Eliane Dufresne

Eliane Dufresne
'Fate, my dear, is merely a suggestion.'
Gender	Female
Race	Elezen
Clan	Wildwood
Citizenship	Ishgard
Server	Balmung
Age	27
Height	6’5”
Time Zone	Mountain (GMT-7 Standard)

Basic Info

Eliane Celestine Radelle de Dufresne is the elder of a pair of twins born to Baron Emmereaux Dufresne and his wife, the Baroness Olivie, both lesser nobles of Ishgard. Having beaten her brother Juleaux Dufresne out of the womb by a whole two hours, Eliane won the position of heiress and currently runs the Dufresne Bellworks in the wake of her father’s recent retirement. Although the family business consumes much of her time, she moonlights at the Athenaeum Astrologicum, where she passionately studies the stars.

Because the Dufresnes are “new money” where Ishgardian nobility is concerned, Eliane is armed with rampant idealism and is determined to use her power and the family fortune to do good in the world. Philanthropy is hardly profitable, however, and now that Ishgard has opened to trade – and competition – with Ul’dah, she is beginning to rapidly learn the hard way that it’s the sharks who survive in the business world.

Likes ■ Hot drinks, most notably black tea, hot cocoa, and coffee loaded with cream ■ A good vintage wine ■ Rambling (in the Victorian Romantic sense; not excessive talking) ■ Tinkering and toys ■ Theatre, especially opera ■ Tourneys, jousts, and tests of skill ■ Quick wits and wordplay

Dislikes ■ Poor manners, deliberate foulness or rudeness, potty humor ■ Machisimo, strutting, or overly violent behavior ■ Bugs, any and all ■ Humidity ■ ...clowns

Favorites ■ Favourite Food: Confit de Canard, or anything with duck ■ Favourite Drink: Red wine ■ Favourite Place: Ruins of the Quickspill Delta, Dravanian Hinterlands ■ Favourite Color: White ■ Favourite Animal: Cats

Hobbies and Talents

■ Eliane has proven exceptional at dousing, the act of real-time scrying and seeing seconds, even minutes into the immediate future. In times of conflict, she has always put business aside to help the Athenaeum Astrologicum track the Horde’s incoming movements. ■ She is actually a decent actress, and is not half bad at her own operatic and dramatic performances. ■ She is a voracious reader, and consumes any fantasies and fictions she can find, having an insatiable weakness for escapism. ■ Though she cooks only as a hobby, her meals have gained her a few fans, and it would appear she has the potential to make a half-decent chef if she committed to it. ■ She's fairly accomplished with her hands, and is skilled at making clockwork gadgetry of all sorts. She loves to study automata as a whole. ■ Like any Astrologian, Eliane is an adept at tarot reading and will give anyone a reading if they ask.

Appearance

Eliane is on the shorter end of the Elezen spectrum, sharing a height with most Highlander women. Although sporting more curvature than the average female of her race, she nevertheless cuts an elegant figure and moves with dignity and grace. Her features might be best described as ‘fey’, her current shorter haircut helping to accent rather pert facial features. Her eyes are a pale green and framed by thick lashes; they stand in pleasing contrast to her crimson hair and creamy skin. Always a stickler for appearance, Ellie typically wears light makeup and has a fondness for dresses. There is rarely, if ever, a speck of dust on her or a hair out of place. Ironically, everything else of hers – from her workspace to her room – is always a disastrous mess.

Personality

Cheerful, friendly, and outgoing, Ellie will come across as pleasant to the optimistic and saccharine to the pessimistic. She is well-mannered and polite, and will always treat others with respect and kindness until they prove to her that they deserve otherwise. Far from being a simple socialite, however, Eliane enjoys educated conversation: anything from arcane theorycrafting to a variety of scholarly subjects can have her talking and debating for hours. She’ll even talk shop with mechanics on rare occasions.

