Snarling Coeurl
 Snarling Coeurl
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| Gender | Female |
| Race | Miqo'te |
| Clan | Keeper of the Moon |
| Citizenship | Limsa Lominsa |
| Server | Mateus |
| Profession | Bodyguard, Mercenary, Security |
| Class | Warrior |
Contents
Background
Abandoned as a child in the mountainous Xelphatol region of Eorzea, Snarling Coeurl was adopted and raised by a welcoming family of Hellsguard. Headed by a retired mercenary that settled back into his homeland after years of serving as a sellsword and adventurer to the lands of Ul’dah and Limsa Lominsa, Snarl quickly adapted to the lifestyle of the fighter clan. She earned her name very early on, when she would literally snarl in protest when she did not agree with a decision, such as being forced to do chores or getting sent to her room without supper. From a young age, the old mercenary with his sons and daughters taught Snarl the many ways of battle. The young Keeper of the Moon adapted to the ways of the great axe surprisingly quickly, much to the delight of her Warrior father.
When the time had come for Snarl to find her own way in the world, such as it was for the life of a Hellsguard, her father gifted her his precious Soul Crystal. He told her the significance of such a thing, and the weight that such a gesture held. She would be expected to continue adding to the crystals memories, and to learn from the countless battles in the past her father had been a part of, whether that be for better or worse. While she tends to keep the crystal itself with her at all times in a pouch at her hip, she doesn’t make any attempts to flaunt it; she valued the gift and legacy from her father far too much. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the crystal doesn’t draw attention to itself in other ways.
While she was not the most experienced of fighters, Snarl surprised many employers with her skills with a great axe. Word of her prowess spread, and she managed to make a decent living following in the footsteps of her family as an adventurer. Unfortunately, after taking some work far to the north for a few months, she lost contact with many of her regular employers. Down on her luck, with nowhere to go or turn to, she was nearly about to return home with her tail between her legs. But, fortune smiled upon her, in the form of a flier that happened to land right at her feet, just moments before departing on the road back home.
Snarl joined a crew of archeologists, mostly scientific and scholarly types without much experience on the field of battle. She became their chief security officer, such as it was, and joined them on a major expedition to a newly discovered set of Allagan ruins in the floating city of Azys Lla. The trek went without much of an issue, until one of the crew tripped a detection system that released a set of terrifying guardian beasts. They were lumbering, hulking chimeras, the likes of which Snarl had never encountered before. Axe in hand, she was able to fend off the beasts, buying time for the crew to escape. But in their fear, they sealed the only escape from the ruins to deter the chimeras from pursuing them, leaving Snarl to survive on her own against the monstrosities.
Lo and behold, the Keeper Warrior survived the ordeal, but without any gil to show for it. The linkpearl network that connected the group together, whether by virtue of Allagan interference or purposeful intent, had been severed completely from Snarl’s. The sphere was dull and dark from its normal hue, and in her rage, she nearly crushed the thing to dust. But, the memories of her crystal whispered to remember the lessons of the past, and to not act in haste. She kept the pearl on her ear, a reminder of the danger she had been thrown into, and a constant, darkened orb of doubt that loomed over her head. Trust became a problem for her after the event, and once again she struggled to make ends meet.
Fortune once again found Snarl, and after some reluctance, interviewed with some of the senior officers of the Black Garden Company. Evidently, they had been in need of more crew members with Snarl’s particular set of talents, namely keeping the peace by means of hewing with a great axe. While skeptical of their intentions at first, she had been treated kindly, as though she had already been a part of the crew from the start. Food, drink, a room… she was blindsided by how quickly she had been accepted. And this time, her heart was telling her that this could very well be a once in a lifetime opportunity. As she met with more and more of the crew, she felt a quick connection to each and every individual, some for better than others, but a connection regardless.
Today, Snarl serves as a member of the Rocinante’s crew, eager to protect those she now has at her sides, and willing to do whatever it takes to keep them around long enough for her to have finally say, with confidence, that she has found a place to belong.
Appearance
At first glance, Snarl appears to be as typical of a Keeper as one could find. Skin the color of the sky as it approaches twilight, an often messy mop of ruffled, purple hair crowned on her head, and eyes of a shimmering, dark gold hue. She was commonly found in a set of full plate armor, her favorite being a dark blue and gold set that looked more like cloth than metal, but the majority of the protective armor was hidden beneath the surface of the softer material. The Keeper was also rarely found without her favored weapon; a massive great axe that looked like it weighed as much as she did, with a wicked curve to its edge and intricate decorations that looked to be a mix of gold and darksteel.
