First-time attempt on RP and character writing! Any advice/feedback?

[Nazrya]

Hi everyone, I am a long-time MMO player that has been playing FF14 for many years. I have never tried RP myself, but the idea of it always appealed to me (I used to do some sort of role-play with my siblings; plus I always liked writing, though English is not my native language) and am interested in trying it out.

 

I have been lurking in the forum for quite a bit of time to understand the basic concepts of roleplaying/FF14 lore and came up with the following background for my Sea Wolf female:

 

 

 

In short: Ketenwyda Fyrlorawyn was born to a family and surroundings full with longlasting traditions of piracy, where she had neither the desire nor the talents to fill in their shoes. Through wits and sheer luck she was able to carve her own destiny and find her calling (which was in healing), but it was achieved by betraying her family, crew and shattering everything that she has known thus far. Now, she finds herself dangerously alone in the world of Eorzea, though she is also better equipped to deal with adversaries now.

 

Spoiler

 

Ketenwyda Fyrlorawyn was born as the only child to two Sea Wolves that belonged to a notorious band of pirates that used to terrorize the many ports of La Noscea and ruthlessly pillage the Kobold and Sahagin lands. As a child, Ketenwyda was a quiet girl with mild temper and calm behavior – all of which were viewed as weaknesses within the rough environment where everyone was either a pirate or trying to be one. Through childhood, she endured consistent harassing by her peers who could not wait to grow up and join the crew and received much scolding from her parents who were insistent on her following their footstep. In their views, piracy was the one and only way of life.

 

Ketenwyda was in her late teenage when Admiral Merlwyb announced her new and controversial policy of outlawing piracy. Her parents’ band, like many others at the time, openly opposed it, and the conflict soon turned violent. Ketenwyda was forced by her parents to join the fray and fight for their crew, as were her peers who were more willing and eager to fight. Unfortunately, despite of her large Roegadyn frame, Ketenwyda had absolutely no aptitude for weapons whatsoever despite her parents’ consistent attempt to train her in the art of fighting necessary for pirates. On a battle nearby Aleport, Ketenwyda and some of her peers were overwhelmed by the Maelstrom. She was captured and brought to the admiral’s second-in-command, Eynzahr Slafyrsyn.

 

With her calm air and behavior which allowed her to stand out among the prisoners, she convinced the Storm Marshal that she had no love for the continued practice of piracy and that she is in full support of Merlwyb’s new laws. Released to rejoin her parents’ crew, Ketenwyda had struck a deal with the Marshal: that she would be leaking all information regarding the crew’s destination, battle plans and supply lines in exchange for guaranteed freedom once the pirate crew decides to be compliant of the admiral’s decree, or is dissolved, should they decide to fight until the bitter end.

 

Despite, or maybe because of the crew’s low regard of Ketenwyda, nobody bothered to raise suspicions on her behavior as she started displaying uncharacteristic interest in the crew’s plans and operations. She faked her parents into believing that she has finally decided to follow their footsteps and was able to gather much information on their operations. Then, every time the ships docked on select ports, she headed to the appointed locations where she would meet up with an agent from the Maelstorm and relay all information she has gathered.

 

Only after costing a couple of galleys and a handful of members to the crew, was she caught in the act. The pirates, furious at her betrayal, beat her to near death as punishment and decided to throw her out to the deep sea despite her parents’ desperate objections, but was engaged on by the Maelstrom fleet before they were able to carry out the execution. The battle was decisively won by the Maelstrom. The core members of the pirate band, including Ketenwyda’s parents, were arrested, while lesser members who vowed to follow Merlwyb’s new doctrine were released. For the first time in her life, Ketenwyda was free from the influences of her stubborn pirate-mates and parents and given the choice to pursue her heart’s desire.

 

Despite winning the favor of the admiral, Ketenwyda had little desire to stay in La Noscea with so much bitter memory hanging on, and no family or friends to turn to. After going through a few different destinations, she eventually ended up in Gridania, where she finally found a discipline that suited her temper and talents, which was conjury. Given her age, she was a late starter to the study of conjury, but she was quick to learn to manipulate the elementals’ healing power and establish herself as a skilled conjurer, which allowed her to settle down in a Gridania which otherwise may have been unfriendly towards outsiders and lead a peaceful life for some years. At this time, Ketenwyda had no interest in traveling, as it reminded her of the pirates wandering aimlessly in the wide sea, and she stayed in Gridania until the calamity came.

 

As the calamity tore apart the world, Ketenwyda, like many others, was troubled by the plight of the people who were suffering. She decided to offer her healing powers to anyone who needs it, setting her feet out of Gridania city for the first time in many years. As refugees from Ala Mhigo flooded the borderline, Ketenwyda did everything in her power to provide succor to these desperate people. Her acts were met with objections by Gridanians who had no fond sentiments toward Ala Mhigo, much to her own surprise. After a heated debate with the elders in Quarrymill, she uncharacteristically lashed out in her disappointment and left the area, setting her course to the jewel of desert.

 

Currently she frequently travels between Thanalan and the Black Shroud areas (minus Quarrymill – to her the town may well be as bad as the Garleans), living the adventurer’s life and offering help to anyone who needs it. Her travels to La Noscea are much rarer, as she still finds the place of her early memories difficult to face.

 

 

 

Would this be a feasible storyline for an RP character?

I read as much as I could find about the timelines of Limsa Lominsa and Merlwyb outlawing piracy, but there still might be errors.

Please let me know if anything stands out as an issue, or there are things that could be done to improve it.

 

How is Roegadyn age compared to what we are often accustomed to? I know Elezen has a longer lifespan, but could not find such a mention about Roegadyn.

 

Also, I have played the entire MSQ storyline in-game - so there is no need to be mindful of possible MSQ spoilers!

[Mua Viras]

Roegadyn are comparable to humans, the more adventurous ones having a slightly shorter lifespan due to the danger they find themselves in.

 

Overall, I would say that backstory is plausible.

[Nazrya]

12 hours ago, Shev said:

Roegadyn are comparable to humans, the more adventurous ones having a slightly shorter lifespan due to the danger they find themselves in.

 

Overall, I would say that backstory is plausible.

Thank you for the information and feedback! :)