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Constance Carwick, Noblelady and Marked Mage

Started by pomelo, February 16, 2016, 01:15:04 AM

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pomelo

__________________QUICK STATS
Name  Constance Olivia "Olive" Carwick [Therrien]
Age  Early twenties
Gender  Female
Species  Human
Ethnicity  Connlaothian
Height  5'4"
Occupation  Noblewoman and marked mage, Duchess of Wulfbauer
Residence  Wulfbauer
Sexuality Heterosexual (probably)

__________________IN-DEPTH STUFF

Physical Description 
Olive is far from the Connlaothian standard of beauty. In a country that values voluptuous women with full bosoms and ample curves, Olive is skinny, flat-chested, and boyish-looking. If not downright twiggy. For all that, though, she has a face that could be called cute, with a fair complexion and a light dusting of freckles, and wide green eyes that are ringed with brown around the irises. Her hair is a dark, honey-colored blonde and is usually kept with long, swoopy bangs and in braids or in a bun to keep it out of her way; though as a student in Uthlyn, she'd once been bold enough to cut it into a bob.

After her years in the mage camps and on the run, Olive has a harder look about her than she once did. And, to match that, a criss-crossing web of scars etched into her back from a caning that nearly killed her in the mage camps.

Now that she's kept somewhat caged in her old role of the daughter of one of Wulfbauer's most beloved dukes, she can normally be found in well-made, if understated, clothing befitting a noblelady; though of course all tailored from the typical Connlaothian fashion to fit her boyish figure. Though, desperate to stay active and make herself useful in her detainment, she can also be found not infrequently in common clothes, helping out in the kitchens or other active, physical tasks to keep herself occupied.

The one thing she hates about all of these garments, though, is the Sign of the Church stitched into the breast of all of the clothing. The Mark of a Mage. Olive swore to herself after the Mage Camps that she would never wear it again. But fate had different ideas.

Personality 
Olive is, in many ways, conflicted above all else. Growing up, though she was raised strictly with the ideas of Responsibilities of the Nobility and responsible stewardship of the land ruled by her family, she frequently wished she could just be a 'normal' girl. But she was far from a 'normal' girl: a tomboy, a marked mage, and worst of all - the daughter of a duke. But she was always acutely aware of being her parents' only child, and of all the pressure that went along with that. Thus she oscillated between wishing she could just "be herself" and wishing she could be who her parents and her country wished she was. Because of this, even though she wasn't sure how much of a believer she really was, she frequently went to Mass, sometimes every day, as a way to be more like her parents' ideal daughter, or to make up for how different she was from most of her countrymen. Despite all of that, however, throughout her youth, Olive had a generally positive disposition - with the natural, easy confidence that comes from growing up in a very privileged position - something of a joker, irreverent, and at times overly friendly and outgoing. All of which, of course, were needed if one wanted to actually 'make friends' as a marked mage.

Life in the mage camps only deepened the sense of conflict in her. After years of wishing she were not a noble, inside the camps was the first time she found some value in her title and a way to make herself useful. Shortly after arriving, Olive found that she could hold some sway over the soldiers and guards in the camps; either out of respect for her nobility, or fear of punishing too strictly the daughter of a duke (and a vocal supporter like Duke Carwick). So Olive began using her position for the benefit of the camp whenever possible, and eventually became involved in the underground organizing in the camp to look out for the other prisoners. But along with an increased sense of responsibility, Olive's experiences in the camps also left her, in many ways, righteous and zealous. Betrayed by the country she'd been born to serve and the Church she'd turned to for solace, Olive became much harder and less forgiving than she once was; the war had transformed her into a person who, at times, she couldn't recognize. A person able to justify actions she would have once found vile.

And now that she's been returned to her 'home' in Wulfbauer, her lives have collided: the hardened mage who'd spent years as both prey and predator, hunted ruthlessly by forces that wanted to eradicate her kind, and killing them in turn now brought back to the gentle and comfortable home she had before the War, when she was a noblelady and a symbol of a fallen house, beloved by its people. More than anything, she feels like a trapped animal. But she hasn't forgotten the lessons her father taught her about the responsibility that go along with her title. Leaving her more conflicted than ever.

Magic/Abilities 
Olive has never learned to use her magic with complete control. While on the run with the rebels, she has used it sparingly when faced with no other choice. What she has been able to use so far is all weather-related and it is very easy for it to get out of hand. Over all, Olive does not believe that mages should use magic, but when cornered her ideals come after her own life and the lives of others.

Relationships 

Duke Erwin Therrien, Husband*, Duke of Wulfbauer
   * Eventually, depending on where a thread is in Olive's timeline...

