Salamander
Writer
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To establish the existence of three paintings found in one of the halls of Tintagel, each holding great significance to Arrius Messala's background.
- Image Credit: Art by Vanessa Lemen found here, here, and here.
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Inspired by the Brides of Dracula.
- Media Name: The Brides; sometimes referred to as The Three Brides.
- Format: Painting
- Distribution: Unique
- Length: Minuscule
- Description: Three paintings, each a portrait of a humanoid woman in a surreal setting, are hung in one of the halls of Tintagel.
- Author: The artist has not been officially revealed, though those familiar with the art world tend to believe that they must be the work of Aelita Rhodes, a Vindalian known for painting fantastical portraits of goddesses and other mythological beings.
- Publisher: The paintings were commissioned by Arrius Messala as decorations for his home.
- Reception: Virtually unheard of outside of the few people who have visited Tintagel and seen them on display there, the paintings leave a lasting impression on the viewer. Theories abound as to the identity of the women in the portraits, their meaning, and Messala's motives in commissioning them. Most agree that they must hold some special significance to Messala, who doesn't typically feature traditional, stationary art in his private residence, but the big questions remain unanswered.
The three portraits are painted on panels of wood. They are surrealist and fantastical in style, featuring swirling colors, strange patterns, and unusual paint textures. Each portrait uses a different color scheme, though gold/orange are present in all three in one form or another. The beautiful features of each figure are idealized and almost deified in their depiction, resembling goddesses rather than mortal females.
CONTENT INFORMATION
- Omie, Bride of the Alchemist - The first painting depicts a woman with headtails, similar to a Twi'lek or Togruta. Her skin is painted gray, her eyes are a dull blue, and the headtails and her clothing are gold or bronze in hue.
- Erictho, Bride of the Necromancer - The second painting depicts a woman holding out her hand. A ball of warm golden light hovers above her palm. Hers is the most "complete" of the portraits, as it is the most detailed figure and a significant portion of her body is shown compared to the other two, which only depict their subjects from the shoulders up.
- Persis, Bride of the Seer - The third painting depicts a woman with milky or cloudy eyes, indicating blindness. A yellow crescent marks her forehead. Every part of her body except for her face is covered. Her expression seems to indicate she is in a trance, with her sightless eyes transfixed on something only she can see.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
To: Neris Farr
From: Anonymous [ADDRESS CANNOT BE TRACED]
Subject: The Brides
The paintings do indeed hold special significance to Arrius Messala. They each depict a woman he once knew.
Omie, the subject of the first portrait, was the wife and muse of his first teacher, an alchemist named Aylmer. A very beautiful woman, she suffered from a slight physical deformity caused by the odd growth of her Togruta headtails. Aylmer attempted to remove the deformity using alchemy. He succeeded, but Omie died in the process. It was quite tragic. Soap opera-ish as it might seem, I'm convinced that Messala loved her and was jealous of Aylmer's relationship with her. He certainly was quick to blame Aylmer, and it provides a motive for his taking care of their son Errol after Aylmer died.
Erictho, on the other hand, was a Shi'ido witch who practiced necromancy, a sort of Belia Darzu/Darth Simi knockoff. It was of course impossible to tell her age, but she alluded to being incredibly old, having extended her lifespan by feeding on others. Messala encountered her by chance on Ambria; she forced him to stay and serve her, apparently by threatening to drain Errol's Force energies if he refused. He took the opportunity to gain her trust and learn her power before he eventually killed her and escaped. At least, Messala thinks he killed her. There's a small chance she may have survived.
Finally, Persis was a fellow student at the Chaldean Academy, which Messala attended years ago. Though blind, she experienced occasional visions of the future brought on by the Force. She and Messala appear to have been romantically linked at one point. I know, shocking. The only woman who ever reciprocated the poor old bastard's affections was literally blind, no wonder he has such a chip on his shoulder. Of the three women, she is the only one whom I could confirm was still alive - she is currently employed as a teacher at the Academy.
If I find out anything else of interest, I'll be sure to tell you all about it.
~Your Most Humble and Obedient Servant
Last edited:
