Titles: N/A
Nicknames: Madame M, M, Your Disgrace
Factions: N/A
Fluencies: Kokalath, Common
Conversational: None
Ineptitudes: None
Re: Mannon
Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2020 4:38 am
by Mannon
Appearance, Personality & History
Appearance
Of no particular height, Mannon is thin limbed. Whether that’s due to limited intake of food, profession, or genes, who knows. But one thing is for sure, she is impeccable and shows her skin with the finesse of a noble, or a seasoned cabaret singer. Her taste in clothing is refined and it shows in her show couture as well as off stage or backstage attire. Her skin bears only a few scars that have whitened with years and are placed precisely where no one would see them in public. The Masquerade rune is hidden on the left sole of her foot.
Personality
Has an air of superiority about her which some may confuse for arrogance. Others who are familiar with her past know this is due to her upbringing. Mannon will respect those who deserve it by earning it. Otherwise, she has nothing to say to you. She tends to keep people at arm's length or preferably even further so it is often challenging to know exactly what's going through her mind. This gives her an opening to listen intently and observe unreservedly. People fascinate Mannon. Understanding them is her aim, to what end, that’s her secret to know.
History The prisoner of circumstances
Frost 24th, 92 AoS
Born to a prospering Stål kinship in Clan Hopsfel, Mannon was one of seven siblings. She was to be the only daughter to enter a partnership contract when she came of age since her older sister was already being groomed to one day take over the kinship. She grew up with that idea and quite accepted it since no one had shown her an alternative and in her naivete and trust, she did not care to look for it herself.
109 AoS
A year before she was of legal age to enter a partnership contract, the matriarch of the family already had the best match picked for her. No one expected this to be disputed or threatened, least of all Mannon who was excited as well as nervous about the prospect. That was until she met Axel. A good looking noble from Alfsos who was travelling Atinaw on some sort of sabbatical. Mannon had fallen from the first moment head over heels into a whirlwind romance. He promised her things she never knew she wanted and this spelt trouble with her family that were going to end only one way. By the end of the year, she had run away from home with the lord of her heart. Her head was full of promises and dreams.
110-111 AoS
Unfortunately, very early on, reality struck Mannon across the face with an iron slap. The promised love nest that was nothing short of the luxury she was used to, turned out to be a neglected mansion in dire need of some repairs with less than a skeleton crew of servants. Her lover turned out to be a destitute noble who was eye deep in gambling, drugs and women. In fact, he had already managed to accumulate a collection of similarly fooled young girls. Though none of them from a kinship that could offer Axel an escape from his looming poverty.
Almost as soon as Mannon settled in, Axel became adamant to draw a partnership contract, not the true marriage he promised. He presented her with the papers, demanded she and her family sight it. Alas and understandably, the Ståls refused, demanding their daughter to return home. Still blinded by love and suffocated by shame and embarrassment, Mannon refused, determined to prove her family wrong. But the Stål kinship did not intend to wait and see. They disinherited and expelled Mannon. Thus, she became kinless, unwanted in the lands she called home and worthless to the man. Overnight, she became nothing more than a play toy to him like the other girls. And his games weren’t the kindest.
During the following years, Mannon got tangled in the craze of the crumbling mansion. Drugs and gambling events were a daily occurrence. The other women and she were the entertainment of the ‘lord’s’ choosing. A variety of people walked the corridors of the place, some intelligent with strange leanings, some pure rabble of the streets.
The girl wasn’t even sure when or how she met the man, but at some point, Salem Hannan, a travelled researcher, visited Axel. Mannon was drawn to his knowledge, his experiences and most of all some underlying pull, the way he made certain things look...different.
It was with his nurturing and guidance, that she brought herself out of the disillusioned state of love that led her to depression and apathy which was so characteristic to the women of the mansion. Soon she was working her way into the servant connections, towards the ledger. Salem wanted her to understand the way the world worked. Mannon saw it as a second chance to win Axel’s heart. If only she could prove to him that she could run a household, perhaps he would see her in a new light.
But nothing changed. The more she tried, the more Axel pulled away, ridiculed her, mistreated her. Until once, she pushed him too far earning a public humiliation like never before.
Before she could plummet back to the depths of the darkness of despair, Salem caught her and offered her a solution. The alluring magnetism around him. It had a name. Masquerade.
