Olivia Shriver

Olivia Shriver
Olivia Shriver in La Noscea.
The Preceptress
Gender	Female
Race	Hyur
Clan	Midlander
Citizenship	Sharlayan
Place of Birth	Sharlayan
Guardian	Thaliak, the Scholar
Nameday	19th Sun of the 2th Astral Moon (Age: 36)
Occupation	Writer, Historian, Tutor, Physician
Pronunciation	"o-LEE-vee-ah shr-AI-vər"

Born in the Dravanian colony of Sharlayan, Olivia Shriver is foremost a scholar and healer who operates primarily in Vylbrand. An orphan, Olivia grew up among other young students in the Dravanian Hinterlands and proved a promising young physician. Catching the eye of a mentor, she received the opportunity to study abroad and broaden her horizons in arcanima and alchemy.

Returning to Sharlayan, Olivia graduated from the Studium and chose to continue her studies abroad on her own. Not long after leaving, pirates attacked her vessel as they neared Lominsan waters. Due to her knowledge of healing magicks, the pirates enslaved and conscripted her. She eventually adapted to their way of life until their arrest by the Knights of the Barracuda following an encounter with Leviathan.

Olivia received a pardon after only a year of incarceration, offering her medical assistance during the Calamity. Since then, she's taken an interest in the recently-revealed ruins in Upper and Outer La Noscea, documenting her findings on the scholars of the Nymian Royal Marines.

Appearance

"I am never unintentionally rude." —Olivia Shriver

Bookish and somewhat stern, Olivia's demeanor may seem a bit aloof or distant.

Pale with preternaturally smooth skin, Olivia's angular face makes her appear somewhat distinguished among midlander women. Her short, brown hair is tied in a neat bun, braided at the sides of her head and coiffed to the front. Narrow, green eyes peer at her surroundings, lined in black with red eyeshadow to match the colour she paints her lips.

Symmetrical save for a small beauty mark under her eye, her straight nose and jawline give her a prominent profile. Like the smoothness of her skin, Olivia's figure also seems somewhat enhanced with a noticeable bust, slender waist and generous hips. These features aren't typically displayed due to her style of dress.

Olivia's fingers and toes are painted red to match her lipstick and eyeshadow, usually also matching her suit jacket. Rimless glasses with brass frames or brass-rimmed pince nez commonly adorn the nearsighted physician's face. Though she doesn't always wear them, her ears are pierced and she often replaces her glasses with earrings when she prefers to go without them.

Basic Info Height: Tall (5'8") Weight: Curvy Complexion: Pale Hair: Short, Brown Eyes: Green Particular Traits: Mole beneath right eye. Voice: Smoky and modulated, sounds educated. Clothing Style: Prefers somewhat masculine formal wear or green robes. Laterality: Left-Handed

Preferences

Likes ■ Visiting Camp Bronze Lake. ■ Eating at the Bismarck. ■ Studying arcane geometries. ■ Creating alchemical potations. ■ Cooking and gardening. ■ Historical fiction and mystery books. ■ Bitter, spicy, or savoury foods. ■ Sunny days at the beach. ■ Autumn in the Twelveswood. ■ The Dravanian Hinterlands. ■ Travelling on calm waters. ■ Her chocobo, Euclid. ■ Collecting fireflies in jars. ■ Marksmanship, as a hobby.

Dislikes ■ Organized religion, particularly Halonic worship. ■ Sour or dry foods. ■ Aldgoat and buffalo meat. ■ Moral absolutes. ■ Drunks and drunkenness. ■ Being ordered around.

Favourites ■ Food: Bouillabaisse. ■ Drink: Lowland White. ■ Colours: Green and Red. ■ Place: The Isle of Val. ■ Festival: Moonfire Faire.

Other ■ Alignment: True Neutral. ■ Vices: Haughty, Manipulative, Selfish ■ Religion: Primarily Thaliak, the Scholar. ■ Goal: A comfortable, quiet life.

Personality

Flaws ■ Vain. ■ Duplicitous. ■ Lustful. ■ Manipulative. ■ Lacks a small degree of empathy. ■ Somewhat sadistic. ■ Overconfident in her abilities. ■ Nearsighted.

