Delial Grimsong

Delial Grimsong
"Everyone dies, little dove. No one is ever truly free."
The Witch
Gender	Female
Race	Hyur
Clan	Highlander
Citizenship	Ala Mhigo
Nameday	6th Sun, Fourth Umbral Moon, 1542
Age	35
Guardian	Rhalgr

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Character

General Info

This woman carries herself with the air of a woman who knows her place in the world and has been convinced, reluctantly perhaps, that she floats somewhere above most of those around her. Proud to the point of arrogance, Delial Grimsong bows to no man and serves no one without cause.

NOTE: Delial Grimsong is not a Warrior of Light and does not possess the Echo, nor has she participated in any of the major events portrayed in-game or have any open affiliation with any relevant factions save for the Garlean Empire.

(( Still very much a WIP so please pardon strange parts. Trying to flesh this out, I promise!! ))

Appearance

Delial is slight for a Highlander: her stature is short in comparison and her frame meager and less robust than many of her sisters, a fact which does irk her somewhat. Yet she makes it up with sheer confidence, known to be not at all modest about showing off what the Gods did see fit to give her. Her skin is a dark caramel and her hair is dark with violet undertones, especially in the sunlight. One of her eyes is a sharp yellow while the other is scarred to a milky white, clearly blinded by some injury which had left its mark across her brow and cheekbone. While she has no tattoos, she seems to mark her face with ritualistic lines regularly enough for it to seem a permanent fixture on her skin. In a nod to Ala Mhigan tradition, she's had her upper and lower canines filed into points.

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.

When she speaks, her voice is fairly deep and has a touch of that breathy quality to it, a feature she tends to exaggerate when speaking with people she does not know very well. Despite being a Highlander, she does not speak with the expected Highlander dialect but with the sharper, clipped tones that speak to heavy exposure to Imperial influence. It can come off as forced, however, as she almost never slips into anything less than a formal, proper vocabulary, and does not speak with contractions or slang.

Personality & Philosophy

Proud, vain, cut-throat and unapologetically hedonistic. These are the qualities Delial embodies, living her life mostly at her own pace with mostly her own desires at heart. She prides herself on being a strong, independent woman with loyalties and a sense of honor very clear to herself even if not to the people with whom she interacts. Selfish and self-serving, she tends to have little reservation about using or harming others if doing so will get her closer to what she wants. Her moods are as fickle as the faces she wears: lies and falsehoods spoken through perfectly practiced smiles, plying flirtations and flattery or even bold-faced threats to bend people her way. Cruelty is not beyond her, nor is kindness should it suit her needs.

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. She might once have scoffed at the idea of monogamy but, as of late, she seems to have found an overwhelming fondness for one man in particular.

Religious Views

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.

Combat

Delial is very comfortable with small swords and blades though she seems to prefer spell casting over any actual physical combat, possibly because of the obvious disadvantage being half-blind might bring about. Her proficiencies seem to be with arcanima, albeit with a slightly bastardized form than what is taught in the Arcanist's Guild: more primitive and vulgar with techniques and sigils long designed to manipulate life-energies provided by the caster in the form of various bodily humours moreso than mere aetheric manipulation. As such, her abilities are handicapped somewhat and while she remains a capable damage dealer with her unorthodox spellwork, her ability to heal with said spells is considerably less effective than those of one taught the "pure" geometries.

NOTE: Delial's in-game class does not necessarily reflect what she can do ICly. Despite having Summoner at 50, I tend to view her as a potent Arcanist and a passable Scholar and that's really about it. Red Mage would probably be the best approximation to a classic FF class, so fingers crossed!!

