Dietrich Faust

AGE 26 (ARR) | 37 (DT)
GENDER ♂
RACE Miqo'te (Keeper)
HEIGHT / WEIGHT 5'6 / 156 LBS
BLOOD TYPE A
DATE OF BIRTH 4/18
PLACE OF BIRTH Old Sharlayan
GUARDIAN AzeymaMAIN JOBS BLM | RDM | DRK | RPR
SIDE JOBS SMN | SCH | DRG | WHM | AST
NON-COMBAT JOBS ALC | CUL | BTN

A REALM REBORN

🝮 A HERO OF NECESSITY

Dietrich devoted himself to his studies at the Thaumaturges' and Alchemists' Guilds, respectively. He caught the Scions' attentions quite by mistake while in pursuit of knowledge left behind by the necromancers of Sil'dih. Intrigued by the Scions' connections to the late, great Louisiox and sympathetic to their cause, Dietrich accepted their invitation—with the caveat that he would help where he was needed, but that he was a scholar, and battle was neither his specialty nor his interest. When he saw Ifrit and the effects of tempering with his own two eyes, Dietrich knew he had made the right choice: possessed of the skill to dispatch a primal and the gift to resist its thrall, it would have been unconscionable to wash his hands of it.However, Dietrich increasingly found the relationship between himself and his colleagues to be unequal. Primal threats aside, all of the unpleasant tasks—all of the hurting, the killing, the possibly dying—were uniformly handed to him, with the expectation that he would not just accept them, but succeed, no matter the odds. Moreover, Dietrich and Alphinaud had butted heads from the first, and their conflict had damaged Dietrich's already coolly professional relationship with his colleagues. Feeling isolated, Dietrich struggled to find a way to reconcile his beloved research ambitions with the duty he had accepted and still believed in🝮

EARLY LIFE

🝮 A YOUNG SCHOLAR OF NO SMALL PROMISE

Dietrich was born into a family of prominent Sharlayan scholars; the youngest of seven, there was every expectation that he would become a distinguished scholar in his own right. This situation suited Dietrich perfectly. He excelled in every course of study—history, natural science, thaumaturgy, arcanima, literature, philosophy, music, and even drawing—and was always left ravenous for more.He was admitted to the Studium several years early, where he pursued the dual career of a chirurgeon-scientist, guided by the desire to do whatever he could to improve the world for the people living in it. It was during this time that he had a vivid dream of a star shower and acquired his Echo—although he initially mistook it for some kind of brain malady and sought treatment immediately.By the time he completed his studies and earned his Archon's mark, his ambitions had coalesced into a desire to study death and dying, to potentially find a way to forestall, stop, or even reverse the process entirely. While still a student, he had visited Eorzea for a time, and had found the experience deeply affecting. Now, he would abandon his nascent career and depart for the Thaumaturges' Guild in Ul'dah to pursue the knowledge that waited for him out in the wide world 🝮

🝮 THE INDISPUTABLE BRIGHT SPOT IN HIS LIFE

By the time Dietrich arrived in Ishgard, he was already well in love with Haurchefant—although this was a detail that Dietrich had yet failed to understand. Dietrich threw himself into doing everything he could to prove himself a worthy investment to Edmont. Despite Dietrich's own strong opinions about the gods, he found himself quite at home in Ishgard, in a way that he had never felt in Sharlayan or anywhere else. He became very close to Haurchefant's family, as well as many others in the Holy See; and once he finally understood his own feelings for Haurchefant, his manner could have been fairly described as glowing. He had every intention of marrying Haurchefant and settling in Ishgard to pursue his research.And when Haurchefant died, it shattered Dietrich completely. Taking the fault of his death for himself, Dietrich swallowed down his emotions and calmly dedicated himself to hunting the Archbishop with a simmering, single-minded malice like he had never known. But as he stood over Thordan's body, surrounded by the corpses of his men, Dietrich found that his grief not only persisted—but that it had driven him to unrecognizable ends. All of the hurting and killing he had always so resented, he had now hoped to find joy in.As soon as they returned to Ishgard, Dietrich threw himself into helping rebuild, negotiate peace, and find the missing Scions—anything to avoid sitting quietly with his feelings, and anything to make himself the hero Haurchefant had thought him🝮

