๐๐๐ช๐ถ๐ฎ
โโโโโโโโโโRowena Henrietta Imperia-Airwright, though that's Lady Rowena Henrietta Imperia-Airwright to you, thank you very much
๐๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ต๐ฎ
โโโโโโโโโโLady; sheโs the niece of the Minister of the Merchant Guild, for heavensโ sake. Of course sheโs a lady.
๐๐๐ฐ๐ฎ
โโโโโโโโโโ29
๐๐๐ฎ๐ท๐ญ๐ฎ๐ป
โโโโโโโโโโFemale
๐๐๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ช๐ป๐ช๐ท๐ฌ๐ฎ
โโโโโโโโโโWith her rosebud lips and inky black locks, Rowena is nothing if not classically beautiful. Her hair falls all the way down to her very fashionable waist, and she has a slender figure that does well with narrower silhouettes (but less so the cage crinoline-in her opinion, at least). Her porcelain-pale complexion is a result of years and years of hats and parasols to keep the sun off her face, and her eyes are a deep chocolate brown color, framed with a set of eyelashes that she makes longer using cosmetics. Rowena has a heart-shaped face and long, thin fingers are more often than not covered with a pair of very expensive gloves.
Rowena wears a lot of pinks, reds, and whites, and she is quite fond of floral patterns and silk rosettes and the like. She adores fans (bladed ones, especially) and parasols (with plenty of lace to hide pockets filled with useful things, of course), and always carries around a reticule (for handkerchiefs, red lace doilies, lemon juice, and perfume). Rowena likes to wear lip tints and rogues that are a tad too dark and red to not be scandalous, and her necklines are daringly low-cut. In terms of gowns, Rowena favors simple but elegant dresses that show off her impeccable taste and her familyโs wealth in a refined, understated manner.
Most people who see Rowena describe her as alluring and elegant (if a bit dainty and delicate-looking); some go as far as to call her โdoll-likeโ. She moves with a fluid and practiced grace, every step, every movement measured and precise. Her features are usually carefully arranged in an expression of polite interest, and pleasant smiles fall easily across her painted lips-though those who are keener observers will notice that they rarely ever reach her eyes, which remain as sharp as ever, even when she laughs.
๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฑ๐ธ๐ธ๐ต
โโโโโโโโโโMadame Geraldine's Finishing School for Young Ladies of Quality
๐๐๐พ๐ฒ๐ต๐ญ
โโโโโโโโโโScholar (Scholarly Society)
๐๐๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฝs
โโโโโโโโโโRowena is gifted with enhanced mental abilities, including the ability to remember nearly everything she reads and hears. She is also capable of basic telepathy; when she was young, her telepathy was so overwhelming that it drowned out the entire world around her, but after Rowena learned how to control it-how to turn it โonโ and โoffโ-her life became a lot easier. Itโs easiest for her to โhearโ what somebody is currently thinking, as opposed to going through their memories themselves, which requires a hell of a lot more concentration (and ideally, the two would be alone in a room together, otherwise the thoughts of everybody else around them would crowd into Rowenaโs mind and make it hard to focus). Rowenaโs telepathy extends to a range of about twenty feet in all directions.
Although she is not currently able to mentally communicate with others (and have them โthinkโ back at her), this is a skill that Rowena very much wants to perfect, as it would make future operations a lot easier. She has been practicing, but itโs really not as easy as it sounds.
๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐พ๐น๐ช๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ธ๐ท
โโโโโโโโโโRowena is not officially employed; as the soon-to-be-wife of a wealthy air-merchant, she is not expected to do much besides run the household and host extravagant parties. In reality, though, Rowena is second only to her uncle in the large criminal empire that he runs-she is more powerful than most everyone in all matters concerning her familyโs โbusinessโ. Aside from that, Rowena has a penchant for stealing secrets and jewelry, if being a liar and a thief can be called a "job", and nowadays she also has her position as Captain Kingsford's second-in-command to deal with.
๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ๐ธ๐ท๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ฝ๐
โโโโโโโโโโRowena has always been a people person. There is something about her that seems to draw others to her-whether it's her carefree laugh, her twinkling eyes, or her bright smiles, no one can say. She can be a sultry, intoxicating temptress, capable of charming the secrets right out of others with a coy glance and a flutter of her long eyelashes, or an innocent, demure young lady who has absolutely nothing to hide but plenty of gossip to share. She thinks with her heart when she needs to, but uses her brain at the same time.
