A mysterious entity that you cannot see, only hear in your mind - at times it helps to guide you through this foreign land you are exploring, but whether or not it has an agenda for doing so, only time will tell...
Edward Chris von Muir was in line to be the seventh king of Damcyan. He became king when a man named Golbez attacked and destroyed the kingdom, for their crystal. He lost everything in that attack, his parents, his home, and his soon to be bride when she shielded him from enemy arrows. Shortly after the attack Tellah, the father of Anna, and two others appeared. Angered, Tellah attacked Edward, insulting him and refusing to listen to reason. It was only Anna, with her last breath, that stopped the man. He wasn't given time to grieve for his losses, when he tried one of the people with Tellah, Cecil of Baron, slapped him and demanded that the prince escort them to get a Sand Pearl, in order to save his own love Rosa. Edward reluctantly agreed and led Cecil and Rydia to the Antlion's den, so they could retrieve the Sand Pearl. Only the Antlion wasn't tame as usual, it attacked Edward, forcing the trio to kill it.
With Rosa now safe and healthy, their next order of business was to head to Fabul, who also had a crystal, and warn them of Golbez. It was on the way to Fabul that they met Yang, a monk of Fabul and together they headed to the kingdom. There they aided in the defense of the kingdom and it's crystal, but ultimately failed. Golbez appeared and stole away both the crystal, and Rosa. They commandeered a ship in order to continue their journey, but Leviathan attacked in the middle of the open water. All four of them fell into the waters, being separated. Edward found himself injured and on the shores of Troia, who's people took him in and began nursing him back to health.
It was some time later before he saw his companions again, but he was still too injured to join them on his journey. Instead he gives them some Whisperweed, something that he feels may help them. It does when they must fight a Dark Elf and can't beat him without their weaponry, which they can't use due to the cave's power. Edward drags himself out of bed and plays a song to subdue the beast, allowing his companions to defeat it.
He recovers some time later, and along with the Epopts of Troia, takes an airship to Mysidia, where he lends his strength to his allies in the form of pray. With the strength of all their allies praying for them, Cecil, Rydia, Rosa, Edge, and Kain, defeat Zeromus, bringing peace back to the world. Only then Edward returns to Damcyan to rebuild his kingdom.
PARTNER
INVENTORY
Dream Harp Initial weapon.
Lamia Harp A harp that weaves a tempting melody, that has a chance of confusing the enemy
Apollo's Harp Harp immersed in the power of the sun, fire elemental weapon that is strong against Dragons.
Loki's Lute The ultimate harp, strong against Dragons, Machines, Beasts, Ghouls, Giants, Mages, and Undeads. Aka, strong against things that aren't human.
Salve Edward is able to use multiple healing items at once, including phoenix downs and remedies.
Bardsong Using his harp, Edward is able to play magical songs that have various effects on the party. Some of these are from the game, some are of my own creation.
Chant Edward casts Protect and Shell on the entire party, at the cost of his own mobility. If you want that extra defensive power, you better protect him.
JOURNAL
Edward is right handed.
Friendly monsters, such as Moogles and Chocobos, tend to love Edward.
VISION
I don't think that the Edward we saw in game was the real Edward. He lost both his parents, the woman he loved, his home, all in an incredibly short timespan. He became king of a destroyed kingdom in it's darkest hour, and wasn't even allowed to grieve. Instead he was thrown straight into an adventure while still in shock and carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. The Edward I want to explore is the real Edward. The one who is able to walk straight into an Antlion's den without fear, the one who travels the world as a Bard to spread the joy of music everywhere, the one who cares so much that he was willing to postpone his own wedding just to ease the troubles of the one he loves, the one that Anna fell in love with in the first place.
Final Fantasy X|V: A Realm Reborn (patch 2.4 "Dreams of Ice") "It's a bollocks-for-brains mark what walks right into the rogue's guild."
MEMORIA
It's a dirty job, upholding right by the Pirates Code, but that's just what Perimu Haurimu set out to do when he joined with the Rogue's Guild. Far from the region of Thanalan from whence the Lalafell hail, this Plainsfolk Lala is a rare sight in Limsa Lominsa -- even more so for his unique habit of vanishing from plain sight. Like all members of the rogue guild, Underfoot puts forth the image of being a scallywag and thief masquerading behind the 'Dutiful Sisters of Edelweiss' in Limsa Lomisa.
