Valerie Voss

Valerie Voss
The Vermillion Vixen
Gender	Female
Race	Hyur
Clan	Highlander
Citizenship	Ala Mhigo
Place of Birth	Ala Mhigo
Guardian	Nald'thal the Traders
Nameday	20th Sun of the 5th Umbral Moon (Age: 36)
Occupation	Adventurer
Pronunciation	"væləri vɒs"

A master of the red, this arrogant duelist hunts wielders of forbidden magicks.

Born to Ala Mhigan nobility, Valerie Voss lost her family to the King of Ruin and was raised by her grandfather. He drilled the art of red magic into her, yet she grew to resent him and struck out on her own to become a mercenary. Proud and confident to the point of arrogance, her skills have seen her through numerous encounters with practitioners of fell magicks across the realm, and won her a small amount of fame and renown for how deftly she swaps between swordplay and magecraft. Preferring to work alone, she refuses any and all invitations to organizations that might tie her down. This may have been for the best, considering her temperament...

Basic Info

Date of Birth: 20th Sun of the 5th Umbral Moon, Year 1541, Sixth Astral Era

Height: Tall (74 ilms)

Weight: Average (175 ponzes)

Build: Muscular

Complexion: Fair

Hair: Short, Straight, Light Blonde

Eyes: Ice Blue

Particular Traits: Beauty mark under left cheek. Scar on right eye.

Voice: Contralto

Clothing Style: Stylish coats and dresses with long boots, or form-fitting tops with loose-fitting pants.

Laterality: Ambidextrous

Appearance

Tall and well-built, Valerie Voss is a statuesque stunner of a Highlander woman at seventy-four ilms. Her piercing, ice blue eyes and swaggering gait tell of a woman who likes to be the center of attention, hair and skin soft and lustrous despite her thirty six summers. While her outfits seldom show them off, her arms, legs, stomach, and back are toned with noticeably chiseled musculature. Surprisingly few scars mar the surface, save for a single one drawn across her right eye.

Valerie's heart-shaped face looks surprisingly soft, perhaps because of her use of makeup. Without fail, crimson lipstick adorns her lips, and both black eyeliner and red eyeshadow decorate her eyes. A matching red coats her manicured and pedicured finger and toenails, kept immaculate even when wearing gloves and close-toed shoes and boots. If rumors are to be believed, she mixes the nail polish with the kind of venoms used by Ananta huntresses, and being scratched by her nails causes a burning sensation.

Light blonde hair covers her head, swept in such a way that the bangs cover most of the right side of her face—perhaps to keep attention away from the scar. It seems she keeps her body hair to a minimum, always careful to maintain her appearance as much as possible. For this same reason, she uses moisturizing lotions developed through Ul'dahn alchemy to treat her skin, and keep even the palms of her hands and soles of her feet relatively soft despite years of fencing.

As a showy sort of person, Valerie's somewhat deep, sultry voice is put to use in rather verbose sentences with clear and excellent enunciation. Long has she prided herself on her knowledge and education, and jumps at the chance to show off how smart she can be. Her sentences do slur a bit when she's deep in her cups, but her high alcohol tolerance makes this a rare occurrence.

