Difference between revisions of "Delial Grimsong"
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<div><font style="color:#44413f;">■</font> ''"She's ''looovely''. I could go crazy for this woman! Probably best I don't if I want to remain unstabbed, but still! Be careful."'' '''- <font style="font-variant:small-caps;font-size:14px;">[[Chokho Viqqoh]]</font>'''.</div> | <div><font style="color:#44413f;">■</font> ''"She's ''looovely''. I could go crazy for this woman! Probably best I don't if I want to remain unstabbed, but still! Be careful."'' '''- <font style="font-variant:small-caps;font-size:14px;">[[Chokho Viqqoh]]</font>'''.</div> | ||
<div><font style="color:#44413f;">■</font> ''"Take no offense, the madam finds comfort in barbed banter. Are her causes monstrous? Perhaps... but she makes no apologies, for them or for her own self. That, I can admire."'' '''- <font style="font-variant:small-caps;font-size:14px;">[[Osric Melkire]]</font>'''.</div> | <div><font style="color:#44413f;">■</font> ''"Take no offense, the madam finds comfort in barbed banter. Are her causes monstrous? Perhaps... but she makes no apologies, for them or for her own self. That, I can admire."'' '''- <font style="font-variant:small-caps;font-size:14px;">[[Osric Melkire]]</font>'''.</div> | ||
− | <div><font style="color:#44413f;">■</font> ''" | + | <div><font style="color:#44413f;">■</font> ''"Not quite bound, but not quite free either. No, we only speak because she can use me, and in return I can use her. Twelve forbid I harbour desires past pragmatism, it's a ruthless hand of justice we're talking about."'' '''- <font style="font-variant:small-caps;font-size:14px;">[[Kahn'a Od'hilkas]]</font>'''.</div> |
<div><font style="color:#44413f;">■</font> ''"She's dangerous, cunning, ferocious, and will see her promise to see me dead to the bitter end. But I'll give her this, she is the kind of person I love to hate."'' '''- <font style="font-variant:small-caps;font-size:14px;">[[Askier Mergrey]]</font>'''.</div> | <div><font style="color:#44413f;">■</font> ''"She's dangerous, cunning, ferocious, and will see her promise to see me dead to the bitter end. But I'll give her this, she is the kind of person I love to hate."'' '''- <font style="font-variant:small-caps;font-size:14px;">[[Askier Mergrey]]</font>'''.</div> | ||
<div><font style="color:#44413f;">■</font> ''"She helped me find my sister an dealt with th' bastard tha' harmed her, an' while I cannae say we'll ever be friends, she dinnae need te worry about retribution from me any longer."'' '''- <font style="font-variant:small-caps;font-size:14px;">[[Gharen Wolfsong]]</font>'''.</div> | <div><font style="color:#44413f;">■</font> ''"She helped me find my sister an dealt with th' bastard tha' harmed her, an' while I cannae say we'll ever be friends, she dinnae need te worry about retribution from me any longer."'' '''- <font style="font-variant:small-caps;font-size:14px;">[[Gharen Wolfsong]]</font>'''.</div> |
Revision as of 12:27, 2 April 2015
It could be said, however, that much of her behavior is as much a lie as the words she twists, for though she puts herself forward as a wicked creature (and sometimes even seems to delight in the image), those who are closer to her might come to find that she has a tendency to become very attached to those she finds interesting and may find herself conflicted between her desire to attain her goals and a need for acceptance and comraderie. She maintains a bitter stance towards romantic inclinations ('sentiment' she says as if it were a vulgar thing) and finds blatant heroism and self-sacrifice to be utterly repulsive and useless. For all her brazen ways, she is terribly afraid of dying though she is unafraid of pain. Proud as she is of her ability to manipulate others, she is nowhere near as clever as she thinks and is just as prone to manipulations to herself, having an impulsive need to protect her pride at nearly any cost.
Delial admires strength and conviction (even if it is misguided in her eyes) above all else, and spares little time or courtesy to those she feels are particularly weak-willed. Even if her morals are a little more on the grey side of things, she cannot abide actions such as rape or infanticide and is generally averse to the use of spells or drugs that can heavily impair or alter another's state of mind. Inhibiting a body is one thing, but she finds little sport in destroying minds.
She is not shy about her sexuality and sees little shame in indulgence. She does, however, act adversely towards concepts such as 'love' and has a difficult time reciprocating affectionate behavior with all but a very select few. If she has ever suffered a desire to have children, she has done well enough to resist it so far. Her thoughts of romance have grown bitter as of late, and it is rare to see her in the company of anyone outside of business.
