For I am every dead thing
In whom love wrought new alchemy

The woman before you has survived thirty and one turns of the heavens. She was born of the autumnal moon in the Coerthan Lowlands though now dwells within the walls of Ishgard—a daughter of nobility who no longer resides within her family's demesne.Marion is the living embodiment of her station and yet not without the mercurial curiosities of a woman who was allowed to stray too far from opulence. The trappings of a former noble life are plain to see in the fine jewelry and attire she dons, though too is she an embodiment of the sulfur, the lifeblood, the lead and iron and silver to transmute that give life or snuff its flame. She is an acutely intense woman—a wintry chill that slips under the window's frame, the warmth of a stoked hearth. For in her blood is the ebb and flow of give and take—equivalent exchange. Nothing comes for free and nothing is freely given.

Of Ink on Parchment

Tucked away in Ishgard's Foundation is a row of homes, their timbered exteriors streaked with soot and the weathered cracks endured from turns of bitter cold. Through one of these doors dwells a bookseller, though the volumes sold here are of a different kind than grace most shelves. Rare titles pertaining to forgotten medicines, alchemy, thaumaturgy, religion, sex, anatomy and more adorn wooden cases that stretch to the beams above. This modest means of living and bookselling is perhaps best appreciated by those who understand the art and knowledge contained within the texts themselves. For what wisdom once inked upon parchment then forgotten might kindle the mind's focus when rediscovered? (A hook for anyone who might have heard about the curious bookshop in Ishgard. This would be by word of mouth only, or overheard in esoteric academic circles.)

Transmutation

Many curious things find their way into Marion's possession as a bookseller—volumes upon volumes of long-forgotten manuscripts detailing the properties of fire, air, earth, water; metals and tinctures, recipes to cure ills of the blood or restore vitality. Even, perhaps, raise the dead. Some of these writings are born of a mad mind, though others hold the weight of truth. And so Marion determines their value through thorough trial, for she is as much alchemist as bookseller. Behind the shop's shelves she lights a dancing flame that heats a copper alembic and works to discern verity from myth. (A hook for fellow alchemists, those needing healing tinctures or other medicines, boons or poisons. Her alchemy is sanctioned by Ishgard and connections might be made that way as well).View a catalogue of her alchemical works

Bonds of Blood

Retondeur—a lesser lord's name, and one known for managing the expansive farming lands of a Coerthan demesne before the red moon of Dalamud fell. Since that time they've overseen the planting of crops and weathered winters in the Borderlands, a fertile tract between Coerthas and Dravania in service to House Dzemael. But it's curious that a woman sharing the selfsame name does not reside within the family's estate. Mayhap you know the tale that led her here to Ishgard, or of her two brothers who share an incredibly close bond with their sister. (A hook for Ishgardian nobles, or laborers who might know of the family).

A Cruel Affliction

Marion's brother, Regnier, her twin separated by only a handful of moments, led an adventurous life. His travels took him across the north into Dravania where a strange illness befell him some six turns ago. He returned to Ishgard a shade of the man he was when he'd left, weakened and afflicted by an ailment no chirurgeon could make sense of. Marion now shoulders the burden to see him healed, spending bells upon bells researching alchemy new and old in the hopes of finding a cure for the cruel illness that has taken her brother's health from him. (A hook for Ishgardian nobles, alchemists, or anyone who may have heard of her brother's broken return to their estate).

Those who visit the bookshop might find all manner of interesting volumes and manuscripts. Below is a current selection of some of the rarer titles in Marion's inventory. This is not an exhaustive list of her selection, rather they're volumes of note that stand out due to their rarity or subject matter.Collection of Mhachi manuscripts detailing void entities and black magicks—untranslated, Fifth Astral Era.Anatomy of Lesser Known Beastkin—Common language, dated roughly to turn 950.Collection of hand-penned chirurgeon's notes experimenting on dragon and hyur hybrids—Old Coerthan language, dated to the 678th turn.Alchemical index of rare ingredients and their uses—Hannish language, dated to the 912th turn.Anatomical Index of Hyur & Elezen—Old Coerthan language, dated to the 1502nd turn.Original copy of Roddard Ironheart's map of modern Eorzea (one of three known)—Common language, dated to 1506.Almanac of Lesser Gods; details nightmarish entities that were born of alchemical means or experiment—Old Coerthan language, dated to the 1153rd turn.History of Yafaem & its Peoples—Common language, unknown date.Catalogue of journal pages from Thordan IV—Old Coerthan language, dated to his early reign.Sharlayan research notes regarding the Aetherial Sea—Common, dated to 1342.Hand-penned journal from High Legatus Olen van Saurentus—Garlean, dated to 1572

Hello! Bi woman writer over thirty who's looking for writing partners that dive a bit deeper than surface level banter and who can pick up on and enjoy writing nuanced themes. Marion's RP tends to lean toward philosophical and headier conversation, so I prefer writing with people who can match me there. I shy away from WoL, voidsent and similarly styled OCs in favor of grounded characters with a focus on development and ongoing stories. If this sounds like your kind of fun, send me a message! I like chatting concepts, hooks, and everything in-between and draw inspiration from gothic/medieval horror and drama.Please keep IC and OOC separate. I'm not Marion, nor am I interested in anything beyond friendship OOC. Romance is a maybe in-game and I'll only write it if it makes sense for the characters involved. I don't seek that sort of RP out—it has to come naturally. I ask that my RP partners be 21+ for the sake of mature themes, and I won't interact with OCs who are under 21.I only do in-game RP at the moment (with an exception for continuing scenes and events) but ask for my discord if you want to set something up in advance. Thank you for looking!