Gogonji Gegenji

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Garlemald Flag.jpg Gogonji Gegenji
Knowledge is Power
File:Gogonmug.png
To Be Added
OOC Character Information
Main Job(s): • Scholar
• Summoner
Main Tradeskill: Culinarian
Preferred Role: Healer?
Server: Balmung
Status
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Reputation: Unknown
Occupation: Strategist/Information Broker
Education: Home-schooled
Marital Status: Engaged
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Guardian: Thaliak, the Scholar
Free Company
None
Items Carried
• Well-Worn Codex
• Jeweler-style Bifocal Glasses
• Cactaur Earring
• Ruined Rouser Necklace
Characteristics
Race: Lalafell
Clan: Dunefolk
Age: 32
Height: 3 fulm, 1 ilm
Weight: 35 ponze
Eyes: Violet
Hair: Green
Complexion: Pale
Physical Build: Bookwormish
Notable Features: Looks permanently displeased
Attributes
 
   Strength
   P.Defense
 
   Dexterity
   M.Defense
 
   Martial Prowess
   Intelligence
 
   Magic Affinity
   Luck
   
 


Gogonji Gegenji (17th Sun of the 3rd Umbral Moon), also known as "Gogon" or by his common front name of "Tmesis Oan," is a dour-looking Dunesfolk Lalafell from Doma who greatly encapsulates the Dunesfolk stereotype of being intelligent, cunning, and looking out for himself (usually in a financial sense). He has made a name for himself under his front identity as a skilled tactician, providing guidance for numerous small skirmishes across Eorzea. Despite the bookish and sometimes even cuckold demeanor he displays in public, even those who have worked in passing can tell that beneath that veneer is a cold, calculating mind. Few manage to draw any closer to him to see if there is anything deeper, however, due to his arrogant elitism and rampant bouts of secrecy and paranoia.

Basic Info

Chachanji Gegenji is the eldest son of Zozonji Gegenji, the most recent head of a family of Doman weapon and armorsmiths, and Jijinya Jinya, aspiring daughter of a middling Ul'dahn merchant family who seeks to spread knowledge of the family's wares throughout all of Hydaelyn. As heir apparent and eldest child to his sister Nininya Ninya and Chachanji Gegenji, he has held a position of responsibility and authority since his youth. The next head of the family, the prodigal son, and adored brother of his youngest sibling. Even now, away from the auspices of his family, he carries himself with an unshakable air of calm and superiority. Even the most outlandish situations are oft-faced with his seemingly ever-present look of flat disinterest.

While he was initially trained in the ways of the forge by his father, Gogonji's expertise lies in much more mental activities. He frequently tracks and seeks to profits on the markets of Eorzea, backing and connecting various businesses and clients, and even will purchase materiel from one source only to turn it around and sell it at a higher price to a willing customer without the items even actually crossing his vision. But that is not the only goods he deals in. The one business he has a personal hand in is the one that drove the wedge between him and his father; he deals in information.

To Gogonji, knowledge is the most potent tool and resource on Hydaelyn. One cannot make weapons without knowing how or knowing where to obtain the resources needed. One cannot use or combat magic without knowing of it, along with its strengths and weaknesses. And even possessing the mightiest blades and the greatest magicks, without knowledge on how to use them correctly... one is useless at best and an active detriment at worst. Even the greatest armies can crumble under the right tactics and tricks.

Finding Gogonji - or at least his front name of Tmesis Oan - is not too difficult a task. At least, it is easy for him to learn that you are looking for him. His slowly growing network already has hands in the marketplaces of Eorzea, and he holds interest in any place that harbors knowledge in any form. Simply dropping a word here and there stating you are looking to buy or sell information can find you face-to-face with the Lalafell or, more likely, a front man to gauge you first. Once his requirements have been appeased, his knowledge and web of connections could prove quite useful.

If you prefer a more casual interaction, his front's public engagement to Annunu Nunu has resulted in his frequenting events involving high Ul'dahn society. Hobnobbing with the nobles, attending high-brow events, making token appearances at charities. However, one will likely only see the face he shows to the populace here, and won't let the facade fall unless there is a place private enough and the situation intriguing enough. However, even he has places he likes to frequently visit...

