Clare MacDonald

*The Lady of Astolat*

* Overview
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 I am half sick of shadows.

— Claire

Most people who meet Claire would say she is very friendly as long as you don't piss her off. She has a redhead's temper, but thankfully, that doesn't show itself often. She also is known to have a beautiful singing voice. She is an Immortal, the kind that takes heads and power. She doesn't look much the part, though, being petite and slender.

## Personality

Claire is pretty friendly and sociable in general, though does to be on her guard and watchful, in case another immortal shows up hostile. She enjoys having a good time, good food and good wine. She can sometimes have a dry, sarcastic sense of humor. Surprisingly, she can be somewhat slow up on the uptake and sometimes doesn't 'get' a joke or someone else's sarcasm. She sometimes gets moody or wistful when talking about certain subjects, mostly about her past, about people and places that are long gone. She can also have a bad a temper if someone pisses her off, though doesn't lose her temper too often. To most, however, her age doesn't show doesn't by her personality. She blends in pretty well with others of this time period, as a 'normal' mortal woman in her twenties.

## SKILLS

She has lived for many, many years and during that time, studied a great deal in a variety of subjects.

Though she keeps fit and agile in order to keep her head, organized sports just aren't her thing. She will play a bit of soccer or swim, but generally speaking, she keeps things to the basics.

She has been an immortal and as such has been living her life by the sword since the Arthurian times.

Unlike singing, she isn't an expert at dancing. She won't trip, most of the time, but she'll never be on Dancing with the Stars, either.

If there is one talent she has, that isn't linked to keeping her head, it would be singing. She has a golden voice. There were many times during the ages since she became immortal that she put it to good use. She was even a jazz singer in the 1920's.

## ABILITIES

Once again, because of her age, Claire has had many, many centuries in order to hone her agility. She has gone this long without losing her head, having developed the ability to move with great speed and agility.

Immortals are able to emulate the traits of other creatures around them, attuning themselves to specific elements of nature. This might take the form of running with the speed of a stag, hearing as acutely as a wolf, or feeling the earth and wind around them through trees and plants. They cannot change shape, such as to gain claws or such, but they may gain the "essence" of a target creature's ability. Targets must be living creatures with some connection to Nature; this power generally does not work with the undead, with spirits, or with extraplanar beings such as angels or demons.

Immortals have developed a technique for concealing blades upon their person, leaving the weapon completely shrouded from the perception of any other. The blade does not become non-corporeal, per se, but the sense of touch of anyone but the immortal carrying it will simply not perceive the blade, fooling the mind. However, once the blade is drawn, the shroud of concealment is broken instantly. The only purpose that can be served by this technique is carrying a concealed blade, so that an immortal can, for example, produce a full-sized katana from beneath a light jacket.

Immortals develop a rapport with the weapons they carry, allowing them to empower their personal blade. This makes the blade virtually unbreakable, as well as empowering it to do increased damage. Their blade inflicts Enhanced-level damage.

Claire has enhanced endurance that aids her in fighting for prolonged periods of time without tiring the way normal mortals would.

All immortals have powerful healing abilities, with any wound vanishing within seconds. Very serious injuries, such as those that result in a temporary death, may take a few hours of a death-like state to recover. Most immortals cannot regenerate lost limbs or body parts, and They cannot do so on his own, but perhaps with the right sort of borrowing....

Claire is stronger than most human levels, having collected many an immortal head in her days. She is able to wield weapons most mortal women of her size and build would not be able to.

Immortals have an innate magic sense, commonly called "The Buzz." This sense allows them to sense the presence of magic and supernatural beings, though it is most potent and focused in the presence of sources of The Quickening, which allows them to easily perceive when another of their kind is near. The Buzz may also attune the immortal to natural forces in various ways.

The Quickening is the mystic energy that grants an immortal their power. It causes them to heal rapidly, halts their aging, and fuels their personal gifts. Their Quickening is lost when the immortal is decapitated, and it is transferred--along with the fallen immortal's memories and experience--into the victor. The Quickening is a mystic power directly tied to nature and life force, and it links the immortals to those energies. This could mean many different things, depending on the specific situation. Visually, the Quickening manifests in a form very similar to arcing electricity.

The one enhanced physique element that all immortals share is resiliency. They are immune to disease, though they can be incapacitated by toxins or poisons. Sufficient physical trauma results in a temporary death, leaving him inert for up to several hours. After this, they awaken fully recovered, so long as they have not been decapitated. As a result of the energies of the Quickening coursing through his body, they cannot be transformed into another type of magical creature, such as would happen if bitten by a vampire or werewolf. They are effectively locked into his current form.

