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Sep. 19th, 2021 12:28 pmAppearance & Fashion
Shaedra is a viera, a leporine species of naturalists originating from the Golmore Jungle in Ivalice. She has long, furred, rabbitlike ears, a tall stature, and highly arched feet. Her ears and hair are both lavender with hints of pink, and her eyes are golden. As a white mage and dark knight, she primarily wears white, red, or black clothing — heavy armor when entering martial combat, and generally flowing robes or corsets outside of it, generally of an Ishgardian style, featuring metal design components.A Realm Reborn
Upon leaving the forest at age 87, Kasja Hyskaris adopted the city name "Shaedra Valorum" and embarked for Eorzea, A REALM REBORN following the destruction of Carteneau at the hands of the primal Bahamut.She arrived in New Gridania, where she joined the Adventurer's Guild and performed some small favors for Mother Miounne, and the Conjurer's Guild, where E-Sumi-Yan tasked her with helping school a troubled young conjurer who had just lost her mother: Sylphie. Though Shaedra had left the forests of Golmore to see a wider world than the viera could offer, something about Sylphie's plight struck her. She feared connecting to all the natural elements because her mother had eschewed them, pouring herself wholly into healing others, and draining herself. If Sylphie did not learn to speak to the wood and listen to its voice, she would suffer the same fate. Shaedra committed herself to helping Sylphie, and after saving her life from the corruption that took hold as a result of Sylphie's overextending herself, saw Sylphie overcome the grief of her mother's death. When she committed to the Conjurer's Guild, Shaedra moved on.
But Sylphie was not the only one unbalanced. Spurred by strange visions, Shaedra sought out a tainted tree in the Black Shroud, caused by the influence of a mysterious hooded figure. In fighting him, Shaedra made the acquaintance of Yda and Papalymo. Soon after, she met the Seedseer, who named her the Gridanian Envoy to meet with the other Eorzean nations about an Alliance. Shaedra traveled to Limsa Lominsa and Ul'dah to arrange the diplomatic cooperation of all the Eorzean nations. The proceedings were interrupted, however, by the summoning of the primal Ifrit, an ill-tiding indeed which hearkened back to the Cataclysm whereupon Bahamut was summoned and devastated Eorzea five years ago. Shaedra fought and slayed Ifrit, and was named hero for her efforts.
As a result, Yda and Papalymo introduced her to their organization, the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, a philanthropic group of adventurers interested in preventing the summoning of primals like Bahamut and Ifrit, who operated independently of the Eorzean nations. The Scions told her about the hooded man she had met — an Ascian, interested in bringing chaos and disorder to the planet Hydaelyn. They also shed light on Shaedra's blessing, her strange visions a product of the 'Echo,' a power that tied her to the planet's Mother Crystal, Hydaelyn. This Echo allows her to see the past and know the hearts of others.
Shaedra agreed to join the Scions of the Seventh Dawn in their fight against the primals and continued combatting them as the beast tribes summoned them. During their work, she sought out Ray-O-Senna at Camp Tranquil to continue her training in the natural arts beyond what E-Sumi-Yan could teach her, growing her skills as a white mage in the service of the Scions' cause.
Meanwhile, the Eorzean nations rallied their alliance against news that the expansionist Garlean Empire had begun to invade Eorzea, with interest primarily in the North near Black Shroud. The threat seemed far away until, after defeating the primal Titan in the O'Ghomoro mines, Shaedra returned to the Scions' base in Aether Bay to discover a slaughter. So many friends and allies, dead. Through the Echo, she discovered the Garleans' hand in the conflict, leaving Shaedra no choice but to involve herself in the political struggles of Eorzea once more, but not before pursuing the more immediate threat posed by another summoned primal, Garuda.
Shaedra rallied the support of surviving scion Alphinaud and former Garlean imperial Cid Garlond. Together they hunted for Garlond's fallen airship in frozen Coerthas, where Shaedra endeared herself to House Fortemps while assisting the Fortemps bastard, Haurchefant, with some religious radicals. With the airship restored, they fought Garuda — and the Garleans, who arrived to absorb the beast tribe's newly resummoned primals into their Ultima Weapon, an artifact of ancient Allagan technology.
