The first and only child born to E'zehla Yarel, one of the few menders among the Eft of the Burning Wall, E'vahn's youth was shaped beneath the Thanalan sun, hunting along the cliffs of his tribe's ancestral territories.
An era of the Eft fell with Dalamud itself: a swath of their hunting grounds and the life a nunh wiped out in an instant. Amidst the dwindling numbers and a fear of tomorrow unknown, the tribe's surviving nunh, E'malha, tightened his grip. Ever one of the more fiery and outspoken of the Tia, E'vahn was unimpressed, and challenged the reigning leader.
He lost, badly, refusing to yield in time to spare himself injuries that should well have killed him, but thanks to his mother, instead marred his face and throat. Having lost his looks, his voice, and his pride, the Tia left the tribe in disgrace to brave the wider world, donning a mask to hide his shame as he drifted through Thanalan.
He found his way, as many do, to the grand city of Ul'dah, where for some three years he lost himself in the constant training and fighting of gladiator life, learning to wield longer blades and honing his talents to a more dangerous skill. He fell in with an ambitious fellow gladiator, one Destry Barlow, E'vahn's growing stoicism doing little to sway the midlander's fascination with tribal life. Barlow served as one of E'vahn's scarce few connections beyond the arena's walls, helping him take his first fumbling steps to learning his letters, teaching him the lay of the land in 'civilized' society. In return, Vahn spoke of Eft, and when he could not, provided his services as a training partner and oft-silent recipient of Barlow's love to talk.
As the years passed, he wanted for something beyond these battles, and eventually, he left the gladiator life behind. E'vahn drifted aimlessly at first, struggling for purpose but not for work, with Ul'dah's need for mercenaries and adventurers never in short supply. He established a reputation for his own personal brand of quiet professionalism.
Life became one of countless rituals and constant busywork: to rise to practice, to leave for work, to return and tend to every piece of his equipment; to rest, to rise again, to repeat the same thing each day. When there was not work, he would travel until there was, and when he found himself traveling far, he would find new things to learn and practice along the way.
He expected to never see or hear from his tribe again, and he may not have, were it not for a chance encounter on La Noscean soil as the sellsword traveled by foot toward Limsa Lominsa...
Discovering a trio of Miqo'te under assault by a band of kobolds, the swordsman stepped in and put armor and sword to work in their aid. Only when the fog of battle had cleared did he realize it was a mixed group of the Keepers, Sabhi and Tahla, and none other than a Seeker...E'zayi Tia. Confronted with a member of his tribe and learning of a place where Miqo'te could come together and learn of each other's ways, Vahn joined them on their return.
Vahn would come to call the strange group his friends, spending what hours he could with them between his own jobs as a sellsword (and butting heads with Zayi often, good-natured or otherwise). Not all things are meant to last, however, and the band of them soon disbanded: Sabhi leaving for work with the Twin Adders, and Zayi departing to realize his own dream of seeking the position of Nunh. Tahla and E'vahn remained together, finding work as mercenaries within the bonds of a free company. Eventually, their working relationship and friendship would blossom into something more, the two both finding something they lacked within the other, and Tahla would come to be with child.
Not all things end so happily, though, and the child was not meant to be. Reeling in the wake of a miscarriage, the two received news of trouble brewing within the tribe that Vahn had all but left behind, now nunh-less and teetering on the edge of another fall. Struggling on whether to stay or go, it was by Tahla's own words that Vahn was spurred to go to the aid of his tribe, the Keeper knowing him well enough to know that, otherwise, the Seeker never would have forgiven himself.
Within the passage of the last few moons, E'vahn has returned to the tribe of the Eft, determined to work toward providing some sense of stability in the wake of the prior nunh's abrupt disappearance. With the strength to defeat several challengers, he has taken on the mantle of nunh himself, working to avert his tribe from a downward spiral. His leadership is a tenuous thing, filled with further uncertainty and in the wake of years' worth of scorn upon his shoulders. Vahn, perhaps, is among the very first of those to view his position as a temporary affair: he is nothing if not a dutiful soul, and as eager as he would be to leave the tribe behind once again, well.
