Charlotte Avenoist
| La Pacificatrice | |
 "Gettin' rid o' me name and all its conventions is me first act of freedom, therefore I'll go now by th'name o' William Vayne." | |
| Gender | Female (pretending to be male) |
| Race | Elezen |
| Clan | Wildwood |
| Citizenship | Free |
| Nameday | 32nd Sun of the 3rd Astral Moon |
| Age | 30 |
| Marital Status | Free |
| Occupation | Sea Pirate |
This page will not contain major spoilers, only background details on her life. If you want to know more on Vayne, feel free to walk-up anytime. Do not hesitate to edit the rumors part if you have anything to spread on her!
The canons blasted off the masts, making the ship unable to take the wind, immobilizing it in the treacherous waters near the Storm Eye islands. Another blast, and the strikeship's main deck was pierced with holes, blowing off the most unfortune men. The Scream of Garuda was approaching the strikeship, the black flag dancing in the howling wind, dark sailclothes giving the ship a sinister appearance. The figurehead made of skeletons was the first glimpse of death the men would catch as the pirate ship would violently ram the vessel before coming alongside. Howling would be heard, evil screams and laughs echoing in the storm as the pirate ship poured its crew onto the main deck like Voidsent hurling themselves out of a portal to devour their mortal souls.
The pirates, all dressed in dark clothes, painted faces and hellish masks, were deaf to the begging and blind to the white flag. In a blink, the main deck was flooded with corpses and blood as the tapping of boots echoed. The glow of a tainted sword caught the attention of sailors begging for their lives as they were gathered in the main deck, circled by the pirates, forced to bend their knees and lowered their gaze as they could not dare to watch the face of the one who was carrying the howling sword, whose sound was like the chant of a siren, as dreadful and mesmerizing. And those who would dare would fail to understand why captain Vane was but a mortal, and not the voidsent demonborn everyone pictured as ugly and terrifying as hell.
The captain of the vessel was dragged before Vane, and threw himself at his feet. Vayne thrusted his foot in his face and watched him cry like a little girl, blood flowing from his nose. "I'm -very- angry right now. Ya think ya can sails my seas without gettin' invited? Ya think this is all yars, heh? 'Tis pirate's nation here. The whole seas belong to us. Not ya. Ya're not wantin' here. How many of ya must I slaughter before ya understand? See where it leads us?" The man tried to mutter something but Vayne interrupted him abruptly. "What ? Are ya sayin' something? Speak up, boy. Louder. Louder, I can't hear ya." Vayne grabbed him and forced him to stand on his feet, putting his arm around his waist as he made him face his own crew. With his other hand he unsheated a dagger. "I said louder." He plunged the blade into the man's flesh and his cry of pain died in his throat. "Louder. Cry." The man's scream escaped his lips as blood flowed from the wound. "Cry for help." Vane thrusted the weapon in its flesh. Again. And again. The scream filled the air untill the body laid flat on the floor. Vayne cleaned the dagger on the dead man's jacket, before his one eye stared intensely at the sailors. A deadly silent fell on the seas, and only the unnatural howling of Vayne's blade could he now heard amongst the clashing of the waves.
"Now, ya have a choice. Everyone of ya is a slave. A servant to the city-states. Oppressed, blinded, chained. Yar slave driver is dead. Ya may now chose to live like a free man, or die like a dog. I can free ya, one way or another... If ya chose to stand up and join the nation of the free men, then ya'll have to fight for it, 'cause one thing that angers me is cowards and weak bitches thinking they can join me crew just because they want to live. There's not room for everyone, ya'll have to -earn- it with yar bare fists. As for the others, they'll make a good example. I'll hang ya with yar guts on throw yar bodies on the shores for everyone to see that none can mess with pirates and get away with it."
Some would usualy dare to stand up. And amongst them very few survived the trials. But those who did were now standing by Vayne's side, butchering the others, flooding ships with their blood, and taking what was theirs. What they deserved and earned by their own -respectable- work. "One day", Vayne thought, "I will make a nation where all free men would gather. Fuck their laws. Fuck their rules. Fuck the city-states. I am free and I live by my Code."
Appearance & PersonalityVayne really enjoys wearing masks. She likes playing different roles to roam in the city-states and resell her stolen goods to anyone naive enough to trust her. After all, if they are stupid enough to be cheated then they deserve it. When she acts like a travelling merchant (whatever the name she gives), she would be friendly and warm to everyone, putting a smile on her lips and giving all of them compassionnate look and understanding nods. She would always try to establish the kind of profile of the people she talks to, and tells that person what she wants to hear, what she needs to hear to be convinced to do what Vayne wants. And it's all part of her game.
