Valen Stalhart

[edit] General Appearance Behavior Abilities/Skills Background Rumors Relationships RP Hooks OOC Gallery  Valen Stalhart Error creating thumbnail: File missing The Crestfallen Magitek Knight Gender Male Race Hyur Clan Unknown Citizenship Garlean (Claims Coerthas) Age 37 Marital Status Single Occupation Relic Hunter/Airship Mechanic for Arcadeus Nameday 25th Sun of the 6th Umbral Moon Valen Stalhart was a Garlean soldier who served in the Empire's secretive Magitek Knight Battalion. Shortly before the Calamity, he defected from the Empire and tried starting a new life in Eorzea. While being sure to keep his past affiliations a secret, Stalhart was able to secure a position as an agent for the Maelstrom, but now works full time as the airship mechanic for the relic hunters of Arcadeus. Inventory Valen is known for his expertise with Magitek, and as such often can be seen wielding numerous sorts of Magitek. Often times, he'll be seen as donning a mask-like visor that he almost always keeps on his person, even if he's not wearing it. Whenever venturing into possible danger, he also takes his Magitek spear with him as well. On very rare, but extreme occasions, he may use his Magitek Reaper which he acquired from his Garlean days. Normally it sits in a remote cove in La Nosca, only being used when the circumstances call for it. Height: 6 fulms Weight: 185 ponz Complexion:  Caucasian Hair:  Black Eyes:  Blue. Though most would believe Valen to be somewhere in his early twenties due to his youthful features, he's actually quite older than he appears to be. Though he is unsure, he believes his graceful aging is due in part to the Magitek augmentations he was given during his time serving Garlemald. His body itself is quite thin, but beneath his somewhat scrawny appearance is nothing but muscle. However, to call it pure muscle wouldn't be entirely be true. His muscles have been laced with carbontwine fibers, granting him incredible strength while also allowing him to remain lithe and nimble. His bones have been reinforced with Magitek as well, allowing them to support a large amount of weight without shattering. On the surface, Valen is a generally kind person, often putting others before himself. He can be a bit quiet sometimes, but is generally an easy person to get along with. However, beneath that smooth surface is a person who is in a constant battle with themselves. His memories from serving Garlemald are so deeply ingrained within him that not a day goes by that he doesn't feel some form of guilt for all the lives he took in the past. Because of this, he has grown to sometimes be overly protective of those he cares about. While he tries to mask this desire to protect with stoicism, should someone he cares about get hurt, it's not too far-fetched to say that he could possibly snap. When confronted, he'll normally try to talk through the conflict, but isn't hesitant to use force if he feels diplomacy isn't an option. Even then, he'll typically try to make every effort possible to use nonlethal force. Despite his pseudo pacifism, during his time in Garlemald, he was conditioned to find a sort of sick joy in combat. For this reason, he tries to keep himself as composed as possible when in the face of conflict. Even when fighting, he strains to withhold himself and remain as calm and level-headed as possible. Flaws ■ Tends to be trusting of those he really shouldn't be. ■ Very stoic to the point of sometimes coming across as cold or distant. ■ Finds it hard to be genuine with people. ■ Has to constantly fight to keep his emotions under control. Fears ■ Never seeing his parents or his home again ■ Losing those he cares about ■ Finally snapping Talents ■ Very powerful lancer ■ Expert on all things Magitek ■ Capable airship pilot ■ Skilled fisherman Preferences Hobbies ■ Fishing ■ Tinkering with Magitek ■ People Watching Likes ■ Solitude ■ The sound of the ocean ■ Snow ■ The heat of combat ■ Just being a helpful person Dislikes ■ Those that betray his trust ■ The Garlean Empire ■ Fighting for the sake of fighting Though Valen will try to avoid combat if at all possible and will even pull punches against opponents he doesn't wish to fight, when it comes down to life or death, he is absolutely ruthless when it comes to fighting. His style is a blend between flurries of vicious brutality and precisely landed devastating blows. His Magitek augmentations have given him incredible strength and agility, also granting him an incredible amount of durability and stamina. Though he is by no means the mightiest of all lancers, he is still a force to be reckoned with in combat. Weapons Valen exclusively uses a Magitek spear that was given to him during his service with the Magitek Knights, and has since been heavily modified. It's incredibly light, and incredibly dangerous. Pulses of energy are sent through its razor edged tip to create vibrations in the blade to allow for it to also saw through anything it pierces. Though not as often at his immediate disposal, Valen also still has the very same Magitek Reaper from his service in the Garlean Empire. Its Magitek cannon and chaingun make it a power to fear, especially when its armor is strong enough to shield it from all but the mightiest of blows and the most powerful of magick. Magic Valen has little to no natural aetherical capabilities. Before being augmented with a small aetherite crystal into