Mechthilde von Steyrberg
Pax Ostrisia
Character Theme: HERE
Character Voice: HERE
Name: Mechthilde von Steyrberg
Alias(es): the Rebel Duchess, the Magnanimous, the Lady-Gryphon
Age: 22
Sex: Female
Race: Human
Ethnicity: Wandenman (South Osterman)
Physical Information
Eye Color: Pale Blue
Hair Color: Golden Blonde (Appears White due to Powdering)
Skin Tone: Fair (White) (Appears Pale due to Cosmetics)
Height: 5ft, 2in - 1.5m, 5cm
Weight: 168lbs, 76.2Kg
Afflictions: N/A
Brief Description: She is a figure of elegance and grace. She walks with trained strides that make her seem to float with her gentle steps. She is somewhat robust in frame, while also being fairly short in stature. Her full proportions are carried with her fuller face as well. Her face has blocky facial features with softened edges. It is a mixture of both strong and gentle. Her eyebrows are finely trimmed. She often appears more pale than her typical fairer complexion due to powders and cosmetics worn on her face. Her pale blue eyes, nearly silver, have glints of cunning and grace in their gaze. She has golden blonde hair that appears more paler due to powdering in a Merelais tradition. Often her apparel consists of elegant, frilly, and synched dresses imported from Western lands, or commissioned by chosen tailors in her own lands, that often are various shades of blue with white trim. She then also is found to wear much jewelry with sapphires and rubies with either gold or silver metal.
Social Information
Affiliation(s): Archduchy of Ostrisia, Ally of Great Goravolst
Ranks and Titles: Archduchess of Ostrisia, Countess of Steyrberg, Dowager Lady Paramount of Dragodova
Language(s): High Osterman (Wandenman Dialect) - Native/Fluent; Bakuronian - Learned/Semi-Fluent; High Merelaisan - Learned/Fluent; Aeternan - Learned/Fluent; Priman/Common - Learned/Fluent
House: von Steyrberg
Skills: Prodigy of Court Politics Education; Skilled Diplomat
Strengths:
In her later teen years, Mechthilde would show signs of being a capable and competent heiress to the Duchy of Ostrisia. However, being raised as a prodigy made it so her childhood was somewhat lacking of typical experiences. The most notable was that of romance and courtship. Her parents did not orchestrate an early betrothal. Instead, they kept her on the path of furthering her skills to carry on the family legacy. As a young mind being told that she will bring greatness to her family, her mind was filled with ambition. As a young girl, her want for romance and love turned into the compelling urge of lust. A servant only a few years her senior named Matthias would catch her eye. The heiress to a prominent Duchy in the Ostrien realm at the time thought she could do as she pleased with how important she was. The affair would be done in secret for the span of a year. It began small. But then acts became more regular and more advanced. When she became with child, the secret was out, and shame was brought upon her and her family. With her parents witholding betrothal before such a point, carrying a bastard in her womb further discouraged such arrangements to be made. Yet, this shame would be interrupted by what has since been known as "the Sourge." Tribes of pagans and heathens driven out of Ostrisia by her father after the Burning of Wienberge years before her birth came for revenge after hiding for years in the lands to the East. They would go across the countryside of Ostrisia's Counties closer to the Eastern and Southern borders. Her father would rally the Counts whose lands were not facing the butchery brought about by vengeful tribesmen and meet them at the Battle of the Wienwald. The pagans were slaughtered or driven back. However, Duke Maximilion would be wounded severely in the battle. A spear had been driven through his torso. He managed to survive long enough to be sent to Wienberge where he would rest. However, the damage was great. Infection was setting in, and death was tightening the noose. Mechthilde would stay by her father's side until she was driven into labor. The night her father died was the night her bastard daughter Maria was born.
