Rinslet Branwen

From RPC Library
Revision as of 20:00, 5 August 2015 by Rinslet (talk | contribs) (Update after fantasia)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Ul'dah-transparent.png Rinslet Branwen
Rin Shot.jpg
Gender Female
Race Au Ra
Clan Xaela
Citizenship Ul'Dah
Age 27
Height 5' 5"
Weight 160 Pz
Profession Tracker, Hunter, Gatherer
Marital Status In a relationship
Family Father: Ozmund Branwen (Deceased), Mother: Summer Branwen (Deceased)

Rinslet is a well trained Archer, with near-perfect aim - but only under the right circumstances. She was born in Ul'dah, but moved to Doma as a child, and was raised there for some 12 years. Afterward, she returned to Ul'dah, and eventually took up learning archey in Gridania. Her father's death saw her return to Ul'dah 2 years ago, and she now resides in the Goblet with the Radical Dreamers Free Company.

Appearance

Rinslet's appearance is that of a pretty standard Xaela Au Ra. She's a bit tall for a Xaela, and has a slim, but lithe form. While she isn't particularly well-muscled, her body conceals quite a bit of strength, especially in her back and shoulders, all developed from her constant training with a bow. Upon close inspection, despite her smooth body, there's strong muscle underneath.

Rin has taken up a small habbit of changing her hair on occasion, more so since she's been told it's turned gray. While her hair pale grey now with darker reddish brown streaks through parts of it, it used to be reversed. She keeps it neat as best as she can, but the ends of her hair are often uneven and somewhat messy.

Her most easily notable feature are her eye, and their dead, pale grey look. She generally keeps her eyes shut to prevent any dust, dirt or other particle from entering them; she is blind and therefore does not have a blinking reflex when things get near. When her eyes are actually open, though, her irises are a pale grey, matching her hair. Upon close inspection, it's possible to see long, jagged scars hidden around her eyes, that stem from her eyes themselves.

Lastly, she carries a scar on her lower back - a painful reminder of her blindness - and she is quite bothered by the scar, and doesn't like to let people see it.

History

Rin was born blind. She was raised in a rather average household run by a merchant father in Ul'dah, and her early childhood remains fond memories for her, despite the challenges that came with being blind. She was always under the tutelage of some private teacher that took her blindness into account.

Around when she turned 4, her father struck a big deal and the family became quite wealthy. Enough so that her father, seeing his daughter having a tough time due to her blindness, began to search for ways to attempt to alleviate the "problem". This first came in ways of expensive medicines and eye drops said to remove curses and blindness-causing magics. When those all failed, he turned away from alchemical solutions and toward magical ones, tasking healers and other various adepts with figuring out some way to assist Rin with sight.

By the time she was 5, her father had exhausted all the possibilities he could come up with. His merchantry was still going well, and as his name spread, so did rumors of his searching for a cure for blindness.

Within that same year, a theorist and mechanic pair approached him with an idea, more so than a solution. Using the same technology that was used in the goggles that allowed users to see Aether, they thought that they could use similar lenses and techniques to allow Rin to see Aether. While it wouldn't be the same as traditional sight, it would at least allow her the freedom to walk around without walking into things.

The two men that approached her father produced contact lenses within two weeks for her to try. They had to be tweaked for this particular use, but they were certain that they would work. And, when tested, they were proved only half right. While the lenses didn't work at first, the theorist tried something slightly different. By manipulating Aether through the lenses to make them operate, he also sent a small strand of Aether through the lenses into Rin's eyes themselves. When she started going nuts, they knew they had succeeded. However, it didn't last. Without some way to connect the lenses directly to her eyes, they wouldn't actually confer any sight to her.

Rin's father, driven near mad by the possibility that she could see, suggested something completely outlandish to the two men - perform a surgery to implant the lenses directly into Rin's eyes. Though they were concerned for the young girl, they were just as curious about the possibilities, and Rin's father offered them far too much money to turn down.

