five fingers, two black hooves.

zahra anastase. lady of danruba. 30. sentry. guard for the princess. 45.

[kalamities]

                                 LADY ZAHRA ANASTASE

outfit and accessories for the marriage princess lumina anamaria cosmina dragola i & lord varian ronan anastase. @warbornaes

[alicent-florent]

Mary Stuart in every Reign episode Season 1 Episode 17: “Liege Lord”

[kalamities]

( wcndfalls​ )

eleksana  supposed  it  was  ironic  how  long  they  had  been  in  the  capital  right  under  many  people’s  noses.  blind  trust  had  always  been  what  lead  empires  and  kingdoms  to  fall,  regents’  bloodline  to  end,  families  to  come  to  a  demise.  the  vampire  knew  it  all  too  well.  watching  the  same  blind  loyalty  brought  a  sense  of  nostalgic  pity,  one  that  found  eleks  watching  the  faces  of  each  guest  and  noble  that  had  been  brought  to  the  keep  avidly  with  a  stony  coldness  that  betrayed  their  true  species.  it  wasn’t  often  that  they  remembered  to  move,  breath   —  to  give  some  sort  of  indication  that  they  weren’t  simply  a  permanent  fixture  in  the  courtyard.  ‘  apologies  for  staring.  i  was  lost  in  thought,  ’  eleks  spoke,  belated  realization  that  their  gaze  had  been  fixed  upon  one  person  for  too  long.

open  starter  :  open  to  all location  :  iarna  keep

      “ must be a demanding thought to get lost so deeply. ” though was it so strange to be still as a statue? his occupation was nearly that these days: a living adornment in the background for safe keeping, used on the occasion but ultimately an idle set of armor. it wasn’t a complaint, nor did sentry feel wasted when his skills were not used to their fullest potential. instead, it was gambit he could privately enjoy for anyone who thought differently of him.

      “ surely that doesn’t mean you’ve lost your way? ” with all the new faces flooding into the capital, they seemed more of lost refugees than aid as the king intended-- whatever he was hoping to accomplish. he approached the other with a nod toward the open path before them. “ or are you trying to get lost on purpose? ”

[kalamities]

( launderingknights​ )

he can’t help but stare, there’s a lilt in his brows- as he watches guests of the king, shovel dinner into their mouths. it’s a spectacle, practically one that would offer to that of starving peasants, had he not known these particulars of the court- were well beyond that. you could see the greed, and how they treated that of the staff, even under the vise of guests. “tell me,” he leans in to the nearest person, though his voice is a notch lower. “is it quite normal for them to unhinge their jaw, in order to guzzle their wine?” 

       “ isn’t it, always, ” she spoke, her gaze following his line of sight with quick yet hard flickered looks from one person to the next to see if they matched his description or a mock of it. of course she was familiar with gluttony and excess merriment, even in the wake of tragedy-- especially in the wake of tragedy. she wasn’t unfamiliar to it, half expected it as many reacted the same in the harshness of danruba’s endless winter. what difference would it make here?

      “ it is, after all, the fastest way to numb any grievance that troubles you, ” she added. zahra lifted her cup in a silent toast and took a healthy gulp of her drink-- not enough partake overconsumption but enough to mimic it. “ have you no grievance to wash away? take the good things while they’re available to you? ”

[kalamities]

idris elba . cis male . he/him . wasn’t that sentry walking the palace grounds ? it’s nice to see the princess' guard out and about on such a fine day as this. i’ve heard from the court spies that they notoriously disengaged, whilst also managing to be quite collected. the forty-five year old is eager to find out who exactly is behind the killings from what’s being said at court. i heard that they themselves are vrajiit ( vector manipulation ). it’s funny, whenever i think of them, i think of hot lemon tea against a fogged window, the sharp exhale and winded jolt of air forced from your chest, the scent of burnt sage and wood carried over stone floors. great to see the warden around, isn’t it ?

about.

name: sentry. age: forty-five. status: princess’ guard. positive traits: collected, easy-going & resourceful. negative traits: disengaged, detached & secretive. alignment: true neutral. temperament: phlegmatic. mbti: tbd.

