Nova Aquila

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   <default>Nova Aquila</default>
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Nova Aquila is an Icon that's currently trapped as one of Mr. Musser's Familiars.<ref name=":0">Nova Aquila was one of his father’s Others, an Icon.  Her skin was like ivory, her hair raven black, her top a silver silk halter that very intentionally draped down in folds to reveal her décolletage.  A god had put some of its essence into a statue to breathe power and existence into her.  Not life, exactly, but animation.  It was possible her skin was ivory, as a matter of fact.  Icons served as decoration, representatives, errand-runners, and sometimes guardians.  They had a lot of divine power, but it was a finite source that didn’t tend to replenish without the direct attention of the god that made them. A lake’s worth of water that didn’t refill when it was drank from, used to grow trees, used to put out fires.  When it was spent she would go still and never move again.

They’d found her in the midst of her journey to learn pop culture, music, computers, movies, plays.  She’d gone dancing, she was studying, trying on wildly different fashions.  All led by a young practitioner who’d found her alone in a disused temple for a god that was no more.  A guy who’d seemed to find vicarious enjoyment in exposing her to, well, everything.  The young man had taken her as a familiar, to bring her even further into the world of humans, and Reid’s father had taken her away less than a day later. - Excerpt from False Moves 12.z</ref>

Personality

She has an interest in modernity and wants to learn about pop culture, movies, plays and computers, she was trying out dancing and fashions.<ref name=":0" />

Relationships

Drowne attempted to talk to her and advocated for teaching her to read but his attempt was rebuffed.<ref>“Things as small as Nova.  Teaching her to read would-”

“Is that what’s nettling you?  Do you have a crush, Drowne?  She’s attractive by design-”

“Affinity, not a crush.  Teaching her to read would make us all stronger, if only a little.” - Excerpt from False Moves 12.z</ref>

She fears Musser enough to follow his orders even if a practice frees her from his direct control.

It is unknown what her relationship with her original partner was but like Drowne may have taken her oaths to keep him safe.<ref name=":0"/>

Appearance

She has literal ivory skin and black hair, and useually wears a shimmering toga-like halter top that reveals her cleavage.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":7">There were others. Familiars Abraham Musser had stolen. Not all. Some might have gone back to their practitioners. Avery didn’t see the raven-haired one who’d had the glittery toga-ish halter top. - Excerpt from Finish Off 24.8</ref> An astue observer will notice several things wrong with her.<ref>“Okay.  Middle of the group, black hair, pale skin.”

Lucy nodded. The woman was beautiful, wearing a top that sparkled like diamonds.

“She doesn’t sweat, her skin isn’t red even though she’s pale and standing in the summer sun.  Virtually anyone else with skin like that would burn in a matter of minutes.”

“Notice how she stands in the middle of the group.  Even as they wander and take in details, the others surround her, protecting her.”

“She’s vulnerable?”

“I think she’s more vulnerable than they are.  She moves with confidence.”  John’s voice was so much a whisper there was a hoarse quality to it.  “She doesn’t move as if she’s scared of being attacked. [...] Her confidence comes with bearing a lot of power, even if she’s reluctant or unsure about using it.  I’d think they protect her so that even as the situation turns, she’ll be able to use that power.  Whatever it may look like.”
[...]

- Excerpt from Summer Break 13.4</ref>

The right Sight can reveal her artificial nature.<ref>Lucy used her Sight.

“She has small knives in her.  The flesh around the wounds is cracked, not bleeding. [...] Manufactured, not natural?”

“Perhaps.”

The cracks were surrounded by dark stains.  To Lucy’s Sight, the woman was forced to bend over a bit because of the blades set between bones. - Excerpt from Summer Break 13.4</ref>

Abilities

She was created when a god put a vast amount of power into a statue, animating her.<ref name=":0" /> This gives her a huge pool of power that will not replenish if used.<ref name=":0" /> This automatically makes her a heavy hitter.

She is unable to read, and could not learn on her own, though she may be able to benefit from teaching.<ref name=":1">Reid was fairly sure she didn’t know how to read very well and she might not have the capacity to learn, exactly.
[...]
As an Other that adapted, Drowne was a contrast to Nova, who stood still by default.
[...]
You could teach her to read, Reid pushed the idea at Drowne.  It interrupted the conversation in progress as Drowne glanced his way, and it would make things more awkward, but it would be good to remove one weakness from one familiar of his father.  As a vessel of sorts, Nova couldn’t learn, but she could be taught. - Excerpt from False Moves 12.z</ref>

It is unknown what her status as a familiar gives her.

Chronology

Before the story

She was left in an abandoned temple of a vanished Deity and eventually found by a young practitioner, he showed her the world and took her as a familiar. A day afterwards Abraham Musser took her away and added him to his collection.<ref name=":0" />

Under Musser's control she was used as decoration.<ref>It seemed to him that it was more important that she have something she appeared to be doing, and have something to occupy her eyes.  She existed in part as decoration and it was to Reid’s father’s tastes that a fashionably dressed, beautiful woman could be seen in his vicinity, keeping his general company, reading proper literature.- Excerpt from False Moves 12.z</ref>

During the fight to prevent Charles from entering the arena Nova was injured by Verona and Tashlit.<ref>Tashlit faced the woman with black hair and ivory skin, both of them with hands raised.  The woman flinched as Verona pelted her with flaming spell cards.  Tashlit rushed in, grabbing the woman by the wrists.- Excerpt from Summer Break 13.13</ref>

Following Musser's final downfall she persumably went back to her original practitioner.<ref name=":7"/>

Trivia

• Nova means new in Latin and Aquila means eagle in modern times used to refer to the constellation Aquila.

References

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