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Ishgard Directory

2017-05-26T23:55:43Z

Chris Ganale: Undo revision 247936 by Chris Ganale (talk)

The following is a directory of characters in the [http://www.ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=9295 Ishgard RP LS of Balmung], mirrored from [http://tinyurl.com/IshgardDirectory here]. For ease of organization, please edit the Google Doc for your changes or additions.

==Loyalists==
Miria Vail: An inquisitor with a flair for the subtle and theatric. Generally unspoken of outside of the Holy See and the circles of that lofty order. Though, should her name ever come up in conversation, her merciless crusade against heretic and traitor in equal measure is one of the first of her qualities to be noted. Also purported to have an unhealthy fascination with fire, much to her victims’ chagrin.

[[Orrin Halgren]]: From a minor Noble House, Dragoon on leave by permission of House Fortemps to conduct business outside of Ishgard. Despite the smallness of his house, became known relatively well amongst nobility for the many negative rumors surrounding his lineage. Amongst other knights and Dragoons though, he is generally well accepted, even feared for his brutality in combat.

[[Aurege Davilles]]: An inquisitor of the Holy See, separated from the nation during the Calamity. Assigned to look into the disappearance of Ishgardian Knights of the Owl's nest five years ago, Aurege was assigned to Gridania, where he poses as a conjurer, assessing the Black Shroud and the Elementals for the Holy See.

Swaylana Galthens: a popular Noble, from the well known House of Haillenarte in Ishgard. House of Haillenarte is really well off and respected in Ishgard, they hold many Adviser positions. She just finished her studies, and is hoping in time to get an Advisers position working for the Archbishop in Ishgard. She receives a letter from The Holy See that she is to be Handler of a fellowship of Ishgardian's, to go to the city-states and investigate if the help they ask for is truly needed.

[[Marisa Stormsong]]: One of the more unremarkable members of House Fortemps. Currently a guard at Camp Dragonhead.

Aurelle Auberand: Born to a vassal family of House Haillenarte, Aurelle’s family has been known to produce at least one dragoon a generation. Considered to be one of the elite, she has been given the honourary title of ‘Sapphire Dragoon,’ though it is just a title with little actual weight. Following the Shiva Incident, Aurelle has been assigned to learn how other primals are dealt with, and report back to her superiors.

==Heretics==

==Exiles==
[[Ameline Valtin]]: Former Lieutenant-Herald to an Ishgardian Regiment of Lance. She quit the field after losing her command in a costly battle; on the run from Ishgardian interests ever since. Has a deep longing to reconnect with her homeland.

[[Asheloux Thalantos]]: Would be known by others with the last name Haton. His father was a high ranking Dragoon officer in the Ishgardian forces. He deserted the battlefield when he was faced to death to live on with his wife and soon-to-be child. Asheloux’s parents who escaped punishment from Ishgard later died at his own hands Long story short, he is now an aether researcher interested in magics of the past, present, and potential magics of the future and hides his Ishgardian roots.

[[Jessika Saphir]]: Daughter of servants to a noble house of Ishgard. Accused of heresy, the family fled Ishgard, seeking refuge in the southern area of the Black Shroud near Thanalan, where they finally settled in an Ala Mhigan refugee camp. Jessika has more of an affinity for Ala Mhigo than Ishgard as a result, even taking the patron Rhalgr over Halone. She was too young to remember Ishgard, but knows well the danger to her family, keeping her connection to the Holy See a secret and going so far as to claim the Black Shroud as her place of birth.

Juniper Anarchy: A high ranking commander in a regiment of Ishgardian dragoons. Disgraced when, after a particularly harsh battle in which most of her regiment died, she was found in bed with her sister. Fleeing from Ishgard, leaving her sister to her fate, she took an assumed name, changed her appearance, and began living life as a craftswoman. Paranoid and cowardly, yet extremely skilled.

Rhy Hennessey: Once a noble guard of the Ishgardian High Houses, he dedicated his life to oversee and protect Ishgard. However an incident that saw the death of his younger brother led him to leave Ishgard and abandon nobility. The silent Dragoon now wanders Eorzea in search of friends and a new home.

==Other==
[[Aya Foxheart]]: Ala Mhigan refugee settled with distant family who had been living in Ishgard for several generations. Entered just prior to the closing of the gates. Dancer, and part-time trouble-maker. Fled the city to enjoy the freedom of the wider world.

[[Eva Ianeira|Eva Zelorius]]: Daughter of Dyterium Zelorius whom, in his prime (circa 1535-1540), was a skilled dragoon and elevated himself quickly to the rank of Captain within the Ishgardian knighthood. He was renowned in his era, and granted land and the title of Baron by Ishgard’s elite. For reasons unclear he retired suddenly after his daughter was born and renounced his title, keeping a portion of the land on which to live and to herd sheep. Several years later both moved away from Coerthas to Gridania. Dyterium died of natural causes six moons before the Calamity. Eva herself was born Ishgardian and retains very few ties, however recently resurrected suspicions surrounding the reasons for her father’s sudden departure from the knighthood have brought some attention onto her.

[[Inessa Hara]]: Wandering knight and investigator who frequents the land of Ishgard often for training. Recently put in the lead of a fellowship of Ishgardian's, despite the fact she did not desire to lead the group.

[[Nalin Frostclaw]]: A Coerthas-born Miqo'te with a deep, rooted hatred for all things dragon. Though not of Ishgardian blood, he was taken in by a sympathetic Dragoon after the destruction of his clan; where he learned how to slay the scaled beasts. He now wanders Eorzea as a mercenary, looking for work to increase his strength to aid him in slaying dragons.

[[Meta Xi]]: Dragoon and staunch defender of Ishgard. He is constantly traveling to the lands, taking on jobs and tasks that can make use of his skill in the defense of Ishgard and its people. His ever fiery fervor to see the flying lizards dead, and pleasing results, insures to keep him employed and welcomed back.

Percival Turner: Son of Ishgardian chocobo farmers who decided to take up the adventuring life, and has found a lot of success at that. He spends much of his time now just wandering as a free knight, as well as learning a variety of schools of combat, including those of the dragoons that he grew up idolizing.

[[Category:Troupe]]

Ishgard Directory

2017-05-26T23:52:49Z

Chris Ganale: Undo revision 227722 by B'habra (talk)

The following is a directory of characters in the [http://www.ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=9295 Ishgard RP LS of Balmung], mirrored from [http://tinyurl.com/IshgardDirectory here]. For ease of organization, please edit the Google Doc for your changes or additions.

==Loyalists==
Miria Vail: An inquisitor with a flair for the subtle and theatric. Generally unspoken of outside of the Holy See and the circles of that lofty order. Though, should her name ever come up in conversation, her merciless crusade against heretic and traitor in equal measure is one of the first of her qualities to be noted. Also purported to have an unhealthy fascination with fire, much to her victims’ chagrin.

[[V'aleera Lhuil]]: A peasant born to immigrant parents in the city of Ishgard proper, V'aleera earned knighthood and her title of dragoon through determination, hard work, and pious faith. Wholly devoted to the protection of Ishgard and its people, she longs to return home to face the dragon menace on the front lines but is barred from doing so by the machinations of a vindictive nobleman.

[[Orrin Halgren]]: From a minor Noble House, Dragoon on leave by permission of House Fortemps to conduct business outside of Ishgard. Despite the smallness of his house, became known relatively well amongst nobility for the many negative rumors surrounding his lineage. Amongst other knights and Dragoons though, he is generally well accepted, even feared for his brutality in combat.

[[Aurege Davilles]]: An inquisitor of the Holy See, separated from the nation during the Calamity. Assigned to look into the disappearance of Ishgardian Knights of the Owl's nest five years ago, Aurege was assigned to Gridania, where he poses as a conjurer, assessing the Black Shroud and the Elementals for the Holy See.

Swaylana Galthens: a popular Noble, from the well known House of Haillenarte in Ishgard. House of Haillenarte is really well off and respected in Ishgard, they hold many Adviser positions. She just finished her studies, and is hoping in time to get an Advisers position working for the Archbishop in Ishgard. She receives a letter from The Holy See that she is to be Handler of a fellowship of Ishgardian's, to go to the city-states and investigate if the help they ask for is truly needed.

[[Marisa Stormsong]]: One of the more unremarkable members of House Fortemps. Currently a guard at Camp Dragonhead.

Aurelle Auberand: Born to a vassal family of House Haillenarte, Aurelle’s family has been known to produce at least one dragoon a generation. Considered to be one of the elite, she has been given the honourary title of ‘Sapphire Dragoon,’ though it is just a title with little actual weight. Following the Shiva Incident, Aurelle has been assigned to learn how other primals are dealt with, and report back to her superiors.

==Heretics==

==Exiles==
[[Ameline Valtin]]: Former Lieutenant-Herald to an Ishgardian Regiment of Lance. She quit the field after losing her command in a costly battle; on the run from Ishgardian interests ever since. Has a deep longing to reconnect with her homeland.

[[Asheloux Thalantos]]: Would be known by others with the last name Haton. His father was a high ranking Dragoon officer in the Ishgardian forces. He deserted the battlefield when he was faced to death to live on with his wife and soon-to-be child. Asheloux’s parents who escaped punishment from Ishgard later died at his own hands Long story short, he is now an aether researcher interested in magics of the past, present, and potential magics of the future and hides his Ishgardian roots.

[[Jessika Saphir]]: Daughter of servants to a noble house of Ishgard. Accused of heresy, the family fled Ishgard, seeking refuge in the southern area of the Black Shroud near Thanalan, where they finally settled in an Ala Mhigan refugee camp. Jessika has more of an affinity for Ala Mhigo than Ishgard as a result, even taking the patron Rhalgr over Halone. She was too young to remember Ishgard, but knows well the danger to her family, keeping her connection to the Holy See a secret and going so far as to claim the Black Shroud as her place of birth.

Juniper Anarchy: A high ranking commander in a regiment of Ishgardian dragoons. Disgraced when, after a particularly harsh battle in which most of her regiment died, she was found in bed with her sister. Fleeing from Ishgard, leaving her sister to her fate, she took an assumed name, changed her appearance, and began living life as a craftswoman. Paranoid and cowardly, yet extremely skilled.

Rhy Hennessey: Once a noble guard of the Ishgardian High Houses, he dedicated his life to oversee and protect Ishgard. However an incident that saw the death of his younger brother led him to leave Ishgard and abandon nobility. The silent Dragoon now wanders Eorzea in search of friends and a new home.

==Other==
[[Aya Foxheart]]: Ala Mhigan refugee settled with distant family who had been living in Ishgard for several generations. Entered just prior to the closing of the gates. Dancer, and part-time trouble-maker. Fled the city to enjoy the freedom of the wider world.

[[Eva Ianeira|Eva Zelorius]]: Daughter of Dyterium Zelorius whom, in his prime (circa 1535-1540), was a skilled dragoon and elevated himself quickly to the rank of Captain within the Ishgardian knighthood. He was renowned in his era, and granted land and the title of Baron by Ishgard’s elite. For reasons unclear he retired suddenly after his daughter was born and renounced his title, keeping a portion of the land on which to live and to herd sheep. Several years later both moved away from Coerthas to Gridania. Dyterium died of natural causes six moons before the Calamity. Eva herself was born Ishgardian and retains very few ties, however recently resurrected suspicions surrounding the reasons for her father’s sudden departure from the knighthood have brought some attention onto her.

[[Inessa Hara]]: Wandering knight and investigator who frequents the land of Ishgard often for training. Recently put in the lead of a fellowship of Ishgardian's, despite the fact she did not desire to lead the group.

[[Nalin Frostclaw]]: A Coerthas-born Miqo'te with a deep, rooted hatred for all things dragon. Though not of Ishgardian blood, he was taken in by a sympathetic Dragoon after the destruction of his clan; where he learned how to slay the scaled beasts. He now wanders Eorzea as a mercenary, looking for work to increase his strength to aid him in slaying dragons.

[[Meta Xi]]: Dragoon and staunch defender of Ishgard. He is constantly traveling to the lands, taking on jobs and tasks that can make use of his skill in the defense of Ishgard and its people. His ever fiery fervor to see the flying lizards dead, and pleasing results, insures to keep him employed and welcomed back.

Percival Turner: Son of Ishgardian chocobo farmers who decided to take up the adventuring life, and has found a lot of success at that. He spends much of his time now just wandering as a free knight, as well as learning a variety of schools of combat, including those of the dragoons that he grew up idolizing.

[[Category:Troupe]]

J'karu Rhome

2017-05-26T15:09:56Z

Chris Ganale: Undo revision 247624 by B'habra (talk)

{{Infobox-character
| name = J'karu Rhome
| image = Jkaru.png
| imagewidth = 338
| caption = J'karu with Pukko at the docks in the Lavender Beds.
| title =
| gender = Female
| citizenship =
| race = Miqo'te
| clan = Seeker of the Sun
| stat_1 = Place of Birth
| stat_1_value = Sandgate, Thanalan
| stat_2 = Nameday
| stat_2_value = 6th Sun of the 2nd Umbral Moon, 1555
| stat_3 = Age
| stat_3_value = 22
| stat_4 = Guardian
| stat_4_value = [[Oschon, the Wanderer]]
| stat_5 = Profession
| stat_5_value = Mage
| stat_6 = Theme Song
| stat_6_value = ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niALD7XzhRs Just Do It]''
}}

'''J'karu Rhome''' is an outcast of the J tribe of the Seekers of the Sun. While not devout, she commits her wanderings to following Oschon, searching for adventure and good times the world over. She is a free-spirited creature, but is never seen without the company of her lover and best friend, [[R'tahz Tia]]. Nearing the ability of a full archmage, she is adept at both black and white magics, but flounders when it comes to heavy physical fighting.

==Personality==
J'karu is an over all a carefree person, a free-spirit. She's laid back, happy and constantly ready to meet people. With this, she has a determination that sets her along a course till its termination. It should be mentioned, though, that she can be a bit scatter-minded when she doesn't have a task or job at hand, going hand in hand with her free-spirit, this can make her wander off on a thread or journey until she does find something more pertinent to focus on. That being said, J'karu has an inexhaustible curiosity. Left to her own devices, she would be content to wander the countryside searching for new views and tidbits of stories and folklore... or, perhaps most importantly, any new form of magic.

But she is wise enough to know that such wandering and adventuring is a good means of revenue. As such, she is keen enough to use her magical prowess to secure herself money to upkeep her equipment and wanderer's lifestyle. After all, any mage worth their salt, even one that casts via shear efforts and passions like J'karu, knows that some parts of the craft requires catalysts, so she is not fool enough to spend all her days wandering aimlessly.

She's not easily scared by much, except for Sea Wasps and anything similar to a jellyfish. For those, she typically runs on sight. As strange as it goes, she's a mite scared of being lonely... which is what would drive her back to the City States after a bout of wandering in the first place. Lastly J'karu's stubborn and can be a bit of a spitfire when you rub her the wrong way. She is more than willing to lash out with a sharp tongue if you piss her off, and has been known to hit people over the head with her mage's staff when they really rile her. ...And even go so far as to set them on fire.

==Appearance==
J'karu, by nature, wears herself comfortably and seems very at home with her appearance. A tad on the short side, she stands five fulms and four ilms tall and has a lithe frame with petite assets. Her hair is brunette, though some would call it auburn with the right amount of sunlight, and is shoulder length — not too short to stab her in the eye constantly and not too long to be a hassle to brush. It lays haphazardly, but it is brushed away from her face to reveal natural tan stripe markings along her cheeks and forehead and slightly tanned eyelids. Her eyes are hazel-green with flecks of amber and narrow pupils, typical of Seeker traits. J'karu also bears a myriad of scars, most of them from travels and wanderings, but the most prominent are a pair on her face, one arching over her cheek, and another across the bridge of her nose.

She has a myriad of outfits in a myriad of colors and styles, each one as wildly varied from the last. Typically, though, she prefers a simple purple tunic and a sturdy, well-worn pair of boots and breeches.

When taking upon jobs of a more serious nature, her attire varies based on which type of magic her employer has asked her to attend for. Concerning black magic, she will wear an expensive robe made of the finest cashmere cloth. It's blue surface is warded and woven with many in-set spell designs rendered in silver and ebony thread. With this she prefers a pair of tough boar-skin boots and a matching set of vanya gloves and hat. When concerning healing craft, she wears a replica robe in the fashion of the white mages of past. Nevertheless, it goes without saying, her appearance and chosen attire is always appropriate for the wanderings or task at hand.

==Clothing==
<center>[[File:JkaruBLM.png|175px]][[File:JkaruWHM.png|175px]][[File:JkaruBRD.png|175px]][[File:JkaruDRG.png|175px]][[File:JkaruARC.png|175px]][[File:JkaruCNJ.png|175px]][[File:JkaruLNC.png|175px]][[File:JkaruMRD.png|175px]][[File:JkaruPGL.png|175px]][[File:JkaruTHM.png|175px]][[File:JkaruCold.png|175px]][[File:JkaruSwimsuit.png|175px]][[File:JkaruDance.png|175px]]</center>

==Biography==
===Early Life===
Born into the tribal life of the Seekers of the Sun miqo'te in Thanalan, J'karu led what amounts to a nomad's childhood. A small group of the J tribe, known loosely as the Sandgate tribe, would become all she knew in her earlier days, and, while her group did mingle with the other J tribal groups to keep bloodlines strong as miqo'te ways are wont, she knew little of the world outside the deserts of Thanalan and the scrub-lands around Drybone and Sandgate where her tribe lives. This can be attributed to the fact that the small village she grew up in was a mere two generations past its foundation, its nunhs relatively new and its populace made up of people that had decided to form a new J settlement when the prominent J tribe north of Drybone grew quite large, typically referred to as the Drybone tribe.

As such, J'karu had little lasting relationship with her father, J'rhome, a nunh whom was much more interested in keeping the newly founded settlement stable... and because she was the daughter of a wayward mother, J'ali Korran, who never seemed to have much interest in her daughter, this colored her youth somewhat, making her curious, independent and a bit of a wanderer. Much of her childhood was spent wandering the outskirts of the tribal claims. Her time not spent wandering was spent within her tribe's village and, as miqo'te are like to, she adopted a weapon and was taught how to use the dagger or short knife from a young age. Given the miqo'te inclination towards stealthiness in their fighting, she eventually honed some semblance of skill with double daggers. At the time, she had no knowledge of magic nor any inkling that it would be her preferred choice of combat at the time given the fact that her small, newly constructed village had yet to secure a suitable magic user to teach in their communal school for their cubs, unwed females and tias.

===Thievery, Magic and Politics===
[[File:JkaruBio1.png|240px|thumb|right|J'karu in her youth, exploring around Sandgate.]]When hard times fell upon Eorzea and the first Garlean invasion of the realm struck, it sent a ripple through the region her tribe occupied. Ala Mhigo fell, Midgardsormr fell into Lake Silvertear, his body twined about the airship Agrias... and a small group of the youth in J'karu's tribe began to resort to less-than-noble means to survive. Caravans traveling the area were her tribe's primary quarry, which lead to her and the youth of her tribe into plying their stealth and skills to rob merchants of Ul'dah of their wares for the tribe's survival. While being swept into this small group at the young age of six meant it was a high-risk job for the young girl, she was delegated to simple and safe tasks by her elder teens, like distracting drivers and fleeing or cutting the bands on covered wagons, rather than the actual subduing and, sometimes, combat with the merchants they were thieving from. The youths were careful to take only what they needed to survive... and the elders of the tribe never seemed to question the small boons they brought home every few days, merely taking the goods in stride. As such, J'karu's skill as a thief, or a would be rogue, was slowly honed, giving her light fingers and an easy grip, but very little combat expertise with a blade.

For some years, this would be her lot in life and this would not change until three events happened. First, the word and tales of a mage in Gridania, that trickled south from the hedged boarder to her tribe, of a mage known as Louisoix Leveilleur. While the tales were much exaggerated by the time they reached Sandgate and were, in truth, quite sparse, they sparked the knowledge that there was something out there... magical. This was further fueled when the Amalj'aa became more active, and their veritable magic users became even more of an issue for all inhabitants of Thanalan equally. As such, her tribe put out a petition to the others: they were in need of a magic user to defend them against the Amalj'aa in their region.

Around the age of twelve, her tribe acquired the skills of a village seer and mage, J'shari Arran, whom began to instruct those youth in the tribe that showed ability with magic how to hone the skills they possessed. J'karu was among them and it quickly became J'shari's opinion that the girl had more magical prowess than she knew what to do with. The seer could barely keep up with the girl's appetite to learn spells... and she quickly came to the conclusion that the more J'karu wanted something to happen, the easier time she had making it so. Aether and nature magics were intuitive to the girl, giving her a strong grasp of how to fuel her personal power into the world's elements and bring them under her will. Conversely, written spells and formulae puzzled the girl and seemed to drive her to tears. J'shari was under the impression that J'karu was a caster of will and passion, someone whose drive fueled their magic, rather than their knowledge, and the miqo'te hedge-mage was right in that regards.

The second change came a year after J'shari came to the tribe and began to instruct the girl, now thirteen. The originating Drybone J tribe discovered that the Sandgate tribe had been stealing, having traced the string of thievery around Sandgate to the tribe itself. This caused a call of concern, that perhaps the offshoot ought to be absorbed back into another, larger tribe... either because it was having trouble getting by, or because it would cause the nunhs present to lose their breeding rights as retribution for turning a blind eye to the crimes of their youth. All elders, nunhs and prominent breeding females alike, convened upon the sands of Thanalan to discuss the issue. In the end, when the stories from the youths had been heard and the reasoning surmised, a compromise was reached.

All breeding nunhs in the tribe would lose their rights to breed and would become tias, having displayed weakness in leadership by not keeping the youth of their tribe in order and would be shamed for a cycle of seasons, unable to challenge for breeding rights for a year and a day. All tias involved in the issue would summarily be shamed for a season, unable to challenge for that time. Females involved were unable to accept courtship for the same amount of time. Finally, interim nunhs would be loaned to the Sandgate tribe for challenge purposes only, not to claim any female, but to serve as those that tias un-involved with the thievery, or those involved with it after a season's time, would challenge against. In all, the Sandgate came out of the ordeal lucky. Though a number of nunhs were lost from the breeding cycle for a year, it caused the tias in the tribe to redouble their efforts, fueled by the passion of reclaiming their tribe as their own from the interim nunhs. Though it took a year and some months before the final interim nunh was challenged and successfully beaten, the Sandgate tribe learned the harsh lesson the elders of the J had hoped they would.

===Courtship===
This lead to the ultimate third change in J'karu's life. This political shift in her tribe had meant little to her at the time, especially given she had no relationship to speak of with her father one of the nunhs at the time of the denouncement. Her life had evolved well beyond the days of thievery she'd partaken in, and she had been too young at thirteen seasons at the time to suffer the consequences, just under the general age of fifteen when females began to receive courtship from nunhs. So she failed to notice that her tribe began to swing into action... primarily in the fact that the new nunhs and the impassioned tias in her tribe had been driven to better their community after the shame they had experienced... and particularly the fact that neighboring tribes had begun to become interested in the Sandgate tribe and the name they seemed keen on making for themselves, a better culture and a better, stronger tribe. In a word, she remained naive, wrapped up in playing with the elements of the aether around her, becoming J'shari's apprentice when she was of age. So, when she found herself smack dab in a dance of courtship with a nunh she hardly knew, she was summarily shocked.

J'raha Nunh was a well liked warrior from a neighboring tribe south of Sandgate, the Broken Water tribe, and had taken a keen interest in the Sandgate tribe and the bloodlines to be found there. Since the debacle and the public denouncement of the nunhs, he'd kept a close eye on the females, convening with a friend of his, a former breeding female of his own tribe, the mother of some of his children and the current seer of the Sandgate tribe: J'shari Arran. His friend informed him of a burgeoning power to be found in one J'karu Rhome, who might someday prove to be a well established seer of her own right. And given J'raha had lost J'shari when she'd past breeding age and left to serve as a seer and teach for the Sandgate offshoot, J'raha saw in J'karu a means to secure another powerful defender for his tribe against the Amalj'aa sharing their lands.

While there is some room for a female to decline the courtship of a male, J'karu had summarily not been expecting to be courted at all. So when the season for such affairs came and the tribes convened to allow tias to challenge nunhs and nunhs to court females from other tribes, J'karu found herself bizarrely hunted by a man whose name she had never heard of. She struggled to remember how to tell him she was not interested and not shame him in the same breath. As it were J'raha seemed to have his mind set on securing her and while he never tried to force himself upon her, he never let up. He was well liked among prospective females, a renown warrior, and in truth, a good example of what a good breeding male in Seeker culture ought to be. His only fault seemed to be a temper that he typically saved for the enemies to his tribe.

Conversely, each time she turned the male down, J'karu found herself in a predicament. There is little to be said of the matter, but it should be said that those that turn too many breeding offers down begin to become something of an oddity in the culture fueled for producing good bloodlines. She was no failure by any right and people knew she was becoming a prominent mage. Even if she had never received a breeding offer, she would have been an attribute to the tribe of her birth. But people simply found it odd that she would not take J'raha's courtship, or any for that matter, and many thought her a prude, accused her of unruly standards, going against nature or idiocy, both behind her back and to her face.

And after year and a half of offers from the nunh to the south, J'raha's temper got the better of him... as J'karu's also got the better of her. A visit outside of the breeding season brought J'raha to the dwelling J'karu had come to call home, a secondary building next to the dwelling J'shari lived in. As J'karu kindly thanked him and declined him once again, she turned to leave back into her home and he followed and lashed out, grasping her by the wrists and pulling her to face him and meet him in the eyes, demanding she give her reasoning for her disinclination towards him. The scuffle left him with a scorched tail and scorched pride when J'karu unleashed a small burst of fire to dissuade him from restraining her, finally growing frustrated with his adamance. His resulting panic as he attempted to put out the flame singeing him and the flare of anger it caused turned him upon her again and he cuffed her across the face, open clawed, accusing her of fighting a pairing that would bring strength to their tribes.

The outburst caused hostility to flare behind usually kind eyes and J'karu told him, straight out, that she didn't see the purpose behind bedding someone whose first words to her could be surmised with the phrase: “we should mate.”

At this, J'raha lifted her and pressed her against a wall. He threatened a great many things as she stayed still, waiting for his temper to simmer down. He could simply force it, he suggested. Enough people thought the girl an imbecile for fighting the tribal ways. Or he could see she was so disgraced that she would never become a breeding female, or worse yet, a village mage. J'raha stung and snapped at every possible path, but eventually he stopped and released his grip on her shoulders. He met her eyes and behind them found a passion that had once charmed him to her... the very single-mindedness that J'shari had spoken of when he had first heard of J'karu, the passion that fueled her magic. At first, he had thought the girl and her magic would have been a perfect match, something that would have brought strength to his tribe in Broken Water. Now he saw it was the very thing that would keep her from ever accepting his charms, from ever accepting anyone who felt them worthy of her. That she would be the one to pick her path in life because of it.

J'raha shook his head, denounced her as a Seeker, and left.

As it were, someone else also left that night. As she stood in the doorway of her home watching J'raha leave to find a suitable place to spend the night, she tossed about the idea. She was a friendly person, all together carefree.... but her tribe looked down upon her, people gave her sideways glances when she walked passed. She would never truly be accepted on the prowess of her magic alone. She was a successful mage, which meant she was expected to pass that success along in blood to her children. Nothing she did, short of having never gotten into magic, and impossibility now, would have changed that.

Armed with that realization and the realization that J'raha would not likely be the last to see her as an asset, she gathered a travel pack and filled it with what belongings she had to her name, then went to say her goodbyes to the only person she felt a connection with, J'shari. The village mage heard her out silently, as the girl gave her reasoning for leaving. The woman, whom had been the one who initially told J'raha about the girl, had always puzzled over her pupil. Truly an adept at magic, she'd never understood the girl's willful manner when dealing with J'raha... but she had always cared for her as if she were a daughter. So she gifted the mage with a staff, a simple wooden thing headed with a crystal globe and the carvings of leaves. She bid the girl to go to Ul'dah and seek out the Thaumaturges' Guild, where she might further her training, and wished her safe travels.
With that, J'karu departed into the night, bound for Ul'dah, the red glow of Dalamud behind her.

===The Calamity===
Arriving in the city a few days later with little to her name, J'karu found the city overwhelming at first, having barely seen a house or building half the height of a tree. The girl balked at first, but eventually put one step ahead of the other and made her way into the stone behemoth. She lucked out at that point, in that she she eventually made her way into the adventurers' guild known as the Quicksand. For the next few months, this place became her home as she met Momodi and the lalafell directed her to the Thaumaturges' Guild, where she added her name to the long list of a great many souls who wished to try their hands at thaumaturgy.

It was not a few months after arriving till the Calamity struck. Ul'dah, a city already rife with issue and home of one of the more tumultuous Grand Companies, shook to her very core as the lunar prison shattered above. While J'karu is what one could have called an average citizen by that time, and while she had little to do with the Battle of Carteneau, every soul in Eorzea felt the turmoil that day, as the Allagan superstructure shattered and splayed across the realm. Some even say that the roar of Bahamut could be heard as far south as Ul'dah. She joined the many that felt the insurmountable fear the day the Calamity struck. And then she joined the first few that came to the realization that the Calamity was only the first of things to come. If that was a close scrape with Bahamut, if the creature had indeed been whisked away by the great mage Louisoix... what would come when the elder primal returned?

===The Wandering Mage===
With renewed fervor, she threw herself into learning magic as the realm around her recovered. Thaumaturgy came swiftly to her, the elements of fire, ice and lightning leaping to her fingertips and bending to her will. The staff she'd been gifted proved a well intended catalyst for the elements. It was not long before her teachers found nothing they could pass onto her and her teachers pointed out that there were other schools of magic she might learn from. That being said, J'karu began to wander. Perhaps it was the discovery of a symbol etched upon the rod of her staff, a curving thing that resembled a walking stick, the emblem of Oschon... Perhaps it was wanting to see the world beyond the tribal desert and Ul'dah. Whatever the case, she set out a few months after the Calamity and sought work as a wandering mage and adventurer, having officiated the position with Momodi before leaving. The lalafell promised to send her work by means of mail or leve retainers in the various settlements across Thanalan, should J'karu be inclined to check in with them from time to time, and the girl agreed to do so.

Driven on by a curious thirst to fill want she'd never realized she'd had during her tribal life, she left Ul'dah for Limsa Lominsa, deciding to take the overland course to Horizon and Vesper Bay before taking the ferry to the island settlement. Fulfilling the odd job as she went, she began to make a small name for herself, if only in the fact that Momodi knew she could have a capable thaumaturge answer the odd job that called for one within Thanalan. As such, J'karu has always made a point to let the Quicksand matron know when she was in the region.

Arriving in Limsa Lominsa, she met with the adventurer’s guild owner there, speaking to Baderon at the Drowning Wench shortly and inquiring about the guilds in the city. Upon learning of the Arcanists' Guild, the girl sought it out within the week. She opened the door and poked around a bit... before swiftly leaving. The idea of magic cast via diagram and formulae made her pale, and she rushed back to Baderon to pry anymore knowledge of a likely guild in the parts. The man simply supplied that arcane magic was the only magic in the area, but that there were other guilds she might try her hand out, or he could simply supply her with the odd job. Taking him up on the offer and keeping true to her nature, she swiftly proved to Baderon what she had to Momodi. Still, that wanderlust that had driven her to Limsa eventually drove her away, to seek new sights. Bidding Baderon thanks and farewell, she took the ferry back to Vesper Bay and traveled overland through Thanalan to the Twelveswood and Gridania.

There she found the Conjurers' Guild... and was quick to leap into its ranks. Like thaumaturgy, conjury came swiftly to her, though it took longer for her to grasp the healing aspect than the aspects of air, water and earth. Still, it was simply learning to channel her passion into healing something rather than beckoning the elements, something she found a knack in. Spending as many months with the conjurers as she had with the thaumaturges, she soon found she had learned what she could from them, just as she had in Ul'dah. And, as in Ul’dah and Limsa Lominsa, she made friendly with the local matron of the adventurer’s guild, Miounne, and took the odd job when she could.

Out of places to wander for the time, J’karu’s tracks found her back in Limsa for the time being, wavering over spending some time working out how to channel her energies into the arcane, the way she had come to with conjury and thaumaturgy... with the idle thought that she might be able to mix the two into a whole new kind of magic.

===Sastasha===
It was by saving grace that her being in Limsa Lominsa lead her on her current path, and perhaps the god Oschon was looking out for two wanderers that day, as he willed their paths back to the island. As such, no sooner had she send notice to Momodi and Miounne that she would be unable to accept Ul'dahn and Gridanian work and a notice to Baderon that she was in the Lominsan area... did she receive a letter back from Baderon about a potential job.

She arrived a few hours later at the Wench and heard the pub owner out. A mysterious ship and ruffians? A grotto she had not yet explored? She had heard of the Sastasha Seagrot, but she'd yet to set foot in it, having steered clear of the areas around the Sapsa spawning grounds in her last travels. Apparently, though, Baderon had already sent out someone capable in the ways of melee to the grotto, and, if she accepted, she could meet him there. Two others would join them after her, should she go by ferry, and together the four of them could rout out the presumed pirates that had taken up residence.

Accepting and taking the ferry to Aleport, she headed north. She was quick to discover that she and her would-be-partner was not the only groups hired for the job. Which was not unusual, given the livelihood of an adventurer was jobs like these. It was then she found the first member of the party she'd been hired with. He was as Baderon had described, a scruffy-looking, black-haired miqo'te. She smiled slightly, amused to find him “dozing on the job” as it were, and woke him with a tap of her staff. Introducing herself and taking his name to be R'tahz Tia, she sat with him to wait for the last two of their band. In the short time before the hyuran gladiator and elezen conjurer arrived, they spoke lightly of what adventuring life was like, and the various nuances of their preferred combat professions.

Once the rest of their party arrived, the group descended into the caverns of Sastasha. Battling and sneaking past unusually-hostile fauna in the initial areas, they soon came upon what the Maelstrom suspected: an encampment of the Serpent Reavers. Looking to take advantage of the pirates being unaware of their presence, the group pressed on and assaulted the brigands. Despite the pirates becoming alert to their presence, momentum and the layout of the caverns favored the smaller group, allowing a classic phalanx formation where the gladiator kept the enemies at bay, with R'tahz behind him lancing any pirates that left an opening, with J'karu behind him hitting with magic from beyond their reach, and the conjurer keeping them all alive. Eventually, they were able to clear out the pirate infestation and deal with the Sahagin chieftain that had been behind the pirates' presence.
With the job completed, the gladiator and conjurer set off on their own ways almost immediately. J'karu hung back, asking R'tahz if he would mind if they traveled together, as she enjoyed talking to him and wanted to get to know him more. He was hesitant at first, until she continued on to explain that she didn't have many friends since she left her tribe, and that he seemed nice to her.

There was a wavering moment where she thought he might say no, but, to her internal glee, he agreed, and the two set out anew, this time as companions.

===Early Travels and Honing Control===
Shortly after setting out from Sastasha, the newly formed duo ventured across the island of Vylbrand back to Limsa Lominsa. Their route lead them to Swiftperch, where they remained for the evening when a rolling cloud bank breached the horizon and took the island into a vicious storm for the evening. Renting a room at a small inn, J'karu and R'tahz quickly found themselves hungry for an evening meal and hungry to learn of each other's travels and findings. As such, as soon as the innkeeper set them up with a warm meal, they spent the better part of that stormy night talking and trading tales back and forth besides the inn fireplace. In an admission, J'karu's mention of having never downed a drop of alcohol fell on the ears of the cheerful inn-keep. Giving the two a wink, he planted two tankards of golden ale before the couple and told them to give it a try.

J'karu quickly found that she liked the robust flavor of the drink a bit more than might have been wise. One tankard later found one very tipsy mage nearly planting her face on the floor of the common room. In the end, it took R'tahz helping her upstairs to put her to bed. They ended up sharing it, though nothing came of such, due to J'karu displaying a cuddly nature while inebriated and due to the fact she simply wouldn't let go over the other miqo'te.

The morning found the two with a bit of a bustle, but events quickly were laid out and no hard feelings were had, though there were quite a few chuckles.
Shortly after, the two traveled back to Limsa Lominsa and began taking the odd job for a few months. During this time, it became apparent that the both of them were struggling in some fields concerning their preferred skill sets. R'tahz found himself lacking in some of the more upfront skills required of a close-end user of the lance and J'karu found herself lacking in the ability to aim with finite control.

As such, R'tahz began to invest himself more heavily in the Marauders' Guild. As he honed his skills with the axe, he began to teach J'karu archery as he had learned it in Gridania. After some month or two in Limsa while R'tahz had completed a new tier of training, the pair ventured back to the mainland and took up residence in an inn in Gridania, whereupon J'karu signed her name at the Archers' Guild and began her official training in the skill set. In short, the girl found the use of a bow incredibly different and beyond what she was used to and struggled with the skill at first. Over the course of weeks of challenge, she began to muster some semblance of aptitude with the weapon.

During the next month or two, J'karu and R'thaz spent time teaching themselves new ways to fight. Both of them practicing the bow in Gridania, while J'karu toyed with learning the lance from R'tahz, taking enough time to practice with it so that she wouldn't skewer herself should her hand be forced to use it. Meanwhile, R'tahz made periodic visits back to Limsa Lominsa to stay in touch with the guildmaster of the Marauders' Guild and not lose his new-found edge with the axe. During these times, J'karu found things became increasingly lonely... and it was because of this that Luciane got in touch with an old friend of her, a bard by the name Viyra Stonesthrow, whom began to coach J'karu in bardic magic to take her mind off of R'tahz's absence.

===The Mage and the Dragoon===
[[File:JkaruBio4.png|240px|thumb|right|R'tahz and J'karu riding one of House Fortemps' draft chocobos.]]After a season of the two picking up a myriad of skills and trying out new things, it became clear to any outside soul looking in that J'karu and R'tahz had found in one another an irreplaceable friend and ally. Some might even say that the two loved each other, but it was clear that J'karu at least was blind and naive to such feelings, even her own.
It wasn't until Saint Valentione's day came to pass in Gridania that the girl even realized she loved R'tahz dearly. As the day drew to a close, though, J'karu found herself talking to a candy vendor as R'tahz perused some trinket stalls nearby. The vendor pointed out that J'karu was buying couples' chocolates and that gave the girl a pause as she considered that she had subconsciously drawn to them.

Smiling, she purchased them and went to share them with R'tahz. Though both of them were red faced from admission, the blubbering fools managed to both choke out that they loved the other. The bubbly feelings that followed lead to a euphoria that J'karu had never before had the pleasure of experiencing. Finally, she had someone with whom she could share her life and her wanderings, never to part. The two grew ever closer and to outsiders it seemed as if their relationship has culminated over night. There never seemed to be a day where the two weren't together now, and R'tahz even accompanied J'karu to the Floating City of Nym to track down a more experienced mage so that she might delve deeper into the Void and hone what skilled thaumaturges call black magic.

The mage that the pair eventually found for J'karu was known as Aeri Sirhl, a Keeper of the Moon that had long since sequestered herself in Vylbrand and become a hermit. Though Aeri displayed that she was a remarkably odd individual and many that knew her half suspected that the Void had made her half-mad, the black mage agreed to teach J'karu. Still, she warned the would-be black mage in a moment of succinct clarity that taking the black involved opening oneself to the Void, something that could prove detrimental to one's mental state and might even lead to the Void draining all the energy from J'karu herself, leaving her a lifeless husk.

Determined to further her knowledge, J'karu took the task in stride and accepted the challenge of learning higher level black magics. Spending the better part of a year with Aeri, J'karu felt her feelings and temperament come under fire by the Void every time she toyed with opening Void gates and learned to tap its power to feed her own. It was a dangerous gamble, she found, something that could so easily be turned around on her, as Aeri had said. Nevertheless, every night she'd rejoin R'tahz and his presence would remind her of who she was and soothe her battered emotions. Every morning, she would wake renewed and fresh, ready to tackle the trials Aeri set before her.

A season would pass, leaving the couple in winter. Though the cold was bitter, their spirits were not. J'karu had learned all Aeri had to teach her... and that left the couple with one task left to tackle. The whisper of a dragoon who would teach R'tahz, who had already learned what he could from the Lancers' Guild. At almost the same time, a missive arrived from the Drowning Wench, that there had been a response from R'tahz's inquiries into an advanced trainer. And so, departing from the warm climes of La Noscea to the frozen wastes of Coerthas, R'tahz sought out a House Fortemps guard captain named Faucillien Sondraix, once a dragoon of some renown. Initially unwilling to impart his knowledge upon the young miqo'te due to Ishgardian custom that the talents of the dragoon, the tip of their proverbial spear against the dragon horde, was not be taught to those who have not sworn fealty to the Holy See, his heart was swayed by learning that R'tahz sought the skills to better his ability to protect J'karu. Agreeing to be R'tahz's teacher, Faucillien bade them make camp off the roads between Coerthas and the Black Shroud, where they would be close enough for him to travel to teach R'tahz while taking into account that they were ill-suited for prolonged living in the wintry wastes of Coerthas.

The nearby forests also provided handy training environments for the aerial combat style of dragoons, something also befitted by the lithe and agile nature of miqo'te. Faucillien spared no measure of intensity in R'tahz's training, setting physically-demanding tasks and training regimens that battered R'tahz to the hells and back, oftentimes forcing J'karu to get some good hands-on training with her burgeoning conjury magic. But no matter the beating that R'tahz took, he never once faltered in his determination to progress. His skills continued to grow with each passing day, and as he spent his days in training, J'karu herself was not idle either. Aside from practicing her conjury in keeping him well-recovered, she also took an interest in activity going on at the nearby chocobo stables. Apparently, a pair of chocobos had grown coats of feathers that were more reddish in color than the commonly-found yellow, and the Ishgardian breeders found to be a waste of effort and choboco feed. Discovering that the Ishgardians planned to put down the chocobos, J'karu immediately attempted to intervene. Initially they were having none of it, but as Faucillien happened by at the time and overheard what was going on, he requisitioned the two birds for House Fortemps' use, then handed over their ownership to J'karu. These would become J'karu's Ember and R'tahz's Streich.

An inquisitor soon arrived from Ishgard, come to get to the bottom of the matter concerning an outsider being trained in their ways. Under normal circumstances, the outsider would be declared in fealty to the dragon horde and the trainer a heretic. But, when it was discovered that Faucillien, a hero to the people and a retired dragoon in good standing, was the one doing the training, the inquisitor knew better than to risk a schism in the populace. Coming up with a better way to see the outsider killed for his hubris, the inquisitor declared that the Holy See's lack of involvement in the training of such an up and coming young dragoon was inexcusable, and considering the rate of his advancement, were prepared to rectify this error by granting him immediate admission into the ranks of the dragoon knights pending one final trial. That trial was solo combat against a significant draconic menace to the people of Ishgard: the dragon named Marraco.

Without hesitation, R'tahz accepted the trial and moved to hunt the massive monstrosity across the snowy wastes. Before he left the Observatorium, Faucillien caught up and told him in no uncertain terms that the task set before him was suicidal, that he would die, and that the approval, or lack thereof, of Ishgard did not confer or deny the skills he had developed over the past several months. R'tahz agreed that he was almost certain to die, and would have much rather taken J'karu and left Coerthas to go on with their lives, but how many other people would die if he didn't go stop the dragon? Faucillien laughed, saying that the boy was more a righteous paladin than he was a blood-mucking dragoon, but bade him walk the path that he chose. Behind R'tahz's back, however, Faucillien waited no more than it took for the young miqo'te to get out of sight before he went and found J'karu, informing her of the sham trial set by Ishgard and telling her that if the love he had witnessed between the two in the past months were not a lie, then she would follow and convince him to abandon the suicidal hunt, damn whatever the Holy See had to say on the matter. He didn't even have to finish his plea for her to go after him than she was already gone.

Any hope of convincing him to abandon the hunt was lost, however, when she heard the battle roars of Marraco carrying across the entire highlands. She arrived in the Snowcloak cliffs to find R'tahz cornered by Marraco, seconds from being swallowed whole. The fireball she unleashed on the dragon was potent enough to burn away the entire snowdrift that they were standing upon. Recovering his lance, R'tahz swept Marraco's feet from beneath it as it attempted to round on J'karu, turning the encounter into an unfavorable game that saw J'karu blasting it with ever more powerful magic when it turned to deal with R'tahz, and having itself tripped and hamstrung whenever it tried to take out the mage. Finally, R'tahz's positioning led it to unleash its devastating swinge upon a cliff face, burying itself in an avalance that J'karu attempted to bury it alive under by prodigious application of blizzard spells. Testimony to the creature's great power, though, it forcefully freed itself and then determined it wanted nothing more to do with the nuisance miqo'te, scrabbling up the cliff face and disappearing into the frozen wastes.

With the dragon dealt with, though by no means as dead as everyone involved wished for, R'tahz and J'karu returned to the Observatorium, where the inquisitor was all too delighted to point out that not only had R'tahz received help in his trial, but had failed to kill the dragon as specified, and as such was barred from the order of dragoons and given a day to leave Coerthas before being threatened with a death mark. Once the inquisitor had left, Faucillien told R'tahz that it mattered not the opinion of the Holy See, that R'tahz was every bit a dragoon as he, himself had once been. In commemoration for R'tahz having completed his training, Faucillien presented him with a replica set of the wyrm armor of the Ishgardian dragoons — having overheard a conversation between the two miqo'te that J'karu thought it attractive. With this, R'tahz had the affirmation that, regardless of Ishgard's official stance, the two would always be welcome in House Fortemps.

===Dawn of a New Era===
Following spending winter in Coerthas, the couple traveled back to the warmth of Gridania and the onset of spring. The change in clime was a welcome one and further raised their spirits. Blessed with having mastered their respective fields and having even acquired new companion mounts from Faucillien, the found themselves at a lull in activity in their lives. After discussing for a time as to what to do, J'karu decided to investigate the Conjurers' Guild in hopes that they might have more knowledge to pass onto her. This venture proved fruitless, as they reminded her that she had already come to glean all the spells and abilities she could from the guild and seemed to have grown as a conjurer for her time in Coerthas tending R'tahz's wounds. Frustrated at the prospect of not being able to grow as a conjurer, J'karu sought out other routes to furthering herself, knowing the Shroud as the home and haven of white magic.

Such ventures lead J'karu into the Twelveswood some month or so after the couples' return to Gridania. Having taken a job to investigate an aetheric disturbance in Bramble Patch, J'karu discovered its source was a young moogle who had become trapped in a diremite nest and was bleeding aetheric energy in its attempts to escape. Rescuing the critter and eradicating the nest, she began to tend to the creature's wounds. Her experience with moogles was limited, however, given she had only ever known them as mail couriers and, as far as J'karu knew, they were a secretive race that rarely showed themselves to others. As the moogle awoke from its pain-induced slumber it jolted up off the ground and floated about nervously, noting the subsiding glow coming from J'karu's hands as she quelled her conjury. The mage introduced herself, but soon found herself talking to no one as the moogle faded from sight, hiding itself in what J'karu assumed to be something akin to fairy magic. She remained for a time, just in case, but the moogle did not return, so she traveled back to Gridania.

Back in the city, R'tahz informed her that he had received a letter from the master of the Marauders' Guild, that he might hone the edge of his axe should he come attend in Limsa. Reminded of their time some seasons ago when R'tahz initially picked up the axe, J'karu was disheartened, but understood that R'tahz's desired path lay in Vylbrand, while there might be some knowledge of hers in the Black Shroud. With fond farewells, R'tahz boarded an airship to Limsa Lominsa later that week, leaving J'karu alone in the Shroud with nothing but her thoughts and a increasingly fruitless quest to uncover secrets of lost conjury and white magic.

As fate or Nymeia would have it, she did not have to wait long. Having acquired some esoteric tomes from a contact in Ul'dah shortly after R'tahz's departure, J'karu began to head-aching process of deciphering the spells within them and began to practice a rudimentary divine seal. Most of her days were spent practicing the spells in the Shroud, having come to favor the Lifemend Stump as a good location to bed down and camp for the night, should she spend too much time practicing into the afternoon and decide to sleep in the wilds for an eve. Some weeks would pass and one such night left her exhausted as she clambered into her tent. Slipping into slumber, J'karu was awoken in the dead of a moonless night to a white glow shining through the canvas of her tent and then pushing through the flap. It bobbed about, hovering over the tome she had set aside. Grasping her staff, the girl slowly shifted and spoke out, questioning the presence. The thing, whatever it was, jolted about in nervousness and flew in every direction at once, it seemed, batting into the canvas of the tent. Speaking in a calming voice, J'karu informed it she meant it no harm... and then slowly the form of a moogle faded into view. Recognizing it as the moogle she had aided in the Bramble Patch she was shocked to find that it began to talk to her in a small voice.

The moogle introduced herself as Pukko Paki, a young, by their terms, moogle whom was the equivalent of a white mage to her kind. For some week now, she had been following J'karu, curious to see what the mage could master of the ancient white magics. Enamored by the girl's want to learn, the moogle offered to help her learn the spells in the tome and pass on some of her own knowledge to J'karu. When J'karu asked why the moogle would and whether or not Pukko was breaking any tenants moogle kind had laid down, the beastman bobbed up and down and jingled, an action J'karu would come to understand as laughter. Pukko explained that she was something of a misfit by moogle terms and had long since shrugged off anything that might be considered "against moogle ideals" when she delved into exploring the Twelveswood and the civilization of the spoken races on her own. With that admission, a friendship was born between the wannabe white mage and the moogle.

Spring would warm into summer and frequent letters from and to R'tahz would keep her hopes high as she and Pukko, or Pukk as J'karu sometimes called her, delved into the tome and into passing skills on from moogle to miqo'te. It proved a daunting task, as some of the knowledge Pukko had did not translate well into the common tongue and many of the sigils in the tomes were worn with age. Nevertheless, J'karu began to emerge as what Pukko called a "hedge mage", or a white mage untrained by the padjal. As it were, J'karu came to found that such a thing was not uncommon. Given the padjals' fear that too much white magic would drain the Shroud as it had before, she found that there were a number of adventurers who had sought other means to further their knowledge in healing as she had. Conferring with them allowed her and Pukko to decipher a few more of the divine seals in her tomes, granting J'karu access to new spells to add to her arsenal.

Midsummer marked a turning point for J'karu, as Pukko declared there were no more spells she knew of to teach the miqo'te. Saddened by the prospect, because she believed it meant she was going to lose a friend, she was ecstatic to hear the moogle declare that she would be staying with J'karu to accompany her for a time. Which meant, of course, that there was one thing left to do... introduce the moogle to R'tahz. The newly christened warrior walked off the airship some days after the midsummer festival in Gridania, wearing replica armor of the warriors of old, as was his wont when it came to replica gear. Leaping towards him and throwing her arms around him. She had not realized how direly his absence had effected her, as she broke into tears of happiness at his return. J'karu decided then and there that, no matter where the Spinner took them, she would never stand to be parted from R'tahz for such an extended time again.

Venturing forth, J'karu pulled R'tahz into the room she was staying in at the Carline Canopy and took a deep breath as she explained in full the details she had left out in her letters: Pukko and white magic that the padjal thought better left unknown. At first, Pukko did not show herself to the dragoon... but eventually she faded into his vision as well, bobbing up and down in greeting. After an initial introductory period, the trio spent the evening in good humor, sharing their first of many meals together. As summer went on, J'karu, R'tahz, Pukko, and their chocobos Ember and Streich spent the rest of the summer venturing and taking odd jobs. Come fall, J'karu and R'tahz decided it was time for them to find a base of operations for the winter and sought out renting a room at the [[Oak Inn & Tavern|Oak Inn]], giving them a place to call home for the days to come.

==Traits==
<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
<div style="padding:3px 35px;background: #a6a6a6;font-size:14px;color:#1e1400;"><center><b>Likes</b></center></div>
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> R'tahz
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Traveling
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Petrichor, the smell after it rains.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Books & stories
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Snow

<td style="vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:3px 35px; background:#a6a6a6;font-size:14px;color:#1e1400;"><center><b>Dislikes</b></center></div></span>
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Being alone for extended times.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Cold
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Unwarranted boldness.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Racism & stereotypes

<td style="vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:3px 35px; background:#a6a6a6;font-size:14px;color:#1e1400;"><center><b>Hobbies</b></center></div></span>
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Collecting aimless bits and bobs.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Sketching
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Singing
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Devising new outfit ensembles.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Keeping her journal.

<td style="vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:3px 35px; background:#a6a6a6;font-size:14px;color:#1e1400;"><center><b>Other</b></center></div></span>
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> '''Favorite Food & Drink:''' Chocolate, nectarines & milk
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> '''Favorite Creatures:''' Cactuars, jackals & Moogles
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> '''Least Favorite Food:''' Coconut & mint
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> '''Least Favorite Creature:''' Jellyfish
</tr></table>

==Combat==
<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:80%;padding-right:10px">
A spell caster at heart, J'karu's strengths in combat lie in a nearly inexhaustible ability to fuel spells by passion. Her magical talent persists and strengths based on how badly she wants a spell to go off or how badly she wants her goals. A savant at magics that draw from life sources and energies, this has made her quite capable of flinging elemental spells with ease and quite well-off when concerning healing, as the passion to protect her allies comes in both offensive and defensive flavors. On the physical hand, of all weapons, bows and light bladed weapons are her only strong suit. Over all, she prefers light swords and fencing blades, though she has yet to explore them seriously. J'karu has some knowledge of using a lance, given her companionship with a lancer, and picked up an axe for all of a month, but has not found either of them something she prefers.
</td>
<td style="vertical-align: center;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
<table style="align:left;">
<tr>
<td style="font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
:: '''Endurance'''
:: '''Strength'''
:: '''Dexterity'''
:: '''Agility'''
:: '''Magic'''
:: '''Intelligence'''
<td style="font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: <font color="#526381">█</font><font color="#566B82">█</font><font color="#597282">█</font>
: <font color="#526381">█</font><font color="#566B82">█</font>
: <font color="#526381">█</font><font color="#566B82">█</font><font color="#597282">█</font><font color="#5D7A83">█</font><font color="#608283">█</font>
: <font color="#526381">█</font><font color="#566B82">█</font><font color="#597282">█</font><font color="#5D7A83">█</font>
: <font color="#526381">█</font><font color="#566B82">█</font><font color="#597282">█</font><font color="#5D7A83">█</font><font color="#608283">█</font><font color="#648984">█</font><font color="#679184">█</font><font color="#6B9985">█</font><font color="#6EA085">█</font><font color="#72A886">█</font>
: <font color="#526381">█</font><font color="#566B82">█</font><font color="#597282">█</font><font color="#5D7A83">█</font><font color="#608283">█</font><font color="#648984">█</font>
</tr></table>
</tr></table>

* '''Arcane Magic:''' J'karu has found that she is wholly adverse to the ways of arcane magic, and thus, summoning. She has avoided the Arcanists' Guild in Limsa Lominsa for now, but perhaps her wandering will take her there one day.

* '''Archery:''' Having learned her archery from R’tahz and the Archer’s Guild in Gridanian, J'karu likes to think herself a decent enough bowman. Having spent a number of months working with the Archers' Guild in Gridania, she is well versed in the skill and has a fair easy time hitting targets required of her. Still, it is not and will never be her primary choice as far as combat is concerned, but she values the accuracy it brought to her mage skill set. J'karu also always keeps a bow at hand for emergency, usually it can be found on Ember's saddle bag for ease of access.

* '''Axes:''' What little she knows of using axes, she picked up from watching R'tahz as a marauder. In the end, though, she quickly decided that she had very little aptitude in the area and rarely uses the weapon. Most often she'll use it when she prefers the light armor she wears with it, a specially made set of thin plate mail she commissioned from the Armorers' Guild in Limsa Lominsa.

* '''Bardic Magic:''' Taking the advice of Luciane, the Archers' guildmaster, she sought out a Gridanian bard called Viyra Stonesthrow to teach her a way to infuse magic with the words of song. Though seeing a stint of training through, she did not find it to be her fancy and simply plies the ability now around the company of friends, but never when serious skills are needed of her. Viyra, at least, was pleasantly surprised to find that J'karu had a decent singing voice and can hold a tune well enough to channel the energies required to inspire fellow adventurers with her voice.

* '''Black Magic:''' Having since done what thaumaturges call “taking the black,” J’karu sought out and apprenticed under a black mage. After learning of a mage of some renown, J'karu sought out Aeri Sirhl, a Keeper living around the Floating City of Nym, and convinced the mage to help her further her knowledge and take her thaumaturgy beyond its normal bounds. As such, J'karu has reached levels of aetherial manipulation that black mages are known for, with spells such as Flare becoming a possibility, though taxing. As with any thaumaturge breaking the rules and delving into the Void to enhance their power, J’karu was met with the prospect that it might alter her attitude and mindset, or might plainly drive her mad. It is her love for R'tahz that kept her sane, and she suffered few ill consequences as she advanced through her training.

* '''Daggers:''' Having spent a number of her young years honing her ability in thieving, she picked up a bit of skill with daggers in her youth. While never executing them overly much in full combat herself, she is adept at the hand tricks involved with rolling them back over her knuckles and hands and making them dance. On top of this, she is not bad at using them as projectiles. Still, caught between a foe and a hard place with her daggers would likely not end well for her, but they serve in a pinch... As such, she always has one on her person somewhere, usually at her hip.

* '''Hand-to-Hand:''' Another swiftly forgotten school, J'karu took it up in hopes that it would aid her while she was learning the lancers' stance from R'thaz. She attended a number of public classes at the Pugilists' Guild in Ul'dah and prefers the use of a set of bladed claws to the blunt hora weapons, but short of being able to defend herself unarmed against an untrained foe, she would never be able to hold her own against anyone specifically trained in melee.

* '''Lances:''' Spending as much time as she has with a skilled dragoon, J'karu began using lances in hopes that she might find some melee weapon to her liking. Though lances are easily the physical weapon she has the most knowledge in after daggers bows, she would lose in a one-on-one fight between herself and an experience lancer. Still, she doesn't mind the weapon, and it gave her an excuse to train with R'tahz. Unlike with her dagger, though she only carries a lance rarely.

* '''Stealth:''' Like her knowledge of daggers, she picked up the ability to hedge about unnoticed in her youth. This gave her a light step and an easy grace that she carried into her other skill sets. By no means a master thief, she does have quick fingers... and could pick-a-pocket if she wanted to, but she might end up being caught by more hawk-eyed targets. It should be noted that she is not particularly fond of having this skill set and will only use it when pressed or when trying to make a point.

* '''White Magic:''' Though conjury was the field of magic she studied second, she is equally adept in it as she is thaumaturgy. She has dabbled in what the Gridanians and conjurers call white magic, having received some ancient texts from an Ul'dahn contact, Sabine Aislihn. While she is, by no means, a padjali white mage, she, like other adept conjurers, has begun to glean knowledge of the lost ancient white magic from other sources, becoming what some call a hedge-white mage, or a lesser white mage. She has found herself capable of the more common white magic such as regeneration spells and divine seals and, with the help of her recent moogle companion, has begun to delve deeper into the knowledge of white magic hidden in the Twelvewood.

==Relationships==
<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:3px 35px; background: #a6a6a6;font-size:14px;color:#1e1400;"><center>Allies</center></div></span></h3>
: <center><font style="color:#F02311;" size="3">♥</font> Romantic Interest <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="3">♥</font> Platonic Love <font style="color:#9EC60B;" size="3">●</font> Good Standing</center>

: <font style="color:#F02311;" size="3">♥</font> [[R'tahz Tia]]: J'karu's dearest friend and the love of her life. She found in R'tahz something she would have never found if she had remained in the tribal setting of her youth and his constant presence in her life has never left her wanting for company. His courage, even if it were a chronic streak of a do-gooder attitude, never ceases to cause admiration swell in her breast at any turn in their adventurers... and there is no other companion in the world she would ever want more at her side than him.
: <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="3">♥</font> Pukko Paki: The moogle that taught J'karu white magic and is currently traveling with her as kind of a shoulder companion, Pukko is a curious and shy individual, often remaining invisible to everyone but J'karu, R'tahz and their chocobos. Still, towards the mage and the dragoon, Pukko is very amicable and friendly and has come to consider them both as good a friend as a moogle can have. J'karu herself would easily put herself in harms way to defend the beastman.
: <font style="color:#9EC60B;" size="3">●</font> Aeri Sirhl: A Keeper of the Moon that J'karu tracked down to the Floating City of Nym. The woman taught J'karu the deeper knowledge of black magic. A loon, her way of talking and living put J'karu off at first, but she eventually found a friend in the slightly crazy woman. Aeri, in her more lucid moments, deeply cares for the girl.
: <font style="color:#9EC60B;" size="3">●</font> Faucillien Sondraix: R'tahz's dragoon teacher, J'karu gets along well with the elezen. In truth, she is dearly thankful to him for helping her procure Ember and Streich before the chocobos were culled and she is pleased that he was stern with R'tahz during his training, as she thinks it made him a better dragoon for it.
: <font style="color:#9EC60B;" size="3">●</font> [[Gunnbjorn Darkblade]]: J'karu met Gunnbjorn when he was in a rather glum attitude, but was pleased to find that a bit of talking and cheerful drinks to be shared allowed her to find a companion in the man. She has also found him to be a fellow thief, as their meeting due to her playing a bit of a pickpocket-trick on him left catching her, despite her best efforts. Because of this, J'karu feels a bond to the man due to similar backgrounds.
: <font style="color:#9EC60B;" size="3">●</font> Viyra Stonesthrow: A highlander woman whom resides in Bentbranch Meadows, she's acquaintances with Luciane of the Archers' Guild. A bard in her own right, she took J'karu under her wing during the time that her and R'tahz were separated due to learning different trades. She believes J'karu could be a decent bard if the girl had more interest, but understands that her pupil is free spirited.
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:3px 35px; background: #a6a6a6;font-size:14px;color:#1e1400;"><center>Acquaintances</center></div></span></h3>
: <center><font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">●</font> Neutral Standing <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> Acquaintance</center>

: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">●</font> J'shari Arran: J'karu's former master from her tribal days, she left on decent terms. Though they've never been in touch since before the Calamity, J'karu holds no ill will towards the woman... and is grateful to her for believing in her.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">●</font> [[Vervara Rozthan]]: Vervara and J'karu get along well enough, though they haven't had much of a chance to talk beyond their initial introduction. She swiftly found that the woman's attitude was one she likes and she hopes to get to know the mage more now that they've both been hired by Gunnbjorn for the task of raiding a Belah'dian tomb.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[Ashiirra Azaria]]: Having met at the inn where they both reside, J'karu hasn't gotten to know Ashiirra much beyond their initial conversastion. They got along well enough, though.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[Ariilyn Azaria]]: Ariilyn was increasingly excited to learn that J'karu was a mage and, upon their first meeting, J'karu helped the girl learn a few of the basics of thaumaturgy.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[A'rklonn Sargonnai]]: One of the guests that Faucillien shoehorned into coming to the couples' wedding, J'karu doesn't know A'rklonn beyond that first meeting, but he was genial enough in her opinion.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[Chris Ganale]]: J'karu knows Chris sparingly through Sabine. She bears the man no ill will, but she hasn't gotten to know him well enough beyond sparse interactions.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[Clouse Sydonis]]: J'karu met Clouse on an expedition she was hired for by Gunnbjorn. She appreciates the man's ideals about wounded folk and those that cross paths unfortunately.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[Devilish Sarracenia]]: Like Clouse, J'karu met Devil on the same expedition. Though the roegadyn is gruff, she hasn't found herself disliking the woman yet.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[Glioca Sargonnai]]: J'karu knows Glioca because Faucillien invited the elezen to the pews for the miqo'tes' wedding because he didn't want them to be empty for their lack of acquaintances. Glioca and J'karu got along well.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[Sabine Aislihn]]: An acquaintance J'karu made in one of her visits to Ul'dah, Sabine and J'karu get along well enough. Every now and again, J'karu seeks out the woman for an esoteric tome on black or white magic.

<h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:3px 35px; background: #a6a6a6;font-size:14px;color:#1e1400;"><center>Antagonists</center></div></span></h3>
: <center><font style="color:#C24640;" size="3">●</font> Poor Standing <font style="color:#000000;" size="3">♦</font> Enemies</center>

: <font style="color:#C24640;" size="3">●</font> J'raha Nunh: The nunh that once pursued J'karus affections, J'raha has no place in J'karu's heart. Though she does not particularly hate him, she is less fond of him than being neutral towards him. Still, she has not seen him since before the Calamity.
</tr></table>

==Rumors==
<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<center>''Some of these rumors are untrue or are greatly exaggerated. Please feel free to add your own rumors under PC!''</center>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
<b><div style="padding:3px 25px; background: #90AB76;">◢ Common Rumors (Easily overheard.)</div></b>
: <font style="color:#90AB76;" size="3">■</font> "Aye, that girl'n'er lad are usually 'round these parts. Some might say they're a bit joined at th' hip." — ''Baderon Tenfingers''
: <font style="color:#90AB76;" size="3">■</font> "Rhome? I remember her. She didn't stick around too long, but she picked up enough to get buy in a street fight, I s'pose..." — ''Chuchuto Brightstar''
: <font style="color:#90AB76;" size="3">■</font> "Hah! J'karu? One of the brightest to ever sign her name on the guild's scrolls! She took to thaumaturgy like a fish takes to water or an Ul'dahn takes to the glimmer of gil." — ''Cocobuki, the Piercing Eye''
: <font style="color:#90AB76;" size="3">■</font> "Seen that miqo'te around the Archers' Guild more than once. Luciane had a bit of a soft spot for her a few seasons back and she turned into a decent shot because of it." — ''Gridanian Citizen''

<b><div style="padding:3px 25px; background: #F37E1D;">◢ Uncommon Rumors (Moderately difficult to overhear.)</div></b>
: <font style="color:#F37E1D;" size="3">■</font> "She ain't much good with that axe she totes about on occasion. But then, I don't think she uses it for more than havin' a bit of fun. J'karu's more of a magic girl at heart." — ''Drowning Wench Patron''
: <font style="color:#F37E1D;" size="3">■</font> "I don't particularly want to talk about that girl. She's no Seeker I know of." — ''J'raha Nunh''
: <font style="color:#F37E1D;" size="3">■</font> "J'karu? I helped her try her hand at bardic magic a few seasons back. I don't think she'll ever take it seriously, no, but you'll be pleased if she ever sings you a tune. Bit of a songbird, that cat." — ''Viyra Stonesthrow''

<b><div style="padding:3px 25px; background: #D83018;">◢ Rare Rumors (Very difficult or rarely overheard.)</div></b>
: <font style="color:#D83018;" size="3">■</font> "She scared me at the time. I-I-I... I don't remember. I remember. No, I remember. She seemed to be impervious to the Void when I was training her. I couldn't tell you why. No, I'll tell you why. It was that boy's doing. He kept her sane. I don't remember..." — ''Aeri Sirhl''
: <font style="color:#D83018;" size="3">■</font> "I'll tell you one thing about that girl, if she ever felt like it, she could decimate whole towns. Anything she wants to do badly enough with her magic, she accomplishes. We're surely blessed she's of such a sweet disposition." — ''J'shari Arran''
: <font style="color:#D83018;" size="3">■</font> "Karu is a dear friend, kupo! I think I'll stick around with her for a time... at least until I'm sure she's got the hang of that magic, kupo." — ''Pukko Paki''
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
<b><div style="padding:3px 25px; background: #aac5b4;">◢ PC Rumors (Rumors from other player's characters.)</div></b>
: <font style="color:#aac5b4;" size="3">■</font> "I don't want to think about where I'd be if I hadn't met her. What's important is that I did, and she is my everything, and I wake up each day happy that she's beside me and I'll get to see her smiling face one more day." — ''[[R'tahz Tia]]''
: <font style="color:#aac5b4;" size="3">■</font> "I've met her in passing more than once and have supplied her with some books every now and again. If she ever put her mind to it or was willing, I'd gladly put in a good word for her at the Arcanists' Guild... but I don't think she'd survive the studies she'd have to sit through. Magic by sign and diagram bores her to tears." — ''[[Sabine Aislihn]]''
: <font style="color:#aac5b4;" size="3">■</font> "I attended her wedding. She struck me as an interesting young woman, and she and her fellow seemed quite happy together. I don't know them, not really, but love that sweet and warm... For their sake, I really do hope it lasts." — ''[[Glioca Sargonnai]]''
</tr></table>

==Music==
<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niALD7XzhRs Just Do It]''
:: Artist: The Standard Club
:: Origin: ''PIANO DANCE'' Album
:: <small>Context: Character theme.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWLNxs1L-YI "Libera me" from Hell]''
:: Artist: DJ Gotcha
:: Origin: ''Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann''
:: <small>Context: Attack in overdrive!</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k14OtNAzT7Q Country Roads]''
:: Artist: Yūji Nomi feat. Brittany Snow
:: Origin: ''Whisper of the Heart''
:: <small>Context: Inner inhibitions.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpNPQC2v38c Love Will Find a Way]''
:: Artist: Liz Callaway & Gene Miller
:: Origin: Disney's ''The Lion King II: Simba's Pride''
:: <small>Context: Feelings for R'tahz.</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phjr9vaS7HM Maka na Chikai]''
:: Artist: Yoshiki Fukuyama
:: Origin: ''Buso Renkin''
:: <small>Context: On the road that we believe in.</small>
</td>
</tr></table>

==Trivia==
*J'karu's name is based on the Japanese alliteration of ''jackal'', romajinized as ''jakkaru''.
*J'karu owns a young pet cactuar named H'nry.

[[Category: Balmung]]

J'karu Rhome

2017-05-26T15:09:29Z

Chris Ganale: Undo revision 247623 by B'habra (talk)

{{Infobox-character
| name = J'karu Rhome
| image = Jkaru.png
| imagewidth = 338
| caption = J'karu with Pukko at the docks in the Lavender Beds.
| title =
| gender = Female
| citizenship =
| race = Miqo'te
| clan = Seeker of the Sun
| stat_1 = Place of Birth
| stat_1_value = Sandgate, Thanalan
| stat_2 = Nameday
| stat_2_value = 6th Sun of the 2nd Umbral Moon, 1555
| stat_3 = Age
| stat_3_value = 22
| stat_4 = Guardian
| stat_4_value = [[Oschon, the Wanderer]]
| stat_5 = Profession
| stat_5_value = Mage
| stat_6 = Theme Song
| stat_6_value = ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niALD7XzhRs Just Do It]''
}}

'''J'karu Rhome''' is an outcast of the J tribe of the Seekers of the Sun. While not devout, she commits her wanderings to following Oschon, searching for adventure and good times the world over. She is a free-spirited creature, but is never seen without the company of her lover and best friend, [[R'tahz Tia]]. Nearing the ability of a full archmage, she is adept at both black and white magics, but flounders when it comes to heavy physical fighting.

==Personality==
J'karu is an over all a carefree person, a free-spirit. She's laid back, happy and constantly ready to meet people. With this, she has a determination that sets her along a course till its termination. It should be mentioned, though, that she can be a bit scatter-minded when she doesn't have a task or job at hand, going hand in hand with her free-spirit, this can make her wander off on a thread or journey until she does find something more pertinent to focus on. That being said, J'karu has an inexhaustible curiosity. Left to her own devices, she would be content to wander the countryside searching for new views and tidbits of stories and folklore... or, perhaps most importantly, any new form of magic.

But she is wise enough to know that such wandering and adventuring is a good means of revenue. As such, she is keen enough to use her magical prowess to secure herself money to upkeep her equipment and wanderer's lifestyle. After all, any mage worth their salt, even one that casts via shear efforts and passions like J'karu, knows that some parts of the craft requires catalysts, so she is not fool enough to spend all her days wandering aimlessly.

She's not easily scared by much, except for Sea Wasps and anything similar to a jellyfish. For those, she typically runs on sight. As strange as it goes, she's a mite scared of being lonely... which is what would drive her back to the City States after a bout of wandering in the first place. Lastly J'karu's stubborn and can be a bit of a spitfire when you rub her the wrong way. She is more than willing to lash out with a sharp tongue if you piss her off, and has been known to hit people over the head with her mage's staff when they really rile her. ...And even go so far as to set them on fire.

==Appearance==
J'karu, by nature, wears herself comfortably and seems very at home with her appearance. A tad on the short side, she stands five fulms and four ilms tall and has a lithe frame with petite assets. Her hair is brunette, though some would call it auburn with the right amount of sunlight, and is shoulder length — not too short to stab her in the eye constantly and not too long to be a hassle to brush. It lays haphazardly, but it is brushed away from her face to reveal natural tan stripe markings along her cheeks and forehead and slightly tanned eyelids. Her eyes are hazel-green with flecks of amber and narrow pupils, typical of Seeker traits. J'karu also bears a myriad of scars, most of them from travels and wanderings, but the most prominent are a pair on her face, one arching over her cheek, and another across the bridge of her nose.

She has a myriad of outfits in a myriad of colors and styles, each one as wildly varied from the last. Typically, though, she prefers a simple purple tunic and a sturdy, well-worn pair of boots and breeches.

When taking upon jobs of a more serious nature, her attire varies based on which type of magic her employer has asked her to attend for. Concerning black magic, she will wear an expensive robe made of the finest cashmere cloth. It's blue surface is warded and woven with many in-set spell designs rendered in silver and ebony thread. With this she prefers a pair of tough boar-skin boots and a matching set of vanya gloves and hat. When concerning healing craft, she wears a replica robe in the fashion of the white mages of past. Nevertheless, it goes without saying, her appearance and chosen attire is always appropriate for the wanderings or task at hand.

==Clothing==
<center>[[File:JkaruBLM.png|175px]][[File:JkaruWHM.png|175px]][[File:JkaruBRD.png|175px]][[File:JkaruDRG.png|175px]][[File:JkaruARC.png|175px]][[File:JkaruCNJ.png|175px]][[File:JkaruLNC.png|175px]][[File:JkaruMRD.png|175px]][[File:JkaruPGL.png|175px]][[File:JkaruTHM.png|175px]][[File:JkaruCold.png|175px]][[File:JkaruSwimsuit.png|175px]][[File:JkaruDance.png|175px]]</center>

==Biography==
===Early Life===
Born into the tribal life of the Seekers of the Sun miqo'te in Thanalan, J'karu led what amounts to a nomad's childhood. A small group of the J tribe, known loosely as the Sandgate tribe, would become all she knew in her earlier days, and, while her group did mingle with the other J tribal groups to keep bloodlines strong as miqo'te ways are wont, she knew little of the world outside the deserts of Thanalan and the scrub-lands around Drybone and Sandgate where her tribe lives. This can be attributed to the fact that the small village she grew up in was a mere two generations past its foundation, its nunhs relatively new and its populace made up of people that had decided to form a new J settlement when the prominent J tribe north of Drybone grew quite large, typically referred to as the Drybone tribe.

As such, J'karu had little lasting relationship with her father, J'rhome, a nunh whom was much more interested in keeping the newly founded settlement stable... and because she was the daughter of a wayward mother, J'ali Korran, who never seemed to have much interest in her daughter, this colored her youth somewhat, making her curious, independent and a bit of a wanderer. Much of her childhood was spent wandering the outskirts of the tribal claims. Her time not spent wandering was spent within her tribe's village and, as miqo'te are like to, she adopted a weapon and was taught how to use the dagger or short knife from a young age. Given the miqo'te inclination towards stealthiness in their fighting, she eventually honed some semblance of skill with double daggers. At the time, she had no knowledge of magic nor any inkling that it would be her preferred choice of combat at the time given the fact that her small, newly constructed village had yet to secure a suitable magic user to teach in their communal school for their cubs, unwed females and tias.

===Thievery, Magic and Politics===
[[File:JkaruBio1.png|240px|thumb|right|J'karu in her youth, exploring around Sandgate.]]When hard times fell upon Eorzea and the first Garlean invasion of the realm struck, it sent a ripple through the region her tribe occupied. Ala Mhigo fell, Midgardsormr fell into Lake Silvertear, his body twined about the airship Agrias... and a small group of the youth in J'karu's tribe began to resort to less-than-noble means to survive. Caravans traveling the area were her tribe's primary quarry, which lead to her and the youth of her tribe into plying their stealth and skills to rob merchants of Ul'dah of their wares for the tribe's survival. While being swept into this small group at the young age of six meant it was a high-risk job for the young girl, she was delegated to simple and safe tasks by her elder teens, like distracting drivers and fleeing or cutting the bands on covered wagons, rather than the actual subduing and, sometimes, combat with the merchants they were thieving from. The youths were careful to take only what they needed to survive... and the elders of the tribe never seemed to question the small boons they brought home every few days, merely taking the goods in stride. As such, J'karu's skill as a thief, or a would be rogue, was slowly honed, giving her light fingers and an easy grip, but very little combat expertise with a blade.

For some years, this would be her lot in life and this would not change until three events happened. First, the word and tales of a mage in Gridania, that trickled south from the hedged boarder to her tribe, of a mage known as Louisoix Leveilleur. While the tales were much exaggerated by the time they reached Sandgate and were, in truth, quite sparse, they sparked the knowledge that there was something out there... magical. This was further fueled when the Amalj'aa became more active, and their veritable magic users became even more of an issue for all inhabitants of Thanalan equally. As such, her tribe put out a petition to the others: they were in need of a magic user to defend them against the Amalj'aa in their region.

Around the age of twelve, her tribe acquired the skills of a village seer and mage, J'shari Arran, whom began to instruct those youth in the tribe that showed ability with magic how to hone the skills they possessed. J'karu was among them and it quickly became J'shari's opinion that the girl had more magical prowess than she knew what to do with. The seer could barely keep up with the girl's appetite to learn spells... and she quickly came to the conclusion that the more J'karu wanted something to happen, the easier time she had making it so. Aether and nature magics were intuitive to the girl, giving her a strong grasp of how to fuel her personal power into the world's elements and bring them under her will. Conversely, written spells and formulae puzzled the girl and seemed to drive her to tears. J'shari was under the impression that J'karu was a caster of will and passion, someone whose drive fueled their magic, rather than their knowledge, and the miqo'te hedge-mage was right in that regards.

The second change came a year after J'shari came to the tribe and began to instruct the girl, now thirteen. The originating Drybone J tribe discovered that the Sandgate tribe had been stealing, having traced the string of thievery around Sandgate to the tribe itself. This caused a call of concern, that perhaps the offshoot ought to be absorbed back into another, larger tribe... either because it was having trouble getting by, or because it would cause the nunhs present to lose their breeding rights as retribution for turning a blind eye to the crimes of their youth. All elders, nunhs and prominent breeding females alike, convened upon the sands of Thanalan to discuss the issue. In the end, when the stories from the youths had been heard and the reasoning surmised, a compromise was reached.

All breeding nunhs in the tribe would lose their rights to breed and would become tias, having displayed weakness in leadership by not keeping the youth of their tribe in order and would be shamed for a cycle of seasons, unable to challenge for breeding rights for a year and a day. All tias involved in the issue would summarily be shamed for a season, unable to challenge for that time. Females involved were unable to accept courtship for the same amount of time. Finally, interim nunhs would be loaned to the Sandgate tribe for challenge purposes only, not to claim any female, but to serve as those that tias un-involved with the thievery, or those involved with it after a season's time, would challenge against. In all, the Sandgate came out of the ordeal lucky. Though a number of nunhs were lost from the breeding cycle for a year, it caused the tias in the tribe to redouble their efforts, fueled by the passion of reclaiming their tribe as their own from the interim nunhs. Though it took a year and some months before the final interim nunh was challenged and successfully beaten, the Sandgate tribe learned the harsh lesson the elders of the J had hoped they would.

===Courtship===
This lead to the ultimate third change in J'karu's life. This political shift in her tribe had meant little to her at the time, especially given she had no relationship to speak of with her father one of the nunhs at the time of the denouncement. Her life had evolved well beyond the days of thievery she'd partaken in, and she had been too young at thirteen seasons at the time to suffer the consequences, just under the general age of fifteen when females began to receive courtship from nunhs. So she failed to notice that her tribe began to swing into action... primarily in the fact that the new nunhs and the impassioned tias in her tribe had been driven to better their community after the shame they had experienced... and particularly the fact that neighboring tribes had begun to become interested in the Sandgate tribe and the name they seemed keen on making for themselves, a better culture and a better, stronger tribe. In a word, she remained naive, wrapped up in playing with the elements of the aether around her, becoming J'shari's apprentice when she was of age. So, when she found herself smack dab in a dance of courtship with a nunh she hardly knew, she was summarily shocked.

J'raha Nunh was a well liked warrior from a neighboring tribe south of Sandgate, the Broken Water tribe, and had taken a keen interest in the Sandgate tribe and the bloodlines to be found there. Since the debacle and the public denouncement of the nunhs, he'd kept a close eye on the females, convening with a friend of his, a former breeding female of his own tribe, the mother of some of his children and the current seer of the Sandgate tribe: J'shari Arran. His friend informed him of a burgeoning power to be found in one J'karu Rhome, who might someday prove to be a well established seer of her own right. And given J'raha had lost J'shari when she'd past breeding age and left to serve as a seer and teach for the Sandgate offshoot, J'raha saw in J'karu a means to secure another powerful defender for his tribe against the Amalj'aa sharing their lands.

While there is some room for a female to decline the courtship of a male, J'karu had summarily not been expecting to be courted at all. So when the season for such affairs came and the tribes convened to allow tias to challenge nunhs and nunhs to court females from other tribes, J'karu found herself bizarrely hunted by a man whose name she had never heard of. She struggled to remember how to tell him she was not interested and not shame him in the same breath. As it were J'raha seemed to have his mind set on securing her and while he never tried to force himself upon her, he never let up. He was well liked among prospective females, a renown warrior, and in truth, a good example of what a good breeding male in Seeker culture ought to be. His only fault seemed to be a temper that he typically saved for the enemies to his tribe.

Conversely, each time she turned the male down, J'karu found herself in a predicament. There is little to be said of the matter, but it should be said that those that turn too many breeding offers down begin to become something of an oddity in the culture fueled for producing good bloodlines. She was no failure by any right and people knew she was becoming a prominent mage. Even if she had never received a breeding offer, she would have been an attribute to the tribe of her birth. But people simply found it odd that she would not take J'raha's courtship, or any for that matter, and many thought her a prude, accused her of unruly standards, going against nature or idiocy, both behind her back and to her face.

And after year and a half of offers from the nunh to the south, J'raha's temper got the better of him... as J'karu's also got the better of her. A visit outside of the breeding season brought J'raha to the dwelling J'karu had come to call home, a secondary building next to the dwelling J'shari lived in. As J'karu kindly thanked him and declined him once again, she turned to leave back into her home and he followed and lashed out, grasping her by the wrists and pulling her to face him and meet him in the eyes, demanding she give her reasoning for her disinclination towards him. The scuffle left him with a scorched tail and scorched pride when J'karu unleashed a small burst of fire to dissuade him from restraining her, finally growing frustrated with his adamance. His resulting panic as he attempted to put out the flame singeing him and the flare of anger it caused turned him upon her again and he cuffed her across the face, open clawed, accusing her of fighting a pairing that would bring strength to their tribes.

The outburst caused hostility to flare behind usually kind eyes and J'karu told him, straight out, that she didn't see the purpose behind bedding someone whose first words to her could be surmised with the phrase: “we should mate.”

At this, J'raha lifted her and pressed her against a wall. He threatened a great many things as she stayed still, waiting for his temper to simmer down. He could simply force it, he suggested. Enough people thought the girl an imbecile for fighting the tribal ways. Or he could see she was so disgraced that she would never become a breeding female, or worse yet, a village mage. J'raha stung and snapped at every possible path, but eventually he stopped and released his grip on her shoulders. He met her eyes and behind them found a passion that had once charmed him to her... the very single-mindedness that J'shari had spoken of when he had first heard of J'karu, the passion that fueled her magic. At first, he had thought the girl and her magic would have been a perfect match, something that would have brought strength to his tribe in Broken Water. Now he saw it was the very thing that would keep her from ever accepting his charms, from ever accepting anyone who felt them worthy of her. That she would be the one to pick her path in life because of it.

J'raha shook his head, denounced her as a Seeker, and left.

As it were, someone else also left that night. As she stood in the doorway of her home watching J'raha leave to find a suitable place to spend the night, she tossed about the idea. She was a friendly person, all together carefree.... but her tribe looked down upon her, people gave her sideways glances when she walked passed. She would never truly be accepted on the prowess of her magic alone. She was a successful mage, which meant she was expected to pass that success along in blood to her children. Nothing she did, short of having never gotten into magic, and impossibility now, would have changed that.

Armed with that realization and the realization that J'raha would not likely be the last to see her as an asset, she gathered a travel pack and filled it with what belongings she had to her name, then went to say her goodbyes to the only person she felt a connection with, J'shari. The village mage heard her out silently, as the girl gave her reasoning for leaving. The woman, whom had been the one who initially told J'raha about the girl, had always puzzled over her pupil. Truly an adept at magic, she'd never understood the girl's willful manner when dealing with J'raha... but she had always cared for her as if she were a daughter. So she gifted the mage with a staff, a simple wooden thing headed with a crystal globe and the carvings of leaves. She bid the girl to go to Ul'dah and seek out the Thaumaturges' Guild, where she might further her training, and wished her safe travels.
With that, J'karu departed into the night, bound for Ul'dah, the red glow of Dalamud behind her.

===The Calamity===
Arriving in the city a few days later with little to her name, J'karu found the city overwhelming at first, having barely seen a house or building half the height of a tree. The girl balked at first, but eventually put one step ahead of the other and made her way into the stone behemoth. She lucked out at that point, in that she she eventually made her way into the adventurers' guild known as the Quicksand. For the next few months, this place became her home as she met Momodi and the lalafell directed her to the Thaumaturges' Guild, where she added her name to the long list of a great many souls who wished to try their hands at thaumaturgy.

It was not a few months after arriving till the Calamity struck. Ul'dah, a city already rife with issue and home of one of the more tumultuous Grand Companies, shook to her very core as the lunar prison shattered above. While J'karu is what one could have called an average citizen by that time, and while she had little to do with the Battle of Carteneau, every soul in Eorzea felt the turmoil that day, as the Allagan superstructure shattered and splayed across the realm. Some even say that the roar of Bahamut could be heard as far south as Ul'dah. She joined the many that felt the insurmountable fear the day the Calamity struck. And then she joined the first few that came to the realization that the Calamity was only the first of things to come. If that was a close scrape with Bahamut, if the creature had indeed been whisked away by the great mage Louisoix... what would come when the elder primal returned?

===The Wandering Mage===
With renewed fervor, she threw herself into learning magic as the realm around her recovered. Thaumaturgy came swiftly to her, the elements of fire, ice and lightning leaping to her fingertips and bending to her will. The staff she'd been gifted proved a well intended catalyst for the elements. It was not long before her teachers found nothing they could pass onto her and her teachers pointed out that there were other schools of magic she might learn from. That being said, J'karu began to wander. Perhaps it was the discovery of a symbol etched upon the rod of her staff, a curving thing that resembled a walking stick, the emblem of Oschon... Perhaps it was wanting to see the world beyond the tribal desert and Ul'dah. Whatever the case, she set out a few months after the Calamity and sought work as a wandering mage and adventurer, having officiated the position with Momodi before leaving. The lalafell promised to send her work by means of mail or leve retainers in the various settlements across Thanalan, should J'karu be inclined to check in with them from time to time, and the girl agreed to do so.

Driven on by a curious thirst to fill want she'd never realized she'd had during her tribal life, she left Ul'dah for Limsa Lominsa, deciding to take the overland course to Horizon and Vesper Bay before taking the ferry to the island settlement. Fulfilling the odd job as she went, she began to make a small name for herself, if only in the fact that Momodi knew she could have a capable thaumaturge answer the odd job that called for one within Thanalan. As such, J'karu has always made a point to let the Quicksand matron know when she was in the region.

Arriving in Limsa Lominsa, she met with the adventurer’s guild owner there, speaking to Baderon at the Drowning Wench shortly and inquiring about the guilds in the city. Upon learning of the Arcanists' Guild, the girl sought it out within the week. She opened the door and poked around a bit... before swiftly leaving. The idea of magic cast via diagram and formulae made her pale, and she rushed back to Baderon to pry anymore knowledge of a likely guild in the parts. The man simply supplied that arcane magic was the only magic in the area, but that there were other guilds she might try her hand out, or he could simply supply her with the odd job. Taking him up on the offer and keeping true to her nature, she swiftly proved to Baderon what she had to Momodi. Still, that wanderlust that had driven her to Limsa eventually drove her away, to seek new sights. Bidding Baderon thanks and farewell, she took the ferry back to Vesper Bay and traveled overland through Thanalan to the Twelveswood and Gridania.

There she found the Conjurers' Guild... and was quick to leap into its ranks. Like thaumaturgy, conjury came swiftly to her, though it took longer for her to grasp the healing aspect than the aspects of air, water and earth. Still, it was simply learning to channel her passion into healing something rather than beckoning the elements, something she found a knack in. Spending as many months with the conjurers as she had with the thaumaturges, she soon found she had learned what she could from them, just as she had in Ul'dah. And, as in Ul’dah and Limsa Lominsa, she made friendly with the local matron of the adventurer’s guild, Miounne, and took the odd job when she could.

Out of places to wander for the time, J’karu’s tracks found her back in Limsa for the time being, wavering over spending some time working out how to channel her energies into the arcane, the way she had come to with conjury and thaumaturgy... with the idle thought that she might be able to mix the two into a whole new kind of magic.

===Sastasha===
It was by saving grace that her being in Limsa Lominsa lead her on her current path, and perhaps the god Oschon was looking out for two wanderers that day, as he willed their paths back to the island. As such, no sooner had she send notice to Momodi and Miounne that she would be unable to accept Ul'dahn and Gridanian work and a notice to Baderon that she was in the Lominsan area... did she receive a letter back from Baderon about a potential job.

She arrived a few hours later at the Wench and heard the pub owner out. A mysterious ship and ruffians? A grotto she had not yet explored? She had heard of the Sastasha Seagrot, but she'd yet to set foot in it, having steered clear of the areas around the Sapsa spawning grounds in her last travels. Apparently, though, Baderon had already sent out someone capable in the ways of melee to the grotto, and, if she accepted, she could meet him there. Two others would join them after her, should she go by ferry, and together the four of them could rout out the presumed pirates that had taken up residence.

Accepting and taking the ferry to Aleport, she headed north. She was quick to discover that she and her would-be-partner was not the only groups hired for the job. Which was not unusual, given the livelihood of an adventurer was jobs like these. It was then she found the first member of the party she'd been hired with. He was as Baderon had described, a scruffy-looking, black-haired miqo'te. She smiled slightly, amused to find him “dozing on the job” as it were, and woke him with a tap of her staff. Introducing herself and taking his name to be R'tahz Tia, she sat with him to wait for the last two of their band. In the short time before the hyuran gladiator and elezen conjurer arrived, they spoke lightly of what adventuring life was like, and the various nuances of their preferred combat professions.

Once the rest of their party arrived, the group descended into the caverns of Sastasha. Battling and sneaking past unusually-hostile fauna in the initial areas, they soon came upon what the Maelstrom suspected: an encampment of the Serpent Reavers. Looking to take advantage of the pirates being unaware of their presence, the group pressed on and assaulted the brigands. Despite the pirates becoming alert to their presence, momentum and the layout of the caverns favored the smaller group, allowing a classic phalanx formation where the gladiator kept the enemies at bay, with R'tahz behind him lancing any pirates that left an opening, with J'karu behind him hitting with magic from beyond their reach, and the conjurer keeping them all alive. Eventually, they were able to clear out the pirate infestation and deal with the Sahagin chieftain that had been behind the pirates' presence.
With the job completed, the gladiator and conjurer set off on their own ways almost immediately. J'karu hung back, asking R'tahz if he would mind if they traveled together, as she enjoyed talking to him and wanted to get to know him more. He was hesitant at first, until she continued on to explain that she didn't have many friends since she left her tribe, and that he seemed nice to her.

There was a wavering moment where she thought he might say no, but, to her internal glee, he agreed, and the two set out anew, this time as companions.

===Early Travels and Honing Control===
Shortly after setting out from Sastasha, the newly formed duo ventured across the island of Vylbrand back to Limsa Lominsa. Their route lead them to Swiftperch, where they remained for the evening when a rolling cloud bank breached the horizon and took the island into a vicious storm for the evening. Renting a room at a small inn, J'karu and R'tahz quickly found themselves hungry for an evening meal and hungry to learn of each other's travels and findings. As such, as soon as the innkeeper set them up with a warm meal, they spent the better part of that stormy night talking and trading tales back and forth besides the inn fireplace. In an admission, J'karu's mention of having never downed a drop of alcohol fell on the ears of the cheerful inn-keep. Giving the two a wink, he planted two tankards of golden ale before the couple and told them to give it a try.

J'karu quickly found that she liked the robust flavor of the drink a bit more than might have been wise. One tankard later found one very tipsy mage nearly planting her face on the floor of the common room. In the end, it took R'tahz helping her upstairs to put her to bed. They ended up sharing it, though nothing came of such, due to J'karu displaying a cuddly nature while inebriated and due to the fact she simply wouldn't let go over the other miqo'te.

The morning found the two with a bit of a bustle, but events quickly were laid out and no hard feelings were had, though there were quite a few chuckles.
Shortly after, the two traveled back to Limsa Lominsa and began taking the odd job for a few months. During this time, it became apparent that the both of them were struggling in some fields concerning their preferred skill sets. R'tahz found himself lacking in some of the more upfront skills required of a close-end user of the lance and J'karu found herself lacking in the ability to aim with finite control.

As such, R'tahz began to invest himself more heavily in the Marauders' Guild. As he honed his skills with the axe, he began to teach J'karu archery as he had learned it in Gridania. After some month or two in Limsa while R'tahz had completed a new tier of training, the pair ventured back to the mainland and took up residence in an inn in Gridania, whereupon J'karu signed her name at the Archers' Guild and began her official training in the skill set. In short, the girl found the use of a bow incredibly different and beyond what she was used to and struggled with the skill at first. Over the course of weeks of challenge, she began to muster some semblance of aptitude with the weapon.

During the next month or two, J'karu and R'thaz spent time teaching themselves new ways to fight. Both of them practicing the bow in Gridania, while J'karu toyed with learning the lance from R'tahz, taking enough time to practice with it so that she wouldn't skewer herself should her hand be forced to use it. Meanwhile, R'tahz made periodic visits back to Limsa Lominsa to stay in touch with the guildmaster of the Marauders' Guild and not lose his new-found edge with the axe. During these times, J'karu found things became increasingly lonely... and it was because of this that Luciane got in touch with an old friend of her, a bard by the name Viyra Stonesthrow, whom began to coach J'karu in bardic magic to take her mind off of R'tahz's absence.

===The Mage and the Dragoon===
[[File:JkaruBio4.png|240px|thumb|right|R'tahz and J'karu riding one of House Fortemps' draft chocobos.]]After a season of the two picking up a myriad of skills and trying out new things, it became clear to any outside soul looking in that J'karu and R'tahz had found in one another an irreplaceable friend and ally. Some might even say that the two loved each other, but it was clear that J'karu at least was blind and naive to such feelings, even her own.
It wasn't until Saint Valentione's day came to pass in Gridania that the girl even realized she loved R'tahz dearly. As the day drew to a close, though, J'karu found herself talking to a candy vendor as R'tahz perused some trinket stalls nearby. The vendor pointed out that J'karu was buying couples' chocolates and that gave the girl a pause as she considered that she had subconsciously drawn to them.

Smiling, she purchased them and went to share them with R'tahz. Though both of them were red faced from admission, the blubbering fools managed to both choke out that they loved the other. The bubbly feelings that followed lead to a euphoria that J'karu had never before had the pleasure of experiencing. Finally, she had someone with whom she could share her life and her wanderings, never to part. The two grew ever closer and to outsiders it seemed as if their relationship has culminated over night. There never seemed to be a day where the two weren't together now, and R'tahz even accompanied J'karu to the Floating City of Nym to track down a more experienced mage so that she might delve deeper into the Void and hone what skilled thaumaturges call black magic.

The mage that the pair eventually found for J'karu was known as Aeri Sirhl, a Keeper of the Moon that had long since sequestered herself in Vylbrand and become a hermit. Though Aeri displayed that she was a remarkably odd individual and many that knew her half suspected that the Void had made her half-mad, the black mage agreed to teach J'karu. Still, she warned the would-be black mage in a moment of succinct clarity that taking the black involved opening oneself to the Void, something that could prove detrimental to one's mental state and might even lead to the Void draining all the energy from J'karu herself, leaving her a lifeless husk.

Determined to further her knowledge, J'karu took the task in stride and accepted the challenge of learning higher level black magics. Spending the better part of a year with Aeri, J'karu felt her feelings and temperament come under fire by the Void every time she toyed with opening Void gates and learned to tap its power to feed her own. It was a dangerous gamble, she found, something that could so easily be turned around on her, as Aeri had said. Nevertheless, every night she'd rejoin R'tahz and his presence would remind her of who she was and soothe her battered emotions. Every morning, she would wake renewed and fresh, ready to tackle the trials Aeri set before her.

A season would pass, leaving the couple in winter. Though the cold was bitter, their spirits were not. J'karu had learned all Aeri had to teach her... and that left the couple with one task left to tackle. The whisper of a dragoon who would teach R'tahz, who had already learned what he could from the Lancers' Guild. At almost the same time, a missive arrived from the Drowning Wench, that there had been a response from R'tahz's inquiries into an advanced trainer. And so, departing from the warm climes of La Noscea to the frozen wastes of Coerthas, R'tahz sought out a House Fortemps guard captain named Faucillien Sondraix, once a dragoon of some renown. Initially unwilling to impart his knowledge upon the young miqo'te due to Ishgardian custom that the talents of the dragoon, the tip of their proverbial spear against the dragon horde, was not be taught to those who have not sworn fealty to the Holy See, his heart was swayed by learning that R'tahz sought the skills to better his ability to protect J'karu. Agreeing to be R'tahz's teacher, Faucillien bade them make camp off the roads between Coerthas and the Black Shroud, where they would be close enough for him to travel to teach R'tahz while taking into account that they were ill-suited for prolonged living in the wintry wastes of Coerthas.

The nearby forests also provided handy training environments for the aerial combat style of dragoons, something also befitted by the lithe and agile nature of miqo'te. Faucillien spared no measure of intensity in R'tahz's training, setting physically-demanding tasks and training regimens that battered R'tahz to the hells and back, oftentimes forcing J'karu to get some good hands-on training with her burgeoning conjury magic. But no matter the beating that R'tahz took, he never once faltered in his determination to progress. His skills continued to grow with each passing day, and as he spent his days in training, J'karu herself was not idle either. Aside from practicing her conjury in keeping him well-recovered, she also took an interest in activity going on at the nearby chocobo stables. Apparently, a pair of chocobos had grown coats of feathers that were more reddish in color than the commonly-found yellow, and the Ishgardian breeders found to be a waste of effort and choboco feed. Discovering that the Ishgardians planned to put down the chocobos, J'karu immediately attempted to intervene. Initially they were having none of it, but as Faucillien happened by at the time and overheard what was going on, he requisitioned the two birds for House Fortemps' use, then handed over their ownership to J'karu. These would become J'karu's Ember and R'tahz's Streich.

An inquisitor soon arrived from Ishgard, come to get to the bottom of the matter concerning an outsider being trained in their ways. Under normal circumstances, the outsider would be declared in fealty to the dragon horde and the trainer a heretic. But, when it was discovered that Faucillien, a hero to the people and a retired dragoon in good standing, was the one doing the training, the inquisitor knew better than to risk a schism in the populace. Coming up with a better way to see the outsider killed for his hubris, the inquisitor declared that the Holy See's lack of involvement in the training of such an up and coming young dragoon was inexcusable, and considering the rate of his advancement, were prepared to rectify this error by granting him immediate admission into the ranks of the dragoon knights pending one final trial. That trial was solo combat against a significant draconic menace to the people of Ishgard: the dragon named Marraco.

Without hesitation, R'tahz accepted the trial and moved to hunt the massive monstrosity across the snowy wastes. Before he left the Observatorium, Faucillien caught up and told him in no uncertain terms that the task set before him was suicidal, that he would die, and that the approval, or lack thereof, of Ishgard did not confer or deny the skills he had developed over the past several months. R'tahz agreed that he was almost certain to die, and would have much rather taken J'karu and left Coerthas to go on with their lives, but how many other people would die if he didn't go stop the dragon? Faucillien laughed, saying that the boy was more a righteous paladin than he was a blood-mucking dragoon, but bade him walk the path that he chose. Behind R'tahz's back, however, Faucillien waited no more than it took for the young miqo'te to get out of sight before he went and found J'karu, informing her of the sham trial set by Ishgard and telling her that if the love he had witnessed between the two in the past months were not a lie, then she would follow and convince him to abandon the suicidal hunt, damn whatever the Holy See had to say on the matter. He didn't even have to finish his plea for her to go after him than she was already gone.

Any hope of convincing him to abandon the hunt was lost, however, when she heard the battle roars of Marraco carrying across the entire highlands. She arrived in the Snowcloak cliffs to find R'tahz cornered by Marraco, seconds from being swallowed whole. The fireball she unleashed on the dragon was potent enough to burn away the entire snowdrift that they were standing upon. Recovering his lance, R'tahz swept Marraco's feet from beneath it as it attempted to round on J'karu, turning the encounter into an unfavorable game that saw J'karu blasting it with ever more powerful magic when it turned to deal with R'tahz, and having itself tripped and hamstrung whenever it tried to take out the mage. Finally, R'tahz's positioning led it to unleash its devastating swinge upon a cliff face, burying itself in an avalance that J'karu attempted to bury it alive under by prodigious application of blizzard spells. Testimony to the creature's great power, though, it forcefully freed itself and then determined it wanted nothing more to do with the nuisance miqo'te, scrabbling up the cliff face and disappearing into the frozen wastes.

With the dragon dealt with, though by no means as dead as everyone involved wished for, R'tahz and J'karu returned to the Observatorium, where the inquisitor was all too delighted to point out that not only had R'tahz received help in his trial, but had failed to kill the dragon as specified, and as such was barred from the order of dragoons and given a day to leave Coerthas before being threatened with a death mark. Once the inquisitor had left, Faucillien told R'tahz that it mattered not the opinion of the Holy See, that R'tahz was every bit a dragoon as he, himself had once been. In commemoration for R'tahz having completed his training, Faucillien presented him with a replica set of the wyrm armor of the Ishgardian dragoons — having overheard a conversation between the two miqo'te that J'karu thought it attractive. With this, R'tahz had the affirmation that, regardless of Ishgard's official stance, the two would always be welcome in House Fortemps.

===Dawn of a New Era===
Following spending winter in Coerthas, the couple traveled back to the warmth of Gridania and the onset of spring. The change in clime was a welcome one and further raised their spirits. Blessed with having mastered their respective fields and having even acquired new companion mounts from Faucillien, the found themselves at a lull in activity in their lives. After discussing for a time as to what to do, J'karu decided to investigate the Conjurers' Guild in hopes that they might have more knowledge to pass onto her. This venture proved fruitless, as they reminded her that she had already come to glean all the spells and abilities she could from the guild and seemed to have grown as a conjurer for her time in Coerthas tending R'tahz's wounds. Frustrated at the prospect of not being able to grow as a conjurer, J'karu sought out other routes to furthering herself, knowing the Shroud as the home and haven of white magic.

Such ventures lead J'karu into the Twelveswood some month or so after the couples' return to Gridania. Having taken a job to investigate an aetheric disturbance in Bramble Patch, J'karu discovered its source was a young moogle who had become trapped in a diremite nest and was bleeding aetheric energy in its attempts to escape. Rescuing the critter and eradicating the nest, she began to tend to the creature's wounds. Her experience with moogles was limited, however, given she had only ever known them as mail couriers and, as far as J'karu knew, they were a secretive race that rarely showed themselves to others. As the moogle awoke from its pain-induced slumber it jolted up off the ground and floated about nervously, noting the subsiding glow coming from J'karu's hands as she quelled her conjury. The mage introduced herself, but soon found herself talking to no one as the moogle faded from sight, hiding itself in what J'karu assumed to be something akin to fairy magic. She remained for a time, just in case, but the moogle did not return, so she traveled back to Gridania.

Back in the city, R'tahz informed her that he had received a letter from the master of the Marauders' Guild, that he might hone the edge of his axe should he come attend in Limsa. Reminded of their time some seasons ago when R'tahz initially picked up the axe, J'karu was disheartened, but understood that R'tahz's desired path lay in Vylbrand, while there might be some knowledge of hers in the Black Shroud. With fond farewells, R'tahz boarded an airship to Limsa Lominsa later that week, leaving J'karu alone in the Shroud with nothing but her thoughts and a increasingly fruitless quest to uncover secrets of lost conjury and white magic.

As fate or Nymeia would have it, she did not have to wait long. Having acquired some esoteric tomes from a contact in Ul'dah shortly after R'tahz's departure, J'karu began to head-aching process of deciphering the spells within them and began to practice a rudimentary divine seal. Most of her days were spent practicing the spells in the Shroud, having come to favor the Lifemend Stump as a good location to bed down and camp for the night, should she spend too much time practicing into the afternoon and decide to sleep in the wilds for an eve. Some weeks would pass and one such night left her exhausted as she clambered into her tent. Slipping into slumber, J'karu was awoken in the dead of a moonless night to a white glow shining through the canvas of her tent and then pushing through the flap. It bobbed about, hovering over the tome she had set aside. Grasping her staff, the girl slowly shifted and spoke out, questioning the presence. The thing, whatever it was, jolted about in nervousness and flew in every direction at once, it seemed, batting into the canvas of the tent. Speaking in a calming voice, J'karu informed it she meant it no harm... and then slowly the form of a moogle faded into view. Recognizing it as the moogle she had aided in the Bramble Patch she was shocked to find that it began to talk to her in a small voice.

The moogle introduced herself as Pukko Paki, a young, by their terms, moogle whom was the equivalent of a white mage to her kind. For some week now, she had been following J'karu, curious to see what the mage could master of the ancient white magics. Enamored by the girl's want to learn, the moogle offered to help her learn the spells in the tome and pass on some of her own knowledge to J'karu. When J'karu asked why the moogle would and whether or not Pukko was breaking any tenants moogle kind had laid down, the beastman bobbed up and down and jingled, an action J'karu would come to understand as laughter. Pukko explained that she was something of a misfit by moogle terms and had long since shrugged off anything that might be considered "against moogle ideals" when she delved into exploring the Twelveswood and the civilization of the spoken races on her own. With that admission, a friendship was born between the wannabe white mage and the moogle.

Spring would warm into summer and frequent letters from and to R'tahz would keep her hopes high as she and Pukko, or Pukk as J'karu sometimes called her, delved into the tome and into passing skills on from moogle to miqo'te. It proved a daunting task, as some of the knowledge Pukko had did not translate well into the common tongue and many of the sigils in the tomes were worn with age. Nevertheless, J'karu began to emerge as what Pukko called a "hedge mage", or a white mage untrained by the padjal. As it were, J'karu came to found that such a thing was not uncommon. Given the padjals' fear that too much white magic would drain the Shroud as it had before, she found that there were a number of adventurers who had sought other means to further their knowledge in healing as she had. Conferring with them allowed her and Pukko to decipher a few more of the divine seals in her tomes, granting J'karu access to new spells to add to her arsenal.

Midsummer marked a turning point for J'karu, as Pukko declared there were no more spells she knew of to teach the miqo'te. Saddened by the prospect, because she believed it meant she was going to lose a friend, she was ecstatic to hear the moogle declare that she would be staying with J'karu to accompany her for a time. Which meant, of course, that there was one thing left to do... introduce the moogle to R'tahz. The newly christened warrior walked off the airship some days after the midsummer festival in Gridania, wearing replica armor of the warriors of old, as was his wont when it came to replica gear. Leaping towards him and throwing her arms around him. She had not realized how direly his absence had effected her, as she broke into tears of happiness at his return. J'karu decided then and there that, no matter where the Spinner took them, she would never stand to be parted from R'tahz for such an extended time again.

Venturing forth, J'karu pulled R'tahz into the room she was staying in at the Carline Canopy and took a deep breath as she explained in full the details she had left out in her letters: Pukko and white magic that the padjal thought better left unknown. At first, Pukko did not show herself to the dragoon... but eventually she faded into his vision as well, bobbing up and down in greeting. After an initial introductory period, the trio spent the evening in good humor, sharing their first of many meals together. As summer went on, J'karu, R'tahz, Pukko, and their chocobos Ember and Streich spent the rest of the summer venturing and taking odd jobs. Come fall, J'karu and R'tahz decided it was time for them to find a base of operations for the winter and sought out renting a room at the [[Oak Inn & Tavern|Oak Inn]], giving them a place to call home for the days to come.

==Traits==
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<div style="padding:3px 35px;background: #a6a6a6;font-size:14px;color:#1e1400;"><center><b>Likes</b></center></div>
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> R'tahz
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Traveling
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Petrichor, the smell after it rains.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Books & stories
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Snow

<td style="vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:3px 35px; background:#a6a6a6;font-size:14px;color:#1e1400;"><center><b>Dislikes</b></center></div></span>
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Being alone for extended times.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Cold
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Unwarranted boldness.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Racism & stereotypes

<td style="vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:3px 35px; background:#a6a6a6;font-size:14px;color:#1e1400;"><center><b>Hobbies</b></center></div></span>
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Collecting aimless bits and bobs.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Sketching
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Singing
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Devising new outfit ensembles.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Keeping her journal.

<td style="vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:3px 35px; background:#a6a6a6;font-size:14px;color:#1e1400;"><center><b>Other</b></center></div></span>
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> '''Favorite Food & Drink:''' Chocolate, nectarines & milk
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> '''Favorite Creatures:''' Cactuars, jackals & Moogles
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> '''Least Favorite Food:''' Coconut & mint
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> '''Least Favorite Creature:''' Jellyfish
</tr></table>

==Combat==
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A spell caster at heart, J'karu's strengths in combat lie in a nearly inexhaustible ability to fuel spells by passion. Her magical talent persists and strengths based on how badly she wants a spell to go off or how badly she wants her goals. A savant at magics that draw from life sources and energies, this has made her quite capable of flinging elemental spells with ease and quite well-off when concerning healing, as the passion to protect her allies comes in both offensive and defensive flavors. On the physical hand, of all weapons, bows and light bladed weapons are her only strong suit. Over all, she prefers light swords and fencing blades, though she has yet to explore them seriously. J'karu has some knowledge of using a lance, given her companionship with a lancer, and picked up an axe for all of a month, but has not found either of them something she prefers.
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<td style="font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
:: '''Endurance'''
:: '''Strength'''
:: '''Dexterity'''
:: '''Agility'''
:: '''Magic'''
:: '''Intelligence'''
<td style="font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: <font color="#526381">█</font><font color="#566B82">█</font><font color="#597282">█</font>
: <font color="#526381">█</font><font color="#566B82">█</font>
: <font color="#526381">█</font><font color="#566B82">█</font><font color="#597282">█</font><font color="#5D7A83">█</font><font color="#608283">█</font>
: <font color="#526381">█</font><font color="#566B82">█</font><font color="#597282">█</font><font color="#5D7A83">█</font>
: <font color="#526381">█</font><font color="#566B82">█</font><font color="#597282">█</font><font color="#5D7A83">█</font><font color="#608283">█</font><font color="#648984">█</font><font color="#679184">█</font><font color="#6B9985">█</font><font color="#6EA085">█</font><font color="#72A886">█</font>
: <font color="#526381">█</font><font color="#566B82">█</font><font color="#597282">█</font><font color="#5D7A83">█</font><font color="#608283">█</font><font color="#648984">█</font>
</tr></table>
</tr></table>

* '''Arcane Magic:''' J'karu has found that she is wholly adverse to the ways of arcane magic, and thus, summoning. She has avoided the Arcanists' Guild in Limsa Lominsa for now, but perhaps her wandering will take her there one day.

* '''Archery:''' Having learned her archery from R’tahz and the Archer’s Guild in Gridanian, J'karu likes to think herself a decent enough bowman. Having spent a number of months working with the Archers' Guild in Gridania, she is well versed in the skill and has a fair easy time hitting targets required of her. Still, it is not and will never be her primary choice as far as combat is concerned, but she values the accuracy it brought to her mage skill set. J'karu also always keeps a bow at hand for emergency, usually it can be found on Ember's saddle bag for ease of access.

* '''Axes:''' What little she knows of using axes, she picked up from watching R'tahz as a marauder. In the end, though, she quickly decided that she had very little aptitude in the area and rarely uses the weapon. Most often she'll use it when she prefers the light armor she wears with it, a specially made set of thin plate mail she commissioned from the Armorers' Guild in Limsa Lominsa.

* '''Bardic Magic:''' Taking the advice of Luciane, the Archers' guildmaster, she sought out a Gridanian bard called Viyra Stonesthrow to teach her a way to infuse magic with the words of song. Though seeing a stint of training through, she did not find it to be her fancy and simply plies the ability now around the company of friends, but never when serious skills are needed of her. Viyra, at least, was pleasantly surprised to find that J'karu had a decent singing voice and can hold a tune well enough to channel the energies required to inspire fellow adventurers with her voice.

* '''Black Magic:''' Having since done what thaumaturges call “taking the black,” J’karu sought out and apprenticed under a black mage. After learning of a mage of some renown, J'karu sought out Aeri Sirhl, a Keeper living around the Floating City of Nym, and convinced the mage to help her further her knowledge and take her thaumaturgy beyond its normal bounds. As such, J'karu has reached levels of aetherial manipulation that black mages are known for, with spells such as Flare becoming a possibility, though taxing. As with any thaumaturge breaking the rules and delving into the Void to enhance their power, J’karu was met with the prospect that it might alter her attitude and mindset, or might plainly drive her mad. It is her love for R'tahz that kept her sane, and she suffered few ill consequences as she advanced through her training.

* '''Daggers:''' Having spent a number of her young years honing her ability in thieving, she picked up a bit of skill with daggers in her youth. While never executing them overly much in full combat herself, she is adept at the hand tricks involved with rolling them back over her knuckles and hands and making them dance. On top of this, she is not bad at using them as projectiles. Still, caught between a foe and a hard place with her daggers would likely not end well for her, but they serve in a pinch... As such, she always has one on her person somewhere, usually at her hip.

* '''Hand-to-Hand:''' Another swiftly forgotten school, J'karu took it up in hopes that it would aid her while she was learning the lancers' stance from R'thaz. She attended a number of public classes at the Pugilists' Guild in Ul'dah and prefers the use of a set of bladed claws to the blunt hora weapons, but short of being able to defend herself unarmed against an untrained foe, she would never be able to hold her own against anyone specifically trained in melee.

* '''Lances:''' Spending as much time as she has with a skilled dragoon, J'karu began using lances in hopes that she might find some melee weapon to her liking. Though lances are easily the physical weapon she has the most knowledge in after daggers bows, she would lose in a one-on-one fight between herself and an experience lancer. Still, she doesn't mind the weapon, and it gave her an excuse to train with R'tahz. Unlike with her dagger, though she only carries a lance rarely.

* '''Stealth:''' Like her knowledge of daggers, she picked up the ability to hedge about unnoticed in her youth. This gave her a light step and an easy grace that she carried into her other skill sets. By no means a master thief, she does have quick fingers... and could pick-a-pocket if she wanted to, but she might end up being caught by more hawk-eyed targets. It should be noted that she is not particularly fond of having this skill set and will only use it when pressed or when trying to make a point.

* '''White Magic:''' Though conjury was the field of magic she studied second, she is equally adept in it as she is thaumaturgy. She has dabbled in what the Gridanians and conjurers call white magic, having received some ancient texts from an Ul'dahn contact, Sabine Aislihn. While she is, by no means, a padjali white mage, she, like other adept conjurers, has begun to glean knowledge of the lost ancient white magic from other sources, becoming what some call a hedge-white mage, or a lesser white mage. She has found herself capable of the more common white magic such as regeneration spells and divine seals and, with the help of her recent moogle companion, has begun to delve deeper into the knowledge of white magic hidden in the Twelvewood.

==Relationships==
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<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:3px 35px; background: #a6a6a6;font-size:14px;color:#1e1400;"><center>Allies</center></div></span></h3>
: <center><font style="color:#F02311;" size="3">♥</font> Romantic Interest <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="3">♥</font> Platonic Love <font style="color:#9EC60B;" size="3">●</font> Good Standing</center>

: <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="3">♥</font> Pukko Paki: The moogle that taught J'karu white magic and is currently traveling with her as kind of a shoulder companion, Pukko is a curious and shy individual, often remaining invisible to everyone but J'karu, R'tahz and their chocobos. Still, towards the mage and the dragoon, Pukko is very amicable and friendly and has come to consider them both as good a friend as a moogle can have. J'karu herself would easily put herself in harms way to defend the beastman.
: <font style="color:#9EC60B;" size="3">●</font> Aeri Sirhl: A Keeper of the Moon that J'karu tracked down to the Floating City of Nym. The woman taught J'karu the deeper knowledge of black magic. A loon, her way of talking and living put J'karu off at first, but she eventually found a friend in the slightly crazy woman. Aeri, in her more lucid moments, deeply cares for the girl.
: <font style="color:#9EC60B;" size="3">●</font> Faucillien Sondraix: R'tahz's dragoon teacher, J'karu gets along well with the elezen. In truth, she is dearly thankful to him for helping her procure Ember and Streich before the chocobos were culled and she is pleased that he was stern with R'tahz during his training, as she thinks it made him a better dragoon for it.
: <font style="color:#9EC60B;" size="3">●</font> [[Gunnbjorn Darkblade]]: J'karu met Gunnbjorn when he was in a rather glum attitude, but was pleased to find that a bit of talking and cheerful drinks to be shared allowed her to find a companion in the man. She has also found him to be a fellow thief, as their meeting due to her playing a bit of a pickpocket-trick on him left catching her, despite her best efforts. Because of this, J'karu feels a bond to the man due to similar backgrounds.
: <font style="color:#9EC60B;" size="3">●</font> Viyra Stonesthrow: A highlander woman whom resides in Bentbranch Meadows, she's acquaintances with Luciane of the Archers' Guild. A bard in her own right, she took J'karu under her wing during the time that her and R'tahz were separated due to learning different trades. She believes J'karu could be a decent bard if the girl had more interest, but understands that her pupil is free spirited.
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:3px 35px; background: #a6a6a6;font-size:14px;color:#1e1400;"><center>Acquaintances</center></div></span></h3>
: <center><font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">●</font> Neutral Standing <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> Acquaintance</center>

: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">●</font> J'shari Arran: J'karu's former master from her tribal days, she left on decent terms. Though they've never been in touch since before the Calamity, J'karu holds no ill will towards the woman... and is grateful to her for believing in her.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">●</font> [[Vervara Rozthan]]: Vervara and J'karu get along well enough, though they haven't had much of a chance to talk beyond their initial introduction. She swiftly found that the woman's attitude was one she likes and she hopes to get to know the mage more now that they've both been hired by Gunnbjorn for the task of raiding a Belah'dian tomb.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[Ashiirra Azaria]]: Having met at the inn where they both reside, J'karu hasn't gotten to know Ashiirra much beyond their initial conversastion. They got along well enough, though.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[Ariilyn Azaria]]: Ariilyn was increasingly excited to learn that J'karu was a mage and, upon their first meeting, J'karu helped the girl learn a few of the basics of thaumaturgy.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[A'rklonn Sargonnai]]: One of the guests that Faucillien shoehorned into coming to the couples' wedding, J'karu doesn't know A'rklonn beyond that first meeting, but he was genial enough in her opinion.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[Chris Ganale]]: J'karu knows Chris sparingly through Sabine. She bears the man no ill will, but she hasn't gotten to know him well enough beyond sparse interactions.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[Clouse Sydonis]]: J'karu met Clouse on an expedition she was hired for by Gunnbjorn. She appreciates the man's ideals about wounded folk and those that cross paths unfortunately.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[Devilish Sarracenia]]: Like Clouse, J'karu met Devil on the same expedition. Though the roegadyn is gruff, she hasn't found herself disliking the woman yet.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[Glioca Sargonnai]]: J'karu knows Glioca because Faucillien invited the elezen to the pews for the miqo'tes' wedding because he didn't want them to be empty for their lack of acquaintances. Glioca and J'karu got along well.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[Sabine Aislihn]]: An acquaintance J'karu made in one of her visits to Ul'dah, Sabine and J'karu get along well enough. Every now and again, J'karu seeks out the woman for an esoteric tome on black or white magic.

<h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:3px 35px; background: #a6a6a6;font-size:14px;color:#1e1400;"><center>Antagonists</center></div></span></h3>
: <center><font style="color:#C24640;" size="3">●</font> Poor Standing <font style="color:#000000;" size="3">♦</font> Enemies</center>

: <font style="color:#C24640;" size="3">●</font> J'raha Nunh: The nunh that once pursued J'karus affections, J'raha has no place in J'karu's heart. Though she does not particularly hate him, she is less fond of him than being neutral towards him. Still, she has not seen him since before the Calamity.
</tr></table>

==Rumors==
<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<center>''Some of these rumors are untrue or are greatly exaggerated. Please feel free to add your own rumors under PC!''</center>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
<b><div style="padding:3px 25px; background: #90AB76;">◢ Common Rumors (Easily overheard.)</div></b>
: <font style="color:#90AB76;" size="3">■</font> "Aye, that girl'n'er lad are usually 'round these parts. Some might say they're a bit joined at th' hip." — ''Baderon Tenfingers''
: <font style="color:#90AB76;" size="3">■</font> "Rhome? I remember her. She didn't stick around too long, but she picked up enough to get buy in a street fight, I s'pose..." — ''Chuchuto Brightstar''
: <font style="color:#90AB76;" size="3">■</font> "Hah! J'karu? One of the brightest to ever sign her name on the guild's scrolls! She took to thaumaturgy like a fish takes to water or an Ul'dahn takes to the glimmer of gil." — ''Cocobuki, the Piercing Eye''
: <font style="color:#90AB76;" size="3">■</font> "Seen that miqo'te around the Archers' Guild more than once. Luciane had a bit of a soft spot for her a few seasons back and she turned into a decent shot because of it." — ''Gridanian Citizen''

<b><div style="padding:3px 25px; background: #F37E1D;">◢ Uncommon Rumors (Moderately difficult to overhear.)</div></b>
: <font style="color:#F37E1D;" size="3">■</font> "She ain't much good with that axe she totes about on occasion. But then, I don't think she uses it for more than havin' a bit of fun. J'karu's more of a magic girl at heart." — ''Drowning Wench Patron''
: <font style="color:#F37E1D;" size="3">■</font> "I don't particularly want to talk about that girl. She's no Seeker I know of." — ''J'raha Nunh''
: <font style="color:#F37E1D;" size="3">■</font> "J'karu? I helped her try her hand at bardic magic a few seasons back. I don't think she'll ever take it seriously, no, but you'll be pleased if she ever sings you a tune. Bit of a songbird, that cat." — ''Viyra Stonesthrow''

<b><div style="padding:3px 25px; background: #D83018;">◢ Rare Rumors (Very difficult or rarely overheard.)</div></b>
: <font style="color:#D83018;" size="3">■</font> "She scared me at the time. I-I-I... I don't remember. I remember. No, I remember. She seemed to be impervious to the Void when I was training her. I couldn't tell you why. No, I'll tell you why. It was that boy's doing. He kept her sane. I don't remember..." — ''Aeri Sirhl''
: <font style="color:#D83018;" size="3">■</font> "I'll tell you one thing about that girl, if she ever felt like it, she could decimate whole towns. Anything she wants to do badly enough with her magic, she accomplishes. We're surely blessed she's of such a sweet disposition." — ''J'shari Arran''
: <font style="color:#D83018;" size="3">■</font> "Karu is a dear friend, kupo! I think I'll stick around with her for a time... at least until I'm sure she's got the hang of that magic, kupo." — ''Pukko Paki''
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
<b><div style="padding:3px 25px; background: #aac5b4;">◢ PC Rumors (Rumors from other player's characters.)</div></b>
: <font style="color:#aac5b4;" size="3">■</font> "I don't want to think about where I'd be if I hadn't met her. What's important is that I did, and she is my everything, and I wake up each day happy that she's beside me and I'll get to see her smiling face one more day." — ''[[R'tahz Tia]]''
: <font style="color:#aac5b4;" size="3">■</font> "I've met her in passing more than once and have supplied her with some books every now and again. If she ever put her mind to it or was willing, I'd gladly put in a good word for her at the Arcanists' Guild... but I don't think she'd survive the studies she'd have to sit through. Magic by sign and diagram bores her to tears." — ''[[Sabine Aislihn]]''
: <font style="color:#aac5b4;" size="3">■</font> "I attended her wedding. She struck me as an interesting young woman, and she and her fellow seemed quite happy together. I don't know them, not really, but love that sweet and warm... For their sake, I really do hope it lasts." — ''[[Glioca Sargonnai]]''
</tr></table>

==Music==
<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niALD7XzhRs Just Do It]''
:: Artist: The Standard Club
:: Origin: ''PIANO DANCE'' Album
:: <small>Context: Character theme.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWLNxs1L-YI "Libera me" from Hell]''
:: Artist: DJ Gotcha
:: Origin: ''Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann''
:: <small>Context: Attack in overdrive!</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k14OtNAzT7Q Country Roads]''
:: Artist: Yūji Nomi feat. Brittany Snow
:: Origin: ''Whisper of the Heart''
:: <small>Context: Inner inhibitions.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpNPQC2v38c Love Will Find a Way]''
:: Artist: Liz Callaway & Gene Miller
:: Origin: Disney's ''The Lion King II: Simba's Pride''
:: <small>Context: Feelings for R'tahz.</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phjr9vaS7HM Maka na Chikai]''
:: Artist: Yoshiki Fukuyama
:: Origin: ''Buso Renkin''
:: <small>Context: On the road that we believe in.</small>
</td>
</tr></table>

==Trivia==
*J'karu's name is based on the Japanese alliteration of ''jackal'', romajinized as ''jakkaru''.
*J'karu owns a young pet cactuar named H'nry.

[[Category: Balmung]]

J'karu Rhome

2017-05-26T15:08:54Z

Chris Ganale: Undo revision 247625 by B'habra (talk)

{{Infobox-character
| name = J'karu Rhome
| image = Jkaru.png
| imagewidth = 338
| caption = J'karu with Pukko at the docks in the Lavender Beds.
| title =
| gender = Female
| citizenship =
| race = Miqo'te
| clan = Seeker of the Sun
| stat_1 = Place of Birth
| stat_1_value = Sandgate, Thanalan
| stat_2 = Nameday
| stat_2_value = 6th Sun of the 2nd Umbral Moon, 1555
| stat_3 = Age
| stat_3_value = 22
| stat_4 = Guardian
| stat_4_value = [[Oschon, the Wanderer]]
| stat_5 = Profession
| stat_5_value = Mage
| stat_6 = Theme Song
| stat_6_value = ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niALD7XzhRs Just Do It]''
}}

'''J'karu Rhome''' is an outcast of the J tribe of the Seekers of the Sun. While not devout, she commits her wanderings to following Oschon, searching for adventure and good times the world over. She is a free-spirited creature, but is never seen without the company of her lover and best friend, [[R'tahz Tia]]. Nearing the ability of a full archmage, she is adept at both black and white magics, but flounders when it comes to heavy physical fighting.

==Personality==
J'karu is an over all a carefree person, a free-spirit. She's laid back, happy and constantly ready to meet people. With this, she has a determination that sets her along a course till its termination. It should be mentioned, though, that she can be a bit scatter-minded when she doesn't have a task or job at hand, going hand in hand with her free-spirit, this can make her wander off on a thread or journey until she does find something more pertinent to focus on. That being said, J'karu has an inexhaustible curiosity. Left to her own devices, she would be content to wander the countryside searching for new views and tidbits of stories and folklore... or, perhaps most importantly, any new form of magic.

But she is wise enough to know that such wandering and adventuring is a good means of revenue. As such, she is keen enough to use her magical prowess to secure herself money to upkeep her equipment and wanderer's lifestyle. After all, any mage worth their salt, even one that casts via shear efforts and passions like J'karu, knows that some parts of the craft requires catalysts, so she is not fool enough to spend all her days wandering aimlessly.

She's not easily scared by much, except for Sea Wasps and anything similar to a jellyfish. For those, she typically runs on sight. As strange as it goes, she's a mite scared of being lonely... which is what would drive her back to the City States after a bout of wandering in the first place. Lastly J'karu's stubborn and can be a bit of a spitfire when you rub her the wrong way. She is more than willing to lash out with a sharp tongue if you piss her off, and has been known to hit people over the head with her mage's staff when they really rile her. ...And even go so far as to set them on fire.

==Appearance==
J'karu, by nature, wears herself comfortably and seems very at home with her appearance. A tad on the short side, she stands five fulms and four ilms tall and has a lithe frame with petite assets. Her hair is brunette, though some would call it auburn with the right amount of sunlight, and is shoulder length — not too short to stab her in the eye constantly and not too long to be a hassle to brush. It lays haphazardly, but it is brushed away from her face to reveal natural tan stripe markings along her cheeks and forehead and slightly tanned eyelids. Her eyes are hazel-green with flecks of amber and narrow pupils, typical of Seeker traits. J'karu also bears a myriad of scars, most of them from travels and wanderings, but the most prominent are a pair on her face, one arching over her cheek, and another across the bridge of her nose.

She has a myriad of outfits in a myriad of colors and styles, each one as wildly varied from the last. Typically, though, she prefers a simple purple tunic and a sturdy, well-worn pair of boots and breeches.

When taking upon jobs of a more serious nature, her attire varies based on which type of magic her employer has asked her to attend for. Concerning black magic, she will wear an expensive robe made of the finest cashmere cloth. It's blue surface is warded and woven with many in-set spell designs rendered in silver and ebony thread. With this she prefers a pair of tough boar-skin boots and a matching set of vanya gloves and hat. When concerning healing craft, she wears a replica robe in the fashion of the white mages of past. Nevertheless, it goes without saying, her appearance and chosen attire is always appropriate for the wanderings or task at hand.

==Clothing==
<center>[[File:JkaruBLM.png|175px]][[File:JkaruWHM.png|175px]][[File:JkaruBRD.png|175px]][[File:JkaruDRG.png|175px]][[File:JkaruARC.png|175px]][[File:JkaruCNJ.png|175px]][[File:JkaruLNC.png|175px]][[File:JkaruMRD.png|175px]][[File:JkaruPGL.png|175px]][[File:JkaruTHM.png|175px]][[File:JkaruCold.png|175px]][[File:JkaruSwimsuit.png|175px]][[File:JkaruDance.png|175px]]</center>

==Biography==
===Early Life===
Born into the tribal life of the Seekers of the Sun miqo'te in Thanalan, J'karu led what amounts to a nomad's childhood. A small group of the J tribe, known loosely as the Sandgate tribe, would become all she knew in her earlier days, and, while her group did mingle with the other J tribal groups to keep bloodlines strong as miqo'te ways are wont, she knew little of the world outside the deserts of Thanalan and the scrub-lands around Drybone and Sandgate where her tribe lives. This can be attributed to the fact that the small village she grew up in was a mere two generations past its foundation, its nunhs relatively new and its populace made up of people that had decided to form a new J settlement when the prominent J tribe north of Drybone grew quite large, typically referred to as the Drybone tribe.

As such, J'karu had little lasting relationship with her father, J'rhome, a nunh whom was much more interested in keeping the newly founded settlement stable... and because she was the daughter of a wayward mother, J'ali Korran, who never seemed to have much interest in her daughter, this colored her youth somewhat, making her curious, independent and a bit of a wanderer. Much of her childhood was spent wandering the outskirts of the tribal claims. Her time not spent wandering was spent within her tribe's village and, as miqo'te are like to, she adopted a weapon and was taught how to use the dagger or short knife from a young age. Given the miqo'te inclination towards stealthiness in their fighting, she eventually honed some semblance of skill with double daggers. At the time, she had no knowledge of magic nor any inkling that it would be her preferred choice of combat at the time given the fact that her small, newly constructed village had yet to secure a suitable magic user to teach in their communal school for their cubs, unwed females and tias.

===Thievery, Magic and Politics===
[[File:JkaruBio1.png|240px|thumb|right|J'karu in her youth, exploring around Sandgate.]]When hard times fell upon Eorzea and the first Garlean invasion of the realm struck, it sent a ripple through the region her tribe occupied. Ala Mhigo fell, Midgardsormr fell into Lake Silvertear, his body twined about the airship Agrias... and a small group of the youth in J'karu's tribe began to resort to less-than-noble means to survive. Caravans traveling the area were her tribe's primary quarry, which lead to her and the youth of her tribe into plying their stealth and skills to rob merchants of Ul'dah of their wares for the tribe's survival. While being swept into this small group at the young age of six meant it was a high-risk job for the young girl, she was delegated to simple and safe tasks by her elder teens, like distracting drivers and fleeing or cutting the bands on covered wagons, rather than the actual subduing and, sometimes, combat with the merchants they were thieving from. The youths were careful to take only what they needed to survive... and the elders of the tribe never seemed to question the small boons they brought home every few days, merely taking the goods in stride. As such, J'karu's skill as a thief, or a would be rogue, was slowly honed, giving her light fingers and an easy grip, but very little combat expertise with a blade.

For some years, this would be her lot in life and this would not change until three events happened. First, the word and tales of a mage in Gridania, that trickled south from the hedged boarder to her tribe, of a mage known as Louisoix Leveilleur. While the tales were much exaggerated by the time they reached Sandgate and were, in truth, quite sparse, they sparked the knowledge that there was something out there... magical. This was further fueled when the Amalj'aa became more active, and their veritable magic users became even more of an issue for all inhabitants of Thanalan equally. As such, her tribe put out a petition to the others: they were in need of a magic user to defend them against the Amalj'aa in their region.

Around the age of twelve, her tribe acquired the skills of a village seer and mage, J'shari Arran, whom began to instruct those youth in the tribe that showed ability with magic how to hone the skills they possessed. J'karu was among them and it quickly became J'shari's opinion that the girl had more magical prowess than she knew what to do with. The seer could barely keep up with the girl's appetite to learn spells... and she quickly came to the conclusion that the more J'karu wanted something to happen, the easier time she had making it so. Aether and nature magics were intuitive to the girl, giving her a strong grasp of how to fuel her personal power into the world's elements and bring them under her will. Conversely, written spells and formulae puzzled the girl and seemed to drive her to tears. J'shari was under the impression that J'karu was a caster of will and passion, someone whose drive fueled their magic, rather than their knowledge, and the miqo'te hedge-mage was right in that regards.

The second change came a year after J'shari came to the tribe and began to instruct the girl, now thirteen. The originating Drybone J tribe discovered that the Sandgate tribe had been stealing, having traced the string of thievery around Sandgate to the tribe itself. This caused a call of concern, that perhaps the offshoot ought to be absorbed back into another, larger tribe... either because it was having trouble getting by, or because it would cause the nunhs present to lose their breeding rights as retribution for turning a blind eye to the crimes of their youth. All elders, nunhs and prominent breeding females alike, convened upon the sands of Thanalan to discuss the issue. In the end, when the stories from the youths had been heard and the reasoning surmised, a compromise was reached.

All breeding nunhs in the tribe would lose their rights to breed and would become tias, having displayed weakness in leadership by not keeping the youth of their tribe in order and would be shamed for a cycle of seasons, unable to challenge for breeding rights for a year and a day. All tias involved in the issue would summarily be shamed for a season, unable to challenge for that time. Females involved were unable to accept courtship for the same amount of time. Finally, interim nunhs would be loaned to the Sandgate tribe for challenge purposes only, not to claim any female, but to serve as those that tias un-involved with the thievery, or those involved with it after a season's time, would challenge against. In all, the Sandgate came out of the ordeal lucky. Though a number of nunhs were lost from the breeding cycle for a year, it caused the tias in the tribe to redouble their efforts, fueled by the passion of reclaiming their tribe as their own from the interim nunhs. Though it took a year and some months before the final interim nunh was challenged and successfully beaten, the Sandgate tribe learned the harsh lesson the elders of the J had hoped they would.

===Courtship===
This lead to the ultimate third change in J'karu's life. This political shift in her tribe had meant little to her at the time, especially given she had no relationship to speak of with her father one of the nunhs at the time of the denouncement. Her life had evolved well beyond the days of thievery she'd partaken in, and she had been too young at thirteen seasons at the time to suffer the consequences, just under the general age of fifteen when females began to receive courtship from nunhs. So she failed to notice that her tribe began to swing into action... primarily in the fact that the new nunhs and the impassioned tias in her tribe had been driven to better their community after the shame they had experienced... and particularly the fact that neighboring tribes had begun to become interested in the Sandgate tribe and the name they seemed keen on making for themselves, a better culture and a better, stronger tribe. In a word, she remained naive, wrapped up in playing with the elements of the aether around her, becoming J'shari's apprentice when she was of age. So, when she found herself smack dab in a dance of courtship with a nunh she hardly knew, she was summarily shocked.

J'raha Nunh was a well liked warrior from a neighboring tribe south of Sandgate, the Broken Water tribe, and had taken a keen interest in the Sandgate tribe and the bloodlines to be found there. Since the debacle and the public denouncement of the nunhs, he'd kept a close eye on the females, convening with a friend of his, a former breeding female of his own tribe, the mother of some of his children and the current seer of the Sandgate tribe: J'shari Arran. His friend informed him of a burgeoning power to be found in one J'karu Rhome, who might someday prove to be a well established seer of her own right. And given J'raha had lost J'shari when she'd past breeding age and left to serve as a seer and teach for the Sandgate offshoot, J'raha saw in J'karu a means to secure another powerful defender for his tribe against the Amalj'aa sharing their lands.

While there is some room for a female to decline the courtship of a male, J'karu had summarily not been expecting to be courted at all. So when the season for such affairs came and the tribes convened to allow tias to challenge nunhs and nunhs to court females from other tribes, J'karu found herself bizarrely hunted by a man whose name she had never heard of. She struggled to remember how to tell him she was not interested and not shame him in the same breath. As it were J'raha seemed to have his mind set on securing her and while he never tried to force himself upon her, he never let up. He was well liked among prospective females, a renown warrior, and in truth, a good example of what a good breeding male in Seeker culture ought to be. His only fault seemed to be a temper that he typically saved for the enemies to his tribe.

Conversely, each time she turned the male down, J'karu found herself in a predicament. There is little to be said of the matter, but it should be said that those that turn too many breeding offers down begin to become something of an oddity in the culture fueled for producing good bloodlines. She was no failure by any right and people knew she was becoming a prominent mage. Even if she had never received a breeding offer, she would have been an attribute to the tribe of her birth. But people simply found it odd that she would not take J'raha's courtship, or any for that matter, and many thought her a prude, accused her of unruly standards, going against nature or idiocy, both behind her back and to her face.

And after year and a half of offers from the nunh to the south, J'raha's temper got the better of him... as J'karu's also got the better of her. A visit outside of the breeding season brought J'raha to the dwelling J'karu had come to call home, a secondary building next to the dwelling J'shari lived in. As J'karu kindly thanked him and declined him once again, she turned to leave back into her home and he followed and lashed out, grasping her by the wrists and pulling her to face him and meet him in the eyes, demanding she give her reasoning for her disinclination towards him. The scuffle left him with a scorched tail and scorched pride when J'karu unleashed a small burst of fire to dissuade him from restraining her, finally growing frustrated with his adamance. His resulting panic as he attempted to put out the flame singeing him and the flare of anger it caused turned him upon her again and he cuffed her across the face, open clawed, accusing her of fighting a pairing that would bring strength to their tribes.

The outburst caused hostility to flare behind usually kind eyes and J'karu told him, straight out, that she didn't see the purpose behind bedding someone whose first words to her could be surmised with the phrase: “we should mate.”

At this, J'raha lifted her and pressed her against a wall. He threatened a great many things as she stayed still, waiting for his temper to simmer down. He could simply force it, he suggested. Enough people thought the girl an imbecile for fighting the tribal ways. Or he could see she was so disgraced that she would never become a breeding female, or worse yet, a village mage. J'raha stung and snapped at every possible path, but eventually he stopped and released his grip on her shoulders. He met her eyes and behind them found a passion that had once charmed him to her... the very single-mindedness that J'shari had spoken of when he had first heard of J'karu, the passion that fueled her magic. At first, he had thought the girl and her magic would have been a perfect match, something that would have brought strength to his tribe in Broken Water. Now he saw it was the very thing that would keep her from ever accepting his charms, from ever accepting anyone who felt them worthy of her. That she would be the one to pick her path in life because of it.

J'raha shook his head, denounced her as a Seeker, and left.

As it were, someone else also left that night. As she stood in the doorway of her home watching J'raha leave to find a suitable place to spend the night, she tossed about the idea. She was a friendly person, all together carefree.... but her tribe looked down upon her, people gave her sideways glances when she walked passed. She would never truly be accepted on the prowess of her magic alone. She was a successful mage, which meant she was expected to pass that success along in blood to her children. Nothing she did, short of having never gotten into magic, and impossibility now, would have changed that.

Armed with that realization and the realization that J'raha would not likely be the last to see her as an asset, she gathered a travel pack and filled it with what belongings she had to her name, then went to say her goodbyes to the only person she felt a connection with, J'shari. The village mage heard her out silently, as the girl gave her reasoning for leaving. The woman, whom had been the one who initially told J'raha about the girl, had always puzzled over her pupil. Truly an adept at magic, she'd never understood the girl's willful manner when dealing with J'raha... but she had always cared for her as if she were a daughter. So she gifted the mage with a staff, a simple wooden thing headed with a crystal globe and the carvings of leaves. She bid the girl to go to Ul'dah and seek out the Thaumaturges' Guild, where she might further her training, and wished her safe travels.
With that, J'karu departed into the night, bound for Ul'dah, the red glow of Dalamud behind her.

===The Calamity===
Arriving in the city a few days later with little to her name, J'karu found the city overwhelming at first, having barely seen a house or building half the height of a tree. The girl balked at first, but eventually put one step ahead of the other and made her way into the stone behemoth. She lucked out at that point, in that she she eventually made her way into the adventurers' guild known as the Quicksand. For the next few months, this place became her home as she met Momodi and the lalafell directed her to the Thaumaturges' Guild, where she added her name to the long list of a great many souls who wished to try their hands at thaumaturgy.

It was not a few months after arriving till the Calamity struck. Ul'dah, a city already rife with issue and home of one of the more tumultuous Grand Companies, shook to her very core as the lunar prison shattered above. While J'karu is what one could have called an average citizen by that time, and while she had little to do with the Battle of Carteneau, every soul in Eorzea felt the turmoil that day, as the Allagan superstructure shattered and splayed across the realm. Some even say that the roar of Bahamut could be heard as far south as Ul'dah. She joined the many that felt the insurmountable fear the day the Calamity struck. And then she joined the first few that came to the realization that the Calamity was only the first of things to come. If that was a close scrape with Bahamut, if the creature had indeed been whisked away by the great mage Louisoix... what would come when the elder primal returned?

===The Wandering Mage===
With renewed fervor, she threw herself into learning magic as the realm around her recovered. Thaumaturgy came swiftly to her, the elements of fire, ice and lightning leaping to her fingertips and bending to her will. The staff she'd been gifted proved a well intended catalyst for the elements. It was not long before her teachers found nothing they could pass onto her and her teachers pointed out that there were other schools of magic she might learn from. That being said, J'karu began to wander. Perhaps it was the discovery of a symbol etched upon the rod of her staff, a curving thing that resembled a walking stick, the emblem of Oschon... Perhaps it was wanting to see the world beyond the tribal desert and Ul'dah. Whatever the case, she set out a few months after the Calamity and sought work as a wandering mage and adventurer, having officiated the position with Momodi before leaving. The lalafell promised to send her work by means of mail or leve retainers in the various settlements across Thanalan, should J'karu be inclined to check in with them from time to time, and the girl agreed to do so.

Driven on by a curious thirst to fill want she'd never realized she'd had during her tribal life, she left Ul'dah for Limsa Lominsa, deciding to take the overland course to Horizon and Vesper Bay before taking the ferry to the island settlement. Fulfilling the odd job as she went, she began to make a small name for herself, if only in the fact that Momodi knew she could have a capable thaumaturge answer the odd job that called for one within Thanalan. As such, J'karu has always made a point to let the Quicksand matron know when she was in the region.

Arriving in Limsa Lominsa, she met with the adventurer’s guild owner there, speaking to Baderon at the Drowning Wench shortly and inquiring about the guilds in the city. Upon learning of the Arcanists' Guild, the girl sought it out within the week. She opened the door and poked around a bit... before swiftly leaving. The idea of magic cast via diagram and formulae made her pale, and she rushed back to Baderon to pry anymore knowledge of a likely guild in the parts. The man simply supplied that arcane magic was the only magic in the area, but that there were other guilds she might try her hand out, or he could simply supply her with the odd job. Taking him up on the offer and keeping true to her nature, she swiftly proved to Baderon what she had to Momodi. Still, that wanderlust that had driven her to Limsa eventually drove her away, to seek new sights. Bidding Baderon thanks and farewell, she took the ferry back to Vesper Bay and traveled overland through Thanalan to the Twelveswood and Gridania.

There she found the Conjurers' Guild... and was quick to leap into its ranks. Like thaumaturgy, conjury came swiftly to her, though it took longer for her to grasp the healing aspect than the aspects of air, water and earth. Still, it was simply learning to channel her passion into healing something rather than beckoning the elements, something she found a knack in. Spending as many months with the conjurers as she had with the thaumaturges, she soon found she had learned what she could from them, just as she had in Ul'dah. And, as in Ul’dah and Limsa Lominsa, she made friendly with the local matron of the adventurer’s guild, Miounne, and took the odd job when she could.

Out of places to wander for the time, J’karu’s tracks found her back in Limsa for the time being, wavering over spending some time working out how to channel her energies into the arcane, the way she had come to with conjury and thaumaturgy... with the idle thought that she might be able to mix the two into a whole new kind of magic.

===Sastasha===
It was by saving grace that her being in Limsa Lominsa lead her on her current path, and perhaps the god Oschon was looking out for two wanderers that day, as he willed their paths back to the island. As such, no sooner had she send notice to Momodi and Miounne that she would be unable to accept Ul'dahn and Gridanian work and a notice to Baderon that she was in the Lominsan area... did she receive a letter back from Baderon about a potential job.

She arrived a few hours later at the Wench and heard the pub owner out. A mysterious ship and ruffians? A grotto she had not yet explored? She had heard of the Sastasha Seagrot, but she'd yet to set foot in it, having steered clear of the areas around the Sapsa spawning grounds in her last travels. Apparently, though, Baderon had already sent out someone capable in the ways of melee to the grotto, and, if she accepted, she could meet him there. Two others would join them after her, should she go by ferry, and together the four of them could rout out the presumed pirates that had taken up residence.

Accepting and taking the ferry to Aleport, she headed north. She was quick to discover that she and her would-be-partner was not the only groups hired for the job. Which was not unusual, given the livelihood of an adventurer was jobs like these. It was then she found the first member of the party she'd been hired with. He was as Baderon had described, a scruffy-looking, black-haired miqo'te. She smiled slightly, amused to find him “dozing on the job” as it were, and woke him with a tap of her staff. Introducing herself and taking his name to be R'tahz Tia, she sat with him to wait for the last two of their band. In the short time before the hyuran gladiator and elezen conjurer arrived, they spoke lightly of what adventuring life was like, and the various nuances of their preferred combat professions.

Once the rest of their party arrived, the group descended into the caverns of Sastasha. Battling and sneaking past unusually-hostile fauna in the initial areas, they soon came upon what the Maelstrom suspected: an encampment of the Serpent Reavers. Looking to take advantage of the pirates being unaware of their presence, the group pressed on and assaulted the brigands. Despite the pirates becoming alert to their presence, momentum and the layout of the caverns favored the smaller group, allowing a classic phalanx formation where the gladiator kept the enemies at bay, with R'tahz behind him lancing any pirates that left an opening, with J'karu behind him hitting with magic from beyond their reach, and the conjurer keeping them all alive. Eventually, they were able to clear out the pirate infestation and deal with the Sahagin chieftain that had been behind the pirates' presence.
With the job completed, the gladiator and conjurer set off on their own ways almost immediately. J'karu hung back, asking R'tahz if he would mind if they traveled together, as she enjoyed talking to him and wanted to get to know him more. He was hesitant at first, until she continued on to explain that she didn't have many friends since she left her tribe, and that he seemed nice to her.

There was a wavering moment where she thought he might say no, but, to her internal glee, he agreed, and the two set out anew, this time as companions.

===Early Travels and Honing Control===
Shortly after setting out from Sastasha, the newly formed duo ventured across the island of Vylbrand back to Limsa Lominsa. Their route lead them to Swiftperch, where they remained for the evening when a rolling cloud bank breached the horizon and took the island into a vicious storm for the evening. Renting a room at a small inn, J'karu and R'tahz quickly found themselves hungry for an evening meal and hungry to learn of each other's travels and findings. As such, as soon as the innkeeper set them up with a warm meal, they spent the better part of that stormy night talking and trading tales back and forth besides the inn fireplace. In an admission, J'karu's mention of having never downed a drop of alcohol fell on the ears of the cheerful inn-keep. Giving the two a wink, he planted two tankards of golden ale before the couple and told them to give it a try.

J'karu quickly found that she liked the robust flavor of the drink a bit more than might have been wise. One tankard later found one very tipsy mage nearly planting her face on the floor of the common room. In the end, it took R'tahz helping her upstairs to put her to bed. They ended up sharing it, though nothing came of such, due to J'karu displaying a cuddly nature while inebriated and due to the fact she simply wouldn't let go over the other miqo'te.

The morning found the two with a bit of a bustle, but events quickly were laid out and no hard feelings were had, though there were quite a few chuckles.
Shortly after, the two traveled back to Limsa Lominsa and began taking the odd job for a few months. During this time, it became apparent that the both of them were struggling in some fields concerning their preferred skill sets. R'tahz found himself lacking in some of the more upfront skills required of a close-end user of the lance and J'karu found herself lacking in the ability to aim with finite control.

As such, R'tahz began to invest himself more heavily in the Marauders' Guild. As he honed his skills with the axe, he began to teach J'karu archery as he had learned it in Gridania. After some month or two in Limsa while R'tahz had completed a new tier of training, the pair ventured back to the mainland and took up residence in an inn in Gridania, whereupon J'karu signed her name at the Archers' Guild and began her official training in the skill set. In short, the girl found the use of a bow incredibly different and beyond what she was used to and struggled with the skill at first. Over the course of weeks of challenge, she began to muster some semblance of aptitude with the weapon.

During the next month or two, J'karu and R'thaz spent time teaching themselves new ways to fight. Both of them practicing the bow in Gridania, while J'karu toyed with learning the lance from R'tahz, taking enough time to practice with it so that she wouldn't skewer herself should her hand be forced to use it. Meanwhile, R'tahz made periodic visits back to Limsa Lominsa to stay in touch with the guildmaster of the Marauders' Guild and not lose his new-found edge with the axe. During these times, J'karu found things became increasingly lonely... and it was because of this that Luciane got in touch with an old friend of her, a bard by the name Viyra Stonesthrow, whom began to coach J'karu in bardic magic to take her mind off of R'tahz's absence.

===Dawn of a New Era===
Following spending winter in Coerthas, the couple traveled back to the warmth of Gridania and the onset of spring. The change in clime was a welcome one and further raised their spirits. Blessed with having mastered their respective fields and having even acquired new companion mounts from Faucillien, the found themselves at a lull in activity in their lives. After discussing for a time as to what to do, J'karu decided to investigate the Conjurers' Guild in hopes that they might have more knowledge to pass onto her. This venture proved fruitless, as they reminded her that she had already come to glean all the spells and abilities she could from the guild and seemed to have grown as a conjurer for her time in Coerthas tending R'tahz's wounds. Frustrated at the prospect of not being able to grow as a conjurer, J'karu sought out other routes to furthering herself, knowing the Shroud as the home and haven of white magic.

Such ventures lead J'karu into the Twelveswood some month or so after the couples' return to Gridania. Having taken a job to investigate an aetheric disturbance in Bramble Patch, J'karu discovered its source was a young moogle who had become trapped in a diremite nest and was bleeding aetheric energy in its attempts to escape. Rescuing the critter and eradicating the nest, she began to tend to the creature's wounds. Her experience with moogles was limited, however, given she had only ever known them as mail couriers and, as far as J'karu knew, they were a secretive race that rarely showed themselves to others. As the moogle awoke from its pain-induced slumber it jolted up off the ground and floated about nervously, noting the subsiding glow coming from J'karu's hands as she quelled her conjury. The mage introduced herself, but soon found herself talking to no one as the moogle faded from sight, hiding itself in what J'karu assumed to be something akin to fairy magic. She remained for a time, just in case, but the moogle did not return, so she traveled back to Gridania.

Back in the city, R'tahz informed her that he had received a letter from the master of the Marauders' Guild, that he might hone the edge of his axe should he come attend in Limsa. Reminded of their time some seasons ago when R'tahz initially picked up the axe, J'karu was disheartened, but understood that R'tahz's desired path lay in Vylbrand, while there might be some knowledge of hers in the Black Shroud. With fond farewells, R'tahz boarded an airship to Limsa Lominsa later that week, leaving J'karu alone in the Shroud with nothing but her thoughts and a increasingly fruitless quest to uncover secrets of lost conjury and white magic.

As fate or Nymeia would have it, she did not have to wait long. Having acquired some esoteric tomes from a contact in Ul'dah shortly after R'tahz's departure, J'karu began to head-aching process of deciphering the spells within them and began to practice a rudimentary divine seal. Most of her days were spent practicing the spells in the Shroud, having come to favor the Lifemend Stump as a good location to bed down and camp for the night, should she spend too much time practicing into the afternoon and decide to sleep in the wilds for an eve. Some weeks would pass and one such night left her exhausted as she clambered into her tent. Slipping into slumber, J'karu was awoken in the dead of a moonless night to a white glow shining through the canvas of her tent and then pushing through the flap. It bobbed about, hovering over the tome she had set aside. Grasping her staff, the girl slowly shifted and spoke out, questioning the presence. The thing, whatever it was, jolted about in nervousness and flew in every direction at once, it seemed, batting into the canvas of the tent. Speaking in a calming voice, J'karu informed it she meant it no harm... and then slowly the form of a moogle faded into view. Recognizing it as the moogle she had aided in the Bramble Patch she was shocked to find that it began to talk to her in a small voice.

The moogle introduced herself as Pukko Paki, a young, by their terms, moogle whom was the equivalent of a white mage to her kind. For some week now, she had been following J'karu, curious to see what the mage could master of the ancient white magics. Enamored by the girl's want to learn, the moogle offered to help her learn the spells in the tome and pass on some of her own knowledge to J'karu. When J'karu asked why the moogle would and whether or not Pukko was breaking any tenants moogle kind had laid down, the beastman bobbed up and down and jingled, an action J'karu would come to understand as laughter. Pukko explained that she was something of a misfit by moogle terms and had long since shrugged off anything that might be considered "against moogle ideals" when she delved into exploring the Twelveswood and the civilization of the spoken races on her own. With that admission, a friendship was born between the wannabe white mage and the moogle.

Spring would warm into summer and frequent letters from and to R'tahz would keep her hopes high as she and Pukko, or Pukk as J'karu sometimes called her, delved into the tome and into passing skills on from moogle to miqo'te. It proved a daunting task, as some of the knowledge Pukko had did not translate well into the common tongue and many of the sigils in the tomes were worn with age. Nevertheless, J'karu began to emerge as what Pukko called a "hedge mage", or a white mage untrained by the padjal. As it were, J'karu came to found that such a thing was not uncommon. Given the padjals' fear that too much white magic would drain the Shroud as it had before, she found that there were a number of adventurers who had sought other means to further their knowledge in healing as she had. Conferring with them allowed her and Pukko to decipher a few more of the divine seals in her tomes, granting J'karu access to new spells to add to her arsenal.

Midsummer marked a turning point for J'karu, as Pukko declared there were no more spells she knew of to teach the miqo'te. Saddened by the prospect, because she believed it meant she was going to lose a friend, she was ecstatic to hear the moogle declare that she would be staying with J'karu to accompany her for a time. Which meant, of course, that there was one thing left to do... introduce the moogle to R'tahz. The newly christened warrior walked off the airship some days after the midsummer festival in Gridania, wearing replica armor of the warriors of old, as was his wont when it came to replica gear. Leaping towards him and throwing her arms around him. She had not realized how direly his absence had effected her, as she broke into tears of happiness at his return. J'karu decided then and there that, no matter where the Spinner took them, she would never stand to be parted from R'tahz for such an extended time again.

