Zaius Rhal'seer

Zaius Rhal'seer

Former slave, current mercenary, killer. On first impression, Zaius is disturbingly outgoing, with a zeal for living, yet given over to violence; dedicated to the art of hand-to-hand combat, taking every fight offered, living for the moment, and concerned only with enjoying life to the fullest, whether in combat, at the forge, or in the kitchen(?!).

A refugee from Ala Mhigo, brought over the sea as a child by his teacher and her husband, Zaius honors their lessons in combat by using them, finding the greatest satisfaction from a fight to the death. Practitioner of a fighting style learned in the temple of the Fury of Halone, a rare and frowned-upon subsect of the Fists of Rhalgr, he fights with equal parts skill, madness, and fury.

The Hunger
'Remember. You asked for this.'
Gender	Male
Race	Miqo'te
Clan	Keeper of the Moon
Citizenship	Ul'dah
Age	32
Sexuality	Pansexual
Marital Status	Open Relationship
Server	Balmung

Recent Events

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Sixth Astral Moon, 1577 (Nov' 2013)

• After wandering Eorza without particular aim or desire, Zaius settles down in Ul'dah after hearing that a 'pugilist' guild has opened, using gil earned through his adventuring to purchase a modest home.
  

Third Umbral Moon, 1577 (July' 2013)

• Zaius reconnects with Tiergan Vashir, discovering him as part of a Free Company. Joining it expressly to pursue and re-ignite their rivalry, he and Tiergan brawl viciously in the courtyard of the company several times, eventually leading to their mutual departure after rising tensions prove too intense to resolve.

First Umbral Moon, 1578 (Feb' 2014)

• Zaius joins a mercenary company unlisted on most records, with no history to it, known only as 'Aeon'.

Fourth Umbral Moon, 1578 (August 2014)

• During a battle with Varus Adelric Rosenthal, Zaius' home is one of several destroyed by the magical forces unleashed. At first he seems to have sided with the magus, and briefly fights with Brynhilde Wulf before choosing to stand against Varus as one of his spells injures everyone present. In succession, he.engages a mysterious masked agent of the Magus', Varus' right hand Rukira Michaelis, and then joins the rest of Varus' opponents in fighting the spellcaster directly. By the end of the battle, he has weathered Garlean technology, numerous magical assaults, and hours of combat. He survives.
• While waiting for his next bout at the Wolf's Den, Zaius' attention is drawn to a seemingly-possessed Zaku Degenwulf, the latter easily battering and besting a half-dozen Maelstrom as Zaius watches. Confronting him alone, the two fight briefly before Zaius is brutally wounded and thrown into one of the jutting rocks near the dock, left to drown in the ocean. He survives.
• A little over a week later, Zaius would confront Zaku in front of Cliffperch, engaging the other once Zaku made it clear he was not possessed so much as afflicted by a form of rage Warriors would on occassion succumb to. This time the fight ended with Zaius breaking Zaku's jaw, Lacey Orwell preventing him from finishing the Highlander off.
• A third encounter with Zaku would end in a similar fashion, the two destroying a good portion of the furniture in Cliffperch before once again Lacey Orwell intervened along with Faolan Woodlock to stop him from killing the Highlander.

Sixth Astral Moon, 1578 (November 2014)

• Confronting Teld're Eska'aldren near Oschon's Torch, the two finally give in to their mutual desire for conflict, engaging in a battle to the finish. While Teld're revealed the ability to manipulate his own internal aether for defensive and offensive purposes, Zaius' modified armor and his techniques enable him to hold his own. The fight ends inconclusively, with Tiergan Vashir interrupting them before either can kill the other.
• Only two weeks later Zaius and Teld're meet again. This time Teld're lures the Keeper into a battle in a lake, upon which he uses his aether to turn the water into a series of razor-sharp blades, savaging Zaius and driving his armor deeper into the resulting wounds, as well as battering him senseless once he can no longer stand as a result of the blades. Zaius is dragged into a nearby cabin by Teld're, who watches him throughout the night. He survives.

