Altheria Zhandri
"Somewhere in the future, a better world exists. A world where a calamity is nothing but a fantasy, where tyranny is a myth, and where everyone within it gets to show their inner greatness."
"I lack the strength or the skill to create this world, but more so every day, I feel the presence of those who can."
"They are more powerful than you might think, and they will tear this world from the grasp of evil. This is the dream for which I fight, and the goal for which I live."
"So what do you say? Care to join me and see if, when we all band together, there's any foe that dares to stand in our way?"
BIO
"You wish to know something about me? Not that I doubt you, but I'm just another soldier trying to do the right thing and survive another day."
Name: Altheria Zhandri
Height: 4'10"
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Race: Au Ra Raen
Occupation: Mercenary/Amateur Goldsmith
Sexuality: Straight
Birthplace: Unknown (Assumed - Yanxia)
Residence: Shirogane, 2nd Ward, Plot 27
Personality
"I may be a weak and powerless individual, but that doesn't mean that those who are with me are void of strength and cunning. It is through them that I truly live, and through their actions that my dreams will be realized."
Altheria is a respectful, demure, compassionate individual with a belief that every person has the power within them to create masterpieces, but those talents are often suppressed or never found by those individuals due to the tyranny of the empires around them.
While this belief makes her eager to stand up for the weak when they are abused, she remains emotionally distant from most people in her personal life. Altheria believes that she is a source of evil herself due to her upbringing with the Garlean Legion, and so desires not to corrupt others with her presence unnecessarily. This results in her being a bit of a wallflower and limiting personal relationships as much as possible while keeping watch in case trouble appears to be brewing.
Her willingness to help others occasionally makes her overly dedicated to her mercenary work, and she oftentimes has to be reminded to take breaks from her mission. In her eyes, relaxation or mistakes just mean more innocent people being abused or killed, so she refuses to tolerate mistakes or laziness in herself (while not wanting to be unneccesarily harsh on others if they do the same).
She maintains a formal, martial demeanor as a mercenary, believing that such work not only entails keeping her clients safe, but ensuring that they feel safe as well. As such, any panic or nervousness that she shows will only unsettle the one she tries to protect. While she feels such emotions intensely due to experiences in previous battles, she will try to hide them as much as possible to keep the morale of those around her high.
She has a natural distrust for those in power of large armies or empires, believing that control of an empire goes hand in hand with corruption. As a result, she is wary of those city-state or army leaders that have not yet shown signs of corruption (such as Aymeric or Nanamo Ul Namo) and more directly spiteful toward those that have (such as the Garlean Legati or the Temple Knights).
Appearance
"I feel like everyone I meet is surprised to hear I'm a soldier, not that I blame them for it."
Altheria, like most Au Ra women, is somewhat small and thin in stature. She often does not take the physical appearance of a battle-hardened soldier due to her lithe frame, even when in armor, instead carrying the appearance of an amateur sell-sword or villager.
Her Irises match her hair's unusual white color, almost blending in with the remainder of the eye around it. Her flowing hair, braided in parts, further contrasts with her mercenary lifestyle.
Her outfits are usually unassuming and minimal, as she does not wish to use them to draw attention. Valuing function over form, however, means that her equipment is usually effective for it's given task.
Garlean Records: Altheria Zhandri
<Garlean Archives: Personnel: Enemies of the State: Non-Notable Personnel>
<Entry MMMCDXXXVII of Archive MCCCXVII: Altheria pyr Zhandri>
<Compiling Scribe: Alexander Dus Wyther, Archivist>
Altheria Aan Zhandri was born in the year 1552 in Othard in an unknown villiage to a member of the Doman resistance, Katou Naokazu, and a farmer, Akita Naokazu.
(Archivist's Note: Katou Naokazu was slain in combat with Garlean forces. Akita Naokazu attacked occupying Garlean forces on sight and was executed. The name of the child was not recovered before her death.)
The child was found, named, and cared for by Garlean soldiers. Said soldiers gave her as proper of an education as possible and trained her in the basics of combat. The child was eager to help Garlean soldiers, citizens, and be a proper servant of the empire.
(Archivist's note: Rumors were spread that the child was skilled at manipulating Aether, especially in regards to healing. These rumors were never officially verified by the Garlean Empire, but are worth noting.)
(Archivist's note: Officer <REDACTED> was reprimanded for unusual tactics in training Altheria aan Zhandri. Years after this instance, officer <REDACTED> has commited crimes against Garlemald and is now considered an <ENEMY OF GARLEMALD>.)
Altheria aan Zhandri was drafted into the VIIth legion of the Garlean Army upon reaching the necessary age, serving under Nael van Darnu in the ranks of the hoplomachi during their advance on Ala Mhigo and Project Meteor. She was most commonly tasked with duties on the front line of conflict, in direct combat with the Eorzean Alliance. She was effective in this role, frequently stymieing ambushes by Eorzean forces with an unusual knack for surviving through adversity.
During the unexpected events of Project Meteor which resulted in the release of Bahamut, Altheria aan Zhandri valiantly fought against Eorzean forces in Carteneau and survived Bahamut's attacks via unknown means.
