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grace yseult euphemie de dansereau,
baroness of ishgard & lieutenant of the knights dragoon.

i had a dream that i was fine

i wasn't crazy i was D I V I N E

penned by egg.

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youth.

as the third (full) born and elder twin between her and her sister, douceline, euphemie effortlessly took the spotlight amongst the children of the esteemed baron hierosme de dansereau and his wife, lady benedicte. the favorite of her father, a ranking member of the knights dragoon, whose joie de vivre she mimicked even since babyhood, the two would make the most of his few and far-between off-duty days with so called ‘drills’: hopping, then skipping, then leaping up several steps of the main stairwell at the time, a pastime her mother famously detested.however, it seemed that her mother’s efforts into steering her towards safer, more ladylike pursuits failed—it seemed that the young euphemie had a natural inclination towards all things meant to test the woman’s patience and overall sanity, let it be setting her grandfather’s hounds loose from their pen prior to a hunt, passing notes to the other children during mass, or sneaking food out of the kitchens alongside her friends during balls and banquets.even more infuriating was the child knowing full well how to behave—and behave well, with a grace in her curtsies, in her gait, in the precise curls of her letters, in the slight musicality of the way she spoke—and her preference for doing the contrary. benedicte grieved the failed potential of her angelic-faced child returning with grass stains on her dove-white skirts and her dainty gloves forsaken for the touch of unshorn wool and the mud from the ponds where the frogs were bound to hide, but euphie saw life meant for living, not constrained to a shut room with a loom and rosary.

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squirehood.

in her early teens euphemie served as a squire before her formal training began for knighthood—though in her eyes it would serve only as the bridge to her dreams of becoming a full-fledged dragoon.

her time came sooner than she or anyone expected: not a few months passed since her knighthood that she encountered a dragon while patrolling in the western highlands, and in the crossfire her comrades deemed her good as dead once the wyrm took in her its maw, and they could only watch in terror as euphemie would seemingly meet her end—only for the beast to let out a bellowing roar as her spear pierced through its jaw from the inside out, killing the beast and enabling her to break free.

for her feat she was hailed a hero and granted the epithet “of the broken maw”, as the incident would grant her entry into the order of the knights dragoon.

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knighthood.

having achieved her lifelong dream, her status as a dragoon and a member of ishgardian high society subjected her to much rumor and infamy. her startling beauty and carefree spirit belied her talent in the ways of warfare and maneuvering the political landscape that grew ever more tense with the aftermath of the calamity, and in spite of the growing rift between her and her mother, euphemie was still greatly devoted to her household. serving as retainers to house dzemael, her induction into the knights dragoon was a matter of pride to both houses and a mild topic of ire with the durendaires, who were traditionally known for producing dragoons before the influx of lowborn recruits overtook them in number. at 24 summers euphemie was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, and was generally favored by both subordinates and peers in the ranks, though some viewed her as insufferable in her propensity for lighthearted jest and the nature of her noble status.

only a few months after her promotion did the calamity send coerthas into an eternal winter, and many were displaced from their homes in the highlands to seek out shelter and employment within the city walls. house dansereau was among those of the highborn who held vast estates in the coerthan countryside, but with the vast shift in climate were unable to manage it, and there would be many grand manors left abandoned. doehaven, their country seat in the eastern highlands, was to be evacuated by both master and servant alike, and an effort was hurriedly made to remove all their possessions—valuables like portraits of living family and forefathers alike, heirloom china and silverware and tapestries, though there was also a great endeavor on part by the servants to salvage whatever thick-furred blanket, throw, or even rugs for the journey back to the city.

it was during this hasty departure that their retinue was raided by a small band of vargrants, cloaked in black as to conceal their identities, and stole away hierosme’s third born and second daughter, douceline, who had insisted on accompanying the members of the household who overlooked the operation, during a recess enforced by the scholasticate in light of the calamity. an investigation proceeded, as there were many who suspected foul play between the noble houses was to blame; with the losses in fortune that would inevitably follow the demise of the highlands’ resources, the political environment was rife with scheming and unholy alliances, all in the name of self-preservation.

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an end to the song.

it was in this convalescent period of her life that the warrior of light entered ishgard, and in their wake ishgard was met with a time of great upheaval after the truth of their founding days—and the dragonsong war as a whole—came to light. the pride that came with her career was ultimately called to question; an order long held in high regard by the people it swore to protect suddenly deemed as those whose hands were the bloodiest from the dawn of their nation's founding. this revelation--and the losses she suffered in the events that both preceded and followed it--took a massive toll on euphemie, and she like many other dragoons found the ice cracking at their feet while they were still called to duty in the wake of their commander's disappearance. ultimately, euphemie saw her task through to the end, and defended ishgard alongside her brethren until the threat was finally quelled, and nidhogg's spirit was lifted free of its rancor.

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heavensward.

while many of her fellow dragoons chose to retire, euphie was among those who stayed. she remains adamant in reforming the order into a vision of what it was meant to be—man and dragon standing, soaring astride. she was appointed in an ambassadorial role to dravania as part of a committee to establish (or rather, re-establish) diplomatic relations. currently, she resides at the dansereau’s seat in cygne crossing as baroness euphemie de dansereau, lieutenant of the knights dragoon and ambassador to the nation of dravania—having taking full responsibility as the lady of the household but still holding her duties to the order in the highest priority.

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wip.

AMONG THE NAMES GIVEN TO the woman maligned by time, man & dragon alike was lady lointaine. Through the ages, a myriad of explanations as to her origins have arose; only recently from convening with several Dravanians did the truth of her story come to light.A broodling of Ratatoskr, Lointaine was born in Sohr Khai but had the spirit of her mother and enjoyed wandering to and fro, with a vivacious charisma that gained her many friends as well as the enthralling voice that captivated all whom she encountered. Lointaine was never short of companions and would learn the art of Dravanian healing alongside her other Dravanian kin.It was Lointaine who encountered the young Prince Haldrath one fateful day and healed his eye after an injury that would have caused further scarring. There was an instant attraction and after visiting one another over the span of months, and Lointaine was soon welcomed as part of the Royal Court after approval from her mother as an exchange of learning the healing arts between dragon and man. Hardly a soul was surprised when the two became lovers and were betrothed, and were nigh inseparable.The slaughter of Ratatoskr by Thordan that propelled Ishgard into its thosuand year war ended all hopes and dreams that the royal-couple-to-be once held, and they were forced to separate with Haldrath choosing exile over the throne and all he had once called home, believing himself no longer worthy to rule due to his part in the senseless murder of innocents and many more to come.