Nature:Vayne has the soul of a revolutionary. She is angry. Dissapointed. She feels betrayed by the civilization which took everything from her when she was a little girl, small and helpless. She feels betrayed by the laws of the city-states and their misconception of justice. She feels betrayed by the disgusting hypocrisy of the people. So she decided to live a life of freedom where she would be the one taking what she wanted from all of these pigs. With time, she begun to enjoy cheating them. She enjoys making them suffer, putting their meaningless life to an end in the most spectacular and aweful ways. She enjoys it and she thinks she deserves the right to deliver this "justice". She follows the rule of "the smartest and strongest win, the other may die like I want to." Moreover, she likes violence, and enjoys the heat of a good fight.
Trope:She considers herself as an example of freedom. And as an example she would do anything to make-up a good reputation, and by that she means a reputation so legendary, so filled with awe and unbelieavle tales that everyone would sing songs on Captain's Vayne's crimes and message. As a matter of fact, she spends a lot of time trying to find new ways of making people speak of her, and gradually inspiring other people to follow her path out of the oppression. She dreams of establishing a free nation where pirates could gather and live as they want to.
Habits:She spends quite some time in Storm Eye Islands where she has settled her crew. But she's not the kind to just lean and rest, so she keeps raiding ships, shores and sometimes make an example or two by butchering important people well-known for their positions against piracy. She also spend some of her time in the city-states to resell all the stolen goods. One of her personal interest lies in Ishgard where she gladly sells weapons to those who want to fight back the oppressive system. And of course she enjoys drinking in the inns, entertain her own rumors on Vayne, and gambling.
One of Vayne's secret is that she pretends to be a man. As a matter of fact, she has a bandage tightening her breasts to make her look flat. Her hairs are short and messy and though she looks feminine for someone pretending to be a male, her elezen side never quite aroused suspicion. She is rather small for an elezen, but through daily hard work she earns her muscles, and after spending 16 years in fighting she does not quite looked like a feminine woman at all.
Scars & Markings:She has a scar in her left eye, made by a blade, and enjoys telling different stories on how Vayne got that scar. Her body is covered with numerous ones as well, memories of her rough life. And she is quite proud of these.
Voice:With time she learned how to change her voice. As captain Vayne she enjoys speaking with a rough tone, deep, guttural, threatening. As a merchant she goes for something soft, gentle, warm, friendly.
Clothing:As Captain Vayne, she usualy wears long dark brown coats with an ishgardian pistol in her belt. She has a tricorn hat symbolizing her position and an eye-patch hiding part of a scar obviously made by a blade. She carries a 2-handed sword with her, crafted like wings, almost as thin as a rapier, from which emanates a ghostly glow and produces a howling murmur. The weapon has its story, and was stolen long ago from an othardian crafstman who used excentric and rare materials, fashionning the blade which he proudly deemed as being "from the winds". Too bad he chose to pay a transport back to Othard and -unfortunately- met Vayne on the way.
When pretending to be a merchant, she still keeps an eye-patch and goes for the most randomly normal clothes she can steal.
- Freedom
- Killing sprees
- Raiding
- Gambling
- Making up stories
- Sailing
- Ishgard
- The city-states in general
- Civilization
- Women's condition
- Weakness
- Naivety
- Cry-babies
- Heroes
- Storm Eye Island
- Lemieux's Skytrade Co.
- Limsa's inns and ports
- Ul'dah markets
- Ishgardian pistols
- Lominsan ships
- Lominsan rum
- Ul'dahn beer
Vayne has a problem with authority. Justice is something she stopped believing in since the death of her mother. She failed to understand how men could live by following the rules, even though it was only making them suffer and die like rats in the streets. The only law she follows is the law of the strongest, and she's done believing in the lies of a civilization she deems as hypocrite and weak. As a matter of fact, she would challenge anyone trying to have the slightest control over her. If anyone tries to tell her of to do something, she's likely to reply with violence. Vayne also has a huge problem with men. She's disgusted by most of them, and their attitude towards women. She's disgusted by what it means to be a woman in her mind, what it represents in her life. With what happened to her mother, she has always thought that men could abuse women without being judged or punished for that. She never wanted to face these problems, and she keeps thinking that being a woman is a weakness in such a violent and harsh world. She keeps thinking men are almost all hypocrites seeking physical pleasures. As a matter of fact, she also despises any women who let men have power over them. In her state of mind, if you are a victim, you deserve it. She would not be more merciful with women because of this, quite the contrary in fact. She also thinks Ishgard is a city-state of corruption, which she would gladly set free by selling her goods with cut-prices to all who wants to fight the current system and differences between the lowborns and the nobleborns.
