Arcian Martell

Arcian Martell
Gender	Female
Race	Hyur
Clan	Highlander
Citizenship	Ala Mhigan, technically speaking.
Age	25
Occupation	Sellsword/walking blunt instrument
Orientation	Homosexual
Relatives	Egilhard Martell (Father) Sieglinde "Redhands" Martell (Mother, deceased) Ragnhild Richter (Sister) Gerlach Richter (Brother-in-law) Eydis Richter (Niece) Lothar Richter (Nephew) Asta Martell (Sister) Solveig Martell (Sister, estranged)

"What, you want something witty? From me? Think you're asking the wrong person."

Basic Info

A friendly oaf, and nothing more - at least, at first glance. On the surface, Arcian seems to be naught but a fairly good-natured Highlander of no real note. This, however, is not entirely accurate; she has brains to go with her brawn, though she takes pains not to reveal the extent of her perceptiveness and competence. The finesse and savagery she learned during her time in the Ala Mhigan Resistance still remains, though cloaked by good humor and carefully contained.

Appearance

Arcian cuts an imposing figure even among her fellow Highlanders. She easily passes the six-fulm mark and towers over most other Hyur women. Broad-shouldered and well-muscled, she looks as though she'd be best suited to delivering beatings to unruly drunks, or perhaps breaking kneecaps for a moneylender. Hers is a strong-featured face, with a chiseled jawline, generous lips, and a nose that seems to have been broken at least once. Shaggy blonde hair frames her face, though of late she at least takes the time to tie it back. With her somewhat masculine build, relatively flat chest, and apparent lack of curves, she is rather androgynous in appearance, and has been mistaken for a man far more often than she cares to admit.

Her eyes are a fierce blue, like glacier ice.

For the most part, Arcian eschews armor, barring light leathers. Her preferences run to loose shirts and trousers, favoring mobility over protection. Though seemingly not overly concerned with appearances, she does make one concession to vanity; her earlobes are pierced with a pair of worn, unremarkable silver rings.

Physical Appearance

Arcian as of roughly six moons ago. (By Rei'li Niraj.)

■ Build: Athletic, with strongly defined musculature. ■ Height: Six fulms, four ilms. ■ Weight: Roughly two hundred ponze. ■ Skin tone: Reasonably fair for a Highlander.

■ Hair Color: Golden blonde. ■ Hairstyle: Frequently tied back in a ponytail or, more rarely, hanging loose around her shoulders. ■ Eye Color: Blue. ■ Voice: Contralto, occasionally sliding down into outright gruffness.

Personality

Strengths

The persona that Arcian does her best to project is not a wholly false one; she is entirely personable when treated with civility. Most often, she is a genuinely affable person, barring insult or provocation. Arcian is more likely to invite a stranger for a pint than to turn a cold shoulder, even if she subtly watches them like a hawk. Her loyalty, too, is neither feigned nor exaggerated. To those who have won her esteem and affection, she is a true and devoted friend, considerate of their welfare and valiant in their defense. There is a noble sort of earnestness to her staunch allegiance; those close to Arcian have a faithful ally unless they break her trust.

Despite her oafish facade, she is fairly bright, and is capable of grasping reasonably complex concepts despite her rough and incomplete education.

Defeat does not send her spiraling downwards, nor does she brood over her failures unless they are truly crushing. Failure, Arcian believes, is how one learns to be better, and so it is that she shrugs it off more often than not. This is not to say that she waves off matters of consequence; while she is more than capable of recognizing the seriousness of a given situation, she harbors a capacity for great and stubborn determination and will strive for victory until she attains it.

Flaws

Under her carefully maintained veneer of goodwill, Arcian is not terribly trusting. Past experiences have conditioned her not to open her heart to all and sundry. While she does genuinely love the people she's close to, she's guarded despite her apparent good nature, and generally will not render herself emotionally vulnerable barring exceptional circumstances, a close bond, or both.

Her insecurities run deep, especially about her appearance; she thinks of herself as brutish and grotesque, wholly undesirable, and a joke. The world has not been kind to her in matters of the heart, and she still expects any attempt at intimacy to be thrown back in her face in a gale of scornful laughter. Consequently, she is not one given to flirtation or lasciviousness, or public displays of affection beyond the minor and innocuous. Her inclinations, too, have caused her grief. She views her preference for the company of women as something abnormal, though she does not enjoy the thought of attempting to change it, and it is with some lingering guilt over her orientation that she strives to be a loving, supportive partner to Brave.