A life of nobility has given Ellie something of a vain streak. She can be overconfident and wanting for humility at times, and she will get salty fast if her physical appearance is threatened or harmed. She enjoys gossip and material items a bit too much, and can easily come across as just another shallow blue-blood to those who do not know her. She has a tendency to take everything literally, and often overdoes anything requested or suggested of her,sometimes to comedic effect. Confinement to Ishgard and environs her entire life has left her somewhat naïve about the rest of Eorzea, and she doesn’t know quite as much as she’d like to think she does.

Nevertheless, Ellie does her best to improve when she is criticized and will be the first one to extend a helping hand. She will never ask anything of anyone that she is unwilling to do herself.

She also has a notorious weakness for cute things.

Business Ellie

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Though Eliane’s public demeanor is often quite pleasant, she’s another person entirely when it comes to business, and her family business will always come first to her. Though considered tough but fair by her employees, most everyone else will call her a business shark at best and a bitch at worst. A micromanager, multitasker, and penny-pincher, Eliane refuses to let a single gil coin go to waste and has short patience for mistakes and lost productivity. She bargains hard, and is not beyond fudging grey lines to outmaneuver her rivals. As House Dufresne and the manufactory that made their fortune is a small fish in a big pond, she knows she has to play dirty sometimes to stay afloat, and rumors abound about some of the more questionable things she’s done in order to get ahead.

Combat

Though she doesn’t get the time to study quite as much as she would like, Eliane is quite an adept magic

user and is skilled in many forms of arcanima. For the most part her talents lie in healing arts and in reading the future, but if cornered she will begin to fight back with bursts of starfire or, more commonly, with spells pre-inscribed on the backs of cards with arcane runes. These spells run the gamut of uses, from fiery explosions to freezing hailstorms and beyond.

Eliane is agile, but completely lacking in stamina. She rather wants for physical fitness and is actually a bit clumsy when required to exert herself. If forced into physical contact the fight would be over pretty quickly.

The Founding of House Dufresne

Emmereaux Dufresne was the son of an accomplished Ishgardian goldsmith. His father’s trade instilled in him a knowledge of various ores, as well as a penchant for the then-budding world of clockworks and tinkering, both of which endlessly fascinated him. As he got older, he began to travel often to the Sharlayan city-state in an effort to increase his knowledge, and there met his wife, a skilled Astrologian by the name of Olivie. The two married at a young age and inherited the Dufresne business as a wedding present. The couple, unsatisfied with a simple goldsmith shop, decided to marry Sharlayan arcanima with Ishgardian ingenuity, and thus the Dufresne Bellworks was born.

By this time Emmereaux had already grown into a cunning businessman in his own right but, backed by his wife’s readings, he became all the stronger. He made a series of fortuitous investments and secured mining contracts in lands outside of Coerthas in order to ensure he had no rivals for ore. As Isghgard began to move towards industrialization in an effort to better combat the Dravanian Horde, Emmereaux was quick to invest in such projects, including what would eventually become the Skysteel Manufactory. The investments paid off, and the couple’s fortunes steadily increased.

Common rumor has it that the Dufresnes made enough money through their business ventures to finally be able to afford land and eventually just bought their noble titles. A less common rumor suggests that Emmereaux was awarded a lordship for saving a vital Durendaire holding from annihilation by using his strange clockwork inventions. Either way, the newly-minted House Dufresne now proudly stands as one of House Durendaire’s loyal bannermen, and adopted the Great House’s bell sigil in part to show its gratitude.

The Bellworks

The Dufresne Bellworks is one of Ishgard's more active foundries. Able to work with a wide variety of metals, the Bellworks is specially equipped to cast larger objects: anything from drawbridge chains to church bells to the myriad of parts used in dragonkillers and airships. Most parts are then sent off the the Skysteel Manufactory for assembly, though depending on the order, some things can be assembled in-house. At times, the foundry will shift to the production of smaller items, such as bolts and nails, to help aid in reconstruction projects.