AbilitiesWhat makes Vayne the legend she is now amongst the seas is how sincere she can sound, how deep can be her words, how easily she can move people and lead them to think she can provide to their needs and lead them to what they deserve. She knows how to lie, how to manipulate, how to sound convinced and convincing, and she doesn't hesitate to abuse people with her skill, be it her own crew. She established a Code, inspired by the honour-kind of thing amongst thieves she discovered in Limsa Lominsa when she started her life anew.
Vayne learned life's lessons the hard way. She knows how to survive by herself, even in the most desperate situations. She's not suicidal, but she's not easily intimated either. She has a strong willpower, fueled by her disgust for civilization, meaning she would be ready to go to any extents needed to save her freedom. She'd rather be hanged than giving up her pirate's life, and that what makes her such a strong reliable model for pirates.
Vayne is very skilled in making-up stories and putting up great shows. She is methodical, organized, and rarely spare any detail. What makes her standing out other criminals is her ability to take good decisions in good times. A rumor about a great prize to take on a dangerous ship? Will do anything to get it first. A rumour about a limsan captain hanging pirate? Will hang him with his own guts and left him to be found in public place. People starting to laugh at pirate's tales in the inns? Make a good example by raiding shores and slaughter everyone. Reputation is what protect their freedom and she's treasuring it greatly.
Vayne is a woman and she considers being a woman is a weakness in the world she's living in. That is why she thinks she needs to conceal the truth, it is her greatest secret and only one person knows it so far. She would do anything to keep it that way, as she thinks her reputation could be greatly hindered if people starting picturing the dreadful voidborn Vane as a girl. She fears people would stop respecting her, that her intimidating power would wither, and that would make her even more violent and crooked.
As a matter of fact, after what happened to her mother she considers most of the men as pigs. She's disgusted by them, and if it must get physical she must dominate them, or else she's likely to get violent as a reaction to her worst fear, "being under control". She would not bend to any one of them and would never let one of them have power over her.
She is a gambler. She likes playing very dangerous games, just because she thinks she is so smart and she'll never be caught. That leds her to put her life at stake just to enjoy the pleasure of feeling so great.
She has 16 years of fighting experience, starting with mere knives in her early criminal life. As she learned everything by herself, she lacks of technique and her style is rather brutish. She enjoys fighting bare hands most of all. She would be a deadly opponent for any commoner, but against a skilled swordmaster she would not take a risk wihout a really good plan to avoid a fair fight.
HistoryCharlotte Avenoist is borned in Ishgard, daughter of Diane, a lovely maid serving a minor House, and Theodore, a cobbler in the Brume. They lived in poverty but managed to be just fine thanks to Diane's employment. Sometimes, Charlotte would assist her father. In the best days they'd be rewarded by some food or 1 or 2 gils for repairing dirty shoes. The times were hard, the war was still raging and they held on to survive. And though it was harsh to live day by day not knowing if tommorrow would bring enough money, they were a loving family, filled with dreams, hopes and illusions of a better tomorrow.
But their hopes were brutally smashed when Charlotte's mother fell pregnant. Too young to realise why this news casted a dreadful shadow on their lives, Charlotte failed to understand why her mother became so gloomy, why she would hide and cry all her eyes out in the times she was so rarely here to hug her daughter and tells her how much she loves her. Her father became desperate, cold, distant. She made all the efforts she could to assist him, be a good girl, but it didn't changed anything.
A few days later, Charlotte's mother was arrested, accused of having stolen a precious artefact by the Lord she was serving. She was imprisonned, interrogated by the Inquisitors as they say they had find a cultist rosary in her belongings. Dimed as an heretic, neither her husband nor her daughter had permission to speak to her, not even when they learned the sentence and started to realise they would never see her again. Her loving mother, an heretic? Bullshits, Charlotte thought - but why would the Lord lie?
After the tragedy they went through, they still had to earn a living. Charlotte's father was a responsible man and all he had left was his precious daughter. He had barely time to sleep and although he was working so hard they could not manage to earn as much money as before. Food was lacking, as much as energy. Theodore wanted his daughter to live, his last living memory of his loving beautiful wife. So he gave her everything, untill he was too feeble to even work. On the saddest dawn of her life, she held his hand as he kept whispering in her ear how much he loved her, how much her mother loved her, and that everything which happened was not her fault, that she had to survive this. That they would always watch over her. Untill finaly he could not speak anymore. Untill finaly even the sun would not warm his hand anymore.
