Tiffa/SesusMeladi
Contents
History
Many years ago, Sesus Haya, a young and recently married, if not particularly devoted, dragon blooded, bumped into a Small God in one of the cities in the Blessed Island. A minor god of music, he nonetheless charmed Haya into a night of passion. A night of passion with results Haya hadn't quite expected.
As it's often the case, her pregnancy was well hidden by her house. Her husband was aware that the child was not his own, but he really didn't think much of it as there was not much love between them anyway. So, a year later, a young girl was born.
Ever since she was young, Meladi proved to be... distracted, often found looking off into the sky from a window, or simply not paying attention at all. Most of the time, Meladi could be found humming a tune or other, or shuffling her feet when she was supposed to be standing still. Her tutors didn't know what to do with her. She was quiet, friendly, and clever, but she simply had the attention span of a cricket. It was discovered, however, that the girl had a wonderful singing voice, which was something that her parents enjoyed showing off.
Still, whenever there was a party at home, the ones Meladi was not supposed to attend, the girl would stay awake all night long, listening to the sound of the music for as long as it lasted.
Primary School
Meladi's distracted nature made life for her fairly difficult in school. She barely paid any attention in class, and thus tended to fall back on her studies. Year after year she was forced to stay behind and "volunteer" for extra lessons. She was not an unruly child... she was just so unhopefully distracted the teachers truly had no idea what to do about her.
The other children picked on the quiet and weird girl at first, but as she showed little to none response to their actions, they soon grew bored and preferred to leave her alone.
Otherwise, her school years were unremarkable, even by the fact that she failed to Exalt... something she did not seem to mind, as far as the teachers knew. Her parents lost all hope for her really amounting to do anything, and were wondering just what to do with the strange girl.
And then came the last year.
Exaltation
Nobody noticed anything different about her. She was still the same quiet, odd girl who almost never spoke and didn't seem to have any friends. And yet, one day, Meladi approached the school's music teacher and asked for her help in something. The teacher, surprised that Meladi had asked for -something- (the girl did pay attention in her class, and had a nice voice, but still seemed as utterly hopeless as in the other classes), agreed to help in what she needed.
Meladi revealed that she had been working on some sort of musical piece. When the teacher asked her what she was planning to do with it, the girl blandly replied that she wanted to sing it in the graduation. Skeptical at best, the teacher still agreed to help. Things, she guessed, certainly couldn't get much worse.
Throughout the year, Meladi and the teacher worked together, and the latter was surprised to discover the girl had a fine ear for music. What was more, throughout the other classes, Meladi appeared to be paying enough attention to actually get good-- if not great-- grades. Still, the girl appeared distracted most of the time, humming under her breath most of the time.
When the time for Graduation came, her name was not mentioned when the deeds of the children were being mentioned. She did not seem to mind. Her performance was put dead last, a time where most people who haven't left are just waiting for the performances to be over. She did not seem to mind. All she did was ask the music teacher if the instruments were ready. The teacher, almost feeling sorry for the girl (despite her apparent obliviousness of the embarrassment that had been brought upon her), confirmed this... although she was worried that, in all this time, she had not heard the words of Meladi's song. Meladi shrugged.
And, finally, when it was her turn, she stepped into the stage with the same distracted appearance she always had. She ignored the whispers and the snickers of some members of the crowd and other students. When the music finally started, the crowd fell silent out of respect and some curiosity at the piece they had never heard. Finally, Meladi began singing.
Her voice carried with strength and beauty across the room, displaying the voice that was her heritage. People barely registered the letters of the word themselves as they noticed the change upon the girl. While she was singing, Meladi Exalted.
She did not seem to notice as the wind rushed around her, and did not seem to notice the gasps of surprise of the people in the crowd. She kept singing, her voice carrying now even more power and beauty on it. The music never faltered, despite the surprise of those playing the instruments, and Meladi's voice never wavered. The child's Exaltation, and an impressive performance enhanced even further beyond by it, captivated the crowd, and the lyrics and the music reached to them.
As the song finally winded down, Meladi was greeted with a standing ovation. She finally showed some confusion as she glanced to the crowd, and then she smiled, bowed, and promptly fell on her knees as the dizziness of Exaltation finally overtook her.
This event marked the change of her life so far.
Secondary School
Meladi's parents were incredibly pleased at the sudden attention their daughter, formerly so... odd, got during her graduation and following performance. The event was talked about to such an extent that they decided to see if they could get Meladi into the school of her choice... as it turned out, she revealed she wanted to go to the Cloister of Wisdom, for reasons she never adequately explained.
