Andrea Estefania Lopes de Almeida

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Username/Nickname: Estefania Lopes de Almeida
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Character Info
Canon/Original: Original
First Name(s): Andrea Estefania
Surname:Lopes de Almeida
Nicknames: Andrea, Navaja,
Age: born 1790
Sex: Female
Place of Birth: Lisbon, Portugal
Occupation: Irregular, previously Lady Lopes de Almeida
Family: Her father, D. João Andrés Filipe de Almeida (b. 1756 – d. 1807), 3rd Marquis de Alorna , is from Portugal, her mother is a Spanish Lady by the name of Maria José Lopez de Mendoza y de Almeida (b. 1762 – 1807). They met during a diplomacy run where he was part of the diplomatic envoy of Portugal (probably secretary), concerning the borders of Spain and Portugal of which the ‘leisure’ part consisted of the mingling in the circles of society and a ball. While it took him quite a while to convince her parents of his eligibility as her husband, his deeds seemed to have been enough, as probably his monetary and social status. While his attentions satisfied Lady Maria Jose, his other attributes were satisfactory enough to her parents. A handsome man, he was proud, well-spoken and knew how to move in the circles of society, a good singer and a little of an entertainer, when the company desired it. Both were killed after the invasion of Portugal. They had several children of which the sole surviving child seems to be Estefania.

Her aunt is still living and is D. Leonor de Almeida later known as D. Leonor Maria Ana de Oyenhausen, born in 1752 and married to Count Augustus of Oyenhausen (d. in 1802). He was a diplomat as well as a military officer of great distinction, and a German by birth. During his life he and his wife moved from appointment to appointment in different countries. D. Leonor de Almeida had followed him from Portugal to Vienna, later to his station in France and again to Portugal, Vienna and lastly England. During their second time in Vienna (1795-1800), the young Lady Estefania came to visit them as well and stayed with them for a short while, as her mother considered it a useful and educational experience. It is probably there, that Estefania first encountered the new dance called waltz. When the War of Oranges broke out in 1801 instead of being sent home Estefania acompanied Leonor and her family to England. When Augustus fell suddenly ill in 1802, tending to him, her own 6 children and Estefania became too much for Lady Leonor. As before his sudden illness, Estefania continued to read to the Count, wishing his health to improve. Never the less, with the situation in Portugal no longer hostile, the decision was made that it was best for Estefania to return home. She returned in company of a friend of the family.

After Augustus's death in 1802, D. Leonor moved to Spain, stayed there for a short while and then left the continent for London, where she remained – engaged in political activities against Napoleon Bounaparte - while also moving in circles of refugee aristocrats from the Iberian Peninsula as well as the political exiles from France. She remains in London at least till 1814. She has been seen in polite company with the Portuguese Ambassador in London and several English diplomats. The languages she speaks are German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Latin and English. Her passions also like in writing and painting. She enjoys music and has, during her time in Vienna, also attended several concerts of Mozart. During the second time in Vienna (1795-1800), she had also made acquaintance of Beethoven, Haydn and Salieri. The love for music is shared with her niece Andrea Estefania.

Description: Polite, pleasant, but haughty when the French are the topic of conversation, or their own land's pride is questioned. Her temperament is equal to many of her fellow Portuguese and Spanish. She does enjoy dancing and knows how to use the castanets, however with the war, she had little opportunity to take to the dance floor, her main focus being to get the French leave.

Her passions before the war have also been horse keeping, languages and gardening, especially of the more exotic plants. Her nickname ‘navaja’ does her justice. She may appear harmless most of the time, but should there be the need for it, she can become a considerable opponent. Since her father had been a diplomat and a somewhat more enlightened man with no sons at the time, it seemed logical to learn the different art styles of the knife from her family. What she does not know, she is eager to learn, if she finds that there will be a use of it in the future. Being as her mother is Spanish, she had been exposed to both cultures and had, before the War swept the nation, even seen a little of both sides of her family.

She has dark brown near black hair, a face that seems to be classed as something between oval and square, a fairly straight nose and medium sized lips. Her hair is usually pulled back in some fashion, depending of the requirements of the moment. She is slender but of the fitness typical of a rider, proportionate and of medium height. Her eyes are dark hazel in colour and quite expressive. There is a slight arch in her eyebrows, which are fairly prominent, but still elegant. There is a determination that is often mirrored in her eyes, and while she may not have physical strength, she does have agility.

Most of her career as an irregular has been spent wearing a dark blue, long coat, a vest, a sash and trousers, with knee high boots, while a hat concealed her hair, giving an impression from a distance of a lad rather than betraying what might put her in greater danger. The attire may actually be seen in one of the paintings of a French diplomat that had at one point stayed in the Iberian Peninsula and there are speculations, that it is his exact clothes that she had obtained at one point. While in London she is seen in the different dresses, inspired by military fashion as seems quite popular at the time, and with a slight, Spanish flare. She does also wear a mantilla to important occasions, while a fan seems a fine companion to have. She has two that she uses more frequently. One is ornamented with some gold and silver ornaments made as very small flat round circles, and some embroidery in green. The fan itself is mostly white and a little blue. The second fan is painted, off white in colour, with the imagery of birds holding small ribbons and some flowers interwoven with greenery. Small dark blue dots are spread across the whole surface and repeat themselves in an intricate though rather spread out, pattern.

