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Background
Archbishop Sirrah Lancella is the highest-ranking woman in the One Faith. Her role within the church is not entirely clear, but officially she is a "diplomatic attache" who travels widely and seems to enjoy a great deal of autonomy.
Secretly she is the Knight-Commander of the Order of the Vigil and has waged a tireless, nearly lifelong war against the chaos and darkness that lurks at the fringes of Creation.
Very little of her background should be considered IC Knowledge unless you have specifically been told your character may do otherwise.
Born as the third daughter to the noble house of Lancella in Sanctum, it was assumed virtually from Sirrah's birth that she would be given to the Church as a sign of the family's devotion. Whether intentional or not, this seemed to place a certain distance between Sirrah, her parents, and her siblings even from the start. It was as though they subconsciously knew that she would be leaving them, and so perhaps did not form so close a bond with her as they otherwise might have. She was not mistreated at all, but while her family was cordial towards her they were not exactly…warm.
No, for warmth it would be the Church that provided the succor for young Sirrah. When she was eight years old she moved to the Great Seminary of Sanctum, where she began her studies to become a Priestess of the One. While she was not the most exemplary of students, she was still a far cry greater than the bulk of the others, and absorbed her lessons in history and the tenets of the Faith as readily as any. She did, however, prove quite popular with her fellow students and teachers, both for her sharp wit and ready smile (and in no small part her considerable beauty).
Sirrah was ordained at 21, and initially assigned as the Priestess to a collection of small villages in the northeastern portion of Couviere. It was a somewhat isolated posting, but otherwise not unusual for a freshly-frocked Priestess, and she took to the duties well, establishing close ties with the various villages in question and quickly becoming a fixture in the area. Over time, however, Mother Sirrah began to notice that parishioners of one particular village were becoming less and less frequent visitors to her church for confession. Inquiries made to those that arrived received dissembling answers, and Sirrah began to grow suspicious. She shared her suspicions with the Archbishop of Murnord, who sent them along to the Cardinal of Couviere, who passed them along to Sanctum. At this point, Sirrah believed that the village may have been subverted by worship of the Many.
Then matters took a turn, as one of the villagers came to her, frantic and wounded, speaking of horrible nightmares and unspeakable acts being perpetrated in the honor of a dark god with no name. Alarmed, and fearing for the life of innocent villagers, Sirrah organized a posse of somewhat combat-trained villagers and marched upon the town in question. When they arrived, things did not immediately look amiss. Life seemed to be continuing as normal. Then Sirrah noticed an odd detail…the stream that flowed through the center of town was flowing -up- the hillside that the village rested on. Alarmed, Sirrah pointed out the oddity…and then the villagers fell upon them.
The villagers were poorly armed and even more poorly trained, but they had the strength of fanaticism on their side, and fought on even through grievous wounds and inflicted horrible, mutilating injuries upon the guards Sirrah had brought with her. In the midst of the fray, Sirrah was knocked unconscious, when she awake, she was nude, and chained to a stone altar, ready to become a sacrifice to some…thing…that she could sense nearby. She couldn't see the nameless horror that awaited her, but she could hear it, and smell it, and while it filled her mind with terror, she banished it, trying to plead with the villagers, many of whom she knew, to turn away from this dark path. Sadly, when a few of the villagers started to express sympathy for her plight, they were quickly silenced by their fellow villagers killing them.
Seeing what seemed her last hope of rescue snuffed, Sirrah made her silent prayers and prepared to meet her fate, and then a new group of men burst into the underground chamber. Armed with sidhe-steel weapons and well-trained, these men carved through the villagers with ease, and soon freed Sirrah from her altar. Even as she was being freed, Sirrah snatched a dagger from the belt of the Knight who was helping her and stabbed a cultist who was charging up behind him. Heedless of her nudity, she joined the men in taking up torches and putting to flame the unholy temple and the Abomination that lurked within. And so Priestess Sirrah Lancella found herself inducted into the Holy Order of the Vigil.
Sirrah was soon recalled to Sanctum by the Archbishop Seamus Gerrell, then the Knight-Commander of the Vigil. There she undertook another period of several years of training, both in matters of combat and in unholy lore, that she may know the enemies she would face. During this time she made the acquaintance of the young Alphonse Bordeaux, who would become a friend and occasional collaborator over the years to come (and eventually High Priest of Sanctum). She also met a Templar by the name of Sir Enrico Franco, who would become her lifelong companion and eventual husband. In either case, by the time she finished her training in Sanctum, Sirrah was a Knight of the Order of the Vigil, and a Bishop of the One Faith.
