Rauffe Bell

Rauffe Bell
Gender	Female
Race	Hyur
Clan	Midlander
Citizenship	Gridania
Class	Bard / Rogue / Samurai
Profession	Employee of Incunabulum
Free Company	Incunabulum

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Character

Warning: this profile contains backstory elements that involve being the victim of various forms of assault, including sexual. These are plot points for her as well. Player discretion is advised.

General:

Full Name: Rauffe Bell

Pronunciation: Ra Oof Bell

Birthplace: Pearl Lane, Ul'Dah, Thanalan

Current Residence: La Noscea

Relationship Status: Single

Religion: Azeyma, the Warden

Appearance:

Rauffe’s not a person that she’d consider attractive – but then again, that may stem from self-esteem issues. She’s slightly taller than a normal Midlander, tanned and freckled skin, and noticeably fit – far more lean muscle than curvaceous padding. Her hair is something that frequently will change in style, but is generally black with some form of dyed tips (either wheat gold, or berry blue); currently her hair’s shorn to her scalp on the sides, while very short upon the top. One would find various scarring across most of her body, most old and towards the outer facing parts – suggesting many different scrapes with danger, long since past, but some very present and new. Typically she’ll dress in more masculine-styled clothing, far preferring pants and longboots to dresses. She has little issue exposing skin or dressing more feminine, strangely enough, if the weather’s permitting (plus the situation) but otherwise, far more prefers clothing like the Holy Rainbow set. A big fan of trinkets of all kinds (and prices), she’s not without necklaces of various makes, a choker or two, and plenty of belts of leather and cloth. Her weapons of trade (a traditional mythrite straight katana, twin iron knives, and a well-strung shortbow and quiver) are never too far away, and always carries at least a knife.

Voice: Rather deep and masculine for a woman her age, formerly sporting a ruffian's accent - but over the years, it's at least started to smooth out and become far more Lominsan Hyur-like.

Behavior:

Honest to a fault. Doesn’t frequently speak with a filter, but this doesn’t prevent her from being a generally decent person. Has a huge attention towards right and wrong, but recognizes the difference and the nuances that come with it. If she puts her mind to something, she will get it done someway and somehow. (Which has its own problems.) Consequently, she’s also very open with quite a few of her emotions – namely, happiness/entertainment, anger, and sadness. While she’s not traditionally pious, she does put quiet faith in her deity to see her through the difficulties of daily life. When you would be in trouble, she’d be the first to not even bother to ask, but still do her best to help – even if it’s a free meal. (Which is how she frequently shows her appreciation and admiration.)

When she becomes motivated to do something, she becomes almost unstoppable in the process of trying to accomplish it. Naught but imminent death or complete social network collapse would be enough to stop her.

Abilities: 

Her abilities have evolved since she last stepped foot and found solace in Eorzea. Becoming heavily skilled with a bow, as well as daggers and even a katana, she bears no issue with wearing such weapons openly. She has even started to pick up the magical arts, via the practice of astrology and the magecraft of the red.

She shows an impressive amount of physical agility, being able to perform many transversal arts with ease. Relying far more on her evasion and her luck, she is one to consistently be on the move in combat, not even stopping frequently to line up shots with her bow. However, unfortunately, it comes at the cost of lowered physical strength - a few well-placed hits from anyone would be enough to knock her down.

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Traits

Likes: Over the years Rauffe's likes have expanded greatly, far too many to list. Things she adores doing are fishing, cooking, listening to music, swimming and working out.

Dislikes: Her time away from Eorzea has re-galvanized her dislikes - injustice wrought upon the weak, inaction and silence, and primarily above all she hates those that take away others' freedoms unjustly.

Hobbies & Talents: Cooking, working out, listening to music, adventuring to new places.

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Relationships

Family:

• Her Parents (Atlan Jorah and Marie Jorah): Rauffe unfortunately was never aware of her parents, or if she was her memory was extremely poor. All she knows is that she was sold by them to pay a debt of some kind to the Ochre Daggers, an underground, hidden-in-plain-sight criminal group operating out of Thanalan that dealt with human trafficking. As a result, she has no blood-related family that she can speak of to her knowledge.

Friends:

Once the Venture Association met an abrupt end, Rauffe recused herself from Eorzea to find herself, among many other reasons. As such, many of the people she was once associated with are no longer in frequent contact with her.

In the meantime, though, she's interested in meeting more people!

Rumors:

Common Rumors (Easily overheard):

• "Okay I'm damn sure that's her. I'd recognize those eyes and tattoos anywhere. Where the hell did she go?"
• "I'm damn sure she was working in the back of the house in the Bismarck. Not one for customers, but she was sweating her ass off there."
• "What even happened for the last three years? And why did she change her hair again?"