Behind brown eyes sparkling with mirth and delicate lips curved up in a half-flirtatious, half-demure smile is a woman made of steel who is keenly aware of her surroundings. Rowena processes vast amounts of information all at once, taking in people's actions, words, and emotions at the same time and forming a conclusion based on what she sees and what she knows. She's always been especially good at reading people like an open book. Sharply observant, perceptive, and brutally analytical, Rowena is able to detect even the most subtle shifts of emotion, assess entire situations with one inconspicuous sweep of her wide brown eyes, and kill a man in a dozen different ways while dancing the waltz. Rowena is constantly listening, though sheโll rarely tell the world what she's thinking.
Enigmatically charismatic and exuding an air of elegant refinement, Rowena puts up a playful and coquettish front all while maintaining a certain air of mystery that makes her that much more attractive. Depending on the people around her, Rowena is either a charming, polite young lady of considerable wealth and status or a deadly and alluring seductress of equally considerable wealth and status. Rowena is not โsmartโ in the traditional sense of the word-complicated mathematics and the latest development in air-travel technology all go straight over her head, though she is able to hold her own in conversations about a wide variety of โsophisticatedโ topics. When around โpoliteโ society, Rowena hides her true nature behind expensive gowns and delicate lace, pretending that she is an innocent little girl with easily offended morals. She has mastered the right combination of sugary sweetness and sharp wit to detract attention from her real intentions as she shrewdly advances her own agenda.
Rowena is ferociously loyal to her family. Rowena believes that family is everything, and she is fiercely protective of people that she considers part of her family. She is scarily manipulative, and she isnโt afraid of resorting to less savory methods to achieve her goals. Rowena is calm and collected in times of crisis, and she rarely allows herself to panic. She is truly afraid of very, very few people, and she holds no qualms against playing others like a violin to get what she wants, all while smiling prettily and sipping tea from a dainty porcelain tea cup. Sly, shrewd, and cunning, Rowena is an ice queen dressed in ruffles and lace.
If one is able to see past the many, many layers and intricacies of Rowena Imperia-Airwright, one would come face-to-face with an intensely driven yet extremely insecure woman who has been bottling up her emotions for much too long. Rowena may be willing to sacrifice everything for her family, but she doesnโt know what it is that she truly wants. Rowena does not know who she actually is, and it makes her wonder-is there anything to her besides the mask that she wears in front of others?
๐๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ธ๐พ๐ต๐ญ ๐๐ช๐น๐ฝ๐ช๐ฒ๐ท ๐๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ป๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ธ๐ท๐ฝ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฝ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ถ?
โโโโโโโโโโBesides being Captain Kingsford's best friend from finishing school, Rowena and Captain Kingsford are pretty much complete opposites. Adrianna Kingsford is the strong, silent type who would rather go into a conflict head-on with all the subtlety of a charging bull, while Rowena prefers her pretty words and prettier bladed fans, paired with insults and threats disguised as compliments. But for some reason, the two work wonderfully together...or they do, when Adrianna isn't accusing Rowena of being a liar and a thief while Rowena plays coy with her.
Nevertheless, Rowena has the entirety of her uncle's criminal empire at her back, as well as all the power and influence that comes with being the niece of the Pirate Minister, so she is most definitely someone you would like by your side. She is also capable of lying, seducing, and manipulating her way out of any situation, and her telepathy is very useful when it comes to trying to find out information that others don't want her to find out.
๐๐๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ช๐น๐ธ๐ท
โโโโโโโโโโRowena's first-choice weapon will always be words, but after that, she's fond of all kinds of knives and daggers (mostly bladed fans and tiny little daggers with ornate hilts that can be disguised as hairpins). Rowena also has a soft spot for garrottes disguised as dance cards, and who could ever say no to a bit of blackmail or poison?
๐๐๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ธ๐ญ ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐๐ธ๐ท๐ฏ๐ป๐ธ๐ท๐ฝ๐ช๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ธ๐ท
โโโโโโโโโโNone at all, or one so heavily veiled that only someone as conniving as Rowena herself would pick it up. Also fond of insulting and flattering someone in the same breath.
Rowena very rarely will confront someone directly, and she is not one for drawn-out physical altercations either (they're so horribly uncouth).
๐๐๐ช๐ฟ๐ธ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ ๐๐ต๐ช๐ผ๐ผ(๐ฎ๐ผ) ๐ช๐ฝ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฑ๐ธ๐ธ๐ต
โโโโโโโโโโBladed Fan Dueling and Parasol Pummeling, Applying Etiquette to Espionage, Stealing Secrets for the Advanced Scholar, Strategic Seduction, Discreet Deceit for a Young Lady of Quality
๐๐๐ฒ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ป๐ช๐น๐ฑ๐
โโโโโโโโโโRevenge.
