Baroness Beatrix of the Three Sentinals

Boons and Quests | IC Contact | The Sixth Unseelie Spire

They summoned a What?

Description: The missive reads 'Adventurers Needed To Stop Bog Monster' and includes instructions to speak with Vasha or Itara at the Unseelie Spire in the Three Sentinels.

When approached, they will find a young woman sitting behind a desk in a small room near the Baroness's office, and she will roll her eyes at the paper and sigh. "Some of the hedge witches out in the fens are afraid of us. I don't know why, we haven't done anything. Anyway. They were trying to do something, we're not sure what, but they accidentally created some kind of Bog Elemental. It's as tall as a barn and resists magic and it's tromping around out there breaking houses and trees and anything else that gets in its way. Go handle it. And see if you can find the witches who created it, if they're still alive. The baroness wants to 'talk' to them."

-★ SUCCESS METRIC - Any unseelie shardbearer may accept this quest, and successful completion will include a log of 1500 words and the destruction or containment of the Bog Elemental.

Bonus: Successfully capturing the hedge witches and bringing them to the spire will grant the shardbearer access to a small plot of land near the spire itself, which they may build on or sell at their discretion.

Making A Good Impression:

Description: The missive reads 'Diplomat Needed for Resolution of Dispute. Must Not Mind Getting Their Clothes Dirty.' and includes instructions to speak with Vasha or Itara at the Unseelie Spire in the Three Sentinels.

"Here!" As soon as they walk in, a young woman shoves a pile of papers and a rolled up may into their arms and storms out of the room. An identical young woman is seated at a desk, and she just glares after her sister before putting on a fake smile and turning to the shardbearer. "Okay, so that's a list of people out in the fens that we haven't had any luck with. We've sent soldiers, we've sent diplomats, and they are just not interested in what we're selling. The Baroness doesn't want to have to force people to fall under the Spire's banner, but she will if she has to. We're giving you a try first. Get out there and convince them that things will be better off with us protecting them than trying to stand on their own."

"If you need an escort, talk to Lieutenant Jeli and she'll assign some soldiers to you. But please don't take an army that's not going to help anything."

-★ SUCCESS METRIC The Shardbearer will be given papers on twenty-two farmers and seven hedge witches living out in the fens east of the Three Sentinals, and a map of the area indicating which farmers and witches have agreed to Beatrix's proposal and which ones haven't. Convince them of Beatrix's proposal (let the spire protect you, sell your goods at the spire, or join her little witch-convention she's putting together) through whatever means necessary, but preferably not through force or violence. Successful completion would result in half of the people on the lists agreeing and 'joining up.'

Bonus: If at least two-thirds of the people join up, the shardbearer will receive permission to open up a shop or office within the spire itself. Permission can be kept or sold at their discretion.

Investigate the Vampire Ruins:

Description: TIMESKIP QUEST: This quest will be offered starting in June, 2071.

The missive reads 'Adventurer's Needed to Investigate Vampire Ruins.' and includes instructions to speak with Vasha or Itara at the Unseelie Spire in the Three Sentinels.

When they arrive, they'll find a young woman sitting behind a desk, and a taller woman in her late twenties standing nearby frowning at a map of the Three Spires. "This is the person who asked about the ruins, Lieutenant." The girl said, and the taller woman turned to eye the shardbearer for a moment before waving them over.

"See this?" She tapped a spot in the center of the three spires. "There used to be a vampire capital here. I don't know how long ago, but it was a big deal before it all fell apart. The vampires were holding a conclave there, but they've moved on. We want you to head down there and survey the ruins. Just a basic map is fine, where all the biggest bits are." She waved a hand vaguely in the air as if to say she didn't really care.

"But more importantly, we need to know if anyone is still there." Jela turned to face them, her expression stern. "If it's just squatters, chase them off. If it's vampires, do not attack them. If they attack you, surrender, tell them you're with the spire and they should back down and let you leave. Don't piss them off, am I clear?"