Outwardly she may not seem a pious woman but Delial considers herself to be fairly devout. Like many Ala Mhigans, she worships Rhalgr the Destoyer chief among the Twelve. In her youth, however, she and her mother both fell under the sway of a different sort of god: the lesser moon Dalamud, the crimson meteor, which they took to believe was an avatar of Rhalgr's fury made manifest. Even after the Calamity and its subsequent destruction, Delial still pays regular homage to the fallen moon. Much of what she knows with regards to magick came from a hedge-witch under whom her mother and, by extension, Delial herself learned and worshipped.
If she maintains an affiliation with the Lambs in the present day, she does well enough to hide it.
■ Flattery. Just as prone to give as she is to take, honeyed words may very well be the key to gaining her attention.
■ Philosophy. For a woman so sure of herself, she certainly likes to deliberate morality quite a lot.
■ Trashy Romance Novellas. Maybe she's a romantic at heart...?
■ Sex. No attachments necessary.
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■ Gil. She is terrible with finances, and surely the gil is to blame.
■ Small Enclosed Spaces. Jail cells, tiny rooms or hideaways... The sooner she can get out of them, the better.
■ Politics. A recent source of many, many headaches.
■ Sycophants. Yes-men are spinless, and she cannot abide the spineless.
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■ Justice. The Rebels are clearly in the wrong, and the sooner they are conquered, the better off Ala Mhigo shall be.
■ Selfishness. Why should she bend over backwards for anyone else?
■ Family. Her blood is all but gone, and she has no children. Perhaps she is growing desperate...
■ Honor. Her mistakes are her own and should she feel the need to correct them then so she shall, honor-bound.
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■ Charismatic. A beautiful, confident woman: what could be better?
■ Manipulative. Delial is skilled at turning people to her side, even if only temporarily. That is usually enough.
■ Ruthless. What must be done will be done. Nothing ever comes without a price and she is not afraid to pay it.
■ Loyal. The few she holds close she will do anything to protect.
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■ Prideful. Sometimes she cannot see her errors or missteps until it is far too late.
■ Unforgiving. Grudges and slights will be remembered for life; never forgive, never forget.
■ Manipulative. Her own machinations and schemes can backfire without her knowing, leaving her being used instead of vice versa.
■ Regretful. She insists she never regrets but there are some things that have cut too deep for her to admit.
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■ Harupicy. Supposedly it is a trick learned from someone in her family, but whether or not her readings are accurate are anyone's guess.
■ Arcanistry. Her control over aether is not very strong on its own, but she is able to enhance her abilities through arcanima.
■ Highlanders. She trusts her own kin above all others, though she may be quick to turn on those who have turned their backs on Ala Mhigo.
■ Vanity. She appreciates beauty in all things and takes great care in her personal appearance.
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Though it has become a rarer thing in recent suns, she was once of the habit of marking her face with ritualistic lines, almost like warpaint. Oddly, a tattoo-like mark has also recently appeared at the side of her throat: something that almost looks like foreign script contorted and warped as if by flame. She seems to make an effort at obscuring it with necklaces or her clothing.
Her taste in clothing seems to vary between opulent robes and simple, if not somewhat revealing, blouses and camisoles. Her most prized possession may very well be her well-worn thigh boots, proud as she is of her shapely legs. She changes hairstyles fairly often but seems to favor tying it up and back or keeping it down about shoulder length with small beads and charms (bone perhaps?) woven into her locks.
Despite her abilities, she has yet to successfully complete a summoning. Conjury remains a mystery to her as she cannot apply herself to its basic philosophy. Thaumaturgy remains a point of interest but she has instead devoted most of what studies she can pursue in understanding how to heal rather than harm as an arcanist.
Her ancestry boasted powerful aether users but Delial herself has missed out on some potential. Which is not to say she is incapable: more that she requires potent foci through which she can channel her aether. Low-grade thaumaturgy is within her realm of ability but if she were to try and live up to her legacy (as well as her namesake) then she still has a ways to go. |
Instead, she is much more comfortable with and reliant upon arcanistry. Her skill with the art has only gotten stronger in the last few years. Miasmas and hexes come naturally to her, spells which turn a body and its energy against itself thanks in no small part to the wisdom of the Witch. Healing spells are still her weakness. |
Once possessed of great aim, Delial has since set down any hope of being competent at anything requiring a sense of aim and/or distance since she lost use of her eye. Saxon Thorne, however, suggested she give archery a try and she has since found an odd match in the skill. By no means is she a master archer but she was pleased to see her sense of aim has not been lost to her after all. |
In her younger years, she could handle a sword with some aptitude. There are few things as thrilling as a knife-fight, she might say, though she would be very hard-pressed to partake in one now. She is rarely without one blade upon her person, as it is her favored tool if only because of the great many things one can do with a good knife in hand. |
Arguably her strongest trait, Delial prefers that others do her fighting for her should there be any at all. She enjoys information hunting and delights in using what knowledge she has to turn people to aid her. |
NOTE: Information presented here may be used as RP hooks within reasonable means. It is mostly presented as a point of reference for myself because I am hella forgetful.
