Hydaelyn Role-Players

I. Basic Info

• Characters: Chris Ganale, R'tahz Tia, Chao Lingshen, Seno Nakakami, Garon Crayson, Yuuna Akashi, James Reilly
  
• Primary character: R'tahz Tia (PvE/progression), Chao Lingshen (RP), Chris Ganale (crafting/gathering)
  
• Linkshells: Mostly small personal friend ones
  
• Primary RP linkshell: Apex for Garon (though I also have Ganale, Tahz, and Chao in it so I can keep track of things), Fuji's RP Sanctuary for Chao
  

II. RP Style

• Amount of RP (light, medium, heavy):
  Light, to be entirely honest, though I'd prefer more. Unfortunately I have to balance gear progression on Tahz, gathering on Ganale, and progressing Garon, Yuuna, and Reilly toward Heavensward, while still wanting to RP on Chao and others. Mostly this means I fail at all of it. I also have crippling social anxiety/self-esteem issues that stand in the way of trying to solicit RP.
  
  
• Views on RP combat and injuries:
  I got my start in RP in a lawless environment where everyone was out to get you, so combat is a part of my blood. While I try to avoid combat because I feel like a scrub who'll get his ass beat most of the time, I still have that aggressive streak that's always ready for battle. I fight mean and dirty, though.
  
  
• Views on IC romance:
  To be truthful, every one of my characters are set in predestined relationships with my significant other. That's just how it goes.
  
  
• Views on non-romantic RP (family ties, etc):
  Don't have a problem with that at all. Ganale, at the very least, has an extremely large extended family so I don't mind it at all.
  
  
• Views on lore:
  The lore is more what I'd call guidelines than actual rules. While I for the most part play within the rules, those who are more strict on the boundaries of lore should probably be wary of interacting with Chao or Garon. Certain parts of Reilly (notably his history and certain equipment) are also very outlandish but he also will never bring those up of his own volition.
  
  
• Views on chat functions (/say, /linkshell, etc):
  I typically treat them all IC or OOC based on whether I'm IC or OOC at the time. Excepting of course linkshells that are always OOC (like my main buddy chat one). A finer example is the Apex linkshell used by Garon. Ostensibly it's perma-IC, but can still be used for OOC chat. Another instance is Chao having once received a "linkshell communiqué" via /t. Naturally, I'm not likely to use /sh for RP. I don't really understand this question.
  

III. Other Info

• Country: US
  
• Timezone: Central (GMT-6)
  
• Contact info: Skype: [email protected] but be advised, I sometimes turn it off when my game gets laggy. I also don't have proper social skills so I don't typically initiate conversations.
  

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A native of Ul'dah, Chris is an ardent patriot, believing in the ideal of the shining beacon that his home city has the potential to be. Raised in a long familial military tradition, he himself is a veteran of the Immortal Flames, though no longer serving due to injuries he sustained at the Battle of Carteneau.

After a period of years spent in poverty, he was pulled from the proverbial gutter by a former Garlean whose life he had spared during Bahamut's rampage, that favor being repayed by setting the ex-soldier up as a mercenary, assisting him in learning the axe as an alternative to the sword and shield he was no longer physically capable of wielding. Bouncing between the three city-states, he soon established a small reputation as being dependable and timely, earning him enough coin to keep himself fed and comfortable.

While in Ul'dah to pick up the mining tradeskill, he took an on-going contract to provide armed escort to a miqo'te scholar named Sabine Aislihn searching for and exploring ruins the world over. This set the stage for a tumultuous year of interpersonal development, dungeon diving, and numerous relocations.

In recent times, he now resides in the Oak Inn in the Lavender Beds and works as a miner for the Amajina & Sons Mineral Concern, spending his days out in the desert mining mythril. What little time he gets to spend in the evenings with Sabine he considers precious.

