Valentinoix Thibault

Valentinoix "Val" Thibault
Driven by necessity
Gender	Male
Race	Elezen
Clan	Duskwight
Citizenship	Ul'Dah
Nameday	32st Sun of the 6th Umbral Moon
Age	20
Height	6 fulms 7 ilms
Birthplace	northern Black Shroud

Character

Appearance

Valentinoix is about average height for an elezen, standing at a lofty 6 fulm 7 ilms. 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 white eyes. His skin had become more of a brownish hue after spending more time in the sun when mining. 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.

He has a strange tendency to loom behind people instead of simply greeting them first. His words are somewhat modernized due to spending a lot of time in Ul'dah, but he still speaks somewhat archaically. His actions are sometimes overly dramatized, particularly his very dramatic manner of bowing in greeting to people.

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 hunting, he only took what was necessary before disappearing into the shadows. His earnings amassed from taking on odd jobs, particularly as a sellsword, has 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. The black streaks are done by running soot-colored pigment through his hair
• He considers Ul'dah his home as his original one is now long gone.
• 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.
• 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 hunt for food, or "poaching" as they deemed it.
• 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. Aside from pretzels, Val's favorite food is Landtrap Salad
• 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. Drawn out by the noise, Val rushed outside to protect the family home only to see something come crashing into it.

Post Calamity

False accusations

Without family or a home, Val took to wandering. He lived off the land, taking only what he alone needed. He developed a particular fondness for kedtrap leaves. He took to catching other game as the lands demanded it, however he never took more than necessary. That would throw off the natural balance.

One day, the Wood Wailers set up a trap to catch poachers outside Quarrymill where poachers were a consistent problem. Hungry and in need of food, Val continued about his business, slaying a small antelope. The Wailers ambushed him, surprised to find a duskwight instead of the suspected Keeper Miquo'te. During the attack, one of the Wailers swiped him with a spear, wounding him from nose to cheek. Val hadn't planned to fight, but found it necessary as the Wailers weren't intending on letting him go. The numbers were against him, and he was captured. He put up quite a fight, but still managed to be hauled off. When questioned, he offered a false name and claimed he knew nothing of poaching. He was simply trying to survive, taking only what was necessary to survive and not affect the land.

The Wildwood captain didn't seem to buy Val's story, looking upon him with scorn and keeping him imprisoned for a few weeks. The reports of poaching continued around Quarrymill. The Wailers there eventually came into contact with the true poachers, which in turn freed Val from any suspicion. He was left alone, still no home to return to. He wasn't entirely sure where to go, but Gridania no longer felt like home. It felt more like a prison.

A new life

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, tempting him to come out with a handful of pretzels. 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 for only a brief time before taking work elsewhere, particularly outside of Ul'dah. 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 when some shadier folk attempted to sell him out, 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.