in the blackest night
think of me, and i will be with you.
@dawnbrigayde's oc carrd.
index
nelha of frostbreath
a leading family of the once-proud keeper clan, frostbreath. preferring to hide from outsiders, they primarily roamed the north shroud and the central highlands of coerthas.traditionally, their clan was divided into the jah'uun, the hunters, and the kel'ah, the healers, by a rite performed after a new member had spent four moons in the clan. they believed that wearing face paint would grant them the favor of the woods and the powers that reside within them.they lived a peaceful existence until the calamity devastated them, and the vast majority was killed by the resulting forest fires.
house etoinoux
a once-illustrious house among ishgardian nobility pledged to haillenarte. following a lord attempting to shelter a child of heretics some decades back— a grave misconduct, in the eyes of their peers— it has since fallen into a state of disrepute.in his desperation to restore them to their former glory, the embittered acting lord took extreme measures meant to salvage their reputation— but regardless of his intentions, his actions shattered the family instead.
the dreaming page
if words are dreams, this is where dreams come true.
home closest to home
farther to the north of the othardian steppes lie the shores that the warrior of light calls home, and home is where the mankhad tribe roams. one family of many, but dear to them, always, forever.being a coastal tribe, the mankhad live with the sea, by the sea— the most notable example being the venom of the pufferfish, which they use as their primary means of both hunting and defense in form of blowdarts of bone.
swept along the currents
where would limsa be without its entertainment? under the surface of several shows lies a tight-knit network of several artists and artist groups, supporting eachother through the trials and tribulations of public performances and ready to catch eachother should they fall— the dancer troupe known as the silken steps is but one of them, performing all kinds of dances as the mood and fashion strikes.(but this is part of the surface, and where would limsa be without its secrets? for the network of informants lies deeper, as vast and unfathomable as the depths of the sea...)
the apple's never far from the tree
the tea steeps. the dark ceramic is warm from the liquid within, and there's a gentle murmur throughout the room, muffled by wood and tatamis.the shop in kugane is run by two auri men and their daughter, and is popular for its herbal remedies and various teas alike. all is well, until wanderlust grips yet another generation— and it's still well, by all means, because they know distance makes the heart fonder.
mysteries of allag
when the stuff of myth and mystery turns out to be real, who wouldn't want to investigate? two bright-eyed scholars dig their hands into ancient history, trying their hand at putting together the puzzle pieces far beyond their ken.it's a strange kind of task that gets stranger still when the past stands right before you, having failed to pass on into legend— and proves far more difficult when said past refuses to be remembered.
wondrous tales
the campfires whisper to you— there are yet more stories to be told. so don't be shy, have a seat.let's listen.
in another life
because it was possible, defiant and vibrant even amidst the stifling, everlasting light.slight shadowbringers spoilers.
as we once lived
we lived. by the star, did we live.major shadowbringers spoilers.
aelin nelha
arc/cnj | trans man (he/him) | 20 (arr)-28 (shb)
a selectively mute keeper of the moon with a knack for marksmanship. having lived in the wilderness for most of his life, he vastly prefers roaming the forest over civilisation and harbors a strong distaste for the denizens of gridania and the wood wailers. out of necessity, he's practiced in fitting in, anyways. born in coerthas, he still recalls the days before it became a frozen wasteland.aelin is currently part of the scion primal recon squad, primarily tasked with tracking the ixali. while practical and efficient with his work, he's an anxious recluse of a workaholic, independent to a fault, and far too nice for his own good. his husband, gestalt, helps significantly with the required paperwork.has dyslexia. likes fresh meat and making jewelry, and is a decent craftsman besides. has a red handmade earclasp on his left ear— his sister mhalin owns the other half of the pair.
mhalin nelha
cnj/rog | bigender (she/he) | 22(arr), 26 (hw)
a proud keeper of the moon with a talent for painting. effortlessly recalling all the different patterns and pigments and their meanings from how her tribe used to paint their faces, mhalin isn't shy to flaunt her knowledge. aelin's sister presumed dead after she fled the village they took refuge in after the calamity while ill— instead, she successfully made her way back to coerthas, where another displaced keeper tribe took her in and took her to dravania.despite being a healer, she's of the rougher, louder sort, but nowhere near reckless— while she indeed doesn't care what anyone thinks of her, she's spunky, levelheaded and a good leader.bad at crafts. loves cured meat and the crunch of snow. has a red earclasp on her right ear— her brother aelin owns the other half of the pair.
