Ibrahim al Ghurayb

[edit] Details Personality Relationships Rumors Gallery OOC Notes GENERAL INFORMATION Ibrahim al Ghurayb is an arcanist and a scholar of ancient Allag. He is a man of seventy, yet his zeal for discovery burns as brightly as a young man's. His peers note that despite his age, his appearance in the field is relatively recent--he was unheard of before the Calamity. Claiming Thavnairian nationality, he has come to Eorzea to study its wide array of Allagan ruins, most notably the Crystal Tower and the ruins of Carteneau. Though his arrogance often grates, it is arguably justified. His arcanima boasts labyrinthine formulae solved for in mere seconds. His research and insights into Allag paint vivid pictures of life in the Third Astral Era, nearly always backed with concrete proof or entirely reasonable conjecture. His travels across Hydaelyn are easily tracked, thanks to a peculiar habit. Everywhere Ibrahim goes, he leaves behind a riddle for passers-by to solve. APPEARANCE Close-cut, slightly unkempt hair, grayed with age, conspires with a neatly trimmed beard to frame a wrinkled brown face. It always seems gently amused, that face. Full lips at rest resemble a weak smile. Sharp golden eyes fiercely resist the passing of years. They nevertheless peer out from pince-nez glasses resting upon a broad nose. He is short even for a Midlander--five fulms, eight ilms. Thin, too, for a man of his age. His hands, gnarled by time, appear soft, unaccustomed to hard work. His wardrobe favors extravagance and bright colors when not traveling. On the road, utility is given some thought, albeit begrudgingly. Aspects That Stand Out: ■ Carries a grimoire with pitch black pages and glowing lights upon the exterior. ■ The backs of his hands bear a few scars. PERSONALITY Ibrahim looks out for his own interests above anything else, though he does put a high regard on life and freedom. He understands the need for a good reputation and generally does not go back on his word once given. Nevertheless, his highest cause is self preservation. The most important thing in Ibrahim's life is Ibrahim, and this shines through not just in his self preservation, but in his ego. He believes he is the greatest mage walking the face of Hydaelyn, and one of the greatest minds of his time, to boot. His ego is sadly not entirely unwarranted. He is quite studious and most observant. These traits have served him well in his academic and magical pursuits. Despite this egotism, Ibrahim loathes being alone with his thoughts. He ever seeks the company of others, inferior though they may be, so that his mind has something to focus on other than his insecurities. Without time for introspection, his egotism has only grown over the years. As with many egotists, nothing is ever Ibrahim's fault. Mistakes aren't because of his arrogance, but others' incompetence. Deep down he knows this is a lie, but convinces himself otherwise. He feels an enormous amount of pressure to do everything right. Despite what he would have others believe, his intellect is not infallible. Failure is contextualized and explained away, if possible. And when it's not possible, he becomes defensive and petty, lashing out to protect his fragile ego. L I K E S ■ Machina. Though it's rare a modern machine could match the wonders of ancient Allag, Ibrahim has an interest in these contraptions, and anyone who would claim to know them. ■ New Experiences. Ibrahim will try anything once. A frequent traveler, he enjoys sampling local cuisines and customs wherever he can. ■ Simple Pleasures. Pastimes most take for granted, such as fishing, Triple Triad, or other games of skill/chance. For whatever reason, he's fascinated by them! D I S L I K E S ■ Superstition. To him, there are no 'places man was not meant to tread.' Distrust of magitek or magic isn't tradition, it's inherited ignorance. He takes a dim view of organized religion, but doesn't begrudge others their beliefs unless forced upon him. ■ His Age. He doesn't like to be reminded of it. An 'old man' here and there he can handle. Poking at it tends to annoy him. ■ Public Displays of Affection. Whether directed at him or someone else, they make him uncomfortable. H O B B I E S ■ History. A driving pursuit of his, ever since he was a young boy. His specialty is Allag, but he is still knowledgeable in other areas. ■ Alchemy. Few men of letters within Thavnair don't at least pay Alchemy some lip service. He claims to have taken it up in search of some now-disproven theory. S T R E N G T H S ■ Magic. Ibrahim employs magic of remarkable power and complexity. Whether it's due to a lifetime of study or some other reason, few can say. Regardless, he has a mind for arcanima, a natural talent and a wide repertoire of both offensive and defensive spells. Further, he can make use of his body's aether far more efficiently than most, allowing for longer 'uptime' in battle with more efficacious spells. ■ Intellect. Ibrahim's is a mind perfectly suited to the arcane and the sciences. He is observant, quick-witted and intelligent. His memory is impressive for a man of his age, and his mind is a match for even the most sophisticated Garlean difference engine. In battle, he splits his attention between numerous opponents and tasks with ease. At peace, he makes for a frustrating Triple Triad opponent and a brilliant researcher. W E A K N E S S E S ■ Hubris. His magic, his mind, his pursuits--all are seen as above and beyond those of others. Even if it's true, he tends to exaggerate. As a result, he rarely has a plan for failure. In such instances, he completely shuts down and cannot function. ■ Frailty. Any chirurgeon of skill could spot this. His body appears to have spent years in a sedentary lifestyle, only recently remedied. Physical efforts tire him easily. Like the classical 'glass cannon' mage, physical attackers can do a lot of harm. Assuming they can get to him, of course. M O T I V A T I O N S ■ Discovery - Ask him, and he'll tell you. His sole motivation has ever been to bring the marvels of Allag back into the light of the modern day. Medicine, transit, food. Perhaps even 