Miscellaneous Information
Ideologies and Beliefs
-Esredes’ feelings on his own nation are complex. Much as he has come to loathe the nature of the people of Ishgard and how insufferable they can be, he knows it is a pot calling a kettle black for his own former ideology. He believes Ishgard and its people to be something that must be freed and saved from itself by people like him, whether it was in taking the place over and rebuilding the system as he believes the answer before the war’s end, or onward as him getting the people of Ishgard to truly embrace the truth for everything it is and go on freed from the shackles of Ishgard’s conditioning.-While capable of admitting they were not right in everything, Esredes still fully believes in Iceheart’s cause for everything it stands for, and thus when it boils down to it, believes he is on as much of the right side as there can be in a war of this nature, even taking a lot of pride in the fact that if it were not for his people peace would never come. People who try to dismiss or belittle this quickly piss him off.-In classic Elezen fashion, he has a mild sense of racism towards Miqo'te. He won't say anything, but he will definitely think it, and occasionally make a racist comment to someone else. To him, he's almost never met a smart Miqo'te, and seriously wonders if they're just inherently dumber than the other races, on top of believing that most of them love to be scantily clad. He also is very ill versed in the culture of either clan, to the point he barely knows the differences between Seekers and Keepers beyond the eyes and one living in Gridania.-Same level of racism goes to Viera and Hrothgar. Viera he tends to see as also inherently overly sexual or just eccentric, and Hrothgar as in tune with natural feral, beastly instincts to watch out for. He also assumes Xaela to be inherently feral in a similar manner. Still, like before, it's often kept in his head and he's not outright hostile to any of the three races at first, if they prove useful. Often he pretends he isn't racist at all if they are.-He's no longer able to commit to any type of religious practice, not even that of Shiva. At most, he sees her as a beacon of hope, and any sort of prayers or thanks he gives to her are more just for the expression. This effectively makes him someone who doesn't deny the existence of gods, but does not waste time following them.-Regardless of his bitterness towards Ishgard, he can agree like most that the Garlean Empire is a much bigger threat that needs to be taught to stay away from Eorzea. He has no reason to hold back on them. He takes pride in the fact that dragons took them down the first time. This becomes even worse after Heavensward. However, he does have a more tolerant opinion of turncoats, considering several of them were his allies as a heretic, and during the events of Endwalker, his opinion of Garleans soften some to see the bigger picture and be more tolerant of Garleans who are willing to try. However, he still doesn't trust them to govern themselves, not unless the very right people are in power to prevent them from falling back to their malicious core instincts he perceives.-He really does not like Ascians. You'd figure that'd be common sense, and yet they took one of his family members and keep threatening to take others close to him. Needless to say, he wishes he knew a way to make them not exist.-When it comes to his general view of people, he has a hard-pressed realist outlook. He believes that people are not inherently special or meaningful, but because everyone is born with willpower, it is the key to creating a person who has a purpose and a use. Your skills and mind are what matters more than background. And he definitely includes himself in this with a level of self-awareness that he too is a completely average person given shape by what he's learned to do.-This is one of many reasons why Warriors of Light inherently piss him off. He can tell they're all completely average people who everyone latched onto the special power of. It's an unfair and unhealthy way to cheat the system that he's only ever seen result in a fall.-He then believes he was born to be a soldier, and that people are, while inherently meaningless in birth, born with predispositions to being certain classes of people. To himself, he is the soldier build because he lacks talent beyond fighting, is disagreeable and thus perfect for inciting aggression on a battlefield and drawing the fight to himself, and because he also believes himself to lack the full depth of a person, he is the perfect temporary and disposable being to die so a more fully realized one can live. He believes this is the way the world works, and that people who aren’t fully realized like himself die for fully realized ones to keep the world in the best state possible.-He also believes everyone similar to him or much worse- that is, people who are lacking empathy or morality to a sufficient degree and therefore a less fully realized person by his own standards- are also meant to serve this role of living and dying for better people, and if they go against this and be selfish they are instead a parasitic entity to be taken out.-Furthermore, people who also live parasitically- that is, existing only to benefit themselves without contributing anything meaningful back to the world in pure selfishness- also should be eliminated or die for better people.-He does not heavily believe in fate and destiny as absolutes, seeing his previously mentioned ideology of how people are constructed as the more practical and realistic version of the concepts.-He believes Shiva isn't a real primal. Even after everything. He will only describe her as primal-like or imitating one, but he doesn’t believe a person can become an actual primal, as he thinks that primals aren’t in the same class as people because them only existing based on the will of their summoner means they’re not truly sentient and alive, which Ysayle most definitely was. This belief only finally begins to crack open post 5.5, where Esredes finally is able to begrudgingly admit it or at least not argue back.
