Profile

Series: 'Van Helsing'

Age: Physically, has the appearance of a mature, red-haired, human female, but could just as easily have lived for centuries. Was apparently the youngest bride.

From: Just before being staked, fairly near the film's conclusion.

Status (lastvoyages): Warden: Used to be quite happy to torture and kill for nutrition and fun - but was reformed during her former inmate status.

Abilities: Capable of superhuman levels of strength, speed and heightened sensory perception, Aleera seems perfectly capable of visually detecting the flow of prey's blood, allowing her to track in total darkness.

Aleera has at least three forms at her disposal. The first is of how she must have seemed in mortal life. A beautiful, vivacious redhead, whose eyes glow an ethereal purple whenever feeling especially predatory. The second of a harpy-like interpretation of her physical self, fully able to not only fly, but do so exceptionally well. These can be shifted between, seemingly at will and Aleera has no problem in traversing horizontal or vertical surfaces. The third has only been glimpsed momentarily, but seems to consist of her lower jaw parting in a most horrifying fashion. Quite what the extent of this third form could be, remains unclear.

Physical wounds can inflict great pain, although heal almost instantaneously. This goes as much for projectiles in flesh, as it does for burns.

Daylight burns her, although such results, themselves, whether inflicted by daylight or fire, can be quickly recovered from. Blessed relics, silver stakes through the heart and decapitation are all dangerous to her.

Aleera has access to abilities in the realm of what could be considered 'dark magic', which were previously restricted. For instance, being able to create a miniature, spinning whirlwind and apparent teleportation ('apparent' being the operative word, since it was never clarified if this was simply a product of being able to move faster than the blink of an eye).

Personality: Flirtatious, passionate, eager and cruelly sadistic. Aleera likes to play with friends and foe, alike. Also speaks with a strong Eastern European accent and can have problems communicating in English. Her natural period of time is the end of the nineteenth century and, because of this, might have some unusual cultural adjustments to make. Being removed from her 'family' made her largely sad, if not very ill-tempered, during the initial part of her stay, but Aleera would eventually come to terms with this.

Aleera was, as with each of the three known brides, chosen for a particular personality trait. Verona, the eldest, represented logic and leadership skills. Gypsy and wild at heart, Marishka was overly playful. Aleera, however, embraced the quality of passion and is as fiery as they come.

While she can sometimes be highly superficial and easily distracted by a new sense of devious fun and bloody adventure, Aleera, once fixated on someone or a material luxury, can become the very epitome of desire. Anna, in particular, seemed to be both a target of Aleera's hatred and thirsting hunger, in equal measure. She may not be eldest, but could challenge even Verona for the right of 'first bite' to certain prey.

A truly sadistic streak of exceptional cruelty marks Aleera out to be excessively dangerous amidst her enemies. While she toys with prey, she also takes joy in deliberately hurting and weakening it, before savouring the deadly strike. For this reason, it seems likely that she presided over sessions of torment with valued captives.

Aleera, of course, seems to extend the meaning of pleasure to that of passion, too. Not so much over-sexed as hyper-sexed, this is one vampiress keen to reinforce just how enjoyable she finds the gift of giving death. If her repeated stalking actions against Anna are anything to go by (especially with the latter's statement of frequently encountering her, as well as Aleera's inferred declaration of sensing what laid in the Princess'"lustful heart", her hunting technique seemed, at the very least, a form of sexual dominance, if not downright supremacy (especially if one takes into account a certain scene for the computer game adaptation). She enjoys prey feeling utterly powerless against her, surrendering without any options - a deleted scene from the film having her declare as much, stating the sadism of killing was what thrilled her, most of all.

Nevertheless, Aleera is not a being without her emotional triggers. The loss of vampiric family, for instance - and especially her undead spawn.

On the other hand, much unintentional comical potential lays ahead for those who excite or confuse her. For Aleera is, if nothing else, supremely chaotic.

History: According to fiction, Vlad the Impaler was written in as an ancestor of Bram Stoker's character of Count Dracula. The figure of legend, however, was very much a reality for those he took as his brides...

Very little is known about them. Their individual personality traits, however, might well provide a clue as to why they were sought. Led by the eldest of their number, Verona, each gained equal affection in the Count's dark embrace. They even gave children, although these demonic cocoons seemed cursed never to raise into being. Each worked as a part of a very cohesive whole, although seemed only to take their fill from the locals, rather than embark on a campaign of genocidal slaughter.

Out of the three, Aleera proved the most stubborn to dispatch. She also appeared to possess a veiled history with Anna Valerious. Quite what shape their dynamic took, is not yet known, but in undeath, Aleera certainly seemed to take a high level of interest in gaining a form of sensual intimacy with Anna, relishing the thought of being the one to give the girl her bite.

As each of her sisters and, eventually, the family's vampiric young were dispatched by the hero, Van Helsing, Aleera's need for revenge grew by an order of several magnitudes. Her only flaw seemed to be in gloating too much, but never seemed slow in getting the first critical strikes in, whenever possible.

And it is at this time, moments before her would-be end, that she found herself cast into a very different world...

lastvoyages: After many trials and tests of character, Aleera eventually reached a new moral perspective on things. She was once returned to her life and endured destruction at the hands of Anna, which made her incredibly depressed, but as a reward, has since been allowed to return there in a form of her choosing. Because that wish was honoured, Aleera willingly chose to return to the ship to warden other lost souls assigned to her.

Make no mistake, however... Aleera might be largely reformed and learnt she can use her talents for a more creative purpose, but is still quite capable of violence and enjoys intimidating those weaker than herself, should they cross her.

Writing samples: http://bargemods.livejournal.com/1616.html?thread=99152#t99152

Character dynamics (lastvoyages): http://fanged-aleera.livejournal.com/40591.html