Birth & Childhood[edit]
Yunari was born as a single child to her father Volker, and her mother Anselma. The latter was a weaver by trade, and on a journey to an outpost in Coerthas, she happened to meet a Sharlayan Astrologian. The man was secretive but kind, the only person in the outpost not of Ishgard, and the only one to treat her civilly. Offering her food for the road and advice, he spent an evening speaking with her of local events and barest about his celestial arts. Before she left his tulpik, he gave her a warning. He informed her she was with child, when he believed her baby would enter the world, and warned that her husband's absence would spell trouble for the child, if it were to pass. She was skeptical of his words, but thankful for his genuine kindness, and was on her way. When she returned home to Volker, she explained what she had been told. Her husband, urging her it was nonsense, then informed her he had new mercenary work. With such handsome pay, he could not turn it down, and he set out within a week.
When it came time for her baby to be born, Anselma worried, as Volker had still not returned. Saddened he would not be present for the birth of their child, she had no choice but to be alone for the ordeal, though the healers caring for her sent word to his post by porter. It became clear when the baby came into the world utterly silent that something was wrong, and immediately the mages separated mother and child, labouring for days to keep both well, the stress having brought illness to the Hyur woman as well. As if by miracle, the day that Volker arrived, in several days' time, both mother and child recovered, and the man was reunited with his wife just in time to meet what he assumed was a fighter of a son. Instead he was greeted with a daughter, and, with some disappointment, he still happily welcomed his child into the world with his lover. Anselma on that day made him swear off his brutal mercenary job, urging him to find at least a marginally safer profession, and he promised her that he would. He instead spent a time as a gladiator at the Bloodsands, retiring from that sooner than later to once again ease the worry in his wife's heart, and from there, shifted his profession to that of a Guardsman around Ul'Dah. As Yunari grew, she was taught her mother's craft of weaving, but she kept a keen and constant interest in everything her father did and spoke of.
Teenage Years[edit]
Yunari aged with health and vigor, never again suffering major maladies despite her difficulties at birth. As time went on, she continued to try to master weaving, but she never grasped the craft. Her mother attempted to soothe her growing frustrations of each failure with kind words and exotic meals, and it was thought that was the only thing that urged Yunari to continue to try. One occasion came where she was to help her mother on a noble's gown, but instead ended up destroying it, and in a fit of anger, she left the shop, disappearing for two days before she returned. This became the first of many vanishing acts, and despite punishments, questionings, and worry, Yunari did not stop these occurrences, some lasting hours, some lasting days. Only when Anselma finally broke down over her daughter one night, begging her to either let her know what she'd been up to, or at least spend more of her free time at home. Broken by her mother's pain, the young Hyur agreed, and severely cut back her mysterious outings to no more than half a sun cycle at a time.
Ever still was she in awe of tales of her father's past and present, and her begging for stories eventually turned to begging for training. Her father, however, had growing disdain of the fact that he did not have a son. This caused a rift to develop between he and his daughter, as he was convinced truly strong warriors were rarely found in women, surely not his own little girl. Over the years this built tension, and the rift grew between the two, seeming to ever damage the relationship between them. Any attempts Anselma put forth to mend the ill feelings and pain were useless. In Yunari's thirteenth year, Volker picked up a job as a bodyguard to a member of the Sultanate. Disgusted by the corruption apparent in their ranks, Yunari confronted her father, claiming to him that he had sold out for sullied coin. This spurred an argument between father and daughter, escalating to physical violence when Volker exclaimed that she would never understand, never able to be a true warrior or half the person he was because she was borne to him a daughter, rather than a son. Blows exchanged, and Yunari holding her ground surprisingly well, the fight only ended when Anselma stepped in and stunned both with the a blinding, stunning light. Shocked, confused, and bloodied, Volker and his daughter turned their attentions to the confusing display from the mature woman.
As Anselma cared for the wounds on her most beloved family, she explained that ever since the words of the Sharlayan proved true, she no longer considered him mad, and her skepticism turned to interest. Scouring any sources of information that should could, she took whatever information about Astromancy that she could find, both of Sharlayan or Ishgardian teachings. She had already unlocked several of the mentioned Heavens' Gates, and had taught herself the most basic of healing magicks, drawing from the power of the stars. She wanted to spread the truth of Astromancy around Ul'Dah, once the family could function for a time without her, but the disagreements between her only child and beloved husband had made it virtually impossible.