Venturing forth, J'karu pulled R'tahz into the room she was staying in at the Carline Canopy and took a deep breath as she explained in full the details she had left out in her letters: Pukko and white magic that the padjal thought better left unknown. At first, Pukko did not show herself to the dragoon... but eventually she faded into his vision as well, bobbing up and down in greeting. After an initial introductory period, the trio spent the evening in good humor, sharing their first of many meals together. As summer went on, J'karu, R'tahz, Pukko, and their chocobos Ember and Streich spent the rest of the summer venturing and taking odd jobs. Come fall, J'karu and R'tahz decided it was time for them to find a base of operations for the winter and sought out renting a room at the [[Oak Inn & Tavern|Oak Inn]], giving them a place to call home for the days to come.

==Traits==
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<div style="padding:3px 35px;background: #a6a6a6;font-size:14px;color:#1e1400;"><center><b>Likes</b></center></div>
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> R'tahz
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Traveling
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Petrichor, the smell after it rains.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Books & stories
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Snow

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<div style="padding:3px 35px; background:#a6a6a6;font-size:14px;color:#1e1400;"><center><b>Dislikes</b></center></div></span>
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Being alone for extended times.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Cold
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Unwarranted boldness.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Racism & stereotypes

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<div style="padding:3px 35px; background:#a6a6a6;font-size:14px;color:#1e1400;"><center><b>Hobbies</b></center></div></span>
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Collecting aimless bits and bobs.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Sketching
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Singing
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Devising new outfit ensembles.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> Keeping her journal.

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<div style="padding:3px 35px; background:#a6a6a6;font-size:14px;color:#1e1400;"><center><b>Other</b></center></div></span>
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> '''Favorite Food & Drink:''' Chocolate, nectarines & milk
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> '''Favorite Creatures:''' Cactuars, jackals & Moogles
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> '''Least Favorite Food:''' Coconut & mint
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">■</font> '''Least Favorite Creature:''' Jellyfish
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==Combat==
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A spell caster at heart, J'karu's strengths in combat lie in a nearly inexhaustible ability to fuel spells by passion. Her magical talent persists and strengths based on how badly she wants a spell to go off or how badly she wants her goals. A savant at magics that draw from life sources and energies, this has made her quite capable of flinging elemental spells with ease and quite well-off when concerning healing, as the passion to protect her allies comes in both offensive and defensive flavors. On the physical hand, of all weapons, bows and light bladed weapons are her only strong suit. Over all, she prefers light swords and fencing blades, though she has yet to explore them seriously. J'karu has some knowledge of using a lance, given her companionship with a lancer, and picked up an axe for all of a month, but has not found either of them something she prefers.
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:: '''Endurance'''
:: '''Strength'''
:: '''Dexterity'''
:: '''Agility'''
:: '''Magic'''
:: '''Intelligence'''
<td style="font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: <font color="#526381">█</font><font color="#566B82">█</font><font color="#597282">█</font>
: <font color="#526381">█</font><font color="#566B82">█</font>
: <font color="#526381">█</font><font color="#566B82">█</font><font color="#597282">█</font><font color="#5D7A83">█</font><font color="#608283">█</font>
: <font color="#526381">█</font><font color="#566B82">█</font><font color="#597282">█</font><font color="#5D7A83">█</font>
: <font color="#526381">█</font><font color="#566B82">█</font><font color="#597282">█</font><font color="#5D7A83">█</font><font color="#608283">█</font><font color="#648984">█</font><font color="#679184">█</font><font color="#6B9985">█</font><font color="#6EA085">█</font><font color="#72A886">█</font>
: <font color="#526381">█</font><font color="#566B82">█</font><font color="#597282">█</font><font color="#5D7A83">█</font><font color="#608283">█</font><font color="#648984">█</font>
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* '''Arcane Magic:''' J'karu has found that she is wholly adverse to the ways of arcane magic, and thus, summoning. She has avoided the Arcanists' Guild in Limsa Lominsa for now, but perhaps her wandering will take her there one day.

* '''Archery:''' Having learned her archery from R’tahz and the Archer’s Guild in Gridanian, J'karu likes to think herself a decent enough bowman. Having spent a number of months working with the Archers' Guild in Gridania, she is well versed in the skill and has a fair easy time hitting targets required of her. Still, it is not and will never be her primary choice as far as combat is concerned, but she values the accuracy it brought to her mage skill set. J'karu also always keeps a bow at hand for emergency, usually it can be found on Ember's saddle bag for ease of access.

* '''Axes:''' What little she knows of using axes, she picked up from watching R'tahz as a marauder. In the end, though, she quickly decided that she had very little aptitude in the area and rarely uses the weapon. Most often she'll use it when she prefers the light armor she wears with it, a specially made set of thin plate mail she commissioned from the Armorers' Guild in Limsa Lominsa.

* '''Bardic Magic:''' Taking the advice of Luciane, the Archers' guildmaster, she sought out a Gridanian bard called Viyra Stonesthrow to teach her a way to infuse magic with the words of song. Though seeing a stint of training through, she did not find it to be her fancy and simply plies the ability now around the company of friends, but never when serious skills are needed of her. Viyra, at least, was pleasantly surprised to find that J'karu had a decent singing voice and can hold a tune well enough to channel the energies required to inspire fellow adventurers with her voice.

* '''Black Magic:''' Having since done what thaumaturges call “taking the black,” J’karu sought out and apprenticed under a black mage. After learning of a mage of some renown, J'karu sought out Aeri Sirhl, a Keeper living around the Floating City of Nym, and convinced the mage to help her further her knowledge and take her thaumaturgy beyond its normal bounds. As such, J'karu has reached levels of aetherial manipulation that black mages are known for, with spells such as Flare becoming a possibility, though taxing. As with any thaumaturge breaking the rules and delving into the Void to enhance their power, J’karu was met with the prospect that it might alter her attitude and mindset, or might plainly drive her mad. It is her love for R'tahz that kept her sane, and she suffered few ill consequences as she advanced through her training.

* '''Daggers:''' Having spent a number of her young years honing her ability in thieving, she picked up a bit of skill with daggers in her youth. While never executing them overly much in full combat herself, she is adept at the hand tricks involved with rolling them back over her knuckles and hands and making them dance. On top of this, she is not bad at using them as projectiles. Still, caught between a foe and a hard place with her daggers would likely not end well for her, but they serve in a pinch... As such, she always has one on her person somewhere, usually at her hip.

* '''Hand-to-Hand:''' Another swiftly forgotten school, J'karu took it up in hopes that it would aid her while she was learning the lancers' stance from R'thaz. She attended a number of public classes at the Pugilists' Guild in Ul'dah and prefers the use of a set of bladed claws to the blunt hora weapons, but short of being able to defend herself unarmed against an untrained foe, she would never be able to hold her own against anyone specifically trained in melee.

* '''Lances:''' Spending as much time as she has with a skilled dragoon, J'karu began using lances in hopes that she might find some melee weapon to her liking. Though lances are easily the physical weapon she has the most knowledge in after daggers bows, she would lose in a one-on-one fight between herself and an experience lancer. Still, she doesn't mind the weapon, and it gave her an excuse to train with R'tahz. Unlike with her dagger, though she only carries a lance rarely.

* '''Stealth:''' Like her knowledge of daggers, she picked up the ability to hedge about unnoticed in her youth. This gave her a light step and an easy grace that she carried into her other skill sets. By no means a master thief, she does have quick fingers... and could pick-a-pocket if she wanted to, but she might end up being caught by more hawk-eyed targets. It should be noted that she is not particularly fond of having this skill set and will only use it when pressed or when trying to make a point.

* '''White Magic:''' Though conjury was the field of magic she studied second, she is equally adept in it as she is thaumaturgy. She has dabbled in what the Gridanians and conjurers call white magic, having received some ancient texts from an Ul'dahn contact, Sabine Aislihn. While she is, by no means, a padjali white mage, she, like other adept conjurers, has begun to glean knowledge of the lost ancient white magic from other sources, becoming what some call a hedge-white mage, or a lesser white mage. She has found herself capable of the more common white magic such as regeneration spells and divine seals and, with the help of her recent moogle companion, has begun to delve deeper into the knowledge of white magic hidden in the Twelvewood.

==Relationships==
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<div style="padding:3px 35px; background: #a6a6a6;font-size:14px;color:#1e1400;"><center>Allies</center></div></span></h3>
: <center><font style="color:#F02311;" size="3">♥</font> Romantic Interest <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="3">♥</font> Platonic Love <font style="color:#9EC60B;" size="3">●</font> Good Standing</center>

: <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="3">♥</font> Pukko Paki: The moogle that taught J'karu white magic and is currently traveling with her as kind of a shoulder companion, Pukko is a curious and shy individual, often remaining invisible to everyone but J'karu, R'tahz and their chocobos. Still, towards the mage and the dragoon, Pukko is very amicable and friendly and has come to consider them both as good a friend as a moogle can have. J'karu herself would easily put herself in harms way to defend the beastman.
: <font style="color:#9EC60B;" size="3">●</font> Aeri Sirhl: A Keeper of the Moon that J'karu tracked down to the Floating City of Nym. The woman taught J'karu the deeper knowledge of black magic. A loon, her way of talking and living put J'karu off at first, but she eventually found a friend in the slightly crazy woman. Aeri, in her more lucid moments, deeply cares for the girl.
: <font style="color:#9EC60B;" size="3">●</font> Faucillien Sondraix: R'tahz's dragoon teacher, J'karu gets along well with the elezen. In truth, she is dearly thankful to him for helping her procure Ember and Streich before the chocobos were culled and she is pleased that he was stern with R'tahz during his training, as she thinks it made him a better dragoon for it.
: <font style="color:#9EC60B;" size="3">●</font> [[Gunnbjorn Darkblade]]: J'karu met Gunnbjorn when he was in a rather glum attitude, but was pleased to find that a bit of talking and cheerful drinks to be shared allowed her to find a companion in the man. She has also found him to be a fellow thief, as their meeting due to her playing a bit of a pickpocket-trick on him left catching her, despite her best efforts. Because of this, J'karu feels a bond to the man due to similar backgrounds.
: <font style="color:#9EC60B;" size="3">●</font> Viyra Stonesthrow: A highlander woman whom resides in Bentbranch Meadows, she's acquaintances with Luciane of the Archers' Guild. A bard in her own right, she took J'karu under her wing during the time that her and R'tahz were separated due to learning different trades. She believes J'karu could be a decent bard if the girl had more interest, but understands that her pupil is free spirited.
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:3px 35px; background: #a6a6a6;font-size:14px;color:#1e1400;"><center>Acquaintances</center></div></span></h3>
: <center><font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">●</font> Neutral Standing <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> Acquaintance</center>

: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">●</font> J'shari Arran: J'karu's former master from her tribal days, she left on decent terms. Though they've never been in touch since before the Calamity, J'karu holds no ill will towards the woman... and is grateful to her for believing in her.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">●</font> [[Vervara Rozthan]]: Vervara and J'karu get along well enough, though they haven't had much of a chance to talk beyond their initial introduction. She swiftly found that the woman's attitude was one she likes and she hopes to get to know the mage more now that they've both been hired by Gunnbjorn for the task of raiding a Belah'dian tomb.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[Ashiirra Azaria]]: Having met at the inn where they both reside, J'karu hasn't gotten to know Ashiirra much beyond their initial conversastion. They got along well enough, though.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[Ariilyn Azaria]]: Ariilyn was increasingly excited to learn that J'karu was a mage and, upon their first meeting, J'karu helped the girl learn a few of the basics of thaumaturgy.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[A'rklonn Sargonnai]]: One of the guests that Faucillien shoehorned into coming to the couples' wedding, J'karu doesn't know A'rklonn beyond that first meeting, but he was genial enough in her opinion.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[Chris Ganale]]: J'karu knows Chris sparingly through Sabine. She bears the man no ill will, but she hasn't gotten to know him well enough beyond sparse interactions.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[Clouse Sydonis]]: J'karu met Clouse on an expedition she was hired for by Gunnbjorn. She appreciates the man's ideals about wounded folk and those that cross paths unfortunately.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[Devilish Sarracenia]]: Like Clouse, J'karu met Devil on the same expedition. Though the roegadyn is gruff, she hasn't found herself disliking the woman yet.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[Glioca Sargonnai]]: J'karu knows Glioca because Faucillien invited the elezen to the pews for the miqo'tes' wedding because he didn't want them to be empty for their lack of acquaintances. Glioca and J'karu got along well.
: <font style="color:#5F5F5F;" size="3">○</font> [[Sabine Aislihn]]: An acquaintance J'karu made in one of her visits to Ul'dah, Sabine and J'karu get along well enough. Every now and again, J'karu seeks out the woman for an esoteric tome on black or white magic.

<h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:3px 35px; background: #a6a6a6;font-size:14px;color:#1e1400;"><center>Antagonists</center></div></span></h3>
: <center><font style="color:#C24640;" size="3">●</font> Poor Standing <font style="color:#000000;" size="3">♦</font> Enemies</center>

: <font style="color:#C24640;" size="3">●</font> J'raha Nunh: The nunh that once pursued J'karus affections, J'raha has no place in J'karu's heart. Though she does not particularly hate him, she is less fond of him than being neutral towards him. Still, she has not seen him since before the Calamity.
</tr></table>

==Rumors==
<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<center>''Some of these rumors are untrue or are greatly exaggerated. Please feel free to add your own rumors under PC!''</center>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
<b><div style="padding:3px 25px; background: #90AB76;">◢ Common Rumors (Easily overheard.)</div></b>
: <font style="color:#90AB76;" size="3">■</font> "Aye, that girl'n'er lad are usually 'round these parts. Some might say they're a bit joined at th' hip." — ''Baderon Tenfingers''
: <font style="color:#90AB76;" size="3">■</font> "Rhome? I remember her. She didn't stick around too long, but she picked up enough to get buy in a street fight, I s'pose..." — ''Chuchuto Brightstar''
: <font style="color:#90AB76;" size="3">■</font> "Hah! J'karu? One of the brightest to ever sign her name on the guild's scrolls! She took to thaumaturgy like a fish takes to water or an Ul'dahn takes to the glimmer of gil." — ''Cocobuki, the Piercing Eye''
: <font style="color:#90AB76;" size="3">■</font> "Seen that miqo'te around the Archers' Guild more than once. Luciane had a bit of a soft spot for her a few seasons back and she turned into a decent shot because of it." — ''Gridanian Citizen''

<b><div style="padding:3px 25px; background: #F37E1D;">◢ Uncommon Rumors (Moderately difficult to overhear.)</div></b>
: <font style="color:#F37E1D;" size="3">■</font> "She ain't much good with that axe she totes about on occasion. But then, I don't think she uses it for more than havin' a bit of fun. J'karu's more of a magic girl at heart." — ''Drowning Wench Patron''
: <font style="color:#F37E1D;" size="3">■</font> "I don't particularly want to talk about that girl. She's no Seeker I know of." — ''J'raha Nunh''
: <font style="color:#F37E1D;" size="3">■</font> "J'karu? I helped her try her hand at bardic magic a few seasons back. I don't think she'll ever take it seriously, no, but you'll be pleased if she ever sings you a tune. Bit of a songbird, that cat." — ''Viyra Stonesthrow''

<b><div style="padding:3px 25px; background: #D83018;">◢ Rare Rumors (Very difficult or rarely overheard.)</div></b>
: <font style="color:#D83018;" size="3">■</font> "She scared me at the time. I-I-I... I don't remember. I remember. No, I remember. She seemed to be impervious to the Void when I was training her. I couldn't tell you why. No, I'll tell you why. It was that boy's doing. He kept her sane. I don't remember..." — ''Aeri Sirhl''
: <font style="color:#D83018;" size="3">■</font> "I'll tell you one thing about that girl, if she ever felt like it, she could decimate whole towns. Anything she wants to do badly enough with her magic, she accomplishes. We're surely blessed she's of such a sweet disposition." — ''J'shari Arran''
: <font style="color:#D83018;" size="3">■</font> "Karu is a dear friend, kupo! I think I'll stick around with her for a time... at least until I'm sure she's got the hang of that magic, kupo." — ''Pukko Paki''
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
<b><div style="padding:3px 25px; background: #aac5b4;">◢ PC Rumors (Rumors from other player's characters.)</div></b>
: <font style="color:#aac5b4;" size="3">■</font> "I don't want to think about where I'd be if I hadn't met her. What's important is that I did, and she is my everything, and I wake up each day happy that she's beside me and I'll get to see her smiling face one more day." — ''[[R'tahz Tia]]''
: <font style="color:#aac5b4;" size="3">■</font> "I've met her in passing more than once and have supplied her with some books every now and again. If she ever put her mind to it or was willing, I'd gladly put in a good word for her at the Arcanists' Guild... but I don't think she'd survive the studies she'd have to sit through. Magic by sign and diagram bores her to tears." — ''[[Sabine Aislihn]]''
: <font style="color:#aac5b4;" size="3">■</font> "I attended her wedding. She struck me as an interesting young woman, and she and her fellow seemed quite happy together. I don't know them, not really, but love that sweet and warm... For their sake, I really do hope it lasts." — ''[[Glioca Sargonnai]]''
</tr></table>

==Music==
<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niALD7XzhRs Just Do It]''
:: Artist: The Standard Club
:: Origin: ''PIANO DANCE'' Album
:: <small>Context: Character theme.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWLNxs1L-YI "Libera me" from Hell]''
:: Artist: DJ Gotcha
:: Origin: ''Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann''
:: <small>Context: Attack in overdrive!</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k14OtNAzT7Q Country Roads]''
:: Artist: Yūji Nomi feat. Brittany Snow
:: Origin: ''Whisper of the Heart''
:: <small>Context: Inner inhibitions.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpNPQC2v38c Love Will Find a Way]''
:: Artist: Liz Callaway & Gene Miller
:: Origin: Disney's ''The Lion King II: Simba's Pride''
:: <small>Context: Feelings for R'tahz.</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phjr9vaS7HM Maka na Chikai]''
:: Artist: Yoshiki Fukuyama
:: Origin: ''Buso Renkin''
:: <small>Context: On the road that we believe in.</small>
</td>
</tr></table>

==Trivia==
*J'karu's name is based on the Japanese alliteration of ''jackal'', romajinized as ''jakkaru''.
*J'karu owns a young pet cactuar named H'nry.

[[Category: Balmung]]

R'tahz Tia

2017-05-26T15:08:03Z

Chris Ganale: Undo revision 247622 by B'habra (talk)

{{Infobox-character
| name = R'tahz Tia
| image = Tahz2.jpeg
| imagewidth =
| caption = "We'll reach out to our dreams, resisting the words "you'll never make it.""
| title =
| gender = Male
| citizenship = Ishgardian
| race = Miqo'te
| clan = Seeker of the Sun
| stat_1 = Place of Birth
| stat_1_value = La Noscea
| stat_2 = Nameday
| stat_2_value = 18th Sun, 3rd Umbral Moon (Age: 24)
| stat_3 = Guardian
| stat_3_value = [[Oschon, the Wanderer]]
| stat_4 = Profession
| stat_4_value = Adventurer, occasional postman
| stat_5 = Orientation
| stat_5_value = Heterosexual
| stat_6 = Marital Status
| stat_6_value = Married to [[J'karu Rhome]]
}}

'''R'tahz Tia''' is a male miqo'te Seeker of the Sun, born to the Raptor tribe in La Noscea. He is infamous amongst his tribe for having failed fifteen consecutive attempts to ascend to the position of nunh, earning him the derogatory epithet "The Boy Who Could Not Be a Man". Due to the humiliation surrounding these events, he abandoned his tribe and took to wandering Eorzea, avoiding his home as much as possible. After becoming close with another tribal outcast, [[J'karu Rhome]], he has honed his skills as a lancer to protect her, eventually learning the advanced techniques of a dragoon from a retired member of their order, as well as the defensive skills of a warrior.

==Biography==
===Early Life===
Born into a remote sect of the Raptor tribe living in the jungles and mountains of La Noscea, R'tahz was initially indistinguishable from the others in his tribe, not standing out in any way from the others. His only distinguishing characteristic was that he very early established his notable personality trait of ceaselessly pursuing a goal he has set his mind to regardless of time or effort. When it came to hunting for the tribe, this was greatly beneficial, turning him into a sort of super-persistent predator that would regularly bring back prey that the other hunters had long since given up on. Initially, this made him quite popular in the tribe, and he was frequently sought to partake of hunting parties.

During this time, he also developed what has been referred to as his 'chronic hero syndrome', that is, his inability to let pass a problem that he is aware of. As a child, this manifested as simply going out of his way to help everyone he saw around him with their daily tasks, even if doing so interfered with what ''he'' was supposed to be doing. This at the same time drew both praise and scorn from various other members of the tribe; praise from those who received his help and saw it as simply a child trying to do the right thing, scorn from the more cynical members who felt the boy far too naive for his own good. His own parents, while proud of the strong moral fiber they saw growing in him, were equally concerned that his lack of worldly experience would see his good nature taken advantage of by less-than-scrupulous individuals.

===Beginnings of a Wanderer===
Some years after his birth, long before the boy understood the difference between 'nunh' and 'tia', R'tahz's father, R'sohn, lost his position as nunh of the tribe. R'tahz, in his childish optimism, initially thought it a happy thing as it now meant that he and his father shared the same last name. For the vast majority of miqo'te, the loss would have meant nothing, as the change in stature was as natural to their race as the sun and moons turning in the sky. For R'sohn, however, it was as a mortal injury, for he had suffered the entirely unnatural emotional response as to deeply, and soon solely, love R'tahz's mother, R'pahtalo Hyun. The love was mutual, but the simple fact was that the traditions of their people meant that, as a female of breeding age, R'pahtalo was not allowed to be with R'sohn.

The young boy didn't understand the pain he could see in his parents eyes when they were forced to interact as mere neighbors in the tribe, but he didn't question when both of his parents insisted that he learn as many of the martial disciplines as was possible, so that one day he would have the strength to seize his own happiness and let no one snatch it away from him. So when he was not out hunting in the jungles, where he learned the skill of the bow, he learned the art of the sword from his father, the way of the lance from his mother, and rough-housing with the other children his age taught him the use of fist and foot.

That was not to say that he dedicated every waking moment to training, as he spent a good deal of time also just exploring the land claimed by the tribe. He developed a fascination with the sea during this time period, soon insisting that his training with his father take place on the nearby secluded beaches. He would have made the same request of his mother, were the standing nunh at the time not an overbearing paranoid arse that refused to let the females out of his sight. Both of his parents recognized right away that he had caught the wanderlust disease, and were not the slightest surprised of this development from the child they had blessed in the name of Oschon.

===The First Challenge===
The desire to wander was not the only thing he had inherited from his parents. Perhaps it was because of their nurturing influence, but he as well became enamored with the concept of ''love'', rather than simply the breeding rights to the tribe. As far as the thirteen-year old R'tahz could understand, the two were one and the same; if he were nunh, then he would be loved. Despite knowing that his attitude would only lead to heartbreak, neither of his parents were willing to disabuse him of his romantic ideals, nor were they willing to deny him his chance at becoming nunh. The boy had recently become enamored with a female a year older than he, R'oya Naqa, and so they knew that it wouldn't be long before the idea to challenge for nunh crossed his mind. Unbeknownst to him, his parents had agreed between themselves that, should he--now or ever--succeed at becoming nunh, they would encourage him to convince R'oya to leave the tribe with him, leading the lives of happiness that they were denied.

The day that R'sohn and R'pahtalo both dreaded and anxiously awaited soon arrived. On the eve of his fourteenth nameday, R'pahtalo overheard her son telling R'oya of his plan to challenge the nunh the next day. It broke R'pahtalo's heart to hear the earnestness with which R'tahz made his intentions clear, with all the sincerity and gravity of marriage proposals amongst hyurans. R'oya expressed her support for R'tahz's effort, and though R'pahtalo knew that the vast majority of tribal miqo'te females were fair-weather supporters at best--showing their favor only to those they thought could win their challenge, and only until proven otherwise--R'pahtalo was willing to give the girl the benefit of the doubt where her son's feelings were concerned.

With the next day's dawn, R'tahz issued his challenge to the standing nunh, R'wazi. Because of R'tahz's young age, the match was set as a swordsmanship contest until surrender or first blood. Initially, R'tahz was overconfident at his skill due to the many hours he had spent training with his father, but this faded when R'wazi effortlessly parried his strikes and even managed to disarm R'tahz. The older male was one of the ones who had been impressed by R'tahz's drive and determination as a child, and offered to let him surrender right then with no loss of face. Refusing to give in, R'tahz managed to evade the nunh's strikes until his blade was returned by R'oya. Rearmed, the boy renewed the battle in earnest, but it was clear to everyone ''but'' R'tahz that R'wazi was not having to exert his full effort to defend himself.

Finally, after letting the challenge go on long enough for everyone to see that R'tahz meant business, R'wazi disarmed the youth and followed it up with a punishing body check, and before R'tahz could pick himself up again, he found the point of the nunh's blade at his throat. Left with no other choice, R'tahz swallowed the bitter pill of his pride and forfeited. To the boy's surprise, R'wazi immediately yanked the young miqo'te to his feet and declared a day of celebration in honor of, in his words, "'Tahz's knowing just what he wants and having the guts to ''attack'' it with everything in him, body and soul. Though he may not have won his challenge, we as a tribe are victors in the knowledge that we have such an able and forward-thinking brother among us. And the day will come when young 'Tahz ''will'' claim his birthright, and we will grow even stronger for the progeny he has in store for us."

It was uplifting to be praised even in defeat, but the attitude was not to last.

===Interim Period and Further Challenges===
Even despite the kind words of the nunh and the support of both his parents and R'oya, R'tahz viewed his inability to defeat R'wazi as a colossal personal failure and an act of personally letting down R'oya. Because of this perceived dishonor, he distanced himself and spent every waking moment not otherwise spent assisting the tribe training the martial disciplines as hard as he could. Countless days passed where he had to be dragged back by his father from wherever he had vanished off to train, and more beside were the times in which he vanished completely for days, unable to be found until the tribe's best trackers were dispatched to recover him. This continued in a ceaseless cycle until his next nameday rolled around.

As expected by all, he again challenged the nunh, still R'wazi. This time, he had two other females supporting his challenge other than R'oya, due to how diligently they knew he had spent the intervening year training for this challenge. It was clear, though, that he still favored R'oya despite graciously welcoming their support. Feeling he had a handle on R'wazi's swordsmanship, R'tahz chose another contest of blade with the same conditions as the previous year. The fruits of his training soon became apparent: his strikes were more powerful, movement more deft, and ability to block and evade strikes had grown tremendously. R'wazi would later admit that it had taken all his efforts to initially hold R'tahz at bay. Unfortunately, due to the regimented training method that R'tahz had followed, he had woefully few moves in his repertoire, and it became obvious to skilled observers that he would position his body in such a way in the seconds before his actions that would telegraph his next move to an individual who could make out such things. R'wazi, a skilled gladiator, was one such opponent.

This time, the length of the contest was not due to R'wazi allowing it to draw out in order to show R'tahz's resolve; it was the skill of the youth himself that led to the ten-minute engagement, ending finally when R'wazi managed to get his blade through R'tahz's defense and draw blood. The scar on his cheek is one that R'tahz still wears to this day. After the denouement of the challenge, R'wazi caught R'tahz before the boy could go off to sulk over his defeat, giving a bit of invaluable advice that he should try harder to apply the skills of a hunter to his challenges: to take the measure of a target before engaging it, which he admitted R'tahz had done well, determine the target's strengths and weaknesses, and never meet the target head-on in a way to allow it to utilize its strengths. In short: fight smarter, not harder.

Taking this thought to heart, R'tahz knew better than to challenge R'wazi to another swordsmanship display the next year. However, the position of nunh had changed hands by the time of R'tahz's next challenge, but it made his alternative plan all the better. Knowing that the new nunh was a superb all-around physical combatant but not so great at hunting. Therefore, he chose to make his challenge into a timed hunt, with the victory condition rather unfortunately declared to be as vague as 'whoever could provide best for the tribe'. Too clever by half when coming up with this challenge, R'tahz assumed it was understood by all that the object was to bring back the rarest game that could be found, rather than it being possible to win by quantity over quality. This ended up being a moot point, as the quarry R'tahz set off to track and kill turned out to take him longer to find and take down than the time allotted for the hunt.

After this failed challenge, the attitudes of most of the tribe began turning against him, considering him a naive fool and unsuited for the rights and responsibilities of nunh. He continued to place challenges, varying from further hunting contests, to grappling contests, to other combat arms challenges, all without success. Soon enough, even R'oya abandoned him, giving her favor to other, more successful tias. As the years passed, and others younger than he rose up, some even succeeding at achieving nunh status for a time, R'tahz earned the moniker "The Boy Who Could Not Become a Man", whispered behind his back at first, but as his losses continued to stack, especially given that he began to challenge multiple times a year in desperation, the title became more and more public. The only reason he was even still allowed to challenge was because R'wazi, who had since become a tribal elder, pointing out in his favor that having the support of one or more females in the tribe was only ''encouraged'' and not a prerequisite, thereby leaving the opportunity open for the youth that he had taken such an unexpected shine to.

It did little to change R'tahz's fortunes however, and only caused the nunhs that he faced to be more vicious in their fights against him. It almost became a game against the other males of the tribe to see who could inflict the worst injury on R'tahz. That dubious award was earned in his ninth challenge, an unarmed grappling contest that saw the standing nunh sneaking a bladed hora into the fight and striking R'tahz in the face, leaving a vicious scar over his right eye and nearly costing him the organ. The tribal elders immediately disqualified the nunh and stripped him of the title for breaking the stipulations of the match, but as R'tahz had not actually ''won'', he was unable to ascend to the position.

===The Calamity===
Two more years passed after that near-crippling injury, and in that time period the position of nunh changed hands multiple times, with R'tahz putting in more efforts within those two years, culminating in fourteen total losses by the age of nineteen. Unbeknownst to the secluded Raptors, the world beyond their jungle home was embroiled in turmoil. With the advance of the VIIth Imperial Legion into the heartland of Eorzea and the lesser moon Dalamud descending from the skies, life as they knew it was soon to change. Knowing of the catastrophe that would befall them should Dalamud impact the planet, even as far away as Mor Dhona, the tribe sought to escape to the far side of Vylbrand and take shelter--futile though it may be--in the caverns on the western side of the island.

This shortly proved to be wasted effort, as the red moon fragmented and released the elder primal Bahamut upon the land. Fortunately for the R' tribe, the wyrmking's rampage was limited in scope to the Mor Dhona region, but that is not to say that they faced no danger themselves. Fragments of Dalamud were scattered across the continent by Bahamut's explosive escape, with hundreds raining down on Vylbrand. The largest fragment, the one that housed what would come to be known in the colloquial viewpoint as the 'Binding Coil of Bahamut' obliterated their former main hunting grounds, with several lesser fragments reducing their home to flattened ruins.

Though R'tahz's memory of the full events of the Calamity is as foggy as most, the one event that remained full in his memory was that of R'wazi pushing the youth ahead of him on the flight through Vylbrand's jungles, only to moments later intercept a fist-sized fragment of the Dalamud with fatal results. Whether it was mere circumstance or R'wazi actively sacrificing his own life for R'tahz, the youth has and always will believe the latter.

At the end of those dark days, their small tribe had been decimated by the Calamity, over half of its members killed by the rain of fragments and ensuing jungle fires. With most of their strength wiped out, they had a clear choice to make: try and locate another hunting ground and attempt to rebuild their own tribe, or seek one of the other Raptor tribes and integrate with them. As the majority of their best hunters and trackers had been killed, the decision was reached to integrate with one of the other tribes. Though he followed and abided by that choice initially, R'tahz was not looking forward to the knowledge that he would have to now compete with even more tias who were almost certainly more capable of succeeding at challenges than he.

After several weeks of searching, they managed to make contact with another Raptor tribe that resided in the Raincatcher Gully area, who had also lost members in the Calamity, but had the benefit of being larger than R'tahz's own tribe to begin with. The two tribes agreed to merge, and in the interest of fairness, an open tournament-style competition was held to determine which males would take the role of nunhs, as the newly-combined tribe now became large enough to merit more than one. R'tahz, as came to be expected by the survivors of his tribe, was eliminated early, and word of his prior losses had already spread like wildfire to the new tribe members.

===The Outcast===
Though it was only R'tahz's own biases coloring his perception, he had always viewed the barbs of his tribe as having a certain amount of sympathy and understanding behind them, something that he did not discern from his newer tribe mates. With them, he sensed that they viewed him as nothing more than a liability, a weak tia who would never amount to anything, and he overheard more than a few expressing the sentiment that he should have died in the Calamity. For the most part, he agreed with them. Why had R'wazi given his own life to save R'tahz, when he surely would have been far more suitable to help the tribe survive and prosper in the new, darker world.

It was that hostility from the tribe, combined with his own feelings of guilt and depression at his continuing inability to succeed in challenging for nunh that made up his mind to leave the tribe for good. He had planned to simply disappear one night with no one being the wiser, but his parents were wise to his moods, and as he slipped the perimeter of the camp and made for the forests, they intercepted him before he could get too far away. They didn't try to talk him into staying, instead giving him a few additional essentials and reminding him that he always had the option to come home to them if he wanted. With the love and blessings of his parents, he walked away from the tribal life, never to look back.

Making his way to Limsa Lominsa, he made a living doing odd jobs around the city, mostly delivering parcels back and forth with the occasional monster hunting thrown in for variety. In time, his reputation as a failed nunh challenger followed him to the city from dealings between the tribes and suppliers in the city. Initially, he mitigated having to deal with that by simply avoiding the local miqo'te; no easy feat in Limsa. As he heard more and more whispers of "The Boy Who Could Not Be a Man", he started to operate further from the city proper and more toward the fringe settlements. For some months, he worked in the Moraby Drydocks, assisting with the construction of the new Lominsan flagship.

With the wages provided from the shipbuilding work, along with his fairly-regular flow of side jobs, he did not want for money, but instead new things to see and perhaps some companionship to ease the loneliness of the days. On a whim, he boarded an airship for Gridania, where he knew existed a guild for lancers and one for archers, his two most-practiced combat fields. He joined both guilds and remained with them for a few weeks, long enough to learn a myriad of new techniques for each, but nothing in the forested city-state called for him to put down proverbial roots. As in Lominsa, he took odd jobs here and there to keep his monetary reserves stable, exploring the Black Shroud and learning of the comings and goings in the process. He, for one, found himself disagreeing with the politics of Gridania on a fundamental level, particularly their thrall-like state in servitude to "elementals" that--he had witnessed--were of such unfathomable 'morality' that they would deny healing to an ailing child. The outright declaration of all the miqo'te tribes that tried to live in the Shroud as poachers simply for not kowtowing to the Gridanian authority also rankled him, for even though the majority of the forest tribes were Keepers, he felt a kinship to them as a hunter himself. If the Keepers acted in any way like Seekers--and there was no reason they wouldn't--then they knew perfectly well how to balance providing for themselves with preserving the ecosystem by not over-hunting species.

On a lark, he attempted to contact some of the local tribes merely to learn about their ways of living. After being shot the first few times, they recognized that he wasn't there to persecute them and deigned to speak with him, though they still treated him extremely warily. He didn't learn much from talking to them that he didn't already know or had learned during his time in the forest. They thawed slightly when he told them stories of the hunting he had done back in La Noscea, but knew that they probably would never accept him simply by dint of being a different race than them. He came to learn that being a male Keeper was arguably worse than being a male Seeker, as a male Keeper was hardly even an individual in their dominantly-matriarchal society. He was once jokingly offered by one of the major clan leaders, Pawah Mujuuk, to join her clan, but he recognized that he would be doing so as a trophy at best, and so declined politely. She didn't seem offended, and informed him that the offer would remain open if he ever wanted to take it.

Soon tiring of the Gridanian politics, he made his way into Thanalan, where he again stopped in at the formal combat arms guilds for some additional training and new techniques. As a city-state, Ul'dah seemed to be the most populous and bustling of the three, but he wasn't sure if he cared for it. It didn't take him long to determine that, while the Sultana and the Flame General were good, decent people looking to do the right thing and see to the protection and safety of their citizens, that it was this "Syndicate" that truly ruled the city, and all they cared for was lining their pockets. That didn't sit well with him, and combined with the heat of the desert, he was anxious to be done with Thanalan. Once he considered himself learned of all that he could from the gladiator and pugilist guilds, he found himself at a loss for what to do next. He didn't want to stay in Ul'dah, but neither was he keen on returning to his well-paying, yet somewhat boring, occupation in Limsa working at the docks, nor to the haughty, we-know-what's-best-so-do-as-we-say-or-you're-a-criminal society in Gridania. He briefly entertained the notion of joining Pawah's tribe, as they could certainly treat him no worse than his own tribe had, and he didn't have the pressure of having to compete to become a nunh there. Perhaps he may have even found the companionship that he sought there.

Before he could make up his mind, however, he received a message from Baderon in Lominsa, indicating that there was a very well-paying job waiting for him back in La Noscea. With nothing better to do, and thinking that this job might give him the time to put everything in perspective, he headed to Vesper Bay to take the ferry back to Limsa.

===Sastasha===
At the Drowning Wench, Baderon informed R'tahz that there had been a mysterious ship recently sighted near Aleport, along with a hitherto-unknown band of ruffians sighted lurking near the Sastasha Seagrot. The Yellow Serpents, presuming it was pirate activity, sought an adventuring party to enter the Seagrot and reconnoiter the colors and intents of whatever ne'er-do-wells had taken residence within. With nothing else to occupy his time, R'tahz agreed, and took the ferry to Aleport to reach the grotto.

Upon reaching the cavern entrance, he learned that the party he was to join was not the only one to receive the job, spying at least two other adventuring parties preparing themselves to enter the caves. That only made sense from the standpoint of Limsa, and he wasn't offended in the slightest. As he didn't spy any of his proposed party already there, he found himself a reasonably-comfortable rock and parked himself upon it, napping until either the party arrived or night was beginning to fall.

A short time later, he was awoken by the prodding of a staff, and found an auburn-haired miqo'te standing before him. She introduced herself as J'karu Rhome, wondering if he was one of the party she was here to meet. She fit the description of one of the party, a miqo'te thaumaturge that wasn't like to make fun of his past. He responded that he was, and so she sat with him, continuing to wait for the remainder of their party. In the short time before the hyuran gladiator and elezen conjurer arrived, they spoke lightly of what adventuring life was like, and the various nuances of their preferred combat professions.

Once the rest of their party arrived, the group descended into the caverns of Sastasha. Battling and sneaking past unusually-hostile fauna in the initial areas, they soon came upon what the Maelstrom suspected: an encampment of the Serpent Reavers. Looking to take advantage of the pirates being unaware of their presence, the group pressed on and assaulted the brigands. Despite the pirates becoming alert to their presence, momentum and the layout of the caverns favored the smaller group, allowing a classic phalanx formation where the gladiator kept the enemies at bay, with R'tahz behind him lancing any pirates that left an opening, with J'karu behind him hitting with magic from beyond their reach, and the conjurer keeping them all alive. Eventually, they were able to clear out the pirate infestation and deal with the Sahagin chieftain that had been behind the pirates' presence.

With the job completed, the gladiator and conjurer set off on their own ways almost immediately. J'karu hung back, asking R'tahz if he would mind if they traveled together, as she enjoyed talking to him and wanted to get to know him more. He was hesitant at first, the memories of so many of the females in his tribe turning their backs on him still fresh in his mind, until she continued on to explain that she didn't have many friends since she left her tribe, and that he seemed nice to her and she was hoping that they could be friends.

Knowing that she was also a tribal outcast settled his fears immediately, and he agreed that he would also enjoy having her as a traveling companion.

===The Wandering Duo===

After heading back to the Drowning Wench to get their reward for completing the job, R'tahz and J'karu wandered around the La Noscea area for a few days, doing some light monster hunting and a few odd jobs to get a better feel for coordinating their battle tactics. As it turned out, their preferred combat doctrines worked quite well together; his speed and reach with the lance able to keep enemies away from her so she could blast them with her spells.

Stopping for an evening in Swiftperch, their conversations turned to their personal reasons for adventuring and leaving their respective tribes. As it turned out, she had left because she didn't agree with the traditions common amongst all Seekers, and wanted nothing to do with being forced to bed a nunh she neither knew nor had an attachment to. Being that her romantic ideals were similar to his own, he didn't consider her reasoning unusual by any means. He did, however, take her words to indicate that she was not in the market for a suitor. Because of that assumption--which may or may not have been actually true--he elected to actively ignore any remarks or actions on her part that could have possibly been construed as flirting, as he didn't want to come off as just another male Seeker.

Finished with La Noscea for a time, the pair returned to the mainland of Aldenard, whereupon J'karu expressed interest in learning a bit of archery, as she had been told by her peers in the thaumaturge's guild that the martial training of aiming an arrow would assist her in aiming her spells. He'd never heard anything to that regard, but he was also completely ignorant in the ways of magic. Along the way to Gridania for her to take up archery lessons, he attempted to impart to her some of his own knowledge from his days of hunting back with his tribe, but he wasn't very good when it came to imparting his knowledge to others. He did at least manage to teach her the basics, enough of a foundation for the guild to build upon, and gave her the old bow that he had once hunted with, stating that he wouldn't be needing it anymore. While she was learning her new martial discipline, he spent his time touching base with both the archery and lancer guilds, refreshing his techniques and doing a few additional odd jobs around the city.

As the days stretched into weeks and months in Gridania, R'tahz couldn't help but notice from time to time that J'karu seemed to be displaying affection for him beyond friendship, though due to his lack of experience in that area there were certainly far more signs he missed than caught. Even though he had similar feelings, he continued to choose active ignorance rather than risk a misstep and damage the first true friendship he'd ever had. However, certain events eventually came to a head, and circumstances forced the young Seekers to confess their feelings toward each other.

[[File:TahzKaru.png|250px|thumbnail|right|R'tahz and J'karu sitting outside the Oak Inn at sunrise.]]
===The Dragoon and the Mage===

To all external perspective, it had appeared as though the change in their relationship catalyzed a sudden and intense increase in their combat prowess, with R'tahz beginning to search for a suitable trainer for advanced lancer techniques, while J'karu began intensive studies of black magic. His initial searches didn't pan out, but hers did, leading to a trip to the Floating City of Nym to seek out a reclusive Keeper mage, Aeri Sirhl, to further J'karu's studies. They certainly found her, and as she trained J'karu, R'tahz privately thought she was a couple aurochs short of a herd. Though many who have studied the darker magicks have, historically, succumbed to the desire for further power or been lost to too close a connection to the Void, J'karu credits the strength of the love she shares with R'tahz at keeping her safe from the influence of the darkness. For his own part, his desire to protect her from harm spurred his renewed drive toward mastery of the lance. And so by day, while she was off playing tag with the void at Aeri's behest, R'tahz practiced his technique on the seemingly-endless supply of golems that lurked in the region, becoming so fleet of foot and adept at motion while wielding his lance that he would appear to be dancing around his foes. By night, when J'karu would return frazzled and emotionally spent by her contact with the Void, he would hold and comfort her, renewing her emotionally in a way he didn't quite understand but wasn't going to question.

The months passed, and as winter drew near, Aeri pronounced that J'karu had nothing more to learn from her. At almost the same time, a missive arrived from the Drowning Wench, that there had been a response from R'tahz's inquiries into an advanced trainer. And so, departing from the warm climes of La Noscea to the frozen wastes of Coerthas, R'tahz sought out a House Fortemps guard captain named Faucillien Sondraix, once a dragoon of some renown. Initially unwilling to impart his knowledge upon the young miqo'te due to Ishgardian custom that the talents of the dragoon--the tip of their proverbial spear against the dragon horde--not be taught to those who have not sworn fealty to the Holy See, his heart was swayed by learning that R'tahz sought the skills to better his ability to protect J'karu. Agreeing to be R'tahz's teacher, Faucillien bade them make camp off the roads between Coerthas and the Black Shroud, where they would be close enough for him to travel to teach R'tahz while taking into account that they were ill-suited for prolonged living in the wastes of Coerthas.

The nearby forests also provided handy training environments for the aerial combat style of dragoons, something also befitted by the lithe and agile nature of miqo'te. Faucillien spared no measure of intensity in R'tahz's training, setting physically-demanding tasks and training regimens that battered R'tahz to the hells and back, oftentimes forcing J'karu to get some good hands-on training with her burgeoning conjury magic. But no matter the beating that R'tahz took, he never once faltered in his determination to progress. His skills continued to grow with each passing day, and as he spent his days in training, J'karu herself was not idle either. Aside from practicing her conjury in keeping him well-recovered, she also took an interest in activity going on at the nearby chocobo stables. Apparently, a pair of chocobos had grown coats of feathers that were more reddish in color than the commonly-found yellow, and the Ishgardian breeders found to be a waste of effort and choboco feed. Discovering that the Ishgardians planned to put down the chocobos, J'karu immediately attempted to intervene. Initially they were having none of it, but as Faucillien happened by at the time and overheard what was going on, he requisitioned the two birds for House Fortemps' use, then handed over their ownership to J'karu. These would become J'karu's Ember and R'tahz's Streich.

An inquisitor soon arrived from Ishgard, come to get to the bottom of the matter concerning an outsider being trained in their ways. Under normal circumstances, the outsider would be declared in fealty to the dragon horde and the trainer a heretic, but when it was discovered that Faucillien--a hero to the people and a retired dragoon in good standing--was the one doing the training, the inquisitor knew better than to risk a schism in the populace. Coming up with a better way to see the outsider killed for his hubris, the inquisitor declared that the Holy See's lack of involvement in the training of such an up and coming young dragoon was inexcusable, and considering the rate of his advancement, were prepared to rectify this error by granting him immediate admission into the ranks of the dragoon knights pending one final trial. That trial was solo combat against a significant draconic menace to the people of Ishgard: the dragon named Marraco.

Without hesitation, R'tahz accepted the trial and moved to hunt the massive monstrosity across the snowy wastes. Before he left the Observatorium, Faucillien caught up and told him in no uncertain terms that the task set before him was suicidal, that he ''would'' die, and that the approval--or lack thereof--of Ishgard did not confer or deny the skills he had developed over the past several months. R'tahz agreed that he was almost certain to die, and would have much rather taken J'karu and left Coerthas to go on with their lives, but how many other people would die if he didn't go stop the dragon? Faucillien laughed, saying that the boy was more a righteous paladin than he was a blood-mucking dragoon, but bade him walk the path that he chose. Behind R'tahz's back, however, Faucillien waited no more than it took for the young miqo'te to get out of sight before he went and found J'karu, informing her of the sham trial set by Ishgard and telling her that if the love he had witnessed between the two in the past months were not a lie, then she would follow and convince him to abandon the suicidal hunt, damn whatever the Holy See had to say on the matter. He didn't even have to finish his plea for her to go after him than she was already gone.

Any hope of convincing him to abandon the hunt was lost, however, when she heard the battle roars of Marraco carrying across the entire highlands. She arrived in the Snowcloak cliffs to find R'tahz cornered by Marraco, seconds from being swallowed whole. The fireball she unleashed on the dragon was potent enough to burn away the entire snowdrift that they were standing upon. Recovering his lance, R'tahz swept Marraco's feet from beneath it as it attempted to round on J'karu, turning the encounter into an unfavorable game that saw J'karu blasting it with ever more powerful magic when it turned to deal with R'tahz, and having itself tripped and hamstrung whenever it tried to take out the mage. Finally, R'tahz's positioning led it to unleash its devastating swinge upon a cliff face, burying itself in an avalanche that J'karu attempted to bury it alive under by prodigious application of blizzard spells. Testimony to the creature's great power, though, it forcefully freed itself and then determined it wanted nothing more to do with the nuisance miqo'te, scrabbling up the cliff face and disappearing into the frozen wastes.

With the dragon dealt with, though by no means as dead as everyone involved wished for, R'tahz and J'karu returned to the Observatorium, where the inquisitor was all too delighted to point out that not only had R'tahz received help in his trial, but had failed to kill the dragon as specified, and as such was barred from the order of dragoons and given a day to leave Coerthas before being threatened with a death mark. Once the inquisitor had left, Faucillien told R'tahz that it mattered not the opinion of the Holy See, that R'tahz was every bit a dragoon as he, himself had once been. In commemoration for R'tahz having completed his training, Faucillien presented him with a replica set of the wyrm armor of the Ishgardian dragoons--having overheard a conversation between the two miqo'te that J'karu thought it attractive--and the affirmation that, regardless of Ishgard's official stance, the two would always be welcome in House Fortemps.

===The New Dawn===
Returning from the frozen wastes of Coerthas, R'tahz and J'karu took up residence for a time in Gridania, where J'karu sought after any method she could to improve her conjury skills. To stave off boredom, he would spend a few days a week at the lancers' guild imparting some of his advanced knowledge to those up and coming in the guild, focusing more on footwork and weapon handling than any actual dragoon abilities so as not to further exacerbate Ishgard.

After a few weeks, he received a letter from the marauders' guildmaster informing him of a man who had come to Limsa Lominsa looking to impart advanced training upon the most skilled of marauders. Though the missive was clearly a mass-produced copy delivered probably to everyone who had ever penned their name to the marauders' guild ledger, his interest was piqued. Over the past several months, it had become abundantly clear to him that the surging increase in J'karu's spell powers was causing him to lose his edge when it came to keeping foes away from her in battle, and that he needed to be able to better control the enmity of enemies in combat. Given the fervor with which she was pursuing conjury, however, it was clear that to see about this training would mean leaving her side. After a brief discussion, they concluded that it would be beneficial to them both for them to succeed at these current ventures, even if it meant enduring separation in the short term. And so, knowing that this would mean separation, R'tahz left his dragoon equipment with J'karu and boarded an airship headed to Limsa Lominsa.

Once in the island city, R'tahz first met with his parents, who had themselves left the tribal life behind to live a life of love for one another in the city. They were delighted to hear of how far his differing fields of combat talent had progressed, and absolutely overjoyed that he had found the love he had always wished for. Insisting that he stay with them for the duration of his time in Limsa, he agreed and then made for the marauders' guild to see about this extra training. There, he was introduced to a jovial roegadyn named Curious Gorge, clad in the warrior's raiment of legend and speaking of the ancient ways of the warrior tribe. Though Wyrnzoen didn't think R'tahz's outwardly-gentle personality to be suited for the bloodstained path of the warrior, Gorge took one look at R'tahz and proclaimed that the miqo'te was much like the sea: calm to the eye the vast majority of the time, but possessed of an underlying current of deep emotions that enabled him great feats of strength and power when needed. Upon R'tahz introducing himself, Gorge bestowed him with the epithet "Raptor Red" due to his being of the raptor tribe and his favoring red colors in his clothing.

R'tahz, along with a number of other promising marauders, were brought by Gorge to the small township of Wineport, where most of their training was fashioned into defending the town from roaming animals and the occasional Imperial aggressors from the castrum nearby. While the others were quick to unleash their rage and channel their inner beasts into increased power, the more fettered R'tahz did not seem emotionally capable of channeling rage into his actions. Taking him aside, Gorge poked and prodded and learned about R'tahz, listening through his entire life story up until that point. The elder warrior thought initially to use R'tahz's failures to become nunh as a pick with which to unlock the miqo'te's wrath, but found that such actions barely managed to even annoy R'tahz at their memory. He next thought to prey upon R'tahz's fear of losing J'karu, describing one scenario best not repeated in polite company that succeeded in angering R'tahz enough to cleave in half the next hapless raptor to pass by in a single stroke of his axe, but backed away from that effort quickly, as the rage he'd created was ''too'' powerful and would lead to R'tahz losing himself to his inner beast.

In a flash of insight, Gorge declared that R'tahz would be better served powering his beast not with rage, but with ''love'', in much the same way that J'karu's magic grew empowered by how passionate she was about something. Gorge directed R'tahz to envision himself standing between J'karu and a foe who meant to do her harm, with the power and will to do something about it. With that thought in mind, R'tahz was able to channel and control his inner beast with remarkable ease, his desire to protect his love keeping that power focused and completely under his control. And so, rather than a warrior of unstoppable rage, R'tahz became known in the region as the Tranquil Warrior.

With his method of control established, R'tahz progressed in the skills of the warrior at a frightening pace. With any of the others, this would have been cause for concern, but Gorge knew that the very source of his strength also served to keep him from losing himself to rage. Over the course of his training and safeguarding Wineport, he acquired an egg from a raptor nest that he, Gorge, and several other would-be warriors had gone to destroy as it was increasingly causing trouble for the town. After a few days, the egg hatched into a baby raptor which follows R'tahz around, that Gorge half-jokingly suggested that he should train into an attack companion.

In short time, Gorge declared that R'tahz had mastered the skills and training of the warrior, and presented him with a specially-commissioned replica of the warrior's raiments to mark the occasion. It was, naturally, a very eye-catching shade of red, which R'tahz privately determined to dye another color later on because it was simply too loud as it was. Declaring R'tahz to be a fully-fledged warrior, Gorge bade him return to his love and safeguard her with his newly-earned skills.

Before returning to Gridania, R'tahz stopped by to say his farewells to his parents. Both immensely proud of his progress, they offered him their well-wishes; his mother demanded that the next time he came to the area that he bring J'karu with him so that they might meet her, and his father gifted him with a feather-adorned fancy hat to wear for his lady friend. Promising to return soon along with J'karu, R'tahz departed on an airship to Gridania, anxious to be back by her side again.

Their reunion was full of warmth, tears, happiness, and love, as just being in her presence filled a hole he hadn't been aware that he had been living with until then. He decided that, from then on, if there was something he wanted to do that would take him away from her, then by the gods, it would wait until she could come along with him. All at once, though, she suddenly seemed furtive, drawing him into their inn room to explain that she had made a moogle friend who had been helping her learn advanced white magic without supervision of the padjal. Though he knew nothing of magic--other than that it really hurt--he could figure that she could get in a lot of trouble because of it. He said as much that he would support her and help her as best he could no matter what she decided to do, and perhaps this was what gained Pukko Paki's trust enough for the little moogle to reveal herself to R'tahz.

As the seasons turned, the couple--and friends--came to a decision to get a little bit away from the crowds of the city for a while, renting out a room in the [[Oak Inn & Tavern|Oak Inn]] for the time to come.

===Eternity's Bond===
With winter drawing near, R'tahz began to notice a strange occurrence in nearby Gridania. There were a lot more people running about in ''very'' expensive looking formal clothing and talk all over the town of a recent uptick in marriages and other forms of eternal bonding ceremonies. Because of his parents' unique--for seekers, at least--outlook on love and romance, he knew of weddings and their place in most of the other cultures of Eorzea, but had simply never stopped to think about it before. Standing there in the arboreal city-state, the grindstones in his head began to turn; while it was very clear that he and J'karu would always be together, to officially get married would let their love be known all across Eorzea, and he would also admit that he would love to see J'karu in one of those dresses.

Deciding that this was the course he wanted to pursue, he followed the directions of the citizens of Gridania, traveling to the Sanctum of the Twelve and learning about the necessary steps from Claribel. With her instructions in mind, he immediately set out to get the process underway. The first step: obtaining the perfect engagement ring for J'karu.

Heading to Ul'dah, he sought out Saffron Commodities on the recommendation of numerous individuals from across the realm. Once there, he commissioned a wedding ring for J'karu from the shop owner herself, who sketched out an exquisitely-designed ring tailored off of his descriptions of what J'karu meant to him. To cap it off, she offered him a selection of gemstones, and he eventually selected black opal for the gem, which she offered to him at a steep discount unbeknownst to him. Returning the next day to pick up the finished ring, he promised to point any interested parties toward Saffron Commodities and headed straight back to the Shroud.

With the first snows of the season falling in the Lavender Beds, he met with J'karu outside the Inn and the two took a walk to the boardwalk overlooking the waterfall at the north end of the area, sharing idle small talk that soon turned to their affections toward one another. So nervous at the prospect that he felt as though his heart would collapse, he worked up the courage to reveal the ring he had commissioned to J'karu and asked for her hand in marriage. She readily and happily agreed, and after a confusing moment where he had to be shown by Pukko which of her fingers the ring went on, the newly-engaged couple returned to the Inn hand in hand, already beginning to discuss the guests to invite to their wedding.

With the two of them being rather lacking in the area of close friends and acquaintences, Faucillien--after becoming overjoyed to learn of their impending vows--took it upon himself to see to ensuring that the pews of the Sanctum would not be empty. After exhausting the rather short list of mentors for the pair, largely consisting solely of Curious Gorge for R'tahz and the thaumaturgy brothers for J'karu, he began to seek out anyone who seemed the sort to like to watch a wedding and deliver invitations--closer to mandates, truly. Many of the other patrons and tenants of the Oak Inn received invitations in this manner, and he likewise directed a small squad of House Fortemps knights be present.

Finally, their wedding was to be set on the date of winter's solstice. Arriving at the Sanctum of the Twelve, R'tahz was ushered into a side room where his father and Faucillien prepared his attire. His father jokingly insisted that he should have worn the fancy hat, though the elezen remarked that J'karu was as like to set him on fire for it. Upon Faucillien's continued remarks about R'tahz getting cold feet, the groom-to-be pointed out that there was no way he would run from something he'd desired so much his entire life.

The ceremony proceeded smoothly, with Faucillien giving away J'karu in lieu of her absent father, and she and R'tahz sharing their vows of love and devotion before the Twelve and the assembled gathering. After exchanging rings, the couple sealed their vows with a kiss, leaving hardly a dry eye in the sanctum.

===A Brief Peace===
Returning to the Oak Inn after their honeymoon, the couple spent a week or so living quietly at the inn, getting to know the other inhabitants and taking a general rest from their travels. It didn't take long, however, for the itch to wander to return to them, but at the same time, they felt as though they had made attachments to the Oak Inn and were reluctant to just pick everything up and depart into the world.

R'tahz soon came up with a healthy medium, having been asked by an old Lominsan contact to deliver a package to a recipient in Gridania. He could become a part-time postman, and J'karu could travel with him on his deliveries, allowing them to get out and wander the realm while still maintaining their home at the Inn. In almost no time at all, they had made dozens of deliveries across the realm, kept especially busy by the influx of mail in light of Saint Valentione's Day just around the corner.

On one particular delivery in the Shroud, what began as a simple parcel delivery soon saw them running afoul of the Couerlclaw poachers making their residence in the South Shroud. It had been some years since he had last been on speaking terms with the forest's reclusive clans of Keepers, and he soon realized that there were many different clans to be found when the Coeurlclaws afforded him none of the hospitality he had been accustomed to from Pawah Mujuuk's clan. Tasked with trying to locate a client's lost relative amongst the Couerlclaws, R'tahz and J'karu met with their client's sister and, after fending off her attempts to skewer them with her lance and disarming her with masterful ease, convinced her to leave the poachers and make a new life with her sister. Along the way to escort them out of the Shroud, they were accosted numerous times by pursuing Coeurlclaws, and eventually their very leader, a Keeper male known only by the epithet of 'Couerlclaw King.'

The couple were shocked to learn that the king held absolute control of the Coeurlclaws in a manner not at all unlike that of a Seeker tribe, but the difference was made apparent to the two ''actual'' Seekers in that the king forced his "tribe" to remain at his beck and call through coercion, intimidation, and a severe case of Stockholm Syndrome. R'tahz, absolutely furious that the Keeper would take advantage of them in such a manner, stood ready to strike the other miqo'te down where he stood, not at all cowed by the Keeper's threat to cut their client's face off before he could take a step toward him--a threat to which R'tahz pointed out that the king was already within the reach of his own seven-foot lance and J'karu's thaumaturgic abilities. Before a fight could break out, a pair of Wood Wailers intervened and were brutally dispatched by the Coeurlclaw King, an act which he twisted to "demonstrate" that only he could protect the client's sister and managed to convince her to return with him. As the Couerlclaws departed, R'tahz pointed his lance at the heart of the king, proclaiming that they would meet again.

Soon after that distasteful encounter in the Shroud, the Manderville Gold Saucer opened in the Sagolii Desert, and the couple decided to go pay a visit. Within the crowded and raucous halls, R'tahz discovered an idle fancy in chocobo racing, but this was far overshadowed by the obsession J'karu found in Triple Triad. Her collector's sense sparked, she made it her goal to collect every card. Given their penchant to wander together in mail delivery, she did not lack opportunities to find people to challenge and--as her skill level grew--defeat.

But the peace was not to last.

News of the uptick in dravanian activity spread fast across the realm, reaching the Oak Inn swiftly. Though both R'tahz and J'karu were concerned for Faucillien, they could not risk going back to a place where they were marked for death. And so they waited, continuing their lives as normal, praying for their friend's safety as their concern weighed ever present in the backs of their minds.

Then came the unthinkable: the ward protecting the only bridge to Ishgard--the Steps of Faith--had been destroyed, and invasion from the Dravanian horde was imminent. As if to underscore the dire straights in Coerthas, the call went out from the city-states that any and all able-bodied adventurers, sell-swords, and free companies were requested to aid the city against the invasion. That sealed the fact that the coming battle may very well have seen Ishgard wiped from the face of the planet, and with that knowledge in mind, R'tahz knew that he could not leave his mentor to suffer such a fate alone, even if it meant his life was in equal danger by both 'friend' and foe.

===A Step, A Leap===
Despite any misgivings on the matter, J'karu knew her husband would not be dissuaded from rendering his aid, and so readied provisions for the journey north. As they took their chocobos from the inn's stable to journey north, R'tahz noted the unusual absence of the resident weaponmaster and the conjurer always seen in his company, wondering if they too had gone north. Clad in his replica wyrm mail in an effort to pass himself off as just another dragoon, R'tahz and J'karu rode north.

Shortly across the Coerthan border, they were intercepted by a squad of knights from House Fortemps, who bade them follow directly to Camp Dragonhead. There, they were met by Faucillien in his private quarters, who was unamused that they had braved the death marks to come, but nonetheless glad for their support. In truth, the elder elezen doubted that the inquisition would have a care for the moment that R'tahz was back in Coerthas, given the far more imminent threat of the Dravanians. Even still, in an effort to temporarily ward off any awkward questions on the matter, Faucillien assigned the pair to his personal squadron of knights and made for the Steps of Faith. Once there, they assisted with the defense of the critical structure, an effort that saw R'tahz nearly perish no less than two times.

Following the successful defense of the Steps and the death of Vishap, several inquisitors arrived to detain R'tahz on the grounds of fomenting heresy and undermining the Holy See. Unwilling to listen to Faucillien's reason, and nearly provoking J'karu into blasting them into oblivion with her magic, the standoff was ultimately resolved by Lucia the Radiant accurately remarking that a heretic would have no reason to fight so valiantly in Ishgard's defense, and declaring R'tahz to be under the graces of both the Temple Knights and House Fortemps.

===A Proper Dragoon===
With no desire to hang around in Coerthas, R'tahz and J'karu swiftly returned to the Oak Inn as soon as the way was clear of Dravanian raiders. Within a few moons, they heard whispers of Ishgard beginning to ease open its gates to outsiders, mainly in the mercantile and sellsword trades. Though pressed with no immediate desire to venture north again, the knowledge that the cloistered city was becoming more open was a welcome one. Shortly thereafter, a missive arrived from Faucillien stating that a new tutor in the arts of the dragoon had been found for R'tahz, if he was interested.

==Character==
===Appearance===
R'tahz stands at five fulms and eight ilms, weighing approximately one-hundred and fifty-eight ponzes. His grey-highlighted black hair is kept perpetually-shaggy, parted over his right eye to allow unobstructed vision. Around the bottom of his eyes, faded red face paint gives him a bit of a sad appearance, flanked on his temples by a pair of three-part curved triangle tattoos of the same color, though these are obscured by his hair and not readily visible unless one is well inside his personal space. He bears two prominently-visible scars: one very shallow cut approximately half an ilm long on his left cheek, delivered by the blade of R'wazi during his second nunh challenge, and a much deeper two-ilm long scar starting above his right eye and ending below it, courtesy of a deceitful nunh on his ninth challenge. His eyes are a honeyed golden color.

His outfits vary based on where he is and what he's doing. Most commonly when relaxing, he wears a red open-chest woolen shirt, dark blue trousers, black thighboots, and fingerless gloves with a well-worn wristguard and intricate silvered metal hand protector. In times where he anticipates the potential of battle, he prefers to wear his replica wyrm armor set, as it provides superb protection and J'karu favors its appearance. As of late, he is never found without his wedding ring upon his hand, except when wearing metal gloves in battle that would present a pinch hazard, whereupon he wears the ring on a silver chain around his neck.

===Personality===
Despite all things, R'tahz has a positive outlook on life and a relatively-upbeat demeanor. This is an active effort on his part, choosing to look to the brighter side of things and view the world as a half-full glass than let himself get mired in pity parties. He has a tendency to space out and let his thoughts wander far afield when not directly engaged in something, lending the appearance of being slow or dull-witted.

Notably, he has an inability to let pass any situation in which he could help someone. Part of it is due to his dislike for seeing wrongs go unrighted or bad deeds unpunished, the majority part is a need to validate himself against some arbitrary measure of worth by doing these good deeds.

Once he's decided on a course of action to take, a goal to pursue, or a sidequest to undertake, he is remarkably single-minded and pig-headed in his determination and efforts in accomplishing that task. However, if he experiences enough failure in a task--usually in the form of repeated attempts--he becomes completely disheartened with that task and will abandon it; to date, he has not returned to any such abandoned tasks. Because of this tendency, he's usually reluctant to engage in challenging tasks to begin with.
==Powers and Abilities==
* '''Weapon Proficiency (Lance)''': His primary field of combat arms, R'tahz is exceptionally-talented with a lance, preferring to use one with multiple hooked protrusions sprouting from its head and haft so as to be able to disarm foes with deft twists of his weapon. As he normally fights alongside J'karu, he tends to use his lance as a blocking weapon to push foes back and away from his magic-inclined partner.

* '''Weapon Proficiency (Bow)''': Stemming from his early hunting days in his tribe, R'tahz has a fair talent with bows, though he is by no means anywhere near being a great archer. He's reasonably able to land a hit on targets within a hundred fulms, with greater accuracy and a higher chance of a critically-landed arrow the closer the target is. He's also not averse to using the bow itself as a bludgeoning weapon to gain himself some breathing room.

* '''Weapon Proficiency (Sword)''': Owing to his training in an effort to win his nunh challenges, he is skilled with a sword, able to hold his own against many seasoned sword combatants. However, he has a limited moveset with swords, and no training in using a shield in tandem with a sword.

* '''Weapon Proficiency (Axe)''': Initially seen as little more than "heavy sharp end goes into bad thing," he first used it only as a source of a few additional tricks that he's translated to use with his lance, particularly using the weapon's haft as an oversized bludgeon to cripple enemies and break limbs. Over the course of J'karu's conjury training in Gridania, he returned to La Noscea under the invitation of the marauders' guildmaster and trained under Curious Gorge, eventually becoming a higly-skilled warrior whose power is fueled by his desire to protect J'karu rather than an inner rage, earning him the epithet of 'Tranquil Warrior.'

* '''Weapon Proficiency (Unarmed)''': More of an emergency fallback talent than anything else, R'tahz considers fighting with his bare hands to be a stepping stone to getting back to where he has a real weapon in his hands and can do actual damage. Aside from the general punching and kicking of things, he is not averse to biting and clawing should he be forced to fight unarmed, and he also knows a few submission grapples and throws.

* '''Hunting and Tracking''': Though this skill has atrophied some, R'tahz is still quite adept at pursuing targets by following the trails they leave behind. He's best able to do so through jungle due to his years of familiarity with it, with his talent in other biomes varying. Tracking animal targets is also far easier than humanoids. When it comes to combat, he is able to more easily land instant-kill blows on a wide variety of animals, especially if he catches them by surprise.

==Trivia==
===Likes===
::* Sandy beaches
::* Being near J'karu
::* Warm days with a gentle breeze
::* Practicing with the lance
::* Relaxing times and lazy days

===Dislikes===
::* Reminders of his past
::* Cold
::* Perceived injustice
::* Nunh, or pretenders of such, who abuse their position and priviledges
::* The Couerlclaw King

===Hobbies/Talents===
::* Fishing
::* Music
::* Wandering the countryside
::* Collecting replicas of legendary weapons and armor

===Other===
::* Has an irrational fear that other male miqo'te may try to steal J'karu from him
::* Favors using well-crafted replicas of notable equipment, such as his replica wyrm armor and the reproduction of the legendary weapon ''Gae Bolg'', and his replica set of warrior's raiments
::* Has a tendency to water the plants of the Oak Inn without a shirt on because J'karu finds it hot

==Rumors and Relationships==
<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #BEC3BC;font-size:14px;color:#5F5F5F;"><center>Rumors</center></div></span></h3>
''Some of these rumors are untrue or are greatly exaggerated. Please feel free to add your own rumors under PC!''
<div style="border:0px solid; padding:8px;"><b>
<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #90AB76;">◢ Common Rumors (Easily overheard)</div></b>
: <font style="color:#90AB76;" size="3">■</font> "He's stubborn as an aurochs when he wants to be, that one. Challenged fifteen different nunhs across ten years and never came close to winning." - ''Limsa Lominsan citizen''
: <font style="color:#90AB76;" size="3">■</font> "He's got a bit of skill with every weapon under the sun. Part of it's tribal miqo'te upbringing, other part's him trying anything and everything he could to try and win himself breedin' rights. Not a lick of talent with magic, though."
: <font style="color:#90AB76;" size="3">■</font>

<b><div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #F37E1D;">◢ Uncommon Rumors (Moderately difficult to overhear)</div></b>
: <font style="color:#F37E1D;" size="3">■</font> "That boy reminds me a lot of my youngest son, all righteousness and the desire to protect those close to him. I am relieved that he is not of Ishgard, and as such need not throw his life away against the horde. The love he shares with J'karu is pure as the snows on a winter's morn and stronger than tempered mythril. I am proud to have taught the boy everything I know, and trust that he will continue to wield his lance with unshakeable conviction. Would that he and his love know peace for all of their days." - ''Faucillien Sondraix''
: <font style="color:#F37E1D;" size="3">■</font>
: <font style="color:#F37E1D;" size="3">■</font>

<b><div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #D83018;">◢ Rare Rumors (Very difficult or rarely overheard)</div></b>
: <font style="color:#D83018;" size="3">■</font> "I felt a bit sorry for that boy. As far removed as I am from our tribe's affairs, it says a lot that even I've heard of the 'Boy Who Could Not Be a Man'. So I've, on occasion, directed Baderon to throw the poor sod a bone or two of adventuring work. From what I hear, it's turned out far better for him than I could have imagined..." - ''R'ashaht Rhiki''
: <font style="color:#D83018;" size="3">■</font>
: <font style="color:#D83018;" size="3">■</font>

<b><div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #aac5b4;">◢ PC Rumors (Rumors from the character's of other players)</div></b>
: <font style="color:#aac5b4;" size="3">■</font> "I love that boy... and that's all there is to it." - ''[[J'karu Rhome]]''
: <font style="color:#aac5b4;" size="3">■</font> "Kid's got an idealistic streak a malm wide. He hides it well enough, but if he sniffs out somebody in trouble nearby, he'll be the first one to throw himself into the fray. That chronic hero syndrome's going to be the death of him." - ''[[Chris Ganale]]''
: <font style="color:#aac5b4;" size="3">■</font>
: <font style="color:#aac5b4;" size="3">■</font>
</div></td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #BEC3BC;font-size:14px;color:#5F5F5F;"><center>Relations</center></div></span></h3>
: <center><font style="color:#F02311;" size="3">♥</font> Romantic Interest <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="3">♥</font> Platonic Love <font style="color:#9EC60B;" size="3">●</font> Good Standing <font style="color:#C24640;" size="3">●</font> Poor Standing</center>

: <font style="color:#F02311;" size="3">♥</font> [[J'karu Rhome]] : R'tahz's closest friend and beloved wife. Her cheerful and upbeat demeanor always brings a smile to his face, and he would do anything to keep her smiling. Her love for him has completely erased the shame of his earlier years at failing to become nunh of his tribe.
: <font style="color:#9EC60B;" size="3">●</font> Faucillien Sondraix : An elezen guard captain of House Fortemps who taught R'tahz the advanced lancer techniques of a dragoon. The resolve and determination of the young miqo'te in learning everything he possibly could made Faucillien quite fond of him, which was what made his decision to go against traditional Ishgardian doctrine and teach the dragoon arts to an outsider who swore no fealty to the Holy See.
</tr></table>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:RtahzDRG.png|R'tahz in his wyrm mail with replica ''Gae Bolg''.
File:RtahzInn.png|R'tahz outside the Oak Inn.
File:TahzKaru1.png|R'tahz thinks it looks cool when J'karu peeks out from under her hat like that.
File:RtahzWAR.png|R'tahz in his replica warrior's raiment with axe modeled after the primal Garuda.
File:TahzPostman.png|R'tahz delivering a letter in the Shroud, with his baby raptor looking on.
</gallery>

==Music==
<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY2uALNkBIU Good to Be Alive]''
:: Artist: Skillet.
:: Origin: ''Rise''
:: <small>Context: The wandering duo.</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd46nIoKJq8 Allied Force]''
:: Artist: Yuuki Hayashi
:: Origin: ''Gundam Build Fighters''
:: <small>Context: An unbreakable resolve.</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EYVepDBAC0 Go the Distance]''
:: Artist: Roger Bart
:: Origin: ''Disney's Hercules''
:: <small>Context: Character theme.</small>
</td>
</tr></table>

==Annotations==
22-Sept-14: Page created. More to come.

23-Sept-14: Massive early bio dump. And some quotes.

25-Sept-14: More bio.

27-Sept-14: Much more bio. Almost there...

07-Oct-14: More bio. Swear I'm almost caught up..

11-Oct-14: Bio complete. Addendum: Page finished.
[[Category:Balmung]]

R'tahz Tia

2017-04-15T03:29:54Z

Chris Ganale:

Chao Lingshen

2016-02-22T05:15:29Z

Chris Ganale: /* Music & Gallery */

__NOTOC__

<div align=center><div style="font-size:30px;letter-spacing:0.05em;color:#ab0c13;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver"></div></div>

<div align=center><div style="font-size:55px;letter-spacing:0.2em;color:#792521;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver">CHAO LINGSHEN</div></div>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:15px;letter-spacing:0.75em;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;">FIREBRAND</div></div>
<br>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:25px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 10px silver"><font color="#4d1715">'''- - - ''' »</font> <font color="#b33730">☀</font> <font color="#4d1715">« ''' - - -''' </font></div></div>
<br>
<div align=center bottom>[[File:Chao-Top-Banner.png]]</div>
<br>
<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="60%">
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<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 20px; font-size:18px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;letter-spacing:0.1em;"><center><font style="color:#4d1715;">'''❝'''</font> <font style="color:#b33730">''They wanted war. Let's go give 'em war.''</font> <font style="color:#4d1715;">'''❞'''</font></center></div></span></h3>
</tr></table></div>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:12px;letter-spacing:0.75em;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver">Chao Lingshen.</div></div>
<br>
<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="80%">
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<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.15em;"><center>'''VITAL INFORMATION'''</center></div></span></h3>
<br>
<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''CURRENT ALIAS...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Chao Lingshen.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''RACE & CLAN...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Miqo'te, Seeker of the Sun.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''GENDER...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Female.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''AGE...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 23.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''NAMEDAY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 1<sup>st</sup> Sun of the 6<sup>th</sup> Umbral Moon, 1556 S.A.E.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''ORIENTATION...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Asexual/Aromantic.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''MARITAL STATUS...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Single.</font>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.15em;"><center>'''OTHER STATISTICS'''</center></div></span></h3>
<br>
<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''NATIONALITY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Doman.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''CITIZENSHIP...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Limsan.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''RESIDENCE...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Vylbrand Academy.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''OCCUPATION...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Founder, Misriah Armory.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''PATRON DEITY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Azeyma, the Warden.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''HEIGHT & WEIGHT...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 5 fulms, 4 ilms. 116 ponzes.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''ALIGNMENT...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChaoticGood Chaotic Good].</font>
</tr></table></div>
<br>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:25px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 10px silver"><font color="#4d1715">'''- - - ''' »</font> <font color="#b33730">☀</font> <font color="#4d1715">« ''' - - -''' </font></div></div>
<br>

=Details=
[[File:ChaoLingshen.png|right|frame|<div style="padding:10px 20px; font-size:13px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;letter-spacing:0.1em;"><center><font style="color:#706b68;">'''❝'''</font> <font style="color:#333333">''Gods and empires have sworn to break me. And yet, here I stand, unbroken.''</font> <font style="color:#706b68;">'''❞'''</font></center></div>]]

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>GENERAL INFORMATION</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">Chao Lingshen is a female miqo'te Seeker of the Sun originally born in Doma. With the Garlean Empire's subjugation of that region, she was conscripted into their armed forces, where she applied her mechanical and magical genius to enhance the Empire's magitek arsenal. She eventually fled to Eorzea with the aid of personnel of the Garlond Ironworks, and has since taken up residence in Ul'dah, spending her days studying and improving her magical and physical capabilities in order to take the fight to the Empire. </div></div>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>APPEARANCE</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">Chao is tall for miqo'te, standing at five fulms and nearly four ilms tall, weighing one hundred and sixteen ponzes. She wears her hair cropped close in a somewhat-boyish style, with two forelocks hanging down just past her chin, secured in place with bronze bangles. Her hair is black, with faint auburn highlights best seen at the back of her head. Afflicted with the normal miqo'te tendency toward heterochromia, her left eye is a dark brown and her right a dark crimson, the two shades close enough together that she could easily be mistaken for having one eye color at a distance or in poor lighting. The tribal markings on her face are slightly more vibrant than normal, this due to the effect of the Garlean anti-aether sigils on her body. When activated, the markings glow bright red. A faint scar on her left cheek, not normally visible due to her tribal markings, is the only visible reminder of the ceruleum explosion at Castrum Meridianum. <br><br> The clothing she wears varies, but she has a marked tendency to prefer more subdued colors such as black, white, and dark browns. Typically she can be found wearing a black and white yukata she picked up from the most recent Moonfire Faire, as it reminds her of her lost home in Doma. She's not big on accessories or jewelry, but usually wears a pair of peach blossom earrings, again as a reminder of Doma. She also always wears either tall boots, dark-colored leggings, or some combination of the two to hide the ceruleum burns on the backs of her legs from sight. </div>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>PERSONALITY</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">As any who would have even taken notice of her at the Quicksand would be quick to point out that she very easily disappears in the background of much more colorful and varied individuals, often preferring to mind her own business and just listen to the goings-on around her, as they have occasionally helped provide some insight into a problem she had been working on. When approached, she is polite and well-spoken, demonstrating an amiable personality with a tendency to make jokes and tease. A favorite thing to do is begin an ominous-sounding statement, then laughing it off instead of finishing the threat. On romance and sexuality, however, Chao can be considered completely asexual, having no consideration of romantic emotions at all. She does recognize romantic advance, but is unresponsive to it. <br><br> Beneath that playful exterior, she is singularly-focused on the downfall of the Garlean Empire and the salvation not just of Eorzea, but of all lands that have suffered under Garlemald's iron fist. This desire drives every action she takes, from her research into greater and more powerful magitek to her quest for greater personal power. The lack of any sort of unity or cohesion amongst the city-states of Eorzea greatly distresses her, and she has considered several times a gambit wherein she presents herself as a great existential threat to the realm, thereby forcing them to unify or face destruction, but has so far held back because the clear and present threat presented by Garlemald sure hasn't done it so far. If the situation demands it, however, she is still more than willing to become a martyr and take on the role of a villain to ensure that the realm is saved.</div>

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<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''L I K E S'''</center></div></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Developing magitek.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Increasing her own combat ability.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Recovering advanced technology from ancient civilizations, even better when she can improve it and make it work again.</div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''D I S L I K E S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> The Garlean Empire
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Those who advance personal profit at the expense of others, especially in the face of a grave existential threat.
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Tribal miqo'te, considering them primitive. </div>

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<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''H O B B I E S / T A L E N T S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Developing and enhancing magitek
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Light culinarian skill
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> A decent head for business
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Improvisation and customization of existing schools of talent </div>

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<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''S T R E N G T H S'''</center></div></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> High intelligence
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Strong melee aptitude
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> High magical aptitude</div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''W E A K N E S S E S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Hubris
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Martyr complex
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Overreliant on self </div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''O T H E R'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Occasionally refers to the Allagan Empire as Forerunners.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> She goes through a lot of gear and clothes (read: destroyed) in the process of testing and experimenting with her magic and magitek.</div>

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<br>

=Combat=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>COMBAT & WEAPONRY</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">
:● '''Magical Prowess''': A budding mage in her own right, Chao is talented in the arts of thaumaturgy, with a far greater affinity for magic of the fire element than other types. This affinity allows her mana to regenerate normally at all times; as such, she is not affected by the astral fire/umbral ice duology many thaumaturges are shackled by. Because of this trait, she is seeking to develop her own, personal style of magic outside the existing systems. Aside from this, she also has some light training in conjury.
::● '''Fire Resistance''': Due to absorbing both living and offensive aether of the Lord of the Inferno, Chao has become more heavily-aspected toward fire, further increasing the power of her magic as well as making her highly-resilient to heat or fire-based attacks.
::● '''''Magia Erebia''''': Translating to 'Dark Magic', ''Magia Erebia'' is the result of Chao's experimentation in magic circles, aetherflow, and how magic and spirit energy can be made to interact with the body. By creating a magic circle, she is able to then absorb a directed energy attack that comes in contact with her, fusing it with her soul and imbuing her with enhanced statistics, depending on the type of energy, for a limited period of time. As a drawback, the unnatural interaction between the soul and aetheric energies causes a corrosive effect, relegating the use of ''Magia Erebia'' to emergencies only.
::● '''Magic Seal''': As a result of the experimentation to resist tempering (see below), when her sigils are activated, she is a complete aetherial void, unable to access her latent magical talents or be affected by anything that would relate to a mana pool. This is mostly used to allow her to pass off as having no magic talent whatsoever, as her mana is not detectible when in this state.
:● '''Martial Arts''': Trained from a young age in the Doman style, unarmed combat is one of the most dangerous places to face her. Her style is visually similar to that of the Fist of Rhalgr, but structurally different. Whereas the monks favor strikes and work best from the flanks or rear of a foe, Chao's ''Hokuryuu Shourinken'' favors kicks, wide sweeping stances, and keeping a distance from the enemy. However, she has taken aspects of the Ala Mhigan style into her own, giving her a much wider array of abilities and actions in combat.
:● '''Shundo''': A ki-based technique of Doman origin, also known by its translated names of ' ''Ground Contractor'' ' or ' ''Instant Movement''. ' By focusing ki or magic energy to the bottom of her feet, she is able to 'grip' the ground and propel herself forward at immense speed, traversing up to sixty fulms in less time than it takes to register movement in the brain. She is only capable of traveling in a straight line across relatively even terrain, and cannot pass obstacles. Individuals with high martial training are able to sense her movement to a degree.
:● '''Spell List''': Chao has developed a list of spells that she prefers to use in combat, primarily based around fire magic and other aetheric uses. All of them are incanted in Garlean (Latin). Additionally, she has her own incantation phrase, which is used to unlock the aetherflow in her body and allow her to channel more powerful magic spells. Said incantation phrase is "''Rasteil mai magicscir magister''." It should also be noted that all of Chao's fire-based spells are aetheric and therefore do not require oxygen to continue burning, and some can even continue to burn when fully immersed in water.
::● ''Calefaciens Exarmatio'': Translating to ''Heatwave Disarmament'', this is a spell used to disarm a foe. It is specially-tuned fire magic that destroys equipment, weapons, and clothing, but leaves the person themselves unharmed.
::● ''Cantus Bellax'': Lit. ''Battle Song'', this is a simple self-buffing spell that reinforces her body with aether. Aside from providing a long-lasting anti-physical shield, this magic also exponentially increases muscle tension, allowing greater power, speed and endurance; it also increases the flexibility of muscles and tendons to prevent Chao from damaging herself from overexertion. In addition, her reflexes are enhanced by a moderate increase in the stimulation of the nervous system.
::● ''Captus Flammeus'': A binding spell, ''Fiery Captor'' summons ropes of fire magic that bind a target in place. Though not ''intended'' to cause harm to the bound target, Chao can cause them to do so at will.
::● ''Flagrantia Rubicans'': A moderately-powerful fire spell, about on par with Fire II, ''Red Blaze'' is Chao's mainstay offensive spell.
::● ''Incendium Gehennae'': A very potent fire spell developed after absorbing the living and offensive aether of Ifrit. Visually, ''Hellfire Conflagration'' is similar to Ifrit's own ultimate attack.
::● ''Ignis Deflexio'': A fire-based anti-physical protective shield. Its defensive effects are small.
::● ''Sagitta Magica Series Ignis'': Chao can summon a number of magic missiles of fire, always a prime number, which will independently track and pursue their target with no input from her. Their tracking method can be defeated if faced cleverly, and one could simply knock the magic missile away when it reaches them. Their damage is limited individually, but she can also cast this spell as a massive, single magic missile comprised of the energy of all the individual ones. While this is more powerful, it is also easier to avoid or counter.
:● '''Technological Genius''': From her youth, she has had a disturbing knack for understanding and knowledge of magitek devices. This ingenuity saw her placed in the Garlean Empire's research division once she was conscripted, where she enhanced and streamlined numerous Garlean weaponry and drive systems. Though more than capable of creating new devices from her own mind, her skills are strongest at refining and adapting existing technology to perform even better. She is responsible for the technological control devices that the Garleans use on their colossi to prevent them from rampaging in battle. Since coming to Eorzea, she has developed a powered assault armor and numerous other systems.
:● '''Temper Resistance''': As a result of Garlean experimentation, Chao possesses a set of sigils inscribed on her body that allows her to seal her aether. The theory is that this will protect her from the primals' method of tempering individuals by way of overloading their aether with the primal's own, due to their aether being unable to interact with her. This has proven to function as intended, tested under fire during her confrontation with Ifrit.
:● '''Weapon Proficiency (Firearm)''': As with all Garlean soldiers, she was trained to use their advanced firearms technology. Though she prefers magic and unarmed combat, she does keep a concealable pistol loaded with large-caliber, high-explosive ammunition on her person. Just in case.
:● '''Weapon Proficiency (Gunblade)''': As a conscript of the Garlean army, and valued slightly above the rank-and-file for her technical genius, she was trained in how to use a gunblade. Though she does not favor the weapon herself, she is capable of picking up and easily-using any of the non-specialized types of gun-weapons.</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">'''OOC Note:''' I unilaterally prefer freeform combat to dice, as dice cannot adequately reflect skill and equipment of a character. I practice what I refer to as an "interrupt" style of RP combat, in that when I make an action, I include a description of the effects it would have, and leave it to the other individual to defend against the action and/or mitigate the effects. Don't hesitate to send a /t if you have questions or are unsure of something I did in a battle.</div></div>
<br>

=Misriah Armory=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>MISRIAH ARMORY</center></div></span></h3>
[[File:Misriah-logo.png|center]]
<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">
After settling at Vylbrand Academy, Chao finally found the stability required to dedicate her efforts fully to designing and developing her magitek weaponry. After a sizable payment for technologies rendered, she was able to fund the creation of her own arms company, '''Misriah Armory'''. Adapting the slogan "Battle-tested for your home", Chao has hired a number of production personnel from the Ironworks and purchased several proprietary systems from Cid nan Garlond to begin her work on magitek combat systems, primarily in the form of powered armor.
::● '''Anti-Magic Reactive Armor''': A system wherein a piece of armor or shield is imbued with reactive aether that, when an offensive spell acts upon it, explodes outward to disperse the effects of the spell and reduce harm to the wearer. This system is still in the prototype phase; currently, it reacts far too vigorously to offensive spells.
::● '''Armory Device''': Utilizing the principles of aetheric teleportation, Chao can imbue specific items with a unique aetheric signature, and then pair them to a device, traditionally a ring, that summons the items onto the wearer, allowing one to be armed and equipped in the blink of an eye.
::● '''Electromagnetic Aether Pulse Protection''': After an...unpleasant...event that saw her powered devices shut down by an enemy electromagnetic aether pulse, Chao worked to ensure that this never occurred again. By studying the recorded particulate effects just before her devices lost power, she was able to determine the frequency at which the particulates used interacted with her devices, and modify her shielding to nullify that frequency. To prevent circumvention by simply using a ''different'' frequency, all her powered equipment shielding is designed to modulate through differing frequencies.
::● '''Ironworks Powered Armor Mk.I''': The upgraded, field-ready combat version of her prototype armor. Designed as a modular system that supports varying upgrades as requested by the wearer. A detailed description can be found [http://tinyurl.com/mdjcwvd here]. Unlike her other, proprietary powered armor designs, her personal set retains the designation 'Ironworks' partly out of nostalgia, and partly in recognition that she was aided by members of the Garlond Ironworks in designing and creating it.
::● '''Misriah Powered Armor/BREAKER''': A direct assault variant built for Grundy, focusing on strong armored protection, resilient shielding, armor-augmented strength enhancers, and a VISR (detailed below) uplink to identify allies and enemies. As Grundy lacks the technical expertise to manipulate armor systems, the BREAKER variant is designed to function largely autonomously, with all systems functioning when power is applied. Grundy's personal variant features two additional features: two spiked chain shots built into both forearms for grappling, and remote systems override allowing Chao to lock down his armor to stop him from going on a berserker rampage.
::● '''Misriah Powered Armor/INFILTRATOR''': An infiltrator variant designed for use by those who prefer a stealth approach. The INFILTRATOR variant lacks the plate protection of its more up-armored brethren, relying on faster-cycling aetheric shielding technology and the user's own ability to evade hits to provide its protection. This powered armor increases user reaction speed and possesses proprietary sound-dampening technology to enhance stealth.
::● '''Powered Fist''': Built to augment her new powered armor, Chao designed a gauntlet that allows her free range of hand motion and also has a powerful gun device built into it for added anti-armor punch. When not desired for use, it collapses down to the size of bracelets worn on both wrists.
::● '''Project μ''': Considered by Chao to be her Magnum Opus, Project μ saw the creation of a sentient, free-willed combat android in a form that would allow it to pass undetected in society (in this case, the prototype unit possesses the frame of a female miqo'te). Utilizing a combination of a purpose-built mammet heart and an unprogrammed Allagan Defense System node to achieve sentience, a frame was constructed using both Allagan metals and repurposed Garlean steel. The result: an infiltrator prototype given the name ''Myu'' whose combat potential is surpassed only by her learning potential.
::● '''Remote/Observation, Self-Propelled Model 1B Reconnaissance Drone''': A variant of the WASP drone, with its aetherochemical beam replaced with high-fidelity observation and monitoring equipment to perform the functions of battlefield reconnaissance. Recon data from these drones can be fed to any authorized user of a MISRIAH powered armor system.
::● '''Sterilization Tools''': A number of devices requested by Vylbrand medic Keero in order to sterilize medical equipment before use. A non-mobile version was delivered to the medical ward, allowing the sterilization of large numbers of equipment, or large pieces of equipment. Several smaller versions were also built for field use. Both versions generate high-heat, high-intensity energy beams that kill microorganisms and scour surfaces clean.
::● '''Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance''': A HUD feature included in all of her powered armors, VISR allows for unprecedented battlefield information to wearers of her powered armor. In its most base form, VISR serves as an identify-friend/foe system, highlighting friendly targets in a green outline, enemy targets in red, recognizable weapons in blue, items of interest in yellow, and unidentified persons/civilians in orange. It can also receive visual reconnaissance from any nearby ROSP drones and functions as low-light enhancement at night or in darkened spaces.
::● '''Weapon/Anti-Magitek, Self-Propelled Model 1A Nonlinear Rifle''': A small, high-mobility portable weapon system developed by Chao using the magitek bits of the Allagan and Garlean Empires as its base. Unlike it much larger cousins, the "WASP"--also known by the descriptor "funnel"--is small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand, but is no less deadly for it. Armed with an aetherochemical beam that can pierce the armor of a magitek reaper in a single strike, its power is balanced by its slow rate of fire and limited fire capacity. When drained of energy after five shots, it is capable of re-energizing itself by drawing aether from its environment, but this will only allow it to fire again once every five minutes. The WASP is targeted by voice commands.
</div></div>

<br>

=History=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>HISTORY</center></div></span></h3>
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<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>'''PAST BACKGROUND'''</center></div></span></h3>
<br>
<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Early Life'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Born in the region of Doma, Chao has been well-acquainted with Garlean tyranny her entire life. Her parents trained her from the time she could stand in the Doman martial arts style, despite it being outlawed by Garlemald as seditious. Early in life, she demonstrated a marked proclivity for an inability to keep secrets, prompting her parents to keep her uninvolved with the resistance against the Garlean Empire. She also showed an amazing affinity for magitek and other mechanical devices.<br><br>As she grew older, the increasing activity of Garlean oppression saw Chao becoming aware of their atrocities throughout their claimed territory. Her discretion grew, and though she remained unaware of her parents' involvement in the resistance, she began to contribute to the resistance in her own way, notably by designing and providing specifications for cannon rounds that boasted a marked improvement rate in penetrating Garlean armor, among other defensive innovations. This enhanced ability on the Domans' part to fight them did not go unnoticed by Garlemald, and by the age of fifteen, they had determined that she was the one responsible for the technological improvements. One afternoon, a contingent of Garleans appeared at the Lingshen homestead, and a choice was offered: service in the Empire, or the deaths of herself and her family. Unwilling to be the cause of her parents' deaths, she agreed to join the Empire. </font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Imperial Service'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Having been identified as a magitek prodigy, Chao avoided conscription into the generic rank and file of the Empire, instead placed in an institution that would teach her the intricacies of Garlean magitek as groundwork for creating next-generation weaponry. Recognizing the opportunity that had fallen into her lap, she played the part of the loyal Garlean engineer, all the while absorbing all the information she could and considering ways she could sabotage the Empire. It soon came to be discovered that she was especially adept at improving existing technology to perform better, seeing her placed in the Castrum Meridianum, where the foremost of Garlemald's technological terrors were constructed. <br><br> Initially, the projects she was allowed access to were small, improved arms and armor for the soldiers stationed in the castrum and the like. Eventually, as the successes of her work became apparent and allowed Garlemald to solidify its holdings in the regions of Eorzea they occupied, she was granted more and more access to Imperial workings. Soon, she began to discreetly sabotage the projects she was working with, an example being the technological inhibitors that the Garleans used to control their magitek colossi and other tamed beasts. Sure, the inhibitors did their job--better than to spec once she got her hands on them--but if they took too much damage and were destroyed, the frenzied beasts would focus all their aggression on their Imperial masters. She always took great care to ensure that the technology she sabotaged would fail as a result of field conditions or misuse, and that their effects would be ''just'' shy of so catastrophic that the Garleans deemed them too costly to use. <br><br> Her own research efforts were not the only Garlean projects that she was involved in. Owing to the Garleans' hatred of the primals, eventual conflict with the primals would be inevitable. Knowing of the primals' fondness for tempering, the Empire sought to devise a means to resist the tempering effect. Selecting from a pool of candidates with preexisting extremely strong willpower, Chao was selected to undergo numerous anti-tempering experiments. As tempering was reliant upon the primal surging their own aether to overpower the victim's mind and soul, the simplest method the Garleans saw to negate it was blocking one's aether. To this end, a series of sigils were inscribed across Chao's body, rendering her an aetherial void when active. A command code, painstakingly memorized by the magitek genius, deactivates the sigils and lets her act normally, though when it is active her aether is completely inactive, not even able to be detected by other mages, and she appears to be completely nonmagical. Though this system performs its intended purpose to lab specifications, it has yet to be tested against an actual primal. <br><br> It was two years into her work at Meridianum that she discovered the Ultima Weapon program, and at that point she realized that it would take more than minor acts of sabotage to halt the Garlean advance. At around the same time, she began to hear whispers of a revolt in Doma, instigated in the hopes that the Garlean succession crisis would have them too distracted to respond. Activity around the Ultima Weapon project intensified, with many predicting that the fearsome monstrosity would be put to use suppressing the rebellion. It was not to be, however, as the Weapon was still not fully prepared for combat, and the might of the Imperial legions were plenty sufficient to crush the uprising and begin a reckoning of the Doman civilization. <br><br> Suspecting deep in her heart that her parents had been killed in the rebellion, Chao devised her plan and made ready to depart the Empire forever.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Defection'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">For a long while, the Garlond Ironworks and its members had been a continual thorn in the side of the Imperial presence in Eorzea, raiding the castrums seemingly at random. Though she had not devoted a great deal of attention to it, she had a sense that there would soon be another such raid at Meridianum. Timing her actions carefully, she prepared another act of sabotage. <br><br> In her part of the Ultima Weapon project, she was assigned to the conversion of the ancient Allagan power source to accept refined ceruleum as a fuel. While successful in this endeavor, she also weakened the structural integrity of the fueling lines and the storage tanks, forcing them to vent under strenuous operation lest they suffer a devastating case of overpressure. Under the guise of a 'stress test', she ordered one such storage tank filled to capacity and subjected to the sorts of stresses expected in lengthy combat. <br><br> Just as she had expected, another raid by the Ironworks occurred in the middle of the stress test. With the defense force of the castrum distracted by the ruckus, Chao moved all her research notes to within proximity of the storage tank, then increased the stress the device was under. To her surprise, the raiding team from the Ironworks soon broke their way into her research chamber, pulling her attention away from monitoring the tank for reaching its failure point. Now no longer needing to be concerned with her intent to betray the Empire, she alerted the raiders of the impending explosion and warned them to get away. Almost immediately thereafter, a castrum security force broke into the lab from another direction and opened fire. A stray round struck the storage tank, resulting in an immediate detonation. The explosion wiped out the Garlean security force and sprayed flaming ceruleum throughout the lab, resulting in gruesome burn scars to the back of Chao's legs. <br><br> Rendered unconscious by the explosion, Chao was recovered by the Ironworks raiding team, who fled as a chain reaction tore through the ceruleum storage facility, destroying a large number of the Ultima Weapon's spare tanks. Chao's act of sabotage resulted in the completion and battle readiness of the Ultima Weapon being delayed by nearly a full year.</font></div>
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<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>'''SINCE CHARACTER CREATION'''</center></div></span></h3>
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<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Ironworks'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao awoke some weeks later in Gridania, finding herself under care of the conjurers treating her injuries from the ceruleum explosion. Informed of the massive damage done to her musculature and nervous system, she was relieved to learn that she would regain the ability to walk after a time, but that the corrosive nature of ceruleum meant that the scars would never fade. This did not trouble her, and as she recovered, she requested a tome in which she could write, beginning to transfer what of her research she could recall to a page, glad to have denied Garlemald her knowledge and leaving them with prone-to-failure, sabotaged equipment. <br><br> Soon thereafter, she was approached by a large roegadyn man who introduced himself as Biggs, naming himself as a member of the Garlond Ironworks and come to inquire what she had been up to when she had encountered the raid team. In no uncertain terms, she explained that she had been carefully sabotaging various Imperial projects over her years in their conscripted service, and had planned to take advantage of the confusion of the Ironworks raid to do one last grand act of sabotage and escape. Amused by her forthcoming explanation, Biggs offered for her to join the Ironworks, letting her turn her vast magitek talent to improving the lives of Eorzean citizens while continuing to stick it to the Empire. She readily accepted, and turned over her tome of notes for Biggs to copy in case any of it proved useful to any of the ongoing projects at the Ironworks. Once finished with the transcription, Biggs returned the book and suggested she get herself as far away from the Empire as possible.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Changing the Game'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Unknown to either of them, she was in no danger of being hounded by the Empire, as they believed she had perished in the ceruleum explosions at the castrum. After regaining her ability to walk, she traveled to Ul'dah and took up residence there. To while away the time, she discovered that the jewel of the desert was home to the pugilist guild and the thaumaturge's guild, two combat schools that she had a keen interest in. Applying for training at both, she used their instruction to further her knowledge in both unarmed combat and the magical arts, but feared that what she could learn through the guilds would be insufficient to face the might of the Garlean Empire. <br><br> To that end, she sought to combine the training of both guilds into a new personal discipline she referred to--admittedly unoriginally--as 'combat mage'. To this end, she practiced the casting of spells until they became as muscle memory to her, able to cast on the move and with greater speed. While training herself in such a way, she discovered her stronger affinity for fire magic, that the more she trained, the greater the potency of those spells became and the less taxing they were upon her. Before long, she had become adept at weaving fire not only as spells in between strikes, but the very elemental aspect itself into her strikes. The result was a combat style that is frightfully effective, one that the pugilists' guild regarded as an amusing and effective curiosity, but that was reviled by the thaumaturges' guild. Needless to say, she hasn't showed her face there very often in recent times. <br><br> Even through her training time, one thing had weighed heavily on her mind at all times: the existence of the Ultima Weapon and what it could do to the people of Eorzea. Knowing of the Weapon's ability to absorb the essence of the primals and use their power for its own, she wondered if it was not possible for a man to do the same with magic. After all, the possibilities of magic were literally limitless. With that in mind, and keeping an open mind from which she could observe and calculate from all possible angles, Chao began to study arcanism and conjury as well. <br><br> Initially dismissing conjury, she focused her attention on arcanism, finding the applications there far more wide-ranging given the geometric and mathematical means of bending aether to one's whim, and as an engineer, geometry and math were something of strong suits for her. She quickly began to experiment with using aetheric circles not just in books, but using the environment herself as her medium. She found that in doing so, she could enhance the power of her spells and perform various other effects. She has established a theory of a magic contract between a magically-talented person and one who is not, mostly for the purpose of additional power to the--presumably physically-inclined--partner, but has yet to perform any actual experimenting on this concept.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Dark Magic'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Through many a day spent sitting in a corner of the Quicksand pondering her magical theories while immersing herself in the lifeblood of the city, her thoughts traveled far and wide on the principles of magic and their relationship with man and the world. Such philosophical drivel aside, it occurred to her as she was watching a drinking contest that perhaps she was thinking too hard on a subject that was actually rather simple. The principle of the Ultima Weapon's most terrifying power was that it could absorb the power of the primals into itself and, so the theory went, use their powers as its own. As she had discovered through her arcane training, there already ''was'' a similar technique in play, the aetherflow. The problem was its limitations, and that it only drew upon ambient aether. <br><br> While stumped on how to get around this block, she diverted some attention to figuring out methods of rapidly-deploying aetheric circles in combat, given that most enemies would be disinclined to stand around letting her draw runes on the ground around them. Musing on the fragility of crystals, she discovered a method to 'pre-cast' partial aetheric circles by inscribing them into specifically-marked spell catalysts that, when shattered in specific sequence in a set pattern, would inscribe an invisible aetheric circle on whatever solid surface they were shattered against. She found that this was most useful when fighting unarmed, as many would assume she was a bog-standard pugilist and therefore wouldn't be suspicious of her moving around in a fight. <br><br> As the weeks passed and she wandered about the city, she chanced upon a handful of Sultansworn in a full-contact mock training exercise. Taking a moment to stop and observe their actions, she watched as a pre-cast protective spell flashed to life to ward off a harmful spell, but not fully mitigate its damage. That scene taking root in her mind, she returned to the Quicksand to ponder. The nature of protective spells were meant to turn away harmful effects, but using her aetheric circles, could she not invert its purpose, directing an opponent's magic or spirit energy into a user whose aetherflow was opened to draw in such energies? <br><br> With thorough studying in the matter, she discovered that her theory was spot-on, allowing her to absorb the energies of an opponent's attack into herself, giving her a limited-time increase to specific attributes depending on the nature of the absorbed energies. This method of using her developing theory of magic was impractical, as it required her drawing a spell circle to influence the absorption of the energy, and therefore was ill-suited for most combat scenarios. Further, the act of absorbing spells or spirit energy infused that energy to her very soul, an unnatural and corrosive effect that forced her to determine that this new magic she was inventing be reserved for the most emergency of uses. <br><br> Because of this, she has taken to calling her new magic system ''Magia Erebia''.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''New Eras, New Places, New Faces'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Time waits for no man, and Chao was no exception. Word of a new terrifying superweapon in the hands of Garlemald spread through Eorzea like wildfire, and she knew that they had come with their Ultimate Weapon. To her surprise, however, the Eorzean leaders did not seem to fear the tremendous power of the weapon, instead were planning a ''preemptive strike'' to destroy the thing before it could be brought into play. Unknowing of what means the Eorzeans intended to fight it with, but well resolved in the knowledge that she would not suffer them to face that menace alone, she journeyed to the Hall of Flames to avail her burgeoning magical talent to the Alliance's efforts. And thus came to pass her involvement in Operation: Archon, a rather boring endeavor which saw her standing far from the front lines, raining concentrated blasts of fire down on far-away Garleans by way of indirect fire. <br><br> Returning to Ul'dah after the successful destruction of the Ultimate Weapon and the heralding of the Seventh Astral Era, Chao felt herself adrift. Her entire life since coming to Eorzea had been dedicated to empowering herself and devising technology to destroy the weapon, and yet now she found herself without that clear adversary to test herself against. Returning to her usual haunt in the Quicksand to consider her notes on varying magitek research projects, she found herself attracting some interesting characters. First came an elezen lady curious of what she was reading, prompting a rather fast-paced and aggressive conversation which has Chao convinced that she was being hit upon, ending with a promise by Aeliette to 'discover all her dark secrets.' <br><br> Several days later, she was approached by another elezen who offered thanks to her for the assistance she rendered in attempting to determine whether a wine bottle had been poisoned. Introducing himself as Isaudorel, their conversation was far more agreeable, despite the brief intrusion of a rather rude individual who accused Chao of being of purchaseable companionship. Electing to not dignify that with a response, the conversation soon found its way turning toward their preferred styles of combat, with Chao informing him of her creation of her 'combat mage' style of combat. Intrigued of a method by which one could combine hand-to-hand with magical combat, he requested a spar to allow her to demonstrate her style, to which she agreed, pleased to have the opportunity to test her style in 'real' combat. <br><br> Traveling just outside of Forgotten Springs in the Sagolii Desert, Chao and Isaudorel squared off, observed by a small crowd of interested individuals who either came along from the Quicksand or happened to be passing through. Initiating the duel, Chao used her ''shundo'' to cross the distance separating them before he could react, a rising crescent kick almost finishing the fight in a single blow. Recovering from it, he retaliated with a blizzard spell, which she dispersed with a ''Red Blaze'' fire spell before charging back in to rain strikes at him. With a quick thought, he cast a manawall charged with electricity in an attempt to paralyze her. Though the charged energy knocked her back, she managed to avoid a paralysis and unleashed seven ''Sagitta Magica'' arrows to divert his attention. He answered in kind with a wide-area blizzard spell to destroy them, then began another incantation. To break the barrier, Chao used a floating chunk of ice as a springboard by which to ''shundo'' at him and use the entire force of her body to try and break the barrier. Just as she hit, he completed his incantation, casting a Fire-III directly on himself to catch both of them at once, an effective suicide-bomb attack. <br><br> Blown to the side by the power of the strike, Chao was the first to her feet, laughing at the cleverness of the attack and commending him for its execution. Isaudorel, however, having exhausted his mana to pull that stunt and doing no small amount of harm to himself, ceded the spar at that point. Expressing his wish for a future re-engagement, he returned to Ul'dah--or so she presumed--to get himself some rest and recovery. Afterwards, she was approached by one of the observers, one [[Gunnbjorn Darkblade]] who was very impressed with her style and wished to challenge her himself at some point in the future. With a smirk, she stated that she would always be ready to test her skills out once more. <br><br> A few days beyond that, she found herself approached once more at the Quicksand, this time by a man answering to the name of Lucian Malloy. Speaking at length of idle topics, he soon invited her to a place he liked wherein she could think free of distractions, citing the noise of the Quicksand being a cause of headaches for him. Initially concerned that it may be an ill-fated kidnapping attempt, given the nature of Ul'dah, she felt confident that she would be more than any would-be kidnappers were prepared for, and agreed to accompany him. Following along with his teleport to Costa del Sol, she soon discovered that his motives were no more ill than that of any red-blooded male attempting to woo a female. In further efforts to impress her, he cast a healing circle spell, the radius of which grew with every passing moment. It soon became clear that this spell was too powerful for him to sustain, causing him to become as though intoxicated, making ever more and more ridiculous statements as time went on. He soon passed unconscious from the effects of the significant drain on his aether, but not before he managed to activate a failsafe teleport of some sort that returned the two of them to his free company's homestead in the Goblet. <br><br> At the mansion of the Reclaimers, Chao brought him to rest in an infirmary bed, then wandered the halls to find one of his free company mates to assist him. Atticus Buffalobane and Lena Ulionov appeared from their room, in a particular state that left no doubt in Chao's mind what they had been up to, but she politely refrained from saying anything on the matter. It was swiftly determined that he suffered from aetheric depletion, prompting Lena to head off to procure some ethers to solve the matter. After a few moments, she returned with Rinh Amariyo in tow, while Chao stood to the back of the room and let them see to their comrade. After some good-natured ribbing on their part once Lucian came around, Lena inquired as to Chao's occupation. When the combat mage informed them of her specialty in Garlean magitek, suddenly both Lena and Rinh became very interested in her, the former requesting that she return the next day to look at a piece of Garlean technology that the Reclaimers had "acquired." <br><br> Coming the next day as promised, she was introduced to another associate of the Reclaimers, Popato Tomato, who presented a large Garlean orb and explained that it was an aetheric suppressor and that they wished to find a way to make it smaller and allow it to only suppress aether of unwanted intruders rather than the rightful occupants of the manor. Explaining that miniaturization was her specialty, Chao poked around in the device's innards and, following a demonstration of its effects during which she decided to see what would happen if the aether-absorbing field came into contact with her when her aether was sealed--the device short-circuited--she determined that she could meet all their specifications as long as they procured her a pair of Garlean magitek cores--one in case she made a mistake--with which to install in the machine; the rest she had the tools to do herself. They stated that it would be easy for them to acquire the cores, leaving her time to sketch out her redesign of the smaller device and acquire the parts she would need from the Ironworks. <br><br> It took less than a day for her to complete her sketched redesign and even prototype a few replicas in the Ironworks of the modified device. Waiting to be contacted by the Reclaimers to complete her work for them, she resumed her habit of occupying the Quicksand, spending her time going over her design in exacting detail and ensuring everything would function as she expected it to. As she waited and tinkered with converting one of the miniature prototypes into a working autonomous device, she felt an intense gaze on her, and looked around to find a hyuran woman staring at her. The woman approached, stating aloud that Chao looked familiar to her, which became a shared sensation when the woman drew near enough to get a good look at in the dim lighting of the tavern. When Chao pointed out that she was only commonly found at the Quicksand or in the Ironworks, the woman seated herself and proclaimed that it was from the Ironworks that they were familiar with one another. The woman introduced herself as [[Satomi Hakase]], primarily employed by the airship operations division. Though this introduction was to be brief, as an acquaintance of Satomi soon arrived portending a situation which required the hyur's attention, Chao was left with the feeling that she might begin to work with the Ironworks airship sector a bit more often. <br><br> Even with that chance encounter with a fellow in the spirit of science, she continued to feel further and further adrift and separated from the currents of the realm, left as she was with no strong source of opposition to test herself against. The influx of refugees from Doma, the tension from Ul'dah's rejection of sanctuary of them, and the riots that ensued were not something that she, a purveyor of weapons and therefore a 'merchant of death', cared to involve herself in, as she would neither see her people oppressed nor would she hand out her developing forms of advanced weaponry a nation so rife with corruption. So she continued to spend her days in the city idle, chatting at random with whatever passers-by expressed interest in her, spending fewer and fewer hours contemplating new advancements of magitek or ''Magia Erebia''. One conversation ended with a suggestion that she turn her attention to the Ishgardian war with the dravanian hordes and supply weapons for that battle, but she thought little of the backwards, dogmatic ways of the Holy See and did not see the dravanians as a threat to the other city-states should Ishgard fall. She did, at the least, state that she would give it her consideration, and if nothing else it would be an exercise in retrograding her inventions to withstand both the cold of Coerthas and the searing flames of a dragon's breath.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As she took a meal one evening, the tavern as noisy as ever, her ears picked out of the din a small but overbearing voice aimed in her direction. Turning to see a lalafell staring down her nose at her--an act she'd hitherto thought lalafells physically incapable of--she found herself subjected to a barrage of queries regarding a male miqo'te she had never even heard of. When she said as much, the lalafell half-ranted out a slew of other names, only one of which caught her attention: Satomi Hakase. <br><br> With that mentioned, the short one seemed to take a moment to reevaluate Chao, apparently considering there was more to her than met the eye to be an associate of Satomi's, and thereby deeming her 'worthy' by some arbitrary benchmark. Speaking more at length of this 'Sypher Corinth' she was after, she explained that he owed a not-inconsiderable debt to her, promising an unspecified percentage of it for delivering him or information on his whereabouts. Chao accepted, but money had little to do with it; in truth, she was far more interested in having something to do that would take her out of the city. <br><br> The lalafell, who left only her given name Zoey, informed Chao that Sypher had ties with Vylbrand Academy, which sent the miqo'te to Ul'dah's airship landing for a journey to the island city-state. Some hours were spent querying practically every soul in Limsa Lominsa as to the location of the Academy, but perseverance eventually paid off. Upon entering the nondescript building, which initially appeared to be empty, she followed the sound of voices to a lower level that seemed to house a bar, where she queried if any present knew of Sypher. <br><br> After a brief discussion, she was requested to speak of the matter privately with a miqo'te woman she presumed to be the Academy's master, accompanied by an elezen whose role was not explained but Chao presumed to be the master's second. Once in Kyra's office, she explained the situation as it had transpired in the Quicksand, swiftly becoming confused with the way they seemed to become very tense at someone pursuing this 'Sypher' for a substantial debt. It was now clear to her that she was being manipulated as a pawn in the schemes of the lalafell, a sensation she was none too pleased with. When the elezen asked her to convey to the lalafell a request to come to the Academy and 'discuss' the matter, she readily agreed to do so. <br><br> The following afternoon, Chao returned to the Academy, having been informed by Ser Chevalier that a weapon class was to be given that day. As it turned out, she had mistakenly-assumed that it would be more of a showcase of varying weapons from which she might be able to draw inspiration for her projects, but as it turned out, it was an actual instructional class on the varieties of a specific weapon type, in this case axes. Unwilling to be rude by getting up and walking out in the middle of it, she decided to wait it out and observe. This turned out to be possibly one of her best decisions to date. <br><br> In the midst of the class, who should appear out of the blue but Satomi herself. As it turned out, Vylbrand Academy was the fellow researcher's home away from the Ironworks. After politely waiting out the duration of the class and then exchanging a few words with the Academy master and Ser Chevalier, Satomi invited Chao to her laboratory-cum-room to catch up, along with a lalafell that quickly became apparent to be of significant emotional interest to Satomi. After he left on business, Satomi expressed her concern over the appearances inherent in that relationship, but Chao assured her that she would not judge, with the statement that one will find love wherever their heart desires, and that was all there was to that. <br><br> With that fear settled, the pair discussed the situation involving Sypher and the debt, Satomi expressing her concern that he did not seem to be in that high an amount of debt, and Chao herself finding suspicion that so many at the Academy seemed to have their hackles raised by the entire affair. When Satomi remarked that she would gladly pay off the debt and needed to find the woman, Chao stated that she would be glad to accompany Satomi, both to get her own answers on what the hell she'd been dragged into and to provide martial help should it become necessary, promising her fellow Ironworks researcher that she was not as fragile as she looked. <br><br> Turning their conversation to lighter topics, Satomi eventually discerned that, aside from the Ironworks, Chao had no place to call home other than the Hourglass inn attached to the Quicksand, and near of mandated that Chao avail herself of Satomi's lab as often as she deemed necessary. Though not necessarily wanting to take overmuch advantage of Satomi's hospitality--and that of the Academy, which she was sure did not think too highly of her--the truth was simple in that she was adrift in Ul'dah, and a newer locale nearer to where Satomi hung her proverbial hat would not only allow easier collaboration but might also provide some desperately-needed inspiration. <br><br> And so, returning to Ul'dah, she gathered her meager belongings from the Hourglass and took a day or so to finish up all her activities in the jewel of the desert. Traveling by airship to Limsa, she procured a room at the Mizzenmast for a few days so as not to just show up out of the blue at the Academy like an unwanted relative. On the eve before she decided to make her trip to the Academy, she was met in the Drowning Wench by her erstwhile lalafell 'employer', who explained the ''actual'' purpose of the search for Sypher, that being a murder investigation that was now being considered a self-defense act. <br><br> Chao was willing to let bygones be on the matter for a twofold reason: first, it ''was'' a bit of a mercy on Zoey's part to have him investigated for a debt rather than murder, and secondly, Chao's journey to the Academy enabled her to reconnect with Satomi, an all-around net gain for her. Any ire she may have had about Zoey leading her about in the dark was defused by the lalafellin investigator's sincere apologies. Further, Zoey seemed to sense an utmost trustworthiness in Chao, which took the Doman by surprise, and prompted a departure on good terms, with a note that Zoey might seek her out again for further--and much more transparent, as promised--ventures in the future.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Departed'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao had always considered herself intelligent, and whenever first approached by a new person, especially someone with a thuggish demeanor or appearance, always reminded herself that Eorzea was a realm full of malcontents and kept ready in the back of her mind the fact that the very next person to approach her may subject her to some ill-fated kidnapping attempt, assault, or issue of the like. Heretofore, that had never become an issue, but on the day that she prepared to finally make the sojourn to Vylbrand Academy, it turned out that she was properly paranoid after all. <br><br> The lalafell that approached her side may well have succeeded in the assassination attempt had she not stooped to pick up a dropped utensil at the exact moment the would-be assassin moved to draw his blade. A commendably-strengthed kick, given her less-than-stellar positioning seated on a barstool, launched the smallfolk into a pillar, where he was promptly joined by the stool she had just vacated. With the ambush attempt failed, a roegadyn, a hyur, and a miqo'te joined the fray. It was clear they lacked up-to-date knowledge on her skillset, as defeating them proved to be a far simpler endeavor than she had expected. <br><br> Rifling through their pockets made it clear they were a Garlean hit squad, as if their banter during the unrepentant mugging they suffered had not already made that point. Troubling was that they'd come specifically for her, and that meant she was on Garlemald's radar again. Whether they sought blood for her sabotage of the Ultima Weapon or a return of her knowledge to their fold was unknown, and frankly irrelevant. What mattered was that they would stop at nothing to achieve their goal, and that endangered everyone she associated with. <br><br> Knowing that, she knew that she could not, in good conscience, let the Academy and its occupants be brought to harm because of her, and so decided to instead go into hiding. <br><br> Steeling her resolve, and feeling herself to be facing one of the greatest trials she ever had, she covered herself in a linen cloak and walked the rainy streets of Limsa, heading down to the ferry. She found bitter amusement that it would rain on this day, of all days. The ferry passed uneventfully, dropping Chao off near the Vylbrand Academy. The weather had long since broke, leaving it a cool, slightly clouded night. Keeping her eyes sharp for any signs of pursuit, she made her way toward the Academy, each step feeling heavier than the one before it. <br><br> As she expected, the Academy itself was not vacant. As she neared, she espied Ser Chevallier conversing in one corner of the yard, and fully expected to be stopped as to her business. But, to her surprise, she was allowed to pass into the building without a word, and found no other souls as she made her way to Satomi's lab. Once inside, she located her tome that she had left previously within a few minutes, replacing it with a letter that explained her entire history, that she was now being hunted, and that she was choosing to disappear rather than endanger any others. <br><br> With that heavy task complete, she lamented a moment on what may have been had they had the opportunity to combine their knowledge and skills, then turned and left the Academy, as silent and unremarkable as she had arrived. Tome in hand, she had only to pay a visit to the Ironworks to ensure they were properly warned and destroy her research data before she could complete her disappearing act. <br><br> Upon arrival, she found herself trailed by a particular pair of a roegadyn and a lalafell as she moved about destroying her research data, the two attempting to talk her out of her chosen path. She would have none of it, however, remaining adamant about preventing the Empire from having any extra reasons to express their ire with the Ironworks due to her presence. Eventually relenting, Biggs and Wedge decided to, at the very least, do what they could to help her survival, handing her a completed prototype of one of her very own designs: a powered assault armor. With thanks and a promise to continue moving ever onward, Chao clothed herself in the prototype battlesuit and departed from the Ironworks, closing that chapter of her life as well. <br><br> Traveling to the cliff edge of Silvertear Lake, Chao gazed upon the shattered wreck of the ''Agrius'', musing on whether she would require a power equal to that of the Guardian of the Lake in order to turn back the Empire. As she considered this, she engulfed her tome in flames to forever deny its contents to the Empire. The scuffle of approaching persons drew her attention, but kept her back to them, knowing she could easily beat any Garlean to the draw who had hubris enough to make their approach known. <br><br> To her surprise, it was the voice of Satomi who called out to her, demanding her purpose and threatening violence should she have been responsible for harm to....herself. Clearly, Satomi had mistaken her cloaked form for that of a Garlean assassin. She turned to identify herself properly, bracing for what was surely to be a lengthy attempt to convince her to not fleet into hiding. The sight of Chao unharmed brought the hyuran scientist great relief, and she launched quickly into a narrative of how hectic the last several days had been, in-between dodging Garlean assassins and interrogating captured spies. <br><br> Confused by the explanation, Satomi continued that she had discovered a list of targets that the Garleans were going after, including both of the two researchers. That Satomi herself was targeted explained her being in the company of Kyrrae--beyond the obvious reasons therefore--but the knowledge that the Empire was doing more than just coming after her for revenge changed things. She couldn't very well run away and hide while others were being hunted and killed by the Garleans. Stating as much, she cast aside her cloak, revealing her newly-acquired armor to Kyrrae and Satomi in the process, and swore upon the wreckage of the ''Agrius'' that she would never stop fighting against the Empire. <br><br> With all thoughts of flight now permanently out of the magitek prodigy's mind, Satomi bid they leave the far-too-open expanses of Mor Dhona for a more secure location. Utilizing a quick manipulation of aether, the trio teleported to Kyrrae's personal residence in the Lavender Beds, taking the extra opportunity to speak of the situation before bedding down for the evening.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits II'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Beginning to devise her own scheme for additional security against the Garleans, Chao set out the next morning to set it into motion. Over the course of the next several days, she visited sites of combat with Imperial forces across the realm, scavenging parts from downed vanguards, reapers, colossi, and death claws. After several days of this, she received a linkpearl call from Satomi, sounding highly distressed and requesting her presence at the Academy. Initially fearing that the Garleans had gotten Satomi and were using her to try and draw Chao out, she made haste to Vylbrand and entered Satomi's lab with a gusto normally reserved for breaching an enemy fortified position. <br><br> As it turned out, no such precaution was necessary; the state of Satomi's health being due entirely to stress as a result of a near-death experience on Kyrrae's part while Chao was away. Before much more of the subject could be discussed--though enough was spoken of to cause Chao concern for Satomi's well-being--the hyur was called to socialize with the other members of the Academy. Chao, feeling the need to look after her a while longer, accompanied her downstairs and discovered to her amusement that Satomi was ''bartending'' this social event. Tucking herself out of the way, she observed the gathering as she had always observed every tavern interaction, reminded quite thoroughly of her days spent warming chairs in the Quicksand. These thoughts prompted her to wonder what some of her old acquaintances were now up to. As the afternoon wore on, however, the state of Satomi's health became all the more clear: between a dropped glass and nearly stumbling into Chao while passing out a drink, it was clear she was about to pass out on her feet. After a while, she was convinced to retire and rest for the evening, which she reluctantly agreed to do, with Chao ensuring she made it safely back to her room/lab. <br><br> Once back in the lab, Satomi confided in Chao that she had been feeling increasingly depressed over the last several weeks, stemming from the sequence of events that had seemed to go from bad to worse: Chao's disappearance, the Garlean attacks, drama within the Academy, and finally Kyrrae's near-fatal experience. All these experiences, the scientist reasoned, were a negative consequence of deciding to emotionally open herself, rather than the previously-aloof way she had lived her life. In conclusion, she decided that her best course of action would be to return to that way of life, cutting ties with all who knew her and disappearing. <br><br> The only thing standing between her and freedom was a miqo'te magitek prodigy now prepared to enact violence on her closest friend. <br><br> Tactically and very overtly positioning herself between Satomi and the door, Chao immediately declared Satomi's plan a farce, pointing to her own recent experience with 'pulling a runner' that achieved nothing fruitful other than stress and harm to others' lives. This having no effect on Satomi's scheme, she moved on to directly counter the hyur's assertions that she was of no value to anyone by pointing out the positive effects she had had on the lives of Grundy, Kyrrae, and even herself, that without Satomi's influence one or all three of them may currently be dead. This began to crumble Satomi's emotional facade, but she remained adamant. Chao went for the kill: she pointed out, accurately, that if Satomi left the Academy, then Kyrrae would go looking for her, no matter if he was fully-recovered or not. And what then, Chao posited, would happen if he should run afoul of Garlean assassins while out in his weakened state? <br><br> That destroyed Satomi's resolve to flee, and she broke down and confessed her insecurities to Chao, who promised that no matter what choice Satomi made, she would always have the likes of Grundy, Kyrrae, and Chao to stand by her side.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Project µ'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Having researched, heard the tales of, and occasionally witnessed the grasp of the Allagans' technology in the field of automatons, Chao determined to move her own projects in that direction. Similar to the Garleans' favoring of large robotic minions, Chao also saw the value in a heavily-armored combatant with limits far beyond those of normal sentient beings. As ever, where Garlemald's cultural values leaned toward the largest, most visible and intimidating machine on the field, Chao felt far more could be accomplished with a much more compact form. Thus, with the salvaged parts of the various Garlean robots and her highly-useful talent for miniaturizing existing items, she had begun constructing a humanoid-sized combat frame using her own form as a reference. <br><br> Keeping herself sequestered away in a back corner of Satomi's lab and spending all her waking hours on her work, completing the basic frame of the machine and all its inner workings went very quickly, taking her no longer than a week. With that completed, however, she needed to look to a way of giving life to the machine, and not simply in the form of its source of power. Knowing of the great combat power of the Allagans' automated defense mechanisms, one of their core processors would do the job nicely. The key laid in finding one that had not yet been programmed to murder everything in the name of the Forerunners, one that ''she'' could dictate the development of. She would, of course, also require a mammet heart to give her creation a true semblance of sentience, but that was almost trivial in comparison to acquiring an unprogrammed Allagan defense node core. <br><br> Recalling well that Cid had left the doors of the Ironworks open to her, she returned once more to darken their doors, seeking any knowledge the Ironworks might have on sourcing a core to suit her needs. While they lacked a fresh, unprogrammed one, they had a number of cores recovered from destroyed drones recovered primarily from the battlegrounds of Carteneau Flats that she could use to get a feel for how they functioned, and how she might turn one to her own uses. Along with this, he suggested a number of known magitek part peddlers that she might attempt to source one through, lest she wish to get a shovel and start digging at Carteneau. <br><br> After several fruitless endeavors, she managed to make contact with one Dogberry Himalspyr and met with him in Limsa Lominsa to discuss whether he could acquire the core she required. While he did not have any readily available, at least not of the Allagan variety ''and'' unprogrammed, he mentioned that he was planning to explore an Allagan ruin in the coming weeks and invited her to partake and search for what she was after. Deciding that to work well to her advantage, she agreed to come along on the venture, taking a linkpearl from him so that she might be informed of when it would gather. With that laid out, she returned to Vylbrand Academy to continue tweaking the frame and making adjustments to her combat unit. <br><br> To her surprise, she discovered when she returned that Satomi had already solved the problem of a mammet heart: using her not-inconsiderable personal stores of gil, she had commissioned one from the goldsmiths' guild specifically to suit their needs. With the device delivered, Chao was able to activate her robotic creation, upon which she bestowed the name "Myu" as a phonetic of the Allagan symbol µ that she had used as the project codename. Curiously, though powered, Myu had yet to show signs of life. <br><br> Days passed as Chao and Satomi both puzzled over Myu's reticence to awaken. Nothing ''mechanically'' was wrong, the machine simply just refused to start up. Both knew that such fickleness was common to mammets and other devices powered by their hearts, and so resolved to be patient. They knew that Myu's sensory functions and learning core were online and active, taking in data at a constant rate, and so they operated under the assumption that Myu was studying them.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Into the Depths'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As the week ended, she was contacted regarding the Allagan expedition and asked to arrive at Camp Drybone within several days' time. Satomi, unfortunately, had other business to attend to, but Chao assured her friend that she would be fine to enter the ruin alone, and would bring back a mountain of data, ''and'' the necessary core. Donning her battlesuit and taking a supply of spare crystals for recharging if necessary, she took the airship to Ul'dah and, mindful of the continuing unrest in the city, rode her chocobo to the outer encampment of Drybone. <br><br> By the time she had arrived, most of the rest of the venture had already made it, and so she stood off nearby and ran checks on her armor, ensuring everything was functioning at top form. After the last of the group formed up, they trekked by chocobo across eastern Thanalan, far into the scrubland. They arrived at a large work camp, many of the workers and sellswords within bearing injuries that Chao recognized as being caused by Allagan traps and defenses. Though she pitied those unfortunates, she lacked the skills necessary to heal them. <br><br> As tasked by the expedition funder--or so she assumed since it was never fully explained--the team entered into the ruin, proceeding into an aether-swamped cavern filled with platforms of clearly-Allagan design and corrupted creatures tainted by the presence of so much aether. The vast majority posed no great threat to the party and were swiftly overcome, save for the last creature they encountered: a bio-engineered monstrously-sized snake fitted with Allagan control devices. Far more devious and empowered than the lesser creatures, this beast nearly laid low the expedition, leaving at four of its members unconscious, but at least still breathing. <br><br> Reviving their downed comrades and retreating back to the surface, the group took the time to catch their breath as a follow-on force of mercenaries was sent to secure the first antechamber. It wasn't long before a runner in dire health reported a second chamber further into the ruin, with clearly far worse inhabitants. Leaving the winded Dogberry to rest, his place was taken by the other man behind the expedition, one [[Alexander Stormwind]], and they ventured into the ruin again. <br><br> Within, they found what Chao recognized as an Allagan networking center, the 'brain' behind the defense systems of all their facilities. Met at the entrance by a small node that immediately went on the offense, the group proceeded to systemically clear all the nodes around the network before engaging the ADS itself. After a grueling battle, they finally managed to destroy it. Immediately setting to scavenging it, Chao removed its destroyed processor core to discover a secondary core that had been intended to transfer its data to was left untouched by both the battle and any attempt to download data. <br><br> It was the unprogrammed ADS core that she needed for Myu. <br><br> With the network downed, the party took several minutes to recover. Chao herself took to exploring the network area. Her attention was soon drawn beyond the platforms, to large columns of smoke she saw rising from other such clusters of platforms. It took only a few moments of observation--and the sight of moving machinery--to realize she was staring at a Foundry, a place where the Allagans ''built'' their machines. <br><br> This place would definitely merit returning to. <br><br> Returning to the surface, she took a moment to inspect her prize, which Stormwind swiftly demanded she hand over for proper cataloging and storage. Unwilling to part with that which she had come for, and needed to bring Myu to her ideal of full combat readiness, she pointed out that she had been brought on this expedition to acquire this very part, which Dogberry attempted to intercede on her behalf over. Stormwind was adamant, however, refusing to pay for a half-completed venture, even as Dogberry himself pointed out that she still was perfectly willing to press on despite getting what she had come for. At this point, recognizing that there would be no way to have things her way without resorting to violence, Chao ceded for the time, shoving the core into the hands of a passing worker and immediately stonewalled the rest of the raid. <br><br> Within minutes, a new chamber was found, this one seeming more confusing than threatening. Upon the party's arrival to the chamber in question, the reason became immediately apparent: a deep chamber running for over three hundred yalms straight down with the entire center section either lost to time or purposely omitted. The only way to move from section to section was by use of transporter pads dotted around the chamber that would propel an individual across a gap to a connected pad. How the pads were linked, and by what means an individual was propelled and then safely landed was a mystery to Chao, having never before heard of such devices in her studies of the Allagans. <br><br> And the place was full of creatures of Allagan creation, genetically-engineered beasts that harried the party at every turn. Despite attempts to the contrary, the nature of the place and the continuous assaults from every direction swiftly saw the party largely separated, Chao herself winding up alongside one of the group's healers, [[Mikh'a Korofi]]. Knowing that they were better served to run than try to fight, Chao deployed her funnel in an attempt to clear a path and ward off any pursuers, but the largely-untested nature of the drone meant that its effectiveness was, at best, negligible. After a grueling struggle, and no small amount of paths being cleared by the other groups, Chao and Mikh'a eventually escaped through an Allagan teleportation device, winding up back on the surface. <br><br> By ones and twos, the others soon returned, until only one had yet to show up. The elezen bladeswoman, [[Menelwen Veara]], remained unaccounted for within the ruin. As the minutes stretched on, the group grew increasingly frantic, eventually culminating in nearly a re-entry into the deathtrap, until Menelwen reappeared at high velocity, nearly bowling over the lalafell warrior in the process. As it turned out, she had become separated when she took it upon herself to draw away a pack of monsters, barely escaping with her life. <br><br> Sensing that the mystery objective of the expedition was near, Stormwind once more stepped forward to take part in the operation, allowing Menelwen the time to rest and recover from her harrowing ordeal. Clearing the central transport center apparently unlocked some sort of mechanism, revealing a lift at its entrance that allowed them to bypass it. Taking the lift down, the group was soon accosted by Allagan clockwork defenses, lesser in the hierarchy of the Allagans' nasties, to be sure, but they were part of the basis for Project µ for a reason. With determination and grit, the group steadily overcame them and Chao, no more immune to pride than any other, tore the processor from the still-fighting final dreadnaught and rode its smoking carcass to the ground, remarking on how Myu would soon surpass the Allagans' wildest dreams. <br><br> With the lift guardians defeated, the remainder of the journey passed in tense silence. Chao took the opportunity to recharge her armor from her stock of crystals and center herself for whatever was to come. When the doors opened, she did not consider herself prepared enough. <br><br> There, standing before them, was the Ultimate Weapon. Or rather, a seemingly-mass-produced knockoff of the very self-same weapon of mass destruction that had been employed by Garlemald. Given that it had originally been created by the Allagans to control and contain the primals, she realized she should not be surprised to find more than one in existence. Meanwhile, Stormwind seemed to lose his mind in that way that scientists were capable of; it was something she was familiar with not only from herself but from Satomi as well. So that was what it looked like, she mused. Still, and all, the thing had become active in their presence, and now had to be put down. <br><br> Engaging in battle, Chao couldn't help but feel a thrill as she alternated between the use of her Doman martial style and the magicks she had trained on for nearly a year now; she had missed her chance to take down the Ultimate Weapon, and here again was a second chance to see what that had felt like. And through the ravages of time, combined with the skill of the expedition she was in, they steadily dismantled the monster, forcing it to use increasingly more desperate tactics to ward them off. When it deployed a series of magitek bits, as she suspected it might, she wasted no chance, diving one to the ground and prying open its casing even as it tried to blast her with lasers. From her own experience with working with the Ultimate Weapon and all she had learned in the construction of 'Dummy', she was able to alter its targeting processes to turn it against the Allagan superweapon. <br><br> Before long, the monstrous device lay in ruins at their feet. Returning to the surface, Stormwind swiftly dispatched all the mercenaries and workers to that deepest of chambers, ordering the entire thing dismantled and brought back to the surface. Chao half-listened as he explained to the other members of the expedition that the Order of the Raven's Eye had come seeking that very superweapon, intent on using its technology to create a means to better combat the primal threat. Over the course of the discussion, she learned from the lalafell warrior that the Syndicate were also after another such weapon, a monstrosity hidden below the Carteneau Flats called the ''Omega'' Weapon. The revelation filled her with disgust, to know that those vile, amoral sycophants concerned only with their own wealth would seek a power of that magnitude. She could almost foresee conflict in her future with those fools. <br><br> With many of the expedition dispersing, Stormwind turned his attention to Chao, fetching a worker to acquire the core she had found earlier, now more than pleased to hand over the device to her since he had found what he was looking for. As for what the Order was up to, she agreed with their ideal to protect the realm from the primals, but swore that if she caught wind of whatever they created being used for oppression, she'd destroy it herself. Stormwind actually seemed pleased with that vow, and promised himself that he would be careful in guiding their creation's use. <br><br> ADS core in hand, Chao returned to Vylbrand once more, looking forward to the day when Myu would achieve her full combat potential.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Might and Magic'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Back at the Academy, Chao secured the ADS core and stashed it away amidst the mass of other research materials Satomi kept in her lab, where it would remain until Chao judged it was time to install into Myu's processor. In the meantime, she spent several days repairing her armor and working on upgrades to her funnel. In the midst of one such repair session, taken on a couch to the side of the Academy's entrance so as to be out of the way, Chao was discovered by Zooey. After a brief discussion, during which Chao remarked on how she felt herself the nuisance stray at the Academy, the investigator took it upon herself to begin dissolving this notion, demanding Chao to step away from the couch even as she called out, rather loudly, for all nearby members of the group to gather around. This having happened while her funnel was fully-disassembled, and she didn't want to leave such sensitive material unattended for even such a brief time, she found herself getting to meet several of the Academy's occupants while carrying an armful of funnel parts. Of the half-dozen individuals present, all welcomed her warmly into their midst, several even offering her crash space in their residences if it was necessary. <br><br> Even with that welcome extended, she still couldn't shake the inescapable sensation of being an outsider looking in, and so maintained the excuse of working on her projects to remain out of everyone's way. Over the course of several days, she began working on a means to have weapons and gear on-hand any time it was necessary without being overly encumbered. Using the existing knowledge of aetheryte teleportation, she imbued each of the key components of her battlesuit with a unique aetheric signature that she then tied to an Allagan magic focus ring recovered from the ruin she had explored. When successfully tested, she could now go about in everyday attire without having to fear being caught by assassins without her armor. <br><br> Learning of an upcoming festival of science and magic to be hosted by the Academy, she decided to partake of this event, seeing it as an opportunity to showcase the arms she was developing for the realm. That is, until she saw the rules forbidding weapons and dangerous magic, which automatically disqualified nearly all of her work. While she ''could'' have used Myu as her demonstrator, she was not willing to reveal the existence of a humanoid combat robot yet. After a day or so to ponder it, she realized that there ''was'' something she could safely demonstrate: her theory of provisional contract. <br><br> So she recollected her since-destroyed research on the matter, acquired a new showy coat in the Allagan fashion, and waited until the day of the festival. Shortly before it was to begin, in order to settle her restlessness, she took her funnel outside and tested several of its settings on the target dummy outside. Her initial test of nonlethal settings at extremely limited power nearly resulted in the thing shooting ''her'', but on subsequent tests after being very specific on what, precisely, to shoot at, she noted that even at minimum power, the nonlethal setting possessed enough energy and impact to potentially stun victims and destroy clothing and equipment. A further test on the lethal setting at half power completely obliterated the target dummy. Leaving herself a mental reminder to either replace or pay to replace the target dummy, she headed inside to partake in the presentation portion of the festival. <br><br> Having been selected to go first, she took the stage and presented her theory of what she was taking to refer to as ''pactio'': that through the use of a specifically-designed magic circle, an individual proficient in magic could create a bond of partnership--a provisional contract--with another person that would allow the mage to imbue the partner with their own aether to increase their attributes. To demonstrate, she called forth [[Nebula Stardancer|two]] [[Sabirr Loreley|volunteers]] from the audience and cast the magic circle on the stage. She explained the basics of the contract, that it was formed by an exchange of bodily fluids; a blood pact would suffice for the matter, but if the two parties were not amenable to that, even something as simple as a kiss would do the job. The two volunteers decided on the latter, and in a flash of magic and light, Chao's theory was proven to be truthful: the successfully-created provisional contract validated by the presence of a tarot-like card bearing the likeness and several details of Nebula. <br><br> After a short session to answer questions, Chao stepped down to observe the rest of the presentations. One concerning the use of aether to reduce fatigue on mechanical systems drew her close inspection for obvious reasons. Last of the presentations was from Satomi, creating a rather fitting set of book ends to the whole affair in Chao's opinion. Her friend and partner in crime showcased a combat-purposed mammet that she had built in the likeness of Grundy. While Chao had known that Satomi had been working on such a thing in tandem with Chao's own work on Myu, she hadn't realized that Satomi's machine had reached the prototype and test phase. When a request for volunteers to face the mammet in mock combat came, Chao stepped forward to test her friend's creation herself, but was beaten to the punch by an Academy local, [[O'rahn Kevelan]]. In the long run, that was probably the better choice, as Chao would have held nothing back in the interest of giving it a proper combat test, and they may have wound up making a mess that way. There were a few glitches in the test, but overall, Satomi's showcase was successful. <br><br> Unfortunately, the machine was soon destroyed by the ''real'' Grundy, who mistook it for an enemy accosting Satomi and shattered it in a single blow. <br><br> Without waiting to be asked to help, Chao retrieved a rolling cart and began to load the parts of the mammet into it, along with the assistance of several others. While Satomi went off to take a walk in order to keep her wits about her regarding the matter, Chao held a brief discussion with Academy resident Imogene about Project µ, remarking on how devastated she would be if something similar happened to Myu as had happened to Satomi's machine. Describing in general the technological achievements that Myu represented, Chao left the other woman quite astounded at the level of complexity in comparison between Myu and the mammet Satomi had built. The difference laid in their purpose: Satomi's machine had been intended solely for combat, and not with the level of sophistication Chao had attempted, while Myu was built to not only have astounding combat capabilities but also to be able to pass herself off as a living, breathing individual. <br><br> After bringing the cart of destroyed mammet parts to Satomi's lab, and with the scientist herself still out of the Academy, Chao spent several hours sitting and talking to Myu, telling the sleeping android of her dreams and hopes for the future, a world where people could live free of the fear of oppression, both from external and internal threats. While Chao had spent some time each day since activating Myu speaking to her in such a manner, this day was markedly different in both the time she spent doing so and the nature of her conversation topic: philosophical and whimsical rather than scientific and factual. <br><br> Days later, just when Chao had begun to let the ever-present concern of Garlemald recede from the forefront of her mind, another stark reminder made itself known. While in the front of the Academy practicing her martial arts, she watched several members of the Academy carry a gravely-wounded person inside. Curiously, she followed them within and stood outside the infirmary--knowing her lack of any knowledge of practical or magical healing arts would see her only getting in the way--and listened as Satomi treated the poor woman, who had been captured and tortured by Garlean agents, operating out of a hidden camp located somewhere on the island of Vylbrand. That was greatly troubling news. <br><br> Eventually, Satomi treated the worst of the woman's injuries, though time would tell if she healed properly. The hyuran scientist headed away to recover and clean herself after the messy procedure, and just minutes later, an elezen woman arrived with a package of supplies for someone in the Academy. Having been nearby, Chao looked within and, finding all manner of alchemy supplies, assumed it was meant for Satomi, and so showed the delivery woman to the lab. Inside, as they waited for Satomi, they struck up a brief conversation, with the elezen--an Ishgardian expatriot, so she revealed--speaking of her interest in technology and weapons, particularly of Garlean origin, to be put to use against the dravanians in Ishgard's long war. Chao warned the elezen that if she had made a habit of pillaging equipment and technology from Garlemald, that she need be alert to the fact that she may have put herself on the very same hit list occupied by Chao and Satomi themselves. <br><br> In the midst of this discussion, Satomi returned to the lab and, confused at the elezen's presence, made clear in an unusually-curt manner that she had scheduled no such delivery. The elezen woman was not troubled, merely collecting the package to be returned to the guild from whence it came. Chao, suddenly and alarmingly realizing that the entire thing may have been a setup, surreptitiously scanned its contents for any sort of Garlean tracking devices--or explosives--but thankfully found none. With the elezen gone, she apologized to Satomi for being the source of the confusion. Satomi, for her part, apologized for being so short-tempered, which Chao understood perfectly when explained that the woman convalescing in the infirmary was one of Satomi's friends. <br><br> Even despite knowing that was what was weighing so heavily on her friend's mind, Chao remained insistent on her apology for causing Satomi additional headache and usurping as much of her lab as she did. Satomi brushed the thought aside, knowing that Chao had only been intending to help her, and further remarking that Chao need not concern how much time and space she required for her "beautiful project." At this, Chao smiled, and mused aloud that perhaps they might coax Myu to awaken by installing the ADS core ahead of schedule, despite the inherent danger that might come of the Allagan base programming overtaking Myu's functions and turning her into a sentient killing machine. Satomi suggested that a backup mammet core be used to store Myu's existing data on, and then use the aetheroelectric security field in her lab to contain Myu within until they determined it safe. It was a sound plan, and so the scientists agreed to take that step the next day, allowing them time to rest and come at it refreshed. <br><br> Moving to rest in the room's seating area, Chao remembered the armory ring and micro-teleportation device she'd created, demonstrating it to Satomi by calling her battlesuit, hitherto stored in an armoire, onto her person, replacing the general-purpose work and research attire she'd been wearing. Leaving her fellow researcher quite stunned, Chao briefly explained the setup, and then handed Satomi an armory ring of her own that Chao had made for her, to ensure that neither of them would ever be caught unarmed and unprepared by Garlean assassins. Afterward, with the call of sleep tugging at both of them, they each took up occupancy on a separate couch--with Satomi explaining that she found normal beds difficult to sleep on--and rested up for whatever the next day may bring.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Logical Ideologist'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">The next afternoon, Chao decided that the time had come to take that gamble. With Satomi away on business, regrettably, she performed the necessary prerequisite steps herself: creating a backup of Myu's data to that point and moving her into the zone of the aetheric field. This latter was a difficult task with Chao by herself; given her metal construction, Myu easily massed twice Chao's own weight. Once she was positioned, however, Chao retrieved the ADS core and, observed only by the myriad of diagnostic and sensory equipment in Satomi's lab, plugged it into Myu's processor, then stepped away and brought the security field online. <br><br> The elation that filled Chao's heart when Myu opened her eyes for that first time was immeasurable, as was the terror that seized her when Myu lifted her hand and aimed her palm-located Allagan laser in Chao's direction. Despite the grave and imminent threat to her very life, Chao stood her ground, determined not to show fear to Myu; not out of an animalistic sense of establishing dominance, but that she had ''faith'' in the being she had breathed life into. For several long and terrifying moments, she watched the color spectrum shift in Myu's eyes, from their natural blue to a blood-evoking crimson likely caused by the Allagan programming. Finally, Myu gained control over the Allagan processes--quarantining them as she later explained to Chao--and greeted her maker. <br><br> Lowering the aetheric field, Chao wasted no time in welcoming Myu to the world, speaking at length with her about her start-up process, the data she had created thus far, and a brief explanation of what it meant that Chao was extremely proud of her. Knowing that she had spent all her time since coming online cooped up inside the lab, Chao took Myu outside the Academy, giving her the first taste of the outside world. It was here, when Myu questioned what caused the plants to sway and the mist of a nearby fountain to move, that Chao realized she'd ommitted installing a tactile sensory function in Myu, something she quickly brought the android back inside to rectify. <br><br> The next day, Myu was introduced to Satomi and the scientists began to measure the robotic girl's capabilities and functions. As the day progressed and grew into the evening, a rapport was quickly established, but it was noted--by Chao if not by Satomi--that Myu clearly held Chao in far higher regard, being the only one of the two that she referred to as master. She still regarded Satomi as an individual high on her protection list, however, as evidenced when she nearly came to violence against another member of the Academy who happened to make teasing remarks at Satomi in Myu's presence. <br><br> Between the defensive knowledge gleaned from the Allagan core, Chao's own mastery of Doman martial arts, and the library of materials available to study at the Academy, it didn't take long for them to discover the incredible combat potential of Myu, easily the equivalent of at least a company's worth of normal soldiers and adventurers. As she was not a living being, she was not capable of manipulating aether in any form, but Chao reasoned that between herself and Satomi, they could make a technological combat system that could perform similar effects; after all, if Garlemald could theorize it, the two of them could make it reality in less than a moon. Because of this lack of aetherial ability, Myu took to following in Chao's footsteps, adopting unarmed martial combat as her primary method of battle. <br><br> It was fortunate that the scientists put so much work into developing Myu's combat abilities, as their greatest trial yet was soon to come.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Nightshade'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As the trio cataloged and practiced combat skills with Myu one evening a short distance from the Academy, they were beset by yet another Garlean assassination squad, this one comprised of two highlanders, a miqo'te, and even a vanguard for support. Chao wasted no time in going on the offensive, engaging the axe-wielding highlander she perceived to be the leader in order to create an opening to allow Satomi and Myu to escape. This endeavor proved to be futile, however, as the other Garleans engaged the two in equal measure. While Satomi's adversary caused her a great deal of trouble due to the scientist not being suited for direct combat, Myu and Chao initially fared better against their foes. The miqo'te shinobi quickly ascertained Myu's artificial nature from her speech patterns and having managed to drive a blade into her right shoulder--barely penetrating her armor plating--and attempted to taunt her, referring to her as a useless puppet. Myu was having none of it, however, and simply grabbed her foe before striking him down with her Allagan laser. <br><br> As this was going on, Chao stayed in close with her opponent, preventing him from getting the full use out of his augmented axe. The Garlean then ordered in the vanguard for support, and knowing the kind of damage those things could cause, Chao slipped past him to engage and destroy the oversized magitek. This turned out to be a ruse on the enemy's part, for as soon as she got within reach, it unleashed a full broadside of all of its frontal attacks. The shielding and material construction of her armor protected her from truly devastating damage, but the attack was still enough to knock her away, stunning her momentarily. In that moment of inattention as Myu looked toward her maker, the dying shinobi stuck an adhesive explosive device to her frame, intent on ensuring she went out with him. Unperturbed, she merely tore the device from herself, taking some of her synthetic covering with it, and threw the now-dead shinobi's corpse over the device to smother some of the blast. The resultant shockwave from the powerful explosion caused a large amount of damage to Myu, who positioned herself to intercept the shockwave so it wouldn't harm Chao. <br><br> The Garlean axeman, mortally wounded by the blast, directed the vanguard into the center of the trio--Satomi now attempting emergency field repairs on Myu after having driven off her opponent a short time before--and armed its self-destruct system. Before it could reach them, however, it was struck numerous times by electrically-charged arrows from an intervening ally, the very same blacksmith guild representative that Chao had spoken to some days prior. The charges of the arrows short-circuited the machine, bringing it crashing harmlessly to the ground just short of them. The threat, it seemed, had been overcome. <br><br> That was when a new adversary revealed himself, a highly-skilled and chemically-modified shinobi wielding Allagan blades with a cutting laser's edge. Chao, back on her feet again, moved to engage him immediately, but to her surprise, he read her ''shundo'' perfectly and executed one of his own to avoid her attack, leaving behind a number of outward-aimed blades at the last minute for her to careen into, each of them coated with liquid ceruleum. As with the vanguard, her armor deflected most of the blades, but two got through her defenses and released their deadly poisons into her body. At the other end of his ''shundo'', the enemy Garlean directed an overwhelming electrical charge at Myu, overloading and shutting down her systems. Nadine, the archer-blacksmith, struck the man's helm with a trick arrow loaded with a powerful explosive as he was attacking Myu, and in response, he threw the headgear toward Satomi and made to attack the archer. <br><br> Chao knocked the ticking time-bomb away from her compatriot with a ''sagitta magica'', then immediately leapt to Nadine's defense, wreathing herself in fire as she came down in a kick over the elezen's head. The Garlean intercepted her strike, absorbing the very aether she released in her attack into himself in a manner identical to that of the Ultimate Weapon. Without giving the magitek prodigy time to react, he grabbed her by the foot and hurled her toward Satomi, who was still trying to restore some combat ability to Myu, the impact rendering the hyuran scientist unconscious. <br><br> By now coming to the conclusion that this enemy had a clear counter to everything she could do, she called on desperation. She rushed him again as he catapulted Nadine back into the Vylbrand Academy's wall, grappling him and ordering her funnel to fire on him at maximum power and lethality, even if it meant firing through herself to do so. This broke the man's superior air, and he desperately began striking and kicking at Chao to dislodge her grip, eventually succeeding after delivering a crushing strike to her chest that crumpled her armor and broke several ribs, and several kicks to her left leg that broke the limb. She fell away, but the man did not have time to avoid the laser strike from her funnel, which overloaded and brought his battle armor's protection down. Seeing him in that weakened state, she drew the Garlean pistol she kept on herself at all times, aiming and firing at his chest. He initially derided her when he saw the weapon, unaware of the size of the slug it fired, and was very nearly killed by the impact. <br><br> Cursing Chao's name, the Garlean fled, leaving Chao to finally succumb to her injuries, and leaving behind one hell of a scene of carnage for the occupants of the Academy to discover.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Phantasmagoria'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">With the close proximity of the engagement to Vylbrand Academy, it took little time at all for its occupants to find and recover the wounded, safely ensconcing Chao and Satomi within the infirmary, and Myu and her disparate parts in the lab. Satomi quickly recovered from her light injuries, whereupon it was discovered that Chao had fallen into a coma. Against the recommendations of [[Rurujua Xoxojua|Rurujua]], Satomi began to assist the lalafellin medic in tending to her friend. In only a few hours, the ceruleum poisoning was cleared from her system, but she remained unresponsive and unconscious. However, she occasionally manifested highly-alarming, sudden expulsions of blood and signs of severe physical trauma, the source of which was a complete mystery to either scholar. What they did know, however, was that the erratic and random manifestation of the symptoms meant that she needed constant monitoring to heal her as necessary. Again, despite protests from Rurujua, Satomi burdened herself with this task, citing that she owed it to her fellow magitek prodigy. <br><br> Unbeknownst to the two, Chao was trapped within the dreamscape of her mind, called Phantasmagoria, where she was forced to uncover the true nature behind ''Magia Erebia''. At every turn, she was beset by a manifestation of her subconscious that shifted and altered its form willingly between everyone she had ever met. Referring to this creature as The Other, she fought it countless times, but was defeated and slain in every instance. Yet, in Phantasmagoria, she was unable to die, constantly revived following every fall. As the hours progressed, and The Other used more and more of the people from her memories against her, the more Phantasmagoria came to resemble a conflated amalgamation of several cities she had resided in: her home in Doma, Castrum Meridianum, Limsa Lominsa, and Ul'dah. <br><br> Eventually, Chao came to the realization that she could take advantage of the fact that they were within her dreaming mind to will all of her technological notions into 'reality' and use them to her advantage. Thus, in this way, she momentarily seized the upper hand by summoning four of her funnels and an aetheric energy sword to defend herself, driving The Other back until it form-shifted into Nero tol Scaeva. Utilizing her speed to her advantage, she avoided a fatal strike from the magitek warhammer and moved to capitalize on the overextended shade of the Garlean, whereupon it changed form into a full impersonation of Satomi. This took Chao off-guard, causing her to purposefully miss her strike, and leaving herself vulnerable to a fatal shot from the shadowy being. <br><br> After several more encounters, she happened upon a lucky break, succeeding in casting a sleep spell on The Other while it was in the guise of Grundy, allowing her to escape across the mindscape of her city. Taking shelter, she was met by one of the last things she expected to find in Phantasmagoria: a manifestation of the primal Ifrit. Speaking cryptically of how her soul had been tainted by fire, the primal made abundantly clear its desire to add her to its host of enthralled servants. Chao, confident in the manifestation's inability to temper or even truly harm her within Phantasmagoria, casually dismissed Ifrit's words, leaving no uncertainty of her opinion on the primal's intelligence--or the lack thereof. Infuriated by her irreverence, the primal remarked that it had already dispatched its Tempered after her, and manipulated the Phantasmagoria to show her an image of Vylbrand Academy in flames, many of its occupants killed, and several key others being led away to be tempered, all in the name of capturing her. Enraged by this clear and obvious threat against those she held important, she willed the pinnacle ideal of her battlesuit technology onto her being and struck the manifestation down with an immensely-powerful attack of combined ''ki'' and aether. <br><br> Within only moments, The Other was upon her again, this time engaging her in the form of her long lost cousin, a master martial artist. Declaring that they were finally fighting on equal terms, The Other drew forth Chao's envisioning of the Garlean razing of Doma to remind her of her most base motives: to gain power to take revenge against the Garlean Empire. But that strength alone would not be sufficient, it remarked as it struck a crushing blow and then shifted form into that of Zoey, preparing an immense ice spell to finish Chao for good and end her effort to discern the truth of ''Magia Erebia''. <br><br> It was as she was falling that Chao finally understood, remembering the words that she had been told by her friends and compatriots: ''Magia Erebia'' was, at its base, the power to accept things for the way they were and draw them into oneself. With this newfound knowledge, Chao was able to fully absorb the entire power of The Other's spell into herself and use it for empowerment. Pleased at her successes, The Other shifted one final time and challenged her to show her results.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''A Reclaimer Reborn'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Awakening from her coma, Chao found herself alone in the Vylbrand infirmary. Moving slowly, her legs unsteady after so many days of misuse, she made her way out into the foyer, pausing at the window to look outside. To her relief, nothing was on fire and there were no Amalj'aa standards decorating the yard, but the building was still a bit too quiet for her comfort. Convincing herself that everyone was simply away on business, she made her way to Satomi's lab, finding that her friend had begun repair work on Myu during her unconsciousness. As per the norm for Chao, she thought little of her own self and immediately located some tools to check on Satomi's repair work and continue the progress herself. <br><br> After judging that Myu was repaired extremely-well by Satomi's hand--testament to how well the two worked together--Chao determined that she must leave the Academy, again, lest Ifrit's pursuit of her put the occupants in danger. Sharing this conclusion with Myu, who swore that she would show no mercy to any eikon that sought to harm her master, the pair set out immediately. Their first stop was the Garlond Ironworks, where Chao would hand in her damaged prototype armor and receive the field-ready Mark-I combat infiltrator armor, and a series of complaints on her treatment of the prototype from the armormaster. She also requested a specially-modified armor for Myu--taking into account such facts that she did not need an independent power source for her armor--that would take some few days to fabricate, and require Myu to spend most of that time with the Materials Division so as to properly generate a new set of armor. Chao took advantage of the forced downtime to machine herself a new weapon that would not interfere with her preferred fighting style but also give her the extra force necessary to penetrate armor. After three days, she devised a weapon which could be worn as a bangle that extends into a gauntlet housing a gun chamber. <br><br> Thus equipped, miqo'te and machine set out for the desert.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''To Face the Inferno'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Arriving by airship back in Ul'dah, Chao secured an inn room for the pair from which to conduct their hunt. Deciding it best that Myu remain out of sight and attempt to use her aetheric sensors to search for potential summoning locations, Chao proceeded to the Hall of Flames to alert Commander Swift that a summoning was either imminent or had already occurred, and to seek assistance in tracking down and slaying the primal. Though thankful for the warning, the commander could not spare any forces on what seemed little more than a wild chocobo chase. Nonplussed, Chao returned to Myu with the poor news and decided to set out searching on their own, stopping to question any Flames forces or adventurers they found along the way. <br><br> Scouring the Sagolii Desert for days with almost no time for rest, the pair went well out of their way to make their presence known to the Amalj’aa so that any raiding parties that might already have been dispatched to Vylbrand would be recalled, thereby sparing the Academy. Despite this, they were unable to locate the site of the ritual until the actual summoning took place, the resultant surge of aether appearing as a beacon to Myu’s sensors and Chao’s visor. <br><br> The two immediately made for the location of the new Bowl of Embers, with Chao activating her aetheric seal en route. As they neared, the beastmen did nothing to impede their progress, commanded by their primal god to let Chao and Myu pass. After a brief exchange of banter, Ifrit--as predicted--immediately used his tempering breath to bend the pair to his servitude. The effort was wasted; Myu protected by her machine nature, and Chao’s sealed aether not allowing the eikon’s overpowering aether to affect her. <br><br> The battle then began in earnest, the speed and agility of the two miqo’te allowing them to avoid the worst of the primal’s attacks. Those few telling blows that would have done severe damage were largely intercepted by Myu, her composite Allagan/Garlean metal frame unyielding to Ifrit’s claws and flames. All the while, as Chao led the primal around the flame-ringed arena, she discreetly applied her ''Magia Erebia'' spell circle via the aetheric stencils in her forearm plate armor. <br><br> When Ifrit called forth his infernal nail, both miqo’te ignored it per their previously-established strategy to allow Chao to absorb the maximum amount of aether. Shortly thereafter, the moment of truth came: Ifrit began to cast Hellfire. As Myu shielded herself in a magitek field--just in case--Chao activated her ''Magia Erebia'' and met the attack head-on. <br><br> Against all odds, she successfully absorbed the aether into herself, skyrocketing her attack power, but she knew such volatile aether could not be contained for long. Lifting her hand to the skies, she discharged much of it into a luminous aetheric beam called down upon Ifrit, but the primal was far from finished. <br><br> Enraged by her turning his own power against him, Ifrit set upon Chao in earnest, relentlessly assaulting her even to the point of ignoring Myu’s punishing attacks against him. With little other alternative, Chao shielded herself and prepared to expend all the aether she could in a last-ditch effort to down the primal. <br><br> Just before her shield broke, however, a massive wall of metal and muscle struck Ifrit from the side, knocking the eikon away. The towering interloper was none other than Grundy, there along with Satomi, who had tracked Chao and Myu all the way from Vylbrand. Expressing her mild annoyance with Chao’s tendency to run off and do things on her own, Satomi directed Grundy to ‘break’ the primal. With the combined power of the quartet, the already-weakened Ifrit was dispatched with little fanfare. Upon his defeat, Chao used her ''Magia Erebia'' once again, absorbing the dispersing aether into herself. Though unaware of it at the time, this consumption of Ifrit’s living aether--rather than merely an offensive form--would have a permanent affect on her, for both good and ill. <br><br> With the primal threat dealt with--though no one held any illusion that it was any less a temporary measure than any other time Ifrit had fallen--Satomi advocated a return to Vylbrand. Myu, expressing her growing independent will, agreed with the hyur, ‘assisting’ Chao back to the airship landing in Ul’dah and on toward the Academy.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits III'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Back at Vylbrand Academy, Chao took a day to recover from the ordeal, spending it in rest under the watchful eye of Myu, ensuring that she rested. As this was going on, Satomi was meeting with the Academy mistress, Kyra, concerning Chao's future. Pointing out the three separation occasions on which the magitek engineer had acted on her own to head off potential disaster to the Academy, two of which at great threat to her own safety, Satomi advocated that Chao's 'temporary' stay become a more continuing affair. The headmistress agreed that Chao had done more for the Academy than could be expected of someone not truly affiliated with them, and in light of the knowledge that Satomi would soon be dedicating all her time to an Ironworks airship project, decided that the time had come to properly bring Chao into the fold. <br><br> The following day, Kyra met with Chao to offer a position in the Academy's research and development sector. Finding no real reason not to, Chao accepted the offer. It didn't take long for her to get thrown headfirst into the Academy's own affairs, finding herself square in the middle of an ongoing conflict against four powerful archfiends and their legions of cultists and other allies. Though not understanding the background of the conflict, she nonetheless dedicated herself faithfully to standing with her new compatriots in their efforts to protect the realm. <br><br> At the same time, she continued her own technological developments, making plans for a complete overhaul of Myu's frame to the newly-developed Garlond steel, along with more adjustments to her own armor, and conceptualizing a new armor system to protect against magic attacks. It was in the process of the first field test of this latter that she chanced to converse with two other members of the Academy, who happened to be nearby to observe the failure of her test. Over the course of speaking to Set Kattalakis and Senel Curtis, she agreed to redesign and streamline Set's magitek prosthesis, as well as provide what non-powered upgrades she could to Senel's gear in exchange for providing her with a steady source of raw materials to work with.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Misriah'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">With a more permanent station and the beginning of delving more deeply into her military technology, Chao knew that the time of her inevitable parting with the Garlond Ironworks was at hand. After all, the Ironworks developed magitek for the betterment of the realm, and Chao's strengths lay in the field of weapons of war. And so, meeting with Cid at the Ironworks' encampment at Camp Cloudtop, she informed him of her decision to part ways and begin her own company. Cid wished her well in her ventures, understanding that it would be through both weapons like hers and peaceful endeavors like his that prosperity would truly come to the realm. <br><br> As per her arrangement with Set, in exchange for developing a new prosthetic, Chao received a considerable stipend and the backing of Set's import/export business. This allowed Chao to hire several of her former coworkers in the Ironworks' Weapons Division and acquire the means of producing aetherochemical metals and fiberweave, as well as the recipe for Garlond Steel. With all this in hand, she was able to initiate her new company: Misriah Armory. She immediately set about work on a new ambitious project: variants of her powered armor for the vetted members of Vylbrand Academy--its "Heroes" society, which she had joined only a short while ago. Top of the list was a set of powered assault armor for Grundy, partly as a means of repayment for saving her from Ifrit, partly because he was in sore need of an armor upgrade. <br><br> Dark clouds soon began to gather on the horizon, however. Through having absorbed the primal's living aether into herself, she unwittingly allowed a fragment of its thoughts to take up residence in her mind. Two weeks following her confrontation, she first began to hear the whispers of the Lord of the Inferno in the back of her mind, pressing her to violence and destruction. Through her will, and the lack of any active enemies at the moment, she kept him at bay with some ease, but the eikon was nothing if not persistent, relenting only when she slept. On top of this, word came a moon later of a raid on the Ironworks' team working out in the Sea of Clouds by a band of sky pirates. Satomi, who had been out investigating sightings of a monstrous airship that would soon come to be known as the Void Ark, went missing, presumed dead at the hands of the brigands. <br><br> Grief-stricken at the loss of her close friend, Chao blamed herself for Satomi's death, both for not having been there at her side, and for not even providing her a set of powered armor that surely--she believed--could have saved the hyur's life. The culmination of these events sewed the seeds for one of her darkest times.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Cost'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao began to work tirelessly on her projects, particularly the powered armors, so that never again would any close to her be caught without an adequate means of defense. On one morning, as she perused the Academy's library for inspiration, she chanced to overhear a conversation between the headmaster and a troubled Seeker tribe elder. There was trouble in Thanalan: mysterious music was causing those who heard it to become hypnotized and wander into the desert. Some began to show up in slave caravans, and a few even returned to their home, but all had no memory of any of the events. It was a textbook assignment for the heroes of Vylbrand: track down the nefarious party responsible and put a stop to their machinations. <br><br> Arming herself in her battlesuit, Chao headed out to the desert with Grundy, the headmaster, and several others, leaving Myu behind to serve as a sort of 'mission control' and overwatch via the systems in her armor. As the party split into small groups to gather intelligence, Chao elected to stick by Grundy's side, keeping an eye on the well-meaning-but-not-too-smart roegadyn, and using her funnel as an eye-in-the-sky to watch over the village from above. Though initially bearing little fruit in their investigations, the enemy soon made a move, the music beginning to echo out across the sands. Tracking several of the enthralled miqo'te of the village--and barely regaining control of one of their own who hadn't been properly protected at the time--they found a work camp in the desert, where Grundy immediately pressed the attack. <br><br> For her part, Chao sought to knock out and immobilize the enthralled victims, keeping them out of harm's way, before setting after the foes herself. Before she could, however, ambush troops using camouflaged fighting pits in the sand sprang up to flank them, forcing her to deploy her funnel's aetherochemical laser against them. As the battle raged, an enemy airship entered the fray from behind concealing dunes, scattering a strange aetheric field that disrupted magitek devices, shorting out Chao's armor. As she reeled in confusion and the airship dropped a large box nearby, the fragment of Ifrit within her mind took advantage of the chaos--and its higher influence as a result of being in Thanalan, Ifrit's stronghold--and seized control of Chao's body. <br><br> Even though it was now in control through the airship's interference, it was just as displeased that the enemy forces had effectively handicapped Chao--whom Ifrit had previously considered a worthy champion--in one fell swoop. It began to cast, through Chao, a lesser version of the primal's own Hellfire attack--though 'lesser' here should by no means be considered any less deadly--targeted at the airship. Inexplicably, the airship and the enemy forces began to retreat as soon as the box was deployed. Knowing full well the likelihood that it was some manner of trap, the possessed Chao turned the fury of the devastating spell onto the box, unconcerned for the allied forces and civilian victims that would be caught in the blast radius. <br><br> It was only through a combination of a fountain of ice aether from an unknown source--later revealed to be the headmaster herself--and healing magicks from one of Vylbrand's personnel, that nobody died to the application of ''Incendium Gehennae''. Overtaxed to the extreme by the amount of aether expended in the attack, Chao immediately passed out. While she was helpless, two of the others from the Academy, a lalafellin mage and a hyuran rifleman, assaulted Chao over the events; the rifleman struck her hard enough in the face with the butt of his weapon to break her nose and cheekbone, and the pummeling from the lalafell doing a number on her as well. Within minutes thereafter, Myu arrived on the scene, having been forced to travel the long route from the Academy; as a machine, she was unable to manipulate aether allowing her to teleport, and the aetheric field had disabled the signals from Chao's powered armor that would have allowed her to relay directly to her maker's side. After exchanging words with several present, Myu collected Chao and returned to the Academy where, at the headmaster's request, sequestered Chao within her workshop and stood guard at the door, disallowing access to any without proper authorization--but in particular those individuals whom she had reason to suspect wished her maker further harm.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Pariah'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">In the days that passed, Chao remained in her workshop, watched over by Myu, her injuries tended to by Keero. She wound up suffering several broken bones in her face as a result of the assault on her, prompting him to conspire with her to create an aetherically-charged healing mask that she could wear over her injuries. Its purpose was threefold: to protect her from further harm, to ensure that her bones healed back into their proper shape, and to stimulate her own aether to speed up the healing process. A built-in vocabulator allowed her words to be heard through the metal without shouting, but it had the unfortunate side effect of giving her a much deeper tone and a metallic tinge to her words.<br><br> It began to seem like, however, she had been largely forgotten. Though she expected a swift trial of her actions by those above her at the Academy, the days continued to pass in solitude, with only Myu and occasionally Keero for company. Though slightly put off by it, she nonetheless spent her time productively, buckling down and diving into her magitek designs. Within two bells, she had completed Grundy's armor design and sent it off to be machined up. In two more, she had created an entirely new system to ensure she never got chumped by anti-magitek fields again. After two weeks, she had redesigned her anti-magic reactive armor to react less vigorously, tweaked and streamlined the overlay of her VISR system, designed a reconnaissance variant of her magitek funnels, and begun three new powered armor variants. This productivity came at the cost of sleep, which she avoided so that the fragment of Ifrit in her mind could not trouble her dreams. Over that two weeks, she slept perhaps one total day.<br><br> A freak spring storm overtaking Vylbrand marked the first time that she seemed to be recognized by the Academy at large, when a lightning strike knocked out the power grid. Summoned by Kyra down to the workshop, Chao was asked to bring the generator up and running to provide emergency power. Though nothing of the event in the desert was spoken of save Kyra's inquiring whether Chao was in control of her faculties, it was not lost on the magitek prodigy that no matter where she moved to work on the generator, Kyra was never outside of sword range. After a brief time, Kyra left the workshop, evidently deeming Chao not to be a threat. In silence, she finished the work and powered up the generator, bringing emergency power back to the Academy. Heading into the library to report her success, she took note of the silence that befell the room at her appearance, choosing to make her report and then return to her exile.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Holding Patterns'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Throwing herself back into her work, Chao's reckless non-sleeping habits did not go unnoticed by Keero, who prescribed fast-acting and potent sleep aids to knock her out and ensure her recuperative sleep processes. Now able to focus more clearly when she was awake, her design progresses improved significantly. Another week passed, and growing tired of the neglect, Chao began to venture outside her workshop for brief periods, mostly in the efforts of acquiring food for herself, which had previously been left to Myu. <br><br> Finally, after deciding she needed to actually test the new version of the AMRA system--and she was not about to have loose magic and reactive material interacting in her workshop--she took her design out to be tested on the dummies. During her test--which was a resounding success in that the reactive layer detonated outward and dispersed her spell without damaging the armor or the dummy--she met with a hyur well-versed in magitek knowledge who introduced himself as Saruna, founder of the company Resolve Industries. She hadn't heard of it, but was surprised to learn that they dealt in weaponry utilizing the power of the primals themselves. After cautioning him to exercise care in dealing with such powers, they parted ways, and she returned to her workshop to evaluate her test results. <br><br> She didn't have long to consider this, however, as a scream soon pierced through the Academy. Tracing it back to its source, she found herself in the infirmary, where Keero and several others were working on freeing an unlucky miqo'te from voidsent possession. Lacking any means to assist, Chao simply stood by and watched, but armed one of her gun gauntlets should anything come to violence. After successfully purging the void taint, Keero asked Chao if she would create a prosthetic eye for the patient, whose eye had been destroyed in the process of saving him. She agreed on the mechanical end, knowing and stating her lack of knowledge in the medical side of it, to which Keero stated he could perform the necessary surgery. At this, Chao returned to her workshop to machine up the prosthetic and load it up with a lesser version of her VISR software. <br><br> The next day, she delivered the prosthetic and observed the successful surgery to affix it to the victim's optical nerves. Afterward, as he rested, she spoke with Keero, who inquired after her own health. Removing her mask to show him that she had perhaps another week before being fully-healed, she was then asked what had caused her injuries. She revealed to him that she held a fragment of Ifrit bonded to her soul, and that it was her loss of control over it that had caused her to nearly kill several of their comrades. This revelation was overheard by one such comrade from the incident, and Chao took the opportunity to fully explain herself, stating that she didn't hold the others' contempt for her against them, and apologizing for her actions. <br><br> The matter seemed settled for a time, at least to a few inidivudals, and so Chao returned to busying herself with work.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''A Reclaimer's Revenge'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Just when it seemed as though Chao would finally be able to come to terms with and move on from Satomi's death, old wounds were viciously torn open. A visitor arrived to the Academy one eve, one whom several of the others were apparently familiar with, speaking of a badly-damaged mammet named 'Seven' that had been spotted in Limsa lately. Recognizing that naming scheme as belonging to the series of mammets that Satomi had built, many of the fallen scientist's acquaintances made their way to Limsa, hunting down the woman who had the mammet in her possession. Chao arrived shortly thereafter, and was immediately recognized by the mammet, who spoke to her--in not only typical garbled mammet speech but further mangled by damage as well--of things hidden in Satomi's lab, as well as cryptic statements of her final moments. As Chao attempted to discern what it spoke of, O'rahn purchased the mammet from the woman who was currently holding it. <br><br> Returning to the Academy, Chao immediately connected Seven to Myu, using their similar basic programming structure in an effort to attract as much data as possible. While that was going on, she began to repair what wiring and internals she could without interfering with the data extraction operation. The entire time, Seven continued to speak of the Doman scroll in Satomi's lab. Eventually, she loosed the little machine from its connection to Myu, upon which time it made immediately for Satomi's lab. <br><br> Chasing after Seven, Chao entered the darkened room, and queried over the Academy linkpearl whether the room's power had been cut. Questioned as to why and what she was doing there, she was soon joined by several others, including Grundy, O'rahn, Imogene, and Myth. Before Chao could investigate the scroll, Seven malfunctioned again, and as she went to repair it, Grundy--having no patience for civility in this instance--tore the scroll from the wall, revealing a hidden cache behind it containing a lockbox and several parchments. Grundy retrieved the items and handed them over to Imogene, who began to read from the parchment. <br><br> It was Satomi's last will and testament, containing personalized messages to those she had been closest to. <br><br> As Imogene read the words--herself not even able to remain unaffected by it--those around her took it in their own way. Grundy, unable to understand his grief, hurled his helmet into the wall of Satomi's lab and unseated the doorframe with the haste in which he moved through it. O'rahn disintegrated into tears, rage, and regret. Even Chao, ''especially'' Chao, could not control her emotions, struggling to keep herself together but failing miserably, collapsing into a sobbing heap. Into this whirling chaos of emotion, the unexpected occurred: mammet Seven, still malfunctioning and not-altogether-there, responded to the grief of the others by beseeching them not to cry...in Satomi's voice. <br><br> Her resolve hardened by the sound of her friend's voice, Chao determined that she would dedicate her time to seeking revenge on the pirates who had caused Satomi's death; a sentiment that was echoed by the others. Taking Seven back to her workshop, she set about repairing and replacing its damaged components, keeping it connected to Myu so that none of the remaining data would be lost. Even as she worked on this, she contacted the manufactory where her products were created and had them immediately get the completed BREAKER and INFILTRATOR power armor variants delivered to the Academy, as well as begin mass-production of the Mark-I battlesuit for distribution to the others that would come on the revenge mission. Knowing that they would have to head into the sky pirates' strongholds in the uncharted reaches of the Sea of Clouds, she began drawing up schematics to weaponize the Academy's airships. <br><br> The seven hells, these pirates would come to learn, held no fury as could match that of a magitek prodigy with a fragment of Ifrit's power. </font></div>

