Name: May Fairweather
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Appearance:Normal:
May is slightly under average height, standing around 5'3". Her build is halfway between slight and curvy, mostly from a mixture of a childhood of illness and an adolescence of catching up with herself. Her general attire consists of white sweaters and black pants over black heeled boots, hugging her figure closely but not too tightly. She always has a violin case with her, within which is probably the most well-crafted violin anyone in the area has seen, with perfectly shaped wood and taut strings; if one didn't know that this violin dated from the 17th century, one could mistake it for one made in the 21st. Her hair is brown and wavy, mostly left aside her head but sometimes tied back to keep it out of her eyes. She also wears a locket with a photo of her, her older sister and her younger brother posing near the Niagara Falls, a reminder of her childhood days.
Andante: The most obvious change is the clothing, which becomes a puffy white shirt underneath a brown bodice, tied together with gold lace. Her legs are now covered by a thin, translucent skirt, over thin brown stockings, extending into glassy, golden high heeled shoes. Her head is now crowned with a brown hat, a golden feather tucked into it, and her eyes change color to a deep gold, and her hair now extends to her shoulders, where two gold bands wrap around the ends to keep it tidy.
Biography: In the 17th century, there was a mildly famous grove of trees outside the walls of the city of Firenze (Florence), Italy, said to have dated from the time of the ancient Romans. These trees were said to be sacred, and during the furor of the early Renaissance as magic users in Europe fled into hiding, these trees were said to possess great, powerful and protective magic. So it came to pass that one important Florentine official decided that he, to prove that these trees were entirely mundane, had the grove destroyed and the wood from the greatest tree, directly in the middle, repurposed to make him a violin- he was a great lover of music, though he could hardly play any himself. Despite the protests of superstitious locals, the grove was destroyed and the wood transported to the city of Cremona to the finest luthiers for a violin, which was gifted to the official on his sixieth birthday. It was a fine violin, by all means, and the wood was said to rival the best. By this time, however, the man's niece, a woman by the name of Maria Sofia da Padova, had lived in Florence for a while. Maria Sofia was an accomplished violinist and the official was very fond of her, and so despite an initial reluctance, he gifted her the violin.
Maria was of course ecstatic- her parents had refused to give her a violin- and played the violin then and there. It was said that the music that issued from it was ethereally beautiful, unparalleled then or since by any other violin. Her uncle was captivated and so arranged for her to stay in Florence, allowing her to play to the city's people. When her magic awoke- Maria Sofia being a latent mage- she was even more shocked, but she took it in stride, helping out those she could by playing her music. It was said that Maria Sofia's music could cause miracles to happen, such as the exorcism of disqueted spirits left over from the ravages of the Black Death, which the citizens were thankful for. However, the more superstitious of the citizens could not suffer a young woman to possess what they took to be the power of the Devil, and so had Maria Sofia killed during one of her performances, beaten to death in full view of the populace. Though the perpetrators were swiftly slain, her uncle died of grief shortly after justice had been served, and it was said that Florence lost a part of itself that night.
The violin, however, survived, found on Maria Sofia's corpse when she protected it with her body from the blows of her killers. Maria Sofia's violin was passed around through the noble families of Italy, finding each time a skilled violinist who became renown for their music. None of them met the fates the first owner did and were capable of passing the violin down to heirs or friends, with the wood or the strings never degrading, as if the violin had just been freshly crafted. Eventually, centuries passed and the violin's legend faded into myth, the owners of the instrument never realising or knowing the origins of the violin. Even Florence had forgotten the story of Maria Sofia da Padova, dismissing her miracles as coincidence. Finally, the violin crossed the Atlantic after the then-current owner, a certain Member of Parliament in London, sold the violin to an enthusiast in America, shortly before the Second World War. From there, Maria's violin faded from history, seemingly vanishing in an auction when the enthusiast died in the 1960s.
May was born to the affluent Fairweather family, who lived in upstate New York for two years of her life before moving to the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls, the second oldest of three children. She was a very ill child, often falling sick and spending much of her childhood in hospitals, much to her family's concern. However, despite this, May grew an interest in the violin, and after she was well enough to leave the hospital, took it up. May was a prodigy in the instrument from a young age, much to her parents' delight, and eventually, they presented her with a violin they had acquired through a family friend by the name of Arya Ryan. The budding violinist much appreciated the gift, and when she played it, it was said that the music she played was ethereally beautiful. Needless to say, May quickly became a local celebrity in the area news until she reached her twenties, upon which point she was mostly forgotten as the Layar War took center stage.
So it was that May found herself eventually looking for a job, between working as a waitress and looking for musical work. She had insisted on not using her parents' money to buy her way to fame- desiring to make up for lost time when she was ill- and so it was with her and her beloved violin that she set out into the world. It was only a few nights later when May discovered her own magical ability, practicing the violin one night and discovering that her violin had an inhabitant; the spirit of Maria Sofia da Padova, having resided inside the instrument for centuries, but never being able to escape as none of the owners of her violin had ever had magical potential. Maria Sofia and May made a pact before Maria Sofia faded into the afterlife, as Maria Sofia could sense the disquieted spirits of the land; Maria Sofia would grant May the dregs of her power, and May could pursue a line of work where her talents were useful- the line of heroism.
So it was that the news became filled with reports of the Mystery Lady Andante. Or not; nobody much noticed May even at this point, much to her chagrin. At least, nobody nationally; there were plenty of people in the suburbs that were willing to swear blind that they had been saved from ghosts by the mysterious Andante. Of course, when the ad began popping up, looking for people to participate in 'Supernatural Experiences', May could hardly say no.
Attributes:Every attribute starts at Mediocre. You gain 2 free points to increase an attribute by 1 level. Additionally you can reduce an attribute to increase another one by the same amount. Attributes cannot be less than Terrible or more than Superb.
Fitness (FIT): Poor
Coordination (COO): Mediocre
Magic (MAG): Great
Mental (MEN): Good
Skills:Violinist
Control Magic: Sound
Diplomacy
Knowledge: Music
Cookery
Gifts/Faults:Gifts:
Andante Form: May possesses the final dregs of the magical power of Maria Sofia da Padova, and so uses it to protect the citizens from unnatural threats. May automatically transforms into
Andante Form for battle, granting her access to sound-based magic. Due to the nature of
Andante Form, May can also perceive, understand and communicate with ghosts.
Apt Student: May's studies into violin playing were impressively quick, and her skill with magic increased almost as quickly. May gains a single tier increase to her MEN and MAG stats.
Ultimate Violinist: May's skill with the violin is prodigious, extending to her use of it for magical purposes. If using Control Magic: Sound, Violinist or any related skills (any skills that relate to the playing of a violin), May's rolls are rolled as if she had one tier extra in the applicable stat.
Faults:
Ill Girl: A childhood of illnesses did not leave May untouched. When resisting physical status effects, May's FIT is rolled as if she had one tier lower in the applicable stat.
Breathless: Physical exertion does not befit May, after a life of being in a hospital bed. May receives a further -1 to all attributes after Minor Damage.