Abilities
| Physical/Combat | Magical |
|---|---|
| Not very speedy overall, but able to go faster in quick bursts and sometimes manage just based off quick reaction and reflex times. | His aether is entirely tainted draconic and a lot of it is built up in his eyes. If you discount the eye aether and the draconic taint, however, then he has a normal amount of aether, particularly aspected to earth and mind. |
| Skilled in swordplay. Not so much with a shield. Knows how to use a knife and a dagger. Neither is his strong suit. Has used a gun once, but doesn't actually know how to use one beyond pointing and firing and hoping for the best. | Transformation: The ability to transform into a wyvern. Esredes will become shrouded in black and lose shape and form, the mass rising upward and reforming into the shape of a wyvern. The blackness will then dissipate and the transformation will be complete. He can control the speed of the transformation and stop it at any point in the process, rendering himself somewhere between forms. The blackness will not appear if shifting an individual body part or a small area. |
| While his swordplay is a more practical and brutal style in a real battle, he can manage a certain level of more graceful and elegant, artistic swordplay in friendly duels or by himself. | Geokinesis: A broad ranging ability that grants Esredes control over the ground itself. He is able to exert pressure on the ground in order to move it up or down (with several seconds of delay or more depending on how loose the ground is), cause very minor earthquakes in a limited radius (about the size of a clearing or so), and lift up and throw small rocks. This effectively gives him terraforming capabilites, given enough time and effort. It also grants him the passive ability of being more sensitive to changes in the earth. If an earthquake or geological event were to be on the horizon, he would likely sense it before anyone else. |
| Physically decently strong, especially in dragon form, where he is able to pick people up in his hands or fly them on his back. Not to mention he can muster enough force in the form to break some kinds of bones with his bare hands. | Disorient: Esredes’ tainted aether grants him the ability to fire a pink beam of mind magic from his hand towards the target’s head. While the exact effects vary per mind, generally the target will experience dizziness, loss of balance, head pounding, a sense of confusion, and a loss of awareness about where they are. The effect usually wears off in anywhere from 10 to 15 seconds, and grows less effective with successive blasts in a short period of time. The less developed the mind is (such as the mind of an animal or young child), the more effective the move usually is. It is semi-permeable and can pass through thin layers of matter, but only works if it hits the head and easily dissipates if hit by something else. |
| High endurance. Often able to press on and keep going at a task when others would succumb to exhaustion. Has a high pain tolerance. | Cloaking Illusion: A minor illusory ability that allows Esredes to target someone’s mind and project into it so that he is hidden against the background from their perspective and effectively invisible. The effect shimmers if he moves, can only be projected up to a certain distance away, and he can only handle having it displayed into 2-3 minds at once. |
| Melee ability in Elezen form is okay at best and not his strong suit. | He lacks any other sort of magical abilities or proficiency, or any sort of aether sensing abilities. Can cast a basic cure spell pulling from his own aether if he has a conjurer's wand, but that's about it. |
| Mental | Miscellaneous |
|---|---|
| Esredes' main intellectual strength is strategy and planning. He is skilled at battle tactics and clever moves to catch the enemy off-guard. Overall, he is somewhat above average intelligence. | He knows the basic stitches and basic needlework. |
| Has an above average vocabulary, and it shows in the most ungraceful ways when he speaks. | Has neat and semifancy handwriting. |
| His emotional intelligence is very hit and miss, sometimes being able to understand people and get through to them in ways others don't, but otherwise often being very unsure of how to handle someone. His ability to read people, in addition, is mostly based on psychological stereotypes. Can typically detect someone is lying if they're not good at lying. | Knowledgeable about combat medicine and how to treat wounds without magic. |
| He is good at explaining things to people, motivating and encouraging others, and inspiring them to be more self-confident. Skilled in persuasion and manipulation. | Inflicting pain. Questionable ability at physical torture. |
| He is skilled in logical thinking and can keep his mind rational and calm even in the middle of a battlefield. Exceptions apply. | Can make a few basic kinds of tea. |
| Not particularly creative in the artistic sense. | Can speak Dragonspeak. |
| He is good at explaining things to people, motivating and encouraging others, and inspiring them to be more self-confident. Skilled in persuasion and manipulation. | Due to the Dragon Aether's influence, his sense of smell is somewhat enhanced. |
| Knows a lot about Ishgardian history, both the real and fake kind, and has some knowledge in the histories of the other areas as well. | Decent at keeping up an act for a period of time. |
| Capable of psychologically torturing people if he can figure out their weak point. | His mathematical skills only extend to basic math. |
| He can keep himself and his spaces organized and is good about being responsible. | |
| Generally possesses a lot of determination and stubbornness. |
Affilitations
Temple Knights (Former Temple Commander)