Ridden with guilt, as well as the love they still had for each other despite their differences, Volker and Yunari apologized on vowing to control their tempers and try to pass their differences. Yunari posed the idea of the family traveling together across all of Eorzea over time, to assist both her mother and father. Anselma could learn and teach more of the lost Astrologian arts, and her father would find work that had not stagnated, as his positions in Ul'Dah seemed to have. She then made her own confession, admitting that her long journeys out were to watch fights at the Bloodsands or to cook for the fighters under the banner of The Immortal Flames. It was her way of trying to learn the arts of war that her father refused to teach, and was how she managed to hold her own at all against him in their fight. Volker and Anselma eventually agreed to her posed idea, deciding the change may be best for all of their goals, and so, tying up their work in the Rose of the Desert, and sealing any loose ends in the city-state, the family sold their home and set off together.
Nearly four years went by, during which time they traveled around the realm, doing the work that they had all set out to do. Anselma continued her weaving as her primary profession, her Astromancy a large and growing skill and passion in her life. Volker resumed his previous work as a mercenary, though, to ensure his daughter and wife would not worry much, only took jobs that were safer in nature. Yunari still assisted her mother, and as well would go out with Anselma to forage for herbs, fruits, and vegetables, or her father on occasional hunts, trapping meats and aquatic foods. Using these fresher ingredients she would often cook where she went, earning extra coin or at times information for her respective parents. If she was lucky, she would sometimes manage to convince a well-spirited soldier, gladiator, or warrior to impart upon her some knowledge of their art. They bought a home in La Noscea, despite not often being in it as they traveled, and this was their life until strange occurrences found Eorzea. The second moon Dalamud seemed to grow bit by bit, taking more and more of the sky and blotting it out, Aetheryte crystals began morphing and spawning dangerous monsters unlike any that people had seen, and all manner of voidsent and beasts became wild, unruly, numerous, and incredibly dangerous. Perturbed as much as the next citizen of Eorzea, Anselma used her newfound passion to try to discern an answer in the Heavens, explaining what was transpiring. She learned in this time of a possible Heavens' Gate over the distant lands of Doma, and, with her family in tow to support her, she left on a trade ship for those very same lands.
Upon this ship, several important events occurred. Firstly, Yunari ran into Geisswolk Rhotgeimwyn, an opinionated and slightly zealous Roegadyn whom Yunari had encountered in the Drowning Wench years prior. That night, Geisswolk had been denouncing the names of the Sharlyan Astromancers among other topics, claiming them heretics to Ishgard, and lunatics following a dangerous path. Yunari, defending her mother's honour, asked that she stand down until she know more of what she spoke, but rather than acquiesce, the Roegadyn retorted with insults. Enraged, the Hyur began a physical confrontation with the Sea Wolf, fighting until the Yellow Jackets intervened and jailed them for the night. This had occurred many times over two years, and thus, upon the trade ship, they observed each other with a silent ferocity.
Shortly after this brief meeting, Volker pulled his daughter aside, offering to finally begin training her in the arts of war. At seventeen years of age, with nearly fourteen of that filled with relentless attempts to learn her father's skillset, and decently held her own, untrained, against her father, he could no longer deny that it was possible she make a good warrior of sorts. Beyond exhilarated, the young woman threw her arms about her father, silently crying and thanking him, and for the first time in nearly a decade they embraced. At long last, it seemed the family could be truly whole again.
Their time in Doma was short lived, and less than a fortnight passed before the Oerba family was on a return vessel headed home for La Noscea. Anselma had been unnervingly silent since their arrival and her solo trek into Doman territory, unwilling to discuss any details with even her husband and daughter. Clutching in her hand a tightly wrapped scroll, she insisted the family return home with haste, and would say nothing more. On the same eve that they left, however, while Yunari was on the deck of the ship, gazing at the stars, the vessel was fiercely attacked by what was thought to be pirate raiders. Only able to fight weakly, Yunari was quickly subdued after rescuing, of all people, Geisswolk, from being skewered, with the help of her mother.
