Kellach Woods
 Kellach Woods
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| Gender | Male |
| Race | Hyur |
| Clan | Midlander |
| Citizenship | Limsa Lominsa |
A recent immigrant to Limsa Lominsa from an unknown land, he was slated to join the Arcanists' Guild to learn mathematics and geometry at a rather high level, but a chance encounter with some pirates allowed marauders to see his prowess with the axe, and three ales later he was instead admitted to the Marauders' guild. An extremely curious kid seeking more experiences to truly know himself.
Contents
Appearance
While before, he was just a hunky, beefy farm boy fresh off the boat, it wasn't long before it dawned on him that on Eorzea, he could be anything he wanted.
And what he wanted to be was fabulous.
He discovered make-up and proper haircuts, rather than the bowl cuts his mother always gave him, as well as jewelry that, though it wasn't extremely rare and indicative of a social status, highlighted his other traits. Under the makeup and apparel, he remains the well-toned, if not muscular dark-skinned Midlander he was when still at his family's farmstead, but a lot more expressive about his inner self.
There are two scars across his face, one going down from right to left diagonally across his bridge, and the other on his left cheek. These appeared before his time in Eorzea, due to being chased by a wild dog while in the forest. He tripped and scarred his face twice going downhill on some particularly sharp rocks. Interestingly enough, he was luckier than the wild dog, who cut himself and bled to death on those rocks while chasing Kellach.
History
Born on a farm as the second son of a family of 4 and the third child overall. Little Kellach, however, always was weak of body and often bed-ridden early on, his family often wondering if he would survive the harsh winters of their locale. His mother, however, would never let him forget that he was once weak, and often pampered him, pleading with his father to not bring the youth on the more physical tasks. Kellach's father was a taciturn man who wouldn't listen. Boys were strong and that was the end of it.
His other son, though, never having lived through the hardships of sickness, took to the tasks quite easily, enough that it was decided that he would be the one to take over the farm. That left Kellach free of familial obligations but at the same time, without much of a future. However, Kellach remained on the farm and kept at the physical activities, even joining his father's logging operation in the winters, much against his mother's wishes. Each year he came back a much stronger boy, yet she would always refuse to acknowledge that his sickness was over.
Quite recently, he has learned that there were various facts about his upbringing that were kept from him. First, that the disease wasn't exactly all that strange in this land, just that most parents choose to sacrifice the child rather than have another mouth to feed that doesn't work. Of those that decide to keep the child, few of them recover. As such, that he was even able to live and recover is quite rare. The second is the amount of time he was forcefully kept inside. As it turns out, since he had no way of seeing outside in the winters, he could only partially witness the passage of time. His intelligence not being fully formed, nor did he had any experience of time passing, he did not realize that he spent 10 years bedridden or otherwise forbidden to leave his room, giving him new perspective on why he was not chosen to take over the farm.
Hearing that the Arcanists of Limsa Lominsa were accepting students eager to learn, his mother pushed hard that he aim towards becoming one. If nothing else, mathematics and geometry would be useful skills for farm planning. At this point, however, his father was starting to regret having given the farm to Kellach's brother. Was he a good worker? No doubt, but Kellach had surpassed him in various aspects of the job, including but not limited to the slaughter of cattle, whereas his brother was squeamish at the task.
When Kellach left for Eorzea, a collective sigh of relief was exhaled by all involved. Sure, his father would have loved to keep him around, and his mother would always worry, but now questions of renegotiating succession were all but solved. His mother was happy that her beloved son was going to become an Arcanist and his siblings wished him luck in his journey.
Of course, the Twelve had a much different design for him. As he was nearing Limsa Lominsa, a band of pirates seeking an easy mark soon attacked the transport ship. A few were competent but the rest were just hands that were press ganged or brought on with the promises of large riches. One of these fell, and Kellach grabbed an axe before helping the few Yellowjackets affixed to the ship fend off the threat. They noticed that while he was untrained, he'd clearly hefted an axe before and he should at least give them the honor of drinking with them once they hit port. Not wanting to insult people who kept the peace around Limsa, he accepted the invite. Several mugs of ale later, he was signing up at the marauder guild as opposed to the arcanists', taking his first step off the beaten path.
A Postmoogle brought him some fairly bad news - his home had been taken over by Garlemald peacefully. His brother took it upon himself to preserve the traditions of their people through a journal that Kellach is eagerly awaiting the delivery from. Due to this, the trade route that passed through his home is now closed to Eorzean traffic.
Recent events led him right into the willing arms of a voidsent without him knowing. Though he has traces of taint in his aether patterns, they seem to have overall vanished. More importantly, it was discovered that his elemental aether patterns were erratic, not unlike waves.
