Romilda Rayne

Romilda Rayne
Romilda Rayne in Thanalan.
Stormhand
Gender	Female
Race	Hyur
Clan	Highlander
Citizenship	Ala Mhigo
Place of Birth	Ala Gannha
Guardian	Rhalgr, the Destroyer
Nameday	21st Sun of the 4th Umbral Moon (Age: 25)
Occupation	Adventurer
Pronunciation	"ro-MIL-da RAYN"

Romilda Rayne is an adventurer from Ala Mhigo who fled Garlean occupation with her father and older brother when she was a child. Pugnacious and ill-tempered as a youth, Romilda channeled the frustrations of her refugee life in Little Ala Mhigo into street fighting. After the Calamity, her father fell victim to the Amalj'aa. She felled her tempered sire, then left Southern Thanalan for Ul'dah to become a gladiator. After a few victories on the bloodsands, she became an adventurer to see the world at large. Years later, as a seasoned adventurer, Romilda became determined to take part in the attack on Gaius van Baelsar's base at Castrum Meridianum and joined the Immortal Flames. After the incarceration of Raubahn Aldynn, she temporarily left service. She is currently involved with the Ala Mhigan Resistance, fighting by their side against Garlemald.

Appearance

"Beaut!" —Romilda Rayne

Romilda is Ala Mhigan.

Short for a Highlander at just under five and a half fulms, Romilda Rayne makes up for her relative lack of size through strength. Boasting a muscular form, her toned arms, legs, and abdomen make the results of her training apparent at a glance. A head of short, blonde hair covers her head, usually unkempt and rarely brushed. Her dark-skin is bronzed further by the sun, giving her a golden-brown hue.

Romilda's face is somewhat boyish, even handsome with a slightly squared jawline, thick brown lips, and a small nose. Her sharp, golden eyes give her a fierce, bestial look that is often broken up by her cheerful grin and laid-back demeanor. A large, black facial tattoo marks the left side of her face, likely something the received shortly before she began her adventuring career. The only makeup on her face is a bit of eye black meant to cut the harsh glare of the sun.

Calloused and scraped from fighting, Romilda's hands and knuckles are tough. She cuts her fingernails short and never decorates them. Her left shoulder bears three scars, which are usually visible due to the sleeveless shirts she tends to wear. Various other cuts, scrapes, bumps, and bruises periodically appear on her body, but fade fast enough. Only the scars on her shoulder seem permanent, reaching around to her back to the center of her spine.

