Amalric Farstrike

[edit] Details Personality Relationships Rumors Gallery OOC Notes GENERAL INFORMATION Amalric did not choose the mercenary lifestyle. Instead, it chose him, through years of unfortunate circumstance leaving him with little else to rely on beyond his gifts his blood has given him. He was born near Ala Mhigo, but most of his memories are of Thanalan with the thousands of other refugees scratching out a meager existence in the arid region. With Ul'dah and its territory flooded with desperate people willing to risk their lives for a pittance, life was hard for him and for his father and elder sister. They had fled from the Garleans, but as time passed, that safety was became a small, diminishing comfort. It was not all terrible times for the young Amalric; there were childhood friends and holidays and other occasions to smile, but it was truly window-dressing for a bleak and uncertain future. Over time, his father slowly drifted from honest work, into less-honest work, into scarcely any work at all as his health failed him. Amalric's sister's fate was, as it is rumored, just as sad. Neither lives; Amalric has been on his own for a long time now, and he has had to fall back on the things that Highlanders are known for to make his way in the world. He is not one to dwell, but this lack of roots - no homeland, no close family, and a line of work that can take him anywhere - has always made for a man alone, adrift at sea. Whether that will change, only the gods truly know. APPEARANCE As Highlanders go, Amalric is a typical example of his people, with darkened skin, a strong build, and a habit of shaving away his eyebrows. His flesh is marred with scars from wounds both old and recent, indicative of the hard life he has lived. Portions of his back are especially scarred from burns, but he isn't keen to talk about the cause of it. He sometimes gets self-conscious when shirtless due to them, but the roughness of clothing against the sensitive, rough scarring is sometimes enough to make him just put up with prying eyes. Lightly armored but always armed, Amalric is usually dressed in something bland if you're seeing him in daylight. Sometimes it helps to blend in - as much as a Highlander can in some places, anyway. If he's wearing much color at all, expect it to be green. When in social situations, he's likely to wear something that exposes his muscled arms, which he contends is his best feature. In battle, he values function over form, eschewing any sense of fashion if wearing something else would be more practical. This usually means a lot of leather for maximum mobility. As for weapons, he favors a polearm when working, but is also capable enough with hand-to-hand or daggers, if the occasion calls for it. In all cases, the weapons lack much ornamentation and the spear in particular looks to be rather old, though cared-for. PERSONALITY Character Diamond: Practical, Opportunistic, Myopic, Self-Interested Amalric is an exceedingly focused man at his core: he lives to survive, nothing more and nothing less. This attitude is a habit of living with constant scarcity. He never turns down a free meal or bed, and while he's as fair and forthright as he can afford to be with those he sees as equals, he can be aloof or cagey around those he perceives as having power or authority. He eschews religious or political beliefs; at the end of the day, he feels that holding strong ideals or ethics can only get in the way of doing what needs to be done to make it to tomorrow. He's not without a moral center, and he does feel remorse, guilt, and/or shame when the occasion calls for it, such as when the job he takes means he's going to shaking down someone that might not deserve it or even have the means to fight back. Mercenaries are just as often hired by those with ill intentions as good ones, after all, but a mercenary with too many ethical objections is a mercenary that goes hungry, so he tries to put it aside and remind himself of the necessity. Despite his insistence that he holds nothing sacred, though, he does hold a few standards: he will not betray a real friend, kill a child, or do any job that would benefit a slave trade, against whom he holds strong grudge. In the end, though, this single-minded focus on himself and his needs has left very little room for anything else. He rarely plans anything beyond the horizon of next week, choosing to enjoy moments for what they are instead of trying to build them into something better. In truth, he may not even know how to do anything else. Deep thought has always been a luxury he couldn't afford. L I K E S ■ Foods. A good meat stew and a glass of mulled wine would make his night. ■ Color. Green, mostly. Sometimes yellow if he's feeling really, really colorful. D I S L I K E S ■ Idealism. "You know what's more important than your ideals? Living." ■ Gridanians. He doesn't hate them or anything, but their smug elemental nonsense rubs him all the wrong ways. H O B B I E S ■ Bounty Hunting. Technically, it's work, but the challenge of bagging something (or someone) powerful and rare enough to get a price on their head is a thrill. ■ Self-Indulgences. If there's one thing that someone who's not used to having money is bad at, it's trying not to spend it all on frivolous, temporary luxuries. S T R E N G T H S ■ Tough. He's been through a lot of scrapes, many of them he started himself, and come out the other side alive. ■ Adaptable. He's got flexible morals and a variety of weapons for any situation. Sure, he's not a specialist, but if you could afford that, you wouldn't be coming to him. W E A K N E S S E S ■ Uneducated. He can read and do simple arithmetic... and that's about it. While he's not stupid, he certainly hasn't shown much intellectual curiosity or initiative, either. Topics such as history or philosophy will fly right on over his head. ■ Rash. There's two things about a general lack of forethought. The good thing is, he never misses out on a good opportunity. The bad thing is, he never misses out on a bad one, either. M O T I V A T I O N ■ Money. Unsurprisingly, he's more interested in eating and sleeping comfortably than just about anything. ■ Challenge. When he has the latitude to do so, expect him to be seeking out something interesting or someone to butt heads with. He likes to test his limits. RELATIONSHIP STATUS LEGEND ♥ Platonic – ♥ Involved – ♥ Interested – ♥ Attracted – ✔ Positive – ✖ Negative – ● Neutral – � Unsure – ✝ Deceased FAMILY Sassur, father. (✝) Character's Thoughts: "He should never have left if this was the life he planned for us." Sassur took Amalric and Kemma when he escaped the Garleans, raising the two in Thanalan instead. The difficult upbringing has left Amalric with conflicted feelings about the man, even long after his death. Merethe Farstrike, mother. (✝) Character's Thoughts: "I sometimes remember her in my dreams." A fierce lancer, Merethe stayed behind to fight the Garleans in Ala Mhigo as her husband and children fled. She was never heard from by any of them again. Amalric took her name in her memory instead of earning his own. Kemma, older sister. (✝) Character's Thoughts: "I hope that she rests easy now." Without their mother, Kemma took an active role in helping to raise the younger Amalric. Her fate remains a sore spot for Amalric to this day. Ethla Defiant, aunt. (●) Character's Thoughts: "That busybody needs to leave well enough alone." Aunt Ethla is Amalric's closest living relative. Also a refugee in Thanalan, she checks in on Amalric from time to time, much to his chagrin. The woman is in poor health, but she never misses an opportunity to preach about the virtues of resisting the Garleans. Ilsabet Wildshot, cousin. (♥) Character's Thoughts: "I hope she hasn't had any 'accidents' lately..." Daughter of Ethla, Ilsabet is a promising thaumaturge. True to her adopted surname, however, she wasn't always as precise with her aim as she is today. She is close to Amalric's age and the two grew up together. Unlike her cousin, though, Ilsabet is a supporter of the resistance. FRIENDS Cynelith / "Tullia", Revolutionary. (✝) Character's Thoughts: "I will never forget her. Never." As a youth, Cynelith made a living out of conning wealthy visitors to Ul'dah out of their gil, a skill she taught well to the other Foundlings. She and Amalric were particularly close, and his younger self was devastated when she disappeared without a trace. Years later, he heard from her out of the blue and they struck up a frequent correspondence. Sadly, this had come to a sudden end at her death - an event in which Amalric holds no small part of responsibility. He is still in mourning over her. Saldgeim Wynsathwyn, Empty Star (✔) Character's Thoughts: "Doesn't act her age. Not even close." The two of them are, in some ways, both fish far out of water amongst the opulence of life at the Host Club, a theme that has caused them to clash and bond at a faster rate than one would expect two strangers to do. They've handled this in quite different ways, but all the same, they lean on each other constantly to get through the emotional gauntlet that comes with becoming a Star. Yhah Dazkar, Vanquished Star (♥) Character's Thoughts: "A small light in my darkness." How does a character that can't speak well and a character that can't read well make fast friends? Such is the impressive charm of Yhah, who has the amazing skill to disarm Amalric's grumpy nature with endless antics. In short order, he has found himself to be quite attached to her, and when he can find few reasons to smile, she can provide one. Yvain Desrosiers, Lofty Star. (♥) Character's Thoughts: "He's... a beautiful puzzle that I can't seem to find all the pieces for." A Sharlayan