Solstice

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Alias(es): Solstice

Real Name: lost to the Hedge
Freehold: Cresting Waves, Gulf Breeze, Florida.
Apparent Age: mid-to-late twenties.
Seeming: Fairest
Kith: Dancer
Court: Autumn
Titles: Lady of the Autumn Kirtle; Autumn Queen of Cresting Waves
Concept: Mother Hen, Lost Lamb, Protector of Secrets
Relevant Traits: Striking Looks x2, Mantle (Autumn) x3
Quote: ...but if you kill him, you deny him the unique opportunity to
live out the rest of his life in unbounded terror of 'what might happen next.'

Contents

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Mien

She appears now as her Keeper bade her manifest - his ideal of the Harvest Goddess she sought to emulate on her last night in the World of Men. Her hair is long and curly and wild, a mixture of the golds and reds and oranges and yellows and browns of fall leaves. Her full shape is graceful and sensuous without being overtly sexual, and her presence evokes warm, earthy sureness. Her skin is a healthy golden bronze, and her eyes are the color of a sunset.

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Mask

Solstice, known as Elizabeth to the World of Men, is not what most people would call beautiful. She is about 5'6, her figure is too full in all teh wrong places to be considered 'in fashion', and the slight oddness that is inherant in most returned Lost, coupled with her high Wyrd, is enough to earmark her as 'that weird lady down the way.' Her hair is a little too wild, a little too colorful, and her eyes have an unsettling quaility about them that no one wants to name.

But when those eyes settle on you, a haunting sadness can be seen within them, and this makes most people realise that her true beauty lies somewhere deep within.

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Mantle (Autumn ***)

A gentle shower of fall leaves follows in her wake, and she exuded the scent of chocolate, cinnamon and pumpkin spice. She brings with her the sweet promise of harvest to come, and the cool freshness of an autumn day out-of-doors.

More Coming Soon

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Her Story

((Full history available upon request, as all 14 pages really wouldn't fit here *g*))

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The World Of Men

  • She was Melissa Whitby and she lived in Massachusetts. She was fair and lofty, sheltered by her Perfect Parents, but she was also a bit arrogant, a bit spoiled, and a lot naive to the ways of the world.
  • She was fourteen when she was taken. It was Samhain Night, and it was her dancing around the huge bonfire that captured the attention of the Viscount of Wyvern Grove, a vain and prideful creature whose wraith and cruelty were legend even amongst his own kind. He fell into immediate lust with the thought of possessing her, and donning the mask of a dark, handsome stranger stole her away with the intent of making her the crowning jewel in his menagerie of unique and exotic creatures.

