“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt
Atlani Noykin
Former Goro
Beast and Primal Researcher
Chocobo Jockey, Breeder, Trainer
Atlani has long been of the mindset that fortune favors the bold, but boldness alone was not what pinned her under the thumb of public scrutiny. Careless, stupid, selfish, disrespectful of all things upheld as sacrosanct within the tribe: these instead were the accusations lobbed at her throughout her upbringing in the Goro. Most agreed, albeit to varying degrees of exaggeration, the care of her horse bordered on negligence. The animal was fed, watered, brushed often enough, true, but there was little affection, let alone reverence, to be observed.
Yet Atlani by her very nature was an inexpressive woman. The would-be father of her children (chosen by lottery, as per Goro tradition) and most of her blood would have little to report in terms of closeness. Which isn't to say Atlani had none to call friend among her kith and kin, only that so too did she have enemies, and in far greater number.
Her harshest critics referred to the tragedy as "inevitable," the day she and her stallion, Kupek, encountered a Steppes tiger during a hunting expedition. The witnesses — and therefore re-tellings — of the incident are many, no two quite the same. She ran, some insisted, she left Kupek there to die! Others claimed she fought to the best of her ability, but even her supporters tentatively agreed the honorable thing to do would have been to die beside her horse.
For all she had embraced, if not relished, her unsavory reputation before, living and dying under the brand of a coward was too heavy a burden for Atlani. She tried first the route of vengeance, tracking the very beast responsible for upending her life for three days and three nights, only to find the tiger had perished at the hands of one Gansukh Qerel. With no means of redemption left, she fled the Goro and assimilated into a Noykin tribe.
The years began to cast a shadow of doubt over the certainty of all things she'd once had in her youth, and Atlani wondered, guiltily, if indeed she wasn't to blame for Kupek's bloody demise; if indeed her mistakes were unforgivable; if indeed she was never meant to be a true Goro. But she remained a survivor, a fighter, and if not a proper Goro, then she'd become an ideal Noykin instead.
She tamed every beast that could be; slaughtered those which could not, tigers included. A passing foreigner who found himself in the company of the Noykin spoke of the Primals in their entirety, but the threat of Tempering flowed in one horn and out the other. Determined to tame one of these purportedly implacable creatures, to go down in history as the greatest of the Noykin, Atlani left for Eorzea ...
... and, of course, was in for a rude awakening.
Begrudged by the harsh reality success yet again was an impossibility, Atlani was too ashamed to return home. She tarried in Limsa Lomisa, eventually taking up work as a farmhand, taking a particular interest in the chocobo. "Eorzean horses," someone once called them, and that was the spark that started a fiery obsession.
In the last several years, Atlani has gained some notoriety for her work as a chocobo jockey and breeder, and for several bestiaries she published detailing the mating habits, climate tolerance, lifespans, and other details about many a dangerous creature.
Updated 12/5/18
In need of gil to continue funding her research, a cost that became so exuberant her racing winnings were exhausted by the task, Atlani accepted a job at Song of the Sands, an Ul'dahn Free Company run by Destry Barlow and Obnoxious Roach. There she served as the stable hand and veterinarian, eventually forging several other business contracts that had her jockeying for other's birds.
Roughly two moons ago, Destry Barlow was made a wanted man. Atlani, along with every other member of the company, was taken in for questioning. She was found to have no knowledge of the group's illicit activities, but that's the least of her concerns: due to the almighty force that is one's signature, Atlani came to find she had been tricked into signing over all chocobo. As they were in Destry's name, her breeding stock and racing stock were confiscated (and purportedly later auctioned).
Outraged, she went to home of Kokegal Tumet, Destry's lover, to glean more information. The meeting quickly turned sour, to say the least. Atlani has since vowed to get revenge and has taken to hiring private investigators and mercenaries with what funds she's slowly rebuilding in order to find Barlow and do away with him.
Atlani has a sallow complexion, dreadlocks of similar color, and narrow brown eyes that droop at the edges. Her nose is shaped like a beak, protruding over her thin upper lip and perpetually swollen bottom one. She sports a multitude of claw-marked scars and half-healed bite wounds across her face and body, a patchwork of hunts and tamings past. It would be a fair and all too accurate assumption to think this was no Steppes beauty even before she'd been marred.
For an Auri woman, Atlani's about as tall as they come. She is likewise muscular. Her teeth have been filed to points, though some have been chipped or broken off entirely throughout the years.
