Aumeric Chassebel

Aumeric "Chassebel"
Gender	Male
Race	Elezen
Clan	Duskwight
Citizenship	Gridania

Character

General

An actor, a runaway, a ward of criminals. The sheltered heir to one of the most surprisingly successful Duskwight clans, Aumeric absconded from the custody of his overbearing family and ran away from home by way of demanding the members of Lansquenet kidnap him. He had dreams of seeing the world and perhaps even becoming an actor, which they were more than able to grant. What he didn't bargain for was finding himself in the midst of a troupe of criminals- or for the fact that his family hasn't exactly been forthcoming with the ransom he'd intended as his way of paying his passage.

Appearance

He's a spindly, delicate young Elezen. He’s got mid-length, kind of fluffy silver hair and pale skin, surprisingly bright turquoise eyes (with ridiculously long eyelashes), and is both frequently mistaken for a woman and for a Wildwood. He’s on the taller side of average for an Elezen, and while not entirely a beanpole, isn’t built like a fighter or an athlete. Has a couple of scars on his face that tend to get lost in his hairline, and aren’t typically all that noticeable.

Behavior

Aumeric has enough curiosity to kill five cats, and naivete to match. Having grown up in the grounds and cellars of a single estate, sheltered and strictly regulated in what he could and could not do, he spent a great deal of his youth daydreaming and reading about the world outside, and now that he’s allowed to explore it, he wants to visit every last corner of Eorzea. Whenever he’s presented with the chance to learn a new skill, find new information, or try something for the first time, he’ll jump on it, even if he quickly regrets it. He’s kind and gentle as well, never wanting to cause undue harm or embarrassment to others, and is quick to apologize for any perceived slight. He's also somewhat of a bleeding heart, thanks to his relative lack of experience with people- he will offer kindness to the most wicked and wretched, if he sees something there to pity or sympathize with. Though he’s eager to try new things, meet new people, and generally experience everything he can, he’s very polite, even to the point of seeming overly formal to outsiders, and overly cringing and obedient, depending on your point of view. He’s still not particularly good at being rebellious, even if it was his long-term goal- he doesn't want to be rejected or sent back to his family. Aumeric is a fledgling bird stretching his wings for the first time, and he still flinches when the breeze picks up unexpectedly, lest it carry him back home to the nest.

Surprisingly, he's not all sunshine and curiosity. Anxiety about the relative insecurity of his position in the world and fear that he will be reclaimed by his family- losing all the wonders of the outside world in the process- hound him constantly. His fear of rejection can sometimes outweigh his inherent kindness, so when it boils down to choosing between his friends and others in danger, he'll typically err on the side of his friends. He's sensitive to threats and insults made against those he cares about and will develop grudges which if left untended can turn petty and spiteful. There's also the issue of his sympathies and sense of justice being a bit easy to skew- his heart will go out to just about any down-on-his-luck beggar, back-alley thief, or even downtrodden beastman, regardless of how unpleasant they may be or how the world may judge them.

Strengths

More than anything else, he’s willing to try anything once, and try as hard as he can at it. He has a keen eye for observation when it’s called for, thanks to his curiosity, and though he’s uninformed about many things in the world beyond his old home, he does have a surprisingly good head for numbers- picked up during his education for business purposes, and put to use in the field of arcanima more recently. He may not have the book smarts of some, but he has spent a long time reading about a wealth of unrelated subjects, as well as approximately a metric ton of fiction. And, perhaps less useful, he is very, very pretty.

Weaknesses

Aumeric is flighty and naive to a fault. Having such a sheltered upbringing means that there are a wealth of topics he knows little about, and he lacks the experience and nuanced understanding to deal with a great deal of them in conversations. He may not ask awkward questions too much (since the embarrassment could destroy him), but he often goes silent and makes highly confused faces as he tries to puzzle out some new subject he’s never learned about or has only read about in books. Though he doesn’t have stage fright, per se, he gets flustered when he’s put on the spot or stared at, and isn’t exactly used to being seen as an adult in a world of adults, after his upbringing. He is also both a complete bleeding heart and eager to please those who he respects, well past the point of reason. Any decent sob story can sway his heart in favor of the teller- even if it comes from a Voidsent, a Dravanian infiltrator, or a tempered beastman. And if his fellow members of Lansquenet tell him to jump, he'll jump- even if it's right into the maw of danger. He's not willing to let them be disappointed in him.

History/Timeline

The sole son and heir to the Astrechère family, who are organized criminals who pass off fairly well as a noble family and try to live similarly. He was brought up from a very early age with the eventual role of family head in mind, and thus was kept on a short leash. He learned penmanship, etiquette, accounting, commerce, mathematics, ballroom dancing, and a great deal of other things that would not be out of place for a young baron to be educated in, but remained sheltered- for much of his younger life, in and around his family’s manor in the Black Shroud, as well as their underground holdings, or what he tends to refer to in polite conversation as “cellars”. The sort of life of crime he was prepared for was very much white-collar, and he was kept in the dark about much of the darker elements of it. His parents sought to protect him from harm or harshness, and he ended up soft, naive, and spoiled- worrisome for someone meant to someday run an ultimately criminal venture. Come the Calamity, his sheltered upbringing became a much more prominent concern- the world was a changed and dangerous place, but Aumeric was still the Astrechère family’s little darling, and one who had a growing sense of restlessness. A deal was struck behind his back, and the idea was planted with him by one of the servants to stage a faked kidnapping. A Lansquenet performance of I Want To Be Your Crow, a rare excursion beyond the family’s lands into Gridania, and one desperate plea to the company to steal him away from his family later, and Aumeric found himself in among the ranks of the actors/criminals, under the impression he pulled the plan off himself, and that his place among them has nothing to do with furthering his education for a life of crime.

