Name: Stratus Ciel
Age: ~24
Aspect: Air
Breeding: Epic
Alliances: House Tepet
Gender: Female
Sexuality: Homosexual
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Noteworthy Traits

Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 5
Breeding (Legendary) with Purity 5
Reputation 3: Enigmatic, Well-Bred Idealist

Description

Possessed of subtle grace and refined, unmatched breeding, Stratus Ciel is quite a beautiful young woman. With her golden blond hair, striking bright green eyes, and fair, unblemished skin, plus her rather soft-looking face, she manages a rather noble sense of bearing without seeming unapproachable or unfriendly. Noteworthy is that her hair never seems to fall out of place without vigorous activity, as though the air itself thinks better of disturbing it. No visible scar, splotch, or mark mars her features – her skin is smooth and soft to the touch, though such touches are always accompanied by a harmless (actually, rather pleasant) electrical tingling.

She rises to five and a half feet, and her frame, while strong, is just on the lithe side of average, and with her airy motions and unusually light weight she seems even more delicate. Yet Ciel isn’t as delicate as she might seem – her solid but light frame is athletically sleek and fit. She’s supple and firm in all the right places, a marriage of strength and femininity, to the detriment of neither. And that’s only one facet of her beauty – the signs of her refined bloodline are unmistakable as well.  Air seems to play around her almost at her will, her whispers have the delicate sensation of a cool breeze’s caress, while her raised voice has been likened to thunder. Her golden hair seems to spark on occasion, and she is ever-embraced by a natural, subtle perfume of fresh, faintly electric air. Her body is lighter than it seems it really should be, and that contributes to a breezelike grace and flexibility – she seems able to twist in ways that no mortal body could imagine, though she doesn’t show off the talent needlessly.

Clothing & Artifacts

Ciel prefers, like many Dragons, to wear her armor much of the time, though in her case, not everyone sees it for what it actually is. Rather than wearing a suit of jade or some other magical or metallic gear, Ciel’s favored gear is magically-altered leather and silk, worked into a finely-crafted, sturdy set of clothes which is clearly designed to be both protective and refined. The outfits’ look, however, belies its’ real strength. Those who’ve had the rare pleasure of seeing her fight have witnessed a time or two, a blow get through her guard to glance off the leather or skirt. With this outfit, she also wears very pleasing thigh-high boots, which seem precisely measured for her.

Worn on Ciel's back, she carries a pale blue jade buckler shield, rimmed in steel and bearing an ornate central design, complete with a boss setting for a Hearthstone, which is currently empty. The design seems to resemble a House or Gens crest, but it can't be identified as belonging to any House of the Realm, nor Gens of Lookshy. It resembles a Thunderbolt shield, but it’s a little smaller, rounder, and subtle etching in the jade suggests a whirlwind viewed from above.  Accompanying it, clearly made as a pair by design, is a Short Daiklaive. Like the shield, it’s slightly smaller than most typical Short Daiklaives, and incredibly easy to maneuver.  Kept sheathed beneath the shield when not at hand, its grip is visible above Ciel’s right shoulder. When drawn, the blade occasionally crackles with electricity in response to ambient Essence. The surface of the blue jade blade is almost steel-like, save a faint tinting and subtle, rather beautiful motonic etchings resembling bolts of lightning.

Further accoutrements include a blue jade Hearthstone Amulet bearing the Tepet house insignia. It’s usually worn at her neck, either attached to her clothing, or as the clasp of a white cloak when situations demand. This amulet houses a single hearthstone, a sky-blue stone with flecks of white that seem to dance across its face. She also wears a ribbon in her hair, blue, and sizable, tying it slightly back in a manner that suggests that it is keeping her hair orderly. Those familiar with it would recognize it as bearing similar magic to a Collar of Dawn’s Cleansing Light.

Gallery

http://i53.tinypic.com/2preln9.jpg
http://i52.tinypic.com/2vt1av8.jpg

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Personality

Habits & Quirks

Ciel’s rather touchy about who handles her belongings; in particular, her weapons.
She prefers to be called ‘Stratus’ by most. She only allows close friends to call her Ciel, and seems to react with a mixture of annoyance (initially) and embarrassment (as it persists) if people ignore her.
Ciel can be rather pensive and thoughtful at times, and is known to spend a little time in meditation every day.

Hobbies

One of Ciel’s little enjoyments is reading – she’s taken to reading quite much of late, out of both curiosity and a need to seek some answers.
As a Gateway player, Ciel enjoys the game, but is little more than an average player. She would say her talents are as a soldier, not a general.
Ciel also enjoys cultured activity – she’s spent more than a little time in a number of art galleries, observing martial arts exhibitions and contests, and also enjoys watching shows and performances in theaters.

Magics

Ciel's exceptional breeding infuses her; her whisper sounds like the caress of a gentle breeze, her shouts like deadly thunder. Her hair seems to spark, and her touch feels delicately, almost enticingly electric on the skin. She seems to move with preternatural grace and has managed to move with the most breezelike of motions, as if her body itself were more fluid than crude flesh.  The very air around her seems to obey her every whim, in fact...

Complete Personality Exploration

As a brave warrior and a determined friend, Ciel’s pride is important to her. But this is different than the pride of squabbling dynastic houses and bruised egos – Ciel considers herself an honorable warrior, and her pride has its footing there, not on such external matters about family standing or petty insults. She sees in the infighting, backstabbing Realm Political structure an unstable and worrisome situation where brethren Dragons are squabbling over petty power when they should be working together.  This view comes off as naïve to the modern Dragon, perhaps, but it’s actually a genuine, idealistic view. To Ciel, the blood of the Dragons links all of the Terrestrial Host, and while disagreements and rivalry are healthy, there’s a limit to what is acceptable without weakening the group.
Ciel is thoughtful and sometimes rather quiet, though she displays an excessively active combat style which reveals that she’s hardly always so restrained.  Her moods can be as whimsical as the wind, though they’re never so heated as to rob her of reason. She’s unusual for most Air Aspet stereotypes in that she seems to have grounding, but it doesn’t limit her idealistic fancy or her ability to relax. Perhaps the best word for her nature is adaptable – she can be energetic, thoughtful, regal and stoic, aggressive, or playful, and she seems to wear all of these emotions as well the sky dons new weather patterns.

Connections of Importance

Noteworthy others that Ciel has met include Tepets Arada and Ejava, whom have befriended her. She is friendly with House Tepet in general, and to most other Dragons, though the Tepets seem to be among those whom she trusts implicitly.

Fighting Style

In battle, Ciel wields sword and shield together in an incredible dance. Those who've seen her use these weapons have noticed that each of them seems to possess unique powers unlike any that the Realm’s or even Lookshy’s craftsmanship can duplicate. She is known for a very vigorous and freemoving style, though unlike many Air Aspects, she has both the strength and the force of personality to close to the front line and even charge into taking blows on her shield. She’s also been seen to bat arrows and other projectiles from the air with her shield, and generally, she seems exceptionally proficient in handling it, a rather unusual art for Exalted.