Morwenna

Due North

Lady Northam

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Frustrated with her husband Lady Northam snatched the sheet music back out of his hands and did her best to hide her annoyance and frustration with the help. Seething with inner turmoil she darted a cold glance at Mary Holly @atomicnut…tearing a piece of bread off of the end of the loaf she had been cutting with her finely gloved hand… "you can keep your woodland berries. This should suffice to hold me over…I know how to eat with more than a silver spoon” the words laced with sarcasm to denote that she was well aware of how she was often viewed.
Cora already knew she was caught between worlds upon marrying Lord Northam but their demeaning glances reminded her of where she once was. She was well aware of what her life was like before her father made his wealth…that’s what made her so difficult to marry off. She knew she didn’t fit in with those born of their titles. She also knew that nobody looked beyond her newer wealth and privilege. With rank came privilege and with privilege came…expectations.
During her childhood there were no expectations of Cora other than to get an education so that she could have a respectable future. She remembered life before servants and maids and how she yearned to be like the wealthy…but as much as they looked down their noses at those lower than them…it wasn’t love and adoration that they were met back with. The rich thought the poor lowly and dirty and the poor thought of the rich as pompous and arrogant.
However, she knew what it was like albeit briefly to taste that sweet in between of freedom - the laissez faire of being neither under scrutiny by a title or by lack of finances. The period of time between neither being under House Prideaux or Lord Northam during finishing school/college was fresh in Cora’s mind. Her unwillingness to settle into her “proper” place coupled with being the main heir to her father’s fortune would be what landed her here at the Northam Estate in the first place…being stared at with a mixture of loathing and envy by people she barely knew. And what little they do know of her is that of “Lady Northam”…not the girl formally known as Cora. She was after all Lady Northam now… merely yet another possession belonging to the Northam Estate…like all of the other antiques and fineries that have come here for their funerary she thought.

Cora gritted through her teeth trying to stifle her emotions as she shot back at Lord Northam @Themerlinhawk without so much as looking at him as she crossed to leave the kitchen “Whatever you desire dear Husband. After all isn’t that what you married me for? To be able to buy whatever your heart desires? I’ll be up in my room.” With that Lady Northam exited the kitchen holding her head as high as she could muster.
Lady Northam trapsed back up to her room clenching her skirts tight in her fists huffing all the while under her breath “What piano?! What does he mean what piano? Who owns a house and doesn’t even know what’s in it?? And all of these women?! Showing their legs even! The Queen mother would be fit to be tied! I bet he just loves having a house full of women under his command. The kind of women who end up bearing poor titleless bastards and die scullery maids!” She reached her bedroom not caring that she slammed the door behind her “What piano?! The nerve! I didn’t keep myself up all night!”

She threw herself on to the bed and screamed into her pillow like a child throwing a temper tantrum when they didn’t get what they wanted before her anger gave way to frustration and tears. Cora wanted so badly to go back to the safety and freedom of her old life. She enjoyed all of the attention and gifts she was lavished with by various suitors trying to win her affection. She enjoyed being able to come and go as she pleased and most of all she enjoyed having no serious expectations placed upon her. She knew what being admired, adored and even loved was and knew Lady Northam was none of those things in this house.
Cora knew that her words had been a bit barbed toward her husband…that she was as guilty as he was for choosing to marry to preserve money and status over love first but she refused to accept that they were both prisoners of the same design. All that Cora could see were the expectations that came with being “Lady Northam” and how unsure she was that she could live up to them and be a decent wife and eventually mother like was expected. She was rather overwhelmed at the thought of having children with someone who she barely knew. In Cora’s mind her womb and future heirs held more value to others than she did and she had no idea what to do with that.
Cora did her very best to try to push her feelings down and compose and straighten herself out of fear Lord Northam could come barging through the door at any moment. She knew she was in no position to feel sorry for herself when so many others would give anything to trade her places, but Cora couldn’t help but feel very much a prisoner held captive by this house and her “expectations”.