In truth, she is not so easygoing as she strives to appear. Lurking beneath her initial friendliness is a volcanic and disturbingly violent temper. While it is no longer as easy to provoke as it once was, the potential for explosive, destructive rage still lies within her, and she devotes considerable time and effort to controlling it so as not to appear a threat. It has reared its head in recent sennights, despite her best efforts.

Arcian is not above doing grim or distasteful things to protect the ones she loves. She has attacked, threatened, blackmailed, and, on at least one occasion, beat someone nearly to death with her bare hands in the name of defending those dear to her. At heart, she is deeply pragmatic; the world is not a storybook, and sometimes one must do wrong for the right reasons. Try as she might to come across as honorable, in her eyes the end tends to justify the means.

She's also a bit of a bigot when it comes to those with Garlean blood. To her, such folk are all alike: invaders and sadists all, at least until strongly proven otherwise.

Mannerisms

■ Arcian tends to respond with her eyebrows as well as verbally; they lift, knit, furrow, and occasionally make a bid for her hairline as the situation demands. ■ She has an easy smile, though most often it manifests as an outright grin. ■ When deeply distressed or angered, she'll lean towards swearing in Mhigan rather than Common. ■ Alcohol brings out her long-suppressed accent; when she's spent significant and involved time in the company of a bottle, her W's harden into V's and anything with a CH in it tends to migrate to the back of her throat.

Likes ■ People with a good sense of humor. ■ Gardening. ■ Water and the sea. ■ A pint or three every so often. ■ Good bards, harpists in particular. ■ Riding, though she's only passable in the saddle. ■ Griffins. They're powerful. They're majestic. Their chicks are crushingly adorable. Indeed, she has a weakness.

Dislikes ■ Garleans and Garlean sympathizers. ■ Slights to her homeland or bloodline. ■ Morbols. ■ Arrogance and the condescension towards her it begets. ■ Oathbreakers and traitors. ■ Any attempt to present seaweed as actual food. ■ Being given orders by anyone she sees as irredeemably incompetent. ■ Sand. ■ Firearms.

Favorites ■ Favourite Food: If it was formerly part of an animal, Arcian will likely devour it with gusto. ■ Favourite Drink: Ale. Or mead. Or whiskey. Or wine... ■ Favourite Place: The floating city of Nym. Graeham Ridgefield guided Arcian and Reima Awen through La Noscea to its shattered, overgrown ruins on the day they first met, and since then, it's become her preferred place to retreat and think. ■ Favourite Color: Sky blue. ■ Favourite Animal: Anything furry and willing to be played with. More specifically, Philippe, a lesser panda belonging to an Ishgardian friend. Arcian frequently ends up looking after the beast when his owner is otherwise occupied.

Hobbies and Talents

■ Aside from her aptitude at more serious combat, Arcian retains her skills at boxing for sport. She's capable of playing to a crowd, and either drawing out a bout or striking swiftly for a quick victory. In another life, were she more adept at conventional arms, she might have made a capable gladiator in the arena. ■ While she is quick to deny that she qualifies as an artisan, she does have some skill as a jeweler and metalworker, born out of long hours fumbling for something to occupy herself after her departure from the Resistance. Her work, while not legendary, is tasteful and surprisingly well-crafted. ■ She also has a knack for floral arrangements, thanks to picking up bits of her father's trade when young.

Combat

In battle, Arcian prefers to strike swiftly, savagely, and with overwhelming force. Her objective is not a mercifully quick end to combat, but to brutally put her opponent down in such a way that they are incapable of retaliating. In her mind there is no reason to pull punches if she's being threatened. She prefers to wield baghnakhs instead of the more common spiked knuckles or cesti; they allow her to rend and tear as well as punch. While her choice of weaponry does not play to her raw physical strength as much as a battleaxe or zweihander would, it permits her to be surprisingly quick. Many of her opponents have found themselves beaten, bloodied, and reeling after expecting naught but clumsy power from someone so large.

As she does not tend to wear heavy armor, her defense is based on evasion and mobility. Rather than blocking or taking a hit, she'll twist or duck away, then lunge in to strike again. Arcian prioritizes a relentless assault over cautious, measured combat. Her tendency towards unceasing aggression proves both an asset and a detriment. While it keeps her opponent under pressure, her ability to fight defensively suffers for it.