(Archivist's note: Altheria aan Zhandri was interrogated on this matter, but evaded questioning, claiming luck. This alibi was not able to be disproven by other accounts, as witnesses were few after the battle.)
Altheria aan Zhandri needed a unusually small amount of healing and recovery time for her substantial injuries in the Battle of Carteneau.
For her role in the Battle of Carteneau and tenacity in returning to combat quickly, she was granted citizenship and a promotion within the military to Tesserarius.
As soon as possible, Altheria pyr Zhandri was transferred to the XIIth legion under the command of Zenos yae Galvus. She served in the crushing of the Doman resistance in the year 1 of the 7th Astral Era. She excelled in her duties, receiving no reprimands. She was transferred to control of newly deployed Viceroy of Doma, Yotsuyu goe Brutus, after the rebellion was crushed.
Altheria pyr Zhandri served under Yotsuyu goe Brutus during her campaign to eliminate resistance in the Doman savages and any allied forces. She began the campaign successfully as a Tesserarius, occasionally serving as a Decurio if forces were needed in a given Yanxian village. Officers noted that she seemed to dislike her Decurian duties and transferred her to Kugane to coordinate intelligence efforts, where she could continue to excel in her previously given role.
Altheria pyr Zhandri was listed as <MISSING IN ACTION> following these events likely due to defection (estimated due to the lack of personal effects in her quarters prior to her disappearance, other possible causes listed are: (Abduction)). Current whereabouts are unknown.
<END OF ENTRY>
<ADDENDUM I>
Based on newly discovered information, Altheria pyr Zhandri is now <WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE> by the Garlean Empire for the following crimes which are attributed to her during the tenure of her service under Yotsuyu goe Brutus:
Multiple counts of <AIDING A PRISONER OF GARLEMALD>
Multiple counts of <PROVIDING MEDICAL AID TO AN ENEMY OF GARLEMALD>
Multiple counts of <THEFT OF GARLEAN INTELLIGENCE>
Multiple counts of <UNAUTHORIZED RELEASE OF PRISONERS>
At this time, Altheria pyr Zhandri should be treated as an enemy of the state. She is not assumed to be dangerous. Due to her history of evading danger, immediate capture is recommended.
RP Hooks
"I grew up as nothing but a pawn of demons and monsters, trusting their lies like a fool and wishing for Garlemald to rule Eorzea.
Now I only wish for a blade sharp enough to pierce their hearts."
Altheria was born and raised under the Garlean Legion, learning combat techniques and the nature of warfare from an early age. While never fond of Nael van Darnus (though not foolish enough to say so openly), she was inspired by Gaius van Baelsar, believing in his future of a united Eorzea under Garlean command as a solution to the perils of war.
However, the Battle of Cartineau Flats and service to the Legion in Yanxia quickly broke any faith that she had in a peaceful rule under Garlean command, and she fled the Legion shortly thereafter. Now, she harbors hatred for those in command of the Legion, while understanding that some of the soldiers on the front lines are likely to be misled pawns just like she was.
She is distrusted by Eorzeans due to her Garlean upbringing, but distrusted by Garleans as well due to her defection.
(Is your character motivated by Garlemald? Altheria could potentially appear to be a villain at first glance whether you're a loyalist or fighting against the Legion.)
"It was a massive beast, raining fire and death... do we really need to talk about this?"
Altheria served in the Battle of Cartineau, and witnessed Bahamut's rain of destruction first-hand. Her escape was not without injury - her body may have healed, but her mind still has scars. The thought or presence of dragons rattles her mind and shakes her spirit, often regardless of the actual power they might hold.
(Those who approach her as dragon slayers may surprise and impress her.)
"I'm in awe of your talent. The intricacies of such a thing seem so far beyond my understanding..."
Most of Altheria's teaching in her upbringing in the Garlean Legion was involved basic lessons such as Legion protocols, discipline, and combat tactics. She was never taught more complicated topics such as engineering or briefed on any of her opponents' aether usage in detail, so she is unknowledgeable about these topics.
While she uses Aether herself in combat on occasion, such actions are based on instinct, rather than knowledge of how the spell works. Similarly to how it is difficult for a person to explain how they hear or speak, she can't explain how magic or machines work - she just knows that they do.
(If you're looking for a Garlean engineer or a Aether expert, look elsewhere!)
"Sometimes I wonder if the Garleans were right when they called us savages. Can't you control yourself for an instant?"
Despite being kind in many other respects, Altheria is surprisingly hostile to those who make unwanted romantic advances toward her or others around her.
Those who are looking for a hook-up should...likely look somewhere else.
((Long story short, NO ERP PLEASE))
Out of Character Information
New to RP in general, so apologies if I botch something or do something weird. It's likely just because I'm new.
I play on Mateus server and live in the Central time zone in North America.
Not looking for ERP at this point. If it would ever occur, it would be part of a bigger storyline for a given character.
FFXIV Character Name: Altheria Zhandri
Discord: Arigaaz #6191
Telegram: Arigaaz
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