#a hairpin may look like mere ornament (ladysunbite headcanons)

[ladysunbite]

How would Lady Orianna react if one of her children from the orphanage wanted to escape? Would it be possible?

[ warning! the following is a strong hc-based brew ]

More than anything she would be puzzled. With a few centuries of studying human behavior Orianna still has certain blind spots, one of them being, ironically, how the other races treat their young, and what they young ones are able to comprehend at certain ages. Among other things I hc that vampiric children grow to be adults very quickly and require no prolonged years of nurturing or learning empathy by strong example. Practically, apart from "do not kill your kin", "respect the territorial boundaries" and "unseen elder is the highest authority in any case that require judgment" they are given very little boundaries at the beginning of their life and learn by stepping upon every rake and stone there is, until their personality forms in one way or another. At least that's mun's humble opinion, based on Regis' insights in 'Baptism by Fire'.

As for the blood drinking, the cultured vampiress is confused why a child may be horrified by the exchange - for do not humans pay the taxes for land and protection and such? Do they not make vows and surrender their life to kings and queens, thusly forging a bond? Blood is not only a leisurely pleasure for her, but is such a bond, a promise of loyalty, a ritual of entering her little self-formed tribe. However, if she senses that a child is harrowed by the experience, she never repeats it. Ruthless as she is, Orianna abhors cruelty for cruelty sake, or as a cheap method to bend one's will. If a child tried to escape, she would not pursue them, for they are not necessary for her survival. As for the tales such one might spread, the mistress of Mandragora is well-guarded by her wealth, position, and no clear ties with the orphanage. Who would believe a wide-eyed tale of a nameless child, thrown against a noblewoman, whose house even Her Enlightened Ladyship visits under a flippant guise of a masquerade mask? Surely, their mind must be clouded by a recent tragedy and a long time of wandering through dusty roads. A house full of children that live like princes and princesses, doing no hard labour, indulging in the best education, run by a vampiress? Tscha. For while Orianna understands that the mental development is different, she is still in the dark why a child would desire to escape a comfortable establishment, with both physical and mental succour available and with no hard labour - a few peasant children can boast such fate - in addition to the company of their peers. Orianna views children as vessels with a wonderous spark and drive for creating. Her semi-immortal kin are not lashed by time and therefore rarely inspired to achieve anything in the area of arts within such a short flick of time, as humans are naturally prone to. She is especially encouraging if the interest is connected with performance and decorative arts, such as poetry, music, drawing and sculpture - anything she can tickle her hedonistic fangs with and later use at Mandragora. However, some children willingly stay with her as servants, an ability to keep her secrets is cherished no less than a quick way with a quill. Many keep in touch with her after they leave the orphanage and establish themselves even outside the merry Duchy. One of the notorious examples is Francis Bedlam, who helps with her urges to obtain rare objects of art, often available only through underworld markets. It's the other children the runaway should worry about. The children of La Compassion do not forgive betrayal, and anyone who would desire to run into the night with tales brimming upon their mouth, tales that might harm their lady, threaten their precious, sought-for safety, are traitors, vow-breakers, anathema. This is another effect of Orianna's upbringing, she is yet unaware of. The children tend to see her as godlike, the fairy-godmother, the only protector they have or will ever have. Coupled with her vampiric teaching that "tribe is important, you must not kill your own kin", it breeds dark fruits. They will protect their own with desperate ferocity, even if they have no claws or fangs.

[ladysunbite]

any interesting facts about Lady Orianna?

all Orianna's human aliases she had to adopt over the years has a connection to 'sunrise' or 'bright'.

there's a chamber in the Mandragora completely decorated with art forgeries, from jewels, to sculpture and painting. The sun-eyed has a weakness for a cleverly pulled trick, as she herself ought to wear a fake face everyday.

unlike in other races' belief systems, in the vampiric culture the twins are considered to be a lucky charm, due to the fact that the vampiric homeland boasts two whole moons in the sky. Despite her scholarly disposition, Orianna is not free of superstitions ( whether her upbringing as the next unseen is too blame or the influence of the artistic circle, it is not clear ). Both her bodyguards ( see the scene with Anna Henrietta ) and her succubus seamstresses are twins ( see mun's hcs ).

the cultured vampiress has put up a reward for anyone who can discover the lost recipe of the rose wine from Casteldaccia vineyard. No one has succeeded yet.

she collects Dettlaff's paintings, albeit strictly incognito. Her sarcophagus he painted while he a fledgling is still intact and is kept in a safe place, despite initially being a reason for a very wrathful, ugly outburst on her part ( thanks to Al for the idea ).

