Adele Roenach
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Adele Roenach
55
17th Mirrors, 8240
5'8"
Female
Human
Wizard
Former Empress of Koben
Koben Imperial Court
Likes
Poetry, playing the harp, monologuing, orchestra and opera, underdog stories, strong individualists, juicy roasts, pearls, fireworks
Dislikes
Petty gossip, shallow judgments, people finishing her sentences or putting words in her mouth, unsolicited opinions, dairy foods, airships
Personality
Light-hearted | Self-possessed | Eloquent | Resilient | Opinionated | Clannish | Prickly
On the surface Adele seems an elegant, reserved lady of few words or thoughts. She never speaks and doesn't show her personality in public, apparently satisfied to stand passively at her husband's shoulder whatever he does. To those who know the royal family better however, she is a headstrong woman who comes alive outside of the public eye.
Adele is in fact a woman of many words - she is a persuasive, poetic wordsmith with many strong opinions - but she is mute from a speech impediment and selective about who she really communicates with. She is also far less demure than her graceful manner makes her seem; though her words are pretty, she is light-hearted and flippant about many things - foremost among them other peoples' opinions. She is thick-skinned, resolute before criticism and a strong defender of individuality - aggressively, defiantly so. If she seems disengaged to those outside her circle, it is only because she chooses to give nothing to those who would, in her view, only judge her shallowly. To them she is dull simply because it's the easiest form of respectability.
The defenses that have helped her stay strong have also made her self-centred in many ways. he loves her own words and so tends to rant and lecture. She draws strong lines between what is 'hers' and what isn't; for the former she has immense sympathy and fire - especially for experiences that mirror her own - but for the latter she has little compassion or patience even if it is deserving. Her tendency to reject over accepting means she dismisses outside opinion too quickly and is often unreceptive to others' feelings. Despite her distaste for pettiness, she is herself given to spite and easily becomes defiant for the sake of it when crossed. Ironically, her refusal to spare any care for strangers makes it needlessly hard to be heard by them when necessary.
History
The second daughter of a minor but aspirational Baroness, Adele was raised to be ambitious. She took pride in her family's underdog story and hoped to further it by becoming a star in court with her brother. At the time it seemed very possible - he was solid but shrewd and she possessed a sparkling wit, so why not? Just a couple of years before she could debut however, tragedy struck. She nearly drowned in a river accident, and though she survived, she came away with lasting brain damage - she was no less clever than before but her speech was garbled and her movements clumsy. Too many of her peers, driven by their own family ambitions to snuff out competition, jumped to label her as dumb and it stuck despite her protests. Her name was ruined before it could mean anything.
Determined to prove them wrong, she gained early entry to a Koben university and entered the Wissen Fellowship's youth group. She worked hard and won respect there, but still the perceptions at court didn't change much. Not many understood the weight of her achievements, if they knew of them at all. More than a few insistently believed it was all bought. Angered by the injustice, she renounced the court scene altogether and instead invested herself entirely in academics.
She gradually became a voluntary mute, communicating only through writing to convey her true eloquence. She started a student paper for the Wissen youths, and through it developed many penpal relationships with 'movers and thinkers' of all backgrounds - including one with the then Crown Prince Artur. They shared ideas, opinions and banter through letters and notes, and with their long correspondence grew a lasting friendship. They continued to write even as adulthood took them in different directions - Artur into royal duties and Adele deeper into academia.
In their early twenties Artur came to her with a surprise request - a business proposal in the form of a marriage proposal. The deal was that he'd have a partner who'd support his goals - which he'd already shared with her - and she'd have all the means she could ever want to pursue her academics. She accepted easily; they were never romantic, but both saw marriage as business and agreed that a true ally like this made the best possible partner. They advanced quickly to vows and a first child and, as expected, the court threw a big fuss. Artur brushed off complaints of poor judgment for overlooking more politically desireable women, while Adele received the envy of other suitors with cool smugness. They stood firm in their partnership, the grumblings died down and respect finally came her way as Empress-to-be. Though she'd long since stopped seeking it, she had won the greatest prize she'd ever imagined in youth.
Now free of her obstacles, she dove into a life of the things she loved - her research and writing - at the expense of other things, including parenthood. She and Artur took a back seat to servants in raising their children. Though she regretted the distance, she didn't have the capacity to change it - her insecurities about vocalising and her love for her books were too strong. The assassination of her eldest Fabian shook this deeply; suddenly she really felt how much she had missed of her family. For a while she set her pursuits aside to be with her youngest Sigmund - but intentions couldn't make up for lost time and the clumsiness of their relationship soon restored the status quo. She tried again after Sigmund's kidnapping and rescue, but the discouraging precedent continued to hang over them.
Meanwhile, her and Artur's goals converged and they moved to working on what his overarching project has become together. Though few know it, the project is hers as much as it is his.
Current Story
Her and Artur's project culminated in the expedition to the Citadel, and the spell that broke the risen forms of Aurea and Atros. While Sigmund saved her - at the unintentional cost of her husband's life - she fell into a coma after the spell that she has yet to wake from. Mysteriously, every doctor who has seen her attests that her condition is fine and they would expect her to wake soon, yet she never does...
Additional Info
She often played speech-writer for Artur, and writes poetry and essays for her own enjoyment. She continues to be a faithful patron of the Wissen student paper. She keeps up a correspondence with whoever the current editor is and likes to visit the 'newsroom' at least once a year.
Many of her school penpals have now become leaders in academia, business and other civil areas. She still regularly keeps in contact with them and so is surprisingly well connected in the civil sphere.
Her other hobbies are music (she plays the harp and is an opera/orchestra regular), calligraphy and polo.
Her elemental specialities are Light and Dark. She makes great use of the heat/cold, expansion/contraction pairing for alchemy and manipulating materials. She often uses her light magic for skywriting.
Relations
Artur Roenach
Husband, primary ally and best friend. Their relationship was always a secretly open one - they both understand they're not romantic, but this doesn’t diminish their strong platonic love. Adele knows about Artur’s thing with Tor’ang and has no desire to get involved. She has had a few lovers herself, which Artur never interfered with.
Fabian Roenach
Eldest son, now deceased. They never quite connected but she was always proud that he grew up to be a good prince and heir even without much parental involvement. Though he never said so to either parent, Fabian realised his birth was cold obligation and quietly resented them both for this.
Roman Letner
Older brother, currently an Earl. She very much loves and gets along with him, though they drifted apart when she decided to reject the court life and have never quite regained the familiarity they had as children. Still, she absolutely supports him and his family.
Walter Phillips
An on-and-off former lover, mostly from her earlier years but the longest-lasting one. His appointment to Governer of Linhythe was a coincidence that was equal parts awkward and pleasant - she likes him but doesn't like having him and her husband in the same room on principle. She always thought he had good hair.