Fears ■ Drowning. ■ Falling victim to disease or illness. ■ Being grievously injured.

Talents ■ Highly intelligent with a quick-witted mind and an indomitable spirit. ■ Can solve mathematical equations mentally. ■ A competent culinarian with knowledge of many foreign recipes. ■ Gifted in alchemy with an impressive knowledge of Eorzean plants. ■ Highly attuned to aether, allowing her to sample other magical schools. ■ Has a basic knowledge of archery and firearms. ■ Able to speak several languages.

Tropes ■ Byronic Heroine ■ Consummate Liar ■ Deadpan Snarker ■ Formulaic Magic ■ The Hedonist ■ Lack of Empathy ■ The Medic ■ Privateer ■ Smart People Wear Glasses ■ Squishy Wizard ■ The Strategist ■ The Unfettered

Intelligence

Quirks

Comparisons Final Fantasy Characters: Quistis Trepe Other Game Characters: Anime Characters:

Abilities and Skills

Personal ■ High Intelligence ■ Knowledgeable in Many Subjects

Weapons ■ Rapiers

Magic ■ Arcanima ■ Red Magic ■ Astrology

Crafting ■ Alchemy ■ Botany ■ Culinary Arts

Family and Relationships

Relatives

■ Hildanis Alexandar (Wife)

Friends and Acquaintances

■ Mystgeim Rhotylwyn (Studium Preceptress, Mentor)

■ Grace O'Malley (Former Captain, Deceased)

■ Grymdoen Blaetmhasyn (Former Captain, Deceased)

Affiliations

■ Sharlayan

■ The Studium

■ The Harbor Herald

■ Mealvaan's Gate

■ Eagle and Quill

Rumours

Note: This section is editable by anyone. Just keep in mind that the rumors here may be both true or false.

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Biography

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Early Life in Sharlayan

Olivia Shriver was born in colonial Sharlayan in 1541 of the Sixth Astral Era, but would never know her parents as she was given up for adoption before her first memory had formed—her name alone tying her to them. Despite this, her natural curiosity for the world around her and love for learning allowed young Olivia to acclimate quite easily to the scholastic atmosphere of the Dravanian Hinterlands. Showing promise from a young age, she began reading before the age of three, and received support and encouragement from the community and her peers. Eventually, her potential garnered the attention of an experienced arcanist from the homeland named Mystgeim Rhotylwyn.

At the age of nine, Olivia departed the colony and joined Mystgeim in the Sharlayan homeland. Inspired by the Roegadyn's use of arcanima to manipulate the body's aetherial flow and internal processes to heal ailments, and began years of intensive research and study learning various arcane geometries and the myriad alchemical uses of various plants across the world. Olivia spent four years with Mystgeim in the homeland—visiting the nearby islands of Haam, Yorn, and Val for various fields of study—before leaving to further her studies in foreign lands. She studied arcanima in the south sea isles, alchemy in Radz-at-Han, and even visited the southern continent of Meracydia to observe its unique plant species.

By her sixteenth nameday (adulthood by Sharlayan custom), the well-traveled scholar returned home to colonial Sharlayan to pen numerous essays and texts on her observations. She also petitioned for entry into the Studium, but was turned away due to her age. It was not until after the Forum decided to abandon her home colony in 1562, however, that a twenty-one-year-old Olivia would gain acceptance to the prestigious academy. She graduated with respectable marks four years later and decided to continue her studies and travels abroad, in part due to disagreement with the Forum's decision to abandon her home colony and perceived cowardice in the face of the Garlean Empire. Signing aboard as a ship's doctor, she left Sharlayan.

Red Grin Raiders

Not long into her first voyage, the merchant vessel to which Olivia had signed was attacked by pirates. These outlaws—the Red Grin Raiders—robbed the ship, killing any who resisted. Due to years of pacifistic teachings, Olivia instead found herself victim of crimping—enslaved by the pirates under threat of violence. It didn't take long for the pirates to recognize the value of the scholar, as their captain, Grace O'Malley, was wounded in battle and Olivia was made to use her magic to heal her. Soon, she found herself relegated to mending the wounds of the entire crew.