Fate is not always so kind, and so he remains.
With the infrequent visits of Kalani one of his sole lifelines to the outside world, Vahn has found himself mired in the struggles of a tribe too used to their fall and too stubborn to admit to it. Of late, with the trials and struggles of those he calls friends weighing unspoken in his mind, he sets his eye to the Burning Wall, hoping that the source of the Eft's failing might well become their saving grace.
Standing some five feet, eight inches tall, E'vahn has the wiry frame typical to most Miqo'te men, compact and densely muscled with little fat to spare. With a ruin of scars often hidden by a selection of plain scarves, bandanas, and masks, the most readily apparent of his facial features are his eyes: a cold hue of pale blue that often matches the man's quiet intensity. His hair is greying prematurely, a trend that starts at his head and works its way down the length of a short-haired tail, averted by the tuft of stark black that hints at his hair's once-raven color.
When outside of armor, E'vahn favors understated colors: dark browns and faded blues are in abundance with his wardrobe, as are shades of black and grey. Often dressing lightly, for easy motion and travel-ready clothing, the Seeker is still never without some form of protection, favoring at the very least armored gauntlets and greaves in his day to day travels. Rarely, if ever, unarmed, he often carries a plain longsword at his side, guard scarred with use and the handle worn down and replaced more than once with his constant practice. While much of his attire is as worn as the man himself, it is all painstakingly maintained and well-mended.
He does not favor much in the way of accessories, but he often wears a pair of plain horn earrings, gleaming with age and their constant handling.
Vahn, though arguably an extroverted sort, suffers from old injuries that make it difficult for him to speak loudly or at length. Words become easily jumbled and rough when formed by the painful rasp of his tongue, and in the wake of this he has become a quieter creature of almost forced introspection. Stoic and stolid, he has a stubborn steak a malm deep, not budging an ilm once he sets his foot down or gets an idea in his head. Resolutely honest, falsehoods are a facet of life he struggles with, and practices rarely. While some mistake his silence for a dour disposition, in truth those that he struggles enough to speak with at length will often discover a wit dry as desert sands, and rare smiles hidden behind his mask. Observant and contemplative, the Seeker misses little within the range of his (at times narrow) focus, and when in pursuit of a goal there is an intensity and drive to the man that can't be ignored.
Uncompromisingly loyal more often than not, Vahn is nothing if not dutiful, tackling the tasks assigned him (or those he assigns to himself) with vim, vigor, and a tireless work ethic, and those that he trusts he will defend to his last. With a moral compass almost tragically well-developed when put beside his lack of tact, the Seeker has had more than one clash with those acting out of accordance with his beliefs, or those he perceives as harmful to the people he seeks to protect. Vahn himself is scarcely always right, however, often viewing things through a black and white scope, or through the filter of his tribe and his own beliefs. Mix that with his stubbornness and you have, at times, a volatile mixture.
Hardly a fool for all his lack of academic schooling, Vahn's realms of interest are sadly scattered and often physical: not a scholar in the slightest, he's far more interested in the arts martial, in the make of a good tool, the balance and composition of weapons, and the more physical sorts of art that come with hands-on work (and, likewise, is all too happy to pass his knowledge on to others). All the same, in his quiet he has found almost too much room for thinking: the benefit perhaps of having to choose his words.
LIKES
- Martial Practice
- Carving & Carpentry
- Direct people
- Stories & Songs (just don't expect him to be the one singing)
- Drybone Tequila
- Sunny Days
DISLIKES
- Needless exaggeration, blowhards
- Wet clothes
- Dirty armor, poorly maintained weapons
- People that can't get to the point.
- Irresponsibility
- Small-talk
- Gridania.
Disclaimer - If folk want their character removed from the list, let me know and I'll take care of it. How Vahn feels about people IC has nothing to do with how I feel about players OOC, however.