Usually Found: At the Oak Inn (Lavender Beds Ward 6, Plot 16)
IC Locations: Oak Inn during the evening, mythril mining point at Southern Thanalan during the day
Potential Plot Hooks/Persons That May Have Interest: Fellow survivors of Carteneau, Immortal Flames personnel, Ul'dahn royalists, miners, guests at the Inn
OOC Notes: I don't typically RP on Ganale unless asked to. Usually I just use him to craft leveling gear for my alts and gather soil.

Born in the highland jungles of La Noscea, R'tahz spent his early days living a tribal upbringing, living as a hunter and developing a reputation for having an eagerness to help others. As he came of age, he began to challenge for the position of nunh of his tribe. Though failure at his young age was by no means unique, what made him stand out was his continued attempts year after year, season after season, and his continued failures, culminating in a grand total of nineteen failures. This has earned him the derogatory moniker of "The Boy Who Could Not Be a Man."

Like all things, La Noscea was affected by the Calamity, the large fragment of Dalamud that would come to house the binding coil of Bahamut obliterating his tribe's hunting grounds, forcing them to merge with another tribe living in the jungles near Wineport. R'tahz, having long begun fostering depression over his continued failures, was met with the derision of his new tribemates and finally decided that he would leave the tribal life behind. He took to wandering the realm, traveling to and learning the martial trades from Limsa Lominsa, Gridania, and Ul'dah, all the while wondering if he would ever find meaning and companionship in his life.

Upon taking a job to investigate the Sastasha seagrot, he met with another tribal outcast, a budding thaumaturge named J'karu Rhome. After completing the job, the two began to travel together, and soon fell in love. As their relationship grew, so too did their respective talents, her finding a tutor to instruct her in the ways of the dark magic as he sought an equal trainer to further his teachings of the lance. Eventually making his way to Coerthas, he was trained by a guard captain of House Fortemps, Faucillien Sondraix, in the advanced techniques of a dragoon. Because he has no fealty to Ishgard, however, he was branded a heretic by the Inquisition and has a standing death mark in Coerthas.

After finding a semi-permanent home in the Oak Inn, the couple have lived in relative peace. Seasons passed and as winter grew, R'tahz decided that he would follow in some of the other cultures' traditions, and asked J'karu to be his wife. She happily agreed, and the pair were wed in the Sanctum of the Twelve.

But their idyllic days of peace were not to last. Grave tidings of renewed dravanian assaults reached their ears, culminating in the all-out invasion of Ishgard by the horde. Fearing for their friend, R'tahz's mentor, the pair made the decision to go to Ishgard's aid, participating in the defense of the Steps of Faith.

With the siege of Ishgard temporarily lifted, the couple have returned once more to the Black Shroud and their normal lives, though they keep an ear turned to the north should the situation worsen once more.

Usually Found: On top of the roof/arch of the Oak Inn (Lavender Beds Ward 6, Plot 16)
IC Locations: Anywhere seen in the presence of J'karu, anywhere seen wearing postman outfit (pictured above)
Potential Plot Hooks/Persons That May Have Interest: Former tribe members, people who have heard of his nunh failings, people who need mail delivered, House Fortemps knights
OOC Notes: As Tahz is my progression main and has now reached the waiting point for 3.0 in terms of story and gear progression, I spend less time on him. As with any of my characters, give me a ding if you want to interact with him.

Born across the seas in Doma, Chao has been highly proficient in the use, understanding, and creation of magitek from a very early age. This prodigal knowledge brought her to the attention of the Garlean Empire, who conscripted her--under threat of death to herself and her family--into their technological division, where she played the role of the loyal engineer while absorbing as much knowledge of their magitek workings as she could and discreetly committing sabotage to their projects.

In the years following the Calamity, she was transferred to Castrum Meridianum, and there learned of Gaius van Baelsar's secret terror in his campaign to subjugate Eorzea: the Allagan monstrosity, the Ultimate Weapon. Having been tasked with converting the weapon of mass destruction to accept refined ceruleum as a fuel source, she wasted no time in weakening the structural support of its fuel tanks, ensuring it could not operate for long periods of time. In the midst of one such act, the castrum was raided by a militant arm of the Garlond Ironworks, the resultant explosion of an overstressed fuel tank delaying the Weapon's deployment by a full year and allowing her to escape the castrum (more like have her unconscious body dragged out by the raiders) with the Empire assuming she perished in the explosion.

