Kayllen Lecuyer
 Kayllen "Grimm" Lecuyer
| |
 Grimm in his iconic armor | |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | Hyur |
| Clan | Midlander |
| Citizenship | Ishgard |
| Age | 28 |
| Name Day | 27th Sun of the 6th Umbral Moon |
| Guardian | Halone, The Fury |
| Occupation | Bounty Hunter, Knight, Aspiring Dragoon |
Contents
Character
General
Kayllen, or "Grimm" as he's commonly known, is a tall Midlander who currently resides in Ul'Dah working as a bounty hunter for both monsters and men. He arrived not long after the Calamity with the clothes on his back and the possessions he could fit onto a pack bird. It isn't a hard stretch to pin him as a native to Ishgard through accent and inflection but if he has any loyalty or familial ties to his homeland they aren't clear to the casual observer. His reputation is a quiet one but not unknown and while he makes no complaints of his work it is often on his mind to return to his home and perhaps reclaim a semblance of his old life or failing that, find something else to replace it if he can.
As a Bounty Hunter his reputation is one of cold efficiency; mostly in the service of the Brass Blades (Formerly) or even the Immortal Flames when a fugitive is involved or an infestation of monsters appears. He doesn't complain nor does he show a particular enjoyment for his trade, or much of anything, really. What he does have, though, is an unblemished record of success in both executions and apprehensions. Prospective employers would likely note that right off, along with the price such a reputation incurs, of course.
He refuses all work for the Brass Blades, however. The rumors surrounding the 'falling out' between him and the Brass Blades involve a mission to track down a rather prominent bandit chief that had been terrorizing trade routes and roads in Thanalan. After weeks of tracking, interrogations, and persistence he found the bandit's camp. The plan was to go in with the Brass Blades, demand a full surrender, take the chief into custody, and disperse the rabble. However the Brass Blades, ever an enterprising lot, decided to make an example of this group for any and all. Grimm was put on point to lead them in to the camp at night while most of the bandits slept to demand the surrender; instead the Brass Blades soldiers charged in and began to butcher the sleeping bandits where they lay. Grimm found himself facing a horde of enraged bandits who, rather than surrender peacefully, were fighting for their very lives like wild animals. A wholesale slaughter ensued and Kayllen, put in the untenable position of just another blood-hungry mercenary, never forgave the slight of the Brass Blades for the tarnishing of his reputation and denying him the apprehension of the Bandit's Leader.
Three months after the event the Lieutenant in charge of the Brass Blades that attacked the bandit camp was challenged to a duel to the death. Grimm met him in the arena, after stacking the odds against himself by stacking the odds at five-to-one and slew the man in four strokes. He hasn't worked for the Brass Blades since.
Continuing his business of bounty hunting and monster culling he partnered up with a young Highlander woman, Sojiana, as she has the uncanny knack of finding business for both him alone and both of them together to accomplish for rather substantial pay. Having recently celebrated their Eternal Bonding they live together as husband and wife in the Goblet and continue to work under the umbrella of the Astral Agency.
Appearance
Grimm is a tall and sturdily built Midlander of six fulms and weighing in at two-hundred-and-twenty-five ponz. High cheekbones on an angular face with slightly tilted eyes that are an oddly vibrant green stare out from under light blonde bangs. An almost patrician set of features that is marred by a scar across the bridge of his nose along with the seemingly unkempt haircut he maintains; though it seems more purposely kept long than left to grow out of neglect. It seems to conceal a jagged-looking blue tattoo on his left cheek, a rather recognizable mark for any Temple Knight or knowledgeable military mind of Ishgard.
His frame is well muscled and proportionate; neither too skinny for his height nor bulky like a Roegadyn. He regularly wears plate and chain armor with the experience of someone who grew up training in such equipment. The result is a body that is hard with taut muscle, broad shoulders that give his frame a very slight "V" shape and bowing out again with strong and muscular legs. Without clothes he has a fair number of scars which is to be expected by someone of his chosen profession. Some seem quite a bit older than when he began hunting monsters and criminals in Thanalan and over Eorzea, however.
Behavior
Grimm's demeanor is one of constant calculation and tactical evaluation. It's really more unusual for him to display overt emotion at all and preferring a mien of calm at all times that is often misconstrued for coldness, apathy, or even quiet malice.
He does seem to enjoy a good conversation when he can get it, however. A pitcher of chilled wine to help fight the heat of Ul'Dah and good company with a decent mind seem to be his preferred outlet. It doesn't take much to revert him to his seemingly icy exterior, though.