Color Key
:hearts: In A Relationship
:hearts: Romantic Attraction
:hearts: Sexual Attraction
:hearts: Platonic Love
:diamonds: Friend
:diamonds: Friendly Acquaintance:
● Good Standing
● Neutral
● Bad Standing
:spades: Dislike
:spades: Hate
:spades: Fear
:spades: Rivalry
:hearts: Family Member / Related by Blood
:heavy_check_mark: Business
:heavy_multiplication_x: Deceased
?Hidden Feelings/Unknown
NPC
CHARACTER NAME + LITTLE SYMBOLS COPY/PASTED FROM ABOVE
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PC
Tahla Jakkya :hearts:
For all that their initial interactions began at arms length, Tahla and Vahn forged a relationship together that saw them traveling across much of Eorzea. Both of them damaged souls, the two seemed a solid pair, and Tahla was, perhaps, the very first for whom Vahn removed his mask. Nearly having a child together, both were left reeling in the wake of a miscarriage. Encouraged to return to Eft, Vahn harbors no expectation of Tahla waiting for him, but all the same she weighs on his mind daily: his feelings for her have scarcely changed.
E'zayi Tia ● ?
To say that Vahn's feelings on E'zayi are complicated is an understatement. Having fallen for the same Keeper and having both come of the same tribe, their relationship was often downright adversarial (and competitive even before that). At the same time, Vahn sees too much of himself in Zayi: too much of the same fire he used to have, too much of the same passion and drive...and far too much of the same lonely path he himself has gone down before. Seeing boundless potential in the hotheaded Seeker, their relationship all the same has hit a hard stop, ties largely cut after one final argument which came to blows.
E'kalani Malha ?
Once close in their youth as the faces of Eft's next generation, Kalani was one of E'vahn's supporters as a Tia, and quite easily the loudest of those that stood beside him. In the wake of his defeat at Malha's hands, however, Kalani was one of the many who turned away from him, and the memory of it was something that stung for years to come. With the first of their meetings in more recent times having been downright venomous, Vahn's feelings on her mellowed considerably (though not without caution) when E'kalani found herself outside the boundaries of Eft and in the wider world again. The mate of E'zayi, one would think the gap between E'kalani and E'vahn would only grow wider, but with Vahn's return to the tribe of Eft, the woman has actually become his lifeline to the outside world, keeping him apprised of news regarding the little slices of Eorzea (and the people within it) that he is still tied to. Their relationship is a strange thing, uncertain as much of Vahn's life is in Eft, and hard to properly classify.
CHARACTER NAME + LITTLE SYMBOLS COPY/PASTED FROM ABOVE
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DISCLAIMER GOES HERE AS TO HOW / WHEN OTHER PLAYERS ARE ALLOWED TO USE THIS INFORMATION AND WHAT YOU CONSIDER OOC BLEED / GODMODING.
RUMORS
• "That Seeker? Haven't seen him around much of late, but back in the day he used to put on quite a show in Ul'dah's arena."
• "Voice like a dying chocobo, that one. Must be quite the scars beneath that mask!"
• "Once saw him brawling in the street with another Seeker. Hard to say who won, but damn if it didn't drag on!"
• "Haven't seen him much lately. They say he's gone back to his roots and turned Nunh. But before that it was rare to see him without that Keeper girl, when he wasn't working."
• "Trader up from Drybone mentioned he's been sending more Tia out from the tribe, lately, like he's looking for something in particular."
RP HOOKS
• Vahn is a former gladiator of Ul'dah's arenas, and has spent some years as an adventurer and sellsword to boot, with a reputation for professionalism in each of those walks.
• Accomplished swordsman, and a willing teacher for the same, though his responsibilities toward his tribe have had him focus more toward kin than those not of the Eft.
• Has recently ascended to the position of Nunh within the past year, a position that is, to say the least, still tenuous.
• Has turned an eye toward the Burning Wall and the host of overaspected crystals present within its reaches. Could stand to learn more of aether, its crystallized aspects, and the purification of the same.
RP LIMITS AND INFO:
■ I believe in maintaining a firm divide between in-character and out of character: if I have reason to think a player is not abiding by that expectation, well, I don't see a plot or narrative going very far with them, sorry. On that note, I have little to no patience for OOC drama and OOC bleed: I'm here to have a good time and to tell a good story, and no matter what conflict my character may have with someone in character, I expect that conflict to remain in character.
■ Not up for random ERP. Not that kind of character.
