#cibela de rubalcaba

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A million and more thanks to the amazing Yana @bitcxes-n-cream for this truly beautiful piece!The wait was worth every single second!!!

Enjoy looking at the two elder Rubalcaba sisters!

To the left is Cibela de Rubalcaba, General of the Grand Army of Calpacia and soon Marquesa-to-be. The dress is inspired by Renaissance Spain fashion with the sleeves, as well as the chest plate that was traditionally worn by noblemen in the military. Despite not wearing her house’s colours, the coat of arms - a harpy eagle holding a viper in its fangs - is depicted on the armour, and the amethysts on the shoulder sleeves as well as the earrings a reference to the purple on their flags. Her decorative helmet would be in shape of a harpy eagle, while the one used in actual battle would be less ornamental and more practical.

On the left is Heloisa de Rubalcaba, who as a politician and courtier can be more extravagant in her dress choices, but the fashionably made-but-in-battle-most-likely-useless chest plate very much serves as a statement of wanting to be a warrior herself. Being aware of her lack of physical power. she gives it her own spin to accentuate her body (since her looks are something she’s very proud of). The cape is a variation of the one every courtier wears, with burgundy red indicating a relatively high rank - gold being the colour only worn by the Zaan aka the Emperor of Calpacia, purple for the former rank of highest adviser, the Vicezaan, burgundy red for the members of high council, black specifically for the members of the war council, to name a few.

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All the thanks from the depth of my soul to @aircane for these truly BEAUTIFUL portraits of my main babies and eternal loves of my life! So have Ximena, Heloisa, Cibela, Deirdra and Sayelle delivering some looks. ❤️

Nate managed the capture their personalities so well and made them look stunning as well, the colors are amazing and, without exaggeration, the style has me in awe. Hit him up, he‘s a joy and pours his heart into the art he creates! 🤗

[nadiaportia]

Cibela de Rubalcaba

The heiress who seeks to become a legend.

Other bios:  Ximena | Sayelle | Deirdra | Heloisa

Full name: Cibela María Teresa de Rubalcaba y Saavedra

Meaning of name: 

Cibela: derived from Cybele, the Anatolian mother goddess

María Teresa: Combination of “María” and “Teresa”, possibly meaning “summer” in Greek.

Family:

Heloisa de Rubalcaba and Ximena Rubalcaba: Cibela’s younger sisters. She has a closer relationship with Heloisa due to her being born when Cibela was 6 years old while she was already 12 by the time Ximena came into the world. Heloisa’s and her own personality constantly clash ever since their youth but still they managed to co-exist in some way or another. Regardless, Cibela considered Ximena with her calm and gentle nature her favourite sister despite there being considerable distance between them and never having properly lived together since Cibela soon began her training abroad.

Marisol de Rubalcaba (deceased): Her mother and the former Marquesa de Rubalcaba. Cibela was the apple of her eye and Marisol was incredibly attached to her daughter and fulfilled every wish she ever voiced. Her death hit Cibela the most out of the three sisters.

Valentín Saavedra (deceased): Cibela’s father and a sea-faring merchant prince from the higher Cartagense bourgeoisie. For the while where it was only the three of them, Valentín was a caring and loving father who regularly took his daughter on his travels and showed her the world.

Aníbal Heßling de Cordovero: Cibela’s husband. The last offspring of an impoverished line of nobles, Aníbal met Cibela when she returned successfully from a military campaign and shortly after the death of her father. He has a lot of affection for her which he is never shy about showing. They are basically polar opposites in terms of personality, him being openly emotional as well as having a pendant for kicking down at those beneath him, while Cibela has a cold exterior but is tough yet fair.

Esmerelda de Rubalcaba: The matriarch in-all-but-name of the Rubalcaba family, Marisol’s older sister and Cibela’s aunt. In contrast to her parents worshipping the ground she walks on, Esme is Cibela’s harshest critic while Cibela looks up to her as matriarch of the family and having made a name for herself after breaking the mold. Not getting the approval, affection and respect she believes should be rightfully hers, Cibela walks the line of being spiteful and needing to be appreciated.

Agustín de Rubalcaba: Esmerelda’s only son and Cibela’s cousin. Despite being very close in age, they have an almost antagonistic relationship with both having little respect for what the other does. 

Catalina Saveedra: The aunt of Valentín Saavedra and Cibela’s great aunt. Catalina has great love for her nephew’s eldest daughter and herself being a powerful member of the Calpacian merchant guild, supports Cibela in her military campaigns and her position as Marquesa. 

Others: Constanza de Rubalcaba (maternal grand-mother, deceased), Cristobal de Rubalcaba (maternal uncle, deceased), Máximo de Otxoa (maternal grand-father, deceased), Jaime Saavedra (paternal uncle), Genoveva Saavedra (paternal aunt), Dulcinea Saavedra (paternal grand-mother, deceased), Leonardo Buendía (paternal grand-father)

Nicknames: Bela (by family and her husband), Maythé (by her father only)

Favourite meal: Ceviche

Favourite drink: Orange flower tea

Favourite flower: Vanilla orchid

Favourite color: Violet

Birthday: 3rd of August

Age: 49 during the events of the game

Zodiac: Leo

MBTI: ISTJ

Patron Arcana: Strength and the Knight of Pentacles

Upright: Strength can be quiet; often she shines through patience and compassion, not aggression.

Reversed: Strength has lost her careful equilibrium, and with it, control of her inner beasts.

Upright:  The Knight of Pentacles is traditional and steadfast, using well-proven methods to achieve success.

Reversed: The Knight of Pentacles has become stuck in his routine, trodding slow with his eyes to the ground.

Gender: Cis Female

Sexuality: The author of this text believes two things: 1. Cibela refuses any label; 2. Cibela is 100% not straight.

Height: 177 cm // 5′8″

Appearance:

Cibela is of athletic build. Her skin is of a slightly dark medium brown with a warm undertone and she has an angular face with slightly visible lines underneath her eyes and on her forehead as well as a beauty mark next to the corner of her left eye. She has three scars: one on her lip, one on her right cheekbone and another one on the left side of her jaw. She has thick eyebrows, eyes a color reminiscent of dark honey, an upturned nose with a low bridge and full lips. Her hair is black with various grey streaks, curly and reaches her shoulders.

She has the tendency to frown as well as wear a rather serious expression on her face, which fits as she is in general a serious person - as is seen fit for a high-ranking member of the military and an heiress of a powerful house.

Visual inspirations:

Gina Torres, especially as Zoe Washburne

Languages spoken: Calpacian, Prakran, Firenti, Karnasso, Galbradan, Hjallen, Nopali, Nevivish, Kerusksch, Venterran, Oriolà, Zadithi and the Common Tongue

Love interests:

Aníbal

In general, like with most of my characters; if they’re compatible sexuality-wise as well as personality-wise, feel free to ship them with your OCs or MCs! Hit me up with a message and we can discuss the details.

Backstory: 

As the firstborn and heiress of an influential aristocratic family, Cibela had expectations placed upon her from the moment she could walk. In addition to that, the day she was born, her aunt Esmerelda, back then herself the heiress to her own mother, Marquesa Constanza, renounced her title and passed it onto her younger sister Marisol.