Esredes entered training for the Temple Knights at eighteen and spent seven years as a member of their ranks, steadily climbing until he reached the rough equivalent of a Squadron leader. But since the reveal of the Blood in his system, this connection has been very brutally severed and dead in the water.Though no one told him he couldn't keep the Ser title in the present, he is not touching the organization with a ten foot pole. Even if he was somehow allowed back in, he knows it'd be nothing but a conflict of interests. Instead he tells everyone he's retired. Technically it's true.Disciples of Saint Shiva and The Enlightened Ones (Leader, Commander)
His most important connection that will forever have his undying loyalty no matter what. When his original harrier camp, eventually called the Enlightened Ones, started evolving into the Disciples, he had already been promoted to one of the leaders of the camp after a year of being with its people, and hence naturally took on a leading position within the movement onward.Ysayle's death brought with it an even further promotion to the overall public and private head of the movement, and primary overseer of the in city efforts. No matter how the political landscape shifts and the friends he makes elsewhere, Esredes remains rooted firmly to this movement and makes every decision with his true people in mind, making sure conditions remain safe and more can continue to come to their side of ideas.House Fortemps (Ward)
Due to a very unlikely series of events, Esredes befriended a lost son of Fortemps, and due to that can be seen coming in and out of the manor occasionally. Though he mostly avoids all other members of the House besides the retired Count, he still gets to enjoy the sometimes useful protection of ward status thanks to all he did to help the son.
White Wings (Associate)
An airship that brings aid to beast folk and others in need all over the realm started by one of Esredes' fellow harriers, he couldn't be prouder of seeing their work come to life. He sometimes shows up to casual and lighthearted events thrown in and around the airship, but occasionally is asked to come deal with a situation relevant to his knowledge and skills.
The Furious Fourth Temple Knight Company (Certified Nuisance)
A company of knights with the honor of Esredes' least favorite company of all due to their overwhelming amount of members who are dysfunctional, rude, hostile, and while not outright dangerous, most certainly not very tolerant of his own.And yet despite that Esredes keeps finding himself in the company of individual members, managing to make all of them at least tolerate him and somehow showing up to some of their events on a 'technically invited' or open invitation basis. He kind of revels in knowing he's not supposed to be there and yet showing up anyway.He generally remains courteous with its members. They're all mostly too harmless to be of any real threat, and really the entire situation is just sad. If only he could do more to help than sometimes try to give individual members advice they're not likely to take.
House Guillaume (Friend Of The House)
A recently nobility elevated house changing from Fortemps to Durendaire allegiance, Esredes befriended the now lady of the house through previous shared public spaces and also assisted a now adopted into the house individual with family affairs. Beyond attending the occasional event the house puts on in comfort, Esredes sometimes shows up to help out and keeps in contact.
House Swann (Ally)
A failing Noble House which was injected new life instead of disappearing thanks to his own advice to its new heir, Esredes is frequently invited over to the manor for occasions both serious and casual, and has gotten deeply involved in affairs such as its venture into setting up a war camp in Dravania and its ongoing conflict with supernatural and unnatural forces that try to bring the House and its host to ruin.While he personally thinks House Swann to be a place of misfits and eccentrics flailing about more than a cohesive unit, he finds some beauty in how they've come together, and finds the lax atmosphere just as comforting for himself to exist in as it is frustrating.Bee Club (Unwilling To Admit It Tertiary Host)
A social club dedicated to bringing bees back to Ishgard... yes, really. Esredes attends these meetings purely to support one of his dearest companions who started it, but the truth is he always thought the idea was stupid and had no heart to tell him.While he expected to at least be able to relax and turn his mind off, the opposite has become the case, as nearly every member who attends turns out to be emotionally unstable and force him to clean up the mess. He has no faith in the club to achieve its goal and considers it nothing but a place for unstable outcasts to try and be more human, and for himself he's come to think of it as a little psychological study experiment for himself of how you fix a hopeless host of people.He sometimes co hosts the meetings when the main host is unavailable.The Supreme Sacred Tribunal of Halonic Inquisitory Doctrine (Limited Counselor Aid)
With the approval of a High Inquisitor Esredes ended up befriending and at his request, Esredes has limited clearance with the Tribunal to serve as a counselor for prisoners.He has very mixed feelings on this, but has opted to use it as a mix of genuine good intent, recruiting potential new allies, more insights into the ailed mind, just taking out stress, or occasionally as revenge for someone who wronged him.Yet he will never consider it anything more than using it to his own means and to help someone he genuinely likes. He is well aware the Tribunal still probably wants to swallow him alive, and he has to be careful in the jaws of the beast.