Seeing in her the qualities needed for leadership, Archbishop Gerrell saw to it that Sirrah gained plenty of experience "in the field" as she traveled across the Edge, snuffing out supernatural threats as she went. A pocket of Hungry Dead here, a Changeling of Vampire there, Sirrah proved remarkably dedicated to her craft, never flagging even when many of those she took into battle with her fell around her. Before even a year had passed she was a Knight-Sergeant. Another year and she advanced to Knight-Lieutenant. Then came the greatest sacrifice she'd had to make so far…Sirrah discovered she was pregnant with Sir Enrico's child.
After much deliberation, and the revelation of her true role to Sir Enrico, they both regrettably agreed that neither of them could raise a child. As was often the custom with Priests or Priestesses who beget children, they placed the child in the care of the church, with Archbishop Gerrell seeing to it that she was well cared for, but her fate was left a secret to Sir Enrico and Bishop Sirrah. Amazingly, this only seemed to deepen the bond between the Priestess and her Knight, and they chose to wed in the eyes of the One, though they kept their respective birth names. For the next forty years (give or take) they would be each other's support and family, even when their duties often took them far apart.
In the meantime, Sirrah continued her work, spending more time in Sanctum than she once had, often being called upon by Archbishop Seamus to attend him, and to assist in the planning of Vigilant operations. She surmised as quickly as anyone else that he was grooming her for higher position, though at the time, she believed it only a Knight-Captaincy in Couviere or Rivana. She did not avoid taking part in purges herself, either, still traveling at least two or three times a year to oversee Vigilants operating in the field herself. Among the Order, she amassed a considerable reputation as a merciless foe of the supernatural, perhaps seeking some measure of justice for those members of her very first flock that had been subverted and corrupted by its' influence.
As years passed, Sirrah was promoted to Knight-Lieutenant, but rather than a city-state or Duchy, remained assigned to Sanctum, which only solidified her view that Archbishop Gerrell was grooming her for greater responsibilities. She also came to know and befriend a young Cousin of her birth family, Cynthia. Cynthia was a young woman of great piety and musical talent who would go on to become an unlikely choice for the future Queen of Couviere. Nevertheless, Sirrah and Cynthia would maintain regular correspondence over the many years between. In some ways, Sirrah perhaps resolved some of her feelings towards the loss of her child, as Cynthia was of an age with the girl whose name Sirrah would never know.
It came as a surprise to absolutely no one when Archbishop Gerrell named Sirrah as his choice for successor when he took ill. Upon his passing, and with the support of the influential Archbishop Alphonse Bordeaux, Sirrah was raised to the rank of Archbishop and placed at the head of the Order of the Vigil. Her work pulled her ever onward, though now she found herself confined to Sanctum more than ever. Sadly, Sir Enrico died of natural causes in the third year of Rivana's Succession War. Sirrah was in the midst of her despondency when a series of events dealt a serious blow to the Order and very nearly sent the Edge tilting into chaos and ruin.
Sirrah had spent much of her career largely untouched by the politics of the Edge. Even the Thirty Years' War did little to curtail the activities of the Order of the Vigil though it did seriously deplete their numbers as members were lost in the fighting (a fact that greatly frustrated Sirrah and made her a fervent supporter of Alphonse's efforts to end the war). However, when rumors began to circulate of one of the claimants' in Rivana's Succession War being more (or perhaps less) than what they seemed, the Vigil took action. They sent agents to try to infiltrate the Thorn's camps…they failed. They tried to get information from those already -in- said camps. They failed. It was only when Duke Darren Haldis came forward with a rather chilling story that their worst fears were confirmed. Armed with Knowledge, Duke Darren and several Vigilants were able to remove and destroy the source of the Thorn's supernatural powers, and along the way Haldis forces devastated the Thorn's military power. Though this was far from the end of Sirrah's activities in Rivana.
Not long after the Battle of the Betrayer, the Knight-Captain of Rivana was lost in happenstance ambush while traveling to Ironhold. The Knight-Captain's party had been tasked with performing the binding rituals to keep the Banshee known as the "Widow of the Wood" imprisoned for another century. With the deadline for the ritual missed, the Widow of the Wood broke free of its' prison and soon made its' way to Ironhold Castle, where it would kill several members of the Baronial family. Sirrah and a party of Vigilants arrived just in time (having been alerted when no report of success came from the Knight Captain), and managed to rescue Sir Jaren Cassomir and his yungest sister from certain death at the hands of the Banshee. The creature was then re-imprisoned in the burnt ruin of Ironhold Castle.
Impressed with how well Sir (now Viscount) Jaren had handled himself in the face of the Banshee, Sirrah saw fit to induct him into the Order of the Vigil herself. Given his position and reputation, none within the Order found it amiss when she soon named him Knight-Captain of Rivana. She was pleased when Queen Alysande tasked Jaren with watching over Duke Darren, as it coincided with her interests. She allowed Darren to know of the Order, and Jaren's place within it, binding the two together as allies (and eventually the closest of friends). She would spend several weeks in Rivana (and has made further trips besides) furthering Jaren's education in matters of the supernatural and helping him to rebuild the flagging Order. Revitalized to some extent by having clear goals, Sirrah has once again thrown herself wholly into her work, but she feels her strength flagging a little more each day, and worries that in her eagerness to take so many of the burdens of the Knight Commander upon herself solely, she has not truly groomed a proper successor, and now it may be too late….
