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As the third child to a minor noble house with the habits of the merchant class still evident in their sensibility, Mazikeen was always considered in the context of cost versus benefit. Her brother, Iohannes, would inherit as the first born. Celeste, her sister, would have a large dowry to ensure the most beneficial match. Mazzy... was more cost than benefit. Because of this, she was ignored in many ways until her magic manifested. The mysterious ways of divination and soothsaying have always been disturbing, even to societies designed around magic. Mazzy's proclivity toward them quickly propelled her from inconvenient to a potential risk. She was sent away at a young age to ward and study with those more skilled in these esoteric arts. Isolated from her family, Mazzy hardly had a social life at all as she was made to learn to tame the more disturbing aspects of her area of affinity. While this was a rather lonely portion of Mazzy's life, she did learn to sharpen her mind and read others, even if she often failed in using the information she gleaned to her advantage. She also learned that she would always be "strange" to others, so why not play into the role?
When she turned 16, her required military service was spent in the rather mundane divination corps. She predicted weather patterns from detailed star charts, crop yields from throwing bones, and the fortune of strategies from the dregs in captains' teacups. She never once saw a Qunari, and when her service was concluded, she returned home hardly any different than when she left. But, once back home again, she began to have what would grow to be her most consequential vision yet: her own wedding. It started with feelings and vague senses of color, but as time went on it would develop into flashes of detail. It wasn't until she was brought along, almost as an afterthought, to a ball to celebrate some young soldier mage's victory. When the first toast was made and the man being honored stepped before the gathered audience, Mazzy felt as if the breath had been knocked out of her. Everything shifted into blinding clarity. This man, smiling at the gathered celebrants, tall and lithe and handsome. This man was to be her husband. The suddenness and certainty of it caused Mazzy to swoon.
When she awoke, there he was. She'd been moved to a chaise in a quiet room somewhere away from the main party. There were a few others there as well, her brother among them who seemed to know the young man. But they were all like shades, insubstantial. Mazzy would come to learn that her husband's name was Malachai Valentius. He showed genuine concern for her well being, though they'd only just met. He was tender and kind. She knew her vision was true. Thus began their love story. She was chaste and demure, as was only proper, but his desire for her was obvious and she began to give in to her own feelings as well. Mal's duty kept him away much of the time, but when they could be together, they made every moment count. As their love grew, so did the clarity of her vision of their marriage. Always seen as if from the eyes of someone else, Mazzy moved behind herself as she approached Mal at a wedding altar. So true was the vision, that Mazzy worried not when she did not hear from or see Mal for long stretches of time. Even when they fought, when he would insist she clung too tightly, she held to her conviction. He simply didn't understand that her actions were not "meddling in his affairs", but simply opening the way for the inevitable. They were meant to be.
Even now, as Mal played his part as an Eye "unable to be with her" she waits. The vision is so clear now, the time must be nigh. She knows he will be hers.
Family:
Lucillius: Father, minor noble, somewhat lecherous, drunkard
Priscila: Mother, distant, lush, a bit of a gambling problem
Leonora: Aunt, Lucillius' sister, spinster shut in, soothsayer
Iohannes: Brother, Felinus heir, basically runs the vineyards, a decent man
Celeste: Sister, self-absorbed, married off to another minor noble house
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TIMELINE
Appearance
Mazzy's features, all inherited from her Orlesian mother, are uncommon in Tevinter. Red, slighly wavy hair frames an alabaster face from which her large, pale green eyes stare. A strong, straight nose sits over a wide mouth. Mazzy often accentuates these features by lining her eyes to make them seem ever larger, and painting her lips in strong red shades to contrast with her pale skin. She has what many consider to be an unnerving habit of rarely blinking. Her frame is fairly average, if a bit slight, with smooth skin and hardly any muscle tone at all. She maintains a rigorous skin and hair care routine that dominates her mornings and evening. She wears the finest clothes her family can afford, keeping her at just the edge of fashionable in Tevene noble society.
Personality
Mazzy has always been a bit... odd. When her magic manifested, it took a great deal of guidance and effort to control the visions, dreams, and confusion it caused. Because of her natural talent for divination and soothsaying, Mazzy could always sense things about those around her. Unfortunately, without the skill in her art to match, she often misunderstood what her magic whispered to her. Direct when subtlety was preferable, meek when strength required; Mazzy always seemed just off step with those around her. On top of it all, she is the third child of the family. With an elder brother and sister, Mazzy is the definition of a spare. This led to rather lonely years in her childhood and adolescence, and something of a vengeful temperament. Because of this, Mazzy tends to cling to those who show her kindness, making them the center of her focus and quickly escalating relationships. Conversely, she utterly despises anyone she feels has slighted her. Always hot or cold.
There is one exception to her list of those she has cherished but became enemies: Malachai Valentius. Mazzy knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that he loves her and that they will marry. She has seen herself, as if from another's perspective, walking down an aisle toward where he waits for her at an altar. She can see her red hair cascading down her back beneath the veil. She just has to be patient, and one day he will recognize the truth; they are meant for each other.
The Vine Ever Reaching: House Filinus
House Felinus is one of the low noble houses of the Tevinter Imperium. Oft overlooked, they hold little sway in Tevene society, but all Houses, Altus and low, appreciate the wine produced at the Felinus vineyards. Stretching over great swaths of the Valarian Fields southwest of Minrathous, the Felinus vineyards are among the oldest in the Imperium. While it has taken generations, the prominence of the vineyards has aided in the rise of the Felinus name from one of a lowly, merchant class into the nobility. When the barrier was raised, Felinus saw their name propelled somewhat higher, as access to foreign wines and spirits was cut off. Though, with the barrier's fall, it is unclear if Felinus can maintain its hold on the market.
Notable Equipment
Staff: Highly stylized, Mazzy's mage staff mimics twisted green vines.
Divination Tools: Mazzy has amassed a collection of items and instruments to aid in her magic. A crystal ball, decks of tarot cards, astral maps, dream journals and symbol glossaries, exotic tea leaves, bones, etc.
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