She is not a full Fist of Rhalgr, nor would she even dream of titling herself as such. She has, however, devoted significant time and attention to opening her chakras. This effort is one that she has struggled with in the past; she continues to have difficulty with it, even after hesitantly coming into contact with a group of monks seeking to rebuild the old order.

Arcian has only opened one chakra. Combined with her skill and experience, this is still enough for her to be a threat. Her already formidable strength and speed can rise higher still if it is drawn upon; between that capability and her fists occasionally wreathing themselves in flame during battle, she is more than capable of shredding an overconfident adversary.

In addition, she also has some skill with knives, though she is by far more adept with her fists and claws.

Biography

[The following is more than likely not known on an IC basis; if you want to do something with it, feel free to raise the subject with me and we'll discuss.]

Before the Calamity

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The youngest daughter of Sieglinde Bergfalk, a disgraced ex-Fist of Rhalgr, and Egilhard Martell, a florist, Arcian was born in Ala Mhigo during the early days of King Theodorac's purges in the winter of 1553. Her family escaped the executioner's axe by dint of their low social status. Sieglinde had been expelled from her order some ten cycles previously for killing a brother monk during a heated quarrel, and was thus somewhat of a pariah. Arcian and her sisters bore the stigma of their mother's dishonor, as did their father; his business suffered for it, and many were the times the Martell girls had to come to one another's defense in the face of jeers or cruelty from other children.

That changed with the fall of Ala Mhigo and Garlemald's occupation of its newest vassal. In the face of crushing subjugation and increasing brutality on the part of the invaders, Egilhard and Sieglinde elected to flee, taking their daughters with them. What small wealth they had managed to accumulate went into smuggling their family over the border to Gridania, where ten-year-old Solveig and six-year old Arcian ended up sprinting through the Shroud in terrified flight from an angry morbol before its swift and brutal extermination at Sieglinde's hands. After camping miserably in the woods for some sennights, the Martells eventually gave up and relocated to La Noscea.

The incident with the morbol sparked Arcian's interest in martial arts. She begged and pleaded for suns, and eventually her mother relented and agreed to instruct her in the fine art in beating the everloving shite out of things. Arcian took to her lessons with the sort of genuine enthusiasm that only grows stronger with the cycles. She grew tall, strong, and intimidating; unfortunately, her strength lent itself to rashness and aggression. Coupled with her budding insecurity about her looks and her fierce pride in a heritage looked down on by most, Arcian developed a tendency to pick fights and meet contempt with anger.

Irritated by her youngest daughter's hotheadedness, Sieglinde intensified her efforts to instill some sort of discipline in Arcian, whether martial or not. This was not only out of parental exasperation; Sieglinde's homeland still called to her, and she yearned to join the Resistance. If she could forge at least one of her offspring into someone who could accompany her and also be an asset to their motherland, why, all the better.

This did not go unnoticed. Solveig, though generally unremarkable in all but intellect, was perceptive enough to piece together her mother's motivations. Instead of confronting Sieglinde, she silently applied herself to training with knives and the lance. Arcian, for her part, ended up drifting towards the boxing ring; knowing that her youngest offspring hungered for her praise and approval, Sieglinde had expressed an interest in seeing Arcian vent her aggression in a constructive manner.

So it was that Arcian began punching people in the face for coin. Her size and strength served her well, and she attained some moderate success in the ring before her mother deemed her worthy of being an attack dog for the Resistance. In the summer of Arcian's eighteenth year, she and her mother set off for Ala Mhigo, with Solveig watchfully alongside.

In their first cycle, the three proved quite successful. Solveig grew to be an able spy and interrogator. Sieglinde, named Redhands for her calculated and shocking brutality, rose to prominence as an infamous figure in the Resistance's ranks. Arcian, bearing the blooded name of Spinebreaker and pointed where her mother and sister needed a battering ram, sabotaged and maimed and killed for her homeland, and became all the more aggressive for it.

It was not to last.

After the Calamity

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The fall of Dalamud heralded a downward spiral in the Martells' fortunes. With security tightening in the wake of the the VIIth Legion's defeat on the fields of Carteneau, things became markedly grim for the Resistance. Arrests and executions came in clusters as one operative after the next cracked under torture and gave up their cells.

