ are you to be my escort , lest you wish me to find myself lost upon these grounds. ❞
if alysa aurelis had to be assigned a vice, perhaps it would be pride. it's not fear of either alleged group of vampires that has her reeling, but that she could think herself so educated on the realm, only to be remiss of an entire species? in her arsenal towards vaeloria and eryndor is the knowledge of their customs, their expected lines of succession. with these vampires, they know nothing except the information these fanged creatures supply themselves. alysa's own suspicions are that there is no rift between their species, and this is the very group of monsters merely toying with their food. this one's words only cement her thoughts. he's goading her, all but admitting to leaving the corpses on the ground himself. well, he can toy all he pleases, but she'll be no meal of his.
"prince, is it?" she says it as if appeasing a small child in their make-believe game. "i may be uncertain of the royal traditions in -- valmore, was it? here, however, you may address me as your highness." even the way he says princess leaves her seeing red. she'd rather die than escort this creature around the palace, but if it fulfills her parents' wishes... "yes, i suppose i will. in fact..." alysa pauses, taking a single, temporary step closer for less chance of being overheard. "must any of you have queries towards the royal family, you should direct them to me. i think you'll find it a very unwise choice if i see you even glancing in the direction of my siblings. do you understand?"
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closed for : members of the valerius family or inner circle
@wrathgaze, @ofheroism, @fluctivagant, @evrflamcs
" i think that's quite enough fearmongering over breakfast, do you not, lord devon ? " lake's voice is harder than most may ever hear from the spymaster, many used to him being in a hedonistic state of uncaring laziness. present circumstances have had the true fae in him surfacing a bit and truly lake has yet to decide if it's a good thing or not. all the same, lake is done with this table for breakfast and pushes up with a bit more drama and flare than perhaps he should. the lord begins to leave the large shared dining room, only slowing when a familiar face is found. " good morning, might i suggest not sitting with lord devon this lovely day ? lest you wish to hear how we are all nothing but dinner for monsters in the night and the aurelis family is eager to serve us up. " yes, lake's annoyance was far too obvious in this moment.
her beauty sleep has already been cut into by the arrival of a mysterious royal court of vampires, and vespera has no plans to speak with anyone until she has some food in her stomach. several, several, fae are distraught, and vespera... yes. yes, she too is concerned. that's the only thought she's had upon seeing them. concern. one that rushes away as she nearly jumps at the realization her betrothed is in the very same room, addressing her. and with a tone? oh, that will certainly not do.
"good morning, dearest," vespera returns at once, lips curling into a smile instead of dismay. politeness is half on her father's behalf, for she's all been threatened with disinheritance if she ruins his plans to strengthen ties with his favorite vassal house, and half that she'll never make it far in any court if she's seen as disagreeable. the next part, where she leans in to kiss his cheek? that's payback for not even complimenting her new dress. stars, what if they did serve her up the vampires at this point? "ah," she murmurs. "i had no idea we were at such end of days!" she teases. "we ought to postpone the wedding another year or three due to this, don't you think? i'm positively frightened."
players: ursula praxadas & alysa aurelis || @ofheroism
place: alysa's room, the castle, aurith
time: the night after the letter went out
The sun has long set by the time Ursula drags herself out of her office and towards Alysa’s chambers. The news delivered by the new players in the game had been a surprise like no other, and it brought with it a set of dark implications for her fellow competitors and all Aurelion citizens. There is only so much they can do without the aid of the vampires, as Aurelion’s knowledge of their kind is sparse at best. Troubling, considering how little they know about their motivations, their kingdom and their laws. Yet for all that their hands are tied regarding how much they can address the threat without their aid, it is entirely possible for her to touch upon some of the more basic measures. Increasing guard patrols and mandating that they did not go anywhere alone while on duty is a beginning, but she has to admit that she is not entirely sure if it will be of any use at the end. Most competitors to the Ancient Games are very skilled, and yet so many were taken as if it were nothing.
The rebel vampires are a threat they must eliminate, but finding them will take time and countless headaches.
