Tianh Irothi

Error creating thumbnail: File missing  Tianh Irothi
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Gender	Female
Race	Miqo'te
Clan	Keeper of the Moon
Citizenship	Ul'dah
Server	Balmung
Birthplace	Black Shroud
Occupation	Underground prizefighter, mercenary
Orientation	Bisexual demiromantic

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Basic Info

Tianh a habitual drifter with ties to Gridania, Ul'dah, and Limsa Lominsa, but in recent years she has come to consider Ul'dah her semi-permanent home. She survives primarily by hiring herself out as a mercenary, messenger, and courier to the people of Ul'dah and the neighboring territories, and by competing in an illegal underground prizefighting ring in Ul'dah. Given her background as a bandit and poacher in the Black Shroud, however, she's not above working as a thief-for-hire if the price is right. She usually wields knives for mercenary work, but she actually prefers the intimacy and brutality of fist-fighting.

History

She grew up in a small community of Keepers of the Moon in the Black Shroud that was (and still is, as far as she knows) led by her mother, Mikha Irothi. The small band of Miqo'te subsisted by poaching and stealing supplies and provisions from small villages and outposts, and therefore Tianh was taught how to hunt, kill, and steal from a very young age. She had a difficult relationship with her mother throughout childhood, and it became even more antagonistic as she entered early adulthood. Both women possessed strong personalities, and they each had a different vision for the future of their community. Tianh wanted to put an end to the uncertainty of their hand-to-mouth existence by integrating with - or at least, living on better terms with - the local Gridanians. Her reasons were entirely practical rather than moral or ethical - she wanted the security that peaceful relations with Gridania would give to her people. But Mikha insisted on keeping up the traditions of seclusion, poaching, and thieving. After an explosive fight with her mother that devolved into blows, Tianh was asked by her community to leave so as to put an end to the constant discord.

Tianh made her way to Gridiania first, but soon found that she did not fit into that peaceful and well-regulated society particularly well. So she traveled to Limsa Lominsa, where she found a place among the local riff raff, and eventually she was admitted into the so-called Dutiful Sisters of the Edelweiss. There she acquired a number of useful skills and contacts, but she never truly became socially integrated within the group. She didn't particularly like living so close to the sea, nor did she have much in common with the boisterous, hard-living, fiercely independent inhabitants of the city. Worst of all, she hated what she considered the "tame" countryside of La Noscea, which in her view contained none of the wildness of her native Black Shroud.

She began spending more and more of her time in Ul'dah, which had an abundance of work for mercenaries not hampered by too many scruples. Also, she soon learned that Ul'dah was home to an unsanctioned prizefighting ring organized by a group of merchants, and this seemed to her like a good way to add to her income. Most importantly, she felt that Thanalan had all the wildness La Noscea lacked, particularly under the light of the moon. Her "home base" has been in Ul'dah ever since.

While she has been to Gridania a few times since Bahamut's assault upon the Black Shroud, she has not ventured out to see the damage for herself. She did receive a letter from one of her sisters after the calamity, however, so she knows that her family survived.

Personality

Like many of her kind, Tianh is introverted and somewhat taciturn. She leads a solitary life, taking advantage of the anonymity that Ul'dah's diverse crowds afford her. However, since she did grow up in a tight-knit community, she sometimes wishes she could recapture that old feeling of kinship and belonging from her childhood. Unfortunately, her personality makes it hard for her to make friends. She is cold, strong willed, combative, secretive, and prone to suspicion. Furthermore, she follows a system of ethics that, while internally consistent, doesn't particularly match up with socially accepted norms. What this tends to mean is that she walks the hazy borderlands between the criminal underworld and the law-abiding citizenry, making forays into each but never quite gaining recognition from either side. Fortunately, she makes up for some of her character defects and undesirable associations by being highly dependable. She's a fair judge of her own abilities, and has a reputation in Ul'dah for always finishing the jobs she takes on.

Appearance

Tianh is about medium height for a Miqo'te, and she's built on sturdier lines than most females of her species. Her skin is a soft blue-gray with darker gray markings, hair, and fur. She keeps her hair short, and doesn't bother with cosmetics other than to smudge a bit of charcoal over her eyelids for effect. (She thinks it makes her look more intimidating. This is debatable.) Her face bears several scars, the most prominent of which is above her left brow, and there is never a time when she doesn't have a nice collection of bruises and abrasions as well. She dislikes ornamentation and favors practical leather armor that is supple and comfortable enough to wear more-or-less continuously.

Affiliations

Tianh is somewhat active in the Dutiful Sisters in Limsa Lominsa, and she has connections in the Pugilist Guild, although she is not an official member.

RP Notes

• First and foremost, Tianh wants to feel like she's part of something again. A surrogate family, or at least a band of like-minded individuals who could be more than temporary allies. If you can offer her something of the kind, she might be interested.
• Tianh's personality can make her a little unapproachable, but the way to her heart (or at least, the way to get her attention) is to offer her a job. She'll do a lot for the sake of gil, especially if she gets to cut or beat something or someone into submission in the process.
• She has both clients and enemies in Gridania, Limsa Lominsa, and Ul'dah (particularly the latter two), so your character might either know her already (maybe they did a job together? maybe they were both active in the Sisters at the same time? maybe they exchanged blows in an alehouse brawl?), or know of her.
• If your character has news about the Black Shroud, she'll want to hear it. She might pretend she doesn't care, but trust me, she does.