Vincent Valourheart

Vincent Belsara
Wandering Paladin
Gender	Male
Race	Hyur
Clan	Midlander
Citizenship	N/A
Place of Birth	La Noscea
Guardian	Menphina, The Lover
Nameday	12th Sun of the Fifth Umbral Moon (Age: 22 )
Marital Status	Single
Occupation	Paladin for Hire
Pronunciation

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Basic Info

(Page under construction)

"Quote" —Name

Appearance

'Height: '5’6.1”

Weight:

Complexion: 

Hair:  

Eyes:  

Particular Traits: 

Voice:

Clothing Style: Vincent is particularly drawn to shades of blue, white and black. He tends to favour flashy but elegant equipment when it comes down to armour, but prefers more casual and ordinary clothing for when not on the job.

Laterality:  Right-Handed

Tastes

Favorites

• Color: Blue
• Food: 
• Drinks: Lominsan Rum, tastes like piracy.
• Scent: Salty sea air, as it reminds him of home.
• Place: Unknown.
• Festival: Unknown.

Personality

Quirks

Nothing is known yet.

Fears

Nothing is known yet.

Talents

Nothing is known yet.

Comparisons

Final Fantasy Characters:

Other Game Characters:

Anime Characters:

Abilities and Skills

Weapons

TBD

Family and Relationships

DISCLAIMER


All what is written here bears absolutely no OOC feelings, and may be subject to change as the story develops. If your name doesn't appear in this list, I have probably forgotten, or my character just doesn't remember you. Please do not use these information to affect you ICly or mess with my character's feelings. Use of OOC information will be flagged as god-moding and I will not react to it ICly if I feel this is what you're doing.

Relatives

Positive

Mother (Name Unknown) - Deceased
(Perished on the Fields of Carteneau, in battle against the Garlean Empire) 

Sister (Name Unknown ) - Deceased
(Killed during The Calamity, a stray blast from Bahamut's Fury striking a tower she and Vincent were in, sending her plumetting from the tower into the sea)

Mentor (Akataras Arriona) - Alive
(An Elezen swordsman that taught Vincent everything he knew about swordplay before he travelled to Eorzea. He was Vincent's mentor and guardian during his time in captivity in the Empire, and played a part in his eventual escape, on both occassions) 

Neutral

Alleged Father (Identity Unknown) - Status Unknown 
(Possibly Vincent's actual father, at present, nothing is known about him)

Negative

Alleged Father (Gauis Van Baelsar) 
(Vincent ultimately despises Van Baelsar, and actively rejects the idea of the Garlean being his father)

Music Themes

Note: Vocal Songs are attributed themes in which the lyrics seem to relate or partially relate to the character. They don't mean to resemble the character's voice. The instrumental themes are meant to give an idea of the atmosphere around the character. Songs with character names (example: "Tidus's Theme") are NOT meant to indicate that the character is like the theme owner. I just find the instruments and melody fitting, not the character the song was originally addressed to.

Rumors

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

History

Name and Lifestyle

Nicknames

None yet.

Current Residence

Vincent is often on the road, travelling more often than not, but he has his own personal room at the Night of Knights Company House, located in The Shroud.

He'd like to own his own home back in La Noscea one day, as while he finds solace and respite in the quiet forest, it still doesn't feel quite like home.

Before Dalamud's Fall

(OOC Note: The majority of this information does not become common knowledge or even rumour until after the Main Quest has ended, following the events at the Praetorium. Before that point, it is not known to anyone outside of Vincent and a select few other individuals)

(The following is a WIP, and details are subject to change)

Birth and childhood (0-10)

 Vincent was born in La Noscea, and for the first seven years of his life, had a relatively ordinary childhood living with his mother, and for a brief while, his younger sister. Around age seven however, he and his younger sister were abducted by the Garlean Empire, taken to Garlemald, and used as a form of ransom to ensure the loyalty of their mother as a spy for the Empire.

It was after this that Vincent learned his mother had already held this role once before, acting as a Garlean operative on numerous occassions. It was not until she fell pregnant after an assignment that she finally abandoned the Empire for Eorzea, though Vincent was never provided with a reason for why she did not do so earlier. 

Though a hostage of the Empire, Vincent was not ill-treated, in order to ensure continued loyalty from their mother. Believing there might be potential to turn the boy and his sister to their side and gain another valuable asset on Eorzean shores, the Empire began attempts to indoctrinate them, and started to train them in various skills and disciplines, ready for the day that they might serve their purposes. 

At Age 7, Vincent begins training under the tutelage of an Elezen known as Akataras Arriona. He and his sister are separated to be trained in different disciplines, by different teachers.

