Rufus Wightman

Rufus Wightman
Gender	Male
Race	Hyur
Clan	Midlander
Citizenship	Ul'dah
Nameday	16th Sun of the 4th Astral Moon, 1552
Age	27
Guardian	Halone, the Fury
Free Company	Jackal & Hide
Profession	Dark Knight/Bounty Hunter

Character

Appearance

Rufus is a somewhat taller-than-average hyur male, standing at a proud six fulms, who sports fairly tanned skin, gifted by the sun-baked lands of Thanalan. He bears a set of striking grey eyes, usually appearing flat or cold in demeanour when coupled with the dark, heavy circles prevalent surrounding his eyes, spawned from many late or sleepless nights. On rare occasion, it can be observed that they icy grey of his eyes can be overcome with an orange-red haze. During such a time as this his personality seems to take a wild downturn, becoming outwardly angry and cynical. His hair is an oddity - an ever changing feature adorning his head. Sometimes long and dishevelled, sometimes short and well-kept, though the colour is one thing that generally stays the same - that of a deep, earthy brown. In addition, he has a few spurts of unchecked facial hair growth on his chin and, if too lazy to shave, upper lip - that generally gives him a more aged look. His facial features, once being surprisingly fair, have since begun to show signs of age and wear. This is particularly denoted in the large scar that occupies a fair section of his brow. A marking worthy of note, though it is unlikely to be seen as it is usually covered by gloves of some kind, is a mangled patch of skin on the back of his right hand. It would appear that the symbol of Halone was imprinted into the skin, likely through melting the flesh there with a heated object - likely a brand of some form.

To the common observer, the midlander stands respectably among his kin. Nearly as tall as what is regarded as the tallest of the clan. His difference from the rest comes in the form of the taut, battle-hardened musculature he bears, nearly coated in scars from head-to-toe coming in varying shapes and sizes. Slashing wounds. Animal bites. Burns. Nearly any kind of injury that leaves its mark could be found upon the man's form, the storied history of his flesh born by numerous years of rigorous combat training and dangerous jobs. It's clear to see, especially in casual dress, that the man's body has become a weapon in and of itself. His neck is thick, though not quite on the bullish side, as it leads down to his solid chest, a veritable edifice of flesh and muscle. His broad shoulders taper off, carrying his undoubtedly impressive arms, the muscles honed by the swinging of his favoured greatsword. His hips are as to be expected, framing his lower body perfectly, as his set of strong, athletic legs lay below. His knees - oh, his knees, don't even get me started - by far being the best feature on his body. The musculature of the joint sculpted to an almost Adonis-level of perfection, the likes of which has made many a comely maiden swoon at the grandiose sight to which they were truly unprepared.

Personality

Rufus, in the past, was generally quite a well-adjusted person. He bore a generally quite naive viewpoint on the world, actively seeking the good in any and all. He would often be found putting other's needs ahead of his own, more often than not to his own detriment. Those that associated with him would generally find him jovial in demeanour, almost always wearing a smile on his face. While he still retains some of his former self, and still holds many of the same values as before, such as protecting those he cares for, and seeking justice for those who cannot, his personality has come under drastic change as he began to explore the powers of darkness awakening within him. This is reflected in his much more fervent pursuit of justice, regardless of standing or stature. He firmly believes that if one does wrong, they should be held to account, no matter their station. He's found that adopting this philosophy works well for him, allowing him to combat obstacles seeking to rise from the murk of his past, while being able to forge ahead into the future.

In current times, Rufus's personality has taken some interesting turns. As a result of his dark side within him, he always strives to maintain an internal balance, so as to prevent himself from being overtaken. This causes him to sometimes act erratically, overcompensating in ways of comedy or drama in the hope that the people around him won't notice his struggle. In the odd case where his dark side does begin to show, his personality takes a huge turn downward, as he becomes an outwardly hostile and cynical person. These bursts don't tend to last long, and he often feels heavy amounts of guilt in the aftermath. He seeks to be as little of a burden on those he cares for as possible, rarely bringing his own problems to them, while readily wanting to accept their own burdens to shoulder. He seems to undervalue himself in a way, often internally criticizing himself for misguided attempts at socializing, or becoming mildly paranoid that he has somehow damaged a friendship. This serves as a point of internal conflict with the members of his Company, whom he knows do not trust him entirely, largely as a result of the darkness within him.

