[OOC] Lords, Ladies and Lies of the Court

[Quadrophenia]

I'll have a CS up for a landschneckt turned knight soon, possibly tonight or tomorrow considering I just got back from holiday and am jet lagged.

[Kho]

Another one bites the- joins the squad.

[februari]

Name: Caterina Isabelle
Gender: Female
Age: 17

Title(s): Duchess of Savoy

Allegiance(s):
Officially Francis I, King of France but, with his interest in claiming Savoy, her hold is tenuous. Any alliance that could strengthen her position bears consideration.

Family:
Charles III the Good (Father, Deceased)
Marchioness Vittoria of Turin (Mother, Deceased)
Collette (Aunt, age 17)
Lilianne (Sister, age 12)
Marguerite (sister, age 7)

Appearance:

Picture

Caterina is a slender young woman with bright, keen blue eyes and delicate features. Her hair flows in nut brown ringlets with sun-borne golden highlights across her delicate shoulders when not bound into a more formal arrangement. While her gait carries the vivacious bounce of youth fitting her age, it's not without a certain elegance and control one expects from a lady of title. Her soft features project an expression of serenity and, vocally, her tones mirror that soft calm, seldom deviating from that state except under the more extreme ranges of emotion. Under normal circumstances, her dress is immaculate and situation-appropriate, though she prefers more comfortable, functional attire with her sisters on the privacy of their estate.

Biography:
The eldest of three daughters, Caterina was raised at the family residence at Château de Chambéry, situated along the Leysse and Albane rivers. Throughout her childhood, she was accompanied by her mother's youngest sister who, though technically Caterina's aunt, was only a few months her elder; hence, the pair were raised more as sisters and best friends. Even to this day, the pair are inseparable. Given its close proximity to Italy, the girls received some of the finest tutelage from both French and Italian scholars, so both girls are fluent in French and Italian, exceptionally well read and, consequently, able to converse on a wide range of subjects.

For the most part, Caterina's childhood days were spent with Collette, either working themselves into one bit of mischief or another, or lazing around at the bank of the Leysse. As they grew older, the occasional journey across the Alps or into the south of Italy were dotted in for good measure to expose the pair to the sights beyond Savoy's borders and raise awareness of their neighbors. As she grew older still, Caterina's parents began exposing her to the politics of Savoy, a precarious balance between France's desires to use the province as a springboard into conquest of Italy, and Spain's desire to use it as a buffer against the same.

Upon coming of age, her father was almost immediately besieged with offers of courtship for Caterina and, more importantly, a path to claiming the lands of Savoy, for he had no son. Each was summarily rejected, as he and Vittoria persevered in their attempts at a male heir, while preparing Caterina to rule Savoy as his guardian should the need arise. On the Winter of her seventeenth birthday, Caterina's father ventured across the alps to discuss arrangements for her marriage when news arrived that Vittoria was again pregnant. Charles and his retinue made haste in their return, unaware of the hazardous conditions created by a mix of warm days and an extended blizzard. The resulting layers of snow atop a thin sheet of ice created prime conditions for avalanches, and one was to claim their lives down to the last man.

On receiving word some weeks later, Vittoria began sending letters to relatives in Turin, enlisting their support to shield Caterina from the predators that would, no doubt, seek her out should the worst come to pass. Vittoria did not have an easy pregnancy and feared that her advanced age for childbirth placed them all at risk. She could only heap prayer upon prayer that the baby would be a son and that she would survive the ordeal, but as her pregnancy progressed, she became more convinced of the former and less of the latter. Sadly, when the joyful day arrived, neither came to pass, as neither mother nor son survived the event, leaving Caterina, her sisters, and Collette to fend for themselves against the wolves that would surely come.

As instructed, Caterina sent immediate word to her uncle in Turin so that he might begin negotiating a suitable marriage that would allow her family to retain possession of Savoy, even if the title itself must be passed to her husband. The remainder of that day was a blur, as she was sought out repeatedly to help put affairs in order. By that evening, as she lay in her bed exhausted and emotionally drained, grief overcame her and she began sobbing uncontrollably into her pillow. A soft creak, followed by light footsteps padding across the floor, roused her as Collette led Lilianne and Marguerite to her. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Caterina sat upright and patted the bed, inviting the trio to join her. She realized that though the day's events had kept her preoccupied, the others had been grieving with only each other for consolation. Duty to family compelled her to pull each close, hugging them tightly and offering reassurances. "Hush now. I know, I know. But she wants us to be strong for her." Her own emotions tugged at her voice, yet it remained calm and soft. Collette caught her sight momentarily with a look of uncertainty as if to ask, "What are we going to do?" In response, Caterina pulled her close and kissed her lightly on the forehead, then began singing a lullaby Vittoria had sung for each of them as infants. An uneasy calm fell over the girls as they huddled close in Caterina's bed but, within the young Duchess' thoughts, Collette's question echoed loudly.

