Lisa Starshade
| Lisa Starshade | |
| Full name | Lisa Drak & Waffel-Paine |
|---|---|
| AKA | Lisa Starshade, Elisabeth Asara des Vinandy |
| Physical information | |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Female |
| Skin color | white |
| Biographical information | |
| Father | Cledwyn Starshade |
| Mother | Clara Sundara Waffel-Paine |
| Date of birth | 1674 AN (aged 64) |
| Place of birth | 's Koningenwaarde |
| Residence(s) | Drak-Modan |
| Nationality | Drak-Modani, previously Natopian |
| Allegiance(s) | Drak-Modan |
| Occupation | Student |
Lisa Drak & Waffel-Paine (née Elisabeth Asara) is the eldest daughter of Clara Sundara and Cledwyn Starshade. Clara and Cledwyn, young lovers, continued their on-and-off again affair throughout the duration of Clara's marriage to the king of Batavia, unbeknownst to him. Lisa was born while Clara was married to Arkadius IV. She and her younger brothers, Carl and Stav, were spirited away from Batavia following Clara's divorce. To protect herself and her children, at the time she announced her children were left in Batavia with grandparents, but it was soon revealed that when she arrived in Drak-Modan with 3 children of the same appearance and age, that the children left in Batavia were actors. Lisa was the presumed heir to her mother's former position of Supreme Judge of Drak-Modan. She is now the heir to the duchy of Hazelwood in Flaventia.
Paternity
The true paternity of her, Carl, and Stav is a subject of intense geopolitical debate. It is a debate that Clara hoped to shield her children from by claiming they were Modani orphans when she first appeared in Drak-Modan after her divorce. When she left Batavia she, in fact, denounced all claims to titles or lands for her in order to not disrupt the dynastic plans of her ex-husband. She legally changed her children's names when she arrived in Drak-Modan so there could be no chance of her children being dragged into the politics of the Vanic nations she fled from, hoping the surname Waffel-Paine would deter any claims on them. For several years the children were listed twice as her children on the Waffel-Paine family tree, further adding to the confusion. Her husband Cledwyn legally adopted them and so, for all intents and purposes, according to the laws of Drak-Modan, Lisa Starshade and her siblings are legally distinct from the Batavian children of Arkadius, who continue to reside in the Vanic realms. The Vanic nations maintain that the three children are Modani orphans and the anti-Vanic nations maintain that the three children are Batavian actors.
Lisa, Stav and Carl are legally, morally, ethically, and dynasticly forbidden from claiming titles or lands in Vanic lands. On advice of her mother and through a family lawyer, Lisa Starshade issued statements disavowing any legal connection with Elisabeth Asara: "There is a girl, named Elisabeth Asara, and she lives in Vanic Batavia. That girl is the heir to those Vanic lands. I am not that girl."
New Life in Hazelwood
Following the Drak-Modani Civil War her mother was asked to leave Drak-Modan, and so the Starshade family relocated to Hazelwood, Natopia. As Clara was the new Holder of the duchy, the Starshades moved into the ducal palace in Hazelwood City. Lisa was enrolled at the prestigious Rian Grass Institute & Country Day School with a promise from her mother and father that they would not move again for the time being. Cledwyn Starshade made arrangements for a large family dwelling in the Great Hazel Woods for his family to spend weekends, holidays, and summers. The Hazel people celebrate Lisa and her family's return to Natopia, as it meant that the duchy of Hazelwood would be held by Starshade Waffel-Paine family for a very long time, promising a resurgence in Hazel cultural pride and relearning the almost forgotten practice of hazkisi magick.
