HOME     02

The Athenaeum

ath·e·nae·um
/ˌaTHəˈnēəm/
noun¹    a building or room in which books, periodicals, and newspapers are kept for use, for the promotion of literary or scientific learning.²    a library or reading room.

  Table of Contents  

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PREFACE     04

  SECTION ONE  

PREFACE

pref·ace
/ˈpref.ɪs/
noun¹    a preliminary statement in a book by the book's author or editor, setting forth its purpose and scope, expressing acknowledgment of assistance from others, etc.²    an introductory part, as of a speech.

❝ Why one writes is a question I can answer easily, having so often asked it of myself. I believe one writes because one has to create a world in which one can live. I could not live in any of the worlds offered to me—the world of my parents, the world of war, the world of politics. I had to create a world of my own, like a climate, a country, an atmosphere in which I could breathe, reign, and recreate myself when destroyed by living. That, I believe, is the reason for every work of art.The artist is the only one who knows that the world is a subjective creation, that there is a choice to be made, a selection of elements. It is a materialization, an incarnation of his inner world. Then he hopes to attract others into it. He hopes to impose his particular vision and share it with others. And when the second stage is not reached, the brave artist continues nevertheless. The few moments of communion with the world are worth the pain, for it is a world for others, an inheritance for others, a gift to others in the end.We also write to heighten our own awareness of life. We write to lure and enchant and console others. We write to serenade our lovers. We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection. We write, like Proust, to render all of it eternal, and to persuade ourselves that it is eternal. We write to be able to transcend our life, to reach beyond it. We write to teach ourselves to speak with others, to record the journey into the labyrinth. We write to expand our world when we feel strangled, or constricted, or lonely. We write as the birds sing, as the primitives dance their rituals. If you do not breathe through writing, if you do not cry out in writing, or sing in writing, then don’t write, because our culture has no use for it. When I don’t write, I feel my world shrinking. I feel I am in a prison. I feel I lose my fire and my color. It should be a necessity, as the sea needs to heave, and I call it breathing. ❞

⸺ Anaïs Nin

05     PREFACE

PREFACE     06

THE WRITER

  ⸺ THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ME  

  General Information  

  HI THERE!   Thanks for taking the time to take a peek at my OCs. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, or want to set up an RP. I'm very friendly! If you have any reservations about whether our characters would get along, or if we'd mesh as writing partners, just shoot me a message in Discord. I promise I don't bite! Even if things don't work out, I adore learning about people's OCs, so don't be afraid to chat me up!

  Availability  

Below are the best times to reach me, via the contact methods listed above in the General Info!

Rules & Guidelines

  ⸺ DO READ CAREFULLY  

  Etiquette  

07     PREFACE

PREFACE     08

  Roleplay Information  

  Writing Information  

CHARACTER INDEX     10

  SECTION TWO  

CHARACTER INDEX

in·dex
/ ˈɪn dɛks /
noun¹    a more or less detailed alphabetical listing of names, places, and topics along with the numbers of the pages on which they are mentioned or discussed, usually included in or constituting the back matter.²    a sequential arrangement of material, especially in alphabetical or numerical order.

11     CHARACTER INDEX

CHARACTER INDEX     12

Yara Halyard

  ⸺ THE INTREPID ANGLER  

❝ A great sorrow, and one that I am only beginning to understand: we don’t get to choose our own hearts. We can’t make ourselves want what’s good for us or what’s good for other people. We don’t get to choose the people we are. ❞

⸺ Donna Tartt

  PERSONALITY  

Sociable. Unlucky. Easygoing. Nosy. Adventurous. Upbeat. Aloof. Laid-back. Scatterbrained. Talkative. Resourceful. Frank. Brave. Impartial. Generous. Impulsive. Agreeable.