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<br>

=Relationships=

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>RELATIONSHIPS</center></div></span></h3>

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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #4d1715;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>RELATIONSHIP STATUS LEGEND</B></center></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:9pt;"><font style="color:#54b5eb;" size="2">♥</font> Family <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> Platonic <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> Friend <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> Acquaintance <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> Business <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> Deceased <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> Positive <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#C24640;" size="2">✖</font> Negative <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> Neutral <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">�</font> Unsure <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color: black;" size="2">☠</font> Enemy</div>
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<tr><td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">

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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #b33730;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>NPC</B></center></div>


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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Ku Fei,</b> <i>Cousin</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#54b5eb;" size="2">♥</font> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fallen.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Chao's cousin, an extremely-talented martial artist unsurpassed in the Doman styles of unarmed combat. Ku Fei was street smart, but academically dim, and was always amazed by the technological toys that Chao would create. Though never active in the Doman resistance, Ku Fei's pride in her ancestry and traditional mindset ensured that she considered the Garlean Empire a threat. The two were forcibly parted when Chao was conscripted by the Garlean Empire, but knowing her cousin, Chao is convinced that Ku Fei perished defending the homeland during The Reckoning.</div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Cid nan Garlond,</b> <i>Former Employer</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Pinnacle of Magitek.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Leader of the Garlond Ironworks, Cid was Chao's employer for most of the time she spent in Eorzea after defecting from the Garlean Empire. Though preferring to develop peaceful models of magitek to better the lives of the average Eorzean, Cid was full aware that weapon technologies like Chao's would also be instrumental in defending the realm against Garlemald, and so brought her into the Ironworks to assist in their development. When she made known her plans to formally create her own arms company, he wholeheartedly encouraged her to follow her ambitions, with the implicit understanding that the Ironworks would be full business partners with Misriah Armory.</div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Biggs,</b> <i>Former Coworker</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Instigator.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A Sea Wolf roegadyn working under Cid in the Ironworks, and largely the blame for why Chao has come to Eorzea and found employment with the Ironworks. Biggs led the Ironworks raiding team that helped Chao escape from Castrum Meridianum after she sabotaged the Ultimate Weapon, and later came to her as she was recovering and gave her the original tome that she once used to record her technological ideas in, while suggesting she apply at the Ironworks. He assisted with the development of her powered infiltrator armor prototype.</div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Wedge,</b> <i>Former Coworker</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Littlest Assistant.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Biggs' lalafell partner at the Ironworks, the timid little fellow is never far from his friend's side, and so has often spent much time in the company of Chao in her workshop at the Ironworks. Despite his talents more lying in the field of large magitek vehicles, he nevertheless faithfully assisted Chao and Biggs in their work on her powered armor.</div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Unknown Garlean,</b> <i>Imperial Assassin</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color: black;" size="2">☠</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Nightshade.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A Garlean assassin known only to Chao by his codename, ''Nightshade'', this man is the most formidable foe she has ever faced. Aetherochemically augmented by Garlean experimentation, this shinobi possesses superior strength and agility than Chao, a more-advanced combat skin, and the ability to absorb aetheric attacks to empower himself. Wielding powered Allagan lightblades, the Nightshade was able to effortlessly defeat Chao, Myu, Satomi ''and'' a fourth combatant during the ambush outside Vylbrand Academy. Only his hubris allowed Chao to defeat him, grappling him in place long enough for her funnel to strike him at full power, an energy blast which he remarkably survived. He escaped the battle, and Chao knows that they will meet again in the future. His hatred of her is all-consuming, referring to her repeatedly as an animal; Chao assumes that he was experimented on by the Empire to create a soldier perfectly tailored to counter her.</div>
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</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
{| class="wikitable alphabetical" border="0" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 100%; text-align: left; vertical-align: left;"
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #b33730;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>PC</B></center></div>


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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Myu]]</b>, <i>Creation</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Realistic, Logical Ideologist.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">The very first of her kind, an autonomous, sentient combat automaton built by Chao in the likeness of a miqo'te. Newly-awakened to the world, her every new discovery is a source of pride for Chao, and her enthusiasm to learn always brightens her maker's day. Chao dotes on her like a beloved companion rather than the weapon of war that she is. </div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Grundy Byrde]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Unstoppable Force.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A roegadyn male and near-constant companion of Satomi, before the latter's untimely death. Since coming to Vylbrand Academy, Chao has stepped in an effort to fill Satomi's shoes in serving as Grundy's mentor and guide in the world, a role she does not feel she is adequately performing. Grundy is not an intelligent individual, due to having lived the majority of his life feral in the caves of Eastern La Noscea. He is, however, exceedingly kind, and possessed of a frightening combat strength; a strength that Chao intends to amplify by creating a set of powered armor for him. </div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Satomi Hakase]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> <b>)</b> - <b>Science Sister.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A hyuran female and fellow researcher at the Garlond Ironworks. Due to working in different divisions, Chao and Satomi had not interacted prior to a chance meeting in the Quicksand, at which point they hit it off spectacularly well over their shared enthusiasm for science and magitek. After no small number of misadventures--many of them involving Satomi pulling Chao out of a self-created no-win scenario--Satomi was instrumental in finally getting Chao to settle at Vylbrand Academy, and the miqo'te has long since viewed the hyur as a sister. The news of her suspected death in the Sea of Clouds has left Chao gutted. </div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Kyrrae Liminia]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Strategist.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A lalafellin mage associated with Vylbrand Academy, and Satomi's former lover. Though they've spoken barely a few sentences to each other, Chao considers him a trusted ally due to his association with Satomi. </div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Senel Curtis]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Serious.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">An occupant of Vylbrand Academy who has offered to provide raw materials to Chao in exchange for equipment augmentations. She's unsure if he's truly associated with the Academy or just a mercenary in their employ, but he shows concern for its members, and annoyance with those who bring undue harm onto themselves. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Isaudorel Dorr]]</b>, <i>Acquaintance</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fire Suicide Bomber.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">An elezen thaumaturge who showed up to thank her for assisting several of his guildmates several days earlier in determining whether or not a wine bottle had been poisoned. They struck up a conversation, during the course of which another elezen woman arrived and rather rudely accused Chao of being of purchasable companionship, which both she and Isaudorel found incredibly rude. Neither seemed to be too bothered by it though. After remarking on her combat style to him, he wished to see it in action, and so the two traveled to the Sagolii Desert for a spar. It was a draw by clever Fire III suicide-bombing. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Keero Ganajai]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Healer.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A male Keeper who serves as one of the primary medical staff for Vylbrand Academy. Intelligent and well-spoken, he has stated that he chose to move permanently into the home station setting in order to be able to be near his wife and soon-to-be child. Though not desiring powered armor, he has contracted Chao and Misriah for medical magitek devices. He has a profound fear of fire, which has prompted Chao to promise that she will never use her aetheric skills in his presence. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Zoey Holendoey]]</b>, <i>Trusted</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Icy Spitfire Detective.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Another lalafellin mage and freelance investigator, though it seems she too has become associated with Vylbrand as of late. Initially having hired Chao to find an individual on a farce, being played as a pawn initially set Zoey in poor standing with Chao. That job did, however, set the magitek prodigy on her course back toward association with Satomi. Afterwards, Zoey did apologize for misleading Chao and seems to have a great deal of trust--Chao would say an overabundance--in her. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Imogene Holmes]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fancy Hat Paladin.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A hyuran swordswoman and resident at Vylbrand Academy. She favors Ironworks-crafted armor and has thus spoken with Chao on a few occasions regarding said equipment, as well as Chao's own battlesuit. Seems to be heavily-involved with security at the Academy. Due to The Other favoring Imogene's form while Chao was trapped in Phantasmagoria, and consequently causing her death no small number of times, Chao holds a slight irrational fear of Imogene. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Set Kattalakis]]</b>, <i>Business Associate</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>Red Left Hand.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Daughter of a successful trading mogul, seems to be involved with financial affairs at the Academy, though this does not stop her from putting herself in harm's way. Due to an unknown past event, her left forearm and hand are replaced by a magitek prosthetic which Chao designed an enhanced model of. As payment, Set made a generous donation of gil which allowed Chao to form Misriah Armory. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[O'rahn Kevelan]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>That Poor Cat.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A male miqo'te living at Vylbrand who is involved with Set, often violently. Chao is reasonably sure the two are mated, but has not heard anything confirming either way. He seems to specialize in thievery, and so the set of powered armor Chao is building for him will take that into account. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Kyra Tsukino]]</b>, <i>Commander</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Boss.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">The boss and headmistress of Vylbrand Academy, Kyra is a female miqo'te who is level-headed, soft-spoken, yet possesses an aura that marks it plain that only a fool would dare to cross her. Though she is typically only seen carrying a sword and shield, Chao suspects that her talents are not so one-dimensional. For reasons unknown, Kyra seems to possess an intrinsic faith in Chao, a faith that the magitek engineer is sure has been shattered by the revelation of her darker side. </div>
|}

|}


</td></tr></table>

=Rumors=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>RUMORS</center></div></span></h3>

<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''N P C'''</center></div></span></h3>
<p><div align=center><div style="font-family:Georgia;">Some of these rumors are untrue, speculation, or are greatly exaggerated.</div></div></p>

<div style="border:0px solid; padding:8px;">
<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #e56a2c; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Common Rumors - </b>''Easily overheard. Use these freely!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#e56a2c;" size="2">■</font> "All she ever does is sit in that corner with her nose buried in that journal of hers, muttering to herself and occasionally having some stew. Really odd one, that one." — ''Quicksand patron''.
: <font style="color:#e56a2c;" size="2">■</font> "She sure gave those Garleans a thumpin' they wasn't lookin' for. Guess that settles that as to whose side she's on." — ''Drowning Wench patron''.
</div>

<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #cc5e27; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Uncommon Rumors -</b> ''A little more difficult to hear. Use sparingly or ask first!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#cc5e27;" size="2">■</font> "Word is she used to be in the Garlean military. So as to whether she's absconded from their service or is here to spy on us, no one's yet figured." — ''Unknown''.
</div>

<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #b35222; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Rare Rumors -</b> ''Very rarely overheard. Please ask before using!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#b35222;" size="2">■</font> "There be ''two'' of that'n, I tells ye! At the very same time I had on good authority from a mate o' mine she was sittin' in the Quicksand, I seen another one answerin' to the same name head off toward the Imps (Imperials) outside Wineport. Only this'n was a hyur lass wearin' some sort o' strange armor. She waltzed in like she bloody owned the joint, and then there weren't nothin' but fire and explosions comin' from there, an' them screams weren't from a wee hyuran lass, either." — ''Drunken Storm Sergeant''.
</div>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''P C'''</center></div></span></h3>
<p><div align=center><div style="font-family:Georgia;">Feel free to add your own rumors to this section.</div></div></p>

<div style="border:0px solid; padding:8px;">
<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #99461d; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Player Character Rumors -</b> ''Some of these are more rare than others!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#99461d;" size="2">■</font> "She's Doman, no doubt about that. But the look in her eyes shows something unnatural. Not in a foul manner either, but one that draws you in and buys your trust. If anyone asks, I'd say you can rely on her." — ''[[Zoey Holendoey]]''.
</div>

</div></div></td></tr></table>

=Music & Gallery=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>MUSIC</center></div></span></h3>
<br>

<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PvdVGAasrA Amazing]''
:: Artist: Aerosmith.
:: Origin: ''Get a Grip''
:: <small>Context: Character theme.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etksc3mrIQU Revival]''
:: Artist: Neil Davidge
:: Origin: ''Halo 4''
:: <small>Context: Magitek genius.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhdp14U2M_w Loose Ends]''
:: Artist: Hans Zimmer
:: Origin: ''Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2''
:: <small>Context: The hard decision.</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELD02QC025c Sacred Icon Suite 2]''
:: Artist: Marty O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori
:: Origin: ''Halo Legends''
:: <small>Context: Big damn heroes.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTLdoK_AU18 J-E-N-O-V-A]''
:: Artist: Nobuo Uematsu
:: Origin: ''Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children''
:: <small>Context: Intense battle.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr4eB0WOwN0 The Oath]''
:: Artist: Nobuo Uematsu
:: Origin: ''Final Fantasy VIII''
:: <small>Context: The bonds of sisterhood.</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9mQTmXxU8E I Burn]''
:: Artist: Jeff and Casey Lee Williams
:: Origin: ''RWBY''
:: <small>Context: Kung-fu wizard.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBfc0-KuDGE Maybe I'm a Lion]''
:: Artist: The Black Mages
:: Origin: ''The Skies Above''
:: <small>Context: Unleashed battle.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYUbLkULtkk Something to Fight For]''
:: Artist: Sencit Music
:: Origin: ''Iron Man 3''
:: <small>Context: Facing her inner demon.</small>
</td>
</tr></table>

<br>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>GALLERY</center></div></span></h3>

<gallery>
File:ChaoMNK.png|Chao in traditional Doman martial art garb, which she began wearing in honor of her fallen cousin, Ku Fei.
File:SCIENCE.jpg|Chao and [[Satomi Hakase|Satomi]], science bros! (Non-canon instance)
File:Chaoff.jpg|Chao in the Quicksand, her usual haunt.
File:Showdown.jpg|Chao, Satomi, and their party face down the Ultimate Weapon (Non-canon instance).
File:Victory.jpg|By might and by right, Team Science defeats the menace (Non-canon instance).
File:SoItBegins.jpg|And on that day, the heavens trembled, as though the realm looked outward to see what awaited it, and found only terror.
File:Exchange.jpg|Reclaiming the personal tome she had left with Satomi, Chao leaves a letter of explanation in its place. (It's unlikely to be found for weeks)
File:Pensive.jpg|Chao looks back upon Vylbrand Academy, likely the last time she'll ever see it.
File:Ponderance.jpg|On a clear Mor Dhona night, Chao contemplates the Keeper of the Lake on her way to the Garlond Ironworks.
File:ChaoStory001.jpg|Confronted by a strange duo on the cliffs of Silvertear Lake.
File:ChaoStory002.jpg|Chao and Satomi discussing the current situation, as Kyrrae keeps watch for any interlopers. (Scene directed by JJ Abrams)
File:ChaoStory003.jpg|Armed with a new resolve, Chao swears her defiance to the corpse of the ''Agrius''.
File:ChaoStory004.jpg|Satomi is overcome with emotion at Chao's safety and change of heart.
File:ChaoStory005.jpg|As Satomi and Kyrrae confer, Chao looks toward the crystalline structure piercing the sky in Mor Dhona. ''"Soon..."'' the magitek genius thinks to herself.
File:ChaoStory006.jpg|Chao considers...something.
File:ChaoStory007.jpg|"Wait, ''you're'' bartending?"
File:ChaoStory008.jpg|Chao fiddles with her armor out of the way. Satomi's actually pretty good at this whole tending bar thing.
File:ChaoStory009.jpg|Except when she trips backwards and almost falls on Chao.
File:ChaoStory010.jpg|"''You!''"
File:ChaoStory011.jpg|Satomi has revealed her plans to run away, but there's a power-armored combat mage standing in the way.
File:ChaoStory012.jpg|A meeting to discuss acquiring extremely rare, and extremely powerful, Allagan technology.
File:ChaoDummy.jpg|Chao looks to test the effectiveness of her prototype funnel--affectionately known as 'Dummy'--in the rain, but the little guy's not cooperating.
File:ChaoStory013.jpg|The expedition is informed of recent occurrences in the ruin.
File:ChaoStory014.jpg|The first obstacle, a wandering Allagan defense sphere. Chao scavenged an undamaged laser coupler for Myu from it.
File:ChaoStory015.jpg|Aftermath of the battle with the bio-engineered snake.
File:ChaoStory016.jpg|Detailing their encounter in the first level.
File:ChaoStory017.jpg|An Allagan foundry!? This site will definitely merit returning to for further exploration.
File:ChaoStory018.jpg|The large ADS falls. An inspection of its innards reveals...a secondary core! Unprogrammed even!
File:ChaoStory019.jpg|Chao inspects her prize. But the man behind the expedition isn't willing to part with it...
File:ChaoStory020.jpg|Chao considers the implications of a hidden lift. What more could be in the depths of this ruin?
File:ChaoStory021.jpg|Wherever this lift leads, it is something the Allagans wanted protected.
File:ChaoStory022.jpg|With the expedition complete and the eyebrow-raising goals of Dogberry and the other man completed, Chao accepts her promised ADS core. Nothing can stop Project µ now!
File:ChaoUSH.jpg|Despite having been a stray living off Satomi's couch for several moons, Chao has little interacted with the occupants of Vylbrand Academy. ''Zoey'', of all people, plans to rectify this. By force.
File:ChaoStory023.jpg|First to the stage, Chao begins presenting her theory of ''pactio''.
File:ChaoStory024.jpg|With one volunteer ready, Chao selects the next victim.
File:ChaoStory025.jpg|Provisional contract complete! ...But these two don't seem suited to being partners.
File:ChaoStory026.jpg|Her part over, Chao observes the other presentations.
File:ChaoStory027.jpg|Aetheric means of reducing machine wear? She watches this presentation with great interest.
File:ChaoStory028.jpg|Satomi's combat mammet: fully-operational and armed....for dance?
File:ChaoStory029.jpg|Unfortunately, it's not to last. The ''real'' Grundy has mistaken the mammet for an enemy and demolished it.
File:ChaoStory030.jpg|While helping clean up the wreckage, Chao tells Academy resident Imogene a little about Project µ.
File:ChaoUSH2.jpg|Chao observes as Satomi tends to an unfortunate soul tortured by the Garlean Empire.
File:ChaoSatomi001.jpg|Chao makes fun of the fact that Satomi doesn't have any beds in her room/lab.
File:ChaoStory031.jpg|Standing her ground despite her nerves, Chao watches as Myu finally comes fully online.
File:ChaoStory032.jpg|Threatened by an Allagan-grade laser weapon was not how Chao planned to begin Myu's lifespan.
File:ChaoStory033.jpg|Showing Myu a Limsan sunrise.
File:ChaoStory034.jpg|Chao and Myu practice combatives while Satomi takes measurements.
File:ChaoStory035.jpg|Garlean attack! These assassins have come explicitly for Chao.
File:ChaoStory036.jpg|With the initial attackers defeated, the Vanguard trashed, and Myu damaged by a suicide explosive, the leader makes his move. To Chao's horror, it seems that everything she can do, he can do better.
File:ChaoStory037.jpg|In desperation to end the fight, Chao grapples with the enemy commander and orders her funnel to fire on him at maximum lethality setting, even if it means shooting through herself.
File:ChaoUSH03.jpg|After a failed AMRA system test, Chao inspects the pieces of the device as she listens to Senel and Set speak.
File:ChaoLab001.jpg|Chao in her research lab within Vylbrand Academy.
File:ChaoLab002.jpg|Chao contemplates one of her research projects, with her funnel drifting nearby.
File:ChaoUSH04.jpg|Chao speaks with O'rahn and Set about her projects.
File:ChaoUSH05.jpg|Performing an early test of the helmet for Grundy's powered armor.
File:ChaoUSH06.jpg|Speaking with Keero in the gardens, with O'rahn and Set nearby doing whatever it is they do.
File:ChaoUSH07.jpg|Following a power failure at the Academy, Chao readies the backup generator to be turned on for emergency power...and is not ignorant to Kyra standing within sword range behind her.
File:ChaoUSH08.jpg|Two weeks into her exile within her workshop, Chao has been somewhat neglecting the tidiness of her workspace.
File:ChaoMisriah001.jpg|Inspecting the results of another AMRA test, this one successful.
File:ChaoUSH09.jpg|After witnessing a successful voidsent exorcism, Chao offers to create a prosthetic eye for the victim. Magitek-enhanced, of course.
File:ChaoUSH10.jpg|Chao reveals the truth of her condition.
File:ChaoUSH11.jpg|Wholeheartedly apologizing for the incident in Southern Thanalan.
File:ChaoTheSearch001.jpg|Chao and Myu analyze the fragmented data from Seven, one of Satomi's mammets. It seems that justice may be within reach.
File:ChaoUSH12.jpg|Searching Satomi's abandoned lab.
File:ChaoUSH13.jpg|Chao nearly discovers the hidden cache, but stops to perform emergency repairs on Seven.
File:ChaoUSH14.png|Imogene reads Satomi's will.
</gallery>

=OOC Notes=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>OOC NOTES</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="90%">
<tr>
<td style="width: 50%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3>
<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''OOC INFORMATION'''</center></div></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Player Note'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">'' ... ''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Personal RP Limits'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''I like to consider myself a flexible player who is willing to commit to a number of different types of scenes and role-play scenarios, but even I have my limits. If something is on the play list, assume it means yes, as long as it's within the context of the current play or ongoing plot. No's are typically a hard no, and it means don't ask, and if I'm in the mood for it, I'll be the one to initiate. '' </div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ '''''I will play''' mature content and themes (violence, drug / alcohol use) as long as they're logical in a plot-driven encounter. Coarse and excessive language. Temporary injury and incapacitation. Temporary imprisonment. Most walk-up encounters.''

: ■ '''''Ask about''' long-term and/or permanent injury and disfigurement. Long-term captivity or imprisonment. Temporary character death. Kidnap and/or abuse plots will require advance planning, as these can be seriously impacting, as well as take a significant amount of time to resolve on an infrequently played character.''

: ■ '''''I won't play''' permanent character death. ''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Disclaimer'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">'' Chao is my take on an existent character from the ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negima!_Magister_Negi_Magi Negima! Magister Negi Magi]'' manga by Ken Akamatsu. I have developed her from the ground up to fit within the FFXIV setting, while still maintaining as many similarities from the source material as possible.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ '' Chao is a technological and scientific prodigy. I am not. I try my best, but typically have to rely on technobabble more than I would like. ''

: ■ '' Chao is highly skilled in both unarmed combat and magic. Traditionally, my preferred means of RP combat has always been firearms or swords, so I'm sure I come across as an untalented hack to anyone more experienced in those combat fields. ''

: ■ '' Regarding nearly everything to do with Chao, she is the character with which I push the bounds of established lore. While I do nothing that has been directly contradicted by lore, she almost entirely operates in an extremely shadowy, unspecified zone regarding lore. Bear this in mind for interactive purposes. ''</div></div>

<td style="width: 50%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''CHARACTER TIDBITS'''</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Potential Plot Hooks'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''Chao is a very busy individual. Even when I'm not actively playing her, she's always got something going on. While the below is by no means comprehensive, it's a kind of spring board for walk-up RP. I am more than open to longer-term RP plots that carry on over multiple sessions, all I ask is that you coordinate with me beforehand. I am nearly always willing to drop anything I'm doing and RP, even if I'm on another character.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ ''Chao was, until recently, a prominent weapons developer at the Garlond Ironworks.''

: ■ ''She has most recently opened her own weapons company, Misriah Armory. While no formal office location exists, she can typically be found in or around Vylbrand Academy in the Mist.''

: ■ ''She is a known member of Vylbrand Academy.''

: ■ ''Garlemald is still aware of her continued existence, and still wishes to see her killed for her actions against them.''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Character Lore Adherence'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''Information in this Wiki is Lore Compliant to the best of my knowledge pre-Calamity using Wikis, and lore-dredging on Google. Information that has been changed to better fit with the lore of XIV will be listed below as necessary.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ ''No changes required.''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Tropes & Explanations'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''A trope is a convention or device that is often found in creative works. In this case, the tropes below describe the character either in part, or as a whole. Their background, personality, appearance, etc, most of them can be described in the tropes below.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ActionGirl Action Girl] ''She's usually seen doing more fighting than science-ing.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BareFistedMonk Bare-Fisted Monk] ''Unarmed combat is her primary means of engaging the enemy. Though trained at the Ul'dah pugilist guild, her fighting style is a modified Doman style that favors kicks rather than strikes.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ClothesMakeTheSuperman Clothes Make the Superman] ''Her battlesuits are powered armor and provide her an incredible boost in combat potential and survivability, but she's by no means helpless without them.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CombatPragmatist Combat Pragmatist] ''When her foes want to run their mouths, she will very quickly demonstrate that talking is not a free action.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeadlyUpgrade Deadly Upgrade] ''Emphasis on the ''deadly'' part, as she is well aware that overusing Magia Erebia can destroy her soul. The one time she's used it to date, she wound up with a fragment of a primal living in her head.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EnemyWithin Enemy Within] ''An unintended side effect of absorbing the dissipating aether of Ifrit via Magia Erebia, a semblance of the primal was able to take residence within her mind. Though it lacks the ability to exert any proper power or temper her or others, it still whispers in the back of her mind and has, on one occasion, seized control of her body.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FacialMarkings Facial Markings] ''Par for the course given she's a miqo'te, but hers prominently glow when her aether seal is active, as another reference to her home series.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HeroicRROD Heroic RROD] ''Overusing Magia Erebia runs the risk of causing this effect on her. Sometimes, if she's caught unawares, the fragment of Ifrit bound to her soul will ''force'' this effect on her--even potentially out of combat--in order to seize control of her.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlayingWithFire Playing With Fire] ''When using magic, she only uses fire. Her aetheric aspect is so strongly tilted toward fire that she is in a permanent state of Astral Fire but does not suffer from the inability to recover mana when in that state.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RenaissanceMan Renaissance Girl] ''She can fight barehanded, with magic, with a gun (or any gun-type derivative weapon), cook, build all manner of stupendously-advanced magitek devices, strategize fairly well on the battlefield, and run arms companies.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RoaringRampageOfRevenge Roaring Rampage of Revenge] ''The sky pirates who caused Satomi's death are in for some very rough times.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SuperPoweredEvilSide Superpowered Evil Side] ''Arguable on how superpowered it is, as she's not inherently stronger when this side is released, but when the fragment of Ifrit residing in her soul seizes control, Dark Chao then proceeds to completely ignore such trivial niceties as "friendly fire" and is more than happy to expend all of her power in such a way that she achieves her objectives and immediately passes out.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TryingNotToCry Trying Not to Cry] ''When she listened to Satomi's last will being read aloud. She failed. Miserably.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WillNotTellALie Will Not Tell A Lie] ''Though more an informed attribute as a throwback to her home series, Chao ''does'' remain remarkably honest about what she's doing at all times, occasionally finding that the truth of what she's doing often makes people disbelieve her. She is ''not'', however, above using misinformation and omission to achieve her goals.''
</div></div>

</tr></table></div>

=Credits=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>CREDITS</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Layout Information'''</div></div>
: <div align=justify><div style="padding: 2px 1px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">The following is not entirely comprehensive, but contains general credits. Please leave the link-backs if you use this template!
::■ Original template by [[Bancroft Gairn]].
::■ Adapted by [[Xheja Rajhera]].
::■ Tabs by [[Unnamed Mercenary]].
::■ Expanded bits by [[Lucaell Tareth'eian]].
::■ Header image inspired by [[D'lyhhia Lhuil]].
::■ Music bits from [[J'karu Rhome]].
::■ Relationships & OOC notes by [[Glioca Sargonnai]].</div></div>
<headertabs />

[[Category: Player Character]]
[[Category: Balmung]]
[[Category: Miqo'te]]
[[Category: Miqo'te Seeker of the Sun]]
[[Category: Doman]]

File:ChaoUSH14.png

2016-02-22T05:12:57Z

Chris Ganale:

File:ChaoUSH13.jpg

2016-02-22T05:08:38Z

Chris Ganale:

File:ChaoUSH12.jpg

2016-02-22T05:07:59Z

Chris Ganale:

Chao Lingshen

2016-02-22T05:06:58Z

Chris Ganale: /* OOC Notes */

__NOTOC__

<div align=center><div style="font-size:30px;letter-spacing:0.05em;color:#ab0c13;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver"></div></div>

<div align=center><div style="font-size:55px;letter-spacing:0.2em;color:#792521;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver">CHAO LINGSHEN</div></div>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:15px;letter-spacing:0.75em;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;">FIREBRAND</div></div>
<br>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:25px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 10px silver"><font color="#4d1715">'''- - - ''' »</font> <font color="#b33730">☀</font> <font color="#4d1715">« ''' - - -''' </font></div></div>
<br>
<div align=center bottom>[[File:Chao-Top-Banner.png]]</div>
<br>
<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="60%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 20px; font-size:18px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;letter-spacing:0.1em;"><center><font style="color:#4d1715;">'''❝'''</font> <font style="color:#b33730">''They wanted war. Let's go give 'em war.''</font> <font style="color:#4d1715;">'''❞'''</font></center></div></span></h3>
</tr></table></div>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:12px;letter-spacing:0.75em;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver">Chao Lingshen.</div></div>
<br>
<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="80%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.15em;"><center>'''VITAL INFORMATION'''</center></div></span></h3>
<br>
<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''CURRENT ALIAS...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Chao Lingshen.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''RACE & CLAN...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Miqo'te, Seeker of the Sun.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''GENDER...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Female.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''AGE...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 23.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''NAMEDAY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 1<sup>st</sup> Sun of the 6<sup>th</sup> Umbral Moon, 1556 S.A.E.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''ORIENTATION...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Asexual/Aromantic.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''MARITAL STATUS...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Single.</font>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.15em;"><center>'''OTHER STATISTICS'''</center></div></span></h3>
<br>
<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''NATIONALITY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Doman.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''CITIZENSHIP...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Limsan.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''RESIDENCE...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Vylbrand Academy.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''OCCUPATION...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Founder, Misriah Armory.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''PATRON DEITY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Azeyma, the Warden.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''HEIGHT & WEIGHT...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 5 fulms, 4 ilms. 116 ponzes.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''ALIGNMENT...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChaoticGood Chaotic Good].</font>
</tr></table></div>
<br>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:25px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 10px silver"><font color="#4d1715">'''- - - ''' »</font> <font color="#b33730">☀</font> <font color="#4d1715">« ''' - - -''' </font></div></div>
<br>

=Details=
[[File:ChaoLingshen.png|right|frame|<div style="padding:10px 20px; font-size:13px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;letter-spacing:0.1em;"><center><font style="color:#706b68;">'''❝'''</font> <font style="color:#333333">''Gods and empires have sworn to break me. And yet, here I stand, unbroken.''</font> <font style="color:#706b68;">'''❞'''</font></center></div>]]

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>GENERAL INFORMATION</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">Chao Lingshen is a female miqo'te Seeker of the Sun originally born in Doma. With the Garlean Empire's subjugation of that region, she was conscripted into their armed forces, where she applied her mechanical and magical genius to enhance the Empire's magitek arsenal. She eventually fled to Eorzea with the aid of personnel of the Garlond Ironworks, and has since taken up residence in Ul'dah, spending her days studying and improving her magical and physical capabilities in order to take the fight to the Empire. </div></div>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>APPEARANCE</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">Chao is tall for miqo'te, standing at five fulms and nearly four ilms tall, weighing one hundred and sixteen ponzes. She wears her hair cropped close in a somewhat-boyish style, with two forelocks hanging down just past her chin, secured in place with bronze bangles. Her hair is black, with faint auburn highlights best seen at the back of her head. Afflicted with the normal miqo'te tendency toward heterochromia, her left eye is a dark brown and her right a dark crimson, the two shades close enough together that she could easily be mistaken for having one eye color at a distance or in poor lighting. The tribal markings on her face are slightly more vibrant than normal, this due to the effect of the Garlean anti-aether sigils on her body. When activated, the markings glow bright red. A faint scar on her left cheek, not normally visible due to her tribal markings, is the only visible reminder of the ceruleum explosion at Castrum Meridianum. <br><br> The clothing she wears varies, but she has a marked tendency to prefer more subdued colors such as black, white, and dark browns. Typically she can be found wearing a black and white yukata she picked up from the most recent Moonfire Faire, as it reminds her of her lost home in Doma. She's not big on accessories or jewelry, but usually wears a pair of peach blossom earrings, again as a reminder of Doma. She also always wears either tall boots, dark-colored leggings, or some combination of the two to hide the ceruleum burns on the backs of her legs from sight. </div>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>PERSONALITY</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">As any who would have even taken notice of her at the Quicksand would be quick to point out that she very easily disappears in the background of much more colorful and varied individuals, often preferring to mind her own business and just listen to the goings-on around her, as they have occasionally helped provide some insight into a problem she had been working on. When approached, she is polite and well-spoken, demonstrating an amiable personality with a tendency to make jokes and tease. A favorite thing to do is begin an ominous-sounding statement, then laughing it off instead of finishing the threat. On romance and sexuality, however, Chao can be considered completely asexual, having no consideration of romantic emotions at all. She does recognize romantic advance, but is unresponsive to it. <br><br> Beneath that playful exterior, she is singularly-focused on the downfall of the Garlean Empire and the salvation not just of Eorzea, but of all lands that have suffered under Garlemald's iron fist. This desire drives every action she takes, from her research into greater and more powerful magitek to her quest for greater personal power. The lack of any sort of unity or cohesion amongst the city-states of Eorzea greatly distresses her, and she has considered several times a gambit wherein she presents herself as a great existential threat to the realm, thereby forcing them to unify or face destruction, but has so far held back because the clear and present threat presented by Garlemald sure hasn't done it so far. If the situation demands it, however, she is still more than willing to become a martyr and take on the role of a villain to ensure that the realm is saved.</div>

<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="90%">
<tr>
<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3>
<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''L I K E S'''</center></div></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Developing magitek.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Increasing her own combat ability.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Recovering advanced technology from ancient civilizations, even better when she can improve it and make it work again.</div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''D I S L I K E S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> The Garlean Empire
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Those who advance personal profit at the expense of others, especially in the face of a grave existential threat.
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Tribal miqo'te, considering them primitive. </div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''H O B B I E S / T A L E N T S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Developing and enhancing magitek
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Light culinarian skill
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> A decent head for business
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Improvisation and customization of existing schools of talent </div>

</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3>
<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''S T R E N G T H S'''</center></div></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> High intelligence
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Strong melee aptitude
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> High magical aptitude</div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''W E A K N E S S E S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Hubris
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Martyr complex
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Overreliant on self </div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''O T H E R'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Occasionally refers to the Allagan Empire as Forerunners.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> She goes through a lot of gear and clothes (read: destroyed) in the process of testing and experimenting with her magic and magitek.</div>

</tr></table></div>
<br>

=Combat=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>COMBAT & WEAPONRY</center></div></span></h3>
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:● '''Magical Prowess''': A budding mage in her own right, Chao is talented in the arts of thaumaturgy, with a far greater affinity for magic of the fire element than other types. This affinity allows her mana to regenerate normally at all times; as such, she is not affected by the astral fire/umbral ice duology many thaumaturges are shackled by. Because of this trait, she is seeking to develop her own, personal style of magic outside the existing systems. Aside from this, she also has some light training in conjury.
::● '''Fire Resistance''': Due to absorbing both living and offensive aether of the Lord of the Inferno, Chao has become more heavily-aspected toward fire, further increasing the power of her magic as well as making her highly-resilient to heat or fire-based attacks.
::● '''''Magia Erebia''''': Translating to 'Dark Magic', ''Magia Erebia'' is the result of Chao's experimentation in magic circles, aetherflow, and how magic and spirit energy can be made to interact with the body. By creating a magic circle, she is able to then absorb a directed energy attack that comes in contact with her, fusing it with her soul and imbuing her with enhanced statistics, depending on the type of energy, for a limited period of time. As a drawback, the unnatural interaction between the soul and aetheric energies causes a corrosive effect, relegating the use of ''Magia Erebia'' to emergencies only.
::● '''Magic Seal''': As a result of the experimentation to resist tempering (see below), when her sigils are activated, she is a complete aetherial void, unable to access her latent magical talents or be affected by anything that would relate to a mana pool. This is mostly used to allow her to pass off as having no magic talent whatsoever, as her mana is not detectible when in this state.
:● '''Martial Arts''': Trained from a young age in the Doman style, unarmed combat is one of the most dangerous places to face her. Her style is visually similar to that of the Fist of Rhalgr, but structurally different. Whereas the monks favor strikes and work best from the flanks or rear of a foe, Chao's ''Hokuryuu Shourinken'' favors kicks, wide sweeping stances, and keeping a distance from the enemy. However, she has taken aspects of the Ala Mhigan style into her own, giving her a much wider array of abilities and actions in combat.
:● '''Shundo''': A ki-based technique of Doman origin, also known by its translated names of ' ''Ground Contractor'' ' or ' ''Instant Movement''. ' By focusing ki or magic energy to the bottom of her feet, she is able to 'grip' the ground and propel herself forward at immense speed, traversing up to sixty fulms in less time than it takes to register movement in the brain. She is only capable of traveling in a straight line across relatively even terrain, and cannot pass obstacles. Individuals with high martial training are able to sense her movement to a degree.
:● '''Spell List''': Chao has developed a list of spells that she prefers to use in combat, primarily based around fire magic and other aetheric uses. All of them are incanted in Garlean (Latin). Additionally, she has her own incantation phrase, which is used to unlock the aetherflow in her body and allow her to channel more powerful magic spells. Said incantation phrase is "''Rasteil mai magicscir magister''." It should also be noted that all of Chao's fire-based spells are aetheric and therefore do not require oxygen to continue burning, and some can even continue to burn when fully immersed in water.
::● ''Calefaciens Exarmatio'': Translating to ''Heatwave Disarmament'', this is a spell used to disarm a foe. It is specially-tuned fire magic that destroys equipment, weapons, and clothing, but leaves the person themselves unharmed.
::● ''Cantus Bellax'': Lit. ''Battle Song'', this is a simple self-buffing spell that reinforces her body with aether. Aside from providing a long-lasting anti-physical shield, this magic also exponentially increases muscle tension, allowing greater power, speed and endurance; it also increases the flexibility of muscles and tendons to prevent Chao from damaging herself from overexertion. In addition, her reflexes are enhanced by a moderate increase in the stimulation of the nervous system.
::● ''Captus Flammeus'': A binding spell, ''Fiery Captor'' summons ropes of fire magic that bind a target in place. Though not ''intended'' to cause harm to the bound target, Chao can cause them to do so at will.
::● ''Flagrantia Rubicans'': A moderately-powerful fire spell, about on par with Fire II, ''Red Blaze'' is Chao's mainstay offensive spell.
::● ''Incendium Gehennae'': A very potent fire spell developed after absorbing the living and offensive aether of Ifrit. Visually, ''Hellfire Conflagration'' is similar to Ifrit's own ultimate attack.
::● ''Ignis Deflexio'': A fire-based anti-physical protective shield. Its defensive effects are small.
::● ''Sagitta Magica Series Ignis'': Chao can summon a number of magic missiles of fire, always a prime number, which will independently track and pursue their target with no input from her. Their tracking method can be defeated if faced cleverly, and one could simply knock the magic missile away when it reaches them. Their damage is limited individually, but she can also cast this spell as a massive, single magic missile comprised of the energy of all the individual ones. While this is more powerful, it is also easier to avoid or counter.
:● '''Technological Genius''': From her youth, she has had a disturbing knack for understanding and knowledge of magitek devices. This ingenuity saw her placed in the Garlean Empire's research division once she was conscripted, where she enhanced and streamlined numerous Garlean weaponry and drive systems. Though more than capable of creating new devices from her own mind, her skills are strongest at refining and adapting existing technology to perform even better. She is responsible for the technological control devices that the Garleans use on their colossi to prevent them from rampaging in battle. Since coming to Eorzea, she has developed a powered assault armor and numerous other systems.
:● '''Temper Resistance''': As a result of Garlean experimentation, Chao possesses a set of sigils inscribed on her body that allows her to seal her aether. The theory is that this will protect her from the primals' method of tempering individuals by way of overloading their aether with the primal's own, due to their aether being unable to interact with her. This has proven to function as intended, tested under fire during her confrontation with Ifrit.
:● '''Weapon Proficiency (Firearm)''': As with all Garlean soldiers, she was trained to use their advanced firearms technology. Though she prefers magic and unarmed combat, she does keep a concealable pistol loaded with large-caliber, high-explosive ammunition on her person. Just in case.
:● '''Weapon Proficiency (Gunblade)''': As a conscript of the Garlean army, and valued slightly above the rank-and-file for her technical genius, she was trained in how to use a gunblade. Though she does not favor the weapon herself, she is capable of picking up and easily-using any of the non-specialized types of gun-weapons.</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">'''OOC Note:''' I unilaterally prefer freeform combat to dice, as dice cannot adequately reflect skill and equipment of a character. I practice what I refer to as an "interrupt" style of RP combat, in that when I make an action, I include a description of the effects it would have, and leave it to the other individual to defend against the action and/or mitigate the effects. Don't hesitate to send a /t if you have questions or are unsure of something I did in a battle.</div></div>
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=Misriah Armory=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>MISRIAH ARMORY</center></div></span></h3>
[[File:Misriah-logo.png|center]]
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After settling at Vylbrand Academy, Chao finally found the stability required to dedicate her efforts fully to designing and developing her magitek weaponry. After a sizable payment for technologies rendered, she was able to fund the creation of her own arms company, '''Misriah Armory'''. Adapting the slogan "Battle-tested for your home", Chao has hired a number of production personnel from the Ironworks and purchased several proprietary systems from Cid nan Garlond to begin her work on magitek combat systems, primarily in the form of powered armor.
::● '''Anti-Magic Reactive Armor''': A system wherein a piece of armor or shield is imbued with reactive aether that, when an offensive spell acts upon it, explodes outward to disperse the effects of the spell and reduce harm to the wearer. This system is still in the prototype phase; currently, it reacts far too vigorously to offensive spells.
::● '''Armory Device''': Utilizing the principles of aetheric teleportation, Chao can imbue specific items with a unique aetheric signature, and then pair them to a device, traditionally a ring, that summons the items onto the wearer, allowing one to be armed and equipped in the blink of an eye.
::● '''Electromagnetic Aether Pulse Protection''': After an...unpleasant...event that saw her powered devices shut down by an enemy electromagnetic aether pulse, Chao worked to ensure that this never occurred again. By studying the recorded particulate effects just before her devices lost power, she was able to determine the frequency at which the particulates used interacted with her devices, and modify her shielding to nullify that frequency. To prevent circumvention by simply using a ''different'' frequency, all her powered equipment shielding is designed to modulate through differing frequencies.
::● '''Ironworks Powered Armor Mk.I''': The upgraded, field-ready combat version of her prototype armor. Designed as a modular system that supports varying upgrades as requested by the wearer. A detailed description can be found [http://tinyurl.com/mdjcwvd here]. Unlike her other, proprietary powered armor designs, her personal set retains the designation 'Ironworks' partly out of nostalgia, and partly in recognition that she was aided by members of the Garlond Ironworks in designing and creating it.
::● '''Misriah Powered Armor/BREAKER''': A direct assault variant built for Grundy, focusing on strong armored protection, resilient shielding, armor-augmented strength enhancers, and a VISR (detailed below) uplink to identify allies and enemies. As Grundy lacks the technical expertise to manipulate armor systems, the BREAKER variant is designed to function largely autonomously, with all systems functioning when power is applied. Grundy's personal variant features two additional features: two spiked chain shots built into both forearms for grappling, and remote systems override allowing Chao to lock down his armor to stop him from going on a berserker rampage.
::● '''Misriah Powered Armor/INFILTRATOR''': An infiltrator variant designed for use by those who prefer a stealth approach. The INFILTRATOR variant lacks the plate protection of its more up-armored brethren, relying on faster-cycling aetheric shielding technology and the user's own ability to evade hits to provide its protection. This powered armor increases user reaction speed and possesses proprietary sound-dampening technology to enhance stealth.
::● '''Powered Fist''': Built to augment her new powered armor, Chao designed a gauntlet that allows her free range of hand motion and also has a powerful gun device built into it for added anti-armor punch. When not desired for use, it collapses down to the size of bracelets worn on both wrists.
::● '''Project μ''': Considered by Chao to be her Magnum Opus, Project μ saw the creation of a sentient, free-willed combat android in a form that would allow it to pass undetected in society (in this case, the prototype unit possesses the frame of a female miqo'te). Utilizing a combination of a purpose-built mammet heart and an unprogrammed Allagan Defense System node to achieve sentience, a frame was constructed using both Allagan metals and repurposed Garlean steel. The result: an infiltrator prototype given the name ''Myu'' whose combat potential is surpassed only by her learning potential.
::● '''Remote/Observation, Self-Propelled Model 1B Reconnaissance Drone''': A variant of the WASP drone, with its aetherochemical beam replaced with high-fidelity observation and monitoring equipment to perform the functions of battlefield reconnaissance. Recon data from these drones can be fed to any authorized user of a MISRIAH powered armor system.
::● '''Sterilization Tools''': A number of devices requested by Vylbrand medic Keero in order to sterilize medical equipment before use. A non-mobile version was delivered to the medical ward, allowing the sterilization of large numbers of equipment, or large pieces of equipment. Several smaller versions were also built for field use. Both versions generate high-heat, high-intensity energy beams that kill microorganisms and scour surfaces clean.
::● '''Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance''': A HUD feature included in all of her powered armors, VISR allows for unprecedented battlefield information to wearers of her powered armor. In its most base form, VISR serves as an identify-friend/foe system, highlighting friendly targets in a green outline, enemy targets in red, recognizable weapons in blue, items of interest in yellow, and unidentified persons/civilians in orange. It can also receive visual reconnaissance from any nearby ROSP drones and functions as low-light enhancement at night or in darkened spaces.
::● '''Weapon/Anti-Magitek, Self-Propelled Model 1A Nonlinear Rifle''': A small, high-mobility portable weapon system developed by Chao using the magitek bits of the Allagan and Garlean Empires as its base. Unlike it much larger cousins, the "WASP"--also known by the descriptor "funnel"--is small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand, but is no less deadly for it. Armed with an aetherochemical beam that can pierce the armor of a magitek reaper in a single strike, its power is balanced by its slow rate of fire and limited fire capacity. When drained of energy after five shots, it is capable of re-energizing itself by drawing aether from its environment, but this will only allow it to fire again once every five minutes. The WASP is targeted by voice commands.
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=History=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>HISTORY</center></div></span></h3>
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<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>'''PAST BACKGROUND'''</center></div></span></h3>
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<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Early Life'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Born in the region of Doma, Chao has been well-acquainted with Garlean tyranny her entire life. Her parents trained her from the time she could stand in the Doman martial arts style, despite it being outlawed by Garlemald as seditious. Early in life, she demonstrated a marked proclivity for an inability to keep secrets, prompting her parents to keep her uninvolved with the resistance against the Garlean Empire. She also showed an amazing affinity for magitek and other mechanical devices.<br><br>As she grew older, the increasing activity of Garlean oppression saw Chao becoming aware of their atrocities throughout their claimed territory. Her discretion grew, and though she remained unaware of her parents' involvement in the resistance, she began to contribute to the resistance in her own way, notably by designing and providing specifications for cannon rounds that boasted a marked improvement rate in penetrating Garlean armor, among other defensive innovations. This enhanced ability on the Domans' part to fight them did not go unnoticed by Garlemald, and by the age of fifteen, they had determined that she was the one responsible for the technological improvements. One afternoon, a contingent of Garleans appeared at the Lingshen homestead, and a choice was offered: service in the Empire, or the deaths of herself and her family. Unwilling to be the cause of her parents' deaths, she agreed to join the Empire. </font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Imperial Service'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Having been identified as a magitek prodigy, Chao avoided conscription into the generic rank and file of the Empire, instead placed in an institution that would teach her the intricacies of Garlean magitek as groundwork for creating next-generation weaponry. Recognizing the opportunity that had fallen into her lap, she played the part of the loyal Garlean engineer, all the while absorbing all the information she could and considering ways she could sabotage the Empire. It soon came to be discovered that she was especially adept at improving existing technology to perform better, seeing her placed in the Castrum Meridianum, where the foremost of Garlemald's technological terrors were constructed. <br><br> Initially, the projects she was allowed access to were small, improved arms and armor for the soldiers stationed in the castrum and the like. Eventually, as the successes of her work became apparent and allowed Garlemald to solidify its holdings in the regions of Eorzea they occupied, she was granted more and more access to Imperial workings. Soon, she began to discreetly sabotage the projects she was working with, an example being the technological inhibitors that the Garleans used to control their magitek colossi and other tamed beasts. Sure, the inhibitors did their job--better than to spec once she got her hands on them--but if they took too much damage and were destroyed, the frenzied beasts would focus all their aggression on their Imperial masters. She always took great care to ensure that the technology she sabotaged would fail as a result of field conditions or misuse, and that their effects would be ''just'' shy of so catastrophic that the Garleans deemed them too costly to use. <br><br> Her own research efforts were not the only Garlean projects that she was involved in. Owing to the Garleans' hatred of the primals, eventual conflict with the primals would be inevitable. Knowing of the primals' fondness for tempering, the Empire sought to devise a means to resist the tempering effect. Selecting from a pool of candidates with preexisting extremely strong willpower, Chao was selected to undergo numerous anti-tempering experiments. As tempering was reliant upon the primal surging their own aether to overpower the victim's mind and soul, the simplest method the Garleans saw to negate it was blocking one's aether. To this end, a series of sigils were inscribed across Chao's body, rendering her an aetherial void when active. A command code, painstakingly memorized by the magitek genius, deactivates the sigils and lets her act normally, though when it is active her aether is completely inactive, not even able to be detected by other mages, and she appears to be completely nonmagical. Though this system performs its intended purpose to lab specifications, it has yet to be tested against an actual primal. <br><br> It was two years into her work at Meridianum that she discovered the Ultima Weapon program, and at that point she realized that it would take more than minor acts of sabotage to halt the Garlean advance. At around the same time, she began to hear whispers of a revolt in Doma, instigated in the hopes that the Garlean succession crisis would have them too distracted to respond. Activity around the Ultima Weapon project intensified, with many predicting that the fearsome monstrosity would be put to use suppressing the rebellion. It was not to be, however, as the Weapon was still not fully prepared for combat, and the might of the Imperial legions were plenty sufficient to crush the uprising and begin a reckoning of the Doman civilization. <br><br> Suspecting deep in her heart that her parents had been killed in the rebellion, Chao devised her plan and made ready to depart the Empire forever.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Defection'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">For a long while, the Garlond Ironworks and its members had been a continual thorn in the side of the Imperial presence in Eorzea, raiding the castrums seemingly at random. Though she had not devoted a great deal of attention to it, she had a sense that there would soon be another such raid at Meridianum. Timing her actions carefully, she prepared another act of sabotage. <br><br> In her part of the Ultima Weapon project, she was assigned to the conversion of the ancient Allagan power source to accept refined ceruleum as a fuel. While successful in this endeavor, she also weakened the structural integrity of the fueling lines and the storage tanks, forcing them to vent under strenuous operation lest they suffer a devastating case of overpressure. Under the guise of a 'stress test', she ordered one such storage tank filled to capacity and subjected to the sorts of stresses expected in lengthy combat. <br><br> Just as she had expected, another raid by the Ironworks occurred in the middle of the stress test. With the defense force of the castrum distracted by the ruckus, Chao moved all her research notes to within proximity of the storage tank, then increased the stress the device was under. To her surprise, the raiding team from the Ironworks soon broke their way into her research chamber, pulling her attention away from monitoring the tank for reaching its failure point. Now no longer needing to be concerned with her intent to betray the Empire, she alerted the raiders of the impending explosion and warned them to get away. Almost immediately thereafter, a castrum security force broke into the lab from another direction and opened fire. A stray round struck the storage tank, resulting in an immediate detonation. The explosion wiped out the Garlean security force and sprayed flaming ceruleum throughout the lab, resulting in gruesome burn scars to the back of Chao's legs. <br><br> Rendered unconscious by the explosion, Chao was recovered by the Ironworks raiding team, who fled as a chain reaction tore through the ceruleum storage facility, destroying a large number of the Ultima Weapon's spare tanks. Chao's act of sabotage resulted in the completion and battle readiness of the Ultima Weapon being delayed by nearly a full year.</font></div>
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<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>'''SINCE CHARACTER CREATION'''</center></div></span></h3>
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<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Ironworks'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao awoke some weeks later in Gridania, finding herself under care of the conjurers treating her injuries from the ceruleum explosion. Informed of the massive damage done to her musculature and nervous system, she was relieved to learn that she would regain the ability to walk after a time, but that the corrosive nature of ceruleum meant that the scars would never fade. This did not trouble her, and as she recovered, she requested a tome in which she could write, beginning to transfer what of her research she could recall to a page, glad to have denied Garlemald her knowledge and leaving them with prone-to-failure, sabotaged equipment. <br><br> Soon thereafter, she was approached by a large roegadyn man who introduced himself as Biggs, naming himself as a member of the Garlond Ironworks and come to inquire what she had been up to when she had encountered the raid team. In no uncertain terms, she explained that she had been carefully sabotaging various Imperial projects over her years in their conscripted service, and had planned to take advantage of the confusion of the Ironworks raid to do one last grand act of sabotage and escape. Amused by her forthcoming explanation, Biggs offered for her to join the Ironworks, letting her turn her vast magitek talent to improving the lives of Eorzean citizens while continuing to stick it to the Empire. She readily accepted, and turned over her tome of notes for Biggs to copy in case any of it proved useful to any of the ongoing projects at the Ironworks. Once finished with the transcription, Biggs returned the book and suggested she get herself as far away from the Empire as possible.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Changing the Game'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Unknown to either of them, she was in no danger of being hounded by the Empire, as they believed she had perished in the ceruleum explosions at the castrum. After regaining her ability to walk, she traveled to Ul'dah and took up residence there. To while away the time, she discovered that the jewel of the desert was home to the pugilist guild and the thaumaturge's guild, two combat schools that she had a keen interest in. Applying for training at both, she used their instruction to further her knowledge in both unarmed combat and the magical arts, but feared that what she could learn through the guilds would be insufficient to face the might of the Garlean Empire. <br><br> To that end, she sought to combine the training of both guilds into a new personal discipline she referred to--admittedly unoriginally--as 'combat mage'. To this end, she practiced the casting of spells until they became as muscle memory to her, able to cast on the move and with greater speed. While training herself in such a way, she discovered her stronger affinity for fire magic, that the more she trained, the greater the potency of those spells became and the less taxing they were upon her. Before long, she had become adept at weaving fire not only as spells in between strikes, but the very elemental aspect itself into her strikes. The result was a combat style that is frightfully effective, one that the pugilists' guild regarded as an amusing and effective curiosity, but that was reviled by the thaumaturges' guild. Needless to say, she hasn't showed her face there very often in recent times. <br><br> Even through her training time, one thing had weighed heavily on her mind at all times: the existence of the Ultima Weapon and what it could do to the people of Eorzea. Knowing of the Weapon's ability to absorb the essence of the primals and use their power for its own, she wondered if it was not possible for a man to do the same with magic. After all, the possibilities of magic were literally limitless. With that in mind, and keeping an open mind from which she could observe and calculate from all possible angles, Chao began to study arcanism and conjury as well. <br><br> Initially dismissing conjury, she focused her attention on arcanism, finding the applications there far more wide-ranging given the geometric and mathematical means of bending aether to one's whim, and as an engineer, geometry and math were something of strong suits for her. She quickly began to experiment with using aetheric circles not just in books, but using the environment herself as her medium. She found that in doing so, she could enhance the power of her spells and perform various other effects. She has established a theory of a magic contract between a magically-talented person and one who is not, mostly for the purpose of additional power to the--presumably physically-inclined--partner, but has yet to perform any actual experimenting on this concept.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Dark Magic'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Through many a day spent sitting in a corner of the Quicksand pondering her magical theories while immersing herself in the lifeblood of the city, her thoughts traveled far and wide on the principles of magic and their relationship with man and the world. Such philosophical drivel aside, it occurred to her as she was watching a drinking contest that perhaps she was thinking too hard on a subject that was actually rather simple. The principle of the Ultima Weapon's most terrifying power was that it could absorb the power of the primals into itself and, so the theory went, use their powers as its own. As she had discovered through her arcane training, there already ''was'' a similar technique in play, the aetherflow. The problem was its limitations, and that it only drew upon ambient aether. <br><br> While stumped on how to get around this block, she diverted some attention to figuring out methods of rapidly-deploying aetheric circles in combat, given that most enemies would be disinclined to stand around letting her draw runes on the ground around them. Musing on the fragility of crystals, she discovered a method to 'pre-cast' partial aetheric circles by inscribing them into specifically-marked spell catalysts that, when shattered in specific sequence in a set pattern, would inscribe an invisible aetheric circle on whatever solid surface they were shattered against. She found that this was most useful when fighting unarmed, as many would assume she was a bog-standard pugilist and therefore wouldn't be suspicious of her moving around in a fight. <br><br> As the weeks passed and she wandered about the city, she chanced upon a handful of Sultansworn in a full-contact mock training exercise. Taking a moment to stop and observe their actions, she watched as a pre-cast protective spell flashed to life to ward off a harmful spell, but not fully mitigate its damage. That scene taking root in her mind, she returned to the Quicksand to ponder. The nature of protective spells were meant to turn away harmful effects, but using her aetheric circles, could she not invert its purpose, directing an opponent's magic or spirit energy into a user whose aetherflow was opened to draw in such energies? <br><br> With thorough studying in the matter, she discovered that her theory was spot-on, allowing her to absorb the energies of an opponent's attack into herself, giving her a limited-time increase to specific attributes depending on the nature of the absorbed energies. This method of using her developing theory of magic was impractical, as it required her drawing a spell circle to influence the absorption of the energy, and therefore was ill-suited for most combat scenarios. Further, the act of absorbing spells or spirit energy infused that energy to her very soul, an unnatural and corrosive effect that forced her to determine that this new magic she was inventing be reserved for the most emergency of uses. <br><br> Because of this, she has taken to calling her new magic system ''Magia Erebia''.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''New Eras, New Places, New Faces'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Time waits for no man, and Chao was no exception. Word of a new terrifying superweapon in the hands of Garlemald spread through Eorzea like wildfire, and she knew that they had come with their Ultimate Weapon. To her surprise, however, the Eorzean leaders did not seem to fear the tremendous power of the weapon, instead were planning a ''preemptive strike'' to destroy the thing before it could be brought into play. Unknowing of what means the Eorzeans intended to fight it with, but well resolved in the knowledge that she would not suffer them to face that menace alone, she journeyed to the Hall of Flames to avail her burgeoning magical talent to the Alliance's efforts. And thus came to pass her involvement in Operation: Archon, a rather boring endeavor which saw her standing far from the front lines, raining concentrated blasts of fire down on far-away Garleans by way of indirect fire. <br><br> Returning to Ul'dah after the successful destruction of the Ultimate Weapon and the heralding of the Seventh Astral Era, Chao felt herself adrift. Her entire life since coming to Eorzea had been dedicated to empowering herself and devising technology to destroy the weapon, and yet now she found herself without that clear adversary to test herself against. Returning to her usual haunt in the Quicksand to consider her notes on varying magitek research projects, she found herself attracting some interesting characters. First came an elezen lady curious of what she was reading, prompting a rather fast-paced and aggressive conversation which has Chao convinced that she was being hit upon, ending with a promise by Aeliette to 'discover all her dark secrets.' <br><br> Several days later, she was approached by another elezen who offered thanks to her for the assistance she rendered in attempting to determine whether a wine bottle had been poisoned. Introducing himself as Isaudorel, their conversation was far more agreeable, despite the brief intrusion of a rather rude individual who accused Chao of being of purchaseable companionship. Electing to not dignify that with a response, the conversation soon found its way turning toward their preferred styles of combat, with Chao informing him of her creation of her 'combat mage' style of combat. Intrigued of a method by which one could combine hand-to-hand with magical combat, he requested a spar to allow her to demonstrate her style, to which she agreed, pleased to have the opportunity to test her style in 'real' combat. <br><br> Traveling just outside of Forgotten Springs in the Sagolii Desert, Chao and Isaudorel squared off, observed by a small crowd of interested individuals who either came along from the Quicksand or happened to be passing through. Initiating the duel, Chao used her ''shundo'' to cross the distance separating them before he could react, a rising crescent kick almost finishing the fight in a single blow. Recovering from it, he retaliated with a blizzard spell, which she dispersed with a ''Red Blaze'' fire spell before charging back in to rain strikes at him. With a quick thought, he cast a manawall charged with electricity in an attempt to paralyze her. Though the charged energy knocked her back, she managed to avoid a paralysis and unleashed seven ''Sagitta Magica'' arrows to divert his attention. He answered in kind with a wide-area blizzard spell to destroy them, then began another incantation. To break the barrier, Chao used a floating chunk of ice as a springboard by which to ''shundo'' at him and use the entire force of her body to try and break the barrier. Just as she hit, he completed his incantation, casting a Fire-III directly on himself to catch both of them at once, an effective suicide-bomb attack. <br><br> Blown to the side by the power of the strike, Chao was the first to her feet, laughing at the cleverness of the attack and commending him for its execution. Isaudorel, however, having exhausted his mana to pull that stunt and doing no small amount of harm to himself, ceded the spar at that point. Expressing his wish for a future re-engagement, he returned to Ul'dah--or so she presumed--to get himself some rest and recovery. Afterwards, she was approached by one of the observers, one [[Gunnbjorn Darkblade]] who was very impressed with her style and wished to challenge her himself at some point in the future. With a smirk, she stated that she would always be ready to test her skills out once more. <br><br> A few days beyond that, she found herself approached once more at the Quicksand, this time by a man answering to the name of Lucian Malloy. Speaking at length of idle topics, he soon invited her to a place he liked wherein she could think free of distractions, citing the noise of the Quicksand being a cause of headaches for him. Initially concerned that it may be an ill-fated kidnapping attempt, given the nature of Ul'dah, she felt confident that she would be more than any would-be kidnappers were prepared for, and agreed to accompany him. Following along with his teleport to Costa del Sol, she soon discovered that his motives were no more ill than that of any red-blooded male attempting to woo a female. In further efforts to impress her, he cast a healing circle spell, the radius of which grew with every passing moment. It soon became clear that this spell was too powerful for him to sustain, causing him to become as though intoxicated, making ever more and more ridiculous statements as time went on. He soon passed unconscious from the effects of the significant drain on his aether, but not before he managed to activate a failsafe teleport of some sort that returned the two of them to his free company's homestead in the Goblet. <br><br> At the mansion of the Reclaimers, Chao brought him to rest in an infirmary bed, then wandered the halls to find one of his free company mates to assist him. Atticus Buffalobane and Lena Ulionov appeared from their room, in a particular state that left no doubt in Chao's mind what they had been up to, but she politely refrained from saying anything on the matter. It was swiftly determined that he suffered from aetheric depletion, prompting Lena to head off to procure some ethers to solve the matter. After a few moments, she returned with Rinh Amariyo in tow, while Chao stood to the back of the room and let them see to their comrade. After some good-natured ribbing on their part once Lucian came around, Lena inquired as to Chao's occupation. When the combat mage informed them of her specialty in Garlean magitek, suddenly both Lena and Rinh became very interested in her, the former requesting that she return the next day to look at a piece of Garlean technology that the Reclaimers had "acquired." <br><br> Coming the next day as promised, she was introduced to another associate of the Reclaimers, Popato Tomato, who presented a large Garlean orb and explained that it was an aetheric suppressor and that they wished to find a way to make it smaller and allow it to only suppress aether of unwanted intruders rather than the rightful occupants of the manor. Explaining that miniaturization was her specialty, Chao poked around in the device's innards and, following a demonstration of its effects during which she decided to see what would happen if the aether-absorbing field came into contact with her when her aether was sealed--the device short-circuited--she determined that she could meet all their specifications as long as they procured her a pair of Garlean magitek cores--one in case she made a mistake--with which to install in the machine; the rest she had the tools to do herself. They stated that it would be easy for them to acquire the cores, leaving her time to sketch out her redesign of the smaller device and acquire the parts she would need from the Ironworks. <br><br> It took less than a day for her to complete her sketched redesign and even prototype a few replicas in the Ironworks of the modified device. Waiting to be contacted by the Reclaimers to complete her work for them, she resumed her habit of occupying the Quicksand, spending her time going over her design in exacting detail and ensuring everything would function as she expected it to. As she waited and tinkered with converting one of the miniature prototypes into a working autonomous device, she felt an intense gaze on her, and looked around to find a hyuran woman staring at her. The woman approached, stating aloud that Chao looked familiar to her, which became a shared sensation when the woman drew near enough to get a good look at in the dim lighting of the tavern. When Chao pointed out that she was only commonly found at the Quicksand or in the Ironworks, the woman seated herself and proclaimed that it was from the Ironworks that they were familiar with one another. The woman introduced herself as [[Satomi Hakase]], primarily employed by the airship operations division. Though this introduction was to be brief, as an acquaintance of Satomi soon arrived portending a situation which required the hyur's attention, Chao was left with the feeling that she might begin to work with the Ironworks airship sector a bit more often. <br><br> Even with that chance encounter with a fellow in the spirit of science, she continued to feel further and further adrift and separated from the currents of the realm, left as she was with no strong source of opposition to test herself against. The influx of refugees from Doma, the tension from Ul'dah's rejection of sanctuary of them, and the riots that ensued were not something that she, a purveyor of weapons and therefore a 'merchant of death', cared to involve herself in, as she would neither see her people oppressed nor would she hand out her developing forms of advanced weaponry a nation so rife with corruption. So she continued to spend her days in the city idle, chatting at random with whatever passers-by expressed interest in her, spending fewer and fewer hours contemplating new advancements of magitek or ''Magia Erebia''. One conversation ended with a suggestion that she turn her attention to the Ishgardian war with the dravanian hordes and supply weapons for that battle, but she thought little of the backwards, dogmatic ways of the Holy See and did not see the dravanians as a threat to the other city-states should Ishgard fall. She did, at the least, state that she would give it her consideration, and if nothing else it would be an exercise in retrograding her inventions to withstand both the cold of Coerthas and the searing flames of a dragon's breath.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As she took a meal one evening, the tavern as noisy as ever, her ears picked out of the din a small but overbearing voice aimed in her direction. Turning to see a lalafell staring down her nose at her--an act she'd hitherto thought lalafells physically incapable of--she found herself subjected to a barrage of queries regarding a male miqo'te she had never even heard of. When she said as much, the lalafell half-ranted out a slew of other names, only one of which caught her attention: Satomi Hakase. <br><br> With that mentioned, the short one seemed to take a moment to reevaluate Chao, apparently considering there was more to her than met the eye to be an associate of Satomi's, and thereby deeming her 'worthy' by some arbitrary benchmark. Speaking more at length of this 'Sypher Corinth' she was after, she explained that he owed a not-inconsiderable debt to her, promising an unspecified percentage of it for delivering him or information on his whereabouts. Chao accepted, but money had little to do with it; in truth, she was far more interested in having something to do that would take her out of the city. <br><br> The lalafell, who left only her given name Zoey, informed Chao that Sypher had ties with Vylbrand Academy, which sent the miqo'te to Ul'dah's airship landing for a journey to the island city-state. Some hours were spent querying practically every soul in Limsa Lominsa as to the location of the Academy, but perseverance eventually paid off. Upon entering the nondescript building, which initially appeared to be empty, she followed the sound of voices to a lower level that seemed to house a bar, where she queried if any present knew of Sypher. <br><br> After a brief discussion, she was requested to speak of the matter privately with a miqo'te woman she presumed to be the Academy's master, accompanied by an elezen whose role was not explained but Chao presumed to be the master's second. Once in Kyra's office, she explained the situation as it had transpired in the Quicksand, swiftly becoming confused with the way they seemed to become very tense at someone pursuing this 'Sypher' for a substantial debt. It was now clear to her that she was being manipulated as a pawn in the schemes of the lalafell, a sensation she was none too pleased with. When the elezen asked her to convey to the lalafell a request to come to the Academy and 'discuss' the matter, she readily agreed to do so. <br><br> The following afternoon, Chao returned to the Academy, having been informed by Ser Chevalier that a weapon class was to be given that day. As it turned out, she had mistakenly-assumed that it would be more of a showcase of varying weapons from which she might be able to draw inspiration for her projects, but as it turned out, it was an actual instructional class on the varieties of a specific weapon type, in this case axes. Unwilling to be rude by getting up and walking out in the middle of it, she decided to wait it out and observe. This turned out to be possibly one of her best decisions to date. <br><br> In the midst of the class, who should appear out of the blue but Satomi herself. As it turned out, Vylbrand Academy was the fellow researcher's home away from the Ironworks. After politely waiting out the duration of the class and then exchanging a few words with the Academy master and Ser Chevalier, Satomi invited Chao to her laboratory-cum-room to catch up, along with a lalafell that quickly became apparent to be of significant emotional interest to Satomi. After he left on business, Satomi expressed her concern over the appearances inherent in that relationship, but Chao assured her that she would not judge, with the statement that one will find love wherever their heart desires, and that was all there was to that. <br><br> With that fear settled, the pair discussed the situation involving Sypher and the debt, Satomi expressing her concern that he did not seem to be in that high an amount of debt, and Chao herself finding suspicion that so many at the Academy seemed to have their hackles raised by the entire affair. When Satomi remarked that she would gladly pay off the debt and needed to find the woman, Chao stated that she would be glad to accompany Satomi, both to get her own answers on what the hell she'd been dragged into and to provide martial help should it become necessary, promising her fellow Ironworks researcher that she was not as fragile as she looked. <br><br> Turning their conversation to lighter topics, Satomi eventually discerned that, aside from the Ironworks, Chao had no place to call home other than the Hourglass inn attached to the Quicksand, and near of mandated that Chao avail herself of Satomi's lab as often as she deemed necessary. Though not necessarily wanting to take overmuch advantage of Satomi's hospitality--and that of the Academy, which she was sure did not think too highly of her--the truth was simple in that she was adrift in Ul'dah, and a newer locale nearer to where Satomi hung her proverbial hat would not only allow easier collaboration but might also provide some desperately-needed inspiration. <br><br> And so, returning to Ul'dah, she gathered her meager belongings from the Hourglass and took a day or so to finish up all her activities in the jewel of the desert. Traveling by airship to Limsa, she procured a room at the Mizzenmast for a few days so as not to just show up out of the blue at the Academy like an unwanted relative. On the eve before she decided to make her trip to the Academy, she was met in the Drowning Wench by her erstwhile lalafell 'employer', who explained the ''actual'' purpose of the search for Sypher, that being a murder investigation that was now being considered a self-defense act. <br><br> Chao was willing to let bygones be on the matter for a twofold reason: first, it ''was'' a bit of a mercy on Zoey's part to have him investigated for a debt rather than murder, and secondly, Chao's journey to the Academy enabled her to reconnect with Satomi, an all-around net gain for her. Any ire she may have had about Zoey leading her about in the dark was defused by the lalafellin investigator's sincere apologies. Further, Zoey seemed to sense an utmost trustworthiness in Chao, which took the Doman by surprise, and prompted a departure on good terms, with a note that Zoey might seek her out again for further--and much more transparent, as promised--ventures in the future.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Departed'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao had always considered herself intelligent, and whenever first approached by a new person, especially someone with a thuggish demeanor or appearance, always reminded herself that Eorzea was a realm full of malcontents and kept ready in the back of her mind the fact that the very next person to approach her may subject her to some ill-fated kidnapping attempt, assault, or issue of the like. Heretofore, that had never become an issue, but on the day that she prepared to finally make the sojourn to Vylbrand Academy, it turned out that she was properly paranoid after all. <br><br> The lalafell that approached her side may well have succeeded in the assassination attempt had she not stooped to pick up a dropped utensil at the exact moment the would-be assassin moved to draw his blade. A commendably-strengthed kick, given her less-than-stellar positioning seated on a barstool, launched the smallfolk into a pillar, where he was promptly joined by the stool she had just vacated. With the ambush attempt failed, a roegadyn, a hyur, and a miqo'te joined the fray. It was clear they lacked up-to-date knowledge on her skillset, as defeating them proved to be a far simpler endeavor than she had expected. <br><br> Rifling through their pockets made it clear they were a Garlean hit squad, as if their banter during the unrepentant mugging they suffered had not already made that point. Troubling was that they'd come specifically for her, and that meant she was on Garlemald's radar again. Whether they sought blood for her sabotage of the Ultima Weapon or a return of her knowledge to their fold was unknown, and frankly irrelevant. What mattered was that they would stop at nothing to achieve their goal, and that endangered everyone she associated with. <br><br> Knowing that, she knew that she could not, in good conscience, let the Academy and its occupants be brought to harm because of her, and so decided to instead go into hiding. <br><br> Steeling her resolve, and feeling herself to be facing one of the greatest trials she ever had, she covered herself in a linen cloak and walked the rainy streets of Limsa, heading down to the ferry. She found bitter amusement that it would rain on this day, of all days. The ferry passed uneventfully, dropping Chao off near the Vylbrand Academy. The weather had long since broke, leaving it a cool, slightly clouded night. Keeping her eyes sharp for any signs of pursuit, she made her way toward the Academy, each step feeling heavier than the one before it. <br><br> As she expected, the Academy itself was not vacant. As she neared, she espied Ser Chevallier conversing in one corner of the yard, and fully expected to be stopped as to her business. But, to her surprise, she was allowed to pass into the building without a word, and found no other souls as she made her way to Satomi's lab. Once inside, she located her tome that she had left previously within a few minutes, replacing it with a letter that explained her entire history, that she was now being hunted, and that she was choosing to disappear rather than endanger any others. <br><br> With that heavy task complete, she lamented a moment on what may have been had they had the opportunity to combine their knowledge and skills, then turned and left the Academy, as silent and unremarkable as she had arrived. Tome in hand, she had only to pay a visit to the Ironworks to ensure they were properly warned and destroy her research data before she could complete her disappearing act. <br><br> Upon arrival, she found herself trailed by a particular pair of a roegadyn and a lalafell as she moved about destroying her research data, the two attempting to talk her out of her chosen path. She would have none of it, however, remaining adamant about preventing the Empire from having any extra reasons to express their ire with the Ironworks due to her presence. Eventually relenting, Biggs and Wedge decided to, at the very least, do what they could to help her survival, handing her a completed prototype of one of her very own designs: a powered assault armor. With thanks and a promise to continue moving ever onward, Chao clothed herself in the prototype battlesuit and departed from the Ironworks, closing that chapter of her life as well. <br><br> Traveling to the cliff edge of Silvertear Lake, Chao gazed upon the shattered wreck of the ''Agrius'', musing on whether she would require a power equal to that of the Guardian of the Lake in order to turn back the Empire. As she considered this, she engulfed her tome in flames to forever deny its contents to the Empire. The scuffle of approaching persons drew her attention, but kept her back to them, knowing she could easily beat any Garlean to the draw who had hubris enough to make their approach known. <br><br> To her surprise, it was the voice of Satomi who called out to her, demanding her purpose and threatening violence should she have been responsible for harm to....herself. Clearly, Satomi had mistaken her cloaked form for that of a Garlean assassin. She turned to identify herself properly, bracing for what was surely to be a lengthy attempt to convince her to not fleet into hiding. The sight of Chao unharmed brought the hyuran scientist great relief, and she launched quickly into a narrative of how hectic the last several days had been, in-between dodging Garlean assassins and interrogating captured spies. <br><br> Confused by the explanation, Satomi continued that she had discovered a list of targets that the Garleans were going after, including both of the two researchers. That Satomi herself was targeted explained her being in the company of Kyrrae--beyond the obvious reasons therefore--but the knowledge that the Empire was doing more than just coming after her for revenge changed things. She couldn't very well run away and hide while others were being hunted and killed by the Garleans. Stating as much, she cast aside her cloak, revealing her newly-acquired armor to Kyrrae and Satomi in the process, and swore upon the wreckage of the ''Agrius'' that she would never stop fighting against the Empire. <br><br> With all thoughts of flight now permanently out of the magitek prodigy's mind, Satomi bid they leave the far-too-open expanses of Mor Dhona for a more secure location. Utilizing a quick manipulation of aether, the trio teleported to Kyrrae's personal residence in the Lavender Beds, taking the extra opportunity to speak of the situation before bedding down for the evening.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits II'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Beginning to devise her own scheme for additional security against the Garleans, Chao set out the next morning to set it into motion. Over the course of the next several days, she visited sites of combat with Imperial forces across the realm, scavenging parts from downed vanguards, reapers, colossi, and death claws. After several days of this, she received a linkpearl call from Satomi, sounding highly distressed and requesting her presence at the Academy. Initially fearing that the Garleans had gotten Satomi and were using her to try and draw Chao out, she made haste to Vylbrand and entered Satomi's lab with a gusto normally reserved for breaching an enemy fortified position. <br><br> As it turned out, no such precaution was necessary; the state of Satomi's health being due entirely to stress as a result of a near-death experience on Kyrrae's part while Chao was away. Before much more of the subject could be discussed--though enough was spoken of to cause Chao concern for Satomi's well-being--the hyur was called to socialize with the other members of the Academy. Chao, feeling the need to look after her a while longer, accompanied her downstairs and discovered to her amusement that Satomi was ''bartending'' this social event. Tucking herself out of the way, she observed the gathering as she had always observed every tavern interaction, reminded quite thoroughly of her days spent warming chairs in the Quicksand. These thoughts prompted her to wonder what some of her old acquaintances were now up to. As the afternoon wore on, however, the state of Satomi's health became all the more clear: between a dropped glass and nearly stumbling into Chao while passing out a drink, it was clear she was about to pass out on her feet. After a while, she was convinced to retire and rest for the evening, which she reluctantly agreed to do, with Chao ensuring she made it safely back to her room/lab. <br><br> Once back in the lab, Satomi confided in Chao that she had been feeling increasingly depressed over the last several weeks, stemming from the sequence of events that had seemed to go from bad to worse: Chao's disappearance, the Garlean attacks, drama within the Academy, and finally Kyrrae's near-fatal experience. All these experiences, the scientist reasoned, were a negative consequence of deciding to emotionally open herself, rather than the previously-aloof way she had lived her life. In conclusion, she decided that her best course of action would be to return to that way of life, cutting ties with all who knew her and disappearing. <br><br> The only thing standing between her and freedom was a miqo'te magitek prodigy now prepared to enact violence on her closest friend. <br><br> Tactically and very overtly positioning herself between Satomi and the door, Chao immediately declared Satomi's plan a farce, pointing to her own recent experience with 'pulling a runner' that achieved nothing fruitful other than stress and harm to others' lives. This having no effect on Satomi's scheme, she moved on to directly counter the hyur's assertions that she was of no value to anyone by pointing out the positive effects she had had on the lives of Grundy, Kyrrae, and even herself, that without Satomi's influence one or all three of them may currently be dead. This began to crumble Satomi's emotional facade, but she remained adamant. Chao went for the kill: she pointed out, accurately, that if Satomi left the Academy, then Kyrrae would go looking for her, no matter if he was fully-recovered or not. And what then, Chao posited, would happen if he should run afoul of Garlean assassins while out in his weakened state? <br><br> That destroyed Satomi's resolve to flee, and she broke down and confessed her insecurities to Chao, who promised that no matter what choice Satomi made, she would always have the likes of Grundy, Kyrrae, and Chao to stand by her side.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Project µ'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Having researched, heard the tales of, and occasionally witnessed the grasp of the Allagans' technology in the field of automatons, Chao determined to move her own projects in that direction. Similar to the Garleans' favoring of large robotic minions, Chao also saw the value in a heavily-armored combatant with limits far beyond those of normal sentient beings. As ever, where Garlemald's cultural values leaned toward the largest, most visible and intimidating machine on the field, Chao felt far more could be accomplished with a much more compact form. Thus, with the salvaged parts of the various Garlean robots and her highly-useful talent for miniaturizing existing items, she had begun constructing a humanoid-sized combat frame using her own form as a reference. <br><br> Keeping herself sequestered away in a back corner of Satomi's lab and spending all her waking hours on her work, completing the basic frame of the machine and all its inner workings went very quickly, taking her no longer than a week. With that completed, however, she needed to look to a way of giving life to the machine, and not simply in the form of its source of power. Knowing of the great combat power of the Allagans' automated defense mechanisms, one of their core processors would do the job nicely. The key laid in finding one that had not yet been programmed to murder everything in the name of the Forerunners, one that ''she'' could dictate the development of. She would, of course, also require a mammet heart to give her creation a true semblance of sentience, but that was almost trivial in comparison to acquiring an unprogrammed Allagan defense node core. <br><br> Recalling well that Cid had left the doors of the Ironworks open to her, she returned once more to darken their doors, seeking any knowledge the Ironworks might have on sourcing a core to suit her needs. While they lacked a fresh, unprogrammed one, they had a number of cores recovered from destroyed drones recovered primarily from the battlegrounds of Carteneau Flats that she could use to get a feel for how they functioned, and how she might turn one to her own uses. Along with this, he suggested a number of known magitek part peddlers that she might attempt to source one through, lest she wish to get a shovel and start digging at Carteneau. <br><br> After several fruitless endeavors, she managed to make contact with one Dogberry Himalspyr and met with him in Limsa Lominsa to discuss whether he could acquire the core she required. While he did not have any readily available, at least not of the Allagan variety ''and'' unprogrammed, he mentioned that he was planning to explore an Allagan ruin in the coming weeks and invited her to partake and search for what she was after. Deciding that to work well to her advantage, she agreed to come along on the venture, taking a linkpearl from him so that she might be informed of when it would gather. With that laid out, she returned to Vylbrand Academy to continue tweaking the frame and making adjustments to her combat unit. <br><br> To her surprise, she discovered when she returned that Satomi had already solved the problem of a mammet heart: using her not-inconsiderable personal stores of gil, she had commissioned one from the goldsmiths' guild specifically to suit their needs. With the device delivered, Chao was able to activate her robotic creation, upon which she bestowed the name "Myu" as a phonetic of the Allagan symbol µ that she had used as the project codename. Curiously, though powered, Myu had yet to show signs of life. <br><br> Days passed as Chao and Satomi both puzzled over Myu's reticence to awaken. Nothing ''mechanically'' was wrong, the machine simply just refused to start up. Both knew that such fickleness was common to mammets and other devices powered by their hearts, and so resolved to be patient. They knew that Myu's sensory functions and learning core were online and active, taking in data at a constant rate, and so they operated under the assumption that Myu was studying them.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Into the Depths'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As the week ended, she was contacted regarding the Allagan expedition and asked to arrive at Camp Drybone within several days' time. Satomi, unfortunately, had other business to attend to, but Chao assured her friend that she would be fine to enter the ruin alone, and would bring back a mountain of data, ''and'' the necessary core. Donning her battlesuit and taking a supply of spare crystals for recharging if necessary, she took the airship to Ul'dah and, mindful of the continuing unrest in the city, rode her chocobo to the outer encampment of Drybone. <br><br> By the time she had arrived, most of the rest of the venture had already made it, and so she stood off nearby and ran checks on her armor, ensuring everything was functioning at top form. After the last of the group formed up, they trekked by chocobo across eastern Thanalan, far into the scrubland. They arrived at a large work camp, many of the workers and sellswords within bearing injuries that Chao recognized as being caused by Allagan traps and defenses. Though she pitied those unfortunates, she lacked the skills necessary to heal them. <br><br> As tasked by the expedition funder--or so she assumed since it was never fully explained--the team entered into the ruin, proceeding into an aether-swamped cavern filled with platforms of clearly-Allagan design and corrupted creatures tainted by the presence of so much aether. The vast majority posed no great threat to the party and were swiftly overcome, save for the last creature they encountered: a bio-engineered monstrously-sized snake fitted with Allagan control devices. Far more devious and empowered than the lesser creatures, this beast nearly laid low the expedition, leaving at four of its members unconscious, but at least still breathing. <br><br> Reviving their downed comrades and retreating back to the surface, the group took the time to catch their breath as a follow-on force of mercenaries was sent to secure the first antechamber. It wasn't long before a runner in dire health reported a second chamber further into the ruin, with clearly far worse inhabitants. Leaving the winded Dogberry to rest, his place was taken by the other man behind the expedition, one [[Alexander Stormwind]], and they ventured into the ruin again. <br><br> Within, they found what Chao recognized as an Allagan networking center, the 'brain' behind the defense systems of all their facilities. Met at the entrance by a small node that immediately went on the offense, the group proceeded to systemically clear all the nodes around the network before engaging the ADS itself. After a grueling battle, they finally managed to destroy it. Immediately setting to scavenging it, Chao removed its destroyed processor core to discover a secondary core that had been intended to transfer its data to was left untouched by both the battle and any attempt to download data. <br><br> It was the unprogrammed ADS core that she needed for Myu. <br><br> With the network downed, the party took several minutes to recover. Chao herself took to exploring the network area. Her attention was soon drawn beyond the platforms, to large columns of smoke she saw rising from other such clusters of platforms. It took only a few moments of observation--and the sight of moving machinery--to realize she was staring at a Foundry, a place where the Allagans ''built'' their machines. <br><br> This place would definitely merit returning to. <br><br> Returning to the surface, she took a moment to inspect her prize, which Stormwind swiftly demanded she hand over for proper cataloging and storage. Unwilling to part with that which she had come for, and needed to bring Myu to her ideal of full combat readiness, she pointed out that she had been brought on this expedition to acquire this very part, which Dogberry attempted to intercede on her behalf over. Stormwind was adamant, however, refusing to pay for a half-completed venture, even as Dogberry himself pointed out that she still was perfectly willing to press on despite getting what she had come for. At this point, recognizing that there would be no way to have things her way without resorting to violence, Chao ceded for the time, shoving the core into the hands of a passing worker and immediately stonewalled the rest of the raid. <br><br> Within minutes, a new chamber was found, this one seeming more confusing than threatening. Upon the party's arrival to the chamber in question, the reason became immediately apparent: a deep chamber running for over three hundred yalms straight down with the entire center section either lost to time or purposely omitted. The only way to move from section to section was by use of transporter pads dotted around the chamber that would propel an individual across a gap to a connected pad. How the pads were linked, and by what means an individual was propelled and then safely landed was a mystery to Chao, having never before heard of such devices in her studies of the Allagans. <br><br> And the place was full of creatures of Allagan creation, genetically-engineered beasts that harried the party at every turn. Despite attempts to the contrary, the nature of the place and the continuous assaults from every direction swiftly saw the party largely separated, Chao herself winding up alongside one of the group's healers, [[Mikh'a Korofi]]. Knowing that they were better served to run than try to fight, Chao deployed her funnel in an attempt to clear a path and ward off any pursuers, but the largely-untested nature of the drone meant that its effectiveness was, at best, negligible. After a grueling struggle, and no small amount of paths being cleared by the other groups, Chao and Mikh'a eventually escaped through an Allagan teleportation device, winding up back on the surface. <br><br> By ones and twos, the others soon returned, until only one had yet to show up. The elezen bladeswoman, [[Menelwen Veara]], remained unaccounted for within the ruin. As the minutes stretched on, the group grew increasingly frantic, eventually culminating in nearly a re-entry into the deathtrap, until Menelwen reappeared at high velocity, nearly bowling over the lalafell warrior in the process. As it turned out, she had become separated when she took it upon herself to draw away a pack of monsters, barely escaping with her life. <br><br> Sensing that the mystery objective of the expedition was near, Stormwind once more stepped forward to take part in the operation, allowing Menelwen the time to rest and recover from her harrowing ordeal. Clearing the central transport center apparently unlocked some sort of mechanism, revealing a lift at its entrance that allowed them to bypass it. Taking the lift down, the group was soon accosted by Allagan clockwork defenses, lesser in the hierarchy of the Allagans' nasties, to be sure, but they were part of the basis for Project µ for a reason. With determination and grit, the group steadily overcame them and Chao, no more immune to pride than any other, tore the processor from the still-fighting final dreadnaught and rode its smoking carcass to the ground, remarking on how Myu would soon surpass the Allagans' wildest dreams. <br><br> With the lift guardians defeated, the remainder of the journey passed in tense silence. Chao took the opportunity to recharge her armor from her stock of crystals and center herself for whatever was to come. When the doors opened, she did not consider herself prepared enough. <br><br> There, standing before them, was the Ultimate Weapon. Or rather, a seemingly-mass-produced knockoff of the very self-same weapon of mass destruction that had been employed by Garlemald. Given that it had originally been created by the Allagans to control and contain the primals, she realized she should not be surprised to find more than one in existence. Meanwhile, Stormwind seemed to lose his mind in that way that scientists were capable of; it was something she was familiar with not only from herself but from Satomi as well. So that was what it looked like, she mused. Still, and all, the thing had become active in their presence, and now had to be put down. <br><br> Engaging in battle, Chao couldn't help but feel a thrill as she alternated between the use of her Doman martial style and the magicks she had trained on for nearly a year now; she had missed her chance to take down the Ultimate Weapon, and here again was a second chance to see what that had felt like. And through the ravages of time, combined with the skill of the expedition she was in, they steadily dismantled the monster, forcing it to use increasingly more desperate tactics to ward them off. When it deployed a series of magitek bits, as she suspected it might, she wasted no chance, diving one to the ground and prying open its casing even as it tried to blast her with lasers. From her own experience with working with the Ultimate Weapon and all she had learned in the construction of 'Dummy', she was able to alter its targeting processes to turn it against the Allagan superweapon. <br><br> Before long, the monstrous device lay in ruins at their feet. Returning to the surface, Stormwind swiftly dispatched all the mercenaries and workers to that deepest of chambers, ordering the entire thing dismantled and brought back to the surface. Chao half-listened as he explained to the other members of the expedition that the Order of the Raven's Eye had come seeking that very superweapon, intent on using its technology to create a means to better combat the primal threat. Over the course of the discussion, she learned from the lalafell warrior that the Syndicate were also after another such weapon, a monstrosity hidden below the Carteneau Flats called the ''Omega'' Weapon. The revelation filled her with disgust, to know that those vile, amoral sycophants concerned only with their own wealth would seek a power of that magnitude. She could almost foresee conflict in her future with those fools. <br><br> With many of the expedition dispersing, Stormwind turned his attention to Chao, fetching a worker to acquire the core she had found earlier, now more than pleased to hand over the device to her since he had found what he was looking for. As for what the Order was up to, she agreed with their ideal to protect the realm from the primals, but swore that if she caught wind of whatever they created being used for oppression, she'd destroy it herself. Stormwind actually seemed pleased with that vow, and promised himself that he would be careful in guiding their creation's use. <br><br> ADS core in hand, Chao returned to Vylbrand once more, looking forward to the day when Myu would achieve her full combat potential.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Might and Magic'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Back at the Academy, Chao secured the ADS core and stashed it away amidst the mass of other research materials Satomi kept in her lab, where it would remain until Chao judged it was time to install into Myu's processor. In the meantime, she spent several days repairing her armor and working on upgrades to her funnel. In the midst of one such repair session, taken on a couch to the side of the Academy's entrance so as to be out of the way, Chao was discovered by Zooey. After a brief discussion, during which Chao remarked on how she felt herself the nuisance stray at the Academy, the investigator took it upon herself to begin dissolving this notion, demanding Chao to step away from the couch even as she called out, rather loudly, for all nearby members of the group to gather around. This having happened while her funnel was fully-disassembled, and she didn't want to leave such sensitive material unattended for even such a brief time, she found herself getting to meet several of the Academy's occupants while carrying an armful of funnel parts. Of the half-dozen individuals present, all welcomed her warmly into their midst, several even offering her crash space in their residences if it was necessary. <br><br> Even with that welcome extended, she still couldn't shake the inescapable sensation of being an outsider looking in, and so maintained the excuse of working on her projects to remain out of everyone's way. Over the course of several days, she began working on a means to have weapons and gear on-hand any time it was necessary without being overly encumbered. Using the existing knowledge of aetheryte teleportation, she imbued each of the key components of her battlesuit with a unique aetheric signature that she then tied to an Allagan magic focus ring recovered from the ruin she had explored. When successfully tested, she could now go about in everyday attire without having to fear being caught by assassins without her armor. <br><br> Learning of an upcoming festival of science and magic to be hosted by the Academy, she decided to partake of this event, seeing it as an opportunity to showcase the arms she was developing for the realm. That is, until she saw the rules forbidding weapons and dangerous magic, which automatically disqualified nearly all of her work. While she ''could'' have used Myu as her demonstrator, she was not willing to reveal the existence of a humanoid combat robot yet. After a day or so to ponder it, she realized that there ''was'' something she could safely demonstrate: her theory of provisional contract. <br><br> So she recollected her since-destroyed research on the matter, acquired a new showy coat in the Allagan fashion, and waited until the day of the festival. Shortly before it was to begin, in order to settle her restlessness, she took her funnel outside and tested several of its settings on the target dummy outside. Her initial test of nonlethal settings at extremely limited power nearly resulted in the thing shooting ''her'', but on subsequent tests after being very specific on what, precisely, to shoot at, she noted that even at minimum power, the nonlethal setting possessed enough energy and impact to potentially stun victims and destroy clothing and equipment. A further test on the lethal setting at half power completely obliterated the target dummy. Leaving herself a mental reminder to either replace or pay to replace the target dummy, she headed inside to partake in the presentation portion of the festival. <br><br> Having been selected to go first, she took the stage and presented her theory of what she was taking to refer to as ''pactio'': that through the use of a specifically-designed magic circle, an individual proficient in magic could create a bond of partnership--a provisional contract--with another person that would allow the mage to imbue the partner with their own aether to increase their attributes. To demonstrate, she called forth [[Nebula Stardancer|two]] [[Sabirr Loreley|volunteers]] from the audience and cast the magic circle on the stage. She explained the basics of the contract, that it was formed by an exchange of bodily fluids; a blood pact would suffice for the matter, but if the two parties were not amenable to that, even something as simple as a kiss would do the job. The two volunteers decided on the latter, and in a flash of magic and light, Chao's theory was proven to be truthful: the successfully-created provisional contract validated by the presence of a tarot-like card bearing the likeness and several details of Nebula. <br><br> After a short session to answer questions, Chao stepped down to observe the rest of the presentations. One concerning the use of aether to reduce fatigue on mechanical systems drew her close inspection for obvious reasons. Last of the presentations was from Satomi, creating a rather fitting set of book ends to the whole affair in Chao's opinion. Her friend and partner in crime showcased a combat-purposed mammet that she had built in the likeness of Grundy. While Chao had known that Satomi had been working on such a thing in tandem with Chao's own work on Myu, she hadn't realized that Satomi's machine had reached the prototype and test phase. When a request for volunteers to face the mammet in mock combat came, Chao stepped forward to test her friend's creation herself, but was beaten to the punch by an Academy local, [[O'rahn Kevelan]]. In the long run, that was probably the better choice, as Chao would have held nothing back in the interest of giving it a proper combat test, and they may have wound up making a mess that way. There were a few glitches in the test, but overall, Satomi's showcase was successful. <br><br> Unfortunately, the machine was soon destroyed by the ''real'' Grundy, who mistook it for an enemy accosting Satomi and shattered it in a single blow. <br><br> Without waiting to be asked to help, Chao retrieved a rolling cart and began to load the parts of the mammet into it, along with the assistance of several others. While Satomi went off to take a walk in order to keep her wits about her regarding the matter, Chao held a brief discussion with Academy resident Imogene about Project µ, remarking on how devastated she would be if something similar happened to Myu as had happened to Satomi's machine. Describing in general the technological achievements that Myu represented, Chao left the other woman quite astounded at the level of complexity in comparison between Myu and the mammet Satomi had built. The difference laid in their purpose: Satomi's machine had been intended solely for combat, and not with the level of sophistication Chao had attempted, while Myu was built to not only have astounding combat capabilities but also to be able to pass herself off as a living, breathing individual. <br><br> After bringing the cart of destroyed mammet parts to Satomi's lab, and with the scientist herself still out of the Academy, Chao spent several hours sitting and talking to Myu, telling the sleeping android of her dreams and hopes for the future, a world where people could live free of the fear of oppression, both from external and internal threats. While Chao had spent some time each day since activating Myu speaking to her in such a manner, this day was markedly different in both the time she spent doing so and the nature of her conversation topic: philosophical and whimsical rather than scientific and factual. <br><br> Days later, just when Chao had begun to let the ever-present concern of Garlemald recede from the forefront of her mind, another stark reminder made itself known. While in the front of the Academy practicing her martial arts, she watched several members of the Academy carry a gravely-wounded person inside. Curiously, she followed them within and stood outside the infirmary--knowing her lack of any knowledge of practical or magical healing arts would see her only getting in the way--and listened as Satomi treated the poor woman, who had been captured and tortured by Garlean agents, operating out of a hidden camp located somewhere on the island of Vylbrand. That was greatly troubling news. <br><br> Eventually, Satomi treated the worst of the woman's injuries, though time would tell if she healed properly. The hyuran scientist headed away to recover and clean herself after the messy procedure, and just minutes later, an elezen woman arrived with a package of supplies for someone in the Academy. Having been nearby, Chao looked within and, finding all manner of alchemy supplies, assumed it was meant for Satomi, and so showed the delivery woman to the lab. Inside, as they waited for Satomi, they struck up a brief conversation, with the elezen--an Ishgardian expatriot, so she revealed--speaking of her interest in technology and weapons, particularly of Garlean origin, to be put to use against the dravanians in Ishgard's long war. Chao warned the elezen that if she had made a habit of pillaging equipment and technology from Garlemald, that she need be alert to the fact that she may have put herself on the very same hit list occupied by Chao and Satomi themselves. <br><br> In the midst of this discussion, Satomi returned to the lab and, confused at the elezen's presence, made clear in an unusually-curt manner that she had scheduled no such delivery. The elezen woman was not troubled, merely collecting the package to be returned to the guild from whence it came. Chao, suddenly and alarmingly realizing that the entire thing may have been a setup, surreptitiously scanned its contents for any sort of Garlean tracking devices--or explosives--but thankfully found none. With the elezen gone, she apologized to Satomi for being the source of the confusion. Satomi, for her part, apologized for being so short-tempered, which Chao understood perfectly when explained that the woman convalescing in the infirmary was one of Satomi's friends. <br><br> Even despite knowing that was what was weighing so heavily on her friend's mind, Chao remained insistent on her apology for causing Satomi additional headache and usurping as much of her lab as she did. Satomi brushed the thought aside, knowing that Chao had only been intending to help her, and further remarking that Chao need not concern how much time and space she required for her "beautiful project." At this, Chao smiled, and mused aloud that perhaps they might coax Myu to awaken by installing the ADS core ahead of schedule, despite the inherent danger that might come of the Allagan base programming overtaking Myu's functions and turning her into a sentient killing machine. Satomi suggested that a backup mammet core be used to store Myu's existing data on, and then use the aetheroelectric security field in her lab to contain Myu within until they determined it safe. It was a sound plan, and so the scientists agreed to take that step the next day, allowing them time to rest and come at it refreshed. <br><br> Moving to rest in the room's seating area, Chao remembered the armory ring and micro-teleportation device she'd created, demonstrating it to Satomi by calling her battlesuit, hitherto stored in an armoire, onto her person, replacing the general-purpose work and research attire she'd been wearing. Leaving her fellow researcher quite stunned, Chao briefly explained the setup, and then handed Satomi an armory ring of her own that Chao had made for her, to ensure that neither of them would ever be caught unarmed and unprepared by Garlean assassins. Afterward, with the call of sleep tugging at both of them, they each took up occupancy on a separate couch--with Satomi explaining that she found normal beds difficult to sleep on--and rested up for whatever the next day may bring.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Logical Ideologist'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">The next afternoon, Chao decided that the time had come to take that gamble. With Satomi away on business, regrettably, she performed the necessary prerequisite steps herself: creating a backup of Myu's data to that point and moving her into the zone of the aetheric field. This latter was a difficult task with Chao by herself; given her metal construction, Myu easily massed twice Chao's own weight. Once she was positioned, however, Chao retrieved the ADS core and, observed only by the myriad of diagnostic and sensory equipment in Satomi's lab, plugged it into Myu's processor, then stepped away and brought the security field online. <br><br> The elation that filled Chao's heart when Myu opened her eyes for that first time was immeasurable, as was the terror that seized her when Myu lifted her hand and aimed her palm-located Allagan laser in Chao's direction. Despite the grave and imminent threat to her very life, Chao stood her ground, determined not to show fear to Myu; not out of an animalistic sense of establishing dominance, but that she had ''faith'' in the being she had breathed life into. For several long and terrifying moments, she watched the color spectrum shift in Myu's eyes, from their natural blue to a blood-evoking crimson likely caused by the Allagan programming. Finally, Myu gained control over the Allagan processes--quarantining them as she later explained to Chao--and greeted her maker. <br><br> Lowering the aetheric field, Chao wasted no time in welcoming Myu to the world, speaking at length with her about her start-up process, the data she had created thus far, and a brief explanation of what it meant that Chao was extremely proud of her. Knowing that she had spent all her time since coming online cooped up inside the lab, Chao took Myu outside the Academy, giving her the first taste of the outside world. It was here, when Myu questioned what caused the plants to sway and the mist of a nearby fountain to move, that Chao realized she'd ommitted installing a tactile sensory function in Myu, something she quickly brought the android back inside to rectify. <br><br> The next day, Myu was introduced to Satomi and the scientists began to measure the robotic girl's capabilities and functions. As the day progressed and grew into the evening, a rapport was quickly established, but it was noted--by Chao if not by Satomi--that Myu clearly held Chao in far higher regard, being the only one of the two that she referred to as master. She still regarded Satomi as an individual high on her protection list, however, as evidenced when she nearly came to violence against another member of the Academy who happened to make teasing remarks at Satomi in Myu's presence. <br><br> Between the defensive knowledge gleaned from the Allagan core, Chao's own mastery of Doman martial arts, and the library of materials available to study at the Academy, it didn't take long for them to discover the incredible combat potential of Myu, easily the equivalent of at least a company's worth of normal soldiers and adventurers. As she was not a living being, she was not capable of manipulating aether in any form, but Chao reasoned that between herself and Satomi, they could make a technological combat system that could perform similar effects; after all, if Garlemald could theorize it, the two of them could make it reality in less than a moon. Because of this lack of aetherial ability, Myu took to following in Chao's footsteps, adopting unarmed martial combat as her primary method of battle. <br><br> It was fortunate that the scientists put so much work into developing Myu's combat abilities, as their greatest trial yet was soon to come.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Nightshade'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As the trio cataloged and practiced combat skills with Myu one evening a short distance from the Academy, they were beset by yet another Garlean assassination squad, this one comprised of two highlanders, a miqo'te, and even a vanguard for support. Chao wasted no time in going on the offensive, engaging the axe-wielding highlander she perceived to be the leader in order to create an opening to allow Satomi and Myu to escape. This endeavor proved to be futile, however, as the other Garleans engaged the two in equal measure. While Satomi's adversary caused her a great deal of trouble due to the scientist not being suited for direct combat, Myu and Chao initially fared better against their foes. The miqo'te shinobi quickly ascertained Myu's artificial nature from her speech patterns and having managed to drive a blade into her right shoulder--barely penetrating her armor plating--and attempted to taunt her, referring to her as a useless puppet. Myu was having none of it, however, and simply grabbed her foe before striking him down with her Allagan laser. <br><br> As this was going on, Chao stayed in close with her opponent, preventing him from getting the full use out of his augmented axe. The Garlean then ordered in the vanguard for support, and knowing the kind of damage those things could cause, Chao slipped past him to engage and destroy the oversized magitek. This turned out to be a ruse on the enemy's part, for as soon as she got within reach, it unleashed a full broadside of all of its frontal attacks. The shielding and material construction of her armor protected her from truly devastating damage, but the attack was still enough to knock her away, stunning her momentarily. In that moment of inattention as Myu looked toward her maker, the dying shinobi stuck an adhesive explosive device to her frame, intent on ensuring she went out with him. Unperturbed, she merely tore the device from herself, taking some of her synthetic covering with it, and threw the now-dead shinobi's corpse over the device to smother some of the blast. The resultant shockwave from the powerful explosion caused a large amount of damage to Myu, who positioned herself to intercept the shockwave so it wouldn't harm Chao. <br><br> The Garlean axeman, mortally wounded by the blast, directed the vanguard into the center of the trio--Satomi now attempting emergency field repairs on Myu after having driven off her opponent a short time before--and armed its self-destruct system. Before it could reach them, however, it was struck numerous times by electrically-charged arrows from an intervening ally, the very same blacksmith guild representative that Chao had spoken to some days prior. The charges of the arrows short-circuited the machine, bringing it crashing harmlessly to the ground just short of them. The threat, it seemed, had been overcome. <br><br> That was when a new adversary revealed himself, a highly-skilled and chemically-modified shinobi wielding Allagan blades with a cutting laser's edge. Chao, back on her feet again, moved to engage him immediately, but to her surprise, he read her ''shundo'' perfectly and executed one of his own to avoid her attack, leaving behind a number of outward-aimed blades at the last minute for her to careen into, each of them coated with liquid ceruleum. As with the vanguard, her armor deflected most of the blades, but two got through her defenses and released their deadly poisons into her body. At the other end of his ''shundo'', the enemy Garlean directed an overwhelming electrical charge at Myu, overloading and shutting down her systems. Nadine, the archer-blacksmith, struck the man's helm with a trick arrow loaded with a powerful explosive as he was attacking Myu, and in response, he threw the headgear toward Satomi and made to attack the archer. <br><br> Chao knocked the ticking time-bomb away from her compatriot with a ''sagitta magica'', then immediately leapt to Nadine's defense, wreathing herself in fire as she came down in a kick over the elezen's head. The Garlean intercepted her strike, absorbing the very aether she released in her attack into himself in a manner identical to that of the Ultimate Weapon. Without giving the magitek prodigy time to react, he grabbed her by the foot and hurled her toward Satomi, who was still trying to restore some combat ability to Myu, the impact rendering the hyuran scientist unconscious. <br><br> By now coming to the conclusion that this enemy had a clear counter to everything she could do, she called on desperation. She rushed him again as he catapulted Nadine back into the Vylbrand Academy's wall, grappling him and ordering her funnel to fire on him at maximum power and lethality, even if it meant firing through herself to do so. This broke the man's superior air, and he desperately began striking and kicking at Chao to dislodge her grip, eventually succeeding after delivering a crushing strike to her chest that crumpled her armor and broke several ribs, and several kicks to her left leg that broke the limb. She fell away, but the man did not have time to avoid the laser strike from her funnel, which overloaded and brought his battle armor's protection down. Seeing him in that weakened state, she drew the Garlean pistol she kept on herself at all times, aiming and firing at his chest. He initially derided her when he saw the weapon, unaware of the size of the slug it fired, and was very nearly killed by the impact. <br><br> Cursing Chao's name, the Garlean fled, leaving Chao to finally succumb to her injuries, and leaving behind one hell of a scene of carnage for the occupants of the Academy to discover.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Phantasmagoria'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">With the close proximity of the engagement to Vylbrand Academy, it took little time at all for its occupants to find and recover the wounded, safely ensconcing Chao and Satomi within the infirmary, and Myu and her disparate parts in the lab. Satomi quickly recovered from her light injuries, whereupon it was discovered that Chao had fallen into a coma. Against the recommendations of [[Rurujua Xoxojua|Rurujua]], Satomi began to assist the lalafellin medic in tending to her friend. In only a few hours, the ceruleum poisoning was cleared from her system, but she remained unresponsive and unconscious. However, she occasionally manifested highly-alarming, sudden expulsions of blood and signs of severe physical trauma, the source of which was a complete mystery to either scholar. What they did know, however, was that the erratic and random manifestation of the symptoms meant that she needed constant monitoring to heal her as necessary. Again, despite protests from Rurujua, Satomi burdened herself with this task, citing that she owed it to her fellow magitek prodigy. <br><br> Unbeknownst to the two, Chao was trapped within the dreamscape of her mind, called Phantasmagoria, where she was forced to uncover the true nature behind ''Magia Erebia''. At every turn, she was beset by a manifestation of her subconscious that shifted and altered its form willingly between everyone she had ever met. Referring to this creature as The Other, she fought it countless times, but was defeated and slain in every instance. Yet, in Phantasmagoria, she was unable to die, constantly revived following every fall. As the hours progressed, and The Other used more and more of the people from her memories against her, the more Phantasmagoria came to resemble a conflated amalgamation of several cities she had resided in: her home in Doma, Castrum Meridianum, Limsa Lominsa, and Ul'dah. <br><br> Eventually, Chao came to the realization that she could take advantage of the fact that they were within her dreaming mind to will all of her technological notions into 'reality' and use them to her advantage. Thus, in this way, she momentarily seized the upper hand by summoning four of her funnels and an aetheric energy sword to defend herself, driving The Other back until it form-shifted into Nero tol Scaeva. Utilizing her speed to her advantage, she avoided a fatal strike from the magitek warhammer and moved to capitalize on the overextended shade of the Garlean, whereupon it changed form into a full impersonation of Satomi. This took Chao off-guard, causing her to purposefully miss her strike, and leaving herself vulnerable to a fatal shot from the shadowy being. <br><br> After several more encounters, she happened upon a lucky break, succeeding in casting a sleep spell on The Other while it was in the guise of Grundy, allowing her to escape across the mindscape of her city. Taking shelter, she was met by one of the last things she expected to find in Phantasmagoria: a manifestation of the primal Ifrit. Speaking cryptically of how her soul had been tainted by fire, the primal made abundantly clear its desire to add her to its host of enthralled servants. Chao, confident in the manifestation's inability to temper or even truly harm her within Phantasmagoria, casually dismissed Ifrit's words, leaving no uncertainty of her opinion on the primal's intelligence--or the lack thereof. Infuriated by her irreverence, the primal remarked that it had already dispatched its Tempered after her, and manipulated the Phantasmagoria to show her an image of Vylbrand Academy in flames, many of its occupants killed, and several key others being led away to be tempered, all in the name of capturing her. Enraged by this clear and obvious threat against those she held important, she willed the pinnacle ideal of her battlesuit technology onto her being and struck the manifestation down with an immensely-powerful attack of combined ''ki'' and aether. <br><br> Within only moments, The Other was upon her again, this time engaging her in the form of her long lost cousin, a master martial artist. Declaring that they were finally fighting on equal terms, The Other drew forth Chao's envisioning of the Garlean razing of Doma to remind her of her most base motives: to gain power to take revenge against the Garlean Empire. But that strength alone would not be sufficient, it remarked as it struck a crushing blow and then shifted form into that of Zoey, preparing an immense ice spell to finish Chao for good and end her effort to discern the truth of ''Magia Erebia''. <br><br> It was as she was falling that Chao finally understood, remembering the words that she had been told by her friends and compatriots: ''Magia Erebia'' was, at its base, the power to accept things for the way they were and draw them into oneself. With this newfound knowledge, Chao was able to fully absorb the entire power of The Other's spell into herself and use it for empowerment. Pleased at her successes, The Other shifted one final time and challenged her to show her results.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''A Reclaimer Reborn'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Awakening from her coma, Chao found herself alone in the Vylbrand infirmary. Moving slowly, her legs unsteady after so many days of misuse, she made her way out into the foyer, pausing at the window to look outside. To her relief, nothing was on fire and there were no Amalj'aa standards decorating the yard, but the building was still a bit too quiet for her comfort. Convincing herself that everyone was simply away on business, she made her way to Satomi's lab, finding that her friend had begun repair work on Myu during her unconsciousness. As per the norm for Chao, she thought little of her own self and immediately located some tools to check on Satomi's repair work and continue the progress herself. <br><br> After judging that Myu was repaired extremely-well by Satomi's hand--testament to how well the two worked together--Chao determined that she must leave the Academy, again, lest Ifrit's pursuit of her put the occupants in danger. Sharing this conclusion with Myu, who swore that she would show no mercy to any eikon that sought to harm her master, the pair set out immediately. Their first stop was the Garlond Ironworks, where Chao would hand in her damaged prototype armor and receive the field-ready Mark-I combat infiltrator armor, and a series of complaints on her treatment of the prototype from the armormaster. She also requested a specially-modified armor for Myu--taking into account such facts that she did not need an independent power source for her armor--that would take some few days to fabricate, and require Myu to spend most of that time with the Materials Division so as to properly generate a new set of armor. Chao took advantage of the forced downtime to machine herself a new weapon that would not interfere with her preferred fighting style but also give her the extra force necessary to penetrate armor. After three days, she devised a weapon which could be worn as a bangle that extends into a gauntlet housing a gun chamber. <br><br> Thus equipped, miqo'te and machine set out for the desert.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''To Face the Inferno'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Arriving by airship back in Ul'dah, Chao secured an inn room for the pair from which to conduct their hunt. Deciding it best that Myu remain out of sight and attempt to use her aetheric sensors to search for potential summoning locations, Chao proceeded to the Hall of Flames to alert Commander Swift that a summoning was either imminent or had already occurred, and to seek assistance in tracking down and slaying the primal. Though thankful for the warning, the commander could not spare any forces on what seemed little more than a wild chocobo chase. Nonplussed, Chao returned to Myu with the poor news and decided to set out searching on their own, stopping to question any Flames forces or adventurers they found along the way. <br><br> Scouring the Sagolii Desert for days with almost no time for rest, the pair went well out of their way to make their presence known to the Amalj’aa so that any raiding parties that might already have been dispatched to Vylbrand would be recalled, thereby sparing the Academy. Despite this, they were unable to locate the site of the ritual until the actual summoning took place, the resultant surge of aether appearing as a beacon to Myu’s sensors and Chao’s visor. <br><br> The two immediately made for the location of the new Bowl of Embers, with Chao activating her aetheric seal en route. As they neared, the beastmen did nothing to impede their progress, commanded by their primal god to let Chao and Myu pass. After a brief exchange of banter, Ifrit--as predicted--immediately used his tempering breath to bend the pair to his servitude. The effort was wasted; Myu protected by her machine nature, and Chao’s sealed aether not allowing the eikon’s overpowering aether to affect her. <br><br> The battle then began in earnest, the speed and agility of the two miqo’te allowing them to avoid the worst of the primal’s attacks. Those few telling blows that would have done severe damage were largely intercepted by Myu, her composite Allagan/Garlean metal frame unyielding to Ifrit’s claws and flames. All the while, as Chao led the primal around the flame-ringed arena, she discreetly applied her ''Magia Erebia'' spell circle via the aetheric stencils in her forearm plate armor. <br><br> When Ifrit called forth his infernal nail, both miqo’te ignored it per their previously-established strategy to allow Chao to absorb the maximum amount of aether. Shortly thereafter, the moment of truth came: Ifrit began to cast Hellfire. As Myu shielded herself in a magitek field--just in case--Chao activated her ''Magia Erebia'' and met the attack head-on. <br><br> Against all odds, she successfully absorbed the aether into herself, skyrocketing her attack power, but she knew such volatile aether could not be contained for long. Lifting her hand to the skies, she discharged much of it into a luminous aetheric beam called down upon Ifrit, but the primal was far from finished. <br><br> Enraged by her turning his own power against him, Ifrit set upon Chao in earnest, relentlessly assaulting her even to the point of ignoring Myu’s punishing attacks against him. With little other alternative, Chao shielded herself and prepared to expend all the aether she could in a last-ditch effort to down the primal. <br><br> Just before her shield broke, however, a massive wall of metal and muscle struck Ifrit from the side, knocking the eikon away. The towering interloper was none other than Grundy, there along with Satomi, who had tracked Chao and Myu all the way from Vylbrand. Expressing her mild annoyance with Chao’s tendency to run off and do things on her own, Satomi directed Grundy to ‘break’ the primal. With the combined power of the quartet, the already-weakened Ifrit was dispatched with little fanfare. Upon his defeat, Chao used her ''Magia Erebia'' once again, absorbing the dispersing aether into herself. Though unaware of it at the time, this consumption of Ifrit’s living aether--rather than merely an offensive form--would have a permanent affect on her, for both good and ill. <br><br> With the primal threat dealt with--though no one held any illusion that it was any less a temporary measure than any other time Ifrit had fallen--Satomi advocated a return to Vylbrand. Myu, expressing her growing independent will, agreed with the hyur, ‘assisting’ Chao back to the airship landing in Ul’dah and on toward the Academy.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits III'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Back at Vylbrand Academy, Chao took a day to recover from the ordeal, spending it in rest under the watchful eye of Myu, ensuring that she rested. As this was going on, Satomi was meeting with the Academy mistress, Kyra, concerning Chao's future. Pointing out the three separation occasions on which the magitek engineer had acted on her own to head off potential disaster to the Academy, two of which at great threat to her own safety, Satomi advocated that Chao's 'temporary' stay become a more continuing affair. The headmistress agreed that Chao had done more for the Academy than could be expected of someone not truly affiliated with them, and in light of the knowledge that Satomi would soon be dedicating all her time to an Ironworks airship project, decided that the time had come to properly bring Chao into the fold. <br><br> The following day, Kyra met with Chao to offer a position in the Academy's research and development sector. Finding no real reason not to, Chao accepted the offer. It didn't take long for her to get thrown headfirst into the Academy's own affairs, finding herself square in the middle of an ongoing conflict against four powerful archfiends and their legions of cultists and other allies. Though not understanding the background of the conflict, she nonetheless dedicated herself faithfully to standing with her new compatriots in their efforts to protect the realm. <br><br> At the same time, she continued her own technological developments, making plans for a complete overhaul of Myu's frame to the newly-developed Garlond steel, along with more adjustments to her own armor, and conceptualizing a new armor system to protect against magic attacks. It was in the process of the first field test of this latter that she chanced to converse with two other members of the Academy, who happened to be nearby to observe the failure of her test. Over the course of speaking to Set Kattalakis and Senel Curtis, she agreed to redesign and streamline Set's magitek prosthesis, as well as provide what non-powered upgrades she could to Senel's gear in exchange for providing her with a steady source of raw materials to work with.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Misriah'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">With a more permanent station and the beginning of delving more deeply into her military technology, Chao knew that the time of her inevitable parting with the Garlond Ironworks was at hand. After all, the Ironworks developed magitek for the betterment of the realm, and Chao's strengths lay in the field of weapons of war. And so, meeting with Cid at the Ironworks' encampment at Camp Cloudtop, she informed him of her decision to part ways and begin her own company. Cid wished her well in her ventures, understanding that it would be through both weapons like hers and peaceful endeavors like his that prosperity would truly come to the realm. <br><br> As per her arrangement with Set, in exchange for developing a new prosthetic, Chao received a considerable stipend and the backing of Set's import/export business. This allowed Chao to hire several of her former coworkers in the Ironworks' Weapons Division and acquire the means of producing aetherochemical metals and fiberweave, as well as the recipe for Garlond Steel. With all this in hand, she was able to initiate her new company: Misriah Armory. She immediately set about work on a new ambitious project: variants of her powered armor for the vetted members of Vylbrand Academy--its "Heroes" society, which she had joined only a short while ago. Top of the list was a set of powered assault armor for Grundy, partly as a means of repayment for saving her from Ifrit, partly because he was in sore need of an armor upgrade. <br><br> Dark clouds soon began to gather on the horizon, however. Through having absorbed the primal's living aether into herself, she unwittingly allowed a fragment of its thoughts to take up residence in her mind. Two weeks following her confrontation, she first began to hear the whispers of the Lord of the Inferno in the back of her mind, pressing her to violence and destruction. Through her will, and the lack of any active enemies at the moment, she kept him at bay with some ease, but the eikon was nothing if not persistent, relenting only when she slept. On top of this, word came a moon later of a raid on the Ironworks' team working out in the Sea of Clouds by a band of sky pirates. Satomi, who had been out investigating sightings of a monstrous airship that would soon come to be known as the Void Ark, went missing, presumed dead at the hands of the brigands. <br><br> Grief-stricken at the loss of her close friend, Chao blamed herself for Satomi's death, both for not having been there at her side, and for not even providing her a set of powered armor that surely--she believed--could have saved the hyur's life. The culmination of these events sewed the seeds for one of her darkest times.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Cost'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao began to work tirelessly on her projects, particularly the powered armors, so that never again would any close to her be caught without an adequate means of defense. On one morning, as she perused the Academy's library for inspiration, she chanced to overhear a conversation between the headmaster and a troubled Seeker tribe elder. There was trouble in Thanalan: mysterious music was causing those who heard it to become hypnotized and wander into the desert. Some began to show up in slave caravans, and a few even returned to their home, but all had no memory of any of the events. It was a textbook assignment for the heroes of Vylbrand: track down the nefarious party responsible and put a stop to their machinations. <br><br> Arming herself in her battlesuit, Chao headed out to the desert with Grundy, the headmaster, and several others, leaving Myu behind to serve as a sort of 'mission control' and overwatch via the systems in her armor. As the party split into small groups to gather intelligence, Chao elected to stick by Grundy's side, keeping an eye on the well-meaning-but-not-too-smart roegadyn, and using her funnel as an eye-in-the-sky to watch over the village from above. Though initially bearing little fruit in their investigations, the enemy soon made a move, the music beginning to echo out across the sands. Tracking several of the enthralled miqo'te of the village--and barely regaining control of one of their own who hadn't been properly protected at the time--they found a work camp in the desert, where Grundy immediately pressed the attack. <br><br> For her part, Chao sought to knock out and immobilize the enthralled victims, keeping them out of harm's way, before setting after the foes herself. Before she could, however, ambush troops using camouflaged fighting pits in the sand sprang up to flank them, forcing her to deploy her funnel's aetherochemical laser against them. As the battle raged, an enemy airship entered the fray from behind concealing dunes, scattering a strange aetheric field that disrupted magitek devices, shorting out Chao's armor. As she reeled in confusion and the airship dropped a large box nearby, the fragment of Ifrit within her mind took advantage of the chaos--and its higher influence as a result of being in Thanalan, Ifrit's stronghold--and seized control of Chao's body. <br><br> Even though it was now in control through the airship's interference, it was just as displeased that the enemy forces had effectively handicapped Chao--whom Ifrit had previously considered a worthy champion--in one fell swoop. It began to cast, through Chao, a lesser version of the primal's own Hellfire attack--though 'lesser' here should by no means be considered any less deadly--targeted at the airship. Inexplicably, the airship and the enemy forces began to retreat as soon as the box was deployed. Knowing full well the likelihood that it was some manner of trap, the possessed Chao turned the fury of the devastating spell onto the box, unconcerned for the allied forces and civilian victims that would be caught in the blast radius. <br><br> It was only through a combination of a fountain of ice aether from an unknown source--later revealed to be the headmaster herself--and healing magicks from one of Vylbrand's personnel, that nobody died to the application of ''Incendium Gehennae''. Overtaxed to the extreme by the amount of aether expended in the attack, Chao immediately passed out. While she was helpless, two of the others from the Academy, a lalafellin mage and a hyuran rifleman, assaulted Chao over the events; the rifleman struck her hard enough in the face with the butt of his weapon to break her nose and cheekbone, and the pummeling from the lalafell doing a number on her as well. Within minutes thereafter, Myu arrived on the scene, having been forced to travel the long route from the Academy; as a machine, she was unable to manipulate aether allowing her to teleport, and the aetheric field had disabled the signals from Chao's powered armor that would have allowed her to relay directly to her maker's side. After exchanging words with several present, Myu collected Chao and returned to the Academy where, at the headmaster's request, sequestered Chao within her workshop and stood guard at the door, disallowing access to any without proper authorization--but in particular those individuals whom she had reason to suspect wished her maker further harm.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Pariah'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">In the days that passed, Chao remained in her workshop, watched over by Myu, her injuries tended to by Keero. She wound up suffering several broken bones in her face as a result of the assault on her, prompting him to conspire with her to create an aetherically-charged healing mask that she could wear over her injuries. Its purpose was threefold: to protect her from further harm, to ensure that her bones healed back into their proper shape, and to stimulate her own aether to speed up the healing process. A built-in vocabulator allowed her words to be heard through the metal without shouting, but it had the unfortunate side effect of giving her a much deeper tone and a metallic tinge to her words.<br><br> It began to seem like, however, she had been largely forgotten. Though she expected a swift trial of her actions by those above her at the Academy, the days continued to pass in solitude, with only Myu and occasionally Keero for company. Though slightly put off by it, she nonetheless spent her time productively, buckling down and diving into her magitek designs. Within two bells, she had completed Grundy's armor design and sent it off to be machined up. In two more, she had created an entirely new system to ensure she never got chumped by anti-magitek fields again. After two weeks, she had redesigned her anti-magic reactive armor to react less vigorously, tweaked and streamlined the overlay of her VISR system, designed a reconnaissance variant of her magitek funnels, and begun three new powered armor variants. This productivity came at the cost of sleep, which she avoided so that the fragment of Ifrit in her mind could not trouble her dreams. Over that two weeks, she slept perhaps one total day.<br><br> A freak spring storm overtaking Vylbrand marked the first time that she seemed to be recognized by the Academy at large, when a lightning strike knocked out the power grid. Summoned by Kyra down to the workshop, Chao was asked to bring the generator up and running to provide emergency power. Though nothing of the event in the desert was spoken of save Kyra's inquiring whether Chao was in control of her faculties, it was not lost on the magitek prodigy that no matter where she moved to work on the generator, Kyra was never outside of sword range. After a brief time, Kyra left the workshop, evidently deeming Chao not to be a threat. In silence, she finished the work and powered up the generator, bringing emergency power back to the Academy. Heading into the library to report her success, she took note of the silence that befell the room at her appearance, choosing to make her report and then return to her exile.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Holding Patterns'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Throwing herself back into her work, Chao's reckless non-sleeping habits did not go unnoticed by Keero, who prescribed fast-acting and potent sleep aids to knock her out and ensure her recuperative sleep processes. Now able to focus more clearly when she was awake, her design progresses improved significantly. Another week passed, and growing tired of the neglect, Chao began to venture outside her workshop for brief periods, mostly in the efforts of acquiring food for herself, which had previously been left to Myu. <br><br> Finally, after deciding she needed to actually test the new version of the AMRA system--and she was not about to have loose magic and reactive material interacting in her workshop--she took her design out to be tested on the dummies. During her test--which was a resounding success in that the reactive layer detonated outward and dispersed her spell without damaging the armor or the dummy--she met with a hyur well-versed in magitek knowledge who introduced himself as Saruna, founder of the company Resolve Industries. She hadn't heard of it, but was surprised to learn that they dealt in weaponry utilizing the power of the primals themselves. After cautioning him to exercise care in dealing with such powers, they parted ways, and she returned to her workshop to evaluate her test results. <br><br> She didn't have long to consider this, however, as a scream soon pierced through the Academy. Tracing it back to its source, she found herself in the infirmary, where Keero and several others were working on freeing an unlucky miqo'te from voidsent possession. Lacking any means to assist, Chao simply stood by and watched, but armed one of her gun gauntlets should anything come to violence. After successfully purging the void taint, Keero asked Chao if she would create a prosthetic eye for the patient, whose eye had been destroyed in the process of saving him. She agreed on the mechanical end, knowing and stating her lack of knowledge in the medical side of it, to which Keero stated he could perform the necessary surgery. At this, Chao returned to her workshop to machine up the prosthetic and load it up with a lesser version of her VISR software. <br><br> The next day, she delivered the prosthetic and observed the successful surgery to affix it to the victim's optical nerves. Afterward, as he rested, she spoke with Keero, who inquired after her own health. Removing her mask to show him that she had perhaps another week before being fully-healed, she was then asked what had caused her injuries. She revealed to him that she held a fragment of Ifrit bonded to her soul, and that it was her loss of control over it that had caused her to nearly kill several of their comrades. This revelation was overheard by one such comrade from the incident, and Chao took the opportunity to fully explain herself, stating that she didn't hold the others' contempt for her against them, and apologizing for her actions. <br><br> The matter seemed settled for a time, at least to a few inidivudals, and so Chao returned to busying herself with work.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''A Reclaimer's Revenge'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Just when it seemed as though Chao would finally be able to come to terms with and move on from Satomi's death, old wounds were viciously torn open. A visitor arrived to the Academy one eve, one whom several of the others were apparently familiar with, speaking of a badly-damaged mammet named 'Seven' that had been spotted in Limsa lately. Recognizing that naming scheme as belonging to the series of mammets that Satomi had built, many of the fallen scientist's acquaintances made their way to Limsa, hunting down the woman who had the mammet in her possession. Chao arrived shortly thereafter, and was immediately recognized by the mammet, who spoke to her--in not only typical garbled mammet speech but further mangled by damage as well--of things hidden in Satomi's lab, as well as cryptic statements of her final moments. As Chao attempted to discern what it spoke of, O'rahn purchased the mammet from the woman who was currently holding it. <br><br> Returning to the Academy, Chao immediately connected Seven to Myu, using their similar basic programming structure in an effort to attract as much data as possible. While that was going on, she began to repair what wiring and internals she could without interfering with the data extraction operation. The entire time, Seven continued to speak of the Doman scroll in Satomi's lab. Eventually, she loosed the little machine from its connection to Myu, upon which time it made immediately for Satomi's lab. <br><br> Chasing after Seven, Chao entered the darkened room, and queried over the Academy linkpearl whether the room's power had been cut. Questioned as to why and what she was doing there, she was soon joined by several others, including Grundy, O'rahn, Imogene, and Myth. Before Chao could investigate the scroll, Seven malfunctioned again, and as she went to repair it, Grundy--having no patience for civility in this instance--tore the scroll from the wall, revealing a hidden cache behind it containing a lockbox and several parchments. Grundy retrieved the items and handed them over to Imogene, who began to read from the parchment. <br><br> It was Satomi's last will and testament, containing personalized messages to those she had been closest to. <br><br> As Imogene read the words--herself not even able to remain unaffected by it--those around her took it in their own way. Grundy, unable to understand his grief, hurled his helmet into the wall of Satomi's lab and unseated the doorframe with the haste in which he moved through it. O'rahn disintegrated into tears, rage, and regret. Even Chao, ''especially'' Chao, could not control her emotions, struggling to keep herself together but failing miserably, collapsing into a sobbing heap. Into this whirling chaos of emotion, the unexpected occurred: mammet Seven, still malfunctioning and not-altogether-there, responded to the grief of the others by beseeching them not to cry...in Satomi's voice. <br><br> Her resolve hardened by the sound of her friend's voice, Chao determined that she would dedicate her time to seeking revenge on the pirates who had caused Satomi's death; a sentiment that was echoed by the others. Taking Seven back to her workshop, she set about repairing and replacing its damaged components, keeping it connected to Myu so that none of the remaining data would be lost. Even as she worked on this, she contacted the manufactory where her products were created and had them immediately get the completed BREAKER and INFILTRATOR power armor variants delivered to the Academy, as well as begin mass-production of the Mark-I battlesuit for distribution to the others that would come on the revenge mission. Knowing that they would have to head into the sky pirates' strongholds in the uncharted reaches of the Sea of Clouds, she began drawing up schematics to weaponize the Academy's airships. <br><br> The seven hells, these pirates would come to learn, held no fury as could match that of a magitek prodigy with a fragment of Ifrit's power. </font></div>

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<br>

=Relationships=

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>RELATIONSHIPS</center></div></span></h3>

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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #4d1715;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>RELATIONSHIP STATUS LEGEND</B></center></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:9pt;"><font style="color:#54b5eb;" size="2">♥</font> Family <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> Platonic <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> Friend <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> Acquaintance <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> Business <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> Deceased <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> Positive <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#C24640;" size="2">✖</font> Negative <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> Neutral <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">�</font> Unsure <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color: black;" size="2">☠</font> Enemy</div>
|}

<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr><td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">

{| class="wikitable alphabetical" border="0" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 100%; text-align: left; vertical-align: left;"
|- style="background-color: #b33730; color: #ffffff;"
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #b33730;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>NPC</B></center></div>


|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Ku Fei,</b> <i>Cousin</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#54b5eb;" size="2">♥</font> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fallen.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Chao's cousin, an extremely-talented martial artist unsurpassed in the Doman styles of unarmed combat. Ku Fei was street smart, but academically dim, and was always amazed by the technological toys that Chao would create. Though never active in the Doman resistance, Ku Fei's pride in her ancestry and traditional mindset ensured that she considered the Garlean Empire a threat. The two were forcibly parted when Chao was conscripted by the Garlean Empire, but knowing her cousin, Chao is convinced that Ku Fei perished defending the homeland during The Reckoning.</div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Cid nan Garlond,</b> <i>Former Employer</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Pinnacle of Magitek.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Leader of the Garlond Ironworks, Cid was Chao's employer for most of the time she spent in Eorzea after defecting from the Garlean Empire. Though preferring to develop peaceful models of magitek to better the lives of the average Eorzean, Cid was full aware that weapon technologies like Chao's would also be instrumental in defending the realm against Garlemald, and so brought her into the Ironworks to assist in their development. When she made known her plans to formally create her own arms company, he wholeheartedly encouraged her to follow her ambitions, with the implicit understanding that the Ironworks would be full business partners with Misriah Armory.</div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Biggs,</b> <i>Former Coworker</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Instigator.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A Sea Wolf roegadyn working under Cid in the Ironworks, and largely the blame for why Chao has come to Eorzea and found employment with the Ironworks. Biggs led the Ironworks raiding team that helped Chao escape from Castrum Meridianum after she sabotaged the Ultimate Weapon, and later came to her as she was recovering and gave her the original tome that she once used to record her technological ideas in, while suggesting she apply at the Ironworks. He assisted with the development of her powered infiltrator armor prototype.</div>
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|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Wedge,</b> <i>Former Coworker</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Littlest Assistant.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Biggs' lalafell partner at the Ironworks, the timid little fellow is never far from his friend's side, and so has often spent much time in the company of Chao in her workshop at the Ironworks. Despite his talents more lying in the field of large magitek vehicles, he nevertheless faithfully assisted Chao and Biggs in their work on her powered armor.</div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Unknown Garlean,</b> <i>Imperial Assassin</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color: black;" size="2">☠</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Nightshade.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A Garlean assassin known only to Chao by his codename, ''Nightshade'', this man is the most formidable foe she has ever faced. Aetherochemically augmented by Garlean experimentation, this shinobi possesses superior strength and agility than Chao, a more-advanced combat skin, and the ability to absorb aetheric attacks to empower himself. Wielding powered Allagan lightblades, the Nightshade was able to effortlessly defeat Chao, Myu, Satomi ''and'' a fourth combatant during the ambush outside Vylbrand Academy. Only his hubris allowed Chao to defeat him, grappling him in place long enough for her funnel to strike him at full power, an energy blast which he remarkably survived. He escaped the battle, and Chao knows that they will meet again in the future. His hatred of her is all-consuming, referring to her repeatedly as an animal; Chao assumes that he was experimented on by the Empire to create a soldier perfectly tailored to counter her.</div>
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</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
{| class="wikitable alphabetical" border="0" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 100%; text-align: left; vertical-align: left;"
|- style="background-color: #b33730; color: #ffffff;"
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #b33730;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>PC</B></center></div>


|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Myu]]</b>, <i>Creation</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Realistic, Logical Ideologist.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">The very first of her kind, an autonomous, sentient combat automaton built by Chao in the likeness of a miqo'te. Newly-awakened to the world, her every new discovery is a source of pride for Chao, and her enthusiasm to learn always brightens her maker's day. Chao dotes on her like a beloved companion rather than the weapon of war that she is. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Grundy Byrde]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Unstoppable Force.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A roegadyn male and near-constant companion of Satomi, before the latter's untimely death. Since coming to Vylbrand Academy, Chao has stepped in an effort to fill Satomi's shoes in serving as Grundy's mentor and guide in the world, a role she does not feel she is adequately performing. Grundy is not an intelligent individual, due to having lived the majority of his life feral in the caves of Eastern La Noscea. He is, however, exceedingly kind, and possessed of a frightening combat strength; a strength that Chao intends to amplify by creating a set of powered armor for him. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Satomi Hakase]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> <b>)</b> - <b>Science Sister.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A hyuran female and fellow researcher at the Garlond Ironworks. Due to working in different divisions, Chao and Satomi had not interacted prior to a chance meeting in the Quicksand, at which point they hit it off spectacularly well over their shared enthusiasm for science and magitek. After no small number of misadventures--many of them involving Satomi pulling Chao out of a self-created no-win scenario--Satomi was instrumental in finally getting Chao to settle at Vylbrand Academy, and the miqo'te has long since viewed the hyur as a sister. The news of her suspected death in the Sea of Clouds has left Chao gutted. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Kyrrae Liminia]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Strategist.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A lalafellin mage associated with Vylbrand Academy, and Satomi's former lover. Though they've spoken barely a few sentences to each other, Chao considers him a trusted ally due to his association with Satomi. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Senel Curtis]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Serious.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">An occupant of Vylbrand Academy who has offered to provide raw materials to Chao in exchange for equipment augmentations. She's unsure if he's truly associated with the Academy or just a mercenary in their employ, but he shows concern for its members, and annoyance with those who bring undue harm onto themselves. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Isaudorel Dorr]]</b>, <i>Acquaintance</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fire Suicide Bomber.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">An elezen thaumaturge who showed up to thank her for assisting several of his guildmates several days earlier in determining whether or not a wine bottle had been poisoned. They struck up a conversation, during the course of which another elezen woman arrived and rather rudely accused Chao of being of purchasable companionship, which both she and Isaudorel found incredibly rude. Neither seemed to be too bothered by it though. After remarking on her combat style to him, he wished to see it in action, and so the two traveled to the Sagolii Desert for a spar. It was a draw by clever Fire III suicide-bombing. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Keero Ganajai]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Healer.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A male Keeper who serves as one of the primary medical staff for Vylbrand Academy. Intelligent and well-spoken, he has stated that he chose to move permanently into the home station setting in order to be able to be near his wife and soon-to-be child. Though not desiring powered armor, he has contracted Chao and Misriah for medical magitek devices. He has a profound fear of fire, which has prompted Chao to promise that she will never use her aetheric skills in his presence. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Zoey Holendoey]]</b>, <i>Trusted</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Icy Spitfire Detective.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Another lalafellin mage and freelance investigator, though it seems she too has become associated with Vylbrand as of late. Initially having hired Chao to find an individual on a farce, being played as a pawn initially set Zoey in poor standing with Chao. That job did, however, set the magitek prodigy on her course back toward association with Satomi. Afterwards, Zoey did apologize for misleading Chao and seems to have a great deal of trust--Chao would say an overabundance--in her. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Imogene Holmes]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fancy Hat Paladin.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A hyuran swordswoman and resident at Vylbrand Academy. She favors Ironworks-crafted armor and has thus spoken with Chao on a few occasions regarding said equipment, as well as Chao's own battlesuit. Seems to be heavily-involved with security at the Academy. Due to The Other favoring Imogene's form while Chao was trapped in Phantasmagoria, and consequently causing her death no small number of times, Chao holds a slight irrational fear of Imogene. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Set Kattalakis]]</b>, <i>Business Associate</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>Red Left Hand.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Daughter of a successful trading mogul, seems to be involved with financial affairs at the Academy, though this does not stop her from putting herself in harm's way. Due to an unknown past event, her left forearm and hand are replaced by a magitek prosthetic which Chao designed an enhanced model of. As payment, Set made a generous donation of gil which allowed Chao to form Misriah Armory. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[O'rahn Kevelan]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>That Poor Cat.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A male miqo'te living at Vylbrand who is involved with Set, often violently. Chao is reasonably sure the two are mated, but has not heard anything confirming either way. He seems to specialize in thievery, and so the set of powered armor Chao is building for him will take that into account. </div>
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|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Kyra Tsukino]]</b>, <i>Commander</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Boss.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">The boss and headmistress of Vylbrand Academy, Kyra is a female miqo'te who is level-headed, soft-spoken, yet possesses an aura that marks it plain that only a fool would dare to cross her. Though she is typically only seen carrying a sword and shield, Chao suspects that her talents are not so one-dimensional. For reasons unknown, Kyra seems to possess an intrinsic faith in Chao, a faith that the magitek engineer is sure has been shattered by the revelation of her darker side. </div>
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</td></tr></table>

=Rumors=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>RUMORS</center></div></span></h3>

<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''N P C'''</center></div></span></h3>
<p><div align=center><div style="font-family:Georgia;">Some of these rumors are untrue, speculation, or are greatly exaggerated.</div></div></p>

<div style="border:0px solid; padding:8px;">
<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #e56a2c; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Common Rumors - </b>''Easily overheard. Use these freely!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#e56a2c;" size="2">■</font> "All she ever does is sit in that corner with her nose buried in that journal of hers, muttering to herself and occasionally having some stew. Really odd one, that one." — ''Quicksand patron''.
: <font style="color:#e56a2c;" size="2">■</font> "She sure gave those Garleans a thumpin' they wasn't lookin' for. Guess that settles that as to whose side she's on." — ''Drowning Wench patron''.
</div>

<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #cc5e27; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Uncommon Rumors -</b> ''A little more difficult to hear. Use sparingly or ask first!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#cc5e27;" size="2">■</font> "Word is she used to be in the Garlean military. So as to whether she's absconded from their service or is here to spy on us, no one's yet figured." — ''Unknown''.
</div>

<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #b35222; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Rare Rumors -</b> ''Very rarely overheard. Please ask before using!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#b35222;" size="2">■</font> "There be ''two'' of that'n, I tells ye! At the very same time I had on good authority from a mate o' mine she was sittin' in the Quicksand, I seen another one answerin' to the same name head off toward the Imps (Imperials) outside Wineport. Only this'n was a hyur lass wearin' some sort o' strange armor. She waltzed in like she bloody owned the joint, and then there weren't nothin' but fire and explosions comin' from there, an' them screams weren't from a wee hyuran lass, either." — ''Drunken Storm Sergeant''.
</div>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''P C'''</center></div></span></h3>
<p><div align=center><div style="font-family:Georgia;">Feel free to add your own rumors to this section.</div></div></p>

<div style="border:0px solid; padding:8px;">
<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #99461d; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Player Character Rumors -</b> ''Some of these are more rare than others!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#99461d;" size="2">■</font> "She's Doman, no doubt about that. But the look in her eyes shows something unnatural. Not in a foul manner either, but one that draws you in and buys your trust. If anyone asks, I'd say you can rely on her." — ''[[Zoey Holendoey]]''.
</div>

</div></div></td></tr></table>

=Music & Gallery=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>MUSIC</center></div></span></h3>
<br>

<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PvdVGAasrA Amazing]''
:: Artist: Aerosmith.
:: Origin: ''Get a Grip''
:: <small>Context: Character theme.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etksc3mrIQU Revival]''
:: Artist: Neil Davidge
:: Origin: ''Halo 4''
:: <small>Context: Magitek genius.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhdp14U2M_w Loose Ends]''
:: Artist: Hans Zimmer
:: Origin: ''Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2''
:: <small>Context: The hard decision.</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELD02QC025c Sacred Icon Suite 2]''
:: Artist: Marty O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori
:: Origin: ''Halo Legends''
:: <small>Context: Big damn heroes.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTLdoK_AU18 J-E-N-O-V-A]''
:: Artist: Nobuo Uematsu
:: Origin: ''Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children''
:: <small>Context: Intense battle.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr4eB0WOwN0 The Oath]''
:: Artist: Nobuo Uematsu
:: Origin: ''Final Fantasy VIII''
:: <small>Context: The bonds of sisterhood.</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9mQTmXxU8E I Burn]''
:: Artist: Jeff and Casey Lee Williams
:: Origin: ''RWBY''
:: <small>Context: Kung-fu wizard.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBfc0-KuDGE Maybe I'm a Lion]''
:: Artist: The Black Mages
:: Origin: ''The Skies Above''
:: <small>Context: Unleashed battle.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYUbLkULtkk Something to Fight For]''
:: Artist: Sencit Music
:: Origin: ''Iron Man 3''
:: <small>Context: Facing her inner demon.</small>
</td>
</tr></table>

<br>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>GALLERY</center></div></span></h3>

<gallery>
File:ChaoMNK.png|Chao in traditional Doman martial art garb, which she began wearing in honor of her fallen cousin, Ku Fei.
File:SCIENCE.jpg|Chao and [[Satomi Hakase|Satomi]], science bros! (Non-canon instance)
File:Chaoff.jpg|Chao in the Quicksand, her usual haunt.
File:Showdown.jpg|Chao, Satomi, and their party face down the Ultimate Weapon (Non-canon instance).
File:Victory.jpg|By might and by right, Team Science defeats the menace (Non-canon instance).
File:SoItBegins.jpg|And on that day, the heavens trembled, as though the realm looked outward to see what awaited it, and found only terror.
File:Exchange.jpg|Reclaiming the personal tome she had left with Satomi, Chao leaves a letter of explanation in its place. (It's unlikely to be found for weeks)
File:Pensive.jpg|Chao looks back upon Vylbrand Academy, likely the last time she'll ever see it.
File:Ponderance.jpg|On a clear Mor Dhona night, Chao contemplates the Keeper of the Lake on her way to the Garlond Ironworks.
File:ChaoStory001.jpg|Confronted by a strange duo on the cliffs of Silvertear Lake.
File:ChaoStory002.jpg|Chao and Satomi discussing the current situation, as Kyrrae keeps watch for any interlopers. (Scene directed by JJ Abrams)
File:ChaoStory003.jpg|Armed with a new resolve, Chao swears her defiance to the corpse of the ''Agrius''.
File:ChaoStory004.jpg|Satomi is overcome with emotion at Chao's safety and change of heart.
File:ChaoStory005.jpg|As Satomi and Kyrrae confer, Chao looks toward the crystalline structure piercing the sky in Mor Dhona. ''"Soon..."'' the magitek genius thinks to herself.
File:ChaoStory006.jpg|Chao considers...something.
File:ChaoStory007.jpg|"Wait, ''you're'' bartending?"
File:ChaoStory008.jpg|Chao fiddles with her armor out of the way. Satomi's actually pretty good at this whole tending bar thing.
File:ChaoStory009.jpg|Except when she trips backwards and almost falls on Chao.
File:ChaoStory010.jpg|"''You!''"
File:ChaoStory011.jpg|Satomi has revealed her plans to run away, but there's a power-armored combat mage standing in the way.
File:ChaoStory012.jpg|A meeting to discuss acquiring extremely rare, and extremely powerful, Allagan technology.
File:ChaoDummy.jpg|Chao looks to test the effectiveness of her prototype funnel--affectionately known as 'Dummy'--in the rain, but the little guy's not cooperating.
File:ChaoStory013.jpg|The expedition is informed of recent occurrences in the ruin.
File:ChaoStory014.jpg|The first obstacle, a wandering Allagan defense sphere. Chao scavenged an undamaged laser coupler for Myu from it.
File:ChaoStory015.jpg|Aftermath of the battle with the bio-engineered snake.
File:ChaoStory016.jpg|Detailing their encounter in the first level.
File:ChaoStory017.jpg|An Allagan foundry!? This site will definitely merit returning to for further exploration.
File:ChaoStory018.jpg|The large ADS falls. An inspection of its innards reveals...a secondary core! Unprogrammed even!
File:ChaoStory019.jpg|Chao inspects her prize. But the man behind the expedition isn't willing to part with it...
File:ChaoStory020.jpg|Chao considers the implications of a hidden lift. What more could be in the depths of this ruin?
File:ChaoStory021.jpg|Wherever this lift leads, it is something the Allagans wanted protected.
File:ChaoStory022.jpg|With the expedition complete and the eyebrow-raising goals of Dogberry and the other man completed, Chao accepts her promised ADS core. Nothing can stop Project µ now!
File:ChaoUSH.jpg|Despite having been a stray living off Satomi's couch for several moons, Chao has little interacted with the occupants of Vylbrand Academy. ''Zoey'', of all people, plans to rectify this. By force.
File:ChaoStory023.jpg|First to the stage, Chao begins presenting her theory of ''pactio''.
File:ChaoStory024.jpg|With one volunteer ready, Chao selects the next victim.
File:ChaoStory025.jpg|Provisional contract complete! ...But these two don't seem suited to being partners.
File:ChaoStory026.jpg|Her part over, Chao observes the other presentations.
File:ChaoStory027.jpg|Aetheric means of reducing machine wear? She watches this presentation with great interest.
File:ChaoStory028.jpg|Satomi's combat mammet: fully-operational and armed....for dance?
File:ChaoStory029.jpg|Unfortunately, it's not to last. The ''real'' Grundy has mistaken the mammet for an enemy and demolished it.
File:ChaoStory030.jpg|While helping clean up the wreckage, Chao tells Academy resident Imogene a little about Project µ.
File:ChaoUSH2.jpg|Chao observes as Satomi tends to an unfortunate soul tortured by the Garlean Empire.
File:ChaoSatomi001.jpg|Chao makes fun of the fact that Satomi doesn't have any beds in her room/lab.
File:ChaoStory031.jpg|Standing her ground despite her nerves, Chao watches as Myu finally comes fully online.
File:ChaoStory032.jpg|Threatened by an Allagan-grade laser weapon was not how Chao planned to begin Myu's lifespan.
File:ChaoStory033.jpg|Showing Myu a Limsan sunrise.
File:ChaoStory034.jpg|Chao and Myu practice combatives while Satomi takes measurements.
File:ChaoStory035.jpg|Garlean attack! These assassins have come explicitly for Chao.
File:ChaoStory036.jpg|With the initial attackers defeated, the Vanguard trashed, and Myu damaged by a suicide explosive, the leader makes his move. To Chao's horror, it seems that everything she can do, he can do better.
File:ChaoStory037.jpg|In desperation to end the fight, Chao grapples with the enemy commander and orders her funnel to fire on him at maximum lethality setting, even if it means shooting through herself.
File:ChaoUSH03.jpg|After a failed AMRA system test, Chao inspects the pieces of the device as she listens to Senel and Set speak.
File:ChaoLab001.jpg|Chao in her research lab within Vylbrand Academy.
File:ChaoLab002.jpg|Chao contemplates one of her research projects, with her funnel drifting nearby.
File:ChaoUSH04.jpg|Chao speaks with O'rahn and Set about her projects.
File:ChaoUSH05.jpg|Performing an early test of the helmet for Grundy's powered armor.
File:ChaoUSH06.jpg|Speaking with Keero in the gardens, with O'rahn and Set nearby doing whatever it is they do.
File:ChaoUSH07.jpg|Following a power failure at the Academy, Chao readies the backup generator to be turned on for emergency power...and is not ignorant to Kyra standing within sword range behind her.
File:ChaoUSH08.jpg|Two weeks into her exile within her workshop, Chao has been somewhat neglecting the tidiness of her workspace.
File:ChaoMisriah001.jpg|Inspecting the results of another AMRA test, this one successful.
File:ChaoUSH09.jpg|After witnessing a successful voidsent exorcism, Chao offers to create a prosthetic eye for the victim. Magitek-enhanced, of course.
File:ChaoUSH10.jpg|Chao reveals the truth of her condition.
File:ChaoUSH11.jpg|Wholeheartedly apologizing for the incident in Southern Thanalan.
File:ChaoTheSearch001.jpg|Chao and Myu analyze the fragmented data from Seven, one of Satomi's mammets. It seems that justice may be within reach.
</gallery>

=OOC Notes=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>OOC NOTES</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="90%">
<tr>
<td style="width: 50%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3>
<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''OOC INFORMATION'''</center></div></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Player Note'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">'' ... ''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Personal RP Limits'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''I like to consider myself a flexible player who is willing to commit to a number of different types of scenes and role-play scenarios, but even I have my limits. If something is on the play list, assume it means yes, as long as it's within the context of the current play or ongoing plot. No's are typically a hard no, and it means don't ask, and if I'm in the mood for it, I'll be the one to initiate. '' </div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ '''''I will play''' mature content and themes (violence, drug / alcohol use) as long as they're logical in a plot-driven encounter. Coarse and excessive language. Temporary injury and incapacitation. Temporary imprisonment. Most walk-up encounters.''