Both Marisol and Valentín saw their daughter as the most precious person in the entire world and someone who would surely become someone important in her adulthood. Her aunt, although not Marquesa anymore but still very much the head of the family, tutored her in the responsibilities of being a leader, and soon recognized the determination and bravery within Cibela. Already idealizing Esmé, back then in her peak as the greatest military officer in the history of Cartagenth, Cibela wanted nothing more than to fill her aunt’s footsteps and become a legend just like her. While having a lot of affection for both of her parents, she didn’t interest herself to lead her father’s merchant fleet or become a courtier in the Zaan’s service like her mother. 

As a young woman, she steadily worked her way up the ranks, with her connections being of considerable help, and became an excellent fighter and strategist in no small part because of her perfectionism and desire to always get what she wants, no matter what it takes, which earns the respect of high-ranking officers with strong foothold in the Cartagense War Council. Yet she never managed to fully leave her aunt’s shadow due to being more impulsive and having little to no political savviness - an area where her sister Heloisa excelled. Her shortcomings led to Esmé criticizing her openly which angered Cibela who resented that Heloisa had her aunt’s unconditional approval and affection despite her being the one who would soon carry the family’s and Esmé’s legacy. 

The death of her father and proceeding illness of her mother that caused the latter’s departure to their Southern seaside residence, the Summer Palace, hit her hard and out of desperation and loneliness, Cibela entered a relationship with Aníbal. She asked for her mother’s blessing who granted it enthusiastically, being reminded of her own issues with her marriage to a non-aristocrat, while Esmé believed her niece to be settling for a man miles beneath her out of fear of being abandoned. A few days after the grand wedding, Ximena decided to expose the plans made by the War Council, led by their aunt, the Court and the Zaan about the future of Calpacia and brought chaos into the Rubalcaba residence. In order to save face, the Zaan announced the Rubalcabas to be the sole scapegoats and it was only due to Esmé’s immense influence and a very direct threat that kept their titles, lands, fortune, positions and even their heads in place even if beyond the official statements, they effectively became social pariahs too powerful to be removed and useful to be thrown to the angry mob in the streets. Cibela’s view of her gentle and harmless sister was broken and she resented her for lashing out at their family to whom she was supposed to have unconditional allegiance and loyalty and daring to run away to not face the consequences. 

With her parents dead, Ximena dead to her and stuck in a marriage with a man who did love her but also desired to improve his social status and now also had to take the fall, Cibela went on to emancipate herself from her aunt in the eyes of the leaders of Grand Army of Calpacia and by the time she was middle-aged had the rank of a general and was well-respected by both the new Zaan and their court. Over the years she continued to lock horns with Heloisa, who became an influential figure on court and didn’t bother to hide her ambitions of wanting to be the Marquesa de Rubalcaba despite being second-in-line of succession. Despite both sisters having in common that regardless of their best efforts they never managed to eclipse their aunt, they continued to stand on opposite sides fighting a “cold war”. Whether Cibela’s own way of gathering her own support loyal to her and only her is more successful in removing herself from her aunt’s manipulative influences than Heloisa’s insistence on “playing the long game” remains to be seen.

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2, 5, and 31 for the Rubalcabas ? 👀

2. Would they steal a glass from a restaurant?

Ximena: She’d  ask the waiter quietly to “look sideways for a second or two” or just slip it into her purse when no one is looking, probably feel a little bad while on the way home but as soon as it’s standing in the kitchen she’s fine with it.

Heloisa: If you were to ask her, she’d never do that, especially since she wouldn’t need to, but in reality? She would do it just for the hell of it.

Cibela: No, she’d say she wouldn’t have the need for it and actually mean it.

5. Do they leave their shoes on in the house?

Helo and Bela: The Rubalcaba estate is big and there are always people walking about with shoes, so they do as well, but given that the floors get cleaned very often (and it’s not like they would eat food off the floor), it doesn’t matter that much. They do take them off in their own rooms though, just for the sake of comfort.

Xime: No way she’s gonna wear shoes in the house, she was outside in the streets with them and it’s gonna carry any of that dirt into the place where she lives. Everyone who enters her place will also get asked politely but firmly to take off theirs.

31. Do they think they snore and are they right?

Bela: No and yes. But as she’s a very light sleeper, she in turn will complain if someone else snores and it’s in the way of her minimum of seven hours.

Xime: Yes and yes. She just lives with it because she doesn’t have problems with breathing at night and she’s not very loud to wake up others so it’s fine, although she does have one of those clips to wear just in case.

Helo: Didn’t think she did, found out when Bela made an off-hand remark about it and got a somnoplasty within the next month while being very insistent they don’t do any funny business with her nose.

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Groom-Show

Summary: Cibela needs the approval of someone to take an important step in her life 

Word count: ~4k

One of various fics I wrote in the last couple of weeks, whether I’ll post the rest... I’ll see. But for now, enjoy a short introduction to the third and eldest Rubalcaba sister and the last of my main OCs to properly appear in a fic. ❤

“So I was thinking: last names. We could keep it all like it is... or we can get a little bit inspired by Kerusksch traditions and take the other’s name: traditional with Cibela Heßling, or progressive and modern with Aníbal de Rubalcaba-”

“No. We keep it like this.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right.” Aníbal said after some hesitation to Cibela’s relief. She didn’t need to have this discussion now, especially since it was futile - she would remain a Rubalcaba, he a Heßling. She knew he desired to be officially taken into their family but it wouldn’t happen - even with a marriage or one day a shared child. 

“What is the Grand Marshall of Galbrada saying? That’s his sigil at the bottom, right?” He tried to peek into the scroll she was studying, and she let him. 

“It’s a plea for help against marauding mercenary troops coming from the South of the Emerald Sea. Small fish, but with our help they’re crushed in an instant.”

“So, do you wanna go? I mean, it would be great, you could gain a lot of support from the troops if you fight alongside them.”

Cibela briefly looked up and studied his face. She knew he wanted her to but at the same time would miss her. “I will send Ippolita in my stead. She’s capable enough to handle this on her own, and with my instructions little can go wrong. The Galbradans are desperate, and I don’t need to be there to throw a bone their way. My signature will suffice.”

“Will they know it’s yours? I mean, forgery and such.” He grinned, obviously an attempt at a joke. Cibela quirked an eyebrow at him in amusement.

“Do you want me to go?”

Aníbal furrowed his brows. “What? No!” He bent over to kiss the knuckles of one of her hands holding the scrolls. “If it were up to me, we’d stay forever in Cartagenth! Occasionally coming to this place to have a bit of time for ourselves, away from all the troubles of the capital, free to do whatever we want.”

He kissed the back of her hand, shifted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her waist before he peppered her jaw with kisses. 

“Aníbal.”

Her companion hummed in response and gently turned her face towards him. Some strands of light brown hair had fallen loose and onto his forehead, his green-brown eyes were fixed on her lips and there was a slight red tint to his fair skin tone. 

“I know, I know, there’s plenty of time when we’re at the residence, but I think the danger of getting caught is getting to me a little.”