  LIKES  

Getting lost. Adventuring. Fishing. Whittling. Traveling, sailing. Meeting new people. Mysteries. Gambling, Betting. Drinking. Triple Triad. Dancing. Games, sports. Adrenaline rushes. Spicy foods. The beach; Marine flora and fauna. Collecting seashells. Seafood, Raw fish. Worms, bugs. Light rain. Breezes.


  DISLIKES  

Stormy weather. Bad luck. Hangovers. Frizzy hair. Litter. Cheating. Responsibility; being told what to do. Over-eating. Reading.

  Background  

Dominic and Aida reared Yara as if she was a gift from the sea itself. Her parents fashioned a mobile out of spare ship scraps, dangling lures from ropes tied with complex knots. They heard her sighs like the whispers of sails catching a gust of wind; her cries like a boat's mast creaking and straining against a gale, threatening to snap. They saw her little hands like oars, reaching out to navigate the world.Aida taught her how to carve and shape with every tool under the sun, and Dominic showed her how everything functioned to form a seafaring vessel. When not building or repairing ships for the people of La Noscea, they spent their time on the water. Summers passed, each filled with love and laughter shared by the Halyards.At the age of 10, Yara's parents were approached by a pirate crew known as The Phantom Marauders, who forced them to sail as the group's personal shipwrights. Her parents left without an opportunity to say goodbye, with little more than a promise that they'd take Yara ocean fishing that weekend.She spent the next few years jumping between unsavory crews in search for them. Yara's travels took her far beyond Eorzea, hopping from ship to ship all across the old and new world. Unable to find any information concerning their whereabouts and sick of carrying on the tradition of her parent's ghosts, Yara returned to Limsa and took up fishing with her parent's promise ever in her mind.

13     CHARACTER INDEX

CHARACTER INDEX     14

Corinne Yarbrough

  ⸺ THE HUMBLE COBBLER  

❝ I’m tired of being enclosed here. I’m wearying to escape into that glorious world, and to be always there: not seeing it dimly through tears, and yearning for it through the walls of an aching heart: but really with it, and in it. ❞

⸺ Emily Brontë

  PERSONALITY  

Reliable. Principled. Cowardly. Quiet. Gloomy. Understanding. Obedient. Forgetful. Sympathetic. Frugal. Gracious. Earnest. Warm. Tolerant. Flexible. Tense. Respectful. Submissive. Complacent. Courteous. Dedicated. Timid. Patient. Thorough. Hesitant.


  LIKES  

Hunting small game. Preserving food. Cooking; soups, broths, roasts, sauces. Fishing; seafood. Leatherworking. Foraging. Hiking. Heights. Animals. Tea. Camping. Dairy products; cheese, cream, milk. Earthy smells. Candles.


  DISLIKES  

Yelling, screaming. Loud, sudden noises; thunder. Rain. Inebriation. Crowds. Large hands. Being surprised. Darkness. Tangled hair. Disorganization. Blood, violence. Cobwebs. Mud.

  Background  

14 days after Corinne's delivery, her mother attempted their escape. Colette hid a knapsack filled with the barest of necessities underneath a floorboard in the basement. Silas was never supposed to find it, but a deer carcass he brought home broke free from his grasp and knocked it loose. Cori's father felt that conflict resolved itself easier after a few tankards of ale, so the confrontation occurred shorty after the sun set in The Shroud. Colette wanted to take Corinne with her, but on that night, the imminent threat of death would not allow it.Silas took Cori with him when doing everything. Their father wanted Corinne to remain visible at all times, except during the late hours of the night, where Silas would only look upon them in total darkness. He'd often remark Cori looked far too much like their mother, a woman he often lamented Corinne took from him in childbirth.Cori was left without a choice to leave their father's gaze at 16. Over time his physical threats had escalated to near-death encounters. The young Hyur stabbed Silas in the knee one night, incapacitating him long enough to flee. The attack left Silas with a permanent limp.After settling in Limsa Lominsa and finding work as a barmaid, Corinne found refuge in the arms of a man just like their father—a high ranking Maelstrom officer by the name of Ephraim. The relationship lasted 10 years, ending when Cori escaped him within an inch of their life.Corinne currently resides in Ishgard, devoting their time to a small but successful career as a shoe craftsman.¹

¹ Information regarding Corinne's products and services can be found at yarbroughs.crd.co.