It wasn't quite as hard as it appeared at first. Mediocre grades aside, the show at her graduation had turned -many- eyes upon the girl... the amount of favors and resources they had to pull was minimal, which pleased them.
And in the Cloister of Wisdom... Meladi was a change. While still distracted and with a tendency of humming songs, she became more attentive in classes, cooperated more, was more open to the other students... a radical change from what she had been. Those that know her venture to guess that her Exaltation changed her in more ways than one. Others guess that she had been composing that one song for years, thus why she was so distracted.
Meladi took to Martial Arts fairly well. She enjoyed the meditation exercises and the movements of the forms. She also learned many other things here, more fitting to be a scion of the Realm. Oh, she still had some problems... the deeper teachings of the Immaculate had the tendency of going over her head, for example, but she still learned much more.
What is -not- commonly known, is that much of this was because the masters of the Cloister decided to give her some free time so she could compose and practice her songs, so that she wouldn't have them in her head all the time. It worked pretty well.
It is also rumored that Meladi fell in love here, a love that was not returned, because the man she fell for was to become a monk. This story is unconfirmed, and when asked about it, Meladi just looks confused.
The story is only partly true. Meladi did indeed meet a young would-be-monk in the Cloister, an Earth Aspect dragon-blood that called himself Gravel, as he had not come from any of the great houses. Both became fast friends, but Gravel found himself feeling an attraction for Meladi he desperately tried to fight off. Finally, he moved away from her company, fearful that his feelings would interfere on what he had decided to do with his life. Meladi does remember the young monk, and wonders what happened with him, but never held any attraction to him.
Out of school
Once she graduated from the Cloister, Meladi did something many other Dragon Blooded do... travel across the realm. However, she traveled with the explicit purpose of finding new melodies and different kinds of music that she could use later. Meladi is more than fond in composing songs from the different things she sees and hears in her travels.
While she returned home shortly thereafter, and has since become a fairly well known song composer, singer, and dancer, Meladi has the tendency of leaving on a whim, to go places she hasn't gone before and hear the music there.
Currently, her parents are trying to arrange a marriage for her. Meladi understand this, and has asked only that her husband likes music, because he'll be getting a lot of it. So far, the most likely candidate is Tepet Sadek, a young Air-aspect Dragon-Blood, who has stated that he adores music. Actually, he doesn't know much about it, but the Tepet are really pushing for the marriage and the resulting alliance. For her part, Meladi thinks Sadek has a nice voice, so things might look promising...
Personality
In one word, Meladi is distracted. Her mind seems to be in the clouds most of the time. She can often be found staring at the sky from the nearest convenient window if not outdoors, and if that's not an option, then she will be tapping on the floor with her fingers or feet with her eyes closed.
Meladi has music in the soul, and her father has much to do with that. The girl can hear music -everywhere-... from the chatter of people, to the sound of rain (she really likes that one), and the sound on the streets. Then she takes that music and writes it down somewhere. She loves music and absolutely lives for it. High society has its perks, for sure, but she'd be just as happy singing out in the streets as long as people listened.
Such is Meladi's distracted nature that she simply cannot get angry at somebody. To do such a thing is very very very -very- hard indeed. It's not that she has infinite patience or self-control... its just that she fails to notice anything that would otherwise make her angry most of the time. Unfortunately, she fails to notice most of everything else as well.
To most other people, Meladi tends to be formal and quiet. There are few she trusts as friends, but to those she's notably friendlier and more open.
While not an avid practitioner, Meladi also enjoys martial arts. The movements of the five-dragon’s style remind her of a dance and the sound of fighting of a song... she'll likely make a song about it soon. But what she enjoys best is meditating... it lets her hear the world in ways she often can't.
Appearance
Meladi is a beautiful young woman. Still a young Dragon-blood, her hair and skin have yet to take strongly on the appearance that marks an air-aspect. Her overall appearance, however, depends solely in what ambient she's in.
When at home, Meladi is incredibly messy. She fails to take care of her appearance most of the time, because she's immersed in her music. It's well known among other Dragon-blood that she's fairly eccentric, and that visits to her home don't end up too well... Meladi is a polite host, but her entire demeanor tends to throw people off.
When in other's homes, or when traveling, Meladi tends to put up a better appearance. She's still infallibly polite, but quiet. However, when something musical related catches her attention, she can become quite talkative indeed.
Finally, when she's singing for an audience, Meladi (with the help of her servants and aids) dresses as elegantly as possible, but she disdains most makeup. She looks truly stunning in such occasions, which aren't exactly rare.