A skilled detective and assassin, Underfoot has demonstrated the ability to throw a dagger with sufficient force as to kill a Hyur more than twice his size. In policing the underworld of Limsa Lominsa he often works alongside the Miq'ote V'Kebbe as her shadow, staying hidden or playing the fool in order to compliment her skills as a master of manipulation and disguise. But once he's out from the shadows, watch out! This little Lalafell is a whirling dervish of steel edge and dirty tricks.
PARTNER
INVENTORY
Steel Knives Initial weapon.
Aetherial Steel Knives Better quality knives, that can even cut a tomato without squishing!
Ultimate Weapon I'd rather let the story develop this aspect of the character, rather than shoehorn something from XIV here.
Goad Regenerates energy (not mana) of a single companion, but cannot be used on himself.
Shade Shift Creates a series of shadows to confuse the enemy, reducing incoming damage or nullifying the next physical attack.
Blade Dance (Limit Break) Hit it with a really big knife.
JOURNAL
Underfoot is ambidextrous, wielding daggers in both hands.
Underfoot has a tribal blade tattoo that extends up his right arm, side, and back.
VISION
I'd originally had in mind to bring a White Mage, but the sheets above made me discount that and return to the drawing board. As far as the character being a Lalafell, I always tend to seek a balance between comedy relief and drama in serious roleplay and so these types of characters always get my attention. The selection of class/job was due largely to the fact that the concept of the rogues in XIV is seemingly a combination of Robin Hood and Pirates of the Caribbean, and that theme of the rogue as a thief with a heart of gold is something I'd love to explore. At the same time, XIV is littered with these very colorful NPCs who sometimes join you for a cutscene, party, or quest (such as Underfoot), but they don't get much development. As such, I'm hoping to take advantage of the blank slate that I have with Underfoot to really give him some depth of character.
Lieutenant Colonel Jihl Nabaat was an officer with Cocoon's military, specifically their PSICOM division. She was in charge of the day-to-day policy and tactical deployments of PSICOM troops. Jihl considered herself superior to ordinary humans due to her own abilities and rather sadistic views towards other people. People make for fascinating case studies, tools to further her own goals or research, and then to be discarded when their usefulness had been outlived. After meeting an airship pilot and his young son, Jihl took a vested interest in the pair, specifically the young child who had been branded a l'Cie. It was during this period where Jihl's use of deception worked in her favor. She gained the pilot's trust by appearing to be sympathetic to the man's plight while at the same time manipulating her way into performing more experiments on the child and in so doing learning the truth of the boy's Focus.
After the Pule l'Cie begin their troubled quest, Jihl again ran into the airship pilot who was unknowingly paired with the same person who turned his son into a Cocoon l'Cie. Revealing her true nature, she revealed the information in the belief that the pilot would kill the one responsible, and such a thing would be valuable research into the nature of enemy l'Cie. Even after the pilot refused to play into Jihl's little experiment, Jihl continued to toy with and humiliate the pilot who had already been defeated. She again snatched away the man's son, taunting him with the meaningless promise that the boy would be remembered as a hero while he was encased in crystal stasis forever.
Jihl captured the pilot and the enemy Pulse l'Cie in order to publicly execute them to win favor with the panicked populace of Cocoon while at the same time working as a way to trap the remaining threats to Cocoon. The trap was sprung but Jihl, normally tactical and resourceful even with her sadistic tendencies, underestimated the l'Cie and, after her plan failed, was betrayed by the one person she had been most loyal to: Primarch Dysley. In the aftermath of the Cocoon/Pulse incident, Jihl would be posthumously blamed for bringing calamity to the once seemingly peaceful world.
PARTNER
INVENTORY
PSICOM Baton An engraved baton used much like a fencing rapier. Administers punishment while looking stylish as well.
Tactician's Baton A baton for the resourceful minded. Offers less in the areas of attack but ups the chance of inflicting lingering debuffs. After all, the wise tactician knows the value in damage over time.
Saboteur's Baton A baton coated with a layer of poison on the tip. Physical attacks may poison or debilitate those that are attacked, be they friend or foe.
Sadistic Baton Offers the highest attack, but its true purpose is to inflict Wound, causing those to come under attack to suffer reduced health, and Pain, reducing their physical attack.
Imperil Reduces enemy's resistance to magic and does damage.
Improved Debilitation Ups the chance for debilitating attacks, such as Poison, to succeed.
Sadistic Surge After tossing her glasses to the side, Jihl rushes forward and repeatedly slashes her baton, inflicting a variety of debuffs and debilitation to one enemy.
