Jin Karasu

Error creating thumbnail: File missing  Jin Karasu
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Gender	Male
Race	Au Ra
Clan	Xaela
Citizenship	Limsan
Age	21
Height	6' 11"
Profession	Freelance Contractor
Server	Balmung

"I'll do anything and everything... for a price."

Appearance

Jin is tall and thin as most male Au Ra often are. He bears the black scales of his Xaelan heritage and naturally black hair, which he sometimes recolors to fit whatever color he fancies at the moment. His limbal rings were originally a pale green, but have shifted into red hues as of late as he gains mastery over the aether manipulation that dark knights are known for. His skin is far tanner than most Xaela, a trait he owes to his mother, who herself was born to a mother of Raen decent and a Xaelan father. He bears tattoos upon his chest and back, a reminder of the disciplines he carries with him from his tutelage in a monastic order.

Biography

Born to a half Xaelan, half Raen mother and a full-blooded Xaelan father, he wandered with the Karasu tribe of Doma for the first several years of his life. When he was six years of age, he participated in his first hunt and began training with a short sword with his father, Gorou. Gorou aimed to prepare his son for participation in the warring lifestyle of the Xaela, and sought to instill within Jin the fierceness and anger that saw the tribe victorious through many generations. It was two years into his training when the Hayashi clan sprung an ambush as the Karasu were traversing a large bridge over a canyon. During the skirmish, Jin was knocked from the side of the bridge and tumbled into the rapids below. He was found twelve hours later by a elderly Hyur couple living in a small village down the river. Seeing his injuries, they scooped him up off the bank and cared for him in their home. As the couple were kind, and having no idea how to return to his clan, Jin elected to stay with them.

He spent the remainder of his youth in the quiet village, attending the lectures given by the village elders at the behest of his new "grandparents" Ricket and Vinya, and leading what amounted to a simple peasant life although he could never quite give up the sword. His father had done well to drill the need for battle into young Jin's mind, and it was soon apparent to Ricket that he needed an outlet. As Ricket had observed Jin watching the town's defenders many times, he sought out Giro to humor Jin with a bit of training. As the first few sessions came and went, and Jin's aptitude grew, Giro began to train Jin in earnest. At age fifteen, Jin became a provisional member of the guard.

It was not long after his eighteenth birthday that a strong feeling of wanderlust began to simmer in his heart. He was of a nomadic people, and he needed to travel. He gathered his belongings and was seen off by the village, who had been expecting him to make the decision soon for his scouting treks around the village had been growing in distance and time in the last few years. Giro had given him a small gift, his personal sword, freshly sharpened. While it was no expertly forged blade, it had served Giro well and hoped it would do the same for Jin.

Soon after, he had joined a trading caravan as hired protection from bandits and the like, and received tutelage in using a shield from some of the more permanent members of the caravan's warriors. Though he did not know the destination at first, he found it exciting that the caravan was soon to board a fleet of ships to a new land, far away from Doma. Eorzea he heard them call it, and they were heading there to avoid the might of the Garlean Empire that had been making it's way through Doma.

Jin was 20 when he arrived in Limsa Lominsa, a seaport town built on the very pillars of stone that would deter most sailors from drawing near for fear of shipwreck.

By this point a new feeling had been growing in him. While sword and shield did well to curb his aggression, he felt the need to lash out more often than not lately, and he needed to find a new outlet. It was with a fair amount of hesitation that he stowed the sword Giro had given him, and had gone to Ul'Dah to learn the ways of the fist. It was with fascination he had listened to the elders of his village speak of the discipline that martial arts could grant, and it was with that discipline in mind that he began training with the pugilists. It was six months of work before he became a member of the monastic order, but all his mastery of the body had accomplished was to make his inner turmoil more clear to him.

It was this turmoil that had set him on his path of the dark knight as means of allowing his tribal anger to be channeled during combat so that he may tuck that aspect away when it was not needed, and he now wields the great-sword as his weapon of choice.

Personality

When outside of battle or duty, Jin's lighthearted and mischievous. He spent a great deal of time playing with several of the miqo'te children in his new village, which had imparted on him a slightly lazy attitude and a knack for sarcasm. What he can't fight with his sword, he fights with a smile and a joke. His trust is difficult to earn, and has many acquaintances but few actual friends.

In battle, he prefers to charge in first and unleash everything he can on the obstacle before him, and he's not much for words.

His wandering tendencies and lazy attitude have seen him taking up residence for the night on a bench in Limsa or Ul'Dah more than once.

Likes

• Sleeping
• Sharp jokes
• Puns
• Training
• Combat

Dislikes

• Extended periods with large crowds
• Overly complicated plots or plans in his contracts
• Subterfuge
• Puns
• The bench near the Rising Sands

Strengths

• Extremely durable
• Easy to talk to
• Decently cheap hiring cost

Weaknesses

• Would rather take a nap than work
• Prone to going overboard when pushed too hard in battle, becoming reckless
• More likely buy something than put in the effort to make it
• Dense about relationships
• Can go overboard with the snark without realizing it

Other Notes

Storm Seargeant First Class, Working with the Maelstrom for 11 months in total as a contractor. Main role: Anti Piracy

Quirks

Goofy and snarky, quick to make a joke at the expense of others.

Equipment

• Great-swords
• Suit of heavy layered armor
• Light weight sparring clothing

Rumors

The following rumours can be heard about Jin, predominantly in Limsa and Ul'Dah. (If your character has an opinion about him, feel free to add it here.)

Common

• "He's a good enough lad. Lazier 'an a goobbue after eatin' a mountain o' food tho'." - Patron of the Rising Sands
• "Looks tough, though I haven't seen him in a fight. He looks pretty angry all the time." (Jin suffers from Resting Bitch-Face syndrome) - Dock worker in Limsa
• "For simple jobs I've had good results! He never charges much. Looks like he makes more than he charges.. nothing I'd concern myself with." - Dockmaster in Aleport

Uncommon

• "I haven't found a task he hasn't been willing to put a price on yet."
• "He.. he prefers the head-on approach. Be specific about your contract with him, or he might be liable to hurt those he has no instructions for."
• "Charges double for anything sneaky like. Sometimes worth it. Others, not so much."

Rare

• "I saw him snap once. We was in this job and got ambushed. Started going wild, cuttin' them down, but earned a lance through his chest in his carelessness. That wasn't the end though, and he picked me up by the collar demanding I heal him after he had finished them off.. Something's off about him. Not many out there that can fight through a mortal blow like that." - Vince, wandering conjurer for hire

Known Locations

You might have run into or otherwise know Jin from:

• Sleeping on benches in Limsa until he decided on joining a free company.
• Everyman Guild: The guildhouse of the Pathfinders

OOC Inspirations

Vash the Stampede