Colette Audria Darcy de Vona the Fourth

### Other Features

A lazy right eye with a bad scar on the lid. Freckles dot her cheeks. She has some smaller scars on her right shoulder.

### Family

Dan Ber Morten de Vona the Sixth (Father)Elizabeth Elke de Vona (Mother)Ruben Mani de Vone (Uncle)de Vont the Twelfth (Grandfather)

### Status

Alive

RP QUOTE

## Lore

Colette was born into Mortul's nobility class. As a young child she was spoiled rotten with affection from her parents, at least until they passed their toddler to a nanny whenever she began to cry. Colette learned more about how to be courteous and kind from her main servant Jarval than anyone else, as her natural empathy didn't like how the undead man was treated in his slave position. This made her abide by his teachings to give him solace. She was still rather bratty though, only really behaving when strangers came over or when she was alone with Jarval, which got her into trouble quite often. In truth, all the child wanted was for her parents to notice her beyond passing affections when she was good.

Her proud nature rapidly changed when Colette turned 12 and she discovered her proficiency in bardic magic. She ran to her father in excitement. He heard her song, felt the magic from his only child, and then hit her for the first time. Colette was a bard, not a necromancer as her father had hoped. The deVona line had no chance of advancing in society because of this. As the years passed Colette's father grew more and more violent towards his daughter and wife- for he directed all his anger at being a bard himself onto the girl and was secondarily angry that his wife's sorceress nature didn't pass onto his heir. One day, when Colette was 22, Jarval was exiled when his memory loss made him incompetent at his daily tasks. Colette threw a small funeral for him along with her servant friends, though this did little to stop the spiral of depression that followed his loss. A few months later her uncle permitted Colette's niece to stay in her father's presence alone. When Colette frantically checked in on her niece the girl was oddly silent and reluctant to speak with her. Pulling up her left sleeve revealed a light bruise in the shape of her father's hand.

And so, Colette snapped.

She argued with her uncle who excused the behavior as his brother not knowing his own strength. She then went to her father, filled with pure rage, and screamed at him face to face. They argued for nearly an hour. He struck her. She screamed once more- so full of emotion that she cast Thunderwave. Her father was sent flying out a third story window. He hit the ground in a splat. Colette was found laughing and crying loudly in the window sill, hands and knees coated in blood from the broken shards. She was sent to jail less than an hour later, put on trial in two days, allowed one week to prepare for her punishment, and was banished to Exile the morning after.

#### Charged Crimes

*Purposeful patricide, destruction of deVona property (floor tiles, a landscape painting, five vases, a broken window), disruption of the peace, responsible for the hysteria from widowing her mother.*

## Notable Equipment

**Cloak of Magic Missiles:** An enchanted cloak with seven gleaming stars enchanted on its midnight cloth. It gives the user the ability to fire seven (1d4+1 damage) magic missiles at any number of opponents.

Colette accidentally hoards these scrolls in a hand size chest of holding: Scroll of Pedigree, Spell Scroll (Blind/Deaf), Spell Scroll (Enlarge/Reduce), Spell Scroll (Levitate), Spell Scroll (Burning Hands), Spell Scroll (False Life), Spell Scroll (Detect Poison and Disease), Scroll of Water Walk, Scroll Summon Monster 2, and Scroll of Protection (plants).

## Friendly Relations

### Night of Endless Stars

> "*As her lips pressed against his, Colette became real. The fear of old aches fell away, memories of painful fists became the gentle hands on her waist, screams turned into his shaky breath, the world lost its edge. The earth turned, became grounded, solidifying into something tangible; a stability she had barely known before now. Her hand pulled the back of Nights head deeper into the kiss. Deeper into the feeling of calmness and serenity that had been absent since her first breath. Closer, warmer, safe at last.*"
> ― Colette and Night's first kiss
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Colette didn't much like Night when they first met. After watching him shank various bandits and dive into danger headfirst, she immediately assumed he was a reckless street ruffian of whom she had no business associating with. As he was Iida's close friend however, Colette had no choice but to continue interacting with him. Thankfully it didn't take long for her to discover Night's academic side, his polite manners, and loyalty to those he cared for. The two often discussed cross-cultural interactions, which enlightened Colette to the inner workings of Mya-Nya and the greater Empire, and made casual conversation rather often, typically about the strange sights or treasures their adventures brought. Colette began to place her trust in Night after he stabbed a hydra's neck when it tried to bite her. She returned the favor by healing his wounds and shielding him from its venom. The two made a decent pair after that, as Colette would charm enemies into an optimal vantage point for Night's blade. Colette gifted Night many tailor-made clothes and magic items whenever she noticed he went out his way to accommodate her.

