Xerintha

A black storm threatened the horizon but even it paled in comparison to Khargis Dotharl’s mood. Granted the massive Auri’s temperament was rarely anything but dark but it had grown progressively worse in the last eight moons. Even the stoutest of his warriors had taken to avoiding him. Today, however, they had no choice and all watched, tensed and wary, as their leader’s tail slashed in irritation. None would back down, of course. To do so would show weakness and that was an instant and honor less death blow. Only one among them dared voice what the rest were thinking. “Slaves are easy to come by, Khargis. Forget about this one.” Orghoolgui remained motionless, eyes staying fixed on his brother as the other spun and advanced with clinched fists and a snarl that bared sharpened teeth. The two stood a mere breath from each other, Orghoolgui’s calm assessment in stark contract to the murderous growl that rumbled in his direction. “Ordinary slaves are easy. But you know as well as I do she’s no ordinary slave.” “So she was the best horse trainer we’ve ever had. We’ll find another.” Khargis snorted and shoved his way past his friend. “You think that’s the only thing of value about her? You know so little.” A low chuckle came from several others. “Bed warmers are just as easy to find.” That elicited another snort though Khargis ignored those comments. He was well aware most of the tribe thought his slave was nothing more than a bed slave, servant, and horse trainer. True, she excelled at any task she was given but only he and a select few knew her true worth. Orghoolgui was one of them though even he didn’t know the extent of the lengths Khargis, his father, and his father’s father had gone to breed for such a one. Slaves didn’t last long and most were worked to death and left for the scavengers. Only a select few were given enough to survive longer and that was because they possessed skills beyond simple labor. Primary among those were the ability to use aether and to heal. They were denied true training and they burnt out long before they might have otherwise. Neither Khargis nor his ‘advisers’ expected any from the Tokar line to exhibit the kind of power and potential Jaydhe had shown. And none with any skill had ever displayed it upon exiting the birth canal. It was this, more than anything else, which had led the advisers to Khargis’ side. Curiously, one of the three was Garlean or appeared to be at any rate. His knowledge kept him alive though Khargis threatened him almost daily with an ignoble death. The Auri had no love for the Empire and even less so now that all his most valued slaves and many of his brothers had been taken or killed by them. It was this man, face obscured as always, that stepped forward now. Flanked by the other two advisers, he stopped and assessed the stewing Xaela for a silent moment. “She still lives.” Though quiet, his voice thrummed with power and even Khargis showed some level of respect for that. It did nothing, however, to assuage his anger. “I am well aware of that fact. What I fail to hear from you is where she is and your life grows forfeit each day you keep this information from me!” The Garlean chuckled and gestured toward the blue hooded figure to his left. The man stepped forward, his own face obscured just as the other two. “We have picked up a trail.” He raised a gloved hand to halt the question Khargis readied to fling at him. “It is faint here and was…hmm… difficult to find. It would seem the girl has found her way to Eorzea.” Khoronmuu, Khargis third, barked a laugh. “That timid thing? There was no escaping us much less the Empire so how do you propose she ended up there?” All around grunted agreement and the blue hooded man waited patiently for the discord to cease. “Obviously she did not do this on her own.” Disdain bled from him and Khargis snapped out an arm to halt Khoronmuu's attack. The blue hooded man hissed a laugh. “How she got there is irrelevant. That we now have a place to begin looking is. We leave for Eorzea on the morrow.” “Not alone you’re not.” Khargis stared at the three of them then lifted a hand to silence the objections the others of the tribe began voicing. “Orghoolgui speaks for me while I’m gone. Khoronmuu will be his second.” The Auri turned and held the eyes of all gathered there. “Do any care to challenge this?” While several looked less than pleased, none argued the matter. The Garlean, however, exuded displeasure and shook his head. “You will only slow us down. We will go alone.” It was, decidedly, the wrong thing to say and Khargis stalked toward him and even the approaching storm thundered and lightening burst as if to accent the Dotharl’s rage. For the first time since their arrival, the three advisers backed away and lifted their hands. Khargis bent down and thrust his face into the opening of the Garlean’s hood. “Need I remind you who leads here? Or who has the ability to control her once we find her?” Shoving hard, he slammed a hand into the Garlean’s chest and sent him flying backward into the arms of his companions. “Do you think I am so stupid as to know you wish her for yourselves? Khatuu will accompany me and you would be wise not to test either one of us.” The named warrior stepped forward, his size rivaling Khargis’ own, and crossed his arms over an enormous chest as he stared his own silent challenge toward the three robed men. The Garlean sighed and waved a hand dismissively. “Then be ready at dawn. We leave when the sun rises.” The three turned and stalked back to their tent. Khargis watched them go then glanced at Orghoolgui. “Set guards around that tent and spies within. The snakes will try to leave without us and I won’t allow that to happen. Once that is done, join me, Khatuu, and Khoronmuu.” His warriors nodded and Khargis ran his tongue over his teeth in anticipation. Retrieval was in sight.

