Noblesse Ascendant

[Anstarra]

 

What do you get for the woman who has everything?

 

Anstarra pondered the question. To even imagine it applying to herself was an exercise in conceit of the highest order... and yet, perhaps less so than it once had been. She HAD come a long way, the savage little runaway of her youth an increasingly-distant memory. Still, it was not the question itself which intrigued her, so much as the boundaries surrounding it. For clearly, no one had ever truly had everything; it wasn't a query meant to envision the requirements of an Empress or Goddess (unless you were perhaps thinking of Hydaelyn Herself, in which case the conceit laid in imagining you could do aught but Her bidding). No, the question was tailored for those whose desires were so well-met that the very notion of meaningfully contributing to them evoked despair on the part of the questioner.

 

To wit; the capriciously rich. The indolently well-to-do. The powerful, and influential.

 

The nobility.

 

Oh, nobles had desires, it was true. Even casual eavesdropping on the discourse of Eorzea's upper crust quickly revealed that the more you had, the more you wanted. Nonetheless, Anstarra thought it unlikely that any large sample of the population, common and noble alike, would would be able to make a significant case against the notion that the greater riches, power and simple presence associated with nobility brought you closer to the lofty goal of being happy. How could they? Who would starve, when they could feast? Who would be ruled, when they could, well, rule?

 

Her mind flashed back, as it often did at such times. The brutal simplicity of her Sept. Strength. Violence. No rights for the weak.

 

She found herself growling, and coughed, clearing her throat. Glanced around. Nobody in earshot, good. Growling... that was a habit she was going to have to break. After all, she was a savage no longer. She didn't have a looking-glass on hand, but if she did she knew what she'd see: an elegant young female, well-dressed, manicured, coiffed. Rich-looking. Sophisticated. Intelligent. In short, everything an up-and-coming member of the noblesse should be.

 

All she lacked was the nobility itself. But ah! There were ways and ways! Some would claim you had to be born into the nobility, but what of it? She was the daughter of a Nunh, a ruler. The fact that almost all Seekers of the Sun were so made the distinction irrelevant by their standards; if need be she could point to the purity of her line, to how she would have been the Nunh's primary mate, had she not fled... but Anstarra would sooner rip out her tail than give them credit for her ascension. Besides, blood was not all that mattered. There was one's manner, and in that, she had banked heavily. Finding a retired finishing tutor for Ishgardian ladies had been difficult (and had required almost every favor and bit of weight she could throw around as a junior officer in the Maelstrom and liaison to Coerthas); convincing the inestimable Maître Vauderien to actually take her on as a pupil had been something else entirely.

 

In the end, it had come down to boredom, and coin. His, and hers, respectively, and quite a bit of both. Thankfully, coin was not something Anstarra was lacking. Doubly thankful, for it was the other pillar on which she wished to make her bid for joining the upper class. After all, of the three City States, only Ul'dah had a true noble class, and in that city, the golden rule had always been the rule of gold.

 

Thus. Manner, and money... her schooling was coming along passing well, and her finances grew. Still, she would need a lot more, always more. Not to mention contacts; friends both high and low. Where to begin? Perhaps it was time to have her retainer make some discreet inquiries... in some ways, this promised to be even more dangerous and exciting than her adventuring forays. She would need to balance her duties to the Maelstrom, and to the Harbingers, and to her mate, with the demands of high society. She would need friends, allies, opportunities...

 

And then, maybe someday soon... she could take a look at that question again. The thought made her smile.

 

 

 

~

 

 

OOC time! This is an open invitation to players of characters involved in one way or another with the nobility of Eorzea! Whether you're part of an LS or FC that focuses on such things, or simply RP a nobleman-or-woman, feel free to respond or message me! Anstarra's end-goal is simple: to become an acknowledged noblewoman. Beyond that? Well, she has other plans, but this is an important step! I look forward to hearing from you guys~

 

 

~

 

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

 

For my convenience and for interpersonal RP possibilities, I will be keeping a list here of those who've offered to take part, and what roles they might play! Will be updated as RP progresses...

 

Allistair, Anstarra's Retainer.