After Iida became a Baroness, Night soon got Red back. This marked a dramatic change in how Colette saw the man. His daughter's arrival brought out a more emotional side of Night: revealing his insecurities, hang ups over his ex-wife, and previously hidden loneliness. Colette did her best to get closer to him when she realized they both had a very similar affliction of performing to the world to hide how disconnected from it they truly were. One night Colette went to Night's newly made house for a house warming party. The two got drunk off cider and tall tales. Night began to tease Colette over being a virgin. This irritated the woman, who then pushed him onto a counter top, stole his drink from him, called him a 'bitch', and essentially seduced him in a matter of minutes. When the haze of impulsive sexuality dimmed Colette pulled away. Night pulled her back. The two were flustered but began to talk again on a deep, emotional level, which ended in Colette hugging Night for the first time with both of them crying, feeling seen for the first time in years.

After that Colette was extremely confused about her feelings towards her friend. Previously she'd believed herself to be a lesbian, but was beginning to realize she was simply demi-romantic instead. She danced around Night for quite some time in an extremely unhealthy way, as having someone chase her filled her attention seeking desires and allowed her to preform attraction without all the painful vulnerability attached to it. This came to a head when the party fought their shadow selves- reflections of their innermost demons- as Colette's 'clone' pointed out her hypocrisy towards Night. She had a talk with Night a few days after about the ordeal. Colette confessed her genuine feelings and her fear of showing them openly, confiding in Night her immense anxieties about physical affection and trust. In return, Night explained how toxic her mixed advances were to his mental health. The pair hugged again after Colette vowed to stop her games and Night promised to be more open with his boundaries and feelings. It was still some time later before the pair became a couple, as both struggled with this agreement. The matter grew complicated when Colette told Iida about her crush on Night and Iida promptly told Night and told the pair to talk right afterwards. This resulted in Colette hyperventilating in the desert for quite some time before Night found her, which then led to a loud argument as Night was frustrated with Colette masking herself once more, while Colette was too stung by Iida's betrayal as a confidante to care.

A few weeks after, Colette and Night were ambushed by a minion of the Litch Queen. The two nearly died and had to rely on each other to get back to the Grotto alive. They spent a few nights camping together, sharing each others cloaks, cuddling under the stars. The two talked and, without watching eyes, finally kissed to become an official couple. Becoming a pair relieved nearly all of the tension between them, for they both stopped masking their feelings. Colette is not a fan of PDA but she will give her boyfriend kisses on the cheek, smooth out his clothes, hold his hand, and so on. This free touch significantly lessened her fear of sudden movements. Colette is very generous to Night- as she showers him with gifts, compliments, offers to assist him in any capacity, and takes care of his daughter with joy. She has detailed plans to marry Night one day, but only when Red's grown up some more.

#### Red River at Dawn

> "*I know you'll reassure me otherwise but when you've never seen the alternative in practice it's hard to imagine. My relationship with Red is constantly tainted by my worries that I'll act like my mother or, G-ds forbid, like my father to her. You've no idea the weight of anxiety upon me- that one day Night and I will end up like them, having bought separate beds in the same room and barely fulfilling a quota of exchanging fifty words at dinner time. No matter how much I want to be a good girlfriend or mother-but-not, I keep thinking about them and having to pray it won't end up that way.*"
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### Iida

> "*Colette watched Iida form a small crater in the ground. A long time ago she would've gotten weak at the knees from the raw strength of her friend. Now it was just strangely adorable. Iida was always so* gruff*. In reality she was such a teddy bear underneath that curt nature.*"
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#### Bandit

> "'*COLETTE TAL SA HORDEN FATHLAN!' A larger Bandit with bony spikes and red eyes was behind her, speaking Abyssal into everyone's mind.*"
> ― Bandit expressing his love for his mothers best friend
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### Jarval