: ■ '''''Ask about''' long-term and/or permanent injury and disfigurement. Long-term captivity or imprisonment. Temporary character death. Kidnap and/or abuse plots will require advance planning, as these can be seriously impacting, as well as take a significant amount of time to resolve on an infrequently played character.''

: ■ '''''I won't play''' permanent character death. ''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Disclaimer'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">'' Chao is my take on an existent character from the ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negima!_Magister_Negi_Magi Negima! Magister Negi Magi]'' manga by Ken Akamatsu. I have developed her from the ground up to fit within the FFXIV setting, while still maintaining as many similarities from the source material as possible.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ '' Chao is a technological and scientific prodigy. I am not. I try my best, but typically have to rely on technobabble more than I would like. ''

: ■ '' Chao is highly skilled in both unarmed combat and magic. Traditionally, my preferred means of RP combat has always been firearms or swords, so I'm sure I come across as an untalented hack to anyone more experienced in those combat fields. ''

: ■ '' Regarding nearly everything to do with Chao, she is the character with which I push the bounds of established lore. While I do nothing that has been directly contradicted by lore, she almost entirely operates in an extremely shadowy, unspecified zone regarding lore. Bear this in mind for interactive purposes. ''</div></div>

<td style="width: 50%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''CHARACTER TIDBITS'''</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Potential Plot Hooks'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''Chao is a very busy individual. Even when I'm not actively playing her, she's always got something going on. While the below is by no means comprehensive, it's a kind of spring board for walk-up RP. I am more than open to longer-term RP plots that carry on over multiple sessions, all I ask is that you coordinate with me beforehand. I am nearly always willing to drop anything I'm doing and RP, even if I'm on another character.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ ''Chao was, until recently, a prominent weapons developer at the Garlond Ironworks.''

: ■ ''She has most recently opened her own weapons company, Misriah Armory. While no formal office location exists, she can typically be found in or around Vylbrand Academy in the Mist.''

: ■ ''She is a known member of Vylbrand Academy.''

: ■ ''Garlemald is still aware of her continued existence, and still wishes to see her killed for her actions against them.''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Character Lore Adherence'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''Information in this Wiki is Lore Compliant to the best of my knowledge pre-Calamity using Wikis, and lore-dredging on Google. Information that has been changed to better fit with the lore of XIV will be listed below as necessary.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ ''No changes required.''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Tropes & Explanations'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''A trope is a convention or device that is often found in creative works. In this case, the tropes below describe the character either in part, or as a whole. Their background, personality, appearance, etc, most of them can be described in the tropes below.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ActionGirl Action Girl] ''She's usually seen doing more fighting than science-ing.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BareFistedMonk Bare-Fisted Monk] ''Unarmed combat is her primary means of engaging the enemy. Though trained at the Ul'dah pugilist guild, her fighting style is a modified Doman style that favors kicks rather than strikes.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ClothesMakeTheSuperman Clothes Make the Superman] ''Her battlesuits are powered armor and provide her an incredible boost in combat potential and survivability, but she's by no means helpless without them.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CombatPragmatist Combat Pragmatist] ''When her foes want to run their mouths, she will very quickly demonstrate that talking is not a free action.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeadlyUpgrade Deadly Upgrade] ''Emphasis on the ''deadly'' part, as she is well aware that overusing Magia Erebia can destroy her soul. The one time she's used it to date, she wound up with a fragment of a primal living in her head.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EnemyWithin Enemy Within] ''An unintended side effect of absorbing the dissipating aether of Ifrit via Magia Erebia, a semblance of the primal was able to take residence within her mind. Though it lacks the ability to exert any proper power or temper her or others, it still whispers in the back of her mind and has, on one occasion, seized control of her body.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FacialMarkings Facial Markings] ''Par for the course given she's a miqo'te, but hers prominently glow when her aether seal is active, as another reference to her home series.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HeroicRROD Heroic RROD] ''Overusing Magia Erebia runs the risk of causing this effect on her. Sometimes, if she's caught unawares, the fragment of Ifrit bound to her soul will ''force'' this effect on her--even potentially out of combat--in order to seize control of her.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlayingWithFire Playing With Fire] ''When using magic, she only uses fire. Her aetheric aspect is so strongly tilted toward fire that she is in a permanent state of Astral Fire but does not suffer from the inability to recover mana when in that state.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RenaissanceMan Renaissance Girl] ''She can fight barehanded, with magic, with a gun (or any gun-type derivative weapon), cook, build all manner of stupendously-advanced magitek devices, strategize fairly well on the battlefield, and run arms companies.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RoaringRampageOfRevenge Roaring Rampage of Revenge] ''The sky pirates who caused Satomi's death are in for some very rough times.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SuperPoweredEvilSide Superpowered Evil Side] ''Arguable on how superpowered it is, as she's not inherently stronger when this side is released, but when the fragment of Ifrit residing in her soul seizes control, Dark Chao then proceeds to completely ignore such trivial niceties as "friendly fire" and is more than happy to expend all of her power in such a way that she achieves her objectives and immediately passes out.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TryingNotToCry Trying Not to Cry] ''When she listened to Satomi's last will being read aloud. She failed. Miserably.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WillNotTellALie Will Not Tell A Lie] ''Though more an informed attribute as a throwback to her home series, Chao ''does'' remain remarkably honest about what she's doing at all times, occasionally finding that the truth of what she's doing often makes people disbelieve her. She is ''not'', however, above using misinformation and omission to achieve her goals.''
</div></div>

</tr></table></div>

=Credits=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>CREDITS</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Layout Information'''</div></div>
: <div align=justify><div style="padding: 2px 1px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">The following is not entirely comprehensive, but contains general credits. Please leave the link-backs if you use this template!
::■ Original template by [[Bancroft Gairn]].
::■ Adapted by [[Xheja Rajhera]].
::■ Tabs by [[Unnamed Mercenary]].
::■ Expanded bits by [[Lucaell Tareth'eian]].
::■ Header image inspired by [[D'lyhhia Lhuil]].
::■ Music bits from [[J'karu Rhome]].
::■ Relationships & OOC notes by [[Glioca Sargonnai]].</div></div>
<headertabs />

[[Category: Player Character]]
[[Category: Balmung]]
[[Category: Miqo'te]]
[[Category: Miqo'te Seeker of the Sun]]
[[Category: Doman]]

Chao Lingshen

2016-02-22T05:03:03Z

Chris Ganale: /* History */

__NOTOC__

<div align=center><div style="font-size:30px;letter-spacing:0.05em;color:#ab0c13;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver"></div></div>

<div align=center><div style="font-size:55px;letter-spacing:0.2em;color:#792521;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver">CHAO LINGSHEN</div></div>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:15px;letter-spacing:0.75em;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;">FIREBRAND</div></div>
<br>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:25px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 10px silver"><font color="#4d1715">'''- - - ''' »</font> <font color="#b33730">☀</font> <font color="#4d1715">« ''' - - -''' </font></div></div>
<br>
<div align=center bottom>[[File:Chao-Top-Banner.png]]</div>
<br>
<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="60%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 20px; font-size:18px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;letter-spacing:0.1em;"><center><font style="color:#4d1715;">'''❝'''</font> <font style="color:#b33730">''They wanted war. Let's go give 'em war.''</font> <font style="color:#4d1715;">'''❞'''</font></center></div></span></h3>
</tr></table></div>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:12px;letter-spacing:0.75em;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver">Chao Lingshen.</div></div>
<br>
<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="80%">
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<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.15em;"><center>'''VITAL INFORMATION'''</center></div></span></h3>
<br>
<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''CURRENT ALIAS...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Chao Lingshen.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''RACE & CLAN...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Miqo'te, Seeker of the Sun.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''GENDER...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Female.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''AGE...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 23.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''NAMEDAY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 1<sup>st</sup> Sun of the 6<sup>th</sup> Umbral Moon, 1556 S.A.E.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''ORIENTATION...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Asexual/Aromantic.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''MARITAL STATUS...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Single.</font>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.15em;"><center>'''OTHER STATISTICS'''</center></div></span></h3>
<br>
<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''NATIONALITY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Doman.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''CITIZENSHIP...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Limsan.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''RESIDENCE...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Vylbrand Academy.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''OCCUPATION...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Founder, Misriah Armory.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''PATRON DEITY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Azeyma, the Warden.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''HEIGHT & WEIGHT...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 5 fulms, 4 ilms. 116 ponzes.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''ALIGNMENT...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChaoticGood Chaotic Good].</font>
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<br>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:25px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 10px silver"><font color="#4d1715">'''- - - ''' »</font> <font color="#b33730">☀</font> <font color="#4d1715">« ''' - - -''' </font></div></div>
<br>

=Details=
[[File:ChaoLingshen.png|right|frame|<div style="padding:10px 20px; font-size:13px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;letter-spacing:0.1em;"><center><font style="color:#706b68;">'''❝'''</font> <font style="color:#333333">''Gods and empires have sworn to break me. And yet, here I stand, unbroken.''</font> <font style="color:#706b68;">'''❞'''</font></center></div>]]

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>GENERAL INFORMATION</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">Chao Lingshen is a female miqo'te Seeker of the Sun originally born in Doma. With the Garlean Empire's subjugation of that region, she was conscripted into their armed forces, where she applied her mechanical and magical genius to enhance the Empire's magitek arsenal. She eventually fled to Eorzea with the aid of personnel of the Garlond Ironworks, and has since taken up residence in Ul'dah, spending her days studying and improving her magical and physical capabilities in order to take the fight to the Empire. </div></div>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>APPEARANCE</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">Chao is tall for miqo'te, standing at five fulms and nearly four ilms tall, weighing one hundred and sixteen ponzes. She wears her hair cropped close in a somewhat-boyish style, with two forelocks hanging down just past her chin, secured in place with bronze bangles. Her hair is black, with faint auburn highlights best seen at the back of her head. Afflicted with the normal miqo'te tendency toward heterochromia, her left eye is a dark brown and her right a dark crimson, the two shades close enough together that she could easily be mistaken for having one eye color at a distance or in poor lighting. The tribal markings on her face are slightly more vibrant than normal, this due to the effect of the Garlean anti-aether sigils on her body. When activated, the markings glow bright red. A faint scar on her left cheek, not normally visible due to her tribal markings, is the only visible reminder of the ceruleum explosion at Castrum Meridianum. <br><br> The clothing she wears varies, but she has a marked tendency to prefer more subdued colors such as black, white, and dark browns. Typically she can be found wearing a black and white yukata she picked up from the most recent Moonfire Faire, as it reminds her of her lost home in Doma. She's not big on accessories or jewelry, but usually wears a pair of peach blossom earrings, again as a reminder of Doma. She also always wears either tall boots, dark-colored leggings, or some combination of the two to hide the ceruleum burns on the backs of her legs from sight. </div>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>PERSONALITY</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">As any who would have even taken notice of her at the Quicksand would be quick to point out that she very easily disappears in the background of much more colorful and varied individuals, often preferring to mind her own business and just listen to the goings-on around her, as they have occasionally helped provide some insight into a problem she had been working on. When approached, she is polite and well-spoken, demonstrating an amiable personality with a tendency to make jokes and tease. A favorite thing to do is begin an ominous-sounding statement, then laughing it off instead of finishing the threat. On romance and sexuality, however, Chao can be considered completely asexual, having no consideration of romantic emotions at all. She does recognize romantic advance, but is unresponsive to it. <br><br> Beneath that playful exterior, she is singularly-focused on the downfall of the Garlean Empire and the salvation not just of Eorzea, but of all lands that have suffered under Garlemald's iron fist. This desire drives every action she takes, from her research into greater and more powerful magitek to her quest for greater personal power. The lack of any sort of unity or cohesion amongst the city-states of Eorzea greatly distresses her, and she has considered several times a gambit wherein she presents herself as a great existential threat to the realm, thereby forcing them to unify or face destruction, but has so far held back because the clear and present threat presented by Garlemald sure hasn't done it so far. If the situation demands it, however, she is still more than willing to become a martyr and take on the role of a villain to ensure that the realm is saved.</div>

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<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3>
<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''L I K E S'''</center></div></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Developing magitek.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Increasing her own combat ability.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Recovering advanced technology from ancient civilizations, even better when she can improve it and make it work again.</div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''D I S L I K E S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> The Garlean Empire
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Those who advance personal profit at the expense of others, especially in the face of a grave existential threat.
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Tribal miqo'te, considering them primitive. </div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''H O B B I E S / T A L E N T S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Developing and enhancing magitek
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Light culinarian skill
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> A decent head for business
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Improvisation and customization of existing schools of talent </div>

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<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3>
<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''S T R E N G T H S'''</center></div></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> High intelligence
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Strong melee aptitude
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> High magical aptitude</div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''W E A K N E S S E S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Hubris
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Martyr complex
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Overreliant on self </div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''O T H E R'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Occasionally refers to the Allagan Empire as Forerunners.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> She goes through a lot of gear and clothes (read: destroyed) in the process of testing and experimenting with her magic and magitek.</div>

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<br>

=Combat=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>COMBAT & WEAPONRY</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">
:● '''Magical Prowess''': A budding mage in her own right, Chao is talented in the arts of thaumaturgy, with a far greater affinity for magic of the fire element than other types. This affinity allows her mana to regenerate normally at all times; as such, she is not affected by the astral fire/umbral ice duology many thaumaturges are shackled by. Because of this trait, she is seeking to develop her own, personal style of magic outside the existing systems. Aside from this, she also has some light training in conjury.
::● '''Fire Resistance''': Due to absorbing both living and offensive aether of the Lord of the Inferno, Chao has become more heavily-aspected toward fire, further increasing the power of her magic as well as making her highly-resilient to heat or fire-based attacks.
::● '''''Magia Erebia''''': Translating to 'Dark Magic', ''Magia Erebia'' is the result of Chao's experimentation in magic circles, aetherflow, and how magic and spirit energy can be made to interact with the body. By creating a magic circle, she is able to then absorb a directed energy attack that comes in contact with her, fusing it with her soul and imbuing her with enhanced statistics, depending on the type of energy, for a limited period of time. As a drawback, the unnatural interaction between the soul and aetheric energies causes a corrosive effect, relegating the use of ''Magia Erebia'' to emergencies only.
::● '''Magic Seal''': As a result of the experimentation to resist tempering (see below), when her sigils are activated, she is a complete aetherial void, unable to access her latent magical talents or be affected by anything that would relate to a mana pool. This is mostly used to allow her to pass off as having no magic talent whatsoever, as her mana is not detectible when in this state.
:● '''Martial Arts''': Trained from a young age in the Doman style, unarmed combat is one of the most dangerous places to face her. Her style is visually similar to that of the Fist of Rhalgr, but structurally different. Whereas the monks favor strikes and work best from the flanks or rear of a foe, Chao's ''Hokuryuu Shourinken'' favors kicks, wide sweeping stances, and keeping a distance from the enemy. However, she has taken aspects of the Ala Mhigan style into her own, giving her a much wider array of abilities and actions in combat.
:● '''Shundo''': A ki-based technique of Doman origin, also known by its translated names of ' ''Ground Contractor'' ' or ' ''Instant Movement''. ' By focusing ki or magic energy to the bottom of her feet, she is able to 'grip' the ground and propel herself forward at immense speed, traversing up to sixty fulms in less time than it takes to register movement in the brain. She is only capable of traveling in a straight line across relatively even terrain, and cannot pass obstacles. Individuals with high martial training are able to sense her movement to a degree.
:● '''Spell List''': Chao has developed a list of spells that she prefers to use in combat, primarily based around fire magic and other aetheric uses. All of them are incanted in Garlean (Latin). Additionally, she has her own incantation phrase, which is used to unlock the aetherflow in her body and allow her to channel more powerful magic spells. Said incantation phrase is "''Rasteil mai magicscir magister''." It should also be noted that all of Chao's fire-based spells are aetheric and therefore do not require oxygen to continue burning, and some can even continue to burn when fully immersed in water.
::● ''Calefaciens Exarmatio'': Translating to ''Heatwave Disarmament'', this is a spell used to disarm a foe. It is specially-tuned fire magic that destroys equipment, weapons, and clothing, but leaves the person themselves unharmed.
::● ''Cantus Bellax'': Lit. ''Battle Song'', this is a simple self-buffing spell that reinforces her body with aether. Aside from providing a long-lasting anti-physical shield, this magic also exponentially increases muscle tension, allowing greater power, speed and endurance; it also increases the flexibility of muscles and tendons to prevent Chao from damaging herself from overexertion. In addition, her reflexes are enhanced by a moderate increase in the stimulation of the nervous system.
::● ''Captus Flammeus'': A binding spell, ''Fiery Captor'' summons ropes of fire magic that bind a target in place. Though not ''intended'' to cause harm to the bound target, Chao can cause them to do so at will.
::● ''Flagrantia Rubicans'': A moderately-powerful fire spell, about on par with Fire II, ''Red Blaze'' is Chao's mainstay offensive spell.
::● ''Incendium Gehennae'': A very potent fire spell developed after absorbing the living and offensive aether of Ifrit. Visually, ''Hellfire Conflagration'' is similar to Ifrit's own ultimate attack.
::● ''Ignis Deflexio'': A fire-based anti-physical protective shield. Its defensive effects are small.
::● ''Sagitta Magica Series Ignis'': Chao can summon a number of magic missiles of fire, always a prime number, which will independently track and pursue their target with no input from her. Their tracking method can be defeated if faced cleverly, and one could simply knock the magic missile away when it reaches them. Their damage is limited individually, but she can also cast this spell as a massive, single magic missile comprised of the energy of all the individual ones. While this is more powerful, it is also easier to avoid or counter.
:● '''Technological Genius''': From her youth, she has had a disturbing knack for understanding and knowledge of magitek devices. This ingenuity saw her placed in the Garlean Empire's research division once she was conscripted, where she enhanced and streamlined numerous Garlean weaponry and drive systems. Though more than capable of creating new devices from her own mind, her skills are strongest at refining and adapting existing technology to perform even better. She is responsible for the technological control devices that the Garleans use on their colossi to prevent them from rampaging in battle. Since coming to Eorzea, she has developed a powered assault armor and numerous other systems.
:● '''Temper Resistance''': As a result of Garlean experimentation, Chao possesses a set of sigils inscribed on her body that allows her to seal her aether. The theory is that this will protect her from the primals' method of tempering individuals by way of overloading their aether with the primal's own, due to their aether being unable to interact with her. This has proven to function as intended, tested under fire during her confrontation with Ifrit.
:● '''Weapon Proficiency (Firearm)''': As with all Garlean soldiers, she was trained to use their advanced firearms technology. Though she prefers magic and unarmed combat, she does keep a concealable pistol loaded with large-caliber, high-explosive ammunition on her person. Just in case.
:● '''Weapon Proficiency (Gunblade)''': As a conscript of the Garlean army, and valued slightly above the rank-and-file for her technical genius, she was trained in how to use a gunblade. Though she does not favor the weapon herself, she is capable of picking up and easily-using any of the non-specialized types of gun-weapons.</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">'''OOC Note:''' I unilaterally prefer freeform combat to dice, as dice cannot adequately reflect skill and equipment of a character. I practice what I refer to as an "interrupt" style of RP combat, in that when I make an action, I include a description of the effects it would have, and leave it to the other individual to defend against the action and/or mitigate the effects. Don't hesitate to send a /t if you have questions or are unsure of something I did in a battle.</div></div>
<br>

=Misriah Armory=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>MISRIAH ARMORY</center></div></span></h3>
[[File:Misriah-logo.png|center]]
<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">
After settling at Vylbrand Academy, Chao finally found the stability required to dedicate her efforts fully to designing and developing her magitek weaponry. After a sizable payment for technologies rendered, she was able to fund the creation of her own arms company, '''Misriah Armory'''. Adapting the slogan "Battle-tested for your home", Chao has hired a number of production personnel from the Ironworks and purchased several proprietary systems from Cid nan Garlond to begin her work on magitek combat systems, primarily in the form of powered armor.
::● '''Anti-Magic Reactive Armor''': A system wherein a piece of armor or shield is imbued with reactive aether that, when an offensive spell acts upon it, explodes outward to disperse the effects of the spell and reduce harm to the wearer. This system is still in the prototype phase; currently, it reacts far too vigorously to offensive spells.
::● '''Armory Device''': Utilizing the principles of aetheric teleportation, Chao can imbue specific items with a unique aetheric signature, and then pair them to a device, traditionally a ring, that summons the items onto the wearer, allowing one to be armed and equipped in the blink of an eye.
::● '''Electromagnetic Aether Pulse Protection''': After an...unpleasant...event that saw her powered devices shut down by an enemy electromagnetic aether pulse, Chao worked to ensure that this never occurred again. By studying the recorded particulate effects just before her devices lost power, she was able to determine the frequency at which the particulates used interacted with her devices, and modify her shielding to nullify that frequency. To prevent circumvention by simply using a ''different'' frequency, all her powered equipment shielding is designed to modulate through differing frequencies.
::● '''Ironworks Powered Armor Mk.I''': The upgraded, field-ready combat version of her prototype armor. Designed as a modular system that supports varying upgrades as requested by the wearer. A detailed description can be found [http://tinyurl.com/mdjcwvd here]. Unlike her other, proprietary powered armor designs, her personal set retains the designation 'Ironworks' partly out of nostalgia, and partly in recognition that she was aided by members of the Garlond Ironworks in designing and creating it.
::● '''Misriah Powered Armor/BREAKER''': A direct assault variant built for Grundy, focusing on strong armored protection, resilient shielding, armor-augmented strength enhancers, and a VISR (detailed below) uplink to identify allies and enemies. As Grundy lacks the technical expertise to manipulate armor systems, the BREAKER variant is designed to function largely autonomously, with all systems functioning when power is applied. Grundy's personal variant features two additional features: two spiked chain shots built into both forearms for grappling, and remote systems override allowing Chao to lock down his armor to stop him from going on a berserker rampage.
::● '''Misriah Powered Armor/INFILTRATOR''': An infiltrator variant designed for use by those who prefer a stealth approach. The INFILTRATOR variant lacks the plate protection of its more up-armored brethren, relying on faster-cycling aetheric shielding technology and the user's own ability to evade hits to provide its protection. This powered armor increases user reaction speed and possesses proprietary sound-dampening technology to enhance stealth.
::● '''Powered Fist''': Built to augment her new powered armor, Chao designed a gauntlet that allows her free range of hand motion and also has a powerful gun device built into it for added anti-armor punch. When not desired for use, it collapses down to the size of bracelets worn on both wrists.
::● '''Project μ''': Considered by Chao to be her Magnum Opus, Project μ saw the creation of a sentient, free-willed combat android in a form that would allow it to pass undetected in society (in this case, the prototype unit possesses the frame of a female miqo'te). Utilizing a combination of a purpose-built mammet heart and an unprogrammed Allagan Defense System node to achieve sentience, a frame was constructed using both Allagan metals and repurposed Garlean steel. The result: an infiltrator prototype given the name ''Myu'' whose combat potential is surpassed only by her learning potential.
::● '''Remote/Observation, Self-Propelled Model 1B Reconnaissance Drone''': A variant of the WASP drone, with its aetherochemical beam replaced with high-fidelity observation and monitoring equipment to perform the functions of battlefield reconnaissance. Recon data from these drones can be fed to any authorized user of a MISRIAH powered armor system.
::● '''Sterilization Tools''': A number of devices requested by Vylbrand medic Keero in order to sterilize medical equipment before use. A non-mobile version was delivered to the medical ward, allowing the sterilization of large numbers of equipment, or large pieces of equipment. Several smaller versions were also built for field use. Both versions generate high-heat, high-intensity energy beams that kill microorganisms and scour surfaces clean.
::● '''Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance''': A HUD feature included in all of her powered armors, VISR allows for unprecedented battlefield information to wearers of her powered armor. In its most base form, VISR serves as an identify-friend/foe system, highlighting friendly targets in a green outline, enemy targets in red, recognizable weapons in blue, items of interest in yellow, and unidentified persons/civilians in orange. It can also receive visual reconnaissance from any nearby ROSP drones and functions as low-light enhancement at night or in darkened spaces.
::● '''Weapon/Anti-Magitek, Self-Propelled Model 1A Nonlinear Rifle''': A small, high-mobility portable weapon system developed by Chao using the magitek bits of the Allagan and Garlean Empires as its base. Unlike it much larger cousins, the "WASP"--also known by the descriptor "funnel"--is small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand, but is no less deadly for it. Armed with an aetherochemical beam that can pierce the armor of a magitek reaper in a single strike, its power is balanced by its slow rate of fire and limited fire capacity. When drained of energy after five shots, it is capable of re-energizing itself by drawing aether from its environment, but this will only allow it to fire again once every five minutes. The WASP is targeted by voice commands.
</div></div>

<br>

=History=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>HISTORY</center></div></span></h3>
<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
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<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>'''PAST BACKGROUND'''</center></div></span></h3>
<br>
<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Early Life'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Born in the region of Doma, Chao has been well-acquainted with Garlean tyranny her entire life. Her parents trained her from the time she could stand in the Doman martial arts style, despite it being outlawed by Garlemald as seditious. Early in life, she demonstrated a marked proclivity for an inability to keep secrets, prompting her parents to keep her uninvolved with the resistance against the Garlean Empire. She also showed an amazing affinity for magitek and other mechanical devices.<br><br>As she grew older, the increasing activity of Garlean oppression saw Chao becoming aware of their atrocities throughout their claimed territory. Her discretion grew, and though she remained unaware of her parents' involvement in the resistance, she began to contribute to the resistance in her own way, notably by designing and providing specifications for cannon rounds that boasted a marked improvement rate in penetrating Garlean armor, among other defensive innovations. This enhanced ability on the Domans' part to fight them did not go unnoticed by Garlemald, and by the age of fifteen, they had determined that she was the one responsible for the technological improvements. One afternoon, a contingent of Garleans appeared at the Lingshen homestead, and a choice was offered: service in the Empire, or the deaths of herself and her family. Unwilling to be the cause of her parents' deaths, she agreed to join the Empire. </font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Imperial Service'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Having been identified as a magitek prodigy, Chao avoided conscription into the generic rank and file of the Empire, instead placed in an institution that would teach her the intricacies of Garlean magitek as groundwork for creating next-generation weaponry. Recognizing the opportunity that had fallen into her lap, she played the part of the loyal Garlean engineer, all the while absorbing all the information she could and considering ways she could sabotage the Empire. It soon came to be discovered that she was especially adept at improving existing technology to perform better, seeing her placed in the Castrum Meridianum, where the foremost of Garlemald's technological terrors were constructed. <br><br> Initially, the projects she was allowed access to were small, improved arms and armor for the soldiers stationed in the castrum and the like. Eventually, as the successes of her work became apparent and allowed Garlemald to solidify its holdings in the regions of Eorzea they occupied, she was granted more and more access to Imperial workings. Soon, she began to discreetly sabotage the projects she was working with, an example being the technological inhibitors that the Garleans used to control their magitek colossi and other tamed beasts. Sure, the inhibitors did their job--better than to spec once she got her hands on them--but if they took too much damage and were destroyed, the frenzied beasts would focus all their aggression on their Imperial masters. She always took great care to ensure that the technology she sabotaged would fail as a result of field conditions or misuse, and that their effects would be ''just'' shy of so catastrophic that the Garleans deemed them too costly to use. <br><br> Her own research efforts were not the only Garlean projects that she was involved in. Owing to the Garleans' hatred of the primals, eventual conflict with the primals would be inevitable. Knowing of the primals' fondness for tempering, the Empire sought to devise a means to resist the tempering effect. Selecting from a pool of candidates with preexisting extremely strong willpower, Chao was selected to undergo numerous anti-tempering experiments. As tempering was reliant upon the primal surging their own aether to overpower the victim's mind and soul, the simplest method the Garleans saw to negate it was blocking one's aether. To this end, a series of sigils were inscribed across Chao's body, rendering her an aetherial void when active. A command code, painstakingly memorized by the magitek genius, deactivates the sigils and lets her act normally, though when it is active her aether is completely inactive, not even able to be detected by other mages, and she appears to be completely nonmagical. Though this system performs its intended purpose to lab specifications, it has yet to be tested against an actual primal. <br><br> It was two years into her work at Meridianum that she discovered the Ultima Weapon program, and at that point she realized that it would take more than minor acts of sabotage to halt the Garlean advance. At around the same time, she began to hear whispers of a revolt in Doma, instigated in the hopes that the Garlean succession crisis would have them too distracted to respond. Activity around the Ultima Weapon project intensified, with many predicting that the fearsome monstrosity would be put to use suppressing the rebellion. It was not to be, however, as the Weapon was still not fully prepared for combat, and the might of the Imperial legions were plenty sufficient to crush the uprising and begin a reckoning of the Doman civilization. <br><br> Suspecting deep in her heart that her parents had been killed in the rebellion, Chao devised her plan and made ready to depart the Empire forever.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Defection'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">For a long while, the Garlond Ironworks and its members had been a continual thorn in the side of the Imperial presence in Eorzea, raiding the castrums seemingly at random. Though she had not devoted a great deal of attention to it, she had a sense that there would soon be another such raid at Meridianum. Timing her actions carefully, she prepared another act of sabotage. <br><br> In her part of the Ultima Weapon project, she was assigned to the conversion of the ancient Allagan power source to accept refined ceruleum as a fuel. While successful in this endeavor, she also weakened the structural integrity of the fueling lines and the storage tanks, forcing them to vent under strenuous operation lest they suffer a devastating case of overpressure. Under the guise of a 'stress test', she ordered one such storage tank filled to capacity and subjected to the sorts of stresses expected in lengthy combat. <br><br> Just as she had expected, another raid by the Ironworks occurred in the middle of the stress test. With the defense force of the castrum distracted by the ruckus, Chao moved all her research notes to within proximity of the storage tank, then increased the stress the device was under. To her surprise, the raiding team from the Ironworks soon broke their way into her research chamber, pulling her attention away from monitoring the tank for reaching its failure point. Now no longer needing to be concerned with her intent to betray the Empire, she alerted the raiders of the impending explosion and warned them to get away. Almost immediately thereafter, a castrum security force broke into the lab from another direction and opened fire. A stray round struck the storage tank, resulting in an immediate detonation. The explosion wiped out the Garlean security force and sprayed flaming ceruleum throughout the lab, resulting in gruesome burn scars to the back of Chao's legs. <br><br> Rendered unconscious by the explosion, Chao was recovered by the Ironworks raiding team, who fled as a chain reaction tore through the ceruleum storage facility, destroying a large number of the Ultima Weapon's spare tanks. Chao's act of sabotage resulted in the completion and battle readiness of the Ultima Weapon being delayed by nearly a full year.</font></div>
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<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>'''SINCE CHARACTER CREATION'''</center></div></span></h3>
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<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Ironworks'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao awoke some weeks later in Gridania, finding herself under care of the conjurers treating her injuries from the ceruleum explosion. Informed of the massive damage done to her musculature and nervous system, she was relieved to learn that she would regain the ability to walk after a time, but that the corrosive nature of ceruleum meant that the scars would never fade. This did not trouble her, and as she recovered, she requested a tome in which she could write, beginning to transfer what of her research she could recall to a page, glad to have denied Garlemald her knowledge and leaving them with prone-to-failure, sabotaged equipment. <br><br> Soon thereafter, she was approached by a large roegadyn man who introduced himself as Biggs, naming himself as a member of the Garlond Ironworks and come to inquire what she had been up to when she had encountered the raid team. In no uncertain terms, she explained that she had been carefully sabotaging various Imperial projects over her years in their conscripted service, and had planned to take advantage of the confusion of the Ironworks raid to do one last grand act of sabotage and escape. Amused by her forthcoming explanation, Biggs offered for her to join the Ironworks, letting her turn her vast magitek talent to improving the lives of Eorzean citizens while continuing to stick it to the Empire. She readily accepted, and turned over her tome of notes for Biggs to copy in case any of it proved useful to any of the ongoing projects at the Ironworks. Once finished with the transcription, Biggs returned the book and suggested she get herself as far away from the Empire as possible.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Changing the Game'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Unknown to either of them, she was in no danger of being hounded by the Empire, as they believed she had perished in the ceruleum explosions at the castrum. After regaining her ability to walk, she traveled to Ul'dah and took up residence there. To while away the time, she discovered that the jewel of the desert was home to the pugilist guild and the thaumaturge's guild, two combat schools that she had a keen interest in. Applying for training at both, she used their instruction to further her knowledge in both unarmed combat and the magical arts, but feared that what she could learn through the guilds would be insufficient to face the might of the Garlean Empire. <br><br> To that end, she sought to combine the training of both guilds into a new personal discipline she referred to--admittedly unoriginally--as 'combat mage'. To this end, she practiced the casting of spells until they became as muscle memory to her, able to cast on the move and with greater speed. While training herself in such a way, she discovered her stronger affinity for fire magic, that the more she trained, the greater the potency of those spells became and the less taxing they were upon her. Before long, she had become adept at weaving fire not only as spells in between strikes, but the very elemental aspect itself into her strikes. The result was a combat style that is frightfully effective, one that the pugilists' guild regarded as an amusing and effective curiosity, but that was reviled by the thaumaturges' guild. Needless to say, she hasn't showed her face there very often in recent times. <br><br> Even through her training time, one thing had weighed heavily on her mind at all times: the existence of the Ultima Weapon and what it could do to the people of Eorzea. Knowing of the Weapon's ability to absorb the essence of the primals and use their power for its own, she wondered if it was not possible for a man to do the same with magic. After all, the possibilities of magic were literally limitless. With that in mind, and keeping an open mind from which she could observe and calculate from all possible angles, Chao began to study arcanism and conjury as well. <br><br> Initially dismissing conjury, she focused her attention on arcanism, finding the applications there far more wide-ranging given the geometric and mathematical means of bending aether to one's whim, and as an engineer, geometry and math were something of strong suits for her. She quickly began to experiment with using aetheric circles not just in books, but using the environment herself as her medium. She found that in doing so, she could enhance the power of her spells and perform various other effects. She has established a theory of a magic contract between a magically-talented person and one who is not, mostly for the purpose of additional power to the--presumably physically-inclined--partner, but has yet to perform any actual experimenting on this concept.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Dark Magic'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Through many a day spent sitting in a corner of the Quicksand pondering her magical theories while immersing herself in the lifeblood of the city, her thoughts traveled far and wide on the principles of magic and their relationship with man and the world. Such philosophical drivel aside, it occurred to her as she was watching a drinking contest that perhaps she was thinking too hard on a subject that was actually rather simple. The principle of the Ultima Weapon's most terrifying power was that it could absorb the power of the primals into itself and, so the theory went, use their powers as its own. As she had discovered through her arcane training, there already ''was'' a similar technique in play, the aetherflow. The problem was its limitations, and that it only drew upon ambient aether. <br><br> While stumped on how to get around this block, she diverted some attention to figuring out methods of rapidly-deploying aetheric circles in combat, given that most enemies would be disinclined to stand around letting her draw runes on the ground around them. Musing on the fragility of crystals, she discovered a method to 'pre-cast' partial aetheric circles by inscribing them into specifically-marked spell catalysts that, when shattered in specific sequence in a set pattern, would inscribe an invisible aetheric circle on whatever solid surface they were shattered against. She found that this was most useful when fighting unarmed, as many would assume she was a bog-standard pugilist and therefore wouldn't be suspicious of her moving around in a fight. <br><br> As the weeks passed and she wandered about the city, she chanced upon a handful of Sultansworn in a full-contact mock training exercise. Taking a moment to stop and observe their actions, she watched as a pre-cast protective spell flashed to life to ward off a harmful spell, but not fully mitigate its damage. That scene taking root in her mind, she returned to the Quicksand to ponder. The nature of protective spells were meant to turn away harmful effects, but using her aetheric circles, could she not invert its purpose, directing an opponent's magic or spirit energy into a user whose aetherflow was opened to draw in such energies? <br><br> With thorough studying in the matter, she discovered that her theory was spot-on, allowing her to absorb the energies of an opponent's attack into herself, giving her a limited-time increase to specific attributes depending on the nature of the absorbed energies. This method of using her developing theory of magic was impractical, as it required her drawing a spell circle to influence the absorption of the energy, and therefore was ill-suited for most combat scenarios. Further, the act of absorbing spells or spirit energy infused that energy to her very soul, an unnatural and corrosive effect that forced her to determine that this new magic she was inventing be reserved for the most emergency of uses. <br><br> Because of this, she has taken to calling her new magic system ''Magia Erebia''.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''New Eras, New Places, New Faces'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Time waits for no man, and Chao was no exception. Word of a new terrifying superweapon in the hands of Garlemald spread through Eorzea like wildfire, and she knew that they had come with their Ultimate Weapon. To her surprise, however, the Eorzean leaders did not seem to fear the tremendous power of the weapon, instead were planning a ''preemptive strike'' to destroy the thing before it could be brought into play. Unknowing of what means the Eorzeans intended to fight it with, but well resolved in the knowledge that she would not suffer them to face that menace alone, she journeyed to the Hall of Flames to avail her burgeoning magical talent to the Alliance's efforts. And thus came to pass her involvement in Operation: Archon, a rather boring endeavor which saw her standing far from the front lines, raining concentrated blasts of fire down on far-away Garleans by way of indirect fire. <br><br> Returning to Ul'dah after the successful destruction of the Ultimate Weapon and the heralding of the Seventh Astral Era, Chao felt herself adrift. Her entire life since coming to Eorzea had been dedicated to empowering herself and devising technology to destroy the weapon, and yet now she found herself without that clear adversary to test herself against. Returning to her usual haunt in the Quicksand to consider her notes on varying magitek research projects, she found herself attracting some interesting characters. First came an elezen lady curious of what she was reading, prompting a rather fast-paced and aggressive conversation which has Chao convinced that she was being hit upon, ending with a promise by Aeliette to 'discover all her dark secrets.' <br><br> Several days later, she was approached by another elezen who offered thanks to her for the assistance she rendered in attempting to determine whether a wine bottle had been poisoned. Introducing himself as Isaudorel, their conversation was far more agreeable, despite the brief intrusion of a rather rude individual who accused Chao of being of purchaseable companionship. Electing to not dignify that with a response, the conversation soon found its way turning toward their preferred styles of combat, with Chao informing him of her creation of her 'combat mage' style of combat. Intrigued of a method by which one could combine hand-to-hand with magical combat, he requested a spar to allow her to demonstrate her style, to which she agreed, pleased to have the opportunity to test her style in 'real' combat. <br><br> Traveling just outside of Forgotten Springs in the Sagolii Desert, Chao and Isaudorel squared off, observed by a small crowd of interested individuals who either came along from the Quicksand or happened to be passing through. Initiating the duel, Chao used her ''shundo'' to cross the distance separating them before he could react, a rising crescent kick almost finishing the fight in a single blow. Recovering from it, he retaliated with a blizzard spell, which she dispersed with a ''Red Blaze'' fire spell before charging back in to rain strikes at him. With a quick thought, he cast a manawall charged with electricity in an attempt to paralyze her. Though the charged energy knocked her back, she managed to avoid a paralysis and unleashed seven ''Sagitta Magica'' arrows to divert his attention. He answered in kind with a wide-area blizzard spell to destroy them, then began another incantation. To break the barrier, Chao used a floating chunk of ice as a springboard by which to ''shundo'' at him and use the entire force of her body to try and break the barrier. Just as she hit, he completed his incantation, casting a Fire-III directly on himself to catch both of them at once, an effective suicide-bomb attack. <br><br> Blown to the side by the power of the strike, Chao was the first to her feet, laughing at the cleverness of the attack and commending him for its execution. Isaudorel, however, having exhausted his mana to pull that stunt and doing no small amount of harm to himself, ceded the spar at that point. Expressing his wish for a future re-engagement, he returned to Ul'dah--or so she presumed--to get himself some rest and recovery. Afterwards, she was approached by one of the observers, one [[Gunnbjorn Darkblade]] who was very impressed with her style and wished to challenge her himself at some point in the future. With a smirk, she stated that she would always be ready to test her skills out once more. <br><br> A few days beyond that, she found herself approached once more at the Quicksand, this time by a man answering to the name of Lucian Malloy. Speaking at length of idle topics, he soon invited her to a place he liked wherein she could think free of distractions, citing the noise of the Quicksand being a cause of headaches for him. Initially concerned that it may be an ill-fated kidnapping attempt, given the nature of Ul'dah, she felt confident that she would be more than any would-be kidnappers were prepared for, and agreed to accompany him. Following along with his teleport to Costa del Sol, she soon discovered that his motives were no more ill than that of any red-blooded male attempting to woo a female. In further efforts to impress her, he cast a healing circle spell, the radius of which grew with every passing moment. It soon became clear that this spell was too powerful for him to sustain, causing him to become as though intoxicated, making ever more and more ridiculous statements as time went on. He soon passed unconscious from the effects of the significant drain on his aether, but not before he managed to activate a failsafe teleport of some sort that returned the two of them to his free company's homestead in the Goblet. <br><br> At the mansion of the Reclaimers, Chao brought him to rest in an infirmary bed, then wandered the halls to find one of his free company mates to assist him. Atticus Buffalobane and Lena Ulionov appeared from their room, in a particular state that left no doubt in Chao's mind what they had been up to, but she politely refrained from saying anything on the matter. It was swiftly determined that he suffered from aetheric depletion, prompting Lena to head off to procure some ethers to solve the matter. After a few moments, she returned with Rinh Amariyo in tow, while Chao stood to the back of the room and let them see to their comrade. After some good-natured ribbing on their part once Lucian came around, Lena inquired as to Chao's occupation. When the combat mage informed them of her specialty in Garlean magitek, suddenly both Lena and Rinh became very interested in her, the former requesting that she return the next day to look at a piece of Garlean technology that the Reclaimers had "acquired." <br><br> Coming the next day as promised, she was introduced to another associate of the Reclaimers, Popato Tomato, who presented a large Garlean orb and explained that it was an aetheric suppressor and that they wished to find a way to make it smaller and allow it to only suppress aether of unwanted intruders rather than the rightful occupants of the manor. Explaining that miniaturization was her specialty, Chao poked around in the device's innards and, following a demonstration of its effects during which she decided to see what would happen if the aether-absorbing field came into contact with her when her aether was sealed--the device short-circuited--she determined that she could meet all their specifications as long as they procured her a pair of Garlean magitek cores--one in case she made a mistake--with which to install in the machine; the rest she had the tools to do herself. They stated that it would be easy for them to acquire the cores, leaving her time to sketch out her redesign of the smaller device and acquire the parts she would need from the Ironworks. <br><br> It took less than a day for her to complete her sketched redesign and even prototype a few replicas in the Ironworks of the modified device. Waiting to be contacted by the Reclaimers to complete her work for them, she resumed her habit of occupying the Quicksand, spending her time going over her design in exacting detail and ensuring everything would function as she expected it to. As she waited and tinkered with converting one of the miniature prototypes into a working autonomous device, she felt an intense gaze on her, and looked around to find a hyuran woman staring at her. The woman approached, stating aloud that Chao looked familiar to her, which became a shared sensation when the woman drew near enough to get a good look at in the dim lighting of the tavern. When Chao pointed out that she was only commonly found at the Quicksand or in the Ironworks, the woman seated herself and proclaimed that it was from the Ironworks that they were familiar with one another. The woman introduced herself as [[Satomi Hakase]], primarily employed by the airship operations division. Though this introduction was to be brief, as an acquaintance of Satomi soon arrived portending a situation which required the hyur's attention, Chao was left with the feeling that she might begin to work with the Ironworks airship sector a bit more often. <br><br> Even with that chance encounter with a fellow in the spirit of science, she continued to feel further and further adrift and separated from the currents of the realm, left as she was with no strong source of opposition to test herself against. The influx of refugees from Doma, the tension from Ul'dah's rejection of sanctuary of them, and the riots that ensued were not something that she, a purveyor of weapons and therefore a 'merchant of death', cared to involve herself in, as she would neither see her people oppressed nor would she hand out her developing forms of advanced weaponry a nation so rife with corruption. So she continued to spend her days in the city idle, chatting at random with whatever passers-by expressed interest in her, spending fewer and fewer hours contemplating new advancements of magitek or ''Magia Erebia''. One conversation ended with a suggestion that she turn her attention to the Ishgardian war with the dravanian hordes and supply weapons for that battle, but she thought little of the backwards, dogmatic ways of the Holy See and did not see the dravanians as a threat to the other city-states should Ishgard fall. She did, at the least, state that she would give it her consideration, and if nothing else it would be an exercise in retrograding her inventions to withstand both the cold of Coerthas and the searing flames of a dragon's breath.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As she took a meal one evening, the tavern as noisy as ever, her ears picked out of the din a small but overbearing voice aimed in her direction. Turning to see a lalafell staring down her nose at her--an act she'd hitherto thought lalafells physically incapable of--she found herself subjected to a barrage of queries regarding a male miqo'te she had never even heard of. When she said as much, the lalafell half-ranted out a slew of other names, only one of which caught her attention: Satomi Hakase. <br><br> With that mentioned, the short one seemed to take a moment to reevaluate Chao, apparently considering there was more to her than met the eye to be an associate of Satomi's, and thereby deeming her 'worthy' by some arbitrary benchmark. Speaking more at length of this 'Sypher Corinth' she was after, she explained that he owed a not-inconsiderable debt to her, promising an unspecified percentage of it for delivering him or information on his whereabouts. Chao accepted, but money had little to do with it; in truth, she was far more interested in having something to do that would take her out of the city. <br><br> The lalafell, who left only her given name Zoey, informed Chao that Sypher had ties with Vylbrand Academy, which sent the miqo'te to Ul'dah's airship landing for a journey to the island city-state. Some hours were spent querying practically every soul in Limsa Lominsa as to the location of the Academy, but perseverance eventually paid off. Upon entering the nondescript building, which initially appeared to be empty, she followed the sound of voices to a lower level that seemed to house a bar, where she queried if any present knew of Sypher. <br><br> After a brief discussion, she was requested to speak of the matter privately with a miqo'te woman she presumed to be the Academy's master, accompanied by an elezen whose role was not explained but Chao presumed to be the master's second. Once in Kyra's office, she explained the situation as it had transpired in the Quicksand, swiftly becoming confused with the way they seemed to become very tense at someone pursuing this 'Sypher' for a substantial debt. It was now clear to her that she was being manipulated as a pawn in the schemes of the lalafell, a sensation she was none too pleased with. When the elezen asked her to convey to the lalafell a request to come to the Academy and 'discuss' the matter, she readily agreed to do so. <br><br> The following afternoon, Chao returned to the Academy, having been informed by Ser Chevalier that a weapon class was to be given that day. As it turned out, she had mistakenly-assumed that it would be more of a showcase of varying weapons from which she might be able to draw inspiration for her projects, but as it turned out, it was an actual instructional class on the varieties of a specific weapon type, in this case axes. Unwilling to be rude by getting up and walking out in the middle of it, she decided to wait it out and observe. This turned out to be possibly one of her best decisions to date. <br><br> In the midst of the class, who should appear out of the blue but Satomi herself. As it turned out, Vylbrand Academy was the fellow researcher's home away from the Ironworks. After politely waiting out the duration of the class and then exchanging a few words with the Academy master and Ser Chevalier, Satomi invited Chao to her laboratory-cum-room to catch up, along with a lalafell that quickly became apparent to be of significant emotional interest to Satomi. After he left on business, Satomi expressed her concern over the appearances inherent in that relationship, but Chao assured her that she would not judge, with the statement that one will find love wherever their heart desires, and that was all there was to that. <br><br> With that fear settled, the pair discussed the situation involving Sypher and the debt, Satomi expressing her concern that he did not seem to be in that high an amount of debt, and Chao herself finding suspicion that so many at the Academy seemed to have their hackles raised by the entire affair. When Satomi remarked that she would gladly pay off the debt and needed to find the woman, Chao stated that she would be glad to accompany Satomi, both to get her own answers on what the hell she'd been dragged into and to provide martial help should it become necessary, promising her fellow Ironworks researcher that she was not as fragile as she looked. <br><br> Turning their conversation to lighter topics, Satomi eventually discerned that, aside from the Ironworks, Chao had no place to call home other than the Hourglass inn attached to the Quicksand, and near of mandated that Chao avail herself of Satomi's lab as often as she deemed necessary. Though not necessarily wanting to take overmuch advantage of Satomi's hospitality--and that of the Academy, which she was sure did not think too highly of her--the truth was simple in that she was adrift in Ul'dah, and a newer locale nearer to where Satomi hung her proverbial hat would not only allow easier collaboration but might also provide some desperately-needed inspiration. <br><br> And so, returning to Ul'dah, she gathered her meager belongings from the Hourglass and took a day or so to finish up all her activities in the jewel of the desert. Traveling by airship to Limsa, she procured a room at the Mizzenmast for a few days so as not to just show up out of the blue at the Academy like an unwanted relative. On the eve before she decided to make her trip to the Academy, she was met in the Drowning Wench by her erstwhile lalafell 'employer', who explained the ''actual'' purpose of the search for Sypher, that being a murder investigation that was now being considered a self-defense act. <br><br> Chao was willing to let bygones be on the matter for a twofold reason: first, it ''was'' a bit of a mercy on Zoey's part to have him investigated for a debt rather than murder, and secondly, Chao's journey to the Academy enabled her to reconnect with Satomi, an all-around net gain for her. Any ire she may have had about Zoey leading her about in the dark was defused by the lalafellin investigator's sincere apologies. Further, Zoey seemed to sense an utmost trustworthiness in Chao, which took the Doman by surprise, and prompted a departure on good terms, with a note that Zoey might seek her out again for further--and much more transparent, as promised--ventures in the future.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Departed'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao had always considered herself intelligent, and whenever first approached by a new person, especially someone with a thuggish demeanor or appearance, always reminded herself that Eorzea was a realm full of malcontents and kept ready in the back of her mind the fact that the very next person to approach her may subject her to some ill-fated kidnapping attempt, assault, or issue of the like. Heretofore, that had never become an issue, but on the day that she prepared to finally make the sojourn to Vylbrand Academy, it turned out that she was properly paranoid after all. <br><br> The lalafell that approached her side may well have succeeded in the assassination attempt had she not stooped to pick up a dropped utensil at the exact moment the would-be assassin moved to draw his blade. A commendably-strengthed kick, given her less-than-stellar positioning seated on a barstool, launched the smallfolk into a pillar, where he was promptly joined by the stool she had just vacated. With the ambush attempt failed, a roegadyn, a hyur, and a miqo'te joined the fray. It was clear they lacked up-to-date knowledge on her skillset, as defeating them proved to be a far simpler endeavor than she had expected. <br><br> Rifling through their pockets made it clear they were a Garlean hit squad, as if their banter during the unrepentant mugging they suffered had not already made that point. Troubling was that they'd come specifically for her, and that meant she was on Garlemald's radar again. Whether they sought blood for her sabotage of the Ultima Weapon or a return of her knowledge to their fold was unknown, and frankly irrelevant. What mattered was that they would stop at nothing to achieve their goal, and that endangered everyone she associated with. <br><br> Knowing that, she knew that she could not, in good conscience, let the Academy and its occupants be brought to harm because of her, and so decided to instead go into hiding. <br><br> Steeling her resolve, and feeling herself to be facing one of the greatest trials she ever had, she covered herself in a linen cloak and walked the rainy streets of Limsa, heading down to the ferry. She found bitter amusement that it would rain on this day, of all days. The ferry passed uneventfully, dropping Chao off near the Vylbrand Academy. The weather had long since broke, leaving it a cool, slightly clouded night. Keeping her eyes sharp for any signs of pursuit, she made her way toward the Academy, each step feeling heavier than the one before it. <br><br> As she expected, the Academy itself was not vacant. As she neared, she espied Ser Chevallier conversing in one corner of the yard, and fully expected to be stopped as to her business. But, to her surprise, she was allowed to pass into the building without a word, and found no other souls as she made her way to Satomi's lab. Once inside, she located her tome that she had left previously within a few minutes, replacing it with a letter that explained her entire history, that she was now being hunted, and that she was choosing to disappear rather than endanger any others. <br><br> With that heavy task complete, she lamented a moment on what may have been had they had the opportunity to combine their knowledge and skills, then turned and left the Academy, as silent and unremarkable as she had arrived. Tome in hand, she had only to pay a visit to the Ironworks to ensure they were properly warned and destroy her research data before she could complete her disappearing act. <br><br> Upon arrival, she found herself trailed by a particular pair of a roegadyn and a lalafell as she moved about destroying her research data, the two attempting to talk her out of her chosen path. She would have none of it, however, remaining adamant about preventing the Empire from having any extra reasons to express their ire with the Ironworks due to her presence. Eventually relenting, Biggs and Wedge decided to, at the very least, do what they could to help her survival, handing her a completed prototype of one of her very own designs: a powered assault armor. With thanks and a promise to continue moving ever onward, Chao clothed herself in the prototype battlesuit and departed from the Ironworks, closing that chapter of her life as well. <br><br> Traveling to the cliff edge of Silvertear Lake, Chao gazed upon the shattered wreck of the ''Agrius'', musing on whether she would require a power equal to that of the Guardian of the Lake in order to turn back the Empire. As she considered this, she engulfed her tome in flames to forever deny its contents to the Empire. The scuffle of approaching persons drew her attention, but kept her back to them, knowing she could easily beat any Garlean to the draw who had hubris enough to make their approach known. <br><br> To her surprise, it was the voice of Satomi who called out to her, demanding her purpose and threatening violence should she have been responsible for harm to....herself. Clearly, Satomi had mistaken her cloaked form for that of a Garlean assassin. She turned to identify herself properly, bracing for what was surely to be a lengthy attempt to convince her to not fleet into hiding. The sight of Chao unharmed brought the hyuran scientist great relief, and she launched quickly into a narrative of how hectic the last several days had been, in-between dodging Garlean assassins and interrogating captured spies. <br><br> Confused by the explanation, Satomi continued that she had discovered a list of targets that the Garleans were going after, including both of the two researchers. That Satomi herself was targeted explained her being in the company of Kyrrae--beyond the obvious reasons therefore--but the knowledge that the Empire was doing more than just coming after her for revenge changed things. She couldn't very well run away and hide while others were being hunted and killed by the Garleans. Stating as much, she cast aside her cloak, revealing her newly-acquired armor to Kyrrae and Satomi in the process, and swore upon the wreckage of the ''Agrius'' that she would never stop fighting against the Empire. <br><br> With all thoughts of flight now permanently out of the magitek prodigy's mind, Satomi bid they leave the far-too-open expanses of Mor Dhona for a more secure location. Utilizing a quick manipulation of aether, the trio teleported to Kyrrae's personal residence in the Lavender Beds, taking the extra opportunity to speak of the situation before bedding down for the evening.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits II'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Beginning to devise her own scheme for additional security against the Garleans, Chao set out the next morning to set it into motion. Over the course of the next several days, she visited sites of combat with Imperial forces across the realm, scavenging parts from downed vanguards, reapers, colossi, and death claws. After several days of this, she received a linkpearl call from Satomi, sounding highly distressed and requesting her presence at the Academy. Initially fearing that the Garleans had gotten Satomi and were using her to try and draw Chao out, she made haste to Vylbrand and entered Satomi's lab with a gusto normally reserved for breaching an enemy fortified position. <br><br> As it turned out, no such precaution was necessary; the state of Satomi's health being due entirely to stress as a result of a near-death experience on Kyrrae's part while Chao was away. Before much more of the subject could be discussed--though enough was spoken of to cause Chao concern for Satomi's well-being--the hyur was called to socialize with the other members of the Academy. Chao, feeling the need to look after her a while longer, accompanied her downstairs and discovered to her amusement that Satomi was ''bartending'' this social event. Tucking herself out of the way, she observed the gathering as she had always observed every tavern interaction, reminded quite thoroughly of her days spent warming chairs in the Quicksand. These thoughts prompted her to wonder what some of her old acquaintances were now up to. As the afternoon wore on, however, the state of Satomi's health became all the more clear: between a dropped glass and nearly stumbling into Chao while passing out a drink, it was clear she was about to pass out on her feet. After a while, she was convinced to retire and rest for the evening, which she reluctantly agreed to do, with Chao ensuring she made it safely back to her room/lab. <br><br> Once back in the lab, Satomi confided in Chao that she had been feeling increasingly depressed over the last several weeks, stemming from the sequence of events that had seemed to go from bad to worse: Chao's disappearance, the Garlean attacks, drama within the Academy, and finally Kyrrae's near-fatal experience. All these experiences, the scientist reasoned, were a negative consequence of deciding to emotionally open herself, rather than the previously-aloof way she had lived her life. In conclusion, she decided that her best course of action would be to return to that way of life, cutting ties with all who knew her and disappearing. <br><br> The only thing standing between her and freedom was a miqo'te magitek prodigy now prepared to enact violence on her closest friend. <br><br> Tactically and very overtly positioning herself between Satomi and the door, Chao immediately declared Satomi's plan a farce, pointing to her own recent experience with 'pulling a runner' that achieved nothing fruitful other than stress and harm to others' lives. This having no effect on Satomi's scheme, she moved on to directly counter the hyur's assertions that she was of no value to anyone by pointing out the positive effects she had had on the lives of Grundy, Kyrrae, and even herself, that without Satomi's influence one or all three of them may currently be dead. This began to crumble Satomi's emotional facade, but she remained adamant. Chao went for the kill: she pointed out, accurately, that if Satomi left the Academy, then Kyrrae would go looking for her, no matter if he was fully-recovered or not. And what then, Chao posited, would happen if he should run afoul of Garlean assassins while out in his weakened state? <br><br> That destroyed Satomi's resolve to flee, and she broke down and confessed her insecurities to Chao, who promised that no matter what choice Satomi made, she would always have the likes of Grundy, Kyrrae, and Chao to stand by her side.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Project µ'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Having researched, heard the tales of, and occasionally witnessed the grasp of the Allagans' technology in the field of automatons, Chao determined to move her own projects in that direction. Similar to the Garleans' favoring of large robotic minions, Chao also saw the value in a heavily-armored combatant with limits far beyond those of normal sentient beings. As ever, where Garlemald's cultural values leaned toward the largest, most visible and intimidating machine on the field, Chao felt far more could be accomplished with a much more compact form. Thus, with the salvaged parts of the various Garlean robots and her highly-useful talent for miniaturizing existing items, she had begun constructing a humanoid-sized combat frame using her own form as a reference. <br><br> Keeping herself sequestered away in a back corner of Satomi's lab and spending all her waking hours on her work, completing the basic frame of the machine and all its inner workings went very quickly, taking her no longer than a week. With that completed, however, she needed to look to a way of giving life to the machine, and not simply in the form of its source of power. Knowing of the great combat power of the Allagans' automated defense mechanisms, one of their core processors would do the job nicely. The key laid in finding one that had not yet been programmed to murder everything in the name of the Forerunners, one that ''she'' could dictate the development of. She would, of course, also require a mammet heart to give her creation a true semblance of sentience, but that was almost trivial in comparison to acquiring an unprogrammed Allagan defense node core. <br><br> Recalling well that Cid had left the doors of the Ironworks open to her, she returned once more to darken their doors, seeking any knowledge the Ironworks might have on sourcing a core to suit her needs. While they lacked a fresh, unprogrammed one, they had a number of cores recovered from destroyed drones recovered primarily from the battlegrounds of Carteneau Flats that she could use to get a feel for how they functioned, and how she might turn one to her own uses. Along with this, he suggested a number of known magitek part peddlers that she might attempt to source one through, lest she wish to get a shovel and start digging at Carteneau. <br><br> After several fruitless endeavors, she managed to make contact with one Dogberry Himalspyr and met with him in Limsa Lominsa to discuss whether he could acquire the core she required. While he did not have any readily available, at least not of the Allagan variety ''and'' unprogrammed, he mentioned that he was planning to explore an Allagan ruin in the coming weeks and invited her to partake and search for what she was after. Deciding that to work well to her advantage, she agreed to come along on the venture, taking a linkpearl from him so that she might be informed of when it would gather. With that laid out, she returned to Vylbrand Academy to continue tweaking the frame and making adjustments to her combat unit. <br><br> To her surprise, she discovered when she returned that Satomi had already solved the problem of a mammet heart: using her not-inconsiderable personal stores of gil, she had commissioned one from the goldsmiths' guild specifically to suit their needs. With the device delivered, Chao was able to activate her robotic creation, upon which she bestowed the name "Myu" as a phonetic of the Allagan symbol µ that she had used as the project codename. Curiously, though powered, Myu had yet to show signs of life. <br><br> Days passed as Chao and Satomi both puzzled over Myu's reticence to awaken. Nothing ''mechanically'' was wrong, the machine simply just refused to start up. Both knew that such fickleness was common to mammets and other devices powered by their hearts, and so resolved to be patient. They knew that Myu's sensory functions and learning core were online and active, taking in data at a constant rate, and so they operated under the assumption that Myu was studying them.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Into the Depths'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As the week ended, she was contacted regarding the Allagan expedition and asked to arrive at Camp Drybone within several days' time. Satomi, unfortunately, had other business to attend to, but Chao assured her friend that she would be fine to enter the ruin alone, and would bring back a mountain of data, ''and'' the necessary core. Donning her battlesuit and taking a supply of spare crystals for recharging if necessary, she took the airship to Ul'dah and, mindful of the continuing unrest in the city, rode her chocobo to the outer encampment of Drybone. <br><br> By the time she had arrived, most of the rest of the venture had already made it, and so she stood off nearby and ran checks on her armor, ensuring everything was functioning at top form. After the last of the group formed up, they trekked by chocobo across eastern Thanalan, far into the scrubland. They arrived at a large work camp, many of the workers and sellswords within bearing injuries that Chao recognized as being caused by Allagan traps and defenses. Though she pitied those unfortunates, she lacked the skills necessary to heal them. <br><br> As tasked by the expedition funder--or so she assumed since it was never fully explained--the team entered into the ruin, proceeding into an aether-swamped cavern filled with platforms of clearly-Allagan design and corrupted creatures tainted by the presence of so much aether. The vast majority posed no great threat to the party and were swiftly overcome, save for the last creature they encountered: a bio-engineered monstrously-sized snake fitted with Allagan control devices. Far more devious and empowered than the lesser creatures, this beast nearly laid low the expedition, leaving at four of its members unconscious, but at least still breathing. <br><br> Reviving their downed comrades and retreating back to the surface, the group took the time to catch their breath as a follow-on force of mercenaries was sent to secure the first antechamber. It wasn't long before a runner in dire health reported a second chamber further into the ruin, with clearly far worse inhabitants. Leaving the winded Dogberry to rest, his place was taken by the other man behind the expedition, one [[Alexander Stormwind]], and they ventured into the ruin again. <br><br> Within, they found what Chao recognized as an Allagan networking center, the 'brain' behind the defense systems of all their facilities. Met at the entrance by a small node that immediately went on the offense, the group proceeded to systemically clear all the nodes around the network before engaging the ADS itself. After a grueling battle, they finally managed to destroy it. Immediately setting to scavenging it, Chao removed its destroyed processor core to discover a secondary core that had been intended to transfer its data to was left untouched by both the battle and any attempt to download data. <br><br> It was the unprogrammed ADS core that she needed for Myu. <br><br> With the network downed, the party took several minutes to recover. Chao herself took to exploring the network area. Her attention was soon drawn beyond the platforms, to large columns of smoke she saw rising from other such clusters of platforms. It took only a few moments of observation--and the sight of moving machinery--to realize she was staring at a Foundry, a place where the Allagans ''built'' their machines. <br><br> This place would definitely merit returning to. <br><br> Returning to the surface, she took a moment to inspect her prize, which Stormwind swiftly demanded she hand over for proper cataloging and storage. Unwilling to part with that which she had come for, and needed to bring Myu to her ideal of full combat readiness, she pointed out that she had been brought on this expedition to acquire this very part, which Dogberry attempted to intercede on her behalf over. Stormwind was adamant, however, refusing to pay for a half-completed venture, even as Dogberry himself pointed out that she still was perfectly willing to press on despite getting what she had come for. At this point, recognizing that there would be no way to have things her way without resorting to violence, Chao ceded for the time, shoving the core into the hands of a passing worker and immediately stonewalled the rest of the raid. <br><br> Within minutes, a new chamber was found, this one seeming more confusing than threatening. Upon the party's arrival to the chamber in question, the reason became immediately apparent: a deep chamber running for over three hundred yalms straight down with the entire center section either lost to time or purposely omitted. The only way to move from section to section was by use of transporter pads dotted around the chamber that would propel an individual across a gap to a connected pad. How the pads were linked, and by what means an individual was propelled and then safely landed was a mystery to Chao, having never before heard of such devices in her studies of the Allagans. <br><br> And the place was full of creatures of Allagan creation, genetically-engineered beasts that harried the party at every turn. Despite attempts to the contrary, the nature of the place and the continuous assaults from every direction swiftly saw the party largely separated, Chao herself winding up alongside one of the group's healers, [[Mikh'a Korofi]]. Knowing that they were better served to run than try to fight, Chao deployed her funnel in an attempt to clear a path and ward off any pursuers, but the largely-untested nature of the drone meant that its effectiveness was, at best, negligible. After a grueling struggle, and no small amount of paths being cleared by the other groups, Chao and Mikh'a eventually escaped through an Allagan teleportation device, winding up back on the surface. <br><br> By ones and twos, the others soon returned, until only one had yet to show up. The elezen bladeswoman, [[Menelwen Veara]], remained unaccounted for within the ruin. As the minutes stretched on, the group grew increasingly frantic, eventually culminating in nearly a re-entry into the deathtrap, until Menelwen reappeared at high velocity, nearly bowling over the lalafell warrior in the process. As it turned out, she had become separated when she took it upon herself to draw away a pack of monsters, barely escaping with her life. <br><br> Sensing that the mystery objective of the expedition was near, Stormwind once more stepped forward to take part in the operation, allowing Menelwen the time to rest and recover from her harrowing ordeal. Clearing the central transport center apparently unlocked some sort of mechanism, revealing a lift at its entrance that allowed them to bypass it. Taking the lift down, the group was soon accosted by Allagan clockwork defenses, lesser in the hierarchy of the Allagans' nasties, to be sure, but they were part of the basis for Project µ for a reason. With determination and grit, the group steadily overcame them and Chao, no more immune to pride than any other, tore the processor from the still-fighting final dreadnaught and rode its smoking carcass to the ground, remarking on how Myu would soon surpass the Allagans' wildest dreams. <br><br> With the lift guardians defeated, the remainder of the journey passed in tense silence. Chao took the opportunity to recharge her armor from her stock of crystals and center herself for whatever was to come. When the doors opened, she did not consider herself prepared enough. <br><br> There, standing before them, was the Ultimate Weapon. Or rather, a seemingly-mass-produced knockoff of the very self-same weapon of mass destruction that had been employed by Garlemald. Given that it had originally been created by the Allagans to control and contain the primals, she realized she should not be surprised to find more than one in existence. Meanwhile, Stormwind seemed to lose his mind in that way that scientists were capable of; it was something she was familiar with not only from herself but from Satomi as well. So that was what it looked like, she mused. Still, and all, the thing had become active in their presence, and now had to be put down. <br><br> Engaging in battle, Chao couldn't help but feel a thrill as she alternated between the use of her Doman martial style and the magicks she had trained on for nearly a year now; she had missed her chance to take down the Ultimate Weapon, and here again was a second chance to see what that had felt like. And through the ravages of time, combined with the skill of the expedition she was in, they steadily dismantled the monster, forcing it to use increasingly more desperate tactics to ward them off. When it deployed a series of magitek bits, as she suspected it might, she wasted no chance, diving one to the ground and prying open its casing even as it tried to blast her with lasers. From her own experience with working with the Ultimate Weapon and all she had learned in the construction of 'Dummy', she was able to alter its targeting processes to turn it against the Allagan superweapon. <br><br> Before long, the monstrous device lay in ruins at their feet. Returning to the surface, Stormwind swiftly dispatched all the mercenaries and workers to that deepest of chambers, ordering the entire thing dismantled and brought back to the surface. Chao half-listened as he explained to the other members of the expedition that the Order of the Raven's Eye had come seeking that very superweapon, intent on using its technology to create a means to better combat the primal threat. Over the course of the discussion, she learned from the lalafell warrior that the Syndicate were also after another such weapon, a monstrosity hidden below the Carteneau Flats called the ''Omega'' Weapon. The revelation filled her with disgust, to know that those vile, amoral sycophants concerned only with their own wealth would seek a power of that magnitude. She could almost foresee conflict in her future with those fools. <br><br> With many of the expedition dispersing, Stormwind turned his attention to Chao, fetching a worker to acquire the core she had found earlier, now more than pleased to hand over the device to her since he had found what he was looking for. As for what the Order was up to, she agreed with their ideal to protect the realm from the primals, but swore that if she caught wind of whatever they created being used for oppression, she'd destroy it herself. Stormwind actually seemed pleased with that vow, and promised himself that he would be careful in guiding their creation's use. <br><br> ADS core in hand, Chao returned to Vylbrand once more, looking forward to the day when Myu would achieve her full combat potential.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Might and Magic'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Back at the Academy, Chao secured the ADS core and stashed it away amidst the mass of other research materials Satomi kept in her lab, where it would remain until Chao judged it was time to install into Myu's processor. In the meantime, she spent several days repairing her armor and working on upgrades to her funnel. In the midst of one such repair session, taken on a couch to the side of the Academy's entrance so as to be out of the way, Chao was discovered by Zooey. After a brief discussion, during which Chao remarked on how she felt herself the nuisance stray at the Academy, the investigator took it upon herself to begin dissolving this notion, demanding Chao to step away from the couch even as she called out, rather loudly, for all nearby members of the group to gather around. This having happened while her funnel was fully-disassembled, and she didn't want to leave such sensitive material unattended for even such a brief time, she found herself getting to meet several of the Academy's occupants while carrying an armful of funnel parts. Of the half-dozen individuals present, all welcomed her warmly into their midst, several even offering her crash space in their residences if it was necessary. <br><br> Even with that welcome extended, she still couldn't shake the inescapable sensation of being an outsider looking in, and so maintained the excuse of working on her projects to remain out of everyone's way. Over the course of several days, she began working on a means to have weapons and gear on-hand any time it was necessary without being overly encumbered. Using the existing knowledge of aetheryte teleportation, she imbued each of the key components of her battlesuit with a unique aetheric signature that she then tied to an Allagan magic focus ring recovered from the ruin she had explored. When successfully tested, she could now go about in everyday attire without having to fear being caught by assassins without her armor. <br><br> Learning of an upcoming festival of science and magic to be hosted by the Academy, she decided to partake of this event, seeing it as an opportunity to showcase the arms she was developing for the realm. That is, until she saw the rules forbidding weapons and dangerous magic, which automatically disqualified nearly all of her work. While she ''could'' have used Myu as her demonstrator, she was not willing to reveal the existence of a humanoid combat robot yet. After a day or so to ponder it, she realized that there ''was'' something she could safely demonstrate: her theory of provisional contract. <br><br> So she recollected her since-destroyed research on the matter, acquired a new showy coat in the Allagan fashion, and waited until the day of the festival. Shortly before it was to begin, in order to settle her restlessness, she took her funnel outside and tested several of its settings on the target dummy outside. Her initial test of nonlethal settings at extremely limited power nearly resulted in the thing shooting ''her'', but on subsequent tests after being very specific on what, precisely, to shoot at, she noted that even at minimum power, the nonlethal setting possessed enough energy and impact to potentially stun victims and destroy clothing and equipment. A further test on the lethal setting at half power completely obliterated the target dummy. Leaving herself a mental reminder to either replace or pay to replace the target dummy, she headed inside to partake in the presentation portion of the festival. <br><br> Having been selected to go first, she took the stage and presented her theory of what she was taking to refer to as ''pactio'': that through the use of a specifically-designed magic circle, an individual proficient in magic could create a bond of partnership--a provisional contract--with another person that would allow the mage to imbue the partner with their own aether to increase their attributes. To demonstrate, she called forth [[Nebula Stardancer|two]] [[Sabirr Loreley|volunteers]] from the audience and cast the magic circle on the stage. She explained the basics of the contract, that it was formed by an exchange of bodily fluids; a blood pact would suffice for the matter, but if the two parties were not amenable to that, even something as simple as a kiss would do the job. The two volunteers decided on the latter, and in a flash of magic and light, Chao's theory was proven to be truthful: the successfully-created provisional contract validated by the presence of a tarot-like card bearing the likeness and several details of Nebula. <br><br> After a short session to answer questions, Chao stepped down to observe the rest of the presentations. One concerning the use of aether to reduce fatigue on mechanical systems drew her close inspection for obvious reasons. Last of the presentations was from Satomi, creating a rather fitting set of book ends to the whole affair in Chao's opinion. Her friend and partner in crime showcased a combat-purposed mammet that she had built in the likeness of Grundy. While Chao had known that Satomi had been working on such a thing in tandem with Chao's own work on Myu, she hadn't realized that Satomi's machine had reached the prototype and test phase. When a request for volunteers to face the mammet in mock combat came, Chao stepped forward to test her friend's creation herself, but was beaten to the punch by an Academy local, [[O'rahn Kevelan]]. In the long run, that was probably the better choice, as Chao would have held nothing back in the interest of giving it a proper combat test, and they may have wound up making a mess that way. There were a few glitches in the test, but overall, Satomi's showcase was successful. <br><br> Unfortunately, the machine was soon destroyed by the ''real'' Grundy, who mistook it for an enemy accosting Satomi and shattered it in a single blow. <br><br> Without waiting to be asked to help, Chao retrieved a rolling cart and began to load the parts of the mammet into it, along with the assistance of several others. While Satomi went off to take a walk in order to keep her wits about her regarding the matter, Chao held a brief discussion with Academy resident Imogene about Project µ, remarking on how devastated she would be if something similar happened to Myu as had happened to Satomi's machine. Describing in general the technological achievements that Myu represented, Chao left the other woman quite astounded at the level of complexity in comparison between Myu and the mammet Satomi had built. The difference laid in their purpose: Satomi's machine had been intended solely for combat, and not with the level of sophistication Chao had attempted, while Myu was built to not only have astounding combat capabilities but also to be able to pass herself off as a living, breathing individual. <br><br> After bringing the cart of destroyed mammet parts to Satomi's lab, and with the scientist herself still out of the Academy, Chao spent several hours sitting and talking to Myu, telling the sleeping android of her dreams and hopes for the future, a world where people could live free of the fear of oppression, both from external and internal threats. While Chao had spent some time each day since activating Myu speaking to her in such a manner, this day was markedly different in both the time she spent doing so and the nature of her conversation topic: philosophical and whimsical rather than scientific and factual. <br><br> Days later, just when Chao had begun to let the ever-present concern of Garlemald recede from the forefront of her mind, another stark reminder made itself known. While in the front of the Academy practicing her martial arts, she watched several members of the Academy carry a gravely-wounded person inside. Curiously, she followed them within and stood outside the infirmary--knowing her lack of any knowledge of practical or magical healing arts would see her only getting in the way--and listened as Satomi treated the poor woman, who had been captured and tortured by Garlean agents, operating out of a hidden camp located somewhere on the island of Vylbrand. That was greatly troubling news. <br><br> Eventually, Satomi treated the worst of the woman's injuries, though time would tell if she healed properly. The hyuran scientist headed away to recover and clean herself after the messy procedure, and just minutes later, an elezen woman arrived with a package of supplies for someone in the Academy. Having been nearby, Chao looked within and, finding all manner of alchemy supplies, assumed it was meant for Satomi, and so showed the delivery woman to the lab. Inside, as they waited for Satomi, they struck up a brief conversation, with the elezen--an Ishgardian expatriot, so she revealed--speaking of her interest in technology and weapons, particularly of Garlean origin, to be put to use against the dravanians in Ishgard's long war. Chao warned the elezen that if she had made a habit of pillaging equipment and technology from Garlemald, that she need be alert to the fact that she may have put herself on the very same hit list occupied by Chao and Satomi themselves. <br><br> In the midst of this discussion, Satomi returned to the lab and, confused at the elezen's presence, made clear in an unusually-curt manner that she had scheduled no such delivery. The elezen woman was not troubled, merely collecting the package to be returned to the guild from whence it came. Chao, suddenly and alarmingly realizing that the entire thing may have been a setup, surreptitiously scanned its contents for any sort of Garlean tracking devices--or explosives--but thankfully found none. With the elezen gone, she apologized to Satomi for being the source of the confusion. Satomi, for her part, apologized for being so short-tempered, which Chao understood perfectly when explained that the woman convalescing in the infirmary was one of Satomi's friends. <br><br> Even despite knowing that was what was weighing so heavily on her friend's mind, Chao remained insistent on her apology for causing Satomi additional headache and usurping as much of her lab as she did. Satomi brushed the thought aside, knowing that Chao had only been intending to help her, and further remarking that Chao need not concern how much time and space she required for her "beautiful project." At this, Chao smiled, and mused aloud that perhaps they might coax Myu to awaken by installing the ADS core ahead of schedule, despite the inherent danger that might come of the Allagan base programming overtaking Myu's functions and turning her into a sentient killing machine. Satomi suggested that a backup mammet core be used to store Myu's existing data on, and then use the aetheroelectric security field in her lab to contain Myu within until they determined it safe. It was a sound plan, and so the scientists agreed to take that step the next day, allowing them time to rest and come at it refreshed. <br><br> Moving to rest in the room's seating area, Chao remembered the armory ring and micro-teleportation device she'd created, demonstrating it to Satomi by calling her battlesuit, hitherto stored in an armoire, onto her person, replacing the general-purpose work and research attire she'd been wearing. Leaving her fellow researcher quite stunned, Chao briefly explained the setup, and then handed Satomi an armory ring of her own that Chao had made for her, to ensure that neither of them would ever be caught unarmed and unprepared by Garlean assassins. Afterward, with the call of sleep tugging at both of them, they each took up occupancy on a separate couch--with Satomi explaining that she found normal beds difficult to sleep on--and rested up for whatever the next day may bring.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Logical Ideologist'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">The next afternoon, Chao decided that the time had come to take that gamble. With Satomi away on business, regrettably, she performed the necessary prerequisite steps herself: creating a backup of Myu's data to that point and moving her into the zone of the aetheric field. This latter was a difficult task with Chao by herself; given her metal construction, Myu easily massed twice Chao's own weight. Once she was positioned, however, Chao retrieved the ADS core and, observed only by the myriad of diagnostic and sensory equipment in Satomi's lab, plugged it into Myu's processor, then stepped away and brought the security field online. <br><br> The elation that filled Chao's heart when Myu opened her eyes for that first time was immeasurable, as was the terror that seized her when Myu lifted her hand and aimed her palm-located Allagan laser in Chao's direction. Despite the grave and imminent threat to her very life, Chao stood her ground, determined not to show fear to Myu; not out of an animalistic sense of establishing dominance, but that she had ''faith'' in the being she had breathed life into. For several long and terrifying moments, she watched the color spectrum shift in Myu's eyes, from their natural blue to a blood-evoking crimson likely caused by the Allagan programming. Finally, Myu gained control over the Allagan processes--quarantining them as she later explained to Chao--and greeted her maker. <br><br> Lowering the aetheric field, Chao wasted no time in welcoming Myu to the world, speaking at length with her about her start-up process, the data she had created thus far, and a brief explanation of what it meant that Chao was extremely proud of her. Knowing that she had spent all her time since coming online cooped up inside the lab, Chao took Myu outside the Academy, giving her the first taste of the outside world. It was here, when Myu questioned what caused the plants to sway and the mist of a nearby fountain to move, that Chao realized she'd ommitted installing a tactile sensory function in Myu, something she quickly brought the android back inside to rectify. <br><br> The next day, Myu was introduced to Satomi and the scientists began to measure the robotic girl's capabilities and functions. As the day progressed and grew into the evening, a rapport was quickly established, but it was noted--by Chao if not by Satomi--that Myu clearly held Chao in far higher regard, being the only one of the two that she referred to as master. She still regarded Satomi as an individual high on her protection list, however, as evidenced when she nearly came to violence against another member of the Academy who happened to make teasing remarks at Satomi in Myu's presence. <br><br> Between the defensive knowledge gleaned from the Allagan core, Chao's own mastery of Doman martial arts, and the library of materials available to study at the Academy, it didn't take long for them to discover the incredible combat potential of Myu, easily the equivalent of at least a company's worth of normal soldiers and adventurers. As she was not a living being, she was not capable of manipulating aether in any form, but Chao reasoned that between herself and Satomi, they could make a technological combat system that could perform similar effects; after all, if Garlemald could theorize it, the two of them could make it reality in less than a moon. Because of this lack of aetherial ability, Myu took to following in Chao's footsteps, adopting unarmed martial combat as her primary method of battle. <br><br> It was fortunate that the scientists put so much work into developing Myu's combat abilities, as their greatest trial yet was soon to come.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Nightshade'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As the trio cataloged and practiced combat skills with Myu one evening a short distance from the Academy, they were beset by yet another Garlean assassination squad, this one comprised of two highlanders, a miqo'te, and even a vanguard for support. Chao wasted no time in going on the offensive, engaging the axe-wielding highlander she perceived to be the leader in order to create an opening to allow Satomi and Myu to escape. This endeavor proved to be futile, however, as the other Garleans engaged the two in equal measure. While Satomi's adversary caused her a great deal of trouble due to the scientist not being suited for direct combat, Myu and Chao initially fared better against their foes. The miqo'te shinobi quickly ascertained Myu's artificial nature from her speech patterns and having managed to drive a blade into her right shoulder--barely penetrating her armor plating--and attempted to taunt her, referring to her as a useless puppet. Myu was having none of it, however, and simply grabbed her foe before striking him down with her Allagan laser. <br><br> As this was going on, Chao stayed in close with her opponent, preventing him from getting the full use out of his augmented axe. The Garlean then ordered in the vanguard for support, and knowing the kind of damage those things could cause, Chao slipped past him to engage and destroy the oversized magitek. This turned out to be a ruse on the enemy's part, for as soon as she got within reach, it unleashed a full broadside of all of its frontal attacks. The shielding and material construction of her armor protected her from truly devastating damage, but the attack was still enough to knock her away, stunning her momentarily. In that moment of inattention as Myu looked toward her maker, the dying shinobi stuck an adhesive explosive device to her frame, intent on ensuring she went out with him. Unperturbed, she merely tore the device from herself, taking some of her synthetic covering with it, and threw the now-dead shinobi's corpse over the device to smother some of the blast. The resultant shockwave from the powerful explosion caused a large amount of damage to Myu, who positioned herself to intercept the shockwave so it wouldn't harm Chao. <br><br> The Garlean axeman, mortally wounded by the blast, directed the vanguard into the center of the trio--Satomi now attempting emergency field repairs on Myu after having driven off her opponent a short time before--and armed its self-destruct system. Before it could reach them, however, it was struck numerous times by electrically-charged arrows from an intervening ally, the very same blacksmith guild representative that Chao had spoken to some days prior. The charges of the arrows short-circuited the machine, bringing it crashing harmlessly to the ground just short of them. The threat, it seemed, had been overcome. <br><br> That was when a new adversary revealed himself, a highly-skilled and chemically-modified shinobi wielding Allagan blades with a cutting laser's edge. Chao, back on her feet again, moved to engage him immediately, but to her surprise, he read her ''shundo'' perfectly and executed one of his own to avoid her attack, leaving behind a number of outward-aimed blades at the last minute for her to careen into, each of them coated with liquid ceruleum. As with the vanguard, her armor deflected most of the blades, but two got through her defenses and released their deadly poisons into her body. At the other end of his ''shundo'', the enemy Garlean directed an overwhelming electrical charge at Myu, overloading and shutting down her systems. Nadine, the archer-blacksmith, struck the man's helm with a trick arrow loaded with a powerful explosive as he was attacking Myu, and in response, he threw the headgear toward Satomi and made to attack the archer. <br><br> Chao knocked the ticking time-bomb away from her compatriot with a ''sagitta magica'', then immediately leapt to Nadine's defense, wreathing herself in fire as she came down in a kick over the elezen's head. The Garlean intercepted her strike, absorbing the very aether she released in her attack into himself in a manner identical to that of the Ultimate Weapon. Without giving the magitek prodigy time to react, he grabbed her by the foot and hurled her toward Satomi, who was still trying to restore some combat ability to Myu, the impact rendering the hyuran scientist unconscious. <br><br> By now coming to the conclusion that this enemy had a clear counter to everything she could do, she called on desperation. She rushed him again as he catapulted Nadine back into the Vylbrand Academy's wall, grappling him and ordering her funnel to fire on him at maximum power and lethality, even if it meant firing through herself to do so. This broke the man's superior air, and he desperately began striking and kicking at Chao to dislodge her grip, eventually succeeding after delivering a crushing strike to her chest that crumpled her armor and broke several ribs, and several kicks to her left leg that broke the limb. She fell away, but the man did not have time to avoid the laser strike from her funnel, which overloaded and brought his battle armor's protection down. Seeing him in that weakened state, she drew the Garlean pistol she kept on herself at all times, aiming and firing at his chest. He initially derided her when he saw the weapon, unaware of the size of the slug it fired, and was very nearly killed by the impact. <br><br> Cursing Chao's name, the Garlean fled, leaving Chao to finally succumb to her injuries, and leaving behind one hell of a scene of carnage for the occupants of the Academy to discover.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Phantasmagoria'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">With the close proximity of the engagement to Vylbrand Academy, it took little time at all for its occupants to find and recover the wounded, safely ensconcing Chao and Satomi within the infirmary, and Myu and her disparate parts in the lab. Satomi quickly recovered from her light injuries, whereupon it was discovered that Chao had fallen into a coma. Against the recommendations of [[Rurujua Xoxojua|Rurujua]], Satomi began to assist the lalafellin medic in tending to her friend. In only a few hours, the ceruleum poisoning was cleared from her system, but she remained unresponsive and unconscious. However, she occasionally manifested highly-alarming, sudden expulsions of blood and signs of severe physical trauma, the source of which was a complete mystery to either scholar. What they did know, however, was that the erratic and random manifestation of the symptoms meant that she needed constant monitoring to heal her as necessary. Again, despite protests from Rurujua, Satomi burdened herself with this task, citing that she owed it to her fellow magitek prodigy. <br><br> Unbeknownst to the two, Chao was trapped within the dreamscape of her mind, called Phantasmagoria, where she was forced to uncover the true nature behind ''Magia Erebia''. At every turn, she was beset by a manifestation of her subconscious that shifted and altered its form willingly between everyone she had ever met. Referring to this creature as The Other, she fought it countless times, but was defeated and slain in every instance. Yet, in Phantasmagoria, she was unable to die, constantly revived following every fall. As the hours progressed, and The Other used more and more of the people from her memories against her, the more Phantasmagoria came to resemble a conflated amalgamation of several cities she had resided in: her home in Doma, Castrum Meridianum, Limsa Lominsa, and Ul'dah. <br><br> Eventually, Chao came to the realization that she could take advantage of the fact that they were within her dreaming mind to will all of her technological notions into 'reality' and use them to her advantage. Thus, in this way, she momentarily seized the upper hand by summoning four of her funnels and an aetheric energy sword to defend herself, driving The Other back until it form-shifted into Nero tol Scaeva. Utilizing her speed to her advantage, she avoided a fatal strike from the magitek warhammer and moved to capitalize on the overextended shade of the Garlean, whereupon it changed form into a full impersonation of Satomi. This took Chao off-guard, causing her to purposefully miss her strike, and leaving herself vulnerable to a fatal shot from the shadowy being. <br><br> After several more encounters, she happened upon a lucky break, succeeding in casting a sleep spell on The Other while it was in the guise of Grundy, allowing her to escape across the mindscape of her city. Taking shelter, she was met by one of the last things she expected to find in Phantasmagoria: a manifestation of the primal Ifrit. Speaking cryptically of how her soul had been tainted by fire, the primal made abundantly clear its desire to add her to its host of enthralled servants. Chao, confident in the manifestation's inability to temper or even truly harm her within Phantasmagoria, casually dismissed Ifrit's words, leaving no uncertainty of her opinion on the primal's intelligence--or the lack thereof. Infuriated by her irreverence, the primal remarked that it had already dispatched its Tempered after her, and manipulated the Phantasmagoria to show her an image of Vylbrand Academy in flames, many of its occupants killed, and several key others being led away to be tempered, all in the name of capturing her. Enraged by this clear and obvious threat against those she held important, she willed the pinnacle ideal of her battlesuit technology onto her being and struck the manifestation down with an immensely-powerful attack of combined ''ki'' and aether. <br><br> Within only moments, The Other was upon her again, this time engaging her in the form of her long lost cousin, a master martial artist. Declaring that they were finally fighting on equal terms, The Other drew forth Chao's envisioning of the Garlean razing of Doma to remind her of her most base motives: to gain power to take revenge against the Garlean Empire. But that strength alone would not be sufficient, it remarked as it struck a crushing blow and then shifted form into that of Zoey, preparing an immense ice spell to finish Chao for good and end her effort to discern the truth of ''Magia Erebia''. <br><br> It was as she was falling that Chao finally understood, remembering the words that she had been told by her friends and compatriots: ''Magia Erebia'' was, at its base, the power to accept things for the way they were and draw them into oneself. With this newfound knowledge, Chao was able to fully absorb the entire power of The Other's spell into herself and use it for empowerment. Pleased at her successes, The Other shifted one final time and challenged her to show her results.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''A Reclaimer Reborn'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Awakening from her coma, Chao found herself alone in the Vylbrand infirmary. Moving slowly, her legs unsteady after so many days of misuse, she made her way out into the foyer, pausing at the window to look outside. To her relief, nothing was on fire and there were no Amalj'aa standards decorating the yard, but the building was still a bit too quiet for her comfort. Convincing herself that everyone was simply away on business, she made her way to Satomi's lab, finding that her friend had begun repair work on Myu during her unconsciousness. As per the norm for Chao, she thought little of her own self and immediately located some tools to check on Satomi's repair work and continue the progress herself. <br><br> After judging that Myu was repaired extremely-well by Satomi's hand--testament to how well the two worked together--Chao determined that she must leave the Academy, again, lest Ifrit's pursuit of her put the occupants in danger. Sharing this conclusion with Myu, who swore that she would show no mercy to any eikon that sought to harm her master, the pair set out immediately. Their first stop was the Garlond Ironworks, where Chao would hand in her damaged prototype armor and receive the field-ready Mark-I combat infiltrator armor, and a series of complaints on her treatment of the prototype from the armormaster. She also requested a specially-modified armor for Myu--taking into account such facts that she did not need an independent power source for her armor--that would take some few days to fabricate, and require Myu to spend most of that time with the Materials Division so as to properly generate a new set of armor. Chao took advantage of the forced downtime to machine herself a new weapon that would not interfere with her preferred fighting style but also give her the extra force necessary to penetrate armor. After three days, she devised a weapon which could be worn as a bangle that extends into a gauntlet housing a gun chamber. <br><br> Thus equipped, miqo'te and machine set out for the desert.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''To Face the Inferno'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Arriving by airship back in Ul'dah, Chao secured an inn room for the pair from which to conduct their hunt. Deciding it best that Myu remain out of sight and attempt to use her aetheric sensors to search for potential summoning locations, Chao proceeded to the Hall of Flames to alert Commander Swift that a summoning was either imminent or had already occurred, and to seek assistance in tracking down and slaying the primal. Though thankful for the warning, the commander could not spare any forces on what seemed little more than a wild chocobo chase. Nonplussed, Chao returned to Myu with the poor news and decided to set out searching on their own, stopping to question any Flames forces or adventurers they found along the way. <br><br> Scouring the Sagolii Desert for days with almost no time for rest, the pair went well out of their way to make their presence known to the Amalj’aa so that any raiding parties that might already have been dispatched to Vylbrand would be recalled, thereby sparing the Academy. Despite this, they were unable to locate the site of the ritual until the actual summoning took place, the resultant surge of aether appearing as a beacon to Myu’s sensors and Chao’s visor. <br><br> The two immediately made for the location of the new Bowl of Embers, with Chao activating her aetheric seal en route. As they neared, the beastmen did nothing to impede their progress, commanded by their primal god to let Chao and Myu pass. After a brief exchange of banter, Ifrit--as predicted--immediately used his tempering breath to bend the pair to his servitude. The effort was wasted; Myu protected by her machine nature, and Chao’s sealed aether not allowing the eikon’s overpowering aether to affect her. <br><br> The battle then began in earnest, the speed and agility of the two miqo’te allowing them to avoid the worst of the primal’s attacks. Those few telling blows that would have done severe damage were largely intercepted by Myu, her composite Allagan/Garlean metal frame unyielding to Ifrit’s claws and flames. All the while, as Chao led the primal around the flame-ringed arena, she discreetly applied her ''Magia Erebia'' spell circle via the aetheric stencils in her forearm plate armor. <br><br> When Ifrit called forth his infernal nail, both miqo’te ignored it per their previously-established strategy to allow Chao to absorb the maximum amount of aether. Shortly thereafter, the moment of truth came: Ifrit began to cast Hellfire. As Myu shielded herself in a magitek field--just in case--Chao activated her ''Magia Erebia'' and met the attack head-on. <br><br> Against all odds, she successfully absorbed the aether into herself, skyrocketing her attack power, but she knew such volatile aether could not be contained for long. Lifting her hand to the skies, she discharged much of it into a luminous aetheric beam called down upon Ifrit, but the primal was far from finished. <br><br> Enraged by her turning his own power against him, Ifrit set upon Chao in earnest, relentlessly assaulting her even to the point of ignoring Myu’s punishing attacks against him. With little other alternative, Chao shielded herself and prepared to expend all the aether she could in a last-ditch effort to down the primal. <br><br> Just before her shield broke, however, a massive wall of metal and muscle struck Ifrit from the side, knocking the eikon away. The towering interloper was none other than Grundy, there along with Satomi, who had tracked Chao and Myu all the way from Vylbrand. Expressing her mild annoyance with Chao’s tendency to run off and do things on her own, Satomi directed Grundy to ‘break’ the primal. With the combined power of the quartet, the already-weakened Ifrit was dispatched with little fanfare. Upon his defeat, Chao used her ''Magia Erebia'' once again, absorbing the dispersing aether into herself. Though unaware of it at the time, this consumption of Ifrit’s living aether--rather than merely an offensive form--would have a permanent affect on her, for both good and ill. <br><br> With the primal threat dealt with--though no one held any illusion that it was any less a temporary measure than any other time Ifrit had fallen--Satomi advocated a return to Vylbrand. Myu, expressing her growing independent will, agreed with the hyur, ‘assisting’ Chao back to the airship landing in Ul’dah and on toward the Academy.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits III'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Back at Vylbrand Academy, Chao took a day to recover from the ordeal, spending it in rest under the watchful eye of Myu, ensuring that she rested. As this was going on, Satomi was meeting with the Academy mistress, Kyra, concerning Chao's future. Pointing out the three separation occasions on which the magitek engineer had acted on her own to head off potential disaster to the Academy, two of which at great threat to her own safety, Satomi advocated that Chao's 'temporary' stay become a more continuing affair. The headmistress agreed that Chao had done more for the Academy than could be expected of someone not truly affiliated with them, and in light of the knowledge that Satomi would soon be dedicating all her time to an Ironworks airship project, decided that the time had come to properly bring Chao into the fold. <br><br> The following day, Kyra met with Chao to offer a position in the Academy's research and development sector. Finding no real reason not to, Chao accepted the offer. It didn't take long for her to get thrown headfirst into the Academy's own affairs, finding herself square in the middle of an ongoing conflict against four powerful archfiends and their legions of cultists and other allies. Though not understanding the background of the conflict, she nonetheless dedicated herself faithfully to standing with her new compatriots in their efforts to protect the realm. <br><br> At the same time, she continued her own technological developments, making plans for a complete overhaul of Myu's frame to the newly-developed Garlond steel, along with more adjustments to her own armor, and conceptualizing a new armor system to protect against magic attacks. It was in the process of the first field test of this latter that she chanced to converse with two other members of the Academy, who happened to be nearby to observe the failure of her test. Over the course of speaking to Set Kattalakis and Senel Curtis, she agreed to redesign and streamline Set's magitek prosthesis, as well as provide what non-powered upgrades she could to Senel's gear in exchange for providing her with a steady source of raw materials to work with.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Misriah'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">With a more permanent station and the beginning of delving more deeply into her military technology, Chao knew that the time of her inevitable parting with the Garlond Ironworks was at hand. After all, the Ironworks developed magitek for the betterment of the realm, and Chao's strengths lay in the field of weapons of war. And so, meeting with Cid at the Ironworks' encampment at Camp Cloudtop, she informed him of her decision to part ways and begin her own company. Cid wished her well in her ventures, understanding that it would be through both weapons like hers and peaceful endeavors like his that prosperity would truly come to the realm. <br><br> As per her arrangement with Set, in exchange for developing a new prosthetic, Chao received a considerable stipend and the backing of Set's import/export business. This allowed Chao to hire several of her former coworkers in the Ironworks' Weapons Division and acquire the means of producing aetherochemical metals and fiberweave, as well as the recipe for Garlond Steel. With all this in hand, she was able to initiate her new company: Misriah Armory. She immediately set about work on a new ambitious project: variants of her powered armor for the vetted members of Vylbrand Academy--its "Heroes" society, which she had joined only a short while ago. Top of the list was a set of powered assault armor for Grundy, partly as a means of repayment for saving her from Ifrit, partly because he was in sore need of an armor upgrade. <br><br> Dark clouds soon began to gather on the horizon, however. Through having absorbed the primal's living aether into herself, she unwittingly allowed a fragment of its thoughts to take up residence in her mind. Two weeks following her confrontation, she first began to hear the whispers of the Lord of the Inferno in the back of her mind, pressing her to violence and destruction. Through her will, and the lack of any active enemies at the moment, she kept him at bay with some ease, but the eikon was nothing if not persistent, relenting only when she slept. On top of this, word came a moon later of a raid on the Ironworks' team working out in the Sea of Clouds by a band of sky pirates. Satomi, who had been out investigating sightings of a monstrous airship that would soon come to be known as the Void Ark, went missing, presumed dead at the hands of the brigands. <br><br> Grief-stricken at the loss of her close friend, Chao blamed herself for Satomi's death, both for not having been there at her side, and for not even providing her a set of powered armor that surely--she believed--could have saved the hyur's life. The culmination of these events sewed the seeds for one of her darkest times.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Cost'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao began to work tirelessly on her projects, particularly the powered armors, so that never again would any close to her be caught without an adequate means of defense. On one morning, as she perused the Academy's library for inspiration, she chanced to overhear a conversation between the headmaster and a troubled Seeker tribe elder. There was trouble in Thanalan: mysterious music was causing those who heard it to become hypnotized and wander into the desert. Some began to show up in slave caravans, and a few even returned to their home, but all had no memory of any of the events. It was a textbook assignment for the heroes of Vylbrand: track down the nefarious party responsible and put a stop to their machinations. <br><br> Arming herself in her battlesuit, Chao headed out to the desert with Grundy, the headmaster, and several others, leaving Myu behind to serve as a sort of 'mission control' and overwatch via the systems in her armor. As the party split into small groups to gather intelligence, Chao elected to stick by Grundy's side, keeping an eye on the well-meaning-but-not-too-smart roegadyn, and using her funnel as an eye-in-the-sky to watch over the village from above. Though initially bearing little fruit in their investigations, the enemy soon made a move, the music beginning to echo out across the sands. Tracking several of the enthralled miqo'te of the village--and barely regaining control of one of their own who hadn't been properly protected at the time--they found a work camp in the desert, where Grundy immediately pressed the attack. <br><br> For her part, Chao sought to knock out and immobilize the enthralled victims, keeping them out of harm's way, before setting after the foes herself. Before she could, however, ambush troops using camouflaged fighting pits in the sand sprang up to flank them, forcing her to deploy her funnel's aetherochemical laser against them. As the battle raged, an enemy airship entered the fray from behind concealing dunes, scattering a strange aetheric field that disrupted magitek devices, shorting out Chao's armor. As she reeled in confusion and the airship dropped a large box nearby, the fragment of Ifrit within her mind took advantage of the chaos--and its higher influence as a result of being in Thanalan, Ifrit's stronghold--and seized control of Chao's body. <br><br> Even though it was now in control through the airship's interference, it was just as displeased that the enemy forces had effectively handicapped Chao--whom Ifrit had previously considered a worthy champion--in one fell swoop. It began to cast, through Chao, a lesser version of the primal's own Hellfire attack--though 'lesser' here should by no means be considered any less deadly--targeted at the airship. Inexplicably, the airship and the enemy forces began to retreat as soon as the box was deployed. Knowing full well the likelihood that it was some manner of trap, the possessed Chao turned the fury of the devastating spell onto the box, unconcerned for the allied forces and civilian victims that would be caught in the blast radius. <br><br> It was only through a combination of a fountain of ice aether from an unknown source--later revealed to be the headmaster herself--and healing magicks from one of Vylbrand's personnel, that nobody died to the application of ''Incendium Gehennae''. Overtaxed to the extreme by the amount of aether expended in the attack, Chao immediately passed out. While she was helpless, two of the others from the Academy, a lalafellin mage and a hyuran rifleman, assaulted Chao over the events; the rifleman struck her hard enough in the face with the butt of his weapon to break her nose and cheekbone, and the pummeling from the lalafell doing a number on her as well. Within minutes thereafter, Myu arrived on the scene, having been forced to travel the long route from the Academy; as a machine, she was unable to manipulate aether allowing her to teleport, and the aetheric field had disabled the signals from Chao's powered armor that would have allowed her to relay directly to her maker's side. After exchanging words with several present, Myu collected Chao and returned to the Academy where, at the headmaster's request, sequestered Chao within her workshop and stood guard at the door, disallowing access to any without proper authorization--but in particular those individuals whom she had reason to suspect wished her maker further harm.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Pariah'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">In the days that passed, Chao remained in her workshop, watched over by Myu, her injuries tended to by Keero. She wound up suffering several broken bones in her face as a result of the assault on her, prompting him to conspire with her to create an aetherically-charged healing mask that she could wear over her injuries. Its purpose was threefold: to protect her from further harm, to ensure that her bones healed back into their proper shape, and to stimulate her own aether to speed up the healing process. A built-in vocabulator allowed her words to be heard through the metal without shouting, but it had the unfortunate side effect of giving her a much deeper tone and a metallic tinge to her words.<br><br> It began to seem like, however, she had been largely forgotten. Though she expected a swift trial of her actions by those above her at the Academy, the days continued to pass in solitude, with only Myu and occasionally Keero for company. Though slightly put off by it, she nonetheless spent her time productively, buckling down and diving into her magitek designs. Within two bells, she had completed Grundy's armor design and sent it off to be machined up. In two more, she had created an entirely new system to ensure she never got chumped by anti-magitek fields again. After two weeks, she had redesigned her anti-magic reactive armor to react less vigorously, tweaked and streamlined the overlay of her VISR system, designed a reconnaissance variant of her magitek funnels, and begun three new powered armor variants. This productivity came at the cost of sleep, which she avoided so that the fragment of Ifrit in her mind could not trouble her dreams. Over that two weeks, she slept perhaps one total day.<br><br> A freak spring storm overtaking Vylbrand marked the first time that she seemed to be recognized by the Academy at large, when a lightning strike knocked out the power grid. Summoned by Kyra down to the workshop, Chao was asked to bring the generator up and running to provide emergency power. Though nothing of the event in the desert was spoken of save Kyra's inquiring whether Chao was in control of her faculties, it was not lost on the magitek prodigy that no matter where she moved to work on the generator, Kyra was never outside of sword range. After a brief time, Kyra left the workshop, evidently deeming Chao not to be a threat. In silence, she finished the work and powered up the generator, bringing emergency power back to the Academy. Heading into the library to report her success, she took note of the silence that befell the room at her appearance, choosing to make her report and then return to her exile.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Holding Patterns'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Throwing herself back into her work, Chao's reckless non-sleeping habits did not go unnoticed by Keero, who prescribed fast-acting and potent sleep aids to knock her out and ensure her recuperative sleep processes. Now able to focus more clearly when she was awake, her design progresses improved significantly. Another week passed, and growing tired of the neglect, Chao began to venture outside her workshop for brief periods, mostly in the efforts of acquiring food for herself, which had previously been left to Myu. <br><br> Finally, after deciding she needed to actually test the new version of the AMRA system--and she was not about to have loose magic and reactive material interacting in her workshop--she took her design out to be tested on the dummies. During her test--which was a resounding success in that the reactive layer detonated outward and dispersed her spell without damaging the armor or the dummy--she met with a hyur well-versed in magitek knowledge who introduced himself as Saruna, founder of the company Resolve Industries. She hadn't heard of it, but was surprised to learn that they dealt in weaponry utilizing the power of the primals themselves. After cautioning him to exercise care in dealing with such powers, they parted ways, and she returned to her workshop to evaluate her test results. <br><br> She didn't have long to consider this, however, as a scream soon pierced through the Academy. Tracing it back to its source, she found herself in the infirmary, where Keero and several others were working on freeing an unlucky miqo'te from voidsent possession. Lacking any means to assist, Chao simply stood by and watched, but armed one of her gun gauntlets should anything come to violence. After successfully purging the void taint, Keero asked Chao if she would create a prosthetic eye for the patient, whose eye had been destroyed in the process of saving him. She agreed on the mechanical end, knowing and stating her lack of knowledge in the medical side of it, to which Keero stated he could perform the necessary surgery. At this, Chao returned to her workshop to machine up the prosthetic and load it up with a lesser version of her VISR software. <br><br> The next day, she delivered the prosthetic and observed the successful surgery to affix it to the victim's optical nerves. Afterward, as he rested, she spoke with Keero, who inquired after her own health. Removing her mask to show him that she had perhaps another week before being fully-healed, she was then asked what had caused her injuries. She revealed to him that she held a fragment of Ifrit bonded to her soul, and that it was her loss of control over it that had caused her to nearly kill several of their comrades. This revelation was overheard by one such comrade from the incident, and Chao took the opportunity to fully explain herself, stating that she didn't hold the others' contempt for her against them, and apologizing for her actions. <br><br> The matter seemed settled for a time, at least to a few inidivudals, and so Chao returned to busying herself with work.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''A Reclaimer's Revenge'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Just when it seemed as though Chao would finally be able to come to terms with and move on from Satomi's death, old wounds were viciously torn open. A visitor arrived to the Academy one eve, one whom several of the others were apparently familiar with, speaking of a badly-damaged mammet named 'Seven' that had been spotted in Limsa lately. Recognizing that naming scheme as belonging to the series of mammets that Satomi had built, many of the fallen scientist's acquaintances made their way to Limsa, hunting down the woman who had the mammet in her possession. Chao arrived shortly thereafter, and was immediately recognized by the mammet, who spoke to her--in not only typical garbled mammet speech but further mangled by damage as well--of things hidden in Satomi's lab, as well as cryptic statements of her final moments. As Chao attempted to discern what it spoke of, O'rahn purchased the mammet from the woman who was currently holding it. <br><br> Returning to the Academy, Chao immediately connected Seven to Myu, using their similar basic programming structure in an effort to attract as much data as possible. While that was going on, she began to repair what wiring and internals she could without interfering with the data extraction operation. The entire time, Seven continued to speak of the Doman scroll in Satomi's lab. Eventually, she loosed the little machine from its connection to Myu, upon which time it made immediately for Satomi's lab. <br><br> Chasing after Seven, Chao entered the darkened room, and queried over the Academy linkpearl whether the room's power had been cut. Questioned as to why and what she was doing there, she was soon joined by several others, including Grundy, O'rahn, Imogene, and Myth. Before Chao could investigate the scroll, Seven malfunctioned again, and as she went to repair it, Grundy--having no patience for civility in this instance--tore the scroll from the wall, revealing a hidden cache behind it containing a lockbox and several parchments. Grundy retrieved the items and handed them over to Imogene, who began to read from the parchment. <br><br> It was Satomi's last will and testament, containing personalized messages to those she had been closest to. <br><br> As Imogene read the words--herself not even able to remain unaffected by it--those around her took it in their own way. Grundy, unable to understand his grief, hurled his helmet into the wall of Satomi's lab and unseated the doorframe with the haste in which he moved through it. O'rahn disintegrated into tears, rage, and regret. Even Chao, ''especially'' Chao, could not control her emotions, struggling to keep herself together but failing miserably, collapsing into a sobbing heap. Into this whirling chaos of emotion, the unexpected occurred: mammet Seven, still malfunctioning and not-altogether-there, responded to the grief of the others by beseeching them not to cry...in Satomi's voice. <br><br> Her resolve hardened by the sound of her friend's voice, Chao determined that she would dedicate her time to seeking revenge on the pirates who had caused Satomi's death; a sentiment that was echoed by the others. Taking Seven back to her workshop, she set about repairing and replacing its damaged components, keeping it connected to Myu so that none of the remaining data would be lost. Even as she worked on this, she contacted the manufactory where her products were created and had them immediately get the completed BREAKER and INFILTRATOR power armor variants delivered to the Academy, as well as begin mass-production of the Mark-I battlesuit for distribution to the others that would come on the revenge mission. Knowing that they would have to head into the sky pirates' strongholds in the uncharted reaches of the Sea of Clouds, she began drawing up schematics to weaponize the Academy's airships. <br><br> The seven hells, these pirates would come to learn, held no fury as could match that of a magitek prodigy with a fragment of Ifrit's power. </font></div>

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<br>

=Relationships=

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>RELATIONSHIPS</center></div></span></h3>

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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #4d1715;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>RELATIONSHIP STATUS LEGEND</B></center></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:9pt;"><font style="color:#54b5eb;" size="2">♥</font> Family <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> Platonic <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> Friend <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> Acquaintance <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> Business <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> Deceased <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> Positive <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#C24640;" size="2">✖</font> Negative <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> Neutral <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">�</font> Unsure <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color: black;" size="2">☠</font> Enemy</div>
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<tr><td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">

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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #b33730;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>NPC</B></center></div>


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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Ku Fei,</b> <i>Cousin</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#54b5eb;" size="2">♥</font> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fallen.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Chao's cousin, an extremely-talented martial artist unsurpassed in the Doman styles of unarmed combat. Ku Fei was street smart, but academically dim, and was always amazed by the technological toys that Chao would create. Though never active in the Doman resistance, Ku Fei's pride in her ancestry and traditional mindset ensured that she considered the Garlean Empire a threat. The two were forcibly parted when Chao was conscripted by the Garlean Empire, but knowing her cousin, Chao is convinced that Ku Fei perished defending the homeland during The Reckoning.</div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Cid nan Garlond,</b> <i>Former Employer</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Pinnacle of Magitek.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Leader of the Garlond Ironworks, Cid was Chao's employer for most of the time she spent in Eorzea after defecting from the Garlean Empire. Though preferring to develop peaceful models of magitek to better the lives of the average Eorzean, Cid was full aware that weapon technologies like Chao's would also be instrumental in defending the realm against Garlemald, and so brought her into the Ironworks to assist in their development. When she made known her plans to formally create her own arms company, he wholeheartedly encouraged her to follow her ambitions, with the implicit understanding that the Ironworks would be full business partners with Misriah Armory.</div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Biggs,</b> <i>Former Coworker</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Instigator.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A Sea Wolf roegadyn working under Cid in the Ironworks, and largely the blame for why Chao has come to Eorzea and found employment with the Ironworks. Biggs led the Ironworks raiding team that helped Chao escape from Castrum Meridianum after she sabotaged the Ultimate Weapon, and later came to her as she was recovering and gave her the original tome that she once used to record her technological ideas in, while suggesting she apply at the Ironworks. He assisted with the development of her powered infiltrator armor prototype.</div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Wedge,</b> <i>Former Coworker</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Littlest Assistant.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Biggs' lalafell partner at the Ironworks, the timid little fellow is never far from his friend's side, and so has often spent much time in the company of Chao in her workshop at the Ironworks. Despite his talents more lying in the field of large magitek vehicles, he nevertheless faithfully assisted Chao and Biggs in their work on her powered armor.</div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Unknown Garlean,</b> <i>Imperial Assassin</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color: black;" size="2">☠</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Nightshade.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A Garlean assassin known only to Chao by his codename, ''Nightshade'', this man is the most formidable foe she has ever faced. Aetherochemically augmented by Garlean experimentation, this shinobi possesses superior strength and agility than Chao, a more-advanced combat skin, and the ability to absorb aetheric attacks to empower himself. Wielding powered Allagan lightblades, the Nightshade was able to effortlessly defeat Chao, Myu, Satomi ''and'' a fourth combatant during the ambush outside Vylbrand Academy. Only his hubris allowed Chao to defeat him, grappling him in place long enough for her funnel to strike him at full power, an energy blast which he remarkably survived. He escaped the battle, and Chao knows that they will meet again in the future. His hatred of her is all-consuming, referring to her repeatedly as an animal; Chao assumes that he was experimented on by the Empire to create a soldier perfectly tailored to counter her.</div>
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</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
{| class="wikitable alphabetical" border="0" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 100%; text-align: left; vertical-align: left;"
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #b33730;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>PC</B></center></div>


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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Myu]]</b>, <i>Creation</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Realistic, Logical Ideologist.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">The very first of her kind, an autonomous, sentient combat automaton built by Chao in the likeness of a miqo'te. Newly-awakened to the world, her every new discovery is a source of pride for Chao, and her enthusiasm to learn always brightens her maker's day. Chao dotes on her like a beloved companion rather than the weapon of war that she is. </div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Grundy Byrde]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Unstoppable Force.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A roegadyn male and near-constant companion of Satomi, before the latter's untimely death. Since coming to Vylbrand Academy, Chao has stepped in an effort to fill Satomi's shoes in serving as Grundy's mentor and guide in the world, a role she does not feel she is adequately performing. Grundy is not an intelligent individual, due to having lived the majority of his life feral in the caves of Eastern La Noscea. He is, however, exceedingly kind, and possessed of a frightening combat strength; a strength that Chao intends to amplify by creating a set of powered armor for him. </div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Satomi Hakase]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> <b>)</b> - <b>Science Sister.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A hyuran female and fellow researcher at the Garlond Ironworks. Due to working in different divisions, Chao and Satomi had not interacted prior to a chance meeting in the Quicksand, at which point they hit it off spectacularly well over their shared enthusiasm for science and magitek. After no small number of misadventures--many of them involving Satomi pulling Chao out of a self-created no-win scenario--Satomi was instrumental in finally getting Chao to settle at Vylbrand Academy, and the miqo'te has long since viewed the hyur as a sister. The news of her suspected death in the Sea of Clouds has left Chao gutted. </div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Kyrrae Liminia]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Strategist.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A lalafellin mage associated with Vylbrand Academy, and Satomi's former lover. Though they've spoken barely a few sentences to each other, Chao considers him a trusted ally due to his association with Satomi. </div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Senel Curtis]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Serious.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">An occupant of Vylbrand Academy who has offered to provide raw materials to Chao in exchange for equipment augmentations. She's unsure if he's truly associated with the Academy or just a mercenary in their employ, but he shows concern for its members, and annoyance with those who bring undue harm onto themselves. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Isaudorel Dorr]]</b>, <i>Acquaintance</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fire Suicide Bomber.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">An elezen thaumaturge who showed up to thank her for assisting several of his guildmates several days earlier in determining whether or not a wine bottle had been poisoned. They struck up a conversation, during the course of which another elezen woman arrived and rather rudely accused Chao of being of purchasable companionship, which both she and Isaudorel found incredibly rude. Neither seemed to be too bothered by it though. After remarking on her combat style to him, he wished to see it in action, and so the two traveled to the Sagolii Desert for a spar. It was a draw by clever Fire III suicide-bombing. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Keero Ganajai]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Healer.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A male Keeper who serves as one of the primary medical staff for Vylbrand Academy. Intelligent and well-spoken, he has stated that he chose to move permanently into the home station setting in order to be able to be near his wife and soon-to-be child. Though not desiring powered armor, he has contracted Chao and Misriah for medical magitek devices. He has a profound fear of fire, which has prompted Chao to promise that she will never use her aetheric skills in his presence. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Zoey Holendoey]]</b>, <i>Trusted</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Icy Spitfire Detective.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Another lalafellin mage and freelance investigator, though it seems she too has become associated with Vylbrand as of late. Initially having hired Chao to find an individual on a farce, being played as a pawn initially set Zoey in poor standing with Chao. That job did, however, set the magitek prodigy on her course back toward association with Satomi. Afterwards, Zoey did apologize for misleading Chao and seems to have a great deal of trust--Chao would say an overabundance--in her. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Imogene Holmes]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fancy Hat Paladin.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A hyuran swordswoman and resident at Vylbrand Academy. She favors Ironworks-crafted armor and has thus spoken with Chao on a few occasions regarding said equipment, as well as Chao's own battlesuit. Seems to be heavily-involved with security at the Academy. Due to The Other favoring Imogene's form while Chao was trapped in Phantasmagoria, and consequently causing her death no small number of times, Chao holds a slight irrational fear of Imogene. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Set Kattalakis]]</b>, <i>Business Associate</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>Red Left Hand.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Daughter of a successful trading mogul, seems to be involved with financial affairs at the Academy, though this does not stop her from putting herself in harm's way. Due to an unknown past event, her left forearm and hand are replaced by a magitek prosthetic which Chao designed an enhanced model of. As payment, Set made a generous donation of gil which allowed Chao to form Misriah Armory. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[O'rahn Kevelan]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>That Poor Cat.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A male miqo'te living at Vylbrand who is involved with Set, often violently. Chao is reasonably sure the two are mated, but has not heard anything confirming either way. He seems to specialize in thievery, and so the set of powered armor Chao is building for him will take that into account. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Kyra Tsukino]]</b>, <i>Commander</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Boss.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">The boss and headmistress of Vylbrand Academy, Kyra is a female miqo'te who is level-headed, soft-spoken, yet possesses an aura that marks it plain that only a fool would dare to cross her. Though she is typically only seen carrying a sword and shield, Chao suspects that her talents are not so one-dimensional. For reasons unknown, Kyra seems to possess an intrinsic faith in Chao, a faith that the magitek engineer is sure has been shattered by the revelation of her darker side. </div>
|}

|}


</td></tr></table>

=Rumors=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>RUMORS</center></div></span></h3>

<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''N P C'''</center></div></span></h3>
<p><div align=center><div style="font-family:Georgia;">Some of these rumors are untrue, speculation, or are greatly exaggerated.</div></div></p>

<div style="border:0px solid; padding:8px;">
<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #e56a2c; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Common Rumors - </b>''Easily overheard. Use these freely!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#e56a2c;" size="2">■</font> "All she ever does is sit in that corner with her nose buried in that journal of hers, muttering to herself and occasionally having some stew. Really odd one, that one." — ''Quicksand patron''.
: <font style="color:#e56a2c;" size="2">■</font> "She sure gave those Garleans a thumpin' they wasn't lookin' for. Guess that settles that as to whose side she's on." — ''Drowning Wench patron''.
</div>

<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #cc5e27; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Uncommon Rumors -</b> ''A little more difficult to hear. Use sparingly or ask first!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#cc5e27;" size="2">■</font> "Word is she used to be in the Garlean military. So as to whether she's absconded from their service or is here to spy on us, no one's yet figured." — ''Unknown''.
</div>

<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #b35222; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Rare Rumors -</b> ''Very rarely overheard. Please ask before using!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#b35222;" size="2">■</font> "There be ''two'' of that'n, I tells ye! At the very same time I had on good authority from a mate o' mine she was sittin' in the Quicksand, I seen another one answerin' to the same name head off toward the Imps (Imperials) outside Wineport. Only this'n was a hyur lass wearin' some sort o' strange armor. She waltzed in like she bloody owned the joint, and then there weren't nothin' but fire and explosions comin' from there, an' them screams weren't from a wee hyuran lass, either." — ''Drunken Storm Sergeant''.
</div>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''P C'''</center></div></span></h3>
<p><div align=center><div style="font-family:Georgia;">Feel free to add your own rumors to this section.</div></div></p>

<div style="border:0px solid; padding:8px;">
<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #99461d; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Player Character Rumors -</b> ''Some of these are more rare than others!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#99461d;" size="2">■</font> "She's Doman, no doubt about that. But the look in her eyes shows something unnatural. Not in a foul manner either, but one that draws you in and buys your trust. If anyone asks, I'd say you can rely on her." — ''[[Zoey Holendoey]]''.
</div>

</div></div></td></tr></table>

=Music & Gallery=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>MUSIC</center></div></span></h3>
<br>

<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PvdVGAasrA Amazing]''
:: Artist: Aerosmith.
:: Origin: ''Get a Grip''
:: <small>Context: Character theme.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etksc3mrIQU Revival]''
:: Artist: Neil Davidge
:: Origin: ''Halo 4''
:: <small>Context: Magitek genius.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhdp14U2M_w Loose Ends]''
:: Artist: Hans Zimmer
:: Origin: ''Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2''
:: <small>Context: The hard decision.</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELD02QC025c Sacred Icon Suite 2]''
:: Artist: Marty O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori
:: Origin: ''Halo Legends''
:: <small>Context: Big damn heroes.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTLdoK_AU18 J-E-N-O-V-A]''
:: Artist: Nobuo Uematsu
:: Origin: ''Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children''
:: <small>Context: Intense battle.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr4eB0WOwN0 The Oath]''
:: Artist: Nobuo Uematsu
:: Origin: ''Final Fantasy VIII''
:: <small>Context: The bonds of sisterhood.</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9mQTmXxU8E I Burn]''
:: Artist: Jeff and Casey Lee Williams
:: Origin: ''RWBY''
:: <small>Context: Kung-fu wizard.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBfc0-KuDGE Maybe I'm a Lion]''
:: Artist: The Black Mages
:: Origin: ''The Skies Above''
:: <small>Context: Unleashed battle.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYUbLkULtkk Something to Fight For]''
:: Artist: Sencit Music
:: Origin: ''Iron Man 3''
:: <small>Context: Facing her inner demon.</small>
</td>
</tr></table>

<br>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>GALLERY</center></div></span></h3>

<gallery>
File:ChaoMNK.png|Chao in traditional Doman martial art garb, which she began wearing in honor of her fallen cousin, Ku Fei.
File:SCIENCE.jpg|Chao and [[Satomi Hakase|Satomi]], science bros! (Non-canon instance)
File:Chaoff.jpg|Chao in the Quicksand, her usual haunt.
File:Showdown.jpg|Chao, Satomi, and their party face down the Ultimate Weapon (Non-canon instance).
File:Victory.jpg|By might and by right, Team Science defeats the menace (Non-canon instance).
File:SoItBegins.jpg|And on that day, the heavens trembled, as though the realm looked outward to see what awaited it, and found only terror.
File:Exchange.jpg|Reclaiming the personal tome she had left with Satomi, Chao leaves a letter of explanation in its place. (It's unlikely to be found for weeks)
File:Pensive.jpg|Chao looks back upon Vylbrand Academy, likely the last time she'll ever see it.
File:Ponderance.jpg|On a clear Mor Dhona night, Chao contemplates the Keeper of the Lake on her way to the Garlond Ironworks.
File:ChaoStory001.jpg|Confronted by a strange duo on the cliffs of Silvertear Lake.
File:ChaoStory002.jpg|Chao and Satomi discussing the current situation, as Kyrrae keeps watch for any interlopers. (Scene directed by JJ Abrams)
File:ChaoStory003.jpg|Armed with a new resolve, Chao swears her defiance to the corpse of the ''Agrius''.
File:ChaoStory004.jpg|Satomi is overcome with emotion at Chao's safety and change of heart.
File:ChaoStory005.jpg|As Satomi and Kyrrae confer, Chao looks toward the crystalline structure piercing the sky in Mor Dhona. ''"Soon..."'' the magitek genius thinks to herself.
File:ChaoStory006.jpg|Chao considers...something.
File:ChaoStory007.jpg|"Wait, ''you're'' bartending?"
File:ChaoStory008.jpg|Chao fiddles with her armor out of the way. Satomi's actually pretty good at this whole tending bar thing.
File:ChaoStory009.jpg|Except when she trips backwards and almost falls on Chao.
File:ChaoStory010.jpg|"''You!''"
File:ChaoStory011.jpg|Satomi has revealed her plans to run away, but there's a power-armored combat mage standing in the way.
File:ChaoStory012.jpg|A meeting to discuss acquiring extremely rare, and extremely powerful, Allagan technology.
File:ChaoDummy.jpg|Chao looks to test the effectiveness of her prototype funnel--affectionately known as 'Dummy'--in the rain, but the little guy's not cooperating.
File:ChaoStory013.jpg|The expedition is informed of recent occurrences in the ruin.
File:ChaoStory014.jpg|The first obstacle, a wandering Allagan defense sphere. Chao scavenged an undamaged laser coupler for Myu from it.
File:ChaoStory015.jpg|Aftermath of the battle with the bio-engineered snake.
File:ChaoStory016.jpg|Detailing their encounter in the first level.
File:ChaoStory017.jpg|An Allagan foundry!? This site will definitely merit returning to for further exploration.
File:ChaoStory018.jpg|The large ADS falls. An inspection of its innards reveals...a secondary core! Unprogrammed even!
File:ChaoStory019.jpg|Chao inspects her prize. But the man behind the expedition isn't willing to part with it...
File:ChaoStory020.jpg|Chao considers the implications of a hidden lift. What more could be in the depths of this ruin?
File:ChaoStory021.jpg|Wherever this lift leads, it is something the Allagans wanted protected.
File:ChaoStory022.jpg|With the expedition complete and the eyebrow-raising goals of Dogberry and the other man completed, Chao accepts her promised ADS core. Nothing can stop Project µ now!
File:ChaoUSH.jpg|Despite having been a stray living off Satomi's couch for several moons, Chao has little interacted with the occupants of Vylbrand Academy. ''Zoey'', of all people, plans to rectify this. By force.
File:ChaoStory023.jpg|First to the stage, Chao begins presenting her theory of ''pactio''.
File:ChaoStory024.jpg|With one volunteer ready, Chao selects the next victim.
File:ChaoStory025.jpg|Provisional contract complete! ...But these two don't seem suited to being partners.
File:ChaoStory026.jpg|Her part over, Chao observes the other presentations.
File:ChaoStory027.jpg|Aetheric means of reducing machine wear? She watches this presentation with great interest.
File:ChaoStory028.jpg|Satomi's combat mammet: fully-operational and armed....for dance?
File:ChaoStory029.jpg|Unfortunately, it's not to last. The ''real'' Grundy has mistaken the mammet for an enemy and demolished it.
File:ChaoStory030.jpg|While helping clean up the wreckage, Chao tells Academy resident Imogene a little about Project µ.
File:ChaoUSH2.jpg|Chao observes as Satomi tends to an unfortunate soul tortured by the Garlean Empire.
File:ChaoSatomi001.jpg|Chao makes fun of the fact that Satomi doesn't have any beds in her room/lab.
File:ChaoStory031.jpg|Standing her ground despite her nerves, Chao watches as Myu finally comes fully online.
File:ChaoStory032.jpg|Threatened by an Allagan-grade laser weapon was not how Chao planned to begin Myu's lifespan.
File:ChaoStory033.jpg|Showing Myu a Limsan sunrise.
File:ChaoStory034.jpg|Chao and Myu practice combatives while Satomi takes measurements.
File:ChaoStory035.jpg|Garlean attack! These assassins have come explicitly for Chao.
File:ChaoStory036.jpg|With the initial attackers defeated, the Vanguard trashed, and Myu damaged by a suicide explosive, the leader makes his move. To Chao's horror, it seems that everything she can do, he can do better.
File:ChaoStory037.jpg|In desperation to end the fight, Chao grapples with the enemy commander and orders her funnel to fire on him at maximum lethality setting, even if it means shooting through herself.
File:ChaoUSH03.jpg|After a failed AMRA system test, Chao inspects the pieces of the device as she listens to Senel and Set speak.
File:ChaoLab001.jpg|Chao in her research lab within Vylbrand Academy.
File:ChaoLab002.jpg|Chao contemplates one of her research projects, with her funnel drifting nearby.
File:ChaoUSH04.jpg|Chao speaks with O'rahn and Set about her projects.
File:ChaoUSH05.jpg|Performing an early test of the helmet for Grundy's powered armor.
File:ChaoUSH06.jpg|Speaking with Keero in the gardens, with O'rahn and Set nearby doing whatever it is they do.
File:ChaoUSH07.jpg|Following a power failure at the Academy, Chao readies the backup generator to be turned on for emergency power...and is not ignorant to Kyra standing within sword range behind her.
File:ChaoUSH08.jpg|Two weeks into her exile within her workshop, Chao has been somewhat neglecting the tidiness of her workspace.
File:ChaoMisriah001.jpg|Inspecting the results of another AMRA test, this one successful.
File:ChaoUSH09.jpg|After witnessing a successful voidsent exorcism, Chao offers to create a prosthetic eye for the victim. Magitek-enhanced, of course.
File:ChaoUSH10.jpg|Chao reveals the truth of her condition.
File:ChaoUSH11.jpg|Wholeheartedly apologizing for the incident in Southern Thanalan.
File:ChaoTheSearch001.jpg|Chao and Myu analyze the fragmented data from Seven, one of Satomi's mammets. It seems that justice may be within reach.
</gallery>

=OOC Notes=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>OOC NOTES</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="90%">
<tr>
<td style="width: 50%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3>
<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''OOC INFORMATION'''</center></div></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Player Note'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">'' ... ''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Personal RP Limits'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''I like to consider myself a flexible player who is willing to commit to a number of different types of scenes and role-play scenarios, but even I have my limits. If something is on the play list, assume it means yes, as long as it's within the context of the current play or ongoing plot. No's are typically a hard no, and it means don't ask, and if I'm in the mood for it, I'll be the one to initiate. '' </div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ '''''I will play''' mature content and themes (violence, drug / alcohol use) as long as they're logical in a plot-driven encounter. Coarse and excessive language. Temporary injury and incapacitation. Temporary imprisonment. Most walk-up encounters.''

: ■ '''''Ask about''' long-term and/or permanent injury and disfigurement. Long-term captivity or imprisonment. Temporary character death. Kidnap and/or abuse plots will require advance planning, as these can be seriously impacting, as well as take a significant amount of time to resolve on an infrequently played character.''

: ■ '''''I won't play''' permanent character death. ''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Disclaimer'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">'' Chao is my take on an existent character from the ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negima!_Magister_Negi_Magi Negima! Magister Negi Magi]'' manga by Ken Akamatsu. I have developed her from the ground up to fit within the FFXIV setting, while still maintaining as many similarities from the source material as possible.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ '' Chao is a technological and scientific prodigy. I am not. I try my best, but typically have to rely on technobabble more than I would like. ''

: ■ '' Chao is highly skilled in both unarmed combat and magic. Traditionally, my preferred means of RP combat has always been firearms or swords, so I'm sure I come across as an untalented hack to anyone more experienced in those combat fields. ''

: ■ '' Regarding nearly everything to do with Chao, she is the character with which I push the bounds of established lore. While I do nothing that has been directly contradicted by lore, she almost entirely operates in an extremely shadowy, unspecified zone regarding lore. Bear this in mind for interactive purposes. ''</div></div>

<td style="width: 50%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''CHARACTER TIDBITS'''</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Potential Plot Hooks'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''Chao is a very busy individual. Even when I'm not actively playing her, she's always got something going on. While the below is by no means comprehensive, it's a kind of spring board for walk-up RP. I am more than open to longer-term RP plots that carry on over multiple sessions, all I ask is that you coordinate with me beforehand. I am nearly always willing to drop anything I'm doing and RP, even if I'm on another character.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ ''Chao was, until recently, a prominent weapons developer at the Garlond Ironworks.''

: ■ ''She has most recently opened her own weapons company, Misriah Armory. While no formal office location exists, she can typically be found in or around Vylbrand Academy in the Mist.''

: ■ ''She is a known member of Vylbrand Academy.''

