InsaneJournal

Perdita is a seemingly typical young Mage scholar. She is incredibly bookish, to point of storing multiple books on her person (A Study of Old Magicks in her book bag, The Minor Guide to Major Mages in her robe’s inside pocket, and A Pocket Guide to Emillion’s Best Tea Shops in the little pocket she stitched into the folds of her skirt.) She is enthusiastic about studying to become a “real mage,” as she calls it, to the point where she’s developed not just a daily schedule for her academic and practical study, but also uses themed bookmarks to keep track of notable passages. Part of the reason for her enthusiasm has to do with the fact that she joined the Mage Guild incredibly only a year ago, and she is absolutely determined to impress the potential mentors she may serve as apprentice to in the near future. The Guild means everything to Perdita, and she’ll do whatever it takes to remain a member. She’s easily excited on other subjects as well: an opportunity to audit into a class at the local university is met with a delighted gasp, an invitation to a nearby tea shop with a squeal and a hug, and Faram pity the eardrums of those nearby when someone gives her tickets to see Horatio as performed by the Strand Players. Unpleasant events are often met with equal energy: finding out she can’t check out her favorite book from the Mage library is groan and sometimes even sulk-inducing , and an average mark on a Mage Guild practical exam leads to Perdita brooding in her room, repeatedly going over her mistakes.

Strangely enough, Perdita also possesses a certain level of timidity. She doesn’t talk to many people outside of the Mage Guild, and is initially quite shy when dealing with strangers. Perdita doesn’t like traveling in the city on her own, either, and will usually ask a friend from the Mage Guild to accompany her, or stay in contact with someone on the network so she won’t get lost. When asked why she’s so nervous about these things, Perdita will confess that she’s still hasn’t gotten used to living in the city yet, and doesn’t always know how to deal with so many people. She’ll insist, blushing, that she’s still not used to life in the Ivalician trade city, and needs a bit more time to get used to the city. The true reason for the this quirk, however, has nothing to do with culture shock. Perdita Arkady is actually Metis Tethras, the youngest daughter of a wealthy Ordalian merchant family, and is terrified of someone from her old community recognizing her and taking her back to her parents. Perdita has developed a healthy amount of fear regarding her secret--if someone found out who she really was, she could lose everything she’s gained over the past two years: her friends, her position in the Guild, everything.

Despite her fears of being caught, Perdita is determined to continue living freely in Emillion and has developed a bit of a ruthless edge as a result. She feels no remorse in leaving the way she did, and, if someone asked, would say that she doesn’t miss her parents in the slightest. This isn’t entirely true--she does get homesick, but thinks that she’s better off living away from her family. Perdita has also developed a lack of self-consciousness over the past two years--when thinking about possibly being discovered, Dita’s cares more about being taken away from the friends and life she has in Emillion, and less about the scorn she might receive from others. In her eyes, she did the right thing about running away from home--anyone who tells her otherwise has either never been in a situation like hers, or is just an idiot. This lack of self-consciousness also appears in her day-to-day interactions. If someone teases her for her exuberance or her position as an eighteen-year-old scholar, Perdita’s more likely to roll her eyes or say something equally scathing back than cry.

Perdita has the typical physique of a scholar: slim, but not very muscled, and fairly delicate looking. She has unusually good posture (back straight, shoulders back), a remnant of her old life and upbringing. She keeps her hair either braided or pulled back in some way, and very rarely lets it down. Her wardrobe is an odd mix between simple and loud, flashy patterns: for every conservative skirt is a brightly colored scarf or blouse with an unusual design. It should be noted that her wardrobe is also limited, and you can catch Perdita wearing certain pieces of clothing multiple times.

Perdita Arkady was not born by that name, but instead by the name Metis Laertes, the third child and only daughter of the Laertes family, a wealthy merchant family from Ordalia. Although the family name had been around in the region for some time, What the Laertes family lacked in historical pedigree, however, they made up for in shrewd business sense and strong desire to climb up the social ladder. As such, they used their wealth for two purposes: to further their influence in the Ordalian region, and ensure that their three children were molded into not just model noble youth, but individuals who could serve to improve the family’s standing. Despite Priam and Anaïs Laertes’s determined social climbing, Perdita, still known as Metis at this point, had a happy childhood. Although her mother insisted that she learn all the skills that highborn ladies in their town knew, her father indulged her more academic interests, and gave her books and tutors on just about every subject--including magic. Although her parents both drew the line at letting her join a guild, reading about magic and studying it independently was somehow deemed appropriate, at least by her father. Metis always hoped that one year, if she was well-behaved enough, if she could pull off some impressive social maneuver at a party, if she could simply argue her position to her mother and father well enough, they would let her join the Mage’s Guild in Emillion.

