Lady Rosalia Sunspyre, Knave of Hearts

[Archivist]

Rosalia      Sunspyre

Thanks: to my Knave pals -- by now you know who they are -- for all the fantastic RP and conflicts we had. Thanks to Howland, Abala, Ironside, and thanks to Stranger and the players of Madrick Marjolo, Cordelia Winespill, Aurelia Greywood, Eris Hale and Cao Huan. And to the many other PCs that Rosalia schemed with or against, feuded with, allied with or fooled. It was a lot of fun. A special thanks to Bearic.

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Lady Rosalia Sunspyre was the daughter of Lord Tarquin Sunspyre and Lady Lucrezia Giovanni, and was the granddaughter of Lady Reggina Sunspyre. Tarquin, who like many Sunspyres served as a Sunpurse retainer, died in a duel with Bernard Glitt when Rosalia was just a child. Her mother died of affliction not long after. Rosalia hated Bernard Glitt and wanted one day to kill him or bring about his ruin.

Raised in what remains of House Sunspyre -- the second-oldest remaining House in the Peerage, but destitute, consisting of little more than a hovel, a doddering manservant and some tarnished antiques -- by what middling tutors her grandmother Reggina could afford, Rosalia's upbringing was one of alienation. She was kept at arm's length by Reggina -- who seemed to despise Rosalia, perhaps because she was a girl and represented the failure of Tarquin to produce a male heir before his untimely death, seeming to doom the House to final extinction. Rosalia had no family nor servants to bond with, and other young women of the Burgage who were in a similar life situation were never friends but always rivals.

Her illustrious ancestry -- the blood of Sunpurse, Skybloom and Moonspear was in her veins -- may have been impressive to the long-shuttered College of Heralds but did nothing to alleviate her poverty or ease her bleak quotidian existence in the Burgage. Forbidden by Reggina to walk in her father's footsteps and become a retainer, Rosalia eked out a living as a clerk at the Royal Archive, and learned how to forge documents, putting food on the table by supplying the black market for fabricated land deeds and letters-patent out of the Spinning Groat.

She was, like many of the lesser nobility, resentful of the Great Houses and saw no future in the Peerage, which she considered little more than an open sewer ruled by pompous hypocrites paying lip service to a king in dotage. Over suppers of stale bread by candlelight in the Sunspyre hovel, she dreamed of watching the Peerage burn and the Houses fall. Clerking year after year at the Archives and eventually making Junior Secretary, Rosalia honed her forger's craft with single-minded determination until finally, she caught the eye of the exiled heir, Anders Orza, and found herself invited to an exclusive gathering at the Spinning Groat ... her journey into the service of the Red Queen which followed thereafter, is full of spoilers and cannot be revealed.

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What is known is that Rosalia spent the time of Nephezar's Banner Lordship wearing the royal red robes, and the figurative mask, of an Archivist, publicly engaging in such noisy antics as would make people consider her little more than a harmless fool, while privately and quietly guiding the Ward's affairs along the well-oiled tracks of the Dark Design ... as the Peerage witnessed the declaration of Phelan's death, the wedding plans, the issuing of the Sorrows, the dragon war, the destruction of Nephezar, and finally the marriage itself. How much of this was she involved in? Who can say?

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Incredible things lay in store for Rosalia, but she was taken before she got to see them.

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Here are some assorted screenshots -- maybe some day ages from now I can add the most spoilery ones.

[hide=The Height of Peerage FASHION.][/hide]

[hide=Scheming with Stelian Orza.][/hide]

[hide=Sunspyre and Sunpurse, side by side as the Lord intended.][/hide]

[hide=Au revoir to Anders.][/hide]

[hide=The old man had it coming.][/hide]

[hide=Nosier than you think ...][/hide]

[hide=Philosophy with Madrick Marjolo. 1-2]

[/hide]

[hide=Playing dress-up with Marco.][/hide]

[hide=Discussing the Knave threat with Bishop Alberic "Gallant" Steelsworn.][/hide]

[hide=Midnight in the Burgage.][/hide]

[hide=The Forgotten City.][/hide]

[hide=Cradled by dusk.][/hide]

[hide=Pious Lady Rosalia.][/hide]

[hide=A chat with Bishop Gallant.][/hide]

[hide=Getting on Helyna's wick.][/hide]

[hide=Getting creative with Marco.][/hide]

[hide=Mentoring Nadine. 1-3]



[/hide]

[hide=Dear Colleague Alphonso][/hide]

[hide=Dear Vincent Cantercall][/hide]

[hide=A planar disturbance.][/hide]

[hide=Aurelia. 1-2]

[/hide]

[hide=Bonus: "The Diligent Scribe", unknown artist][/hide]

[Cat]

A blossoming friendship cut short, as it often tends to be in the Peerage. Well done, as always.

[Stranger]

A massively underrated Knave.

And a magnificent psychopath.

[Bearic]

A fantastic enemy and creative force behind what became much of the peerage during this transition.  Would get hands chopped off again.


[hide=Last Conversation]Rosalia:

Alphonso.


Alphonso Winneseph:

Rosalia.


Rosalia:

Lady Rosalia, to you.

[Closes her book.] Still wearing those robes, I see. How ludicrous ...


Alphonso Winneseph:

Lady Sunspyre welcomed you back then?


Rosalia:

She never turned me away.


Alphonso Winneseph:

Ah, of course.