That was a sentiment Cibela did not share in the least. The worst thing that could happen in this scenario was the carriage stopping and while Tía Esmé and Agustín were  in the carriage in front of them and thus most likely wouldn’t notice anything for a while, Ximena and Heloisa were right behind them. Xime, of course, was more likely to simply either not go there mentally or shake her head and move on with whatever she was doing but Heloisa being Heloisa has never been one to waste an opportunity to make an innuendo or another kind of remark, be it to get under Aníbal’s or her skin. And besides, she was in the mood for anything but an impromptu make-out session that could lead to more.

She gently pushed him away. “Not now. Not when I’m feeling like a pig led to the slaughter.”

Aníbal instantly backed away. “Ah, yes, I… almost forgot about that. I mean, I’m trying to just not think about it because I’ll get nervous and then I get all sweaty and your mother’s going to think me a complete tool.”

Cibela waved away his concerns. “Don’t worry about her, she’s going to love you.”

Aníbal nodded. “Okay. Fine. You told me she’s nice, so I believe you.”

“Oh, she’s very amicable. Just don’t… talk about any of your weaknesses. Try to exile the expression ‘I can’t’ from your mind for the duration of the crossfire she’s going to put you under.”

“... I think I’ll be able to do that. I hope she’ll like my gift.”

For a moment neither said anything. “Actually,”, Cibela began, “I think it’s a better idea if you just… don’t give it to her.”

When Aníbal raised a brow at her, she merely shrugged. “I told you before, you’re not going to be able to buy her love, and material goods are as good as meaningless to her.”

“It’s a vase from the fifth century of the Golden Age of Bizatena, it belonged to the Emir himself-”

“-yes, and it doesn’t matter. Unless it’s something you made yourself, it’s practically worthless because she could just buy it herself. What does matter though is what you say to her, and the impression she gets.”

Aníbal stared at her and then nodded meekly. “I think I can see your point.” Then after a brief hesitation: “So we keep the vase?”

“Yes, it’s a nice vase.”

He took a deep breath. “I think I just caught your nervousness.”

Well, damn. Cibela took his hand and gave it a squeeze. “No need for that, love. Really.” She tried to give him a reassuring smile, fully knowing she was unable to bring across actual ease.

She hadn’t lied about her mother most likely loving him - hell, she probably had fallen in love with him the moment she heard about him from Tía Esmé - but when it came down to everything, her opinion didn’t actually matter. Esmé’s did, and Esmé was much tougher in her judgment.

When they left the pine forests of the most Southern province of Calpacia, controlled by the Duque of Linpauxa and close to the Northern border of Oriol, Cibela knew it wouldn’t be much until they got to the Summer Palace. Were this be any other occasion, she would feel nostalgic about returning here, remember the many times she had travelled here with her parents, feel like a young girl again. 

Aníbal’s soft hand holding her own callused one didn’t relax her in the least but she didn’t let go of him until the carriage stopped and someone knocked on the door.

“Mi señora, Don Aníbal, we have arrived at your residence.” The servant said and opened the door for them. They already had their hand at the ready for Cibela to take it and be helped down from the carriage. She nodded at the servant when she was on the ground and turned to see both Tía Esmé and Agustín approaching her.

“How was your ride?” She asked and straightened her back.

“Just fine, the usual.” Tía Esmé’s voice sounded tired. If her aunt were anything like most old women, Cibela would have assumed she had fallen asleep during the ride, but it was more likely she had simply grown bored with staring out of the window.

“What about yours?” Agustín yawned, he must’ve slept for sure. 

Cibela shrugged. “It was alright. Not a lot happened.” 

“Well, I liked it. The scenery is amazing, you must be so happy to have this place. I remember Bela said some ancestor was from here.”

“Yeah, Saturnina de Pollensa. A great leader revered by the people of Linpauxa.” Esmé spoke with undeniable pride in her voice, to which Agustín made a grimace at.

“And also a notorious robber baroness. But nobody’s perfect, I suppose. Where’s Xime and Heloisa?”

Tía Esmé gave her son a cold glance but turned her attention to the missing last carriage. “They probably stopped at the city, at least Lola mentioned on our last stop she wanted do that.”

“We can wait inside, I don’t want to grow roots near the gates.” Cibela tried to calm her growing unease and standing around waiting for someone was the opposite of calming; she wanted to get this over with as soon as possible - and she wanted to see her mother. 

“Agustín, wait for your cousins and instruct the servants where to take the luggages. I’ll go with Cibela to see Marisol.”

As she passed them by, Aníbal gave her a questioning look but said nothing, until Cibela gave him a look that basically insisted on him coming along as well. She didn’t want him to be singled out and shoved off to the side, much less realized that someone was trying to do that.

The Summer Palace was an impressive building, made of salmon red sandstone with white decorations and tall high windows. There were a total of 23 rooms, which made it smaller than the Palace in which the De Rubalcabas resided since five-hundred years in the outskirts of Cartagenth, but she had always preferred being here than in the capital. It was calmer, there wasn’t an obnoxious amount of people, both locals and foreigners who brought their petty little infighting to court, and the weather was a lot more pleasant to her personally than the tropical temperatures and rain seasons of the North. One winter, she remembered, it had snowed here so much that they couldn’t leave the grounds and they had been isolated for three days, and those days they had spent entertaining themselves with all sorts of games. 

The servants opened the door when Tía Esmé approached the building and bowed deeply as she passed by. They kept their heads down when Cibela did and somehow this gave her a surge of confidence so she held her own head up high and tried to look the part of a future marquesa the best she could. 

The entry foyer was, to their surprise, not empty but occupied a small woman with brown hair on one of the couches. A walking stick was leaning against her leg and she was coughing just as they entered the hall. 

“Mi amor!” Marisol de Rubalcaba exclaimed and stood up quickly. Cibela didn’t wait for her mother to come over but bridged the distance between them in long strides and embraced her tightly. Judging by the trembling of her body, her mother was trying to not cry, preserve some dignity. She rubbed her back and gently stroked her hair for a few seconds before letting go and looked at her daughter’s face.

“It’s so good to see you again, Bela,”, she said with a smile and tears in her eyes. She was just a little smaller than her, a few centimeters, but she had thinned considerably since the last time she had seen her, her once slender face looked almost gaunt now with a grey tinge having replaced the warmth on her cheeks. Her brown hair was dull when looking at it close up and had more grey patches as well, and the fine lines in her face had deepened; she looked as if she had aged at least seven years in the last single one. 

Would that happen to Cibela too one day, would her strength abandon her? Or would she remain strong and steady like Tía Esmé, who with even sixty years was every bit as healthy as a woman in her forties?

“Marisol.” Esmé, who together with Aníbal had taken a step back, now came over to them. 

Mother hesitantly let go of her and turned towards her older sister. “Esmerelda. I’m glad you’re here.” 

She also hugged her, and Tía Esmé held her tightly, perhaps even tighter than Cibela herself had. 

“How are you feeling?” Her aunt gently took a strand of hair in between her fingers and in a rare moment of tenderness smiled earnestly at her sister. 

“Better. The air of the sea treats me kinder than the capital. If I had known, I would’ve convinced Valentín to stay here and never leave years ago.” 

Cibela swallowed at her mother’s words. She hadn’t come here to talk about her dead father, and it wasn’t what she wanted to be reminded of. 

“Let us hope it will continue to do so and improve your condition.” Tía Esmé rubbed her sister’s back and only now Marisol seemed to notice the third guest. The look she gave him at first was one of confusion, then curiosity and after throwing a brief side glance to Cibela, one of glee. 