Departure from Natopia
On the morning of Lisa's 18th birthday, without any indication, she left Hazelwood on a flight to Drakorda. A large party had been planned for her in the ducal palace in Hazelwood City to celebrate the heiress to the duchy turning 18. When she never showed up a missing person report was filed and a search was conducted across southeastern Flaventia for approximately 5 hours until she announced on her Tweeter account that she was safely in Drak-Modan on her own now. She had been raised her entire life to her mother's expectations. First as heir to the Supreme Judgeship in the former republican government of Drak-Modan, and now as heir to the duchy of Hazelwood and druidess of hazkisi magick. She had grown up in Drak-Modan, felt a kinship to the people of Benacia more than her younger brothers who had no or few memories of the place. A few weeks prior to her decision to leave Natopia, she had secured a promise of protection from her cousin, John Hilding Waffel-Paine, King of Drak-Modan.
Lisa was tired of the expectations put upon her, embarrassed of the political entanglements of her parents, exhausted by the constant harassment from the tabloids. Lisa had been in correspondence with her cousin John ever since he fled to Drak-Modan and became its king against wishes of the Waffel-Paine avatar and patriarch, her uncle, Nathan II. Selected correspondence from the two:
16.X.1686 "John, I must admit I am a bit jealous of your bold departure from Natopia. To disobey your father like that... I wish I had the courage to disobey my mother. I was raised to be a scholar of jurisprudence, and then once she was kicked out of Drak-Modan, suddenly I had to become a hazkisi magick practitioner. What will I be expected to do in five years? A Goetic pirate? It's all too much for me cousin." - Lisa
30.II.1689 "Lisa, there is something you must understand about Nathan and Clara... it took me awhile to understand myself, because even though we are their direct family we are still under the spell of their public persona. They are not the gracious and loving parents they are portrayed to be. They are callous, calculating, stubborn, greedy, and power-hungry. They are single-minded in their goal of growing the power of the Waffel-Paine family, desperate to make the dynasty they claim is eternal to actually be eternal. They are opportunistic, that is why your mother shifted you around so much. When she had a chance to become Judge in Drak-Modan, she saw it as a way to keep the family in power there. When your family had to move to Hazelwood, it was only to solidify the family's power in a safe and friendly location." -- John
4.IX.1690 "I'm sick of it John, I don't want to be a judge or a duchess or the chief druidess of these dirty, smelly, tree-fuckers. I... I just want to be taken care of, I want a boyfriend, I'm sixteen years old! You know the unofficial family rule to never date until 18. The abuses your father and my mother endured during their childhood in Haraldsborg being exposed and groomed to accept hypersexuality in the Vanic realm obviously scarred them, and my mother was again forced to relive her trauma when her first husband turned into a Vanic sympathizer and apologist. So Uncle Nathan and Mother, as parents, totally overreacted by shielding all of us from any sort of romantic or normal sexual development. Their heart was in the right place, to protect us, but damnit I want someone to just hold me, kiss me, and love me. Some stupid boy to fool around with, fall in love with, and get heartbroken by three weeks later when he smiles at another girl in class. Like we see in TV and movies... I want that John, I want to be a normal young woman, I want to be taken care of, I want to be showered with gifts and titles and lovely little trinkets." --Lisa
4.XI.1691 "Ya know, Lisa, life here in Drak-Modan is getting pretty interesting. We've purged the straights but we're quickly becoming very isolated. If you want to live here, you can move in with us at the palace and live like a Princess. There are many ruling houses out there that are keen on linking to the new royal house of Drak-Modan. Even families who have favor with the Waffel-Paines are inquiring of me how they can connect with the Drak & Waffel-Paines. Forgive me but you'd be a great trophy wife, family connections to emperors and kaisers. You can move here, formally join the royal house as a Princess, and live a carefree life. Meet princes and dukes, date any man or woman you want, and get married as soon as you want so you can finally relax in the luxury befitting a queen. Or you can stay there, waiting for your mom to die in 40 or 50 years, so you can inherit a mostly-empty, backwater, woodsy duchy full of tree-hugging weirdos." --John
24.I.1692 "You're right, cousin. Why follow a path decided for me by Mother? And a path that can be changed at her, or even my uncle's, whim? On the morning of my 18th birthday later this year, I'll leave this place and come live with you and your spouses in Drakorda." --Lisa
Visit to Drakorda
