Rhen Maverick
 Rhen Mahowyn
| |
 Art by anti-phony [1] | |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | Miqo'te/Highlander |
| Clan | Mixed Heritage |
| Citizenship | Gridania |
| Height | 6 Fulms 1 Ilms |
| Weight | 210 ponz |
| Age | 33-34 (as of Heavensward) |
| Occupation | Adventurer / "Treasure Hunter" |
| Alignment | Chaotic Neutral |
| Server | Balmung |
Contents
Basic Info
The most noticeable things about Rhen, at first glance are; his abnormal height, his musculature, and the myriad of scars that cover his body. The deepest scars crisscross his back and wrap around his neck, wrists, and ankles. Though he doesn't make an effort to conceal the scars that mar his otherwise statuesque frame, he doesn't talk about them either. Looking past these things, one might take notice of his ever present eye-patch which covers his blinded left eye. Despite these factors, Rhen could almost be considered attractive, were it not for his constant glower and seemingly dark demeanor. Most would easily view him as a brute and his taciturn nature does little to help combat this stereotype. Rhen feels that his size and the scars that riddle his flesh make him ugly and has developed a poor body image. This was only amplified by the verbal and physical abuse he suffered in his many years of enslavement. He chooses to wear modest clothing that will not prohibit movement and at the same time won't draw much attention to him directly.
Rhen tends to wear a turban with an affixed mask that works much in the way a security blanket would work for a child. He only removes this when he feels physically and emotionally safe within his current environment. While wearing his turban, Rhen is more confident both physically and mentally which allows him to say and do things he generally cannot with it removed. The only other time he might remove it would be to better ready himself for combat, meaning those who witness him remove it would have reason to be wary were they not acquaintances.
Due to the majority of his life being spent in combat, Rhen has learned to rely on his hearing more than his sight. This ability has aided him in all forms of combat and sometimes gives the impression that his left eye isn't as blind as it truly is. His seemingly voracious appetite for combat has earned him the moniker of The One-Eyed Wolf. While he doesn't relish battle as much as others may think, it is the only thing he truly feels good at; despite his artistic and musical talents. Most times, Rhen can be found sketching his surroundings in one of several small notebooks he keeps. On rarer occasions, one might be able to find him practicing with his lute. Though he is skilled at both, he would rather not share his talents with others, fearing of ridicule.
Though he is a skilled fighter and thief, many of Rhen's other abilities are sorely lacking. First and foremost of these is his lack of basic social skills, which leads to many embarrassing social faux pas. Without proper schooling or a healthy environment with which to mature in; Rhen didn't learn to read or write. Thanks to his mate, Shofie, he's slowly began to grasp both, but he still has much and more to learn. As a result of his past, he has a fear of being tethered to anyone or anything since it's not something he's had experience with. As a result he tries to keep his distance from others, both physically and emotionally, as a way to keep himself "safe". Thus far, Shofie is the only one in his life that he feels safe with, both emotionally and physically.
History
-Before The Calamity-
Early life is something of which Rhen never speaks, aside from mentioning that his name was once W’rhen. How he came to Ul’dah and what had become of his family before then is something that only he knows. His mother, a Seeker of the Wolf Tribe, and his father, an Ala Mhigan, lived in squalor amid the refugees in Stonesthrow. How his mother and father met is not something he had ever thought to ask as there were other, more important questions that constantly assailed him. When would he next eat, when would his father come home, why did they have to live in such a place? His father, dispossessed of his position within the Ala Mhigan military, spent his days in Gladiatorial combat within Ul'dah's famed arenas. What money could be made was quickly squandered in gambling halls. His mother, having left her tribe for reasons she kept to herself, did her best to care for Rhen in his father's absence. Rhen's earliest memories of his parents were them fighting which gave him all the more reason to sneak out into the world. At the tender age of 10, Rhen was constantly sneaking off into the throng of people moving about Ul'dah's busy streets. He learned his way about even the darkest alleyways making friends with other children he met along the way.
