As a note:
(1) Yes, the lack of pictures is deliberate. Pick your interests and connections based on whether you like the personality or not… and I’ll put up their portraits when the contest starts in earnest.
(2) The ages for each character are the ages they are/would be if they survived the fire.
(3) You are free to pick anyone as an interest, including those who are missing and/or presumed dead.
Anette Eifagem, the Ringmaster
Name: Anette Eifagem
Role: The Ringmaster
Age: 42
Gender: Female
Traits: Ambitious, creative, flamboyant, passionate // Mercurial, extravagant, sly, unrealistic
Status:
Missing, presumed dead
Description:
How do you even begin to explain Anette Eifageim? A thousand stories abound about the ringmaster of the Circus, and no one has been able to confirm them: some say she came with nary but the clothes on her back, clawed her way up through the gutter and into the sparkling spotlight of the Risskov Theatre; others say she is an escaped noblewoman, spurning an arranged marriage and determined to let her creativity fly. Whatever the truth, one thing is for certain: under her helm, the Circus had grown to ever-loftier heights and become the centrepiece of high society. Even so, it seemed as though nothing could satisfy her - not the success, not the rave reviews from every newspaper, not the hushed awe her shows inspired. For Anette was never content to rest on her laurels, seeking out new ways to transcend the medium of stage and circus pageantry. Of course, there were downsides: she was prone to scrapping ideas on a whim, and often had to be reined in by her colleagues and more practical, worldly concerns. At the height of the Circus’ fame, she perished in the flames, never to be found. And so her legend lives on…
Ganz Coldwell, The Concertmaster
Name: Ganz Coldwell
Role: The Concertmaster
Age: 39
Gender: Male
Traits: Patient, steady, generous, driven // Hesitant, selfish, unreadable, oblivious
Status:
Alive, conducting another orchestra
Description:
If Anette was the fizzing, glittering spark of the circus, Ganz was the reliable, steady fuel feeding into the fire, letting the show burn bright and brilliant among the stars. After all, what was a show without its music, its lifeblood? He was known to be affable and impeccably patient - a necessity when your creative partner is the highly volatile mix that makes up Anette. Most people prefer to deal with him than Anette, finding him kinder, more open-hearted, with more focus on the matter at hand - and more importantly, by far less likely to change his mind the next morning. However, there is steel belying his warmer, patient exterior: whoever is willing - and brave enough - to stand up to Anette and not lose his head or job over it is not a person to be trifled with, even if he keeps a placid face on. After the fire, he found himself working with yet another orchestra, having moved on from the tragedy. Now, he splits his time conducting and sitting on various committees, arguing for more investment in the city’s cultural gems.
Cyprien Ledrau, the Investor
Name: Cyprien Ledrau
Role: The Investor
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Traits: Intelligent, charming, analytical, pragmatic // Apathetic, self-centred, harsh, distant
Status:
Alive, seeking out new investment opportunities
Description:
If you’re in the glitterati, you would know of Cyprien Ledrau - and if you were in the business world, then you would try to know him at all costs. Perhaps one of the richest men in Khoyesa, if not the Empire, he grows his empire through a combination of mercantile trade and well-placed bets, and has collected many gems in his portfolio. One of his many diamonds - or to be accurate, one of his crown jewels was the Risskov Theatre, and in the years that followed, he was a prolific patron of both the Theatre and the Circus. In the years going through his investments, he has almost never put a foot wrong: he combines his intellect with charm, so that he has his pick of potential to choose from. But the Gods forbid you fall foul of him, or fall short of his expectations: his disappointment can be immeasurable, and he can certainly ensure your day is ruined without so much of a second thought. Not that it’s out of malice or a desire to see someone be destitute - but he has his own interests to look out for, and he seems to be ever reaching for higher heights. Following the fire, he has moved on to other companies and other opportunities, but in private, when asked, something flashes across his face: melancholy? Regret? Whatever it is, he keeps tight-lipped, and carries on.
