Sometimes in roleplay, you need to incorporate other characters into the scene, characters that perhaps are only necessary for a few moments or for a few weeks or in the case of the few below, characters that become part of who your player is, but do not have another to portray them, for they would have little to do RPwise if your Player Character (PC) is not around. The following are NPCs (Non Player Characters) that I use often in my roleplay as Selene. If you RP with Selene at all you may have seen one of them pop up from time to time. Here is a little background on each of these NPCs that would be IC knowledge to most people within the noble sphere.

Melora - Mongrel Slave

Melora was given to Selene on her 17th birthday, a gift from her parents to assist Selene with her scholarly pursuits. Melora was 7 at the time and Selene took the time to teach the child how to read and write so that the girl could copy Selene's notes and take dictation. While many slaves in Jove serve many different family members and perform a myriad of tasks, Melora's only duty is to help Selene with anything relating to her study of Empyrean art. Melora is by no means a friend of Selene, for Empyreans do not count mongrels as friends but she is more akin to her favorite pet and she is somewhat pampered compared to the other slaves of the household. Melora stands around 5'4" with light olive skin and her straight dark hair is cut to just brush her shoulders. She is a rather quiet young woman and seems to have no qualms of her life as a slave, for indeed she's treated very well. Presently, she has also taken on the task of watching over Effie, the young orphan Selene has taken in.

Zea - Daughter of Pantoleon and Selene

First daughter of Selene and Pantoleon (though he has two from his fist marriage), Zea is certainly the apple of her parents' eye. Born November 14, 3905, she is a roughly three years old. She's a cheerful child who, now that she has learned to talk, is chattering in baby talk to anyone who grabs her attention and has been tearing around the Deus and Dea's chambers on chubby baby legs. While appearing sweet to those who see her, she is known in the Acesian household for her eruptive tantrums. Her eyes are pale blue like her father and her hair is still so fair that it's difficult to tell for certain if it will remain silver like her mother's tresses, or eventually turn into the sun-gold shade of her father. It's no secret that Zea is spoiled by many in the household and deeply loved by both parents.

Justinius - Heir of Acesius

Th gods have finally blessed Pantoleon with a son, after fathering three girls. After the news of Lysander's tretchery Selene and Pantoleon decided to honor the man he had slain by naming their son and heir of Acesius after the fallen Emperor and Selene's grandfather. He was born December 12, 3907, coming a month early, many believe from the stress put on the Dea, and for a while he was not expected to live. But he has thrived, though still seems a bit small for his age. What he might lack in height he all but makes up for with his lungs, for he can be a very loud child. A future Princeps, perhaps?

Effie - Orphan Empyrean Child

Effie was found by Selene, or rather the child found the noblewoman, when Selene ventured out into the refugee crowd that filled the streets in front of the Palladium after the Empyrean/Varati war. The girl is roughly 7-8 years old, though her actual birthdate is unknown. She was wandering the massive crowds looking for her mama when she stumbled upon Selene who was tending to a shocked Galatea. Unable to leave the child in the crowd without anyone to watch out for her, Selene took the child into her home, cleaned her up and dressed her wounds, with every intention of finding the girl's mother. Nightmares continue to plague the girl's dreams though they have lessened over time. It is also unknown as to where the girl is from or who her family is for she knows neither but many nights she awakes screaming of fire exploding from the earth, leading Selene to believe the child escaped from the city of Lyceane that was brutally destroyed by the Varati God-King. Effie is the image of a 'perfect' Empyrean with sunny gold curls that fall down her back, pristine white wings and sky blue eyes. She was only intended to remain around for a couple of weeks, but the situation for finding her mother never materialized and so she remains Selene's ward. When she is a little bit older she will be trained to serve as Zea's personal servant.

