Capheira

I was taking some screenshots today as references for a commission and this one turned out so beautifully I felt the need to share. I hope you don't mind!

Finding a claim that resembled Odette in any way proved to be a formidable task, with freckles usually attributed to fair and angular features. Thankfully, a number of the artists I've commissioned for artworks have gotten her spot on so I've not had a need for anything like that as those pieces were as I'd imagined her. However, that being said were I to choose one I'd likely say the closest I could find was this random model in the below stock image. It's not an awful match. Certainly the closest I've come across. A few changes are in order; a darker tan, eyes tinted to aquamarine with a hint of green, blonder hair rather than red. Odette is also somewhat more 'natural' or 'earthy' looking in her appearance. Brows are spot on though. Needless to say, body claim is an entirely different matter.

Welcome back! I'm afraid I don't know you, but I'm always open for engaging with faces new to me. Feel free to pop me a /tell in game if you ever feel like doing so!

As you know despite the fact she is levelled as one; Odette is a musician, not a bard. She doesn't have any magical abilities, or manipulate the aether. She's just someone who learnt to play an instrument and does so very well. So, in that sense she doesn't have a soul crystal, she doesn't use a bow nor does claim to be anything more than a performer. I don't think that's the answer you're looking for though.

[align=right]Theme: Winter, Turning of Seasons. Special Conditions: 3-8 Minutes Long. Performed at: The Celebration of First Snow [/align] [align=center][/align] [align=center]Winter's Knell[/align] [align=center]Down from the north the winds did blow, Over the peaks to bring with them snow. At the top of the mount in Winter's Knell, Spread were the tables - oh! Filled were the tankards - ho! Stoked was the fire when first flake fell. When first flake fell, then several more, Slain was the chicken, slain was the boar! [CHORUS REPEAT] Feast piled high and wide as eye could see, Man, woman and child unbridled; carefree! [CHORUS REPEAT] From the head of the table victory crowed, Tales of deeds and great battles did flow. [CHORUS REPEAT] Filled to brim with meal, mead and song, So ended feast with slumber three-eve long. At the top of the mount in Winter's Knell, Spread were the tables - oh! Filled were the tankards - ho! Stoked was the fire when first flake fell. At the top of the mount in Winter's Knell, Stoked was the fire when first flake fell. [/align] [align=center][/align]

Odette nodded to the words spoken my the miqo'te with a smile playing lightly upon her bronzed lips. A gazed hued with mixed colours of blue and green akin to ocean depths, the Highlander tracked the movements of her travelling companion and fellow musician as she departed some feet away to begin her performance. The blonde made no move to join her at this point. Despite the fact the two had never played together prior, having only talked and shared their musical abilities in brief, this moment alone belonged to Q'Nahli and Odette intended to listen with her fullest attention. It was not, however, without notice taken of those around them who had moved likewise. Head listed back against the dusty red of the cavern wall, long lashes dipped only partially as listened for the other woman's opening chords.

Leaning forward to take back her flask of whiskey, bronzed lips twitching impishly in amusement for the woman's reaction to the biting liquor, Odette lifted the rim to once more partake of the amber contents in hearty nip. "I pray ye never have to, Nahli." responds the Highlander, thumbing her freckled nose as she swirled the remainder of the flask. "Of course I do!" she exclaimed with a short laugh that was somewhat melodic in it's husky, earthen tone. "As ye said, I would nae be doin' it if I did nae enjoy it. Life is fleetin' an' too short t'spend wrapped up in things that don't make you happy. Live it, savor it, challenge it, make love to it." Leaning her head back against the cavern wall, the deep ocean hues of eyes framed with long lashes danced their attention upward to the ceiling in a likewise manner; wistful smile resting easily on the curve of her lips. "I don't doubt that ye will be, lass." responded Odette once the miqo'te had set firm her desire for bright future, pausing only briefly the exhale a relaxed breath and thread her fingers through golden bangs. "On that note though, do ye intend t'play tonight?"

