Llaine Tetheros

Llaine Tetheros
The Black Flame Knight
Knight of the Crystal
Gender	Female
Race	Hyur
Clan	Highlander
Citizenship	Ul'dah
Age	35
Height	6 fulms
Weight	250 ponze
Profession	Adventurer
Patron Deity	Hydaelyn
Server	Balmung

Llaine Tetheros is a Hyur Highlander from Ul'dah, daughter of a wealthy Ul'dahn merchant, and ex-Immortal Flame. She is currently a veteran adventurer and member of the Ivory Tower, where she studies magic as a spellsword, weaving her martial prowess and magicks together. She is an adherent of Hydaelyn, and worships the Mother Crystal as her patron deity.

Appearance

Llaine is a Highlander of average to above-average height (roughly 5'10") with raven black hair, highlighted red, and mocha skin. She has complete heterochromia, with one turquoise blue and one seafoam green eye. A long scar adorns her right eye. She has dark freckles on her face, and if the Tetheros family had any traces of Ala Mhigan lineage in them it is long gone, with generations of their family able to be traced throughout Ul'dah's history. Her build is toned and athletic, able to show off clearly defined muscle groups when flexing but otherwise sleek when relaxed. A plethora of scars cover her body, each a wound sustained in combat, and at one time used as a mark of pride as a warrior. Now she often covers them in heavy plate or thick leather, preferring coats or modest clothing over revealing outfits. Her speech is eloquent and educated, and she shows no hint of the usual Ul'dahn accent.

Despite her knight's demeanor, she does still like to exhibit her feminine side, and will often wear her hair down, in long flowing curls, and when not girded for combat enjoys jewelry, fine robes, and light makeup.

History

Llaine Tetheros was born to wealth and affluence, the eldest daughter of an Ul'dahn merchant and his wife. Soon enough she was graced with a younger sister and brother, and she and her sister became fast friends while growing up. All three of the Tetheros children enjoyed a fine education and upper class rearing, complete with art lessons, chocobo riding, and decorum. When not training to represent the Tetheros family in the upper class of Ul'dah, Llaine and her sister Liara would play together, often descending into the lower streets of the city to find trouble. Llaine took to weapons early, learning swordplay from the Tetheros family head of security, and proved herself a capable combatant even in her young age. Meanwhile, her sister and brother were the ones who took well to the scales and micromanagement of Ul'dah's ultra-competitive market scene, yet it was still Llaine who was lauded as the Tetheros family heir. Liara and Liam continued to live in her shadow, despite Llaine's unpopular decision to forego the family business and join the Immortal Flames, and soon enough at age 16 she did just that, joining as a private under the command of the Flame General.

Soon after Llaine joined the Flames, she fell out of touch with her sister, who until then had kept up writing to her. Llaine was concerned, and a bit saddened, but her duties to the Flames kept her mostly occupied. More years passed, uneventful, until Llaine, now 23 years old and a Sergeant in the Flames, received word that her sister had disappeared. Llaine, fearing for Liara's safety, took temporary leave from the Flames to search for her. It did not take her long to find her sister, however, standing in the middle of a field of blood and surrounded by bodies. Liara had slaughtered dozens of men, women, and children, and when Llaine confronted her, she gave only an insane laugh and blamed Llaine and the shadow she cast, which Liara sought to escape from. After a brief clash which left both women scarred physically, Liara escaped, leaving Llaine to lament her sister's downfall in the pouring rains.

Years passed without a whisper of Liara's whereabouts, and Llaine continued her duties within the Flames, eventually becoming a Sergeant First Class just prior to the Battle of Carteneau and the Calamity. Llaine took part in the battle, escaping the fiery destruction rained upon the Eorzean Alliance by Bahamut, and ended her service with the Flames after that, becoming a wandering adventurer. Not long thereafter she joined the Sword and Rose Order as a close personal bodyguard of T'nara Fariq (later Katara Shadowalker) and Konner Kinkaid. During her stay with the Order, she learned of Liara's fate: she now led a band of revolutionaries called the Sons of Rhalgr, and the two forces met on the fields of Coerthas to settle things once and for all. While the Order and the Sons of Rhalgr battled fiercely around them, Llaine and Liara drew steel for their final confrontation. After a blazing duel, Llaine emerged victorious, albeit gravely injured, ending her sister's life and the Sons of Rhalgr for good. Llaine continued to serve Konner and the Order after their battle with Liara's forces, eventually serving as one of Konner's closest advisers before she vanished from Eorzea for a time.

Now back from her sojourn, Llaine has taken up worship of Hydaelyn, the Mother Crystal, and become a wandering adventurer again, doing good deeds and lending aid wherever it may be needed in the name of the Crystal. She has rejoined her old friend L'yhta Mahre in Mysterium, the Ivory Tower, to expand on her magic abilities, and has begun laying the groundwork for the reformed Ebon Watch, the Tower's martial order.

Personality

Llaine has a very strong sense of morality and justice, and it comes through in her stern demeanor when facing down ne'er-do-wells or battling the forces of evil. Typically, though, she has a carefree and laid-back air about her, even if her posture and bearing can suggest otherwise. She tries to come across as motherly, or like a big sister, offering wisdom and advice when it is requested, and protecting her friends and loved ones when necessary. She tends to dive headlong into the unknown, preferring to lead the charge rather than follow, as the safety of her comrades always takes priority over her own. She is selfless, sometimes to the point of being sanctimonious, and can be a bit preachy at times.

Bubbling just below the surface is a bloodlust she once tapped into for power before becoming an adherent of Hydaelyn, and if pushed too far, will allow it to overtake her, driving her into a ferocious frenzy of steel.

