Her Grace Belladonna Imperation
Imperial Princess of Turelion & Heir Apparent Belladonna Annunziata Imperation
The only child of the currently ruling Emperor of Turelion Belliotrix IV, Belladonna is destined to become the next incumbent of the Imperial throne on the death of her father, a burden that she is reported to not be overly keen on taking on.
Though she has been kept deliberately away from the lime-light by her mother Her Imperial Highness Salonia Imperation and systematically ignored by her father, many eyes have turned in her direction following her eighteenth birthday and with it her official coming of age and tradition dictated betrothal to one of the many would-be eligible bachelors of the Empire.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Born in the 556 of the Divine War, the life of Her Grace Belladonna Imperation has been one of seclusion and shelter, with little lived experience of the hardships of the world having directly come her way. She has spent most of her life within the city limits of Meltaro, the capital of the Empire of Turelion, mostly restricted to the confines, albeit expansive and elaborate confines, of the Grand Imperial Palace and its gardens. The rare occasions where she has strayed beyond the city’s limits have been visits to the estates of her mother’s family, the Vespasianii within the boundaries of Turelion Province. The longest journey that she has ever undertaken, was when she was brought from the Imperial Estate on Mallenar's Isle back to Meltaro shortly after her birth, a journey that she was too young to remember.
Her restricted life, however has not dampened Belladonna’s spirits. What she has not been able to experience directly she has lived vicariously through the countless books and scrolls contained within the vast Imperial Library. She has spent so many hours amongst the dusty tomes and forgotten texts that it is joked within the Imperial Court that she has a greater knowledge of the library’s contents than all of the past and present librarians put together.
However, Belladonna’s current life buried in books, unfettered by restrictions of time may soon come to an end. In the year 574DW she came of age, something that has been accompanied ever since her birthday by the threat that her mother and father may begin to find her an appropriate suitor in earnest. Alongside this, the failing health of her father brings with it the risk that she may be called upon to take up her duty and birth right earlier than she would have liked, and rule the Empire of Turelion as his successor.
Education
Like her father before her, Belladonna has been taught within the halls of the Grand Imperial Palace by the finest tutors that money could buy, with many of them having been tempted from beyond the Empire's borders by the promise of unbounded riches for their service. However, whilst many heirs apparent have been content, or barely put up with, the rigorous drilling of their tutors alone, Belladonna is widely regarded as being a budding intellect, with a prodigiously academic mind for one so young. She is often to be found wandering through the many bookshelves in the Imperial Library, and her own private collection of literary works is said to take up most of the space in her private chambers.
Indeed, rumours have begun to spread that she has even begun dabbling in the arcane arts, guided by the many books to which she has access and the encouragement of tutors whose desire to nurture talent is said to have overtaken their sense of professional decorum.
Social
Family Ties
Due to her fortunate birth, Belladonna is directly connected to the most powerful person in the whole of the Empire of Turelion, Emperor Belliotrix IV, her father.
Aside from the obvious and advantageous connections her father gives her, Bellotrix’s side of the family also links her to a number of important persons of state, primarily her uncle His Holiness Marcus Imperation, the current Arch Priest of Astartes and her aunt Her Grace Juliana Caesarii who provides a connection through marriage to the powerful Caesarii Family, and the Imperial Order of Knights through her husband who has been appointed the Knight Commissar. Belladonna also has link with His Grace Gaius Imperation, her father’s youngest brother, though as Gaius is regarded as something of a wastrel this connection is never emphasised, though it is rumoured that Gaius is Belladonna’s favourite family member.
Her mother, Her Imperial Highness Salonia Imperation also provides key connections from her side of the family, primarily to the Vespasianii Family, who are one of the most wealthy and influential families within the Empire of Turelion.
Religious Views
Officially Belladonna is affiliate with the Imperial Church of Astartes, as are all of the Imperial Family and the Court more widely.
However, rumours have begun to spread that she instead leads a small but growing sect within the Imperial Court dedicated to Sagosa, the Divine linked to knowledge and secrets. How much credence there is to this rumour is unknown, though it has been noticed by members of the Imperial Court that her uncle His Holiness Marcus Imperation, the Arch Priest of Astartes has expressed concern over Belladonna’s so-called lack of adherence to the Imperial Church. At one point this concern was even rumoured to have turned into a direct petition to the Emperor for Belladonna to be taken to a monastic house to fully gain an appreciation of the faith which has kept her, her family and the Empire of Turelion safe from the deprivations of the Divine War.
Fortunately for Belladonna, her mother Salonia managed to smother this petition before it gained too much momentum.
Social Aptitude
Belladonna is widely acknowledged to have inherited her father’s gifts of oratory, which when combined with her formidable intellect and wealth of knowledge makes her quite the daunting opponent in any debate that remains within the realms of the academic. Her highly curated and sheltered up bringing have made her unaware of the problems the majority of the Empire's subjects have to live with day-to-day, which means that she is regarded with relative coldness, though not outright dislike, beyond the social bounds of the Court.
However, her rhetorical talent could easily go unnoticed by most of those who do not know her well, as she presents a shy almost reclusive demeanour. She is clearly more at home with books and scrolls than she is people, which does her no favours within the highly factional Imperial Court.
Wealth & Financial state
Whilst Belladonna is not really regarded as having any personal stores of wealth of her own, as the Heir Apparent to the Emperor of Turelion she has lacked nothing during her upbringing and is always dressed in the most expensive jewellery and finest fashions, though admittedly with the odd ink stain here and there about her person.
Species
Ethnicity
Currently Held Titles
Date of Birth
23rd of Jantal
Year of Birth
556 DW
18 Years old
Birthplace
Children
Current Residence
The Grand Imperial Palace
Gender
Female
Eyes
Green
Hair
Black, long and curly
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Light to mid-brown with a clear complexion.
Height
Around 5’11”
Weight
Around 120 lbs
Aligned Organization
Comments