[App] ms_elegante V. 2.0

Your Name: Alma
Age: 29, although this becomes 30 in December! :O
Username: almalthia
Email: almagryph@yahoo.com
IM: AIM: harpygryphon; although LJ msg is best

Character Name: Talia
Series: Book: The Heralds of Valdemar
Timeline: End of 'Arrow's Fall', before she is rescued by Dirk and Elspeth

Background:
Talia is of a Border people called Holderkin, a puritanical group that discouraged the knowledge of outside things and promoted subservient women and polygamous marriages. Often punished for her self-minded ways and nonconformity, she was very ill-suited for the subordinate role that the men of her village had planned for her. Often daydreaming of becoming a Herald, she had no idea what it meant to have a Herald's Companion carry her off; thinking him instead a simple horse that had run from its Herald master.

Lesser prepared was she for the explosive gift that would emerge shortly after her arrival at the Collegium in Haven; her Gift of Empathy and MindHealing, though not MindSpeech.

She found herself constantly on the offensive, defending Rolan's Choosing and proving that she was indeed very capable of the position she was given. Yes, she was green and young, but it was the situation needed for the assisted rearing of The Brat.

Queen Selenay put her daughter Elspeth into the hands of Talia to help hone her into a young woman more befitting a Companion. She was spoiled when Talia came into her life, but Talia was very versed in the care and treatment of littles and Elspeth was treated no differently than one of those Talia had helped rear in her own village. Before long, there was a polite young woman in place of the child that many felt would fail as future Queen.

There was the problem of those that had whispered in the ear of the little princess, however. Hulda the nurse and Lord Ancar, the man she answered to, were amongst several that were plotting for Valdemar's overthrow and the downfall of Selenay.

Hulda the nurse fled to the lands of Karse to escape the crime of treason and to reunite with her Lord.

Talia encountered more than just the problem of straightening out the Brat during her first few months, however. Much like her successor, she found her own life in peril after but a few short months when a group from a side of the Collegium (not affiliated with Healers, heralds or Bards) nearly killed her. She had been harassed by the group since her arrival at Haven, and her nerves and psyche were frayed and raw. She didn't believe there was anyone she could turn to that would believe it was happening; until they chucked her into a freezing river. This attempt on her life, and subsequent bump to her head, led to the awakening of her Gifts of Empathy and Mind Healing.

Then came the time for her to go out into the world on her first Circuit (1 1/2 year tour around Valdemar) with her senior Herald (and friend) Kris. During the course of this circuit, the pair become snowed in at a weigh station (a Herald rest stop equipped with various emergency rations) and it became evident that Talia has no control over her Gifts. Thus began the grueling task of Kris and Rolan re-training her and teaching her to center, ground and shield. The pair could not risk her Gifts going awry when she was supposed to be acting as envoy and adviser to the Queen. Lord Orthallen (Kris' uncle) was quite fond of spreading these rumors.

She succeeded on her circuit and returned to claim her Whites and began serving at the side of Queen Selenay as adviser, reading those around her with her Gifts. She became the rather constant companion of Elspeth and kept the young woman from making foolish decisions where young men were concerned. The task then became investigating a proposed union between Elspeth and Lord Ancar of Karse, a partnership Lord Orthallen wished to thwart to get himself closer to the throne.

Talia was sent to Karse with Kris to act as an envoy and see if Ancar was a suitable match, but it was found to be a trap as they witness Ancar overthrowing and killing his own father. In the escape attempt, Kris and his Companion were killed and Talia was injured and captured. During her imprisonment, and with the aide of a local, she managed to prepare several signal arrows and got them to Rolan, sending him to halt Selenay and her entourage at the border and warn them of the trap and betrayal.

She was tortured (physically, mentally and magically), raped and finally broken by Ancar and Hulda, but with the help of the same man outside the walls of her prison, obtained a vial of argonal (a deadly poison). Having realized that her chances of survival have run out, she drank the contents of the bottle and began to slip into a coma and die.

She was rescued by Elspeth and Dirk (her life-bonded) with the use of their gifts (Farsight and Fetching). She was pulled across the battle lines and brought home, and while the war was fought and Karse was pushed back to their lands, Talia healed.

Though brutal, the battle was won and the armies returned to their sides in a tentative balance.

Arrows of the Queen: Book 1
Arrow's Flight: Book 2
Arrow's Fall: Book 3
Valdemar

Personality: Heralds as a whole are Chosen with specific personality types; patient, unselfish, responsible, and capable of heroic devotion to their duties.