despite not being a part of the court, the cultured vampiress is held in a high regard by Anna Henrietta, after she helped her to cover for the secret trysts with a certain bard, while her Enlightened Ladyship was still married. According to Orianna, it was the only time she meddled in politics.

the title of 'Mandragora' is a nod to a long lasting friendship with Emiel Regis. Neither of the two remembers who came up with it in the first place.

apart from her interest in art and cursed men blood experiments, Orianna also collects lullabies.

regardless of the fashion amidst the noble ladies, Orianna isn't bashful of her freckles. She wears them as a mockery of human's prejudices, concerning vampires.

as a part of vampiric species, in this realm Orianna can't see ghosts or be influenced by them.

well-versed in deceit as she is, the sun-eyed is unaware that the disappearance of her late lover ( and several ones before ) has anything to do with her sweet, sweet children.

as the mistress of the Mandragora she is the only one who is allowed not to wear a mask at the premises. Also, she never performs in public, despite having 'an enchanting voice'.

[ladysunbite]

What was Orianna like during her youth? and if she has known Regis for a long time what was their first meeting like?

Warning! The following pov is strongly influenced by mun’s read and has no watertight proof in the games.

Since her birth Orianna was trained to be the next guardian of the gates, a duty of the Unseen Elder of Toussaint. Thusly, she was prohibited to leave Hen Gaidh until the ritual of adolescence; yet she interacted with other fledglings of her age, who returned to the designated part of the caves for rest and, generally, were raised up all together, similar to as bats raise their young. That was the time when she met Emiel Regis. Although, if asked directly, Orianna would confess, with a certain degree of annoyance - the sun-eyed did not like to dwell too deeply on her early times in Hen Gaidth - that she could not highlight any particular memory of their first meeting. It seemed that Regis had always been at her side - full of curiosity, practical jokes, and a craving to belong to...something. The time of their youth manifested those differences in a sharper manner - both were wild, unruly and driven by the desires they tried their best not to face alone, but rather drown in blood and thoughtless mayhem. Only Orianna longed to escape her role as the next Unseen, to 'un-belong' to the looming, sacred duty, while Emiel Regis would break his very fangs to be a part of something and feel at home. Neither were kind or wise enough to offer each other a way out, yet they found a certain connection, while hiding from their fears. While they could never understand each other, they developed a deep sense of trust, rare among cold and changeable immortality. No one ever judged another, however frightfully their claws crushed. They learned not to draw too much blood, never cut too deeply. They separated for what would seem an abyss of time that devour all old affections, during which there were shattered love affairs, being buried alive, stage performances, several wars, flowery toussaint coronations, an array of pretenses and self-lies - however, no matter what new ways of survival and moral dogmas they devoted themselves to, what new masks put on - Orianna and Emiel Regis realized they longed for each other's company more than ever - and began exchanging, in a classical sporadic manner of timeless beings, what would seem the most bizzare correspondence. Long, detailed travelling tales and memoir-like letters, full of sketches from one side and curt notes, accompanied by the works of art or common, mundane objects that fascinated the other. In the end, as with the poisonous desires that tore and their insides during their wild days, now they were connected with another kind of longing - a shy, budding love for the new, hostile and beautiful world.

[ladysunbite]

thoughts on the white wolf?

Warning! The following pov is strongly influenced by mun’s read and has no watertight proof in the games. Namely, Orianna having a close familial bond with Dettlaff and Regis, and her - albeit, heavily influenced by her vampiric nature and upbringing - care for her orphans. Initially, the mun thought of writing different versions of Orianna’s reaction, based on the in-game paths…but it became blunt, for Geralt gets to know about the orphanage and has a meaningful interaction with her only during the unseen path…which with the demise / exile of both her meaningful friends and kin ( or putting her home in a midst of a succession turmoil with the death of Anarietta ) gets a rather predictable, unfavourable opinion. That could be interesting too, and yet…the mun strived for more stakes and moral greyness. Hopefully, you would forgive our little caprice of leaving everyone alive ( dettlaff is confined in a cage at tesham mutna, syanna is imprisoned in a tower, under her sister's care )  and still find it entertaining. 

