Player Name: Ramey
Player Pronouns: they/them
Player Age: 30+
Preferred Contact: PM
Alternate Contact: discord: expositionavenue

CHARACTER INFO
Title/Series: Final Fantasy XIV
Character Name: Arthur Inkwell (WoL/OC)
Character Age: 32
Canonpoint: Post patch 7.55
Wiki link: FFXIV general wiki / FFXIV storylines wiki (it’s a Lot) / Arthur’s info page
Role Assignment: Librarian
Housing RNG opt-in?: No thank you!

Tell us a little bit about this character:
Born to a single mother residing in a colony of academics, the doors opened very early for Arthur’s curiosity and imagination to flourish. When he was still quite young, Arthur’s mother married a man from a distant city, and the two of them packed up their lives to join their new family. Arthur’s new step-father was a librarian, archivist, and prolific scholar in his own right, so Arthur found a new home in the halls of his father’s workplace, and the substantial library they kept at home.

As such, Arthur is endlessly curious and possessed of a wanderlust that could never quite be quelled by the pages of a book, always driven to seek new knowledge or locales. Bolstered by the love and encouragement of his family, easily the most important people in his life, Arthur left home to see the world rather than live his life sheltered with only books for company.

Thus began Arthur Inkwell’s adventuring career — largely a fish out of water to start, with a penchant for rubbing people the wrong way having come from a place of privilege — and the deeper into his journey he got, the more he realized that he was on a path unlike anything he could have ever imagined. Blessed by the goddess Hydaelyn as one of her chosen, Arthur soon found himself wearing the mantle of Warrior of Light, whether he wanted to or not. Arthur’s journey has been a long one, from humble adventurer to savior of the star, he has done everything from simple fetch quests to putting a halt to wars to traveling to different worlds and through time to literally stopping an apocalypse.

It has not always been easy, and his first real run-ins with loss and war and cruelty were enough to nearly break him, but with the power of hope and the help of those closest to him, he has come back from that brink stronger than he was before. He may be sassy and dryly sarcastic, stuck playing the straight man and babysitter for his companions through various shenanigans, but he is always kind and driven by love. It’s why he chooses to hone his skills toward healing and protection.

CRAU: N/A

What are their "hooks"? What are some things you'd be excited to explore with this character in this setting?

• Arthur will be a steady presence for characters struggling to settle in, just by virtue of all the stuff he’s been through in canon. He’s a good shoulder to lean on and happy to lend an ear. (Rabbit joke goes here.)
  
• As a huge magic and history nerd, he’s going to be interested in learning about other worlds, their magic, technology, and digging his teeth into the magic offered by the Library.
  
• He was actually working as a librarian and archivist under his stepfather before he took to adventuring. His worlds are colliding and I think that’s funny.
  
• This will be a good chance for him to remember how to be just Arthur while removed from his world and the mantle of Warrior of Light. Any chances for self-discovery will be good for him.
  
• Likewise, any chances for him to actually process the stuff he’s been through and how actually traumatic his life has been up until this point. He compartmentalizes well so I’d love to shake that up.
  
• His role as a Librarian also opens the door for Guardians to be protective of him for a change, which will be good for him, too.

Powers:

• SCHOLAR: Arthur is a type of healer known as a scholar. Scholars are healers and tactitions, and their skills rely primarily on shielding from incoming damage. As such, Arthur’s arsenal contains mostly shield spells, with some support (such as an ability to pinpoint an enemy’s weak spot), damage, and pure healing abilities thrown in. A scholar’s shields are not permanent and will only be able to take a few hits before they break.
  
  Scholars also employ summoned faerie familiars to aid in their healing. The faerie has healing and support spells of her own, but she is not terribly powerful by herself. She is mostly there to supplement the scholar’s own magic.
  
  Arthur’s faerie is named Clover, and she will need to be regained. Because of this, Arthur will also not have access to the most powerful ability currently in his repertoire, Seraphism, since in game you need to have your faerie summoned in order to cast it. It’s basically a magical girl transformation that gives Arthur an angelic form for a short time and greatly increases the effectiveness of his healing.
  
  It should be noted that healing in FFXIV isn’t a magical fix-all. It helps, certainly, but sometimes if a wound is too deep, or too severe, there is only so much a healer can do. Traditional medicine is often used to supplement magical healing.
  
  Also, all healers in FFXIV have a resurrection spell, but it does not have the ability to raise the dead. It can only bring someone back from KO.
  
  
• PALADIN: Paladins are a tank class wielding a sword and shield. Though they mostly rely on their swordwork to smite foes the old-fashioned way, there is still plenty of magic to be found in a paladin’s kit. Paladins have abilities to shield their allies, even going so far as to transfer any damage taken to themselves, and some hard-hitting magical attacks.
  
  Arthur was trained in swordplay from a young age by his older brother, so rather than picking up a second “job” in the Final Fantasy job system sense, he simply combined the skills he already had as a scholar with martial combat and basically came up with his own approximation of a paladin’s skill set.
  
  He mostly prefers to stay in his role as a healer and support, but will whip out the sword and shield if it’s needed. He doesn’t carry the weapons on him, and instead manifests them out of his aether (his own life force, basically) — something he learned from some of his NPC companions along his journey. In a situation where powers are nerfed, he won’t be able to summon them.
  
  All tanks in FFXIV have an “oh shit” skill. A paladin’s is called Hallowed Ground and renders them impervious to most attacks for a short time. The cooldown on this skill is massive, so it’s only intended as a last resort. It also doesn’t work on everything, so if the plot demands he gets hit, he will.
  