The haunting piano and strange melody that Lord Northam didn't even know existed crawling constantly in her mind...Lady Northam went to her closet and took out her violin. She delicately took off her gloves and began rosining her bow. She then cradled the violin into her neck and began to lose herself to its strings...strumming the notes off the sheet music that had been left for her.

Due North

@Scarescrow
Sorry didn't see this. Rose and lavender oil were some of the things in her perfumes and had many uses during that time so roses and lavender are a give me especially with the above comments. But anything highly aromatic especially given the times to cover up the smell of all the horse poop ;) . Gardenia, Jasmine, honeysuckle, lily, freesia. All of those are awesome

Due North

Lady Northam

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Sunlight poured into the bedroom just enough through the cracks in the curtains to disturb Cora’s already disturbed sleep. She spent the night hiding under the sheets and covering her head with her pillow trying to drown out her fear of the manor. The strange melody she heard kept playing over and over again in her head. Every time she’d finally fall asleep the tune would creep into her dreams and she'd wake herself up. She grumbled as the rays of light reminded her she couldn’t stay hidden all day. She crawled out of bed with a big huff. She heard people stirring downstairs reminding her she should look presentable and can't spend all day in bed or getting ready.

She had a rather extensive wardrobe designed to fit her particular tastes. All of her dresses had ornate perfume buttons sewn onto them to prevent her love of perfume oils from ruining their fabric (for reference perfumebottles.org/virtual-museum/18/… ). She threw on her undergarments hastily lacing up her corset…leaving it a bit looser than she normally would…and layered a green dress over it. She looked in the mirror…her lack of sleep showed. But she did her best to compensate. She undid her braids and brushed her long waves out. Too tired to do anything fancy…she suddenly missed having her sister, mother and maids around. They'd make the chore of getting ready each day go by much quicker. Her humble beginnings had made her very insecure, and she had procured an appreciation for finer things in order to try to fit in with those whose titles were their birthrights. She grumbled to herself while reaching for her hair pins...she wasn't thrilled with all of the pretenses and expectations put upon her by her family . She only pinned up the front of it…letting the rest of her long reddish blonde hair fall down her back. She dabbed her neck and her wrists with her own special perfume mix of orange, lavender, and rose oils from an ornate perfume bottle she kept in her top drawer making sure to saturate the special buttons on her dress with the delicate flowery fragrance . She pinched her cheeks to try to brighten herself up a bit before slipping on a pair of gloves in the same shade and fabric as her dress.

She crossed the room and was getting ready to head downstairs when she noticed something that wasn’t there when she went to bed last night. Laying on top of her corset she had thrown on a chair was sheet music. Cora knew before she even started to hum the notes what the tune would be. She shivered and then got a bit agitated in trying to rationalize it. Surely it must be her new husband or one of the staff trying to play some sort of elaborate prank on her to get under her skin. Sheet music still in hand, she headed for the door and made her way toward the commotion in the kitchen.

Lady Northam straightened herself smoothing back her hair over her shoulders as she entered the kitchen. Looking over at the staff standing around… “Good morning ladies. I’m starving…is there anything for breakfast?” She then turns... rather annoyed and curious to Lord Northam “Did you leave this in my room for me as some sort of joke? If so it wasn’t very funny keeping me up all night trying to scare me…and your piano needs tuned. Your A key is a bit sharp” as she holds the sheet music in her hand up to him.

Due North

Lady Northam

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Cora sighed a huge sigh of relief when she finally got a moment alone to herself in her room. It was all so much for her to take in. She had no idea what to expect when being betrothed to Lord Northam. But she was beginning to understand why everything was kept so vague from her. But she was a bit relieved that her new husband wasn’t in a rush to share her bed. She immediately unlaced her corset and tossed it on to a chair in the corner taking in a deep breath. She had no idea why she felt so compelled to keep up with all of the latest fashion trends, but was much relieved when she could just be by herself alone and be comfortable. The night was her favorite time because she could get away without having all eyes on her and could wear less restrictive clothing. While the attention that being young and pretty garnered her, it also was like living under a magnifying glass for her. So she seized any opportunity she could to shed the pretenses and expectations put upon her. She sat at her dressing table in her long chemise/night gown braiding her hair into long braids before bed staring casually into the mirror. She thought she kept seeing someone behind her in the mirror just out of the corner of her eye but would turn to look at what was just her empty room. Something felt just off about this place.

