Valentinoix Thibault
 Valentinoix "Val" Thibault
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| Gender | Male |
| Race | Elezen |
| Clan | Duskwight |
| Citizenship | Ul'Dah |
| Nameday | 32st Sun of the 6th Umbral Moon |
| Age | 20 |
| Height | 6 fulms 6 ilms |
| Birthplace | northern Black Shroud |
Contents
Character
Appearance
Valentinoix is about average height for an elezen, standing at a lofty 6 fulm 6ilms. His frame is rather wiry, and despite his strength, he doesn't appear very toned. His facial structure is very sharp and gaunt, his dark grayish-brown skin contrasting his nearly white eyes. His ears are rather short and curved more towards his head instead of outward, something typical of his familial line.
When not armored up, Val tends to lean towards woven or leather clothing. As Ul'dah is much hotter than home, he does often wear sleeveless shirts and sandals. Rarely will he wear anything other than pants.
Personality
Val is rather typical of his kind, coming across as rather aloof and offstandish. He has trouble making friends and often doesn't socialize. He prefers to stay away from people and crowded areas, the exception being his competitions within the coliseum. He does visit Ul'dah on a regular basis, meeting with the gladiator's guildmaster and the mining guildmaster, though he often sticks to side roads and back alleyways. Crowds are suffocating for him, a terrible combination of too many people and too much noise. Even the Quicksand can prove too crowded for him at times.
Val is particularly driven by necessity. Growing up living off the land, he's rather accustomed to taking only what is needed and leaving the rest. Even when thieving, he only took what was necessary before disappearing into the shadows. His earnings amassed from adventuring and competing as a gladiator have thrown off his balance, and he feels compelled to give away excess to those who need it more, particularly children and homeless families. As he tends to stick to the less crowded areas in Ul'dah and across Thanalan, it is rare to see him doing so.
Family
Not much is known about Val's family, and he will never speak about them. They were all killed by the fray of the Calamity when their cave home collapsed upon them. Their identities were lost to history.
Trivial information
- Val's hair is naturally red, though it has dulled a bit due to repeated dying and coloring with various pigments. The black streaks are done by running soot-colored pigment through his hair. He feels it's different enough from his normal hair to be free of the brand he received from the Wailers.
- He considers Ul'dah his home only because the people are friendlier and the work is better. He isn't fond of the seedier side, as they try to take more than is necessary. He felt similarly towards the sultana, though Momodi and Papashan worked to change his mind, telling him about the seedy Syndicate and convincing him to help the Sultana in her efforts to balance the wealth.
- While in Ul'dah (and when visiting Limsa), Val has taken up mining and smithing to become more self-sufficient. He has recently joined a free company to put his skills to use.
- Despite what he claims, he really is a trade-route thief.
- The scar spanning the left side of his face came from the spear of a Wood Wailer when a group of them ambushed him as he was attempting to thieve food from an overturned wagon.
- Val seems to prefer the company of lalafell than any other race, and lately he has taken a liking to hyur. He strays away from Wildwood the most, though he isn't against making exceptions.
- While it is particularly difficult to sway Val with money, he is particularly easy to sway when it comes to pretzels.
- As his name can be difficult to pronounce, some have taken to calling him Val. Few call him Valentine. He truly has no preference for which name is used. His name is properly pronounced Val-in-tin-wah Tee-bohl.
History
Valentinoix was first born into a small family living within the caves deep in the northern section of the Black Shroud. The family had been there for generations, stemming from a family of elezen who lived within Gelmorra. Like most duskwight, Val's family was incredibly reclusive, living in the safety of the caves.
Val's family had resorted to only minor pillaging, thieving supplies from wagons on a nearby trade route. At an early age, Val had taken his father's dagger to hunt cave bats and yarzon for extra food. Using his acute hearing, he felled the creatures with ease.
Val strayed away from the neighboring families, mostly keeping to himself. Soon after that, his younger brother and sister were born. Fraternal twins, the two were practically attached at the hip to Val, looking up to him. Val had grown to be a rather formidable hunter, and they wanted to be just like him too.
Years later, the ground began to rumble, the world shaking around them. In the distance, a great battle resounded. After a strange vision of the moon falling from the sky, Val rushed outside to protect the family home only to see something come crashing into it.