Sixth Umbral Moon, 1578 (December 2014)

• After a significant bidding war with Rukira Michaelis, Zaius wins a date with Tiergan Vashir for the sum of 3,000,000 gil. For charity.
• Zaius is introduced to Aiouxdaux Beaumont by Teld're. The two promptly fight, with Zaius pinning Aiouxdaux down, only to find the elezen had slipped a dagger between the plates of his armor, damaged by his magic earlier. Rather than release Aiouxdaux, Zaius opts to tear his throat out, and is stabbed in the heart in return. He survives.
• Zaius takes on Staelufre as a student, who seeks to learn one of the arts of his school. After failing to incite in her the anger needed to use the technique, he resolves to find something to bring forth the necessary emotion...

First Umbral Moon, 1578 (February 2015)

• Having helped Staelufre Lysmerl to find her anger by kidnapping both she and her future husband L'aenoh Tia, he calls her to Coerthas. There, after a brief skirmish, Zaius passes on one of the techniques learned as a Fury of Halone to her, enabling her to survive a mortal wound received during their fight. Satisfied at her learning, he offers to continue teaching her less esoteric fighting skills. She accepts.

Character

Eyes	Hair	Skin	Body Type	Voice
Golden.	Black, red tipped.	Dark grey.	Heavily muscled.	Forward, upbeat, somewhat deep.
Bearing	Notable Features	Alignment	Element	Nameday
Confident, casual.	None.	True Neutral. [1]	Lightning	26th Sun of the 4th Umbral Moon, 1548

Zaius stands at 6 fulms even with solid, powerful limbs. He has a very developed build as compared to most Keepers, having taken great care and effort in maintaining proportion and flexibility despite his size.

Zaius has a heart-shaped face, with a strong jaw. His eyes are a deep, bright gold. They express his emotions vividly, anywhere from his normal amusement at most things, to the blank, mindless savagery he can display in a fight.

Her hair is thick, and he keeps it fairly short in the back and sides, barring either one or two braids towards the front. His bangs tend to fall in front of his eyes when he goes too long between trimming it. Before his second fight with Teld're he kept the ends of his hair dyed blue in front and on his braids. However, the aetheric energy released by Teld're somehow dyed the ends of Zaius' hair in those parts blood-red, the hair now simply naturally changing colours as it reaches the length. Zaius has elected not to bother looking into getting the effect reversed because it's a time saver, and it matches his armor nicely.

By Lurial Vashir

Despite his very violent lifestyle, Zaius' armor usually bears little sign of wear and tear beyond scuffing and the occasional cut across the leather or gouge in the metal portions of his armor. As a talented blacksmith and leatherworker, he maintains and modifies his own equipment, preferring to base the look and build of it off of old gladiatorial armor he used to wear. This not only allows for a good amount of flexibility but also serves to throw off opponents that don't know any better; expecting to easily cut or punch or cast through simple leather, the darksteel plates and layered chain beneath give him more durability than one would normally expect.

Strangely for someone that had spent their entire life training to fight or fighting, Zaius has no scars or distinguishing marks. The reason for that is a modified technique learned from the Fury of Halone school, which builds on the 'second wind' ability to allow for immediate, and slow steady healing. While nothing close to a healer's magic, it allows a fighter able to summon the necessary rage and focus to prevent otherwise mortal wounds from finishing him off, as well as preventing scarring. Unfortunately the time required makes it unusable in a fight, or at least not without an incredibly gracious opponent.

Zaius speaks with a rather low voice, one that matches with his build. Whenever he gets excited or cheerful, which is often, he tends to get loud; when he gets quiet things aren't much better either. His eyes are extremely expressive, anywhere from when he rolls them to when he's about to throw a fight's first punch, to when they nearly empty completely when he gives into his rage.

He often prefers to lean against things, getting a good view of a room, and tends to keep quiet in large groups, but otherwise comments on anything and everything without regard to what people think of his opinion.