the palm of his hand, he even lacked the smallest fragment of such abilities. Though this crystal does allow for him to use minor magicks, and also absorb minor aetheric based attacks, its primary purpose is to power his Magitek augmentations. Since his Magitek has a relatively low ceruleum demand, with careful use the aetherite crystal can to keep his Magitek powered for anywhere between 50-75 years before running dry and needing to be replaced. Early Life (0-10) Born into a family of fisherman in the grasp of the Garlean Empire, Valen was raised with a very humble upbringing. Not being a full-blooded Garlean, he spent most of his childhood living hand-to-mouth, but always managed to get by. He had no brothers nor sisters, but did share a very close relationship with his mother and father. However, the life of a fisherman wasn’t for him. Once he came of age, he traded in his gaff for a spear, and through vigorous training managed to join the ranks of the Garlean Empire’s Military. Service Under Garlemald For three years he served as a lancer for The Empire, scratching and clawing his way through the ranks. Despite his efforts, he never managed to become anything more than a lowly Legionarius due to his inherent lack of true skill Since he was neither skilled, nor a full-blooded Garlean, his superiors had no hesitation to induct him into a dangerous experiment to blend the line between mortal and machine, the Magitek Knights. As a part of his induction, Valen was implanted with a Magitek chip directly into his brain, as well as various other Magitek augmentations throughout his body. The implants enhanced both his physical and mental capabilities, allowing him to emulate similar abilities to that of a Dragoon, all the while without needing to wield the soul of a dragon. While neither he nor any of his fellow inductees were expected to survive the trial process, he alone managed to pull through it, and was quickly put to use by the Empire. Due to the relative secrecy of the Magitek Knights, Valen's duties mostly consisted of low-key assassinations, sabotage, or seek and destroy missions. During one such mission, he was sent to kill a lalafell merchant on a trade route through Thanalan. However, he was under the guard of the highly skilled archer, X'matoi Tia. Tia managed to keep Valen at bay while the merchant escaped, and even tried to dissuade Stalhart from continuing to fight for the Garlean Empire. While X'matoi was unable to convince Valen, his words did not fall unto deaf ears. Ultimately, Stalhart managed to close the distance between him and X'matoi, and stabbed him with his spear. He thought the Miqo'te to be dead, and left him to rot. However, X'matoi still yet lived, as Valen found out a few years later when he overheard tales of the archer's exploits while he was on assignment. After the battle with Tia, Stalhart considered the Miqo'te's seemingly genuine request for him to abandon Garlemald and come to the other side. It was this seed that planted skepticism in him, and ultimately helped him come to the realization that he had no true sense of free will. The chip in his brain had been forcing him to obey the Empire's commands, and he had been made none the wiser to it until his confrontation with X'matoi. When he tried to resist his commands, the chip would send pulses throughout his entire body, leaving him in agony. This left him with no other choice but to follow through with the orders he was given, lest he wish to suffer at the Empire's hands. Defection, and Days Leading to the Calamity After eight grueling years of serving as a Magitek Knight, through either his own sheer will or faulty programming on the part of the implant, or perhaps both, Valen managed to overcome the chip’s grasp while on assignment, and fled shortly thereafter. Valen was declared a traitor to his nation and his people, and the Garlean Military was given the order to kill him on sight. However, due to the fall of Dalamud, which Valen bared witness to from Mor Dhona, the Garlean Empire was unable to spare the manpower to hunt him down. By the time the Empire had regained footing after The Calamity, the tracker built into Valen’s Magitek chip had long since shorted out after going so long without proper maintenance. With no trace of him to follow, Valen vanished from the Garlean Empire entirely, but to this day still remains an enemy to the nation. After the Calamity Valen spent the following years after the Calamity wandering Eorzia until he ultimately found his way to Limsa Lominsa. He served as a sort of freelancer for the Maelstrom so he could make enough to keep a roof over his head. Though it wasn't ideal, it did get him by. It was by chance he stumbled upon Anelia Sadowyn’s residence, which also acted as a base of operations for the Free Company, Arcadeus. Since then, Valen has made a home for himself within Arcadeus, becoming their Magitek expert and airship mechanic. His fellow members have become like a second family to him, and for the first time since his defection, he feels as though he finally has a place he can call home. While he does long for his friends and family back home in Garlemald, he has found at the very least a surrogate comfort within the Free Company. Please feel free to add your own rumors under PC! Some of these rumors may be untrue or greatly exaggerated. Common Rumors (Easily overheard) ■ "That man is quite odd. He seems nice enough, but something about him just seems off. Maybe it's the visor?" ~Storm Soldier ■ "He really knows a lot about all that fancy, hi-tech stuff. I mean, have you seen that spear on his back? It has so many buttons and switches on it, I’d probably lose an eye just trying to hold the damn thing." ~Sailor in La Nosca ■ "I don't like him. No honest man always keeps his face hidden like he does.