Shortly thereafter, she joined the Ironworks herself and began developing weapons, including miniaturized versions of the Ultimate Weapon's magitek bits--which she calls funnels--and a suit of powered assault armor. Living out of the Quicksand's inn when not working at the Ironworks, she met with quite the colorful cast of characters, including one individual with whom she formed an immediate bond: fellow Ironworks engineer Satomi Hakase.

The days continued to pass until she was contracted by a lalafell to search for an individual who owed an outstanding debt, and directed to search Vylbrand Academy for him. After a brief discussion with the owners of the Academy, she was released from this search but invited to return to the Academy should she wish. Doing so the next day, she met with Satomi once more, and after a time to chat, was invited to make use of Satomi's lab as a home away from the Ironworks.

On the day of her would-be move to the Academy, Chao came under assault by a Garlean assassination squad, defeating them quite handily and coming to the conclusion that she was once again on Garlemald's radar. With that in mind, she decided to flee and go into hiding rather than get others involved with what she thought was a hunt for her. Several days later, however, Satomi caught up with her on the shores of Silvertear Lake and made it clear that others were being targeted by Garlemald, which caused Chao to reevaluate her decision and change her mind.

Deciding that more powerful defense and offense would be needed, Chao initiated a brand-new research project: dubbed Project µ, her goal is to create a combat-ready autonomous machine using a combination of Allagan and Garlean technology, with a touch of her own flair. To that end, she's begun searching for the two most critical components: the processing core of an Allagan defense sphere and a mammet heart.

Usually Found: In or around the Oak Inn (Lavender Beds Ward 6, Plot 16)
IC Locations: Honestly anywhere, I can be IC on her upon request wherever she's at; the Mist Ward 3 (ostensibly she's supposed to be temporarily living at Vylbrand Academy at Plot 2, but I'm too chicken-shit to actually go and hang out/interact with people there and don't feel as welcomed as I'm told I am)
Potential Plot Hooks/Persons That May Have Interest: Members of the Garlond Ironworks, Allagan scholars, peddlers of Allagan relics, magitek/technology researchers/workers, Garlean agents, anyone else who has a character originating from Mahou Sensei Negima
OOC Notes: As can probably be inferred from her brief description, Chao pushes the envelope of acceptable/established lore, hard. I didn't even get into her combat style. However, that's not to say she's a walking lore disaster. Due to being hunted actively by Garlean agents, she is very discreet concerning her tech activities and won't even bring them up in casual conversation. So she's utterly safe to talk to on the street without fear of her dropping crazy lore-bender bombs.

A native of Doma, Seno has spent his life learning and practicing the Shinmei-ryū swordsmanship school. From a young age, he developed a close friendship with the heiress of the school, Motoko Aoyama, which blossomed deeper into love as the years passed on. Their teen years passed in peace--as much as was possible under the occupation of Garlemald and in a career dedicated to slaying voidsent--and the couple married shortly before turning eighteen.

Turmoil engulfed their home a few scant years later. Word of a succession crisis in Garlemald prompted the Domans to believe an opportunity for freedom from their conquerors had presented itself, and at once, the entire nation rose in revolt. The warriors of Shinmei-ryū spearheaded this campaign, overtaking and very nearly expelling the token Garlean forces that had been in garrison across Doma, managing to hold a newly-freed nation for the course of six full moons. Then, disaster struck. Over the course of a single night, dozens of prominent Doman military and political leaders were assassinated, plunging the small nation into chaos in preparation for the Garlean counterattack.