-------

      among the forgotten and forsaken, the mardune family did its best in the wastes of wenchinka to make a living. arris mardune worked alongside his parents, hands buried in soil and splintered wood in attempt to make the land yield more than it was capable, farm the land with rotted roots and received little coin for the fruitless efforts. it was a humble living, small meals to fill their bellies but always a warm hearth and roof over their heads to greet them home. arris had higher ambitions, or at least he wanted to sleep without as any many pangs of hunger, with more comforts-- and with each complaint his mother chided him to not let his dreams become too rich for reality. decent living wasn’t unreasonable so arris took matters on his own.

      his parents thanked the gods when more money and food showed at their table, willingly turned a blind eye to their son sneaking out in the dregs of the night and disappearing from his his labor with satchels of stolen goods. but they were golden memories of comfort, an easier living with less pains of a dead land, and restful nights without growls to wake him from sleep. all golden memories fade, or are soured with time. arris’ golden memories were tainted with being caught with an armful of measly trinkets that could be barely pawned for coin and a loaf of bread. 

      grabbed and pulled from either limb, arris fought back--- he pushed back with a force invisible yet attached to the physical world. while he had hoped the discovery of his abilities would scare authorities away from him, it only angered them more and they pursued. begging his parents for protection, for them to leave, it was then they chose to notice their son’s theft and demanded explanation, demanded reprimand for the men pounding at their door. their sudden shock and anger didn’t save them from the ambush, nor did it save them the blows. the last mardune escaped with heavy wounds and fled-- but the boy died before he reached the edges of crysala.

      when sentry arrived in trasnavda, he immediately sought out the academy and without question began service after training. serving as a man at arms, sentry was a naturally talented tactician with a mindset of incorporating defensive skills in offensive strikes that provided an advantage in the battlefield and off ( his capabilities were just an additional edge in understanding such practice) . 

      for twenty-five years he served in vrajiit army, but the thrills of a war games were waning with each passing moon. sentry withdrew from battle and traded his skillset for that of protection for the throne. for the past three years, it has been a proclaimed easier life but certainly one with greater risk he is happy to take on.

[kalamities]

( glacialisvenae​ )

      HE WASN’T ONE to revel in rumors. if idle gossip and nitpicking were an art, the people in transnavda were master weavers and eben wanted nothing to do with any of that —but some rumors were based in truth and there were few that he took stock in. family. and not the kind that he was ashamed of, either —the kind that made his heart feel full, his chest warm with the pulse of it, that laid an easy smile to his lips. he didn’t need to pay anyone off to find out where his sister was staying, but he tipped the guard well regardless and made his way to the little cottage just adjacent to the castle’s property.

      uninvited he entered, barked at the help to keep the cheery fire rolling and to start something up for a light and early dinner. by the time zahra would return he hoped it’d be ready, or close-to. god, he hoped she hadn’t been promised off to some perfumed lord with his head up his ass. and he never did well with idle hands - but when he heard the soft chatter outside he all but knocked the door from its hinges as he exited. eben anastase was no lord, no man at arms, no man at all, but a storm as he cut across the grass and scooped his sister into his arms in a death-grip of a hug. ever-careful, no skin touching hers, not so much as a cheek, and only when he set her down did he step back ( both hands on her shoulders ) to look at her.

      “ it’s been six moons. look at you —you’re beautiful. you’ve got fire in your eyes and mischief on your lips. tell me stories. tell me you haven’t been married off to some half-wit. ”

      eben is happy to see his little sister, @kalamities​

      her form was frozen, not for the surprise but for acceptance of the air being crushed from her lungs from an embrace that was long overdue and highly missed. but the shock lasted for as long as her feet touched the ground, her arms hooked around him as she was lifted with forehead buried into the padding on the edge of his shoulder, careful to let him make the movements for the safety of closeness. when eben finally let her rest, zahra was beaming with full toothy grin that wouldn’t dare falter. well, faltered once for the sudden spurt of playful anger, and after managing her arm free she punched her brother full force in the arm.

      “ it’s been six moons and you’ve sent no letters, ” she scolded, the anger barely lasting in favor of the growing grin, “ else you would have heard in the reply the last one i frightened away left a poor taste for any more attempts. i’m sure they’re arranging another in secret, planning to spurn the wedding day on me so i have little time to escape. for now i’m free. ” 

      and already her lodgings were prepared for the comfort of company, the hearth’s heat a welcomed additive from her journey out, despite trasnavda’s forgiving climate. she gestured for him to return back inside, an official invitation accompanied with an appreciative smile for making the place a little more like home-- if only they were meeting under different circumstances.