Ignatius - Selene's Personal Scribe

Ignatius is Selene's faithful scribe and a member of Jove's servant population, appearing in roleplay after the finacial burdens have been lain on House Jove. He is an older Empyrean, roughly in his late 40s to early 50s as I've set no specific age to him. He had been an advisor of sorts to Selene on finacial matters and also serves her a scribe, sending out her missaves and answering those that she does not have the change to do herself. If a letter is received from Selene but does not possess her flowing script, it's a telltale sign that Ignatius is the one who penned the missive. He stands roughly 5'8" with the typical white wings of his race, red-blond hair cropped short and pale green eyes. Ignatius has been released from Jove's service and now serves the Dea Acesius in Apollo's house.

Chloe - Selene's Personal Servant - Deceased

Chloe is an Empyrean woman in her late 30s to early 40's who had served the Acesian household in Haven before the marriage of Pantoleon and Selene and was promoted to the Dea's personal servant. While Melora remains, she is more of a scholarly assistant and a slave, Chloe is around to help dress the Dea, bring her meals should she require them, delivering missives along with a myriad of other things. She is a quiet woman who is still stunned to be given such a position within the House. She has long golden hair that is usually kept back in a braid. Chloe wears a chiton of Acesian colors, her attire is more stylish than most of the servants of the household because of her position at the Dea's side.

Found by Melora, Chloe's body was left in the Dea's chambers after she was abducted by the Emperor. Again, there is no direct proof, but it has been assumed that since the Dea was seen to leave her house on her own free will, that Chloe was killed to keep her quiet. Only she knew that the Schola had summoned the Dea at dawn to meet with Arius.

Ophelia - Selene's Personal Servants

Ophelia has been sent to Haven to replace Chloe. Though she already finds the late handmaid had been an invaluable help to the Dea, she feels she is up to the task. She had, for many years, served Domina Melina Acesian, wife to Nemos Acesian, the man who oversees the estate in Olympia. Ophelia had served under the Domina's head handmaid, Ursina, a woman of advancing years and a sharp tongue. She was both grateful for the opportunity to leave Ursina's side and to become the Dea's sersonal servant, taking on all the tasks Chloe had held. At 37 she is a little younger than Chloe had been, but not by much and if her work in Olympia is any indication, she shall truly be an asset in Haven.

Evadne - Nanny and Tutor for the children

Quiet and unassuming, Evadne tutors Selene's eldest daughter, as well as her ward, also serving as the nanny to all three children. She is one of the few in the household outside of the Acesian family that has her own staff, albeit only three, who assist her in her teaching and in watching the children. She can be stern when need be, but she is never cruel. She is from House Hyperion, a Praetorian offshoot of Acesius, but never possessed any desire to join the Praetorian Guard. She became a scholar instead and has made a name for herself as an excellent tutor.

Josep and Cicero - Selene's Personal Guards

Probably the NPCs that are with Selene the most but have gone nameless for the most part, except for being called, 'the young one' or 'the elder.' Selene never goes out of the Palladium without at least two guards at her side, though at times there are more. These two, however, seem to do the bulk of the work and are mentioned more than other guards. Josep is the young upstart, in his 20s, who still feels he has something to prove. He lacks the subtlty of more seasoned guards and has a tendancy to spit out an insult before thinking. Cicero is older, perhaps in his 40s, who has served his time in the Praetorian Guard, but has returned to House Acesius to serve them as a House Guard. He is a distant cousin of the family and does have Acesian blood in his veins, but has never led a 'noble' life. He prefers the life of a guard. He is the calm to Josep's storm and usually ends up saying something to the younger guard to keep him from doing something stupid.

Recently, Selene was assigned four Schola to guard her,as has recently become required of all Aegians and Adjutors. They too are NPCs for the moment, but Cicero and Josep still remain, though they aren't pleased that further guards have been brought in. Depending on how long these guards last information may be provided about then as well. But for now, they simply exist.