Post Calamity
Without family or a home, Val took to wandering. He pillaged wagons on the main routes to survive, taking only what was necessary then disappearing into the night. He used natural resources to paint his face and hair, careful not to be tracked.
One day, the Wood Wailers set up a trap to catch the mysterious thieves, believing more than one frequented the route. Val took the bait, hungry for food and in desperate need of supplies. A slight movement nearby and Val quickly realized he'd fallen for a trap even before he'd reached the overturned wagon. While he fought off the Wailers, wounding a few in the process and receiving a wound of his own, he was soon overwhelmed and taken captive. When questioned, he offered a false name and claimed he was not responsible for the thievery. He saw it as a need to survive, taking only what was necessary from people who had far too much.
Having not colored his hair that particular day, he didn't quite fit any of the descriptions the travelers had given. He simply looked like an ordinary Duskwight with red hair. The Wildwood captain didn't seem to buy Val's story, looking upon him with scorn and keeping him imprisoned for a few weeks. Reports of thievery continued, though in a different location. The evidence pointed to Val not being the thief. The captain reluctantly released Val, though not without branding him a thief.
Word had spread and when he passed by a hamlet during the night, Wailers would watch him cautiously, watching out for a Duskwight with fiery red hair. Duskwight sightings tend to be few and far between, so he was quite easy to pick out. He quickly became tired of the label, tempted to lash out against them. He only hesitated as he didn't want to end up trapped as he was before.
So he fled Gridania, eventually finding himself in the neighboring Thanalan. Ul'dah was a bit of a culture shock. The busy streets had him feeling socially claustrophobic, and he quickly fled the city. He had little place to go, seeking refuge in the train yard where Papashan found him. He informed Val to go see Momodi for work and a place to stay. The Lalafell was incredibly friendly, something Val had never really experienced outside his own family. Momodi proved friendly too.
He took up the work of an adventurer, actually giving Momodi his real name. The Wailers had no means of tracking him here as the name was completely different. He began streaking his hair with soot and fighting within the Coliseum. He began earning more than he could handle, and believing it was more than necessary, handed some off to beggars and those in need.
Val learned about the Syndicate first hand after a stint near Horizon, and when he detailed the events to Papashan over a batch of pretzels, he told Val about the seedier side of Ul'dah and how they used wealth to gain power. He also told Val about how the Sultana wanted to help balance out the wealth and make life better for the people of Ul'dah and Thanalan but every moment they got, the Syndicate would thwart her efforts. Despite Papashan's best efforts, Val wasn't entirely convinced. He spoke with Momodi to report his efforts over in Horizon, and she too spoke of the Syndicate's efforts, though in much more of a hushed manner than Papashan had. The Syndicate was everywhere, a living breathing entity embedded deeply within Ul'dah.
Val encountered the Syndicate once again when defending a lalafell girl after the so-called Brass Blades accused her of stealing a pearl necklace. A vision told Val that the Blades had stolen the necklace from her and he quickly defended the girl, knocking the two Blades unconscious with his shield. Fufulupa, the acting captain at Horizon intervened, and Val explained the situation, then proved his point, revealing the necklace in one of the Blades' satchels. Then Thancred showed up.
Val had run into Thancred on several occasions prior, and each time, somehow it was conveniently at a critical point in a battle. This time, however, Thancred was late. He explained he'd been looking for the girl, addressing her very properly, and was happy to take her and the necklace home. While Val himself wasn't aware, Thancred was very aware that the girl was Nanamo Ul Namo. The girl attempted to pay Val as a reward, and he quickly refuses. Thancred suggested a payment of pretzels, which quickly catches Val's attention. He agreed to travel with the girl and Thancred to Ul'dah.
Safely in Ul'dah, they rendezvous with Raubahn. While Val was aware of who Raubahn was due to his participation in the coliseum, he'd never met him in person. When the girl and Thancred had left the room, Raubahn explained more about the Syndicate situation and how even he was involved with it. Val found a strange respect for the man, something he had originally only held for Papashan and Momodi. The conversation drifted to talk about visions, and Raubahn was convinced Val had some sort of gift, requesting that he use it to help Ul'dah. Surprisingly, Val agreed.
