bio.

[pepsis]

Basics:

Age: 80
Hair: Light ash blond
Eyes: Green
Height: 172 cm (~5’7”)
Sex: Male
Sexuality: Pansexual
Physique: Lean but muscular
Race: Viera - Rava
Birthplace: Golmore Jungle, Dalmasca
Patron Deity: Thaliak
Current “Residence”: Old Sharlayan
Job/Class: Summoner/Sage

Appearance:

Short and lean, he takes after his father in appearance, according to his mother. He has very androgynous features that get him occasionally mistaken for a female in spite of being past puberty. He does have a muscular physique due to guarding his village and being on the battlefield for so long, but being a Viera, he’s still more on the lithe and slim end rather than stocky. His face is heart-shaped with high, angular cheekbones; his skin is a light dusky brown due to his heritage as a Rava; his eyes are green, fox-shaped, and angled upwards; his nose is straight and long with a low nasal bridge; his ears are on the small side and very fluffy at the base; his eyebrows are well shaped and defined; his lips slightly peach-toned; and his hair is kept in a fluffy mullet with feathered layers and face-framing bangs that hang over his eyes. There are no visible scars on his face, but he has many usually concealed under his clothes and gear.

His clothing is largely composed of loose, casual linens as of late, but he does occasionally don proper sage gear in battle. He lines his eyes with makeup (usually black liner and a bit of red around the eyes). It’s the only face paint he wears, as he doesn’t like to put on a lot since he tends to sweat makeup and face paint off quickly. Only when he returns to his home village does he dress down and wear more Viera-styled clothes due to the heat and for ease of maneuverability.


History:

⇢ Born in a Dalmascan village full of Viera. His father, Elil, was a lancer and wood warder who protected the village from its outskirts for most of his life while Rael's mother, Sitri, served as one of the village’s commanding guards. She’s a tall, proud woman who’s well-respected for her intellect and battle prowess, and she wields a large broadsword.

⇢ Rael’s forest name had been Rael from the start, one he still keeps long after he’d left the village for sentimental reasons.

⇢ He has a younger half-sister, Ayra, who was born from a different Viera father, but Rael cares for her deeply. Unlike their mother, his sister has more interest in music and dance rather than blades. Rael used to dance with her when he was young. She’s currently living in Thavnair with her Matanga husband.

⇢ Rael’s father disappeared shortly after impregnating his mother, and his whereabouts are still unknown. He never returned to claim Rael when he came of age, so Rael ended up wandering out on his own to the jungle to train.

⇢ Rael had a strong affinity to magic since birth and went searching for someone who could teach him to wield it. Another male Viera eventually picked him up and taught him everything he knew about magic and how to defend himself so Rael could subsist on his own, which he had continued to do so until he was in his 30s. His last name came from the wise mage who wielded destructive, ruinous magic –Fiore Stjarna.

⇢ Rael eventually travelled deep into Othard first where he fell in love with an older female from a diasporic miqo’te Keeper tribe who taught him how to heal –Noemi Eyjahl. She was already 51 years old when they had met while he’d been 49 years-old. As he is a Viera, he was still significantly younger-looking next to her and less mature in demeanor.

⇢ Rael had remained with the tribe and by Noemi’s side up until she passed away of a wasting illness twenty years later. During that time, he aided Ouka and later her daughter Megumi with keeping the tribe safe. By the time he was 69 years-old, Megumi Yukimura was starting on her path to becoming the Warrior of Light.

⇢ Filled with grief at his lost love, he wandered aimlessly from land to land, taking odd jobs to survive until he wound up in Old Sharlayan where his healing magic had been sharpened drastically through strict education. He primarily learned how to cast barrier magic as a sage and remained there for a few years as a diplomatic envoy between Old Sharlayan and Dalmasca.

⇢ During one of his trips through Dalmasca, he ran into a dragon who was wounded, and Rael healed him. The two of them formed a tight bond after and became travel partners. Eventually, they fell in love in spite of their clear differences in race and species. They received a lot of judgment for their relationship and had to be wed in secret by another dragon.

⇢ In order to travel safely with his lover to various cities and locales, his husband started using a Viera body to blend in and stay by his side. Unfortunately, it was one with an extreme likeness to the bard Klair Gawain, who is considered a paragon of beauty in their region, and now, Rael’s husband gets mistaken for the famous bard wherever he goes and has used the bard’s stage name to seamlessly blend in.

