Post by Nadine Brissot on Dec 12, 2006 20:28:49 GMT -5
Name: Nadine Paulette Rosalie Brissot
Rank: Pirate
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Personality:
Her mother wanted her to be quiet and do as she was told. Her father wanted her to break out and express herself. Nadine is stuck somewhere in the middle. She will always hear what others have to say because it's the polite thing to do, though I doubt she'll really listen to you, because your opinions aren't worth much to her. When she is asked or told to do something she feels compelled to do it, which comes from years and years of training and discipline, though if the task is something she thinks is morally wrong she will perform it begrudingly.
Her father taught her to never be someone she's not, or pretend to be something else for anyone. His philosophy was to never settle until she had found out everything she could, and do everything possible to make every situation better than when she found it. Since she has trained to be a lady, she cannot physically act out, or emotionally, so her father encouraged her to rebel in her music, to be passionate in her craft. This has earned her a presitgious name in the music world and respect amoung her peers, which she tries her best to accept humbly.
The end result of all of this madness is what appears to be someone that's generally happy, who bounces along through life as though it's nothing but a trifle. While that is on the outside, Nadine has a dark, sadistic inner core that is constantly thinking of the troubles around her, trying to get past them the best way she knows how, which is to think about them and seemingly ignore them. This loop of thinking makes her depressed at times, as though the weight of the world were crushing her, because of the compassion she has for the things around her. The compassion makes her care about the worries, which causes her to want to be compassionate, until she is consumed by these thoughts. Years of practicing meditations has taught her to balance this compassion with her thoughts, so she comes off as being languid.
When her parents were killed by the English, it turned Nadine bitter and angry, so now she sails under a pirates flag, trying to kill as many English as she can. Yes, she is aware that most of her pirate commorades are English, but they share a mutual hate for the crown.
Physical Description:
Eye Colour: Atlantic-blue
Hair Colour: Mousy brown
Height: 5' 6"
Distinguishing Marks: A heart-shaped birthmark on her stomach.
Nadine is not typical French, but more French than a lot of French people. When she is on her tippy-toes she might brush 5'8", but when she stands flat on the soles of her feet she is a simple 5'6". Like all good people of French ancestry, Nadine has gentle curves and proportioned measurements, but her American half cursed her with a small bosom. As a musician she hasn't really had any continued strain to cause much muscle to build up, but since she moved to the Caribbean swimming, climbing, and hiking have caused her to become strong, though it doesn't really show in her slender limbs.
Her nose is long, which is the French part of her, but it's round and buttony, like the American in her. What would have been pale, ivory skin (French) is a gentle cream, often dotted with freckles depending on how much sun she gets. Her hair is a mousy brown, long and luxurious, something she is glad she inherited from her dad. The last feature, and her personal favorite part of her face, are her eyes. They are the deep, Atlantic-blue of the French royal family -- a rare trait that can be seen in portraits throughout history -- and are lined with long curly lashes of similar hue to her hair.
Men of the French courts had begged her father for permission to marry her when she was only 14, her beauty was that reknowned. She was not kept secret, but her general appearance was not seen by many, which added to her seductive allure. When she moved to the Caribbean, her skin took on a gentle glow from tanning.
As a noble, with proper noble training, she tends to wear the most fashionable dresses of the time when she does not wish mainlanders to know that she is a pirate. However, due to her nature and personality, dresses are not her favored form of clothing. When she is not in the public's eye and out at sea, she wears tunics and trousers that will allow her to run her ship. Boots are a must, as is a hat, because the sea is a vicious master. Where ever she goes, she usually keeps her long hair up, but on occasion she enjoys letting it down and flow in the wind.
History:
Nadine was the first and last born to Theresa Brissot (French) and James McDougall (American) at a small, private hospital in Lyon, France. Her father was a very wealthy merchant from America who had come to France to trade his goods and had fallen in love with the daughter of his trading partner, a lord who ruled over Marseilles. It was his business of trade that would eventually take his family to the Caribbean and seal Nadine's fate.
As a baby she stayed in Lyon, with most of her young childhood spent being tutored in music, reading, writing, and numbers. As she grew lessons of hospitality, walking, talking, dressing, and manners were taught, as most nobles were well versed in all these things and more, like languages, fencing, needlework, and trade. From the day she first opened her eyes to the world her mother had called her beautiful, and as each day passed her beauty grew more and more. By the time she had blossomed into a young woman at the age of 13, men twice her age and older were questioning her father as to her marriage status. More than once her father denied rather large dowries, to protect his daughter from any danger. As the daughter of a noble, Nadine was presented to the King on her fourteenth birthday, and she played music for him that made him weep. Word of her abilities was spread throughout France, and even more people arrived at their doorstep seeking the famous Nadine.