Grand Company of Eorzea Contingency (Freelance Soldier)
While initially a little reluctant due to his expectation of being asked for help and then thrown away the second he wasn't needed anymore, when called upon Esredes agreed to join Ishgard's Order of Knights in a freelance form to assist with the widescale effort to fight back against coming events.He has been pleasantly surprised to find himself having such a positive experience with the individuals involved to the point it has given him hope that he could belong in a military situation again.
The Sky Vigil (Member)
As a result of the previous Contingency, Esredes was invited to sign on to a new organization within the Ishgardian military serving under the House of Commons and keeping an active role in the greater Alliance.
While reluctant at first due to a possible conflict of interests, Esredes eventually signed on and has remained a loyal member since. He works with the rest of the organization to push the new age and future forward.
Deeds
A list of significant events Esredes has participated in over the course of roleplaying, in case anyone thinks their character would know this intel.Endwalker spoilers ahead.Somewhat Known
-Esredes came along under the Temple Knights faction of the Grand Company of Eorzea to Garlemald. Some of his escapades while in Garlemald include assisting in downing a large Garlean airship in manacutters, fighting and nearly dying to a Hypertuned Chimera on a mission to rescue tempered from said downed airship, and assisting with hunting down and disposing of scientifically enhanced Cerulean Hounds.-Esredes was part of the Alliance forces that took down the Thanalan Tower, as well as the Dravanian Tower.-Esredes was on the battlefield during the Second Battle of Carteneau. He helped take down Lunar Shiva as well as Lunar Phoenix.-Esredes was heavily involved in the Grand Company of Eorzea's efforts in the Final Days in Thavnair, deployed on various missions to silence blasphemies and rescue and relieve the citizens of Thavnair.Uncommon
-Esredes was a leader on the rescue team of a large scale mission for several taken captive by a mad scientist on a massive Garlean airship. He went on to then come along on a follow up mission to successfully destroy the scientist's facility in Dalmasca.-Esredes participated in a small scale operation to rescue a returned disgraced noble from kidnapping by Garleans in Azys Lla. While brainwashed when apprehended, the noble was restored to his true self and successfully saved.-During the siege of the Tower of Babil, Esredes deviated from the main group with a select special unit in order to venture deep into the bowels of the tower and take down the Sanguine Weapon, one of Garlemald's handful of experimental weapons made from the aether of sacrificed souls.-Esredes was involved as a key witness in an insignificant court case of Lor Pallene versus Quincy Pallene, in which he testified that Lor Pallene had attacked and nearly murdered his biological son Quincy Pallene, a counseling client of Esredes', and it was only due to himself hearing the entire thing over linkpearl that he was able to intervene and prevent the murder attempt from succeeding. Lor Pallene was convicted and executed.-Esredes was part of a Tribunal investigation team tackling the case of a dangerous gang called Meteor; after originally bringing the case to the Tribunal, under the authorization of Inquisitor Alvere Travanchet he interrogated suspects and participated in multiple search parties to find more members of the gang, as well as fight off a member and hired help when they attacked the noble house Guillaume and set it on fire. The case ended in the gang successfully disbanded and all its members arrested and processed or killed, except for their leader, who is still at large.Unknown
-Multiple Inquisitors who monitor or have monitored Esredes in the past, while suspecting him to be responsible for many Inquisitor disappearances during the war, are confident while still lacking definitive proof that he was involved in the specific disappearance of Murielle Mercier, evidenced by the fact he now is associated with her adoptive son, her former assistant, and a heretic she let get away in the past.-Esredes has a vigilantism charge on his otherwise clean record for participating in apprehending a double agent, spy, arsonist, and traitor to the state of Ishgard.Very Unknown
-Along with a group of his fellow heretics, Esredes saved a village of dragons in the Sea of Clouds from an invading Nidhogg dragon and his brood.