Steia L'etoile

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⌈ General ⌋⌈ History ⌋⌈ Personality ⌋⌈ OOC ⌋ General ⊰ GENERAL INFORMATION ⊱ Steia L'etoile (Stee-ah Lee-twal) is a Hyur Midlander of unknown origin. She was discovered in Coerthas after knights witnessed her falling from the sky. As she only recalled her first name, one of the knights suggested "L'etoile" as a placeholder, being sympathetic to her. Steia has since adopted it as a surname. When less sympathetic members of the garrison sought out an Inquisitor to interview her, Steia fled. Reports from those knights say she has skill with offensive magic, and an aura which is either unsettling or comforting, depending on the person talking to her. ⊰ APPEARANCE ⊱ Steia stands just over five-and-a-half fulms tall, and possesses a moderately curvy figure. Her shoulder-length hair is greying black, though she occasionally dyes it. She possesses a olive complexion. Her left eye is amber, and her right eye is artificial, having been replaced with allagan technology. She is not particularly well-muscled, and across her body are patches where blackened blood vessels show through. She she keeps herself clean and her hair brushed, and wears dark-red eyeshadow and lipstick. She wears simple floral perfumes that aren't particularly strong. Despite her perfumes, those with sensitive noses will detect the faint scent of blood on her breath and alchemical substances on her clothes. Her clothing, although well maintained, is old and well worn. Judging by the fit, it may be second-hand clothing. She favors favors the function over aesthetics when she has to make a choice, and most of her clothing covers her full body to hide the blackened blood vessels, hiding the patches of black veins. She carries a red handkerchief, which she uses to cover her mouth during coughing fits.   ⊰ MAGIC ⊱ Aetheric inspection of Steia reveals an unnaturally deep aetherpool and voidal corruption. This corruption appears to be making her sick, slowly eating away at her. The corruption and decay is kept in check by specialized alchemical treatments, though as the cost of her ability to use magic. 🖉 History ⊰ TIMELINE ⊱ Seventh Astral Era ► ? - Steia falls to Coerthas and is discovered by Coerthan knights. ⊰ SEVENTH UMBRAL / ASTRAL ERA ⊱ Stormblood Steia's introduction to Eorzea seemingly came in the form of falling from the sky in Coerthas. Due to her supposed amnesia, the reason for this can only be speculated on, ranging from a traveller picked up and dropped by a malign dragon, to a drunk passenger falling from an airship. More superstitious persons suggested a divine being cast from the heavens, noting that she survived the fall mostly unscathed. Similar suggestions leaned more towards a demonic presence. Whatever the explanation, a runner was sent to Ishgard to fetch an inquisitor. When Steia heard of this, she fled into Western Coerthas. Due to an ongoing blizzard, scouts were unable to track her down, and she was presumed dead until a woman with her name and matching description showed up in La Noscea a day later. At this point, Steia seduced a woman on shore leave, then stole her clothes and firearm. After this, she vanished again, only to show up later in the Black Shroud. Despite the voidal taint, a conjurer sent to investigate Steia found her ultimately harmless, though noted they would have a close eye kept on her. 🖉 Personality ⊰ PERSONALITY ⊱ Pending. L I K E S ► Mint Tea - With a mild bit of sugar or honey. ► Socializing - Steia fully admits that sometimes she just enjoys talking to people. ► Forests - No real reason why. she simply finds them pleasant. ► Animals - Though not incautious, she just loves all animals. Even vilekin. ► Young Children - Often times the only true innocents, full of hope and wonder. D I S L I K E S ► Meat - Steia loves animals too much to eat them. ► Sports Hunters - Even poachers are trying to make a living, but sport hunters are truly wasteful. ► Abuses of Power - Those granted power through right or might who would use that power to harm are awful to her. ► Unfair Slavers - She finds cheating people to force them into or keep them in service to be vile. ► Greed And Gluttony - She sees those who wilfully hoard and consume more than they need to be the source of most of the world's ills. H