Arthurioux Duchamps
 Arthurioux Duchamps
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| Gender | Male |
| Race | Elezen |
| Clan | Wildwood |
| Citizenship | Ishgard |
| Age | Early to mid twenties. |
| Height | 6'4” |
| Weight | 174 ponzes |
| Profession | Chocobo caretaker and scholar |
| Patron Deity | Althyk, the Keeper |
| Server | Balmung |
((under construction. I'm commenting out everything that's giving me difficulty at the moment, so this is definitely a work in progress!))
Contents
Personality
A lively young man eager to see and experience everything the world has to offer. Though he's rather attached to his homeland, he left to find the knowledge he needs to make it a better place. His optimism may be somewhat naïve, but he hopes to help and inspire as many people as he can. Hydaelyn is a beautiful place and he wants everyone to be able to appreciate it.
He's a very good listener and enjoys conversation for the sole purpose of hearing what others have to say. Despite his outgoing demeanor, Arthur shies away from answering any personal questions for fear of rejection. He's afraid that he's a person of little consequence, so he tries his damnedest to endear himself to people. He craves people's affections and praise as a means of validation, and though he tries his best not to seem too earnest, it's woefully obvious. He has an unfortunate tendency to get too attached to new people and forget that they need space; doting on them to the extent that it's nearly smothering.
Arthur's enthusiasm is boundless. Even when he's at rest, he's constantly moving; overflowing with nervous energy. If he can't manage to get others to talk about themselves, he'll take it as an indication that he should take initiative and talk himself, though the topic of conversation is usually completely irrelevant. He's the kind of person who loathes silence – it makes him uneasy. To Arthur, silence in any sort of social setting is an indication that he's not being interesting or pleasant enough – that he's disappointing everyone by virtue of hitting a lull in conversation.
History & Timeline
((considering the general inconsistency of the canonical timeline, the dates prior to the Calamity are all approximate.))
~1550 - 1562 - Arthur is born, and lives in relative isolation. All of his time is spent either tending to chocobos and learning about the family business, or being taught things of a more academic nature by his mother. He develops a passion for reading and, coupled with his natural curiosity, wants nothing more than the opportunity to study at the Observatorium.
~1562 - A page nearing the end of his training is sent to Arthur's parents' farm to procure a bird as a means of evaluation. Having never before met anyone of his own age, Arthur was immediately enthralled with the page. Upon his return to the keep at Stone Vigil, the page passes his evaluation and is made a squire; apprenticed to a knight of House Haillenarte. He and Arthur remain in correspondence, keeping in contact by way of post.
~1562 - 1569 - It is thanks to the squire's influence that Arthur leaves home for the first time, as he'd become determined to see his learnings find a more practical use. By way of his mother's connections, Arthur was able to study with the chirurgeons at Whitebrim Front, something he found great joy in, despite the circumstances. He learns much of both magical and mundane means of healing, and finds his studies exceedingly helpful in patching up injuries the squire had attained in training. Owing to their close proximity, Arthur and the squire become dear friends.
~1569 - After fourteen long years of harsh instruction, the squire passes his final assessment and is dubbed a knight.
~1569 - 1572 - Arthur and the knight both dedicate themselves to their respective fields: Arthur, to conjury; the knight, to swordmanship and the defense of Stone Vigil. The years were uneventful, but they were happy.
1572 - The Calamity strikes, and the endless winter sets in. The Central Highlands are cut off from the Eastern and Western Highlands, so great are the snows that come. While the Alliance states of Eorzea struggle with the fall of the lesser moon and the onslaught of Garlemald, the Dravanian Horde takes advantage of the Ishgardians' plight as they struggle to adapt to the change in climate. The Stone Vigil falls, and is seized by the Dravanians.
1572 - 1576 - Arthur withdraws, his friendly and outgoing demeanor lost to grief. He leaves Whitebrim Front and returns home; aiding his parents in maintaining the farm and becoming thoroughly engrossed in his studies. He devotes himself entirely to textual studies, neglecting practical magic for several years.
1576 - present - In an attempt to get Arthur out of the house again, his parents earnestly remind him of his childhood dreams of becoming an astrologian. They remind him of the fact that his book studies would hardly be enough to admit him; encouraging him to travel abroad and study at the mage's guilds of the Eorzean Alliance.
Arthur hardly had any desire to leave home again, and his parents were worried that, without a catalyst, he would be left to stagnate, wallowing in misery. As such, it was with heavy hearts that they intervened, telling their son that there were only two options left to him: either leave things as they were, or leave Coerthas.
Feeling that he had nothing left to lose, Arthur took the latter option. His parents offered him a chocobo from their most recent clutch to take as a traveling companion, their only stipulation being that he would have to train the bird himself. And so, somewhat bitter and contrary as he was, Arthur decided to take on the problem chick of the flock.
Neige, as the chick came to be called, was an aggressive and headstrong little chocobo, to be sure. She was smaller than her siblings, but she made up for it with moxie – going so far as to actually require one of her feet to be amputated after a particularly nasty kerfuffle. Training her was easily one of the greatest challenges of Arthur's entire life, and he sustained more than a few injuries from the endeavor. It would have been difficult even without her handicap, which he turned to carpentry in order to mitigate.
With no small amount of help from his parents and a handful of craftsmen, he managed to whip Neige into shape over the course of a cycle and a half. She was still a feisty little bird, but she developed a healthy sense of respect for Arthur and would acquiesce to his orders, unless she thought they were too foolish for her to obey.