Talia is not used to conforming and is of her own mind amongst her Border dwelling Holderkin, believing women are just as authoritative as men. She is good with children and has been responsible for watching, and teaching, the children of her Hold since she was nine years old.

Though Talia has a constant press of concern regarding her Gift, she presents herself as secure in both her abilities to use and not misuse them. She went through many trials when training to use them and seems confident that she is capable in their use both as a Herald and as a person. This is not, however, entirely accurate; if at all. She is truthfully, even years into being a trained Herald, questioning her Gift and the uses of it. She knows there is only the slightest wavering between using it as she should and taking advantage of it, as she has been pressed to. She worries if she has been properly trained to handle her own Gifts, especially after her breakdown on her Circuit. In truth, it would be very easy to misuse her Gift and she is well aware of it.

Unlike other Gifts, the only thing to keep Talia from misusing her Gift is her own moral values, and as she is still young, there is a wavering in them; she can be coaxed to see things perhaps in a way she shouldn't. She knows that she should do what is best for the kingdom and her monarch, but she questions if reading and persuading people as she can is right. So, she sometimes hesitates in using her Gifts at all, which could prove to be her downfall in a battle of political leanings; let alone cost her her own life in an attack of physical means.

She has also been placed in a political seat that she has no real business being in, and questions it herself. She was from a small border village and knew little more than she gleaned from the few books she was able to get a hold of. It was only after coming to the Collegium that she began to learn, but political intrigue is not something she is well versed in.

She is smart, fun-loving, passionate toward her causes. Strong-willed and athletic and the fury of a cornered she-cat when crossed unjustly. Quick to laugh and passionate in her ability to love and forgive, though relentless when in support of her friends or loved ones. Cautious around anything remotely involved in politics, she approaches such things carefully. She is emotional, a sure sign of her still being rather young, and her Gifts tend to augment this fact. She has been known to lash out more than necessary, particularly when emotions are running high around her. If not tightly shielded (and she does let them drop if she's not careful), she can pick up too much from those around her and act without thinking.

Once on board, she will be far more wary and withdrawn (both as she recovers and has fully recovered), particularly around magic users and men. She will suffer flashbacks and post-traumatic stress and there is no real way of knowing what might trigger her. She will be fighting the effect of not having Rolan any longer, and being forced from her life-bond (SUCK!) which will make her a bit desolate in their own right.

Appearance: Talia is 5'2" tall and weighs approximately 123 lbs. Her brown/auburn hair is kept in various lengths, depending on how much effort she is willing to put into it and what season it is. The main deciding factor on this is that her hair is very curly when it's kept super short, and tends to ease into looser ringlets when longer. She has a heart-shaped face and is very trim and muscled, due to her constant level of physical training.

Spoken / written languages: Spoken: Common (English) and Karsite. Written: Common (English) and Karsite

Abilities:
Book Canon:
Empathy: the ability to read and influence the emotions of others. Talia is a STRONG mental projector and uses her Gift on circuits while acting as envoy and adviser to the Queen.

Mind Healing: focuses on the maladies of the mind and emotions, rather than the physical well-being of the patient. She can ease the transition of mental illness and will be able to break through deceptions or see if the mind has been tampered with. She can restore the mind, though it can take time and prove quite taxing.

Talia can heal with her mind and read emotions, but she can also hurt with these same gifts. She broke the mind of a man that was known to be a child molester and made him relive the pain and emotion of his victim. Warm and fuzzy, right? Now, in the book, this would only tire her a bit and she'd be up and moving.

She has been trained in combat by a master at arms and is more than capable with a sword/throwing knives/bow and arrow. She is slight of build so her physical fighting abilities are not as strong as some, but she is fit and will go down fighting rather than not. She is an able-bodied horse-woman and can do anything horseback; no really, try her. She is diplomatic and well-rounded, willing and able to do what must be done.

NERF'd version:
- Her Empathy will still work, but with the following changes: Similar to how Sookie from Trueblood picks up thoughts, Talia picks up emotions from those around her. However, now on board the Elegante, she will find not just some, but EVERYONE difficult to read and 'muted/fuzzy' to her unless they are either a really strong projector or deliberately aiming thoughts/emotions at her. (I will have a permissions post)
- She will still project strongly when she is not in control of her abilities, but only then (ie: unconscious, wounded, panicked and TRYING to be heard)
- Her Mind Healing will still work, but with the following changes: It will be far more difficult for her to tell if someone's thoughts have been tampered with (if she can tell at all). Though she will want to help everyone, she won't be able to. She will only ever have a success rate of 20% in healing a tampered mind (where she was 100%).
- She'll experience headaches more easily, especially if she tries to over-extend what the boat allows her to do.
- Please note that she can't read thoughts, but emotions only. Same with projecting, although Rolan could read her thoughts plainly.
- She'll still be awesome in combat, so long as she has a weapon to use, but is still physically not as strong as many. Her horsemanship skills also will not help her terribly on a boat, unless she somehow gets astride a ponybee. ;)