Equipment Shire Philosopher: A red coat made of griffin leather, adorned with rose gold and hardsilver, and affixed with titanium rivets. Valerie's attire is noticeably Sharlayan in make, as it was created for her in the city of scholars. A pair of black, leather gloves and boots, as well as leather pants, keep her warm in colder climates. The outfit is fashionable yet durable, and does little to interfere with her red magic. On the contrary, the astral silk undershirt helps maintain the flow of living aether throughout her body. The outfit has been treated with a high-level alchemical intelligence dissolvent, removing elements detrimental to her spellcraft from the attire and allowing her to better attune to the remaining beneficial elements. High House Attire: This ornate attire is a design popular in Radz-at-Han. Crafted from wind silk and rare chimerical felt, this crimson bustle is threaded with crawler silk and decorated with hardsilver adornments. The breeches worn beneath are of the same make, although the metal fastenings lining either side are made of rose gold. The boots, belt, and fashionable cloche are made of dinosaur leather with two chocobo feathers and two wildfoul feathers attached to the hat. While more commonly used as formalwear, Valerie is perfectly capable of combat whilst wearing this billowing noblewoman's attire. Two heart-shaped earrings, forged from gold and set with rubies, are typically worn with this outfit, though her hair often hides them from sight. Best Man's Suit: A sharply-cut, masculine suit, both the jacket and comfortable slacks are made of vanya silk and woolen cloth. A white, silken shirt with matching white tie is worn under the jacket, a small white handkerchief in the outer coat pocket to the left of its shawl lapel. A pair of jet black Gyuki leather boots and matching black gloves complete the set. Valerie is often seen wearing a pair of shaded spectacles with this attire, forged from darksteel and polarized glass to reduce glare. Duelist's Attire and Murgleis: For their willingness to fling themselves into battle and stand toe-to-toe with danger, red mages were often referred to as "duelists." The description became so commonplace that it was eventually appended to the name of their traditional vermillion attire. The lavish feathered ornamentation on the chapeau was fashioned after a style historically popular amongst the Elezen. The tabard features a cape that not only provides warmth but ample space for weaving arcane geometries, allowing Valerie to take advantage of their boons without committing to a cumbersome full robe. The breeches are augmented with protective leather on the sides of the thighs and are belted snugly to the leg to prevent their becoming a hindrance in frantic combat. Valerie received her set from her late grandfather, but refused to wear it until recently due to her tumultuous relationship with him. She usually keeps it tucked away in a special wardrobe. More recently, she has acquired her grandsire's Murgleis, a masterpiece rapier styled after the favored weapon of Count Ganelon.

Preferences

Likes ■ Showing off her skills. ■ The admiration of others. ■ Savory, sour, or spicy foods. ■ Her chocobo, Pimpernel.

Dislikes ■ Being disrespected. ■ Being emotionally open and vulnerable. ■ Supporting others emotionally. ■ Not being rewarded for her services. ■ Dry or bitter foods. ■ Children.

Favorites ■ Food: Baklava ■ Drink: Red Wine ■ Colours: Red ■ Place: The Gold Court ■ Festival: Valentione's Day

Other ■ Alignment: True Neutral ■ Vices: Drinking, gambling, whoring. ■ Religion: The Twelve ■ Goal: To achieve fame and fortune.

Personality

Flaws ■ Arrogant and boastful. ■ Vain and selfish. ■ Stubborn and overbearing.

Fears ■ Primals, particularly Ifrit. ■ Growing old and weak. ■ Becoming like her grandfather.

Talents ■ Knowledgeable on various types of wines and skilled at wine tasting. ■ Trained in formal styles of ballroom dance including waltz and tango. ■ Classically trained in the dramatic arts, knowledgeable about plays and operas.

Intelligence Valerie has an extensive formal education in a variety of fields including arcane studies, history, alchemy, and aetherology.

Quirks Valerie tends to append a diminutive to people she meets, such as "poppet," "dear," or "sweetie."

Abilities and Skills

Personal ■ Excellent Aether Control ■ High Physical Strength and Agility

Weapons ■ Dueling Arms

Magic ■ Red Magic ■ Thaumaturgy ■ Conjury

Crafting ■ Weaving ■ Alchemy ■ Culinary Arts

Biography

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Early Life

Born to a wealthy noble family of merchants Ala Mhigo, Valerie Voss spent a relatively unremarkable childhood in the city-state. She was furnished with an education via private tutors hired by her family, preparing her for a typical highborn life of social gatherings. This came to an abrupt end when, at the age of thirteen—a year after King Theodoric's purge of the Fist of Rhalgr—her family home was invaded by the Corpse Brigade.

Her father was hanged, drawn, and quartered, her mother burnt at the stake, and Valerie would have suffered a similar fate were it not for the intervention of her estranged grandfather, Vyncent Voss, one of the Crimson Duelists who came to rescue his family from the royal oubliette. During the escape, his left leg was permanently crippled, ending his career as a red mage but saving his granddaughter in the process.

