Ghoa Mankhad

THE WIKI BELOW IS A WORK IN PROGRESS

GHOA MANKHAD

OF THE RESTLESS SEAS

Error creating thumbnail: File missing

profile

BIRTH NAME : Ghoa Mankhad of the Restless Seas.

ALIASES : Ghoa Kharlu, Tsakhlai (black markets).

SEX : Female, cisgendered.

RACE & CLAN : Au Ra, Xaela.

AGE : Twenty-eight winters.

HEIGHT : 4 fulm, 10 ilm.

BUILD : Petite, soft and subtly feminine.

PATRON DEITY : Nhaama, the Dusk Mother.

miscellaneous

BIRTHPLACE : Othard, the Azim Steppes.

CITIZENSHIP : No affiliation with tribe nor country.

COMPANY : No affiliation with a free company.

MARITAL STATUS : Who knows? (But technically married.)

ORIENTATION : Pansexual, demi-romantic.

OCCUPATION : Alchemist and black market poison-maker. Professional gildigger. Small-time con artist.

ALIGNMENT : Chaotic Neutral (The Hedonist type).

OverviewMisc. DetailsCombatOccupationHistoryRelationsRumorsRP HooksGalleryOOC

CHARACTER OVERVIEW

"The ocean is everything I wish to be: beautiful, mysterious, wild and free..”

Such are the aspirations of Ghoa Mankhad, a tribal-born Xaela who has long since left the lands where she was raised to follow whatever path her heart sets her upon. She has traveled far from the eastern coastlands of the Azim Steppe where her clan resides, experiencing the world that lie beyond the borders of their territory in a way few Xaela ever do. Her pursuit of freedom and new experiences has taken her through the Imperial-held lands of Yanxia, the bustling port of Kugane, and even so far as the vibrant, exotic lands of Thavnair. While it is rare for her to linger in one place overlong like the adventurers so common of this age, she is more akin to a traveler and wanderer drawn to the thrill of the unknown and the allure of the new.

Still, true adventurer or not, Ghoa is not without skills that fund her ventures abroad. She is a capable mage well-versed in her clan’s traditional arts, able to soothe and mend or bring down a fierce storm of lightning, wind, and water upon would-be enemies. As one who once trained to become a Mankhadi shaman, she also learned to make potions and poisons – a skill which only continued to grow as she traveled and learned more of the world outside the steppe. These services she offers to those with coin to trade; particularly, those who seek a degree of discretion from their healers and dealers and are willing to pay extra for just such a service.

With the sea routes westward finally cleared in the wake of Yanxia’s liberation, Ghoa’s ever-restless soul set its sights upon the continent of Eorzea. Without hesitation, she secured herself passage to this distant land brimming with new people and new experiences. After many weeks on the sea, she has finally set foot upon foreign soil once more – and she is certainly wasting no time in sampling all that it has to offer.

LIKES

• THE OCEAN : Given that Ghoa was born and raised by a coastal, often seafaring tribe, this should come as no surprise. Doubly when considered that her magicks largely stem from her connection to the sea.




• THUNDERSTORMS : Likewise with the above, thunderstorms were special to her people and are closely tied to her magical ability. Besides that, she also just enjoys the thrill of a raging storm and the relaxation after it passes.




• NEW PLACES, NEW EXPERIENCES : Ghoa is not the type to stay still for too long, nor the type to suffer a routine becoming stale. Once she grows bored of a place or activity, it's quickly onto the next exciting new adventure.




• LUXURY : After leaving the Azim Steppe, Ghoa quickly learned that she had a taste for the finer things in life like nice clothing, jewelry, food and wines. To say she has expensive tastes would be putting it lightly.

DISLIKES

• STRICT TRADITIONS, LAWS, ETC. : Ghoa is free-spirited to a fault and follows her own unique, often flexible sort of morality. Therefore, any sort of strict rule trying to govern her is very likely to rub her the wrong way.




• WORKING : Even if she's a highly skilled alchemist, it doesn't mean that she enjoys spending all her time tending to her craft. She works only as much as she must to continue her travels and lifestyle, and cuts whatever corners she can.




• DEPENDENCY : Children, pets, especially needy lovers.. Ghoa tries to actively avoid anything or anyone that clings too desperately to another person. Especially when they try to rely too heavily upon her.




• INACTIVITY : Ghoa is the type of person that always needs to be doing something or going somewhere. Staying still or having little or nothing to keep her attention for overly long irritates her and quickly wears down her patience.

POSITIVE TRAITS

• SOCIABLE : Ghoa excels at being sociable and friendly. She's a people-person at heart, whether she's actively looking to strum up conversation or approached by others or even in the middle of a crowd.




• OPEN-MINDED : Unlike some Xaela who seem to be wholly fixated on their own ways, Ghoa has no problem keeping an open mind when it comes to the ways and beliefs of other people. (So long as they're not a detriment to herself, of course.)




• CURIOUS : Ghoa has a curious mind, never content to just accept that something is the way it is without figuring out the why or how. That self same curiosity also largely drives her traveling, leading her to new places to learn about them and the peoples that call them home.




• RESILIENT : Ghoa might not be the most physically hardy, but she's much more mentally and emotionally resilient than one might suspect. Even when her bravery fails or her strength lapses, she always eventually picks herself up and carries on.

NEGATIVE TRAITS

• MORALLY AMBIGUOUS : Ghoa decides what she considers right and wrong herself, rather than letting society define it. As such, her morals are hard to pin down and, ultimately, rather fluid and flexible in the grey areas.




• SELFISH : Ghoa is not driven by some higher calling or bigger purpose, but mostly her own wants, needs, and whims. Unless she is very close with someone, she will almost exclusively act with herself in mind first and foremost.