Items: Just herself in scraps of clothing; perhaps with her bottle of remaining argonal still in hand. (she did just drink it, after all)

Third Person Sample:
(from years before, when she encountered Haven for the first time)
Talia looked at the field before her, hazel eyes wide-spread with a newly born mix of fear and excitement. She hadn't ever left the borderlands of the Hold and she had never known just how widely spread they were. Certainly, she had read as much as she had been able to when hiding away from her chores, but she only had a limited supply of books.

Velgarth was so widely spread and with so much fantastical promise, and yet Talia was to be married at the tender age of thirteen. She hated the very idea of it, but there was little enough to say about it as not only a little, but as a woman. Her opinion mattered as much as the chattel grazing in the fields. She would be expected to mind her manners and birth children with the other women sharing wifely duties with her husband; and their would be others. Women outnumbered the men along the Border, and polygamy was a practice alive and well, even if not appreciated by all those participating.

That would have been the path before Talia, but instead, she watched the world sweep past her gaze; the lands of Velgarth stretched out before her as she sat astride this stupid horse that refused to stop, no matter how hard she tugged and yanked his bejeweled reins.

Talia's world was broadening before her very eyes, but she didn't have a chance to take it all in before it swept past her, the white mane of her mount whipping her in the face. She didn't dare leap from his back at the speed his was traveling, for she would certainly break her foolish neck in doing so. The only hope she had was that the creature would tire eventually she would be able to slip off.

But he didn't stop. His smooth gait carried them across the fields and roads, the dirt turning to cobbled path as the towns became bigger and bigger around her. He only began to slow as the clear sound of hooves on cobbled street reached her ears and she looked up from his neck, mouth falling open in shock and awe at the site before her.

First Person Sample:
[audio]

[There is the sound of someone/thing shifting around and a breathy gasp. Could that have been pain you heard there?]

What .. Where?? What's going on ..[another gasp and groan] Merciful Goddess .. Where in the stars am I?

[video kicks in as well..how nice of it!! My, but this young woman doesn't appear in good shape at all, does she?? Her clothes are nearly shredded to nothing and she is covered in both filth and blood. Beneath the grime it is quite plain that she is .. not well.]]

Hello? HELLO? Can ANYONE hear me?? [her eyes widen as she braces herself against the wall with one hand, doubling over as if in pain] Oh, Goddess .. the argo- [she retches to the side, messing on herself and the floor. Her eyes jerk around the unfamiliar room.]

I don't know .. what kind of magic .. brought me here .. but if anyone can .. hear me .. Please .. [she hiccups a pain filled sobbed, trembling] Must be a fever dream .. dying .. Goddess save me, I'm dying .. cold .. I'm so cold .. [she appears to be seeing things that aren't there now, which is never really a good sign, is it?]

Selenay! Rolan found you? Oh, thank the stars .. Don't let .. Elspeth .. It's a trap .. mustn't trust them. [her knees give out now and she topples to the ground with a cry, barely catching herself with her hands.] He found you .. Oh Rolan .. I knew you would. I knew you'd find them .. you've done well, my love. [she looks to be slipping away now, her gaze distant. If you are magical sensing of any kind, you will possibly be picking up her projections of pain and grief as she is now unable to keep herself from doing so.]

Rolan .. I'm sorry .. ngh .. can't .. can't keep warm. Find another .. Protect them .. I love you .. [have a very pain filled gasp and sob as she doubles over on herself and finally begins to relax] Dirk .. doesn't hurt anymore. Numb .. going to sleep, he said .. I'm just going to sleep ..

[audio clicks off with a final sob, but video stream continues as her gaze grows distant and her elbows collapse, dropping her to the ground. Her fingers loosen enough for a bottle to roll from them before clicking off as well]


Preferred Quarters: Deck 6, Near Vanyel


Re: Third Person Sample:
Talia stared out over the railing of the MS Elegante, her hazel eyes fixed on a point far off in the horizon. It had only been a few days since she had been accosted, or saved dependent upon the point of view, and brought to live on the sea-faring vessel, but it had seemed already a good deal longer.

