Name: Shiona
Physical Description: Shiona is a young woman appearing to be twenty-two or twenty-three years of age; in reality, she is much older, as she is of Fey blood. She knows a lady never reveals her true age, so as a consequence, the Palace can only list her as her apparent physical age. Shiona merely laughs; she can count her age in centuries. Physically, Shiona is not very tall; perhaps a shade over five feet, if she's feeling particularly tall that day, and just a little over a hundred pounds. Her figure is slim and willowy with small breasts and narrow hips, though no one would ever mistake her for a boy. She has a mass of bright auburn hair with glints of gold; very curly and wild, it hangs halfway down her back. Her face is striking, though not conventionally pretty; it has enough of Fey about it that makes people look twice; she has a bit of merry wildness about her sly, green-gold eyes that speaks of a mind that has seen more than mortal men have. Her skin is a smooth, pale cream color, flawless, without the freckles commonly associated with redheads. Her ears are elegantly Fey, tapering to a point at the tips, and her mouth is pink and generous, almost always smiling.
Personality: Shiona is a bit of a prankster; she enjoys a joke, verbal or practical, and isn't adverse to setting her attention on the Keepers, or the other Chains. Consequently, some of the Chains like her very much; others don't care for her at all, depending upon what she's done to them lately. Her persona is generally warm and sunny; it takes a lot to incur her wrath. She's seldom seen down or depressed; she's very self-possessed. Surprisingly, Shiona is quite the reader, and between masters, she's given to reading vast quantities of books, often begging them off the other Chains, or the Keepers. The Keepers know to keep her mind occupied; trouble generally follows if they don't, as her nimble mind and inquisitive nature demand constant stimulation. Sexually, there's very little Shiona hasn't done in her years, and she's adaptable to the needs of her master at the time, and views it as a challenge to adapt to whatever the situation calls for. Given a choice, Shiona tends to wear soft, gauzy, flowing dresses belted at the waist with a golden chain; on the chain is a stylized fox pendant; this type of clothing, given it's sheerness, is the reason no one could ever mistake her as a young boy.
Hobbies: Shiona plays an Irish harp, and a lute; she also likes to sing, and does quite well at it, her voice surprisingly deep and husky, with a definite Irish lilt. She likes also to dance, either alone or with others; she's quick as a fox, graceful, and prefers the wild Celtic dancing of her Fey ancestors. She loves the outdoors, loves gardening, and flowers seem to almost spring to life to please her. Swimming is also a favored pastime, as is archery.
Background: Shiona is only half Fey; her father was Devlin, a human
minstrel that her mother, Aithne, a minor noble and handmaiden of the Fey
High Court, had seen and taken a fancy to---Shiona was the result of that
union. Shiona finds humans fascinating, and it was this fascination that
allowed a human mage to capture her and to bind her Fey powers, leaving
her only a bit of her
old Glamour. Shiona proved a bit too...high spirited...for him even
with her powers restricted, and in desperation, he pawned her off to the
Palace. In the beginning, Shiona was resentful of her capture, but soon
discovered a chance to view a different side of humanity, and settled into
her role without too much of a fuss. She's had an impressively large number
of masters; her masters never seem to keep her for very long periods of
time, though, giving back her key to the Keepers with a vaguely glazed
look and muttering things like, "She's a lovely girl, but I really must
be on my way now, thankyouverymuch." The Keepers can never find out why
her masters never stay long, but as a large turnover means greater revenue,
and her masters are never harmed, they don't probe into it very much. Shiona
simply smiles her fey, fox smile, and asks for another book to read.
Room: Shiona lives in a large, spacious set of rooms with whitewashed
walls and dark green wood trim. The floors have green carpeting until the
large double French doors; then it turns into smooth stone floors, extending
out into a small deck with chairs to sit and look out over the courtyard.
She
has a huge, antique four-poster bed swathed in ivory gauze, covered
in a variety of flower-colored pillows. Tall bookcases are on every wall,
filled to the brim with reading materials. A table and chairs sit next
to the windows flanking the French doors. Her bath is decadently appointed;
ivory
and mauve and blue tiles, with towels and linens of the same colors.
The bath is sunken, and is large enough for a party. The courtyard outside
has high, smooth walls, and encloses a large space that has a pool, a grove
of trees, and a place for her to garden when she chooses.
Note: Although the mage bound up the larger portion of her Fey powers,
Shiona still has a great deal of her Glamour...the ability to appear to
alter her appearance at will. Sometimes she does, and sometimes she doesn't---it
depends on a great many factors. The Keepers know that she can do this,
but have never actually seen her do so. They also suspect she can
physically change into the body of a small red fox, but again, they've
never actually seen that, either. Shiona simply smiles when they ask her
directly, and then laughs merrily.