They found the best healers and surgeons they could and went ahead with the plan. Without letting Rin know what was happening, they had the healers put her to sleep, and got to work. And once the surgery was done, Rin tooks weeks to recover. Her eyes were presumably badly damaged, potentially beyond repair, and remained covered in bandages for almost a year. Even worse, due to where the incisions were, during the recovery period, if Rin were even upset, her crying would induce blood flow to stream from the scars.

Half way through her recovery, her father finally came to his senses one night when he saw her cry. He made plans to take some time off from his work, leaving a steward to carry out his trading, and took himself, his wife, and Rin to Doma - a place he had heard was relaxing and would be good for Rin's recovery.

Doma was mostly peaceful and did, indeed, help Rin relax. Given some time, Rin's recovery went well, and she thankfully was becoming less and less scared and traumatized as well.

When her bandages came off finally things changed. Her eyes were not in as bad shape as they originally had thought, even though the scars remained quite visible. She was able to open and close her eyelids without pain, and her eyes themselves had the same range of motion that any normal person's. A few days after the regular doctors took a look at her, Rin was taken to a healer to give her a once over with a magic-assisted critical eye.

In the instant that the healer took to examining her with the use of Aether, Rin's sight sprung to life. As long as Aether was being fed through the lens, her eyes could see any Aether around her for quite some distance - though the distance varied with the amount of Aether fed into the lens. This time, instead of losing himself, Rin's father was only grateful. Once the discovery was made, he found Rin a teacher who could teach her to manipulate Aether as well as teach her some magic.

They found out quickly that, wile Rin had incredible talent for Aether manipulation, her ability to transform the Aether into spells was less than bad. So, instead of attempting to teach her magic, her tutor instead taught her advanced techniques in Aether manipulation.

By the time Rin was 8, she was able to freely use her new Aether-sight. Her ability to manipulate Aether was incredibly advanced, helped along by her ability to see the Aether around her.

Rin and her family lived in Doma until she turned 18. In the 12 or so years that they lived there, Rin was schooled in their ways, learning the customs and way of life of the Domans. Even her parents took well to the slower life-style they lived. To this day, Rin is still heavily rooted in a strange amalgamation of Ul'dahan ways, and Doman traditions.

When they did return to Ul'dah, however, they adjusted just as well. Rin and her family took much back with them in the way of furniture, tradition, and foods, but found themselves just as at home with Ul'dah. Her father picked up his merchant business again, finding that the steward he left in charge actually streamlined his business and helped out immensely.

Rin's mother took up her sewing and weaving again, finding her skills actually improved due to the relaxing inner-self she had nurtured while in Doma.

Rin took to exploring. With the use of her Aether-sight, she was able to wander Thanalan safely. She kept a guard nearby at all times just in case, but often she could see danger well before it approached.

Her constant exploring and use of her Aether-sight took a toll on her body, though. She only ever used it in Doma when necessary, but instead learned to function without sight at all. Her constant exploration of Thanalan, however, put an intense burden on her eyes. While the first few weeks of use were ok, she started going to sleep with an intense pain behind her eyes each night, and found that they stung terribly during the day. But it didn't stop her adventurous spirit, and she continued to explore.

Unfortunately, the burden on her eyes ended up being too much. She eventually found herself in so much pain on night that she started crying again, and found that, for the first time in 12 years, she was crying blood. With flashbacks to her traumatized 5-year-old self, she stopped all use of her eyes and locked herself in her room for days.

Two weeks passed, then three, and the pain in her eyes subsided. Finally over it again, she once more tried to explore. This time, however, she was unable to get through an entire day's worth of use out of her eyes. Around midday, her eyes began to sting; scared, she nearly immediately ceased use of them, and returned home.

Over the course of the next few days, she practiced her sight, finding that any extended use brought her pain. So, instead, she started to use it less and less, only when needed.

When Rin turned 21, she decided to strike out on her own. She traveled with one of her father's merchant convoys to Gridania, and lived there for a while. She began training with the Archer's Guild, and found that her Aether-sight made her effective range much greater than your average archer. She put her all into training her aim, and got better consistently. She would practice every day until her eyes started to give out, and even after that continued to practice her shooting form under the direction of senior members.