> "*Typically, a child's earliest memory is that of their family. Mine is with Jarval. He was walking me through the mansion gardens, his cold hand on my sticky one, still slathered in imported honey crumbs, as he taught me how to pick flowers without harming a plant to excess. I made him a little flower crown of hydrangeas and holly. It was awful and easily broke with a touch, but he devoutly wore my gift for the rest of the day. He gave me the crown back a week later, when I was grounded for breaking a vase, as a reminder of the outside. I have to remind him of that memory now. He's long forgotten it.*"
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### Notre-Dame des Sept Douleurs

> "*I just need enough dragon bones to make a necklace! Or earrings? A bracelet, maybe? I don't know, what would Dolores like? She gave the fudge to me, which you can eat a bit of by the way, and a knife, so now I must give her something back! It's only common courtesy!*"
> ― Colette freaking out after Dolores' flirt-gift
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### Horkhan

> "*This is the third wild hog he's dragged through my dining room! The blood stains are not 'honorable' they're destructive to our carefully curated living space! Just get him under control before \*I\* do.*"
> ― Colette on Horkhan's bugbear hunting habits
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Night's indebted 'servant' warrior is on the bottom of allies Colette considers friends. Horkhan is the opposite of Colette in appearance (macho vs femme), mannerism (crass vs civil), philosophies, belief system, and so on. Over time she's grown to tolerate Horkhan calling her Night's "mate" and many of his crude behaviors. This tolerance is achieved by avoiding or ignoring Horkhan whenever possible so she doesn't scream at him.

### Clip

> "*Colette seemed sad. What was it humans liked? Food, water, shelter, gold, woman, and violence... or was that Elves? She wasn't good telling those two apart. They looked very similar and she could never tell the difference if the ears were covered. Everyone likes babies though. What babies did she know? Crying ones weren't good. Clip made what sounded quite a lot like a little kitten meowing.*"
> ― Clip trying to cheer up Colette on their first meeting
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Clip was the first person Colette met in Exiles. Colette had an utter lack of knowledge regarding kenku to the extent where she didn't even know about their mimic curse. This offended Clip at first but the kenku became warmer to Colette once the human apologized for her ignorance. Clip then guided Colette to the City of Exile. The two worked together for a short while before Colette found Iida and split off. Colette still writes to Clip on occasion and will commission her for landscape portraits. No one has yet told Colette that kenku even draw through their mimicking curse, so Colette still believes that Clip is a prolific realism artist.

### Yorhid Valrin

> "*Oh. Worm boy is coming, hm? Was that the letter you were hiding before? He sent you a love letter? Ugh, the gall of him, honestly. He hasn't even courted you yet.*"
> ― An excerpt of Colette's former jealousy
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The Prince of the Narassi was immensely envied by Colette for quite some time. This was not due to any action on his part, though Colette wished she had the skill to ride sand worms as he did, but was entirely focused on his relationship with Iida. Colette's crush on the halfling led her to jealous ranting where she insulted Yorhid very viscerally, often in front of Iida, in a stark reflection of how her own family belittled those they didn't like. Thankfully Iida's rejection of Colette's feelings only cooled the envy rather than enflame it. Nowadays Colette happily reads Iida Yorhid's poems to her and compliments his prose. She states that when the two get married she'll love to help plan their wedding as Iida's bridesmaid.

### Night's Family

**Wind Over The Mountains:** Wind impressed Colette when he greeted her in Mortul custom. The two of them had a few interesting conversations about sociology and Nya-Mya versus Mortul schooling systems. She enjoyed his polite company during his stay and wished him well as he left.

**Robin on the Windowsill:** Robin brought two scantily clad slave women on his arrival, boasted about his physical prowess, and tended to encroach on the personal bubble of those he tried to impress. Colette stood five feet away from Robin at all times. She complained about his behavior to Night, which did calm some of her offense once Robin's pressured home life was revealed. She only spoke to Robin regarding Red or to ask him about Night's past. She only waved good bye as he left.

