Esmond Forester

Gridanian Swordsman.




Character Info


General

Name: Esmond Forester
Age: Young adult; early twenties
Sex: Male (He/Him)
Orientation: Heterosexual
Marital Status: Married
Race: Hyur Midlander
Occupation: Head of Leves and Ventures, Field Agent, Adventurer

Physical

Height: 5 fulm 7 ilms
Build: Slim with lean muscle
Hair Color: Blond
Eye Color: Purple
Scars/Markings/Tattoos: None
Traits: Messy hair, friendly eyes, expressive face, soft but clear voice, boyish laugh

Personality

Interests: Swordfighting, reading, fishing, baking, wood carving, dancing (secretly)
Skills: Swordsmanship, literacy, strategy, animal handling
Positives: Kind, encouraging, gentle, honest, trustworthy, respectful
Negatives: Credulous, indecisive, naïve, poor liar, afraid to show weakness

Miscellaneous

Birthplace: The Black Shroud
Residence: Yielding Veil Headquarters, The Empyreum
Nameday: 15th Sun of the 2nd Astral Moon (3/15)
Guardian: Thaliak, the Scholar
Chocobo's Name: Buckwheat



RP Hooks


Adventurer For Hire

Know of a dangerous old ruin that needs exploring? Planning on venturing into a cavern of beasts or monsters? If so, Esmond is your man. Now with plenty of experience himself, Esmond is comfortable in lending his sword to a fellow adventurer in need. Equipped with a sword and shield, he excels in keeping the heat off his comrades while working in some attacks of his own.

Caravan Guard

Esmond used to work with a group of mercenaries who would escort merchant caravans between Thanalan and the Twelveswood. Usually the presence of mercenary protection was enough to deter would-be bandits and highwaymen. However, Esmond was still in plenty of scraps and close-calls when deterrence was not enough to dissuade attackers. Perhaps you were escorted through the region some time ago by his old crew. Or perhaps you tried to rob them.

Going on an adventure, have a special project, or need protection? Esmond's employer, Yielding Veil Holdings, offers all sorts of services to adventurers in need of gil or extra muscle. Esmond serves as the company's Head of Leves and Ventures and is responsible for finding jobs for the company's agents. Esmond also serves as a field agent himself whenever he is able; maybe he could personally help you on a job you might have.

Something Else

The above hooks are just a few ideas to get the ball rolling! If none of them really apply to your character, or you have a different idea for RP, feel free to send me a tell. I'm pretty flexible as long as things aren't lore-breaking or too outside of Esmond's capabilities. I'm also open to coming up with long-term RP plots or previous connections between our characters.



Connections


Annalise Forester

Wife, Fellow Daggy Dresser

The day I met Annalise, I could tell that I was falling for her. When she first joined the company, I would come up with any excuse I could muster to visit her in her quarters. She's such a kind, thoughtful, and intelligent woman—not to mention incredibly striking. I still find myself having butterflies when I'm with her, and part of me hopes that feeling never goes away. Our relationship has blossomed into something truly special. Every moment I spend away from Annalise, I find myself thinking about her.

Rokuyo Mizutani

Employer

The leader of our company. Madam Mizutani is an incredibly serious woman who expects diligence, hard work, and results. Some have described her as cold, but I’m not so certain that’s who she really is. I can tell that she deeply cares about all of us; she just shows it in more subtle ways. In the end, I suspect she’s just being careful about getting too close to anyone. With what I know of Madam Mizutani and her family’s history, I cannot say I blame her. In any case, I owe her a great deal for the opportunities she has afforded me, and I am proud to serve under her leadership.

Odilon Sauvagerlain

Colleague

Where to begin? For one thing, Odilon used to be a notorious highwayman in the Twelveswood. And while he has since reformed himself from banditry, I still find it difficult to fully trust him. At the same time, his work ethic for the company is unimpeachable. I’ve also had my fair share of pleasant conversations with the man. Mayhaps the fault lies with my own misgivings; Odilon has made strides to improve his life and reputation both, so who am I to doubt him at this stage? And yet…

Elizabeth Ainsworth

Friend, Colleague

Liz was the first real friend I made when I signed on with Yielding Veil Holdings. She’s an excellent fighter, and the two of us make a great team in the field. More importantly, she’s dependable when you need a listening ear. She’ll also tell you exactly what she thinks about a situation. Everyone needs someone like that in their life: a person who will hear them out and give their honest opinion. But there’s also an immense weight she carries within her. A past of violence and loss against the Garlean Empire haunts her to this day. Liz has been nothing but supportive of me; I should do more to shoulder her burden however I can.