After surviving the harrowing experience of initiation sickness which left her mentally scarred, Mannon returned to her previous activities but this time with a new aim. Step by step, she brought the household to relative stability. This time not for the man she no longer loved, but for her freedom and for the first time with allies.
112 AoS
It had been over a year since Axel disappeared. No one knew where he went or what happened but this prolonged absence was highly unusual. After a year of painful waiting, Mannon and the servants who now managed a much healthier household, pleaded with the authorities to declare the man dead. They didn’t only want to move on. In the lord’s name and in memory of his generosity, they wanted to give back to society. As a trusted member of the household, Mannon petitioned the authorities to allow her to convert the mansion into an asylum for women and children. Where needed she produced just the right documents, just the right securities, ultimately winning the case under certain conditions. As a self-governed institution, it had to be funded privately with all ledgers available for inspection by the authorities at any given moment. The moment that the institution would fail to support itself, it would be disbanded and the estate is returned to the possession of the authorities.
The moment that the papers were signed, Mannon handed them over to the head of the servants. It was theirs to maintain. She wasn’t able to stay. Too many harsh memories she needed to clear her head from. She hired a travelling wagon, fully covered and left one night without saying much of a goodbye. Many thought the past was chasing her away. But perhaps she was leaving with her demons in tow.
Whatever drove her, it ended in Lorien with Salem Hannan.
114 AoS
After joint effort between Mannon and Salem, bringing together their wit and money, the two were able to bribe baron Tobias Mohebi - a man who was Salem's frequent 'customer' for information. Doing so elevated Mannon into the Savant Caste so that she was then able to open her own business - the Parlour. On the outside, it was a cabaret that offered stage entertainment. However, rumours had it that a select few called the Primes, as well as Mannon herself, offered additional services if one knew how to ask. Ultimately, Mannon and Salem had their own stakes in the business, and their own plans for it too.
She travelled back to Atinaw only once or twice since moving to Lorien and her visits were always short and never spoken about at lengths. She moved out of Salem’s house to live in the Parlour.
120 AoS
This year was not meant to be any different to the previous ones. Her business was meant to continue gaining a fascinating reputation, her life was not meant to change any more than it already had.
Alas, when the supposedly disappeared destitute lord from Alfsos became a bargaining chip in another man’s game, Mannon found herself locked in a situation that threatened everything she worked to build over the years. And this time, the same trick may not work to save her again.
Acting
1. Know the role
2. Switch between roles quickly
Etiquette
1. How ladies cross their legs
Intimidation
1. Threaten someone with something nasty
Negotiation
1. Find a pain point
2. Don’t let feelings get in the way
3. Be clear in your suggestions
Persuasion
1. Tears sometimes help
2. Rub their ego well
3. Try to paint a better picture
4. Twist facts
5. Screaming sometimes does it
6. Barked command is intimidating and might be enough to persuade someone to do something
Seduction
1. Act hard to get to raise the anticipation
2. Use suggestive body language
3. Work with tension
Dexterity
► Show Spoiler
WIP
Intelligence
► Show Spoiler
Psychology
1. Anger clouds judgement
2. Panic feels like suffocation
3. Paranoia is not based on objective reason
Mercantilism
► Show Spoiler
Business
1. Recognize an opportunity
2. Pick the right time to strike a bargain
3. Ask for more than you’re hoping to get
Perception
► Show Spoiler
Appraisal
1. Pick up signs when something bad is about to happen
Deception
1. Appear confident when you aren’t.
2. Don’t talk to maintain the illusion of being local
3. Plan your moves well
4. Hide your feelings
5. Match emotion to facial expression
Meditation
1. Focus on breathing
2. Find a comfortable position
Strength
► Show Spoiler
Running
1. Pick up the skirts
2. Dash through doors
Non-skill
► Show Spoiler
[PC] Arkash: Met when she got lost in Lower Nivenhain
[PC] Arkash: Lizard man
[PC] Arkash: His scales feel different from human skin
[PC] Arkash: Has quite the Rien accent
[PC] Arkash: Seems honest
[PC] Arkash: Can't fight him, got to trick him
Location: Lower Nivenhain
Location: Lower Nivenhain: Place for the poor
Location: Lower Nivenhain: Dangerous
Location: Lower Nivenhain: Turf gangs present
Re: Mannon
Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2020 11:56 am
by Mannon
Arcana : Masquerade
Skill
Skill Level
Proficiency
Masquerade
25/100
Novice
Quirks
WIP
Techniques
Mask
Acquired at Novice. A minor illusory enchantment that requires active sustainment. A mask is the thin application of aether over an existing object. It almost never incorporates more than one sensory aspect and is almost always purely visual in form. This can be used to change a person’s eye color, make it appear as though a scar is not there, or patch a hole in a piece of fabric. Masks do not hold up to physical inspection and will immediately dissipate once they are no longer actively sustained.