The Dufresnes are keen on acquiring their own ore to keep costs low, and most of the land they own is not farming land, but mines. With native Coerthan supplies drying up after a thousand years of war, the house is ever-vigilant for new sources, even those located well outside Ishgard proper. In particular, the recent push for mythril goods has Eliane scrambling to find a private source for her own.

Nearly all Bellworks workers are commoners, and by all reports they are treated fairly. A few younger sons and daughters from allied lower houses assist primarily in more administrative matters, though there's one or two who, like Juleaux, prefer a more hands-on approach instead. Curiously enough, many workers volunteer to undergo training in firearms, and help account for Dufresne's small cadre of men-at-arms. While Dufresne knights are sent wherever House Durendaire needs them, these machinists tend to stay close to home and help to man the walls in the Foundations instead.

Growing Up

Eliane and Juleaux were born on the 22nd sun of the First Umbral Moon, 1554, a late New Year’s gift for a couple who had been trying unsuccessfully for years to conceive. From then on the twins were raised with strict oversight: they were given the best that money could buy, but they were also required to work for it, as Emmereaux and Olivie were ever-wary of the family’s humble roots being forgotten in the thrall of noble luxury. This proved equal parts advantageous and stifling. The twins quickly developed and matured, but they were railroaded into the plans their parents had for them. As they looked more or less identical in their youth, they often traded clothes and identities in order to assert some form of autonomy, each subbing in for something the other would rather not do. At other times, the two would swap identities simply for the sake of mischief and confusion.

Eliane, for her part, was shipped off to the Atheneum Astrologicum as soon as she was old enough to learn, and in her younger days followed closely in her mother’s footsteps. There, she learned reading,

writing, history, arithmetic, and, of course, the path of the Astrologian. It soon became apparent that she shared her mother’s gift for divining the future, if not surpassed it, and might have been at the top of her class had she the motivation for it. As it was, Eliane proved lazy and scatterbrained, and lived out her school days as a perpetual underachiever.

Hours not spent in study were spent with a governess instead. Etiquette lessons were met with fierce resistance (she would have rather been out fencing with her brother), until her first dinner party; afterwards Eliane became enchanted with the courtly world, and fancied herself a princess for the rest of her childhood. She voraciously consumed fairytales and fashion, and grew to love performing in all its various forms.

As Eliane began to move beyond her elementary years, her father began to bring her to the office and the foundry in order to groom her as his heir. He taught her intermediate metallurgy and engineering, and she discovered she had a love for all things clockwork, much as he did, but it was her brother who would ultimately become the specialist in both fields. Eliane’s world instead became one of numbers and politics, as her father showed her all the ins and outs of running a business. By the time she was sixteen, she was even running some daily operations on her own.

Around this time, Emmereaux arranged for Eliane’s betrothal to Etinaud of House Toussaint. Though still a lesser house, House Toussaint was nevertheless larger than House Dufresne and, more importantly, held land that included a mythril mine. Eliane is still yet to make good on the promise, insisting that she is simply too busy with the Bellworks for now – and to some extent that is certainly true.

Inheritance

Each time life began to grow routine for the Dufresnes, a Dravanian attack on Ishgard’s walls would inevitably shake it up. The attacks eventually rose enough in frequency that Ishgard isolated itself, and thus the city state found herself in need of every man and woman she could muster. Juleaux and the Bellworks workers began to man the walls more and more, while Eliane and her mother spent more time in observatories attempting to help divine the Horde’s movements. For the first time ever, Eliane began to see friends and coworkers die.

Like many, Eliane turned to faith for comfort, and began to spend a sliver of time each night at the cathedral praying for her loved ones’ protection. Her sojourns eventually brought her into the acquaintance of an inquisitor named Alvere Renaud, who became a fast – if not unconventional and dangerous – friend. Like Eliane, Alvere needed someone to confide his troubles to discreetly, and to this day the two remain each other’s personal confidants. Whether or not that’s the extent of her relationship with him remains a mystery, and as it is they’re rarely seen together in public.

