Vanna Severine
Vanna Severine is a young Augurer in The Order of Augurers with dreams of adventure. She wants to see the world, experience its wonders and is impatient to do so to the detriment of her studies. She is on the cusp of becoming a Sister in the Order, which would allow her to travel outside of The House of Dreams to see clients and assist older augurers in their duties.
While Auguring has always come easily to her, she struggles with the academic side of the art and sometimes fails to see the point of it. Her instructors are fighting what feels like a losing battle to impress upon her the importance of understanding the "why" behind the "how", especially for someone with an ability as strong as hers.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Childhood
Vanna first came to the The Order of Augurers from her family in Pale when she was four years old. She had begun displaying signs of being able to augur when she was just two, but her parents lived on the outskirts of the village and kept her gift a secret, hoping she might grow out of it. It wasn't until Vanna almost killed a man who was accosting her mother on an outing into town with a burst of psychic energy that they reached out to the The Order of Augurers. The man eventually recovered, although he still experiences severe headaches on a regular basis. Her display had been seen by several townsfolk and someone had alerted the guard. Her father, a hunter by trade, knew the way to The House of Dreams and took her there the next day so she could learn to control her ability, but also to protect himself and her mother from being arrested for harbouring an augurer. Although not as strict as in Cirranne, the city guard in Pale would enforce the Protectorate's laws against Auguring and Augurers without hesitation if prompted. This included the questioning and arrest of those found to be harbouring an augurer. However, with Vanna safely in the hands of the Order, her parents could claim she had run away and that they had no knowledge of her whereabouts, thus eliminating the risk her presence posed to them. Due to her young age, she doesn't remember much of the events before her arrival at The House of Dreams and, consequently, her parents. She doesn't blame them for giving her up - the Order does a good job of explaining to young augurers who feel betrayed by their parents why they were given up and why they shouldn't blame their parents for it. This led to her having a relatively settled childhood at The House of Dreams alongside other youngsters battling the same challenges and learning together. Her early schooling, like that of all young augurers, also included practical subjects such as gardening, animal care and various skills required to be able to take part in the day-to-day running of The House of Dreams. In addition, she was taught reading and writing as well as basic arithmetic. Most important, though, was for Daughters of the Order to learn how to control their auguring ability and prevent accidental or emotionally provoked auguring, something which Vanna learned quickly.Adolescence
Like all children of The Order of Augurers, Vanna was promoted from Daughter to the rank of Novitiate in her twelfth year. Considered a coming of age of sorts, entering her Novitiate years would allow her more practical study of auguring, working with her peers on dream reading as well as simple telepathy and projection. However, being a Novitiate also meant studying the theory behind auguring, its history and its ethical dilemmas. This was not her strong suit - to the point where her disregard for these subjects caused her to fail her advancement exams in her sixteenth year, preventing her, to her great embarrassment, from obtaining the rank of Sister alongside her peers of the same age. In her seventeenth year, she does succeed in becoming a Sister, and it is around this time that we join her in her story in The House of Dreams.Mental Trauma
Vanna is bothered by nightmares she can't explain or control, even with the use of auguring techniques. They leave her exhausted and, unlike her regular dreams, she can't suppress them.
In these dreams, she finds herself divided and in darkness. She tries to call out, but can't. Her heart is filled with an unbearable rage that lingers even after she wakes up. The dreams in themselves are a worry to her, although not as much as their increasing frequency.
She has not told anyone of these dreams.
Intellectual Characteristics
As mentioned, Vanna is practically minded and finds it difficult to focus on tasks which she considers unnecessary. She excels in the practical aspects of Auguring to a point where her teachers have had to prevent her from performing techniques and manoeuvres beyond her level on several occasions. So confident in her ability is she that she doesn't feel the safety precautions which apply to other students should apply to her. This arrogance is an annoyance both to her teachers and peers, but for different reasons. Her teachers are concerned for her safety and that of her fellow students while, to her peers, she comes across as condescending and as someone who thinks they are better than them - not a great recipe for making friends. Thus, there was a certain measure of glee among the other students when she didn't pass her advancement exams. However humiliating, this spurred her on and motivated her to take her studies seriously.
Vanna yearns for adventure and excitement. Becoming a Sister in the Order would allow her to travel and experience the world outside The House of Dreams while practicing her craft. She is deeply in love with auguring and could not imagine pursuing a life without it. Some students do leave the Order at the end of their Novitiate training to pursue a different career, but they vow not to practice auguring - a choice Vanna is unable to reconcile with. Auguring is such an integral part of who she is - she couldn't imagine leaving it behind.
A loner, both by choice and consequence, Vanna can seem aloof, caught up in her own world. She is an avid lucid dreamer, something which has given her a well-rounded understanding of how to navigate the dreams of others as well as her own. She is a talented augurer partially because of her willingness to practice, but also because of her level approach to risks and challenges. Encountering something unfamiliar or new, she probes it rather than shying away, often disregarding the warnings of her teachers in search of a challenge. This has led to her on occasion over-exerting herself while practising, leading to bouts of fatigue and severe migraines - thankfully nothing more serious.
There is a degree of truth to her belief that she is different from her peers. She has an unusual ability to receive premonitions and, although they wouldn't share their thoughts with her, a number of the Maters of the Order are of the opinion that her ability to augur, and to do so intuitively, is far beyond anything they have observed before. While unsure of what this might mean, they feel it is important to nurture her progress and make sure she is able to grow and develop safely.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Vanna is highly motivated by a desire for adventure and independence. She is an explorer, whether of the world around her or that of her auguring ability. She wants desperately to see and be a part of the world. She doesn't feel like her place in the world is to forever be tied to The House of Dreams. In moments of daydreaming, she imagines herself as the advisor to an important noble, or perhaps a skilled spy - like the augurers of old. She imagines herself restoring auguring to its former place in society, raising The Order of Augurers to their once respected place in society.
Somewhat misguided, she doesn't believe she needs anyone else to accomplish her goals and find her place in the world. It could be argued, though not to her face, that she is headstrong to a detrimental degree.
Relationships
Current Location
Year of Birth
1418 CE
17 Years old
Birthplace
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Current Residence
Gender
Female
Eyes
Brown, thick lashes
Hair
Brown, wavy, shoulder length
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Olive
Height
5'3''
Weight
58kg
Aligned Organization
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