Bertram Luxaerion
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Originally hailing from The Holy See of Ishgard, Bertram spent the first 20-something years of his life as a knight in the House of Luxaerion. Although the family had never reached a level of extreme notoriety, the House of Luxaerion was still a well-established family that had produced generations of loyal, steadfast, and obedient knights. Bertram was no exception to this, and he was praised by his fellow knights for his stoic temperament and skill with the sword. He was never arrogant, but he was certainly prideful to be respected and admired by his family members and peers. However, that entire illusion would eventually be shattered. Some time during his mid-twenties, Bertram had been given an order from his father to apprehend a few thieves that had caused a disturbance at a food stall in Ishgard's Jeweled Crozier. Upon discovering the thieves, a young woman and a teenage boy, Bertram seized them and returned to his family's estate, his father waiting in the courtyard. Because something like this was an everyday occurrence for Bertram, he expected the typical scene of his father praising his swift work followed by a pair of other knights taking the criminals to prison. But this time it was different. Yes, his father did indeed praise Bertram's work, but the young knight was immediately told after to execute the two, young thieves. Caught off-guard, Bertram asked his father why they couldn't be sent to prison and later judged, only to be told the excuse that the prison cells were at maximum capacity and "alternative punishments" needed to be dealt. Bertram had indeed slain many violent criminals in his career, but the pair in front of him had put up absolutely no resistance, and he would later discover they were long-abandoned siblings trying to feed themselves while living on the streets. In his singular act of defiance against his father, Bertram refused his father's order and boldly denounced the barbaric, cruel act. Of course, this was a grave mistake. Enraged by the defiance, his father drew his own sword and quickly cut down both thieves, their lifeless eyes staring directly at Bertram. Afterwards, he was seized by a pair of knights, his own cousins, and strapped to a chair inside the manor. There, his father, the man he had respected and admired for all of his life, declared Bertram a disgrace to the House of Luxaerion and the knights, and that he would be punished for his defiance. Schooled in Magick along with the sword, Bertram's father held his open palms directly in front of his eyes, where flames burst forth. Any other sounds inside the manor were drowned out by his agonizing screams. Days later, Bertram could be seen wandering the snowy lands of Coerthas. Disowned by his family, he was thrown into the wilderness with only a set of ragged clothes, a dulled sword, and the ring he had since he was a young child bearing the Luxaerion crest in hand. His left eye was covered with bandages, damaged so beyond repair by his father's punishment that he was forced to gouge it out. Although his other eye was still intact, the burns severely impaired his vision, and his formerly amber-colored eye became a foggy white. In his mind, he somehow managed to remain as stoic as he always had been, but his thoughts were also filled with plots of vengeance, or rather justice towards his family. Several weeks had passed, and through that time, Bertram was met with dangerous encounters with beasts and bandits. He miraculously managed to survive each encounter, despite the injuries received. He was also met with unexpected kindness from strangers that the House of Luxaerion would probably consider to be "deviants", "dogs", and "whores". Although stripped of his knighthood, Bertram's loyal disposition and skill with the sword remained. Months had passed, and the knight-turned-vagrant had successfully managed to stowaway on an airship, not even caring where he would be taken to. Dismounting the airship once it had finally landed, Bertram was introduced to a scenery and environment that he had only read about in books. The city was warm and by the sea, and its architecture was completely foreign. The people were dressed in unusual clothes, with some holding parasols made from paper and others with an unusually-shaped sword sheathed in its scabbard at their waist. He had arrived in the city of Kugane in the Hingashi region, and although he had occasionally read about it, witnessing the city in person was a greatly different experience. However, because of his scruffy and foreign appearance, it didn't take long before he was arrested by the Sekiseigumi. Although they were in many ways similar to the Ishgardian knights, the Sekiseigumi sympathized with Bertram's story, and they were equally impressed with his displays of swordsmanship. While several officials were reluctant, Bertram was asked to be a temporary officer with the group. For his services, Bertram received food and shelter as well as meager pay. He was even taught how to wield the katana used by the Sekiseigumi's samurai, something he was unusually quick and adept at learning. Despite being a foreigner, Kugane had eventually become Bertram's new home. Several years had passed, and in that time his swordsmanship had improved even further to the point that he had managed to make something of a name for himself among the townsfolk. With enough Gil saved, Bertram