Odette couldn't help but find amusement in Nahli's sorrowful reaction to the tale she'd told, a short blurted note of barked laughter leaving her lips in earthy melody. "What's with t'face?" she asked teasingly, not waiting for an answer herself as she went on to make statement that was brief explanation. "Fer better or worse they were some of the most important years of me life, lass. I cannae complain. Without them, I wouldn't be the same charming young woman ye see before you. Possibly." As the melody was stilled by her hand, so too did Odette's laid-back rambling fade to silence in allowance and anticipation for the answer. Nodding her understanding for the woman's tale as it was told, she herself languidly tugged a small, dented flask from leather holster that rested upon the curve of a rounded hip. Unscrewing the cap with the faintest of screeches from metal threading, the rim of aforementioned flask was lifted to wet bronzed lips with the amber liquid contained within. With an expression that was appreciative for the shared words, the Highlander leaned forward to offer Nahli the flask when she had concluded. "Heart of a bard..." she murmured softly, drawing a slender thumb down the length of her jaw that tapped once against her chin before dropping to rest against exposed thigh. "Huh." hummed Odette, a wide grin breaking over her features in a dazzling display of pearly white that contrasted with the tan upon her flesh. "That sure is somethin', Nahli. A gift t'be sure. I ain't got nae bard's heart or aetheric skill or nothin', but that dedication... that desire? That I can appreciate. It's that passion which inspires and will continue t'do so." The woman paused for the allowance of full lips to tug to one side in impish smirk. "So how long until I can convince ye t'shoot an apple off me head?"

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In her wisdom, the Highlander chose not to respond to the miqo'te's mention of the city-states beyond a simple "Aye," and the quirk of tapered corners of full lips into a small smirk as she gave a dip of her head in agreement."An' yer right, Nahli. Ye have t'do what feels right in yer heart t'do. Without t'opportunity fer choice we are nothin'. Yer choice t'do an' provide what ye can, an' the choice of others as t'what they do with it. There's nae greater freedom than that, an' nae one. . . nae Garleans, or Sultansworn, or pirates can take that frem ye." Patting down the bedding in full, Odette flashed a grin in Q'Nahli's direction as she tuned her instrument. Pulling her exposed legs, clad to knee in worn leather boots, close to her person, the woman plopped down atop the worn canvas with a short huff for task completed. After lacing her fingers behind her head and leaning back against the caverns dusty wall, she considered the question a moment before answering without hesitation. "I taught meself," explains the buxom blonde, deciding instead to stretch her legs out before her with lent positioning. Crossing her ankles, she goes on to explain further. "Lots of long nights at sea with naught t'do but stare outward an' be ready fer anythin' from enemy vessels to approachin' storms. With that kinda time on me hands, only seemed right t'put it t'use." she states with the small lift of her shoulders in a shrug, "Turns out that I found great joy in doin' so. I played often. Went from there t'buskin' wherever we were docked, then playin' around t'place at taverns and the like." After the slight point of a booted toe in the miqo'te's direction she asked, "What of ye? I dun think I've heard t'whole story a'fore. At least nae about this mentor of yers."

The jolt of the reins in her hand proved true to Nahli's words as Baynard lurched forward anew; much to the disdain of Odette herself. Regardless, the smile that was offered in the miqo'te's direction was a warm one that sent the smattering of cinnamon freckles upon her bronzed cheeks dancing. "Any time, Nahli." she responded to notions of gratitude for offered aid. Tying the brown-feathered chocobo to the nearest of the rickety rails that ran the edge of pathing to the lower sections below, Odette glanced to the nearby tents and worn blankets of clan-kin that gazed in their direction. Despite the fact that Q'Nahli had made a habit of spending the night every few moons it did little to stymie the attention they received for being there; whether it for the miqo'te, the pair of them and their intentions or the blonde highlander whom was unknown to them. Casting off the outer robe from her person, the shapely siren drew down her own minimal luggage and rolled out canvas bedding which only in slightly better condition than those around her. "These people are here because they choose t'be." murmured Odette softly in Nahli's direction, lowering her voice so as not to be overheard. "We went from bein' a proud nation, filled with capable men and women. . . t'this? Conquerors turned beggars. It ain't an easy life, twelve do I know it, but there's so much more they could be doin' instead of sittin' here on their arses." A soft sigh left the woman's full lips as she shook her head slowly, conflicted opinions flitting across her features in brief. "I understand t'plight, I understand t'circumstances and twelve know I'd give every coin I had iffen I thought it could do some good here. There are good people here who dun deserve this lifestyle and who continue t'fight as they can, but. . ." The men and women of Ala Mhigo had truly suffered much, that much was undeniable. In such, they had crumbled; tyranny, invasion, migration, death, rejection, oppression. It had all come to a head at the refugee camp turned home for Highlander old and young. "Yer cause is a good one, Nahli, an' I support it wholeheartedly. . . but nae one can help those who dunnae choose t'help themselves. Dun mean we dunnae try though. Iffen a moment of solace, a moment of freedom and lifted weight is all that can be provided, then so be it. Let's inject life into these veins."

