Zavineau Ruvalis

From RPC Library
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Ishgard.jpg Zavineau Ruvalis
ZavineauProfile.png
Gender Male
Race Elezen
Clan Wildwood
Citizenship Ishgard

Age
Gridania
45
Height
Weight
6 fulm, 4 ilm
186 ponze
Occupation Arcanist, lawyer, researcher
Weaknesses Physical exertion, asthma, nearsighted
Alignment Lawful neutral
Affiliations


Status
House Ruvalis (Rank: Heir)
House Dzemael (Rank: N/A)
The Veil (Rank: Benefactor)
Alive

Attributes

Like most of his Elezen kin, Zavineau is keen of hearing, but unlike his peers, he is nearsighted and must wear corrective lenses to see anything in detail more than a fulm away. He is also physically weak and somewhat frail- a trait in large part due to his asthma condition, which is aggravated by pollen, smoke, dust, and physical exertion. Zavineau has access to both spells and tinctures which can temporarily stave off or reduce the symptoms of his asthma and chronic coughing, but due to the cost and side effects, avoids their repeated use.

Note: A rating of 5 is considered average for a Elezen Wildwood. Attributes range from 1 to a maximum of 10. These ratings are purely relative rather than absolute values.

Attribute Rating
Strength ★★☆☆☆|☆☆☆☆☆
Dexterity ★☆☆☆☆|☆☆☆☆☆
Constitution ★★★☆☆|☆☆☆☆☆
Intelligence ★★★★★|★★★★☆
Wisdom ★★★★★|★★☆☆☆
Charisma ★★★★★|★★★☆☆

Physical Description

Despite this Wildwood Elezen’s growing years, he carries himself with a youthful air of pride and vigor which is marred only by an occasional glimpse of chronic weariness. His gait and heavy step betray an intent and purpose behind his movements, while his wandering gaze merely hints at an intellect and wisdom in league with his slowly lengthening years. Even his gestures and mannerisms do all but belie a noble upbringing in Ishgard, though it is unclear as to what noble house he owes his upbringing to.

His face still retains strong echoes of his youth with only very faint signs of aging wrinkles and a (mostly) full head of black hair that is slicked back with lengthy sideburns. Intense, teal eyes poke out behind a pair of silver-rimmed glasses, which sit perched upon the bridge of his nose, lending him a somewhat scholarly look. He possesses an otherwise flawless complexion, save for the arcane tattoos inked upon his forehead and cheeks. It is fair to say this fellow has seen more of a library than of war on the frontlines.

In contrast to an otherwise elaborate style, the fellow is clothed often in humble and functional robes and garments- eschewing more decadent choices in appearance. He carries a plain grimoire at his belt on one side and a simple dagger at the other, in addition to an array of tinctures and potions. A small, leather satchel hangs from his backside, affixed with the insignia of Halone, and carrying within it an assortment of books, scrolls, documents, and papers, as well as spare quills and sealed inkwells.

He is almost always accompanied by a sapphire carbuncle.

Personality & Motives

Patient, calm, soft-spoken, outgoing and friendly in public, Zavineau is the kind of fellow the average person might envision as their grandfather. Despite the grandfatherly qualities, he has a youthful passion, verbose language, and an overly dramatic flair that borders on the eccentric. One might even think he loves to hear himself talk. Beneath his gentle and nurturing exterior, however, is a man who has become callous from his nearly thirty and some years of hard, cut-throat political and legal experience. While he slaves tirelessly to benefit and support his noble house, he understands that to achieve his goals, hard work alone will not suffice.

Zavineau is primarily motivated to engineer the destruction of House Dzemael through any means necessarily, presumably so that his own minor noble house- House Ruvalis- may rise up to occupy its place. Zavineau does not turn a blind eye to the other houses of Ishgard, but he carries a particular hatred for Dzemael. To exacerbate the situation, he employs political opportunism, sabotage, and manipulation to impede, obstruct, and erode the authority of House Dzemael, and is far from above using more nefarious methods so long as he can carefully conceal them. In fact, Zavineau regularly makes arrangements with underworld types, who operate as his eyes and ears on the political stage.

Within Ishgard, he vies to be seen as a ‘people’s leader,’ and supports the ongoing reform and change going on within Ishgard today as a result of the end of the Dragonsong War. To some within the noble houses- Dzemael especially- he is more like to be considered a rabble-rouser or even a terrorist. However, Zavineau has taken the political game a step beyond Ishgard: he treats with individuals and organizations on a global level to support his efforts in exchange for political favors and information. With Ishgard becoming a more active power in the world, Zavineau hopes that the world will in turn prove to be a power of change within Ishgard.