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Durance

  • The first few months of her Durance were spent without knowing she had been taken at all, for it pleased the Viscount to trap her within a gilded cage of her own memories, to make her relive that Samhain night over and over. He would play in her memories, warping her senses into experiencing scenes of breathtaking beauty or excruciating cruelty, and dissect the flow of emotions that came from her. He was mesmerized by her, by the fact that she could feel so many different things and not break, not explode, not go mad with the intensity of it all. Most fascinating of all was that, if he wiped her memory clean of past experiences, then she would react to any situation, no matter how tired and boring it had become to him, as if it were the first time, feeling those emotions again, fresh and new. Most wonderful of all was that she was unjaded by the world enough for those emotions to be pure and innocent, and therefore could make him feel them as well. The Viscount had plenty of other distractions, other Playmates, but for this rare ability she became his most treasured possession.
  • She isn't sure how she broke out of her cage - or why He let her out, as the case may be. Maybe he got sloppy, maybe he was beginning to get bored, maybe it was all part of his plan, but one evening, something broke. She took control of the scene being played in her head, willfully stepped out of his embrace as they danced across lily-white fields of flowers, and recognized him as being the bewitching young man who seduced her to the edge of the firelight circle on the night she last remembered being real. The illusion shattered, and angrily, in a wave of stupidity that is only possible when one doesn't realize how much danger one is truly facing, she confronted the Viscount.
  • Her lack of fear both enraged and delighted him – no one had ever challenged him in such a willful yet unassuming manner before. Her rage and fear were sweet to him, so much sweeter now that they were real, and he learned that a warm and alive Slave was ever-so-much more delightful than a torpid and will-less one. Perhaps it was this realization that saved her, for rather than incurring his wraith as would have any other creature in his Demesne, a new Amusement formed in his mind. She was to be tested, to be played with in this awake, alert, and willful state, to see exactly how intense her emotions could become, exactly how long it would take for him to wear down her cute little displays of willpower... and how long she could remain as innocent and as untainted by the world as she had thusfar managed. He told her what he was, what she now was, and where she was. He told her that he was utterly fascinated with her, and wanted her to stay there, with him, forever.
  • Once she realized that she truly was no longer in the world of men – and was no longer bound by their laws or their constraints, and totally at the whim of this dark and exciting creature - she was curiously and perhaps stupidly unafraid. He was so achingly, unimaginably, cruelly and fearfully beautiful, and with his intense gaze and intense attentions he made her feel as if she were, too. She told him that she would stay. The Viscount was doubly delighted that she had thought she had a choice in the matter.
  • She fell in desperate love with Him, with the idea of Him and His world, and in no time became his complete and willing puppet in all things. She was renamed by him to something her finite mind turned into "Rhiannon". She became, as best a mortal could, his best playmate, his co-conspirator, his favorite companion. She did for him was whatever he wished, without question, trying to both retain the innocence and wonder that had first attracted him to her, and learn to take advantage of the things that he craved. She learned from him exactly how to evoke emotions in others, be they excitement, anticipation, frustration, fear, or downright terror. She danced for him. She sang for him. She learned to play all manner of fantastical and impossible instruments for him. She recited sonnets whose words were gibberish to her but whose true meaning left her physically exhausted and emotionally spent. She acted parts in the plays and dramas that he wrote, never protesting, even when she found the parts to be vile and despicable heroines or villains. Under his lofty gaze she could do unimaginable, fantastical, grotesque and unfathomable things, as long as she had his blessing.
  • The Viscount turned her into an unwitting spy amongst the other slaves of the Grove when he made her his seneschal/chatelaine/Overseer. Petty differences amongst the Slaves were hers to deal with, and justice was hers to mete. As long as He didn't have to be bothered with it, she was given free reign to run the Grove as she saw fit. He could have effortlessly done all this himself of course, as he had for the eternity before he Took her, but this was a new Game for him to play with her.
  • She was extraordinarily good at her job, and she gained a reputation for dealing as honestly and fairly as she could with everyone. Because of her bravery in the face of the Viscounts wrath she made a few allies among the Viscounts slaves, as well as those of visiting or visited Gentry. But many despised her for the ease with which she upset their carefully constructed internal pecking order, were intensely jealous of her position in the Viscounts household, and resentful of how easily she adapted to her new life. They took every opportunity to reminded her that she was still human, and no matter how hard she tried to be a Fae like Him.
  • She passed the rest of her Durance in blissful love with the magic of Arcadia, until something... happened... to change that. She doesn’t remember what it was, but she does remember that it was something more atrocious, more nightmarishly gruesome than anything she had ever seen previous... and she couldn't take her eyes off it. The horrors of Arcadia were no longer bothering her, and that is when she started to become disillusioned with her Fairy-Tale world, and began to worry for her soul.

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Return to the World of Men

  • She doesn't talk about her escape, if she can remember it at all. She will say that she remembers running, and the thorns as they tore at her skin and clothing, and emerging from the Hedge as if the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels, and knowing that there was something... someone... someones that she >i>had</i> to find. But immediately as her feet touched solid Earth again she felt naked, vulnerable, and as she gazed around the alien place into which she had just been thrust she actually made a move to dive back into the familiar comfort of the Hedge. But before she could, she was found by a kindly Ogre named Murphy. He calmed her fears, and through guile and wit led her to the local Freehold, known as Cresting Waves. He sheltered her until she could get her bearings and give up the foolish notion of returning to the nightmare. When she could not tell him her name, Murphy asked her what her last real memory was, and named her Solstice, after mistakenly thinking her fractured memories of a bonfire and dancing took place on either the summer or winter one.
  • She put the lessons learned from her time in Arcadia to good use and fashioned herself into what the locals needed her to be: a mother hen, a guiding light, a voice of wisdom and a place of solace in the cold and alien world. She chose to play their politics, and surprised quite a few of them when she shunned the Spring Court for that of Autumn.
  • It is unknown whether or not the Viscount left a Fetch in Melissa's place when he took her those long years ago, and Solstice doesn't remember where she was from in the first place, so it doesn't really matter. She's never felt the indignation that other returned Lost seem to feel when it comes to the idea of a golom having taken her rightful place in life, and sees no reason to go hunting the creature down. As long as it doesn't bother her, she won't bother it. At least, that's the going theory now. Only the future can tell how and if that might change.