### Mortul Friends and Family

**The deVone Line:** As a necromancer, Colette's uncle Ruben enjoyed an even higher status of living than normal. He was in charge of resurrecting specialty undead, such as scholars and tradesmen, from Mortul conquests so they may serve in the kingdom. Ruben treated his niece rather well and would frequently spoil her by gifting her magic scrolls. His wife, Rebekka, was also kind to Colette. After marrying Ruben she would invite her step-niece over for tea or dinner to offer consul and pleasant company. Ruben and Rebekka had a daughter named Anita. Colette was determined to be a stellar cousin to the girl. As such, she frequently baby sat for her uncle and aunt so she could support Anita in all endeavors. Colette was extremely close to the deVone's- though this dynamic was often fraught with tension, as Ruben would frequently downplay the extent of his brothers abusive behaviors to his niece. At one point Colette and her uncle had a vicious fight over Ruben allowing Anita to be alone in a room with Dan for an extend amount of time. A month later Colette killed her father. The deVone's attended her trial, save for an eleven-year-old Anita, but did not speak to her.

**Noble Friends:** Colette was close friends with three other noblewomen named Diana, Elliot, and Cassandra. She entered a false courtship with a gay man named Gideon so they could avoid the pressure of marrying a stranger. Sadly, Gideon was sent to a boarding school for higher education and their pact was broken due to the distance.

## Ambivalent Relations

#### The deVona Line

##### Litch deVont

Colette didn't spend much time with her grandfather even before his faked death. Her father hated deVont and, in a rare show of kindness, would take immense measures to spare his daughter deVont's ire. As such, Colette grew up with a deep fear of her grandfather as he was the only man that made her father tremble. After his death she was relieved, though she had a suspicion that he wasn't truly dead. A magic 'accident' was too convenient of a passing. Her suspicions were confirmed when deVont arrived in Exiles. Thankfully he was killed quickly- leaving Colette to have far fewer nightmares than she expected.

##### Immediate Family

**Dan Ber Morten deVona the Sixth:**

> "*When I shake or scream the foundations of my home rattle, and the echoes never stopped sounding like my father.*"
> ― An excerpt from Colette's diary
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Colette was, and still is, terrified of her father. He stream lined his own insecurities and displeasure onto his daughter when he saw she fell into the same arcane path he did- becoming a bard instead of a necromancer. Colette endured the confusing, traumatic experience of prolonged physical and emotional parental abuse. This abuse was so severe Colette only allows close friends to touch her beyond a handshake and she still startles at sudden movements from humanoids. Despite this, Colette will overtly praise him for honing her ability to memorize and orate, and will not hear arguments about the method of instruction. If she had the chance to redo her father death Colette would decline. Once was enough. Her hate and fear does not extend to revenge, as she views her father as beyond justice, and herself beyond the need to claim it.

**Elizabeth Elke deVona:** Colette's mother was neglectful when her daughter didn't fit the specific 'role' she desired- be it a naive little girl, a wistful bachelorette, an accomplished student, or so on. When Colette did fit her 'role', her mother heaped on praises and care. On some level Colette always knew this love was conditional, but had little choice but to play along to receive affection in her childhood. When she grew those masks became a part of her to a point where she had trouble taking off the performance. In Exiles Colette still feels pangs of longing for her mother, wishing that she could possibly bring her to the city to start over. Overall though, Colette recognizes her mother's neglect and is happy to move on as her own person.

#### Mya-Nya Rebel Army

Needless to say, Colette hates the entirety of this troop with a burning passion. They wished Night dead, burned down Iida's farm, tried to kidnap Red, killed innocents, attacked her multiple times, and cause other acts of terrorism. That said, Colette was not afraid of the group, and was more worried about the effect they had on her loved ones. Colette was especially wary around Calling as she knew the woman's enchantment proficiency were far more dangerous than the General's hammer. Colette treated Calling with barely restrained indignity during their Dream spell negotiation, only holding her tongue back for the sake of her friends. Colette was secretly relieved to hear of the General's death, though she wished he'd been brought in for trial as Night wanted.

#### Louis the Traitor

Louis' betrayal stung Colette bitterly for she considered herself to be his patron. During his interrogation Colette put a Zone of Truth on him. When he got wise to her magic Colette intimidated him through glares of repulsion and promises of more painful punishments as his last meal. Louie soon complied. Colette attended his execution wearing her last commissioned dress. She still uses all the clothing he made her because, in the end, that man truly was a damn good tailor.