Gender
Age
Race
Origin
Occupation
female
one hundred fifty-seven
elven
rinarwin
maven of tomes
[ Eyes ] Celadon Green
[ Complexion ] Pale
[ Height ] 5'10ft (177.8cm)
[ Build ] Tall and Slim
[ Weight ] 165lbs (74.84kg).
[ Body Markings ] Cecilia has two similar tattoos on her cheeks and freckles dash across her face and shoulders when in sunny weather for extended periods of time. Besides that, little scars dot her skin here and there, but there's nothing too major.
[ A P P E A R A N C E ]
It's easy to see that Cecilia thinks highly of herself. It's seen in the way she dresses, her gait, her speech; it seeps into her very being and everyday actions. She stands as if she towers over even the most gargantuan of people, and gracefully glides across the room with a predatory stride. Her sharp, pale green eyes are almost taunting, as if they're aware of something that you aren't, and they're equally capable of drilling holes into somebody if they need to. Framing those eyes are full, high arched eyebrows, coupled with a long and narrow heart-shaped face, a sharp nose, and, of course, complete with a set of pointed ears. All in all, when Cecilia isn't trying to petrify someone, she often comes off as very mischievous, and maybe not the most trustworthy of people.
Atop her head is flyaway, soft, blond hair that's difficult to keep in any type of complex hairstyle, and so Cecilia settles for keeping it in a simple bun. Despite her best efforts, even then some strands manage to find their way to the front of her face, and she has to adjust them to keep them from obstructing her vision. Other times when she cares less for looking as presentable as possible, she'll let it cascade down her back, though she'd only truly be seen like this whenever she's preparing for bed. Her skin is almost unnaturally smooth, left without even a hint if wrinkles forming. Truly, time has come to a standstill for her body. Although pale, her skin actually tans rather easily when exposed to sunlight for prolonged hours. Light sprinklings of freckles even start to show up under the right conditions, and they take multiple days to eventually fade away.
Besides the freckles, the only other markings on her skin (besides some small scars) are her elven tattoos on each of her cheeks, that serve as symbols of the goddess Namariƫ. Like every one else, she has the occasional blemish here and there, but her skin tone remains fairly even with little discoloration. Cecilia has the height of what you would expect from an elf, and besides a little bit of muscle, she's willowy and statuesque. Clung to this body of her's is exceptionally fine clothing, being of a comfortable texture and not too restricting in movement since she travels a lot. She tends to have clothing specifically tailored to her body type rather than wearing baggy and awkward hand-me-downs. Regarding foot-wear, Cecilia often prefers to be bare-footed, though this only holds true depending on the type of terrain she expects to be traveling in. For more rocky land she'll be seen wearing a pair of leather boots just as finely crafted as the rest of her clothing. She's the exactly what you would imagine when thinking of the elven people; tall, sharp facial structure, elegant clothing and the superiority to match all of it.
The expressions that can often seen displayed on Cecilia's face are usually one of four things; deep thought, irritation, indifference, or a face that simply spells that she's up to nothing good. She's never one to reveal all of her cards too early into the game, and she comes off as guarded for it. Though the hardened exterior isn't too hard to chip away at. Playful, and probably never as serious as she should be, there's surely an adventure to follow whenever she arrives. To some, she's just another nuisance to be avoided. To others, she's exactly the type of person that they like to hang around.
It could be said that Cecilia has perfected the act of "faking it till you make it." Previously, she was little more than a whisper carried away by the howling wind; a shadow of the person who she wanted to be. Now, she lives a life that's much larger than herself. Quips and flirtatious comments come as easy to her as the act of breathing. It's clear to those that spend even a fraction of a second with Cecilia that she doesn't truly care for any consequences that may come her way. She lives without restraint; calling her a free spirit would be a vast understatement. Highly sociable and with more than enough self-confidence to further inflate her own ego. She has learned how to appeal to others, wiggling her way ever slowly into their lives, and it has earned herself a few friends in high places that help her out from time to time. That being said, she has made just as many enemies.
