#playing around with something yippiiiieeeeeeeee

[ievaxol]

Portrait of a woman, dated sometime during the 8th Umbral Calamity.

A half-finished charcoal sketch found amid the personal affects of one Alphinaud Leveilleur by looters. Through a series of events it eventually reached the hands of the New Dawn Order; a splinter off of Garlond Ironworks working to carry on the legacy of the late Scions of the Seventh Dawn.

The sketch depicts a Hyur woman suspected to be the Warrior of Light, famously known to travel by Alphinaud's side. The subject is sketched from the bust up, with the right half roughly outlined and the left half presumed complete with shading.

Wild, dark hair is laid down with thick strokes of charcoal; a contrast to the delicate lines Alphinaud chose to capture the facial features. The woman in the sketch is facing the viewer, brows furrowed and lips slightly pursed. She is depicted in armor typical of the Seventh Astral Era, with bruising across her cheek.

Though most known for his work as a Scion, Alphinaud became appreciated in his later years for his many works depicting Eorzea post the destruction wrought by Black Rose. Although not everything survived, the ones that did gives a valuable insight into the the events taking place after the battle of Ghimlyt Dark.

Among all of Alphinaud's art, Portrait of a woman is perhaps his most beloved, despite being unfinished. It stands out among his body of work because of the eyes; despite being known for his great attention to detail in all other things, the eyes in the sketch are a simple flat and dull black.

Many who visit our collection of Scion artifacts here at the Waking Sands Museum report feeling drawn in by the piercing gaze, unable to shake it even weeks afterward.