korah nelha
arc | cis woman (she/her) | died age 35 (calamity)
the former co-leader of frostbreath, a prodigous hunter, and aelin and mhalin's mother. died in the forest fires looking for her clanswomen in the smoke and debris.while serious and devoted to her role as clan leader, she was a surprisingly fair and kind sort despite her rough manner and bluntness of speech, being more likely to accept outsiders into the clan than most other leaders before her— most notably a young au ra they then named seta'li, who became as a brother to her two children. while bad at expressing her feelings as opposed to plans or opinions, she often made gifts- little wood carvings, necklaces and trinkets to express her love and gratitude.was light on her feet, and loved dancing— knew every ritual dance by heart, and made more dances up besides.
sebet'a pazekk
cnj | cis man (he/him) | died age 34 (calamity)
a frail, selectively mute half-seeker miqo'te. sebet'a was taken in by clan frostbreath as he sought refuge after being banished from his own tribe for his seeker heritage. father to aelin, seta'li and mhalin, he died trying to get them to safety during the forest fires after pushing seta and aelin out of the way of falling debris.while his abilities as a hearer made him respected within the clan and a key figure among the kel'ah, he preferred running errands and tending to the camp as opposed to being revered as a prophet. he'd always been willing to lend a helping hand, no matter where, no matter how— evidently, he hated being a burden of any sort.had dyslexia. was good with children and hilariously bad at dancing— but was willing to learn, so learn he did; holding korah's hands as she guided him through the steps, laughing even when he stumbled.
valerien "eri" noreciel
cnj/brd | cis man (he/him) | 21 (hw)-26 (edw)
bastard son of yulette d'etoinoux and aurore lorelaut, cast out of house etoinoux and into the brume at age 6. taken in by sister marille, he was taught letters and sheet music and chased dreams of joining the choir along with his sole friend, aurelian; but where he succeeded, lian turned away from their shared dream to join the temple knights for no discernible reason, ultimately leading to their estrangement. eri excelled at his job without him, his beautiful, clear tenor coming into no small amount of recognition among the clergy.after ishgard's reformation under lord commander aymeric, eri suffered a crisis of faith, forcing him to undertake a pilgrimage— and a squabble at the forgotten knight before his departure earned him a traveling companion, a dour xaela by the name of jochi moks.their journey goes on for far longer than expected, and in time, they find they don't care. their squabbles become playful, the unshakable trust between them doesn't waver; even after a slip of the tongue upon a healthy dose of mortal peril, and one thing leads to another— and, well. companion's too light a word, now.the heart is a mysterious thing, isn't it.has a pet sparrow named felix. likes needlework, writing poetry and keeping journals.
leitanel "leita" d'etoinoux
drg | trans man (he/him) | 20 (hw)-25 (edw)
second child of ser ilaux d'etoinoux. while he was raised rather strictly by his grandfather and myriad nursemaids, he was eventually deemed superfluous and sent to the scholasticate of st. endalim, as his sister livianne was next in line to inherit the family name. following the fall of the dusk vigil and the mysterious death of his father, leita took it upon himself to attempt to find out why his father died— but failed spectacularly, lost his memory and was taken in by the hunters of tailfeather.now a hunter-scholar of tailfeather, he's reputed for being impossible to track down by name because he has dozens of nicknames and counting. a kind and gentle soul with a good head for solving problems on the fly, but nervous and quick to tears; he's doing his utmost to overcome his timid nature. a former member of the scions of the seseventh dawn, and an active contact for both ishgard and dravania.leitanel is a bearer of the echo— his power lets him sense the mood as well as danger because he can hear the music associated with it.animals seem fond of him. can't sing or dance, because the music in his head makes him perpetually off-rhythm and key. likes reading.
