Character Decision: Miqo'te vs. Hyur

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Background Info for referenceAshren was born and raised in Thanalan, though depending on whether or not he is a Miqo'te or a Hyur will change the conditions of his birth. As a Miqo'te (based on his current story) he was born part of the Drake tribe, though his physical appearance was shocking to his parents (he's an albino as mentioned earlier in this thread) and many of the tribe believed his birth was an ill omen. Because of this his parents were pressured to get rid of the child and he was abandoned on the steps of Ul'dah where he was found by a priest at the local Temple of Thal. The Thaumaturge took pitty on the poor babe and took him in, after all what place would an infant have at the feet of Thal if it had no wealth to leave behind and no deeds to speak of?

So Ashren was raised by the Wildwood that would become like a father to him, though Laurentes was far more than just a mere priest. Unknown to the young boy his adopted father secretly lead an organization that had dwelt in the shadows of Ul'dah for over 1,500 years quietly operating as a network of spies, assassins, and soldiers who fulfilled their own brand of justice through a modified form of the Arrzaneth Ossuary's Vengeance Orders. This group was known as the Blades of Nald'thal, an organization whose fate would be strongly tied to Ashren's fate in the years to come.

He was put through intense physical and mental training, being taught the ways of martial combat by mentors from each guild so that he could at least grasp the basics, attempting to make him skilled as an all around combatant while also testing him to find his strengths and weaknesses. His intellectual studies were handed by the Thaumaturges of the Arrzaneth Ossuary where he seemed to excel the most, being incredibly adept at channeling his innate Aether energies Ashren took to the dark arts quite easily though he was never allowed to forsake his physical studies.

Eventually Ashren was initiated into the Blades and once a member he quickly climbed its ranks, not because of favoritism as Ashren was never given special treatment within the order, but because of his discipline and remarkable skill and insights. Ashren is a master at reading people, finding their inner most fears and secrets by studying their mannerisms and body language, the small ticks that might give away the truth when their words will not. This made him a master at manipulating others in order to achieve his own objectives, and his remarkable abilities with Black Magic made him a force to be reckoned with. It was not long before he found himself within the elite inner circle, though his personal triumphs would not last long. It was not long after this that the Blades would be contracted for their largest operation to date, the Battle of Carteneau.

Ashren marched into battle alongside his father and best friend, eager to test himself against one of the greatest enemies Eorzea had ever faced and firmly root his newly acquired position among the inner circle. Things did not fare as well as he had hoped however, and in the chaos that ensured a great many losses were suffered by the Blades, including its leader and Ashren's father Laurente who was struck directly by a blast of a suit of Magitek Armor. The blow destroyed his shield, sending a piece of shrapnel flying towards Ashren who had been standing nearby and badly injuring him, resulting in the partial loss of vision in his right eye and severe scarring.

Gripped by grief, Ashren sat clutching the body of his fallen father the moment Bahamut emerged, and as the Elder Primal lay seige to the battlefield all Ashren could do is sit in shock as blood and tears streamed down his face. As he held his father's lifeless corpse to his chest a bright white light would appear, engulfing him in its radiance and banishing Ashren to the void for five years, until now...