As Duchess, the stain of being a fornicator made relations difficult. She knew she was meant to continue her family line. However, matrilineal marriage was hard enough to negotiate without the reputation of lustfulness. That would change with a fateful hosting of Lord Paramount Armand Narrdrenn of Dragodova, who charmed her well. Amidst the budding relations with Lord Narrdrenn, she would gain alliances with her cousins in Bourgon before the Aether War, and establish alliances with the Eastern Marches. The Aether Wars saw Ostrisian soldiers lead by valiant Knights of Ostrisia fighting alongside the more dower Osterman forces at the Eisenford. Meanwhile, she would continue to build a network of allies and family. In such a time, she even sent forces to settle the War of Brothers in Koronafold leading to that region becoming part of her domain and its ruler now regarded as a subservient Duke. The crusades would bring about the brutal regency of Otto von Annenfeld, where she would support the now Emperor Martin I of Great Goravolst, then Duke of Ceshemia, alongside the other Eastern Marches in a grand revolt. She saw herself as the leader of the Wandenman people who have been neglected by their now Imperial crown and forced to continue warring instead of being able to return to their farms to enjoy times of peace. Yet, while she joined the rebellion to lead her culture to more independence and peace, she now finds herself as the only sovereign realm. The rest of the Wandenman lands remained loyal, and she was forced to stay independent due to the arrangements made at the Wienberge Accords. Yet, such times bring forth joy as they also saw her betrothal to Lord Paramount Narrdrenn formalized. Now, she stands at a crossroads. She seeks to unite the Wandenman people into a proper Kingdom for the first time in their history, ensure the succession and legacy of her dynasty, and make Ostrisia complete its metamorphosis from a frontier march of Marloman the Great's Empire into the seat of a new Empire that prizes peace and beauty more than the sword.
Holdings:
Threads: MANY from the original version of the site.
Character Voice: HERE
Name: Mechthilde von Steyrberg
Alias(es): the Rebel Duchess, the Magnanimous, the Lady-Gryphon
Age: 22
Sex: Female
Race: Human
Ethnicity: Wandenman (South Osterman)
Physical Information
Eye Color: Pale Blue
Hair Color: Golden Blonde (Appears White due to Powdering)
Skin Tone: Fair (White) (Appears Pale due to Cosmetics)
Height: 5ft, 2in - 1.5m, 5cm
Weight: 168lbs, 76.2Kg
Afflictions: N/A
Brief Description: She is a figure of elegance and grace. She walks with trained strides that make her seem to float with her gentle steps. She is somewhat robust in frame, while also being fairly short in stature. Her full proportions are carried with her fuller face as well. Her face has blocky facial features with softened edges. It is a mixture of both strong and gentle. Her eyebrows are finely trimmed. She often appears more pale than her typical fairer complexion due to powders and cosmetics worn on her face. Her pale blue eyes, nearly silver, have glints of cunning and grace in their gaze. She has golden blonde hair that appears more paler due to powdering in a Merelais tradition. Often her apparel consists of elegant, frilly, and synched dresses imported from Western lands, or commissioned by chosen tailors in her own lands, that often are various shades of blue with white trim. She then also is found to wear much jewelry with sapphires and rubies with either gold or silver metal.
Social Information
Affiliation(s): Archduchy of Ostrisia, Ally of Great Goravolst
Ranks and Titles: Archduchess of Ostrisia, Countess of Steyrberg, Dowager Lady Paramount of Dragodova
Language(s): High Osterman (Wandenman Dialect) - Native/Fluent; Bakuronian - Learned/Semi-Fluent; High Merelaisan - Learned/Fluent; Aeternan - Learned/Fluent; Priman/Common - Learned/Fluent
House: von Steyrberg
Skills: Prodigy of Court Politics Education; Skilled Diplomat
Strengths:
- Beautiful: Physical beauty is a great advantage to have in the art of politics and diplomacy, especially for a noblewoman of high station.
- Ambitious: She was raised as a prodigy for courtly politics, with her ambition to win power and prestige for herself and legacy being a welcomed side-effect.
- Gregarious: As someone who was raised to masterfully navigate courtly politics, her sociable nature is something she exploits to make others open up for her.
- Lustful: As a prodigy of courtly politics, her perfect image was stained when her lustful deeds made her sire a bastard daughter, and she still battles her urges today.
- Ambitious: Ambition is great for establishing a strong dynasty and legacy, but can also lead one into trouble via deliberately entering difficult situations.
- Fornicator: The reputation of siring a bastard stains her image, and will do so forever.
