Cameron Starke
| Cameron Starke | |
| |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | Hyur |
| Clan | Midlander |
| Citizenship | None |
| Occupation | Adventurer / Mercenary |
| Server | Balmung |
Contents
Basics
((Updated June 2017)) The midlander known as Cameron Starke (or just "Cam", as he prefers) is a sandy blonde Thanalan native who picked up a Lominsan accent somewhere (-certainly- not the Dutiful Sisters of the Edelweiss) and got stuck with it. On his good days he has an easy grin and a gently sarcastic sense of humor, friendly and free with his affections and willing to share a drink with almost anyone. On his bad days he is cagey, quiet and defensive, assessing everything as a possible threat with a haunted look in his eye and his hands close to his weapon.
He has recently returned to the shores of Eorzea after a year-long stint with the Maelstrom privateer navy. Those who knew him before would notice a hardened edge to his personality as well as a few new scars, several new skills, and a far more discerning taste in brandy. He possesses a variety of skills both combat and non, but is most commonly seen wielding a lance or daggers, foraging out in the wilderness, or near his Free Company chocobo stables fussing over the birds.
Backstory
Born in Thanalan to a family of nomadic goatherds, Cam expected to live out his life wandering the arid land, negotiating with trade partners, looking after the animals and little cousins and, hopefully someday, finding an amicable partner for a tumble or two. Then the Calamity happened, and everything changed. He was barely sixteen summers old and his family of two-dozen was reduced to three. Cam and his two surviving siblings joined the huddled masses of refugees choking the streets of Ul'dah.
They fared better than most. Life in the wilds had taught them to be self-sufficient, to hunt and forage for their food and defend themselves from attackers. But there was only so much that orphaned and destitute youth could do, and Ul'dah was unforgiving. They lived a constant hair's breath from violence, threatened by everything from fellow refugees to the criminal element to the Brass Blades themselves. The three dealt with this life in different ways; this was where Cameron first developed the skills of deft hands (the better to pick pockets with), how to run and hide and evade pursuit, and how to be light on his feet. His sister Ellie tended to take a more direct approach, and got the three in trouble far more often than they would have otherwise. Mikael, the eldest, was gifted with words and became a skilled negotiator.
After a year and some moons, that skill with words finally landed the trio a way out. Mikael got them an audience with the master of a trader's caravan and, after displaying their skill at arms and willingness to work for bread, the three were granted employment as guards. And so life, while still difficult and dangerous, became better. For a while. Three years they worked the merchant's routes, travelling all over Eorzea. Three years they honed their skill at arms fighting off wild animals and bandits, and the occasional irritable border guard. Three years they gave their lives and loyalty to the caravan master, until an encounter with a band of Ixal left two of the three siblings injured and unable to fight. The merchant would neither wait for them to recover nor allow them to ride the wagons and heal on the road. And so they were abandoned, once again left to make their own way. Gridania was kind enough to allow them to stay, and they did what they could to make themselves useful. But with Ellie and Mikael injured, Cam had to work twice as hard to provide. Odd jobs and hunting would not suffice, not even with the extra stipend from the adventurer's guild. And so he took the the road on his own, chasing better fortune.
His journey led him to join a mercenary Free Company, where he found a home and good friends for a time. But he remained a wanderer at heart, and learned too well the lesson of self-reliance. Personal ties were always kept loose. Ellie eventually recovered enough to follow his example, becoming an adventurer herself and finding a niche in Limsa. Unfortunately, she still had a habit of finding trouble. Cam tried to bail her out, but only managed to avoid a plank-walk by getting the two of them signed on with a privateer crew for a year at sea. And so they went, across the sea, to the shorelines of Othard and back, facing pirates and sea beasts and Garlean cannon-fire. The latter went, unfortunately, poorly, and Cameron still carries the scars. Upon his return Cam found his old company had disbanded, and he found himself at a bit of a loss. He has reconnected with a few of his people, but is still working on finding his feet.
Personality
Friendly, but slow to trust, and has a tendency to wander. Very accepting of differences of creed and country, but has no patience for willful ignorance or laziness, and is innately distrustful of anyone who claims authority for its own sake. Thoroughly, almost belligerently, a commoner with absolutely no respect for social class. Very independent, sometimes to his own detriment when he legitimately needs aid and refuses to ask for it.
Family
(NPC): Mikael Starke, Ellie Starke (siblings)
(PC): Coll Maclean (partner), R'adehn Tia (adopted brother)