15     CHARACTER INDEX

CHARACTER INDEX     16

Peronelle Surreaux

  ⸺ THE TENACIOUS ALEWIFE  

❝ The things that go unsaid are often the things that eat at you—whether because you didn't get to have your say, or because the other person never got to hear you and really wanted to. ❞

⸺ Celeste Ng

  PERSONALITY  

Determined. Forgiving. Adaptable. Trusting. Easily distracted. Vivacious. Sentimental. Self-critical. Soft. Clumsy. Youthful. Silly. Naive. Good-natured. Pouty. Generous. Talkative. Sentimental. Optimistic. Dramatic. Insecure. Tidy. Curious. Empathetic.


  LIKES  

Sweets; desserts, honey. Bitter and sour foods; lemons, hops. Jerky. Sweetbread & offal. Butter, cream. Botany, foraging; herbs, gardening, grains, fruit, vegetables. Fermentation. Traveling. Camping. Stargazing. Alcohol; wine, beer, ale, spirits. Music, the fiddle. Quilting. Dancing. Parties. Animals.


  DISLIKES  

Scary stories. Thunderstorms. Spicy foods. Spoiled vegetables & fruits. Gratuitous violence. Impatience. Folding laundry. Her cowlick. Dry skin. Bloodstains. Dust bunnies.

  Background  

Peronelle was born after 20 excruciatingly long hours of labor, with her mother, Lucinette, passing shortly afterwards. Romanant promised his late wife that their only daughter would grow up surrounded by love and tradition.Her cradle rested in the corner of the family brewery, and Roman would rock her with his foot while pouring mash into the still. By the time Nelle could walk, she was helping her father clean barrels, and before long, learning to brew herself. Romanant taught her about the intricacies of making alcohol, embedding the rituals and customs of their family craft into every lesson, just as his parents had done with him.When Nelle was 15, Roman succumbed to a quiet battle with cancer—a struggle he had hidden from his daughter to protect her from worry. Among his belongings was a worn leather journal filled with recipes and notes on brewing techniques. In the margins, he wrote messages for her—words of encouragement, advice for life, and reminders of how proud Nelle made him.Left to fend for herself, Nelle stayed in their secluded home deep in The Shroud, living off the land and picking up where her father left off. She fermented meads and liquors; brewed ales, all to barter with the community for produce, tools, clothing, and other necessities.Nelle's heart aches to explore the world her father spoke of beyond The Shroud, eager to step beyond the shadow of trees to see it for herself.

17     CHARACTER INDEX

CHARACTER INDEX     18

Salomé Blythe

  ⸺ THE SURLY FLESHER  

❝ You cut up a thing that's alive and beautiful to find out how it's alive and why it's beautiful, and before you know it, it's neither of those things, and you're standing there with blood on your face and tears in your sight and only the terrible ache of guilt to show for it. ❞

⸺ Clive Barker

  PERSONALITY  

Aloof. Lazy. Deliberate. Cynical. Grouchy. Shrewd. Idle. Honest. Grim. Discreet. Morose. Flirtatious. Bitter. Resilient. Sardonic. Discerning. Glib. Pessimistic. Carefree. Spiteful. Frank. Vulgar. Unaffected. Cold. Direct. Reclusive. Unpredictable. Crass. Easygoing. Combative. Efficient.


  LIKES  

Reading. Sleeping; taking naps, lazing around. Sunbathing. Popotoes. Teasing. Spiders. Sour Foods. Organs; raw and gamey meats. Illicit substances; tranquilizers, sedatives. Drinking. People-watching. Dancing. Walks at night. Not having to brush her hair. Clothing.


