Taxonomites Application

[magic_weaver]

CHARACTER NAME: Sandrilene fa Toren
CANON: Circle of Magic
MEDIUM: Books
BIRTHDAY/AGE: Seventeen. Her birthday is the twelfth of Wort Moon, or the book/world’s equivalent to August 12th.
CANON POINT: Close to the beginning of Will of the Empress, when the four are preparing to leave for Namorn to visit Sandry’s cousins and estates.


WHY THIS CHARACTER AND CANON POINT?: Sandry is normally an interesting character, and at the beginning of the book there is a lot to build on. Tension is high with her siblings as they meet again after wars and adventures. It is a point at which Sandry is learning to come to terms with her own responsibility, and while she has always been mature, this particular point begins the process of her realizing those responsibilities. On a lesser note, she’s the opposite of Kaylee in terms of technology, which I thought might also balance nicely.


PROGRAMMED POSSESSION: The small pouch that she normally keeps around her neck containing a light crystal made by her foster siblings, and the first thread she ever spun, which is now a seamless loop with four lumps containing the magics of Sandry and her foster siblings.


ABILITIES/WEAKNESSES: Sandry is what most people in her world would refer to as a “stitch-witch,” or thread mage.  Her powers revolve around the manipulation of threads and fabrics.  As such, she can weave magic into thread as she makes it, or lay spells into already woven fabric.  These spells can be as simple as creating a fabric that doesn’t stain or wrinkle, or as complex as a piece of cloth spelled for protection.

In addition to her power over thread, Sandry is also the only mage known to have ever woven pure magic.  She has the ability, if allowed, to spin others’ magics together, or to weave them apart if necessary.  Because of the events that transpired when she first discovered this ability, Sandry also shares a mental connection with her three foster siblings (Daja, Briar, and Tris) due to their magics being woven together.  This ability not only serves to make any of the woven magic stronger, but to also map out and fix flaws or leaks in the magic. As a result of this mental bleed, she also shares elements of her siblings’ powers (for example, when Tris learned to see magic, the other three learned the same through their connection with her). These elements are minimal. It is worth mentioning that with some toil Sandry is also able to weave Unmagic, a dark and destructive kind of magic that absorbs what we might consider to be normal magic. It attracts and consumes magic, and eliminates other elements as well--light and sound, for example.

Sandry’s powers have several weaknesses. In her world, mages are common, and she is not immune to the workings of other magic users. There are ways to bind her magic, just as there are limits to what she can accomplish in one sitting. Attempts to control, change, or go against nature often end the lives of many young mages. Sandry also has a paralyzing fear of the dark, and loses her ability to function when she finds herself in the dark without any possible source of light.


PSYCHOLOGY/PERSONALITY:
Sandry is, first and foremost, a very friendly (and therefore often nosy) young woman.  She will make friends with anyone she can, with no thought whatsoever of race or rank, and she treats everyone she comes across as an equal.  This is partially due to her parents’ constant travels, and the other nobles dislike of her parents’ methods of raising her.  They did not wish to associate their own children with Sandry, and she was left to make friends with anyone she could.  This led to her befriending many children below her ranking status, and she learned to stop caring about nobles versus commoners.  People are people in her eyes, no matter where they live or how much money they might make.  While her easy nature at talking to people and trying to get to know them better puts many people off at first, Sandry’s persistence and strong personality often win them over in the end.

Noble by birth, she is every ounce a young lady.  Most of the time she is perfectly poised and elegant, though she has a strong stubborn streak that occasionally gets in the way of everything proper.  Sandry has a strong distaste for cruel and uncaring people.  While she is more prone to settling arguments with words, she will not hesitate to rush into a scuffle if someone--friend or not--needs help.  This sometimes leads to trouble, as she doesn’t always look before she leaps, and might throw herself into a situation that is too much for her to handle alone.  She is a very stubborn individual, though, and can hold her own for longer than might be expected from the slight girl she is.  Her only true fear is finding herself in complete darkness, due to the traumatizing events of her childhood.