History/Timeline

Rufus, born on the 16th Sun of the 4th Astral Moon, 1552 of the 6th Astral Era, was given life in Ul'dah to a pair of loving parents. Selene and Drystan Mercer. All throughout his childhood, Rufus was told his mother died giving birth to him. This, however, was false information. Selene mercer was a renowned Bloodsands fighter, who went by the moniker 'The Iron Wolf of Ul'dah'. She won many fights in her time, but as she and Drystan decided to settle down and start a family, she hung up her gladiatorial belt in favor of being a housewife. This didn't sit too well with some of Ul'dah's more... unfavorable types. The monetarists, to be specific. She had become a gambling icon, and if she couldn't fight, people couldn't bet on her to win those fights. A plot was hatched for the night of Rufus's birth. The plan? To abduct the baby Rufus and blackmail Selene into fighting once more. Under cover of darkness, a band of monetarists found the infant Rufus, and did indeed steal him away from his barely recovered mother. Upon learning of this, his parents underwent a crusade to retrieve their son. Selene refused to submit to the demands of the monetarists, saying that she was done with that lifestyle for good. This, again, did not sit too well with the monetarists. If they couldn't control Selene into doing as they pleased, she was useless to them. They had her killed shortly after by means of a hired assassin. They had also planned to kill off Rufus, as they stood not to benefit from having the infant around. Before the deed could be done, however, thanks to a long-standing family friend, Rufus's father managed to rescue him in a dramatic rush, cutting down those that had ordered his wife's murder. Though not without sustaining a grievous wound that would never heal properly. It was because of this that Drystan was disallowed to continue his career as an arena fighter. Embittered at both the loss of his career, and the loss of his wife, Drystan fell into a depression and turned to alcohol to solve his problems, which in turn made him into an abusive drunk and the sole person to care for the young Rufus.

Growing up, Rufus never had it 'easy', though, arguably easier than some as he would see it.Thanks to the money that both his parents made from their gladiatorial careers allowed the two to live a reasonably comfortable life, wealth wise. However, he bore the brunt of his Father's blame for all the bad things that had happened to his life. He never told Rufus the true reason for his mother's death, choosing instead to let him believe it was the simpler cause of a problem during childbirth. Either way, the blame was shifted onto the child. He never truly knew the feeling of a parent's love. His father instead preferring to force him to train so that he might become an arena fighter one day, and allow himself to live through his son's actions. Surprisingly, Rufus found he had a knack for swinging a sword, and began to train diligently with the Gladiators' Guild, becoming a particularly skilled fighter. This didn't impress his father too much, much to Rufus's dismay. Most of his home-life involved berating and beatings. One night in particular stick firmly to Rufus's memory. A short time prior to the incident, Drystan had worked himself into a drunken stupor once more, and had the idea that if Rufus carried the symbol of Halone somewhere upon him, then their deity would grant his son increased combat capabilities. He specially ordered a brand from the smiths of Limsa Lomina, bearing the symbol of Halone upon it. His plan was promptly put into action a short time after, attacking Rufus with the brand during his sleep. Rufus raised his hand to his face to avoid being struck anywhere that might cause lasting damage, as such, the back of his right hand caught the blow. The pain was so intense he was stuck, frozen as his father ensured the mark would be a permanent one, the skin turning into a twisted mess. Since that incident, he tends to wear gloves to cover up the misshapen mess of his hand.

Years later, Rufus was made to take part in a number of Bloodsands matches at the behest of his father. It was there in that very first bout, in which he narrowly avoided a sword cleaving into his skull, that he was left with the diagonal scar running across his brow. An ever-present and ugly reminder of the first time he would take a life. Having nowhere else to go, Rufus was unable to escape his father, forced to put up with his near-endless torment for not being able to bear the weight of his parent's legacy. It was only thanks to the friendships he fostered in his time at the Gladiators' Guild that he was able to stay sane. One woman in particular, his first love, Amelia Reede. She was the one thing he was able to focus on, as he desperately tried to reason with his father, not wanting to see him kill himself with alcohol day in, day out. Eventually, this endeavor proved fruitful for him, as he was able to make some very small reparations with his father, becoming estranged friends, more or less.

