The 'Mhigan Machinist

Ianthe Rayne

♦ 'Mhigan Machinist ♦ Iron-Willed Rebel ♦ Free-Spirited Troublemaker ♦

"...Unbreakable spirit, untameable soul."

Discord: starlit_skies (Rayne)

⛧ In Brief...
⛧ History...
⛧ Beneath The Mask...
⛧ Individuals of Note...
⛧OOC & IC...

In Brief...

✩ Name: Ianthe Rayne.✩ Race: Hyur - Highlander.✩ Age: 30.✩ Nameday: 4th Sun of the 1st Umbral Moon (4th February).✩ Guardian: Menphina, the Lover.✩ Gender: Female.✩ Alignment: Chaotic Asshole.✩ Occupation: "Adventurer"/Voidsent Hunter, Musician.✩ Relationship Status: Bonded.●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬●
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✩ Likes: A sense of humour, having a good time, telling tales either tall or otherwise, the straight and honest truth, open-mindedness, flowers but especially cherry blossom, whiskey, the performing arts, a starry night sky, anything pertaining to the moon, the natural world.✩ Dislikes: Overly serious individuals, nobility, Elezen (more tolerant of Duskwights than Wildwood), bullshittery, a lack of transparency, time-wasting, rules, complications, having her freedom threatened in any shape, way, form.✩ Appearance: Ianthe stands at around five fulms seven ilms, supported by a fair, buxom, muscular frame. Physical strength lends itself to her favour, and she is quicker on her feet than one might think. Her long, slightly wavy hair cascades fully down to her rear, when it is not pulled back into its customary braided-and-high-ponytail style, predominantly jet black, but shot through with deep-purple-dyed highlights. Her eyes are coloured, unusually, a very subtle shade of lavender, sharp, keen and intent, oftentimes accentuated by dark eyeliner and eyeshadow, framed by a pair of silvery spectacles. Her eyes seem to glow slightly, too... or is that just a trick of the light? Surely must be. Her full lips are, more often than not, painted a rich burgundy. She tends to grin, smirk and laugh a lot, a perpetual air of mischief and trouble surrounding her. Though rarely seen, she has a jagged, poorly-healed scar on the back of her neck, whitened with age, its reason for being unclear. There are a myriad of other scars on her arms, legs and hand, as well. They look like old gunshot wounds. Intricate tattoos now adorn her body, in a medley of floral and mystical patterns.

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History...

