Daughter of Prince Brand of Amber and Selena of Chanicut, member of the Chanicut Council of Nine. She made the mistake of earning Swayvill's disfavor, and awakened to find Chaos much changed from the Courts she knew. The question before her now is, how best to take advantage of this?
Melanie is about 5'8" tall and statuesque in build, with eyes that match the color of leaves in spring, and curly red hair that hangs past her shoulders when loose, but is usually worn piled stylishly on top of her head. Her complexion is very pale, and she obviously doesn't spend much time in the sun.
Melanie's clothing is elegant and refined, in the fashion of a 19th century lady, complete with gloves and parasol or fan. She favors colors of light green and royal blue, and carries no weapons openly.
To the casual observer, Melanie appears to be as elegant and refined as her clothing suggests, carrying herself as a lady of culture and breeding. She tends to be somewhat aloof, and there are those who would even go so far as to call her cold (or a few more unflattering terms). In truth, she is capable of rather strong emotions, but she has learned to be quite good at concealing them. And repressing them. She is interested in power in all of its forms, and is willing to sacrifice a great deal to get it, especially if the sacrifice involved is someone else's. She tends to have a slight air of superiority about her, as if she knows some marvelous secret that she isn't sharing just yet.
Melanie's symbol is the snake, representing shrewdness and transformation. She chose it primarily for the first meaning, having always thought of herself as a rather shrewd individual. Given her experience with Swayvill, however, the latter meaning has come to be especially apropos.Royal blue and light green.
Lady of House Chanicut, Countess of Stratford on Corinth, Viscountess of Skeltland, and Baroness of Mothsby.
Melanie was born in Skeltland during the reign of Emperor Swayvill.
Skeltland: The Ways of House Chanicut in the Courts of Chaos.
Spindlekeep: Name of both the Primal Plane in which the Spindle resides, and the keep which protects it.
"She is plainly her father's daughter, but no daughter of Amber. In choosing her mother's heritage, she has allied herself with my nemesis. I will forgive her slight trespasses, out of memory for her father and his work, but no more than that."
"Beautiful and charming...my daughter has grown into quite a woman.
Even in her anger, there is a certain coy sensuality to her that surprises
me, inflames me. In a way, she reminds me of Emma, so willful, so
poised...so eager to be made to submit."
"Cunning and skilled, graceful and charming. She is everything I
wanted to be when I was younger, the kind of role model that my life was
missing. And now that I have reached some measure of power and control, I
find her in my life...a welcome reflection of the reality I always craved.
I value her conversation and the ease with which we understand one
another. It is a good thing to have an equal with whom one needn't
compete."
"A charming young woman who came into trouble through no advent of
her own, but rather through her father's foolish politics. She served her
time and returned to us with a poise that belies her patience and good
manners. Chaos would do well to have more young women such as
she."
"The only Chanicut matriarch who could prevent me from securing the House into its proper position. She is a tricky one, indeed, but before too long she will be no threat at all. Let her wipe the drool from my mother's chin while I bring Chanicut into the prominence it deserves; her spellcraft will not protect her from the likes of me."
"A pretty little puppet with grand dreams and sparkling eyes. She
has not her father's madness, and therefore she is limited. But she could
accomplish a great deal, if given the right direction. So poised...so
cool...so careful...so divinely suited to my purposes."
"I wonder if she realizes how much she has her father's eyes...that
same cool calculation that hides beneath the sparkle of intellect. But
she lacks her father's madness...or seems to. No madwoman could conceal
herself that well. Of course, the same could be said of me. She bears
watching."
"Amiable, but altogether too interfering. Melanie has a habit of
turning up where I least need interference, or spectators, for that
matter. Thankfully she is reasonable, and discrete. I look forward to
fulfilling my debt to her, and being done with her for good."
"Elegant and charming...graceful and perfect...she is a rose amidst
the weedy garden that is the state of Chaosian womanhood. She could be a
Duchess...a Queen...an Empress, ruling as an iron fist in a velvet glove.
I would give nearly anything to possess her, save for, perhaps, my
pride."
"Every bit as cautious as Sarah, and perhaps much more cool and
aloof. The extent to which she is indifferent to politics and uninvolved
in House machinations indicates either of two possibilities: that she is
an apathetic fool, or that she is playing a far deeper game than the
Houses. I do not believe her to be a fool."
"She has learned the lesson of caution without losing her pride or
self-respect. She could follow the path that I did...perhaps more, given
time. Who would have thought so much from a child of Amber?"
"My daughter stands to rule two great lands, Amber and Chaos. She has been trained to rule, and been given the patience to wait for the right opportunity. Only Fate can block her from power, and with parentage such as hers, even Fate can only limit her for a time."
"To describe her in less than glowing terms would be a slight to the
self. Let us say that she is the only woman for whom I would settle for
only half of all known reality."
"Queen to bishop's four. Check. 'Twould be a shame to sacrifice so
useful a piece, but that is how the game is won, after all."
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The excellent Trump of Melanie/Selena is the work of Wendi Strang-Frost, and is © by her. Please contact her before reproducing it in any fashion. For more examples of her work, check out her web page, her online comic "Johnny Public" or the "Wavedancers" story in Elfquest.
The Trumps of Brand, Cerridwen, Edgar, Emily, Faust, Momus, Nessarose and Shaenan are the work of Matthew Richardson, and are a combination of several images. The man in the Brand Trump is actor Val Kilmer, the woman in the Emily Trump is actress Gillian Anderson, the man in the Momus Trump is actor Kevin Spacey, and the men in the Shaenan Trump are musician Ashley MacIssac (background) and an unknown Gap model (foreground). If you have any questions about the above images, including who the models in the remaining Trumps are, feel free to contact Matthew.
The Trumps of Dara and Sarah are the work of Philip Brenner, and are a combination of several images. The woman in the Dara Trump is actress Anne Heche. If you have any questions about the above images, feel free to contact Flip.
All text on this page is © 1998-2001 by Kris Fazzari, with the exception of the attributed quotes.
Last modified on January 15, 2001 by Kris Fazzari.
