Sofia Velenosa

Sofia Velenosa
Social Rank	3
Fealty	Velenosa "Velenosa" is not in the list of possible values (Redrain, Valardin, Grayson, Thrax, Pravus, Lyceum, Crown) for this property.
House	Velenosa
Gender	Female
Age	24
Religion	Pantheon
Vocation	Courtier
Height	average height
Hair Color	Black
Eye Color	Black
Skintone	Warm Gold
Family
Parents	Caradicco Velenosa, Enhilda Halfshav
Siblings	Lorenzo Redrain, Alessandro Velenosa
Uncles/Aunts	Vercyn Halfshav, Ahern Halfshav, Riker Halfshav, Khorinne Frorevind, Adelie Pravus, Benedetta Gallo, Wylla Halfshav
Cousins	Brianna Halfshav, Arik Halfshav, Khanne Halfshav, Aine Halfshav, Reve Darkwater, Cirdan Halfshav
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Description

Just under average in height at five-foot-four, she carries herself taller, her head held high and her stride measured by the straight-backed perfection of her posture. The wine-soaked languor of her movement eases what would otherwise be an unyielding regality, tending to express with her hands and sway her hips in time with her step. Large, liquid eyes as rich and warm as black velvet drink the world through a veil of lashes just as dark, gleaming with the barest luster. The flat bridge of her nose balances those wide, deep eyes before upturning in a snub above the ever dynamic bow of her ruby lips. Thick sable hair spills in heavy, silken waves to the small of her back, complementing the rich and dusky gold of her complexion. Aristocratic and angular, her face would be diamond-shaped if not brought to such pert relief by the high bones of her cheeks, the slope of her nose, and the heart's point of her chin. Her sleek, supple figure describes a distinctly feminine contour, with a modest swell at her chest but a pronounced flare of her hips that culminates in the plush curve of her rear, the rest of her silhouette characterized by the shapely slenderness of her limbs. Indulging her vanity, she has glossed her nails to a mirrorlike shine and tipped each in crescents of gilt.

Personality

Dramatic, intelligent and seductive, Sofia inevitably learns more about others in conversation than they learn about her, but she has a knack for engaging people to the point that either they don't notice or perhaps find an allure in it, trying to figure her out. The sultry spy, the elusive instigator: these she can be, layered clever intelligence beneath a smooth lacquer of social certainty, slippery flirtation, and warmth too pure and perfect to be entirely manufactured ... isn't it? She can glide through almost any situation and has developed a nearly uncanny understanding of what to say, and what not to say. Humble courtesy can hide many a glib remark, and gentle coquetry can shield a razor wit. Sofia may know that she is smarter than most, but she isn't rude or foolish enough to reveal that. It's enough to get what you want from someone; you need never let them know that.

Background

Not all heroes carry swords, and in the Lyceum, subtlety and cunning are as highly valued as feats of arms. It is these stories on which Sofia was reared, and these passions that fed her youthful education. From her family, she learned the danger of being too forthright, and the surety of vengeance for wrongs; from her city's history, she learned that a poisoned dagger can easily be concealed behind a sultry smile; and from the seraph of Lenosia, who was her teacher, she learned that self-knowledge is a shield and doubt a sword.

In Arx, the dangers of the Lycene life are almost a joke, taken as read, forgotten behind smiles and fans, but at court in the Lyceum, assassination is a true risk, and mystery a real reality. Before she reached her majority, death upon death were the story in the Lyceum -- this duke dead of "mysterious circumstances", this other duchess executing her own brother for machinations against the high seat, an Archduchess dead, another Archduchess murdered. These were the times, of war and chaos, into which she reached adulthood, studying the politics of the Compact from afar. While she and her cousin Silvio reigned in near-perfect social supremacy over their lessers at court in Lenosia, the potential for real politics and real mystery lured her in distant Arx. As threats of another war loomed and many of her family prepared to march or sail for Setarco to defend against a dire threat, Sofia humbly stepped forward, and said, "perhaps I too can serve," and sailed for the capital.