It is here he lived the life of a pickpocket, scrounging and scavenging in the back alleys for whatever he could get. Though his parents were not fond of the lifestyle he had chosen for himself, they could not complain about the extra food and money he brought back home. It is around this time that he decided to call himself Rhen, as the other children either teased him or had trouble saying his name. He spent less and less time at home despite his mother's worry and his father's belligerent shouting. Though, to him, it was clear that his time away from his parents was in fact due to both of these things. Over time Rhen grew larger than most of the children who he'd spent time around, bringing attention to the fact that he was not a fully a Miqo'te. With a new thing to be teased about, Rhen opted to spend his time in the city alone honing his skills as a thief and pickpocket.
For many years he succeeded to live in this manner, but things changed when he tried to pick the pocket of a wealthy merchant, as he had so many times before. This merchant, a Lalafell by the name of Gogodon "Gogo" Zozodon, was in fact a ringleader in Ul’dah’s underground fighting circuit. Had he known this, he might have paid more attention to the two large men to either side. Both men were fighters in the employ of Gogo and their duty was to act as his muscle for an important business venture that would require all the gil Gogo had in his purse. Though Rhen managed to get the purse, he was unable to escape the brutes who caught him soon after. The purse was retaken, but not before Rhen was beaten until he lost consciousness. Gogo knew that this had cost him business as he had already been running late to the meeting. He wasn't about to let this strange Miqo'te get away with that.
Rhen awoke to find himself beneath the city in a dark cell; a place that would be his home for some time to come. From the others who inhabited the cells around him he learned that he was to be a gladiator in the arenas, but not the ones that his father fought in. These arena had no formal home, nor did they have any set rules. Fighters lived and died for the pleasure and profit of those who had enslaved them. The merchant who had captured him had thought that Rhen's peculiar build and agility might, at the very least, earn him some attention at the next fight. At the very least, it would make up for the business that Rhen had cost him. Rhen managed to, some how, survive a fight that was meant to be his end. Seeing the potential in him, Gogo made sure Rhen spent almost all of his time training by way of torture. Much of Rhen's life at this time was spent with the latter as he continually disobeyed and attempted escape.
Due to his willful nature, he was dubbed Maverick and hardly any who saw his fights knew he had any other name. The constant fighting, training and torture molded Rhen into a ruthless killing machine. Eat, sleep, kill; this was the world Rhen knew. The world he had come to accept as his lot in life. This came to and end when, during a fight, he took a club to the head. The blow, which should have taken his life, had taken the gift of sight from his left eye. Half blind and stunned, Rhen was at the mercy of his opponent and he braced himself best he could for the end. Nothing could have prepared him for the end that came as the very air around him crackled and thundered with immeasurably strong aether. The Sixth Astral Era had come to a close and Bahamut was quickly ushering the end of everything. Unbeknownst to Rhen, there had been a long standing war that had been building up to this calamity. A war he had escaped within the subterranean waterways and tunnels beneath Ul'dah.
Rhen had no time to think about the cause of the destruction around him, only time to act. The ceiling had caved in, spilling stone, fire, and people from the streets above upon the arena and the area around it. Patrons of the underground arenas and slaves both scrambled and pushed at each other in hopes of escape. The world was now only fire, smoke, ash, and screams. Through sheer strength of will, Rhen fled as rubble pelted his back and flames licked at his clothing and skin. Without thought he slaughtered any and all that got in his way, his only thought was his own survival. In his struggle to get out of a crumbling room and into one of the many waterways that would lead to safety, something latched tightly onto his ankle. Without much thought, he lashed out, but the grip only tightened. He turned to find Gogo, his legs crushed under the weight of burning rubble, flames dancing upon his once fancy clothing. Gogo begged Rhen for forgiveness, and promised him many things in exchange for saving his life. Although, Rhen would never find out if any of these promises were to be kept, as he left with Gogo’s purse as the Lalafell screamed at his back.