Shortly thereafter struck a concussive blow to her head, the last thing she heard were the cries of her mother, the chaos and yells across the ship, and the distant yells of her father, all before her vision slipped to black, her face against the wooden planks beneath her.
When she finally came to, Yunari discovered she was bound tightly in nautical ropes, in some sort of corral with a dozen or so other captives. The raiders had not been pirates, but Sahagin, the aquatic Beast Tribe known to terrorize the seas.
Over months, she and the others taken alive were used for gruntwork, barely kept alive on a gruel-like slop and with bare minimum water, and often beaten into submission for any sort of rebellion or inaction. Yunari could not count the faces of her mother and father among them, and as many suns came and went, she began to lose her will, knowing in her heart that her family was dead and she would likely never see her friends again. In time, she had come to understand the Sahagin's fractured version of common tongue, and, carried by strong winds one day, she heard one threatening the few remaining boisterous captives. The latter threatened that the Lominsan Naval forces would be on their way to search for them, as they were decently ranked station. The aquatic beastman spat back that this clutch planned to let the military unit close enough just to see their kin openly executed. Instead of weakening it, this strengthen Yunari's resolve, and she set out to be more useful to her jailers, hoping to garner their favour even if only as a slave. Unfortunately this did nothing for her, until one day while she was out with her handler. Upon the back of an Elbst, they were both attacked by another Sahagin of a different shade, much to Yunari's surprise. It bound and dismounted her captor, as a Sahagin unable to swim will drown, before retreating into the sea. Rather than watch it drown and die, the Hyur actually rescued her captor without thinking, urging the Elbst to return home in the manner she'd seen other Sahagin do. Returned to the clutch, her captor from then on began to treat her better over time, giving her better rations and more water than other captives, and Yunari began recovering strength and gaining the respect of the tribe.
While in the clutches of these Sahagin, she bore witness to The Calamity. Already having witnessed the fell events, rampant monsters, and voidsent invasion, she had a front-row seat to the fall of the moon, seeing firsthand the primal Bahamut break free, flying by and, as far as she or the Sahagin could see, utterly destroying the region of La Noscea where Limsa Lominsa rested. Devastated, the captives lamented the loss of the city-state, and much of the rest of Eorzea, having seen the rampant destruction the fell Dragon seemed to have wreaked.
Some time after The Calamity, the clutch, having struggled since the event to keep even themselves fed, began to act very differently. More harsh in their usual treatment of all, even Yunari, who they had come to treat with basic civility, it was clear that they were on edge. within a moon's cycle, it became clear what had them on edge, as their father, the purported Scarlet Sea Devil himself arrived. He met with his most honoured children, among them, Yunari's handler, who among other things, spoke to Novv of her saving his life. Novv personally thanked her, and, knowing that now it was likely all she knew were dead, she questioned Novv's decision over the execution. Instead of the response she expected, Novv explained to her his story, and how his children knew not of the sacrifices of his prior clutch. He regaled her how he retired as the Scarlet Sea Devil, but his sole surviving son took the mantle, and that the raids were taking place on his clutches in a bid for territory and vengeance. The attack on the vessel she had traveled on with her family was an attempt of his own clutch to make him proud by forcing the hand of Lominsans as the Sahagin pushed for territory, as the slew of monsters and voidsent were costing them their usual homes. Thanking her for her service to his kin, he asked why she saved him, and she admitted that she was not sure if it was out of pity, or the knowledge that she needed her captor to survive. Thankful despite, Novv respected the Hyur, and vowed that his clutch would now keep the remaining captives alive and give them the option of freedom.
Adulthood[edit]
No longer with a hope of fellow "civilized" Eorzeans to return to, Yunari spent the next two or three Namesdays with the Sahagin, learning their culture and their ways from her handler, and ever growing in strength and health. The Sahagin taught her their ways of war, Novv in particular taking interest in the saviour of one of his children, taking her under his webbing. The ferocity of the Scarlet Sea Devil intensified, but every time Yunari managed to be more and more helpful in repelling their attacks at the sides of Novv's clutch, eventually earning her the nickname "Wind-Tide" from Novv, who came to view her as one of his own clutch. The other captives, as promised, had been treated far more fairly, but began to develop a deep seated hatred for the young Hyur, claiming her a spy and traitor to civilized folk. While hurt by their words, she nonetheless had come to see Novv and his clutch as a sort of family, and no words of the other old captives would sway her.