Some time later, as the Garleans became a major threat, and the city-states banded together to defend Eorzea from their encroaching threat, Rufus watched as many of his friends prepared for war. He was of a fighting age at the time, and far more skilled than most. His father, however, forbade him from taking the field at Cartenau, which he himself was going to participate in, despite his wound. No matter how much Rufus argued, he was never allowed to go. Drystan could not bear the thought of watching the son he had just begun to connect with die in a war that has nothing to do with him. Drystan told the young Rufus this much, as well as telling him that Rufus, "will be just fine". Years later, he would find himself thankful to his now deceased father, who was slain during Bahamut's onslaught. It didn't just claim his father, sadly. It also claimed practically all of his friends who had went out to meet the Garlean host that day. What struck him most of all, however, was the death of his then-lover, Amelia. She had been disallowed to go to Carteneau as he was, however, she had not been spared the Elder Primal's wrath, as one of the raining fireballs from its destruction struck the area of the city she lived in, flattening her house on top of her. Having lost almost all the people he ever knew and cared about, Rufus sank into a depression much like his father before him. However, not wanting to become his father, he was slowly able to pull himself out of the depression, and swore to himself that he would train to become a paladin one day, so he could prevent others from losing the people they loved, and suffering as he did. The training, however, proved too much for him. His spirit was shattered from the events of the Calamity, and he had began to stop looking after himself as well as before. He was unable to keep up, and was eventually told to leave. This slumped him back into another depression which took much longer to free himself from. He dwelled on his own misery for a long time, having failed to live up to another challenge before him.

Dark thoughts possessed him around this time, as he was unable to share the weight dragging down upon him with anyone. On one particular day, one that seemed no different from any other, he heard something tapping at the glass of one of the windows in his home. Since failing the paladin trials, he had all but created an artificial night in his home, choosing to keep the windows covered. However, no matter how he tried to ignore the tapping, it was ceaseless. Eventually, he had had enough. He stood up and flung the window open, covering his eyes against the harsh sunlight. He squinted his eyes, making out a small figure before him, floating in the air. A tiny bird was staring back at him. He tried to shoo the bird off, but it was persistent. It would keep coming back, giving Rufus an expectant look, trailing away as if it wanted to follow him. With much reluctance, Rufus left his house and followed after the bird. He continued to follow it outside the walls of Ul'dah, and down to a small, withering bed of flowers, not far from the Sultantree. As he approached, the wind suddenly gusted strongly, petals scattered around and began to surround him. His first instinct was to fight this otherworldly occurrence, but as the petals enclosed around him, he began to feel a warm sensation coursing through him. His attempt to fight washed away with this new feeling, and he sunk to his knees. As he sat there, dazed by the events, and completely unsure what to make of them, he could have sworn that he heard voices. Voices of his father, and of Amelia, and another woman - presumably his mother. He couldn't understand what the voices were saying, but he faintly began to understand the feeling welling up inside him. After ignoring it and pushing it down for so long, he allowed himself to feel the nigh-overwhelming grief that had been building. And for the first time in what felt like forever, Rufus thought he might be able to move on with his life, meet new people, and be happy once more. He set off back to Ul'dah with a new sense of determination, his spirit restored, as he began to take the first steps to reintegrating into society.

(And that's pretty much when I started to RP with the character).

Combat

Throughout years of extensive training with the Gladiators' Guild, Rufus's body has been honed into a deadly weapon. His skill with a sword and shield is not to be sniffed at, and he is also quite capable of handling daggers - throwing or otherwise. His aetheric reserves are little more than average for one such as he, meaning he has to be careful of how he expends what resources he has, lest he become too weak to fight for short amounts of time. Additionally, having read a great many manuals on battle and tactics, he has become rather adept at being able to come up with plans from the top of his head.