"I see yer point," replied Odette, her ocean hues tracking the movement of the gate as they passed through, the light of the aetherite glowing softly to light the waters of the inner clearing the two approached. She stopped in her tracks for the briefest of moments, gaze scanning the surrounding area to search for any faces that she might somehow recognize through a child's eyes after twenty years. There were none. "Still, if I can help in any way Nahli. . . I ain't goin' t'press it on ye. Ye know where t'find me if ye need an extra pair of hands what ain't afraid t'get dirty." Taking the first opportunity that presented itself, the blonde slipped off her saddle with a duelists grace. Or so she would have, were Bayard willing to cooperate. Just as the Highlander had swung her shapely leg over the worn leather saddle, the feathered menace decided to start walking forward with a flap of it's spindly wings right in her freckled face as he trod off after Leafsong; apparently enamored. "Pah!" exclaimed Odette, swatting at the belligerent assault and losing her grip of the saddle in the process to stumble backward before finding her balance. Grasping the chocobo by the reins, though not without first casting a baleful look in it's direction, she moves to follow the miqo'te with a nod. "Aye, best we do that." she agreed, throwing back the hood of her open robe to shake out golden ponytail and windswept bangs as they walked further into the tunnels. Each step in the dark dirt was a memory for the Highlander, not of this place but of another far to the east.

Odette listened as closely as she could to the explanation her friend had given, some small measure of intensity grasping at her comely features from within windswept hood. "Of course it would be a swivvin' finger-wriggler," the bardess grumbled under her breath, a slight shudder rippling up through her spine for the unveil that creased her brows and soured her tongue with the thought. It was quickly chased by a quirk of those full lips in something of mild amusement and sly formulation of whatever plan was snaking its way through the recesses of strategic mind. "And that is why, dear Nahli, we would nae put any names to it. . . nothin' that can be drawn back to our home or t'people we care about. Ye cannae come after t'unseen, ye cannae track t'unheard; be they our steps or the steps of those whom operate in shadow. There is always a way, just depends on how far yer willin' t'go t'see it done." spoke the woman in a leveled tone that trailed off as the gates came into view. Without realizing, Odette's breath caught momentarily in the swell of her generously curved bosom. Little Ala Mhigo. A wash of mixed emotions swept over her, if only in brief - disgust, sorrow, anger, nostalgia. It was several moments later that the Highlander realized all eyes now rested on her and in knowledge of such, she snapped with ease into a charismatic grin that stretched across bronzed countenance beneath the off-white cowl. "S'me, ain't it? Tag's Odette." she greeted, lifting a few bronzed fingers to tap against the casing of her violin before placing that same hand upon the generous curve of her chest to dip her head. "I'm keepin' her company."