This attention suited Nadine fine, but she wasn't allowed to show that she enjoyed all the attention, since it would have been bold of her. Despite her growing fame and wealth accumulating from admirers, Nadine's father had other plans for his daughter. She was introduced to a young prince from Belgium at the age of 15, and unbeknown to her, was promised to him in marriage. After a year or so of talks, walks, and secret kisses, Nadine finally admitted to herself that she was in love with Andrei. Fate would not let the two lovers unite, however, as he was called off to war, where he was killed. This broke the young musician's heart, and she would no longer play her violin, as it reminded her of Andrei and the love they had shared. The led to a decline in the revenue she was making from her performances, and her father was forced to go back to trade. It was at the critical point in her life that everything changed.
James found a German trading partner in the Caribbean who was willing to meet with the American and set up a trading deal. James decided that bringing his family along as a sort of vacation would be a great idea, and so packed his devastated daughter and wife into his ship and set sail for the island of Jamaica. As they entered the Sargasso Sea, a British military ship flagged them down, requesting talk. James, being a well traveled merchant put his daughter into her cabin, and locked the door behind him, despite her cries of protest. His wife made tea and set it out for the militants who were expected on board. However, what James and Theresa did not realize that the British were not coming to tea, but instead were coming to investigate the French colors that were flying high in the breeze.
While Nadine waited quietly on her bed, as instructed, the English came on board and started asking questions that James had difficulty answering. The fact that he was American, at a time of unrest in the Americas, was something that simply bothered the soldiers. Slowly tempers flared, and when the shouting started is when Nadine started paying attention, peeking through the slits in her door at what was going on beyond. Her vision was limited, but she saw a rifle butt come down and her mother screamed horribly, and then two shots rang out, loudly and clearly. Her cries were muffled by her own hand, though at the time she swore that someone else was in the room with her the day she saw her parents killed. The crew surrendered quietly, not wanting to share the fate of their masters, and a skeleton crew of the English were left on board to sail the ship to Port Royal. Nadine, terrified that she would lose her life as well, remained in her room for a week with no food and water, listening only to the conversations of the soldiers outside her rooms. It was in the middle of the night when shouts and gun shots awoke her from her confused stupor, which lasted for what she figured was an hour. It was nearly morning when several large bangs broke down her door. She was sitting huddled in the corner of the room, trying to see who her killer was. Instead of an English soldier, she saw a man garbed in dirty clothes holding a pistol, and another man clutching a wooden eyeball, blowing off dirt and debris. They did not kill her but grabbed her and presented her before another man, who was pulling a sword from a red coat, the man they described as the captain of their vessel.
It was then explained to Nadine that her father's ship had been captured by pirates, and that they were going to take everything of value from it and leave it burning. This brought Nadine to tears, because she knew she was meeting her end, and she begged as passionately as she could for the captain to spare her life. She offered him the ship, since it had fallen to her because of her father's death, and everything in it except her violin, which was most precious to her. The captain was very intrigued with the beautiful maiden's proposal, and agreed upon hearing a song from her. Nadine, weak of body and mind and with broken spirit raised her violin to her chin and played the only song that would describe the pain in her heart. This captain did not weep as the King had, but the music moved him so that he extended a place on his ship for her.
She was taken aboard not as a prisoner but as a captive, and so for the next few years she played private concerts for the men of the ship she came to call Perle Noire. Through vicarious methods Nadine learned the tricks of piracy, and finally came to the captain and asked for permission to join his crew. Her argument was that she had not only served as his jester for many years without fuss or attempting to run away, but that she would be a good asset to the crew. She hated the English for what they did to her parents, she explained, and in said years had learned and mastered swimming, diving, fighting, drinking, and learning the more delicate workings of the ship. The captain obliged, as her logic was flawless, and she was accepted as a member of the crew. She knew full well by then the dangers of this particular crew, and was quite happy with her place in life, getting by and barely being noticed. It wasn't until something quite strange happened concerning a piece of gold that Nadine finally left the people she had come to know. She could take the plundering and pillaging, and the remarks and advances that were made at her, but when this gold was discovered the crew changed and became more vile and evil than they had ever been. When they finally came to the settlement to attack, Nadine approached the captain and informed him that she was leaving. She what she had accumulated over her years with the Perle Noire and her violin, and bade him farewell over the canon fire.
