Aesmir Rougelame

Aesmir Rougelame

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Darkness shall devour those who lack the power to control it

La Pacificatrice
"Wealth and material goods mean nothing to me. I seek only Justice."
Gender	Female
Race	Hyur
Clan	Midlander
Citizenship	None
Nameday	32nd Sun of the 3rd Astral Moon
Age	22
Marital Status	Single
Occupation	Dark Knight

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~*~Aesmir musical theme~*~

« They said you killed a lot of innocent people.

Aesmir sat on the floor, her hands clenching on the iron bars, bowing her head slightly as a testimony of respect towards the man whose shape she could not even distinguish in the darkness of the cell.

« It is true I killed many people... » he simply replied in a neutral tone.

The self-called paladin sighed. Even though she could not read his expression, she imagined him being surprisingly calm. His voice was calm, without any shred of regret.

« ...but they were far from innocent. » he added bluntly.

She must have looked terribly confused, as he anticipated her next question.

« I have no faith in the Justice of men. »

« Why ? » she simply asked.

She was not judging him. The 17 years old girl, despite her wounds and the horror she has been through, was quietly listening to a stranger, a man deemed criminal. The silence between them was unexpected. A respectful...almost peaceful...calm and quiet conversation. Was is hesitation, Aesmir wondered. Was the man despising her like the elezen soldiers from the Nest ? She wished she could see his face, read his features, look straight into her savior’s eyes to understand...and cast away the feeling of being lost in the dark.

« You’ve been through a lot, girl. But no matter where your next destination will be, you will come to realise that everyone in this world has a price. »

« You tortured them. »

« Some people doesn’t really understand politeness. »

« Was it worth it ? »

« Yes. »

Aesmir slowly nodded o aknowledge his answer. Again, another silence.

« Why did you save me ? » Asked Aesmir hesitantly.

« For the same reason I killed all these people. »

Aesmir gave him a confused look. After a moment, though, a faint smile was on her lips. She slowly begun to understand.

« Should I have let you die in this cave ? »

She shook her head negatively.

« There are...corruptions...which never heal. Vices that poison the souls so deeply that there is no other choice. To protect the others, one must make choices. Some of us deserve to be protected, and some others deserve to be push into the abyss. »

Aesmir remained silent, like a child listening to a lesson. After a moment, she could feel the cold and strong hand of the man on her skin. His wounded hand, covered with cuts and scars, was kindly caressing her face, fingers sliding ner her eyes.

« Does it hurt ? »

« Every second... »

His hand fell back.

« I wish I had find you a little bit sooner... »

She gave him a sincere smile as an answer.

« They said you were a paladin once. »

« What changed ? »

Aesmir pondered over his question, before adding : « Your oaths have changed ? »

« No. I made an oath in my heart, and this oath was never broken. I a free from the laws of men. Laws are corrupted. I like to think my heart isn’t. I do no not wish to follow men who can be blinded by lies. I do not wish to bend to the codes political necessities demanded. I know what justice is, and it has always led my arm. »

Aesmir breathed every word, attentive, curious, patient. But as he realised how easily he was trusting the girl his feelings, she could feel him taking an abrupt distance.

« Don’t you have better things to do than losing your time in a cold icy underground ? »

Aesmir chuckled lightly, before shaking her head slightly.

« They said I will be blind all my life, that no one can cure me. They said I will never be able to fight again, and that I should go back to the Brume, and find a more..a more...suitable...job... »

Tergan growled angrily. « If this is what they think, then they are even more blind than you are. «  he commented bluntly.

Aesmir canted her head sadly, clenching her fists, feeling the weight of frustration deep in her heart.

« Do you fight with your eyes ? »

Aesmir gave him a confused look.

« You fight with a sword. And it is your arm that holds the sword. As for what guides your arm, girl, it is your will. You can let them decide how your life will be. Or you can keep on fighting like you always did. »

Aesmir opened her mouth to answer, but shook her head instead. Pondering over his words, she offered a sost smile. « You are right, master. »

« Master ? »

Tergan refrained a laugh, before keeping an embrassed silence. The girl seemed serious about it.

« I told you, you owe me nothing... »

« Your words help me find a new vision of my world. You’re helping me see what it is fair to see, far beyond the shadows that now have been inhabiting my life. »

Saying so she protrates herself like she would have done before a deity, showing him far more respect than anyone could have given him regarding his rank, and walked away cleansed from fears, doubts and regrets.