O B B I E S ► Alchemy - A seemingly natural talent she possesses. ► Cooking - Steia enjoys cooking, and will even prepare meat for her more carnivorous friends. ► Piano Playing - Steia enjoys playing to ease her mind. ► Painting - Less of a hobby, and more of a means to an end, Steia is an adept painter. S T R E N G T H S ► Diligent - She takes care in everything she does, rarely leaving something unfinished. ► Determined - She can be hard to stop when she sets her mind to something. ► Multi-Lingual - Steia has surprised many people by revealing she understands what they're saying or writing. ► Patient - Even when someone is being rude to her, she is slow to anger. So slow, that few have seen her upset. ► Tolerant - Steia gives most a chance. Even when confronting a supposed enemy, Steia is often soft-spoken and understanding. W E A K N E S S E S ► Clingy - It can be hard to keep her away from the people she trusts. ► Bleeding Heart - A good sob story can get her to overlook your misdeeds. ► Combat Avoidance - Acting more as a scholar than anything, Steia generally avoids fighting. ► Void Corruption - A supposed side-effect of her field of study, the void corruption in her body makes her sick. Q U I R K S ► Carnivore Tolerant - Despite abstaining from eating meat herself, Steia doesn't mind that other people do, so long as they aren't rude or gluttonous about it. ► Recycler - Steia prefers to reuse things rather than discard them, using magic to extend an item's life. What bits of her clothing come from animals have often been recycled in this manner. 🖉 OOC ⊰ PLAYER POV ⊱ Goals Steia's role in most stories is that of a secondary character. Depending on the story, she can aid the protagonist or antagonist, or even flip between them depending on the situation. Originally, I meant her to be an NPC with no screen time, and she's grown to take a larger role. I'm okay with her being killed or imprisoned, though I prefer such is discussed with me ahead of time. I honestly don't know what my author goals are for this character, but she's fun to play, so I'm just going to keep at it. As with all my characters, I'd like to experience and participate in similar stories with a vast array of characters. I will just as happily interact IC with a paladin as a psychopath. I enjoy IC drama, and I especially adore ethical dilemmas. At the end of the day, though, I want myself and my fellow role players to walk away from a scene satisfied and/or wanting more. Lore Compliance I favor lore plausible roleplay. This is roleplay that adheres to concrete lore, but fills in the places where the lore has gaps with whatever seems reasonable and artistically appropriate. By "reasonable", I mean that it must adhere to concrete lore (That is, things that have been directly observed to be true during the MSQ and side quests), should avoid conflicting with "fuzzy" lore (lore given by NPCs which might be false but has not been proven to be), and should fit in with the narrative style of Final Fantasy XIV (which, admittedly, can vary wildly). My justification for this is that Final Fantasy XIV has Unreliable Narrator Syndrome. NPCs are often wrong about the history of things, assuming they don't outright lie to you, and even the Encyclopedia Eorzea is written from the point of view of the NPCs. I might also accept less plausible private head-canons which are accepted by the group I'm in, again, so long as they fit in an artistic way. In any case, if I'm violating lore as you know it, please bring it up to me OOC. Do expect me to debate the lore with you, but understand my intention is to reach an agreement...not "win", which I don't think is possible. RP Limits Ultimately, I'm all about an interesting and entertaining story. I enjoy "dynamic" roleplay just as much as (if not more than) private stories. In either case, I don't expect Steia to take center stage in any plot aside from my own. I'm pretty okay with most themes and twists, as long as they're not overdone. Anything from Light-Hearted Fun to Dark and Violent themes are okay by me, so long as it seems realistic. There are two important caveats, however: First: While I'd normally prefer warnings about things that might make my character unplayable, I realize they can come up with no warning with a character like Steia...but expect