The world is a cold, harsh, and lonely place. Alone like a street-rat, either she would accept her fate and follows the same path, or she could chose to refuse the oppression. With time she realised that men of power and wealth would take everything from her. They would do like this Lord: lie, manipulate, take what they wanted and just thrown you in a pit to die like a dog. What choices had she? Letting men enjoy her for money? Begging those who threw her mother into a dark cell for a living? Accept to repair the dirty shoes of oppressed people, so weak and desperate they could not even find the strenght to be revolted? No, she was not going to let all of this bend her. She would never bend to anyone's will. She would take what's hers. She would take everything from them.
She started robbing food at first. A girl had to eat. And when she finaly got confidence she started a small gang in the Brume, robbing nobles, taking everything she could from their dead hands. And one she managed to gather enough gils, she fled that damn city to start her life anew. To conquer her freedom. She changed her name for William Vayne and chosed to get rid of all she hated in her past life, including her feminity. And the rest, they say, is history.
PeopleDiane Avenoist ( ✖ Deceased ) - Charlotte's mother
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The system's victim: Diane was Charlotte's mother, a maid serving a lord of a minor house in Ishgard. He raped her, she fell pregnant and he didn't want to aknowledge the child. He put an heretic rosary in her belongings, accused her of thievery, and she was dimed and executed for heresy. |
Theodore Avenoist ( ✖ Deceased ) - Charlotte's father
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The system's slave: Theodore was a cobbler and the loving father of Charlotte. He tried to raise her as he could, as Diane spent so much time working she would barely see her daughter. He died of malnutrition and sickness in the Brume while little Charlotte was holding his hand. |
Tristanaud Lemieux ( ♥ Buddies ) - The Sky Pirate
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The best buddy: Tristanaud and her have common history in Limsa. They spent quite a good time in bars, drinking, singing and getting to know each other. They cheated a limsean captain in dice rolls and ended up tied together. They had to escape and fight their way through this mess, but somehow it made them really good friends. They enjoy catching up and exchange some informations. |
Kudros Crendraven ( ● Neutral ) - Silver Hairs
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The Kid: Vayne helped him escape the pirates' wrath after a business in which Kudros was double-crossed. Seeing in the kid strong potential, he'd rather have him be an ally of pirates than an ennemy to all. |
K'hoga Tia ( ● Neutral ) - The wanderer
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A potential recruit: Vane met him in Ul'dah and saw in him a potential recruit for piracy. He tried to show him a way to freedom, leading him into a pirate's den with the hope he would embrace a new life far from the oppression of the cities and the system of the miqo'te clans. |
Argent Windrider ( ● Neutral ) - The Dark Knight
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The Unexpected Ally: Vayne played a very dangerous game when he found out she was a sea pirate. Now she earned herself an ally in the war against Aramis...as long as Argent believes in her lies. |
Aulsoix Claimane ( ✔ Business ) - The Shady Mage
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The Emissary: It's a secret! |
Lady Dusk ( ✔ Business ) - The Emissary's Shadow
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The Poison lily: It's a secret too! |
Chlodomer Bavarac ( ✔ Business ) - The Mercenary
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The War gear: Another tool in Vayne's war against his mortal enemy Aramis Dumas. Cholodomer seemed to have the perfect profile to be hired against him. |
Cyr'a Valruhn ( ✔ Business ) - The Spy
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The Shadow: A great efficient spy Vayne hired to gather information on Aramis. With his help, Vayne managed to begin his plan to take down the temple knight and his allies. |
Synerva Devereux ( ✔ Business ) - The Two-faces Lady
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The Thorn Lady: Vayne met her as a spy and took a risk by hiring her. She seemed obviously very skilled in her field, but maybe far too much to be trusted. Manipulating her in her war seemed like a challenge Vayne was willing to take. |
Reinard Ackerman ( ● Negative ) - The shady businessman
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Paciscor: The first impression left by this encounter led Vayne to consider him as a shady salesman he would certainly not trust. However, he is curious about him and has the intention to gather information. You never know what you could learn... |
Aramis Dumas ( ● Negative ) - The Temple Knight
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The Antagonist: Vayne met him in Ishgard while doing business selling stolen weapons to arm the rebels and fuel the quarrels. Since the day Aramis suspected him, Vayne chose to play a dangerous game with him. He'll be Aramis' dragon, promising to bathe him in fire if needed, as boh of them fight with the same convictions, but not for the same side. |
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Common Rumors
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Rare Rumors
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