: ■ ''Garlemald is still aware of her continued existence, and still wishes to see her killed for her actions against them.''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Character Lore Adherence'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''Information in this Wiki is Lore Compliant to the best of my knowledge pre-Calamity using Wikis, and lore-dredging on Google. Information that has been changed to better fit with the lore of XIV will be listed below as necessary.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ ''No changes required.''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Tropes & Explanations'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''A trope is a convention or device that is often found in creative works. In this case, the tropes below describe the character either in part, or as a whole. Their background, personality, appearance, etc, most of them can be described in the tropes below.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ActionGirl Action Girl] ''She's usually seen doing more fighting than science-ing.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BareFistedMonk Bare-Fisted Monk] ''Unarmed combat is her primary means of engaging the enemy. Though trained at the Ul'dah pugilist guild, her fighting style is a modified Doman style that favors kicks rather than strikes.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ClothesMakeTheSuperman Clothes Make the Superman] ''Her battlesuits are powered armor and provide her an incredible boost in combat potential and survivability, but she's by no means helpless without them.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CombatPragmatist Combat Pragmatist] ''When her foes want to run their mouths, she will very quickly demonstrate that talking is not a free action.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeadlyUpgrade Deadly Upgrade] ''Emphasis on the ''deadly'' part, as she is well aware that overusing Magia Erebia can destroy her soul. The one time she's used it to date, she wound up with a fragment of a primal living in her head.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EnemyWithin Enemy Within] ''An unintended side effect of absorbing the dissipating aether of Ifrit via Magia Erebia, a semblance of the primal was able to take residence within her mind. Though it lacks the ability to exert any proper power or temper her or others, it still whispers in the back of her mind and has, on one occasion, seized control of her body.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FacialMarkings Facial Markings] ''Par for the course given she's a miqo'te, but hers prominently glow when her aether seal is active, as another reference to her home series.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HeroicRROD Heroic RROD] ''Overusing Magia Erebia runs the risk of causing this effect on her. Sometimes, if she's caught unawares, the fragment of Ifrit bound to her soul will ''force'' this effect on her--even potentially out of combat--in order to seize control of her.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlayingWithFire Playing With Fire] ''When using magic, she only uses fire. Her aetheric aspect is so strongly tilted toward fire that she is in a permanent state of Astral Fire but does not suffer from the inability to recover mana when in that state.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RenaissanceMan Renaissance Girl] ''She can fight barehanded, with magic, with a gun (or any gun-type derivative weapon), cook, build all manner of stupendously-advanced magitek devices, strategize fairly well on the battlefield, and run arms companies.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SuperPoweredEvilSide Superpowered Evil Side] ''Arguable on how superpowered it is, as she's not inherently stronger when this side is released, but when the fragment of Ifrit residing in her soul seizes control, Dark Chao then proceeds to completely ignore such trivial niceties as "friendly fire" and is more than happy to expend all of her power in such a way that she achieves her objectives and immediately passes out.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WillNotTellALie Will Not Tell A Lie] ''Though more an informed attribute as a throwback to her home series, Chao ''does'' remain remarkably honest about what she's doing at all times, occasionally finding that the truth of what she's doing often makes people disbelieve her. She is ''not'', however, above using misinformation and omission to achieve her goals.''
</div></div>

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=Credits=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>CREDITS</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Layout Information'''</div></div>
: <div align=justify><div style="padding: 2px 1px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">The following is not entirely comprehensive, but contains general credits. Please leave the link-backs if you use this template!
::■ Original template by [[Bancroft Gairn]].
::■ Adapted by [[Xheja Rajhera]].
::■ Tabs by [[Unnamed Mercenary]].
::■ Expanded bits by [[Lucaell Tareth'eian]].
::■ Header image inspired by [[D'lyhhia Lhuil]].
::■ Music bits from [[J'karu Rhome]].
::■ Relationships & OOC notes by [[Glioca Sargonnai]].</div></div>
<headertabs />

[[Category: Player Character]]
[[Category: Balmung]]
[[Category: Miqo'te]]
[[Category: Miqo'te Seeker of the Sun]]
[[Category: Doman]]

Chao Lingshen

2016-02-21T23:51:33Z

Chris Ganale: /* History */

__NOTOC__

<div align=center><div style="font-size:30px;letter-spacing:0.05em;color:#ab0c13;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver"></div></div>

<div align=center><div style="font-size:55px;letter-spacing:0.2em;color:#792521;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver">CHAO LINGSHEN</div></div>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:15px;letter-spacing:0.75em;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;">FIREBRAND</div></div>
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<div align=center><div style="font-size:25px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 10px silver"><font color="#4d1715">'''- - - ''' »</font> <font color="#b33730">☀</font> <font color="#4d1715">« ''' - - -''' </font></div></div>
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<div align=center bottom>[[File:Chao-Top-Banner.png]]</div>
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<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="60%">
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<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 20px; font-size:18px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;letter-spacing:0.1em;"><center><font style="color:#4d1715;">'''❝'''</font> <font style="color:#b33730">''They wanted war. Let's go give 'em war.''</font> <font style="color:#4d1715;">'''❞'''</font></center></div></span></h3>
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<div align=center><div style="font-size:12px;letter-spacing:0.75em;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver">Chao Lingshen.</div></div>
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<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.15em;"><center>'''VITAL INFORMATION'''</center></div></span></h3>
<br>
<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''CURRENT ALIAS...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Chao Lingshen.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''RACE & CLAN...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Miqo'te, Seeker of the Sun.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''GENDER...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Female.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''AGE...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 23.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''NAMEDAY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 1<sup>st</sup> Sun of the 6<sup>th</sup> Umbral Moon, 1556 S.A.E.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''ORIENTATION...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Asexual/Aromantic.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''MARITAL STATUS...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Single.</font>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.15em;"><center>'''OTHER STATISTICS'''</center></div></span></h3>
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<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''NATIONALITY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Doman.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''CITIZENSHIP...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Limsan.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''RESIDENCE...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Vylbrand Academy.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''OCCUPATION...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Founder, Misriah Armory.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''PATRON DEITY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Azeyma, the Warden.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''HEIGHT & WEIGHT...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 5 fulms, 4 ilms. 116 ponzes.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''ALIGNMENT...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChaoticGood Chaotic Good].</font>
</tr></table></div>
<br>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:25px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 10px silver"><font color="#4d1715">'''- - - ''' »</font> <font color="#b33730">☀</font> <font color="#4d1715">« ''' - - -''' </font></div></div>
<br>

=Details=
[[File:ChaoLingshen.png|right|frame|<div style="padding:10px 20px; font-size:13px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;letter-spacing:0.1em;"><center><font style="color:#706b68;">'''❝'''</font> <font style="color:#333333">''Gods and empires have sworn to break me. And yet, here I stand, unbroken.''</font> <font style="color:#706b68;">'''❞'''</font></center></div>]]

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>GENERAL INFORMATION</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">Chao Lingshen is a female miqo'te Seeker of the Sun originally born in Doma. With the Garlean Empire's subjugation of that region, she was conscripted into their armed forces, where she applied her mechanical and magical genius to enhance the Empire's magitek arsenal. She eventually fled to Eorzea with the aid of personnel of the Garlond Ironworks, and has since taken up residence in Ul'dah, spending her days studying and improving her magical and physical capabilities in order to take the fight to the Empire. </div></div>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>APPEARANCE</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">Chao is tall for miqo'te, standing at five fulms and nearly four ilms tall, weighing one hundred and sixteen ponzes. She wears her hair cropped close in a somewhat-boyish style, with two forelocks hanging down just past her chin, secured in place with bronze bangles. Her hair is black, with faint auburn highlights best seen at the back of her head. Afflicted with the normal miqo'te tendency toward heterochromia, her left eye is a dark brown and her right a dark crimson, the two shades close enough together that she could easily be mistaken for having one eye color at a distance or in poor lighting. The tribal markings on her face are slightly more vibrant than normal, this due to the effect of the Garlean anti-aether sigils on her body. When activated, the markings glow bright red. A faint scar on her left cheek, not normally visible due to her tribal markings, is the only visible reminder of the ceruleum explosion at Castrum Meridianum. <br><br> The clothing she wears varies, but she has a marked tendency to prefer more subdued colors such as black, white, and dark browns. Typically she can be found wearing a black and white yukata she picked up from the most recent Moonfire Faire, as it reminds her of her lost home in Doma. She's not big on accessories or jewelry, but usually wears a pair of peach blossom earrings, again as a reminder of Doma. She also always wears either tall boots, dark-colored leggings, or some combination of the two to hide the ceruleum burns on the backs of her legs from sight. </div>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>PERSONALITY</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">As any who would have even taken notice of her at the Quicksand would be quick to point out that she very easily disappears in the background of much more colorful and varied individuals, often preferring to mind her own business and just listen to the goings-on around her, as they have occasionally helped provide some insight into a problem she had been working on. When approached, she is polite and well-spoken, demonstrating an amiable personality with a tendency to make jokes and tease. A favorite thing to do is begin an ominous-sounding statement, then laughing it off instead of finishing the threat. On romance and sexuality, however, Chao can be considered completely asexual, having no consideration of romantic emotions at all. She does recognize romantic advance, but is unresponsive to it. <br><br> Beneath that playful exterior, she is singularly-focused on the downfall of the Garlean Empire and the salvation not just of Eorzea, but of all lands that have suffered under Garlemald's iron fist. This desire drives every action she takes, from her research into greater and more powerful magitek to her quest for greater personal power. The lack of any sort of unity or cohesion amongst the city-states of Eorzea greatly distresses her, and she has considered several times a gambit wherein she presents herself as a great existential threat to the realm, thereby forcing them to unify or face destruction, but has so far held back because the clear and present threat presented by Garlemald sure hasn't done it so far. If the situation demands it, however, she is still more than willing to become a martyr and take on the role of a villain to ensure that the realm is saved.</div>

<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="90%">
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<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3>
<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''L I K E S'''</center></div></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Developing magitek.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Increasing her own combat ability.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Recovering advanced technology from ancient civilizations, even better when she can improve it and make it work again.</div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''D I S L I K E S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> The Garlean Empire
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Those who advance personal profit at the expense of others, especially in the face of a grave existential threat.
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Tribal miqo'te, considering them primitive. </div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''H O B B I E S / T A L E N T S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Developing and enhancing magitek
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Light culinarian skill
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> A decent head for business
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Improvisation and customization of existing schools of talent </div>

</tr>
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<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3>
<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''S T R E N G T H S'''</center></div></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> High intelligence
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Strong melee aptitude
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> High magical aptitude</div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''W E A K N E S S E S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Hubris
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Martyr complex
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Overreliant on self </div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''O T H E R'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Occasionally refers to the Allagan Empire as Forerunners.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> She goes through a lot of gear and clothes (read: destroyed) in the process of testing and experimenting with her magic and magitek.</div>

</tr></table></div>
<br>

=Combat=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>COMBAT & WEAPONRY</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">
:● '''Magical Prowess''': A budding mage in her own right, Chao is talented in the arts of thaumaturgy, with a far greater affinity for magic of the fire element than other types. This affinity allows her mana to regenerate normally at all times; as such, she is not affected by the astral fire/umbral ice duology many thaumaturges are shackled by. Because of this trait, she is seeking to develop her own, personal style of magic outside the existing systems. Aside from this, she also has some light training in conjury.
::● '''Fire Resistance''': Due to absorbing both living and offensive aether of the Lord of the Inferno, Chao has become more heavily-aspected toward fire, further increasing the power of her magic as well as making her highly-resilient to heat or fire-based attacks.
::● '''''Magia Erebia''''': Translating to 'Dark Magic', ''Magia Erebia'' is the result of Chao's experimentation in magic circles, aetherflow, and how magic and spirit energy can be made to interact with the body. By creating a magic circle, she is able to then absorb a directed energy attack that comes in contact with her, fusing it with her soul and imbuing her with enhanced statistics, depending on the type of energy, for a limited period of time. As a drawback, the unnatural interaction between the soul and aetheric energies causes a corrosive effect, relegating the use of ''Magia Erebia'' to emergencies only.
::● '''Magic Seal''': As a result of the experimentation to resist tempering (see below), when her sigils are activated, she is a complete aetherial void, unable to access her latent magical talents or be affected by anything that would relate to a mana pool. This is mostly used to allow her to pass off as having no magic talent whatsoever, as her mana is not detectible when in this state.
:● '''Martial Arts''': Trained from a young age in the Doman style, unarmed combat is one of the most dangerous places to face her. Her style is visually similar to that of the Fist of Rhalgr, but structurally different. Whereas the monks favor strikes and work best from the flanks or rear of a foe, Chao's ''Hokuryuu Shourinken'' favors kicks, wide sweeping stances, and keeping a distance from the enemy. However, she has taken aspects of the Ala Mhigan style into her own, giving her a much wider array of abilities and actions in combat.
:● '''Shundo''': A ki-based technique of Doman origin, also known by its translated names of ' ''Ground Contractor'' ' or ' ''Instant Movement''. ' By focusing ki or magic energy to the bottom of her feet, she is able to 'grip' the ground and propel herself forward at immense speed, traversing up to sixty fulms in less time than it takes to register movement in the brain. She is only capable of traveling in a straight line across relatively even terrain, and cannot pass obstacles. Individuals with high martial training are able to sense her movement to a degree.
:● '''Spell List''': Chao has developed a list of spells that she prefers to use in combat, primarily based around fire magic and other aetheric uses. All of them are incanted in Garlean (Latin). Additionally, she has her own incantation phrase, which is used to unlock the aetherflow in her body and allow her to channel more powerful magic spells. Said incantation phrase is "''Rasteil mai magicscir magister''." It should also be noted that all of Chao's fire-based spells are aetheric and therefore do not require oxygen to continue burning, and some can even continue to burn when fully immersed in water.
::● ''Calefaciens Exarmatio'': Translating to ''Heatwave Disarmament'', this is a spell used to disarm a foe. It is specially-tuned fire magic that destroys equipment, weapons, and clothing, but leaves the person themselves unharmed.
::● ''Cantus Bellax'': Lit. ''Battle Song'', this is a simple self-buffing spell that reinforces her body with aether. Aside from providing a long-lasting anti-physical shield, this magic also exponentially increases muscle tension, allowing greater power, speed and endurance; it also increases the flexibility of muscles and tendons to prevent Chao from damaging herself from overexertion. In addition, her reflexes are enhanced by a moderate increase in the stimulation of the nervous system.
::● ''Captus Flammeus'': A binding spell, ''Fiery Captor'' summons ropes of fire magic that bind a target in place. Though not ''intended'' to cause harm to the bound target, Chao can cause them to do so at will.
::● ''Flagrantia Rubicans'': A moderately-powerful fire spell, about on par with Fire II, ''Red Blaze'' is Chao's mainstay offensive spell.
::● ''Incendium Gehennae'': A very potent fire spell developed after absorbing the living and offensive aether of Ifrit. Visually, ''Hellfire Conflagration'' is similar to Ifrit's own ultimate attack.
::● ''Ignis Deflexio'': A fire-based anti-physical protective shield. Its defensive effects are small.
::● ''Sagitta Magica Series Ignis'': Chao can summon a number of magic missiles of fire, always a prime number, which will independently track and pursue their target with no input from her. Their tracking method can be defeated if faced cleverly, and one could simply knock the magic missile away when it reaches them. Their damage is limited individually, but she can also cast this spell as a massive, single magic missile comprised of the energy of all the individual ones. While this is more powerful, it is also easier to avoid or counter.
:● '''Technological Genius''': From her youth, she has had a disturbing knack for understanding and knowledge of magitek devices. This ingenuity saw her placed in the Garlean Empire's research division once she was conscripted, where she enhanced and streamlined numerous Garlean weaponry and drive systems. Though more than capable of creating new devices from her own mind, her skills are strongest at refining and adapting existing technology to perform even better. She is responsible for the technological control devices that the Garleans use on their colossi to prevent them from rampaging in battle. Since coming to Eorzea, she has developed a powered assault armor and numerous other systems.
:● '''Temper Resistance''': As a result of Garlean experimentation, Chao possesses a set of sigils inscribed on her body that allows her to seal her aether. The theory is that this will protect her from the primals' method of tempering individuals by way of overloading their aether with the primal's own, due to their aether being unable to interact with her. This has proven to function as intended, tested under fire during her confrontation with Ifrit.
:● '''Weapon Proficiency (Firearm)''': As with all Garlean soldiers, she was trained to use their advanced firearms technology. Though she prefers magic and unarmed combat, she does keep a concealable pistol loaded with large-caliber, high-explosive ammunition on her person. Just in case.
:● '''Weapon Proficiency (Gunblade)''': As a conscript of the Garlean army, and valued slightly above the rank-and-file for her technical genius, she was trained in how to use a gunblade. Though she does not favor the weapon herself, she is capable of picking up and easily-using any of the non-specialized types of gun-weapons.</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">'''OOC Note:''' I unilaterally prefer freeform combat to dice, as dice cannot adequately reflect skill and equipment of a character. I practice what I refer to as an "interrupt" style of RP combat, in that when I make an action, I include a description of the effects it would have, and leave it to the other individual to defend against the action and/or mitigate the effects. Don't hesitate to send a /t if you have questions or are unsure of something I did in a battle.</div></div>
<br>

=Misriah Armory=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>MISRIAH ARMORY</center></div></span></h3>
[[File:Misriah-logo.png|center]]
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After settling at Vylbrand Academy, Chao finally found the stability required to dedicate her efforts fully to designing and developing her magitek weaponry. After a sizable payment for technologies rendered, she was able to fund the creation of her own arms company, '''Misriah Armory'''. Adapting the slogan "Battle-tested for your home", Chao has hired a number of production personnel from the Ironworks and purchased several proprietary systems from Cid nan Garlond to begin her work on magitek combat systems, primarily in the form of powered armor.
::● '''Anti-Magic Reactive Armor''': A system wherein a piece of armor or shield is imbued with reactive aether that, when an offensive spell acts upon it, explodes outward to disperse the effects of the spell and reduce harm to the wearer. This system is still in the prototype phase; currently, it reacts far too vigorously to offensive spells.
::● '''Armory Device''': Utilizing the principles of aetheric teleportation, Chao can imbue specific items with a unique aetheric signature, and then pair them to a device, traditionally a ring, that summons the items onto the wearer, allowing one to be armed and equipped in the blink of an eye.
::● '''Electromagnetic Aether Pulse Protection''': After an...unpleasant...event that saw her powered devices shut down by an enemy electromagnetic aether pulse, Chao worked to ensure that this never occurred again. By studying the recorded particulate effects just before her devices lost power, she was able to determine the frequency at which the particulates used interacted with her devices, and modify her shielding to nullify that frequency. To prevent circumvention by simply using a ''different'' frequency, all her powered equipment shielding is designed to modulate through differing frequencies.
::● '''Ironworks Powered Armor Mk.I''': The upgraded, field-ready combat version of her prototype armor. Designed as a modular system that supports varying upgrades as requested by the wearer. A detailed description can be found [http://tinyurl.com/mdjcwvd here]. Unlike her other, proprietary powered armor designs, her personal set retains the designation 'Ironworks' partly out of nostalgia, and partly in recognition that she was aided by members of the Garlond Ironworks in designing and creating it.
::● '''Misriah Powered Armor/BREAKER''': A direct assault variant built for Grundy, focusing on strong armored protection, resilient shielding, armor-augmented strength enhancers, and a VISR (detailed below) uplink to identify allies and enemies. As Grundy lacks the technical expertise to manipulate armor systems, the BREAKER variant is designed to function largely autonomously, with all systems functioning when power is applied. Grundy's personal variant features two additional features: two spiked chain shots built into both forearms for grappling, and remote systems override allowing Chao to lock down his armor to stop him from going on a berserker rampage.
::● '''Misriah Powered Armor/INFILTRATOR''': An infiltrator variant designed for use by those who prefer a stealth approach. The INFILTRATOR variant lacks the plate protection of its more up-armored brethren, relying on faster-cycling aetheric shielding technology and the user's own ability to evade hits to provide its protection. This powered armor increases user reaction speed and possesses proprietary sound-dampening technology to enhance stealth.
::● '''Powered Fist''': Built to augment her new powered armor, Chao designed a gauntlet that allows her free range of hand motion and also has a powerful gun device built into it for added anti-armor punch. When not desired for use, it collapses down to the size of bracelets worn on both wrists.
::● '''Project μ''': Considered by Chao to be her Magnum Opus, Project μ saw the creation of a sentient, free-willed combat android in a form that would allow it to pass undetected in society (in this case, the prototype unit possesses the frame of a female miqo'te). Utilizing a combination of a purpose-built mammet heart and an unprogrammed Allagan Defense System node to achieve sentience, a frame was constructed using both Allagan metals and repurposed Garlean steel. The result: an infiltrator prototype given the name ''Myu'' whose combat potential is surpassed only by her learning potential.
::● '''Remote/Observation, Self-Propelled Model 1B Reconnaissance Drone''': A variant of the WASP drone, with its aetherochemical beam replaced with high-fidelity observation and monitoring equipment to perform the functions of battlefield reconnaissance. Recon data from these drones can be fed to any authorized user of a MISRIAH powered armor system.
::● '''Sterilization Tools''': A number of devices requested by Vylbrand medic Keero in order to sterilize medical equipment before use. A non-mobile version was delivered to the medical ward, allowing the sterilization of large numbers of equipment, or large pieces of equipment. Several smaller versions were also built for field use. Both versions generate high-heat, high-intensity energy beams that kill microorganisms and scour surfaces clean.
::● '''Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance''': A HUD feature included in all of her powered armors, VISR allows for unprecedented battlefield information to wearers of her powered armor. In its most base form, VISR serves as an identify-friend/foe system, highlighting friendly targets in a green outline, enemy targets in red, recognizable weapons in blue, items of interest in yellow, and unidentified persons/civilians in orange. It can also receive visual reconnaissance from any nearby ROSP drones and functions as low-light enhancement at night or in darkened spaces.
::● '''Weapon/Anti-Magitek, Self-Propelled Model 1A Nonlinear Rifle''': A small, high-mobility portable weapon system developed by Chao using the magitek bits of the Allagan and Garlean Empires as its base. Unlike it much larger cousins, the "WASP"--also known by the descriptor "funnel"--is small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand, but is no less deadly for it. Armed with an aetherochemical beam that can pierce the armor of a magitek reaper in a single strike, its power is balanced by its slow rate of fire and limited fire capacity. When drained of energy after five shots, it is capable of re-energizing itself by drawing aether from its environment, but this will only allow it to fire again once every five minutes. The WASP is targeted by voice commands.
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<br>

=History=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>HISTORY</center></div></span></h3>
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<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>'''PAST BACKGROUND'''</center></div></span></h3>
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<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Early Life'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Born in the region of Doma, Chao has been well-acquainted with Garlean tyranny her entire life. Her parents trained her from the time she could stand in the Doman martial arts style, despite it being outlawed by Garlemald as seditious. Early in life, she demonstrated a marked proclivity for an inability to keep secrets, prompting her parents to keep her uninvolved with the resistance against the Garlean Empire. She also showed an amazing affinity for magitek and other mechanical devices.<br><br>As she grew older, the increasing activity of Garlean oppression saw Chao becoming aware of their atrocities throughout their claimed territory. Her discretion grew, and though she remained unaware of her parents' involvement in the resistance, she began to contribute to the resistance in her own way, notably by designing and providing specifications for cannon rounds that boasted a marked improvement rate in penetrating Garlean armor, among other defensive innovations. This enhanced ability on the Domans' part to fight them did not go unnoticed by Garlemald, and by the age of fifteen, they had determined that she was the one responsible for the technological improvements. One afternoon, a contingent of Garleans appeared at the Lingshen homestead, and a choice was offered: service in the Empire, or the deaths of herself and her family. Unwilling to be the cause of her parents' deaths, she agreed to join the Empire. </font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Imperial Service'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Having been identified as a magitek prodigy, Chao avoided conscription into the generic rank and file of the Empire, instead placed in an institution that would teach her the intricacies of Garlean magitek as groundwork for creating next-generation weaponry. Recognizing the opportunity that had fallen into her lap, she played the part of the loyal Garlean engineer, all the while absorbing all the information she could and considering ways she could sabotage the Empire. It soon came to be discovered that she was especially adept at improving existing technology to perform better, seeing her placed in the Castrum Meridianum, where the foremost of Garlemald's technological terrors were constructed. <br><br> Initially, the projects she was allowed access to were small, improved arms and armor for the soldiers stationed in the castrum and the like. Eventually, as the successes of her work became apparent and allowed Garlemald to solidify its holdings in the regions of Eorzea they occupied, she was granted more and more access to Imperial workings. Soon, she began to discreetly sabotage the projects she was working with, an example being the technological inhibitors that the Garleans used to control their magitek colossi and other tamed beasts. Sure, the inhibitors did their job--better than to spec once she got her hands on them--but if they took too much damage and were destroyed, the frenzied beasts would focus all their aggression on their Imperial masters. She always took great care to ensure that the technology she sabotaged would fail as a result of field conditions or misuse, and that their effects would be ''just'' shy of so catastrophic that the Garleans deemed them too costly to use. <br><br> Her own research efforts were not the only Garlean projects that she was involved in. Owing to the Garleans' hatred of the primals, eventual conflict with the primals would be inevitable. Knowing of the primals' fondness for tempering, the Empire sought to devise a means to resist the tempering effect. Selecting from a pool of candidates with preexisting extremely strong willpower, Chao was selected to undergo numerous anti-tempering experiments. As tempering was reliant upon the primal surging their own aether to overpower the victim's mind and soul, the simplest method the Garleans saw to negate it was blocking one's aether. To this end, a series of sigils were inscribed across Chao's body, rendering her an aetherial void when active. A command code, painstakingly memorized by the magitek genius, deactivates the sigils and lets her act normally, though when it is active her aether is completely inactive, not even able to be detected by other mages, and she appears to be completely nonmagical. Though this system performs its intended purpose to lab specifications, it has yet to be tested against an actual primal. <br><br> It was two years into her work at Meridianum that she discovered the Ultima Weapon program, and at that point she realized that it would take more than minor acts of sabotage to halt the Garlean advance. At around the same time, she began to hear whispers of a revolt in Doma, instigated in the hopes that the Garlean succession crisis would have them too distracted to respond. Activity around the Ultima Weapon project intensified, with many predicting that the fearsome monstrosity would be put to use suppressing the rebellion. It was not to be, however, as the Weapon was still not fully prepared for combat, and the might of the Imperial legions were plenty sufficient to crush the uprising and begin a reckoning of the Doman civilization. <br><br> Suspecting deep in her heart that her parents had been killed in the rebellion, Chao devised her plan and made ready to depart the Empire forever.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Defection'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">For a long while, the Garlond Ironworks and its members had been a continual thorn in the side of the Imperial presence in Eorzea, raiding the castrums seemingly at random. Though she had not devoted a great deal of attention to it, she had a sense that there would soon be another such raid at Meridianum. Timing her actions carefully, she prepared another act of sabotage. <br><br> In her part of the Ultima Weapon project, she was assigned to the conversion of the ancient Allagan power source to accept refined ceruleum as a fuel. While successful in this endeavor, she also weakened the structural integrity of the fueling lines and the storage tanks, forcing them to vent under strenuous operation lest they suffer a devastating case of overpressure. Under the guise of a 'stress test', she ordered one such storage tank filled to capacity and subjected to the sorts of stresses expected in lengthy combat. <br><br> Just as she had expected, another raid by the Ironworks occurred in the middle of the stress test. With the defense force of the castrum distracted by the ruckus, Chao moved all her research notes to within proximity of the storage tank, then increased the stress the device was under. To her surprise, the raiding team from the Ironworks soon broke their way into her research chamber, pulling her attention away from monitoring the tank for reaching its failure point. Now no longer needing to be concerned with her intent to betray the Empire, she alerted the raiders of the impending explosion and warned them to get away. Almost immediately thereafter, a castrum security force broke into the lab from another direction and opened fire. A stray round struck the storage tank, resulting in an immediate detonation. The explosion wiped out the Garlean security force and sprayed flaming ceruleum throughout the lab, resulting in gruesome burn scars to the back of Chao's legs. <br><br> Rendered unconscious by the explosion, Chao was recovered by the Ironworks raiding team, who fled as a chain reaction tore through the ceruleum storage facility, destroying a large number of the Ultima Weapon's spare tanks. Chao's act of sabotage resulted in the completion and battle readiness of the Ultima Weapon being delayed by nearly a full year.</font></div>
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<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>'''SINCE CHARACTER CREATION'''</center></div></span></h3>
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<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Ironworks'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao awoke some weeks later in Gridania, finding herself under care of the conjurers treating her injuries from the ceruleum explosion. Informed of the massive damage done to her musculature and nervous system, she was relieved to learn that she would regain the ability to walk after a time, but that the corrosive nature of ceruleum meant that the scars would never fade. This did not trouble her, and as she recovered, she requested a tome in which she could write, beginning to transfer what of her research she could recall to a page, glad to have denied Garlemald her knowledge and leaving them with prone-to-failure, sabotaged equipment. <br><br> Soon thereafter, she was approached by a large roegadyn man who introduced himself as Biggs, naming himself as a member of the Garlond Ironworks and come to inquire what she had been up to when she had encountered the raid team. In no uncertain terms, she explained that she had been carefully sabotaging various Imperial projects over her years in their conscripted service, and had planned to take advantage of the confusion of the Ironworks raid to do one last grand act of sabotage and escape. Amused by her forthcoming explanation, Biggs offered for her to join the Ironworks, letting her turn her vast magitek talent to improving the lives of Eorzean citizens while continuing to stick it to the Empire. She readily accepted, and turned over her tome of notes for Biggs to copy in case any of it proved useful to any of the ongoing projects at the Ironworks. Once finished with the transcription, Biggs returned the book and suggested she get herself as far away from the Empire as possible.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Changing the Game'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Unknown to either of them, she was in no danger of being hounded by the Empire, as they believed she had perished in the ceruleum explosions at the castrum. After regaining her ability to walk, she traveled to Ul'dah and took up residence there. To while away the time, she discovered that the jewel of the desert was home to the pugilist guild and the thaumaturge's guild, two combat schools that she had a keen interest in. Applying for training at both, she used their instruction to further her knowledge in both unarmed combat and the magical arts, but feared that what she could learn through the guilds would be insufficient to face the might of the Garlean Empire. <br><br> To that end, she sought to combine the training of both guilds into a new personal discipline she referred to--admittedly unoriginally--as 'combat mage'. To this end, she practiced the casting of spells until they became as muscle memory to her, able to cast on the move and with greater speed. While training herself in such a way, she discovered her stronger affinity for fire magic, that the more she trained, the greater the potency of those spells became and the less taxing they were upon her. Before long, she had become adept at weaving fire not only as spells in between strikes, but the very elemental aspect itself into her strikes. The result was a combat style that is frightfully effective, one that the pugilists' guild regarded as an amusing and effective curiosity, but that was reviled by the thaumaturges' guild. Needless to say, she hasn't showed her face there very often in recent times. <br><br> Even through her training time, one thing had weighed heavily on her mind at all times: the existence of the Ultima Weapon and what it could do to the people of Eorzea. Knowing of the Weapon's ability to absorb the essence of the primals and use their power for its own, she wondered if it was not possible for a man to do the same with magic. After all, the possibilities of magic were literally limitless. With that in mind, and keeping an open mind from which she could observe and calculate from all possible angles, Chao began to study arcanism and conjury as well. <br><br> Initially dismissing conjury, she focused her attention on arcanism, finding the applications there far more wide-ranging given the geometric and mathematical means of bending aether to one's whim, and as an engineer, geometry and math were something of strong suits for her. She quickly began to experiment with using aetheric circles not just in books, but using the environment herself as her medium. She found that in doing so, she could enhance the power of her spells and perform various other effects. She has established a theory of a magic contract between a magically-talented person and one who is not, mostly for the purpose of additional power to the--presumably physically-inclined--partner, but has yet to perform any actual experimenting on this concept.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Dark Magic'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Through many a day spent sitting in a corner of the Quicksand pondering her magical theories while immersing herself in the lifeblood of the city, her thoughts traveled far and wide on the principles of magic and their relationship with man and the world. Such philosophical drivel aside, it occurred to her as she was watching a drinking contest that perhaps she was thinking too hard on a subject that was actually rather simple. The principle of the Ultima Weapon's most terrifying power was that it could absorb the power of the primals into itself and, so the theory went, use their powers as its own. As she had discovered through her arcane training, there already ''was'' a similar technique in play, the aetherflow. The problem was its limitations, and that it only drew upon ambient aether. <br><br> While stumped on how to get around this block, she diverted some attention to figuring out methods of rapidly-deploying aetheric circles in combat, given that most enemies would be disinclined to stand around letting her draw runes on the ground around them. Musing on the fragility of crystals, she discovered a method to 'pre-cast' partial aetheric circles by inscribing them into specifically-marked spell catalysts that, when shattered in specific sequence in a set pattern, would inscribe an invisible aetheric circle on whatever solid surface they were shattered against. She found that this was most useful when fighting unarmed, as many would assume she was a bog-standard pugilist and therefore wouldn't be suspicious of her moving around in a fight. <br><br> As the weeks passed and she wandered about the city, she chanced upon a handful of Sultansworn in a full-contact mock training exercise. Taking a moment to stop and observe their actions, she watched as a pre-cast protective spell flashed to life to ward off a harmful spell, but not fully mitigate its damage. That scene taking root in her mind, she returned to the Quicksand to ponder. The nature of protective spells were meant to turn away harmful effects, but using her aetheric circles, could she not invert its purpose, directing an opponent's magic or spirit energy into a user whose aetherflow was opened to draw in such energies? <br><br> With thorough studying in the matter, she discovered that her theory was spot-on, allowing her to absorb the energies of an opponent's attack into herself, giving her a limited-time increase to specific attributes depending on the nature of the absorbed energies. This method of using her developing theory of magic was impractical, as it required her drawing a spell circle to influence the absorption of the energy, and therefore was ill-suited for most combat scenarios. Further, the act of absorbing spells or spirit energy infused that energy to her very soul, an unnatural and corrosive effect that forced her to determine that this new magic she was inventing be reserved for the most emergency of uses. <br><br> Because of this, she has taken to calling her new magic system ''Magia Erebia''.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''New Eras, New Places, New Faces'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Time waits for no man, and Chao was no exception. Word of a new terrifying superweapon in the hands of Garlemald spread through Eorzea like wildfire, and she knew that they had come with their Ultimate Weapon. To her surprise, however, the Eorzean leaders did not seem to fear the tremendous power of the weapon, instead were planning a ''preemptive strike'' to destroy the thing before it could be brought into play. Unknowing of what means the Eorzeans intended to fight it with, but well resolved in the knowledge that she would not suffer them to face that menace alone, she journeyed to the Hall of Flames to avail her burgeoning magical talent to the Alliance's efforts. And thus came to pass her involvement in Operation: Archon, a rather boring endeavor which saw her standing far from the front lines, raining concentrated blasts of fire down on far-away Garleans by way of indirect fire. <br><br> Returning to Ul'dah after the successful destruction of the Ultimate Weapon and the heralding of the Seventh Astral Era, Chao felt herself adrift. Her entire life since coming to Eorzea had been dedicated to empowering herself and devising technology to destroy the weapon, and yet now she found herself without that clear adversary to test herself against. Returning to her usual haunt in the Quicksand to consider her notes on varying magitek research projects, she found herself attracting some interesting characters. First came an elezen lady curious of what she was reading, prompting a rather fast-paced and aggressive conversation which has Chao convinced that she was being hit upon, ending with a promise by Aeliette to 'discover all her dark secrets.' <br><br> Several days later, she was approached by another elezen who offered thanks to her for the assistance she rendered in attempting to determine whether a wine bottle had been poisoned. Introducing himself as Isaudorel, their conversation was far more agreeable, despite the brief intrusion of a rather rude individual who accused Chao of being of purchaseable companionship. Electing to not dignify that with a response, the conversation soon found its way turning toward their preferred styles of combat, with Chao informing him of her creation of her 'combat mage' style of combat. Intrigued of a method by which one could combine hand-to-hand with magical combat, he requested a spar to allow her to demonstrate her style, to which she agreed, pleased to have the opportunity to test her style in 'real' combat. <br><br> Traveling just outside of Forgotten Springs in the Sagolii Desert, Chao and Isaudorel squared off, observed by a small crowd of interested individuals who either came along from the Quicksand or happened to be passing through. Initiating the duel, Chao used her ''shundo'' to cross the distance separating them before he could react, a rising crescent kick almost finishing the fight in a single blow. Recovering from it, he retaliated with a blizzard spell, which she dispersed with a ''Red Blaze'' fire spell before charging back in to rain strikes at him. With a quick thought, he cast a manawall charged with electricity in an attempt to paralyze her. Though the charged energy knocked her back, she managed to avoid a paralysis and unleashed seven ''Sagitta Magica'' arrows to divert his attention. He answered in kind with a wide-area blizzard spell to destroy them, then began another incantation. To break the barrier, Chao used a floating chunk of ice as a springboard by which to ''shundo'' at him and use the entire force of her body to try and break the barrier. Just as she hit, he completed his incantation, casting a Fire-III directly on himself to catch both of them at once, an effective suicide-bomb attack. <br><br> Blown to the side by the power of the strike, Chao was the first to her feet, laughing at the cleverness of the attack and commending him for its execution. Isaudorel, however, having exhausted his mana to pull that stunt and doing no small amount of harm to himself, ceded the spar at that point. Expressing his wish for a future re-engagement, he returned to Ul'dah--or so she presumed--to get himself some rest and recovery. Afterwards, she was approached by one of the observers, one [[Gunnbjorn Darkblade]] who was very impressed with her style and wished to challenge her himself at some point in the future. With a smirk, she stated that she would always be ready to test her skills out once more. <br><br> A few days beyond that, she found herself approached once more at the Quicksand, this time by a man answering to the name of Lucian Malloy. Speaking at length of idle topics, he soon invited her to a place he liked wherein she could think free of distractions, citing the noise of the Quicksand being a cause of headaches for him. Initially concerned that it may be an ill-fated kidnapping attempt, given the nature of Ul'dah, she felt confident that she would be more than any would-be kidnappers were prepared for, and agreed to accompany him. Following along with his teleport to Costa del Sol, she soon discovered that his motives were no more ill than that of any red-blooded male attempting to woo a female. In further efforts to impress her, he cast a healing circle spell, the radius of which grew with every passing moment. It soon became clear that this spell was too powerful for him to sustain, causing him to become as though intoxicated, making ever more and more ridiculous statements as time went on. He soon passed unconscious from the effects of the significant drain on his aether, but not before he managed to activate a failsafe teleport of some sort that returned the two of them to his free company's homestead in the Goblet. <br><br> At the mansion of the Reclaimers, Chao brought him to rest in an infirmary bed, then wandered the halls to find one of his free company mates to assist him. Atticus Buffalobane and Lena Ulionov appeared from their room, in a particular state that left no doubt in Chao's mind what they had been up to, but she politely refrained from saying anything on the matter. It was swiftly determined that he suffered from aetheric depletion, prompting Lena to head off to procure some ethers to solve the matter. After a few moments, she returned with Rinh Amariyo in tow, while Chao stood to the back of the room and let them see to their comrade. After some good-natured ribbing on their part once Lucian came around, Lena inquired as to Chao's occupation. When the combat mage informed them of her specialty in Garlean magitek, suddenly both Lena and Rinh became very interested in her, the former requesting that she return the next day to look at a piece of Garlean technology that the Reclaimers had "acquired." <br><br> Coming the next day as promised, she was introduced to another associate of the Reclaimers, Popato Tomato, who presented a large Garlean orb and explained that it was an aetheric suppressor and that they wished to find a way to make it smaller and allow it to only suppress aether of unwanted intruders rather than the rightful occupants of the manor. Explaining that miniaturization was her specialty, Chao poked around in the device's innards and, following a demonstration of its effects during which she decided to see what would happen if the aether-absorbing field came into contact with her when her aether was sealed--the device short-circuited--she determined that she could meet all their specifications as long as they procured her a pair of Garlean magitek cores--one in case she made a mistake--with which to install in the machine; the rest she had the tools to do herself. They stated that it would be easy for them to acquire the cores, leaving her time to sketch out her redesign of the smaller device and acquire the parts she would need from the Ironworks. <br><br> It took less than a day for her to complete her sketched redesign and even prototype a few replicas in the Ironworks of the modified device. Waiting to be contacted by the Reclaimers to complete her work for them, she resumed her habit of occupying the Quicksand, spending her time going over her design in exacting detail and ensuring everything would function as she expected it to. As she waited and tinkered with converting one of the miniature prototypes into a working autonomous device, she felt an intense gaze on her, and looked around to find a hyuran woman staring at her. The woman approached, stating aloud that Chao looked familiar to her, which became a shared sensation when the woman drew near enough to get a good look at in the dim lighting of the tavern. When Chao pointed out that she was only commonly found at the Quicksand or in the Ironworks, the woman seated herself and proclaimed that it was from the Ironworks that they were familiar with one another. The woman introduced herself as [[Satomi Hakase]], primarily employed by the airship operations division. Though this introduction was to be brief, as an acquaintance of Satomi soon arrived portending a situation which required the hyur's attention, Chao was left with the feeling that she might begin to work with the Ironworks airship sector a bit more often. <br><br> Even with that chance encounter with a fellow in the spirit of science, she continued to feel further and further adrift and separated from the currents of the realm, left as she was with no strong source of opposition to test herself against. The influx of refugees from Doma, the tension from Ul'dah's rejection of sanctuary of them, and the riots that ensued were not something that she, a purveyor of weapons and therefore a 'merchant of death', cared to involve herself in, as she would neither see her people oppressed nor would she hand out her developing forms of advanced weaponry a nation so rife with corruption. So she continued to spend her days in the city idle, chatting at random with whatever passers-by expressed interest in her, spending fewer and fewer hours contemplating new advancements of magitek or ''Magia Erebia''. One conversation ended with a suggestion that she turn her attention to the Ishgardian war with the dravanian hordes and supply weapons for that battle, but she thought little of the backwards, dogmatic ways of the Holy See and did not see the dravanians as a threat to the other city-states should Ishgard fall. She did, at the least, state that she would give it her consideration, and if nothing else it would be an exercise in retrograding her inventions to withstand both the cold of Coerthas and the searing flames of a dragon's breath.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As she took a meal one evening, the tavern as noisy as ever, her ears picked out of the din a small but overbearing voice aimed in her direction. Turning to see a lalafell staring down her nose at her--an act she'd hitherto thought lalafells physically incapable of--she found herself subjected to a barrage of queries regarding a male miqo'te she had never even heard of. When she said as much, the lalafell half-ranted out a slew of other names, only one of which caught her attention: Satomi Hakase. <br><br> With that mentioned, the short one seemed to take a moment to reevaluate Chao, apparently considering there was more to her than met the eye to be an associate of Satomi's, and thereby deeming her 'worthy' by some arbitrary benchmark. Speaking more at length of this 'Sypher Corinth' she was after, she explained that he owed a not-inconsiderable debt to her, promising an unspecified percentage of it for delivering him or information on his whereabouts. Chao accepted, but money had little to do with it; in truth, she was far more interested in having something to do that would take her out of the city. <br><br> The lalafell, who left only her given name Zoey, informed Chao that Sypher had ties with Vylbrand Academy, which sent the miqo'te to Ul'dah's airship landing for a journey to the island city-state. Some hours were spent querying practically every soul in Limsa Lominsa as to the location of the Academy, but perseverance eventually paid off. Upon entering the nondescript building, which initially appeared to be empty, she followed the sound of voices to a lower level that seemed to house a bar, where she queried if any present knew of Sypher. <br><br> After a brief discussion, she was requested to speak of the matter privately with a miqo'te woman she presumed to be the Academy's master, accompanied by an elezen whose role was not explained but Chao presumed to be the master's second. Once in Kyra's office, she explained the situation as it had transpired in the Quicksand, swiftly becoming confused with the way they seemed to become very tense at someone pursuing this 'Sypher' for a substantial debt. It was now clear to her that she was being manipulated as a pawn in the schemes of the lalafell, a sensation she was none too pleased with. When the elezen asked her to convey to the lalafell a request to come to the Academy and 'discuss' the matter, she readily agreed to do so. <br><br> The following afternoon, Chao returned to the Academy, having been informed by Ser Chevalier that a weapon class was to be given that day. As it turned out, she had mistakenly-assumed that it would be more of a showcase of varying weapons from which she might be able to draw inspiration for her projects, but as it turned out, it was an actual instructional class on the varieties of a specific weapon type, in this case axes. Unwilling to be rude by getting up and walking out in the middle of it, she decided to wait it out and observe. This turned out to be possibly one of her best decisions to date. <br><br> In the midst of the class, who should appear out of the blue but Satomi herself. As it turned out, Vylbrand Academy was the fellow researcher's home away from the Ironworks. After politely waiting out the duration of the class and then exchanging a few words with the Academy master and Ser Chevalier, Satomi invited Chao to her laboratory-cum-room to catch up, along with a lalafell that quickly became apparent to be of significant emotional interest to Satomi. After he left on business, Satomi expressed her concern over the appearances inherent in that relationship, but Chao assured her that she would not judge, with the statement that one will find love wherever their heart desires, and that was all there was to that. <br><br> With that fear settled, the pair discussed the situation involving Sypher and the debt, Satomi expressing her concern that he did not seem to be in that high an amount of debt, and Chao herself finding suspicion that so many at the Academy seemed to have their hackles raised by the entire affair. When Satomi remarked that she would gladly pay off the debt and needed to find the woman, Chao stated that she would be glad to accompany Satomi, both to get her own answers on what the hell she'd been dragged into and to provide martial help should it become necessary, promising her fellow Ironworks researcher that she was not as fragile as she looked. <br><br> Turning their conversation to lighter topics, Satomi eventually discerned that, aside from the Ironworks, Chao had no place to call home other than the Hourglass inn attached to the Quicksand, and near of mandated that Chao avail herself of Satomi's lab as often as she deemed necessary. Though not necessarily wanting to take overmuch advantage of Satomi's hospitality--and that of the Academy, which she was sure did not think too highly of her--the truth was simple in that she was adrift in Ul'dah, and a newer locale nearer to where Satomi hung her proverbial hat would not only allow easier collaboration but might also provide some desperately-needed inspiration. <br><br> And so, returning to Ul'dah, she gathered her meager belongings from the Hourglass and took a day or so to finish up all her activities in the jewel of the desert. Traveling by airship to Limsa, she procured a room at the Mizzenmast for a few days so as not to just show up out of the blue at the Academy like an unwanted relative. On the eve before she decided to make her trip to the Academy, she was met in the Drowning Wench by her erstwhile lalafell 'employer', who explained the ''actual'' purpose of the search for Sypher, that being a murder investigation that was now being considered a self-defense act. <br><br> Chao was willing to let bygones be on the matter for a twofold reason: first, it ''was'' a bit of a mercy on Zoey's part to have him investigated for a debt rather than murder, and secondly, Chao's journey to the Academy enabled her to reconnect with Satomi, an all-around net gain for her. Any ire she may have had about Zoey leading her about in the dark was defused by the lalafellin investigator's sincere apologies. Further, Zoey seemed to sense an utmost trustworthiness in Chao, which took the Doman by surprise, and prompted a departure on good terms, with a note that Zoey might seek her out again for further--and much more transparent, as promised--ventures in the future.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Departed'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao had always considered herself intelligent, and whenever first approached by a new person, especially someone with a thuggish demeanor or appearance, always reminded herself that Eorzea was a realm full of malcontents and kept ready in the back of her mind the fact that the very next person to approach her may subject her to some ill-fated kidnapping attempt, assault, or issue of the like. Heretofore, that had never become an issue, but on the day that she prepared to finally make the sojourn to Vylbrand Academy, it turned out that she was properly paranoid after all. <br><br> The lalafell that approached her side may well have succeeded in the assassination attempt had she not stooped to pick up a dropped utensil at the exact moment the would-be assassin moved to draw his blade. A commendably-strengthed kick, given her less-than-stellar positioning seated on a barstool, launched the smallfolk into a pillar, where he was promptly joined by the stool she had just vacated. With the ambush attempt failed, a roegadyn, a hyur, and a miqo'te joined the fray. It was clear they lacked up-to-date knowledge on her skillset, as defeating them proved to be a far simpler endeavor than she had expected. <br><br> Rifling through their pockets made it clear they were a Garlean hit squad, as if their banter during the unrepentant mugging they suffered had not already made that point. Troubling was that they'd come specifically for her, and that meant she was on Garlemald's radar again. Whether they sought blood for her sabotage of the Ultima Weapon or a return of her knowledge to their fold was unknown, and frankly irrelevant. What mattered was that they would stop at nothing to achieve their goal, and that endangered everyone she associated with. <br><br> Knowing that, she knew that she could not, in good conscience, let the Academy and its occupants be brought to harm because of her, and so decided to instead go into hiding. <br><br> Steeling her resolve, and feeling herself to be facing one of the greatest trials she ever had, she covered herself in a linen cloak and walked the rainy streets of Limsa, heading down to the ferry. She found bitter amusement that it would rain on this day, of all days. The ferry passed uneventfully, dropping Chao off near the Vylbrand Academy. The weather had long since broke, leaving it a cool, slightly clouded night. Keeping her eyes sharp for any signs of pursuit, she made her way toward the Academy, each step feeling heavier than the one before it. <br><br> As she expected, the Academy itself was not vacant. As she neared, she espied Ser Chevallier conversing in one corner of the yard, and fully expected to be stopped as to her business. But, to her surprise, she was allowed to pass into the building without a word, and found no other souls as she made her way to Satomi's lab. Once inside, she located her tome that she had left previously within a few minutes, replacing it with a letter that explained her entire history, that she was now being hunted, and that she was choosing to disappear rather than endanger any others. <br><br> With that heavy task complete, she lamented a moment on what may have been had they had the opportunity to combine their knowledge and skills, then turned and left the Academy, as silent and unremarkable as she had arrived. Tome in hand, she had only to pay a visit to the Ironworks to ensure they were properly warned and destroy her research data before she could complete her disappearing act. <br><br> Upon arrival, she found herself trailed by a particular pair of a roegadyn and a lalafell as she moved about destroying her research data, the two attempting to talk her out of her chosen path. She would have none of it, however, remaining adamant about preventing the Empire from having any extra reasons to express their ire with the Ironworks due to her presence. Eventually relenting, Biggs and Wedge decided to, at the very least, do what they could to help her survival, handing her a completed prototype of one of her very own designs: a powered assault armor. With thanks and a promise to continue moving ever onward, Chao clothed herself in the prototype battlesuit and departed from the Ironworks, closing that chapter of her life as well. <br><br> Traveling to the cliff edge of Silvertear Lake, Chao gazed upon the shattered wreck of the ''Agrius'', musing on whether she would require a power equal to that of the Guardian of the Lake in order to turn back the Empire. As she considered this, she engulfed her tome in flames to forever deny its contents to the Empire. The scuffle of approaching persons drew her attention, but kept her back to them, knowing she could easily beat any Garlean to the draw who had hubris enough to make their approach known. <br><br> To her surprise, it was the voice of Satomi who called out to her, demanding her purpose and threatening violence should she have been responsible for harm to....herself. Clearly, Satomi had mistaken her cloaked form for that of a Garlean assassin. She turned to identify herself properly, bracing for what was surely to be a lengthy attempt to convince her to not fleet into hiding. The sight of Chao unharmed brought the hyuran scientist great relief, and she launched quickly into a narrative of how hectic the last several days had been, in-between dodging Garlean assassins and interrogating captured spies. <br><br> Confused by the explanation, Satomi continued that she had discovered a list of targets that the Garleans were going after, including both of the two researchers. That Satomi herself was targeted explained her being in the company of Kyrrae--beyond the obvious reasons therefore--but the knowledge that the Empire was doing more than just coming after her for revenge changed things. She couldn't very well run away and hide while others were being hunted and killed by the Garleans. Stating as much, she cast aside her cloak, revealing her newly-acquired armor to Kyrrae and Satomi in the process, and swore upon the wreckage of the ''Agrius'' that she would never stop fighting against the Empire. <br><br> With all thoughts of flight now permanently out of the magitek prodigy's mind, Satomi bid they leave the far-too-open expanses of Mor Dhona for a more secure location. Utilizing a quick manipulation of aether, the trio teleported to Kyrrae's personal residence in the Lavender Beds, taking the extra opportunity to speak of the situation before bedding down for the evening.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits II'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Beginning to devise her own scheme for additional security against the Garleans, Chao set out the next morning to set it into motion. Over the course of the next several days, she visited sites of combat with Imperial forces across the realm, scavenging parts from downed vanguards, reapers, colossi, and death claws. After several days of this, she received a linkpearl call from Satomi, sounding highly distressed and requesting her presence at the Academy. Initially fearing that the Garleans had gotten Satomi and were using her to try and draw Chao out, she made haste to Vylbrand and entered Satomi's lab with a gusto normally reserved for breaching an enemy fortified position. <br><br> As it turned out, no such precaution was necessary; the state of Satomi's health being due entirely to stress as a result of a near-death experience on Kyrrae's part while Chao was away. Before much more of the subject could be discussed--though enough was spoken of to cause Chao concern for Satomi's well-being--the hyur was called to socialize with the other members of the Academy. Chao, feeling the need to look after her a while longer, accompanied her downstairs and discovered to her amusement that Satomi was ''bartending'' this social event. Tucking herself out of the way, she observed the gathering as she had always observed every tavern interaction, reminded quite thoroughly of her days spent warming chairs in the Quicksand. These thoughts prompted her to wonder what some of her old acquaintances were now up to. As the afternoon wore on, however, the state of Satomi's health became all the more clear: between a dropped glass and nearly stumbling into Chao while passing out a drink, it was clear she was about to pass out on her feet. After a while, she was convinced to retire and rest for the evening, which she reluctantly agreed to do, with Chao ensuring she made it safely back to her room/lab. <br><br> Once back in the lab, Satomi confided in Chao that she had been feeling increasingly depressed over the last several weeks, stemming from the sequence of events that had seemed to go from bad to worse: Chao's disappearance, the Garlean attacks, drama within the Academy, and finally Kyrrae's near-fatal experience. All these experiences, the scientist reasoned, were a negative consequence of deciding to emotionally open herself, rather than the previously-aloof way she had lived her life. In conclusion, she decided that her best course of action would be to return to that way of life, cutting ties with all who knew her and disappearing. <br><br> The only thing standing between her and freedom was a miqo'te magitek prodigy now prepared to enact violence on her closest friend. <br><br> Tactically and very overtly positioning herself between Satomi and the door, Chao immediately declared Satomi's plan a farce, pointing to her own recent experience with 'pulling a runner' that achieved nothing fruitful other than stress and harm to others' lives. This having no effect on Satomi's scheme, she moved on to directly counter the hyur's assertions that she was of no value to anyone by pointing out the positive effects she had had on the lives of Grundy, Kyrrae, and even herself, that without Satomi's influence one or all three of them may currently be dead. This began to crumble Satomi's emotional facade, but she remained adamant. Chao went for the kill: she pointed out, accurately, that if Satomi left the Academy, then Kyrrae would go looking for her, no matter if he was fully-recovered or not. And what then, Chao posited, would happen if he should run afoul of Garlean assassins while out in his weakened state? <br><br> That destroyed Satomi's resolve to flee, and she broke down and confessed her insecurities to Chao, who promised that no matter what choice Satomi made, she would always have the likes of Grundy, Kyrrae, and Chao to stand by her side.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Project µ'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Having researched, heard the tales of, and occasionally witnessed the grasp of the Allagans' technology in the field of automatons, Chao determined to move her own projects in that direction. Similar to the Garleans' favoring of large robotic minions, Chao also saw the value in a heavily-armored combatant with limits far beyond those of normal sentient beings. As ever, where Garlemald's cultural values leaned toward the largest, most visible and intimidating machine on the field, Chao felt far more could be accomplished with a much more compact form. Thus, with the salvaged parts of the various Garlean robots and her highly-useful talent for miniaturizing existing items, she had begun constructing a humanoid-sized combat frame using her own form as a reference. <br><br> Keeping herself sequestered away in a back corner of Satomi's lab and spending all her waking hours on her work, completing the basic frame of the machine and all its inner workings went very quickly, taking her no longer than a week. With that completed, however, she needed to look to a way of giving life to the machine, and not simply in the form of its source of power. Knowing of the great combat power of the Allagans' automated defense mechanisms, one of their core processors would do the job nicely. The key laid in finding one that had not yet been programmed to murder everything in the name of the Forerunners, one that ''she'' could dictate the development of. She would, of course, also require a mammet heart to give her creation a true semblance of sentience, but that was almost trivial in comparison to acquiring an unprogrammed Allagan defense node core. <br><br> Recalling well that Cid had left the doors of the Ironworks open to her, she returned once more to darken their doors, seeking any knowledge the Ironworks might have on sourcing a core to suit her needs. While they lacked a fresh, unprogrammed one, they had a number of cores recovered from destroyed drones recovered primarily from the battlegrounds of Carteneau Flats that she could use to get a feel for how they functioned, and how she might turn one to her own uses. Along with this, he suggested a number of known magitek part peddlers that she might attempt to source one through, lest she wish to get a shovel and start digging at Carteneau. <br><br> After several fruitless endeavors, she managed to make contact with one Dogberry Himalspyr and met with him in Limsa Lominsa to discuss whether he could acquire the core she required. While he did not have any readily available, at least not of the Allagan variety ''and'' unprogrammed, he mentioned that he was planning to explore an Allagan ruin in the coming weeks and invited her to partake and search for what she was after. Deciding that to work well to her advantage, she agreed to come along on the venture, taking a linkpearl from him so that she might be informed of when it would gather. With that laid out, she returned to Vylbrand Academy to continue tweaking the frame and making adjustments to her combat unit. <br><br> To her surprise, she discovered when she returned that Satomi had already solved the problem of a mammet heart: using her not-inconsiderable personal stores of gil, she had commissioned one from the goldsmiths' guild specifically to suit their needs. With the device delivered, Chao was able to activate her robotic creation, upon which she bestowed the name "Myu" as a phonetic of the Allagan symbol µ that she had used as the project codename. Curiously, though powered, Myu had yet to show signs of life. <br><br> Days passed as Chao and Satomi both puzzled over Myu's reticence to awaken. Nothing ''mechanically'' was wrong, the machine simply just refused to start up. Both knew that such fickleness was common to mammets and other devices powered by their hearts, and so resolved to be patient. They knew that Myu's sensory functions and learning core were online and active, taking in data at a constant rate, and so they operated under the assumption that Myu was studying them.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Into the Depths'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As the week ended, she was contacted regarding the Allagan expedition and asked to arrive at Camp Drybone within several days' time. Satomi, unfortunately, had other business to attend to, but Chao assured her friend that she would be fine to enter the ruin alone, and would bring back a mountain of data, ''and'' the necessary core. Donning her battlesuit and taking a supply of spare crystals for recharging if necessary, she took the airship to Ul'dah and, mindful of the continuing unrest in the city, rode her chocobo to the outer encampment of Drybone. <br><br> By the time she had arrived, most of the rest of the venture had already made it, and so she stood off nearby and ran checks on her armor, ensuring everything was functioning at top form. After the last of the group formed up, they trekked by chocobo across eastern Thanalan, far into the scrubland. They arrived at a large work camp, many of the workers and sellswords within bearing injuries that Chao recognized as being caused by Allagan traps and defenses. Though she pitied those unfortunates, she lacked the skills necessary to heal them. <br><br> As tasked by the expedition funder--or so she assumed since it was never fully explained--the team entered into the ruin, proceeding into an aether-swamped cavern filled with platforms of clearly-Allagan design and corrupted creatures tainted by the presence of so much aether. The vast majority posed no great threat to the party and were swiftly overcome, save for the last creature they encountered: a bio-engineered monstrously-sized snake fitted with Allagan control devices. Far more devious and empowered than the lesser creatures, this beast nearly laid low the expedition, leaving at four of its members unconscious, but at least still breathing. <br><br> Reviving their downed comrades and retreating back to the surface, the group took the time to catch their breath as a follow-on force of mercenaries was sent to secure the first antechamber. It wasn't long before a runner in dire health reported a second chamber further into the ruin, with clearly far worse inhabitants. Leaving the winded Dogberry to rest, his place was taken by the other man behind the expedition, one [[Alexander Stormwind]], and they ventured into the ruin again. <br><br> Within, they found what Chao recognized as an Allagan networking center, the 'brain' behind the defense systems of all their facilities. Met at the entrance by a small node that immediately went on the offense, the group proceeded to systemically clear all the nodes around the network before engaging the ADS itself. After a grueling battle, they finally managed to destroy it. Immediately setting to scavenging it, Chao removed its destroyed processor core to discover a secondary core that had been intended to transfer its data to was left untouched by both the battle and any attempt to download data. <br><br> It was the unprogrammed ADS core that she needed for Myu. <br><br> With the network downed, the party took several minutes to recover. Chao herself took to exploring the network area. Her attention was soon drawn beyond the platforms, to large columns of smoke she saw rising from other such clusters of platforms. It took only a few moments of observation--and the sight of moving machinery--to realize she was staring at a Foundry, a place where the Allagans ''built'' their machines. <br><br> This place would definitely merit returning to. <br><br> Returning to the surface, she took a moment to inspect her prize, which Stormwind swiftly demanded she hand over for proper cataloging and storage. Unwilling to part with that which she had come for, and needed to bring Myu to her ideal of full combat readiness, she pointed out that she had been brought on this expedition to acquire this very part, which Dogberry attempted to intercede on her behalf over. Stormwind was adamant, however, refusing to pay for a half-completed venture, even as Dogberry himself pointed out that she still was perfectly willing to press on despite getting what she had come for. At this point, recognizing that there would be no way to have things her way without resorting to violence, Chao ceded for the time, shoving the core into the hands of a passing worker and immediately stonewalled the rest of the raid. <br><br> Within minutes, a new chamber was found, this one seeming more confusing than threatening. Upon the party's arrival to the chamber in question, the reason became immediately apparent: a deep chamber running for over three hundred yalms straight down with the entire center section either lost to time or purposely omitted. The only way to move from section to section was by use of transporter pads dotted around the chamber that would propel an individual across a gap to a connected pad. How the pads were linked, and by what means an individual was propelled and then safely landed was a mystery to Chao, having never before heard of such devices in her studies of the Allagans. <br><br> And the place was full of creatures of Allagan creation, genetically-engineered beasts that harried the party at every turn. Despite attempts to the contrary, the nature of the place and the continuous assaults from every direction swiftly saw the party largely separated, Chao herself winding up alongside one of the group's healers, [[Mikh'a Korofi]]. Knowing that they were better served to run than try to fight, Chao deployed her funnel in an attempt to clear a path and ward off any pursuers, but the largely-untested nature of the drone meant that its effectiveness was, at best, negligible. After a grueling struggle, and no small amount of paths being cleared by the other groups, Chao and Mikh'a eventually escaped through an Allagan teleportation device, winding up back on the surface. <br><br> By ones and twos, the others soon returned, until only one had yet to show up. The elezen bladeswoman, [[Menelwen Veara]], remained unaccounted for within the ruin. As the minutes stretched on, the group grew increasingly frantic, eventually culminating in nearly a re-entry into the deathtrap, until Menelwen reappeared at high velocity, nearly bowling over the lalafell warrior in the process. As it turned out, she had become separated when she took it upon herself to draw away a pack of monsters, barely escaping with her life. <br><br> Sensing that the mystery objective of the expedition was near, Stormwind once more stepped forward to take part in the operation, allowing Menelwen the time to rest and recover from her harrowing ordeal. Clearing the central transport center apparently unlocked some sort of mechanism, revealing a lift at its entrance that allowed them to bypass it. Taking the lift down, the group was soon accosted by Allagan clockwork defenses, lesser in the hierarchy of the Allagans' nasties, to be sure, but they were part of the basis for Project µ for a reason. With determination and grit, the group steadily overcame them and Chao, no more immune to pride than any other, tore the processor from the still-fighting final dreadnaught and rode its smoking carcass to the ground, remarking on how Myu would soon surpass the Allagans' wildest dreams. <br><br> With the lift guardians defeated, the remainder of the journey passed in tense silence. Chao took the opportunity to recharge her armor from her stock of crystals and center herself for whatever was to come. When the doors opened, she did not consider herself prepared enough. <br><br> There, standing before them, was the Ultimate Weapon. Or rather, a seemingly-mass-produced knockoff of the very self-same weapon of mass destruction that had been employed by Garlemald. Given that it had originally been created by the Allagans to control and contain the primals, she realized she should not be surprised to find more than one in existence. Meanwhile, Stormwind seemed to lose his mind in that way that scientists were capable of; it was something she was familiar with not only from herself but from Satomi as well. So that was what it looked like, she mused. Still, and all, the thing had become active in their presence, and now had to be put down. <br><br> Engaging in battle, Chao couldn't help but feel a thrill as she alternated between the use of her Doman martial style and the magicks she had trained on for nearly a year now; she had missed her chance to take down the Ultimate Weapon, and here again was a second chance to see what that had felt like. And through the ravages of time, combined with the skill of the expedition she was in, they steadily dismantled the monster, forcing it to use increasingly more desperate tactics to ward them off. When it deployed a series of magitek bits, as she suspected it might, she wasted no chance, diving one to the ground and prying open its casing even as it tried to blast her with lasers. From her own experience with working with the Ultimate Weapon and all she had learned in the construction of 'Dummy', she was able to alter its targeting processes to turn it against the Allagan superweapon. <br><br> Before long, the monstrous device lay in ruins at their feet. Returning to the surface, Stormwind swiftly dispatched all the mercenaries and workers to that deepest of chambers, ordering the entire thing dismantled and brought back to the surface. Chao half-listened as he explained to the other members of the expedition that the Order of the Raven's Eye had come seeking that very superweapon, intent on using its technology to create a means to better combat the primal threat. Over the course of the discussion, she learned from the lalafell warrior that the Syndicate were also after another such weapon, a monstrosity hidden below the Carteneau Flats called the ''Omega'' Weapon. The revelation filled her with disgust, to know that those vile, amoral sycophants concerned only with their own wealth would seek a power of that magnitude. She could almost foresee conflict in her future with those fools. <br><br> With many of the expedition dispersing, Stormwind turned his attention to Chao, fetching a worker to acquire the core she had found earlier, now more than pleased to hand over the device to her since he had found what he was looking for. As for what the Order was up to, she agreed with their ideal to protect the realm from the primals, but swore that if she caught wind of whatever they created being used for oppression, she'd destroy it herself. Stormwind actually seemed pleased with that vow, and promised himself that he would be careful in guiding their creation's use. <br><br> ADS core in hand, Chao returned to Vylbrand once more, looking forward to the day when Myu would achieve her full combat potential.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Might and Magic'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Back at the Academy, Chao secured the ADS core and stashed it away amidst the mass of other research materials Satomi kept in her lab, where it would remain until Chao judged it was time to install into Myu's processor. In the meantime, she spent several days repairing her armor and working on upgrades to her funnel. In the midst of one such repair session, taken on a couch to the side of the Academy's entrance so as to be out of the way, Chao was discovered by Zooey. After a brief discussion, during which Chao remarked on how she felt herself the nuisance stray at the Academy, the investigator took it upon herself to begin dissolving this notion, demanding Chao to step away from the couch even as she called out, rather loudly, for all nearby members of the group to gather around. This having happened while her funnel was fully-disassembled, and she didn't want to leave such sensitive material unattended for even such a brief time, she found herself getting to meet several of the Academy's occupants while carrying an armful of funnel parts. Of the half-dozen individuals present, all welcomed her warmly into their midst, several even offering her crash space in their residences if it was necessary. <br><br> Even with that welcome extended, she still couldn't shake the inescapable sensation of being an outsider looking in, and so maintained the excuse of working on her projects to remain out of everyone's way. Over the course of several days, she began working on a means to have weapons and gear on-hand any time it was necessary without being overly encumbered. Using the existing knowledge of aetheryte teleportation, she imbued each of the key components of her battlesuit with a unique aetheric signature that she then tied to an Allagan magic focus ring recovered from the ruin she had explored. When successfully tested, she could now go about in everyday attire without having to fear being caught by assassins without her armor. <br><br> Learning of an upcoming festival of science and magic to be hosted by the Academy, she decided to partake of this event, seeing it as an opportunity to showcase the arms she was developing for the realm. That is, until she saw the rules forbidding weapons and dangerous magic, which automatically disqualified nearly all of her work. While she ''could'' have used Myu as her demonstrator, she was not willing to reveal the existence of a humanoid combat robot yet. After a day or so to ponder it, she realized that there ''was'' something she could safely demonstrate: her theory of provisional contract. <br><br> So she recollected her since-destroyed research on the matter, acquired a new showy coat in the Allagan fashion, and waited until the day of the festival. Shortly before it was to begin, in order to settle her restlessness, she took her funnel outside and tested several of its settings on the target dummy outside. Her initial test of nonlethal settings at extremely limited power nearly resulted in the thing shooting ''her'', but on subsequent tests after being very specific on what, precisely, to shoot at, she noted that even at minimum power, the nonlethal setting possessed enough energy and impact to potentially stun victims and destroy clothing and equipment. A further test on the lethal setting at half power completely obliterated the target dummy. Leaving herself a mental reminder to either replace or pay to replace the target dummy, she headed inside to partake in the presentation portion of the festival. <br><br> Having been selected to go first, she took the stage and presented her theory of what she was taking to refer to as ''pactio'': that through the use of a specifically-designed magic circle, an individual proficient in magic could create a bond of partnership--a provisional contract--with another person that would allow the mage to imbue the partner with their own aether to increase their attributes. To demonstrate, she called forth [[Nebula Stardancer|two]] [[Sabirr Loreley|volunteers]] from the audience and cast the magic circle on the stage. She explained the basics of the contract, that it was formed by an exchange of bodily fluids; a blood pact would suffice for the matter, but if the two parties were not amenable to that, even something as simple as a kiss would do the job. The two volunteers decided on the latter, and in a flash of magic and light, Chao's theory was proven to be truthful: the successfully-created provisional contract validated by the presence of a tarot-like card bearing the likeness and several details of Nebula. <br><br> After a short session to answer questions, Chao stepped down to observe the rest of the presentations. One concerning the use of aether to reduce fatigue on mechanical systems drew her close inspection for obvious reasons. Last of the presentations was from Satomi, creating a rather fitting set of book ends to the whole affair in Chao's opinion. Her friend and partner in crime showcased a combat-purposed mammet that she had built in the likeness of Grundy. While Chao had known that Satomi had been working on such a thing in tandem with Chao's own work on Myu, she hadn't realized that Satomi's machine had reached the prototype and test phase. When a request for volunteers to face the mammet in mock combat came, Chao stepped forward to test her friend's creation herself, but was beaten to the punch by an Academy local, [[O'rahn Kevelan]]. In the long run, that was probably the better choice, as Chao would have held nothing back in the interest of giving it a proper combat test, and they may have wound up making a mess that way. There were a few glitches in the test, but overall, Satomi's showcase was successful. <br><br> Unfortunately, the machine was soon destroyed by the ''real'' Grundy, who mistook it for an enemy accosting Satomi and shattered it in a single blow. <br><br> Without waiting to be asked to help, Chao retrieved a rolling cart and began to load the parts of the mammet into it, along with the assistance of several others. While Satomi went off to take a walk in order to keep her wits about her regarding the matter, Chao held a brief discussion with Academy resident Imogene about Project µ, remarking on how devastated she would be if something similar happened to Myu as had happened to Satomi's machine. Describing in general the technological achievements that Myu represented, Chao left the other woman quite astounded at the level of complexity in comparison between Myu and the mammet Satomi had built. The difference laid in their purpose: Satomi's machine had been intended solely for combat, and not with the level of sophistication Chao had attempted, while Myu was built to not only have astounding combat capabilities but also to be able to pass herself off as a living, breathing individual. <br><br> After bringing the cart of destroyed mammet parts to Satomi's lab, and with the scientist herself still out of the Academy, Chao spent several hours sitting and talking to Myu, telling the sleeping android of her dreams and hopes for the future, a world where people could live free of the fear of oppression, both from external and internal threats. While Chao had spent some time each day since activating Myu speaking to her in such a manner, this day was markedly different in both the time she spent doing so and the nature of her conversation topic: philosophical and whimsical rather than scientific and factual. <br><br> Days later, just when Chao had begun to let the ever-present concern of Garlemald recede from the forefront of her mind, another stark reminder made itself known. While in the front of the Academy practicing her martial arts, she watched several members of the Academy carry a gravely-wounded person inside. Curiously, she followed them within and stood outside the infirmary--knowing her lack of any knowledge of practical or magical healing arts would see her only getting in the way--and listened as Satomi treated the poor woman, who had been captured and tortured by Garlean agents, operating out of a hidden camp located somewhere on the island of Vylbrand. That was greatly troubling news. <br><br> Eventually, Satomi treated the worst of the woman's injuries, though time would tell if she healed properly. The hyuran scientist headed away to recover and clean herself after the messy procedure, and just minutes later, an elezen woman arrived with a package of supplies for someone in the Academy. Having been nearby, Chao looked within and, finding all manner of alchemy supplies, assumed it was meant for Satomi, and so showed the delivery woman to the lab. Inside, as they waited for Satomi, they struck up a brief conversation, with the elezen--an Ishgardian expatriot, so she revealed--speaking of her interest in technology and weapons, particularly of Garlean origin, to be put to use against the dravanians in Ishgard's long war. Chao warned the elezen that if she had made a habit of pillaging equipment and technology from Garlemald, that she need be alert to the fact that she may have put herself on the very same hit list occupied by Chao and Satomi themselves. <br><br> In the midst of this discussion, Satomi returned to the lab and, confused at the elezen's presence, made clear in an unusually-curt manner that she had scheduled no such delivery. The elezen woman was not troubled, merely collecting the package to be returned to the guild from whence it came. Chao, suddenly and alarmingly realizing that the entire thing may have been a setup, surreptitiously scanned its contents for any sort of Garlean tracking devices--or explosives--but thankfully found none. With the elezen gone, she apologized to Satomi for being the source of the confusion. Satomi, for her part, apologized for being so short-tempered, which Chao understood perfectly when explained that the woman convalescing in the infirmary was one of Satomi's friends. <br><br> Even despite knowing that was what was weighing so heavily on her friend's mind, Chao remained insistent on her apology for causing Satomi additional headache and usurping as much of her lab as she did. Satomi brushed the thought aside, knowing that Chao had only been intending to help her, and further remarking that Chao need not concern how much time and space she required for her "beautiful project." At this, Chao smiled, and mused aloud that perhaps they might coax Myu to awaken by installing the ADS core ahead of schedule, despite the inherent danger that might come of the Allagan base programming overtaking Myu's functions and turning her into a sentient killing machine. Satomi suggested that a backup mammet core be used to store Myu's existing data on, and then use the aetheroelectric security field in her lab to contain Myu within until they determined it safe. It was a sound plan, and so the scientists agreed to take that step the next day, allowing them time to rest and come at it refreshed. <br><br> Moving to rest in the room's seating area, Chao remembered the armory ring and micro-teleportation device she'd created, demonstrating it to Satomi by calling her battlesuit, hitherto stored in an armoire, onto her person, replacing the general-purpose work and research attire she'd been wearing. Leaving her fellow researcher quite stunned, Chao briefly explained the setup, and then handed Satomi an armory ring of her own that Chao had made for her, to ensure that neither of them would ever be caught unarmed and unprepared by Garlean assassins. Afterward, with the call of sleep tugging at both of them, they each took up occupancy on a separate couch--with Satomi explaining that she found normal beds difficult to sleep on--and rested up for whatever the next day may bring.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Logical Ideologist'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">The next afternoon, Chao decided that the time had come to take that gamble. With Satomi away on business, regrettably, she performed the necessary prerequisite steps herself: creating a backup of Myu's data to that point and moving her into the zone of the aetheric field. This latter was a difficult task with Chao by herself; given her metal construction, Myu easily massed twice Chao's own weight. Once she was positioned, however, Chao retrieved the ADS core and, observed only by the myriad of diagnostic and sensory equipment in Satomi's lab, plugged it into Myu's processor, then stepped away and brought the security field online. <br><br> The elation that filled Chao's heart when Myu opened her eyes for that first time was immeasurable, as was the terror that seized her when Myu lifted her hand and aimed her palm-located Allagan laser in Chao's direction. Despite the grave and imminent threat to her very life, Chao stood her ground, determined not to show fear to Myu; not out of an animalistic sense of establishing dominance, but that she had ''faith'' in the being she had breathed life into. For several long and terrifying moments, she watched the color spectrum shift in Myu's eyes, from their natural blue to a blood-evoking crimson likely caused by the Allagan programming. Finally, Myu gained control over the Allagan processes--quarantining them as she later explained to Chao--and greeted her maker. <br><br> Lowering the aetheric field, Chao wasted no time in welcoming Myu to the world, speaking at length with her about her start-up process, the data she had created thus far, and a brief explanation of what it meant that Chao was extremely proud of her. Knowing that she had spent all her time since coming online cooped up inside the lab, Chao took Myu outside the Academy, giving her the first taste of the outside world. It was here, when Myu questioned what caused the plants to sway and the mist of a nearby fountain to move, that Chao realized she'd ommitted installing a tactile sensory function in Myu, something she quickly brought the android back inside to rectify. <br><br> The next day, Myu was introduced to Satomi and the scientists began to measure the robotic girl's capabilities and functions. As the day progressed and grew into the evening, a rapport was quickly established, but it was noted--by Chao if not by Satomi--that Myu clearly held Chao in far higher regard, being the only one of the two that she referred to as master. She still regarded Satomi as an individual high on her protection list, however, as evidenced when she nearly came to violence against another member of the Academy who happened to make teasing remarks at Satomi in Myu's presence. <br><br> Between the defensive knowledge gleaned from the Allagan core, Chao's own mastery of Doman martial arts, and the library of materials available to study at the Academy, it didn't take long for them to discover the incredible combat potential of Myu, easily the equivalent of at least a company's worth of normal soldiers and adventurers. As she was not a living being, she was not capable of manipulating aether in any form, but Chao reasoned that between herself and Satomi, they could make a technological combat system that could perform similar effects; after all, if Garlemald could theorize it, the two of them could make it reality in less than a moon. Because of this lack of aetherial ability, Myu took to following in Chao's footsteps, adopting unarmed martial combat as her primary method of battle. <br><br> It was fortunate that the scientists put so much work into developing Myu's combat abilities, as their greatest trial yet was soon to come.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Nightshade'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As the trio cataloged and practiced combat skills with Myu one evening a short distance from the Academy, they were beset by yet another Garlean assassination squad, this one comprised of two highlanders, a miqo'te, and even a vanguard for support. Chao wasted no time in going on the offensive, engaging the axe-wielding highlander she perceived to be the leader in order to create an opening to allow Satomi and Myu to escape. This endeavor proved to be futile, however, as the other Garleans engaged the two in equal measure. While Satomi's adversary caused her a great deal of trouble due to the scientist not being suited for direct combat, Myu and Chao initially fared better against their foes. The miqo'te shinobi quickly ascertained Myu's artificial nature from her speech patterns and having managed to drive a blade into her right shoulder--barely penetrating her armor plating--and attempted to taunt her, referring to her as a useless puppet. Myu was having none of it, however, and simply grabbed her foe before striking him down with her Allagan laser. <br><br> As this was going on, Chao stayed in close with her opponent, preventing him from getting the full use out of his augmented axe. The Garlean then ordered in the vanguard for support, and knowing the kind of damage those things could cause, Chao slipped past him to engage and destroy the oversized magitek. This turned out to be a ruse on the enemy's part, for as soon as she got within reach, it unleashed a full broadside of all of its frontal attacks. The shielding and material construction of her armor protected her from truly devastating damage, but the attack was still enough to knock her away, stunning her momentarily. In that moment of inattention as Myu looked toward her maker, the dying shinobi stuck an adhesive explosive device to her frame, intent on ensuring she went out with him. Unperturbed, she merely tore the device from herself, taking some of her synthetic covering with it, and threw the now-dead shinobi's corpse over the device to smother some of the blast. The resultant shockwave from the powerful explosion caused a large amount of damage to Myu, who positioned herself to intercept the shockwave so it wouldn't harm Chao. <br><br> The Garlean axeman, mortally wounded by the blast, directed the vanguard into the center of the trio--Satomi now attempting emergency field repairs on Myu after having driven off her opponent a short time before--and armed its self-destruct system. Before it could reach them, however, it was struck numerous times by electrically-charged arrows from an intervening ally, the very same blacksmith guild representative that Chao had spoken to some days prior. The charges of the arrows short-circuited the machine, bringing it crashing harmlessly to the ground just short of them. The threat, it seemed, had been overcome. <br><br> That was when a new adversary revealed himself, a highly-skilled and chemically-modified shinobi wielding Allagan blades with a cutting laser's edge. Chao, back on her feet again, moved to engage him immediately, but to her surprise, he read her ''shundo'' perfectly and executed one of his own to avoid her attack, leaving behind a number of outward-aimed blades at the last minute for her to careen into, each of them coated with liquid ceruleum. As with the vanguard, her armor deflected most of the blades, but two got through her defenses and released their deadly poisons into her body. At the other end of his ''shundo'', the enemy Garlean directed an overwhelming electrical charge at Myu, overloading and shutting down her systems. Nadine, the archer-blacksmith, struck the man's helm with a trick arrow loaded with a powerful explosive as he was attacking Myu, and in response, he threw the headgear toward Satomi and made to attack the archer. <br><br> Chao knocked the ticking time-bomb away from her compatriot with a ''sagitta magica'', then immediately leapt to Nadine's defense, wreathing herself in fire as she came down in a kick over the elezen's head. The Garlean intercepted her strike, absorbing the very aether she released in her attack into himself in a manner identical to that of the Ultimate Weapon. Without giving the magitek prodigy time to react, he grabbed her by the foot and hurled her toward Satomi, who was still trying to restore some combat ability to Myu, the impact rendering the hyuran scientist unconscious. <br><br> By now coming to the conclusion that this enemy had a clear counter to everything she could do, she called on desperation. She rushed him again as he catapulted Nadine back into the Vylbrand Academy's wall, grappling him and ordering her funnel to fire on him at maximum power and lethality, even if it meant firing through herself to do so. This broke the man's superior air, and he desperately began striking and kicking at Chao to dislodge her grip, eventually succeeding after delivering a crushing strike to her chest that crumpled her armor and broke several ribs, and several kicks to her left leg that broke the limb. She fell away, but the man did not have time to avoid the laser strike from her funnel, which overloaded and brought his battle armor's protection down. Seeing him in that weakened state, she drew the Garlean pistol she kept on herself at all times, aiming and firing at his chest. He initially derided her when he saw the weapon, unaware of the size of the slug it fired, and was very nearly killed by the impact. <br><br> Cursing Chao's name, the Garlean fled, leaving Chao to finally succumb to her injuries, and leaving behind one hell of a scene of carnage for the occupants of the Academy to discover.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Phantasmagoria'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">With the close proximity of the engagement to Vylbrand Academy, it took little time at all for its occupants to find and recover the wounded, safely ensconcing Chao and Satomi within the infirmary, and Myu and her disparate parts in the lab. Satomi quickly recovered from her light injuries, whereupon it was discovered that Chao had fallen into a coma. Against the recommendations of [[Rurujua Xoxojua|Rurujua]], Satomi began to assist the lalafellin medic in tending to her friend. In only a few hours, the ceruleum poisoning was cleared from her system, but she remained unresponsive and unconscious. However, she occasionally manifested highly-alarming, sudden expulsions of blood and signs of severe physical trauma, the source of which was a complete mystery to either scholar. What they did know, however, was that the erratic and random manifestation of the symptoms meant that she needed constant monitoring to heal her as necessary. Again, despite protests from Rurujua, Satomi burdened herself with this task, citing that she owed it to her fellow magitek prodigy. <br><br> Unbeknownst to the two, Chao was trapped within the dreamscape of her mind, called Phantasmagoria, where she was forced to uncover the true nature behind ''Magia Erebia''. At every turn, she was beset by a manifestation of her subconscious that shifted and altered its form willingly between everyone she had ever met. Referring to this creature as The Other, she fought it countless times, but was defeated and slain in every instance. Yet, in Phantasmagoria, she was unable to die, constantly revived following every fall. As the hours progressed, and The Other used more and more of the people from her memories against her, the more Phantasmagoria came to resemble a conflated amalgamation of several cities she had resided in: her home in Doma, Castrum Meridianum, Limsa Lominsa, and Ul'dah. <br><br> Eventually, Chao came to the realization that she could take advantage of the fact that they were within her dreaming mind to will all of her technological notions into 'reality' and use them to her advantage. Thus, in this way, she momentarily seized the upper hand by summoning four of her funnels and an aetheric energy sword to defend herself, driving The Other back until it form-shifted into Nero tol Scaeva. Utilizing her speed to her advantage, she avoided a fatal strike from the magitek warhammer and moved to capitalize on the overextended shade of the Garlean, whereupon it changed form into a full impersonation of Satomi. This took Chao off-guard, causing her to purposefully miss her strike, and leaving herself vulnerable to a fatal shot from the shadowy being. <br><br> After several more encounters, she happened upon a lucky break, succeeding in casting a sleep spell on The Other while it was in the guise of Grundy, allowing her to escape across the mindscape of her city. Taking shelter, she was met by one of the last things she expected to find in Phantasmagoria: a manifestation of the primal Ifrit. Speaking cryptically of how her soul had been tainted by fire, the primal made abundantly clear its desire to add her to its host of enthralled servants. Chao, confident in the manifestation's inability to temper or even truly harm her within Phantasmagoria, casually dismissed Ifrit's words, leaving no uncertainty of her opinion on the primal's intelligence--or the lack thereof. Infuriated by her irreverence, the primal remarked that it had already dispatched its Tempered after her, and manipulated the Phantasmagoria to show her an image of Vylbrand Academy in flames, many of its occupants killed, and several key others being led away to be tempered, all in the name of capturing her. Enraged by this clear and obvious threat against those she held important, she willed the pinnacle ideal of her battlesuit technology onto her being and struck the manifestation down with an immensely-powerful attack of combined ''ki'' and aether. <br><br> Within only moments, The Other was upon her again, this time engaging her in the form of her long lost cousin, a master martial artist. Declaring that they were finally fighting on equal terms, The Other drew forth Chao's envisioning of the Garlean razing of Doma to remind her of her most base motives: to gain power to take revenge against the Garlean Empire. But that strength alone would not be sufficient, it remarked as it struck a crushing blow and then shifted form into that of Zoey, preparing an immense ice spell to finish Chao for good and end her effort to discern the truth of ''Magia Erebia''. <br><br> It was as she was falling that Chao finally understood, remembering the words that she had been told by her friends and compatriots: ''Magia Erebia'' was, at its base, the power to accept things for the way they were and draw them into oneself. With this newfound knowledge, Chao was able to fully absorb the entire power of The Other's spell into herself and use it for empowerment. Pleased at her successes, The Other shifted one final time and challenged her to show her results.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''A Reclaimer Reborn'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Awakening from her coma, Chao found herself alone in the Vylbrand infirmary. Moving slowly, her legs unsteady after so many days of misuse, she made her way out into the foyer, pausing at the window to look outside. To her relief, nothing was on fire and there were no Amalj'aa standards decorating the yard, but the building was still a bit too quiet for her comfort. Convincing herself that everyone was simply away on business, she made her way to Satomi's lab, finding that her friend had begun repair work on Myu during her unconsciousness. As per the norm for Chao, she thought little of her own self and immediately located some tools to check on Satomi's repair work and continue the progress herself. <br><br> After judging that Myu was repaired extremely-well by Satomi's hand--testament to how well the two worked together--Chao determined that she must leave the Academy, again, lest Ifrit's pursuit of her put the occupants in danger. Sharing this conclusion with Myu, who swore that she would show no mercy to any eikon that sought to harm her master, the pair set out immediately. Their first stop was the Garlond Ironworks, where Chao would hand in her damaged prototype armor and receive the field-ready Mark-I combat infiltrator armor, and a series of complaints on her treatment of the prototype from the armormaster. She also requested a specially-modified armor for Myu--taking into account such facts that she did not need an independent power source for her armor--that would take some few days to fabricate, and require Myu to spend most of that time with the Materials Division so as to properly generate a new set of armor. Chao took advantage of the forced downtime to machine herself a new weapon that would not interfere with her preferred fighting style but also give her the extra force necessary to penetrate armor. After three days, she devised a weapon which could be worn as a bangle that extends into a gauntlet housing a gun chamber. <br><br> Thus equipped, miqo'te and machine set out for the desert.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''To Face the Inferno'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Arriving by airship back in Ul'dah, Chao secured an inn room for the pair from which to conduct their hunt. Deciding it best that Myu remain out of sight and attempt to use her aetheric sensors to search for potential summoning locations, Chao proceeded to the Hall of Flames to alert Commander Swift that a summoning was either imminent or had already occurred, and to seek assistance in tracking down and slaying the primal. Though thankful for the warning, the commander could not spare any forces on what seemed little more than a wild chocobo chase. Nonplussed, Chao returned to Myu with the poor news and decided to set out searching on their own, stopping to question any Flames forces or adventurers they found along the way. <br><br> Scouring the Sagolii Desert for days with almost no time for rest, the pair went well out of their way to make their presence known to the Amalj’aa so that any raiding parties that might already have been dispatched to Vylbrand would be recalled, thereby sparing the Academy. Despite this, they were unable to locate the site of the ritual until the actual summoning took place, the resultant surge of aether appearing as a beacon to Myu’s sensors and Chao’s visor. <br><br> The two immediately made for the location of the new Bowl of Embers, with Chao activating her aetheric seal en route. As they neared, the beastmen did nothing to impede their progress, commanded by their primal god to let Chao and Myu pass. After a brief exchange of banter, Ifrit--as predicted--immediately used his tempering breath to bend the pair to his servitude. The effort was wasted; Myu protected by her machine nature, and Chao’s sealed aether not allowing the eikon’s overpowering aether to affect her. <br><br> The battle then began in earnest, the speed and agility of the two miqo’te allowing them to avoid the worst of the primal’s attacks. Those few telling blows that would have done severe damage were largely intercepted by Myu, her composite Allagan/Garlean metal frame unyielding to Ifrit’s claws and flames. All the while, as Chao led the primal around the flame-ringed arena, she discreetly applied her ''Magia Erebia'' spell circle via the aetheric stencils in her forearm plate armor. <br><br> When Ifrit called forth his infernal nail, both miqo’te ignored it per their previously-established strategy to allow Chao to absorb the maximum amount of aether. Shortly thereafter, the moment of truth came: Ifrit began to cast Hellfire. As Myu shielded herself in a magitek field--just in case--Chao activated her ''Magia Erebia'' and met the attack head-on. <br><br> Against all odds, she successfully absorbed the aether into herself, skyrocketing her attack power, but she knew such volatile aether could not be contained for long. Lifting her hand to the skies, she discharged much of it into a luminous aetheric beam called down upon Ifrit, but the primal was far from finished. <br><br> Enraged by her turning his own power against him, Ifrit set upon Chao in earnest, relentlessly assaulting her even to the point of ignoring Myu’s punishing attacks against him. With little other alternative, Chao shielded herself and prepared to expend all the aether she could in a last-ditch effort to down the primal. <br><br> Just before her shield broke, however, a massive wall of metal and muscle struck Ifrit from the side, knocking the eikon away. The towering interloper was none other than Grundy, there along with Satomi, who had tracked Chao and Myu all the way from Vylbrand. Expressing her mild annoyance with Chao’s tendency to run off and do things on her own, Satomi directed Grundy to ‘break’ the primal. With the combined power of the quartet, the already-weakened Ifrit was dispatched with little fanfare. Upon his defeat, Chao used her ''Magia Erebia'' once again, absorbing the dispersing aether into herself. Though unaware of it at the time, this consumption of Ifrit’s living aether--rather than merely an offensive form--would have a permanent affect on her, for both good and ill. <br><br> With the primal threat dealt with--though no one held any illusion that it was any less a temporary measure than any other time Ifrit had fallen--Satomi advocated a return to Vylbrand. Myu, expressing her growing independent will, agreed with the hyur, ‘assisting’ Chao back to the airship landing in Ul’dah and on toward the Academy.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits III'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Back at Vylbrand Academy, Chao took a day to recover from the ordeal, spending it in rest under the watchful eye of Myu, ensuring that she rested. As this was going on, Satomi was meeting with the Academy mistress, Kyra, concerning Chao's future. Pointing out the three separation occasions on which the magitek engineer had acted on her own to head off potential disaster to the Academy, two of which at great threat to her own safety, Satomi advocated that Chao's 'temporary' stay become a more continuing affair. The headmistress agreed that Chao had done more for the Academy than could be expected of someone not truly affiliated with them, and in light of the knowledge that Satomi would soon be dedicating all her time to an Ironworks airship project, decided that the time had come to properly bring Chao into the fold. <br><br> The following day, Kyra met with Chao to offer a position in the Academy's research and development sector. Finding no real reason not to, Chao accepted the offer. It didn't take long for her to get thrown headfirst into the Academy's own affairs, finding herself square in the middle of an ongoing conflict against four powerful archfiends and their legions of cultists and other allies. Though not understanding the background of the conflict, she nonetheless dedicated herself faithfully to standing with her new compatriots in their efforts to protect the realm. <br><br> At the same time, she continued her own technological developments, making plans for a complete overhaul of Myu's frame to the newly-developed Garlond steel, along with more adjustments to her own armor, and conceptualizing a new armor system to protect against magic attacks. It was in the process of the first field test of this latter that she chanced to converse with two other members of the Academy, who happened to be nearby to observe the failure of her test. Over the course of speaking to Set Kattalakis and Senel Curtis, she agreed to redesign and streamline Set's magitek prosthesis, as well as provide what non-powered upgrades she could to Senel's gear in exchange for providing her with a steady source of raw materials to work with.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Misriah'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">With a more permanent station and the beginning of delving more deeply into her military technology, Chao knew that the time of her inevitable parting with the Garlond Ironworks was at hand. After all, the Ironworks developed magitek for the betterment of the realm, and Chao's strengths lay in the field of weapons of war. And so, meeting with Cid at the Ironworks' encampment at Camp Cloudtop, she informed him of her decision to part ways and begin her own company. Cid wished her well in her ventures, understanding that it would be through both weapons like hers and peaceful endeavors like his that prosperity would truly come to the realm. <br><br> As per her arrangement with Set, in exchange for developing a new prosthetic, Chao received a considerable stipend and the backing of Set's import/export business. This allowed Chao to hire several of her former coworkers in the Ironworks' Weapons Division and acquire the means of producing aetherochemical metals and fiberweave, as well as the recipe for Garlond Steel. With all this in hand, she was able to initiate her new company: Misriah Armory. She immediately set about work on a new ambitious project: variants of her powered armor for the vetted members of Vylbrand Academy--its "Heroes" society, which she had joined only a short while ago. Top of the list was a set of powered assault armor for Grundy, partly as a means of repayment for saving her from Ifrit, partly because he was in sore need of an armor upgrade. <br><br> Dark clouds soon began to gather on the horizon, however. Through having absorbed the primal's living aether into herself, she unwittingly allowed a fragment of its thoughts to take up residence in her mind. Two weeks following her confrontation, she first began to hear the whispers of the Lord of the Inferno in the back of her mind, pressing her to violence and destruction. Through her will, and the lack of any active enemies at the moment, she kept him at bay with some ease, but the eikon was nothing if not persistent, relenting only when she slept. On top of this, word came a moon later of a raid on the Ironworks' team working out in the Sea of Clouds by a band of sky pirates. Satomi, who had been out investigating sightings of a monstrous airship that would soon come to be known as the Void Ark, went missing, presumed dead at the hands of the brigands. <br><br> Grief-stricken at the loss of her close friend, Chao blamed herself for Satomi's death, both for not having been there at her side, and for not even providing her a set of powered armor that surely--she believed--could have saved the hyur's life. The culmination of these events sewed the seeds for one of her darkest times.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Cost'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao began to work tirelessly on her projects, particularly the powered armors, so that never again would any close to her be caught without an adequate means of defense. On one morning, as she perused the Academy's library for inspiration, she chanced to overhear a conversation between the headmaster and a troubled Seeker tribe elder. There was trouble in Thanalan: mysterious music was causing those who heard it to become hypnotized and wander into the desert. Some began to show up in slave caravans, and a few even returned to their home, but all had no memory of any of the events. It was a textbook assignment for the heroes of Vylbrand: track down the nefarious party responsible and put a stop to their machinations. <br><br> Arming herself in her battlesuit, Chao headed out to the desert with Grundy, the headmaster, and several others, leaving Myu behind to serve as a sort of 'mission control' and overwatch via the systems in her armor. As the party split into small groups to gather intelligence, Chao elected to stick by Grundy's side, keeping an eye on the well-meaning-but-not-too-smart roegadyn, and using her funnel as an eye-in-the-sky to watch over the village from above. Though initially bearing little fruit in their investigations, the enemy soon made a move, the music beginning to echo out across the sands. Tracking several of the enthralled miqo'te of the village--and barely regaining control of one of their own who hadn't been properly protected at the time--they found a work camp in the desert, where Grundy immediately pressed the attack. <br><br> For her part, Chao sought to knock out and immobilize the enthralled victims, keeping them out of harm's way, before setting after the foes herself. Before she could, however, ambush troops using camouflaged fighting pits in the sand sprang up to flank them, forcing her to deploy her funnel's aetherochemical laser against them. As the battle raged, an enemy airship entered the fray from behind concealing dunes, scattering a strange aetheric field that disrupted magitek devices, shorting out Chao's armor. As she reeled in confusion and the airship dropped a large box nearby, the fragment of Ifrit within her mind took advantage of the chaos--and its higher influence as a result of being in Thanalan, Ifrit's stronghold--and seized control of Chao's body. <br><br> Even though it was now in control through the airship's interference, it was just as displeased that the enemy forces had effectively handicapped Chao--whom Ifrit had previously considered a worthy champion--in one fell swoop. It began to cast, through Chao, a lesser version of the primal's own Hellfire attack--though 'lesser' here should by no means be considered any less deadly--targeted at the airship. Inexplicably, the airship and the enemy forces began to retreat as soon as the box was deployed. Knowing full well the likelihood that it was some manner of trap, the possessed Chao turned the fury of the devastating spell onto the box, unconcerned for the allied forces and civilian victims that would be caught in the blast radius. <br><br> It was only through a combination of a fountain of ice aether from an unknown source--later revealed to be the headmaster herself--and healing magicks from one of Vylbrand's personnel, that nobody died to the application of ''Incendium Gehennae''. Overtaxed to the extreme by the amount of aether expended in the attack, Chao immediately passed out. While she was helpless, two of the others from the Academy, a lalafellin mage and a hyuran rifleman, assaulted Chao over the events; the rifleman struck her hard enough in the face with the butt of his weapon to break her nose and cheekbone, and the pummeling from the lalafell doing a number on her as well. Within minutes thereafter, Myu arrived on the scene, having been forced to travel the long route from the Academy; as a machine, she was unable to manipulate aether allowing her to teleport, and the aetheric field had disabled the signals from Chao's powered armor that would have allowed her to relay directly to her maker's side. After exchanging words with several present, Myu collected Chao and returned to the Academy where, at the headmaster's request, sequestered Chao within her workshop and stood guard at the door, disallowing access to any without proper authorization--but in particular those individuals whom she had reason to suspect wished her maker further harm.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Pariah'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">In the days that passed, Chao remained in her workshop, watched over by Myu, her injuries tended to by Keero. She wound up suffering several broken bones in her face as a result of the assault on her, prompting him to conspire with her to create an aetherically-charged healing mask that she could wear over her injuries. Its purpose was threefold: to protect her from further harm, to ensure that her bones healed back into their proper shape, and to stimulate her own aether to speed up the healing process. A built-in vocabulator allowed her words to be heard through the metal without shouting, but it had the unfortunate side effect of giving her a much deeper tone and a metallic tinge to her words.<br><br> It began to seem like, however, she had been largely forgotten. Though she expected a swift trial of her actions by those above her at the Academy, the days continued to pass in solitude, with only Myu and occasionally Keero for company. Though slightly put off by it, she nonetheless spent her time productively, buckling down and diving into her magitek designs. Within two bells, she had completed Grundy's armor design and sent it off to be machined up. In two more, she had created an entirely new system to ensure she never got chumped by anti-magitek fields again. After two weeks, she had redesigned her anti-magic reactive armor to react less vigorously, tweaked and streamlined the overlay of her VISR system, designed a reconnaissance variant of her magitek funnels, and begun three new powered armor variants. This productivity came at the cost of sleep, which she avoided so that the fragment of Ifrit in her mind could not trouble her dreams. Over that two weeks, she slept perhaps one total day.<br><br> A freak spring storm overtaking Vylbrand marked the first time that she seemed to be recognized by the Academy at large, when a lightning strike knocked out the power grid. Summoned by Kyra down to the workshop, Chao was asked to bring the generator up and running to provide emergency power. Though nothing of the event in the desert was spoken of save Kyra's inquiring whether Chao was in control of her faculties, it was not lost on the magitek prodigy that no matter where she moved to work on the generator, Kyra was never outside of sword range. After a brief time, Kyra left the workshop, evidently deeming Chao not to be a threat. In silence, she finished the work and powered up the generator, bringing emergency power back to the Academy. Heading into the library to report her success, she took note of the silence that befell the room at her appearance, choosing to make her report and then return to her exile.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Holding Patterns'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Throwing herself back into her work, Chao's reckless non-sleeping habits did not go unnoticed by Keero, who prescribed fast-acting and potent sleep aids to knock her out and ensure her recuperative sleep processes. Now able to focus more clearly when she was awake, her design progresses improved significantly. Another week passed, and growing tired of the neglect, Chao began to venture outside her workshop for brief periods, mostly in the efforts of acquiring food for herself, which had previously been left to Myu. <br><br> Finally, after deciding she needed to actually test the new version of the AMRA system--and she was not about to have loose magic and reactive material interacting in her workshop--she took her design out to be tested on the dummies. During her test--which was a resounding success in that the reactive layer detonated outward and dispersed her spell without damaging the armor or the dummy--she met with a hyur well-versed in magitek knowledge who introduced himself as Saruna, founder of the company Resolve Industries. She hadn't heard of it, but was surprised to learn that they dealt in weaponry utilizing the power of the primals themselves. After cautioning him to exercise care in dealing with such powers, they parted ways, and she returned to her workshop to evaluate her test results. <br><br> She didn't have long to consider this, however, as a scream soon pierced through the Academy. Tracing it back to its source, she found herself in the infirmary, where Keero and several others were working on freeing an unlucky miqo'te from voidsent possession. Lacking any means to assist, Chao simply stood by and watched, but armed one of her gun gauntlets should anything come to violence. After successfully purging the void taint, Keero asked Chao if she would create a prosthetic eye for the patient, whose eye had been destroyed in the process of saving him. She agreed on the mechanical end, knowing and stating her lack of knowledge in the medical side of it, to which Keero stated he could perform the necessary surgery. At this, Chao returned to her workshop to machine up the prosthetic and load it up with a lesser version of her VISR software. <br><br> The next day, she delivered the prosthetic and observed the successful surgery to affix it to the victim's optical nerves. Afterward, as he rested, she spoke with Keero, who inquired after her own health. Removing her mask to show him that she had perhaps another week before being fully-healed, she was then asked what had caused her injuries. She revealed to him that she held a fragment of Ifrit bonded to her soul, and that it was her loss of control over it that had caused her to nearly kill several of their comrades. This revelation was overheard by one such comrade from the incident, and Chao took the opportunity to fully explain herself, stating that she didn't hold the others' contempt for her against them, and apologizing for her actions. <br><br> The matter seemed settled for a time, at least to a few inidivudals, and so Chao returned to busying herself with work.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''A Reclaimer's Revenge'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Just when it seemed as though Chao would finally be able to come to terms with and move on from Satomi's death, old wounds were viciously torn open. A visitor arrived to the Academy one eve, one whom several of the others were apparently familiar with, speaking of a badly-damaged mammet named 'Seven' that had been spotted in Limsa lately. Recognizing that naming scheme as belonging to the series of mammets that Satomi had built, many of the fallen scientist's acquaintances made their way to Limsa, hunting down the woman who had the mammet in her possession. Chao arrived shortly thereafter, and was immediately recognized by the mammet, who spoke to her--in not only typical garbled mammet speech but further mangled by damage as well--of things hidden in Satomi's lab, as well as cryptic statements of her final moments. As Chao attempted to discern what it spoke of, O'rahn purchased the mammet from the woman who was currently holding it.</font></div>

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<br>

=Relationships=

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>RELATIONSHIPS</center></div></span></h3>

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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #4d1715;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>RELATIONSHIP STATUS LEGEND</B></center></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:9pt;"><font style="color:#54b5eb;" size="2">♥</font> Family <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> Platonic <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> Friend <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> Acquaintance <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> Business <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> Deceased <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> Positive <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#C24640;" size="2">✖</font> Negative <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> Neutral <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">�</font> Unsure <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color: black;" size="2">☠</font> Enemy</div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #b33730;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>NPC</B></center></div>


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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Ku Fei,</b> <i>Cousin</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#54b5eb;" size="2">♥</font> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fallen.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Chao's cousin, an extremely-talented martial artist unsurpassed in the Doman styles of unarmed combat. Ku Fei was street smart, but academically dim, and was always amazed by the technological toys that Chao would create. Though never active in the Doman resistance, Ku Fei's pride in her ancestry and traditional mindset ensured that she considered the Garlean Empire a threat. The two were forcibly parted when Chao was conscripted by the Garlean Empire, but knowing her cousin, Chao is convinced that Ku Fei perished defending the homeland during The Reckoning.</div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Cid nan Garlond,</b> <i>Former Employer</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Pinnacle of Magitek.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Leader of the Garlond Ironworks, Cid was Chao's employer for most of the time she spent in Eorzea after defecting from the Garlean Empire. Though preferring to develop peaceful models of magitek to better the lives of the average Eorzean, Cid was full aware that weapon technologies like Chao's would also be instrumental in defending the realm against Garlemald, and so brought her into the Ironworks to assist in their development. When she made known her plans to formally create her own arms company, he wholeheartedly encouraged her to follow her ambitions, with the implicit understanding that the Ironworks would be full business partners with Misriah Armory.</div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Biggs,</b> <i>Former Coworker</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Instigator.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A Sea Wolf roegadyn working under Cid in the Ironworks, and largely the blame for why Chao has come to Eorzea and found employment with the Ironworks. Biggs led the Ironworks raiding team that helped Chao escape from Castrum Meridianum after she sabotaged the Ultimate Weapon, and later came to her as she was recovering and gave her the original tome that she once used to record her technological ideas in, while suggesting she apply at the Ironworks. He assisted with the development of her powered infiltrator armor prototype.</div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Wedge,</b> <i>Former Coworker</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Littlest Assistant.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Biggs' lalafell partner at the Ironworks, the timid little fellow is never far from his friend's side, and so has often spent much time in the company of Chao in her workshop at the Ironworks. Despite his talents more lying in the field of large magitek vehicles, he nevertheless faithfully assisted Chao and Biggs in their work on her powered armor.</div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Unknown Garlean,</b> <i>Imperial Assassin</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color: black;" size="2">☠</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Nightshade.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A Garlean assassin known only to Chao by his codename, ''Nightshade'', this man is the most formidable foe she has ever faced. Aetherochemically augmented by Garlean experimentation, this shinobi possesses superior strength and agility than Chao, a more-advanced combat skin, and the ability to absorb aetheric attacks to empower himself. Wielding powered Allagan lightblades, the Nightshade was able to effortlessly defeat Chao, Myu, Satomi ''and'' a fourth combatant during the ambush outside Vylbrand Academy. Only his hubris allowed Chao to defeat him, grappling him in place long enough for her funnel to strike him at full power, an energy blast which he remarkably survived. He escaped the battle, and Chao knows that they will meet again in the future. His hatred of her is all-consuming, referring to her repeatedly as an animal; Chao assumes that he was experimented on by the Empire to create a soldier perfectly tailored to counter her.</div>
|}


|}


</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
{| class="wikitable alphabetical" border="0" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 100%; text-align: left; vertical-align: left;"
|- style="background-color: #b33730; color: #ffffff;"
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #b33730;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>PC</B></center></div>


|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Myu]]</b>, <i>Creation</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Realistic, Logical Ideologist.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">The very first of her kind, an autonomous, sentient combat automaton built by Chao in the likeness of a miqo'te. Newly-awakened to the world, her every new discovery is a source of pride for Chao, and her enthusiasm to learn always brightens her maker's day. Chao dotes on her like a beloved companion rather than the weapon of war that she is. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Grundy Byrde]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Unstoppable Force.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A roegadyn male and near-constant companion of Satomi, before the latter's untimely death. Since coming to Vylbrand Academy, Chao has stepped in an effort to fill Satomi's shoes in serving as Grundy's mentor and guide in the world, a role she does not feel she is adequately performing. Grundy is not an intelligent individual, due to having lived the majority of his life feral in the caves of Eastern La Noscea. He is, however, exceedingly kind, and possessed of a frightening combat strength; a strength that Chao intends to amplify by creating a set of powered armor for him. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Satomi Hakase]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> <b>)</b> - <b>Science Sister.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A hyuran female and fellow researcher at the Garlond Ironworks. Due to working in different divisions, Chao and Satomi had not interacted prior to a chance meeting in the Quicksand, at which point they hit it off spectacularly well over their shared enthusiasm for science and magitek. After no small number of misadventures--many of them involving Satomi pulling Chao out of a self-created no-win scenario--Satomi was instrumental in finally getting Chao to settle at Vylbrand Academy, and the miqo'te has long since viewed the hyur as a sister. The news of her suspected death in the Sea of Clouds has left Chao gutted. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Kyrrae Liminia]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Strategist.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A lalafellin mage associated with Vylbrand Academy, and Satomi's former lover. Though they've spoken barely a few sentences to each other, Chao considers him a trusted ally due to his association with Satomi. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Senel Curtis]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Serious.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">An occupant of Vylbrand Academy who has offered to provide raw materials to Chao in exchange for equipment augmentations. She's unsure if he's truly associated with the Academy or just a mercenary in their employ, but he shows concern for its members, and annoyance with those who bring undue harm onto themselves. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Isaudorel Dorr]]</b>, <i>Acquaintance</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fire Suicide Bomber.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">An elezen thaumaturge who showed up to thank her for assisting several of his guildmates several days earlier in determining whether or not a wine bottle had been poisoned. They struck up a conversation, during the course of which another elezen woman arrived and rather rudely accused Chao of being of purchasable companionship, which both she and Isaudorel found incredibly rude. Neither seemed to be too bothered by it though. After remarking on her combat style to him, he wished to see it in action, and so the two traveled to the Sagolii Desert for a spar. It was a draw by clever Fire III suicide-bombing. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Keero Ganajai]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Healer.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A male Keeper who serves as one of the primary medical staff for Vylbrand Academy. Intelligent and well-spoken, he has stated that he chose to move permanently into the home station setting in order to be able to be near his wife and soon-to-be child. Though not desiring powered armor, he has contracted Chao and Misriah for medical magitek devices. He has a profound fear of fire, which has prompted Chao to promise that she will never use her aetheric skills in his presence. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Zoey Holendoey]]</b>, <i>Trusted</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Icy Spitfire Detective.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Another lalafellin mage and freelance investigator, though it seems she too has become associated with Vylbrand as of late. Initially having hired Chao to find an individual on a farce, being played as a pawn initially set Zoey in poor standing with Chao. That job did, however, set the magitek prodigy on her course back toward association with Satomi. Afterwards, Zoey did apologize for misleading Chao and seems to have a great deal of trust--Chao would say an overabundance--in her. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Imogene Holmes]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fancy Hat Paladin.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A hyuran swordswoman and resident at Vylbrand Academy. She favors Ironworks-crafted armor and has thus spoken with Chao on a few occasions regarding said equipment, as well as Chao's own battlesuit. Seems to be heavily-involved with security at the Academy. Due to The Other favoring Imogene's form while Chao was trapped in Phantasmagoria, and consequently causing her death no small number of times, Chao holds a slight irrational fear of Imogene. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Set Kattalakis]]</b>, <i>Business Associate</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>Red Left Hand.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Daughter of a successful trading mogul, seems to be involved with financial affairs at the Academy, though this does not stop her from putting herself in harm's way. Due to an unknown past event, her left forearm and hand are replaced by a magitek prosthetic which Chao designed an enhanced model of. As payment, Set made a generous donation of gil which allowed Chao to form Misriah Armory. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[O'rahn Kevelan]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>That Poor Cat.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A male miqo'te living at Vylbrand who is involved with Set, often violently. Chao is reasonably sure the two are mated, but has not heard anything confirming either way. He seems to specialize in thievery, and so the set of powered armor Chao is building for him will take that into account. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Kyra Tsukino]]</b>, <i>Commander</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Boss.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">The boss and headmistress of Vylbrand Academy, Kyra is a female miqo'te who is level-headed, soft-spoken, yet possesses an aura that marks it plain that only a fool would dare to cross her. Though she is typically only seen carrying a sword and shield, Chao suspects that her talents are not so one-dimensional. For reasons unknown, Kyra seems to possess an intrinsic faith in Chao, a faith that the magitek engineer is sure has been shattered by the revelation of her darker side. </div>
|}

|}


</td></tr></table>

=Rumors=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>RUMORS</center></div></span></h3>

<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''N P C'''</center></div></span></h3>
<p><div align=center><div style="font-family:Georgia;">Some of these rumors are untrue, speculation, or are greatly exaggerated.</div></div></p>

<div style="border:0px solid; padding:8px;">
<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #e56a2c; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Common Rumors - </b>''Easily overheard. Use these freely!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#e56a2c;" size="2">■</font> "All she ever does is sit in that corner with her nose buried in that journal of hers, muttering to herself and occasionally having some stew. Really odd one, that one." — ''Quicksand patron''.
: <font style="color:#e56a2c;" size="2">■</font> "She sure gave those Garleans a thumpin' they wasn't lookin' for. Guess that settles that as to whose side she's on." — ''Drowning Wench patron''.
</div>

<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #cc5e27; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Uncommon Rumors -</b> ''A little more difficult to hear. Use sparingly or ask first!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#cc5e27;" size="2">■</font> "Word is she used to be in the Garlean military. So as to whether she's absconded from their service or is here to spy on us, no one's yet figured." — ''Unknown''.
</div>

<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #b35222; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Rare Rumors -</b> ''Very rarely overheard. Please ask before using!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#b35222;" size="2">■</font> "There be ''two'' of that'n, I tells ye! At the very same time I had on good authority from a mate o' mine she was sittin' in the Quicksand, I seen another one answerin' to the same name head off toward the Imps (Imperials) outside Wineport. Only this'n was a hyur lass wearin' some sort o' strange armor. She waltzed in like she bloody owned the joint, and then there weren't nothin' but fire and explosions comin' from there, an' them screams weren't from a wee hyuran lass, either." — ''Drunken Storm Sergeant''.
</div>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''P C'''</center></div></span></h3>
<p><div align=center><div style="font-family:Georgia;">Feel free to add your own rumors to this section.</div></div></p>

<div style="border:0px solid; padding:8px;">
<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #99461d; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Player Character Rumors -</b> ''Some of these are more rare than others!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#99461d;" size="2">■</font> "She's Doman, no doubt about that. But the look in her eyes shows something unnatural. Not in a foul manner either, but one that draws you in and buys your trust. If anyone asks, I'd say you can rely on her." — ''[[Zoey Holendoey]]''.
</div>

</div></div></td></tr></table>

=Music & Gallery=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>MUSIC</center></div></span></h3>
<br>

<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PvdVGAasrA Amazing]''
:: Artist: Aerosmith.
:: Origin: ''Get a Grip''
:: <small>Context: Character theme.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etksc3mrIQU Revival]''
:: Artist: Neil Davidge
:: Origin: ''Halo 4''
:: <small>Context: Magitek genius.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhdp14U2M_w Loose Ends]''
:: Artist: Hans Zimmer
:: Origin: ''Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2''
:: <small>Context: The hard decision.</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELD02QC025c Sacred Icon Suite 2]''
:: Artist: Marty O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori
:: Origin: ''Halo Legends''
:: <small>Context: Big damn heroes.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTLdoK_AU18 J-E-N-O-V-A]''
:: Artist: Nobuo Uematsu
:: Origin: ''Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children''
:: <small>Context: Intense battle.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr4eB0WOwN0 The Oath]''
:: Artist: Nobuo Uematsu
:: Origin: ''Final Fantasy VIII''
:: <small>Context: The bonds of sisterhood.</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9mQTmXxU8E I Burn]''
:: Artist: Jeff and Casey Lee Williams
:: Origin: ''RWBY''
:: <small>Context: Kung-fu wizard.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBfc0-KuDGE Maybe I'm a Lion]''
:: Artist: The Black Mages
:: Origin: ''The Skies Above''
:: <small>Context: Unleashed battle.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYUbLkULtkk Something to Fight For]''
:: Artist: Sencit Music
:: Origin: ''Iron Man 3''
:: <small>Context: Facing her inner demon.</small>
</td>
</tr></table>

<br>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>GALLERY</center></div></span></h3>

<gallery>
File:ChaoMNK.png|Chao in traditional Doman martial art garb, which she began wearing in honor of her fallen cousin, Ku Fei.
File:SCIENCE.jpg|Chao and [[Satomi Hakase|Satomi]], science bros! (Non-canon instance)
File:Chaoff.jpg|Chao in the Quicksand, her usual haunt.
File:Showdown.jpg|Chao, Satomi, and their party face down the Ultimate Weapon (Non-canon instance).
File:Victory.jpg|By might and by right, Team Science defeats the menace (Non-canon instance).
File:SoItBegins.jpg|And on that day, the heavens trembled, as though the realm looked outward to see what awaited it, and found only terror.
File:Exchange.jpg|Reclaiming the personal tome she had left with Satomi, Chao leaves a letter of explanation in its place. (It's unlikely to be found for weeks)
File:Pensive.jpg|Chao looks back upon Vylbrand Academy, likely the last time she'll ever see it.
File:Ponderance.jpg|On a clear Mor Dhona night, Chao contemplates the Keeper of the Lake on her way to the Garlond Ironworks.
File:ChaoStory001.jpg|Confronted by a strange duo on the cliffs of Silvertear Lake.
File:ChaoStory002.jpg|Chao and Satomi discussing the current situation, as Kyrrae keeps watch for any interlopers. (Scene directed by JJ Abrams)
File:ChaoStory003.jpg|Armed with a new resolve, Chao swears her defiance to the corpse of the ''Agrius''.
File:ChaoStory004.jpg|Satomi is overcome with emotion at Chao's safety and change of heart.
File:ChaoStory005.jpg|As Satomi and Kyrrae confer, Chao looks toward the crystalline structure piercing the sky in Mor Dhona. ''"Soon..."'' the magitek genius thinks to herself.
File:ChaoStory006.jpg|Chao considers...something.
File:ChaoStory007.jpg|"Wait, ''you're'' bartending?"
File:ChaoStory008.jpg|Chao fiddles with her armor out of the way. Satomi's actually pretty good at this whole tending bar thing.
File:ChaoStory009.jpg|Except when she trips backwards and almost falls on Chao.
File:ChaoStory010.jpg|"''You!''"
File:ChaoStory011.jpg|Satomi has revealed her plans to run away, but there's a power-armored combat mage standing in the way.
File:ChaoStory012.jpg|A meeting to discuss acquiring extremely rare, and extremely powerful, Allagan technology.
File:ChaoDummy.jpg|Chao looks to test the effectiveness of her prototype funnel--affectionately known as 'Dummy'--in the rain, but the little guy's not cooperating.
File:ChaoStory013.jpg|The expedition is informed of recent occurrences in the ruin.
File:ChaoStory014.jpg|The first obstacle, a wandering Allagan defense sphere. Chao scavenged an undamaged laser coupler for Myu from it.
File:ChaoStory015.jpg|Aftermath of the battle with the bio-engineered snake.
File:ChaoStory016.jpg|Detailing their encounter in the first level.
File:ChaoStory017.jpg|An Allagan foundry!? This site will definitely merit returning to for further exploration.
File:ChaoStory018.jpg|The large ADS falls. An inspection of its innards reveals...a secondary core! Unprogrammed even!
File:ChaoStory019.jpg|Chao inspects her prize. But the man behind the expedition isn't willing to part with it...
File:ChaoStory020.jpg|Chao considers the implications of a hidden lift. What more could be in the depths of this ruin?
File:ChaoStory021.jpg|Wherever this lift leads, it is something the Allagans wanted protected.
File:ChaoStory022.jpg|With the expedition complete and the eyebrow-raising goals of Dogberry and the other man completed, Chao accepts her promised ADS core. Nothing can stop Project µ now!
File:ChaoUSH.jpg|Despite having been a stray living off Satomi's couch for several moons, Chao has little interacted with the occupants of Vylbrand Academy. ''Zoey'', of all people, plans to rectify this. By force.
File:ChaoStory023.jpg|First to the stage, Chao begins presenting her theory of ''pactio''.
File:ChaoStory024.jpg|With one volunteer ready, Chao selects the next victim.
File:ChaoStory025.jpg|Provisional contract complete! ...But these two don't seem suited to being partners.
File:ChaoStory026.jpg|Her part over, Chao observes the other presentations.
File:ChaoStory027.jpg|Aetheric means of reducing machine wear? She watches this presentation with great interest.
File:ChaoStory028.jpg|Satomi's combat mammet: fully-operational and armed....for dance?
File:ChaoStory029.jpg|Unfortunately, it's not to last. The ''real'' Grundy has mistaken the mammet for an enemy and demolished it.
File:ChaoStory030.jpg|While helping clean up the wreckage, Chao tells Academy resident Imogene a little about Project µ.
File:ChaoUSH2.jpg|Chao observes as Satomi tends to an unfortunate soul tortured by the Garlean Empire.
File:ChaoSatomi001.jpg|Chao makes fun of the fact that Satomi doesn't have any beds in her room/lab.
File:ChaoStory031.jpg|Standing her ground despite her nerves, Chao watches as Myu finally comes fully online.
File:ChaoStory032.jpg|Threatened by an Allagan-grade laser weapon was not how Chao planned to begin Myu's lifespan.
File:ChaoStory033.jpg|Showing Myu a Limsan sunrise.
File:ChaoStory034.jpg|Chao and Myu practice combatives while Satomi takes measurements.
File:ChaoStory035.jpg|Garlean attack! These assassins have come explicitly for Chao.
File:ChaoStory036.jpg|With the initial attackers defeated, the Vanguard trashed, and Myu damaged by a suicide explosive, the leader makes his move. To Chao's horror, it seems that everything she can do, he can do better.
File:ChaoStory037.jpg|In desperation to end the fight, Chao grapples with the enemy commander and orders her funnel to fire on him at maximum lethality setting, even if it means shooting through herself.
File:ChaoUSH03.jpg|After a failed AMRA system test, Chao inspects the pieces of the device as she listens to Senel and Set speak.
File:ChaoLab001.jpg|Chao in her research lab within Vylbrand Academy.
File:ChaoLab002.jpg|Chao contemplates one of her research projects, with her funnel drifting nearby.
File:ChaoUSH04.jpg|Chao speaks with O'rahn and Set about her projects.
File:ChaoUSH05.jpg|Performing an early test of the helmet for Grundy's powered armor.
File:ChaoUSH06.jpg|Speaking with Keero in the gardens, with O'rahn and Set nearby doing whatever it is they do.
File:ChaoUSH07.jpg|Following a power failure at the Academy, Chao readies the backup generator to be turned on for emergency power...and is not ignorant to Kyra standing within sword range behind her.
File:ChaoUSH08.jpg|Two weeks into her exile within her workshop, Chao has been somewhat neglecting the tidiness of her workspace.
File:ChaoMisriah001.jpg|Inspecting the results of another AMRA test, this one successful.
File:ChaoUSH09.jpg|After witnessing a successful voidsent exorcism, Chao offers to create a prosthetic eye for the victim. Magitek-enhanced, of course.
File:ChaoUSH10.jpg|Chao reveals the truth of her condition.
File:ChaoUSH11.jpg|Wholeheartedly apologizing for the incident in Southern Thanalan.
File:ChaoTheSearch001.jpg|Chao and Myu analyze the fragmented data from Seven, one of Satomi's mammets. It seems that justice may be within reach.
</gallery>

=OOC Notes=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>OOC NOTES</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="90%">
<tr>
<td style="width: 50%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3>
<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''OOC INFORMATION'''</center></div></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Player Note'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">'' ... ''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Personal RP Limits'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''I like to consider myself a flexible player who is willing to commit to a number of different types of scenes and role-play scenarios, but even I have my limits. If something is on the play list, assume it means yes, as long as it's within the context of the current play or ongoing plot. No's are typically a hard no, and it means don't ask, and if I'm in the mood for it, I'll be the one to initiate. '' </div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ '''''I will play''' mature content and themes (violence, drug / alcohol use) as long as they're logical in a plot-driven encounter. Coarse and excessive language. Temporary injury and incapacitation. Temporary imprisonment. Most walk-up encounters.''

: ■ '''''Ask about''' long-term and/or permanent injury and disfigurement. Long-term captivity or imprisonment. Temporary character death. Kidnap and/or abuse plots will require advance planning, as these can be seriously impacting, as well as take a significant amount of time to resolve on an infrequently played character.''

: ■ '''''I won't play''' permanent character death. ''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Disclaimer'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">'' Chao is my take on an existent character from the ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negima!_Magister_Negi_Magi Negima! Magister Negi Magi]'' manga by Ken Akamatsu. I have developed her from the ground up to fit within the FFXIV setting, while still maintaining as many similarities from the source material as possible.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ '' Chao is a technological and scientific prodigy. I am not. I try my best, but typically have to rely on technobabble more than I would like. ''

: ■ '' Chao is highly skilled in both unarmed combat and magic. Traditionally, my preferred means of RP combat has always been firearms or swords, so I'm sure I come across as an untalented hack to anyone more experienced in those combat fields. ''

: ■ '' Regarding nearly everything to do with Chao, she is the character with which I push the bounds of established lore. While I do nothing that has been directly contradicted by lore, she almost entirely operates in an extremely shadowy, unspecified zone regarding lore. Bear this in mind for interactive purposes. ''</div></div>

<td style="width: 50%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''CHARACTER TIDBITS'''</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Potential Plot Hooks'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''Chao is a very busy individual. Even when I'm not actively playing her, she's always got something going on. While the below is by no means comprehensive, it's a kind of spring board for walk-up RP. I am more than open to longer-term RP plots that carry on over multiple sessions, all I ask is that you coordinate with me beforehand. I am nearly always willing to drop anything I'm doing and RP, even if I'm on another character.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ ''Chao was, until recently, a prominent weapons developer at the Garlond Ironworks.''

: ■ ''She has most recently opened her own weapons company, Misriah Armory. While no formal office location exists, she can typically be found in or around Vylbrand Academy in the Mist.''

: ■ ''She is a known member of Vylbrand Academy.''

: ■ ''Garlemald is still aware of her continued existence, and still wishes to see her killed for her actions against them.''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Character Lore Adherence'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''Information in this Wiki is Lore Compliant to the best of my knowledge pre-Calamity using Wikis, and lore-dredging on Google. Information that has been changed to better fit with the lore of XIV will be listed below as necessary.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ ''No changes required.''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Tropes & Explanations'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''A trope is a convention or device that is often found in creative works. In this case, the tropes below describe the character either in part, or as a whole. Their background, personality, appearance, etc, most of them can be described in the tropes below.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ActionGirl Action Girl] ''She's usually seen doing more fighting than science-ing.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BareFistedMonk Bare-Fisted Monk] ''Unarmed combat is her primary means of engaging the enemy. Though trained at the Ul'dah pugilist guild, her fighting style is a modified Doman style that favors kicks rather than strikes.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ClothesMakeTheSuperman Clothes Make the Superman] ''Her battlesuits are powered armor and provide her an incredible boost in combat potential and survivability, but she's by no means helpless without them.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CombatPragmatist Combat Pragmatist] ''When her foes want to run their mouths, she will very quickly demonstrate that talking is not a free action.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeadlyUpgrade Deadly Upgrade] ''Emphasis on the ''deadly'' part, as she is well aware that overusing Magia Erebia can destroy her soul. The one time she's used it to date, she wound up with a fragment of a primal living in her head.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EnemyWithin Enemy Within] ''An unintended side effect of absorbing the dissipating aether of Ifrit via Magia Erebia, a semblance of the primal was able to take residence within her mind. Though it lacks the ability to exert any proper power or temper her or others, it still whispers in the back of her mind and has, on one occasion, seized control of her body.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FacialMarkings Facial Markings] ''Par for the course given she's a miqo'te, but hers prominently glow when her aether seal is active, as another reference to her home series.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HeroicRROD Heroic RROD] ''Overusing Magia Erebia runs the risk of causing this effect on her. Sometimes, if she's caught unawares, the fragment of Ifrit bound to her soul will ''force'' this effect on her--even potentially out of combat--in order to seize control of her.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlayingWithFire Playing With Fire] ''When using magic, she only uses fire. Her aetheric aspect is so strongly tilted toward fire that she is in a permanent state of Astral Fire but does not suffer from the inability to recover mana when in that state.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RenaissanceMan Renaissance Girl] ''She can fight barehanded, with magic, with a gun (or any gun-type derivative weapon), cook, build all manner of stupendously-advanced magitek devices, strategize fairly well on the battlefield, and run arms companies.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SuperPoweredEvilSide Superpowered Evil Side] ''Arguable on how superpowered it is, as she's not inherently stronger when this side is released, but when the fragment of Ifrit residing in her soul seizes control, Dark Chao then proceeds to completely ignore such trivial niceties as "friendly fire" and is more than happy to expend all of her power in such a way that she achieves her objectives and immediately passes out.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WillNotTellALie Will Not Tell A Lie] ''Though more an informed attribute as a throwback to her home series, Chao ''does'' remain remarkably honest about what she's doing at all times, occasionally finding that the truth of what she's doing often makes people disbelieve her. She is ''not'', however, above using misinformation and omission to achieve her goals.''
</div></div>

</tr></table></div>

=Credits=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>CREDITS</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Layout Information'''</div></div>
: <div align=justify><div style="padding: 2px 1px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">The following is not entirely comprehensive, but contains general credits. Please leave the link-backs if you use this template!
::■ Original template by [[Bancroft Gairn]].
::■ Adapted by [[Xheja Rajhera]].
::■ Tabs by [[Unnamed Mercenary]].
::■ Expanded bits by [[Lucaell Tareth'eian]].
::■ Header image inspired by [[D'lyhhia Lhuil]].
::■ Music bits from [[J'karu Rhome]].
::■ Relationships & OOC notes by [[Glioca Sargonnai]].</div></div>
<headertabs />

[[Category: Player Character]]
[[Category: Balmung]]
[[Category: Miqo'te]]
[[Category: Miqo'te Seeker of the Sun]]
[[Category: Doman]]

Chao Lingshen

2016-02-21T23:50:24Z

Chris Ganale: /* History */

__NOTOC__

<div align=center><div style="font-size:30px;letter-spacing:0.05em;color:#ab0c13;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver"></div></div>

<div align=center><div style="font-size:55px;letter-spacing:0.2em;color:#792521;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver">CHAO LINGSHEN</div></div>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:15px;letter-spacing:0.75em;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;">FIREBRAND</div></div>
<br>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:25px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 10px silver"><font color="#4d1715">'''- - - ''' »</font> <font color="#b33730">☀</font> <font color="#4d1715">« ''' - - -''' </font></div></div>
<br>
<div align=center bottom>[[File:Chao-Top-Banner.png]]</div>
<br>
<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="60%">
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<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 20px; font-size:18px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;letter-spacing:0.1em;"><center><font style="color:#4d1715;">'''❝'''</font> <font style="color:#b33730">''They wanted war. Let's go give 'em war.''</font> <font style="color:#4d1715;">'''❞'''</font></center></div></span></h3>
</tr></table></div>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:12px;letter-spacing:0.75em;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver">Chao Lingshen.</div></div>
<br>
<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="80%">
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<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.15em;"><center>'''VITAL INFORMATION'''</center></div></span></h3>
<br>
<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''CURRENT ALIAS...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Chao Lingshen.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''RACE & CLAN...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Miqo'te, Seeker of the Sun.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''GENDER...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Female.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''AGE...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 23.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''NAMEDAY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 1<sup>st</sup> Sun of the 6<sup>th</sup> Umbral Moon, 1556 S.A.E.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''ORIENTATION...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Asexual/Aromantic.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''MARITAL STATUS...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Single.</font>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.15em;"><center>'''OTHER STATISTICS'''</center></div></span></h3>
<br>
<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''NATIONALITY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Doman.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''CITIZENSHIP...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Limsan.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''RESIDENCE...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Vylbrand Academy.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''OCCUPATION...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Founder, Misriah Armory.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''PATRON DEITY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Azeyma, the Warden.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''HEIGHT & WEIGHT...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 5 fulms, 4 ilms. 116 ponzes.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''ALIGNMENT...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChaoticGood Chaotic Good].</font>
</tr></table></div>
<br>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:25px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 10px silver"><font color="#4d1715">'''- - - ''' »</font> <font color="#b33730">☀</font> <font color="#4d1715">« ''' - - -''' </font></div></div>
<br>

=Details=
[[File:ChaoLingshen.png|right|frame|<div style="padding:10px 20px; font-size:13px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;letter-spacing:0.1em;"><center><font style="color:#706b68;">'''❝'''</font> <font style="color:#333333">''Gods and empires have sworn to break me. And yet, here I stand, unbroken.''</font> <font style="color:#706b68;">'''❞'''</font></center></div>]]

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>GENERAL INFORMATION</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">Chao Lingshen is a female miqo'te Seeker of the Sun originally born in Doma. With the Garlean Empire's subjugation of that region, she was conscripted into their armed forces, where she applied her mechanical and magical genius to enhance the Empire's magitek arsenal. She eventually fled to Eorzea with the aid of personnel of the Garlond Ironworks, and has since taken up residence in Ul'dah, spending her days studying and improving her magical and physical capabilities in order to take the fight to the Empire. </div></div>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>APPEARANCE</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">Chao is tall for miqo'te, standing at five fulms and nearly four ilms tall, weighing one hundred and sixteen ponzes. She wears her hair cropped close in a somewhat-boyish style, with two forelocks hanging down just past her chin, secured in place with bronze bangles. Her hair is black, with faint auburn highlights best seen at the back of her head. Afflicted with the normal miqo'te tendency toward heterochromia, her left eye is a dark brown and her right a dark crimson, the two shades close enough together that she could easily be mistaken for having one eye color at a distance or in poor lighting. The tribal markings on her face are slightly more vibrant than normal, this due to the effect of the Garlean anti-aether sigils on her body. When activated, the markings glow bright red. A faint scar on her left cheek, not normally visible due to her tribal markings, is the only visible reminder of the ceruleum explosion at Castrum Meridianum. <br><br> The clothing she wears varies, but she has a marked tendency to prefer more subdued colors such as black, white, and dark browns. Typically she can be found wearing a black and white yukata she picked up from the most recent Moonfire Faire, as it reminds her of her lost home in Doma. She's not big on accessories or jewelry, but usually wears a pair of peach blossom earrings, again as a reminder of Doma. She also always wears either tall boots, dark-colored leggings, or some combination of the two to hide the ceruleum burns on the backs of her legs from sight. </div>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>PERSONALITY</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">As any who would have even taken notice of her at the Quicksand would be quick to point out that she very easily disappears in the background of much more colorful and varied individuals, often preferring to mind her own business and just listen to the goings-on around her, as they have occasionally helped provide some insight into a problem she had been working on. When approached, she is polite and well-spoken, demonstrating an amiable personality with a tendency to make jokes and tease. A favorite thing to do is begin an ominous-sounding statement, then laughing it off instead of finishing the threat. On romance and sexuality, however, Chao can be considered completely asexual, having no consideration of romantic emotions at all. She does recognize romantic advance, but is unresponsive to it. <br><br> Beneath that playful exterior, she is singularly-focused on the downfall of the Garlean Empire and the salvation not just of Eorzea, but of all lands that have suffered under Garlemald's iron fist. This desire drives every action she takes, from her research into greater and more powerful magitek to her quest for greater personal power. The lack of any sort of unity or cohesion amongst the city-states of Eorzea greatly distresses her, and she has considered several times a gambit wherein she presents herself as a great existential threat to the realm, thereby forcing them to unify or face destruction, but has so far held back because the clear and present threat presented by Garlemald sure hasn't done it so far. If the situation demands it, however, she is still more than willing to become a martyr and take on the role of a villain to ensure that the realm is saved.</div>

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<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3>
<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''L I K E S'''</center></div></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Developing magitek.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Increasing her own combat ability.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Recovering advanced technology from ancient civilizations, even better when she can improve it and make it work again.</div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''D I S L I K E S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> The Garlean Empire
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Those who advance personal profit at the expense of others, especially in the face of a grave existential threat.
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Tribal miqo'te, considering them primitive. </div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''H O B B I E S / T A L E N T S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Developing and enhancing magitek
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Light culinarian skill
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> A decent head for business
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Improvisation and customization of existing schools of talent </div>

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<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3>
<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''S T R E N G T H S'''</center></div></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> High intelligence
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Strong melee aptitude
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> High magical aptitude</div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''W E A K N E S S E S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Hubris
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Martyr complex
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Overreliant on self </div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''O T H E R'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Occasionally refers to the Allagan Empire as Forerunners.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> She goes through a lot of gear and clothes (read: destroyed) in the process of testing and experimenting with her magic and magitek.</div>

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<br>

=Combat=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>COMBAT & WEAPONRY</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">
:● '''Magical Prowess''': A budding mage in her own right, Chao is talented in the arts of thaumaturgy, with a far greater affinity for magic of the fire element than other types. This affinity allows her mana to regenerate normally at all times; as such, she is not affected by the astral fire/umbral ice duology many thaumaturges are shackled by. Because of this trait, she is seeking to develop her own, personal style of magic outside the existing systems. Aside from this, she also has some light training in conjury.
::● '''Fire Resistance''': Due to absorbing both living and offensive aether of the Lord of the Inferno, Chao has become more heavily-aspected toward fire, further increasing the power of her magic as well as making her highly-resilient to heat or fire-based attacks.
::● '''''Magia Erebia''''': Translating to 'Dark Magic', ''Magia Erebia'' is the result of Chao's experimentation in magic circles, aetherflow, and how magic and spirit energy can be made to interact with the body. By creating a magic circle, she is able to then absorb a directed energy attack that comes in contact with her, fusing it with her soul and imbuing her with enhanced statistics, depending on the type of energy, for a limited period of time. As a drawback, the unnatural interaction between the soul and aetheric energies causes a corrosive effect, relegating the use of ''Magia Erebia'' to emergencies only.
::● '''Magic Seal''': As a result of the experimentation to resist tempering (see below), when her sigils are activated, she is a complete aetherial void, unable to access her latent magical talents or be affected by anything that would relate to a mana pool. This is mostly used to allow her to pass off as having no magic talent whatsoever, as her mana is not detectible when in this state.
:● '''Martial Arts''': Trained from a young age in the Doman style, unarmed combat is one of the most dangerous places to face her. Her style is visually similar to that of the Fist of Rhalgr, but structurally different. Whereas the monks favor strikes and work best from the flanks or rear of a foe, Chao's ''Hokuryuu Shourinken'' favors kicks, wide sweeping stances, and keeping a distance from the enemy. However, she has taken aspects of the Ala Mhigan style into her own, giving her a much wider array of abilities and actions in combat.
:● '''Shundo''': A ki-based technique of Doman origin, also known by its translated names of ' ''Ground Contractor'' ' or ' ''Instant Movement''. ' By focusing ki or magic energy to the bottom of her feet, she is able to 'grip' the ground and propel herself forward at immense speed, traversing up to sixty fulms in less time than it takes to register movement in the brain. She is only capable of traveling in a straight line across relatively even terrain, and cannot pass obstacles. Individuals with high martial training are able to sense her movement to a degree.
:● '''Spell List''': Chao has developed a list of spells that she prefers to use in combat, primarily based around fire magic and other aetheric uses. All of them are incanted in Garlean (Latin). Additionally, she has her own incantation phrase, which is used to unlock the aetherflow in her body and allow her to channel more powerful magic spells. Said incantation phrase is "''Rasteil mai magicscir magister''." It should also be noted that all of Chao's fire-based spells are aetheric and therefore do not require oxygen to continue burning, and some can even continue to burn when fully immersed in water.
::● ''Calefaciens Exarmatio'': Translating to ''Heatwave Disarmament'', this is a spell used to disarm a foe. It is specially-tuned fire magic that destroys equipment, weapons, and clothing, but leaves the person themselves unharmed.
::● ''Cantus Bellax'': Lit. ''Battle Song'', this is a simple self-buffing spell that reinforces her body with aether. Aside from providing a long-lasting anti-physical shield, this magic also exponentially increases muscle tension, allowing greater power, speed and endurance; it also increases the flexibility of muscles and tendons to prevent Chao from damaging herself from overexertion. In addition, her reflexes are enhanced by a moderate increase in the stimulation of the nervous system.
::● ''Captus Flammeus'': A binding spell, ''Fiery Captor'' summons ropes of fire magic that bind a target in place. Though not ''intended'' to cause harm to the bound target, Chao can cause them to do so at will.
::● ''Flagrantia Rubicans'': A moderately-powerful fire spell, about on par with Fire II, ''Red Blaze'' is Chao's mainstay offensive spell.
::● ''Incendium Gehennae'': A very potent fire spell developed after absorbing the living and offensive aether of Ifrit. Visually, ''Hellfire Conflagration'' is similar to Ifrit's own ultimate attack.
::● ''Ignis Deflexio'': A fire-based anti-physical protective shield. Its defensive effects are small.
::● ''Sagitta Magica Series Ignis'': Chao can summon a number of magic missiles of fire, always a prime number, which will independently track and pursue their target with no input from her. Their tracking method can be defeated if faced cleverly, and one could simply knock the magic missile away when it reaches them. Their damage is limited individually, but she can also cast this spell as a massive, single magic missile comprised of the energy of all the individual ones. While this is more powerful, it is also easier to avoid or counter.
:● '''Technological Genius''': From her youth, she has had a disturbing knack for understanding and knowledge of magitek devices. This ingenuity saw her placed in the Garlean Empire's research division once she was conscripted, where she enhanced and streamlined numerous Garlean weaponry and drive systems. Though more than capable of creating new devices from her own mind, her skills are strongest at refining and adapting existing technology to perform even better. She is responsible for the technological control devices that the Garleans use on their colossi to prevent them from rampaging in battle. Since coming to Eorzea, she has developed a powered assault armor and numerous other systems.
:● '''Temper Resistance''': As a result of Garlean experimentation, Chao possesses a set of sigils inscribed on her body that allows her to seal her aether. The theory is that this will protect her from the primals' method of tempering individuals by way of overloading their aether with the primal's own, due to their aether being unable to interact with her. This has proven to function as intended, tested under fire during her confrontation with Ifrit.
:● '''Weapon Proficiency (Firearm)''': As with all Garlean soldiers, she was trained to use their advanced firearms technology. Though she prefers magic and unarmed combat, she does keep a concealable pistol loaded with large-caliber, high-explosive ammunition on her person. Just in case.
:● '''Weapon Proficiency (Gunblade)''': As a conscript of the Garlean army, and valued slightly above the rank-and-file for her technical genius, she was trained in how to use a gunblade. Though she does not favor the weapon herself, she is capable of picking up and easily-using any of the non-specialized types of gun-weapons.</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">'''OOC Note:''' I unilaterally prefer freeform combat to dice, as dice cannot adequately reflect skill and equipment of a character. I practice what I refer to as an "interrupt" style of RP combat, in that when I make an action, I include a description of the effects it would have, and leave it to the other individual to defend against the action and/or mitigate the effects. Don't hesitate to send a /t if you have questions or are unsure of something I did in a battle.</div></div>
<br>

=Misriah Armory=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>MISRIAH ARMORY</center></div></span></h3>
[[File:Misriah-logo.png|center]]
<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">
After settling at Vylbrand Academy, Chao finally found the stability required to dedicate her efforts fully to designing and developing her magitek weaponry. After a sizable payment for technologies rendered, she was able to fund the creation of her own arms company, '''Misriah Armory'''. Adapting the slogan "Battle-tested for your home", Chao has hired a number of production personnel from the Ironworks and purchased several proprietary systems from Cid nan Garlond to begin her work on magitek combat systems, primarily in the form of powered armor.
::● '''Anti-Magic Reactive Armor''': A system wherein a piece of armor or shield is imbued with reactive aether that, when an offensive spell acts upon it, explodes outward to disperse the effects of the spell and reduce harm to the wearer. This system is still in the prototype phase; currently, it reacts far too vigorously to offensive spells.
::● '''Armory Device''': Utilizing the principles of aetheric teleportation, Chao can imbue specific items with a unique aetheric signature, and then pair them to a device, traditionally a ring, that summons the items onto the wearer, allowing one to be armed and equipped in the blink of an eye.
::● '''Electromagnetic Aether Pulse Protection''': After an...unpleasant...event that saw her powered devices shut down by an enemy electromagnetic aether pulse, Chao worked to ensure that this never occurred again. By studying the recorded particulate effects just before her devices lost power, she was able to determine the frequency at which the particulates used interacted with her devices, and modify her shielding to nullify that frequency. To prevent circumvention by simply using a ''different'' frequency, all her powered equipment shielding is designed to modulate through differing frequencies.
::● '''Ironworks Powered Armor Mk.I''': The upgraded, field-ready combat version of her prototype armor. Designed as a modular system that supports varying upgrades as requested by the wearer. A detailed description can be found [http://tinyurl.com/mdjcwvd here]. Unlike her other, proprietary powered armor designs, her personal set retains the designation 'Ironworks' partly out of nostalgia, and partly in recognition that she was aided by members of the Garlond Ironworks in designing and creating it.
::● '''Misriah Powered Armor/BREAKER''': A direct assault variant built for Grundy, focusing on strong armored protection, resilient shielding, armor-augmented strength enhancers, and a VISR (detailed below) uplink to identify allies and enemies. As Grundy lacks the technical expertise to manipulate armor systems, the BREAKER variant is designed to function largely autonomously, with all systems functioning when power is applied. Grundy's personal variant features two additional features: two spiked chain shots built into both forearms for grappling, and remote systems override allowing Chao to lock down his armor to stop him from going on a berserker rampage.
::● '''Misriah Powered Armor/INFILTRATOR''': An infiltrator variant designed for use by those who prefer a stealth approach. The INFILTRATOR variant lacks the plate protection of its more up-armored brethren, relying on faster-cycling aetheric shielding technology and the user's own ability to evade hits to provide its protection. This powered armor increases user reaction speed and possesses proprietary sound-dampening technology to enhance stealth.
::● '''Powered Fist''': Built to augment her new powered armor, Chao designed a gauntlet that allows her free range of hand motion and also has a powerful gun device built into it for added anti-armor punch. When not desired for use, it collapses down to the size of bracelets worn on both wrists.
::● '''Project μ''': Considered by Chao to be her Magnum Opus, Project μ saw the creation of a sentient, free-willed combat android in a form that would allow it to pass undetected in society (in this case, the prototype unit possesses the frame of a female miqo'te). Utilizing a combination of a purpose-built mammet heart and an unprogrammed Allagan Defense System node to achieve sentience, a frame was constructed using both Allagan metals and repurposed Garlean steel. The result: an infiltrator prototype given the name ''Myu'' whose combat potential is surpassed only by her learning potential.
::● '''Remote/Observation, Self-Propelled Model 1B Reconnaissance Drone''': A variant of the WASP drone, with its aetherochemical beam replaced with high-fidelity observation and monitoring equipment to perform the functions of battlefield reconnaissance. Recon data from these drones can be fed to any authorized user of a MISRIAH powered armor system.
::● '''Sterilization Tools''': A number of devices requested by Vylbrand medic Keero in order to sterilize medical equipment before use. A non-mobile version was delivered to the medical ward, allowing the sterilization of large numbers of equipment, or large pieces of equipment. Several smaller versions were also built for field use. Both versions generate high-heat, high-intensity energy beams that kill microorganisms and scour surfaces clean.
::● '''Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance''': A HUD feature included in all of her powered armors, VISR allows for unprecedented battlefield information to wearers of her powered armor. In its most base form, VISR serves as an identify-friend/foe system, highlighting friendly targets in a green outline, enemy targets in red, recognizable weapons in blue, items of interest in yellow, and unidentified persons/civilians in orange. It can also receive visual reconnaissance from any nearby ROSP drones and functions as low-light enhancement at night or in darkened spaces.
::● '''Weapon/Anti-Magitek, Self-Propelled Model 1A Nonlinear Rifle''': A small, high-mobility portable weapon system developed by Chao using the magitek bits of the Allagan and Garlean Empires as its base. Unlike it much larger cousins, the "WASP"--also known by the descriptor "funnel"--is small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand, but is no less deadly for it. Armed with an aetherochemical beam that can pierce the armor of a magitek reaper in a single strike, its power is balanced by its slow rate of fire and limited fire capacity. When drained of energy after five shots, it is capable of re-energizing itself by drawing aether from its environment, but this will only allow it to fire again once every five minutes. The WASP is targeted by voice commands.
</div></div>