Metis soon learned, however, that letting her join the Guild had never been a part of her parents’ plans. Several months before her sixteenth birthday, her mother frequently made a point to introduce her to the son of a noble, much higher ranking family than their own. He was only a year older than her, her mother would say, and wasn’t he so handsome and charming? Metis quickly realized what her mother was playing at, and did her best to show disinterest in the young man. Her lack of interest did nothing to deter her parents, and on her birthday, her parents explained their plan to Metis in full: they had been talking with the young nobleman’s parents, and the two families agreed that an arranged marriage between their youngest son and the Tethras’ youngest daughter would be ideal for both sides. The match wouldn’t be officially announced until Metis turned eighteen, but Priam and Anaïs Laertes thought that it would be best that their daughter went into upcoming social events knowing this information. This information, it should be known, was met with a spit take, twenty seconds of coughing, and the near usage of some words that Metis had picked up from the family cook.

For the next few months, Metis did everything she could to persuade her parents that this was not a good idea, but nothing she said could dissuade them. Metis then went to her brothers for help, but they weren’t interested. Finally, she tried bargaining with them,saying that she would be more agreeable to the idea if they pushed back the announcement of the engagement to give her time to study at the Mage Guild. That request was denied almost seconds after she said it--no well bred Ordalian girl, her parents told her, would be caught dead travelling to the Emillion, alone, to study in some tower. Metis Laertes was going to be engaged, and eventually married, and the sooner she accepted that fact, the better.

About a month later, the Laertes’ came home one night to find that that their home had been broken into. Several valuables were missing, and Metis Laertes was missing from her bedchambers, her room disheveled. An investigation by local rangers revealed that there had been no forced entry, and no trace of Metis Laertes.

Several hours later, a sixteen year old girl by the name of Perdita Arkady stepped off an airship and into the streets of Emillion, and entered the Mages Guild as a slightly older than average Scholar. Although her age did raise some eyebrows, her top marks on the exams more than made up for the issue. For the past two years, Metis Laertes has lived in the Mage Tower as Perdita Arkady, happily reading up on the study of magic, and enjoying a life she thought she’d never have. Every so often, however, Perdita catches herself looking over her shoulder.

Perdita Arkady stood in between two rows of bookshelves, reading the morning paper. She had been sent into Emillion’s Merchant District to pick up some texts from a specialty bookstore by one of her elders in the Mage Guild. She had every intention of making this trip a prompt one--Perdita had even found the books her instructor needed, now currently sitting at her feet--but she had been sidetracked when she found the newspaper nestled between two books.

A patron must have left it, she thought, or an employee of the shop. Then: well, I do have a few minutes extra… Perdita pulled the newspaper off the shelf, and opened it to the arts section. She knew that one of her favorite plays had premiered last night, and she was just dying to read the review. As she scanned the article, a frown formed on her face, followed by a horrified gasp.

“Perhaps the problem with this production is that The Boreal Story is a boring story to begin with?” Dita read aloud. “Is that some kind of joke?” The critic’s lack of appreciation for the original manuscript was enough to make her quickly close the newspaper, and bend down to gather the requested books. Perdita placed the newspaper on top of the pile, and would have continue to gather her would-be purchases, had she not noticed a section of the crime blotter on the back.

Private investigator seeks information on a formerly closed missing person case. Subject has dark brown hair and eyes, looks between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, and may be travelling on her own. Goes by the name of Metis. If the reader knows of a young woman matching this description, please contact…

Silently, Perdita Arkady, once Metis Laertes, began to go through every swear word she knew, and wondered just how much trouble she could get into if she forged a letter from an Ordalian peacekeeper.

Fire

Thunder

Aero

Cure

The name “Perdita Arkady” comes from two different sources: Perdita is the name of the Peacekeeper who interrogates Horatio from the titular play, and Arkady was the last name of one of her favorite tutors growing up.

Frequently sneaks into lectures at the university. Tends to crash the science classes the most.

Has changed her style of handwriting since arriving to the city.

The cover story: Perdita Arkady with her grandfather, a glassmaker in Ordalia, now deceased. Although she was able to study some magic at home, there was never enough money to send her to Emillion for Guild training. It was only after the death of her grandfather, and the subsequent selling of the shop, that she was able to get enough money to finance her trip into the city.