Vanessa Edelét

Vanessa is the daughter and younger sibling to the main branch of the Edelét House. Being the younger sister to her brother and heir to the family, Vanessa grew up with few expectations placed on her. She was taught the Magus art as is custom in the Edelét family, and while she may appear as and act like a spoiled brat at times, there is more to the girl underneath her lofty noble ideals. However with the mission and responsibility of settling The Stolen Lands thrust upon the family, her presumptions of an uneventful life enjoying the pleasures of nobility were dashed, and she finds herself forced to confront the harsh realities of the real world as she is sent out in place of her preoccupied brother.

## Early Years

### Childhood and adolescence

Being the younger sibling to her three year older brother, little was expected of Vanessa ever since her birth. Her brother was fast tracked into his studies on rulership and etiquette, and most of the family's attention focused on her brother's upbringing. Thus she was often left to her own devices, left to roam the manor grounds or play with her toys. Finding herself alone much of the time, she quickly learned to deal with and solve her problems on her own, establishing a sort of independence early on.

She came to love her riding lessons especially. The sense of freedom that came with having the possibility of riding away, left alone to explore outside of the emotionless manor, as well as the unconditional trust her steed gave her, so unlike what the nobility would afford her. The horse does not care for her bloodline or status, it's not concerned with the politics and goings of people. It will answer to a trusting hand and nothing less. She'd always struggled to become close with other children because of these things and had a hard time making friends, especially ones outside the nobility, of whom only visited every now and then.

During her riding lessons is also when she came to meet an unexpected friend. One day, feeling more restrained from her life at home than usual, Vanessa took off. Leaving her caretakers and trainer in the dust as she and her horse ran away into the nearby wilderness. Oblivious and naive about the dangers of the world beyong the manor grounds, she soon found herself lost. Not much longer after that she was separated from her horse as it threw her off and ran into the woods, scared by something or other in the forest. Now alone, lost, and dirty, the reality of the situation set in for Vanessa, and still only being a young child she burst into tears and began running around erratically, desperately looking for safety. Eventually she grew tired and laid down to sob by a tree, sobbing which attracted the attention of a rare traveler passing by. That traveler being a centaur from the Nomen tribe who just happened to be trotting by. Surprised by the sorry sight of a lost and scared human child, the centaur couldn't simply stand by while the child perishes in the wilderness even despite their slights with humans, and she took it on herself to rescue Vanessa. Phaelis was the centaur's name, and together she helped Vanessa find her way back to her home over the course of a few days. During which the two grew close like a guardian and ward, where Phaelis taught Vanessa how to find her steed and how to handle it better, among other survivalist tricks that better prepared Vanessa for the future. Forging a bond together, they would meet sporadically over the years as Vanessa grew up whenever Phaelis was in the area, and she would mentor Vanessa during the course of her maturing.

Yet while she learned to manage on her own, the loneliness and lack of attention stuck with her as she grew older, and the feelings grew into a contempt and jealousy for her brother who always got all the attention. She too wanted to be noticed, be the center of attention and have everyone's focus on her. She's just as capable as him, she thought. Or was she? Is her incompetence the reason no one will give her the time of day? Such doubts nagged in the back of her mind as she entered adolescence.

Once she advanced into her teenage years, the expectation of her to attend noble parties and festivites with the family arose, an idea with which she initially bemoaned. However as she tagged along and witnessed the audience, and attention, the most fashionable and well spoken lords and ladies could accrue, she quickly developed an interest in the matter. Taking it upon herself to study fashion, learn etiquette and how to dress, she could finally command some of the attention she'd been missing all her years prior, a feeling with which she quickly grew obsessed with. With her new fascination she progressed through her teenage years chasing every latest noble fashion trend, attracting attention and making both friends and enemies as she strove to be the centerpiece of every festivity.

While the rush of all the attention was exciting, it quickly began to feel hollow. The crowd around her became just faces

## Relations

### Edelét Family

#### Father

**Rainer**, *Magus*, 52

Patient, Just, Stubborn, Pragmatic

Head of Edelét Mivon house branch. Very calculated, logical man. Made a splash with his skillful use of both Aldori swordplay and magus arts during his early years, helping the house rise a couple of minor ranks. Took a big step back when his son Louis was born, almost disappearing from Mivoni politics entirely, only appearing during mandatory meetings and to defend their rank. While not unusual to step back for your progeny, the contrast was almost shocking. Seemingly has great plans and expectations for his son.

#### Mother

**Elena**, 48

Gregarious, Arrogant, Calm, Schemer, Greedy

Married into the house. Skillful manipulator with a good eye for politics and noble matters. Is not a magus or martially trained, doesn't duel on her own. Handles much of the political matters of the house in Reynaud's stead. Always seems to be seeking new connections and ways to make personal gains. Was the most involved in Vanessa's upbringing during the little attention that was given to her. Brought Vanessa to many noble parties and stoked Vanessa's interest in attention.

#### Brother

**Louis**, *Magus*, 21

Diligent, Honest, Shy, Pampered

First born son of the family. Has been taken under his father's wing and tutored strictly since birth. Pampered and sheltered, he is diligent and extremely knowledgeable about both martial and noble matters, a true scholar. He however has little real world experience outside of mock training. He also has rarely met people without his father's approval or inclusion which has made him shy of strangers. With the rumors around his father's exclusion from rising the ranks and intense focus on tutoring his son, many expect great things from Louis. They call him the chosen prodigy, and some rather mockingly calling him "The Golden Egg", with Elena being called "Golden Goose", referring to the tales and mocking Rainer for giving up on his own ambitions for his unproven son.