Oriel Durand

Oriel Durand
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Gender	Male
Race	Miqo'te
Clan	Keepers of the Moon
Citizenship	Ul'dan
Age	31
Marital Status	Single
Occupation	Freelance Mineralogist, former miner
Height/Weight	5'8" / 168 lbs
Orientation	Pansexual
Relatives	Sami'to (Father) Orhi Khamazom (Mother) Two sisters

Oriel "Orhi'a" Durand (born on the 31st Sun of the 3rd Astral Moon, 1550) is a Keeper of the Moon miqo'te who hails from a small settlement on the fringes of Gridania. After he came of age, he left the Black Shroud behind him, calling Ul'dah his new home and taking an alias. His penchant for collecting rocks and other knickknacks earned him a place at the local Miners Guild.

Somewhat introverted, but not unfriendly, his quiet disposition belies the peculiar, if not downright strange mannerisms he's come to display over the years. His desire to put up a socially acceptable front has waned somewhat over time, more so after his brief stint in one of Ul'dah's fine Gray Bar HotelsTM with a Roegadyn friend and his wayward subligar.

Armed with a troubling fondness for anything remotely mineral in nature and a lucky streak that has yet to run out, Oriel has managed to defy logic and dodge the tender-yet-firm grasp of Death during his time with the 81st Foreign Levy. Most folk would forget that he's even there, if not for a careful review of the company's payroll and the mysteriously appearing bags of nutrient-rich soil and aurochs manure every fortnight.

He is like a marginally more tolerable version of herpes - forever there, though not always seen. Sometimes, he'll even bring you dinner.

A particularly fortuitous foray into treasure hunting has left him with an abundance in gil, which thankfully covers the cost of replacing his kitchen each time it is burnt into a husk of its former glory. When he is not lamenting the loss of his favorite dinner plates or tending to his garden, he spends much of his time travelling the realm to expand his knowledge (and personal collection) of minerals. While he's spent the last couple of years delving into conjury and arc anima, he's not anywhere near a master of each, and much prefers to avoid combat altogether.

Basic Info

LIKES ■ Dark, quiet places (Hellooooo mineshafts!) ■ Cooking, followed closely by eating. ■ Rocks. He has a collection. A big collection. ■ Books, to keep his mind from wandering. ■ Rainy weather ■ Exploring the wilds of Eorzea.

DISLIKES ■ Heat waves ■ Halitosis ■ Extremely loud, sudden noises ■ Large crowds ■ The deepest of wedgies ■ Facing his own mortality before noon ■ Coblyns and all of their variants (and all of their teeth, goddamn)

OTHER ■ Alignment: Neutral Good ■ Vice(s): Does collecting too many rocks count? ■ Favorite Food: If it's baked, he wants it in his face. ■ Favorite Drink: Chamomile Tea ■ Favorite Color: Black, dark blues and greens

Appearance & Personality

Oriel is tall for a miqo'te, and his work as a miner has left him with a lean, toned body. His dark skin is mottled with freckles, providing an interesting contrast with his light green hair. He has heterochromia (right eye is blue, left is green). His hair is thick and fluffy, both on his head and tail, with the hair on his tail being particularly long. He tends to dress comfortably, favoring simple tunics and pants most of the time. When he's out in the field, he dresses accordingly, with an emphasis on protection (he hears that dying is bad for one's health).

*He used to come off as a bit standoffish, keeping to himself. His time with the 81st Foreign Levy (and their many forays into combat) have left him with very few ducks to give, so he's taken to keeping up the subdued front even less.

*He generally does not accept physical contact from strangers very well. This has become less of an issue as time carried on, as he tends to weird people out just enough to make them keep their distance.

*Oriel is very fond of reading and, contrary to popular belief, this is not strictly limited to field manuals and picture books. While his collection on mineralogy is quite expansive, he's been known to pick up books on subjects covering botany, cooking, and when he's feeling particularly tired, tomes on formulas for aetheric manipulation.

*He has a tattoo, a souvenir from a wild night where there was too much drink and not enough supervision from sensible folk when he was out with some mining colleagues. While originally embarrassed by it, he's come to accept it, ever thankful that he didn't get something lewd permanently etched onto his skin in its place.

Biography

1550-1577

Pre-Calamity

Born to a family of Keepers in the Shroud, he spent the entirety of his youth in the Twelveswood. His family had broken tradition somewhat, seeking to forge bonds with the Gridanians through trade and assisting with the tracking of poachers. While this endeavor of theirs met with limited success (old prejudices reared their ugly head), it did provide Oriel with the opportunity to see Gridania from time to time, expanding his horizons. When not helping out at home, he liked to wander the woods, collecting all manner of things, most notably stones. As he aged, he would begin to wander further away, his wanderlust being a source of consternation at home.

For a time, Oriel also accompanied his mother on trips with his sisters to visit a cousin that was born from a union betwixt miqo'te and hyur. Pahja Attwood was a lively little girl, and made for very long, exhausting days in Oriel's youth. Despite any hardships he had to endure as her impromptu babysitter, he did care for her, enjoying the time spent together when she chose not to chew on his tail or climb on the highest piece of furniture in the house.

With a growing dread for the lifestyle that awaited him when he would come of age, Oriel decided he would leave the Twelveswood at the soonest convenience. When he'd finally left home with his family's blessing, he headed to Ul'dah, forging a life as a miner. The work was hard, the conditions dreadful, but he persevered, glad to have a life of his own choosing, to do with as he pleased.