-After The Calamity-
Now a free man with some money to his name, Rhen found only promise in the new age the Calamity had ushered forth. With the skills he had gained as a fighter he quickly found work as an Adventurer. Having spent so much of his life in Ul’dah he eagerly learned all he could of the world around him through his travels. He had decided he liked the sound of Maverick, taking it on as a last name as a way of reminding him of where he had come from. Rhen found a strange comfort in The Shroud and began spending more time there and near Gridania. Though he was, at first, denied access to the city due to his partial heritage, he was eventually granted access by way of joining the Order of Twin Adders. He served under the company for few years before being discharged due to an incident that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
His reason for dismissal is not fully known, even to himself. Rhen only remembers being sent to dispatch a large group of bandits holding up merchants along the road through Silent Arbor. He, and several other Adders, boarded covered wagons bound for Quarrymill. How the bandits learned of this is uncertain, but they were able to set both carts ablaze with flaming arrows before descending upon the caravan from the trees. The next thing he remembers is being drenched in blood, and the silence and smell of charred bodies about him. Nothing moved, and only his anguished cries rung within his ears. He is convinced that he murdered everyone there, even his own allies, in a fit of rage brought about by his PTSD. Not wanting this event to tarnish their name, the Twin Adders removed Rhen from active duty and erased the records. Then was given a home in The Lavender Beds keep him quiet, but Rhen opted instead to banish himself.
Rhen lived the life of a hunter and ranger, only coming into contact with the civilized world to trade. He honed his abilities with the bow and learned the ways of The Shroud. It was a hard life, between the dangers of the woods and those that chose to live within it; Rhen didn't have time for anything but survival. For him, though, this felt natural. This was a world that he had been made for. A world that would kill him if he did not kill it first. It was not a world that anyone could live in forever though, and one day he found himself riding in a wagon headed for Ul'dah. He didn't know what he'd find there, but it was the only place that he had called home.
He parents were the first thing Rhen had looked for, but Stonesthrow was not the place it had been. It had since grown and changed, as had the faces of all he met there. Though he wasn't sure of what he'd have done, had he found them, he felt an ache within him that he'd never felt before. The only thing that made that feeling go away was returning to the back-alleys and shadows of Ul'dah to reacquaint himself with his first life; the life of a thief. While most had, like himself, left Ul'dah to find solace in other parts of the world; others had remained behind to take up positions in the Black Market that had been vacated in the wake of the Calamity. With their shadowy help, Rhen became something of a Robin Hood; taking from the rich and sometimes giving something to the less fortunate. As of yet he has not been caught, his Black Market ties making it hard to track him. He began to travel the world, taking on many challenges that underworld and Adventure's Guild offered to him whilst amassing a small fortune.
His only companion in his adventures was his sometimes loyal Chocobo, Butz, who was assigned to him during his enlistment with the Adders. Despite the bird belonging to the Grand Company, Butz refused to leave Rhen's side and he was granted leave to keep Butz due to the beasts foul nature. Butz refuses to let anyone saddle him without a fight and is known to attack Rhen and others without warning. Feeding him carrots or fighting back are the only options, though Rhen would advise other's use the first rather than the latter. Despite their seemingly abusive relationship, the two are inseparable.
During one of his ventures he met Shofie Mahowyn who, through sheer force of will and personality, managed to wear down his defenses. In time she became a constant companion and friend. Their friendship blossomed into love and for the first time Rhen understood what having a family was like. As an expression of his new found understanding and his love for Shofie, he took her last name.
While he had never spent anytime within his home in the Lavender Beds, he was happy to have a place to bring his mate home to. The addition of Shofie to the household has brought both life and clutter to the household. Rhen does his best to allow her to have a space of her own, free of his constant need to tidy. His home and its decor outwardly appear meager to better disguise his "profession". Anything not bought through ill-gotten Gil has been "acquired" through other means.
-After The Fall-
Due to the climate change within Ul'dah, operating as a thief has become much more risky than it was rewarding. At the suggestion of Shofie, Rhen has turned his attentions to another form of thievery; Treasure Hunting. With his skills and the aid of his crew; Butz and Shofie, Rhen ventures deep into the darkest dungeons and tombs in search of treasure to sell to the highest bidder. This has opened his potential income to encompass a far greater scope, and also gets rid of the need to deal solely with Black Market fences which assures him, and his crew, more profit. With business and his crew expanding, Rhen and Shofie form a Free Company to better facilitate their operation; The Dusk Wolves.
-Heavensward-
Using the collective gains from their treasure hunting ventures; Rhen and his crew have had an airship constructed. The airship acts as a means of transporting goods as well as a mobile home. The craft, dubbed "The Maverick", only affords room for a small crew as the majority of it's hold is used for cargo. While not as fast or maneuverable as some airborne vessels, it adequately suits their needs. In time another Airship was constructed, this one called the "Maverwyn" by Shofie. This airship is made for two things; attacking and speed. With both airships and a fleet of Manacutters, The Dusk Wolves become a sometimes feared name.