Taking the Red

Valerie spent the next three years among the red mages, her grandsire tutoring her in magic to little success. At the climax of the rebellion, when Garlemald invaded Ala Mhigo, the two fled the nation and crossed the Velodyna into the Black Shroud. As a result, they escaped death at the hands of the traitorous Lambard Calowise, who considered the elderly cripple and his talentless granddaughter not worth the trouble of hunting into Eorzea.

At first, they petitioned the Hearers for aid, but were turned away by the elementals. Instead, they joined a group of refugees in a long trek across Abalathia's Spine, arriving at last in the hinterlands of Dravania, the land of Sharlayan's colony in Eorzea. For four years, she attended classes in the Studium, all the while her grandfather forced her to devote herself to training in her spare time, his abusive behavior leading her to resent him.

This came to a head when she was expelled from the Studium, having been involved in an intimate relationship with a married instructor. Vyncent, angered that his plans for Valerie had been jeopardized by the scandal, launched into a tirade. Valerie returned harsh words of her own, eventually blasting the old man to the ground with her magic. Bitterly forsaking both him and her homeland, she abandoned him.

The Vermillion Vixen

Valerie came to Ul'dah in 1562 of the Sixth Astral Era, and soon made a name for herself as a gladiator to earn gil. As "The Vermillion Vixen" she taunted opponents and audiences alike, then abruptly left the bloodsands with an undefeated fifty win streak to the ire of her audience. She joined the Adventurers' Guild, using her infamy to her advantage in securing high-paying jobs. This included an investigation into Mythril Pit T-3 in 1564, in which she helped the Stone Torches fend off an Amalj'aa ambush.

In 1567, she gained renown for aiding the House Dzemael in rescuing those workers trapped within the cavernous Dzemael Darkhold, using her knowledge of Voidsent to fight back the abominations and see the workers to safety. The Vermillion Vixen's reputation as a slayer of demons only grew in the next few years, and so she was invited to join the Brass Blades and other mercenary companies on a mission to slay Ifrit in the year 1570. She found, however, that Ifrit was a different beast entirely, and fled the battlefield alongside those fortunate enough to survive the encounter when most of her comrades were enthralled by the primal.

On the eve of the Calamity, helping slay the insane members of the Lambs of Dalamud cult and fending off the demons set loose by Atomos when they appeared over aetheryte camps across the realm. On the day of the Seventh Umbral Calamity, Valerie was in Ul'dah, where she fought off the waves of Voidsent and imperial soldiers attacking the city-state until blasts of fire rained from above, blasting apart the city-state around her.

After the Calamity

Valerie was wounded badly in the Calamity, her healing magic sustaining her as she lost consciousness. The experience changed something within Valerie, the sight of so many wounded and dead in Ul'dah bringing to mind her own loss as a child. While she recuperated from her injuries, she made a goodly sum of gil as a weaver, and donated a portion of her earnings anonymously to the cause of aiding refugees from Ala Mhigo and the Calamity.

Before long, she was back in the saddle, and resumed adventuring throughout the realm in the five years of the Seventh Umbral Era. The Scions of the Seventh Dawn extended an invitation to her, which she declined, unwilling to face a primal ever again. She did, however, face off with Voidsent and their summoners on several occasions, including the Corpse Brigade. On the latter occasion, she slew Captain Wilhelm Rotheric, the man responsible for her parents' deaths.

During the Seventh Astral Era, Valerie began to work in groups more often, but still declined any invitations to Grand Companies or Free Companies. She was privileged to join a party led by the Warrior of Light when E-Sumi-Yan called upon adventurers to delve into the lost city of Amdapor and later aided in clearing Amdapor Keep. Valerie would aid the legendary adventurer again after Ishgard rejoined the Alliance; she and twenty-two other adventurers explored the Void Ark, the salt-drenched city of Mhach, and the abandoned city of Dun Scaith on behalf of the Redbills, where she again faced off with the Voidsent prince Diabolos.

