Name: Chiara Lorento Vittore-Griever Nickname: Chia [ɕia:] Age: 31 Birthplace: New York Sex: Female. Occupation: Teaches religion on a high school level.
Appearance: Chiara stands about five feet seven, average build and has dark eyes and hair. Due to her dyed dark hair, her already fair skin seems even paler than it otherwise would have done and she actually rather likes the effect that it creates. She carries her hair down to about the middle of her back and nearly always has it loose, brushing it back over her shoulders to keep it out of the way and only very rarely ties it back. She manages to combine her love for heavy/dark make-up and dark colored clothing with a rather sophisticated look that is suitable for her job and her age but it does give her a certain edge as far as her looks goes. Personality: Cocky, outspoken and arrogant. Her control over the powers has made her fearless and she has little to no respect for her fellow man. She is intelligent, a genius people called her as she was growing up but she was also seen as a bit of a freak due to her interest in all things occult. Despite this she does like spending time around people, she isn't social in the most common of ways but prefers to be around others mostly to be able to watch them and their interactions with one another - she likes toying with them and pitching people against one another is one of the most amusing spectator sports available according to her. Chiara is extremely goal-oriented and will use whatever means necessary to get whatever it is she's decided on, she will use whatever and whoever she can to get where she's going. When it comes down to it, even if she isn't a bundle of positive emotions she does have a compassionate streak but those that find themselves in her good grace are not beyond being used for her own amusement.
Special abilities/talents: Highly intelligent and a great cook when she can be bothered.
History: Chiara was a rather normal child, during the first parts of her life at least. She grew up as the youngest of five siblings in a moderately wealthy Italian family in the New York area. Her father was banker and her mother too caught up in maintaining her social life to care about her children who were rapidly growing up. Chiara being nearly 13 years younger than her closest sibling never really fit in among the bunch and instead grew up under just the watchful eye of a nanny. She was always calm in an almost uncanny way and as soon as she was able to read she started spending hours on end in their small library, reading everything she could come across. She soon found herself enthralled by the books touching on the subject of the Occult.
By the time she reached her teen years Chiara was well versed in the subject and started moving beyond just reading about it. At first she dabbled in white magic but before long she started moving into the dark arts, small curses, hex and eventually summoning an imp. By now her siblings had all left home and she saw very little of her parents but it never seemed to bother her. She spent her time with school and with delving deeper into the art of magic, using against the people around her. At first it had been for revenge for someone teasing her but soon it became less for revenge and more just because she could and because she had the power to do it.
After High School she moved on to college, studying religion since it was a cheap and easy way to get a hold of better and more unknown texts about the occult. She graduated with a teacher's degree and left behind a slightly changed school. She seemed to have that influence on places, there was always a very different atmosphere in the places where she'd stayed for a longer time but it didn't bother her, actually it amused her in a way. With never having had a really close relationship to her parents, Chiara neglected to keep in touch with them as she moved on from the school and into working life. She was far more intent on living her life and messing with others than she was caring about what her parents felt or wanted. She had during her years at college developed a slightly twisted fascination and adoration for watching people fail at everything from essays to their personal lives, she took extreme joy in seeing people destroy their personal lives and relationships and before long she'd started doing her own slight pushing and pulling just so she could have her amusement played out before her.
For the next couple of years Chiara traveled the country, gathering more and more knowledge and slowly creating a rather impressive library of black magic books. She took up work as a teacher, in order to support her expensive habits but as time went on she also started selling her services and dealing in black magic items. It was a boost of money and power and something she really liked but with time it grew dull and she needed new things to occupy herself with. She developed a craving to destroy people's hope and faith and with no longer feeling she was able to do so she started moving around again. Never staying longer than six months at any given place which was why when she got the notice of her mother's death, she had already been dead for nearly a year. Chiara started researching necromancy closer after that but there was never a real appeal in it and she soon fell back on her demonology practices again.
After a rather bad summoning where she managed to disturb something that would have been better left alone she felt true and utter fear for the very first time, Chiara managed to get away but not completely unharmed. With fear gripping her she pretty much just abandoned the life she'd lived up until then and in a desperate attempt to find somewhere to settle down and wait for things to blow over she found her way to Mysteria, hoping she would be safe there for a while.
Flaws: Lack of empathy - It's not that she can't understand or relate to other people, it's just that she doesn't do that. There is no need for her to have the least bit of compassion for most people around her, much like there is no need for a scientist to have any compassion for the ants they are studying or the rats they're using for experiments.
Unsettling presence - She has been scorned by things not visible and that together with her way of carrying herself makes most people withdraw a bit, animals tend to scurry away from her, small children burst into tears for no reason what so ever and those who are more sensitive towards others energies will instantly know that something that is not good is nearby.
Cursed - Chiara has dabbled in black magic for a long time and this has gotten her noticed by a few things that people don't want to be noticed by. Things go foul around her, food usually doesn't stay fresh for longer than a day; any plants she might have will wither and die. Infants tend to burst into tears just from her being around and animals really don’t like her as they always run away as soon as she comes close.
Merits: Foul taste - Chiara isn't tainted just by soul but also her body has been tainted by the magic she's abused, leaving a foul taste on both her blood and flesh.
Luck - There is no getting away with it, Chiara is lucky and that is why she is still alive, around and hasn't summoned something that's been strong enough to eat her.
Black Market Ties - She's still an active part of the black market, dealing in both services and items.
Sample Roleplay: (3rd person) She'd left pretty much everything in her apartment, grabbing her wallet as she left in a hurry. The presence of the being had lingered and she certainly had no desire to stay any longer than what was absolutely necessary. It was typical though, she had really liked that apartment but there was no better way to convince oneself that it was time to move than to summon a really pissed off demon in the living room. Leaning back in seat of the cab Chiara just barely managed to suppress a scowl as her cell phone went off; once she saw an unknown number flashing she didn't bother suppressing it anymore.
"Yes." She all but snarled into the receiver causing the driver to give her a slightly startled look in the mirror. It was the movers, apparently they'd gotten part of her things out of the apartment, until one of the movers had come running out swearing he had seen a ghost. Chiara just rolled her eyes, well of course there were spirits there, she had lived there.
"I don't care; I'm paying you good money so I'm expecting my things to be at the other apartment before the end of tomorrow." The scowl was soon replaced with a stiff smile. "Do you really want to start this with me?" Of course a move couldn't be painless and easy, it was like plucking hairs from a squirming rat, lucky she knew how to deal with rats.
"Good. I'm glad we see eye to eye Mr. Garver. I'll be seeing you tomorrow then." Before he had a chance to reply she killed the call and slipped the phone back in her purse, her hand stilling there for a second, letting her fingers trail over the carved wooden charm she considered as her most priced possession. She was still a bit antsy but all would be better after tomorrow, as soon as she had all her things, books, back at her side and she could start dealing with this mess from a fresh stand point.
Sample Journal Entry: (1st person) This place seems good, small but that can be a good thing I assume. Can't say I care much for the people here, they seem perky enough though. Might as well start the count down to when I can't stand this atmosphere anymore. I should really see about some charms for muting ones aura. Wonder what the landlord's policy is on redoing this place, might need to do that too, as soon as my things get here.