Character Avatar: James Marsden
Character Name: Bastien Orielle
Age: 43
Height: 5'10"
Rank/Title: Second of Dahlia House
Race: D'Angeline
Country/Province: Terre d'Ange/City of Elua
Player: Merle
Appearance/Personality: Bastien is perfectly good looking, in the Night Court it is unacceptable to be otherwise, but not in a way that stands out from the crowd of other beautiful adepts. His complexion is neither fair nor dark, but rather a mild perpetual tan. His hair a comely, but unremarkable shade of brown, kept short and often fashionably unkempt. Murky blue eyes offset what might otherwise be considered monochromatic looks. Even his height is middling. Tall, but not overly so.
Of course, a Dahlia is not determined by appearance. They aren't all pale delicate blossoms as can be found in Cereus, nor are they a flock of swarthy, sensual beauties as in Jasmine House. Rather they are born, chosen and molded for their proud demeanor. Their confidence and regal, somewhat aloof, bearing. Such things as Bastien has always exhibited in abundance. The chiseled, haughty lines of his countenance certainly don't do anything to diminish the impression, however.
While still certainly a proud man, proud of his House and his accomplishments, the brash cockiness of Bastien's youth has started to mellow into a more tempered confidence. One born not only of arrogance and bravado, but the wisdom of experience as well. Just as time has made him more prone to charm and humor than imperiousness. Not that he isn't still quite capable of the latter.
History: When the Eisandine merchant Jean-Olivier Orielle asked for the hand of the Dahlia adept Charlotte, she refused to do so without the blessing of her Dowayne. Fortunately, the pair were considered a good match and their union approved. Once wed, Charlotte went on to instruct young initiates as she and her husband raised a family. The eldest of their two boys was groomed to follow in their father's footsteps, but the younger was always expected to join their mother in serving Naamah.
Bastien's childhood was generally uneventful, save for those milestones that all those reared on Mont Nuit experience and look forward to. Serving at masques, being initiated into the mysteries of Naamah's arts and such like. He was his mother's pride and joy. Not necessarily spoiled, though there was a certain luxury in being raised in the Night Court, of course, but cherished. A fact which nourished the self-confidence (not to mention ego) that helped mold him into an exceptional Dahlia.
There is always a certain amount of rivalry among the adepts of the Night Court, but in the years just following Bastien's debut, the competition was especially fierce in his own House. What would normally only be petty tricks and bickering turned into true nastiness. There were several instances of outright fighting, and Bastien was tripped down a flight of stairs, ending up with a broken leg. The injury healed in time, but he was unable to accept assignations for an extended period while he was convalescing and was unable to make any progress on his marque.
More than that, he was left with a mild limp favoring his right leg. He does everything he can to downplay or draw attention away from it, but given the strict standards of the Night Court, Bastien was still lucky that it was not enough to render him too flawed to serve in the eyes of his superiors. The adept responsible for the injury, too valuable to completely ostracize, fell far out of favor and aside from a harsh physical chastisement, was made to pay reparations from her own coin earned through patron gifts.
Despite that stumbling block, Bastien fared well as an adept, completing his marque only a little later than his contemporaries. He had no desire to leave Dahlia, however, and even with his new found freedom, his devotion to his House only grew. Often given important tasks and responsibilities that his housemates weren't, when plague ravaged the City of Elua and claimed the life of the Dowayne, he was considered for the position of Second to the new one. In the end Sabrie appointed another, but when the man decided to wed and retire from the Night Court, it was Bastien who took his place.
