Vale's Suspicious Potato Peel Trunk

APPEARANCE

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Despite her happy-go-unlucky attitude, Vale's sense of fashion reflects greatly upon afro-gothicism. Bright colors are not refused, but has a heavy preference for dark tones. Gold can be found across her body, from bracelets to the cuffs found in her long, thin-woven dreadlocks which can be found sometimes in a bundle mess. While known to be in her mandatory Slytherin uniform and robes, she also dresses herself in black gowns and a satin bonnet to protect her hair during her curfew hours. She has dark skin and likes to keep her nails sharp and black.

A horrowing history of potion experimentation has caused the Ashwoods to have an influx of mutations, which caused Vale to have brilliant, amber colored eyes. Alas, due to an accident of her own peril, Vale has lost her ability to see colors on her own. Her vision alone only allows her to see in greyscale colors (black, gray, and painfully bright white). She wears magical contact lenses given to her by her father that allow her to see colors once more. These lenses changed her former eye color to that of a dark brown with noticeable red pupils in lighting.

Vale's skin used to be surprisingly untouched by scars, but because of the accident with her own personal potion experimentation, she now has noticeable burn patch scars across her body, including her own face.

FIoM

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Vale comes from a family with a historic background of potioneers and herbologists. They had gifts to search the land and discover findings that would encourage them to continue their practice. Vale, despite her young age and lack of potioneering experiences, already had the instinct to search the grounds for the strangest of items.

Her mother left her alone for only a moment to return to her herb gardening nearby. Vale immediately made work of the ground, digging and searching for whatever she deemed worth her efforts. She dug for a while amongst the foggy exterior of her home, yet her digging led to nothing of note. A slight smoke escaped Vale's mouth, and her building frustration accumulated until she let out a angry shriek for her fruitless efforts.

Her mother's shed erupted in flames immediately, and the commotion has caused her father to rush out in a confused shamble to the scene. There was a slight panic, a possible fear for his wife and daughter's whereabouts until Adana's casual appearance next to her husband to watch the eruption of flames. Vale since pulled away and her hand held by her mother.

The whole family eventually came out to watch, finding the shed had nothing of importance. A need to be replaced. The ashes from the flames were placed in a urn and set upon the main room's fireplace as loving reminder of Vale's first day of chaos. This occurred for Vale during the age of eight.

PERSONALITY

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If one values their sanity, it is best to pivot away from the Ashwood family, especially its latest generation.

Speaking to dolls as if they can communicate normally, the casual acceptance of allegedly being on ministry watch (along with the rest of the family), and the sinister, hyena-like laughter that ended up passing down to Vale usually scares off people from socially interacting with the young girl. The rumors of being on ministry watch with the rest of her family also doesn't help expand her social bubble.

As common with Ashwoods, Vale is surprisingly polite. Although at random intervals, she will replace vocabulary words with opposite meanings as if they're meant to be in polite conversation. And would have the strange instinct to use her five senses to study anything that comes across her curiousity. If asked for her reason behind this, it would be declared for 'researching', even if it might be considered unsanitary.

Despite her uncanny nature, Vale has a strange talent to recall things instantly. Most recalls would be without reason or necessity, like remembering a fellow classmate wearing a bowtie instead of a tie one specific day. But the occasional recall would prove some purposes, such as recalling a long-winded chemical equation and its components. It is unknown if this is due to having a long legacy of potion experimentation that still curses the family to modern times.

Bright and cheerful, yet easily bored and curious to the point its destructive, Vale will do whatever it takes to satisfy her own nature. While empathetic to all creatures alike, she is merciless in her pursuit for knowledge and chaos.

HISTORY

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The Ashwoods are a pure-blooded family that survived since pre-colonial Africa. Only their natural talents in potioneering and herbology outlast their legacy.

While their powress and contributions to the world of herbs is known, so is the consequences for tapping into such. Potion experimentation has caused the descendents to suffer illnesses and deficits. The latest to suffer these effects is none other than Vale Ashwood herself. It is unknown to what these effects may fully be for her.

The family has a grotesque nature that could potentially even be criminal to an intent. This nature would lead to their current housing occasionally being filled with various people and creatures with something off about them.

