Renee Becquerel

((PAGE IS UNDER RECONSTRUCTION, A LOT OF THIS IS SUPER DATED.))

STATS

gender

race

clan

citizenship

nameday

height

weight

status

guardian

affiliations

female

Elezen

Mixed, mostly passes for Wildwood

Limsa Lominsa

13th sun, 6th UM, 1535

6 fulm

460 ponze

married

Llymlaen

The Coral Sea

Maelstrom

GENERAL INFO

Renee Georgette Becquerel is, in at least some ways, the ideal modern citizen of Limsa Lominsa. A Captain and former field soldier with a passion for her homeland and her countrymen, Renee turned from away from the death and chaos of combat to follow more "civilian" pursuits. An artisan, a scholar, a businesswoman, and the head of a household and free company that enables others who still take to the field, Renee's position is one that tends to be more supportive.

Though her smile is easy and she's fond of the comforts of peace and stability, Renee is no simple, doting maternal figure unused to or wholly uncomfortable with conflict. Her smile is one that can easily turn to a fanged, predatory thing. As soft as her words can be, they can just as freely come dripping with venom. Even in spite of her roundly overfed and overpampered figure, she's hardly a pushover in a fight. Still, the steel and fire she has is usually kept well-hidden by a keen if occasionally snide wit and a well-groomed presentation that sometimes borders on transparent arrogance.

There may be a temptation to say she's of two minds or even duplicitous, but Renee is simply someone who draws clear boundaries in her life and as much as she would rather revel in all the comforts and joys of a peaceful, conflict-free life, her personality has been shaped by mistakes, war, trauma, and loss. She knows far too well the cost of not enforcing the lines she draws both for herself and for others.

APPEARANCE

As is the case for everyone to the point it's silly to say, Renee's appearance is shaped by the life she leads. In the transition from a battle-hardened soldier and adventurer, her figure has changed from one that once obviously carried a great deal of power beneath a some slight extra curve. At six fulm and every bit of four hundred and sixty ponze, she is conspicuous in her lack of height and likely considerably more conspicuous in her excess of width, no longer the product of long journeys to distant trials and far more the product of short journeys to nearby pastries. Beneath her girth, there's the hearty bearing one would expect from someone with her past and while her pearish build lends itself to a swaggering waddle with enough power to it to suggest there's some hidden strength to make up for what she certainly lacks in speed.

Her face is plump with features that run a little long and easily carry a smile, sometimes one earnest and genuine, sometimes one too sharp and playful to be taken seriously. Smiling, grinning, laughing thing that she is, she can just as easily take to a stern, stony stare at a moment's notice. Her sharp, cunning eyes are mismatched; one green and the other brown and sit beneath. Her brow is fine and often crooked to match whatever snotty expression she's on the verge of deploying to the misfortune of anyone nearby.

The darkness and faint duskiness of Renee's skin suggest a mixed heritage, something that was likely never an issue in Limsa Lominsa even if she's just a shade too dark to seem as though it's only a deep tan. Though she has a few small nicks and scars, save for two, they're all fine and faint enough to escape notice. The worst among them, however, are not so fine and faint. Just beneath the left side of her collarbone and with a matching partner on her back, Renee bears a thick and yet oddly neat scar the perfect size to suggest having been run through by a sword and rather neatly so at that. The wound it caused was undoubtedly a grievous one and that she lives at all is surely a commentary on her good fortune and the skills of her healer more than any personal fortitude on her part.

While she maintains a varied wardrobe of clothing and even armour, Renee's fashion sense only occasionally nears the elegant and more often tends towards showy and extravagant. Sweeping coats, both bold and pastel colours, deep necks, and ample jewellery contrast against choices in materials that are luxurious more for their comfort than simply their cost. The same care for her clothing carries over to her grooming with well-tended skin, nails, and hair, the last of which is beginning to turn silver far too early for her age though the streak of lighter hair is almost always hidden by dye. Usually lingering around her is the scent of floral perfume, moisturising oils, and a faint hint of fragrant tobacco, making her presence just that much more obnoxious.

