Character Descriptions: The Grande Family Portrait

Leela Groznek-Grande

Though she is now 28 years old, Leela still looks like a demure teenager of about thirteen to fourteen years. She is no longer a runner, but instead has settled into her new life as Europe’s most celebrated keyboard performer. She wears her wavy red hair just below shoulder length which has a streak of white along the left side of her face and sparkling blue eyes. She is about 43 Kg in weight and 5’1� tall. Leela’s manner of dress is now much more elegant, even when she is in a casual mode. For concerts she wears a long strapped sleeveless dress that is fairly low cut (Zoé Heritage ‘Starlet� line - which she herself commissioned) with Zoe “Second Skin� under armour (designed for wear with more “revealing� clothing). For more everyday wear she usually wears a simple low v-neck sweater or blouse and tight fitting knee length skirt (the influence of her friend, Lana Lane).

The only weapon Leela carries is her father’s Ceska vz/120 which she wears in a thigh holster underneath her skirt (giving her a “split skirt� to show the weapon would be OK).

Leela has a number of implants, a mix of bio and cyber. Most of these she received as a young girl as part of a controversial procedure which saved her life and aided in her rapid recovery. This package included Synaptic Accelerator, Enhanced Articulation, Mnemonic Enhancement, Synthcardium, Cerebral Booster, Skillwires and Induction Datajack. She also has several minor pieces of headware and an internal Smartlink.


Lady Meggan Grande - Countess of Swindon

Lady Grande is the quintessential eccentric British aristocrat. While she is of high nobility status, she affectionately is referred to by friends and associates as “Dame Meg�. Though 61, she appears to be in her mid forties (she has undergone the Leonization treatment). Meggan is a widow, having lost her husband Count Reginald during a hunting safari for Paranormal Critters for the London Zoo on the African continent (her daughter, Margo was only twelve at the time). She is very attractive for a woman of her age yet she has an extremely commanding presence and imposing stature (5’ 11�). Dame Meg has long light blonde hair, which she wears down, contributing to her younger look, with a few streaks of grey near the temples. She has intense steely grey eyes.

Meggan usually dresses in a “Neo-Edwardian� style (Zoé Heritage of course) and never carries a weapon. She doesn’t need to since she is a Grade VII Social Adept. Lady Grande has a natural Charisma of 7 (exceptional attribute) with three levels of Tailored Pheromones - Delta Grade. Being an adept, Meggan has no other implants

Think of the “White Queen� from X-Men: Generation X but not quite as sinister or as flashy a dresser.


Madam Margo Grande-Owens

Even at 33, Margo is a bombshell who looks like a younger version of her mother Meggan. Margo has long straight blonde hair (almost down to her butt) with a streak of white running along the right side of her face. Like her mother, she has very penetrating grey eyes and is tall 5’9�. Despite recently having twins, Margo has maintained her sleek elegant figure. She is married to Sir Eddie Owens, who is her teenage sweetheart and a champion race driver (non-rigged). Margo is the head curator at London’s Museum of Antiquity, succeeding her mentor Sir Desmond Perry. She is also an eminent archaeologist and frequently organizes (and participates in) expeditions.

She is a true debutante and dresses very tres chic. She either can be wearing a sexy blouse/skirt combination (blouse unbuttoned to reveal her cleavage) or dressed for one of her archaeological digs (complete with pith helmet). In the UK she does not carry a weapon, but when on an expedition, she will pack her Morressey Alta and carry her PJSS Elephant rifle. Margo has no visible cyber (all headware + reaction enhancment) and mostly bioware (Synaptic Acceleration, Muscle Tone, Articulation and Cerebral booster).

A good model (both appearance and personality wise) to use is the character Marguerite Krux from the 1999 Lost World television series (the Canadian production which aired on the old WB network).


Katya Grande

Leela’s beautiful nineteen year old Croatian sister. Though Katya is Leela’s, “little sister� (adopted by Lady Grande back in 2062 at the age of eleven), she is actually a half foot taller (5’ 7�) and a bit more “buxom.� As with Leela, Katya is an orphan of the Serbian occupation of Croatia. She lost her parents and one older sister to a Serbian Air raid and another sister to the resistance effort. Katya tends to dress very tres chic and prefers wearing high fashion skirts/dresses instead of slacks. She has thick shoulder length Auburn hair, expressive green eyes, and soft facial features with just a slightly more pronounced nose (not quite “Barbara Streisand� in size). Katya is a “looker� and has a very dignified air, an influence of growing up with Lady Grande.

Katya is currently interning with Leela’s friend Lana Lane who is the managing Producer (News and public affairs) at Net47 in London. She is very personable and soft spoken but far from shy. As a young girl, she frequently helped out around the refugee camp she lived in, and was very mature for her age.

Like her adoptive mother, Katya is also a social adept (non initiate) with a natural Charisma of 6 and two levels of Tailored Pheromones.

Katya looks very much like a younger version of Famke Janssen who played Jean Grey/Phoenix in the X-Men film series.


Annika Groznek-Grande

Twelve year old Annika is Leela’s long lost natural daughter. Conceived after Leela was raped by a Serbian soldier at the age of sixteen (very long story) she grew up with her surrogate parents who were smuggled out of Croatia to Trieste. At age five she was reunited with her mother (who did not know the girl was her daughter at the time) albeit as her first piano student after Leela returned to Croatia following war’s end. Five years later the reunion became formal with Leela given full legal custody of the girl.

Annika could almost be Leela’s twin, having her mother’s sparkling blue eyes, red hair and being almost identical in build. She should have just a hint of “childishness� to appear slightly younger than Leela. Annika likes to dress in the latest teen fashions and is destined to be one hell of a heart-breaker. Unlike must girls her age, she has body piercing or tattoos (Leela wouldn’t have anything of it). Annika thinks the world of her youthful mother and is also a very accomplished pianist. Leela is very protective of her daughter and despite her own child like nature, is a very good and loving mother. The two also frequently perform together as duo pianists.

Leela and Annika are both “sensitives�, which is a new breed of adept who I am experimenting with as an NPC. They are intended to be much more subtle than powerful. One of the drawbacks is that they retain a very child like outlook on things.

As Models for Leela and Annika

Both Leela and her daughter look very much like Emily Browning, the young woman who played Violet in Lemony Snicketts, A Series of Unfortunate Events. There are two images from the Browning Gallery website in particular which bear uncanny resemblances. If I can figure out how to create links to other websites from DS (every time I rename the link it breaks) I can post them. Again take your time with this one. With some of the creative critique that has been recently posted, this could be a good opportunity to try some of the suggestions others and I have made.

Again I loved the A-Team pic, I think it is by far one of your best ever. Marta (one of the best female Trolls I’ve seen) and Pixie were also incredibly nice. I should have you do my Dwarf Merc Gracie or Ex Cosmonaut Katyana Markova (who I detailed in Trigger’s art thread). Be interesting to see your take on a female Dwarf as well.