SASKIA BELSANTE

| DEMOGRAPHICS

Birthday: 11 Sondu 737 (25 years)
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Origin: Triston
Residence: Castle Windermere in Triston
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Marital Status: Unmarried, but betrothed to Lord Gideon Blackspear.

| APPEARANCE

Height: 5'5 (170 cm)
Weight: 127 lbs (58 kg)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Dark brown
Scars: A long red scar across one of her shoulders from the assassination attempt.
Medical: She medicates herself with wine when she feels to bad. 
Tattoos: None
Attire: She prefers to dress in dark blue, which is one of the family's colors. Velvet, imported silk, crackling gold brocades, expensive furs, pearls and precious stones are not unusual in her wardrobe.

Saskia is called "The dark gem of Windermere" for reasons one can guess why, her beauty. Men fight to win her favor. Flawless alabaster skin. Plump lips. The madonna like face, a pale oval with lowered eyelids. 

Face claim: Laura Berlin

| PERSONALITY

Growing up she had a hard time understanding why she was treated differently from her brothers. Which led to her developing cunning and an incredible ability to manipulate others, to be able to get what she wants. It all led to Saskia being shaped into a pragmatic and ambitious woman. She is resourceful, clever, and fierce. Saskia hates the customs and conventions which she is assigned to due her gender.

Life for her has always been characterized by rules and attitudes, she has learned that from childhood; those who obviously violate this courtly way are seen as peasant and uneducated rabble who do not know how to behave.

The circumstances of recent event that shook her life have affected her strongly and she has not really had the room to process her grief. She bears a great deal of guilt and shame, because she survived when her family and friends did not. Today, she deliberately avoids situations that she may associate with what happened. Saskia isolates itself, preferably avoiding places with a lot of people. She has difficulty trusting anyone and she shuns physical contact, she hates it someone stands close to her back (because she was attacked from behind). To avoid anxiety, she usually drinks wine. Nowadays you rarely see her without a goblet of wine near her.

| INVENTORY

|| skills

» She has had the typical upbringing for which young girl of nobility, such as song, dance, etiquette. She can write beautifully and read, she knows her geography, can handle the administrative chores that a seneschal handles, trades, rides. And a lot of social training. Saskia is very well read and educated. 

» Saskia learned from an early age that her beauty and cunning was her greatest weapons. She will use desire or scheming to manipulate others and get what she wants. She has to, she's not a warrior.

|| animals

» A black horse named Onyx, a few ravens and a hawk. 

|| weapons

» She's completely untaught about fighting and handling weapons, she is completely dependent on others for protection and defense or to resolve armed conflicts. 

» The family has a guard force and a few vassals who can pick up swords when necessary. Her brother Theoderic is a sworn knight to the crown. 

|| supplies

» She currently has access to and responsibility for the House Belsantes assets, lands, titles and estate. 

| BLOODLINE

Father: Erwin Belsante
Mother:  Orissa Belsante (former Larmalle)
Sisters: 0 
Brothers: Daeron, Theoderic,Vendrik
Children: 0
Other: The former duke of the noble House Belsante, Waleran, had a love affair with one of the maids and that led to a child; a boy. However, Waleran did not acknowledged the boy as his, but anyone can see how equal the bastard son and father were. The young maid was not been able to keep the secret about her and His Grace. Therefore the young woman has ended up in the dungeons, she was sentenced and executed for high treason. No one knows what happened to the child, until recently...

| HISTORY

“Honestly, who wants listen to a woman's story? It would only contain clothes and hopeless loves? Empty talk and nothing of importance...! Trust me, it's not interesting to listen to a woman tell her story! ”
- Vendrik Belsante

• Saskia was born into nobility. As a female, she has no rights or land, and is viewed as a piece of her father's property. She's the youngest of 4 children. She grew up in a family whose life revolved around the court of  Triston. Like many children of nobility, not much of her upbringing has been spent at home with her family with loved ones present. At an early age, Saskia was sent to the royal court in Triston to get a proper education in the court rules, not just to get a theoretical education. She lived in the shadow of her older brothers and was hardly her parents' favorite. 

•  When she was 19 years old she was betrothed to Gideon Blackspear, from a prestigious noble house of Triston. This engagement has nothing to do with love, it's a political and strategic move made by her peers. 

• Two months ago, her grandfather's bastard appeared and in an act of vengeance he assassinated her parents and her oldest brother Daeron. He murdered some of the guests and servants at castle Windermere. He tried (and failed) to kill Saskia and Vendrik. Theoderic survived by the simple circumstance that he was not at home. This event was of course traumatizing, but the one who seemed to handle the attempted murder the worst was Vendrik. Some say he went mad before he disappeared, some say he's just hunting his family's murderers.  

•  The prime suspect of the murders and her illegitimate relative is currently in a prison cell under the castle Windermere, but he did not committed the act alone. There were a number of people who helped him carry out the deed and it is believed that he received help from the inside. At the moment, feverish investigation is underway to find out what happened and who else was involved in the assassination. 

•  And now with the family's leader and heir now murdered, Theoderic have other responsibilities as a knight to the crown and Vendrik gone missing... Saskia is the one who leads the House Belsante now. A position she never thought she'd be in ... and she doesn't dislike it. To be honest, she doesn't seem to be in any rush to get married with her betrothed either. This is a rare opportunity of freedom and power... Saskia has no plans to just hand it away to a man. She is rather protective of her place on the seat of House Belsante.