LIKES ■ Honesty Above all else, Renee values honesty and lives a philosophy centred around the idea and ideal of its pursuit, dedicated to it to the point that she avoids actively deceiving others at all costs. ■ Music Not just a bard, but a Limsan and the child of a sailor, Renee generally prefers singing and harps as both make for easy travel. Rarely, she can be found wielding a fiddle. ■ Writing Believing herself partially responsible for the future of the bardic arts, Renee is a hoarder of fantastic-yet-true stories. ■ Woodworking An artefact of her time in the Shroud, Renee is a carpenter of considerable artistic talent and, upon returning to Limsa Lominsa, learned the skills of a shipwright. ■ Limsa Lominsa Patriotic nearly to a fault, Renee believes deeply in both the might and right of her homeland. She is deeply loyal to the thalassocracy, its Admiral, and the rule of law they represent. ■ The word "motherly" Renee's attitude towards much of The Coral Sea, the membership of the same, and a few of her personal friends has taken a fairly parental turn as she's managed to slowly mature to the point a few have called her out on it. She can't help but feel it's proof she's actually matured as a person.

DISLIKES ■ Dishonesty Be it people causing harm by lying to others or causing harm by lying to themselves, Renee openly dislikes people who live their lives without at least passing regard to the value of honesty. ■ Cowardice Renee will readily encourage people who can't fight for themselves to think of their own safety, but one of the easiest ways to lose her respect is to have the power to act and choose not to out of fear. ■ Selfishness Renee has no problem with self-interest and a desire for personal gain, but she draws a stark line with people who live their lives at the detriment of others. ■ Pirates Renee appreciates the history of piracy Limsa had to claw out of and is openly hostile to people who romanticise it and worse to those who would try to bring it back. ■ Racism Between being an adventurer and having grown up in a city with few Elezen, Renee has little tolerance for those with little tolerance. ■ The word "motherly" For however much she might like whatever the word might represent, it being used to describe her makes her uncomfortable on a deep, visceral level.

MOTIVATION ■ Security The Becquerels are a family of the dead and dying and Renee's own life has been defined by a great deal of aimlessness. She eagerly seeks to have a place of her own, both literal and figurative, where she can settle down to a peaceful, prosperous life. ■ Redemption Renee walks around with her fair share of regrets for decisions made in the past. While she's emotionally balanced enough they don't bog her down, she has an inherent desire to prove to herself that she is, in fact, a truly worthwhile person. ■ Love A passionate idealist, Renee's a true romantic and values love as not just the gratification of another, but an ideal truly worthy of earnest pursuit. She cares about loving and earning the love of those she cares about. ■ Self-Control As something she once had a desperate lack of, Renee puts a great deal of weight on self-control and maintaining it within reason, but that doesn't mean she doesn't enjoy life. Renee eagerly seeks a life of... ■ Hedonism A trait she's always had and, for a time, suffered for. Whether she's an earnest and passionate bon vivant or a demented and mentally-unwell lecher might be up for debate, but Renee values the chance to live her life well and share the pleasures of that life with others.

STRENGTHS ■ Tenacious A quality that's defined much of her later life and earned her standing in the Maelstrom. Renee is deliberate about when she engages in conflict, but when she does, she draws stark lines and is willing, if not always eager, to make decisions, come what consequences may. ■ Loyal Though she tries to be at least genial with most everyone she meets, Renee rarely gives others the benefit of her intensely trusting loyalty. To those she does, it is an earnest bond and one that is desperately hard to break and rarely broken without dire cost. ■ Passionate When anyone or anything manages to gain her true affections, Renee's overwhelming earnestness is either an incredible boon or a terribly obnoxious problem. This is especially the case with people she believes need her protection, guidance, or otherwise meddling. ■ Intelligent Being quick-witted and well-educated makes Renee a strong thinker with a tendency to delve into the philosophical. On the battlefield, Renee is a deliberate tactician who rarely leaps into a fray without a well-formed and flexible plan. ■ Socially Deft If nothing else and when it doesn't violate her devotion to an honest life, Renee is capable of practised social grace and considerable charisma or, failing that, considerable superficial charm and outright manipulation. ■ Confident She's aware of her flaws, even pride, but she believes strongly in herself as a good, worthwhile person. The confidence she shows extends far beyond superficial bravado.

