Queen Amedessa of Conté

[Queen Amedessa of Conté]

Player

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Alias: Roy
Gender: Female
Contact: [e-mail] (or "admin" on the board chat)
Location/Time Zone: USA, CST.

Character

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Name: Amedessa Elestra of Conté, "Eles" only to a select few
Gender: Female
Age: 29
City: Corus
Status: Queen of Tortall

Personality
Like most Contés, Amedessa inherently has a strong personality and equally strong opinions, with an obstinancy of equal strength to match. Her temper is considered perhaps the most tolerant of any Conté monarch yet, which some remark is the sole trait she gained from her mother. Some view Amedessa's intelligence and quickness of mind to be brusque, her ease and familiarity among men unseemly and her nature very unladylike in most of its aspects.

The queen's talents lie in her judgement and her aptitude for leadership, as her tomboyishness probably took root in her lack of other talents. Amedessa has a poor ear for music and only a sympathetic eye for art––the sound of crickets are symphony enough for her and a sloop-of-war with sails unfurled is in her eyes a masterpiece. Her dancing is fair, greatly helped by better partners, whose sense of rhythm often exceed her own.

She is both an active and bright individual, though by no means a staunch intellectual. She will read when pressed, but finds that the best experiences and knowledge can be gained only first-hand and that one should only turn to books when they require factual knowledge.

One of her favourite things to do when she is not confined by her duties as reigning monarch is to simply be out of doors, walking or riding. Hunting is another one of her favourite past times, although she will seldomly hunt if Gideon cannot find the time to include himself in the hunting party.

-Personality Flaw: Bah. She has plenty. They're in there and I'm lazy.


Appearance
Amedessa has a firm, upright figure that seems to command an air of royalty. Although surpassed in beauty by her younger sisters, Amedessa is commended as being attractive; unlike her two sisters, Amedessa has fair, auburn hair and light blue eyes, with a strong jaw and a stubborn chin, as well as nobly arched brows and a proud nose.

As a child, she was an incurable tomboy and spent as much of her time out of doors as she possibly could. Likewise, Amedessa acquired traits that would better befit a Lady Knight than a Queen: a knobby left wrist where the bones had broken and been healed after being thrown from a wild colt, faded freckles that make her complexion coarser and more unseemly than other court ladies', a healthy, well-rounded figure that defies the proportions of fashion and lastly has given her an almost "manly" confidence in stride that some noblemen find offending in its ease and pride.

-Appearance Flaw: Not thin or delicate, has a more base and/or coarse appearance like that of a Lady Knight; is attractive but not exceedingly so.

History
Amedessa was born the second child of King Artagan II of Conté and his Queen, Elestra of Maren. Five years before, her mother had given birth to a son––but the babe was premature by several months and died while still very young. The two rulers were delighted to have a strong and healthy child, but had hoped for another son to ease the pressure on the Crown.

Over the next few years, Amedessa proved to be an intelligent and quick child. The toddler's amiable nature was much spoken of throughout the kingdom, and in her early years she was enjoyed a good deal of affection from nobles and commonfolk alike. Young Amedessa was also known for her boldness and activeness, which as a child were praised, but later on as an adolescent were frowned upon. Once old enough, she proved herself to be an able and daring rider and an excellent pupil, although her cleverness and her tomboyish nature were viewed as unseemly for a Royal Princess.

Her closest companion from early childhood was Gideon of Genlith, the son of Duke Enoch of Genlith. Although seven years older than Amedessa, he tolerated her as a brother might and was happy to show her how to do wild things on horseback, to hunt, and to play all sorts of clever pranks. Gideon also served as Amedessa's constant source of advise and counsel, something she still continues to go to him for even today.

When Amedessa was seven years old, her mother gave birth to two twin sisters Sarafina Anaïs and Selene Ambrosia. Artagan and Elestra were again disappointed, after hoping and trying for several years to be blessed with another son. After the birth of Sara and Selene, Elestra succumbed to depression that sent her through emotional loops for the next several years until her eventual suicide. Although her death was never proven as suicide, the notion is popularly believed––including by Amedessa herself. Sara and Selene were six at the time and more profoundly impacted by their mother's death than Amedessa, who had been relatively detached from her mother from her early childhood.

While Sara and Selene were still little, Amedessa found she had little to do with them: they were too little to go riding and she detested playing silly games like house and dolls. After they were born, young Amedessa had remarked that she wished they would have been boys so she could have had brothers to play "fun" games with.

At the time of Elestra's death, Amedessa was attending the Convent in the City of the Gods, her parents having sent her there with the idea that she would come back proper. She was sent for by her father to attend her mother's funeral, and upon seeing the state of her two little sisters, refused to return and stayed with them to dutifully fulfill her role in their lives as their older sister. It was difficult to connect with Sara and Selene, because as twins, they had each other and did not first include Amedessa in what was going on. Gradually, however, they opened up to their sister and went to her when they needed advise. When both girls turned eleven, Amedessa approached them about going to the Convent––believing that they would hate the idea just as much as she did. Contrary to what she was expecting, they both readily agreed, and left the next month for a four years' education there, after which they both expressed their desire to study at the university for the succeeding five years. Amedessa was glad to encourage them, hoping that the expirience would foster Sara's independent thought and strengthen Selene's confidence.

Elestra's death seemed to affect the King equally as it did his youngest daughters and the effort he put into his rulership began to slowly slide when his decision making and leadership were most direly needed. Despite urges from his Council to remarry and perhaps produce a male heir, Artagan did not; rumour remains that if the nobles at Court had not so strongly pressured him to marry, the late King might have. But like his Conté ancestors, Artagan had a fierce streak of pride and (resulting from likely being spoiled as a child) would rarely consent to any action that was not of his own deviation. What respect Amedessa had held for her father began to disintegrate as she grew older and Artagan became more and more self-indulged and pitying. Toward the end of his life, Artagan had cemented his life in luxury and had gorged himself to a frightening girth.

Thus, it came as no surprise that Artagan died at a younger age than most of his predecessors from a heart attack. The throne of Tortall was then thrust upon Amedessa, who was far from shy to claim it. Because the Contés' only living relatives were deeply embedded in foreign royal families, the only opposition she was met with was prejudice from her male peers amongst the nobility. Amedessa had worked hard throughout her adolescence to find a balance between her independent, tomboyish side and the more feminine qualities which were expected and demanded of her. Luckily, Amedessa's strong character remained and was bolstered by her new rulership, freeing the direct and firm qualities inherent in her blood.

As they had done with her father, her fellow courtiers encouraged her to marry, which Amedessa steadfastly refused to do. She wants to keep the name of Conté in power as long as she was able and has a profound fear that any consort she takes will assume her powers as queen and make them his own as King of Tortall. Although some would call her both selfish and foolish (especially her two sisters) for not marrying, Amedessa believes she has the best interests for Tortall at heart and determinedly maintains her suitors at a distance.

Like all Contés, Amedessa has a sapphire Gift and as queen is empowered by the Dominion Jewel.


Family
King Artagan II of Conté
Father, Deceased.

Queen Elestra Altessa of Conté
Mother, Deceased.

Prince Orien Artagan of Conté
Elder Brother, Deceased.

Sarafina Anaïs of Conté
Younger Sister, played by Stawr.

Selene Ambrosia of Conté
Younger sister, played by Tyssa.