Rhea Zaheela

Rhea Zaheela
Gender	Female
Race	Miqo'te
Clan	Seeker of the Sun
Citizenship	Gridania
Free Company	Hungry Wolf
Server	Balmung

Basic Info

Sometimes I wonder if the Great Wanderer purposefully decided to be a jerk when his priests made this helltrap... --To self, in reference to the Wanderer's Palace	Age:	26 (approximately - She doesn't actually know her birth date or year)
	Patron:	Oschon, the Wanderer
	Appearance:	Medium size, slight build, leaf green eyes, pale blue hair/fur
	Battle Abilities:	Conjurery, Archery, some Thaumaturage training Aetherial Manipulation Also the ability to track (thanks to her clients sometimes asking for specific wares she needs to go out and hunt herself.) Also can throw a book pretty accurately
	Practical skills:	Mastery of Leather crafting, Weaving, Alchemy, and Ingot/Smelting Basic metals Skills in other specialties as well Magical Research Item Appraisal Book Keeping Survival Skills

A Merchant by trade, Rhea seems to always be away on business, building contacts and reputation with the Grand Companies/Guilds, or filling out orders, listening in on rumors and conversations from the shadows. While what she deals is in the legal trade, that she will not budge upon, she is not against paying for information on all aspects of the city and the guilds, if only to keep herself and those she cares for out of trouble. Even though she has abandoned both her Sire's name and her Tribal affiliations, she cannot help feel both afraid of being alone but wary to approach anyone outside of her contracts. But much like her roots with the Seekers of the Sun, she doesn't mind being on the fringes of a crowd too much, so long as she doesn't think about it.

Likes	Dislikes	Hobbies
Natural based Perfumes and Scents Simple foods, especially Fruit based sweets and Tea Reading, mostly informative things, though silly stories and even children books can be found in her bookshelves Scenic Travel Routes/Locations Lounging in a Bathtub/Hot Spring with no chance of disturbance Nothing going wrong Her Pets A Bombling a rather fiesty Spriggan a rather sweet Mandragora her Tapir Spending time with her FC (even if she will never admit that)	Random Chance Alcoholic Beverages Overpowering smells/perfumes Unplanned detours/Complications Forgeries/Plagiarism Overzealous and Ill-mannered egomaniacs Wasteful spending Absolute Silence	Experimenting with new methods of material production Gets Lost in a project/order for hours on end Taking care of her pets Mending and re-balancing Armor and Swords (her own)

History

Early life

To be honest, she can remember very little of her biological parents. Her Sire had been a Tia in their original tribe who had decided that it would of been easier to try and create a new tribe and taken her mother and some others with him. She can remember having siblings, though she only remembers one distinctly, C'Linia, the one who had dragged her away when her family's makeshift camp grounds had been raided by bandits. Being three at the time, all she could do is wail as her sister had dragged her behind her, chastising her for crying, until they found a settlement. Those days were full of hunger, seeing as no one wanted to bother with two orphaned children, so the two of them had learned how to steal. Most of the time, they got away with maybe a bruise or two, but then there were times when they had been caught and thrown out. For a few years, they wandered from settlement to settlement, following the roads and pilfering as much as they could, but soon there were more people trying to steal bites of food, many of them bigger and much meaner. Neither sister knew that the war was coming closer and closer, nor did they care, but much like everyone else, they were swept up by it.

Deciding that the pickings in their current camp were too slim, the two sisters snuck onto one of the many refugee boats heading towards the city-state of Limsa Lominsa. At first the boat ride seemed quiet, but everyone knows that the seas are never safe. Pirates attacked, demanding valuables, and when the figured out very few on said ship were carrying such things, they did what any good pirate would do; They sent the ship to the bottom of the sea. Clinging to a plank of wood, both sisters prayed to the gods they heard thrown in curses after them to be saved. Hours passed as more and more survivors were dragged down to the sea, and on the second day, Rhea let her eyes close.

When she woke up, there was voices that made her head pound, and a gentle coo as someone pushed a water pouch to her mouth. She guzzled as much water as she could, before sitting up, croaking for more. From beside her, C'Linia made a noise as if trying to admonish her, and all she could feel was glee, even though her sister couldn't talk. Days passed as they slowly learned of the merchant ship they were on, headed to Gridania. The crew planned on dropping them off at the Orphanage within the city limits, as it were the closest, and asked them of their names. Not knowing if she could trust them, she gave them a false name, Rhea Zar...Zaheeee...Zaheela. The men simply nodded and walked off, writing it down.


