Description: Soft, rounded features, a subtle sprinkling of freckles, and wide gray-blue eyes combine to lend this young woman a somewhat naive and innocent countenance and girlish charm. But on closer inspection, there's something a little sharper in her gaze than the gentle curves of her face suggest. The most striking feature are those stormy eyes, not made of a single clear blue; they seem to hold constellations of a myriad of grays and blues within. Her long, wavy hair shimmers with a mixture of tawny and golden strands that coalesce into a color the less poetic might simply call "dark blond." Tall and long-limbed, there's a coltish quality about her, though feminine curves keep her from being anything one might call boyish. She favors rich fabrics in greens, blues, golds, and whites; her hair, she prefers to wear in loose tumbling waves or somewhat messy updos.

Personality: Evonleigh's personality is a mercurial one, depending on her mood and her intentions. A natural actress, it's hard to tell when the charm is sincere and when it is feigned. At either rate, Evonleigh's charm is very rarely the sweet and evanescent sort, but rather one with a sharper edge. She doesn't fawn but instead banters; she doesn't giggle, but smirks. She's a bit cynical but has a good heart despite her somewhat sardonic outlook on the world. From time to time, her mood grows melancholy or her temper flares, but it seems to pass quickly enough, like the a cloud passing the sun in an otherwise clear sky. She often wears a mask, metaphorically speaking, but when she lets herself feel, it is intense, no matter the emotion. Some days she's better at masking it than others.

Background: Evonleigh Mercier was born the third of four children in the merchant family, sister to Delilah, Kenna, and Gaius, and cousin of Silas Mercier, who would one day be ennobled as Lord Whitehawk. Evonleigh was always just a little dramatic, with a flair for tantrums or flights of fancy. She was fond of writing and putting on little plays for her sisters and cousins to perform -- a common hobby for many children, it became something she was rather good at. As she had no head for business, it was little surprise that she chose to become an actress rather than follow in the mercantile footsteps of her parents.

Evonleigh joined an acting troupe that traveled extensively, though she stayed in close contact with her family. She forged a close, if tumultuous, relationship with the leader of the troupe. The two usually played opposite one another in the leads of the plays they performed, and their chemistry on stage and off was undeniable. It was rumored they might become betrothed. She chose at first not to join her siblings in her cousin Silas' House, because she was so in love with the actor Aurelius. Unfortunately, he proved less devoted than she, making excuses for putting off engagement while soaking up the attention of his fans wherever they traveled -- there were whispers of indiscretions, a "woman in every port" so to speak. Evonleigh, heartbroken, confronted him at a party in a bit of a tantrum. After a heated argument, he stormed off. It was the last she saw of him alive, because Aurelius died later that night -- intoxicated, he fell down a long flight of stairs to his death. Luckily there were many witnesses, and Evonleigh nowhere near, for otherwise Evonleigh might have been a suspect.

The last words Evonleigh had spoken to the man had been unkind ones, but that seemed to make her grief all the deeper, full of regrets and guilt. The troupe disbanded without their leader, and, along with the loss of Aurelius, Evonleigh lost some of her friends as well -- those who felt he might not have died if she hadn't fought with him that night. The feelings of loss, betrayal, hurt and guilt were a complicated mix that she hasn't truly dealt with. She shut herself away for a time, returning to her childhood home, before accepting the invitation to join her siblings in Arx as a Lady of Whitehawk, eager to put the past in the past.

Relationship Summary

Sibling:

Delilah - The brilliant older sister

Kenna - The effervescent and feisty little sister

Gaius - Older brother who I see far too little of

Patron:

Lorenzo - The kindest and most generous patron I could hope for.

Family:

Silas - My cousin so noble they made him one.

Tabitha - The sweetest cousin and Hawk

Elora - Wild-hearted and gentle cousin

Jyri - Family by bond and as much family as the rest.