In recent times, Rufus has undertaken the mantle of a dark knight, including the weapon and fighting style that accompanies it. He wields long and terrible greatswords, using their unwieldy size and weight to generate swing strong enough to cleave a man in two, and the man beside him. Alongside the sheer brutality of his swordwork, he employs the powers granted to him by harnessing his negative emotions. His fear, pain and rage all coalesce into a dark power which he pairs with swordplay to produce hideous effects. Conjuring barriers of shadow, ripping the lifeforce from his foes, and manifesting inky-black spires are just some of the abilities granted to him.

In addition to the regular powers of a dark knight, at great cost to his aetheric reserves, Rufus is capable of having his 'darkside' - the manifestation of his darker emotions - take control of his body for a small amount of time. During these few, chaos-strewn moments, the man's movements become like those of a wild beast. He gains several times his own speed and strength, and is capable of feats that most would dare not to dream of. In this state, he comes a true berserker, hacking his foes to gory pieces and revelling in the pain they cause him.

Tendencies

Likes

• Friendship
• Chocobos
• Helping people
• Necessary Violence

Dislikes

• Bad news
• Rain
• General villainy

Hobbies/Talents

• Sword fighting
• Fishing
• Cooking
• Hunting monsters

Relationships

Family

Mother - Selene Mercer: Deceased. An ex-Bloodsands fighter from Ul'dah. Died around the time of Rufus's birth, the cause shrouded in conspiracy.

Father - Drystan Mercer: Deceased. Rufus's abusive father, also a Bloodsands fighter from Ul'dah. Died in the battle of Carteneau.

Friends

Mylene Wharf: Arguably one of Rufus's first friends since the Calamity. He met her at random in the Quicksand, and they got to talking. Though she was initially shy around him, he tried his best to foster a friendship with her. Eventually, she showed him how to fish, creating his love for fishing, and a lasting bond between them. Now, he worked alongside her in the Tomial Order.

Raikemi Maiagaru: Another of the first friends after the Calamity. Rufus met Raikemi by chance when he overheard a conversation about a woman looking for her lost brother. He offered to help her, alongside Raikemi. As the two sat around, they seemed to hit it off, becoming fast friends. Nowadays he thinks of her as a reliable friend, and an overall good friend, despite the back and forth teasing between them. He once worked along side her in the Tomial Order.

Mizhki Tayuun + Memzie Ashia: Two sisters that Rufus befriended both at different times. He met Mizhki in the Quicksand, as her Free Company leader was offering him a place with them. Rufus politely refused, however he managed to befriend both the leader, and Mizhki as well. Having a couple of run ins with her later led him to discover more about her. And that she is a little unusual. That said, he doesn't mind her quirks all too much, preferring instead to enjoy her exuberant energy and happy demeanor. He later learned of Mizhki's sister Memzie by absolute chance. Running into Memzie, he talked with her for a few minutes before noting the resemblance between the two. He almost instantly took note of the differences between the sisters personality wise, finding the complete juxtaposition amusing.

Enemies

Rufus does not seem to necessarily think he has become hated in general. He tries to show as much kindness as he can muster to those around him. In the rare case that he HAS managed to make an enemy of something or someone, they generally do not tend to live long enough to act upon it. He takes a very strong stance to those who would seek to do him - or his friends - harm.

NPC Rumors

• "Mh? Ah, aye. I saw such a man stalking the streets of Ul'dah. 'e were garbed all in black, 'an had an awful evil look in 'is eye. Thought 'a might just drop dead from bein' near the freak!"
• "Rufus? You mean the boy what were Drystan and Selene's? I 'aven't heard about him in years, since 'e buggered up tryin' tae fight on the Bloodsands. Would'a though he died in a ditch somewhar, tryin' tae impress dear ol' da."
• "The lad with the sword, right? Gods, I get an awful feeling from him. Like he's got some kinda venom roiling in him. But whenever I've caught a glimpse of him at the Quicksand? There's times where he almost seems... sad? Lonely? Hard to say."

Gallery

A small little place where I'll try to upload any art I might get of Rufus. Enjoy!

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  An absolutely amazing commission done by http://brenna-ivy.tumblr.com/and I love it!