Outfits Casual Wear: In casual settings, Romilda will often wear a hempen top colored desert yellow against her bronze skin. Iron fastenings and a leather belt beneath the breasts are all that keep the outfit together. The attire is rather revealing, but it's the typical attire of Ala Mhigan refugees made to show off their impressive physiques. Woven into the center of the top, just above her breasts, is a wood-carved talisman, which is part of the Highlander Hyuran spiritual tradition. Her fingerless gloves are loam brown, made of aldgoat leather, and fastened with iron rivets. Her caligae are similar in make and color, but fastened with bronze rivets and made of hard leather. There is some beast sinew woven into the lining of her footwear. A bark brown hempen bandana covers her blonde head, the loam brown layer beneath adorned with various shells and teeth collected by Romilda. The most unique part of the outfit is the pair of loam brown shorts worn under a short, bark brown skirt. A leather belt keeps it low on her waist, and a leather satchel is attached to her left leg. Silver earrings dangle from her ears. Romilda often keeps a pair of brass knuckles around when she wears this outfit, which she apparently found while adventuring. Adventuring Gear: Romilda prefers functional clothing to stylish clothing when adventuring, usually colored in a desert yellow to match her hair. Her favored outfit for adventuring and riding includes a jerkin, gloves, and thighboots with gryphonskin padding. The outfit is strung together with tough raptor sinew. A white, felt underlayer makes the jerkin more insulated, and the coeurl fur around the leather keeps in heat well. Rose gold decorates the leather fastenings. Her pants are simple, hempen cloth with a leather belt fastened around her waist. she sometimes wears a woolen turban with an aldgoat leather eye-guard to keep out the wind and dust, especially when mounted. Notably, Romilda doesn't always use a pugilists' arm, often preferring to fight barehanded. Temple Attire and Sphairai: Romilda's set of Temple Attire was worn by her mother and later refitted to her proportions. Her Sphairai were handed down from her grandfather. The Temple Attire is the religious habit of the Fist of Rhalgr, made entirely on the temple grounds. The cloth was loomed by monks, the thread spun from the cocoons of silkworms. Each stitch is half as wide as its wearer's little fingernail, and it is aid that the result forms a holy geometry to further open one's chakras. Hard metal adorns the matching leather gloves and boots, making for pointed strikes when wielded against opponents, even when unarmed. The same metal pads the shoulders and circlet. This specific set of Temple Attire was originally worn by Romilda's mother, but later refitted by Sunsilk Tapestries as a favor to her older brother to fit the smaller Highlander's proportions (and larger bust size). Romilda's set of Temple Attire is typically kept enclosed in a special box, and rarely ever worn. Romilda has deep respect for the monkhood and their traditions and prefers not to needlessly dirty the garb. The one time in recent memory that she donned her habit was during the assault on Castrum Meridianum during Operation Archon, intent on fighting against the forces of Gaius van Baelsar, viceroy of Ala Mhigo and architect of its fall, in the iconic dressings of a monk of the Fist of Rhalgr. As a result, the metal plates suffered some damage and needed restoration, and some areas of the attire needed to be re-stitched. Once she saved up enough gil for the necessary repairs, she returned the attire to its resting place until she next decided to wear it. Sphairai forged into the shape of coeurls were the trademark of Ivon Coeurlfist, who popularized the design. The pair that Romilda wields were used by her father, and her grandfather before him. Though she only used them once, at Castrum Meridianum, she decided to seek out ways to empower them. Infused with Thavnairian Mist by Drake at the forge in Hyrstmill, they glow with aetherial might when she wields them.

Basic Info Date of Birth: 21st Sun of the Fourth Umbral Moon, Year 1552, Sixth Astral Era Height: Short (5'6") Weight: Muscular (161 Ponze) Complexion: Golden-brown Hair: Short, Blonde Eyes: Gold Particular Traits: Black facial tattoo. Various small scars and bruises along arms, legs, and torso. Voice: Contralto with an Ala Mhigan (Yorkshire) accent. Clothing Style: Prefers sleeveless shirts and loose-fitting pants. Laterality: Ambidextrous

Preferences

Likes ■ Training and sparring. ■ Exploring Eorzea. ■ Fighting monsters. ■ Meeting and befriending other people. ■ Savory, bitter, or spicy foods. ■ Thunderstorms in Gyr Abania. ■ Riding her chocobo, Comet. ■ Coeurl kittens.

Dislikes ■ People who give up without trying. ■ Feeling abandoned by other people. ■ Dry or sour foods. ■ Biting insects. ■ Killing people.

Favorites ■ Food: Aldgoat Steak ■ Drink: Herbal Tea ■ Colours: Yellow and Purple ■ Place: Rhalgr's Reach ■ Festival: Moonfire Faire

Other ■ Alignment: Neutral Good (Chaotic-Leaning) ■ Vices: Drinking and gambling. ■ Religion: Primarily Rhalgr, the Destroyer. ■ Goal: To master the skills of a monk and help reclaim Ala Mhigo.

Personality

Flaws ■ Uneducated. ■ Arrogant. ■ Sometimes overbearing. ■ Stubborn. ■ Impulsive. ■ Impertinent. ■ Tactless. ■ Longsighted; more pronounced in her left eye. ■ Unskilled at using aether, entirely inept at using magic.

Fears ■ Voidsent. ■ Ashkin. ■ Morbols. ■ Being tempered. ■ Ifrit.

Talents ■ Prodigious strength, stamina, and agility. ■ Capable of breaking stone without need of a pugilist's arm. ■ Accustomed to fighting larger opponents. ■ Makes decent leather armor and weaponry. ■ Naturally attuned to her chakra. ■ Can whistle without moving her lips.