Tendencies

Likes ■ Philosophy ■ Sex ■ Trashy romance novellas ■ Terrible wine ■ Flattery ■ Pet names (for others)

Dislikes ■ Gil ■ Small, enclosed spaces ■ Archers ■ Weakness (in herself or in others) ■ 'Easy' people ■ Chains

Hobbies/Talents ■ Haruspicy (supposedly!) ■ Lying ■ Melodramatics ■ Withstanding pain ■ Angering others ■ Arcanistry

Other ■ Favourite Food: Aldgoat steak ■ Favourite Color: Green ■ If she could be an animal, she would be a: Dragon ■ Biggest Fear: Enslavement ■ Hero: Gaius van Baelsar

Other Notes

• She is completely blind on her left side and as such she has a tendency to scan her surroundings quite often. As a rule she dislikes having others standing to her left and so she is careful about positioning herself near or around other people.
• Those especially observant might note that her face paint is, in fact, made at least in part with blood. Sometimes it's there, sometimes it isn't, but always it smells just enough of blood.
• While it is not common knowledge (yet), Delial was fairly heavily involved on the Garlean side of the conflicts in Ala Mhigo. Since the Imperials took over, Delial made it a mission of hers to help quell dissidents and the threat of rebellion and has had a hand in the kidnappings and murders of many suspected Resistance members.

Relationships

Family

Delial rarely, if ever, speaks of her family and has taken great care to try and sever her ties to them. Attempts to track down her relatives may be made all the more difficult by the fact that she does not go by her maiden name of Blackstone. Feeling that the name was tainted by her family's chosen alleigances, she discarded it not long after the events of the Calamity.

• Garren Blackstone: Father, formerly a priest of Rhalgr. He was killed fairly early on in the upheaval of Ala Mhigo but was survived by his wife and children.
• Lyra Blackstone: Mother, midwife and self-appointed witch. Skilled with all manner of hedge-magics, it was through her that Delial learned much of what she knows and still practices. She commited suicide days after the Calamity.
• Westor Blackstone: Elder brother by two years, formerly a disciple of Rhalgr and secretly a member of the Fists of Rhalgr. Killed during a skirmish between Garlean forces and Resistance fighters.
• Harvard Blackstone: Younger brother, formerly a stablehand. The only other surviving member of Delial's immediate family, unknown how he was able to flee the violence in Ala Mhigo. Currently lives in works in Ul'dah as an errand boy and a retainer. He and his sister are not on speaking terms, but she remains fiercely protective of him. Their relationship has only become even more strained since he was kidnapped by a gang of angry women in league with the Resistance.

Player Standing

♥ Romantic Interest    ♥ Sexual Desire    ♥ ???     ● Good Standing    ● Neutral Standing    ● Poor Standing

♥♥● Itarliht Syhrkoensyn - A powerful Roegadyn bruiser who was known to many as "The Crimson Mountain." Delial knew him by the name 'Itarliht', a name which was strangely fitting considering that in their earliest of meetings she often joked of him being her White Knight. The two quickly became extremely close, with the Roegadyn pledging his blade and his life to her. It was he who ultimately convinced her to stand against Raelisanne Banurein and with his aid she reached out to Roen Deneith and Gharen Wolfsong to ally herself to them for that purpose. Unbeknownst to her, he would end up being hired to kidnap Deneith in a ploy to get at Wolfsong. Delial remained in denial over the whole affair until finally seeing him for herself: the White Knight she had fallen in love with cast aside in favor of the monstrous Crimson Mountain others saw him to be, with two broken captives at his back. Negotiations for Roen and Askier were successful when it was agreed that he and Delial could sail away together, but that did not come to be. Delial left that place alone and covered in his blood.

♥● Orpheus Arkouda - A miqo'te to whom she owes her life. In years past they were at odd with one another, fighting on opposite sides of an especially bloody battle. That battle was nearly striken up anew when the two met once more in Limsa Lominsa. An unlikely friendship grew stronger still when he answered her call for help in her hour of greatest need and saved her life. He is one of the few she trusts completely and one of the few to whom her deepest secrets are known. At their last meeting, Delial learned that he had been cast out by his 'little wife' and, in an uncharacteristic show of compassion, did her best to console him for a most unexpected happening. He in turn extended an invitation for her to visit the tavern in which he had found work, The Laughing Lady, though she has yet to act upon it.