As of late, he seems to be making heavy use of a cane. His movements are slow and measured, oft making use of it or his mate for support when he is without it. Like Gogonji, though, the object is more than it appears. A panel on the underside of the handle can be pressed to cause the seemingly normal metal tip to split into a padded claw. It usually gets displayed whenever he is seeking a tome out of his reach due to his Lalafellan height. What other tricks that might lie within it, like its owner, are yet to be seen.


Likes

Obtaining knowledge, especially through books.
Selling information or even just flaunting his knowledge.
Well-made teas, especially exotic or rare types.
Hot sake on a cold night and a cold mint lassi on a hot day.

Dislikes

People too open with his real name.
Excessive levels of ignorance and stupidity.
Being inconvenienced.
Losing.

Other

Alignment: Neutral Evil
Favorite Food: Shark Fin Soup
Favorite Drink: Mulled Tea
Favorite Color: Gray

Appearance & Personality

Quirks

  • His face is naturally set in a very displeased look, a trait inherited from his father. This makes any emotion that he may display look foreign and out of place. Even his smiles look condescending, though - truth be told - they usually are.
  • Similarly, his laughs are notable due to how dry and emotionless they are. More often than not, they sound as if he is forcing one because a laugh seems like it belongs there. If he can laugh with any sort of actual emotion behind it beyond some level of derogation, it has yet to be heard.
  • Many of his actions and the way he speaks to people can be likened to a teacher in a classroom. School seems to always be in session, and whoever he's talking to is either part of the class or a particular student pulled aside for some private talking-to.
  • Oddly enough, he actually becomes a bit more lenient and personable when drunk. While he might still remain in a sort of "teacher mode," he becomes more of a supportive, pushing-for-you-to-succeed teacher instead of the one no one wants.
  • Strengths

    • Dangerously intelligent. If he does not know something, he likely knows a way to obtain the information, and might already be in the process of obtaining it. This can also include things his own clients might not want him to know.
    • His own stubborn nature, along with recent events, has developed his will into something approaching superhuman. Any attempts to possess or control him, or even just peer into his mind, will find themselves stopped by a wall of sheer, unrelenting willpower.
    • Highly skilled in mathematics and economics, and to some degree even a bit of magiteknology - if it involves numbers in any shape or form, he is quick to learn and become adept at it.
    • Given the above, it should be no surprise he is quite adept at Arcanima and its predecessors - Nym Scholasticism and Allagan Summoning. He is also currently teaching himself to read and draw knowledge from the stars, but it is slow going.
    • While he seems to have few real connections with people, those he shares such bonds with are protected with an almost frantic passion beyond what he usually displays.
    • Weaknesses

      • He is clinically sociopathic, along with all that entails, including:
        • difficulty making meaningful connections
        • rarely learning from his own mistakes, and
        • possessing little to no empathy regarding most people.
      • He can suffer almost sudden bouts of paranoia, and keeps almost everything close to the vest even when not in one of these fits.
      • His vision is absolute garbage, needing his glasses both see the world around him and read anything that is not an ilm or two in front of his face.
      • He currently needs to make use of a cane, though not nearly as much as he puts on. His actual level of need for it seems to be linked to how much mental stress he's under.

      • Biography

        Childhood and Teenage Years

        Gogonji, eldest child in the Gegenji family, had much expected of him from the start. It was seen as a given that he would take the place as family head once Zozonji and Jijinya stepped down, so even his earliest memories involve being taught and molded into that purpose. How to make weapons and armor, how to sell them, how to repair them, how to improve on them. Even as his two other siblings were born, the brunt of the focus was set on Gogonji to prepare him for his role. Gogonji even took to living a bit vicariously through his younger brother - Chachanji Gegenji - and his apparent bounty of freedom compared to him, which aided in the bond between the two brothers.

        Things would derail quickly from his father's master plan, however. Gogonji natural intelligence, paired with his mother's cunning and his father's stubborn nature, resulted in a mind that was quickly turned from the seemingly mundane fate his father planned for him at the forge. He quickly became an avid reader, especially in the matter of historical battles, tearing through tome after tome on the subject and anything else that caught his interest. Once he learned of Arcanima, however, his full division from his family's goals seemed set in stone.