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Personality

PRIMARY MOTIVATOR	Chaos	Sense of Humor	Gleeful
Emotional Disposition	Calm	SEXUALITY
Moodiness	Mecurial	Sexual Orientation	Bisexual
CORE TRAITS		Libido	Healthy
Outlook	Cynical	Sexual Expressiveness	Brazen
Integrity	Manipulative	Sexual Expressive Style	Forward
Impulsiveness	Deliberate	Openness to sexual experience	Adventurous
Boldness	Reckless	Promiscuousness	Polyamorous
Flexibility	Adaptable	RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY
Affinity	Uncaring	Affiliation/Adherence	Casual
Comportment	Humorous	Tolerance	Tolerant
Interactivity	Entertaining	Expression of beliefs	Rarely
Disclosure	Unreserved	Converting others	Never
Conformity	Rebellious	Attitude	Irreverent
Topics of Conversation	Adventure; hobbies; animals; jokes
Quirks, Habits, & Oddities	grin; sarcastic; restless;
Hobbies & Enjoyments	Fighting; cooking; reading

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Strengths

Zaius' most obvious strength is his literal strength; while those that succeed at the arts and techniques involved in being a monk can already perform marvels like rapid bursts of speed, breaking rocks with bare hands, and the like, Zaius has spent a great deal of time honing his body. Whether toughening his joints or striking points by hitting hanging sheets of metal, to what he regularly eats, to daily exercise, Zaius has always determined that the best way to win a fight is to make sure you don't need a weapon to do so. He's strong enough to carry another miqo'te under one arm like a sack of grain, and has been able to throw even roegadyn about, although certainly not with ease.

Following that train of thought, Zaius has been following the path of unarmed combat from almost the moment of his birth. First trained as Fury of Halone, then after his imprisonment as a slave grappling, even spending time at the Ul'dah pugilist's guild to see what there was to see, Zaius had been fighting and killing with nothing but his body for nearly thirty years. While able to wield other weapons, and recognizing the advantage offered by heavy plate mail, and in fact very proficient in the use of a heavy axe, oftentimes putting a weapon in Zaius' hands makes the Keeper less effective.

Zaius was given work in trades before his enslavement, thanks to his parents, and continued them where possible until he was freed. While cooking is his passion, he is also an exceptionally accomplished blacksmith, able to craft the most difficult of works, and a very skilled leatherworker as well. His dedication to improvement has served him well when it comes to his three trades.

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Flaws

Once Zaius had decided on a course of action, he can rarely be persuaded from it. This can be dangerous for himself and those around him, as while he's capable of looking at things from a long-term perspective, he can often be impulsive, doing things that are socially and morally unacceptable.

In a fight he will not surrender, even while in a position of obvious disadvantage. Zaius knows that it's his fate to die on the battlefield, whether it's today or tomorrow matters little to him. He'll throw himself against seemingly impossible odds, and while he's survived to date through his own skills, the aid of others, and fortune itself, sooner or later a day will come where all three are not up to the task of keeping him alive in the face of overwhelming odds.

(More to come!)

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Romance

Zaius' views on romance are fairly odd, something he would point out is likely a result of his upbringing. While he has been in an ongoing relationship with Tiergan Vashir for some time now, both agreed that taking other occasional lovers would be acceptable, especially as Tiergan prefers to keep his relationship with Zaius, if not secret, certainly quiet. On occasion, the two have even had the same lover at the same time, something that Zaius takes no end of amusement in. Despite doting on Tiergan in private, the two bicker constantly, competing in almost every way that comes up. Zaius' philosophy of never having anything he couldn't stand to have taken from him if need be is stretched to the limit by his relationship with Tiergan.

Qualities he looks for in a partner include being straightforward, determined, opinionated, and stubborn. Zaius also enjoys helping to draw people out of their shell when it comes to romantic liaisons, not being one for jealousy. Someone with a strong physical presence, who isn't afraid to fight for what they believe in, or what they want, or...just fight, really, draw his attention quickly. Despite finding someone appealing from a physical and emotional standpoint however, Zaius tends not to pursue very far. The fact of the matter is, Zaius is rather picky as to whom he decides to chase after with determination, and while he has had a few one-night-stands, he prefers something more long-term, whether that be more physical encounters after the first, or something less carnal.

Zaius has never had much cause to distinguish between men and women when it came to persons he finds appealing.

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Combat

Almost without exception, when called upon to fight Zaius will do so hand to hand. Even a simple sparring contest is, to the Keeper, a contest that can only end one way; death. Otherwise, how is someone supposed to know if they're truly better, if one of the combatants is holding back? With that in mind, recent developments have come to show him that some people are more interesting alive and dead, and to that end he's returned to using a bare handed style while 'only' sparring. His learning didn't end with the disappearance of his teachers, and after he was enslaved he had a variety of instructors, further honing his abilities and expanding them beyond striking to including grappling, and wrestling, fighting in close quarters with little room to move.

