Zeraia Reynard
Zeraia could have been be many things to different people.
Antique book dealer. Shrewd merchant. Snappy dresser. Polite and well-spoken. Scholar of Ancient Eorzea. Flirty and hedonistic.
Yet, there was a lot under the surface that she hid with her many masks and faces. She never had revealed much of her past, and she always had several different stories that she told people when they asked. It was likely that all were true at some point or on some level, and yet, most, if not all, contradict each other. And she knew this. Not many know where she came from, only that she came to Eorzea ten years before the Calamity, as a girl, with nothing but the clothes on her back. Her initial port of call was Limsa Lominsa, and thus it was where she made her home.
Her old bookstore, Reynard's Tomes, was somewhere by the water's edge in Limsa Lominsa, though it has now been converted into a residential space. Her next bookstore, the Eagle and Quill, is based in the Mist, Ward 3, Lot 10, though she is now currently not the manager any longer. (Rough map of her bookstore here)
She has currently been missing for a year. However, there have been reports of someone who looks similar to her in Vylbrand.
Contents
[hide]Character
History
Terra Incognita
Appearance
Physically short and petite, Zeraia looks quite unassuming at first glance.
However, upon further examination, she is anything but. Her eyes are bright and alert most times, and she always seems to examine the room with an inscrutable smile. She stands taller than her height, confident, often dressed in dark clothing lined with silver or gold, her long, henna-dyed red hair meticulously neat and curled down her shoulders. A trained Arcanist and Alchemist, she has the trappings of such on her person, with several notebooks, phials, and other assorted oddities on her person at most times; when outside, she also might have her large, leather backpack, which she uses to carry her books. Her eyes are a piercing, pale blue, almost close to white.
Her wire-rimmed spectacles, if she is not already wearing them, would be hanging around her neck; she seems to prefer them off while she is in combat, however rare that may be. She wears clothing that suits her mood at the time; she is quite the avid collector of clothing, and absolutely adores dresses in particular. Her preferred colours seem to be gold, black, or a very dark blue. In her travelling clothing, however, she wears a large, sturdy leather longcoat.
Behavior
Terra Incognita
Tendencies
Likes

- Wine
- Literature
- Theatre
- Travel
- Secrets
- Dresses!
- Pretty people
- Sweet foods and pastries
- Conversation
- Picking out clothes, for herself or others
Dislikes
- Being trapped
- Having her freedom limited
- Not getting her own way
- Being snubbed
- Being ignored
- Arranged marriages/unions
- ???
Hobbies/Talents
- Languages
- Translation
- Singing
- Theatre
- Book Appraisal
- Ancient Knowledge
- Reading
- Alchemy
Relationships
Family
Zeraia has no family that she is willing to speak of in certain terms. She has said that her parents have tried to get her to an arranged marriage, but her story diverges in wildly different paths everytime she tells it; it mostly ends in her leaving the groom at the altar and finding her way to Eorzea. She has not conclusively said where she came from.
Friends and Enemies
Terra Incognita
Combat
Zeraia is not someone who gets involved in much combat, if at all. However, she has a book at her side that seems to always be with her, at all times, and easily accessible. From the patterns of the large, steel-bound notebook, a more learned individual would figure out that at least half of its contents are devoted to Arcanima glyphs and runes, likely penned by herself, and she can act as a passable arcanist if forced to fight. If one managed to take a peek in her book, however, amongst the ledgers and daily expenditures of her scribbled writing, there are some glyphs which are unknown to most arcanists, seemingly placed at random pages; though, they seem to look suspiciously like summoning rituals of some kind...
Rumours
Easily-overheard Rumours
- "She's a smart one, Miss Reynard. Surprised she hasn't gone off and got hitched yet, looking at how pretty she is."
- "She's always flirting with people, that one. Better watch out for her; those eyes are like a hawk's, and she'll just fly in and snatch your young men and maidens when you're not looking..."
- "She's working in a what now? I thought she used to work that bookstore. Can't be the same person..."
Uncommon Rumours
- "She definitely ain't from around here; she don't got that Limsan look, or Ul'dahan, or Gridanian. Apparently, I heard she's from Ala Mhigo." "You heard wrong, apparently she's from Garlemald!" "'ey, you both are gits, I heard she's from the Southern Seas." "I ain't a git!" *Bar Fight ensues*
Rare Rumours
- "I saw her talking to a voidsent once! I ain't crazy, I swears it!"