Adalene de Motte

This page contains information about a character that has been or is still played by a member of the LotC community. Please keep this in mind as you proceed reading.

Adalene Halcourt "The Powdered Woman" A portrait of the Baroness by Claire-Marie Elmpool, c.1824 Baroness-Consort of Artois Tenure: 16th of the Grand Harvest, 1802 - 1853 Predecessor: Lysistrata de Helena Successor: William Joseph Trissingham Born: 18th of the First Seed, 1783 Helena, Holy Orenian Empire Death: 14th of Malins Welcome, 1855 Providence, Holy Orenian Empire Spouse: Olivier, Baron of Artois Father: Ostromir Carrion-Tuvyic, Count of Dobrov Mother: Jeanne de Motte

Adalene Halcourt nee de Motte (1783-1838) was born to Jeanne O'Rourke nee de Motte out of wedlock to the Count of Dobrov. She would go on to earn the title Baroness-consort of Artois through her marriage to Baron, Olivier Halcourt whom she would have six children in her youth.

Childhood and Arrival in Providence

The girl would be born in 1783 to her mother, Jeanne O'Rourke, and kept hidden away in apartments below the Novellen Palace, afforded to her by her father, Ostromir's, position as Governor of the Novellen. Despite this, Adalene would not meet Ostromir until her adulthood. It's said the girl was mistreated heavily by her mother and not often allowed outside to keep her mother's husband, Santiana O'Rourke from discovering Jeanne's infidelity. Many Novellen courtiers would gossip about the sightings of a girl within Jeanne's room, rumors flooding the palace. As a girl she suffered heavy abuse as her mother would often go days without visiting her, forcing her to survive on scraps from the O'Rourke Manor before being taken to live in the Auvergnian Kingdom of Banardia with her mother for the remainder of her childhood.

Providence

At the age of 19, Adalene's mother suffered from poisoning due to lead-based makeup she would often wear and passed away, leaving Adalene to venture off on her own for the first time ever. The woman chose to finally make her way to the fabled Orenian Empire, finding herself in the Capital of Providence merely months after the death of her mother. Adalene would make living in the Inn just above the Providence Tavern for many months before befriending the extraordinary Aimee de Frand who would own Club Ivy, and the Ivy Emporium, allowing Adalene to stay with her while she became accommodated in Providence. Here Adalene would also work at the Club and Emporium, donning white pasty make-up and extravagant white powdered wigs. Adalene would be seen often by party-goers leaving with a variety of men each night and not returning until the next morning, as her bed was often left untouched! It was here that the woman would eventually meet Olivier Halcourt, a wealthy Orenian nobleman and Baron to whom, with Aimee's help, she would begin a close friendship, Aimee assuring that if she could marry him she would secure a position in society and the Orenian courts as the Baroness of Artois. After much convincing, the woman was able to convince the Baron to propose marriage, and Adalene quickly moved into his estate months before their actual wedding.

Adalene in her youth, working at the Ivy Empourium. by Claire-Marie Elmpoool, c.1802

Marriage

After a proposal from the Baron of Artois, the two would remain merely engaged for some time before finally hosting a private ceremony between the two. Ultimately Adalene and Olivier's marriage would prove to be dull, Adalene often recounting to her friend Vespira Ruthern that Olivier would often go days without speaking to her and that the two shared separate suites within the estate and hardly ever shared a bed. Adalene would soon find herself frequently visiting the Club Ivy once again, seen participating in illicit substances alongside Aimee de Frand, the now Countess of Dobrov, a number of times, even when she was pregnant. The woman would also be seen participating heavily in extramarital affairs, most notably with the Lord Speaker of Haense, Sir Igor Kort, the two being spotted in public frequently in Haense and Oren during the height of the Norlandic War, with Haense and Oren on opposing sides. The Baroness would go days without returning home, though despite this the pair still managed to foster six children together, three sons and three daughters. It wouldn't be until many years later in their elder age that Adalene would eventually see her husband as no longer a burden but instead as a friend.