        In what free time he had, he dove into the subject, soon learning of the ancient civilization of Nym and its place in the War of the Magi. A numerically inferior nation that held its own against two greater powers through a superior grasp of knowledge and tactics. Such strength in intelligence struck a chord to the Lalafell living in Garlean-occupied Doma. And not only did he see the patriotic use for such things, he saw a monetary gain as well. Unlike weapons, information and knowledge would be forever useful and profitable - and much easier to manipulate and update than steel blades and iron shields. Young Gogonji, full of all the impetuous attitude and spirit of a young adult, saw a better path for his family and possibly a better future for his nation as a whole.

        His father, however, disagreed. The two nearly came to blows over the matter, resulting in Gogonji's egress from the Gegenji house. Boarding a trading vessel from Limsa, he sought to prove his business concept in Eorzea - the land where the ruins of the Nym could be found. He spent the following five years studying warfare, serving as a tactician in both training and live military exercises. One such mission resulted in him delving into the depths of the Wanderer's Palace - a notable Nymian site - and procuring a soul crystal for his services therein. That one crystal - and the knowledge held within its faceted depths - would set his business venture on a new path.

        Pre-Castrum

        The Hypothesis
        The idea that knowledge could be passed on more efficiently through crystallized aether was a fascinating concept to the Doman Lalafell. Ancient skills and techniques could be recovered and utilized through merely handling and possessing the solidified knowledge of ages past. As he communed with his own crystal - resulting in his bond with the Fairy Ezra - he documented and studied his progression in the Scholastic arts. The results were astounding - without the crystal, it might have taken cycles to unearth and then subsequently learn what he had managed in a matter of moons. Not to mention Gogonji would not have gained access to Ezra, who was crucial in both his learning process and the practice of Nymian magic.

        His obsession with the idea grew deeper as he unlocked greater Scholastic ability and studied deeper into Arcanima's complex history. The Dunesfolk's research into the development of marketable soul crystals faltered rather early on, however. Creating a crystal for such purposes was easy enough - the Skysteel Manufactory would later prove this as the crux of their Machinistry - but it was little more than a blank slate. To fill it with enough knowledge and experience to make a suitable product would take suns upon suns of manpower from hundreds of individuals. It simply wasn't feasible, at least not in the short term.

        Plan B, then, was to figure out how to properly utilize the unknown number of soul crystals in existence. So, even while new crystals were being filled, Gogonji could still market the ones he had. It would be quite the product - selling the ability to learn new skills and techniques in a matter of months! But again, he hit a snag. The only soul crystal he had - his own - seemed to be "attuned" to him and seemed almost adamant about relinquishing its secrets to others.

        Stymied, Gogonji started doing research on aether crystals and then on the nature of aether itself. The Lifestream, the liquefied aetheric power source cereleum, and anything else that seemed remotely related to the topic. And then, late one evening, he was struck with an almost manic idea: what if the crystals themselves were responsible for this "attunement"? What if, in some strange semi-conscious way, they would "choose" who could use them? And such a link determined the capability - and perhaps even speed - to wrest the knowledge from their crystalline depths?

        And, more importantly, could such a thing be modified? Or improved? Or forced?

        Initial attempts were terrible for the dementedly inspired Lalafell. He took his idea to the one place he could think of that might be able to devise a way of pulling his idea off: the Garlond Ironworks in Mor Dhona. Ideas of raising the resonance ratio through an admittedly cockamamie fusion of cereleum - liquified aether - and re-purposed Garlean magiteknology. However, much to the egotistical Doman's chagrin, he was rebuked and outright ignored. The Ironworks seemed content enough to work on reapers and replicas of Garlean equipment to be peddled to the prosperous adventuring caste.

        And so, again, the enterprising Gogonji sought to take matters into his own hands - this time delving into magiteknology itself. His skill with numbers and formulae added the process greatly, as did his training as a smith with regards to materials. However, the finer machinations of the practice eluded him - leaving him with little more than sheet upon sheet of theoretical numbers and almost childish sketches of fantastical devices. Even if he struck upon the correct formula, the correct design, he still would be unable to craft the device himself.

