Subetei Noykin
| Subetei, of the Noykin | |
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| Gender | Male |
| Race | Au'Ra |
| Clan | Xaela |
| Citizenship | Vagabond |
| Age | 29 |
| Marital Status | Bonded |
| Occupation | Mercenary |
| Height | 7'3 |
| Patron Deity | Althyk, the Keeper |
| Relatives |
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Born on the plains of Othard among the beasts and the tribes of the Xaela Noykin clan, Subetei is now an exile from his clan and a vagabond of the land of Eorzea, living and fighting among the people who have become his new family.
Towering over even most Xaela, there is a certain likeness to a behemoth in Subetei in appearance. Royal purple skin with ebony scales as well as horns, he projects the appearance of one of those great destroyers just by sight alone and it is his towering physique that completes the image with a mess of sinewy muscles noticeable. Tested and tempered by the rigors of combat and life in the wilderness Subetei has a worn, rough look that makes his skin dull and his hands calloused but it has done nothing to lessen the incredibly sharp look to his face, the intimidating cut his scales and horns give to his silhouette. With this look it is not surprising that he shows the marks of wild combat and forsaken defense, carrying an assortment of battle scars and often at any time a collection of wounds, patched crudely or not at all and it is not rare to see some fresh graze carried on him, save for his arms and legs which are strangely kept heavily armored by the man. His face is markedly blank most days, alternating between 'unconcerned', 'grim', 'excessively grim' or the default expression during his moments of rage, 'blood-soaked grin and screaming'.
His hair is an appropriately untamed mess of bramble-like knots and curled waves barely restrained by his horns and the sheer exertion of gravity and braiding, swept back but with spiked and feathered tails as well as a quartet of iron-locked braids danging against his neck and over his shoulders. The color is quite unique, the roots and most of the length an charcoal black but rapidly lightning to a beautiful platinum blonde , especially in the braided sections. Subetei's hard face is set with two rather strange eyes, both fitting in their own way; His right eye is a beautiful azure blue color, radiating a sort of calm that belies his general state but truer to form, his right is a haunting pale white that is in fact damaged, a cloudy orb where a clear mirror should exist. His scales cover his face and his horns protrude wickedly, each one tipped with traditional Au'ra battle decorations meant to protect them if needed to be used as weapons.
While many would expect Subetei to be garbed in traditional war vestments, he instead garbs himself simply in most situations and his casual attire is often the same as his battle attire. A simple set of harnesses and straps over his chest, bare plating and reinforcement, while his leggings are some variety of tanned hide and cloth for comfort. He disdains excessive vanity and does not often wear much in the form of jewelry or decoration even at the most formal of times. He carries a variety of axes but rarely keeps one for long, often burying one too deeply in some unwitting foe and replacing it with another spare to suffer his abuse anew.
Uninviting and somewhat gruff on first encounter, Subetei warms up quickly when close to those around him into a somewhat amicable and generally pleasant man who tends to be oddly invested in the lives of those who interest him in a way that might borderline on familial, though to different degrees and even to those closest to him he still has some difficulty warming up completely. It is not uncommon for him to walk out on a conversation or a gathering because the mood struck him and he is quite severely introverted, used to his nomadic lifestyle as he is and yet at times he can be genuinely charming and warm to those around him. Specifically, his most charismatic moments seem to come in an almost abrupt way, but it comes down to him feeling at home or not. If he is comfortable and feels welcome, he is himself, yet if not he withdraws and takes things quietly to himself.
Honest and practical, perhaps both edging incredibly close to blunt and pragmatic, there is still a glimmer of humor and tact behind his words and wits in most situations where it is warranted. This also translates to his life otherwise and Subetei could be accused of being somewhat boring in his choices of clothing, food, lodgings and otherwise. Simple, efficient and practical without flair or flash, though he cannot help himself in small additions and personal touches as he favors trophies from his various hunts as decoration. Perhaps due to his upbringing or perhaps due to his personality and lifestyle he gets along incredibly well with animals and creatures of the same mind. Whatever the reason he is quick to acclimate himself to animals he comes into contact with and aside from hunting often uses that skill as a source of income, be it training, taming or raising animals.