JOURNAL
Some notes...
...And more notes here.
VISION
My initial goal with the character is to explore the aspects of Nabaat that were only hinted at. She has a disdain for humans, but why? Perhaps her own buried inferiority? Perhaps something different. And maybe, just maybe, the perfect officer can come to terms with her own existence having been manipulated all along.
"Trying to steal my ship, are you? You've a lot of brass... ...or mayhap you're just lacking in brains! I'd wager it's the latter."
MEMORIA
The daughter of King Alexander Highwind Tycoon, Sarisa was lost at sea as a young girl. Rather than drowning though, she was found by pirates who named her 'Faris', and who raised her as a boy for her entire life, and she served as a pirate, fighting, learning, and growing up with them, with no idea of her real heritage and birthright. Then when she was fifteen the ship she was on encountered a mysterious whirlpool. Diving in, Faris emerged with Syldra, a sea dragon whom she formed a bond with and who helped them escape. Because of this she was made Captain, with her ship able to go anywhere regardless of the winds.
Some time after the winds died, Faris found three adventurers trying to steal her ship. Capturing them, she initially considered holding Princess Lenna for ransom, but changed her mind after seeing the Princess had an identical pendant to her. Together they went to the Wind Shrine, where Faris was branded a Warrior of Light and told to protect the Crystals of the World. She agreed to do this, but was unable to stop the destruction of the Four Crystals in their world, and lost Syldra in the process, though she did gain a sister in Lenna.
Following Galuf back to his world, Faris and the others were captured, though they were soon rescued and helped to fight Exdeath, losing Galuf in the process but eventually defeating Exdeath. It didn't stop him from shattering the remaining crystals though, merging the worlds together. Returning to Tycoon she was celebrated as the Princess returned, but snuck off to help the others, avoiding getting absorbed by the Void in the process. Together they head into the Clef of Dimensions, defeat Exdeath, restore the Crystals, and return the world to peace.
While initially ruling alongside Lenna as Queen, Faris soon gave up that life and returned to being a pirate, sailing the seas and taking care of her crew.
PARTNER
INVENTORY
Dagger Initial weapon
Freelancer The Jack of all trades, the Freelancer is the default starting Job. Unremarkable on it's own, it has the advantage of being able to pick abilities from other Jobs
JOURNAL
The character sprites have her hair as purple, but official artowrk has it as blond. So blond it is.
VISION
Sarisa is a woman stuck between two worlds. On the one hand she is the Queen of Tycoon, the long lost royal with a loving sister, but it is a place where she doesn't feel comfortable and doesn't feel free. On the other hand she is a pirate, where she has grown up so long as she can remember. Yet this is the easy choice, the comfortable one, and even then she sill has to hide things from the rest of her crew (like her real gender, regardless of how androgynous she seems to be) My hope is to give her an outside perspective on her own identity, to decide the sort of person that she truly wants to be, or to try and find a middle ground between the two.
"I ain't gettin' any younger, so I might as well make myself useful."
MEMORIA
Boisterous powerhouse, father of one, and Zanarkand's local blitzball star, Jecht was nothing if not well known for one reason for another. Famous for his skill as a blitzballer and notorious for his drinking habit, Jecht's life was rocky path, but one he proved to handle in some way regardless. Happily married to his wife, Jecht would come to father a son named Tidus, only to discover he was no good at parenting. When he wasn't drinking or playing in matches, Jecht would frequently criticize and berate his Tidus in the misguided hopes that he would try and grow stronger in order to disprove him. Though his brash and rough-spoken nature took prominence, Jecht did hold genuine care for his wife and son, even if he proved no good at showing it.
Of course, it all turned upside down after he departed on a ship out to sea for some personal blitzball training. His venture to further hone his trademark Jecht Shot turned into the discovery of Sin - and his subsequent abduction into the world of Spira. Unaware of the truth surrounding Sin and his own transition, Jecht was quickly locked up as a crazy drunkard with no foreseeable release. The former blitzball ace was given a second shot, however, in the form of the heathen summoner Braska, who selected the man to be one of his guardians alongside the disgraced monk Auron. Despite the latter's protests at the idea, Braska held the belief that it would be a fit of cosmic irony if such an unlikely trio could manage to complete the summoner's pilgrimage and defeat Sin. With no other option available and itching for some revenge against Sin, Jecht agreed.
