Vesper Lyall
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A full moon and gunfire marked the birth of N'thaliah Xhin, who would later come to be known as Vesper Lyall. Named after an Ishgardian knight who sacrificed her rank and name for the protection of a miqo'te babe and her mother, N'thaliah lived among the Coerthan N tribe and led a simple life. Having born witness to the rapid changes of Coerthas after the Calamity, N'thaliah became used to the harsh reality of the world at a young age. Trained vigorously by her mother and elder sister, she achieved the rank of a fully-fledged huntress at the age of sixteen. When the tribe's nunh, her father, was killed in a challenge by a tia of another sect, N'thaliah thought foolishly to avenge him-- a futile plan that led to her eventual flight from Coerthas to the sanctuary of the Black Shroud. It was here that she began her metamorphosis into an adventurer-- taking on a new name and deciding to master the spear in honor of her late sister. It was within the Black Shroud that she met Asami Yamada, the one who would change her life forever. Sworn by her love for the Doman woman and by her love for the Doman's cause, N'thaliah pledged herself to the forming company known as the Order of Esper and became its famed Spymaster. Years passed and their passionate romance only bloomed further. Her heart could never have been prepared enough for the shattering truth that Asami had used her and the company to traffic Ala Mhigan children to the Empire. After a grim discovery, N'thaliah was forced to expose her lover to the Immortal Flames, which sparked a feud that could only be settled in blood. Under the guise of Vesper Lyall does N'thaliah hope to end the lives of her pursuers, her former allies and companions. One delicious murder at a time.
A girl of wild, ashen brown hair, Vesper stands only slightly above average for a female Seeker of the Sun. Her body shows signs of warfare in tiny scars that decorate her arms, legs, and torso, but they are largely faded. It is far more noticeable that she is muscular and has kept herself in good shape, though that has been deteriorating as of late due to health issues. Vesper's eyes gleam a pale green-- vivid with life. Her skin is quite pale in color, often kept concealed by clothing. A few hours of sun will only cause her to burn a dark crimson rather than tan-- an unfortunate genetic trait. Her complexion seems quite healthy otherwise, though a more keen eye might notice the perpetual shadows under her all-too-often bloodshot eyes. She strays from make up on a typical day, but has been known to indulge in common Eorzean eye shadows (particularly dark hues) or opt for tribal face paint. Rarely, she will dye her hair sunny blonde or dark auburn.
Aspects That Stand Out:
Vesper is a woman of many facets, many faces– both literally and figuratively. Having made her profession as a spymaster for several years, she has a way of fluently lying and acting. The only catch here is that she is a woman of extremes– extreme anger, extreme joy, and extreme sadness being the ruling three emotions she experiences. Her acting is passable, but when she’s emotionally invested, she finds herself slipping in her own guises and lies.
That being said, despite shrouding herself in layers of enigma, she is a good-hearted person. She follows the morals instilled upon her by the tribe she was raised in– do good, preserve your allies, and bring justice where it should be dealt. These teachings sometimes collide with her brash personality, and oftentimes, she finds herself at war with what is “correct”. Vesper picks her friends very carefully and prefers to keep them close to her. She is fiercely dedicated to her companions, willing to risk life and limb to make sure they are safe. She has a hard time sharing her feelings and her troubles with friends, however, not wanting to burden them with her problems. Because of this, she may sometimes appear aloof when it comes to serious matters, opting to deflect severe circumstances or topics with humor. She desperately fears that she will be judged for her past errors and tries to firmly keep a lid on her past. Sometimes, she takes this a bit too far out of fear. Overall, she follows the Chaotic Good archetype– although sometimes has fallen under scrutiny and question for what she considers to be “morally right”. Generally speaking, however, she tries her best to abide by the law as well as help others to the best of her ability. She has several bad habits– Vesper finds succor and relaxation in drinking, sometimes to the point where she blacks out. She occasionally dabbles in herbal medicines, but doesn’t make a habit out of it (it doesn’t “taste as good as booze” according to her). She indulges in gambling when given the chance, bonus points if she’s able to rig the game in her favor. Her depression often gets the best of her, spiking her already paranoid mind. On the worst days, she flips between not caring at all and caring too much. Signs of her anxiety are shown are on her arms, as she has a tendency to claw at herself/pick at her skin absent-mindedly when experiencing an episode. While nervous, she usually talks too much or really quickly, resulting in furthering her own embarrassment. She keeps a good portion of her feelings concealed by a snarky mask of humor. Her spy persona serves her well in that regard.
Vesper was born as N'thaliah Xhin to an offshoot of the N Tribe located in the Coerthas highlands and under the leadership of N'xhin Nunh. Her childhood was that of a normal miqo'te– she learned basic skills to make her an asset to the tribe such as sewing, hunting, and gathering. Her tribe relied primarily on their aldgoat herds, which provided things such as milk, wool, and meat. N'thaliah was considered one of many sisters among the N tribe. She grew up very close to them, and took to following the eldest of her half-siblings, N'laani, around the highlands. Her elder sister taught her the ways of the spear from a young age, and tutored her well into her teenage years. The Calamity struck, changing their world entirely. Lush highlands became a bleak, wintry nightmare. The Ixali activity rose in the area, forcing the tribe to abandon their home after several raids. The Ishgardians barred their doors, unwilling to lend an ear to those outside of their nation. Clashes between the elves and their draconic foes made the highlands even more dangerous than before. Their herds suffered greatly from the misfortunes, and they lost a fair portion of their livestock. When it was asked by the sisters of the N tribe if they could perhaps relocate to a less-harsh environment, the nunh ultimately denied their requests, stating that “this is always where we have lived, and we will stay here as per tradition”. N'thaliah loathed it all– the biting cold, the warring neighbors, and the merciless bird-men that would come to their humble campsites with the intent to capture and temper them to their harpy of a mistress. She desired freedom from the confines of the N tribe’s lifestyle with every passing month. Her love for her sisters restrained her, but every so often, she would venture near the Black Shroud, where the warmth of the sun had melted the snow, and the scent of the trees filled her nose. She kept her visits to the forest brief, so that the others would not know. On one particular day, the day in which N'thaliah was to partake in her first hunt, her tribe was invaded by the Ixali. Her elder half-sister, N'laani, was kidnapped and, despite being utterly terrified, N'thaliah roused her huntress sisters and foolishly stormed Natalan. When they could not find N'laani, they were disappointed and somberly returned to their village. N'laani returned the next evening, changed somehow. She began hurling magic at the villagers, screeching and screaming angrily. N'thaliah watched helplessly as the village warriors were forced to fight back… and as her sister was accosted, tied down, and dragged away. N'thaliah’s mother told her that N'laani would likely “go away for awhile”. N'thaliah never saw her sister again. She waited for N'laani to come back. But the days turned into weeks. And those weeks became months. And those months… eventually turned into three long years. Her dissatisfaction with tribe life grew into a festering animosity. She took her younger brother scouting one day, and that was when she found N'zahrn Tia, a rogue male who claimed to be from another section of the N tribe, far to the south in a place called Thanalan (N'thaliah had only heard of this place in stories). N'zahrn had come to reunite the two N tribes and make them “whole again”. When N'xhin laughed at him, N'zahrn responded by challenging his capabilities as leader. The battle was gruesome. N'xhin was past his prime, but held his own… Yet, even that was not enough. N'zahrn was at the brink of defeat when he invoked the power of a voidsent, an eerie beast with black wings and razor claws. N'xhin was struck down in an instant before the entire tribe. One of the leading huntresses tried to call foul on N'zahrn, but the beast turned on her next, cleaving her with such a force that she was rendered unconscious. The tribe dared not to oppose him in that moment, and N'zahrn was made into the new Nunh. N'thaliah watched as her father died on the snow, his blood turning the soil red. Her fear and sorrow slowly transformed into bitter hate and rage, and the following sundown, she declared her challenge against N'zahrn, a grievous insult to his pride and a violation of tribal law. N'zahrn graced her with a battle, and N'thaliah was sorely beaten. He cruelly decided to make an example of her defiance, but N'thaliah was able to escape the battle before he could kill her. She ran shamefully away, fleeing the highlands and not stopping her vigorous pace until she reached the welcoming boughs of the Black Shroud. Eventually, she was able to catch a wagon to Gridania, where she hoped the city walls would protect her and hide her. Determined to get stronger so she could save her tribe, she enlisted into the Adventurer’s Guild under the name “V'nanni Kahen”, and was recommended to find a free company that would accept a budding lancer. She was paired with the Valefor Valiants, a company of craftsmen and warriors alike. Within this company, she was put into a platoon, where they were expected to help carry out various missions the company was contracted to help with. In this platoon, she was introduced to a variety