Family
Origins
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Exile
Suspected/Known Crimes
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Some of these rumors are untrue, speculation, or are greatly exaggerated. Please feel free to add your own rumors under the Player Character category! ◢ COMMON RUMORS - Easily overheard. Use these freely!
■ "Unsettlin' is what I'd call 'er. She seems ta like that, though, gettin' a rise outta' people."
■ "Woman hardly goes anywhere without those boots. Practically lives in them, but... Honestly, can you blame her?"
■ "Talks a big game. All talk, that one. I'm a nice guy. Why wouldn't she want to have dinner with me?"
■"I don't know how she gets away with carrying that knife all over the place. She doesn't even hide it! What does she think she's going to do with it? Definitely not for opening letters, I'll tell you that much!"
■"A liar worthy of any politician's pay, and she'll smile at you while she's turnin' the blade. No, no, anyone who puts stock in her words is asking for trouble. You can see it in her eye."
■"She's got all sorts under her thumb, she does. Brass Blades, Immortal Flames, even Sultansworn if you'd believe it. If what they say is true then it's probably for her own good. Friends in high places, was it?"
◢ UNCOMMON RUMORS - A little more difficult to hear. Use sparingly or ask first!
■ "Dark times for me, for a lot of people who weren't quite in their right minds. But I swear, I've seen her before... We'd meet, you see, and pray together. I think I've seen her."
■ "It's a damned shame. Sometimes I see her squinting real hard at the market boards... Maybe her eyesight is worse than it looks?"
■ "No, I ain't dealin'. But I know someone who does. She gives him business now and again - maybe once a moon or so, sometimes twice, never buys too much. But repeats are repeats, you know what I'm sayin'?"
■ "That darlin' would hardly so much as touch anything but the house wine before, and even then she could hardly finish a glass. Lately, though...? Gotten a taste for finer spirits, I suppose, and plenty of them."
■ "There's that tea house down in the Goblet, yeah, kept by some miqo'te girl and her friends. Seen her snooping around a few times - rarely ever goes in, though. Do you think she's there for the tea?"
◢ RARE RUMORS - Very rarely overheard. Please ask before using!
■ "There was to be a trial, and a hanging. She only attended one. It was another woman who hung that day, I swear on my mother's grave. That woman should be dead."
■ "Sinner! A sinner and nothing more! Grimsong is hardly a fitting name. Kinslayer ought do it."
■ "She'll come and stare at that boy - over there, him, do you see? She'll stare and never say a word. Whenever he leaves, she'll leave, too. Never together. She don't look the type to be intimidated by men."
■ "Delial? That girl that lived up yonder? Oh, she and her mother were near inseparable! The same eyes, the same smile... even her laugh was just as dear Lyra's. Why do you ask? I've not seen her in years..."
■ "That little girlie 'o theirs, ohhh, that one's trouble. Ye can see it in 'er eyes, yeah? Tha' witch got 'er, same as her mama. Twelve can't save 'em now."
■ "It has been my experience that most of our clients take to a certain... relief, shall we say, when we determine they are not with child. Now and again we see the heartbreak. Now and again."
◢ PLAYER CHARACTER RUMORS - Feel free to add rumors of your own!
■ "Feel free to add your own rumors here!" - cuideag
■ "Though to her it would seem we have parted ways, in actuality, I have merely slipped into the shadows. She expresses contentment for her lot in life and the pleasures she has been denied, and as exhausted as she so obviously is with her lifestyle, I still see very little desire within her to make a move to escape it. Most unsettling is the fact that I know not what to expect from her in the coming days, for the first time in a long while, even, and as always I am bound by my prerogatives to care. That is why I shall lurk on the sidelines; I will interfere when I must, but I will be subtle, as she has made it ever so clear she has no room for another guardian in her life, a sad fact, but one I cannot ignore. Still, it leaves me wanting, wishing that we had met each other on different terms. Perhaps, then, we could have found happiness. There will always be a place in my heart for her; I wish she could say the same of I." - Edgar Gandervalt.
■ "I considered her friend once. Then an enemy. Now... she is an enigma. I consider her and I even. Maybe." - Roen Deneith.
■ "She's looovely. I could go crazy for this woman! Probably best I don't if I want to remain unstabbed, but still! Be careful." - Chokho Viqqoh.
■ "Take no offense, the madam finds comfort in barbed banter. Are her causes monstrous? Perhaps... but she makes no apologies, for them or for her own self. That, I can admire." - Osric Melkire.
■ "Not quite bound, but not quite free either. No, we only speak because she can use me, and in return I can use her. Twelve forbid I harbour desires past pragmatism, it's a ruthless hand of justice we're talking about." - Kahn'a Od'hilkas.
