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Morrigan Selden · December 11, 2024 – 7:58 PM

In-Character

Full Name: Morrigan Diligence Selden
Nicknames: Mor
Birthdate: February 23rd, 1865
Current Age: 29 Years
Gender: Female, perceived as female
Occupation: Crowdy Memorial Library Librarian
Reputation: 6 or 7?

Left Brooks Watson at the altar in 1889.

Middle class spinster who works.

Prone to being unconventional.

Residence: North Bartonburg
Hogwarts House: Slytherin
Wand: Blackthorn, 11", unyielding, dragon heartstring
Blood Status: Halfblood
Social Class: Middle
Family: Abraham Selden, Great-Grandfather, 1760-1812
Rosemary Selden née Boucher, Great-Grandmother, 1770-1883
— Marigold Selden, Great-Aunt, 1791-1797
— Daphne Selden, Great Aunt, 1793-1804
— Iris Selden, Great Aunt, 1795-1810
— Holly Selden, Great Aunt, 1797-1823
— — Holly married, but all of her children were daughters, and More is unable to track that line further.
— Basil Selden, Grandfather, 1799-1870

Basil Selden, Grandfather, 1799-1870
Maria Selden, Grandmother, 1807-1890
— Lincoln Selden, Uncle, 1830-Present
— — Lincoln mercifully, remained a bachelor.
Matilda “Curtis” née Selden, Aunt, 1834-1873
— — There are a number of cousins via Mor’s aunt Matilda, most notably her cousin “Edgar” and his ill-fated sister, Margaret, who was of an age with Mor and perished in 1881.
Newland Selden, Father, 1837-Present
Oswego Selden, Aunt, 1840-1863

Newland Selden, Father, 1837-Present
— --- ---, dates-Present, Stepmother
— Mor has two younger half-brothers.
Blanche Selden née Thwaite, Mother, 1843-1870
Mallory Selden, sister, 1860-1862
Lear Selden, brother, 1862-Present
Ophelia Selden, sister, 1863-1870
Goneril Selden, sister, 1867-1877
Appearance:

General | Morrigan is a slight young woman with brown skin, tightly curled brown hair, and gray-green eyes. She is 5’1” in height, and is right-handed.

Expressions | Mor tends to look worried, when her expressions give off anything — otherwise, she is prone to having a flat affect or otherwise looking aloof, and can be difficult to read because of it.

Deportment | Mor has been accused by her brother of giving off the impression that she is a fragile bird, who would like to flee. She likes to lean on things, knots her hands in front of her, and taps her fingertips together. She is physically affectionate with dear friends in private settings.

Fashion | Light colors — whites, blues, and greens — make up the bulk of Mor’s wardrobe. She dresses neatly, and her enthusiasm for fashion leads her to try to keep abreast of the latest trends, although she is not much for large sleeves. For country weekends, she likes to wear hats with some form of taxidermy on them. Morrigan is also often cold, so is often wearing scarves or another layer.

Accessories | Morrigan wears several rings and earrings, as well as keeping scarves and gloves nearby much of the time.

Scent | Bergamot and anise; paper, if she’s been in the library recently.

Face Claim | Ella-Rae Smith

History:
TW: suicide mention

Morrigan Selden

The Folly of Abraham Selden
Michigan, 1785, as Mor sees it The Folly was Abraham’s prized brig, purchased with all the money he stood to inherit as a second son of the mercantile class. He was determined to use her to improve his fortune, but she foundered in the waters on her way to deliver furs to Fort Mackinac and sank.

Abraham was lucky that he and his crew kept their lives, but wandered the bars of the fort bemoaning his lost ship and his lack of an insurance policy on her. He was ruined.

She found him half-drunk in a bar, the Quebecois woman that Abraham would later refer to as the devil. Except that Abraham did not sell her his soul — he sold her mine.

My great grandfather conducted a ritual with the French witch, and while my father is certain that he did not know what would come for us, I am certain that he did. Abraham was a selfish man, and to dredge up his boat, he slit the throat of his First Mate. According to his own journals, Abraham loved the man more than anything — except his ship. (Some things come through our bloodline, in addition to the curse.)

Why would Abraham care a whit for daughters, when he would not marry until 1790? By then, he was wealthy enough to own several ships. While he hated the woman for what she did to his daughters, she had certainly delivered fortune as well as the ship.

My consolation prize is this: Abraham died in the war of 1812, drowned on The Folly as it sank. Of course, I’ll be lucky if I make it to thirty-five, and Abraham saw his fifties.

