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Note: 11 bonus mastery points have been used for this character upon creation.
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It takes time for a family to break the customs and manners of their previous position in society once raised to nobility. This is seen in the Verax family. The first mage born to the name lived only two generations prior to the current patriarch, and so the remnants of the merchant mentality still linger. The Verax while not unaccustomed to wealth, had much to learn of the societal expectations of nobility. So when Dontas assumed leadership of the family with his wife, Salona, he did so with a keen interest in truly separating himself and his descendants from the ignoble profession of their predecessors. The management of their alum empire was dispersed to lesser branches of the family and to loyal employees, allowing Verax to continue to reap the benefits of their far-reaching trade without dirtying their hands with the actual work. He and Salona then put their efforts into producing heirs to ensure that their lineage as a noble mage household would continue. Aurelia was born third, and much overlooked until her magic began to show.
The years that followed saw Aurelia tracing the same path as her mage peers. Tutors in various scholastic areas as well as the expected feminine pursuits of music, needlework, and social etiquette supplemented trials and training in the many disciplines of magic. She was not, however, the most promising mage. She showed an affinity to elemental magic, as well as healing and the related arts, but did not wow her instructors as her elder siblings did. As the first of two spares, however, this was not something dwelt on. So Aurelia was allowed more leeway than her older siblings in what interests she pursued. What she was not permitted, however, was idleness. Try as Dontas might to fit his family into the genteel way of life, the slow pace and lack of industry did not suit him. With time, the understanding was thus: Do what you will... but do something, and do it well.
When Aurelia entered her mandatory two years of service, she was an accomplished pianist, a passable artist, but a somewhat forgettable mage. She spent her service in a logistics unit, mostly processing requisitions and checking shipment manifests for errors. It wasn't until after her service that she truly began to grow her skills as a mage. With the eldest child engrossed in academia, Dontas and Salona focused their efforts on finding a suitable match for Evander, one that would help the family's continued rise through the ranks of influence in the Empire. So long as she did not hamper the family's efforts, Aurelia was given a not insignificant amount of freedom. She used that freedom to pursue studies at the Circle, where she found that magical study came easier to her when it was not pressured as it had been in her earlier years. When her younger sister showed enthusiastic interest in the elaborate game of courtship and matchmaking, Aurelia was again afforded the luxury of being ignored by her parents.
But nothing lasts forever. The fall of the veil and the rise of the barrier was a blow to house Verax. Much of their alum empire depended on trade not only within Tevinter, but with other nations as well. In the years that followed, House Verax scrambled to ensure the trade that had been their livelihood did not flounder, while simultaneously contending with the possession of all the family's prominent members. Newer to magic than most other noble families, House Verax was hard pressed to learn many lessons other families has accumulated over centuries. With the barrier gone once more, House Verax still stands, but on shakier ground than before. Aurelia found herself possessed by a most agreeable spirit. Empathy has been kinder to her than the many and varied demons and more demanding spirits that afflict or accompany other mages. But her charge is sometimes not an easy one. There are many within Tevinter who suffer, and while House Verax might not have taken up the custom of owning slaves, their servants still face hardship that Aurelia feels more keenly now than ever. Beyond her house, she often finds navigating Minrathous taxing, as Empathy pulls her heart toward every downtrodden soul. But she is learning to strike a balance with her spirit and has vowed to help those she can.
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TIMELINE
Appearance
With large eyes and full lips, Aurelia maintains a rather youthful appearance though she is now solidly in her "spinster" years. Her long, dark brown hair is thick, resisting most attempts to confine it. On the shorter side, she is accustomed to her dresses having to be altered to suit her height. Those dresses are, by Minrathous standards, a bit on the humble side due to her family's inexperience in managing the generational wealth and standards of the lordly houses. Likewise, Aurelia is often painfully obvious in that the mannerisms and customs expected of a lady of her station do not always come naturally to her. It must take a few more generations before such things are bred into a family. But Aurelia is earnest, if a bit rough around the edges.
Personality
If one word could unite all members of her house, it would be practical. The merchant roots of House Verax still show in the talents and mannerisms permitted and encouraged in the house. Because of this, Aurelia was raised with the mindset that idleness was waste. She is a woman who must needs be doing something. This often proves humorous to her peers, who often giggle at how she tidies up after herself rather than leaving a plate or teacup for servants to collect. Attempts to redirect such "unladylike" habits has lead Aurelia and her sisters to the more acceptable pastime of reading. Indeed, if she's ever found still it is likely because Aurelia has her nose in a book.
Her curiosity has also been regarded as a bit odd by those from older houses. She has often found herself chastised for speaking out of turn and asking too many questions of those around her. But luckily Aurelia is also clever and not just a little charming, and so she is usually able to talk her way out of most of her faux pas.
Empathy, the spirit which has resided with her since the fall of the veil, has quite an effect on the young lady, causing her to feel the plights of others rather keenly. Combined with her general inexperience in the world beyond her family and noble society has proved her to be somewhat naive and trusting where others would have the better sense to maybe not believe every sob story presented to them.
House Verax
Ambitious Aspirations
House Verax, a relatively young and ambitious Low House, emerges from the shadows with aspirations to ascend within Tevinter's hierarchical labyrinth. Despite facing the disdain of their more established peers, House Verax strategically aligns itself with factions seeking change, hoping to exploit the shifting dynamics of post-barrier fall Tevinter. Through cunning political maneuvering, they strive to rise above their Low House status and carve a niche in the cutthroat world of mobocratic politics.
Connections
Dontas Verax: Father - House Verax Patriarch - Adoptable NPC
Salona Verax: Mother - House Verax Matriarch - Adoptable NPC
Proserpina Verax: Older Sister - Lead Research Professor of the Highwing Restoration Initiative - NPC played by @"Neology"
Evander Verax: Older Brother - Heir to House Verax - Adoptable NPC
Hegemone Verax: Younger Sister - Uncertain Legal and Moral Standing - Adoptable NPC
Note: Names of these NPCs may be retconned if they are adopted and fleshed out by another player. Major story details may not.
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