✩ Ianthe was born in Ala Mhigo, to a pair of Gyr Abanian highlanders, the youngest of two daughters. Mercenaries by trade, their mother and father struggled hand-to-mouth, day-by-day, often disappearing for suns at a time, leaving Ianthe in the care of her ten-summers-old sister, Farah. Survival was difficult, in an unforgiving environment, with precious little to go around. The harsh and callous conditions the sisters endured stripped away all but the grimmest of determinations, as they persevered through a barren existence. Innocence did not long last in such a place. The negative influences would impact upon the sisters greatly as they matured, old souls in young bodies, world-weary long before their time. It came as little surprise to the sisters when, ultimately, one sun, neither parent returned from whatever venture they had been pursuing. Now simply another pair of orphaned waifs languishing on Ala Mhigo’s lawless streets, Farah turned to a life of crime to keep herself and Ianthe afloat, thieving whatever food and gil she could find, under the perpetual risk of impending death. Though the constant hunger was not pleasant, Farah was continuously alert, and always on her guard, never straying away from her sister for long. It is likely this is what saved them both, in hindsight, and through her tireless efforts, Farah was able to protect Ianthe in the first five summers of her life, for the most part.✩ Alas, no sooner had King Theodric’s tyrannical reign come to an end, the Garlean Empire was swift in its subsequent attack upon the city, the fighting fierce and devastating. With a stroke of luck, however, Farah and Ianthe had already fled the city, clutching the few possessions they owned, by the time the worst came to pass, having feared the initial angry mobs whom had stormed the palace. Running without looking back, the sisters made their way gradually west, many a sun passing as trepidation drove them ever-onward. Through a combination of guile, resourcefulness and good fortune, they managed to stowaway to the Black Shroud, a part of the world alien to them.✩ Rundown and exhausted, close to greeting death in their malnourishment and hunger, Farah and Ianthe would likely have passed on had it not been for the kindness of a retired Serpent officer, named Avery Swiftblade, a middle-aged hyur midlander who stumbled upon the sisters quite by accident. Taking pity upon them, he brought them back with him to his home located within the Lavender Beds, nursing them back to health little by little. Wild, feral even, in their behaviour, and lacking a total understanding of social interaction and normal society as a whole, it would be many moons, summers even, before Farah and Ianthe could come to trust the maimed gentleman they owed their lives to. Though they could never truly be tamed, through a great deal of patience and perseverance on Avery’s part, the sisters eventually came to realise he meant well and would never lay a finger on them. Kindness was not something they were akin to, and the understanding that they would not have to beg, borrow and steal for their next meal, nor be subjected to the horrors they had endured in the past ever again whilst living under Avery’s roof, was slow to come. For the first time in their lives, Farah and Ianthe had been granted more than just a promise of a better future than what they had been subjected to thus far. They had a chance to grieve for all they had lost, all they had suffered, a chance to open up about everything… a painful realisation that they could not have comprehended, had it not been for Avery’s gentle persuasion, and caring, compassionate nature. And so it was, between the raw emotion expressed and constant tears shed, the sisters came to acknowledge the significance of what it was they were beginning to embrace. It was the beginning of the rest of their lives.✩ Over time, the sisters would flourish, nurtured, instructed and educated as they had been under Avery’s watchful, loving eye. They were the daughters he had been denied in his younger years, and he did all he could for them. The remainder of their formative summers would be spent in complete contrast, happy and filled with familial love, unlike anything Farah and Ianthe could have ever fathomed. Time could not wait for any man, however… and as the sisters blossomed into beautiful young women, Avery wizened and his health worsened, until the sun set upon him one, final time. His passing weighed heavily down upon the sisters, Ianthe in particular, and she found she could not come to terms with it. Attempts made by Farah to pull her sister out of her misery, whilst contending with her own grief, were wasted. And so it was, she would wake one morning to discover Ianthe had done a runner overnight, taking only her personal effects with her, a personal, shocking betrayal she could not understand. For one may run from their past, but it will always catch up with them in the end…

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Beneath the Mask...

✩ Personality: Sarcastic, blunt, flirty and feisty, Ianthe is extroverted to a fault, constantly composed, and twice as confident. She cares not for the opinions of others, challenging those she meets continuously with her often tactless, brutal honesty, not always to her favour, but always true to her headstrong, passionate, fiery and outspoken nature. Sometimes rash, oftentimes reckless, she is a complete wildcard, audaciously bold and foul-mouthed, acting as she pleases and doing as she will, unafraid of admitting she is completely self-aware and knows herself well, and knows exactly what she wants in life and how to get it. Playful, mischievous and a magnet for trouble, her silvery tongue lends itself to her charisma, and she knows when and how to use it. She is capable of being serious when she wants to be, however, most noticeably when working. Her personal freedom is of great importance to her, and she will do just about anything to protect it, unafraid of reverting to extreme measures of doing so if she must. When on a job, she maintains an intense focus that does not diverge, until the task at hand has been completed. Teamplay is not something she is particularly fond of, as a given rule. The exchange of stories with fellow adventurers and travellers is, however, something she is keen on, and a good debate, no matter how heated it may get, is always enjoyable in her eyes, though on more than one occasion, she has ended up in a fisticuffs fight because of her hot-headed temperament. One could say she walks a fine line between confidence, cockiness and pure arrogance, and her temper, once flared, is hard to reel in.✩ Skills: Ianthe is able to manipulate her aether in a chaotic, destructive fashion, her unhoned aetherpool aligning strongly with the element fire. She is a machinist first and foremost, her weapon of choice being her gun, though she has been observed using a long, thin-bladed sword and a modified gunblade, as well. She is a skilled pianist and, to a lesser extent, a harmonica player. Street-wise, resourceful and smart in a practical sense, she has not had a formal education of any sort, beyond the home-schooling she received from her adoptive father. Her levels of perception, awareness and understanding of the world around her are excellent, and being tech-savvy has its perks, too.