of other adventurers. Among these people was a Highlander named Thorfinn Bloodblade, who was a former dragoon of Ishgard. He took her under his wing and taught her a variety of moves to improve her lancework. Rumors circulated for some time that he had feelings for young V'nanni, who denied vehemently that she had any feelings in return. Under Thorfinn’s tutelage, V'nanni became one of the best lancers within her company, growing to a minor officer’s position before she encountered the second-in-command, a Doman woman by the name of Asami Kagetora. She was impressed by V'nanni’s talents and, after hearing much praise from Thorfinn, inducted her into her own squadron of elite fighters. This squadron was privy to information most members of the company were not, and were sent on missions typically not suited for the average fighter. The name of this squadron was known as the Esperknights. The Esperknights became like a second family to her. The overall of Valefor Valiants was huge– so big that V'nanni could not really become attached to everyone she met within the company. But the Esperknights were different… Their attitude was less lax and more focused on getting stronger– and V'nanni realized they were what she needed to defeat N'zahrn. The difference in attitude between the Esperknights and the other members of Valefor Valiants… became more evident as the weeks and months ticked on by. Eventually, Asami broke the Esperknights away from the Valefor Valiants, and dubbed them the Order of Esper– a new company with the purpose of taking the most difficult mercenary jobs available. Each member was hand-picked and trained vigorously. Asami’s elite were the top twelve of the company, each with their own title, specialty, and name to obscure their identities during missions. V'nanni was given the honor of becoming Shemhazai Kasha, the Whisperer, and the master of spies within the company. Her previous mentor, Thorfinn, was ranked the same as her, which he admitted was bittersweet in a way. He professed his love for her soon after, and V'nanni politely rejected him. Asami and V'nanni’s relationship as leader and subordinate grew in her time as the Whisperer. Thorfinn was given tasks elsewhere, and V'nanni grew distant with him. Asami took her under her wing in this time, and the two became involved in a casual manner. She even attempted to track down the N tribe for V'nanni, after she confessed she had lied about her origins to get into the Valefor Valiants. When the N tribe could not be found in Coerthas, V'nanni became upset and turned her distress into blind devotion to her leader– hardening her heart and throwing herself into the thickest of the utmost dangerous missions. The Order of Esper prospered greatly during this time and frequented Thanalan, as most of their buyers were Ul'dahn merchants. A wealthy, unknown man contracted the company for three months to escort crates to a nearby port, and V'nanni was put in charge of making sure any rival businessmen did not intercept the “precious cargo”. V'nanni obeyed her orders as best as she could– fighting off bandits, enraged locals, and hired swords to ensure the cargo was safely transported. It was not until midway through their contracted time that V'nanni began to notice that things were off about the mission. Thorfinn noticed it too, and had he not mentioned it to her, she might not have ever opened the crates as they arrived at the dock. When she found the children inside, she became horrified and released them from their bonds. V'nanni was in the midst of telling the children she would escort them back to Ul'dah when Asami appeared. The business transaction had been made by Asami under a pseudonym and she confessed to V'nanni that she was selling the children to eager Garleans, who were aspiring to use the children as soldier fodder in their upcoming invasion of foreign nations. Appalled, V'nanni and Thorfinn clashed against the Order in a desperate, ruthless battle. Sorely outnumbered, they were forced to retreat, fleeing for their lives with Asami swearing she would find them and kill them. Their flight took them to the southern border of the Thanalan desert, where the Black Shroud lingered at the far horizon. They were set upon by the Order’s most elite soldiers upon the cliffsides, and in the fray, Thorfinn was slain. V'nanni was badly injured– her arm nearly cleaved off by her former leader’s blade. Asami threw her from the top of a cliff and left her to die in the blood and sand. Crawling to Gridania, she was tended to by the conjurers, and sank into a deep depression during her recovery. Not soon after discovering her arm would never be healed fully, she fled to Dravania, where she contemplated what her next step was. Meditation and perspective brought her back to Gridania, where she shed her miqo'te name and took up a new name of her own creation– Vesper Lyall. She enrolled to learn conjury, and also decided to put her skills to use as a mercenary for whomever was in need. For all of the lives she had affected poorly… she craved redemption.
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