Genuinely she's restless; she always has to be doing something to her herself busy or else she feels that she'll bore herself to death. Sometimes these things include researching heavy, dense historical tomes, and other times it means causing a little bit of trouble in whatever small town that she's found herself in during her travels. Usually, it's the latter. However, this doesn't mean she's nothing but a troublemaker. Cecilia didn't earn the title "Maven of Tomes" for nothing, as her intelligence is years beyond her time. Which is truly saying something given that she's one-hundred fifty years old.
Traveling around the continents and documenting history, studying texts that range from major historical events to scientific breakthroughs, it's no wonder that she knows a vast amount of knowledge. Now, if only she would actually use it rather than letting it waste away, but she seems content with acting dumb.
Though it may not seem like it, even now Cecilia has forced herself into the small boxes that society has crafted for her. It guides her every action; what's acceptable and what isn't, when is it right to stand up for others and when it's best to just ignore injustices. In spite of that, she isn't a blind sheep. She's more than aware of how cowardly her actions seem to those less afraid of being ousted by society, and it only furthers the guilt that heavily weighs on her heart. Cecilia understands the isolation they go through, how it feels to be seen as insufficient, and she has escaped such chains. But she also knows the scrutinizing eyes of those same people. The glares and ridicule thrown in her direction, as if she's oppressing them just as much.
Is it so hard to see if from my perspective? She has found her little niche in society, somewhere she feels she could even remotely be herself, and she'll cling to it with crippled fingers. And perhaps it is for the best, for if she cared not for the expectations set for her, there'd be no way to ascertain the things that she'd do. She's mastered how to soften her edges, to better fit into the aforementioned metaphorical box. It's truly a frightening thing to think that the mischievous Cecilia most know today is considered lesser in any way, but it's true. Once upon a time, she was a much, much more unruly person, a true free-spirit. While she lived in more than undesirable conditions back then, in some poetic way she was freer then than she is now.
But despite her mischievous nature, that persona can quickly give way to someone who has cold and ruthless efficiency. Combine that with relentless ambition and the result is someone who will demolish anything if it means reaching their goals. This leads to Cecilia being more than insensitive, casually dismissing other's emotions and needs as irrelevant if it doesn't directly aid her in reaching her aspirations. Her usual noninterventional nature is forgone for a much more dominant attitude; Cecilia will dig her heels into the Earth underneath her and push her ideals and her's only. It creates quite a rift in all relations when this more reprehensible side of her rears its head. She becomes nonnegotiable, completely shutting down any attempts at coming to a compromise.
These tendencies are only magnified by her impatience; in this case, her quick thinking tends to work against her, as she has little time to wait around for other people to act for her. She isn't completely unaware of how she can get. Yes, it even bothers her sometimes, especially when she knows the way she's acting isn't helping the situation, but her attempts to curve this seemingly innate behavior have ultimately ended up failing. That isn't to say that she's given up trying however. But whatever these so called aspirations are can change on the flip of a dime. Sometimes it's related to her job of documenting history, other times it involves much more petty things. What she really wants is something even bigger than the life she's concocted for herself. Cecilia wants to be a part of a greater purpose, and its been something shes been searching for for a while.
[ Fears ]
- Penury ā Cecilia has experienced poverty firsthand, and after crawling out of the thick, trapping quicksand that it was, she no longer wishes to return back to such a terrible way of life. She'll do anything if it means avoiding such a way of life ever again, even if that involves turning to the more unsavory ways of making ends meet.
Useless ā No matter what it is, Cecilia wants to be of some use to someone. Currently, she fulfills that want in the form of her occupation, but she knows she won't be a Maven of Tomes for literal eternity. She knows her current standings are only temporary like everything else in the world, and worries about the times when she'll no longer her little role to fill in the world anymore. It does more than just make her anxious.
Death ā Although the fear of death shouldn't even be considered a problem to someone whose supposed to live forever, to Cecilia, death becomes even more of a formidable unknown. A cold, endless void. Empty, filled with nothing. It's not exactly something that she likes to think about, and so she forces any thoughts of it out of her mind for as long as she can. It's better to live as though such a hopeless end doesn't really exist in the world.
Drifting ā Not in the most literal sense, more as in she doesn't wanting to be mindlessly going through her life, doing whatever seems pleasing at the movement. She has a never-ending future in front of her, why should she waste it? It ultimately comes down to wanting some ultimate purpose in her life. Something that Cecilia will be content with doing for the rest of her life. She thought she had found that in documenting historical events, as the world is ever changing and history never stops being created, but she isn't exactly sure.