"Typical," sighed the woman, dark lips thinning slightly for what seemed to be ever-present red tape that was so very common within governmental hierarchy. Daring to take a hand off the reins that she had tightly wrapped around hands that were lightly scarred upon knuckles and digits by thin, almost unnoticeable lines, the Highlander threaded her fingers through the blonde pallor of her bangs for a few passing beats. It then dropped to her lap. As those ocean hues turned once more to the dark-haired miqo'te beside her, Odette offered a sympathetic smile as she listened to the explanation; small as it was. Even in doing so, her attention was not fully present, however, as if the gears of her mind were already churning for possibility and probability both. "Tasarth." was murmured softly under her breath; not a name she recognized. A moment later, the woman thumbed at the freckled curve of her sculpted nose and suggested, "T'first thing yer goin' t'want t'do is ask around those were were t'same rank as he were. Screw t'big fellas, they ain't gonna tell ye shite. Whether they cannae or willnae are both two sides of t'same coin, sah mebbe those he actually worked with who ain't got their heads up their asses could at least give ye some idea of when an' where he were last seen. That's gonna give ye somethin' of a radius, at least. Yer also gonna want t'tell me where I can find this Tasarth fellow." continued Odette, gesturing with a few bronzed fingers as they rode. A single slap was given to her neck for the unfortunate blood-sucker that had taken it's perch thereon. "If nae me, then someone else what can have a little chat with that sentient popato."

Yanking back on the reins of the unruly feathered companion, the bronzed blonde muttered with a shake of her head. "Should have four legs. . . now that's a real mount." Fly away tendrils of golden hair were tugged free by the dry wind that warmed her freckled features as the Highlander turned the attention of her dark ocean hues over her shoulder to glance back in Nahli's direction. Thankfully, the bird had slowed long enough for the smaller woman to catch up. Whatever Odette herself had to say for Nahli's response, found no foundation as the words from the lips of her friend trailed into expression of concern. "I guess ye spoke with them, then?" confirmed the seafarer turned chocobo-wrangler, her voice dipped to something of a more conversational tone with the distance closed between chocobo. Golden brows slowly dipped to knit at the center of a sun-kissed forehead, an expression of thoughtful disquiet creeping across her freckled countenance. A single clucked note sounded from Odette's full lips as rosen tongue flicked against the back of pearly teeth. "They could tell ye nothin' else? Perhaps what patrol he were on or who were the last one t'see him?" she asked after a few moments of silence, save for the thudding of feathered footsteps and the occasionally chirping cicada.

Odette snorted through freckled nose once more. "Fiesty? Ugh, hardly. . . it's just. . . never been fond of these damn things. All wobbly on their two damn legs, it's a wonder they dun topple over."she replied, shouting out over the short distance between their mounts as Bayard swerved out rightward once more. At least this one hadn't given her a faceful of feathered wing. Yet. "I admit, I'm kinda surprised they're sah receptive," called the Highlander once more, managing somehow to steer the reluctant bird back in the direction of her fellow bard. Not unlike a dog being taken for a walk and pulling against it's leash, the comparison was an easy one to be made in relationship between woman and chocobo. "They. . . we," she corrected, "tend t'be a proud people who dun respond well t'pity. Depends on who yer dealin' with though, aye. Still, it pleases me t'hear that ye've had success there - I imagine especially with t'younger lot." A nod was given to her tailed comrade for her latter words, "In all honesty, I could nae speak on t'current mindsets beyond what I've heard. I've avoided it, beyond the resis-- third-party contact here an' there." A loud "KWEH" sounded from Bayard again as he decidedly picked up the pace, shooting past Nahli and Leafsong with a disgruntled mounted in saddle. "Nnnn!"

