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"Have you ever wondered," she says slowly, "if you could have changed things?""If I only remembered, yes," comes the dour reply.She turns to her companion, blue eyes twinkling with mirth. "Still nursing your wounds, old friend?""You played Hythlodaeus and myself for a fool, long after you were gone. What do you expect?" He waves a hand dismissively, though she hears the smile in his voice.In this space, time circles endlessly. The stars wheel overhead, each one a twinkling world, a slave in the hands of fate. It's strange, she supposes, how aether is everything and nothing all at once. By some force of will, all things change, yet nothing dies. Like a phoenix incinerated in flame, arising from ashes anew."So," her old friend interrupts, "Time for a new beginning, I suppose?"She chuckles, a sound as clear as the tinkling of bells. Well, then...
"To begin, we must first see the end."
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Niecht Sorcha
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Tosa Mei
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A fae-blessed doll,
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A search for a heart,
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An eternity of memory.
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NIECHT SORCHA
she/her.
AGE: appears 27.
PATRON DEITY: Nymeia, the Spinner.
HEIGHT & WEIGHT: 168cm, 55kg.
HAIR COLOUR: Gradient purplish-pink roots.
EYE COLOUR: Heterochromatic blue and white eyes.
FEATURES: Aether-cracked skin, flower horns, elf ears and fairy wings she can hide at will.
BIRTHPLACE: The Crystal Tower.
OCCUPATION: Adventurer.
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Neutral.
LIKES: The scent of flowers, the arts, the feeling of discovery.
DISLIKES: Greedy behaviour, know-it-alls, researchers.
TRAITS: Fairly jaded, somewhat naive, always curious.
The Lost
Magnum Opus
BACKGROUND:
Project NIECHT was Amon's baby, a cloning technology aimed at creating the most durable of vessels to draw out suitable souls from the aetherical sea. Niecht was his first and only success, drawing out a soul awash in the sea to rest in her mechanical heart.Centuries of dormancy caused even her durable shell to break down, crystalised aether shining through its cracks. Niecht sustains herself through ambient aether.Though her journey has taken her to wondrous places, there is still much that Niecht has to learn. One thing is for certain, however: this Allagan doll has felt love, joy and hate burn deeply in her breast through the course of her adventures.
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HISTORY
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In his early work on cloning, magician and technologist Amon poured his heart and soul into creating artificial bodies that could house the mind and soul of another being. All projects failed to capture the essence of life, except for one, whose short-lived span as a doll subject would prove to be the foundation upon which he would resurrect Emperor Xande in his later years.She was named Niecht, the first and last of her kind, and the soul that resided within had been yanked from the flow of aether itself, using the Crystal Tower as a beacon. It is unknown what manner of soul inhabited Niecht, but the doll swiftly developed mechanical wings reminiscent of the fae, much to Amon's curiosity.When the Allagan Empire fell into decline, Amon sealed Niecht away in the outskirts of the Crystal Tower with her memories wiped, intending to return once Meracydia was conquered. But Emet-Selch caught him then, and he joined the Ascions on their quest, leaving Niecht behind. The Fourth Umbral Era damaged parts of the structure she was stored in, revealing a cave entrance.
She remained dormant for hundreds of years until a brave team of adventurers stumbled upon the seal and broke it, awakening her from sleep. They were astonished to find such a lifelike doll in the ruins, her porcelain skin cracked and glowing, aether brimming within. They lacked the skills and knowledge to fix her, but gladly took her in.Niecht joined the motley band of adventurers, first as their assistant, and soon as their companion.She learned of Eorzea through them; they wrote their love of exploration and the unknown onto her heart like a blank slate. She learned to understand the emotions within her, born from the spark of a soul in her aether-infused body, enough that she shed tears when they passed away at a healthy old age. The doll would outlive them and everyone else, but she would carry a perfect memory of their story and lives in her thoughts.Though she has seen much and felt much in Eorzea, Niecht still does not quite feel human. She continues her quest to explore; to meet new people; to learn; and perhaps someday she will understand what it truly means to live a good life.
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A quiet lover of life,
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Who treads two worlds,
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And a Warrior of Light.
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TOSA MEI
she/her.
AGE: 27.
PATRON DEITY: Menphina, the Lover.
HEIGHT & WEIGHT: 145cm, 50kg.
HAIR COLOUR: Pale orange with hints of pink.
EYE COLOUR: Heterochromatic blue and yellow eyes.
FEATURES: Starry tattoos, white scales, spiked tail with a ribbon, lace piercings on her horns.
BIRTHPLACE: Kugane
OCCUPATION: White Mage / Priestess
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Good.
LIKES: Reading, nature, helping others
DISLIKES: Violence, rude people, weird food
TRAITS: Quiet and shy, has a strong moral compass.