By equal parts skill and remote location, the Shinmei-ryū were able to weather the assassinations intact, with both Motoko and her older sister Tsuruko surviving the attempts on their lives. With a Garlean invasion imminent, and fully intent on burning Doma to the ground, the Shinmei-ryū rose once more to stand against the invaders, knowing full well that to do so meant certain death, in order to allow their countrymen what small chance they could afford to escape. Riding forth to meet the Garleans, a trap was set in terrain that favored the Doman forces, allowing the unmitigated slaughter of an entire company of Garlean troops. The Doman forces were also reduced in the battle, leaving perhaps several hundred able bodies to face the might of a full legion. Knowing that they could not hope to survive another such engagement, Tsuruko ordered the non-Shinmei-ryū forces to escape while she led a cavalry charge directly against the enemy.

It was at this point that the elder Aoyama rendered Motoko unconscious, ordering Seno to flee with her, citing the need to see to the survival of the school and her unwillingness to lead her sister to death. Though he agreed with and accepted her command, he remained long enough to witness the cavalry charge, the Last Stand of the Shinmei-ryū, before departing to the coast and fleeing the country along with Motoko and a handful of other survivors.

Arriving in Eorzea after several months at sea, the pair--along with Motoko's page, Setsuna--traveled the realm in search of other Doman survivors, picking up many of Eorzea's combat schools along the way. They enlisted for a time in the Immortal Flames, keeping a low profile and only rising high enough to requisition chocobos for ease of travel. Motoko decided to name the horse-birds in honor of her sister's pet cranes; Shippu for her own bird and Hayate for Seno's.

It took almost no time at all for them to come to the decision to rebuild the Shinmei-ryū in Eorzea. After several months spent accruing the capital, they managed to purchase a small homestead in the Lavender Beds, serving as both their home and a training dojo for the school. With the influx of survivors from Doma now beginning to reach the shores of Eorzea, they made known their new dojo as a place of sanctuary for those who needed it, and a place of training for those who wished to strengthen themselves.

Usually Found: Shinmei-ryū dojo (Lavender Beds Ward 6, Plot 16, Private Room 11)
IC Locations: Same as above, Mor Dhona, Ul'dah, Limsa Lominsa, can be IC at any location on request
Potential Plot Hooks/Persons That May Have Interest: Doman refugees (particularly martially-inclined ones), people who have voidsent that need killing, Immortal Flames
OOC Notes: As there's no classes or anything coming in 3.0 that are relevant to Seno, I don't get on him often. Don't be hesitant to ask if you want to interact with him, as I'm more than willing to.

Born in Gridania, Garon grew up in poverty, and decided early on in life that he would not remain that way. Developing a marksmanship talent early, he served for several years in the Twin Adders before managing to one day apprehend a man that was wanted by authorities in Ul'dah. After receiving the payout for the man's bounty, he realized that he had found his calling.

Following his own sense of moral ideals and picking up a taste for firearms after travels to Limsa Lominsa, he developed a small reputation as a reliable and honorable bounty hunter, though he still remained small-time, earning just enough to keep himself fed and his equipment kept up. This would likely have continued indefinitely, had not the near-destruction of Eorzea occurred.

With the aftermath of the Calamity and the decimation of the field at Carteneau, Garon scavenged a set of armor from a fallen Garlean officer and immediately began modifying it with various magitek and aetherial upgrades. Now with a distinctive look, word began to spread of the 'magitek hunter' and other such silly epithets. Caring for none of them, Garon capitalized on his newfound visbility and made a name for himself.

In recent days, he's taken it upon himself to organize an effort to gather all of Eorzea's bounty hunters under a single banner, a sort of bounty hunters' guild, so that they might benefit from the same sort of camaraderie and support network as the other organizations in the realm. He is also currently on contract for the Maelstrom hunting a Garlean spy operating out of the Shroud.

Usually Found: Ul'dah, the Black Shroud, the Lavender Beds
IC Locations: Anywhere he's seen wearing either of the armor sets pictured above.
Potential Plot Hooks/Persons That May Have Interest: Bounty hunters, people who wish to hire bounty hunters, people whose characters have prices on their heads
OOC Notes: Pardon the hodgepodge appearance of his "magitek" armor. I'm not exactly keen on using the actual Ironworks set and so I haven't settled on a fully-definitive look that fits my criteria. What's pictured is close enough for now. Also, his gear, its capabilities, and especially his main weapons play with the boundaries of acceptable/established lore.

