Post by Ambassador Asalah of Almack on Dec 11, 2011 11:38:58 GMT -6
"My business is to succeed,
and I’m good at it."[/center]
AT FIRST GLANCE
you never know what lies beneath.[/right]
Full Name:
Her formal title is Princess Asalah of Almack, though she is rarely referred to as ‘princess’ and usually prefers ‘lady’ or ‘ambassador’.
Alias:
Her knights and bodyguards usually call her Your Highness, whilst her relatives and friends call her Asalah.
Occupation:
She is Princess of Almack, twin sister of the Emperor, and the Almacki Ambassador.
Gender:
Despite sometimes choosing a more masculine way of dressing and conducting herself than most of her gender, she is female.
Age:
A humble 27 years.
DELVE A LITTLE DEEPER
but you still only graze the outer skin.
but you still only graze the outer skin.
Skin Tone:
Her skin is tanned, marking her as Almacki.
Eyes:
Her amber eyes are ever attentive, missing very little and always interested in what they find before them.
Hair:
Her long, wavy, dark coppery hair frames her strongly-featured face. In the desert of her homeland she usually ties it back to leave her neck more exposed to the wind, but in colder Menor it is usually left to tumble down past her shoulders and rest at the small of her back.
Height:
She stands taller than most of her gender at 5'8'', which adds to her presence.
Build:
Asalah has the build of an athlete; the result of learning swordplay and completing stages of knights’ training to make her battle-ready.
Style:
Her position as Princess of Almack has given her the wealth to dote upon herself, though she usually prefers to dress in a plainer, more basic style than to wear the extravagant costumes she hoards in her wardrobe for special occasions. As all people of Almack, her clothes keep most of her skin covered so that she does not burn in the sun’s heat: she wears a long-sleeved tunic and matching trousers, made from light material with the sleeves and trouser legs loose enough to allow her skin breathing space, though they tighten with elastic at her wrists and ankles, and short leather boots. With this she wears light white gold armour that is mostly for decoration but surprisingly well designed to be efficient in combat, though she tends only to wear this indoors or at night, as in the sunlight it could heat up enough to burn her. She tends to prefer quiet colours for this slightly masculine uniform-like garb; she most often wears white, as it keeps her cool in the desert heat, but she has outfits in brown, grey and black as well. She often wears a headpiece not unlike a tiara, white gold with rubies set into it; an indication of her royal status. She holds herself well; her posture is that of a knight more than that of a princess, indicating discipline and strength. She has an unmistakable presence, and despite her lack of political power in Menor, she still gives the impression of being influential. She carries twin curved swords at her belt, the preferred weapons of combat in Almack. These blades were made especially for her and their hilts match her headpiece.
TAKE A LOOK INTO THE PAST
and you might find something useful.
and you might find something useful.
Father:
(Former) Emperor Malik of Almack - Deceased
Mother:
(Former) Empress Sharifah of Almack - Deceased.
Other:
♥ Twin Brother – Emperor of Almack – Aged 27.
♥ Younger Half-Sister – Princess of Almack – Aged 22.
♥ Younger Half-Brother – Crown Prince of Almack – Aged 20.
♥ Younger Half-Sister – Princess of Almack – Aged 15.
Origin:
Almack.
History:
Firstborn of the Emperor and his wife, Asalah was next in line for the throne of Almack for all of fifteen minutes before her twin brother was born. The twins’ mother died in childbirth, leaving them with a father who resented what they had taken from him but prized them above all else that he had. He had both children raised according to the customs of Almack’s royalty, well-educated not only in matters befitting of royalty but in all manner of worldly subjects, including swordplay and military tactics, as Almacki leaders are as much military figures as political figures. Being without a mother, and having a father whose duties left him with little time for them, served to bring the twins even closer together. Though the Emperor married again, fathering two children with his second wife and, later in life, a final child with his third wife, Asalah went through childhood lacking a true female role model, feeling truly close only to her brother, and thus became quite the tomboy. She allowed her father’s new wife, and after her untimely death his third wife, to play a motherly role in her life, but there was a distance between them that could not be reconciled by intention. Asalah bonded with her younger siblings, seeing herself as no less their sister because of their different mothers, though she was never as close to any of them as to her twin. Her younger brother’s birth made her third in line for the throne, and having two sisters as well relieved the pressure on her to marry into nobility and bear children to continue the royal bloodline. Instead she was free, as the eldest child, to assume a more political role.
