transcript of an interview with your OC
~Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, Your Grace.
~Of course! Your request was so polite. I do have to warn you, though, Linzi insisted on recording the conversation. For posterity.
~The furiously scribbling halfling off to the left, yes.
[Linzi waves, goes back to writing]
~Well, I suppose that's as good a segue as any; who is she to you and why is she doing that?
~Oh, Linzi's one of my first and best friends! Also my biographer. We met at Jamandi Aldori's banquet commissioning those of us seeking a barony. She was looking for an adventurer whose journey she could chronicle and picked me. She's very fun to talk to, and I appreciate her dedication to recording everything, savory or not.
~Why were you seeking this kind of adventure, if you don't mind my asking?
~[laughs] Oh, not at all. I'm the third youngest of seven in a Taldan noble family, and grew up hearing stories of my great-great-grandfather's heroics and adventures. I decided I wanted to go on one of my own. It's also, despite being a bit risky, a good way to secure my future; having a holding like Cinderscrip. Prospects back home were a bit thin and boring, so being a baronness was enticing, I can't lie.
~Enticing enough to leave a fairly comfortable life in Taldor, from all reports. What would you say was the biggest adjustment, leaving that behind to rough it in uncharted territory like this?
~Sleeping on the ground. The others were very gracious about my ... lack of expertise cooking, and I'm decent at adapting to an unusual sleep schedule so I can take a watch. But the first night I had to sleep in a bedroll? [laughs] I've never missed my featherbed so much. I've mostly adjusted by now, through experience and necessity both, but there's no denying I miss my bed when we're out.
~No shame in enjoying creature comfort, Your Grace. Everyone has them. Wha's been your favorite part of the experience?
~Oh, the new friends, definitely. [beams] I'm closest with Linzi and Octavia, but I'm still friends with a bunch of the rest of them, as well as some of my other advisors, like Jhod or Kassil.
~A 'bunch'? Not all of them?
~[wrinkles her nose] I can't be friends with everyone, and some of them have... deeply held beliefs at odds with some of mine. I can work with them, but we're never going to be close, you know?
~Mm, true, I suppose. Admirable you can put aside differences to work together. Now, we've covered friends, we touched on... more difficult relationships, the burning question for many will be: do you have a paramour?
~A 'someone special', Your Grace. A lover?
~[deep sigh, cuts a glance to the left] Did Linzi put you up to this?
[Linzi shifts and studying the rafters with rapt attention, darting glances at the conversation]
~Never mind. She's been badgering me for weeks and doesn't like it when I play coy. I don't know if I'd go as far as lover yet, we're not to that stage, but I am... developing feelings for someone, yes. I'd not been planning to be bald-faced about it until he and I had things... more sure. Trying not to jinx it, you could say.
~Ah. Well, then, I'll not ask for a name, but if you had to describe him in three words....?
~Kind, shy... [bites her lip, thinking] beautiful
[Linzi is grinning, scribbling something extra]
~[smiles] If you met him you'd understand.
~Fair enough. Let's see.... Are there any projects you have in progress for your barony you;d like to talk about?
~Oh, yes! We're restoring the old Taldan silver mine, and my court alchemist--not the one who's my treasurer, the other one, Bokken-- is experimenting to create a rejunvenating potion, something that helps restore your energy during hard work. And there's the festival Octavia and Tristian are planning! That's in... two more months and by Aroden's signet I can't wait, it sounds like it's going to be so fun.
~That's a lot to look forward to for a young barony. It will be interesting to see if things turn out as well as you're hoping. I'm sure you're veyr busy, with all these happenings on the horizons, so I'll take my leave.
~Mm-hm, this is just for a small flyer about the new baronies in the Stolen Lands. I'm headed to Varnhold next. We're just looking for a small... personality sketch of what you consider important, how you got here, those sorts of things. Thank you for your time, and your answers.
~Oh, you're welcome. Tell Maegar I said hello when you talk to him.
Interview between Baroness Arquesse and an unnamed bard, circa spring 4713 AR, found in her court chronicler's records.