The Interim Years
Rochester, NY, and Chicago, IL - 1786-1865, as Mor sees it
The family continued to prosper despite the death of Abraham, growing the shipping business. The Erie Canal’s creation — and our convenient inhabiting of Rochester — helped lead to another boom, and while it was risky to go to a state where slavery was not entirely illegal given our mixed race and despite our magic, they moved to Chicago in 1840.

Dotting the history was the dead girls, at least a dozen by my count, and no public explanation. A blood-borne illness, they said — well. Certainly it was something like that, the chills that came into our bones and would take us after several months of illness no healer could touch.

Whenever someone turns sixteen — a man, most often — they would be given Abraham’s diary or a copy of it, to read and study and learn from the mistakes of the past. This is how I found my ritual, later — via intense study of the diary, of blood magic, of the spells that Abraham likely cast and how to undo them.

None of my ancestors, save Uncle Lincoln — who is a hero as well as a confirmed bachelor — decided to do the easiest thing: stop having children.

1865
Morrigan is born, predated by two living siblings and one dead, in the city of Chicago. Her father; determined. Her mother; already unhappy. Later in childhood she would think this was because of Mallory's death, but she no longer believes that — she had committed to giving us names that implied future misery before she knew it was certain.

Her father confirmed he never told her about the curse. Perhaps she thought it was something to do with her.

1867
Goneril is born, which Mor too young to remember.

1869
Morrigan shows her first sign of magic by pulling one of her father's model ships out of its bottle. Towards the end of the year, Ophelia begins to weaken from the wasting illness, and Mor's mother becomes more erratic.

1870 Ophelia dies; so does Blanche, and Mor's father claims it was from the same illness, rather than by her own hand.

1871 The Great Chicago Fire rages at the end of the year, and the Selden's home and business office is destroyed in the fire. Mor's father Newland, having done significant research into the curse that took his daughters and most of his sisters, begins selling off aspects of the business rather than rebuilding it.

1872 Newland begins courting Miss --- ---, a British witch. Morrigan takes to her stepmother — her mother was scattered before Mor was born, and they were never particularly close. Besides, her father has started talking of moving to London, which seems very old and very fancy compared to the newness of Chicago.

1873 Aunt Matilda perishes of the wasting illness at the end of the year. Newland sells the last of his assets from the business to his elder brother Lincoln and strangers, and decides that the family is to move to Britain, where he will marry his fiancée and they will start anew. The only sad thing for Mor is that she is dear friends with her cousin Margaret, and they are a little young for consistent letter-sending.

Newland moves into land-based shipping work, and investing, in London.

1876-1878
First & Second Year Morrigan goes to Hogwarts, where she is sorted into Slytherin. She becomes friends with another girl in her year, Drusilla Rowle, and is pleased to have the companionship without the weight of something hanging over her, the way her relationships with her family are.

The summer between her first and second years, Goneril dies. Morrigan starts to realize that something is wrong with her family, something big, and exchanges letters to that effect with her cousins Margaret and Edgar. Her family moves to North Bartonburg, in Hogsmeade, as after losing his first wife to nerves Newland does not want to risk a second wife to the stress of riots.

Mor misses her younger sister, and throws herself into school. Morrigan has always been a little quiet, a little introspective, and enjoys observing the people around her to try to figure out what makes them tick and what makes them interesting, if anything.

1878-1881
OWL Years Mor takes up Ancient Studies and Divination as her electives in her third year. Her OWL years largely pass without incident, and with a great deal of studying, until she goes home for the summer after Fourth Year. Her father sits her down and hands her a journal, explaining that he's done a great study and he thinks everyone else should, too. Morrigan spends the summer pouring over the journal, reading everything she can about Abraham Selden, her great-grandfather who she comes to hate. Her father explains that when he left the business, he was hoping that would save his daughters — but wasting sickness took Goneril, too.

When Mor comes back in Fifth Year, it's with an increased interest in curses and rituals, and that is what informs her studies at Hogwarts. She tells Dru that her family is definitely cursed, but stays away from most details. To her horror, cousin Margaret dies in 1881.

Mor's interests start to be informed by the threat of death that has persisted her whole life, and by her incredible desire to avoid her fate — to avoid the death someone else decided for her.

1881-1883
NEWT Years Hogwarts finishes, with Mor and her friends increasingly interested in rituals and dark magic. She is still unable to find an answer to her own problem, and some of the others seem to have silly problems — but she would rather have their help than not have it.