In her first year as a pirate, a raid on a Lominsan ship went awry. Olivia, having received training in the use of a firearm, was forced to shoot and kill an attacking Knight of the Barracuda to defend one of her captors. While initially horrified by her own actions, Olivia eventually grew to identify with the pirates. Over the five years as their servant, raiding ships and visiting ports around the world, Olivia picked up a few skills as a culinarian and weaver to cook for herself and mend damaged clothing. She also grew to take lives with less hesitation and turned a blind eye to the actions of the crew, which violated the Lominsan code of conduct.

Three years into her kidnapping, Olivia assisted in orchestrating a mutiny against the much maligned Captain O'Malley, providing the poison used to assassinate her and putting her first mate Grymdoen in command. Under Grymdoen, things became easier and more hospitable for Olivia; for her part in the mutiny, education, and previous service to the crew, she was promoted to official ship surgeon and navigator of the Red Grin Raiders. Her stint as an official pirate was short-lived, however, as their vessel became embroiled in battle with the Knights of the Barracuda off the coast of Vylbrand in 1571 of the Sixth Astral Era. Sahagin joined the fray, attacking both parties. At the climax of this chaos, the Bloody Smile was capsized by the primal Leviathan, who unleashed a tsunami at their vessel.

What few members of the Red Grin Raiders survived—washing ashore near the ship graveyard on the Isles of Umbra—soon found themselves arrested by the Knights of the Barracuda and brought to Limsa Lominsa. Several members of the crew were sentenced and hanged for their crimes. Olivia, however, pleaded her case. Due to the circumstances of her brief career as an outlaw and the nature of her services (with some half-truths thrown in), she was shown leniency and incarcerated rather than executed.

Seventh Umbral Era

During and after the Calamity, Olivia offered her medical expertise and magical knowledge to help aid those La Nosceans wounded by the Elder Primal Bahamut. Her actions helped spare the lives of Lominsan citizens, members of the Knights of the Barracuda, and returning veterans of Carteneau alike, and persuaded Commodore Reyner Hansred to approve a full pardon for her previous acts of piracy.

Truly free for the first time in over half a decade, Olivia rededicated herself to scholarly pursuits. She took an interest in the civilization of Nym that once flourished on Vylbrand and made frequent forays into Upper and Outer La Noscea to study and sketch the Wanderer's Palace and the Floating City of Nym. The main focus of her study, the scholars employed by the Nymian Royal Marines, greatly influenced her. By the fifth year of the Seventh Umbral Era, she had recorded the geometries for the spells Adloquium and Leeches into her grimoire.

Early into the Seventh Astral Era, Olivia finished her studies on the Floating City of Nym and Wanderer's Palace and compiled her findings into the three volumes The Scholars of Nym: A Treatise on the Use of Arcanima in Medicine, An Essay Concerning the Pestilence of Nym, and Original Arcanists, or the Influence of Nymian Magicks in Modern Arcanima. Her findings also expanded with the aid of the tonberry Surito Carito, who was able to give insight into the workings of spells such as Succor, Sacred Soil, and Lustrate. In her visit to the Wanderer's Palace, she was, unfortunately, unable to procure a Soul Crystal held by Nymian scholars.

Olivia also enrolled in the Arcanists' Guild and Culinarians' Guild, and found occasional work as a physician and tutor in La Noscea. She's an occasional contributor for The Harbor Herald, her articles mainly pertaining to current events and local points and persons of interest. She spent some time visiting the neighboring city-states of Ul'dah and Gridania, where she joined the Alchemists' and Botanists' Guilds, respectively. Recently, she's taken to visiting Ishgard, as her fiancée is a highborn resident of the city-state and it allows her fairly easy access to the free city of Idyllshire, which she frequents.

Name Etymology

Olivia: Feminine form of Oliver meaning "olive tree".

Shriver: Meaning "writer".

Nicknames

■ Liv

Current Residence

The Mist, The Pillars (Alexandar Manor)

Gallery

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