● Roen Deneith - A Sultansworn turned Brass Blade. She and Delial have had complicated history which, in actuality, stretches back to Roen's infancy. Delial was first put on Roen's trail by Raelisanne Banurein and was instructed to keep an eye on her. The two quickly became friends and through her Delial was able to ascertain information with regards to the Resistance cell taking root in Thanalan. Through twisted words and emotional appeal, Delial strung the girl along until at last the final betrayal was played: Gharen Wolfsong was captured and given to Banurein, and then returned with the intent of having Banurein's experiment played out. With Itarliht's guidance, Delial has come back around to wanting to help Roen in being rid of Banurein for good. Perhaps it is that Roen knows Delial's true nature better than she would like; perhaps it is that Delial does regret what was done to Gharen, and the way Roen herself has come a little more cold and jaded. Since Roen was returned from her kidnapping (at the hands of Askier, Itarliht, and one Natalie Mcbeef no less), Delial has sworn herself to aiding her and her brother.

● Gharen Wolfsong - The son of an old clan and a man who appears to be a key figure in a small but resilient group of Resistance fighters in Ul'dah. With a bit of careful planning and a handful of sheer luck, Delial was able to subdue and capture Wolfsong for use by Miss Banurein. She revealed to him a secret involving the day his family was torn apart and would likely have been torn apart herself were the man not bound. It would seem that Banirein's experiment did not have its intended results and so Delial has been tasked with finding Wolfsong once more. She, in the company of Itarliht and Askier, met with Roen, Gharen, and Obsidian Hornet and it was there that Gharen finalized the decision for her: she would, as he put it, work for him... or else. With the matter of Roen's kidnapping resolved, however, it would appear that the two have entered into a truce of sorts, no longer wanting for each other's blood. Delial has promised him aid in doing whatever she can to make things right, and is currently posing inquiries about potential threats to Roen's safety. The two have, oddly, been getting along quite well.

● Osric Melkire - A hyur with a knack for fisticuffs. He came to her with Jameson Taeros to ask her questions regarding Sultansworn involvement in the incident at the Nanawa Mines so many weeks ago. Much to her surprise, she saw the man again at the lichyard north of Camp Drybone, working against herself and the team assigned to retrieve the last of three packages Askier Mergrey wished to secure. While she has no conflict with the man directly, she knows that she is known to him, and has little reason to believe future encounters with the man will be pleasant. They have run into one another a few times recently though they parted with little more than idle threats and poisoned banter. Much to her surprise, however, he came forward with offers to help her with her dilemma with Banurein, and he was instrumental in pinpointing Itarliht as well as his hostages. She has thrown her lot in with him for want of Mcbeef's blood, and hopes to meet with him again to discuss this very matter. She has learned that he is under the thumb of a mysterious miqo'te who claims to have been in league with Askier during the Ul'dahn bomb plot.

● Kahn'a Od'hilkas - A miqo'te archer, and a close friend to Askier. It cannot be said that the boy lacks loyalty and for that Delial cannot dislike him too much. She still holds something of a grudge for being shot quite painfully when last they bore arms against one another. Since then, they have managed to share a few brisk conversations, and though she threatened Askier's life, he made no violent move against her. It would seem he sees the truth to Delial's words with regards to the one-eyed miqo'te, yet is hesitant to act upon them. Naive.

♥● A'rytiss Edar - A cheerful miqo'te conjurer with a knack for getting himself lost. Delial has incredibly mixed feelings about the boy she found nearly wandering blindly into an Imperial Castrum. She has since taken him on as her go-to healer, trusting few others to attend to her wounds and her troubles with so open and clear a mind as him, even if he is possibly the most naive person in Eorzea. This does not come without guilt, however, as healing leaves him drained and exhausted. He is one of the few people to which her attachment is almost purely emotional, though she is uncertain if her fondness for him is purely platonic or something more. Regardless, she has found herself in a position where wooing the boy would only put him in danger, and even the barest nontion of romance leaves the boy incredibly uncomfortable. It has been some time since she has seen him, likely thanks managing to avoid grievous injury even in her dealings with Ul'dahn authority and bomb threats.