• CAPRICIOUS : Being a free-spirit that follows her whims above all, Ghoa can be hard to pin down. Whether it's backing out of an arrangement she had agreed to for some superficial reason or even packing up and leaving town without a word, she can be highly unreliable.




• MANIPULATIVE : Lies and charm come easily to Ghoa, and she is certainly not opposed to using either to get what she wants. Luckily her motives are not malevolent on a grand scale, but she'll readily use her wiles to get people to do things for her.

GRAVITATES TOWARDS

• ANYONE WHO'LL BUY HER THINGS : Ghoa is truly shameless when it comes to people buying her things: drinks, food, clothing, jewelry, board.. Anyone who will pay her way will find her readily sticking close to their company.. until their generosity runs dry.




• INTERESTING STORIES : As an overly curious person, anyone who has an interesting story to tell and is willing to share it with her will catch her eye. She loves hearing about the exciting lives and adventures of others..




• CRIMINALS : Perhaps it's her thirst for thrill and adventure, but Ghoa is often drawn to the criminals that she meets on her travels or sells her wares and services to. Her sense of self-preservation generally keeps her from getting too deeply involved with them, but she finds them especially exciting to be around.




• FRIENDLY LOCALS : Ghoa travels by throwing herself head first into a new place with little preparation or forethought, choosing to learn by experience -- and with the help of locals willing to teach her the ropes and show her around.

REPELLED BY

• MENTALLY WEAK : For Ghoa, this means anyone she finds to be too dependent on others, pushovers, cowardly, and so on. They just do not hold her interest. Unless she can use them to her own benefit, she generally avoids them.




• OPPRESSIVE TYPES : Those that try to exert undue control over Ghoa find that she'll quickly try to slip through their fingers. Dominating personalities are one thing, but those who actively try to order her around or hold her too tightly are another.




• MOPEY / ANTISOCIAL : As mentioned, Ghoa is a people-person. She enjoys striking up conversations and doing things with others. However, if a prospective conversation partner is absorbed in their moping or clearly uninterested in being social after she puts in some effort to draw them out, she'll leave the conversation.




• STRICTLY GOOD / BAD TYPES : Anyone who falls and stays on either end of the morality spectrum, good or bad, are types she tries to avoid. The wholly righteous are boring, and the morally bankrupt are dangerous.

FEARS

• BEING RETURNED TO THE KHARLU : It has been around a decade since Ghoa fled, but she still actively fears this. She knows that if she were ever to be returned to her Kharlu husband, the reunion would be very unpleasant and likely fatal.




• THAT HER CLAN IS GONE : Ghoa fears that even if she did not return to the Shuurga Mankhadi that the Kharlu took out her betrayal upon them. She tries not to think about it and certainly makes no attempt to find out, but it is there in the back of her mind and occasionally her dreams.




• LOSS OF FREEDOM : Whether it's being arrested or abducted, Ghoa fears any sort of captivity and the subsequent loss of her freedom the same way: with abject terror. She'll go to great lengths to avoid this.




• CONFINED SPACES : Related to certain harrowing experiences in her past, Ghoa is severely claustrophobic. Any closed in area without a readily obvious escape will make her nervous, and any small cramped space will send her into a panic.

TRIVIA

• FAVORITE FOODS : Seafood, sweets, or anything bought for her.




• LEAST FAVORITE FOODS : Red meats, most heavy meals.




• FAVORITE DRINKS  : Wine, spiced rum, or anything bought for her.




• LEAST FAVORITE DRINKS  : Anything from the bottom shelf.




• FAVORITE COLOR  : Deep blues, white, gold and silver.




• FAVORITE ANIMAL  : She's always had a fondness for seabirds.

Attributes
	Strength	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █		P.Defense	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █
	Dexterity	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █		M.Defense	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █
	Martial Prowess	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █		Intelligence	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █
	Magic Affinity	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █		Luck	█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █

PHYSICAL COMBAT

It's apparent at a glance that Ghoa is not a woman made for the swinging of swords or the donning of armor. Slightly below average height even for an Auri woman and just as petite in build, she is possessed of exactly as much physical strength as one would expect; that being very little, of course. Shortcomings in physicality aside, Ghoa also has no formal training in any type of weaponry or fighting style. Clearly, she is meant for the safety of the backlines -- or off the battlefield entirely, if she has her say in it.

MAGICAL COMBAT

Physical forms of combat might be far from Ghoa's true strength, but she is still capable of holding her own better than one might expect of someone of her slight, unimposing stature. While she lacks in both physical prowess as well as a vast and varied knowledge of weaponry, she is a somewhat skilled mage trained in the magical tradition of her small and secretive clan.

Her people, the Shuurga clan of Mankhad, were particularly reverent of the sea and storm, thus reflected in their magical arts. Their shamans were trained in both healing arts that draw upon the soothing powers of the calm ocean, as well as the destructive arts of the raging storm. Elementally, their magicks are aspected towards water, wind, and lightning. To wholly compare them to either Eorzean conjurers or thaumaturges wouldn't be entirely accurate. Rather, their magical tradition seems to fall somewhere in between with individual udgan usually excelling in one area more than the other.

Ghoa displayed obvious magical talent early on in her training, though her skills seemed to gravitate more towards the storm. However, her removal from her tribe as a young adult cut her training short. As such, it has left her as a passable and naturally apt mage, but not an exceedingly well-learned or disciplined one. She is far from a master healer or battlemage, her weaknesses manifesting in different ways: limited effectiveness or strength of her spells cast, lack of control, casting sometimes taking a great mental and physical toll upon her, and a general lack of knowledge of the more complex or difficult spells.

