Lheon'ya Nkhalamu
| Lheon'ya Nkhalamu
| |
 '"If only you had the Echo, then you'd realize how many 'pirates' you've dispensed pleasantries with."' | |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | Miqo'te |
| Clan | Keeper of the Moon |
| Citizenship | Unaffiliated |
| Age | 28 |
| Height | 5’8.2” |
| Nameday | 25th Sun of the 6th Umbral Moon |
| Occupation | Pirate (Realm Mapper) |
| Server | Balmung |
| Pronunciation | /lā-ôn'yə/ (Lei-ohn-nya) |
“You'd be surprised what a man can live with when death is the only other option."
—Leon VIII
LEON VIII, real name Lheon'ya Nkhalamu, is a player character in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. He is a pirate Mediator who travels all over Eorzea with his Free Company. Lheon'ya, due to his business with many unsavory folks, has become the go to source for information regarding the recent mysterious events in Eorzea. When his livelihood goes awry, Lheon'ya finds himself a part of a conflict between political forces that could lead to war.
"It's all in the wind once you've realized that this realm is helmed by people no smarter than you."
—Leon VIII
Leon VIII is 70.2 ilm tall and has Brown hair and and a face scar. He sports mostly fine material but doesn't like to dress too imposing. He wears accessories like earrings and rings.
Leon VIII is a quick witted, dashing man with a sharp tongue and an even cynically expressive brow. Lheon comes across as Self-centered and pragmatic but his trust in the core members of his crew is never put to doubt. Despite his Egotistic remarks and cunning display of apathy, Lheon has proven time again that he is a man of solid principles and that his kind-heartedness is masked by his selfish demeanor.
Opinionated and strong-willed, Lheon is very influential and has a charming cruelty to him that people receive as either extremely bold and confident or excessively arrogant and smug.
Early Life
1549 Born under the 25th Sun of the 6th Umbral Moon in Southern Thanalan, Leon, as Lheon'ya Nkhalamu is the only son of Lohn'a, a Miqo'te Cartographer, and the 8th son of Mair Nkhalamu, Nkhalamu Matriarch. In 1567, ten years before a Realm Reborn begins, Nkhalamu tribe matriarch
along with her children, moved out of the Forgotten Springs in search of a better life while Lohn'a left his son long ago to fulfill his dream of mapping the realm.
After many moons across the desert they reached Ul'dah but were sore to find that what little bite of prosperity they had hoped was on the dine of the syndicate. Ul'dah's seemingly merry streets fetched them little coin. Mother and children found themselves working for the Eastern Aldenard Trading Company (EATC) and at last they've stumbled upon meek stability in the Silver Bazaar.
East Aldenard Trading Company
Life was hard for many in the desert sands of Thanalan and Maria'an and her son were no exception to this harsh rule of the central sands. Mair and her children did what little they could to survive, smoking out Eft filled caves to make temporary shelter for themselves when the rains come otherwise simply bearing the heat of the usual Thanalan air. Mair took it upon herself to take every job she could, from waiting tables at the Coffin and Coffer to hunting Orobons, anything just to feed her son and keep her going for the next day. When Lheon'ya became old enough to work, which by syndicate standards is around 8 years old, he started begging for scraps in Ul'dah then grew up into bigger modus operandi. It didn't take long for young Lheon'ya to earn the name "Street Gil Lenny".
Tired of the street rat racket, Lheon'ya applied himself and got into the business of trading, starting off with manual work at the East Aldenard Trading Company. Hans educated himself in the ways of the trade and soon found himself overseeing transactions. He was "Street Gil Lenny" no longer, by the time he was 17 he earned the nickname "Gil-tongue Lhen". Making a reasonably good living, Lheon'ya was anything but satisfied. The Syndicate had more pull in the economy than what the surface emanates. Lheon'ya knew that the only way he was ever going to make something of himself was to find a way into the Syndicate's good favor. Getting into business with unsavory folks was more than just tough act and weasel heart, it took an industrious mind to make place for yourself in an already risky endeavor. And Lheon'ya found his niche.
Lheon'ya found his way into the Sultana's Notary public office. From there he learned much that needed to know about transacting trade in and out of the gates of Ul'dah. Through this he created trade processes that allowed syndicate goods to enter the Sapphire Exchange in Ul'dah herself, all within legal parameters that benefited said unsavory folks. For this Lheon'ya and his mother lived good in Ul'dah. But sadness came upon Lheon'ya when his mother became incredibly ill. All the excessive fatigue and history of illness Maria'an had seemed to have caught up with her. That and the fact that her heart ached everyday at the thought of her husband.