In an actual fight, where he's looking to slay an opponent, Zaius will usually make use of a set of gauntlets he crafted himself, each finger covered in segmented, layered armor to allow for grappling and flexibility, and each ending in a razor sharp point. Patterned on his old gladiator mail, but crafted and re-crafted each time new metals are discovered by metallurgists, the gauntlets are capable of matching most contemporary weapons of the time.

Against opponents such as dragons, Voidsent, or the like, Zaius employes a reforged copy of the ancient Relic Weapon known as Kaiser Knuckles. Much like with his gauntlets, he is constantly upgrading and reforging them as new options become available, although that often requires relying on a certain smith near Fallgourd Float...

Zaius' stamina is seemingly inexhaustible, enduring endless hours of combat, as well as wounds and beatings, its rare to see the Keeper ever need to take an extended rest. As long as there is a fight nearby, the violent chaos seems to feed the Keeper, urging him to continue fighting until there is no one left standing. A good part of this is due not only to the techniques he learned from his various teachers, but the exceptional conditioning he puts himself through. Despite his immense build, he is flexible enough to raise a leg up and over his head, and strong enough to hold it there for a good period of time. As one of his opponents observed, it seemed like speed and mass were not properly explained to Zaius Rhal'seer.

While able to disrupt certain spells using various techniques meant for silencing enemies, Zaius himself has no talent with the magical arts, either offensive or defensive.

Aware of Garlean technology and its dangers, Zaius has familiarized himself with certain facets of their equipment, at least enough to break it effectively in combat, including magitek armor, gunblades, and most of their warmachines.

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Occupation, skills and pastimes

"Some people complain their whole lives they never found their purpose. I was born and trained to fight. You know what they say; love what you do, do what you love."

Adventurer, gladiator, ex-slave, mercenary, madman. Zaius has been all of these and more. He doesn't show any remorse or hesitation in discussing his past, whether his cruel training as a child, or the violent tendencies that continue to this day. While no assassin, Zaius until recently had worked for both sides of the law, especially in Ul'dah, where enough gil could be passed around to ignore a Keeper and his role in fighting whomever needed fighting. Recently however he has somewhat bettered his reputation by working to keep the Beastmen tribes in check, as well as performing more 'honest' work for the three city-states, including joining the Immortal Flames...only to switch to the Maelstrom mid-battle during one of the engagements in Cartenau, with the reasoning that he'd gotten bored always fighting for the same side, and needed a change.

While his first love in trade has always been cooking, taking a good bit of satisfaction from a well-made meal, especially a challenging one, it is seeming more and more that his true gift might lay in metallurgy. Specifically blacksmithing, to which he has taken quickly and with aplomb. Devouring challenging tasks and difficult crafts with equal hunger, he's set to his work with hammer and file almost as intently as he has his hand to hand combat. In a distant third remains leatherworking, although he's more than skilled enough to repair and even modify his own armor, mingling two of his talents together to improve his own equipment.

Rarely, Zaius finds himself with a free moment or two when he's not fighting, training, or working on his tradeskills. In those incredibly infrequent moments, he has a few books stashed about his home. While he enjoys sitting down with one of them, his attention is never occupied for long.

Likes: Violence. Sparring. Good food. Violence.

Dislikes: Alcohol Time-wasters. Cowardice. Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness

Skills: Unarmed combat. Cooking. Blacksmithing. Leatherworking. Violence.

Fears: Growing weak and feeble. Old age, mostly due to the above. Permanent imprisonment.

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Relationships

Family

Zaius was born under a different name, to the master teacher of the Fury of Halone temple in Ala Mhigo. He refuses to give the original names of his parents, or his own. They both went missing during a dangerous job more than fifteen years ago, and he's long since given up any chance of seeing them again. The person behind their disappearance was dealt with, essentially closing the book on Zaius' family.