🝮 A CANDLE BURNT TO ITS WICK

Dietrich's desire to assist in the Ala Mhigan liberation was both strongly ideological and strongly personal: the Garlean occupation was unjust, and intervening when he had the power to help was the right thing to do—and surely, something that would have made Haurchefant proud. But Dietrich struggled to return to the demands and expectations of the Scions, especially after his humiliating defeat by Zenos and the particular disappointment his colleagues seemed to feel about it. Dietrich found himself desperately homesick for Ishgard and his Ishgardian friends; and as he traveled, he only felt despair to experience a world so wonderful and wide—a world Haurchefant would never get to see.After two more terrifying and bewildering encounters with Zenos, Dietrich finally watched him die—but again, there was no sense of relief. Instead, Dietrich felt himself crushed: beneath all he had endured at Zenos' hands; beneath the weight of the reputation he hadn't asked for and all of the hopes and expectations that came with it; beneath his own repressed grief. He resigned from the Scions and retired to Ishgard to finally resume his research.But he could not rest easy, plagued by guilt of abandoned duty and conflicted memories of Zenos—a restlessness that drove him to walk the path of a dark knight. Still, after a screaming match with his esteem at Providence Point, Dietrich accepted that he needed to care for himself like Haurchefant would have🝮

🝮 A GLIMPSE INTO THE MIRROR

Dietrich arrived in the First frustrated that, even after retiring and coming to terms with the fact that he'd done more than enough heroism, he was still apparently the only man alive capable of the tasks asked of him—moreso, that the stakes were so high that he had no choice but to accept. He ached for the lives he had lost: the life he might have lived as a scholar; the life he might have lived with Haurchefant. It was with a distinct, unfamiliar feeling of helplessness that he began slaying Lightwardens and immediately knew something was wrong. Despite his frustration with being kept in the dark about the nature of his own condition, he was at last able to rely upon his colleagues—and even finally call them his friends.Yet, this did nothing to discourage his interest in Emet-Selch, a man Dietrich disliked from the first, but whom he found fascinating—and whom he believed to be telling him the truth, in the face of so many benevolent lies. Despite having no illusions about the certain necessity of Emet-Selch's death, Dietrich ended up quite attached to him; and more than that, when Dietrich saw Amaurot, he saw himself reflected. Emet-Selch seemed a vision of what he had, and could yet, become: a man so wrapped in his own grief that he could no longer live or strive for a future, but only cling to memories of the past.When Dietrich returned to the Source, it was with a budding sense of a new beginning. The only option available to him was to live the life he had🝮

🝮 A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL AT THE END OF EVERYTHING

When Fandaniel invited Dietrich to find Zenos, Dietrich did just that—determined to confront the man whose memory had so haunted him. Conflicted after their conversation, and unable to convince Zenos to use his second life for anything else, Zenos gave him a reaper soul stone and challenged Dietrich to best him; if Dietrich won, Zenos would try living his way. Impulsively, Dietrich agreed.Despite this, the Final Days—and his Sharlayan family's disapproval—hanging over his head, Dietrich was nevertheless determined to wring what joy he could from his experiences. Yet—from the ruins of Garlemald to the horror of the Final Days; the ache of meeting Venat after years of bitterly hating Hydaelyn, and apologizing in his own time, only to slay her—this was challenging. But by the same token, he saw the wonders of Thavnair and the ancient world, and was briefly reunited with Haurchefant in the aetherial sea. He felt his soul strung between the highs and lows of life.While hunting blasphemies in Ala Mhigo, Dietrich crossed paths with Zenos once again. Mutually at a loss, they hunted together, and Dietrich could not help but wonder if he could salvage the man who had compelled him to fight for his life years before, when he'd felt he was already dead. Yet, awaking on the Ragnarok without Zenos beside him, Dietrich again found himself mourning a man he had loved—and this time, knowing so little about him and having no way to memorialize him; and without the assurance of a good death for consolation🝮

KEY TRAITS

Dietrich is serious and cold. He bears himself with a closed-off sort of confidence, and radiates an intimidating intensity at most hours of the day. He rarely smiles, his resting expression is a scowl, and his piercing gaze is easily mistaken for annoyance. Polite but rarely friendly, his manners are always somewhat too formal for the occasion.He is highly inquisitive and curious, and—coupled with his overbearing, competitive, and tenacious nature—he pursues those impulses with an intensity that is not always pleasant. He has a short temper for malice or carelessness, and is generally very bad at not rising to obvious bait. He has a strong opinion about everything, and rarely hesitates to share it.But he is also possessed of a natural compassion; he is quick to offer aid and comfort to others, and he is quick to repay kindnesses given to him. He feels a deep sense of responsibility to other people and will gladly take up burdens on their behalf, confident in his ability to bear them.Although he has traditionally believed himself to be ill-suited to love, his heart is a romantic one. Dietrich loves very deeply and earnestly. Although he rarely states his affections directly, he is quick to show them in gestures of (private) physical affection and acts of service

