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Septima Claudia Aurelianus

"Sir Lionel?
I have some rather painful news
relative to the subject who's
To be beside me at the next court ball
You were the chosen one, I know
But it's tradition it should go
To the unquestioned champion of the hall..."

- Guinevere,
"You May Take Me to the Fair"
Camelot

Character Image

Character Information

Septima Claudia Aurelianus is a character in the PBEM Amber: Axioms.

Petite, lithe and quite beautiful, Septima's pale, oval face is dominated by starlike blue eyes, so deep and intense that in some lights they seem almost violet, and framed with dark auburn curls that fall to her waist. Septima's smile raises one corner of her mouth higher than the other and rarely if ever shows her teeth. She also has a mole under her right eye, full rosebud lips, and a slender, kittenish figure, almost but not quite too thin for beauty. Septima wears long, low-cut gowns of odd, original cuts, usually of velvet or brocade, and in deep, jewel-like colors - blue, green, violet, burgundy, gold, or occasionally black. Her only concession to jewellery is a bracelet of gold and topaz, a gift from her father, but she does wear her nails exceptionally long, although unpainted.

Septima is a sorceress, a manipulator, and a seeker of knowledge.

The initial impression one receives is of delicacy. This woman is feminine, demure and graceful, although there is a touch of coldness and arrogance in her interactions with others. She is obviously very intelligent, and just as obviously aware of that fact. She is almost definitely a sorceress. She might be a coward. She seems uncomfortable around young or extremely attractive men, and can be quite ruthless.

Septima is the daughter of Michaela of Amber and the archmage Drusus Aurelianus. She is a sorceress and a scholar. In Amber years she is two months from her fortieth birthday. Her colors are blue and silver and her symbol is a hand holding a mirror. Her device is the same: a hand holding an argent mirror on a field of azure.

Septima was raised in the shadow of Mythgaerd, where her father and mother were Duke and Duchess. She was taught all those things young ladies of the court ought to know - dancing, riding, etiquette, politics, heraldry, etc., as well as the sorcerous arts.

Lord Drusus had two children by a previous marriage: Aelius and Drusilla. Septima's name refers to the month in which she was born, not her position in the birth order.

Even as a child, Septima was both precocious and quite beautiful, and she manipulated her father and her tutors shamelessly. The result was that she was spoiled rotten, and her mother's mitigating influence (as a teacher, friend and occasionally taskmaster) did little except to sharpen Septima's skills at influencing others. Septima behaved better around Michaela, so while her mother had suspicions about Septima's attitude, she rarely had cause for discipline.

Septima got along very well with both of her parents. Daddy was easy to wrap around her little finger, but Mother was more challenging - and therefore more interesting. Septima was always eager to hear anything Michaela was willing to tell her about Amber, the powers that be, and mirrors.

Septima was also fascinated by her uncle Alexander, and attempted as soon as possible to sink her hooks into him, to get him to tell her things that Michaela would not. She had little success, but remained on good terms with her uncle.

Septima was less popular with her older half-siblings, who sensed from childhood that Septima was manipulating them and others, and that she was different from them. Drusilla, in particular, regarded Septima with antipathy and a little fear.

At the age of thirty-five, Septima walked the Pattern. Alexander took her to the place where he had traversed the design: a cave near the lighthouse of Cabra where the Pattern glows reddish-blue.

Septima's life of yet has been mostly uneventful - the lovely, fairy tale life of a princess. Only a few events (other than her assaying of the Pattern) are worth note.

At seventeen, Septima fell madly in love with a young knight, Sir Giles d'Ambrose. Sir Giles was in his middle thirties and a notable womanizer, and most of the castle frowned on the match. Not without reason, for after months of hidden correspondence and moonlit meetings, Septima lay with the knight. But after having obtained what he wanted, Giles decided that he really desired a woman who was less high-maintenance and left the young princess for another woman. Septima was crushed at what she regarded as betrayal of her love and in a fit of pique told her brother Aelius that she had been raped by Sir Giles. Aelius was a close friend of the knight, and he was never truly satisfied with Septima's account of what had occurred, but family honor won out over personal feeling, and he fought a duel with Sir Giles and killed him. To this day Septima distrusts her emotions and avoids romantic engagements, and to this day Aelius holds the grudge for being forced to kill one of his best friends.

When Septima was thirty, her father died, leaving her half-brother Aelius as Duke of Mythgaerd. Michaela remains a power in the duchy, but the laws of the realm prohibit her actual rule. Septima had doted on her father, but had never been close to Aelius, who was as cold as she and much rougher. After Drusus' funeral Septima decided that it was time to explore shadow and perhaps even to find Amber.

Septima is a cold, highly intelligent young woman. She is ambitious for power of the elemental kind - she wants to be a great sorceress, but more importantly, she thirsts for knowledge. Septima has one of those hard, iron minds that seeks to know how and why everything works. Her greatest driving force is her curiosity. She can be as pleasant, loving and loyal as any to those she cares about, but if she feels betrayed in her love she is likely to be cruel, vindictive and ruthless in her revenge.

Underneath the frost and the genteel, commanding air, Septima is still emotionally very young, and very much afraid of committing to another person only to lose them. She wants romance more than anything but is also afraid of it. Septima is drawn to inappropriate relationships and men who will be bad for her.

She speaks softly, and slowly, without contractions. Her speech is often peppered with meaningless terms of endearment.

Septima is a manipulator - case in point: she does not smoke at all, and yet she carries a flat ivory case of cigarettes and generally one of her hung spells is to create a small flame in her cupped hand, sufficient only for lighting a small fire - or a smoke.

Septima's spells usually include rainbow crystals, roses, or devouring darkness.

Other skills at which she excels are dancing, riding, penmanship, research, puzzle solving, heraldry, and chess. Skills at which she has some skill but is still learning include gardening and medicine (first aid, surgery). Septima is beginning to learn to how to cook and how to defend herself physically with martial arts, but she is not good at either, with the exception of martial arts skills with flexible weapons (belts, whips, flails, chains, etc.). She is quite good at that.

MISCELLANY

Septima's answers to some questions from the ADRPG book

Copyrights & Credits

All information © Amy Edwards, 2005.
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Image manipulated by Amy Edwards, 2005.
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