the character to respond appropriately. Second: I will try to abort a scene or plot if I find out it's making someone seriously uncomfortable Out of Character. It's hard to entertain people when they're upset, after all! I'm fine with story-driven character romance and/or "sexy fun times", but I'm typically not interested in ERP, preferring to "fade to black". I don't suggest coming after me for ERP for a variety of reasons, many of which are mood-dependant and completely unpredictable. ⊰ SCREENSHOTS ⊱ ⊰ MUSICAL THEMES ⊱ Tentatively, these: ● Blue Öyster Cult Cover - Don't Fear The Reaper (Raquel Eugenio Cover) - Reflecting Steia's comments on death, literally that one should not fear it, as death is an inevitable and natural part of life. 🖉

Sidebar ⪻ STEIA L'ETOILE ⪼ IN BRIEF Race - Hyur Subrace - Midlander Apparent Age - 40's Name Day - 15th Sun of the 2nd Umbral Moon (Apr 15) Deity - Nymeia, the Spinner Disposition - Chaotic Neutral Color Alignment - Black-Green ► Orientation: Pansexual ► Relationship Status: Single ► Citizenship: None ► Occupation: Scholar, Alchemist ► Hair color: Greying Black ► Eye color: Amber * ► Piercings: Ears ► Favorite Food: Cheddar Broccoli Soup ► Favorite Drink: Mint Tea ► Favorite Color: Any Vibrant * Right, artificial eye is colored black 🖉

SERIOUSLY, UNMARKED RP AND/OR MSQ SPOILERS AHEAD! TURN BACK WHILE YOU STILL CAN!

NOTE: Avoid using anything in this section in-character without consulting me out-of-character.

⦕ General ⦖⦕ History ⦖⦕ Personality ⦖⦕ OOC ⦖ General (Spoilers) ⊰ GENERAL INFORMATION ⊱ Steia is a self-proclaimed "Fallen Demoness" in the form of a Hyur Midlander. Prior to her fall, she was a mirror of Nighean Dorcha. As a mirror, she was called "Melodia", and was distinct from the others for her desire to seek mortals as companions rather than objects to be manipulated and consumed. To this end, she worked to destroy the other mirrors, and very nearly succeeded until Esoterica, the senior of the mirrors, caught her, cast her out, and cursed her to live as a mortal. Drawing on her aetherochemical knowledge, she has adopted the role of an alchemist to both earn a living and keep herself alive. Her new life has brought her challenges both common and unusual. One such unusual challenge is the inability to attune to Aetherytes, thus preventing her from teleporting in a normal fashion. Another of these unusual challenges involves Her corrupt soul corroding her body if it is not kept in check by specialized medicine. ⊰ APPEARANCE ⊱ Steia stands just over five-and-a-half fulms tall, and possesses a moderately curvy figure. Her shoulder-length hair is greying black, though she occasionally dyes it. She possesses a olive complexion. Her left eye is amber, and her right eye is artificial, having been replaced with allagan technology. She is not particularly well-muscled, and if she cannot take her medicine, patches where blackened blood vessels show through will form across her body. She she keeps herself clean and her hair brushed, and wears dark-red eyeshadow and lipstick. She wears simple floral perfumes that aren't particularly strong. Despite her perfumes, those with sensitive noses will detect the faint scent of blood on her breath and alchemical substances on her clothes. Though she has a few newer outfits, most of her clothing is old and well worn. Though well-maintained, Judging by the fit, it may be second-hand clothing. She favors favors the function over aesthetics when she has to make a choice, but avoids having to make that choice. Most of her clothing covers her full body, hiding the patches of black blood vessels. She carries a black handkerchief, which she uses to cover her mouth during coughing fits.   ⊰ MAGIC ⊱ Aetheric inspection of Steia reveals the unnaturally deep aetherpool and void corrupted soul. The corruption of her soul is making her sick, and casting magic accelerates the process. She has specialized alchemical treatments to combat it, but for the medicine to be effective, she has to abstain from spellcasting. When she does choose to cast spells, the method can vary wildly between instinctive casting similar to so-called "blue" magic and the disciplined geometries of arcanism. Considering her background as an aetherochemist and creature of the void, this is hardly surprising. 