Geraldine Alafare- @GypsyGeraldine
Age: 54
Race: Human
Occupation: Fortune Teller
Alignment: Good
Personality: Hopeful, loving, free-spirited
Home Region: Valara
Powers/Abilities/Skills: Future sight, musical prowess (tambourine, drums, maracas), general magical abilities
Other Associated Regions: Valara
Face Claim: Catherine Keener
Oh, I was born with the name Geraldine
With hair coal black as a raven.
I travelled my life without a care,
Ah, but all my love I was savin'.
- "The Ballad of Geraldine" by Donovan
Geraldine was born into a caravan of traveling gypsies. They traveled all across the lands of the Vortex, selling their wares, trading their livestock, and offering their services of fortune telling. The gypsy culture was (and still is) very secretive, and all gypsies spoke an exclusive language called Romani, along with the common language of the land. They were also quite secretive when it came to their abilities, which drew both fascination and fear from the people they met along their travels. In some villages they were chased out by pitchforks, fire, and chanting- future-seeing was the devil's work in their eyes, and the gypsies the devil's subjects. In less hostile situations, they could draw quite a crowd, and they'd leave their audiences spell-bound with their dazzling displays of color, dance, and music.
Her father was a skilled jeweler and her mother was especially gifted in fortune-telling. Geraldine inherited her mother's affinity for the future, and as a teenager gave her own readings as the caravan passed from town to town. During down time, she loved to play instruments, especially her beloved tambourine, often joined by other gypsies who played their own instruments and danced to the rhythm. Although there was some danger to their lifestyle, the gypsies tended to be care-free and easygoing, enjoying life as they went.
As Geraldine's fortune-telling improved, she was gifted a crystal ball by her father, which augmented her natural abilities. She found that the rhythmic nature of music could also help her channel her gift, and as she played her tambourine, she'd often see brief glimpses of the future flash before her eyes, though she had no ability to control these visions.
She was a woman of hope and passion, loving the adventures her life took her on. They spent most of their time traveling through the forests and the countryside. She felt a strong connection to the natural world. At eighteen, she picked her totem animal- an honorable step as a gypsy enters adulthood. Hers was the raven- an animal of life, death, and metamorphosis that symbolized good luck and the gods' connection to the natural world. She allowed the raven to guide her on her spiritual journey, eventually gaining the sacred ability to take the raven's own form as she grew closer to its message.
But all was not meant to last. She yearned for someone to share her love with, and she found this in a handsome young sailor. Their relationship began as an intense, unyielding fire, and on a whim, she decided to stay in the port town with him, abandoning the only true home she had ever known. It wasn't long before she was pregnant with their child.
The young sailor grew restless. They'd settled in the small town and several months had now passed, but his heart yearned for the sea. Geraldine sensed this, and begged him to stay and raise their child together. She couldn't bear the thought of him leaving her. She'd waited so long for someone she could share her love with, and she loved him deeply.
Still, a wandering soul can't be kept still forever, and one morning, she awoke to find he had gone, returned to the sea on the first ship of the day.
She was determined to raise the baby and give him the life he deserved, but the town was no longer welcoming of her. A baby born out of wedlock was considered a very shameful thing, and they had grown suspicious of her because of her gypsy past. She knew she had to leave. Only a few short weeks after her baby was born, she hitched the wagon up and off she went, the newborn wrapped safely in her arms. She had saved all of her love for her child and she would protect her to the ends of the earth.
Her daughter, Artemis, named after the goddess herself, is now grown into a young adult. They still travel the Vortex together, selling wares and fortunes to anyone interested.
Please note- Geraldine was heavily inspired by a beautiful song by Donovan called "The Ballad of Geraldine." It's become one of my favorite songs, and if you're interested, take a listen HERE.