  DISLIKES  

Children. Naive, innocent people; Eccentric people. Animals. Gratuitous violence. Pain. Stimulants. Excessively sugary foods, sweet cocktails. Being asked too many questions; being pestered for things; being stared at. Mirrors.

  Background  

Left at the edge of the Golmore Jungle as a kit, Salomé was taken in by the Viera of a tribe she never truly felt a part of. They trained her in combat and survival; taught her of the old ways and traditions, but always kept her at an arm's length. Her distaste for battle was met with disappointment by the rest of the group, which only lead to ostracization, and in turn, punishment. She was put to work butchering animals after hunts.The greatest solace offered to Salomé came in the form of a friend and first love, Red. His striking eye color became his namesake and was ever a source of comfort. Unspoken feelings blossomed between the two Viera after they reached maturity, however their closeness waned in the years following Red's preparations to fulfill his role as a Wood Warden.Red's eventual return came with tragedy—the news of corruption spreading throughout the jungle, and the passing of several Wardens in an attempt to contain it. Sal discovered Red was its source soon after his return. The parts of Red that were left pleaded for Salomé to end his suffering.Unable to stay with the tribe after honoring his request, Salomé left for the city of Dalmasca. There, she discovered she was pregnant. She travelled to Eorzea in search of answers after each subsequently failed attempt at honoring her love's final request. The process left the Viera permanently marked from the unnatural influence forced to grow within her body.Now, Salomé lives her life as a simple butcher, traveling from city to city and searching for distractions to leave her past behind.

19     CHARACTER INDEX

CHARACTER INDEX     20

Q'inti Kuywiyuq

  ⸺ THE POISED FLETCHER  

❝ I started out believing that life was made just so the world would have some way to think about itself, but that it had gone awry with humans because flesh, pinioned by misery, hangs on to it with pleasure. ❞

⸺ Toni Morrison

  PERSONALITY  

Anxious. Intuitive. Restless. Discreet. Social. Approachable. Nonconfrontational. Cautious. Shy. Hardworking. Alert. Sincere. Meticulous. Reflective. Self-critical. Pragmatic. Contemplative. Skittish. Driven. Nostalgic. Adaptable. Melancholy. Sensible. Focused. Uneasy. Perceptive.


  LIKES  

Being barefoot. Crowds. Sunset, Sunrise. Beaches. Spicy food, salty food. Stories, tales, legends. Working, staying busy, smithing, whittling. Fruit. Birds, birdcalls, feathers. Music. Cats. Chocobos.


  DISLIKES  

Sandy air & fur; grit & debris. Cold weather, chilly breezes, snow. Complete silence. Having nothing to do. Splinters. Cutting her nails. Unnecessary cruelty. Arrogance, ego. Conflict escalation.

  Background  

Anca was a name spoken with equal parts awe and dread in Yak T'el, but to Q'inti, she was always grandma. The woman had decimated scores of Mamool Ja during the tribal war over resources, leaving her name forever entwined with brutal legends of merciless conquest. Q'inti’s mother, Ch'usiqa, was no fighter, so when the young Xbr'aal began to mature, it was clear she'd been gifted Anca's fierce aptitude for combat.At the tender age of 6, Q'inti was dispatched into the mountains to begin her Viper training. She returned 6 years later as a near-master of the art and for the next few years, traversed Tulliyoal tending to Tural Vidraal. Q'inti's distinctive appearance—a near mirror of Anca's, earned the woman both wary admiration and hostile reproach from Mamool Ja and Xbr'aal alike.Eventually, the burden of Anca's legacy grew too heavy to carry in her travels, so Q'inti returned home to aid her retired father, Mach’aqway, in the family craft. Fletching was a welcome distraction, but Yak T'el, still haunted by the scars of war and the lingering memory of her grandmother’s deeds, offered Q'inti no true solace.At 18, she set sail for Eorzea, and ultimately choose to settle in Ul'dah. It was there that Q'inti began to find a measure of inner peace, but it didn't mean an escape from her thoughts. Q'inti keeps herself occupied with the family craft of fletching arrows. She accepts mercenary jobs in her travels peddling her wares, constantly in fear that her grandmother's taste for violence will someday rear its head and begin a relentless thirst for blood.