IDEALS

Dietrich's unparalleled joy is the thrill of discovery and the acquisition of knowledge: everything is interesting to him, and he is endlessly curious about the world, gladly and intently listening to anything anyone has to teach him about their fields of interest.But he does not pursue knowledge for its own sake. He feels very strongly that knowledge that is not applied to better the world is wasted; that there is no greater indolence than scholars hiding themselves and their knowledge away in their ivory towers. He has nothing but scathing dislike for his countrymen's determination to keep themselves separated from the rest of the world, as Dietrich firmly believes it to be his obligation to leave the world better than he found it

"I'M FINE"⸺ This is a common phrase out of Dietrich's mouth; however, uttered in everything from chilly weather to some of the darkest moments of his life, it is difficult to know to what extent it's an honest one. If one were to ignore this statement, he would protest—but not excessively. Getting Dietrich's personal feelings out of him is frequently a challenge, but he proves more sensitive than one would expect

THE POWER OF THE ECHO⸺ Dietrich is perceptive and practiced enough at research to find answers and solutions on his own; however, since he received his Echo, he finds them much faster than he used to. He has a tendency to select the right books; search the right places; locate the right items—even when he isn't completely sure what he's trying to find—with uncanny ease. He reports occasionally feeling drawn to certain sources—which often yield results

MIGRAINE⸺ Since childhood, Dietrich has been plagued by severe headaches, and since the awakening of his Echo, they have only become more frequent, triggered by visions. He keeps a vial of medicine in his breast pocket, which usually spares him the pain; but sometimes, the symptoms are still so severe that he needs to retire

DON'T LOOK DOWN⸺ Aboard an airship, or anywhere high up and precarious, Dietrich spends the entire time pale-faced and stiff, with an air of dread; he will frequently return to solid ground with some manner of headache. However, since studying with the dragoons of Ishgard, he is at least now able to hold a conversation while he's up there

SIGNS OF AGING⸺ Since the end of the Dragonsong War, the lines around Dietrich's eyes have become more prominent, and his hair started to grey at just twenty-eight summers, only getting greyer each year. When reference is made to his age or to the appearance of age, he becomes a little sullen—and defensive, if it's pointed out

ABUNDANCE OF AETHER⸺ During his battle with Zenos in Ultima Thule, Dietrich pushed well beyond his limits. In the wake of this, he's found that he does not actually need a focus to cast even the most demanding of his thaumaturgy; his bare hands are more than sufficient. Y'shtola has described his presence as "overwhelming," like an overfull cup

HEROIC TITLES⸺ Dietrich grimaces slightly when he's addressed as anything smacking of hero; the reaction was most notable during the Ala Mhigan campaign, but has gradually lessened since his return from the First. He also never fails to remind or inform others that he is an Archon—especially in conversations about his heroism

HOBBIES

Cooking; gardening; reading; fencing; playing the piano; Triple Triad; attending the opera; collecting cursed objects of all varieties; traveling for pleasure

LIKES

Competition; puzzles; spirited debate & the thrill of discovery; late nights; spring weather; walks in nature; children & animals; red wine; sweets (especially with fruit); lengthy conversations with knowledgeable people; the miracle of life & all of the morbid curiosities that come with it

DISLIKES

Heights; early mornings; hot weather; being unshaven or unkempt; bad faith arguments; incurious & unambitious people; talking about his feelings (although he's improving); nearly every piece of Limsan slang he's been forced to learn from Puck

SHIRLEY MAIRZE
🝮MY DEAREST SHIRLEY...

Lovers and friends in their first lives, Dietrich and Shirley are always fated to end up in each other's orbit. Which one of them ultimately ended up being raised to the Seat of Azem is less certain; but Shirley will always be Dietrich's dear friend—and his dearly beloved. However, due to each one's personal foibles, they are not always so adept at realizing or communicating the nature of their affections...

