Dorothea
In life, Dorothea was one of the living orphans in the Greater Morley region, born to the Barony of Ansbhuel. From an early life, she served in a small temple to Urgathoa, tending to the injuries of the wayward dead and living alike, as was befitting her skills of a doctor. It was this affinity for dealing with those upon the threshhold that first got Dorothea curious about the dark arts of necromancy famed within her kingdom.
After a series of events and dedicated service to the Scarlet Kingdom, when the Kingdom fell into what now became known as Old Scarlet, Dorothea was one of the many living who were rewarded for her continued service. Risen as a vampire, Dorothea began to scheme and maneuver among the political quagmire of the Greater Morley and the fractured factions of the surviving nation as a whole.
After successfully winning in a military operation against one of the warring barons, Dorothea was rewarded for her service with nobility and recognition in Morcourt, elevated to join the noble ranks of vampires within. She was also blessed by the powers of Urgathoa, and has ascended to a state of envied position among the clergy of Urgathoa, being transformed into one of the highly coveted Daughters of Urgathoa.
Despite these feats and accomplishments, it is still largely unknown just who or what exactly Dorothea is, the crafty and resourceful woman having layered means of obfuscating and hiding her true nature. Rumors of all variety spread of her might and her power, yet it is hard to separate the difference between what is real and what is speculation. And perhaps that is by design, rather than misfortune...
History
Early Life
Born to the orphanages of Ashbuel, Dorothea spent much of her early life surviving as most of the living children did in such a place. It wasn't until about her adolescent years that she became employed as a field medic in the temple of Urgathoa. Due to her diligent efforts, she was well liked among the living and the visiting dead alike, who often complimented her skill and affinity for the threads of cloth she spun like one might weave the threads of life and death themselves.
When she wasn't actively serving in the temple, Dorothea had a love for the occult, and would spend much of her time in shady shops, or attending secret meetings where the living and dead alike would converge and discuss methods of necromancy and other dark arts. In addition to this love of forbidden knowledge, Dorothea was a rather impulsive and troubled individual, the scars of being an orphan and a sense of not belonging often eating away at her. This led her to participate in various petty crimes such as theft and vandalism, having little regard for those she saw weak or stupid enough to be fooled by such a young individual.
While her life was not the easiest, she was at least cared for by the Urgathoan clergy, and had little in terms of wants for a living person, due to their embracing of hedonism and gluttony. Though often she desired to have her own space, a place to call her refuge, the quarters provided were not the worst. She spent her time sleeping there, but otherwise would be found running amidst the city, and in her later years, she would come to find more comfort and enjoyment in abandoned homes where she could pretend to be the mistress, often playing such games with other orphans and downtrodden children.
Her knowledge of the arcane was rudimentary, and though the Barony of Ashbuel did not afford many official opportunities for a servant to study academically, she taught herself on what books and grimoires she could thieve and acquire. The studies were not robust, but they were enough, and in the secret of the night, she would practice necromantic rituals, calling forth the dead and creating skeletons and zombies, before leaving them to collapse and go inert once more, fearing that a more permanent creation might lead to an untimely, early death.
When the chaos of the Kingdom occurred in the absence of leadership, Dorothea's temple came into conflict with a few rival armies devoted to the other warlords vying for control. While the Barony of Ashbuel held fast, Dorothea's role as a medic turned field surgeon put her in harm's way, and eventually led to her death at the hands of an enemy soldier. Her death was not in vain, however, as one of the nobles of Morcourt rewarded her service by reanimating her as a vampire. She was given free will, a blessing from the Pallid Princess for her devotion to undeath.
Learning the arts of necromancy was something that came to naturally to Dorothea, as in life she had already shown a promised affinity for it. In death, now, her attunement to such coupled with the power of a Sparkbearer assisted her in an expedited learning from beginner to proficient rather swiftly. Additionally, Dorothea became rather adept at the arts of a doctor, learning how to mend even the most grievous of injuries. Thanks to her nature of undeath, Dorothea's lack of sleep allowed her to learn and study in the courts of Castle Morley, able to achieve promised power.