“And who are you, young man?” She took the walking stick and made her way over to Aníbal who until now had stood a little awkwardly in the foyer. 

“This is Aníbal Heßling.” The snarl in Esmé’s voice had not escaped Cibela but while her mother must’ve noticed, she simply chose to ignore it.

“Aníbal, eh? So you’re the fine gentleman at the side of my eldest daughter?” She wore a gentle smile, and for a moment there was some of her characteristic charisma back from her days as First Adviser of the Zaan. Aníbal’s pale face tinged slightly with color and he bowed.

“Marquesa Marisol, it is an honor to finally meet you.” He took her mother’s hand and placed the ghost of a kiss on the back of it.

“Oh no, the honor is all mine, Don Aníbal.”

Tía Esmé cleared her throat. Cibela threw her an icy look, to which Esmé merely responded with an indifferent raise of her eyebrow.

“Marisol, I think we should have a conversation about this soon enough, maybe after dinner?”

Marisol paused, and looked from her sister to Aníbal. Then she grinned and nodded. “I think that is a wonderful idea, after a full stomach we are all surely in a better mood. I specifically told the cooks to make ceviche, Bela. What do you like, Don Aníbal?”

...

By the time dinner started, Ximena and Heloisa were already back after they had indeed stopped at the town by the sea for a small shopping tour. Ximena wore a necklace with pieces of coral of an intense vermillion and Heloisa had gotten a brooch made of mother-of-pearl and lapis lazuli in the shape of an emperor angelfish.

“The merchant said his husband had brought this from Prakra, where this species of fish can be found en masse.” Heloisa said proudly to Tía Esmé who approvingly nodded while watching the brooch. 

“It’s a very beautiful art piece.” 

Tía Esmé sat to the right side of Marisol; Cibela herself to her mother’s left. Aníbal was next to her as her companion on her silent insistent demand and had been trying to make small talk during the dinner with her mother.

“So, Bela told me you used to come here on the regular?”

“Ah, yes, that is very true. My husband and I would travel here with her for some weeks during the storm season, but by the time Heloisa was born, I was already first counselor. Not enough free time as I would’ve liked.”

“Yep.” CIbela gave Heloisa a sharp look who nonchalantly chewed on a shrimp, and Ximena scoffed in response as well. 

“Oh, and the food is great!” Aníbal said quickly and raised his glass of red wine to her. “I am already loving this stay.”

Marisol laughed gently. “I can see that you’re enjoying yourself.”

Cibela didn’t miss the look Agustín and Ximena, who sat the furthest away from the head of the table, exchanged and took another bite of ceviche to focus on something else. 

“Well, there’s no place I’d rather be right now.” Aníbal leaned over to Cibela and pressed a greasy kiss on her cheek. Esmé showed no outward emotion but she could have sworn she saw the corners of her mouth twitch in something close to amusement.

“I can think of a few.” Heloisa’s grin widened as she noticed the reddening of Aníbal’s ears.

Cibela wished that Aníbal would leave it at that and not rise up to her sister’s bait - but of course, that wasn't going to happen. “What I meant is that there is no thing more important than family, especially if it's such a loving one.”

“So you're not courting Cibela anymore?” Agustín's remark earned the sharp looks of Esmé and Marisol, and Cibela responded with a smile that was more akin to a sneer and a rude gesture. 

“Now now, children, play nice, we're at a dinner table, not a war council.” Marisol said and tapped the table with her long fingernails. “Let us not frighten our guest, that's bad manners.”

“Don't worry, Doña Marisol, a family as highly regarded as yours, I'm sure bad manners aren't even in your vocabulary.”

Cibela resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. She understood he was trying to play along with the game, but she wasn't in the mood to see him grovel. Her sisters and cousin seemed to agree because Ximena frowned deeply as she took a big sip from her glass of iced wine, Agustín tried to look as uninterested in what was being said as a person could while Heloisa seemed to consider the phrase for a few seconds with more than enough facial expressions.

Marisol didn't seem to be sure whether to share that sentiment or be satisfied with it. She gave him a smile.

“Tell me a little about your family, Aníbal. I must admit I have not met them during my time at court?” She leaned forwards a little. When seated, Marisol de Rubalcaba was able to mask her fragility quite well, that deserved considerable respect. 

“You might know my mother; Paloma de Cordovero.” 

Marisol's eyes widened in recognition. “The junior assistant of the Third Judge! She went to-- I can't remember where it was that she went, I'm so sorry.” 

A muscle in Aníbal's face twitched. A reminder of his relative low status among Cartagense nobility was not something he needed for his confidence.

“Keruska, where she met my father, the noble Baron Karl Diederich Heßling.”

“How lovely! And carrying his name and not hers even when you are in service to her sovereign, one is almost tempted to be charmed by the quaintness.” She laughed, and in its pitch it almost matched Heloisa's gentle laugh whenever she just said something insulting but tried to mask it as a joke. “But I don't mean to mock you, my boy, I'd be a hypocrite considering I fell in love with a man who wasn't even of noble blood.”

“Yes, Cibela told me about her father, the late Don Valentín. My condolences, truly, I am sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you. It is… not an easy loss.” Some of the light in her mother's face faded away and Cibela was quick to bring the conversation back on track. 

“But Aníbal is of noble blood, mother, there is no need for such comparisons. He is a vital part among the Information Council.”

“Information?” Marisol turned to Heloisa. “Is that true?”

Heloisa raised an eyebrow. “Is it? I would say so. One might even say that the entire Council is his fanclub.”

“Lola.” Esmé had not looked up when she spoke but Heloisa sighed. “He does a fine job, is diligent and has assisted me on the odd occasion. That's the truth. Yay.” She turned her wrists in faked excitement and then dedicated herself to her dinner plate.

“How many years are you at court now, Aníbal?”

“It'll be five now. I was recommended to ease relations between Keruska and Calpacia by Philipp II and the Zaan was satisfied enough with my work to allow me to remain permanently.”

“And also because your mother is Calpacian.” Esmé's calm tone cut through the air regardless. Cibela felt anger surge in her. Could she make it anymore obvious that she was unsatisfied with him?

“Yes, that as well.”

“Of course the Kerusksch want a strong ally like Cartagenth; they're a crumbling nation and the situation in the East has been a disaster for the last couple of years. It's no different than how the tribes beyond the walls of Hjalle treat each other: with open animosity and destructive warfare instead of diplomacy and negotiations.”

“To be frank I think comparing the political situation in the East with fighting savages is a bit facetious. One are civilized people who simply don't know how to solve their disagreement, and the other are scavengers who have no loyalty to anyone but themselves!” Marisol interjected. Esmé scoffed and then shrugged.

“Opportunists are still abundant. One ought to be smart about who you choose to ally yourself with.” Now she was directly looking at Cibela, and even though the temptation to tear her gaze away was strong, Cibela held against it and leveled her aunt calmly.

…

“I like him. I really do.”

“He reminds you of Papá.”

Marisol sighed and sat down on her bed. “Fine; he does. But he seems to like you an awful lot - all those little touches and the looks he gave you, there was so much love in the air.”

Cibela shook her head. She did not have her mother's inclination for romanticism at all, and this sort of talk seemed nothing but excessive while reeking of kitsch.