The Courts of Oren

Upon her marriage, Adalene would attempt to make friends with the other women of the court but found it difficult to make her place in the Orenian courts as she was often shunned by the other women for her previously bastard status, and her past infidelity with the men of Oren and Haense. These combined with her commoner upbringing and lack of courtly manners and etiquette caused Adalene to make an attempt to improve her public image, now dressing only in fine silks and publicly showing up at many of her husband's trials he would preside over as Supreme Court Justice of the Orenian judiciary system. Adalene would never properly make herself known in the Orenian courts, quitting after some time after making little headway with the noblewoman and falling back into her ways of adultery and substance abuse.

Hanseni Affairs

Before her marriage, the woman would often find herself in Haense during her night trips out. During these trips, the woman would meet her first prospective marriage, Aleksandr Vyronov, but did not find him interesting enough to marry. Secondly, she would meet a local politician, Igor Kort, who would be campaigning when he caught the woman's eye. The two were spotted together frequently and it was expected they to marry before Adalene's abrupt departure from Haense and marriage to Baron Olivier, opting to have a life of riches and titles. Despite her marriage, Adalene would continue to see the controversial Lord Speaker and eventually sire a child with him whom she would only meet once after his birth. Adalene would also credit herself with indirectly stopping a war between Oren and Haense, pleading to the Lord Speaker that war would end Oren and that he should speak with the king of Haense.

During her time in Haense the woman would find a marriage for her daughter, Elisabeth Cecile to the Viscount of Varna, Adalene relentlessly pushing for the marriage and organizing the whole thing with the Viscount Britannus. The two would be wed, making her daughter Viscountess for only one day before the Hanseni council would revoke the Viscounty, lowering her daughter and her husband to commoner status. This would ultimately throw Adalene and her daughter into a deep depression, Elisabeth never leaving the Caste of Varna since then and likely dying there. Adalene's other daughter, Madalene, would later marry into the Kingdom of Haense as well, becoming the second wife of the Duke Ailred of Vidaus.

Later years

As Adalene aged, she would be seen visiting her daughter in Haense rather infrequently until being seen less and less in the public eye as she would stay within the Halcourt estate, only presenting herself once more before Emperor Philip III on behalf of her husband to swear fealty to the new Emperor. After this, the Baroness would die similarly to her mother, the lead in her makeup causing breathing issues in her elder age and dying from the disease.

Issue

By Olivier, Baron of Artois
Name	Birth	Death	Marriage	Notes
Tiberius Guiscard Halcourt	12th of the First Seed, 1801	Missing	Charlotte Amadea of Carrington	Firstborn Son of Adalene and Olivier, his daughter inheriting the Barony in his absence.
Titus Louis Halcourt	12th of the First Seed, 1801		Natalya Theresa vas Ruthern	Secondborn Son of Adalene and Olivier.
Elisabeth Cecile Halcourt	17th of the Snows Maiden, 1807	1830	Britannus Vanir, Viscount of Varna	Firstborn Daughter of Adalene and Olivier.
Louise Antoinette Halcourt	12th of the Sun's Smile, 1809	1856	Otis de Rosius, Baron of Rosius	Secondborn of daughter Adalene and Olivier, Baroness-consort of Rosius and renowned architect.
Matthieu Henri Halcourt	10th of Sigismunds End, 1810	Missing	Unwed	Thirdborn son of Adalene and Olivier.
Madalene Sophia Halcourt	4th of Malin's Welcome, 1812	1856	Ailred, Duke of Vidaus	Thirdborn Daughter of Adalene and Olivier, Duchess-consort of Vidaus.
By Ser Igor Kort
Name	Birth	Death	Marriage	Notes
Dimitri Petrov	15th of the Malin's Welcome, 1811	1881	Unmarried	Bastard Son to Adalene and Sir Igor Kort.
By Ser Aleksandr Owyn Vyronov
Name	Birth	Death	Marriage	Notes
Ivan Wald	7th of the Sun's Smile, 1816	1825	Unmarried	Bastard Son to Adalene and Aleksandr Owyn Vyronov, did not survive past childhood.
By William Henry de Provins
Name	Birth	Death	Marriage	Notes
Jean-Henrique de Provins	1838	Alive	Unmarried	Bastard son of William de Provins and Adalene.