⇢ In Stormblood, Rael reunited with the Warrior of Light and aided her through her journey into the Golmore Jungle to help deal with the threats in the Orbonne Monastery.

⇢ To help free Dalmasca from the Garlean Empire and the IVth Legion, Rael and his mate entered the fray and helped the Bozjan front where he’d been stationed through most of Shadowbringers.

⇢ In Endwalker, he’d briefly met up with the Warrior of Light in Old Sharlayan before rushing off to Dalmasca to aid his people with the impending threat of awakening blasphemies who were succumbing to transformation. He had remained in Old Sharlayan since then, reuniting with old friends and occasionally being dragged into mischief by his niece.

⇢ Curious about the new world, he's dragging his husband along with him to the west to follow his niece in Dawntrail...


Personality:

⇢ Kind and selfless – his mother ingrained in him from young that he is a protector and that he must guard those who cannot protect themselves, including his younger sister. He always tries to help those in need and is known to be especially gentle towards the youth and small animals. No problem is too great or too small for him to not want to solve, though he does get frustrated by his ineffectiveness if he feels like his involvement has done nothing to help.

⇢ Wise and intelligent most of the time – he’s an avid reader and learner, drawing on the experience of his forebearers whenever he can. His studies have given him a vast well of knowledge to utilize in and out of combat; however, he’s still very much in the process of learning and can be rather naive on certain subjects, including anything involving machinery and magitek. He's also quite absent-minded at times and can get so fixated on his research, he forgets important things like paying the bills, tidying his study, or returning overdue library books.

⇢ Mature and diplomatic – pragmatic to a fault, he can sometimes be too Sharlayan about a lot of things because he doesn’t want to rush into any situations recklessly. He tends to overthink his options before making tough decisions. His focus on every plan is limiting risks and fatalities as much as possible, but his prudence can lead to prolonged inaction.

⇢ Stubborn – he can dig his heels and become an immovable force when he believes he is right. It’s both his greatest asset and biggest flaw because he also hates being wrong about anything and has trouble admitting it sometimes even when there’s overwhelming evidence against him. However, his stubbornness lends to a strong, unshakable will that keeps him from surrendering when he’s confounded by a dilemma and keeps him pushing forward no matter how exhausted and battle-weary he can get.

⇢ Good-humored and whimsical – he doesn’t mind being teased or teasing others in return as long as there is no true malice behind it. He’s fond of laughter and enjoys light-hearted tales and plays to keep his own spirit and morale up. He tends to poke occasional fun at his beloved as well and those he cares for deeply. His great sense of whimsy leads him to have several unusual hobbies to occupy him when he’s off the battlefield and away from study, and some might mistake him for being a little air-headed and eccenctric because of them. In spite of being a man of logic and learning, he does like having his fortune told, is superstitious, and believes in astrology much to the annoyance of his peers.

⇢ Closed book – he keeps his fears, worries, anxieties, and sadness deeply sealed in front of others. It’s rare that he lets himself be vulnerable, but he does drop his guard down around those closest to him and can sometimes be goaded into speaking frankly about the things that bother him. However, he mostly tends to keep a relaxed, controlled demeanor for the sake of not worrying anyone.

⇢ Extrovert – a diplomat by his very nature, he is very friendly and gets along with most people. It’s rare for him to butt heads with others, though his obstinacy does earn him a lot of ire from those who are equally bull-headed. He’s also eager to learn from others and does ask many questions, as well as indulges in listening to others tell tales.

⇢ Calm – he doesn’t get frazzled easily and is known to keep a cool head through most situations, especially in battle. It’s what has led him to survive where others would have died in his place. He’s notoriously hard to enrage but also exudes a nasty, violent temper when he is pushed to that limit. Any slights to his lover or his family usually fall in this category as he would defend them to his very death.

⇢ Deep romantic – once he falls in love with someone, he remains very devoted to them until death. He’s only had two great loves, one he lost; the other he’ll protect with his life. He’s rather glad he had fallen in love with a dragon because they get to spend centuries together before he goes. He often laments that his first love had a shorter life compared to his own.

⇢ Affectionate – He has no compunctions about expressing himself verbally or physically when it comes affection. He enjoys embracing and showering others with compliments where he feels they are due. Sometimes, it’s merely a part of his teasing ways.

