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basics

• Name: C'ahli Tia
• Age: 19
• Gender: Male
• Race: Miqo'te (Seeker of the Sun / Coeurl)
• Orientation: Demiromantic / Pansexual
• Relationship Status: Single
• Height: 5 Fulms, 0 Ilm
• Weight: ~100 ponze
• Alignment: Neutral
• D.O.B.: 5th Sun, 6th Astral Moon (11/5)

An adept of elemental magic and a healer-in-training, C'ahli is generally described as a pragmatic straight-shooter by those who have fought beside or worked with him.

Due to a combination of his slight frame, short stature, and youthfulness, he has an androgynous look to him that sometimes causes non-Miqo'te to mistake him for female at first glance - to which he takes no offense.

His clothing choices are generally suited for one who spends most of their time in warm or hot climates, with a style that often seems a bit at odds with the more popular fashion trends of Ul'dah and Gridania.

• Personality

Hooks

• Exploring Thanalan? Need an escort or guide? Contact C’ahli! He won't venture into the Sagolii Desert, however. . .

• Live in Ul’dah? Maybe C’ahli’s your neighbor! He does odd jobs for Ul’dah residents. He also provides affordable natural remedies to residents who cannot pay to see a Chirurgeon.

• Pickpockets tend to target C’ahli because he looks like an easy mark (and can often be found playing music in Pearl Lane).

• Music lover or dance enthusiast? You’ve probably seen C’ahli attending public events or may have caught one of his street performances in Ul'dah or Gridania.

• Are you a member of the Order of the Twin Adder? It’s very possible you’ve fought beside or are going to work with C’ahli to help protect the Twelveswood.

• Other Conjurers may have trained with C'ahli under the watchful eye of the Stillglade Fane. Rumor has it that he is a particularly poor healer. . .

• Other Seekers may recognize that C'ahli's facial tattoos denote him as a member of one of the southern Sagolii tribes.

• C'ahli REALLY likes cactuars and sabotenders. If you feel the same, or have an interesting collectable or item bearing their image, you will 100% have his attention.

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Personality

While on missions or a job, C'ahli tends to be extremely focused and goal oriented; though he may not be the friendliest, he usually gets along well with a team, given his tribal background and training with the Twin Adders. His level-headed and logical approach to situations can make him a valuable ally, but he harbors very little patience for fools and renegades.

In casual settings, C'ahli is generally quiet and calm; he seems very observant, but many times takes a few beats too long to respond in normal conversation. He speaks honestly to the point that others may think he's rude, and sometimes comes across aloof or uninterested, as he normally maintains a level tone of voice and has a habit of looking away from companions when talking... However, if someone (or something) garners his full attention, his prolonged, calculating stares can be disconcerting. Overall, he seems like the type of individual who could do with more socialization!

While he may not be the easiest to befriend, those that put in a bit of effort will come to find that, beneath his stoic exterior, there is a kind soul, a keen intellect, and an oddly philosophical nature, for someone so young.

As a performer, C'ahli has a slightly more refined level of charisma and is much quicker to smile and laugh. He can be fairly charming and witty, with a flair for dramatics, but only as long as he's in costume and, therefore, in character. The clothing truly makes the Miqo'te, in this case. If one is looking for a real connection, this is not the time to find it.

Likes
Outdoors / Nature, Sunny Weather, Music & Dancing, Cactuars, Spicy Foods, Cheap Jewelry, Tacky Knick-Knacks

Dislikes
Cramped Spaces, Cold Weather, Heights, Most Magitek / Technology, Astrologians, Sweets, Having His Tail/Ears Touched (Without Permission)

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Present Day

Until recently, C'ahli shared a modest apartment in Ul'dah with Clotaire Lemillier, the elderly Elezen merchant who saved his life nearly five years ago. In exchange for room & board, C'ahli would tend to the apartment when Clotaire was traveling and often accompanied the caravan if they ventured into more dangerous territory within Thanalan.

When Clotaire passed away this year, he left a large, run-down estate to the young Miqo'te. Unfortunately, there was no savings fund to speak of, so C'ahli is working harder to ensure he has the gil necessary for upkeep and cost-of-living expenses.

• Origins

• Occupation(s)

• Proficiencies

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Proficiencies

Hand-to-Hand Combat
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Melee Weapons - Spear
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Ranged Weapons - Bow
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Ranged Weapons - Javelin
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Magic - Offensive
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Magic - Healing
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Hunting/Tracking
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First Aid
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Language - Common
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Language - Written
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Language - C-Tribe/Regional Dialect
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Language - Miqo'te Huntspeak
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Performance - Costuming
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Performance - Showmanship
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Performance - Dance
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Instruments - Voice/Singing
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Instruments - String
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Instruments - Woodwind
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Instruments - Brass
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Occupation(s)

• Contract Work: C'ahli is looking to embark on new adventures and is always open to joining one-off missions for pay (provided there are no moral conflicts!).