Crimson Storm

Early into the Seventh Astral Era, Valerie had learned that the Isle of Val was destroyed, and her grandfather along with it. Not long after returning from Dun Scaith, she was approached by the Ala Mhigan Resistance once more. Though she hated Vyncent, she could not deny that she, too, felt the desire to liberate her lost homeland. It wasn't until after the XIIth Legion razed Rhalgr's Reach that she finally decided to join the battle as a freelancer. She donned her full Duelist's attire for the first time to participate in the battle for Ala Mhigo.

After Ala Mhigo's liberation, Valerie left Gyr Abania behind, not wishing to remain tethered to her homeland. Word of a newly-discovered island in the Far East reached her ear, and though she was not immediately interested, the rumor that it may be connected to the Isle of Val led her to charter a boat with the Ruby Sea Trading Company, and journey to the forbidden land of Eureka to learn the fate of her grandfather.

To her dismay, the foray into the dangerous island only confirmed that her grandsire had passed away. This brought her neither joy nor great sorrow, though she decided to pay the old man the respect of a proper memorial before leaving the island. She took up his sword, the Murgleis he wielded all those years ago, back when he rescued her from the mad king's gaol and, for just the briefest moment in time, was her hero.

Relationships

Family ■ Vyncent Voss (Grandfather) Valerie's grandfather, Vincent Voss, had the most notable influence on her development. A gruff man, he seldom minced words and settled for naught less than perfection from his students. Born in Ala Mhigo, he inherited his family's fortune and used it to pursue his interest in magecraft. He journeyed to Sharlayan in the Dravanian hinterlands, and was recognized as an Archon for his contributions to understanding the history of red magic. While he did return to Ala Mhigo to perform his duties as head of House Voss, he never cared for the politics of Ala Mhigan highborn, and spent much of his time in his cups to the detriment of his house's reputation. He eventually abdicated the position after the death of his wife, passing it onto his firstborn son, Victor, who later sired Valerie. Vincent returned to Sharlayan and accepted a professorship at the Studium. Because he loved this life, he ignored the plight of Ala Mhigo for some time, until word that his family had come under arrest reached his ears. At once, he left for Ala Mhigo, knowing that he would possibly never be welcome in Sharlayan again for abandoning his position and putting his knowledge to use in a war. He joined the Crimson Duelists, a group of young Ala Mhigans who sought to liberate their people from the King of Ruin's tyranny. Unfortunately, he was too late to save his son and daughter-in-law. The grief of their loss, and his subsequent crippling during his foolhardy rescue of his granddaughter, led him to drink in excess. He was often abusive throughout his relationship with Valerie, drilling her in red magic and harshly punishing her mistakes. He sought to forge a weapon of her, one that could take vengeance on Garlemald and the traitorous Lambard. When he and Valerie came to Sharlayan, he was begrudgingly admitted back into the colony, given the circumstances of his return. Ultimately, he would join the exodus to Sharlayan alone, his granddaughter abandoning him for his years of abuse and severing the only family bond he had left. On invitation from an old colleague, he joined the Students of Baldesion, and remained on the Isle of Val until its destruction early into the Seventh Astral Era.

Friends and Acquaintances ■ Rivienne Beaudon ■ Asatolf Asurmite

Enemies ■ Garlemald ■ Corpse Brigade ■ Lambs of Dalamud

Affiliations ■ Adventurers' Guild

Other Information

Name Etymology Valerie: From "Valerius" meaning "strong," "brave," or "valiant." Voss: From voß meaning "fox." Nicknames ■ The Vermillion Vixen Current Residence Attuned Aetherytes Show text La Noscea Limsa Lominsa Costa del Sol Wineport Camp Bronze Lake The Black Shroud Gridania Bentbranch Meadows Camp Tranquil Fallgourd Float Thanalan Ul'dah The Goblet Horizon Black Brush Station Camp Drybone Little Ala Mhigo Forgotten Springs Camp Bluefog Ceruleum Processing Plant The Gold Saucer Mor Dhona Revenant's Toll Coerthas Ishgard Dravania Idyllshire Gyr Abania Rhalgr's Reach Castrum Oriens Ala Gannha Ala Ghiri Porta Praetorium The Ala Mhigan Quarter Hingashi Kugane Gallery