At Age 10, Vincent is asked an important question, the answer to which he would recall many years later after a tragedy. The idea that he has strayed so far from the path he had intended, results in him finding the will to move forward again, and aspire to the ideal he had sworn himself to many years before.

His mentor asks him, "What are you going to be? What is your purpose. Why even lift your sword at all?" 

Vincent replies. "To be a hero." 

Not long after this question is posed to him, troublesome dreams reminiscint of the Echo begin to come to Vincent as he slumbers, though he can never remember just what occurred in them. This would eventually result in him gaining the attention of Gaius Van Baelsar. 

 

Teen Years

After many years of being emotionally manipulated, as well as physically trained in arts of war and espionage, Vincent would gain the interest of Gaius Van Baelsar, who took a keen interest in Vincent's training, growth and possible connection to the Echo. This eventually resulted in Gaius being drafted into the indoctrination and training project regarding Vincent directly, and this had a strong psychological impact on Vincent's growth.

Around Age 12, the project was put directly under Gaius' command, along with the mentor that had been training Vincent up to that point. In an attempt to inspire loyalty in Vincent, Van Baelsar claimed that he was the boy's father, and Vincent, having never known the identity of or even having met his father before, was deeply affected by this idea. The very concept would haunt him for years to come, and cause numerous conflicts within Vincent that would affect his decisions and actions later in life, as well as inspire serious self-doubts and questions of loyalty as he aged. 

At Age 15, Vincent, his sister and their mentor are transported to a Castrum in Mor Dhona, as the Empire began making their preparations for war in Eorzea. 

At Age 16, Vincent was able to smuggle himself and his sister onboard a Garlean Airship bound for a Castrum in La Noscea. By the time their disappearance had been noticed, they had already fled the ship, but were not able to escape the Castrum without being seen. In the ensuing chase, Vincent is able to escape all but one of his pursuers. Believing them to only have capture orders, Vincent is initially reluctant to attack or injure them, until they take aim at his sister, claiming that they have orders to execute her as punishment for their escape, but that Vincent will live as he's supposedly belonging to Van Baelsar's bloodline.

Vincent makes his first kill in the defense of another, and abandons the weapon he had stolen to do so in disgust at taking a life. A distressed Vincent is kept focused by his sister, and the pair continue their escape, ultimately travelling far enough into Eorzean territory to lose any further pursuers. In the wake of making his first kill, and haunted by dreams of Primals and the Empire, as well as doubts about his parents, Vincent's mental state deteriorates as they travel, increasingly worried that more troops or spies will be sent to capture him and kill his sister.  This culminates in him being unwilling to trust strangers by the time the pair reach Limsa Lominsa, and consequently unable to contact anyone that might be able to tell them where to find their mother. To add to this, knowing that she acted as a spy to keep them safe, fears that they might endanger her by seeking her out. 

The pair live on the streets of Lominsa for a short time, with Vincent operating as a pickpocket to keep them fed and clothed, but never able to steal enough to change their fortunes. Unwilling to hunt or take on mercenary work, or even lift a blade in the wake of making his first kill, Vincent and his sister are left stranded in Limsa Lominsa, stealing to survive, constantly in fear of Imperial Operatives. It would take a while before Vincent's confidence would rebuild and return to him, and ultimately would arrive too late.

At Age 17, Vincent has regained some of his former confidence, and become more outgoing, but is still unwilling to raise a weapon, even to defend himself, and is further troubled by his dreams, never able to recall them, but always deeply upset by them.

Six months into this age, The Calamity occurrs, and Vincent loses his sister during the destruction that strikes Limsa Lominsa. 

He froze in place upon hearing Bahamut's roar, and watched in silence as a blast tore open the tower he was standing in, ultimately severely injuring him, and sending his sister to her death as she fell from the tower.

In the wake of The Calamity, Vincent is left comatose for a while, and in the care of The Maelstrom and the Yellowjackets, alongside many other individuals injured in the attack. While trapped in his sleeping state, his dreams would trouble him once again, and he would eventually awaken with no memory of them at all once again, still bedridden from his injuries. Still under their care, Vincent asks about his sister, and is ultimately informed of her death. In a moment of emotional vulnerability, he also inquires after his mother by name, and is informed that she was lost along with many others in the Battle of Cartaneua. 

Vincent is plunged into grief and despair in the wake of two devastating emotional wounds, blaming himself for his sister's death, and also holding himself responsible for his mother's. Over the period of months where he recovers from his injuries, unable to do anything other than obsess over the events that had led him to his current position, he is able to mostly overcome his sense of loss, and the seeds of newfound resolve begin to take root in Vincent's heart.

