Elise Wolfe

Elise Wolfe
“Some people abide by the rules only when it is convenient for them. Me? I bend them to my will.”
Maelstrom - Second Storm Lieutenant
Gender	Female
Race	Hyur
Clan	Midlander
Citizenship	Limsa Lominsa
Alias	Lynx
Age	22
Guardian	Nald'thal, the Traders
Namesday	30th Sun of the 4th Astral Moon
OOC Name	Leggerless Hanzou

Character

♦ General

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Born to a middle-class merchant family in Wineport, La Noscea, Elise Wolfe was lucky to learn how to read and write at a young 6 cycles. She practiced reading and writing all throughout her life, even while training with the blade. At 8, she began her combat training at the Gladiator's guild in Ul'dah to learn how to put power behind a sword swing and proper parrying techniques. At 14, she moved back to her home city of Limsa Lominsa and sought out the Rogue's Guild, to learn how to attack with precision, stealth, and speed. At 15, she signed up for the Maelstrom to 'fight for her home.' Her previous combat experience and literacy skills quickly advanced her to Sergeant Third Class. During her time in the Maelstrom, she continued to read, write, and practice her combat skills.

At 17, she was transferred to the frontlines at the Battle of Carteneau. A squad of privates and two corporals were assigned under her command, while she was under orders of the presiding Second Lieutenant on the field of battle. Dalamud descended and her CO was unfortunately positioned under the first giant key that fell from the sky, quickly ending a small group of Adders, Maelstrom, and Flames alike. Elise was fortunate enough to survive the initial fall, and looked up at the sky, then at her fellow soldiers, now in disarray. She knew that if someone didn't give out the order soon, more lives will be lost. No other officers of her company were present; it was now or never. Her resolve hardened, she shouted at the top of her lungs to everyone present, issuing the order to retreat. The first priority of a leader, she believed, is the preservation of your subordinates; she acted on that thought and made her decision. Though several casualties came during the retreat, she knew there would be far more if they stayed and fought unprepared in the onslaught.

Two moons after the battle, a Storm Marshal called her in to show her a few files. Multiple reports were written by non-commissioned officers recounting their tales of the battle as best as they could. A recurring trait among them was the mention of a young Hyur, soon revealed to be Elise herself, who stood steadfast against the chaos when many were lost in discourse. The marshal took back the file, looked her square in the eye, and offered her the chance to replace her commanding officer. He did warn her, however, that the other Grand Companies may see this as a sign of the Maelstrom's weakness and desperation to replenish their losses if she immediately became a commissioned officer, so he promoted her to Chief Sergeant instead. Despite her valor displayed at the Battle of Carteneau, she is too green to be given such a position at her age. The marshal soon assigned her to logistical and research work in the Crimson Fleet to help restore some of the city-state's former glory and acquire more experience.

Around 21, she was called in once more by the same marshal. Instead of a file, what met her eyes was an officer's uniform neatly folded on the desk. This could imply only one thing: at the young age of 21 cycles, she managed to become a Second Lieutenant. Her first assignment was a peculiar one, to say the least, compared to all others: she was to infiltrate the criminal network. The marshal knew of her connection to the Rogue's Guild and sought to exploit it. He gave her the necessary papers to bypass security in Eorzea's city-states. The marshal also gave her a small officer insignia; he explained this insignia would allow her to traverse Eorzea outside of uniform. He also told her that while she is now a Lieutenant, she is not to exercise her authority as a Storm Lieutenant outside of Vylbrand, lest political discourse follow. She adopted the alias "Lynx," though it was merely a name that she chose, not one that was given to her. It is a fitting name for one who resides in the shadows and influences events from behind the scenes. Elise established Lynx's reputation as a remorseless--yet diplomatic--mercenary and soon reached the ears of many in the criminal network--all according to plan. Also at 21, she perused the many literary centers of Eorzea to begin research and learn how to operate out in the world independently, adopting her "never tell a lie" philosophy The books she read originate from the Arrzaneth Ossuary, Mealvaan's Gate, and Maelstrom Command. She learned of the great potential hidden with manipulating systems and quickly acquired knowledge about a large array of weapons.

It has been about half a year since Elise joined Tylwyth Narah and met the people that are currently involved in her life at 22. Her marshal gave her the new paperwork written according to Ishgard's standards along with a new assignment: Oversee the weapons being produced at Skysteel Manufactory.

♦ Appearance

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The colors of her outfit are primarily green and black with brown, gold, white, and silver accents. She has turquoise eyes, barely tanned skin, dark blonde mixed color hair with white highlights, and a few scars that are visible on her face. She wears a pair of glasses on her face, believing it to enhance her appearance. The coat that she wears has a green cloth exterior with leather and multiple pockets sewn in, adorned with black and gold highlights on the outside, coupled with a gray scarf around her neck. Leather gloves with holes open for her fingers are worn on her hands. On her lower body, she wears leather pants and shoes, colored a jet black. Her intent with the design was to provide protection to places she would likely get hit, while keeping lighter materials over the less-struck parts to maintain some level of mobility.

