Delial Grimsong

Delial Grimsong

the witch of gyr abania

blackstone's legacy

kinslayer

❝Everyone dies, little dove. No one is ever truly free.❞

GENERAL INFO

STATS

gender

race

clan

citizenship

age

nameday

guardian

affiliation

female

hyur

highlander

ala mhigo

36

6th sun, 4th am, 1542

rhalgr

blackthorn company

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. 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.

LIKES ■ 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.

DISLIKES ■ 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.

MOTIVATION ■ 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.

STRENGTHS ■ 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.

WEAKNESSES ■ 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.

QUIRKS ■ 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.

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. In a nod to Ala Mhigan tradition, she's had her upper and lower canines filed into points.

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.

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 rarely speaks with contractions or slang.

COMBAT

Direct combat is certainly not Delial's strength and if at all possible she would just as soon remove her from the fight, or at the very least have someone else fight in her stead. Her wars are waged with words and manipulation, guiding others to align their goals with hers, but should the need ever arise she can prove to be not entirely helpless on her own. Under the guidance of the Witch, she learned to twist a body's aether against itself, leaving her targets dehabilitated so that she might deal with them at her own leisure. A knife is as much at home in her hands as a tome and though she is not particularly skilled at knife-play, she knows where and how to cut to make the most of her strikes.

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.

NOTE: Delial's in-game class(es) do not reflect what she can do IC. Despite having Summoner/Scholar and Bard at 50, I tend to view her more as a potent Arcanist and that's really about it. If she has a faerie or egi out please consider her to be OOC.

AETHER 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.

ARCANIMA 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.

ARCHERY 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.

KNIVES 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.

CUNNING 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.

HISTORY

Of her activities and history in Ala Mhigo there is little official record but the Resistance movement has not been shy of making her treachery known. Her name (and several unflattering variations of it at that) have been tied to the capture, torture, and subsequent executions of numerous individuals. One instance in particular even places her in Limsa Lomina in the company of a covert Garlean detachment years prior to the Calamity. The list has only grown since her arrival in the city-states proper.
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.

PRE-CALAMITY Family ■ Garren Blackstone- Father, priest. A pious and honorable man whose devotion to his family was only eclipsed by his devotion to Rhalgr. His distance to his only daughter may have been the work of the Witch. ■ Lyra Blackstone - Mother, mid-wife, hedge-witch. A capable thaumaturge blessed with wit and beauty. It was often debated why she chose to wed her plain and unremarkable husband. She attended to Hrathi's coven at her husband's disapproval, and did what she could to pass on her techniques to her daughter. ■ Westor Blackstone - Elder brother, Fist of Rhalgr. Rarely got along with Delial. When Theodorac turned to Ruin, he quickly joined in the revolution and ultimately lost his life for it. ■ Harvard Blackstone - Younger brother, retainer. He and his sister have not been on speaking terms for many years, yet she does all she can to ensure his safety. He remains in Ul'dah, living a simple life away from the shadow of his sister. ■ Hrathi: The Witch. Rumored to have been a Black Mage of great power. A woman highly respected by Lyra and Delial both for her wisdom, her cunning, and her power. Origins ■ 1542: Born on the 6th Sun, 4th Umbral Moon to Garren and Lyra Blackstone of Ala Mhigo. ■ 1548: Her younger brother, Harvard, born on the 5th Sun, Sixth Umbral Moon. ■ 1551: Formally brought under the tutelage of Hrathi and, while it is quickly discovered that she does not have the aetherial prowess of her mother before her, she quickly becomes fascinated with the hedge-magics the Witch has to teach. ■ 1552: Theodorac proclaims himself King, and Ala Mhigo begins to crumble. ■ 1553: Garren Blackstone killed in a skirmish between Theodorac's men and the Fists of Rhalgr. ■ 1556: Westor Blackstone killed in defense of a temple of Rhalgr. ■ 1557: The King of Ruin's reign ends as he kills himself rather than be dethroned. The Garlean Empire gains control of Ala Mhigo. This same year, Delial's involvement with the Garlean military and other anti-resistance groups becomes cemented. While she does not officially join the military in any capacity, she becomes deeply involved in militia movements targetting would-be rebels. ■ 1571: Hrathi vanishes along with several powerful relics, leaving the rest of her sect with a power vacuum. Her coven quickly falls under the sway of the Lambs of Dalamud. ■ 1572: The Battle of Carteneau, and the Calamity. Delial and her family survives the ordeal from their home in Ala Mhigo. Days after, Lyra Blackstone commits suicide.

