Celestina Rojas
Profile
Basic Information
Name:
Celestina Rojas
Nickname(s):
Age:
41
Birth Date:
18th Harvest, 8254
Height:
166 cm | 5’5”
Gender:
Female
Race:
Human
Class:
Troubadour
Occupation:
Duchess of Amedra
Guild(s):
Amedran Ducal Court
Enhancement(s):
Likes
Everything Amedran | Dancing | Jewellery | Apricots | Debates | Being looked at | Flattery | Fiery words and feelings | Romance | Balls and parties
Dislikes
Apathy | Solitude | Celery | Cold weather | Violence | Being dismissed | Low spirits | Monotones | Rats | Weak arguments
Personality
Sociable | Vivacious | Dramatic | Proud | Overconfident | Teasing | Sly | Materialistic | Silver-tongued | Impatient
Celestina is, first and foremost, a lady of the limelight. She thrives on attention, publicity and social interaction, and the more showy or dramatic a situation is, the more she loves it. In turn, she navigates the social scene with zesty and natural skill, often plying theatrics to her advantage rather than avoiding them and pouring oil on fires in the full (over)confidence that she can handle it. She is widely known for being a passionate, glamorous and larger-than-life person whose political career has been defined not by practicality or noble lineage, but mass popularity.
As much as she adores being swept up in the thrill of a spectacle, she is steadfastly selfish enough to never lose sight of what is really important to her: money and her people. Behind her extravagant words and smiles is a keen sense of business, and she is fiercely proud and protective of Amedra, its good points and bad. She is easily riled by any slights made against her city-region – even justified ones – and can be overzealous in her pursuit of what is best for it. Her morals are very flexible, depending on what she decides will work best to her advantage – to her, rules are only guidelines and she has no qualms about either charming or cheating her way to the better end of a deal.
History
Celestina was born the only child of the previous Duke of Amedra and a (said to be stunningly beautiful) fisherwoman from a village along the Whitecap Cliffs. Her parents’ courtship had been one of wild and stormy romance, and while they did enjoy a period of idyllic peace immediately after their marriage, friction grew as Celestina’s mother found herself unable to fully integrate into noble life. Things worsened drastically after Celestina’s birth, as her mother and the Duke’s family came at odds about her upbringing – the former wanted to bring her daughter up entirely herself, in simplicity, tradition and honest labour, while the latter were adamant that she be raised in a lifestyle and education befitting an heir of Amedra. Wills clashed, relations soured, and when Celestina was 4 years old, one particularly explosive night of arguing finally ended in her parents divorcing.
Disallowed from keeping her daughter due to Celestina’s noble status, her mother returned to her village alone. And from there, despite the absence of one parent, Celestina’s childhood smoothed out. She received the courtly education the noble side of her family wished for her, and drew much delight and praise from her tutors as she proved herself to be a keen and proactive student. Her father also, through a combination of wanting to respect his ex-wife’s wishes and feeling bad for his motherless daughter, tended to allow Celestina more freedom than she would otherwise have been allowed, and thus Celestina learnt early that being both wilful and charming would often get her what she wanted. She grew from a well-loved and spoilt child to a confident and outspoken adolescent.
At the age of 14, she was officially introduced to the court and public eye, and this newly widened horizon sparked a new eagerness in Celestina to learn about Amedra and all its population. After some stubborn negotiation with her father and tutors, she was granted permission to make chaperoned visits around Amedra at least once a year. Without hesitation, Celestina chose her mother’s village for her first trip. Despite the years of distance and having her own family of three children with a different husband now, Celestina’s mother received her first daughter with joy and easy acceptance, and it was like this that Celestina came to learn about – and love – the humble but vibrant lifestyle of Amedran peasantry.