Rubbing the bridge of her nose to ward off an incoming tension headache, she reaches with her other hand and raps her knuckles against Alysa’s door in a rhythmic pattern familiar only to the two of them, not bothering to muffle the sound with her wind magic. She is known to frequent the Crown Princess’ company, after all, and whoever is in guard duty knows it.
“Wine delivery for our dearest princess,” she calls out through the door, her voice taking a forced cheer as she speaks that does nothing to hide the wariness hidden beneath. It had been a long day, and even if Alysa did not wish to indulge, she would like to see her friend.
Very little can manage to throw Alysa Aurelis off course, but this new turn of events appears one of the first. Vampires? Another court, another species forgotten to history? A group of powerful creatures sent to help, when their citizens and guests are turning up dead? No, nothing about this is believable. So much so that Alysa thinks she might just be the next victim. Perhaps someone has laced one of her recent meals with poison, and she's simply hallucinating this discovery. That seems more realistic than --
The all-too-familiar knock of her favorite resident of Aurelion outside her own blood, who might as well be to her, is one of the only sounds that can drag her from where she sits in shock on her bedroom floor. She will be useful, and show the traits of a proper future leader, only as soon as she can drag her thoughts into making any sense.
"Wine? At a time like this?" Alysa calls back in chastisement, but a barely there smile appears as the door opens to let Ursula in. ".... You should have brought more." After she's shut the door behind them, Alysa goes on. "What do you think is next? Mutant hares?"
it seems vespera is forming a habit of crossing paths with evangeline after every new twist in this formidable event. it's certainly not a complaint. since when is running into a princess ever a complaint? if it looks like she smirks a brief second before there's a welcoming smile on her face? that must simply be a trick of the lights! "your highness! how are you faring after hearing the news?" vespera glances around the room, her smile turning coy as her voice lowers. "i'd like to think both vaeloria's and eryndor's courts would have solved this... mystery already. stars, can you imagine a fate of your body being discovered by a gardener? i'm distraught for him. what a sore loser of a murderer indeed," she remarks, repeating the princess's own phrase from not long ago.
she senses her eldest once she's done fuming at the guard, turning to take her in once the guard is dismissed. a slight frown tugs at the corners of adelina's mouth when she takes in the darker circles beneath her eyes, worry settling in her heart that was separate from her worry for the dead lord and missing noble. there's a mother's guilt that she can't make her children her only priority, has to let helion look after them so that she can handle matters of the kingdom. it was a necessity, but it didn't make it any easier. " i'd be happy to have your help, starborn. " she steps closer, hand reaching up to cup her cheek, thumb softly brushing over the skin. " but only after you've had some actual sleep. i don't want you exhausting yourself over this, alright? " adelina would not take her own advice in that regard, but she had helion to bug her about it. " the fact that anyone would day to kill in our castle under our noses is certainly a corncern though. "
alysa has walked the dreams of a new mind each night since the first crisis, with not a single person's mind containing any useful knowledge. plenty attendees had known the missing or dead victims. some had even disliked them, and she'd discovered one person even harbored a secret wish to steal one of their lovers, but no one had any hand in their demise or disappearance. how could people all but vanish into thin air at an event that can suffocate anyone with its crowd's ever-present eyes?
the promise to her mother to get some actual sleep had been held, even if just barely. alysa had taken to sneaking in naps in the afternoons while most were awake. she'd been asleep in a palace study when shouts from the garden had drifted through the open windows. she'd failed. they'd recovered corpses, without a single piece of information that can benefit her. "i can't apologize enough," is all she can manage to whisper when she finally crosses paths with her mother. "... what could cause this? is it..." alysa glances behind to them ensure no one outside their guards is present. "... some kind of illness? it didn't look like a rash."