Shaedra, Cid, and Alphinaud united the Eorzean nations' Grand Companies to lead an assault on the Garlean base, destroying their war machines and facing off with Van Baelsar himself. But they discovered that the Garleans did not work alone — one of the Ascians, Lahabrea, has possessed surviving scion Thancred and used his body to orchestrate the primal summonings and the supercharging of Ultima Weapon. Shaedra and Cid lead the charge by airship against the Garlean base, which Lahabrea then decimated with the Ultima Weapon. Despite her reservations on seeing Thancred in him, Shaedra defeated Lahabrea, pushing the Garlean Empire back out of Eorzea in the process.
As tension rose in the Eorzean Alliance, Shaedra moved from Thanalan up to the Scions' new base in Mor Dhona, a neutral territory where they could not be accused of political motives. Shaedra helped Alphinaud recruit people from all over Eorzea to join the Scions as Crystal Braves, their own army. Meanwhile, the Scions discovered that the Ascians are immortal, and that Lahabrea must have survived the fight with Ultima Weapon. They devise a way to defeat him next time.
HEAVENSWARD
While the Crystal Braves helped out in Eorzea, Shaedra helped Haurchefant in Coerthas, laboring at the behest of Aymeric de Borel, Lord Commander of the Ishgardian Temple Knights, to eliminate more heretics, led by Lady Iceheart. Lady Iceheart revealed to Shaedra that she intended to summon the primal Saint Shiva, who was once a human that fell in love with a dragon. With it, she intended to end the the ages long Dragonsong War between Ishgard and the Dravanians. She warned Shaedra that to impede her would only invite further bloodshed. Still, Shaedra fought and defeated Iceheart when she transformed into the primal Shiva.Ser Aymeric then called on Shaedra when a dragon awakened in the lake near Ishgard. Though she defeated Midgardsormr, he severed her connection to Hydaelyn. Midgardsormr took the form of a small drake and forged a new pact with the Warrior: to come along with her, to offer wisdom and insight, and to “Watch ... Listen ... and Wait.”
Hiding her new impotence, the Warrior of Light went to help the scions test their means of killing the Ascians. An Ascian appeared and, seeing that she lacked the Blessing of Light, attempted to kill Shaedra. The Scions defeated and trapped the Ascian, but because Shaedra had lost the Blessing of Light, Moenbryda was forced to sacrifice herself to become a blade of light that they might kill the Ascian permanently.
When another dragon attacked the gates of Ishgard in northern Coerthas, the Scions rallied the Eorzean Alliance to support Ishgard, cementing Ishgard's new membership for the first time in many years. The Warrior of Light was invited to a celebratory feast in Ul’dah along with the rest of the Scions. There, Shaedra was framed by Teledji Adeledji for poisoning Ul'dah's sultana, Nanamo. Adeledji implicated the rest of the surviving Scions, and the Scions were forced to flee Ul'dah, discovering that their Crystal Braves have turned against them.
Bereft of the Blessing of Light, devastated by death and betrayal, and fugitive from Ul'dahn justice, Shaedra sheltered in House Fortemps, learning of Ishgard's previously highly isolated politics. Shaedra abandoned the teachings of the Shroud and took up a new teacher, Fray, who taught her to embrace the darkness of her grief as a knight. He tried to school her compassion out of her, but Shaedra insisted upon using the darkness to protect those who could not protect themselves.
Shaedra juggled these new lessons with the mysterious Fray against earning her keep in House Fortemps by babysitting the ne'erdowell Emmanellian Fortemps (and assisting his more serious elder brother, Artoirel, in combat). However, the respite of lying low in House Fortemps was short lived — two Scions quickly came under suspicion of heresy by the Holy See following accusations by one of the knights of the HEAVENSWARD. Shaedra engaged in a trial by combat to free them.
Returning briefly South, the Scions discovered that their framing in Ul'dah was a ploy by Lord Lolorito, a merchant who sought influence through the Sultana's death. They discovered that the Sultana survived the poisoning, and cleared their names before returning to Ishgard.