WEAPONRY

For the purpose of her casting, there are two primary forms of 'weaponry' that Ghoa uses to channel aether. Most commonly, it takes the form of two ringbands she wears on her hands -- basically strappy pieces of white leather that affix a polished, aetherically conductive gemstone across the backsides of her hands. This allows her to cast using primarily her hands to guide and shape the aether channeled by the gemstones. However, when Ghoa is attempting either a bigger spell or is wanting for more control, she opts to use a staff carved from gnarled driftwood for channeling.

Outside of her choice of magical focii, Ghoa also carries a small, thin dagger on her person. This is a weapon of last resort as she truly is no skilled knife-wielder. However, the blade is coated in a thin layer of the same poison that the Mankhadi are known for using to coat their traditional blowdarts -- a strong paralytic made from a type of pufferfish venom. She may not be able to carve someone up with the knife, but so long as she can at least manage to knick an attacker when she's in a tough spot, the fast-acting and potent paralytic poison ought to buy her enough time to escape.

ALCHEMIST AND POISON-MAKER

As a part of the Mankhad tradition, particularly for one who trained most of her life to become a shaman and was thus entrusted with learning and mastering her clan's arts, Ghoa is a rather skilled maker of many types of potions and poisons. This is a knowledge that has only been compounded since leaving the Steppe, as she's learned and studied different techniques with her travels. Included was a five year stint spent in Thavnair, during which time she received a more formal education.

What this has resulted in is a woman who has a notable knack for figuring out how to tinker with tinctures to get exactly the right effect she or a customer wants. This can range from your standard everyday fare such as basic restorative potions, all the way to poisons whose deadliness is matched only by their illegality in the open markets. As such, Ghoa does a lot of her dealing on the black markets where people tend to pay a high price to get their hands on concoctions hard to come by, as well as her silence.

Considering the nature of her work and just how poor her work ethic is, Ghoa doesn't typically maintain any sort of stall nor publicly advertise her skills unless she's in truly dire straits for funds. Rather, most people who come to see her services have heard of her through the grapevine -- often under the alias 'Tsakhlai' -- or have been recommended to her by someone who she had done work for or networked with in the past. Thus, if you're interested in having your character approach her for such an interaction, feel free to say that they've heard talk of her or been referred by an underground contact!

DISCRETE HEALER FOR HIRE

Ghoa is also able to do a bit of mending, sme aetherically but mostly traditionally. She isn't the most highly skilled in this field, so the more advanced and complicated conditions might fall out of her depth. However, if your character has gotten a hole poked in them or sliced open, she's excellent at stitching them up and/or healing them back together. Also, just the same as with her alchemy work, she won't ask too many questions outside of what she has to in order to treat someone.

PROFESSIONAL GILDIGGER AND SMALL-TIME CON ARTIST

As mentioned before, Ghoa's work ethic is.. questionable. Some might say that it is borderline non-existent. She would say that her favorite phrase in regards to her potionmaking work is "work smarter, not harder." And by that, she means that if she sees a way that she can make a living off of someone else's dime, she will absolutely attempt to do so.

Most often this comes in the form of her cozying up to men or women that she knows to be well-off financially, doing her best to endear herself to them. She's not above trading her time, attention, affections, and sex in exchange for a comfortable place to stay, good food and drink, nice clothing and jewelry, and so on. Most of her wealthy lovers understand that her affections are simply bought and far from permanent. However, when Ghoa finds that a person is seemingly becoming too emotionally attached, she has no qualms with forsaking their money and leaving. As much as she loves her luxuries, nothing is more important to her than her freedom.

Yet sometimes, there are no rich men or women out there in search of a companion to dote upon and spoil. During those times, it's not unusual for Ghoa to resort to less-than-honorable means to fill her pockets before she resorts to actually working. She's been known to lie, manipulate, and con people out of their money, goods, or even just a free meal or place to stay with a well-crafted lie and her big, watery eyes. That isn't to say she feels some sort of cruel, mean-spirited joy out of the act of deceiving people; simply that to her, it's just another form of 'survival of the fittest'.

LIFE IN THE AZIM STEPPE

Ghoa was born to the Shuurga clan of Mankhad of the eastern coastlands. They were a relatively small, secretive sect that lived almost wholly off of the bounty of the sea. Their people were largely fishermen and generally made for poor warriors, and as such the clan tried to avoid contact with others as much as possible by rarely hunting inland and migrating to their seasonal camps by sea. Theirs was a clan that survived by virtue of vigilant scouts wielding poison-tipped darts watching for intruders and invaders, as well as important intertribal alliances.

Ghoa was born during a fall migration when a violent storm rapidly overtook the Shuurga at sea and forced them to hastily find refuge in a nearby cliffside cove. While they were stuck waiting out the storm’s passing, Ghoa was brought into the world. The Shuurga udgan who revered both sea and storm saw this as a sign and thus, it was readily decided that she too would be trained as a shaman to their people.

Ghoa’s training began very early in life, taken from her parents and siblings as soon as she was weaned to be raised among the other shamans. As she grew, she demonstrated a natural aptitude for their traditional arts, in both the healing magicks of the sea and even more strongly in the offensive magicks of the storm. Yet while she clearly possessed the talent, the drive to hone and master it was somewhat lacking. Her mind was constantly anywhere else but the damp coves they called home. The young Ghoa longed for a normal life among her family and the other Mankhadi her own age, free of the strict rules and traditions, even if she had resigned herself to never being able to have such a life. She was important, as the elder shaman liked to remind her, and important people had a duty to do what was best for the tribe.

