Aimée Villiers



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Aimée Villiers
Former Auveran general
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Appearance
Short and busty, Aimée is not anyone's idea of a general at first glance and must work to make that impression. She's easy on the eye, with sharp eyes set in a pretty face and shortish black hair. She possesses a great deal of energy crammed into a small frame, as if to make up for her lack of stature; this is tempered with just enough poise that people tend to think of her as brisk and vivacious rather than flighty or shallow. Although she'll wear a dress (and enjoy it) when the occasion calls for it, she prefers something she can run in. She is not particularly modest and her civilian wardrobe reflects this.  Left to her own devices, Aimée wears her heart on her sleeve—she has learned discretion, but it doesn't come naturally to her. She smiles easily and often, and generally has a lighthearted air even when speaking of weighty matters. Only when she wishes to make it clear that she's truly serious—such as when she is called upon to lead men, or loses her temper—does she drop these mannerisms, adopting a more reserved air.  She holds the dubious distinction of being the only Auveran flag officer to also appear on pin-up posters. (This practice was officially discouraged when her rank became more than a formality, but never quite died out.)



Personality
Aimée is cheerful and earthy at heart, and the years have done little to change her essential nature. The war has sobered her somewhat, but it hasn't left her damaged as it has so many veterans. She lost friends, and she lost a country, but these losses do not define her. Her magic has perhaps helped insulate her: soldiers and generals alike must feel a little helpless when contemplating the vast scale of the war, but Aimée less so.  As a girl she was lively, energetic, and confident to the point of being headstrong. Although somewhat more mature, it's easy to see these traits in her still, particularly when nothing serious is at stake—she enjoys frivolity and being the center of attention. When dealing with more weighty matters, she is somewhat more subdued and thoughtful. She is renowned for her lightning-quick temper, but in this instance rumor exaggerates... mostly.

History
 Born on a small farm in northern Auverlaine, Aimée's origins are about as humble as you can get and still live in the modern age. Her family had electric lights and a radio; aside from that they lived much as their ancestors hundreds of years ago had, working the rocky land alongside livestock and beasts of burden. And for the first decade or so, it seemed likely that Aimée would live an ordinary farmgirl's life: marry some local boy, settle down, and raise children largely untouched by events to the south. There are worse lives.  But it wasn't to be. Aimée's magic manifested as she grew, first in small ways but quickly escalating. Miserable rains accompanied her sulks, while her sunny moods could literally brighten the countryside; a falling-out with her first boyfriend brought on an unseasonable midsummer thunderstorm. The local weatherwitch took notice, but by the time she was fifteen it was clear she was not just predicting the weather—she was [i]shaping[/i] it. Her family and neighbors embraced her talent—hardheaded pragmatists to a fault, nobody in northern Auveraine could fail to see the value of magic that could end droughts and beat back storms—but she found herself restless. Home felt... small, a shell she was quickly outgrowing. At seventeen she left for Dauphane to enroll in the army, as much to get away as out of patriotic spirit.  Her talent was quickly noted there too, and rather than being sent to the enlisted troops she was recommended to l'Academie Royale de Guerre for officer training. She remembers these years more fondly than her childhood. The Academy occupied her days without running her ragged; she was well-liked and blessed with magical talent, but not glaringly unique as she'd been at home; and she loved the city itself, especially by night. The golden glow of the old electric street-lamps lighting up the dark, music floating out of lounges and bars, people dancing and drinking... even accounting for the rose-tinted lens of nostalgia, it was a good time to be there.  <p style="border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;margin-top:0.4em;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0.5em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;vertical-align:baseline;">She was a junior officer when she was sent to the Crimson Valley at the outbreak of the war, her rank largely a function of her magic—powerful magi and sorcerers were traditionally officers. Competent service and attrition saw her rise steadily through the ranks, but her star didn't truly begin to rise until the Crimson Valley fell. The retreat was disorganized; half the Auvers command staff was missing in the confusion, and no planned fallback position held for long. For eight months, Auveran soldiers had to face the might of Torun's armored monsters on foot—and for eight months, storms lashed the battlefields of southern Auveraine. Mud and snow bogged down the ponderous machines; rain-glutted rivers flooded and swept away bridges; roads were strewn with fallen trees as often as not. Aimée could not stop the advance, but she could slow it and force the enemy to pay dearly for every mile they marched over Auveran soil—if not in blood, then at least in sweat and tears. Her success during the retreating action, at a time when Auveraine had few successes to boast of, earned her considerable recognition and a promotion, confirming the authority she'd unofficially held for months. <p style="border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;margin-top:0.4em;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0.5em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;vertical-align:baseline;"> <p style="border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;margin-top:0.4em;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0.5em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;vertical-align:baseline;">Historians generally agree that Marshal Villiers fought well, but the tide of the war would not be turned. Her career was characterized by the same sort of retreating action that had sparked it: she cost the enemy a great deal, but could never score a decisive victory that might reverse the advance. Her command was eventually pushed south and west, cut off from the main force regrouping at Dauphane and pinned against the western Torunar mountains. They could have held out there for some time—rough terrain and Aimée's sorcery made using planes and tanks nigh-impossible, and the foothills were a natural fortification—had Torun special forces not pulled off a decisive surprise attack. Most of the command staff was captured or killed, and the remaining Auveran troops scattered. <p style="border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;margin-top:0.4em;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0.5em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;vertical-align:baseline;"> <p style="border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;margin-top:0.4em;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0.5em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;vertical-align:baseline;">Marshal Villiers was reported wounded during the fighting, but no body was ever found; after failing to surface by war's end she was declared legally dead, alongside countless other missing soldiers. The world believes her gone. <p style="border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;margin-top:0.4em;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0.5em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;vertical-align:baseline;"> <p style="border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;margin-top:0.4em;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0.5em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;vertical-align:baseline;">This is not the case and the world is about to learn it.

<p style="border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;margin-top:0.4em;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0.5em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;vertical-align:baseline;">

Advantages

 * Weather Magic III (common) - Blessed with impressive natural talent and well-practiced in its use, Aimée is considered one of the most powerful storm mages of the modern age. She can direct wind and conjure lightning from a clear sky; more subtly, she can work changes to ambient temperature and air pressure, allowing her to shape large weather patterns if given enough time.
 * Battle Magic II (uncommon) - There are many constructive applications for storm magic, but calling wind and lightning to scour your foes is the most obvious, and Aimée is very good at it.
 * Profession: Soldier I (common) - Although her formal training is somewhat haphazard, Aimée is a graduate of the oldest military academy in the world: the battlefield. She has a solid grasp of tactics and is capable of putting up a fight even without magic.
 * Charisma II (common) - Cheerful, good-looking and self-confident, Aimée rarely has trouble making a good impression.
 * Allure I (rare) - She's good-looking, and she knows it.
 * Cunning I (common) - Quick wits have served Aimée well in her life; her successes on the battlefield owe as much to her ability to adapt to the changing face of war as to raw magical talent.
 * Cunning I (common) - Quick wits have served Aimée well in her life; her successes on the battlefield owe as much to her ability to adapt to the changing face of war as to raw magical talent.