        However, with more tangible documentation and the power of gil at his disposal, Gogonji again approached the Ironworks. And this time, he came away with a device. A hulking mess of a machine that he would call - the Awakener.
        The Experiment
        Perhaps through perseverance, or maybe just luck, Gogonji stumbled upon a great find - the Awakener didn't just boost connectivity with a Soul Crystal, it seemed to give "life" back to the crystallized stone. He could "remember" events from ages past, feel a presence aligning with him to further guide his improvement. His already rapid progress developed by leaps and bounds - formulae spilling from his fingertips at a speed that might have seemed inhuman to anyone not from Nym itself. Yet he still hungered for more, to test the capability of his strange device even further. With a crystal he wasn't attuned to.

        Again the power of gil aided his quest and Gogonji found himself in the possession of the soul crystal formerly owned by a retired Sultansworn. And again he was amazed as he delved into the memories and feelings of a protector for a Sultana from ages past. While the Lalafell had not the physique for such things, he found himself instinctively utilizing Paladin arts for a few bells after contact with the Awakened Crystal. With his device, he had forced a crystal to submit to him and relinquish its knowledge - if only temporarily. While not the complete success he desired, it was certainly progress.

        And progress marched on from there. A second flash of inspiration gave Gogonji the idea of utilizing both crystals at once - which ultimately resulted in the development of a mobile Awakener unit to keep on one's person. By forcing synchronicity, he was able to effortlessly access the skills and knowledge of both a Scholar and a Paladin with only a minor headache afterward. A headache that faded with more practice, and its remission served as a marker to the eldest Gegenji child. It was time to return home and show the fruit of his labors to his father - and prove to him the worth of his plan.

        However, it was not to be. He arrived mere suns after the Domans had fled, and all that welcomed him were Garleans and the cinders of his homeland. He stumbled upon the remnants of his home and, in his shock and grief, took this to mean him the last of his family - a proud bloodline nearly extinguished by Garlean arrogance, with no soul crystals to keep their traditions alive. Something snapped in the Doman then, and he fell upon the straggling soldiers with the fury of a maddened beast.

        However, it wasn't enough. They had to suffer far greater punishment for their crimes. And so again Gogonji turned to his strange invention - twisting an instrument of learning into a weapon of destruction. He gathered more crystals, funded more mobile Awakeners - now called Rousers, as to rouse the vengeful spirits to battle - and gathered to his banner Domans and Eorzeans alike who held an unrestrained hatred for the nation of Garlemald. And he began to plan...

        Plan his vengeance on Garlemald.
        The Result
        Gogonji, fueled by grief and rage, spiraled deeper into a sort of madness as he began his campaign. A descend that was made all the worse when one of his initial allies sought to use his Awakener for her own purposes and lashed out at him upon discovery. This would add more blood to his hands as he struck her down, and tainted his mind with fear and paranoia. He started seeing threats in every shadow, in every "ally", including the doll-faced Annunu Nunu who joined his hodgepodge group of guerrillas and began setting herself apart with her own adept skill at stealth and subterfuge against the looming Garlean threat.

        This was the time where "Gogonji" faded into the shadows of misinformation, and the Lalafell's front persona of "Tmesis Oan" appeared. A cover to keep others away from him, to avoid more betrayal and to further stymie the supposed Garlean spies he adamantly believed were after him to finish their job in Doma. Even to his "Four Generals" of his shadow army, now referring to themselves as "Khamja" - the one-armed Highlander Erwin, the luckless Seeker Pa'Nito, the braggart Sea Wolf Aergoeya, and the doll-faced Plainsfolk Annunu Nunu. His paranoia, coupled with his pre-existant sociopathy, made him keep everything and everyone at arm's length and treat even those closest to him as mere tools for his own use.

        So twisted and demented by his neuroses, Gogonji failed to recognize his own brother when Chachanji stumbled across him at Revenant's Toll. Where should've been a light of hope and relief, of joy and realization of a family reunited, was instead a gibbering mass of disbelief and paranoia. Instead of a brother, he saw a Garlean spy - having somehow learned of his plan and seeking to deny him by posing as his lost family. He lashed out at the boy, nearly killing him, and fled to hasten his plans - leaving a wounded sibling and a map.

        A map covered in a mad mess of notes that ultimately served as Gogonji's undoing. With it, Chachanji was able to decipher his brother's plans and - along with a miniature army of friends - stopped the Four Generals from simulating an Eorzean insurgence against Garlemald's outposts across Eorzea. The team then confronted the eldest Gegenji himself in Castrum Centri, where he sought to board a resupply airship in the chaos and sneak into the heart of Garlemald - to slay the Emperor and burn it to the ground in a blaze of insane, suicidal glory.

