Cecilia Harvey

Cecilia Harvey was the second born child of Cecil and Kiluya Harvey, she was born in the small kingdom of Baron, which bordered Garlemald. Her earl childhood was filled with stories of knights and heroes, as well as constant efforts to catch up with her older brother Theodor. She often says that she was born with a sword in her hand, owing to the fact that she came from a military family and she constantly challenged her brother to duels. This fact would lead her to be drafted at the tender age of 12 when the Garleans took her country. Both Theodor and Cecilia were taken from their family and there was just enough time for their father to empart with them a small gift each, so that they could carry a piece of their heritage with them. For Theodor it was his father's circlet, and for Cecilia his earrings. This would be the last time she saw her parents.
Cecilia's prowess with a blade and her tough constitution caught the eye of some higher up in the chain and she was plucked from training to join a small scientific corps. She would be experimented on in tests of what would come to be known as The Resonance, and while she failed to gain any immediate and extraordinary powers she was the only one to survive the experiments, which had to be worth something. And so when the batch of subjects she was a part of was disposed of, she was dispatched to join the XIIth Imperial legion, under the command of one Zenos Yae Galvus.

Cecilia would find a second home in Doma, falling in love with it's people and culture. And while recognizing her role as a member of an occupying army she was still able to endear herself to the locals. This was a fairly comfortable time in her life, she had luckily found herself stationed with a childhood friend by the name of Kain, and the both of them did what they could to do right by the locals and stay under the radar of their less than forgiving superiors.
But then the fire happened.
While she was away from the village on an errand a coup attempt was made nearby and an attempt on Zenos' life was made. This lead to the chain of command razing all surrounding villages to the ground. Seeing the fires erupt, Cecilia immediately returned to her post. She would never be able to forget what waited for her. Upon returning to the village she saw three figures, Kain, their commanding officer, and a woman bound by rope, on her knees. It all happened to fast, the commanding officer ordered Kain to kill the woman for treason against the crown, Kain refused, and a bullet found itself lodged in Kain's skull. The officer then turned his firearm to Cecilia, ordering her to do what her friend couldn't, trembling and still in shock she couldn't help but obey, and with a swift slash of her sword the woman's head was separated from her body.
The commanding officer was satisfied with this and left to tend to other business, leaving Cecilia sobbing on the floor. Mourning her dear friend and the innocent woman she had just killed. It was pure chaos, bodies from both sides littered the field, and it was then that she decided to abandon her post. She believed that she could be lost in the cacophony and she left, making her way to Eorzea. hoping to make a new start.

Shortly after arriving in Eorzea, Cecilia caught wind of a group of Ala Mhigan resistance fighters making moves against the empire. She decided to introduce herself to them and hoped that they would take her in and that she could start doing something to atone for her sins. She was welcomed with open arms and did everything she could to help, on and off the battlefield. In between missions she found out that a large group of Doman refugees made their way to Mor Dhona and were working to build the settlement. Over time she would spend more and more time there, until it became her official post. She worked with many factions, helping however and whoever she could, but this willingness to help got the wrong eyes on her.
When the Crystal Braves made their move they took over the city, and Cecilia was wanted for her albiet loose association with the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. She was quickly pulled aside by a group of Doman shinobi who had been watching over her for the past several months, and while they knew of who she was and what she had done, seeing her dedication and sincerity to building a new home for Domans gained her their trust. And so to repay her for all she had done they smuggled her out of the city and arranged safe passage into Ishgard, where the Braves had no jurisdiction

Upon hearing that the Eorzean Alliance was making moves to reclaim Doma, Cecilia and Rydia parted ways with their company, who had chosen to fight in Ala Mhigo, in order to formally join the Doman rebellion. While out east they met with an older doman samurai named Tange, who they convinced to teach the women the ways of the samurai. Every spare moment was spent honing their bladework, the two pushed each other to improve. And while they appreciated the tutelage, Tange seemed especially distant from Cecilia. Eventually they had learned all they could from the woman and went to join the battle to reclaim Doma Castle. But before they left, Tange pulled Cecilia aside and told her that there was something that they needed to discuss after the battle.
After successfully reclaiming Doma, the pair made their way to Kugane to meet Tange. It was then that the reason for Tange's hesitancy around Cecilia came to light. She had heard the name Harvey before. The man in charge of the Garlean consulate in Kugane was named Theodor rem Harvey, colloquially known as Golbez. Cecilia's older brother who she had not seen since childhood. The fact brought a tear to her eye, the older brother she always looked up to was so close, but there was no way that she could see him as she had faked her death, and making any waves to contradict that fact would put her life in danger. But it seemed like he was one step ahead as he always had been. Tange had a letter from Theodor, asking for Cecilia to meet with him, not as a Garlean officer, but as an older brother who had thought his sister dead.
After weighing the risks, she couldn't pass up the opportunity, and so she met with her brother at the public baths of Kugane for a long overdue reunion. He had relayed the tale of how he got to where he was, after years of considerable service and unyielding loyalty he had climbed the military ladder until he was eventually given control of the consulate in Kugane.