## WEAKNESSES

Immortals can only be killed by beheading. If their head is separated from their neck, they lose their stored Quickening, which is in turn absorbed by the nearest other immortal.

The exact result of killing on holy ground is unpredictable, but it is almost certain to create a mystic backlash that powerfully impacts the immortal who did the killing. This could result in a crippling loss of Quickening, for instance. Immortals are able to sense Holy Ground via The Buzz, allowing them to know when they are on it. (Holy Ground includes any consecrated site, not only those of a specific religious tradition.) Some have speculated that because The Quickening is closely tied to natural energies and life force, this may offend the spirits of such sites. As such, all fighting on Holy Ground is strictly forbidden by the immortals' code.

Immortals are unable to procreate or pass on their genetic material.

Where I was actually born is a mystery. Where I was found, however, is in a basket, floating in the river, near Astolot. I was an infant and was taken in by lord Bernard of Astolot. I was raised as his daughter, alongside his natural sons, Tirre and Levaine. I was given the name "Elaine" and was known to all as "Elaine of Astolot." This was the time of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Astolot was up the river a ways from Camelot. Our home was a small castle on an island in the river. I would spend my days frolicking around the fields and the river, singing. My gift was my voice. It was the only gift, I thought, at the time. I knew nothing of being different, or even that I was a foundling at this point. I was oblivious and happy, the apple of my father's eye. The summer of my eighteenth year, my father organized a joust. All of the knights of Camelot were to attend, save sir Lancelot. I remember being disappointed, for like all the other young maidens, I had heard all of the stories and adventures about him. I then remember being very happily surprised when he appeared. Unfortunately, it would be my downfall.

Like any young girl my age, I was struck absolutely stupid by his good looks and charm. I was lost. It was love at first sight. Well. For me, it was. He barely noticed me, and I would later hear rumor he, as champion of our queen, may have been in love with her. I knew none of that. All I knew was that I was star struck. I remember offering him my favor to wear as he competed, and he accepted, though he also added that her majesty would be there, so he would disguise himself. Well, naive eighteen-year-old me nodded and was so sure it meant he loved me back. He disguised himself as my older brother Tirre and went to the tourney. After winning against a dozen other knights, he was finally wounded, and I begged my father to let me attend to him. I nursed him with love and care until he had recovered. Instead of thanking me and asking for my hand, however, he tried to pay me. I had never been so insulted in my life and bid him farewell. I was extremely heartbroken. So, one day, while my brother Tirre was practicing his archery, I ran and and stood in front of the target as he let his arrow loose. The arrow pierced my heart. I remember nothing else. My father and brothers laid me in a boat, clutching a lily. They then let the boat float down to Camelot.

I was found by Lancelot and the court. I suppose he was feeling rather guilty, because he offered to pay for a lavish funeral. Whether or not that funeral ever happened, I can't say. I woke back up, in a cave, an old man with a beard having brought me there. That old man was Merlin the wizard, and it was he who hid me for a time and then sent me to another immortal to be trained. He seemed to know about us, and I have always been very thankful to him.

I have lived for over fifteen hundred years. I have traveled far and traveled wide. During the Renaissance period, I lived mostly in Italy. During the 18th Century, I traveled to the Isle of Skye, Scotland, where I married a very bonny MacDonald lad. That is where my surname now comes from. I use it every few decades as a tribute to him, but I am not actually Scottish. During the 1920s, I lived in Chicago and was a jazz singer. Ah, those were the times! I still get nostalgic looking back to being a flapper. I was first here in San Francisco during the Summer of Love. During the 1990s and early 2000s, I made my home in Vancouver, BC. That was where I resided last. Now I am here, in San Francisco once more. I have lived countless places, countless other lives. I have taken countless heads, as well, but only in defending myself. I never start a fight, but I do know that in order to survive, I must fight back if another immortal initiates the Game.

As usual, I don't really have a plan. I have amassed rather a lot of money and assets in my very long life, so can afford to live aimlessly. I am rather curious, though, to see what comes next in life. As always, I carry my sword. It is a gift from an old lover who will always be very dear to me. It is like my lucky charm or my guardian angel. After all, I haven't lost my head yet.

Logs featuring Clare MacDonald:

*Coming soon!*