Willam Hicke
| Willam Hicke | |
| |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | Hyur |
| Clan | Highlander |
| Citizenship | Ul'dah (formerly Ala Mhigo) |
Contents
Character
General
Appearance
Willam’s form has been shaped and hardened by a hard life. While he keeps himself clean and reasonably well-shaven, Willam tends to be covered in the dirt and grime of a long day’s work. His eyes are the eyes of a man much older than him, tired yet warm. His hair is kept short, cut close enough to the scalp to be almost invisible, with carefully-shaven patterns of completely bald skin here and there.
Willam’s outfit is perfect for the labor the man often finds himself doing to scrape by in Ul’dah and the surrounding areas. Hard boots, thick gloves, a bandanna either tied around his head or used as a makeshift scarf to keep the sand away. As his work is most often done under the scorching sun, he prefers to remain shirtless, revealing several scars on his chest, back, and forearms.
Personality
Willam’s friendly enough, but doesn’t go out his way to be social. He offers waves to those he knows and nods to those he doesn’t. Willam, in the last few years, has learned to love life. He’s more often than not got a smile on his face. Willam finds that the best way to vent your frustration or just 'cool off' after a hard day is a proper fight, and a good brawl puts him in even better spirits, even if he does get the tar beat out of him. During friendly bouts, Willam often lets out big, almost maddened guffaws and refers to himself as "Willam Godsdamned Hicke."
He’s a fierce patriot, going out of his way to support the reclamation of Ala Mhigo however he can. In addition, he often offers up thanks or prayers to Rhalgr the Destroyer or pays his patron god respect through fighting or whittling away at small wooden effigies.
Combat
General
Willam, in his heart of hearts, has never known a fair fight. Flinging sand into someone’s eyes, hiding a spare knife in your boot, anything is fair game. He prefers fighting in cities, places crowded enough to blend in for a while, letting him learn the layout of the streets and use it to ambush or escape as needed. If he suspects his opponent to be Garlean he loses himself, going out of his way to disfigure his victim by gouging eyes or slicing digits, always making sure that they make it back alive as a warning to the rest.
Tendencies
Likes
- Brawling
- Hearty meals
- An honest day's work
Dislikes
- Sweets
- Elezen
- Garleans
Hobbies/Talents
- Willam enjoys whittling and can often be found working bits of wood into little trinkets.
- Willam tends to spend his time with (not-quite) his chocobo, Beaksie.
- Willam often takes walks through Ul'dah, looking for work.
Relationships
Family
Agdi Hicke - Will's younger brother who dreamed of joining the Fists of Rhalgr. He was killed during the uprise against King Theodoric. Will honors his fallen sibling on his nameday, keeping to himself and tending to a small memorial stashed away in the depths of Pearl Lane.
Gunnar Hicke - Will's father, a once prosperous textile merchant in Ala Mhigo. While he survived the tyrannical rule of the King of Ruin, Agdi's death took a heavy toll on the man. He grew sick and passed not long after. Will is often thankful that his father never lived to see Ala Mhigo fall to the Empire.
Mari Hicke (née Hunter) - Will's mother. A tailor of considerable skill, she helped bolster Gunnar's inventory with finely-sewn tunics and robes. She outlived her husband, only to lose her life during the exodus from Ala Mhigo.
Friends
Altani Dataq'Kahkol - A Xaela girl that Willam took in about five years ago. He considers himself a father figure and while they often (literally) butt heads, he loves the girl like his own family.
Enemies
Garleans - Willam hates nothing more than the Garlean Empire, almost to the point of irrationality. During his darkest moments, he travels a bit further from the city than usual, in hopes of running into a Garlean soldier that's wandered too far from their post.
"Well-offs" - Despite being from a well-off family himself, Willam cannot stomach what he calls "well-offs." While he doesn't hate them to the point of actual violence (anymore), he'll often go out of his way to bump into smug well-offs or somehow otherwise make their day just a bit worse.
Rumors
Common Rumors
- Some say he gutted a poor bastard and left 'em for dead.
- Why'd he adopt that lizard? I've heard that one of his own kids died and this is his way of atoning.
- Have you seen him fight? It's like a man possessed.
Moderate Rumors
- He sneaks away sometimes, I wonder what he's up to...
- They say he collects scalps of Garlean soldiers, hides 'em in that little hideaway of his.
Rare Rumors
- He went by the Alchemist's Guild once and came out with a big ol' grin on his face. How'd he manage afford their services?
PC Rumors
Note: Feel free to add your own!
History
Willam was born to a well-off family in Ala Mhigo and lead a happy life. He was a good lad, outgoing and friendly. As a boy, Will often pretended to be a gladiator, “Willam the Brave,” acting as the bulwark between his friends and their imaginary foes. However, Will aged and the world around him grew tense as King Theodoric began his purges and gained control over the city-state. The young man and his companions were a small, rather insignificant part of the rebellion against the King of Ruin. In truth, they may have wounded a handful of loyalists, at best.
Will watched his friends – whose afternoons were spent emerging victorious against make-believe behemoths – fall to the King’s men like the inexperienced, over-confident children that they were. It was this that caused him to take up his first actual shield and lead those few battered comrades that remained toward the heart of the city-state, only to find that the King of Ruin took his own life long before they'd even set out on their personal warpath. Will grieved and mourned the friends and family he had lost, but his life would go on.
Five years later, the Garlean invasion took what was left of the man’s loved ones, forcing him and thousands of others to flee. “Willam the Brave” died in the trek to Thanalan, leaving only a hollow man whose heart had grown heavy with loss.
Willam made his way to Ul'dah, taking up exhausting, backbreaking, dangerous work for a pittance. He vowed to take bacAla Mhigo, but he was growing more and more bitter with every passing day. Willam took up thievery, not making enough gil from legitimate work to survive. He believed himself a sort of hero of the people, nicking the occasional piece of jewelry or pricey trinket from those wealthy merchants who looked down upon him and his fellow refugees. He’d fence these items, giving the money up for supplies and clothing for other people who found themselves in similar situations.
As time passed, he grew violent and would leave several of the ‘well-off’ that he grew to hate so much either bleeding or broken in the back alleys of the worst parts of Ul’dah. He began to use the money not for the other refugees and street-dwellers, but to feed his habits of flesh, smoke, and drink.
One night, Willam was stalking a gaudily-dressed Elezen man. This would be his next target, a simple ‘gimme yer gil,’ and some roughing up if the pointy-eared bastard didn’t agree. Probably some roughing up either way, really. As Willam turned a corner, he saw a sight that made his blood boil.
The Elezen had approached a young girl, speaking in that far-too-proper, flowery language. Willam didn’t hear everything, but he’d been around the worst parts of the city long enough to know: That well-off wanted the child’s body. Willam gripped his knife with such force that his knuckles went white and popped. The highlander moved swiftly, spinning the Elezen around to come face-to-face with Willam’s head slamming into his own, shattering his nose. He buried his knife in the well-off’s stomach and allowed the predator to fall to the ground. He looked to the girl, oddly calm at the sudden bloodshed. She had horns and scales, was covered in scars and bruises, and had fire in her eyes where fear would normally be found. Willam had never seen one of these… things before, but a child was a child.
“Come on, girl.”
This would become the turning point for Will, as the young Xaela acted as a reason for him to clean up his life. He knew that he’d never be “Willam the Brave” again. He knew he’d always be a bit broken. However, he’d put these skills – knifeplay, sneaking, slight of hand, and damned painful headbutt – to good use. He’d care for the girl, he’d help the refugees, he’d join the fight for Ala Mhigo.
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