“The White Wolf? A witcher with a heart of gold, who fell in love with a sorceress, whose ice-cold heart he melted…there was something about a princess too, a child that was destined for him,” 

Geralt of Rivia lived up to his shining ballad counterpart, he spoke little enough and did well enough in order to maintain the presentable facade of a person who thinks, and then acts. Open-minded enough to befriend Emiel, instead of foolishly breaking his neck for a sack of gold and another glorious song. That intrigued her. It was a pity they didn’t have enough time to discuss it, was it possible her authumica had the same interest for the mutant she herself developed for human tal'es? Being looked at without fear or disgust, a mind-numbing desire to be the one who kills first or to fall  trembling upon their knees, that rendered the other species incapable of any fulfilling conversation. It was different with her children…

Interestingly, the reason for their hasty separation lay in the fact that Dettlaff harboured the same secret wish. At least he had never openly proclaimed his love for humanity ( or even society ) as Emiel did. On the other hand, the talkative barber-surgeon liked to rebel loudly, while Orianna's little ruva went his way with the stoic willfulness and quietude of a snowy-peaked mountain. There was some trouble with his beloved, who - what a scandal, what a wonderful scandal - turned out to be a human too. The evening would have been both ridiculous and pleasing, if it wasn’t cut short by the royal desire to hasten the happy ending for all…

“Witchers have not improved with the flow of centuries, I am disappointed to say. Hypocricity does not look better if it holds a sword or not,” the cultured vampiress smiled languidly over the glass of Est-Est. 

What right did he have to dictate to her how she should treat her children? What they did to their own was much more painful and serve-serving. Barbaric. The orphans at la Compassion were a source of an occasional  gourmet leisure to her, but a much more valuable source of study. Mannerisms, culture, arts. From the frightened beasts of the gutter, almost mindless, they grew into those who could alert the world with song, poetry, sculpture, drawing, even an occasional odd profession, like medicine or mercenary trade. Both were ironically held in a special regard by other races. 

She has to confess, the orphanage and the line of given education was a little self-serving, for the sun-eyed loved arts, adored the desire and the spark that a life, marked by inevitable death, gave to humans. Blood? Blood was more a ritual, an initiation into a new society. Rituals were important for adaptation. After all, if a child took badly to the procedure, was not lulled by songs or sweets, she never continued it. What the witcher took her for? A hunger-maddened, crude bruxa? What did they do to their children in Kaer Morhen? It’s a shame apa thunchultha did not break his neck, it would have been a fitting, even merciful end. It seems a local saying was true and “gods were the only ones who could bear fools”. Even if the gods were mere keepers, and divine only in the eyes of the weaker species. A fold appeared across Orianna’s marble-like forehead. Why did she take the words of some lowly, blind to the world eterau close to heart? Even remembered them? A wretched, half-baked philosophy of a creature of mutation, that contaminated both mind, reason and heart? Certainly not because she is falling prey to the humanism theory Emiel is desperately attached to…

Geralt of Rivia committed one deed, and as a true Tousaintee - even the sun-eyed vampiress loathed to admit that the laws of the merry Duchy wrapped like a vine around her way of thinking, stealthily and surely, fed by time and circumstance - she could not brush it aside easily. The witcher, who promised to bring her down - an equally rude and amusing proposition -  had prevented a ruination of her little brother, an exile of the good friend, and, if the gossip to be trusted, a civil war. Whether by his own choice and wit that was a question to be discovered. And if a white wolf would choose to be a butcher, well, she has had prepared a bottle of special spirits to give to Emiel Regis. Naturally, she would not expose an old, dear friend to an awful truth - he had enough hard choices for a millennium, if the scraps of what happened at Tesham Mutna formed a correct picture in her head. Geralt of Rivia would die from a blade of a mercenary or a claws of a monster. Not Orianna's. What business would a person of her station have in some abandoned, common, boring barn outside of Beauclair? “He promised to come back for me one day. I am looking forward to the meeting…” 

[ladysunbite]

Pomegranates and Perfume

A perfume is essential for a higher vampire, who desires to play amidst humanity, without revealing their true nature. On the other - not clawed - hand, an alluring scent is a must have for any sophisticated noblewoman or, truth be told, any woman who can afford such a delicate caprice.

