Zhenya Poslavska
Italian Proverb
Personal Information
| The White Queen | |
| Seeming: | Elemental |
|---|---|
| Kith: | Archived-Metalflesh |
| Court: | Summer Court • |
| City: | Brisbane |
| Title: | |
| Entitlement: | None |
| Group: | First Response |
| Player: | Charlie Kay |
| Storyteller: | Brisbane VST |
Zhenya Poslavska (pronounced jen-yah) has been around the Freehold for over twenty years, now, and in that time she's moved from a young, terrified teenager in the ranks of Winter to a cornerstone of Summer's ranks. For years, she stood by the Summer King's side, lending a cold, clinical anger to his overwhelming wrath. While others labelled him a Tyrant, she stood by his side and led his ranks to glory.
And now, her King is gone. She's alone, a Queen without a King, and a thousand pieces need her protection and guidance. Silently, she sits atop her throne, barely venturing into the ranks, and desperately plays the political games that will keep her meager forces safe. But even as she does so, her cold, calm face can't conceal the rage that burns behind her eyes. It suffuses everything she does, every calm, calculated rumor, or order, that she hands out to the Freehold.
And while she sits back, mask hardened, managing the politics of the Freehold's new political system, Changeling tell tales about her. There's stories that she practices her combat arts against a training dummy with a black crown atop his head. Others tell of a time she burst out of the brambles of the hedge, valiantly taking blow after blow from a Hedgebeast until one of her Courtiers could escape. Some legends speak of the armory she keeps hidden in her hallow, to equip and assist any member of Summer who has need of it.
Everything she does is done out of cold, bitter rage, say some. To her, everything is a chess game, and she wants only to build an army and destroy all of her opposition.
She's the best hope of the Freehold, argue the opposition. She's sworn to keep it safe, and does it to the best of her ability, just as the Summer King did.
And while everyone argues, the game continues.
Appearance
Mask: Zhenya appears as a moderately attractive woman in her early thirties, with strong, stern baltic features. Blonde hair falls down her shoulders and back, occasionally tied up behind her head, and cold blue eyes stare out from behind a pair of thin-framed glasses. Some variation of a tiara is always pinned in her hair, as well, and she's never seen wearing anything that isn't pure white.
Mien: When the mask drops, which is a rarity considering the White Queen's habit of hardening it, the sight's awe-inspiring. Zhenya is a queen - standing at a lofty eight feet tall, in a white robe that falls to the ground at her feet. Magnificent armor rests on her shoulders, keeping her safe, while a brilliant white sword and shield are strapped to her waist and back, respectively. Her skin's riveted and worn, with a metallic sheen, covered in scratches - but it still gleams a brilliant, beautiful white.
Mantle: Zhenya's mantle manifests as the symptoms of a hard day fighting in the summer heat. There's the faint, coppery taste of blood in people's mouths whenever she's around, and the faintest trickle of sweat forms on her brows. Occasionally, when her mantle flares in fury, a new effect comes to play, something her courtiers refer to as The Board: for a moment, those around her look like chess pieces.
Mentality
Zhenya's personality is cold and clinical. The average observer would conclude she's as cold as the metal statue she appears to be. Her fellow monarchs, however, and those who've interacted with her for a while, know better. She's calm, yes. That doesn't mean that the emotion of her Court doesn't motivate everything she does, and everyone's seen her let loose her temper in a screaming fury that makes even the Autumn King tremble in fear. But for the most part, she remains calm and composed, conducting Freehold business.
Her cool, calm attitude serves her well in her position as Queen of Summer. When the Freehold is needed to fight, there's nobody considered a better tactician and general, and her ruthless, tactical brilliance decimated anyone who stood against Summer when it ruled supreme. It was only in the final days of the Summer King's reign that their armies failed, and she was not there to lead them. Some say that if she had, Summer might never have ended.
Mortal World
The mortal world knows the White Queen by the name of Zhenya Poslavska, a lovely woman who has been a schoolteacher at Dutton Park Primary School for the last twenty years. They also know of another Russian named Anastasia Rusakov, a 47 year-old local politician of some prominence.
History
Timeline
- 1966: - Born in Strezhevoy, Russia, as the settlement was founded.