• Thanalan Sherpa: will escort travelers and merchants between outposts in Thanalan, for a fee. He provides protection and navigates via the safest and quickest routes, thanks to his discourse with the Elementals. However, he will not venture into the Sagolii region.

• Street Performer: a love of music and dancing has gradually morphed into a side profession of sorts; tourists and travelers in Ul'dah may be lucky enough to see a show, weather permitting.

• Odd Jobs: has been known to accept minor jobs or tasks from Ul'dah residents who are familiar with him or who knew Clotaire. This is more of a trade-and-barter arrangement and generally does not include payment for services rendered.

• Part-Time White Wolf: assists the Order of the Twin Adder's White Wolves and Yellow Serpents divisions. C'ahli is not paid for this work, as the Stillglade Fane considers this restitution for the guidance and training they provide him as a Conjurer (as he has refused to formally join the guild).

• Hearer: less well known to others is the fact that C'ahli is also a Hearer; while in Gridania or the Twelveswood, he dons the color purple to indicate his status.

☼︎ C'ahli is very in tune with the Elementals of Thanalan and feels he understands them the best (and that they understand him the best)

☼︎ Communication with The Black Shroud Elementals is navigated the most delicately; they make the most forceful demands (and often times C'ahli is not in agreement with them)

☼︎ Communication with La Noscea Elementals can be vague, just general feelings or dismissive responses (sometimes, they just can't be bothered)

☼︎ He can easily converse with just about any succulent plant variety (other types of plant life can be a bit hit-or-miss)

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Origins

|| Childhood ||

Before C'jakka Nunh, there was another nunh - however, his tribe does not dwell on the past, so he knows better than to speak of this. But he remembers a huge Miqo'te, with deep wrinkles cut into the corners of yellow eyes and deeper, older scars set in dark skin. He remembers encouragement and a giant hand patting his head as he's told to listen to the wind's song, to feel the strength of the stones beneath the dirt, to give thanks to the rain, to revere the power of a tiny spark that can become a wildfire.

C'ahli is six when C'jakka slays the old nunh. He remembers skin splitting open to fat and flesh and a waterfall of blood. He remembers his mother dragging him away, ashamed of his tears. No one else had wept. This is the way of the tribe, the sun rises and the sun sets. And if the nunh had been stronger, he could have avoided a meaningless death. But his mother cries that night, when she thinks he's asleep. He wonders if the old nunh was his sire or if the rumors are true, that he is the offspring of a worthless tia. And he wonders why the old nunh had to fight a battle he was sure to lose.

C'jakka is not fond of him. There are no kind touches or words of encouragement. But C'jakka never seems particularly fond of anyone. His style of leadership is completely opposite from the old nunh, and while C'ahli is too young to understand the intricacies, he senses the change settling into the tribe dynamics like the heaviness in the air before rain. Magic is rare in his tribe - a few of the females are capable of minor healing cantrips but the tribe relies primarily on natural remedies. A recessive trait from a line of nunh long since extinguished, C'ahli is the first tia in several generations to have this gift. But after the old nunh dies, there is no more talk of communion with nature or tiny sparks. C'jakka is nunh and nunh is the final word in what is important and what is a waste of the tribe's time and resources.

He remembers being angry when he is ten years old, a weak runt who has forgotten the wind's song after four years of silence. He sits in the dry grass and thinks of the old nunh whose voice he's also forgotten, who had to die because a new nunh was ready to take his place. It is the way of the tribe, the sun rises and the sun sets. His anger tempers to grief over a death he hasn't been allowed to mourn, and he thinks in that moment: shouldn't all life be considered precious in this world? The ground pulses beneath him, a tremble of something he feels deep in his bones, and he knows he is not wrong.

|| Coming of Age ||

At thirteen, C'ahli receives his facial tattoos, black ink bleeding red as the cactuar needles pierce his skin. These are his tribe's identifying marks, the stripes of adulthood. But he feels especially small under the calloused hands that pin him down and he flinches when a stern voice reminds him not to move. This is the tribe's annual coming of age ceremony. It is a day long celebration meant to recognize all children who have reached the age of maturity and are full fledged members of the tribe. With the acknowledgement also comes new responsibilities, the burning discomfort of the fresh ink a reminder of an adult's obligation to the tribe.

While the tias assist in weekly hunts, the majority of their time is dedicated to the outskirts of the tribe's land for border protection. There are only four tias in total and the other three are practically elders. They alternate traveling together and individually as they circle the tribe's land. The only creatures they encounter are the natural wildlife. The perimeter of the land is a well worn path, smooth earth packed down from the thousands of steps taken by the tias who came before them.

C'ahli walks this path and fills the silence with thoughts of tiny sparks as he struggles to remember the old nunh's face. The sun rises and the sun sets and all he is left with is time to think of things that aren't important to the tribe. He is a tia and a runt who will never be nunh-- but he's been whispering his thoughts aloud to the wind and he's taken to apologizing every sunrise and sunset for having forgotten its song.

At the dawn of his fourteenth year, he weeps unabashedly when he hears, for a moment, an echo of the lost melody.