Beyond that Grimm is unfailingly persistent. If his word is given on a contract or a task then nothing will stop him from completing it. His mindset is such that failure is no option and it is only proven by the number of times he has returned from a hunt with grievous injuries, refusing to quit the battle until his task was completed; all the more to add to his reputation!
Combat
General
Although his 'style' of combat (Sword and shield) is right in line with the Gladiator's Guild, he had little to no affiliation with them when he first came to Ul'Dah. Only when he needed their sponsorship to fight a duel in the arena against a corrupt and ruthless Brass Blades lieutenant did he finally take them up on the offer for membership. Besides the sponsorship it has made him reconsider a few of the ways he engages in combat. Between monsters and criminals, all who 'fight dirty', he has had to adapt a lot, sometimes at the expense of wounds suffered in the field.
He's come a great way in his expansiveness and inclusion of other elements in his fighting style. Throwing knives are common as are daggers or short swords for close quarters. Some wrestling and clinching maneuvers and he's a fair hand with a bow, usually able to hit the target seven-times-in-ten. He doesn't engage in much magic use, having not much in the way of aptitude for sorcery though he is discovering ways to channel Aetheric energy into both his strikes and his blocks, lending strength to both when he needs it though the progress is slow with that ability.
After facing his older sister in a sanctioned duel he recovered a soulstone that had belonged to their grandfather, a Dragoon who fell to the Dravanians in his later years. Kayllen had always been familiar and competent with a spear and lance but had never opted to specialize in the weapon. Ever since then, though, he seems to be quite taken with the polearm, even perhaps opting for it over his favored longsword.
The Circle of Blades
Initially his combat training came from being raised at a Temple Knight's fortress in Ishgard where young men and women who are born into knightly families were taken to learn their craft in defense of their homeland as Temple Knights, guarding Halone's holy places. There he learned the Circle of Blades from his father and the trainers.
The circle is, in its most simplistic form, a style of fighting that involves highly geometric maneuvers of both the weapon and the shield to create openings. A high emphasis is placed on defense and defensive movements while maneuvering for the best possible attack and presenting your enemy with the fewest number of options to strike back at you. Common exercises usually involve visualizing a series of circles around yourself and your opponents that can be used to see the reach and angles of attack or defense. Placed on the Knight's Circle as a grid it becomes a method of geometrically aligning yourself and your weapons to devastating effect while presenting a solid or elusive set of defensive movements and counters. The beginning of all training in the circle is defensive in nature with offense being learned only after defense is all but mastered.
More than just a style of fighting there is a heavy lean on the psychology of The Circle of Blades. Present your opponents with no emotion, no fear or anger and remain calm at all times and assess the situation tactically. This carries into almost all aspects of the student's daily life after a time, showing in facets of conversation where one maneuvers their 'opponent' into saying more than they would and divulging information. Turning a phrase or using metaphor, blocking or dodging a question and turning it back on the 'opponent' and other such things. It tends to dominate one's life entirely and often times the masters have go through almost as much training to NOT see things in the light of the Circle of Blades as they did to learn it.
Tendencies
Likes
- Challenging himself with difficult tasks and jobs; trying to better himself at all times.
- Relaxing and letting his mind wander after a job. Especially with some good wine, his pet "Boar", Ser Hamilton III, and some good conversation.
- Spending time with his Wife, Sojiana.
Dislikes
- Corrupt officials of any kind and sadistically cruel individuals.
- Liars and/or swindlers.
- People who brag about how great they are whether it's about combat or how many men/women they've 'conquered'.
- Dragons. Dragons. Dragons.
Hobbies/Talents
- Bounty Hunting and tracking for both monsters and criminals and the elimination of both.
- Sparring and training to become a master of the "Knight's Circle someday like his Father.
- Some weapons and armor crafting as well as chocobo husbandry.
Other
- Goes by the name "Grimm". His real name is almost entirely unknown save for a few individuals he trusts.
- Owns two Chocobos, a battle mount named Impetus and a pack animal and prisoner mount named Nothus. He is regularly seen training them and working closely with Impetus.
- Even though he is seemingly cold on the surface and projects an impassive and emotionless demeanor, he is honorable and cares for those he calls friends; he many not show it very well but it is obvious when needed!
