Larissa Saighan

Larissa Saighan
la-RI-sa sye-GAN
Created by	Jenny
Information
Gender	Female
Occupation	Novice
Affiliation	The Grey Tower
Nationality	Cairhienin
Attributes
OP Strength	4.0
Affinities	Air, Water, Spirit, Earth, Fire

Larissa Saighan is a Cairhienin Novice of the Grey Tower.

Description

Larissa has a pretty, heart-shaped face, pointed chin, and light brown hair that she wears in long, loose curls. Her cheeks and nose are lightly dusted with freckles. Her honey brown eyes are large and wide, lending her an innocent expression. They constantly shift to observe her surroundings. Her movements are quick and nervous. She has difficulty sitting still and often paces while thinking.

Due to her upbringing in the countryside, she is less reserved than most of her fellow Cairhienin and not adept at politicking. She is mildly claustrophobic. When entering a room, she always sits close to the nearest escape route and becomes anxious if she cannot do so. She hates loud noise and suffers from occasional nightmares. She becomes nauseated by the smell of alcohol and despises drunkards. With her free time she likes to spend it outdoors enjoying nature.

Her parents were poor role models and she has little understanding of normal relationships. As a child, Larissa was taught to be excessively proud of her heritage and to look down on commoners. As she grew older, she became aware of her biases, but she still struggles with overcoming them. Larissa is often demanding, narcissistic, and enjoys picking on the weak. She has no qualms about taking what she believes she deserves, whether it is hers or not.

Behind her prideful veneer, she has low self-esteem and is frequently insecure about her own abilities. She does not see herself as particularly attractive, intelligent, or talented. Her true nature is romantic and idealistic, with little regard for practicality, and her deepest desire is to find stability and love.

Biography

Larissa belongs to a remote and disgraced branch of House Saighan of Cairhien. Along with her father, mother, and two older siblings, she was exiled to a small estate in the countryside. Her childhood was extremely dysfunctional and traumatizing. Both parents were raging alcoholics. They spent their portion of the family inheritance recklessly while abusing the staff. Soon, all the servants left, leaving the children alone. While her older brother tried his best to protect his sisters, Larissa and her sister fought for the prized position of being their father's favorite. Larissa won, which left her with feelings of extreme guilt as her siblings took the brunt of their parents' neglect and abuse.

As her father's favorite child, she was lavished with expensive gifts that he could not afford. One such gift was a beautiful, golden gown. Upon receiving it, Larissa decided to attempt an escape from her terrible home life. She begged her father to take her to a ball, where she hoped to find someone to take her in. Perhaps there would be a lonely old woman wanting companionship, or a lover willing to run away with her. Larissa wouldn't be too choosy.

Thus, on her sixteenth birthday, Larissa traveled with her father to the city of Cairhien to attend a party hosted by the High Seat of their House. To her despair, none of the ladies or gentlemen paid her any attention. Her gown was two years out of style, her hair and makeup frumpy and underdone, her conversation uneducated and boring. She simply couldn't compete with the charm and wit of the city nobles, who had lived and breathed Daes Dae'mar since the cradle. Worst of all, her father became embarrassingly drunk and attempted to grope the hostess.

They were thrown into the streets where a passing carriage tore and muddied Larissa's gown. Her frustrations boiled over, and she began to scream and curse at her father. She was interrupted by a woman who had followed them from the party. The woman introduced herself as an Aes Sedai of the Grey Tower and offered her a place as a novice. Though her father fell to his knees and begged her not to leave, Larissa leapt at the opportunity and never looked back.

Career History

• Novice (4 November 2017)