Hydaelyn Role-Players

In the vein of the artifacts and weapons thread, I thought I'd pose a new question: what does your character ride, and what's the story behind it? Adventurers have access to a number of mounts these days, from coeurls to ahriman, and with the new Mount Guide, we even have some lore for them. Does your character ride a simple chocobo purchased from an upstanding breeder? Perhaps he rides a behemoth, captured at birth by Ishgardians and given to you in return for service.

As usual for these threads, I'll start. L'yhta's primary adventuring ride is a modified magitek Reaper armor that she acquired in Mor Dhona. When she spotted a lone patrol rider near the Castrum relieving himself off a cliff -- and the cermet access key still in the armor -- she knew she had her chance. She carefully crept up behind the fellow and kicked him off the cliff, then hopped in the armor and dashed off with it. Of course, without proper maintenance (and possibly due to her mashing buttons and levers to make it work, with her slamming it into a cliff face during her escape a contributing factor), it quickly broke down, and it took her considerable time and assistance to get it running again using channeled Aether instead of ceruleum. As a consequence, none of its weapon systems work and it's not nearly as fast as it was before. She's also painted it a garish metallic yellow to distinguish it from Garlean equipment (and because it really irks them to see her riding around in it, or so she prefers to believe).

When she just wants to go out for a ride, she'll take her chocobo Shera out of the stables. She bought Shera with the funds from her first forays into adventuring, and was able to get a great deal because the quite vain chocobo is also easily distracted and prefers to strut rather than run. Nevertheless, through giving her considerable attention and mimett greens, the two have a reasonable relationship -- even if Shera would much rather be winning awards for prettiest chocobo instead of running across the shores of La Noscea.

I am wishing that Aya could get her hands on a motorcycle, it would seem a terrific mount for her, but it does not seem like such things fit the present setting

Much like the weapon and artifact thread, her availability of a mount is underwhelming by Adventurer standards.  She does not own a mount, and relies on renting a Chocobo  when one is needed.

Franz owns no mounts to ride. 

While there was a time he would have been issued a certified Magitek Reaper, like most members of the Garlean army, after being dismissed, it would have bene reallocated to someone else. He typically walks places, or rents a chocobo these days, if he requires a mount. While he certainly has the funds available to buy a chocobo to raise, the additional upkeep disinterests him because he does plan to return to Garlemald one of these days, and bringing a chocobo (or any other mount for that reason) would only complicate matters.


OOCly, I love my legacy chocobo and will never abandon it. I wish I could use her instead of the company chocobo when summoned.

It depends largely on the image Tarot is trying to give off. If he's going 'casual' than he'll pull up on his Coeurl mount, lovingly named 'Carnan'. How he got himself this, he refuses to say but it is hinted that his black market connections wound him up with the very exotic mounts he keeps.

He does also keep a Behemoth mount, though this one he almost never uses given how temperamental it is. Both are stabled by one of his contacts, the ever present and ready 'Monsieur X'.

Finally, if he IS trying to go incognito, he will simply rent a chocobo. He's not fond of them, as he thinks they smell and their 'cuteness' is overrated.

Coatleque simply uses the Grand Company mount she was issued for official use by the Palace. It has been a faithful 'steed' to date, but if she has any love for the bird, she refuses to show it.

Alexander rides the Magitek reaper that he rebuilt from parts that he took from the many of Dogberry's raids on Garlean vessels. He is slowly retrofitting it with other modifications but those are often slow-going as his mind is often working on other projects.

Berrod either hoofs it or rents a chocobo at a porter because his own chocobo hates his guts.

Oscare rides a chocobo when he's lazy. He likes walking. And teleporting.

I want a motorcycle....

Warren is only ever seen riding on the wings of Victory.

Intentionally named because in 1.0 when you called your mount it specifically said something akin to "Player name calls forth Mount name." I am a dork.

The bird is a former Immortal Flames service bird who worked as trade lines security in Southern Thanalan. He's part of the first wave of "new" birds that were authorized to be given to adventurers.

In 1.0 Eva had been issued a rather stubborn chocobo she named Shuttle (weaving being her passion and all).  Alas this poor creature was claimed on the fateful D-Day (D for Dalamud here of course).

More recently she has been issued by the Twin Adders another chocobo and named it Shuttle as well, in honour of her first beloved steed.  This one is more even-tempered and cooperates a little better, but she selected it because when she first saw him, he was set apart from the other birds and behaved shyly and awkwardly at first.

She does sometimes refer to him as 'Shuttle 2'.  >.>


On a sidenote, I have a difficult time personally rationalizing certain mounts ICly.  While I don't fault anyone their decision to RP in whichever manner they choose, I often feel like anyone riding Magitek mounts would be shot on sight and such.  And I think a Unicorn mount would actually be pretty perfect for Eva (the white one, not the crazy EX primal ones), but they are supposed to be rare, and I would rather preserve that notion than try and be a special snowflake.  XD

Spoilered for off-topic. Warning, opinions within.

Morotcycles for everyone! I could totally see Hornet sitting in a badass American road machine.

Hornet has her own personal chocobo named 'Stinger' that she rides pretty much everywhere. He's her buddy through thick and thin. If anything were to happen to him she would be devastated. He wears the Lominsan crested barding which she acquired through means that I will not go in to here.

Well, really, 99% of all PCs SHOULD be riding chocobos. It's the default for a reason. It'll be less boring when we can change their colors, I think.

More on-topic, yeah, T'rahnu rides her chocobo around everywhere she goes. She also keeps her (the chocobo) naked and unburdened aside from her weapons and occasionally some packs of food and camping gear if she needs to go far downrange. She's affectionately named her "T'supahto", treating her as if she were her own family (and given that her own family is DEEEAAAD, she kind of needs the therapy). They have a very close and affectionate relationship.

So how did they first meet? Well, T'supahto was actually a wild chocobo, one that T'rahnu ran into the wild back when she was still quite young. (This was back before the Calamity hit, when T'rahnu was just leaving home.) As she was lost and confused and clearly quite terrified, T'rahnu decided to take her in and raise her as one of her own, knowing that she would eventually need a mount to aide her in her travels. As such, the two have spent far more time together than most riders would ever have with their own chocobos. This could also be seen as a weakness - while many riders would simply switch to a new chocobo should their old one bite the dust in battle, T'rahnu would be left an emotional wreck should she ever lose her one true companion. Unsurprisingly, this makes her fiercely protective of T'supahto, and absolutely no one else is allowed to feed or even attempt to ride her when she is around to see it.

Merri still rides his rouncey, Geldwyn, that he's had since a few years prior to the calamity. He left him in the care of a friend before heading off to Carteneau, and after the calamity and Merri's subsequent disappearance, he broke free from the stables he was housed at and went off on a five year journey in search of Merri~

Suffice it to say, they had a heartwarming reunion after his return. BFFs.

Totally original.


Five years does a lot to a Chocobo. Yay pretty black feathers.



He also very recently got his hands on a Draught. A very moody draught, whom he named Mimett. Because of it's voracious appetite for Mimett.

And while he doesn't ride is nearly as often as his Chocobos, Merri does own a Magitek Reaper that he constructed from scrap alongside his best friend and fellow engineer. She's his baby and was pet project for a few years prior to the calamity.

Immortal Flames standard-issue chocobo. It's a love-hate relationship, because the bird is as stubborn as Osric is. He's not really that attached to it. Hohum.

Planning on grinding out a drake mount eventually that he'll actually care about. Justifying it ICly might require some forum RP that gets my character involved with the Brotherhood of Ash.