  
• THE BLESSING OF LIGHT: Blessed by the goddess, Hydaelyn, Arthur’s aether is incorruptable. What this means is basically higher beings cannot make him a thrall. I imagine this extends to other sorts of things that might try to control him, like mind control or magical suggestion, but I’m happy to take it on a case by case basis.
  
  
• THE ECHO: The world’s worst memshare, as he is unable to control this ability. Without warning, Arthur will resonate with the aether of a person or place and find himself witnessing a vision of the past as an outside observer. Narritively, this is often quite convenient since it gives him insight he wouldn’t otherwise have. Practically, it drives him crazy since it literally causes him a huge headache, and visions also take him out of the action for short periods of time, leaving him vulnerable. This won’t ever come up without getting OOC permission from all parties involved.
  
  Coupled with the ability to see the past is a much less powerful ability to see into the future, namely in combat. Think of it like a spidey sense — Arthur is able to anticipate oncoming attacks with a high degree of accuracy and act accordingly.
  
  The Echo also grants Arthur the ability to understand and be understood by anything with a soul, regardless of language barriers.
  
  
• KOJIN BLESSING: Thanks to the blessing of some very helpful turtle people, Arthur can breathe underwater.

Inventory:

• CODEX: The spellbook that Arthur carries to allow him to better focus and use his magicks. Healers have been shown to be able to use their abilities without the use of their foci, but this allows Arthur more fine control.
  
  
• SCHOLAR’S SOULSTONE: A soulstone is a crystal that has the user’s memories etched into it, most often relating to their skills in combat or magic. Arthur has surpassed all of the knowledge originally held in the stone when he got it and has begun etching his new techniques into it for others to learn from in the future. It also serves as a pokeball for his faerie familiar, but she will be regained down the line.
  
  
• CHOCOBO WHISTLE: Just a whistle for calling his personal chocobo. It won’t do him much good here.
  
  
• SPARE PAIR OF GLASSES: What, you think the Warrior of Light has never broken his glasses before?

PERSONALITY & SUITABILITY

Why is your choice of assignment the right one for them? What makes them a good fit for this game?

Arthur would fit well as either role, but curiosity is a massive driving force for him, as is the desire to learn. It’s what got him to leave his home in the first place, and it’s what helps him find wonder in the world no matter how much he sees of it or how bad things might get. If given the choice, he would much rather solve a problem through strategy than by brute force. That said, despite his role as a healer and support, he often doesn’t have a choice and is very much on the front lines in canon. He often acts as a protector, and taking him out of that role will be an adjustment for him, which would be a good character growth moment for him as mentioned above.

Describe first impressions of your character. How do they come off to others, and how is this different from how they truly are?

Upon first meeting him, he is obviously well-read, well-spoken, and intelligent. Perhaps a little rigid and formal to start, but generally even-keeled and not terribly difficult to talk to or get along with. This is pretty accurate to what he’s like in general, but the more you get to know him, the more his kindness becomes apparent. He has a big heart and a vivid imagination and a fondness for love stories.

He doesn’t like to flaunt his status as a hero and is mostly content to let people think him ordinary, so seeing him lock in against a real threat might come as a bit of a shock as well. He doesn’t exactly resent the position he’s been put in as the savior of the star, but it has taken its toll in some ways. As loss is something of a constant, Arthur is quick to warm up to people in a friendly way, slower to let anyone super close.

How does your character deal with stress in general, and how do they react to crisis situations? (e.g. fight/flee/freeze/etc)

Stress rarely affects Arthur in a way that inhibits him. He’s nothing if not used to pressure — if anything, he thrives in it. He is quick on his feet, ready with a spell or a plan of attack as needed. If everything is falling apart, rest assured that Arthur will be a steady and coolheaded presence.

What are your character's most notable strengths? What are their weaknesses and flaws? How do these traits impact their ability to work with others or problem-solve?

Strengths-wise, Arthur is extremely resilient and reliable, with a sense of perseverance that puts most others to shame. He is kind-hearted and compassionate as well, making him a good listener and a steady shoulder to lean on. All the trademark things a hero should be.

On the other side of that, however, he’s a bit of a workaholic, prone to destroying his sleep schedule or pushing himself too far. He takes his duty very seriously, sometimes to his detriment since he can come off as having a stick up his ass. His sharp tongue has gotten him in trouble a number of times as well — if he’s displeased, he’ll ensure that you know it, which is why he’s definitely more of a strategist than a diplomat. There is also his tendency for self-sacrifice. He won’t set out looking to throw himself recklessly into danger, but if the odds are stacked against him, he would rather face the problem alone than endanger the people around him.

Largely, Arthur is a team player. He understands the value of surrounding yourself with people who’s strengths can make up for your weaknesses. He will gladly work with others unless it gets dire enough that he feels like he has to step up on his own. He might ruffle some feathers with his attitude sometimes, but all in all, he’d rather work with others than against them.

What is your character's primary motivation for accepting the Library's offer? The offered wish, saving the world, access to unlimited knowledge, or something else?

Definitely saving the world. It’s nothing that hasn’t been asked of him before, and he’s pretty sure the Library called him here because of his track record. It would be remiss of him to refuse.

That aside, his own world is currently facing a crisis of its own, so it’s his hope that by helping the Library, he can save the multiverse and his home at the same time. If not, well, there’s always the wish.

(But also there’s not a world in which Arthur does not enjoy being in the Library and having access to all that knowledge. It’s like a dream come true. So… yes. The answer is yes.)

Samples

• TDM TL
  
• Tag out — Venat
  
• Tag out — Ziggy