Mayahuel Stroi

'Mayahuel'

INFORMATION

Bee, F, Thirtysomething

Aliases: none
Nationality: Mexican/UK
Residence: London
Employer: Unaffiliated
Function: Consultant, Curator
Twitter: @mayahuelb

Maya may seem familiar to you, but you can't ever quite place where you've seen her before. She is shy but friendly, definitely a woman who is more comfortable observing others than having the attention focused on her. She lives near the park in a small cottage that she used to share with her querido Berry Hewes. She also keeps an apartment upstairs from her gallery--Sol & Luna--in Ealdwic. She carries herself with the quiet gracefulness of a woman who has earned the life she leads. Maya tries very hard not to burden others with her problems and is very private about her own heartaches. Anyone who deals with her will find her to be friendly, loyal, and kindhearted. Most would never guess by looking at her the dark years she suffered through to finally find her bright place in this secret world. Those who get glimpses of her true fierceness are usually friend or foe. The latter rarely survive. If you take the time to get to know her there will be that moment--the one where she smiles at you and all you can think of is how you never noticed before how beautiful she really is.

Mayahuel Bailey is the daughter of two Templars—James Bailey (deceased) and Perlita Garcia. Mayahuel’s mother was identified in the normal course of Templar business as being descended from a Huastecan deity by the name of Tlazolteotl, a fierce goddess who had many talents. Tlazolteotl was also known as the Filth-Eater--something of little interest to anyone until the London incident involving Mayahuel. The CoV had been working for several years on clandestine projects to train identified progeny of the old gods for various ends. Before Maya was even born, ironclad agreements between the factions had been created as to her placement if she ever showed any promise related to her maternal bloodline.

Maya spent her first few years in London with her father. Maya's mother had been ordered to return to Mexico alone when Maya was a toddler, with the couple divorcing within months of Perlita's reassignment. Maya was sent to live with her maternal grandmother Adela Garcia when she was almost five, though she still visited both parents. Maya's father was killed just before her 15th birthday. Her mother insisted after James Bailey's death that Maya attend private school in Mexico City. She continued to spend every summer and holiday with Adela. Once Maya came of age she returned to London against her mother's wishes with the expectation that she would begin her training with the Templars just as her parents had done before her. While training with the Templars in London, she fell in love with a promising young agent named Jeremiah Clarke. Within the first year of their courtship, Jeremiah proposed. Plans changed when Jeremy became gravely ill shortly after his return from an archaeological expedition to Egypt.

He was immediately transported to a secret location underneath the city but Maya was determined to find him. She managed to bypass security measures and broke into the hidden Templar infirmary, completely disregarding the quarantine. When the medical security team finally got back into the room (with the likely intention of dispatching both Mayahuel and her young guard) 1they were shocked to see the both of them curled together sleeping as if nothing had happened. Neither Maya nor Jeremy had any memory of the night, but footage from security cameras showed Mayahuel had locked herself in with Jeremy, crawling into his bed and whispering to him for hours in a language the Templars had never heard.

Whatever it was--the power of love, the will of a little demigoddess, or a scientific anomaly--Jeremy was no longer affected. He was clean, completely. In spite of attempts to keep the incident under wraps, Dragon envoys immediately notified Richard Sonnac it was time to honor the bargain made years prior. Maya was summarily brought into one of the Templar offices, sedated and handed over to agents from Seoul. The "training" she endured in Korea was part of what the factions named The Ablution Project. Her handlers tried different models and protocols, but Maya was never able to replicate what had occurred with Jeremy in London. This did not keep them from pushing her to breaking points again and again. It was a brutal experience over a period of a little over five years, one that left her with no memory or connection with anyone. The Ablution Project was deemed a failure aside from a minor success at an obscure site several hours from Mexico City. Mayahuel officially separated from the Dragon with an uneasy but respectful understanding that she can still come and go as she pleases when in Seoul.

There was much struggle and heartache before Maya finally found her way to the person she is now. In the end, love was what saved her and love is the only thing that she still believes in with her whole heart.

She presently lives in Bucharest with her husband, Mihai Stroi. She is a Senior Consultant at Knightsbridge Consulting in London. She owns an art gallery in Ealdwic called Sol & Luna. The small gallery sits next to the Rackham Theatre. It houses fine art and fair trade imports from different locations, offering products to large and small design companies around the globe.

Mayahuel existed in TSW and the transition to SWL is of no consequence to her story. She did not "reset" and her life is moving forward into SWL seamlessly. She simply engages in stories as they arise with little fuss about a strict timeline--something that is fairly easy for her since her own personal story was not attached in any significant temporal ways to events in the earlier game.