-As Goes Light So Does Darkness-
Rhen and his company have decided to once again delve into the shadowy world of the illicit with the events of Ul'dah having settled back into the "normal" routines it is widely known for. To better cover these misdeeds, they have acquired the use of a Tavern known as The Coeurl's Whisker. The tavern has seen better days and has changed many hands, so many in fact that no one is really sure who the building belonged to originally. The Whisker acts as a base of operations for The Dusk Wolves as well as a way to launder money. With the money from legal avenues still coming in at regular intervals, there would be little lost if The Whisker had to close it's doors. The Dusk Wolves are now only a Free Company in name. Their ties to Ul'dah and Limsa Lominsa are only through the contraband they can provide. While neither city state would acknowledge dealing with Sky Pirates, they would be foolhardy to turn away goods they could not attain themselves through legal channels.
Rhen is still haunted by his past, and by the rage that consumes him in close combat as a result. To better quell his inner demons, Rhen has started doing research into the teachings of Ala Mhigan monks. Because to his rather limited ability to read and write, and the vast majority of these teachings having been destroyed, he still has much to learn.
-The Gears of Change-
With the war between Nidhogg and Ishgard ramping up once more, The Dusk Wolves now have even more demand for their services. Rhen's studying during this time has been put aside in favor of capitalizing on various trade ventures between the four major cities as the threat of another major war looms in the distance.
Though his understanding of ancient training techniques passed down through the Monks of eras past have helped him in overcoming some of his inner demons, he still has much to learn about The Fist of Rhalgr.
Combat Ability
Rhen is skilled in several forms of melee combat, both armed and unarmed, by way of his experience in the underground arenas. While he is competent in their uses, he is not exactly proficient and lacks proper form. Before his time serving in the military, Rhen learned how to hunt with a bow as a means of self-sufficiency and later was able to use that skill in combat. He furthered his mastery of the weapon via training at many of the Twin Adder garrisons. While one might think his lack of depth perception would hinder his ability to judge distances, they would be hard pressed to give him a challenge he could not complete with a bow. What he lacks in terms of combat prowess is made up for by his inherent agility, brute strength and high pain tolerance. If pressed into close quarters combat, Rhen prefers using any of a multitude of daggers he keeps hidden on his person, but tries to use this as a last line of defense.
Rhen tends to get lost in a blood-lust when in the heat of battle, completely ignoring his own personal safety while only focusing on killing any and all that pose even the slightest threat (and sometimes even those who pose no threat at all). This rage is what caused him to be removed from active duty within the Adders and, through rumors, earned him the title of The One-Eyed Wolf. Though others within the Twin Adders and even the Gridanian Adventurer's Guild look upon him in reverence and fear, he wears this title with shame. As a result he prefers to fight from a distance or rely on stealth to avoid direct confrontation.
Other Abilities
Rhen is an accomplished thief and has made the majority of his profits via his "profession". His connections with the Black Market afford him information regarding the merchants within Ul'dah.. With this knowledge he has been able to "procure" and sell many a thing without concern of apprehension. Even still, Rhen tends not to like spending too much time in Ul'dah because of his nightly activities there and his past experiences within the cities walls.
Rhen's strength and agility aid him by allowing him to scale almost any structure with relative ease which gives him access to many places that are hard to guard.
Personality
Rhen is quiet and gruff in nature, choosing to speak only when it is required of him. Somewhere beneath his stony visage and walls of doubt and mistrust lies a warm heart, though few have ever managed to get close enough to see. Rhen tends to keep to himself, using the skills that his life granted him to thrive without much need for assistance from others. While not one to turn away company, he is also not one to seek it. Gaining his trust takes time and effort, but he would reward such with undying loyalty. Despite all of this, he will offer help to those in need without question or compensation, not wanting others to suffer in ways he has.