Brutus - Acesian Slave Master

Brutus is a rather new NPC that I've used in a few scenes but its likely his use will increase in the future. He is the Empyrean slave master for House Acesius and while not a blood relative, he, like many long-standing servants, has become part of the family. Not the most articulate of men, he knows his business and there are few complaints from the noble family as far as the behavior of slaves are concerned. The more gentle approach the Acesians have publically toward their slaves might be attributed to the more heavy hand allowed by Brutus and his assistants, but his work is kept in the background, for the most part.

Lily - Gardener and Slave

Known only as Lily, this dusky-skinned beauty came to Acesius when she was only three years old. Her parents, both Sylvans, had an older child, a son, who lost control of his magic and caused an earthquake that had killed two Acesians and injured a few more. Because the Sylvans had been traveling though Acesian lands at the time it was left to them to determine the punishment for death. Those injured claim that the boy sought to hurt the family members when he saw their slaves cutting down trees, but the parents contended that he had been having troubles controlling his magic and it was merely an accident. In any event, the family was taken as slaves and the eldest son killed. The father was an earth elemental as well, and Lily has shown to have this magic as well. When she was old enough, and trained so as to not destroy others as her brother had, she was sent to Haven to tend to the Acesian gardens in the Palladium. She can be a spunky young woman and had run off a score of times when she was living in Hermopolis, but so far there has been no such trouble in Haven.

Sione - Selene and Zea's Nurse - Departed Haven

When Selene and Pantoleon went to Civitas Dei to deliver the news of Selene's pregnancy to their families and to just get away from Haven for a while, they returned with an ancient servant of the Acesian household. Sione is well on in years, she does not reveal her age, but as the nursemaid to Lysander, Pantoleon and Phineas when they were born, there are whispers she must be in her 90s by this time. She is very prim and proper, taking nonsense from no one and expecting everyone under her eye to behave as a proper noble lady or gentleman. Even the Deus and Dea must suffer her from time to time. She is almost always seen with a frown and in fact no one can remember the last time she smiled. But amoung the Acesian nursemaids she is far and above the best there is in Civitas Dei. She has come to Haven, somewhat against her will, to see that the next Acesian child is born healthy and raised properly in a mongrel city. Sione is a short woman with white hair, always worn in a tight bun at the back of her head, there is never a hair out of place, never a stray curl that dares brush her cheek. Her attire is moderate, never silk, its just not practical. A heavy cotton or wool is good enough in her mind and she rarely wears a chiton that has decoration on it. Now that Justinius is a year old, she has - happily - retreated to the warmer climate of Civitas Dei to await the next Acesian birth in the capital, or to join the lares, whichever might come first.

Linus - NPC Aegian for House Hyperion - Deceased

While not a member of House Acesius itself, Linus is an NPC Aegian I play from time to time who has actually been around for quite some time, I just never got around to adding him. He is a former Praetor and proud of it, for while Hyperion is an offshoot of Acesius, they are a Praetorian house and take great pride in their duty of protecting the Empyre. Hyperion tends to vote the same way that Acesius does but over everything, Linus looks out for the interests of the Praetorian Guard and is proud to represent their ranks amoung the Aegis.

The same day that Dea Acesian was reported missing by her household Linus was found in his apartments in Domus Solum dead in a pool of his own blood in his bedroom. His Schola were nowhere to be found and the balcony was left wide open. While there is no proof, it is believed that Linus was killed by his own Schola guard, members of Arius' dreaded Fulminarii, at the Emperor's orders. He had been a close confidant of the Dea and the two agreed on almost everything.

This casting call is not connected to Aether's casting call, they are more or less used to give a visual depiction as to how I see each of these characters in my mind.

Melora - Anna Paquin
Effie - Emily Mae Young
Ignatius - Kenneth Branagh
Chloe - Kristin Scott Thomas
Ophelia - Evadne - Allison Janney
Josep - Chris O'Donnell
Cicero - Ed Harris
Brutus - David Morse
Lily - Nelly Furtado
Sione - Dame Maggie Smith
Linus - Christopher Walken

Note: No, I did not forget Zea and Justinius, but with her being only three years old and he only one, there's little to no casting call choices for them.