But his loyalty was but a front, as he had been playing the long game. For years he had a plan to rise through the ranks until he was deemed worthy of becoming the viceroy of Baron, therefore allowing him to personally watch over and protect his home. He relayed this plan to Cecilia and pleaded with her to turn herself in, saying that capturing his own sister would be an act of loyalty that would give him the clout he needed to be considered for the viceroy position. And he promised that with his power he would pull any and all strings to have her work under him, rather than face the gallows, that way the two could return home and wait for the Eorzeans to take down the empire. It was a solid plan, but one that could never come to be because Cecilia could not betray her oath to Rydia. She had pledged her life to the girl and they were both working to rebuild Doma. She would never agree to let Cecilia be captured and in essence abandon her. But Theodor could not just let his sister run around freely either, because if Garlean command found out that he let his deserter sister live without consequence they would strip him of his rank and execute their parents to make an example of him. And so the Harvey siblings found themselves in a no win scenario. And so they sat in silence, enjoying each other's company but knowing that this would be the last time they would spend together not as enemies.
Cecilia returned to Tange and Rydia, and explained what happened. Of course this upset Rydia, but even she was conflicted about the decision Cecilia had come to. A storm was brewing.
Theodor returned to consulate knowing what he had to do, he had to remove the girl from the picture, because he knew his sister, and she was a woman of her word. She would never break a promise that she made, so the only way to get her to cooperate would be to ensure that there was no one to keep the promise to.

He gathered his four closest confidants, the generals often known as the Four Fiends, to let them know what had to be done. There was the hyuran made Barbariccia, the xaela shinobi Cagnazzo, the mi'qote reaper Scarmiglione, and the roegadyn spellcaster Rubicante. They were tasked with tracking down his sister, killing her charge, and bringing her back in alive at all costs.
Cecilia and Rydia were attacked first by Cagnazzo while crossing the Ruby Sea. It was a tough fight as he was able to navigate his way through the water swiftly and dangerously, while the women were forced into a defensive position, unable to leave their boat nor able to fight with full force for fear of capsizing the vessel. Cecilia did her best to defend Rydia, who's magic proved to be the key to defeating the shinobi.
Sensing that their movements were being tracked, the pair decided to hide out in the Azim Steppe to catch their breath. But before long Barbariccia caught up with them. With moves like the wind she moved at a dazzling speed and her spells left them challenged to find their footing. She was too quick to effectively defend against, and too slippery to land an effective attack. But she was cocky, and that would be the key to defeating her. With some well timed taunts she came to face Rydia directly, wanting to silence the girl. And while she was distracted trying to mend her bruised ego, Cecilia was able to strike her down from behind And so two fiends had been defeated.
After this Rydia and Cecilia were torn for their next course of action. They could not return to Doma because their attackers would surely follow them there, but Golbez was waiting back in Kugane. A fight breaking out in the Steppe was nothing knew but they couldn't stay there because that benefitted no one.

