Costanca Ana de Morua Riestra

[Costanca Ana]

Kat, shut up zina.
Name: Dona Costanca Ana de Morua Riestra, Vizcondesa of Salduie within Morua and Castellan of Burgos. Sometimes affectionately called Anca or Ana.
Age: 22
Race: Human
Height: 5'4"
Build: Chubby, with slender ankles. You could call her fat, but not to her face.

Description

Born to the eldest son of the de Morua line, Costanca bears herself with aristocracy and grace. Though she might never be called beautiful, she still has an impish charm about her that is, at times, reminiscent of a much younger girl. She cultivates a sense of innocence, often using her childish looks to get what she wants. It is a form of protection, a means of getting others to let down their guard in order to assure her own survival. For in the world of Morua exist many sons who feel themselves cheated out of an honorable position by Costanca's fluke of birth, and while she remains without heir and engaged to a man yet abroad, there exists the temptation of assassination.

Costanca bears it with a cheerful outlook on life. Her personality is carried through into her looks, with her thick, wavy black hair and eyes so dark they might almost be black. Her skin is swarthy and plump; it is prone to dimpling at joints. She has dimples when she smiles, and an addiction to rouge and crimson lipstain. Her mouth is small, and her eyes large and rounded, giving her a waifish appearance. She's a late-bloomer: though she is physically aged 22 years, she hit puberty very late in her teenage years, causing her body to be thick and girlish rather than rounded with the pleasant bloom of young womanhood.

This doesn't bother Costanca. Though she has watched (and still watches) men swirl about her elder sisters, she doesn't much care for them. She prefers to spend time with other mischievous young ladies like herself at valadas and salons, at grand dances and gatherings during the annual Season. To any who did not know her, it would be easy to assume her yet another court fluff, albeit one placed high in the pecking order. It is not unexpected of young women, though there are some whispers and strain amongst family members that it is time for her to settle down and take up her duties.

The direct line of de Morua always have duties.

In the case of Costanca, the lack of boys born to the de Morua head family lead to her taking on the role of Castellan to the Moruan fortress city, Burgos, to the north of Morua just off the border with Belleza. An important economic and political stronghold, the position typically goes to the second eldest son. However, there is historical precedence set for daughters taking the role on, and while generally considered to be an unladylike position, the close ties Burgos has to the Spymistress in regards to the training of spies and assassins makes giving the title to a daughter more preferable than over to other sons of younger siblings within the same generation.

Thus it is her behavior more than her gender that has caused unrest amongst her family. Though Costanca is not the most intelligent of individuals, she has a certain cleverness to her that has allowed her to use both reputation and family discord to her advantage. So it is that despite earlier dislike between herself and her eldest sister, Sarita, the two have come to find themselves in a tight alliance. Costanca surrounds herself with intelligent and capable advisers, and while she might not be very much respected by those who work with her, she has within her the ability to gain loyalty. It is this attribute that has allowed her to stay alive despite frequent and notable assassination attempts.

Possessions

Burgos Fortress, within the PLACEHOLDER Vale.

A stable containing about thirty horses in total.

A good amount of wealth.

Ungodly amount of clothing and shoes.

1 Majordomo (Costanca's second in command, so to speak; he tends to her affairs while she is away).

1 Lord Chamberlain (manages economic arrangements and in charge of the finances)

1 House Steward (in charge of the domestic servants and household tasks, also in charge of seeing to the needs of visiting nobles)

Footmen, valets, maids, scullery maids, cooks, butlers, retainers -- you get the picture.

Strengths

Position and wealth. She is a direct descendant of the de Morua line, and while not the heir she is still of celebrated and influential rank.

Loyal followers. While she might not have the extensive backing of her sister Sarita, or even Luysa, she has that most tenuous of capacities: the ability to gain the unwavering loyalty of others. This is tantamount in her personal defense, as well as in surviving the constantly changing political climate of the Morua duchy, and family.

A small fencing ability. It would not hold up in competition or, indeed, personal defense, but she has some idea of how to use foils.

An unrivaled education. Say what you will of Costanca's natural abilities, she can read, write, perform basic mathematics, is aware of geography and magical theory, the history of eyropa and most of the known world. She is fully aware of all the major families at play within Corezo, and most of those within Balleza and Quijas. Too, she can name all of the Consuls and Proconsuls within the empire, and any number of powerful movers, as well as those of surpassing influence. She has a basic grasp of economics, and while her education in the matters of military endeavors is yet fledgling, she is putting herself to the task of learning.

