User Profile

PLAYER
NAME: Tohim
PERSONAL LJ: squall90ca
EMAIL/MESSENGER(S): AIM = slayerhannah / Y!M = N/A / MSN = N/A
TIMEZONE: EST


CHARACTER
NAME(S): Ashelia B’nargin Dalmasca, or Ashe, preferably Lady Ashe
FANDOM: Final Fantasy XII
BACKGROUND HISTORY:
Ashe’s life up until she turned seventeen was more or less unmarred by tragedy, save for the death of her mother. All in that year though, her husband and father died, leaving her at the mercy of the invading Archadian Empire. Due to the Marquis Ondore officially stating that she’d ended her own life, she fled, escaping the clutches of the Empire in order to fight (and win) another day.

That day however, would not come for another two years, and even then it ended in failure. The banquet to welcome Dalmasca’s new consul from Archadia, Vayne Solidor, turned out to be a trap and she and her Resistance walked right into it. Becoming separated from the main body of her force, Ashe, using the pseudonym Amalia for the past two years, encountered the thief Vaan and the sky pirate partners Balthier and Fran, all caught up in the Resistance’s strike on the palace while looking to appropriate some of the crown’s treasure. Unfortunately, the group’s escape through the Garamsythe Waterway also ended in failure. Ashe was captured and separated from the others and held prisoner on the flagship of Archadia’s 8th fleet, Leviathan.

Soon she was rescued by Vossler Azelas, second in command of the remnants of her Resistance, along with Vaan, Balthier, Fran, an orphan named Penelo and Basch fon Ronsenberg, the man thought to have killed her father. Upon escape, they made their way to the city of Bhujerba in order to meet with Marquis Ondore in secret in hopes of regrouping with the Resistance and clearing the air. Ashe was not pleased with Ondore’s insistence she stay out of the fight for her own kingdom so she snuck away with the intention of commandeering Balthier’s ship to fly to Dynast-King Raithwall’s Tomb. There lay the Dawn Shard, a piece of deifacted nethicite capable of proving her royal heritage. She was, however, found out, and ended up accompanied by Vaan, Balthier, Fran and, to her chagrin, Basch.

Joined by Vossler on the trek through the Nam- and Ogir-Yensa Sandseas, the party made its way into the depths of King Raithwall’s gargantuan tomb. After defeating the Esper Belias, Ashe saw an apparition of her dead husband, Rasler Heios Nabradia. Troubled by what she saw, she nevertheless took the Dawn Shard, which glowed in her presence, indicating her as a descendent of the Dynast-King. Unfortunately, after exiting the tomb the 8th fleet caught up with the party. The Dawn Shard was taken from them and put in the Leviathan’s engine to test its power. En route to their cells, the latent Mist given off from the Dawn Shard’s use drove Fran into a Mist-induced berserk, giving the party enough time to free themselves. It was here that Ashe learned both her trust in Vossler and mistrust in Basch were misplaced, as Vossler revealed his betrayal of the Resistance. The party barely escaped the massive explosion caused by the Dawn Shard’s use, which decimated the entire 8th fleet.

The party then regrouped in Rabanastre. Ashe intended to seek out the Garif in order to find a way to utilize the Dawn Shard’s immense power in opposition to the Empire’s development of manufacted nethicite. Vaan and his friend Penelo end up accompanying her, as well as Balthier and Fran. And, of course, to Ashe’s growing relief, Basch.
Unfortunately, in Jahara, the land of the Garif, Ashe learned that the Dawn Shard’s use in the Leviathan’s engine had completely drained it of power. A chance encounter with Larsa Solidor, younger brother to the ruthlessly cunning Vayne, convinced Ashe—at least partly—that seeking to free Dalmasca from Archadian control should not be her only concern. A war was brewing between the Archadian and Rozarrian Empires, and if Ashe could find it in herself to work together with Larsa and one other not-revealed-yet figure, it could be stopped. Together with Larsa, the party made for Mt. Bur Omisace in order to meet with this third party and receive the Gran Kiltias’ endorsement.

The third party is revealed to be Al-Cid Margrace, member of the ruling family of Rozarria, who brought alarming news. The Emporer of Archadia had been assassinated, and the deed pinned on the Archadian Senate, placing Vayne Solidor in full control of the Empire. It wouldn’t be long before all-out war broke out, with Dalmasca as the battleground. Ashe and the party decided to retrieve the Sword of Kings from the nearby Stilshrine of Miriam, a blade given to the Dynast-King by the gods with the power to destroy nethicite. After defeating the Esper Mateus, Ashe once again saw Rasler’s ghost, seemingly spurring her on towards revenge against Archadia.