The Good…✩ Self-confident, Assertive & Fierce: The fundamental aspects of Ianthe’s personality. A force to be reckoned with, she does not suffer fools, and will never allow anyone to treat her second best. She knows exactly what she wants, how to get it and will stop at nothing on her path.✩ Collected Storm: Emotional control couples well with a fighting spirit. Keeping a level-head whilst under pressure, she can be depended upon when the need arises. Her fighting style is as wild as she is, unorthodox and full of dirty tricks. It never hurts to stoop a little lower than the competition when the odds are stacked against you.✩ Hardened through Experience: The past has helped shape her, toughening her to a point of being very emotionally and physically resilient, thus lending itself favourably to her sense of identity. One might wonder, however, if it has also had a detrimental effect upon her, desensitising her to the point of apathy, in the face of horrors she will no doubt have witnessed in the past, or will bare witness to in the future.✩ Strong Aetherpool: Once upon a time, her aetherpool had lain dormant and unused. No longer. Considering it to be her ‘weapon of last resort,’ she can manipulate her aether in alignment with the element of fire. How she came to possess such knowledge is a secret known only by her.✩ Well-Travelled: The perks of being an adventurer. She is constantly wandering, attending to business wherever a job may take her. As such, she has witnessed and experienced a number of different cultures, ways of life, and assorted customs.

The Bad… (Or the Good Pt. 2?)✩ Non-Committal by Nature & Strongly Independent (Always): Fidelity can be fickle in the eyes of the cynical. Ianthe is no exception. For the longest time, she enjoyed her freedom far too much to be ‘tied-down,' seeing it as little more than an obstacle in the way of how she intended to continue living her life. Furthermore, such attachments could be, as far as she was concerned, possible avenues of exploitable weakness, an advantage she would sooner deny her foes than not, be they romantic or platonic. There are a few, rare exceptions she has made to this golden rule, here and there, however...✩ Hot-headed, if Provoked: Hell hath no fury like this woman scorned. Once the fuse is blown, she will not hold anything back. Consider yourself warned!✩ Die-hard Troublecauser: There is never a dull moment in her company, and causing problems for others who cross her, pursuing jobs with reckless abandon, and getting up to all sorts of mischief in general are all facets of a colourful life led without regret. Such habits would be impossible to deter her from.✩ Self-absorbed Soloist... Mostly: A lone wolf by nature, she does not always play well working with others, and has a tendency to forget sometimes that she is not the only individual in existence with wants, wishes and a will.

Motivations...✩ Herself: First and foremost. Looking after number one is the most important thing in Ianthe’s eyes, a lesson learned the hard way over summers past, pertaining to no one doing it for her, her sister notwithstanding.✩ Her Partner in Crime: Tied with the above nowadays, apparently. My, how times have, for the most part, changed...✩ Music: A childhood interest of hers, gifted to her by her adoptive father. She finds that it soothes her mind when she needs to unwind, and just let it all go. It grants her an alternate focus, and offers clarity few other things can.

☾ Return...

Individuals of Note...

Family...

✩ Farah Rayne: Ianthe’s older sister, ten summers her senior, and only living blood relative. A kind-hearted and sweet-natured conjurer whom lives and works in the Shroud, she is the polar opposite of Ianthe in many, many ways. Though their sibling bond is still somewhat fractured, they are a lot closer than they once were. Farah has an adoptive daughter, a five-summers-old highlander toddler called Poppy.

✩ Avery Swiftblade: Ianthe and Farah’s adoptive father, deceased. A retired Adders veteran, he was a very positive influence on their lives and loved them both dearly, as if they were his own. Proof that blood is not always thicker than water. His passing affected both sisters, but Ianthe moreso.

Others...

✩ Bram Anderson: A once-constant thorn in Ianthe's backside, an apparent self-assured, enigmatic "asshole" with a brutally-murderous streak. Sound familiar? There's a very different side to the midlander, however... something otherwise hidden away completely, something Ianthe has been discovering little by little, more and more each day. He has challenged her on every level, in good and bad ways, but she knows her life would be very different indeed without him in it.

✩ Sierro Kaldun: One of the few individuals Ianthe came to trust and even grew close to, a fellow half Ala Mhigan highlander with a kind-hearted nature and a love for the adventurer’s life. Though fate has had them drift in different directions and traverse opposite paths, Ianthe knows without a fact that they'll always be friends.

✩ Salina Sagahl: A quirky, cheerful Auri woman with a love for fighting, a graduate of the Alliance Academy's knight programme, and an old friend of Ianthe's. She now runs her own academy. The highlander knows she can always count on her, even if they are quite distant, these days.

✩ Nino Yaeger: An unruly scoundrel Ianthe met a long while back over a bottle of whiskey. At first just drinking buddies with benefits, they've come to realise they actually make better friends. Who'd have guessed? Only their long history, of course.