 

Appearance & Personality

Appearance & Personality

Nature & Demeanor

Nature & Demeanor

Demeanor:

Aesmir is a very simple woman at first glance. She is discrete, and very polite and respectful of the others. She always seem to listen, to care for others and to be sincere in all her words. She is not very talkative but she really enjoy sharing on her travels or talking with strangers on any kind of subjects. Her tone is warmth and she is an altruist. If one would pay more attention to her behaviour, Aesmir, despite being young, has the smile of a wise person who has been enduring many painful life experiences. Her calm attitude and her thoughtful decisions are just a token of the maturity of an adult who has grown up far too quickly. Her smile, although sincere, is never cleansed from regrets.

Nature:

Sometimes, her gaze seems empty, and her consciousness flickers when she is exhausted. Memories are haunting her mind, but sadness is something she is trying to fight off every day. Rarely, her smile can fade behind a neutral and cold attitude. In front of people she deems « unworthy », she could even be extremely unpleasant, but never in a despiseful way. As for the people she deems « corrupted by evil », she won’t ever hesitate to kill them – purely and simply. Rare are the times when she shows her dark side, which she offers to the ennemies of justice : the roaring rage, the disgust and the grief she feels when facing unfair crimes, are the feelings fueling her strenghts when fight is calls for. She can uses an extreme violence, quite suprinsing and unexpected, like a thunderstrike in a clear sky, but only if someone stomps on everything she care for. But this would certainly be very astonishing for whoever thinks Aesmir is but a kind friendly wandering traveller.

Trope:

Aesmir follows her own morale, her own codes and her own oaths. She follows them whatever the price she must paid, and will never transgress her rigorous morale to preserve her honour. She would be ready to give her life, just like her master did, to stay true to her oath.

There are 7 principles, 7 oaths she swore in her heart and which are represented in her body, taking the shapes of 7 tatoos :

- Justice: Aesmir deems Justice as her main principale, the one which rules her world. Without Justice, there is only Chaos. And this is why justice needs to be defended by radical methods. To protect innocent souls, Aesmir would never hesitate to taint her own. She does not care for the judgement of others, nor her accusations. If she must steal, torture or plunder for a noble cause, she will. But the sufferings induced by her actions must be directed against the criminals she deemed unworthy to live for the greater good.

- Courage: Whatever the danger is, it must be faced. Courage is not the lack of fear or a mad temerity, but an action done by overcoming fear. To protect her values and defend what is fair, she is ready to put her life in the balance, as it is fair to know when one must live or die.

- Kindness: Aesmir has always been convinced that the world must not be looked at with a biased jugement. One must enjoy the encounters of life to learn from them and learn to elevate one’s mind. She tries to be altruist with everyone, as lng as the person deserves to be treated this way.

- Respect: Aesmir has always been respectful of codes and beliefs of others. She is very polite. She has no interest in her heart, considering herself an eternal pupil seeking to enrich her wisdom by travelling the world.

- Sincerity: Aesmir hates lies and considers manipulation as cowardice. As a matter of fact, she doesn’t know how to lie, even if it somehow leads her to a difficult situation. She has always wanted to be honest in her intentions, even if these said intentions are to murder someone for justice.

- Honour: She considers her travails as a spiritual quest which will lead her to defend her values. Honour is something she can reach by making difficult choices. She is unable to act viciously, or uses stratagems which could taint her principles.

- Loyalty: Aesmir loathes treachery. She is a faithful loyal and gentle friend.

Notable Features

Notable Features

Common Appearance:

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Scars & Markings:

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Voice:

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Clothing:

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[[File:|500px|thumb|center|WIP]]

Tastes

Tastes

Likes

Likes

• Music
• Peaceful places
• Travels
• Encounters
• Flower fields
• Training

Dislikes

Dislikes

• Coerthas
• Ul'dah
• Injustices
• Rejections
• Fights
• Darkness
• Black magic
• Voidlings

Favorites

Favorites

• Freedom
• Justice
• Helping others
• Heroic actions
• Her master's sword "Rougelame"
• Paladins
• Oaths
• The Mist

Prejudices

Prejudices

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Abilities

Abilities

Strengths

Strengths

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Weaknesses

Weaknesses

Aesmir cannot bear lies, manipulation, cowardice and furthermore free violence. She always have a great control over herself – although there are indeed things that could fuel the erratic flames of anger in her heart. Torturing innocents in front of her is one of these things. Her greatest weakness is the anguish of her memories of the masked mage who butchered her brothers-in-arms and cursed her eyes. She never spoke of him to anyone else but her master, who is now dead. She fear the day she would have to confront the horror of her long-forgotten nightmares, even after so many years. The aweful curse he casted on her gave her a burning exhausting sensation every moment of her existence, and the remorse she feels for failing to save her friends weights heavy on her soul.