livianne "livi" d'etoinoux
drg | cis woman (she/her) | 28 (hw)
the first child of ser ilaux d'etoinoux. livianne began her training as a knight at a young age, looking up to her father all the while; and like him, she began her path as a knight pledged to haillenarte, wielding spear and lance in the war against the horde, seeking to earn her title as lady before claiming it. but one day in the field, her unit was ambushed- half her squadron wiped out in one fell swoop, and as livianne struggled to gather her wits, she would have become one of them— would have, had her childhood friend and lover not thrown herself in front of the clawed hand intent on rending her in half.she was never quite the same again— but who would be? something about how she'd singlehandedly felled the wyrm afterwards, the rage still simmering off her when she returned alone, the wild look in her eyes prompted that the order of the knights dragoon to take an interest in her, extending her an invitation... and she accepted. but history is doomed to repeat itself, sometimes sooner than later; for once again, it is an ambush. once again, her unit is crushed- only this time, despite everything, she is not strong enough, not fast enough. three dead dragoons and more temple knights than that— surely it is her fault, her fault——when she returned once again, livianne lashed out blindly at the chirurgeons at the slightest touch, woke the barracks with her screaming, could not recognize the faces of her fellows while in the throes of dragon-shock. she was unfit to serve. was discharged. her grandfather shunned her for her weakness and deemed her unfit to inherit. and her efforts to bond with her brother again went to naught, for he too disappeared, after his father before him...possesses an impeccable sense of balance. likes flowers, particularly lavenders, and windy weather.
jacquefers "jacques" etoinoux
gla/acn/pgl | trans man (he/him) | 38 (hw) - 42(shb)
a well-educated bastard son of house etoinoux, younger half-brother to ilaux and yulette and uncle to valerien, leitanel, and livianne. jacques was considered a troublemaker since he was young, both due to his illegitimacy and as his open disapproval of his father's actions. but alas— he was never strong enough, never loud enough to stand in opposition and put an end to it all.deciding jacques wasn't worth the effort of wrangling into submission, much less raising properly, he was sent away to the scholasticate. while his studies proceeded apace, he was practically required to raise valerien when yulette no longer could near the peak of when things went to shite—and finally, jacques ran away from ishgard upon being forced to disown the child, instead taken in by heretics and appraised of the truth regarding the dragonsong war. not particularly inspired by the news, he'd simply set out and has been wandering the lands west of ishgard since.currently a "kindly traveler" who does odd jobs for tailfeather. despite his best attempts, jacques is unable to turn into a dragon due to similar reasons as rielle, as his mother was secretly a heretic who had consumed enough dragon blood for it to pass on. residing in the dravanian forelands, living day-to-day, he failed to recognize leita in tailfeather, just as leita failed to recognize him in turn.likes frogs, fishing and climbing trees, and can often be found lazing around ruins and near paths in case anyone needs help.
aurore "lorelei" lorelaut
brd | nonbinary (any pronouns) | died age 24
a duskwight bard with a passion for preserving the past in verse and song. drawn to ishgard's rich history and the allure of gossip among nobility and commonfolk alike, aurore often haunted places like the forgotten knight and played music there, as well as for various parties and in squares.while the elezen often threw silly, flirtatious remarks and pretty prose at bystanders, none had sassed back quite as well as lady yulette d'etoinoux had. they started bantering in the darkness of the forgotten knight, a simple back and forth of sharpened remarks rather than whatever romantic intent was initially playfully thrown out, and it's all in good fun— and both of them kept coming back for more. the bard's best attempts at deliberately mushy prose barely fazed the lady, and aurore thought it was quite splendid, the friendship they shared— and then she began throwing her own prose back, a constant battle of heart and wit. perhaps, then, it was not so surprising that the two found themselves falling for eachother.naturally, it was hardly meant to be— but it didn't mean the two, ever the unconventional fellows, didn't strain against what was thought to be the natural order. they would have succeeded and sung songs together for the rest of their days, were it not for yulette's father deciding he had enough of turning a blind eye.there was a child, valerien, who aurore sang to sleep every night. the couple was to be wed in spring, a small, quiet event; but aurore's passion for history and archiving songs was turned against the bard, and charges of heresy arose. lord etoinoux took action and separated yulette from her love, and produced evidence that had aurore brought in front of the tribunal.a single, simple bard had no chance of winning a trial by combat. it was no clean death for all the elezen's struggling and defiance, all the bloodier for it.aurore went down screaming.played a variety of instruments, but preferred a mandolin. liked flaky pastries and writing poetry.