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there is not much that puts her more at ease than the familiar people from her homeland. while she loved an adventure and exploring something new, she would always retreat in the end back to what she was most comfortable in. that would always be her cliffside home, the cerulean sea beneath it, the faces she'd known near all her life or had met more recently in some circumstances. the woman beside her seemed to fall into the latter, someone she'd been aware of for quite some time but had only been growing closer to in recent times. sylvani's gaze lifts from her lap, turning on the woman beside her as she resists the urge to reach out and intertwine their fingers. " i'm grateful it wasn't you or your family as well, vespera. " she offers a small smile, truthful in that she didn't know what kind of awful reaction she would have if she'd seen vespera on that floor. " perhaps. i think that might be the best case scenario. " her gaze flicks around the room, exhaling softly at all the eyes in it. " i think i might go for a walk in the gardens and clear my head. will you join me? "
there's a pleasant feeling that surprises her at sylvani's words. it's safe to assume the princess would say them to anyone in her kingdom, but vespera's cheeks warm briefly at the idea that someone would perhaps notice her absence. she lets her dark waves cover her face as vespera reaches down to adjust a nonexistent wrinkle on her dress until she can regain her typical poise. at the invitation, the high lord's daughter finishes arranging said dress and stands, one quick glance across the room to ensure she is not being watched by a few particular ... threats to this predicament she finds herself in. "yes! it's all truly very sad, but how can we maintain unity if we give up the celebrations now?" her smile is only just less bright than usual as she offers an elbow to link arms with her... friend! "i would adore a walk in the gardens. i've heard a rumor that they grow that special seasonal kind you like, but in blue!"
𝖜𝖍𝖔: esai && open (0/5)
𝖜𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊: replier's choice, within aureth of course
𝖜𝖍𝖊𝖓: aligning with the recent plot drop, a mere few days after the ball
✧˚ · . ─── Esai had tried to use this time, with each court and royal stuck within the palace, to his advantage. The games were often a prosperous place for him to work his magic - never as a competitor - but one who worked the crowd for the advantage of Aurelion's crown. Esai never garnered much interest for the genuine sport of it all but as more disappeared it only further provoked the wonderance of why rather than the who when it came to blame and responsibility. He cared little for who embodied the opinion and reasoning of their pursuits, but it seemed they did not intend to stop until each court was pulled apart to the point of collapse and undoing. This was something he should have seen coming - and it annoyed Esai greatly that it had snowballed to such catastrophe already.
He nodded as another approached, feigning concern as he danced around the topic many had already exhausted, " Good evening - are we to talk in circles with trivial small talk of empty woes or are you to tell me how you really feel ? " Esai smiled then, the action meant to be somewhat ingratiating in comparison to the charged candor of his words.
Alysa has discovered nothing yet in regards to the first disappearances-- the first! Now even her own thoughts must plague her with the realization that she's failed. If she had only chosen better dreams to target, better questions to ask, conversations to overhear in the realm of the awake, this wouldn't have happened. How can she face her mother with this?
Her venture to the balcony is only to avoid interactions with the visitors just long enough to catch her breath, to not scream in the middle of a ballroom, and she cannot be granted a moment's peace? The balcony is unabandoned! ... At least it's a familiar face, Alysa considers as if in consolation. "Lord Thalryn," she greets evenly, although her polite smile falters at his question. A quiet humph follows, a sound caught between disapproval and begrudging respect. "Do I give the impression that I don't speak openly?" A hidden dose of humor from a woman who, in fact, rarely speaks her mind. "If I were to speak candidly with a trusted member of my mother's inner circle, I might idly remark that citizens were not going missing or worse before the other courts arrived. Of course, I would never place blame on another court without... proper evidence."
❛ competitors went missing ? prayers and sorrows, such a pity and shame. ❜ a sour taste in her mouth and she's more vexed that the portals are closed, she hates feeling like a trapped bird within a cage and so she reaches for the moonstone pendant that hangs around her neck, her thumb strokes the flat edge of the stone to calm her nerves ❛ any theories on whose doing the taking and killing? ❜ her words are more brash than a royal ought to be but there was a reason why her eldest sister wore the crown instead of her, evangeline was never that good at following social court rules.