Living in the eastern coastlands in the shadow of the ever-warring Kharlu and Jhungid, the Shuurga had for generations untold maintained an agreement with a neighboring Kharlu clan to secure both their protection from the Jhungid and their autonomy from the Kharlu. Once a year, the Kharlu clan would be allowed to take a certain number of Shuurga tribe members, following certain guidelines, to bolster their ranks. Given that the Shuurga were not skilled warriors, they were often taken as craftsmen, labor slaves, and battle fodder for the frontlines of the yearly war.

Thus was how Ghoa came to leave her tribe. Still but a young adult, she was chosen by the Kharlu warriors that had came to their camp that year to make their selection. Among the handful of stronger and more skilled tribesmen, the decision to take a young and relatively inexperienced shaman-in-training was seen as especially peculiar, if not outright concerning. Afraid of what was to happen to her, Ghoa begged the elder shaman to intercede on her behalf. She was important, wasn't she? They couldn't allow the Kharlu to take her, could they? But the elder shaman would not speak up for her to stop it, fearful that to do so would undo generations of protection offered to them by the Kharlu.

Thus Ghoa was taken and herded across the coastlands with the other slaves like cattle back to the Kharlu clan's camp. Soon after she arrived there, Ghoa was chosen to become the seventh wife to the khan. Her husband, Bayanbataar, was a severe and demanding man that cared more about heirs and his legacy as a strong and prolific khan than his wives’ wants or comfort. As such, it was a loveless affair that caused Ghoa only more and more conflict and misery as time went on. This was made all the worse by the fact that she was not permitted to leave the Kharlu camp, as well as harassment and hostilities from her fellow wives, from the Kharlu tribesmen, and even from other slaves who resented her for what they assumed to be a cushy life. She found herself isolated from all but a very small handful of people, and the loneliness of it certainly took its toll upon her.

A year passed from the time Ghoa had been taken from her home and married to the khan, and once more the annual battle for control of the coastlands had come upon them. Ghoa prayed to both Dusk Mother and Dawn Father that her husband would fall in the fighting. She hoped, however naively, that his death would mean her freedom. Alas, he returned to them despite the Kharlu having lost the battle. Yet she overheard his plan to offer her -– a never-ending source of frustration and a wife he assumed barren after a year without giving him a child -– to the Jhungid as tribute. Refusing to be traded to another clan as a slave once more, Ghoa finally found her courage and stole provisions and a horse to flee the Kharlu in the middle of the night.

TRAVELING THE EASTERN LANDS

After her escape from the Kharlu, Ghoa knew that to return to the Shuurga would only result in their decimation. Thus, as much as it pained her, she vowed never to return. Likewise knowing that to remain in the eastern coastlands would inevitably lead to her capture and what would likely end in her execution, she turned her sights towards the inner steppe. Making up stories to conceal her true origins, Ghoa spent the next year drifting from tribe to tribe for varying lengths of time to try to find a new home. Yet none ever filled that hole left behind by her own people, or the even bigger chasm left behind by her separation from the sea. Thus whenever she grew tired of her present company, or if they became too strict or controlling of her, she would slip away like sand through their fingers and ride off to the next.

Eventually, after numerous failed attempts to make a new life among the tribes of the Azim Steppe, Ghoa saw only one more path laid before her: to forego tribe entirely and take control of her own freedom, going wheresoever her heart led her. Thus her travels over the past few years have taken her far from home: to Imperial-held Yanxia, the bustling port of Kugane, the vibrant city of Radz-at-Han, and more. Even back to the Steppe, from time to time, when her heart felt particularly nostalgic.

ARRIVAL IN EORZEA

With recent changes in the world making travel to the far western continent of Eorzea more accessible, the ever-curious Ghoa has turned her attention towards the distant land she knows only little about. Thus she has only but recently secured herself passage on a merchant vessel leaving Kugane carrying goods meant for Eorzean shores. To say that she is eager and excited for the next big adventure is an understatement.

[ SIGNIFICANT RECENT HAPPENINGS ]

■ CIGARETTES & FIREFLIES (plot) :
In the midst of her Eorzean travels, Ghoa found herself called back to Kugane at the behest of a Thavnairian business associate, whom had a friend they wished for her to meet. There she met Elam Grave, an ambitious Eorzean businessman looking to expand his company's interest eastward, and come to be under his employ as a charmer and manipulator. Things took a serious and deadly turn with his sights set upon fellow Xaelan alchemist, Nabi Kharlu.

What resulted was a moons-long, delicate act of treachery and deception as Ghoa subtly tried to sabotage Elam right from under his own nose. However, an unexpected betrayal sent her own plan stumbling at the very last, putting her in great jeopardy when her motives were discovered. Yet ultimately, the plan concocted by Nabi's friends Shael Stormchild and Tserende Valqirelle succeeded, allowing Nabi, Anchor Saltborn, and herself to escape -- and leaving Elam and the other cruel sponsors charred and buried in the belly of a mountain.