“Did you learn Kerusksch for him?”

“Mamá!” Cibela almost cried. “Don't be ridiculous… you know my tutor was a Kerusksch themselves.”

“I know - but it would've been a sweet gesture.” She beckoned her daughter to sit next to her. “And you seem to like him, which is what matters most.” 

“But I don't think I love him the same way you loved Papá.”

“Oh, Bela.” Marisol gently touched her daughter's hair and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “No one loves the same way. You do it yours, less intense but more pragmatic. Whatever your choice is, I support you.”

“Thank you for that, as of now I think you might be the only one in my corner on that.” Cibela wished she could sound less bitter but Marisol knew her too well.

“Don’t pay so much mind to Esmerelda, my child. She is... just overly critical, but that is a constant. She will need her time.”

“What exactly did she say?”

Marisol shrugged. “A lot, not all of it worth repeating or for you to pay any mind to it. The way I know her at some point she is going to see you content and decided that it’s enough.”

Cibela knew exactly that this was never going to happen, hell might freeze over before Esmerelda de Rubalcaba would be at peace knowing someone was simply settling for something. But it was not a discussion she wanted to have right now, the morality of her mother’s eldest sister who had always been a protector figure in her eyes and figure of great inspiration to the point that she had left most official work in her hands despite her being the matriarch of their family was not something to touch upon in the middle of the night.

Bidding her mother a good night and almost not wanting to leave her embrace, she left her bedroom.

On the way to her own temporary chambers and just a hallway away from Marisol’s quarters, she came across someone she was not in a mood to see for at least the entirety of their two weeks stay.

“Get some rest instead of skulking around the halls like a restless wraith.” Tía Esmé's tone was cold like the shard of ice in her chest, and the look in her eyes sharp like a dagger. It was something reserved only for her - not once had Ximena and much less Heloisa been under that scrutinizing gaze, and if then surely so much less often than she had been its victim. 

“I was talking to my mother.” Cibela straightened her back and pulled down her shoulders. She wouldn't let herself be intimidated.

“I know. And I can imagine just too well what she said.”

“So what?”

Tía Esmé shrugged. “Do what you think is right. I say you can do better.”

“Of course you say that.”

“You deserve someone with a backbone - something he lacks, and it is obvious to anyone who wishes to see so.”

Cibela scoffed. “In your eyes, those who give in to you are spineless and those who don't are self-absorbed fools.”

Esmé raised an eyebrow. Immediately Cibela shrunk a bit and cursed herself for doing so.

“You want him to be spineless because if he weren't, there could be a chance he might abandon you for someone else, something else.”

“Please, Tía, decide whether you want him to be power hungry or a sycophant. I might start to believe you're just making up reasons to deny me any happiness.”

“If this is the happiness you wish for, then I pity you. He is both because you need him to be both in order to tie him to you.” Her voice was so calm and gentle and it made Cibela angrier than if she had shouted. The muscles in her jaw were twitching aggressively and Esmé clearly enjoyed seeing her niece conflicted and irritated - it might push her to agree with her words. Then she sighed.

“If you're so content to marry a man leagues beneath you, I'm not stopping you, you'd go behind my back anyway.” Go be the failure that you have always been, it didn't take much to interpret the true meaning of what Tía Esmé said into her actual words. 

“Thank you for your kind words, dearest aunt.”

Esmé didn't deign to reply to Cibela's words, dripping with sarcasm as they were. She merely gave her a piercing look for a few seconds and then continued her way along the hallway to her chambers.

After gathering herself, Cibela began walking away as well, careful to not turn around to see whether her aunt was still there or had already disappeared from her sight. That was a weakness she wouldn't allow herself to display.

[nadiaportia]

Family “portraits” of the Rubalcabas of Cartagenth, from left to right [picrew link]:

Cibela María Teresa “Bela” de Rubalcaba y Saavedra; heiress for the title of Marchioness and General of the Grand Army of Calpacia

Heloisa María Dolores “Lola” de Rubalcaba y Saavedra; second in line of succession, politician and Information Minister

Ximena María Magdalena “Ximenita” de Rubalcaba y Saavedra; formerly elected head of the Magician's Guild until her abdication a commoner

Dafne Maria de la Soledad “Marisol” de Rubalcaba y Otxoa, Marchioness de Zuyapaleón and politician

Valentín Saavedra y Buendía, merchant prince, consort and honorary Margrave de Zuyapaleón

Agustín Octavio de Rubalcaba y Betancourt, diplomat active in the Republic of Galbrada

Eva Esmerelda “Esmé” de Rubalcaba y Otxoa, leader of the War Council and former Grand General of the Grand Army of Calpacia

[nadiaportia]

i cannot draw to save my life but fruit charms for my OCs would be

Deirdra - Blackberry or Blackcurrant

Sayelle - Fig or Peach

Ximena - Mango (or she’d simply steal Julian’s spot and make the rightful claim to the maracuyá)

Cibela - Guanábana

Heloisa - Pitaya

[nadiaportia]

1, 29, 37 - vesuvian-disaster

Thank you SO much! I will make a section for each for the sake of clarity.

1. What’s their full name? Why was that chosen? Does it mean anything?

29. What do they do when they find out someone else’s fear? Do they tease them? Or get very over protective?

37. Do they like to read? Are they a fast or slow reader? Do they like poetry? Fictional or non fiction?

Deirdra

1. Deirdra Margalit Ayara. Deirdra because at the very beginning I envisioned them as Irish, but as they were also inspired by the Catalan republicans that fought in the Spanish Civil War, I swapped the E for the A. Margalit is a Jewish last name and their father is Jewish while Araya is of Catalan origin and the last name of their mother. Deirdr(a/e) also means ‘wanderer’ which is a fitting choice for someone who wandered with their fellow partisans through their homeland and ended up forced to leave it for good when their side lost the battle.

29. They do tease people if the fear is relatively minor and in that case either forget about it or jokingly bring it up if it comes up and it’s taken lightly. If it’s something more severe, they will be very overprotective should someone else be insensitive.

37. Their father was a teacher and taught them to read, they’re a journalist as well so yes, Deirdra loves to read whatever they can get their hands on. They are a rather slow reader despite that but take their time with enjoying a good book, as long as they’re not very long or too heavy material.

Sayelle

1. Sayelle bint Zahir. The name Sayelle actually belonged to a secondary character of a German fantasy novel I read some years ago but it stuck so much with me that I ended up using it for her, and while a woman named Sayelle was always in my drafts for a love interest to Nadia, her characterization changed fundamentally. Bint is similar to ibn or ben and means “daughter of ___” in Arabic, while “zahir” is a romanization of “magician” - all children raised in the Bizateni temples that become fully-fledged magicians are given the possibility to reclaim the name.

29. Whatever your fear is, she’d most likely not make fun of you ever should she find out about it, depending on what it is, she might even help you get over it. Whatever it is, you must’ve confided in her enough to tell her, and she won’t betray your trust so that your secret is safe with her.

37. If Sayelle’s something then she’s an ambitious nerd, and she has probably read more papers or academic volumes than most people could dream of. She does have a soft spot for poetry, but there’s nothing better than to pick up a scientific journal and read through it at terrifying speed. 