The mistress of Mandragora is no exception. The signature note in her sensual assemble is...a pomegranate. In Greek and Roman mythology the blood-hued fruit held a promise of the afterlife, while its exitance was owned to death - a few drops of the life force of a handsome, doomed lover. It was also a tool of trickery. Thusly, it tied neatly into the relationship of Orianna with her children - there is a promise of life and yet it is inevitably marked by death. The cultured vampiress perceives her orphans as a tasteful rebellion against "the rules of the pack". A loop in the strict codex of the vampiric tribes, a piece of humanity that she managed to study and bend to her will, a very successful if slightly self-indulgent experiment. Unlike lower vampiress, they can leave her, "their pack", and once their return it is not due to any set of rules or any promised punishment, but to their inspired and well-tended loyalty. Cruel the crimson-haired vampiress is not. Even if she is still seeking ways to improve the children's stamina and give them a bit of her blessing. There was a time when she, in her novice's naivete, tried to heal several of them with her own blood, a sacrilege committed in the name of love science. It went horribly, but the lesson was learned. Now she experiments mostly on paper, not so eager to brush away the guidance of the ancient, stern rituals, thin-lipped on all the whys. Turned out there is mercy in them, be it veiled as haughty brutality.

At least until the results will be promising. However, what she oft does not perceive is how often the children wilt, being away from her. Murder, obsession and madness is the lot of those who answer not the echo of the lullaby, sang long ago in the small hours of the night. Besides, in all her slyness Orianna is blissfully unaware what her children do behind her back, once someone tries to leave before the arranged time. Or where her hapless lovers disappear. Those, who were smart enough to discover her secret hobby, yet not wise enough to recognize the threat in the eyes of the innocent ones... Every spring, as soon the path through the mountain Gorgon becomes possible to traverse, one traveller, sometimes two, head to the merry duchy of Toussaint. They recognize each other easily, despite the age. The rich, crimson taste of pomegranates haunts their parched lips, their mistress' blood they have never tasted. At last, they are returning to the arms of their mother. But, unlike Persephone, they are threading through the underworld, as the land blooms around them. Clouded in tangent sweetness, Orianna is more a goddess than a mother, unwittingly giving birth to monsters. Not through violence, but exactly through tenderness.

Note: In truth, pomegranates do not have a heavy, distinctive scent that would be easy to tell apart, much more to cover any bestial tracks. However, the mun was seduced by the symbolism of the plant. Painting Credits: "la belle dame sans merci" by frank cadogan cowper || collage by: @museissick

[ladysunbite]

BDSM TEST 78% Switch 77% Experimentalist 70% Dominant 68% Masochist 62% Primal (Hunter) 57% Voyeur 56% Exhibitionist 54% Owner 54% Vanilla 52% Primal (Prey) 52% Submissive 47% Sadist 47% Brat tamer 45% Non-monogamist 34% Master/Mistress 24% Slave 23% Pet

A vampire of taste, Orianna, is stuck at the edge of two essentially different cultures ( 3, if we count the other races of the continent ). Therefore, she develops a... "research" approach, fueled by a need to adapt and a personal curiosity towards things of art and beauty. Dominance and Hunter traits are due to the physical power gap, but makes a dangerous lover if you can't regenerate your hand back. Voyeurism and Exhibitionism are two sides of a coin, rooted in a need to disguise and, on the other hand, a desire to be seen, as a way of titillation, an 'unusual', rarely available circumstance. Prey trait follows the same logic; it is pleasant because it is uncommon, new to experience. The presence of Vanilla is in-line with our lady's love for comfort ( see how she refuses to participate in the investigation of the stolen heart of toussaint ) and the fact that...vampiric vanilla is hard to come by, due to the higher vampires available are scarce. Essentially, Orianna is eternally on a precipice, and have developed no maxims in her tastes ( Dom / Sub are almost equal, as are are Hunter / Prey ), enjoys teasing and exploration, yet not to a degree where it outweighs her personal satisfaction and convenience. Long-term relationships are possible, but not likely. If a partner is not a fit from the start, one night sexual dalliance is possible out of curiosity, but not any relationship where both parties are deeply influenced by each other ( therefore, Master/ Mistress is low, and Non-monogamist is present ). Non-monogamist itself might be a bow to the natural social structure of bat colonies. Low Pet and Slave take root in her hierarchical position as a higher vampire, compared to lesser vampires and other species. For all her open-mindness, she does not like to let go of control in a manner perceived humiliating, degrading to dignity and pride by her initial social group, be it even in a playful environment. It is interesting that she has chosen a comparatively high social status ( a noblewoman ), compared to both Regis and Dettlaff; presumably, this choice supports the above point.

Sculpture Credit: Le vampire / La chauve-souris (1903) by Agathon Leonard

[ladysunbite]

[ part I, on the Unseen Elders ]

As for the sun-eyed and her place in the vampiric hierarchy, her views are as murky an an old mirror to the outside and as solid on the inside. Who would desire, in all sincerity, to trade places with the sky or the earth? The vital part of the world bears a heavy burden and oft awed its magnificence and omnipotence, but is it not more pleasant and more satisfying to an inquiring mind to walk upon the earth and gaze upon the sky, rather than being one?