That is all Rowenaโs life has ever been.
Revenge, and power, and justice. Justice, in the most convoluted sense of the word.
The ruthless criminal empire that Rowenaโs uncle runs is far from just. But that is perhaps what they believe in the most: bringing those who wronged them to justice.
The oh-so-mysterious Council thinks that they are completely in charge of Hourglass City. They think that they are the ultimate authority. Rowena knows better.
Yes, the power of the five Councillors-one for each Guild-is great. That, Rowena has to admit. But Rowena knows better, because she knows their deepest, darkest secrets. Rowena's spent her entire adult life stealing people's secrets.
Itโs not easy, of course. Itโs something that Rowena perfected at finishing school, and a skill that came rather slowly, after she mastered the basics. Even now, she wouldnโt say sheโs good at it-only that she is capable, if needed.
Of course, there are very few people in the world who know what Rowena can do. And most people never know what hits them, when Rowena shows up to blackmail them with some incriminating piece of information or another. They never know what hit them-Rowena attends balls with her ridiculously flamboyant and outrageously fashionable friend, a certain Alexander Amidale, and while their hosts are busy drinking sherry and champagne and dancing and playing cards and smoking cigars, Rowena steals their secrets. It's not terribly hard, really: all it requires is some coy flirting and coquettish glances and some timeโฆalone. It certainly isnโt as hard as the waiting Rowena has endured.
Because her enemies may have forgotten, but Rowena has not: she will never forget how her father had taken a great interest in manufacturing automatons animated by "Myalo", by black magic, in order to bolster his thriving underground empire. How two other prominent air-merchant families infiltrated her father's facilities, stole the instructions on how to create the automatons, and burned down the factories and warehouses and airships that the Imperia-Airwrights owned. How they got the Council on their side, too, and had Rowena's parents arrested then executed, her aunt and uncle stripped of all their property-as a way of ensuring they werenโt hiding any of her fatherโs creations, they said.
Bullshit.
Malcolm Imperia-Airwright and Eliza Imperial-Airwright might have been destitute and penniless after the other air-merchants became the new unofficial rulers of the marketplace in the sky, otherwise known as the district of New Toppingham, but that didn't mean that they weren't without friends or allies. They bided their time patiently, watching from the sidelines as the other families themselves were ruined by rival air-merchant families. They quietly amassed a ridiculous amount of wealth once more, resorting to extremely illegal methods (as opposed to only moderately illegal methods) and quite a bit of blackmail, and while they were at it, they told little Rowena about the glory of the old days-of the fantastical steam contraptions and the expensive ball gowns embellished with threads of gold as thin as a strand of hair and the magnificent airships that soared across the skies to foreign lands and the exquisitely polished mahogany furniture that filled their former homes, now all in the clutches of the enemy. They took everything, Malcolm and Eliza said, and they would pay. They would pay.
The Imperia-Airwrights were old money with plenty of connections, and old money with connections never took long to become rich again. By the time Rowena was fifteen, they were reasonably well-off, and by the time she was twenty-five, they were outrageously rich-as they were before the unfortunate events involving those blasted automatons. Eliza, who was a member of the Scholar Guild like Rowena would later become (and unlike Malcom, who was a member of the Merchant Guild and capable of communicating with machines), taught Rowena everything she could before her sudden death. Rowena was only fourteen, but even then she could recognize a poisoning from a mile away.
Ah, yes-vengeance, sweet, sweet vengeance, as heady and as cloying as fine wine. Rowena had her first taste of that sort of heady wine-vengeance when she tracked down and brutally stabbed the man responsible for her aunt's murder to death; the first thing she did after graduating from Madame Geraldineโs, in fact.
Rowena tasted this sort of vengeance once more some time after her uncle had re-taken the metaphorical throne. Malcolm Imperia-Airwright was the king of the air-merchants and smugglers alike when Rowena graduated. Her debut was a grand thing to behold, and the coming out ball left her with the attention of Henry Lewis, the son of the man who had orchestrated her parentsโ downfall. During the subsequent months, Henry was given Rowenaโs hand-in-marriage, and the wedding date was set.
They never made it to the altar. Rowena killed him three weeks before the wedding, and she killed the next two as well. The first was with a poisonous kiss as he sloppily smashed his lips against hers, as he was wont to do; the second with a bit of foxglove in every meal they took together; the third with an airship malfunction.