mage, Yvain would likely never have crossed paths with Amalric, given how different they are - except that they are both "stars" at the Host Club. Drawn together despite warring like fire and ice, the two were in each other's company so often that it became obvious their relationship had a different dimension. What exactly that relationship is seems impossible to define at the moment, as with most things, their feelings seem to be at odds. Given any time around Amalric, one would easily be able to tell he is falling for the elezen, but if one instead met Yvain, one might never know there was any fondness there at all. ASSOCIATES D'ranmaia Shenn, Least Star (●) Character's Thoughts: "Suspiciously far too nice to me." Maia is the kind owner of the Host Club that has, by some decree of fate, offered Amalric room and board in the large estate she holds in the Goblet - asking for nothing in return. This degree of unbidden generosity makes him very, very uncomfortable, as it feels like charity, but he's not in a position to turn down a free bed. Over time, he has started to find reasons to respect her, and even care about her well-being. Flora Valerian, Naivete Star (●) Character's Thoughts: "What a difficult... mysterious woman she is." Flora had the misfortune of having to be the messenger that brought the unwilling Amalric into the Stars. Their relationship has been nothing but contentious ever since, as the two share much in background but have chosen completely different paths and ideologies. He is slowly learning, though, that while they may never seen eye-to-eye, she is ultimately an indispensable ally. J'loh Tia, Rat Star (●) Character's Thoughts: "And Sald thinks -I'm- the asshole?" J'loh has become an ever-increasing sight around the estate, and he's usually being troublesome or rude while he's there. Amalric suspects that the man is smarter than he lets on, and in some ways, J'loh's detached and uneducated nature reminds him of himself - an uncomfortable realization, and one that makes him forgive slights that he would never let pass unmentioned from others. Nadegenne, Foundling Betrayer. (✖) Character's Thoughts: "Those were both the brightest and darkest days of my life, when Nadegenne ran the Foundlings... I can't believe what she's become, now." Amalric ran with Nadegenne's gang of misfit youth for about two years before its disbandment, and her fate was unknown until very recently, when she suddenly plucked Amalric off the docks in Limsa and contracted him for a job. That job, he discovered to his horror, was working for the Garleans, and it led to the death of a dear friend. He has since vowed to find Nadegenne and exact justice for her trickery. AQUAINTANCES Fehlis Yhonli, Saucer Wizard? (●) Character's Thoughts: "Enthusiastic enough, but why does she talk like that?" The two of them were paired up during a Host Club outing to the Golden Saucer. Despite his initial thought that she was dimwitted due to her referring to herself in the third person, Fehlis went on to utterly school him in nearly every game on the property - earning his respect. Khunbish Adarkim, Healer? (●) Character's Thoughts: "Odd, but at least I'm glad he's around." Most of Amalric's interactions with Khunbish come from Amalric's frequent visits to the infirmary. Amal isn't a fan of Khun's choice in women, but so far he's concluded the Au Ra is a standup dude. Nihka Mioni, Hearthmaster? (●) Character's Thoughts: "Lovely voice... there are worse things to hear over the linkpearl." The most notable facet of their interactions has been the way Nihka sings. He isn't sure what to make of her, beyond that she seems completely comfortable with the "star" arrangement - an unsettling prospect. Still, he is fond of her young cub, Sehki, whom he seems to have befriended. Noveh'to Zhoba, Foundling Brigade. (�) Character's Thoughts: "I wonder what he's up to these days..." A miqo'te of mysterious background, Noveh'to had the quickest hands and smoothest tongue of anyone in the Foundlings. While he and Amalric were never close, Amalric owes him his life for getting them all out of sticky situations. He disappeared after the dissolution of the gang. Sasamuni Kapamuni, Smuggler. (✖) Character's Thoughts: "If I ever see him again, I'll kill him." A shadowy merchant with whom the Foundlings used to work. It is highly suspected that Sasamuni was the one that set up the Foundlings in order to save his own skin with the authorities. Afterward, he left Ul'dah and Amalric has not seen him since. As of late, Amalric has begun to doubt what he believed was the truth about the betrayal. Thundering Word, Foundling Brigade. (�) Character's Thoughts: "He frightened me, but it frightened me more when he was caught." A serious-minded Hellsguard with incredible magical talent, Amalric often was accompanied by Thundering Word on Foundling