"prayers and sorrows, indeed," vespera agrees softly. her tone is perhaps more genuine than the other's, but it's certainly calculated. people are missing, and the vaelorian lady can recognize that that's certainly not good, but ... she's indefinitely to stay at a royal court? with every royal of their realm? in close quarters? with rising tensions? vespera can practically taste the opportunity. shaking her head as if warding off terrible images, her gaze falls to the princess's pendant. she's unfamiliar with most of the nymerion royals, but from her observations since their arrival, vespera thinks this might be princess evangeline. "your highness, i only wish i had a valuable insight to share, but i've been spared the torment of witnessing anything personally." one hand reaches to lean lightly on the nearest wall. "personally, though... i do find it intriguing that it seems the competitors are the ones directly impacted. this person or people must be against the trials or... or eliminating their competition, perhaps?"
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@ofheroism
setting: late evening, a secluded courtyard
There was a sort of somber mood; it was definitely ruining the vibe that Alistair had set up for himself in times like these. They were untouchable, were they not? The younger Aurelis let his thoughts drift as quickly as the wind could change direction, however, Alysa in her spot of doom and gloom as he enjoyed calling it. He picked up his hand, waving it for a second as a small stormcloud appeared over his sister's head. It was the perfect size to hover over her, and it gave a few rumbles as he came towards her, "Are we brooding or is now a perfect time to gossip about what's going on?"
She's running on very little rest, but who is sleeping fitfully at a time like this? Alysa might like to visit them on grounds of suspicion, she thinks ruefully, too caught up in her own thoughts that her brother manages to catch her unaware. At the first rumble of thunder, Alysa jolts back to the present. The stone bench beneath her fingertips begins to ice over before she can stop herself, instead letting out a huff of exasperation at her brother. "How dare I have concern for the affairs of our kingdom..." she remarks, ignoring his request for gossip for several seconds of superiority before relenting. "... Are you implying that you have a theory?"
open starter : no cap !
location : the main hall , the next day after the ball and the aftermath
there was a tense feeling amongst the halls of the court that she had always called home . the merriment of the night and anticipation of the upcoming games should be the only feelings they felt and yet ... fear , tension , and apprehension of what was truly going on was instead mixed amongst the nobility . as many last night had been forced to retire to their beds early , yukiona had set her spies and herself to the task ... to figure out what was going on and why . a minor noble of the aurelion court had approached her one too many times already this morning and it was grating on her nerves to say the least , " no i do not have any new information lord martin and when i do i will report it to the queen first , certainly not you . " still the man continues to harass her and she looks to another approaching , a look in her eyes of annoyance and a call for help .
in another lifetime, some universe where she wasn't born into royalty and a concrete life path, alysa thinks she might have enjoyed being a spymaster instead. she rather admires yukiona for the role she plays in their court, even if alysa sparsely compliments anyone aloud. there's an order to these roles, and alysa is well aware than if their spymaster discovered anything the news would first break to her mother, perhaps her simultaneously if she happens to be standing in the correct place at the correct time. someone who is far from the top of any chain of communication? lord martin, alysa thinks with mild disgust. the princess gracefully appears beside the man, her face clear of irritation. "lord martin? i hate to interrupt, it's only that i heard prince lazarus was remarking personally on how he wished to hear about your stunning vineyards. oh, and a piece of advice? i've heard vaelorians prefer stories in great detail." the corner of one lip quirks upwards for only a moment as she makes eye contact with yukiona as if to say 'you're welcome'.
avi wasn't really sneaking around, but he was also unaware if this was an area he wasn't allowed to be in. the tideborn vaelorian often had no real care to rules and what was expected, but, well, he was also not in his own home court. would the people of aurelion be as forgiving or uncaring as those that grew up with ? he wasn't sure he wanted to find out, but that also hadn't stopped him from his exploration. when steps echo in the hall behind him avi simply turns slightly. " pardon, do you know if this is the way to the kitchens ? " he wasn't looking for the kitchens.
it's mildly difficult to sleep after all the drama of the last events, and after a brief stint outdoors for some fresh air, vespera has somehow managed to lose her way back to her rooms. to be a vaelorian wandering aimlessly about the palace is probably a bit suspicious, so a familiar face is a sight for sore eyes. "avi ??" she holds out a perfectly soft and well-manicured hand. "do i look like the kind of woman who knows where a kithcen is ?" she asks with an exasperated laugh.
who: open to anyone except her family (unless they're also dreamwalkers!)