Therefore, if someone decides to make a coup and usurp the title from her, Orianna would not offer much resistance. Make no mistake, she is no flippant succubus, with her beautiful head bent upon hedonistic pleasures, or a kind queen who gave all the pearls from her necklace to the poor, even if her life dependent upon the jewel, or a weak-minded heir to the once majestic bloodline. She is merely a responsible, loyal servant to her tribe. If any would be able to uphold the Full Moon feasts, feeding both highers and lowers alike, with their blood, if any would learn all the scrolls in Tesham Mutna by heart in case of destruction of that crucial well of cultural and functional knowledge, if anyone would bear the darkness of Hen Gaidh, a darkness there is no equivalent in this new world, she would bow and step down, as a knight praises his victor at a tourney. She might even long for such a successor. And in her weaker moments she might even yearn for a fool who would dare to try such a coup, to give her a day of intoxication upon a true belief of being free. Oh, she might even dance at their coming to power, ribbons in her hair for the first time in her existence. The sun-eyed might even pretend she cared not about a possible massacre, about what might happen to their little weasel of a duchess, or her cherished cook, or her twin-moons of seamstresses. Had not she learned a bit, thanks to her little ruva's broken heart? By the time the blood flowed, she would have hidden her favourite toys well. At the end of that day, she knows the same way as the sky and the earth knows, she would find only find a fresh corpse in the winding halls of Hen Gaidh. The place keeps changing its insides at the moment you least expect it, no corridors stays the same, the layout pays no homage to any logic. It may remain solid for a century and then swift thrice a week. Is the effect similar to a reversed gravity, in a way that it puts time not only matter upon its head? she keeps wondering.

Is it fitting to take pity upon a fool? this point Orianna has no sweet, fluttering doubts upon. It's merely another guard dog to the place, its equally gallant and savage gift to its serving daughter, while three others wade through the darkness, mumbling in their madness. The Unseen Elder bears a kind of power that literally feasts on you, for all the fawning and decorations, the ones who are too blind to recognize it would never be able to uphold it. Had she and Emiel Regis, after a particularly wild night of drinking, boasted that they would go to Hen Gaidh and smash the dusty old structure to pieces, much to the giggling horror of their party? Be liberated of that eternal chains of waiting upon the past and its broken world that threw them out even before their eyes opened? They began collecting the powder, making the sleepy katakans roll the barrels to the edge of the village, the ground slippery and the wind dancing through its one, now desolate street, sinking into the long-long silence. And yet, both knew that they would never do it. They were young, brash, insults fresh upon their fang. But they were no numb idiots. The place gets to you, just like this, a predator barring its teeth to a predator. Sooner or later, the sky shall open its maw and eat you up, to serve its glory to the full. You have never been the sky. Just a piece of meat and blood to keep and fatten enough, in the best traditions of a gourmet witch - a tale which even her children knows well. Orianna's lips form a crescent of a sharp smile. Apa thunchultha has slept through another rare performance of a coup, dream-gourged as he was. It is always she who had to take care of the reality he so diminished and despises, yet is never willing to deal with himself.

At least protofleders shall feed well tonight.

Art Credit: Santiago Caruso

[ladysunbite]

headcanons on unseen elders? is there anyone in them who is the most important of all and does orianna's position as the next in line unseen elder make her someone special in the eyes of the other higher vampires?

[ part II, on Orianna ]

The Unseen Elder of Toussaint does not necessarily hold the grandest position of all. Let's remember how, according to Emiel Regis, it's enough to be out of the confinement of a territory to escape even the most terrible and most severe punishment of being an anathema. It makes one suspect that the law structure, amidst all the tribes, while being absolute, grand and unforgiving, has...let's say some mischievous loopholes and rather twisted logic. Territory and land is important to both highly cultural and beastly communities alike, but what are those to creatures who has a totally different view of time?