Isabel Melloy, the Accountant
Name: Isabel Melloy
Role: The Accountant
Age: 31
Gender: Female
Traits: Detailed, careful, soft-spoken, measured // Insecure, hesitant, unsociable, repetitive
Status:
Alive, running her own accounting firm
Description:
The much put-upon accountant of the Theatre, Isabel was the one who made sure the lights were on, that the performers were paid, and that there would still be enough budget leftover for the show to actually afford the glittering costumes, sets, and special effects each time the show is performed. She keeps a hawk-like watch on the accounts, and very little escapes her gaze - and Gods forbid if you forget to file an expenses report or charge more than the receipt actually says. Her attention and dedication, however, came at a cost: while she ran a tight ship on the accounts, she has very few friends, and can come off as reticent, unsociable. For those who knew her, however, found her to be a sympathetic ear, always offering sound advice and measured opinions. In the years leading up to the fire, she was noticeably staying longer and longer hours at the Theatre, growing quieter than she had ever been. Still, she never quite lost her temper, simply growing more withdrawn and exasperated. After the tragedy, she escaped and left to start her own accounting firm, servicing a small, loyal, but more importantly, wealthy clientele
Reeva Panayi, the Playwright
Name: Reeva Panayi
Role: The Playwright
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Traits:
Eloquent, imaginative, focused, thorough // Melancholy, temperamental, awkward, withdrawn
Status:
Alive, preparing for a new publication
Description:
In the twilight hours of the Theatre, many have reported seeing a pale, ghostly figure drifting through its corridors, their face a mien of agony, sometimes muttering to themselves. While Khoyesa has its share of magic, superstition, and urban legend, this “ghostly figure” is the figure of the playwright, Reeva, out on a walk hoping for inspiration to strike. For where Anette has her concepts, her ideas, Reeva is the one who translates it to scant moments of dialogue, lyrics, and spoken word. Having been born and groomed to be an aspiring poet laureate, Reeva eventually gave it all up to do something she’d always wanted - and ran away to the circus, where she met Anette. She has stayed by the Ringmaster’s side ever since. Most of the time, she is quiet and prone to fits of melancholy, but leave her alone long enough, and her imagination takes off - and with it, the disparate threads of Anette’s ideas, Ganz’s music, and the elegant physicality of the performers blend together. Off-stage, one might find a quiet, thoughtful woman, prone to mood swings and hard to converse with - but her loyalty is hard-won, and her focus is second-to-none. Ever since the fire, she has only grown more withdrawn, but her acclaim in Khoyesa is widespread, and has dedicated followers trying to catch a glimpse of her.
Kelsahn Boudec, the Set Designer
Name: Kelsahn Boudec
Role: The Set Designer
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Traits:
Optimistic, humorous, hands-on, skilled // Excitable, highly-strung, unbridled, chaotic
Status:
Alive, working as a toymaker and watchmaker
Description:
Stepping into Kelsahn’s workshop-office is… an experience. Said experience might vary: some have found it enlightening, while others find it a hazardous environment where it’s likely you might walk out nursing a scratch or a bump or a bruise.The only things that are safely stowed away are his tools for building dioramas and sets. Conversations with him too swing between entertaining and tiring: entertaining, because he marries optimism with a wicked sense of humour, often being a fount of knowledge and trivia; tiring because his mind goes a hundred miles a minute, bouncing from tangent to tangent - or in some cases, completely forgetting said tangent and leaving him stood there, somewhat stunned before he latches onto the next passing thought. Despite all that, he never seems to lose track of exactly what he wants, and the sets he builds are engineering marvels on his own: a mix of magic and clockwork, sometimes seemingly held up by nothing but its own weight. When the fire struck, it took with it his life’s work, and he swore off the stage. Now he works as - and has found moderate success - as a toymaker and watchmaker. He might not be as exuberant, but he remains the cheerful optimist he was in the Circus.
Venezia Hayward, the Diva
Name: Venezia Hayward
Role: The Diva
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Traits:
Precocious, charismatic, adaptable, sultry // High-maintenance, jealous, wilful, condescending
Status:
Missing, presumed dead
Description:
Venezia has had a long and illustrious career even before she made it to Khoyesa. A precocious talent from a tender age, she started touring in gilded salons, drifting higher and higher up in the world - only for her to vanish for five years without a trace when she hit twenty. When she re-emerged, the world went wild - and she’s led a charmed life ever since. Opportunities seem to simply fall into her lap, and she’s savvy enough to milk them for all it’s worth. For a while, she toured the Empire, but when Anette approached her, promising her a residency at the Theatre in exchange for occasional appearances at the Circus… well, she just had to take it, didn’t she? Crowds entranced by her apparent angelic appearance flock to her shows, whether they be solo or with the Circus - and they sell out every time she appears. But more legendary still is her rivalry and feud with Rochelle Ohlsen, the two women apparently refusing to share the same stage at any one time - or share the same corridor when off-stage. For when the Theatre was only big enough for one singer - and that was her. Even if Anette and Ganz both believe otherwise. Of course, she went from legend to myth when she vanished in the flames of the Theatre fire…
Rochelle Ohlsen, the Vaudevillian
Name: Rochelle Ohlsen
Role: The Vaudevillian
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Traits:
Hardworking, dedicated, clever, fast-talking // Relentless, single-minded, grudge-bearing, impulsive
Status:
Missing, presumed dead
Description:
If Venezia was the golden girl with all the opportunities she wanted, Rochelle was the scrappy, up-and-up performer who fought tooth and nail to get what she wanted, where she wanted. She had the beginnings of a vocalist, but famously taught herself how to sing - and perform, dancing and tip-tapping her way from grimy back rooms to cabaret to where she is now today. Marrying a powerful voice with vaudeville-esque dance routines, she is perhaps arguably the most charismatic popular singer in Khoyesa. A critic once observed that there is nothing Rochelle could not master, but behind that is her drive and her willingness to grind herself to dust if it meant getting her way and what she wanted. Her single-mindedness is both admirable and terrifying - her dedication matched only by how long she can bear a slight or a grudge. Perhaps it was this mix that put her in direct conflict with Venezia, the girl who seemed to have chances to simply fall onto her lap - and be equally patronising about what she had. She made no secret of how intolerable she found her fellow singer - but what reconciliation that Anette might have tried to broker fell apart in the flames, taking the woman with it.