Relationships
Family
Leon "The Lion" Lecuyer - Deceased - Kayllen's father and the former leader of the Lecuyer house, Leon was a paragon of the iconic Ishgardian Ideal. Though a Midlander in a predominantly Elezen nation, he carved out his own legacy through force of will, skill at arms, an unmitigated faith in Halone and the Enchiridion, and a tactical genius that eventually earned him the rank of a Knight Commander within the Temple Knights. He later married the Lady Delilah through an arranged marriage overseen by House Dzemael. Delilah having been the second daughter of a more prominent vassal house, Mercier, that was curiously mixed race, as well. Leon earned his title "The Lion" for a battle against a Dravanian invasion force that fielded a large Wyrm who descended down from the clouds to confront Leon's contingent of Temple Knights in the Coerthas Highlands; when the beast let loose a mighty roar Leon did not even flinch, rather he roared back and, as the legend states, the roar was so mighty that even the Wyrm ceased its advance as if taken aback. The subsequent charge of Leon's unit slew the wyrm and his title was bestowed upon him a month later. There are many accolades and even myths surrounding the man, ranging from exercising Halone's power to bring the fallen back from the brink of death to slaying Dravanian wyrms in single combat, but none so much whispered about than his loud and insistent voicing of joining the Eorzean Alliance to push back the Garlean invasion and that Ishgard must be present at the battle that would later be known as Carteneau that some say might have even led to his death, though there is no evidence to prove this. The official report states that after a recess was called during the talks, Leon returned to his fortress that guarded one of the many passes into Dravania just before it was laid siege to by a substantial force of Dravanians. The keep fell and everyone within was killed, including Leon who's body was found atop a mound of dead dragonkin. The body of his son, Kayllen, was never recovered though he was presumed dead, as well, only to later reemerge as having been in a self-imposed exile within Thanalan.
Tezyn Lecuyer - Twin Sister - His only blood family left that he considers 'close' if not immediately a threat. Kayllen and Tezyn are twins though born seperately, they are still within the same cycle. Tezyn is, for lack of better words, a child savant. Though now in adulthood she is no less brilliant in the areas of finance, commerce, and oddly enough engineering. She has a mind for numbers and figures that leave even Kayllen's head spinning at times. Lacking in some other fields like standard caution and what others might own up to 'common sense', the girl maintains an eccentric persona and is almost always chipper and happy. She is also, much to the delight of the Astral Agency, an excellent cook.
Sojiana Lecuyer - Married - They met on an off chance where their individual employers had them go to Cutter's Cry. At first they thought each other a competitor for the same goal and a fierce argument kicked off, alerting both the criminal Grimm was chasing and the monsters in the cave that Soji was studying. The resulting fight was nothing short of "comedically epic" with everyone trying to kill one another, more or less. The end result a compromise after the realization of the real situation and after a long discussion on the return trip to Ul'Dah, they began to work together. Over time they grew even closer and have recently celebrated their Eternal Bonding at the Sanctum of the Twelve.
Delilah Lecuyer - Kayllen's mother and the power behind House Lecuyer in Ishgard. She plots to throw Eorzea into chaos by sparking a war between Ishgard and the Eorzean alliance. Her motivations for doing this are currently unknown but her methods nothing short of deplorable, even going so far as resurrecting the long-forgotten Faces of Mercy or forming her own corrupt sect of it, regardless. Her scheming has enlisted the help of other minor noble houses and their resources, as well, thus proving that the web she has spun through Ishgard and perhaps even Eorzea as a whole is intricate and destructive.
Vivienne Lecuyer - Deceased - Kayllen's older sister and a ferocious spear fighter. She joined the Dragoons and quickly catapulted through the ranks due to possessing an uncanny amount of skill and combat expertise seemingly acquired 'out of nowhere'. Delilah later used Vivienne's hatred of Kayllen and her Father, Leon, to publicly decry Kayllen and denounce him and Tezyn as heretics and traitors. Kayllen traveled to Coerthas to meet his older sister and demanded his right to a trial by combat that his innocence be proven in the eyes of The Fury. The exchange was bloody and in the end Delilah was killed. On her corpse Kayllen the soulstone that had belonged to their grandfather, a highly acclaimed Dragoon, that he now wears about his own neck.
Léonne Lecuyer - Kayllen's older brother and a 'cleric' of the Holy See. Léonne is, by all apparent rumors, accomplished in both Arcanistry and Thaumaturgy. Little else is known of him other than his full-fledged support of his Mother, Delilah and his public denouncement of not only Kayllen but also their mutual younger sister, Tezyn. He has not formally joined the ministry of Halone's clerics, as of yet, and thus retains the rights of rule to the Lecuyer household. However by all accounts, those within the clergy account him to be a bright and accomplished man with an ambition for advancement. He has apparently used the account of his younger brother's alleged betrayal as an object lesson that even within one's own blood, heresy and treachery can be born and fester, a sentiment that has won him much support with the 'old guard' of the Clergy.
