Welcome to Gaia! ::

I have known of Gaia for AGES, but haven't done much in over a year. But I have been roleplaying non-stop for 7 or 8 years now and will never tire of it. Anne Bishop's work is just amazing to me, and unmatched in any category or genre anywhere else for what she does with something so many are familiar with and just taking it to new heights and in directions no one else was bold enough to attempt!

Name: Kestrel's fine, m'thanks
Age: Quite.
Sex: Depends...who wants to know?
Contact Information: Exactly. PM is fine.

I'm a web designer...and I like Johnny Rockets! Oh yeah, I can't take ANY credit for the beautiful works of art! All praise/appreciation goes to creatingpulsars @ caution v2.0 for the lovely graphics!



Name: Dorcas MacKayla Barrons-McCabe
Nicknames: Cassie, Dory [Family Pet Names]
Age: 1,764

Race: Long Lived [Hayllian/Dhemlan Mix]
Alliance: Witch [Even if she does turn out to only be a myth...]
Sexual Orientation: Nope. [Since you have to be sexually active, to have a preference...]
Birthright Jewel: Red
Descent Jewel: Ebon Gray

Background: When Lady MacKayla McCabe announced she would be wedding the mysterious Prince Malluce Barrons, it all but convinced quite a few people that the Rapture was imminent. Surely, if the reclusive and notoriously rude bachelor could manage to snag one of the most lovely and powerful Black Widows of her generation, then Hell must be experienced its first frost and pigs would soon fly! But everyone survived the handfast and barely a year afterwards, twins were delivered to the Aristo couple. A boy and a girl, they were a matched pair and raised with the best that their parents could provide--which was nothing short of extravagant...
Wealth: Currently, she has only a small fortune--which she bargained for, shrewdly, by selling every last scrap of clothing on her back and pawning the heirlooms she escaped with. But she is accustomed to having an endless bank account...



Hair: Dark chocolate waves, never fully straightened no matter how much force and Craft is applied to it. It is not the customary black of the long lived races, but Dorcas is no longer vain about that and is actually quite comfortable wearing it many fashions that display the faux caramel highlights to best advantage by candle or witchlight. It is long enough to reach her waist when unbound, but is usually brushed and smoothed into a series of braids around her crown.
Eyes: Bright gold, they can darken like burnished metal when she is carried away by passion or rage, but are usually warm and unassuming. She has been known to change their color superficially when she is trying to avoid notice in towns and cities where the long lived are few and far between.
Height: At 5' 9" Dorcas will never be accused of being frail or dainty.
Body Type: She has a strong, solid build; with enough meat on her bones to make her feminine curves prominent and nearly impossible to wrap up or hide away.
Dressing Style: The most obvious sign of Dorcas' heritage is the way she wears a dress--even in the demure styles and plain, everyday colors she is forced to wear nowadays, she walks and moves with the grace of a proper lady. Her 'smocks' aren't really half as shabby as she makes them out to be and they are still of a higher quality than most people can afford easily, but they are a far cry from the aesthetic confections she wore before and more suited to purpose and inspiring a sense of credibility than refinement or grandeur.





Describe your character in one word: Determined
Likes:
Learning new spells, Reading books about the past, Sewing designs, Horseback riding, Teaching others about Hourglass craft, Concocting new brews, Finding the perfect accessory/piece to complete an outfit when shopping!