where: someone's dream/dream world
@aethara-starters
in daylight, there's an impossible number of rules of etiquette and expectations and ways to present herself in society. alysa excels in all of them, or at least she certainly does her best at all times, representing her family in the brightest light possible. in the night, in the world of dreams, the roles are reversed. she has the power to be anything she wants, to be the one with the watchful eye instead of the spectacle. perhaps her own family would recognize her, but nearly anyone else? with her unbound hair gleaming like starlight, her expression relaxed and face free of cosmetics, in a simple silver gown not of house aurelion's colors? she's free. she's also facing a new mission, eyes alight with the challenge. with mesmerized curiosity and an attempt to learn her surrounding when she knows little outside of aureth's castle, alysa steps into an existing dream. "where is this place?" she asks softly. it's unfortunate that she'll need to alter the setting soon regardless.
she can't quite hide the panic lurking under her skin. sylvani hadn't slept well at all last night, that scream that rang out through the dining room ringing through her head and haunting her nightmares. then she had stepped closer, seen the face of a lord she knew well, covered her mouth in horror as tears fell down her cheeks. these kinds of things didn't happen anymore, not like this. not since the days of old when there were high queens and kings everywhere. it leaves her rattled, ill at ease and clutching her tea cup far tighter than need be as she turns to her companion. " it's just awful, all this. i don't know why anyone would do such a thing. "
last night's party had been the highlight of vespera's year without a doubt. it was exactly what she wished every day of her life to look like, being surrounded by people who were ecstatic to dance with her (vespera easily overlooked how they'd probably have danced with any noble in the reverie). and now it had all soured thanks to some unsavory mess she's not even part of. well, she hadn't been close enough when the crowd moved to scene of the crime, and when vespera overheard the murmur that a vaelorian noble had died, she'd briefly wondered whether her betrothal were over. only, that would have been a solution to her current problem, and she instead felt distaste at the thought. then the worse thought of 'not the vaelorian family!', then 'oh stars, is it my family?', then 'am i in danger?', then... well, relief. after all, a lord she barely knew was better than the other four scenarios she'd just imagined!
now, she's attempting to center herself on the conversation with the youngest vaelorian princess on very little beauty sleep and the gnawing knowledge that they can't be anywhere near as familiar with one another under watchful eyes. "your highness, i'm only grateful it wasn't you or any member of our families. stars. what a tragedy. one can only guess at what consumes a heart with wickedness. perhaps it was between the two competitors and the second fled out of guilt."
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she'd thrown a god damn star when she found out. ripped it from the heavens, threw it down until a small crater formed in the gardens. no matter, that was hardly a problem that the earth users in her court couldn't fix for her. a problem she couldn't seem to fix, however, was the missing noble. she knew of them, had heavily considered them for one of her competitors. yet no matter how high and low her guards searched, they seemed to have vanish as if the star goddess herself had snatched them from earth. "i don't care what you need to do, find them! " she snaps at a guard before scoffing, hands clenching her hips as she fumes.
alysa had been present for the party, flitting about from one noble to the next to thank them for attending (as if they truly had a choice) and make proper pleasantries. it was exhausting, especially without a single drink to take the edge off. sleep was calling to her like the light at the end of the tunnel, and she'd made it halfway up the staircase when the screams began. now? alysa hasn't slept a wink, can't even recall if she'd wanted to sponsor someone, too preoccupied awaiting news of kiran's return that has yet to arrive. they weren't particularly close, but they're also a member of her court missing after another was found dead. she waits until the chastised guard retreats out of the room before approaching her mother, her tone low enough that no one else can pick up her words. "can i help look for them?" the question is innocent enough, a well-wishing princess, but her gaze is meaningful, as if she's pleading to be allowed to do something unsavory. "i could look in... places others might overlook."
