WORK IN PROGRESS, THIS SHOULD BE DONE BY 7/28/2018!!! A young student from Sharlayan on a mission to make his family and legacy proud.
The information given here is very limited, as I don't want to risk people metagaming, if you're interested in more obscure aspects of his past and personality, it's best to befriend him ICly.
Lucien is best described as sleek, chiseled, and striking. There are three prominent colours in his overall appearence and attire: Black, White, and Cyan. He seems to actively attempt to make his appearwence as contrasting as possible, though occaisonally he tones it down with softer shades of Aqua.
The man has a rather tall, wide frame, but he seems to be on the lankier side. Despite being mildly toned, it's clear it's more for aesthetic reasons than to enhance his strength.
Lucien is very, very pale. This seems to be done purposefully to contrast with black hair. His features are rather angular, with prominent cheekbones and a sharp, pointed nose. His eyes seem to be the feature he most often complements with his appearence, as they match the cyan, aquatic hues he often flashes in his attire.
Lucien at first glance seems to be friendly, exceedingly polite, and perhaps a tad too eager to please. As a man raised in a politically influential family in Sharlayan, he abides zealously to the codes and traditions of his family and to a lesser degree, the forum. Despite having a strict personal code, however, he is very fond of adventure and romanticism, to the point some may describe him a flighty.
The man seems to have a passion for beauty and art, as an illusionist, he feels a kinship and respect towards artists. Regardless of their social standing, Lucien will always treat an artist with admiration, and will have a strong distaste towards those he feels disrespect his craft or the importance of beauty in the world. Lucien as a friend will be attentive, patient, and exceedingly loyal.
Unfortunately, like most people, Lucien is far from perfect, and has a stubbornly obsessive streak with a penchant towards bitterness. Any slight towards him will be remembered, over-analyzed, and held against the offending party to an immature degree. He can be rather petty, and while beauty paints his world, so does classism. A lot of Lucien's negative traits stem from his insecurity, an aspect of him reinforced not only by his family's exceedingly strict expectations and rules, but Sharlayan society's disregard for his craft. Therefore, anyone who implies he is a lesser mage for using illusions and wielding visual trickery as his weapon is likely to make an enemy out of him extremely fast. Unfortunaely, due to years of this, Lucien will never be able to wash off his insecurities regardless of his success, and it will always taint his personality.
POSITIVE TRAITS
Polite.
Thoughtful.
Attentive.
Amiable.
Patient.
Educated.
Creative.
Loyal.
Passionate.
Studious.
Optimistic.
NEGATIVE TRAITS
Obsessive.
Stubborn.
Arrogant.
Egotistical.
Whiny.
Scheming.
Sore-Loser.
Entitled.
Petty.
Sneaky.
Dramatic.
Passive-Aggressive.
Critical.
LIKES
Reading.
People.
Quiet Nights.
Validation.
Insects (the 'beautiful' ones).
Anything he deems aesthetically pleasing.
Beauty itself.
Drama.
Artists.
DISLIKES
People who disrespect his trade.
Petty competition.
Plain, ugly sights.
Rudeness.
Unfriendliness .
Filthy Surroundings.
Cold Climates.
Lucien first and foremost is an Illusionist and visual artist at heart. A lot of his skill revolve around his ability to perceive, analyze, and ultimately imitate the visual representaiton and behavior of his surroundings. His photographic memory is brilliant, and he uses it to hone his magical ability and properly analyze those around him.
Magical
Illusions. Lucien is first and foremost an illusionist. His abilities not only rely on manipulating aether to take the shape of whatever image he desires, but also in manipulating people's perception of their surroundings. (OOC Note: This is not often wileded IC for the sake of not metagaming, and if I do, I will ask for consent of the other party and it will be rolled over /random. This also applies to his fighting style)
Thaumaturgy. Lucien is a solidly talented Thaumaturge, though it isn't really his passion.
General
Photographic Memory. Lucien has a brilliant photographic memory, a skill he often uses in conjuction with his Illusions. He tries to remember every crevice, every curve and little detail he sees in the world, all for the sake if showing a nearly perfect imitation in the future. This also means he is directionally sound and has no issues remembering faces.