Unbeknownst to Novv's immediate clutch, too occupied by the onslaught on the Scarlet Sea Devil and his ilk, and thereby unknown to their long held prisoners of war, the rest of Eorzea had been rebuilding and recovering from the horrors of the Calamity. As it was, Lima Lominsa finally had begun sending scouting parties out to scan the edges of their territories, seeking to re-expand their reach now that the major danger was past. On one such outing, scouts of the Yellow Jackets noticed a distinct Hyur among the coralbeds, laying on the ground in tattered remnants of clothing, and bleeding. Taking note of a few other captives, and rushing back to his unit, the Miqo'te reported all he'd seen to his unit. Still short on assistance, they put a call out for experienced warriors to aide them in mounting an attack to reclaim the captives from the vicious beast tribe, and none other than a hale and healthy Geisswolk answered the call. During the briefing, they described the seen captives, and the daughter of Rhotgeim volunteered herself on the spot. Proving her prowess with Lancer's arms for them, they agreed to her joining them.
When the day came for their attack, Geisswolk, against orders, pressed on alone once they reached the coral beds, confident in her own skills and preferring to go it alone. Yunari, happening to be alone at the time, feeding an Elbst, nearly pierced Geisswolk with a shortblade as she covered the Hyur's mouth, putting her to the ground and signaling for silence before leading her aside. If only from shock, the Hyur followed, and listened to Geisswolk explain the incoming attack as she urged the Hyur to escape before the bloodshed, asking if other captives were alone. Balking, Yunari began to protest the attack, urging Geisswolk to steer the unit from her newfound family of sorts. Naturally this sparked a fight between the young women, and the noise attracted the attention of Novv's ilk, who rushed to the scene, weapons brandished. Novv himself showed, staving the arms of Geisswolk and his eldest as they aimed to strike blows on one another, Yunari also aiding in halting the Sea Wolf. Unable to move and in a vulnerable position, the Roegadyn was forced to listen to the Hyur's tale, with understandable heaps of disbelief, hatred for the Sahagin in her eyes. It was only when the Scarlet Sea Devil's spawn chose that moment to attack Novv's clutch, and the elder Sahagin took a blow that would otherwise have slain the Lancemaiden where she was held, that she began to have an onze of belief in the tale of her Hyur rival. One of the fiercest battles either woman had been in unfolded then, the Yellow Jackets and their hired help attacking shortly after hearing the outcries from the captives as the Scarlet Sea Devil's force stormed the coral beds. In the chaos, all but a few of the captives retained their lives, ushered out by Geisswolk and Yunari before the pair turned their attentions on the remaining Sea Devil Spawns. Fighting until all of the attackers were dead, mimicking the Sea Devil's own take-no-prisoner approach out of need, Geisswolk returned to the Yellow Jackets to urge them to return to Limsa Lominsa, while Yunari urged Novv to retreat with his kin for a time. Both parties obliged, weakened by the war, though Novv stayed on to ensure all were gone. It was then that Geisswolk convinced Yunari to return to "civilized" society, recapping the events of the Calamity and all she knew of that had ensued since. Convincing the Hyur that if the Roegadyn had survived the tradeship's inevitable wreck, it was possible her parents had as well. The assistance of the Oerbas in sparing Geisswolk her death was in fact, as she stated, the very reason she came to return Yunari to Eorzea proper, feeling a debt owed to them for their protection. After hours of discussion and debate, the Hyur finally said her goodbyes to Novv with much reluctance, and promises to return from time to time. The leader of the clutch gifted her with one of his finest Elbsts, as well bestowing Geisswolk a fine coral trident wielded by the slain Sahagin, a sign of his thanks and neutrality to her for her assistance and willingness to spare his kin.
