Blissot Daylof Yolgrave (vampire, Tacharan)

Basic Information

Birth Name: Blissot Daylof Yolgrave
Aliases: Daylove Mulgrave, Blessed Day Graves, Dayle Love, Dayle Graves. Prefers nickname Dayle
Place of Birth: England; unnamed farm province outside Oxford.
Age:(real and apparent) Born Dec 21st, 1390. Turned 1408. 616 in years, appears 18.
Male/Female: Female
Current Occupation: Seeker
Past Occupation: Scribe/scrivener, bookbinder, tutor, typesetter, proofreader, editor, substitute English teacher, hospital orderly

Appearance

Hair Color: Wheat-gold
Length and Style: Shoulder-blade length, typically uncurled or unstyled. Originally waist-length at the time of her turning.
Eye Color: Blue-gray
Skin Color: Pale Caucasian, typical for most Britons
Height: 5'6" / 1.67m
Weight: 120lbs / 53kg
Nationality: British
Race: Vampire
Body Type: Lean, minimal curves, but not stick-thin (so if you hug her, she's not going to snap like a twig).

Description (if an NPC) or name of your creator(if a PC) ( Please be as specific as possible, who your creator was, why he chose to change you, where is he/she now?): Richard Yolgrave, the Lord of the Manor, was the vampire who turned Dayle. She had been arrested by Inquisitional police for copying and translating the Bible into English, and was sentenced to death. Lord Yolgrave knew there wasn't a way to have Dayle survive her sentence, so he offered to turn her. She was dubious at first, then slowly began to understand why all the Manor's windows were shaded during the day, why he and his wife never attended daily service, among a multitude of other "strange things." She accepted, but only on the condition that a similar offer be made to her sister. She was turned immediately before her sentence - to be tied to a rock and drowned - and was rescued soon thereafter.

Personal Questions

1. Describe your character's personality: Dayle tends to be gregarious and up front. Upon first meeting her, one finds oneself being greeted with a warm handshake, and plied with twenty (thousand) questions. One would get a sense of either being extremely well interrogated, or horribly annoyed. With her sister Ysabel, she tends to be overprotective, infinitely patient and endlessly frustrated. When working, she is exacting, meticulous, and thorough. Her workspace, though, is typically extraordinarily messy, often leading to misunderstandings during first impressions (in the workplace). Her voice has a nasal quality to it, but laden as it is with British accent, she finds more people keep her talking just to hear her "bloomin' voice."

2. Describe how your character would appear to a stranger (I.E. typical dress, way they carry themselves etc.) Dayle holds herself to a strict fashion code of "nothing slutty, nothing prim and proper." Skirts that are at the high-end of propriety, blouses with a couple buttons undone, comfortable pumps or heels (even though she sometimes prefers flats or platforms), tight slacks or jeans with wide bells. Hair tucked back behind her ears, almost never with actual binds, she's often found with a writing implement of some sort tucked behind her ear too. (Once, even a black magic marker. Okay, more than once. She won't admit it though.) Wears minimal jewelry (except on dates); though her ears were pierced prior to her turning, she typically foregoes even earrings. Uses makeup occasionally at the wrong end of the complexion spectrum, but still is able to look "decent."

3. What does your character like? Books, newspapers, comics. Loves webcomics. Likes her sister. "Okay, okay, I love her, but honestly, she wouldn't believe me even if I smacked her with a two-by, right in the head. It's too thick, you know. Her skull I mean." About electronic media: "Not too big a fan of the telly recently, not since they cancelled The Nanny. I know, snobbish of me, but I loved her accent! Six hundred years old, you'd think I'd have found something more engaging than a half hour telly prog. OH, and all those Brit comedies and romances? Brilliant, if crazy." Food: "Mash, but not bangers. Spotted dick, but I'd rather have tiramisu or carrot cake. Liver mousse is to die for, if prepared correctly, and corned beef with cabbage will always be a menu item, St. Patty's Day or not. Pizza? Sure, anchovies are almost a must, but no green peppers." Purses with handles, but not straps. Men with broad horizons.

4. Dislike? Dislikes action movies, horrible spelling, people that mock her accent, battery powered devices that die too fast - "I've broken more PDAs in the last three years trying to get the bloody batteries out..." Sometimes dislikes the snobbery her sister pulls. Doesn't care for people who don't pull their own weight - "I hate it when she doesn't wash her own dishes..." Dislikes all forms of sausage or cased meat. Dislikes large bodies of water (oceans, rivers, lakes. See fears) Extremely dislikes living in Nachton (as it is a port city.) Fanatical patriots, bad drivers, people who obviously can't spare the brainpower to drive while on their cell. Men who only talk about sports or cars. Lesbians who think it is their duty to turn women away from men. People who think there's only one answer to an open-ended question. Hates it when the rules for using the written word get broken or misplaced. Doesn't care for things she writes when she's struck with the odd bout of creativity. Hates having her face submerged underwater.