PUCK HARDLUCK
🝮 STOP THAT RIGHT NOW

Despite their wildly different personalities, Puck is one of Dietrich's first friends and his constant companion. Although Dietrich is often the person stopping her from stealing bread, or committing other petty crimes, she always leaps in to defend him or his honor; likewise, she can always expect him to treat her fairly, and offer her kindness and generosity. Once, she called him Dieter by mistake; but now, she calls him nothing else

ALPHINAUD LEVEILLEUR
🝮 OFF TO A ROUGH START

Dietrich and Alphinaud had disliked each other from their first meeting at the Studium—feelings which had not changed by the time they met again in Eorzea. As Scions, they disagreed bitterly and often about nearly every subject, and by their arrival in Ishgard, Dietrich would not speak to him; however, they came back from their journey to Dravania as friends, and they have been close ever since. They share many opinions and personal traits, and can easily talk for hours

ALISAIE LEVEILLEUR
🝮 LET'S GET ON WITH IT

Alisaie both complains that Dietrich talks too much and cheers him on, largely depending on whether or not he's shouting. Although they'd hardly exchanged five words in Sharlayan, they were fast friends in the Scions, owing to their similar temperaments; they are frequent fencing partners, and have a healthy rivalry. She is the only person capable of bullying Dietrich and bossing him around effectively—a power she only uses for good

HAURCHEFANT GREYSTONE
🝮 ILL-FATED FIRST LOVE

Haurchefant was one of Dietrich's very first friends, and so Dietrich struggled to parse his feelings of romantic love from his friendly affections. Haurchefant's warmth and care toward him always struck Dietrich as exceptional; but at the same time, Dietrich always felt irrationally compelled to keep proving himself to Haurchefant, as if Haurchefant could have somehow thought any higher of him—but that is how highly Dietrich thought of and admired Haurchefant

AYMERIC DE BOREL
🝮 A DEAR, OLD FRIEND

Aymeric is one of Dietrich's dearest friends; although he can rarely be at Dietrich's side, the two of them have exchanged many letters, including from the First (courtesy of Feo Ul). He was the first person Dietrich visited on his return from the First, after he had sent Aymeric an unusually frank letter detailing his condition and his fears after the events at Mt. Gulg. While they danced around the possibility of romance, nothing substantial has ever come of it

ESTINIEN VARLINEAU
🝮 COMRADE IN ARMS

When Dietrich decided to study the lance, through Haurchefant, he eventually came into contact with Estinien, who gave him some advice—and no little teasing about his fear of heights. Although they can be a little wry with one another, the two of them are good friends with a strong bond of unspoken mutual trust. Estinien's frank outlook and quiet company are always reassuring to Dietrich, and he was very glad to for Estinien to join the Scions

EDMONT DE FORTEMPS
🝮FATHER-IN-LAW

Despite Haurchefant's own strained relationship with his family, he encouraged Dietrich to befriend them; and between his determination to prove himself an asset to House Fortemps and Haurchefant's own effusive praise of him, Dietrich ended up becoming quite close to Edmont. Although Haurchefant did not live to repair his own relationship with his father, Edmont loves and welcomes Dietrich into his home as a son—and Dietrich loves him, in turn, as his own father

EMET-SELCH
🝮 A MOTH TO FLAME

Despite his obvious malice, Emet-Selch struck Dietrich as the only person willing to be honest with him—and so he quickly became Dietrich's closest confidant. Dietrich sought him out at all hours of day and night with an endless list of questions and arguments about all subjects, eager for any knowledge Emet-Selch had to teach him. Dietrich never once believed that their conflict could end in anything but death—but this still did little to prevent him from falling in love

ZENOS GALVUS
🝮 VERY MIXED FEELINGS

In his first life, Zenos was a subject of both hatred and fascination for Dietrich; still burdened with grief, he found Zenos' single-minded striving to be admirable. When, in his second life, Zenos was uninterested in pursuing new heights, Dietrich found himself strangely affected; then, Zenos was an object of frustration, conflicting desires, and—in his final moments—affection. Dietrich grieves the future Zenos might have had; he grieves that he knows almost nothing about Zenos, while also being the person who knows the most about him

🝮A GOOD DEATH

Gosetsu and Dietrich pay their respects to the dead Dotharli warrior, and consider the nature of death and dying.[Light Angst | Grief/Mourning]

🝮THE HUNTER'S TRIPTYCH

The first time Dietrich met Zenos yae Galvus on the field of battle, he was left sprawling in the dirt at the viceroy’s feet; the second time, he escaped covered in blood; and the third… things took a turn that he could not have anticipated.[NSFW | Hurt No Comfort]