Tropes ■ Action Girl ■ Bare-Fisted Monk ■ Boisterous Bruiser ■ Book Dumb ■ Charles Atlas Superpower ■ Determinator ■ Honor Before Reason ■ Hot-Blooded ■ Improvised Training ■ Muscles are Meaningful ■ Pint-Sized Powerhouse ■ Unskilled, but Strong

Intelligence Romilda has no formal education but is a fast learner. She analyses situations quickly and reacts in whatever manner she feels is best. A visual learner, Romilda can perform most physical techniques on a basic level if she's seen them done at least three times. While Romilda can read most words, she does not know how to write. She's capable of addition and subtraction with little difficulty, but finds it difficult to multiply or divide integers greater than twelve. Romilda doesn't understand decimals at all.

Quirks Romilda doesn't pronounce the "g" in words ending with "-ing", nor the "r" in words ending with "er". She tends to talk in a brash manner that can come off as rude to those who expect to be treated as her better and liberally uses profanity.

Comparisons Final Fantasy Characters: Bartz Klauser (FFV), Macias Rene Figaro (FFVI), Zell Dincht (FFVIII), Rikku (FFX), Snow Villiers (FFXIII) Other Game Characters: Aika (Skies of Arcadia), Beat (The World Ends With You) Anime Characters: Sanosuke Sagara (Rurouni Kenshin), Kagura (Azumanga Daioh)

Abilities and Skills

Personal ■ Physical Strength ■ Physical Stamina ■ Fast Learner ■ Quick Thinker ■ Naturally Attuned to Chakra

Weapons ■ Fist Weapons ■ Lances ■ Greatswords

Magic ■ Chakra

Crafting ■ Leatherworking ■ Mining

Family and Relationships

Relatives

■ Radulf "Levinfist" Rayne

Radulf Levinfist was Romilda's paternal grandfather. Catching wind of Theodoric's attack on the Temple of the Fist, he ensured the survival of his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson by ferrying them back to his hometown of Ala Gannha. He perished in the flames of the King of Ruin's wrath, but his actions ensured the birth of his granddaughter, Romilda.

He was known for his Levinfist, a technique that lent lightning-aspected charge to his entire body for increased speed and power.

■ Robert Rayne "of the Bloody Fist"

Romilda's father, Robert of the Bloody Fist, was born in Ala Gannha and trained under the Fist of Rhalgr as his father before him. He narrowly evaded the destruction of the Temple of the Fist, and aided in the rebellion against Theodoric. After Garlemald took over, he lost his wife while fighting against the invaders and took his two children to Thanalan. He arrived in the deserts with hands caked in blood from the many enemies he faced while fleeing Ala Mhigo, hence the moniker.

There, he lived, a defender of Little Ala Mhigo and ally to the Resistance, and even lost an arm saving youths from his village ransomed by the Corpse Brigade. Shortly after the Calamity, he was captured by the Amalj'aa, tempered, and ultimately slain by Romilda.

■ Hilda Rayne, née Hartford

Hilda Hartford grew up in the city of Ala Mhigo among the nobility of the city-state. She excelled at martial pursuits, even as a child, and first met Robert Rayne when he was assigned to the city of Ala Mhigo as part of the Fist of Rhalgr's entourage not long before the King of Ruin ascended the throne.

She left her life behind to join the monkhood out of a desire for martial perfection that the city life could not provide. She and Robert eventually developed feelings for one another, wed, and had their first child in 1547. She was taken to Ala Gannha during her pregnancies, which coincided with the destruction of the Temple of the Fist, sparing her, her husband, and her son the flame and blades of the King of Ruin.

After Garlemald invaded, Hilda and Robert fought alongside a cell of the Ala Mhigan Resistance, but she was shot several times and presumed dead during a conflict with Garlemald.

■ Richard Rayne

Five years Romilda's senior, Richard's birth was upon tumultuous times, as the King of Ruin had recently ascended the throne. From a young age, he began martial training under his mother and father, keeping alive the traditions of the Fist of Rhalgr. After fleeing the Garlean invasion, he grew up in Little Ala Mhigo, but left not long after coming of age to become an adventurer.

