Character Sketch... Ashley Voltacore

A blonde revenge-driven princess. Hopefully not at all cliched.

Full Name: Velikaya Knyazhna Anastasiya Ashelika Oneysa Voltacore (Aka Ashley)

Born: Regios 7th, 6000

Skin: Fair

Hair: Golden Blonde

Eyes: Ice Blue

Height: 172 cm (5’8”)

Weight: 63 kg (140 lbs.)

Physique: Amazonian (With curves)

Posture: Elegant (She’s Royalty)

Despite the death of her parents, she’s had the entire world at her feet from a very young age. It wasn’t until the eve of her coronation on her ninth (equivalent to her eighteenth) birthday that she realized the true potential danger and treachery of her adoptive mother Tsarina Elaine. In the year afterward, she found herself alienated by her step-brothers and ostracized by all other contenders for the throne of Deltora, and honed her magic skills and gained the respect and loyalty of her own personal division of the armed forces. Generally beloved and admired by the military she feels powerless to stop the waves of fascism and imperialism sweeping her country to war, and is constantly concerned about the true extent of her subject’s loyalty to her.

As a witch, she’s bound by tradition to lead her own army into battle on behalf of her mother’s interests, and gets promptly swept aside and conveniently away from the intrigue and politics of Blackheart. She sees the war as just another bout of sabre rattling at first, but quickly comes to realize the apocalyptic potential once she meets Tatyana and comes to grip with the implications of the prophecy. She’s a skilled and graceful fighter, but hardly a bloodthirsty person, despite her naturally reserved personality she’s cordial and level-headed, even charming at times, and very aware of her physical beauty and intimidating status.

She’s had a hard time coming to terms with her harsh reality in the last few years, but has had to evolve fast to stay alive. She unfortunately is quick to judge and hard to read, letting few people, if anyone, know her inner thoughts. Around the time she meets Aaron her goal is initially to secure the throne of Deltora and thereby restore her birthright. As the war becomes an issue of global importance and the prophecy becomes real to her, she has to consider her responsibility to the human race if she’s to become a true ruler. She’ll always remain fiercely loyal to her homeland and the ideals of her father, who was a fair and just ruler, and is terrified by how hated Deltora is by its neighbors and enemies.

The only member of the royal family to abstain from supporting the Nexus party, she cites her father’s old fashioned morals and traditions as reason for avoiding corporate fascism. Despite her charitable nature and influence among the military and lower classes, this leaves her at odds with the more important members of Deltoran society, particularly the predominantly Nexus controlled parliament and the corporate class. It’s really a losing battle she’s fighting, but she’s yet to come to realize that the support of her few allies is hardly enough in the face of the the wave of the madness sweeping the nation. Call it naive, call it stubborn, but from any perspective but hers, it’s a miracle she’s still alive, and politically speaking, and even if she manages to subdue her rivals for the throne, she’d have no leverage over the massive Nexus party and it’s throngs of devotees in the general populace, who rely on the royal family simply to reinforce the party’s economic and political decisions.

Careful and cunning, Ashley represents the dream of stability and order in a mad world, and has the aura of a true leader, despite her age. She secretly wishes to pass the burden of her fate, and be a normal teenage girl for once. Her storytelling brings to mind Joan of Arc infused with Brunhilda.