<br>

=History=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>HISTORY</center></div></span></h3>
<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
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<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>'''PAST BACKGROUND'''</center></div></span></h3>
<br>
<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Early Life'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Born in the region of Doma, Chao has been well-acquainted with Garlean tyranny her entire life. Her parents trained her from the time she could stand in the Doman martial arts style, despite it being outlawed by Garlemald as seditious. Early in life, she demonstrated a marked proclivity for an inability to keep secrets, prompting her parents to keep her uninvolved with the resistance against the Garlean Empire. She also showed an amazing affinity for magitek and other mechanical devices.<br><br>As she grew older, the increasing activity of Garlean oppression saw Chao becoming aware of their atrocities throughout their claimed territory. Her discretion grew, and though she remained unaware of her parents' involvement in the resistance, she began to contribute to the resistance in her own way, notably by designing and providing specifications for cannon rounds that boasted a marked improvement rate in penetrating Garlean armor, among other defensive innovations. This enhanced ability on the Domans' part to fight them did not go unnoticed by Garlemald, and by the age of fifteen, they had determined that she was the one responsible for the technological improvements. One afternoon, a contingent of Garleans appeared at the Lingshen homestead, and a choice was offered: service in the Empire, or the deaths of herself and her family. Unwilling to be the cause of her parents' deaths, she agreed to join the Empire. </font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Imperial Service'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Having been identified as a magitek prodigy, Chao avoided conscription into the generic rank and file of the Empire, instead placed in an institution that would teach her the intricacies of Garlean magitek as groundwork for creating next-generation weaponry. Recognizing the opportunity that had fallen into her lap, she played the part of the loyal Garlean engineer, all the while absorbing all the information she could and considering ways she could sabotage the Empire. It soon came to be discovered that she was especially adept at improving existing technology to perform better, seeing her placed in the Castrum Meridianum, where the foremost of Garlemald's technological terrors were constructed. <br><br> Initially, the projects she was allowed access to were small, improved arms and armor for the soldiers stationed in the castrum and the like. Eventually, as the successes of her work became apparent and allowed Garlemald to solidify its holdings in the regions of Eorzea they occupied, she was granted more and more access to Imperial workings. Soon, she began to discreetly sabotage the projects she was working with, an example being the technological inhibitors that the Garleans used to control their magitek colossi and other tamed beasts. Sure, the inhibitors did their job--better than to spec once she got her hands on them--but if they took too much damage and were destroyed, the frenzied beasts would focus all their aggression on their Imperial masters. She always took great care to ensure that the technology she sabotaged would fail as a result of field conditions or misuse, and that their effects would be ''just'' shy of so catastrophic that the Garleans deemed them too costly to use. <br><br> Her own research efforts were not the only Garlean projects that she was involved in. Owing to the Garleans' hatred of the primals, eventual conflict with the primals would be inevitable. Knowing of the primals' fondness for tempering, the Empire sought to devise a means to resist the tempering effect. Selecting from a pool of candidates with preexisting extremely strong willpower, Chao was selected to undergo numerous anti-tempering experiments. As tempering was reliant upon the primal surging their own aether to overpower the victim's mind and soul, the simplest method the Garleans saw to negate it was blocking one's aether. To this end, a series of sigils were inscribed across Chao's body, rendering her an aetherial void when active. A command code, painstakingly memorized by the magitek genius, deactivates the sigils and lets her act normally, though when it is active her aether is completely inactive, not even able to be detected by other mages, and she appears to be completely nonmagical. Though this system performs its intended purpose to lab specifications, it has yet to be tested against an actual primal. <br><br> It was two years into her work at Meridianum that she discovered the Ultima Weapon program, and at that point she realized that it would take more than minor acts of sabotage to halt the Garlean advance. At around the same time, she began to hear whispers of a revolt in Doma, instigated in the hopes that the Garlean succession crisis would have them too distracted to respond. Activity around the Ultima Weapon project intensified, with many predicting that the fearsome monstrosity would be put to use suppressing the rebellion. It was not to be, however, as the Weapon was still not fully prepared for combat, and the might of the Imperial legions were plenty sufficient to crush the uprising and begin a reckoning of the Doman civilization. <br><br> Suspecting deep in her heart that her parents had been killed in the rebellion, Chao devised her plan and made ready to depart the Empire forever.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Defection'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">For a long while, the Garlond Ironworks and its members had been a continual thorn in the side of the Imperial presence in Eorzea, raiding the castrums seemingly at random. Though she had not devoted a great deal of attention to it, she had a sense that there would soon be another such raid at Meridianum. Timing her actions carefully, she prepared another act of sabotage. <br><br> In her part of the Ultima Weapon project, she was assigned to the conversion of the ancient Allagan power source to accept refined ceruleum as a fuel. While successful in this endeavor, she also weakened the structural integrity of the fueling lines and the storage tanks, forcing them to vent under strenuous operation lest they suffer a devastating case of overpressure. Under the guise of a 'stress test', she ordered one such storage tank filled to capacity and subjected to the sorts of stresses expected in lengthy combat. <br><br> Just as she had expected, another raid by the Ironworks occurred in the middle of the stress test. With the defense force of the castrum distracted by the ruckus, Chao moved all her research notes to within proximity of the storage tank, then increased the stress the device was under. To her surprise, the raiding team from the Ironworks soon broke their way into her research chamber, pulling her attention away from monitoring the tank for reaching its failure point. Now no longer needing to be concerned with her intent to betray the Empire, she alerted the raiders of the impending explosion and warned them to get away. Almost immediately thereafter, a castrum security force broke into the lab from another direction and opened fire. A stray round struck the storage tank, resulting in an immediate detonation. The explosion wiped out the Garlean security force and sprayed flaming ceruleum throughout the lab, resulting in gruesome burn scars to the back of Chao's legs. <br><br> Rendered unconscious by the explosion, Chao was recovered by the Ironworks raiding team, who fled as a chain reaction tore through the ceruleum storage facility, destroying a large number of the Ultima Weapon's spare tanks. Chao's act of sabotage resulted in the completion and battle readiness of the Ultima Weapon being delayed by nearly a full year.</font></div>
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<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>'''SINCE CHARACTER CREATION'''</center></div></span></h3>
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<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Ironworks'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao awoke some weeks later in Gridania, finding herself under care of the conjurers treating her injuries from the ceruleum explosion. Informed of the massive damage done to her musculature and nervous system, she was relieved to learn that she would regain the ability to walk after a time, but that the corrosive nature of ceruleum meant that the scars would never fade. This did not trouble her, and as she recovered, she requested a tome in which she could write, beginning to transfer what of her research she could recall to a page, glad to have denied Garlemald her knowledge and leaving them with prone-to-failure, sabotaged equipment. <br><br> Soon thereafter, she was approached by a large roegadyn man who introduced himself as Biggs, naming himself as a member of the Garlond Ironworks and come to inquire what she had been up to when she had encountered the raid team. In no uncertain terms, she explained that she had been carefully sabotaging various Imperial projects over her years in their conscripted service, and had planned to take advantage of the confusion of the Ironworks raid to do one last grand act of sabotage and escape. Amused by her forthcoming explanation, Biggs offered for her to join the Ironworks, letting her turn her vast magitek talent to improving the lives of Eorzean citizens while continuing to stick it to the Empire. She readily accepted, and turned over her tome of notes for Biggs to copy in case any of it proved useful to any of the ongoing projects at the Ironworks. Once finished with the transcription, Biggs returned the book and suggested she get herself as far away from the Empire as possible.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Changing the Game'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Unknown to either of them, she was in no danger of being hounded by the Empire, as they believed she had perished in the ceruleum explosions at the castrum. After regaining her ability to walk, she traveled to Ul'dah and took up residence there. To while away the time, she discovered that the jewel of the desert was home to the pugilist guild and the thaumaturge's guild, two combat schools that she had a keen interest in. Applying for training at both, she used their instruction to further her knowledge in both unarmed combat and the magical arts, but feared that what she could learn through the guilds would be insufficient to face the might of the Garlean Empire. <br><br> To that end, she sought to combine the training of both guilds into a new personal discipline she referred to--admittedly unoriginally--as 'combat mage'. To this end, she practiced the casting of spells until they became as muscle memory to her, able to cast on the move and with greater speed. While training herself in such a way, she discovered her stronger affinity for fire magic, that the more she trained, the greater the potency of those spells became and the less taxing they were upon her. Before long, she had become adept at weaving fire not only as spells in between strikes, but the very elemental aspect itself into her strikes. The result was a combat style that is frightfully effective, one that the pugilists' guild regarded as an amusing and effective curiosity, but that was reviled by the thaumaturges' guild. Needless to say, she hasn't showed her face there very often in recent times. <br><br> Even through her training time, one thing had weighed heavily on her mind at all times: the existence of the Ultima Weapon and what it could do to the people of Eorzea. Knowing of the Weapon's ability to absorb the essence of the primals and use their power for its own, she wondered if it was not possible for a man to do the same with magic. After all, the possibilities of magic were literally limitless. With that in mind, and keeping an open mind from which she could observe and calculate from all possible angles, Chao began to study arcanism and conjury as well. <br><br> Initially dismissing conjury, she focused her attention on arcanism, finding the applications there far more wide-ranging given the geometric and mathematical means of bending aether to one's whim, and as an engineer, geometry and math were something of strong suits for her. She quickly began to experiment with using aetheric circles not just in books, but using the environment herself as her medium. She found that in doing so, she could enhance the power of her spells and perform various other effects. She has established a theory of a magic contract between a magically-talented person and one who is not, mostly for the purpose of additional power to the--presumably physically-inclined--partner, but has yet to perform any actual experimenting on this concept.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Dark Magic'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Through many a day spent sitting in a corner of the Quicksand pondering her magical theories while immersing herself in the lifeblood of the city, her thoughts traveled far and wide on the principles of magic and their relationship with man and the world. Such philosophical drivel aside, it occurred to her as she was watching a drinking contest that perhaps she was thinking too hard on a subject that was actually rather simple. The principle of the Ultima Weapon's most terrifying power was that it could absorb the power of the primals into itself and, so the theory went, use their powers as its own. As she had discovered through her arcane training, there already ''was'' a similar technique in play, the aetherflow. The problem was its limitations, and that it only drew upon ambient aether. <br><br> While stumped on how to get around this block, she diverted some attention to figuring out methods of rapidly-deploying aetheric circles in combat, given that most enemies would be disinclined to stand around letting her draw runes on the ground around them. Musing on the fragility of crystals, she discovered a method to 'pre-cast' partial aetheric circles by inscribing them into specifically-marked spell catalysts that, when shattered in specific sequence in a set pattern, would inscribe an invisible aetheric circle on whatever solid surface they were shattered against. She found that this was most useful when fighting unarmed, as many would assume she was a bog-standard pugilist and therefore wouldn't be suspicious of her moving around in a fight. <br><br> As the weeks passed and she wandered about the city, she chanced upon a handful of Sultansworn in a full-contact mock training exercise. Taking a moment to stop and observe their actions, she watched as a pre-cast protective spell flashed to life to ward off a harmful spell, but not fully mitigate its damage. That scene taking root in her mind, she returned to the Quicksand to ponder. The nature of protective spells were meant to turn away harmful effects, but using her aetheric circles, could she not invert its purpose, directing an opponent's magic or spirit energy into a user whose aetherflow was opened to draw in such energies? <br><br> With thorough studying in the matter, she discovered that her theory was spot-on, allowing her to absorb the energies of an opponent's attack into herself, giving her a limited-time increase to specific attributes depending on the nature of the absorbed energies. This method of using her developing theory of magic was impractical, as it required her drawing a spell circle to influence the absorption of the energy, and therefore was ill-suited for most combat scenarios. Further, the act of absorbing spells or spirit energy infused that energy to her very soul, an unnatural and corrosive effect that forced her to determine that this new magic she was inventing be reserved for the most emergency of uses. <br><br> Because of this, she has taken to calling her new magic system ''Magia Erebia''.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''New Eras, New Places, New Faces'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Time waits for no man, and Chao was no exception. Word of a new terrifying superweapon in the hands of Garlemald spread through Eorzea like wildfire, and she knew that they had come with their Ultimate Weapon. To her surprise, however, the Eorzean leaders did not seem to fear the tremendous power of the weapon, instead were planning a ''preemptive strike'' to destroy the thing before it could be brought into play. Unknowing of what means the Eorzeans intended to fight it with, but well resolved in the knowledge that she would not suffer them to face that menace alone, she journeyed to the Hall of Flames to avail her burgeoning magical talent to the Alliance's efforts. And thus came to pass her involvement in Operation: Archon, a rather boring endeavor which saw her standing far from the front lines, raining concentrated blasts of fire down on far-away Garleans by way of indirect fire. <br><br> Returning to Ul'dah after the successful destruction of the Ultimate Weapon and the heralding of the Seventh Astral Era, Chao felt herself adrift. Her entire life since coming to Eorzea had been dedicated to empowering herself and devising technology to destroy the weapon, and yet now she found herself without that clear adversary to test herself against. Returning to her usual haunt in the Quicksand to consider her notes on varying magitek research projects, she found herself attracting some interesting characters. First came an elezen lady curious of what she was reading, prompting a rather fast-paced and aggressive conversation which has Chao convinced that she was being hit upon, ending with a promise by Aeliette to 'discover all her dark secrets.' <br><br> Several days later, she was approached by another elezen who offered thanks to her for the assistance she rendered in attempting to determine whether a wine bottle had been poisoned. Introducing himself as Isaudorel, their conversation was far more agreeable, despite the brief intrusion of a rather rude individual who accused Chao of being of purchaseable companionship. Electing to not dignify that with a response, the conversation soon found its way turning toward their preferred styles of combat, with Chao informing him of her creation of her 'combat mage' style of combat. Intrigued of a method by which one could combine hand-to-hand with magical combat, he requested a spar to allow her to demonstrate her style, to which she agreed, pleased to have the opportunity to test her style in 'real' combat. <br><br> Traveling just outside of Forgotten Springs in the Sagolii Desert, Chao and Isaudorel squared off, observed by a small crowd of interested individuals who either came along from the Quicksand or happened to be passing through. Initiating the duel, Chao used her ''shundo'' to cross the distance separating them before he could react, a rising crescent kick almost finishing the fight in a single blow. Recovering from it, he retaliated with a blizzard spell, which she dispersed with a ''Red Blaze'' fire spell before charging back in to rain strikes at him. With a quick thought, he cast a manawall charged with electricity in an attempt to paralyze her. Though the charged energy knocked her back, she managed to avoid a paralysis and unleashed seven ''Sagitta Magica'' arrows to divert his attention. He answered in kind with a wide-area blizzard spell to destroy them, then began another incantation. To break the barrier, Chao used a floating chunk of ice as a springboard by which to ''shundo'' at him and use the entire force of her body to try and break the barrier. Just as she hit, he completed his incantation, casting a Fire-III directly on himself to catch both of them at once, an effective suicide-bomb attack. <br><br> Blown to the side by the power of the strike, Chao was the first to her feet, laughing at the cleverness of the attack and commending him for its execution. Isaudorel, however, having exhausted his mana to pull that stunt and doing no small amount of harm to himself, ceded the spar at that point. Expressing his wish for a future re-engagement, he returned to Ul'dah--or so she presumed--to get himself some rest and recovery. Afterwards, she was approached by one of the observers, one [[Gunnbjorn Darkblade]] who was very impressed with her style and wished to challenge her himself at some point in the future. With a smirk, she stated that she would always be ready to test her skills out once more. <br><br> A few days beyond that, she found herself approached once more at the Quicksand, this time by a man answering to the name of Lucian Malloy. Speaking at length of idle topics, he soon invited her to a place he liked wherein she could think free of distractions, citing the noise of the Quicksand being a cause of headaches for him. Initially concerned that it may be an ill-fated kidnapping attempt, given the nature of Ul'dah, she felt confident that she would be more than any would-be kidnappers were prepared for, and agreed to accompany him. Following along with his teleport to Costa del Sol, she soon discovered that his motives were no more ill than that of any red-blooded male attempting to woo a female. In further efforts to impress her, he cast a healing circle spell, the radius of which grew with every passing moment. It soon became clear that this spell was too powerful for him to sustain, causing him to become as though intoxicated, making ever more and more ridiculous statements as time went on. He soon passed unconscious from the effects of the significant drain on his aether, but not before he managed to activate a failsafe teleport of some sort that returned the two of them to his free company's homestead in the Goblet. <br><br> At the mansion of the Reclaimers, Chao brought him to rest in an infirmary bed, then wandered the halls to find one of his free company mates to assist him. Atticus Buffalobane and Lena Ulionov appeared from their room, in a particular state that left no doubt in Chao's mind what they had been up to, but she politely refrained from saying anything on the matter. It was swiftly determined that he suffered from aetheric depletion, prompting Lena to head off to procure some ethers to solve the matter. After a few moments, she returned with Rinh Amariyo in tow, while Chao stood to the back of the room and let them see to their comrade. After some good-natured ribbing on their part once Lucian came around, Lena inquired as to Chao's occupation. When the combat mage informed them of her specialty in Garlean magitek, suddenly both Lena and Rinh became very interested in her, the former requesting that she return the next day to look at a piece of Garlean technology that the Reclaimers had "acquired." <br><br> Coming the next day as promised, she was introduced to another associate of the Reclaimers, Popato Tomato, who presented a large Garlean orb and explained that it was an aetheric suppressor and that they wished to find a way to make it smaller and allow it to only suppress aether of unwanted intruders rather than the rightful occupants of the manor. Explaining that miniaturization was her specialty, Chao poked around in the device's innards and, following a demonstration of its effects during which she decided to see what would happen if the aether-absorbing field came into contact with her when her aether was sealed--the device short-circuited--she determined that she could meet all their specifications as long as they procured her a pair of Garlean magitek cores--one in case she made a mistake--with which to install in the machine; the rest she had the tools to do herself. They stated that it would be easy for them to acquire the cores, leaving her time to sketch out her redesign of the smaller device and acquire the parts she would need from the Ironworks. <br><br> It took less than a day for her to complete her sketched redesign and even prototype a few replicas in the Ironworks of the modified device. Waiting to be contacted by the Reclaimers to complete her work for them, she resumed her habit of occupying the Quicksand, spending her time going over her design in exacting detail and ensuring everything would function as she expected it to. As she waited and tinkered with converting one of the miniature prototypes into a working autonomous device, she felt an intense gaze on her, and looked around to find a hyuran woman staring at her. The woman approached, stating aloud that Chao looked familiar to her, which became a shared sensation when the woman drew near enough to get a good look at in the dim lighting of the tavern. When Chao pointed out that she was only commonly found at the Quicksand or in the Ironworks, the woman seated herself and proclaimed that it was from the Ironworks that they were familiar with one another. The woman introduced herself as [[Satomi Hakase]], primarily employed by the airship operations division. Though this introduction was to be brief, as an acquaintance of Satomi soon arrived portending a situation which required the hyur's attention, Chao was left with the feeling that she might begin to work with the Ironworks airship sector a bit more often. <br><br> Even with that chance encounter with a fellow in the spirit of science, she continued to feel further and further adrift and separated from the currents of the realm, left as she was with no strong source of opposition to test herself against. The influx of refugees from Doma, the tension from Ul'dah's rejection of sanctuary of them, and the riots that ensued were not something that she, a purveyor of weapons and therefore a 'merchant of death', cared to involve herself in, as she would neither see her people oppressed nor would she hand out her developing forms of advanced weaponry a nation so rife with corruption. So she continued to spend her days in the city idle, chatting at random with whatever passers-by expressed interest in her, spending fewer and fewer hours contemplating new advancements of magitek or ''Magia Erebia''. One conversation ended with a suggestion that she turn her attention to the Ishgardian war with the dravanian hordes and supply weapons for that battle, but she thought little of the backwards, dogmatic ways of the Holy See and did not see the dravanians as a threat to the other city-states should Ishgard fall. She did, at the least, state that she would give it her consideration, and if nothing else it would be an exercise in retrograding her inventions to withstand both the cold of Coerthas and the searing flames of a dragon's breath.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As she took a meal one evening, the tavern as noisy as ever, her ears picked out of the din a small but overbearing voice aimed in her direction. Turning to see a lalafell staring down her nose at her--an act she'd hitherto thought lalafells physically incapable of--she found herself subjected to a barrage of queries regarding a male miqo'te she had never even heard of. When she said as much, the lalafell half-ranted out a slew of other names, only one of which caught her attention: Satomi Hakase. <br><br> With that mentioned, the short one seemed to take a moment to reevaluate Chao, apparently considering there was more to her than met the eye to be an associate of Satomi's, and thereby deeming her 'worthy' by some arbitrary benchmark. Speaking more at length of this 'Sypher Corinth' she was after, she explained that he owed a not-inconsiderable debt to her, promising an unspecified percentage of it for delivering him or information on his whereabouts. Chao accepted, but money had little to do with it; in truth, she was far more interested in having something to do that would take her out of the city. <br><br> The lalafell, who left only her given name Zoey, informed Chao that Sypher had ties with Vylbrand Academy, which sent the miqo'te to Ul'dah's airship landing for a journey to the island city-state. Some hours were spent querying practically every soul in Limsa Lominsa as to the location of the Academy, but perseverance eventually paid off. Upon entering the nondescript building, which initially appeared to be empty, she followed the sound of voices to a lower level that seemed to house a bar, where she queried if any present knew of Sypher. <br><br> After a brief discussion, she was requested to speak of the matter privately with a miqo'te woman she presumed to be the Academy's master, accompanied by an elezen whose role was not explained but Chao presumed to be the master's second. Once in Kyra's office, she explained the situation as it had transpired in the Quicksand, swiftly becoming confused with the way they seemed to become very tense at someone pursuing this 'Sypher' for a substantial debt. It was now clear to her that she was being manipulated as a pawn in the schemes of the lalafell, a sensation she was none too pleased with. When the elezen asked her to convey to the lalafell a request to come to the Academy and 'discuss' the matter, she readily agreed to do so. <br><br> The following afternoon, Chao returned to the Academy, having been informed by Ser Chevalier that a weapon class was to be given that day. As it turned out, she had mistakenly-assumed that it would be more of a showcase of varying weapons from which she might be able to draw inspiration for her projects, but as it turned out, it was an actual instructional class on the varieties of a specific weapon type, in this case axes. Unwilling to be rude by getting up and walking out in the middle of it, she decided to wait it out and observe. This turned out to be possibly one of her best decisions to date. <br><br> In the midst of the class, who should appear out of the blue but Satomi herself. As it turned out, Vylbrand Academy was the fellow researcher's home away from the Ironworks. After politely waiting out the duration of the class and then exchanging a few words with the Academy master and Ser Chevalier, Satomi invited Chao to her laboratory-cum-room to catch up, along with a lalafell that quickly became apparent to be of significant emotional interest to Satomi. After he left on business, Satomi expressed her concern over the appearances inherent in that relationship, but Chao assured her that she would not judge, with the statement that one will find love wherever their heart desires, and that was all there was to that. <br><br> With that fear settled, the pair discussed the situation involving Sypher and the debt, Satomi expressing her concern that he did not seem to be in that high an amount of debt, and Chao herself finding suspicion that so many at the Academy seemed to have their hackles raised by the entire affair. When Satomi remarked that she would gladly pay off the debt and needed to find the woman, Chao stated that she would be glad to accompany Satomi, both to get her own answers on what the hell she'd been dragged into and to provide martial help should it become necessary, promising her fellow Ironworks researcher that she was not as fragile as she looked. <br><br> Turning their conversation to lighter topics, Satomi eventually discerned that, aside from the Ironworks, Chao had no place to call home other than the Hourglass inn attached to the Quicksand, and near of mandated that Chao avail herself of Satomi's lab as often as she deemed necessary. Though not necessarily wanting to take overmuch advantage of Satomi's hospitality--and that of the Academy, which she was sure did not think too highly of her--the truth was simple in that she was adrift in Ul'dah, and a newer locale nearer to where Satomi hung her proverbial hat would not only allow easier collaboration but might also provide some desperately-needed inspiration. <br><br> And so, returning to Ul'dah, she gathered her meager belongings from the Hourglass and took a day or so to finish up all her activities in the jewel of the desert. Traveling by airship to Limsa, she procured a room at the Mizzenmast for a few days so as not to just show up out of the blue at the Academy like an unwanted relative. On the eve before she decided to make her trip to the Academy, she was met in the Drowning Wench by her erstwhile lalafell 'employer', who explained the ''actual'' purpose of the search for Sypher, that being a murder investigation that was now being considered a self-defense act. <br><br> Chao was willing to let bygones be on the matter for a twofold reason: first, it ''was'' a bit of a mercy on Zoey's part to have him investigated for a debt rather than murder, and secondly, Chao's journey to the Academy enabled her to reconnect with Satomi, an all-around net gain for her. Any ire she may have had about Zoey leading her about in the dark was defused by the lalafellin investigator's sincere apologies. Further, Zoey seemed to sense an utmost trustworthiness in Chao, which took the Doman by surprise, and prompted a departure on good terms, with a note that Zoey might seek her out again for further--and much more transparent, as promised--ventures in the future.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Departed'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao had always considered herself intelligent, and whenever first approached by a new person, especially someone with a thuggish demeanor or appearance, always reminded herself that Eorzea was a realm full of malcontents and kept ready in the back of her mind the fact that the very next person to approach her may subject her to some ill-fated kidnapping attempt, assault, or issue of the like. Heretofore, that had never become an issue, but on the day that she prepared to finally make the sojourn to Vylbrand Academy, it turned out that she was properly paranoid after all. <br><br> The lalafell that approached her side may well have succeeded in the assassination attempt had she not stooped to pick up a dropped utensil at the exact moment the would-be assassin moved to draw his blade. A commendably-strengthed kick, given her less-than-stellar positioning seated on a barstool, launched the smallfolk into a pillar, where he was promptly joined by the stool she had just vacated. With the ambush attempt failed, a roegadyn, a hyur, and a miqo'te joined the fray. It was clear they lacked up-to-date knowledge on her skillset, as defeating them proved to be a far simpler endeavor than she had expected. <br><br> Rifling through their pockets made it clear they were a Garlean hit squad, as if their banter during the unrepentant mugging they suffered had not already made that point. Troubling was that they'd come specifically for her, and that meant she was on Garlemald's radar again. Whether they sought blood for her sabotage of the Ultima Weapon or a return of her knowledge to their fold was unknown, and frankly irrelevant. What mattered was that they would stop at nothing to achieve their goal, and that endangered everyone she associated with. <br><br> Knowing that, she knew that she could not, in good conscience, let the Academy and its occupants be brought to harm because of her, and so decided to instead go into hiding. <br><br> Steeling her resolve, and feeling herself to be facing one of the greatest trials she ever had, she covered herself in a linen cloak and walked the rainy streets of Limsa, heading down to the ferry. She found bitter amusement that it would rain on this day, of all days. The ferry passed uneventfully, dropping Chao off near the Vylbrand Academy. The weather had long since broke, leaving it a cool, slightly clouded night. Keeping her eyes sharp for any signs of pursuit, she made her way toward the Academy, each step feeling heavier than the one before it. <br><br> As she expected, the Academy itself was not vacant. As she neared, she espied Ser Chevallier conversing in one corner of the yard, and fully expected to be stopped as to her business. But, to her surprise, she was allowed to pass into the building without a word, and found no other souls as she made her way to Satomi's lab. Once inside, she located her tome that she had left previously within a few minutes, replacing it with a letter that explained her entire history, that she was now being hunted, and that she was choosing to disappear rather than endanger any others. <br><br> With that heavy task complete, she lamented a moment on what may have been had they had the opportunity to combine their knowledge and skills, then turned and left the Academy, as silent and unremarkable as she had arrived. Tome in hand, she had only to pay a visit to the Ironworks to ensure they were properly warned and destroy her research data before she could complete her disappearing act. <br><br> Upon arrival, she found herself trailed by a particular pair of a roegadyn and a lalafell as she moved about destroying her research data, the two attempting to talk her out of her chosen path. She would have none of it, however, remaining adamant about preventing the Empire from having any extra reasons to express their ire with the Ironworks due to her presence. Eventually relenting, Biggs and Wedge decided to, at the very least, do what they could to help her survival, handing her a completed prototype of one of her very own designs: a powered assault armor. With thanks and a promise to continue moving ever onward, Chao clothed herself in the prototype battlesuit and departed from the Ironworks, closing that chapter of her life as well. <br><br> Traveling to the cliff edge of Silvertear Lake, Chao gazed upon the shattered wreck of the ''Agrius'', musing on whether she would require a power equal to that of the Guardian of the Lake in order to turn back the Empire. As she considered this, she engulfed her tome in flames to forever deny its contents to the Empire. The scuffle of approaching persons drew her attention, but kept her back to them, knowing she could easily beat any Garlean to the draw who had hubris enough to make their approach known. <br><br> To her surprise, it was the voice of Satomi who called out to her, demanding her purpose and threatening violence should she have been responsible for harm to....herself. Clearly, Satomi had mistaken her cloaked form for that of a Garlean assassin. She turned to identify herself properly, bracing for what was surely to be a lengthy attempt to convince her to not fleet into hiding. The sight of Chao unharmed brought the hyuran scientist great relief, and she launched quickly into a narrative of how hectic the last several days had been, in-between dodging Garlean assassins and interrogating captured spies. <br><br> Confused by the explanation, Satomi continued that she had discovered a list of targets that the Garleans were going after, including both of the two researchers. That Satomi herself was targeted explained her being in the company of Kyrrae--beyond the obvious reasons therefore--but the knowledge that the Empire was doing more than just coming after her for revenge changed things. She couldn't very well run away and hide while others were being hunted and killed by the Garleans. Stating as much, she cast aside her cloak, revealing her newly-acquired armor to Kyrrae and Satomi in the process, and swore upon the wreckage of the ''Agrius'' that she would never stop fighting against the Empire. <br><br> With all thoughts of flight now permanently out of the magitek prodigy's mind, Satomi bid they leave the far-too-open expanses of Mor Dhona for a more secure location. Utilizing a quick manipulation of aether, the trio teleported to Kyrrae's personal residence in the Lavender Beds, taking the extra opportunity to speak of the situation before bedding down for the evening.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits II'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Beginning to devise her own scheme for additional security against the Garleans, Chao set out the next morning to set it into motion. Over the course of the next several days, she visited sites of combat with Imperial forces across the realm, scavenging parts from downed vanguards, reapers, colossi, and death claws. After several days of this, she received a linkpearl call from Satomi, sounding highly distressed and requesting her presence at the Academy. Initially fearing that the Garleans had gotten Satomi and were using her to try and draw Chao out, she made haste to Vylbrand and entered Satomi's lab with a gusto normally reserved for breaching an enemy fortified position. <br><br> As it turned out, no such precaution was necessary; the state of Satomi's health being due entirely to stress as a result of a near-death experience on Kyrrae's part while Chao was away. Before much more of the subject could be discussed--though enough was spoken of to cause Chao concern for Satomi's well-being--the hyur was called to socialize with the other members of the Academy. Chao, feeling the need to look after her a while longer, accompanied her downstairs and discovered to her amusement that Satomi was ''bartending'' this social event. Tucking herself out of the way, she observed the gathering as she had always observed every tavern interaction, reminded quite thoroughly of her days spent warming chairs in the Quicksand. These thoughts prompted her to wonder what some of her old acquaintances were now up to. As the afternoon wore on, however, the state of Satomi's health became all the more clear: between a dropped glass and nearly stumbling into Chao while passing out a drink, it was clear she was about to pass out on her feet. After a while, she was convinced to retire and rest for the evening, which she reluctantly agreed to do, with Chao ensuring she made it safely back to her room/lab. <br><br> Once back in the lab, Satomi confided in Chao that she had been feeling increasingly depressed over the last several weeks, stemming from the sequence of events that had seemed to go from bad to worse: Chao's disappearance, the Garlean attacks, drama within the Academy, and finally Kyrrae's near-fatal experience. All these experiences, the scientist reasoned, were a negative consequence of deciding to emotionally open herself, rather than the previously-aloof way she had lived her life. In conclusion, she decided that her best course of action would be to return to that way of life, cutting ties with all who knew her and disappearing. <br><br> The only thing standing between her and freedom was a miqo'te magitek prodigy now prepared to enact violence on her closest friend. <br><br> Tactically and very overtly positioning herself between Satomi and the door, Chao immediately declared Satomi's plan a farce, pointing to her own recent experience with 'pulling a runner' that achieved nothing fruitful other than stress and harm to others' lives. This having no effect on Satomi's scheme, she moved on to directly counter the hyur's assertions that she was of no value to anyone by pointing out the positive effects she had had on the lives of Grundy, Kyrrae, and even herself, that without Satomi's influence one or all three of them may currently be dead. This began to crumble Satomi's emotional facade, but she remained adamant. Chao went for the kill: she pointed out, accurately, that if Satomi left the Academy, then Kyrrae would go looking for her, no matter if he was fully-recovered or not. And what then, Chao posited, would happen if he should run afoul of Garlean assassins while out in his weakened state? <br><br> That destroyed Satomi's resolve to flee, and she broke down and confessed her insecurities to Chao, who promised that no matter what choice Satomi made, she would always have the likes of Grundy, Kyrrae, and Chao to stand by her side.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Project µ'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Having researched, heard the tales of, and occasionally witnessed the grasp of the Allagans' technology in the field of automatons, Chao determined to move her own projects in that direction. Similar to the Garleans' favoring of large robotic minions, Chao also saw the value in a heavily-armored combatant with limits far beyond those of normal sentient beings. As ever, where Garlemald's cultural values leaned toward the largest, most visible and intimidating machine on the field, Chao felt far more could be accomplished with a much more compact form. Thus, with the salvaged parts of the various Garlean robots and her highly-useful talent for miniaturizing existing items, she had begun constructing a humanoid-sized combat frame using her own form as a reference. <br><br> Keeping herself sequestered away in a back corner of Satomi's lab and spending all her waking hours on her work, completing the basic frame of the machine and all its inner workings went very quickly, taking her no longer than a week. With that completed, however, she needed to look to a way of giving life to the machine, and not simply in the form of its source of power. Knowing of the great combat power of the Allagans' automated defense mechanisms, one of their core processors would do the job nicely. The key laid in finding one that had not yet been programmed to murder everything in the name of the Forerunners, one that ''she'' could dictate the development of. She would, of course, also require a mammet heart to give her creation a true semblance of sentience, but that was almost trivial in comparison to acquiring an unprogrammed Allagan defense node core. <br><br> Recalling well that Cid had left the doors of the Ironworks open to her, she returned once more to darken their doors, seeking any knowledge the Ironworks might have on sourcing a core to suit her needs. While they lacked a fresh, unprogrammed one, they had a number of cores recovered from destroyed drones recovered primarily from the battlegrounds of Carteneau Flats that she could use to get a feel for how they functioned, and how she might turn one to her own uses. Along with this, he suggested a number of known magitek part peddlers that she might attempt to source one through, lest she wish to get a shovel and start digging at Carteneau. <br><br> After several fruitless endeavors, she managed to make contact with one Dogberry Himalspyr and met with him in Limsa Lominsa to discuss whether he could acquire the core she required. While he did not have any readily available, at least not of the Allagan variety ''and'' unprogrammed, he mentioned that he was planning to explore an Allagan ruin in the coming weeks and invited her to partake and search for what she was after. Deciding that to work well to her advantage, she agreed to come along on the venture, taking a linkpearl from him so that she might be informed of when it would gather. With that laid out, she returned to Vylbrand Academy to continue tweaking the frame and making adjustments to her combat unit. <br><br> To her surprise, she discovered when she returned that Satomi had already solved the problem of a mammet heart: using her not-inconsiderable personal stores of gil, she had commissioned one from the goldsmiths' guild specifically to suit their needs. With the device delivered, Chao was able to activate her robotic creation, upon which she bestowed the name "Myu" as a phonetic of the Allagan symbol µ that she had used as the project codename. Curiously, though powered, Myu had yet to show signs of life. <br><br> Days passed as Chao and Satomi both puzzled over Myu's reticence to awaken. Nothing ''mechanically'' was wrong, the machine simply just refused to start up. Both knew that such fickleness was common to mammets and other devices powered by their hearts, and so resolved to be patient. They knew that Myu's sensory functions and learning core were online and active, taking in data at a constant rate, and so they operated under the assumption that Myu was studying them.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Into the Depths'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As the week ended, she was contacted regarding the Allagan expedition and asked to arrive at Camp Drybone within several days' time. Satomi, unfortunately, had other business to attend to, but Chao assured her friend that she would be fine to enter the ruin alone, and would bring back a mountain of data, ''and'' the necessary core. Donning her battlesuit and taking a supply of spare crystals for recharging if necessary, she took the airship to Ul'dah and, mindful of the continuing unrest in the city, rode her chocobo to the outer encampment of Drybone. <br><br> By the time she had arrived, most of the rest of the venture had already made it, and so she stood off nearby and ran checks on her armor, ensuring everything was functioning at top form. After the last of the group formed up, they trekked by chocobo across eastern Thanalan, far into the scrubland. They arrived at a large work camp, many of the workers and sellswords within bearing injuries that Chao recognized as being caused by Allagan traps and defenses. Though she pitied those unfortunates, she lacked the skills necessary to heal them. <br><br> As tasked by the expedition funder--or so she assumed since it was never fully explained--the team entered into the ruin, proceeding into an aether-swamped cavern filled with platforms of clearly-Allagan design and corrupted creatures tainted by the presence of so much aether. The vast majority posed no great threat to the party and were swiftly overcome, save for the last creature they encountered: a bio-engineered monstrously-sized snake fitted with Allagan control devices. Far more devious and empowered than the lesser creatures, this beast nearly laid low the expedition, leaving at four of its members unconscious, but at least still breathing. <br><br> Reviving their downed comrades and retreating back to the surface, the group took the time to catch their breath as a follow-on force of mercenaries was sent to secure the first antechamber. It wasn't long before a runner in dire health reported a second chamber further into the ruin, with clearly far worse inhabitants. Leaving the winded Dogberry to rest, his place was taken by the other man behind the expedition, one [[Alexander Stormwind]], and they ventured into the ruin again. <br><br> Within, they found what Chao recognized as an Allagan networking center, the 'brain' behind the defense systems of all their facilities. Met at the entrance by a small node that immediately went on the offense, the group proceeded to systemically clear all the nodes around the network before engaging the ADS itself. After a grueling battle, they finally managed to destroy it. Immediately setting to scavenging it, Chao removed its destroyed processor core to discover a secondary core that had been intended to transfer its data to was left untouched by both the battle and any attempt to download data. <br><br> It was the unprogrammed ADS core that she needed for Myu. <br><br> With the network downed, the party took several minutes to recover. Chao herself took to exploring the network area. Her attention was soon drawn beyond the platforms, to large columns of smoke she saw rising from other such clusters of platforms. It took only a few moments of observation--and the sight of moving machinery--to realize she was staring at a Foundry, a place where the Allagans ''built'' their machines. <br><br> This place would definitely merit returning to. <br><br> Returning to the surface, she took a moment to inspect her prize, which Stormwind swiftly demanded she hand over for proper cataloging and storage. Unwilling to part with that which she had come for, and needed to bring Myu to her ideal of full combat readiness, she pointed out that she had been brought on this expedition to acquire this very part, which Dogberry attempted to intercede on her behalf over. Stormwind was adamant, however, refusing to pay for a half-completed venture, even as Dogberry himself pointed out that she still was perfectly willing to press on despite getting what she had come for. At this point, recognizing that there would be no way to have things her way without resorting to violence, Chao ceded for the time, shoving the core into the hands of a passing worker and immediately stonewalled the rest of the raid. <br><br> Within minutes, a new chamber was found, this one seeming more confusing than threatening. Upon the party's arrival to the chamber in question, the reason became immediately apparent: a deep chamber running for over three hundred yalms straight down with the entire center section either lost to time or purposely omitted. The only way to move from section to section was by use of transporter pads dotted around the chamber that would propel an individual across a gap to a connected pad. How the pads were linked, and by what means an individual was propelled and then safely landed was a mystery to Chao, having never before heard of such devices in her studies of the Allagans. <br><br> And the place was full of creatures of Allagan creation, genetically-engineered beasts that harried the party at every turn. Despite attempts to the contrary, the nature of the place and the continuous assaults from every direction swiftly saw the party largely separated, Chao herself winding up alongside one of the group's healers, [[Mikh'a Korofi]]. Knowing that they were better served to run than try to fight, Chao deployed her funnel in an attempt to clear a path and ward off any pursuers, but the largely-untested nature of the drone meant that its effectiveness was, at best, negligible. After a grueling struggle, and no small amount of paths being cleared by the other groups, Chao and Mikh'a eventually escaped through an Allagan teleportation device, winding up back on the surface. <br><br> By ones and twos, the others soon returned, until only one had yet to show up. The elezen bladeswoman, [[Menelwen Veara]], remained unaccounted for within the ruin. As the minutes stretched on, the group grew increasingly frantic, eventually culminating in nearly a re-entry into the deathtrap, until Menelwen reappeared at high velocity, nearly bowling over the lalafell warrior in the process. As it turned out, she had become separated when she took it upon herself to draw away a pack of monsters, barely escaping with her life. <br><br> Sensing that the mystery objective of the expedition was near, Stormwind once more stepped forward to take part in the operation, allowing Menelwen the time to rest and recover from her harrowing ordeal. Clearing the central transport center apparently unlocked some sort of mechanism, revealing a lift at its entrance that allowed them to bypass it. Taking the lift down, the group was soon accosted by Allagan clockwork defenses, lesser in the hierarchy of the Allagans' nasties, to be sure, but they were part of the basis for Project µ for a reason. With determination and grit, the group steadily overcame them and Chao, no more immune to pride than any other, tore the processor from the still-fighting final dreadnaught and rode its smoking carcass to the ground, remarking on how Myu would soon surpass the Allagans' wildest dreams. <br><br> With the lift guardians defeated, the remainder of the journey passed in tense silence. Chao took the opportunity to recharge her armor from her stock of crystals and center herself for whatever was to come. When the doors opened, she did not consider herself prepared enough. <br><br> There, standing before them, was the Ultimate Weapon. Or rather, a seemingly-mass-produced knockoff of the very self-same weapon of mass destruction that had been employed by Garlemald. Given that it had originally been created by the Allagans to control and contain the primals, she realized she should not be surprised to find more than one in existence. Meanwhile, Stormwind seemed to lose his mind in that way that scientists were capable of; it was something she was familiar with not only from herself but from Satomi as well. So that was what it looked like, she mused. Still, and all, the thing had become active in their presence, and now had to be put down. <br><br> Engaging in battle, Chao couldn't help but feel a thrill as she alternated between the use of her Doman martial style and the magicks she had trained on for nearly a year now; she had missed her chance to take down the Ultimate Weapon, and here again was a second chance to see what that had felt like. And through the ravages of time, combined with the skill of the expedition she was in, they steadily dismantled the monster, forcing it to use increasingly more desperate tactics to ward them off. When it deployed a series of magitek bits, as she suspected it might, she wasted no chance, diving one to the ground and prying open its casing even as it tried to blast her with lasers. From her own experience with working with the Ultimate Weapon and all she had learned in the construction of 'Dummy', she was able to alter its targeting processes to turn it against the Allagan superweapon. <br><br> Before long, the monstrous device lay in ruins at their feet. Returning to the surface, Stormwind swiftly dispatched all the mercenaries and workers to that deepest of chambers, ordering the entire thing dismantled and brought back to the surface. Chao half-listened as he explained to the other members of the expedition that the Order of the Raven's Eye had come seeking that very superweapon, intent on using its technology to create a means to better combat the primal threat. Over the course of the discussion, she learned from the lalafell warrior that the Syndicate were also after another such weapon, a monstrosity hidden below the Carteneau Flats called the ''Omega'' Weapon. The revelation filled her with disgust, to know that those vile, amoral sycophants concerned only with their own wealth would seek a power of that magnitude. She could almost foresee conflict in her future with those fools. <br><br> With many of the expedition dispersing, Stormwind turned his attention to Chao, fetching a worker to acquire the core she had found earlier, now more than pleased to hand over the device to her since he had found what he was looking for. As for what the Order was up to, she agreed with their ideal to protect the realm from the primals, but swore that if she caught wind of whatever they created being used for oppression, she'd destroy it herself. Stormwind actually seemed pleased with that vow, and promised himself that he would be careful in guiding their creation's use. <br><br> ADS core in hand, Chao returned to Vylbrand once more, looking forward to the day when Myu would achieve her full combat potential.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Might and Magic'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Back at the Academy, Chao secured the ADS core and stashed it away amidst the mass of other research materials Satomi kept in her lab, where it would remain until Chao judged it was time to install into Myu's processor. In the meantime, she spent several days repairing her armor and working on upgrades to her funnel. In the midst of one such repair session, taken on a couch to the side of the Academy's entrance so as to be out of the way, Chao was discovered by Zooey. After a brief discussion, during which Chao remarked on how she felt herself the nuisance stray at the Academy, the investigator took it upon herself to begin dissolving this notion, demanding Chao to step away from the couch even as she called out, rather loudly, for all nearby members of the group to gather around. This having happened while her funnel was fully-disassembled, and she didn't want to leave such sensitive material unattended for even such a brief time, she found herself getting to meet several of the Academy's occupants while carrying an armful of funnel parts. Of the half-dozen individuals present, all welcomed her warmly into their midst, several even offering her crash space in their residences if it was necessary. <br><br> Even with that welcome extended, she still couldn't shake the inescapable sensation of being an outsider looking in, and so maintained the excuse of working on her projects to remain out of everyone's way. Over the course of several days, she began working on a means to have weapons and gear on-hand any time it was necessary without being overly encumbered. Using the existing knowledge of aetheryte teleportation, she imbued each of the key components of her battlesuit with a unique aetheric signature that she then tied to an Allagan magic focus ring recovered from the ruin she had explored. When successfully tested, she could now go about in everyday attire without having to fear being caught by assassins without her armor. <br><br> Learning of an upcoming festival of science and magic to be hosted by the Academy, she decided to partake of this event, seeing it as an opportunity to showcase the arms she was developing for the realm. That is, until she saw the rules forbidding weapons and dangerous magic, which automatically disqualified nearly all of her work. While she ''could'' have used Myu as her demonstrator, she was not willing to reveal the existence of a humanoid combat robot yet. After a day or so to ponder it, she realized that there ''was'' something she could safely demonstrate: her theory of provisional contract. <br><br> So she recollected her since-destroyed research on the matter, acquired a new showy coat in the Allagan fashion, and waited until the day of the festival. Shortly before it was to begin, in order to settle her restlessness, she took her funnel outside and tested several of its settings on the target dummy outside. Her initial test of nonlethal settings at extremely limited power nearly resulted in the thing shooting ''her'', but on subsequent tests after being very specific on what, precisely, to shoot at, she noted that even at minimum power, the nonlethal setting possessed enough energy and impact to potentially stun victims and destroy clothing and equipment. A further test on the lethal setting at half power completely obliterated the target dummy. Leaving herself a mental reminder to either replace or pay to replace the target dummy, she headed inside to partake in the presentation portion of the festival. <br><br> Having been selected to go first, she took the stage and presented her theory of what she was taking to refer to as ''pactio'': that through the use of a specifically-designed magic circle, an individual proficient in magic could create a bond of partnership--a provisional contract--with another person that would allow the mage to imbue the partner with their own aether to increase their attributes. To demonstrate, she called forth [[Nebula Stardancer|two]] [[Sabirr Loreley|volunteers]] from the audience and cast the magic circle on the stage. She explained the basics of the contract, that it was formed by an exchange of bodily fluids; a blood pact would suffice for the matter, but if the two parties were not amenable to that, even something as simple as a kiss would do the job. The two volunteers decided on the latter, and in a flash of magic and light, Chao's theory was proven to be truthful: the successfully-created provisional contract validated by the presence of a tarot-like card bearing the likeness and several details of Nebula. <br><br> After a short session to answer questions, Chao stepped down to observe the rest of the presentations. One concerning the use of aether to reduce fatigue on mechanical systems drew her close inspection for obvious reasons. Last of the presentations was from Satomi, creating a rather fitting set of book ends to the whole affair in Chao's opinion. Her friend and partner in crime showcased a combat-purposed mammet that she had built in the likeness of Grundy. While Chao had known that Satomi had been working on such a thing in tandem with Chao's own work on Myu, she hadn't realized that Satomi's machine had reached the prototype and test phase. When a request for volunteers to face the mammet in mock combat came, Chao stepped forward to test her friend's creation herself, but was beaten to the punch by an Academy local, [[O'rahn Kevelan]]. In the long run, that was probably the better choice, as Chao would have held nothing back in the interest of giving it a proper combat test, and they may have wound up making a mess that way. There were a few glitches in the test, but overall, Satomi's showcase was successful. <br><br> Unfortunately, the machine was soon destroyed by the ''real'' Grundy, who mistook it for an enemy accosting Satomi and shattered it in a single blow. <br><br> Without waiting to be asked to help, Chao retrieved a rolling cart and began to load the parts of the mammet into it, along with the assistance of several others. While Satomi went off to take a walk in order to keep her wits about her regarding the matter, Chao held a brief discussion with Academy resident Imogene about Project µ, remarking on how devastated she would be if something similar happened to Myu as had happened to Satomi's machine. Describing in general the technological achievements that Myu represented, Chao left the other woman quite astounded at the level of complexity in comparison between Myu and the mammet Satomi had built. The difference laid in their purpose: Satomi's machine had been intended solely for combat, and not with the level of sophistication Chao had attempted, while Myu was built to not only have astounding combat capabilities but also to be able to pass herself off as a living, breathing individual. <br><br> After bringing the cart of destroyed mammet parts to Satomi's lab, and with the scientist herself still out of the Academy, Chao spent several hours sitting and talking to Myu, telling the sleeping android of her dreams and hopes for the future, a world where people could live free of the fear of oppression, both from external and internal threats. While Chao had spent some time each day since activating Myu speaking to her in such a manner, this day was markedly different in both the time she spent doing so and the nature of her conversation topic: philosophical and whimsical rather than scientific and factual. <br><br> Days later, just when Chao had begun to let the ever-present concern of Garlemald recede from the forefront of her mind, another stark reminder made itself known. While in the front of the Academy practicing her martial arts, she watched several members of the Academy carry a gravely-wounded person inside. Curiously, she followed them within and stood outside the infirmary--knowing her lack of any knowledge of practical or magical healing arts would see her only getting in the way--and listened as Satomi treated the poor woman, who had been captured and tortured by Garlean agents, operating out of a hidden camp located somewhere on the island of Vylbrand. That was greatly troubling news. <br><br> Eventually, Satomi treated the worst of the woman's injuries, though time would tell if she healed properly. The hyuran scientist headed away to recover and clean herself after the messy procedure, and just minutes later, an elezen woman arrived with a package of supplies for someone in the Academy. Having been nearby, Chao looked within and, finding all manner of alchemy supplies, assumed it was meant for Satomi, and so showed the delivery woman to the lab. Inside, as they waited for Satomi, they struck up a brief conversation, with the elezen--an Ishgardian expatriot, so she revealed--speaking of her interest in technology and weapons, particularly of Garlean origin, to be put to use against the dravanians in Ishgard's long war. Chao warned the elezen that if she had made a habit of pillaging equipment and technology from Garlemald, that she need be alert to the fact that she may have put herself on the very same hit list occupied by Chao and Satomi themselves. <br><br> In the midst of this discussion, Satomi returned to the lab and, confused at the elezen's presence, made clear in an unusually-curt manner that she had scheduled no such delivery. The elezen woman was not troubled, merely collecting the package to be returned to the guild from whence it came. Chao, suddenly and alarmingly realizing that the entire thing may have been a setup, surreptitiously scanned its contents for any sort of Garlean tracking devices--or explosives--but thankfully found none. With the elezen gone, she apologized to Satomi for being the source of the confusion. Satomi, for her part, apologized for being so short-tempered, which Chao understood perfectly when explained that the woman convalescing in the infirmary was one of Satomi's friends. <br><br> Even despite knowing that was what was weighing so heavily on her friend's mind, Chao remained insistent on her apology for causing Satomi additional headache and usurping as much of her lab as she did. Satomi brushed the thought aside, knowing that Chao had only been intending to help her, and further remarking that Chao need not concern how much time and space she required for her "beautiful project." At this, Chao smiled, and mused aloud that perhaps they might coax Myu to awaken by installing the ADS core ahead of schedule, despite the inherent danger that might come of the Allagan base programming overtaking Myu's functions and turning her into a sentient killing machine. Satomi suggested that a backup mammet core be used to store Myu's existing data on, and then use the aetheroelectric security field in her lab to contain Myu within until they determined it safe. It was a sound plan, and so the scientists agreed to take that step the next day, allowing them time to rest and come at it refreshed. <br><br> Moving to rest in the room's seating area, Chao remembered the armory ring and micro-teleportation device she'd created, demonstrating it to Satomi by calling her battlesuit, hitherto stored in an armoire, onto her person, replacing the general-purpose work and research attire she'd been wearing. Leaving her fellow researcher quite stunned, Chao briefly explained the setup, and then handed Satomi an armory ring of her own that Chao had made for her, to ensure that neither of them would ever be caught unarmed and unprepared by Garlean assassins. Afterward, with the call of sleep tugging at both of them, they each took up occupancy on a separate couch--with Satomi explaining that she found normal beds difficult to sleep on--and rested up for whatever the next day may bring.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Logical Ideologist'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">The next afternoon, Chao decided that the time had come to take that gamble. With Satomi away on business, regrettably, she performed the necessary prerequisite steps herself: creating a backup of Myu's data to that point and moving her into the zone of the aetheric field. This latter was a difficult task with Chao by herself; given her metal construction, Myu easily massed twice Chao's own weight. Once she was positioned, however, Chao retrieved the ADS core and, observed only by the myriad of diagnostic and sensory equipment in Satomi's lab, plugged it into Myu's processor, then stepped away and brought the security field online. <br><br> The elation that filled Chao's heart when Myu opened her eyes for that first time was immeasurable, as was the terror that seized her when Myu lifted her hand and aimed her palm-located Allagan laser in Chao's direction. Despite the grave and imminent threat to her very life, Chao stood her ground, determined not to show fear to Myu; not out of an animalistic sense of establishing dominance, but that she had ''faith'' in the being she had breathed life into. For several long and terrifying moments, she watched the color spectrum shift in Myu's eyes, from their natural blue to a blood-evoking crimson likely caused by the Allagan programming. Finally, Myu gained control over the Allagan processes--quarantining them as she later explained to Chao--and greeted her maker. <br><br> Lowering the aetheric field, Chao wasted no time in welcoming Myu to the world, speaking at length with her about her start-up process, the data she had created thus far, and a brief explanation of what it meant that Chao was extremely proud of her. Knowing that she had spent all her time since coming online cooped up inside the lab, Chao took Myu outside the Academy, giving her the first taste of the outside world. It was here, when Myu questioned what caused the plants to sway and the mist of a nearby fountain to move, that Chao realized she'd ommitted installing a tactile sensory function in Myu, something she quickly brought the android back inside to rectify. <br><br> The next day, Myu was introduced to Satomi and the scientists began to measure the robotic girl's capabilities and functions. As the day progressed and grew into the evening, a rapport was quickly established, but it was noted--by Chao if not by Satomi--that Myu clearly held Chao in far higher regard, being the only one of the two that she referred to as master. She still regarded Satomi as an individual high on her protection list, however, as evidenced when she nearly came to violence against another member of the Academy who happened to make teasing remarks at Satomi in Myu's presence. <br><br> Between the defensive knowledge gleaned from the Allagan core, Chao's own mastery of Doman martial arts, and the library of materials available to study at the Academy, it didn't take long for them to discover the incredible combat potential of Myu, easily the equivalent of at least a company's worth of normal soldiers and adventurers. As she was not a living being, she was not capable of manipulating aether in any form, but Chao reasoned that between herself and Satomi, they could make a technological combat system that could perform similar effects; after all, if Garlemald could theorize it, the two of them could make it reality in less than a moon. Because of this lack of aetherial ability, Myu took to following in Chao's footsteps, adopting unarmed martial combat as her primary method of battle. <br><br> It was fortunate that the scientists put so much work into developing Myu's combat abilities, as their greatest trial yet was soon to come.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Nightshade'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As the trio cataloged and practiced combat skills with Myu one evening a short distance from the Academy, they were beset by yet another Garlean assassination squad, this one comprised of two highlanders, a miqo'te, and even a vanguard for support. Chao wasted no time in going on the offensive, engaging the axe-wielding highlander she perceived to be the leader in order to create an opening to allow Satomi and Myu to escape. This endeavor proved to be futile, however, as the other Garleans engaged the two in equal measure. While Satomi's adversary caused her a great deal of trouble due to the scientist not being suited for direct combat, Myu and Chao initially fared better against their foes. The miqo'te shinobi quickly ascertained Myu's artificial nature from her speech patterns and having managed to drive a blade into her right shoulder--barely penetrating her armor plating--and attempted to taunt her, referring to her as a useless puppet. Myu was having none of it, however, and simply grabbed her foe before striking him down with her Allagan laser. <br><br> As this was going on, Chao stayed in close with her opponent, preventing him from getting the full use out of his augmented axe. The Garlean then ordered in the vanguard for support, and knowing the kind of damage those things could cause, Chao slipped past him to engage and destroy the oversized magitek. This turned out to be a ruse on the enemy's part, for as soon as she got within reach, it unleashed a full broadside of all of its frontal attacks. The shielding and material construction of her armor protected her from truly devastating damage, but the attack was still enough to knock her away, stunning her momentarily. In that moment of inattention as Myu looked toward her maker, the dying shinobi stuck an adhesive explosive device to her frame, intent on ensuring she went out with him. Unperturbed, she merely tore the device from herself, taking some of her synthetic covering with it, and threw the now-dead shinobi's corpse over the device to smother some of the blast. The resultant shockwave from the powerful explosion caused a large amount of damage to Myu, who positioned herself to intercept the shockwave so it wouldn't harm Chao. <br><br> The Garlean axeman, mortally wounded by the blast, directed the vanguard into the center of the trio--Satomi now attempting emergency field repairs on Myu after having driven off her opponent a short time before--and armed its self-destruct system. Before it could reach them, however, it was struck numerous times by electrically-charged arrows from an intervening ally, the very same blacksmith guild representative that Chao had spoken to some days prior. The charges of the arrows short-circuited the machine, bringing it crashing harmlessly to the ground just short of them. The threat, it seemed, had been overcome. <br><br> That was when a new adversary revealed himself, a highly-skilled and chemically-modified shinobi wielding Allagan blades with a cutting laser's edge. Chao, back on her feet again, moved to engage him immediately, but to her surprise, he read her ''shundo'' perfectly and executed one of his own to avoid her attack, leaving behind a number of outward-aimed blades at the last minute for her to careen into, each of them coated with liquid ceruleum. As with the vanguard, her armor deflected most of the blades, but two got through her defenses and released their deadly poisons into her body. At the other end of his ''shundo'', the enemy Garlean directed an overwhelming electrical charge at Myu, overloading and shutting down her systems. Nadine, the archer-blacksmith, struck the man's helm with a trick arrow loaded with a powerful explosive as he was attacking Myu, and in response, he threw the headgear toward Satomi and made to attack the archer. <br><br> Chao knocked the ticking time-bomb away from her compatriot with a ''sagitta magica'', then immediately leapt to Nadine's defense, wreathing herself in fire as she came down in a kick over the elezen's head. The Garlean intercepted her strike, absorbing the very aether she released in her attack into himself in a manner identical to that of the Ultimate Weapon. Without giving the magitek prodigy time to react, he grabbed her by the foot and hurled her toward Satomi, who was still trying to restore some combat ability to Myu, the impact rendering the hyuran scientist unconscious. <br><br> By now coming to the conclusion that this enemy had a clear counter to everything she could do, she called on desperation. She rushed him again as he catapulted Nadine back into the Vylbrand Academy's wall, grappling him and ordering her funnel to fire on him at maximum power and lethality, even if it meant firing through herself to do so. This broke the man's superior air, and he desperately began striking and kicking at Chao to dislodge her grip, eventually succeeding after delivering a crushing strike to her chest that crumpled her armor and broke several ribs, and several kicks to her left leg that broke the limb. She fell away, but the man did not have time to avoid the laser strike from her funnel, which overloaded and brought his battle armor's protection down. Seeing him in that weakened state, she drew the Garlean pistol she kept on herself at all times, aiming and firing at his chest. He initially derided her when he saw the weapon, unaware of the size of the slug it fired, and was very nearly killed by the impact. <br><br> Cursing Chao's name, the Garlean fled, leaving Chao to finally succumb to her injuries, and leaving behind one hell of a scene of carnage for the occupants of the Academy to discover.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Phantasmagoria'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">With the close proximity of the engagement to Vylbrand Academy, it took little time at all for its occupants to find and recover the wounded, safely ensconcing Chao and Satomi within the infirmary, and Myu and her disparate parts in the lab. Satomi quickly recovered from her light injuries, whereupon it was discovered that Chao had fallen into a coma. Against the recommendations of [[Rurujua Xoxojua|Rurujua]], Satomi began to assist the lalafellin medic in tending to her friend. In only a few hours, the ceruleum poisoning was cleared from her system, but she remained unresponsive and unconscious. However, she occasionally manifested highly-alarming, sudden expulsions of blood and signs of severe physical trauma, the source of which was a complete mystery to either scholar. What they did know, however, was that the erratic and random manifestation of the symptoms meant that she needed constant monitoring to heal her as necessary. Again, despite protests from Rurujua, Satomi burdened herself with this task, citing that she owed it to her fellow magitek prodigy. <br><br> Unbeknownst to the two, Chao was trapped within the dreamscape of her mind, called Phantasmagoria, where she was forced to uncover the true nature behind ''Magia Erebia''. At every turn, she was beset by a manifestation of her subconscious that shifted and altered its form willingly between everyone she had ever met. Referring to this creature as The Other, she fought it countless times, but was defeated and slain in every instance. Yet, in Phantasmagoria, she was unable to die, constantly revived following every fall. As the hours progressed, and The Other used more and more of the people from her memories against her, the more Phantasmagoria came to resemble a conflated amalgamation of several cities she had resided in: her home in Doma, Castrum Meridianum, Limsa Lominsa, and Ul'dah. <br><br> Eventually, Chao came to the realization that she could take advantage of the fact that they were within her dreaming mind to will all of her technological notions into 'reality' and use them to her advantage. Thus, in this way, she momentarily seized the upper hand by summoning four of her funnels and an aetheric energy sword to defend herself, driving The Other back until it form-shifted into Nero tol Scaeva. Utilizing her speed to her advantage, she avoided a fatal strike from the magitek warhammer and moved to capitalize on the overextended shade of the Garlean, whereupon it changed form into a full impersonation of Satomi. This took Chao off-guard, causing her to purposefully miss her strike, and leaving herself vulnerable to a fatal shot from the shadowy being. <br><br> After several more encounters, she happened upon a lucky break, succeeding in casting a sleep spell on The Other while it was in the guise of Grundy, allowing her to escape across the mindscape of her city. Taking shelter, she was met by one of the last things she expected to find in Phantasmagoria: a manifestation of the primal Ifrit. Speaking cryptically of how her soul had been tainted by fire, the primal made abundantly clear its desire to add her to its host of enthralled servants. Chao, confident in the manifestation's inability to temper or even truly harm her within Phantasmagoria, casually dismissed Ifrit's words, leaving no uncertainty of her opinion on the primal's intelligence--or the lack thereof. Infuriated by her irreverence, the primal remarked that it had already dispatched its Tempered after her, and manipulated the Phantasmagoria to show her an image of Vylbrand Academy in flames, many of its occupants killed, and several key others being led away to be tempered, all in the name of capturing her. Enraged by this clear and obvious threat against those she held important, she willed the pinnacle ideal of her battlesuit technology onto her being and struck the manifestation down with an immensely-powerful attack of combined ''ki'' and aether. <br><br> Within only moments, The Other was upon her again, this time engaging her in the form of her long lost cousin, a master martial artist. Declaring that they were finally fighting on equal terms, The Other drew forth Chao's envisioning of the Garlean razing of Doma to remind her of her most base motives: to gain power to take revenge against the Garlean Empire. But that strength alone would not be sufficient, it remarked as it struck a crushing blow and then shifted form into that of Zoey, preparing an immense ice spell to finish Chao for good and end her effort to discern the truth of ''Magia Erebia''. <br><br> It was as she was falling that Chao finally understood, remembering the words that she had been told by her friends and compatriots: ''Magia Erebia'' was, at its base, the power to accept things for the way they were and draw them into oneself. With this newfound knowledge, Chao was able to fully absorb the entire power of The Other's spell into herself and use it for empowerment. Pleased at her successes, The Other shifted one final time and challenged her to show her results.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''A Reclaimer Reborn'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Awakening from her coma, Chao found herself alone in the Vylbrand infirmary. Moving slowly, her legs unsteady after so many days of misuse, she made her way out into the foyer, pausing at the window to look outside. To her relief, nothing was on fire and there were no Amalj'aa standards decorating the yard, but the building was still a bit too quiet for her comfort. Convincing herself that everyone was simply away on business, she made her way to Satomi's lab, finding that her friend had begun repair work on Myu during her unconsciousness. As per the norm for Chao, she thought little of her own self and immediately located some tools to check on Satomi's repair work and continue the progress herself. <br><br> After judging that Myu was repaired extremely-well by Satomi's hand--testament to how well the two worked together--Chao determined that she must leave the Academy, again, lest Ifrit's pursuit of her put the occupants in danger. Sharing this conclusion with Myu, who swore that she would show no mercy to any eikon that sought to harm her master, the pair set out immediately. Their first stop was the Garlond Ironworks, where Chao would hand in her damaged prototype armor and receive the field-ready Mark-I combat infiltrator armor, and a series of complaints on her treatment of the prototype from the armormaster. She also requested a specially-modified armor for Myu--taking into account such facts that she did not need an independent power source for her armor--that would take some few days to fabricate, and require Myu to spend most of that time with the Materials Division so as to properly generate a new set of armor. Chao took advantage of the forced downtime to machine herself a new weapon that would not interfere with her preferred fighting style but also give her the extra force necessary to penetrate armor. After three days, she devised a weapon which could be worn as a bangle that extends into a gauntlet housing a gun chamber. <br><br> Thus equipped, miqo'te and machine set out for the desert.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''To Face the Inferno'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Arriving by airship back in Ul'dah, Chao secured an inn room for the pair from which to conduct their hunt. Deciding it best that Myu remain out of sight and attempt to use her aetheric sensors to search for potential summoning locations, Chao proceeded to the Hall of Flames to alert Commander Swift that a summoning was either imminent or had already occurred, and to seek assistance in tracking down and slaying the primal. Though thankful for the warning, the commander could not spare any forces on what seemed little more than a wild chocobo chase. Nonplussed, Chao returned to Myu with the poor news and decided to set out searching on their own, stopping to question any Flames forces or adventurers they found along the way. <br><br> Scouring the Sagolii Desert for days with almost no time for rest, the pair went well out of their way to make their presence known to the Amalj’aa so that any raiding parties that might already have been dispatched to Vylbrand would be recalled, thereby sparing the Academy. Despite this, they were unable to locate the site of the ritual until the actual summoning took place, the resultant surge of aether appearing as a beacon to Myu’s sensors and Chao’s visor. <br><br> The two immediately made for the location of the new Bowl of Embers, with Chao activating her aetheric seal en route. As they neared, the beastmen did nothing to impede their progress, commanded by their primal god to let Chao and Myu pass. After a brief exchange of banter, Ifrit--as predicted--immediately used his tempering breath to bend the pair to his servitude. The effort was wasted; Myu protected by her machine nature, and Chao’s sealed aether not allowing the eikon’s overpowering aether to affect her. <br><br> The battle then began in earnest, the speed and agility of the two miqo’te allowing them to avoid the worst of the primal’s attacks. Those few telling blows that would have done severe damage were largely intercepted by Myu, her composite Allagan/Garlean metal frame unyielding to Ifrit’s claws and flames. All the while, as Chao led the primal around the flame-ringed arena, she discreetly applied her ''Magia Erebia'' spell circle via the aetheric stencils in her forearm plate armor. <br><br> When Ifrit called forth his infernal nail, both miqo’te ignored it per their previously-established strategy to allow Chao to absorb the maximum amount of aether. Shortly thereafter, the moment of truth came: Ifrit began to cast Hellfire. As Myu shielded herself in a magitek field--just in case--Chao activated her ''Magia Erebia'' and met the attack head-on. <br><br> Against all odds, she successfully absorbed the aether into herself, skyrocketing her attack power, but she knew such volatile aether could not be contained for long. Lifting her hand to the skies, she discharged much of it into a luminous aetheric beam called down upon Ifrit, but the primal was far from finished. <br><br> Enraged by her turning his own power against him, Ifrit set upon Chao in earnest, relentlessly assaulting her even to the point of ignoring Myu’s punishing attacks against him. With little other alternative, Chao shielded herself and prepared to expend all the aether she could in a last-ditch effort to down the primal. <br><br> Just before her shield broke, however, a massive wall of metal and muscle struck Ifrit from the side, knocking the eikon away. The towering interloper was none other than Grundy, there along with Satomi, who had tracked Chao and Myu all the way from Vylbrand. Expressing her mild annoyance with Chao’s tendency to run off and do things on her own, Satomi directed Grundy to ‘break’ the primal. With the combined power of the quartet, the already-weakened Ifrit was dispatched with little fanfare. Upon his defeat, Chao used her ''Magia Erebia'' once again, absorbing the dispersing aether into herself. Though unaware of it at the time, this consumption of Ifrit’s living aether--rather than merely an offensive form--would have a permanent affect on her, for both good and ill. <br><br> With the primal threat dealt with--though no one held any illusion that it was any less a temporary measure than any other time Ifrit had fallen--Satomi advocated a return to Vylbrand. Myu, expressing her growing independent will, agreed with the hyur, ‘assisting’ Chao back to the airship landing in Ul’dah and on toward the Academy.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits III'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Back at Vylbrand Academy, Chao took a day to recover from the ordeal, spending it in rest under the watchful eye of Myu, ensuring that she rested. As this was going on, Satomi was meeting with the Academy mistress, Kyra, concerning Chao's future. Pointing out the three separation occasions on which the magitek engineer had acted on her own to head off potential disaster to the Academy, two of which at great threat to her own safety, Satomi advocated that Chao's 'temporary' stay become a more continuing affair. The headmistress agreed that Chao had done more for the Academy than could be expected of someone not truly affiliated with them, and in light of the knowledge that Satomi would soon be dedicating all her time to an Ironworks airship project, decided that the time had come to properly bring Chao into the fold. <br><br> The following day, Kyra met with Chao to offer a position in the Academy's research and development sector. Finding no real reason not to, Chao accepted the offer. It didn't take long for her to get thrown headfirst into the Academy's own affairs, finding herself square in the middle of an ongoing conflict against four powerful archfiends and their legions of cultists and other allies. Though not understanding the background of the conflict, she nonetheless dedicated herself faithfully to standing with her new compatriots in their efforts to protect the realm. <br><br> At the same time, she continued her own technological developments, making plans for a complete overhaul of Myu's frame to the newly-developed Garlond steel, along with more adjustments to her own armor, and conceptualizing a new armor system to protect against magic attacks. It was in the process of the first field test of this latter that she chanced to converse with two other members of the Academy, who happened to be nearby to observe the failure of her test. Over the course of speaking to Set Kattalakis and Senel Curtis, she agreed to redesign and streamline Set's magitek prosthesis, as well as provide what non-powered upgrades she could to Senel's gear in exchange for providing her with a steady source of raw materials to work with.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Misriah'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">With a more permanent station and the beginning of delving more deeply into her military technology, Chao knew that the time of her inevitable parting with the Garlond Ironworks was at hand. After all, the Ironworks developed magitek for the betterment of the realm, and Chao's strengths lay in the field of weapons of war. And so, meeting with Cid at the Ironworks' encampment at Camp Cloudtop, she informed him of her decision to part ways and begin her own company. Cid wished her well in her ventures, understanding that it would be through both weapons like hers and peaceful endeavors like his that prosperity would truly come to the realm. <br><br> As per her arrangement with Set, in exchange for developing a new prosthetic, Chao received a considerable stipend and the backing of Set's import/export business. This allowed Chao to hire several of her former coworkers in the Ironworks' Weapons Division and acquire the means of producing aetherochemical metals and fiberweave, as well as the recipe for Garlond Steel. With all this in hand, she was able to initiate her new company: Misriah Armory. She immediately set about work on a new ambitious project: variants of her powered armor for the vetted members of Vylbrand Academy--its "Heroes" society, which she had joined only a short while ago. Top of the list was a set of powered assault armor for Grundy, partly as a means of repayment for saving her from Ifrit, partly because he was in sore need of an armor upgrade. <br><br> Dark clouds soon began to gather on the horizon, however. Through having absorbed the primal's living aether into herself, she unwittingly allowed a fragment of its thoughts to take up residence in her mind. Two weeks following her confrontation, she first began to hear the whispers of the Lord of the Inferno in the back of her mind, pressing her to violence and destruction. Through her will, and the lack of any active enemies at the moment, she kept him at bay with some ease, but the eikon was nothing if not persistent, relenting only when she slept. On top of this, word came a moon later of a raid on the Ironworks' team working out in the Sea of Clouds by a band of sky pirates. Satomi, who had been out investigating sightings of a monstrous airship that would soon come to be known as the Void Ark, went missing, presumed dead at the hands of the brigands. <br><br> Grief-stricken at the loss of her close friend, Chao blamed herself for Satomi's death, both for not having been there at her side, and for not even providing her a set of powered armor that surely--she believed--could have saved the hyur's life. The culmination of these events sewed the seeds for one of her darkest times.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Cost'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao began to work tirelessly on her projects, particularly the powered armors, so that never again would any close to her be caught without an adequate means of defense. On one morning, as she perused the Academy's library for inspiration, she chanced to overhear a conversation between the headmaster and a troubled Seeker tribe elder. There was trouble in Thanalan: mysterious music was causing those who heard it to become hypnotized and wander into the desert. Some began to show up in slave caravans, and a few even returned to their home, but all had no memory of any of the events. It was a textbook assignment for the heroes of Vylbrand: track down the nefarious party responsible and put a stop to their machinations. <br><br> Arming herself in her battlesuit, Chao headed out to the desert with Grundy, the headmaster, and several others, leaving Myu behind to serve as a sort of 'mission control' and overwatch via the systems in her armor. As the party split into small groups to gather intelligence, Chao elected to stick by Grundy's side, keeping an eye on the well-meaning-but-not-too-smart roegadyn, and using her funnel as an eye-in-the-sky to watch over the village from above. Though initially bearing little fruit in their investigations, the enemy soon made a move, the music beginning to echo out across the sands. Tracking several of the enthralled miqo'te of the village--and barely regaining control of one of their own who hadn't been properly protected at the time--they found a work camp in the desert, where Grundy immediately pressed the attack. <br><br> For her part, Chao sought to knock out and immobilize the enthralled victims, keeping them out of harm's way, before setting after the foes herself. Before she could, however, ambush troops using camouflaged fighting pits in the sand sprang up to flank them, forcing her to deploy her funnel's aetherochemical laser against them. As the battle raged, an enemy airship entered the fray from behind concealing dunes, scattering a strange aetheric field that disrupted magitek devices, shorting out Chao's armor. As she reeled in confusion and the airship dropped a large box nearby, the fragment of Ifrit within her mind took advantage of the chaos--and its higher influence as a result of being in Thanalan, Ifrit's stronghold--and seized control of Chao's body. <br><br> Even though it was now in control through the airship's interference, it was just as displeased that the enemy forces had effectively handicapped Chao--whom Ifrit had previously considered a worthy champion--in one fell swoop. It began to cast, through Chao, a lesser version of the primal's own Hellfire attack--though 'lesser' here should by no means be considered any less deadly--targeted at the airship. Inexplicably, the airship and the enemy forces began to retreat as soon as the box was deployed. Knowing full well the likelihood that it was some manner of trap, the possessed Chao turned the fury of the devastating spell onto the box, unconcerned for the allied forces and civilian victims that would be caught in the blast radius. <br><br> It was only through a combination of a fountain of ice aether from an unknown source--later revealed to be the headmaster herself--and healing magicks from one of Vylbrand's personnel, that nobody died to the application of ''Incendium Gehennae''. Overtaxed to the extreme by the amount of aether expended in the attack, Chao immediately passed out. While she was helpless, two of the others from the Academy, a lalafellin mage and a hyuran rifleman, assaulted Chao over the events; the rifleman struck her hard enough in the face with the butt of his weapon to break her nose and cheekbone, and the pummeling from the lalafell doing a number on her as well. Within minutes thereafter, Myu arrived on the scene, having been forced to travel the long route from the Academy; as a machine, she was unable to manipulate aether allowing her to teleport, and the aetheric field had disabled the signals from Chao's powered armor that would have allowed her to relay directly to her maker's side. After exchanging words with several present, Myu collected Chao and returned to the Academy where, at the headmaster's request, sequestered Chao within her workshop and stood guard at the door, disallowing access to any without proper authorization--but in particular those individuals whom she had reason to suspect wished her maker further harm.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Pariah'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">In the days that passed, Chao remained in her workshop, watched over by Myu, her injuries tended to by Keero. She wound up suffering several broken bones in her face as a result of the assault on her, prompting him to conspire with her to create an aetherically-charged healing mask that she could wear over her injuries. Its purpose was threefold: to protect her from further harm, to ensure that her bones healed back into their proper shape, and to stimulate her own aether to speed up the healing process. A built-in vocabulator allowed her words to be heard through the metal without shouting, but it had the unfortunate side effect of giving her a much deeper tone and a metallic tinge to her words.<br><br> It began to seem like, however, she had been largely forgotten. Though she expected a swift trial of her actions by those above her at the Academy, the days continued to pass in solitude, with only Myu and occasionally Keero for company. Though slightly put off by it, she nonetheless spent her time productively, buckling down and diving into her magitek designs. Within two bells, she had completed Grundy's armor design and sent it off to be machined up. In two more, she had created an entirely new system to ensure she never got chumped by anti-magitek fields again. After two weeks, she had redesigned her anti-magic reactive armor to react less vigorously, tweaked and streamlined the overlay of her VISR system, designed a reconnaissance variant of her magitek funnels, and begun three new powered armor variants. This productivity came at the cost of sleep, which she avoided so that the fragment of Ifrit in her mind could not trouble her dreams. Over that two weeks, she slept perhaps one total day.<br><br> A freak spring storm overtaking Vylbrand marked the first time that she seemed to be recognized by the Academy at large, when a lightning strike knocked out the power grid. Summoned by Kyra down to the workshop, Chao was asked to bring the generator up and running to provide emergency power. Though nothing of the event in the desert was spoken of save Kyra's inquiring whether Chao was in control of her faculties, it was not lost on the magitek prodigy that no matter where she moved to work on the generator, Kyra was never outside of sword range. After a brief time, Kyra left the workshop, evidently deeming Chao not to be a threat. In silence, she finished the work and powered up the generator, bringing emergency power back to the Academy. Heading into the library to report her success, she took note of the silence that befell the room at her appearance, choosing to make her report and then return to her exile.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Holding Patterns'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Throwing herself back into her work, Chao's reckless non-sleeping habits did not go unnoticed by Keero, who prescribed fast-acting and potent sleep aids to knock her out and ensure her recuperative sleep processes. Now able to focus more clearly when she was awake, her design progresses improved significantly. Another week passed, and growing tired of the neglect, Chao began to venture outside her workshop for brief periods, mostly in the efforts of acquiring food for herself, which had previously been left to Myu. <br><br> Finally, after deciding she needed to actually test the new version of the AMRA system--and she was not about to have loose magic and reactive material interacting in her workshop--she took her design out to be tested on the dummies. During her test--which was a resounding success in that the reactive layer detonated outward and dispersed her spell without damaging the armor or the dummy--she met with a hyur well-versed in magitek knowledge who introduced himself as Saruna, founder of the company Resolve Industries. She hadn't heard of it, but was surprised to learn that they dealt in weaponry utilizing the power of the primals themselves. After cautioning him to exercise care in dealing with such powers, they parted ways, and she returned to her workshop to evaluate her test results. <br><br> She didn't have long to consider this, however, as a scream soon pierced through the Academy. Tracing it back to its source, she found herself in the infirmary, where Keero and several others were working on freeing an unlucky miqo'te from voidsent possession. Lacking any means to assist, Chao simply stood by and watched, but armed one of her gun gauntlets should anything come to violence. After successfully purging the void taint, Keero asked Chao if she would create a prosthetic eye for the patient, whose eye had been destroyed in the process of saving him. She agreed on the mechanical end, knowing and stating her lack of knowledge in the medical side of it, to which Keero stated he could perform the necessary surgery. At this, Chao returned to her workshop to machine up the prosthetic and load it up with a lesser version of her VISR software. <br><br> The next day, she delivered the prosthetic and observed the successful surgery to affix it to the victim's optical nerves. Afterward, as he rested, she spoke with Keero, who inquired after her own health. Removing her mask to show him that she had perhaps another week before being fully-healed, she was then asked what had caused her injuries. She revealed to him that she held a fragment of Ifrit bonded to her soul, and that it was her loss of control over it that had caused her to nearly kill several of their comrades. This revelation was overheard by one such comrade from the incident, and Chao took the opportunity to fully explain herself, stating that she didn't hold the others' contempt for her against them, and apologizing for her actions. <br><br> The matter seemed settled for a time, at least to a few inidivudals, and so Chao returned to busying herself with work.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''A Reclaimer's Revenge'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Just when it seemed as though Chao would finally be able to come to terms with and move on from Satomi's death, old wounds were viciously torn open. A visitor arrived to the Academy one eve, one whom several of the others were apparently familiar with, speaking of a badly-damaged mammet named 'Seven' that had been spotted in Limsa lately. Recognizing that naming scheme as belonging to the series of mammets that Satomi had built, many of the fallen scientist's acquaintances made their way to Limsa, hunting down the woman who had the mammet in her possession. Chao arrived shortly thereafter, and was immediately recognized by the mammet, who spoke to her--in not only typical garbled mammet speech but further mangled by damage as well--of things hidden in Satomi's lab, as well as cryptic statements of her final moments. As Chao attempted to discern what it spoke of, O'rahn purchased the mammet from the woman who was currently holding it.

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<br>

=Relationships=

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>RELATIONSHIPS</center></div></span></h3>

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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #4d1715;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>RELATIONSHIP STATUS LEGEND</B></center></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:9pt;"><font style="color:#54b5eb;" size="2">♥</font> Family <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> Platonic <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> Friend <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> Acquaintance <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> Business <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> Deceased <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> Positive <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#C24640;" size="2">✖</font> Negative <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> Neutral <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">�</font> Unsure <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color: black;" size="2">☠</font> Enemy</div>
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{| class="wikitable alphabetical" border="0" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 100%; text-align: left; vertical-align: left;"
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #b33730;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>NPC</B></center></div>


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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Ku Fei,</b> <i>Cousin</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#54b5eb;" size="2">♥</font> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fallen.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Chao's cousin, an extremely-talented martial artist unsurpassed in the Doman styles of unarmed combat. Ku Fei was street smart, but academically dim, and was always amazed by the technological toys that Chao would create. Though never active in the Doman resistance, Ku Fei's pride in her ancestry and traditional mindset ensured that she considered the Garlean Empire a threat. The two were forcibly parted when Chao was conscripted by the Garlean Empire, but knowing her cousin, Chao is convinced that Ku Fei perished defending the homeland during The Reckoning.</div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Cid nan Garlond,</b> <i>Former Employer</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Pinnacle of Magitek.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Leader of the Garlond Ironworks, Cid was Chao's employer for most of the time she spent in Eorzea after defecting from the Garlean Empire. Though preferring to develop peaceful models of magitek to better the lives of the average Eorzean, Cid was full aware that weapon technologies like Chao's would also be instrumental in defending the realm against Garlemald, and so brought her into the Ironworks to assist in their development. When she made known her plans to formally create her own arms company, he wholeheartedly encouraged her to follow her ambitions, with the implicit understanding that the Ironworks would be full business partners with Misriah Armory.</div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Biggs,</b> <i>Former Coworker</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Instigator.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A Sea Wolf roegadyn working under Cid in the Ironworks, and largely the blame for why Chao has come to Eorzea and found employment with the Ironworks. Biggs led the Ironworks raiding team that helped Chao escape from Castrum Meridianum after she sabotaged the Ultimate Weapon, and later came to her as she was recovering and gave her the original tome that she once used to record her technological ideas in, while suggesting she apply at the Ironworks. He assisted with the development of her powered infiltrator armor prototype.</div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Wedge,</b> <i>Former Coworker</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Littlest Assistant.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Biggs' lalafell partner at the Ironworks, the timid little fellow is never far from his friend's side, and so has often spent much time in the company of Chao in her workshop at the Ironworks. Despite his talents more lying in the field of large magitek vehicles, he nevertheless faithfully assisted Chao and Biggs in their work on her powered armor.</div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Unknown Garlean,</b> <i>Imperial Assassin</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color: black;" size="2">☠</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Nightshade.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A Garlean assassin known only to Chao by his codename, ''Nightshade'', this man is the most formidable foe she has ever faced. Aetherochemically augmented by Garlean experimentation, this shinobi possesses superior strength and agility than Chao, a more-advanced combat skin, and the ability to absorb aetheric attacks to empower himself. Wielding powered Allagan lightblades, the Nightshade was able to effortlessly defeat Chao, Myu, Satomi ''and'' a fourth combatant during the ambush outside Vylbrand Academy. Only his hubris allowed Chao to defeat him, grappling him in place long enough for her funnel to strike him at full power, an energy blast which he remarkably survived. He escaped the battle, and Chao knows that they will meet again in the future. His hatred of her is all-consuming, referring to her repeatedly as an animal; Chao assumes that he was experimented on by the Empire to create a soldier perfectly tailored to counter her.</div>
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<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
{| class="wikitable alphabetical" border="0" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 100%; text-align: left; vertical-align: left;"
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #b33730;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>PC</B></center></div>


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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Myu]]</b>, <i>Creation</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Realistic, Logical Ideologist.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">The very first of her kind, an autonomous, sentient combat automaton built by Chao in the likeness of a miqo'te. Newly-awakened to the world, her every new discovery is a source of pride for Chao, and her enthusiasm to learn always brightens her maker's day. Chao dotes on her like a beloved companion rather than the weapon of war that she is. </div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Grundy Byrde]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Unstoppable Force.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A roegadyn male and near-constant companion of Satomi, before the latter's untimely death. Since coming to Vylbrand Academy, Chao has stepped in an effort to fill Satomi's shoes in serving as Grundy's mentor and guide in the world, a role she does not feel she is adequately performing. Grundy is not an intelligent individual, due to having lived the majority of his life feral in the caves of Eastern La Noscea. He is, however, exceedingly kind, and possessed of a frightening combat strength; a strength that Chao intends to amplify by creating a set of powered armor for him. </div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Satomi Hakase]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> <b>)</b> - <b>Science Sister.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A hyuran female and fellow researcher at the Garlond Ironworks. Due to working in different divisions, Chao and Satomi had not interacted prior to a chance meeting in the Quicksand, at which point they hit it off spectacularly well over their shared enthusiasm for science and magitek. After no small number of misadventures--many of them involving Satomi pulling Chao out of a self-created no-win scenario--Satomi was instrumental in finally getting Chao to settle at Vylbrand Academy, and the miqo'te has long since viewed the hyur as a sister. The news of her suspected death in the Sea of Clouds has left Chao gutted. </div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Kyrrae Liminia]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Strategist.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A lalafellin mage associated with Vylbrand Academy, and Satomi's former lover. Though they've spoken barely a few sentences to each other, Chao considers him a trusted ally due to his association with Satomi. </div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Senel Curtis]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Serious.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">An occupant of Vylbrand Academy who has offered to provide raw materials to Chao in exchange for equipment augmentations. She's unsure if he's truly associated with the Academy or just a mercenary in their employ, but he shows concern for its members, and annoyance with those who bring undue harm onto themselves. </div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Isaudorel Dorr]]</b>, <i>Acquaintance</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fire Suicide Bomber.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">An elezen thaumaturge who showed up to thank her for assisting several of his guildmates several days earlier in determining whether or not a wine bottle had been poisoned. They struck up a conversation, during the course of which another elezen woman arrived and rather rudely accused Chao of being of purchasable companionship, which both she and Isaudorel found incredibly rude. Neither seemed to be too bothered by it though. After remarking on her combat style to him, he wished to see it in action, and so the two traveled to the Sagolii Desert for a spar. It was a draw by clever Fire III suicide-bombing. </div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Keero Ganajai]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Healer.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A male Keeper who serves as one of the primary medical staff for Vylbrand Academy. Intelligent and well-spoken, he has stated that he chose to move permanently into the home station setting in order to be able to be near his wife and soon-to-be child. Though not desiring powered armor, he has contracted Chao and Misriah for medical magitek devices. He has a profound fear of fire, which has prompted Chao to promise that she will never use her aetheric skills in his presence. </div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Zoey Holendoey]]</b>, <i>Trusted</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Icy Spitfire Detective.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Another lalafellin mage and freelance investigator, though it seems she too has become associated with Vylbrand as of late. Initially having hired Chao to find an individual on a farce, being played as a pawn initially set Zoey in poor standing with Chao. That job did, however, set the magitek prodigy on her course back toward association with Satomi. Afterwards, Zoey did apologize for misleading Chao and seems to have a great deal of trust--Chao would say an overabundance--in her. </div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Imogene Holmes]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fancy Hat Paladin.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A hyuran swordswoman and resident at Vylbrand Academy. She favors Ironworks-crafted armor and has thus spoken with Chao on a few occasions regarding said equipment, as well as Chao's own battlesuit. Seems to be heavily-involved with security at the Academy. Due to The Other favoring Imogene's form while Chao was trapped in Phantasmagoria, and consequently causing her death no small number of times, Chao holds a slight irrational fear of Imogene. </div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Set Kattalakis]]</b>, <i>Business Associate</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>Red Left Hand.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Daughter of a successful trading mogul, seems to be involved with financial affairs at the Academy, though this does not stop her from putting herself in harm's way. Due to an unknown past event, her left forearm and hand are replaced by a magitek prosthetic which Chao designed an enhanced model of. As payment, Set made a generous donation of gil which allowed Chao to form Misriah Armory. </div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[O'rahn Kevelan]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>That Poor Cat.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A male miqo'te living at Vylbrand who is involved with Set, often violently. Chao is reasonably sure the two are mated, but has not heard anything confirming either way. He seems to specialize in thievery, and so the set of powered armor Chao is building for him will take that into account. </div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Kyra Tsukino]]</b>, <i>Commander</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Boss.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">The boss and headmistress of Vylbrand Academy, Kyra is a female miqo'te who is level-headed, soft-spoken, yet possesses an aura that marks it plain that only a fool would dare to cross her. Though she is typically only seen carrying a sword and shield, Chao suspects that her talents are not so one-dimensional. For reasons unknown, Kyra seems to possess an intrinsic faith in Chao, a faith that the magitek engineer is sure has been shattered by the revelation of her darker side. </div>
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</td></tr></table>

=Rumors=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>RUMORS</center></div></span></h3>

<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''N P C'''</center></div></span></h3>
<p><div align=center><div style="font-family:Georgia;">Some of these rumors are untrue, speculation, or are greatly exaggerated.</div></div></p>

<div style="border:0px solid; padding:8px;">
<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #e56a2c; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Common Rumors - </b>''Easily overheard. Use these freely!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#e56a2c;" size="2">■</font> "All she ever does is sit in that corner with her nose buried in that journal of hers, muttering to herself and occasionally having some stew. Really odd one, that one." — ''Quicksand patron''.
: <font style="color:#e56a2c;" size="2">■</font> "She sure gave those Garleans a thumpin' they wasn't lookin' for. Guess that settles that as to whose side she's on." — ''Drowning Wench patron''.
</div>

<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #cc5e27; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Uncommon Rumors -</b> ''A little more difficult to hear. Use sparingly or ask first!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#cc5e27;" size="2">■</font> "Word is she used to be in the Garlean military. So as to whether she's absconded from their service or is here to spy on us, no one's yet figured." — ''Unknown''.
</div>

<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #b35222; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Rare Rumors -</b> ''Very rarely overheard. Please ask before using!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#b35222;" size="2">■</font> "There be ''two'' of that'n, I tells ye! At the very same time I had on good authority from a mate o' mine she was sittin' in the Quicksand, I seen another one answerin' to the same name head off toward the Imps (Imperials) outside Wineport. Only this'n was a hyur lass wearin' some sort o' strange armor. She waltzed in like she bloody owned the joint, and then there weren't nothin' but fire and explosions comin' from there, an' them screams weren't from a wee hyuran lass, either." — ''Drunken Storm Sergeant''.
</div>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''P C'''</center></div></span></h3>
<p><div align=center><div style="font-family:Georgia;">Feel free to add your own rumors to this section.</div></div></p>

<div style="border:0px solid; padding:8px;">
<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #99461d; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Player Character Rumors -</b> ''Some of these are more rare than others!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#99461d;" size="2">■</font> "She's Doman, no doubt about that. But the look in her eyes shows something unnatural. Not in a foul manner either, but one that draws you in and buys your trust. If anyone asks, I'd say you can rely on her." — ''[[Zoey Holendoey]]''.
</div>

</div></div></td></tr></table>

=Music & Gallery=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>MUSIC</center></div></span></h3>
<br>

<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PvdVGAasrA Amazing]''
:: Artist: Aerosmith.
:: Origin: ''Get a Grip''
:: <small>Context: Character theme.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etksc3mrIQU Revival]''
:: Artist: Neil Davidge
:: Origin: ''Halo 4''
:: <small>Context: Magitek genius.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhdp14U2M_w Loose Ends]''
:: Artist: Hans Zimmer
:: Origin: ''Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2''
:: <small>Context: The hard decision.</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELD02QC025c Sacred Icon Suite 2]''
:: Artist: Marty O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori
:: Origin: ''Halo Legends''
:: <small>Context: Big damn heroes.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTLdoK_AU18 J-E-N-O-V-A]''
:: Artist: Nobuo Uematsu
:: Origin: ''Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children''
:: <small>Context: Intense battle.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr4eB0WOwN0 The Oath]''
:: Artist: Nobuo Uematsu
:: Origin: ''Final Fantasy VIII''
:: <small>Context: The bonds of sisterhood.</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9mQTmXxU8E I Burn]''
:: Artist: Jeff and Casey Lee Williams
:: Origin: ''RWBY''
:: <small>Context: Kung-fu wizard.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBfc0-KuDGE Maybe I'm a Lion]''
:: Artist: The Black Mages
:: Origin: ''The Skies Above''
:: <small>Context: Unleashed battle.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYUbLkULtkk Something to Fight For]''
:: Artist: Sencit Music
:: Origin: ''Iron Man 3''
:: <small>Context: Facing her inner demon.</small>
</td>
</tr></table>

<br>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>GALLERY</center></div></span></h3>

<gallery>
File:ChaoMNK.png|Chao in traditional Doman martial art garb, which she began wearing in honor of her fallen cousin, Ku Fei.
File:SCIENCE.jpg|Chao and [[Satomi Hakase|Satomi]], science bros! (Non-canon instance)
File:Chaoff.jpg|Chao in the Quicksand, her usual haunt.
File:Showdown.jpg|Chao, Satomi, and their party face down the Ultimate Weapon (Non-canon instance).
File:Victory.jpg|By might and by right, Team Science defeats the menace (Non-canon instance).
File:SoItBegins.jpg|And on that day, the heavens trembled, as though the realm looked outward to see what awaited it, and found only terror.
File:Exchange.jpg|Reclaiming the personal tome she had left with Satomi, Chao leaves a letter of explanation in its place. (It's unlikely to be found for weeks)
File:Pensive.jpg|Chao looks back upon Vylbrand Academy, likely the last time she'll ever see it.
File:Ponderance.jpg|On a clear Mor Dhona night, Chao contemplates the Keeper of the Lake on her way to the Garlond Ironworks.
File:ChaoStory001.jpg|Confronted by a strange duo on the cliffs of Silvertear Lake.
File:ChaoStory002.jpg|Chao and Satomi discussing the current situation, as Kyrrae keeps watch for any interlopers. (Scene directed by JJ Abrams)
File:ChaoStory003.jpg|Armed with a new resolve, Chao swears her defiance to the corpse of the ''Agrius''.
File:ChaoStory004.jpg|Satomi is overcome with emotion at Chao's safety and change of heart.
File:ChaoStory005.jpg|As Satomi and Kyrrae confer, Chao looks toward the crystalline structure piercing the sky in Mor Dhona. ''"Soon..."'' the magitek genius thinks to herself.
File:ChaoStory006.jpg|Chao considers...something.
File:ChaoStory007.jpg|"Wait, ''you're'' bartending?"
File:ChaoStory008.jpg|Chao fiddles with her armor out of the way. Satomi's actually pretty good at this whole tending bar thing.
File:ChaoStory009.jpg|Except when she trips backwards and almost falls on Chao.
File:ChaoStory010.jpg|"''You!''"
File:ChaoStory011.jpg|Satomi has revealed her plans to run away, but there's a power-armored combat mage standing in the way.
File:ChaoStory012.jpg|A meeting to discuss acquiring extremely rare, and extremely powerful, Allagan technology.
File:ChaoDummy.jpg|Chao looks to test the effectiveness of her prototype funnel--affectionately known as 'Dummy'--in the rain, but the little guy's not cooperating.
File:ChaoStory013.jpg|The expedition is informed of recent occurrences in the ruin.
File:ChaoStory014.jpg|The first obstacle, a wandering Allagan defense sphere. Chao scavenged an undamaged laser coupler for Myu from it.
File:ChaoStory015.jpg|Aftermath of the battle with the bio-engineered snake.
File:ChaoStory016.jpg|Detailing their encounter in the first level.
File:ChaoStory017.jpg|An Allagan foundry!? This site will definitely merit returning to for further exploration.
File:ChaoStory018.jpg|The large ADS falls. An inspection of its innards reveals...a secondary core! Unprogrammed even!
File:ChaoStory019.jpg|Chao inspects her prize. But the man behind the expedition isn't willing to part with it...
File:ChaoStory020.jpg|Chao considers the implications of a hidden lift. What more could be in the depths of this ruin?
File:ChaoStory021.jpg|Wherever this lift leads, it is something the Allagans wanted protected.
File:ChaoStory022.jpg|With the expedition complete and the eyebrow-raising goals of Dogberry and the other man completed, Chao accepts her promised ADS core. Nothing can stop Project µ now!
File:ChaoUSH.jpg|Despite having been a stray living off Satomi's couch for several moons, Chao has little interacted with the occupants of Vylbrand Academy. ''Zoey'', of all people, plans to rectify this. By force.
File:ChaoStory023.jpg|First to the stage, Chao begins presenting her theory of ''pactio''.
File:ChaoStory024.jpg|With one volunteer ready, Chao selects the next victim.
File:ChaoStory025.jpg|Provisional contract complete! ...But these two don't seem suited to being partners.
File:ChaoStory026.jpg|Her part over, Chao observes the other presentations.
File:ChaoStory027.jpg|Aetheric means of reducing machine wear? She watches this presentation with great interest.
File:ChaoStory028.jpg|Satomi's combat mammet: fully-operational and armed....for dance?
File:ChaoStory029.jpg|Unfortunately, it's not to last. The ''real'' Grundy has mistaken the mammet for an enemy and demolished it.
File:ChaoStory030.jpg|While helping clean up the wreckage, Chao tells Academy resident Imogene a little about Project µ.
File:ChaoUSH2.jpg|Chao observes as Satomi tends to an unfortunate soul tortured by the Garlean Empire.
File:ChaoSatomi001.jpg|Chao makes fun of the fact that Satomi doesn't have any beds in her room/lab.
File:ChaoStory031.jpg|Standing her ground despite her nerves, Chao watches as Myu finally comes fully online.
File:ChaoStory032.jpg|Threatened by an Allagan-grade laser weapon was not how Chao planned to begin Myu's lifespan.
File:ChaoStory033.jpg|Showing Myu a Limsan sunrise.
File:ChaoStory034.jpg|Chao and Myu practice combatives while Satomi takes measurements.
File:ChaoStory035.jpg|Garlean attack! These assassins have come explicitly for Chao.
File:ChaoStory036.jpg|With the initial attackers defeated, the Vanguard trashed, and Myu damaged by a suicide explosive, the leader makes his move. To Chao's horror, it seems that everything she can do, he can do better.
File:ChaoStory037.jpg|In desperation to end the fight, Chao grapples with the enemy commander and orders her funnel to fire on him at maximum lethality setting, even if it means shooting through herself.
File:ChaoUSH03.jpg|After a failed AMRA system test, Chao inspects the pieces of the device as she listens to Senel and Set speak.
File:ChaoLab001.jpg|Chao in her research lab within Vylbrand Academy.
File:ChaoLab002.jpg|Chao contemplates one of her research projects, with her funnel drifting nearby.
File:ChaoUSH04.jpg|Chao speaks with O'rahn and Set about her projects.
File:ChaoUSH05.jpg|Performing an early test of the helmet for Grundy's powered armor.
File:ChaoUSH06.jpg|Speaking with Keero in the gardens, with O'rahn and Set nearby doing whatever it is they do.
File:ChaoUSH07.jpg|Following a power failure at the Academy, Chao readies the backup generator to be turned on for emergency power...and is not ignorant to Kyra standing within sword range behind her.
File:ChaoUSH08.jpg|Two weeks into her exile within her workshop, Chao has been somewhat neglecting the tidiness of her workspace.
File:ChaoMisriah001.jpg|Inspecting the results of another AMRA test, this one successful.
File:ChaoUSH09.jpg|After witnessing a successful voidsent exorcism, Chao offers to create a prosthetic eye for the victim. Magitek-enhanced, of course.
File:ChaoUSH10.jpg|Chao reveals the truth of her condition.
File:ChaoUSH11.jpg|Wholeheartedly apologizing for the incident in Southern Thanalan.
File:ChaoTheSearch001.jpg|Chao and Myu analyze the fragmented data from Seven, one of Satomi's mammets. It seems that justice may be within reach.
</gallery>

=OOC Notes=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>OOC NOTES</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="90%">
<tr>
<td style="width: 50%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3>
<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''OOC INFORMATION'''</center></div></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Player Note'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">'' ... ''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Personal RP Limits'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''I like to consider myself a flexible player who is willing to commit to a number of different types of scenes and role-play scenarios, but even I have my limits. If something is on the play list, assume it means yes, as long as it's within the context of the current play or ongoing plot. No's are typically a hard no, and it means don't ask, and if I'm in the mood for it, I'll be the one to initiate. '' </div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ '''''I will play''' mature content and themes (violence, drug / alcohol use) as long as they're logical in a plot-driven encounter. Coarse and excessive language. Temporary injury and incapacitation. Temporary imprisonment. Most walk-up encounters.''

: ■ '''''Ask about''' long-term and/or permanent injury and disfigurement. Long-term captivity or imprisonment. Temporary character death. Kidnap and/or abuse plots will require advance planning, as these can be seriously impacting, as well as take a significant amount of time to resolve on an infrequently played character.''

: ■ '''''I won't play''' permanent character death. ''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Disclaimer'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">'' Chao is my take on an existent character from the ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negima!_Magister_Negi_Magi Negima! Magister Negi Magi]'' manga by Ken Akamatsu. I have developed her from the ground up to fit within the FFXIV setting, while still maintaining as many similarities from the source material as possible.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ '' Chao is a technological and scientific prodigy. I am not. I try my best, but typically have to rely on technobabble more than I would like. ''

: ■ '' Chao is highly skilled in both unarmed combat and magic. Traditionally, my preferred means of RP combat has always been firearms or swords, so I'm sure I come across as an untalented hack to anyone more experienced in those combat fields. ''

: ■ '' Regarding nearly everything to do with Chao, she is the character with which I push the bounds of established lore. While I do nothing that has been directly contradicted by lore, she almost entirely operates in an extremely shadowy, unspecified zone regarding lore. Bear this in mind for interactive purposes. ''</div></div>

<td style="width: 50%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''CHARACTER TIDBITS'''</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Potential Plot Hooks'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''Chao is a very busy individual. Even when I'm not actively playing her, she's always got something going on. While the below is by no means comprehensive, it's a kind of spring board for walk-up RP. I am more than open to longer-term RP plots that carry on over multiple sessions, all I ask is that you coordinate with me beforehand. I am nearly always willing to drop anything I'm doing and RP, even if I'm on another character.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ ''Chao was, until recently, a prominent weapons developer at the Garlond Ironworks.''

: ■ ''She has most recently opened her own weapons company, Misriah Armory. While no formal office location exists, she can typically be found in or around Vylbrand Academy in the Mist.''

: ■ ''She is a known member of Vylbrand Academy.''

: ■ ''Garlemald is still aware of her continued existence, and still wishes to see her killed for her actions against them.''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Character Lore Adherence'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''Information in this Wiki is Lore Compliant to the best of my knowledge pre-Calamity using Wikis, and lore-dredging on Google. Information that has been changed to better fit with the lore of XIV will be listed below as necessary.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ ''No changes required.''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Tropes & Explanations'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''A trope is a convention or device that is often found in creative works. In this case, the tropes below describe the character either in part, or as a whole. Their background, personality, appearance, etc, most of them can be described in the tropes below.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ActionGirl Action Girl] ''She's usually seen doing more fighting than science-ing.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BareFistedMonk Bare-Fisted Monk] ''Unarmed combat is her primary means of engaging the enemy. Though trained at the Ul'dah pugilist guild, her fighting style is a modified Doman style that favors kicks rather than strikes.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ClothesMakeTheSuperman Clothes Make the Superman] ''Her battlesuits are powered armor and provide her an incredible boost in combat potential and survivability, but she's by no means helpless without them.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CombatPragmatist Combat Pragmatist] ''When her foes want to run their mouths, she will very quickly demonstrate that talking is not a free action.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeadlyUpgrade Deadly Upgrade] ''Emphasis on the ''deadly'' part, as she is well aware that overusing Magia Erebia can destroy her soul. The one time she's used it to date, she wound up with a fragment of a primal living in her head.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EnemyWithin Enemy Within] ''An unintended side effect of absorbing the dissipating aether of Ifrit via Magia Erebia, a semblance of the primal was able to take residence within her mind. Though it lacks the ability to exert any proper power or temper her or others, it still whispers in the back of her mind and has, on one occasion, seized control of her body.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FacialMarkings Facial Markings] ''Par for the course given she's a miqo'te, but hers prominently glow when her aether seal is active, as another reference to her home series.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HeroicRROD Heroic RROD] ''Overusing Magia Erebia runs the risk of causing this effect on her. Sometimes, if she's caught unawares, the fragment of Ifrit bound to her soul will ''force'' this effect on her--even potentially out of combat--in order to seize control of her.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlayingWithFire Playing With Fire] ''When using magic, she only uses fire. Her aetheric aspect is so strongly tilted toward fire that she is in a permanent state of Astral Fire but does not suffer from the inability to recover mana when in that state.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RenaissanceMan Renaissance Girl] ''She can fight barehanded, with magic, with a gun (or any gun-type derivative weapon), cook, build all manner of stupendously-advanced magitek devices, strategize fairly well on the battlefield, and run arms companies.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SuperPoweredEvilSide Superpowered Evil Side] ''Arguable on how superpowered it is, as she's not inherently stronger when this side is released, but when the fragment of Ifrit residing in her soul seizes control, Dark Chao then proceeds to completely ignore such trivial niceties as "friendly fire" and is more than happy to expend all of her power in such a way that she achieves her objectives and immediately passes out.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WillNotTellALie Will Not Tell A Lie] ''Though more an informed attribute as a throwback to her home series, Chao ''does'' remain remarkably honest about what she's doing at all times, occasionally finding that the truth of what she's doing often makes people disbelieve her. She is ''not'', however, above using misinformation and omission to achieve her goals.''
</div></div>

</tr></table></div>

=Credits=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>CREDITS</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Layout Information'''</div></div>
: <div align=justify><div style="padding: 2px 1px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">The following is not entirely comprehensive, but contains general credits. Please leave the link-backs if you use this template!
::■ Original template by [[Bancroft Gairn]].
::■ Adapted by [[Xheja Rajhera]].
::■ Tabs by [[Unnamed Mercenary]].
::■ Expanded bits by [[Lucaell Tareth'eian]].
::■ Header image inspired by [[D'lyhhia Lhuil]].
::■ Music bits from [[J'karu Rhome]].
::■ Relationships & OOC notes by [[Glioca Sargonnai]].</div></div>
<headertabs />

[[Category: Player Character]]
[[Category: Balmung]]
[[Category: Miqo'te]]
[[Category: Miqo'te Seeker of the Sun]]
[[Category: Doman]]

Chao Lingshen

2016-02-21T22:50:44Z

Chris Ganale: /* Misriah Armory */

__NOTOC__

<div align=center><div style="font-size:30px;letter-spacing:0.05em;color:#ab0c13;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver"></div></div>

<div align=center><div style="font-size:55px;letter-spacing:0.2em;color:#792521;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver">CHAO LINGSHEN</div></div>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:15px;letter-spacing:0.75em;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;">FIREBRAND</div></div>
<br>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:25px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 10px silver"><font color="#4d1715">'''- - - ''' »</font> <font color="#b33730">☀</font> <font color="#4d1715">« ''' - - -''' </font></div></div>
<br>
<div align=center bottom>[[File:Chao-Top-Banner.png]]</div>
<br>
<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="60%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 20px; font-size:18px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;letter-spacing:0.1em;"><center><font style="color:#4d1715;">'''❝'''</font> <font style="color:#b33730">''They wanted war. Let's go give 'em war.''</font> <font style="color:#4d1715;">'''❞'''</font></center></div></span></h3>
</tr></table></div>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:12px;letter-spacing:0.75em;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver">Chao Lingshen.</div></div>
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<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.15em;"><center>'''VITAL INFORMATION'''</center></div></span></h3>
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<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''CURRENT ALIAS...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Chao Lingshen.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''RACE & CLAN...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Miqo'te, Seeker of the Sun.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''GENDER...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Female.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''AGE...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 23.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''NAMEDAY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 1<sup>st</sup> Sun of the 6<sup>th</sup> Umbral Moon, 1556 S.A.E.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''ORIENTATION...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Asexual/Aromantic.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''MARITAL STATUS...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Single.</font>

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<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.15em;"><center>'''OTHER STATISTICS'''</center></div></span></h3>
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<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''NATIONALITY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Doman.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''CITIZENSHIP...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Limsan.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''RESIDENCE...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Vylbrand Academy.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''OCCUPATION...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Founder, Misriah Armory.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''PATRON DEITY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Azeyma, the Warden.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''HEIGHT & WEIGHT...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 5 fulms, 4 ilms. 116 ponzes.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''ALIGNMENT...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChaoticGood Chaotic Good].</font>
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<div align=center><div style="font-size:25px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 10px silver"><font color="#4d1715">'''- - - ''' »</font> <font color="#b33730">☀</font> <font color="#4d1715">« ''' - - -''' </font></div></div>
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=Details=
[[File:ChaoLingshen.png|right|frame|<div style="padding:10px 20px; font-size:13px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;letter-spacing:0.1em;"><center><font style="color:#706b68;">'''❝'''</font> <font style="color:#333333">''Gods and empires have sworn to break me. And yet, here I stand, unbroken.''</font> <font style="color:#706b68;">'''❞'''</font></center></div>]]

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>GENERAL INFORMATION</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">Chao Lingshen is a female miqo'te Seeker of the Sun originally born in Doma. With the Garlean Empire's subjugation of that region, she was conscripted into their armed forces, where she applied her mechanical and magical genius to enhance the Empire's magitek arsenal. She eventually fled to Eorzea with the aid of personnel of the Garlond Ironworks, and has since taken up residence in Ul'dah, spending her days studying and improving her magical and physical capabilities in order to take the fight to the Empire. </div></div>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>APPEARANCE</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">Chao is tall for miqo'te, standing at five fulms and nearly four ilms tall, weighing one hundred and sixteen ponzes. She wears her hair cropped close in a somewhat-boyish style, with two forelocks hanging down just past her chin, secured in place with bronze bangles. Her hair is black, with faint auburn highlights best seen at the back of her head. Afflicted with the normal miqo'te tendency toward heterochromia, her left eye is a dark brown and her right a dark crimson, the two shades close enough together that she could easily be mistaken for having one eye color at a distance or in poor lighting. The tribal markings on her face are slightly more vibrant than normal, this due to the effect of the Garlean anti-aether sigils on her body. When activated, the markings glow bright red. A faint scar on her left cheek, not normally visible due to her tribal markings, is the only visible reminder of the ceruleum explosion at Castrum Meridianum. <br><br> The clothing she wears varies, but she has a marked tendency to prefer more subdued colors such as black, white, and dark browns. Typically she can be found wearing a black and white yukata she picked up from the most recent Moonfire Faire, as it reminds her of her lost home in Doma. She's not big on accessories or jewelry, but usually wears a pair of peach blossom earrings, again as a reminder of Doma. She also always wears either tall boots, dark-colored leggings, or some combination of the two to hide the ceruleum burns on the backs of her legs from sight. </div>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>PERSONALITY</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">As any who would have even taken notice of her at the Quicksand would be quick to point out that she very easily disappears in the background of much more colorful and varied individuals, often preferring to mind her own business and just listen to the goings-on around her, as they have occasionally helped provide some insight into a problem she had been working on. When approached, she is polite and well-spoken, demonstrating an amiable personality with a tendency to make jokes and tease. A favorite thing to do is begin an ominous-sounding statement, then laughing it off instead of finishing the threat. On romance and sexuality, however, Chao can be considered completely asexual, having no consideration of romantic emotions at all. She does recognize romantic advance, but is unresponsive to it. <br><br> Beneath that playful exterior, she is singularly-focused on the downfall of the Garlean Empire and the salvation not just of Eorzea, but of all lands that have suffered under Garlemald's iron fist. This desire drives every action she takes, from her research into greater and more powerful magitek to her quest for greater personal power. The lack of any sort of unity or cohesion amongst the city-states of Eorzea greatly distresses her, and she has considered several times a gambit wherein she presents herself as a great existential threat to the realm, thereby forcing them to unify or face destruction, but has so far held back because the clear and present threat presented by Garlemald sure hasn't done it so far. If the situation demands it, however, she is still more than willing to become a martyr and take on the role of a villain to ensure that the realm is saved.</div>

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<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''L I K E S'''</center></div></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Developing magitek.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Increasing her own combat ability.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Recovering advanced technology from ancient civilizations, even better when she can improve it and make it work again.</div>

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<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''D I S L I K E S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> The Garlean Empire
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Those who advance personal profit at the expense of others, especially in the face of a grave existential threat.
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Tribal miqo'te, considering them primitive. </div>

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<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''H O B B I E S / T A L E N T S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Developing and enhancing magitek
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Light culinarian skill
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> A decent head for business
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Improvisation and customization of existing schools of talent </div>

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<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''S T R E N G T H S'''</center></div></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> High intelligence
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Strong melee aptitude
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> High magical aptitude</div>

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<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''W E A K N E S S E S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Hubris
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Martyr complex
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Overreliant on self </div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''O T H E R'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Occasionally refers to the Allagan Empire as Forerunners.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> She goes through a lot of gear and clothes (read: destroyed) in the process of testing and experimenting with her magic and magitek.</div>

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=Combat=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>COMBAT & WEAPONRY</center></div></span></h3>
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:● '''Magical Prowess''': A budding mage in her own right, Chao is talented in the arts of thaumaturgy, with a far greater affinity for magic of the fire element than other types. This affinity allows her mana to regenerate normally at all times; as such, she is not affected by the astral fire/umbral ice duology many thaumaturges are shackled by. Because of this trait, she is seeking to develop her own, personal style of magic outside the existing systems. Aside from this, she also has some light training in conjury.
::● '''Fire Resistance''': Due to absorbing both living and offensive aether of the Lord of the Inferno, Chao has become more heavily-aspected toward fire, further increasing the power of her magic as well as making her highly-resilient to heat or fire-based attacks.
::● '''''Magia Erebia''''': Translating to 'Dark Magic', ''Magia Erebia'' is the result of Chao's experimentation in magic circles, aetherflow, and how magic and spirit energy can be made to interact with the body. By creating a magic circle, she is able to then absorb a directed energy attack that comes in contact with her, fusing it with her soul and imbuing her with enhanced statistics, depending on the type of energy, for a limited period of time. As a drawback, the unnatural interaction between the soul and aetheric energies causes a corrosive effect, relegating the use of ''Magia Erebia'' to emergencies only.
::● '''Magic Seal''': As a result of the experimentation to resist tempering (see below), when her sigils are activated, she is a complete aetherial void, unable to access her latent magical talents or be affected by anything that would relate to a mana pool. This is mostly used to allow her to pass off as having no magic talent whatsoever, as her mana is not detectible when in this state.
:● '''Martial Arts''': Trained from a young age in the Doman style, unarmed combat is one of the most dangerous places to face her. Her style is visually similar to that of the Fist of Rhalgr, but structurally different. Whereas the monks favor strikes and work best from the flanks or rear of a foe, Chao's ''Hokuryuu Shourinken'' favors kicks, wide sweeping stances, and keeping a distance from the enemy. However, she has taken aspects of the Ala Mhigan style into her own, giving her a much wider array of abilities and actions in combat.
:● '''Shundo''': A ki-based technique of Doman origin, also known by its translated names of ' ''Ground Contractor'' ' or ' ''Instant Movement''. ' By focusing ki or magic energy to the bottom of her feet, she is able to 'grip' the ground and propel herself forward at immense speed, traversing up to sixty fulms in less time than it takes to register movement in the brain. She is only capable of traveling in a straight line across relatively even terrain, and cannot pass obstacles. Individuals with high martial training are able to sense her movement to a degree.
:● '''Spell List''': Chao has developed a list of spells that she prefers to use in combat, primarily based around fire magic and other aetheric uses. All of them are incanted in Garlean (Latin). Additionally, she has her own incantation phrase, which is used to unlock the aetherflow in her body and allow her to channel more powerful magic spells. Said incantation phrase is "''Rasteil mai magicscir magister''." It should also be noted that all of Chao's fire-based spells are aetheric and therefore do not require oxygen to continue burning, and some can even continue to burn when fully immersed in water.
::● ''Calefaciens Exarmatio'': Translating to ''Heatwave Disarmament'', this is a spell used to disarm a foe. It is specially-tuned fire magic that destroys equipment, weapons, and clothing, but leaves the person themselves unharmed.
::● ''Cantus Bellax'': Lit. ''Battle Song'', this is a simple self-buffing spell that reinforces her body with aether. Aside from providing a long-lasting anti-physical shield, this magic also exponentially increases muscle tension, allowing greater power, speed and endurance; it also increases the flexibility of muscles and tendons to prevent Chao from damaging herself from overexertion. In addition, her reflexes are enhanced by a moderate increase in the stimulation of the nervous system.
::● ''Captus Flammeus'': A binding spell, ''Fiery Captor'' summons ropes of fire magic that bind a target in place. Though not ''intended'' to cause harm to the bound target, Chao can cause them to do so at will.
::● ''Flagrantia Rubicans'': A moderately-powerful fire spell, about on par with Fire II, ''Red Blaze'' is Chao's mainstay offensive spell.
::● ''Incendium Gehennae'': A very potent fire spell developed after absorbing the living and offensive aether of Ifrit. Visually, ''Hellfire Conflagration'' is similar to Ifrit's own ultimate attack.
::● ''Ignis Deflexio'': A fire-based anti-physical protective shield. Its defensive effects are small.
::● ''Sagitta Magica Series Ignis'': Chao can summon a number of magic missiles of fire, always a prime number, which will independently track and pursue their target with no input from her. Their tracking method can be defeated if faced cleverly, and one could simply knock the magic missile away when it reaches them. Their damage is limited individually, but she can also cast this spell as a massive, single magic missile comprised of the energy of all the individual ones. While this is more powerful, it is also easier to avoid or counter.
:● '''Technological Genius''': From her youth, she has had a disturbing knack for understanding and knowledge of magitek devices. This ingenuity saw her placed in the Garlean Empire's research division once she was conscripted, where she enhanced and streamlined numerous Garlean weaponry and drive systems. Though more than capable of creating new devices from her own mind, her skills are strongest at refining and adapting existing technology to perform even better. She is responsible for the technological control devices that the Garleans use on their colossi to prevent them from rampaging in battle. Since coming to Eorzea, she has developed a powered assault armor and numerous other systems.
:● '''Temper Resistance''': As a result of Garlean experimentation, Chao possesses a set of sigils inscribed on her body that allows her to seal her aether. The theory is that this will protect her from the primals' method of tempering individuals by way of overloading their aether with the primal's own, due to their aether being unable to interact with her. This has proven to function as intended, tested under fire during her confrontation with Ifrit.
:● '''Weapon Proficiency (Firearm)''': As with all Garlean soldiers, she was trained to use their advanced firearms technology. Though she prefers magic and unarmed combat, she does keep a concealable pistol loaded with large-caliber, high-explosive ammunition on her person. Just in case.
:● '''Weapon Proficiency (Gunblade)''': As a conscript of the Garlean army, and valued slightly above the rank-and-file for her technical genius, she was trained in how to use a gunblade. Though she does not favor the weapon herself, she is capable of picking up and easily-using any of the non-specialized types of gun-weapons.</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">'''OOC Note:''' I unilaterally prefer freeform combat to dice, as dice cannot adequately reflect skill and equipment of a character. I practice what I refer to as an "interrupt" style of RP combat, in that when I make an action, I include a description of the effects it would have, and leave it to the other individual to defend against the action and/or mitigate the effects. Don't hesitate to send a /t if you have questions or are unsure of something I did in a battle.</div></div>
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=Misriah Armory=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>MISRIAH ARMORY</center></div></span></h3>
[[File:Misriah-logo.png|center]]
<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">
After settling at Vylbrand Academy, Chao finally found the stability required to dedicate her efforts fully to designing and developing her magitek weaponry. After a sizable payment for technologies rendered, she was able to fund the creation of her own arms company, '''Misriah Armory'''. Adapting the slogan "Battle-tested for your home", Chao has hired a number of production personnel from the Ironworks and purchased several proprietary systems from Cid nan Garlond to begin her work on magitek combat systems, primarily in the form of powered armor.
::● '''Anti-Magic Reactive Armor''': A system wherein a piece of armor or shield is imbued with reactive aether that, when an offensive spell acts upon it, explodes outward to disperse the effects of the spell and reduce harm to the wearer. This system is still in the prototype phase; currently, it reacts far too vigorously to offensive spells.
::● '''Armory Device''': Utilizing the principles of aetheric teleportation, Chao can imbue specific items with a unique aetheric signature, and then pair them to a device, traditionally a ring, that summons the items onto the wearer, allowing one to be armed and equipped in the blink of an eye.
::● '''Electromagnetic Aether Pulse Protection''': After an...unpleasant...event that saw her powered devices shut down by an enemy electromagnetic aether pulse, Chao worked to ensure that this never occurred again. By studying the recorded particulate effects just before her devices lost power, she was able to determine the frequency at which the particulates used interacted with her devices, and modify her shielding to nullify that frequency. To prevent circumvention by simply using a ''different'' frequency, all her powered equipment shielding is designed to modulate through differing frequencies.
::● '''Ironworks Powered Armor Mk.I''': The upgraded, field-ready combat version of her prototype armor. Designed as a modular system that supports varying upgrades as requested by the wearer. A detailed description can be found [http://tinyurl.com/mdjcwvd here]. Unlike her other, proprietary powered armor designs, her personal set retains the designation 'Ironworks' partly out of nostalgia, and partly in recognition that she was aided by members of the Garlond Ironworks in designing and creating it.
::● '''Misriah Powered Armor/BREAKER''': A direct assault variant built for Grundy, focusing on strong armored protection, resilient shielding, armor-augmented strength enhancers, and a VISR (detailed below) uplink to identify allies and enemies. As Grundy lacks the technical expertise to manipulate armor systems, the BREAKER variant is designed to function largely autonomously, with all systems functioning when power is applied. Grundy's personal variant features two additional features: two spiked chain shots built into both forearms for grappling, and remote systems override allowing Chao to lock down his armor to stop him from going on a berserker rampage.
::● '''Misriah Powered Armor/INFILTRATOR''': An infiltrator variant designed for use by those who prefer a stealth approach. The INFILTRATOR variant lacks the plate protection of its more up-armored brethren, relying on faster-cycling aetheric shielding technology and the user's own ability to evade hits to provide its protection. This powered armor increases user reaction speed and possesses proprietary sound-dampening technology to enhance stealth.
::● '''Powered Fist''': Built to augment her new powered armor, Chao designed a gauntlet that allows her free range of hand motion and also has a powerful gun device built into it for added anti-armor punch. When not desired for use, it collapses down to the size of bracelets worn on both wrists.
::● '''Project μ''': Considered by Chao to be her Magnum Opus, Project μ saw the creation of a sentient, free-willed combat android in a form that would allow it to pass undetected in society (in this case, the prototype unit possesses the frame of a female miqo'te). Utilizing a combination of a purpose-built mammet heart and an unprogrammed Allagan Defense System node to achieve sentience, a frame was constructed using both Allagan metals and repurposed Garlean steel. The result: an infiltrator prototype given the name ''Myu'' whose combat potential is surpassed only by her learning potential.
::● '''Remote/Observation, Self-Propelled Model 1B Reconnaissance Drone''': A variant of the WASP drone, with its aetherochemical beam replaced with high-fidelity observation and monitoring equipment to perform the functions of battlefield reconnaissance. Recon data from these drones can be fed to any authorized user of a MISRIAH powered armor system.
::● '''Sterilization Tools''': A number of devices requested by Vylbrand medic Keero in order to sterilize medical equipment before use. A non-mobile version was delivered to the medical ward, allowing the sterilization of large numbers of equipment, or large pieces of equipment. Several smaller versions were also built for field use. Both versions generate high-heat, high-intensity energy beams that kill microorganisms and scour surfaces clean.
::● '''Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance''': A HUD feature included in all of her powered armors, VISR allows for unprecedented battlefield information to wearers of her powered armor. In its most base form, VISR serves as an identify-friend/foe system, highlighting friendly targets in a green outline, enemy targets in red, recognizable weapons in blue, items of interest in yellow, and unidentified persons/civilians in orange. It can also receive visual reconnaissance from any nearby ROSP drones and functions as low-light enhancement at night or in darkened spaces.
::● '''Weapon/Anti-Magitek, Self-Propelled Model 1A Nonlinear Rifle''': A small, high-mobility portable weapon system developed by Chao using the magitek bits of the Allagan and Garlean Empires as its base. Unlike it much larger cousins, the "WASP"--also known by the descriptor "funnel"--is small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand, but is no less deadly for it. Armed with an aetherochemical beam that can pierce the armor of a magitek reaper in a single strike, its power is balanced by its slow rate of fire and limited fire capacity. When drained of energy after five shots, it is capable of re-energizing itself by drawing aether from its environment, but this will only allow it to fire again once every five minutes. The WASP is targeted by voice commands.
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<br>

=History=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>HISTORY</center></div></span></h3>
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<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>'''PAST BACKGROUND'''</center></div></span></h3>
<br>
<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Early Life'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Born in the region of Doma, Chao has been well-acquainted with Garlean tyranny her entire life. Her parents trained her from the time she could stand in the Doman martial arts style, despite it being outlawed by Garlemald as seditious. Early in life, she demonstrated a marked proclivity for an inability to keep secrets, prompting her parents to keep her uninvolved with the resistance against the Garlean Empire. She also showed an amazing affinity for magitek and other mechanical devices.<br><br>As she grew older, the increasing activity of Garlean oppression saw Chao becoming aware of their atrocities throughout their claimed territory. Her discretion grew, and though she remained unaware of her parents' involvement in the resistance, she began to contribute to the resistance in her own way, notably by designing and providing specifications for cannon rounds that boasted a marked improvement rate in penetrating Garlean armor, among other defensive innovations. This enhanced ability on the Domans' part to fight them did not go unnoticed by Garlemald, and by the age of fifteen, they had determined that she was the one responsible for the technological improvements. One afternoon, a contingent of Garleans appeared at the Lingshen homestead, and a choice was offered: service in the Empire, or the deaths of herself and her family. Unwilling to be the cause of her parents' deaths, she agreed to join the Empire. </font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Imperial Service'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Having been identified as a magitek prodigy, Chao avoided conscription into the generic rank and file of the Empire, instead placed in an institution that would teach her the intricacies of Garlean magitek as groundwork for creating next-generation weaponry. Recognizing the opportunity that had fallen into her lap, she played the part of the loyal Garlean engineer, all the while absorbing all the information she could and considering ways she could sabotage the Empire. It soon came to be discovered that she was especially adept at improving existing technology to perform better, seeing her placed in the Castrum Meridianum, where the foremost of Garlemald's technological terrors were constructed. <br><br> Initially, the projects she was allowed access to were small, improved arms and armor for the soldiers stationed in the castrum and the like. Eventually, as the successes of her work became apparent and allowed Garlemald to solidify its holdings in the regions of Eorzea they occupied, she was granted more and more access to Imperial workings. Soon, she began to discreetly sabotage the projects she was working with, an example being the technological inhibitors that the Garleans used to control their magitek colossi and other tamed beasts. Sure, the inhibitors did their job--better than to spec once she got her hands on them--but if they took too much damage and were destroyed, the frenzied beasts would focus all their aggression on their Imperial masters. She always took great care to ensure that the technology she sabotaged would fail as a result of field conditions or misuse, and that their effects would be ''just'' shy of so catastrophic that the Garleans deemed them too costly to use. <br><br> Her own research efforts were not the only Garlean projects that she was involved in. Owing to the Garleans' hatred of the primals, eventual conflict with the primals would be inevitable. Knowing of the primals' fondness for tempering, the Empire sought to devise a means to resist the tempering effect. Selecting from a pool of candidates with preexisting extremely strong willpower, Chao was selected to undergo numerous anti-tempering experiments. As tempering was reliant upon the primal surging their own aether to overpower the victim's mind and soul, the simplest method the Garleans saw to negate it was blocking one's aether. To this end, a series of sigils were inscribed across Chao's body, rendering her an aetherial void when active. A command code, painstakingly memorized by the magitek genius, deactivates the sigils and lets her act normally, though when it is active her aether is completely inactive, not even able to be detected by other mages, and she appears to be completely nonmagical. Though this system performs its intended purpose to lab specifications, it has yet to be tested against an actual primal. <br><br> It was two years into her work at Meridianum that she discovered the Ultima Weapon program, and at that point she realized that it would take more than minor acts of sabotage to halt the Garlean advance. At around the same time, she began to hear whispers of a revolt in Doma, instigated in the hopes that the Garlean succession crisis would have them too distracted to respond. Activity around the Ultima Weapon project intensified, with many predicting that the fearsome monstrosity would be put to use suppressing the rebellion. It was not to be, however, as the Weapon was still not fully prepared for combat, and the might of the Imperial legions were plenty sufficient to crush the uprising and begin a reckoning of the Doman civilization. <br><br> Suspecting deep in her heart that her parents had been killed in the rebellion, Chao devised her plan and made ready to depart the Empire forever.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Defection'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">For a long while, the Garlond Ironworks and its members had been a continual thorn in the side of the Imperial presence in Eorzea, raiding the castrums seemingly at random. Though she had not devoted a great deal of attention to it, she had a sense that there would soon be another such raid at Meridianum. Timing her actions carefully, she prepared another act of sabotage. <br><br> In her part of the Ultima Weapon project, she was assigned to the conversion of the ancient Allagan power source to accept refined ceruleum as a fuel. While successful in this endeavor, she also weakened the structural integrity of the fueling lines and the storage tanks, forcing them to vent under strenuous operation lest they suffer a devastating case of overpressure. Under the guise of a 'stress test', she ordered one such storage tank filled to capacity and subjected to the sorts of stresses expected in lengthy combat. <br><br> Just as she had expected, another raid by the Ironworks occurred in the middle of the stress test. With the defense force of the castrum distracted by the ruckus, Chao moved all her research notes to within proximity of the storage tank, then increased the stress the device was under. To her surprise, the raiding team from the Ironworks soon broke their way into her research chamber, pulling her attention away from monitoring the tank for reaching its failure point. Now no longer needing to be concerned with her intent to betray the Empire, she alerted the raiders of the impending explosion and warned them to get away. Almost immediately thereafter, a castrum security force broke into the lab from another direction and opened fire. A stray round struck the storage tank, resulting in an immediate detonation. The explosion wiped out the Garlean security force and sprayed flaming ceruleum throughout the lab, resulting in gruesome burn scars to the back of Chao's legs. <br><br> Rendered unconscious by the explosion, Chao was recovered by the Ironworks raiding team, who fled as a chain reaction tore through the ceruleum storage facility, destroying a large number of the Ultima Weapon's spare tanks. Chao's act of sabotage resulted in the completion and battle readiness of the Ultima Weapon being delayed by nearly a full year.</font></div>
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<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>'''SINCE CHARACTER CREATION'''</center></div></span></h3>
<br>
<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Ironworks'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao awoke some weeks later in Gridania, finding herself under care of the conjurers treating her injuries from the ceruleum explosion. Informed of the massive damage done to her musculature and nervous system, she was relieved to learn that she would regain the ability to walk after a time, but that the corrosive nature of ceruleum meant that the scars would never fade. This did not trouble her, and as she recovered, she requested a tome in which she could write, beginning to transfer what of her research she could recall to a page, glad to have denied Garlemald her knowledge and leaving them with prone-to-failure, sabotaged equipment. <br><br> Soon thereafter, she was approached by a large roegadyn man who introduced himself as Biggs, naming himself as a member of the Garlond Ironworks and come to inquire what she had been up to when she had encountered the raid team. In no uncertain terms, she explained that she had been carefully sabotaging various Imperial projects over her years in their conscripted service, and had planned to take advantage of the confusion of the Ironworks raid to do one last grand act of sabotage and escape. Amused by her forthcoming explanation, Biggs offered for her to join the Ironworks, letting her turn her vast magitek talent to improving the lives of Eorzean citizens while continuing to stick it to the Empire. She readily accepted, and turned over her tome of notes for Biggs to copy in case any of it proved useful to any of the ongoing projects at the Ironworks. Once finished with the transcription, Biggs returned the book and suggested she get herself as far away from the Empire as possible.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Changing the Game'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Unknown to either of them, she was in no danger of being hounded by the Empire, as they believed she had perished in the ceruleum explosions at the castrum. After regaining her ability to walk, she traveled to Ul'dah and took up residence there. To while away the time, she discovered that the jewel of the desert was home to the pugilist guild and the thaumaturge's guild, two combat schools that she had a keen interest in. Applying for training at both, she used their instruction to further her knowledge in both unarmed combat and the magical arts, but feared that what she could learn through the guilds would be insufficient to face the might of the Garlean Empire. <br><br> To that end, she sought to combine the training of both guilds into a new personal discipline she referred to--admittedly unoriginally--as 'combat mage'. To this end, she practiced the casting of spells until they became as muscle memory to her, able to cast on the move and with greater speed. While training herself in such a way, she discovered her stronger affinity for fire magic, that the more she trained, the greater the potency of those spells became and the less taxing they were upon her. Before long, she had become adept at weaving fire not only as spells in between strikes, but the very elemental aspect itself into her strikes. The result was a combat style that is frightfully effective, one that the pugilists' guild regarded as an amusing and effective curiosity, but that was reviled by the thaumaturges' guild. Needless to say, she hasn't showed her face there very often in recent times. <br><br> Even through her training time, one thing had weighed heavily on her mind at all times: the existence of the Ultima Weapon and what it could do to the people of Eorzea. Knowing of the Weapon's ability to absorb the essence of the primals and use their power for its own, she wondered if it was not possible for a man to do the same with magic. After all, the possibilities of magic were literally limitless. With that in mind, and keeping an open mind from which she could observe and calculate from all possible angles, Chao began to study arcanism and conjury as well. <br><br> Initially dismissing conjury, she focused her attention on arcanism, finding the applications there far more wide-ranging given the geometric and mathematical means of bending aether to one's whim, and as an engineer, geometry and math were something of strong suits for her. She quickly began to experiment with using aetheric circles not just in books, but using the environment herself as her medium. She found that in doing so, she could enhance the power of her spells and perform various other effects. She has established a theory of a magic contract between a magically-talented person and one who is not, mostly for the purpose of additional power to the--presumably physically-inclined--partner, but has yet to perform any actual experimenting on this concept.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Dark Magic'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Through many a day spent sitting in a corner of the Quicksand pondering her magical theories while immersing herself in the lifeblood of the city, her thoughts traveled far and wide on the principles of magic and their relationship with man and the world. Such philosophical drivel aside, it occurred to her as she was watching a drinking contest that perhaps she was thinking too hard on a subject that was actually rather simple. The principle of the Ultima Weapon's most terrifying power was that it could absorb the power of the primals into itself and, so the theory went, use their powers as its own. As she had discovered through her arcane training, there already ''was'' a similar technique in play, the aetherflow. The problem was its limitations, and that it only drew upon ambient aether. <br><br> While stumped on how to get around this block, she diverted some attention to figuring out methods of rapidly-deploying aetheric circles in combat, given that most enemies would be disinclined to stand around letting her draw runes on the ground around them. Musing on the fragility of crystals, she discovered a method to 'pre-cast' partial aetheric circles by inscribing them into specifically-marked spell catalysts that, when shattered in specific sequence in a set pattern, would inscribe an invisible aetheric circle on whatever solid surface they were shattered against. She found that this was most useful when fighting unarmed, as many would assume she was a bog-standard pugilist and therefore wouldn't be suspicious of her moving around in a fight. <br><br> As the weeks passed and she wandered about the city, she chanced upon a handful of Sultansworn in a full-contact mock training exercise. Taking a moment to stop and observe their actions, she watched as a pre-cast protective spell flashed to life to ward off a harmful spell, but not fully mitigate its damage. That scene taking root in her mind, she returned to the Quicksand to ponder. The nature of protective spells were meant to turn away harmful effects, but using her aetheric circles, could she not invert its purpose, directing an opponent's magic or spirit energy into a user whose aetherflow was opened to draw in such energies? <br><br> With thorough studying in the matter, she discovered that her theory was spot-on, allowing her to absorb the energies of an opponent's attack into herself, giving her a limited-time increase to specific attributes depending on the nature of the absorbed energies. This method of using her developing theory of magic was impractical, as it required her drawing a spell circle to influence the absorption of the energy, and therefore was ill-suited for most combat scenarios. Further, the act of absorbing spells or spirit energy infused that energy to her very soul, an unnatural and corrosive effect that forced her to determine that this new magic she was inventing be reserved for the most emergency of uses. <br><br> Because of this, she has taken to calling her new magic system ''Magia Erebia''.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''New Eras, New Places, New Faces'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Time waits for no man, and Chao was no exception. Word of a new terrifying superweapon in the hands of Garlemald spread through Eorzea like wildfire, and she knew that they had come with their Ultimate Weapon. To her surprise, however, the Eorzean leaders did not seem to fear the tremendous power of the weapon, instead were planning a ''preemptive strike'' to destroy the thing before it could be brought into play. Unknowing of what means the Eorzeans intended to fight it with, but well resolved in the knowledge that she would not suffer them to face that menace alone, she journeyed to the Hall of Flames to avail her burgeoning magical talent to the Alliance's efforts. And thus came to pass her involvement in Operation: Archon, a rather boring endeavor which saw her standing far from the front lines, raining concentrated blasts of fire down on far-away Garleans by way of indirect fire. <br><br> Returning to Ul'dah after the successful destruction of the Ultimate Weapon and the heralding of the Seventh Astral Era, Chao felt herself adrift. Her entire life since coming to Eorzea had been dedicated to empowering herself and devising technology to destroy the weapon, and yet now she found herself without that clear adversary to test herself against. Returning to her usual haunt in the Quicksand to consider her notes on varying magitek research projects, she found herself attracting some interesting characters. First came an elezen lady curious of what she was reading, prompting a rather fast-paced and aggressive conversation which has Chao convinced that she was being hit upon, ending with a promise by Aeliette to 'discover all her dark secrets.' <br><br> Several days later, she was approached by another elezen who offered thanks to her for the assistance she rendered in attempting to determine whether a wine bottle had been poisoned. Introducing himself as Isaudorel, their conversation was far more agreeable, despite the brief intrusion of a rather rude individual who accused Chao of being of purchaseable companionship. Electing to not dignify that with a response, the conversation soon found its way turning toward their preferred styles of combat, with Chao informing him of her creation of her 'combat mage' style of combat. Intrigued of a method by which one could combine hand-to-hand with magical combat, he requested a spar to allow her to demonstrate her style, to which she agreed, pleased to have the opportunity to test her style in 'real' combat. <br><br> Traveling just outside of Forgotten Springs in the Sagolii Desert, Chao and Isaudorel squared off, observed by a small crowd of interested individuals who either came along from the Quicksand or happened to be passing through. Initiating the duel, Chao used her ''shundo'' to cross the distance separating them before he could react, a rising crescent kick almost finishing the fight in a single blow. Recovering from it, he retaliated with a blizzard spell, which she dispersed with a ''Red Blaze'' fire spell before charging back in to rain strikes at him. With a quick thought, he cast a manawall charged with electricity in an attempt to paralyze her. Though the charged energy knocked her back, she managed to avoid a paralysis and unleashed seven ''Sagitta Magica'' arrows to divert his attention. He answered in kind with a wide-area blizzard spell to destroy them, then began another incantation. To break the barrier, Chao used a floating chunk of ice as a springboard by which to ''shundo'' at him and use the entire force of her body to try and break the barrier. Just as she hit, he completed his incantation, casting a Fire-III directly on himself to catch both of them at once, an effective suicide-bomb attack. <br><br> Blown to the side by the power of the strike, Chao was the first to her feet, laughing at the cleverness of the attack and commending him for its execution. Isaudorel, however, having exhausted his mana to pull that stunt and doing no small amount of harm to himself, ceded the spar at that point. Expressing his wish for a future re-engagement, he returned to Ul'dah--or so she presumed--to get himself some rest and recovery. Afterwards, she was approached by one of the observers, one [[Gunnbjorn Darkblade]] who was very impressed with her style and wished to challenge her himself at some point in the future. With a smirk, she stated that she would always be ready to test her skills out once more. <br><br> A few days beyond that, she found herself approached once more at the Quicksand, this time by a man answering to the name of Lucian Malloy. Speaking at length of idle topics, he soon invited her to a place he liked wherein she could think free of distractions, citing the noise of the Quicksand being a cause of headaches for him. Initially concerned that it may be an ill-fated kidnapping attempt, given the nature of Ul'dah, she felt confident that she would be more than any would-be kidnappers were prepared for, and agreed to accompany him. Following along with his teleport to Costa del Sol, she soon discovered that his motives were no more ill than that of any red-blooded male attempting to woo a female. In further efforts to impress her, he cast a healing circle spell, the radius of which grew with every passing moment. It soon became clear that this spell was too powerful for him to sustain, causing him to become as though intoxicated, making ever more and more ridiculous statements as time went on. He soon passed unconscious from the effects of the significant drain on his aether, but not before he managed to activate a failsafe teleport of some sort that returned the two of them to his free company's homestead in the Goblet. <br><br> At the mansion of the Reclaimers, Chao brought him to rest in an infirmary bed, then wandered the halls to find one of his free company mates to assist him. Atticus Buffalobane and Lena Ulionov appeared from their room, in a particular state that left no doubt in Chao's mind what they had been up to, but she politely refrained from saying anything on the matter. It was swiftly determined that he suffered from aetheric depletion, prompting Lena to head off to procure some ethers to solve the matter. After a few moments, she returned with Rinh Amariyo in tow, while Chao stood to the back of the room and let them see to their comrade. After some good-natured ribbing on their part once Lucian came around, Lena inquired as to Chao's occupation. When the combat mage informed them of her specialty in Garlean magitek, suddenly both Lena and Rinh became very interested in her, the former requesting that she return the next day to look at a piece of Garlean technology that the Reclaimers had "acquired." <br><br> Coming the next day as promised, she was introduced to another associate of the Reclaimers, Popato Tomato, who presented a large Garlean orb and explained that it was an aetheric suppressor and that they wished to find a way to make it smaller and allow it to only suppress aether of unwanted intruders rather than the rightful occupants of the manor. Explaining that miniaturization was her specialty, Chao poked around in the device's innards and, following a demonstration of its effects during which she decided to see what would happen if the aether-absorbing field came into contact with her when her aether was sealed--the device short-circuited--she determined that she could meet all their specifications as long as they procured her a pair of Garlean magitek cores--one in case she made a mistake--with which to install in the machine; the rest she had the tools to do herself. They stated that it would be easy for them to acquire the cores, leaving her time to sketch out her redesign of the smaller device and acquire the parts she would need from the Ironworks. <br><br> It took less than a day for her to complete her sketched redesign and even prototype a few replicas in the Ironworks of the modified device. Waiting to be contacted by the Reclaimers to complete her work for them, she resumed her habit of occupying the Quicksand, spending her time going over her design in exacting detail and ensuring everything would function as she expected it to. As she waited and tinkered with converting one of the miniature prototypes into a working autonomous device, she felt an intense gaze on her, and looked around to find a hyuran woman staring at her. The woman approached, stating aloud that Chao looked familiar to her, which became a shared sensation when the woman drew near enough to get a good look at in the dim lighting of the tavern. When Chao pointed out that she was only commonly found at the Quicksand or in the Ironworks, the woman seated herself and proclaimed that it was from the Ironworks that they were familiar with one another. The woman introduced herself as [[Satomi Hakase]], primarily employed by the airship operations division. Though this introduction was to be brief, as an acquaintance of Satomi soon arrived portending a situation which required the hyur's attention, Chao was left with the feeling that she might begin to work with the Ironworks airship sector a bit more often. <br><br> Even with that chance encounter with a fellow in the spirit of science, she continued to feel further and further adrift and separated from the currents of the realm, left as she was with no strong source of opposition to test herself against. The influx of refugees from Doma, the tension from Ul'dah's rejection of sanctuary of them, and the riots that ensued were not something that she, a purveyor of weapons and therefore a 'merchant of death', cared to involve herself in, as she would neither see her people oppressed nor would she hand out her developing forms of advanced weaponry a nation so rife with corruption. So she continued to spend her days in the city idle, chatting at random with whatever passers-by expressed interest in her, spending fewer and fewer hours contemplating new advancements of magitek or ''Magia Erebia''. One conversation ended with a suggestion that she turn her attention to the Ishgardian war with the dravanian hordes and supply weapons for that battle, but she thought little of the backwards, dogmatic ways of the Holy See and did not see the dravanians as a threat to the other city-states should Ishgard fall. She did, at the least, state that she would give it her consideration, and if nothing else it would be an exercise in retrograding her inventions to withstand both the cold of Coerthas and the searing flames of a dragon's breath.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As she took a meal one evening, the tavern as noisy as ever, her ears picked out of the din a small but overbearing voice aimed in her direction. Turning to see a lalafell staring down her nose at her--an act she'd hitherto thought lalafells physically incapable of--she found herself subjected to a barrage of queries regarding a male miqo'te she had never even heard of. When she said as much, the lalafell half-ranted out a slew of other names, only one of which caught her attention: Satomi Hakase. <br><br> With that mentioned, the short one seemed to take a moment to reevaluate Chao, apparently considering there was more to her than met the eye to be an associate of Satomi's, and thereby deeming her 'worthy' by some arbitrary benchmark. Speaking more at length of this 'Sypher Corinth' she was after, she explained that he owed a not-inconsiderable debt to her, promising an unspecified percentage of it for delivering him or information on his whereabouts. Chao accepted, but money had little to do with it; in truth, she was far more interested in having something to do that would take her out of the city. <br><br> The lalafell, who left only her given name Zoey, informed Chao that Sypher had ties with Vylbrand Academy, which sent the miqo'te to Ul'dah's airship landing for a journey to the island city-state. Some hours were spent querying practically every soul in Limsa Lominsa as to the location of the Academy, but perseverance eventually paid off. Upon entering the nondescript building, which initially appeared to be empty, she followed the sound of voices to a lower level that seemed to house a bar, where she queried if any present knew of Sypher. <br><br> After a brief discussion, she was requested to speak of the matter privately with a miqo'te woman she presumed to be the Academy's master, accompanied by an elezen whose role was not explained but Chao presumed to be the master's second. Once in Kyra's office, she explained the situation as it had transpired in the Quicksand, swiftly becoming confused with the way they seemed to become very tense at someone pursuing this 'Sypher' for a substantial debt. It was now clear to her that she was being manipulated as a pawn in the schemes of the lalafell, a sensation she was none too pleased with. When the elezen asked her to convey to the lalafell a request to come to the Academy and 'discuss' the matter, she readily agreed to do so. <br><br> The following afternoon, Chao returned to the Academy, having been informed by Ser Chevalier that a weapon class was to be given that day. As it turned out, she had mistakenly-assumed that it would be more of a showcase of varying weapons from which she might be able to draw inspiration for her projects, but as it turned out, it was an actual instructional class on the varieties of a specific weapon type, in this case axes. Unwilling to be rude by getting up and walking out in the middle of it, she decided to wait it out and observe. This turned out to be possibly one of her best decisions to date. <br><br> In the midst of the class, who should appear out of the blue but Satomi herself. As it turned out, Vylbrand Academy was the fellow researcher's home away from the Ironworks. After politely waiting out the duration of the class and then exchanging a few words with the Academy master and Ser Chevalier, Satomi invited Chao to her laboratory-cum-room to catch up, along with a lalafell that quickly became apparent to be of significant emotional interest to Satomi. After he left on business, Satomi expressed her concern over the appearances inherent in that relationship, but Chao assured her that she would not judge, with the statement that one will find love wherever their heart desires, and that was all there was to that. <br><br> With that fear settled, the pair discussed the situation involving Sypher and the debt, Satomi expressing her concern that he did not seem to be in that high an amount of debt, and Chao herself finding suspicion that so many at the Academy seemed to have their hackles raised by the entire affair. When Satomi remarked that she would gladly pay off the debt and needed to find the woman, Chao stated that she would be glad to accompany Satomi, both to get her own answers on what the hell she'd been dragged into and to provide martial help should it become necessary, promising her fellow Ironworks researcher that she was not as fragile as she looked. <br><br> Turning their conversation to lighter topics, Satomi eventually discerned that, aside from the Ironworks, Chao had no place to call home other than the Hourglass inn attached to the Quicksand, and near of mandated that Chao avail herself of Satomi's lab as often as she deemed necessary. Though not necessarily wanting to take overmuch advantage of Satomi's hospitality--and that of the Academy, which she was sure did not think too highly of her--the truth was simple in that she was adrift in Ul'dah, and a newer locale nearer to where Satomi hung her proverbial hat would not only allow easier collaboration but might also provide some desperately-needed inspiration. <br><br> And so, returning to Ul'dah, she gathered her meager belongings from the Hourglass and took a day or so to finish up all her activities in the jewel of the desert. Traveling by airship to Limsa, she procured a room at the Mizzenmast for a few days so as not to just show up out of the blue at the Academy like an unwanted relative. On the eve before she decided to make her trip to the Academy, she was met in the Drowning Wench by her erstwhile lalafell 'employer', who explained the ''actual'' purpose of the search for Sypher, that being a murder investigation that was now being considered a self-defense act. <br><br> Chao was willing to let bygones be on the matter for a twofold reason: first, it ''was'' a bit of a mercy on Zoey's part to have him investigated for a debt rather than murder, and secondly, Chao's journey to the Academy enabled her to reconnect with Satomi, an all-around net gain for her. Any ire she may have had about Zoey leading her about in the dark was defused by the lalafellin investigator's sincere apologies. Further, Zoey seemed to sense an utmost trustworthiness in Chao, which took the Doman by surprise, and prompted a departure on good terms, with a note that Zoey might seek her out again for further--and much more transparent, as promised--ventures in the future.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Departed'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao had always considered herself intelligent, and whenever first approached by a new person, especially someone with a thuggish demeanor or appearance, always reminded herself that Eorzea was a realm full of malcontents and kept ready in the back of her mind the fact that the very next person to approach her may subject her to some ill-fated kidnapping attempt, assault, or issue of the like. Heretofore, that had never become an issue, but on the day that she prepared to finally make the sojourn to Vylbrand Academy, it turned out that she was properly paranoid after all. <br><br> The lalafell that approached her side may well have succeeded in the assassination attempt had she not stooped to pick up a dropped utensil at the exact moment the would-be assassin moved to draw his blade. A commendably-strengthed kick, given her less-than-stellar positioning seated on a barstool, launched the smallfolk into a pillar, where he was promptly joined by the stool she had just vacated. With the ambush attempt failed, a roegadyn, a hyur, and a miqo'te joined the fray. It was clear they lacked up-to-date knowledge on her skillset, as defeating them proved to be a far simpler endeavor than she had expected. <br><br> Rifling through their pockets made it clear they were a Garlean hit squad, as if their banter during the unrepentant mugging they suffered had not already made that point. Troubling was that they'd come specifically for her, and that meant she was on Garlemald's radar again. Whether they sought blood for her sabotage of the Ultima Weapon or a return of her knowledge to their fold was unknown, and frankly irrelevant. What mattered was that they would stop at nothing to achieve their goal, and that endangered everyone she associated with. <br><br> Knowing that, she knew that she could not, in good conscience, let the Academy and its occupants be brought to harm because of her, and so decided to instead go into hiding. <br><br> Steeling her resolve, and feeling herself to be facing one of the greatest trials she ever had, she covered herself in a linen cloak and walked the rainy streets of Limsa, heading down to the ferry. She found bitter amusement that it would rain on this day, of all days. The ferry passed uneventfully, dropping Chao off near the Vylbrand Academy. The weather had long since broke, leaving it a cool, slightly clouded night. Keeping her eyes sharp for any signs of pursuit, she made her way toward the Academy, each step feeling heavier than the one before it. <br><br> As she expected, the Academy itself was not vacant. As she neared, she espied Ser Chevallier conversing in one corner of the yard, and fully expected to be stopped as to her business. But, to her surprise, she was allowed to pass into the building without a word, and found no other souls as she made her way to Satomi's lab. Once inside, she located her tome that she had left previously within a few minutes, replacing it with a letter that explained her entire history, that she was now being hunted, and that she was choosing to disappear rather than endanger any others. <br><br> With that heavy task complete, she lamented a moment on what may have been had they had the opportunity to combine their knowledge and skills, then turned and left the Academy, as silent and unremarkable as she had arrived. Tome in hand, she had only to pay a visit to the Ironworks to ensure they were properly warned and destroy her research data before she could complete her disappearing act. <br><br> Upon arrival, she found herself trailed by a particular pair of a roegadyn and a lalafell as she moved about destroying her research data, the two attempting to talk her out of her chosen path. She would have none of it, however, remaining adamant about preventing the Empire from having any extra reasons to express their ire with the Ironworks due to her presence. Eventually relenting, Biggs and Wedge decided to, at the very least, do what they could to help her survival, handing her a completed prototype of one of her very own designs: a powered assault armor. With thanks and a promise to continue moving ever onward, Chao clothed herself in the prototype battlesuit and departed from the Ironworks, closing that chapter of her life as well. <br><br> Traveling to the cliff edge of Silvertear Lake, Chao gazed upon the shattered wreck of the ''Agrius'', musing on whether she would require a power equal to that of the Guardian of the Lake in order to turn back the Empire. As she considered this, she engulfed her tome in flames to forever deny its contents to the Empire. The scuffle of approaching persons drew her attention, but kept her back to them, knowing she could easily beat any Garlean to the draw who had hubris enough to make their approach known. <br><br> To her surprise, it was the voice of Satomi who called out to her, demanding her purpose and threatening violence should she have been responsible for harm to....herself. Clearly, Satomi had mistaken her cloaked form for that of a Garlean assassin. She turned to identify herself properly, bracing for what was surely to be a lengthy attempt to convince her to not fleet into hiding. The sight of Chao unharmed brought the hyuran scientist great relief, and she launched quickly into a narrative of how hectic the last several days had been, in-between dodging Garlean assassins and interrogating captured spies. <br><br> Confused by the explanation, Satomi continued that she had discovered a list of targets that the Garleans were going after, including both of the two researchers. That Satomi herself was targeted explained her being in the company of Kyrrae--beyond the obvious reasons therefore--but the knowledge that the Empire was doing more than just coming after her for revenge changed things. She couldn't very well run away and hide while others were being hunted and killed by the Garleans. Stating as much, she cast aside her cloak, revealing her newly-acquired armor to Kyrrae and Satomi in the process, and swore upon the wreckage of the ''Agrius'' that she would never stop fighting against the Empire. <br><br> With all thoughts of flight now permanently out of the magitek prodigy's mind, Satomi bid they leave the far-too-open expanses of Mor Dhona for a more secure location. Utilizing a quick manipulation of aether, the trio teleported to Kyrrae's personal residence in the Lavender Beds, taking the extra opportunity to speak of the situation before bedding down for the evening.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits II'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Beginning to devise her own scheme for additional security against the Garleans, Chao set out the next morning to set it into motion. Over the course of the next several days, she visited sites of combat with Imperial forces across the realm, scavenging parts from downed vanguards, reapers, colossi, and death claws. After several days of this, she received a linkpearl call from Satomi, sounding highly distressed and requesting her presence at the Academy. Initially fearing that the Garleans had gotten Satomi and were using her to try and draw Chao out, she made haste to Vylbrand and entered Satomi's lab with a gusto normally reserved for breaching an enemy fortified position. <br><br> As it turned out, no such precaution was necessary; the state of Satomi's health being due entirely to stress as a result of a near-death experience on Kyrrae's part while Chao was away. Before much more of the subject could be discussed--though enough was spoken of to cause Chao concern for Satomi's well-being--the hyur was called to socialize with the other members of the Academy. Chao, feeling the need to look after her a while longer, accompanied her downstairs and discovered to her amusement that Satomi was ''bartending'' this social event. Tucking herself out of the way, she observed the gathering as she had always observed every tavern interaction, reminded quite thoroughly of her days spent warming chairs in the Quicksand. These thoughts prompted her to wonder what some of her old acquaintances were now up to. As the afternoon wore on, however, the state of Satomi's health became all the more clear: between a dropped glass and nearly stumbling into Chao while passing out a drink, it was clear she was about to pass out on her feet. After a while, she was convinced to retire and rest for the evening, which she reluctantly agreed to do, with Chao ensuring she made it safely back to her room/lab. <br><br> Once back in the lab, Satomi confided in Chao that she had been feeling increasingly depressed over the last several weeks, stemming from the sequence of events that had seemed to go from bad to worse: Chao's disappearance, the Garlean attacks, drama within the Academy, and finally Kyrrae's near-fatal experience. All these experiences, the scientist reasoned, were a negative consequence of deciding to emotionally open herself, rather than the previously-aloof way she had lived her life. In conclusion, she decided that her best course of action would be to return to that way of life, cutting ties with all who knew her and disappearing. <br><br> The only thing standing between her and freedom was a miqo'te magitek prodigy now prepared to enact violence on her closest friend. <br><br> Tactically and very overtly positioning herself between Satomi and the door, Chao immediately declared Satomi's plan a farce, pointing to her own recent experience with 'pulling a runner' that achieved nothing fruitful other than stress and harm to others' lives. This having no effect on Satomi's scheme, she moved on to directly counter the hyur's assertions that she was of no value to anyone by pointing out the positive effects she had had on the lives of Grundy, Kyrrae, and even herself, that without Satomi's influence one or all three of them may currently be dead. This began to crumble Satomi's emotional facade, but she remained adamant. Chao went for the kill: she pointed out, accurately, that if Satomi left the Academy, then Kyrrae would go looking for her, no matter if he was fully-recovered or not. And what then, Chao posited, would happen if he should run afoul of Garlean assassins while out in his weakened state? <br><br> That destroyed Satomi's resolve to flee, and she broke down and confessed her insecurities to Chao, who promised that no matter what choice Satomi made, she would always have the likes of Grundy, Kyrrae, and Chao to stand by her side.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Project µ'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Having researched, heard the tales of, and occasionally witnessed the grasp of the Allagans' technology in the field of automatons, Chao determined to move her own projects in that direction. Similar to the Garleans' favoring of large robotic minions, Chao also saw the value in a heavily-armored combatant with limits far beyond those of normal sentient beings. As ever, where Garlemald's cultural values leaned toward the largest, most visible and intimidating machine on the field, Chao felt far more could be accomplished with a much more compact form. Thus, with the salvaged parts of the various Garlean robots and her highly-useful talent for miniaturizing existing items, she had begun constructing a humanoid-sized combat frame using her own form as a reference. <br><br> Keeping herself sequestered away in a back corner of Satomi's lab and spending all her waking hours on her work, completing the basic frame of the machine and all its inner workings went very quickly, taking her no longer than a week. With that completed, however, she needed to look to a way of giving life to the machine, and not simply in the form of its source of power. Knowing of the great combat power of the Allagans' automated defense mechanisms, one of their core processors would do the job nicely. The key laid in finding one that had not yet been programmed to murder everything in the name of the Forerunners, one that ''she'' could dictate the development of. She would, of course, also require a mammet heart to give her creation a true semblance of sentience, but that was almost trivial in comparison to acquiring an unprogrammed Allagan defense node core. <br><br> Recalling well that Cid had left the doors of the Ironworks open to her, she returned once more to darken their doors, seeking any knowledge the Ironworks might have on sourcing a core to suit her needs. While they lacked a fresh, unprogrammed one, they had a number of cores recovered from destroyed drones recovered primarily from the battlegrounds of Carteneau Flats that she could use to get a feel for how they functioned, and how she might turn one to her own uses. Along with this, he suggested a number of known magitek part peddlers that she might attempt to source one through, lest she wish to get a shovel and start digging at Carteneau. <br><br> After several fruitless endeavors, she managed to make contact with one Dogberry Himalspyr and met with him in Limsa Lominsa to discuss whether he could acquire the core she required. While he did not have any readily available, at least not of the Allagan variety ''and'' unprogrammed, he mentioned that he was planning to explore an Allagan ruin in the coming weeks and invited her to partake and search for what she was after. Deciding that to work well to her advantage, she agreed to come along on the venture, taking a linkpearl from him so that she might be informed of when it would gather. With that laid out, she returned to Vylbrand Academy to continue tweaking the frame and making adjustments to her combat unit. <br><br> To her surprise, she discovered when she returned that Satomi had already solved the problem of a mammet heart: using her not-inconsiderable personal stores of gil, she had commissioned one from the goldsmiths' guild specifically to suit their needs. With the device delivered, Chao was able to activate her robotic creation, upon which she bestowed the name "Myu" as a phonetic of the Allagan symbol µ that she had used as the project codename. Curiously, though powered, Myu had yet to show signs of life. <br><br> Days passed as Chao and Satomi both puzzled over Myu's reticence to awaken. Nothing ''mechanically'' was wrong, the machine simply just refused to start up. Both knew that such fickleness was common to mammets and other devices powered by their hearts, and so resolved to be patient. They knew that Myu's sensory functions and learning core were online and active, taking in data at a constant rate, and so they operated under the assumption that Myu was studying them.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Into the Depths'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As the week ended, she was contacted regarding the Allagan expedition and asked to arrive at Camp Drybone within several days' time. Satomi, unfortunately, had other business to attend to, but Chao assured her friend that she would be fine to enter the ruin alone, and would bring back a mountain of data, ''and'' the necessary core. Donning her battlesuit and taking a supply of spare crystals for recharging if necessary, she took the airship to Ul'dah and, mindful of the continuing unrest in the city, rode her chocobo to the outer encampment of Drybone. <br><br> By the time she had arrived, most of the rest of the venture had already made it, and so she stood off nearby and ran checks on her armor, ensuring everything was functioning at top form. After the last of the group formed up, they trekked by chocobo across eastern Thanalan, far into the scrubland. They arrived at a large work camp, many of the workers and sellswords within bearing injuries that Chao recognized as being caused by Allagan traps and defenses. Though she pitied those unfortunates, she lacked the skills necessary to heal them. <br><br> As tasked by the expedition funder--or so she assumed since it was never fully explained--the team entered into the ruin, proceeding into an aether-swamped cavern filled with platforms of clearly-Allagan design and corrupted creatures tainted by the presence of so much aether. The vast majority posed no great threat to the party and were swiftly overcome, save for the last creature they encountered: a bio-engineered monstrously-sized snake fitted with Allagan control devices. Far more devious and empowered than the lesser creatures, this beast nearly laid low the expedition, leaving at four of its members unconscious, but at least still breathing. <br><br> Reviving their downed comrades and retreating back to the surface, the group took the time to catch their breath as a follow-on force of mercenaries was sent to secure the first antechamber. It wasn't long before a runner in dire health reported a second chamber further into the ruin, with clearly far worse inhabitants. Leaving the winded Dogberry to rest, his place was taken by the other man behind the expedition, one [[Alexander Stormwind]], and they ventured into the ruin again. <br><br> Within, they found what Chao recognized as an Allagan networking center, the 'brain' behind the defense systems of all their facilities. Met at the entrance by a small node that immediately went on the offense, the group proceeded to systemically clear all the nodes around the network before engaging the ADS itself. After a grueling battle, they finally managed to destroy it. Immediately setting to scavenging it, Chao removed its destroyed processor core to discover a secondary core that had been intended to transfer its data to was left untouched by both the battle and any attempt to download data. <br><br> It was the unprogrammed ADS core that she needed for Myu. <br><br> With the network downed, the party took several minutes to recover. Chao herself took to exploring the network area. Her attention was soon drawn beyond the platforms, to large columns of smoke she saw rising from other such clusters of platforms. It took only a few moments of observation--and the sight of moving machinery--to realize she was staring at a Foundry, a place where the Allagans ''built'' their machines. <br><br> This place would definitely merit returning to. <br><br> Returning to the surface, she took a moment to inspect her prize, which Stormwind swiftly demanded she hand over for proper cataloging and storage. Unwilling to part with that which she had come for, and needed to bring Myu to her ideal of full combat readiness, she pointed out that she had been brought on this expedition to acquire this very part, which Dogberry attempted to intercede on her behalf over. Stormwind was adamant, however, refusing to pay for a half-completed venture, even as Dogberry himself pointed out that she still was perfectly willing to press on despite getting what she had come for. At this point, recognizing that there would be no way to have things her way without resorting to violence, Chao ceded for the time, shoving the core into the hands of a passing worker and immediately stonewalled the rest of the raid. <br><br> Within minutes, a new chamber was found, this one seeming more confusing than threatening. Upon the party's arrival to the chamber in question, the reason became immediately apparent: a deep chamber running for over three hundred yalms straight down with the entire center section either lost to time or purposely omitted. The only way to move from section to section was by use of transporter pads dotted around the chamber that would propel an individual across a gap to a connected pad. How the pads were linked, and by what means an individual was propelled and then safely landed was a mystery to Chao, having never before heard of such devices in her studies of the Allagans. <br><br> And the place was full of creatures of Allagan creation, genetically-engineered beasts that harried the party at every turn. Despite attempts to the contrary, the nature of the place and the continuous assaults from every direction swiftly saw the party largely separated, Chao herself winding up alongside one of the group's healers, [[Mikh'a Korofi]]. Knowing that they were better served to run than try to fight, Chao deployed her funnel in an attempt to clear a path and ward off any pursuers, but the largely-untested nature of the drone meant that its effectiveness was, at best, negligible. After a grueling struggle, and no small amount of paths being cleared by the other groups, Chao and Mikh'a eventually escaped through an Allagan teleportation device, winding up back on the surface. <br><br> By ones and twos, the others soon returned, until only one had yet to show up. The elezen bladeswoman, [[Menelwen Veara]], remained unaccounted for within the ruin. As the minutes stretched on, the group grew increasingly frantic, eventually culminating in nearly a re-entry into the deathtrap, until Menelwen reappeared at high velocity, nearly bowling over the lalafell warrior in the process. As it turned out, she had become separated when she took it upon herself to draw away a pack of monsters, barely escaping with her life. <br><br> Sensing that the mystery objective of the expedition was near, Stormwind once more stepped forward to take part in the operation, allowing Menelwen the time to rest and recover from her harrowing ordeal. Clearing the central transport center apparently unlocked some sort of mechanism, revealing a lift at its entrance that allowed them to bypass it. Taking the lift down, the group was soon accosted by Allagan clockwork defenses, lesser in the hierarchy of the Allagans' nasties, to be sure, but they were part of the basis for Project µ for a reason. With determination and grit, the group steadily overcame them and Chao, no more immune to pride than any other, tore the processor from the still-fighting final dreadnaught and rode its smoking carcass to the ground, remarking on how Myu would soon surpass the Allagans' wildest dreams. <br><br> With the lift guardians defeated, the remainder of the journey passed in tense silence. Chao took the opportunity to recharge her armor from her stock of crystals and center herself for whatever was to come. When the doors opened, she did not consider herself prepared enough. <br><br> There, standing before them, was the Ultimate Weapon. Or rather, a seemingly-mass-produced knockoff of the very self-same weapon of mass destruction that had been employed by Garlemald. Given that it had originally been created by the Allagans to control and contain the primals, she realized she should not be surprised to find more than one in existence. Meanwhile, Stormwind seemed to lose his mind in that way that scientists were capable of; it was something she was familiar with not only from herself but from Satomi as well. So that was what it looked like, she mused. Still, and all, the thing had become active in their presence, and now had to be put down. <br><br> Engaging in battle, Chao couldn't help but feel a thrill as she alternated between the use of her Doman martial style and the magicks she had trained on for nearly a year now; she had missed her chance to take down the Ultimate Weapon, and here again was a second chance to see what that had felt like. And through the ravages of time, combined with the skill of the expedition she was in, they steadily dismantled the monster, forcing it to use increasingly more desperate tactics to ward them off. When it deployed a series of magitek bits, as she suspected it might, she wasted no chance, diving one to the ground and prying open its casing even as it tried to blast her with lasers. From her own experience with working with the Ultimate Weapon and all she had learned in the construction of 'Dummy', she was able to alter its targeting processes to turn it against the Allagan superweapon. <br><br> Before long, the monstrous device lay in ruins at their feet. Returning to the surface, Stormwind swiftly dispatched all the mercenaries and workers to that deepest of chambers, ordering the entire thing dismantled and brought back to the surface. Chao half-listened as he explained to the other members of the expedition that the Order of the Raven's Eye had come seeking that very superweapon, intent on using its technology to create a means to better combat the primal threat. Over the course of the discussion, she learned from the lalafell warrior that the Syndicate were also after another such weapon, a monstrosity hidden below the Carteneau Flats called the ''Omega'' Weapon. The revelation filled her with disgust, to know that those vile, amoral sycophants concerned only with their own wealth would seek a power of that magnitude. She could almost foresee conflict in her future with those fools. <br><br> With many of the expedition dispersing, Stormwind turned his attention to Chao, fetching a worker to acquire the core she had found earlier, now more than pleased to hand over the device to her since he had found what he was looking for. As for what the Order was up to, she agreed with their ideal to protect the realm from the primals, but swore that if she caught wind of whatever they created being used for oppression, she'd destroy it herself. Stormwind actually seemed pleased with that vow, and promised himself that he would be careful in guiding their creation's use. <br><br> ADS core in hand, Chao returned to Vylbrand once more, looking forward to the day when Myu would achieve her full combat potential.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Might and Magic'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Back at the Academy, Chao secured the ADS core and stashed it away amidst the mass of other research materials Satomi kept in her lab, where it would remain until Chao judged it was time to install into Myu's processor. In the meantime, she spent several days repairing her armor and working on upgrades to her funnel. In the midst of one such repair session, taken on a couch to the side of the Academy's entrance so as to be out of the way, Chao was discovered by Zooey. After a brief discussion, during which Chao remarked on how she felt herself the nuisance stray at the Academy, the investigator took it upon herself to begin dissolving this notion, demanding Chao to step away from the couch even as she called out, rather loudly, for all nearby members of the group to gather around. This having happened while her funnel was fully-disassembled, and she didn't want to leave such sensitive material unattended for even such a brief time, she found herself getting to meet several of the Academy's occupants while carrying an armful of funnel parts. Of the half-dozen individuals present, all welcomed her warmly into their midst, several even offering her crash space in their residences if it was necessary. <br><br> Even with that welcome extended, she still couldn't shake the inescapable sensation of being an outsider looking in, and so maintained the excuse of working on her projects to remain out of everyone's way. Over the course of several days, she began working on a means to have weapons and gear on-hand any time it was necessary without being overly encumbered. Using the existing knowledge of aetheryte teleportation, she imbued each of the key components of her battlesuit with a unique aetheric signature that she then tied to an Allagan magic focus ring recovered from the ruin she had explored. When successfully tested, she could now go about in everyday attire without having to fear being caught by assassins without her armor. <br><br> Learning of an upcoming festival of science and magic to be hosted by the Academy, she decided to partake of this event, seeing it as an opportunity to showcase the arms she was developing for the realm. That is, until she saw the rules forbidding weapons and dangerous magic, which automatically disqualified nearly all of her work. While she ''could'' have used Myu as her demonstrator, she was not willing to reveal the existence of a humanoid combat robot yet. After a day or so to ponder it, she realized that there ''was'' something she could safely demonstrate: her theory of provisional contract. <br><br> So she recollected her since-destroyed research on the matter, acquired a new showy coat in the Allagan fashion, and waited until the day of the festival. Shortly before it was to begin, in order to settle her restlessness, she took her funnel outside and tested several of its settings on the target dummy outside. Her initial test of nonlethal settings at extremely limited power nearly resulted in the thing shooting ''her'', but on subsequent tests after being very specific on what, precisely, to shoot at, she noted that even at minimum power, the nonlethal setting possessed enough energy and impact to potentially stun victims and destroy clothing and equipment. A further test on the lethal setting at half power completely obliterated the target dummy. Leaving herself a mental reminder to either replace or pay to replace the target dummy, she headed inside to partake in the presentation portion of the festival. <br><br> Having been selected to go first, she took the stage and presented her theory of what she was taking to refer to as ''pactio'': that through the use of a specifically-designed magic circle, an individual proficient in magic could create a bond of partnership--a provisional contract--with another person that would allow the mage to imbue the partner with their own aether to increase their attributes. To demonstrate, she called forth [[Nebula Stardancer|two]] [[Sabirr Loreley|volunteers]] from the audience and cast the magic circle on the stage. She explained the basics of the contract, that it was formed by an exchange of bodily fluids; a blood pact would suffice for the matter, but if the two parties were not amenable to that, even something as simple as a kiss would do the job. The two volunteers decided on the latter, and in a flash of magic and light, Chao's theory was proven to be truthful: the successfully-created provisional contract validated by the presence of a tarot-like card bearing the likeness and several details of Nebula. <br><br> After a short session to answer questions, Chao stepped down to observe the rest of the presentations. One concerning the use of aether to reduce fatigue on mechanical systems drew her close inspection for obvious reasons. Last of the presentations was from Satomi, creating a rather fitting set of book ends to the whole affair in Chao's opinion. Her friend and partner in crime showcased a combat-purposed mammet that she had built in the likeness of Grundy. While Chao had known that Satomi had been working on such a thing in tandem with Chao's own work on Myu, she hadn't realized that Satomi's machine had reached the prototype and test phase. When a request for volunteers to face the mammet in mock combat came, Chao stepped forward to test her friend's creation herself, but was beaten to the punch by an Academy local, [[O'rahn Kevelan]]. In the long run, that was probably the better choice, as Chao would have held nothing back in the interest of giving it a proper combat test, and they may have wound up making a mess that way. There were a few glitches in the test, but overall, Satomi's showcase was successful. <br><br> Unfortunately, the machine was soon destroyed by the ''real'' Grundy, who mistook it for an enemy accosting Satomi and shattered it in a single blow. <br><br> Without waiting to be asked to help, Chao retrieved a rolling cart and began to load the parts of the mammet into it, along with the assistance of several others. While Satomi went off to take a walk in order to keep her wits about her regarding the matter, Chao held a brief discussion with Academy resident Imogene about Project µ, remarking on how devastated she would be if something similar happened to Myu as had happened to Satomi's machine. Describing in general the technological achievements that Myu represented, Chao left the other woman quite astounded at the level of complexity in comparison between Myu and the mammet Satomi had built. The difference laid in their purpose: Satomi's machine had been intended solely for combat, and not with the level of sophistication Chao had attempted, while Myu was built to not only have astounding combat capabilities but also to be able to pass herself off as a living, breathing individual. <br><br> After bringing the cart of destroyed mammet parts to Satomi's lab, and with the scientist herself still out of the Academy, Chao spent several hours sitting and talking to Myu, telling the sleeping android of her dreams and hopes for the future, a world where people could live free of the fear of oppression, both from external and internal threats. While Chao had spent some time each day since activating Myu speaking to her in such a manner, this day was markedly different in both the time she spent doing so and the nature of her conversation topic: philosophical and whimsical rather than scientific and factual. <br><br> Days later, just when Chao had begun to let the ever-present concern of Garlemald recede from the forefront of her mind, another stark reminder made itself known. While in the front of the Academy practicing her martial arts, she watched several members of the Academy carry a gravely-wounded person inside. Curiously, she followed them within and stood outside the infirmary--knowing her lack of any knowledge of practical or magical healing arts would see her only getting in the way--and listened as Satomi treated the poor woman, who had been captured and tortured by Garlean agents, operating out of a hidden camp located somewhere on the island of Vylbrand. That was greatly troubling news. <br><br> Eventually, Satomi treated the worst of the woman's injuries, though time would tell if she healed properly. The hyuran scientist headed away to recover and clean herself after the messy procedure, and just minutes later, an elezen woman arrived with a package of supplies for someone in the Academy. Having been nearby, Chao looked within and, finding all manner of alchemy supplies, assumed it was meant for Satomi, and so showed the delivery woman to the lab. Inside, as they waited for Satomi, they struck up a brief conversation, with the elezen--an Ishgardian expatriot, so she revealed--speaking of her interest in technology and weapons, particularly of Garlean origin, to be put to use against the dravanians in Ishgard's long war. Chao warned the elezen that if she had made a habit of pillaging equipment and technology from Garlemald, that she need be alert to the fact that she may have put herself on the very same hit list occupied by Chao and Satomi themselves. <br><br> In the midst of this discussion, Satomi returned to the lab and, confused at the elezen's presence, made clear in an unusually-curt manner that she had scheduled no such delivery. The elezen woman was not troubled, merely collecting the package to be returned to the guild from whence it came. Chao, suddenly and alarmingly realizing that the entire thing may have been a setup, surreptitiously scanned its contents for any sort of Garlean tracking devices--or explosives--but thankfully found none. With the elezen gone, she apologized to Satomi for being the source of the confusion. Satomi, for her part, apologized for being so short-tempered, which Chao understood perfectly when explained that the woman convalescing in the infirmary was one of Satomi's friends. <br><br> Even despite knowing that was what was weighing so heavily on her friend's mind, Chao remained insistent on her apology for causing Satomi additional headache and usurping as much of her lab as she did. Satomi brushed the thought aside, knowing that Chao had only been intending to help her, and further remarking that Chao need not concern how much time and space she required for her "beautiful project." At this, Chao smiled, and mused aloud that perhaps they might coax Myu to awaken by installing the ADS core ahead of schedule, despite the inherent danger that might come of the Allagan base programming overtaking Myu's functions and turning her into a sentient killing machine. Satomi suggested that a backup mammet core be used to store Myu's existing data on, and then use the aetheroelectric security field in her lab to contain Myu within until they determined it safe. It was a sound plan, and so the scientists agreed to take that step the next day, allowing them time to rest and come at it refreshed. <br><br> Moving to rest in the room's seating area, Chao remembered the armory ring and micro-teleportation device she'd created, demonstrating it to Satomi by calling her battlesuit, hitherto stored in an armoire, onto her person, replacing the general-purpose work and research attire she'd been wearing. Leaving her fellow researcher quite stunned, Chao briefly explained the setup, and then handed Satomi an armory ring of her own that Chao had made for her, to ensure that neither of them would ever be caught unarmed and unprepared by Garlean assassins. Afterward, with the call of sleep tugging at both of them, they each took up occupancy on a separate couch--with Satomi explaining that she found normal beds difficult to sleep on--and rested up for whatever the next day may bring.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Logical Ideologist'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">The next afternoon, Chao decided that the time had come to take that gamble. With Satomi away on business, regrettably, she performed the necessary prerequisite steps herself: creating a backup of Myu's data to that point and moving her into the zone of the aetheric field. This latter was a difficult task with Chao by herself; given her metal construction, Myu easily massed twice Chao's own weight. Once she was positioned, however, Chao retrieved the ADS core and, observed only by the myriad of diagnostic and sensory equipment in Satomi's lab, plugged it into Myu's processor, then stepped away and brought the security field online. <br><br> The elation that filled Chao's heart when Myu opened her eyes for that first time was immeasurable, as was the terror that seized her when Myu lifted her hand and aimed her palm-located Allagan laser in Chao's direction. Despite the grave and imminent threat to her very life, Chao stood her ground, determined not to show fear to Myu; not out of an animalistic sense of establishing dominance, but that she had ''faith'' in the being she had breathed life into. For several long and terrifying moments, she watched the color spectrum shift in Myu's eyes, from their natural blue to a blood-evoking crimson likely caused by the Allagan programming. Finally, Myu gained control over the Allagan processes--quarantining them as she later explained to Chao--and greeted her maker. <br><br> Lowering the aetheric field, Chao wasted no time in welcoming Myu to the world, speaking at length with her about her start-up process, the data she had created thus far, and a brief explanation of what it meant that Chao was extremely proud of her. Knowing that she had spent all her time since coming online cooped up inside the lab, Chao took Myu outside the Academy, giving her the first taste of the outside world. It was here, when Myu questioned what caused the plants to sway and the mist of a nearby fountain to move, that Chao realized she'd ommitted installing a tactile sensory function in Myu, something she quickly brought the android back inside to rectify. <br><br> The next day, Myu was introduced to Satomi and the scientists began to measure the robotic girl's capabilities and functions. As the day progressed and grew into the evening, a rapport was quickly established, but it was noted--by Chao if not by Satomi--that Myu clearly held Chao in far higher regard, being the only one of the two that she referred to as master. She still regarded Satomi as an individual high on her protection list, however, as evidenced when she nearly came to violence against another member of the Academy who happened to make teasing remarks at Satomi in Myu's presence. <br><br> Between the defensive knowledge gleaned from the Allagan core, Chao's own mastery of Doman martial arts, and the library of materials available to study at the Academy, it didn't take long for them to discover the incredible combat potential of Myu, easily the equivalent of at least a company's worth of normal soldiers and adventurers. As she was not a living being, she was not capable of manipulating aether in any form, but Chao reasoned that between herself and Satomi, they could make a technological combat system that could perform similar effects; after all, if Garlemald could theorize it, the two of them could make it reality in less than a moon. Because of this lack of aetherial ability, Myu took to following in Chao's footsteps, adopting unarmed martial combat as her primary method of battle. <br><br> It was fortunate that the scientists put so much work into developing Myu's combat abilities, as their greatest trial yet was soon to come.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Nightshade'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As the trio cataloged and practiced combat skills with Myu one evening a short distance from the Academy, they were beset by yet another Garlean assassination squad, this one comprised of two highlanders, a miqo'te, and even a vanguard for support. Chao wasted no time in going on the offensive, engaging the axe-wielding highlander she perceived to be the leader in order to create an opening to allow Satomi and Myu to escape. This endeavor proved to be futile, however, as the other Garleans engaged the two in equal measure. While Satomi's adversary caused her a great deal of trouble due to the scientist not being suited for direct combat, Myu and Chao initially fared better against their foes. The miqo'te shinobi quickly ascertained Myu's artificial nature from her speech patterns and having managed to drive a blade into her right shoulder--barely penetrating her armor plating--and attempted to taunt her, referring to her as a useless puppet. Myu was having none of it, however, and simply grabbed her foe before striking him down with her Allagan laser. <br><br> As this was going on, Chao stayed in close with her opponent, preventing him from getting the full use out of his augmented axe. The Garlean then ordered in the vanguard for support, and knowing the kind of damage those things could cause, Chao slipped past him to engage and destroy the oversized magitek. This turned out to be a ruse on the enemy's part, for as soon as she got within reach, it unleashed a full broadside of all of its frontal attacks. The shielding and material construction of her armor protected her from truly devastating damage, but the attack was still enough to knock her away, stunning her momentarily. In that moment of inattention as Myu looked toward her maker, the dying shinobi stuck an adhesive explosive device to her frame, intent on ensuring she went out with him. Unperturbed, she merely tore the device from herself, taking some of her synthetic covering with it, and threw the now-dead shinobi's corpse over the device to smother some of the blast. The resultant shockwave from the powerful explosion caused a large amount of damage to Myu, who positioned herself to intercept the shockwave so it wouldn't harm Chao. <br><br> The Garlean axeman, mortally wounded by the blast, directed the vanguard into the center of the trio--Satomi now attempting emergency field repairs on Myu after having driven off her opponent a short time before--and armed its self-destruct system. Before it could reach them, however, it was struck numerous times by electrically-charged arrows from an intervening ally, the very same blacksmith guild representative that Chao had spoken to some days prior. The charges of the arrows short-circuited the machine, bringing it crashing harmlessly to the ground just short of them. The threat, it seemed, had been overcome. <br><br> That was when a new adversary revealed himself, a highly-skilled and chemically-modified shinobi wielding Allagan blades with a cutting laser's edge. Chao, back on her feet again, moved to engage him immediately, but to her surprise, he read her ''shundo'' perfectly and executed one of his own to avoid her attack, leaving behind a number of outward-aimed blades at the last minute for her to careen into, each of them coated with liquid ceruleum. As with the vanguard, her armor deflected most of the blades, but two got through her defenses and released their deadly poisons into her body. At the other end of his ''shundo'', the enemy Garlean directed an overwhelming electrical charge at Myu, overloading and shutting down her systems. Nadine, the archer-blacksmith, struck the man's helm with a trick arrow loaded with a powerful explosive as he was attacking Myu, and in response, he threw the headgear toward Satomi and made to attack the archer. <br><br> Chao knocked the ticking time-bomb away from her compatriot with a ''sagitta magica'', then immediately leapt to Nadine's defense, wreathing herself in fire as she came down in a kick over the elezen's head. The Garlean intercepted her strike, absorbing the very aether she released in her attack into himself in a manner identical to that of the Ultimate Weapon. Without giving the magitek prodigy time to react, he grabbed her by the foot and hurled her toward Satomi, who was still trying to restore some combat ability to Myu, the impact rendering the hyuran scientist unconscious. <br><br> By now coming to the conclusion that this enemy had a clear counter to everything she could do, she called on desperation. She rushed him again as he catapulted Nadine back into the Vylbrand Academy's wall, grappling him and ordering her funnel to fire on him at maximum power and lethality, even if it meant firing through herself to do so. This broke the man's superior air, and he desperately began striking and kicking at Chao to dislodge her grip, eventually succeeding after delivering a crushing strike to her chest that crumpled her armor and broke several ribs, and several kicks to her left leg that broke the limb. She fell away, but the man did not have time to avoid the laser strike from her funnel, which overloaded and brought his battle armor's protection down. Seeing him in that weakened state, she drew the Garlean pistol she kept on herself at all times, aiming and firing at his chest. He initially derided her when he saw the weapon, unaware of the size of the slug it fired, and was very nearly killed by the impact. <br><br> Cursing Chao's name, the Garlean fled, leaving Chao to finally succumb to her injuries, and leaving behind one hell of a scene of carnage for the occupants of the Academy to discover.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Phantasmagoria'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">With the close proximity of the engagement to Vylbrand Academy, it took little time at all for its occupants to find and recover the wounded, safely ensconcing Chao and Satomi within the infirmary, and Myu and her disparate parts in the lab. Satomi quickly recovered from her light injuries, whereupon it was discovered that Chao had fallen into a coma. Against the recommendations of [[Rurujua Xoxojua|Rurujua]], Satomi began to assist the lalafellin medic in tending to her friend. In only a few hours, the ceruleum poisoning was cleared from her system, but she remained unresponsive and unconscious. However, she occasionally manifested highly-alarming, sudden expulsions of blood and signs of severe physical trauma, the source of which was a complete mystery to either scholar. What they did know, however, was that the erratic and random manifestation of the symptoms meant that she needed constant monitoring to heal her as necessary. Again, despite protests from Rurujua, Satomi burdened herself with this task, citing that she owed it to her fellow magitek prodigy. <br><br> Unbeknownst to the two, Chao was trapped within the dreamscape of her mind, called Phantasmagoria, where she was forced to uncover the true nature behind ''Magia Erebia''. At every turn, she was beset by a manifestation of her subconscious that shifted and altered its form willingly between everyone she had ever met. Referring to this creature as The Other, she fought it countless times, but was defeated and slain in every instance. Yet, in Phantasmagoria, she was unable to die, constantly revived following every fall. As the hours progressed, and The Other used more and more of the people from her memories against her, the more Phantasmagoria came to resemble a conflated amalgamation of several cities she had resided in: her home in Doma, Castrum Meridianum, Limsa Lominsa, and Ul'dah. <br><br> Eventually, Chao came to the realization that she could take advantage of the fact that they were within her dreaming mind to will all of her technological notions into 'reality' and use them to her advantage. Thus, in this way, she momentarily seized the upper hand by summoning four of her funnels and an aetheric energy sword to defend herself, driving The Other back until it form-shifted into Nero tol Scaeva. Utilizing her speed to her advantage, she avoided a fatal strike from the magitek warhammer and moved to capitalize on the overextended shade of the Garlean, whereupon it changed form into a full impersonation of Satomi. This took Chao off-guard, causing her to purposefully miss her strike, and leaving herself vulnerable to a fatal shot from the shadowy being. <br><br> After several more encounters, she happened upon a lucky break, succeeding in casting a sleep spell on The Other while it was in the guise of Grundy, allowing her to escape across the mindscape of her city. Taking shelter, she was met by one of the last things she expected to find in Phantasmagoria: a manifestation of the primal Ifrit. Speaking cryptically of how her soul had been tainted by fire, the primal made abundantly clear its desire to add her to its host of enthralled servants. Chao, confident in the manifestation's inability to temper or even truly harm her within Phantasmagoria, casually dismissed Ifrit's words, leaving no uncertainty of her opinion on the primal's intelligence--or the lack thereof. Infuriated by her irreverence, the primal remarked that it had already dispatched its Tempered after her, and manipulated the Phantasmagoria to show her an image of Vylbrand Academy in flames, many of its occupants killed, and several key others being led away to be tempered, all in the name of capturing her. Enraged by this clear and obvious threat against those she held important, she willed the pinnacle ideal of her battlesuit technology onto her being and struck the manifestation down with an immensely-powerful attack of combined ''ki'' and aether. <br><br> Within only moments, The Other was upon her again, this time engaging her in the form of her long lost cousin, a master martial artist. Declaring that they were finally fighting on equal terms, The Other drew forth Chao's envisioning of the Garlean razing of Doma to remind her of her most base motives: to gain power to take revenge against the Garlean Empire. But that strength alone would not be sufficient, it remarked as it struck a crushing blow and then shifted form into that of Zoey, preparing an immense ice spell to finish Chao for good and end her effort to discern the truth of ''Magia Erebia''. <br><br> It was as she was falling that Chao finally understood, remembering the words that she had been told by her friends and compatriots: ''Magia Erebia'' was, at its base, the power to accept things for the way they were and draw them into oneself. With this newfound knowledge, Chao was able to fully absorb the entire power of The Other's spell into herself and use it for empowerment. Pleased at her successes, The Other shifted one final time and challenged her to show her results.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''A Reclaimer Reborn'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Awakening from her coma, Chao found herself alone in the Vylbrand infirmary. Moving slowly, her legs unsteady after so many days of misuse, she made her way out into the foyer, pausing at the window to look outside. To her relief, nothing was on fire and there were no Amalj'aa standards decorating the yard, but the building was still a bit too quiet for her comfort. Convincing herself that everyone was simply away on business, she made her way to Satomi's lab, finding that her friend had begun repair work on Myu during her unconsciousness. As per the norm for Chao, she thought little of her own self and immediately located some tools to check on Satomi's repair work and continue the progress herself. <br><br> After judging that Myu was repaired extremely-well by Satomi's hand--testament to how well the two worked together--Chao determined that she must leave the Academy, again, lest Ifrit's pursuit of her put the occupants in danger. Sharing this conclusion with Myu, who swore that she would show no mercy to any eikon that sought to harm her master, the pair set out immediately. Their first stop was the Garlond Ironworks, where Chao would hand in her damaged prototype armor and receive the field-ready Mark-I combat infiltrator armor, and a series of complaints on her treatment of the prototype from the armormaster. She also requested a specially-modified armor for Myu--taking into account such facts that she did not need an independent power source for her armor--that would take some few days to fabricate, and require Myu to spend most of that time with the Materials Division so as to properly generate a new set of armor. Chao took advantage of the forced downtime to machine herself a new weapon that would not interfere with her preferred fighting style but also give her the extra force necessary to penetrate armor. After three days, she devised a weapon which could be worn as a bangle that extends into a gauntlet housing a gun chamber. <br><br> Thus equipped, miqo'te and machine set out for the desert.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''To Face the Inferno'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Arriving by airship back in Ul'dah, Chao secured an inn room for the pair from which to conduct their hunt. Deciding it best that Myu remain out of sight and attempt to use her aetheric sensors to search for potential summoning locations, Chao proceeded to the Hall of Flames to alert Commander Swift that a summoning was either imminent or had already occurred, and to seek assistance in tracking down and slaying the primal. Though thankful for the warning, the commander could not spare any forces on what seemed little more than a wild chocobo chase. Nonplussed, Chao returned to Myu with the poor news and decided to set out searching on their own, stopping to question any Flames forces or adventurers they found along the way. <br><br> Scouring the Sagolii Desert for days with almost no time for rest, the pair went well out of their way to make their presence known to the Amalj’aa so that any raiding parties that might already have been dispatched to Vylbrand would be recalled, thereby sparing the Academy. Despite this, they were unable to locate the site of the ritual until the actual summoning took place, the resultant surge of aether appearing as a beacon to Myu’s sensors and Chao’s visor. <br><br> The two immediately made for the location of the new Bowl of Embers, with Chao activating her aetheric seal en route. As they neared, the beastmen did nothing to impede their progress, commanded by their primal god to let Chao and Myu pass. After a brief exchange of banter, Ifrit--as predicted--immediately used his tempering breath to bend the pair to his servitude. The effort was wasted; Myu protected by her machine nature, and Chao’s sealed aether not allowing the eikon’s overpowering aether to affect her. <br><br> The battle then began in earnest, the speed and agility of the two miqo’te allowing them to avoid the worst of the primal’s attacks. Those few telling blows that would have done severe damage were largely intercepted by Myu, her composite Allagan/Garlean metal frame unyielding to Ifrit’s claws and flames. All the while, as Chao led the primal around the flame-ringed arena, she discreetly applied her ''Magia Erebia'' spell circle via the aetheric stencils in her forearm plate armor. <br><br> When Ifrit called forth his infernal nail, both miqo’te ignored it per their previously-established strategy to allow Chao to absorb the maximum amount of aether. Shortly thereafter, the moment of truth came: Ifrit began to cast Hellfire. As Myu shielded herself in a magitek field--just in case--Chao activated her ''Magia Erebia'' and met the attack head-on. <br><br> Against all odds, she successfully absorbed the aether into herself, skyrocketing her attack power, but she knew such volatile aether could not be contained for long. Lifting her hand to the skies, she discharged much of it into a luminous aetheric beam called down upon Ifrit, but the primal was far from finished. <br><br> Enraged by her turning his own power against him, Ifrit set upon Chao in earnest, relentlessly assaulting her even to the point of ignoring Myu’s punishing attacks against him. With little other alternative, Chao shielded herself and prepared to expend all the aether she could in a last-ditch effort to down the primal. <br><br> Just before her shield broke, however, a massive wall of metal and muscle struck Ifrit from the side, knocking the eikon away. The towering interloper was none other than Grundy, there along with Satomi, who had tracked Chao and Myu all the way from Vylbrand. Expressing her mild annoyance with Chao’s tendency to run off and do things on her own, Satomi directed Grundy to ‘break’ the primal. With the combined power of the quartet, the already-weakened Ifrit was dispatched with little fanfare. Upon his defeat, Chao used her ''Magia Erebia'' once again, absorbing the dispersing aether into herself. Though unaware of it at the time, this consumption of Ifrit’s living aether--rather than merely an offensive form--would have a permanent affect on her, for both good and ill. <br><br> With the primal threat dealt with--though no one held any illusion that it was any less a temporary measure than any other time Ifrit had fallen--Satomi advocated a return to Vylbrand. Myu, expressing her growing independent will, agreed with the hyur, ‘assisting’ Chao back to the airship landing in Ul’dah and on toward the Academy.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits III'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Back at Vylbrand Academy, Chao took a day to recover from the ordeal, spending it in rest under the watchful eye of Myu, ensuring that she rested. As this was going on, Satomi was meeting with the Academy mistress, Kyra, concerning Chao's future. Pointing out the three separation occasions on which the magitek engineer had acted on her own to head off potential disaster to the Academy, two of which at great threat to her own safety, Satomi advocated that Chao's 'temporary' stay become a more continuing affair. The headmistress agreed that Chao had done more for the Academy than could be expected of someone not truly affiliated with them, and in light of the knowledge that Satomi would soon be dedicating all her time to an Ironworks airship project, decided that the time had come to properly bring Chao into the fold. <br><br> The following day, Kyra met with Chao to offer a position in the Academy's research and development sector. Finding no real reason not to, Chao accepted the offer. It didn't take long for her to get thrown headfirst into the Academy's own affairs, finding herself square in the middle of an ongoing conflict against four powerful archfiends and their legions of cultists and other allies. Though not understanding the background of the conflict, she nonetheless dedicated herself faithfully to standing with her new compatriots in their efforts to protect the realm. <br><br> At the same time, she continued her own technological developments, making plans for a complete overhaul of Myu's frame to the newly-developed Garlond steel, along with more adjustments to her own armor, and conceptualizing a new armor system to protect against magic attacks. It was in the process of the first field test of this latter that she chanced to converse with two other members of the Academy, who happened to be nearby to observe the failure of her test. Over the course of speaking to Set Kattalakis and Senel Curtis, she agreed to redesign and streamline Set's magitek prosthesis, as well as provide what non-powered upgrades she could to Senel's gear in exchange for providing her with a steady source of raw materials to work with.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Misriah'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">With a more permanent station and the beginning of delving more deeply into her military technology, Chao knew that the time of her inevitable parting with the Garlond Ironworks was at hand. After all, the Ironworks developed magitek for the betterment of the realm, and Chao's strengths lay in the field of weapons of war. And so, meeting with Cid at the Ironworks' encampment at Camp Cloudtop, she informed him of her decision to part ways and begin her own company. Cid wished her well in her ventures, understanding that it would be through both weapons like hers and peaceful endeavors like his that prosperity would truly come to the realm. <br><br> As per her arrangement with Set, in exchange for developing a new prosthetic, Chao received a considerable stipend and the backing of Set's import/export business. This allowed Chao to hire several of her former coworkers in the Ironworks' Weapons Division and acquire the means of producing aetherochemical metals and fiberweave, as well as the recipe for Garlond Steel. With all this in hand, she was able to initiate her new company: Misriah Armory. She immediately set about work on a new ambitious project: variants of her powered armor for the vetted members of Vylbrand Academy--its "Heroes" society, which she had joined only a short while ago. Top of the list was a set of powered assault armor for Grundy, partly as a means of repayment for saving her from Ifrit, partly because he was in sore need of an armor upgrade. <br><br> Dark clouds soon began to gather on the horizon, however. Through having absorbed the primal's living aether into herself, she unwittingly allowed a fragment of its thoughts to take up residence in her mind. Two weeks following her confrontation, she first began to hear the whispers of the Lord of the Inferno in the back of her mind, pressing her to violence and destruction. Through her will, and the lack of any active enemies at the moment, she kept him at bay with some ease, but the eikon was nothing if not persistent, relenting only when she slept. On top of this, word came a moon later of a raid on the Ironworks' team working out in the Sea of Clouds by a band of sky pirates. Satomi, who had been out investigating sightings of a monstrous airship that would soon come to be known as the Void Ark, went missing, presumed dead at the hands of the brigands. <br><br> Grief-stricken at the loss of her close friend, Chao blamed herself for Satomi's death, both for not having been there at her side, and for not even providing her a set of powered armor that surely--she believed--could have saved the hyur's life. The culmination of these events sewed the seeds for one of her darkest times.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Cost'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao began to work tirelessly on her projects, particularly the powered armors, so that never again would any close to her be caught without an adequate means of defense. On one morning, as she perused the Academy's library for inspiration, she chanced to overhear a conversation between the headmaster and a troubled Seeker tribe elder. There was trouble in Thanalan: mysterious music was causing those who heard it to become hypnotized and wander into the desert. Some began to show up in slave caravans, and a few even returned to their home, but all had no memory of any of the events. It was a textbook assignment for the heroes of Vylbrand: track down the nefarious party responsible and put a stop to their machinations. <br><br> Arming herself in her battlesuit, Chao headed out to the desert with Grundy, the headmaster, and several others, leaving Myu behind to serve as a sort of 'mission control' and overwatch via the systems in her armor. As the party split into small groups to gather intelligence, Chao elected to stick by Grundy's side, keeping an eye on the well-meaning-but-not-too-smart roegadyn, and using her funnel as an eye-in-the-sky to watch over the village from above. Though initially bearing little fruit in their investigations, the enemy soon made a move, the music beginning to echo out across the sands. Tracking several of the enthralled miqo'te of the village--and barely regaining control of one of their own who hadn't been properly protected at the time--they found a work camp in the desert, where Grundy immediately pressed the attack. <br><br> For her part, Chao sought to knock out and immobilize the enthralled victims, keeping them out of harm's way, before setting after the foes herself. Before she could, however, ambush troops using camouflaged fighting pits in the sand sprang up to flank them, forcing her to deploy her funnel's aetherochemical laser against them. As the battle raged, an enemy airship entered the fray from behind concealing dunes, scattering a strange aetheric field that disrupted magitek devices, shorting out Chao's armor. As she reeled in confusion and the airship dropped a large box nearby, the fragment of Ifrit within her mind took advantage of the chaos--and its higher influence as a result of being in Thanalan, Ifrit's stronghold--and seized control of Chao's body. <br><br> Even though it was now in control through the airship's interference, it was just as displeased that the enemy forces had effectively handicapped Chao--whom Ifrit had previously considered a worthy champion--in one fell swoop. It began to cast, through Chao, a lesser version of the primal's own Hellfire attack--though 'lesser' here should by no means be considered any less deadly--targeted at the airship. Inexplicably, the airship and the enemy forces began to retreat as soon as the box was deployed. Knowing full well the likelihood that it was some manner of trap, the possessed Chao turned the fury of the devastating spell onto the box, unconcerned for the allied forces and civilian victims that would be caught in the blast radius. <br><br> It was only through a combination of a fountain of ice aether from an unknown source--later revealed to be the headmaster herself--and healing magicks from one of Vylbrand's personnel, that nobody died to the application of ''Incendium Gehennae''. Overtaxed to the extreme by the amount of aether expended in the attack, Chao immediately passed out. While she was helpless, two of the others from the Academy, a lalafellin mage and a hyuran rifleman, assaulted Chao over the events; the rifleman struck her hard enough in the face with the butt of his weapon to break her nose and cheekbone, and the pummeling from the lalafell doing a number on her as well. Within minutes thereafter, Myu arrived on the scene, having been forced to travel the long route from the Academy; as a machine, she was unable to manipulate aether allowing her to teleport, and the aetheric field had disabled the signals from Chao's powered armor that would have allowed her to relay directly to her maker's side. After exchanging words with several present, Myu collected Chao and returned to the Academy where, at the headmaster's request, sequestered Chao within her workshop and stood guard at the door, disallowing access to any without proper authorization--but in particular those individuals whom she had reason to suspect wished her maker further harm.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Pariah'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">In the days that passed, Chao remained in her workshop, watched over by Myu, her injuries tended to by Keero. She wound up suffering several broken bones in her face as a result of the assault on her, prompting him to conspire with her to create an aetherically-charged healing mask that she could wear over her injuries. Its purpose was threefold: to protect her from further harm, to ensure that her bones healed back into their proper shape, and to stimulate her own aether to speed up the healing process. A built-in vocabulator allowed her words to be heard through the metal without shouting, but it had the unfortunate side effect of giving her a much deeper tone and a metallic tinge to her words.<br><br> It began to seem like, however, she had been largely forgotten. Though she expected a swift trial of her actions by those above her at the Academy, the days continued to pass in solitude, with only Myu and occasionally Keero for company. Though slightly put off by it, she nonetheless spent her time productively, buckling down and diving into her magitek designs. Within two bells, she had completed Grundy's armor design and sent it off to be machined up. In two more, she had created an entirely new system to ensure she never got chumped by anti-magitek fields again. After two weeks, she had redesigned her anti-magic reactive armor to react less vigorously, tweaked and streamlined the overlay of her VISR system, designed a reconnaissance variant of her magitek funnels, and begun three new powered armor variants. This productivity came at the cost of sleep, which she avoided so that the fragment of Ifrit in her mind could not trouble her dreams. Over that two weeks, she slept perhaps one total day.<br><br> A freak spring storm overtaking Vylbrand marked the first time that she seemed to be recognized by the Academy at large, when a lightning strike knocked out the power grid. Summoned by Kyra down to the workshop, Chao was asked to bring the generator up and running to provide emergency power. Though nothing of the event in the desert was spoken of save Kyra's inquiring whether Chao was in control of her faculties, it was not lost on the magitek prodigy that no matter where she moved to work on the generator, Kyra was never outside of sword range. After a brief time, Kyra left the workshop, evidently deeming Chao not to be a threat. In silence, she finished the work and powered up the generator, bringing emergency power back to the Academy. Heading into the library to report her success, she took note of the silence that befell the room at her appearance, choosing to make her report and then return to her exile.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Rise of Misriah'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Throwing herself back into her work, Chao's reckless non-sleeping habits did not go unnoticed by Keero, who prescribed fast-acting and potent sleep aids to knock her out and ensure her recuperative sleep processes. Now able to focus more clearly when she was awake, her design progresses improved significantly. Another week passed, and growing tired of the neglect, Chao began to venture outside her workshop for brief periods, mostly in the efforts of acquiring food for herself, which had previously been left to Myu. <br><br> Finally, after deciding she needed to actually test the new version of the AMRA system--and she was not about to have loose magic and reactive material interacting in her workshop--she took her design out to be tested on the dummies. During her test--which was a resounding success in that the reactive layer detonated outward and dispersed her spell without damaging the armor or the dummy--she met with a hyur well-versed in magitek knowledge who introduced himself as Saruna, founder of the company Resolve Industries. She hadn't heard of it, but was surprised to learn that they dealt in weaponry utilizing the power of the primals themselves. After cautioning him to exercise care in dealing with such powers, they parted ways, and she returned to her workshop to evaluate her test results. <br><br> She didn't have long to consider this, however, as a scream soon pierced through the Academy. Tracing it back to its source, she found herself in the infirmary, where Keero and several others were working on freeing an unlucky miqo'te from voidsent possession. Lacking any means to assist, Chao simply stood by and watched, but armed one of her gun gauntlets should anything come to violence. After successfully purging the void taint, Keero asked Chao if she would create a prosthetic eye for the patient, whose eye had been destroyed in the process of saving him. She agreed on the mechanical end, knowing and stating her lack of knowledge in the medical side of it, to which Keero stated he could perform the necessary surgery. At this, Chao returned to her workshop to machine up the prosthetic and load it up with a lesser version of her VISR software. <br><br> The next day, she delivered the prosthetic and observed the successful surgery to affix it to the victim's optical nerves. Afterward, as he rested, she spoke with Keero, who inquired after her own health. Removing her mask to show him that she had perhaps another week before being fully-healed, she was then asked what had caused her injuries. She revealed to him that she held a fragment of Ifrit bonded to her soul, and that it was her loss of control over it that had caused her to nearly kill several of their comrades. This revelation was overheard by one such comrade from the incident, and Chao took the opportunity to fully explain herself, stating that she didn't hold the others' contempt for her against them, and apologizing for her actions.</font></div>