She was certain, if she inquired, that there would be any number of passengers willing to help her keep herself busy. She was certain she could inquire of any of the crew and find tasks she was capable of doing.

However, her mind was elsewhere. In truth, her mind was on another world entirely; a world she was told that she was better off putting behind her. Her hand balled into a fist at the thought, brows knitting in frustration as a savage shake of her head followed. "No," she breathed softly, throat tight around the word. She refused to concede that everything she knew was no more. She refused to accept that her beloved Companion had been forcibly taken from her, along with her life-bonded, Dirk.

Dirk .. what would her life-mate have thought when he was told she was gone? Would he have thought her dead? Would he have fought those that had declared such? Or would he have accepted that no amount of searching with no amount of Gifts had found her?

She eased her fist and looked away from the water and down at the bottle she held grasped in her hand. Within the glass vial remained the contents of the argonal she had tried to kill herself with. Though no large amount, easily enough remained still coating the walls that she might have attempted it again.

She gazed at the bottle for a good while, throat tight as she inhaled slowly and looked out at the water again. Talia heaved her arm then and sent the vial spinning out over the water, watching as it was engulfed with barely any splash. She had heard tales of what happened to those that had died while aboard the ship, and their ultimate return just a short time later. There was no point in attempting such a thing as suicide aboard the enchanted vessel she rode. Clearly her destiny had been taken from her own hands and was being guided by those of another.

Although not pleased, and desperately alone, Talia would not give into such a person without some fashion of a fight. She was a Herald, and by the Stars, she wasn't going to simply wallow in self pity. She would see her beloved Companion and life-mate again; no matter what those around her might have said to suggest otherwise. She was no longer in Valdemar, but that didn't mean that she was relieved of her duties and responsibilities. There were those that would be in need of her help and she would be there to see it given.

She was, and would always be, a Herald.

First Person Sample:
[audio]

[There is the sound of something/one shifting, and the telltale sound of rustling sheets; you all never get tired of this, do you? CLACK Ahh, now that was the sound of the communicator falling from the bed and onto the floor.]

Wha- What's going on? [The voice is feminine and certainly tinged with confusion.] Hello? HELLO?? Where in Haven .. [The sound of bare feet moving across the room and the sound of the door opening, followed by a horrified cry.]

Ahh! What is this?! [Here's a bit of a familiar crunch as a foot connects with the communicator, sending crackles of static through the line.]

OW! Oh, blast that dirty piece of dung ridde- What in the blazes?? [audio and video] [And a telltale click she can't possibly understand sends her open communication, both audio and video, across the ship. The young woman staring into the screen looks both confused and scared, her eyes wide and her hair disheveled. My, but she doesn't seem to be taking to this very well.]

Hello? Is there anybody there? I- I don't know how this works .. but .. can anyone hear me? I - [Oh dear, are those tears?! Now she's looking around her bunk room in rather a bit of a panic.]

Rolan?? ROLAN?! [Anyone so gifted might feel/'hear' her silent panicked screams that echo the vocal ones.]

Nothing .. oh, bright Goddess .. no one at all! But how? Why??? Dirk?? DIRK?! [How cries are plaintive and heartbroken. Oh dear, she seems to realize she can't feel anyone she knows. She can barely feel anyone at all!]

[Here she is now looking down at her hand, her other hand clutching the communicator rather tightly. Oops! A small glass vial drops from her hand as she jerks away, her expression betraying her confusion and fear as she looks around the room again.] Am I dead? I.. I don't know where I am .. Please .. My name is Talia .. [She is looking at the strange communicator again, her expression less fearful to anyone that can't pick up her clearly radiating horrified thoughts.]

I don't know who is responsible for this .. but I must get news to Queen Selenay of Valdemar. If you're seeking a ransom of some kind, I will speak to you directly before terms are considered. I will not be bullied and Valdemar will not deal with terrorists.. [She seems unable to help the slight waver of her voice at the last. She clearly has no idea how she got here, but the memories of what happened to her seem fresh enough to have been moments before .. but why oh why is she healed then? Had it all been in her head? Was she captive still? Questions, questions!]

ANCAR! Answer me, you bastard! Where are you now?! Wher- [Oh my, but her brave facade seems to be falling apart!! Tears, again .. tssk tssk.] Where am I? [And with that, her communicator falls to the floor with a clatter and she slumps down beside it, doubled over with sobs as the memories flood over her. She was alive, somehow, but bright Goddess what they had done to her and might still do.. Had they healed her only to do it all again??? Poor dear is terribly distraught and projecting without any sense of control .. so sorry about that!]