Ximena

1. Ximena María Magdalena de Rubalcaba y Saavedra. I’ll be honest and admit that part of all the Rubalcabas names is to give them names that sound preppy and snobby enough that it could be a real aristocrats’ name back in the old day. The in-universe reasoning for all three sisters having a middle name that starts with ‘María’ is that their mother had a similar name to them, María de la Soledad, commonly called Marisol. Ximena is a Basque name and means ‘she who heard’, and since she is the one with the most magical affinity who sees a vision that prompts her to essentially betray her family and has an almost uncanny ability to read people and their emotions, she is definitely someone who hears. The last name is based on Spanish naming conventions as Calpacia is inspired by Spain and parts of Latin America, except that the nobility of its capital Cartagenth usually put the family name of the more influential/powerful parent in the first spot while the “lesser” parent’s first last name gets the second. So in this case it’s for the daughter of Marisol of the Rubalcaba noble family (with the nobiliary particle De) and Valentín of the Saavedra merchant family (very influential and well-off commoners).

29. Depending on how close you are, she will make it clear she’s aware of it, and using it against you is out of the question for her from a moral standpoint. If she doesn’t like you and you’re a legitimate threat... well, you’ll know, and she won’t pull her punches.

37. Reading is good, she’s neither very quick nor very fast at it but she does find poetry more accessible for her personally. A very big penchant for well-written epics though, she does love to be sucked into a world and trapped in there, and also doesn’t shy away from the classics, perhaps coming across as a bit pretentious when it comes to who reads what. 

Cibela

1. Cibela María Teresa de Rubalcaba y Saavedra. Cibela (the C is pronounced like an S) is derived from the name of the Anatolian mother goddess Cybele, and also is the eldest of three sisters by roughly half a decade (Heloisa) and a full one (Ximena), as well as the only one by the time when the story begins who has an actual child. Also a name that was around ever since I first thought of the character back in a completely different fandom, although in that version Cibela was dead long before the story even began. 

29. She will keep it in mind but not bother you with it at all. Teasing someone with their fears is a low-hanging fruit and Cibela most likely and without exaggeration doesn’t give a shit, and you will probably have forgotten about having told her at all -- until the day comes where it’s used against you if you turn out to be moving against her, and she will know just to fuck you over. 

37. She is well-read due to being of very high standing in the Calpacian nobility but she has no real passion for literature. She does have her favourite novels and poems but it’s not something that will make her giddy or cause overt excitement. She is a much bigger fan of music, being a trained pianist and all.

Heloisa

1. Heloisa María Dolores de Rubalcaba y Saavedra. Heloisa (the H is silent) is the German variant of Héloise and means “famed warrior”, which is basically what a part of Heloisa wishes she were due to having literally no fighting skills whatsoever unlike Cibela and her aunt Esmé, both famed warriors and generals, and Ximena, who still has an advantage due to her magic, which leaves Heloisa having to rely on her charisma and way with words exclusively in the cut-throat world of the Cartagense court among her fellow politicians.

29. Mentally take note of it, store it away until needed, and when that moment comes that person will be under her thumb, and she will follow up on her threat even if it’s just to get a laugh out of it. If you’re asking yourself whether everyone in this family is at least partially inclined to lie and manipulate others; yes, they are. It’s what happens when the arguably the most important person in your life during your childhood lies to you all the time.

37. She’s a playwright herself, and as such an avid reader herself who takes part of her inspiration from having read other novels. She can downright devour them, but has no real preference between fiction and non-fiction but cares more about the actual quality of what’s written.

[nadiaportia]

14 & 25?

Thank you!! ❤️

14. A gift from or a memory with a lover?

Dee: Renée was the daughter of a scholar so she read many books, and she once gave her favorite to Dee so they could read it too - it’s a rather obscure work from an otherwise famous Oriolian writer. Deirdra has read it once and then never again and whenever they see it in their bookshelf, they remembered their promise to return to Oriol. The fact that until now they didn’t makes them feel ashamed though so it’s rather bittersweet.

Sayelle: Visiting an undercave in which a prehistoric civilization had left behind drawings that told of their daily lives with an archaeologist she had a thing with a while after she left Bizatena. To stand where many millenia ago, others had left behind art for future generations to see had been quite moving for her. The thing with said archaeologist sadly didn’t last.

Ximena: The necklace with a rare purple sapphire, a gift given to her by Armando, her first boyfriend who also proposed to her when she was in her early twenties. She ultimately turned him downnquite cruelly (something she regrets in later years) and also never ended up wearing the necklace, instead selling it when she was exiled.

Heloisa: An exotic species of bird (think a bird-of-paradise) brought to Calpacia by Ippolyta when the latter returned from one of her military campaigns. Publicly they are friends, which is made more logical by Ippolyta having once been Esmé’s right-hand woman and later on Cibela’s commanding officer so there are natural ties to the Rubalcaba family, but because of the general disapproval a relationship between a noble politican and a lieutenant who came from basically nothing and made herself a name through shady means, they can’t be open about being lovers, which is why it’s simply not spoken about among the family.

Cibela: Presenting her husband to her family before they got married. He comes from a prominent upper middle class family but isn’t a noble so there usually might have been a chance that their relationship would have not been approved off but considering her own father wasn’t a noble either while her mother was, they were delighted to meet him. Esmé thinks him beneath her for other reasons (being a doormat is one of them) though and Heloisa made it clear she thinks he’s a complete tool.

25. Favorite type of hangout (3-4 people playing board games, a dozen friends and a couple drinks, one-on-one time in nature, etc.) 🍻

Dee: Pub-crawling with a group, the more the merrier, and getting wasted. One of the best evenings in their life involved getting a really mean headbutt but continuing to party on nevertheless.

Sayelle: She loooooves outdoor activities, such as going hiking out in the nature, lounging by the beach, sailing, swimming and in general being active. She’s fine with doing it on her own but with a group of like-minded people it’s definitely a lot more fun.

Ximena: Just her and someone else having a quiet hang-out with as little drama as possible but still many laughs (or amused chuckles). Not exactly someone you will see throwing hands but rather try to be diplomat should a fight break out.

Heloisa: She needs an entire entourage when partying and only something that is gonna be the talk of the court for the next entire month is gonna satisfy her. There has to be music, dancing, alcohol, weed, outfits that will make your eyes pop out of your skull and most importantly: drama.

Cibela: She can and will absolutely destroy you during card games and having board games that requires some level of strategic thinking. But with all things, she becomes rather competitive even when it comes to such simple things like having fun.

[nadiaportia]

Nicknames and the like

Deirdra: Dida among family-only, initially coined by Jaume when he was a child because „Deirdra“ is not a name native to Oriol so it had to be something shorter. For friends and acquintances it’s Dee almost exclusively. Portia has a receptoire of nicknames for them ranging from the tooth-rottingly sweet to the hilarious kneeslap-inducing, depending on the mood.

Sayelle: Usually goes by her full name. The exclusive circle of people who are allowed to call her Sally (courtesy of Deirdra who serenaded her while drunk) is very small but she is weirdly attached to it. Nadia calls her “darling” or “my love”.

Ximena: Xime for friends, however close they might be, in the broad sense as well her sisters, her cousin and any lovers - it’s the to-go nickname. Always Marilena (combo of María Magdalena, her middle name) for her aunt but Ximencita for her parents.