 

Faye Covington ~ Noblewoman, distant ally in Gridanian nobility

 

W'Pondahl Amih ~ Aspiring knight, occasional martial retainer and student in etiquette

 

Zhavi Streetrunner ~ Street urchin, possible friend in low places, runner, spy, etc

 

Rurutani Sasatani ~ Sultansworn-in-training, possible connection

 

Lan Darklyn ~ Harbinger, contacts in Ul'dahn military divisions

 

Vyncent Fields ~ Knight, W'pondahl's sponsor, ally in military circles, officer in the Flames

 

Nako'li Chalahko ~ Noble tutor/military contractor, officer in the Flames, possible ally in noble circuits

 

C'kayah Tia ~ Powerful figure in Ul'dahn underworld, possible source of connections

[Anstarra]

This is to be an ongoing affair, and also serves as a Looking For RP kind of ad =3 Looking to meet new people, make contacts, have events... anything goes!

[Faye]

Miss Covington would be pleased to help Anstarra climb the social ladder and teach her how to be a proper noblewoman!

[Vali]

Ishgardian Miqo'te noblewoman? #lore?

[Faye]

Ishgardian Miqo'te noblewoman? #lore?

 

...where does it say she is Ishgardian? #reading?

[LandStander]

Oooh, Im curious about as to how a tribal woman came from nothing to so much in a short amount of time. Don't let Denn find her, she'll think she is a less than savory type and try to be her friend :3!

 

Its interesting seeing someone else play a sophisticated Miqo'te. I have one as well, but its because he was not born in Eorzea so he has no tribal influence at all. He comes from...elsewhere :angel:

[Vali]

Ishgardian Miqo'te noblewoman? #lore?

 

...where does it say she is Ishgardian? #reading?

" Finding a retired finishing tutor for Ishgardian ladies had been difficult (and had required almost every favor and bit of weight she could throw around as a junior officer in the Maelstrom and liaison to Coerthas)"

[Val]

Oooh, Im curious about as to how a tribal woman came from nothing to so much in a short amount of time. Don't let Denn find her, she'll think she is a less than savory type and try to be her friend :3!

 

Its interesting seeing someone else play a sophisticated Miqo'te. I have one as well, but its because he was not born in Eorzea so he has no tribal influence at all. He comes from...elsewhere :angel:

 

DENN I MISS YOU WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN WHY HAVEN'T WE DONE THINGS WHY DO WE NOT TALK WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING WHERE HAS DENN BEEN WHERE HAS CICERO GONE WHY OH GOD WHAT PLEASE HELP I DON'T KNOW I MISS YOUR RP I MISS YOUR FUN LET'S DO STUFF SOMETIME PLZ

 

Also I still have a Garlean that needs Garlemald love.

[Faye]

Ishgardian Miqo'te noblewoman? #lore?

 

...where does it say she is Ishgardian? #reading?

" Finding a retired finishing tutor for Ishgardian ladies had been difficult (and had required almost every favor and bit of weight she could throw around as a junior officer in the Maelstrom and liaison to Coerthas)"

 

Yes... an Ishgardian tutor who mentored Ishgardian ladies lol.

[LandStander]

Oooh, Im curious about as to how a tribal woman came from nothing to so much in a short amount of time. Don't let Denn find her, she'll think she is a less than savory type and try to be her friend :3!

 

Its interesting seeing someone else play a sophisticated Miqo'te. I have one as well, but its because he was not born in Eorzea so he has no tribal influence at all. He comes from...elsewhere :angel:

 

DENN I MISS YOU WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN WHY HAVEN'T WE DONE THINGS WHY DO WE NOT TALK WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING WHERE HAS DENN BEEN WHERE HAS CICERO GONE WHY OH GOD WHAT PLEASE HELP I DON'T KNOW I MISS YOUR RP I MISS YOUR FUN LET'S DO STUFF SOMETIME PLZ

 

Also I still have a Garlean that needs Garlemald love.

! Val! Im sorry I vanished for a few months. I dug an RP hole on all my characters and I sort of just walked away from it all >.> . Dais "died" in battle, Cicero was "killed", and Denn's life completely collapsed around her and she became alienated after her work with the Garleans got out so I had her retire to the mountains. But they are all back now :3. Round 2!!

[Val]

Oooh, Im curious about as to how a tribal woman came from nothing to so much in a short amount of time. Don't let Denn find her, she'll think she is a less than savory type and try to be her friend :3!

