Beatrice Charonne
Lady Beatrice Ennerie Valneia Charonne
History
The youngest child of Renault Charonne and his only daughter, Beatrice was born to privilege, power, and expectation. She has four elder brothers, but they have always been distant. Her childhood was spent learning rather than playing. House Charonne puts considerable worth on knowledge and the ability to politically outmaneuver its adversaries. Her parents were aloof and busy, leaving the education of their daughter to tutors, and her safety to the watchful, trusted eye of a house guard. Beatrice was born with charm and social poise, but the strict education, the expectation of perfection and the dangers of failing to meet the exacting standards of her family made her cautious. Her brothers are not exactly paragons, but they were skilled and driven, ambitious and ever moving forward.During these years, her closest companions were her cousin and the daughter of a family of loyal servants. Beatrice would often take control of their games, bullying them into following her orders. Time tempered her, however, and she became more subtle, though no less demanding. These bonds would eventually blossom into friendship, though Beatrice would hesitate to call it such. At the age of fifteen, she was selected to be this generation's cleric to an old indigenous deity worshiped by House Charonne. She accepted this duty readily, setting forth several conditions which, if granted, she would dedicate herself to the god and House Charonne with all her soul.
Accomplishments, Achievements, Milestones & Embarrassments
Like some others who claim traceable lineage to the Stars and worship divine power, Beatrice is capable of some magic. She rarely uses this magic, but some rumours say that her magic is decidedly different to the beautiful marvels woven by other Cetoilais. The source of her miracles is the deity her family worships, and her selection as this generation's cleric is something she is ambivalent about, though her family celebrates it.Everyone has their private failures. Beatrice is content with her own; it is only when the failures are known by those who may oppose her is she concerned. Of all her embarrassments and trauma, the bullying and abuse of her brothers has had the most effect on her. Worse still is that many of House Charonne's servants know of these events, and servants are wont to gossip.
Personality & Philosophy
Self-satisfied and calculating, Beatrice's ambition and political instincts have been honed from a young age. Though she has no illusions that she will ever lead her House, she readily accepts any duty in service of it, and delights in tugging strings and machinating plots to advance her status and that of her family's. Like most Charonne, Beatrice is of significant intellect, but is somewhat lacking in physical power. She makes up for this with a cold, haughty demeanour that rarely thaws when in public. Capable of cruelty and kindness, Beatrice is by turns the sun and the moon.Philosophy
Beatrice strongly believes in individual responsibility and in hierarchy. Hierarchy can be superseded with exceptional ability, but everyone has their part to play in a larger pattern. It is up to each person to play their part with intelligence and rational action. The marginalised are marginalised due to the naturally occurring processes within any hierarchy.Religious Views
House Charonne is Zarine, at least in location. The sadomasochistic, orderly Etoiline sect suits Beatrice quite well, even if her devotion to it is superficial. House Charonne is well aware that Cetoilais society is steeped in religion, and of the importance of appearance.Motivations
Beatrice's primary motivation is her desire for power. This is fed by ambition, pride, fear and disdain. Beatrice knows she is exceptional in her gifts. She is aware that Cetoile is a soft nation, one that is safe only by virtue of its geographic borders and an web of international and internal flirtations. Many Zarines share this view, but few have the power to bring change that Beatrice has. She is spurred on by her hatred of much of her family, and a fear that their abusive words may one day prove correct if she fails.Virtues & Strengths
Virtues are defined largely by one's context and the people one finds oneself surrounded by. Beatrice is a patient and calculating woman with no small amount of ambition. She is able to look into the future and suffer quietly for a desired end. She is shrewd, both in her plans and socially, and is adept at reading others and playing to their desires. She has an intuitive ability to speak the truth in a way that benefits herself, either through omission of information or through words of ambiguous meaning delivered with gravitas.Her few friends know that beneath her cold, prim and strict facade is a heart capable of thoughtful kindness, but this trait is not something her family as an institution fosters or approves of. They admire Beatrice for her intelligence and acumen in social and political situations, and feel ambivalent toward her quiet courage. It represents a threat to the order of House Charonne, and the longstanding, secretive plans of the ducal house.
Vices & Vulnerabilities
Vice thrives in virtue's shadow, and strengths cannot exist without vulnerabilities. The pride that fuels ambition can blinker Beatrice. The smallest perceived slight can send her atizzy, setting alight a burning need for revenge. Her ambition is as much a weakness as it is a strength; she is committed to her plans above all else, which lead many who know her to perceive Beatrice as cold and uncaring. Due to past trauma, she suffers bouts of anxiety when in the presence of physical violence. She has grown adept at masking her reactions, but they nonetheless can throw her off balance.She is used to luxury, and though she despises most of her family, she revels in the privilege that comes with being born into it. She looks down upon most of the commonfolk as lazy and deserving of scorn. Of course, this is hidden most of the time, but it finds its way out in microaggressions. When she has to work alongside commoners, she is uncomfortable, and when traveling, she demands a luxurious carriage that resembles more a caravan. It requires two chambers, one for entertaining and conversation, and one for privacy and sleeping. In almost all things, Beatrice demands a luxury she believes her birth and ability entitle her to.
Likes & Dislikes
Beatrice likes...- Power
- Responsibility
- Silence
- Frivolous chatter
- Physical exertion
- Mess
Family, Friends & Other Relationships
House Charonne is closely knit, and family relationships are considered important. Beatrice feels somewhat alienated from her family, however. Her father, Duc Renault de la Charonne d'Chamonix is distant and cool, and occasionally doting. The duke is a harsh and disciplined man, though his eye is reputed to be wandering. It is little wonder, perhaps, then that Beatrice's mother, Felicity has grown a quick and cruel temper as her beauty has faded and her corpulence grown. Beatrice has four brothers. Roland, the eldest, is a dutiful Knight of the Thorn and presumed heir to House Charonne; it is his duty that he holds in highest esteem, and though he is charming in public, in private he is sadistic and cruel. He rarely acknowledged his sister save for bouts of abusive violence. Adalberon is the astute second son of Renault and is a botanist and scholar, and envious of everyone close to him. Nicolai is next eldest and looks little like his brothers; some say he has none of his father's blood in his veins. Of all her siblings, Beatrice is closest to Nicolai, though even then, it is little more than pleasant. Nicolai's acumen for business is unmatched among his siblings. Morrois, youngest of Renault's sons, is immensely strong and has little patience for the byzantine rules of his family. Morrois is wild and violent, and often seen in the company of his eldest brother. Beatrice considers Morrois little more than a beast.Among her blood relatives, she is closest to her cousin, Matthieu, a moody, morbid physician interested in the theoretical underpinnings of necromancy. Among her household's staff, she is close to a dragonborn man named Rencois; a house guard that has watched over her since childhood; and Vivienne, an almost-but-not quite sisterfriend who is her handmaiden.
Children
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