Underneath the armor, however, was a much more atypical look for a Miqo'te. Due to some... complications, we'll call them, with her Soul Crystal, Snarl had a difficult time recovering from injuries, at least on a cosmetic level. While her internal organs, muscles, and veins all knitted themselves up together just fine, her skin simply would not heal. Thus, the vast majority of her body, mainly on her torso, was covered in scars. Burns, gashes, healed bones, darkened flesh from bruising, punctures, the works. It was a mangled mess. Thanks to the efforts of some of her friends aboard her airship home, however, the scars have become less horrifying upon first glance. At Snarl's personal request, though, she did not want them to be completely healed. They were hers, reminders of battles in the past and failures that she had overcome. She liked them, oddly enough.
Personality
Being raised in the city state of Limsa Lominsa has given Snarl a very brash way of approaching social situations. While never outwardly rude or cruel, she can be a bit vulgar and blunt, lacking in anything that could be relating to the word "tact". She does mean well, and will often prove herself more through actions than words of her intentions to others. One of her most prominent traits, however, is her swiftness to anger. Living in a town of pirates and cutthroats forced the Keeper to grow up fast, and her fighting skills, accompanied by a terrifying shouting voice, were some of her best tools for protecting herself. Unfortunately, they were things that she never quite grew out of, and her anger will often get the better of her if she does not keep herself in check.
Another prominent aspect of the Keeper, and one that someone who knew her for her fighting prowess and hastening to rage would be surprised to witness, is how easily she can be made to become embarrassed. Whether through physical attraction to another, being made a fool of, or simply making a minor mistake, Snarl's cheeks would flush with color at the smallest chance. This has earned her the nickname "Blush" on the Rocinante, and even the mention of the moniker will cause her face to darken with color.
Snarls also speaks with an accent one would commonly associate with street rats in the port city of Limsa. It is difficult to place the exact type of accent she has, but it could best be described as a horrible amalgamation of Lominsan, Pirate, and Thieves Cant. Its common for her to shorten words that don't need shortening, and thus can lead to some confusion to what she's actually trying to communicate. However, Snarl also has the uncanny ability to completely change her accent into a much more precise, crisp and clipped manner of speaking, commonly found with high nobility. When approached about this odd skill, Snarl will deflect the question and change the subject as quick as she can.
Combat
In battle, Snarling Coeurl is a force to be reckoned with. Wielding her great axe with the ferocity of her father's legacy, one could never mistake the Keeper of the Moon for anything but a savage fighter. Thanks to the inherit memories from the Soul Crystal of her family, Snarl is able to pull upon a wide array of combat experiences within an instant, and adapt to situations on the fly. And, as is common with the Warrior's lineage, the crystal's passive aetheric output increases her physical prowess to a staggering level, allowing her to contend with the fiercest of opponents, and the most monstrous of beasts. Her skills with the great axe itself are nothing to sneeze at, either, as she has been using one for the entirety of her life. With years of experience on the high seas as a Privateer under Limsa Lominsa's banner, and more as an adventurer and sellsword of Eorzea, the Keeper is one of the toughest fighters the city state has ever produced.
But, as is also common with the Warrior's Soul Crystal, there is a darker side to the Keeper's battle prowess. The power that she wields has a bloodlust deep within it, and, if left unchecked, can manifest through Snarl's aether, taking control of her and sending her into a blind rage. The Inner Beast is a powerful weapon, but one that can lead to unpredictable, and sometimes devastating, results. While she is learning to better command this presence within her, if pushed too close to the edge, it is not uncommon for her to completely lose control, and begin attack foe and friend alike, until she is rendered unconscious.
A trait that is less common for people to notice is that Snarl has a very limited control over aether. While she is able to tap into the strengths of her soul crystal, that is about the limit of her conscious ability to manipulate the mysterious magical energy found in the world. Over time, she has become more and more able to use aether, but she is no where near ready to use it as a weapon in battle.
Relationships
Family
- Father - Iron Eyes
A famous mercenary from the Sixth Astral Era. A powerful Warrior with a rough exterior, but had a soft spot for his family and loved ones within. It was he who discovered the young Keeper, now known as Snarling Coeurl, as an abandoned kit, and trained her in the ways of the axe arm. It is his Soul Crystal that Snarl carries with her to this day.
- Mother - Gashed Mountain
The wife of Iron Eyes and a powerful fighter in her own right, Gashed Mountain remained in the ancestral homeland of the Hellsguard, taking up the solemn legacy of her people. She is a kind soul, and takes the traditions of the Hellsguard very seriously. So, naturally, she was a bit hesitant to raise the young Snarl when Iron Eyes brought her home for the first time. With time, Gashed Mountain grew to think Snarl as one of her own, and taught her some skills with unarmed combat, as well as teaching her the traditions of the Hellsguard.
Friends
- A'kata Yohko - Captain of the Rocinante
- Aifread Crowe - Shadow of the Rocinante
- Corsa'ir Boon - Close Companion and Provider of Booze
- Katalin Corsa - Confidant and Stalwart Ally
- Z'radasa Colfire - Fellow Crew Member of the Rocinante
Additional Pictures
Commissioned art of Snarling Coeurl, by @sleepy-mage.
Full shot of Snarl in her most commonly seen equipment.