On the Grid
This can be a cover, lyrics or anything that encompasses your character.
Tall and rail-thin, Archbishop Sirrah Lancella nonetheless carriers herself with an air of authority. Her blue eyes are sharp and clear despite the lines upon her face and the snow-white hair that crowns her head. Even in her advanced age, signs that she may well have been quite a beauty in her youth remain…high cheekbones and a narrow button-nose, as well as those blue eyes. When she smiles, it is a bright, warm, and generous expression that shows off nearly perfect white teeth. She keeps her hair pulled back in a tight bun, and moves with considerable vigor and confidence, though there is little doubt that she moves a bit more slowly than she once did. Still, for the many winters she's seen, she seems in remarkable health and spirits.
Personality
To most, Archbishop Lancella comes across as a warm and motherly woman, albeit with a sharp wit and an infectious laugh. This is not entirely an act, as Sirrah is indeed fairly maternal in nature, and does what she can to care for and nurture those in her charge. She is a devout believer in the One, and oddly enough despite all she has seen and done, a bit of an optimist. She believes in the strength of mankind if not necessarily any sense of inherent goodness, and in her own way works to help people realize that strength.
Those that know of Sirrah's true purpose and position see another side of her. While not lacking in compassion, she is a driven woman who works tirelessly to uphold the responsibilities placed upon her shoulders. While she cares for those she leads, she also has to be willing to sacrifice them when necessary, and though she sheds many tears for the lost and sends many prayers for their salvation, she still soldiers ever on. Ever-so-rarely those closest to her might see just how weary she is, and notice just how painfully aware she is that her days are certainly numbered due to her advanced age. Yet even among those select few, there are but a tiny handful that she truly considers friends. She has many friendly acquaintances and maintains her motherly persona, but nearly all of those that could truly say they are or were close to her have passed on. Hers has become a lonely vigil, and each day it weighs upon her more.
Quirks
Atonement: While Sirrah has a will of iron, you cannot stare into the abyss for so long without it affecting you in some ways. Sirrah is an insomniac, often going for nearly three days at a time without significant sleep. Unless she works herself to near-exhaustion, it is nearly impossible for her to sleep for any significant length of time without being plagued by vivid nightmares, both of the monsters she's faced and the friends and followers she's sent into near-certain death. Additionally, she bears physical scars, and several of her old wounds are a near-constant source of pain for her (albeit not cripplingly so). She does not pray for relief, for she knows this is her burden to bear, but there certainly have been times during her darker days where she has wondered if the sum total of her life has been worth the pains she has endured and continues to face on a daily basis. It is another testament to her strength that she rarely gives any sign of all this outwardly.
Playing For Time: In her twilight years, Sirrah has taken to regularly ingesting certain alchemical concoctions to maintain her health. While these are not designed to directly extend her lifespan (as opposed to fortifying her against disease, soothing aches and pains, and improving her general vigor), they have likely kept her "in the field" longer than she otherwise might. Unfortunately, after about ten years of using them, they're starting to become a case of diminishing returns.
The Pledge: Sirrah is absolutely dedicated to her duty as the leader of the Order of the Vigil. In many ways she has sacrificed nearly everything save her faith for the duties that she must perform. Her dedication gives her strength, and whether through some gift of the One or just plain old stubbornness, she has what it takes to face the horrors of the supernatural without her mind being broken, and while retaining a level head. Suffice to say there is no length she will not go to to protect the Edge from the threats that most don't even know exist, up to and including sacrificing her own life (or, sadly…sometimes the lives of others).
A Wall of Silence: While Archbishop Lancella is known to the public (as the eldest and highest-ranking woman of the One Faith if nothing else) very little is known about what she actually does. She is touted as a "diplomatic attache" but she rarely meets with rulers directly, and there seems little rhyme or reason to her movements when she travels outside of Sanctum (in other words, she doesn't always seem to be going where the "diplomatic hot spots" are. This has lead to widespread speculation that she may be an agent of the Holy Inquisition, and in either case a sighting of her often attracts notice in certain circles. However, the Church remains quite mum on the matter if asked. Even Cardinals tend to clam-up when her name is uttered.
Logs and Sundry
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Relationships
Couviere
Crown Prince Jean-Paul l’Valdan : Oh, I do like this Prince! Would that I were forty or fifty years younger. I do not find that the man I have met deserves the reputation he has garnered. |