Life in Gridania was kind, at least compared to her life before. Her sister had lost her tongue due to an infection within her mouth, but medicine wasn't cheap. In order to earn money, she had considered turning to thievery, but that risked getting thrown out, which was no longer an option. Instead she let herself become an errand girl for a merchant, running back and forth getting orders and bringing packages to customers. Perhaps in pity, the merchant's wife began to teach her the basics in a few crafting disciplines. As she grew older, her fingers, once nimble in picking pockets became more adept at weaving a needle through cloth, advancing from the merchant's errand girl to apprentice (even though he was no savant in the trade). Even though it was discovered that both she and her sister were adept at Conjuring, Rhea preferred to support her sister in her lessons, carving staves and mending her gear.

Well into her teen years, the skies above shifted, and chaos began to breakout. At first, she thought nothing of it, merely that the war was going affect the marketplace. But as Atomos appeared and the aetherites began to dim, she made a choice to pick up her wand and join her sister on the front lines. There she found herself learning under fire, many people dying as the Empire kept attacking. Both she and her C'Linia found themselves fighting for their lives, dragging wounded men away from flames, swords, and bullets, and mending their wounds, only for them to hobble back worse then before. Then one night, as they lay in their quarters in Gridania, a horrible shriek was heard. Flinging open the doors, they found themselves face to face with a powerful fiend, with many more filling the streets. Before she could even utter the words run, Rhea watched as a clawed hand rip open her sister's side. She dove for her wand, barely able to grab it before a gloved hand grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her out of the room, her sister flung across the soldier's shoulder. All around her, the fiends murdered people left and right, but Rhea couldn't think, couldn't cast a spell, so paralyzed by fear. When the soldier had let go, she stumbled into a heavily guarded room, scared people praying and crying all around her. It was a thud that broke her paralysis, and she looked own to see her sister breathing shallowly. Instinct drove her to gather up the powers of the earth to heal, practically groveling to the earth for as much power as she could, but even the earth knew it was too late. Her sister died there, looking pitifully at her sister, as if asking her “Why did you let me die?”

The weeks after the first wave of fiends went by like a blur to her. More people came in with horrible wounds, and she mechanically healed them, barely even realizing she had done so. Rhea fell into a routine, mending flesh and garments, watching people go and come back, fewer in number. The local garrison determined her too weak to aid in the battle, leaving her back in the city as reserve, and then the moon fell. Rhea barely noticed when the Dragon Primal tore apart the skies, and only watched as her body was swept up in a bright light.

Next thing she knew, Rhea was crawling out of a ruined house, just as confused as the rest of the survivors. Slowly, she found herself once again putting aside her wand for the needle. As the city rebuilt, she focused on trade skills again, dealing with merchants and disappearing for days on end in search of materials. Taking up the bow, she found herself able to survive in the wilds, hunting for pelts and meats, learning the lands and what various plants did.

Her contacts found her odd, often blunt and too the point about things, and all to eager to disappear one the deal was made, but the wares she brought in were often of the highest quality and she rarely bothered to haggle if the price was fair. One old merchant thought that perhaps all she needed was a pet, so had given her a Bombling, newly created by the thaumaturgial society, saying “You need to smile more, ain't good for business.” At first, she didn't know what to do with it, letting it do whatever it wanted, but slowly, she warmed up to the thing. Slowly, but surely, she began to crawl out of her self-imposed shell, but at the core, she's still very lost. Who she is, and what she's supposed to be doing, it's all still hazy to her. It's easy for her to fall back on her crafting, but she knows she'll have to try and get to know the rest of the world and it's inhabitants... eventually.

Post Calamity

As things progressed, Rhea found herself unable to stay within the woods. Upon finding her material business stagnating, she foolishly decided to try and throw her hat into the Ul'dahian world. Once there, however, she quickly wizened up to the fact that being honest and kind was the best way to get killed. Once there, she found herself scrambling to keep herself both out of harms way and dodging thumbs which sought to pin her down. As the years passed, she learned how to survive in the city. Everything, from her wares to her body was a weapon to be used as bartering chips and blackmail. Her words couldn't hold any warmth or pity for those she dealt with, even if she could feel her own soul tarnish.

There were a few things, however, she wouldn't compromise; The foremost was her code of ethics. Those who worked under her were given fair due, picked up from the street and worked hard. They earned their pay, their dues, their homes, and thus she earned their respect. Rhea refused to take a side in the whole chess game that was the chaotic political game of Ul'dah, dancing that fine line of both stepping on sensitive toes and working for either side. So when the time came, she found herself facing a dilemma, a weary, tired back. She had recalled joining a company for business reasons, but other then the name and the favor with the Grand Companies, nothing came from it. Yet, seeing this tired back, mindlessly throwing a fishing line into the lake, something bade her to stop and say hello.