When Elise becomes acquainted with people, she may assign them nicknames. The person in question holds some sort of value for her, whether it be through simple interest or unwavering loyalty.

She speaks with the authority, knowledge, and elegance of a Grand Company ranking officer when in a formal setting, but not while assuming her role as Lynx. She could tell you a great many things: Commander duties, Officer/Leader duties, tactics, strategies, formations, and roles of soldiers in a group. With physical combat training, studying from vast amounts of text, and learning proper speech, it's safe to say she is not the most social person in Eorzea.

♦ Behaviour

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Following her own interests with great intent made her unpredictable. For example, when dueling a man who has been disarmed, she may provide him a sword in combat so that he can better defend himself, simply for the thrill of a challenge. While she tends to be overly serious with an undertone of sage advice in her speech, she may throw in a joke or two for entertainment. It’s a dark world she lives in; best to have humor to make it through.

While fully capable of displaying kindness to others, she is also able to show the polar opposite with just as much finesse. She is rambunctious, pragmatic, determined, and very much individualistic. Her most notable trait is her pride, which can definitely make a situation take a turn for the worse. Time spent as a Storm Second Lieutenant has lessened her outbursts but she isn't immune to them.

If a man or woman wishes to hold a philosophical discussion with her, she would be likely to accept; she could take something from the conversation that is useful to her. She has seen much of what a person is capable of and how they may manipulate the minds of their fellow man. She’s also weary of the reputations of people who are in power, noting that they could be founded upon lies and back-hand deals.

On the concepts of good and evil, she would have this to say from her personal code: “A good man will end a life quickly. An evil man will take pleasure in their suffering.” She sees good and evil not as two sides of a coin, but rather as a means to an end.

♦ Combat

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Combat to Elise is a means to an end. She has no qualms about taking a man’s life, though she is likely to defuse the situation first before she resorts to violence.

Her abilities only truly excel against non-magical opponents. She is extremely weak against magic. The only magic she would have built up a resistance to is corruption and illusion-based magic; her willpower is paramount to her immunity and can allow her to retain her sensibility. All other types of magic would hurt Lynx more than any sword wound she has ever taken a blow from. Knowing her weaknesses, Lynx avoids dealing with spellcasters as they could very easily eliminate her if they turned on her.

Using a blade: (Speciality)

Elise is capable of using one or both blades with either one hand or with both hands. There are advantages and disadvantages to choosing one style over the other.

With one hand:

Her fighting style and skill level is similar to a mid/high-level gladiator. To fight in this style, she keeps her blade held in only her right hand. Because her left hand is free, she may use it to grab other objects in reach without sacrificing her tempo in combat. However, because she is not able to put more power and precision behind her strikes, she is weaker in combat. She is able to hold her own in a duel against a decently-trained opponent, though a good portion of highly-trained opponents who fight like gladiators or paladins would be able to best her after just a few minutes. She could hold out against two people if she cannot take down her opponents one by one, but three or more people at the same time would make the fight her loss.

With both hands:

Her fighting style and skill level is similar to a master-level samurai. She combines the skills of both a gladiator and a rogue. To fight in this style, she places both hands on the hilt of the blade, the right hand as the dominant hand, and assumes the Waki-gamae stance to keep her opponents guessing her attacks. Because she is using both hands to guide her blade, her strikes are more accurate and more powerful compared to using just one hand, though she would become unable to use any other items while in combat. She is able to hold her own in a duel against a master-level opponent; only an magician, archer, or an opponent with tremendous melee skill would be able to take her down while in this stance. She could hold out against two to four people at the same time, depending on their relative combined skill level. If more than four enemies at once would appear, she would find herself lagging behind and would likely lose the battle.

Dual-wielding:

Her fighting style and skill is similar to a mid/high-level rogue. To fight in this style, she keeps each one of her blades in both hands. Power is lower than the other two sword styles, but speed is greatly increased. It's unlikely to see her in this style when face-to-face with an opponent. She moves to eliminate her opponents with stealth and grace. She is able to hold her own in a duel against a well-trained opponent; high-level people or those highly specialized as a rogue or ninja would be able to best her here. If more than three enemies at once would appear, she would start lagging behind in battle.

Unarmed:

Her fighting style and skill level is similar to a mid/low-level pugilist. She is able to hold her own against a decently-trained opponent, but is not likely to win the fight with her fists. Going up against two or more people or someone well-trained in the art of unarmed warfare, she will most likely lose the battle.

Hidden knives:

Used only when she has to go in a disguise or as a throwing weapon. In melee combat, her unarmed skill matches the skill with the hidden knives. In throwing, her precision is like a low-level archer. She’s very likely to miss if thrown at a target more than 20 yalms away and a chance to hit between 10-20 yalms.