1883-1889
Rituals, Research, Brooks They finish Hogwarts. Morrigan is a debutante, but often spends more time in the library than not, still pursuing her research. Drusilla is having an increasingly horrible time trying to escape her father, and when Drusilla makes an escape plan — a plan that involves rituals, and an Unbreakable Vow — Mor is onboard. She's more than on board; she tries to convince the rest of their friend group to join them, too. (Maybe their problems are silly, but they can help them, and they can save each other, and then Morrigan will have a whole life.)

Mor is not looking for Brooks when she finds him, but they both spend time in the library, and they start talking. When he asks her to court, she says yes. When he asks her to marry him, she says yes. Morrigan loves him, really — and that's why, despite the success some of her friends are starting to have, she cannot marry him. She could die, and leave him, anytime — because she still hasn't found the right ritual. Every ritual she's found that would undo Abraham Selden's deal would cost a life. She's not willing to do that.

She doesn't tell him. She doesn't show up, either. And while she intends on leaving him alone, after, she... doesn't.

1890-1894
After Brooks, More Research, Procrastination Mor settles into being a spinster and becomes a junior librarian in 1890, as the fallout from her mistake starts to settle down. In 1894, she's promoted to a full librarian. She's aware that most of her female relatives don't get this much time, but it doesn't bring her any more urgency about her own ritual — even as her friends conclude theirs and start looking skeptically at her. She hasn't found a ritual she likes yet. She's not dying yet, at least — and she cannot abandon doing what her ancestor did, killing someone else to save herself.

Class	OWL	NEWT
Ancient Studies	O	E
Astronomy	A	—
Charms	E	O
Divination	A	—
Defense Against the Dark Arts	E	E
Herbology	E	E
History of Magic	A	—
Potions	O	E
Transfiguration	E	—

