Arlecchino, The Knave

<> Personal History <>

• The Hotel Bouffes d'ete, situated in the Vasari Passage, is a lovely building with clean walls and sparkling windows, and well-mannered, well-groomed children frequent it every day. Unlike other mansions of comparable beauty in the Court of Fontaine, the registered owner of this property does not live on-site. That being The Knave, 4th of the Fatui Harbingers. She is dubbed 'Father' by those with reverence and fear of her. A mixed reputation between those of love, and those in terror. A mixed reputation she entirely uses for her own ends.
• Almost all who have had dealings with The Knave have felt the unseen, oppressive weight that emanates from her. She commands any conversation with ease, and few can keep the secrets of their heart from showing on their faces when confronted with her unique eyes. Ever ruthless, she settles affairs while talking and laughing, even being so considerate as to do those who come after a favor by rendering the area spotless, so as not to traumatize them. But none of that is what makes her most dangerous. It's the impossibility of understanding her. Her hobbies, her dislikes, or the things on her mind when she gazes out to sea.
• Before "Father" rewrote the rules, the House of the Hearth had a wholly different face. The previous Knave was named Crucabena. Few used that name directly, and the children all called her "Mother." She seemed a perfect one: a friendly smile, a gentle demeanor, conscientiously caring for her family, and never without stories to tell the children. Yet the tales she told would have curdled your blood and chilled you to the marrow... She would speak of unspeakable cruelties as if they were fairy-tale fantasies, guiding the House members to mutual slaughter, until the strongest among them was selected as "king." She called herself a mother, but never saw the Hearth as her home. The unnumbered sacrifices were but an experiment. Before taking the title of The Knave and changing her name to Arlecchino, the young girl had another name: Peruere. She was an orphan of unknown origin, like all others in the House of the Hearth — a "child" of their "Mother." Many knew that "Mother" favored her especially. Caring far more for Peruere than even her own biological daughter, Clervie. Few understood why Peruere repaid this kindness with a magnificent assassination. Peruere was thus tarred as having committed "matricide," her madness known to all. Even after the dust had settled, she who had once been Peruere — and was now Arlecchino — did not offer any explanation. She indulged the rumors, and added fuel to the fire from the shadows. Whether as a diplomat or assassin, one profits most from seeing through the other party while keeping oneself shrouded in mystery. A small tombstone stands at the site where she slew "Mother," the eulogy penned by her hand. "Here the last light of the setting sun lies buried. Here the coming dawn finds a welcome."
• To hide her origins and consign the truth to the flames, Arlecchino has always proclaimed herself a Fontainian. The reason she did this was to silence those questioning her Crimson Moon Bloodline. As every person she killed became shadows that haunt her nightmares, and only strengthen the capacity for it to burn. She consciously fights to suppress or erase the memories during the day and sunlight for her own sake, as in the evening minus the shadow of Clervie, they only remind her how far from a peaceful life she is.
• Arlecchino was given her name by the Tsaritsa, and joined the Fatui Harbingers in place of Crucabina after she killed her. While she still retains Peruere, her original name, as a memorial of sorts, she gets violent with people bringing up her past due to the streams of abuse and blood behind it. Also the fact everyone who knows her by this name are either the Harbingers, or dead. If not, she will make them so.
• Arlecchino has many sources of power. The Balemoon Bloodfire within her veins is powerful, but can harm her equally manifested without care. She additionally carries a standard pyro vision gained from fighting against her Mother, Crucabina, and then a pyro delusion from the Tsaritsa once forgiven of executing the Harbinger who mistreated her so. Though the memories of slaughtering the entire old hearth as a teenager never truly left her. Her ability to manifest spikes, burning talons from the ground, fiery wires or webs, and a scythe of choice or even shadow copies of herself is an arsenal enigmatic as it is brutal, yet graceful to match her personality.

<> Personality <>

• As one of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers, Arlecchino respects the Tsaritsa, though she states that she is willing to betray her if their interests ever were to differ. Arlecchino is working to achieve her goals by acquiring the Gnoses on her behalf. She handles Fatui matters with utmost importance and comes off as graceful and cordial.
• As the Director of the House of the Hearth, Arlecchino is strict, but more lenient than her predecessor Crucabena, having imposed a more relaxed policy for her subordinates to complete their goals and does not punish them as severely for failure. She appears to have a soft spot for children, seeing that many members of the House of the Hearth are young and orphaned children taken in across Teyvat and views them all as her "children," becoming particularly angered when their well-being is threatened or manipulated. While she does not like betrayal, she is not as cruel, as she was willing to spare traitors who demonstrated sufficient willpower by "executing" their identity in the House rather than outright killing them. Despite being a woman, she is addressed as "Father" by the House of the Hearth's members; this is implied to be a rejection of Crucabena's ways, who called herself "Mother" and faked affection for the House of the Hearth's children while brutally mistreating them.
• Arlecchino is disliked by her fellow Harbingers, who think she's violent and crazed. These stem from biased accounts of Arlecchino's past spread by Pulcinella, whom Arlecchino shares a mutual dislike. Arlecchino allows these rumors, as she believes deception to be useful. Despite claiming to be a Fontainian, Arlecchino actually hails from Khaenri'ah. Arlecchino knows little about her origins, only knowing she had some kind of cursed fire running through her veins from a young age. All she does know was related to her by Pierro when she joined the Harbingers.

<> Appearance <>

• Arlecchino is above average height for women, about 5'5 or 5'6. She sports black eyes with red "X"-shaped pupils and layered black and white hair, styled in a long ponytail with asymmetrical bangs.
• Arlecchino's outfit consists of a "X"-shaped white-greyish overcoat that has long tails with a red lining, a fitted grey shirt with asymmetric tails in the front, a short white tie bearing the symbol of the Fatui in red and black, sleeves with short red-edged black ruffles, and black fitted pants that flare out just above the ankles. The skin of her hands and forearms is blackened due to her curse, with long fingernails painted red, and she wears several rings. She wears stiletto heels with a gray tone and reddish details and white "+"-shaped earrings. Her Pyro Vision is attached to the back of her overcoat at the nape of her neck.