Ethically and morally his pragmatism informs much of his decisions and while he has a code of honor, of sorts, it is not a chivalristic or overly pompous one that puts him deliberately in danger. Instead it is a code of strength and equal measures, respect and no quarter that informs many of his decisions outside of combat. He fights for what he has earned and it is his to do with as he pleases; This mentality means he has possessive qualities to him as well, as can most easily be seen in his bonded partner Neyuki and how he acts with her, but it also enters into many other areas of his life. Any challenge towards his and what he percieves as his own is often met with an equal response and if the challenge is met, if he is bested, he is oddly amicable and will cede his stake in things though this does not usually end well for anyone involved and 'beating' Subetei is a subjective matter in his eyes.
He has a certain affinity for the sea after his time as a sailor and he also has many secret preferences for delicacies of Othard and it's customs, some of which he has brought along with him. He has a working knowledge of old Noykin customs, traditions and cuisine allows him to pass as something of a knowledge on the subject, even if it is a very touchy one and inquiring about his personal history with his clan is a good way to earn a very pointed refusal and likely an upturned table or two. He has some antipathy towards Garleans because of the state of Othard, though as he was driven from it by his own people and not invasion it is with considerably less animosity than others.
Most of his personal grudges seem to center on Ishgard and Gridania; Ishgardian intolerances and tendencies to disparage Au Ra are bad enough but as a mercenary he has seen firsthand how certain Lords and Houses have treated sellswords, him and friends of his included. Subsequently, an incredibly quick way to have a special, burning portion of his ire touted towards you is to be an Ishgardian who also happens to dislike Au Ra. His reasons for avoiding and otherwise disliking Gridania seems to be more towards the country as a whole and perhaps it's Wood Wailers, but it is not something one would notice by being around him unless you dug deep. It is an old grudge and one that he does not talk of, but him being in the country to begin with is an oddly rare occurence because of it.
His true passions are his work and hunting, both things he has carved for himself out of his new land and both things he is loathe to part with. Even if he makes enough coin to supply himself from one he will still perform the other and vice-versa, and though he is quite capable of finding other work and holding down other jobs, he will never be fully satisfied without them in some way. The jobs do not have to be grand or high-paying, the hunt can be as simple as trapping Dodo in the forest or he can be escorting a merchant through Thanalan, but he takes a special pride and reverence in his duties that shows in very few other places in his life. Perhaps this is because it is what comes naturally to him, or perhaps it is because these are now central to his lifestyle. Whatever the case, there is no question of who he wants to be and how he wants to do it.
Most of all, at his core, Subetei has a rock solid anchor into himself. He does not doubt and he is stubbornly convinced that he has his life firmly in hand, able to handle all situations and challenges as they come without losing or backing down. This does not manifest as arrogance and he is the last man alive who would tell another how to live their lives, but he is who he wants to be and there is no question in his mind that is who he was meant to be.
- Socially isolated and nomadic
- Rough exterior, good heart, morally grey
- Warrior by blood and choice, falls into battle trances
- Competent hunter and survivalist
- Strong ties to Limsa Lominsa, travels between it and Ul'dah routinely
- Exiled from the Noykin and the Xaela tribes for transgressions against the tribe
- Has issues befriending others but is a loyal companion
- Incredibly good with animals or creatures, excellent Chocobo Tamer
- Has something of a dramatic and charismatic flair when comfortable around others
- Will easily shut down in verbal altercations when feeling pressed, but will react more and more aggressively during physical confrontation until he has either won or been rendered harmless
- Does not talk about his life before coming to Eorzea and when pressed will abandon the conversation
- Difficult to coax out, but has a certain dark and sarcastic wit when comfortable and actually talking; usually must be drunk first
- Does not refuse free food or free drink and will readily join any competition of strength or skill
- Stubborn when offended or pressed, otherwise quite rational
- Incredibly pragmatic, but with some honor; Will not cheat at a contest but will give himself every edge possible, for example, nor would he attack an unarmed man but will not hesitate to strike low blows.
- Simple tastes in most things, but is not above enjoying a luxury when provided for him. Rarely seeks them out himself
AbilitiesBorn on the plains as he was, Subetei has been subjected to some degree of fighting or combat throughout his years from an early age and because of that simple fact has become a considerable aversary on the battlefield. He has not only a well trained array of hand to hand combat skills, mostly relating to brute force brawling and yet intermingled are more orthodox martial teachings, leftover from tribal drilling perhaps, that mix in various forms of grappling and even counter-based throwing that resembles a crude form of the fluid, graceful martial arts Domans possess. Because of this and his well-trained pain tolerances, fighting with his hands he tends to be very brutal and very damaging, quick to turn every part of his body into a weapon if necessary.
