Philomene Asteris
Basic Information[]
- Full Name: Philomene Amanthe Asteris (née Declan)
- Nicknames: Mena, Shadow, Starling
- Race: Human
- Class: Priestess
- Age: 23
- Birthday: 9 September
- Sex: Female
- Height: 5' 3"
- Weight: 100 lbs
- Professions: Inscription/Tailoring
- Birthplace: Hearthglen
- Loyalties: Guild, Guardian, Self.
- Guild: The Servitors of Lothar
- Alignment: Lawful Evil
Physical Description[]
Philomene is a young-looking and rather skinny little priestess. Narrow-hipped and small-breasted, she appears slow to smile and quick to frown. Her expression is typically bland; this is at odds with her nervous hands, given to small gestures and fidgetings. Her features are austere and a bit too strong for her face, lending her an avian air. Her eyes are a watery slate blue, spaced rather wide on her otherwise narrow face. She is extremely fair-skinned, a legacy from a lifetime spent largely indoors. Her ears tend to flush when she is embarrassed, giving the lie to her generally inscrutable countenance.
She is not what the average person would call pretty by any stretch of the imagination. An accurate description would be "hatchet-faced". She has a scar on her left palm as well as one on the inside of her left forearm, a remnant from a bad break in childhood.
Her shoulder-length, wavy black hair has been recently shorn off. It now scarcely brushes her chin. She can typically be found in the somber robes of a priest or a scribe, and in fact despises pants. She eschews cosmetics and does not appear the sort who pays attention to fashion, though she is always tidy. What jewelry she does wear consists of her signet ring, bearing the lion guardant of her order, a her engraved truesilver wedding band, and a small braided leather bracelet. This bracelet looks almost crudely made compared to the simple, elegant lines of the rest of her jewelry.
She bears two tattoos:
- On her left side, from ribcage to hipbone are three words, inscribed in a flowing, ornate black script: "Words are wind."
- On her back, from neck to buttocks and running down her spine is another quotation, this one much longer. It is replicated just on the other side of her vertebrae, running up the spine this time, to lend a certain visual symmetry: "You will know it is love when you give it without expectation of the same in return." This tattoo has unfortunately been bisected by a massive scar.
Personality[]
Philomene is the sort of woman who would straighten a picture frame in a rented room. She is meticulous, pragmatic, and not given to scenes of any kind. She is calculating and selfish, subtle and patient. She prefers pleasures unseen to those ready for the taking and mislikes wasted effort in any form.
Quirks[]
Anyone who knows Philomene would likely become aware of certain peccadillos:
- Vehemently despises the scents of apples and sandalwood.
- Does not speak in public; she eschews speech in favor of scribbling notes on parchment or utilizing the Servitors' fingertalk: a sign language based loosely upon military signals and thieves' sign, vastly expanded for daily use.
- Has a weakness for moonberries.
- Fiddles with her hairpins when nervous.
- Cannot stand being touched; though she is working to correct this to some extent she remains visibly standoffish.
- When barefoot her toes also evince signs of nervousness; they are a bit wiggly.
- Likes animals but despises children, in spite of being a trained midwife.
- Cannot seem to put together a decent meal, despite her best efforts.
- Has a rather stubborn allergy to spiders; even proximity is enough to cause her face to itch and swell. Only alchemical means seem to alleviate/prevent symptoms.
- Seems rather bitter when asked about the Cathedral of the Light, the Stormpikes, or the Argent Tournament.
- Has a habit of giving people nicknames.