✦ ( banita sandhu, cis woman, she/her, 148 ) — descending upon the court of aurelion, we announce the arrival of VESPERA ADHIRA, LADY of VAELORIA. amongst the whispers they are known to be AMBITIOUS + MANIPULATIVE, which is reflected by the sense of a tantalizing sunlit pond daring you to take a swim without considering the smoothest waters often hide the cruelest depths, everything you’ve ever wanted finally in your grasp only to wake up and realize it was only a dream, standing alone in a stormy night for the thunder mutes her screams, and showing you anything you desire but never herself when they approach. at the age of maturity, the goddess blessed them with WEATHER, WATER, AND ILLUSION. they have arrived as a SPECTATOR of the ancient games and are currently NEUTRAL TO the era of peace aethara has maintained. ⋆
BASICS
NAME: vespera adhira
BIRTHDAY + AGE: summer // 148
GENDER: cis female
PRONOUNS: she/her
ORIENTATION: bisexual biromantic
COURT: vaeloria
OCCUPATION: lady of tempest
COLORS: purple, silver, and teal
ABILITIES: weather, water, and illusion
FAMILY: high lord baran adhira (father), high lady procella tba adhira (mother), step-mother (open), two elder siblings (open), one younger step-sibling (open), one younger paternal half-sibling (open)
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: betrothed to ruling lord lakith karis
APPEARANCE
FACE CLAIM: banita sandhu
EYE COLOR: dark brown
HAIR: brown-black
HEIGHT: 5′7″
TATTOOS: n/a
PERSONALITY
GOOD: ambitious, charismatic, perceptive
BAD: manipulative, insecure, jealous
STAR SIGN: leo sun, scorpio moon
MBTI: ENxJ
ENNEAGRAM: 3w4
ALIGNMENT: lawful evil
TEMPERAMENT: choleric-sanguine
ARCHETYPE: the lover // the temptress
LABEL: the storm siren
ELEMENT: water
VIRTUE & VICE: charity & envy
ASSOCIATED CHARACTERS: vanessa (the little mermaid), margaery tyrell (game of thrones), katherine pierce (vampire diaries) azula (atla), blair waldorf (gossip girl), amy march (little women), hans westergaard (frozen)
MISC: erudite/dauntless, daughter of aphrodite, district 1: luxury, water genasi warlock, sw: sith, waterbender
BIOGRAPHY
content warnings: death
The High Lord and High Lady of Great Noble House Adhira were attending an annual event at Stormspire when their youngest child insisted on being born early. It became a running joke among their family for decades, that their dear Vespera (named for being so unexpectedly born that day, right between sunset and darkness) simply had to take fate into her own hands and make the day about her. There were plenty of jokes lovingly made at her expense. Perhaps she had the boldest personality of their three children, or perhaps it was simply that extra bit of attention given to the youngest. Vespera had always taken the teasing in stride, instead reading it as some sort of fairytale prophecy that the gods themselves felt she belonged in a royal palace.
When she was barely past the age of maturity, life began changing without warning. Tragedy befell House Adhira, High Lady Procella passed away due to an illness that even her fae body couldn't save her from. At least, that's all Vespera knows of the story. She remembers being unable to say goodbye and being banned from her quarters, only allowed to return once they were empty. It was the first time her illusions manifested, conjuring up her mother's belongings just as she'd last seen them.
On her 50th birthday, her birthday present was receiving a new High Lady and a new sibling. This woman would never be her mother! Vespera was so angry that she'd run away from home for a night and walked straight into the ocean. It was then that she'd discovered she was tideborn, and also that no one even noticed in the marital celebrations that she'd been away. Visiting Stormspire to show off the High Lord's new bride was the only win that entire decade. Her eyes were still wide with wonder and rose-colored lenses. Any of her problems at home in Imbris would simply cease to exist in such a place of grandeur. Surely none of the royal children ever felt ignored or invisible or bored of their lives. She'd convince her father to manage her a marriage proposal to one of them, and then she'd be out of his hair and living her dreams!