Occupation Years

Debutante 1883-1890

Junior Librarian 1890-1894

Librarian 1890-Present

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Out-of-Character

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Morrigan Selden
The Folly of Abraham Selden Michigan, 1785, as Mor sees it	The Folly was Abraham’s prized brig, purchased with all the money he stood to inherit as a second son of the mercantile class. He was determined to use her to improve his fortune, but she foundered in the waters on her way to deliver furs to Fort Mackinac and sank. Abraham was lucky that he and his crew kept their lives, but wandered the bars of the fort bemoaning his lost ship and his lack of an insurance policy on her. He was ruined. She found him half-drunk in a bar, the Quebecois woman that Abraham would later refer to as the devil. Except that Abraham did not sell her his soul — he sold her mine. My great grandfather conducted a ritual with the French witch, and while my father is certain that he did not know what would come for us, I am certain that he did. Abraham was a selfish man, and to dredge up his boat, he slit the throat of his First Mate. According to his own journals, Abraham loved the man more than anything — except his ship. (Some things come through our bloodline, in addition to the curse.) Why would Abraham care a whit for daughters, when he would not marry until 1790? By then, he was wealthy enough to own several ships. While he hated the woman for what she did to his daughters, she had certainly delivered fortune as well as the ship. My consolation prize is this: Abraham died in the war of 1812, drowned on The Folly as it sank. Of course, I’ll be lucky if I make it to thirty-five, and Abraham saw his fifties.
The Interim Years Rochester, NY, and Chicago, IL - 1786-1865, as Mor sees it	The family continued to prosper despite the death of Abraham, growing the shipping business. The Erie Canal’s creation — and our convenient inhabiting of Rochester — helped lead to another boom, and while it was risky to go to a state where slavery was not entirely illegal given our mixed race and despite our magic, they moved to Chicago in 1840. Dotting the history was the dead girls, at least a dozen by my count, and no public explanation. A blood-borne illness, they said — well. Certainly it was something like that, the chills that came into our bones and would take us after several months of illness no healer could touch. Whenever someone turns sixteen — a man, most often — they would be given Abraham’s diary or a copy of it, to read and study and learn from the mistakes of the past. This is how I found my ritual, later — via intense study of the diary, of blood magic, of the spells that Abraham likely cast and how to undo them. None of my ancestors, save Uncle Lincoln — who is a hero as well as a confirmed bachelor — decided to do the easiest thing: stop having children.
1865	Morrigan is born, predated by two living siblings and one dead, in the city of Chicago. Her father; determined. Her mother; already unhappy. Later in childhood she would think this was because of Mallory's death, but she no longer believes that — she had committed to giving us names that implied future misery before she knew it was certain. Her father confirmed he never told her about the curse. Perhaps she thought it was something to do with her.
1867	Goneril is born, which Mor too young to remember.
1869	Morrigan shows her first sign of magic by pulling one of her father's model ships out of its bottle. Towards the end of the year, Ophelia begins to weaken from the wasting illness, and Mor's mother becomes more erratic.
1870	Ophelia dies; so does Blanche, and Mor's father claims it was from the same illness, rather than by her own hand.
1871	The Great Chicago Fire rages at the end of the year, and the Selden's home and business office is destroyed in the fire. Mor's father Newland, having done significant research into the curse that took his daughters and most of his sisters, begins selling off aspects of the business rather than rebuilding it.
1872	Newland begins courting Miss --- ---, a British witch. Morrigan takes to her stepmother — her mother was scattered before Mor was born, and they were never particularly close. Besides, her father has started talking of moving to London, which seems very old and very fancy compared to the newness of Chicago.
1873	Aunt Matilda perishes of the wasting illness at the end of the year. Newland sells the last of his assets from the business to his elder brother Lincoln and strangers, and decides that the family is to move to Britain, where he will marry his fiancée and they will start anew. The only sad thing for Mor is that she is dear friends with her cousin Margaret, and they are a little young for consistent letter-sending. Newland moves into land-based shipping work, and investing, in London.
1876-1878 First & Second Year	Morrigan goes to Hogwarts, where she is sorted into Slytherin. She becomes friends with another girl in her year, Drusilla Rowle, and is pleased to have the companionship without the weight of something hanging over her, the way her relationships with her family are. The summer between her first and second years, Goneril dies. Morrigan starts to realize that something is wrong with her family, something big, and exchanges letters to that effect with her cousins Margaret and Edgar. Her family moves to North Bartonburg, in Hogsmeade, as after losing his first wife to nerves Newland does not want to risk a second wife to the stress of riots. Mor misses her younger sister, and throws herself into school. Morrigan has always been a little quiet, a little introspective, and enjoys observing the people around her to try to figure out what makes them tick and what makes them interesting, if anything.
1878-1881 OWL Years	Mor takes up Ancient Studies and Divination as her electives in her third year. Her OWL years largely pass without incident, and with a great deal of studying, until she goes home for the summer after Fourth Year. Her father sits her down and hands her a journal, explaining that he's done a great study and he thinks everyone else should, too. Morrigan spends the summer pouring over the journal, reading everything she can about Abraham Selden, her great-grandfather who she comes to hate. Her father explains that when he left the business, he was hoping that would save his daughters — but wasting sickness took Goneril, too. When Mor comes back in Fifth Year, it's with an increased interest in curses and rituals, and that is what informs her studies at Hogwarts. She tells Dru that her family is definitely cursed, but stays away from most details. To her horror, cousin Margaret dies in 1881. Mor's interests start to be informed by the threat of death that has persisted her whole life, and by her incredible desire to avoid her fate — to avoid the death someone else decided for her.
1881-1883 NEWT Years	Hogwarts finishes, with Mor and her friends increasingly interested in rituals and dark magic. She is still unable to find an answer to her own problem, and some of the others seem to have silly problems — but she would rather have their help than not have it.
1883-1889 Rituals, Research, Brooks	They finish Hogwarts. Morrigan is a debutante, but often spends more time in the library than not, still pursuing her research. Drusilla is having an increasingly horrible time trying to escape her father, and when Drusilla makes an escape plan — a plan that involves rituals, and an Unbreakable Vow — Mor is onboard. She's more than on board; she tries to convince the rest of their friend group to join them, too. (Maybe their problems are silly, but they can help them, and they can save each other, and then Morrigan will have a whole life.) Mor is not looking for Brooks when she finds him, but they both spend time in the library, and they start talking. When he asks her to court, she says yes. When he asks her to marry him, she says yes. Morrigan loves him, really — and that's why, despite the success some of her friends are starting to have, she cannot marry him. She could die, and leave him, anytime — because she still hasn't found the right ritual. Every ritual she's found that would undo Abraham Selden's deal would cost a life. She's not willing to do that. She doesn't tell him. She doesn't show up, either. And while she intends on leaving him alone, after, she... doesn't.
1890-1894 After Brooks, More Research, Procrastination	Mor settles into being a spinster and becomes a junior librarian in 1890, as the fallout from her mistake starts to settle down. In 1894, she's promoted to a full librarian. She's aware that most of her female relatives don't get this much time, but it doesn't bring her any more urgency about her own ritual — even as her friends conclude theirs and start looking skeptically at her. She hasn't found a ritual she likes yet. She's not dying yet, at least — and she cannot abandon doing what her ancestor did, killing someone else to save herself.

Occupation	Years
Debutante	1883-1890
Junior Librarian	1890-1894
Librarian	1890-Present