Born in Doma, Yuuna spent much of her early life as a naive girl who cared about little more than the next adventure with her friend/page, Hotaru Kobayashi. Her penchant for mischief waned as she grew older, though she never lost touch with her excitability or her confidence.

Entering into the armed forces of Doma, she stood out from many of her peers for her use of Garlean-styled firearm weaponry, preferring to dual-wield magitek pistols. Favoring dark-colored light plate armor, she served as "reconnaissance in force", superficially similar to the shinobi corps but suitably equipped for protracted combat in case it became necessary.

Along with Lady Yugiri and the first of the Doman refugees, Yuuna and Hotaru fled to Eorzea to escape Garlemald's extermination campaign, initially remaining in Mor Dhona with the rest of the refugees in order to more easily conceal Hotaru's Au Ra features. Eventually, with the need to gain information that would benefit the refugees, the pair began to scout around Eorzea, taking advantage of the fact that Hotaru's features were less prominent than other Au Ra, meaning all she needed was a hooded cloak and a face cloth to hide her appearance. While the shinobi were more than sufficient for general scouting and the sort of shadowy work they were well known for, Yuuna's background was more suited to liaising with military forces of Eorzea for whatever information they could provide.

Recently, the pair have rented a room at the Oak Inn from which to live in relative comfort while conducting their scouting operations.

Usually Found: The Oak Inn (Lavender Beds Ward 6, Plot 16)
IC Locations: Same as above, anywhere really. As a military scout, she can be IC at any time no matter where she's at as needed.
Potential Plot Hooks/Persons That May Have Interest: Doman refugees, military forces of the three city-states, firearm enthusiasts
OOC Notes: Yuuna is one of the characters I really should be preparing for 3.0, but I have so much other stuff to do that I'm not on her often. Feel free to ask if interested in interacting with her.

As little concerned as much of Eorzea is with record-keeping, by all accounts, James Reilly simply did not exist prior to the events leading up to the Calamity. Stories told shortly after the Calamity speak of a man with a skull for a face who wielded arms that made the Garlean weapons look like toys, but those are hardly the strangest tales to be told by drunks.

All that can be said for certain is that the man who calls himself James Reilly began to frequent the Drowning Wench close to a year after the Calamity, speaking in an accent similar to, yet still distinct from, the natives of Limsa Lominsa. When asked of his origins, he would only answer that his home was destroyed in the Calamity, and when asked of his occupation, he would reply with a smirk that he does freelance ambassadorial work for the Maelstrom, citing his skill at "reaching out and touching people."

Where he goes and what he does when he is not in the Drowning Wench are difficult to determine, as he possesses an uncanny talent for disappearing in a crowd and making himself difficult to track. He is known to carry a pistol--albeit an unusual-looking one--and so presumably must practice his marksmanship somewhere.

Recently he has been seen in the company of a highly-energetic Doman refugee with green hair who carries a sword bigger than she is. He disappeared for a time during the dravanian attempt to invade Ishgard, so it can be safely presumed he went to aid in the defense of the city.

Usually Found: La Noscea
IC Locations: The Drowning Wench, anywhere he's seen wearing the shades pictured above
Potential Plot Hooks/Persons That May Have Interest: Drowning Wench patrons, Maelstrom military personnel, gun enthusiasts
OOC Notes: Ghost is not the character of the same name from the Modern Warfare series of games come crashing into Eorzea. He is an original character heavily inspired by that character come crashing into Eorzea from the world of Final Fantasy VIII. This is never brought up in character as he refuses to discuss (truthfully) where he is from, and does not use his higher-tech firearms except in extreme emergencies (the Steps of Faith being one such emergency). To reiterate, yes he blows apart lore, but it is not known to anyone ICly as he never talks about it.

Update!

Completed the reserved post summaries of all my characters. x.x Including the one that doesn't even have a wiki page yet and the three that have nothing of value on their wikis.