Moderate Rumors (Moderately difficult to overhear):

• "Okay so she did NOT drink me under the table, that was another sailor..."
• "I saw her at the Wolves Den the other day, trying to learn how to hold a rapier correctly..."
• "Why's she wearing masks all the time? Is she okay?"

Rare Rumors (Very difficult or rarely overheard):

• "...Y'know, I heard that she was involved with robbing one of the Monetarists, or something. Something about a Sable Phantom...?"
• "Ever since Rauffe came back around, has anyone else noticed that Stonesthrow's finally starting to look up for itself?"

Player Character Rumors (If you want to share one, feel free)

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History

Early Childhood

Rauffe was born about 13 years prior to the Calamity, the happy accident of Atlan and Marie Jorah. Atlan and Marie were a couple that were, as couples go, wont to luxury and impulsivity, and for a short while after Rauffe was born, the three of them were the happiest and richest that they've ever been. Unfortunately, that aforementioned impulsivity finally caught up with the young couple, who had run up one too many times against the Ochre Daggers, a rather large criminal organization that had been running under the radar in Ul'Dah for some time. Specializing in moneylending and prostitution, the Jorahs had borrowed more than they could repay - and when it came time to pay up or face the blade, the Jorah's sacrificed the young Rauffe to them as payment, in exchange for never going down that path that led to this again. The young girl was half-abducted, half-taken in by the Ochre Blades, and while she wasn't mistreated physically by the people in the gang themselves, their clients were another story entirely. One could even have spotted some of the Sultansworn's elite among the client base, and all too quickly she lost her illusion that adults were actually competent and looking out for their younger. Various scars, welts and other damages could still be found on Rauffe's body to this day. Her last name came from the item that was in her hand once she was accepted as tribute - a small bell she had picked up wiht her parents - and its symbol was branded into her neck, as was the custom for the Ochre Blades' "employees".

9 year she spent in the "employ" of the Blades' division, 9 years she spent staring at the ceiling for her gil, 9 years she spent being lashed and bitten and whacked. 9 years turned a child into a slave. Only a miracle, in her dull eyes, would set her free.

The Calamity

The Calamity was considered a blessing in disguise for Rauffe, as she was only 13 at the time. Yet when it struck, Bahamut himself tearing his way out of Dalamud and raining down destruction, she made her escape under the guise of a young child without parents. Clad in nothing more than a hempen sheet torn up into a cloak-like robe, and nothing more than a small blade on her person, she ran away into the surrounding desert of Thanalan. Scared, out of breath and starving for water, she collapsed outside of the Coliseum, just barely out of the wake of the disaster.

But she had no idea who was the person who surely saved her, for when she regained consciousness, she found herself in one of the beds in the Sultansworn's female barracks, washed clean and her wounds looked after. She sought out her savior, but no man or woman in the guard military was able to remember just who it was. Surely it was someone in the force, but still... the memory of the few Sultansworn that had been affiliated with the Ochre Blades haunted her. Once again, she made a break for it, out of paranoid fear that she'd be brought back kicking and screaming.

Post-Calamity to Venture Association

Rauffe's adolescence was spent among the beggars and poor of Pearl Lane, falling away from whatever normal life she could have had for herself ever again. Less and less did she wear feminine clothing, or really anything that could even distinguish her from any of the other layabouts and such on the lane, and more did she adopt a more masculine appearance - short, choppy hair, wrapped chest flat enough to pass for any other young man, pants and so on. Not by choice, sadly, as the Ochre Blades themselves did seek revenge - or at least sought her. For whatever reason, the Sultansworn - the exact same ones on the Blades' payroll - started to do their best to clear out Pearl Lane, whether by eviction forcibly or finding positions within the Immortal Flames or Sultansworn for those out of a job. Her cover was falling away quickly, and the reappearance of some of the more "hungry" Blades was just proving it to her that Ul'Dah wasn't safe anymore.

So she ran when she was old enough to travel via ship, one last time. Hoping to find a place where the Blades wouldn't even touch her, where she could make a clean break from the life that once declared her its puppet. She stowed away on a carriage, headed towards the Shroud, still almost clearly masculine by the looks of things. Headed to Gridania, to pursue the life of someone whose blade and arrow would be finally treasured and needed for good, rather than just basic survival.

And her adventures haven't stopped since. She's started to come out of her self-imposed walls a bit, especially helped by the fine members of the Venture Association, which took her in and gave her a job as a Junior Associate, after a long set of trials. While she may not be as skilled nor as trained as the members of the Venture Association, she looks up to them as heroes of her time, those to emulate and follow their example.

Venture Association to Incunabulum

(Work in progress)

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