Maria Zolts

Maria Oria Zolts
Gender	Female
Race	Hyur
Clan	Highlander
Citizenship	Ul'dah
Age	30
Nameday	19th Sun of the 5th Astral Moon
Occupation	Seamstress (Owner of Maria's Alterations)
Height/Weight	6 fulms 1 ilm / Not Telling
Orientation	Heterosexual
Relatives	Leran Zolts (Father) Oria Zolts (Mother) Fearless Storm (Husband/Deceased)

Maria Zolts is a Hyur woman whose skill with molding aether secured her a position within the Thaumaturge's guild at the young age of eleven. She has since pursued the black arts. Underneath her heavy robes belies a strong and fit body. Scars and callouses from staves, bows, and swords have roughened her hands. During the ten years where she lived a dark and solitary lifestyle, Maria had thrown herself into aetherial studies, seeking power. Although she has abandoned such an ambitious quest, she still seeks out knowledge, if only for personal interest/to finish what she started.

Basic Info

LIKES ■ Books (Specifically of the magical nature, but she's not terribly picky) ■ Fashion ■ Noise ■ Sweet Food ■ Fire ■ A good brandy and a good joke ■ Large baths (she loves a good soak) ■ People being up front

DISLIKES ■ Insincerity ■ Silence (is probably somewhat claustrophobic as well) ■ Ochu (Don't ask, she won't tell you) ■ Morbol (There's a theme here, obviously) ■ Cruelty ■ Pushiness (There's being assertive and then there's not) ■ Anything too (socially) complicated. ■ Creepy Dolls

OTHER ■ Alignment: Neutral Good ■ Vice(s): Irrationally cranky upon first waking up, can be prone to moments of melancholy and will tend to isolate herself, although she's fairly open about her past there is always a sense of distance between herself and others. ■ Favorite Food: Anything sweet, fish, most fruit. ■ Favorite Drink: Brandy or rum(but she'll prefer the brandy unless the rum is sweet). ■ Favorite Color: Shades of green and brown. ■ Poor at dealing with compliments about her appearance. (Unless she's got a few drinks in her, then she'll give out as good as she gets)

Appearance & Personality

Standing tall and proud, Maria boasts a taut and athletic form underneath her mage robes, one she is not afraid of showing off. Reddish eyeshadow accuents amber eyes, dark lipstick glosses over brown lips. She's recently cut short what was once long wavy dark brown hair. Maria generally tries to stay within fashion when it comes to clothing, combat or otherwise, but will stick with convenience and practicality when necessary. To that end, the only thing that will remain consistent is her color scheme (browns and greens with splashes of red). As a seamstress, she will often try out new outfits and styles.

Maria can be a mixed bag - at times standoffish, others amicable and jovial. Hardly anything seems to ruffle her feathers on the surface. Insults roll off her back like water, if someone flirts with her she'll (somewhat) flirt back depending on whether or not they catch her interest or amuse her. As long as her 'wall' is up, most everything is based off of how amusing something is for her. Rarely takes anything personally, has little interest in digging into anyone's past. While she's fairly open about herself and will allow people to know just about anything they want about her, Maria keeps a firm emotional wall between herself and others. Past the wall resides a fiercely loyal and dedicated woman. Maria becomes fully devoted to anything or anyone she is serious about (Friends, family, etc).

A 'live and let live' character. Maria believes in letting people do whatever they want, so long as it doesn't hurt or affect others negatively. People have to live their lives - their successes, and their mistakes. All of those make for a well rounded individual. And she believes those things should be done without someone else's judgment. "Far be it for me to judge" tends to be a common saying for her. To that end, she will sometimes come off as neutral or uninterested in certain conflicts.

It has been shown that this part of her personality is also somewhat of a way to keep a barrier between herself and others. By letting people make their own mistakes and staying detached, she keeps herself from becoming too invested. When this barrier is tested, Maria has been known to become irritable and frustrated with both the situation and herself. She is uncomfortable when she cannot properly place someone in their proper 'zones' on an emotional scale.