Harlow Oliver Carwick, Duke of Wulfbauer, Father, Deceased
Growing up, Olive was very much her father's daughter. Without a son, Harlow did many of the things a father reserved for his son with Olive: hunting, riding, shooting, and the like; all much to her mother's dismay. Harlow was assassinated during the course of the war, without ever being reuinited with the daughter sent away to the mage camps.

Caroline Livinia Carwick, Duchess of Wulfbauer, Mother, Deceased
Olive had always been particularly at odds with her mother, who had hoped for several children and wasn't thrilled to end up with just one, boyish mage for a daughter. However, much of what set them at odds was Caroline's attempts to protect her daughter. Before they could reconcile, however, Caroline died of an illness during the Long Winter, not long after her husband.

Avery Carwick, Duke of Wulfbauer, Second Cousin, Deceased
Olive's second-cousin Avery was raised to be the Duke's heir nearly her entire life. The two were unofficially betrothed until the onset of the Civil War. After Duke Harlow was assassinated, Avery briefly served as Duke before dying in battle. His only brother, Caspian, was also killed in battle before he could even be made Duke, leaving the duchy with no heir and in turmoil.

Valerian Reine, Stablehand, Friend, 23
As the only child in a house full of servants, Olive spent a lot of time with the staff in Wulfbauer Keep while growing up. And though she frequently got under foot, the staff were always fairly fond of her. She was especially close to the son of the stablehand Bairn, and his son Valerian. Olive and Valerian (or "Vale" as she insisted on calling him) were the same age, and some of the only children in the Keep. He was her first and best friend, and at times felt like her only real friend.

Grace Chancelory, Ladie's Maid, Friend?, 60
The lady's maid of her mother, Grace was always very strict and (in Olive's mind) disapproving of her mistress's unruly daughter. However, since Olive's return to Wulfbauer, Grace has been her fierce defender and, in many ways, her most trusted friend.

History 
Growing up, Olive never liked being a noble. Olive didn't like to dress up or make lace or courteous small talk or any of the things her mother taught her. She liked to tromp around the grounds of Wulfbauer Keep, exploring and getting muddy, archery and riding horses; none of the things befitting a young lady. Worse yet, Olive was revealed to be a mage at the age of ten during a ball held by her parents in Wulfbauer. She was showing off for the other children at the ball when, in a game of ones-up-manship, she accidentally caused a small weather phenomenon without realizing what she was doing. It was a small and harmless occurrence in and of itself and no one was harmed, but it forever changed Olive's life. Her mother, the duchess, acted quickly to mark the child as a mage - the incident had been to public to pretend that it hadn't happened. Using all the clout as she could muster as the Duchess of Wulfbauer, she pleaded with the Church to let her keep the child in their home rather than send her away for the Church to deal with her, as long as there were no further incidents. Olive has no knowledge of these events, but her mother became much stricter with her trying to ensure that Olive stood out less than she naturally did - especially now that she was made to wear the mark. As well-intentioned as this attitude was, it caused high tensions between the Duchess and her daughter, who only thought that her mother's attitude was born out of embarrassment and trying to save face for herself, not a wish to protect her daughter. The relationship between mother and daughter eventually became so strained that Olive was sent away to Uthlyn, to study in the university rather than at home with a tutor; the hope being that some space would ease the tensions between the two women.

As tensions rose in Connlaoth following the murder of the former Grand Duke, Olive found herself under house arrest in Uthlyn while 'common' mages began to be expelled from the city and sent to the mage camps in the north. Eventually her parents, uncertain how to protect their daughter, agreed to her own internment in the camps. As she was a known, marked mage already under the eyes of the Mordecai, this action seemed the only option available to the family, and perhaps the best way to protect Olive. (Though Olive herself has only guessed at this). When an Adhara came to escort her to the camps, Olive went willingly, worried about what the repercussions would be for her family and her duchy would be if she did not consent or put up a fight.

In the mage camp Valinarus, Olive found that her position gave her the ability to speak out where others couldn't and use her title as clout with the guards. However, this got her into a decent amount of trouble and when things came to a head in Valinarus, Olive found herself sent to  mage camp outside the borders of Connlaoth. Outside of the view of the country, the camp was particularly cruel and harsh. When the Church arrived, it used the camp's seclusion and distance from any curious eyes to perform experiments on mages en masse. These nearly always ended with the mages' deaths, leading to a violent camp uprising. While many died, Olive managed to survive and escape back to Connlaoth.

Her experiences in the camps, however, had changed Olive and she joined the growing number of escaped mages to form the Alliance of the Blue Star, a guerrilla rebel group striking out against the government. After three years of running and fighting, Olive finally bit off more than she could chew when a planned attack on a Hellvion ball went terribly, terribly wrong. The ordeal should have ended with her hanged, but instead she found unexpected shelter in her old home in Wulfbauer, under the auspices of the new duke.

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