This was how Nadine came to reside in Port Royal, trying to make her way with what she has. The money she took with her bought her a very nice estate, but after years on the sea she finds it hard to sit still. She purchased a small schooner as well, in case she ever needed to go to Tortuga, but for now she stays put, biding her time until she can kill more English.
Strengths:
Not all strengths are trumpeted loudly and with pomp, and so are the strengths within Nadine. She tends to be very strong willed and competitive, and will not give up without a fight, be it a duel or a battle of wit and words. Training and grace have granted her superior swordsman skills, and though she learned fencing and not how to wield an actual sword, she can still manage the weight of a rapier. Music lessons from infancy have left a brilliant violinist in its wake, and Nadine can boast having performed for the King of France and having him weep.
Since moving to the Caribbean Nadine has also become an excellent swimmer and diver, and can hold her breath for well over two minutes. Handling a pistol is not something that she likes to boast of, but the mechanisms of the weapon are easy enough for her to understand. While she does not have a mathematical or scientific mind per say, she does tend to see things from a strategic and calculated viewpoint, which has proven useful in many battles.
Weaknessess:
Nadine tried her best to please both of her parents, but as a result formed a bit of a people-pleasing complex. She tries her best to make the people around her happy but tends to forget about herself. Over time this has caused her to wear down, trying her patience more and more often; now it takes less time for her to snap at people, though she tries her best to hold this impatience in. Most people would not see her outbursts as wrong or even violent, but in her eyes (due to her training) they are extremely 'out there' and not like her at all. Some people might even call her obsessive compulsive, but due to the nature of her position in society this is never mentioned.
Nadine is susceptible to flattery, and will go weak in the knees whenever someone, especially a man, compliments her. Like most girls of the time she also loves gifts of any sort, but particularly of the expensive and classy nature. Food is also something that Nadine cannot resist, though she tries her hardest to be as lady like as possible when she eats.
Other:
Nadine is trilingual, speaking English, French, and Spanish.
Rank: Pirate
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Personality:
Her mother wanted her to be quiet and do as she was told. Her father wanted her to break out and express herself. Nadine is stuck somewhere in the middle. She will always hear what others have to say because it's the polite thing to do, though I doubt she'll really listen to you, because your opinions aren't worth much to her. When she is asked or told to do something she feels compelled to do it, which comes from years and years of training and discipline, though if the task is something she thinks is morally wrong she will perform it begrudingly.
Her father taught her to never be someone she's not, or pretend to be something else for anyone. His philosophy was to never settle until she had found out everything she could, and do everything possible to make every situation better than when she found it. Since she has trained to be a lady, she cannot physically act out, or emotionally, so her father encouraged her to rebel in her music, to be passionate in her craft. This has earned her a presitgious name in the music world and respect amoung her peers, which she tries her best to accept humbly.
The end result of all of this madness is what appears to be someone that's generally happy, who bounces along through life as though it's nothing but a trifle. While that is on the outside, Nadine has a dark, sadistic inner core that is constantly thinking of the troubles around her, trying to get past them the best way she knows how, which is to think about them and seemingly ignore them. This loop of thinking makes her depressed at times, as though the weight of the world were crushing her, because of the compassion she has for the things around her. The compassion makes her care about the worries, which causes her to want to be compassionate, until she is consumed by these thoughts. Years of practicing meditations has taught her to balance this compassion with her thoughts, so she comes off as being languid.
When her parents were killed by the English, it turned Nadine bitter and angry, so now she sails under a pirates flag, trying to kill as many English as she can. Yes, she is aware that most of her pirate commorades are English, but they share a mutual hate for the crown.
Physical Description:
Eye Colour: Atlantic-blue
Hair Colour: Mousy brown
Height: 5' 6"
Distinguishing Marks: A heart-shaped birthmark on her stomach.
Nadine is not typical French, but more French than a lot of French people. When she is on her tippy-toes she might brush 5'8", but when she stands flat on the soles of her feet she is a simple 5'6". Like all good people of French ancestry, Nadine has gentle curves and proportioned measurements, but her American half cursed her with a small bosom. As a musician she hasn't really had any continued strain to cause much muscle to build up, but since she moved to the Caribbean swimming, climbing, and hiking have caused her to become strong, though it doesn't really show in her slender limbs.