Regardless, her nonchalance about others means she generally doesn't care much about whether or not a person has a less than stellar background. This has enabled her to go on ventures and find items/documents through less reputable channels.

Because Maria grew up in a rowdy home, and spent 10 years isolating herself save for whenever she did merc or other contractal work after her husband's death, crowds/rowdiness reminds of home and good times, while silence brings her to when she was at her lowest point. To this end she dislikes silence and prefers to be in crowded or noisy places, even if she does not personally interact in said commotion.

She doesn't believe in dancing around subjects and will cut straight to the chase, even if it comes out insensitive or cold. Maria knows all too well how short life can be, and believes in not having regrets. On the flip side, can come off as somewhat dense regarding people's affections toward her: if someone isn't outfront with it, she'll blow them off. This has less to do with her actually being dense so much as her being extremely cynical of people's motives and agendas.

Biography

Childhood

Born in Ala Mhigo, Maria remembers little of her childhood or the turmoil there. Her parents were staunch protesters of King Theodoric's 'Reign of Ruin', but had no desire to join in the building hostilities and rising resistance with a daughter to consider. This caused considerable friction between Maria's parents and their family, who believed her parents weak and selfish for not fighting for an Ala Mhigo their daughter could grow up peacefully in. When Maria turned nine, her parents abandoned everything, clan, family, home, posts, and defected to Ul'dah. It was not done on a whim: they had made arrangements with old friends - a former traveling mercenary group that had settled in Ul'dah and become a part of the Brass Blades.

Maria's parents took what wares and items they could that they could sell and make a fresh start with - some they even stole from their families collection - and managed to get somewhat of a running start. Oria, her mother, joined the Blades while her father all but disappeared, sending them money monthly from mercenary work. Maria spent her time with her parent's friends, specifically their children, a few of whom were already training for combat. By then Maria was already beginning to show signs of her abilities, but it wasn't until two years later, when she set one of the children's wardrobes on fire (Peaceful Sea) that it was decided to send her to the Thaumaturge's guild.

Outside of her teachings, she spent her time learning various things from the boys. Either the bow, or swordplay - carpentry or leatherworking. No one had idle hands in her 'Auntie's' home, and Maria was one who enjoyed learning and always demanded lessons on anything she didn't know or understand. She caught on best to weaving and the bow. She could never be satisfied with only being proficient with the aetherial arts, not while also sharing space with several growing roegadyn males. To keep up physically, she also trained her body. To her chargin, the years were not kind to her once they all hit puberty.

Teenage

Surrounded by books, tomes, scrolls, and plenty of space to practice and grow, Maria delved deeply into her studies of the arcane. Reveling in her powers and overly cocky, she grew older but not wiser. Not seeing her parents also was a catalyst for her acting out, and she quickly hit a rebellious stage, believing she knew all and the guild had nothing more to teach her. In her infinite wisdom she decided to become an adventurer. Maria, her mother, and her 'auntie' - one of the lifelong friends that had helped her family get to Ul'dah - had a 'discussion' about it which quickly turned to violence. That Maria's first lesson in how she wasn't as omnipotent as she believed herself to be.

She was eventually allowed to leave on one condition - she could not go alone. Blue Aurora(Auntie) sent her two oldest sons with her - Roaring Typhoon(Guardian) and Fearless Storm(Pugilist). During their adventures they met an Elezen conjurer named Vioxax Bijat and another hyur black mage simply known by Julian. They traveled together for a few years, until Maria and Fearless Storm decided to get married.

Shortly after their marriage the war came, and then the Calamity, and Maria lost her friends and her husband. The loss of Fearless Storm, who had first been like a best friend/brother figure, then a close fighting companion, to lover, devastated her. Instead of going into a depression, she channeled her energy into a deep, simmering rage. Instead of mourning she traveled, wandering aimlessly. She grew close to no one, did odd jobs as a mercenary or seamstress, and pursued the way of the black mage.

When magic could not quell the burning rage within she abandoned it for a time and took to the sword. The growing darkness within her along with her magical skills allowed her to come in contact with an unique individual and develop certain skills with the broadsword.

