Dejah Asrian
 Dejah Asrian
| |
 "The Calamity does not define us, though it will bring out in each of us our virtues and vices as it burns away what lay between." | |
| Gender | Female |
| Race | Hyur |
| Clan | Midlander |
| Citizenship | Ul'Dahn |
Basic Info
Midlander Hyur, Ul'Dahn author of some renown, Black Mage of slightly uncomfortable repute, as are they all to one degree or another. The nuclear-hot fires of unstable, overchanneled black magic make people uncomfortable no matter how nice and polite you are at the leve counter.
Appearance: This midlander hyur woman is possibly in her mid to late twenties, and is short and petite enough that she nearly meets Au Ra women eye to eye. She wears her dark brown hair in a wispy crop above the shoulders, tied back with a simple cloth band, though this exposed root color looks to have once been tinted indigo blue, something awfully ostentatious for such an otherwise mousey individual. She's wearing a heavy ring of kohl-black around her pale blue eyes, a style that has been out of fashion among Ul'Dahns for many years now. Oftentimes her mode of dress is similarly just a half-step out of trendy, though fairly modest for the heatand the standards of Thanalan life. Should a passing glance run across her in a rare moment in a backless dress or loose-necked shirt, however, a black scrollwork mark can be seen between her shoulderblades, the symbol that's come to signify some of the survivors of the terrible Meteor.
History
TL;DR: Once the topic of a tremendous scandal among Ul'Dahn elite that's since been forgotten in the wake of the Calamity and the Alliance's reluctant leap into the Dragonsong War -- the so-called "Sleeping Maiden of Ul'Dah". Now the author of a number of modestly popular novels, some anonymous, some now under her pen name, Dejah has joined the ranks of Eorzea's Adventurers to taste freedom and life, for all its bumps and scrapes, after her many years kept confined to her dreams.
Also, common folk wouldn't really believe half the things adventurers see unless you wrapped it in fiction -- it makes for great material.
The longer version: Though she only remembers it in fuzzy bits and pieces now, Dejah had a wholly unremarkable life for some ten-odd years. She's the daughter of trade merchants, common enough that you couldn't throw a tarnished gil in her native Ul'Dah without hitting just such a story. Dejah's mother and father, however, had the misfortune of being edged out of their livelihood by more ruthless competition being sheltered by the far-reaching hand of a Syndicate member, some favor traded for favor, or the nepotism afforded distant relations. Where some rise above their tragic downturns with resolve and grace... others spiral into desperation, and Dejah's mother in particular chose the latter.
Just as the Lambs of Dalamud prey on the vulnerable in this day and age, the Scales of Nald'Thal did some decades ago in Ul'Dah, and through promises of occult-fueled vengeance and wealth, of magical powers bestowed on those who'd had no such aptitude, the two became drawn deeper and deeper into a world that was both unscrupulous and tightly controlled by four mystical, so-called "elders". And so by the time Dejah was thirteen, was both well-versed in this double-life of public face and important secret dealings her parents carried, never giving much thought to how they'd regained their coveted place among the well-to-do. She was elated, really, to be one of four youths to be pulled out of schools and entered into the personal tutelage of the elders and their "true" form of thaumaturgy, as well as the usual literature, history and sciences.
When something seems too good to be true, it usually is, and when four little frogs are boiled by only slowly heating the pot, they never jump out.
The four children were not taught the traditional forms of fierce, conscious control of one's will needed to wield destructive magic, but rather were trained in methods to enter deeper and deeper magically-induced sleeps to spur lucid dreams, where control over aether could, the elders told, be learned through dream symbology and unfettered emotions. Contact with those outside the Scales ceased first, to reduce worldly distractions, and then contact with their parents waned as well, explained away as "too interested in their regained fortunes" to be present for their magically adept children. The ivory tower became the boundary of Dejah's existence, and inside of it, as well as inside of her dreams, she spun dramatic and complicated stories to entertain herself.
None of the four students sensed anything amiss when the elders told them that attaining the final secrets of true magic would require a pilgrimage to the center of their own beings that would take far longer than any meditations they had performed. Back in the real world, the four ringleaders of the cult placed their wards into a coma-like stasis with the aid of both magic and alchemy, preparing them for the culmination of their designs: living mediums, bodies imbued with innate magical talent that they believed would layer channeling power upon their own when they imparted their own souls to new, youthful bodies. In other words, if soul-crystals and the vile abilities of voidsent had been interbred, however crudely, they'd not only stave off death but grant themselves heretofore unknown levels of mastery.
