App for cityofariel

[rosemarqued]

→ OOC

□ Name: Tim

□ Age. 25+

□ Contact: 03robin@gmail.com

□ Journal: boywonder

□ Do you play anyone in Ariel?: Hope Estheim and Kau

→ IC

□ Name: Phèdre nó Delaunay de Montrève

□ Journal: rosemarqued

□ Series: Kushiel's Legacy

□ Canon point: at the end of Kushiel's Chosen (book 2 of the series)

□ History: Kushiel's Dart | Kushiel's Chosen
□ Personality: Phèdre is someone who is more than she appears to be at first glance. She appears to be a pretty young woman, with good bearing and knowledge of manners and graces required by her culture. To the untrained eye, however, she does not necessarily appear to be anything extra special, but there is more to her than meets the eye. She is trained in the arts of covertcy as well as those of the bedroom, and she is a spy as well as a courtesan.


Phèdre was born to parents with no real money. Her mother hailed from the Night Court of their homeland, Terre d'Ange. The Night Court was a series of pleasure houses. Calling them brothels would be disgraceful to those who make their livings there, and to their patrons as well. Those that hail from the Night Court are courtesans, trained in all the arts of pleasure and many forms of entertainment, even outside the bedroom. Phèdre was born with a red mote in her left eye, and as such, was considered to be flawed. She was raised by the foremost house of the Night Court, Cereus House, and there she learned grace and softness, and how to serve. She also learned how to be light on her feet, and move through a crown unobtrusively, without attracting attention to herself (this is a skill she still remembers).


Phèdre was told that hers was an ill luck name, from an old Hellene legend. She has lamented her name once or twice, however, she has managed to keep on going through trials that other people would have buckled under. She no longer really considers it to be an ill luck name, and has stopped lamenting that it was given to her (though there are others in her society that are aware that it is considered to be such.)


Although she was considered flawed by the Dowayne of Cerus House, the mote in Phèdre's eye is something of significance. Phèdre is an anguissette. She comes from a land where the people are descended from angels, and the angels whose blood they carry in their veins are hailed as their deities. One of these is Kushiel, who was said to guard the portals of hell and punish those who deserved punishment. The mote in her eye marks her as chosen by Kushiel. An anguissette experiences pain and pleasure as one, whether she wills it or not. This has shaped much of her life, as she is not able to experience any amount of pain without deriving some pleasure from it.


Phèdre was trained as a courtesan after she was sold into indentured servitude. A man named Anafiel Delaunay saw her for what she was, and essentially purchased her. This is not the same as slavery, as Phèdre is definitely not a slave. She actually wanted to serve in the Night Court, and lamented than she was never allowed to. She was never against Delaunay purchasing her marque (the tattoo that all members of the Night Court get, little by little. When a marque is completely limned up a courtesan's back, it shows that they have earned their freedom from indentured servitude). At Delaunay's knee she learned many things – not just the bedroom arts, though of course she learned those well. She also learned languages, and to read people, and to spy. She has a knack for languages especially, and took to any she set to learn rather easily.


After Delaunay's death (and many trials – see history section, or I can clarify if I need to), Phèdre was declared his heir, and became Comtesse de Montreve. As such, she has attained the status of a noblewoman, though she has never forgotten her origins. She does not consider herself above others because of her title, and seeks to use her influence and what wealth she has to help people and not to lord over them. She does still entertain patrons from time to time, though they are fewer and farther between now.


Phèdre has a quick wit anyway, but Delaunay's tutelage honed it. She is good at thinking on her feet, changing strategies if she needs to. She is also good at hiding her true thoughts and intentions, having been coached in how to do that. She is good at reading people, and she can be very subtle if she needs to be. She can play along with the games of most anyone, though she is not without flaws. Phèdre does have a temper, and can be both stubborn and willful. She has always been very headstrong, and like to follow her own path, even if others caution her or try to deter her. She is assertive, especially for a woman, and is not likely to let anyone walk over her or her loved ones. She has a fierce sense of loyalty, and would never betray someone she cared about if there were any other option.


Though she is assertive and strong, her nature as an anguissette controls her sexual tastes. She is submissive in the bedroom, and there is really nothing that could make her otherwise. It goes against what she is to be dominant. She can play love games if expected, but she does not take patrons who would seek the sort of play that requires her to be dominant. Because of her nature, she does pick and choose her patrons carefully. She is not above using sex to get what she needs from someone, as it is her trade and was her livelihood until she earned her marque. However, she does not just throw herself at anyone for any reason. Sex is considered a sacred thing, even for courtesans, and Phèdre treats it as such. It is not an embarrassment or something to be ashamed of. She has been in situations where she had no choice, or was an actual slave, and she does not consider that to be the same thing at all. Being an anguissette, and what we might think of as a submissive, there is a way that it is done in Terre d'Ange. With a patron, part of the contract Phèdre signs includes the signale (basically it's a safe word). If uttered, this word would cause the patron to stop without question. To ignore the signale is to commit treason. Phèdre is incredibly unlikely to ever use this word (and only one person has ever caused her to), but it does exist.