HISTORY: Sandry’s history can be found here: http://tamorapierce.wikia.com/wiki/Sandrilene_fa_Toren#Biography


ARRIVAL POST:
For a brief moment, home had finally felt like home again. She and Briar had argued, loudly and with the reasoning of children, but in that small instant of irritation Sandry had seen their old sibling bond. She had stormed around Daja’s house, taking measurements and debating the best fabrics and colors for her foster brother and sisters. That afternoon, despite her somewhat childish behavior, Sandry had returned hom with a new spark of hope in her chest. Thy were going to be okay. They had to be okay.

What she hadn’t expected was to wake the next morning--or was it still the same night?--in seamless metal chamber with no sign of an exit. For several moments Sandry took in the room, blinking at the walls around her for any sign of magic. The heaviness at her wrist distracted fairly quickly, and she turned to inspect the bracelet on her wrist. It told her nothing, and without Daja’s knowledge of metal there was no telling how or why it had been placed on her. The obvious answer, at least at first, was that she had been taken for ransom, and that the wrist was some sort of magic inhibitor. But there was no magic within the bracelet, and Sandry could feel her own magic as plain and clean as was normal. “Either they’re very good, or very stupid,” she mused to herself. Of course she couldn’t do anything with metal, but there might be other options...

Brow furrowed, the noble finally rose from the ground and checked for the pouch around her neck. Whoever had taken her hadn’t been very smart at all. The pouch was still there, as were its contents. The room was bright for now, but if whatever source was causing the light went out, at least she still had her crystal. More importantly, she had the thread that represented the bond between her foster siblings and herself. The lumps that lately had been warm with Tris and Daja’s magics were cold, but Briar’s gave a faint pulse. She gave it a slight tug, but the connection was still firmly closed. Unless she absolutely could not find a way out it would stay that way. Briar didn’t want her there, and she wasn’t about to force it after their arguments the day before.

Sandry sighed and placed the pouch back under her nightclothes, then smoothed the material over before firmly setting her jaw and addressing the empty room. “I am Lady Sandrilene fa Toren, Clehame fa Landreg, and I demand an immediate explanation as to why I have been brought here.”

No response.

“I won’t sit quietly and wait, if that’s what you’re thinking, so you may as well just answer me now. The very least you can do is give me your terms. It will be much easier on you if you cooperate now.”

Nothing. Mildly frustrated now, Sandry pushed her magic out, seeking some sort of material she could get a grasp on. There were wires in the walls, but she pulled her magic back quickly with a sharp, “Oh!” when she felt the electricity running through them--she would need Tris’ help to even think about doing anything with those.

“Oh, cat dirt.”


ADDITIONAL SAMPLE:
Patience. It was a simple skill that she had been attempting to perfect during long hours of monitoring her uncle’s accounts and looking over what she sometimes considered more than her share of paperwork and reports from her cousin. Sandry had always been somewhat patient before. One needed to be, when spinning or weaving. But this was a different kind, sitting here with these papers. Hours of reports in other languages were far more trying to her than even days of sitting in front of a loom.

It was late when she finally finished the last of the reports. Her light crystal had been sitting next to her on the desk for several hours now. But the reports were done satisfactorily, and it would save her uncle the trouble of fretting over them. Sandry left the folders to bind themselves as she stood, stretching out unused muscles and rubbing tired eyes.

The sentinel outside the office couldn’t conceal the look of amusement as she left the office. “His grace won’t be happy to know you’ve been in so long, my lady,” he said.

Sandry gave him a weary smile and shook her head. “He won’t, but I’d rather I spent the time checking things over than having to worry about him stressing himself into another heart attack.” The guard nodded in understanding and bade her a good night as he continued his walk. No one wanted to see the kind Duke go, especially when the prospect of his less-than-honorable son taking charge waited around the corner.

Her room was well-lit, as always, and she slipped inside with relief. “Oh, do stop it,” she scolded one of the tapestries on the wall as its fibers reached for her. “You know better.” The tapestry understood, and straightened itself out nicely against the wall. Sandry changed quickly into her nightgown. Her light crystal was placed gently on her nightstand before she crawled into the welcome grasp of her blankets. They curled around her, eager to comfort and warm until she reassured them into loosening. There were no plans made for morning, and nothing was going to make her move until she absolutely wanted to--especially reports.