 

Its interesting seeing someone else play a sophisticated Miqo'te. I have one as well, but its because he was not born in Eorzea so he has no tribal influence at all. He comes from...elsewhere :angel:

 

DENN I MISS YOU WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN WHY HAVEN'T WE DONE THINGS WHY DO WE NOT TALK WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING WHERE HAS DENN BEEN WHERE HAS CICERO GONE WHY OH GOD WHAT PLEASE HELP I DON'T KNOW I MISS YOUR RP I MISS YOUR FUN LET'S DO STUFF SOMETIME PLZ

 

Also I still have a Garlean that needs Garlemald love.

! Val! Im sorry I vanished for a few months. I dug an RP hole on all my characters and I sort of just walked away from it all >.> . Dais "died" in battle, Cicero was "killed", and Denn's life completely collapsed around her and she became alienated after her work with the Garleans got out so I had her retire to the mountains. But they are all back now :3. Round 2!!

 

I read all of that but all I really understood was, "We need to do something soon."

[Anstarra]

Ishgardian Miqo'te noblewoman? #lore?

 

...where does it say she is Ishgardian? #reading?

" Finding a retired finishing tutor for Ishgardian ladies had been difficult (and had required almost every favor and bit of weight she could throw around as a junior officer in the Maelstrom and liaison to Coerthas)"

 

Yes... an Ishgardian tutor who mentored Ishgardian ladies lol.

 

Precisely =3 Anstarra's duties (i.e. what she does when I'm at work -.-) are basically acting as a liaison for the Maelstrom with the Ishgardian forces stationed in Coerthas. As such, she has a lot of contact with Ishgardians (aside from actually receiving Dragoon training) and their class of nobility; knowing that she could never join Ishgardian nobility, she nonetheless figured that an Ishgardian tutor would stand her in good stead for looking and acting the part of nobility anywhere else.

[Anstarra]

Miss Covington would be pleased to help Anstarra climb the social ladder and teach her how to be a proper noblewoman!

 

Also, I forgot to say, thank you Faye =D An was hoping to get in touch with you, indeed ^^

[Pondahl]

*Dances about*

 

Ohohoh, An!  An!  An An An!

 

Would this be a good opportunity for those who need to/want to maintain a noble bearing to perhaps climb the ladder along/beneath Anstarra?  Pond needs to broaden her vocabulary somewhat to further the image she wishes to adopt.  Bringing her into that sort of company would do wonders for her, although I'd need to have her update her wardrobe to even come close to being accepted.  And find someone willing to mayhaps guide the poor girl in the right direction.

 

Not entirely sure -how- this would fit in with her distant dream of someday being called a knight, but from that she's already acquired the most base mannerisms required to pull off this sort of feat, enough to have been taken as a Page.  And... she adores the language and mannerisms of the elite.  Tends to make her think of Azeyma :3 

 

So maybe, actually, it would work... hmm. *Ponders*

 

And no, she hasn't -actually- met any nobility, and so that naive image remains!  Ignorance is bliss, no?

[Zhavi]

*coughcough* If they ever want to spy on each other or pass discreet messages or do the rich people thing and consume illegal substances and they're in Limsa, Zhavi can totally help with that! (or spy on each other, even)

[Anstarra]

*Dances about*

 

Ohohoh, An!  An!  An An An!

 

Would this be a good opportunity for those who need to/want to maintain a noble bearing to perhaps climb the ladder along/beneath Anstarra?  Pond needs to broaden her vocabulary somewhat to further the image she wishes to adopt.  Bringing her into that sort of company would do wonders for her, although I'd need to have her update her wardrobe to even come close to being accepted.  And find someone willing to mayhaps guide the poor girl in the right direction.

 

Not entirely sure -how- this would fit in with her distant dream of someday being called a knight, but from that she's already acquired the most base mannerisms required to pull off this sort of feat, enough to have been taken as a Page.  And... she adores the language and mannerisms of the elite.  Tends to make her think of Azeyma :3 

 

So maybe, actually, it would work... hmm. *Ponders*

 

And no, she hasn't -actually- met any nobility, and so that naive image remains!  Ignorance is bliss, no?

 

Oh yes, W'pondahl would make a wonderful addition; we can have them meet up after she speaks with Anstarra's retainer; Allistair would certainly approve of an enthusiast like her, and she can act as Anstarra's attendant/aide/page at noble functions =3 Having that sort of thing improves Star's cred, and would be an in-road for Pond ;D

[Anstarra]

*coughcough* If they ever want to spy on each other or pass discreet messages or do the rich people thing and consume illegal substances and they're in Limsa, Zhavi can totally help with that! (or spy on each other, even)

 

Friends in low places... certainly invaluable, even if she probably wouldn't want to be seen in public with ya ;3 We should meet up, ICly, and chat about what kind of mutually-beneficial arrangement can be drawn up~

[Zhavi]

 

Friends in low places... certainly invaluable, even if she probably wouldn't want to be seen in public with ya ;3 We should meet up, ICly, and chat about what kind of mutually-beneficial arrangement can be drawn up~

 

Oh, of course, Zhi knows how to keep from being visible to her clients' opponents. I'll be able to rp in game next week (at last! freedom!), so I will definitely be on the lookout for you then!