Besides, an Unseen, bearing many divine attributes of power, has a very down to earth function - being a local judge. Therefore, I daresay each vampiric tribe has more loyalty and deference to their own Elder, if not for the purpose of a mystical esteem, then for a very practical reason of him / her being able to help them or punish them according to the need of an hour. Whether an Unseen of one tribe can judge a higher or lower vampire of another one, I imagine not ( unless it's a kind of an international vampiric crime, like violating the Gates, the site which all tribes hold in reverence ), for the same reason of territory being an important point. It's fair to notice that it is said that the majority of Gharasham Tribe assimilated amidst Nordlings, and spread across the continent, unlike the other two tribes. Can the Unseen of Toussaint, let's say, set a price upon an anathema's head who quietly remains in Novigrad and never crosses into the lands of Toussaint ever again? That remains unclear. However, the particular Toussaint Unseen is a guardian of the Gates. Again, according to Emiel Regis vampires has no gods, but I presume they have some sacred things in their view of the world. Hen Gaidh being one of such. Firstly, because the modern territory of Toussaint was the place where the tribes landed after the Conjunction of the Spheres, and historically, became the upkeep of all the previous cultural knowledge. Secondly, because, theoretically the Gates can open again and then the social role of that Unseen would be of high importance, indeed.

Art Credit: Santiago Caruso

[ladysunbite]

Whats the purpose of Orianna's visit to the Unseen Elder? and what is it that they are discussing?

the answer below is heavily based on mun's hcs || more can be found here and here

Being next in-line for the position, as well as the Elder's helping hand during the Full Moon Celebrations since her fledgling years, Orianna's duties include guarding the safety of the Gates ( namely, that the entrance to the caves remain well-hidden and the Unseen remain undisturbed by curious strangers ), and seeing to the rituals that are practiced by Gharasham vampires that reside in Toussaint. The majority of the latter are aimed at keeping history and culture of the tribe alive, passing judgments, resolving law issues among the higher brethren and keeping the lower brethren well-fed and healthy, by sharing some blood of the Unseen among them if necessary. As the present Elder is getting weaker, Orianna acts in his stead sometimes. It is not her favourite part, for it leaves her weakened for a prolonged amount of time. However, she wryly insists that preparing for the Full Moon is not so different to preparing for one of Mandragora's soirees. 

The relationship between the cultured vampiress and her apa thunchultha can be hardly called warm, but there is a mutual respect, and they often discuss topics that crudely can be called religious, even if the vampires do not have gods. Orianna, with a few practical burdens upon her shoulders, much prefers when "apa" strays away from pure spiritualism and gives her some useful hints upon the art of manipulating and moulding minds, without the need to show fangs or claws. However, as disdainful as she might seem, the sun-eyed enjoys the spiritual parts as well. The Unseen is a great storyteller, when he puts his mind to it -  another skill that she learned from him.   

And let's not forget the eternal struggle of theirs - the shameless way sech farthana chooses to dress in the manner of human slaves. Could she not at least spare his eyes from the unseemly sight.

Art Credit: Zdzislaw Beksinski

[ladysunbite]

For consideration: how did Orianna squire her estate and rise to such prominence in Beauclair ?

Come, come to ask a lady such a question! :)

Orianna herself, if she deigned to answer such a question, would insist that she does not deal in art, but in keeping others' secrets. Nothing as lowly as blackmail, of course. Secrets are her amour against greedy hands, in situations where to show fangs and claws would be unseemly. It is no wonder than that she keeps two pretty succubi under her wing, both as seamstresses and as spies. A major role in Orianna's comfortable existence plays two facts - one of reason, and one of heart. Thanks to gracious hostesses' hedonistic streak and sharp-eyed guidance, the Mandragora turned into a heaven for artists, as well as for entertainment-hungry, coins-yeilding visitors of the capital of the merry Duchy. Neither too big to inspire avarice, nor too small to be shunned, the luscious estate brings a hefty amount of gold into the Ducal Treasury. Yet, true to a contrary feminine nature, the sun-eyed would insist that she never planned to turn the Mandragora into a place of profit. Otherwise, she ought to accept rigidly so-called "modern art", and that movement makes her fangs itch terribly. A mere caprice, a safe space to research human habits. That's what the Mandragora was and is for. Thusly, she has no wise words for any novices in the art of gold-making. As for the heart. It seems that the cultured vampiress, for all her cold and detached airs, has a kindly heart herself. And that volatile organ has earned her a place in Anna Henrietta's favour. For who would have taken pity upon two lovers, at the time when helping those would earn one naught but a trip to the gallows? And asked nothing in return ever since?

[ladysunbite]

Send me a quote from my character’s canon and they will share EXACTLY what went through their minds when they said it, and how they currently feel about it || accepting "...invited Regis in for a glass of wine. We've known each other for... oh, ages, literally."