SYMBOL KEY

♥ In A Relationship: Ghoa is involved in a committed relationship with this character. ♥ Romantic Attraction: Ghoa is romantically interested in this character. ♥ Sexual Attraction: Ghoa is physically interested in this character. ♥ Platonic Love/Family: Ghoa considers this person family. ♦ Friend: Ghoa considers this person her friend. ♦ Friendly Acquaintance: Ghoa considers this person mostly friendly, or as an ally. ● Good Standing: Ghoa has no specific feelings about this character, however they left a good impression. ● Neutral: Ghoa has no specific feelings about this character. ● Bad Standing: Ghoa has no specific feelings about this character, however they left a bad impression. ♠ Dislike: Ghoa doesn't consider this person a friend, and will talk if needed, but try to avoid them. ♠ Hate: Ghoa consider this person an annoyance, and will try to avoid them. Conflict can happen. ♠ Fear: Ghoa is afraid of this character and will try to avoid them as much as possible. ♠ Rivalry: Ghoa consider this person a rival, and will try to initiate conflict every time she gets to meet them. ♥ Family Member: This character is related by blood, marriage, or tribe to Ghoa. ✔ Business: This character is either Ghoa's employer, employee, coworker, or customer. ✖ Deceased: This character has passed away. ? Complicated: Ghoa may feel one or more of the feelings above, may have conflicting emotions towards the person, or maybe just isn't sure exactly what she feels for them.

NOTABLE BACKSTORY & NPC RELATIONS

Bayanbataar Kharlu (NPC) ( ♥ ♠ ♠ ) - the husband she never wanted
Still but a young woman, Ghoa was chosen by her clan's Kharlu protectors to become the seventh wife of their khan. Far from a pleasant arrangement, Bayanbataar treated his non-Kharlu wives as if they were his property rather than his lovers. There was no affection there, but only an expectation that she would meekly do as she was bid and give him heirs. Doing neither, Ghoa had earned her husband's spite and their relationship became tense, volatile, and violent. After a year of enduring the ordeal, she learned that Bayanbataar planned to gift his "useless wife" to the Jhungid after their victory in the annual battle. Before it could come to pass, Ghoa stole a horse and supplies and fled in the night. Around a decade has passed since that night without any contact or news, which almost allowed her to believe Bayanbataar had dismissed her entirely until Enqdai Hotgo revealed to her that her dear husband would still pay well to have her returned to him.

NOTABLE PLAYER CHARACTER RELATIONS

Anchor Saltborn ( ♦ ? ) - the confederate

Anchor was another individual with the misfortune of finding himself wrapped up in the cruelties of Elam Grave, having found himself forced to fight for the man in an underground, illegal Doman fighting pit. However, she and Anchor only met face-to-face after they had won their freedom, and the meeting was.. perhaps not the most friendly. He disliked and mistrusted her for her involvement with Grave and for bringing Nabi to the mountain, and his crude manner and insults didn't warm her to him in kind. Still, even if she would never admit to it, she's grateful that he was able to save the other Xaela when she herself failed her.

Arasen Kharlu ( ♥ ● ♠ ? ) - the fanatic

In truth, Ghoa hardly remembers Arasen from her time spent with the Kharlu. If their paths had ever crossed back then, she certainly doesn't remember it after over ten years of absence. However, his sudden appearance in Nabi's life in attempts to coax her back to the Kharlu make Ghoa skeptical and uneasy. Though he seems to be the spiritual sort, she's not naive enough to think that could make him any less of a threat to any of them. If anything, she thinks it only makes him more dangerous if his intentions truly aren't as benign as he claims. So for now, Ghoa's remains wary of Arasen, especially after she found herself briefly but unexpectedly face-to-face with the man at a meeting at which she was not supposed to be present. Not only does the thought of him realizing who she was and taking that information back to Bayanbataar worry her, but the resemblance to another central figure of her worst memories of the Kharlu only makes Ghoa that much more uncomfortable.

Bahir Adarkim ( ♥ ♦ ) - of the deft hands

A chance meeting one evening in Ul'dah led to not only one, but a handful of shared outings and conversations filled with clever turns of phrase and flirtation between the two expatriates of the Steppe. Bahir's quite the entertaining and intriguing fellow to Ghoa, with whom she seems to share a number of commonalities: wicked cleverness and a high opinion of themselves not least among those. Because the business with the Kharlu in recent suns has kept her attention otherwise fully occupied, Ghoa hasn't crossed paths with him in some time. Though she does find her thoughts wandering to him now and again, pondering what sort of mischief he's been up to and when she might have a chance to run into him next.

Batuhan Kharlu ( ♥ ♦ ? ) - the protector

Another Kharlu and one that Ghoa remembered only slightly better than his ward, Arasen. She encountered him for the first time in many years after he had warned Anchor of the Kharlu's coming, and had told them later that he had not yet spoken of finding Ghoa to the others. She traveled to Reunion after hearing that news, intent on offering a trade: she would work with Nabi to cure him of the poison running through his veins, slowly killing him from the inside out, in exchange for delivering a story and 'proof' of her death -- a shorn length of her distinctly colored hair -- to permanently put Bayanbataar off her trail. In the beginning, Ghoa's attitude towards Batuhan was nothing short of cold, harsh, and hostile. He was not only Kharlu, but one who held within his grasp the ability to rob her of the freedom that she had worked so hard to gain, even if he seemed inexplicably reticent to act upon it. Slowly, she began to learn more of him and his reasons for keeping her location hidden from Bayanbataar. Yet even still, apprehension lingered until the day they were to remove the toxic 'enhancement' from his body and the man -- practically on his deathbed and barely containing his own fear -- put himself between her and the gun trained at them by the guard overseeing the procedure. Though there were some dramatics ups and downs after the procedure which left the man (hopefully) temporarily without the use of his hands, the pair seem to be on friendly terms now. Ghoa comes to visit near daily as he recovers in Nabi's clinic, often bringing gifts of food as well as her company to help him pass the time.. And plopping herself right into his bed to sleep whenever she doesn't feel like making a drunken trek home from the House of Sparrows, apparently, which is a testament of just how far she's come from her initial fear and mistrust of him.