WEAKNESSES ■ Prideful For better or worse and often worse, Renee believes herself inherently better than most people. While she has her talents and usually keeps this fault in check, it is entirely possible for her self-righteous habits to come through and rarely do they do so in a way that inspires more confidence than aggravation in others. ■ Meddling While it might be born out of caring for people, Renee has a terrible and terribly obnoxious habit of meddling in the lives of those she feels a combination of worthy, interesting, and needy. ■ Jealous Renee's jealousy goes hand-in-hand with her deep trust. She's protective of what and who she considers hers and, for how much she cares about loving and being loved, fears the loss of those very loved ones. ■ Occasionally Tactless Appreciating open honesty has its downsides. While rarely oafish, Renee tires quickly of showing "unnecessary" grace to people she considers fools and will gladly deliver hard, honest truths just to be done with a frustrating issue. This rarely actually makes anything better. ■ Introspective Being aware of this fault, she seeks the company of those she has some intimate connection with, but her pride often gets the best of her and causes her to fail to fully divulge in just what way she's suffering. When this happens, she tends to pull away from people, dwell on her discomfort, and succumb to a grim moodiness.

QUIRKS ■ "Flowery" From ornate speaking habits, to wild gestures of her hands, and to how she dresses, Renee is especially showy. Whether or not it's ridiculous ostentation or simply a genuine love of theatrics is impossible to tell for sure, but it's a presentation she lowers only when matters require she dial herself down from a solid 11. ■ Intensely Spiritual Much of Renee's adult life has been defined by the spiritual and it shows. She measures problems in equal parts between mortal concerns and those of a "higher" nature. An experience with either death or near-death only intensified this. ■ Handsy There's a point between "fond acquaintance" and "dear friend" where Renee becomes really quite uncomfortable and cares little for personal space. ■ Lacks Self-Control In some areas of her life, Renee possesses incredible discipline and self-control. In other areas of her life, that is absolutely, positively not the case. Her waistline is doubtlessly a clue to one of those areas.

COMBAT

Renee is a surprisingly deadly combatant, making up for what she lacks in certain areas of physicality with a calm, tactical mind, brutal efficiency, and, when necessary, overwhelming force utterly divorced from any concept of proportional response. Renee took up the gun with the spread of modern mechanics as the product of combining Lominsan tactics and Ishgardian technology. Though her technical technical as a machinist don't set her ahead of her field, her aim with and understanding of firearms makes up for her shortcomings in the more cutting-edge aspects of her field.

While she does have some cursory training in other weapons and the sword in particular, this training serves largely as a means of exercise and general combat practise. Her field of expertise is absolutely ranged combat and she relies heavily on the tactics of that speciality. What sets her apart as a combatant is a well-focused calm, eschewing anger and instead focusing on the task at hand with a calm and usually lethal intent. Renee is well aware of her abilities in direct combat and while that is indeed a weakness, she makes it a very difficult to exploit it usually by engaging in tactics many might call unfair.

In terms of both her abilities in combat and her general personality, Renee does not take well to light scraps or, in fact, "honourable" combat. She relies on stealth, the element of surprise, efficiency, and even what some might call actual cheating to ensure victory. Certainly, Renee is not at all embracing the expectations that come with her appearance as a means to get close and land a decisive blow before a fight even begins in earnest. Her attitude towards combat as a lawless affair that must be ended as swiftly as possible goes a long way to explain just why she so eagerly avoids prolonged violence until absolutely necessary.