Before the journey, and then along the way, Jecht shared his tales of Zanarkand as he remembered it, being the best blitzball star of his kind. His braggart personality and drunken tendencies ended up getting Braska in a lot of trouble, culminating in an incident where Jecht injured a pack animal after mistaking it for a fiend. Realizing how much damage he was causing, Jecht forcibly ended his alcoholism out of embarrassment of what he did, and in fear his family would be ashamed of him. He made recordings of the pilgrimage to his Tidus and his wife whenever he returned to Zanarkand, confident he would eventually find a way back after defeating Sin.
Time passed, and the former blitzballer gradually came to learn of Spira and the events permeating the land. Jecht made a strong effort to mature, insisting that they help people along the way because "it's the right thing to do" - a phrase that usually followed with Braska, Auron, and himself getting in trouble. Despite this, the three of them became closely fire-forged friends in spite of the world around them, and came to respect each other. Eventually, as Jecht learned the truth of Zanarkand and its fate, he came to realize and accept the he would never return to his home as he knew it, and left behind his recordings for Tidus to follow, should his son ever suffer the same fate as himself.
As Braska's journey reached an end towards the ruins of Zanarkand, Jecht willingly surrendered his life to become the summoner's Final Aeon. Knowing that he would never see his world again, Braska's guardian asked a final favor of Auron: to watch over Tidus. Though Auron knew that Sin would return as per the fated "cycle of death," Jecht was confident that he would find a way to end Sin's reincarnation once and for all.
As it had occured many times before, the cycle engaged again, and Braska's Final Aeon become possessed as the new core for Sin. However, Jecht's spirit remained prominent enough- whenever he heard the Hymn of the Fayth, a melody of prayer he subconsciously resonated with, Jecht's mind would temporarily awaken, allowing him a small medium of control over his actions as Sin. It was this very 'weakness' that allowed him to free Tidus from Zanarkand, and eventually see his defeat through.
For the first time, Sin could be pacified without the use of a Final Aeon, allowing the opportunity to expose and confront the inner workings of Sin itself- it allowed Jecht to see his son one last time before Sin, Zanarkand, and himself, were all destroyed and faded away into the afterlife.
PARTNER
INVENTORY
Long Blade - Image A sword bordering on oversized with its sheer length and heft. Only an experienced fighter can wield it properly. (Initial weapon.)
Dragonslayer - Image A weapon once fit for killing a dragon. It lacks the power of other swords, but better resonates with magical abilities.
Masamune - Image A familiar weapon forged by a famous swordsmith. In spite of its size, it lunges out unerringly at foes for a preemptive strike.
Sin's Talon - Image An absolutely massive blade emblazoned with Spiran script, the last remnant of the Final Aeon. The sword's weight belies great damage, and promotes the use of Jecht's special abilities.
Triumphant Grasp Jecht charges a target and grapples it with his left hand, unleashing an explosive pulse of negative energy. Inflicts damage and makes the target unable to be healed temporarily.
Jecht Beam An energy beam that bursts into a sphere of destruction. Lacks range, but boasts a large area of effect and the chance to petrify an enemy if they are struck directly.
Ultimate Jecht Shot A variation of the trademark Blitzball technique, Jecht smashes a boulder into the air, breaks it into three pieces, then launches each piece like a cannonball into a target. The high power and speed behind this technique makes it difficult to avoid, and the use of three projectiles allows Jecht to attack several enemies at once or concentrate his fire on a single target from different angles.
JOURNAL
Because I just wanted to put this awesome song here.
Favors his right arm for sword use, with his left arm being armored.
Wears a tattoo of the Zanarkand Abes on his chest, and will typically be shirtless to show it off.
His appearance retains some aspects of his form as the Final Aeon, giving him spikes on his left shoulder and right leg in the form of armor.
Being a resident of the Dream of Zanarkand, Jecht subconsciously resounds with the Hymn of the Fayth, even if he doesn't recognize it.
VISION
For a character that is effectively absent for most of the story (his state as Sin aside), Jecht has a significant arc of character, arguably stronger than Tidus's own. Whereas Tidus was simply an ace blizball player with an unsettled grudge against his father when he entered Spira, Jecht was a man fueled strictly by alcohol and pride when he first arrived, and through the pilgrimage changed into a genuinely proud and well-meaning warrior who became best friends with his comrades. Alas, this story is hardly ever felt, only recounted through other characters and recordings. I hope to bring to the table the feeling of that Jecht, a rough-and-tough guardian who wore his heart proudly aside his boasts.
