Description

❊|Personality|❊
Trace Merrow is a woman of two faces. To the outside world, she appears a quiet, studious, almost unnoticeable intellectual. As adviser to the duke of Val Chevin, she often accompanies him to court and is described by his peers as "circumspect, unobtrusive, unostentatious, and mousy." Very few people, beyond the duke pay any attention to her at all. She is shy around most people, especially men, and startles easily. Her speech is soft and exceedingly polite, and she possesses a stutter that gives her a sort of adorable cuteness.

That side of Trace, of course, is a complete fabrication. She plays sweet, shy, and innocent so that no one suspects her darker side, or her ability as a blood mage. In reality, Trace is a cunning and manipulative sociopath and narcissist. Her stutter and timidity are manufactured to endear her to those around her. When she drops her act, she takes on a different personality entirely. Her speech becomes confident and commanding, she stands upright and poised, and gains an air of superiority and pride. She takes pleasure in manipulating and using people for her own ends, and often causes pain and misery for her own entertainment. She confidently knows that she is better than everyone else, especially non-mages, and delights in watching the "worms and insects" squirm.

|P O S I T I V E|
I N T E L L I G E N T || Trace is remarkably intelligent, having studied at the circle of Minrathous and apprenticing under a Tevinter Magister. She is well read on a number of subjects, notably history and matters of the arcane, as well as alchemy and science. Her mind works quickly, and she has a knack for coming up with unconventional but effective solutions to problems.
C U N N I N G || As cunning as she is smart, Trace is excellent at deception, manipulation, and guile. She is willing to go to any length to achieve her goals, and she will not refuse to play dirty. She is particularly adept at playing The Grand Game, though she does so via the duke so as not to draw attention to herself.
C H A R I S M A T I C || Though her timid persona is not so much, when she wants to be, Trace can be downright charming. She's very good at reading people and playing to what they like, and is quite a skilled smooth talker.
P A T I E N T || Perhaps the only aspect of her personality that a normal person would consider a virtue, Trace is exceptionally patient. She likes to work behind the scenes, slowly and carefully pushing her plan one step at a time, ensuring everything happens exactly as she wants. She may take her time to make a move, but she almost never makes the wrong one. Very rarely does she rush anything, even mundane tasks.
|N E G A T I V E|
C R U E L || Trace is more than a little bit sadistic. She takes her time with almost everything, but especially with killing. She likes to savor it, and takes pleasure in torturing others, both physically and mentally. Screaming and crying in anguish is music to her ears.
A R R O G A N T || The demons drawn to Trace are ones of pride, as she is certainly prideful. While it is one thing to be confident, Trace takes it one step further, into the realm of arrogance.
N A R C I S S I S T I C || Trace is full of herself. Everyone else is beneath her, and should be kissing her feet. She loves no one, save herself, and anyone else is merely a means to an end.
R A C I S T || Against non-mages as well as elves or qunari. She believes that mages are superior to everyone else, and that they are the rightful rulers. To that end, she disdains the chantry and the notion that mages should be locked away.
|L I K E S| |Birds|Blood|Magic|Mages|Women|Reading|Killing|Lying|Winning|Music|Poetry|
|D I S L I K E S| |Elves|Dwarves|Qunari|The Chantry|Andraste|Non Mages|Dogs|Most Men|Templars|Altruism|Poor people|
|F E A R S| |Death|Living in a non-Tevinter Circle|
|S T R E N G T H S| |Educated|Potent Magic|Excellent Liar|
|W E A K N E S S| |Relies on Magic|Arrogant|Physically Frail|

❊|History|❊
Trace Merrow was born to a commoner family in Minrathous, the capital of the Tevinter Imperium. At the unusually young age of five, she began showing signs of magic, and her family was elevated to Laetans, previously non-magical families that had produced a mage. By nine, Trace's magical talent was deemed exceptional, and she began receiving advanced tutoring, eventually gaining entrance into the extremely prestigious Minrathous Circle of Magi, where she studied until her late teens.

At 18, she was apprenticed to a powerful Magister, Vellius Prall, and began being groomed as his successor. It is from him that she first began learning blood magic. Despite being banned in the Imperium, the government largely ignores it's practice, and Trace quickly took to it. Her master praised her ability, which fed her already large ego, and he made it clear that he would name her as his heir. However, Prall was a firm believer in practical education, and wanted his heir to experience outside of the classroom and private studies. Thus, at 21 he sent her to Orlais as a test of her ability with a command to not return until she had proven herself, and that he would be watching.