Dislikes:
Being proven wrong, Being humiliated in public, Being underestimated, Getting caught in the rain, Swimming in cold water, Others touching her belongings without permission, Domineering men/women

Ambitions: Hone her skills to perfection and earn the title of High Priestess of the Hourglass
Desire: Earn enough money to support herself comfortably, Share the
"forgotten" of Black Widow healing, Find a way to live honestly and protect herself
Strengths:
Illusions and poisons, Coordinating mid-large groups of people, Evading/hiding from others, Calming touch, Mental pathways

Weaknesses:
The Twisted Kingdom (fearful of its danger), Spontaneity (really HATES surprises, too!), Distrustful of those she can't 'read', Always sympathetic to underdog stories

Phobias: Being captured and made to serve in Dorothea's Coven
Fears: Falling on even harder times than she already suffers, Losing contact with her family, and her second caste being discovered and ostracized for not standing up for the land/people
Worse Memory: The morning after her Offering to the Darkness
Best: Family vacation in Pruul
Habits:
Twirls/chews her hair when she is distracted, Blocks out the world when she is enjoying a story, Wears leggings underneath her skirts

Anything else?:
Personality: Dorcas can talk herself into and out of just about any situation. She has a talent for words and generally has a good sense of who to trust and who to avoid. Her life and decisions are private matters, which she will not share with anyone unless she feels they have earned them. She will die rather than submit to anyone she can not put her faith in and has shown a wild tendency to seek adrenaline rushes which sometimes results in situations that place her in danger. But Dorcas would never risk or sacrifice anyone else, directly, for her own comfort. She also may not go out of her way to help strangers, but she is not the type to inflict pain on others just to alleviate her own. When she first meets someone, she relies more on her instincts and what she can sense about them than their words or actions--no one ever gets a second chance at a first impression with Dory and she will never forget a face with whom she's held a conversation.
Beliefs: It pains Dorcas that she can not defend and protect the people of Terreille. She has always dreamed of a world where the Old Ways were honored and the honorable and respected Blood of old ruled with care and fairness. Maybe if she holds onto her faith long enough, her prayers will be answered and Witch will return to save the Realm and allow the good and just to rule again...




Other Family: Technically, she has ties to Hayll's Hundred Families but Dorcas doesn't claim any of them; and they would as soon as spit at her, than admit any relation, if they knew who she was...
Hometown: Draega, Hayll
History: Dorcas was not like other girls. Although her parents were joined by many friends and acquaintances in the safe delivery of their healthy twin babies, their joy was robbed by the vision that came to her mother less than a month after her labor to bring forth her children. Brionna was once renowned for her natural talent and skill with the tangled webs of dreams and visions, but she had not practiced in years. Not since the High Priestess came to visit the rising star of the Black Widow Coven for herself and upon deeming Brionna a threat, arranged to "foster" the young woman under her care. A few months later, Brionna returned to her family in shame, having been broken of her Offering jewels. The lies were spun so prettily that many people believed she had brought this shame upon herself, but Brionna managed to pull the pieces of her shattered life back together. She had not lost her skill with her jewel of rank, so she made the best of what she had remaining.

When Brionna saw the possible future that lay ahead for her daughter if Dorcas was revealed to be a Queen as well as a Black Widow, she wept for days. Four days and three nights while she was inconsolable and fell into regular bouts of depression whenever she came near to the nursery wing. But after accepting her grief, it became easier for her to deal with the news. She could not revoke her daughter's calling and she honestly did not want to. But history could not be allowed to repeat itself--a Queen would be too great a threat to the High Priestess to be spared and shown the mercy Brionna had experienced.

It took almost three months of research and quite a few secret, midnight meetings with friends she had not called upon since formal resigning from the Hourglass. But when the last web was spun into place for the final web Brionna would ever spin, she had accumulated the strength of many Widows and used all but the last dredges of her personal power. In the dark of night, she stole into her children's nursery and secreted away her baby girl to a place where such power being released would be impossible to trace.

The actual spell took only half a candlemark to activate, but winding it so tightly into the girl's core that no one would sense it without deep scrutiny and the safeguards to prevent Dorcas revealing herself by accident took Brionna until well past dawn. When she finally made it back to the manor, it was with a bittersweet accomplishment. As long as she lived, no one would know of her daughter's curse; but, from that day forward, Dorcas was never at more than half-strength no matter how much she rested and how well she ate.

