Character Avatar: Kristin Scott Thomas
Player: Desdemona
Character Name: Vitalia Basilisque de Avignon
Age: 49
Birthday: Aug 12th
Height: 5'6"
Rank/Title: Duchess de Avignon
Race: d'Angeline
Country/Province: Camlach > Duchy de Avignon
Townhome: Chateau Basilisque de Avignon
Country Home: Duchy de Avignon
Appearance:Vitalia is a stately woman who naturally displays elegance and grace. Her features are sharp, most notably her cheek bones. She has very striking eyes, a greenish hazel that can change hue slightly with her clothes. Her hair is a dark chestnut, looking almost black in low light. She tends to keep her hair short preferring to look more powerful than beautiful. However, she does own a few wigs for events where a more lady like appearance is appropriate. She is thin, willowy, and not especially tall at 5' 6". Her stature may be slight but she has no difficulty in gaining command of the room when it is needed.
Personality: Vitalia is a child of Camlach. She is what you would expect from a Camlach matriarch. She is serious and loyal when dealing with important matters of her estates or the protection of the Camlach borders. She also believes in the motto of, "if you work hard, you get to play hard." For Vitalia this simply includes the pleasures of Terre d'Ange. She is a frequent guest of the Night Court when she is in town and she doesn't spare costs on other luxuries as long as she can honestly afford them. She is very straight forward when it comes to her estates and keeping her family in line. She will not let anyone push her for even a fraction of an inch. If you are her ally she will protect you loyally until the day you die. If you are an enemy, she feels no qualms in not playing nice.
Additional Information
Marital Status: Widowed
Known Languages: d'Angeline, passing Skaldi
Strengths and Weaknesses: Strengths:
Family Members/Important NPCs:
History: Vitalia grew up the child of a serious Barron who owned a small plot of land that was on the boarder of Skaldi. Her father was not very powerful in the political rings, but he guarded his land and his people as fiercely as any Camlach lord. Vitalia's mother was cut from the same cloth and the two of them ran their lands with a fist of iron, but one that tried to be as fair as possible. Vitalia was loved and raised well, but there was not an inch for her either. She quickly learned how to properly be a woman of state.
When Vitalia was 16 she met the son of Macon Delafosse, a very pretty boy named Varian. She felt it was good luck that their names both started with the same letter and was instantly in love with him. He had long red hair and pale skin ivory skin so smooth it seemed surreal. Though Vitalia didn't feel that she carried his level of beauty, Varian still loved her and the two were wed after a short courtship. Vitalia was smart and fierce, a trait the Delafosse family liked, even if she did not bring a high political status to the family.
Vitalia and Varian both lived happily under the guidance of Varian's parents. Varian was an only child and therefore the sole heir. At 21 Vitalia came pregnant with their first child, a redheaded boy who was cut from his father's cloth. They named the boy Vian, keeping the V both parents had. Two years later Vitalia had a little girl who was named Veronique. When the couple was still in their mid twenties Varian's parents both died of old age and he inherited the title and estates. When Vitalia was only 27 Varian died, attacked while out hunting by a rogue Skaldi group of bandits. Vitalia was in a rage and she sent every soldier and guard the estate owned after the reported Skaldis, demanding their heads. The party was small and her wish was filled, the heads burned in a fire that she stayed up and watched throughout an entire night.
After that the estate belonged to Vitalia. She took her grief and used it to build her resolve and take ownership of the estate. While searching through some of the family documents Vitalia discovered that the family descended from the ancient Camlach Basilisque family. A family that was powerful, especially before the betrayal of Isidore d'Aiglemort. A few of the nobles of the original Basilisque family joined the Allies of Camlach and later became part of the Unforgiven, giving up their family titles.
Two generations before the Allies of Camlach and the Unforgiven there was a dispute among Basilisque and the family broke, dividing the lands. A larger portion of the Duchy Avignon stayed with Basilique, but a smaller viscounty was created. The Vicounte was able to gain control over his own lands, reporting to a different Dutchy when required. He changed his last name to Delafosse and claimed no more family ties. When the Allies of Camlach were created the heat of the feud was still there and the Delafosse family stayed out of that agreement, instead offering their men to the Queen of Terre d'Ange when the Skaldi invasion was fought.
When Vitalia learned of this history she sought out the Duchess of Avignon, discovering a tough 67 year old matriarch with no surviving blood kin. A mysterious illness had swept the family 10 years prior to Vitalia's visit. There were many rumors and suspicions surrounding the family tragedy. Some believed it was accidental food poisoning, some blamed a foreign illness, and another group suspected poisoning. The Matriarch, Constance de Basilisque, was even questioned under suspicion as the lone survivor. She was found to be innocent. She had been away when the illness first struck, likely the only reason why she had survived. The unfortunate grandmother had been present for all of the deaths, however, and had practically locked herself away in her home until Vitali arrived.
Vitalia instantly adopted Constance as a paternal grandmother to her two children and in short order had drawn the old woman out. Vitali offered the last remaining Basilisque comfort and a new family. She soon asked Constance if she would let Vitalia use the Basilisque name. The old woman agreed, not wanting to lose her new family. Though Vitalia was acting partially in loyalty and hoping to expand her lands, the two women quickly became true friends. She lived under Vitalia's care for two years, teaching Vitalia what she needed to know about running the larger Duchy. This benefited Vitalia greatly and when it became time to bury the Matriarch, Vitalia was ready for her new role as a Duchess. A grand funeral was arranged to give the poor old woman her last respects. An affair that would have been fitting of a Grand Duchess and something that would never have happened if Vitalia hadn't taken her in.
Vitalia restored the lands to their original state and dissolved the Delafosse viscounte. She also has put in a significant amount of time and effort into finding out the true cause of the Basilisque deaths, but with little evidence left of the events she couldn't come to any solid conclusions.
Vitalia now owns a substantial estate in Camlach. She rules it as her parents had their much smaller one, with a fair but iron fist. She has raised her children the same, to bring honor to the family and themselves. Both are currently in the Caerdicca Unitas attending university in order to better their knowledge of the world. Vitalia is determined to make them even smarter and better prepared than she was. With both children minding themselves Vitalia has plenty of time to play in politics and make sure her stake holdings remain safe. With the dark history of the Basilisque family Vitalia also demands the utmost loyalty among all of her employees within her home. She is stern there as well, but those who live up to her expectations are rewarded with generous salaries.