yulette d'etoinoux
nonbinary lesbian (she/any) | died age 29
second child of lord etoinoux. though raised as strictly as the rest, she was a crafty type who often went behind her father's back, not wanting to end up as mindlessly loyal as her brother ilaux. for years she delighted in sneaking out to foundation, well-versed enough in its ways to blend in with the commonfolk seamlessly.a chance encounter with a bard named aurore in the forgotten knight during one of her escapades led to a back and forth of general sass— and opened the way to another, and another, and while immune to the duskwight's more immediate charms, she wasn't to the wit and playful notes in aurore's words.but it wasn't meant to be, for she was a noble and the bard but an outsider; perhaps their determination to make it work was what made it all fall apart, or perhaps it was just her bastard of a father. regardless, she was there in the tribunal, forced to watch as aurore was read an indisputable sentence and cut down when their son had seen but two summers.she kept to her chambers, after that. her son still heard the songs his parent sang to him, but heard still more songs of treachery, of mourning— but still, they are beautiful in their anguish because she loved him, and any song will be beautiful if love is breathed into it.he was all she had left. and yet, and yet— as soon as more serious whispers of heresy in their house reached the lord's ears, no sooner did he elect to have the bastard thrown out to eliminate any lingering ties to the screaming songster who had died in the tribunal four years prior. yulette broke. she simply stopped.but something in her creaked, began turning again- the gears of hate and rancor, spinning on and on and on. heresy. that was it, right. she'll show them what heresy looks like.her final song was dragonsong, shrieked across the pillars for all to hear. the blood of a wyrm ran down her jaw, and she took several knights down before she was slain.(try and recover from that, you old bastard.)oft described as fox-like. liked simple stews and was talented at playing the violin.
ilaux d'etoinoux
pld | cis man (he/him) | died age 38
first son of lord etoinoux and heir to the house. while bright and not unkind, he was a complacent sort and turned a blind eye to his father's actions, deeply afraid and hoping it was truly all for the best. he was treated most kindly by lord etoinoux, as a result.though stuck in a marriage he was unhappy about (but couldn't for the life of him discern why; his wife was kind and beautiful, and a wonderful friend besides), he was proud beyond words of his daughter and deeply adoring of his son, even after his wife's death. ilaux spoiled them when he could and oft found his thoughts wandering to the place he called home.a knight pledged to house haillenarte, he was proud to serve in the war on the dravanians. clementin melloit was his friend since childhood, and the knight and cleric were as two peas in a pod.ilaux disappeared with the rest of the knights in the dusk vigil's last stand, following his commander until he found he no longer cou—(so hungry. sweet flesh.
oh, how it sings to him— flesh, sweet flesh, oh, how he hungers, for—)liked stories of valiant knights and had a distaste for standard romances. simple and unwilling to invoke conflict.
ketei "caedd" mankhad
mrd/pld → drk | agender (they/them) | 22 (arr)-31 (edw)
a warrior from the steppes who set out to see the world and all its wonders out of sheer love for it all. a bearer of the echo since they were young. picked out of the ruins of a kharlu raid on a smaller coastal tribe as an infant, tarkha and qaran took them in and raised them as their own.landing in limsa, they stumbled into the guild, unaware of the fact they don't know eorzean, got their name spelled incorrectly and were soon thrown headfirst into scion business upon their bumbling to ul'dah... and so begins the tale of one unfortunate warrior of light.while a little intimidating at first glance, caedd is best described as stoic but extroverted, honest and kind. they're a relentless optimist and live to protect; to stand back up again no matter how often they fall, for those who walked before and for those who will come after. they're all the more a ferocious foe for it.chronic nicknamer of things and people. like games of any kind and swimming. their best friend is their yol, tuya!
qaran mankhad
fsh | cis woman (she/her) | 41 (arr)
a fisherwoman of the mankhad tribe and caedd's mother. while a proud and lively type, she's slower to trust and more considerate in her decisions than her wife. others of their tribe oft fall back on her to call the shots while hunting and gathering. despite her habits in exercising caution, qaran is optimistic in nature— always one to look for hope and light in times of strife.a wickedly accurate shot with blowdarts. loves making up games with seashells and stones.