A "kweh" squarked from somewhere in the vicinity of Nahli's tail in a cloud of dirt-red dust, along with the thudding footsteps of a rambunctious chocobo and it's Highlander charge. Wrestling with the reins of a dark brown bird, Odette nodded in the miqo'te's direction regardless of whether or not the woman could see her. "Nng. . . bloody bird." she muttered under her breath, snorting out the billowing dust that assaulted her nose. Peering upward from beneath the slight shade of a hempen hood, she squinted long lashes in the direction they were headed with some small measure of apprehension for a settlement long left behind. When her fellow Jackal had mentioned and then invited the Highlander to join her on by-moon visits she made to Little Ala Mhigo, it was with mild apprehension she agreed. After all, the miqo'te had come to her with a desire for feedback on lyrical content for such; it seemed only right that it seemed an appropriate time to look upon her people once more - regardless of the thoughts and opinions she may hold of the place. The blonde bardess herself was dressed down, much as she always was, save for public appearances, though perhaps going that one step further for Thanalan sun and Ala Mhigan anonymity. An off-white, cowled robe flowed open over her usual exposing shirt and short-breeches, whilst a hood of the same hue was pulled upward over golden locks. As always, worn leather satchel remained slung over her shoulder, banging against the bronzed skin of a bar leg as she was thrown about. Additional luggage of violin remained fastened securely to the back of jostling saddle. "What. . . ack!" a sudden jolt of her feathered mount send the bardess leaning to one side as it picked up speed without rhyme or reason. "What is yer normal routine fer these trips of yers when ye come out this way, iffen ye have one?"

Ended up randomly back-to-back with a stranger during S-Rank Hunts. Badass.

Ah, yes. This is pretty much the point I was making though in far better terms, thank you! :thumbsup: From what we can see of what limited artwork there is, although none of it is snowing given it's altitude and location, I believe we can safely assume that the weather would be quite crisp and at times prone to the cold, and perhaps harsh winters given the strength of wind. If we take a moment to consider it's location is listed as being the "Highlands" of Gyr Abania, and then compare this to the "Highlands" of our world, their geographic layout and climate.... To shift slightly away from what is 'practical' and 'logical' as far as climates go, and to take a step out on a creative head-cannon, I've personally considered that is may be similar in location to what we saw of Skyhold in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Ala Mhigo: Skyhold:

Thank you for your reply, Virella! To be fair though, I think if you're at an altitude where you are above/in the clouds you can assume you're going to be freezing your ass off even if it doesn't snow. The higher you go, the further the temperature drops. On the note of 'keeping warm' and cold climates I mean, it may not be historically accurate but there is plenty of viking/norse based artworks of men and women wearing hardly anything in a fantasy genre so I'm not sure if that really holds up. I mean, in a practical sense I hear you but I don't think because gear isn't necessarily 'warm' looking it means there is "no chance in hell" of it snowing. I don't think it's a stretch to consider that it would definitely be cold and be prone to snow, even if it's not an everyday thing.

If you click on it in the OP, it will enlarge the image.

I've attempted to track down what the climate of Ala Mhigo would have been like for roleplay and background purposes, but I've been unable to find anything hugely specific in lore or within other threads. From what I have read here in discussion on the square-enix forums, it is possible that the city-state would have been similar to coerthas given it's matching latitude and altitude. Additionally, being that the city itself was placed within the 'Highlands' and from what we have seen of various concept arts this would lead me to the belief that it was located in the mountains; also cold and prone to snow. Yet Gridania, from what I am aware, does not get any snow at all; thus bringing us back to the fact that the city was built into the mountains itself, erected as a fortress city like the concept art would suggest. Though parts of the image are indeed clouds, there is obvious snow there to my eye. If we take into consideration what the alpine climate of the Highlands is like, or the "H" climate under the Köppen classification; Furthermore, apart from stone being the sturdier and more durable resource for longevity and fortification both, it perhaps also takes into consideration the extreme erosion caused by strong winds at such an altitude. Perhaps, as with many places, Gyr Abania itself is not a particularly cold climate or cannot be labelled as such with the little information available, yet it can perhaps be assumed that the city itself and surrounding area was of a cooler temperature and often blanketed in snow. Thoughts?

Your artwork is lovely, it definitely has it's own unique feel to it. Beautiful. If you're taking requests, I'd love to offer my swashbuckling minstrel Odette at your discretion. Wiki (nearing completion) can be found here, and screenshots below.

Basically what Merri said also! I tend to get around this by walking where possible, and myself and Nirri have characters that actually get quite ill from aetherite use; played out kind of like motion sickness in aether form. It's exhausting and nauseating - also fun to play! From what I can tell, most of our FC will actually walk to an aetherite crystal where possible as well, save for those times it's not viable. Perhaps it makes it easier to focus at the source?