Lioness of Trebond
Cythera of Elden
Convent Student
Posts: 27
(4/5/04 8:09 pm)
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Cythera of Elden
Name: Cythera of Elden
Gender: Female
Age/Birthdate: 11/ December 12, 418 H.E.
Position: Student at the Convent
Location: Mother of the Mountains Convent, Northern Tortall
Personality: Cythera is vivacious, bubbly, and cheerful. She is quite happy to be a student at the convent, and as the Daughters put it, she is only too happy to apply herself to everything she does. She’s a very friendly girl, and is always chattering about something. She most desperately wants people to like her, although one would hardly think this of her from her lively, untroubled demeanor, and does all she can to make friends. She has made sure to memorize the names of everyone at the convent- her memory for names and faces is quite good- and considers everyone there a close friend. Perhaps Cythera is not the epitome of a quiet, refined young noblewoman, but she is one of the favorites at the convent nevertheless, and the Daughters all find room to forgive her. Cythera is also a bright child, intent on her studies. Neither reading nor mathematics are subjects usually taught noblewomen, especially before their tenth year, but Cythera managed to learn them both, to her satisfaction at least, before she arrived at the convent. She is also well versed in sewing and embroidery and in cooking- skills she had learned both at home and in her time at the convent.
Cythera has led something of a sheltered life. She thinks well of anyone, no matter their faults, because she has never really had experience being disliked by someone. This is not to say that everyone that has ever come across her path liked her on sight, but if they did have something against her, they hid it well, noble that she was. Cythera is talkative- not enough to be irritating, at least to most, but she always has something to point out, or some question to ask, or some polite statement to make, no matter the situation. She also has a rather inquisitive personality, and although she would never question or explore something that would be deemed unladylike, she has enough questions on the appropriate subjects to make up for it. She asks questions often of her instructors, and of her fellow students- not always because she wants to know the answer, but also for the sake of politeness, or because it seems to her that a proper and well-bred noblewoman should sometimes appear ignorant. Because she really does ask many of her questions to have them answered, it has been said of her that she is always asking someone about something, and that she never stops asking questions.
To those around her growing up it seemed that there was never a time when Cythera did not want to become ‘beautiful noble-lady’, as she put it, but once she actually arrived at the convent she was almost- but not quite- disappointed. Becoming a noblewoman had been a thing of dreams and stories, not something that was so entirely down-to-earth and real. She thought the convent, with its high, prison-like walls and harsh, strict demeanor, something less than the fairy-tale castle she had been expecting. Nonetheless, she decided that she was going to like the convent no matter what happened. This approach seemed to work, for after the first few days she found that she did indeed like the convent, and had made many friends there, and was altogether enjoying life. She is a very adaptable girl, and such situations have often come easily to her.
Background: Cythera lived much of her life on her father’s fief, Elden, a fief that if not especially famous or important is certainly prosperous. Elden is located just north of the hill country, near the Tusaine border, and is surrounded by rich farmland and small villages. Cythera led a peaceful, unexciting life until she left her home for the convent in Northern Tortall. She is the daughter of Elias of Elden, a knight and noble who’s family goes back to the Book of Gold. Elias is a calm, stern man, who takes his nobility and the Code of Chivalry very seriously. Cythera’s mother is Lady Celia, formerly of Anak’s Eyrie, who came to Elden after she married Cythera’s father. She is a quiet woman who rarely speaks and who gave Cythera her somewhat Scanran appearance. Cythera has two siblings- an older brother, who is fifteen, and a squire, and a younger sister, who is nine and a fairly powerful mage already. She was always something of her parents’ favorite- her older brother was too quiet and withdrawn in his time at home for his parents to get to know him, and her younger sister was too wild and turbulent to be the proper, if outspoken, young noblewoman that they found in their middle child.
Cythera’s past was uneventful. Her most exciting moments were the infrequent occasions when her father allowed her to accompany him to Corus. As at the convent, Cythera was at home a bright, vivacious child, curious, friendly and imaginative. She had many friends among her cousins- her father’s two brothers each had an entire brood of children, many of whom were around her age- and sometimes even among the children of the local villages, the very fact that they were commoners and therefor not to be potential playmates making her more curious. She remembers her time at Fief Elden with a mixture of boredom- besides embroidery and the games that she played with her friends, there was little to do- and homesickness, for despite the invariability of her life, she was happy at her home, and enjoyed life there. It was almost predestined that Cythera would leave for the convent when the time came. There was never any question- Cythera wanted to go, and her parents were quite happy to send her, if not sad to see her go.
Physical Appearance: Cythera is only slightly tall for her age, thin, and fine-boned. She gives off the impression of elegance, with long fingers, long, graceful limbs, delicate features and a heart-shaped face. She has worked hard over the years to keep her skin pale and unmarked, and had succeeded until, much to her disappointment, the trip the convent left her face heavily sunburned. As of now, her face still bears a trace of red, but the mark has mostly faded. Cythera’s hair is long, colored ash blond, and although she has often been told to wear it tied back, she enjoys letting it down, where it falls to her chest. Unbound, it is of a soft, fine texture, and is neither curly nor straight, but crimped. Her eyes are a blue-gray color, closer to gray than blue, quite large, and framed by long, near-invisible gold lashes. She prefers to wear loose, comfortable dresses in blue or gray when not bound by the rules of elegant situations, although she has no qualms with wearing finer garments.
Strong Points: Cythera is curious, intelligent, and friendly. She is skilled at needlework and cooking, adequate- or perhaps above adequate, seeing at what the other girls her age know of it- it reading, writing, and mathematics, and has quite a good memory.
Weaknesses: It is hard for Cythera to stop talking, or asking questions, and she does not think badly of people- sometimes to her disadvantage. She also has a horrible singing voice, a flaw not commonly known as she makes a point of avoiding singing in public, and is not as good as she would like to be at dancing. She is also easily bored by geography and history.
Magic: Cythera does not have the Gift, but she does have a very mild form of the Sight, which can enable her to know whether someone is lying, but only works if she is concentrating on it.
Pets: Cythera has no pets.
Sample Post: Cythera smiled brightly at the First Daughter, inwardly squirming at her cold, steady gaze. “You wished to see me?” she asked, trying to keep the smile on her face. In truth, she was rather worried. It was common knowledge around the convent that the First Daughter did not speak to anyone unless they had committed a crime so grave that they would be thrown out and back to their parents in disgrace. Of course she hadn’t done any such thing, but if the First Daughter thought she had… The First Daughter smiled a cold smile, showing all her teeth. Cythera almost flinched.
“Cythera of Elden?” the woman asked, very slowly. Cythera bit her lip to keep her nervousness from showing and nodded.
“Yes, First Daughter?”
“Your instructors tell me that you are doing very well here, especially for one so newly arrived. I would like to congratulate you on that.” Cythera’s sigh of relief was audible, and she flinched at that.
“Thank you very much, First Daughter.”
The First Daughter smiled her toothy smile again, and rose from her high-backed chair. “That is all. You may go now.”
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