Emiel was and had remained incurable. The old bat knew her too well, and that vexed Thezanna Orianna more than the extravagant stupidity of calling a witcher 'friend'. The cultured vampiress could never resist a caprice of playing "cat and mice" with prejudiced, naïve races, even if half a pleasure was probably already taken from the game. The grey-haired monster-hunter was already aware of why Emiel Regis' smile was a tight-lipped one, and if he was, it didn't take a chest of wisdom to devise what the barber-surgeon's fashionably pale acquaintance was. It it would not hurt to remind Geralt of Rivia that the chatty, open-minded humanist had other friends.

[ladysunbite]

"Why? Because I am a woman? In a frock, rather than plate? I can take care of myself, I assure you." andddd "...invited Regis in for a glass of wine. We've known each other for... oh, ages, literally." all from quest within orianna's estate in game

Send me a quote from my character’s canon and they will share EXACTLY what went through their minds when they said it, and how they currently feel about it || accepting

"Why? Because I am a woman? In a frock, rather than plate? I can take care of myself, I assure you."

My, my, what a blunder, master witcher. Haven't you learned that interrupting bruxa at her music, any beast at its feast - low or high, it matters not - would awaken their ultimate wraith? I am past my mayhem years, where I would flash my fangs at strangers, yet I can allow myself to be annoyed. Slightly. No, I don't think that female species should engage in what their male counterparts do better and with much more headless joy. I got that goblet filled to the brim when we made bets with Emiel "who could drink a whole village faster" during our adolescence. To be distastefully honest, I am at loss about the modern battle of genders. Mayhapse, it's due to my nature and upbringing. I was never shunned of any right or responsibility because I have a pair of breasts, apa thunculla could not care less. You know, our species even rumoured to be able to switch our genders, like dopplers, if a clan is in danger of extinction. That has never been put to trial, nor do I long to try it. I prefer my tailored frocks, thank you. What I do loath is boorish manners. As much as I loath thieves stinking of cheap drink, sweat and gutter pawing through my jewelry box. Have you not been listening to a word of my story, have you? I pride myself at my skill of a storyteller, it's my sweet caprice, a glass of young, fragrant blood to the lips of my heart, a sip of rose at a balmy death of summer. Look how her Enlightened Ladyship was enjoying my tale, the masterfully crafted fight scene that suspended a huge chunk of disbelief....only for you to stumble into my narrative, your truth is like a mud-encrusted boot to the door. All very smart and true-to-nature, but no less...crude. After a few years, I know what Her Grace prefers to hear, the topic is a personal one for her and would probably gain me a grain of her goodwill. That affair with the heart of Toussaint left a bad taste, which is needed to be sugarcoated, but not bluntly. Little does she know that she owns me much more than that. Instead of mingling in philosophy, the evilness of women and the goodness of men, I acted. Wrote a few letters, gained a few answers, mixed up a goblet or two at a certain house of ill-repute, all without putting on a chainmail or asking the pathetic creature to a duel. Power can be delicate or power can stuck a hairpin into an intruder's throat. It's a balance, not a gender, you see. But I digress...

[ladysunbite]

I think Orianna would be a good mother, did she ever think about having her own children?

ask the mistress of the mandragora any question || always open

The sun-eyed would be very surprised to hear such a sentiment ( the mun is equally stunned :) ). La Compassion was born not out of the scholarly curiosity, rather than the kindness of her heart - or the nurturing instinct, if we apply more vampiric vocabulary. It is mun's belief that with time the...khm, nurturing instinct began to take a certain part in the proceedings. However, Orianna would loose all her fangs before she openly professes anything but a polite interest, similar to the feeling one would exhibit towards a foreign, intriguing work of art. In short, the lady doesn't trust herself with her own emotions and that could lead down a slippery road.

Still, if the cultured vampiress ever finds herself with a child or a need to bear one, she would keep it. She is a fruit of her upbringing, and - again, based on hcs - was brought up to take care of the local Gharasham tribe, as its next Unseen. Any offspring could potentially serve as a successor to the ancient knowledge and the native vampiric culture. As for the fate of the said fledgling, they would cut a very interesting figure, being brought up communally until a certain age, as the custom dictates. Imagine being stuck betwix such figures as the rigid, dreamdrunk, anachronistic elder, a mistress of the best cabaret of the Duchy, who can kill with a hairpin and flirt about it more smoothly than a nilfgaardian ambassador, the newly turned humanist-ex-bloodhogolic and the melancholy artist with a broken heart and trust issues as the rolemodels. On the other hand, there is the need to hide from the other races, the air of Toussaint with its very distinguishable flair and the orphanage full of murderously jealous human children. Dare you call such a boring childhood?