Phèdre does believe strongly in the deities of her land, and respects the deities of other lands. Being chosen by Kushiel, she is aware of the power of gods, though she can get fed up or unhappy about being chosen. It isn't easy to be chosen by a god, especially such a stern one as Kushiel. There are times Phèdre laments her situation, though she is not one to stay terribly depressed for long. She has a strong enough will that she will continue to fight through hopeless situations, and she does not give up easily, or for very long. She is not prone to falling victim to despair for long periods of time (though she is not immune to it, either, as she is only human after all).


Terre d'Ange's principal deity is Blessed Elua, who left the d'Angelines with one precept: love as thou wilt. Phèdre believes in this, and follows it to the best of her ability. However, sometimes it does get her in sticky situations. She is in love with Joscelin Verreuil, though it was not an easy thing. Loving Joscelin is not always easy for her, as they come from very different backgrounds. They hurt each other as much as they help each other, but Phèdre can no longer imagine life without him, and declared him as her consort officially.


Phèdre has a very close friendship with a boy named Hyacinthe. He is a Tsingano (akin to what we think of as gypsy), and was her one friend when she resided as Cereus House. She was never one to follow every rule, and would run away to meet Hyacinthe and play in the streets. This continued even when she lived with Delaunay, until he put a stop to it. Then, she met with Hyacinthe only under supervision and with permission, but she would never give up his friendship. (Hyacinthe is currently imprisoned, having given up his freedom to become the new Master of the Straits. It's a long story, but the end of it is that Phèdre is determined to find a way to regain her friend's freedom.)


Phèdre also has a complicated relationship with a woman named Melisande Shahrizai (the one person, as mentioned above, who has ever caused her to use her signale). Melisande is responsible for MANY of the wrongs Phèdre has experienced in her life. Though she did not do the deed herself, Melisande was responsible for the deaths of Delaunay and Alcuin (Phèdre's foster brother). She also sold Phèdre and Joscelin into slavery in the enemy kingdom of Skaldia, and planned to bring down the throne of Terre d'Ange and deliver it to Skaldic rule. Later, though she was stopped, Melisande escaped to cause further mischief. She married a prince of the blood and delivered a son, who would then stand to be in line to inherit the throne. She staged a coup to gain it, and in the process, Phèdre was thrown in prison in La Serenissima, far from Terre d'Ange. Melisande offered to essentially keep Phèdre as a pet, instead. Phèdre did, briefly and insanely, consider Melisande's offer. However, Phèdre loves her land very much, and would not deliver her queen to death any more than she would have delivered Terre d'Ange to the Skaldi.


Melisande is of the line of Kushiel's blood, and she can incite things in Phèdre no one else could ever dream to. There is an attraction there that Phèdre cannot deny, and even Melisande's touch can set her on fire. However, in the end, she knew what Melisande was, and refused the offer. It is hard for Phèdre to say no to such a thing, as part of her desires it. Elua's precept does instruct to love freely, but there is too much more between them than love. (In the third book, Phèdre does answer Melisande's call, as there is something in her that cannot quite refuse, but she does not allow Melisande to have any more real power over her, sexually or otherwise.)


Phèdre puts a lot of stock in knowledge, and seeks to learn as much as she can, wherever she goes. Delaunay taught her that all knowledge is worth having, and she has come to agree with that. She is good at finding threads that connect things, through learning of them, and in fact, she enjoys learning. If she finds herself in a new situation, her way of adapting is to learn whatever she can with whatever means – research, talking to people, making herself appear personable or nonthreatening. Based on the cues she gets from others, she does try to become the type of person that they would best respond to, and she is pretty good at it – with men or with women.


I should note that sexuality is not a thing in Terre d'Ange like it is in our society. Phèdre does not have any real preference for men or women. She has loved and wanted both indiscriminately; for her, it is the person and their desires and not their gender or body parts that she is attracted to, or that she responds to. The idea of discriminating based on gender would be totally foreign to her.


□ Age: 22

□ Gender: Female

□ Appearance: Phèdre is D'Angeline, meaning she is from a place where the citizens are descended from angels. All D'Angelines are very beautiful, and people outside their country notice that. Phèdre is no exception. She is average height (headcanon says 5'4") and of slim build, but not SKINNY. She has curves. She has very dark brown hair (the book describes it as "sable") and dark eyes. Her left eye, however, is unusual in that it has a scarlet mote in it. It's a pretty noticeable thing about her.
□ Abilities/Powers: Phèdre is very good at reading people, and good at deciphering things. She has a knack for intrigue and for languages, as she was trained from a young age in the arts of covertcy. She is also trained in the arts of the bedroom, and us good at knowing another's desire, even if they are not immediately forthcoming with it.