Brother Richard sent his sister frequent letters from his journeys, but they abruptly stopped after the Calamity. Romilda, however, never believed him dead, and her faith was rewarded when they reunited at Rhalgr's Reach five years after his disappearance. This reunion was not to last, Richard perished fighting against the Garleans when they assaulted the Reach.

Friends and Acquaintances

■ Freya Blackheart

■ Eno Rauron

■ David Windfall

■ Hassan Pakravan

Romilda first met Hassan at a march to Little Ala Mhigo to show support for its liberation. A man of Ala Mhigo sworn to the Immortal Flames, she later fought the "Bull of Paperwork" in the Realmsward tournament and triumphed over her friend.

■ Achillies Froste

It was by coincidence that Romilda met Achilles in Rhalgr's Reach following an argument with Vidar Ironfist. The Elezen wants to kick Garlemald out of Ala Mhigo, an ambiition that Romilda, to avenge her late brother, will happily take part in.

■ Osric Faulkner

A stern monk of the Fist of Rhalgr with somewhat extreme views, Romilda sees something of her father in Osric as both an elder member of the Fist and a Resistance fighter, though her interactions with him have been very limited.

■ O'zinba Tia

The Crimson Duelist O'zinba Tia first met Romilda outside of Ala Gannha, after the two vanquished a pack of aggressive bhoots together.

■ Reiko Relanah

Acquaintance

■ Vidar Ironfist

Acquaintance

■ Von Sayrillont

Romilda met Von at the Realmsward tournament in the central highlands of Coerthas, where she won a stunning victory dressed in her temple attire. She later joined him and his comrades in a march to Little Ala Mhigo in a show of support for the Resistance, and is currently set to work alongside the Ishgardian in the battles yet to come in Gyr Abania.

Enemies

■ Garlemald

■ Amalj'aa

Affiliations

■ Ala Mhigan Resistance

■ Fist of Rhalgr, Sect of Light

■ Little Ala Mhigo

■ Adventurers' Guild

■ Immortal Flames (Ala Mhigan Brigade)

■ Pugilists' Guild

■ Leatherworkers' Guild

Rumors

Note: This section is editable by anyone. Just keep in mind that the rumors here may be both true or false.

■ Romilda's brother may have been seen at the Battle of Carteneau.

Biography

The Fall of Ala Mhigo

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Romilda Rayne was born the second child to two monks of the Fist of Rhalgr in 1552 of the Sixth Astral Era. Her mother, Hilda Rayne, was a noblewoman who ran away from her home in Ala Mhigo to join the Fist of Rhalgr, eventually falling in love with Robert Rayne, the son of their mutual master, Elder Radulf. They had their first child, Richard, in 1547 of the Sixth Astral Era amid the tempestuous rise of King Theodoric I. By 1552, the King of Ruin had laid waste to the Temple of the Fist, but Radulf gave his life for his family and saw Robert, Richard, and a pregnant Hilda to safety to the north, in his former hometown of Ala Gannha at the cost of his own life.

Romilda was born not long after the Temple of the Fist burned. Her parents joined the Ala Mhigan Resistance under a local man named Curtis Hext and took part in the defense of innocent civilians against the tyranny of Theodoric. In 1557, they joined the enraged citizenry in their assault against their king, only for Ala Mhigo to fall to the XIVth Legion led by Gaius van Baelsar. Robert and Hilda did their utmost to resist the occupation, but their Resistance cell was discovered. In a skirmish, Hilda was left for dead and Robert was forced to take his children and flee Gyr Abania in. Romilda was too young to remember anything of her homeland.

His fists dyed in the blood of any opposition he met on the path out of the mountains, Robert sought succor in the Black Shroud only to be denied. Instead, he took his children to the deserts of Thanalan, but found the disdain of Ul'dahns and their cowardice in the face of Garlemald distasteful. Scorned and frustrated from his fruitless journey and seeking a way to shelter his children, he chose to journey to the southeastern deserts. There, he found a home in the refugee camp known today as Little Ala Mhigo, and stood among its most stalwart defenders while working among the Ala Mhigan Resistance.