Prior to her plans to relocate to Drak-Modan permanently, Lisa visited Drakorda for 2 weeks in Regnuary (IV) of 1692. There she met with her cousin and his spouses. They took her to the Benacian Bovic Herd in Drakorda. She enjoyed the service compared to the stuffy Dozan Bovic services she endured back in Lindstrom. During the service, communion was passed around and all in attendance took a sip of the goat's milk and allowed a pat of goat butter to melt on their tongue. The Herd Leader approached Lisa when he noticed her passing the communion without partaking, "My calf, I am told by Their Majesties that you may be spending more time here with us. Are you interested in joining the true and Reorganized Church of Bous?" Lisa nodded, "Yes, I do Herd Leader, I am a little hesitant because such a decision would label me a heretic among my family and exclude me from certain inheritances back home." Loki overheard Lisa's worry and inserted himself into the conversation, "You'd be excluded there, yes, but included here." The Herd Leader nodded, "My calf, we do not harbor resentments against the disorganized Dozans, they are misguided and burdened by centuries of traditions. We are worshiping Bous in a new and natural way, guided by the people of today and how we wish to worship. Our World Conference regularly makes adjustments to our version of the Tetrabiblios, and our revisions are not at the whim of a single man, surely you can appreciate our way is a better way to structure a church?" Lisa looked to Loki and the Herd Leader, "Yes, yes it does make sense. I think I'd like to begin the process of converting to Reorganized Bovinism." The Herd Leader smiled, "Wonderful! The next time you are in town I will meet with you before the morning service for a baptism class. Since you were already baptized in the Dozan church, we can go through a quicker class, and instead focus on the differences since the theological foundations are somewhat similar."
Lisa left the worship service feeling excited. For the next few days she accompanied her cousin and his spouses on a semi-official tour of the rest of the country, visiting Twoggle, Modan Hamlet, and Dracoheim. She was in love with this country. It was quaint, cozy, ancient, and buzzing with life. It was not quite how she remembered it, but she had only lived her a few years ago and as a child mostly sequestered in the judicial palace with her mother. On the last night of their visit to Dracoheim, Lisa was speaking to Griselia, who was nursing her son Sehml Jr, and pregnant again. Lisa felt most comfortable speaking to Griselia, the youngest of the royal consorts. "Griselia, I have really enjoyed my time here. I really do think I want to move her permanently when I turn 18 in a few months." Griselia looked up from nursing Sehml and smiled, "We've enjoyed having you here, Lisa. If you are absolutely certain, we should secure your spot in our family sooner than later." Lisa raised her eyebrow, "What do you mean by secure?" "Well," Griselia paused to detach Sehml and put him in his crib, "We need a adult princess and you want to be married off to a prince. We need to begin the formal process of adopting you into our family. Adoption in Drak-Modan is very straightforward, but it would require you sign a declaration of parental emancipation. You'd be removed from the House of Waffel-Paine. And then we would adopt you, in Drak-Modani law you'd have all four of us as parents, but in international law you would be the child of Loki and Qaren. As the daughter of a ruling monarch you won't be waiting long to meet your prince." "I'd have to leave my own family first?" "Yes, dear. I'm afraid so. Isn't that what you've wanted? To no longer be under the thumb of your oppressive uncle and opportunistic mother? You'd be free here, remember. Free to enjoy your youth and, eventually, become a queen." Lisa fell silent for a few minutes and looked at Griselia as she rocked Sehml's crib and holding her large belly. She considered Griselia very intently and took into account all that she knew of the young woman: daughter of a low-level noble, beautiful, keen on motherhood, supported by John and Loki, and madly in love with Qaren. Lisa thought to herself, 'This could be me in a few years. The priorities of my life would be vastly different on this course than the course I'm preset on back in Hazelwood. Back home I'd be expected to be an active governing duchess, a practicing hazkisi druidess, and take on the mantle of protector of the Hazel culture. I've always found civics class quite boring, the Tree Spirits rarely talk to me, and I personally do not care for the Hazel culture that has been foisted upon me, and expected to protect and grow just because my absentee biological father is Hazel. Well I didn't grow up Hazel, let my baby brother take on that duty.' Lisa kept staring at Griselia, who was herself seemingly lost in thought. 'She looks so happy and content. She has achieved her purpose in life and now pursues it. I want that too.' Lisa then cleared her throat, "Ok, Griselia... I'm ready to do this. I'll sign the documents." Griselia smiled, "Wonderful! I'm sure we'll get it done as soon as we get back to the palace in Drakorda."