Combat

General

Aumeric has taken to studying arcanima, given his existing predilection for mathematics and a certain fondness for the abstract in the world of magic. But his understanding of the art is far more in the realm of theoretical than practical. It's not that he can't defend himself, it's just that nobody would think to send him in to do fighting (or healing) when more or less anybody else he knows would be better for the job. In short, he's got the makings of a Summoner and a Scholar, but is fairly useless at both.

Tendencies

Likes

• Sightseeing. After a sheltered childhood living in a manor and not going far beyond, he's very interested in all the wonders of the outside world.
• Books. Aumeric is an avid reader of fiction and nonfiction alike, though he shows a marked fondness for the study of arcanima and tales of adventure.
• Flowers. Something he never saw much of in his youth, which he now has a strong fondness for.
• Chocobos. He bought Marcus, his mount, with his first earnings as an actor, and acquired Cinna, a chocobo chick, during his travels.
• Learning new skills.
• The ocean.

Dislikes

• Caves and underground places. He associates them with a restricted youth, and more specifically with the days of the Calamity, when his family had to hole up in old caverns for their own safety.
• Accounting. Though he has a fine head for figures and enjoys abstract mathematics, he spent most of his life studying how to manage money, and wants nothing to do with it now.
• Insects.
• Bland food.

Hobbies/Talents

• Acting.
• Mathematics.
• Learning new skills- he dabbles in dancing, arcanima, goldsmithing, botany, fishing, and anything else he can get the time to study. He's not particularly good at any of them.

Relationships

Family

A surprisingly successful line of Duskwights from the northern Twelveswood. They stand out from other Duskwights in their conspicuous wealth and comparative social success, putting on at least the air of a proper Gridanian noble family. They are not by any measure actual nobility, but rather respectable organized criminals who are very meticulous about managing their public image- it doesn’t hurt that to anybody who isn’t Elezen, they can easily pass off as the far more socially acceptable Wildwoods. This has left them in a position where they are looked down upon by Wildwood families for any number of reasons (not actually being nobility and reaching beyond their place in the world as “merchants”, being Duskwights, being Duskwights who capitalize on their resemblance to Wildwoods), and are viewed with some degree of resentment by other Duskwights for conforming to forestborn ideals of living and for taking advantage of not being obviously Duskwights. To anybody outside of these communities of Gridanian Elezen and their rumor mills, the Astrechère family has a considerably brighter reputation, although dark rumors do circulate about how they came into their money even amongst Lalafell, Miqo’te, Hyur, and Roegadyn in the region.

Aside from Aumeric, the main figures of his family are:

• Osaulie Astrechère, his mother, and Juliembert Astrechère, his father, who run most of the family business and who are responsible both for his spoiled upbringing and his current status as the “kidnapped” ward of Lansquenet. They care about him deeply, but aren’t exactly experts at raising children, or balancing strictness with spoiling their son. Even prior to the kidnapping, they weren’t on the best of terms, and Aumeric is trying his hardest to avoid them.
• Aurifort Astrechère, his grandfather, who retired from his role in the family business after the passing of his wife (the previous head of family and business, and by all accounts a woman made of shadow and iron).
• Amianne Astrechère, his aunt, who has neither married nor had children of her own, and whom he sees very occasionally. She is more likely than not a hitwoman.

Friends

As of now, the members of his Free Company, Lansquenet.

• The playwright Skoena Fraewyn, as one of the individuals who allowed for his joining the troupe of performers and as a talented writer is someone who he looks up to considerably.
• As the other half of the equation of those who let him become a member of Lansquenet in the first place, Fenr'ir Nebelung is also someone Aumeric feels a strong fondness towards, though also a certain level of nervousness and a need to stay in his good graces. The man is quite admirable to him, and he feels strongly about trying to live up to his expectations.
• Cendrillon "Braids" and Drividot Nicot, the other two Duskwights in the troupe, are also individuals he feels a kinship with. Braids is another actor and has frequently shared the stage with him, and the two are good friends. Drividot is a bit more retiring, but there is no ill will between the two of them- just a bit of cultural divide between wealthy Gridanian and poor Ishgardian.
• Maya Alcor, the costumier for the troupe, has saddled him with the nickname "Princess" and has a sour demeanor, but he appreciates her dry wit, willingness to outfit him in ridiculous outfits, and her similar studious nature.
• He's got a bit less in common with Alayana Hajime and Anstarra Silverain, the bard and head of security for the free company, but he's friends with them nonetheless, as well as with Y'tuma Tia, the third and most recent Seeker of the Sun to join their ranks- an individual he finds particularly intriguing, for reasons of his own.

Beyond Lansquenet, he doesn't have all that many friends currently.

Enemies

None to speak of, though he is not exactly on great terms with his family.

Rumors

Common Rumors

• The beauty who played Doctor Lucrece in the Tale of Sleepy Nibelheim may have looked gorgeous in a halfrobe and tights, but was no woman. The actor portraying the heroine in all of Lansquenet's shows is a male Elezen youth.
• There's a young fellow who spends an awful lot of time observing the dancers in Costa Del Sol and Ul'dah, but not for the usual reasons. He's taking notes on technique.

Moderate Rumors

• The pale Elezen with silver hair in Lansquenet might look like a Wildwood, but he's actually a Duskwight.
• He's from a wealthy family, too. Ran away from home.
• Chassebel isn't Aumeric's real last name.

Rare Rumors

• He didn't run away from home, but was kidnapped.
• He's the heir to a wealthy Duskwight crime family.
• He wasn't kidnapped, he asked Lansquenet to fake kidnapping him.