[ Quirks ]
- Pranks ā Even if it's the smallest thing, Cecilia gets absolute joy out of pranking people. Of course, even she knows when shes gone a little bit to far. Unfortunately, that doesn't always discourage her, even when it should. She's made more than a few enemies this way, though she usually just shrugs and carries on her marry way.
Inquisitive ā She often asks enough questions to be compared to that of a child. There's always more to know about the world, and so she tries to learn as much as she can. Often, this is the form of magical experiments. Mixing and matching different techniques in order to get different results. Cecilia can't help but want to know everything there is to know about anything, and thankfully she has all the time in the world to do exactly that.
Stubborn ā Not exactly fond of doing this in a way that isn't her way, Cecilia can be relentless when it comes to certain things. So persistent that some would argue that it'd be best to just let her have her way. More often than not, she'll end up begrudgingly accepting whatever outcome that comes about, but she'll ensure that people know that she is not happy about it and will usually sulk around for the following days. She'll get over it, eventually.
Disingenuous ā She has a somewhat annoying habit of acting dumb whenever she very clearly knows everything about what's being explained. Sometimes there are people that pick up on this in the middle of their explanation, and will gladly complain to her about it being a waste of time. Other times, there are people that are so eager to explain everything that they'll obliviously ramble on and on, while onlookers can only sigh in contempt. She finds those specific people to be the cutest of things.
[ Likes ]
- All the components of nature, namely the calmness that comes with it.
Anything that could be considered sweet; both drinks and food.
Clothing, sheets and other things with a silk like texture.
Blitheness; the type when everyone's a little bit too drunk and there's not a hint of maliciousness in the air.
[ Dislikes ]
- The dirty surroundings and oppressing air of slums.
People who have the gall to judge others.
Messy surroundings as the result of a neglectful person.
Baggy clothing coupled with rough and uncomfortable textures.
Cecilia knows rudimentary hand-to-hand fighting skills; as in she knows how to punch someone without horribly shattering her fist. When it comes to swordsmanship she is much more skilled, fighting expertly with most short swords, however her true expertise lies in her ability to wield a rapier. Of course, it's on the slimmer side of swords, being thin and having virtually no edge to it, but it is just as effective as a weapon. When it comes to fighting style, Cecilia exercises cautious and precision. A rapier is has much more lethal potential than cutting swords, as unlike a cut, which might only be a flesh wound, thrusts can often puncture internal organs, and there is no true way to control the depth of a thrust.
Being much more pacifistic than most, she acts as if any attack she makes could be a fatal one, and as such she makes sure to avoid puncturing vitals that would surely kill someone. Since a rapier isn't well equipped to hold against a strong blow from larger weapons, Cecilia heavily prefers to void attacks rather than blocking or parrying outright. Though it is possible, but only feasible with the thicker section of the blade, and usually done in a deflective motion rather than a rigid block. Usually if she has block, she makes use of a dagger that she wields in her off-hand.
She doesn't constantly have her rapier on hand, but she can always be seen with at least one dagger strapped to her waist or thigh.
When it comes to more menial tasks, she's quite acquainted with repairing equipment, hunting for food and repairing simple injures due to her time spent traveling across various lands. Cecilia generally tries to be as prepared as she possibly can for anything that might occur, and is good at managing supplies.
[ M A G I CxA F F I N I T Y ]
Cecilia is knowledgeable on most common forms and techniques of magic, though that doesn't necessarily mean that she could pull off any and all spells without a hitch. She is much more competent in the history behind how spells and techniques developed over time, how techniques and views about magic vary between cultures and races, and how they can be used in different and creative ways.
This also comes with some knowledge of blood magic and other forbidden spells, but she wouldn't dare ever apply any of this knowledge, for she is Elven and views magic as a gift from Namariƫ; any use of such magic is a corruption of that gift. Usually, Cecilia will be seen using healing and support spells rather than offensive spells, simply out of preference more than anything else. Though she will often infuse her weapons with magic in order to improve effectiveness in combat.