POST-CALAMITY Exile ■ 1573: Harvard Blackstone is 'sold' to a slavers and taken from Ala Mhigo and the unrest there. Delial abandons the name 'Blackstone' for 'Grimsong.' Her devotion to her cause becomes borderline fanatical, and her infamy amongst those she so actively hunts only grows. ■ 1576: A mole in the Garlean forces foils a raid on a Resistance hideout leading to the capture of Delial Grimsong and several others wanted by the Resistance. They are thusly transported to an undisclosed location in the Coerthas wilds to be interrogated and executed. As time goes on, it becomes more and more known that Delial was not in fact executed at all, and remains at large. ■ 1577 to Present: Delial Grimsong first arrives in Ul'dah in the company of a man called Hakuga (since gone missing), and is later rumored to be under the employ of a Garlean agent. Her primary concern whilst in Thanalan seems to be with crippling a Resistance cell but her hand is seen in other acts as well. Suspected/Known Crimes ■ Remi Marcineaux, missing, suspected dead. A Conjurer of the Stillglade Fane, he was assigned to assist curator Delial Grimsong of a small Ul'dahn house of antiquities in the research of a particular ominous relic. Following an incident in the guild archives, Grimsong fled to the Shroud. She, Marcineaux, and the relic have not been seen in Gridania since. ■ Several individuals of uncertain origin were found dead in the lower docks of Limsa Lominsa one evening late in the summer of 1577. A witness suggested that a miqo'te warrior left the scene in the company of a woman matching Delial Grimsong's description that very night. None of the victims could be identified as citizens of Limsa Lominsa. ■ Aylard Greyarm of the Ala Mhigan Resistance was found dismembered and mostly eaten. A merchant travelling to Vesper Bay noticed several carrion birds gathered in the waters of the Silent King, making short work of hyur remains. ■ Similar to the case of Aylard Greyarm, another individual was found dismembered in a house in nearby Crescent Cove. Said house was suspected of being a safehouse for Garlean agents within Thanalan. Other residents were reluctant to comment in any meaningful manner. ■ Askier Mergrey, former Garlean, terrorist. Assaulted with the intent to kill, but stopped by Mergrey's allies. For this she was briefly held but was ultimately released within a few suns. ■ Itarliht Syhrkoensyn, executed. The mercenary was found to have kidnapped two individuals and was brought to Crescent Cove to negotiate their release. It is said that Grimsong, who was to leave with Syhrkoensyn in self-imposed exile, killed him instead.

INTERACTIONS

RUMORS 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.

