|
|
| Line 1: |
Line 1: |
| − | {{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]]
| |