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<br>

=Relationships=

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>RELATIONSHIPS</center></div></span></h3>

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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #4d1715;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>RELATIONSHIP STATUS LEGEND</B></center></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:9pt;"><font style="color:#54b5eb;" size="2">♥</font> Family <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> Platonic <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> Friend <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> Acquaintance <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> Business <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> Deceased <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> Positive <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#C24640;" size="2">✖</font> Negative <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> Neutral <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">�</font> Unsure <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color: black;" size="2">☠</font> Enemy</div>
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<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr><td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">

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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #b33730;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>NPC</B></center></div>


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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Ku Fei,</b> <i>Cousin</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#54b5eb;" size="2">♥</font> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fallen.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Chao's cousin, an extremely-talented martial artist unsurpassed in the Doman styles of unarmed combat. Ku Fei was street smart, but academically dim, and was always amazed by the technological toys that Chao would create. Though never active in the Doman resistance, Ku Fei's pride in her ancestry and traditional mindset ensured that she considered the Garlean Empire a threat. The two were forcibly parted when Chao was conscripted by the Garlean Empire, but knowing her cousin, Chao is convinced that Ku Fei perished defending the homeland during The Reckoning.</div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Cid nan Garlond,</b> <i>Former Employer</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Pinnacle of Magitek.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Leader of the Garlond Ironworks, Cid was Chao's employer for most of the time she spent in Eorzea after defecting from the Garlean Empire. Though preferring to develop peaceful models of magitek to better the lives of the average Eorzean, Cid was full aware that weapon technologies like Chao's would also be instrumental in defending the realm against Garlemald, and so brought her into the Ironworks to assist in their development. When she made known her plans to formally create her own arms company, he wholeheartedly encouraged her to follow her ambitions, with the implicit understanding that the Ironworks would be full business partners with Misriah Armory.</div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Biggs,</b> <i>Former Coworker</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Instigator.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A Sea Wolf roegadyn working under Cid in the Ironworks, and largely the blame for why Chao has come to Eorzea and found employment with the Ironworks. Biggs led the Ironworks raiding team that helped Chao escape from Castrum Meridianum after she sabotaged the Ultimate Weapon, and later came to her as she was recovering and gave her the original tome that she once used to record her technological ideas in, while suggesting she apply at the Ironworks. He assisted with the development of her powered infiltrator armor prototype.</div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Wedge,</b> <i>Former Coworker</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Littlest Assistant.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Biggs' lalafell partner at the Ironworks, the timid little fellow is never far from his friend's side, and so has often spent much time in the company of Chao in her workshop at the Ironworks. Despite his talents more lying in the field of large magitek vehicles, he nevertheless faithfully assisted Chao and Biggs in their work on her powered armor.</div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Unknown Garlean,</b> <i>Imperial Assassin</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color: black;" size="2">☠</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Nightshade.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A Garlean assassin known only to Chao by his codename, ''Nightshade'', this man is the most formidable foe she has ever faced. Aetherochemically augmented by Garlean experimentation, this shinobi possesses superior strength and agility than Chao, a more-advanced combat skin, and the ability to absorb aetheric attacks to empower himself. Wielding powered Allagan lightblades, the Nightshade was able to effortlessly defeat Chao, Myu, Satomi ''and'' a fourth combatant during the ambush outside Vylbrand Academy. Only his hubris allowed Chao to defeat him, grappling him in place long enough for her funnel to strike him at full power, an energy blast which he remarkably survived. He escaped the battle, and Chao knows that they will meet again in the future. His hatred of her is all-consuming, referring to her repeatedly as an animal; Chao assumes that he was experimented on by the Empire to create a soldier perfectly tailored to counter her.</div>
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</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
{| class="wikitable alphabetical" border="0" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 100%; text-align: left; vertical-align: left;"
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #b33730;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>PC</B></center></div>


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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Myu]]</b>, <i>Creation</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Realistic, Logical Ideologist.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">The very first of her kind, an autonomous, sentient combat automaton built by Chao in the likeness of a miqo'te. Newly-awakened to the world, her every new discovery is a source of pride for Chao, and her enthusiasm to learn always brightens her maker's day. Chao dotes on her like a beloved companion rather than the weapon of war that she is. </div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Grundy Byrde]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Unstoppable Force.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A roegadyn male and near-constant companion of Satomi, before the latter's untimely death. Since coming to Vylbrand Academy, Chao has stepped in an effort to fill Satomi's shoes in serving as Grundy's mentor and guide in the world, a role she does not feel she is adequately performing. Grundy is not an intelligent individual, due to having lived the majority of his life feral in the caves of Eastern La Noscea. He is, however, exceedingly kind, and possessed of a frightening combat strength; a strength that Chao intends to amplify by creating a set of powered armor for him. </div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Satomi Hakase]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> <b>)</b> - <b>Science Sister.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A hyuran female and fellow researcher at the Garlond Ironworks. Due to working in different divisions, Chao and Satomi had not interacted prior to a chance meeting in the Quicksand, at which point they hit it off spectacularly well over their shared enthusiasm for science and magitek. After no small number of misadventures--many of them involving Satomi pulling Chao out of a self-created no-win scenario--Satomi was instrumental in finally getting Chao to settle at Vylbrand Academy, and the miqo'te has long since viewed the hyur as a sister. The news of her suspected death in the Sea of Clouds has left Chao gutted. </div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Kyrrae Liminia]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Strategist.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A lalafellin mage associated with Vylbrand Academy, and Satomi's former lover. Though they've spoken barely a few sentences to each other, Chao considers him a trusted ally due to his association with Satomi. </div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Senel Curtis]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Serious.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">An occupant of Vylbrand Academy who has offered to provide raw materials to Chao in exchange for equipment augmentations. She's unsure if he's truly associated with the Academy or just a mercenary in their employ, but he shows concern for its members, and annoyance with those who bring undue harm onto themselves. </div>
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Isaudorel Dorr]]</b>, <i>Acquaintance</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fire Suicide Bomber.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">An elezen thaumaturge who showed up to thank her for assisting several of his guildmates several days earlier in determining whether or not a wine bottle had been poisoned. They struck up a conversation, during the course of which another elezen woman arrived and rather rudely accused Chao of being of purchasable companionship, which both she and Isaudorel found incredibly rude. Neither seemed to be too bothered by it though. After remarking on her combat style to him, he wished to see it in action, and so the two traveled to the Sagolii Desert for a spar. It was a draw by clever Fire III suicide-bombing. </div>
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|-
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{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Keero Ganajai]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Healer.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A male Keeper who serves as one of the primary medical staff for Vylbrand Academy. Intelligent and well-spoken, he has stated that he chose to move permanently into the home station setting in order to be able to be near his wife and soon-to-be child. Though not desiring powered armor, he has contracted Chao and Misriah for medical magitek devices. He has a profound fear of fire, which has prompted Chao to promise that she will never use her aetheric skills in his presence. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Zoey Holendoey]]</b>, <i>Trusted</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Icy Spitfire Detective.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Another lalafellin mage and freelance investigator, though it seems she too has become associated with Vylbrand as of late. Initially having hired Chao to find an individual on a farce, being played as a pawn initially set Zoey in poor standing with Chao. That job did, however, set the magitek prodigy on her course back toward association with Satomi. Afterwards, Zoey did apologize for misleading Chao and seems to have a great deal of trust--Chao would say an overabundance--in her. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Imogene Holmes]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fancy Hat Paladin.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A hyuran swordswoman and resident at Vylbrand Academy. She favors Ironworks-crafted armor and has thus spoken with Chao on a few occasions regarding said equipment, as well as Chao's own battlesuit. Seems to be heavily-involved with security at the Academy. Due to The Other favoring Imogene's form while Chao was trapped in Phantasmagoria, and consequently causing her death no small number of times, Chao holds a slight irrational fear of Imogene. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Set Kattalakis]]</b>, <i>Business Associate</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>Red Left Hand.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Daughter of a successful trading mogul, seems to be involved with financial affairs at the Academy, though this does not stop her from putting herself in harm's way. Due to an unknown past event, her left forearm and hand are replaced by a magitek prosthetic which Chao designed an enhanced model of. As payment, Set made a generous donation of gil which allowed Chao to form Misriah Armory. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[O'rahn Kevelan]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>That Poor Cat.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A male miqo'te living at Vylbrand who is involved with Set, often violently. Chao is reasonably sure the two are mated, but has not heard anything confirming either way. He seems to specialize in thievery, and so the set of powered armor Chao is building for him will take that into account. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Kyra Tsukino]]</b>, <i>Commander</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Boss.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">The boss and headmistress of Vylbrand Academy, Kyra is a female miqo'te who is level-headed, soft-spoken, yet possesses an aura that marks it plain that only a fool would dare to cross her. Though she is typically only seen carrying a sword and shield, Chao suspects that her talents are not so one-dimensional. For reasons unknown, Kyra seems to possess an intrinsic faith in Chao, a faith that the magitek engineer is sure has been shattered by the revelation of her darker side. </div>
|}

|}


</td></tr></table>

=Rumors=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>RUMORS</center></div></span></h3>

<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''N P C'''</center></div></span></h3>
<p><div align=center><div style="font-family:Georgia;">Some of these rumors are untrue, speculation, or are greatly exaggerated.</div></div></p>

<div style="border:0px solid; padding:8px;">
<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #e56a2c; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Common Rumors - </b>''Easily overheard. Use these freely!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#e56a2c;" size="2">■</font> "All she ever does is sit in that corner with her nose buried in that journal of hers, muttering to herself and occasionally having some stew. Really odd one, that one." — ''Quicksand patron''.
: <font style="color:#e56a2c;" size="2">■</font> "She sure gave those Garleans a thumpin' they wasn't lookin' for. Guess that settles that as to whose side she's on." — ''Drowning Wench patron''.
</div>

<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #cc5e27; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Uncommon Rumors -</b> ''A little more difficult to hear. Use sparingly or ask first!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#cc5e27;" size="2">■</font> "Word is she used to be in the Garlean military. So as to whether she's absconded from their service or is here to spy on us, no one's yet figured." — ''Unknown''.
</div>

<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #b35222; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Rare Rumors -</b> ''Very rarely overheard. Please ask before using!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#b35222;" size="2">■</font> "There be ''two'' of that'n, I tells ye! At the very same time I had on good authority from a mate o' mine she was sittin' in the Quicksand, I seen another one answerin' to the same name head off toward the Imps (Imperials) outside Wineport. Only this'n was a hyur lass wearin' some sort o' strange armor. She waltzed in like she bloody owned the joint, and then there weren't nothin' but fire and explosions comin' from there, an' them screams weren't from a wee hyuran lass, either." — ''Drunken Storm Sergeant''.
</div>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''P C'''</center></div></span></h3>
<p><div align=center><div style="font-family:Georgia;">Feel free to add your own rumors to this section.</div></div></p>

<div style="border:0px solid; padding:8px;">
<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #99461d; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Player Character Rumors -</b> ''Some of these are more rare than others!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#99461d;" size="2">■</font> "She's Doman, no doubt about that. But the look in her eyes shows something unnatural. Not in a foul manner either, but one that draws you in and buys your trust. If anyone asks, I'd say you can rely on her." — ''[[Zoey Holendoey]]''.
</div>

</div></div></td></tr></table>

=Music & Gallery=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>MUSIC</center></div></span></h3>
<br>

<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PvdVGAasrA Amazing]''
:: Artist: Aerosmith.
:: Origin: ''Get a Grip''
:: <small>Context: Character theme.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etksc3mrIQU Revival]''
:: Artist: Neil Davidge
:: Origin: ''Halo 4''
:: <small>Context: Magitek genius.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhdp14U2M_w Loose Ends]''
:: Artist: Hans Zimmer
:: Origin: ''Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2''
:: <small>Context: The hard decision.</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELD02QC025c Sacred Icon Suite 2]''
:: Artist: Marty O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori
:: Origin: ''Halo Legends''
:: <small>Context: Big damn heroes.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTLdoK_AU18 J-E-N-O-V-A]''
:: Artist: Nobuo Uematsu
:: Origin: ''Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children''
:: <small>Context: Intense battle.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr4eB0WOwN0 The Oath]''
:: Artist: Nobuo Uematsu
:: Origin: ''Final Fantasy VIII''
:: <small>Context: The bonds of sisterhood.</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9mQTmXxU8E I Burn]''
:: Artist: Jeff and Casey Lee Williams
:: Origin: ''RWBY''
:: <small>Context: Kung-fu wizard.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBfc0-KuDGE Maybe I'm a Lion]''
:: Artist: The Black Mages
:: Origin: ''The Skies Above''
:: <small>Context: Unleashed battle.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYUbLkULtkk Something to Fight For]''
:: Artist: Sencit Music
:: Origin: ''Iron Man 3''
:: <small>Context: Facing her inner demon.</small>
</td>
</tr></table>

<br>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>GALLERY</center></div></span></h3>

<gallery>
File:ChaoMNK.png|Chao in traditional Doman martial art garb, which she began wearing in honor of her fallen cousin, Ku Fei.
File:SCIENCE.jpg|Chao and [[Satomi Hakase|Satomi]], science bros! (Non-canon instance)
File:Chaoff.jpg|Chao in the Quicksand, her usual haunt.
File:Showdown.jpg|Chao, Satomi, and their party face down the Ultimate Weapon (Non-canon instance).
File:Victory.jpg|By might and by right, Team Science defeats the menace (Non-canon instance).
File:SoItBegins.jpg|And on that day, the heavens trembled, as though the realm looked outward to see what awaited it, and found only terror.
File:Exchange.jpg|Reclaiming the personal tome she had left with Satomi, Chao leaves a letter of explanation in its place. (It's unlikely to be found for weeks)
File:Pensive.jpg|Chao looks back upon Vylbrand Academy, likely the last time she'll ever see it.
File:Ponderance.jpg|On a clear Mor Dhona night, Chao contemplates the Keeper of the Lake on her way to the Garlond Ironworks.
File:ChaoStory001.jpg|Confronted by a strange duo on the cliffs of Silvertear Lake.
File:ChaoStory002.jpg|Chao and Satomi discussing the current situation, as Kyrrae keeps watch for any interlopers. (Scene directed by JJ Abrams)
File:ChaoStory003.jpg|Armed with a new resolve, Chao swears her defiance to the corpse of the ''Agrius''.
File:ChaoStory004.jpg|Satomi is overcome with emotion at Chao's safety and change of heart.
File:ChaoStory005.jpg|As Satomi and Kyrrae confer, Chao looks toward the crystalline structure piercing the sky in Mor Dhona. ''"Soon..."'' the magitek genius thinks to herself.
File:ChaoStory006.jpg|Chao considers...something.
File:ChaoStory007.jpg|"Wait, ''you're'' bartending?"
File:ChaoStory008.jpg|Chao fiddles with her armor out of the way. Satomi's actually pretty good at this whole tending bar thing.
File:ChaoStory009.jpg|Except when she trips backwards and almost falls on Chao.
File:ChaoStory010.jpg|"''You!''"
File:ChaoStory011.jpg|Satomi has revealed her plans to run away, but there's a power-armored combat mage standing in the way.
File:ChaoStory012.jpg|A meeting to discuss acquiring extremely rare, and extremely powerful, Allagan technology.
File:ChaoDummy.jpg|Chao looks to test the effectiveness of her prototype funnel--affectionately known as 'Dummy'--in the rain, but the little guy's not cooperating.
File:ChaoStory013.jpg|The expedition is informed of recent occurrences in the ruin.
File:ChaoStory014.jpg|The first obstacle, a wandering Allagan defense sphere. Chao scavenged an undamaged laser coupler for Myu from it.
File:ChaoStory015.jpg|Aftermath of the battle with the bio-engineered snake.
File:ChaoStory016.jpg|Detailing their encounter in the first level.
File:ChaoStory017.jpg|An Allagan foundry!? This site will definitely merit returning to for further exploration.
File:ChaoStory018.jpg|The large ADS falls. An inspection of its innards reveals...a secondary core! Unprogrammed even!
File:ChaoStory019.jpg|Chao inspects her prize. But the man behind the expedition isn't willing to part with it...
File:ChaoStory020.jpg|Chao considers the implications of a hidden lift. What more could be in the depths of this ruin?
File:ChaoStory021.jpg|Wherever this lift leads, it is something the Allagans wanted protected.
File:ChaoStory022.jpg|With the expedition complete and the eyebrow-raising goals of Dogberry and the other man completed, Chao accepts her promised ADS core. Nothing can stop Project µ now!
File:ChaoUSH.jpg|Despite having been a stray living off Satomi's couch for several moons, Chao has little interacted with the occupants of Vylbrand Academy. ''Zoey'', of all people, plans to rectify this. By force.
File:ChaoStory023.jpg|First to the stage, Chao begins presenting her theory of ''pactio''.
File:ChaoStory024.jpg|With one volunteer ready, Chao selects the next victim.
File:ChaoStory025.jpg|Provisional contract complete! ...But these two don't seem suited to being partners.
File:ChaoStory026.jpg|Her part over, Chao observes the other presentations.
File:ChaoStory027.jpg|Aetheric means of reducing machine wear? She watches this presentation with great interest.
File:ChaoStory028.jpg|Satomi's combat mammet: fully-operational and armed....for dance?
File:ChaoStory029.jpg|Unfortunately, it's not to last. The ''real'' Grundy has mistaken the mammet for an enemy and demolished it.
File:ChaoStory030.jpg|While helping clean up the wreckage, Chao tells Academy resident Imogene a little about Project µ.
File:ChaoUSH2.jpg|Chao observes as Satomi tends to an unfortunate soul tortured by the Garlean Empire.
File:ChaoSatomi001.jpg|Chao makes fun of the fact that Satomi doesn't have any beds in her room/lab.
File:ChaoStory031.jpg|Standing her ground despite her nerves, Chao watches as Myu finally comes fully online.
File:ChaoStory032.jpg|Threatened by an Allagan-grade laser weapon was not how Chao planned to begin Myu's lifespan.
File:ChaoStory033.jpg|Showing Myu a Limsan sunrise.
File:ChaoStory034.jpg|Chao and Myu practice combatives while Satomi takes measurements.
File:ChaoStory035.jpg|Garlean attack! These assassins have come explicitly for Chao.
File:ChaoStory036.jpg|With the initial attackers defeated, the Vanguard trashed, and Myu damaged by a suicide explosive, the leader makes his move. To Chao's horror, it seems that everything she can do, he can do better.
File:ChaoStory037.jpg|In desperation to end the fight, Chao grapples with the enemy commander and orders her funnel to fire on him at maximum lethality setting, even if it means shooting through herself.
File:ChaoUSH03.jpg|After a failed AMRA system test, Chao inspects the pieces of the device as she listens to Senel and Set speak.
File:ChaoLab001.jpg|Chao in her research lab within Vylbrand Academy.
File:ChaoLab002.jpg|Chao contemplates one of her research projects, with her funnel drifting nearby.
File:ChaoUSH04.jpg|Chao speaks with O'rahn and Set about her projects.
File:ChaoUSH05.jpg|Performing an early test of the helmet for Grundy's powered armor.
File:ChaoUSH06.jpg|Speaking with Keero in the gardens, with O'rahn and Set nearby doing whatever it is they do.
File:ChaoUSH07.jpg|Following a power failure at the Academy, Chao readies the backup generator to be turned on for emergency power...and is not ignorant to Kyra standing within sword range behind her.
File:ChaoUSH08.jpg|Two weeks into her exile within her workshop, Chao has been somewhat neglecting the tidiness of her workspace.
File:ChaoMisriah001.jpg|Inspecting the results of another AMRA test, this one successful.
File:ChaoUSH09.jpg|After witnessing a successful voidsent exorcism, Chao offers to create a prosthetic eye for the victim. Magitek-enhanced, of course.
File:ChaoUSH10.jpg|Chao reveals the truth of her condition.
File:ChaoUSH11.jpg|Wholeheartedly apologizing for the incident in Southern Thanalan.
File:ChaoTheSearch001.jpg|Chao and Myu analyze the fragmented data from Seven, one of Satomi's mammets. It seems that justice may be within reach.
</gallery>

=OOC Notes=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>OOC NOTES</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="90%">
<tr>
<td style="width: 50%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3>
<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''OOC INFORMATION'''</center></div></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Player Note'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">'' ... ''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Personal RP Limits'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''I like to consider myself a flexible player who is willing to commit to a number of different types of scenes and role-play scenarios, but even I have my limits. If something is on the play list, assume it means yes, as long as it's within the context of the current play or ongoing plot. No's are typically a hard no, and it means don't ask, and if I'm in the mood for it, I'll be the one to initiate. '' </div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ '''''I will play''' mature content and themes (violence, drug / alcohol use) as long as they're logical in a plot-driven encounter. Coarse and excessive language. Temporary injury and incapacitation. Temporary imprisonment. Most walk-up encounters.''

: ■ '''''Ask about''' long-term and/or permanent injury and disfigurement. Long-term captivity or imprisonment. Temporary character death. Kidnap and/or abuse plots will require advance planning, as these can be seriously impacting, as well as take a significant amount of time to resolve on an infrequently played character.''

: ■ '''''I won't play''' permanent character death. ''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Disclaimer'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">'' Chao is my take on an existent character from the ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negima!_Magister_Negi_Magi Negima! Magister Negi Magi]'' manga by Ken Akamatsu. I have developed her from the ground up to fit within the FFXIV setting, while still maintaining as many similarities from the source material as possible.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ '' Chao is a technological and scientific prodigy. I am not. I try my best, but typically have to rely on technobabble more than I would like. ''

: ■ '' Chao is highly skilled in both unarmed combat and magic. Traditionally, my preferred means of RP combat has always been firearms or swords, so I'm sure I come across as an untalented hack to anyone more experienced in those combat fields. ''

: ■ '' Regarding nearly everything to do with Chao, she is the character with which I push the bounds of established lore. While I do nothing that has been directly contradicted by lore, she almost entirely operates in an extremely shadowy, unspecified zone regarding lore. Bear this in mind for interactive purposes. ''</div></div>

<td style="width: 50%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''CHARACTER TIDBITS'''</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Potential Plot Hooks'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''Chao is a very busy individual. Even when I'm not actively playing her, she's always got something going on. While the below is by no means comprehensive, it's a kind of spring board for walk-up RP. I am more than open to longer-term RP plots that carry on over multiple sessions, all I ask is that you coordinate with me beforehand. I am nearly always willing to drop anything I'm doing and RP, even if I'm on another character.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ ''Chao was, until recently, a prominent weapons developer at the Garlond Ironworks.''

: ■ ''She has most recently opened her own weapons company, Misriah Armory. While no formal office location exists, she can typically be found in or around Vylbrand Academy in the Mist.''

: ■ ''She is a known member of Vylbrand Academy.''

: ■ ''Garlemald is still aware of her continued existence, and still wishes to see her killed for her actions against them.''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Character Lore Adherence'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''Information in this Wiki is Lore Compliant to the best of my knowledge pre-Calamity using Wikis, and lore-dredging on Google. Information that has been changed to better fit with the lore of XIV will be listed below as necessary.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ ''No changes required.''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Tropes & Explanations'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''A trope is a convention or device that is often found in creative works. In this case, the tropes below describe the character either in part, or as a whole. Their background, personality, appearance, etc, most of them can be described in the tropes below.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ActionGirl Action Girl] ''She's usually seen doing more fighting than science-ing.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BareFistedMonk Bare-Fisted Monk] ''Unarmed combat is her primary means of engaging the enemy. Though trained at the Ul'dah pugilist guild, her fighting style is a modified Doman style that favors kicks rather than strikes.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ClothesMakeTheSuperman Clothes Make the Superman] ''Her battlesuits are powered armor and provide her an incredible boost in combat potential and survivability, but she's by no means helpless without them.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CombatPragmatist Combat Pragmatist] ''When her foes want to run their mouths, she will very quickly demonstrate that talking is not a free action.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeadlyUpgrade Deadly Upgrade] ''Emphasis on the ''deadly'' part, as she is well aware that overusing Magia Erebia can destroy her soul. The one time she's used it to date, she wound up with a fragment of a primal living in her head.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EnemyWithin Enemy Within] ''An unintended side effect of absorbing the dissipating aether of Ifrit via Magia Erebia, a semblance of the primal was able to take residence within her mind. Though it lacks the ability to exert any proper power or temper her or others, it still whispers in the back of her mind and has, on one occasion, seized control of her body.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FacialMarkings Facial Markings] ''Par for the course given she's a miqo'te, but hers prominently glow when her aether seal is active, as another reference to her home series.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HeroicRROD Heroic RROD] ''Overusing Magia Erebia runs the risk of causing this effect on her. Sometimes, if she's caught unawares, the fragment of Ifrit bound to her soul will ''force'' this effect on her--even potentially out of combat--in order to seize control of her.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlayingWithFire Playing With Fire] ''When using magic, she only uses fire. Her aetheric aspect is so strongly tilted toward fire that she is in a permanent state of Astral Fire but does not suffer from the inability to recover mana when in that state.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RenaissanceMan Renaissance Girl] ''She can fight barehanded, with magic, with a gun (or any gun-type derivative weapon), cook, build all manner of stupendously-advanced magitek devices, strategize fairly well on the battlefield, and run arms companies.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SuperPoweredEvilSide Superpowered Evil Side] ''Arguable on how superpowered it is, as she's not inherently stronger when this side is released, but when the fragment of Ifrit residing in her soul seizes control, Dark Chao then proceeds to completely ignore such trivial niceties as "friendly fire" and is more than happy to expend all of her power in such a way that she achieves her objectives and immediately passes out.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WillNotTellALie Will Not Tell A Lie] ''Though more an informed attribute as a throwback to her home series, Chao ''does'' remain remarkably honest about what she's doing at all times, occasionally finding that the truth of what she's doing often makes people disbelieve her. She is ''not'', however, above using misinformation and omission to achieve her goals.''
</div></div>

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=Credits=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>CREDITS</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Layout Information'''</div></div>
: <div align=justify><div style="padding: 2px 1px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">The following is not entirely comprehensive, but contains general credits. Please leave the link-backs if you use this template!
::■ Original template by [[Bancroft Gairn]].
::■ Adapted by [[Xheja Rajhera]].
::■ Tabs by [[Unnamed Mercenary]].
::■ Expanded bits by [[Lucaell Tareth'eian]].
::■ Header image inspired by [[D'lyhhia Lhuil]].
::■ Music bits from [[J'karu Rhome]].
::■ Relationships & OOC notes by [[Glioca Sargonnai]].</div></div>
<headertabs />

[[Category: Player Character]]
[[Category: Balmung]]
[[Category: Miqo'te]]
[[Category: Miqo'te Seeker of the Sun]]
[[Category: Doman]]

Chao Lingshen

2016-02-20T19:53:02Z

Chris Ganale: /* Music & Gallery */

__NOTOC__

<div align=center><div style="font-size:30px;letter-spacing:0.05em;color:#ab0c13;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver"></div></div>

<div align=center><div style="font-size:55px;letter-spacing:0.2em;color:#792521;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver">CHAO LINGSHEN</div></div>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:15px;letter-spacing:0.75em;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;">FIREBRAND</div></div>
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<div align=center><div style="font-size:25px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 10px silver"><font color="#4d1715">'''- - - ''' »</font> <font color="#b33730">☀</font> <font color="#4d1715">« ''' - - -''' </font></div></div>
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<div align=center bottom>[[File:Chao-Top-Banner.png]]</div>
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<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="60%">
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<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 20px; font-size:18px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;letter-spacing:0.1em;"><center><font style="color:#4d1715;">'''❝'''</font> <font style="color:#b33730">''They wanted war. Let's go give 'em war.''</font> <font style="color:#4d1715;">'''❞'''</font></center></div></span></h3>
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<div align=center><div style="font-size:12px;letter-spacing:0.75em;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver">Chao Lingshen.</div></div>
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<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.15em;"><center>'''VITAL INFORMATION'''</center></div></span></h3>
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<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''CURRENT ALIAS...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Chao Lingshen.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''RACE & CLAN...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Miqo'te, Seeker of the Sun.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''GENDER...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Female.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''AGE...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 23.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''NAMEDAY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 1<sup>st</sup> Sun of the 6<sup>th</sup> Umbral Moon, 1556 S.A.E.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''ORIENTATION...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Asexual/Aromantic.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''MARITAL STATUS...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Single.</font>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.15em;"><center>'''OTHER STATISTICS'''</center></div></span></h3>
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<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''NATIONALITY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Doman.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''CITIZENSHIP...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Limsan.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''RESIDENCE...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Vylbrand Academy.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''OCCUPATION...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Founder, Misriah Armory.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''PATRON DEITY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Azeyma, the Warden.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''HEIGHT & WEIGHT...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 5 fulms, 4 ilms. 116 ponzes.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''ALIGNMENT...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChaoticGood Chaotic Good].</font>
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<div align=center><div style="font-size:25px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 10px silver"><font color="#4d1715">'''- - - ''' »</font> <font color="#b33730">☀</font> <font color="#4d1715">« ''' - - -''' </font></div></div>
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=Details=
[[File:ChaoLingshen.png|right|frame|<div style="padding:10px 20px; font-size:13px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;letter-spacing:0.1em;"><center><font style="color:#706b68;">'''❝'''</font> <font style="color:#333333">''Gods and empires have sworn to break me. And yet, here I stand, unbroken.''</font> <font style="color:#706b68;">'''❞'''</font></center></div>]]

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>GENERAL INFORMATION</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">Chao Lingshen is a female miqo'te Seeker of the Sun originally born in Doma. With the Garlean Empire's subjugation of that region, she was conscripted into their armed forces, where she applied her mechanical and magical genius to enhance the Empire's magitek arsenal. She eventually fled to Eorzea with the aid of personnel of the Garlond Ironworks, and has since taken up residence in Ul'dah, spending her days studying and improving her magical and physical capabilities in order to take the fight to the Empire. </div></div>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>APPEARANCE</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">Chao is tall for miqo'te, standing at five fulms and nearly four ilms tall, weighing one hundred and sixteen ponzes. She wears her hair cropped close in a somewhat-boyish style, with two forelocks hanging down just past her chin, secured in place with bronze bangles. Her hair is black, with faint auburn highlights best seen at the back of her head. Afflicted with the normal miqo'te tendency toward heterochromia, her left eye is a dark brown and her right a dark crimson, the two shades close enough together that she could easily be mistaken for having one eye color at a distance or in poor lighting. The tribal markings on her face are slightly more vibrant than normal, this due to the effect of the Garlean anti-aether sigils on her body. When activated, the markings glow bright red. A faint scar on her left cheek, not normally visible due to her tribal markings, is the only visible reminder of the ceruleum explosion at Castrum Meridianum. <br><br> The clothing she wears varies, but she has a marked tendency to prefer more subdued colors such as black, white, and dark browns. Typically she can be found wearing a black and white yukata she picked up from the most recent Moonfire Faire, as it reminds her of her lost home in Doma. She's not big on accessories or jewelry, but usually wears a pair of peach blossom earrings, again as a reminder of Doma. She also always wears either tall boots, dark-colored leggings, or some combination of the two to hide the ceruleum burns on the backs of her legs from sight. </div>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>PERSONALITY</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">As any who would have even taken notice of her at the Quicksand would be quick to point out that she very easily disappears in the background of much more colorful and varied individuals, often preferring to mind her own business and just listen to the goings-on around her, as they have occasionally helped provide some insight into a problem she had been working on. When approached, she is polite and well-spoken, demonstrating an amiable personality with a tendency to make jokes and tease. A favorite thing to do is begin an ominous-sounding statement, then laughing it off instead of finishing the threat. On romance and sexuality, however, Chao can be considered completely asexual, having no consideration of romantic emotions at all. She does recognize romantic advance, but is unresponsive to it. <br><br> Beneath that playful exterior, she is singularly-focused on the downfall of the Garlean Empire and the salvation not just of Eorzea, but of all lands that have suffered under Garlemald's iron fist. This desire drives every action she takes, from her research into greater and more powerful magitek to her quest for greater personal power. The lack of any sort of unity or cohesion amongst the city-states of Eorzea greatly distresses her, and she has considered several times a gambit wherein she presents herself as a great existential threat to the realm, thereby forcing them to unify or face destruction, but has so far held back because the clear and present threat presented by Garlemald sure hasn't done it so far. If the situation demands it, however, she is still more than willing to become a martyr and take on the role of a villain to ensure that the realm is saved.</div>

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<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3>
<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''L I K E S'''</center></div></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Developing magitek.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Increasing her own combat ability.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Recovering advanced technology from ancient civilizations, even better when she can improve it and make it work again.</div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''D I S L I K E S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> The Garlean Empire
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Those who advance personal profit at the expense of others, especially in the face of a grave existential threat.
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Tribal miqo'te, considering them primitive. </div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''H O B B I E S / T A L E N T S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Developing and enhancing magitek
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Light culinarian skill
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> A decent head for business
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Improvisation and customization of existing schools of talent </div>

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<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3>
<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''S T R E N G T H S'''</center></div></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> High intelligence
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Strong melee aptitude
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> High magical aptitude</div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''W E A K N E S S E S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Hubris
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Martyr complex
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Overreliant on self </div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''O T H E R'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Occasionally refers to the Allagan Empire as Forerunners.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> She goes through a lot of gear and clothes (read: destroyed) in the process of testing and experimenting with her magic and magitek.</div>

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=Combat=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>COMBAT & WEAPONRY</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">
:● '''Magical Prowess''': A budding mage in her own right, Chao is talented in the arts of thaumaturgy, with a far greater affinity for magic of the fire element than other types. This affinity allows her mana to regenerate normally at all times; as such, she is not affected by the astral fire/umbral ice duology many thaumaturges are shackled by. Because of this trait, she is seeking to develop her own, personal style of magic outside the existing systems. Aside from this, she also has some light training in conjury.
::● '''Fire Resistance''': Due to absorbing both living and offensive aether of the Lord of the Inferno, Chao has become more heavily-aspected toward fire, further increasing the power of her magic as well as making her highly-resilient to heat or fire-based attacks.
::● '''''Magia Erebia''''': Translating to 'Dark Magic', ''Magia Erebia'' is the result of Chao's experimentation in magic circles, aetherflow, and how magic and spirit energy can be made to interact with the body. By creating a magic circle, she is able to then absorb a directed energy attack that comes in contact with her, fusing it with her soul and imbuing her with enhanced statistics, depending on the type of energy, for a limited period of time. As a drawback, the unnatural interaction between the soul and aetheric energies causes a corrosive effect, relegating the use of ''Magia Erebia'' to emergencies only.
::● '''Magic Seal''': As a result of the experimentation to resist tempering (see below), when her sigils are activated, she is a complete aetherial void, unable to access her latent magical talents or be affected by anything that would relate to a mana pool. This is mostly used to allow her to pass off as having no magic talent whatsoever, as her mana is not detectible when in this state.
:● '''Martial Arts''': Trained from a young age in the Doman style, unarmed combat is one of the most dangerous places to face her. Her style is visually similar to that of the Fist of Rhalgr, but structurally different. Whereas the monks favor strikes and work best from the flanks or rear of a foe, Chao's ''Hokuryuu Shourinken'' favors kicks, wide sweeping stances, and keeping a distance from the enemy. However, she has taken aspects of the Ala Mhigan style into her own, giving her a much wider array of abilities and actions in combat.
:● '''Shundo''': A ki-based technique of Doman origin, also known by its translated names of ' ''Ground Contractor'' ' or ' ''Instant Movement''. ' By focusing ki or magic energy to the bottom of her feet, she is able to 'grip' the ground and propel herself forward at immense speed, traversing up to sixty fulms in less time than it takes to register movement in the brain. She is only capable of traveling in a straight line across relatively even terrain, and cannot pass obstacles. Individuals with high martial training are able to sense her movement to a degree.
:● '''Spell List''': Chao has developed a list of spells that she prefers to use in combat, primarily based around fire magic and other aetheric uses. All of them are incanted in Garlean (Latin). Additionally, she has her own incantation phrase, which is used to unlock the aetherflow in her body and allow her to channel more powerful magic spells. Said incantation phrase is "''Rasteil mai magicscir magister''." It should also be noted that all of Chao's fire-based spells are aetheric and therefore do not require oxygen to continue burning, and some can even continue to burn when fully immersed in water.
::● ''Calefaciens Exarmatio'': Translating to ''Heatwave Disarmament'', this is a spell used to disarm a foe. It is specially-tuned fire magic that destroys equipment, weapons, and clothing, but leaves the person themselves unharmed.
::● ''Cantus Bellax'': Lit. ''Battle Song'', this is a simple self-buffing spell that reinforces her body with aether. Aside from providing a long-lasting anti-physical shield, this magic also exponentially increases muscle tension, allowing greater power, speed and endurance; it also increases the flexibility of muscles and tendons to prevent Chao from damaging herself from overexertion. In addition, her reflexes are enhanced by a moderate increase in the stimulation of the nervous system.
::● ''Captus Flammeus'': A binding spell, ''Fiery Captor'' summons ropes of fire magic that bind a target in place. Though not ''intended'' to cause harm to the bound target, Chao can cause them to do so at will.
::● ''Flagrantia Rubicans'': A moderately-powerful fire spell, about on par with Fire II, ''Red Blaze'' is Chao's mainstay offensive spell.
::● ''Incendium Gehennae'': A very potent fire spell developed after absorbing the living and offensive aether of Ifrit. Visually, ''Hellfire Conflagration'' is similar to Ifrit's own ultimate attack.
::● ''Ignis Deflexio'': A fire-based anti-physical protective shield. Its defensive effects are small.
::● ''Sagitta Magica Series Ignis'': Chao can summon a number of magic missiles of fire, always a prime number, which will independently track and pursue their target with no input from her. Their tracking method can be defeated if faced cleverly, and one could simply knock the magic missile away when it reaches them. Their damage is limited individually, but she can also cast this spell as a massive, single magic missile comprised of the energy of all the individual ones. While this is more powerful, it is also easier to avoid or counter.
:● '''Technological Genius''': From her youth, she has had a disturbing knack for understanding and knowledge of magitek devices. This ingenuity saw her placed in the Garlean Empire's research division once she was conscripted, where she enhanced and streamlined numerous Garlean weaponry and drive systems. Though more than capable of creating new devices from her own mind, her skills are strongest at refining and adapting existing technology to perform even better. She is responsible for the technological control devices that the Garleans use on their colossi to prevent them from rampaging in battle. Since coming to Eorzea, she has developed a powered assault armor and numerous other systems.
:● '''Temper Resistance''': As a result of Garlean experimentation, Chao possesses a set of sigils inscribed on her body that allows her to seal her aether. The theory is that this will protect her from the primals' method of tempering individuals by way of overloading their aether with the primal's own, due to their aether being unable to interact with her. This has proven to function as intended, tested under fire during her confrontation with Ifrit.
:● '''Weapon Proficiency (Firearm)''': As with all Garlean soldiers, she was trained to use their advanced firearms technology. Though she prefers magic and unarmed combat, she does keep a concealable pistol loaded with large-caliber, high-explosive ammunition on her person. Just in case.
:● '''Weapon Proficiency (Gunblade)''': As a conscript of the Garlean army, and valued slightly above the rank-and-file for her technical genius, she was trained in how to use a gunblade. Though she does not favor the weapon herself, she is capable of picking up and easily-using any of the non-specialized types of gun-weapons.</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">'''OOC Note:''' I unilaterally prefer freeform combat to dice, as dice cannot adequately reflect skill and equipment of a character. I practice what I refer to as an "interrupt" style of RP combat, in that when I make an action, I include a description of the effects it would have, and leave it to the other individual to defend against the action and/or mitigate the effects. Don't hesitate to send a /t if you have questions or are unsure of something I did in a battle.</div></div>
<br>

=Misriah Armory=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>MISRIAH ARMORY</center></div></span></h3>
[[File:Misriah-logo.png|center]]
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After settling at Vylbrand Academy, Chao finally found the stability required to dedicate her efforts fully to designing and developing her magitek weaponry. After a sizable payment for technologies rendered, she was able to fund the creation of her own arms company, '''Misriah Armory'''. Adapting the slogan "Battle-tested for your home", Chao has hired a number of production personnel from the Ironworks and purchased several proprietary systems from Cid nan Garlond to begin her work on magitek combat systems, primarily in the form of powered armor.
::● '''Anti-Magic Reactive Armor''': A system wherein a piece of armor or shield is imbued with reactive aether that, when an offensive spell acts upon it, explodes outward to disperse the effects of the spell and reduce harm to the wearer. This system is still in the prototype phase; currently, it reacts far too vigorously to offensive spells.
::● '''Armory Device''': Utilizing the principles of aetheric teleportation, Chao can imbue specific items with a unique aetheric signature, and then pair them to a device, traditionally a ring, that summons the items onto the wearer, allowing one to be armed and equipped in the blink of an eye.
::● '''Electromagnetic Aether Pulse Protection''': After an...unpleasant...event that saw her powered devices shut down by an enemy electromagnetic aether pulse, Chao worked to ensure that this never occurred again. By studying the recorded particulate effects just before her devices lost power, she was able to determine the frequency at which the particulates used interacted with her devices, and modify her shielding to nullify that frequency. To prevent circumvention by simply using a ''different'' frequency, all her powered equipment shielding is designed to modulate through differing frequencies.
::● '''Ironworks Powered Infiltrator Armor Mk.I''': The upgraded, field-ready combat version of her prototype armor. Designed as a modular system that supports varying upgrades as requested by the wearer. A detailed description can be found [http://tinyurl.com/mdjcwvd here]. Unlike her other, proprietary powered armor designs, her personal set retains the designation 'Ironworks' partly out of nostalgia, and partly in recognition that she was aided by members of the Garlond Ironworks in designing and creating it.
::● '''Misriah Powered Armor/BREAKER''': A direct assault variant built for Grundy, focusing on strong armored protection, resilient shielding, armor-augmented strength enhancers, and a VISR (detailed below) uplink to identify allies and enemies. As Grundy lacks the technical expertise to manipulate armor systems, the BREAKER variant is designed to function largely autonomously, with all systems functioning when power is applied. Grundy's personal variant features two additional features: two spiked chain shots built into both forearms for grappling, and remote systems override allowing Chao to lock down his armor to stop him from going on a berserker rampage.
::● '''Misriah Powered Armor/UNDECIDED''': An infiltrator variant designed for use by those who prefer a stealth approach. The UNDECIDED variant lacks the plate protection of its more up-armored brethren, relying on faster-cycling aetheric shielding technology and the user's own ability to evade hits to provide its protection. This powered armor increases user reaction speed and possesses proprietary sound-dampening technology to enhance stealth.
::● '''Powered Fist''': Built to augment her new powered armor, Chao designed a gauntlet that allows her free range of hand motion and also has a powerful gun device built into it for added anti-armor punch. When not desired for use, it collapses down to the size of bracelets worn on both wrists.
::● '''Project μ''': Considered by Chao to be her Magnum Opus, Project μ saw the creation of a sentient, free-willed combat android in a form that would allow it to pass undetected in society (in this case, the prototype unit possesses the frame of a female miqo'te). Utilizing a combination of a purpose-built mammet heart and an unprogrammed Allagan Defense System node to achieve sentience, a frame was constructed using both Allagan metals and repurposed Garlean steel. The result: an infiltrator prototype given the name ''Myu'' whose combat potential is surpassed only by her learning potential.
::● '''Remote/Observation, Self-Propelled Model 1B Reconnaissance Drone''': A variant of the WASP drone, with its aetherochemical beam replaced with high-fidelity observation and monitoring equipment to perform the functions of battlefield reconnaissance. Recon data from these drones can be fed to any authorized user of a MISRIAH powered armor system.
::● '''Sterilization Tools''': A number of devices requested by Vylbrand medic Keero in order to sterilize medical equipment before use. A non-mobile version was delivered to the medical ward, allowing the sterilization of large numbers of equipment, or large pieces of equipment. Several smaller versions were also built for field use. Both versions generate high-heat, high-intensity energy beams that kill microorganisms and scour surfaces clean.
::● '''Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance''': A HUD feature included in all of her powered armors, VISR allows for unprecedented battlefield information to wearers of her powered armor. In its most base form, VISR serves as an identify-friend/foe system, highlighting friendly targets in a green outline, enemy targets in red, recognizable weapons in blue, items of interest in yellow, and unidentified persons/civilians in orange. It can also receive visual reconnaissance from any nearby ROSP drones and functions as low-light enhancement at night or in darkened spaces.
::● '''Weapon/Anti-Magitek, Self-Propelled Model 1A Nonlinear Rifle''': A small, high-mobility portable weapon system developed by Chao using the magitek bits of the Allagan and Garlean Empires as its base. Unlike it much larger cousins, the "WASP"--also known by the descriptor "funnel"--is small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand, but is no less deadly for it. Armed with an aetherochemical beam that can pierce the armor of a magitek reaper in a single strike, its power is balanced by its slow rate of fire and limited fire capacity. When drained of energy after five shots, it is capable of re-energizing itself by drawing aether from its environment, but this will only allow it to fire again once every five minutes. The WASP is targeted by voice commands.
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<br>

=History=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>HISTORY</center></div></span></h3>
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<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>'''PAST BACKGROUND'''</center></div></span></h3>
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<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Early Life'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Born in the region of Doma, Chao has been well-acquainted with Garlean tyranny her entire life. Her parents trained her from the time she could stand in the Doman martial arts style, despite it being outlawed by Garlemald as seditious. Early in life, she demonstrated a marked proclivity for an inability to keep secrets, prompting her parents to keep her uninvolved with the resistance against the Garlean Empire. She also showed an amazing affinity for magitek and other mechanical devices.<br><br>As she grew older, the increasing activity of Garlean oppression saw Chao becoming aware of their atrocities throughout their claimed territory. Her discretion grew, and though she remained unaware of her parents' involvement in the resistance, she began to contribute to the resistance in her own way, notably by designing and providing specifications for cannon rounds that boasted a marked improvement rate in penetrating Garlean armor, among other defensive innovations. This enhanced ability on the Domans' part to fight them did not go unnoticed by Garlemald, and by the age of fifteen, they had determined that she was the one responsible for the technological improvements. One afternoon, a contingent of Garleans appeared at the Lingshen homestead, and a choice was offered: service in the Empire, or the deaths of herself and her family. Unwilling to be the cause of her parents' deaths, she agreed to join the Empire. </font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Imperial Service'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Having been identified as a magitek prodigy, Chao avoided conscription into the generic rank and file of the Empire, instead placed in an institution that would teach her the intricacies of Garlean magitek as groundwork for creating next-generation weaponry. Recognizing the opportunity that had fallen into her lap, she played the part of the loyal Garlean engineer, all the while absorbing all the information she could and considering ways she could sabotage the Empire. It soon came to be discovered that she was especially adept at improving existing technology to perform better, seeing her placed in the Castrum Meridianum, where the foremost of Garlemald's technological terrors were constructed. <br><br> Initially, the projects she was allowed access to were small, improved arms and armor for the soldiers stationed in the castrum and the like. Eventually, as the successes of her work became apparent and allowed Garlemald to solidify its holdings in the regions of Eorzea they occupied, she was granted more and more access to Imperial workings. Soon, she began to discreetly sabotage the projects she was working with, an example being the technological inhibitors that the Garleans used to control their magitek colossi and other tamed beasts. Sure, the inhibitors did their job--better than to spec once she got her hands on them--but if they took too much damage and were destroyed, the frenzied beasts would focus all their aggression on their Imperial masters. She always took great care to ensure that the technology she sabotaged would fail as a result of field conditions or misuse, and that their effects would be ''just'' shy of so catastrophic that the Garleans deemed them too costly to use. <br><br> Her own research efforts were not the only Garlean projects that she was involved in. Owing to the Garleans' hatred of the primals, eventual conflict with the primals would be inevitable. Knowing of the primals' fondness for tempering, the Empire sought to devise a means to resist the tempering effect. Selecting from a pool of candidates with preexisting extremely strong willpower, Chao was selected to undergo numerous anti-tempering experiments. As tempering was reliant upon the primal surging their own aether to overpower the victim's mind and soul, the simplest method the Garleans saw to negate it was blocking one's aether. To this end, a series of sigils were inscribed across Chao's body, rendering her an aetherial void when active. A command code, painstakingly memorized by the magitek genius, deactivates the sigils and lets her act normally, though when it is active her aether is completely inactive, not even able to be detected by other mages, and she appears to be completely nonmagical. Though this system performs its intended purpose to lab specifications, it has yet to be tested against an actual primal. <br><br> It was two years into her work at Meridianum that she discovered the Ultima Weapon program, and at that point she realized that it would take more than minor acts of sabotage to halt the Garlean advance. At around the same time, she began to hear whispers of a revolt in Doma, instigated in the hopes that the Garlean succession crisis would have them too distracted to respond. Activity around the Ultima Weapon project intensified, with many predicting that the fearsome monstrosity would be put to use suppressing the rebellion. It was not to be, however, as the Weapon was still not fully prepared for combat, and the might of the Imperial legions were plenty sufficient to crush the uprising and begin a reckoning of the Doman civilization. <br><br> Suspecting deep in her heart that her parents had been killed in the rebellion, Chao devised her plan and made ready to depart the Empire forever.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Defection'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">For a long while, the Garlond Ironworks and its members had been a continual thorn in the side of the Imperial presence in Eorzea, raiding the castrums seemingly at random. Though she had not devoted a great deal of attention to it, she had a sense that there would soon be another such raid at Meridianum. Timing her actions carefully, she prepared another act of sabotage. <br><br> In her part of the Ultima Weapon project, she was assigned to the conversion of the ancient Allagan power source to accept refined ceruleum as a fuel. While successful in this endeavor, she also weakened the structural integrity of the fueling lines and the storage tanks, forcing them to vent under strenuous operation lest they suffer a devastating case of overpressure. Under the guise of a 'stress test', she ordered one such storage tank filled to capacity and subjected to the sorts of stresses expected in lengthy combat. <br><br> Just as she had expected, another raid by the Ironworks occurred in the middle of the stress test. With the defense force of the castrum distracted by the ruckus, Chao moved all her research notes to within proximity of the storage tank, then increased the stress the device was under. To her surprise, the raiding team from the Ironworks soon broke their way into her research chamber, pulling her attention away from monitoring the tank for reaching its failure point. Now no longer needing to be concerned with her intent to betray the Empire, she alerted the raiders of the impending explosion and warned them to get away. Almost immediately thereafter, a castrum security force broke into the lab from another direction and opened fire. A stray round struck the storage tank, resulting in an immediate detonation. The explosion wiped out the Garlean security force and sprayed flaming ceruleum throughout the lab, resulting in gruesome burn scars to the back of Chao's legs. <br><br> Rendered unconscious by the explosion, Chao was recovered by the Ironworks raiding team, who fled as a chain reaction tore through the ceruleum storage facility, destroying a large number of the Ultima Weapon's spare tanks. Chao's act of sabotage resulted in the completion and battle readiness of the Ultima Weapon being delayed by nearly a full year.</font></div>
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<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>'''SINCE CHARACTER CREATION'''</center></div></span></h3>
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<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Ironworks'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao awoke some weeks later in Gridania, finding herself under care of the conjurers treating her injuries from the ceruleum explosion. Informed of the massive damage done to her musculature and nervous system, she was relieved to learn that she would regain the ability to walk after a time, but that the corrosive nature of ceruleum meant that the scars would never fade. This did not trouble her, and as she recovered, she requested a tome in which she could write, beginning to transfer what of her research she could recall to a page, glad to have denied Garlemald her knowledge and leaving them with prone-to-failure, sabotaged equipment. <br><br> Soon thereafter, she was approached by a large roegadyn man who introduced himself as Biggs, naming himself as a member of the Garlond Ironworks and come to inquire what she had been up to when she had encountered the raid team. In no uncertain terms, she explained that she had been carefully sabotaging various Imperial projects over her years in their conscripted service, and had planned to take advantage of the confusion of the Ironworks raid to do one last grand act of sabotage and escape. Amused by her forthcoming explanation, Biggs offered for her to join the Ironworks, letting her turn her vast magitek talent to improving the lives of Eorzean citizens while continuing to stick it to the Empire. She readily accepted, and turned over her tome of notes for Biggs to copy in case any of it proved useful to any of the ongoing projects at the Ironworks. Once finished with the transcription, Biggs returned the book and suggested she get herself as far away from the Empire as possible.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Changing the Game'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Unknown to either of them, she was in no danger of being hounded by the Empire, as they believed she had perished in the ceruleum explosions at the castrum. After regaining her ability to walk, she traveled to Ul'dah and took up residence there. To while away the time, she discovered that the jewel of the desert was home to the pugilist guild and the thaumaturge's guild, two combat schools that she had a keen interest in. Applying for training at both, she used their instruction to further her knowledge in both unarmed combat and the magical arts, but feared that what she could learn through the guilds would be insufficient to face the might of the Garlean Empire. <br><br> To that end, she sought to combine the training of both guilds into a new personal discipline she referred to--admittedly unoriginally--as 'combat mage'. To this end, she practiced the casting of spells until they became as muscle memory to her, able to cast on the move and with greater speed. While training herself in such a way, she discovered her stronger affinity for fire magic, that the more she trained, the greater the potency of those spells became and the less taxing they were upon her. Before long, she had become adept at weaving fire not only as spells in between strikes, but the very elemental aspect itself into her strikes. The result was a combat style that is frightfully effective, one that the pugilists' guild regarded as an amusing and effective curiosity, but that was reviled by the thaumaturges' guild. Needless to say, she hasn't showed her face there very often in recent times. <br><br> Even through her training time, one thing had weighed heavily on her mind at all times: the existence of the Ultima Weapon and what it could do to the people of Eorzea. Knowing of the Weapon's ability to absorb the essence of the primals and use their power for its own, she wondered if it was not possible for a man to do the same with magic. After all, the possibilities of magic were literally limitless. With that in mind, and keeping an open mind from which she could observe and calculate from all possible angles, Chao began to study arcanism and conjury as well. <br><br> Initially dismissing conjury, she focused her attention on arcanism, finding the applications there far more wide-ranging given the geometric and mathematical means of bending aether to one's whim, and as an engineer, geometry and math were something of strong suits for her. She quickly began to experiment with using aetheric circles not just in books, but using the environment herself as her medium. She found that in doing so, she could enhance the power of her spells and perform various other effects. She has established a theory of a magic contract between a magically-talented person and one who is not, mostly for the purpose of additional power to the--presumably physically-inclined--partner, but has yet to perform any actual experimenting on this concept.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Dark Magic'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Through many a day spent sitting in a corner of the Quicksand pondering her magical theories while immersing herself in the lifeblood of the city, her thoughts traveled far and wide on the principles of magic and their relationship with man and the world. Such philosophical drivel aside, it occurred to her as she was watching a drinking contest that perhaps she was thinking too hard on a subject that was actually rather simple. The principle of the Ultima Weapon's most terrifying power was that it could absorb the power of the primals into itself and, so the theory went, use their powers as its own. As she had discovered through her arcane training, there already ''was'' a similar technique in play, the aetherflow. The problem was its limitations, and that it only drew upon ambient aether. <br><br> While stumped on how to get around this block, she diverted some attention to figuring out methods of rapidly-deploying aetheric circles in combat, given that most enemies would be disinclined to stand around letting her draw runes on the ground around them. Musing on the fragility of crystals, she discovered a method to 'pre-cast' partial aetheric circles by inscribing them into specifically-marked spell catalysts that, when shattered in specific sequence in a set pattern, would inscribe an invisible aetheric circle on whatever solid surface they were shattered against. She found that this was most useful when fighting unarmed, as many would assume she was a bog-standard pugilist and therefore wouldn't be suspicious of her moving around in a fight. <br><br> As the weeks passed and she wandered about the city, she chanced upon a handful of Sultansworn in a full-contact mock training exercise. Taking a moment to stop and observe their actions, she watched as a pre-cast protective spell flashed to life to ward off a harmful spell, but not fully mitigate its damage. That scene taking root in her mind, she returned to the Quicksand to ponder. The nature of protective spells were meant to turn away harmful effects, but using her aetheric circles, could she not invert its purpose, directing an opponent's magic or spirit energy into a user whose aetherflow was opened to draw in such energies? <br><br> With thorough studying in the matter, she discovered that her theory was spot-on, allowing her to absorb the energies of an opponent's attack into herself, giving her a limited-time increase to specific attributes depending on the nature of the absorbed energies. This method of using her developing theory of magic was impractical, as it required her drawing a spell circle to influence the absorption of the energy, and therefore was ill-suited for most combat scenarios. Further, the act of absorbing spells or spirit energy infused that energy to her very soul, an unnatural and corrosive effect that forced her to determine that this new magic she was inventing be reserved for the most emergency of uses. <br><br> Because of this, she has taken to calling her new magic system ''Magia Erebia''.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''New Eras, New Places, New Faces'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Time waits for no man, and Chao was no exception. Word of a new terrifying superweapon in the hands of Garlemald spread through Eorzea like wildfire, and she knew that they had come with their Ultimate Weapon. To her surprise, however, the Eorzean leaders did not seem to fear the tremendous power of the weapon, instead were planning a ''preemptive strike'' to destroy the thing before it could be brought into play. Unknowing of what means the Eorzeans intended to fight it with, but well resolved in the knowledge that she would not suffer them to face that menace alone, she journeyed to the Hall of Flames to avail her burgeoning magical talent to the Alliance's efforts. And thus came to pass her involvement in Operation: Archon, a rather boring endeavor which saw her standing far from the front lines, raining concentrated blasts of fire down on far-away Garleans by way of indirect fire. <br><br> Returning to Ul'dah after the successful destruction of the Ultimate Weapon and the heralding of the Seventh Astral Era, Chao felt herself adrift. Her entire life since coming to Eorzea had been dedicated to empowering herself and devising technology to destroy the weapon, and yet now she found herself without that clear adversary to test herself against. Returning to her usual haunt in the Quicksand to consider her notes on varying magitek research projects, she found herself attracting some interesting characters. First came an elezen lady curious of what she was reading, prompting a rather fast-paced and aggressive conversation which has Chao convinced that she was being hit upon, ending with a promise by Aeliette to 'discover all her dark secrets.' <br><br> Several days later, she was approached by another elezen who offered thanks to her for the assistance she rendered in attempting to determine whether a wine bottle had been poisoned. Introducing himself as Isaudorel, their conversation was far more agreeable, despite the brief intrusion of a rather rude individual who accused Chao of being of purchaseable companionship. Electing to not dignify that with a response, the conversation soon found its way turning toward their preferred styles of combat, with Chao informing him of her creation of her 'combat mage' style of combat. Intrigued of a method by which one could combine hand-to-hand with magical combat, he requested a spar to allow her to demonstrate her style, to which she agreed, pleased to have the opportunity to test her style in 'real' combat. <br><br> Traveling just outside of Forgotten Springs in the Sagolii Desert, Chao and Isaudorel squared off, observed by a small crowd of interested individuals who either came along from the Quicksand or happened to be passing through. Initiating the duel, Chao used her ''shundo'' to cross the distance separating them before he could react, a rising crescent kick almost finishing the fight in a single blow. Recovering from it, he retaliated with a blizzard spell, which she dispersed with a ''Red Blaze'' fire spell before charging back in to rain strikes at him. With a quick thought, he cast a manawall charged with electricity in an attempt to paralyze her. Though the charged energy knocked her back, she managed to avoid a paralysis and unleashed seven ''Sagitta Magica'' arrows to divert his attention. He answered in kind with a wide-area blizzard spell to destroy them, then began another incantation. To break the barrier, Chao used a floating chunk of ice as a springboard by which to ''shundo'' at him and use the entire force of her body to try and break the barrier. Just as she hit, he completed his incantation, casting a Fire-III directly on himself to catch both of them at once, an effective suicide-bomb attack. <br><br> Blown to the side by the power of the strike, Chao was the first to her feet, laughing at the cleverness of the attack and commending him for its execution. Isaudorel, however, having exhausted his mana to pull that stunt and doing no small amount of harm to himself, ceded the spar at that point. Expressing his wish for a future re-engagement, he returned to Ul'dah--or so she presumed--to get himself some rest and recovery. Afterwards, she was approached by one of the observers, one [[Gunnbjorn Darkblade]] who was very impressed with her style and wished to challenge her himself at some point in the future. With a smirk, she stated that she would always be ready to test her skills out once more. <br><br> A few days beyond that, she found herself approached once more at the Quicksand, this time by a man answering to the name of Lucian Malloy. Speaking at length of idle topics, he soon invited her to a place he liked wherein she could think free of distractions, citing the noise of the Quicksand being a cause of headaches for him. Initially concerned that it may be an ill-fated kidnapping attempt, given the nature of Ul'dah, she felt confident that she would be more than any would-be kidnappers were prepared for, and agreed to accompany him. Following along with his teleport to Costa del Sol, she soon discovered that his motives were no more ill than that of any red-blooded male attempting to woo a female. In further efforts to impress her, he cast a healing circle spell, the radius of which grew with every passing moment. It soon became clear that this spell was too powerful for him to sustain, causing him to become as though intoxicated, making ever more and more ridiculous statements as time went on. He soon passed unconscious from the effects of the significant drain on his aether, but not before he managed to activate a failsafe teleport of some sort that returned the two of them to his free company's homestead in the Goblet. <br><br> At the mansion of the Reclaimers, Chao brought him to rest in an infirmary bed, then wandered the halls to find one of his free company mates to assist him. Atticus Buffalobane and Lena Ulionov appeared from their room, in a particular state that left no doubt in Chao's mind what they had been up to, but she politely refrained from saying anything on the matter. It was swiftly determined that he suffered from aetheric depletion, prompting Lena to head off to procure some ethers to solve the matter. After a few moments, she returned with Rinh Amariyo in tow, while Chao stood to the back of the room and let them see to their comrade. After some good-natured ribbing on their part once Lucian came around, Lena inquired as to Chao's occupation. When the combat mage informed them of her specialty in Garlean magitek, suddenly both Lena and Rinh became very interested in her, the former requesting that she return the next day to look at a piece of Garlean technology that the Reclaimers had "acquired." <br><br> Coming the next day as promised, she was introduced to another associate of the Reclaimers, Popato Tomato, who presented a large Garlean orb and explained that it was an aetheric suppressor and that they wished to find a way to make it smaller and allow it to only suppress aether of unwanted intruders rather than the rightful occupants of the manor. Explaining that miniaturization was her specialty, Chao poked around in the device's innards and, following a demonstration of its effects during which she decided to see what would happen if the aether-absorbing field came into contact with her when her aether was sealed--the device short-circuited--she determined that she could meet all their specifications as long as they procured her a pair of Garlean magitek cores--one in case she made a mistake--with which to install in the machine; the rest she had the tools to do herself. They stated that it would be easy for them to acquire the cores, leaving her time to sketch out her redesign of the smaller device and acquire the parts she would need from the Ironworks. <br><br> It took less than a day for her to complete her sketched redesign and even prototype a few replicas in the Ironworks of the modified device. Waiting to be contacted by the Reclaimers to complete her work for them, she resumed her habit of occupying the Quicksand, spending her time going over her design in exacting detail and ensuring everything would function as she expected it to. As she waited and tinkered with converting one of the miniature prototypes into a working autonomous device, she felt an intense gaze on her, and looked around to find a hyuran woman staring at her. The woman approached, stating aloud that Chao looked familiar to her, which became a shared sensation when the woman drew near enough to get a good look at in the dim lighting of the tavern. When Chao pointed out that she was only commonly found at the Quicksand or in the Ironworks, the woman seated herself and proclaimed that it was from the Ironworks that they were familiar with one another. The woman introduced herself as [[Satomi Hakase]], primarily employed by the airship operations division. Though this introduction was to be brief, as an acquaintance of Satomi soon arrived portending a situation which required the hyur's attention, Chao was left with the feeling that she might begin to work with the Ironworks airship sector a bit more often. <br><br> Even with that chance encounter with a fellow in the spirit of science, she continued to feel further and further adrift and separated from the currents of the realm, left as she was with no strong source of opposition to test herself against. The influx of refugees from Doma, the tension from Ul'dah's rejection of sanctuary of them, and the riots that ensued were not something that she, a purveyor of weapons and therefore a 'merchant of death', cared to involve herself in, as she would neither see her people oppressed nor would she hand out her developing forms of advanced weaponry a nation so rife with corruption. So she continued to spend her days in the city idle, chatting at random with whatever passers-by expressed interest in her, spending fewer and fewer hours contemplating new advancements of magitek or ''Magia Erebia''. One conversation ended with a suggestion that she turn her attention to the Ishgardian war with the dravanian hordes and supply weapons for that battle, but she thought little of the backwards, dogmatic ways of the Holy See and did not see the dravanians as a threat to the other city-states should Ishgard fall. She did, at the least, state that she would give it her consideration, and if nothing else it would be an exercise in retrograding her inventions to withstand both the cold of Coerthas and the searing flames of a dragon's breath.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As she took a meal one evening, the tavern as noisy as ever, her ears picked out of the din a small but overbearing voice aimed in her direction. Turning to see a lalafell staring down her nose at her--an act she'd hitherto thought lalafells physically incapable of--she found herself subjected to a barrage of queries regarding a male miqo'te she had never even heard of. When she said as much, the lalafell half-ranted out a slew of other names, only one of which caught her attention: Satomi Hakase. <br><br> With that mentioned, the short one seemed to take a moment to reevaluate Chao, apparently considering there was more to her than met the eye to be an associate of Satomi's, and thereby deeming her 'worthy' by some arbitrary benchmark. Speaking more at length of this 'Sypher Corinth' she was after, she explained that he owed a not-inconsiderable debt to her, promising an unspecified percentage of it for delivering him or information on his whereabouts. Chao accepted, but money had little to do with it; in truth, she was far more interested in having something to do that would take her out of the city. <br><br> The lalafell, who left only her given name Zoey, informed Chao that Sypher had ties with Vylbrand Academy, which sent the miqo'te to Ul'dah's airship landing for a journey to the island city-state. Some hours were spent querying practically every soul in Limsa Lominsa as to the location of the Academy, but perseverance eventually paid off. Upon entering the nondescript building, which initially appeared to be empty, she followed the sound of voices to a lower level that seemed to house a bar, where she queried if any present knew of Sypher. <br><br> After a brief discussion, she was requested to speak of the matter privately with a miqo'te woman she presumed to be the Academy's master, accompanied by an elezen whose role was not explained but Chao presumed to be the master's second. Once in Kyra's office, she explained the situation as it had transpired in the Quicksand, swiftly becoming confused with the way they seemed to become very tense at someone pursuing this 'Sypher' for a substantial debt. It was now clear to her that she was being manipulated as a pawn in the schemes of the lalafell, a sensation she was none too pleased with. When the elezen asked her to convey to the lalafell a request to come to the Academy and 'discuss' the matter, she readily agreed to do so. <br><br> The following afternoon, Chao returned to the Academy, having been informed by Ser Chevalier that a weapon class was to be given that day. As it turned out, she had mistakenly-assumed that it would be more of a showcase of varying weapons from which she might be able to draw inspiration for her projects, but as it turned out, it was an actual instructional class on the varieties of a specific weapon type, in this case axes. Unwilling to be rude by getting up and walking out in the middle of it, she decided to wait it out and observe. This turned out to be possibly one of her best decisions to date. <br><br> In the midst of the class, who should appear out of the blue but Satomi herself. As it turned out, Vylbrand Academy was the fellow researcher's home away from the Ironworks. After politely waiting out the duration of the class and then exchanging a few words with the Academy master and Ser Chevalier, Satomi invited Chao to her laboratory-cum-room to catch up, along with a lalafell that quickly became apparent to be of significant emotional interest to Satomi. After he left on business, Satomi expressed her concern over the appearances inherent in that relationship, but Chao assured her that she would not judge, with the statement that one will find love wherever their heart desires, and that was all there was to that. <br><br> With that fear settled, the pair discussed the situation involving Sypher and the debt, Satomi expressing her concern that he did not seem to be in that high an amount of debt, and Chao herself finding suspicion that so many at the Academy seemed to have their hackles raised by the entire affair. When Satomi remarked that she would gladly pay off the debt and needed to find the woman, Chao stated that she would be glad to accompany Satomi, both to get her own answers on what the hell she'd been dragged into and to provide martial help should it become necessary, promising her fellow Ironworks researcher that she was not as fragile as she looked. <br><br> Turning their conversation to lighter topics, Satomi eventually discerned that, aside from the Ironworks, Chao had no place to call home other than the Hourglass inn attached to the Quicksand, and near of mandated that Chao avail herself of Satomi's lab as often as she deemed necessary. Though not necessarily wanting to take overmuch advantage of Satomi's hospitality--and that of the Academy, which she was sure did not think too highly of her--the truth was simple in that she was adrift in Ul'dah, and a newer locale nearer to where Satomi hung her proverbial hat would not only allow easier collaboration but might also provide some desperately-needed inspiration. <br><br> And so, returning to Ul'dah, she gathered her meager belongings from the Hourglass and took a day or so to finish up all her activities in the jewel of the desert. Traveling by airship to Limsa, she procured a room at the Mizzenmast for a few days so as not to just show up out of the blue at the Academy like an unwanted relative. On the eve before she decided to make her trip to the Academy, she was met in the Drowning Wench by her erstwhile lalafell 'employer', who explained the ''actual'' purpose of the search for Sypher, that being a murder investigation that was now being considered a self-defense act. <br><br> Chao was willing to let bygones be on the matter for a twofold reason: first, it ''was'' a bit of a mercy on Zoey's part to have him investigated for a debt rather than murder, and secondly, Chao's journey to the Academy enabled her to reconnect with Satomi, an all-around net gain for her. Any ire she may have had about Zoey leading her about in the dark was defused by the lalafellin investigator's sincere apologies. Further, Zoey seemed to sense an utmost trustworthiness in Chao, which took the Doman by surprise, and prompted a departure on good terms, with a note that Zoey might seek her out again for further--and much more transparent, as promised--ventures in the future.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Departed'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao had always considered herself intelligent, and whenever first approached by a new person, especially someone with a thuggish demeanor or appearance, always reminded herself that Eorzea was a realm full of malcontents and kept ready in the back of her mind the fact that the very next person to approach her may subject her to some ill-fated kidnapping attempt, assault, or issue of the like. Heretofore, that had never become an issue, but on the day that she prepared to finally make the sojourn to Vylbrand Academy, it turned out that she was properly paranoid after all. <br><br> The lalafell that approached her side may well have succeeded in the assassination attempt had she not stooped to pick up a dropped utensil at the exact moment the would-be assassin moved to draw his blade. A commendably-strengthed kick, given her less-than-stellar positioning seated on a barstool, launched the smallfolk into a pillar, where he was promptly joined by the stool she had just vacated. With the ambush attempt failed, a roegadyn, a hyur, and a miqo'te joined the fray. It was clear they lacked up-to-date knowledge on her skillset, as defeating them proved to be a far simpler endeavor than she had expected. <br><br> Rifling through their pockets made it clear they were a Garlean hit squad, as if their banter during the unrepentant mugging they suffered had not already made that point. Troubling was that they'd come specifically for her, and that meant she was on Garlemald's radar again. Whether they sought blood for her sabotage of the Ultima Weapon or a return of her knowledge to their fold was unknown, and frankly irrelevant. What mattered was that they would stop at nothing to achieve their goal, and that endangered everyone she associated with. <br><br> Knowing that, she knew that she could not, in good conscience, let the Academy and its occupants be brought to harm because of her, and so decided to instead go into hiding. <br><br> Steeling her resolve, and feeling herself to be facing one of the greatest trials she ever had, she covered herself in a linen cloak and walked the rainy streets of Limsa, heading down to the ferry. She found bitter amusement that it would rain on this day, of all days. The ferry passed uneventfully, dropping Chao off near the Vylbrand Academy. The weather had long since broke, leaving it a cool, slightly clouded night. Keeping her eyes sharp for any signs of pursuit, she made her way toward the Academy, each step feeling heavier than the one before it. <br><br> As she expected, the Academy itself was not vacant. As she neared, she espied Ser Chevallier conversing in one corner of the yard, and fully expected to be stopped as to her business. But, to her surprise, she was allowed to pass into the building without a word, and found no other souls as she made her way to Satomi's lab. Once inside, she located her tome that she had left previously within a few minutes, replacing it with a letter that explained her entire history, that she was now being hunted, and that she was choosing to disappear rather than endanger any others. <br><br> With that heavy task complete, she lamented a moment on what may have been had they had the opportunity to combine their knowledge and skills, then turned and left the Academy, as silent and unremarkable as she had arrived. Tome in hand, she had only to pay a visit to the Ironworks to ensure they were properly warned and destroy her research data before she could complete her disappearing act. <br><br> Upon arrival, she found herself trailed by a particular pair of a roegadyn and a lalafell as she moved about destroying her research data, the two attempting to talk her out of her chosen path. She would have none of it, however, remaining adamant about preventing the Empire from having any extra reasons to express their ire with the Ironworks due to her presence. Eventually relenting, Biggs and Wedge decided to, at the very least, do what they could to help her survival, handing her a completed prototype of one of her very own designs: a powered assault armor. With thanks and a promise to continue moving ever onward, Chao clothed herself in the prototype battlesuit and departed from the Ironworks, closing that chapter of her life as well. <br><br> Traveling to the cliff edge of Silvertear Lake, Chao gazed upon the shattered wreck of the ''Agrius'', musing on whether she would require a power equal to that of the Guardian of the Lake in order to turn back the Empire. As she considered this, she engulfed her tome in flames to forever deny its contents to the Empire. The scuffle of approaching persons drew her attention, but kept her back to them, knowing she could easily beat any Garlean to the draw who had hubris enough to make their approach known. <br><br> To her surprise, it was the voice of Satomi who called out to her, demanding her purpose and threatening violence should she have been responsible for harm to....herself. Clearly, Satomi had mistaken her cloaked form for that of a Garlean assassin. She turned to identify herself properly, bracing for what was surely to be a lengthy attempt to convince her to not fleet into hiding. The sight of Chao unharmed brought the hyuran scientist great relief, and she launched quickly into a narrative of how hectic the last several days had been, in-between dodging Garlean assassins and interrogating captured spies. <br><br> Confused by the explanation, Satomi continued that she had discovered a list of targets that the Garleans were going after, including both of the two researchers. That Satomi herself was targeted explained her being in the company of Kyrrae--beyond the obvious reasons therefore--but the knowledge that the Empire was doing more than just coming after her for revenge changed things. She couldn't very well run away and hide while others were being hunted and killed by the Garleans. Stating as much, she cast aside her cloak, revealing her newly-acquired armor to Kyrrae and Satomi in the process, and swore upon the wreckage of the ''Agrius'' that she would never stop fighting against the Empire. <br><br> With all thoughts of flight now permanently out of the magitek prodigy's mind, Satomi bid they leave the far-too-open expanses of Mor Dhona for a more secure location. Utilizing a quick manipulation of aether, the trio teleported to Kyrrae's personal residence in the Lavender Beds, taking the extra opportunity to speak of the situation before bedding down for the evening.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits II'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Beginning to devise her own scheme for additional security against the Garleans, Chao set out the next morning to set it into motion. Over the course of the next several days, she visited sites of combat with Imperial forces across the realm, scavenging parts from downed vanguards, reapers, colossi, and death claws. After several days of this, she received a linkpearl call from Satomi, sounding highly distressed and requesting her presence at the Academy. Initially fearing that the Garleans had gotten Satomi and were using her to try and draw Chao out, she made haste to Vylbrand and entered Satomi's lab with a gusto normally reserved for breaching an enemy fortified position. <br><br> As it turned out, no such precaution was necessary; the state of Satomi's health being due entirely to stress as a result of a near-death experience on Kyrrae's part while Chao was away. Before much more of the subject could be discussed--though enough was spoken of to cause Chao concern for Satomi's well-being--the hyur was called to socialize with the other members of the Academy. Chao, feeling the need to look after her a while longer, accompanied her downstairs and discovered to her amusement that Satomi was ''bartending'' this social event. Tucking herself out of the way, she observed the gathering as she had always observed every tavern interaction, reminded quite thoroughly of her days spent warming chairs in the Quicksand. These thoughts prompted her to wonder what some of her old acquaintances were now up to. As the afternoon wore on, however, the state of Satomi's health became all the more clear: between a dropped glass and nearly stumbling into Chao while passing out a drink, it was clear she was about to pass out on her feet. After a while, she was convinced to retire and rest for the evening, which she reluctantly agreed to do, with Chao ensuring she made it safely back to her room/lab. <br><br> Once back in the lab, Satomi confided in Chao that she had been feeling increasingly depressed over the last several weeks, stemming from the sequence of events that had seemed to go from bad to worse: Chao's disappearance, the Garlean attacks, drama within the Academy, and finally Kyrrae's near-fatal experience. All these experiences, the scientist reasoned, were a negative consequence of deciding to emotionally open herself, rather than the previously-aloof way she had lived her life. In conclusion, she decided that her best course of action would be to return to that way of life, cutting ties with all who knew her and disappearing. <br><br> The only thing standing between her and freedom was a miqo'te magitek prodigy now prepared to enact violence on her closest friend. <br><br> Tactically and very overtly positioning herself between Satomi and the door, Chao immediately declared Satomi's plan a farce, pointing to her own recent experience with 'pulling a runner' that achieved nothing fruitful other than stress and harm to others' lives. This having no effect on Satomi's scheme, she moved on to directly counter the hyur's assertions that she was of no value to anyone by pointing out the positive effects she had had on the lives of Grundy, Kyrrae, and even herself, that without Satomi's influence one or all three of them may currently be dead. This began to crumble Satomi's emotional facade, but she remained adamant. Chao went for the kill: she pointed out, accurately, that if Satomi left the Academy, then Kyrrae would go looking for her, no matter if he was fully-recovered or not. And what then, Chao posited, would happen if he should run afoul of Garlean assassins while out in his weakened state? <br><br> That destroyed Satomi's resolve to flee, and she broke down and confessed her insecurities to Chao, who promised that no matter what choice Satomi made, she would always have the likes of Grundy, Kyrrae, and Chao to stand by her side.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Project µ'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Having researched, heard the tales of, and occasionally witnessed the grasp of the Allagans' technology in the field of automatons, Chao determined to move her own projects in that direction. Similar to the Garleans' favoring of large robotic minions, Chao also saw the value in a heavily-armored combatant with limits far beyond those of normal sentient beings. As ever, where Garlemald's cultural values leaned toward the largest, most visible and intimidating machine on the field, Chao felt far more could be accomplished with a much more compact form. Thus, with the salvaged parts of the various Garlean robots and her highly-useful talent for miniaturizing existing items, she had begun constructing a humanoid-sized combat frame using her own form as a reference. <br><br> Keeping herself sequestered away in a back corner of Satomi's lab and spending all her waking hours on her work, completing the basic frame of the machine and all its inner workings went very quickly, taking her no longer than a week. With that completed, however, she needed to look to a way of giving life to the machine, and not simply in the form of its source of power. Knowing of the great combat power of the Allagans' automated defense mechanisms, one of their core processors would do the job nicely. The key laid in finding one that had not yet been programmed to murder everything in the name of the Forerunners, one that ''she'' could dictate the development of. She would, of course, also require a mammet heart to give her creation a true semblance of sentience, but that was almost trivial in comparison to acquiring an unprogrammed Allagan defense node core. <br><br> Recalling well that Cid had left the doors of the Ironworks open to her, she returned once more to darken their doors, seeking any knowledge the Ironworks might have on sourcing a core to suit her needs. While they lacked a fresh, unprogrammed one, they had a number of cores recovered from destroyed drones recovered primarily from the battlegrounds of Carteneau Flats that she could use to get a feel for how they functioned, and how she might turn one to her own uses. Along with this, he suggested a number of known magitek part peddlers that she might attempt to source one through, lest she wish to get a shovel and start digging at Carteneau. <br><br> After several fruitless endeavors, she managed to make contact with one Dogberry Himalspyr and met with him in Limsa Lominsa to discuss whether he could acquire the core she required. While he did not have any readily available, at least not of the Allagan variety ''and'' unprogrammed, he mentioned that he was planning to explore an Allagan ruin in the coming weeks and invited her to partake and search for what she was after. Deciding that to work well to her advantage, she agreed to come along on the venture, taking a linkpearl from him so that she might be informed of when it would gather. With that laid out, she returned to Vylbrand Academy to continue tweaking the frame and making adjustments to her combat unit. <br><br> To her surprise, she discovered when she returned that Satomi had already solved the problem of a mammet heart: using her not-inconsiderable personal stores of gil, she had commissioned one from the goldsmiths' guild specifically to suit their needs. With the device delivered, Chao was able to activate her robotic creation, upon which she bestowed the name "Myu" as a phonetic of the Allagan symbol µ that she had used as the project codename. Curiously, though powered, Myu had yet to show signs of life. <br><br> Days passed as Chao and Satomi both puzzled over Myu's reticence to awaken. Nothing ''mechanically'' was wrong, the machine simply just refused to start up. Both knew that such fickleness was common to mammets and other devices powered by their hearts, and so resolved to be patient. They knew that Myu's sensory functions and learning core were online and active, taking in data at a constant rate, and so they operated under the assumption that Myu was studying them.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Into the Depths'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As the week ended, she was contacted regarding the Allagan expedition and asked to arrive at Camp Drybone within several days' time. Satomi, unfortunately, had other business to attend to, but Chao assured her friend that she would be fine to enter the ruin alone, and would bring back a mountain of data, ''and'' the necessary core. Donning her battlesuit and taking a supply of spare crystals for recharging if necessary, she took the airship to Ul'dah and, mindful of the continuing unrest in the city, rode her chocobo to the outer encampment of Drybone. <br><br> By the time she had arrived, most of the rest of the venture had already made it, and so she stood off nearby and ran checks on her armor, ensuring everything was functioning at top form. After the last of the group formed up, they trekked by chocobo across eastern Thanalan, far into the scrubland. They arrived at a large work camp, many of the workers and sellswords within bearing injuries that Chao recognized as being caused by Allagan traps and defenses. Though she pitied those unfortunates, she lacked the skills necessary to heal them. <br><br> As tasked by the expedition funder--or so she assumed since it was never fully explained--the team entered into the ruin, proceeding into an aether-swamped cavern filled with platforms of clearly-Allagan design and corrupted creatures tainted by the presence of so much aether. The vast majority posed no great threat to the party and were swiftly overcome, save for the last creature they encountered: a bio-engineered monstrously-sized snake fitted with Allagan control devices. Far more devious and empowered than the lesser creatures, this beast nearly laid low the expedition, leaving at four of its members unconscious, but at least still breathing. <br><br> Reviving their downed comrades and retreating back to the surface, the group took the time to catch their breath as a follow-on force of mercenaries was sent to secure the first antechamber. It wasn't long before a runner in dire health reported a second chamber further into the ruin, with clearly far worse inhabitants. Leaving the winded Dogberry to rest, his place was taken by the other man behind the expedition, one [[Alexander Stormwind]], and they ventured into the ruin again. <br><br> Within, they found what Chao recognized as an Allagan networking center, the 'brain' behind the defense systems of all their facilities. Met at the entrance by a small node that immediately went on the offense, the group proceeded to systemically clear all the nodes around the network before engaging the ADS itself. After a grueling battle, they finally managed to destroy it. Immediately setting to scavenging it, Chao removed its destroyed processor core to discover a secondary core that had been intended to transfer its data to was left untouched by both the battle and any attempt to download data. <br><br> It was the unprogrammed ADS core that she needed for Myu. <br><br> With the network downed, the party took several minutes to recover. Chao herself took to exploring the network area. Her attention was soon drawn beyond the platforms, to large columns of smoke she saw rising from other such clusters of platforms. It took only a few moments of observation--and the sight of moving machinery--to realize she was staring at a Foundry, a place where the Allagans ''built'' their machines. <br><br> This place would definitely merit returning to. <br><br> Returning to the surface, she took a moment to inspect her prize, which Stormwind swiftly demanded she hand over for proper cataloging and storage. Unwilling to part with that which she had come for, and needed to bring Myu to her ideal of full combat readiness, she pointed out that she had been brought on this expedition to acquire this very part, which Dogberry attempted to intercede on her behalf over. Stormwind was adamant, however, refusing to pay for a half-completed venture, even as Dogberry himself pointed out that she still was perfectly willing to press on despite getting what she had come for. At this point, recognizing that there would be no way to have things her way without resorting to violence, Chao ceded for the time, shoving the core into the hands of a passing worker and immediately stonewalled the rest of the raid. <br><br> Within minutes, a new chamber was found, this one seeming more confusing than threatening. Upon the party's arrival to the chamber in question, the reason became immediately apparent: a deep chamber running for over three hundred yalms straight down with the entire center section either lost to time or purposely omitted. The only way to move from section to section was by use of transporter pads dotted around the chamber that would propel an individual across a gap to a connected pad. How the pads were linked, and by what means an individual was propelled and then safely landed was a mystery to Chao, having never before heard of such devices in her studies of the Allagans. <br><br> And the place was full of creatures of Allagan creation, genetically-engineered beasts that harried the party at every turn. Despite attempts to the contrary, the nature of the place and the continuous assaults from every direction swiftly saw the party largely separated, Chao herself winding up alongside one of the group's healers, [[Mikh'a Korofi]]. Knowing that they were better served to run than try to fight, Chao deployed her funnel in an attempt to clear a path and ward off any pursuers, but the largely-untested nature of the drone meant that its effectiveness was, at best, negligible. After a grueling struggle, and no small amount of paths being cleared by the other groups, Chao and Mikh'a eventually escaped through an Allagan teleportation device, winding up back on the surface. <br><br> By ones and twos, the others soon returned, until only one had yet to show up. The elezen bladeswoman, [[Menelwen Veara]], remained unaccounted for within the ruin. As the minutes stretched on, the group grew increasingly frantic, eventually culminating in nearly a re-entry into the deathtrap, until Menelwen reappeared at high velocity, nearly bowling over the lalafell warrior in the process. As it turned out, she had become separated when she took it upon herself to draw away a pack of monsters, barely escaping with her life. <br><br> Sensing that the mystery objective of the expedition was near, Stormwind once more stepped forward to take part in the operation, allowing Menelwen the time to rest and recover from her harrowing ordeal. Clearing the central transport center apparently unlocked some sort of mechanism, revealing a lift at its entrance that allowed them to bypass it. Taking the lift down, the group was soon accosted by Allagan clockwork defenses, lesser in the hierarchy of the Allagans' nasties, to be sure, but they were part of the basis for Project µ for a reason. With determination and grit, the group steadily overcame them and Chao, no more immune to pride than any other, tore the processor from the still-fighting final dreadnaught and rode its smoking carcass to the ground, remarking on how Myu would soon surpass the Allagans' wildest dreams. <br><br> With the lift guardians defeated, the remainder of the journey passed in tense silence. Chao took the opportunity to recharge her armor from her stock of crystals and center herself for whatever was to come. When the doors opened, she did not consider herself prepared enough. <br><br> There, standing before them, was the Ultimate Weapon. Or rather, a seemingly-mass-produced knockoff of the very self-same weapon of mass destruction that had been employed by Garlemald. Given that it had originally been created by the Allagans to control and contain the primals, she realized she should not be surprised to find more than one in existence. Meanwhile, Stormwind seemed to lose his mind in that way that scientists were capable of; it was something she was familiar with not only from herself but from Satomi as well. So that was what it looked like, she mused. Still, and all, the thing had become active in their presence, and now had to be put down. <br><br> Engaging in battle, Chao couldn't help but feel a thrill as she alternated between the use of her Doman martial style and the magicks she had trained on for nearly a year now; she had missed her chance to take down the Ultimate Weapon, and here again was a second chance to see what that had felt like. And through the ravages of time, combined with the skill of the expedition she was in, they steadily dismantled the monster, forcing it to use increasingly more desperate tactics to ward them off. When it deployed a series of magitek bits, as she suspected it might, she wasted no chance, diving one to the ground and prying open its casing even as it tried to blast her with lasers. From her own experience with working with the Ultimate Weapon and all she had learned in the construction of 'Dummy', she was able to alter its targeting processes to turn it against the Allagan superweapon. <br><br> Before long, the monstrous device lay in ruins at their feet. Returning to the surface, Stormwind swiftly dispatched all the mercenaries and workers to that deepest of chambers, ordering the entire thing dismantled and brought back to the surface. Chao half-listened as he explained to the other members of the expedition that the Order of the Raven's Eye had come seeking that very superweapon, intent on using its technology to create a means to better combat the primal threat. Over the course of the discussion, she learned from the lalafell warrior that the Syndicate were also after another such weapon, a monstrosity hidden below the Carteneau Flats called the ''Omega'' Weapon. The revelation filled her with disgust, to know that those vile, amoral sycophants concerned only with their own wealth would seek a power of that magnitude. She could almost foresee conflict in her future with those fools. <br><br> With many of the expedition dispersing, Stormwind turned his attention to Chao, fetching a worker to acquire the core she had found earlier, now more than pleased to hand over the device to her since he had found what he was looking for. As for what the Order was up to, she agreed with their ideal to protect the realm from the primals, but swore that if she caught wind of whatever they created being used for oppression, she'd destroy it herself. Stormwind actually seemed pleased with that vow, and promised himself that he would be careful in guiding their creation's use. <br><br> ADS core in hand, Chao returned to Vylbrand once more, looking forward to the day when Myu would achieve her full combat potential.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Might and Magic'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Back at the Academy, Chao secured the ADS core and stashed it away amidst the mass of other research materials Satomi kept in her lab, where it would remain until Chao judged it was time to install into Myu's processor. In the meantime, she spent several days repairing her armor and working on upgrades to her funnel. In the midst of one such repair session, taken on a couch to the side of the Academy's entrance so as to be out of the way, Chao was discovered by Zooey. After a brief discussion, during which Chao remarked on how she felt herself the nuisance stray at the Academy, the investigator took it upon herself to begin dissolving this notion, demanding Chao to step away from the couch even as she called out, rather loudly, for all nearby members of the group to gather around. This having happened while her funnel was fully-disassembled, and she didn't want to leave such sensitive material unattended for even such a brief time, she found herself getting to meet several of the Academy's occupants while carrying an armful of funnel parts. Of the half-dozen individuals present, all welcomed her warmly into their midst, several even offering her crash space in their residences if it was necessary. <br><br> Even with that welcome extended, she still couldn't shake the inescapable sensation of being an outsider looking in, and so maintained the excuse of working on her projects to remain out of everyone's way. Over the course of several days, she began working on a means to have weapons and gear on-hand any time it was necessary without being overly encumbered. Using the existing knowledge of aetheryte teleportation, she imbued each of the key components of her battlesuit with a unique aetheric signature that she then tied to an Allagan magic focus ring recovered from the ruin she had explored. When successfully tested, she could now go about in everyday attire without having to fear being caught by assassins without her armor. <br><br> Learning of an upcoming festival of science and magic to be hosted by the Academy, she decided to partake of this event, seeing it as an opportunity to showcase the arms she was developing for the realm. That is, until she saw the rules forbidding weapons and dangerous magic, which automatically disqualified nearly all of her work. While she ''could'' have used Myu as her demonstrator, she was not willing to reveal the existence of a humanoid combat robot yet. After a day or so to ponder it, she realized that there ''was'' something she could safely demonstrate: her theory of provisional contract. <br><br> So she recollected her since-destroyed research on the matter, acquired a new showy coat in the Allagan fashion, and waited until the day of the festival. Shortly before it was to begin, in order to settle her restlessness, she took her funnel outside and tested several of its settings on the target dummy outside. Her initial test of nonlethal settings at extremely limited power nearly resulted in the thing shooting ''her'', but on subsequent tests after being very specific on what, precisely, to shoot at, she noted that even at minimum power, the nonlethal setting possessed enough energy and impact to potentially stun victims and destroy clothing and equipment. A further test on the lethal setting at half power completely obliterated the target dummy. Leaving herself a mental reminder to either replace or pay to replace the target dummy, she headed inside to partake in the presentation portion of the festival. <br><br> Having been selected to go first, she took the stage and presented her theory of what she was taking to refer to as ''pactio'': that through the use of a specifically-designed magic circle, an individual proficient in magic could create a bond of partnership--a provisional contract--with another person that would allow the mage to imbue the partner with their own aether to increase their attributes. To demonstrate, she called forth [[Nebula Stardancer|two]] [[Sabirr Loreley|volunteers]] from the audience and cast the magic circle on the stage. She explained the basics of the contract, that it was formed by an exchange of bodily fluids; a blood pact would suffice for the matter, but if the two parties were not amenable to that, even something as simple as a kiss would do the job. The two volunteers decided on the latter, and in a flash of magic and light, Chao's theory was proven to be truthful: the successfully-created provisional contract validated by the presence of a tarot-like card bearing the likeness and several details of Nebula. <br><br> After a short session to answer questions, Chao stepped down to observe the rest of the presentations. One concerning the use of aether to reduce fatigue on mechanical systems drew her close inspection for obvious reasons. Last of the presentations was from Satomi, creating a rather fitting set of book ends to the whole affair in Chao's opinion. Her friend and partner in crime showcased a combat-purposed mammet that she had built in the likeness of Grundy. While Chao had known that Satomi had been working on such a thing in tandem with Chao's own work on Myu, she hadn't realized that Satomi's machine had reached the prototype and test phase. When a request for volunteers to face the mammet in mock combat came, Chao stepped forward to test her friend's creation herself, but was beaten to the punch by an Academy local, [[O'rahn Kevelan]]. In the long run, that was probably the better choice, as Chao would have held nothing back in the interest of giving it a proper combat test, and they may have wound up making a mess that way. There were a few glitches in the test, but overall, Satomi's showcase was successful. <br><br> Unfortunately, the machine was soon destroyed by the ''real'' Grundy, who mistook it for an enemy accosting Satomi and shattered it in a single blow. <br><br> Without waiting to be asked to help, Chao retrieved a rolling cart and began to load the parts of the mammet into it, along with the assistance of several others. While Satomi went off to take a walk in order to keep her wits about her regarding the matter, Chao held a brief discussion with Academy resident Imogene about Project µ, remarking on how devastated she would be if something similar happened to Myu as had happened to Satomi's machine. Describing in general the technological achievements that Myu represented, Chao left the other woman quite astounded at the level of complexity in comparison between Myu and the mammet Satomi had built. The difference laid in their purpose: Satomi's machine had been intended solely for combat, and not with the level of sophistication Chao had attempted, while Myu was built to not only have astounding combat capabilities but also to be able to pass herself off as a living, breathing individual. <br><br> After bringing the cart of destroyed mammet parts to Satomi's lab, and with the scientist herself still out of the Academy, Chao spent several hours sitting and talking to Myu, telling the sleeping android of her dreams and hopes for the future, a world where people could live free of the fear of oppression, both from external and internal threats. While Chao had spent some time each day since activating Myu speaking to her in such a manner, this day was markedly different in both the time she spent doing so and the nature of her conversation topic: philosophical and whimsical rather than scientific and factual. <br><br> Days later, just when Chao had begun to let the ever-present concern of Garlemald recede from the forefront of her mind, another stark reminder made itself known. While in the front of the Academy practicing her martial arts, she watched several members of the Academy carry a gravely-wounded person inside. Curiously, she followed them within and stood outside the infirmary--knowing her lack of any knowledge of practical or magical healing arts would see her only getting in the way--and listened as Satomi treated the poor woman, who had been captured and tortured by Garlean agents, operating out of a hidden camp located somewhere on the island of Vylbrand. That was greatly troubling news. <br><br> Eventually, Satomi treated the worst of the woman's injuries, though time would tell if she healed properly. The hyuran scientist headed away to recover and clean herself after the messy procedure, and just minutes later, an elezen woman arrived with a package of supplies for someone in the Academy. Having been nearby, Chao looked within and, finding all manner of alchemy supplies, assumed it was meant for Satomi, and so showed the delivery woman to the lab. Inside, as they waited for Satomi, they struck up a brief conversation, with the elezen--an Ishgardian expatriot, so she revealed--speaking of her interest in technology and weapons, particularly of Garlean origin, to be put to use against the dravanians in Ishgard's long war. Chao warned the elezen that if she had made a habit of pillaging equipment and technology from Garlemald, that she need be alert to the fact that she may have put herself on the very same hit list occupied by Chao and Satomi themselves. <br><br> In the midst of this discussion, Satomi returned to the lab and, confused at the elezen's presence, made clear in an unusually-curt manner that she had scheduled no such delivery. The elezen woman was not troubled, merely collecting the package to be returned to the guild from whence it came. Chao, suddenly and alarmingly realizing that the entire thing may have been a setup, surreptitiously scanned its contents for any sort of Garlean tracking devices--or explosives--but thankfully found none. With the elezen gone, she apologized to Satomi for being the source of the confusion. Satomi, for her part, apologized for being so short-tempered, which Chao understood perfectly when explained that the woman convalescing in the infirmary was one of Satomi's friends. <br><br> Even despite knowing that was what was weighing so heavily on her friend's mind, Chao remained insistent on her apology for causing Satomi additional headache and usurping as much of her lab as she did. Satomi brushed the thought aside, knowing that Chao had only been intending to help her, and further remarking that Chao need not concern how much time and space she required for her "beautiful project." At this, Chao smiled, and mused aloud that perhaps they might coax Myu to awaken by installing the ADS core ahead of schedule, despite the inherent danger that might come of the Allagan base programming overtaking Myu's functions and turning her into a sentient killing machine. Satomi suggested that a backup mammet core be used to store Myu's existing data on, and then use the aetheroelectric security field in her lab to contain Myu within until they determined it safe. It was a sound plan, and so the scientists agreed to take that step the next day, allowing them time to rest and come at it refreshed. <br><br> Moving to rest in the room's seating area, Chao remembered the armory ring and micro-teleportation device she'd created, demonstrating it to Satomi by calling her battlesuit, hitherto stored in an armoire, onto her person, replacing the general-purpose work and research attire she'd been wearing. Leaving her fellow researcher quite stunned, Chao briefly explained the setup, and then handed Satomi an armory ring of her own that Chao had made for her, to ensure that neither of them would ever be caught unarmed and unprepared by Garlean assassins. Afterward, with the call of sleep tugging at both of them, they each took up occupancy on a separate couch--with Satomi explaining that she found normal beds difficult to sleep on--and rested up for whatever the next day may bring.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Logical Ideologist'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">The next afternoon, Chao decided that the time had come to take that gamble. With Satomi away on business, regrettably, she performed the necessary prerequisite steps herself: creating a backup of Myu's data to that point and moving her into the zone of the aetheric field. This latter was a difficult task with Chao by herself; given her metal construction, Myu easily massed twice Chao's own weight. Once she was positioned, however, Chao retrieved the ADS core and, observed only by the myriad of diagnostic and sensory equipment in Satomi's lab, plugged it into Myu's processor, then stepped away and brought the security field online. <br><br> The elation that filled Chao's heart when Myu opened her eyes for that first time was immeasurable, as was the terror that seized her when Myu lifted her hand and aimed her palm-located Allagan laser in Chao's direction. Despite the grave and imminent threat to her very life, Chao stood her ground, determined not to show fear to Myu; not out of an animalistic sense of establishing dominance, but that she had ''faith'' in the being she had breathed life into. For several long and terrifying moments, she watched the color spectrum shift in Myu's eyes, from their natural blue to a blood-evoking crimson likely caused by the Allagan programming. Finally, Myu gained control over the Allagan processes--quarantining them as she later explained to Chao--and greeted her maker. <br><br> Lowering the aetheric field, Chao wasted no time in welcoming Myu to the world, speaking at length with her about her start-up process, the data she had created thus far, and a brief explanation of what it meant that Chao was extremely proud of her. Knowing that she had spent all her time since coming online cooped up inside the lab, Chao took Myu outside the Academy, giving her the first taste of the outside world. It was here, when Myu questioned what caused the plants to sway and the mist of a nearby fountain to move, that Chao realized she'd ommitted installing a tactile sensory function in Myu, something she quickly brought the android back inside to rectify. <br><br> The next day, Myu was introduced to Satomi and the scientists began to measure the robotic girl's capabilities and functions. As the day progressed and grew into the evening, a rapport was quickly established, but it was noted--by Chao if not by Satomi--that Myu clearly held Chao in far higher regard, being the only one of the two that she referred to as master. She still regarded Satomi as an individual high on her protection list, however, as evidenced when she nearly came to violence against another member of the Academy who happened to make teasing remarks at Satomi in Myu's presence. <br><br> Between the defensive knowledge gleaned from the Allagan core, Chao's own mastery of Doman martial arts, and the library of materials available to study at the Academy, it didn't take long for them to discover the incredible combat potential of Myu, easily the equivalent of at least a company's worth of normal soldiers and adventurers. As she was not a living being, she was not capable of manipulating aether in any form, but Chao reasoned that between herself and Satomi, they could make a technological combat system that could perform similar effects; after all, if Garlemald could theorize it, the two of them could make it reality in less than a moon. Because of this lack of aetherial ability, Myu took to following in Chao's footsteps, adopting unarmed martial combat as her primary method of battle. <br><br> It was fortunate that the scientists put so much work into developing Myu's combat abilities, as their greatest trial yet was soon to come.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Nightshade'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As the trio cataloged and practiced combat skills with Myu one evening a short distance from the Academy, they were beset by yet another Garlean assassination squad, this one comprised of two highlanders, a miqo'te, and even a vanguard for support. Chao wasted no time in going on the offensive, engaging the axe-wielding highlander she perceived to be the leader in order to create an opening to allow Satomi and Myu to escape. This endeavor proved to be futile, however, as the other Garleans engaged the two in equal measure. While Satomi's adversary caused her a great deal of trouble due to the scientist not being suited for direct combat, Myu and Chao initially fared better against their foes. The miqo'te shinobi quickly ascertained Myu's artificial nature from her speech patterns and having managed to drive a blade into her right shoulder--barely penetrating her armor plating--and attempted to taunt her, referring to her as a useless puppet. Myu was having none of it, however, and simply grabbed her foe before striking him down with her Allagan laser. <br><br> As this was going on, Chao stayed in close with her opponent, preventing him from getting the full use out of his augmented axe. The Garlean then ordered in the vanguard for support, and knowing the kind of damage those things could cause, Chao slipped past him to engage and destroy the oversized magitek. This turned out to be a ruse on the enemy's part, for as soon as she got within reach, it unleashed a full broadside of all of its frontal attacks. The shielding and material construction of her armor protected her from truly devastating damage, but the attack was still enough to knock her away, stunning her momentarily. In that moment of inattention as Myu looked toward her maker, the dying shinobi stuck an adhesive explosive device to her frame, intent on ensuring she went out with him. Unperturbed, she merely tore the device from herself, taking some of her synthetic covering with it, and threw the now-dead shinobi's corpse over the device to smother some of the blast. The resultant shockwave from the powerful explosion caused a large amount of damage to Myu, who positioned herself to intercept the shockwave so it wouldn't harm Chao. <br><br> The Garlean axeman, mortally wounded by the blast, directed the vanguard into the center of the trio--Satomi now attempting emergency field repairs on Myu after having driven off her opponent a short time before--and armed its self-destruct system. Before it could reach them, however, it was struck numerous times by electrically-charged arrows from an intervening ally, the very same blacksmith guild representative that Chao had spoken to some days prior. The charges of the arrows short-circuited the machine, bringing it crashing harmlessly to the ground just short of them. The threat, it seemed, had been overcome. <br><br> That was when a new adversary revealed himself, a highly-skilled and chemically-modified shinobi wielding Allagan blades with a cutting laser's edge. Chao, back on her feet again, moved to engage him immediately, but to her surprise, he read her ''shundo'' perfectly and executed one of his own to avoid her attack, leaving behind a number of outward-aimed blades at the last minute for her to careen into, each of them coated with liquid ceruleum. As with the vanguard, her armor deflected most of the blades, but two got through her defenses and released their deadly poisons into her body. At the other end of his ''shundo'', the enemy Garlean directed an overwhelming electrical charge at Myu, overloading and shutting down her systems. Nadine, the archer-blacksmith, struck the man's helm with a trick arrow loaded with a powerful explosive as he was attacking Myu, and in response, he threw the headgear toward Satomi and made to attack the archer. <br><br> Chao knocked the ticking time-bomb away from her compatriot with a ''sagitta magica'', then immediately leapt to Nadine's defense, wreathing herself in fire as she came down in a kick over the elezen's head. The Garlean intercepted her strike, absorbing the very aether she released in her attack into himself in a manner identical to that of the Ultimate Weapon. Without giving the magitek prodigy time to react, he grabbed her by the foot and hurled her toward Satomi, who was still trying to restore some combat ability to Myu, the impact rendering the hyuran scientist unconscious. <br><br> By now coming to the conclusion that this enemy had a clear counter to everything she could do, she called on desperation. She rushed him again as he catapulted Nadine back into the Vylbrand Academy's wall, grappling him and ordering her funnel to fire on him at maximum power and lethality, even if it meant firing through herself to do so. This broke the man's superior air, and he desperately began striking and kicking at Chao to dislodge her grip, eventually succeeding after delivering a crushing strike to her chest that crumpled her armor and broke several ribs, and several kicks to her left leg that broke the limb. She fell away, but the man did not have time to avoid the laser strike from her funnel, which overloaded and brought his battle armor's protection down. Seeing him in that weakened state, she drew the Garlean pistol she kept on herself at all times, aiming and firing at his chest. He initially derided her when he saw the weapon, unaware of the size of the slug it fired, and was very nearly killed by the impact. <br><br> Cursing Chao's name, the Garlean fled, leaving Chao to finally succumb to her injuries, and leaving behind one hell of a scene of carnage for the occupants of the Academy to discover.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Phantasmagoria'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">With the close proximity of the engagement to Vylbrand Academy, it took little time at all for its occupants to find and recover the wounded, safely ensconcing Chao and Satomi within the infirmary, and Myu and her disparate parts in the lab. Satomi quickly recovered from her light injuries, whereupon it was discovered that Chao had fallen into a coma. Against the recommendations of [[Rurujua Xoxojua|Rurujua]], Satomi began to assist the lalafellin medic in tending to her friend. In only a few hours, the ceruleum poisoning was cleared from her system, but she remained unresponsive and unconscious. However, she occasionally manifested highly-alarming, sudden expulsions of blood and signs of severe physical trauma, the source of which was a complete mystery to either scholar. What they did know, however, was that the erratic and random manifestation of the symptoms meant that she needed constant monitoring to heal her as necessary. Again, despite protests from Rurujua, Satomi burdened herself with this task, citing that she owed it to her fellow magitek prodigy. <br><br> Unbeknownst to the two, Chao was trapped within the dreamscape of her mind, called Phantasmagoria, where she was forced to uncover the true nature behind ''Magia Erebia''. At every turn, she was beset by a manifestation of her subconscious that shifted and altered its form willingly between everyone she had ever met. Referring to this creature as The Other, she fought it countless times, but was defeated and slain in every instance. Yet, in Phantasmagoria, she was unable to die, constantly revived following every fall. As the hours progressed, and The Other used more and more of the people from her memories against her, the more Phantasmagoria came to resemble a conflated amalgamation of several cities she had resided in: her home in Doma, Castrum Meridianum, Limsa Lominsa, and Ul'dah. <br><br> Eventually, Chao came to the realization that she could take advantage of the fact that they were within her dreaming mind to will all of her technological notions into 'reality' and use them to her advantage. Thus, in this way, she momentarily seized the upper hand by summoning four of her funnels and an aetheric energy sword to defend herself, driving The Other back until it form-shifted into Nero tol Scaeva. Utilizing her speed to her advantage, she avoided a fatal strike from the magitek warhammer and moved to capitalize on the overextended shade of the Garlean, whereupon it changed form into a full impersonation of Satomi. This took Chao off-guard, causing her to purposefully miss her strike, and leaving herself vulnerable to a fatal shot from the shadowy being. <br><br> After several more encounters, she happened upon a lucky break, succeeding in casting a sleep spell on The Other while it was in the guise of Grundy, allowing her to escape across the mindscape of her city. Taking shelter, she was met by one of the last things she expected to find in Phantasmagoria: a manifestation of the primal Ifrit. Speaking cryptically of how her soul had been tainted by fire, the primal made abundantly clear its desire to add her to its host of enthralled servants. Chao, confident in the manifestation's inability to temper or even truly harm her within Phantasmagoria, casually dismissed Ifrit's words, leaving no uncertainty of her opinion on the primal's intelligence--or the lack thereof. Infuriated by her irreverence, the primal remarked that it had already dispatched its Tempered after her, and manipulated the Phantasmagoria to show her an image of Vylbrand Academy in flames, many of its occupants killed, and several key others being led away to be tempered, all in the name of capturing her. Enraged by this clear and obvious threat against those she held important, she willed the pinnacle ideal of her battlesuit technology onto her being and struck the manifestation down with an immensely-powerful attack of combined ''ki'' and aether. <br><br> Within only moments, The Other was upon her again, this time engaging her in the form of her long lost cousin, a master martial artist. Declaring that they were finally fighting on equal terms, The Other drew forth Chao's envisioning of the Garlean razing of Doma to remind her of her most base motives: to gain power to take revenge against the Garlean Empire. But that strength alone would not be sufficient, it remarked as it struck a crushing blow and then shifted form into that of Zoey, preparing an immense ice spell to finish Chao for good and end her effort to discern the truth of ''Magia Erebia''. <br><br> It was as she was falling that Chao finally understood, remembering the words that she had been told by her friends and compatriots: ''Magia Erebia'' was, at its base, the power to accept things for the way they were and draw them into oneself. With this newfound knowledge, Chao was able to fully absorb the entire power of The Other's spell into herself and use it for empowerment. Pleased at her successes, The Other shifted one final time and challenged her to show her results.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''A Reclaimer Reborn'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Awakening from her coma, Chao found herself alone in the Vylbrand infirmary. Moving slowly, her legs unsteady after so many days of misuse, she made her way out into the foyer, pausing at the window to look outside. To her relief, nothing was on fire and there were no Amalj'aa standards decorating the yard, but the building was still a bit too quiet for her comfort. Convincing herself that everyone was simply away on business, she made her way to Satomi's lab, finding that her friend had begun repair work on Myu during her unconsciousness. As per the norm for Chao, she thought little of her own self and immediately located some tools to check on Satomi's repair work and continue the progress herself. <br><br> After judging that Myu was repaired extremely-well by Satomi's hand--testament to how well the two worked together--Chao determined that she must leave the Academy, again, lest Ifrit's pursuit of her put the occupants in danger. Sharing this conclusion with Myu, who swore that she would show no mercy to any eikon that sought to harm her master, the pair set out immediately. Their first stop was the Garlond Ironworks, where Chao would hand in her damaged prototype armor and receive the field-ready Mark-I combat infiltrator armor, and a series of complaints on her treatment of the prototype from the armormaster. She also requested a specially-modified armor for Myu--taking into account such facts that she did not need an independent power source for her armor--that would take some few days to fabricate, and require Myu to spend most of that time with the Materials Division so as to properly generate a new set of armor. Chao took advantage of the forced downtime to machine herself a new weapon that would not interfere with her preferred fighting style but also give her the extra force necessary to penetrate armor. After three days, she devised a weapon which could be worn as a bangle that extends into a gauntlet housing a gun chamber. <br><br> Thus equipped, miqo'te and machine set out for the desert.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''To Face the Inferno'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Arriving by airship back in Ul'dah, Chao secured an inn room for the pair from which to conduct their hunt. Deciding it best that Myu remain out of sight and attempt to use her aetheric sensors to search for potential summoning locations, Chao proceeded to the Hall of Flames to alert Commander Swift that a summoning was either imminent or had already occurred, and to seek assistance in tracking down and slaying the primal. Though thankful for the warning, the commander could not spare any forces on what seemed little more than a wild chocobo chase. Nonplussed, Chao returned to Myu with the poor news and decided to set out searching on their own, stopping to question any Flames forces or adventurers they found along the way. <br><br> Scouring the Sagolii Desert for days with almost no time for rest, the pair went well out of their way to make their presence known to the Amalj’aa so that any raiding parties that might already have been dispatched to Vylbrand would be recalled, thereby sparing the Academy. Despite this, they were unable to locate the site of the ritual until the actual summoning took place, the resultant surge of aether appearing as a beacon to Myu’s sensors and Chao’s visor. <br><br> The two immediately made for the location of the new Bowl of Embers, with Chao activating her aetheric seal en route. As they neared, the beastmen did nothing to impede their progress, commanded by their primal god to let Chao and Myu pass. After a brief exchange of banter, Ifrit--as predicted--immediately used his tempering breath to bend the pair to his servitude. The effort was wasted; Myu protected by her machine nature, and Chao’s sealed aether not allowing the eikon’s overpowering aether to affect her. <br><br> The battle then began in earnest, the speed and agility of the two miqo’te allowing them to avoid the worst of the primal’s attacks. Those few telling blows that would have done severe damage were largely intercepted by Myu, her composite Allagan/Garlean metal frame unyielding to Ifrit’s claws and flames. All the while, as Chao led the primal around the flame-ringed arena, she discreetly applied her ''Magia Erebia'' spell circle via the aetheric stencils in her forearm plate armor. <br><br> When Ifrit called forth his infernal nail, both miqo’te ignored it per their previously-established strategy to allow Chao to absorb the maximum amount of aether. Shortly thereafter, the moment of truth came: Ifrit began to cast Hellfire. As Myu shielded herself in a magitek field--just in case--Chao activated her ''Magia Erebia'' and met the attack head-on. <br><br> Against all odds, she successfully absorbed the aether into herself, skyrocketing her attack power, but she knew such volatile aether could not be contained for long. Lifting her hand to the skies, she discharged much of it into a luminous aetheric beam called down upon Ifrit, but the primal was far from finished. <br><br> Enraged by her turning his own power against him, Ifrit set upon Chao in earnest, relentlessly assaulting her even to the point of ignoring Myu’s punishing attacks against him. With little other alternative, Chao shielded herself and prepared to expend all the aether she could in a last-ditch effort to down the primal. <br><br> Just before her shield broke, however, a massive wall of metal and muscle struck Ifrit from the side, knocking the eikon away. The towering interloper was none other than Grundy, there along with Satomi, who had tracked Chao and Myu all the way from Vylbrand. Expressing her mild annoyance with Chao’s tendency to run off and do things on her own, Satomi directed Grundy to ‘break’ the primal. With the combined power of the quartet, the already-weakened Ifrit was dispatched with little fanfare. Upon his defeat, Chao used her ''Magia Erebia'' once again, absorbing the dispersing aether into herself. Though unaware of it at the time, this consumption of Ifrit’s living aether--rather than merely an offensive form--would have a permanent affect on her, for both good and ill. <br><br> With the primal threat dealt with--though no one held any illusion that it was any less a temporary measure than any other time Ifrit had fallen--Satomi advocated a return to Vylbrand. Myu, expressing her growing independent will, agreed with the hyur, ‘assisting’ Chao back to the airship landing in Ul’dah and on toward the Academy.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits III'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Back at Vylbrand Academy, Chao took a day to recover from the ordeal, spending it in rest under the watchful eye of Myu, ensuring that she rested. As this was going on, Satomi was meeting with the Academy mistress, Kyra, concerning Chao's future. Pointing out the three separation occasions on which the magitek engineer had acted on her own to head off potential disaster to the Academy, two of which at great threat to her own safety, Satomi advocated that Chao's 'temporary' stay become a more continuing affair. The headmistress agreed that Chao had done more for the Academy than could be expected of someone not truly affiliated with them, and in light of the knowledge that Satomi would soon be dedicating all her time to an Ironworks airship project, decided that the time had come to properly bring Chao into the fold. <br><br> The following day, Kyra met with Chao to offer a position in the Academy's research and development sector. Finding no real reason not to, Chao accepted the offer. It didn't take long for her to get thrown headfirst into the Academy's own affairs, finding herself square in the middle of an ongoing conflict against four powerful archfiends and their legions of cultists and other allies. Though not understanding the background of the conflict, she nonetheless dedicated herself faithfully to standing with her new compatriots in their efforts to protect the realm. <br><br> At the same time, she continued her own technological developments, making plans for a complete overhaul of Myu's frame to the newly-developed Garlond steel, along with more adjustments to her own armor, and conceptualizing a new armor system to protect against magic attacks. It was in the process of the first field test of this latter that she chanced to converse with two other members of the Academy, who happened to be nearby to observe the failure of her test. Over the course of speaking to Set Kattalakis and Senel Curtis, she agreed to redesign and streamline Set's magitek prosthesis, as well as provide what non-powered upgrades she could to Senel's gear in exchange for providing her with a steady source of raw materials to work with.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Misriah'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">With a more permanent station and the beginning of delving more deeply into her military technology, Chao knew that the time of her inevitable parting with the Garlond Ironworks was at hand. After all, the Ironworks developed magitek for the betterment of the realm, and Chao's strengths lay in the field of weapons of war. And so, meeting with Cid at the Ironworks' encampment at Camp Cloudtop, she informed him of her decision to part ways and begin her own company. Cid wished her well in her ventures, understanding that it would be through both weapons like hers and peaceful endeavors like his that prosperity would truly come to the realm. <br><br> As per her arrangement with Set, in exchange for developing a new prosthetic, Chao received a considerable stipend and the backing of Set's import/export business. This allowed Chao to hire several of her former coworkers in the Ironworks' Weapons Division and acquire the means of producing aetherochemical metals and fiberweave, as well as the recipe for Garlond Steel. With all this in hand, she was able to initiate her new company: Misriah Armory. She immediately set about work on a new ambitious project: variants of her powered armor for the vetted members of Vylbrand Academy--its "Heroes" society, which she had joined only a short while ago. Top of the list was a set of powered assault armor for Grundy, partly as a means of repayment for saving her from Ifrit, partly because he was in sore need of an armor upgrade. <br><br> Dark clouds soon began to gather on the horizon, however. Through having absorbed the primal's living aether into herself, she unwittingly allowed a fragment of its thoughts to take up residence in her mind. Two weeks following her confrontation, she first began to hear the whispers of the Lord of the Inferno in the back of her mind, pressing her to violence and destruction. Through her will, and the lack of any active enemies at the moment, she kept him at bay with some ease, but the eikon was nothing if not persistent, relenting only when she slept. On top of this, word came a moon later of a raid on the Ironworks' team working out in the Sea of Clouds by a band of sky pirates. Satomi, who had been out investigating sightings of a monstrous airship that would soon come to be known as the Void Ark, went missing, presumed dead at the hands of the brigands. <br><br> Grief-stricken at the loss of her close friend, Chao blamed herself for Satomi's death, both for not having been there at her side, and for not even providing her a set of powered armor that surely--she believed--could have saved the hyur's life. The culmination of these events sewed the seeds for one of her darkest times.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Cost'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao began to work tirelessly on her projects, particularly the powered armors, so that never again would any close to her be caught without an adequate means of defense. On one morning, as she perused the Academy's library for inspiration, she chanced to overhear a conversation between the headmaster and a troubled Seeker tribe elder. There was trouble in Thanalan: mysterious music was causing those who heard it to become hypnotized and wander into the desert. Some began to show up in slave caravans, and a few even returned to their home, but all had no memory of any of the events. It was a textbook assignment for the heroes of Vylbrand: track down the nefarious party responsible and put a stop to their machinations. <br><br> Arming herself in her battlesuit, Chao headed out to the desert with Grundy, the headmaster, and several others, leaving Myu behind to serve as a sort of 'mission control' and overwatch via the systems in her armor. As the party split into small groups to gather intelligence, Chao elected to stick by Grundy's side, keeping an eye on the well-meaning-but-not-too-smart roegadyn, and using her funnel as an eye-in-the-sky to watch over the village from above. Though initially bearing little fruit in their investigations, the enemy soon made a move, the music beginning to echo out across the sands. Tracking several of the enthralled miqo'te of the village--and barely regaining control of one of their own who hadn't been properly protected at the time--they found a work camp in the desert, where Grundy immediately pressed the attack. <br><br> For her part, Chao sought to knock out and immobilize the enthralled victims, keeping them out of harm's way, before setting after the foes herself. Before she could, however, ambush troops using camouflaged fighting pits in the sand sprang up to flank them, forcing her to deploy her funnel's aetherochemical laser against them. As the battle raged, an enemy airship entered the fray from behind concealing dunes, scattering a strange aetheric field that disrupted magitek devices, shorting out Chao's armor. As she reeled in confusion and the airship dropped a large box nearby, the fragment of Ifrit within her mind took advantage of the chaos--and its higher influence as a result of being in Thanalan, Ifrit's stronghold--and seized control of Chao's body. <br><br> Even though it was now in control through the airship's interference, it was just as displeased that the enemy forces had effectively handicapped Chao--whom Ifrit had previously considered a worthy champion--in one fell swoop. It began to cast, through Chao, a lesser version of the primal's own Hellfire attack--though 'lesser' here should by no means be considered any less deadly--targeted at the airship. Inexplicably, the airship and the enemy forces began to retreat as soon as the box was deployed. Knowing full well the likelihood that it was some manner of trap, the possessed Chao turned the fury of the devastating spell onto the box, unconcerned for the allied forces and civilian victims that would be caught in the blast radius. <br><br> It was only through a combination of a fountain of ice aether from an unknown source--later revealed to be the headmaster herself--and healing magicks from one of Vylbrand's personnel, that nobody died to the application of ''Incendium Gehennae''. Overtaxed to the extreme by the amount of aether expended in the attack, Chao immediately passed out. While she was helpless, two of the others from the Academy, a lalafellin mage and a hyuran rifleman, assaulted Chao over the events; the rifleman struck her hard enough in the face with the butt of his weapon to break her nose and cheekbone, and the pummeling from the lalafell doing a number on her as well. Within minutes thereafter, Myu arrived on the scene, having been forced to travel the long route from the Academy; as a machine, she was unable to manipulate aether allowing her to teleport, and the aetheric field had disabled the signals from Chao's powered armor that would have allowed her to relay directly to her maker's side. After exchanging words with several present, Myu collected Chao and returned to the Academy where, at the headmaster's request, sequestered Chao within her workshop and stood guard at the door, disallowing access to any without proper authorization--but in particular those individuals whom she had reason to suspect wished her maker further harm.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Pariah'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">In the days that passed, Chao remained in her workshop, watched over by Myu, her injuries tended to by Keero. She wound up suffering several broken bones in her face as a result of the assault on her, prompting him to conspire with her to create an aetherically-charged healing mask that she could wear over her injuries. Its purpose was threefold: to protect her from further harm, to ensure that her bones healed back into their proper shape, and to stimulate her own aether to speed up the healing process. A built-in vocabulator allowed her words to be heard through the metal without shouting, but it had the unfortunate side effect of giving her a much deeper tone and a metallic tinge to her words.<br><br> It began to seem like, however, she had been largely forgotten. Though she expected a swift trial of her actions by those above her at the Academy, the days continued to pass in solitude, with only Myu and occasionally Keero for company. Though slightly put off by it, she nonetheless spent her time productively, buckling down and diving into her magitek designs. Within two bells, she had completed Grundy's armor design and sent it off to be machined up. In two more, she had created an entirely new system to ensure she never got chumped by anti-magitek fields again. After two weeks, she had redesigned her anti-magic reactive armor to react less vigorously, tweaked and streamlined the overlay of her VISR system, designed a reconnaissance variant of her magitek funnels, and begun three new powered armor variants. This productivity came at the cost of sleep, which she avoided so that the fragment of Ifrit in her mind could not trouble her dreams. Over that two weeks, she slept perhaps one total day.<br><br> A freak spring storm overtaking Vylbrand marked the first time that she seemed to be recognized by the Academy at large, when a lightning strike knocked out the power grid. Summoned by Kyra down to the workshop, Chao was asked to bring the generator up and running to provide emergency power. Though nothing of the event in the desert was spoken of save Kyra's inquiring whether Chao was in control of her faculties, it was not lost on the magitek prodigy that no matter where she moved to work on the generator, Kyra was never outside of sword range. After a brief time, Kyra left the workshop, evidently deeming Chao not to be a threat. In silence, she finished the work and powered up the generator, bringing emergency power back to the Academy. Heading into the library to report her success, she took note of the silence that befell the room at her appearance, choosing to make her report and then return to her exile.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Rise of Misriah'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Throwing herself back into her work, Chao's reckless non-sleeping habits did not go unnoticed by Keero, who prescribed fast-acting and potent sleep aids to knock her out and ensure her recuperative sleep processes. Now able to focus more clearly when she was awake, her design progresses improved significantly. Another week passed, and growing tired of the neglect, Chao began to venture outside her workshop for brief periods, mostly in the efforts of acquiring food for herself, which had previously been left to Myu. <br><br> Finally, after deciding she needed to actually test the new version of the AMRA system--and she was not about to have loose magic and reactive material interacting in her workshop--she took her design out to be tested on the dummies. During her test--which was a resounding success in that the reactive layer detonated outward and dispersed her spell without damaging the armor or the dummy--she met with a hyur well-versed in magitek knowledge who introduced himself as Saruna, founder of the company Resolve Industries. She hadn't heard of it, but was surprised to learn that they dealt in weaponry utilizing the power of the primals themselves. After cautioning him to exercise care in dealing with such powers, they parted ways, and she returned to her workshop to evaluate her test results. <br><br> She didn't have long to consider this, however, as a scream soon pierced through the Academy. Tracing it back to its source, she found herself in the infirmary, where Keero and several others were working on freeing an unlucky miqo'te from voidsent possession. Lacking any means to assist, Chao simply stood by and watched, but armed one of her gun gauntlets should anything come to violence. After successfully purging the void taint, Keero asked Chao if she would create a prosthetic eye for the patient, whose eye had been destroyed in the process of saving him. She agreed on the mechanical end, knowing and stating her lack of knowledge in the medical side of it, to which Keero stated he could perform the necessary surgery. At this, Chao returned to her workshop to machine up the prosthetic and load it up with a lesser version of her VISR software. <br><br> The next day, she delivered the prosthetic and observed the successful surgery to affix it to the victim's optical nerves. Afterward, as he rested, she spoke with Keero, who inquired after her own health. Removing her mask to show him that she had perhaps another week before being fully-healed, she was then asked what had caused her injuries. She revealed to him that she held a fragment of Ifrit bonded to her soul, and that it was her loss of control over it that had caused her to nearly kill several of their comrades. This revelation was overheard by one such comrade from the incident, and Chao took the opportunity to fully explain herself, stating that she didn't hold the others' contempt for her against them, and apologizing for her actions.</font></div>

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=Relationships=

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>RELATIONSHIPS</center></div></span></h3>

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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #4d1715;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>RELATIONSHIP STATUS LEGEND</B></center></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:9pt;"><font style="color:#54b5eb;" size="2">♥</font> Family <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> Platonic <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> Friend <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> Acquaintance <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> Business <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> Deceased <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> Positive <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#C24640;" size="2">✖</font> Negative <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> Neutral <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">�</font> Unsure <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color: black;" size="2">☠</font> Enemy</div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #b33730;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>NPC</B></center></div>


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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Ku Fei,</b> <i>Cousin</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#54b5eb;" size="2">♥</font> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fallen.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Chao's cousin, an extremely-talented martial artist unsurpassed in the Doman styles of unarmed combat. Ku Fei was street smart, but academically dim, and was always amazed by the technological toys that Chao would create. Though never active in the Doman resistance, Ku Fei's pride in her ancestry and traditional mindset ensured that she considered the Garlean Empire a threat. The two were forcibly parted when Chao was conscripted by the Garlean Empire, but knowing her cousin, Chao is convinced that Ku Fei perished defending the homeland during The Reckoning.</div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Cid nan Garlond,</b> <i>Former Employer</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Pinnacle of Magitek.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Leader of the Garlond Ironworks, Cid was Chao's employer for most of the time she spent in Eorzea after defecting from the Garlean Empire. Though preferring to develop peaceful models of magitek to better the lives of the average Eorzean, Cid was full aware that weapon technologies like Chao's would also be instrumental in defending the realm against Garlemald, and so brought her into the Ironworks to assist in their development. When she made known her plans to formally create her own arms company, he wholeheartedly encouraged her to follow her ambitions, with the implicit understanding that the Ironworks would be full business partners with Misriah Armory.</div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Biggs,</b> <i>Former Coworker</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Instigator.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A Sea Wolf roegadyn working under Cid in the Ironworks, and largely the blame for why Chao has come to Eorzea and found employment with the Ironworks. Biggs led the Ironworks raiding team that helped Chao escape from Castrum Meridianum after she sabotaged the Ultimate Weapon, and later came to her as she was recovering and gave her the original tome that she once used to record her technological ideas in, while suggesting she apply at the Ironworks. He assisted with the development of her powered infiltrator armor prototype.</div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Wedge,</b> <i>Former Coworker</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Littlest Assistant.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Biggs' lalafell partner at the Ironworks, the timid little fellow is never far from his friend's side, and so has often spent much time in the company of Chao in her workshop at the Ironworks. Despite his talents more lying in the field of large magitek vehicles, he nevertheless faithfully assisted Chao and Biggs in their work on her powered armor.</div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Unknown Garlean,</b> <i>Imperial Assassin</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color: black;" size="2">☠</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Nightshade.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A Garlean assassin known only to Chao by his codename, ''Nightshade'', this man is the most formidable foe she has ever faced. Aetherochemically augmented by Garlean experimentation, this shinobi possesses superior strength and agility than Chao, a more-advanced combat skin, and the ability to absorb aetheric attacks to empower himself. Wielding powered Allagan lightblades, the Nightshade was able to effortlessly defeat Chao, Myu, Satomi ''and'' a fourth combatant during the ambush outside Vylbrand Academy. Only his hubris allowed Chao to defeat him, grappling him in place long enough for her funnel to strike him at full power, an energy blast which he remarkably survived. He escaped the battle, and Chao knows that they will meet again in the future. His hatred of her is all-consuming, referring to her repeatedly as an animal; Chao assumes that he was experimented on by the Empire to create a soldier perfectly tailored to counter her.</div>
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<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
{| class="wikitable alphabetical" border="0" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 100%; text-align: left; vertical-align: left;"
|- style="background-color: #b33730; color: #ffffff;"
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #b33730;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>PC</B></center></div>


|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Myu]]</b>, <i>Creation</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Realistic, Logical Ideologist.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">The very first of her kind, an autonomous, sentient combat automaton built by Chao in the likeness of a miqo'te. Newly-awakened to the world, her every new discovery is a source of pride for Chao, and her enthusiasm to learn always brightens her maker's day. Chao dotes on her like a beloved companion rather than the weapon of war that she is. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Grundy Byrde]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Unstoppable Force.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A roegadyn male and near-constant companion of Satomi, before the latter's untimely death. Since coming to Vylbrand Academy, Chao has stepped in an effort to fill Satomi's shoes in serving as Grundy's mentor and guide in the world, a role she does not feel she is adequately performing. Grundy is not an intelligent individual, due to having lived the majority of his life feral in the caves of Eastern La Noscea. He is, however, exceedingly kind, and possessed of a frightening combat strength; a strength that Chao intends to amplify by creating a set of powered armor for him. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Satomi Hakase]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> <b>)</b> - <b>Science Sister.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A hyuran female and fellow researcher at the Garlond Ironworks. Due to working in different divisions, Chao and Satomi had not interacted prior to a chance meeting in the Quicksand, at which point they hit it off spectacularly well over their shared enthusiasm for science and magitek. After no small number of misadventures--many of them involving Satomi pulling Chao out of a self-created no-win scenario--Satomi was instrumental in finally getting Chao to settle at Vylbrand Academy, and the miqo'te has long since viewed the hyur as a sister. The news of her suspected death in the Sea of Clouds has left Chao gutted. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Kyrrae Liminia]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Strategist.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A lalafellin mage associated with Vylbrand Academy, and Satomi's former lover. Though they've spoken barely a few sentences to each other, Chao considers him a trusted ally due to his association with Satomi. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Senel Curtis]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Serious.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">An occupant of Vylbrand Academy who has offered to provide raw materials to Chao in exchange for equipment augmentations. She's unsure if he's truly associated with the Academy or just a mercenary in their employ, but he shows concern for its members, and annoyance with those who bring undue harm onto themselves. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Isaudorel Dorr]]</b>, <i>Acquaintance</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fire Suicide Bomber.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">An elezen thaumaturge who showed up to thank her for assisting several of his guildmates several days earlier in determining whether or not a wine bottle had been poisoned. They struck up a conversation, during the course of which another elezen woman arrived and rather rudely accused Chao of being of purchasable companionship, which both she and Isaudorel found incredibly rude. Neither seemed to be too bothered by it though. After remarking on her combat style to him, he wished to see it in action, and so the two traveled to the Sagolii Desert for a spar. It was a draw by clever Fire III suicide-bombing. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Keero Ganajai]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Healer.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A male Keeper who serves as one of the primary medical staff for Vylbrand Academy. Intelligent and well-spoken, he has stated that he chose to move permanently into the home station setting in order to be able to be near his wife and soon-to-be child. Though not desiring powered armor, he has contracted Chao and Misriah for medical magitek devices. He has a profound fear of fire, which has prompted Chao to promise that she will never use her aetheric skills in his presence. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Zoey Holendoey]]</b>, <i>Trusted</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Icy Spitfire Detective.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Another lalafellin mage and freelance investigator, though it seems she too has become associated with Vylbrand as of late. Initially having hired Chao to find an individual on a farce, being played as a pawn initially set Zoey in poor standing with Chao. That job did, however, set the magitek prodigy on her course back toward association with Satomi. Afterwards, Zoey did apologize for misleading Chao and seems to have a great deal of trust--Chao would say an overabundance--in her. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Imogene Holmes]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fancy Hat Paladin.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A hyuran swordswoman and resident at Vylbrand Academy. She favors Ironworks-crafted armor and has thus spoken with Chao on a few occasions regarding said equipment, as well as Chao's own battlesuit. Seems to be heavily-involved with security at the Academy. Due to The Other favoring Imogene's form while Chao was trapped in Phantasmagoria, and consequently causing her death no small number of times, Chao holds a slight irrational fear of Imogene. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Set Kattalakis]]</b>, <i>Business Associate</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>Red Left Hand.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Daughter of a successful trading mogul, seems to be involved with financial affairs at the Academy, though this does not stop her from putting herself in harm's way. Due to an unknown past event, her left forearm and hand are replaced by a magitek prosthetic which Chao designed an enhanced model of. As payment, Set made a generous donation of gil which allowed Chao to form Misriah Armory. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[O'rahn Kevelan]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>That Poor Cat.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A male miqo'te living at Vylbrand who is involved with Set, often violently. Chao is reasonably sure the two are mated, but has not heard anything confirming either way. He seems to specialize in thievery, and so the set of powered armor Chao is building for him will take that into account. </div>
|}

|-
|
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: left;"
! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Kyra Tsukino]]</b>, <i>Commander</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Boss.</b></div>
|-
| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">The boss and headmistress of Vylbrand Academy, Kyra is a female miqo'te who is level-headed, soft-spoken, yet possesses an aura that marks it plain that only a fool would dare to cross her. Though she is typically only seen carrying a sword and shield, Chao suspects that her talents are not so one-dimensional. For reasons unknown, Kyra seems to possess an intrinsic faith in Chao, a faith that the magitek engineer is sure has been shattered by the revelation of her darker side. </div>
|}

|}


</td></tr></table>

=Rumors=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>RUMORS</center></div></span></h3>

<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''N P C'''</center></div></span></h3>
<p><div align=center><div style="font-family:Georgia;">Some of these rumors are untrue, speculation, or are greatly exaggerated.</div></div></p>

<div style="border:0px solid; padding:8px;">
<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #e56a2c; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Common Rumors - </b>''Easily overheard. Use these freely!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#e56a2c;" size="2">■</font> "All she ever does is sit in that corner with her nose buried in that journal of hers, muttering to herself and occasionally having some stew. Really odd one, that one." — ''Quicksand patron''.
: <font style="color:#e56a2c;" size="2">■</font> "She sure gave those Garleans a thumpin' they wasn't lookin' for. Guess that settles that as to whose side she's on." — ''Drowning Wench patron''.
</div>

<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #cc5e27; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Uncommon Rumors -</b> ''A little more difficult to hear. Use sparingly or ask first!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#cc5e27;" size="2">■</font> "Word is she used to be in the Garlean military. So as to whether she's absconded from their service or is here to spy on us, no one's yet figured." — ''Unknown''.
</div>

<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #b35222; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Rare Rumors -</b> ''Very rarely overheard. Please ask before using!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#b35222;" size="2">■</font> "There be ''two'' of that'n, I tells ye! At the very same time I had on good authority from a mate o' mine she was sittin' in the Quicksand, I seen another one answerin' to the same name head off toward the Imps (Imperials) outside Wineport. Only this'n was a hyur lass wearin' some sort o' strange armor. She waltzed in like she bloody owned the joint, and then there weren't nothin' but fire and explosions comin' from there, an' them screams weren't from a wee hyuran lass, either." — ''Drunken Storm Sergeant''.
</div>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''P C'''</center></div></span></h3>
<p><div align=center><div style="font-family:Georgia;">Feel free to add your own rumors to this section.</div></div></p>

<div style="border:0px solid; padding:8px;">
<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #99461d; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Player Character Rumors -</b> ''Some of these are more rare than others!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#99461d;" size="2">■</font> "She's Doman, no doubt about that. But the look in her eyes shows something unnatural. Not in a foul manner either, but one that draws you in and buys your trust. If anyone asks, I'd say you can rely on her." — ''[[Zoey Holendoey]]''.
</div>

</div></div></td></tr></table>

=Music & Gallery=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>MUSIC</center></div></span></h3>
<br>

<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PvdVGAasrA Amazing]''
:: Artist: Aerosmith.
:: Origin: ''Get a Grip''
:: <small>Context: Character theme.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etksc3mrIQU Revival]''
:: Artist: Neil Davidge
:: Origin: ''Halo 4''
:: <small>Context: Magitek genius.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhdp14U2M_w Loose Ends]''
:: Artist: Hans Zimmer
:: Origin: ''Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2''
:: <small>Context: The hard decision.</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELD02QC025c Sacred Icon Suite 2]''
:: Artist: Marty O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori
:: Origin: ''Halo Legends''
:: <small>Context: Big damn heroes.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTLdoK_AU18 J-E-N-O-V-A]''
:: Artist: Nobuo Uematsu
:: Origin: ''Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children''
:: <small>Context: Intense battle.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr4eB0WOwN0 The Oath]''
:: Artist: Nobuo Uematsu
:: Origin: ''Final Fantasy VIII''
:: <small>Context: The bonds of sisterhood.</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9mQTmXxU8E I Burn]''
:: Artist: Jeff and Casey Lee Williams
:: Origin: ''RWBY''
:: <small>Context: Kung-fu wizard.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBfc0-KuDGE Maybe I'm a Lion]''
:: Artist: The Black Mages
:: Origin: ''The Skies Above''
:: <small>Context: Unleashed battle.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYUbLkULtkk Something to Fight For]''
:: Artist: Sencit Music
:: Origin: ''Iron Man 3''
:: <small>Context: Facing her inner demon.</small>
</td>
</tr></table>

<br>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>GALLERY</center></div></span></h3>

<gallery>
File:ChaoMNK.png|Chao in traditional Doman martial art garb, which she began wearing in honor of her fallen cousin, Ku Fei.
File:SCIENCE.jpg|Chao and [[Satomi Hakase|Satomi]], science bros! (Non-canon instance)
File:Chaoff.jpg|Chao in the Quicksand, her usual haunt.
File:Showdown.jpg|Chao, Satomi, and their party face down the Ultimate Weapon (Non-canon instance).
File:Victory.jpg|By might and by right, Team Science defeats the menace (Non-canon instance).
File:SoItBegins.jpg|And on that day, the heavens trembled, as though the realm looked outward to see what awaited it, and found only terror.
File:Exchange.jpg|Reclaiming the personal tome she had left with Satomi, Chao leaves a letter of explanation in its place. (It's unlikely to be found for weeks)
File:Pensive.jpg|Chao looks back upon Vylbrand Academy, likely the last time she'll ever see it.
File:Ponderance.jpg|On a clear Mor Dhona night, Chao contemplates the Keeper of the Lake on her way to the Garlond Ironworks.
File:ChaoStory001.jpg|Confronted by a strange duo on the cliffs of Silvertear Lake.
File:ChaoStory002.jpg|Chao and Satomi discussing the current situation, as Kyrrae keeps watch for any interlopers. (Scene directed by JJ Abrams)
File:ChaoStory003.jpg|Armed with a new resolve, Chao swears her defiance to the corpse of the ''Agrius''.
File:ChaoStory004.jpg|Satomi is overcome with emotion at Chao's safety and change of heart.
File:ChaoStory005.jpg|As Satomi and Kyrrae confer, Chao looks toward the crystalline structure piercing the sky in Mor Dhona. ''"Soon..."'' the magitek genius thinks to herself.
File:ChaoStory006.jpg|Chao considers...something.
File:ChaoStory007.jpg|"Wait, ''you're'' bartending?"
File:ChaoStory008.jpg|Chao fiddles with her armor out of the way. Satomi's actually pretty good at this whole tending bar thing.
File:ChaoStory009.jpg|Except when she trips backwards and almost falls on Chao.
File:ChaoStory010.jpg|"''You!''"
File:ChaoStory011.jpg|Satomi has revealed her plans to run away, but there's a power-armored combat mage standing in the way.
File:ChaoStory012.jpg|A meeting to discuss acquiring extremely rare, and extremely powerful, Allagan technology.
File:ChaoDummy.jpg|Chao looks to test the effectiveness of her prototype funnel--affectionately known as 'Dummy'--in the rain, but the little guy's not cooperating.
File:ChaoStory013.jpg|The expedition is informed of recent occurrences in the ruin.
File:ChaoStory014.jpg|The first obstacle, a wandering Allagan defense sphere. Chao scavenged an undamaged laser coupler for Myu from it.
File:ChaoStory015.jpg|Aftermath of the battle with the bio-engineered snake.
File:ChaoStory016.jpg|Detailing their encounter in the first level.
File:ChaoStory017.jpg|An Allagan foundry!? This site will definitely merit returning to for further exploration.
File:ChaoStory018.jpg|The large ADS falls. An inspection of its innards reveals...a secondary core! Unprogrammed even!
File:ChaoStory019.jpg|Chao inspects her prize. But the man behind the expedition isn't willing to part with it...
File:ChaoStory020.jpg|Chao considers the implications of a hidden lift. What more could be in the depths of this ruin?
File:ChaoStory021.jpg|Wherever this lift leads, it is something the Allagans wanted protected.
File:ChaoStory022.jpg|With the expedition complete and the eyebrow-raising goals of Dogberry and the other man completed, Chao accepts her promised ADS core. Nothing can stop Project µ now!
File:ChaoUSH.jpg|Despite having been a stray living off Satomi's couch for several moons, Chao has little interacted with the occupants of Vylbrand Academy. ''Zoey'', of all people, plans to rectify this. By force.
File:ChaoStory023.jpg|First to the stage, Chao begins presenting her theory of ''pactio''.
File:ChaoStory024.jpg|With one volunteer ready, Chao selects the next victim.
File:ChaoStory025.jpg|Provisional contract complete! ...But these two don't seem suited to being partners.
File:ChaoStory026.jpg|Her part over, Chao observes the other presentations.
File:ChaoStory027.jpg|Aetheric means of reducing machine wear? She watches this presentation with great interest.
File:ChaoStory028.jpg|Satomi's combat mammet: fully-operational and armed....for dance?
File:ChaoStory029.jpg|Unfortunately, it's not to last. The ''real'' Grundy has mistaken the mammet for an enemy and demolished it.
File:ChaoStory030.jpg|While helping clean up the wreckage, Chao tells Academy resident Imogene a little about Project µ.
File:ChaoUSH2.jpg|Chao observes as Satomi tends to an unfortunate soul tortured by the Garlean Empire.
File:ChaoSatomi001.jpg|Chao makes fun of the fact that Satomi doesn't have any beds in her room/lab.
File:ChaoStory031.jpg|Standing her ground despite her nerves, Chao watches as Myu finally comes fully online.
File:ChaoStory032.jpg|Threatened by an Allagan-grade laser weapon was not how Chao planned to begin Myu's lifespan.
File:ChaoStory033.jpg|Showing Myu a Limsan sunrise.
File:ChaoStory034.jpg|Chao and Myu practice combatives while Satomi takes measurements.
File:ChaoStory035.jpg|Garlean attack! These assassins have come explicitly for Chao.
File:ChaoStory036.jpg|With the initial attackers defeated, the Vanguard trashed, and Myu damaged by a suicide explosive, the leader makes his move. To Chao's horror, it seems that everything she can do, he can do better.
File:ChaoStory037.jpg|In desperation to end the fight, Chao grapples with the enemy commander and orders her funnel to fire on him at maximum lethality setting, even if it means shooting through herself.
File:ChaoUSH03.jpg|After a failed AMRA system test, Chao inspects the pieces of the device as she listens to Senel and Set speak.
File:ChaoLab001.jpg|Chao in her research lab within Vylbrand Academy.
File:ChaoLab002.jpg|Chao contemplates one of her research projects, with her funnel drifting nearby.
File:ChaoUSH04.jpg|Chao speaks with O'rahn and Set about her projects.
File:ChaoUSH05.jpg|Performing an early test of the helmet for Grundy's powered armor.
File:ChaoUSH06.jpg|Speaking with Keero in the gardens, with O'rahn and Set nearby doing whatever it is they do.
File:ChaoUSH07.jpg|Following a power failure at the Academy, Chao readies the backup generator to be turned on for emergency power...and is not ignorant to Kyra standing within sword range behind her.
File:ChaoUSH08.jpg|Two weeks into her exile within her workshop, Chao has been somewhat neglecting the tidiness of her workspace.
File:ChaoMisriah001.jpg|Inspecting the results of another AMRA test, this one successful.
File:ChaoUSH09.jpg|After witnessing a successful voidsent exorcism, Chao offers to create a prosthetic eye for the victim. Magitek-enhanced, of course.
File:ChaoUSH10.jpg|Chao reveals the truth of her condition.
File:ChaoUSH11.jpg|Wholeheartedly apologizing for the incident in Southern Thanalan.
File:ChaoTheSearch001.jpg|Chao and Myu analyze the fragmented data from Seven, one of Satomi's mammets. It seems that justice may be within reach.
</gallery>

=OOC Notes=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>OOC NOTES</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="90%">
<tr>
<td style="width: 50%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3>
<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''OOC INFORMATION'''</center></div></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Player Note'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">'' ... ''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Personal RP Limits'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''I like to consider myself a flexible player who is willing to commit to a number of different types of scenes and role-play scenarios, but even I have my limits. If something is on the play list, assume it means yes, as long as it's within the context of the current play or ongoing plot. No's are typically a hard no, and it means don't ask, and if I'm in the mood for it, I'll be the one to initiate. '' </div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ '''''I will play''' mature content and themes (violence, drug / alcohol use) as long as they're logical in a plot-driven encounter. Coarse and excessive language. Temporary injury and incapacitation. Temporary imprisonment. Most walk-up encounters.''

