Ancel Grandelion

Ancel Grandelion
Gender	Male
Race	Hyur
Clan	Midlander
Citizenship	Lominsan
Place of Birth	Brooksend, Lower La Noscea, Southern Vylbrand
Guardian	Oschon, the Wanderer
Nameday	25th Sun of the 4th Astral Moon
Occupation	Adventurer
Marital Status	Unattached
Orientation	Calibrated

Basic Info

"The winds carry Oschon's word, a half-remembered vision of my time before the Calamity, when I wandered under different stars bearing another name. The winds guide me, through memories of long travels now finished, of companions whose faces slowly fade over the horizon. From that vision comes a glimmer, which I impart now to all who seek solace from encroaching darkness. Together we will stride Hydaelyn and write our own tale, before finding the paths which call to us alone, by names we do not yet bear. Let us cling together."

---

A seasoned traveler who is often found in remote locales, Ancel gathered many experiences as he trekked numerous unseen paths across Eorzea, and with these memories has spun many tales. He is a spiritual man, singularly possessed with the causes and effects of his existence, and is given to spells of deep consideration of weighty or esoteric matters. In his craft as a Bard he has sought to express many of these thoughts through oratory and verse. On occasion, he has been said to mentally compose poems on such topics in the midst of the most treacherous circumstances.

Though he is particularly fond of the lands of Vylbrand, he spent much of the last two years in service to a Free Company aligned with the Order of the Twin Adder, earning the highest rank permitted to outsiders as he aided the nation of Gridania. He has battled on the Carteneau Flats, borne the Oath of the Sultansworn, served as a consulting detective, and acted as an express courier across the face of the continent. However, as a native of La Noscea and one endowed of much volition and little attachment, he has returned to his homeland to search for new paths to tread, new secrets to reveal, new tales to tell.

Appearance

Height: 5_f 11_i

Weight: 168_p

Complection:  Pallid

Hair:  Weathered Periwinkle

Eyes:  Emerald

Features:  Ancel generally bears a clean but unkempt look, favoring utility over form. The exception to this is his fondness for wearing the trinkets found on his travels. He prefers loose-fitting, layered garments and is fond of scarves, but views head protection as a restriction on his senses, and so avoids it. His face bears two scars, a reminder to always plan a route carefully when traversing beast tribe lands.

Personality

Strengths

• He is a person of newly-discovered and deep-rooted inspiration with regard to the Twelve. As such, he has a great measure of conviction and is unlikely to be dominated by force of will.
• His need to see a complex balance of forces in the world lends him an exceptionally discerning eye. He is keen to spot details and recognize relationships of cause and effect.
• His clear diction, tuneful voice, and savvy play with words provide a powerful toolset in relaxing tensions and diffusing hostility.

Flaws

• His personal philosophy often leads him to commit to actions and conclusions based only on intuition rather than empyricism.
• This impulsiveness causes inner conflict with the proven approach of observation and inductive reasoning, leading to second-guessing.
• As a self-reliant and resourceful sort, he can be inconsiderate to others in personal matters, and in his decision-making can be quite stubborn.

Fears

• Obligation. The idea of being indebted to another is abhorrent to his self-determination, and he will take pains to avoid situations where he must accept a debt.
• Suffocation. He requires at least the semblance of flow through of air. Indoors, this can be solved by opening a door or window, but as long as the meerest breeze is present, he can be comfortable.

Talents

• Oration: impromptu spoken verse, formal and folk recitation, Midlander mythohistory
• Musicianship: longflute, reed flute, fife, harp, lyre
• Wayfaring: orienteering, gathering, dowsing, Sylph geomancy

Affiliations

• Maelstrom: Second Storm Lieutenant
• Order of the Twin Adder [Inactive]: Emissary, Shieldarm of the Green Bough, Second Serpent Lieutenant, Serpentlord
• Sylph Tribe: Walking One, Trusted One, Goobbue Keeper
• Amalj'aa: Recognized

History

Name and Lifestyle

Name Etymology

In Midlander folklore, Grandelion is said to be the name of a bladed artifact that may have been a ceremonial tool for communing with the Twelve, but may have also doubled as a weapon. Those who have borne the name through the ages are said to be descended from the maker of the blade, a scholar of incomparable insight and wisdom whose own name did not outlive that of his creation.

The proper name Ancel was derived from the name Mance (after his father), and means 'gift'.

Current Residence

No permanent residence. Can currently be found basing out of Camp Overlook.

