Damiana Valardin
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Damiana Valardin | |
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Social Rank | 3 |
Fealty | Valardin |
House | Valardin |
Gender | Female |
Age | 25 |
Religion | Faith Of The Pantheon |
Vocation | Politician |
Height | 5'7" |
Hair Color | Blonde |
Eye Color | White |
Skintone | Tan |
Family | |
Parents | Lyonis Valardin, Larra Redrain |
Siblings | Gwenys Valardin, Emma Valardin |
Uncles/Aunts | Caius Valardin, Marianne Valardin |
Cousins | Audrey None (formerly Valardin), Celine Valardin, Lenard Valardin |
Journals | |
Authored By / Featured In | |
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Description
Damiana was always a gorgeous woman, so much so that it was almost expected from her that she would grow to be vain and addicted to silks to compliment her stunning looks. She stands tall and her mane of blonde curls reaches the middle of her back, a cascade of gold that once-complemented her vivid green eyes superbly now frames her milky orbs, her sight gone. Effortlessly sultry, there is an air of superioriy that Damiana exudes even without trying, calling back to tales of arrogant dragons perched alone upon their nests above the land. Her slim body is not devoid of strength, but whatever lingers from her days traininig with a sword doesn't get nearly as much attention these days.
Personality
While sisters take the forefront of battles, Damiana is the power behind throne. No matter how righteous a war those require troops to be well fed and provisioned, supply lines must be clear and allies must be secured. Growing up Damiana had all the makings of a knight herself, but overtime she veered towards the life as a courtier, and now those skills merged in to a cunning politician that puts Valardin first, aware that a lumbering, hungry dragon is of no use to the people it was supposed to protect. Since losing her sight she has become a woman of few smiles and few words, unless the occasion demands them. Inwards, Damiana considers herself responsible for the Tragedy, as if she should have been able to foresee it, or at least wield a sword to die fighting, and now that her world was plunged into darkness she spends most of her days thinking of the next strike, and how the enemy will come after them next. Some may call her paranoid, but the price of peace is eternal vigilance. While she may sometimes crack when around her siblings or those she respects, and feel self-conscious about her eyes and dependence on others, Damiana more often than not embraces the heavy self-imposed burdens on her shoulders. She survived, and she has no room to complain.
Background
Damiana was born in a line of heroes who seldom married outside the Valardin or Wyrmguard families, at least until Prince Sherrod Redrain and Prince Radley Valardin decided to marry her parents in an effort to ease the tensions between the Oathlands and the North. A full year of courtship later and Princess Larra Redrain married Prince Lyonis Valardin. Their story of duty and, some say, even love, saw the birth of three children and ended in the Sanctum decades later with the Tragedy.
Growing up there was no girl as lovable than Damiana, someone who could sit a table with her peers and be the heart of their fun, or take a seat with the adults and appeal to people from all directions of the Compact. She had a knack for figuring out people, finding their hearts and worming her way in, and while she trained her swordarm and to ride on horseback, it was clear her path laid outside the battlefield and in the courts. There were even talks of having the young woman join the Whisper House for a life of peacekeeping within the Compact, but with so many marriage proposals flying in Damiana and her mother did not rush to any one decision too fast. Even though she did fight with Emma, who though Damiana was too vapid; and Gwenys, who Damiana thought was too uncivilized, Damiana was in no rush to leave her family to go anywhere, her whole life ahead of her and teeming with potential. That same potential, and her life, came crashing down with the Tragedy.
Damiana doesn't talk about the Tragedy, not ever, but what little is known is that she was found crawling among the corpses, bloodied and blind. She had no wounds on her that would account for the loss of her sight but the woman cried copiously, and locked in darkness not many gave Damiana a fighting chance. For weeks she remained in a dark room in isolation until confirmation that her sisters Gwenys and Emma had also survived, but what Damiana herself thought of it all remained a mystery. What is known is that despite many loyal servants and even family members writing the once-adorable Damiana off, believing she did not have it in her to overcome her new condition and all the losses, the Princess rebounded quite well. Maybe too well. In Sanctum none of her peers saw her shed further tears for her parents, and she plunged herself to work, filling the void left behind by other deceased Valardin. Along with stewards and economists she worked tirelessly to bring the House from the brink, and many say that is what has given her purpose since.
With the rallying cry of the Dragon banners to fight in Skal'daja and Emma's summons to Arx, Damiana joined the family there, now completely transformed from winsome socialite into a dangerously cunning politician. The Valardin do not have the fame of breeding many of those, and the other Houses think honor is a detriment to diplomacy, but Damiana takes no heed of other Houses' worries. The dragon does not listen to Foxes, Badgers, Bears, Sins, Serpents or anything but itself. The dragon soars alone.