Side note: As Maria has since achieved a sense of inner peace with herself, she has not brandished her sword in the past year and a half.

Present

Years after, as if waking from a fugue, Maria's anger finally subsided, and she began to properly mourn her husband's death. She visited his grave and began to collect money to buy a house - one of the two things they had dreamed of doing together. Through various interactions with others she began to open up and slowly morph into the person she is today.

While visiting her retainers one day, a man in a strange helmet approached her about a job his guild was undertaking, along with an invitation to become part of the guild should she like what she saw. Maria learned eventually he was recruiting her for a position in his company, the Order of the Sword and Rose, but at the time she had no idea of his purpose. At first Maria accepted for the money, but stayed when she saw how the guild worked, its people, and felt a sense of belonging there.

For a time, Maria took up position as the company's tailor and Offensive Magic Specialist. Due to her own personal reasons, she eventually left the company after a short time. She currently holds no affiliation with any company, although her friend, Maral Oronir, has been boasting recently about a company she had been communicating with a long while back and finally joined. Maria is unsure of whether or not to associate herself with another company so soon.

When Topmast Apartments opened, Maria procured a place to stay and moved some of her belongings in. She continued her research in historical magics, until she managed to finally find a small plot of land for a home. With the funds she had managed to save from her odd jobs here and there, she had her home built, and finally began her dream by turning her apartment into an alteration shop. Although it depleted the rest of her funds, she managed to finally open Maria's Alterations (Mist, Ward 5, Topmast Apts SD #6). She currently only takes on clients she already had, and has a request box, but hopes to have regular hours once she gains a reputation and more customers. She plans to consider adoption within the next few cycles, once her business gets off the ground.

Miscellaneous

RUMORS Some of these rumors are untrue or are greatly exaggerated. Please feel free to add your own rumors under PC! ◢ Common Rumors (Easily overheard) ■ "I've gotten some nice clothes from her once. She's fashionable!" ■ "...I think I've seen her before. Maybe not, she's smiling too much." ■ ◢ Moderate Rumors (Moderately difficult to overhear) ■ "Don't hire her, she's a monster. Will do anything for money, and won't care who she hurts in the process." ■ "So we dared 'er and she comes out looking like a brick shit'ouse and dances like a bleedin doe - graceful as you please! What'dya mean what'd I do? I paid up!" ■ ◢ Rare Rumors (Very difficult or rarely overheard) ■ "She shot an arrow at me once, she did! She was supposed to be a bleedin' mage!" ■ "Aye, I taught her some healin magic, she took to it like fish to water, and then up and disappeared." ■ ◢ PC Rumors (Rumors from the character's of other players) ■ ■ ■ ■

