[hider=Alice Peerbane]Username: The Fated Fallen (as you can probably tell if you look to the left)

Character Name: Alice Peerbane Cerranbridge 

Race/Species: Human (Vretonnian)

Gender: F

Age: 24

Career/Class: Wizard/Noble

Weapons: 
A Quater-Staff, totally non-magical
A wand, disguised as a fan
A hidden dagger,  a staple of Vrettonian upper circles
A large spellbook filled with many secrets of the arcane
 

Physical Description: Alice stands at average height, but is often in her boots which give her a little more but not enough that it impacts her travelling at all. She wears a obviously expensive dark blue and brown dress that draws the eyes of many commoners, but nobles would hardly be impressed, the outfit is cheap enough to replace (which is very important to an adventurer!). It's main feature is that it is practical, allowing for free movement and easy cleaning (as a traveller would need). Brown locks fall neatly behind her head and are styled into light curls in front of her shoulders, framing a light toned face and dark blue eyes

Armor: Or lack thereof! Alice has never been known to use armour, and tries to avoid situations that warrant it's use

Equipment/Other 
- Typical adventuring gear in a large backpack. 
- Her spellbook, the pride of any wizard!
- Make-up, perfume and all sorts of pampering (you never know if you might need it...)

Mental Description/Personality: Alice to many will seem stiff and composed, as she's used to the gauntlet of noble courts. Unless provoked she will be polite to all members of the group, though she will prefer the company of wiser and more sensible ones. Above all however she wants camaraderie and friendship, and although she may not make that obvious all the time she'll be among the first to sacrifice herself for her friends. Alice is trusting and understanding, but if anyone tries to keep a secret her curiosity gets the better of her and she can't stop herself from finding out

Goals: Alice has been travelling with Geradin for years now, this is just another step on a long road

Background/History:[hider]A story from Alice

Once I was a lady in waiting in the highest courts. It wasn't as grand as it seemed, I was very low in the pecking order, the butt of many jokes. I realise now that was the exact reason I was kept around; noble folks prefer to keep their inferiors around them so they feel and look the more superior. What is important though is that I was in the courts. The first event that set me down this path I now walk was in a lesson of the arcane. I was a young lady then, hardly over 16. The class I was in almost solely consisted of Patricia Seervise and her group of cronies. All of them well talented in the arcane but her above all others. She is a prodigy in Vrettonnia now, and no single soul can hope to match her. I should also mention this is my fast descent away from the courts of my homeland, being the bane of peers is not a healthy profession. 

As I was saying, this was a practical lesson we were all in. Our tutor had wrapped an egg in an energy field, designed to protect it. After a morning of studying the spell and how to replicate it, our tutor asked us to break the egg before we left for lunch. Notable about it's shield was how it had a base element, of fire and heat. So the first hopefuls attempted to breach it by countering it. Each one would assail it with some variety of water or ice, to no avail. The next few tried to deny it oxygen, maybe part of it's fuel? Either way, it didn't work. Finally Patricia lined herself up second to last, standing the safe distance back. "You see," she started (she did like acting the authority), "The object of the test was not to dispel the barrier, but to break the egg. Simply overloading the barrier will cook it in it's shell and it shall burst." she squared herself in perfect casting posture, she breathed deep and quickly flicked her wand up. A small fireball spread out from the egg, which was now covered in a blue sheen. Everyone was taken off guard. The shield had inverted it's element. While everyone else was going back over their notes Patricia simply let forth an ice spell. "With every spell I cast I weaken it's barrier," before she could cast another spell the tutor cut her off. "No, Lady Seervise, you are actually making it stronger." There was a reason for this, but I won't go into it. "Please re-seat yourself." He gestured for me to take my place in front of this egg. Nobody had any hope for me, I lacked an edge in proficiency or power to any of them. "Hurry this up, Alice." comments started flying up around, "We want lunch." comments that had been absent during Patricia's turn. A thought occurred to me. The only thing that no-one else had tried that made any sort of sense. I left the safe distance for spell-casting and approached the egg. Everyone grew silent, probably in anticipation to me hurting myself with my own spell backlash. I walked up to the desk the egg was balanced on and kicked it. The egg fell over onto it's side, and rolled towards me and the class. I stepped back and allowed it to fall, whereupon it cracked upon the floor. Dead silence. I shuffled back to my seat crimson from the attention but thankfully all eyes were on our Tutor. "Honestly ladies, it should have been obvious to you all from the notes you'd been taking this barrier offers no protection from kinetic force. While none of you can manipulate said energy finely enough yet I would have thought the early among you would have tried to throw it at least even out of frustration." I hadn't even realised that from my notes at all. And yet somehow I had come out in front of everyone there.

The next event happened not too long after the first one. A week or two? Whispers started floating around about me, I was the upstart and the one to kick back to her place. I was seen as uncouth for using force in place of magic, so Mariah Harrowbridge approached me declaring "A barbarian like you can only be defeated with force. I challenge you to a duel." Duels are a common enough practise even amongst the magocracy. Of course I, in my lowly position, had hardly been taught or even really considered taking up any sort of practise with a rapier. I learned basic etiquette as to recognise it's breach among combatants and little else, and she knew it. Still, there was no way of getting out of it, not truly, so I agreed. Honestly I was hoping to be a gracious loser and lose my new fame. Maybe even make some friends for simply being in this position. But as we saluted with out sparring sticks I had a little idea, a plan. 