Combat

Combat

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History

History

Chapter 1: A soldier's life

« Aesmir ! »

« Sir ? »

« These soldiers are sent by the Holy City to investigate the latest dissapearances and tragic discoveries in the Western Highlands. They asked for some back-up. Now...you know our forces in the Convictory are not quite what I would call a reliable back-up for losing time in investigating potential heresies to soothe the mind of a zealous Inquisitor when the war is still roaring, but...anyway, I want you to escort them and help them in any way you can. They are not as acquainted as you are with the area. Guide them. Seek this investigation to a quick end. And come back here as soon as possible for your report."

« Yes, Sir ! »

Aesmir saluted with respect her superior before taking her leave to welcome the soldiers sent by one of the Halonic Inquisitor of Ishgard. Despite being only 17 now, it has been years that she was conscripted as a soldier, with no real other perception of the future than a meaningless death...either the cold of mountains or the claws of a Dragon. But Honour was a word with deep meaning nevertheless, and she wasn’t going to run away despite the injustice of this war and the poor value of her hyur’s soldier life in the supremacy of the elezen noblerace.

Three days ago, one of her buddy discovered mutilated bodies half drowned in the Coerthas river. They could have been just another victims of the war if not for the pentacles emited an evil stench and energy around them. The reports seemed to have freak out the Inquisition, who sent soldiers to investigate on a potential heretic attack on-going. As if the Dravanians was not enough to handle...

Aesmir travelled with the unit a few days and easily shared their bonds as brothers and sisters in arms. They tried to find clues leading to a heretic hideout in the wildlands, but they spent more time fighting creatures and trying to warm themselves with fire and boose. Somehow, these were good memories for the young soldier Aesmir was at that time. Memories of ephemeral kindness of people trying to seek justice for the victims, and protecting their people and families from another threat. This was a good feeling. A feeling that together they can make this world a little less horrifying...

Clues led them to reach an icy cave, half-hidden by rocks and snow. Despite suspecting the dangers that could lie within such a place, filled with ominous aether, the soldiers were convinced by the necessity to investigate furthermore. Even if this was not a heretic hideout, it was obvious that the whole place was breathing evil.

« Aesmir. »

« Ma’am ? »

« Report to the Convictory, this place needs to be cleansed. If somehow we fail in our duty, someone must be warned of the existence of the heretic stench defiling our land. »

Aesmir was not pleased at all. But she nodded and began to walk away from the unit. After a while, she was struck by an ominous feeling. In the distance, she swore she could have hear screams echoing in the mountains. Her heart was telling her to go back, to violate her duty in the name of friendship and loyalty. It took her a lot of time to decide what was the most important...and when the memories of these people sharing with her their stories, feelings, their sadness and regrets, their laughs and dreams...she stepped back and disobyed an order for the first time of her life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj2uk8IpVdg

The atmosphere inside the cave was suffocating… She had to lit a torch to cast away the overwhelming darkness, illuminating a wide path inside the underground. Shadow felt almost...alive...as if darkness was truly breathing, pulsing around her. The wind carried whispers...and peculiar sounds like distant echoes… It felt like the whole place was animated by some vicious energy… Aesmir truly did not know how they found the courage to keep on walking...but when she thought of the mutilated corspes they found, the simple thought of justice made her braver than she thought she could really be. Someone had to stop the heretics.

After a while, she stepped inside a huge circular room...like an old dusty stone shrine built in the depths of the earth. The whole place was pulsing with a purple glow emited by what looked like hundred of crystals. Aesmir froze. This was not natural. Her eyes wandered on the crystals...before noticing the bodies of soldiers lying in the rocks, awefuly mutilated, covered with blood and guts, disposed carefuly inside complicated pentacles emitting this same evil glow. Aesmir puked.