Acting It's simply a glorified way of lying and manipulating. He can put on a show if it's convenient for him, and often will for the sake of his own agenda.
Visual Perception. As an illusionist, Lucien pays an incredible amount of attention to detail to his visual surroundings, and will often notice things most people would glance over. This doesn't only apply to details in his envoirnment, but perception in human behavior.
Nimble Hands. Often used in conjuction with his illusions, he has surpsingly nimble hands for a mage, and can often sneak things in and out of people's sight. If he wasn't above it, he'd make a wodnerful thief.
Lucien's father. He's a Sharlayan Forum member that always ruled his family with a strict demenor and an Iron Fist. Despite this, he was always benevolent towards Lucien, and eventually learned to respect him as a mage despite his initial reluctance to allow Lucien to pursue illusions as his specialty. Alistair continues to be incredibly supportive of his son, even if sometimes Lucien feels like the external help is unwanted.
Lucien's mother. Despite their occasional clashes, they have a surprisingly stable relaitonship. Beatrice still does not seem to approve of his magical specialty, but at least has learned to be tolerant of it. As the eldest son, Lucien is the apple of her eye, and she goes to great lengths to ensure his safety and well-being, even if sometimes that means discouraging him from taking risks that would mean more potential glory for their family.
Lucien's younger sister and the middle child in the family. From a young age, Adrianne has been incredibly supportive of Lucien's Illusions, deeming them as "cool" and "revolutionary". Despite Lucien's difficulty in the academy to be taken seriously by peers, Adrianne has always staunchly defended him. They both seem to be convinced that they are the protectors of the other, to the point some would consider Lucien mildly overpotective of his younger sibilings.
Lucien's youngest sister. Despite their tendency to pester each other, they seem to get along fairly well. Like Adrianne, Lucien is extremely overprotective and even midly controlling over Selene. He seems to struggle to come to terms with the fact that she is old enough to take care of herself. Selene looks up to Lucien, even though she thinks that his specialty is a waste of time, though she never says this out of respect for the eldest brother in her family.
Some of these rumors are untrue, speculation, or are greatly exaggerated. Please feel free to add your own rumors under the Player Character category!
NPC
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◢ Common Rumors - Easy to catch, feel free to use them. PLEASE NOTE: Most of these rumours are within Sharlayan.
■ "Oh, that Belfort kid? His father is a member of the forum. They are all little soldiers in his family, aren't they? Weird that out of all magical specialties, he chose Illusions. Pretty Bizarre." -- Unnamed Librarian
■ "Ha! He's always the teacher's pet, as expected of someone with his lineage. Admirable by most standards, but I frankly find that kind of personality rather dull." -- Totally fun rebellius person, not jealous at all.
■ "Ever since he won two magical tournaments with his trickery, nobody dares talk shit about Illusion Magic near'im. But between you andf I, it's just cheap tricks. He probably just got lucky." -- Someone Lucien would definetly punch.
■ "He seems really sweet. I've never seen him be rude or impolite to anyone, and he's generally very friendly. His forum connections and family seem to intimidate many, though. It's a pity, really. I almost feel bad for the lad." -- Unnamed Waitress
■ "He's always conjuring illusions of small animals, flowers, bugs and the like. He entertains himself so much at times it reminds me of a child that forgets the world around him. It's a bit of a spectacle if he isn't interrupted." -- Old Sharlayan Professor
◢ Uncommon Rumors -You're either a decent informant or have keen ears. Ask first or use sparingly.
■ "Isn't he in Eorzea now? I heard Caroline Chamberlain summoned him. I wonder what kind of favor piqued his interest enough to leave the country?" -- Nosy Student
■ "Hahahahah..! It's really easy to piss him off, just call his 'Illusion Magic' fake or useless and he'll fume for the rest of the week! I have never seen someone get worked up over something so small." -- Some Asshole.