[ W E A K N E S S E S ]
- Master of None - Disregarding her expertise at swordsmanship, and magic, she's a jack of all trades. Cecilia knows a little bit about everything here and there, but lacks in depth knowledge and understanding that would sometimes be required in certain situations; though she's generally good to have around in dire situations.
Stamina - Her entire fighting style relies on ending an encounter quickly and decisively, aiming for vital points on her opponents body in order to immobilize them. In cases where she's going up against a bulwark of a person, someone who's able to withstand her attacks for a prolonged period of time, it's incredibly easy for her to tire out.
Constraints - There are multiple things that hold Cecilia back, one of those things being the specialized weapon that she uses, which isn't as well-rounded as broader bladed swords which are meant for fighting under more general conditions. There is also the fact that she is simply unwilling to ever venture into the realm of more forbidden forms of magic, no matter how dire the situation may be. Some lines are drawn for a reason, and those lines are ones she'll never cross.
Cecilia wears incredibly light armor, with one a few pieces of metal to protect her shoulders and shins. Otherwise, it's all padded leather, allowing for much faster movement than if she were to be wearing a full suit of plate armor. Little dents cover the metal pieces of her armor, and her padded leather can be seen with patches that have been clearly sown in, made out of whatever material happened to be on hand at the time. As long as it works well enough, Cecilia is in no rush to properly fix it up.
[ C L O T H I N G ]
The clothing she wears when traveling heavily depends on the climate of the area she expects to be trekking through. During the colder seasons of the year, she can be seen wearing wool clothing, fur, and possibly some cloak or another to go along with it. In warmer weather she wears light, breathable clothing that won't absolutely smother her whenever it reaches the hotter temperatures. When she's not busy traveling, she wears very simple clothes that do the job of covering her body and being comfortable.
Her much more formal clothes are fairly simple, as she isn't a fan of overly intricate designs. Of course, they are a made of a fine material, some of them even being made out of silk.
[ I T E M S ]
There is almost always some type of item dangling from a belt wrapped around her waist whether it be a small vial or scroll. She makes a habit out of carrying around hundreds of small items with her regardless of whether she'll need them or not, and if you ask her about it, she'll simply state that she likes being prepared for whatever situation may occur. Among these items are numerous empty glass vials, first aid kits, scrolls, water skins, talismans, small daggers, and many other items.
[ P R I M A R YxW E A P O N ]
[ Weapon Name ] Sveva
[ Weapon Type ] Rapier
[ Length ] 50in (127cm)
[ Weight ] 1.7lbs (0.77kg)
[ Origin ] Was forged by a close friend of Cecilia's back when she still lived in Rinarwin, and she actually named the weapon after said friend. It was specifically crafted with a extra-thick and extra-long ricasso in order to assist in parrying broader bladed swords.
[ O T H E RxW E A P O N S ]
[ Weapon Type ] Dagger (Multiple)
[ Length ] 8-10in (20.32-25.4cm)
[ Weight ] 1.2-1.5lbs (0.54-0.68kg)
[ Origin ] Some purchased at market places she's visited over the years, others were personally forged for her use.
[ Weapon Type ] Staff
[ Length ] 96in (243.84cm)
[ Weight ] 6lbs (2.7kg)
[ Origin ] Also personally crafted by Sveva. Nothing stands out much about it, but upon closer inspection multiple notches caused by use can be seen in the wood of the staff.
[ Family ]
| Ada Floros |
Cecilia doesn't remember much about her mother. Given that she passed away from illness whenever she was younger, she only has her father's word to go off of. Apparently, she was a rather self-effacing women, and considering how Cecilia turned out herself, she's not so sure about whether she believes that.
| MathƩo Floros |
A man withered away by strenuous labor, MathƩo raised Cecilia all by herself in the slums of Raes Ulin. Despite his less than savory station in life, he remains good-natured and ebullient, and has the tendency to be rather facetious and sometimes even foolhardy. While some may find it irksome at best, for Cecilia, her father always managed to make light of their bleak situation, and it's something she will forever be grateful for. Helping him get out of such a place was the least she could do.
| Adelina Sordi |
Someone who might as well be family after everything she's done for Cecilia. Ada was responsible for helping her get into Raes Ulin's academic institutes and also served as her mentor in teaching her about magic. Always dour in character, she was equally as disciplined whenever it came to training Cecilia. Occasionally she'll crack a smile, but it is a rare sight.