On top of this, amidst the swirling storm of chaos and darkness in his veiled dreams, there began to be parts Vincent could remember. Simple flashes, single frames, and yet the details remained with him.

He looked back on all the things he could have handled differently, wondered at how things could have been, before coming to a realisation. He could not change the past, no matter how long he gazed into it... but he could change his future, and the future of others. The pain he had experienced he could prevent others having to feel. The desire to protect, to defend, and to fight was kindled within him, and there was a fire to his eyes that had not been there since the night he had escaped the Empire. 

On the night before his 18th Birthday, Vincent recalls a question he had been asked eight years ago. He had answered as any child with a thirst for adventure would have, with "A hero.". He had strayed so far from a hero's path, and it cost him dearly, and he promised himself that he would never stray from that road again.

Knowing that he would be discharged from Maelstrom care the following day, and with a fire ready to be kindled within him once again, Vincent had his first truly restful night of sleep in many years... and a dream. 

Unlike the others that had troubled him in the past, this one lingered in his mind, long after he awoke, and served as the final catalyst to reignite the light of his will. 

In this dream, Vincent had held aloft a sword above his head, and seemed to shine with the light of a crystal. The fragments and flickers he had experienced in his other dreams suddenly fell into place, having grown more vivid over time, until they at last fit together, and painted a clear vision in his mind. There he stood, a blade gleaming in the darkness, eyes blazing with blue fire, body framed by light. He was a fire in the darkness, garbed in light. a blade in the night, against all manner of beasts of darkness, shadow and chaos.  

There could be no more certain a beacon of what road Vincent had to follow, he at last had a light, to guide his way forward.

At Age 18, Vincent awoke on his birthday, the dream of light as clear in his mind as if he had lived it a thousand times. Before being discharged from Maelstrom care, Vincent was handed an envelope and a small box. Surprised by the presence of a gift when he believed no-one with the means to contact him even knew the importance of the date, or who he was, he was initially reluctant to open the package. 

Eventually, out of sight of any onlookers, Vincent succumbed to his curiostiy, and opened the letter. 

It was not signed with any signature or any other identifiers, a simple scrap of parchment. With a simple message:

'It was your mother's.'

Without hesitation, Vincent opened the box and found a small necklace within. It consisted of a blue crystal, held in place with a silver frame, and simple thread. 

'It was your mother's.' 

Of that, he had no doubt. Remembering the item from what little of his childhood he experienced before his life in Garlemald. 

This final gesture from an unknown source was the last push Vincent needed.

With his determination ignited, and the burdens of his past a weight he was willing to overcome, Vincent set forth on a new road... with a blade in hand. 

[Interluding events to be added]

After Dalamud's Fall

Adulthood

[To be added]

At age 18, recovered from his injuries, some time following Dalamud's Fall. Vincent left Limsa Lominsa and La Noscea behind, knowing that in the wake of such a devastating defeat as Cartaneau, that any Garlean agents that might be following him, would not be watching his actions as closely, if at all. He slipped away from the land he called home, using the last of what little savings he and his sister had amassed to purchase passage on a trading ship. With what little gil he had completely spent, a weathered blade he had 'borrowed' from The Maelstrom, and clad head to toe in an obscuring robe and hood, Vincent began his journey anew.

The trader's ship reached its destination easily enough and soon Vincent took his first steps in Thanalan at the ferry docks of the Silver Bazaar. He found his way to Ul'Dah fairly quickly, via one of the more generous land coaches, offering to take refugees to Ul'Dah without need of recompense. Soon enough he was just another hooded face among a horde of refugees marching through Ul'Dah's gates looking for succor following The Calamity.

With the Empire successfully off his trail, and Vincent in a new location, some of the weight of grief he had borne since Dalamud's Fall began to fade, and his smile started to show through once more. The somber and driven manner he had taken on during his recovery and journey, completely faded within a year of arriving in Ul'Dah. He found himself laughing and joking, often making smart-mouthed comments to the wrong people and being chased through the streets. He helped people in need where he could, and slowly built up his confidence once again, taking a more optimistic demeanor for the sake of the many solemn and downtrodden people suffering in poverty in Ul'Dah, many of whom became people Vincent helped.

Despite his own impoverished status, Vincent knew he had already been given the skills to survive that many of the people he assisted simply didn't possess, and more often than not performed his tasks for them without thought of reward or recompense. Over time he built up a reputation for himself among the people of Ul'Dah, and attracted the attention of the Gladiator's Guild.