They took a few days to lick their wounds and figure out where to go next, but Scarmiglione was a nasty sort. He sent a missive to the pair that he was en route to Doma, and was going to see how powerful the resistance forces were without their precious warrior of light to back them up. And with that the clock was ticking.
They caught up to him at the border and while the man seemed small and frail it was as if he refused to die. Each team he fell to the earth in what was surely a fatal blow, he rose from the dirt with renewed determination. Rydia was spent, not used to having to conserve her energy and was out of the fight, but fights of attrition are Cecilia's specialty. An immovable object met an unstoppable force and the duel raged for hours. Finally, Scarmiglione took too much damage to recover from and to the dust he returned. It was a gauntlet, having to run through these warriors one after another. But finally there was a reprieve.
Rubicante was different from the rest. It was two weeks before he found them, and when he did he told them that this was on purpose. There was no honor in felling an exhausted enemy, and so he wanted to let them recover so that he could face them at their fullest. Bearing a round of elixirs for the three of them he challenged them to a formal duel, with no underhanded tricks or traps. And he meant it. Soon after the battle began Rydia tried to pull a dirty trick to take him down quickly, but he caught the girl by the neck and slammed her into the ground, knocking her out. This enraged Cecilia, who was already at a disadvantage fighting a magically talented foe. His assault was just as relentless as the previous Fiends' but much more tactical and precise, this man was a true professional. Out of idea and options she had but one choice, to allow her darkside to take control. Not even she knows how she emerged victorious, all she knew is that when she came to, Rubicante was dead at her feet.

Finally, the four fiends had been bested. But it wasn't over quite yet. Throughout their battles the fiends had let on that they were under orders from Golbez and that he would stop at nothing to get his sister back. Cecilia decided that it was time to end this, and with a heavy heart and Rydia in tow she decided to make her way back to Kugane to put an end to her brother's schemes. But not one to underestimate his sister's prowess, Golbez has soldiers stationed at the docks, watching incoming ships on the off chance that Cecilia would step off one of them. Upon stepping off the docks Cecilia and Rydia were escorted to a nondescript building deep within the city, where Golbez waited. He was unarmed and sitting at a banquet table, making one last ditch effort to resolve things without further violence, but after everything the women had been through this was not an option. Having to hold Rydia back from attacking, Cecilia begged the girl to allow her one last dinner with her brother, because as he had just said when they declined his pleas, tomorrow would be a duel to the death. And so the Harvey siblings, with Rydia sulking in the corner of the room, ate together with tension in the air, and Cecilia wouldn't sleep that night her heart burdened by the fact that to protect her new family she would have to kill her old one.
Morning came and the three met on a small isle outside the jurisdiction of Hingashi to settle the score. It was an intense battle, the two women gave it their all but Golbez was able to take both of them on handily. In fact, he was even holding back. He fought to break Cecilia's body and will but not take her life, but with Rydia he fought to kill. Sensing this Cecilia did everything she could to put herself in harm's way because she knew that if any attacks meant for Rydia would be intercepted by herself, then Golbez would have to watch his moves.

Finally, the four fiends had been bested. But it wasn't over quite yet. Throughout their battles the fiends had let on that they were under orders from Golbez and that he would stop at nothing to get his sister back. Cecilia decided that it was time to end this, and with a heavy heart and Rydia in tow she decided to make her way back to Kugane to put an end to her brother's schemes. But not one to underestimate his sister's prowess, Golbez has soldiers stationed at the docks, watching incoming ships on the off chance that Cecilia would step off one of them. Upon stepping off the docks Cecilia and Rydia were escorted to a nondescript building deep within the city, where Golbez waited. He was unarmed and sitting at a banquet table, making one last ditch effort to resolve things without further violence, but after everything the women had been through this was not an option. Having to hold Rydia back from attacking, Cecilia begged the girl to allow her one last dinner with her brother, because as he had just said when they declined his pleas, tomorrow would be a duel to the death. And so the Harvey siblings, with Rydia sulking in the corner of the room, ate together with tension in the air, and Cecilia wouldn't sleep that night her heart burdened by the fact that to protect her new family she would have to kill her old one.
Morning came and the three met on a small isle outside the jurisdiction of Hingashi to settle the score. It was an intense battle, the two women gave it their all but Golbez was able to take both of them on handily. In fact, he was even holding back. He fought to break Cecilia's body and will but not take her life, but with Rydia he fought to kill. Sensing this Cecilia did everything she could to put herself in harm's way because she knew that if any attacks meant for Rydia would be intercepted by herself, then Golbez would have to watch his moves.