In addition, Zavineau is driven in the pursuit of knowledge, research, and arcane mastery. It’s unusual to find him far from a book at least in his pack, and he constantly experiments with the arcane in an effort to devise new applications for old spells. He strongly believes in the old adage, “knowledge is power,” and will do nearly anything in the pursuit of it. Due the nature of some of his research, he keeps his laboratory separate from his normal holdings.

History

As far as what might be considered public knowledge, Zavineau was born in the year 1532 of the Sixth Astral Era to the minor noble house Ruvalis in Ishgard. He was an only child, and by consequence, was raised by his parents as the sole heir to the Ruvalis line. From a young age, Zavineau took strongly to reading, and eagerly devoured any topic he could lay a hand to. It was hardly much surprise to his parents when he started school at the Saint Endalim Scholasticate and opted to pursue a career in magic. By the age of 18 in the year 1550, Zavineau had become an adept arcanist and a budding member of the clergy with greater designs and a ravenous thirst for more and more knowledge. He graduated from the Scholasticate in 1553 and was married to his first wife in 1555. Zavineau continued furthering his studies, until the tragic death of his wife in 1559 in a Dravanian raid. He never sired any heirs. A year later, grief still on his mind, he opted to take a sojourn and depart his homeland and strike out to see the greater world.

In 1561, Zavineau arrived in Gridania and took on a job working as an Ishgardian attache to the Gridanian government for House Ruvalis. The relatively peaceful job afforded Zavineau access to new libraries and knowledge, and was a fairly straightforward, consistent job up until the outbreak of hostilities with Garlemald in 1562. During his stay in Gridania, Zavineau remained an outspoken advocate of Ishgard, Halone and the Holy See.

Employment

In the aftermath of the conflict with Garlemald in 1562, Zavineau opted to remain in Gridania and retained his position in the government as an Ishgardian attache for House Ruvalis. He eventually found himself in a scribe’s position handling government legal documents and filing paperwork. Over the following years, he worked his way into a legal advisor role within the government by studying law in his off time, and has remained there since. Although the job doesn’t pay highly as a government worker, it affords him access to the Gridanian libraries, and combined with the generous stipend from his house in Ishgard, is sufficient to carve out a good living.

Today, with the resurgence of hostilities with Garlemald and the impending push into Ala Mhigo, Zavineau spends a fair bit of his time today traveling between Gridania and Ishgard on government business. He is also always seeking alliances with individuals and other organizations to help bolster the political authority of House Ruvalis, and continue the momentum to bring further reform to Ishgard.

Hobbies

Zavineau strongly enjoys the strategy and finesse involved with the game of chess, though he doesn’t often find opponents to play against. Zavineau is an avid coffee aficionado, considering his long nights spent reading, and enjoys experimenting with blends and roasts in pursuit of what he calls, ‘the perfect cup.’ Naturally, his obsession with coffee brewing lends itself easily into the realm of alchemy too, which he uses to create aether-conductive inks and potions for his books, tattoos, and spells. In the realm of spellcasting, Zavineau will spend what downtime he has to experiment with aetheric flows and spell runes using a wide variety of means. Last but not least, allergies permitting, he’ll jump at the chance to find a secluded spot beside a river at the end of the week and decompress while fishing.

Companions

Yulenia (Ishgardian Chocobo)

A gift from his father when Zavineau decided to leave home to explore the world, Yulenia is a white Ishgardian Temple Knight chocobo who spent several years in the service before Zavineau’s father negotiated her purchase. Yulenia and Zavineau bonded rather strongly as they set out from Ishgard, and the two have been nigh inseparable ever since. She shares a special kinship with Zavineau’s Carbuncle, Saphy, and the two occasionally chase each other around. Yulenia is capable of using several crude spells, but she is most capable in melee combat.

Saphy (Carbuncle)

A Carbuncle birthed from Zavineau’s aether and a sapphire gem gifted to him from his former wife, Saphy has been a loyal and nearly permanent companion in Zavineau’s life. Intelligent, protective, loyal, excited and playful, she can be a lot for Zavineau to keep up with sometimes. Saphy can often be found at Zavineau’s side these days, assisting her master with whatever work needs be done.

Notable Relationships

Name Relationship Zavineau's Remarks
Zalina Chanteuse Sister, younger "She would be my dear sister- teasing and joking as she is, we've leaned on each other heavily in the rough times our household has had to weather. Though she was married off to another family, the passing of her husband has brought her freedom and influence rather than grief."
Sharadoe Eleneth Servant "Sarae has been with me... perhaps as far back as I can remember. Father deigned to send her with me when I left Ishgard, and she has always been there to assist me in whatever needs doing. The least I can do is make sure she is well cared for."