~Storm Officer Moderate Rumors (Moderately difficult to overhear) ■ "The man goes missing and turns up right after a Garlean base falls to rubble? It doesn't take a sage to put that puzzle together." ~Maelstrom Agent ■ "He's quite familiar with Magitek, I'd dare say he's an expert on it.." ~Engineer at the Ironworks Workshop ■ "The man has no history, no past… He’s like a phantom that just showed up from the aether. However, he gets results, and that makes him quite an asset to the Maelstrom." ~Merlwyb Rare Rumors (Very difficult or rarely overheard) ■ "Stalhart is not a man, he is a weapon; a weapon that now wields a mind of its own." ~Vitus Mal Luro, the creator of the Magitek Knights ■ "He slew Mitus, and brought the base to ruin with the help of a lalafell and a miqo'te. The Magitek Knight however was able to escape and delivered combat data on Stalhart. This information will be sent to Garlemald for further study." ~Garlean Incident Report ■ "I got word that a squad of Garleans were patrolling through La Nosca, looking for a man with long hair and a Magitek spear… Sound like someone we know?" ~Eynzahr Slafyrsyn PC Rumors (Rumors from the characters of other players) ■ "Despite our differences in the past, he has helped me greatly. He is someone you can rely on. I owe him a great debt, t'is the least I can do. Oh and he can't keep a secret, be aware of that too." ~Nanagi Nagi ■ "People can change... and... well, I never thought I'd trust him like I do. He's a very important friend to me." ~Rihxo Matoi ■ "Valen is a kind man, perhaps more than people give him credit for. You didn't hear that from me, though. Got it?" ~Adelaide Levenson 💑 In a Relationship    ♥ Romantic Interest    ♥ Sexual Desire    ♥ Platonic Love     ♥ Family     ● Good Standing     ● Neutral     ● Poor Standing     ☠ Deceased ●Rihxo Matoi: Despite everything that has happened, Rihxo holds no grudge against Valen, and is even quite kind to him. Stalhart sees her as a friend, and is happy to have her on his side. ●Nanagi Nagi: Though they've had their differences in the past, they have since moved past that, and now Valen seeks to help the lalafell in her search for her mother. ●Adelaide Levenson: A fellow defected Magitek Knight. He was weary of her at first, but has since come to accept her as both a helpful companion and a friend. (Credit is due to Endel Blanche for the idea to add in this tab!) Due to Valen's stoic nature, he can be a little bit hard to approach, but if you need a little help, here's some subjects to consider. He is wanted by Garlemald for treason for defecting right before the Calamity, More recently, he led an attack on a Garlean base, which resulted in its destruction. Bounty hunters, Garleand soldiers or sympathizers, or even just people who keep up with current events may know this about him. During his service with Garlemald, he was augmented with Magitek, and served in a secretive batallion known as the Magitek Knights. Though little is known about them, those who are familiar with Magitek may have heard rumors about them, or at least know that Valen exhibits qualities associated with them. If there's any sort of trouble that you need help with, Valen is more often than not always willing to help, so long as he knows its for a good cause. He's not a hitman, but he may be willing to help protect a caravan through dangerous territory. He's associated with the Free Company Arcadeus. If you know of them, or know someone from there, then you may have heard of Valen. What I am looking for/interested in: I'm just looking for some good old fashioned, story driven, action filled RP. Combat is fun, but I prefer it done with a narrative style with the winner already predetermined between the participants before hand, as opposed to RNG dice rolling. For this reason, you'll likely never see me compete in the Grindstone. IC romance isn't something I'm against, per say. It's just I don't really have any interest in it (and honestly, it's the last thing on Valen's mind at the moment). That said, it could happen, but it's not something he's looking for. What I will NOT RP: Character death. My general rule in D&D is that a dead character isn't a very interesting one, and this holds true here too. That said, having Valen beaten to near death, maimed, or taken out of comission for a long period of time isn't something I'm against. ERP. I've got nothing against it, and it's cool if that's your thing. But it ain't mine. Links: Any links you feel are important for people to see, like journals, can be linked in this section. Tropes: Optional section. Remove if you don't want. You can link Tropes about your character here. About the Player: I do raid content as well, so sometimes I'm not always available for RP, but if I'm not raiding or doing dungeons, then I'm pretty much always open for RP. Annotations: This template created by Rihxo Matoi with the help of Nanagi Nagi and has pieces from the templates of Unnamed Mercenary, Roen Deneith, Cyrus Wolfe, and Coatleque Crofte.