5. N/A

6. What are your fears? (please choose and explain 3 minimum)
Thalassophobia (fear of the ocean. Ever since being sentenced to death via drowning, Dayle has had issues with large bodies of water, such as oceans, rivers or lakes. Can stand baths and sinks, but nothing too much bigger. Pools are iffy, but small hottubs might be okay.)
Dayle is afraid that her absence - either from moving away or if she should be killed somehow - will cause her sister grief or pain, as she has not fully adjusted to her life.
In a similar vein, Dayle is afraid of losing her sister, as Ysabel is quite often her anchor, her rock, her stability, balance, grounding rod.
Dayle is also afraid that the charge she has undertaken at the behest of Marthinus will result in someone's death.

7. What is your character's strengths and weaknesses? (please pick 3 minimum of each and explain in detail how and why this affects your character) One of Dayle's great strengths is asking questions. Always a curious child, she learned quickly upon turning that she had the potential to meet a great many people, and decided her questioning nature was the best way to help differentiate them in her mind.
Dayle is a hard worker, and always follows through with her tasks. This helps her both in her taking care of her sister, as well as her stewardship of her charges.
Dayle is very adaptable. She's willing to learn about "the next big thing" on the off chance she might need to integrate it into her lifestyle to continue on with her sister and her charge.
Finally, Dayle is willing to go to great lengths to explain "things." How things work, how things are. In addition to assisting her with her sister, she is also able to explain to her clients their errors in their writing.

Dayle definately has a weakness for her sister. Keeping her safe, shielding her from some of the more painful changes in the twentyfirst century, making sure she is taken care of, well fed, and provided with what she needs occupies quite a bit of her energy when at home.
Dayle is very overprotective of those under her charge. She has occasionally allowed this to overshadow even her protectiveness for her sister, including sometimes going off unannounced or with little warning, for up to a week or two at a time. She would do anything to keep both her sister and her charges safe.
As mentioned, Dayle is a very curious creature. This can be a detriment, and in fact has led to several lost opportunities, more than a few annoyed boyfriends, and some irritated employers. She has been known to question things when a statement, or even silence, would be more prudent.
Dayle hates having her face submerged beneath water. This has proven problematic when one of her charges was having trouble swimming. (It also proves detrimental to dates wanting certain shared experiences.)

Hobbies & Skills Dayle has always had a penchant for finding "strange old things" for Ysabel, and with the advent of the Internet, continues that hobby. Recognizes and able to read written Greek but generally unable to speak it. Remembers very little French or German, but still has a working knowledge of Latin. Dayle loves to sing, even though she couldn't hold a tune in a ten gallon bucket. She sings quietly along with her favorite songs when with company, but tends to increase her volume when alone or with her sister.
Dayle has exact penmanship, to the point that no curve of a cursive "F" or no dot on a printed "i" is different than any others viewed on the same page. She is fully capable of reproducing something she'd written previously and not be able to find any variations between the original and the copy.

Abilities (3) Contortion, Perception, Subterfuge

Flaws (2) Won't feed on The Young. If a potential victim seems to be younger than Dayle, she'll pass them by and find another target. Afraid of the Ocean (Thalassophobia.) She hated living in London and now hates living in Nachton because of this.

Cosmetic Traits(Distinct, character defining physical attributes. These should be minor and offer no real power other than to make your character appear more interesting.) The roots of Dayle's hair tend to get a bit darker than her natural wheat-blonde during the winter, which then slowly grows out (or is dyed immediately upon appearing.) Her ears are also pierced.

Quirks and Habits worthy of mention Tries repeatedly to get her twin to embrace new technology, new advances, though the only "new things" her twin will completely ignore is fashion. It is more or less fruitless, and yet Dayle still finds pleasure in showing Ysabel new things. Reads anything (book, article, etc) critically first, before trying to enjoy it. Always offers to tuck her sister in at bedtime. Dayle has a penchant for finding "strange old things." Rarely takes a full shower, preferring to wash her body under the spray, then use a detachable spray-head to wash her hair seperately while leaning over the tub or sink.

Personal History 3rd person (1st is acceptable) but please be as detailed as possible, this can/will affect your rp with other players.

Born to unremarkable, unmemorable peasant parents shortly before Christmas in 1390, Dayle was the older of a set of twins. Being the firstborn of the twins, she was named Blissot Daylof - the Blessed Day of Love. The arrival of her sister was pretty much a surprise. It was soon apparent that Dayle was the stronger, more active of the two, and when she got older found herself being put to work in a variety of tasks, ranging from seamstress assistance to farm prep to midwifery. ("I do remember that one thing about my birth mother... she was a midwife.")
Lessons in manual labor were plenty; lessons in the sciences, the arts, something other than toiling for someone else were few and far between. Aside from learning to read her mother's Latin Bible, Dayle was occasionally treated to the songs of travelling minstrels. It was during these times she discovered she had not one whit of a singing voice.