● Edgar Von Gandervalt - A boy who loves a woman he shouldn't. Their relationship, if one can call it that, is complicated indeed, even more so after Delial confessed to having a played a critical part in the murders of his parents. He has persisted, however, and has even gone so far as to attempt to protect and later disarm Askier's magitek bomb himself, to some harm upon his body. This flew straight in the face of her warning him to stay away, to keep their associations unknown lest she kill him for exposure. Having not seen him for some time, she was surprised to find him battered and cut, taking his return into her life as a ill omen considering the manner by which she was parted from Itarliht. Grudgingly, she healed the worst of his wounds only enter into a vocal argument with the boy. Her threats against him stand firm, just as his apparent determination to try and help her.

● Zachary Evans - A shameless, beautiful young man. Possibly a gladiator? It does not matter. He is beautiful, and his booty don't lie.

● Alexei Volkov - A... henchman? Apparently working for or belonging to Melkire. Cold, professional, and... strangely polite, Delial cannot quite find reason to take offense to the man nor his actions thus far.

Enemies

● Raelisanne Banurein - Delial's employer and quite possibly the only person in Eorzea who she actually fears. The midlander is deceptively delicate looking with a deadly cold streak to her, manipulative and cunning to a near inhuman degree. It was she who set Delial on the hunt for the Resistance effort in Ul'dah and through her that she came to hunt Gharen Wolfsong, son of a clan she failed to end in the dying days of old Ala Mhigo. Delial is intensely uncomfortable with the woman's methods but, knowing well the power and information Banurein and her superiors hold, is at a loss to do anything but her bidding, especially knowing full well that Raelisanne knows far, far more about her and her family than anyone. Delial has been tasked with once more resuming the hunt for Gharen Wolfsong so that she may continue and possibly even complete her "experiment"... however, Delial has been convinced that her current course with this white-haired woman is not the one she need take and is currently attempting to reach out to those she and Banurein have wronged to seek out new options.

● Askier Mergrey - A fellow Garlean. Delial warmed up to the man fairly quickly after their initial meeting and even ended up going so far as to try to defend him in his plot against Ul'dah, despite having warned him of its foolishness. Their relationship has soured considerably, however, after it was revealed that he was the one who kidnapped Roen, thereby going against her word, and somehow convinced Itarliht to go along with it. The two came to violence in Camp Drybone and, had it not been for the intervention of Volkov and allies, one may have ended up killing the other then and there. She has made it a priority to see the man die, or at least suffer greatly, for what she believes he did to turn Itarliht into the Crimson Mountain.

● Brynhilde Wulf - A notorious figure within the Ala Mhigan Resistance. While she knows of Wulf largely only by name and reputation, they did have a chance meeting in Ul'dah wherein they shared a few barbed words. Although they could not be further than opposite on where they stand with regards to the state of their homeland (and, by extent, those who fight for it), Delial cannot help but hold a certain sense of respect for the woman. Powerful, intelligent, and obviously incredibly dedicated to her cause: Brynnhilde Wulf is Ala Mhigan, even if she is a traitor. Her capture would bring Delial a great amount of gil and more than likely a tremendous amount of favor with the Empire but she has made no plans to interfere with whatever it is the woman is doing in Ul'dah.

● Qaeli Varily - An acquaintance of Gharen's, and to some degree of Roen's. The silver haired woman was everything Delial did not expect of Roen's allies: bold, bloodthirsty, sharp as any blade and just as dangerous. Their encounter was brief but Delial left it broiling over her words. There are not many people who get under her skin, after all. Qaeli was hidden but present at the exchange for Wolfsong and ended up shooting Delial through her shoulder with an arrow while trying to get some answers with regards to the control mechanism that Delial activated and then destroyed. If she can keep out of the white-haired woman's way then Delial will be thankful.

● Jameson Taeros - A nobleman and pawn of Raelisanne Banurein. Delial does not know him well enough to think much about this man. She was instructed to tell what she knew of the Nanawa Mine incident and together the two went to report to Osric Melkire in what was a ploy to attempt to discredit the Sultansworn involved (namely, Natalie Mcbeef, Kage Kiryuu, and Roen Deneith). Since then she has seen him but once, in attendance of Askier's trial. Yet it would appear that his influence - or rather, his involvement - with political matters in Ul'dah span far greater than she would have thought. For now, he remains but a potential lead on the path to destroying Banurein.