Far too soon after the wedding for Vespera's liking, the new High Lady became with child with a new liege of House Adhira. Not only did she have to tolerate this last sibling that her father adopted, but now she wasn't even the youngest? Her father had refused to secure her a marriage alliance the first time she'd brought it up, choosing to focus on her older siblings' prospects first. On her 100th birthday, he informed her one supper that he'd finally fulfilled her wish. Vespera could have fainted in excitement. To who? Maxon? Aveline? Lazarus? Hearty laughter followed. "Even better!" her father had said. ... What could be better? To High Lord Baran, it was his best friend Lord Ruwan's son, Lakith of House Karis. One of their own vassal houses! Her weather abilities manifested that night, a storm building over Imbris to cover her enraged screams alone in the night. As if things could not get worse, this man never showed any interest in marrying her, much less falling at her feet in adoration like she felt she deserved from a spouse. Instead, he was away far too often for them to even have the wedding this last half century. That's perfectly fine to her, even if she's well aware with his return that she's running out of precious time to slip her way into an elevated marriage for the future she desires for herself.
FAMILIAL:
FATHER - {0 / 1 } - high lord baran (can be changed) adhira - roughly 700 - baran is a decent man, but perhaps not the best high lord. he is easily drifting from one whim to the next, making decisions in the interest of his relationships and his own entertainment instead of their lands. perhaps obviously favors either his firstborn son/child or his youngest with the high lady. must be of indian ethnicity.
STEPMOTHER - {0 / 1 } - high lady utp utp adhira - roughly 600 (flexible) - ideally someone from vaeloria, but it could also be a whirlwind marriage from a different court. she doesn't even have to be of noble blood if she's charming enough. a widow prior to being a high lady, she has one child with a first husband and one with the high lord. vespera doesn't care for her at all, but is eloquently passive aggressive about her distaste.
SIBLINGS - { 0 / 4 } - utp - the eldest is the expected heir (potential drama if the youngest sibling is vying to steal it, but vespera and the secondborn are clearly out of the running). the eldest is a lord or liege, roughly 200-300, and indian. the secondborn is any gender, roughly 150-200, and indian. the adopted sibling (the high lady's child) is any gender, roughly 100-200, and any ethnicity. the youngest (child of the high lord & new high lady) is any gender, roughly 25-100, and at least half indian.
PLATONIC:
BEST FRIEND - { 0 / 2 } - someone who vespera is fully herself around instead of who she thinks others want to see. they are fully away of her chaotic nature and schemes, and either support or at least don't stop her
'DEAR FRIENDS' - { 0 / 5 } - people vespera is friends with for political reasons, from any of the other great noble houses or royal courts. she may despise them or actually like them, but she's full of smiles and compliments whenever they cross paths and is very public about name dropping their friendship to others.
ACQUAINTANCES - { 0 / ? }
ANTAGONISTIC:
'COMPETITION' - { 0 / ? } - anyone she thinks she's fighting for a royal romantic target, maybe they're romantically involved with a royal or she's heard they're interested in a marriage/courtship even if they aren't
PAST FRIENDS - { 0 / 2 } - people from vaeloria she's left behind or betrayed over the years in order to try and further her ambitions
DISLIKED - { 0 / ? } -
DISLIKE HER - { 0 / ? } - a few people who see through her facades and find her rather artificial or not to be trusted.
ROMANTIC:
* ✨ i do not plot out ships so none of these are meant to lead to an actual “romantic” ship unless it does on accident from chemistry! ✨
BETROTHED - { 1 / 1 } - lakith karis - neither of them are particularly enthused about this arrangement between their fathers, but they've been betrothed for roughly half a century.
SECRET LOVER - { 1 / 2 } -
#1 vespera attempts to keep a rather pristine reputation when she can, publicly expressing delight amongst vaeloria at her future marriage, so being intimate with princess sylvani valerius is something they keep private. it's recent, and this should be the opportunity of her dreams, but it doesn't seem to be leading anywhere that vespera needs to get out of her betrothal. sylvie's just the kind of naive she needs in a target, but it also leaves vespera bored pretending to be equally so.
#2 someone of lesser nobility or worse in vaeloria. she knows they need to put a stop to it, but it's nice to get attention from someone and stars are they good at that.
ROMANTIC TARGET - { 1 / ? } - sylvani valerius, OPEN - anyone of a royal court who vespera believes (this could be entirely delusional) she has a chance with. her schemes involve someone falling so madly in love with her that they ask for her hand, and how could her father refuse ending her current betrothal then? she isn't openly trying to seduce them but is attempting to make herself into whatever she thinks their ideal partner is.