Powers and Abilities:

⇢ As a Summoner, he can summon the essence of certain primals and channel their attacks using tomes
⇢ As a Sage, he can manipulate aether through his nouliths to cast protective and offensive spells
⇢ Mounted combat: he can utilize his husband as a mount to support him in battle while he casts magic from above
⇢ Very basic knowledge of how to wield a sword which he learned from his mother
⇢ Has no echo abilities but can generally channel aether well

Hobbies:

⇢ Reading
⇢ Traveling
⇢ Growing coffee beans and brewing his own coffee blends
⇢ Visiting the theater
⇢ Gardening
⇢ Trying and failing to knit (makes really ugly knitted abominations and presents them as gifts)
⇢ Dancing
⇢ Visiting fortune tellers/astrologians
⇢ Finding new tickle spots on his husband
⇢ Feeding the outdoor birds
⇢ Raising a lunatender

Relationships:

⇢ Sitri: Rael’s mother. She’s known for her physically imposing stature and her strength and courage in battle. She fights with a blade called Myrkva. She’d been hoping one of her children would inherit it, but neither of them chose to study the blade. She commands a loyal group of Viera guards to protect their village and is well-respected by their village’s matriarch. In spite of her difference in interests and philosophies compared to her children, she loves them both deeply and writes them letters.

⇢ Ayra: Rael’s “little” sister. She had been born about four years after Rael had been but had grown up to be extremely tall like their mother. She has a very playful spirit and is a loyal romantic like Rael. She had gone to Thavnair to train as a dancer and used to publicly perform prior to the appearance of the telephoroi. Her husband is a chef and one of the Matanga from a local tribe.

⇢ Elil: Rael’s father. Rael only knows him through stories from his mother. He had apparently been born in the same village and grew to be a fearsome warrior in spite of his short stature and good looks. He won his mother’s interest after dueling with her and knocking her blade loose from her hand. He has been described as being quiet but fierce, and Rael strongly resembles him physically. When it comes to personality, however, they couldn’t be further apart. Whether or not he’s still alive, Rael doesn’t know nor does any other Viera he’s come across so far.

⇢ Noemi Eyjahl: Rael’s first love. Even though she was older than him, she had a youthful spirit and was kind, intelligent, and brave. Aside from teaching Rael how to heal, she tried to teach him how to knit… It did not go well. He has a pendant necklace he received from her with Menphina’s symbol on it that he keeps hidden away because he’s afraid of it getting damaged while he’s on the road. It’s imbued with a small trace of her aether, so he can still feel her when he clutches it.

⇢ Einar Stjarna: Rael’s beloved husband. They met eleven years ago while Rael was dealing with Garleans in Dalmasca. He healed Einar and stayed with him throughout his recovery then traveled alongside him to help Einar return to his homeland. Over their journey, they found themselves becoming fast friends and close companions and decided to remain working together as Einar proved to be a trusty mount to carry Rael from place to place.

Eventually, Rael found himself falling in love with Einear even though Einar’s status as a dragon made him hesitate due to the obvious differences between their kind. However, he did confess during one long night camping that his feelings had deepened further than friendship, a sentiment which Einar luckily reciprocated. However, they had many difficulties consummating their love given their disparate physical natures…

Which led Einar to find a body through the wonders of alchemy that would help make traveling and blending in easier as well as other activities. The two of them eventually married a few months later in a private ceremony in the Dravanian Forelands with another dragon presiding. Rael has a silver wedding band from the ceremony that he wears at all times.

⇢ Klair Gawain: A friend of his husband’s and someone Rael is fond of. They get along well and enjoy each other’s company.

⇢ Megumi Yukimura: The Warrior of Light in his universe and his shard. He keeps a close watch over her and is like an eccentric uncle to her. Occasionally, he will join her on her quests as a member of her party.

⇢ Gareki Yukimura: A young, almost-nephew to Rael. He likes bringing Gareki trinkets he finds on his travels and watching Gareki tinker around with them and turn them into beautiful inventions.

⇢ Ouka Yukimura: He was good friends with her and often accompanied her in many quests like he now does with Megumi.

⇢ Ibuki Yukimura: They bickered good-naturedly with one another and loved to share wine and trade stories long into the night.