Trace made her way to Orlais, pondering her master's command. What had he meant by "prove herself"? When she arrived in the Orlesian capital, she stumbled upon the nobility and their Grand Game, and realized how perfectly suited she was to the environment. She would curry favor at court and return to her master with power and influence. After nearly a year of careful planning, she acted, manufacturing a meeting with the Duke of Val Chevin and gaining his trust. He made her his personal adviser for all things historical, arcane, and occult, a position she excelled at due to her long years of study.

It wasn't long before her blood magic wormed its way into the duke's head, leaving her in command. With the new found influence, she had the duke's resources at her command, and an excellent shield of privacy to practice her blood magic and research. She used the duke to play the game, manipulating him like a puppet, and his wealth to supply her research. For years she used him, gaining power and embedding herself deeper and deeper.

Recently the treasure hunting group Chasseur de tresor had piqued her interest, and thus the dukes. In addition to their ability to procure relics and treasures for her research, Trace realized that the group itself was a treasure, a perfect topping to the power base she has constructed to impress her master.

|Face Claim|
Kirishima Touka - Tokyo Ghoul

|HEX code|
#6f1210.

So begins...

Trace Merrow's Story

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Setting

Val Royeaux

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#2016-01-25 23:06:21, as written by umademeink96

Val Royeaux was a dangerous place. That much he was sure. Although familiar with the habits of the Orlaisian nobility the city never failed to keep Augustin on edge. The Game was something he had been versed in since he was a child, being of wealthy blood made sure that you knew the ins and outs of this lifestyle, and it was because of that knowledge he couldn’t relax. When he had been younger Augustin had never been an avid player, he had lived honestly, and never expected the ill will of the Game to be turned on him. He had trouble now every time he came to the city, no one seemed trustworthy, every glance seemed laced with ulterior motive.

Augustin always felt eyes on him when he visited the city, as he was a topic of hot gossip. He was The Loyal Dog, or was it Lap Dog, probably both actually. His story was something the wealthy here loved to talk about. The perfect subordinate, a drop-everything-at-a-moments-notice type of servant, a man who’d do anything without question. He was desired by a lot, ‘assassination’ attempts had become the appetizer to the brunches he was invited too, bribes constantly attached to warm worded conversations. It was more tiring than concerning at this point.

He wasn’t currently in Val Royeaux of his own free will though, if it was up to him he’d spend none of his time in the city, he was here on orders from The Duke. The noble man had taken a sudden interest in the group of thugs that called themselves Chasseur de tresor. He didn’t know too many of the details, but many of the rumors that swirled around them were that the individual members were incredibly strong. Over the past years The Duke had been trying to grow his military strength, expand upon his assets, and over all become a force to be reckoned with. Many rumors swirled around him, and in the past few months even whispers of the man attempting a Coup and taking the throne for himself. August had a hard time believing it himself, he had known The Duke for a long time and he had never been this power hungry or aggressive before. The man had to believe that there was a reason behind his actions, that something important was happening, and he couldn’t let Gus know as it might put the both of them in danger.

He had many theories about the man’s change in behavior, they made the tasks asked of him a little more bearable. He was on a different assignment at the moment though, a lot of the tasks asked of him were usually raiding places or killing people, and this was actually a breath of fresh air. August was supposed to be gathering information on the group, The Duke had specifically asked him to get close to one woman in particular. Her name was Reyna Theirin and she was rumored to be close with the group. He had never actually been a spy before, if this could even be called that, but it was still a drastic change from what The Duke generally asked of him. It had taken awhile to arrange the patio lunch with the girl, she was a hard person to get in contact with, and he had no idea how he’d win her favor, but since it was asked of him he’d do his best to succeed.

The white haired man was heading over the the reserved café at the moment, the entire outer terrace had been reserved for them so that they would be dining alone, any means necessary, was what The Duke had told him. He was certain he was able to succeed.

August arrived at their meeting place a half hour before they were scheduled to meet and the hostess guided him to reserved area without delay. His white hair was slicked back with wax instead of the unruly mess he generally left it in, and he was wearing his military uniform. It was sharply pressed and decorated with the various medals he had been adorned with over the years of his service. At his side was a single sword, one given to him by his father, and as he sat the sword clanked loudly against the metal wire chairs.

The man leaned back and propped his right leg up so his ankle rested against the top of his left knee and folded his hands in his lap. The terrace was beautifully laid out, the floral arrangements included red fanal and blue juniper that complimented each other just enough to make the colors pop side by side. There was also lavender placed periodically throughout the area that gave the environment a gentle pastel color and a pleasant smell. The café must had hired a skilled gardener to decorate as the plant life was expertly placed and arranged.