Elam Grave ( ✖ ♠ ♠ ✔ ) - the wolf

Ghoa was introduced to Elam through prior business contacts and the two quickly struck up an arrangement: Ghoa would attend the parties he held for prospective business contacts in Kugane in attempts to charm them and coax their secrets from them, and Elam would pay her handsomely for the information and her persuasion. However, a secondary task given to her to convince fellow acquaintance Nabi Kharlu to work solely for his company spelled the beginning of a deadly game of lies and deceit as Ghoa resolved to sabotage him and free herself from his employ. Despite the unfortunate stumbling in her planning at the end, she still managed to writhe free of his grasp when Shael Stormchild and Tserende Valqirelle saw their own plan to kill the man to completion. Or so she certainly hopes, anyroad.

Enqdai Hotgo ( ? ) - the former blackmailer

It all started as a pleasant meeting in the Coffer & Coffin, which quickly turned sour. Having had past connections with the Kharlu, Enqdai was aware of the reward still being offered for Ghoa's return and had used that information to blackmail her with the threat to return her to her husband. Despite this and the handful of rocky confrontations that occurred between them in its wake, the pair have now come to somewhat of an understanding. The blackmail has been withdrawn, and Enqdai even offered their assistance in Ghoa's Kugane problem. It's far too early for Ghoa to call the Hotgo a friend, but it's a step towards civility, at least. She hasn't crossed paths with them in quite some time, however.

Kharatuhn Qerel ( ♥ ♦ ) - the hunter
DESCRIPTION

Lehko'a Nhali ( ♥ ♥ ♥ ✔ ) - the partner in crime

For having such an initially rocky meeting, Ghoa could never have imagined exactly how the relationship between them would have evolved. Their initial antagonistic meeting on Pearl Lane turned to recurrent business dealings, which only deepened the already considerable 'debt' that she owed to him. Yet gradually and without her notice, she began to enjoy his company as more than just a partner in crime. It only dawned upon her what he meant to her when he offered to put himself in harm's way to solve her problem with Elam Grave. Afraid to lose him, she attempted to put distance between them and realized quickly what a mistake she had made in pushing him away. Fortunately, the pair were granted a second chance when they were reunited in Shirogane, and it's a chance that Ghoa is not about to throw away again.

Marius Aventine ( ♦ ) - the generous

Ghoa doesn't know terribly much about this associate of Nabi's, other than that he is apparently an Imperial soldier with an aptitude for tinkering with technology. Not only was he was one that created the device that destroyed the control collars used by in the mountain fighting pit that made their escape possible, but he also assist she and Nabi in not only securing an operating room, but also in extracting the toxic 'enhancement' from Batuhan's hands. Not to mention that he refuses to be compensated for his generous assistance. While Ghoa doesn't have the same sort of hang-ups as many others about Garleans in general, even she has to admit that he seems far more agreeable than most she's encountered. And for that, she's grateful.

Nabi Kharlu ( ♥ ♦ ) - the trusting

Ghoa met Nabi in Kugane when she was looking to cut corners on a contract from one of her own customers. What would have likely become a rather mundane acquaintanceship between the two Xaelan alchemists instead evolved into a complicated act with Elam Grave pulling the strings behind the curtains. Nabi is a good, intelligent, caring woman and there is a part of Ghoa that wonders if she ever had the potential to be like her. As such, she came to feel quite guilty over the role she played in Nabi's involvement with Grave, and sought to make things right by her.. even if the rest of Nabi's friend doubted her motives the entire way. Eventually, both Xaela won their freedom and Ghoa used hers to slip away quietly without farewell -- but not without some final well-wishes and words of encouragement for the other.

Shael Stormchild ( ♦ ? ) - the smuggler

Shael paid Ghoa an unexpected visit after hearing of her involvement in the plot to bring down Elam by Nabi. The interactions between them weren't exactly warm, but neither were they overly hostile. While the Xaela does feel somewhat grateful for the role Shael played in her escape from Elam's grasp, that was overshadowed by Shael's attempt to blackmail her into speaking with the authorities when all was said and done. Even though that meeting went better than expected, it left a bitter taste in Ghoa's mouth where the Highlander woman is concerned.

Tserende Valqirelle ( ♠ ) - the mistrusting

When Ghoa first reached out to Nabi for an alliance of sorts against Elam, the other Xaela was quick to bring in Tserende. The man seemed to take an immediate dislike of her, not to mention his utter lack of trust in her motives. They've not shared terribly many words since, and what few they have shared have been tense at best. But even if there's certainly no affection there, Ghoa is still begrudgingly thankful for the role he played in her escape.

Tugan Kharlu ( ♥ ♠ ♠ ) - the tormentor

Other than Bayanbataar, there was only one other Kharlu that Ghoa well and truly feared. As the khan's right hand, Tugan's presence seemed a near constant in her life during that time. The moment that her husband's back turned, the man seemed to nary miss an opportunity to harass and intimidate her. She was never quite sure if it was some sort of jealousy of the khan, an attempt to undermine him through her, or simply just a sickly entertaining game to him. Whatever the case, she tried her best to keep her guard up around him, using the other wives as a shield when she could and quickly escaping his presence otherwise. Though for all her efforts to keep distance between them, it only took being caught off-guard once for the man to go from a figure of wary exasperation and discomfort in her mind to a genuine source of fear. Even now, years from having fled the Kharlu, his is a figure that occasionally haunts her worst dreams. And having only recently learned that Nabi not only shares a tribe with the man but that he is her uncle certainly doesn't help her rest any easier.

COMMON RUMORS

• ■ Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec non fringilla neque. Praesent at sem et sapien mattis consectetur. Praesent at posuere nibh. Nunc aliquam semper nunc consectetur posuere. -- Some Guy, Somewhere.