Olledi Rokir, the Starlet
Name: Olledi Rokir
Role: The Starlet
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Traits: Courteous, playful, glamorous, realistic // Camera-shy, blunt, anxious, pessimistic
Status:
Missing, presumed dead
Description:
Olledi was one of the most recognisable faces during the heyday of the Theatre: renowned for her beautiful, sultry voice, she prefers to whisper her songs in smoke-filled rooms, playing to a discerning - and wealthy - clientele. Classically trained like her mentor Venezia Hayward, people would say the two were cut from the same cloth. But where Venezia is impolite - apparently insensitively so - Olledi seems to have a hyperawareness of what to say to whom, and how to stay on their good side. Off the stage, however, she is a veritable recluse, to the despair of her mentor who’d much rather her apprentice hobnob with the up-and-coming to secure her future. Still, despite her mentor’s rivalry with Rochelle, she and Ronan have formed an odd friendship - while denying the two would ever be together. All the speculation came to an end when she too disappeared after the fire - and is now presumed dead. Fittingly tragic, as some would say, for a beautiful starlet.
Ronan Ohlsen, the Crooner
Name: Ronan Ohlsen
Role: The Crooner
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Traits: Confident, romantic, diligent, insightful // Flirtatious, pretentious, fickle, disorganised
Status:
Missing, presumed dead
Description:
The adoptive son of Rochelle Ohlsen, Ronan has gone from vivacious street urchin to vivacious charmer, able to play to the crowd and charm the pants off anyone and everyone. No stranger to adoring crowds mobbing him wherever he goes, he is equally at home crooning soft ballads or belting out stage-stopping tunes. But the same way a swan works hard to glide gracefully above water, he works exhaustively and diligently to maintain his image and his showmanship, believing in hard work and fair play. Still, he gains and loses interest in things as quickly as they come, and he has an apparent aversion to keeping things organised - whether it be in his life or his schedule. Rumours have swirled about him and Olledi are an “item”, despite the two denying it for years - only intensifying in the aftermath of the fire. After all, what is more romantic than two star-crossed lovers finally reuniting in apparent death?
Tajun Yinro, the Acrobat
Name: Tajun Yinro
Role: The Acrobat
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Traits:
Elegant, confident, precise, mesmerising // Vain, melodramatic, finicky, exacting
Status:
Alive, still performing
Description:
Watching Tajun work is always a marvel: under the spotlight, he soars through the air on his trapeze, each swing more audacious, daring than the last, until he finally completes his routine - to clamorous applause, gasps, and on more than one occasion, gifts thrown at him by his adoring fans. Do not ask what gifts have been given, partly because it’s discourteous, and also because he has a principle of no kissing and telling. Still, there is no denying his confidence onstage, where every movement is deliberate, carefully selected for both spectacle and heart-stopping thrill. This carries on off-stage too, where the man seems to know exactly what sort of fascination he can inspire - and chooses his actions to either achieve the greatest effect, or prompt the greatest amusement. This has, of course, prompted accusations of him being too vain and finicky about his standards, but he shrugs those off: after all, what room is there to reconsider when his attitude has served him so well, and has kept him well away from being injured? After the fire, he joined a smaller, but no less exclusive theatre troupe, playing to dedicated crowds night after night, an unflappable, brilliant smile on his face - as if the tragedy had never happened.