In 1571, Mair Nkhalamu died leaving Lheon'ya and his siblings alone.
A Realm Reborn
"I was born a Pirate without a sea. And I didn't know it yet until I actually saw that beautiful expanse of water."
-Leon VIII
Six years before a Realm Reborn, Lheony'a decided to leave Ul'dah, took on the name "LEON VIII", and start a grander life looking at the great expanse of water offered only in La Noscea. Lheon'ya brought his business to Limsa Lominsa and put up his own firm on her lower decks. The Bunansa Notary Public Firm was established where Lheon'ya does business with pirates and scammers alike and make nifty gil mediating their transactions. Lheon'ya became so adept in this business that it took no time before he had eyes on almost all Pirate transactions in and out of Limsa Lominsa.
In 1577, Lheon'ya along with his crew was conducting business as usual until rumor was going around that there have been transactions that reeked of Garlean threat. Lheon'ya held no loyalty towards any of the Realm's great companies but a Garlean invasion could throw his whole operation as well as the pirate economy into chaos.
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Bosiant of the Gold
The Masterwork Goldsmith
A lalafell Master Goldsmith who is Lheon'ya's mentor. When Lheon'ya was a young man he was taught the ways of the great Ul'dahn market and goldsmithing from a wise merchant and goldsmith extraordinaire, The great Bosiant of the Gold. Known for training plenty of would be goldsmiths into master of their own rights, Bosiant is not only a great businessman and crafter but is a generous philanthropist, a trait known only by his apprentices. Rumor has it that he was once a Hyur until a witch cursed him which explains his Lalafell state.
"Just like my ambitions, I shoot far and true."
-Leon VIII to a band of brigands
Lheon'ya is a "pen over sword" kind of man but in the pirate business one cannot do without at least a little scuffle with your common lowlife. Lheon'ya favors distance and tactical delivery over brawn and roughness. Whether it be an Miqo'te trait or not, Crista'an does excel on the bow than with any other weapon. Considering Archery to be finer among other Disciplines of War, Lheon'ya places much value in form and grace. His journey in Archery began in 1573 when Lheon'ya had made business with the Redbelly Conspirators in the Quarrymill. This lead to his meeting with Buscarron and the cessation of hostility against the Druthers. Having mediated the events that transpired in the South Shroud, Lheon'ya was gifted an archery set from the Redbelly Hunters to which he uses pridefully.
Despite Lheon'ya's more current falling out with the martial approach to combat, there was a time when he was nothing more than a pugilist. Not formally trained, Lheon'ya learned how to fight much like any other child of Thanalan: using fist and body.
Common Rumors
"Looking for anything that's got anything to do with shady business? Head on over to the VIIIth's, he's got the story on everybody here. Psst... You didn't hear that from me, got it?"
-Shady Yellow Jacket
"Maelstrom's got their hands full trying to outwit that guy. Beating the Lawmen with their own laws... Would you imagine that!"
-Limsa Lominsa Citizen
"Never been the type to suffer Pirates much more side with 'em, but it sure would be a lot rowdier 'round here if that guy wasn't around tha's for sure."
-Drowning Wench Self-righteous Drunkard
"I know of that guy... Used to be called 'Street Gil Lenny' back in the day."
-Ul'dahn Old-Timer
"Pirate Mediator? Can't miss him. He walks around with one of them Duskwight Dames."
-Buscarron's Druther Waiter
Moderate Rumors
"Leon?... Yeah we know him. But we ain't selling out the few good men we know just for some flawed idea of justice."
-Blackbrush Station Porter
"Leon VIII always comes around and haves us sit around and listen to the people talk. Pays us nifty gil for it too."
-Coffer & Coffin Orphan kid
"Leon VIII? What kind of a name is that?"
-Mor Dhona Resident
Rare Rumors
"I know of a 'Nkhalamu' but she ain't no gent. Was an old lass that went by that name. Worked taking care of Syndicate Chocobos. Not sure if she had a little boy or anything..."
-Silver Bazaar New Resident
"The Navigator appalls! I think that might be him... Scar-faced pirate I tell ya. Twelve forbid..."
-Old Lominsan Fisherman
"I'll have that one's head! We need to keep afloat in times like these and his bounty will do nicely for us..."
-Mamool Ja Conspirator