Back in Drakorda, on the last full day of her visit, Lisa signed a declaration of parental emancipation in a private ceremony in the full presence of the Drak-Modani royal court and co-chancellors. And then with those same witnesses, signed her name to the adoption papers filed by Loki and Qaren to formally adopt Lisa into the royal family council. A magistrate notarized the documents and announced Lisa as "Her Highness, Lisa Drak & Waffel-Paine, Princess of Drak-Modan." Details of the adoption were kept secret until she permanently relocated to Drak-Modan. The Drak-Modani secretary for foreign affairs warned the Royal Family that such an act would seriously, perhaps permanently, damage the relationship between Natopia and Drak-Modan; Natopia was one of the main allies keeping Drak-Modan in the Raspur Pact and if Drak-Modan lost Natopian trade support, and was sanctioned or expelled by the Raspur nations, the Drak-Modani economy would suffer greatly.
Engagement Scandal
In 1693, the Co-Monarchs of Drak-Modan, John Hilding Waffel-Paine and Loki Drakspunk, along with Lisa, were invited to Shireroth to meet with John's stepsister Kaiseress Salome. During this meeting, Salome proposed that Lisa would be married off to Salome's eldest blood brother, Prince Kir. Despite this relationship between Salome, Kir, and John a near-sibling level, the governments of Drak-Modan and Shireroth had had a complicated relationship on a governmental level. By cementing a marriage between a Shirerithian prince (and heir-presumptive to the kaisership) and a Drak-Modani princess, Salome and John hoped that the relationship between Drak-Modan and Shireroth would become more intimate and constructive.
John and Loki were surprised and happy by Salome's proposal, while Lisa was taken aback. Without giving an answer to Salome's proposal, the Kings and Princess Lisa returned to Drak-Modan, promising, however, to carefully consider the happy proposal. The Co-Kings and Princess Lisa returned to Drak-Modan without giving an answer to Salome's proposal. A few weeks later, the Drak-Modani ambassador at Raynor's Keep confirmed to the Kaiseress Princess Lisa's acceptance to the proposal. Salome was much pleased, and arranged for Lisa and Kir to meet a while later at Raynor's Keep.
Princess Lisa having arrived before Kir, Kir was surprised to see Princess Lisa at the Keep.
"Cousin Lisa!" he exclaimed and embraced her. It was at this point that Lisa understood that Salome had not discussed this matter with Prince Kir. She remained quiet, however, it might after all have been that she was mistaken. She embraced her cousin back, "Cousin Kir, how lovely to see you again. I look forward to being much closer to you in the future."
"As do I" replied Kir.
The Kaiseress took Kir aside and told him plainly what she expected of him. Kir's face turned pale as a lich's.
"I can't," he told her. "I really can't. I was planning to tell you this earlier, but I am already married, and my wife is expecting a child. It's about to come in a few weeks. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."
Salome, showing no emotion, told Kir that he had to divorce his wife and disown the child. She then returned to Lisa with Kir, and told them both that the marriage was to go ahead as soon as possible. Salome suggested two weeks from that day's date, to allow dignitaries to arrive and attend the marriage.
Kir apologised profusely to Lisa, and told her the truth. He had not known anything of these plans, he was already married, and he was expecting a child. It would be impossible for him to marry her. His love for her, moreover, he told her very clearly, was not the love a husband feels for a wife.
Lisa felt shamed, as if she had been used as a ploy by Kaiseress Salome. The Kings, too, were upset with Salome. Shirerithian–Drak-Modani relations deteriorated further more.
Lisa remains single to this day.