On a scale of 1 to 10, her wardrobe variance is approaching zero. It's rare for her to be seen out of "uniform," the bright yellow garb she wears during races and daily life both.
Age and disappointment have blunted the sharp tongue of this once overconfident woman, but blunt it is — most of the time. While still prone to risky behavior, up to and including knowingly souring a conversation best kept sweet, Atlani is not all together a fool. Being a foreigner in these lands, the deck is already stacked against her: Why trust a Xaela to breed, care for, or race your chocobo when there are so many qualified Eorzeans chomping at the bit for the same opportunity? Through carefully cultivated habit she has learned to maintain a sense of diplomacy when necessary.
Extremely private, easily bored, and arguably selfish with her time and inclination to do things not of personal interest, Atlani's list of friends is no more plentiful than it was in yesteryear. She is a loyal creature when her trust — and perhaps more importantly, respect — is earned, but the wall is a hard one to break through, and most find it not worth the effort. Which is just as well, as she prefers her chocobo and menagerie of beasts instead.
But she has an affinity for the tribal Miqo'te, Keepers of the Moon and Seekers of the Sun both, finding them the closest thing to kindred spirit in these lands. She has also taken a liking to the rowdy, spirited people of Limsa Lomisa, developed an aversion for Ul'dahns and a scathing disrespect for Gridanians, whom she views as pathetic for being so fearful of their Elementals.
LIKES
- Beasts and beastmen
- Racing chocobo
- Comfortable footwear (boots and socks)
- Music
- Good food / drink
- Diving / the sea
- Tribal Miqo'te
- Pirate types
DISLIKES
- Ul'dah, Gridania
- Dotharl, Oronir, Buduga, Tumet
- Whining
- Tedium
- Getting old
- Sore losers / winners
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Some rumors are simply speculation, greatly exaggerated or not true in the slightest. Anything listed here is free use IC within reason.
RUMORS
• "Yeah, I know her. They say if you fall off the chocobo, you have to get back on. I've yet to see her fall, but she'd get back on if she did, I bet."
• "The Noykin? One of the ugliest women I've ever seen. You wanna have a look yourself? Swear it's true."
• "I've not seen her lose many races. At least when she had her own birds..."
• "She lost everything when the head of her company was caught red-handed smuggling drugs. I've heard she had nothing to do with it, but if you ask me, something's fishy. She was supplying them the chocobo to cart the stuff around and didn't know a thing? Think about it."
• "I've heard she's looking around for mercenaries and the like. Couldn't say for what. Nothing good, I'd guess."
RP HOOKS
• Is your character an avid chocobo racing fan or a jockey themselves? They've probably seen Atlani multiple times. Fans, rivals, commonly-encountered stable hands, anything of this nature is more than welcome!
• Does your character need a particular bird bred? Need to rent a reliable bird to pull your cart across Eorzea or carry you to your wedding? Atlani may be able to help.
• Any other Noykin or Goro who could be from her branch of the tribe.
• Anyone she could feasibly know in advance. Past ties are welcome.
• Miqo'te to go hunting with. Keepers of the Moon, in particular, to show her a thing or two about Morbol, the beast she's currently studying the most often.
• Secretly, Atlani continues to pursue the possibility of finding a way to "fix" Tempering and, in the endgame, one day best/tame a Primal. Any characters who are involved in similar research, no matter how shady, I want to RP with! Please note, however, I OOCly acknowledge this goal is unobtainable from a player standpoint and I am not looking to break lore, no matter how sure the character herself is that it's possible.
• Currently, Atlani is on the hunt for private investigators and/or mercenaries willing to search for a particular person of interest. (Please note OOC this is part of a long-running plot and most of these missions will end in failure.)
RP LIMITS AND INFO:
■ Mature content and themes, up to and including coarse language, violence, sexuality, drugs / alcohol are all fine as long as they fit within the narrative. I do not do random ERP or godmoded fight scenes. Above all, the line between OOC and IC must be adhered to. I will discontinue any RP and cut ties with those who OOC bleed and/or godmode. Ain't nobody got time for that.
■ Any romances, with very few exceptions, must meet one of two requirements: the characters have known each other for at least a month, minimum, or the players have known each other for at least six months. Going on a casual date is one thing, but I will not tie characters down to anyone / anyone's character who doesn't meet this prerequisite.