🖉 History (Spoilers) ⊰ TIMELINE ⊱ Seventh Astral Era ► ? - Melodia is caught killing the other mirrors, and is cast out. ► ? - Melodia falls to Coerthas and starts over from scratch as Steia L'etoile. ⊰ SEVENTH UMBRAL / ASTRAL ERA ⊱ The Fall Prior to her literal and figurative fall, Steia was a "mirror" of Nighean Dorcha, called "Melodia". From the eve of the Seventh Umbral Calamity, the disruption of the telepathic link between the Mirrors had allowed them to begin growing somewhat independently. Melodia was revealed to be the only mirror sympathetic to mortals, and as a result, worked on a plan to destroy them. For years following, she set about planning the destruction of the other mirrors, and as Ala Mhigo was freed from Garlemald oppression, Melodia was putting her plan into effect. Though largely successful, Melodia had miscalculated, and mistakenly made Esoterica more powerful than she already was. To deal with her, she worked to frame Esoterica for the destruction of the other mirrors, suggesting the senior mirror was want for more power. Laying the groundwork for this, Melodia took part of Nighean's Cult to Azys Lla to analyze a substance used to destroy one of the Mirrors, to ensure there were no surprises for when she'd guide void hunters to do the same. This led to a pair of startling revelations for the pseudo-succubus: First, that Nighean's true origin was that of an Aetherochemist who worked at Azys Lla during the Calamity of Earth. Second, that Esoterica - the senior of the Mirrors - had suspected she had turned traitor, and had instructed the cult to find the truth. Once caught, Melodia was taken by Esoterica to discuss what had been done. Though sympathizing with Melodia's point of view, and loathe to lose yet another Mirror, Esoterica nonetheless had to deal with the threat. She severed Melodia's telepathic connection, sealed her powers away, and put her in a body cloned from their original appearance. With that, she threw Melodia down to Hydaelyn. Cold Start Experiencing rather unpleasant déjà vu, Melodia found herself painfully cast into a harsh land devoid of warmth, and swiftly under attack. She found she could no longer cast magic in the same manner she once had, and suffered a maimed arm to earn this knowledge. Though she'd dispatch the beast that attacked her, she still found herself lost in the cold. Catching her reflection in a patch of ice, she resolved to call herself "Steia" as a shortened form of her original, mortal name. She was soon found by a Coerthan scouting party which had witnessed her fall and subsequent battle. She claimed amnesia, a reasonable side effect from falling in such a manner, and pleaded for shelter. The scouts took her to their garrison to feed, cloth, tend to her wounds, and question her. Afterwards, the knights were divided on what to do or think of her. More faithful knights suggested that she had been tested by Halone, but while some suggested she could start life fresh, cleared of whatever sins she had committed previously, others noted she had survived the fall unscathed, and suggested something sinister was at play. As an agreement was reached to call an Inquisitor from Ishgard to decide what to do, one sympathetic knight suggested she adopt the surname "L'etoile" - supposedly meaning "The Star" - until she recalled or learned her real surname. The Inquisitor would never get the chance to interview her. Upon hearing that such a person was on their way, Steia took advantage of the lax security around her to escape, drugging a pair of guards with a sleep agent created from items found in the infirmary. Luck on her side, an ongoing blizzard allowed her to evade the scouts sent to track her down. However, she'd soon be found by Catherine Marchand, a "sister" of Nighean's with spies in Coerthas. After Steia explained the situation, Catherine offered her a place to stay in Thanalan, and spent time with her before taking her to the peak of Sohm Al at Steia's request. Making her way to Zenith, she called for Fiona Delaine, who she knew to occasionally visit the summit, and using a name she wasn't likely to ignore. Once arriving, she attempted to attune to Zenith's aetheryte, only to have it reject her. Shrugging this off, she soon found Fiona waiting for her. Speaking to the woman she saw as her friend, she