As things came to a head in 1572, several Bellworks workers whom Eliane knew personally left Ishgard under the pretense of surveying Mor Dhona and instead voluntarily joined the Eorzean Alliance for the Battle of Carteneau. The Calamity left them all either dead or missing in action, and thereafter Coerthas found itself plunged into the depression of perpetual winter.

The months following the flash-freeze saw a spike of desperation and heresy, during which Olivie attempted a forbidden spell to read the memories of a captured heretic leader; the spell backfired and dealt a telling blow to her own mind, and she has slowly been unraveling into dementia ever since. Not two years later, a steam explosion in the Bellworks foundry caused an equipment collapse that left Emmereaux paralyzed from the waist down. Now confined to a wheelchair (which he is determined to somehow automate), Emmereaux decided his close brush with death was a sign to retire and at last handed over the family business in full to his children.

Present

While Eliane is now technically the owner of Dufresne Bellworks, she and her brother more or less operate it as equals, with her handling the administration and Jules handling the operations. Recently, Bellworks machinists have made something of a name for themselves after their daring stand during the last attack on Ishgard, having helped man the walls until the collapse in the Brume. With the gates of Isghgard now open, both twins are finding every excuse they can to leave the city, whether that be for business or for pleasure. They’ve even been spotted in the company of the reclusive Aeon mercenaries, suggesting that the two might have picked up adventuring for some inexplicable reason.

Whatever it is the twins are doing, they’re not acting very noble while they’re doing it, and most other Ishgardian houses still do not take House Dufresne seriously, let alone remember it at all.

Family

Juleaux Dufresne – There isn’t a soul in the world Eliane isn’t closer to than her own twin brother. Although she’s harsh on him at times and they bicker relatively often, Eliane loves Jules above all else and there’s not a thing in the world she wouldn’t do for him. She is highly protective of her sibling and is quick to visit verbal or even physical harm – even at the cost of her own fingers – upon those who hurt or trouble him.

Emmereaux Dufresne (NPC) – Eliane’s relationship with her father is mostly formal. He grows more conservative and falls deeper into the culture of nobility the further he ages, and his mounting obsession with tradition was beginning to force some distance between the two until the accident. More recently, however, he and Eliane have begun re-bonding over their shared clockwork hobby, and she has become determined to help him achieve his dream of a self-propelled wheelchair. Emmeraux loves and respects his daughter, and has full confidence that he’s left the family business in good hands.

Olivie Dufresne (NPC) – Eliane was always close to her mother in her youth, as the two studied Astrology together. Olivie loved to share stories with her and take her sightseeing, and had something of a weakness for spoiling her daughter. Their relationship has since been strained following Olivie’s failed interrogation, however, and Eliane isn’t sure how to feel about – or forgive – her mother using a risky and forbidden spell in so seemingly brash a manner. As Olivie continues to slide further and further into dementia, Eliane finds herself growing less patient and more distant from her – and hates herself for it.

Friends

Arcian Martell – Arcian was the first “outsider” Eliane met upon Ishgard opening its gates, and she found herself quickly charmed by the Highlander woman. Ellie trusts her quite naturally and, though she’d never admit it, always feels safer for having her around.

Dartanon Nobis – Judge Draco Nobis has so mastered the art of being a gentleman that Ellie can’t help but to respect and admire him. She’ll often be quick to cite him as a proper example of a true knight, and finds him an easy and enjoyable conversation partner on anything and everything. The two often rib each other with traditional Elezen humor.

Graeham Ridgefield – A diplomat who as of late has been working closely with House Dufresne to not only improve La Noscean relations with Ishgard, but also to help the Bellworks acquire hard-to-get mining contracts in Vylbrand. Graeham never fails to surprise Eliane in one way or another, and she truly admires him simply for being a good guy.