[ladysunbite]

The Language of Jewels

A name for amethyst comes from Greek, and is literally translated as "not being intoxicated", as it was believed to be a charm against overindulgence in wine.

Thusly, the mun discovered a newfound appreciation for Orianna's choker. Initially, it was tempting to name it as a sign of favour from Anna Henrietta, as the design is somewhat similar ( fun fact: Anarietta's choker bears a striking resemblance to the piece of jewelry worn by the Empress Maria Feodorovna, as seen in a portrait by K. Makovskiy ) or a simple fashion follow-up.

However, now the mun hcs that the said amethyst choker is a gift from Emiel Regis, in attempt to win the cultured vampiress over to the side of humanism. Orianna still doesn't share the philosophy, and wasn't know to overindulge even in her mayhem-filled youth. In accordance with her teasing nature, she finds a certain irony to wear the stone as a resident of Toussaint and a mistress of Mandragora. Besides, who would deny the old friend in such a crude manner?

Picture Credit: 'Portrait of Maria Feodorovna' by Konstantin Makovskiy ( colour edited )

[ladysunbite]

The Sublime Art of Age

Much to the cultured vampiress' annoyance, mirrors are not deathless' best friends, their cold surface forevermore at loss what to reflect, too slow for vampiric true visages, that consist of ever-flowing, ever-changing blood more than of fixed, immobile flesh. Yet, being a part of the court, even an unofficial part, requires playing by the rules and donning an appropriate costume, from the hairstyle to the slippers. At first, the blonde petite succubi helped Orianna with the routine, their arrival happily aligned with the new wave of fashion, set by Anna Henrietta and her signature beagle-eyes. Making a mask or painting one, the horned beauties excelled at both. With time Orianna learned the landscape of her face well enough to be able to apply all necessary little illusions by memory. Yet it is not bold colours and clever tricks of light and shadow that fascinate the vampiress, but the signs of age, the sublime changes of a human body. The majority of her make-up routine is dedicated to creating wrinkles and adding years to her otherwise eerily timeless youth. In fact, the young and maidenly "natural" looks of her human skin is a source of annoyance to the sun-eyed. The freckles however, is an extravagant touch, they are never hidden beneath the pearly powder, for the sake of flirting with the truth. Emiel Regis has his antics against prejudices in the form of a garlic bulb and lectures about vampires, while holding a silver fork in hand, while Orianna has her sun-kissed skin. It's a long standing joke between the old friends.

Painting Credits: "la belle dame sans merci" by frank cadogan cowper || collage by: @museissick

[ladysunbite]

Does Orianna like sweets? Or maybe she enjoys sweet drinks?

Habits of youthful days die hard, especially among the deathless kin, and Orianna still thinks the children's blood to be the most exquisite drink, light and soothingly savoury in character, unrivaled by the best wines of Toussaint. However, as the times imposed its demands to be more tight-lipped about such tastes, and age taught Orianna to enjoy lasting-traits of her children, more refined in its pleasures than an unrestrained gulp. Eventually, she was pressed to search for a substitute amidst the vineyards of the merry Duchy. The choice has fallen to a kind of a rosé wine, produced by a less famed vineyard Casteldaccia. Bad luck - oh, the woes of a delicate taste - has it, that drink is also hard to come by. Due to mysterious and heinous murder of the entire household of Maximus Macrinus, the owner of the vineyard, the recipe was lost amidst the ruins. Thusly, the sun-eyed vampiress cherishes every bottle that comes into her hands. As for the sweets, Orianna possess no sweet fang, but has a life-long standing scholarly dispute with Emiel Regis, whether sweets do more good than harm to growing humans. While the barber-surgeon insists that such treats are ruinous for the teeth, while offering no substantial nurture, the sun-eyed benefactress has documented several proofs that a presence of sugar in a diet, in a playful form, impacts both the behavioral patterns and the thinking ability for the best. There is a scroll in a neat and ladylike hand, locked in the vaults of Tesham Mutna, that contains all their findings on the topic. Subsequently, Orianna is a sage-by-need, where it comes to the most mouthwatering variety of caramel cockerels, in or out of Toussaint. She is careful to bring her children only the best sweets and always tastes them first, as well as asks for her charge's opinion afterwards. Amidst the present bunch of orphans, the fanciful Nazairi treat of sea-salt-and-caramel bird is considered the most sought-after.