Birth and childhood (0-10)

Ancel was born near midday at the height of summer. He was fitful as a windspar for the first few months of life before his disposition calmed somewhat. His father Mance was a logger and carpenter who spent long days felling and milling lumber used by the shipwrights in Moraby. His mother Diamanda was a midwife and Alchemist who served the local community and saw to Ancel's day-to-day upbringing. As he grew, he developed a distinct independent streak which manifested in a desire to explore and play further and further from his home in Brooksend. He would often leave shortly after breakfast and not return until just before sundown, having spent the entire day imagining himself an adventurer making some fabled journey. He was inclined through most of his early years to concocting yarns about his brief quests into the wilds, much to the consternation of his mother who would have liked him to help more around the house. He was not the most dutiful child, but his parents showed him great care. Since no amount of his mother's worry could bind him to home, Mance built Ancel a bow and taught him the basics of its use, so that he would have some measure of protection in the La Noscean boscage. The bow became the first of his dear companions.

Teen Years

While Mance made every effort to impart his trade to his son, Ancel was a poor student and was too possessed with his own interests to apply the requisite diligence. He was much more interested in running odd jobs for the local miller and fishermen in order to scrape together spending money, gil which he was quick to spend romancing young ladies in the vicinity. He developed a bit of a reputation as a cad, known for his deft turn of phrase and talent with a flute, which he turned into a vocation at taverns in the region. Indeed, his trifling notoriety in those early years was unusually far-reaching for a young man, thanks in part to his proclivity for travel. It was during these performing engagements that Ancel first heard of the Grand Companies preparing for the renewed threat of Garlean invasion.

Adulthood

Taking his meagre savings and only the possessions he could carry, he struck out with a few like-minded young Lominsans toward to Eorzean mainland, first to the Yafaem Saltmoor before heading south. The small band witnessed the devastation of the Carteneau Flats, and saw the aftermath of suffering with their own eyes. Ancel's rude awakening in these days spurred in him the desire to put his talents to better use, to bring solace to those who had little, and hope to those whose own had foundered. Together, he and his companions followed Ala Mhigan refugees to Thanalan and Ul'dah, and here it was that Ancel found the Gladiator's Guild. Resolving to learn the art of martial prowess, he bid farewell to his traveling troupe and spent the next few months working his way from raw beginner to journeyman, proving adept with the blade and shield.

He took jobs for the Ul'dahn citizenry as a troubleshooter, sometimes accepting more mundane work. Before long, however, the essence of the wind called him to move once more, and so he departed for some long days before arriving by riverboat to the western edge of the Black Shroud. It did not take long for Ancel to develop a fondness for the people of Gridania, and their apparent gentleness reinforced his desire to defend others. For this reason he pursued further training as a Gladiator, eventually unlocking the secrets of Ul'dahn Sultansworn and becoming a Paladin.

Owing to the many duties he performed in those days, he was eventually granted agency by Gridania's Elder Seedseer, whose directives took him to the Sunken Temple of Qarn. It was in the final chamber of this ruin where Ancel suffered grave injuries, and was forced to abandon his duties in order to convalesce for the next several months. In his time of healing, he reckoned with the path that had brought him to his incapacitation, thought of his family, and wondered deeply about the Twelve in their celestial concert. After much contemplation, he resolved that it was he who was in error to follow a path which did not align with the purpose placed on him by the gods, and that his misfortune was the result.

His body mended, Ancel undertook the ordeal of mending his spirit. He relinquished his belongings, took his father's handmade bow, and set out northward to relearn the Pathfinder's philosophy. He lived off the land, meditated on the elements, communed with the Twelve through prayer, all while wandering the world in the habit of his Guardian. He felt for the first time since his youth the contentment of Creation's latent harmony. This alone would not still his mind, however, and the mysteries that give birth to this harmony soon began to bewilder him.

Present

For much of the last year, Ancel has pursued the hidden meaning of his being and the workings of the fates woven by the Twelve. He has traveled to the furthest reaches within his present means to seek an understanding of the riddle their physical workings pose. He has wondered at the many beauties of Hydaelyn, refined his thought in order to present it in verse, and picked up a few new instruments along the way. He transcribed to scrolls what texts he could find of ancient scholarship, and has dabbled in theory built upon the wisdom of Eorzea's storied forebears.

Now he returns to his homeland to find new troubles brewing, and has cast his eyes skyward, hopeful that these new realms might reveal supernal truths unforseen.

Family and Relationships

Relatives

• Mance, father
• Diamanda, mother

Positive

• None

Neutral

• None

Negative

• None

Tastes

Likes

• Contemplation
• Exploration
• Feeling the wind
• Sound of the rain

Dislikes

• Pettiness
• Complacence
• Inflexibility
• Vainglory

Favorites

• Color:  Rhotano Blue
• Food:  Grilled Raincaller
• Drinks:  Water
• Scent: Petrichor
• Place: The Hermit's Hovel

Hobbies

• Horticulture
• Chocobo Grooming
• Mark Bill Collecting

Rumors

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