Monica Paez de Roa
Monica Paez de Roa is a Daeva Circle of the Crone (Prince) vampire from Mexico.
Overview
Embraced more than 350 years ago for her heartbreaking beauty and soothing, shy voice, Monica Paez de Roa was a favorite of the Daeva in her city for decades. The half-Spanish daughter of a conquering warrior, she seemed infused with an innocence and earthly calm that was as circumstantially improbable as it was impossible to resist. Inducted into the Circle of the Crone by her sire, she practiced the worship of old gods in new masks, transposing the Catholic saints into representations of Aztec divinity and teaching her compatriots the symbols and names of her father's people.
The domain of Monica's early nights was one of violent strife, reflecting the conquest of the mortals in the battle between native elders and the newly arrived Kindred of Spain. She watched vampires clashing in furious battle, literally tearing one another limb from limb, and yet she remained untouched. None could bring themselves to attack her - not the elder natives, to whom she spoke so endearingly, and not the invaders, who were confused by her European ways and often mistook her for one of their own.
In the midst of war, Monica found love with a Gangrel invader name Juan de Amaya. Their affair was conducted in secret, away from the prying eyes of Monica's native Circle and Juan's European Prince. For three short years, they experienced real bliss, forgetting the evils of vampirism in one another's arms. Inevitably, they were discovered and forbidden to continue their affair unless one of the other agreed to betray their Kindred. Neither would bend, and the two were forcibly separated. Juan was ultimately destroyed in battle, and Monica slipped into a miserable lassitude, eventually falling into a torpor that lasted throughout the 18th century.
When she woke again, she found her home domain completely changed. The invading Kindred had taken over, destroying or driving out most of their native counterparts in the process. Some remained and integrated themselves into the new society, choosing a Requiem of peace over dedication to the old ways. Monica herself was forgotten, and her awakening was a surprise to the Kindred of the city, who assumed she was of European lineage and welcomed her with open arms.
For nearly a century, she dwelled in sadness, mourning the loss of her Juan. None could console her, and she became a fixture of silent melancholy at Elysium. Dozens of Kindred threw themselves at her feet in the passage of time, desperate to bring happiness to this achingly beautiful, pitifully grief-stricken vampire. Every effort failed - but her kindness and patience with each earned her the admiration and love of many. She befriended many of her would-be lovers, waling with them in her gardens and dreaming of a world long gone. A new Circle of Acolytes formed around her, and she taught them her enduring ways.
Conflicts came and went, rarely approaching her, but often eliminating those more powerful. Two coup attempts shook the Elysium in the early decades of the 20th century, and the upper echelons of Kindred power in the city collapsed. Monica was surprised to find that her attempts at a quiet, unassuming Requiem had left her in a position of prominence: unparalleled in personal power and surrounded by a network of dedicated, able allies. She resisted the call of leadership, but her Circle grew in standing, and her network of supporters began interpreting her advice as official declarations - enforcing policies that she believed in but never intended to apply outside her own garden.
In 1932, the Kindred of her domain declared Monica's accession to the title of Prince, won without bloodshed and almost unanimously applauded. Since then, her rule has been imperfect but popular - she makes the errors expected of a vampire who never learned to lead, often erring on the side of personal experience and judgment over pragmatic necessity. Support for her remains strong into the modern nights, though.
Despite her rise to power and the comfort it brings, Monica is still unhappy. She has never loved since Juan was taken from her, and she believes she never will again. The huge garden she tends (and sleeps in) is a great memorial to him, sown with the flowers he would brings to her in their first nights together. there is nothing she wants for but reunion with her lover - and that is an impossibility.
Description
Monica seems to be a teenage mestizo girl, somewhere around 15 or 16 years old. Her skin is naturally ash gray, but turns a light chocolate brown when she is infused with fresh Vitae, and her eyes are large and dark. She wears her jet-black hair in two long braids, often tying them up in elaborate loops and pinning them with turquoise brooches. She is achingly beautiful, drawing astonished stares whenever she chooses t venture among the mortals of her domain. The perfumes of her garden often seem to attach to her, and she brings the fresh scent of summer blooms with her wherever she goes.
She almost always wears a simple, gauzy white summer dress and little else. She is always barefoot, and adorns her fingers with understated silver rings. Many have said that her uncomplicated approach to clothing reflects the virtue and vice of her observers: those who know themselves to be indulgent see a critique of their habits in her plain satisfaction. Those who are at peace with themselves aspire to her apparently easy minimalism.
Stats
Clan: Daeva
Covenant: Circle of the Crone
Embrace: 1644
Apparent Age: 16
Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 4, Resolve 5
Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3
Social Attributes: Presence 6, Manipulation 3, Composure 6
Skills: Academics 4, Crafts (Gardening, Flower Arranging) 5, Medicine (Natural Remedies) 4, Occult 5, Politics 3, Larceny 2, Stealth 2, Animal Ken 3, Empathy (Kindred) 5, Expression 3, Intimidation (Blithe Appearance) 4, Persuasion 6, Socialize 3
Merits: City Status 5, Covenant Status (Circle of the Crone) 5, Haven Size 5, Haven Security 4, Haven Location 4, Herd 3, Retainers 4, Striking Looks 4
Willpower: 9 (reduced through siring)
Humanity: 4
Virtue: Hope.
Vice: Gluttony.
Health: 8
Initiative: 10 (15)
Defense: 4
Speed: 11 (66)
Blood Potency: 6 (15/3 Vitae/per turn)
Disciplines: Animalism 2, Celerity 5, Majesty 5, Protean 2, Crúac 4
Crúac Rituals: Blood Witness, Rigor Mortis, Barrier of Blood, Deflection of Wooden Doom, Song of Blood, Willful Vitae
References
- CofD: Shadows of Mexico, p. 152-156