FAVOURITE PLACE: Elpis
Youngest of her clan
BACKGROUND:
To the people of Kugane, Tosa is the youngest of the Mei clan’s lineage of proud White Mages, renowned for their ability to pull the sick back from the brink of death. To the Sharlayans, Tosa is a quiet student of the Studium, who never graduated because she couldn't stick to a topic. To the Eorzeans, she is a traveling healer, scholar and their beloved Warrior of Light.Not that Tosa enjoys the title. She’s very much averse to violence and prefers not to kill a fly. True to her bloodline, she commands healing magic unlike no other - and despite her reluctance, she has shaped those same energies into magic that can kill, if only to defend that which she loves.She is acutely aware that it is the strength of a White Mage that sparked the Sixth Umbral Era, and trained for a time under Brother E-Sumi-Yan.She has a strange affinity with butterflies - one that amuses Y’shtola very much - and they tend to follow after her until she leaves their domain. Some say the butterflies respond to the innate power within the Warrior of Light. Graha thinks it is the soul of Azem that attracts them. Tosa thinks they have better things to worry about. Like preventing the next apocalypse, maybe? Why is saving the world always her problem, anyway?
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HISTORY
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Born in Limsa Lominsa, Tosa's family traces its roots back to Othard in Yanxia. Her grandparents fled to Kugane when the Garleans invaded, plying their trade as healers, calling upon the elementals to heal incurable diseases, and in unique occasions, bring the dead back to life.Despite a proud lineage of White Mages, Tosa grew up a sickly child, and when her researcher mother was offered a place in Old Sharlayan, she accepted in the hopes that the seaside life would be a good convalescence for Tosa.The family moved to Sharlayan to recuperate; the life there suited her. With her father a gleaner and her mother busy with research, Tosa was left to her own devices. As a student of the Studium, Tosa studied across numerous fields of magic, but never quite took a liking to any.She kept in touch with her Kugane family through letters. When she was old enough, her parents began bringing her back to Kugane regularly.When Tosa turned 18, her grandmother died. The family returned to Kugane to mourn and undertake the funeral rituals of their clan.While clearing her grandmother’s belongings, Tosa found a letter addressed to her grandmother from Gridania’s Kan-E-Senna, discussing the possibility of Tosa’s ‘illness’ as a sensitivity to the elements. Her curiosity piqued and her gut feeling strong, Tosa left for Eorzea with her parents’ blessings.
One thing happened after another. Upon touching Gridania soil, Tosa immediately found a deep connection with the elements there - one that opened her eyes to the Echo, and a vision of the Final Days.And the rest, as they say, is history.Tosa is loathe to choose violence, though her adventures have been fraught with death. In her journey to the end of the world and back, Tosa has had time to reflect upon all that she has experienced thus far - from taking her first life, to meeting Venat, to a fleeting romance with Themis, to her near-death upon a distant star. If Tosa thinks about it, she’s fairly certain she passed with Zenos. And yet, somehow, the strength of her friends called her back. All of her.With the FInal Days averted, Tosa took a deeper interest in Azem, but the Ancient whose soul resided in her left little records behind. So she travels, as is Azem's duty, in the hopes that she might learn more of her distant past. While her journey in Tural earned her new friends and foes, Tosa cannot help but feel a little detached, a little lonely, without the guidance of Venat and the loving presence of Themis. She seeks his soul in this world and its reflections, but she has not found him yet.Though she has been mellowed by love and loss, Tosa still chooses peace, wherever she can. She has no desire to relive death, cold and empty as it is. But perhaps the Warrior of Light is fated to fight as long as she breathes, after all, for the antithesis of death is life.
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BONDS
THE ANCIENTS
Themis: Just as Tosa was fated to accompany him into Pandaemonium, so was their love fated to be as fleeting as a firework. Tosa has never stopped searching for the fragments of his soul, in the hopes that she might glimpse him again in this life.Venat: She was loved till the very end. Tosa misses her dearly.Emet-Selch: Tosa thinks of him as a grumpy uncle, the sort that would definitely help you out, but makes sure he talks your ears off and waits till you're about to die before doing his thing.Hythlodaeus: Tosa thinks Emet-Selch has a thing for Hythlodaeus. Not that she's ever gonna say it, because she's sure Uncle Emet will come back from the aether currents just to smack her.Azem: Who is the last Azem, the one who refused to join the Convocation in their summoning of Zodiark? Tosa wishes to know.Deryk: Tosa is glad to have known him, and glad to hear the stories he tells of the Ancients who eventually formed the Twelve, along with the Watcher. She hopes to meet him again someday and exchange stories.
THE SCIONS
Gra'ha Tia: He's all passion and energy, and he brightens up any journey they take together. Tosa likes to adventure with him because it's a lot of fun, but they seem to share one braincell between them. It can be dangerous without others to intercede...Y'shtola: She's smart. Very smart. And also kind. Tosa has lost count of the number of times Y'shtola has had to stop her dumbass from doing something stupid, and trusts the Miqo'te with her life (and brain).Alisaie & Alphinaud: They are young and passionate. Tosa dotes on them like an older sister.Urianger & Thancred: They have storied pasts, and Tosa senses that the pain runs deep. She tries to keep their spirits high, and they look on her fondly like a little sister.
OTHERS
Erenville: A dear friend, one that she'd journey with any time.Wuk Lamat: Tosa knows Lamat'yi will make a great leader alongside Koana. She sees the spark of kindness in her, the sort that Venat had for mankind, and she wishes to protect that kindness however she can.