Knowledges
1. Mask technique
2. Mask needs active sustainment to hold
~ 1 Waterskin (SP)
~ 1 Backpack which contains:
~ 1 Set of Toiletries (SP)
~ 10 days of rations (SP)
~ 1 Set of Eating Utensils (i.e. tin plate, cup, fork, spoon, knife) (SP)
~ Flint & Steel (SP)
Occupation: Researcher & Information Broker Relation to PC: Mage who initiated her into Masquerade, friend, ‘silent partner’ NPC Type: Personal Influence: 4 Magic: Masquerade (Master)
Description: Salem was born with a natural curiosity for everything. He grew up in Outer Nivenhain both of his parents and Salem too part of the Savant class. At a young age, he read all the historical accounts of his nation and was captured by the Kindred both in fascination and whispers. As such, it was only natural that he followed on the path of a researcher. He wanted to understand the Kindred. Thus, this led him to the path of history researcher. The more he learned, the more he scoured the archives of the nation, driven by a desire that crystalized with age. He wanted to help the Kindred from their suffering.
It wasn’t until his mid-twenties, that the whisper’s of Kindred turned Salem against his closest circle, whispering lies to his ears that he was nothing but a joke on a futile quest and that he was everyone's laughing stock. Eventually, he broke under the pressure, throwing his wife and a newborn child onto the street, chasing them away with threats and curses. He cut off all ties with his family, going into seclusion. Not many knew what he was up to in the following years and many thought that perhaps he killed himself. Such madness was unforeseen by those around him. A healthy dose of paranoia was the bread of their lives, after all.
Salem resurfaced in his early thirties as a completely changed man. It seemed that he had returned to Nivenhain, but no one knew when it was that he left. He spoke little of his travels and even less of his research. He tried to seek forgiveness with his wife and the child that knew him not, but he was rejected and told to never seek them out again.
Whilst his research remained private, Salem became an information broker swiftly being known for the ability to find almost any information and trade it at an appropriate rate. This profession gradually saw him travelling all over Ransera again, but that did not seem to impede whatever other activities he was doing on the side.
Occupation: Unemployed due to gambling and drug addiction Relation to PC: First love, first heartbreak, abuser NPC Type: Personal Influence: 4
Description: Axel was the only son of a failing kinship of Opheim. He was due to uphold the family’s profession of monster slaying. It took Axel one such trip with his father when he was fifteen or sixteen to know that killing beasts was not his calling. Since then, he did anything he could to avoid it, earning nothing but growing scorn from his parents. At the threat of being made kinless, Axel joined his father for one more hunt. During the hunt, he witnessed his father being violently butchered and torn to shreds. Axel managed to barely escape with his own life. This harrowing experience left Axel marked for the rest of his life. He openly refused to carry on the profession and instead found his release from reality in gambling, drinking, drugs and women. It's unclear what happened to his mother whether she left or died. Axel certainly doesn't speak of his parents.
His attempt on signing a partnership contract with Mannon and her family was to elevate his status, but also to have access to resources that would allow the now addictions, to continue. The plan failed and about a year after, when Axel was 25, he suddenly disappeared.
For the past years, he has been presumed to be dead. But his body has never been found.
Not disclosed in character
► Show Spoiler
With Salem's help, Mannon more or less kidnapped and imprisoned Axel to remove him from the bigger picture. At first he was kept in the estate in a room that was masked with masquerade thanks to Salem. When Mannon moved to Nivenhain, she brought Axel with her and he was imprisoned in Salem's house. After Mannon started her own business, Axel was moved to be kept at the Parlour without Salem's knowledge.
Axel is kept alive, but unable to speak and either continuously drugged or kept within an illusion of Mannon's choosing.