RELATIONS ♥ Romantic Interest ♥ Platonic Love ● Good Standing ● Poor Standing ● Unknown ♥ Fearless Storm (Husband/Deceased) - They grew up together(along with his numerous siblings) and their childhood/familial-esque relationship matured as they did. Their romantic relationship and marriage, while brief, was intense and happy. She lost him at the Battle of Carteneau and her heart has still not fully healed. She still has yet to visit either of their families. ●T'alisa Rina - They met a while ago at a bar when some guys tried to make moves on them and failed miserably. T'alisa tells the details of the story a little differently than Maria does, and considering Maria can be capricious about certain things, it'd be better to believe the miqo'te's story. They've been friends since, and Maria has taken to spoiling T'alisa a bit, bringing her treats whenever they meet. To this extent, T'alisa tends to look around eagerly whenever Maria appears, hoping for something delicious. ●Gilawafe Archimtirios - Maria met this protector-for-hire at Maral's company hall. While he is part of a different company, he seems to be welcome there as if he were one of their own. Their interactions were and are awkward at best, yet they seem to be growing some semblance of friendly familarity. Maria enjoys their exchanges and does not seem to mind his brooding nature. She has no real idea what he thinks of her, but she assumes he doesn't mind her, since he tends to initiate conversations and indulges her whims. ●Cain Lear - A man she met at the Quicksand who has become a staunch and close friend. Since she's met him he's been the first and only person she's truly opened up to and relaxed around. His uncomplicated and laid back nature compliments her own, and his acceptance of her gives her a sense of nostalgia and security. ●Emreg Belthen - A freelancer she met at the Drowning Wench. A flirtatious man who has little qualms regarding checking out her body and trying to make her blush (and failing). She finds him funny, and so far he's been a loyal and good friend. It's her hope that they can go on a venture together sometime. ● Rhisi Kinkaid - Pretty much the person who was the deciding factor for Maria joining the OS&R. Rhisi's calm and patience, along with her honesty and open-mindedness moved Maria and reminded her of the past. ● Konner Kinkaid - The leader of the OS&R. She can't always tell if he's joking about something or not, but he takes her jokes in stride, which she appreciates. She doesn't quite understand him. ● Neiven Tarrila - Maria thinks Neiven is hilarious and loves talking to her. ● Mithra "Silver" Thorne - She met Mithra in the OS&R, but the young miqo'te left due to personal reasons. She ran into her weeks later, and the two rekindled their friendship. Mithra seems more subdued and withdrawn than when she was in the company, but seems to enjoy her company well enough. Maria sees Mithra as a cute sister-figure and hopes they stay in contact this time. ● Kagato - Initial thought was that he was the company's drunkard, as there wasn't a time she saw him when he wasn't trying to down some type of alcohol. After getting to know him, she finds him to be funny and likes his sense of humor. After an incident in PotD, Maria's feelings toward Kagato are mixed. She believes that people should make their own mistakes, but was shaken up and upset by his recklessness and had tried to get involved. Her feelings have drifted toward more along the lines of neutral, as she could not decide how to interact or react to him. ● Chloe Traemane - They've grown a little closer since they've joined the company. Chloe was Maria's first 'customer' after officially becoming seamstress, and then two have since bonded somewhat. Maria would like to see Chloe was a close associate if not as a friend, and hopes Chloe sees her the same. Also finds her to be a good drinking companion. ● Rhysati Riviera - They met at the OS&R hall, and spoke while Maria was moving into her new room. Maria finds Rhysati to be troubled and while she has no desire to help her, per say, she does want the other girl to feel like there's an open door for her to go to - no strings attached - if she ever wishes to let a load off. They've met a few times now off and on, and she tends to enjoy Rhysati's company whenever they do run into each other, generally at the Quicksand. ● Felix Drake - She does not know what to think of Felix. One one hand he was nice and somewhat flirty, but on the other she got the distinct impression he'd run for the hills if one attempted to get too close. Maria couldn't decide how to act or react around him, and so eventually settled for keeping a polite distance. ●Destiney Delvanguard - Tall dark and handsome elf lover. In all seriousness, Maria has worked with Destiney once and had a decent conversation, and likes her. As with everyone else in the company, would like to get to know her better. ●Oni Dephor - Maria knows of him. That is, everything from side conversations to side commentary. All of which vary, all of which are "weird as shite". She's worked with him once and they didn't speak much. She has no real idea what to think of him beyond "weird", and is pretty sure everyone who talks about him in any sort of depth wants to sleep with him. She's guessing he's got some pheremones she's immune to. The only consistent things she knows about him is that he's not entirely organic and that he likes to lick things. ● Shaleth T'organ - They'd only recently met and joined the Order of the Sword and Rose. Maria was somewhat oblivious to T'organ's growing affection for her, and was stunned when he made his desires to date her clear. She'd asked to be friends and given time to think. A few days later he left the guild, no explanation given. Maria was absent at the time and learned about it upon her return. She was not and is not sure what to think of it, but her feelings can be summed up to: "everyone has their reasons for doing what they do, far be it for me to assume or judge what those are." She is not under the assumption that he left because of her(he certainly didn't join because of her). Due to the nature of the event, however, when she sees him on the streets, she takes special care to avoid him as per his wish.

Gallery

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  Happier Times

Footnotes

Maria Zolts can be found on the Balmung server

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