• ■ Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec non fringilla neque. Praesent at sem et sapien mattis consectetur. Praesent at posuere nibh. Nunc aliquam semper nunc consectetur posuere. -- Some Guy, Somewhere.


• ■ Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec non fringilla neque. Praesent at sem et sapien mattis consectetur. Praesent at posuere nibh. Nunc aliquam semper nunc consectetur posuere. -- Some Guy, Somewhere.


• ■ Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec non fringilla neque. Praesent at sem et sapien mattis consectetur. Praesent at posuere nibh. Nunc aliquam semper nunc consectetur posuere. -- Some Guy, Somewhere.

RARE RUMORS

• ■ Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec non fringilla neque. Praesent at sem et sapien mattis consectetur. Praesent at posuere nibh. Nunc aliquam semper nunc consectetur posuere. -- Some Guy, Somewhere.


• ■ Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec non fringilla neque. Praesent at sem et sapien mattis consectetur. Praesent at posuere nibh. Nunc aliquam semper nunc consectetur posuere. -- Some Guy, Somewhere.

PLAYER RUMORS

• ■ "Miss Ghoa is everything you see when you look at her: beautiful, worldly, and smart. But what you might not see right away, is that she is also brave. It takes courage to confront those you've wronged, to try and make amends. It is because of her honesty and bravery that we are still friends, and that I am still here. I think I have a lot to learn from her." -- Nabi Kharlu.


• ■ "I heard she is selling vaccines for the rabies she spread herself. .... Yeah that's what I thought too. Brilliant." -- Shael Stormchild.


• ■ "Another Xaela who is a skilled alchemist. The Imperial knowledge and estimation of the tribal race have been vastly inadequate. Miss Ghoa knew of Imperial formulas as well. It's impressive. I wonder what else she knows?" -- Marius Aventine.


• ■ "She parted with her hair, the one born with the color of the sea, for her freedom. I can see why Bayanbataar would remember her still. He will forget her soon, if I can help it." -- Batuhan Kharlu.


Note to Player Rumor Authors: If you want to leave a rumor here but don't want to bother wading through the wiki code, feel free to submit one here and I will add it to the wiki myself! Thanks! ♥

POTENTIAL RP HOOKS & BACKSTORY CONNECTIONS

While I'm not necessarily opposed to random, off-the-cuff tavern scenes of characters shooting the breeze over drinks, I find that some of the most interesting and easiest to write scenes -- especially for introductions -- are those that have some sort of objective or hook to either give our characters a reason to interact in the first place or help us further the scene into future follow-up RP. This could be something like a potential business discussion, setting up a backstory connection, etc.

So with that said, feel free to take a look at some of the hooks below to see if any interest you! (Or if you've got another idea of your own, let me know! I love hearing partners' ideas!)

• Other Mankhadi characters_______________
  Have a Mankhad of your own? Chances are good that I would love to set some RP up with you, then! It might be best if we had some degree of backstory connection to start us off here, considering that Ghoa doesn't actively advertise the fact that she's Mankhadi any longer. It could be something as simple as recognizing each other from when their clans interacted in the past, or something much deeper if you've got an idea for something more compelling.
  
  Though keep in mind that while I'm more than willing to let people use the Shuurga clan for their own characters' backstory, I'm not looking to start a tribal RP group surrounding them. (And Ghoa ICly wouldn't be interested in taking part in anything tribal again, either!) But if the idea of a shared clan backstory connection still interests you, let me know and we can figure something out!




• Other Kharlu characters_______________
  Ghoa spent a year of her life with a clan of Kharlu that shared a territory with her own, taken as the seventh wife of its khan. Her time there wasn't pleasant. Her husband quickly grew frustrated and angry with her, and that sentiment trickled down to the rest of the clan until many held feelings of disdain towards her. Some in particular went out of their way to make her life among them quite difficult.
  
  Though Ghoa escaped the Kharlu about ten years ago, your character may be familiar with her or at least have heard the tales of the "escaped seventh wife" and the reward offered for her return if they were active with the Kharlu around that time or in subsequent years. (Though if you are looking to make a hook out of trying to return her to the Kharlu, I ask that you contact me OOCly first!)




• Other Xaela characters in general!_________
  This is a pretty 'duh!' sort of open, ambiguous hook but I love playing with other Xaela characters! (They're my favorites, but don't tell my other children.) Whether your character is still tribal/traditional or has given up that lifestyle like Ghoa has, there's a lot of potential for varied, fun interactions here. Especially if you are interested in potentially setting up a past connection!




• Hingan criminal characters____________
  After Ghoa left the Steppe, she spent a few years living and making a name for herself as an alchemist and poisonmaker in Kugane. Even after she left around five years ago and to the present day, she occasionally made trips back as business called. So if your character was formerly and/or is currently involved in the Hingan criminal underground, we can either set up a backstory connection or easily use that to start a new introduction!




• Thavnairian characters_____________
  Ghoa's spent roughly five of the last six-ish years in Thavnair, after having fled from Kugane. I'm leaving this part of her backstory fairly open for now (to be elaborated on when Thavnair inevitably gets added to the game), but the basic gist of it is that: 1.) she spent most of those five years training under a reputable alchemist to expand her knowledge of the craft, and 2.) what time she wasn't studying and working was spent exploring a vibrant new culture unlike anything she was familiar with, meeting its people, and hanging off the arms of its rich and affluent to fund her taste for luxury.
  
  So yeah! Even though I've not really expanded on her Thavnairian years much yet, I would be open to setting up some sort of background connection based upon her time there! Just let me know and we can figure something out!