The plan was never to survive, however, as the emboldened Scales became careless, accrued witnesses to some of their misdeeds, and attracted the attention of the Syndicate and the newly reformed Immortal Flames. In their desperate attempt to fall back during the final confrontation between soldiers and cultists, two of the elders and two of their would-be vessels died in the ensuing aetheric backlash of their rushed attempts to merge bodies and souls. One more elder died at the hand of his own student, abruptly woken from dreaming by the sudden disruption of the heavy enchantments surrounding him, though he, too, died from this over-exertion of a weak physical body. The final elder was apprehended alive, and her vessel, the last of four failed attempts at some truly foul hubris, was Dejah, still locked in her own world of dreams.
The Sleeping Maiden of Ul'Dah was not to awaken for another full moon after the incident, and as such, the shocking expose of occult rings, captivity, and murder never had a name to attach to her face.
Personality
- Refined, polite, gentle mannerisms, occasionally uses outdated turns of phrase
- Intelligent, artsy and full of obscure information gleaned from old books, witty in writing though more soft-spoken and awkward in face to face speech
- Genuinely caring, supportive friend, tends to "scheme" benignly to help friends nurture their potential, artists helping artists etc
- Strong sense of right and wrong, but has learned enough history to know that reality is shades of grey (neutral good)
- Forgetful, disorganized and too detached from reality when distracted by her nerdy pursuits (writing, magic, deciphering ancient puzzles)
- Doesn't seem to know how to express strong feelings outwardly, even when she really desperately wants to
- Still a little bit too delicate for the big mean outside world emotionally, doubly bad because she can't seem to ask for help when it's truly needed
- Sullen and withdrawn when plans backfire, moody when artistically blocked or otherwise hindered
Affiliations
Anzo Vandaal: Unwitting rescuer turned confidant, protector, and eventually love. Dejah coaxes more words out of the normally shy and reluctant Anzo than perhaps the rest of Eorzea combined, and never ceases to feel just a tad special to be the main recipient of his clever humor and often quite thoughtful observations. Though they've been separated by disasters and wars, and then obligations as veteran Adventurers defending Eorzea, Dejah cherishes their time together, and pens long and sliiiightly sappy letters to him during his travels. The two were eternally bonded some two years ago, in a lavish and fanciful ceremony she would later go on to describe in journals as "great fun, and I surprised myself with sentimental tears when I accepted the hand of the man I truly love, but it was something I would have been embarrassed to pen into the end a story, as it hit every girlish cliché."
The Cult of Thal: TBD, shadowy and nefarious NPC organization now scattered to the four corners of the continent, once responsible for keeping Dejah confined to a dreaming state as part of their unscrupulous experiments. Something in the flavor of the Lambs of Dalamud (some of them probably crossed affiliations after the Calamity). This is a rough draft idea, feel free to contact me if you'd like to use this as a jumping off point for in-character connections.
Other Notes
RP Preferences: I like character-driven RP and stories, unfortunately my in-game hours run very late (see below), so I'm looking for light/medium in-game, and longer story arcs on forums, discord, etc to be able to participate fully. I believe it's important to give everyone else's character a turn in the spotlight and avoid too much navel-gazing, or lurking in a tavern room that has impossible dimensions and 8 dark shadowy corners (one brooder per corner only).
RP Limitations: Dejah is, in the words of Bioware, not a romance option. I'm comfortable dealing in mature themes and I love a well-timed swear word or bloody description for dramatic effect. I'm not looking for ERP or participating in any plot that's shades of torture-porn or loli/shota/fetish stuff.
About the Player: I'm an amateur artist and a full-time working person over 18, and my work makes my online presence almost entirely late night/early daytime before noon EDT. I'm happy to work out pre-existing RP connections either in PM or contact me in-game. I'm also a veteran of roleplaying and tend to favor a wordy, character-focused style while I try to avoid hitting the dreaded purple prose too hard. I also love funny and witty writing though I myself will probably never be great at either. That being said, I try to be easygoing and accommodating to other RP styles, the point is to have fun with it and make sure everyone else has fun participating in a safe space, aka respecting those personal boundaries. I am new to MMO roleplaying and the Balmung server in general, so if I do something that makes you uncomfortable or isn't compatible with your RP prefs, let me know - no hard feelings for honest, polite feedback. I've been around too long to want dramz :3
