Zariaa Astrae
Error creating thumbnail: File missing Zariaa Astrae
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Error creating thumbnail: File missing Zariaa, present day. | |
| Gender | Female |
| Race | Miqo'te |
| Clan | Keeper of the Moon |
| Citizenship | Ishgard |
| Age | Fifteen |
| Weight | 119 ponzes |
| Height | 5'4" |
| Profession | Dragonslayer, apprentice Dark Knight |
| Patron Deity | Halone, the Fury |
| Marital Status | Single (Widow) |
Zariaa Astrae, born Cassia, is a hedge knight and former Dragon hunter. Born with a Garlean deserter for a father and an Ishgardian mother, her early upbringing was comprised of moving throughout several points around Coerthas, mainly the Western Highlands. When the Calamity hit, however, things changed for the worse.
Brief History
Zariaa was born in the weeks following the destruction of the XIVth Legion and the death of Midgardsormr, the Father of Dragons. Her father was a defector from Garlemald and her mother a servant and citizen of Ishgard. Born in the Coerthas Western Highlands, her early upbringing comprised of constantly moving between Falcon's Nest and a few miscellaneous camps on behalf of her mother's obligation to Ishgard. Coming from a military family, Zariaa was instilled with the values of discipline at a young age, further reinforced by the peaceful upbringing her parents desired but never truly got. Eventually settling down at a small homestead in the Central Highlands.
The years after her family settled down mostly in peace, until the years preceding the Calamity. During this time, her disillusioned father took to the bottom of a bottle to escape his past atrocities under the Empire. As a result, the domestic situation of the home began to turn for the worst, continuing to deteriorate until the Calamity struck. In the Calamity, Zariaa's father was killed in an accident while they evacuated their home, which was buried under mountains of snow in the following months. Fleeing Coerthas, Zariaa and her mother arrived in Gridania and stayed for some time. When it became clear they had no choice but to move or risk starving, they continued southward alongside the countless other refugees from the Calamity, eventually arriving in Ul'dah. There, in a lower class apartment building, her mother also turned to the drink and gained the habit of beating Zariaa quite savagely with household objects, usually a broomstick but sometimes a fire poker or even a shovel. Within only a few months, she passed away, leaving Zariaa alone and with a minuscule inheritance.
The few Gil Zariaa was left with disappeared almost overnight, and she was evicted from her residence. She became a child of the alleys, begging and picking pockets to survive, almost losing a hand on more than one occasion for it. Instead of using what she acquired to further herself and fix her life, she fell under the same curse as her parents, turning to the bottle and becoming addicted to alcohol. This lifestyle continued for three and a half years, until she was found by a former Bloodsands fighter called Mhaya Bajihri. Promising a place to stay and decent pay in exchange for work, Zariaa signed on with Quarry's Run, a Free Company specializing in hunting down monsters and Voidsent. There, she crushed her addiction and began to learn to wield a blade, favoring the heavy Greatswords of some Knights. However, following an internal dispute, the Company disbanded, leaving Zariaa alone again.
Instead of falling back into despair, Zariaa returned to Ishgard upon hearing of another attack by the Dravanian Horde. Signing on with another Free Company along with a girlhood friend, a Knight of Isghard. There, she signed on to fight the Dravanians both inside Coerthas and out. While there, she solidified her relationship with an Au Ra colleague, Ganzorig, and wedded him. Also during this time, she adopted Sylva, the sister of the Ishgardian Knight she signed on with. Following a training accident, she was left alone and without a family. The decision to adopt was not an easy one to make. On one eve, things changed for the worse when their camp was attacked by Wyverns and various other Dragons. By the end of it, her husband, daughter, and sister-in-law were no more than ashes and her Company in ruins. The armsmaster ordered her to return to Gridania. In the following days, the rest of the Company was annihilated. She arrived in Gridania, settling into a state of inactivity and a return to civilian life after two moons. Her saga is still being written.
Personality
Zariaa is noted as being stoic, somewhat sarcastic in the worse of times, and provocative to other people. (To be written.)
Affiliations
(To be written.)
Other Notes
N/A