• More hooks coming, and I would love to hear your own!____________
  I've got a lot more hooks in mind; I'm just running out of steam writing them for now! But if you wanna hear more ideas, or if you've got some ideas of your own, please let me know! ♥

ARTWORK AND EDITS

• Error creating thumbnail: File missing

  by equn0x @ tumblr

• Error creating thumbnail: File missing

  by anchor/ruen

• Error creating thumbnail: File missing

  by harpbeats @ tumblr

• Error creating thumbnail: File missing

  by sunhiskies @ tumblr

• Error creating thumbnail: File missing

  by captainbasch @ tumblr

• Error creating thumbnail: File missing

  by hutarin @ tumblr

• Error creating thumbnail: File missing

  by 7teal7 @ tumblr

• Error creating thumbnail: File missing

  by snarksonomy @ tumblr

• Error creating thumbnail: File missing

  by smol-nevi @ tumblr

• Error creating thumbnail: File missing

  by felicemelancholie

• Error creating thumbnail: File missing

  by anchor/ruen

• Error creating thumbnail: File missing

  by anchor/ruen

SCREENSHOTS

• Error creating thumbnail: File missing
• Error creating thumbnail: File missing
• Error creating thumbnail: File missing
• Error creating thumbnail: File missing
• Error creating thumbnail: File missing
• Error creating thumbnail: File missing
• Error creating thumbnail: File missing
• Error creating thumbnail: File missing
• Error creating thumbnail: File missing
• Error creating thumbnail: File missing
• Error creating thumbnail: File missing
• Error creating thumbnail: File missing
• Error creating thumbnail: File missing
• Error creating thumbnail: File missing
• Error creating thumbnail: File missing
• Error creating thumbnail: File missing

PERSONAL RP LIMITS

Below you will find a general list of things that I will and won't do within the context of roleplay. I ask you to please respect it to the best of your ability. If there's anything not on this list that you're unsure of, please don't hesitate to ask me first! I don't bite, I promise!

■ I will play . . . Mature, sexual, dark, violent, psychological, and/or criminal themes. Coarse and explicit language. Mild to moderate injury and incapacitation without being given prior notice.

■ Ask before . . . Long-term and/or permanent significant injury and disfigurement. Captivity or imprisonment, either long or short term. ERP, as I'm not always up for writing out sexual scenes (especially if there's no plot purpose or if we don't have a previously established RP history together) so it's best to ask first if I'm down for it before diving right in.

■ I won't play . . . Character death. Any sort of mature RP (sexual, violent, dark, etc.) involving underage characters or players.

All of this said, your comfort and limits in RP are also very important to me. If an aspect of RP or certain themes make you uncomfortable, please let me know so that I can avoid them. Likewise, if something that happens in the midst of a scene makes you uncomfortable, please tell me immediately. I won't be offended at all, I promise! I am absolutely, 100% concerned with your comfort and enjoyment in our RP and would never want to make someone upset with pretendy-times.

NOTE ABOUT WALK-UP ROLEPLAY

I'll be the first person to admit that I can be hard to pin down for spontaneous RP. I wouldn't say that I'm not walk-up friendly. However, even when I'm out and around, most of the time I'm alt-tabbed working on something and not keeping up with my chat log. That said, sending me a tell before you post at me is usually recommended. This lets me know to redirect my window to the game if I'm available, and it saves you time in writing up a post if it turns out that I can't -- and it allows me to try and set up a raincheck with you if possible!

IMPORTANT INFO FOR PROSPECTIVE PARTNERS

If you'd like to set up a more established, long-term RP partnership with me, I'm definitely willing to take on more partners! I love the chance to play Ghoa off of more characters and get in more delicious character development! However, PLEASE take note of the following things first to make sure this really is what you want to sign up for in an RP partner. Make sure you read and understand these points well if you're thinking about trying to set up something long term with me.

I'm being open and honest about what you can expect from me as a long-term RP partner, and this will not change magically overnight. So if any of this doesn't sound acceptable to you, then we will likely not be compatible. Likewise, if anything covered here becomes an issue during our time RPing together anyway (i.e. if someone starts trying to pressure or guilt trip me into daily RP when I clearly state that I am unable to do this), then I very well might excuse myself immediately from the partnership.

■ Sometimes I can't offer you spontaneous RP at the drop of a hat. Occasionally it works out that I can, but don't rely upon it. The best way to make sure we have the opportunity to RP regularly is to plan ahead for it, at least a day in advance. That gives me time to adjust my schedule around our RP and make time for you best!

■ There are multiple people that I roleplay with. If you are easily made jealous OOCly by the prospect of me RPing with someone else or having to politely decline your offer for RP sometimes because I have promised someone else RP, then I am not the partner for you.

■ That said, I may be roleplaying with someone you personally dislike. Feel free to mention it to me so that I can avoid putting you two in a situation where you have to interact. But I don't want to know all your drama, dirty laundry, or sordid history with this person. And absolutely do not try to police who I choose to RP with, please.

LINKS OUT

These links lead off of the wiki, but are still relevant to Ghoa as a character. If a link is potentially NSFW, it will be denoted!

■ Character Development / Inspiration blog : Far From Home (Multi-muse & OOC)

■ NSFW Character Development / Inspiration blog : Steel & Lace (Multimuse)

<tab inline collapsed openname="Show Footnotes" closename="Hide Footnotes">

Wiki Templates: Using the skill stats window from Fancy Template and my layout is inspired by Rixo and Nanagi's template for its simplicity and clarity. Thanks to the authors!

You can use this wiki page layout at will and I will be glad if people actually do, but please try to change the colour theme at least - yes, mine is not just gray...! Thanks.