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The Remembered

  • She did finally remember who she was looking for: Five other Slaves that had escaped from the Viscount too. No one knows the significance of these particular five escapees to Solstice - at least no one that is willing to share their information - but it is widely known that she seeks them. The story goes that Solstice has something for them... something that she stole from her Keeper that night, right from under his trusting and arrogant nose. Some also say that these items are the reason that her Keeper has never come after her: they say that the items will give their owner complete protection and immunity - almost invisibility - from the Gentry, the loyalists and their spies forever.
  • It is rumored that in the summer of 2007 she found one of her long lost compatriots, gave him his gift, and sent him on his way. Rumor says that he has never been plagued by Gentry again. Of course, rumor also says that no one has ever seen him since.

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The Birth of Elizabeth Pembrooke

  • It wasn't long before the nessessity of a Mortal Persona became ever-pressing, especially with the Vagrancy Laws and the general prejudices against the seemingly disenfranchised. With the help of others who do that sort of thing Solstice is able to assume the role of long-lost Great Grand-daughter Elizabeth, returned at last from her run-away days to take care of the old, senile, lonely, and well-off Mrs. Edna Pembrooke, who as luck would have it had no other living relatives.
  • With their details purloined from goodness only knows where, 'Elizabeth' quickly found a place in the sweet old lady’s heart, life, and Will. Mrs. Edna has defended Elizabeth's identity with a fervor thought long passed from the old dear, and she has seen to making sure Elizabeth's name is beside hers on all her stocks, bonds, and savings accounts. All the neighbors think it's just darling how the Good Granddaughter cares for the senile old dear... and her collection of 20-so stray cats. Elizabeth always sees to the needs of the old lady, and is so sweet besides. There is even talk that Mrs. Edna is going to let Elizabeth open a modest dance studio in her downtown home. They just don't make young people like that anymore.

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Cabin In The Woods (ah-ooo)

  • In Autumn 2005 she opened a Safehouse for all Changelings, a magnificent tree house high up in the safety of a huge Sycamore tree deep in a hollow in the Hedge of Gulf Breeze, Florida. It's called The Inn of Lost Hope, and is part of The Innkeepers Guild.
  • Solstice was at first hesitant about letting the local Changelings know of the Inn's existence, for this was to be a place of solace and respite from the cruelty and coldness of Arcadia, not a local hang-out for the well-established members of her new Freehold. In the end however it was the quiet wisdom of Murphy that convinced her that the Inn should indeed be opened to one and all. Therefore it was three months after it's official opening before anyone in Cresting Waves knew of it's existence, and it was at least two more after that before she felt comfortable enough to employ any locals to help in it's day-to-day upkeep.
  • A vivacious local known as Solanum Xanti became the to offically be a member of the staff. The little Flowering Fairest insisted upon being the Entertainment Director, and life at the Inn has rarely had a dull moment since.

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In Recent Memory

  • When a headstrong Fireheart called Leoni came to the Freehold in 2006, he and Solstice became instant and fast friends, each convinced that though they had no memory of such, each had know the other from somewhere before. The rumor quickly started that Leoni was smitten with the red-headed Fairest, and rumor swears that it was a mutual attraction. Whatever it was, she was known to be among his closest confidants, and it is said that it was her steady presence at his side, her quiet wisdom and her unwavering confidence in him that led to Leoni becomming the Summer King in 2007. Some also say it was her fault that Leoni and the bulk of his Courtiers went on their ill-fated Crusade into the Core; that it was her confidence in him that made him think he was invincible. Whatever the truth may be, it is a known fact that she has never forgiven herself for their disappearance.
  • Solstice became the Autumn Queen in 2007, but her rule was tainted by the disappearance of Leoni and the majority of the Summer Courtiers. There are but a handful of Changelings left in Cresting Waves now, but the Wheel of the Year continues to turn and soon, very soon, it will be Winter again. No one is sure why, but it seems like Winter is the season she hates the most.