Heloisa: Helo (h’ is mute) for friends, sisters, whoever she wants to inspire familiarity to but it’s surprisingly rarely used. Lola (derived from María Dolores) for family-only. If “Doña” and other titles could be considered nicknames, they’d be her favorites.

Cibela: It’s always Cibela, never something else for people. There’s currently three people still alive who call her Bela: her aunt, her husband and, for no purpose but to needle her, her sister.

Esme: Esme already is a nickname of Esmerelda, and no one besides Agustín’s father and her mother, the previous marquesa Doña Constanza, ever called her that.

[nadiaportia]

The Trio & Sisterly Duo when playing Mario Kart

Deirdra: always picks one of the Toad characters but sometimes goes for Yoshi. Will mock other players when they get hit by shells or slip on banana peels. Hates the Rainbow Road.

Sayelle: Rosalina main, doesn‘t matter if the grown version or the baby one. No one knows how she goes from last spot to top 3. Queen of the Rainbow Road.

Ximena: plays as either Shy Guy or Bowser Jr. Gets really competitive, will groan in frustration when she has an accident and be pissed if someone targets her on purpose.

Heloisa: big time Birdo main to the point where she‘s the only one who uses her. Player with the most volatile temper, will scream when hit by a shell.

Cibela: doesn‘t have character preference because „skills are all that matter“. Will be very smug when she gets first place. Never misses when throwing a shell or a peel.

[nadiaportia]

been thinking about the Incident described in Life Lessons and how if this were to happen in a 21st century family or, hell, even an in-universe family this would be considered majorly screwed up, and even among the nobles of Cartagenth if this ever were to become public knowledge, some people would surely stop and think “... this family is legitimately fucked, how are they an pillar of this country with important positions” 

except that in the context of the Rubalcaba family, while this isn’t just another tuesday, it’s not an unsalvagable PR disaster - and PR is all they’re and most of the Cartagense (most places actually) nobility is about. 

after Heloisa’s wound healed and superficially the only visible thing was a scar that will remain there until the rest of her life, Esmé sat both of them together in her office and basically went “you two need to get your shit together, or otherwise people will notice something happened. we are a brand, a powerhouse, so if petty family infighting of this level becomes known to our enemies, they’re gonna use that against us” and because her word is technically law within the family, they both agreed to make that peace

of course the Incident itself caused a rift between the two parties: Cibela who doesn’t understand why her sister is being sheltered despite fully knowing the dangers of duelling a trained fighter despite being almost completely green and still being too proud and stubborn, and Heloisa for the incredibly obvious reason that she didn’t think her sister would actually injure her. the fact that i, the writer, know that Cibela didn’t intend to injure her to that extent, is irrelevant here because it’s not what the victim thinks and Cibela’s initial reaction didn’t help at all because she did very much mean that. they were quite cold to each other for a considerable while and enough that even people who knew they weren’t a dynamic sisterly duo could notice they was an almost unbridgeable distance between them. the arguments were petty before but they stopped happening altogether because both just didn’t want to deal with the other, 

so when Esmé metaphorically grabs them by the earlobes, tells them to think of the FamilyTM and at least pretend to not be strangers, they followed that advice and... fixed their issue with each other in a sense that for Cibela it became “just another tuesday” and Heloisa looked at this and thought “i wont start another battle that im bound to lose, so i’m gonna try to become the best in my own field and wield that as my weapon” because she’d never allow herself to be outmaneuvered again on someone else’s hometurf, instead having the tides in her own favor. 

so they go back to being the sisters they were before - which was already less than stellar - except not really. Esmé as the driving manipulative force plays a role in this but it also has to do with their extremely clashing personalities; the flamboyant extrovert and the stoic introvert whose only common denominators are their issues of abandonment from a maternal figure whose approval they yearn for but won’t get (Cibela for Esmé’s, Heloisa for Marisol’s) and the fact that they’re incredibly inaccessible to most people with one being earnest about it and the other wearing so many masks that you’ll never who you really are dealing with unless you know her. are they able to really lie to the other? nope, they see each other for who they truly are. do they still despite technically knowing better prefer to see the worst in the other? yep.

with Xime aka “the one family member all the Rubalcabas genuinely get along with in a sense” gone, it both led to them getting closer after recognizing that they’re the only true ally the other might have one day as well as the other sister becoming a sort of replacement goldfish for Ximena, the only one who gets close to understanding their unique situation

[nadiaportia]

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/09H6Xt5pEMtYw3kav3ni4R?si=a2EzdWoPQeKqDRIS45vKYQ

Bela‘s playlist, with imagery from N. M. Dyudin’s Jeanne d‘Arc.

[nadiaportia]

Finally, the Cibela compilation!

Typically with a serious demeanour and a much more subdued fashion sense, Bela rarely looks anything but neutral although when at official function since she is the Marchioness de Rubalcaba, she surely always delivers some looks.

There’s three scars on her face, one on her cheekbone where her opponent was aiming for her eye, one on her lip and another on her cheek. It actually makes her look quite dashing and she’s not one to conceal blemishes with a glamour unlike her sister.

[nadiaportia]

the relationship between Cibela and Heloisa truly is like a more messed up version of Fleabag (Helo) and Claire (Bela)

[nadiaportia]

Heloisa de Rubalcaba

The charismatic aristocrat with a taste for ambition.

Other bios: Sayelle | Deirdra | Ximena | Cibela

Full name: Heloisa María Dolores de Rubalcaba y Saavedra

Meaning of name: 

Heloisa: German variant of Héloïse which means “famed warrior”

María Dolores: Spanish name for Mary of the Sorrows

Family: 

Cibela de Rubalcaba and Ximena Rubalcaba: Heloisa’s sister, Cibela the older and Ximena the younger one. Being the middle child, she spent the most time with Cibela but after the latter left Calpacia, she was around for most of Ximena’s childhood. She has genuine affection for Ximena and certain begrudging respect for Cibela despite their differences but also sees them as rivals of whom she feels intense jealousy.

Marisol de Rubalcaba: Her mother ani d the former Marquesa de Rubalcaba. Marisol was rather distant towards her younger daughters but would try to be an affectionate mother towards them. Heloisa looked up to her mother and constantly tried to win her affections, even went as far as trying to emmulate her, while also resenting her for holding favouritism for Cibela.

Valentín Saavedra: Heloisa’s late father and a sea-faring merchant prince from the higher Cartagense bourgeoisie. Like his wife, Valentín favored his eldest daughter yet tried to encourage all of his daughters’ ambitions and work. Heloisa remains bitter to this day for her father not giving her the same amount of love like her older sister.

Esmerelda de Rubalcaba: The matriarch in-all-but-name of the Rubalcaba family, Marisol’s older sister and Heloisa’s aunt. Esmé holds immense favouritism for Heloisa and was of help to her in her rise at court, yet she’s not above manipulating her niece for her own ends. Heloisa feels torn between wanting to please her aunt and overthrow her. 

Aníbal Heßling de Cordovero: Cibela’s husband and Heloisa’s brother-in-law. Both are courtiers, although in different areas and of different levels of importance, and thus rivals. 