        With his plans collapsing around him and his army scattered to the winds, Gogonji embraced the insanity and activated every Rouser on his person - becoming a whirling dervish of knowledge and skill. Along with Annunu - the only member of Khamja still at his side - he faced off against the core team of Chachanji's little impromptu defense force, matching them blow for blow. However, such a tactic put immeasurable straight on his spirit and psyche - and the final realization that it was indeed his brother who he was fighting was served to shatter him. The soul crystals - in their semi-sentient awakened state - became a congealed mass of hatred and resentment, possessing the Lalafell's body in an attempt to once again act in the realm of the living.

        However, without Gogonji's mind at the helm, the Legion was erratic and haphazard - at conflict with themselves as well as Chachanji's forces. Though such dissonance they were overcome and the Rousers ripped from the elder Gegenji's body as he was brought back to the Still Shore at his brother's behest - the crystals black and lifeless hunks within the burnt out machines. And the wielder himself was seemingly lost to them - fallen into a coma, his mind a chaotic sea filled with the vengeful spirits of eld.

        Post-Castrum

        From the Darkness, Light
        Moons past for Gogonji, trapped within his own mind as he lay on a medical cot at the Still Shore. Fearing his mind and body being taken from him again, he had walled himself off in the darkest part of his psyche in an attempt to remain himself. And he might have stayed that way until the Legion finally battered its way through his mental barriers or he died. However, it was not to be.

        John Waterstrike, a Grindstone healer and friend to Chachanji, came to the Free Company house seeking to see what he could do to aid his little Lalafellan friend. Using his unique ability, he dove into Gogonji's mind and nearly lost himself in the turbulent chaos of the Legion. Gogonji would have let him drown for invading his mind, but when the Miqo'te invoked his brother's name in a plea for help... the older brother acted. He emerged from his mental hiding hole just long enough to thrust John out of his psyche, and in doing so allowed a bit of the Legion in.

        Perhaps it was fate or just good fortune, but the piece that made it in was the memories from the Scholar crystal. Their kindred spirits had called to it and it had managed to regain some manner of self-awareness in the madness. In the sanctity of Gogonji's safe space, the two came to an accord and the fragment joined with him willingly - recovering his link with Ezra, and starting him on a slow path to recovery.

        But it took more; it took the rousing and appeasing of two more fragments - the Ninja and the Monk - for him to regain any sort of wakefulness and mobility. Just keeping the Legion at bay took most of his mental focus and energy, leaving him with precious little to do more than lay in his bed. And even with those two, he could only speak with the greatest of effort and do little more than shift about upon his cot. And the world he awoke to was none too kind.

        The one who had stood with him, the one at his side when he fell to the Legion, had offered herself up as a scapegoat to keep the Eorzeans off him after a report by Flame soldier and fresh Sultansworn Cyneler Fenrir brought to light the attempted coup. Annunu Nunu, using her own front as the Cherryblossom Socialite, threw herself upon the mercy of the court and - along with a hefty amount of gil - managed to reach an accord with the Ul'dahn authorities. However, it would not be an Ul'dahn verdict without shady undercurrents and back-stabbings, and the accord put her in the hands of one Elyas Rosewater.

        As Gogonji sought to regain ground in his mind, Rosewater sunk his claws deeper into Annunu - reveling in his apparent dominance over her. However, she and Gogonji plotted to wrest her free from his control. Appeasing the Paladin and the Summoner - the latter being a jarring moment when he was confronted with a fragment of the traitorous Elezen woman who had sought to use his Awakener - afforded the Doman Lalafell enough mastery over his own form to enact their plan. A plot that ended with Rosewater plummeting to his death from the cliffs of Thalaos.
        From Nothing, Something
        While removing Rosewater from the picture eased their burden greatly, the two Lalafell knew that more fallout could come from the death of a Sultansworn member. While they awaited the other foot to fall, the two took sanctuary in the reclusive cabin where Gogonji had begun his initial delves into the secrets of the Soul Crystals. However, rather than a descent into madness, this sequester only brought the two closer. When they finally re-emerged, it was with their front personas announcing their engagement in a grand party out at Costa de Sol.

