Post by Minxie on May 5, 2009 15:36:01 GMT
Headmistress // Leader of the High Council
Minxie
Minxie
Name: Siofra "Sophie" Lamia
Meaning: Elf witch (Siofra - Irish for Elf / Lamia - Latin for witch)
Nickname(s): For school purposes she goes by 'Sophie'. Close immortal friends call her 'Si'.
Her High Council Title is Siofra the Indomitable, or Queen of Illusions.
Age: Appears in her early 30's. Actual age unknown. (But she's pretty old.)
Gender: Female
Race: Half Kalieae, half Witch.
Preference: Straight
Profession: Headmistress of Haversham Manor // Leader of the High Council (the latter is only known to her fellow council-members, and possibly the Prophet).
Physical Appearances: A highly talented witch, Siofra's actual appearance is very rarely seen. The glamourie she chooses to portray shows her as a woman of average height (roughly five foot five), who walks with a very purposeful stride. She is built with wide shoulders and hips, and it appears her age is catching up with her somewhat, giving her a matronly appearance. Her legs are very shapely however; muscular and trim, a shout out to her love of gymnastics and physical fitness. Her arms are as neat and muscular as her legs; no bingo-wings for her! They might be considered a little too long for her body, and her hands are also long, with wide palms and long fingers.
Siofra is not unduly pale, though she is not tanned. Her complexion could be referred to as "peaches and cream"; healthy and glowing from her near-constant outdoor activities. She often wears make-up, though it is neutral and simplistic. Siofra wears foundation, neutral-coloured eye-shadow and a peach-toned blush. She does not wear mascara, as her eyelashes are naturally very dark and long. Her eyes are a dark brown, almost black in colour, and seem able to stare right through you, especially if you are being lectured.
Her hair is long, down to her waist, and is very straight. There is no wave to it whatsoever. Siofra always wears her hair up, usually in a braided bun, but sometimes in a simple un-braided bun. She does not adorn her buns with any hairclips or other interesting things; Siofra uses simple dark hair-ties and kirby grips to keep her hair in place. Once a thoroughly dark brown, Siofra's hair has begun to fade to grey, giving her the appearance of having highlights.
Jewellery is not something that Siofra wears a lot of in normal day-to-day life. She always has an exquisite watch that had been a gift from her father around her left wrist, and a necklace around her neck. She has a different necklace on very day, from lockets to cameos to simple pendants, and wears simple gold studs in her ears.
This is all fine and good, but Siofra's actual appearance is somewhat different. Only members of the High Council (and the Prophet) will have ever seen her without being hidden beneath the glamourie.
Without it, Siofra is still average height (though perhaps a little shorter than 5'5, closer to 5'4) and considerably more shapely. She has a very small waist, wide hips and bust, and a rear end that could be considered 'too big'. Her skin is a warm tan, and she has a scar down the left side of her face from an unfortunate incident with a sword before she achieved immortality.
Her hair is the shade of black that appears to have blue highlights, and is a crazy mass of curls that reaches her feet. She keeps it tied back at the nape of her neck with a strip of ribbon, and does nothing else with it unless there is a Council Function, in which case she braids it around her head and adds elaborate flowers.
Piercings: With glamourie: One hole in each ear.
Without glamourie: Three holes in each lobe, and one in the top cartilage of her left ear.
Tattoos: With glamourie: None.
Without glamourie: An elaborate design of vines down the right side of her face, beginning at the outer corner of her eye.
Other distinguishing features: With glamourie: N/A
Without glamourie: Epic scar down her face.
Clothing Style: With glamourie:
Siofra's clothing style can be simply described as "smart/casual". She is often seen in a comfortable pair of neutral-toned trousers, or a skirt, and a blouse, sometimes with a jacket or cardigan on. She does not want to be seen as being too relaxed in front of her students, which gives rise to her preference for smart clothing. When not "on duty", Siofra can be found wearing linen trousers and blouses.
Without glamourie:
Siofra wears floor-length dresses in various colours (depending on her mood and the occasion). They are generally empire waistline and made of silk.
