Vaughn Antain

The information on this page is mostly OOC knowledge, and contains spoilers. If you wish to be involved in any of his past, please message first. Thank you!

Vaughn Antain
Gender	Male
Race	Elezen
Clan	Wildwood
Citizenship	Unaffiliated
Height/Weight	6 fulms 4 ilms/145 ponz
Server	Balmung

Vaughn Antain is a short and willowy Wildwood Elezen, specialized in stealth, archery, and assassination. However, he is not prideful as most of his race is, and is rather content being in the background. His odd behavior has led to many strange reactions, most often being mistrust.

Character

General

Full Name: Vaughn Auréle Antain
Nickname(s): Pretty Boy, Blondie
Race: Wildwood Elezen
Age: 34 (estimated)
Occupation(s): Companion, pirate, archer, bard
Relationship Status: in a committed relationship

Appearance

Skin: fair, smooth as porcelain
Hair: thick but silky, golden blonde in color
Eyes: vibrant green
Distinguishing Features: small tattoo on his right heel (a purple rose), small brand on his left hip (Blood Nymph pirate crew symbol), organic scarification on his right pec, usually dressed in fine silks

Behavior

Motivation: Helping those in need
Temperament: Mostly calm, but becomes angry when a friend is threatened
Fear(s): his own emotions, love
Negative Trait(s): appears closed off, neurotic, can be a bit too blunt
Sexuality: Pansexual

Combat

General

Vaughn is a marksman of all disciplines. Since he was young, he has shown an affinity to throwing weapons, granting himself a set of silver daggers fashioned with the intricate emblem of the Desert Rose, the brothel in which he was raised. His precision with the thrown weapons was helpful in learning the bow when he was bought by a pirate. He has continued through the years to show a gift for archery, thrown weapons, and pistols.

Tendencies

Likes

• cooking
• gardening
• singing/playing his lap harp
• spending time with friends

Dislikes

• mean people
• the color grey

Hobbies/Talents

• Sings with a light tenor.
• Often plays on his lap harp, intricately carved mahogany in the shape of a dragonfly.
• Is a very talented artist, creating works with uncanny realism.

Relationships

Family

Father: Ambroise Antain (deceased)
Mother: Thalandria Velengrais (deceased)
Brother: Holiander Antain (half-brother, deceased)

Associations

Sasha Levvine: The lively daughter of Madame Levvine was Vaughn's closest friend at the brothel they were raised. However, they have not seen each other since Captain von Kanton bought him. He wonders about her well-being often.
Captain Ateryu Mica von Kanton: The pirate Captain bought Vaughn from the brothel for his own amusement. At first, it was handy having your own personal whore, but then the passion turned to abuse. Vaughn spent much of the plunder he stole from the Captain to pay for healers to undo the intensive scarring left by the lash and leather collar he was hung by as punishment for disobeying orders. Captain von Kanton was Vaughn's first obsessive love, placing him a god among men in his eyes. Though the Captain made him do the most horrific deeds, Vaughn loves him still.
R'shesha Otharn: This young miqo'te was the first person in two years to walk up to Vaughn and talk to him. While he was extremely shy at first, R'shesha became someone he could confide in. He cares for her deeply.
Nihka Mioni: Another miqo'te who was there when he met R'shesha. Though she didn't speak much to him at first, he took a liking to her, and now calls her one of his dearest friends.
Clouse Sydonis: While the hyur was kind at first, Vaughn has been distrusting him more and more. However, he still likes the man, and considers him a friend. This inner conflict seems to be stemming from elsewhere, rather than from anything Clouse has done.
Jaques Guillaume: This Duskwight, while often stand-offish towards Vaughn, still seems to tolerate him being around. Vaughn has a deep admiration for Jaques, and offers the Duskwight his assistance freely.
Jael Laksha: While this hyur is liked by Vaughn, and they seem to have pleasant conversations, he is not trusted. This may stem to the same reason Clouse is becoming untrusted.
Ashe En'vale: Ashe...oh, Ashe. This charismatic hyur seems to be drawing Vaughn in deeper into his web of destruction. Whenever he's with the man, Vaughn becomes a puppet to his every whim. It is that realization Vaughn doesn't trust himself much around him, as his chaotic nature is reminiscent of Captain von Kanton. This has not gone unnoticed, and makes Vaughn more paranoid around the Facets.
An'nai Tir'Atha: This miqo'te and Vaughn had a near instant connection based on how they grew up. He envies and admires An'nai for his independent spirit, hoping to better himself on the miqo's example. Lately, the miqo has not been seen, and Vaughn worries for his well-being.