While their grotesque nature may throw people off, they are surprisingly empathetic and advocate extremely for the rights of various beings and creatures, including those outcasted due to social norms. While holding a legacy of creating poisons to harm their enemies, there's also a legacy of healing and well-natured curing of loved ones. While the direct descendents are pure-blooded, those that branch outside the purity are regarded with unconditional affections.

Vale strives to follow in her family's footsteps, taking traits of potioneering and herbology. Along with taking her education for it seriously. Whether its for destructive reasons or not, is up to fate.

EXTRA

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Zodiac // Aquarius
Moral Alignment // Chaotic Good - (plans to change it to Chaotic Neutral)
Mirror of Erised // ???
Boggart // N/A; ???
Patronus // N/A
Amortencia // Burnt ashes, honeycakes
Blood Type // O+

WAND

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21.8 cm Blackthorn Wood and Snallygaster Heartstring
Blackthorn
"Blackthorn, which is a very unusual wand wood, has the reputation, in my view well-merited, of being best suited to a warrior. This does not necessarily mean that its owner practises the Dark Arts (although it is undeniable that those who do so will enjoy the blackthorn wand’s prodigious power); one finds blackthorn wands among the Aurors as well as among the denizens of Azkaban. It is a curious feature of the blackthorn bush, which sports wicked thorns, that it produces its sweetest berries after the hardest frosts, and the wands made from this wood appear to need to pass through danger or hardship with their owners to become truly bonded. Given this condition, the blackthorn wand will become as loyal and faithful a servant as one could wish."
- J.K. Rowling, Wand Woods.
Snallygaster
"Its natural curiosity, coupled with a bulletproof hide has led it to repeatedly threaten the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. The Snallygaster has appeared in Muggle newspapers so often that it competes with the Loch Ness Monster for the title of 'Most Publicity-Hungry Beast.' Starting in 1949, the Snallygaster Protection League has been stationed in Maryland to Obliviate Muggles who see it."
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Duncan
Father

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Vale's and Raydon's father, and the husband of Adana Ashwood. After the unexpected death of his father, Hendrick Ashwood (neé Magero), Duncan would take over the role as the family patriarch. Before meeting his wife Adana, he as travelled the world in the pursuit of knowledge much like his father before him. He would later have two children, one that is now an adult and the other currently pursuing her own schooling at Hogwarts.

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Current living family members of the Ashwood ancestry have now found their living in Scottish lands. However, actual ancestry originated from African tribes. The current patriarch travelled across Africa and other continents for personal research and t0 build his own collection of herbs. This adventure would soon come to a halt upon meeting his wife in one of the current African tribes that exist today. Not long after, they travelled the world together until settling down in Scotland to birth their eldest; Raydon. It wouldn't be until many years later until Vale's own birth.

In honor of his ancestry, Duncan would often paint white tribal markings across his body. These markings would commonly have different meanings depending on Duncan's choice.

Despite the family known to be socially unconventional, they still are held strongly by a sense of morality. Perhaps this strong sense of the morality is the reason why the family has scheduled hearings and meetings with a Ministry Oblivator much too commonly.

Duncan is considered the breadwinner of the family given the potions he creates and sells worldwide to whoever pays the highest. Who is paying, however, means almost nothing to the man.

Adana
Mother

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Vale's and Raydon's mother, and the wife of Duncan Ashwood. The future matriarch of the Ashwood family after Ida Ashwood, who still lives. She has married into the Ashwood family and has come directly from a tribe of all women, and was raised by all women after the loss of her own biological family. Known as the Mwanamke tribe, it consists of both muggles and witches escaping from discrimination and accusations against their welfare. After meeting and travelling the world with her husband, she would end up settling down and having two children by the name of Raydon and Vale.

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Before meeting her husband, Adana learned the art of healing and potioneering from her adoptive tribe. Upon meeting her husband, Duncan found her (along with an adoptive sister) exhausted and wounded after fighting off a group of poachers attempting to harm the creatures that protect the tribe from outsiders.

Despite the past outcry and struggle against her tribe for working to leave and travel alongside her husband, Adana still stays in contact with many of its members, especially for connections to her potioneering, healing, and herbal work.