Upon returning to Mt. Bur Omisace after retrieving the sword, Ashe and her party find that it had been attacked by Archadia in their absence. The Gran Kiltias slain and Al-Cid about to make his own departure to Rozarria in order to stall for time, Ashe and the party began the long trek to Archadia in an attempt to confront and end the machinations of the crazed Dr. Cid and his experiments with nethicite. During the trip, Ashe grows closer to the members of her party, seeing in them immense strengths that she herself believes she doesn’t possess.

During the confrontation with Dr. Cid, Ashe was convinced to travel to the ancient lost city of Giruvegan, the seat of the gods. There she encountered the Occuria who reveal to her that they are the true figures driving history and that she has been chosen to be their next Dynast-King. They give her the Treaty Blade, giving her the ability to cut a new piece of deifacted nethicite from the Sun Cryst atop the Pharos. They then sent her on her way, telling her that it is her destiny to exact her long sought-after revenge against the Empire and destroy Venat, an Occurian traitor working with Vayne and Cid.

The party traveled to the Pharos, confronting Judge Gabranth at the top of the tower. Ashe, who once again saw the ghost of Prince Rasler strangely still inciting her to revenge, made the decision to destroy the Sun Cryst and end the age of Occurian control over humanity. It was the pirate Lord Reddas, formerly Judge Zecht, who made the ultimate sacrifice, destroying the Sun Cryst and dying in the ensuing blast while the party made their escape.

As the party regrouped in Balfonheim, they encountered Al-Cid Margrace once more, who warned that war was about to break out over Rabanastre between Ondore’s Resistance allied with Rozzaria and the Archadian Empire’s 12th fleet. It seemed that the magickal energy given off by the destruction of the Sun Cryst was felt the world over and was enough to jumpstart the Archadian Empire’s trump card, the floating fortress Bahamut.

Ashe and the party infiltrated the fortress and confronted Judge Gabranth and with Gabranth’s aid, Vayne himself. They followed Vayne outside of the fortress as he merged with Venat, essentially becoming a god. After a grueling battle, Vayne was defeated and the sky fortress began to fall on Rabanastre. The party, including Larsa and the mortally-wounded Gabranth, were able to escape, but Balthier and Fran stayed behind in order to prevent Rabanastre’s destruction. They succeeded, but weren’t thought to have survived themselves. With the help of Larsa, Ashe was able to diffuse the conflict peacefully.
Two years later, Ashe is crowned Queen of Dalmasca and begins her lonely rule of peace. Is it then that she’s taken to Rivelata.


TIMELINE SUMMARY:
I’m taking Ashe from after Final Fantasy XII but before Revenant Wings, the direct sequel. I find this an interesting time to pluck her from her timeline because for Ashe, at long last, she’s finally won.

PERSONALITY:
Ashe is, in one word, a Queen. She carries herself as royalty, presents herself as royalty—she is royalty. Gracious royalty, though. She’s aware of how she acts, and only acts that way because it’s proper. This is often seen as arrogance and cold detachment, but that couldn’t be any farther from the truth. That might have been the case before the events of the game, but afterwards, she knows she owes her success just as much to the people who fought with and for her as she does to herself for persevering. In a few words, Ashe is calm, polite and pointedly articulate.

All of that is a mask, though. Inside, she’s insecure and lonely, to put it lightly. She doesn’t think she’s ready to be Queen. She’s going to do her best, do anything she can for the people she’s responsible for, but she just doesn’t know if she’s ready, or even deserves to hold the title of Queen. Growing up in a time of war has a lot to do with these insecurities, along with the loss of her mother, father and husband. If they all failed in their duty in one way or another, how can she succeed? The Occuria targeted her not only because she’s a descendent of the Dynast King, but because she was weak enough to fall for it, and she did. With such obvious weakness, how can she expect to succeed in the task that’s been passed to her?

SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Ashe is a capable fighter, proficient with many kinds of medieval weapons. Her slight frame belies the strength of a fully trained soldier, both magickally and physically. Apart from wielding several kinds of magick and being stubborn enough to take quite a beating before quitting a fight, she’s no stronger, faster or more durable than any other human.

This journal is meant only for pretendy funtime games. I do not claim ownership of the character Ashe, the world of Ivalice, or the franchise Final Fantasy.

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