Even still, with two against one it was clear to see the advantage of experience that Golbez held. Even as a child Cecilia could never best or even tie with him, and all these years later he was still in another league. None of her tricks or plans worked against him, her body was bloodied and her bones were broken. Rydia had been taken out of the fight but thankfully not killed, thanks to Cecilia's tenacity. And so her brother turned his focus to her, barely standing through sheer force of will, refusing to yield even with a broken blade. It was time to end this, so long as his sister survived he would be able to keep her under his wing. And as much as it pained him to have to maim her he was prepared to do what he needed to in order to protect his family.
But then he looked down and saw a blade sticking out of his chest. Rydia had woken up, grabbed the broken blade of Cecilia's greatsword, and ran it through Golbez from behind. The blade pierced his heart and he knew that it was over for him. As he collapsed he flung the circlet off his head towards Cecilia and said one final "I love you", before dropping dead.
In a sense they were even now. Cecilia killed Rydia's mother, Rydia killed Cecilia's brother. But there was no sense of balance, no closure. Her brother was dead and there was now a very good chance that her parents heads were on the chopping block next. There we no words said, only a few tears before Cecilia collapsed from exhaustion.

The next few months were awkward to say the least. What had been done was necessary, neither of them denied it. But there was some tension growing between the two. Without question Cecilia knew that she would die for Rydia, absolutely, but she was never fully prepared to kill her own brother for the girl's sake. And she didn't have to strike the killing blow herself, and she understood why the girl did it, Cecilia couldn't help but see her brother's killer when she looked at Rydia. She stayed true to her oath, accompanying and protecting the girl wherever she went, but a distance was growing between the two. Until one day a fairly minor disagreement turned the rift between them into a chasm.
“I don’t know why you care so much, you’re not my mother!”
Rydia's words cut deep. Cecilia tried to remain calm as she always had but had finally boiled over. She yelled back about how she had killed her brother and the yelling and screaming kept escalating. Until, Rydia told Cecilia that she didn't need her anymore. That they were even now, Cecilia owed her nothing and she was going to do her own thing. Rydia walked away and it felt like her heart had been ripped from her chest. It actually felt like she was being pulled apart from the inside out.
And then she woke up. The sun was beating down on her and she was surrounded by sand. How did she end up in The Burn? The questions would have to wait, she had to find her way back to civilization before she succumbed to the dessert. With clear skies and no indication of where she was going she started walking, and kept on walking. Along the way she had to shed her weapon and some of her armor so that she had less weight to carry, but hours passed and the sun was still shining. It was as if it hadn't even moved in the sky. She kept walking and walking until she found a rock to rest under.

A quick breather lead to a nap, or a full night's rest? The sun still shone as brightly as ever and she was losing all sense of time. All she knew is that this didn't feel right. All she could do was to keep going forward, there were no signs of life from what she had seen and it was safe to assume that no one would be passing by for a chance rescue. Her surroundings didnt seem to change and she had shed as much as she was able to without exposing herself too harshly to the elements. She could feel the blisters forming on her feet, the sunsores growing on her arms and face, and she was so damned thirsty.
She walked until she couldn't muster the strength to take another step, which unfortunately was just when what looked like some sort of wall or rock formation was on the horizon. Walking gave way to crawling, and all she could think of was how she left things with Rydia. It couldn't end like that. There was no way that she would let that be the last interaction that they had. Sadly, she didn't have much choise in the matter. She was starved, dehydrated, and exhausted well past the point that any person should be able to last. She collapsed once again, a few hundred feet from the wall, and as she lost consciousness her last thought was "I'm sorry, Rydia."
To her surprise, she woke up. But something felt off, it was like she wasn't seeing from her own eyes. She looked around and somehow was looking at herself. Her body had risen and continued walking toward the wall, but she couldn't feel anything. She then realized that somehow she was outside of her body watching it be piloted, and that's when she saw the blackened eyes and the dark aura exuding from her. In a last ditch effort to survive her darkside had taken control of her body and was piloting the near corpse to civilization. Pushing well past any limits she had thought already broken. And so she followed her body, hoping desperately to reach help in time. And thankfully she did.
When she crossed through a crack in the wall her darkside faded and her body slumped through the floor, but luckily there was a merchant at the site paying his respects and he saw the woman fall to the ground. She wasn't breathing and her heart rate was sinking, but luckily he had some potions on him and was able to resuscitate her just enough to keep her alive for long enough to be brought to the closest proper healer.

When she came to it had been two weeks since she had been brought to the Inn at Journey's Head. She had fallen into a coma and they were unsure of if she would ever wake up. She was disoriented, lost, and speaking nonsense, at least to the people around her. Rydia? Idyllshire? Eorzea? These people had never heard of such things and as such brushed off her ramblings as a side effect of a sin eater attack. They nursed her back to a state of not-actively-dying and she was able to hitch a ride to the Crystarium, at the suggestion of the healers. It was a place where she would have the best chance of finding answers.
But with every answer she got more questions were raised. She was apparently in a place called Norvrandt, and the place was cursed to a state of eternal daylight. Nobody knew anything about the things she spoke of until she caught the ear of a veena scholar. They had been studying the theory of other words and were delighted to see someone who apparently came from one of them. They told Cecilia everything they could about Norvrandt, and as much as they understood about other worlds. Something had happened to Cecilia and she was pulled from her home to The First.