'cloning' and 'genetic engineering.' He feels life would be greatly improved by their re-emergence. RELATIONSHIP STATUS LEGEND ♥ Family – ♥ Involved – ♥ Romantic – ♥ Platonic – ♥ Physical – ♦ Friend – ★ Acquaintance – $ Business – ✝ Deceased – ✔ Positive – ✖ Negative – ● Neutral – � Unsure FAMILY Ashur and Sabit, Parents. (♥ – ✝ ) - Public Servants. Character's Thoughts: "They died while I was traveling. Bandits." Ibrahim's parents would have preferred he went into a different profession. Nevertheless, they did their best to support him. To his detriment, they turned a blind eye to his budding arrogance as a child. NON-FAMILY Bikku, Rival. ( ✝ ) - Fellow Arcanist. Character's Thoughts: "She had the better teacher, but I was always better. That's why she's dead, and I'm not." Bikku, Ibrahim claims, was a fellow arcanist who died in battle. He had feelings for her which were not reciprocated, although the two did become good friends. Much like Ibrahim himself, there's no official record of a Thavnairian-born arcanist going by that name. It is, possibly, a nickname or pseudonym. RUMORS N P C Some of these rumors are untrue, speculation, or are greatly exaggerated. ◢ Common Rumors - Easily overheard. Use these freely! ■ "He is rumored to employ a 'trance' which allows for clearer thought and faster casting." ◢ Uncommon Rumors - A little more difficult to hear. Use sparingly or ask first! ■ "The academic community is often concerned with Ibrahim's zealous hunt for Allagan technology. Some liken it to an obsession." ◢ Rare Rumors - Very rarely overheard. Please ask before using! ■ "Records of an 'Ibrahim al Ghurayb' only date back to the months immediately following the Calamity." P C Feel free to add your own rumors to this section. ◢ Player Character Rumors - Some of these are more rare than others! ■ "The name is familiar, but I've yet to meet the man himself. A friend of mine says he's just like any other scholar. Pretentious and self-righteous." — Rhuaza Kasa. Artwork Screenshots ಌ OOC NOTES ಌ OOC INFORMATION Player Note I've been roleplaying for a while. My timezone is EST. I'm looking to bring people together and make friends. Personal RP Limits I am pretty easygoing as far as role play goes. I have a few lines I won't cross. I am lore bending, not lore breaking. If you're playing a character that outright contradicts established lore--such as a Doman Miqo'te, a female Nunh, or what have you, I'm not interested. I don't expect you to know everything about the game's lore, and I'm not gonna complain at you if you don't. I just feel like it's put there for a reason, and some breaks are way more jarring than others. Aside from that, please see the entries below for my wills and won'ts. ■ I will play long term RPs that explore mature themes and focus on character interaction/development. I'll do slice-of-life, as long as it's not all I do. It's important to have an actual sense of growth involved. BarP is fine, but if we meet in a tavern, taking the RP to other places over the course of the characters' stories is definitely encouraged and preferred. Fights are okay; I prefer the HP method or freeform to just /random. Guild/dungeon/linkshell/private are all fine. I can do large or small gatherings, too. I'm no stranger to forum RP, but Discord RP I tend to avoid. ■ I won't play with minors or characters who are minors, or with PCs who are focused around ERP/fetishes. I won't play my character's death unless we know each other really well and I determine it's apropos of the story we're doing. I won't play transformation (vampire bites, magic spells, etc.) and I'm really not about the whole forced submission thing. As mentioned above, I'm fine with lore-bending, but stuff that directly contradicts lore doesn't interest me. wiki Disclaimer Little Tidbits. ■ If my RP tag is on, feel free to approach me. This is how I make the majority of my RP friends! If we know each other or have RP'd before, feel free to add me to your friends list. You can PM me if I'm on and ask for RP. I'll try to reply every time, even if I'm not looking to RP at that moment. CHARACTER TIDBITS Potential Plot Hooks He is absolutely certain 'beyond all doubt' that he has a way into the Crystal Tower, which he refers to as Syrcus. Despite its recent re-sealing, he has been sending out feelers for adventurers willing to assist him in reaching it, that he might open it. To that end, he has been promising adventurers a cut of the 'haul,' which has ruffled feathers in the academic community. ■ When he expects a protracted battle, he may be seen wearing a silver crown with a protruding horn. Magically inclined sorts can see it assists in channeling ether. ■ He leaves riddles, signed with his name, nearly every place he visits. It's possible your character may have found one before ever meeting Ibrahim. ■ In his short scholastic career, he has come to be recognized as an authority in translating Allagan texts and tomestones. Character Lore Adherence Ibrahim is a lore-bending character. Every aspect of his backstory, with one exception, can be traced back to an established piece of lore. The exception is not something which is contradicted, but neither is it something which is explicitly stated. It is, however, something which is, I feel, plausible, given the game's lore on the subject. It's something that loses its narrative weight when brought up repeatedly in the open. As such, don't expect to uncover it on your first meeting with him, especially since he also has an IC reason to keep it quiet. ■ No changes required.

ಌ INFORMATION ಌ Name - Ibrahim al Ghurayb Race - Hyur Midlander Age - 70 Name Day - 28th Sun of the 3rd AStral Moon Deity - Thaliak. Ostensibly. ■ Alias: Ibrahim ■ Citizenship: Thavnairian ■ Occupation: Arcanist, Historian ■ Hair color: Grey ■ Eye color: Gold ■ Complexion: Aged/Wrinkled ■ Piercings: None ■ Marks or tattoos: Scarred hands ■ Alignment: True Neutral ■ Key Items: Grimoire, pince-nez glasses, silver horned crown ■ Favorite Food: Baklava ■ Favorite Drink: Thavnairian Coffee ■ Favorite Color: Orange ■ Themes: X Template made by User:Abelia Kir Armiger and free for use!