The Empire had been gradually expanding southwards to include the entirety of the desert as far as the southern coast, and it was to the completion of this task that Asalah, with her father’s permission, turned her attention once she had completed her education and trained with the squires of the realm for two years to prepare herself to face battle. Leaving the capital for the first time at the age of 21, she first travelled the Empire with her twin brother, looking upon and experiencing the nation that he would someday govern, and then a year later parted ways with her closest friend as he returned home and she embarked on her campaign southward. She established a strategic base in an abandoned temple to Mynoss near to the coast and negotiated with the local tribal settlements, forcing their submission to Empire rule in a decisive midnight conquest of their key settlement that earned her a reputation for efficiency and success. She remained in the south for two further years, overseeing its transformation into territory of the Empire and forcing the scattered but populous, bitterly feuding tribes who made up its population first into a peace treaty and later into a single society, heavily policed by Empire soldiers. It was at the end of this time that her father passed away and her twin brother ascended to the throne aged 26. One of his first actions as Emperor was to appoint Asalah as his Ambassador. She returned to the capital to accept her new position, delighted to be back in her brother’s company. He confided in her his plans to further expand the Almack Empire; to conquer other lands by force and add them to the Empire’s territories. His first target was neighbouring Menor to the north of Almack, to which he decided he would send Asalah on an official visit to encourage greater friendship and communication between the two nations under the new Almacki leader, as a pretext so that she could learn of their defences and provide her brother with the information he would need to invade the land with as few complications as possible. Once their preparations were complete and Asalah had attended to the ceremony and duty that awaited her in her new political position, she left for Menor.
STILL DO NOT JUDGE
for you will never walk their shoes.
for you will never walk their shoes.
Fears:
♥ Failure. Having built her image as that of a successful, influential princess and ambassador, and having been entrusted with a particularly important mission by her brother, it is important to her that she does not fail, so much so that she fears the prospect.
♥ Losing her brother. He is her twin, her best friend and her Emperor, and her loyalty to him is absolute. Losing him would be to lose a part of herself.
Mental Stability:
Sane.
Strengths:
♥ Intelligent & Knowledgeable. Asalah is a very intelligent woman, blessed with a tactical and logical mind. She's also very sharp and quick to catch on. Additionally, a keen student in her youth and an avid reader throughout her adult life, she has acquired a wealth of knowledge about a whole range of things, which she is always keen to both demonstrate and use.
♥ Composed. Asalah has a talent for keeping herself composed even in particularly trying situations. It takes a lot to catch her off guard, and even when you do, she's good at pretending you haven't. She's good at staying calm even when situations get completely out of hand, and even amidst total chaos, hers is the voice of reason and she can keep a level head.
♥ Talented Warrior. Skilled with her twin swords, especially after two years of training with her nation’s squires, a talented archer both when stood still and on horseback and a highly competent military strategist, Asalah is a gifted fighter and commander.
Weakness:
♥ Cold-Natured. Often choosing to come across as ruthless and uncaring in order to gain respect and earn obedience through being feared, Asalah distances herself from the masses behind a mask of hostility.
♥ Spoilt. As a member of the Royal Family of Almack, Asalah is used to having only the best, and doesn't take well to being denied what she wants. With first her father and now her brother on the throne, the Emperor has always been willing to grant her requests, and she is rarely turned down when there is something she wants, which makes her particularly bad at dealing with it when she is.
♥ Strict. While she tries to avoid getting on the wrong side of people and making unnecessary enemies, at least when she needs to, she is quick to lay the law down and make it clear that her rules are to be followed. She likes things to be done her way and wherever possible she strives to make sure that's what happens. And, being the Emperor’s sister, she usually gets what she wants.