Affiliations and Known Associates

• L'yhta Mahre - Llaine's closest friend next to Eamont, she greatly enjoys L'yhta's company and their discussions of life and the world. She enjoys L'yhta's viewpoints on things and more than once, the plucky Miqo'te mage has helped Llaine see a problem from a fresh perspective. Llaine is more than happy to take on the mantle of L'yhta's "big sister."
• Eamont Desormaux - The second of Llaine's closest friends, Llaine looks up to Eamont as a confidant and source of wisdom when her own runs dry. She lived with Eamont for a spell after returning to Eorzea and the two grew even closer than before. Llaine would give anything for Eamont's sake, though she would never tell him that.
• Clalaris Sil Laris - Llaine is relatively well-acquainted with the Tower's most popular lalafell, having had a few conversations with her prior to Llaine's disappearance, and again after her return. She respects Clalaris as a mage and fellow Tower member.
• Sazhi'to Bajhiri - Sazhi'to did some crafting work for Llaine prior to her disappearance, and now after her return, the two share a friendly acquaintance. As with most of the Tower's mages, Llaine respects his abilities as a mage.
• Nataru Rahz - Llaine has conversed with this chipper Miqo'te monk on several occasions, usually alongside Nataru's Au Ra fiancee. She works in the tavern Llaine frequents on her travels, and their conversation is always lighthearted.
• Hageshi No Valirelia - Nataru's lover, Vali once gave Llaine some very valuable advice. Though Llaine finds Vali to be somewhat of an enigma at times, the relationship between Vali and Nataru always warms Llaine's heart.
• Kurenai Nagi - Llaine once assisted in retrieving this Raen fortune-teller from a well-meaning but misguided guardian, and has remained cordial and friendly with her since. She seems nice enough, and Llaine is very willing to help the young Au Ra in whatever way she can.

Characteristics

• Nicknames: None
• Age: 34
  • Nameday: 9th Sun of the 12th Umbral Moon
• Gender: Female
  • Sexuality: Bisexual
  • Marital Status: Single
• Alignment: Chaotic Good
• Height: 5'10"
• Weight: 230lbs
• Body: Athletic
• Hair: Black w/red highlights
• Eyes: Complete heterochromia, blue/green
• Skin: Mocha

Likes

• Tea
• Cheesecake
• Well-made swords
• Flying her Mana Cutter
• JUSTICE

Dislikes

• Beast tribes
• Primals
• Monetarists
• Tart fruit drinks
• Lobsters

Areas of Expertise

• Martial: Axes, swords/shields, claymores
• Crafting: None
• Other: Mining

Strengths

• Strong moral fiber
• Literally really strong
• Educated
• World-wise
• Strong sense of duty

Weaknesses

• Sanctimonious
• No strong marketable skills outside of combat
• Can be snarky when annoyed
• Can fall prey to bloodlust if pushed too far
• Narrow-minded view of beast tribes

Other Notes

Religion

Worships Hydaelyn, the Mother Crystal

Quirks

Llaine, while not generally preferring one gender over the other when it comes to romance, does have a weakness for female Miqo'te. She also has a weakness for cheesecake, and it is the quickest way to garner her favor. She has a tendency to wax poetic when struck with a particular determination about something, and will make sweeping declarations apropos of nothing.

Equipment

Llaine usually carries a weapon of some sort, be it sword, axe, or claymore, and tends to only dress casually when relaxing at home. Her favored set of armor is a lightweight jacket with steel gauntlets and greaves, well-suited to travelling. She carries a satchel containing general goods for the road, as well as weapon maintenance kits and an assortment of crystals for bartering, on top of her usual gil allowance.

Rumours

The following rumours can be heard about Llaine, predominantly in Ul'dah. (If your character has an opinion about her, feel free to add it here.)

Common rumours

• "Eldest daughter of Leoric Tetheros, she is. Aye, the wealthy one."
• "Used to run in the mercenary circles, went by the name Scarlet Blade."
• "Sergeant Tetheros? Aye, I served with her. Damn fine soldier. Shame to watch her go after Carteneau."

Uncommon rumours

• "Heard her sister went batty an' killed a bunch o' folk."
• "Saw her in Vesper Bay with a pirate crew. Least I think it was her. Who are we talking about, again?"

Rare rumours

• "She funnels money to the revolutionaries. No secret she's a staunch Royalist. What do you mean, 'it is a big secret'?"

What PCs are saying

• "Llaine's just... I can't even put into words how I feel about her, you know? She's my desert rose, my rock, my truly better half. And! If you try to hurt her, I'll turn you to ash." --L'yhta Mahre
• " Llaine shares the name of my first love...and in some ways many of her characteristics. She's a wonderful person and a true hero that others can look up to. Her love for our home is inspiring and has even gotten me wanting to join her cause....hells she's a damn fine role model if you ask me. She's one of a kind and i'm really glad I've gotten to know her." --Nataru Rahz
• "I've seen her coming out of a house I used to nap at. The guy's, like, her nunh you know? Suspicious, right!? But don't tell her I told you. She carries a big sword!" -- Karaki Crystalis
• "Met her one day about in Ul'dah, she took me a bit by surprise. But I wouldn't exchange our encounter we had for all the gil in the Saucer." -- Okhi Lyehga

Known Haunts

You might have run into or otherwise know Llaine from:

• The Quicksand
• Hall of Flames
• Revenant's Toll

OOC Inspirations

Agrias Oaks from Final Fantasy Tactics was a big inspiration for Llaine's personality, and her desert warrior heritage was inspired by the ancient Persians.