Character Sheet
Name: Sesus Meladi
Concept: God-touched Dragon Blood
Nature: Gallant
Aspect: Air
House: Sesus
PHYSICAL
Strength: 2
Dexterity: 4
Stamina: 3
SOCIAL
Charisma: 5
Manipulation: 1
Appearance: 4
MENTAL
Perception: 1
Intelligence: 3
Wits: 3
AIR
(x)Linguistics: 3
(x)Lore: 4
(x)Occult: 2
(x)Stealth: 4
(x) Thrown: 2
EARTH
(x)Endurance: 3
Martial Arts: 3
Resistance: 2
FIRE
(x)Athletics: 3
Dodge: 2
Melee: 1
Presence: 1
Socialize: 2
WOOD
Archery: 1
(x)Performance: 5
Ride: 1
SPECIALTIES
Performance (sing): 2
Performance (compose): 2
Linguistics (High Realm): 2
BACKGROUNDS
Artifact: 2
Breeding: 1
Connections:
- House Sesus: 2
- High Society: 2
Henchmen: 1
Inheritance: 1
Manse: 3
Reputation: 3
Resources: 3
CHARMS
Name | Cost
1. Wind-Carried Words Technique (Linguistics) | 1 mote sentence, plus distance
2. Feeling-The-Air Technique (Stealth) | 3 motes
3. Five-Dragon Claw (MA) | 1 mote
4. Loquacious Courtier Technique (Socialize) | 1 mote/2 die
5. Memorable Performance Technique (Performance) | 1 mote/2 die
6. Enchanting Performance (Performance) | 8 motes, 1 WP
Willpower: 8
Virtues:
Compassion: 3
Temperance: 4
Conviction: 2
Valor: 2
Essence: 2
Personal: 11
Peripheral: 23
Soak (B / L): 3 / 1
Health: 0, -1x2, -2x2, -4, I
Linguistics: High Realm, Low Realm, Riverspeak, Skytongue
Expanded Backgrounds
Artifact: 2
Not one to have a single bit of care for artifacts, Meladi still finds herself owning a few and using them. They are:
Dragon Tear Tiara (2): A gift from her mother when she entered the Cloister of wisdom, in hopes that the greater perception the artifact offered would aid her distracted daughter. Meladi likes the tiara... it helps her perceive the music of the world better and aids her in keeping more focused in other things. Thus, she rarely removes it at all.
(Collar of Dawn's Cleansing Light) (1): A handy tool Meladi recently acquired, Meladi wears this collar when she's expecting a long performance. It keeps her nice and clean. Otherwise, she often forgets to wear it at home.
Hearthstone Amulet (1): A gift from her father after Exaltation, and after Meladi was allowed to attune to manses.
Breeding: 1
Despite her mother's high breed, Meladi's own blood is not quite as powerful as her mother's, thanks to the god-blood running through her veins... but it still gives her some power.
Connections:
- House Sesus: 2
Not of much mention before, Meladi is slowly getting contacts within her own household, starting by her immediate family.
- High Society: 2
Meladi is of much more note within High Society, much in thanks to her music. She hasn't made more contacts only because of her eccentric demeanor.
Henchmen: 1
Meladi has a single henchman so far. He is a young man called Sirocco, a young musician from the Blessed Isle. Sirocco is fiercely devoted to Meladi, and people joke that he follows her like a puppy. In truth, Sirocco is quite a gifted musician himself, and Meladi appreciates having somebody to give comments and aid her on different pieces.
Inheritance: 1
Meladi is the daughter of a minor music god. Some of his heritage evidently remains in the girl as she often hears music in her head and in the surrounding, thus why she tends to be so distracted.
Manse: 3
Meladi's family has given her access to a number of manses, to reward her for the connections she has made lately and the good name she's been giving the family.
Level 3: Gemstone of Spoken Language (Quite handy for her travels)
Level 2: Mind Shield Stone (Her mother insisted on this one, to prevent Meladi of getting even -weirder-)
Level 1: Stone of Breath (+1 Endurance)
Reputation: 3
Meladi's story, voice, and music, has made her more than a little popular in the Realm. While some people still disdain her methods (the most conservative do not approve of the ways she sometimes makes songs), many Dynasts seek to invite her to perform for them in a party or another. Meladi only refuses very rarely, if she's planning a trip or if she's already booked most of the time.
Resources: 3
The only reason Meladi isn't any wealthier is because she appears to have no concept of spending money well. She will waste amounts in things most people would consider useless... as well as a fair amount in instruments as well.