Martiallais Heuloix -- Eliane met Martiallais at a party, where the two hit it off immediately. After repeated excuses to meet or 'run into' one another, the two have rapidly progressed to a quiet courtship, leaving the two cautiously balancing duty with romance. Both are well aware of the conflict between their cultures and social status, and are so far advancing with care -- at least within Ishgard proper.

Reima Awen – Recent events have helped to firmly solidify Reima and Eliane's friendship. The two now share a close trust, and Eliane views Reima as one part student, one part confidant.

Alvere Renaud (NPC) – An inquisitor who as of late prefers to travel with Roegadyn bodyguards. The most perplexing thing about Alvere is that nobody has anything to say about him at all, good, ill, or indifferent; its as though most do not even notice his passing. Nevertheless, he and Eliane are often seen in brief conversation during her visits to the Cathedral, and some Dufresne staff speculate that any time she cannot be found, she’s off to visit with him.

Acquaintances

Brave Horizon -- Eliane is fascinated by the Hellsguard woman, who is the embodiment of everything Ishgardian culture is not. If nothing else, Eliane is hoping to absorb some of Brave's nonchalance by simple proximity.

Devereau Beauregard – A man Eliane cannot help but to admire for his sheer beauty. Although she’s a little wary of him due to his complicated relationship with her brother, he’s just so gods-damned charming!

Grumbling Behemoth – A bizarre Roegadyn who works for the Skysteel Manufactory. Eliane appears to have him on some sort of contract, the details of which are nebulous at best.

Kail Gerrad - A man who Eliane is, for whatever reason, hell-bent on forcing to sit down for tea. He seems to have a knack for bringing out her vulgar side -- such that it is.

Kyraeth Vale - A woman Eliane seems to continuously run into in passing. Eliane's been trying to sit down and speak with her properly, knowing she shares a friendship with her brother, but somehow the opportunity is always interrupted.

Leon Greymoon – A mysterious miqo’te who helped Eliane and her brother settle into Cliffperch. Eliane knows that anytime anyone needs a helping hand, Leon will likely be there no matter what.

Striding Oak – A Hellsguard woman who helped Eliane set up an ‘away’ office in Cliffperch. Once she was settled in, Oak vanished; Eliane wonders what could have happened to make the woman always look so incredibly sad.

Trisselle Ganathain - Eliane has only recently come to know Trisselle, mainly through social events. Though she's not yet had the chance to sit down and talk with her properly, Eliane seems to hold a healthy respect for her, and even, it would seem, some inexplicable measure of gratitude.

Enemies

None yet!

Miscellaneous

Out on a survey!

• It’s decently well-known that Eliane is nearsighted, and yet she’s almost never seen wearing glasses.

• A prank Juleaux pulled on her when they were still young has resulted in her being hard of hearing in her right ear.

• She has a room set aside at home that is filled to the brim with various clockwork gadgets, which she collects obsessively.

• She is known to suffer from migraines, especially if she’s been in study for too long.

• Although she wears earcuffs, they are not for fashion -- close inspection, in fact, will reveal them to be studded with over a dozen different linkpearls. Eliane is constantly wired and in continuous communication, and often lingering near her in a quiet enough place will yield faint snippets of conversation that she's apparently become quite adept at tuning out.

In Her Satchel

Unless she knows she’s going on vacation, Eliane usually travels light. At most times she only has a few items on her person:

Olivie’s Pendant: A family heirloom passed down to Eliane from her mother, and to Olivie from her mother. It’s more of a little crystal pendulum on the end of a golden chain – both of obvious Sharlayan

Bespectacl’d

make. Eliane usually keeps it carefully tucked away on her person somewhere, but can occasionally be seen using it in her Astrology.

Wire-rimmed glasses: She always has them on her person, carefully hidden. But she almost never actually wears them.

Medicine: A small bottle of dried, compressed herbs to help with occasional headaches.