      “ i'd rather be hearing your stories... your adventures, ” she continued, removing her cloak and then the scabbard hidden beneath it. of course she fancied herself a warrior, but it didn’t compare to her brothers’ tales of war and battle, the triumphant and sorrowful encounters. zahra anticipated when she could hear the next, or recall those she heard several times before. 

      “ perhaps any rumors among the army? ”

[kalamities]

( cataclysmfire​ )

she’d spent time in the archives, listening and reading- but more importantly, listening. she’s rounding a corner, not quite expecting another person- which was quite the surprise, as she often keeps herself aware of every surrounding. there’s a tug of her brows, one that’s genuine, before the mask slips back into place. does eyes are blinked, and she’ll straighten her shoulders, toying with the fabric of her gown. “forgive me.” it’s soft, and her suspicion of the other was rising in the back of her throat, but she won’t let it show. she’s a viper, without a rattle- there were no warning signs to her striking. “is it not courteous to announce one’s self when approaching?” 

      her hands refolded over her stomach, an accompanying quick recovery to her features that retreated from the sharp defense of surprise to a softer confusion and quirk of the brow. she had met with a sharp tongue sweetened with social sugar, and zahra wasn’t unfamiliar to its use-- nor was it deserving of an honest mistake such as a collision.

      “ when entering a room, certainly, ” she began, with a pleasant but cheeky lift to her tiers, “ but i wasn’t aware i was to announce myself through the walls preemptively. perhaps we should both hum at all times to let others know of our presence. ” yet a plethora of chiding voices sang warnings of meeting fire with fire in her ears, and her own frame relaxed from a long sigh and straightened to heed them ( even if the two were only kindling embers ).

      “ it’s a situation neither of us meant for, and i truly didn’t mean to disrupt your path. it’s understandable to those eager for knowledge, is it not? to hurry on our way to unlock secrets that fascinates us? if this place carries them, of course. ”

[kalamities]

adelaide kane . cis female . she / her . wasn’t that zahra anastase walking the palace grounds ? it’s nice to see the lady of danruba and about on such a fine day as this. i’ve heard from the court spies that they notoriously reckless, whilst also managing to be quite ambitious. the thirty year old is eager to find out who exactly is behind the killings from what’s being said at court. i heard that they themselves aren’t vrajiit . it’s funny, whenever i think of them, i think of feather fletching against unwavering lips, warped candles snuffed as dawn peeks through the windows, the scent of roses spiced with black pepper. great to see the faustian around, isn’t it ?

about. 

name: zahra anastase. age: thirty. status: lady of danruba. positive traits: ambitious, cunning & warmhearted. negative traits: bitter, audacious & reckless. alignment: chaotic good. temperament: choleric. mbti: tbd.

-------

with the heart of danruba buried in her chest, zahra grew up with the ideals of being a steadfast warrior ready to take arms. a spirited child and an energetic fire, running through the halls at every opportunity, she was eager to take up practice swords and bows... all the while insistent on wearing and dirtying her dresses.

however, with two brothers serving their dues, it was wiser to keep zahra at home than indulge in dreams of warfare. 

she is not keen on the mandates for vrajiit, as half of her family were absent during her adolescent life. from her studies, she views the king’s need for control and power deceitful, and slowly fell out of the heart for fighting for kingdom and more for fighting for herself and those she’s close to.

from this, a part of her heart has grown distant from the honor and glory of battle and has turned to crave for an escape from the politics, hoping to find freedom and happiness outside the court. however, she knows she can’t have a foot in contrasting desires so she remains steadfast ensuring the safety of her homeland and those she holds close ( until other opportunities appear for the taking ).

zahra is a proficient marksman and cavalier, though she is determined to improve her melee fighting style to the same skill, lest she be caught off guard. however, she is not always quick to take up arms. she is highly aware war is not always won on the battlefield, but sometimes in dresses and and through social events and tries to make as much effort socially as she does in private practice ( even if she prefers a weapon in hand ).

will be edited as more information develops~

[percyfraser]

Adelaide Kane photographed by Jordan Harvey, 2016