Caveat - I know a kiss on the cheek is a very small example and is not a huge deal in the scheme of my conversation. That said it does represent something that should be addressed for newbie roleplayers and those that should know better. Any action that would result in another character touching mine in any way needs to be attempted unless there is some reason why such action could happen without an OOC /tell ((can I do this?)) or an IC history i.e. the two characters are good friends and/or lovers and/or have a background where touching could happen. Touching, pushing, grabbing, hitting, kissing, etc, without prior permission is a form of god-modding. So... Examples: 1) Strange Dude kisses Jaydhe on the cheek. <--- No. Why? Because it doesn't give Jaydhe a chance to react and to accept or not accept the action. 2) Strange Dude leans over to kiss Jaydhe on the cheek. <--- Yes. Why? Because Jaydhe can react in a fashion that is in character for her. OOCly my emote response to number one would negate the action. Every. Single. Time. I do this with any attempt to god mode my character. My emote response to number two might allow it. In fact, Jaydhe would probably be so shocked, she'd freeze in place and the kiss would land. *Teacher hat off - er..I'm a Technical Trainer in real life so..yeah. *

You did wonderfully in our session! I hope it helped and that I didn't overwhelm you with too much information.

I use some of them because Jaydhe is an animal lover and they are drawn to her. A friend gifted me with a unicolt which I do use since my girl has managed to befriend a unicorn who finally trusted Jaydhe with her baby. That said, the only minions I'll use from an IC point of view (to date anyway) are the animal ones.

I like a combination of the first and the second option. Also remember you don't have to have everything fully fleshed out because you can do more of that as you grow and learn your character and the lore more intimately. The nifty thing here is that you can keep those things you think of as holes in your back story as secrets your guy holds close to his chest. Desert city - Ul'dah Ocean city - Limsa Lominsa Woodsy city - Gridania I'm still figuring all kinds of stuff out myself and have added some back story tidbits as I've learned. The first, and most important thing, in my opinion, is to work out your guys personality, view of the world, beliefs, actions, quirks, strengths, and weaknesses that are lore independent. The rest will come in time.

Welcome! I'm another who's more than willing to RP...even be terrorized. (which really isn't that hard to do to Jaydhe!)

Hi there and welcome to the amazingly wonderful world of RP. I would be more than happy to RP with you and answer any questions you might have. It must be the teacher/helper in me. I've taught horseback riding lessons in the past and, while many instructors would rather not teach beginners (they do though!) I LOVE them. It's my niche so to speak. I'm generally on in the evenings as Jaydhe Tokar but I have a couple of other characters I can use as well.

Okay, I have to chime in here with a disagreement and I'm going to use myself as an example. I may not be the best player out there but I'm also not a bad one. Do I DPS as a healer? Sometimes if I think I can. Do I think healing is hard? Yes! For me it is and it's not because of the game or the mechanics. It's because I'm new to this role and Jaydhe is my first ever healer in any game I've ever played (and I've been playing MMOs for a long, long time). I've been there done that, grouped, PUGS, raids, what not but for almost all of it I've been DPS. I'm very good at DPS but I wanted to stretch my comfort zone and try out a healer yet. I've not been brave enough to tank. The biggest reason for this is because I get anxious and overwhelmed and I'm working on it. I don't tank because I am directionally impaired. To give an example, in EQ1 there is a zone that is shaped like a donut. Literally..a donut. Guess who got lost in there? Ayup! Maps are my friend and my savior and I bless the day games put in maps and mini-maps. Do I still get lost? Yep but I can also, eventually, find my way. That doesn't work well if you're tanking and leading a group or a raid. Add to that, tanks need to know the fight and need to be able to control it. Yup, another massive anxiety issue for me. Okay, back to healing. Healers keep the group alive and that adds a whole new level of stress. Healer dies and can't get back (remember the getting lost bit?) in time then chances are good others will or we wipe. Then healer gets yelled at for not doing their job. More stress. Now I know I've said all that and in the past it's been the impetus for me avoiding healers and tanks. Mentally and emotionally I'm in a much better place now which is why I'm giving the healer a go. I'm not going to have a mental breakdown about it at this point in my life but I'm also still sensitive and concerned about making sure I do my job and am working damn hard to figure out how to do it well. I don't think I'm a bad player. I'm a careful one and my own deaths are a result of me being so worried about everyone else that I forget about me. Yup, that lesson is being learned the hard way and I'm making the changes to amend that. There are bad players out there of course. There are also those of us who are still learning our classes and the game itself. (Jaydhe just hit 50 yesterday and is the highest FFXIV character I've ever had) I know this is long but blanket statements are nearly never true for everyone.