        Miscellaneous

        Rumors

        ◢ Common Rumors (Easily overheard)
        ◢ Moderate Rumors (Moderately difficult to overhear)
        ◢ Rare Rumors (Very difficult or rarely overheard)
        ◢ PC Rumors (Rumors from the character's of other players)

        Please feel free to add your own rumors!

        If asked about Tmesis Oan: "Oh, Master Oan? He is my betrothed, a learned scholar, a reputable person. We make a good match."
        If asked about Gogonji Gegenji by someone she doesn't know well: "I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with that name."
        If asked about Gogonji Gegenji by someone she does know well: "Everyone needs a reason and a purpose. He is both and more for me." - Annunu Nunu
        If asked about Tmesis Oan: "...Who??"
        If asked about Gogonji Gegenji: "He's so different from his brother. [frowns] He is clever and knowledgeable, but... the way he values information is disconcerting to me." - Shoshopu Shopu
        If asked about Tmesis Oan: "Tmesis Oan? Oh... Right. He's... Interesting, I suppose."
        If asked about Gogonji Gegenji: "He's like a light of competence and knowledge amidst an ocean of dark, disgusting ignorance and stupidity. It's quite refreshing." - Sasha Rochester

        Relations

          Color Key
         ♕  Queen: The most important piece, next to the King. Thus, it also means the one(s) closest to Gogon. Even more than the already vaulted task of seeing them as a person, it is someone who he cares about most explicitly, and most afraid of losing.
         ♗  Bishop: These are those who have either crossed, or are near-to, that unseen line for Gogonji between "person" and "tool." These are those he will actually show concern about, and oft provide information either free or at a reduced rate for their own well-being.
         ♘  Knight: Useful tools. Their unique abilities, much like the Knight's unique movement on the chessboard, make them quite valuable to Gogonji. They are still tools, but he will be far more concerned about maintaining this tools over others.
         ♖  Rook: A tool. Someone who can be used, but does not bring anything to the table that he cannot get elsewhere. Should they prove troublesome, he has no qualms with discarding them. Or removing them completely.
         ♙  Pawn: Someone of notice, but not being utilized as a tool. Perhaps due to their inability to be controlled or even just a large enough gap between what they provide and the work that would need to be invested to do so.
         ●  Off the Board: Trash, garbage. This individual is likely in Gogonji's sights to be removed completely from the equation, if they haven't already. Likely due to placing themselves as an obstacle in his way or seeking to harm or threaten those rare few he cares for.

          Annunu Nunu (  ♕  ) - The Pawn Becomes a Queen
        Who would have guessed that the doll-faced woman he original saw as little more than a plant by the Garleans would come to be one of the closest to his heart? Gogonji certainly didn't, but over time and through her concern and devotion, An gone from a suspected threat to a life-partner and mate to the otherwise distant and paranoid Lalafell. Originally seeing her as a weapon, he now seeks more than anything to show her that she is far, far more than that.
          Chachanji Gegenji (  ♕  ) - The Freedom Desired
        While it is love of a different kind, the familial bond between little Chachan and his Go-nii is a powerful one; even greater than his care for the rest of his family. It was the belief of his brother's death that drove him to seek to see Garlemald burned down, everything else be damned. It was his brother's survival that stopped him. It was his concern for his brother that he promised to take a less violent path, and it is also that concern that has currently driven a strange wedge between them.
          Sasha Rochester (  ♗  ) - A Tool Far Too Familiar
        Sasha has been an... interesting individual to work with. Bringing Gogonji along to delve into the vast depths of the Great Gubal Library, the two sought knowledge and openly bemoaned the lacking intelligence of their companions. In many ways, her behaviors mirror some of his own. Perhaps that's why he feels so inclined to impart advice to her and to avoid seeing her make blatantly obvious mistakes. Perhaps one could consider her a sort of "teacher's pet" for the Lalafell.

        Footnotes

        Trivia:
        * Combat theme was picked due to Gogon's similarities to Sho Minamimoto from The World Ends With You, so I went through the OST for a song that might fit. The song most associated with Sho, however, is "Someday."


        General Theme:
        Tension Theme: Requiem for a Dream
        Combat Theme: TWEWY - The Transformation
        TV Tropes: Neutral Evil


        Templates by Bancroft Gairn and L'aenoh Tia