Adventuring days
After years of continued service and rising in the ranks, Dorothea eventually was blessed with the rite of becoming a Daughter of Urgathoa, her notable achievements being in skirmish battles against the other baronies. Her most successful military operation was in the conquering of a town that had long been under the command of Lord Izaaks, his spies embedded into their leadership. Thwarted by Dorothea's effects, the spies and insurgent soldiers were slain and dealt with. As a reward, Dorothea was given the town to be her own base of operations. Upon such a gift, she named it Ravencourt, and established a church of Urgathoa. Since then, Dorothea has spent much of her time scheming and manipulating politics both domestic and afar.
Unknown to all but herself, Dorothea led an insurgent assault against a small settlement in the Laniden Archipelago, felling a group of hired mercenaries and their leader, Adeline Pendrith. Once slain, Dorothea assumed her identity, and has been masquerading as this living woman ever since, manipulating the politics of Aetveris in small, subtle ways.
Appearance
In her human form, Dorothea is 5'3 in height, with a lithe build and only weighing 120lbs. Her hair falls to about mid-back, and is often left to hang freely down the back and sides of her body, framing her face. Her hair is a blue-black color, depending on the light. Her eyes are a silver-blue, like that of tempered steel. Overall she is quite beautiful, and youthful in her image. With a lack of scars and blemishes, she has a comely face and a welcoming smile. In terms of attire, Dorothea dresses rather simple, favoring practical clothes and leathers. She does have a sense of fashion about herself, enjoying the classic colors of black, grey, and blue. For more civil engagements, she favors dresses and more decorative things, such as an elegant comb in her hair or other accessories to appear more noble and wealthy. When adventuring, however, she will exchange skirts for pants, and slippers for boots, traversing the rougher terrain with more well-equipped garments and clothing.
In her true form, Dorothea is 8'4, and weighs closer to 400lbs. Her hair falls to her waist, left to whip wildly about her form, and is as black as the night sky. Her eyes are an inky black, devoid of pupils or an iris, and two black, feathered wings extend from her back, each one the size of her body. Her skin looks porcelain white, almost doll-like in nature, rather than living flesh. She is adorned in vestments of gold, black, and white, with a funeral shroud wrapped about her lower section, obscuring her legs from view as she is often floating in the air while in this form.
Personality
Dorothea's personality in life was one of an individual who was both troubled and quiet. While she was rather disciplined during the times she worked, after she finished her duties she was far more reckless, befitting her adolescent youth. The only moments that Dorothea seemed to relax and be at ease was during her studies of magic, captivated by the arcane arts and the power that came along with it.
Despite her being drawn towards the dark arts, Dorothea's appreciation for life is not lost within her affinity for necromancy. Dorothea's desire to help people was always at the forefront of her actions, seeking to curate a better life for the living and the undead in the Barony of Ashbuel. A caretaker for the living and the dead alike, Dorothea was and still is a rather skilled healer at mending flesh and bone, even capable of restoring lost undead to their unlife. This academic and somewhat professional approach has given Dorothea a perspective on the cycle that is different from most mortals.
In her undeath, Dorothea's absence from the cycle has only grown her viewpoint. Viewing undeath as merely another state of existence, Dorothea disagrees with those who seek to eradicate all undeath, believing their zealous inquisition makes them no better than the criminals in life who rob others of their own comfort and security without the usage of magic.
As a result of this and her scholastic studies, Dorothea tends to be a rather reserved person when she distrusts the individual's views upon necromancy and life in general. With those she feels comfortable with, she is often more open and receptive, a warmth to her personality not found elsewhere.
Her loyalty to Urgathoa and Greater Morley is one of her more defining traits, and is the central drive behind her reason for most of what she does. Finding purpose among the nobility of Morcourt, she wants to eventually see a world where her people are accepted and even respected, not merely tolerated. However, Dorothea's undeath also carries with it an innate rage against the living, and where she once may have been more pacifist in the fight, she has no issue claiming the lives of zealots to further her goals.
Abilities
Dorothea's most predominate skill is her necromancy. Cultivated from her studies of the arcane in life and further empowered by her revivification in death, Dorothea is a skilled necromancer, capable of calling forth a variety of minions from the grave. Additionally, her masterful manipulation of enchantment makes her a formidable sorceress of the mind.
While necromancy is her defining feature, Dorothea is also capable at wielding a variety of magic, drawing upon the studies of witchcraft from various books and other sources. Among them are powers of conjuration, enchantment, and transmutation, though she is able to draw upon temporary skills from the spirits of her ancestors, a thing that has eluded her for some time thus far as her connection with her past is not well established.