Frejyalen Ruyalen
- "I think back to those days, and it feels like more than four years have passed. I feel as though it were another life, completely disconnected from this one. As if in those days out in the mountains’ passage, leaving my kingdom behind… I was reborn."
- - Frejyalen Ruyalen, from her memoirs
Contents
At a glance...
The first that most would notice is her stature; Frejyalen is above-average in height for her usually diminutive race, with a poise that only accentuates this fact. Though she appears to be a proud and regal woman, she is quite approachable and honest, with a keen eye that is always pondering on the words, body language, and actions of others. She prefers to keep herself well-kept and proper, wearing lavish jewels and fine silks for special occasions, but her greatest accessory is her enigmatic smirk.
She can be found perusing the street vendors and stalls in Ul'dah, often flanked by Legion Knights, with her snowy white hair braided loosely behind her head and her face adorned in the traditional painted symbols of her people. Folklore and riddle-tales are her favourite to share, but she can be tight-lipped as to her own thoughts and feelings, preferring to listen rather than talk.
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Biography
Upbringing in the Ruyalen Kingdom
Amidst the treacherous mountain ranges of the Coerthas lies the Ruyalen Kingdom, built into the hard stone of the mountainside. Though small, the Ruyalen kingdom was relatively self-sufficient, overlooking the valley fields where they grew a majority of the food and materials they needed to survive isolated. They began exporting tea leaves with great mystic properties and other crafted wares to the city-states when the war with Garlemald intensified, though they themselves held too weak an army to join in the Battle of Carteneau.
Lady Frejyalen is a descendant of Ruyalen, the royal family that rules the Ruyalen kingdom to the Northeast of Ishgard. Trained by tutors and her Preceptor in the ways of her culture and their beliefs since birth, Frejyalen was in-line to become the Witch Queen of the kingdom within the next five or so years. She had little exposure to the outside world, and her understanding of politics through-out the Realm is all second-hand knowledge from her Preceptor, Master Waaruna. The few stories and folklore she'd heard from other cultures was through merchants traveling through their mountain routes for trade, and the stories had always fascinated her. She yearned to travel the Realm someday, but she knew that her place was in her kingdom with her people, and she did not resent them for this.
The Zephyr family were close allies and friends of the current royal family, their sons growing up right alongside Frejyalen. The trio were inseparable, the eldest of the two boys becoming a personal guard of the future queen. The youngest of the boys, Rahdias, showed great affection for Frejyalen beyond that of a childhood friend or attendant. Though their closeness was no secret to the people, no formal courting was discussed at that time.
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The Fall of Ruyalen
The Ruyalen Kingdom held out as long as it could after the Calamity, but it was to no avail. With the mountainside crumbling in the wake of Dalamud and their trade routes abruptly dying, a decision for the good of the people had to be made. The royal family and their people would be made to emigrate to one of the city-states, while the Zephyr family and their sons were contracted to help train the armies of a private House in the Coerthas Highlands. Frejyalen's companion Rahdias would go with their parents, while the eldest brother Keyu vowed to escort the Ruyalen royal family and the remaining Ruyalens safely to a new place of settlement. Rahdias vowed that he would return to her, and when he did, he wanted to take her hand in marriage. Frejyalen accepted his proposal, and watched with mixed emotions as he set off for Coerthas without her.
The royal family contacted their former allies in Ul'dah, begging for assistance in their relocation. Though the Sultanate of Ul'dah was sympathetic, the Syndicate was loathe to give any more hand-outs to refugees. They would have to emigrate to Thanalan on their own funds, and a place for their people within the city walls could not be guaranteed. Even so, the Sultana was able to put in a word for Frejyalen at the Thaumaturge's Guild, where her skills in black magic could be honed for use in the Immortal Flames.
The people of Ruyalen packed up whatever they could carry, and abandoned their homeland to the elements, making for the desert city in hopes that Nymeia would guide them. But in the unfamiliar snows that plagued the land surrounding theirs, their people quickly wearied of travel, and were made to stop for extra rations near Gridania. There they saw, for the very first time, an airship.
Though Frejyalen protested, the people of Ruyalen were certain in their sacrifice; the royal family and their escorts were to take their remaining coin and board an airship to Ul'dah, alone. Accustomed to the climes of the Shroud, the Ruyalen people were determined to make their life near the mountains as best they could.
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Life in Ul'dah & Thaumaturge Training
Though the climes were ill-suited to them, the Ruyalen family emigrated to Ul'dah, barely able to secure a humble living within the walls. Their cultural deficits were aplenty, but Frejyalen hungrily took in any education and knowledge she could to help her family survive. The Ul'dahn culture fascinated her, and she quickly became accustomed to the day-to-day life of an Ul'dahn commoner.
Frejyalen met with the Sultana to discuss her schooling at the Arrzaneth Ossuary, and vowed to make herself useful to the Ul'dahn people. She was sent to the Ossuary, and there she trained tirelessly in the ways of the Black. She found it comforting, because it was a practice that reminded her of her homeland's culture, and one she had a high propensity for. She blended her new knowledge of Thaumaturgey with her homeland's rituals, a way she could keep her culture alive. Her ability to sense the Voidsent increased, and her interest in their existence did as well.
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The Blood Oath Legion
- "Take the Oath. Our Legion is our family."
Slowly but surely, she became a part of the socialite scene in the city, her studious and judicious nature useful among merchants and politicians. She began to recognize the corruption of this new land's government, and moved cautiously within the web being spun all around the city. With the money and station they gained, Frejyalen and Keyu began a free company of allies they could trust. They dubbed these allies the Blood Oath Legion, the historic name of the first settlers to build their now-fallen kingdom. She began dreaming of setting out and exploring the Realm to experience even more of the cultures Eorzea was the mother of, and perhaps finding a place for her new Legion to settle in.
Nearly two years passed as Frejyalen and Keyu waited for Rahdias to rejoin them. Although Keyu enlisted with the Immortal Flames to continue his own training, Frejyalen remained unaligned. The struggle between Houses and Heretics continued in Coerthas, and outsiders were no longer trusted among most ranks; Rahdias and the Zephyr family made their way back to their old friends in Ul'dah.
Recent Developments
Lady Frejyalen, Rahdias, and Keyu continue their travels around Thanalan, studying the Amalj'aa and their cultural history. Though Lady Frejyalen and her cultural research is for personal reasons, she hopes to obtain some information for the Immortal Flames to find a peaceful resolution with the Amalj'aa. So far, there have been no breakthroughs in this endeavor, as the Amalj'aa are still weary of the outsiders' questions and interest in their ways.
(( I am currently looking to collaborate with other Balmung RP'ers for this arch of storyline ))
Lady Frejyalen has been a bit pensive as of late; she has been reminiscing about her homeland and praying to Nymeia for the opportunity to find a place in the Realm where she can preserve her own culture for future generations to learn about.
Ruyalen Folklore & Witch Queens
To be expanded at a later date.
The Chalet of Epiphanies
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Some of these rumors are untrue or are greatly exaggerated. Please feel free to add your own rumors under PC! ◢ Common Rumors (Easily overheard)
◢ Moderate Rumors (Moderately difficult to overhear)
◢ Rare Rumors (Very difficult or rarely overheard)
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