Her nose is long, which is the French part of her, but it's round and buttony, like the American in her. What would have been pale, ivory skin (French) is a gentle cream, often dotted with freckles depending on how much sun she gets. Her hair is a mousy brown, long and luxurious, something she is glad she inherited from her dad. The last feature, and her personal favorite part of her face, are her eyes. They are the deep, Atlantic-blue of the French royal family -- a rare trait that can be seen in portraits throughout history -- and are lined with long curly lashes of similar hue to her hair.
Men of the French courts had begged her father for permission to marry her when she was only 14, her beauty was that reknowned. She was not kept secret, but her general appearance was not seen by many, which added to her seductive allure. When she moved to the Caribbean, her skin took on a gentle glow from tanning.
As a noble, with proper noble training, she tends to wear the most fashionable dresses of the time when she does not wish mainlanders to know that she is a pirate. However, due to her nature and personality, dresses are not her favored form of clothing. When she is not in the public's eye and out at sea, she wears tunics and trousers that will allow her to run her ship. Boots are a must, as is a hat, because the sea is a vicious master. Where ever she goes, she usually keeps her long hair up, but on occasion she enjoys letting it down and flow in the wind.
History:
Nadine was the first and last born to Theresa Brissot (French) and James McDougall (American) at a small, private hospital in Lyon, France. Her father was a very wealthy merchant from America who had come to France to trade his goods and had fallen in love with the daughter of his trading partner, a lord who ruled over Marseilles. It was his business of trade that would eventually take his family to the Caribbean and seal Nadine's fate.
As a baby she stayed in Lyon, with most of her young childhood spent being tutored in music, reading, writing, and numbers. As she grew lessons of hospitality, walking, talking, dressing, and manners were taught, as most nobles were well versed in all these things and more, like languages, fencing, needlework, and trade. From the day she first opened her eyes to the world her mother had called her beautiful, and as each day passed her beauty grew more and more. By the time she had blossomed into a young woman at the age of 13, men twice her age and older were questioning her father as to her marriage status. More than once her father denied rather large dowries, to protect his daughter from any danger. As the daughter of a noble, Nadine was presented to the King on her fourteenth birthday, and she played music for him that made him weep. Word of her abilities was spread throughout France, and even more people arrived at their doorstep seeking the famous Nadine.
This attention suited Nadine fine, but she wasn't allowed to show that she enjoyed all the attention, since it would have been bold of her. Despite her growing fame and wealth accumulating from admirers, Nadine's father had other plans for his daughter. She was introduced to a young prince from Belgium at the age of 15, and unbeknown to her, was promised to him in marriage. After a year or so of talks, walks, and secret kisses, Nadine finally admitted to herself that she was in love with Andrei. Fate would not let the two lovers unite, however, as he was called off to war, where he was killed. This broke the young musician's heart, and she would no longer play her violin, as it reminded her of Andrei and the love they had shared. The led to a decline in the revenue she was making from her performances, and her father was forced to go back to trade. It was at the critical point in her life that everything changed.
James found a German trading partner in the Caribbean who was willing to meet with the American and set up a trading deal. James decided that bringing his family along as a sort of vacation would be a great idea, and so packed his devastated daughter and wife into his ship and set sail for the island of Jamaica. As they entered the Sargasso Sea, a British military ship flagged them down, requesting talk. James, being a well traveled merchant put his daughter into her cabin, and locked the door behind him, despite her cries of protest. His wife made tea and set it out for the militants who were expected on board. However, what James and Theresa did not realize that the British were not coming to tea, but instead were coming to investigate the French colors that were flying high in the breeze.