Burgle
Paternal Aunt

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Sister to Duncan Ashwood, sister-in-law to Adana, and aunt to Raydon and Vale. Is considered the most bizarre of the living Ashwoods. Also not allowed to open the door to any guests without prior approval by Adana. Formerly Vale's nanny before Vale's first instance of magic, and was also Raydon's nanny when his own first instance of magic occurred. Now recollects herself to own devices around the home.

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Burgle travelled the world much like her brother, but one day she returned back to her family with a somber attitude. When questioned, she would refrain from answering too many questions. That day, Burgle returned home and chooses to reside with the family rather than continue on to have a family of her own. Her behavior is said to have ended up rubbing off onto Vale as she aged.

Not much is known what have occurred to Burgle during her travels, but a somber quote escaped her mouth before she officially cut off any further questions:

"Wizardkind and muggles, we live two different lives. Everyone knows that. They have wars, and we have wars. Even with all the magic in the world, you can't stop hatred."

To ease her sense of loneliness, Burgle has a pet curp that she can be found interacting with often.

Ida
Paternal Grandmother

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The current, living matriarch of the Ashwood family. Paternal grandmother to Raydon and Vale, mother to Duncan, and mother-in-law to Adana. Also the wife to late Hendrick Ashwood. Despite her age, she is able to attend to herself across the home. Her current activities now only involve keeping the Ashwood history alive and known to those who listen.

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Formerly a dragonologist, Ida now quietly knits away cloth that tells the history of the Ashwoods. She can be found wandering the halls of the home and in her reading room that she used to share commonly with her late husband.

She and her husband were arranged to marry, with the latter at first a bit reluctant. Through seeing his wife's nature and carefree attitude to the strict norms that pure-bloods are expected to follow, her husband eventually let loose and accepted a similar attitude. Before being a dragonologist, Ida was a healer. For her reason behind the switch of careers, "it was far more amusing and blood rushing."

Raydon
Brother [Incarcerated]

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Eldest son of the latest Ashwood generation, and Vale's older brother. Officially an adult, Raydon takes to researching and the collection of herbal ingredients for his family. Due to travelling across the world, he's rarely at home. When he does return home, the family holds celebrations.

The suspicions his family had about his livihood were confirmed with the raid of Ministry Aurors at the Ashwood mansion home. With the loss of his organization and its members, he has been imprisoned in Azkaban for life.

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Like common Ashwood behavior, Raydon lacks fear and has a reckless nature when he comes face to face with danger. Unlike the rest of the family, Raydon prefers to isolate himself from public eye. He still shows capabilities in academic subjects and a similar ability to Vale in recalling information at a pristine level. But unlike his younger sister, Raydon did not attend Hogwarts. Instead, he obtained his education through various teachers as he traveled along with his parents.

Since the death of his and Vale's paternal grandfather, he has since grown further isolated from his family, and his activities away from home granting suspicion from both his sister and his parents.

Due to his recent imprisonment, Vale is officially declared the true heiress of the Ashwood family business.

Hendrick
Paternal Grandfather [Deceased]

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Survived by his children Duncan and Burgle, his daughter-in-law Adana, his wife Ida, and his grandchildren Raydon and Vale. The former patriarch of the Ashwood family, he's considered the 'black sheep' due to his formerly blood purist attitude that he continued to fix before his sudden, unexpected passing.

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His passing came unexpected and sudden, a short time before Vale's entry into Hogwarts. Unlike the rest of the family, Hendrick preferred to be isolated and not travel too much. An attitude that can be slightly seen in Raydon. Despite the difference in natures, Hendrick loved his family regardless, as they did the same to him.

Formerly a Magero, who took to acquiring his wife's surname instead to further distant himself from his blood purist family and their strict, unforgiving attitude. His attitude towards his wife was at first slightly mean-spirited, but eventually turned into love and acceptance. He worked towards removing the blood purist attitude that he acquired since being raised around such. Since the unjust death of Ida's mother, he has been working towards radical changes against the government and its workers. These radical changes and beliefs he has been teaching Raydon since his childhood.

He has been buried in the family's graveyard, which is often visited by Vale whenever she returns home. She plays various board games next to his burial site, as if he still lives. Just needs help with the pieces being moved is all.