With most normal weapons in hand however he tends to be a bit defensive, untrained as he is in most practical forms of swordplay, bows, daggers or his utterly inability to even approach Aetherical manipulation in any way leaves him ill-suited to rely on such methods and it is a sight to behold to see him fumble his way around a firearm or anything relying on Magitek, as he is in all ways completely ignorant of technology. However, put a battleaxe in his hands and this all is forgotten behind a glimmer of familiarity and comfort.
Relying on little armor besides leather and padded cloth, with no formal training beyond his own trial and error, Subetei is a master of the battleaxe and is a force to be reckoned with while wielding it. With his force-over-finesse combat style already well established in his life, it is no surprise that this is how he fights still, but it is incredibly deliberate in this case. He does not swing wildly or recklessly, does not put himself in situations where he 'trades' a blow for a blow. His goal when fighting is nothing less than the utter annihilation of his foe; Armor, shield, weapon, he chooses the right blow and right angle to unleash his strength and fury to cleave it all away and when faced with a foe too quick to gain a clean hit on, he plants himself and patiently waits for them to over-extend themselves and reacts with battle-high tinged reflexes. When faced with a foe he can't cleave down, his battle strategy does unfortunately begin to wind down and become less focused, but still brutal and effective.
Furthermore, Subetei is all-too-capable of reaching such a furious adrenaline high and focus that he switches into a reactionary battle trance that turns him into a revolving, smashing berserker. Ignorant of friend, foe or collateral damage, he can reach such heights that he will willingly rip his own body apart in the fight to gain victory and hardly notice until he cannot move any longer. Able to fall into this somewhat at will, it takes a considerable amount of effort to force himself back out in the midst of combat and often it does not end until someone has forcibly torn him from it, either by landing a strong enough blow to force him out of it...or the intervention of one of the only voices able to pull him back from the abyss.
People & PlacesAhnbahai Noykin ( ✖ ) - Father
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Relationship : Subetei has not spoken to or thought of his father in many years and, truthfully, the feeling is mutual. Subetei will never forgive him for the ease in which he and the tribe abandoned him, while Ahnbahai believes his son to be a stain on the Noykin tribe. Subetei is not even aware that his father has died, nor would he shed many tears if informed.
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Yuhal Noykin ( ✖ ) - Mother
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Relationship : Subetei never really had a great opportunity to know his mother as she died shortly after he was born and he has few memories of her that have any context or meaning to them.
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Neyuki Utaura ( ♥ ) - Bonded Mate
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Relationship : While perhaps unaware of it himself or unwilling to entertain such a thing, Subetei is clearly in love with Neyuki and she in turn with him, though they do not use that word. Subetei has claimed her and dominated her, taking her as his and treating her as such yet with a passion that does not leave any question of his true feelings.
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Seemo Eulen ( ● ) - Drinking Buddy
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Relationship : Though they met at a bar and consumed more alcohol collectively than most taverns sell in a night, Seemo and Subetei have developed a sort of friendship via banter that makes Subetei fond of the punch drunk Roegadyn, even if he refuses to call her delicious chocolate as she insists.
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HistoryHe's been a mercenary for years and if one is familiar with the hunting grounds of Thanalan and La Noscea, they may have stumbled upon a small camp with a dirt covered Au Ra and a tanning fire, or perhaps found a quiet Xaela using old boards and straw ropes to drag a haul back towards the nearest city. He speaks of himself little, his affairs even less and his past least of all, even still.
Lately his company has been mostly kept with the Raen Neyuki Utaura, to whom he has a great romantic attachment to and he is often seen in her company at the Keeper's Kiss establishment of Wanderer's Elysium, where he is often found harassing her in various forms and fashion.
OOC InformationHe was also a sailor in Limsa for a few years before settling on land and he has a bit of a reputation in the Limsan pubs, holding a drinking record or two at his fair share. As such, feel free to use either of these facts to approach him.
Additionally he has some smaller hooks in the form of his constant hunting and travel, and meeting him through these situations is not even remotely impossible.