She knew she was accustomed to more “newer” accommodations than this…so she tried to convince herself that it was all just the oldness of the house getting to her and all of the rumors she had heard from her friends when they found out who she was betrothed to. Even though it wasn’t some bright gas lit mansion with freshly adorned shiny colored paints and wall papers, it still drew her in and had a certain charm to it with all of its antiquities. But it was definitely not home to her. Every corner of the estate was a mystery and she was ever curious to explore. Her new husband wasn’t very forthcoming with information, so she was also keen to uncover more about him and his family. She definitely came to understand why there had been so many rumors swirling around the Northam Estate, though. It was rather unique and had a rather unearthly vibe…but rather than buying into the gossip, she was curious to find out just how many of those rumors were true for herself. She brushed away the eery nagging feeling in her gut telling her to stay in her room and instead waited until she knew she was well alone to sneak out and explore by herself. She couldn’t help her insatiable curiosity to find out what secrets hid behind the walls.

She quietly crept along the hallway, candle in hand trying to not disturb anyone as it was the middle of the night. For being so late though, she swore she could hear a piano playing somewhere quietly deep within the house. Her love of music had persuaded her to follow the sound…although she couldn’t quite make out where it was coming from. At first she would head down one direction just to dead end and find nothing…or the music would fade away. But she finally found her way into what must have been an older more unused part of the estate by the appearance. The fixtures weren’t as well polished and maintained, and the rugs didn’t have the appearance of being rather worn and walked on like the others. The music grew louder drawing her further in. She approached a set of double doors and as she turned the latch opening them…the music had simply stopped. There behind the doors was the piano inside of what must’ve been a sitting room and conservatory. But whoever had been the pianist had simply vanished. The hair on the back of Cora’s neck stood on end…she glanced about the room trying to rationalize where someone could’ve gone and where they could be hiding. She knew older houses had secret passages in them…so she started pressing on the walls hoping to find some secret door to no avail.

She glared back at the piano…unsure what to think but with a chill ever increasing up her spine she decided curiosity was most certainly getting the better of her and quickly scurried back to her room. She rushed over to her lavish four poster bed and proceeded to hide well under the covers like when she was younger and her siblings would tell her ghost stories. She could hear the piano faintly in the distance again and Cora buried her head deep under her down pillow to drown it out…praying she’d drift off to sleep soon. She really was beginning to wonder what she had gotten herself into

Due North

Lady Northam

Lady Cora Prideaux-Northam

Age:22

Appearance:

Long darker reddish blonde hair that she tends to wear up in elaborate braids or a loose bun, fair skin and light blue eyes with a scattering of light freckles across her cheeks and nose. She has a petite delicate frame and shorter stature of roughly 5’. Given her rather large preoccupation with cleanliness, she is rarely seen not wearing gloves except for to play her violin. She has a love of finer silks and linens and LOVES to adorn herself with jewelry and anything that could be considered fashionable in public. Although to those closest to her, she's known to sneak out at night in men's clothing to do as she pleases. And her parents may have caught her a time or two sneaking out in her chemise without her corset to go horseback riding on their estate at night. Which that coupled with her other disobedient ways played a huge part in her parents sending her to an all women's finishing school.