While Nadine waited quietly on her bed, as instructed, the English came on board and started asking questions that James had difficulty answering. The fact that he was American, at a time of unrest in the Americas, was something that simply bothered the soldiers. Slowly tempers flared, and when the shouting started is when Nadine started paying attention, peeking through the slits in her door at what was going on beyond. Her vision was limited, but she saw a rifle butt come down and her mother screamed horribly, and then two shots rang out, loudly and clearly. Her cries were muffled by her own hand, though at the time she swore that someone else was in the room with her the day she saw her parents killed. The crew surrendered quietly, not wanting to share the fate of their masters, and a skeleton crew of the English were left on board to sail the ship to Port Royal. Nadine, terrified that she would lose her life as well, remained in her room for a week with no food and water, listening only to the conversations of the soldiers outside her rooms. It was in the middle of the night when shouts and gun shots awoke her from her confused stupor, which lasted for what she figured was an hour. It was nearly morning when several large bangs broke down her door. She was sitting huddled in the corner of the room, trying to see who her killer was. Instead of an English soldier, she saw a man garbed in dirty clothes holding a pistol, and another man clutching a wooden eyeball, blowing off dirt and debris. They did not kill her but grabbed her and presented her before another man, who was pulling a sword from a red coat, the man they described as the captain of their vessel.
It was then explained to Nadine that her father's ship had been captured by pirates, and that they were going to take everything of value from it and leave it burning. This brought Nadine to tears, because she knew she was meeting her end, and she begged as passionately as she could for the captain to spare her life. She offered him the ship, since it had fallen to her because of her father's death, and everything in it except her violin, which was most precious to her. The captain was very intrigued with the beautiful maiden's proposal, and agreed upon hearing a song from her. Nadine, weak of body and mind and with broken spirit raised her violin to her chin and played the only song that would describe the pain in her heart. This captain did not weep as the King had, but the music moved him so that he extended a place on his ship for her.
She was taken aboard not as a prisoner but as a captive, and so for the next few years she played private concerts for the men of the ship she came to call Perle Noire. Through vicarious methods Nadine learned the tricks of piracy, and finally came to the captain and asked for permission to join his crew. Her argument was that she had not only served as his jester for many years without fuss or attempting to run away, but that she would be a good asset to the crew. She hated the English for what they did to her parents, she explained, and in said years had learned and mastered swimming, diving, fighting, drinking, and learning the more delicate workings of the ship. The captain obliged, as her logic was flawless, and she was accepted as a member of the crew. She knew full well by then the dangers of this particular crew, and was quite happy with her place in life, getting by and barely being noticed. It wasn't until something quite strange happened concerning a piece of gold that Nadine finally left the people she had come to know. She could take the plundering and pillaging, and the remarks and advances that were made at her, but when this gold was discovered the crew changed and became more vile and evil than they had ever been. When they finally came to the settlement to attack, Nadine approached the captain and informed him that she was leaving. She what she had accumulated over her years with the Perle Noire and her violin, and bade him farewell over the canon fire.
This was how Nadine came to reside in Port Royal, trying to make her way with what she has. The money she took with her bought her a very nice estate, but after years on the sea she finds it hard to sit still. She purchased a small schooner as well, in case she ever needed to go to Tortuga, but for now she stays put, biding her time until she can kill more English.
Strengths:
Not all strengths are trumpeted loudly and with pomp, and so are the strengths within Nadine. She tends to be very strong willed and competitive, and will not give up without a fight, be it a duel or a battle of wit and words. Training and grace have granted her superior swordsman skills, and though she learned fencing and not how to wield an actual sword, she can still manage the weight of a rapier. Music lessons from infancy have left a brilliant violinist in its wake, and Nadine can boast having performed for the King of France and having him weep.
Since moving to the Caribbean Nadine has also become an excellent swimmer and diver, and can hold her breath for well over two minutes. Handling a pistol is not something that she likes to boast of, but the mechanisms of the weapon are easy enough for her to understand. While she does not have a mathematical or scientific mind per say, she does tend to see things from a strategic and calculated viewpoint, which has proven useful in many battles.
Weaknessess:
Nadine tried her best to please both of her parents, but as a result formed a bit of a people-pleasing complex. She tries her best to make the people around her happy but tends to forget about herself. Over time this has caused her to wear down, trying her patience more and more often; now it takes less time for her to snap at people, though she tries her best to hold this impatience in. Most people would not see her outbursts as wrong or even violent, but in her eyes (due to her training) they are extremely 'out there' and not like her at all. Some people might even call her obsessive compulsive, but due to the nature of her position in society this is never mentioned.
Nadine is susceptible to flattery, and will go weak in the knees whenever someone, especially a man, compliments her. Like most girls of the time she also loves gifts of any sort, but particularly of the expensive and classy nature. Food is also something that Nadine cannot resist, though she tries her hardest to be as lady like as possible when she eats.
Other:
Nadine is trilingual, speaking English, French, and Spanish.