At age 20, Vincent joined the Gladiator's Guild of Ul'Dah, and began earning a modest wage that helped him afford better equipment, allowing him to take on more dangerous tasks. He used the Gladiators as his primary source of income for a while, but deliberately avoided advancing within their ranks, as to avoid being encouraged to fight on the Bloodsands, and avoid drawing too much attention to his swordplay. Though the pursuit of the Garlean Empire of him was now a distant memory, he knew that his accomplishment with a blade would draw attention, were he to fight without restriction, his original swordmaster's style unique, even among the Empire.

Even while serving with the Gladiators, Vincent still had plenty of free time, and often shirked the occasional training exercise in order to engage in revelry at the tavern, or assist those in need. One drunken eve, Vincent was enjoying either his fourth or fifth tankard of Imported Lominsan Rum (He'd stopped counting after the third), with a rather dashing young rogue with white hair. This delightful chat between two pretty young men was interrupted however, following a few unfortunate words about some warrior's mother and a goat from another patron, and a brawl broke out at the Quicksand. Slightly drunk and not thinking clearly, yet somehow still rather well-balanced, Vincent ended the fight quickly with a few choice strokes and assistance from the white-haired rogue, that left no-one dead, but plenty of people disarmed or on their backs.

There were also a fair few tankards knocked flying across the bar, some into faces, much to Vincent's dismay.

This drew the attention of the white-haired rogue, who had heard a great deal about Vincent's tendency to help those in need without thought of reward, but had yet to see him fight. After witnessing the martial skill he possessed, the rogue became curious due to it not matching the rate at which Vincent had apparently not been increasing in skill with the Gladiators. (Particularly with Vincent often shirking training with them to visit the tavern, a fact of which the rogue was more than aware) The rogue introduced themselves as Thancred, a wandering scholar of sorts, and the two parted ways, meeting every now and then out in the field or at the tavern, taking quite a shine to each other due to their similar personalities.

Soon enough, at the behest of Thancred, Vincent found himself told to seek the Scions of the Seventh Dawn at the Waking Sands. Vincent ultimately left the Gladiators Guild to join the Scions, his reputation now enough to earn him freelance work that paid well enough.

At age 21, Vincent joined the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. After a time of serving with them, and having grown close to Thancred and Y'shtola in particular, Vincent soon found himself with a dilemma. He had stumbled across an organisation that had trusted him completely, and he had lied to them about his past, and not only that, but it was a group he had come to care for and trust himself. After a few months, he soon confided in Thancred and Y'shtola about his true history, and at their encouragement, informed the Antecedent, Minfillia, of it as well.

The dismissal from the order and loss of friends Vincent had anticipated never came, and he found his plight sympathised with, his history a source of compassion rather than derision. He had expected to be chastised for his deceit, unaware that the Scions already had some vague idea of his true past. With a weight off his shoulders, Vincent relaxed even more than he already had, and though he still kept his history a secret from most people, having people that knew of it and treated him no differently did him a world of good. He continued to serve at their side, often going on assignments for the Scions that while necessary, were not a matter any of the main group could really dedicate a great deal of time to, with a Primal threat looming on the Horizon.

The Champion of Eorzea would join the Scions not long after Vincent did, and the youth found a great deal of comfort in the idea that there was yet another person out there fighting to protect people from the threats the world posed.

(More events happened while serving with the Scions, tied closely to Vincent's personal story, will be added overtime)

A Realm Reborn (Present, 22)

Vincent is currently dealing with the fallout of his history as a trained spy for the Garlean Empire being revealed to the people of Eorzea. The information was released from an unknown source, and spun in a way that glances over the details of his time in Garlemald, painting him as a villain, rather than the hostage and victim he was. Fear of the Empire and Eorzea's history with them makes it hard for most people to take a neutral position and wait to hear what Vincent has to say on the matter, and so the trust and faith the smallfolk once had in him has been lost.

Many individuals, such as those of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, still consider Vincent to be a trustworthy ally, but he has deliberately distanced himself from them for the time being, in order to avoid tarnishing their image in the public eye. He still considers himself a proud member of their organisation however, and accepts missions from them when they have them for him, acting out of sight.

He's steadily trying to rebuild the trust he has lost as a result, clarify details of his past where possible so that his version of events can be shared, and investigate his family's history. While he does so, he serves as a member of the Night of Knights Free Company, and is employed as a freelance bodyguard and occasional advisor by the Gold Couerl Trading Company. He's often away on freelance assignments from third parties, in order to rebuild his reputation, but is always available should his company, or his employers need him.