A mask of innocent and naivete. While it's not wholly a mask, the majority of the way Costanca acts is just that: an act. While its use is not entirely unlimited as she patiently waits for the right opportunities to present themselves, she has the option to use it as a shield in the meantime. People simply are not as careful around a court fluff as they might be should they know how politically capable she is. Because, while she might have some savvy in regards to those matters, she is still young and untried. Without arming herself with enough allies, it is likely she would not survive her recently appointed position for very long.

The rank of Condesa and Castellan over the comarca Salduie and the Fortress Burgus. This grants her some measure of military power and political sway, especially as a de Morua.

An ease around people. It is a necessary thing for one of her rank to be comfortable greeting strangers and making the proper overtures to peers as well as those of higher and lower rank, and to Costanca it comes naturally. She is always able to show the proper face to those she sees, without difficulty. It is simply part of her life.

Patience. Costanca is the sort of woman who can play the long game. She will not rush the pace of things, and can identify when it is the better option to let things play themselves out rather than act immediately. She does not get impatient, and has restraint to keep secrets and hold information without the need to tell someone that so often plagues others. She is the perfect confidante for Sarita, in that regard.

Weaknesses

Her mask of naivete and innocence. While this helps her avoid the greater attentions of those families and family members who would otherwise count her among those who need to die, it also prevents some delicate alliances from occurring while those around her think her nothing more than some fanciful child.

The rank of Condesa and Castellan. With power comes expectations and jealousies. She has a wide number of male cousins who believe that, as traditional, the position should have gone to one of the young men. Her display as a court fluff has increased the jealousy, and as a result there is no small amount of scheming behind her back to get her out of the position of Castellan, at the least, before she can wed her fiance.

Naivete in truth. While Costanca does have a certain canniness to her, she is also the type of person who has a hard time seeing bad in others. She acknowledges that there are those who want to do harm with her (hard not to with them trying to kill her) and who treat others wrongly, but when face to face with a person she has a hard time judging what kind of person that person is. She can play the game of words and suppositions well, but when it comes to parsing the signals others send as truth or false, she has a very difficult time. This is a huge flaw for her to have, and something her personal servants and closest advisers try to break her of.

The soul of a dancer. For most people, a love of dance would likely transition into striving for a career in it. For Costanca, however, her position and title make it an impossibility for her. Not to mention her build and her need to act as a spoiled noblewoman have made it impossible for her to even attempt to learn the basics of the art. It is a weakness that can be exploited. Costanca loves to go to the theater to see any kinds of dance, be they classical or modern. She has favorite dancers, and even acts as a patroness for some dancers she has taken a fancy to. Clever enemies could use this as a means to manipulate her, be it through her favorites or by giving her the means to indulge her love. Coupled with her honest naivete, it has a good chance of working on her.

Idleness. Costanca's patience sometimes extends into a placidity that is remarkably dangerous for a woman in her position. Her ability to play the waiting game has the potential to backfire on her, causing her to wait too long before making her own move. It is something her mother Taresa and, to some extent, her sister Sarita fret over.

Her preference of company. Costanca, as it stands now, does not greatly enjoy the company of men. She doesn't particularly enjoy talking to them and finds their touch to be boring, if not sometimes unpleasant. However, as a daughter of the head of the de Morua family, it is expected that she not only wed a man of proper lineage, but also bear him children. More than one. While it is not something that has crossed her mind -- she is unaware of how deep her disdain goes -- she is running out of time. Soon enough she will be in the position to claim her birthright whole, and she will have to confront the prospect of being attached to a man for the rest of her life.

Inexperience. Perhaps the greatest sin of Costanca's mother, Taresa, was in spoiling her youngest daughter. While technically sound, Costanca's education has the simple flaw of not spending much time in practice. Costanca has hid behind the mask of the twit since she debuted in society, and as a result has not had much time acting as a proper lady of the court in public. To Costanca there is no difference, but as many find out in their lives there is a huge difference in public and private speaking and actions. Once Costanca drops the act, she's going to have to deal with more pressure than she ever had before. Being that Costanca is an easygoing person who prefers to act at her own pace, this will not be easy for her and has the possibility of giving her more stress than she can handle.