● Natalie Mcbeef - An important figure in the Sultansworn of Ul'dah. To Delial, the woman is a brainless thug and she cannot understand how the few other Sultansworn she has spoken to can stand to follow the woman. She is transparent in her obliviousness, her lack of understanding, and in her clumsy way of insult. As far as Delial is concerned, the woman is a walking corpse. She has since learned of C'kayah Tia, a self-named "crime lord" to whom she is attached, as well as the abuses of power that has kept the man out of sight of the law. Intent on harming one or both to satisfy her grudge, Delial has since made inquiries after the man. McBeef is as good as dead in her eyes. She was also responsible for hiring Askier to kidnap Roen Deneith in a convoluted and ill-advised scheme to take Gharen Wolfsong's life. The repercussions have hit Delial hard (albeit not as hard as Roen) and did not help the bad blood that already existed between herself and the former Sultansworn. One day, Delial have her head.

● Kage Kiryuu - A lalafellin goon of the Sultansworn. His protective attitudes towards Roen were obvious, as were his lack of understanding of the situation at hand. Delial watched him squirm while his superior instigated an interrogation. "It must be nice being a slave," he said, failing to recognize the irony in his own words. She thinks little of the man, a fool following a fool, and should he become a further nuisance she will not hesitate to end him. He has been linked as another one of Mcbeef's weaknesses. Delial heard a rumor that he might be skulking about La Noscea in search of Roen but has not actually seen that snotty little man anywhere. Little does she know that she is looking for the wrong race.

● Reverend Hakuga - A representative of the elusive Reverends, under whom Delial served briefly. While she once felt she owed them (and perhaps him in particular) for her freedom from imprisonment and potential execution in Coerthas, she has found working for them to be stifling. After a bloody confrontation with other unnamed agents, Delial has severed her ties and has not had any contact with Hakuga nor his peers ever since.

Rumors

Common Rumors

• "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?"

Moderate Rumors

• "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'?"

Rare Rumors

• "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."

PC Rumors

• (( If you know Delial ICly, please feel free to toss some rumors up here! ))
• "She is very much a bearer of many a great burden. Hells, you're looking at one of them, now." - Edgar Von Gandervalt
• "She has a way of weaving lies and truths seamlessly. It makes her more dangerous. I do not intend on doing much listening next time we cross paths." - 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
• "Grace incarnate and viper personified, that's Delial for you... that's what I thought. As for what I think...." - Osric Melkire
• "Delial moved to the better end when the need was great, likely did she have her motives, yet she still did. You would be wise to remain vigilant around her, that said." - Kahn'a Od'hilkas
• "Hell hath no fury like a woman. And that woman is foolish enough to think I should be the focus of her fiery wroth when she should be blaming the dead man she loved." - Askier Mergrey
• "Not someone I'd trust... but she's looking out for Roen. I need her help clearing Gharen's name." - Kage Kiryuu
• "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
• "Angry." - Alexei Volkov

History/Timeline

(( In progress! ))

Potential Relationships

• Ala Mhigans, particularly those who were already young adults during the fall, could have known/remembered her.
• Likewise, Garlean characters who might have helped conquer or maintain Garlean rule after might know of her.
• Current or former resistance characters may know her as a criminal.
• Characters who have had involvement with the Lambs of Dalamud might know her.

Additional/OOC

• I am a huge nerd and here are some theme songs.
  • Walk on Vanity Ruins - Silent Hill 3 OST, Akira Yamaoka - Mary Elizabeth McGlynn is totally Delial's voice.
  • You Know You Like It - AlunaGeorge
  • How To Be A Heartbreaker - Marina and the Diamonds
  • Mono - Silicone
  • The Crow - Dessa
  • The Rifle's Spiral - The Shins
  • Fall In Love - Phantogram
• Delial was my main throughout my time in WoW and she's being reincarnated here in a sense. So if you know me from Feathermoon, please feel free to say hello!

Annotations

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