Father: Unknown (deceased)

Mother: Unknown (deceased)

Linkshells and Organisations

Aeon Free Company: In the year 1578 Zaius registered with a relatively unknown Free Company known only as 'Aeon'. Other than offering standard mercenary services, little was known of them. While privy to their secrets, this is one of the few topics that Zaius won't disclose a great amount of detail on. Instead, he offers up only that they were a great deal of fun, a wonderful source of ongoing strife and violence, and that if any curious folk were to learn more, he could give them the opportunity to join them...if they asked.

The Coral Sea Free Company: Late in 1578, after departing Aeon, Zaius signed up with the Coral Sea after undergoing their interview process and (in an amazing act of oversight) managing to pass.

The Astral Advent: After departing The Coral Sea, in what seemed to be the same oversight as above, the Keeper managed to find a place in the Astral Advent.

Player Character Relationships

By Lurial Vashir

By Telos

♥ Romantic Interest    ♥ Sexual Desire    ♥ Platonic Love     ● Good Standing    ● Neutral Standing    ● Poor Standing    ! Recent Standing Change

Positive Standing

♥♥● Tiergan Vashir / "Ah'ra" : Zaius met Tiergan in one of their mutual owner's slave pens. In the structure of the pens, the most dangerous would assume the rank of Alpha, and be responsible for keeping order. In exchange, they received numerous benefits, from better food and lodgings, all the way to trips outside to spend gil earned by forcing the the rest of the slaves to stay in line. It was after becoming Alpha of his own pen that Zaius was sent to Tiergan's, who was Alpha at the time, to bring the arrogant slave to heel...a curious choice, given Zaius' own mannerisms. Nonetheless, he succeeded, unseating Tiergan within a week, after Tiergan had held the position for three years. What began as a relationship expressed through steel and fist quickly turned lustful as well, although Tiergan never did manage to take back the position of Alpha, and more and more Zaius began to offer the former Alpha is protection from the various other slaves that Tiergan had once reigned over. Zaius lost track of Tiergan for several years, only tracking him down when he registered with a Free Company. The two remain together, albeit in an open relationship, with the understanding that, sooner or later, Tiergan always returns to the Keeper. The fact that the two are slowly beginning to admit actual feelings towards one another has made their relationship more challenging than ever before.	♥● Teld're Eska'aldren : Recently introduced to Teld're by Tiergan, Zaius immediately found something in the other miqo'te that reminded him of himself at a younger age. Amused by the self-revelation, he immediately challenged Teld're to a fight to the death. After Tiergan broke up their first encounter, they had a rematch without interference, with Teld're using his advantage of aetheric manipulation and a carefully chosen battlefield to savage Zaius. Given the nature of the fight, Zaius was rather surprised to wake up the next morning, and resolved to get to know Teld're better. This has resulted in several more encounters, including a particular memorable cooked stew.
● Brynhilde Wulf : Leader of the free company Aeon, Zaius respects Brynhilde a great deal for her decision to lead a group of people he considers to be mostly crazy and self-destructive, himself included. Well aware that Brynhilde does not return that respect, the fact doesn't seem to bother him in the least. While they briefly fought during the Varus incident in Ul'dah, he looks forward to the chance to actually make a solid attempt at killing her.	♥●Sophia Grave : A member of Aeon, Zaius noticed her peculiar armament quickly. Finding out her actual loyalties did little to dispel Zaius' enjoyment of the few times they'd met in combat, and while both battles were 'unofficial', Sophia's identity disguised, he greatly appreciated her skill. Despite leaving Aeon, Zaius looks forward to a future rematch, and attempts to keep ties with Sophia, knowing that her inevitable actions on the part of her homeland will result in chaos and violence...both of which he'd be loath to miss.