explained the situation, she sought advice and council. She felt that on some level, Fiona's own situation was not too dissimilar to her own. Fiona's words eased her mind, and afterward, the woman also mended her arm with magic before aiding her in travel to Limsa Lominsa. Like Sohm Al, Limsa was a destination requested by Steia. Here, she sought out Kahti, Zohka, Sahli and Adrah to admit the truth of things to them and seek forgiveness. Though aid was offered to her, she declined, saying that it just didn't feel right. Afterward, she headed for Limsa Lominsa where, again, she attempted to attune to the city's aetheryte. Again rejected, she started to realize how limited her travel options had become. Noting she was drawing attention, she looked to the dress given to her by the Coerthans, and realized it was little more than a nightgown. Again, she used this to her advantage, seducing a woman on shore leave, and stealing her clothing and firearm. While trying to figure out her next step, she ran across Siegfried Blutritter. After once more explaining the situation, he teleported her to the Nevermorn estate in the Black Shroud. 🖉 Personality (Spoilers) ⊰ PERSONALITY ⊱ Pending. L I K E S ► Mint Tea - With a mild bit of sugar or honey. ► Socializing - Steia fully admits that sometimes she just enjoys talking to people. ► Forests - No real reason why. she simply finds them pleasant. ► Animals - Though not incautious, she just loves all animals. Even vilekin. ► Young Children - Often times the only true innocents, full of hope and wonder. D I S L I K E S ► Meat - Steia loves animals too much to eat them. ► Sports Hunters - Even poachers are trying to make a living, but sport hunters are truly wasteful. ► Abuses of Power - Those granted power through right or might who would use that power to harm are awful to her. ► Unfair Slavers - She finds cheating people to force them into or keep them in service to be vile. ► Greed And Gluttony - She sees those who wilfully hoard and consume more than they need to be the source of most of the world's ills. H O B B I E S ► Alchemy - A seemingly natural talent she possesses. ► Cooking - Steia enjoys cooking, and will even prepare meat for her more carnivorous friends. ► Piano Playing - Steia enjoys playing to ease her mind. ► Painting - Less of a hobby, and more of a means to an end, Steia is an adept painter. S T R E N G T H S ► Diligent - She takes care in everything she does, rarely leaving something unfinished. ► Determined - She can be hard to stop when she sets her mind to something. ► Multi-Lingual - Steia has surprised many people by revealing she understands what they're saying or writing. ► Patient - Even when someone is being rude to her, she is slow to anger. So slow, that few have seen her upset. ► Physically Tough - Can endure unnatural amounts of physical punishment, such as falling from the heavens. W E A K N E S S E S ► Clingy - It can be hard to keep her away from the people she trusts. ► Bleeding Heart - A good sob story can get her to overlook your misdeeds. ► Combat Avoidance - Acting more as a scholar and artisan than anything, Steia generally avoids fighting. ► Void Corruption - A supposed side-effect of her field of study, the void corruption in her body makes her sick. Q U I R K S ► Carnivore Tolerant - Despite abstaining from eating meat herself, Steia doesn't mind that other people do, so long as they aren't rude or gluttonous about it. ► Recycler - Steia prefers to reuse things rather than discard them, using magic to extend an item's life. What bits of her clothing come from animals have often been recycled in this manner. ► Odd Speech - Steia's speech pattern often comes off as a foreigner who hasn't completely grasped the nuances of the language. 