Rhen puts himself above and before all else in his life. While he does not do this maliciously, the results tend to always put things in his favor. He doesn't have many in his life he would consider a friend, and any cooperation he may give to others will always have a hidden motive. Were the price or reward high enough, he'd not bat a lash at working for anyone, even the Garlean Empire. Trust is not a word that fits well within Rhen's vocabulary and he is just as likely to sell someone out as he is to offer them aid; sometimes doing both at once. The number of people he's double-crossed is rather small, as is the list of those aware of such. Despite his given nature, he does have his loyalties and a personal code of conduct which keeps him in line. An example of this would be that he is incapable of doing any harm, physically or otherwise, to any persons less fortunate than himself. However, at the same time, he would see no issue with going against that were the person ever to reach a status above his own.
Affiliations
Rhen has ties to some of the Black Market factions within Ul'dah, as many of its members managed to escape from enslavement during the calamity at the same time as him. Due to this, he is allowed a certain level of safety within the walls of the city, though he chooses not to rely on this ties too heavily. While he is still affiliated with the Twin Adders, he is no longer directly tied to them and takes jobs, mostly, from the Adventurer's Guild. Despite being a Rogue, he has no ties to the Rogue's Guild or any of its affiliates in Limsa Lominsa.
Special Gear
Rhen has had a Magitek device created to give him the ability to see with his blinded left eye. The device, which Shofie has dubbed Second Sight, has a HUD that displays coordinates, time, and battery life. It can be switched between three modes of vision; Thermal, Spectral, and Aetheric.
During his time as a thief, Rhen had a special pair of blades created that double as grappling/climbing hooks. With the aid of these he was able to scale any surface in Ul'dah. Shofie has decided to dub these tools Soaring Talons, but Rhen refuses to refer to them as such.
Other Notes
Rhen's unusual height and build is to him having mixed heritage, but he has no knowledge of his parents. One of his parents was in fact a Highlander, and this could have been the reason he was abandoned at a young age.
Despite Rhen's abnormal size and strength, he is otherwise a normal Miqo'te of low status. He does not have the Echo nor is he a part of anything revolving around quests or the main story of the game.
Rhen's personality pretty much a combination of Big Boss, Riddick and Guts. While I do like all three characters, especially Guts, I did not have them in mind when creating Rhen. Rhen’s story came about when I left my old FC and Server, and in time developed into what it is now. There are elements of all three characters that do not quite match up to Rhen, but the combination of these characters is the closest I could get.
Rhen's voice most closely resembles that of Alucard from the English version of Castlevania: Symphony of The Night.
Characters who work in Gridania, live in the Lavender Beds, are in service with The Order of Twin Adders, or a member of the Gridanian Adventurer's Guild would know of Rhen as The One-Eyed Wolf and have heard many outlandish tales regarding how he came to be called such. Feel free to make the tale as fanciful as you like, but make sure it involves combat and him slaughtering a large number of people. Who or what these people were is entirely up to you.
Characters who work in Ul'dah, live in The Goblet, are in service with The Immortal Flames, a member of the Ul'dan Adventurer's Guild, or have ties with the Black Market would have knowledge of a shadowy Miqo'te thief who Rhen bares resemblance to. However there is not enough evidence to link these two together. Only characters with ties directly to the Black Market would be privy to knowledge connecting the two, and be able to hire Rhen for things the Adventurer's Guild would not touch. Unless your character is very wealthy or very powerful, Rhen would not have stolen from them.
Though knowledge of Rhen as a Mercenary would be easily obtained, knowledge of the event that caused him to be removed from active duty with The Twin Adders would be very hard to come by. The only people who could possibly have knowledge of the exact events would have to have been in service with The Order of The Twin Adders with Rhen and would have been sworn into secrecy regarding the true nature of the events.
If you wish to have IC knowledge regarding any of Rhen's past that has not been expressed by Rhen himself, then you must first clear such with me.
Gallery
<gallery>
File:RhenRef.png |Reference of Rhen's physical form File:YoungRhen.png |Rhen as a child living in the back alleys of Uldah. Art by Zaheela [2] File:Enslavedrhen.png |Rhen after a match in one of the underground arenas in the belly of Ul'dah File:Rhen3.png |Art by Steffydoodles [3] File:Rhen4.jpg |Art by Shofie [4] File:Rhen5.png |Art by Whinecraft [5]