Post-Calamity

With the Calamity came chaos and terror of untold magnitude. Amidst it all, Oriel kept to himself, thinking that if he didn't acknowledge the horror around him, it would eventually go away. To his utter disappointment, it did not, and soon tales of the destruction that had been wrought to the Shroud reached his ears, filling the young man with dread. He'd soon set out to the Twelveswood, intent on finding his family and, if not that, what was left of them.

Carnage and misery greeted him at every turn, the dead outnumbered only by the wounded as he went between what was left of various settlements. Mighty trees that had choked the sky with their thick canopies now lay in shreds, burnt to a brittle husk. By the time he'd finally reached the remains of his home, he knew that any chance that his family could have survived would have been miraculous. What buildings that were left were uninhabitable, threatening to crumble at a moment's notice. His extensive family was nowhere to be seen, with no trace of any sort of body or burial present. Unwilling to search any longer should he only find them dead elsewhere, he gave up his search. His childhood home was in shambles, and with no other reason to stay, he left. He returned to Ul'dah, the only place he had left, throwing himself blindly into his work.

~Present~

After spending nearly a decade as a miner for the Concern, Oriel picks up a seemingly simple contract to acquire jade from Coerthas with a group out on research. After the disastrous turn of events that would follow, Oriel spent much time nursing the thought of leaving his home to start anew. With another contract taking him to Limsa Lominsa, he again found himself with the same group from before, again in unfavorable circumstances. The more time wore on, the more it became apparent that he just couldn't lose this group of people. They were just... everywhere.

In time, Oriel cut ties with the Concern, deciding that the life of an adventuring miner was no worse than that of a fully employed one, and that at the least, he could travel as he pleased. A fateful encounter on Bloodshore with the Yet-Unnamed Free Company landed him a steady job with greater freedom than he could ever want. The only downside would be that... It's the same group of people he just can't seem to get away from.

For better or for worse, he's a full fledged member of the 81st Foreign Levy, and despite his trepidation with the company's uncanny ability to wind up in hot water, he'd rather not be anywhere else. A shortage of menders gave Oriel the motivation to go under the tutelage of Dawson Colwell and, later on, an au ra by the name of Tomoe Aoyama to study conjury. Later on, he'd take up a more active interest in arc anima, with some tutoring from one Shoshopu Shopu. When not working or studying, he likes to dabble in goldsmithing and carpentry, and while he is talented with the former, his preferred subject matter makes for a very narrow margin of the market.

Miscellaneous

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) ■ "That guy? He's always tracking dirt everywhere. Everywhere! Gods, as if I didn't have enough work as it were..." ~ Frustrated Housekeeper at the Quicksands ■ "One time a fellah went t' talk ta him, and the momen' he open'd his mouth, the guy just... His tail went up, stiff 'n bristley like a marmmots, an' he left. No words, nothin'. Just a lo' of fast walkin'." ~ Inebriated Middle-aged Hyur ■ "His tail's pretty. It'd make a good duster, with all the shite that it picks up. The butt it's attached to is also nice." ~ Entrepreneurial Housewife ◢ Moderate Rumors (Moderately difficult to overhear) ■ "He's got something on his neck, I know it! The way he covers it all the time, rubs at it... Maybe he was branded by someone, like an escaped slave, or... Perhaps he's a convict on the lam? The quiet ones are always hiding something..." ~ Paranoid Lalafellin Merchant ■ "That one, he's not been the same since he came back from the Shroud. He used to be more social, but now all he does is just work, work, work... You think he lost someone? Maybe a lover?" ~ Nosy Waitress ◢ Rare Rumors (Very difficult or rarely overheard) ■ WIP ◢ PC Rumors (Rumors from the character's of other players) ■ WIP ■ ■ ■

RELATIONS ♥ Romantic Interest    ♥ Platonic Love     ● Good Standing     ● Poor Standing ♥Rahn'a Lihzeh - A young miqo'te that Oriel looks upon fondly, almost like the younger brother he never had. He's not seen the boy much in a while, but wishes him the best. ●Y'Lyfriel Sikah - Clever and well-thought, Oriel found her pleasant to talk to, though she often did far more talking than him. She was a skilled mender and a hard worker, two of many things that he looked up to her for. Her sudden death has left him numb. He takes comfort that she is, at least, no longer suffering, though his heart goes out to her mate and child. ●Rhesh'ir Zhwan - Oriel's strongest impression of the leader of the 81st is of a chance encounter at the beach, where they exchanged a few pleasantries before separating ways. He wouldn't speak with him again until another beach party, some time later. Oriel is certain that, at this rate, he'll have to throw a beach party himself just to talk to the man again. ●Lynn'wo Vahnal - His first impression of the man was not a good one, having caught him just as he was threatening to harm another within the 81st. Further encounters revealed a young man that, although troubled with his own past, had never failed to look out for his friends, and was always eager to help. The young man is clever, and Oriel hopes to see more of him in the near future. ●Dawson Colwell - A quiet man, he tutors Oriel in the arts of conjury. Oriel respects the man immensely, looking up to him ●Ainle Goldpaw - An affable young man, and also one of his neighbors. A fellow miner who also happens to have an interest in goldsmithing, Oriel found himself quite taken with him. He admires him for his courage and tenacity, hoping that perhaps, one day, he'll be just as brave as he is. Oriel has begun working more closely with him after the Seeker had taken control over the Innovation Division within the company, intent on helping him achieve great things. More to come! It's a WIP.

Gallery

• WIP

Footnotes

WIP

Thank you to Bancroft Gairn for letting me use the template!