| Polkovnik Annelise von Tross | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name: | Annelise Viktoria von Tross | |
| Also known as | Anya | |
| also known as | Annie (both reserved for only a select few) | |
| Age: | 20 | |
| Birth Date: | August 10, 1854 | |
| Place of Birth: | St. Petersburg, Russia | |
| Nationality: | Russian, Austrian | |
| Allegiance: | The Imperial Nations | |
| Ship: | S.M.S. Zepherus | |
| Rank: | Polkovnik | |
| Occupation: | Demolitions Expert | |
Courtesy of William Dyer
Annelise Viktoria von Tross is formerly the resident demolitions expert aboard the S.M.S. Zepherus. Her current whereabouts are unknown.
Physical Appearance[]
Annelise has long brown hair and blue eyes. On the rare occasion you might catch her sans the lace veil she wears, a glimpse might be caught of the scar that resulted from the disabling of her first bomb.
Family and Relationships[]
Family: Her parents, Kurt and Magda, are descendants of the Austrian immigrants brought into the country by Peter the Great during his "modernization" of Russia. She is the sixth child following five boys: Diedrich, Ivan, August, Aleksei, and Konstantin.
Romantic Relationship: Rumors have circulated of a possible romance with a fellow bombardier, but she refuses to confirm or deny anything of the sort.
Job and Weapons[]
Job: Demolitions Expert aboard the S.M.S. Zepherus
Courtesy of Mark Moore
Gun preference: Steam-powered atmospheric electricity concentrator sidearm created by Jonathan Quinn, gunner on the S.M.S. Halcyon
Other Weapon Preference: Explosives of any sort - dynamite, steam cannons, cherrybombs, etc.
History[]
Before Annelise was born her father, Kurt von Tross, established himself as one of the top explosives inspectors in the elite service of the tsar. During the summer of 1860, he was ordered to go undercover to investigate a Luddite Marxist cell rumored to be plotting to destroy one of Russia's early foundries. After successfully penetrating the cell and using their own explosives against them to foil their attempts, he believed he had escaped with his cover intact.
However, unbeknownst to him, one of the terrorists survived - a bombmaker by the name of Teodor Kradzynsky. He followed von Tross home to enact his revenge, armed with a small steam cannon and one of the remaining explosive devices. Upon hearing the man burst into their home, Magda von Tross did the only thing she could, quickly hiding her youngest child - six-year-old Annelise - in the dumbwaiter built into the house while the rest of the family was taken captive. After successfully binding and gagging the family, Kradzynsky left them to die the way his comrades had gone - by bomb.
Upon hearing Kradzynsky leave, Annelise emerged from the dumbwaiter to find her family in this precarious predicament. Once she pulled the gags from their mouths, they began to yell at her to run, to save herself. Ever the stubborn youngest child, she refused, insisting on disabling the bomb as she'd watched her father do so many times in his workshop. Under her father's instruction, she was successful, but in her childish haste, accidentally ruptured the mercury timing switch. The superheated mercury erupted, shooting molten metal and shards of glass into Annelise's face. As per her father's instructions, however, she'd grabbed his goggles from around his neck before beginning, ultimately saving her left eye. A small scar remains on her left cheekbone from this endeavor. Kradzynsky had also done one more thing before he fled - he severed several crucial tendons in Kurt's hands out of spite, rendering him unable to do any of the delicate work associated with explosives. Because Kradzynsky had learned his identity and quite effectively blown his cover, Kurt could no longer work undercover and was demoted to a departmental clerk. After realizing the extent of the damage done, Annelise vowed to someday hunt down Kradzynsky and avenge her father and the threat made against her family.
From that day forward, Annelise developed a fascination with explosives, and studied the art of demolition under the watchful eye of her father. Her knowledge and adeptness with explosives allowed her to work her way through the ranks of various law enforcement and military circles in positions ordinarily held only by men. By 1874, she had worked her way into the ranks of The Imperial Anti-Piracy Squadron, and was commissioned to work aboard the S.M.S. Zepherus. Between her duties and the antics of the other Zepherus girls, she continues to plot and search for the madman who threatened her family and ruined her father.
In Times of Peace[]
Whenever there comes a time where she is not demanded elsewhere, she enjoys reading, experimenting with her extensive explosives collection, dancing, challenging the Halcyon boys to drinking contests (and winning), and a good swim every now and then. She is also rather fond of cats, and keeps a couple aboard the ship "to keep the sky rats under control, of course."