General Persona:
Asalah is stern and strong willed, the commander who always has another command at the ready and knows how to enforce it. Having grown up more than a little spoilt, she is used to getting what she wants, but she knows how to fight for it when things get difficult and rarely shows hesitation in enforcing her will. This determination, coupled with her intelligence and competence, makes her a very capable royal. She is also calm and composed, always giving the impression she is in complete control of herself: she is very rarely caught off guard and is unlikely to become emotional when others are there to witness it. She is more of a military and political princess than a ceremonial one; she chose to assume the role of ambassador when her brother offered her the appointment and to support her twin in his duties as Emperor rather than to marry and raise a family like most women in her bloodline and situation. She is decisive and straightforward, capable of prioritising her objectives in difficult situations. She displays a cold-blooded exterior and a ruthless demeanour when fulfiling her duties, and is known for her brutal efficiency. The soldiers who fought alongside her in her one conquest to date will attest that whilst this perception is very fitting for her reations with her enemies, she can be much better natured to those people she likes, and there are some, particularly her siblings, to whom she is affectionate. She maintains an organised network of spies so that she is always well-informed and can exploit connections where it is necessary to do so.
THE TRUTH SHINES THROUGH
to reveal what is behind the mask.
to reveal what is behind the mask.
Alias:
Lurk (formerly The Lurking Guest).
Gender:
Female.
Other Toons:
None.
Where You Found Us:
ProBoards Support.
Sample:
(This is the last post I wrote on my last site - I apologise if context is lacking but it should tell you enough about my RPing ability and style and whatnot.)
Laina listened to Ashah-Raine's words, keeping her expression devoid of reaction, though she did wonder if she ought to fear that the vampiress' words were true. Was she underestimating her prisoner; jeopardising the safety of those in the palace by leaving this monster locked away in a cage it would soon break the bars of? Whatever concern plagued her mind, she had no intention of allowing her mask to slip so that the vampiress might discover it. She raised one eyebrow very slightly, almost mockingly, as if she were inclined to doubt the other's words, before uttering her simple reply: "We shall see." It would be best, she decided, that she return as soon as she could, to allow Ashah-Raine as little chance to escape as possible.
At present she felt safer knowing of the sun's light awaiting the vampiress outside of the palace doors; if the queen could prepare her knights and return before dusk she would feel very much less concerned than if another night was allowed to pass. It was not just the possibility that Ashah-Raine might escape that concerned her: it was also the possibility that others of her kind might come to release her from her prison. If she was indeed a vampire queen and elder as she claimed, and the leader of a coven as Laina strongly suspected, it was far from unlikely that a number of angry and worried vampires awaited in the shadows for a chance to breach the palace's defences and liberate their revered leader.
Laina could not tell if Ashah-Raine's final words and gesture were an attempt to threaten her or an attempt to seduce her, and worried that very little might separate the two. She had found herself an enemy quite unlike any she had ever had before, and was not entirely sure how best to respond to the lascivious blood-drinker. It was clear that her own threats did not intimidate this woman, but the queen did not often change her tone. "Then you are a fool." The reply was cold, dismissive. Her return would bring Ashah-Raine nothing but suffering... she hoped. Finding further words superfluous, the queen watched her prisoner retreat to the corner of her cell, then she turned and walked away, vowing her return would be swift so that the beast that had wronged her beloved could be brought to a justice long overdue.
♥ ♥ ♥
It was barely three hours later that footsteps sounded once again on the staircase that led down to the miserable dungeons. Still dressed in her elegant black mourning dress, now flanked by two of her trusted knights and two of her more specialised servants, torturers in all but name, Laina felt as if she had come to be part of a darkness in which she did not truly belong. Rare had been her need to inflict suffering on her prisoners; indeed, rare had been her need to even keep prisoners. She had all the facilities for doing so, for the occasions, few and far between, when she required them, and it had taken her very little time to arrange her punishment for Ashah-Raine. She had never enjoyed torturing prisoners before, and had used it only ever as a last resort in a moment of desperation. She feared, however, that this day and this prisoner would see a change that would destroy a little of the queen's humanity.
Once again bearing her torch, Laina led her men to the cell that held Ashah-Raine. She heard moaning as they approached; a sound of pleasure rather than pain, a peculiarity in a place such as this; and arrived to discover the imprisoned vampiress feeding on an apparently aroused guard who had not yet comprehended his own impending doom. Laina wondered why this surprised her; she should have expected such a display. The queen motioned to her two knights to intervene and separate the predator from her unwitting prey, sickened to see the vicious feeding and witness with her own eyes the trap into which poor Ekaida had fallen. Had they arrived in time to prevent the loss of another life within the palace's cursed walls?[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/color][/font][/justify]
