Vaelis "Fade" Al'Dara
Tinkerer & Mage
No wonder you rise in the middle of the night
to look up the date of a famous battle in a book on war.
No wonder the moon in the window seems to have drifted
out of a love poem that you used to know by heart.
- B. Collins
Race: Midlander
Age: Late Twenties
Eye Color: Green
Height: 5 Fulms / 2 Ilms
Hometown: Ul'Dah
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
After Carteneau
There is a gap in my memory. A void? Certainly a missing window of time. I recall a gauntlet of pain. A searing wind against my face, embedded with blazing embers that caressed exposed flesh. A geography of ash and fire. The screams of soldiers consumed by war. Then, nothing. An emptiness of no particular shape. Eventually there was sound. A cacophony of off-key notes that wove through shadowed dreams, incessant and grating. I came to realize it was the song of a warbler - a bird native to Gridania? It’s still difficult to grasp the grey edges of recollection. The scent of pine-needles and petrichor. Muffled voices that introduced themselves at odd intervals, like disembodied deities in a hellscape, offering consolation? Absolution? Or.. accusation? Is that you, Nald'thal?
I couldn’t say how much time passed before I became aware, crusted eyes cracking open to witness the slate grey expanse of a cavern. I was alone. My body had withered, muscles atrophied from.. well, who the fuck knew how long I’d been bedridden. A stretch of canvas supported my weight - a medical cot. I tried to call out. Several times. My mouth was too woolen, my tongue swollen and parched. I counted out the seconds to ward off panic. Then minutes. Then quarter bells. At last, a face resolved within my vision, dominated by gaunt cheekbones and half-lidded eyes. An Elezen. She said something. Or was it a line of inquiry? More details I can’t recall. I could scarcely parse basic words. My name? Vaelis. There was... a statement? Barely heard and barely registered. An implication that I had been comatose for three turnings of the moons. I meant... moon - only one moon now, a pale face in the night sky. The behemoth of a memory stirs at such thoughts, sinister. Dalamud. I refuse to permit such a memory loose from the prison constructed from mine own will. Too much pain, there.
By the time I had recovered enough to depart from that place, the sunset had become a familiar companion. I could describe every shade of scarlet, filtered by boughs of ash and elm. The sound of a gurgling stream still surfaces in the recesses of my mind, when silence insinuates itself into my days. Sometimes, there is the spark of familiarity in a stranger’s eyes. I don’t pursue it.
Hooks
A Geography of Ash & Fire — Veteran
Several fortnights before the Battle of Carteneau, Vaelis was conscripted into the Immortal Flames as a neophyte thaumaturge. However, like many veterans, she was disenfranchised by the military. Records state that she was honorably discharged, but officers of the Immortal Flames might suspect otherwise. Whatever the case may be, she fervently avoids associating with other survivors.
Vaelis has suffered from cluster headaches since the battle, but prefers a steady dose of whiskey in lieu of medical treatments. She's often fractious during severe episodes, having made several decisions she's come to regret for the sake of 'being well and done with shit' in the most economical way possible.
The Steady March of Seconds —Watchsmith
Vaelis has an obsession with chronometers. She's constantly tinkering with timepieces, including her own pocket watch. Despite having only turned her hand at the trade for a handful of years, she's crafted a few masterpieces, including one owned by Greinfarr the Great, a famous gladiator from the Bloodsands. This isn't common knowledge — outside of her limited echelon, she prefers to remain anonymous. Yet there have been instances where she's repaired a timepiece for an acquaintance or soldier, or gifted a chronometer to an influential associate.
There is some contention with the Goldsmith's Guild, as Vaelis refuses to operate under their purview, or even within their chartered regulations. She'll hem and haw her excuses, which generally range between political or economical farces, but the basic truth is that she loathes oversight. Unfortunately, this means the knowledge of mammets had been barred from her, at least through official channels.
Tides of Fortune — Merchant Class
On Strings of Pearls — Scavenger
To those few of sordid morality, it's possible that Vaelis has been sighted mere suns after calamitous battles, scavenging the field for.. well, who knows. Certainly she's been sighted at a few black markets.
OOC
Hello, there! Thank you for taking the time to peruse Vaelis' character card. I'm currently searching for some long-term writings partners. More specifically, interested in character development and story arcs. Or, y'know, just some friends to shoot the shit with. As far as time zones go, CST for me, with most of my availability in the evenings. You can reach me in-game as 'Vaelis Al'dara' or over discord (feel free to ask for my details).