Within three years, her aim was near perfect, as long as she was able to use her Aether-sight. Half way through her training, she also took to learning how to track and hunt, which her Aether-sight also helped with immensely. After a year of training as a tracker, she learned to track without her sight, relying on her other senses, which were still stronger than your average Hyur.

By her 25th year, Rin was a top member of the Archer's guild, and was helping out regularly with requests that they took. One of these requests had her and a small team of archers tracking down and taking care of a pack of poachers making base near Everschade in the Central Shroud. Rin made use of her eyes to help track them to their HQ, and they made their attack.

During the tussle, Rin had to stop using her Aether-sight for a moment due to some pain in her eyes from extended use. During this brief moment, one of the poachers managed to get behind her and dealt her a fair blow to her lower back, dragging a kukri across her back. She immediately lashed out and put an arrow through the woman's skull, but was nonetheless injured badly enough that she could no longer fight. She struggled to keep her sight active, and removed any threats that approached her.

After the fight was over, Rin was taken back to Gridania and treated by healers. While the damage done was taken care of, there remains a scar, a constant reminder of Rin's shortcomings in combat.

While she was recuperating from the wound, as if to rub salt in it, a letter came from home, letting her know that her father had taken ill during a trip and wouldn't be returning. She found herself surprisingly okay even with this news - she thought her father had lived a fulfilling life, even if he wasn't all that old.

After recovering for a few weeks, she caught a ride home to Ul'dah and her mother. With her father gone, the merchant business had fallen to the wayside, and no one was able to keep up with the amount of work he had been doing. Rather than try to keep it up, Rin's mother had decided to instead quit while ahead. She took the small fortune they had, sold their extravagant house, and instead bought a small house in the Goblet. Rin lived with her for a while to make sure she was on her feet, but eventually moved out and began living in and operating from the Quicksand as an adventurer, hunter, tracker, and forager.


Now, at the age of 27, Rin's life is somewhat changed. Her mother passed shortly after her father, simply unable to carry on without him. Rin inherited the family's money, or what was left of it, and her mother's house in the Goblet. Despite owning the land and the furnishings within, she seldom visits the place, just holding onto it in the hope that she can one day share it with a loved one.

Instead, after living in the Quicksand's Inn for two years, she found herself itching to branch out. She found an ad of sorts for the Dreamers, a Free Company based out of the Goblet, who had extra rooms to spare. Chasing down the promise of a potential home and place to live, she dropped by the Company's house, and joined them nearly on the spot.

Having lived there for a fair amount of time, she found herself unconsciously drifting back to her mother's house and has since made it her own, moving between the Free Company's house and there frequently, often even splitting where she sleeps rather evenly.


In a cruel twist of fate, Rin has recently found her Aethersight more and more dangerous. The strain placed upon her eyes has become much worse, and her ability to use it for extended periods is waning quickly, due to no particular use, but likely just general wear and tear. After a particularly bad instance where she was in severe pain after assisting a small group of Woodwailers fight off the Ixali, Rin has more or less ceased all ambient use of the sight. While she used to keep a small bit working to keep herself vaguely aware of her immediate surrounds (it's how she got around without a walking stick), she has since stopped to prevent further damage to her eyes for when they become necessary.

Instead, Rin came upon a small sliver of hope. Remembering back to her days in Othard, she recalled the Auri and their ability to use their 'horns' as sensory organs to get a sort of sixth sense to be aware of their immediate surroundings. While first trying to contact mechanics who may be able to assist in the creation of a similar device, she was given the chance to come by a Fantasia.

While she didn't believe in the substance's power herself and thought it was merely a legend, she took the chance anyway, and sought it out. Through the help of an alchemical brew that was meant to help her control her dreams - and thus, hopefully, the change - she took the potion and slept.

When she awoke the next morning, the change seemed to have taken hold, and Rin found herself with the body of a Xaela. While much of the new form would take time to get used to, and the new horn-based sense would take time to hone properly, it did seem to work to a degree.