She fished a slip of paper from her pocket and held it out. "Take this to the big, scary building down the way, and show it to the guys at the door. They'll give you a couple vampire soldiers to go with you. Don't piss them off either. Just..." She huffed. "Don't make anyone mad, if you can avoid it, alright?" She turned back to the map. "It's hard enough keeping the peace around here as it is..."

-★ SUCCESS METRIC: Successful completion will include a hand-drawn map of the vampire ruins, and a report of anyone currently still living there. Quest accepter may wish to speak with the mods to determine if they are likely to run into anyone in the ruins.

INFORMATION PENDING

( your words of choice... )

Boons:
Elemental Armor - A set of armor resistant to elemental attacks.
White Magic lessons - Beatrix is able to teach people the basics of White Healing Magic from her world.

Quests:
Beatrix clearing out the highwaymen. Beatrix led a small force, with the assistance of the patrol guards from Mair, to clear out the highwaymen left over from Reynard's forces after they were scattered from Maupertius.
Training unseelie reinforcements at the southern border - Beatrix arrived shortly after the destruction of the southern watch towers by the seelie Lancer. Given the state of the survivors, she took charge rather than simply train and assisted in preparations for a small fortification at what had been a supply depot, before arranging for the training of the soldiers and recruiting Shijima to train them further. (Although I suspect the fort was probably destroyed now during the seelie advance.)

Current Company:
Lieutenant Jeli - Beatrix's current second, Jeli was a farmer's daughter who'd come to Mair in search of a better life and found out precisely what Mair thought of hopes and dreams like that. She joined up during Beatrix's initial recruitment wave, and despite not really getting the hang of professionalism, has turned into a competent second and decent fighter, but more importantly has proven quite successful at keeping order amongst the ranks.

Merva the Witch - A young spellcaster Beatrix hired during her quest to clear out the highwaymen around Mair, Merva impressed the general enough that she was allowed to continue on with the company. A competent spellcaster, but more important is her knowledge of the magics of the Drabworld and how it's magics work. Friendly, a bit chatty, and prone towards somewhat overblown theatrics.

Vasha and Itara - Twin sisters, no older than fifteen, whom Beatrix has taken on as assistants and gophers. Quiet and somewhat skittish, their backgrounds are a mystery, but at some point someone had the foresight to teach the girls to read and write, which was more than could be said for a lot of people Beatrix had spoken to. They're friendly when they get to know people. Vasha is the sort to never stop talking, and Itara is the sort to never stop listening, so they're proving quite useful.

Rivits the Quartermaster - A man who insists he is not a dwarf ~~but is probably a dwarf~~, Beatrix too him in after the southern fortifications were destroyed. He is a rat of a man, unpleasant to be around and generally a bit of an ass, but he seems to know how to get anything from anywhere when she needs it. So she lets him stay.

Ten unnamed support soldiers - Young woman taught to fight with short swords and bows, and currently learning the basics of healing and protection magic.

Twenty unnamed front-line soldiers - Young woman taught longswords and shields and the proper way to wear heavy armor.

Beatrix is likely to answer her locket, but if she does not, just keep trying...

→ character name; General Beatrix of Alexandria
→ character age; 29

OOC:

→ timezone; EST!
→ backtagging; always. I have fast periods and slow periods.
→ threadhopping; Go for it!
→ fourthwalling; Sure, that's fine. She won't believe a word of it.
→ offensive subjects; Nothing I can think of.

IC:

→ hugging; She will tense up if she likes the person and punch them if she doesn't.
→ kissing; Not very likely, really!
→ flirting; Eh, she can roll with it, but she won't flirt back, probably.
→ sexual; Also unlikely.
→ fighting; Beatrix can kick ass. She is frighteningly good with her sword. Fighting her is fine, with planning, but winning is hard!
→ injuring/death; Have to take this situation by situation.
→ telepathy/mind-reading; She has no defenses against it. But she'll hate you afterwards.