Wiping her mouth and trying to find courage and strenght in her heart, she approached, tears in her eyes. She rushed towards the bodies of those she could now barely recognize. Fear struck her at the sight of horror. Mixed feelings overwhelmed her. Incomprehension. Shock. Anger. Grief. Her hand was on her sword as she tried to find where the culprits could have gone. Too bad the thought occured this late in her mind… Before she could even catch a gimplse of what knocked her off her feet, she felt a vivid pain in her head as she crashed on the ground violently.

She whined painfuly, opening her eyes. An aweful smell of smoke and burnt flesh awoke her consciousness. Screams of horror and pain were echoing in her mind endlessly. Wet sounds...cracking noises..the smell of blood flowing… Aesmir rolled on her belly, trying to stand up despite feeling so weak. She gasped, eyes opened wide with horror when seeing one of her brother-in-arms, his chest opened, flesh cut, bones spreading outside his mutilated corpse, while a man all dressed in black robes was carefully sticking a purple glowing crystal inside his remainings. The man’s face was covered by a red-stained mask. He had a scepter made of bone in his right hand, draining the aether of the place...

Aesmir could not refrain herself from screaming, scared to death. She knew she was going to be next. Her eyes went madly from one body to another, seeking a weapon, anything that could give her the chance to defend herself. She was prepared to die against dragons, against heretics, but nothing could prepare her for meeting such an evil fate. She hurled herself towards one of her brother, trying to avoid gazing at his face, unsheathing his sword to turn it against the devilish mage, trembling, breathing nothing but fear.

« Weaklings like you...are not worthy of our sight. » spoke the man in a cold tone as he walked towards her, scepter in hand.

Aesmir gasped, before trying desperately to strike him. But as her sword met his arm, it shattered into hundred of metallic pieces against an aetherical ward. She froze, unable to move from him now, although all her instincts were screaming for her to run. Her legs felt like heavy stones when she tried to move away from him. In a blink of an eye, his metallic gauntlet was already covering her face, emitting a blinding purple glow. Aesmir tried to scream, but the sound died in her throat as she felt a burning pain. She fell on her knees when he released her, her hands trying to extinguish the burning sensation in her eyes. The sound came back in her throat and she screamed and screamed untill she could not hear the echo of her own voice, vision veiled with blood and purple flames. She felt something called piercing her flesh, and crashed back on the ground, strokes of pain animating her body violently. And then...nothingness. Emptiness. Silence...

A light...casting away darkness. She could lift her head up...lift her body… Cold room...filled with a warmed light… In the distance, darkness...devouring everything..devouring light itself...growing strong..growling like a feral animal as it came closer and closer…devouring everything. She felt as if darkness was calling her. And her body was walking towards it...despite the fear… Each step was echoing in her mind, like the hollow sound of each second of her remaining lifetime...before darkness would swallow her. But, as her body was now so close to fade into nothingness, pale and thin pearls lited the room as the floor vanished suddenly, letting her fall like a raindrop in endless skies. Wind was carrying her, bringing her closer and closer from...earth ? There was nothing...just endless skies… Was she falling for eternity ? Was it how death feel like ? Condemned to fall for eternity without the slightest hope than someone will catch her hand ?

Crying, she tried to grasp something, but her hand was only meeting air… It was hard to tell what scared her the most at this time : being crushed on the ground violently, or that she could not grasp anything to end this fall... Vivid anguis seized her, untill she realized something moved far below her… Suddenly, she was struck down inside cold waters, opening up to welcome her...swallowing her gently...drowning her… She fought to breathe desperately...and took a deep breathe when finally her hand grasped something...

It felt like wool...the caress of wool all over her body...warmth… Colours and shapes were veiled by a blurry vision. She touched her eyes, unsure if they were opened. They were.

« Don’t move ! Can you hear me ? Here, look at me. Look at me, please… You’re hurted, don’t try to move. Can you hear me ? »

The voice sounded close. A young man ? She turned her head towards the sound, but all she could see through the blurr was but a white shape leaning over her. She felt a cold touch on her skin, awaking a vivid pain in her eyes, tears feeling like burning thorns in her cheeks.

« I...I can’t see...anything… My eyes... » she whispered weakly, trying to recall what happened, to bring back the fragments of her memories into something that could make sense.