Family

Grandparents

Maternal:
Jimeno Riestra Guiate (m, deceased at 48)
Aldonza Riestra Guiate (f, 60, formerly de Morua Camora)

Paternal:
Fernanz de Morua de Morua (m, 61)
Violante de Morua de Morua (f, 58, formerly de Morua Morcillo)

Parents

Pascual de Morua de Morua (m, 46)
Taresa de Morua de Morua (f, 41, formerly Riestra de Morua)

Parents' Siblings

Father's:
1) Pascual de Morua de Morua
2) Aluar de Morua de Morua (m, 45, -1 former heir apparent to father, present castellan)
3) Eluira de Morua de Morua (f, 43, -3 former spymistress)
4) Blanca (f, 41, -5)

Mother's:

1. Xabica Riestra de Morua (+2, deceased at 43, former Marqués of Vallisoletum (present day Jiloca) )
2. Taresa de Morua de Morua

Siblings

1) Sarita Terceira de Morua Riestra (f,+4, 26), Condesa of Morveres and Badeva
2) Luysa Elena de Morua Riestra (f, +3, 25)
3) Ildaria Sancha de Morua Riestra (f, +1, 23)
4) Costanca Ana de Morua Riestra (22)

History

Born into privilege out of a union celebrated for its tactical advantages, Costanca and her sisters are the first heirs of Morua to not bear a de Morua de Morua surname in seven generations. Considered a risky move by those insiders in the family with both power and their fingers on the pulse of Corezo's economy, it has nonetheless brought to the table numerous advantages for Morua in regards to their longstanding rivals, Belleza. While the politics were there, they had been largely settled before Costanca was old enough to truly appreciate politics. While it is still occasionally used as a detractor during audiences or at court, it has become a minor thorn to the de Morua daughters and not the risk it was to their parents.

During Costanca's earliest years, her father remained the heir while her grandfather, Fernanz, kept the Duke's title. However, age and a weakening body lead to him retiring. Thus it was that they left the de Morua stronghold within the comarca Valenturi along the Morua duchy's coast and began to tour their duchy. That was to be how it was to remain. From the age of four onwards, Costanca's memories contained constant movement and new places. Always there were her tutors and the rest of the de Morua retinue, and her mother Taresa.

Costanca, being the youngest, was spoiled rotten. Her mother, fearful of the dangers of traveling in such a politically hot period of time as a change of rule without the death of the former ruler, kept her daughters close. It could be said, however, that she kept Costanca the closest. It is surmised, behind the decorative fans of noblewomen and in the smoking rooms of noblemen, that this unhealthy babying is what made Costanca such a playgirl and encouraged her naivete.

Whether it was positive or negative to Costanca's upbringing, it also sparked rivalry between her and her sisters. Many young sisters are incapable of getting along together, but add to that some measure of privilege and power and young girls have the potential to become monsters. In the case of the de Morua sisters, there was no shortage of catty remarks and youthful bickering. It was, for the most part, put down by Taresa, but there are legends among the servants of the screaming matches that went on between the girls.

The arguments were tempered, as were the girls themselves, by Taresa's calm influence. A highly religious woman and a devout Theortos practitioner, she used the lessons of the gods -- the changers of old both major and minor -- as a means by which she might impart proper decorum. But more than that, Taresa was a good woman and a good mother, a good wife and a person of both means and ambition. She was a terrifying opponent on the political field, and despite the geas of feminine charm and position laid upon all women of Corezan birth, she never let that stop her from getting what she wanted. Indeed, to act properly feminine was the weapon by which she had helped to orchestrate the marriage between herself and Pascual, elevating the Riestra family and strengthening Morua against its enemies.

This was the role model the girls had: a powerful, educated and demure woman who always behaved perfectly in public and who showered them with affection and love in private. Perfect silks from Tian Xia were purchased, brocades and magically spun creations from Apthoni bought without second thought. The most delicate of gold and silver embroidery complimented magically altered gems so that when the sun hit them and their belongings just right they appeared to glow with the colors set into their clothing. Their horses were of the utmost quality, purchased from the infamous horse lords of Quijas and the farthest south-east reaches of Eyropa, and they too were decorated with luxury. More than that, their parents always took some time during the girls' god-day to pick out presents unique to each girl. They were well loved.