APPENDIX     22

  SECTION THREE  

APPENDIX

ap·pen·dix
/ əˈpɛn dɪks /
noun¹    supplementary material at the end of a book, article, document, or other text, usually of an explanatory, statistical, or bibliographic nature.²    a separate part at the end of a book or magazine that gives extra information.

Wansui

  ⸺ FUN JING LAI MAAN SEOI  

The Kingdom of Doma is vast, and within its southern reaches, there is a saying: Heaven is High, and the King is far away. Nestled into the humid delta of the Kwan Tei river, the city of Wansui thrives outside the law of Hien's officials. A playground for the rich and den of gangsters, it is a town of contrasts, of extreme wealth and poverty, of Garlean modernization and Eastern tradition, and of vice and virtue.

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23     APPENDIX

APPENDIX     24

MOU WAIMAN    衛民

  ⸺ THE CALLOUSED TORTOISE  

❝ Nothing in the world is softer or more yielding than water, yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it. Therefore it is said: He who takes upon himself the dirt of the state becomes the master of its altars. He who takes upon himself the sins of the world becomes the king of the world. True words seem to twist. ❞

⸺ Laozi

  PERSONALITY  

Stoic. Apathetic. Observant. Aloof. Frank. Philosophical. Detached. Cutting. Patient. Disciplined. Dispassionate. Pious. Methodical. Ruthless. Wise.


  SKILLS  

Tai chi; self defense, disarmament, incapacitation, close quarters combat. Anatomy. Diplomacy. Child rearing. Animal handling. Cooking.

MOU WAIMIN    慧勉

  ⸺ THE UNASSUMING SNAKE  

❝ They look upon life as a swelling tumor, a protruding wen, and upon death as the draining of a sore or the bursting of a boil. To such men, how could there be any difference between life and death? They simply borrow the forms of different creatures and house them in the same body, forgetting the liver and gall, casting aside the ears and eyes. ❞

⸺ Zhuangzi

  PERSONALITY  

Kind. Warm. Eager. Clumsy. Curious. Impatient. Fortunate. Reckless. Earnest. Emotional. Spontaneous. Whimsical. Resilient. Intuitive. Spiritual. Distracted. Gentle. Impulsive.


  SKILLS  

Geomancy; aetheric manipulation. Rituals, blessings, curses. Feng shui. Midwifery. Embalming. Cremation. Herbalism. Meditation. Mahjong.

23     APPENDIX

  Background  

The Mou twins were born to the custodians of a humble temple in Doma. From birth, Waimin’s health was precarious. Her parents, Waifung and Meiling, were told she was unlikely to survive beyond three turns. Through years of costly medicines and treatments, Waimin defied expectation and recovered at the age of thirteen. The price of her survival left the family mired in debt. In desperation, Waifung resolved to sell the twins. Waimin to a pillow house, and Waiman, hardened by years of caring for his sister, to servitude. Meiling, unwilling to surrender her children to such fates, spent the last of the family’s wealth to send them instead to a hidden temple deep within the mountains.There, the twins came of age under austere training. When at last they returned to Doma, only ruin was left of their town in the wake of Garlean occupation. With nothing remaining but each other, the two chose to preserve what fragments of their life they could. Their path carried them to Wansui,¹ where in the neglected reaches of the slums, they discovered a decrepit, long-forgotten temple. Raising it from ruin, Waiman and Waimin vowed to honor what was forgotten and devoted themselves to what remained.

¹ Wansui.

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