INTERACTIONS

RUMOURS Some of these rumours are untrue, speculation, or are greatly exaggerated. Please feel free to add your own rumours under the Player Character category! ◢ COMMON RUMOURS - Easily overheard. Use these freely! ■ “Aye, Becquerel? I knew that gawky shite a good epoch back. More charm than wits with that one, got run out of Limsa after years of chasing women and laying with the wrong fathers' daughters. Got that 'appetite' under control well enough now, though.” - a longshoreman in Limsa Lominsa ■ “Captain Becquerel's a fine officer, certainly, but uh... Well I did hear she almost throw a private off a bridge for questioning orders direct from the Admiral. Only almost! She's wonderfully loyal to the thalassocracy, maybe a little rabid, but... Well, yes, very loyal!” - a junior officer stationed at the Aftcastle ■ “She's a fine enough woman, isn't she? But she's not, though. I knew that Becquerel back when he was still Renaud, oh was he a charmer and he had hands like you wouldn't believe... Not right though, is it? Nobody who loves themselves that much changes like that for nothing. Damned suspicious, if you ask me.” - a waitress at the Drowning Wench ■ “Don't rightly know why she's in the Maelstrom. See this bow? It's a genuine Becquerel! Sold it to me herself, 'patriot's discount' she said! Hells, I beat a half-dead fishback the rest of the way with the damned thing and it still works a treat! Can't tell you what she learned in Gridania, but be damned if Limsa don't need more woodworkers of her grade.” - an overly enthusiastic Yellowjacket ◢ UNCOMMON RUMORS - A little more difficult to hear. Use sparingly or ask first! ■ “Becquerel? I worked with him or, rather, her isn't it now? Certainly fine work from an outsider and a good deal more trustworthy than a lot of adventurers before the Calamity, if not quite as skilled. Really thought they were going to settle down and stay, join up with the Gods' Quiver. Good sort, they are, if a bit brutal. 'Tis rare to see an outsider hunt the Coerlclaw so viciously. Suppose fear's a good a tactic as any.” - a member of the Gods' Quiver in the Carline Canopy ■ “What, the dark-skinned, loud, 'Wildwood' with too much jewellery? Surely you mean that Friloux woman, don't you? Oh, I suppose that could be Becquerel, too, but really, it's half-dozen of one, six of the other, isn't it? Even look alike... huh.” - a merchant in Ul'dah selling imported bows ■ “Madame Becquerel? I repaired her roof, you know. The woman's an absolute terror, even if she is every bit of a hundred years old. Suppose that's Ishgardians for you, isn't it? Even when they leave the place for good, they take a little bit of it with them, don't they? Related to those weird Valentione folk as I hear it told! Wait, you mean her grandchild? Hells, don't much know them.” - a carpenter in Gridania ■ “Oh, aye, I know the Apkallu. Good sort, good sort, true and true, real bleedin' heart and all that, but hells. Y'ever seen the inside o' a pirate, like after gettin' flayed and left t' rot in th' sun? I have... After Becquerel got their mitts on 'em.” - a drunken Lalafell drinking with a group of Maelstrom veterans in Limsa Lominsa ◢ RARE RUMOURS - Very rarely overheard. Please ask before using! ■ “I knew Vivienne and Beauvissoix, Thal keep them, lovely folk they were, died fighting at Carteneau. But their child? Could've come from Vivienne's stock, sure enough, she was a bit of a mix herself, but I knew her damned well and she was barren, couldn't conceive. Now I don't know many dark-skinned Elezen Beauvissoix was close to, but I do know a certain brothel owner who was friend to both of them.” - an older Roegadyn woman claiming to be a deckhand of The Coral Sea, the original one ■ “Captain Becquerel's a good officer, certainly, and a fine example of why we let our officers have such free reign, but she's not nearly as smooth as that grin of hers would have you think. After what happened with Shyrdoenwyn, Becquerel nearly getting done in by his own first mate... The man was dead, let me tell you. You don't bleed that much and live. He got back on his feet, sure enough, but you spend that many moons having to work just to breathe while putting that much into trying to fix your First Mate? Little wonder he took it so hard when she died. I'm damned surprised he didn't die a second time. I probably wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror either, but then... She doesn't have to see that old face anymore, does she?” - a senior Maelstrom officer stationed at the Moraby Drydocks ◢ PLAYER CHARACTER RUMOURS - Feel free to add rumors of your own! ■ “Feel free to add your own rumours here!” - some random schlub ■ “Wakkeyha... Waking Oak. She stands tall and proud, with roots that reach far below the earth and branches the stretch far into the sky. When ill winds blow, she will not yield to them, yet nor will she break. Still, she is but waking. Learning what such reaches and powers mean, unaware of the strength she possesses. It is a shame, and a grace.” - Staelufre Lysmerl ■ "I know her from Meli's party! People talked about her like is very important to them. She is tricky too. She try make me think she is man." - Flickering Ember MISCELLANY Potential Hooks ■ An officer of the Maelstrom: There are a million and one reasons someone might need to get a hold of someone with Renee's rank, as someone in the Maelstrom or otherwise. ■ Carpentry: Renee's a talented carpenter who's well-known enough that someone in need of one may well come looking for her. Outside Links: ■ Character Tumblr - Occasionally-updated character blog with all manner of extra stuff going on Misc Info: ■ Template adapted from Bancroft Gairn, with edits by Xheja Rajhera / N'hadiya Khei.