✩ Akatash Zelos: A curious, former business associate, a once-considered "friend," and fellow unfettered flame. Totally unpredictable and wild. Many things could be said, but one thing's for sure. "Better the devil you know" isn't a phrase he knows.

✩ N'kito Tia: Envy given catte form, one of Ianthe's many contacts. For some reason, he seems to have it out for the highlander. What did she ever do to him to warrant such a drastic response? He better watch his step, either way, lest she lash out at him...

✩ Acencia Cinderflare: A former Ul'dahn noble, magnet for mischief, and gifted witch. Ianthe loves to joke at the red head's expense, but despite their very obvious differences, there's also a lot of similarities brewing just beneath the surface. Could Acencia be more than just a vexatious neighbour, perhaps?

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OOC & IC...

OOC Stuff...✩ I'm a 30 year old female OOC and I’ve been roleplaying in FFXIV for over 5 years now. In total, though, I have 9 ++ years experience.✩ I live in the UK, so my timezone will likely differ comparably to yours. I’m extremely active, however, and can sometimes be found online at very odd hours of the day. Please keep this in mind when roleplaying with me.✩ I won’t roleplay with anyone under the age of 21, nothing personal.✩ I’m looking for all sorts of roleplay. Slice-of-life/tavern RP in moderation, action-oriented/combat RP, story-driven RP, mature/darker-themed RP, etc. Romance/ERP? NOPE, no exceptions. There's some stuff that I also will NOT do, under any circumstances... just ask me, or we'll be here all day. Other than that, I’m extremely flexible, and can work with just about anything. If you’ve got any ideas in mind, let’s discuss, plot and have some fun.✩ I’m a multi-para writer, and a little on the slower side of typing, as a result. It’s just what I prefer. If it’s snappier, shorter responses you’re looking for, however, I can adapt/mirror. Group RP is fine, but I prefer one-on-one scenes.✩ Discord RP is okay, but I prefer writing scenes out ingame.✩ Don’t forget the difference between OOC and IC. Just because Ianthe is the way she is, does not mean I’m like it in real life.✩ Don't be clingy or make shit weird. I won't tolerate it. I'm ok with befriending RP contacts OOC, but that's IT.✩ I have health problems that can sometimes affect my ability/drive to RP, but they definitely don't stop me from enjoying myself.✩ I do a lot of ingame content, and I craft/gather, too. I main GNB, healers/RPR second, so RP doesn't have to be all we do.✩ Should any issues arise, please don’t be scared to approach me OOC so we can chat and sort stuff out. No one likes drama.

IC Stuff - RP Hooks...✩ Fellow Ala Mhigans: Having a shared heritage is a surefire way to bond, even if Ianthe isn't the most patriotic of people.✩ Drinking Buddies: Ianthe loves her whiskey, and one can never have too many like-minded friends. Share a bottle or two over a shit-talk?✩ Illicit Substances: Depending on who you ask, and the word out on the streets, one could have it drawn to their attention that Ianthe is a small-time supplier of... cough "perfectly legal" cough medication. Enquire within. Discretely.✩ Potential Old Acquaintances/Friends/Enemies: Ianthe has a colourful history. She's helped, hindered and pissed off many an individual over summers passed. A positive or negative run in with her could've been all too possible at some point, whilst scraping by in Ala Mhigo, growing up in the Shroud, running around Dravania and in and out of Ishgard, or travelling across Eorzea and into the Far East on rare occasions whilst adventuring.✩ Employment Opportunities: Potential ventures, you say? Ianthe might be interested. The more odd and intriguing the offering, the more likely she is to accept it and take it on. The more dangerous, well-paid jobs draw her in like a moth to a flame: the riskier the endeavour, the greater the reward, after all. Rumour has it that she has no qualms of working on the wrong side of the law, as well, and that she might also be willing to offer individuals contracts of her own devices, for those who might be interested and have proven themselves capable... (DM me about this, if curious).✩Voidsent Hunting: Ianthe's prime area of expertise, these days. Though she doesn't tend to publicly advertise her services often, those within the right circles may well have heard of her or seen her in action.✩Underworld Connections: Faces... Ianthe knows a lot of them, savoury or otherwise. One might've heard of her through a mutual connection, or by way of a wagging tongue.✩ Got an idea of your own? Hit me up, I love to improvise/roll with things. Ianthe's quite a flexible character.

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