Aura Ventress
Appearance and Equipment
* Short, asymmetric, styled white hair, golden eyes, pale skin, 5'6", lithe build. Three gold earrings in her left ear: two normal hoops, one sigil emblazoned with the insignia of House Sirl.
* Wears white, military style uniforms. White jacket with golden trim and four ornate clasps down the chest, feathered epaulets, white gloves, white trousers, long sleeve black turtleneck undershirt, black dress shoes.
* Typically unarmed or "unarmed"--favors small, easily concealed trick weapons.
Skills and Abilities
Self-Projections: Ventress can instantly create up to twelve self-projections within a full one mile radius. She has full control over her Projections, access to all of their senses, and each may use her full arsenal of magic. The Projections are essentially copies of Ventress, indistinguishable from the real Dreadlord. The neural network between herself and her Projections allows them to persist even if she herself is incapacitated (though new Projections cannot be made). Ventress, however, experiences psychosomatic damage herself whenever one of her Projections is harmed--feeling a ghost of their pain.
** Upon taking fatal damage, the Projections dissipate.
** Overuse of Projections will lead slowly into psychosis. Temporary, and then inevitably irreversible.
College Magic (Arcane Specialization): As with all Dreadlords, Ventress has been trained in College Magic. She excels in harnessing raw Arcane energy for offense, a favorite being the simple and efficient Magic Missile. Multiplied across all of her Projections all casting their own spells in tandem, the results are often devastating.
Martial Training: Dreadlord training has granted Ventress a proficiency with a wide variety of differing weapons. However, she often prefers not to carry a weapon, relying solely on her magic. Wrist-mounted spikes are a favorite, using magic to trigger the mechanism and spring the spike unexpectedly out from her sleeve (and typically into a victim's forehead).
Personality and Characteristics
Major
* Mind Fissure, permanent damage sustained whilst in the Academy. Ventress must take focusing drugs (Sagetyr) daily to retain her sense of self and ability to distinguish between fantasy and reality. When destabilized by lack of the drug or by emotion, she will slip into referring to herself as a multitude. "We," "us," "our," etc.
* Meticulous, orderly, extremely clean. Very particular about everything she does.
* Prim, proper, polite. Disciplined. Readily takes to following structure, and ruthlessly enforces structure on others within it. Maintains an undying loyalty to House Sirl.
* Very seldom raises her voice. Speaks questions without inflecting her pitch. Exceptionally good at maintaining unblinking eye contact.
* Unhurried. Never in a rush, always takes her time. Moves languidly, as if she has all the time in the world.
Minor
+ Goes by her surname, Ventress, because her Mind Fissure has robbed her of the individuality of relating to her own first name, Aura. Additionally, often uses the passive voice instead of saying "I." For example, "You were observed..." instead of "I observed you..."
+ Has several methods to assist in regaining focus if she begins to falter, such as reciting mathematical problems and chewing on mint leaves.
+ Very often stands with her hands folded behind her back in sharp, military fashion.
+ Minor obsession (and fear) of the number twelve.
+ Has a secret dream of marrying into House Sirl.
+ Has a fixation with washed hands (and hands in general). Washing her own often more than necessary, badgering others to wash theirs just as much. Adores clean hands and nails.
+ Enjoys sessions of sensory deprivation.
+ Dislikes animals.
+ Has several methods to assist in regaining focus if she begins to falter, such as reciting mathematical problems and chewing on mint leaves.
+ Very often stands with her hands folded behind her back in sharp, military fashion.
+ Minor obsession (and fear) of the number twelve.
+ Has a secret dream of marrying into House Sirl.
+ Has a fixation with washed hands (and hands in general). Washing her own often more than necessary, badgering others to wash theirs just as much. Adores clean hands and nails.
+ Enjoys sessions of sensory deprivation.
+ Dislikes animals.
Biography and Lore
Aura Ventress, even in her earliest memory of life, knew only the Academy.
Like all Initiates, she was raised to be a warrior and indoctrinated to hold unwavering loyalty to Vel Anir. Like most Initiates, she was broken.
The Proctors pushed the limits of her Self-Projection, forcing her on pain of torture to constantly improve. Aura struggled immensely with maintaining eleven Projections. The Proctors pushed her further. The first and last time Aura created twelve Projections at once, she dropped to the floor and immediately into a short-team coma. Her mind became permanently damaged--healers could not repair what they referred to as "the Fissure." But the girl was salvaged before the decision was made to dispose of her. Aura was gone, and Ventress was born.
Graduating from the Academy as a Second Level, Ventress pledged herself to House Sirl. Isbrand Lorel, House Sirl's premier Dreadlord, had courted and coaxed Ventress to the Sirl banner during her training, and thus her pledge was a natural consequence. Ventress integrated herself seamlessly into House Sirl's affairs, taking readily to their shadowy dealings and proving herself a reliable hand at assassination. Isbrand she considered a friend, though she would become quietly jealous whenever he (or other Sirl Dreadlords) garnered the attention or praise of the Sirl nobles--particularly the bachelors.
Once Isbrand attained the rank of Archon, however, a gap was left in which Ventress was thrilled to fill. Under Isbrand's tutelage and through House Sirl's consistent tempo of employing her skills, Ventress improved dramatically. She became House Sirl's new premier Dreadlord, achieving First Level and status as the head of Sirl's clandestine operations.
It would not last long. In a few short years the Revolution happened, and House Sirl was devastated in the fighting.
Absent from Vel Anir at the time, Ventress returned to the city without knowing what had transpired. She was met at the gates by a sizeable force of Guardsmen and pro-Revolution Dreadlords. They issued an ultimatum to her: swear off House Sirl, accept the Guard and the new Republic, or face The Executioner. A standoff which lasted a full hour ensued, by the end of it Ventress was simply repeating, over and over, "Where is Isbrand. We want to know where he is. Where is Isbrand." It took the intervention of a surviving Sirl cousin to defuse the conflict before it came to violence.
Now Ventress finds herself in a world she never could have anticipated. One that she does not understand, and does not want. Molded by the brutality of the Academy and of House Sirl, the expectations of the new Anirian Republic and the Guard in which she has been forced to serve will prove to be her greatest challenge yet.