The scholar offered Cecilia a place to stay in their home on the agreement that she share everything she could about her home world, it was a fair enough deal. And she had lost so much strength that she could barely pick up a sword, so she had no way to bring in an income in her current state. She spent a number of months residing with the scholar as she slowly built back up her strength. Once she was confident that she wouldn't immediately die on a battlefield she set out to find work and answers. She traveled across Norvrandt, working as a bodyguard, defending people against sin eaters, and using bit of money she earned to try and find a way to get back home.
The next three years were mostly uneventful, aside from one battle with a sin eater that left her with a scar across her right eye, but one day she recieved word from the scholar that helped her when she first arrived in the Crystarium. There was a chance that they had figured out a way to return her home, they had found a way to briefly open the rift but there was no way of telling what was on the other side, leading to it being a one way trip. But a small chance was better than none, so Cecilia decided to gamble and stepped through the portal. And somehow against all ods she walked through to find herself in La Noscea.

Apparently what had been four years for her had been but one on the source, still that was too much time away. She immediately set out to find Rydia and make things right with her. It took about two months but she as finally able to track the girl's trail, she found her near the U'Ghamaro mines, a place of great significance to the girl as it was where she made her pact with Titan. Cecilia approached Rydia, unsure of what to expect, and to her surprise the girl's reaction was dejected. Apparently she had been seeing Cecilia over her shoulder for the past year and thought that this was no different. But when she put her hand on the girl's shoulder she jumped up, this time was real! Cecilia was back! And she looked like she had gone through hell. Before any words could be shared she hugged Cecilia as tight as her arms would let her. Not wanting to let go for fear that she would vanish again. This heartened Cecilia and she suggested that they go somewhere so that she could fill the girl in on what happened.
They spent the rest of the day at a hot spring and any tension or resentment between them was long gone, they were grateful to be together again. Not wanting to leave anything unsaid, Cecilia admitted after all these years that she loved Rydia, that the girl was her family and she would never leave her again. Shocked and embarrassed to hear it out loud, Rydia stammered, but Cecilia explained that she had almost died thrice over since they parted and she wanted to let the girl know in no uncertain terms what she meant to her. Hearing that reasoning Rydia reluctantly shared the sentiment and admitted that she too loved Cecilia.
The night wound down and Rydia was ready to turn in for the night, but Cecilia wanted to stay up and admire the night sky. This gave Rydia pause because she was afraid to be separated from her, even as short a distance as it was. And so Cecilia had an idea, any time the two were to be apart Cecilia would give Rydia hear earrings to hold on to, these earrings were a family heirloom and she would not leave them behind. It was a tangible reminder that Cecilia was there and a promise to reclaim them. Satisfied with the solution Rydia turned in for the night. And Cecilia gazed up at the stars, relieved to be back home and praying that the worst was behind her.

BODYGUARD

Need protection? Cecilia and Rydia stand as heroic professionals available for hire, prepared to shield you in exchange for a reasonable fee. They have a principled stance and decline tasks conflicting with their morals, yet remain eager to extend their protection to those in need.

GARLEAN TURNCOAT

Bearing the scars of her own rebellion against the Empire, Cecilia carries a deep empathy for all those who have taken a similar path. When she encounters a fellow deserter facing hardships, her compassionate nature compels her to extend a helping hand without hesitation.

ART APPRECIATION

Despite a lifetime entrenched in combat, Cecilia's spirit retains its gentle essence. Amidst the chaos, one of her most cherished delights lies in beholding a masterpiece, serving as a poignant reminder that beauty yet thrives within our world, often underappreciated and overlooked.

BARON

Originating from the humble kingdom of Baron, deeply inspired by the enchanting lore of Final Fantasy IV, Cecilia emerges as a product of its rich heritage. Situated as a neighboring nation to Garlemald, Baron's demise occurred with alarming swiftness. In the wake of its fall, one wonders if any other souls with Baronian roots still traverse the realms, carrying remnants of their ancestral legacy.