Meanwhile, Dorcas grew up oblivious of her mother's sacrifice. She never questioned why her mother always knew when she misbehaved, although her brother sometimes managed to escape punishment since everyone said it was a mother's intuition and bond to her namesake. She learned the Black Widow's Craft as well as normal Craft, lessons in history, comportment, arithmetic, music, dancing, and many more. The McCabes were a notorious bunch for loving and marrying as they saw fit, but their bloodline hadn't yet been sullied by anything to truly mar their public image. As the product of such a respected clan, she was taught, in all things, to represent her family with grace and poise.

Up until the day she was presented to the High Court, Dorcas led a sheltered and pampered life. She was prized and catered to and always had the best of everything. Her life was charmed and in turn, she was a charming young lady. Upon receiving her descent jewels, she upheld the standards of both sides of her family well and did them justice. After the third night of relentless parties, though, to celebrate her coming out she was beginning to feel the strain of her short-lived celebrity. In a terrible re-enactment of what had destroyed her mother so many years ago, Dorcas was ambushed by a strange man after begging off of her chaperone to walk alone and get some fresh air.

Thankfully, Dorcas was a bit more prepared than her mother had been and was able to hold off her attacker long enough for the dose of poison she'd pumped through her snake tooth to subdue him. But she couldn't return to the party and on the way back to her rooms, she literally stumbled into another group of men destroying her room. She hid long enough to see their faces and hear the leader issuing commands that it must look like she had run off, so no one would be blamed by the "foolish, young chit." Scared and alone, Dorcas decided to make a run for it. She summoned a few prized pieces she wouldn't want the men to get their grubby paws on and made her escape.

She did not pause to alert her family or consult anyone. She had thought she trust her host, but obviously they were involved. She ran to the nearest landing web and took the darkest Wind she could manage, angling for anywhere far away from Hayll's glittering death trap. When she finally landed, it was in an unfamiliar land and to unfamiliar people. She caused a spectacle just walking down the street so as soon as possible, she ducked into a seamstress's shop and exchanged all of her worldly possession for some badly needed coin and help getting a new wardrobe--one that was more durable and less likely to attract attention. From there, she found an inn and after a hearty meal, slept for two and a half days straight.

Fortunately, the innkeeper's wife was sympathetic to a young woman out on her own and did not allow anyone to bother her guest. When Dorcas awoke, it was to a welcome meal to refresh her and a few more clothes--these given out of charity--to add to her new and depressingly sparse wardrobe. She offered to repay the woman, but Selima would only accept her services instead. She offered Dorcas a job on the spot, more likely as a way to keep an eye on her than because she really need any extra help but Dorcas was out of prospects and accepted gratefully. Life at the inn took some adjusting to, but Dorcas learned quickly and worked well with the rest of the staff. After close to a year in her new life, she arranged for a few days off and properly equipped, made her way back to Draega.

She found her mother almost as soon as she arrived or the other way around, but either way, MacKayla said she understood her daughter's motives and even taught her a few new tricks about how to conceal her nature and disguise her natural appearance. They devised a means of keeping in touch if only through brief messages in case either of them had to move or was suffering, but Dorcas had to leave before her presence was remarked upon. She shed a few tears upon leaving and spent the rest of her break from work doing some traveling to take her mind off of the seemingly hopeless situation. After she returned to the inn, she threw herself into her new identity and came to enjoy it after a fashion. Things were simpler and people were more honest when they didn't worry so much about pedigree, jewel power, or castes...






Pets:
Anything else? I really want her to be strong enough that she would be able to survive and protect herself, since she is a young Widow without constant male protection. Not to mention, she is a Virgin and secretly a Queen--two things that would pique more than a few people's interest and might pose a threat to her future. In my head I picture her as a Green or maybe Sapphire [Birthright] and when her mother's spells do break down, she will be equipped to handle the reactions to a new, strong Queen already full-grown (yet still vulnerable)