Her new-found body was shorter than she was used to, but much of her appearance hearkened back to her old Hyur self, her features merely sharper and more intense than before, though still recognizable. The scales also would take some time to get used to, and while the presence of the tail would as well, she found herself moving it unconsciously.

Personality

Rin's personality is pretty volatile, changing depending on her mood. If she's feeling down or melancholic, she'll be quiet, reserved, and much less personable. If she's in a good mood, she'll be talkative, easy-going, and maybe even crack a few of her own blind jokes. Usually though, she falls somewhere in between.

In addition, she's cautious and not as forthcoming with people she's not used to, but will warm up to people fairly quickly.

Affiliations

Member of the Radical Dreamers Free Company

Characteristics

  • Nicknames: Rin
  • Nameday: 5th Sun of the Third Umbral Moon (7/5)
  • Sexuality: Interested solely in women - sorry guys!
  • Marital Status: Single and searching
  • Hair: Brown with pale Grey
  • Eyes: Pale Grey

Likes

  • Tracking / Hunting
  • Testing herself
  • Eating (game-y meats are her favorite)
  • Incense
  • Relaxing / Meditation
  • Rain / Snow
  • A good blind joke

Dislikes

  • Over-complicating things
  • Whiners
  • Being babied
  • Being underestimated
  • Books (just on principle)

Areas of Expertise

  • Martial: Archery, Aetherial Manipulation (but not any form of magic)
  • Crafting: None to really speak of
  • Other: Gathering, Foraging, Tracking

Strengths

  • Pinpoint accuracy, if using her Aether-sight
  • Aether-sight itself
  • Strengthened senses due to blindness
  • Fights well in the dark!
  • Tracking / Hunting skills

Weaknesses

  • Blindness
  • Limited use of her Aether-sight
  • Occasionally clumsiness
  • Virtually useless in a melee fight
  • Unable to differentiate friend from foe in a large scale battle without direction

Other Notes

Religion

Not particularly religious, but will occasionally offer a prayer to the Wanderer to see her through.


Quirks

She really hates being babied or coddled. Especially during a tense moment if someone thinks she is unable to take care of herself.


Equipment

She carries a warped and knobbed wooden longbow wrapped with strange designs, along with matching arrows and a quiver on her waist.

Her clothes tend to be pretty standard fair for those in the Archery Guild, and occasionally she'll wear other assorted regular clothes. She is also the proud owner of an oversized straw hat that has been treated for waterproofing, which she often wears if rain is a possibility.

Rumours

The following rumours can be heard about Rin, predominantly in Ul'dah, the Goblet, or Gridania.

Common rumours

  • "Oh, that poor Branwen girl. I remember when her father just went crazy over her blindness..." -Weaving guild member
  • "She's one hell of a shot with that bow of hers - I don't give a damn if she is blind." -Archery guild member
  • "I heard that she inherited some of her father's business sense. Good on her if she did - that man was brilliant." -Ul'dahan merchant

Uncommon rumours

  • "Supposedly that Rin girl has some weird method to see...it's kinda creepy." -Street urchin in Ul'dah
  • "One time I saw her training just outside Gridania. And get this - her eyes were glowing!" - Gridanian citizen
  • "I happened to see her fall once, and her shirt hiked enough for me to see something on her back. I think it was a scar." -Ul'dahan worker

Rare rumours

  • "Rin has a tortured past. She was forced into an untested surgery as a girl. I saw her cry blood." -Old house maid
  • "I know she lived in Doma for a while, and picked up many of their customs. Her room still has Doman furniture." -Housekeeper

PC Rumors

  • Let me know if you want to add something!

Known Haunts

You might have run into or otherwise know Rin from:

  • Ul'dah
  • The Quicksand
  • The Goblet - The Radical Dreamers' House
  • The Archer's Guild

OOC Inspirations

The original inspiration for me to play a blind character actually came from this song:

Killer Song, By Jun Maeda and Nagi Yanagi

However, the idea took a long time to fully form, and once I made the transition to wanting the character to be female, the immediate response in my head was to go...

Blind badass? Toph. And thus the bulk of Rin's personality morphed almost immediately from there, and now she is who she is.

References