How is General Beatrix? Suitably Beatrix-y, I hope? Hit me up, let me know!

( CHARACTER ★ INFORMATION )

NAME & AGE: General Beatrix of Alexandria, 29
CANON & CANON POINT: Final Fantasy IX - After reviving Princess Garnet from having her Eidolons extracted, before the attack on Alexandria by Bahamut.
CANON INFORMATION: Beatrix at the FFWiki

PERSONALITY:

If Beatrix had to be summed up in a word, it would be ‘duty.’ Her life has been dedicated to service to Alexandria and her people, and everything she has done, since the moment she began training, has been for them.

This single, driving purpose has given her the clarity necessary to become the general of the entire Alexandrian army, and the single most recognized and feared swordsman in the world. And she is exceedingly proud of that accomplishment. Not proud in a boastful, challenging way, but proud of a calm, rational, ‘I know precisely how good I am and you should too’ way. If she thinks fighting someone is beneath her, she will tell them. If they persist, she will call them for the fools they are and put them down, lethally or not depending on her reason for fighting.

But oddly enough, she wouldn’t put them down in a particularly nasty or cruel way. Beatrix is careful and polite almost to a fault, her words carefully chosen, her decisions with relation to other people (almost) always just as calculated and careful. When she finally realizes that she needs to choose between Princess Garnet and Queen Brahme, it is not a moment of emotional disturbance or internal conflict, she simply makes a decision, and follows it unerringly.

To others, she often comes off as cold and cruel, because she has learned to bury her own needs beneath those of her purpose. She killed a hundred men single-handedly in battle, because her kingdom demanded that it be done. It didn’t matter that the action could haunt her, that it might make people hate her. It was necessary, so she did it. Without remorse.

But despite all of this, despite her outward appearance of being cold and calculating, she is not such a hard person as that. Her life and her duty have forced her to think this way, to put herself behind whatever actions she must take, but she is a kind, forgiving person. Eventually. It’s just a matter of finding a way through that exterior. That willingness to believe in people and forgive them despite the terrible things they might have done is evident in her face off with Queen Brahme. She knows that the Queen is not going to sway from her course, and yet she still asks her to. But only once. Second chances are one thing, more than that are...unlikely.

There is also something of a desperation in her for contact beyond what she has. She doesn’t appear to have friends amongst her soldiers, only their respect, she has no equals to bond with, and her actions have made her more of a symbol than a person in many people’s eyes. So when she finds a love letter, some part of her desperately wants it to be for her. Even if there isn’t really a reason for it to be, she wants it to be. To know that someone can see her as more than the blood on her sword.

From her canon point though, in deciding to side with Garnet, she is feeling like she just sacrificed something she probably can’t get back, and has been forced to see the orders she followed for what they were beyond just being the loyal soldier. She’ll see winding up in another world as the punishment for actions she should have thought better of. Not regret, exactly. But close.

COURT ALLIANCE: Unseelie

ABILITIES: Beatrix could be loosely classified as paladin, or holy knight, in the world of FF9. Her abilities are a mix of powerful sword abilities and white mage spells. She holds the distinction of being the only person the party fights on multiple occasions and never defeats.

Swordplay - Beatrix is a brilliant swordsman, considered the paramount warrior on the mist continent (and therefore the entire world of FFIX, essentially). She once defeated a hundred men single-handedly.

Seiken - Beatrix is a master of the highest levels of magic sword techniques, as listed here. There are a number of other abilities (the ones Steiner has) that she probably knows because of supposedly being the master of swordsmanship, but those are the four the game gives her.

White Mage - Beatrix has access to a number of white magic spells. They would be Cura, Life, Full-Life, Esuna, Silence, Reflect, Blind and Holy.

INVENTORY:

Save the Queen - Her weapon, an ornate, narrow-blade, double-edged broadsword.
Rose knight garb - Her Outfit. It’s mostly leather armor, not very protective but allowing for maximum movement.