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Playing the Part

  • Taken on Samhain Night, year unremembered.
  • Watched over Savant Absinthium in his servitude to their Keeper.
  • Aided Ras in her servitude to her Keeper.
  • Arrived in Gulf Breeze, Florida, in the fall of 2004.
    • With the help of Murphy joined the Freehold of Cresting Waves.
      • Established herself as a member of the Autumn Court.
        • Secured a mortal persona and means of income.
  • Founded The Inn of Lost Hope in Fall of 2005.
  • Aided in Leoni's ascention to Summer King
    • Was given the nickname "Lady of the Autumn Kirtle" by Leoni
  • Summer of 2007, unwittingly sent Leoni and the Summer Court to their doom.


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Associations & Associates


Seeking background ties of allll sorts.

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Quotes

Feel free to add, however I reserve the right to remove anything overly silly

  • “For the unlearned, old age is winter; for the learned it is the season of the harvest.” (The Talmud Quotes)
  • "There isn't a lot of good I remember from that time. But I remember kind eyes and a sweet voice. Solstice reminds me of that goodness." Ras
  • "Młody siostra has been good to me in my times of need. However, the seasons come and go. When will she learn this as well?" - Murphy
  • "...And that's why they call her the Lady of the Iron Kirtle." *The smug, satisfied smirk slips slightly.* "...Oh wait, that was the Autumn Kirtle, wasn't it? Totally told the wrong Solstice story there." Solanum Xanti
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Fact or Fiction

Feel free to add, however I reserve the right to remove anything overly silly.

  • She has an item that will make it possible for a Changeling to live 'under the radar' of the True Fae and their allies forever.
  • She possesses a token that warns her when someone is lying.
  • The woman is positively incapable of keeping on a pair of shoes for more than thirty minutes. I swear her feet are reincarnations of carnivorous nudists that, in the middle of the night, secretly devour anything remotely resembling footwear.
  • There is rumor that she and Leoni of the Summer Court remembered each other from their Durances, and that she was the one responsible for his eventual rise to King of the Summer Court.
  • Some whisper that Solstice and Leoni were more than merely friends. Don't repeat that in her presence, however, or not all the automatic dishwashers in the world will save you.
  • Solstice is the one who convinced Leoni to finally lead a Crusade against The Corrupt. The guilt she feels at having had a hand in his and his followers' presumed demise has left her a changed woman.
  • That scar above her heart wasn't there until after the Crusade.
  • She keeps a secret Hollow which she shares with a mysterious lover from somewhere in the central United States; they each have separate trods to the Hollow from private locations that only they know of.
  • NEVER ask her about the scar over her heart. She is not a violent creature by nature, untill you ask about that scar. AND she'll make you wash the dishes for a week.
  • She becomes very edgy whenever someone mentions having seen a stag hanging around the edges of society in Gulf Breeze.
  • She can heal the most grevious wounds, but is physically drained for days afterwards.



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Inspirations

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Flim and Stage

  • Ambassador Delenn - Babylon 5, post-hair, pre-Z'ha'dum.
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Books and Poetry

  • Aldith - The Wind from Hastings, by Morgan Llywelyn
  • The Lady of Shallot
  • Bianca - Mirror, Mirror, by Gregory Maguire
  • Menolly - The Harper Hall Trilogy, by Anne McCaffery
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Soundtrack

  • [Fake It] - Seether
  • Save Yourself - Stabbing Westward
  • Album - Anywhere But Home - Evanescence
  • Any King's Shilling - Elvis Costello
  • Something I Can Never Have - NiN
  • Love is Blindness - U2
  • Hurt - Johnny Cash version
  • [Everyday is Exactly the Same] - NiN
  • In the Air Tonight - Phil Collins



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OOC Info

Name: Mir Shasteen
Region: Southeast Region
Domain:a Flooded Stage, FL-024-D

Retrieved from "http://changeling.cam-wiki.org/Solstice"
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