🖉 OOC (Spoilers) ⊰ PLAYER POV ⊱ Goals Steia's role in most stories is that of a secondary character. Depending on the story, she can aid the protagonist or antagonist, or even flip between them depending on the situation. Originally, I meant her to be an NPC with no screen time, and she's grown to take a larger role. I'm okay with her being killed or imprisoned, though I prefer such is discussed with me ahead of time. I honestly don't know what my author goals are for this character, but she's fun to play, so I'm just going to keep at it. As with all my characters, I'd like to experience and participate in similar stories with a vast array of characters. I will just as happily interact IC with a paladin as a psychopath. I enjoy IC drama, and I especially adore ethical dilemmas. At the end of the day, though, I want myself and my fellow role players to walk away from a scene satisfied and/or wanting more. Lore Compliance I favor lore plausible roleplay. This is roleplay that adheres to concrete lore, but fills in the places where the lore has gaps with whatever seems reasonable and artistically appropriate. By "reasonable", I mean that it must adhere to concrete lore (That is, things that have been directly observed to be true during the MSQ and side quests), should avoid conflicting with "fuzzy" lore (lore given by NPCs which might be false but has not been proven to be), and should fit in with the narrative style of Final Fantasy XIV (which, admittedly, can vary wildly). My justification for this is that Final Fantasy XIV has Unreliable Narrator Syndrome. NPCs are often wrong about the history of things, assuming they don't outright lie to you, and even the Encyclopedia Eorzea is written from the point of view of the NPCs. I might also accept less plausible private head-canons which are accepted by the group I'm in, again, so long as they fit in an artistic way. In any case, if I'm violating lore as you know it, please bring it up to me OOC. Do expect me to debate the lore with you, but understand my intention is to reach an agreement...not "win", which I don't think is possible. RP Limits Ultimately, I'm all about an interesting and entertaining story. I enjoy "dynamic" roleplay just as much as (if not more than) private stories. In either case, I don't expect Steia to take center stage in any plot aside from my own. I'm pretty okay with most themes and twists, as long as they're not overdone. Anything from Light-Hearted Fun to Dark and Violent themes are okay by me, so long as it seems realistic. There are two important caveats, however: First: While I'd normally prefer warnings about things that might make my character unplayable, I realize they can come up with no warning with a character like Steia...but expect the character to respond appropriately. Second: I will try to abort a scene or plot if I find out it's making someone seriously uncomfortable Out of Character. It's hard to entertain people when they're upset, after all! I'm fine with story-driven character romance and/or "sexy fun times", but I'm typically not interested in ERP, preferring to "fade to black". I don't suggest coming after me for ERP for a variety of reasons, many of which are mood-dependant and completely unpredictable. ⊰ SCREENSHOTS ⊱ ⊰ MUSICAL THEMES ⊱ Tentatively, these: ● In This Moment - Sick Like Me - When Steia is in an rare, honest relationship. ● Milck - Devil Devil - Contemplating the machinations of other voidsent and maligned entities. ⊰ TV TROPES ⊱ Personality/World View ► Being Human Sucks - Not to offend, but she would much rather be a demoness. ► Long Game - Though she doesn't know if or when her time will be up, she can still wait. ► Above Good And Evil - Good and Evil are petty, mortal concepts and concerns. Strengths ► Determinator - Physically and mentally resilient, she's not one to stop when the going gets tough. ► Chemistry Can Do Anything - At least it can when you're an Aetherochemist-turned-fallen demoness pretending to do alchemy. Weaknesses ► Bad Black Barf - Coughed up from her lungs, this substance is void-corrupted blood. ► Tainted Veins - A symptom of her void corruption, made worse by spellcasting. History ► Voidsent of Hyur Origin - Steia, as Nighean, was originally a Hyur from Hydaelyn. ► Humanity Ensues - After five millenia, Steia suddenly has to live like a mortal. ► Humans Are Bastards - What Esoterica is trying to teach Melodia. 🖉

Sidebar (Spoilers) ⪻ STEIA L'ETOILE ⪼ IN BRIEF [tumblr] Race - Voidsent Rank/Type - 3rd Rung Succubus(?) Age - 5000+ Name Day - Unknown Reverence - Scathach Disposition - Neutral Evil, Type 1 Color Alignment - Black-Green ► Orientation: Asexual ► Binding: Bound to a Bloodline ► Bound Role: Protector ► Hair color: Jet Black ► Eye color: Amber ► Favorite Food: Aether borne of Lust or Love 🖉

Template lovingly stolen from Aeva Nyuko, and then butchered by myself.