Aefenglom Application

[omnicrafter]

Player Information
Name: Qu-ko
Age: 28
Contact: qu-ko#6810 / crystalzero
Other Characters: N/A

Character Information
Name: Irhya Pendhula (Warrior of Light OC)
Canon: Final Fantasy XIV
Canon Point: Patch 5.0
Age: 26
History: Wiki link for FFXIV canon, though it's only the tip of the iceberg. I'm not sure if there is an existing rundown of the main story to date anywhere online, but if one is required, let me know and I'll whip one up.

As far as personal MMORPG OC history goes, Irhya was born the second of four children of a fairly on-again off-again Keeper couple in Hyrstmill, where her mother plied her trade by selling a multitude of handmade sundries and supplies to the Gods' Quiver members who frequently came to restock, as well as any passing travelers. From the time she was very little, she'd taken a keen interest in the crafts of her mother, first taught how to knit on a child's loom for her tiny hands and gradually moving up from there. She was always close to her father and her older sister, although her younger sister frequently did not see eye to eye with her, and her baby brother proved to be a frustrating and overly-impressionable doormat at best. However, despite the fact that it was her mother that inspired her passion for crafting, the clashes between parent and child proved explosive, in part due to the fact they were very similar in personality at their worst: fierce independent streaks that turned into offense whenever one tried to offer help to the other; emotional volatility that meant either of them could be happy one moment and lashing out the next; spouting off bile at each other from without while tearing themselves down inside on the inside... the list goes on.

Things only got more tenuous as Irhya became a teenager, and once she finally entered adulthood, she'd had enough. As soon as she was able, around the age of 20 or so, she left for Gridania to become a conjurer; on the eve of her departure, she and her mother had another argument, one that took an unfortunate turn involving flower pots being chucked about and ended with Irhya spewing some impulsive, edgy vitriol to the tune of claiming she never really loved her, that she was nothing but a burden who needed to be mothered herself rather than do the mothering, that they'd all be relieved if she'd just drop dead already and break the chains she's slapped on them, etc. And while her mother seemed to take it all in stride (externally, and only if one can consider an almost soulless stare "stride"), Irhya looked back on it with regret once a cooler head prevailed, thinking to herself that she should perhaps write an apology letter, or go back to visit and smooth things over...

Somewhere around the time between patch 2.55 (the coup d'état in Ul'dah by the Crystal Braves) and 3.0 (Heavensward), she learns belatedly of her mother's passing due to illness, springing to mind all the things she'd last said to her, and the fact she never did get around to issuing that apology. She ends up having to tuck it away inside, having told no one about the weight of the guilt, or the festering wound that has come from it, except for the family that she left behind to think ill of her for hurting her mother's feelings so badly before the end. Conversations with her two younger siblings have still been kept to a minimum for different reasons, and even her once-close relationship with her older sister is somewhat strained now because of Irhya's inability to own her mistake to anyone but herself.

Personality: Provided her life had been set up as such, Irhya might have made an excellent scholar if she didn't lack the discipline and focus for it. From a very young age, she's always been bright and quick-witted, a fast learner who absorbs knowledge of craft (among other things) like a sponge. Her mind is always moving or doing something, and if not her mind, then definitely her hands, which can make her seem restless at times... and perhaps that's not far from the truth, as she is just as easily exhausted and grows bored of things easily. Nevertheless, she's engaged in a constant search for stimulation, or a project to apply herself to, for without it she grows lethargic and listless.

While she's an excellent jack-of-all-trades, talented and proud of it, she will not, however, take commissions for anything, under any circumstances -- which means if she makes something for you without it having been requested, it's a sign of great, heartfelt fondness. Suffice it to say, she's also quite stubborn and inflexible at times, a total perfectionist who often is unwilling to bend and is her own harshest critic. Pragmatic and straightforward, she doesn't like to beat around the bush about most matters (excluding when it comes to her own feelings), and can be needlessly volatile in her responses. She's a terrible liar, too, and her ears and tail are frequently a tip-off of her real feelings, a fact she hates.

Having so much mental energy means she wears herself down quickly, in a lot of ways. She uses her works largely as a coping mechanism, entrenching herself in crafting during times of stress and denying all but the most basic of physical needs until she's satisfied with herself... or has drained herself dry, whichever comes first. It's very easy for Irhya to burn out and need to turn to a more physical way of letting off stress, like sparring or exercising, which often times just leaves her feeling dissatisfied and unhappy for allowing herself to hit rock bottom. It's true of her interactions with others, too; she can be short with people, sometimes a little less than tactful, especially when she's at a mental low point.

When it comes to fighting, she's usually the one who will voice the obvious (but less than desirable) solution as a matter of course, and it's usually the one that involves death and misery. As a conjurer, this didn't lend well to her relationship with her tutors and superiors, who were frequently guilty in her eyes of using the "will of the Elementals" to justify their actions, or lack thereof. It does, however, suit her much better as a dark knight, disciples of whom need to adhere to their own codes of morality in order to administer justice to those who would abuse their positions of power.