- 1973: Her mother, cradling her, flees Russia, and is smuggled South, eventually claiming Asylum in Australia.
- 1982: Taken by the True Fae while walking home from Brisbane State High School.
- 1992: Escapes. Joins the Winter Court.
- 1993: Is inducted to the Summer Court by King Tros ti̱s Kataigídas.
- 2000: With the First Response, battles Jack Rover, saving Mother Lupa.
- 2001: Becomes Iron Adjutant of the Iron Spear.
- 2008: Directs Summer's forces as the Summer King takes power, enforcing martial law.
- 2010: The Summer 'Tyrant' dies. Zhenya takes the crown of the Iron Spear.
- 2013: Present.
Mortal Life
The Estival Sovereign rarely speaks of her life before she was taken. Some say that's because she can't remember what occured prior to her durance, but others claim that it's simply because it pains her to think of it. That said, old members of the Winter Court, who first took her in, and the Autumn Court, who have learned her history through their dark magic, occasionally tell tales of it behind her back.
Her soft voice with the faintest trace of a Slavic accent is the result of her early childhood years in Russia. She was born in a town named Strezhevoy that was built at the whim of the Soviet State, eager to gain the most out of the oil that ran deep and thick beneath the earth. Her mother made the journey alone while her husband rotted in a gulag for crimes against the state, thankful to have escaped with her unborn child. She was christened Anastasia by her Orthodox mother, but the rest of the town called her the 'little princess', for she was the first child to be born in the town.
The little princess, of course, would later escape the tyranny of the Iron Curtain thanks to her mother's actions. Holding her in her arms as she hid in the back of a cargo truck, the two slowly made their way south of Russia, and into the relative safety of the middle eastern states; from there, limited English and family heirlooms secured two one-way tickets to Australia, where they claimed asylum.
Her mother struggled for the first few years there - she was barely able to speak English, there were few people in the Woolongabba area from the USSR for her to call on, work was scarce, and the Red Terror was everywhere. Anastasia, however, flourished from the start circumstances, doing very well in primary school and quickly making friends thanks to her her eager, happy charm. She was a natural leader, and a brilliant student, and her mother's new job at a dry cleaner's meant that she had enough money to give her daughter a quality education at Brisbane Girl's Grammar.
And once again, she did well. She wasn't the Queen Bee of the school, lacking the vicious wrath that would one day be her defining quality as the Summer Queen. But she had friends, and popularity, and as her studies progressed, hopes for her grew higher and higher. She was elected School Captain in her senior year, and seemed assured to get a scholarship into the University of Queensland, where she hoped to study Law.
But one day, she was late leaving school. It was winter, the sun was setting, and the shadows were long as she hurried away from the schoolyard, heading for the nearby train station. She stepped into the tunnel that led to the station... and never stepped out.
Arcadia
Zhenya's memories of her Durance, however, aren't very clear. She knows that it was longer, longer than anyone else in the Freehold who escaped. She was told that she had what he was looking for, what was lacking in the army, and she was placed on an enormous chessboard, and the games began. And from then, she remembers being beaten by a figure on the side of the board constantly, until her flesh was as hard and cold as steel, and she stood tall, towering over the other pieces. The board and game would change. Pieces would be taken, sliced to shreds, and never get up; parts of the map would swivel and move at a whim, and there were a thousand more pieces than any game of chess should have.
She recalls the Black King, her Keeper laughing at her from the other side of the board, unlike her own King - a puppet, barely coherent and able to lead. That was when she marshaled the forces, playing the game, and playing it better than before. They started to get better, for a while, slowly taking more pieces, pushing forward, and getting close - and then she recalls them being beaten back, losing once more, while a black crow whispered words in the man's ears, giving him advice.
And then, one fateful day, they pushed, and she shouted orders, as the white pieces charged forward, sweeping across the board, and placing the Black King in check for the first time. She remembers that moment clearly, actually - she can still see the look on the Black King's face as he realized what was happening.
Escape
Maybe she would have escaped if she had won: perhaps she would have killed her Keeper, and led the White Pieces to freedom, finally. But she never had that opportunity. At the last moment, as she was about to maneuver herself into checkmate - her sword about to slice through her Keeper's neck - the crow on his shoulder made a move, and she was frozen in stalemate.