●Varus Adelric Rosenthal : Introduced to him through his interest in Aeon and their mysterious nature, Zaius at first regarded the magus as a loudmouth overconfident man, prone to going on at length about his own superiority. However, after witnessing Varus easily besting several members of the free company, his interest in the magus was piqued. Tracking him down through mutual connections in Ul'dah, the two conversed at length, Zaius enjoying the discussion regarding morals and ambitions, before parting on neutral terms. During Varus' attack on Ul'dah, Zaius was more than willing to fight against Aeon for the thrill and the challenge, but an aetheric attack done by the magus quickly had Zaius turning on him. Afterwards he was one of the few the magus revealed his rebirth to, initially, trusting correctly that Zaius would keep the fact to himself in anticipation of future conflict to come. Zaius was disappointed to learn of the magus' subsequent disappearance, if only because the magus' talent for wreaking havoc would be sorely missed.	●Lottie Forsaidh :
●Zaku Paku : Zaius initially did his best to ignore Zaku Paku, finding his habit of talking in third person distracting, although the fact that the lalafel had managed to attain a prominent position in the Immortal Flames did impressed him. However, when Zaku Paku was given a new name, Zaku Degenwulf, and somehow transformed into a far more physically imposing Highlander, Zaius took notice. This would culminate in three fights while Zaku found himself unable to master the inner rage that came with Warrior training, becoming almost-possessed. After two attempts to finish Zaku off were interrupted by [[Lacey Orwell] he considers the matter closed, and Zaku a fun fighting partner...at least until one of them kills the other.	●Flickering Ember : Zaius finds the young roegadyn's utter lack of social graces and complete honesty refreshing rather than irritating as some might. He also considers her innocent in a sort of odd, roundabout way, especially given how quickly she jumps to 'kill the bad people' as a default method of dealing with a dangerous situation. She's one of the few people that Zaius would actively defend instead of assuming that they would simply be fine on their own, as her naivete means that others could take easy advantage of her.
●L'aenoh Tia : First encountered over a mysterious 'link' similar to one shared by the members of the Free Company Aeon, Zaius decided to take L'aenoh up on what he believed to be shameless flirting. Arriving at the house of the Free Company Coral Sea, Zaius discovered that L'aenoh had no intentions at all of following through with Zaius' interpretation of events, and was in fact in a long-term relationship with Staelufre Lysmerl. Zaius promptly brawled with him down the stone steps of Mist and out onto the beach, before tying him to the bed in the medical wing of the Coral Sea house. He enjoys the other's willingness to resort to violence within a short time frame, and while he finds the other male appealing, he respects L'aenoh and Staelufre to keep to playful flirting and little else. Recent events regarding his training of Staelufre have soured L'aenoh's attitude towards Zaius (specifically when Zaius kidnapped him and tortured him in front of Staelufre), while Zaius himself simply takes the other's foul temper in stride. Zaius also attended the twosome's wedding, as well as baked their wedding cake.	●Staelufre Lysmerl : First met in front of Coral Sea House, Staelufre immediately demanded retribution towards Zaius for attacking her mate, L'aenoh Tia. With the other Coralites insisting the fight would not be to the death, the two fought for several long minutes before Zaius, seeing something familiar in her eagerness to fight, accepted her request for him to train her in his healing technique. After several brutal training sessions designed to allow her to feel the rage necessary to use the skill, she successfully used it to stave off a mortal wound, impressing Zaius with having learned the technique in a matter of months. Recently his treatment of her during their training has come under intense scrutiny by the leader of the Coral Sea Free Company, as well as L'aenoh himself, towards which Zaius feels no particular guilt. In his opinion, Staelufre now has a formidable survival technique that will enable her to fight longer, harder, and more frequently. Her bouts of rage-fueled killing are, in his opinion, a fair trade. Zaius attended her wedding to L'aenoh, and also baked their wedding cake.
●Reinette Sompt :	(More to come, apologies to anyone not up here yet, or that I have/will have forgotten!)