■ "She's dangerous, cunning, ferocious, and will see her promise to see me dead to the bitter end. But I'll give her this, she is the kind of person I love to hate." - Askier Mergrey.
■ "She helped me find my sister an dealt with th' bastard tha' harmed her, an' while I cannae say we'll ever be friends, she dinnae need te worry about retribution from me any longer." - Gharen Wolfsong.
■ "It came as no surprise that the kin-slayer should still live. But then, one doesn't earn a reputation such as hers without possessing no small amount of cunning. Her continued existence is evidence of the lack of justice in this world... T'is the one thing we have in common." - Brynhilde Wulf.
■ "Believe is passionate person. Capable of great anger, but is not bad person. Has just been villing to become villain to many, to create greater good." - Alexei Volkov.
■ "Everyone I know seems to want this woman's blood. If you have dealings with her, I would keep your back to the wall." - Coatleque Crofte.
■ "I got the looks, my sis got everything else. She's dangerous, brilliant, ruthless. I- you want an example? Let's just say her list of livin' kin is shorter than the ones she's murdered." - S'kiear Grimsong.
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♥ Romantic Attraction | ♥ Platonic Love | ✔ Positive | ✖ Negative | ● Neutral note: Characters with whom Delial has had little interaction with will be gradually cycled out.
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- ■ Ala Mhigans. Known then as Delial Blackstone, her father and brother were noted devotees of Rhalgr. Their family seemed typical enough, though there were rumors of darker happenings... particularly revolving around her mother, Lyra Blackstone.
- ■ Ala Mhigan Resistance. When the civil war hit, Delial took to the Garlean side of the conflict and actively hunted groups or single members of the Resistance movement. Ultimately a botched mission would end in her capture and subsequent removal from Ala Mhigo to an undetermined camp in the wilds of Coerthas, where she was to be interrogated and executed. Someone from that particular group might have learned that Delial Grimsong (or Delial Kinslayer as she was also known) still lives. Supporters of the Resistance or around Ul'dah could also become aware of her presence, and of her hand in crippling another cell in Thanalan.
- ■ Garleans. As with above, she would have been known for being a staunch supporter of Gaius van Baelsar and would have worked with one or several companies in raiding, capturing, or simply killing suspected Resistance cells.
- ■ Lambs of Dalamud. Characters with connection to the Lambs might have heard of her or her mother in particular, or recognize her as having been a part of a sect well into her young adulthood. Though she might not have any solid connection with them at present, there have been things of interest that might draw her back into seeking the Lambs out at least: namely a relic belonging to the leader of her sect, and a treasure she intends to claim for herself.
- ■ The Ul'dahn Underground. A few figures in the Ul'dahn criminal scene might have heard her name in connection to a few individuals who tread those circles. It is said she has connection with shady figures in the Monetarist camp in particular, and has little qualms with treachery and murder.
- ■ Stillglade Fane. A member of the Conjurer's Guild has been missing for many, many moons and there was a woman matching Delial's description who remains suspect in his disappearance. A woman supposedly representing the scholarly pursuits of an old Ul'dahn house of relics and antiquities had been in his company and requested to procure a certain item out of the Conjurer's archives for research - an item of somewhat dubious nature which has also since gone missing. The nature of the item remains undisclosed.
- ■ Thaumaturge's Guild. The Highlander is a recurrent figure in the Ul'dahn scene and lately she seems to have taken an interest in the Guild. If asked, the registrar there might vaguely suggest she had been a student of a student before but that her studies had soon been abandoned and the woman had practically vanished from their halls.
- ■ Blackthorn Company. There is a free company recently sprung up under the Maelstrom's banner which seems to have her name on the roster. She along with a man known as Saxon Thorne are listed as follows: "adventurers for hire. jobs done with the utmost discretion."
- Outside Links:
- ■ Vanity's Ruin - A Tumblr inspiration blog. Has NSFW content tagged as such. Some gore.
- ■ Grimsong's Mixtape (YouTube) - A collection of songs that I listen to when I need to be an angry Highlander woman.
- ■ Bluh bluh bluh.
- Misc Info:
- ■ Template adapted from Bancroft Gairn, with edits by Xheja Rajhera / N'hadiya Khei. Further edited and adapted by Jajara Jara / Delial Grimsong.
- ■ Delial is a continuation of sorts of my World of Warcraft character of the same name. Please feel free to say hello if you were from Feathermoon!
- ■ Mary Elizabeth McGlynn is 100% concentrated Delial.
- ■ I don't know who her face claim would be but you bet your butt she's hella fine.
- ■ Character inspirations include: Cersei Lannister (A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones), Karen Green (House of Leaves).
- Tropes for Funsies: