Europe
Other names	Various
Age	Between 29-33 per D. M. Cornish[1]
Origin	Naimes
Affiliations	Naimes
Title	Duchess-in-waiting
Occupations	Fulgar and teratologist
Relatives	Magentine (mother)
Unique traits	Cruorpunxis on the insides of her forearms are in the form of miniature X's.
Weapons	Fulgaris
Appearances	Trilogy
Mentioned	The Corsers' Hinge

Europa, more commonly known as Europe and nicknamed the "Branden Rose", is the Duchess-in-waiting of Naimes and a renowned fulgar and teratologist. She is the deuteragonist of the Monster Blood Tattoo trilogy and the nature of her relationship with Rossamünd Bookchild is one of the key aspects of the story.

NamesEdit

The nickname of the Branden Rose, as Europe is known as throughout much of the Soutlands, is derived from her spending much time in Brandenbrass, where she maintains a residence. This has resulted in the mistaken belief that she is originally from there. She also has a preference for dark red clothing.

• "Europe of Naimes" is her formal title
• "Miss Europe" by Rossamünd
• "duchess-daughter" by Baron Idias Finance
• "cousin" by Narsesës, more of a reference to their status as fellow peers than any actual blood relationship
• "Lady Rose" by various characters
• "Rose of Brandentown" by the Lapinduce
• "lady astrapeline" by Cinnamon, a nod to her role as a fulgar

AppearanceEdit

Europe is described as being a beautiful woman who has smitten men wherever she goes. She has hazel eyes and chestnut coloured hair, which she typically wears up and secured with a hair-tine. Her spoor denoting her as a fulgar is a small blue diamond above her left eye. Europe favours clothing which would typically be worn by men in the form of proofed frock coats and equiteer boots.

Unlike others who bear cruorpunxis in the form of monster's faces, Europe views this as vulgar and instead has hers in the form of tiny X's, which are puncted on the insides of her forearms. When Rossamünd saw them he estimated that she had around 70, although this has since increased.^[2]

AbilitiesEdit

A highly skilled fulgar, Europe has been working as a teratologist for ten years. Her fighting style is based on the sagaris used by sagaars, which she proved adept at while studying at the calanserie of Fontrevault.^[3] This is well suited for offense and defense and Europe is very deadly in close quarters combat. She can also thermistor, bringing down lightning bolts from the sky and redirecting them at her targets, and thus favours fighting in conditions when the probability of doing this is increased, what she calls "fighting weather".

Physically she is quite resilient, as during the time that she knew Rossamünd she had to return to Sinster twice in order to have additional surgical work done after sustaining threatening injuries.

It is revealed by her man-of-business, Pragmathës Carp, that Europe is also a very shrewd investor and businesswoman. Although Carp also has no small role in her financial success, Europe's business interests bring in 10,000 sous a year.^[4]

PersonalityEdit

As a peer, Europe is capable of moving within high society yet in her role as a fulgar can also comfortably and easily deal with members of the lower classes who she interacts with. She focuses on maintaining proper decorum without being condescending and maintaining the proper social respect for those she is dealing with, although she can also show her disdain without being overtly insulting. Having been a monster-hunter for a decade has hardened her personality and given her a realistic, jaded view of life, but she nonetheless remains focused and committed to her mission as a teratologist. Europe generally holds a negative view of monsters from having battled them all her adult life. Her experience with Rossamünd in particular and later Cinnamon and Freckle softened this slightly, but she knew that she would not be offered refuge in the Sparrow Downs.

She has difficulty in expressing affection or concern for others, which she largely keeps to herself, being more used to expressing anger or disappointment. Europe is also a very private person and rarely shares her thoughts with others, having to normally be prompted to do so. Despite her personality, her staff at Cloche Arde is devoted to her as is Baron Idias Finance. Rossamünd eventually grew to love her despite her attitudes towards monsters.

Despite being regarded as one of the great beauties of the Soutlands and perhaps of the Harthe Alle, Europe has never been shown to have returned any of the advances made to her. She has a fierce sense of independence and of being the mistress of her own affairs, and the desire to preserve this can be attributed in part to her attitudes towards romance. She is used to this sort of attention, having received it since her days at the calanserie. According to Threnody, her mother Syntychë believes that Europe loves herself the most of all.^[5]

RelationshipsEdit

The relationship between Rossamünd and Europe is the most complicated to be dealt with in the trilogy. Despite its inauspicious beginning when Licurius found the boy in a bush of boxthorn, Rossamünd proved loyal to her when her organs spasmed following the fight with the nimbleschrewds, as she had missed a dose of Cathar's Treacle. He was able to bring her to the Harefoot Dig and was trusted with functioning as her temporary factotum while she recovered. Despite her apparently cold attitude towards him, Europe's concern for the boy was first seen when he went missing in High Vesting. After his rescue, she offered him the chance to resume his role as her factotum after she returned from Sinster and would pass by Winstermill. She also wrote him a farewell note disclosing for the first time who she really was and providing the first concrete indication of the depths of her feelings towards him.

It was a measure of Europe's commitment to reenlisting Rossamünd as her factotum that she did not replace Licurius in the intervening months. She remained optimistic that Rossamünd would be able to rejoin her permanently despite his commitment to the lamplighters and she stated her intent to have him become her factotum more than once after they reunited at Winstermill.

Europe's closest friend is the Brandenard peer Madigan and the two women regard each other as sisters, although they do not get together often. Madigan readily aided Europe in her assault on Pater Pontiflex Maupin, leading a group of lesquins against the Broken Doll. Afterwards she accompanied Europe to Sinster. Madigan's factotum Threedice is also known to Europe but the two rarely interact.

Her longstanding residence in Brandenbrass has created tensions between Europe and its ruler Narsesës, he fears a war between his city-state and Naimes if anything were to befall Europe while she was in Brandenbrass. The two thus treat each other with formality when brought together by circumstances but have little regard for each other.^[6]

Although her determination to pursue her chosen path as a fulgar estranged Europe from her mother, the duchess is still concerned about her wayward daughter, charging Baron Finance with keeping an eye on her when she is in Brandenbrass. Europe's father is never mentioned in the series, making this aspect of her parentage a mystery.

HistoryEdit

Euorpe's history has only been hinted at and she herself rarely speaks about it. What is known is that after encountering lahzars in her childhood, she was instantly fascinated by them and became so obsessed that she ran away from home and traveled secretly to Sinster, where she was transmogrified by the best surgeon available. As a young woman she was boarded at the calanserie of Fontrevault by her mother in an attempt to tame her. Here she also studied alongside Syntychë, although the two did not develop a friendship. According to Threnody, Europe was to become a calendar but was expelled.^[5] It is suggested that Europe's affinity for the sagaris and bastinado as opposed to learning the five graces had a role in this. Soon after her expulsion she permanently left Naimes.^[3]

At some point Europe traveled to and decided to settle in Brandenbrass, engaging Pragmathës Carp as her man-of-business to purchase the mansion Cloche Arde nearly a dozen years before the events of Monster Blood Tattoo^[7] Licurius also began serving as her factotum before or around this time. Since then she has undertaken knaving work which has taken her into the surrounding lands and developed a formidable reputation, being written about by various scandals and admired by obsequines such as Rookwood Saakrahenemus Fyfe and his friends, although she does not care about the attention.

PlotEdit

ReferencesEdit