■ "He won two major magic tournaments back here, two years in a row. I don't know what he does with his little Illusions, but it seems to be working for him." -- Tournament Witness
■ "I wouldn't call him evil, but he certainly seems to have little qualms with stepping over others to maintain or rise above his position. It's the hallmark of a Belfort. Self-preserving to the core." -- Anonymous 'Family Friend'
■ "It's not unusual for mages to get along after they face each other in tournaments. It's a friendly competition, after all. However, last cycle he faced his best friend on the last round, Eric won, but for some reason it seems like they never spoke again. Some people say Aiden was simply a sore-loser, but I think there's more to the story." -- Nosy Man
■ "He seems to be a sucker for whatever he deems beautiful. I once saw him staring at the night sky for three hours straight, it was bizarre, like he was transfixed on it. He seems to look at everything for long, long periods of time. Apparently he has a brilliant photographic memory, but it's a little weird if you ask me. He often stares at people, too." -- Observant Witness.
◢ Rare Rumors -You're either an EXCELLENT informant or one nosy bastard, either way, please ask OOC before using.
■ "He has a sadistic streak, I think. On the last magi tournament, he had a face-off against Aiden Gleavois. Apparently it was a pretty interesting fight until Aiden started violently thrashing and sobbing, he cursed Lucien to the seven hells like no enemy would. Nobody understood why. But again, perhaps they couldn't see it. He's an illusionist, after all. It came to a point where between his sobbing, Aiden begged him to stop and gave up. Lucien didn't move a finger, he simply smirked. It was very disturbing to watch. Gods know what he forced the poor lad to see. It was a filthy trick, and frankly, even though there is a rule of 'everything goes' in these tournaments, a lot of people deemed his method too cruel. He still won though." -- Witness
■ "I swear to Thaliak's grace that I saw this! I swear! Everyone says I'm lying but I'm not! I came to the academy late in the afternoon and he was there, speaking to some girl who always mocked his magical ability, and then suddenly she just... Stabbed herself! She STABBED herself MULTIPLE times and then seemed utterly confused! I-- It's like she didn't understand! She needed urgent medical care after that but for some reason he was never reported! I-I don't understand! When I asked her what happened she didn't seem to remember a thing! I don't fuck with him, no sir! He's fucked in the head! " -- Sharlayan Student
PC
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◢ Player Character Rumors -FEED ME RUMORS, MORTALS. NEGATIVE OR POSITIVE, I WANT THEM ALL.
Below you will have information on all current and past Arcs this character has been part of. Some Arcs will have links to stories attached to them. Keep in mind some stories might be seen on multiple arcs due to their relevance to the plot.
CURRENT ARCS
The Penniless Princess (Age 22-)
After neglecting her company for months, Sasha faces the possibility of bankrupcy. In a desperate attempt to save what she had, she seals a deal with Kukusedi Nanasedi, a syndicate hound and former friend of her father. Currently with a debt of over 100 million and losing part of her company's shares, Sasha is now slowly rebuilding her company to pay off the aid through means both legal and otherwise.
The money begins to trickle in as she manages to catch a generous fraciton of the import rights from Gyr Abania to the rest of the realm, but it's nowhere near fast enough for what she desires. Greedy and desperate for more gil, she strikes a deal with Veileaux, a former associate of hers and a talented alchemist with a knack for narcotic goods. Using the cover of the reputable empire built by her parents, Sasha begins to organize smuggling rings for Veileaux's goods.
The sudden boost in profit has not gone unnoticed by authorities, but she has been careful to maintain her cover so far.
Links to stories related to this arc, all in chronological order.
Velenn and Lan Darklyn began to notice Sasha was missing, and an investigation was launched. A few weeks into the investigation, they gathered intel from guards in the manor about where she was taken. They investigation turned into a rescue effort.
Meanwhile, Sasha stubbornly refused to cooperate with Cassius and his investigation, no, not because he was Garlean, but completely to spite her mother. It was a childish effort which only led to Cassius tormenting and torturing her into submission. Honestly, she didn't last a week. Cassius resumes his research, unaware of the storm about to burst through his laboratory.
A few weeks into his uninterrupted research (now with Sasha's full 'cooperation'), Evenn and Lan manage to make their way into the laboratory, and stealthily attempt a rescue. The rescue was (somewhat) succesful. Sasha and Lan escape, but Velenn is captured and imprisioned. Unable to relocate him for weeks, Sasha gave up on the search, and presumed his death. Little did she know that Velenn was very much alive, and as moons passed in prision, so did his resemtment towards her.
Whoopsie.
