Abodo Po
FROM THE MAN WHO BROUGHT YOU UTHER SKYSTRIDER...
 Abodo Po
| |
 "And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming." | |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | Lalafell |
| Clan | Dunesfolk |
| Citizenship | Ul'dah |
| Nameday | 32nd Sun of the Fifth Umbral Moon, year unknown (~30 cycles old) |
| Deity | Thaliak the Scholar |
| Affiliations | Immortal Flames, Misericorde |
| Server | Balmung |
Contents
Basic Info
Birth Name: Abodo Po
Pronunciation: Ah-boe-doe Poe
Nicknames/Aliases: Abo, Po, Imp, Bat, Black Sheep, Dead-Eyes
Place of Birth: Ul'dah
Place of Residence: Currently Limsa Lominsa
Height: 3 fulms
Weight: Unknown
Hair Color: Gray
Eye Color: White
Occupation: Flames Sergeant, Paranormal Investigator, Misericorde crew member
Skills: Abodo Po is very intelligent and excels in his fields of study. He is one of Ul'dah's top authorities on identifying, studying and combating thaumaturgy, black magic, alchemy, witchcraft, necromancy, blood rites, human sacrifice, primal worship, and general occultism. He is also a practitioner of the three former (thaumaturgy, black magic, alchemy). He uses a combination of aether-manipulation, science, and his own quick feet to investigate and battle the supernatural and unexplained forces of the world from zombies to heathen gods. In his down-time, Abodo is a champion fisherman, decent violin player, and avid reader.
Flaws: Unfortunately for Abodo, he is very much a specialist. Outside of paranormal investigation and discovery, he is not a master of anything. He can barely wield a melee weapon other than a dagger or a short sword. Despite his great speed and agility, he has very limited physical strength. His knowledge of chemical and alchemical science is very high, though his knowledge of technological science is very low by contrast. He is similarly, socially inept. He is very much an introvert, despite his best efforts to make friends and partnerships. He has no grasp of romance and is seen as creepy in both appearance and personality more often than not.
[OOC] Primary Classes: Black Mage, Alchemist, Fisherman
[OOC] Secondary Classes: Summoner, Scholar, White Mage, Bard
History
Abodo Po's life is one shrouded in mystery. Having very few friends or associates, many stories have circulated about his life. The most popular of which is the story of his birth...
Sins of the Father
Some time ago, there was an Ul'dahn loan shark and mobster known as Abubu Alazara, the Mad Merchant. Abubu cared for nothing in life outside of his money, his equally sadistic wife, and the promise of an heir to his kingdom of corruption. Known for his cruel methods of debt collection, few but the desperate were willing to deal with Alazara. One such unfortunate character is the woman known as Lady Lament. Lament was a member of the Thaumaturges' Guild in Ul'dah, but wished more for herself than simple elemental conjuration. To fund her excursion into darker arts, she had to borrow money from the Mad Merchant. Lady Lament was well on her way to paying Abubu her dues in full when the Thaumaturges' Guild learned of her disturbing practices. She was then banished from Ul'dah under threat of death. For the next few years, Lady Lament lived in a self-made hut in the far reaches of Thanalan, where she continued her work. After a while she forgot completely about the deal she had made with Abubu. Finally, one day, she was approached outside of her hut by a group of Brass Blades. The Blades claimed to be doing a routine inspection of the area. They asked her to let them in, and upon her compliance, revealed that they were on Alazara's payroll. When the Mad Merchant revealed himself, they trapped the woman in her hut and burned her alive. As she burned, she cursed Abubu and his gang. As they watched her perish, they laughed off her incantations as mere superstition and returned to Ul'dah. As months passed, each member of the involved party began to die, one by one, in mysterious and utterly gruesome circumstances. Drowning, accidental hangings, some found skinned alive, some found frightened to death, one even contracting a flesh-eating pestilence. Soon there were none left but Alazara, who was expecting his first-born son. On the night of the child's birth there was a terrible thunderstorm. Abubu was sitting in the cellar of his impressive manor, counting his coin, while his wife was in labor two floors above him. As he sat, he began seeing vivid visions of Lady Lament's demise, as if it were happening right in front of him. Attempting to shake it off, he began seeing clearer and more horrifying visions of each of his cohorts' deaths. At last he saw the death of his wife in childbirth, clear as day. Alazara could no longer dismiss his visions as mere sleep deprivation, and rushed to the room above where his wife was giving birth. As in his premonition, his wife was dying. Upon her death, the child was born. But not the child the Mad Merchant had always dreamed of. This baby boy was a monster. His skin was as black as charcoal, and his hair was as gray as ash. Permanent remnants of the crime Abubu had committed. And then there were his eyes. His eyes lacked pupil or iris. Eyes of the dead. Eyes of the damned. Staring into Abubu's very soul. The freakish monstrosity had long, imp-like ears, and it cried like a banshee as it was held by its horrible creator. In sheer terror, Alazara hurled the child out of the window. How it survived, is a mystery to this day. Abubu's visions grew worse. He began to physically feel the pain of his companions' deaths. In madness he ran out into the streets of Ul'dah, shrieking a grotesque and eerie cry that haunts the alleyways even now. In his final act, he took a lantern and set fire to his robes. Laughing in his own insanity as he passed terribly out of this world.