The board erupted into chaos. Pieces fell upon each other, no longer bound by the rules. The Black King ducked his head, sweeping around to cleave her, and his mighty blow bounced off her shield, rattling her metal bones as she backed away, desperately, lost in the chaos of pieces, and frantically calling to them. Her desperate efforts to lead her pieces to freedom failed.
They found her curled up outside the Archerfield Trod, clutching onto her sword, blood dripping from where it cut into her steel hands. "I had him," she whispered. "I could have killed him."
Relationships
White Pieces
♔ Tros ti̱s Kataigídas, King
- Even dead or missing, Zhenya still holds the former King of Summer in a position of reverence. He wasn't just the Summer King, he was her King - and his death has left a painful, empty space on her board that has not yet been filled.
♗ Black Rook, King Side Bishop
- The fact that Zhenya doesn't hold her counterpart in the Storm alliance with the reverence of a King is vaguely insulting. Even so, his art, and the contracts he wields, means that he moves in unexpected directions, and she still places great value on their relationship. To this day, they still play a game of chess to stalemate, in the hopes that it will divert and confuse their dreaded Keeper.
♗ Sooty, Queen Side Bishop
- The Bishop stands close to the Queen, and so does Sooty. The two have been in the Summer Court since before the former King took over the Freehold. He's her loyal right hand and a member of her Motley, but sharp eyes can notice that there's just a trace of mistrust in the two's relationship.
♘ Jax Quinn, King Side Knight
- Some people say that the only reason Zhenya doesn't cut down Black Rook isn't because of the Freehold Pledge, nor is it because of their allegiance. It's because she knows how dangerous Jax is. He screams as loud as some of her Court, but so far, he's ignored her attempts at bringing that Wrath into her own Court.
♖ Ryan, Queen Side Rook
- Ryan's position as Zhenya's White Rook is simple. He likes to fight, and is good at it, leading charges that go straight for the enemy ranks. Not only that, he's good at it - the two are rumored to spar and train on occasion, enjoying the fact that they're evenly matched.
♙ Sesha, Queen Side Pawn
- The new addition to Summer's ranks is, for the time being, considered by Zhenya to be a pawn - but a good one. She's watching Sesha closely, mentoring her as they work in a motley together, and she hopes that, soon, Sesha will reach the other end of the board and be promoted. After all, she's lacking a Knight.
Black Pieces
♚ Leon Manderley, King
- When it comes to the Drought alliance, Zhenya firmly considers Leon to be the King instead of Mother Lupa. Kings, after all, move slowly and cautiously, and are always protected. While her relationship with Spring is sour due to their actions, Winter's been absent from any conflict in the Freehold. Leon was her first King, as well, and while the two don't see eye to eye, they're at least civil.
♝ Fallacy Yankelovich, King's Side Bishop
- Zhenya's opinion of Fallacy seems to have picked up slightly. While she has some mild distaste for the Ranger's cowardice, the pair have started to work better and better together, as, surprisingly, the relationship between Winter and Summer started to improve.
♛ Mother Lupa, Queen
- Of course Zhenya's opposing Queen is going to be Mother Lupa. The relationship between the two is volatile at best, and usually completely toxic; the few times that Zhenya does let loose with her Wrath, Mother Lupa's involved to some degree. She traded two of her own Court and motley to save Lupa's life, only to have her side with Spring against Summer. It was Lupa who assisted in the occasional battles where the Spring Court prevailed against Summer, and Lupa who took the position of Verdant Sovereign after the Spring Queen's death, and who continues to oppose the Storm alliance. Hatred's too gentle a word for Zhenya's feelings towards her counterpart.
♝ Sebastian Lund, Queen's Side Bishop
- As the Freehold's Pledgesmith, Sebastian's responsible for handling one of the more mysterious, unknowable aspects of the Wyrd. He's also a valuable resource for new Lost, happily supporting them at his own expense, and as a result, he's earned grudging respect from the Summer Queen.
♞ Erebus, King's Side Knight
- It's hardly surprising that Zhenya views Erebus as a Knight. She's voiced no objections to Erebus' supposed work, though, like everyone, she still regards his frequent disappearances with some suspicion.
♟ Neko Nyan, Queen's Side Pawn
- It's not always polite, but Zhenya's relationship with Neko is fairly dismissive. She considers the Beast to be fairly useless, and nothing she's seen over the years makes her likely to change that opinion.
