Austelle Baudelaire

Character Biography
Name: Austelle Baudelaire
Age: 25
Race: Elezen - Duskwight
Height: 6.8ft/207cm

Birthplace: The South Shroud - Underground
Voice: Medusa, Fate/Order - Melissa Fahn
Job(s): Mimic
Appearance
Her appearance and mannerisms seem unnatural and disjointed, appearing almost akin to a puppeteer tugging at invisible strings.

A walking question with seemingly few answers, who's very presence hinges on the uncanny.
Skin and Build
Austelle's most defining feature at a glance appears to be her soft, yet cold grey-tinted skin tone that blends rather well against the stone passageways in which she frequents.

Close observation of her face will show a light peppering of white freckles that line the bridge of her nose and beneath the eyes. Decorating her otherwise stone-like complexion in a way similar to freshly falling snow.

Body wise, she isn't very impressive. Even at a glance a person can summarize she's too light, frail and fragile for her tall stature.
Hair
Her hair has been grown out to great lengths, reaching to the lower portion of her spine. The colour barely deviates from her skin tone, being a washed-out silver-white throughout.

She clearly hasn't shown great care over her physical appearance in this regard, as her long hair is rather wild, uneven and untamed.
Eyes
Austelle's eyes blend a soft and almost pale shade of sky blue, appearing a translucent white from certain angles. They are comparable to the reflection of light from the surface of the moon.

She doesn't display emotions when people stare deep into her eyes, as one could easily call her distant gaze as blank as an unpainted canvas.
Ears
Her ears are comparatively small for an Elezen. Due to their sharp and pointed structure, they are comparable to being bat-like in appearance.
Tattoos
Though often covered, Austelle's body is an intricate tapestry of arcane runes of archaic origin and design.

The writing is so small and detailed that it's difficult to transcribe at a glance.
Only a specialist in the field is able to determine the origin and purpose of the spellwork lining her body.


Roleplaying Hooks

Easy Hooks

Seeking Solitude

Bare of any guild alignment, registration, or paper trail, Austelle is complete ghost to Eorzean society. With a strong avoidance of capital city states.

The few times she even ventures upon the fringes upon a crowded, bustling area filled with the many voices of unknown faces, she retreats to lurking in the deep shadows of outposts just to listen to the hustle from afar.

She often leaves a curious trail of oddities in her wake, such as partially frozen flowers, or haphazardly toppled over crates and boxes upon Chocobo delivery carts that were left in the open and alone for slightly too long.

"If I can not know how it feels to be free, then others shall learn feel the same as me. After all, misery loves company."


Occult Observer

Her rather unusual style of spellcasting tends to lead her down the deep, dark caverns below the Shroud where few dare to tread. Her methods of casting outwardly defies and rejects usual expectations, as she appears to favour not using a weapon whatsoever.

Her spells are rumoured to be volatile and instinctive, like that of a strange mirror of many different beasts blended together to create an awkward mesh of displayed tactics in her aggression. It isn't certain what type of knowledge she hoards from the depths of Gelmorra, yet.

Though perhaps she may share with the right people.


Earnest Education

Due to her rather reclusive lifestyle and obscure history, Austelle doesn't have a rather strong educational background.

Recent developments have caused her to be rather curious on topics regarding healing practices, combat training, general education and philosophy.

Those who display knowledge on such matters may earn her attention - though due to innate trust issues she may be rather selective on whom she chooses to learn from.


Silent Shadow

Austelle has been known to track down and follow certain individuals across the boundaries of the Shroud, alongside the fringes of Coerthas.

The duration of her shadowing strangers seems to vary, though people have noted the woman never seems to really speak when trailing people of interest.

Coupled with the fact she is only found at night, has lead people to assume either her existence is a trick of the mind, or that she is some manner of creature.

Nocturnal Nobody

Austelle vanishes from the surface of the Black Shroud without a trace the exact moment dawn peers over the hills. While rarely seen in person, she spends the twilight hours silently lingering and scouring the corners of nearby camps and outposts for objects of interest, such as unique textures and sounds.

She occasionally leaves a distinct, unsettling and almost delicate trail in her wake such as a sudden patch of shimmering aetheric frost on a warm night, a chaotically assorted line of stolen firewood or a low grade Materia left inside someone's boot.


OOC TLDR:

I am 25+, would rather people I roleplay with to be 21+.

I am not a fan of ERP.
Especially when it comes out of no-where.

I stick to lore as much as possible. I prefer lore abidant characters as a result, with some wiggle room for light lore bending.

I will not sync with random people. It is for my own enjoyment and for close friends only. No exceptions. Thank you for understanding.

Roleplaying Hooks
Medium Hooks
Subtle Sting
Austelle belonged to the Redbelly Wasps, an all-Duskwight bandit group that preyed on the South Shroud. Her position within the Bandit group isn't well known to those outside of the Wasps ranks; or those within high ranking positions within the Twin Adders.
When Knight Falls
As of recent times, Austelle holds a quiet, malicious blood feud against Ishgardian Knights and Dragoons. She has been known for relentlessly shadowing such individuals at a distance.