When his steps carry him around the perimeter of his tribe's land, a never-ending circle, he now wonders if the border truly requires the protection of tias. His entire life, he has never seen an outsider, Miqo'te or otherwise. The three elder tias with him have walked this path since their coming of age and will continue to walk it until their deaths. He stumbles and nearly falls when he's struck with the profound understanding that, this too, will be his fate.

As C'ahli follows the unchanging path of the tias, he wonders: what will happen, if he steps off this road and continues walking forward instead?

When the sun sets and his tribesmen sleep, he finds out.

|| The Journey ||

He is woefully unprepared for this journey.

The tias' camp grows smaller and disappears, while the night landscape shifts into sharper focus beneath the silver light of the stars. Nervousness, excitement, and a spike in adrenaline easily drown caution and quell any fears. C'ahli leaves with the clothes on his back and a day's supply of rations. He knows there is a city to the north, past the desert, but has no idea of the true distance.

One sun slips to three and then five. He is weak from exposure and sunburn. He runs out of water and can find no cacti to stave his thirst. The desert is a sea of never ending sand and he is utterly lost - he cannot find his way back to the tribe, even if he wishes it. He does not - he does not - but he despairs. The wind's song comes to him in earnest during this trying time and provides some measure of comfort. But the scorching sun is unrelenting and part of him wonders if this is Azeyma's punishment for abandoning his people (it is not - it is not - the wind promises, and he believes).

In the evening, he is attacked. It isn't the hulking beastmen from childhood stories that set upon him. These beings are other, with an unnatural presence and eyes a gray veil of life-in-death. He is gripped with fear and the sand ripples like the tide of an ocean as the stones far, far beneath groan.

C'ahli has always known of his gift, the magic that runs like blood beneath his skin, nests deep in the marrow of his bones. But he has never called upon it, not as he does now.

When he draws upon the aether, it is clumsy and inelegant and stems from the nearest source -- himself. It isn't beautiful like the lost melody, it isn't an ancient strength buried beneath the surface of the sand. It is a desperate and wild magic that tears violently from him, like a severed artery, like organs from his chest. (Aero, Aero, AeroAeroAero-- the wind's voice pierces him with clarity he has never before experienced.) The magic cuts the clouds, connects the sky and sand -- he calls down a storm.

In the aftermath, C'ahli crumples from exhaustion, the arrhythmic beats of his heart painful. His eardrums are ruptured but he can still hear the wind's song, though it's changed - it has become a cantata of sorrow and the deep, echoing hum of the stones a lament that vibrates through him.

The cost of this magic was too great - when his vision fades to black, he is certain he is dying.

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OOC Information

• OOC =/= IC: OOC, I am a 21+ year old man and am only interested in RP with other adults. If we RP, you are interacting with C'ahli, not me. Please keep IC and OOC separate.

• Chronic AFK: I probably have the game minimized, if you see me unflagged and standing around in a city; if I don’t respond to an emote/say or if you want to start something up, just send me a tell.

• I don’t do multi-verses and I will not engage with those who do: There are consequences for actions and my muse exists in a singular world. If we RP together, I expect your muse to also operate in a singular universe / timeline.

• I’m cool with lore bending, not lore breaking: I won’t RP with folks who claim to be white mages or black mages or void sent or sin eaters or lightwardens etc.

• RP Wants: Here’s what I’m interested in finding RP-wise for C'ahli: 1) friends; 2) other adventurers (novice or experienced) for world exploration; 3) a more experienced, conjurer-type teacher; 4) someone to train C'ahli in hand-to-hand combat.

That said, I’m open most kinds of RP.

Please note, if you approach my character just to blatantly harass or insult him (or to use your IC status as the thin veil through which you spew homophobic rhetoric), I'm going to blacklist you. You are free to RP whatever type of character you want, but that doesn't mean I'm obligated to interact.

I’m not interested in random ERP. C'ahli is demiromantic/pansexual, meaning: while the possibility exists of him being attracted regardless of gender or gender expression, he won’t have any real romantic/physical interest without a deep emotional bond. It would require a lot of work in developing the relationship between our characters in order for a romance to be explored.

I'm not interested in public RP that's overtly sexual for no reason and am quick to blacklist over this. There's a time and place for this type of RP and I'm not here to satisfy you or your character's exhibitionist kinks.

• RP Style
1) Overall – sometimes I’ll post 1 - 3 paragraphs and sometimes I’ll just post a sentence. It really depends on what the situation calls for and what feels appropriate. I generally post smaller and smaller amounts when the number of people involved in the RP increases.
2) One-On-One - I prefer one-on-one sessions or like 3 players max.
3) Groups or Public Events - I rarely post much of anything IC when I’m around bigger groups. The chat scroll in FFXIV is super hard for me to keep up with. I also tend to miss posts directed at me in this environment.

• I’m on Mateus only at this time but willing to travel within the data center. I mainly RP in game but I am not totally opposed to other mediums (such as one-on-one roleplay via discord).