Mad Queen(Age 21)
Sasha finally returned home. Before she met with Catherine, a servant disclosed that her father had died to Illness while she was gone, and her mother had slowly been slipping into madness since then. Catherine welcomed her warmly, being nearly moved to tears when she saw her daughter finally return to her arms.
As Sasha stayed in the manor, she noticed Catherine's mannerisms were... Different. Not only that, but parts of the manor that had previously been used for aetherial research were closed off, and Catherine would go into hysterics if she saw Sasha mustering a spell. Catherine explained that Emeryck died due to his condition weakning him to the point the slightest aetherial instability would drive him into seizures. She feared Sasha would follow the same fate, so she banned all magic from the house.
Unable to pursue her passion, Sasha left the manor once again, but she kept contact with Catherine to soothe her worries (and to receive money from her).
While in Ul'dah, Sasha met a smooth-talking miqo'te by the name of Velenn Letourneaux. She found him interesting, witty, and incredibly intelligent. A breath of fresh air and a new start now that Sebastian had been taken care of. As they grew close, they both joined the Harbinger's of Dawn, a Free Company led by Faye Covington.
Friendship turned into love, though Sasha still maintained friendly contact with other men in her life, like X'elo and Stefan. X'elo, by now, was someone she manipulated for her own amusement, while Stefan became absent from her life due to his own work schedule, still, Velenn was more than enough to keep her occupied.
A few moons go by and Sasha simply forgets about Catherine, which caused the woman to become increasingly paranoid. Catherine, in panic, begins to consult a contact of hers, a Garlean Scientist named Cassius, and explains Sasha's condition to him, asking if perhaps he could offer a cure. Cassius told her that he would try to help, but that he'd have to take Sasha to a facility to properly study her condition--He even added that he will pay Catherine for this, and that Sasha will be safely returned to her once the research had been completed.
This was all a lie, of course.
Catherine invited Sasha for dinner with a "guest", being unaware of Catherine's intentions, Sasha allowed herself to be disarmed, chalking it all up to the 'no magic in the house' rule. It only took a single look at her guest to know something was wrong. By the time she could react, however, she was already cornered and overpowered.
Cassius took her back to his laboratory, turning Sasha Rochester into a missing person.
Blood on the Streets (Age 20-21)
The search became known, and it became difficult for Sasha to gather allies when most were tempted to drag her back to her family, eager to claim the generous reward for her return. At this time, Sasha had three people actively protecting her from mercenaries and adventurers alike: Cyril, Wolfskull, and Zerier. While X'elo assisted in most of their ventures, Sasha at the time deemed him too weak and incompetent to consider him security, despite the fact he proved otherwise many times.
As months went by, more adventurers hunted her down. Sebastian joined the search himself. More things became necessary, more name changes, more escapes, more sneaking around. It began to wear her down. She needed a final solution. She would return to her family---If Sebastian was dead. In order to do that, however, she needed help from someone morally corrupt enough to carry on an assasination.
Stefan Delumiere.
She contacted him, and knowing he wouldn't do it for free, offered a couple of million to dispose of him. Stefan agreed, and a week later, Sebastian had been brutally murdered somewhere near the pearl lane. Sasha, eternally grateful for his service, thanked Stefan and they became rather close... So close, in fact, that they became romantically involved.
The suspects were never found, but the Castilles suspected Sasha's involvement due to previous events. This is when Edward and Edith (Sebastian's parents) began their investigation, aided by one of Edward's bastard sons, Alexander Garamsythe. He would become relevant much later.
Cops & Robbers (Age 19-20)
Ecstatic about the news of her daughter's return, Catherine informed Emeryck and the Castilles about Sasha's whereabouts, something that was received with both relief and happiness--Their union was back on track. It didn't take long before they combined efforts to hire search parties and mercenaries to look for Sasha and bring her back home.
A few days pass before Sasha stumbled upon a "MISSING" poster with her face on it, she frowned, tearing down every poster she saw as she began to think about hiring back-up. Seeing that her search had yet to pick traction, she goes to the adventurers guild to see if she could recruit security and useful potential allies.
Sasha arrived in Ul'dah for the first time in nearly four cycles. She found herself alone once again, hungry, and with only a single hope for funds before her coffers ran empty: Her mother's diamond choker, the last piece of jewelry she stole from her cycles earlier.