Rosalia:

[Smiles faintly.] It's a shame you were nowhere to be seen when House Flevas pilfered the Archive, Alphonso. Perhaps you could have stopped them. Perhaps the Archive might still be standing, then.


Alphonso Winneseph:

More likely I would have died to the lance of that man in red.


Rosalia:

Oh, I doubt that. You're not nearly significant enough to assassinate.


Alphonso Winneseph:

I would have made some effort to shield the archivist... but it's nothing I can do now


Rosalia:

Indeed ... But I suppose what you can do, is go on like nothing even happened, and still wear those robes, and still cling to your heretical idols, and continue your meaningless scribbling.

[She places her gloves on the wooden fence, lowering her voice and speaking to Alphonso with an acerbic smile.]


Alphonso Winneseph:

*rubs his face with his silver hand, his expression blank*


Rosalia:

[Whisper] There's no harm in that, I suppose. Other than looking even more foolish and detached from reality than you did before.


Alphonso Winneseph:

[Whisper] I've never been sure why you hate me so much. I always thought it was because you wanted to be the royal archivist... but, you had that, for a fleeting moment. Is there any reason you wish me hurt so much, Lady Rosalia?


Rosalia:

[Whisper] Wanted to be the royal archivist? Me? Not at all. That was never my place, or my desire. He was appointed by the King himself. One does not simply replace such a man. Is there any reason ... well, let's see ...

[She rubs her chin with a gloved hand, looking at Alphonso as though considering.]

I don't /know/. What could /possibly/ be the reason I despise you? ... You're not very bright, are you, Winneseph? Not the sharpest quill in the drawer. Oh well. Perhaps you'll wise up one day.


Alphonso Winneseph:

[Whisper] I understand the compounding factors, but you drew ire at me from the beginning. Any methods to meet amicably were cast aside


Rosalia:

[Watches him with a contemptuous smirk.]


Alphonso Winneseph:

[Whisper] The vestry itself was more willing to forgive me. It was not simply my status, or faith. You've hound me as though I was the worst threat to this peerage


Rosalia:

[Whisper] Maybe loathing is like love, Alphonso. Maybe there's no rhyme or reason to it. Maybe it just happens ... Or maybe it's because you're utterly pointless ... Or maybe it's because you've always been in my way. Who knows.


Alphonso Winneseph:

[Whisper] Pointless? Perhaps... but I was given my task, as I acted by the Royal Archivist. He wanted me to record the deeds of retainers, not change, or scold them, but keep him well informed


Rosalia:

[Whisper] Meaningless scribbles. A trained kobold could have done your work, and done it better. Am I wrong? Hm?


Alphonso Winneseph:

[Whisper] Do you honestly believe that? The volume of texts, the detailed reports, the eye witness reviews and data collection were all... basic to you?


Rosalia:

[Whisper] It was mere transcription ... do you imagine that anyone was impressed by that?


Alphonso Winneseph:

[Whisper] I accounted for the interiors of the Nothing itself


Rosalia:

[Whisper] And I'm sure you treated its residents with the same affable neutrality that you do everyone else.


Alphonso Winneseph:

[Whisper] We shouldn't have taken sides among the houses, but I was hardly neutral when the Wayward struck me down


Rosalia:

[Whisper] You have the personality of a broomstick, Alphonso, and the abilities of a second-rate janitor. Without that robe of royal red, you would be precisely nothing. And I assume that's why you cling on to it now, in spite of the utterly poor taste of doing so. [The whispered conversation continues. Despite the faint smile on Rosalia's face, it's very evident the conversation is less than pleasant.]


Alphonso Winneseph:

[Whisper] It was my home... my everything, Lady Rosalia


Rosalia:

[She seems absorbed by the conversation, heedless of the rest of the chamber.][Whisper] Yes. I know. You attached yourself to it like a leech. A lamprey. So greedy for its teat that you tried to throw me to the wolves.


Alphonso Winneseph:

[Whisper] So, I was simply something in your way? I never tried to throw you to the wolves, Rosalia


Rosalia:

[Whisper] [A quiet, hollow chuckle.] Oh but you did, Alphonso.You tried, and you failed.


Alphonso Winneseph:

[Whisper] When, and how?


Rosalia:

[Whisper] I'll let you figure that out for yourself. I won't always be around to spell everything out for you, Alphonso. [She speaks her final words with an utter chill.] [She finally turns back to the chamber, her expression calm and cold.][/hide]

[Gordan]

Well played, like Always,

[Eye Door]

You always play my favourite PCs. Amazing fun and executed without peer. I'm awful at screenshots but I found this.

[VanillaPudding]

A+ as usual. You invest a lot into these characters and they really are outstanding and provide a ton of life to the server every single time. :)

[creme bulette]

Totally stellar. You made coming back to EFU after a long break feel comfortable and easy. Your characters are always wonderful and dynamic. You were quietly the best of us Knaves and brought a lot of life to our faction of misfits.

[SN]

One day I want to dissect your brain...
Sad to see you go before your conclusion of plots!

[Glyph]

great stuff!

[Canadianloki]

Bravo as one of the many people you had fooled with the facade of being an Archivist im sad that we didnt have more meaningful interaction till shortly before her death where we bonded over common interests. A+ plus pc and honestly a curveball of a reveal I did not expect

[MirrorMirror]

Brava. Can't wait to see what you do next.

[Easy To Remember]

Very cool. Shame we didn't chat more ingame! <3

[Kiaring]

You are just the best.

[domare]

Fantastic character!  Super fun RP'ing with her.