Little Ala Mhigo

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Romilda grew up in Little Ala Mhigo, and it is in Little Ala Mhigo that her earliest memories lie. Robert seldom interacted with his children now, having grown distant. Passing down the martial arts of his fallen brotherhood and the teachings of the Fist of Rhalgr became his most meaningful forms of interaction with his children. Richard raised Romilda in his stead, the boy growing up to care for her, teaching her how to speak, helping her learn to read as best he could, and receiving help from neighbors and friends. He also took it upon himself to train her when their father was unavailable, enjoying frequent sparring sessions. Romilda tagged along with Richard often as a child, but struggled to make friends on her own.

Richard left home in 1565 in search of profit as an adventurer alongside his friends. The thirteen-year-old Romilda missed her brother terribly, despite receiving trinkets, letters, and rough sketches from his travels abroad. She marveled at his tales, but loneliness and poverty embittered the young woman. She often took out her aggression on others, frequently starting fights in a vain attempt to attract some form of attention from her father, who remained engrossed in his ongoing work with the Resistance and protecting Ala Mhigo save for training his daughter in the martial arts.

In 1570, Romilda and a group of similarly-troubled Ala Mhigan youths waylaid an Ul'dahn merchant traveling through the area and wound up at the mercy of the Corpse Brigade. The kingsguard-turned-bandits, led by Garibald Carver, dragged the youths and merchant away to the Sepulchre with intent to ransom them. When Robert learned of this, he rallied the aid of Gundobald and Hremfing to rescue his daughter and her peers from their captors. Robert of the Bloody Fist infiltrated the Sepulchre and successfully saved the children, but lost an arm to Garibald during their confrontation before defeating the axeman.

The experience helped change Romilda's outlook on life. While difficult, she chose to reign in her anger and tried to take on a more positive outlook. Robert, too, opened up and gave Romilda insight into her family history and the legacy of her ancestors. Inspired by her father's valor, her brother's letters, and the sacrifices made by her mother and grandfather, she instead aspired to become a woman worthy of her family name. Making a deal with the Ul'dahn merchant after apologizing to him, she began to work at mining ores locally for pay to be paid a decent sum of his earnings when he traveled back to sell them in Ul'dah.

Before Meteor

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Using their combined earnings, as well as calling in a favor owed to Richard, Robert surprised Romilda with a gift upon her eighteenth nameday: her mother's temple habit. Richard had previously aided the Sunsilk Tapestries during his adventures and, shortly after the encounter with the Corpse Brigade earlier that year, Robert sent his wife's attire to his son for repairs and refitting. The outfit took to the girl like a glove. Though she would seldom wear it outside of special occasions, Romilda always cherished it as a precious gift from every member of her family.

For the next two years, Romilda mined to support herself and her father, and worked to become a better person. During this time, her relationship with her father grew somewhat closer. He taught her much and more about the sights of Gyr Abania, old tales that he and her mother once told Richard and Romilda as children were given context. Perhaps losing an arm, and nearly losing Romilda, made Robert feel the need to pass down what knowledge he possessed. Among these were a few demonstrations of the techniques exclusive to the Fist of Rhalgr that his years basic martial training had not covered: those requiring the opening of chakras.

Though Romilda struggled, she never quite learned to open her chakras at such a young age, a fact that Robert owed to a lack of suitable locations known for large, bloody battles in the region. The only suitable one nearby, the site of Belah'dian battles against Hyuran nomads, was territory considered too dangerous to bring the young Highlander. Instead, Robert focused on the theory of chakras and drilling Romilda to better protect herself that she would fare better against beasts and bandits such as the Corpse Brigade in the future—though he warned of the latter's familiarity with their martial art.

In the year 1572 of the Sixth Astral Era, Richard's letters began to slow in frequency until they stopped altogether. For moons on end, Romilda wondered what had become of her brother, and asked her merchant friend for any information on his whereabouts. The lesser moon of Dalamud descended from the heavens in an aetherial, blood red aura. The day of the Calamity arrived, and Bahamut was unleashed from his five-thousand year imprisonment to wreak unspeakable destruction upon the realm until its abrupt end. In the wake of the Calamity, even those condemned to poverty in Little Ala Mhigo knew further loss and suffering.