Quotes
Quotes By
- "You are not just pieces, to be discarded in a futile war. You are the Sons and Daughters of Summer, lost and taken from her, and she burns in anger at those who would treat her beloved in such a way. Think of what we've lost, so far, the lives taken from us, and the fate that awaits us should we be taken back, and feel Her Wrath rise up and give you strength. Should you fall, the Freehold falls with us, but should we be victorious, Summer will be hailed by all for the safety she has given her children!"
- Zhenya, leading a group of Changeling - mostly Summer - in an effort to take Eagle Farm Trod in 2010.
Quotes About
- "She is forever grasping handfuls of burning coals. For her sake and that of the Court of Wrath, I hope she realizes this sooner rather than too late."
- "She acts the way she acts simply because she is jealous of me, Jealous that the leader of the others "Jack Rover" wants me dead instead of her, Jealous that I took his eye, Jealous that I mortally wounded him,Jealous that he desires my head on a stick as apposed to hers. And do you know what I have to say about that, her being Jealous? It is simply going to cause a desire for her to do something about it to grow, and I am going to feed those flames of passion and watch her desire engulf her."
Conversations
- "This isn't a chess game, Zhenya."
- "Everything is chess."
- Black Rook and Zhenya, as the Storm Alliance was formed.
- "I'm useless."
- "The loss of a body part doesn't make you useless, Zhenya."
- "Doesn't it?"
- A spiteful Zhenya rejecting Erebus' offer of comfort.
Tales
- The White Queen's eternal devotion to the King of Summer lasted for nearly two decades, and all without the faintest trace of disagreement or violence. Some say that the two were more than mere comrades, while others whisper that they were secretly sworn to each other, married in the Wyrd during a secret ceremony. Whatever the stories say about their relationship, they always end on the same note - heartbroken by the loss of her beloved King, the White Queen made a Vow to Summer herself. In exchange for the lives of every Spring Courtier who had betrayed him, the Summer King would be returned to her.
- More than a few Changeling know the tale of Rook and Zhenya's chess games; the ritual is of some comfort to both of them, even though they quietly doubt their benefits. In remembrance of the stalemate that gave them and so many other Changelings their freedom, they play a game to stalemate, and quietly whisper and talk with each other while they do so.
- Her sword and shield also have another story, for it was with her when she was found on the outskirts of the Archerfield trod. The only other known member of the Freehold to be found with a weapon that came from Arcadia was, of course, the man who would become the Summer Tyrant. Items from Arcadia are said to whisper in their owner's ear while they sleep, driving them insane and binding them into the service of their former owners, the True Fae...
Rumors
- Zhenya is a complete puppet of Black Rook.
- She's suffered a quiet affliction as the result of breaking a pledge, and is retiring from combat until she recovers from the sanction.
- Said sanction is due to her betraying the King of Summer.
- The White Queen is said to be on the lip of insanity; people whisper of her references to people as creatures, and her inability to differentiate her chess games from reality.
- For twenty years, the White Queen has worked as a primary school teacher, and those young children she told stories to are adults, now, some in powerful positions. There's whispers that she's uses a pledge with her students that continues throughout their lives...
- It's said that she's part of the Legion of the Iron Wall, or was, and turned down their offer to join the Entitlement.
- Some within Summer whisper treacherous rumors about what's occurred to their Monarch; they claim her mantle's dropped. Most aren't even sure if that's possible, but there's certainly evidence to suggest that the heat that accompanied her has dropped a notch since the loss of her former King.
Inspirations and Soundtrack
- Queen Elizabeth I - every quotation on this page is the result of her, and she's pretty badass.
- Daenerys Targaryen
- Akroma, Magic: the Gathering
- Wizard's Chess, Harry Potter
- Indieifed's song on addiction.
- Eddard Stark, Game of Thrones
- Bran thought about it. "Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?"
- "That is the only time a man can be brave," replied his father.
OOC Information
You want links? I want links. Particularly if you're part of Summer in other domains - we should talk, and try to arrange some national organization. :D
| Member Information | |
| Player: | Charlie Kay |
|---|---|
| Number: | 2012040010 |
| Domain: | Brisbane |