The Fall of Dalamud
After the strange case of Abubu Alazara, the urban legend faded into obscurity. It wasn't until 1572 that the sum of those alleged, and possibly fictionalized, events was once again noticed by the people. As the moon grew red and the Lambs of Dalamud began to spring up from hiding, people began to look for answers and protection. By necessity, people started hiring a man named Abodo Po to investigate and fight off the occult happenings threatening every day life. Abodo had been studying cases and solving mysteries of a similar nature on his own for years, but his name was entirely unknown to the community before the swelling of Dalamud. Abodo was able to make a name for himself as a highly effective investigator just before Bahamut was released. During the chaos and confusion that followed the calamity, Abodo disappeared once again.
A Career Reborn
Abodo Po was relatively unheard from again until 1577. He now travels with a Highlander friend named Rosalin Dumoulin, and his investigations are sanctioned by the Immortal Flames. Lately, he has met and compared notes with Captain Isaac Jacobi of Misericorde, another specialist in dealing with the unknown forces of the world. Whether he has officially joined the crew, or is simply offering his peer a professional courtesy is anyone's guess.
Personality
Social: Abodo Po is an eccentric. He is well aware that his appearance can be off-putting to some, and his time dealing with undead monstrosities and psychotic cultists hasn't helped to further his social skills. The man is very energetic and enthusiastic about what he does. He takes his work very seriously, but is definitely not above cracking jokes about it either. He has a very morbid sense of humor, which is to be expected in his occupation. His manners can sometimes be a bit off, as he interacts with other (living) people rarely, aside from his small circle of friends. Abodo also dislikes being touched, condescended to, or patronized. Recently, Abodo has taken up fishing to relieve the stress built up from his job. He finds sitting at a dock or by a river on a sunny day is very relaxing and quite the opposite of his usual days in forgotten tombs and haunted mansions.
Combat: In a fight, Abodo Po tends to be very focused and effective. He is as brave as one in his position can be and will never leave an ally behind, but he will flee if no harm to others will come from it. He is quite sneaky and will avoid physical confrontation if he can, and will fight dirty if he has to.
Religion: Religion is a confusing thing for Abodo. He has seen many different types of power in his life and is unsure what he believes in. He prays to Thaliak the Scholar more out of superstition than genuine belief.
Speech: Abodo's voice is deep for a Lalafell. He sounds like an adult Midlander for the most-part, though his voice has been known to crack when he's excited or laughing hard. He sometimes speaks in riddles. He does this to humor himself as opposed to an attempt at being mysterious.
Appearance
Physical
Abodo is quite the strange-looking lalafell. In addition to his dark gray skin, medium gray hair, and white-out eyes, he has long and pointy ears and his canine teeth are said to be a bit more pronounced than most lalafell. The latter detail can be neither confirmed nor denied because of the strange rumor mill surrounding the man. Some have said his weird appearance has given him exceptional magical abilities, though this rumor has been debunked, as his skill in the magic arts is on par with others who have studied the same material. It would seem that, assuming his birth story is fact, he was only granted an awkward appearance from the curse of Lady Lament, and nothing more. While not a consequence of birth, Abodo possesses much less "baby fat" than his lalafell counterparts. His belly is not nearly as pudgy as many of his peers. This is because he has a job that provides rigorous physical activity and very little money for food.
Clothing and Armor
Abodo does not care about fashion. He is very utilitarian and will wear any drab clothing that affords him ample pocket space, weather protection, and flexibility. His most common outfit is his modded Immortal Flames coat. He never wears armor, as it is loud and heavy, but he will carry a light shield if the situation calls for it.
Affiliations
Archimedes: Archimedes is Abodo Po's chocobo, and one of his only friends.
Rosalin Dumoulin: Abodo's closest friend. The two have been working together for quite some time. They met after the Calamity, and that is all anyone knows for sure about their partnership.
Isaac Jacobi / Misericorde: Captain Jacobi is the only man (and Misericorde the only outfit) that Abodo trusts to help him with his adventures. Jacobi and Abodo met by chance during a mission of goodwill, in which the Immortal Flames and the Maelstrom each sent agents who understand necromancy to aid Gridania in the case of a haunted catacomb.
Kokozan Wowozan: A former military officer who is now Abodo's personal assistant and retainer. Much to Abodo's dismay, Kokozan has taken up writing and publishing accounts of many of Abodo's adventures.
OOC Inspirations
The comic books Hellboy, B.P.R.D., and Hellblazer were the heaviest influences on the character, though the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker and H.P. Lovecraft also played monumental parts in the character's creation.
Short Stories
Completed
N/A
Started
A Study in Spectronomy
Upcoming
Terror at Witchdrop
Through the Forest Primeval
The Doom That Came To Dinner