A moon into the Seventh Umbral Era, a messenger came from the Immortal Flames, bearing a letter writ by Richard's hand and addressed to his sister. This man claimed not to know Richard, but presumed him dead on the battlefields and lost—his letter a final memento. Romilda, to her shock, had lost memory of her brother's face and name until she saw the script at the bottom. So, too, had her father, and the locals around Little Ala Mhigo. As queer as this was, Romilda found that the final letter had come from the Battle of Carteneau, and described Richard's participation in the events leading up to the Seventh Umbral Calamity.

After the Calamity

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It was through the letters she'd collected from his years of adventuring that Romilda established even the most basic of connections with her brother. For days, she poured over his writings, trying to recall the brother she'd lost on the eve of the Calamity. Other evidence of his existence remained—his childhood belongings left behind after he became an adventurer and the many souvenirs of his journeys across the realm sent home to his beloved sister. Most prominent among these was the temple attire he'd helped refit, and the letter he'd sent home to Romilda on her eighteenth nameday.

Even as the mystery surrounding Richard's disappearance from memory weighed heavy on Romilda's mind, Robert found himself preoccupied with the increasing activity of the Amalj'aa tribe of beastmen. Having moved into Zanr'ak, their presence forewarned of conflict to come. Indeed, later on in that same year, the lizardmen attacked Little Ala Mhigo directly, taking advantage of their weakness to gain worthy sacrifices to the Lord of the Inferno. Robert of the Bloody Fist fought against them, but faltered for his disability. Taken before the Circle of the Tempered, he was bathed in the essence of the primal Ifrit and became His thrall.

The loss of her father drove Romilda to act rashly. In her haste, she decided to infiltrate Zanr'ak and save her father. When she arrived, she found soldiers of the Immortal Flames already in the area, having responded to news of crystals being stolen from merchants in the region in preparation for a summoning. While most of the tempered thralls were slain by the Flames, one stood against them with madness in his eyes: Robert Rayne. Romilda charged in past the Flames' blockade and tackled her father. As they fought, Robert attempted to temper his daughter to join him, but it had no effect upon the young monk.

The battle was brief, but brutal, prolonged only by Romilda's continuous attempts to reason with her sire. All proved in vain, and Robert raked along Romilda's shoulder with blazing claws blessed by his new god, injuring her. As the Flames closed in to join the battle, Romilda ultimately fell when his daughter broke his neck with a powerful kick. The Bloody Fist fell, leaving his devastated daughter to be taken home by the Flames. Robert's funeral was a small, religious affair, and he was buried with his wedding band and in his temple attire. Romilda took possession of the weathered Sphairai he'd wielded years ago.

Adventuring in Eorzea

After her father's death, Romilda left Little Ala Mhigo behind to become an adventurer in her own right. The young monk arrived in Ul'dah and searched for news about Richard to no avail. She made enough money working in Thanalan to travel elsewhere and continue her search. Over the course of five years, she traversed Eorzea and gained a reputation as a brash, valorous woman. Prior to the assault on Castrum Meridianum, Romilda joined the Immortal Flames to help end the Garlean aggression in allied territories.

Other Information

Name Etymology Romilda: "Famous battle" from hrom meaning "fame", and hild meaning "battle". Rayne: From ragn meaning "advice" or "counsel". Nicknames ■ Ro ■ Rommy ■ Stormhand ■ Little Highlander Current Residence Room #6, Plot 11, 10th Ward, The Goblet Attuned Aetherytes La Noscea Limsa Lominsa Aetheryte Plaza Costa del Sol Aleport Camp Bronze Lake Wolves' Den Pier The Black Shroud Gridania Aetheryte Plaza Bentbranch Meadows The Hawthorne Hut Quarrymill Camp Tranquil Fallgourd Float Thanalan Ul'dah Aetheryte Plaza The Goblet Horizon Black Brush Station Camp Drybone Little Ala Mhigo Forgotten Springs Camp Bluefog Ceruleum Processing Plant The Gold Saucer Mor Dhona Revenant's Toll Coerthas Ishgard Aetheryte Plaza Camp Dragonhead Dravania Idyllshire Tailfeather Gyr Abania Rhalgr's Reach Castrum Oriens Ala Gannha Gallery