eventually decided to end his services for the Sekiseigumi, where the officials who were reluctant to lose such a skilled and loyal officer were also relieved to finally be rid of the foreigner who boldly stood out among the others and unwillingly began overshadowing them. He managed to afford a small apartment in the Shirogane area, and Bertram soon offered his services as a guard, sellsword, and instructor to anyone in need of him. In the following years, Bertram had wandered through the entire Hingashi region, meeting friends, lovers, rivals, and enemies who came and left smoothly and quickly like the passage of time. Now in his 50's, Bertram has also been a victim to the passing of time, not that he paid it much mind. Despite his age, his skill with the sword has only improved along with his wisdom and knowledge of the world around him. His thoughts of vengeance that had plagued him for the first half of his life are far forgotten, and he had only discovered in the past few years that the House of Luxaerion had dissolved entirely, not too long after the Calamity occurred. Although his vengeance was far behind him, the older man still felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders. To this day, he still possesses his family's crested ring along with the dull sword given when he was thrown into the Coerthian wilderness that fateful day. Acquiring a good amount of wealth and notoriety through the decades, Bertram Luxaerion currently spends his time occasionally mentoring people in swordplay and traveling through Eorzea's regions as a wandering swordsman, further expanding his knowledge and wisdom of the world around him and still finding it difficult to completely escape the thrill and excitement of battle.
Despite his age, Bertram still maintains an impressively fit body. Standing at six fulms and three ilms, his height is quite noticeable in a crowd but not enough to make him clearly stand out. In his 40's, he decided to grow his hair similar to some of the other samurai in Hingashi, keeping it tied up. The peach-colored complexion on his face and body have several noticeable scars, ones that appeared shortly after being thrown into the wilderness of Coerthas. His face has a rather rugged look to it, and his facial hair only exaggerates it. His eyes clearly stand out to most people, especially with the dark eye patch covering his (missing) left eye. Meanwhile, due to being somewhat blinded in his right eye, the eye's maintained a foggy, white color instead of the original, dark amber hue. While both of his ears are pierced, he currently wears one earring on his left ear ehich bears a resemblance to a popular symbol in Hingan culture. In terms of his clothes, he became enchanted by the ornate patterns on some Hingan clothing, so he's typically seen wearing an ornately-designed haori and hakama that also don't restrict his movement in battle compared to other Hingan outfits. Compared to most men in their 50's, Bertram's physique is extraordinarily fit and muscular but in no way daunting or imposing to other people. But, some people may find the numerous scars on his face and body a little bit intimidating...
Aspects That Stand Out:
Staying (mostly) true to his upbringing, Bertram is first and foremost a steadfast, stoic, and loyal person. However, while he may be a remarkably loyal person, Bertram refuses to swear fealty to just anyone. His knighthood stripped after being cast out from the House of Luxaerion, it did not take Bertram long to truly understand how the firmly sworn loyalty of the Ishgardian knights indirectly created a system of corruption and manipulation. As a result of this, he has realized his loyalty is something that must be earned by others, and even then, Bertram cannot help but keep something of a distance from most people. With this minor yet still noticeable wall created, some may perceive him as aloof or cold towards others, but he simply chooses to use the words "guarded" or "cautious" instead. At the same time, this guarded nature paired with his stoicism allows Bertram to be quite calm and collected in battle. Even with his severely impaired vision, Bertram's intense focus in combat helps alleviate his disability, if only a little. In some sense, Bertram can be a bit of a paradox with the subtle contrasts/quirks to his personality. While he may be an older man who should know when to engage in battle with someone or not, a part of him still holds a fiery passion and thrill for combat. The heat of battle ignites a powerful flame in the man's soul, and he continuously yearns to encounter a worthy opponent to hone his swordsmanship even further. Furthermore, while Bertram typically maintains a collected, well-composed disposition, he can, on occasion, become easily flustered in certain situations, much to the surprise of others. Although he is homosexual, Bertram chooses to keep his sexuality mostly discreet. However, this has nothing to do with him being shameful of his sexuality but rather an extension of his guarded nature. But, it should go without saying that if he's met with an attractive man, he will do his best attempt at flirting and expressing interest or let the alcohol speak for him. Just as he would with any friends or comrades, Bertram is devoted to whoever his lover(s) may be, and he enjoys expressing his fondness or love of others through actions rather than words.
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