: ■ '''''Ask about''' long-term and/or permanent injury and disfigurement. Long-term captivity or imprisonment. Temporary character death. Kidnap and/or abuse plots will require advance planning, as these can be seriously impacting, as well as take a significant amount of time to resolve on an infrequently played character.''

: ■ '''''I won't play''' permanent character death. ''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Disclaimer'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">'' Chao is my take on an existent character from the ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negima!_Magister_Negi_Magi Negima! Magister Negi Magi]'' manga by Ken Akamatsu. I have developed her from the ground up to fit within the FFXIV setting, while still maintaining as many similarities from the source material as possible.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ '' Chao is a technological and scientific prodigy. I am not. I try my best, but typically have to rely on technobabble more than I would like. ''

: ■ '' Chao is highly skilled in both unarmed combat and magic. Traditionally, my preferred means of RP combat has always been firearms or swords, so I'm sure I come across as an untalented hack to anyone more experienced in those combat fields. ''

: ■ '' Regarding nearly everything to do with Chao, she is the character with which I push the bounds of established lore. While I do nothing that has been directly contradicted by lore, she almost entirely operates in an extremely shadowy, unspecified zone regarding lore. Bear this in mind for interactive purposes. ''</div></div>

<td style="width: 50%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''CHARACTER TIDBITS'''</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Potential Plot Hooks'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''Chao is a very busy individual. Even when I'm not actively playing her, she's always got something going on. While the below is by no means comprehensive, it's a kind of spring board for walk-up RP. I am more than open to longer-term RP plots that carry on over multiple sessions, all I ask is that you coordinate with me beforehand. I am nearly always willing to drop anything I'm doing and RP, even if I'm on another character.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ ''Chao was, until recently, a prominent weapons developer at the Garlond Ironworks.''

: ■ ''She has most recently opened her own weapons company, Misriah Armory. While no formal office location exists, she can typically be found in or around Vylbrand Academy in the Mist.''

: ■ ''She is a known member of Vylbrand Academy.''

: ■ ''Garlemald is still aware of her continued existence, and still wishes to see her killed for her actions against them.''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Character Lore Adherence'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''Information in this Wiki is Lore Compliant to the best of my knowledge pre-Calamity using Wikis, and lore-dredging on Google. Information that has been changed to better fit with the lore of XIV will be listed below as necessary.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ ''No changes required.''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Tropes & Explanations'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''A trope is a convention or device that is often found in creative works. In this case, the tropes below describe the character either in part, or as a whole. Their background, personality, appearance, etc, most of them can be described in the tropes below.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ActionGirl Action Girl] ''She's usually seen doing more fighting than science-ing.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BareFistedMonk Bare-Fisted Monk] ''Unarmed combat is her primary means of engaging the enemy. Though trained at the Ul'dah pugilist guild, her fighting style is a modified Doman style that favors kicks rather than strikes.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ClothesMakeTheSuperman Clothes Make the Superman] ''Her battlesuits are powered armor and provide her an incredible boost in combat potential and survivability, but she's by no means helpless without them.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CombatPragmatist Combat Pragmatist] ''When her foes want to run their mouths, she will very quickly demonstrate that talking is not a free action.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeadlyUpgrade Deadly Upgrade] ''Emphasis on the ''deadly'' part, as she is well aware that overusing Magia Erebia can destroy her soul. The one time she's used it to date, she wound up with a fragment of a primal living in her head.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EnemyWithin Enemy Within] ''An unintended side effect of absorbing the dissipating aether of Ifrit via Magia Erebia, a semblance of the primal was able to take residence within her mind. Though it lacks the ability to exert any proper power or temper her or others, it still whispers in the back of her mind and has, on one occasion, seized control of her body.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FacialMarkings Facial Markings] ''Par for the course given she's a miqo'te, but hers prominently glow when her aether seal is active, as another reference to her home series.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HeroicRROD Heroic RROD] ''Overusing Magia Erebia runs the risk of causing this effect on her. Sometimes, if she's caught unawares, the fragment of Ifrit bound to her soul will ''force'' this effect on her--even potentially out of combat--in order to seize control of her.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlayingWithFire Playing With Fire] ''When using magic, she only uses fire. Her aetheric aspect is so strongly tilted toward fire that she is in a permanent state of Astral Fire but does not suffer from the inability to recover mana when in that state.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RenaissanceMan Renaissance Girl] ''She can fight barehanded, with magic, with a gun (or any gun-type derivative weapon), cook, build all manner of stupendously-advanced magitek devices, strategize fairly well on the battlefield, and run arms companies.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SuperPoweredEvilSide Superpowered Evil Side] ''Arguable on how superpowered it is, as she's not inherently stronger when this side is released, but when the fragment of Ifrit residing in her soul seizes control, Dark Chao then proceeds to completely ignore such trivial niceties as "friendly fire" and is more than happy to expend all of her power in such a way that she achieves her objectives and immediately passes out.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WillNotTellALie Will Not Tell A Lie] ''Though more an informed attribute as a throwback to her home series, Chao ''does'' remain remarkably honest about what she's doing at all times, occasionally finding that the truth of what she's doing often makes people disbelieve her. She is ''not'', however, above using misinformation and omission to achieve her goals.''
</div></div>

</tr></table></div>

=Credits=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>CREDITS</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Layout Information'''</div></div>
: <div align=justify><div style="padding: 2px 1px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">The following is not entirely comprehensive, but contains general credits. Please leave the link-backs if you use this template!
::■ Original template by [[Bancroft Gairn]].
::■ Adapted by [[Xheja Rajhera]].
::■ Tabs by [[Unnamed Mercenary]].
::■ Expanded bits by [[Lucaell Tareth'eian]].
::■ Header image inspired by [[D'lyhhia Lhuil]].
::■ Music bits from [[J'karu Rhome]].
::■ Relationships & OOC notes by [[Glioca Sargonnai]].</div></div>
<headertabs />

[[Category: Player Character]]
[[Category: Balmung]]
[[Category: Miqo'te]]
[[Category: Miqo'te Seeker of the Sun]]
[[Category: Doman]]

File:ChaoTheSearch001.jpg

2016-02-20T19:51:08Z

Chris Ganale:

Chao Lingshen

2016-02-18T03:01:48Z

Chris Ganale: /* History */

__NOTOC__

<div align=center><div style="font-size:30px;letter-spacing:0.05em;color:#ab0c13;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver"></div></div>

<div align=center><div style="font-size:55px;letter-spacing:0.2em;color:#792521;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver">CHAO LINGSHEN</div></div>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:15px;letter-spacing:0.75em;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;">FIREBRAND</div></div>
<br>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:25px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 10px silver"><font color="#4d1715">'''- - - ''' »</font> <font color="#b33730">☀</font> <font color="#4d1715">« ''' - - -''' </font></div></div>
<br>
<div align=center bottom>[[File:Chao-Top-Banner.png]]</div>
<br>
<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="60%">
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 20px; font-size:18px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;letter-spacing:0.1em;"><center><font style="color:#4d1715;">'''❝'''</font> <font style="color:#b33730">''They wanted war. Let's go give 'em war.''</font> <font style="color:#4d1715;">'''❞'''</font></center></div></span></h3>
</tr></table></div>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:12px;letter-spacing:0.75em;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver">Chao Lingshen.</div></div>
<br>
<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="80%">
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<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.15em;"><center>'''VITAL INFORMATION'''</center></div></span></h3>
<br>
<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''CURRENT ALIAS...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Chao Lingshen.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''RACE & CLAN...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Miqo'te, Seeker of the Sun.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''GENDER...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Female.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''AGE...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 23.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''NAMEDAY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 1<sup>st</sup> Sun of the 6<sup>th</sup> Umbral Moon, 1556 S.A.E.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''ORIENTATION...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Asexual/Aromantic.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''MARITAL STATUS...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Single.</font>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.15em;"><center>'''OTHER STATISTICS'''</center></div></span></h3>
<br>
<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''NATIONALITY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Doman.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''CITIZENSHIP...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Limsan.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''RESIDENCE...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Vylbrand Academy.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''OCCUPATION...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Founder, Misriah Armory.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''PATRON DEITY...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> Azeyma, the Warden.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''HEIGHT & WEIGHT...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;"> 5 fulms, 4 ilms. 116 ponzes.</font>

<font style="padding:0px 5px; font-size:12px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">■</font> <font style="font-size:12px;color:#b33730;font-family:Georgia;letter-spacing:0.2em;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver">'''ALIGNMENT...'''</font> <font style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChaoticGood Chaotic Good].</font>
</tr></table></div>
<br>
<div align=center><div style="font-size:25px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 10px silver"><font color="#4d1715">'''- - - ''' »</font> <font color="#b33730">☀</font> <font color="#4d1715">« ''' - - -''' </font></div></div>
<br>

=Details=
[[File:ChaoLingshen.png|right|frame|<div style="padding:10px 20px; font-size:13px;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 5px silver;letter-spacing:0.1em;"><center><font style="color:#706b68;">'''❝'''</font> <font style="color:#333333">''Gods and empires have sworn to break me. And yet, here I stand, unbroken.''</font> <font style="color:#706b68;">'''❞'''</font></center></div>]]

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>GENERAL INFORMATION</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">Chao Lingshen is a female miqo'te Seeker of the Sun originally born in Doma. With the Garlean Empire's subjugation of that region, she was conscripted into their armed forces, where she applied her mechanical and magical genius to enhance the Empire's magitek arsenal. She eventually fled to Eorzea with the aid of personnel of the Garlond Ironworks, and has since taken up residence in Ul'dah, spending her days studying and improving her magical and physical capabilities in order to take the fight to the Empire. </div></div>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>APPEARANCE</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">Chao is tall for miqo'te, standing at five fulms and nearly four ilms tall, weighing one hundred and sixteen ponzes. She wears her hair cropped close in a somewhat-boyish style, with two forelocks hanging down just past her chin, secured in place with bronze bangles. Her hair is black, with faint auburn highlights best seen at the back of her head. Afflicted with the normal miqo'te tendency toward heterochromia, her left eye is a dark brown and her right a dark crimson, the two shades close enough together that she could easily be mistaken for having one eye color at a distance or in poor lighting. The tribal markings on her face are slightly more vibrant than normal, this due to the effect of the Garlean anti-aether sigils on her body. When activated, the markings glow bright red. A faint scar on her left cheek, not normally visible due to her tribal markings, is the only visible reminder of the ceruleum explosion at Castrum Meridianum. <br><br> The clothing she wears varies, but she has a marked tendency to prefer more subdued colors such as black, white, and dark browns. Typically she can be found wearing a black and white yukata she picked up from the most recent Moonfire Faire, as it reminds her of her lost home in Doma. She's not big on accessories or jewelry, but usually wears a pair of peach blossom earrings, again as a reminder of Doma. She also always wears either tall boots, dark-colored leggings, or some combination of the two to hide the ceruleum burns on the backs of her legs from sight. </div>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>PERSONALITY</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">As any who would have even taken notice of her at the Quicksand would be quick to point out that she very easily disappears in the background of much more colorful and varied individuals, often preferring to mind her own business and just listen to the goings-on around her, as they have occasionally helped provide some insight into a problem she had been working on. When approached, she is polite and well-spoken, demonstrating an amiable personality with a tendency to make jokes and tease. A favorite thing to do is begin an ominous-sounding statement, then laughing it off instead of finishing the threat. On romance and sexuality, however, Chao can be considered completely asexual, having no consideration of romantic emotions at all. She does recognize romantic advance, but is unresponsive to it. <br><br> Beneath that playful exterior, she is singularly-focused on the downfall of the Garlean Empire and the salvation not just of Eorzea, but of all lands that have suffered under Garlemald's iron fist. This desire drives every action she takes, from her research into greater and more powerful magitek to her quest for greater personal power. The lack of any sort of unity or cohesion amongst the city-states of Eorzea greatly distresses her, and she has considered several times a gambit wherein she presents herself as a great existential threat to the realm, thereby forcing them to unify or face destruction, but has so far held back because the clear and present threat presented by Garlemald sure hasn't done it so far. If the situation demands it, however, she is still more than willing to become a martyr and take on the role of a villain to ensure that the realm is saved.</div>

<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="90%">
<tr>
<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3>
<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''L I K E S'''</center></div></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Developing magitek.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Increasing her own combat ability.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Recovering advanced technology from ancient civilizations, even better when she can improve it and make it work again.</div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''D I S L I K E S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> The Garlean Empire
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Those who advance personal profit at the expense of others, especially in the face of a grave existential threat.
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Tribal miqo'te, considering them primitive. </div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''H O B B I E S / T A L E N T S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Developing and enhancing magitek
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Light culinarian skill
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> A decent head for business
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Improvisation and customization of existing schools of talent </div>

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<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3>
<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''S T R E N G T H S'''</center></div></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> High intelligence
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Strong melee aptitude
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> High magical aptitude</div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''W E A K N E S S E S'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Hubris
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Martyr complex
: <font style="color:#b33730;" size="3">■</font> Overreliant on self </div>

<td style="width: 33%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''O T H E R'''</center></div></span></h3>

<div style="font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> Occasionally refers to the Allagan Empire as Forerunners.
: <font style="color:#792521;" size="3">■</font> She goes through a lot of gear and clothes (read: destroyed) in the process of testing and experimenting with her magic and magitek.</div>

</tr></table></div>
<br>

=Combat=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>COMBAT & WEAPONRY</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">
:● '''Magical Prowess''': A budding mage in her own right, Chao is talented in the arts of thaumaturgy, with a far greater affinity for magic of the fire element than other types. This affinity allows her mana to regenerate normally at all times; as such, she is not affected by the astral fire/umbral ice duology many thaumaturges are shackled by. Because of this trait, she is seeking to develop her own, personal style of magic outside the existing systems. Aside from this, she also has some light training in conjury.
::● '''Fire Resistance''': Due to absorbing both living and offensive aether of the Lord of the Inferno, Chao has become more heavily-aspected toward fire, further increasing the power of her magic as well as making her highly-resilient to heat or fire-based attacks.
::● '''''Magia Erebia''''': Translating to 'Dark Magic', ''Magia Erebia'' is the result of Chao's experimentation in magic circles, aetherflow, and how magic and spirit energy can be made to interact with the body. By creating a magic circle, she is able to then absorb a directed energy attack that comes in contact with her, fusing it with her soul and imbuing her with enhanced statistics, depending on the type of energy, for a limited period of time. As a drawback, the unnatural interaction between the soul and aetheric energies causes a corrosive effect, relegating the use of ''Magia Erebia'' to emergencies only.
::● '''Magic Seal''': As a result of the experimentation to resist tempering (see below), when her sigils are activated, she is a complete aetherial void, unable to access her latent magical talents or be affected by anything that would relate to a mana pool. This is mostly used to allow her to pass off as having no magic talent whatsoever, as her mana is not detectible when in this state.
:● '''Martial Arts''': Trained from a young age in the Doman style, unarmed combat is one of the most dangerous places to face her. Her style is visually similar to that of the Fist of Rhalgr, but structurally different. Whereas the monks favor strikes and work best from the flanks or rear of a foe, Chao's ''Hokuryuu Shourinken'' favors kicks, wide sweeping stances, and keeping a distance from the enemy. However, she has taken aspects of the Ala Mhigan style into her own, giving her a much wider array of abilities and actions in combat.
:● '''Shundo''': A ki-based technique of Doman origin, also known by its translated names of ' ''Ground Contractor'' ' or ' ''Instant Movement''. ' By focusing ki or magic energy to the bottom of her feet, she is able to 'grip' the ground and propel herself forward at immense speed, traversing up to sixty fulms in less time than it takes to register movement in the brain. She is only capable of traveling in a straight line across relatively even terrain, and cannot pass obstacles. Individuals with high martial training are able to sense her movement to a degree.
:● '''Spell List''': Chao has developed a list of spells that she prefers to use in combat, primarily based around fire magic and other aetheric uses. All of them are incanted in Garlean (Latin). Additionally, she has her own incantation phrase, which is used to unlock the aetherflow in her body and allow her to channel more powerful magic spells. Said incantation phrase is "''Rasteil mai magicscir magister''." It should also be noted that all of Chao's fire-based spells are aetheric and therefore do not require oxygen to continue burning, and some can even continue to burn when fully immersed in water.
::● ''Calefaciens Exarmatio'': Translating to ''Heatwave Disarmament'', this is a spell used to disarm a foe. It is specially-tuned fire magic that destroys equipment, weapons, and clothing, but leaves the person themselves unharmed.
::● ''Cantus Bellax'': Lit. ''Battle Song'', this is a simple self-buffing spell that reinforces her body with aether. Aside from providing a long-lasting anti-physical shield, this magic also exponentially increases muscle tension, allowing greater power, speed and endurance; it also increases the flexibility of muscles and tendons to prevent Chao from damaging herself from overexertion. In addition, her reflexes are enhanced by a moderate increase in the stimulation of the nervous system.
::● ''Captus Flammeus'': A binding spell, ''Fiery Captor'' summons ropes of fire magic that bind a target in place. Though not ''intended'' to cause harm to the bound target, Chao can cause them to do so at will.
::● ''Flagrantia Rubicans'': A moderately-powerful fire spell, about on par with Fire II, ''Red Blaze'' is Chao's mainstay offensive spell.
::● ''Incendium Gehennae'': A very potent fire spell developed after absorbing the living and offensive aether of Ifrit. Visually, ''Hellfire Conflagration'' is similar to Ifrit's own ultimate attack.
::● ''Ignis Deflexio'': A fire-based anti-physical protective shield. Its defensive effects are small.
::● ''Sagitta Magica Series Ignis'': Chao can summon a number of magic missiles of fire, always a prime number, which will independently track and pursue their target with no input from her. Their tracking method can be defeated if faced cleverly, and one could simply knock the magic missile away when it reaches them. Their damage is limited individually, but she can also cast this spell as a massive, single magic missile comprised of the energy of all the individual ones. While this is more powerful, it is also easier to avoid or counter.
:● '''Technological Genius''': From her youth, she has had a disturbing knack for understanding and knowledge of magitek devices. This ingenuity saw her placed in the Garlean Empire's research division once she was conscripted, where she enhanced and streamlined numerous Garlean weaponry and drive systems. Though more than capable of creating new devices from her own mind, her skills are strongest at refining and adapting existing technology to perform even better. She is responsible for the technological control devices that the Garleans use on their colossi to prevent them from rampaging in battle. Since coming to Eorzea, she has developed a powered assault armor and numerous other systems.
:● '''Temper Resistance''': As a result of Garlean experimentation, Chao possesses a set of sigils inscribed on her body that allows her to seal her aether. The theory is that this will protect her from the primals' method of tempering individuals by way of overloading their aether with the primal's own, due to their aether being unable to interact with her. This has proven to function as intended, tested under fire during her confrontation with Ifrit.
:● '''Weapon Proficiency (Firearm)''': As with all Garlean soldiers, she was trained to use their advanced firearms technology. Though she prefers magic and unarmed combat, she does keep a concealable pistol loaded with large-caliber, high-explosive ammunition on her person. Just in case.
:● '''Weapon Proficiency (Gunblade)''': As a conscript of the Garlean army, and valued slightly above the rank-and-file for her technical genius, she was trained in how to use a gunblade. Though she does not favor the weapon herself, she is capable of picking up and easily-using any of the non-specialized types of gun-weapons.</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">'''OOC Note:''' I unilaterally prefer freeform combat to dice, as dice cannot adequately reflect skill and equipment of a character. I practice what I refer to as an "interrupt" style of RP combat, in that when I make an action, I include a description of the effects it would have, and leave it to the other individual to defend against the action and/or mitigate the effects. Don't hesitate to send a /t if you have questions or are unsure of something I did in a battle.</div></div>
<br>

=Misriah Armory=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>MISRIAH ARMORY</center></div></span></h3>
[[File:Misriah-logo.png|center]]
<div align=justify><div style="padding: 7px 4px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">
After settling at Vylbrand Academy, Chao finally found the stability required to dedicate her efforts fully to designing and developing her magitek weaponry. After a sizable payment for technologies rendered, she was able to fund the creation of her own arms company, '''Misriah Armory'''. Adapting the slogan "Battle-tested for your home", Chao has hired a number of production personnel from the Ironworks and purchased several proprietary systems from Cid nan Garlond to begin her work on magitek combat systems, primarily in the form of powered armor.
::● '''Anti-Magic Reactive Armor''': A system wherein a piece of armor or shield is imbued with reactive aether that, when an offensive spell acts upon it, explodes outward to disperse the effects of the spell and reduce harm to the wearer. This system is still in the prototype phase; currently, it reacts far too vigorously to offensive spells.
::● '''Armory Device''': Utilizing the principles of aetheric teleportation, Chao can imbue specific items with a unique aetheric signature, and then pair them to a device, traditionally a ring, that summons the items onto the wearer, allowing one to be armed and equipped in the blink of an eye.
::● '''Electromagnetic Aether Pulse Protection''': After an...unpleasant...event that saw her powered devices shut down by an enemy electromagnetic aether pulse, Chao worked to ensure that this never occurred again. By studying the recorded particulate effects just before her devices lost power, she was able to determine the frequency at which the particulates used interacted with her devices, and modify her shielding to nullify that frequency. To prevent circumvention by simply using a ''different'' frequency, all her powered equipment shielding is designed to modulate through differing frequencies.
::● '''Ironworks Powered Infiltrator Armor Mk.I''': The upgraded, field-ready combat version of her prototype armor. Designed as a modular system that supports varying upgrades as requested by the wearer. A detailed description can be found [http://tinyurl.com/mdjcwvd here]. Unlike her other, proprietary powered armor designs, her personal set retains the designation 'Ironworks' partly out of nostalgia, and partly in recognition that she was aided by members of the Garlond Ironworks in designing and creating it.
::● '''Misriah Powered Armor/BREAKER''': A direct assault variant built for Grundy, focusing on strong armored protection, resilient shielding, armor-augmented strength enhancers, and a VISR (detailed below) uplink to identify allies and enemies. As Grundy lacks the technical expertise to manipulate armor systems, the BREAKER variant is designed to function largely autonomously, with all systems functioning when power is applied. Grundy's personal variant features two additional features: two spiked chain shots built into both forearms for grappling, and remote systems override allowing Chao to lock down his armor to stop him from going on a berserker rampage.
::● '''Misriah Powered Armor/UNDECIDED''': An infiltrator variant designed for use by those who prefer a stealth approach. The UNDECIDED variant lacks the plate protection of its more up-armored brethren, relying on faster-cycling aetheric shielding technology and the user's own ability to evade hits to provide its protection. This powered armor increases user reaction speed and possesses proprietary sound-dampening technology to enhance stealth.
::● '''Powered Fist''': Built to augment her new powered armor, Chao designed a gauntlet that allows her free range of hand motion and also has a powerful gun device built into it for added anti-armor punch. When not desired for use, it collapses down to the size of bracelets worn on both wrists.
::● '''Project μ''': Considered by Chao to be her Magnum Opus, Project μ saw the creation of a sentient, free-willed combat android in a form that would allow it to pass undetected in society (in this case, the prototype unit possesses the frame of a female miqo'te). Utilizing a combination of a purpose-built mammet heart and an unprogrammed Allagan Defense System node to achieve sentience, a frame was constructed using both Allagan metals and repurposed Garlean steel. The result: an infiltrator prototype given the name ''Myu'' whose combat potential is surpassed only by her learning potential.
::● '''Remote/Observation, Self-Propelled Model 1B Reconnaissance Drone''': A variant of the WASP drone, with its aetherochemical beam replaced with high-fidelity observation and monitoring equipment to perform the functions of battlefield reconnaissance. Recon data from these drones can be fed to any authorized user of a MISRIAH powered armor system.
::● '''Sterilization Tools''': A number of devices requested by Vylbrand medic Keero in order to sterilize medical equipment before use. A non-mobile version was delivered to the medical ward, allowing the sterilization of large numbers of equipment, or large pieces of equipment. Several smaller versions were also built for field use. Both versions generate high-heat, high-intensity energy beams that kill microorganisms and scour surfaces clean.
::● '''Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance''': A HUD feature included in all of her powered armors, VISR allows for unprecedented battlefield information to wearers of her powered armor. In its most base form, VISR serves as an identify-friend/foe system, highlighting friendly targets in a green outline, enemy targets in red, recognizable weapons in blue, items of interest in yellow, and unidentified persons/civilians in orange. It can also receive visual reconnaissance from any nearby ROSP drones and functions as low-light enhancement at night or in darkened spaces.
::● '''Weapon/Anti-Magitek, Self-Propelled Model 1A Nonlinear Rifle''': A small, high-mobility portable weapon system developed by Chao using the magitek bits of the Allagan and Garlean Empires as its base. Unlike it much larger cousins, the "WASP"--also known by the descriptor "funnel"--is small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand, but is no less deadly for it. Armed with an aetherochemical beam that can pierce the armor of a magitek reaper in a single strike, its power is balanced by its slow rate of fire and limited fire capacity. When drained of energy after five shots, it is capable of re-energizing itself by drawing aether from its environment, but this will only allow it to fire again once every five minutes. The WASP is targeted by voice commands.
</div></div>

<br>

=History=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>HISTORY</center></div></span></h3>
<table style="position:center;" width="100%">
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<td style="vertical-align: top;width:100%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>'''PAST BACKGROUND'''</center></div></span></h3>
<br>
<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Early Life'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Born in the region of Doma, Chao has been well-acquainted with Garlean tyranny her entire life. Her parents trained her from the time she could stand in the Doman martial arts style, despite it being outlawed by Garlemald as seditious. Early in life, she demonstrated a marked proclivity for an inability to keep secrets, prompting her parents to keep her uninvolved with the resistance against the Garlean Empire. She also showed an amazing affinity for magitek and other mechanical devices.<br><br>As she grew older, the increasing activity of Garlean oppression saw Chao becoming aware of their atrocities throughout their claimed territory. Her discretion grew, and though she remained unaware of her parents' involvement in the resistance, she began to contribute to the resistance in her own way, notably by designing and providing specifications for cannon rounds that boasted a marked improvement rate in penetrating Garlean armor, among other defensive innovations. This enhanced ability on the Domans' part to fight them did not go unnoticed by Garlemald, and by the age of fifteen, they had determined that she was the one responsible for the technological improvements. One afternoon, a contingent of Garleans appeared at the Lingshen homestead, and a choice was offered: service in the Empire, or the deaths of herself and her family. Unwilling to be the cause of her parents' deaths, she agreed to join the Empire. </font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Imperial Service'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Having been identified as a magitek prodigy, Chao avoided conscription into the generic rank and file of the Empire, instead placed in an institution that would teach her the intricacies of Garlean magitek as groundwork for creating next-generation weaponry. Recognizing the opportunity that had fallen into her lap, she played the part of the loyal Garlean engineer, all the while absorbing all the information she could and considering ways she could sabotage the Empire. It soon came to be discovered that she was especially adept at improving existing technology to perform better, seeing her placed in the Castrum Meridianum, where the foremost of Garlemald's technological terrors were constructed. <br><br> Initially, the projects she was allowed access to were small, improved arms and armor for the soldiers stationed in the castrum and the like. Eventually, as the successes of her work became apparent and allowed Garlemald to solidify its holdings in the regions of Eorzea they occupied, she was granted more and more access to Imperial workings. Soon, she began to discreetly sabotage the projects she was working with, an example being the technological inhibitors that the Garleans used to control their magitek colossi and other tamed beasts. Sure, the inhibitors did their job--better than to spec once she got her hands on them--but if they took too much damage and were destroyed, the frenzied beasts would focus all their aggression on their Imperial masters. She always took great care to ensure that the technology she sabotaged would fail as a result of field conditions or misuse, and that their effects would be ''just'' shy of so catastrophic that the Garleans deemed them too costly to use. <br><br> Her own research efforts were not the only Garlean projects that she was involved in. Owing to the Garleans' hatred of the primals, eventual conflict with the primals would be inevitable. Knowing of the primals' fondness for tempering, the Empire sought to devise a means to resist the tempering effect. Selecting from a pool of candidates with preexisting extremely strong willpower, Chao was selected to undergo numerous anti-tempering experiments. As tempering was reliant upon the primal surging their own aether to overpower the victim's mind and soul, the simplest method the Garleans saw to negate it was blocking one's aether. To this end, a series of sigils were inscribed across Chao's body, rendering her an aetherial void when active. A command code, painstakingly memorized by the magitek genius, deactivates the sigils and lets her act normally, though when it is active her aether is completely inactive, not even able to be detected by other mages, and she appears to be completely nonmagical. Though this system performs its intended purpose to lab specifications, it has yet to be tested against an actual primal. <br><br> It was two years into her work at Meridianum that she discovered the Ultima Weapon program, and at that point she realized that it would take more than minor acts of sabotage to halt the Garlean advance. At around the same time, she began to hear whispers of a revolt in Doma, instigated in the hopes that the Garlean succession crisis would have them too distracted to respond. Activity around the Ultima Weapon project intensified, with many predicting that the fearsome monstrosity would be put to use suppressing the rebellion. It was not to be, however, as the Weapon was still not fully prepared for combat, and the might of the Imperial legions were plenty sufficient to crush the uprising and begin a reckoning of the Doman civilization. <br><br> Suspecting deep in her heart that her parents had been killed in the rebellion, Chao devised her plan and made ready to depart the Empire forever.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Defection'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">For a long while, the Garlond Ironworks and its members had been a continual thorn in the side of the Imperial presence in Eorzea, raiding the castrums seemingly at random. Though she had not devoted a great deal of attention to it, she had a sense that there would soon be another such raid at Meridianum. Timing her actions carefully, she prepared another act of sabotage. <br><br> In her part of the Ultima Weapon project, she was assigned to the conversion of the ancient Allagan power source to accept refined ceruleum as a fuel. While successful in this endeavor, she also weakened the structural integrity of the fueling lines and the storage tanks, forcing them to vent under strenuous operation lest they suffer a devastating case of overpressure. Under the guise of a 'stress test', she ordered one such storage tank filled to capacity and subjected to the sorts of stresses expected in lengthy combat. <br><br> Just as she had expected, another raid by the Ironworks occurred in the middle of the stress test. With the defense force of the castrum distracted by the ruckus, Chao moved all her research notes to within proximity of the storage tank, then increased the stress the device was under. To her surprise, the raiding team from the Ironworks soon broke their way into her research chamber, pulling her attention away from monitoring the tank for reaching its failure point. Now no longer needing to be concerned with her intent to betray the Empire, she alerted the raiders of the impending explosion and warned them to get away. Almost immediately thereafter, a castrum security force broke into the lab from another direction and opened fire. A stray round struck the storage tank, resulting in an immediate detonation. The explosion wiped out the Garlean security force and sprayed flaming ceruleum throughout the lab, resulting in gruesome burn scars to the back of Chao's legs. <br><br> Rendered unconscious by the explosion, Chao was recovered by the Ironworks raiding team, who fled as a chain reaction tore through the ceruleum storage facility, destroying a large number of the Ultima Weapon's spare tanks. Chao's act of sabotage resulted in the completion and battle readiness of the Ultima Weapon being delayed by nearly a full year.</font></div>
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<td style="vertical-align: top;width:100%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>'''SINCE CHARACTER CREATION'''</center></div></span></h3>
<br>
<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Ironworks'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao awoke some weeks later in Gridania, finding herself under care of the conjurers treating her injuries from the ceruleum explosion. Informed of the massive damage done to her musculature and nervous system, she was relieved to learn that she would regain the ability to walk after a time, but that the corrosive nature of ceruleum meant that the scars would never fade. This did not trouble her, and as she recovered, she requested a tome in which she could write, beginning to transfer what of her research she could recall to a page, glad to have denied Garlemald her knowledge and leaving them with prone-to-failure, sabotaged equipment. <br><br> Soon thereafter, she was approached by a large roegadyn man who introduced himself as Biggs, naming himself as a member of the Garlond Ironworks and come to inquire what she had been up to when she had encountered the raid team. In no uncertain terms, she explained that she had been carefully sabotaging various Imperial projects over her years in their conscripted service, and had planned to take advantage of the confusion of the Ironworks raid to do one last grand act of sabotage and escape. Amused by her forthcoming explanation, Biggs offered for her to join the Ironworks, letting her turn her vast magitek talent to improving the lives of Eorzean citizens while continuing to stick it to the Empire. She readily accepted, and turned over her tome of notes for Biggs to copy in case any of it proved useful to any of the ongoing projects at the Ironworks. Once finished with the transcription, Biggs returned the book and suggested she get herself as far away from the Empire as possible.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Changing the Game'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Unknown to either of them, she was in no danger of being hounded by the Empire, as they believed she had perished in the ceruleum explosions at the castrum. After regaining her ability to walk, she traveled to Ul'dah and took up residence there. To while away the time, she discovered that the jewel of the desert was home to the pugilist guild and the thaumaturge's guild, two combat schools that she had a keen interest in. Applying for training at both, she used their instruction to further her knowledge in both unarmed combat and the magical arts, but feared that what she could learn through the guilds would be insufficient to face the might of the Garlean Empire. <br><br> To that end, she sought to combine the training of both guilds into a new personal discipline she referred to--admittedly unoriginally--as 'combat mage'. To this end, she practiced the casting of spells until they became as muscle memory to her, able to cast on the move and with greater speed. While training herself in such a way, she discovered her stronger affinity for fire magic, that the more she trained, the greater the potency of those spells became and the less taxing they were upon her. Before long, she had become adept at weaving fire not only as spells in between strikes, but the very elemental aspect itself into her strikes. The result was a combat style that is frightfully effective, one that the pugilists' guild regarded as an amusing and effective curiosity, but that was reviled by the thaumaturges' guild. Needless to say, she hasn't showed her face there very often in recent times. <br><br> Even through her training time, one thing had weighed heavily on her mind at all times: the existence of the Ultima Weapon and what it could do to the people of Eorzea. Knowing of the Weapon's ability to absorb the essence of the primals and use their power for its own, she wondered if it was not possible for a man to do the same with magic. After all, the possibilities of magic were literally limitless. With that in mind, and keeping an open mind from which she could observe and calculate from all possible angles, Chao began to study arcanism and conjury as well. <br><br> Initially dismissing conjury, she focused her attention on arcanism, finding the applications there far more wide-ranging given the geometric and mathematical means of bending aether to one's whim, and as an engineer, geometry and math were something of strong suits for her. She quickly began to experiment with using aetheric circles not just in books, but using the environment herself as her medium. She found that in doing so, she could enhance the power of her spells and perform various other effects. She has established a theory of a magic contract between a magically-talented person and one who is not, mostly for the purpose of additional power to the--presumably physically-inclined--partner, but has yet to perform any actual experimenting on this concept.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Dark Magic'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Through many a day spent sitting in a corner of the Quicksand pondering her magical theories while immersing herself in the lifeblood of the city, her thoughts traveled far and wide on the principles of magic and their relationship with man and the world. Such philosophical drivel aside, it occurred to her as she was watching a drinking contest that perhaps she was thinking too hard on a subject that was actually rather simple. The principle of the Ultima Weapon's most terrifying power was that it could absorb the power of the primals into itself and, so the theory went, use their powers as its own. As she had discovered through her arcane training, there already ''was'' a similar technique in play, the aetherflow. The problem was its limitations, and that it only drew upon ambient aether. <br><br> While stumped on how to get around this block, she diverted some attention to figuring out methods of rapidly-deploying aetheric circles in combat, given that most enemies would be disinclined to stand around letting her draw runes on the ground around them. Musing on the fragility of crystals, she discovered a method to 'pre-cast' partial aetheric circles by inscribing them into specifically-marked spell catalysts that, when shattered in specific sequence in a set pattern, would inscribe an invisible aetheric circle on whatever solid surface they were shattered against. She found that this was most useful when fighting unarmed, as many would assume she was a bog-standard pugilist and therefore wouldn't be suspicious of her moving around in a fight. <br><br> As the weeks passed and she wandered about the city, she chanced upon a handful of Sultansworn in a full-contact mock training exercise. Taking a moment to stop and observe their actions, she watched as a pre-cast protective spell flashed to life to ward off a harmful spell, but not fully mitigate its damage. That scene taking root in her mind, she returned to the Quicksand to ponder. The nature of protective spells were meant to turn away harmful effects, but using her aetheric circles, could she not invert its purpose, directing an opponent's magic or spirit energy into a user whose aetherflow was opened to draw in such energies? <br><br> With thorough studying in the matter, she discovered that her theory was spot-on, allowing her to absorb the energies of an opponent's attack into herself, giving her a limited-time increase to specific attributes depending on the nature of the absorbed energies. This method of using her developing theory of magic was impractical, as it required her drawing a spell circle to influence the absorption of the energy, and therefore was ill-suited for most combat scenarios. Further, the act of absorbing spells or spirit energy infused that energy to her very soul, an unnatural and corrosive effect that forced her to determine that this new magic she was inventing be reserved for the most emergency of uses. <br><br> Because of this, she has taken to calling her new magic system ''Magia Erebia''.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''New Eras, New Places, New Faces'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Time waits for no man, and Chao was no exception. Word of a new terrifying superweapon in the hands of Garlemald spread through Eorzea like wildfire, and she knew that they had come with their Ultimate Weapon. To her surprise, however, the Eorzean leaders did not seem to fear the tremendous power of the weapon, instead were planning a ''preemptive strike'' to destroy the thing before it could be brought into play. Unknowing of what means the Eorzeans intended to fight it with, but well resolved in the knowledge that she would not suffer them to face that menace alone, she journeyed to the Hall of Flames to avail her burgeoning magical talent to the Alliance's efforts. And thus came to pass her involvement in Operation: Archon, a rather boring endeavor which saw her standing far from the front lines, raining concentrated blasts of fire down on far-away Garleans by way of indirect fire. <br><br> Returning to Ul'dah after the successful destruction of the Ultimate Weapon and the heralding of the Seventh Astral Era, Chao felt herself adrift. Her entire life since coming to Eorzea had been dedicated to empowering herself and devising technology to destroy the weapon, and yet now she found herself without that clear adversary to test herself against. Returning to her usual haunt in the Quicksand to consider her notes on varying magitek research projects, she found herself attracting some interesting characters. First came an elezen lady curious of what she was reading, prompting a rather fast-paced and aggressive conversation which has Chao convinced that she was being hit upon, ending with a promise by Aeliette to 'discover all her dark secrets.' <br><br> Several days later, she was approached by another elezen who offered thanks to her for the assistance she rendered in attempting to determine whether a wine bottle had been poisoned. Introducing himself as Isaudorel, their conversation was far more agreeable, despite the brief intrusion of a rather rude individual who accused Chao of being of purchaseable companionship. Electing to not dignify that with a response, the conversation soon found its way turning toward their preferred styles of combat, with Chao informing him of her creation of her 'combat mage' style of combat. Intrigued of a method by which one could combine hand-to-hand with magical combat, he requested a spar to allow her to demonstrate her style, to which she agreed, pleased to have the opportunity to test her style in 'real' combat. <br><br> Traveling just outside of Forgotten Springs in the Sagolii Desert, Chao and Isaudorel squared off, observed by a small crowd of interested individuals who either came along from the Quicksand or happened to be passing through. Initiating the duel, Chao used her ''shundo'' to cross the distance separating them before he could react, a rising crescent kick almost finishing the fight in a single blow. Recovering from it, he retaliated with a blizzard spell, which she dispersed with a ''Red Blaze'' fire spell before charging back in to rain strikes at him. With a quick thought, he cast a manawall charged with electricity in an attempt to paralyze her. Though the charged energy knocked her back, she managed to avoid a paralysis and unleashed seven ''Sagitta Magica'' arrows to divert his attention. He answered in kind with a wide-area blizzard spell to destroy them, then began another incantation. To break the barrier, Chao used a floating chunk of ice as a springboard by which to ''shundo'' at him and use the entire force of her body to try and break the barrier. Just as she hit, he completed his incantation, casting a Fire-III directly on himself to catch both of them at once, an effective suicide-bomb attack. <br><br> Blown to the side by the power of the strike, Chao was the first to her feet, laughing at the cleverness of the attack and commending him for its execution. Isaudorel, however, having exhausted his mana to pull that stunt and doing no small amount of harm to himself, ceded the spar at that point. Expressing his wish for a future re-engagement, he returned to Ul'dah--or so she presumed--to get himself some rest and recovery. Afterwards, she was approached by one of the observers, one [[Gunnbjorn Darkblade]] who was very impressed with her style and wished to challenge her himself at some point in the future. With a smirk, she stated that she would always be ready to test her skills out once more. <br><br> A few days beyond that, she found herself approached once more at the Quicksand, this time by a man answering to the name of Lucian Malloy. Speaking at length of idle topics, he soon invited her to a place he liked wherein she could think free of distractions, citing the noise of the Quicksand being a cause of headaches for him. Initially concerned that it may be an ill-fated kidnapping attempt, given the nature of Ul'dah, she felt confident that she would be more than any would-be kidnappers were prepared for, and agreed to accompany him. Following along with his teleport to Costa del Sol, she soon discovered that his motives were no more ill than that of any red-blooded male attempting to woo a female. In further efforts to impress her, he cast a healing circle spell, the radius of which grew with every passing moment. It soon became clear that this spell was too powerful for him to sustain, causing him to become as though intoxicated, making ever more and more ridiculous statements as time went on. He soon passed unconscious from the effects of the significant drain on his aether, but not before he managed to activate a failsafe teleport of some sort that returned the two of them to his free company's homestead in the Goblet. <br><br> At the mansion of the Reclaimers, Chao brought him to rest in an infirmary bed, then wandered the halls to find one of his free company mates to assist him. Atticus Buffalobane and Lena Ulionov appeared from their room, in a particular state that left no doubt in Chao's mind what they had been up to, but she politely refrained from saying anything on the matter. It was swiftly determined that he suffered from aetheric depletion, prompting Lena to head off to procure some ethers to solve the matter. After a few moments, she returned with Rinh Amariyo in tow, while Chao stood to the back of the room and let them see to their comrade. After some good-natured ribbing on their part once Lucian came around, Lena inquired as to Chao's occupation. When the combat mage informed them of her specialty in Garlean magitek, suddenly both Lena and Rinh became very interested in her, the former requesting that she return the next day to look at a piece of Garlean technology that the Reclaimers had "acquired." <br><br> Coming the next day as promised, she was introduced to another associate of the Reclaimers, Popato Tomato, who presented a large Garlean orb and explained that it was an aetheric suppressor and that they wished to find a way to make it smaller and allow it to only suppress aether of unwanted intruders rather than the rightful occupants of the manor. Explaining that miniaturization was her specialty, Chao poked around in the device's innards and, following a demonstration of its effects during which she decided to see what would happen if the aether-absorbing field came into contact with her when her aether was sealed--the device short-circuited--she determined that she could meet all their specifications as long as they procured her a pair of Garlean magitek cores--one in case she made a mistake--with which to install in the machine; the rest she had the tools to do herself. They stated that it would be easy for them to acquire the cores, leaving her time to sketch out her redesign of the smaller device and acquire the parts she would need from the Ironworks. <br><br> It took less than a day for her to complete her sketched redesign and even prototype a few replicas in the Ironworks of the modified device. Waiting to be contacted by the Reclaimers to complete her work for them, she resumed her habit of occupying the Quicksand, spending her time going over her design in exacting detail and ensuring everything would function as she expected it to. As she waited and tinkered with converting one of the miniature prototypes into a working autonomous device, she felt an intense gaze on her, and looked around to find a hyuran woman staring at her. The woman approached, stating aloud that Chao looked familiar to her, which became a shared sensation when the woman drew near enough to get a good look at in the dim lighting of the tavern. When Chao pointed out that she was only commonly found at the Quicksand or in the Ironworks, the woman seated herself and proclaimed that it was from the Ironworks that they were familiar with one another. The woman introduced herself as [[Satomi Hakase]], primarily employed by the airship operations division. Though this introduction was to be brief, as an acquaintance of Satomi soon arrived portending a situation which required the hyur's attention, Chao was left with the feeling that she might begin to work with the Ironworks airship sector a bit more often. <br><br> Even with that chance encounter with a fellow in the spirit of science, she continued to feel further and further adrift and separated from the currents of the realm, left as she was with no strong source of opposition to test herself against. The influx of refugees from Doma, the tension from Ul'dah's rejection of sanctuary of them, and the riots that ensued were not something that she, a purveyor of weapons and therefore a 'merchant of death', cared to involve herself in, as she would neither see her people oppressed nor would she hand out her developing forms of advanced weaponry a nation so rife with corruption. So she continued to spend her days in the city idle, chatting at random with whatever passers-by expressed interest in her, spending fewer and fewer hours contemplating new advancements of magitek or ''Magia Erebia''. One conversation ended with a suggestion that she turn her attention to the Ishgardian war with the dravanian hordes and supply weapons for that battle, but she thought little of the backwards, dogmatic ways of the Holy See and did not see the dravanians as a threat to the other city-states should Ishgard fall. She did, at the least, state that she would give it her consideration, and if nothing else it would be an exercise in retrograding her inventions to withstand both the cold of Coerthas and the searing flames of a dragon's breath.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As she took a meal one evening, the tavern as noisy as ever, her ears picked out of the din a small but overbearing voice aimed in her direction. Turning to see a lalafell staring down her nose at her--an act she'd hitherto thought lalafells physically incapable of--she found herself subjected to a barrage of queries regarding a male miqo'te she had never even heard of. When she said as much, the lalafell half-ranted out a slew of other names, only one of which caught her attention: Satomi Hakase. <br><br> With that mentioned, the short one seemed to take a moment to reevaluate Chao, apparently considering there was more to her than met the eye to be an associate of Satomi's, and thereby deeming her 'worthy' by some arbitrary benchmark. Speaking more at length of this 'Sypher Corinth' she was after, she explained that he owed a not-inconsiderable debt to her, promising an unspecified percentage of it for delivering him or information on his whereabouts. Chao accepted, but money had little to do with it; in truth, she was far more interested in having something to do that would take her out of the city. <br><br> The lalafell, who left only her given name Zoey, informed Chao that Sypher had ties with Vylbrand Academy, which sent the miqo'te to Ul'dah's airship landing for a journey to the island city-state. Some hours were spent querying practically every soul in Limsa Lominsa as to the location of the Academy, but perseverance eventually paid off. Upon entering the nondescript building, which initially appeared to be empty, she followed the sound of voices to a lower level that seemed to house a bar, where she queried if any present knew of Sypher. <br><br> After a brief discussion, she was requested to speak of the matter privately with a miqo'te woman she presumed to be the Academy's master, accompanied by an elezen whose role was not explained but Chao presumed to be the master's second. Once in Kyra's office, she explained the situation as it had transpired in the Quicksand, swiftly becoming confused with the way they seemed to become very tense at someone pursuing this 'Sypher' for a substantial debt. It was now clear to her that she was being manipulated as a pawn in the schemes of the lalafell, a sensation she was none too pleased with. When the elezen asked her to convey to the lalafell a request to come to the Academy and 'discuss' the matter, she readily agreed to do so. <br><br> The following afternoon, Chao returned to the Academy, having been informed by Ser Chevalier that a weapon class was to be given that day. As it turned out, she had mistakenly-assumed that it would be more of a showcase of varying weapons from which she might be able to draw inspiration for her projects, but as it turned out, it was an actual instructional class on the varieties of a specific weapon type, in this case axes. Unwilling to be rude by getting up and walking out in the middle of it, she decided to wait it out and observe. This turned out to be possibly one of her best decisions to date. <br><br> In the midst of the class, who should appear out of the blue but Satomi herself. As it turned out, Vylbrand Academy was the fellow researcher's home away from the Ironworks. After politely waiting out the duration of the class and then exchanging a few words with the Academy master and Ser Chevalier, Satomi invited Chao to her laboratory-cum-room to catch up, along with a lalafell that quickly became apparent to be of significant emotional interest to Satomi. After he left on business, Satomi expressed her concern over the appearances inherent in that relationship, but Chao assured her that she would not judge, with the statement that one will find love wherever their heart desires, and that was all there was to that. <br><br> With that fear settled, the pair discussed the situation involving Sypher and the debt, Satomi expressing her concern that he did not seem to be in that high an amount of debt, and Chao herself finding suspicion that so many at the Academy seemed to have their hackles raised by the entire affair. When Satomi remarked that she would gladly pay off the debt and needed to find the woman, Chao stated that she would be glad to accompany Satomi, both to get her own answers on what the hell she'd been dragged into and to provide martial help should it become necessary, promising her fellow Ironworks researcher that she was not as fragile as she looked. <br><br> Turning their conversation to lighter topics, Satomi eventually discerned that, aside from the Ironworks, Chao had no place to call home other than the Hourglass inn attached to the Quicksand, and near of mandated that Chao avail herself of Satomi's lab as often as she deemed necessary. Though not necessarily wanting to take overmuch advantage of Satomi's hospitality--and that of the Academy, which she was sure did not think too highly of her--the truth was simple in that she was adrift in Ul'dah, and a newer locale nearer to where Satomi hung her proverbial hat would not only allow easier collaboration but might also provide some desperately-needed inspiration. <br><br> And so, returning to Ul'dah, she gathered her meager belongings from the Hourglass and took a day or so to finish up all her activities in the jewel of the desert. Traveling by airship to Limsa, she procured a room at the Mizzenmast for a few days so as not to just show up out of the blue at the Academy like an unwanted relative. On the eve before she decided to make her trip to the Academy, she was met in the Drowning Wench by her erstwhile lalafell 'employer', who explained the ''actual'' purpose of the search for Sypher, that being a murder investigation that was now being considered a self-defense act. <br><br> Chao was willing to let bygones be on the matter for a twofold reason: first, it ''was'' a bit of a mercy on Zoey's part to have him investigated for a debt rather than murder, and secondly, Chao's journey to the Academy enabled her to reconnect with Satomi, an all-around net gain for her. Any ire she may have had about Zoey leading her about in the dark was defused by the lalafellin investigator's sincere apologies. Further, Zoey seemed to sense an utmost trustworthiness in Chao, which took the Doman by surprise, and prompted a departure on good terms, with a note that Zoey might seek her out again for further--and much more transparent, as promised--ventures in the future.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Departed'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao had always considered herself intelligent, and whenever first approached by a new person, especially someone with a thuggish demeanor or appearance, always reminded herself that Eorzea was a realm full of malcontents and kept ready in the back of her mind the fact that the very next person to approach her may subject her to some ill-fated kidnapping attempt, assault, or issue of the like. Heretofore, that had never become an issue, but on the day that she prepared to finally make the sojourn to Vylbrand Academy, it turned out that she was properly paranoid after all. <br><br> The lalafell that approached her side may well have succeeded in the assassination attempt had she not stooped to pick up a dropped utensil at the exact moment the would-be assassin moved to draw his blade. A commendably-strengthed kick, given her less-than-stellar positioning seated on a barstool, launched the smallfolk into a pillar, where he was promptly joined by the stool she had just vacated. With the ambush attempt failed, a roegadyn, a hyur, and a miqo'te joined the fray. It was clear they lacked up-to-date knowledge on her skillset, as defeating them proved to be a far simpler endeavor than she had expected. <br><br> Rifling through their pockets made it clear they were a Garlean hit squad, as if their banter during the unrepentant mugging they suffered had not already made that point. Troubling was that they'd come specifically for her, and that meant she was on Garlemald's radar again. Whether they sought blood for her sabotage of the Ultima Weapon or a return of her knowledge to their fold was unknown, and frankly irrelevant. What mattered was that they would stop at nothing to achieve their goal, and that endangered everyone she associated with. <br><br> Knowing that, she knew that she could not, in good conscience, let the Academy and its occupants be brought to harm because of her, and so decided to instead go into hiding. <br><br> Steeling her resolve, and feeling herself to be facing one of the greatest trials she ever had, she covered herself in a linen cloak and walked the rainy streets of Limsa, heading down to the ferry. She found bitter amusement that it would rain on this day, of all days. The ferry passed uneventfully, dropping Chao off near the Vylbrand Academy. The weather had long since broke, leaving it a cool, slightly clouded night. Keeping her eyes sharp for any signs of pursuit, she made her way toward the Academy, each step feeling heavier than the one before it. <br><br> As she expected, the Academy itself was not vacant. As she neared, she espied Ser Chevallier conversing in one corner of the yard, and fully expected to be stopped as to her business. But, to her surprise, she was allowed to pass into the building without a word, and found no other souls as she made her way to Satomi's lab. Once inside, she located her tome that she had left previously within a few minutes, replacing it with a letter that explained her entire history, that she was now being hunted, and that she was choosing to disappear rather than endanger any others. <br><br> With that heavy task complete, she lamented a moment on what may have been had they had the opportunity to combine their knowledge and skills, then turned and left the Academy, as silent and unremarkable as she had arrived. Tome in hand, she had only to pay a visit to the Ironworks to ensure they were properly warned and destroy her research data before she could complete her disappearing act. <br><br> Upon arrival, she found herself trailed by a particular pair of a roegadyn and a lalafell as she moved about destroying her research data, the two attempting to talk her out of her chosen path. She would have none of it, however, remaining adamant about preventing the Empire from having any extra reasons to express their ire with the Ironworks due to her presence. Eventually relenting, Biggs and Wedge decided to, at the very least, do what they could to help her survival, handing her a completed prototype of one of her very own designs: a powered assault armor. With thanks and a promise to continue moving ever onward, Chao clothed herself in the prototype battlesuit and departed from the Ironworks, closing that chapter of her life as well. <br><br> Traveling to the cliff edge of Silvertear Lake, Chao gazed upon the shattered wreck of the ''Agrius'', musing on whether she would require a power equal to that of the Guardian of the Lake in order to turn back the Empire. As she considered this, she engulfed her tome in flames to forever deny its contents to the Empire. The scuffle of approaching persons drew her attention, but kept her back to them, knowing she could easily beat any Garlean to the draw who had hubris enough to make their approach known. <br><br> To her surprise, it was the voice of Satomi who called out to her, demanding her purpose and threatening violence should she have been responsible for harm to....herself. Clearly, Satomi had mistaken her cloaked form for that of a Garlean assassin. She turned to identify herself properly, bracing for what was surely to be a lengthy attempt to convince her to not fleet into hiding. The sight of Chao unharmed brought the hyuran scientist great relief, and she launched quickly into a narrative of how hectic the last several days had been, in-between dodging Garlean assassins and interrogating captured spies. <br><br> Confused by the explanation, Satomi continued that she had discovered a list of targets that the Garleans were going after, including both of the two researchers. That Satomi herself was targeted explained her being in the company of Kyrrae--beyond the obvious reasons therefore--but the knowledge that the Empire was doing more than just coming after her for revenge changed things. She couldn't very well run away and hide while others were being hunted and killed by the Garleans. Stating as much, she cast aside her cloak, revealing her newly-acquired armor to Kyrrae and Satomi in the process, and swore upon the wreckage of the ''Agrius'' that she would never stop fighting against the Empire. <br><br> With all thoughts of flight now permanently out of the magitek prodigy's mind, Satomi bid they leave the far-too-open expanses of Mor Dhona for a more secure location. Utilizing a quick manipulation of aether, the trio teleported to Kyrrae's personal residence in the Lavender Beds, taking the extra opportunity to speak of the situation before bedding down for the evening.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits II'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Beginning to devise her own scheme for additional security against the Garleans, Chao set out the next morning to set it into motion. Over the course of the next several days, she visited sites of combat with Imperial forces across the realm, scavenging parts from downed vanguards, reapers, colossi, and death claws. After several days of this, she received a linkpearl call from Satomi, sounding highly distressed and requesting her presence at the Academy. Initially fearing that the Garleans had gotten Satomi and were using her to try and draw Chao out, she made haste to Vylbrand and entered Satomi's lab with a gusto normally reserved for breaching an enemy fortified position. <br><br> As it turned out, no such precaution was necessary; the state of Satomi's health being due entirely to stress as a result of a near-death experience on Kyrrae's part while Chao was away. Before much more of the subject could be discussed--though enough was spoken of to cause Chao concern for Satomi's well-being--the hyur was called to socialize with the other members of the Academy. Chao, feeling the need to look after her a while longer, accompanied her downstairs and discovered to her amusement that Satomi was ''bartending'' this social event. Tucking herself out of the way, she observed the gathering as she had always observed every tavern interaction, reminded quite thoroughly of her days spent warming chairs in the Quicksand. These thoughts prompted her to wonder what some of her old acquaintances were now up to. As the afternoon wore on, however, the state of Satomi's health became all the more clear: between a dropped glass and nearly stumbling into Chao while passing out a drink, it was clear she was about to pass out on her feet. After a while, she was convinced to retire and rest for the evening, which she reluctantly agreed to do, with Chao ensuring she made it safely back to her room/lab. <br><br> Once back in the lab, Satomi confided in Chao that she had been feeling increasingly depressed over the last several weeks, stemming from the sequence of events that had seemed to go from bad to worse: Chao's disappearance, the Garlean attacks, drama within the Academy, and finally Kyrrae's near-fatal experience. All these experiences, the scientist reasoned, were a negative consequence of deciding to emotionally open herself, rather than the previously-aloof way she had lived her life. In conclusion, she decided that her best course of action would be to return to that way of life, cutting ties with all who knew her and disappearing. <br><br> The only thing standing between her and freedom was a miqo'te magitek prodigy now prepared to enact violence on her closest friend. <br><br> Tactically and very overtly positioning herself between Satomi and the door, Chao immediately declared Satomi's plan a farce, pointing to her own recent experience with 'pulling a runner' that achieved nothing fruitful other than stress and harm to others' lives. This having no effect on Satomi's scheme, she moved on to directly counter the hyur's assertions that she was of no value to anyone by pointing out the positive effects she had had on the lives of Grundy, Kyrrae, and even herself, that without Satomi's influence one or all three of them may currently be dead. This began to crumble Satomi's emotional facade, but she remained adamant. Chao went for the kill: she pointed out, accurately, that if Satomi left the Academy, then Kyrrae would go looking for her, no matter if he was fully-recovered or not. And what then, Chao posited, would happen if he should run afoul of Garlean assassins while out in his weakened state? <br><br> That destroyed Satomi's resolve to flee, and she broke down and confessed her insecurities to Chao, who promised that no matter what choice Satomi made, she would always have the likes of Grundy, Kyrrae, and Chao to stand by her side.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Project µ'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Having researched, heard the tales of, and occasionally witnessed the grasp of the Allagans' technology in the field of automatons, Chao determined to move her own projects in that direction. Similar to the Garleans' favoring of large robotic minions, Chao also saw the value in a heavily-armored combatant with limits far beyond those of normal sentient beings. As ever, where Garlemald's cultural values leaned toward the largest, most visible and intimidating machine on the field, Chao felt far more could be accomplished with a much more compact form. Thus, with the salvaged parts of the various Garlean robots and her highly-useful talent for miniaturizing existing items, she had begun constructing a humanoid-sized combat frame using her own form as a reference. <br><br> Keeping herself sequestered away in a back corner of Satomi's lab and spending all her waking hours on her work, completing the basic frame of the machine and all its inner workings went very quickly, taking her no longer than a week. With that completed, however, she needed to look to a way of giving life to the machine, and not simply in the form of its source of power. Knowing of the great combat power of the Allagans' automated defense mechanisms, one of their core processors would do the job nicely. The key laid in finding one that had not yet been programmed to murder everything in the name of the Forerunners, one that ''she'' could dictate the development of. She would, of course, also require a mammet heart to give her creation a true semblance of sentience, but that was almost trivial in comparison to acquiring an unprogrammed Allagan defense node core. <br><br> Recalling well that Cid had left the doors of the Ironworks open to her, she returned once more to darken their doors, seeking any knowledge the Ironworks might have on sourcing a core to suit her needs. While they lacked a fresh, unprogrammed one, they had a number of cores recovered from destroyed drones recovered primarily from the battlegrounds of Carteneau Flats that she could use to get a feel for how they functioned, and how she might turn one to her own uses. Along with this, he suggested a number of known magitek part peddlers that she might attempt to source one through, lest she wish to get a shovel and start digging at Carteneau. <br><br> After several fruitless endeavors, she managed to make contact with one Dogberry Himalspyr and met with him in Limsa Lominsa to discuss whether he could acquire the core she required. While he did not have any readily available, at least not of the Allagan variety ''and'' unprogrammed, he mentioned that he was planning to explore an Allagan ruin in the coming weeks and invited her to partake and search for what she was after. Deciding that to work well to her advantage, she agreed to come along on the venture, taking a linkpearl from him so that she might be informed of when it would gather. With that laid out, she returned to Vylbrand Academy to continue tweaking the frame and making adjustments to her combat unit. <br><br> To her surprise, she discovered when she returned that Satomi had already solved the problem of a mammet heart: using her not-inconsiderable personal stores of gil, she had commissioned one from the goldsmiths' guild specifically to suit their needs. With the device delivered, Chao was able to activate her robotic creation, upon which she bestowed the name "Myu" as a phonetic of the Allagan symbol µ that she had used as the project codename. Curiously, though powered, Myu had yet to show signs of life. <br><br> Days passed as Chao and Satomi both puzzled over Myu's reticence to awaken. Nothing ''mechanically'' was wrong, the machine simply just refused to start up. Both knew that such fickleness was common to mammets and other devices powered by their hearts, and so resolved to be patient. They knew that Myu's sensory functions and learning core were online and active, taking in data at a constant rate, and so they operated under the assumption that Myu was studying them.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Into the Depths'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As the week ended, she was contacted regarding the Allagan expedition and asked to arrive at Camp Drybone within several days' time. Satomi, unfortunately, had other business to attend to, but Chao assured her friend that she would be fine to enter the ruin alone, and would bring back a mountain of data, ''and'' the necessary core. Donning her battlesuit and taking a supply of spare crystals for recharging if necessary, she took the airship to Ul'dah and, mindful of the continuing unrest in the city, rode her chocobo to the outer encampment of Drybone. <br><br> By the time she had arrived, most of the rest of the venture had already made it, and so she stood off nearby and ran checks on her armor, ensuring everything was functioning at top form. After the last of the group formed up, they trekked by chocobo across eastern Thanalan, far into the scrubland. They arrived at a large work camp, many of the workers and sellswords within bearing injuries that Chao recognized as being caused by Allagan traps and defenses. Though she pitied those unfortunates, she lacked the skills necessary to heal them. <br><br> As tasked by the expedition funder--or so she assumed since it was never fully explained--the team entered into the ruin, proceeding into an aether-swamped cavern filled with platforms of clearly-Allagan design and corrupted creatures tainted by the presence of so much aether. The vast majority posed no great threat to the party and were swiftly overcome, save for the last creature they encountered: a bio-engineered monstrously-sized snake fitted with Allagan control devices. Far more devious and empowered than the lesser creatures, this beast nearly laid low the expedition, leaving at four of its members unconscious, but at least still breathing. <br><br> Reviving their downed comrades and retreating back to the surface, the group took the time to catch their breath as a follow-on force of mercenaries was sent to secure the first antechamber. It wasn't long before a runner in dire health reported a second chamber further into the ruin, with clearly far worse inhabitants. Leaving the winded Dogberry to rest, his place was taken by the other man behind the expedition, one [[Alexander Stormwind]], and they ventured into the ruin again. <br><br> Within, they found what Chao recognized as an Allagan networking center, the 'brain' behind the defense systems of all their facilities. Met at the entrance by a small node that immediately went on the offense, the group proceeded to systemically clear all the nodes around the network before engaging the ADS itself. After a grueling battle, they finally managed to destroy it. Immediately setting to scavenging it, Chao removed its destroyed processor core to discover a secondary core that had been intended to transfer its data to was left untouched by both the battle and any attempt to download data. <br><br> It was the unprogrammed ADS core that she needed for Myu. <br><br> With the network downed, the party took several minutes to recover. Chao herself took to exploring the network area. Her attention was soon drawn beyond the platforms, to large columns of smoke she saw rising from other such clusters of platforms. It took only a few moments of observation--and the sight of moving machinery--to realize she was staring at a Foundry, a place where the Allagans ''built'' their machines. <br><br> This place would definitely merit returning to. <br><br> Returning to the surface, she took a moment to inspect her prize, which Stormwind swiftly demanded she hand over for proper cataloging and storage. Unwilling to part with that which she had come for, and needed to bring Myu to her ideal of full combat readiness, she pointed out that she had been brought on this expedition to acquire this very part, which Dogberry attempted to intercede on her behalf over. Stormwind was adamant, however, refusing to pay for a half-completed venture, even as Dogberry himself pointed out that she still was perfectly willing to press on despite getting what she had come for. At this point, recognizing that there would be no way to have things her way without resorting to violence, Chao ceded for the time, shoving the core into the hands of a passing worker and immediately stonewalled the rest of the raid. <br><br> Within minutes, a new chamber was found, this one seeming more confusing than threatening. Upon the party's arrival to the chamber in question, the reason became immediately apparent: a deep chamber running for over three hundred yalms straight down with the entire center section either lost to time or purposely omitted. The only way to move from section to section was by use of transporter pads dotted around the chamber that would propel an individual across a gap to a connected pad. How the pads were linked, and by what means an individual was propelled and then safely landed was a mystery to Chao, having never before heard of such devices in her studies of the Allagans. <br><br> And the place was full of creatures of Allagan creation, genetically-engineered beasts that harried the party at every turn. Despite attempts to the contrary, the nature of the place and the continuous assaults from every direction swiftly saw the party largely separated, Chao herself winding up alongside one of the group's healers, [[Mikh'a Korofi]]. Knowing that they were better served to run than try to fight, Chao deployed her funnel in an attempt to clear a path and ward off any pursuers, but the largely-untested nature of the drone meant that its effectiveness was, at best, negligible. After a grueling struggle, and no small amount of paths being cleared by the other groups, Chao and Mikh'a eventually escaped through an Allagan teleportation device, winding up back on the surface. <br><br> By ones and twos, the others soon returned, until only one had yet to show up. The elezen bladeswoman, [[Menelwen Veara]], remained unaccounted for within the ruin. As the minutes stretched on, the group grew increasingly frantic, eventually culminating in nearly a re-entry into the deathtrap, until Menelwen reappeared at high velocity, nearly bowling over the lalafell warrior in the process. As it turned out, she had become separated when she took it upon herself to draw away a pack of monsters, barely escaping with her life. <br><br> Sensing that the mystery objective of the expedition was near, Stormwind once more stepped forward to take part in the operation, allowing Menelwen the time to rest and recover from her harrowing ordeal. Clearing the central transport center apparently unlocked some sort of mechanism, revealing a lift at its entrance that allowed them to bypass it. Taking the lift down, the group was soon accosted by Allagan clockwork defenses, lesser in the hierarchy of the Allagans' nasties, to be sure, but they were part of the basis for Project µ for a reason. With determination and grit, the group steadily overcame them and Chao, no more immune to pride than any other, tore the processor from the still-fighting final dreadnaught and rode its smoking carcass to the ground, remarking on how Myu would soon surpass the Allagans' wildest dreams. <br><br> With the lift guardians defeated, the remainder of the journey passed in tense silence. Chao took the opportunity to recharge her armor from her stock of crystals and center herself for whatever was to come. When the doors opened, she did not consider herself prepared enough. <br><br> There, standing before them, was the Ultimate Weapon. Or rather, a seemingly-mass-produced knockoff of the very self-same weapon of mass destruction that had been employed by Garlemald. Given that it had originally been created by the Allagans to control and contain the primals, she realized she should not be surprised to find more than one in existence. Meanwhile, Stormwind seemed to lose his mind in that way that scientists were capable of; it was something she was familiar with not only from herself but from Satomi as well. So that was what it looked like, she mused. Still, and all, the thing had become active in their presence, and now had to be put down. <br><br> Engaging in battle, Chao couldn't help but feel a thrill as she alternated between the use of her Doman martial style and the magicks she had trained on for nearly a year now; she had missed her chance to take down the Ultimate Weapon, and here again was a second chance to see what that had felt like. And through the ravages of time, combined with the skill of the expedition she was in, they steadily dismantled the monster, forcing it to use increasingly more desperate tactics to ward them off. When it deployed a series of magitek bits, as she suspected it might, she wasted no chance, diving one to the ground and prying open its casing even as it tried to blast her with lasers. From her own experience with working with the Ultimate Weapon and all she had learned in the construction of 'Dummy', she was able to alter its targeting processes to turn it against the Allagan superweapon. <br><br> Before long, the monstrous device lay in ruins at their feet. Returning to the surface, Stormwind swiftly dispatched all the mercenaries and workers to that deepest of chambers, ordering the entire thing dismantled and brought back to the surface. Chao half-listened as he explained to the other members of the expedition that the Order of the Raven's Eye had come seeking that very superweapon, intent on using its technology to create a means to better combat the primal threat. Over the course of the discussion, she learned from the lalafell warrior that the Syndicate were also after another such weapon, a monstrosity hidden below the Carteneau Flats called the ''Omega'' Weapon. The revelation filled her with disgust, to know that those vile, amoral sycophants concerned only with their own wealth would seek a power of that magnitude. She could almost foresee conflict in her future with those fools. <br><br> With many of the expedition dispersing, Stormwind turned his attention to Chao, fetching a worker to acquire the core she had found earlier, now more than pleased to hand over the device to her since he had found what he was looking for. As for what the Order was up to, she agreed with their ideal to protect the realm from the primals, but swore that if she caught wind of whatever they created being used for oppression, she'd destroy it herself. Stormwind actually seemed pleased with that vow, and promised himself that he would be careful in guiding their creation's use. <br><br> ADS core in hand, Chao returned to Vylbrand once more, looking forward to the day when Myu would achieve her full combat potential.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Might and Magic'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Back at the Academy, Chao secured the ADS core and stashed it away amidst the mass of other research materials Satomi kept in her lab, where it would remain until Chao judged it was time to install into Myu's processor. In the meantime, she spent several days repairing her armor and working on upgrades to her funnel. In the midst of one such repair session, taken on a couch to the side of the Academy's entrance so as to be out of the way, Chao was discovered by Zooey. After a brief discussion, during which Chao remarked on how she felt herself the nuisance stray at the Academy, the investigator took it upon herself to begin dissolving this notion, demanding Chao to step away from the couch even as she called out, rather loudly, for all nearby members of the group to gather around. This having happened while her funnel was fully-disassembled, and she didn't want to leave such sensitive material unattended for even such a brief time, she found herself getting to meet several of the Academy's occupants while carrying an armful of funnel parts. Of the half-dozen individuals present, all welcomed her warmly into their midst, several even offering her crash space in their residences if it was necessary. <br><br> Even with that welcome extended, she still couldn't shake the inescapable sensation of being an outsider looking in, and so maintained the excuse of working on her projects to remain out of everyone's way. Over the course of several days, she began working on a means to have weapons and gear on-hand any time it was necessary without being overly encumbered. Using the existing knowledge of aetheryte teleportation, she imbued each of the key components of her battlesuit with a unique aetheric signature that she then tied to an Allagan magic focus ring recovered from the ruin she had explored. When successfully tested, she could now go about in everyday attire without having to fear being caught by assassins without her armor. <br><br> Learning of an upcoming festival of science and magic to be hosted by the Academy, she decided to partake of this event, seeing it as an opportunity to showcase the arms she was developing for the realm. That is, until she saw the rules forbidding weapons and dangerous magic, which automatically disqualified nearly all of her work. While she ''could'' have used Myu as her demonstrator, she was not willing to reveal the existence of a humanoid combat robot yet. After a day or so to ponder it, she realized that there ''was'' something she could safely demonstrate: her theory of provisional contract. <br><br> So she recollected her since-destroyed research on the matter, acquired a new showy coat in the Allagan fashion, and waited until the day of the festival. Shortly before it was to begin, in order to settle her restlessness, she took her funnel outside and tested several of its settings on the target dummy outside. Her initial test of nonlethal settings at extremely limited power nearly resulted in the thing shooting ''her'', but on subsequent tests after being very specific on what, precisely, to shoot at, she noted that even at minimum power, the nonlethal setting possessed enough energy and impact to potentially stun victims and destroy clothing and equipment. A further test on the lethal setting at half power completely obliterated the target dummy. Leaving herself a mental reminder to either replace or pay to replace the target dummy, she headed inside to partake in the presentation portion of the festival. <br><br> Having been selected to go first, she took the stage and presented her theory of what she was taking to refer to as ''pactio'': that through the use of a specifically-designed magic circle, an individual proficient in magic could create a bond of partnership--a provisional contract--with another person that would allow the mage to imbue the partner with their own aether to increase their attributes. To demonstrate, she called forth [[Nebula Stardancer|two]] [[Sabirr Loreley|volunteers]] from the audience and cast the magic circle on the stage. She explained the basics of the contract, that it was formed by an exchange of bodily fluids; a blood pact would suffice for the matter, but if the two parties were not amenable to that, even something as simple as a kiss would do the job. The two volunteers decided on the latter, and in a flash of magic and light, Chao's theory was proven to be truthful: the successfully-created provisional contract validated by the presence of a tarot-like card bearing the likeness and several details of Nebula. <br><br> After a short session to answer questions, Chao stepped down to observe the rest of the presentations. One concerning the use of aether to reduce fatigue on mechanical systems drew her close inspection for obvious reasons. Last of the presentations was from Satomi, creating a rather fitting set of book ends to the whole affair in Chao's opinion. Her friend and partner in crime showcased a combat-purposed mammet that she had built in the likeness of Grundy. While Chao had known that Satomi had been working on such a thing in tandem with Chao's own work on Myu, she hadn't realized that Satomi's machine had reached the prototype and test phase. When a request for volunteers to face the mammet in mock combat came, Chao stepped forward to test her friend's creation herself, but was beaten to the punch by an Academy local, [[O'rahn Kevelan]]. In the long run, that was probably the better choice, as Chao would have held nothing back in the interest of giving it a proper combat test, and they may have wound up making a mess that way. There were a few glitches in the test, but overall, Satomi's showcase was successful. <br><br> Unfortunately, the machine was soon destroyed by the ''real'' Grundy, who mistook it for an enemy accosting Satomi and shattered it in a single blow. <br><br> Without waiting to be asked to help, Chao retrieved a rolling cart and began to load the parts of the mammet into it, along with the assistance of several others. While Satomi went off to take a walk in order to keep her wits about her regarding the matter, Chao held a brief discussion with Academy resident Imogene about Project µ, remarking on how devastated she would be if something similar happened to Myu as had happened to Satomi's machine. Describing in general the technological achievements that Myu represented, Chao left the other woman quite astounded at the level of complexity in comparison between Myu and the mammet Satomi had built. The difference laid in their purpose: Satomi's machine had been intended solely for combat, and not with the level of sophistication Chao had attempted, while Myu was built to not only have astounding combat capabilities but also to be able to pass herself off as a living, breathing individual. <br><br> After bringing the cart of destroyed mammet parts to Satomi's lab, and with the scientist herself still out of the Academy, Chao spent several hours sitting and talking to Myu, telling the sleeping android of her dreams and hopes for the future, a world where people could live free of the fear of oppression, both from external and internal threats. While Chao had spent some time each day since activating Myu speaking to her in such a manner, this day was markedly different in both the time she spent doing so and the nature of her conversation topic: philosophical and whimsical rather than scientific and factual. <br><br> Days later, just when Chao had begun to let the ever-present concern of Garlemald recede from the forefront of her mind, another stark reminder made itself known. While in the front of the Academy practicing her martial arts, she watched several members of the Academy carry a gravely-wounded person inside. Curiously, she followed them within and stood outside the infirmary--knowing her lack of any knowledge of practical or magical healing arts would see her only getting in the way--and listened as Satomi treated the poor woman, who had been captured and tortured by Garlean agents, operating out of a hidden camp located somewhere on the island of Vylbrand. That was greatly troubling news. <br><br> Eventually, Satomi treated the worst of the woman's injuries, though time would tell if she healed properly. The hyuran scientist headed away to recover and clean herself after the messy procedure, and just minutes later, an elezen woman arrived with a package of supplies for someone in the Academy. Having been nearby, Chao looked within and, finding all manner of alchemy supplies, assumed it was meant for Satomi, and so showed the delivery woman to the lab. Inside, as they waited for Satomi, they struck up a brief conversation, with the elezen--an Ishgardian expatriot, so she revealed--speaking of her interest in technology and weapons, particularly of Garlean origin, to be put to use against the dravanians in Ishgard's long war. Chao warned the elezen that if she had made a habit of pillaging equipment and technology from Garlemald, that she need be alert to the fact that she may have put herself on the very same hit list occupied by Chao and Satomi themselves. <br><br> In the midst of this discussion, Satomi returned to the lab and, confused at the elezen's presence, made clear in an unusually-curt manner that she had scheduled no such delivery. The elezen woman was not troubled, merely collecting the package to be returned to the guild from whence it came. Chao, suddenly and alarmingly realizing that the entire thing may have been a setup, surreptitiously scanned its contents for any sort of Garlean tracking devices--or explosives--but thankfully found none. With the elezen gone, she apologized to Satomi for being the source of the confusion. Satomi, for her part, apologized for being so short-tempered, which Chao understood perfectly when explained that the woman convalescing in the infirmary was one of Satomi's friends. <br><br> Even despite knowing that was what was weighing so heavily on her friend's mind, Chao remained insistent on her apology for causing Satomi additional headache and usurping as much of her lab as she did. Satomi brushed the thought aside, knowing that Chao had only been intending to help her, and further remarking that Chao need not concern how much time and space she required for her "beautiful project." At this, Chao smiled, and mused aloud that perhaps they might coax Myu to awaken by installing the ADS core ahead of schedule, despite the inherent danger that might come of the Allagan base programming overtaking Myu's functions and turning her into a sentient killing machine. Satomi suggested that a backup mammet core be used to store Myu's existing data on, and then use the aetheroelectric security field in her lab to contain Myu within until they determined it safe. It was a sound plan, and so the scientists agreed to take that step the next day, allowing them time to rest and come at it refreshed. <br><br> Moving to rest in the room's seating area, Chao remembered the armory ring and micro-teleportation device she'd created, demonstrating it to Satomi by calling her battlesuit, hitherto stored in an armoire, onto her person, replacing the general-purpose work and research attire she'd been wearing. Leaving her fellow researcher quite stunned, Chao briefly explained the setup, and then handed Satomi an armory ring of her own that Chao had made for her, to ensure that neither of them would ever be caught unarmed and unprepared by Garlean assassins. Afterward, with the call of sleep tugging at both of them, they each took up occupancy on a separate couch--with Satomi explaining that she found normal beds difficult to sleep on--and rested up for whatever the next day may bring.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Logical Ideologist'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">The next afternoon, Chao decided that the time had come to take that gamble. With Satomi away on business, regrettably, she performed the necessary prerequisite steps herself: creating a backup of Myu's data to that point and moving her into the zone of the aetheric field. This latter was a difficult task with Chao by herself; given her metal construction, Myu easily massed twice Chao's own weight. Once she was positioned, however, Chao retrieved the ADS core and, observed only by the myriad of diagnostic and sensory equipment in Satomi's lab, plugged it into Myu's processor, then stepped away and brought the security field online. <br><br> The elation that filled Chao's heart when Myu opened her eyes for that first time was immeasurable, as was the terror that seized her when Myu lifted her hand and aimed her palm-located Allagan laser in Chao's direction. Despite the grave and imminent threat to her very life, Chao stood her ground, determined not to show fear to Myu; not out of an animalistic sense of establishing dominance, but that she had ''faith'' in the being she had breathed life into. For several long and terrifying moments, she watched the color spectrum shift in Myu's eyes, from their natural blue to a blood-evoking crimson likely caused by the Allagan programming. Finally, Myu gained control over the Allagan processes--quarantining them as she later explained to Chao--and greeted her maker. <br><br> Lowering the aetheric field, Chao wasted no time in welcoming Myu to the world, speaking at length with her about her start-up process, the data she had created thus far, and a brief explanation of what it meant that Chao was extremely proud of her. Knowing that she had spent all her time since coming online cooped up inside the lab, Chao took Myu outside the Academy, giving her the first taste of the outside world. It was here, when Myu questioned what caused the plants to sway and the mist of a nearby fountain to move, that Chao realized she'd ommitted installing a tactile sensory function in Myu, something she quickly brought the android back inside to rectify. <br><br> The next day, Myu was introduced to Satomi and the scientists began to measure the robotic girl's capabilities and functions. As the day progressed and grew into the evening, a rapport was quickly established, but it was noted--by Chao if not by Satomi--that Myu clearly held Chao in far higher regard, being the only one of the two that she referred to as master. She still regarded Satomi as an individual high on her protection list, however, as evidenced when she nearly came to violence against another member of the Academy who happened to make teasing remarks at Satomi in Myu's presence. <br><br> Between the defensive knowledge gleaned from the Allagan core, Chao's own mastery of Doman martial arts, and the library of materials available to study at the Academy, it didn't take long for them to discover the incredible combat potential of Myu, easily the equivalent of at least a company's worth of normal soldiers and adventurers. As she was not a living being, she was not capable of manipulating aether in any form, but Chao reasoned that between herself and Satomi, they could make a technological combat system that could perform similar effects; after all, if Garlemald could theorize it, the two of them could make it reality in less than a moon. Because of this lack of aetherial ability, Myu took to following in Chao's footsteps, adopting unarmed martial combat as her primary method of battle. <br><br> It was fortunate that the scientists put so much work into developing Myu's combat abilities, as their greatest trial yet was soon to come.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Nightshade'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">As the trio cataloged and practiced combat skills with Myu one evening a short distance from the Academy, they were beset by yet another Garlean assassination squad, this one comprised of two highlanders, a miqo'te, and even a vanguard for support. Chao wasted no time in going on the offensive, engaging the axe-wielding highlander she perceived to be the leader in order to create an opening to allow Satomi and Myu to escape. This endeavor proved to be futile, however, as the other Garleans engaged the two in equal measure. While Satomi's adversary caused her a great deal of trouble due to the scientist not being suited for direct combat, Myu and Chao initially fared better against their foes. The miqo'te shinobi quickly ascertained Myu's artificial nature from her speech patterns and having managed to drive a blade into her right shoulder--barely penetrating her armor plating--and attempted to taunt her, referring to her as a useless puppet. Myu was having none of it, however, and simply grabbed her foe before striking him down with her Allagan laser. <br><br> As this was going on, Chao stayed in close with her opponent, preventing him from getting the full use out of his augmented axe. The Garlean then ordered in the vanguard for support, and knowing the kind of damage those things could cause, Chao slipped past him to engage and destroy the oversized magitek. This turned out to be a ruse on the enemy's part, for as soon as she got within reach, it unleashed a full broadside of all of its frontal attacks. The shielding and material construction of her armor protected her from truly devastating damage, but the attack was still enough to knock her away, stunning her momentarily. In that moment of inattention as Myu looked toward her maker, the dying shinobi stuck an adhesive explosive device to her frame, intent on ensuring she went out with him. Unperturbed, she merely tore the device from herself, taking some of her synthetic covering with it, and threw the now-dead shinobi's corpse over the device to smother some of the blast. The resultant shockwave from the powerful explosion caused a large amount of damage to Myu, who positioned herself to intercept the shockwave so it wouldn't harm Chao. <br><br> The Garlean axeman, mortally wounded by the blast, directed the vanguard into the center of the trio--Satomi now attempting emergency field repairs on Myu after having driven off her opponent a short time before--and armed its self-destruct system. Before it could reach them, however, it was struck numerous times by electrically-charged arrows from an intervening ally, the very same blacksmith guild representative that Chao had spoken to some days prior. The charges of the arrows short-circuited the machine, bringing it crashing harmlessly to the ground just short of them. The threat, it seemed, had been overcome. <br><br> That was when a new adversary revealed himself, a highly-skilled and chemically-modified shinobi wielding Allagan blades with a cutting laser's edge. Chao, back on her feet again, moved to engage him immediately, but to her surprise, he read her ''shundo'' perfectly and executed one of his own to avoid her attack, leaving behind a number of outward-aimed blades at the last minute for her to careen into, each of them coated with liquid ceruleum. As with the vanguard, her armor deflected most of the blades, but two got through her defenses and released their deadly poisons into her body. At the other end of his ''shundo'', the enemy Garlean directed an overwhelming electrical charge at Myu, overloading and shutting down her systems. Nadine, the archer-blacksmith, struck the man's helm with a trick arrow loaded with a powerful explosive as he was attacking Myu, and in response, he threw the headgear toward Satomi and made to attack the archer. <br><br> Chao knocked the ticking time-bomb away from her compatriot with a ''sagitta magica'', then immediately leapt to Nadine's defense, wreathing herself in fire as she came down in a kick over the elezen's head. The Garlean intercepted her strike, absorbing the very aether she released in her attack into himself in a manner identical to that of the Ultimate Weapon. Without giving the magitek prodigy time to react, he grabbed her by the foot and hurled her toward Satomi, who was still trying to restore some combat ability to Myu, the impact rendering the hyuran scientist unconscious. <br><br> By now coming to the conclusion that this enemy had a clear counter to everything she could do, she called on desperation. She rushed him again as he catapulted Nadine back into the Vylbrand Academy's wall, grappling him and ordering her funnel to fire on him at maximum power and lethality, even if it meant firing through herself to do so. This broke the man's superior air, and he desperately began striking and kicking at Chao to dislodge her grip, eventually succeeding after delivering a crushing strike to her chest that crumpled her armor and broke several ribs, and several kicks to her left leg that broke the limb. She fell away, but the man did not have time to avoid the laser strike from her funnel, which overloaded and brought his battle armor's protection down. Seeing him in that weakened state, she drew the Garlean pistol she kept on herself at all times, aiming and firing at his chest. He initially derided her when he saw the weapon, unaware of the size of the slug it fired, and was very nearly killed by the impact. <br><br> Cursing Chao's name, the Garlean fled, leaving Chao to finally succumb to her injuries, and leaving behind one hell of a scene of carnage for the occupants of the Academy to discover.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Phantasmagoria'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">With the close proximity of the engagement to Vylbrand Academy, it took little time at all for its occupants to find and recover the wounded, safely ensconcing Chao and Satomi within the infirmary, and Myu and her disparate parts in the lab. Satomi quickly recovered from her light injuries, whereupon it was discovered that Chao had fallen into a coma. Against the recommendations of [[Rurujua Xoxojua|Rurujua]], Satomi began to assist the lalafellin medic in tending to her friend. In only a few hours, the ceruleum poisoning was cleared from her system, but she remained unresponsive and unconscious. However, she occasionally manifested highly-alarming, sudden expulsions of blood and signs of severe physical trauma, the source of which was a complete mystery to either scholar. What they did know, however, was that the erratic and random manifestation of the symptoms meant that she needed constant monitoring to heal her as necessary. Again, despite protests from Rurujua, Satomi burdened herself with this task, citing that she owed it to her fellow magitek prodigy. <br><br> Unbeknownst to the two, Chao was trapped within the dreamscape of her mind, called Phantasmagoria, where she was forced to uncover the true nature behind ''Magia Erebia''. At every turn, she was beset by a manifestation of her subconscious that shifted and altered its form willingly between everyone she had ever met. Referring to this creature as The Other, she fought it countless times, but was defeated and slain in every instance. Yet, in Phantasmagoria, she was unable to die, constantly revived following every fall. As the hours progressed, and The Other used more and more of the people from her memories against her, the more Phantasmagoria came to resemble a conflated amalgamation of several cities she had resided in: her home in Doma, Castrum Meridianum, Limsa Lominsa, and Ul'dah. <br><br> Eventually, Chao came to the realization that she could take advantage of the fact that they were within her dreaming mind to will all of her technological notions into 'reality' and use them to her advantage. Thus, in this way, she momentarily seized the upper hand by summoning four of her funnels and an aetheric energy sword to defend herself, driving The Other back until it form-shifted into Nero tol Scaeva. Utilizing her speed to her advantage, she avoided a fatal strike from the magitek warhammer and moved to capitalize on the overextended shade of the Garlean, whereupon it changed form into a full impersonation of Satomi. This took Chao off-guard, causing her to purposefully miss her strike, and leaving herself vulnerable to a fatal shot from the shadowy being. <br><br> After several more encounters, she happened upon a lucky break, succeeding in casting a sleep spell on The Other while it was in the guise of Grundy, allowing her to escape across the mindscape of her city. Taking shelter, she was met by one of the last things she expected to find in Phantasmagoria: a manifestation of the primal Ifrit. Speaking cryptically of how her soul had been tainted by fire, the primal made abundantly clear its desire to add her to its host of enthralled servants. Chao, confident in the manifestation's inability to temper or even truly harm her within Phantasmagoria, casually dismissed Ifrit's words, leaving no uncertainty of her opinion on the primal's intelligence--or the lack thereof. Infuriated by her irreverence, the primal remarked that it had already dispatched its Tempered after her, and manipulated the Phantasmagoria to show her an image of Vylbrand Academy in flames, many of its occupants killed, and several key others being led away to be tempered, all in the name of capturing her. Enraged by this clear and obvious threat against those she held important, she willed the pinnacle ideal of her battlesuit technology onto her being and struck the manifestation down with an immensely-powerful attack of combined ''ki'' and aether. <br><br> Within only moments, The Other was upon her again, this time engaging her in the form of her long lost cousin, a master martial artist. Declaring that they were finally fighting on equal terms, The Other drew forth Chao's envisioning of the Garlean razing of Doma to remind her of her most base motives: to gain power to take revenge against the Garlean Empire. But that strength alone would not be sufficient, it remarked as it struck a crushing blow and then shifted form into that of Zoey, preparing an immense ice spell to finish Chao for good and end her effort to discern the truth of ''Magia Erebia''. <br><br> It was as she was falling that Chao finally understood, remembering the words that she had been told by her friends and compatriots: ''Magia Erebia'' was, at its base, the power to accept things for the way they were and draw them into oneself. With this newfound knowledge, Chao was able to fully absorb the entire power of The Other's spell into herself and use it for empowerment. Pleased at her successes, The Other shifted one final time and challenged her to show her results.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''A Reclaimer Reborn'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Awakening from her coma, Chao found herself alone in the Vylbrand infirmary. Moving slowly, her legs unsteady after so many days of misuse, she made her way out into the foyer, pausing at the window to look outside. To her relief, nothing was on fire and there were no Amalj'aa standards decorating the yard, but the building was still a bit too quiet for her comfort. Convincing herself that everyone was simply away on business, she made her way to Satomi's lab, finding that her friend had begun repair work on Myu during her unconsciousness. As per the norm for Chao, she thought little of her own self and immediately located some tools to check on Satomi's repair work and continue the progress herself. <br><br> After judging that Myu was repaired extremely-well by Satomi's hand--testament to how well the two worked together--Chao determined that she must leave the Academy, again, lest Ifrit's pursuit of her put the occupants in danger. Sharing this conclusion with Myu, who swore that she would show no mercy to any eikon that sought to harm her master, the pair set out immediately. Their first stop was the Garlond Ironworks, where Chao would hand in her damaged prototype armor and receive the field-ready Mark-I combat infiltrator armor, and a series of complaints on her treatment of the prototype from the armormaster. She also requested a specially-modified armor for Myu--taking into account such facts that she did not need an independent power source for her armor--that would take some few days to fabricate, and require Myu to spend most of that time with the Materials Division so as to properly generate a new set of armor. Chao took advantage of the forced downtime to machine herself a new weapon that would not interfere with her preferred fighting style but also give her the extra force necessary to penetrate armor. After three days, she devised a weapon which could be worn as a bangle that extends into a gauntlet housing a gun chamber. <br><br> Thus equipped, miqo'te and machine set out for the desert.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''To Face the Inferno'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Arriving by airship back in Ul'dah, Chao secured an inn room for the pair from which to conduct their hunt. Deciding it best that Myu remain out of sight and attempt to use her aetheric sensors to search for potential summoning locations, Chao proceeded to the Hall of Flames to alert Commander Swift that a summoning was either imminent or had already occurred, and to seek assistance in tracking down and slaying the primal. Though thankful for the warning, the commander could not spare any forces on what seemed little more than a wild chocobo chase. Nonplussed, Chao returned to Myu with the poor news and decided to set out searching on their own, stopping to question any Flames forces or adventurers they found along the way. <br><br> Scouring the Sagolii Desert for days with almost no time for rest, the pair went well out of their way to make their presence known to the Amalj’aa so that any raiding parties that might already have been dispatched to Vylbrand would be recalled, thereby sparing the Academy. Despite this, they were unable to locate the site of the ritual until the actual summoning took place, the resultant surge of aether appearing as a beacon to Myu’s sensors and Chao’s visor. <br><br> The two immediately made for the location of the new Bowl of Embers, with Chao activating her aetheric seal en route. As they neared, the beastmen did nothing to impede their progress, commanded by their primal god to let Chao and Myu pass. After a brief exchange of banter, Ifrit--as predicted--immediately used his tempering breath to bend the pair to his servitude. The effort was wasted; Myu protected by her machine nature, and Chao’s sealed aether not allowing the eikon’s overpowering aether to affect her. <br><br> The battle then began in earnest, the speed and agility of the two miqo’te allowing them to avoid the worst of the primal’s attacks. Those few telling blows that would have done severe damage were largely intercepted by Myu, her composite Allagan/Garlean metal frame unyielding to Ifrit’s claws and flames. All the while, as Chao led the primal around the flame-ringed arena, she discreetly applied her ''Magia Erebia'' spell circle via the aetheric stencils in her forearm plate armor. <br><br> When Ifrit called forth his infernal nail, both miqo’te ignored it per their previously-established strategy to allow Chao to absorb the maximum amount of aether. Shortly thereafter, the moment of truth came: Ifrit began to cast Hellfire. As Myu shielded herself in a magitek field--just in case--Chao activated her ''Magia Erebia'' and met the attack head-on. <br><br> Against all odds, she successfully absorbed the aether into herself, skyrocketing her attack power, but she knew such volatile aether could not be contained for long. Lifting her hand to the skies, she discharged much of it into a luminous aetheric beam called down upon Ifrit, but the primal was far from finished. <br><br> Enraged by her turning his own power against him, Ifrit set upon Chao in earnest, relentlessly assaulting her even to the point of ignoring Myu’s punishing attacks against him. With little other alternative, Chao shielded herself and prepared to expend all the aether she could in a last-ditch effort to down the primal. <br><br> Just before her shield broke, however, a massive wall of metal and muscle struck Ifrit from the side, knocking the eikon away. The towering interloper was none other than Grundy, there along with Satomi, who had tracked Chao and Myu all the way from Vylbrand. Expressing her mild annoyance with Chao’s tendency to run off and do things on her own, Satomi directed Grundy to ‘break’ the primal. With the combined power of the quartet, the already-weakened Ifrit was dispatched with little fanfare. Upon his defeat, Chao used her ''Magia Erebia'' once again, absorbing the dispersing aether into herself. Though unaware of it at the time, this consumption of Ifrit’s living aether--rather than merely an offensive form--would have a permanent affect on her, for both good and ill. <br><br> With the primal threat dealt with--though no one held any illusion that it was any less a temporary measure than any other time Ifrit had fallen--Satomi advocated a return to Vylbrand. Myu, expressing her growing independent will, agreed with the hyur, ‘assisting’ Chao back to the airship landing in Ul’dah and on toward the Academy.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Academic Pursuits III'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Back at Vylbrand Academy, Chao took a day to recover from the ordeal, spending it in rest under the watchful eye of Myu, ensuring that she rested. As this was going on, Satomi was meeting with the Academy mistress, Kyra, concerning Chao's future. Pointing out the three separation occasions on which the magitek engineer had acted on her own to head off potential disaster to the Academy, two of which at great threat to her own safety, Satomi advocated that Chao's 'temporary' stay become a more continuing affair. The headmistress agreed that Chao had done more for the Academy than could be expected of someone not truly affiliated with them, and in light of the knowledge that Satomi would soon be dedicating all her time to an Ironworks airship project, decided that the time had come to properly bring Chao into the fold. <br><br> The following day, Kyra met with Chao to offer a position in the Academy's research and development sector. Finding no real reason not to, Chao accepted the offer. It didn't take long for her to get thrown headfirst into the Academy's own affairs, finding herself square in the middle of an ongoing conflict against four powerful archfiends and their legions of cultists and other allies. Though not understanding the background of the conflict, she nonetheless dedicated herself faithfully to standing with her new compatriots in their efforts to protect the realm. <br><br> At the same time, she continued her own technological developments, making plans for a complete overhaul of Myu's frame to the newly-developed Garlond steel, along with more adjustments to her own armor, and conceptualizing a new armor system to protect against magic attacks. It was in the process of the first field test of this latter that she chanced to converse with two other members of the Academy, who happened to be nearby to observe the failure of her test. Over the course of speaking to Set Kattalakis and Senel Curtis, she agreed to redesign and streamline Set's magitek prosthesis, as well as provide what non-powered upgrades she could to Senel's gear in exchange for providing her with a steady source of raw materials to work with.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Misriah'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">With a more permanent station and the beginning of delving more deeply into her military technology, Chao knew that the time of her inevitable parting with the Garlond Ironworks was at hand. After all, the Ironworks developed magitek for the betterment of the realm, and Chao's strengths lay in the field of weapons of war. And so, meeting with Cid at the Ironworks' encampment at Camp Cloudtop, she informed him of her decision to part ways and begin her own company. Cid wished her well in her ventures, understanding that it would be through both weapons like hers and peaceful endeavors like his that prosperity would truly come to the realm. <br><br> As per her arrangement with Set, in exchange for developing a new prosthetic, Chao received a considerable stipend and the backing of Set's import/export business. This allowed Chao to hire several of her former coworkers in the Ironworks' Weapons Division and acquire the means of producing aetherochemical metals and fiberweave, as well as the recipe for Garlond Steel. With all this in hand, she was able to initiate her new company: Misriah Armory. She immediately set about work on a new ambitious project: variants of her powered armor for the vetted members of Vylbrand Academy--its "Heroes" society, which she had joined only a short while ago. Top of the list was a set of powered assault armor for Grundy, partly as a means of repayment for saving her from Ifrit, partly because he was in sore need of an armor upgrade. <br><br> Dark clouds soon began to gather on the horizon, however. Through having absorbed the primal's living aether into herself, she unwittingly allowed a fragment of its thoughts to take up residence in her mind. Two weeks following her confrontation, she first began to hear the whispers of the Lord of the Inferno in the back of her mind, pressing her to violence and destruction. Through her will, and the lack of any active enemies at the moment, she kept him at bay with some ease, but the eikon was nothing if not persistent, relenting only when she slept. On top of this, word came a moon later of a raid on the Ironworks' team working out in the Sea of Clouds by a band of sky pirates. Satomi, who had been out investigating sightings of a monstrous airship that would soon come to be known as the Void Ark, went missing, presumed dead at the hands of the brigands. <br><br> Grief-stricken at the loss of her close friend, Chao blamed herself for Satomi's death, both for not having been there at her side, and for not even providing her a set of powered armor that surely--she believed--could have saved the hyur's life. The culmination of these events sewed the seeds for one of her darkest times.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Cost'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Chao began to work tirelessly on her projects, particularly the powered armors, so that never again would any close to her be caught without an adequate means of defense. On one morning, as she perused the Academy's library for inspiration, she chanced to overhear a conversation between the headmaster and a troubled Seeker tribe elder. There was trouble in Thanalan: mysterious music was causing those who heard it to become hypnotized and wander into the desert. Some began to show up in slave caravans, and a few even returned to their home, but all had no memory of any of the events. It was a textbook assignment for the heroes of Vylbrand: track down the nefarious party responsible and put a stop to their machinations. <br><br> Arming herself in her battlesuit, Chao headed out to the desert with Grundy, the headmaster, and several others, leaving Myu behind to serve as a sort of 'mission control' and overwatch via the systems in her armor. As the party split into small groups to gather intelligence, Chao elected to stick by Grundy's side, keeping an eye on the well-meaning-but-not-too-smart roegadyn, and using her funnel as an eye-in-the-sky to watch over the village from above. Though initially bearing little fruit in their investigations, the enemy soon made a move, the music beginning to echo out across the sands. Tracking several of the enthralled miqo'te of the village--and barely regaining control of one of their own who hadn't been properly protected at the time--they found a work camp in the desert, where Grundy immediately pressed the attack. <br><br> For her part, Chao sought to knock out and immobilize the enthralled victims, keeping them out of harm's way, before setting after the foes herself. Before she could, however, ambush troops using camouflaged fighting pits in the sand sprang up to flank them, forcing her to deploy her funnel's aetherochemical laser against them. As the battle raged, an enemy airship entered the fray from behind concealing dunes, scattering a strange aetheric field that disrupted magitek devices, shorting out Chao's armor. As she reeled in confusion and the airship dropped a large box nearby, the fragment of Ifrit within her mind took advantage of the chaos--and its higher influence as a result of being in Thanalan, Ifrit's stronghold--and seized control of Chao's body. <br><br> Even though it was now in control through the airship's interference, it was just as displeased that the enemy forces had effectively handicapped Chao--whom Ifrit had previously considered a worthy champion--in one fell swoop. It began to cast, through Chao, a lesser version of the primal's own Hellfire attack--though 'lesser' here should by no means be considered any less deadly--targeted at the airship. Inexplicably, the airship and the enemy forces began to retreat as soon as the box was deployed. Knowing full well the likelihood that it was some manner of trap, the possessed Chao turned the fury of the devastating spell onto the box, unconcerned for the allied forces and civilian victims that would be caught in the blast radius. <br><br> It was only through a combination of a fountain of ice aether from an unknown source--later revealed to be the headmaster herself--and healing magicks from one of Vylbrand's personnel, that nobody died to the application of ''Incendium Gehennae''. Overtaxed to the extreme by the amount of aether expended in the attack, Chao immediately passed out. While she was helpless, two of the others from the Academy, a lalafellin mage and a hyuran rifleman, assaulted Chao over the events; the rifleman struck her hard enough in the face with the butt of his weapon to break her nose and cheekbone, and the pummeling from the lalafell doing a number on her as well. Within minutes thereafter, Myu arrived on the scene, having been forced to travel the long route from the Academy; as a machine, she was unable to manipulate aether allowing her to teleport, and the aetheric field had disabled the signals from Chao's powered armor that would have allowed her to relay directly to her maker's side. After exchanging words with several present, Myu collected Chao and returned to the Academy where, at the headmaster's request, sequestered Chao within her workshop and stood guard at the door, disallowing access to any without proper authorization--but in particular those individuals whom she had reason to suspect wished her maker further harm.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Pariah'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">In the days that passed, Chao remained in her workshop, watched over by Myu, her injuries tended to by Keero. She wound up suffering several broken bones in her face as a result of the assault on her, prompting him to conspire with her to create an aetherically-charged healing mask that she could wear over her injuries. Its purpose was threefold: to protect her from further harm, to ensure that her bones healed back into their proper shape, and to stimulate her own aether to speed up the healing process. A built-in vocabulator allowed her words to be heard through the metal without shouting, but it had the unfortunate side effect of giving her a much deeper tone and a metallic tinge to her words.<br><br> It began to seem like, however, she had been largely forgotten. Though she expected a swift trial of her actions by those above her at the Academy, the days continued to pass in solitude, with only Myu and occasionally Keero for company. Though slightly put off by it, she nonetheless spent her time productively, buckling down and diving into her magitek designs. Within two bells, she had completed Grundy's armor design and sent it off to be machined up. In two more, she had created an entirely new system to ensure she never got chumped by anti-magitek fields again. After two weeks, she had redesigned her anti-magic reactive armor to react less vigorously, tweaked and streamlined the overlay of her VISR system, designed a reconnaissance variant of her magitek funnels, and begun three new powered armor variants. This productivity came at the cost of sleep, which she avoided so that the fragment of Ifrit in her mind could not trouble her dreams. Over that two weeks, she slept perhaps one total day.<br><br> A freak spring storm overtaking Vylbrand marked the first time that she seemed to be recognized by the Academy at large, when a lightning strike knocked out the power grid. Summoned by Kyra down to the workshop, Chao was asked to bring the generator up and running to provide emergency power. Though nothing of the event in the desert was spoken of save Kyra's inquiring whether Chao was in control of her faculties, it was not lost on the magitek prodigy that no matter where she moved to work on the generator, Kyra was never outside of sword range. After a brief time, Kyra left the workshop, evidently deeming Chao not to be a threat. In silence, she finished the work and powered up the generator, bringing emergency power back to the Academy. Heading into the library to report her success, she took note of the silence that befell the room at her appearance, choosing to make her report and then return to her exile.</font></div>

<div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:18px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''The Rise of Misriah'''</div>

: <div style="font-family:Georgia;"><font style="color:#9c0d04;" size="2">Throwing herself back into her work, Chao's reckless non-sleeping habits did not go unnoticed by Keero, who prescribed fast-acting and potent sleep aids to knock her out and ensure her recuperative sleep processes. Now able to focus more clearly when she was awake, her design progresses improved significantly. Another week passed, and growing tired of the neglect, Chao began to venture outside her workshop for brief periods, mostly in the efforts of acquiring food for herself, which had previously been left to Myu. <br><br> Finally, after deciding she needed to actually test the new version of the AMRA system--and she was not about to have loose magic and reactive material interacting in her workshop--she took her design out to be tested on the dummies. During her test--which was a resounding success in that the reactive layer detonated outward and dispersed her spell without damaging the armor or the dummy--she met with a hyur well-versed in magitek knowledge who introduced himself as Saruna, founder of the company Resolve Industries. She hadn't heard of it, but was surprised to learn that they dealt in weaponry utilizing the power of the primals themselves. After cautioning him to exercise care in dealing with such powers, they parted ways, and she returned to her workshop to evaluate her test results. <br><br> She didn't have long to consider this, however, as a scream soon pierced through the Academy. Tracing it back to its source, she found herself in the infirmary, where Keero and several others were working on freeing an unlucky miqo'te from voidsent possession. Lacking any means to assist, Chao simply stood by and watched, but armed one of her gun gauntlets should anything come to violence. After successfully purging the void taint, Keero asked Chao if she would create a prosthetic eye for the patient, whose eye had been destroyed in the process of saving him. She agreed on the mechanical end, knowing and stating her lack of knowledge in the medical side of it, to which Keero stated he could perform the necessary surgery. At this, Chao returned to her workshop to machine up the prosthetic and load it up with a lesser version of her VISR software. <br><br> The next day, she delivered the prosthetic and observed the successful surgery to affix it to the victim's optical nerves. Afterward, as he rested, she spoke with Keero, who inquired after her own health. Removing her mask to show him that she had perhaps another week before being fully-healed, she was then asked what had caused her injuries. She revealed to him that she held a fragment of Ifrit bonded to her soul, and that it was her loss of control over it that had caused her to nearly kill several of their comrades. This revelation was overheard by one such comrade from the incident, and Chao took the opportunity to fully explain herself, stating that she didn't hold the others' contempt for her against them, and apologizing for her actions.</font></div>

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=Relationships=

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>RELATIONSHIPS</center></div></span></h3>

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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #4d1715;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>RELATIONSHIP STATUS LEGEND</B></center></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:9pt;"><font style="color:#54b5eb;" size="2">♥</font> Family <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> Platonic <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> Friend <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> Acquaintance <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> Business <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> Deceased <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> Positive <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#C24640;" size="2">✖</font> Negative <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> Neutral <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">�</font> Unsure <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="1">–</font> <font style="color: black;" size="2">☠</font> Enemy</div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #b33730;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>NPC</B></center></div>


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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Ku Fei,</b> <i>Cousin</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#54b5eb;" size="2">♥</font> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fallen.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Chao's cousin, an extremely-talented martial artist unsurpassed in the Doman styles of unarmed combat. Ku Fei was street smart, but academically dim, and was always amazed by the technological toys that Chao would create. Though never active in the Doman resistance, Ku Fei's pride in her ancestry and traditional mindset ensured that she considered the Garlean Empire a threat. The two were forcibly parted when Chao was conscripted by the Garlean Empire, but knowing her cousin, Chao is convinced that Ku Fei perished defending the homeland during The Reckoning.</div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Cid nan Garlond,</b> <i>Former Employer</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Pinnacle of Magitek.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Leader of the Garlond Ironworks, Cid was Chao's employer for most of the time she spent in Eorzea after defecting from the Garlean Empire. Though preferring to develop peaceful models of magitek to better the lives of the average Eorzean, Cid was full aware that weapon technologies like Chao's would also be instrumental in defending the realm against Garlemald, and so brought her into the Ironworks to assist in their development. When she made known her plans to formally create her own arms company, he wholeheartedly encouraged her to follow her ambitions, with the implicit understanding that the Ironworks would be full business partners with Misriah Armory.</div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Biggs,</b> <i>Former Coworker</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Instigator.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A Sea Wolf roegadyn working under Cid in the Ironworks, and largely the blame for why Chao has come to Eorzea and found employment with the Ironworks. Biggs led the Ironworks raiding team that helped Chao escape from Castrum Meridianum after she sabotaged the Ultimate Weapon, and later came to her as she was recovering and gave her the original tome that she once used to record her technological ideas in, while suggesting she apply at the Ironworks. He assisted with the development of her powered infiltrator armor prototype.</div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Wedge,</b> <i>Former Coworker</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Littlest Assistant.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Biggs' lalafell partner at the Ironworks, the timid little fellow is never far from his friend's side, and so has often spent much time in the company of Chao in her workshop at the Ironworks. Despite his talents more lying in the field of large magitek vehicles, he nevertheless faithfully assisted Chao and Biggs in their work on her powered armor.</div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>Unknown Garlean,</b> <i>Imperial Assassin</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color: black;" size="2">☠</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Nightshade.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A Garlean assassin known only to Chao by his codename, ''Nightshade'', this man is the most formidable foe she has ever faced. Aetherochemically augmented by Garlean experimentation, this shinobi possesses superior strength and agility than Chao, a more-advanced combat skin, and the ability to absorb aetheric attacks to empower himself. Wielding powered Allagan lightblades, the Nightshade was able to effortlessly defeat Chao, Myu, Satomi ''and'' a fourth combatant during the ambush outside Vylbrand Academy. Only his hubris allowed Chao to defeat him, grappling him in place long enough for her funnel to strike him at full power, an energy blast which he remarkably survived. He escaped the battle, and Chao knows that they will meet again in the future. His hatred of her is all-consuming, referring to her repeatedly as an animal; Chao assumes that he was experimented on by the Empire to create a soldier perfectly tailored to counter her.</div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; background: #b33730;font-size:12px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #000000;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center><B>PC</B></center></div>


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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Myu]]</b>, <i>Creation</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#FA70BC;" size="2">☀</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Realistic, Logical Ideologist.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">The very first of her kind, an autonomous, sentient combat automaton built by Chao in the likeness of a miqo'te. Newly-awakened to the world, her every new discovery is a source of pride for Chao, and her enthusiasm to learn always brightens her maker's day. Chao dotes on her like a beloved companion rather than the weapon of war that she is. </div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Grundy Byrde]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Unstoppable Force.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A roegadyn male and near-constant companion of Satomi, before the latter's untimely death. Since coming to Vylbrand Academy, Chao has stepped in an effort to fill Satomi's shoes in serving as Grundy's mentor and guide in the world, a role she does not feel she is adequately performing. Grundy is not an intelligent individual, due to having lived the majority of his life feral in the caves of Eastern La Noscea. He is, however, exceedingly kind, and possessed of a frightening combat strength; a strength that Chao intends to amplify by creating a set of powered armor for him. </div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Satomi Hakase]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#b72a78;" size="2">♦</font> <font style="color:#000000;" size="2">✝</font> <b>)</b> - <b>Science Sister.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A hyuran female and fellow researcher at the Garlond Ironworks. Due to working in different divisions, Chao and Satomi had not interacted prior to a chance meeting in the Quicksand, at which point they hit it off spectacularly well over their shared enthusiasm for science and magitek. After no small number of misadventures--many of them involving Satomi pulling Chao out of a self-created no-win scenario--Satomi was instrumental in finally getting Chao to settle at Vylbrand Academy, and the miqo'te has long since viewed the hyur as a sister. The news of her suspected death in the Sea of Clouds has left Chao gutted. </div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Kyrrae Liminia]]</b>, <i>Trusted Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Strategist.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A lalafellin mage associated with Vylbrand Academy, and Satomi's former lover. Though they've spoken barely a few sentences to each other, Chao considers him a trusted ally due to his association with Satomi. </div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Senel Curtis]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Serious.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">An occupant of Vylbrand Academy who has offered to provide raw materials to Chao in exchange for equipment augmentations. She's unsure if he's truly associated with the Academy or just a mercenary in their employ, but he shows concern for its members, and annoyance with those who bring undue harm onto themselves. </div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Isaudorel Dorr]]</b>, <i>Acquaintance</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fire Suicide Bomber.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">An elezen thaumaturge who showed up to thank her for assisting several of his guildmates several days earlier in determining whether or not a wine bottle had been poisoned. They struck up a conversation, during the course of which another elezen woman arrived and rather rudely accused Chao of being of purchasable companionship, which both she and Isaudorel found incredibly rude. Neither seemed to be too bothered by it though. After remarking on her combat style to him, he wished to see it in action, and so the two traveled to the Sagolii Desert for a spar. It was a draw by clever Fire III suicide-bombing. </div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Keero Ganajai]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Healer.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A male Keeper who serves as one of the primary medical staff for Vylbrand Academy. Intelligent and well-spoken, he has stated that he chose to move permanently into the home station setting in order to be able to be near his wife and soon-to-be child. Though not desiring powered armor, he has contracted Chao and Misriah for medical magitek devices. He has a profound fear of fire, which has prompted Chao to promise that she will never use her aetheric skills in his presence. </div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Zoey Holendoey]]</b>, <i>Trusted</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Icy Spitfire Detective.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Another lalafellin mage and freelance investigator, though it seems she too has become associated with Vylbrand as of late. Initially having hired Chao to find an individual on a farce, being played as a pawn initially set Zoey in poor standing with Chao. That job did, however, set the magitek prodigy on her course back toward association with Satomi. Afterwards, Zoey did apologize for misleading Chao and seems to have a great deal of trust--Chao would say an overabundance--in her. </div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Imogene Holmes]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Fancy Hat Paladin.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A hyuran swordswoman and resident at Vylbrand Academy. She favors Ironworks-crafted armor and has thus spoken with Chao on a few occasions regarding said equipment, as well as Chao's own battlesuit. Seems to be heavily-involved with security at the Academy. Due to The Other favoring Imogene's form while Chao was trapped in Phantasmagoria, and consequently causing her death no small number of times, Chao holds a slight irrational fear of Imogene. </div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Set Kattalakis]]</b>, <i>Business Associate</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>Red Left Hand.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">Daughter of a successful trading mogul, seems to be involved with financial affairs at the Academy, though this does not stop her from putting herself in harm's way. Due to an unknown past event, her left forearm and hand are replaced by a magitek prosthetic which Chao designed an enhanced model of. As payment, Set made a generous donation of gil which allowed Chao to form Misriah Armory. </div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[O'rahn Kevelan]]</b>, <i>Comrade</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6b6e72;" size="2">●</font> <font style="color:#CD950C;" size="2">$</font> <b>)</b> - <b>That Poor Cat.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">A male miqo'te living at Vylbrand who is involved with Set, often violently. Chao is reasonably sure the two are mated, but has not heard anything confirming either way. He seems to specialize in thievery, and so the set of powered armor Chao is building for him will take that into account. </div>
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! <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:12px; font-variant:small-caps;"><b>[[Kyra Tsukino]]</b>, <i>Commander</i>. <b>(</b> <font style="color:#692ab7;" size="2">★</font> <font style="color:#6B8E23;" size="2">✔</font> <b>)</b> - <b>The Boss.</b></div>
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| <div style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:11px;">The boss and headmistress of Vylbrand Academy, Kyra is a female miqo'te who is level-headed, soft-spoken, yet possesses an aura that marks it plain that only a fool would dare to cross her. Though she is typically only seen carrying a sword and shield, Chao suspects that her talents are not so one-dimensional. For reasons unknown, Kyra seems to possess an intrinsic faith in Chao, a faith that the magitek engineer is sure has been shattered by the revelation of her darker side. </div>
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</td></tr></table>

=Rumors=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>RUMORS</center></div></span></h3>

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<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''N P C'''</center></div></span></h3>
<p><div align=center><div style="font-family:Georgia;">Some of these rumors are untrue, speculation, or are greatly exaggerated.</div></div></p>

<div style="border:0px solid; padding:8px;">
<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #e56a2c; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Common Rumors - </b>''Easily overheard. Use these freely!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#e56a2c;" size="2">■</font> "All she ever does is sit in that corner with her nose buried in that journal of hers, muttering to herself and occasionally having some stew. Really odd one, that one." — ''Quicksand patron''.
: <font style="color:#e56a2c;" size="2">■</font> "She sure gave those Garleans a thumpin' they wasn't lookin' for. Guess that settles that as to whose side she's on." — ''Drowning Wench patron''.
</div>

<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #cc5e27; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Uncommon Rumors -</b> ''A little more difficult to hear. Use sparingly or ask first!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#cc5e27;" size="2">■</font> "Word is she used to be in the Garlean military. So as to whether she's absconded from their service or is here to spy on us, no one's yet figured." — ''Unknown''.
</div>

<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #b35222; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Rare Rumors -</b> ''Very rarely overheard. Please ask before using!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#b35222;" size="2">■</font> "There be ''two'' of that'n, I tells ye! At the very same time I had on good authority from a mate o' mine she was sittin' in the Quicksand, I seen another one answerin' to the same name head off toward the Imps (Imperials) outside Wineport. Only this'n was a hyur lass wearin' some sort o' strange armor. She waltzed in like she bloody owned the joint, and then there weren't nothin' but fire and explosions comin' from there, an' them screams weren't from a wee hyuran lass, either." — ''Drunken Storm Sergeant''.
</div>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:50%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''P C'''</center></div></span></h3>
<p><div align=center><div style="font-family:Georgia;">Feel free to add your own rumors to this section.</div></div></p>

<div style="border:0px solid; padding:8px;">
<div style="padding:10px 25px; background: #99461d; color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12px;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><b>◢ Player Character Rumors -</b> ''Some of these are more rare than others!''</div>
<div style="font-family:Georgia;">
: <font style="color:#99461d;" size="2">■</font> "She's Doman, no doubt about that. But the look in her eyes shows something unnatural. Not in a foul manner either, but one that draws you in and buys your trust. If anyone asks, I'd say you can rely on her." — ''[[Zoey Holendoey]]''.
</div>

</div></div></td></tr></table>

=Music & Gallery=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>MUSIC</center></div></span></h3>
<br>

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: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PvdVGAasrA Amazing]''
:: Artist: Aerosmith.
:: Origin: ''Get a Grip''
:: <small>Context: Character theme.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etksc3mrIQU Revival]''
:: Artist: Neil Davidge
:: Origin: ''Halo 4''
:: <small>Context: Magitek genius.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhdp14U2M_w Loose Ends]''
:: Artist: Hans Zimmer
:: Origin: ''Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2''
:: <small>Context: The hard decision.</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELD02QC025c Sacred Icon Suite 2]''
:: Artist: Marty O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori
:: Origin: ''Halo Legends''
:: <small>Context: Big damn heroes.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTLdoK_AU18 J-E-N-O-V-A]''
:: Artist: Nobuo Uematsu
:: Origin: ''Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children''
:: <small>Context: Intense battle.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr4eB0WOwN0 The Oath]''
:: Artist: Nobuo Uematsu
:: Origin: ''Final Fantasy VIII''
:: <small>Context: The bonds of sisterhood.</small>
</td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;width:33%;padding-right:10px; font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;">
: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9mQTmXxU8E I Burn]''
:: Artist: Jeff and Casey Lee Williams
:: Origin: ''RWBY''
:: <small>Context: Kung-fu wizard.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBfc0-KuDGE Maybe I'm a Lion]''
:: Artist: The Black Mages
:: Origin: ''The Skies Above''
:: <small>Context: Unleashed battle.</small>

: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYUbLkULtkk Something to Fight For]''
:: Artist: Sencit Music
:: Origin: ''Iron Man 3''
:: <small>Context: Facing her inner demon.</small>
</td>
</tr></table>

<br>

<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>GALLERY</center></div></span></h3>

<gallery>
File:ChaoMNK.png|Chao in traditional Doman martial art garb, which she began wearing in honor of her fallen cousin, Ku Fei.
File:SCIENCE.jpg|Chao and [[Satomi Hakase|Satomi]], science bros! (Non-canon instance)
File:Chaoff.jpg|Chao in the Quicksand, her usual haunt.
File:Showdown.jpg|Chao, Satomi, and their party face down the Ultimate Weapon (Non-canon instance).
File:Victory.jpg|By might and by right, Team Science defeats the menace (Non-canon instance).
File:SoItBegins.jpg|And on that day, the heavens trembled, as though the realm looked outward to see what awaited it, and found only terror.
File:Exchange.jpg|Reclaiming the personal tome she had left with Satomi, Chao leaves a letter of explanation in its place. (It's unlikely to be found for weeks)
File:Pensive.jpg|Chao looks back upon Vylbrand Academy, likely the last time she'll ever see it.
File:Ponderance.jpg|On a clear Mor Dhona night, Chao contemplates the Keeper of the Lake on her way to the Garlond Ironworks.
File:ChaoStory001.jpg|Confronted by a strange duo on the cliffs of Silvertear Lake.
File:ChaoStory002.jpg|Chao and Satomi discussing the current situation, as Kyrrae keeps watch for any interlopers. (Scene directed by JJ Abrams)
File:ChaoStory003.jpg|Armed with a new resolve, Chao swears her defiance to the corpse of the ''Agrius''.
File:ChaoStory004.jpg|Satomi is overcome with emotion at Chao's safety and change of heart.
File:ChaoStory005.jpg|As Satomi and Kyrrae confer, Chao looks toward the crystalline structure piercing the sky in Mor Dhona. ''"Soon..."'' the magitek genius thinks to herself.
File:ChaoStory006.jpg|Chao considers...something.
File:ChaoStory007.jpg|"Wait, ''you're'' bartending?"
File:ChaoStory008.jpg|Chao fiddles with her armor out of the way. Satomi's actually pretty good at this whole tending bar thing.
File:ChaoStory009.jpg|Except when she trips backwards and almost falls on Chao.
File:ChaoStory010.jpg|"''You!''"
File:ChaoStory011.jpg|Satomi has revealed her plans to run away, but there's a power-armored combat mage standing in the way.
File:ChaoStory012.jpg|A meeting to discuss acquiring extremely rare, and extremely powerful, Allagan technology.
File:ChaoDummy.jpg|Chao looks to test the effectiveness of her prototype funnel--affectionately known as 'Dummy'--in the rain, but the little guy's not cooperating.
File:ChaoStory013.jpg|The expedition is informed of recent occurrences in the ruin.
File:ChaoStory014.jpg|The first obstacle, a wandering Allagan defense sphere. Chao scavenged an undamaged laser coupler for Myu from it.
File:ChaoStory015.jpg|Aftermath of the battle with the bio-engineered snake.
File:ChaoStory016.jpg|Detailing their encounter in the first level.
File:ChaoStory017.jpg|An Allagan foundry!? This site will definitely merit returning to for further exploration.
File:ChaoStory018.jpg|The large ADS falls. An inspection of its innards reveals...a secondary core! Unprogrammed even!
File:ChaoStory019.jpg|Chao inspects her prize. But the man behind the expedition isn't willing to part with it...
File:ChaoStory020.jpg|Chao considers the implications of a hidden lift. What more could be in the depths of this ruin?
File:ChaoStory021.jpg|Wherever this lift leads, it is something the Allagans wanted protected.
File:ChaoStory022.jpg|With the expedition complete and the eyebrow-raising goals of Dogberry and the other man completed, Chao accepts her promised ADS core. Nothing can stop Project µ now!
File:ChaoUSH.jpg|Despite having been a stray living off Satomi's couch for several moons, Chao has little interacted with the occupants of Vylbrand Academy. ''Zoey'', of all people, plans to rectify this. By force.
File:ChaoStory023.jpg|First to the stage, Chao begins presenting her theory of ''pactio''.
File:ChaoStory024.jpg|With one volunteer ready, Chao selects the next victim.
File:ChaoStory025.jpg|Provisional contract complete! ...But these two don't seem suited to being partners.
File:ChaoStory026.jpg|Her part over, Chao observes the other presentations.
File:ChaoStory027.jpg|Aetheric means of reducing machine wear? She watches this presentation with great interest.
File:ChaoStory028.jpg|Satomi's combat mammet: fully-operational and armed....for dance?
File:ChaoStory029.jpg|Unfortunately, it's not to last. The ''real'' Grundy has mistaken the mammet for an enemy and demolished it.
File:ChaoStory030.jpg|While helping clean up the wreckage, Chao tells Academy resident Imogene a little about Project µ.
File:ChaoUSH2.jpg|Chao observes as Satomi tends to an unfortunate soul tortured by the Garlean Empire.
File:ChaoSatomi001.jpg|Chao makes fun of the fact that Satomi doesn't have any beds in her room/lab.
File:ChaoStory031.jpg|Standing her ground despite her nerves, Chao watches as Myu finally comes fully online.
File:ChaoStory032.jpg|Threatened by an Allagan-grade laser weapon was not how Chao planned to begin Myu's lifespan.
File:ChaoStory033.jpg|Showing Myu a Limsan sunrise.
File:ChaoStory034.jpg|Chao and Myu practice combatives while Satomi takes measurements.
File:ChaoStory035.jpg|Garlean attack! These assassins have come explicitly for Chao.
File:ChaoStory036.jpg|With the initial attackers defeated, the Vanguard trashed, and Myu damaged by a suicide explosive, the leader makes his move. To Chao's horror, it seems that everything she can do, he can do better.
File:ChaoStory037.jpg|In desperation to end the fight, Chao grapples with the enemy commander and orders her funnel to fire on him at maximum lethality setting, even if it means shooting through herself.
File:ChaoUSH03.jpg|After a failed AMRA system test, Chao inspects the pieces of the device as she listens to Senel and Set speak.
File:ChaoLab001.jpg|Chao in her research lab within Vylbrand Academy.
File:ChaoLab002.jpg|Chao contemplates one of her research projects, with her funnel drifting nearby.
File:ChaoUSH04.jpg|Chao speaks with O'rahn and Set about her projects.
File:ChaoUSH05.jpg|Performing an early test of the helmet for Grundy's powered armor.
File:ChaoUSH06.jpg|Speaking with Keero in the gardens, with O'rahn and Set nearby doing whatever it is they do.
File:ChaoUSH07.jpg|Following a power failure at the Academy, Chao readies the backup generator to be turned on for emergency power...and is not ignorant to Kyra standing within sword range behind her.
File:ChaoUSH08.jpg|Two weeks into her exile within her workshop, Chao has been somewhat neglecting the tidiness of her workspace.
File:ChaoMisriah001.jpg|Inspecting the results of another AMRA test, this one successful.
File:ChaoUSH09.jpg|After witnessing a successful voidsent exorcism, Chao offers to create a prosthetic eye for the victim. Magitek-enhanced, of course.
File:ChaoUSH10.jpg|Chao reveals the truth of her condition.
File:ChaoUSH11.jpg|Wholeheartedly apologizing for the incident in Southern Thanalan.
</gallery>

=OOC Notes=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>OOC NOTES</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=center><table style="position:center;" width="90%">
<tr>
<td style="width: 50%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3>
<div style="padding:10px 35px;background: #792521;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''OOC INFORMATION'''</center></div></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Player Note'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">'' ... ''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Personal RP Limits'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''I like to consider myself a flexible player who is willing to commit to a number of different types of scenes and role-play scenarios, but even I have my limits. If something is on the play list, assume it means yes, as long as it's within the context of the current play or ongoing plot. No's are typically a hard no, and it means don't ask, and if I'm in the mood for it, I'll be the one to initiate. '' </div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ '''''I will play''' mature content and themes (violence, drug / alcohol use) as long as they're logical in a plot-driven encounter. Coarse and excessive language. Temporary injury and incapacitation. Temporary imprisonment. Most walk-up encounters.''

: ■ '''''Ask about''' long-term and/or permanent injury and disfigurement. Long-term captivity or imprisonment. Temporary character death. Kidnap and/or abuse plots will require advance planning, as these can be seriously impacting, as well as take a significant amount of time to resolve on an infrequently played character.''

: ■ '''''I won't play''' permanent character death. ''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Disclaimer'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">'' Chao is my take on an existent character from the ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negima!_Magister_Negi_Magi Negima! Magister Negi Magi]'' manga by Ken Akamatsu. I have developed her from the ground up to fit within the FFXIV setting, while still maintaining as many similarities from the source material as possible.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ '' Chao is a technological and scientific prodigy. I am not. I try my best, but typically have to rely on technobabble more than I would like. ''

: ■ '' Chao is highly skilled in both unarmed combat and magic. Traditionally, my preferred means of RP combat has always been firearms or swords, so I'm sure I come across as an untalented hack to anyone more experienced in those combat fields. ''

: ■ '' Regarding nearly everything to do with Chao, she is the character with which I push the bounds of established lore. While I do nothing that has been directly contradicted by lore, she almost entirely operates in an extremely shadowy, unspecified zone regarding lore. Bear this in mind for interactive purposes. ''</div></div>

<td style="width: 50%;vertical-align: top;font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"><h3><span class="mw-headline">
<div style="padding:10px 35px; background: #b33730;font-size:14px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px black"><center>'''CHARACTER TIDBITS'''</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Potential Plot Hooks'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''Chao is a very busy individual. Even when I'm not actively playing her, she's always got something going on. While the below is by no means comprehensive, it's a kind of spring board for walk-up RP. I am more than open to longer-term RP plots that carry on over multiple sessions, all I ask is that you coordinate with me beforehand. I am nearly always willing to drop anything I'm doing and RP, even if I'm on another character.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ ''Chao was, until recently, a prominent weapons developer at the Garlond Ironworks.''

: ■ ''She has most recently opened her own weapons company, Misriah Armory. While no formal office location exists, she can typically be found in or around Vylbrand Academy in the Mist.''

: ■ ''She is a known member of Vylbrand Academy.''

: ■ ''Garlemald is still aware of her continued existence, and still wishes to see her killed for her actions against them.''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Character Lore Adherence'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''Information in this Wiki is Lore Compliant to the best of my knowledge pre-Calamity using Wikis, and lore-dredging on Google. Information that has been changed to better fit with the lore of XIV will be listed below as necessary.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ ''No changes required.''</div></div>

<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Tropes & Explanations'''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">''A trope is a convention or device that is often found in creative works. In this case, the tropes below describe the character either in part, or as a whole. Their background, personality, appearance, etc, most of them can be described in the tropes below.''</div></div>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:5px 15px;font-family:Georgia;color:#9c0d04;">
: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ActionGirl Action Girl] ''She's usually seen doing more fighting than science-ing.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BareFistedMonk Bare-Fisted Monk] ''Unarmed combat is her primary means of engaging the enemy. Though trained at the Ul'dah pugilist guild, her fighting style is a modified Doman style that favors kicks rather than strikes.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ClothesMakeTheSuperman Clothes Make the Superman] ''Her battlesuits are powered armor and provide her an incredible boost in combat potential and survivability, but she's by no means helpless without them.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CombatPragmatist Combat Pragmatist] ''When her foes want to run their mouths, she will very quickly demonstrate that talking is not a free action.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeadlyUpgrade Deadly Upgrade] ''Emphasis on the ''deadly'' part, as she is well aware that overusing Magia Erebia can destroy her soul. The one time she's used it to date, she wound up with a fragment of a primal living in her head.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EnemyWithin Enemy Within] ''An unintended side effect of absorbing the dissipating aether of Ifrit via Magia Erebia, a semblance of the primal was able to take residence within her mind. Though it lacks the ability to exert any proper power or temper her or others, it still whispers in the back of her mind and has, on one occasion, seized control of her body.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FacialMarkings Facial Markings] ''Par for the course given she's a miqo'te, but hers prominently glow when her aether seal is active, as another reference to her home series.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HeroicRROD Heroic RROD] ''Overusing Magia Erebia runs the risk of causing this effect on her. Sometimes, if she's caught unawares, the fragment of Ifrit bound to her soul will ''force'' this effect on her--even potentially out of combat--in order to seize control of her.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlayingWithFire Playing With Fire] ''When using magic, she only uses fire. Her aetheric aspect is so strongly tilted toward fire that she is in a permanent state of Astral Fire but does not suffer from the inability to recover mana when in that state.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RenaissanceMan Renaissance Girl] ''She can fight barehanded, with magic, with a gun (or any gun-type derivative weapon), cook, build all manner of stupendously-advanced magitek devices, strategize fairly well on the battlefield, and run arms companies.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SuperPoweredEvilSide Superpowered Evil Side] ''Arguable on how superpowered it is, as she's not inherently stronger when this side is released, but when the fragment of Ifrit residing in her soul seizes control, Dark Chao then proceeds to completely ignore such trivial niceties as "friendly fire" and is more than happy to expend all of her power in such a way that she achieves her objectives and immediately passes out.''

: ■ [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WillNotTellALie Will Not Tell A Lie] ''Though more an informed attribute as a throwback to her home series, Chao ''does'' remain remarkably honest about what she's doing at all times, occasionally finding that the truth of what she's doing often makes people disbelieve her. She is ''not'', however, above using misinformation and omission to achieve her goals.''
</div></div>

</tr></table></div>

=Credits=
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="General"><div style="font-family:Georgia;padding:10px 15px; background: #4d1715;font-size:16px;color:#ffffff; text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px black;letter-spacing:0.2em;"><center>CREDITS</center></div></span></h3>
<div align=justify><div style="padding:0px 10px; font-size:16px;color:#4d1715;font-family:Georgia;text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px silver;">'''Layout Information'''</div></div>
: <div align=justify><div style="padding: 2px 1px;font-size:13px; color:#9c0d04;font-family:Georgia;">The following is not entirely comprehensive, but contains general credits. Please leave the link-backs if you use this template!
::■ Original template by [[Bancroft Gairn]].
::■ Adapted by [[Xheja Rajhera]].
::■ Tabs by [[Unnamed Mercenary]].
::■ Expanded bits by [[Lucaell Tareth'eian]].
::■ Header image inspired by [[D'lyhhia Lhuil]].
::■ Music bits from [[J'karu Rhome]].
::■ Relationships & OOC notes by [[Glioca Sargonnai]].</div></div>
<headertabs />

[[Category: Player Character]]
[[Category: Balmung]]
[[Category: Miqo'te]]
[[Category: Miqo'te Seeker of the Sun]]
[[Category: Doman]]