Negative Standing

None. Zaius hasn't actually met anyone he really dislikes to the point he would go to lengths to avoid them (so far). Mostly because even the people he likes he looks forward to having no-holds-barred fights to the finish, so, why hold grudges?

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Rumors

Common Rumors

• "I can't think of a day I've been in the Wolves' Den fighting that he wasn't there. I don't think he sleeps."
• "Won't touch liquor! Not a drop. Caravan came into Ul'dah and the master was buying rounds for everyone in the Quicksand; he just kept at his water."
• "Tough bastard! Saw him nearly lose his arm to an axe in an unsanctioned scrap on the Wolves' Den Pier. Barely managed to take an aether trip out of there! Damn if he wasn't out a day later fighting like it was nothing. Gotta learn that trick…"
• "Crazy. Absolutely crazy. Absolutely unpredictable. ...absolutely relentless. I watched him face down a squad of Brass Blades without flinching. Just that damn scary grin on him the whole while. Gave me the shivers."

Moderate Rumors

• "Swear I saw him in the slave fights a few years before the Calamity. No, not the legal ones. The death matches."
• "Got no loyalty to anyone. Part of a group jumping a crystal caravan, the owner offered twice what the bandits were being paid. He turned on 'em just like that, guards finished off the rest. Damn thing is, he didn't take a single coin. Like he did it just for fighting. Or worse, fun."
• "He's a joke, is what he is. All those rumors and talk of fighting and slaves and the like. Bullshit! No one walks around without a scar that's lived a life like that. No one normal."
• "I saw him in noble's clothes, skulking around the back alleys. Dressed like that he's looking to be mugged!"

Rare Rumors

• "Son of a bitch bought my land for half what it was worth before the Calamity! Heard he's buying up all sorts of property. No damn idea why."
• "A slave's a slave, an' I heard that he's still got his contract open! Yeah, escaped during the Calamity! What, no, I don't want no part of putting him in a cage thanks much! I like breathin' and eatin' solid food!""
• "Heard tell that he had training from one of the monks from Ala Mhigo. No, not the one order, the Fist of Rhalgar. Called themselves the Fury of Halone.
• "No. No, he's dead. I saw him cut nearly to shreds in one of the Castrums! Shot a half-dozen times with one of those Garlean guns! Come to think of it, no one went back to get the body…"

Player Character Rumors

(Feel free to add your own!)

• "Don't spar with him without the expectation that you may lose your life. In all my years of fighting, I've never seen anyone as ruthless, powerful, and battle-hungry as Zaius. He's as strong as a behemoth, as swift as a coeurl, and pours all of himself in anything he devotes himself. Passion and madness drive his every motion. I should step away. I should have turned away so long ago... but I can't." -- Tiergan Vashir
• "Here's a bit of advice. He'll probably tear you to shreds- then I'll laugh. You want to go like that? Then keep digging... Because the only thing you're clearing out is your grave..." -- Teld're Eska'aldren
• "If you so insist for my opinion, it is this; Zaius Rhal'seer is more beast than man. Vicious and lascivious, unprincipled and troublesome; a finer example of everything wrong with that race, you'll not find." -- Brynhilde Wulf
• "I'd not anger Doenruht, were I you. I name him Thunder Smoke for a reason. He leaves only an impression. The smell, the sound, the feel of lightning that lingers in the air during a storm. It is there, below your skin and upon your tongue, and yet the lightning itself is so swift that it is impossible to perceive. Upon any aspect, this is him, yet especially in battle. You stand no chance, I assure you." -- Staelufre Lysmerl
• "Honesty is a quality often paired with something like virtue. I disagree; true honesty is a base and brutal thing, utterly unknown to any person. Except for Zaius." Sophia Grave
• "Blood smells...metal. Zaius' blood....not smell metal. Zaius is strong. Zaius is fight. Zaius creates blood. It is create very many blood; his blood is magic. He will show his....strength when hurt you. If you hurt him...he will show his strength very many more." Flickering Ember
• "He say not good person. I not believe it. If is true, not care. He talk with me different way. I like. He like fight but he is good words too. We finded the house fish. Love food together is fun." Flickering Ember
• "He can be charming in his own peculiar way. Excellent to have on your side in a fight. His pillow talk could use a bit more work however." -- Lurial Vashir
• "He's real scary sometimes, but th'food he cooks is real yummy an' I've never seen him beat th'stuffin' out of no one who didn't deserve it first. Or someone who didn't ask fer a fight." -- Leilani Leilai

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History/Timeline

1548 - 1557 : The Ala Mhigan Years

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Zaius Rhal'seer's true name has been lost to the ages, except perhaps a long-forgotten registry buried and charred, somewhere in the fallen temple where the Fist of Rhalgar monks kept their records. Also the name of his teacher and her husband, Zaius' mother and father, and the ones who gave up their home, their duty, their faith, and their friends to give their son a chance at freedom across the ocean, in the strange continent of Eorza. Before that however they raised their child from birth to be a weapon, one that would defend Ala Mhigo against enemies without and within, one of the Fists of Rhalgar. The two practiced a frowned-upon variation of the martial arts and chakra aligning done by the Fist of Rhalgar, their sect known as the Furies of Halone. While the Fists were based on learning centering, balance, using their chakra to bring focused ruin upon their enemies, the Furies focused on unleashing the inner fury, raw primal instinct and the desire to win at all cost. While fearsome opponents in combat, more than once their temple came close to being sealed for the effects such training took upon the mind, body, and soul.