She heard a lot of movements around her. The man begun to speak, but quickly shifted his mind for some reason. Her mind waas madly focused on all the sounds she could hear now : the noises of boots, voices she could not recognize, metallic sounds of armors and weapons, flasks and bottles, and the smell of healing potions…

« What happened ? » she asked, unsure if she really wanted to hear the truth. Did she hallucinated all of this ?

« A paladin brought you back from the mountains. You are at Falcon’s Nest now, all safe, do not worry. »

« My unit... »

« I...I’m sorry... »

« Are they all dead… ? All… ? Estienne ? Johan ? Nanthilde ? Godefroid ? Iselde.. ?

« He said you were the only survivor. He tended to your wounds but realised you would have died without proper healings. He carried you all the way here. He said it was voidal dealings here, that needed someone like him to stop it. I...am truly sorry for your comrades. May their souls rest in Halone’s Halls... »

Aesmir had to digest the news. It was harsh, but she tried to stand up anyway, keeping the tears for later.

« Help me, please, I wish to thank him... »

The young healer gently put her arm around his shoulders and lifted her, helping her walk, guiding her in blurry corridors untill she could guess a tall black shape standing in front of them. She tried to say something, to find the proper words, struggling with her feelings, but when she finally find the courage to speak to her savior, she felt a cold metallic hand pushing her violently out of the way. Seperated from the kind help of her healer, her back met a wall, and she fell on her bottom, completely taken aback. She could distinguish grey shapes surrounding the black form of her savior, keeping her and the healer at bay.

« Tergan Kael. You will follow us without resistance. The Inquisitor Landebert demands that you answer for your crimes. »

She knew that voice. It was one of her superior…

The self-called paladin, ironically dressed in black, groaned but did not answer anything. Unsheathed swords could be heard, but the paladin did not make any threatening gesture.

« Let him rot in a cell. » ordered her superior.

« B-but he...he saved my life... » was all she could say. She did not even realized how confused and pathetic she sounded.

She was completely ignored by the grey shapes of the soldiers around. Whispers echoed in her mind like the most horrible and shocking treachery. « Stupid Hyur girl... ». And that was all. She fought and bleed like others. But at the end she was just a « stupid hyur girl ». A lowborn garbage. A failure.

They begun to escort the self-called paladin away. And as they did so, he leaned a bit towards her, saying in a quiet and grave tone that covered all the whispers :

« Rest, girl. You do not owe me anything. »

Aesmir remained still, mouth half-opened, tears rolling in her cheeks as she saw the soldiers take him away. Was it still a nightmare.. ?

Chapter 2: The Trial

People

People

♥ Buddies ♥ Romantic Attraction – ♥ Attraction – ♥ Platonic Love – ♥ Family – ✔ Business – ✖ Deceased – ● Positive – ● Negative – ● Neutral – ≈ Unsure

Relations (NPC)

Relations (NPC)

Tergan Kael ( ✖ Deceased ) - The Dark Knight

Aesmir's Master: Tergan was the center of Aesmir's world since the day she lost her eyes. He took her under his wing and received from her true loyalty and dedication. With time their bound grew so strong they were becoming like father and daughter, travelling the whole world to seek the path of Justice. He helped Aesmir beat the darkness in her soul, and she helped him fight the darkness of his solitude. Unfortunately, when he died protecting refugees from the Empire, he left Aesmir in this same overwhelming solitude and broke something in her heart which never quite healed.

Relations (PC)

Relations (PC)

Lylwen Galahad ( ♥ Buddies ) - The Apprentice

Aesmir's friend: Aesmir met Lylwen in the Mist, while she remained with an independent company for some time. Lylwen was a great fighter but she had difficulties harnessing the devouring darkness lurking in her soul. Aesmir swore to guide her the best she could and left the company with her by her side. Both of them trained and brought to each other wisdom and friendship, untill they parted ways and followed their own paths.

Zachary Isaac ( ♥ Buddies ) - The Elezen Warrior

Aesmir's crush: Aesmir met him when she joined an independant company, trading her help as a swordwoman against shelter and food. Zachary knew her master and the memories he brought back made her feel more and more fragile and weak compared to the greatness of her master's reputation. She tried hard to be worthy of Zachary's memories of Tergan but realised she was but a shadow of him. With time and unexpected quiproquos, she began to grow quite fond of him...which scared her. True to her oath, she chose to leave with Lylwen instead of listening to her heart's feelings towards Zachary.

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Rumors

Rumors

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