jobs. He was caught by the authorities and sentenced to the oubliette. His fate is unknown. RUMORS N P C Please note: Any of these rumors may be untrue, speculative, or greatly exaggerated, and should not be treated as factual unless confirmed by the character. ◢ Common Rumors - Easily overheard. Use these freely! ■ "A troublesome child to be sure, and not much better now. A poor upbringing's to blame, I'd say." - Thanalan trader ■ "He's got his mother's eyes... and borrowed her name, too. Don't tell anyone I told you, though!" - his Aunt Ethla ■ "I heard he pissed off the Resistance, and that's why he stays away from Little Ala Mhigo." - Little Ala Mhigo resident ■ "Yeah, he comes by to pester the mail Moogle at least once a week, but most of the time he walks away empty-handed." - Yellowjacket ◢ Uncommon Rumors - A little more difficult to hear. Use sparingly, or ask first! ■ "Careful, he's so aggressive that the Elementals threw him out of the Twelveswood! You know how Highlanders are." - Ul'dahn mercenary ■ "Yeah, he's cute, I suppose, if you ignore the eyebrows, but heed my warning, you do not want to get involved. He's got... issues." - Limsa Lominsan barmaid ■ "A shame what happened to his sister. Oh, you didn't know? His father sold her to slavers." - Quicksand patron ◢ Rare Rumors - Very rarely overheard. Please ask before using! ■ "He tried to go straight once, joined the Miner's Guild and everything. They threw him out after a month. You'd think a refugee would be more grateful for a job and work to keep it." - Thanalan ore prospector P C Readers: feel free to add your own rumors to this section. The rumor does NOT have to be true - just keep it reasonable to the interaction you've had with the character. ◢ Player Character Rumors - Some of these are more rare than others! ■ "A good man. Even if he will not believe it." — Yvain Desrosiers. ■ "[Very gentle and kind. He's just scared, and needs people to cook him a home made meal every now and then.]" — Yhah Dazkar. ■ "Rumor." — Rumormonger. Short Stories ■ A Purse of Gil - Amalric learns Kemma's fate (~15 years ago, as seen through Star dreams) ■ Unfinished Business - The leader of the Foundlings re-emerges from hiding (present day) ■ And It Hurts With Every Heartbeat - From lovesick youth to disillusioned adult (~13 through ~2 years ago, as seen through Star dreams) ■ Trapped in Time - Letters back and forth from Cynelith (present day) Artwork Screenshots ಌ OOC NOTES ಌ OOC INFORMATION Player Note Amalric is a new character to Balmung as of January 2017. As such, some information is lacking, as he hasn't had enough interactions with others to fill it out further. Please feel free to seek him out for RP - I would rather RP with you than do gameplay! Please note that, while he is being actively leveled, he may not be of a high enough level or have the expansions necessary to RP in all locations. Thanks for reading! Availability Usually online between 7pm and 11pm Central most nights, with sporadic daytime availability on weekends. Not opposed to "scheduling" RP for other times if I'm available to do so. Personal RP Limits I generally try to be flexible with others, and I care more about the craft of storytelling more than I care about arbitrary limits on what "good" roleplay is supposed to be. Let me explain: I do value lore highly, as do I value the concept of keeping a character's ideas and wants separate from my own. However, I will bend (not completely break, but within limits) the rules of best practice if it helps make a valuable or interesting roleplay scene. For example, I might send a character to an event just for the sake of going for my own fun, and without too much care of whether my character would want to be there. Similarly, I have a tolerant attitude towards characters and concepts that teeter on the fringe of community-accepted lore, and won't break off an RP connection just because I find out your character is outside the norm (even if it isn't something I would roleplay for myself). The best policy is simply just to communicate with me OOC if you're worried about anything RP-related. You'll find me to be accommodating, on the whole. ■ I will play... Most things, so long as they're communicated about OOC if they're seriously character-altering. I'll do romance, and I will let the characters break up or cheat on one another if it makes sense, and won't take it personally. I'll do fight scenes, and I will let my character lose if that makes for a better scene or the dice rolls aren't on his side. I'll let my character get sick or injured (even seriously!) or down on his luck. I'll let him be hired out by both good guys and bad guys and everyone in-between. I'll be the boring security guard at your party if you need one and I'm not doing anything else that night. In short: just ask. The odds are in your favor that I'll work