Rumors

Common Rumors

• Was born and raised in the Desert Rose brothel in the deep undercity of Ul'dah. He left twelve years ago.
• Traveled with a small-time, but merciless, pirate crew on their ship, The Blood Nymph, for ten years.
• Spends most of his time around Limsa Lominsa working with Maelstrom.

Moderate Rumors

• May share an inn room in Limsa Lominsa with his partner. This has not been confirmed, however.
• Has a tendency to switch sides of a battle if payed enough. Payment may not necessarily mean gil, either.

Rare Rumors

• While a pirate, he murdered many people, including his parents and his brother.
• He may have been involved in a certain noble's downfall and eventual assassination.

PC Rumors

• "Antain? Not much goin' on upstairs, not since th' Cap'n up 'n dis'peared." --Truder, former Blood Nymph pirate
• "You know, I could have sworn he was a woman, the way he carried himself, the way he dressed. Much, much too pretty for any man to be." --overheard from a hyur man
• "-uncontrollable laughter-" --Callistus, Stoneshaper of Ul'dah

History/Timeline

Early Life

The Desert Rose

The Desert Rose, an underground brothel hidden in Ul'dah, boasts pleasures for any taste. It is a place of debauchery, unregulated by Thanalan law, and run by the ruthless business woman, Madame Tatyana Levvine. Though it is not often addressed, every companion (also known illegitimately as "whore") is considered as and treated like a slave, and have their own hierarchy.

Every companion at the Rose bears the same rose-shaped tattoo on the heel of their right foot, but are one of four different colors based on status. Those with the black rose are those who were not born to the brothel and are there to work off a debt of some sort. They are not allowed to partake in any sexual activity while indebted, and the Madame usually turns them out as soon as the debt is paid, so as not to "blacken the pool" of desired companions.

Second in the hierarchy are those with a green rose. These are slaves born into the brothel but found lacking in either attractiveness or demeanor. These are the people seen distributing the others with tea, food, and whatever else is needed, and do not partake in any of the events.

A red rose determines those who were born in the brothel and used as companions. This is the most common mark in the Desert Rose.

Finally, at the top of the hierarchy, are those with a purple rose. These companions have been deemed worthy to mate and create children, and are the highest in value, therefore, the most expensive. There are very few of these companions, usually about eight males (one for every race and sub-type) and twenty-four females. However, numbers fluctuate depending on if the Madame deems a child of a mated pair to exceed her high standards of attractiveness, demeanor, and pliability.

Each mark of those born into the brothel are determined and inked when the child becomes of age to work at fifteen years old.

What It Was To Be Family

Vaughn was born the only child of Thalandria Velengrais and the first child of Ambroise Antain, two of the Wildwood resident companions picked to be parents based off certain qualities each had. He was then handed off to a wet nurse so his mother could get back to her shape and work again. Still, Thalandria would sneak in at night to care for her child, wanting to know what it felt like to be part of a normal family.

When Thalandria was caught feeding her child, Madame Levvine took her to the "dungeon" and punished her for her insolence. She was whipped and had her mammary sacks removed so the incident could not happen again. They were replaced with a soft, pliable substance to maintain the shape and softness of real breasts, but she would never again be able to feed a child. After all, she was not meant for caring for children; she just needed to make them.

Ambroise, on the other hand, was encouraged to be Vaughn's role model and teach him what it was to be a companion. The lessons started when Vaughn was two years old. He learned to do the basic duties such as cleaning, serving tea, and aesthetics. Between showing at an early age to have a knack for beautiful color and pattern combinations, and his pale and soft complexion, Vaughn earned the nickname "Marthette", or "Little Lady".

Even though Ambroise followed every rule and was considered to be the most well-behaved companion, he did have a small rebellious streak. When Vaughn was three years old, he became the older brother to Ambroise's and Cosette Nâdiya's son, Holiander. This one transgression, as Cosette bore a red mark, had Madame Levvine castrate Ambroise and remove the purple mark on his heel, replacing it with a green one.

After witnessing such an event, three-year-old Vaughn did what he could to keep himself out of trouble. He did whatever he was told to do as soon as he was told to do it. Ambroise still trained him and Holiander, as was his duty.

Unlike Vaughn, Holiander was rambunctious and payed little attention to what was expected of him. This didn't become apparent until the boys were ten and seven, respectively. It was around this time when Holiander started showing signs of illness, which Madame Levvine called proof of ill-breeding.

Holiander

Vaughn did everything he could to keep his little brother out of the Madame's sights. Though it became easier when Holiander fell ill, it just made Vaughn even more worried for him. By the time he was nine, Holiander had a difficult time breathing. By ten, he couldn't walk.