Over the course of a fortnight, Arthur and Neige rode to the nearest state, Gridania, with a few stops for rest here and there. His first destination was Stillglade Fane, where he has been a student ever since. Running errands for the Conjurer's Guild has lead Arthur across the continent, and though he values his conjury studies, he had been moonlighting at Mealvaan's Gate while studying with the arcanists. The sacred geometries of arcanima puzzle yet intrigue him, and as of late, he's wondered whether the methods of drafting them are similar to the astrologians' methods of tracking celestial bodies. To say the least, he finds the notion exciting, and had lingered in Limsa Lominsa longer than intended as a result.
Arthur's eagerly seeking a mentor to assist him with furthering his education, though he has had little luck finding one thus far. Despite this, he's met a handful of academically minded people and is adjusting well to life in the Alliance states.
On his travels, he encountered an interesting case of chronic aether sickness and joined up with the patient's free company in order to have an easier time of treating it. However, he wound up hitting the road again after a moon or two, as he felt he wasn't making progress and was arguably making things worse. Of late, he's been staying at the Carline Canopy in Gridania, where he's been engrossed in finding new applications of arcanima to both healing and enchanting items.
And, despite thinking he's hardly suited for the job, he's recently found himself something of an apprentice.
Characteristics
- Nicknames: Arthur. He feels his full first name is too formal; given the opportunity to introduce himself, this is what he'll insist on being called. Artie or Arty, usually by friendly acquaintances. (To be entirely honest, the last nickname makes him cringe a fair bit of the time.)
- Nameday: 23rd Sun of the 4th Umbral Moon.
- Sexuality: Primarily interested in men.
- Marital Status: Single.
- Alignment: Neutral good.
- Clothing: He prefers wearing functional clothing that's durable enough to last him a while. He thinks enchanted jewelries and fine fabrics are lovely, but not only are they delicate, they're also out of his price range. He's been saving gil from his latest bookkeeping job to improve his wardrobe, though it's still not his greatest priority.
Likes
- Learning
- Helping others
- Stargazing
- Chocobos
- Passionate people
Dislikes
- Conflict
- Stubborn, closed-minded people
- Arbitrary restrictions or limits
- Hot weather
- Apathy
Areas of Expertise
- Martial: Conjury is his main offense, though he can use what he knows of arcanima to supplement his skills. As for melee combat, he can fight with a polearm if pressed. Overall though, he prefers to avoid combat entirely.
- Crafting: He's a novice in carpentry and leatherworking out of necessity – stables and chocobo tack require frequent maintenance after all, and who better to do it than yourself? His work is somewhat crude, but it's efficient enough and does its job. He's working to improve, but it's not his main goal.
- Other: Chocoback riding, animal husbandry, entry level botany, reading comprehension and text based research.
Strengths
- Quick thinking
- Attention to detail
- Compassion
- Empathy + the capacity to see things from others' perspectives
- Tenacity
Weaknesses
- Social anxiety + lack of proper social skills
- Obliviousness
- Physical strength (or in his case, the lack thereof)
- Somewhat naïve, too trusting of people
- Focuses too intently, sometimes struggles with tunnel vision and “seeing the forest through the trees”
Other Notes
Religion
Religion is something of an enigma to Arthur. He's never understood the devout piety of most Ishgardians to Halone, though he tries in earnest to emulate it in the hopes of maintaining inconspicuousness. He has always wondered why his people have warred with the Dravanians for so long, and if any of it even means anything anymore. He believes that a more diplomatic approach should be taken whenever possible to avoid bloodshed, and so he actually feels strongly opposed to Halonic teachings and the singleminded xenophobia that often accompanies it.
With regards to the rest of the Twelve, he doesn't feel particularly attached either. If the gods were so benevolent, why had they not intervened to help protect Eorzea from the Garleans or the primals? To protect Ishgard from the dragons and from themselves? Though he thinks of the Twelve as nothing more than myth, fictional beings to guide and inspire people to help one another and remain strong in the face of adversity, he tries to exemplify the spirit of compassion in everything he does as a means of reverence.
Known Haunts
You might have run into or otherwise know Arthur from:
- The Conjurer or Arcanist Guilds. He's also studying thaumaturgy, but the Ossuary makes him feel uneasy, and so he tends to shy away from the place.
- Gridania. It was the first of the city-states he visited, and he's grown somewhat attached to it. Though the architecture is quite different, it reminds him of his home as a kid - he struggles to remember an Ishgard not buried in snow, so he has fond feelings for the forest city.
- Ishgard, or anywhere in Coerthas. With the recent reopening of the city's gates, Arthur's been lurking near home, despite his bitter feelings toward it.
- Any quiet place with sufficient lighting. Libraries are a personal favourite, though not always accessible. If he's not playing messenger boy, he's probably studying.
OOC Information
Inspirations
Maya Amano, Jun Kurosu, Star Butterfly, and Milo Thatch.
(a friend mentioned that Arthur reminds them something of Merrill, which wasn't intentional, though I do agree.)
Music
here are a couple of songs that remind me of Arthur.
Nothing Has to Happen - Hungry Ghosts
pretty much anything by MONO, really. their album 'Rays of Darkness' is particularly good, though.
Notes
(a few people have requested info on how to pronounce his name, and so I've made a rough approximation using French IPA: [aʁtyʁˈjɔy dyʃɑ̃] )