Personality:
Caterina is a simple, country girl at heart whose greatest love is riding the rural countryside of Savoy. Most find her sincere and affable, though those traits are less appreciated at court than among her servants and people. With her sisters, she's caring and attentive, having been taught by her mother from an early age the value of family. That obligation instilled within her carries over to Collette, whom she loves dearly.

Skills:
Well-educated
Excellent rider
Knowledgeable about politics, but inexperienced
Speaks French and Italian fluently
Emotionally strong

[Kho]

My goodness, such a pure character. Going to be interesting seeing how she survives (probably going to include a great amount of corruption >:) haha, this evil political atmosphere is getting to me ^^')

[februari]

Yeah, we'll see. If she wants to hang on to Savoy, she'll need to come up with something, and time isn't on her side. She has, quite rapidly, become an extremely desirable marriage prospect, so the wolves will soon be at her doorstep.

[Kho]

Hmm, perhaps I'll throw in a wolf from good ol' England too :P William, the Younger is about right for marriage :PP

[Skythikon]

Man, my character looks like a boy scout in comparison now. All he's got going for him is religious persecution of Catholics. XD

And I'm still here. Just not usually active in OOCs. =\

[LovelyAnastasia]

Accepted~

[Partisan]

februari said
Yeah, we'll see. If she wants to hang on to Savoy, she'll need to come up with something, and time isn't on her side. She has, quite rapidly, become an extremely desirable marriage prospect, so the wolves will soon be at her doorstep.

I must say your knowledge of history makes me like you even more. Savoie, always such an underestimated province in history chats. I love Savoie! Sardinia-Piemonte is even better. :P

On another note, I'm really happy there's more activity in OOC and interest check. I thought this would die, for sure. But now I'm pretty sure we'll survive!

[Quadrophenia]

Sorry, but I'm going to have to drop out.

[Kho]

We'll still survive!
You weren't frightened away by the 'long' CS's were you?

[Inuyasha]

i REALLY would like to join this, but I just feel my knowledge set one the matter isnt quite... feesable? I feel as if I might trip up other roleplayers, with my stupidity.

[Skythikon]

It's an AU sort of setting, so you don't have to be really, really accurate. =D Besides, I'm sure we'll all be more than happy to help you out if you feel your CS needs any ironing out.

[Inuyasha]

Skythikon said
It's an AU sort of setting, so you don't have to be really, really accurate. =D Besides, I'm sure we'll all be more than happy to help you out if you feel your CS needs any ironing out.

Okay I will try to make one, please dont kill me for too many historical innacuracies or bad ideas D:

[Partisan]

I think that this RP is more about the social experiment of putting together many different people with different motives and goals and seeing what happens, following the plot. The history is more or less a ''backdrop'' I think?

[Kho]

Totally agree. While the setting and period is interesting, it doesn't have to be central if we choose not to make it so.

[Partisan]

Sometimes I say smart things.

[februari]

Partisan said
I must say your knowledge of history makes me like you even more. Savoie, always such an underestimated province in history chats. I love Savoie! Sardinia-Piemonte is even better. :POn another note, I'm really happy there's more activity in OOC and interest check. I thought this would die, for sure. But now I'm pretty sure we'll survive!

It really is an interesting region, especially in this time period, because of its location. I knew early on that I wanted someone loosely patterned after Eleanor of Aquitane, but hadn't settled on the where. Savoy, however, seemed absolutely perfect.

[LovelyAnastasia]

This doesn't have to live true to the TV show or to history, so do worry about being accurate. Just make a character you know you'll enjoy using.

[Partisan]

februari said
It really is an interesting region, especially in this time period, because of its location. I knew early on that I wanted someone loosely patterned after Eleanor of Aquitane, but hadn't settled on the where. Savoy, however, seemed absolutely perfect.

Oh the history of Savoie is absolutely one of the most cool histories of any country. Especially the part where some general went around Italy taking all of it then decided to gift it to the king of Savoie without him really wanting it? That was so cool. :P