Most of her time was still spent in Amedra’s city proper though, and so she immersed herself in the court and city life as well. Always keen to socialise and engage, it was only a matter of time before suitors started to emerge for her, and Celestina met this new challenge with her usual vigour and delight. When she was 20, the complex web of courting seemed to come to a head – a young merchant man from Song-Lu, of good standing and great wealth, had caught Celestina’s favour, and a dream-like romance blossomed between them. And from this, the story that would launch Celestina to Amedran fame emerged.
As it goes, Celestina’s Songluan suitor proposed to her after a year of attentive, wonderful and very much reciprocated courting. It was his wish though to take her back with him to Song-Lu, where he promised she would be treated just as royally as she had always been, for surely their love surpassed even her position as the heir to Amedra. Celestina replied that if this was to be so, he first had to accompany her on a tour – an early honeymoon, of sorts – around all of Amedra, for she would miss it sorely if she left without doing so. Finding this reasonable, he agreed, and they spent the next three months on a fantastic, immersive journey through every aspect of Amedran life. At the end of the journey, Celestina asked her lover if he could understand now why her heart was already given to her country, and if he thought he was enough of a match to win her away. And, so taken by the wonders of their travels, he admitted that he did not, and could not ever compete with the country. So they concluded their courtship with good grace, Celestina returning to her city and the man to Song-Lu, and not long after one of Celestina’s musician friends composed this story into an epic patriotic song which became wildly popular among the citizens of Amedra. Celestina’s own popularity and name soared with it, and at the age of 25, with the old Duke retiring, she was well-received as the new Duchess.
For the past decade and more, Celestina has governed Amedra with just as much passion and commitment as she had in her youth, and has kept an effective, economy-focused approach to policy-making that has enriched the socioeconomic well-being of many citizens. She remains popular and well-known for her patriotic gestures, and likes to keep in touch with all levels of Amedran life whenever she can, though the court does occupy most of her time. Fortunately, she still enjoys this very much as well.
Current Story
Recent years have brought wars and calamities to Amedra's shores, but Celestina has taken them in stride with her usual vigour and defiance. If being out of her depth troubles her, she has not given a single sign of it - she remains an unshakeable pillar protecting Amedra's interests, and so morale has remained high and daily life resiliently regular. Several times now - from the Empire's first attack on the habour to the divine firebird that rampaged through the city - Amedra has needed to pick up their pieces and rebuild, and each time, the Duchess has been present on the streets, offering healing and encouragement.
Currently, Celestina functionally governs the breakaway East Miras Kingdom in Prince - or technically, King - Vinicio's stead, as the latter shies from the stresses of politics. Her latest gamble with the Empire allegiance, while a great success for a while, seems to have fallen through after the sudden deaths of Emperor Artur and his only heir... yet she remains as unwavering as ever, with eyes only for her next move - only for Amedra - and nothing else.
Additional Info
She is a powerful orator and adores debate - whether it is a petty argument with her father or a large political forum.
When she gets really into a topic, she tends to use her whole body to communicate, emphasise and punctuate - gesticulating, stamping, slapping the table, tossing her head, you name it.
She is very epicurean about romance. She enjoys the attentions of men and makes absolutely no secret about this, but it is also very clear that it is only the chase and courting she is after - she has little interest in a committed or long-term relationship.
Instead of precious gems, she likes to wear the highest quality Amedran glass for jewellery. When she first did this in the Mirian court - wearing fantastically shaped and coloured glass ornaments in her hair - it sparked a small fashion trend in glass accessories (which, of course, Amedran businesses benefited from).
She likes to dabble in dermal piercings, and will often get some for the grander social events. Being a Troubadour class, she never worries about scarring.
Her Troubadour healing magic is channelled mostly via her own voice, i.e. singing. Accompaniment with a musical instrument enhances it though, so Celestina has learnt to play a variety over time. Her tutors in her youth focused her on larger, more expensive instruments such as the pedal harp, harpsichord and glockenspiel, but as she grew older she came to favour more mobile string instruments, such as the lyre and psalterium.