□ First Person Sample: [voice]


It has taken me several days to try to acclimate myself to these surroundings, and indeed, to this method of communicating. At first, I did not believe that a mere thought could reach others, but it seems that is the case.


My name is Phèdre nò Delaunay. I have a title, though I would wager it means nothing to most in this city, so I'll not wave it around. Right now, I come to you listeners with a question.


Surely there is some common thread that ties us, else why would we be taken from our homes and brought here? I'd like to find that thread, but I beg your assistance.


In short, I would like to know of your lives at home. Anything you'd like to share, as much as you could tell. It need not be like this; in fact, I myself would feel more at ease if we were to speak face to face. Of course I realize it would be a long effort to find out about the lives of everyone who is not a citizen if this city. While we are all here, however, it seems we may yet have much time on our hands. At any rate, it is a start.


If it would put you more at ease, I will share somewhat of my own life in exchange, that we may learn from one another.

□ Third Person Sample:


□ Personal Items: several dresses from home, suiting a lady of her stature (let's say three). Also in her apartment Phèdre will find a diamond on a velvet cord (she would no longer have this at her canon point but I figure it could be there to mess with her).




Conflicting modification on February 7, 2013, 20:33:57:
→ OOC

□ Name: Tim

□ Age. 25+

□ Contact: 03robin@gmail.com
□ Journal: boywonder

□ Do you play anyone in Ariel?: Hope Estheim and Kau


→ IC

□ Name: Phèdre nó Delaunay de Montrève

□ Journal: rosemarqued

□ Series: Kushiel's Legacy

□ Canon point: at the end of Kushiel's Chosen (book 2 of the series)

□ History: Kushiel's Dart |

□ Personality:


□ Age: 22

□ Gender: Female

□ Appearance: Phèdre is D'Angeline, meaning she is from a place where the citizens are descended from angels. All D'Angelines are very beautiful, and people outside their country notice that. Phèdre is no exception. She is average height (headcanon says 5'4") and of slim build, but not SKINNY. She has curves. She has very dark brown hair (the book describes it as "sable") and dark eyes. Her left eye, however, is unusual in that it has a scarlet mote in it. It's a pretty noticeable thing about her.

She also has a marque inked into the skin on her back. (Most people would think of it as a tattoo.) The design is in stark black, with only a few red accents. The design is an abstraction based on the briar rose, starting at the curve of her lower back, with the flower itself coming up to the bottom of her neck. This, too, would be very noticeable if she were to uncover it (and in this city, she surely will eventually).

□ Abilities/Powers: Phèdre is very good at reading people, and good at deciphering things. She has a knack for intrigue and for languages, as she was trained from a young age in the arts of covertcy. She is also trained in the arts of the bedroom, and us good at knowing another's desire, even if they are not immediately forthcoming with it.


Phèdre is just a human, and has no supernatural abilities, and all normal human weaknesses. However, due to being chosen by the god Kushiel, she does heal a bit faster than most, and heals very cleanly. She can also take (and enjoy) MUCH more pain than many people can.
□ Personal Items: Several dresses from home suiting a lady of her status (let's say three?), the sangoire (a very dark red) cloak given to her by Delaunay, and in her apartment she'll find a diamond on a velvet cord (this isn't something she still has at this point in the canon, but I figured she could have it there just to mess with her).


□ First Person Sample:
[voice]


I have spent the last several days trying to acclimate myself to these strange surroundings, and to this method of communication. At first, I thought that it was surely a jest. How could a mere thought reach so many at one time? And yet, it seems it is the truth, strange as that seems to me.


My name is Phêdre nó Delaunay. I have a title that accompanies it now, though I think it will mean little and less here, all things considered. I will not wave it around like a trophy.


I spoke not to introduce myself, however, but to ask for some small bit of assistance. It has occurred to me that there must be some common thread that ties us, else why would we have been brought here from our homes? With so many, it seems that this thread is hard to find. This is where my request for help would come into play.


I would like to learn of your homes, and your lives. Anything that you would feel comfortable sharing, details large and small. I realize that this needs must be a lengthy process, but I find myself with rather a lot of free time. I have not yet found a way to return to my home, so I have decided to turn my attentions elsewhere. It need not be here, where others may hear or see. I would prefer to meet face to face anyway. I promise you, though I have but little here at my disposal, you will find me a gracious host.


If it would make you more comfortable, I would offer to share a bit of my own life with you. I would not ask for something without offering much the same in return. Even if it takes a very long time for me to hear from so many, it doesn't matter. I want to try.


□ Third Person Sample: over here on the test drive