mysteljournal | Folkmore Application

★ Character Information ★

Character Name: G'raha Tia, going by the alias of The Crystal Exarch
Character Age: ~324 chronologically, though he was in stasis for ~200 of those years, so they arguably don't count. Apparent age is harder to pin down: his face and overall physique are the same as they were at 24, but his extensive crystallization, the white in his hair, and his general tired old man countenance all make him seem older.
Character Species: Miqo'te/Mystel - mostly human, but cat-like ears, eyes, and tail give him above-average hearing, vision, and balance
Additionally, he is a sort of... Magical cyborg? In order to extend his lifespan and his magical power, he has made himself essentially part of the Crystal Tower, which is what gives him his partially crystalline appearance, as well as halting his natural aging and giving him access to the Crystal Tower's vast stores of magical energy. He still needs to eat and sleep and he still bleeds if injured, though.
Current Health: Alive. However, because of his aforementioned connection to the Crystal Tower, the longer and farther he is away from it, the more and more fatigued he becomes. Obviously I do not expect to be able to bring the entire Crystal Tower in with him, so my plan is to play off the Crystal Tower's function as a magical solar panel and make G'raha dependent on sunlight directly here instead of the Tower itself.
Outfit: Hood up and Hood down

Character Canon: Final Fantasy XIV
Link to History: Wiki link!
Canon Point: Shortly before he successfully summons the Warrior of Light to the First
Canon Iteration: Original canon

★ Folkmore Roles & Attributes ★

Skills:
-Has his world's equivalent of a PhD in history
-a mage of great power and extreme technical skill; he can use black magic, white magic, form a magical sword and shield to serve as a tank, and assorted other miscellaneous acts of magecraft
--this does include a spell capable of summoning people from other worlds, but even if he were inclined to try it here (he's not), he wouldn't be capable of it without access to the Crystal Tower
-archery, though he's rusty on this one
Canon Abilities:
-possesses the royal Allagan bloodline, which gives him his unnatural red eyes and dominion over Allagan technology
-photographic memory
-lovely singing voice
Role: Familiar
Role Qualities/Attributes: Well, he's already got the cat ears and everything, so he won't show any signs normally. But his primary shapeshifted form will be a Carbuncle, and he'll shift into other FFXIV beasts if he needs to for flight or whatever
Role Reasoning: In his youth, G'raha loved and admired heroes, and wanted nothing more than to be one himself. He tried to imitate their great deeds, only to inevitably embarrass himself. But he's older and wiser now, and he's seen true heroism and sacrifice, and now thoroughly believes his place is in a supporting role. He actively rejects attempts to laud him, and is fully aware that some of the things he's done in pursuit of the greater good are kind of shitty, actually, and he's accepted that.

★ Personality ★

OPTION 2 QUESTIONS (PICK 4-5) 100-300 WORD LIMIT EACH:

What is the most important and defining relationship(s) in your character's life and why?

Time and time again, G'raha states what a profound influence the Warrior of Light has been on him. His friend, his inspiration, the star by which he charts his course, over and over. He simply wouldn't be who and where he is without their influence and legacy guiding him. After spending his youth trying and failing to imitate the heroes of legend, he suddenly met someone who so effortlessly embodied heroism that he was blown away and simply never stopped being blown away. He goes to his sleep in the Crystal Tower confident that when he next emerged, their great deeds would be recorded in legend and song. And while a lot of the future he awoke to fell short of his expectations, in this regard, he was absolutely correct. The memory of the Warrior of Light and the example of their heroism and even the scientific discoveries made by studying their fantastic adventures, these are all what drove the Garlond Ironworks forward in their plan to open the Crystal Tower and entrust their plan to change the past to G'raha. And in turn, it was the courage and determination of the Garlond Ironworks that kept G'raha from falling into despair after he learned of the Eighth Umbral Calamity. The Warrior of Light showed G'raha what a true great hero looks like, but it was the Garlond Ironworks that showed him the heroism of the common man, the strength of a united community, and the beauty of hope in a brighter future you'll never see. Even now, a hundred years since he last saw them, he still thinks of them fondly, and they hold a special place in his heart and his memories.

If your character could change one thing about their past, what would it be and why? Or why not?

Though G'raha seeks to change his world's overall history by preventing the Eighth Umbral Calamity, as far as his personal history goes, he wouldn't dare change even a single thing. Despite the myriad difficulties he's had to endure, from being born with the Allagan Eye--something he says he once considered a curse but sees now as a blessing--to sealing himself away in the Crystal Tower, from living in the apocalyptic aftermath of the Eighth Umbral Calamity to living in the apocalyptic aftermath of the Flood of Light, all of it has led him to being the one and only person in a position to prevent the devastation of the Eighth Umbral Calamity, and to him that is worth any amount of personal suffering. It is an honor and a privilege and a burden he is proud to bear on behalf of all those who helped push him forward to reach this point. He wouldn't dare spit in those dear people's faces by turning his back on any of it.

What would your character sacrifice to get what they want or to reach their potential? What have they sacrificed already?

Let's start with what G'raha's sacrificed already, for context's sake. To preserve the hopes of the ancient Allagans and protect the people of the present from the dangers of the tower's technology, G'raha sealed himself away in the Crystal Tower to sleep until the people outside could figure out how to open it for themselves. In doing so, he sacrificed his entire life as he knew it. He had no guarantee that anyone would ever even open the tower again, much less that the world would be in any sort of state that he'd recognize when they did. And when he finally was awoken, he had just enough time to get attached to the people who woke him up before they were sending him off to another world and another time. Once again, in the name of hope, he left alone on a one-way trip away from everyone and everything he'd ever known and loved, in an even more thorough way than last time. Success in his mission of changing the past would presumably mean destroying the timeline he left, after all, along with the people born into it. His plan to prevent the Eighth Umbral Calamity includes his own death, and even if it didn't, he's operating on the assumption that changing the future he came from will erase him as well. And that's not even counting the physical sacrifice of making himself part of the Crystal Tower and the restrictions that come with that. But to him, it's all worth it. Any amount of sacrifice is worth it to pave the way for hope, and he can think of no higher calling than that.

What famous folklore, legend, or myth would you associate your character with? Are they literally inspired by Snow White? Do they have similar struggles or energy as Red Riding Hood?

Sleeping Beauty is an obvious choice, given the thing where he goes to sleep in a sealed tower for a couple hundred years, but the similarities to that tale mostly end there. His slumber was a willful choice, not any sort of curse inflicted on him, after all. And, of course, that chapter of his life is long behind him at my chosen canon point. No, as the Crystal Exarch, the mythical figure he most resembles is Merlin, and not just because he is also a powerful wizard. Though unwaveringly on our protagonist's side, his motivations and history are mysterious, and his methods often sketchy and not necessarily to the hero's immediate benefit. He knows far more than he lets on and often just seems to be playing on a different level from everyone else. And, as a bonus, he is known to consort with the fae.

★ Player Information ★

Player Name: AF
Pronouns: she/her
Are you over 18?: by no small margin, yes
Contact(s):

hotandcoldaf
Who Invited You?: Callie!
Current Characters: N/A
Permissions: Here
Writing Samples: Sample 1
Sample 2