Banned
J A U N A | K A R Y S T A N E
Character Theme
"Sometimes I wish I was invisible. Then every other time I wish Eli didn't think I was."
[ ❇ ] I N F O R M A T I O N
Class: Myrmidon (not entirely just because I LOVE that word)
Title(s): Lady Jauna
Birthplace: Estalia, Greymont (she and the Prince grew up together)
Race: Beorc
Age: Sixteen (she's older than Eli and never lets him forget it :D )
Inventory: An ancient black-bladed hand-and-a-half sword that was her father's and was presented to her when she was told of his death at the claws of a dragon.
Other: She constantly wants to go out and take the fight to the dragons and wyverns, much to her childhood friend's chagrin. She is a very brave, if a bit naive, privileged and youthful, soul. Any royal blood in her family has been thought to have been long diluted by time since she has thus far not exhibited any signs of being capable of wielding any anima/magicks. Jauna is known for being fiercely loyal to friends and following through upon promises, even if she makes them without her princeling acquaintance's council first (which she has been known to do and it's a point of potential contention between the two love birds).
SIDENOTE (added because Ambra asked about her stance on the matter): Jauna is not racist toward the Laguz or any people in particular. She covets the ability to shapeshift and thinks it's awesome. She covets all magical talents really.
Depending on if it makes sense for her character or not, I was pondering having her develop some sort of not-very-powerful power later on in the story through some believable yet unorthodox (or maybe orthodox) means. Something to ponder, as I said.
[ ❇ ] P E R S O N A L I T Y
Jauna, unlike her stoic best friend, is a hopeless romantic and peppy person in general. She's eternally attempting to entice her prince to go on picnics and adventures even outside the castle grounds. Eli thinks she's juvenile when she does this, but Jauna doesn't let it deter her. SHE thinks that he just needs to be cured of his party pooper ways. That, however, is quickly subverted when he displays a level of chivalry that makes her blush....or fume inwardly if he shows it to other available girls.
On the surface, Jauna can appear the vacuous spoiled princess type, but to those select few who really know her, like Eli, she's got a head on her shoulders and knows when to shut up. So while Eli closets himself in his study, nose deep in the arcane, Jauna is attending lavish parties in the palace and playing the social game, making excuses for her nearly always absent best princeling friend. At court, she is the king's (and most every other astute being's) secret favorite to eventually win the prince's hand. Well....her and possibly one other....
[ ❇ ] F L A W S
- Too overconfident in her own abilities to sometimes wisely evaluate large threats both social and physical. (In more detail, while she is adept at dealing with other nobility, her social skills fall way off the table when it comes to dealing with the vast vast majority of commoners). This is partly due to having lived the majority of her life at court.
- Tends to try to keep track of so many details at once that she loses sight of the overarching goal.
- She actually doesn't have all that many physical weaknesses other than an inability to access magic (so far), a weakness to magical attacks, and an overall lack of stamina. Like she learned how to use a sword, but she's not really the type of person to exercise on a strict day-to-day basis and build on her already acquired skill(s). She has a lot of potential, yes, but until she realizes "Oh ****! I'm nearing the brink of woeful incompetence because I've let my skill(s) atrophy with lack of practice and now it's come back to bite me out beyond castle walls!"
- If she puts someone on a pedestal, especially Eli, she has a tendency to overlook all of that person's flaws and believe everything they say (as well as take all of that at face value).
- Due to her propensity for wearing long-sleeved gowns and other such flowing garments, these and an ample upstairs can lead, at times, to hampered movement.
[ ❇ ] B I O G R A P H Y
Jauna Karystane was one of a few gently raised ladies who were shipped off to the Estali castle at a young age with a wardrobe of fine and fancy gowns and told to vi for the nobility's hands in marriage. Jauna has known the prince ever since they were 6 and 5 years old respectively. They met in one of the royal gardens when Jauna overheard Prince Eli trying to practice one of his anima magicks and deviated from her usual path down the corridor to investigate. Upon seeing the prince, Eli - without seeing her - let loose the spell he'd been trying to cast and a shapeless orb smashed the wall not three feet from Jauna.
"Haha wow! The wall didn't do anything to you, did it?" she exclaimed jovially, soon-to-be-coveted red locks bouncing around her face as she approached. And the rest was history. Eli couldn't seem to shake Jauna and, later on may have realized that he shouldn't have. Jauna proved herself time and again to be a trustworthy friend and a loyal confidant over the years.
So the two were nearly inseparable except for when the prince had to attend tutoring sessions for princely duties that he clearly had no interest for at the time. Jauna has always been an advocate of the prince embracing his birthright, even if it meant her not getting to be by his side all the time. She constantly is there to remind him to think positive and to lift him out of his moody "I can't possibly lead this entire kingdom" funks.
Somewhere along the line, around the age of thirteen, Jauna began to learn swordplay after she and Eli were temporarily accosted by thugs outside the castle. Afterward, Jauna doggedly begged Eli to teach her how to defend herself. Eli, seeing that she had no magical talent (at least at the time), introduced her to the brisk, humorless knight woman who was his swordplay tutor (for better or worse given how magically inclined and talented the young prince was). From then on, Jauna found that she was proficient at fighting with a sword - at least in mock duels with palace guards and her instructor - and that she enjoyed it overly much. However, she has yet to experience the horror that is facing down an opponent or a group of them and striking one or more of those down (i.e. hasn't killed anyone). Despite her bravado, her naive innocence in this and other matters is very transparent.
[ ❇ ] F A M I L Y
Sister: Pari Karystane - An extremely plump younger sister with a moderate number of physical defects and who is unfortunately - or fortunately - a bit of a simpleton. She lives and at least attempts to care for their aging painter mother. Her big sister doesn't visit them as often as she probably should, though she used to frequently.
Mother (Painter/Nobility): Maria Vexion-Karystane - Lives back in the homely family manor where she grew up. Maria is now getting on in years and has early onset arthritis, so her painting days are about over which means even more pressure on poor Jauna to "get married, get married, get married."
Father (Knight/Nobility): Lon Karystane - DECEASED - combat with a dragon