It could be said because of this that the girls lead charmed early lives, and indeed compared to the poor of Corezo they had the most idyllic childhood, but even with the pleasantness of wealth and power to give them succor in whatever their ills might have been, there were still expectations. There were still boundaries that those expectations formed. They learned the need to display themselves just right, and how fashion and wealth might be used for their benefit. They learned when it was right to clothe oneself in the finest of jewels and cloth, and when to appear more demure and refined. They learned how to select the proper jewelry to make the right statement, and what the bright colors of court might mean depending on the situation. They learned how to make another woman stand out as being gauche and gaudy, and how to make their own selves appear as humble and meek even when garbed with glittering gems. They learned the language of flowers and jewels, of flattery without needing to speak a word. They learned how to rule, and how to pick trustworthy retainers.

They learned how to dance in many court styles, how to approach dignitaries from other provinces, and learned which behaviors might be offensive to which cultures. They learned instruments, how to sing, calligraphy and art. They learned how to be pious. They learned how to be proper wives, and how to manipulate men. They learned how to send a man to his death.

This then, was the gilded border of Costanca's youth. She learned early on that one of her greatest influences would be over her husband. Her marriage was both inevitable and politic, an necessity to strengthen the de Morua family and the duchy as a whole, either against Belleza and Quijas or with -- depending on how the politics went. She might be married to a foreign family to economic benefit, or to one of her own cousins should that secure some branch of the family who owned land and was in danger of straying.

After Costanca's birth, it became clear that a complication during the pregnancy would prevent Taresa from having any more children, Duke Pascual made decisions that would affect his daughters lives. He named Sarita spymistress, as was tradition, and Luysa his heir. Ildaria would remain Luysa's heir until such a time as Luysa might bear children, and in the meantime she was to take over the family's economic fortunes from her aunt, Blanca. Costanca, at age fourteen, was named heir to her uncle, Aluar, present Castellan of Burgos. It was something of an outrage at the time. Aluar was in no shortage of sons, his wife having bourne four with one daughter, and there had been some rumors in the court that the position would stay within Aluar's immediate family since he was in excess of sons and Pascual had none.

However, Aluar's ambitions and shrewd mind made him a canny rival to Pascual, and rather than risk the fortress -- a key location for both trade and keeping watch over the Bellezan delegations -- falling away as the generations passed, Pascual chose to surprise his court. When Aluar and other courtiers held hope one of his sons might wed Costanca and rule over the fortress in truth, Pascual arranged for Costanca to marry one of her distant relatives when she was aged 15, a middle-aged man who acted as emissary for Morua in foreign lands. The marriage was arranged via magical communications, though the man was in the southern Sooqui Plains and not likely to return any time soon, and so it was that Costanca's fate was sealed entirely.

The assassination attempts began at age sixteen. She was lucky in the first two. Her mother was horrified, but also resigned; it had been a controversial move and while Costanca lacked ingenuity and creativity in making decisions, she was not stupid. It was the attempts more than anything else that closed the gap between Sarita and Costanca from petty childhood rifts, and together with Taresa the three schemed ways to keep Costanca safe until she had gained the sway necessary to hold her own. Sarita, meanwhile, found in the former spymistress something of an obstacle; the woman was close with Aluar, and not likely to help with discovering the exact origination of the assassins. So it was that Sarita began to rely more and more heavily on her primary handmaiden, Querida Solana, as she conducted her own investigations into those who wished her sisters harm.

Costanca worked to be considered harmless. She used the lessons of her girlhood to not stand out. She indulged in excess and made use of her appearance to keep herself as a non-threat. She indulged her uncle Aluar when he sought to teach her, outwardly, how to behave as the castellan. Her goal was to appear as nothing more than a puppet to him in order to buy herself time, and in truth it worked. By age twenty the majority of attempts upon her life had ceased. Her fiances were not so lucky. Costanca survived three fiances. This was a move on the part of Taresa that had been expected; by keeping Costanca engaged but unwed until such a time as she might come into her birthright in full, they ensured she would not be outmanuevered by a more established husband.

Solana's fall from grace has presented opportunity for both Sarita and Costanca to prove themselves. Having discovered evidence that a rival family within Morua had arranged for Solana to take the fall, the two young woman have seized the chance to rid the family of a threat and regain Solana for Sarita. That the family in question happens to be one of Aluar's staunchest supporters is to Costanca's benefit; this is her chance to seize hold of her birthright and wrest it away from any who might attempt to use it against her.

NOTES:

Costanca's comarca is that of Salduie (present day Cinco Villas) within the present day county of Aragon. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinco_Villas,_Aragon