Deck of cards: The deck will vary depending on where Ellie is at the time, and sometimes she’ll even carry more than one. She has a tarot deck for reading, a general-purpose Astrologian’s deck, and a custom set of rune-inscribed spell cards for travel. They’re all made of thick, custom hand-pressed cardstock, and are elegantly inked and painted by a clearly skilled artist.

Lipstick: – She is never not wearing lipstick, and in the instance it gets smudged, she’s quick to renew it.

Frequent Locales

Predictably, Eliane is most often found in Ishgard. Her work takes her all over the city and there is no part of it she does not visit. She frequently visits the fortresses in the Central and Western Highlands in order to help see to their defenses as well.

She's been seen with increasing frequency in the North Shroud as well, and, should anyone be paying close attention, might see her coming and going from the inn in Foulgourd Float. She appears to be spending the night there more and more often.

Mounts, Pets, and Companions

Eliane has three cats, all strays brought in from the streets. More often than not they are left behind at the Dufresne manor, to the mixed delight and chagrin of the servants there. However, one cat, a fat little spotted creature named Lune, is smart and well behaved enough that Eliane will take her out and around at times.

At times, Eliane can be seen caring for Lutin, a tiny owlet that was once her mother’s familiar, but now is often neglected by his former guardian. Lutin often helps her with speed-reading and spellcasting, and like most Sharlayan familiars, is intelligent enough to understand speech.

Every once in a while, she’ll carry off Philippe, a red panda who Arcian Martell frequently babysits.

Brouillard, a chocobo so-named for his gray coloration, has been with her since she was a child and remains her most trusted transportation for when she needs to travel. As strong and sturdy as any Isgardian-bred steed, there are few places he cannot go.

Common Rumors

• "Tsk. Upstart family of dubious breeding. The father got lucky and bought a title, that’s all.” – Ishgardian Noble

• "The Bellworks twins? I’m not entirely certain they’re different genders. They swap clothes and identities the way I change hats.” – Ishgardian Merchant

• "Smart girl, but naïve. She’s one of those who insists upon studying the Sharlayn school of astrology. She’ll never serve her country that way.” – Astrologist Instructor

• "Catty and arrogant. Fancies herself marrying into one of the four great houses.” – Ul’dahn merchant

• “Might be crooked like her brother. She’s been putting off her marriage for years.” – Ishgardian Noble

• “She’s a workaholic, Miss Ellie. I see the light burning in her office at all hours. I don’t think she ever sleeps!” – Foundry Worker

• “Miss Ellie’s going to be a crazy cat lady someday. I just know it.” – Skysteel Manufactory worker

Moderate Rumors

• "You didn't hear this from me, but I've seen her coming and going at all hours in the company of a knight. A Duskwight knight at that. Sometimes they vanish for entire evenings." -- Pillars Night Watch

• “She couldn’t hit the broad side of a castrum with those spells of hers. Absolutely incompetent magician.” – Travelling Thaumaturge

• "Such a kind girl, and so pious! She goes to the cathedral every evening. Sometimes she’s there for bells.” – Elderly Lady

• “I see her lots in the company of two men – other than her brother, I mean. One’s with the church, other’s her betrothed; one’s real dark-looking, other looks like he’s got a stick right up his arse. Ehh. Can’t remember which is which.” – Ishgardian Citizen

• “Her tarot readings and horoscopes are uncomfortably accurate. Never seen her flub a scrying. She can even douse in real time. She lets me cheat off her notes.” – Astrology Student

• “Heard the family bailed out a Durendaire fortress once. Look what having friends in high places nets you.” – Limsan Trader

Rare Rumors

• “Seen people wearing the Dufresne sigil taking folk out of the Brume. Mark my words, they’re all going to the mines.” – Forgotten Knight Patron

• "She’s struck some deal with an inquisitor. Any time a rival gets in her way, she has him cry heresy and he takes them out.” – Ishgardian Noble

• "Her heathen mother is a raving lunatic. Wonder if it runs in the family." - Ishgardian Noble

Player Character Rumors

((Feel free to add your own!))

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