Agustín de Rubalcaba: Her aunt Esmé’s only son and Heloisa’s cousin. They are civil towards each other but hold little to no respect for the other.

Others: Agustín de Rubalcaba (maternal cousin), Constanza de Rubalcaba (maternal grand-mother, deceased), Cristobal de Rubalcaba (maternal uncle, deceased), Máximo de Otxoa (maternal grand-father, deceased), Jaime Saavedra (paternal uncle), Genoveva Saavedra (paternal aunt), Dulcinea Saavedra (paternal grand-mother, deceased), Leonardo Buendía (paternal grand-father), Catalina Saavedra (paternal grand-aunt)

Nicknames: Helo (by close friends), Lola (by family), Lolita (by her aunt)

Favourite meal: Shrimps roasted in garlic, lemon and cilantro

Favourite drink: Soursop liquor

Favourite flower: Passionflower

Favourite color: Magenta red

Birthday: 7th of December

Age: 43 during the events of the game

Zodiac: Sagittarius

MBTI: ESTP

Patron Arcana: Temperance and Queen of Wands

Upright: Temperance shuns extremes and embraces harmony. She finds tranquility in the midst of struggle.

Reversed: Temperance allows conflict to overwhelm her peaceful disposition; she reacts with extreme measures.

Upright: The Queen of Wands is confident in social and professional settings, drawing others into her orbit.

Reversed: The Queen of Wands is stubborn and quick-tempered, easily losing her temper when things don't go her way.

Gender: Cis female

Sexuality: Lesbian

Height: 1,62 m // 5′3″

Appearance:

Heloisa is of slender build. Her skin is of a slightly light medium brown color with a warm undertone and she has a slender face with slightly visible crow’s feet around her eyes, dimples and a beauty mark above her upper lip on the right side of her face. She had slightly thick and well-groomed eyebrows, eyes a color reminiscent of dark honey, an upturned nose with a low bridge and full lips. Her hair is dark brown with a reddish hue, wavy and reaches shortly underneath her chest. She is a very extroverted woman who naturally draws attention to herself and as a courtier and politician, she knows how to be a crowd pleaser.

Visual Inspiration(s): Eva Mendes and Bianca Lawson 

Languages spoken: Calpacian, Prakran, Firenti, Karnasso, Galbradan, Hjallen, Venterran, Oriolà, Zadithi, Bizateni and the Common Tongue

Love interests: 

Ippolita: An OC of mine and Heloisa’s long-time lover. A former assassin and one of Esmerelda’s wards, they have a long-term affair that is never made public due to Ippolita not belonging to the aristocracy as well as Heloisa’s fears of total commitment.

Justina: Another OC and fellow courtier. They are long-term friends with benefits who at the same time are business rivals.

Nadia: They met at one of the masquerade and had a fling, one which Heloisa would’ve loved to continue.

In general, like with most of my characters; if they’re compatible sexuality- as well as personality-wise, feel free to ship them with your OCs or MCs! Hit me up with a message and we can discuss the details!

Backstory:

Heloisa was born as the second child of the Marquesa de Rubalcaba, Marisol, a courtier in service to the Zaan of Cartagenth, the capital of Calpacia. Her family had been one of the most influential ones of the empire for several centuries, and Heloisa has been destined to take onto that legacy before she could even make her own decisions. 

Being overshadowed by her older sister Cibela, her aunt Esmerelda, a highly decorated general of the Grand Army of Calpacia, took on tutoring her personally in politics and debating after recognizing the potential for a talented politician in her niece. She grew to love her niece as if she were her own child, in no small part due to her resemblance in behaviour with Esmé’s own sister, but also because she knew exactly how neglected Heloisa felt and figured that she needed someone in her corner. Even at a young age, Heloisa already had a way with words and was able to manipulate others with ease. She enjoyed the best tutors, who themselves were former politicians and courtiers, and joined the junior court at the age of twelve. She was given the chance to see the world and travelled to places as far away as Hjalle and Prakra and on her travels picked up the hobby of writing.

Throughout her youth, Heloisa got into disputes and arguments with Cibela, sometimes for no reasons at all but mostly due to rubbing each other the wrong way, their ongoing rivalry and vying for the attention of their parents, their aunt and peers. Heloisa, who naturally had a pendant for jealousy, felt that compared to both of her sisters she got the short end of the stick; she wished to be trained as a magician or as a warrior, began to read a lot about magic, befriended the court magicians and secretly trained herself in sword fighting - but after approaching her aunt with the desire to learn more about the arts her sisters dabbled into, she was told off, that each of them had a speciality and she should know better than to try to be a jack-of-all-trades but master-of-none.

When Heloisa was about to be of age, a dispute between her and Cibela escalated and ended with her getting injured after challenging her more experienced sister to a duel and caused her ascension from junior court to court to be postponed for some months until she healed her injury. The time spent with Ximena by her side and where she was unable to leave her house allowed her to focus on her writing and finished her very first play. She also came around to realize one important thing that would have a lasting impact on her: to focus on her own weapons, always keep her mind sharp and leave the physical fighting to someone else - but at the same time, never be unprotected on her own. 

When she published her first play, it became an instant hit and most popular among both the richer citizens of Cartagenth as well as the nobility, and Heloisa decided to tour with her entourage to promote it at the courts of several sovereigns outside of Calpacia. Upon her return to the capital, she was welcomed to the Calpacian court by the Zaan and began her political career. She took on the role of a representative of Cartagenth and over the years focused mostly on the life at court and her playwriting. The death of her father was easily brushed off and Heloisa let her resentment reign over her grief, and while her mother’s death did affect her, she refused to indulge in sadness and focused on her work. 

Ximena’s apparent betrayal angered her and she was arguably the one who was the most active in diffusing the explosive situation Ximena had inadvertently caused for the family she had left back, and initially wanted to have her brought back to Calpacia at all costs and imprisoned, but deep down she felt more hurt than she ever had. The exposure of the plans made by the War Council, led by their aunt, the Court - among them Heloisa herself, who had enthusiastically contributed - and the Zaan about the future of Calpacia brought chaos to Cartagenth. In order to save face, the Zaan announced the Rubalcabas to be the sole scapegoats and it was only due to Esmé’s immense influence and a very direct threat that kept their titles, lands, fortune, positions and even their heads in place even if beyond the official statements, they effectively became social pariahs too powerful to be removed and useful to be thrown to the angry mob in the streets. In order to return her family to its former position among the Cartagense high society, she began driving a hard line in order to redeem the court in the eyes of the resentful commoner populace with the help of her aunt, who still held a lot of power at court. 

Over the following years, Heloisa gained more and more power at court, and even gained the new Zaan’s confidence enough that they made one of their most trusted advisers as well as official representative of the Calpacian sovereign. She was fully aware that the crown’s status was able to override the line of succession so that someone with actual skills in politics and the one who had actually washed the hands of the Rubalcaba family could become its primary heir. And yet, the fact that Esmé never gave her the title that she considers herself fit for and not Cibela made her grow bitter towards her aunt, as well as the realizations that she was being little more than a pawn to Esmé in a plan she is unwilling to disclose to her. While Cibela actively tries to leave their aunt’s orbit and be independent, Heloisa prefers to play the long game with the hopes of eventually ending up on top.

Art:

feat. Ximena by @missrabbitart​ | full post