Sasha searched for a potential buyer for weeks, carefully making sure to keep the necklace out of sight from thieves or any threat. One evening, she overheard a man claiming to be Ul'dah's top 'Diamond Hound', a talented jewler and merchant of such goods. It only took a single look at him for Sasha to know that he was what she was looking for: A man with more gil than brains.
Sasha befriends this man, whose name was Momoruto Sosoruto. A few days passed before she finally asked him if he'd be interested in buying a choker from her, he said he'd only be interested in real diamonds, something that clearly would never be an issue. When his eyes fell upon the choker, he was immediately interested, asking where it came from and how she got her hands on it, Sasha said it was a family relic that had been passed for generations, a choker her mother had given her for her 16th birthday. The man ate the story up and agreed to buy it for a couple of million, more than enough to get her back on her feet.
A few weeks passed before Catherine caught wind of the fact a rare Thavnarian Dimond necklace was being sold in the black market, very similar to what her daughter had stolen--Seeing a glimpse of hope, she decided to investigate the matter and invites Momoruto to the manor, an invitation he gladly accepted without knowing he'd be questioned.
Catherine greeted Momoruto without a glimpse of rancor, telling him that she was interested in finding the person who sold him the necklace. Momoruto refused, saying that for the sake of their security, he kept their names anonymous. Catherine offered to buy the necklace and to pay "a little" extra for information. Expecting to have to go through a chain of people before encountering her daughter, Catherine was delighted to know that Lolruto's source happened to be a "pretty girl with brown and white hair". The woman thanked him for his time, and began to plan her family reunion.
The Cursed Alchemist (Age 17-19)
Sasha arrived in Gridania, with a new identity, lost, and completely alone. She was cold, hungry, and terrified of anyone from Ul'dah or Limsa Lominsa following her trail. Enter stage Veileux. Being a young alchemist running his own clinic, he saw a trembling, vulnerable Sasha as a chance to play hero. So he approached her, offered his aid, and proceeded to nurture her for a few weeks.
During these weeks, Veileux realized that Sasha is not only a talented conjurer, but an alchemist to boot. Knowing her skills, he promised that as long as she works alongside him, he would provide her with food and shelter. Sasha agreed to this. Knowing and analysing Veileux, she exploited his weakness for the vulnerable, and they quickly became romantically involved.
A few months into the business, they stumble upon two redbellies while looking for ingredients in the shroud. The redbellies were lying on the ground, high out of their minds, one of them recognized Veileux as an alchemist, and asked him if he had any of the 'good stuff', that they'd pay generously for it. Veileux denied this and left both men on the ground.
That night, back in the clinic, Sasha expressed her concern for their financial stability, and questioned whether they should be producing recreational drugs to pull in more profit. Veileux dismissed this, saying he'll think about it the next morning.
The next morning Sasha has a conversation with Veileux, explaining their financial difficulties and how busieness in narcotics can be incredibly lucrative if they're careful enough. Eventually, the man yields to her cocerns, and they begin to underhandedly sell soft drugs. As moons pass, Veileux's confidence grows, and his company grows with him. He then controlled a major drug smuggling and production ring in Gridania. The money kept pouring in, and the authorities began to notice.
One night, a contact revealed to Sasha that the wailers had been considering starting an investigation, but that they have yet to follow a lead after a disastruous incident of lost merchandise and arrests. Sasha thanked the informant and began to plan her exit.
The next morning the wailers found Sasha at their doorstep, saying that she had some information to aid them in the investigation. They took her testimony, the following day, a chain of arrests began throughout the city-state.
Veileux chose not to incriminate Sasha, not knowing her involvement in the investigation. He covered for her, claiming that she was one of the few alchemists who didn't know what was happening, something that supported her testimony. Veileux was condemned to fifteen summers in prision.
Knowing that she'd be covered, she promised Veileux that she would visit him as often as she could.
In the three years it took for him to break out, she never visited once.
Veileux now knows the truth.
Into the Whirl (Age 16-17)
Sasha arrived in Limsa Lominsa under a fake alias, and immediately began to search for adventurers to aid her in her mission of leaving the continent for good. As she walked on the decks, she met a crew of seafering adventurers. Sasha nonchalantly asked if she can join them, her request was flatly denied intially, but they eventually relented when she offered to pay them and to aid them as a conjurer on-deck.