Recent News
Following a discussion with Eamont Desormaux, he has decided to lead an expedition in the ruins of Nym in the hopes of bartering for a Chef's Knife from the tonberries.
Postmoogle delivery is hard enough for the moogles, but for the spoken races, it's a nightmare. Granted a package that had no name and looked quite old, Kellach is tasked to deliver it, with few people understanding what exactly is going on.
Personality
He's a farm boy that's been thrust in a strange land with stranger people and found that he did not belong there far more than he was willing to admit at first. He'd often looked at himself and found that he looked extremely plain in the single mirror of the house, and now he was as fabulous as can be with makeup, earrings and highlights in his hair. While many would look at him now and believe this was a phase, it actually isn't, and is more of a symptom of an exhibitionist streak in Kellach. He was cooped up in a room without seeing much of the world, and the world seeing him, for years, and non-stop work in various fields, turned him into a quite well-toned, if not straight up muscular, boy. He wants to show himself off, and the outrageous clothing as well as the exaggerated manners are part of that.
Often eager to help and more importantly to learn, his experience on the farm allowed him a good foundation of life skills, but not really anything combat related. Fortunately for him, he's not the kind of guy to get involved in a fight without good reasons. His upbringing gave him a quite simple but effective moral compass : Do Good.
Lately, he has been forced to question his morals and how he interacted with others due to very bad interactions with a group of people. To say he has found an answer would be fallacious but as he grows as a person, it is apparent that this answer will be the second part of a foundation upon which a more mature personality will be built. He's slowly learning how to belong while staying true to himself.
Affiliations and Known Associates
L'yhta Mahre - While they do not often see each other, he certainly respects her opinion on the magical arts, and always enjoys her company.
Eamont Desormaux - A man who's healed Kell several times of wounds from self-inflicted stupidity two times. The Coerthas incident and the Voidsent one. Kell enjoys his company and would certainly love to repay him someday with... whatever it is he does!
Characteristics
- Nicknames: Kell, (formerly - may return) Pink
- Age: 18
- Nameday: 8th Sun of the 2nd Umbral Moon
- Gender: Male
- Sexuality: Pansexual
- Marital Status: Celibate (?)
- Alignment: Lawful Good
- Height:
- Weight:
- Body: Well toned, muscular for a Midlander.
- Hair: Long, with highlights that change color depending on his outfit
- Eyes: Golden
- Skin: Black
- Clothing: Typically revealing... even in armor.
Likes
- Cosmetics, clothes and other fancy things!
- Rum
- Learning and discovery
- His pet crab, Pinchyshell
Dislikes
- Close-mindedness
- Wine
- Being stuck in one area
- Anyone trying to eat Pinchyshell
Areas of Expertise
- Martial: No expertise in martial disciplines, but has passing knowledge in several disciplines. His main tool of destruction is the greatax.
- Crafting: No expertise in crafting disciplines, but has passing knowledge in several disciplines due to his upbringing. Particularly skilled in execution, though not in knowledge.
- Gathering: Botany. Passing expertise in Mining and Fishing.
Strengths
- Places great trust in others
- Far stronger than his face and mannerisms belies
- Has great learning abilities
Weaknesses
- Bad at initiating conversation due to his sheltered upbringing
- Drops his clothes at the drop of a hat
- Completely ignores own knowledge and logic for the sake of others
Other Notes
Religion
Though he has an affinity towards Althyk, he has no preference towards worship of him or any of the other gods. They are alien to him, as they are the primal deities of Eorzea and thus not his. His family had a far more basic level of worship where they worship the elements themselves, often wishing that they would bless the harvest, the woodcutting, or any other activity.
When in Eorzea, do as the Eorzeans do, and he has started to adopt Althyk as his deity of choice.
Quirks
- Scratching the back of his head looking confused being 80% of his state of existence.
- He has difficulty understanding certain social cues, such as when his presence isn't desired. He's liable to stay until it is, and follow if they try to get away from him. Sadly, this is often done to friends, leading them to not regard him fondly.
- His thought patterns are erratic and can shift gears from serious to maddening in what seems like the matter of seconds. Unlike what many may think, this has brought him serious consequences. He has only recently attempted to curb the erratic nature of these patterns.
Equipment
Book of Rites
His place of birth do not follow the word of the Twelve, and in fact, had not really heard of Eorzea's deities. Their understanding of the world lies more in humanizing the elements and honoring them as it is their due. The Book of Rites are the collective knowledge gathered by their people in order to best honor the elements and be rewarded for it with either a bountiful harvest or protection from the elements' wrath. It also details their beliefs and rituals not related to the honoring of the elements, such as funeral rites.