RELATIONS ♥ Romantic Attraction | ♥ Platonic Love | ✔ Positive | ✖ Negative | ● Neutral note: Characters with whom Delial has had little interaction with will be gradually cycled out. Saxon Thorne ( ✔ ) - Partner in crime, so to speak. The two met under tense and uncertain terms a year ago in Gridania, where both found themselves in pursuit of the same target. Unbeknownst to Delial, the man has since been cleaning up after her by secretly dispatching those who were still after her for the item she walked away with that day. Their relationship has been rocky (as is the course for anyone associated with this woman) but she has since warmed up to him despite his socially awkward nature. She currently works for him as an administrator of the Blackthorn Company, screening jobs and clients for his approval. Roen Deneith ( ✔ ) - That girl will be the death of me. Or of others. To say Roen and Delial have had their ups and downs would be severely understating the nature of their relationship. Delial has done a great many wrongs against the girl and her family and, to some extent, her friends... Yet fate would have it that they would return to one another for aid or advice time and time again. Perhaps it is guilt that makes her so intent on protecting Roen? Her current involvement remains with trying to dissuade Roen and her friends from involvement with Nero Lazarov. That, however, has proven fruitless as the Delial has learned that she has been taken captive by Taeros' own pet Crofte. It cannot be said if Delial is sympathetic. Gharen Wolfsong ( ✔ ??? ) - I wonder...? As with Roen, Delial's history with Gharen has been full of blood and pain. Yet by some miracle she herself cannot fully understand, Gharen Wolfsong seems to have forgiven her. The two share an amicable partnership of sorts (as 'friendship' seems to be a wholly inappropriate word to use), with Delial often relaying messages and information from one source or another to Wolfsong and vice versa. The two were recently seen at the Starlight Ball together with many apparently assuming that they were there as a couple, a notion which Delial did not go to much length to deny as she seemed to take great amusement in Gharen's distress. On their latest "outing," they both failed to snare either Shaelen Stormchild or the information she held if only because Gharen seemed to be more interested in Delial's well-being. Her own prodding about their personal standing had left her bewildered enough, acts of compassion withstanding. Delial was not satisfied with watching him let his chance walk, however, and intends to secure that information knowing well enough that he will not do what needs to be done to get it. Osric Melkire ( ✔ ) - Not too clever, not too dim. Decent. Delial would more than likely refer to the Sergeant as an acquaintance more than a friend. They share words now and again when either curiosity or business brings him to mind. When they first met, Melkire made clear his intentions of having her removed from the city of Ul'dah and then often exchanged barbed words whenever caught in each other's company. She has come to respect the man a great deal, however, and maintains a passive interest in his goings-ons. Askier Mergrey ( ● ) - Fool. Theirs seems to be the very definition of a love-hate relationship. Delial does not speak often of Askier any longer, nor of the many times they came to blows, nor the few times they nearly killed one another. In his absence, she hopes for peace. Kiht Jakkya ( ● ) - Honorable. Gullible? One of Roen's friends from what she understands, and a woman in charge of a clan of Keepers in the Shroud. Delial recently met with Jakkya to learn of the conflicts between her clan and the Morbolvine only to learn that another party has a more definite hand in the tension there. Their meeting went much more smoothly than she had anticipated, though whether or not she will follow up with her promise to pursue her inquiry remains to be seen. Kahn'a Od'hilkas ( ✔ ) - Least irritating one. She knows him as Lieutenant of the Red Wings and an ally of Melkire and Mergrey's. Their encounters have been few and far between, perhaps in part to him having shot an arrow in her leg during one of those encounters, but she maintains a grudging respect for the man. His eloquence and what appears to be genuine concern for his peers marks him as a decent and trustworthy man. Coatleque Crofte ( ● ) - Mayhap she has learned a thing or two? Crofte has fast become a troubling figure in all these dealings with Lazarov and Taeros. Once, she felt sympathy for the woman for she was, in her mind, the least incompetent of the Sultansworn and the most unfortunate. She was present when Natalie McBeef unleashed Mergrey and his bombs on a Maelstrom warehouse and apparently took the fall for it. She has found herself entangled with Jameson Taeros - in more ways than one, according to the gossip. Wolfsong has suggested that it was Ser Crofte responsible for Roen Deneith's capture. Despite their last effort at cooperation ending somewhat coldly, Ser Crofte has recently agreed to help acquire and hold Hroch Greyarm so that they might get information regarding Lazarov from Shaelen Stormchild. S'kiear Grimsong ( ● ) - ... A man proclaiming himself her brother has been noted in the city-states. Delial herself seems reluctant to comment beyond a simple cryptic question: "What do you know of me or my kin?" Brynnalia Callae ( ● ) - Sharp, beautiful. Best be wary. A dangerous and crafty woman who has gone from being an ally of the Resistance to a hound of Jameson Taeros. Her former(?) ties with the Resistance are not entirely unknown, nor is her reputation for her cold cunning. Delial remains wary but business is business, and recent business has demanded that she reach out to the woman. Brynnalia and surprisingly Ser Coatleque Crofte have agreed to help track down Hroch Greyarm in order to try and "inspire" Shaelen Stormchild's cooperation. Shaelen Stormchild ( ✖ ) - Long overdue. Anyone who has had dealings with the right kind of Resistance knows the reputation of Shaelen Stormchild if not her name. Delial had only been peripherally aware of the smuggler: she had remained on the sidelines, working in the shadows, and did not present that much of a threat on her own despite her involvement. That, however, has changed and Delial's grudge against the woman has become a very real thing. Shaelen took the initiative and shot Grimsong clear through the belly before fleeing the Brass Blades who had come to ensnare her. The blood of hundreds of 'brave' Resistance fighters had already stained Delial's hands before Aylard's, and now she intends to bathe them in Stormchild's. That she seems to be a key to finding if not stopping Lazarov is simply convenient. Jameson Taeros ( ✖ ) - Trouble. Delial has to respect Taeros for the power he commands and, in some way, his methodology. She can appreciate his appreciation of ruthlessness when necessary and his approach to disabling his enemies... yet because of his ties to Raelisanne Banurein, she must remain vigilant lest she find herself marked as his enemy. Her activities regarding Lazarov seemed to have gone quite still over the past moons, but it would also seem that she has very recently and very abruptly found that interest rekindled. Raelisanne Banurein ( ✖ ) - Heartless. The fact that Banurein remains at large somewhere is a matter of great concern to Delial. It was under Banurein's direction that she manipulated Roen to get to the Resistance and Gharen Wolfsong. It was at her side that they mutilated and scarred Wolfsong. Her connections make her uneasy, and the fact that Banurein knows so much about Delial - her history, her family, and her fears - makes her extremely dangerous.

GALLERY

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MISCELLANY

Potential Hooks

■ 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:

■ [S]He Who Fights Monsters

■ I Did What I Had To Do

■ Good Scars Evil Scars

■ Witch Species

■ Even Evil Has Loved Ones