Strengths and Weaknesses:
Agility – she is quite agile and quick, and with that also walks quite elegantly, if she puts her mind to it.

Wit and ability to learn quickly – If a subject captures her interest, she will strive to learn it as well as it can serve her, while well aware of how much more she does not yet know. She enjoys a good debate or a conversation with may contain some jest and teasing.

Languages – She speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese, French. She has learned German and some Italian thanks to her aunt and has some knowledge of Arabic.

Horse riding – With her interests in horses, her father being quite wealthy and traveling a good deal, has certainly contributed some to this, she is an apt rider, though she considers riding astride much safer to that of the sidesaddle. The sidesaddle, she believes, may cause more accidents than any other style of riding, and the garments which are long and can be heavy, do not help. She knows how to ride in that fashion, albeit being more awkward at it. The problem of needing assistance to get into the saddle when doing that style, is probably also discouraging her to give the style more credit. But then, Marie Antoinette rode horses astride and so did Catherine the Great of Russia.

Music: Her education in musical instruments and music is far from lacking. While she may have a favourite, she has attempted her hand at some of the others as well. she is very good with castanets and has a particular fondness for a spinet. She is a good singer with a strong voice that carries emotion well.

Lack of Strength – She is of medium height and more slender – though that is not to say she has no curves. Her body is fit for many things, but certainly not for heavy lifting. She is aware of that being her weakness and tries to find ways to get around it, especially in an event where her life might be at stake.

Temper – On certain subjects she can be angered quickly and her reaction may then be sharp and full of passion, unheeding of what she might say and how hurtful it could be, and unladylike. She might consider to apologise – should she think it necessary, but sometimes her other character flaws prevent her from doing it, even if she should have.

Pride – It can be a fine trait if not causing a person to have pride stop them from apologising or doing things, they should have been done to improve a situation. She is however proud of her home and of the people that make do with the situation.

Stubborn – Taking this and joining it with pride and it is sometimes quite problematic in having her see the wrong of her ways. Her stubborness can also be seen when she will pursue a goal, even if desperate, if she considers it just and important.

Care for fellow irregulars – While she tries hard not to, she does care for the men that she has spent a good portion of her life as an irregular. Having been exposed to the common folk, she worries and cares for them. It is a problem which could be used against her. It is a tough decision, she just does not want to take, though she is aware that one day it might come.

Doubt – While confident and proud on the outside, she does feel the effects of doubt. She struggles with decisions, which may be of the sort of – you’re damned if you do, you’re damned if you don’t – and finds herself doubting the choice she had made in the end, thinking that perhaps the other would have been better. This might lead to sometimes over-thinking things and when trying not to, to making a rash decision as it is simpler and faster.

Background: She was born to a Portuguese diplomat and Marquis de Alorna and his wife Maria Jose Lopez etc. She spent her youth mostly in Portugal, with some trips to Spain, accompanying her father and mother when duty required his presence there. She learned languages and writing, while her aunt sent her a good many books from when she was abroad and frequently visited her, once she returned to Portugal. She admired her and enjoyed her literary evenings, when she was able to attend them. Her father was a caring man, and when his marriage did not produce any sons while his daughter seemed eager and quick to learn, he amused them both by teaching her things that would serve to keep her safe. It was perhaps also a bit of an experiment, a pet project of his for lack of a better recipient of his knowledge. Her mother made certain that Lady Estefania did not remain a crude and unsociable rough thing, but hired instructors of dance, painting and other similar subjects for her daughter to learn.

She showed great affinity and interest to the art of gardening, especially as there seemed to be some science as well as pure luck and common sense to make the endevour successful. Some of her instructors came from Italy as well. She was to marry in 1807, but the events that swept the nation and caused her parents demise, also nipped any prospects of marriage in the bud. Of the hopefuls, she had entertained affection towards one, but his family fled the country, while he left without so much as word. She did not hear of him again, though she believed them all perished.

When the French seemed ready to cause her own demise, a few of the locals, joined with the irregulars stepped in. While the fire continued burning and at the threat of the retaliation from the French that were advancing in their direction, she was taken with the irregulars as one of the many victims of that day. There are stories of that event, but much of it remains as something she wishes not to remember, nor retell. When a fairly long time passed (perhaps a few months or more), came the moment in which a decision had to be made where she would go next or what she would do. She remained with the irregulars, having decided not to flee as many others had done, but to stay.

Anything Else: Contrary to the picture, her hair is not worn loose.

Writing Sample/Past Roleplay: /

Accepted!