She assumed a cocky posture from the off, being my superior in all aspects. She barely even bothered to use proper footwork as she approached me, let alone a guard. I took my opportunity, flashing forwards I made two quick lunges, one to her lower abdomen and the other to her face. She knocked both aside and replied with her own much faster and stronger strike and a cat's smile across her face. I quickly sidestepped her into a complex pirouette I had seen once before, barely keeping my feet, accompanied by a swirling slash. She barely caught it, and quickly stepped back, to my relief. I remained composed and hid the fact I'd nearly toppled myself and earned a face full of dust and embarrassment. She grew cautious, "Where did you learn that?" She asked not in a surprised manner, but more of an insult. Like she was spitting 'somewhere a god has taken pity on you and granted you that one moment of inspiration, it won't happen again.' I simply smiled and said "The same person who would tell you now that your posture is all wrong. You should know better."

Mariah gritted her teeth and subtly fell into a proper stance, almost certainly hoping I wouldn't notice. Then she started her attack as a real duel should start, with probing strikes. However, because she was my superior in all aspects to do with duelling she quickly began to overcome me. She pressed in so close that she was within breath range, enough to hear me whisper but I still spoke aloud "Isn't it strange you haven't beaten me yet." calling back to her over-cautiousness thanks to my original move. I shifted my weight forward in preparation of attack, "I suppose the word should be scandalous." I followed up with knowing this encounter would be long talked about simply because of it's duration. I smiled as I re-positioned myself with the same pirouette I used to open with, "Almost as scandalous as your affair with Lord Jirnsberg."
"What?" She was taken aback, but what truly shocked her was the tip on my practice sword audibly thwacking her backside before I dropped it and ran for my life! Gasps all around as I sprinted through the assembled, and Mariah cried after me "I have had no such thing!" and she was right, I'd made it up and definitely didn't want to be around for a round two where she would be much more aggressive and gaurded. I spent the rest of the day hiding from almost everyone. I had somehow beaten her with only one real move

I broke my exile to come to dinner. All the ladies in waiting would come to the grand hall after dinner to eat and entertain the Princess. I ate my dinner in total safety knowing no-one would try anything with even the slightest risk of the Princess noticing. Adeline strummed away at her harp and sung her verse, she also now travels various kingdoms as a fine musician and is extremely well renowned too. When she finished everyone gave light applause. The Princess didn't however,  after all it wouldn't be proper, but she did request the lovely song be repeated. Adeline smiled and looked across the room, locking eyes with me "Oh, but Alice was so looking forward to her own session with the harp." She gave a toothy grin. This was the best way to throw me out of the courts, by humiliating me in front of royalty. To deny this 'offer' would be to admit weakness, whereas going up there and failing showed incompetence. Both were not well looked upon by anyone in power. I had never played the harp, since if you couldn't afford an instrument to practice with then no-one is going to buy you one, let alone teach you. It had never come important anyways. And while I had a nice singing voice I was no-where near the level of Adeline's angel choir. 

However I knew I didn't have to beat Adeline to salvage the situation, I only had to prove myself competent. I strolled up to the platform confidently since I had a plan. The lyrics started before the harp started, "The Thangoran's so loyal they drink and war," Then I splayed my fan-wand and the harp began to play itself, I had commanded an invisible servant to play what was played just before on signal. All the ladies in waiting stood up in uproar "Talentless!" and "Cheater!" where thrown around. The Princess raised her dainty hand and all fell silent for fear of offending her. She spoke up "I see you were all happy to have Alice come up on the stage but now she is performing you have lost taste?" Patricia spoke in short angry tones, since she was probably the mastermind behind this who had just been thwarted "She isn't performing, she's using Adeline's playing!"

The Princess replied "Indeed, because there are none here who can best Adeline at the harp, or any other instrument. This is indeed why you have copied it, Alice?" I replied confidently, trying not to belie the fact I was stunned since these were the first words she had ever said to me "Your highness, you asked for the same song again. I did not want to disappoint." She nodded her assent to proceed, much to the fuming of everyone in the hall.

After my 'performance' The Princess addressed me "You have caught me eyes and ears recently, Alice. I would be most happy to have you accompany me tomorrow. I think we could all learn much from you oh bane of peers." She eyed a few particularly bitter individuals and with that, she left. I knew that her attention had granted me short term immunity, since any political move against me would be attributed to revenge. I had come too close to the flame and got burned, and long term her attention had damned me. Nobody bothered going after me when I was insignificant, and give it a few weeks I would be without The Princess' favour and with a few more grudges. I lacked the clout to dispel a scandal and was not integral enough to be above violence. I'd outlived my purpose as the inferior and probably outlived my time alive while I was at it since no-one likes to be shown up. I left the courts that night, and generally hide my surname. I kept the title though, to remind myself I once had the attention and request of the future Queen. And to be honest I like my surname but it just doesn't have the same ring to it as 'Peerbane'[/hider]

Spell Book: 
Magic Missile - What Wizard's repertoire could be complete without one?
Shocking Grasp - With a clap of her hands (without her fingers touching) Alice coats her palms in a thin layer of liquid that when applied to something conductive charges it with electricity. It's far from lethal, but far from painless. Of course if she touches something non-conductive it'll backfire...
Area of Nullification - By splitting a runed flintstone an area around it is nullified, having the energy sapped from it. The length of time depends on the size of the flint, and people in the vicinity feel tired and drained, their actions sluggish and weak. Magic entering the area fizzles out quickly, making it near unusable.
Orbs of light - Guess
Prestidigitation - Basic magical feats and tricks
These are all the spells Alice can cast off the cuff, or rather off the wand. A lot of magic needs to be prepared, and via rituals she can deus ex machina on demand
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