X’aloh Rahz

Friend, Colleague

X’aloh is known to be a great many things: a renowned performer, a fireball personality, a well-connected socialite, and much else. Yet somehow I originally came to know her as my red magic training partner. Her and I pushed each other to better our spellcasting under the tutelage of Master Fihpo'ya. Even though I can no longer safely practice red magic anymore, I believe her and I have developed a lasting friendship through our trials together.

Turnip

???

I think Turnip and I have started off on the wrong foot. I accidentally stunned him by whistling and feel terrible about it. I thought he would respond to it positively, but instead he clutched his head and fell to the floor! And he seemed none too pleased about being forced to take a bath either, for which I’m sure he blamed me. However, I did feed him some of those caramel treats afterwards, and he seemed to accept the gesture well enough. Turnip is clearly very important to Annalise, so I think I should make an effort to keep myself in his good graces.



Art




OOC Info



I prefer to RP with more grounded characters (no Warriors of Light, voidsent hybrids, etc.)Looking to branch out and RP with some new people. Open to setting up and planning long-term, plot-driven RP. Feel free to send me a tell!I don't readily give out my Discord. Sorry!Timezone: EST/GMT -5
US - Mateus



Annalise


"There is not a person on Hydaelyn who can claim to have captured my heart in the way she has. Every sun spent with Annalise deepens the love I have for her. She is not just a woman I fancy—she has become my partner in all things."

Excerpt from Esmond's personal diary



From Esmond's personal diary . . .


I owe a great deal to Madam Mizutani and the opportunities she has given me. I'm not certain what it was that she saw in me when we first met in the South Shroud. It had only been a sennight since my former crew dissolved, and I was spending my evenings in Buscarron's Druthers feeling dejected and without direction in my life. Madam Mizutani found me there on one of those evenings and offered me a job with the Yielding Veil, claiming she saw great potential within me.Even though she has little patience for foolishness and prefers to keep herself distant emotionally, I know she cares dearly for those of us in the company. I've seen it in small ways when the mask slips, revealing a woman who puts her people's needs before her own. While I know little of Madam Mizutani's past in the East, I can tell she's lost people close to her.Mayhap that's what the Yielding Veil is to her in some fashion—a kind of family to fill the void of what she lost.


From Esmond's personal diary . . .


"Never trust a highwayman to be decent or reasonable. The moment you let your guard down, they’ll stick you between the ribs and rob you for all you’ve got.” That’s what Bahz, the leader of my old crew, told me once. It was a warning that came after I hesitated to strike down a man who was robbing the cart we were escorting. I very nearly paid for that hesitation with my life, were it not for Bahz looking out for me. “Don’t ever make that mistake again, Forester. I won’t tell you a second time.”Now I find myself, years later, working alongside a former highwayman. As I understand it, Odilon used to spend his days robbing innocent folk on the roads throughout the Twelveswood. “The Blight of the Black Shroud” he was supposedly called, along with a litany of other similarly roguish titles. Madam Mizutani assures me that Odilon has reformed himself, but I find that difficult to fully believe when the man still recounts those titles of his with a glimmer of pride.I suppose it doesn’t matter what I think. He and I are comrades in the Yielding Veil, and I’ve little choice but to work alongside him. Part of me wonders who the real Odilon is beyond the flashy outfits, the countless titles, and his boisterous way of speaking. Is there a man behind all of that who is truly remorseful of his past? Or am I repeating the same mistake Bahz warned me to never make again?


An excerpt from a letter to home . . .


I think Elizabeth was the first actual friend I made when I moved to La Noscea. That's not to say the others were unkind or the like—certainly far from it! But Liz and I have a good connection. We make a great team and we both understand each other; what more could you ask for?She doesn't speak too much on it, but she had a pretty conflicting upbringing. She's from Ala Mhigo, but fled to Gridania when she was young. Not to mention her parents are a midlander and highlander couple, which I imagine made growing up in Gridania that much more challenging. Our family can certainly relate to that.What's admirable about her is that she doesn't let that sort of thing slow her down or define her. Liz just does what she thinks is the right thing to do; she's a woman of action. She may be a bit blunt with her words sometimes, but never rude. Sometimes we all need to hear things straight, you know?I think you two would really like her. Next time the both of us are in Gridania, I'll make sure we swing by the shop to say hello.


I really quite enjoy Iha’s company. She’s brilliant—probably the smartest member of Yielding Veil—and an incredibly talented painter to boot! Her practice of creating spell scrolls has been a boon to our agents, and she was even kind enough to demonstrate her process to me in person! And yet, I feel sorry for Iha, though I doubt she would accept such thoughts of pity from anybody. I cannot imagine the kind of difficult life she must have due to her intense sensitivity to aether. Even the briefest of aetheryte teleportations seem to affect her health significantly. It must be so horribly frustrating. But even so, I don’t want Iha to be reckless. Twelve forfend if she were to push herself too far. I just wish there was something I could do to help her, even in some small way.