Mayahuel has a fairly large and diverse network of contacts ranging from artists to mob bosses. Her work with Knightsbridge Consulting is more than a career. Knightsbridge has become like her family.

Family & Friends:

Mihai Stroi -Maya's greatest love, someone she was connected with since childhood without realizing until recently that he was anything other than a figment of her imagination.

Perlita Garcia de Bailey -Mother, Templar agent assigned to Mexico City. Frequent visitor to London, loves spending time with Maya after so many years of not seeing her.

Daisybelle Bailey - Sister, formerly Illuminati but was allowed to return to civilian life in an unusual trade where Tlazolteotl took her place after the El Tajin incident, whereabouts currently unknown.

Carlos Garcia -Cousin of Maya on her mother's side, usually on the road but very protective of her. They generally keep in touch via surprise voicemails left for each other every so often.

Sonia Smith -Maya's closest friend. Sonia runs an upscale travel agency that caters to Secret Worlders. The two met in Agartha when Maya was at her absolute lowest point. Sonia took her in, got her back on her feet and the two have been best friends since that time.

Petru -Maya met Petru on assignment for Tuppenny Dreadful and the two became very good friends. She checks in on him every few days and thinks of him like a second father.

Tlazolteotl -Affectionately known as Tozi or Doña Marina, this ancestor of Maya's decided to join the Illuminati just for a chance to needle Kirsten Geary after their first introduction at El Tajin. She is Maya's grandmother many times removed and is very protective of both her and Berry.

Miss Plimmswood -Plimmy is a fixture in Maya's life, much to Berry's good-natured chagrin. She and Dame Julia both knew Maya as a young child.

Berry Hewes -Berry Hewes was Maya's protector and lover for a couple of years but the relationship ended when Maya unexpectedly received documents from Berry's solicitor deeding the properties in London to her, along with a "Dear Jane" letter from Berry to Maya. Although the news devastated her personally, she bears no ill will toward Berry and is grateful for all he taught her.

RP Hooks:

You know of Maya from the art/design world--maybe you are an artist looking for a place to rep your work or a designer who needs something interesting for a project

You overhear Maya speaking Spanish and decide you'd like to have a chat

You may have read some of Maya's stories when she worked for Tuppenny Dreadful

Seriously, just say something and see where it goes!

Favorite Places & Hangouts:

Maya loves art, music, and the outdoors. She can often be found walking her dog in Ealdwic Park or gardening at the cottage. She often travels to Mexico City to see her mother or Italy to visit Sonia. Maya and Berry travel together frequently for business. She can be shy in social situations that are not work-related, but quickly warms up to those who take the time to talk to her. She loves to cook and will often have small gatherings at the gallery.

Maya speaks Spanish and English fluently. She loves art, although she's given it up professionally to pursue more of a curator's role at the gallery. She is an adept researcher and writer. She loves stories that focus on the histories of folk both mundane and magical. An avid watcher of people, she has a talent for listening and making room for others to share their worlds with her.

Although the Dragon consider Maya to be a failed experiment, her exposure to the filth combined with her maternal bloodline have left her with the ability to see who/what lies beneath the filth. She can sometimes even manage a rudimentary sort of communication with the "before" person or creature. This is an ability that while useful can be quite difficult for her. It's hard to see who people used to be and how much they are truly suffering, especially knowing that there is nothing that can be done to help them.

Maya has other abilities through her maternal bloodline, some of which she uses often and others that she rarely employs. She can see and is able to persuade others to confess their deepest secrets, fears, desires...anything they would normally keep to themselves. It is said that she can enhance fertility, although she has no children of her own. Her darker powers include causing sickness of various natures from mild to lethal. Her talents are linked to both the sun and the moon with her most powerful days being those that include the number 5 and nights of the waxing or full moon.

Because of the years she spent in captivity, she has an extreme discomfort with small enclosed spaces and can be mistrustful of others. She is good at solving puzzles and making things with her hands as these were activities that kept her mind occupied during her confinement.

Maya's older stories can be found here:

https://www.knightsbridgeconsulting.co.uk/forum/m/44854803/viewthread/31047185-chiaroscuro-mihai-maya/post/132735678#p132735678

https://www.knightsbridgeconsulting.co.uk/forum/m/44854803/viewthread/31254200-cantos/post/133380061#p133380061

Video Stuffs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO5K2JuG0IM&feature=youtu.be

Maya's old Tuppenny Dreadful work can be found here:

https://tuppennydreadful.wordpress.com/