Simple words lead to quiet conversations; Rhea learned of what had happened to the rest of that Free Company. Something in her ached, and bade her hold out her hand to him. Taking him in, she found herself doing something impulsive and throwing her business into the Free Company's lot. Funds were squandered, contracts set aside, and that lone straggler was given her small business as their headquarters, effectively moving the Wolves out of Gridania for good and into the city. But this made things even more dangerous, seeing as the larger her business became because of the Company's growth, the more likely they would catch the eye of someone, anyone. Rhea took it upon herself to protect them in the only way she knew how; Black market information and information brokers were paid off, hefty tribute payments to the blades were written into the budget, knowing who and what were casting their gaze upon the little company were her priorities. No matter what would happen, she'd rather be the one to take responsibility for things gone wrong. Under no circumstances would the line between business and Company blur; The Free Company's motto and laws would remain as pristine and ideological as possible, remaining a haven for those who needed it. Her small trade business was merely a source of income, a thread connecting the twelveswood and the city of coin together, and where information was worth more then the gil paid for it. If anything threatened her company members, no matter if they new or the newly returned, she would try and stop it, nipping at heels and drawing attention from the rest of the pack.

Personality

Perhaps this is her downfall, as she uses her crafts as a crutch. Even though she has made some progress, her background makes it very hard for her to talk normally to random strangers. At least with business, she's sure of what to say, whom to address first; Business doesn't require honest opinions after all, just ones acceptable to both parties. For most of her life, she grew up with only one person she trusted completely, talking mostly with looks, gestures, and body language. So having to actually speak is somewhat bothersome to her. Rhea always worries that what she says is wrong or is misinterpreted or a multitude of things, so she tends to give up quickly on actually trying to break into conversation, retreating back into her comfort zone.

What she fears, however, is loss of control, which would explain her discomfort with alcohol. While she had drunk spirits before (mostly when it was offered while talking business), she's never stomached the aftereffects; headaches and heartache were the least of her worries. So when the topic of drinks and a celebration come up, she tends to disappear, knowing that she most likely ends up just on the outside of the celebration like a wall ornament; Better to not go then to be ignored.

At first, she is very formal, speaking in a very controlled way, but once she gets out of her shell, she is more likely to show her snippy side, as well as easily become flustered. However, it can be easy to read if the other person is very observant of her body language.

Notable Powers:

Rhea is a Conjurer, and a very powerful one at that, when given enough time to meditate. Most often she can be found beside (or even in) pools of water, meditating and conversing with the elements, though her affinity most definitely leans towards that of water elementals, then towards those of air, with earth being the 'weakest' (though truthfully, they have no ranking, it is more of whom she feels most comfortable asking for aid.) However, in combination with her affinity with books and learning, she has discovered a dangerous ability.

Self-cannibalization of Aether:
Rhea can, and has, used her own body as a sort of power booster. Internally, this means she can convert her physical matter (aka her body) into pure, unaspected aether, usually in high stress, emotional situations. However, she cannot pick and choose what is devoured, and this means, usually it is her internal organs which break down first. While the organs themselves will repair themselves, it still leaves her very damaged and in a dangerous condition until they completely regrow.

Add to this, it consumes her lifesource, meaning with each prolonged use, it shortens her life. How much depends on how long, but to her estimates, her own aether will not last her beyond 50 years at worst, 60 at best, and if she continues to use it, it's only going to get shorter. Said aether is not limited to healing; It can be used to increase her own physical defenses or it can be used to warp and distort/corrupt anothers. Another side effect is that after she uses such an ability, it does destroy her senses for a time. You can tell when she using this ability when her eyes change into an unnatural color.

On summoning:
For some reason, she cannot summon, even if she has the knowledge and the mana reserves to do so. Every attempt to do so has resulted in nothing or a useless summon; Add to this that her own aether seems to halt. Her healing ability, poison resistances, EVERYTHING slows down to a crawl, even for a short while after, until whatever causes this fades away.

Affiliations

Friends

Hikaru Takeba: She serves as his book keeper, grounds keeper, Traveling Companion (when needed/asked), and Maidservant for the most part. When the Free Company's main group disappeared on an ill-fated expedition, the Company itself was starting to collapse on itself. An outsider at the time, Rhea found herself deciding to throw her own funds and ventures into the Company, gently easing it back to a stable, if not much smaller, condition. Eventually, they bonded to the point where they are in a romantic relationship

Kaiya Ailbhe: A fellow Member of the Hungry wolves. Rhea views her as a highly capable individual, (with some odd friends), to the point she is willing to entrust her with some of the basic paperwork required for the Company.

-tba-

Other Notes

RUMORS Some of these rumors are untrue or are greatly exaggerated. Please feel free to add your own rumors under PC! ◢ Common Rumors (Easily overheard) ■ ◢ Moderate Rumors (Moderately difficult to overhear) ■ ◢ PC Rumors (Rumors from the character's of other players) ■ ■