Lyra Shillmoor, the Contortionist
Name: Lyra Shillmoor
Role: The Contortionist
Age: 29
Gender: Female
Traits:
Enigmatic, controlled, unemotional, altruistic // Prickly, aloof, loner, antisocial
Status:
Alive, but location unknown
Description:
Perhaps the unfriendliest of the performers amongst the Circus, Lyra has nevertheless carved out her own niche: aloof, at times completely unapproachable, but the feats of physicality she is capable of has drawn countless crowds. Enough that Anette specifically headhunted her and asked her to join the Circus in its early founding days. Not that anyone has been able to tell: one never asks a lady her age, and she looks as if she’s frozen in her mid-twenties, her expression giving nothing away. Whenever she comes onstage, a hush falls over the crowd as she twists and contorts herself, sometimes drawing a gasp or two as she vanishes into impossibly small spaces. When she is off-stage and off-duty, however, the impression one gets is that - she doesn’t care about much beyond her art and her performances. The kindest explanation is that she is detached, not easily affected; the crueller commentators call her arrogant, condescending, with barely an emotion except indifference. Yes, some say she has a warmer side, but no one’s sure who she’s shown the warmer side to. Still, this is one thing that may have to be committed to hearsay and speculation - for after the fire, after emerging from the burning wreckage, she promptly vanished from Khoyesa, and nary a person has tracked her down after.
Kialmirn Almassi, the Escape Artist
Name: Kialmirn Almassi
Role: The Escape Artist
Age: 31
Gender: Male
Traits:
Caring, observant, protective, thoughtful // Overbearing, wilful, crude, neurotic
Status:
Alive, volunteering as teacher
Description:
A street orphan who grew up begging, Kialmirn - Key to his friends - had perhaps the roughest start to his life, getting into scraps, gangs, stealing, pickpocketing - the works. He’s not shy about that particular part, although he refuses to get into the details. As he grew older (as he tells it), he mellowed out, found his particular calling in getting out of tricky places - and found himself at the Risskov Theatre after leaving his last employer behind. Perhaps as a result of his rough upbringing, he looks out for everyone in the troupe, making sure that they have a sympathetic shoulder to lean on - or cry on, if the need arises. Somewhat surprising, given that his particular act in the circus is to escape from dangerous situations - sometimes from an entire building altogether - and arrive safely in the Theatre. Still, he has a rougher, tougher side: his stubborn, sailor-sweary side of him surfaces in times of stress or where things aren’t going the way they should. One can only imagine how much swearing he was doing as he was co-ordinating the rescue efforts that night. Nowadays, he’s found working as a volunteer at a social enterprise, and seems very much content to stay where he is.
Nemal Dinaer, the Daredevil
Name: Nemal Dinaer
Role: The Daredevil
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Traits:
Fun-loving, relaxed, risk-taking, discreet // Snarky, indulgent, reckless, unrepentant
Status:
Alive, resting between expeditions
Description:
If Kialmirn was the responsible older brother in the troupe, Nemal is… the terrible voice in the wings often encouraging you to do extremely reckless things. Which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, given he’s the one on stage either paired up with Tajun, or just doing crazy stunts to shock and thrill - sometimes gasp. Each stunt he takes not as something potentially life-ending, but as a challenge to be overcome, and when he’s done, he’s hungry to move onto something else. Despite all this, Nemal might be the most easy-going man in the circus, almost entirely unflappable and taking odd happenings in his stride. After all, if he was startled every time something out of the ordinary occurred, he’d have a hard time keeping track of things going on around him. Almost always found in other theatres or bar districts off-duty, the man has been known to be of rapier wit when out and about socialising, with a snarkiness that either gets him a laugh or punched. And he has gotten into multiple scraps, coming back with injuries. Not that it has stopped him from performing. After the Theatre’s tragedy, he now travels the world as a freelance expeditioner, going to far flung places and taking in everything the world has to offer.
Andrei Sola, the Strongman
Name: Andrei Sola
Role: The Strongman
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Traits:
Straightforward, earnest, loyal, charming // Gullible, unsuspecting, tempestuous, stubborn
Status:
Alive, volunteering as coach
Description:
His face featured prominently on a good deal of the Circus’ advertisements, Andrei was born into a circus family. What separated him from an ordinary performer, however, was his innate, almost supernatural strength, lifting heavy loads without ever breaking a sweat. When he was old enough, he decided to try and settle in a city, put down some roots. It took him to Khoyesa, where he met with Ganz Coldwell - and he has been with the Circus ever since, having been billed as their “strongman”. Perhaps due to how versatile being a strongman is, he rotates through his acts: from balancing a full stack of furniture on one hand, to supporting a troupe stage with dancers on his back. Once, someone (jokingly) asked him to balance an elephant on his back - and he would’ve agreed, if not for Tajun almost immediately intervening. For once off-stage, Andrei is earnest, whole-hearted - and takes everyone and everything at face value and in good faith. It has landed him in trouble before, some even saying it makes him easy to manipulate - but the flipside of this is that his temper, when roused, is legendary, and he is prone to rash decisions when he finds himself in one of those tempestuous moods. After the tragedy, he too volunteers, and runs little league games with the local children.