[ O C C U P A T I O N ]
For the vast majority of her life, she has been a Maven of Tomes, entrusted with traveling across various lands in order to document various cultures and history. Before that, she was a student at one of the academic institutions of Raes Ulin. Go further back and she still lived in the slums of said city, doing odd jobs here and there just to help her and her father get by in life.
[ O U T L O O KxO NxL I F E ]
"A hierarchy where the weak grovel in the dirt and the strong dominate them", is how Cecilia would quickly sum up her overall thoughts on the world. Pessimistic? Yes, but from all that she's seen and experience, she can't help but think this way. This doesn't necessarily mean that she believes in this sort of social darwinism, it's actually quite the opposite, but it doesn't stop it from being true in her eyes.
Regarding all of the races of Ambar, she thinks they're all equally unique in their own ways; a fitting perspective from someone who's a historian. Cecilia has seen both the beautiful face and the ugly under-belly of all there is in life, and she accepts them as reality.
[ H I S T O R Y ]
Cecilia grew up virtually an embarrassment to elven society. The slums were a pulsing symbol of all the immorality in their society, a place where only those desperate with no where to go or those vile enough venture into. Being born into such a place, she was forced to endure it's conditions and wear all the debauched labels that came with it. Ada, her mother, passed away rather early in her life. Their own poverty made it impossible to purchase any effective medicine, leading to her mother succumbing to what could very easily be compared to the common cold. Her passing was far too early for Cecilia to comprehend the concept of death or for her to even realize exactly what she lost.
With only her father bringing in money, as early as she could Cecilia began working small time jobs in order to help. She spent the beginnings of her life living in such poor conditions, quickly growing calluses from hard labor. For elves who are immortal, this was a minute amount of time in the timeline of their lives, but the reality for other races would be twenty years of that hopeless way of life. And Cecilia felt this hopelessness in the depth of her heart. Escaping the slums was a quite a feat in and of itself, but to escape poverty as well, to rise above into the higher echelons of society, was an entirely different matter.
It would be around this time that Cecilia would slowly come to realize the affinity that she had for magic and the manipulation of magical energy. She took every possible opportunity that she could grasp in order to practice her magic, staying aware enough to not fall to the temptation of the illegal forms of magic that were all too common in the slums. It would be even longer until she had caught the attention of Adelina Sordi, a mage who had come from the academic institutions of Raes Ulin. Cecilia never received an answer as to why someone of her standing would ever be caught dead in the slums, but perhaps it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. After openly presenting Adelina with her abilities, ones that were of a rather sorry technique and execution compared to what she can do now, Adelina had decided to take as her pupil.
Cecilia would spend multiple years perfecting her magic with the aid of Adelina, getting it up to snuff with others of a much more privileged life, before she was ever accepted into the academic institutions of Raes Ulin. Adelina was also her mentor whenever it came to swordsmanship, personally helping her develop her style when fighting with a rapier. Afterwards, when she was finally able to be accepted into the Institution of the Goddess Namariƫ, she spent numerous years studying everything that was available to her. Magic, history, medicine, science; pretty much anything that you could think of, she has studied it at one point.
She continued to affiliated with the institution, until later she was officially granted the title "Maven of Tomes". She was given the responsibility of traveling around the world of Ambar to document the cultures and history that belonged to the world, also required to document anything of note that might eventually turn out to be a key historical event, such as Orc warbands raiding neighboring borders or any of the recent events that have been going around for a while now.
In generality, her whole time spent as a Maven of Tomes has been uneventful, save for a few occurrences here and there. Even though she greatly enjoyed her work, she couldn't help but admit that there were times that it could boring. Ironic that the mark would soon embed its self in her wrist, bringing with it excruciating pain. She had seen glimpeses of such a symbol in old books, but why, or better yet, how it appeared on her skin was completely unknown to her. If anything, she knew what ever happened next was surely going to be an event for the history books.
The art credit for Ada Floros goes to Herssian.
The art credit for MathƩo Floros goes to Niklisson.
The art credit for Adelina Sordi goes to Pherberoni.
I do not own any of the artwork that you see displayed on this page.