The rites contained within are a mixture of Feng Shui, Shamanism and a Farmer's Almanac.
Heavy Axe
Hearing tales of legendary Warriors and of some that sought to emulate them. He also learned of the very heavy axes they brought to the field. Traveling the land, Kellach was able to find a suitable replica. Though far from the masterfully crafted weapons of olde, it remains far heavier than the usual axe which, for someone as lightly armored as Kellach, is easier to wield than for someone with heavy armor. It also doubles as a replacement for his outfit honoring Kechir Hunter, a legendary figure of his homeland who hunted with a greatax in the legend.
The Mask of Ancients
The history of how this mask came to be in Kellach's possession is hazy at best, though from the way he tells it, he simply found plans for it and then used his skills (as well as the knowledge of others) to recreate it with additional non-aether related features. The fabric that covers his eyes does not limit vision, but is opaque from outside onlookers. The fabric itself is folded along the side up to the nose and has been aether-treated to allow breathing through difficult areas, balancing out the aether in the air or filtering airborne toxins. Of course, he has to pull it down in order to do this.
It is also incredibly sturdy and would sooner have his skull cave in than the mask itself from powerful blows.
Rumours
The following rumours can be heard about Kellach Woods. Naturally, the rarer the rumor, the rarer the situation in which it can be overheard. The examples for uncommon and rare are simply provided as a possible hook.
Common rumours
- "Don't be fooled by his shy speech and pretty face, kid's been lifting and delivering some real hefty crates over at Naldiq and Vymelli's. Could probably arm-wrestle a Sea Wolf at the Wench. At least, I'd think about it before betting against him." - Limsa Lominsa Merchant
- "His home's been taken over by Garlemald not too long ago. Any ship tryin' to force that blockade'll be fodder for sharks. That can't be good fer anyone's morale." - Ul'dah/Limsa Trade Ship Captain
- "I never saw him much before. He would be here for work and sometimes study, but these days I've seen him with so many different people dangling off his arm. I wonder what changed?" - Carline Canopy Waitress
Uncommon rumours
- "Aye. I was on the ship that brought him in, like. Once he picked up an axe, he never flinched. Not even once. And he gazed on these scoundrels same as ye'd gaze on a calf you'd slaughter for meat. I swear on the Navigator, his stare was colder than Coerthas' eternal winter!" - Yellowjacket assigned to an official trade vessel
- "Halone take me if I am lying, but I swear I saw it as clear as you are seeing me right now! A barely-clothed brown Hyur in yellow, in Coerthas! And he walked through the rivers carrying another person on their back! How did he not catch the frozen death!?" - Gridanian Botanist who recently visited Coerthas
- "I heard he started wearin' a mask 'cause of a big scar on his face! Never met a soldier that ain't proud of their battle scars! So if that tale's true, then what's he hidin'?" - Brass Blade Soldier around Ul'dah
Rare rumours
- "Used to be he wanted to know everything we taught, but ever since he put on that mask, seems he's abandoned his quest for knowledge. We've not seen hide nor hair of him in months." - Arcanists' Guild Receptionist, if asking directly about Kellach
- "I am quite interested with this book he carries around - Whenever he reads it, I hear him talk of Elements and Rituals, yet none I ask at the Conjurers' guild have any idea what this could be about, while openly worrying that we are welcoming the devil with open arms. When I ask the Twelveswood, I hear naught but indifference about this man. Just... who is he, and what is this book?" - Gridanian Hearer, while Kellach is in town
- "For someone who's an adventurer, I've never seen 'em be strapped for cash. Even handles some situations fer free, too. You have to wonder where's he get all that money, no? And more importantly, how we can get in on it. It certainly can't be just from escorting caravans, right?" - Ruby Road Exchange Merchant, on a rare day off
What PCs are saying
- "I don't get to see him as much as I'd like to, but he's so sweet and caring. I'm proud to call him a friend, even if I wish he'd be more confident in himself!" -- L'yhta Mahre
Known Haunts
You might have run into or otherwise know Kellach Woods from:
- The Harbingers of Dawn Tavern Night
- Seeing him wander around.
- Bronze Lake
OOC Inspirations
The inspiration of making a fabulous character with the muscle tone slider up to 100 is definitely inspired by Hirohiko Araki's work on JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Playing a bumbling country boy introduced to a new world is a trope often seen in storytelling, however the most recent portrayal that inspired me is Donnel from Fire Emblem : Awakening.