Grimoire:

Elise, having done an extensive study of many weapons with the books she acquired from Mealvaan's Gate, is able to replicate Arcanist spells with a high risk of mental damage to herself. The weight of a grimoire with her other weapons equipped would be an unnecessary burden. She commissioned a special book that is thin and easily fitted inside of a coat for her arsenal, at 21 cycles. Due to its size, however, only two geometries may be stored at a time. Currently, her grimoire only has 'Physick' and 'Bio' stored. Additionally, the effects of the geometries are at half the strength of a regular Arcanist.

Any weapon other than a sword, knife, grimoire, or unarmed:

As Elise specialized only in blades with secondary training in unarmed combat, her skill level with weapons such as axes, spears, and staffs is similar to a rookie holding the weapon for the very first time. She knows what the weapon in her hands is capable of, but cannot wield it effectively herself. Though armed with a non-specialized weapon, she only loses her ability to attack and defend with the weapon, but not her footwork.

Tendencies

Likes ■ Delicacies (Food) ■ Personal Freedom ■ Knowledge and Books

Dislikes ■ Disloyalty ■ Incompetence ■ Restrictions on her person

Hobbies/Talents ■ Melee combat ■ Espionage ■ Debating and Philosophy

Favorites ■ Pan-fried Mahi-Mahi, served with Ratatouille and Mulled Tea ■ La Noscea, followed by the Black Shroud ■ Fish in general

Relationships

Relationships are a closed door topic. The Maelstrom has done an exceedingly efficient job of keeping her connections hidden from the general public.

Rumours

Common Rumours These rumours can be heard from around any part of Eorzea. ● "Elise Wolfe? Hm. Last I recall, she is a frequent visitor to the Bismarck. She saved my life at Carteneau, and I give my thanks for that." - Maelstrom Private ● "I can't say I know who you're referring to, but I think I have a new way to advertise these coeurl hides now." - Ul'dahn Merchant ● "Elise... whoever that is, she sounds like a nicer woman that most who go through Pearl Lane." - Beggar Moderate Rumours These rumours are more commonly found around the taverns and the central cities, such as Ul'dah, Limsa Lominsa, and Gridania. ● "Ms Elise? That's the young, Limsan upstart who's working with the weapons at Skysteel Manufactory. Some Ishgardians are wary of her presence, but they keep to hushed voices." - Random passerby at the Foundation of Ishgard ● "Funny, that woman came in here the other day and managed to calm down a few ruffians. Saves us the trouble of getting the Brass Blades mixed up, that's for sure. Afterwards? She left. Just like that. No words; nothing." - Guest at the Coffer & Coffin ● "You keep talking about that Midlander around here and she may stick a blade inside you. She's not someone you want to deal with just so you can get a laugh." - Unknown person, in Pearl Lane Rare Rumours These rumours originate exclusively from either informants or from people involved in the criminal/underground world. Check OOCly before using these as a reference. ● "Why, in Ul'dah she is known as the Lady of Lies, yes... But here, in Limsa Lominsa, she is but a mere woman by the name Elise Wolfe. She's definitely under the care of a Storm Marshal, I assure you that much." - Well-mannered guest at the Bismarck ● "I've heard o' her. She's one o' them Maelstrom soldiers. Best be careful; some were formerly pirates. She's no exception when it comes to bein' dangerous." - Paid Informant ● "Lynx--or Elise Wolfe as she is more casually called? In Gridania, she is a woman who speaks nothing but the truth. Though her work may be riddled with death and blood, it matters little what she has done outside of our walls. Here, she upholds her honor even among the criminals that would seek to dishonor our people. Quite odd for someone like herself to do that, wouldn't you say?" - Guest at the Carline Canopy ● "You must mean the former mercenary Lynx. Some praise her as a cold-blooded killer who shows no remorse and others praise her as a diplomat able to stop a fight from ever starting. But now? She's found some solace up north in Ishgard." - Mercenary, visiting the Levemete in the Quicksand Player Character Rumours ● "I couldn't have thrown a knife 'n' hit my mark like that even if I'd been born jugglin' daggers." - Osric Melkire ● "She is an odd Hyur, but she once helped me when I tried to rescue a friend, and she listened as I spoke of the Twelveswood. That granted her my respect." -Kiht Jakkya ● "The only thing I know about her is that she aided my friends. Then made a point to call them 'allies' and not 'friends.' She asked me of the same. I am not sure what to make of her but I would not discount her by any means." - Roen Deneith ● "Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Yes, I did meet her! I don't remember... Oh, she was so interesting too! I think she's a captain of some sort. No! Wait! A lieutenant or something... anyway, she is fun to talk to!" - Aya Foxheart ● "Her demeanor is quite amusing, at least to me, that is! Full of confidence, composure and a little bit of snark...until the point she gets embarrassed or enchanted~!" -Leanne Delphium ● "A pleasant woman. More aware than she lets on, of course. I can trust her to be where she needs to be should issues arise." - Warren Castille

OOC Inspirations

The Act of Killing

Lucifer

Goethe's Faust

Samurai

Dagoth Ur (Elder Scrolls: Morrowind)