House Nicollier

❛  In the crucible of faith, prosperity.  ❜

Out of Character

  rule 001.   : 21+ only, 25+ preferred  rule 002.   : IC =/= OOC  rule 003.   : Please note that these are meant to be high-conflict characters. OOC plotting is highly encouraged!  rule 004.   : I am on a rotating shift schedule for work. In a 6 week period I'll have 3 weeks in a row where I'll have flexibility, though I'm fine with scheduling things on my days off too. This can mean 2-4 weeks between in-game sessions if schedules don't line up; I know this can be a turn-off for some. However, Discord RP is always welcome!  rule 005.   : Interested in writing, but not with this character? Feel free to take a look at some of my other OCs. :>  rule 006.   : Don't hesitate to reach out on Discord if you have any questions or want to brainstorm a scene! Discord handle below:

Viscount of House NicollierGame WardenIll-Starred
& Ill- Omened

❛  So you love war. I used to think you were a decent man. But I see now I was mistaken. You're a hero. ❜ - Joe Abercrombie, The Heroes

  •   name    Alain de Nicollier

  •   clan    Ishgardian Elezen

  •   age    Early 30s

  •   gender    Male

  •   height    6’4

  •   weight    205 ponz

  •   eyes    Lilac

  •   hair    Tarnished bronze

About

Sworn to the Great House Durendaire, House Nicollier is part of an array of families that man and support the Dawn Vigil. The house remains steward to a trading outpost in the remotest part of the Eastern Coerthan Highlands, but like so many of their peers, has greatly suffered from the climate catastrophe caused by the Calamity. Every turn brings ceaseless snow and howling wind, and with it, the slow burial of a town whose denizens leave by the sennight.As Temple Knight-Captain and First Bow of the Confraternity of the Blackened Pinions, Alain took part in campaigns across Coerthas, then later joined the joint expeditionary push into Gyr Abania for the liberation of Ala Mhigo and the incursion into Garlemald by the Grand Eorzea Company. Changed by what he saw during the Final Days, Alain resigned his commission upon his return, citing reasons of taking care of his ailing father and family affairs.Blunt to the point of offense, tactless to the point of cruelty, and ill-tempered for a man jaded beyond his turns, Alain’s no-nonsense attitude is recognizable as a crutch by those closest to him. Nevertheless, he still commands presence in much the same way he did as Knight-Captain, a guiding voice in the fog of uncertainty. In the throes of Ishgard’s changing society, Alain remains a wild card, whose loyalties have shifted by bearing witness to the unspeakable.

Hooks

  Never Fade Away  ㅤThe newly minted Viscount de Nicollier is desperate to save the remains of his ancestral home. Perhaps you are a skilled botanist looking to perform the impossible, a merchant looking for a new mark, or a con artist willing to prey on the needy.What will you do to earn the brothers’ favor — or ire?
  Parts Unknown  ㅤIn lieu of formal galas and the rigmarole of noble society, Alain prefers to make connections by fulfilling guildleves. A preternatural hunter and pathfinder, Alain feels more at home tucked within the boughs of a tree than a feather bed.Perhaps you are in need of one with such experience, are an unwilling accomplice, or someone set to foil the job. Ever the consummate professional, Alain does not accept failure as an option. What lengths are you willing to go to keep pace?
  Spare the Sympathy  ㅤWhen forced into the trappings of adopting civility, Alain prefers working with church outreach programs. He cares less about currying favor with the less fortunate and more about finding those unwilling to entertain pomp and circumstance.More than that, Alain is insistent on these acts forming a ledger of redemption. Despite what one might be led to believe by his opinions, Alain is an ardent churchgoer, and attends services without fail. More desolation than anger clouds his face in these vulnerable moments. What does he seek to prove to himself in these fervent moments of prayer?
  The Most Dangerous Game  ㅤThose with especially keen aethersight or aetheric sensitivities may notice that Alain’s aether has begun to stagnate. There exists a black thread so tightly interwoven with his own that Alain views his uptick in hunger to be a quirk of getting older.Alain was the victim of a voidsent summoning ritual gone right, one that he possesses little memory of. Unbeknown to him, something has taken root. Only doom awaits at the end of this path. Where does monster separate from man?

Martial InstructorPhilandererWayward Son

❛  I had decided to allow no room in the universe for something which shamed and frightened me. I succeeded very well—by not looking at the universe, by not looking at myself, by remaining, in effect, in constant motion.  ❜ - James Baldwin, Giovanni’s Room

  •   name    Aldrich de Nicollier

  •   clan    Ishgardian Elezen

  •   age    Late 20s

  •   gender    Male

  •   height    6’9

  •   weight    221 ponz

  •   eyes    Sapphire blue (left eye blind)

  •   hair    Mossy brown

About

The second son of House Nicollier fled Ishgard after a very public duel saw him lose an eye to his brother. Once in the running to join the Holy Order of the Knights Dragoon but ultimately failing to meet their measure, Aldrich has honed his martial abilities in the turns since his departure.The death of their father has brought Aldrich back to his station, though Alain is less than pleased that he’d been absent at all. Little of his behavior seems to have changed since his return, however. A notorious skirt chaser and carouser, Aldrich’s forwardness earns him fast friends and faster enemies, with one often becoming the other in the same breath.Aldrich’s boldness and propensity for showing off has earned him reentry into the city’s upper crust, and unlike his brother, Aldrich believes the way forward is by rubbing elbows with the city’s elites. The road to the seven hells are paved with good intentions, and Aldrich has yet to truly realize the consequences for failure.

Hooks

  School of Hard Knocks  ㅤAldrich runs a fencing school in Foundation. Open to all those willing to take the business end of a blunted sword, the Nicollier school offers lessons in basic swordsmanship, self-defense, dueling, and unconventional methods of combat, and always offers a space for a hot shower.When Aldrich isn’t teaching, he can be found at fight clubs, sanctioned and not, and wholly engaged with the love of the sport. There is no truer measure of one’s make than the measure of violence. Will you engage with his trash talk, or teach him a well-deserved lesson?
  A Study in Scarlet  ㅤThe soul crystal that belonged to their father remains one of the few tangible items of his legacy, and it has chosen Aldrich as its next bearer. The pinpoint application of aether to augment strikes and bolster defenses remains a core part of Aldrich’s fencing; red magic is but the next step.Are you one who calls themselves a practitioner of red magic, or any of the color aetheric arts? Aldrich is not so proud that he would deny himself a tutor, though his own feelings toward the matter are a tangle of thorns.
  Master of None  ㅤFrom the ceruluem derricks of Shaaloni to fishing trawlers off the Corvosi coast to the silkworm gardens of Radz-at-Han, one would be hard-pressed to find a job that Aldrich hasn’t done.Far more than one would expect for him to be open to novel experiences, few are the activities that Aldrich would refuse to do just to get to know someone, for better or worse.
  Sight Beyond Sight  ㅤThough Aldrich is functionally blind in his left eye, the eye itself is intact. For those mages skilled enough to have honed aethersight to their advantage, Aldrich is keen to know more.Whether you are keen on departing with that knowledge — or willing to teach him how, if he’s capable at all — is another question entirely.