In her later teen years, Mechthilde would show signs of being a capable and competent heiress to the Duchy of Ostrisia. However, being raised as a prodigy made it so her childhood was somewhat lacking of typical experiences. The most notable was that of romance and courtship. Her parents did not orchestrate an early betrothal. Instead, they kept her on the path of furthering her skills to carry on the family legacy. As a young mind being told that she will bring greatness to her family, her mind was filled with ambition. As a young girl, her want for romance and love turned into the compelling urge of lust. A servant only a few years her senior named Matthias would catch her eye. The heiress to a prominent Duchy in the Ostrien realm at the time thought she could do as she pleased with how important she was. The affair would be done in secret for the span of a year. It began small. But then acts became more regular and more advanced. When she became with child, the secret was out, and shame was brought upon her and her family. With her parents witholding betrothal before such a point, carrying a bastard in her womb further discouraged such arrangements to be made. Yet, this shame would be interrupted by what has since been known as "the Sourge." Tribes of pagans and heathens driven out of Ostrisia by her father after the Burning of Wienberge years before her birth came for revenge after hiding for years in the lands to the East. They would go across the countryside of Ostrisia's Counties closer to the Eastern and Southern borders. Her father would rally the Counts whose lands were not facing the butchery brought about by vengeful tribesmen and meet them at the Battle of the Wienwald. The pagans were slaughtered or driven back. However, Duke Maximilion would be wounded severely in the battle. A spear had been driven through his torso. He managed to survive long enough to be sent to Wienberge where he would rest. However, the damage was great. Infection was setting in, and death was tightening the noose. Mechthilde would stay by her father's side until she was driven into labor. The night her father died was the night her bastard daughter Maria was born.
As Duchess, the stain of being a fornicator made relations difficult. She knew she was meant to continue her family line. However, matrilineal marriage was hard enough to negotiate without the reputation of lustfulness. That would change with a fateful hosting of Lord Paramount Armand Narrdrenn of Dragodova, who charmed her well. Amidst the budding relations with Lord Narrdrenn, she would gain alliances with her cousins in Bourgon before the Aether War, and establish alliances with the Eastern Marches. The Aether Wars saw Ostrisian soldiers lead by valiant Knights of Ostrisia fighting alongside the more dower Osterman forces at the Eisenford. Meanwhile, she would continue to build a network of allies and family. In such a time, she even sent forces to settle the War of Brothers in Koronafold leading to that region becoming part of her domain and its ruler now regarded as a subservient Duke. The crusades would bring about the brutal regency of Otto von Annenfeld, where she would support the now Emperor Martin I of Great Goravolst, then Duke of Ceshemia, alongside the other Eastern Marches in a grand revolt. She saw herself as the leader of the Wandenman people who have been neglected by their now Imperial crown and forced to continue warring instead of being able to return to their farms to enjoy times of peace. Yet, while she joined the rebellion to lead her culture to more independence and peace, she now finds herself as the only sovereign realm. The rest of the Wandenman lands remained loyal, and she was forced to stay independent due to the arrangements made at the Wienberge Accords. Yet, such times bring forth joy as they also saw her betrothal to Lord Paramount Narrdrenn formalized. Now, she stands at a crossroads. She seeks to unite the Wandenman people into a proper Kingdom for the first time in their history, ensure the succession and legacy of her dynasty, and make Ostrisia complete its metamorphosis from a frontier march of Marloman the Great's Empire into the seat of a new Empire that prizes peace and beauty more than the sword.
Holdings:
- Castle Wienberge/County of Wienberge
- Castle Steyrberg/County of Steyrberg
- Wardrobe: A vast collection of silken and fine-cloth-made dresses tailored primarily in Merelais but also commissioned by Ostrisian tailors. They range with various shades of blue, some bright red like her House colors, but all have white frilly trim on them.
- Jewelry: She has a large assortment of pieces of jewelry to adorn herself. Many involve Sapphires, some involve rubies. Both gold and silver is used depending on the peace. All display either her own House's iconography, Wandenman themes of design, and-or iconography of Ostrisia itself.
- Gryphon's Talon: A family sword that appeared on her bedside after a strange, but mystical, dream at Midwinter back in the times preceding the Aether War.
- Its blade looks akin to that of ice.
- It has the length of a bastard sword.
- Incredibly ornate hilt with a thin and fine blade - too broad to be a rapier, but thin for other sword designs.
- Known to be tremendously sharp like that of a razor due to the strange material it is made from.
- Currently is hung above the mantle in her living quarters, but may end up becoming wielded by her descendants or used by her if she is to knight someone.
Threads: MANY from the original version of the site.
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