The fourth, and the last, is a man named Robert Sullivan, a man three times her age who had taken part in ruining her father. And after that, Rowena supposes, sheโll marry for the good of her uncleโs underground empire.
The tables had been turned, the first time she killed one of her fiancรฉes, and Rowena relished in their deaths. Oh, how wonderfully powerful it made her feel!
And so Rowena steals thoughts and she steals secrets, and sometimes less valuable trinkets such as priceless jewelry and prototypes of world-altering inventions. There are still plenty of people who would see the Imperia-Airwrights gone for good, and there are still plenty of people out there who contributed to the deaths of her father and mother in some way, shape, or form, and Rowena is going to find them all, steal everything they've got, then kill them-slowly, slowly. Starting with the honorable Lord Sullivan.
But that can wait until after Rowena helps Captain Kingsford find out what the hell is going on. When her old friend called on her for the first time in years, Rowena was wary-the few times that they saw each other after graduation, it was unfailingly tense and awkward, and it usually ended with Adrianna accusing her of being a thief and a liar (which was quite true, actually, but did Adrianna really need to bring it up every single time?). This time was different, though. Adrianna practically begged Rowena to be her second-in-command, and she promised that she personally would stay out of Rowena's business after the whole thing was over (though she couldn't control the actions of her fellow Legionnaires, of course) and Rowena thought, well, when you put it that way...
๐๐๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป
โโโโโโโโโโ๐๐๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ๐ผ: elegant, expensive gowns that show off Rowenaโs impeccable taste as well as how wealthy her family is in a refined, understated manner, accessories that are both beautiful and deadly (bladed fans, armored/bladed parasols, dagger-like hairpins and hatpins, pointy boots, and the like), scandalously dark lip tints, expensive alcoholic beverages (Rowena is particularly fond of champagne and sherry), her family and those loyal to her family, cherries, toying with and manipulating others (especially men), vengeance against those who have wronged the Imperia-Airwrights in the past, blades and daggers with ornate hilts and pretty little pistols with gilt metalwork and mother-of-pearl handles, silk, lace, pearls, not being viewed as a threat (or being viewed as a threat, depending on the situation), power, information and the network of informants that her family runs, the smell of cinnamon and cardamom, a good poisoning or a perfectly executed murder or heist, tea with milk added to it, pear turnovers, subtlety, roses, knowing everyone's secrets, Alexander Amidale
๐๐๐ฒ๐ผ๐ต๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ๐ผ: sloppiness and messiness, drunkards, incompetence, useless, meaningless violence and destruction, cheap, tasteless beer, when someone/something unnecessarily ruins her hair or gown, people who feel the need to question her motives, people who genuinely believe that women should stay out of business, politics, and science, the smoke and soot thatโs practically everywhere in Automahaven, people who canโt for the life of them think something through before they dive head-first into the endeavor, being blunt, crude manners, meat, overly sweet desserts, direct confrontations (Rowena prefers to be as discreet as possible), excessively frilly hats, parasols, and gowns, being completely, totally helpless, law enforcement officials and Legionnaires who serve the Council in general (meaning, most Legionnaires)
๐๐ข๐ด๐ฒ๐ต๐ต๐ผ: charming the secrets right out of someone without their knowledge, getting people to do exactly what she wants them to do, styling her hair, extremely proficient with knives and blades and a fair shot with a gun (she hates resorting to firearms-too loud. Daggers, on the other hand...), competent with mixing poisons and the actual act of poisoning, pick-pocketing and picking locks, all forms of blackmail and manipulation, remembering names, faces, and small details, flirting, saying exactly what she means to say without saying anything at all, flattering and insulting someone in the same breath, being thoughtful and dismissive at the same time, lithe and graceful in a physical altercation, being perfectly polite and proper while killing a man, limited telepathic abilities that include lie detection and delving into a person's deepest secrets (her gift), near-photographic memory (due to her gift), somehow getting her hands on things that she was never meant to see in the first place, lying through her teeth
๐๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ช๐ด๐ท๐ฎ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ผ: Rowena possesses a blind, sometimes stupid loyalty to her family and their trusted associates, she has a lack of brute physical strength (it's not proper for young ladies of quality to be strong like that!), an inability to trust others outside her family, her rather cynical view of the world, her tendency to be very judgmental of others, the way that she will hold a grudge until the end of time if necessary, her sometimes destructive fixation on revenge, her bitter and cynical view of the world
AlteredTundra,
Shin Ghost Note,
shylarah