Shaedra teamed up with Estinien Wyrmblood, Ishgard's premiere dragonhunter. They sought Lady Iceheart for information on how to end the Dragonsong War. Iceheart — whose real name is Ysayle — admitted that Nidhogg, the Dravanian leader, was beyond reason. Still, despite deep ideological conflict with Estinien, she brought them to Dravania where they could parlay with Hraesvalgr, another of the eldest dragons.
However, Hraesvalgr shattered any hope of peace. He explained that Ysayle was not Shiva reincarnated but only a shadow of Shiva summoned from her heart's desire. The great wyrm also explained the start of the Dragonsong War: that after the true Saint Shiva died 1200 years ago to bring about peace between dragons and men with her love, the peace was shattered not but 200 years later by King Thordan I and his knights who slew Hraesvelgr and Nidhogg’s sister, tore out her eyes and devoured them like savage animals to gain the dragon’s power. This taste of dragon blood still ran in Ishgardian veins, and Nidhogg used this bloodline to turn Ishgardians into members of his hoard to this day.
Shaedra could not restore Ysayle's faith in ending the war, but with Estinien moved forward to slay Nidhogg, with Estinien drawing on the wyrm's stolen eye for strength. But the Echo shows Shaedra a vision — that Thordan had in fact taken BOTH of Nidhogg's eyes, and Hraesvalgr had fed Nidhogg's rage by bestowing Nidhogg one of Hraesvalgr's own eyes to continue his war of vengeance.
The Warrior of Light and company returned to Ishgard to find the city in chaos, but Ysayle settled the heretics as Shaedra and Alphinaud plotted with Lord Commander Aymeric over how to best break the news of the dragonsong's original lie to the people. Ser Aymeric brought the matter before the Archbishop, his father, but was imprisoned for speaking blasphemy and treason. Shaedra rushed to free Aymeric, leading an assault on the Vault. Though Aymeric was saved, Haurchefant was killed when two members of the Heaven's Ward transformed into pseudo-primals, as Ysayle had, leaving the Scions with only a mysterious name to guide them onward: Azys La.
Shaedra defeated the primal Bismarck and met with Y'shtola's former master Matoya to make her way to Azys La. There, the Warrior of Light followed Midgardsormr's urging to find Tiamat, who relayed the story of dragons' peaceful lives alongside humankind, reigniting the hope for coexistence. Shaedra led the charge against the Ascians and Garleans who arrived in Azys La to make use of Nidhogg's eye and Allagan technology. In defeating the Ascians, Shaedra regained the Blessing of Light, but without a white aethercyte to trap them in, had no way to kill them.
However, the Archbishop appeared, making himself a primal with the power of one of Nidhogg's eyes. He destroyed the Ascians with a blade of light. Shaedra then destroyed the Archbishop-Primal. Estinien gathered Nidhogg's eyes to dispose of them, but the spirit of Nidhogg's vengeance overtook him, transforming him into a shade of the wyrm itself. With the Archbishop dead and Estinien lost, the Warrior of Light returned to Ishgard with Midgardsormr, who brokered peace with the Ishgardians.
To solidify the peace at the end of the centuries-long DRAGONSONG War, Ser Aymeric bade Shaedra seek out Vidofnir and others of Hraesvalgr's brood to help convince the people of Ishgard of this new lasting peace. However, sentiments in Ishgard turned against Aymeric as the See accused him of patricide and consolidating power under himself with no Archbishop to speak of. An attempt was made on Ser Aymeric's life as riots break out. The Warrior of Light, Ser Aymeric and others assault the Vault to save those whom the church had taken hostage against their demands for Aymeric to be executed for his crimes against the Holy See. Shaedra failed to stop the fanatics from throwing a young hostage from the cathedral, but Vidofnir arrived to save the child, and the people cheered.
But Vidofnir bore grim tidings: Nidhogg's shade was on the move, and they must meet him in combat. Aymeric invited Vidofnir to Falcon's Nest to solidify the peace, but the event was sabotaged by rebels who drugged Shaedra. Emmannelain Fortemps then stoked the extremist opposition with unnecessary violence. Last, Estinien appeared to attack Vidofnir, casting a shade over the events.