Occupation/Relation:

Betrothed by her parents to marry Lord Northam

Personality:

She's a bit temperamental and neurotic. Often viewed as a bit of an obsessive clean freak, she likes things to be just so and very much in order. Dust and dirt bother her and she usually is never seen without gloves on due to this. She was raised to take pride in her house and her appearance so much so to the point she has become rather vain and obsessed over outward appearances.
She feels rather constrained by Victorian principles and has a serious rebellious streak toward them because of it. So while outwardly she puts on heirs, inwardly she wrestles with the inner turmoil of never feeling accepted enough in society. Cora values education and independence above all else, but still has the outward need to feel “proper” and please everyone else. She has a strong love of music and fine arts and fancies the violin. She’s a bit impulsive and impetuous as well and can be a bit of a handful when things don’t go her way. She’s been known to throw things when angry in particular. Her wild and rebellious nature and love of alcohol and high society hasn’t garnered her the most ladylike of reputations - neither has her desire to follow her heart instead of societal expectations. In an effort to do "damage control" to her reputation her parents arranged for her to marry Lord Northam to try to salvage what little respect she had left. Temperamental and fiery, it fuels her passion and love toward music...often shutting herself off from the world to play her violin for hours at a time, pouring her soul and pent up emotions into every pluck of its strings. If she had her way, she would marry for love and passion. But she has come to accept that marriage for women of her time rarely comes with real love.

History

• No experience of the supernatural, still very young and naive. She has heard wives' tales and rumors about the family she is marrying into, but she doesn't believe in ghosts or witches or the supernatural as she's never seen anything in her young life to lead her to believe otherwise. So she blindly thinks that it's all just rumors about her new home
• She had fallen in love young and had been woo'ed by the ways of a very rich, very defiant socialite who cared very little for her reputation, but more for adding her to his collection of mistresses. But she didn't know much better and let his lavish gifts and trinkets dazzle her and lure her into his lavish lifestyle. Upon realizing he had no intentions of actually marrying her and feeling shamed and disgraced by her family she was sent off to finishing school.
• Soon after completing Finishing School, her parents were quick to find someone to marry her off to. Her family had made a fortune off of the gas lighting industry, but they were considered “new money” so what they had in riches they lacked in formal titles or holdings. Seeking to further their family name and position in society, they arranged to marry her off to Lord Northam in order to make her formally a “lady” and to try to salvage what they could of her reputation and have a further leg into what they thought would be high society. Her parents had been all too eager to unload their more difficult untraditional child though, and didn’t really pay much mind to where they were sending her to as long as they could call her a “Lady”. Although, clearly upon arriving it wasn’t the lavish well kept estate she had grown accustomed to living in or what she had expected and it rather unnerved her the state of disarray and disrepair it had fallen into. All the dust and darkness crept under her skin, and she was often afraid to touch anything.
  
  She had been brought up through her parents transition to wealth having gone from a normal life living an average existence as an average business man's daughter to a life of privilege and she became accustomed to her rather new lavish lifestyle. She liked everything to be well kept and tidy and wanted the more finer things. Marriage to her was nothing more than a business arrangement to further her status and holdings. For all intents and purposes she had become rather spoiled and used to getting her way. Although she often rejected her upbringing and wealth feeling it rather confined her being a woman of the time. She was much more interested in pursuing her own goals and ambitions of furthering her education and higher learning than being a wife or mother yet. But her family and the circumstances of the time had given her little choice in the matter, and she wasn’t about to say no to marrying above her “station” in life, leaving her to live begrudgingly with Lord Northam.

Quirk:

A rather obsessive compulsive neat freak. Resentful of her family for them leaving her in such a dismal place, and a bit aloof and reserved toward Lord Northam and the rest of the residents . She also annoys everyone with her constant playing of her violin.

Due North

Due North (Gothic/Cosmic Horror + Mystery SoL)

Count me in :) . I can't wait to do this with you!

introducing myself

Thank you for the warm welcome!

introducing myself

*giggles at merlin* it's your fault i'm even here. Hmmm...finding someone you can write amazing stories together with. I guess I'm doing it wrong because I already found that...that's why I'm here :)

introducing myself

I'm new to forum RP and roleplayerguild...not entirely new to RP. I've done LARP, DnD and other online RP. Generally speaking, I'm just a nerd girl that likes to game and try new things.