I had Jaydhe wear the Legacy armor at the last Grindstone (she was playing matchy matchy with Kage though he was blue and she was purple) so she could see what it was like to move around wearing all that clanky stuff. Her conclusion? How the heck do you fight in this? As a completely off topic comment, Gegenji..I keep searching for the wrong names for your two Lalafel. oops.

Okay, here's a bit more information! Generations ago the Tokar tribe horse trainers were in friendly competition with the Noykin tribe and it was generally debatable as to which group were the better trainers and breeders. The Tokar tribe was, however, considerably smaller. The tribe's demise came when the head Tokar trainer refused to sell to a particularly viscous Dotharl. Intent on laying claim to all Tokar trainers and horses, the Dotharl and allies attacked and enslaved the best of the trainers. The only reason any Tokar descendant retains the name is to retain the value of the livestock that is bred and trained by them. Jaydhe is one such descendant and is arguably the best trainer and has the best eye for horses of any Tokar since the initial take over and possibly before. Additionally she was born with an immense ability and potential for magic which exponentially increased her value to her owners and their customers, friends, and allies. (Not to mention the Garleans) A series of events led to her ending up in Eorzea and a free woman though it hasn't been that long in reality (less than a year) This is where the antagonist/s come in! Some possibilities are: Someone/s wants her back Someone/s wants her for themselves Someone/s want her dead Someone/s want to exploit her Something else entirely! I'm open to thoughts, suggestions, ideas, plots and do have someone that would like to play a part in the overall scheme of things. I'm completely game to more than one impending doom/danger/terror!

Oh fun! Jaydhe is terrified of tall males but especially Au Ra and even more specifically Xaela (yes, she's Xaela) She has a REALLY hard time looking anyone in the eye She is very polite and calls everyone Sir or Miss. Names are tough. She is extremely protective of her friends even to her detriment The back of her neck glows purple when she access aether in any way She obsesses over making sure her feet are clean before walking into a building She is easily distracted by animals but horses will make her forget anything else around her She almost never sits down when others are present She blushes very easily for one reason or another though with her dark skin it's sometimes hard to tell Despite her fears and anxieties, she's as preternaturally curious. About everything.

I have to say this thread is making me laugh! Me? I love HORSES and games and reading and shoes. Make up is meh. Clothes are much better now that I've lost weight. But really, HORSES Books Shoes Games

I've been reading this thread with interest and did try the stance dance yesterday in a group of friends. It wasn't tough but then they all knew exactly what they were doing and what to expect and were all 60 outside of the sync. I was the newbie baby 50 WHM there so I felt safe enough to experiment a little. They also gave me a few pointers I hadn't thought of so that helped. One thing I do find that is difficult is if I'm in a roulette PUG and everyone takes off the instant we can. This puts some out of reach of the Protect buff and gives me no time to readjust my hot bar to accommodate the level of the dungeon. That first pull can be damn dicey and I don't like getting yelled at for people dying when I'm not ready yet. Yes, I look to see where I am and start my ability swap out but sometimes I'm just not fast enough. As a caveat, I have one hot bar I use for soloing and another I use for healing. I always shift to the healing one before I queue up but I leave it set at my current level. If I end up in a lower level place some of my available abilities are out of easy reach and I need to move them into the first 6 positions. I suppose I'm one of those overly careful sorts but you definitely won't see me dancing away or sitting with my thumb up my arse either!

No worries there! I came in being a lore newbie and am having a blast.

Hi there! Welcome to the world of RP. I'd be happy to help you and give you pointers. I'm nearly always on Jaydhe Tokar so look me up!