Her return to society was anything but easy, however, as having spent nearly four years and the start of her adulthood under the grip or care of the aquatic Beast Tribe, she had almost forgotten how "normal" society functioned. The intricacies, the politics, the social obligations, even clothing and hobbies all seemed overwhelming to the Hyur. Now roughly twenty-one, she spent time learning how to be a proper Hyur once more, with and without the assistance of Geisswolk. Despite their differences, the two grew to be inseparable, either fighting or assisting one another endlessly throughout the years, never seeming to feel that they had repaid the debts owed to one another. Re-bonding with several other friends helped her as well, and by the time she was twenty-two, nearing twenty-three, she was once again comfortable in her old society.
During this time, her faith in the life of her parents faltered, and she turned more to her Patron Deity for guidance. Always it had been Oschon, The Wanderer, as she was prone to the very habit, and her father had strongly followed his faith as well. Having picked up in the footsteps of her father, she worked jobs guarding shops or citizens, though unlike her father she remained in La Noscea to do so, though she avoided the docks of Limsa Lominsa as often as possible. In her spare time from this work, she would often pore over textbooks of Oschon, some part of her believing that proper guidance from her Patron God would lead her to find her family.
Fighting with Geisswolk also led to a discovery that had long been overdue. She realized that she had a love of the fight, to trade blows with a worthy adversary, and in truth she had caught herself starting conversations that were guaranteed to spark fire in Geisswolk's eyes. Eventually, she took time to travel to the Bloodsands, signing up as a pit fighter, blowing the judges of admittance away with displays of strength and vigour. Her time fending for her life, training under the watchful eyes of Novv, and sparring with her Roegadyn rival had all paid off well, harbouring within her a deep seated strength in pugilistic arts, as oftentimes she had to learn to fight with no arms provided. Using those skills, she took to the sands, earning herself a name as a pit fighter, winning far more often than she lost. Bringing her winnings back with her to La Noscea, she continued the hobby there, often in underground fighting rings.
In the end of her twenty-fourth year, Yunari was pulled aside after a winning streak claimed her some semblance of renown. She was given a message from an old friend of her father's one who knew her as a child, and the man was shocked to see her still breathing. Having been in Ul'Dah, he had heard of her glory on the Bloodsands and had sought her out, but because she left so soon, he lost the trail. Only when she began winning in an underground ring in the Black Shroud did word travel of her whereabouts again, and, being a gladiator himself, the Miqo'te soon was hot on her trail again. When she asked why he was so keen to see her, hoping upon hope he had news of her parents' whereabouts, he solemnly replied that he did. From a pouch at his side, he withdrew an ornate wooden box, water-damaged, scuffed, but adorned with symbols of Nophica. Instantly, Yunari recognized it, and, gingerly taking it from him, opened the box. Within, stained with blood, lay an unmistakable deck of tarot that once belonged to Anselma. The gladiator explained to her how the cards had come into his posession when the wreck of the tradeship beached on a shore with some survivors, such as Geisswolk, aboard. When the ship was searched, among the bodies and the wreckage, that deck box was discovered. The Hyur thanked the Seeker, ending their meeting with haste and some pleasantries, which the Miqo'te understood, before retreating to her inn room. The deck was a sure sign that at least Anselma was dead, leaving no hope in Yunari's heart for the whereabouts of Volker. Unable to contain or handle her emotions, utterly shattered by the death of her mother, the Hyur took her leave of the city-states, disappearing without mention to any who knew her.
Present Day[edit]
In current days in the realm of Eorzea, Yunari has devoted much of her time to rediscovering her place in the world. She seeks any traces she can of The Twelve, eager to have aide in her discovery through the guidance of her chosen deity, Oschon. This has led her to reside temporarily at Camp Bronze Lake, the nearest settlement to the infamous Wanderer's Palace, branded with the symbol of her God quite clearly. Between her introspective musings and assistance of the locals, she has begun to occasionally practice the arts of Astromancy, though the loss of her mother has made it difficult for her to even look at Anselma's cards. She never ceases to keep her culinary skills or her physical form sharp, however, cooking for travelers that come from distant lands, and training herself at the shores of the great lake, shadowed by the derelict temple. Aside from this, she has never forgotten her experiences with the beast tribes, nor the years of her life that she was, for all intents and purposes, lost to her own society, the thoughts produced by the events never leaving her mind.