Friends
Berrod Armstrong ended up being the very same bandit leader that Grimm was charged to find years ago. After realizing who it was, Grimm shadowed the man to see if he was indeed still a loathsome criminal or a reformed man. Satisfied that he was no longer worthy of being a 'bounty', he informed Berrod of what had really happened that night and how he had nothing to fear from him. Later when it was discovered that someone put a bounty on Berrod yet again, Grimm traveled all the way to Coerthas, at great risk to himself, to warn him and throw some of the bounty hunters off his trail. His parting words stated how he would be 'grieved' if harm were to befall the man. As of late the two are 'thick as thieves' in many ways. Berrod now runs the Astral Agency after taking it over from Director Mountain and, with a bit of assistance from Kayllen and others, now has even higher goals yet. The two men are like brothers in many ways, their fates though on parallel paths, are still fatefully intertwined.
Athe Baros - An almost unlikely pair of friends if there ever was one. The two are perhaps as alike as they are different given their vastly different upbringings. Athe and Kayllen forged a friendship with a combination of mutual understanding, outlook, and the disparate need to be understood by someone in a world where understanding only comes in two flavors. Being of similar outlook in many respects, the pair's personality's are often seen as haughty and judging when together; though none can say so much with so few word than these two while scrutinizing something or someone.
Jael'li Erisha'an - While initially Kayllen's dealings with this enigmatic and often eccentric Miqo'te were more jovial than anything, Kayllen's personality to take the notion seriously that all people are even and must be understood from a tactical perspective allowed him to see past the outermost layer of Jael'li's personality of genial brashness. Underneath the layer of a man who called himself 'King', was a deeply philosophical soul who strives hard to eke out his place in the world and solidify his foundations when everything else was sand around. When they met again it was as if Jael'li had 'grown up' and Kayllen had understood that whatever he had gone through had given the man perspective on not just others but himself. There is a great deal of respect to Jael'li from Kayllen, though given Kayllen's usually subdued nature it might no always show in ways one would expect but it is certainly there.
Enemies
Delilah Lecuyer - See Family Above
Vivienne Lecuyer - Deceased - See Family Above
Léonne Lecuyer - See Family Above
Rumors
Common Rumors
- "He's a bounty hunter and a damned expensive one, too. He'll get jobs done that others won't even consider, though!"
- "He's got a look that's pure ice, like he's lookin' right through ya. What has to happen to a man to make him look like that?"
- "Such a polite one, that Mr. Grimm. Looks dangerous but he don't pinch the serving girls and doesn't flirt with any of the help... Rather odd, that, actually."
Moderate Rumors
- "Heard he joined the Gladiator's guild just so he could challenge a Brass Blades Lieutenant to a death match in the arena. They say he won in three strikes."
- "Seen him out behind the inn in the early morning practicing with his weapons. He doesn't move like any fighter I've ever seen before..."
- "Buzz around the Bounty Office is that he tracked an Elezen lancer who'd murdered a shopkeep down all the way to La Noscea. Gave him the option to surrender or come home with his head in a bag. Let's just say that the body of a headless Elezen was found the next morning."
Rare Rumors
- "I caught a look at that tattoo on his cheek, once. Bunch of Ishgardian Temple Knights used to have that kinda marking. Heard they were all wiped out to a man years ago, though..."
- "Supposedly he leaves Ul'Dah twice a year for several days at a time. Friend of mine said he saw someone matching his look up in The Shroud at that big shrine to the Twelve, kneeling in front of Halone's marker..."
- "He never showed an interest in any of the women or men in the city, they approached plenty enough but he always denied 'em. Then that Highlander woman shows up. Now they're thick as thieves and inseparable. Word is SHE proposed to HIM, no less!
PC Rumors
- "Fella looks like a lil' runt, but if ya know how to read a man by his eyes it might prolly save yer life," - Berrod Armstrong
- "The man is a great fighter, an amazing tactician, an can infuriate the hell out of you with his stone cold front. But as much as he hides behind that giant wall, you get a peek over it and see someone you can really respect." - Caleb Agron
- "When we first met; I thought of him rude, thoughtless and nothing more but a violent brute who wished to regain glory that was lost during his time in Ishgard. It wasn't until half a year had passed before we spoke again and I realized that something lies behind those cold eyes - determination and heart. Since then, I've come to respect him and even admire his tenacity - though there is still much to be desired with his social graces." - Lottie Forsaidh
History/Timeline
Like many things, he keeps his past to himself. One would have to make the effort to earn his trust and friendship to find out such personal information. It's not as if he would write it down somewhere... for just anyone to read, after all, right? ;-P
Annotations
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