 

(drat, repeated myself on that last one, whoops)

[Anstarra]

Oooh, Im curious about as to how a tribal woman came from nothing to so much in a short amount of time. Don't let Denn find her, she'll think she is a less than savory type and try to be her friend :3!

 

Its interesting seeing someone else play a sophisticated Miqo'te. I have one as well, but its because he was not born in Eorzea so he has no tribal influence at all. He comes from...elsewhere :angel:

 

I already have you on my friends list! I think you were among those who welcomed me to Balmung... well, tis good to hear from ya ^^ If you want to get in touch with me on any of your characters, I'd like that.. and as for the how and why of Anstarra's position in life, well, that's its own story =3 She's not a noble yet, though!

[LandStander]

I thought I remembered that name, but you changed your profile picture and it confused me .

[Lan Darklyn]

Lan might be able to help too. He is a former officer in the Flames so he is familiar with how people tend to act around high ranking officials such as nobles and the upper level of officers within the military. He also has contacts within the ranks of the Flames, Blades, and Sultan Sworn. And since he is a member to the Harbingers he would be easy for Anstarra to get in touch with him.

 

At any rate, I love the idea of her rising up from her tribal roots and reaching for the top. Will she try to take over one of the City States one day? Anstarra for Sultana!

[Anstarra]

Lan might be able to help too. He is a former officer in the Flames so he is familiar with how people tend to act around high ranking officials such as nobles and the upper level of officers within the military. He also has contacts within the ranks of the Flames, Blades, and Sultan Sworn. And since he is a member to the Harbingers he would be easy for Anstarra to get in touch with him.

 

At any rate, I love the idea of her rising up from her tribal roots and reaching for the top. Will she try to take over one of the City States one day? Anstarra for Sultana!

 

Ooh, excellent ;D And though I'm sure at least half the playerbase (and 90% of RPers) would cry bloody murder at the very idea of a player supplanting the Sultana, the idea is quite entertaining ^^ I'll definitely be in touch, and adding ya to the list =D

[Anstarra]

~UPDATE~

 

Anstarra made contact (and had tea) with the lovely and prestigious Lady Faye Covington. In addition to practicing her etiquette, our young protagonist was treated to a no-nonsense discourse on the ongoing and continuous shadow games and social warfare that the nobility take part in. Far from discouraging her, the notion of comparing noble interactions to a form of protracted battle made Anstarra all the more eager to rise to the challenge.

 

Quote:

 

"I suppose that I will no longer be able to beat the hell out of my rivals in a back alley someplace. Instead, I would have my paid thugs beat the hell out of their paid thugs in said alley! I can get behind that."

[Anstarra]

~UPDATE~

 

A meeting with W'pondahl Amih was arranged, with Anstarra's retainer Allistair serving as intermediary. Though quite naive and (for now) hopelessly expressive with her body language, the prospective Knight piqued the prospective noblewoman's interest as a project to work on which could evolve into a useful ally. Certainly, teaching the girl how to comport herself in polite society would serve to polish An's own mannerisms. They parted for the time on good terms, and Anstarra's expressed interest in meeting Pond's superior so that further discussion might take place.

 

Quote:

 

"You are doing it again. Hmm. Have your ears been pierced? Some adornments would not go amiss, and with a little weight, they will make you more conscious of their movements."

[Aduu Avagnar]

Nako has tutored for noble families before, from the classics (language, georgraphy, history, writing etc) to more arcane studies, if the child had the gift, and sometimes even if they did not (for some parents simply refuse to believe their child isn't magical.) so has some connections with noble families across the realms, though primarily in Ul'dah.

 

He is has also been around military most of his life, serving as both a contractor and now a full time officer of the Immortal Flames (as well as some more dubious work for a sister organisation that is now non-existant) so has spent time at officers balls etc.

 

so I would be more than happy to help out, I've been looking for more rp as it is anyways