The years seemed to degrade him more and more, until he was completely bedridden with constant fevers by the time he was fourteen. His skin and hair blanched to stark whiteness, and his usually bright aqua eyes were a pale shade of blue.

Holiander

Vaughn, now seventeen, grew into a beautiful young man. In contrast to his half-brother, he had shining golden hair and brilliant green eyes. Though he had a fair complexion, it shone with a subtle golden glow. These qualities had Madame Levvine give him the purple mark, making him take the place of his once-beloved father.

However, he still couldn't leave Holiander to his fate. Vaughn resorted to stealing the jewelry in Madame Levvine's private quarters whenever he was invited back there for recreation. Any gift that he was given by a patron was just as quickly turned into the markets for gil. Even his best friend of the Rose, Madame Levvine's own daughter Sasha, helped with collecting valuables to sell during monthly trips to market. Everything Vaughn could save was spent on concoctions from the alchemists to try and heal Holiander.

For a while, it didn't seem to work. Holiander became delusional and saw those around him as demons trying to take his life. Except for Vaughn. He saw his older brother as the one guardian angel he could trust, and would only eat or drink if it came from Vaughn, or "Aulucien" ("Golden Light") as Holiander called him.

Holiander started to recover eight months into his treatments, as Vaughn became able to discern what his illness actually was. It took an additional two months after that before the fevers would subside and Holiander could think once again. Unable to remember his name, he started to call himself "Alaire". Vaughn corrected him on multiple occasions, but Holiander didn't like the way it sounded. Instead, to satisfy his brother, he decided to go by "Holi" as it sounded happier.

Life as a Pirate

Show text

(OOC) This section is not done, and contains information to remind me of what happened. It will be expanded upon when I am able.

<spoiler> My first twenty years were relatively uneventful. I stayed in the brothel I was born in, and was forced to become one of the few male "companions" when I became of age at fifteen. Though I made the brothel quite the sum, I never saw a gil. Still, I was fed, clothed (however little it was due to the job), and had a roof over my head, so I couldn't complain much.

During my time, I met Jerrah Garalad, a lovely Thanalan woman. She had beautiful, sun-kissed brown skin and dyed parts of her dark hair red. What drew me to her the most, though, were her brilliant blue eyes. They sparkled when she laughed, and she laughed often. She became the one glimmer of hope for a normal life, and we were soon engaged. She promised me I would never be someone else's property. Soon after our engagement, the Madame of the brothel kept me under lock and key, making Jerrah think I abandoned her. At least, that's what her letters said.

It took five years for someone to take pity on me, for whatever little it was worth. Looking back, it wasn't pity but possessive, but I'll get to that soon enough. He was the captain of a pirate vessel and took me aboard to be his personal plaything. He paid quite the price, and he liked to remind of it often. The Captain was mostly kind to me, teaching me the basics on how to fight, but he made certain I was ever mindful of my place.

Ten years passed with the Captain, and no matter how viscous or manipulative he was, I am not proud to admit I loved him. He murdered thousands, forced me to make my first kill (my own brother), and treated me like scum in front of his crew. Behind closed doors, however, he was passionate, and knew exactly what to say to keep me in his company. I was ever the foolish one.

The time came when I finally mustered the courage to stand up for myself. The Captain was sleeping in his bed, exhausted from the day of village slaughter followed by his forceful ways with me. I slowly crawled out of our bed to the nightstand where he kept his rusty, dull dagger. He loved to use that to torture innocents. Anyway, I picked it up, and after stifling my own tears, I plunged the dagger straight through his throat.

The event left me numb for months. I took the helm of the ship, pretending the Captain was just ill so as not to rouse suspicion. The crew believed me, or they just didn't care as long as they got their share of the plunder. When we made port eight months after the Captain passed, I snuck away and haven't looked back.

Over a year later, I found a new path for myself. I took up archery out of respect for my kin. Though, there may be the other side to it: you can't get close to your prey. It keeps you at a distance so you never see the fear and you never have to feel sorry as long as you don't look afterward.

Currently, I notice that I've been regressing to old habits in order to make a living. I'm finding I'm keeping myself open to try and please others, however it pleases them. Some are simple favors, like helping with the harvest. Others...well, I do have a talent for activities behind closed doors. It's left me back to trying not to speak out of turn, and as far as getting back in "my place." I promised myself I would never go back to that uncertainty. I failed.

It's too late for me to learn a new life. All I can do is keep smiling and pretend everything is where it should be. Maybe if I keep pretending, it will become a reality. Maybe...

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