The man tore his eyes away from the foliage and let his head loll backwards. He had no idea how he could possibly coax the girl into trusting him with secrets of Chasseur de tresor, especially with his reputation. He didn’t know if he’d say something insulting or offend her by carrying an expression that was just slightly insincere. August had always lived honestly, he never tried to deceive others and had little confidence that he could succeed in pretending to be this girl’s friend.

Maybe he’d actually be her friend, that was always a possibility. It wasn’t like he was tasked to kill the diplomat, on the contrary he wanted her to trust him. Becoming genuine friends seemed the best route to him.

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Val Royeaux

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#2016-01-26 04:27:27, as written by Solo Wing Pixy

Val Royeaux, the city of intrigue. Trace smiled warmly at a passing child as she made her way through the city streets. To her left, and leading the group, was The Duke. Her Duke. He was in his late forties, his chestnut hair giving way to strands of grey, and he sported a well-groomed beard and mustache. His clothing was impeccable, as always, and on his hip he wore an ornate sword. His four guards walked alongside them on all sides, and the crowds of citizens parted to make way for the party.

They were headed to the market, to visit the various shops and boutiques that more than occasionally had items of interest for sale. Above them, crimson banners hung from ivory towers and tall, sunbathed walls. Everything was bright and pristine and adorned with flowers and flowing tapestry. It was a far cry from home for Trace. Though grand, Val Royeaux paled in comparison to Minrathous, with its shattered towers held upright by powerful magic, and its walls patrolled by towering golems. Where Val Royeaux was flowing and beautiful, Minrathous was stark and imposing. The soft features around her almost made her uneasy, knowing that they concealed the ugly, underhanded face of The Game. At least in Minrathous, one knew what to expect. Here, betrayal hid behind smiling faces.

Despite her distaste for the pageantry, Trace knew it was important. Playing the Game was her test, and when she passed and returned to Minrathous, she'd be named a Magister's heir. She had learned much on her journey, and although she appreciated her master giving her the opportunity to learn so much first hand, she was also glad it was nearly over. Once she had the infamous treasure hunters in her pocket, she would make her leave and return home with all the wealth and power and experience one could ever want and take her rightful place as Prall's heir.

Although she's never loved anyone, even her own family, if she ever did it would be Vellius Prall. The Magister had always treated her with respect, though she suspected it was mostly due to her magical ability rather than an innate kindness. Still, it meant a lot to her, considering her own family only valued her because she advanced their social position. Once she was a Magister, she could be rid of them entirely. The thought brought a small smirk to her face.

Somewhere in the city, The Duke's lap dog was hunting for information on Chasseur de tresor. That man amused her. He followed the Duke's orders without question, even when they were horrific and cruel. Trace didn't even need to use blood magic to make him obey. She took pleasure in making him do increasingly immoral tasks and watching him grudgingly obey. She knew he hated it, and his discomfort gave her no small amount of pleasure.

At last, the group entered the market proper. There was one shop that was of interest to Trace, and she directed the group there. Tomes upon tomes were stacked against the walls on dusty shelves, and the elderly shopkeeper greeted them as they entered. The Duke offered no pleasantries, and merely looked on as Trace browsed silently. After a moment she approached the shopkeeper with a smile, and spoke in a quiet, polite tone.

"I'm looking for A Chant for Dreamers, by Magister Oratius. Do you have a copy?"
The shopkeeper seemed a bit surprised. Old Tevinter poetry was hardly sought after in Orlais, where most people wanted stories of romance or adventure.

"I will check right now, my lady, if you don't mind waiting a moment."

"Of course, we are in no hurry."

The shopkeeper hurried back to her desk and rummaged through some papers, likely a list of inventory. After a moment she stood and walked briskly to a back corner and retrieved a single book with a worn cover. She returned to Trace and handed her the book.
"Excellent!" Trace smiled warmly and turned to the Duke. "Time to pay the kind lady, my lord." The duke nodded and ordered one of the guards to complete the deal with the shopkeeper while Trace returned to his side. "You look tired, my lord. Let's retire to your manor in the city and await Ser Augustine." The Duke nodded once more and motioned for his men to move out.

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Trace Merrow

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a character in “Dragon Age: Chasseur de trésor”, as played by Solo Wing Pixy

Description

So begins...

Trace Merrow's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Setting

Characters Present