Things went smoothly for over a year, the crew considered her one of their own. She began a romantic relationship with the captain's son, Tristan, whom she intially befriended out of convenience but ultimately grew attached to. This, however, didn't last too long.
As they were bypassing an Island with a large grotto, one of the crewmen mentioned that the place was filled with Nymian artifacts, but most people were afraid to sail into the cave due to its unstable structure and frequency of earthquakes in the area. Excited by this idea, Sasha (along with a few other crewmembers) began to insist on entering the cave, and the captain eventually yielded despite his well-founded uncertainty.
They managed to sail inside the cave, exploring it for a few hours to find it had already been scavenged. When the captain began to turn back, an earthquake struck, causing parts of the cave to collapse on the entrance and damage the ship. Angry, the captain began to accuse Sasha and his crewmen for talking him into sailing inside the cave, an irraitonal response which Tristan sought to point out--Only to be interrupted by a second earthquake that collapsed the cave on the entire ship and the crewmen. From the 36 crewmen, roughly 8 survived the second quake, two perishing to their wounds a few hours later.
The captain's initial blame caused Sasha to feel incredibly guilty, and instead of helping the few survivors, she ran away, abandoning them in the cave without a medic in sight. Tristan sought to follow, but lost her the moment she crawled out of the cave through a small hole he wouldn't fit in.
By the time the survivors found another exit from the cave, Sasha was already on the other end of the island, boarding a ship of fishermen who took pity on her.
The fishermen contacted the authorities, trying to start rescue efforts for those left behind. The rescue managed to find the survivors, but when they sought to reunite them, Sasha had already left the city for Gridania.
Out of the House (age 14-16)
Sasha was 14, engaged to Sebastian Castille. Their marriage had been arranged by their parents in order to further their monetary interests. They had been childhood friends and got along rather well, so everyone seemed rather content with the arrangement. As the years go by, their friendship began to bloom into romance. Sebastian became Sasha's first kiss, and he began to pressure her into going beyond that. Much to his frustration, Sasha did not budge in her desire to keep her virginity until her wedding night. Moons went by and Sebastian's patience began to wane. On the night before her 16th birhday, he reached a breaking point and attempted to force himself on her. Fortunately, Sasha was able to push him off and run away, but the night only proceeded to get worse.
Catherine and Emeryck were in their library when they were met with the image of their daughter in hysterics. As they try to calm her down, Sasha explained that she wanted to call off the marriage due to what just transpired. Emeryck was disgusted by Sebastian's actions, but Catherine jumped to his defense, claiming that as her fianceé it was his right anyway, and that she shouldn't "selfishly" call off an arrangement that would greatly benefit both families involved. Despite his feelings, Emeryck relents to Catherine's request to push for the marriage, drastically damaging the relationship between them and their daughter. Sasha was dismissed to her bedroom. Sebastian was politely dismissed from the manor for the evening.
K'alla, Sasha's maid at the time, watched this transpire and immediately went to her room, comforting what she saw as a vulnerable, sobbing child. Feeling immense pity for her and seeing no other escape, K'alla reluctantly agreed to aid her in her mission to run away from her family until they choose to call off the marriage. The next evening, on her 16th birthday, Sasha stole many of her mother's jewels, packed her things, and left the manor for good.
tbc
RP Hooks
■ HELLO WRITING STUFF STILL
Personal RP Limits & Preferences
■ I am open to almost all kinds of RP. Gore, dark themes, violence, sexual themes, torture, and even severely disturbing content is fine with me. I have a pretty strong stomach for this kind of stuff, regardless, it's preferable that you read the rest of this section to avoid any misunderstandings.
■ Permadeath is allowed. However, please consult out of characer before doing any sort of long-term injury or even attempting to kill this character, this includes severe psychological damage. Needless to say, if you follow this route you have to be prepared for consequences. I will not tolerate someone killing or severely injuring a character and then expecting no IC retaliation. I've had this happen before, it won't happen again.
■ There are certain things I'm not willing to RP. RP involving pedophilia, zoophilia, loli/shota-con is not something I'm interested in. I will not RP any sexual content with OOC (or IC) minors.