Here, Shaedra's own darkness manifested just as Nidhogg's had. It revealed that Fray, her teacher, had never been real — that it was her own darkness trying to find a way out, trying to manifest itself. She fought the shade of herself, and in so doing, resolved to save Estinien from the same fate. Alphinaud too resolved to help Estinien, and Shaedra and Aymeric joined him in seeking Hraesvalgr's help to fight Nidhogg's shade.
Swayed by their commitment to help their friend, Hraesvalgr joined them in their fight against Nidhogg. They succeeded, but lost Hraesvalgr in the battle. Defeating Nidhogg's shade, however, afforded Shaedra and Alphinaud the opportunity to save Estinien, restoring him. Shaedra returned to her training with the white mages of the Shroud, who discovered that someone was sowing a taint over the icy lands of Coerthas and Dravania. Investigating the taint brought them to Alaqa, an Au Ra who wanted to summon a dead dragon. Shaedra eliminated the dragon and put an end to Alaqa's summoning, striking anew a balance between the light and darkness within herself.
Meanwhile, the Warriors of Darkness are fucking around killing primals.
PERSONALITY
Shaedra is a defender of the innocent compelled to do all she can to help those in need. She has a strong sense of justice and keen intuition, in part due to her heritage and Hydaelyn's blessing, but also in part due to her own inner compass. She is an adventurer by nature who left Golmore Jungle to see the world, which to viera was akin to severing all ties. But Shaedra is curious about people and the world. She does not mind taking time to help others, and is humble enough to believe no task is too small for a bit of kindness, particularly if it means she can hear someone's story and better understand the children of men.Generally speaking, Shaedra is reserved and physical. She enjoys tests of martial combat and time spent outdoors. However, despite her characteristic viera stoicism, she is personable and smiles often, taking great joy in friendly competition and occasionally poking fun at her fellow Scions. She is easygoing and not as serious or philosophical as many of her viera sisters — in part due to the fact that leaving the forest cut her off from hearing the Wood.
Despite this, in diplomatic and social situations, Shaedra generally prefers to stay out of it. She makes no claims of being particularly savvy, though she can hold a conversation. She does not understand the wiles and tactics of political scheming, nor does she have the interpersonal experience to give solid social-emotional advice. Rather, she is a blunt instrument, offering warmth and kindness and a heavy sword.
Shaedra's time in Eorzea has tested her. Death and betrayal have hit her hard, leaving her less optimistic and more wounded, turning towards the darkness. For all her righteousness, Shaedra has always found sport in combat and in killing, and does not hesitate to apply lethal force. Monsters are monsters be they man or beast.
Abilities
HYDAELYN'S BLESSING - sword of light to cut away the darkness; uncanny sense of people's hearts; visions of past events.VIERA - highly sensitive to aether, which they know as "Mist;" strong senses and high dexterity.
DARK KNIGHT - invokes the power of darkness to increase strength and durability, including surviving mortal wounds to keep fighting for some time; minor darkness magic in the form of a flood; martial skills with greatswords.
WHITE MAGE - healing magic, including resurrection but excluding limb regeneration; earth and wind magic.
CRAFTING - sewing; smithing; leatherworking; carpentry.
Preferences & Relationships
AYMERIC - the lonely burden of leadership (shipping encouraged)
YSAYLE - the primal and the primal-slayer (shipping encouraged)
HIEN - don't leave them alone together or they'll start a fighting tournament and a drinking contest (shipping encouraged)
ESTINIEN - game recognize game, comrades in arms with similar trauma (shipping welcome)
Y'SHTOLA - sisterly bond of friendship, shared expertise, let's not talk about our trauma together (shipping welcome)
ALPHINAUD - (little brother)
THANCRED - (close friend)
HILDA - (drinking buddy)
ESCHIVA - (drinking buddy)
CID - (drinking buddy)
G'RAHA TIA - (??)
IC PERMISSIONS
- PHYSICAL CONTACT
go for it - FIGHTING/INJURY
go for it - FLIRTING/ROMANCE
go for it
OOC PERMISSIONS
- BACKTAGGING
up to 30 days - THREADHOPPING
with prior cr - FOURTHWALLING
none