Rumours say they oft fall victim to grave misfortune soon after, such as an increase in violent collisions with ice or violent winds suddenly materializing out of the blue.

Weapons such as Lances and swords often seem to disappear moments after a horrific incident, with her seemingly vanishing altogether soon after.
"When justice falls blind, then no mercy shall you find.
Life shall find a way to make you pay."
Men of Metal
Austelle possesses a fierce, childish spite for Garleans, or as she calls them 'Men of Metal'. She goes completely out of her way to hound them, even following them far outside the Shroud borders just to seemingly follow in the distance.

Garleans may note oddities such as freezing their fuel lines, tripping with sudden patches of frost or missing particularly shiny and intricately shaped pieces of metal. Bullets seem to be a particular favourite, which often seem to go missing at the worst of times.
Armament Acquisition
Austelle is known for seeking out adventurers who pass close to, or through the darkened stone passages of the Shroud.

Those unfortunate to venture close enough, may find their tools such as pieces of armour, their particularly shiny or aether conductive weapons, or simply 'interesting' pieces of 'junk' they happen to carry around pilfered when they either set up camp in the wilds, or leave their items unattended.
Roleplaying hooks
Hard hooks
Fanning the Flames
Conjurers, Wailers, and Adders will know Austelle has caused significant damage within the Shroud during their attempts to wrest Boughbury from the bandits.

Austelle would certainly label her a rogue mage due to her explosive aggression and volatility when provoked and engaged with directly.

Frozen trees that slowly wither and fade, scorched earth that incinerates plants and wildlife alike and the lingering scents of Morbol Breath hang in the area like a miasma.
(FATES: Breaching the Hive, Clearing the Hive, Defending the Hive/Keeping the Hive.)
Painacea
There has been a staggering amount of poisonings and maladies targetting Conjurers and Twin Adders within the South Shroud. With some crippling, unnatural afflictions lasting weeks, if not months at a time.

Perhaps locals or those whom stayed within the Shroud for extended periods of time would notice such oddities.
Author of Ages
It seems Austelle's practices bare deeper roots than just pure visual spectacle. Those with deep knowledge of the Shroud whispers link her 'name' to underground occultists, specifically around certain Voidsent such as the Lambs of Dalamud.

With her role remaining majoritively unknown outside distinctly hounding and following practitioners deeper into the winding depths of the Shroud underground. Rarely surfacing for days if not weeks at a time towards fellow Duskwight. Yet alone strangers.
OOC Information
I'm a multi-paragraph/novella-style poster.

I am second language English, and my emotes generally need to be longer and more detailed due to my character being selectively mute.
I am 25+ years old, and will request that characters and players be at least 21 years of age in order to engage.

This is due to the fact Austelle's theme and setting can get quite grimdark, and I'd rather not dance around basic character foundations for those it's rightly not suited for.
ERP isn't everything in roleplay; I find it dull and unengaging when it's blatantly all that a person cares for.
Some amount of OOC coordination is likely required for first-time character encounters due to this characters hermit tendencies.

I'm not averse to brainstorming for ideas or just discussing overall character themes and ideas in general.
My character is lore-abiding, and I prefer interacting with characters that are generally so as well.

Light lore-bending is fine if it makes sense and doesn't contradict the canon lore of the game, as I value consistency.
Types of roleplay
I'm fairly experienced when it comes to roleplay, with a few years of experience across multiple MMOs and genres across the board. This is especially true in the MMO World of Warcraft and surprisingly Wildstar as well (RIP).
I am capable of DM'ing for people I particularly like, though do keep in mind I often employ themes inspired from sources such as Junji Ito. Which is not for everyone.
I will openly state that I adore safe for work, wholesome/slice of life roleplay and generally silly and light hearted interactions.
The types of roleplay I'm decent at include:

Adventure/Combat Roleplay - D20/100/Freemote
Body Horror - Light to Moderate
Character Driven Interactions
Character Rivalries
Criminal/Crime/Mystery
Dark and Mature roleplay - Non Sexual
Long-Term Engagements
Light Comedy
Puzzle/Riddle/Problem Solving
Psychological Horror
Story Based Roleplay
Wholesome/Slice of life
Roleplaying hooks
Hook index
Easy hooks are generally applicable for anyone to know. There's no real restrictions on these ones beyond your own judgement.
Medium hooks are slightly more specific, requiring a character to know information that isn't widely known. If you want to use one of these, ensure it makes sense for your character to know said information.
Hard hooks require your character to have specific connections and information. They aren't off-limits, but they are far from common knowledge. You're free to check with me if you wish to use them!
Associated Tropes
Please note this list isn't meant to be taken literally, but it does help people get a better idea of what they are getting into as a character concept. Tropes are tools, after all.