astronomer, swordswoman, polymath
( a k a “I s b a " )
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Ht: 5'8 / Wt: 137 / Hair: black / Eyes: brown / Age: 36 / Creed: Capracian
PROFILE
Sofonisba Orlogio is an accomplished polymath. Her education began early with metalsmithing, engraving, and complex mechanisms, and expanded over the years to include astronomy, mathematics, architecture, chemistry, medicine, and philosophy. Although she is an excellent draughtsman and has produced works in bronze, she considers herself but a dabbler in the fine arts, especially compared to the famed Capracian geniuses of her generation. Sofonisba is a supremely gifted scholar and artisan, but by her own admission, she lacks the temperament of a great artist or inventor.
Sofonisba's years as a student in the teeming Capracian cosmopolis of Verezza taught her how to walk the line between upper class patrons and the churn of the streets. Her manner is assertive and quite direct, though not without some sense of decorum. She is energetic, fast-talking, and intense, particularly when pursuing matters of personal intellectual curiosity.
From birth, one of Sofonisba's legs was of uneven length, with a slightly misshapen foot. Despite this mild physical impairment, she has become an accomplished swordswoman and an experienced duelist. In her youth, she studied extensively with Maestro Horazio Barbieri, and is now on the list of instructors for the Anima della Spada school of fence in Verezza. She is expert in the dirk, the smallsword, the rapiers largo and corto, and the buckler. She has also educated herself in the use and maintenance of firearms.
APPEARANCE
Sofonisba is a tall, angular woman in her mid-30s. Her face is long, with a sharp nose, pointed chin, and large dark eyes. Her straight black hair is typically contained in pinned-up braids or a bun. Her posture is upright, with long arms and strong hands earned through years as a metalsmith and fencer. For reading or working with small mechanical parts, she sometimes wears round, brass-rimmed spectacles.
She favours dark clothing in a courtly but practical style, with a hint of academic severity. When not obliged to don a bustled dress at court, she prefers to wear trunk hose in the masculine style, a padded doublet with a high collar and modest ruff, and a courtly smallsword at her hip. In hose, her calves are lean but shapely, and would be the envy of any Londais court popinjay.
She favours dark clothing in a courtly but practical style, with a hint of academic severity. When not obliged to don a bustled dress at court, she prefers to wear trunk hose in the masculine style, a padded doublet with a high collar and modest ruff, and a courtly smallsword at her hip. In hose, her calves are lean but shapely, and would be the envy of any Londais court popinjay.
On her feet, she wears buckled shoes with hard soles, with one somewhat thicker than the other to compensate for the asymmetry of her gait. Normally, she walks at a brisk, controlled pace, her slight limp on the left side barely discernible... although over longer distances, her uneven pace is more evident.
HISTORY
Although her father hired tutors and purchased books for her, Sofonisba pined for an outlet and access to more advanced texts. By the age of 12, she was corresponding with scholars in other provinces, and dreamt of one day studying in the great city of Verezza.
When she was 14, her father arranged to have her sent to the home of the astronomer Eugenia Buonacerati in Verezza, so that Sofonisba could attend the Scuola Grande di San Idalio. There, she excelled in classics, architecture, astronomy, and mathematics. After her sheltered life in Orcagna, she also became enthralled with the bombastic student life and the immensity of the city itself.
Although she was not the first female student at the Scuola Grande, Sofonisba still encountered friction on account of both her sex and her visible infirmity. Undaunted, she proved herself to her teachers though wit and drive, and advanced herself academically. Regarding matters of insult between students, such things were customarily settled by duel instead of words - and in this capacity too, Sofonisba advanced herself.
Mistress Buonacerati had introduced the young Sofonisba to the fencing master Horazio Barbieri soon after she arrived in the city, both as a means to cultivate poise in spite of her limp - and perhaps to cultivate her confidence. Under Barbieri's tutelage, she studied a synthesis of the Iagosi Manero Largo and La Treza schools. The inherent geometry at the core of both of these styles was an excellent match for her patient, analytical mind. With regular training at Master Barbieri's school, Sofonisba soon became an excellent practitioner of the sword. Among the students of the Scuola Grande, she both defended her personal honour and built a small reputation as capable duellist.
Sofonisba was in Verezza when the shadow of war fell across Duatha. Although the city-state was powerful enough to endure most of the Tumult, this period was not without hardship. Sofonisba survived the plague outbreak of 3002, and was among those who took sanctuary in the monasteries of Carmini during sack of Verezza by the Duke of Giacona's forces in 3004. From these experiences she gained a sobering insight into the realities of war- and into the medical arts as well.
Although she cultivated her skills and gained a modest standing in highly-competitive Verezza, like many other promising intellectuals she was forced to seek patronage in other locales. After gaining some acclaim as the Steward of the Observatory at the University of Cartasegna, she was able to secure an appointment to the court of Prinz Alberingen of Auspenheim. This arrangement required her to act as tutor to Alberingen's spoiled son, Fortiz, but Auspenstadt's rich culture of craftsmanship, and its exceptional access to the stars made it an ideal place for her to pursue both her engineering and stargazing interests.