with you. ■ I won't play... Graphic scenes of the sexual or violent variety (or the sexually violent variety for that matter). Additionally: I don't like children in my roleplay. This is a Japanese RPG so characters capable of kicking butt and acting like adults is probably a bit younger than the norm, but if you're RPing your character as a minor (as in, someone that still should be in someone's guardianship, roughly under age 15 or so) I will politely steer clear of that character. This differs from someone playing a character that HAS a child that is invisibly doing whatever it is children do somewhere in the background of a scene, that's fine. I just don't enjoy engaging with kids, sorry, not even IRL. Personal preference. Character Lore Adherence The information in this profile is intended to be within the realm of reasonable possibility in a Final Fantasy title and without major contradictions in known XIV lore. Amalric is currently involved in the storyline of the Rendezvous of Stars linkshell, which contains fantastical plot elements that are set apart from the official plot of XIV, but are not (to my knowledge) incompatible with the world state, nor give him any particular special powers or distinction outside of the bounds of the plot itself. If you find any of this information to be incorrect, please do not hesitate to let me know, as I strive to be lore-compatible, and wish to be up-front with any elements that might not be acceptable to stricter lore adherents. PLOT HOOKS Backstory Hooks I am definitely interested in creating opportunities for characters to have heard of or met Amalric in the past. If anything catches your eye below, feel free to contact me to set up an association. ■ Ala Mhigo: As referenced in this profile in more than a few places, Amalric is originally from Ala Mhigo. He was a young child at that time, so it's unlikely your character would know him pre-Garlean occupation, but you might have run into him, his father, or his sister in the refugee-filled area of Little Ala Mhigo approximately sometime between 10-20 years ago. He has not, however, visited often in the past decade. His aunt and cousin still live in Little Ala Mhigo and may have mentioned him, but they do not share his surname, so one would not automatically know the connection between them. Also to note, he is not connected with the resistance movement at this time. ■ Petty Ul'dahn Crime: Around 12-15 years ago, Amalric ran with a "gang" of misfit teenagers that called themselves "The Foundling Brigade". Some of the NPCs are listed in his Relationships section, but there were undoubtedly a few more members. The size of this gang was left intentionally vague for the purpose of backstory connection with others PCs. If your character was 1) a teenager in the Ul'dah region at the right time (12-15 years ago), and 2) the kind to get into trouble with pickpocketing, cons, minor destruction of property, or the like, you're welcome to add the Foundlings to your backstory - just please contact me first so we can detail out their involvement. ■ La Noscean Mercenary. For most of the past 10 years, Amalric has been a lance-for-hire operating primarily out of Limsa Lominsa and all over Vylbrand, and has shed most of his more criminal leanings in favor of legitimate work (though not all of his employers have been law-abiding, the letter of law can be a bit messy in a freetrading haven). There are innumerable ways that you might have met or seen Amalric during this time period. Perhaps you hired him to protect goods or stand guard, or to retrieve "lost cargo", or clear a road. Maybe he was a guy you occasionally saw at The Drowning Wench when times were good or sleeping on a crate at the docks when they weren't. Maybe you patched him up after a job gone wrong, or fixed his weapons, or sold him a new vest. Just about anything is possible. This backstory connection requires very minimal OOC details to work out. Present-Day Hooks Things that are happening to Amalric right now that one could get involved in... ■ Host Club: Amalric has unwittingly found himself in the company of the Stars of the Rendezvous Host Club. On the days the property is open to the public, one might easily find him there. ■ More to Come? One can only hope.

ಌ INFORMATION ಌ Name - Amalric Farstrike Race - Hyur/Highlander Age - 30 Name Day - 32st Sun of the 3rd Umbral Moon Deity - Rhalgr, the Destroyer ■ Alias: "Ric", "Sundown", "The Lowly Star" ■ Citizenship: Ala Mhigo (refugee) ■ Occupation: Mercenary ■ Hair color: Auburn ■ Eye color: Hazel ■ Complexion: Dark ■ Marks or tattoos: Many limb scars; prominant burn scars on his back. Odd tattoo on his chest. ■ Alignment: Chaotic neutral ■ Sexuality: Bisexual ■ Beliefs: No strong beliefs ■ Free Company: None at present ■ Linkshell(s): Rendezvous of Stars Template made by Abagail Graves and free for use!