The bubonic plague broke out in Europe in the year 1400. Her father was travelling abroad, for their feudal Lord, and he brought it back to infect the family. Their entire family was decimated - several older brothers and a couple younger sisters - but somehow, both Dayle and her twin were spared.

When their survival was discovered, they were shunned briefly, as no one could understand why just the two sisters would be spared when the rest of the family had not. Luckily, another local Lord took them both in, soon after they reached the age of ten.

Lord Yolgrave and his wife Elsa were wonderful foster parents. Lord Yolgrave took an instant liking to Dayle, and began having her tutored. Soon, she recognized the Greek alphabet, in addition to her native English, and demonstrated an exacting hand when writing. Lord Yolgrave took this as a wonderful boon and had Dayle apprenticed to a bookbinder friend. Dayle worked daily, learning the scrivener's trade, copying all manners of texts, letters, books, and even the Bible.

Over the intervening years between 1400 and 1408, Dayle occasionally wondered why the Yolgraves had no children of their own. Her questioning was always met with a sad, mysterious smile, and the comforting words, "We may not have blood children of our own, but we consider you to be ours." Servants were few and far between in the Manor, and yet, somehow clothes were always washed, food was always prepared. Dayle reasoned eventually they just had differing schedules than her tutelage.

Early in her sixteenth year Dayle was proclaimed to be an excellent scrivener, whose handwriting and exacting penmanship was prized in hand-copying all manner of materials. She began taking over some of the duties of her ailing master, and began copying Bibles exclusively.

In 1408, the Church proclaimed that owning a Bible translated into English was heresy and punishable by death. The first targets of the Inquisitional "police" were the bookbinders. Dayle was taken in one of those arrests, and sentenced to death by drowning. (Had she been a man, she might have been drawn and quartered or beheaded.)
She was visited one day by Lord Yolgrave while waiting for her sentence to be carried out. He explained to her what he was - that he was a vampire and that he was over four hundred years old. He offered to save her, but at a cost - she would need to be turned, to be like him, to help give the illusion that she had died when her sentence was commuted.

Dayle was skeptical; she had sometimes thought it strange that, as a Lord of a Manor, Yolgrave would not do anything during the day, but had always reasoned it away. It began to dawn on her exactly why, after his explanations and curious demonstrations. (He'd picked her up without using his hands, and also untied and retied his belt without touching it. He also somehow changed his appearance to look different.) He was different.
She agreed to allow him to save her life, but on one condition - the same offer needed to be made to her sister Ysabel.

Growing together as vampires was an experience in and of itself; Dayle took occasionally to travelling, as the appeals of Court that so enthralled her sister didn't tantalize her in any way.

It was during her travels she first realized she was able to focus her senses on the minutest details. To spy changes in a tavern bedroom, to smell the liquor on some would-be attacker's breath as he followed her down the street, any number of situations she found herself noticing something "wrong" or even something "right". Richard eventually explained to her this was one of the common abilities of vampires: to be able to perceive things around them.

Dayle's travelling took her all over England; even though she hated the water, she also hated being cooped up on the tiny island. After a hundred years there, she discovered, you can only find so much to do.

During a hunt sometime in the mid-16th century, in a small village outside of London (she would swear someone had told her it was Cirencester in later years) she found herself following a young couple on their way home from a twilight mass. As was her new habit while hunting, she "paid attention" and focused on the goings-on around her... And sensed something different. Someone was hunting... her. She backed off and left them alone, giving them only a sweet "good evening" on her way past. As she returned to her tavern room for the night, she found someone waiting there for her... And a conversation was had, and a deal was made.

Over the next few hundred years Dayle found herself in and out of pre-arranged marriages in a family called Huntington, while keeping watch over certain family members and helping them out of scrapes here and there. She has always lead her own life, but has kept herself close to those she agreed to watch over.

Around what would be Thanksgiving in the United States, Dayle was contacted by another of the family's watchers, who told her to dispose of her charges. She refused, slaying that vampire when she realized that, if she did nothing, people would definately die... Through a series of unplanned but seriously kick-ass events, the vampire eventually got beheaded. (Though Dayle hadn't had any formal fight training, she held her own. He was eventually killed by The Drink; after getting hit by a Guinness truck, Dayle beheaded him with a manhole cover and left him in the sun to burn.)

She discovered that others of that family were under attack by vampires, and protected them to the best of her ability. Some survived...

In early 2006, she was approached by the last surviving father of Huntington, to keep watch over his American family, and with Ysabel's knowledge of Nachton, prepared and eventually moved to the United States.

"To a city next to the ocean.

...Dammit."




OOC Checklist

Player name (online is fine) Rachyl
Other Characters you play: Rachyl, Connie, Montana
How you came to SA (Other board, friend, etc): TAC
Have you read all the Rules? Uhhuh
Do you understand that this is an adult board with adult content (sometimes graphic and violent in nature)? Yes indeedalee doodalee
This board is adult only. Are you over the age of 18? Yupperooni