Desperate, Sieglinde ordered an interrogation of her own, and her daughters snatched a sentry off the street not six bells later. His name was Justinian quo Vaelen, the young son of a prominent centurion, and his capture and death that night in 1574 set off a chain of events that ended with Sieglinde's execution by firing squad, Solveig's exile and brutal, rage-fueled beating at Arcian's hands, and Arcian herself returning to Vylbrand, disillusioned and sick with grief.

In the wake of her departure from the Resistance, Arcian struggled with her explosive anger and the psychological scarring she'd acquired from essentially fighting a guerrilla war for three cycles. She drank and fought her way through a cycle and a half before the fire in her guttered out; the nightmares and hair-trigger temper remained, however.

Lying awake tangled in the sheets one sleepless night, she came to the weary realization that this was not the person she wanted to be.

The vicious creature she was had no place in the life she wanted for herself. Arcian drew the shreds of her resolve around herself and grimly began to mold herself into someone different. She abandoned her blooded name and her Resistance connections, instead focusing on controlling her fury and smoothing her innate aggressiveness over with layers of forced affability. It was a long and arduous process, filled with slips and setbacks and bursts of frustration.

But eventually, after three cycles of intense effort and much support from her remaining family, the persona she forged for herself began to feel real.

In the spring of 1579, armed with determination and a few hundred gil, she set out for Thanalan as a way to start anew.

Present Day

Arcian currently resides with the free company known as Aeon at their headquarters in the Goblet. By all appearances, she seems content, having carved out a place for herself and her lover. Of late she has been seen more often in Ishgard than the south; if questioned, representatives of House Dufresne will confirm that yes, she has been offered a position in their employ.

Rumors Anyone whom Arcian has interacted with may feel free to add a rumor under PC rumors if they are so inclined. ◢ Common Rumors (Easily overheard) ■ "Wait, that's a woman?" ■ "She comes into the Bismarck once a cycle with a scholarly sort of fellow. He looks twice her age; I have to wonder what she's up to with him." ■ "Oh, that one? I suppose she's decent enough. Polite, for a Highlander. Not like those thugs in Pearl Lane." ■ "Twelve, look at her. Big as an ogre and probably about as smart." ◢ Moderate Rumors (Moderately difficult to overhear) ■ "Say, isn't that Martell? I bet on her once, when she used to fight in the ring; she punched a Duskwight so hard in the first round, he blacked out and dropped like a sack of popotoes. Won me a few hundred gil that night." ■ "Aye, we used to see Egilhard and his brood in Hawkers' Alley every so often about eight, nine cycles ago. Now it's just him. Guess his girls grew up and moved on, but what happened to his wife?" ◢ Rare Rumors (Very difficult or rarely overheard) ■ "Used to be that one was always spoiling for a fight. A real hellion when she was young, you get me? But she went away to gods-know-where near seven cycles ago, and when she came back after the Calamity...she'd changed. Got calmer - less likely to lock horns. Something must've happened to her, but hells if I know what." ■ "M'friend N'galzeh pierced her ears for her when she came back to Limsa. He looked fit to piss himself after she left; said it was the way she looked at him, like there'us summat under the surface trying not to explode. But eh, he's fulla shite like that normally, the dramatic little bastard. Y'know how it is with Miqo'te." ■ "I ran into her out near Summerford while some Yellowjackets were doing target practice. You should've seen her when the first volley of rifles went off; she flinched and tried to pass it off as nothing. Weird shite." ◢ PC Rumors (Rumors from the characters of other players) ■ "She likes to say she's not a good fighter, but I saw her knock somebody out with their own helmet. She's quick, and brutally efficient. Wouldn't see it coming from someone so friendly." " - Striding Oak ■ "I actually feel sorry for anyone who has to deal with her fists. Anyone stupid enough to enrage her definitely deserves a swift order of uh, what's the phrase...'Knuckle Sandwich?'" - Septhaja Hellebore ■ "She has proven to be a reliable ally and has been friendlier than many I have met during my travels. I hear she is quite the skilled combatant though she is wise enough to stay her hand and avoid picking fights where none are needed." -Graeham Ridgefield ■ "Oh, don't let her tell you that she's only some 'great lout who's only good for punching things', yes? She's a warrior when she needs to be, that's true, but...she's a stout heart to match her strength, and it's goodness, loyalty, and love that drive her." -Reima Awen ■ "If I've to choose one word to describe her? Princely. Oh, yes, it's quite deliberate. She's far more charming than she gives herself credit for, and while she's rough around the edges, she's a noble heart. Place her upon a white bird, and you've got yourself a hero." - Eliane Dufresne

