Vilette Laurent
Knight of Coerthas
For here she made her final stand,
Sword side by side to bracèd lance,
She pushed them back per Her command,
A Fury borne by bladed dance.
Heroes of the Stone Vigil, Stz 4
Profile
Age: 28
Height: 5'6"
Race: Hyur-Elezen
Religion: Halonic Orthodoxy
Occupation: Alliance Officer - Temple Knights
Vilette is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman who carries herself professionally, and clearly takes personal grooming very seriously.She stands well-poised upon tall legs seen usually on women with pointier ears. Her frame is lean, with narrow-set shoulders and an athletic physique. Her arms are pocked with various scarred cuts and burns accrued over the years.Her once-pointed ears are scarred and clipped short. Her hair is a bright, pale blonde with a natural wave — that's usually worn in a long, low-hanging braid.Her clothes, like her hair, stands upon the fine line between practicality and stylishness, and she clearly maintains them to as great a degree as herself. She (barring obvious exceptional circumstances) smells faintly of rosemary.To those who can sense one's aether or anima — Vilette's is stunted, like a child's. Vilette thinks it's because she was malnourished as a teen; however, it is likely the result of some congenital affliction.
Feel for the Moment, for it cuts sharply.
Coerthan proverb
THE RUNED KNIGHT
And little did he know, the blackened husk in Celfry's hands was the Skyfang, Sword of Kings, so named for its descent from the heavens upon the mortal realm; so titled for its wielders of divine and royal blood. And divine it was, for beneath the cracks and dips of its midnight rust, it shone with the glow of moonlight cold, humming with the very magick it shielded for its wielder."You are mistaken, Malius: this is no broken blade!"
The Runed Knight, Book 3, by Casimir Fletcher
Vilette was born and raised along with her siblings in Western Coerthas; specifically in a small hamlet named Houx, east of Hemlock, in Whitemere, domain of the House of Loivre.Her father was a half-breed Dragoon known as Goldmane; and her mother, Eliane de Riveaux — also a half-breed — was a legitimised bastard who had married out of her inheritance to be with him. They had four children: of which Vilette is the second youngest.Unlike her siblings, Vilette has little talent or capability for magic. She was born with a condition that stunted the development of her anima, making spellcraft a dangerous activity for her.Still, together, Vilette and her family lived with their grandfather: renown and subsequently knighted adventurer Casimir. A novelist, Casimir doted upon his grandchildren with exaggerated tales of his adventures.Adventuring, however, was not to be Vilette's fate. Everything was done to make her a good candidate for marrying up and out of the hamlet: she was taught proper manners, how to sew, dance, read, write, and manage finances; while her brothers worked the orchard and prepared to squire.However, the Calamity saw the deaths of Goldmane and Casimir; forcing the family to leave Houx for Ishgard proper. In the city, the family sold much of what remained of Casimir's bounty for a flock of karakul and land.Despite the sales, and with her second oldest brother leaving to join the Temple Knights, Vilette — out of a sense of duty — decided to hold onto a rusty, hiltless sword from Casimir's collection; a decision that would forever direct her fate.
The moonlight sword gleamed brighter in the wake of arcane flames; rusty scales moulting from its shimmering blade 'til it was nought but wreathed in a tempered white.It flashed but for a moment; then, with a clap of thunder, smote the wretched Malius there with a blast of one thousand gales.
The Runed Knight, Book 3, by Casimir Fletcher
RP Hooks
That which moves is alive. That which lies still is not.
The Wisdom of Steel, Chapter I
Master at Arms - Vilette's swordsmanship is well-known; what with her performance in battle and tournaments. Most notably, she won the 218th and 308th Grindstones; as well as taught several repeat winners. Her style is said to be tactical and brutally efficient, but flowing and graceful. She's said to be quite the strict teacher. Maybe you've read her book on sword-fighting. Maybe you want to learn how to fight.
The Skyfang - Vilette carries a two-handed sword with her at almost all times. It has plain, argent fittings, a burgundy leather grip, and a blade of unnaturally white steel that shimmers with a pearly iridescence if looked at from the right angle. Usually, it sits in a leather-coated scabbard of the same, burgundy shade.
The Knights Chasseur - Vilette was the commanding officer the Temple Knights Chasseur: a new, experimental unit pushed to be the Republic's model military reforms, formed through reluctant collaboration between Parliament and the Congregation. Conservatives assert that it was formed with the ulterior motive of providing the Republic with an army in the event of a schism with the Temple Knights. It was a complex, politically steeped experiment that has since been concluded. Martial scholars have been debating on the conclusions since.
Alliance Wetwork - The Eorzean Alliance faced many wars since Ishgard's admittance. Vilette has fought in all of them, working in joint inter-city-state units and task forces to do specialist work: with a focus on infiltration, reconnaisance, sabotage, shock and insurgency operations. If you were a member of any Ala Mhigan, Doman, or Anti-Imperial Garlean resistance cells, there is a chance you have worked with her.
And so you must flow: from one opening to the next, one attack to the other.
The Wisdom of Steel, Chapter I
Convictor Ranger - She served a tour with the Knights Convictors as a ranger, helping them ambush Harrier patrols and harass their supply lines; as well as track dragons.
The Battle for the Stone Vigil - During the First Battle for the Steps of Faith, the Dravanian Horde also made an attack for the recently re-captured Stone Vigil. Vilette and her fellows were deployed there alongside reservists as reinforcements, and she distinguished herself by leading several Ishgardian stragglers in a spirited, last-ditch defence of a Dragonkiller Battery, preventing the Dravanians from taking full air superiority.
Loyalist and Royalist - Answered Lucia's call, and joined the coup when Aymeric was imprisoned. She and her unit mutinied and restrained their commanding officers in the Congregation mess hall, before moving to seize the armory, and coordinate with others in Lucia's rebellious host. She wasn't entirely pleased that they didn't crown Aymeric king after the matter — though she hasn't made too much of a fuss about it since. Slew the renowned duelist, Inquisitor Marin de Lanvert, during the storming of the Vault in single combat.
Amazing Hair - her hair's fucking pretty af fam u seein dis shit????
As it is with the sword, so it is with life.
The Wisdom of Steel, Chapter I