Lenn, the Fan
Name: Lenn
Role: The Fan
Age: 29
Gender: Female
Traits:
Enthusiastic, honest, goofy, knowledgeable // Nosy, disorganised, ardent, fanciful
Status:
Alive, conducting research
Description:
Lenn is the more restrained kind of fan: still dedicated enough to wait overnight for box tickets, knows almost all the shows that the Circus has put on by heart, and probably has more collectable souvenirs than most. Despite all that - or perhaps precisely because she knows what sort of impression she wants to avoid - Lenn keeps it very separate from her day job as an academic researcher. An associate lecturer and doctorate student at the St. Danserd Institute of Magical Research, Lenn deals in history of magic and popular entertainment - and heads to the Risskov Theatre in her downtime when the research gets too much. She’s known mostly by Reeva, who likes to have her around to pick her brains on history, if nothing else, but is otherwise a regular fixture at the shows. In her work and research, her love and enthusiasm for her subject is clear, as she hops from topic to topic and races ahead making associations and hypotheses; but that love and enthusiasm can boil over into being a busybody, sometimes poking her nose into places and matters that are very much, very clearly off-limits. It’s not deterred her before though. Her heart was broken when the Theatre went up in flames, and she threw herself back into her research, hoping to finish her thesis - and to memorialise the place she loved.
Moren Lockwood, the Critic
Name: Moren Lockwood
Role: The Critic
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Traits:
Witty, discerning, multi-tasker, eidetic// Acerbic, combative, peevish, overworked
Status:
Alive, and earned a position as a Theatre and Arts columnist
Description:
Shows and plays live and die by the audience and their tastes. That may be true, but in Khoyesa, they also live and die by how they’re received by critics - and Moren has built up a reputation for being one of the most formidable and difficult-to-please critics in the city. Cutting their teeth first by covering small town hall performances and little-known singers, he slowly drew an audience both for his erudite commentary and his near-perfect recall of every detail in the room. However, where Moren was perceptive and blessed with excellent memory, he has also never backed away from a fight, often writing opinions in response skewering his critics’ arguments. He’s had a mixed reaction to the Circus, alternately praising their showmanship, but criticising what he saw as excessive spectacle. Still, whether it be out of genuine respect for the Circus’ skills, or as a trembling sliver of an olive branch, he had never gone to the point of no return for his criticisms. When the Theatre burnt down, he wrote what essentially amounted to an eulogy for the long-gone Circus and moved on. Great shows could live in legend, but as he lived, there were other performances to enjoy or to skewer.
Vivi, the Urchin
Name: Vivi
Role:The Urchin
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Traits:
Impish, bright, cheerful, perceptive // Evasive, scatter-brained, hard to understand, probably touched in the head
Status:
Missing, status unsure
Description:
Stick around the Theatre in the after hours, and you’ll invariably hear the pitter-patter of someone in the rafters. That someone is Vivi, an unofficial fixture and apparently mood-brightener of the Risskov Theatre. Known for her bright, cheerful demeanour, and somewhat odd sense of problem-solving, she was discovered hiding and living in the rafters - and has hung around the place ever since, doing odd jobs and playing courier and errand girl on demand. She seems to have eyes and ears everywhere, but keeps to herself - and deflects, and deflects, and deflects if she’s asked any sort of question. When the Theatre was still around, she often enjoyed popping out of corners to scare them - or sometimes hanging out in Kelsahn’s workshop, gleeful helper and enabler of some of his zanier schemes. One tell-tale sign of her presence, however, is her perpetual companion Rara - a strange-looking bird she insists is a songbird, but whom no one believes. After all, songbirds don’t grow to the size of a peregrine falcon, nor do they look that eerily sentient. Still, the two were a regular fixture until the Theatre burnt down. Vivi lost her home - and no one has kept track of where she ended up. After all, who actually cares about a street urchin, when the beautiful and glamorous perished in the same tragedy?
Last edited by Jadis (04/11/2022 at 15:37)