Relations ♥ Romantic Interest ♥ Platonic Love ● Good Standing ● Poor Standing ♥ Brave Horizon : To Arcian, Brave has gone from acquaintance to comrade to lover over the course of almost a full cycle, and the surest way to draw her ire is to threaten her partner. With fierceness comes genuine affection, however; in Arcian's mind, there is no one she could be more fortunate to be loved by. The two of them are ardently devoted to each other. If anyone can truly be said to possess Arcian's heart, it's Brave. ♥ Eliane Dufresne : In the initial few sennights of her work in the Holy See, Arcian was rather out of her element; she knew no one, and seemed to be viewed by most as naught but yet another thuggish sellsword. A chance encounter with the heiress of House Dufresne changed that. Ellie has proven to be a lady of tremendous intellect and business acumen, and also surprisingly deep empathy. Arcian holds her in high esteem. Recent events have made her greatly concerned for her friend's welfare, however, and of late, the two can more often than not be seen together as Ellie goes about her business in Ishgard with Arcian trailing watchfully behind. ♥ Reima Awen : Reima seems to have a way of endearing herself to all and sundry, and Arcian is no exception to the rule. The little Midlander has tangled herself in Arcian's good graces by dint of charm and earnest goodwill. Despite Arcian's misgivings about Reima's romantic entanglement with Ser Draco Nobis, she wishes her nothing but the best, and quietly thinks of her as a little sister. ♥ Brynhilde Wulf : Brynhilde commands Arcian's respect for both her leadership of their free company and her commitment to honorable conduct. Her past inspires some unease in the younger Highlander, however, and between that and their shared tendency towards emotional reservation, there is a distance between them that has yet to be wholly breached. Despite this, Arcian trusts Brynhilde with her life, and privately laments the friction between her and Brave. ♥ Chip Wayman : When Arcian discovered a goblin-masked urchin lounging in Cliffperch's kitchen and gorging himself on their finest rolanberry jam, she would not have imagined herself as harboring anything more than pity for the little brat at any point in time. She turned out to be entirely wrong. Chip has endeared himself to her, and has applied himself to being her student with remarkable zest. He openly aspires to be a Fist of Rhalgr, a desire that Arcian views with mingled uncertainty and flustered, tentative pride. ● Juleaux Dufresne : Eliane's brother and a man who is entirely too clever for his own good. Arcian respects Jules' gift for remaining profoundly unimpressed by catastrophe and finds herself amused by his dry wit. She has not seen him of late, and wonders if he is alright, wherever he is. ● Graeham Ridgefield : A half-blooded Garlean and, surprisingly, one of the most upright people Arcian knows. The concept of noble knighthood seems to ring true for Graeham, and he cleaves to its ideals in his diplomatic dealings; events of late have seemingly left him shaken, though, and it is with no small amount of concern that Arcian watches him draw away from their company. Still, she views him as a good man, and finds herself mentally adding, "You know, for a halfbreed," less and less. ● Reiner Dorn : While she addresses him as nobility strictly out of politeness and societal expectation, Arcian thinks very highly of her fellow Mhigan exile. Herr Dorn, as she calls him, has done much for their people and seems to expect nothing in return. For that, Arcian affords him great respect. ● Martiallais Heuloix : Despite his apparently heartfelt exasperation with the relative disorganization of her company, Martiallais has proven himself to be an honorable man and a skilled combatant, and thus has Arcian's goodwill and respect. (It helps, of course, that Eliane is fond of him.) To her, he is truly worthy of the mantle of knighthood.

Roleplaying Connections

You might know Arcian if:

■ ...if you had an interest in the bare-knuckle boxing circuit in Limsa Lominsa around 1570-1571. ■ ...if you were involved with the Ala Mhigan Resistance between 1571 and 1574, or were familiar with Sieglinde Redhands, a particularly brutal Resistance leader. ■ ...if you've been in need of a guard or bouncer in Limsa Lominsa from 1574-1578. ■ ...if, in the past six moons, you've required the services of any sort of mercenary in the greater Thanalan area.

Contacts and Out-of-Character Information

■ This character is on the Balmung server. ■ I'm on the RPC as Arcian, if you want to contact me there. ■ My Tumblr is arcianmartell.

Footnotes

Original template by Bancroft Gairn, using modifications from an older version of that template as seen on the page for Valerie Vaulefort, and totally borrowed from Reima Awen with her permission.