To that end, Zaius was told to kill for the first time when he was 6 years of age.

A treasured pet was put before him, and he was told to slay it. After a great deal of abuse he finally did so, not with the skills he'd learned, but with a knife sharpened to a razor's edge. He cried, as a child should have done. In front of the class, their teacher, his mother, berated him for how long he had taken. In private, she agonized with her husband; the two had hotly debated which school to enter him into, and had decided that he would follow in his mother's footsteps, as Fury. After seeing him suffer, she thought about abandoning his training altogether...yet together the two resolved to continue teaching their son. By now the city was beginning to turn on itself, the rebellion being funded and prosecuted in the shadows by the Garlean empire growing and seething. Many of the monks and fighters fell in with these elements, but there were those that saw what was to come; the end of their nation. So it was that with heavy hearts, Zaius' mother and father reached out to a trader from the continent of Eorza, a rare friend made on the field of battle, and made their decision: they would leave Ala Mhigo, abandon their sacred duty, their faith, their years of service, all for the chance to spare their son the horrors of what was to come. To escape their fellows, to be branded as traitors, and hunted until the war itself came in force would have killed nearly anyone.

Zaius was 9 years old when he and his parents made it to Ul'dah, weeks ahead of the war that never was.

1558 - 1564 : The Streets of Ul'dah

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Life in Ul'dah was hard, even before more and more refugees from Ala Mhigo began to stream into the city. With few skills beyond their ability to kill, Zaius' parents were forced to take whatever work came their way, regardless of how moral or immoral it might have been. Fortunately for Zaius, the two had dedicated themselves to an entire city, a religion, as a way of life; rededicating themselves, now to their son, made it easy to ignore who they were defending, and who they were attacking. Not unaware of the dangers a pair of Keepers of the Moon living with their vulnerable son could bring down on themselves were they too vicious or cruel however, the pair took care to never work too strongly against one group or one side, the exception being the various Beastmen Tribes. Recognizing their own limits as a result of their focused training, they resolved that their child should have more options.

(More to come!)

1565 - 1572 : Slave Ascendant

((WIP))
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(More to come!).

1573 - 1576 : Wanderer

((WIP))
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(More to come!).

1577 - 1578 : Aeon

((WIP))
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(More to come!) 

1579 - Present : The Coral Sea

((WIP))
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(More to come!) 

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Character Connections

The following characters may have the possibility of an RP link with Zaius:

• Anyone who keeps informed of known adventurers. There pretty much isn't any levemaster that hasn't had a good deal of work done by Zaius.
• Anyone involved in the slave trade before the Cataclysm.
• High-ranking members of the blacksmith guild; Zaius is a skilled smith.
• High-ranking members of the culinarians' guild; Zaius is a master chef.
• Anyone who participates in or watches matches in the Wolves' Den, or participates in any of the fighting in Carteneau
• Landowners in and around Ul'dah might have heard of a particular Keeper that watches property very closely.
• While Zaius is not an assassin, he's worked for nearly every group that would have him, good or bad, as long as there was a good fight to be had.

Trivia & Miscellaneous

• (More to come!)

Artwork

By Lurial Vashir

By Lurial Vashir

By Telos

Author's Notes

Zaius' original name and tribe are long lost...or at least until I decide to actually develop them.

The correct pronunciation of his name would be "Zeye-us Rhal-Seer."

This character is on the Balmung server.

Zaius is rather coarse, blunt, and violent even when joking. Please remember this if you decide to say hi.

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The design of this profile was stolen wholesale (but with permission) from Brynhilde Wulf, who in turn used some elements created or inspired by: Deirdre Ta'ea, Gharen Wolfsong

Change Log

28th April 2015:

• Expanded on some PC relationships

5th February 2015:

• General clean up of typos and other errors.
• Added information concerning Zaius' history in Free Companies.

4th February 2015:

• Up at last!