Irhya doesn't believe she has the emotional freedom to get close to people, prioritizing her work and her assistance of others over her own desires more often than not. It's nothing if not self-defeating behavior and she knows it, because deep down she acknowledges that it's only as true as she allows it to be, but it never occurs to her to actually change, that people around her might not want her to bleed herself out just for the sake of terrible, maladapted coping mechanisms. One of her greatest desires once upon a time was to perhaps one day have a family of her own, something she feels extremely bitter about in retrospect and speaks of to no one... but even then, she questions whether it was a genuine desire of her own, or simply a goal she adopted to prove herself better than her own mother, with whom she shared a difficult relationship and from whom she still harbors a host of lingering issues.

She is a bit of a whimsical person, ruled largely by impulse and only rarely left to actually construct plans. She can think on the fly like a champ, but not so much in the long term, and in fact looking at things from such a temporal distance actually scares her when she considers she's at the top of many people's hit lists, among other things. It just seems easier to take things day by day and not think about it, even though it strips her of the sense of constancy she longs for. For all that she seems like a stable person when not flitting from one idea to the next, she spends more time avoiding her problems than actually dealing with them, from past heartbreaks and regrets to present and future challenges. Even though she ends up hitting those problems head-on more often than not, for better or for worse, there are times when it's a surprise she doesn't break down from all the stress she brings upon herself. As much as she tries to unlearn those bad habits, it often takes a helping hand for her to realize when she's veering back into them again and losing focus.

Much like Fray had pointed out (and still does sometimes in quietly sardonic moments), she'll let herself be run down to the bone by trivial outside requests that mean nothing to her, strongly suppressing her own wants and needs for what she perceives to be mere unspoken expectations. Feeling emotionally stagnant and trapped in a role she didn't ask for is a concern of hers, even as she roams freely across the land the way some people only dream of doing. Yet even so, she is unable to allow herself the emotional freedom to do as she pleases when there are so many others who need her, the Warrior of Light, the entity rather than the person with her own feelings and dreams. It lends to the fact she is a once-idealistic woman who now views the world through a clouded and jaded lens, preferring to retreat into her shell to conserve what little emotional tenacity she has left rather than remove herself from the personal spiral of self-destruction that feeds her narrative.

Fortunately, by the time of Shadowbringers, she calms down and straightens herself out significantly, having learned a little self-discipline by working at the Crystalline Mean and exercising a bit of self-forgiveness here and there, little by little. The events that transpired have bolstered her confidence, as well as the burgeoning hope for a world nearly on the brink of annihilation. She comes out of it all significantly more stable and self-respecting than she ever has been, having come back to the conclusion that doing what she wants to do with the Scions is the best path for her in spite of all the pressures and sacrifices that have to be made for it.

Abilities & Skills: Dark knight and conjurer Wiki entries. White mage, the job class of conjurer, is considered a bit special snowflake-y, as the player is, as far as the lore goes, the "only one in existence" outside of Gridania's Padjals (of which there are few enough in existence to count on one's hands), so I usually do not assign those specific abilities to her.

Also, lots and lots of crafting of all different schools. It's what she spends a huge chunk of her free time on. The crafting classes in XIV include carpenter, blacksmith, armorsmith, goldsmith, culinarian, weaver, leatherworker, and alchemist. While she is capable of dabbling in all of them in some capacity, she certainly prefers and is more skilled at some over others; weaving appears to be her specialty, like her mother, and she's quite good at blacksmithing and cooking as well. The rest tend be more situational, or perhaps based on her mood at the time. But in order to do things like repair and maintain weapons or fix bits of equipment, the fundamentals are necessary first, and she's constantly trying to grow her repertoire of abilities in that regard. In terms of less practical arts, she's also a halfway decent artist and writer in her spare time, though these see far less use than the above mentioned.

The Echo grants her a few passive abilities, as well. The ability to see scenes from someone's past, while the when or what of it is not able to be controlled by the viewer, is occasionally granted to the person chosen by Hydaelyn. It also provides protection from mind control or possession, and, as it is described as a blessing that breaks down the barriers between souls, allows all languages to be understood by the listener.

Outside of that, her race as a whole is gifted with natural agility and powerful senses of hearing and balance, and for Keepers in particular, excellent night vision.

Inventory/Companions: Her greatsword, her Crystal of Light, and her dark knight job crystal, even though the abilities associated with them will be gone. Call it sentimental value.

Choice: Vampire
Reason: The strong association of the dark knight with death and all associated human feelings about it is the biggest argument I have, but I also think being undead would be an interesting thing for Irhya to have to deal with. She doesn't fear dying nearly so much as she'll probably come to fear feeding off someone she actually cares about... good character conflict!

Sample: From Duplicity's TDM