Likes:
- Classical literature
- Collecting artwork
- Walking
- Yoga
- Her job (sometimes)
- Chess
- History
Dislikes:
- Disobedience
- Disorder
- Modern music
- Motorbikes
- Magpies
- "Modern art"
- Her job (sometimes)
- Adverts on TV
Strengths:
- Is surprisingly good at being pleasant whilst disciplining a student.
- Siofra is a very good listener, and cares a lot for her students.
- Spectacular watercolour artist.
- Very powerful witch (hence why she's the High Council's leader)
- Glamouries (she's needed to be)
Weaknesses:
- Just doesn't understand modern technology.
- Likes a glass of wine a bit more than she ought to.
- Is absolutely terrified of wasps and bees, and has to have someone else deal with them.
- Can be a bit of a snob sometimes.
- Has trouble taking advice from anyone.
- Sees things as simply "black" or "white", and not the greys in between.
Fears:
- Wasps and bees.
- Ghosts.
- Losing the school.
- 'Normal' people finding out what she is (and by 'normal' she means 'fanatical xenophobes')
- The world descending into another bloody war.
Personality: As a headmistress, Siofra puts on the front of a very old-fashioned woman, who believes in the virtues of discipline and having a good routine. She believes that schooling and education are incredibly important, and that children brought up in a scholarly environment are more likely to do better in the world than those who are not. She is a very strict woman, but at the same time she is a very fair woman. She will listen to both sides of an argument before coming to a decision, and will not punish anyone unnecessarily.
She is the head of the school, and therefore has a lot of responsibility. When seen by her students she is always acting as an authority-figure, though she is not adverse to having a smile and sharing jokes and pleasantries with the students. Siofra would like to be seen as a mother-like figure in the school. She loves the students, even the ones who give her trouble, and shows kindess to everyone. She will not take any trouble, however, and will not hold back from punishing those she feels need it.
Around her peers, Siofrais pleasantly-spoken and interested in everything they have to say. She struggles taking advice from anyone, but she is never rude about it. Losing her temper could mean losing control of her glamourie, so whenever she is angry Siofra goes for a walk to calm herself down. She doesn't like to be seen as having weakness, whether it be seen by her peers or her students, so no-one has seen her be upset, or seen her lose her temper.
Her personality differs very little when she is in her position as head of the High Council. If anything, she becomes more strict; she feels she has to be. The amount of responsibility she holds affects not only the supernatural world, but the 'normal' world as well. Siofra often feels she has far too much resting on her shoulders, but cannot imagine allowing anyone else to do her job.
Family: ---
Background: Siofra was never content to let things be. As a young mortal she got herself into countless scrapes as she pursued what she felt to be 'right' and 'just'. This headlong recklessness gave her the scar she still sports today. Her powers of witchcraft came to her early, and she was swiftly whisked away to begin training.
Siofra is known as a "Five Caste" witch, meaning she has the ability of warrior, healer, enchantress, conjurer, and seeress. She sat on the Council of Witches after she phased into immortality, and her reckless streak ebbed.
Though her foolhardy escapades diminished to nothing, Siofra was not content to sit back and do nothing. Against the advice of the rest of the Council she actively engaged in policing the immortal world, gaining the attention of the High Council.
Through millennia of hard work, glamouries and arrests, Siofra was awarded a place on the High Council. During a particularly nasty war with two of the Vampiric courts (Red and Black Courts) the High Council lost many members, including their Leader. It came as no surprise to the immortal world when Siofra the Indomitable became the leader.
It was her decision that led to the forming of the Chosen Ones, and her enchantress powers that enhanced the already strong abilities of those Kaliaea.
As times changed, and supernatural creatures became nothing but myth and legend to humans, Siofra felt that she needed to keep a closer eye on those she still called 'her people'. She bought a manor house and opened it as a boarding school. Although Haversham Manor does not cater solely to the supernatural, a large number of staff and students are of various supernatural races, or descended from such. No-one is sure how Siofra manages to find them, but all assume it is something to do with her Seeress powers.