"Oh, bother-bother, now. You're souring your own introduction! You only get one of those, you know."
Who stands before you?
A xaela who has clearly spent most of his life away from his ancestral homelands.
He stands tall, and his face has a propensity for stormy expressions. This xaela speaks in a deep, raspy baritone that could perhaps register as menacing if not for the soft volume he prefers to stick to. A noticable Ilsabard lilt tinges his pronounciation. Prominent canine teeth flash between his words, and his fingernails naturally grow into clawlike points - only trimmed back when he has the time and care for such trite matters. His build is lean, but he still possesses a wiry strength reminiscent of his warriorlike kin.
The stench of smoke and ceruleum clings to him, reflective of long hours spent in workshops and around magitek. His body is pockmarked by the odd scar, and his skin and scales prove rough to the touch - rarely have they been treated with much attention. His hands especially are calloused, toughened by years of hard work. His posture says that he's seen battle, but the measured purpose and rigidity of his movements betray that his training was strict and regimented.
| Age: | 29 |
| Nameday: | 3rd Sun of the 4th Astral Moon; the day he chose his own name. |
| Race: | Au Ra (Xaela) |
| Height: | 7 fulms and 1 ilm |
| Weight: | 243 ponze |
"Tomorbaatar means 'iron hero'. Ganzorig is... Courageous, f-fearless, made of steel in th-that sense."
How does he act?
Ganzorig is a quiet but temperamental presence. Calm, observant, and efficient in the best of times. Yet easy to irritate and predisposed to a curt manner. Aloof and slow to trust, he prefers keeping most people at arm's length. He's not incapable of playing nice or socializing, but utlimately does remain a stubbornly taciturn man.
Though often difficult and cold, his prickly demeanour is far from ironclad. It's clear enough by the odd circle of friends he keeps, and the genuine fondness he seems to hold towards them. Beyond that, he seems intent in becoming a kinder man than he once was by seeking out charitable endeavours - though that, perhaps, is a desire fuelled by a guilty conscience.
Yet, he can't forgive and forget for his old wounds. Though he has had positive experiences with Garleans since finding freedom, he still harbors a far deeper distrust, hatred, and fear towards his erstwhile countrymen. Bitterly jaded, there's a yawning chasm between the former conscript and Garlemald that he only seeks to expand.
It's a paradoxical existence that he lives, bearing philosophies and mannerims far too typically Garlean to truly divorce himself from the nation. A son born by the Steppe, yet raised by the Empire.
"I deny calling you a 'seized dog', but there's something Garlean in you, like it or not."
What made the man?
Ganzorig was taken from his home during the early stages of Garlean expansion into Othard. A young boy, he was stripped of his original identity and given the Imperial name of Canis aan Potitus, then shuffled off to an orphanarium in one of Garlemald's eastern territories. His upbringing granted him opportunity and filled him with all the wonders and grand visions of the Empire. He was taught engineering, then taught of the glorius Garlean military. Taught of the savage societies and their barbarism, then taught of the gift of prosperity in citizenship.
The hope of that gift, for the mere price of twenty years' noble service, was what carried him to enlist. And so it continued to carry him; every mote of himself believed in his work.
Until he was rotated into the XIIth. A brutal legion headed by a bloodthirsty tyrant of a legatus whose leadership promoted cruelty and violence even among the ranks. The orders of superiors were often senselessly sadistic and self-serving. Punishment for the slightest failure was nighmarish. The lives of those who didn't bear Garlean blood were disposable - the first in the line of fire, and the last in line for supplies or eased workloads. And all the while, sick and insane experiments swirled in their facilities. It defied all logic. It defied all reason. It was insanity. Insanity that truly came to its head when the XIIth was losing ground to the Alliance in Ala Mhigo. The fall of Specula Imperatoris and Castrum Abania. Battles that seared betrayal into his soul.
His hope was a flimsy shield against that hell. The XIIth broke the man and left behind a hateful, miserable person who celebrated and abandoned his post when the Second War of Succession destroyed the Capital, shortly followed by waves of tempering.
Perhaps, in the end, it had all been a twisted blessing. For he escaped the worst of the unspeakable turmoil that faced Garlemald, taking refuge among ceruleum miners who had likewise been stolen from their homelands until the Eorzean Alliance swept in to save the day.
Ganzorig now finds himself something of a drifter, searching for a life that takes him as far away from his days of conscription as possible. To pick at the sparse scraps of memories of his old home and reclaim the bits of himself that were stolen by the Empire. But, perhaps more desperately and deeply than anything else, he desires to atone for the orders he carried out under the auspices of the Emperor. To be able to say, when Death steals the light from his eyes, that his life was more of a blessing upon the world than a wretched blight.
His hopes seem to be of little avail - for he has been cursed for his hubris, and his work with Garleans is never finished.
"The future for the sons and daughters of Garlemald is an uncertain one. That is to be sure."
Why do your paths meet?
- Is your character Garlean? Though he's shed his allegiance to Garlemald, Ganzorig is still easily pinned as someone who spent much of his life under the Empire. He can keep civil and hold his tongue when the situation calls for it, but he's keenly distrustful of those who still identify with or believe in Garlemald. Beyond that, he may actively try to drive them off by bluntly voicing his thoughts. As far as he's concerned, the nation is dead for good, and they had it coming.
- Is or was your character part of the military? If your character ever worked with the XIIth Legion, they may have crossed paths. Expect him to be eager to disengage, though. He prefers reminders of his service to stem only from his own brooding thoughts. Besides that, he did desert his post, and anticipates that some would not take kindly to that.
- Alternatively, if your character was in Doma or Ala Mhigo, perhaps they encountered each other under the worst of circumstances: war.
- Does your character hail from the Steppe? Are they learned of xaela culture or the old auri language? Ganzorig is keen to learn of his Steppe kin and their ways of life, having been denied the opportunity to learn much beyond some uncharitable claims and stereotypes.
- Does your character travel frequently? Ganzorig goes where fickle opportunity takes him, and often finds himself entangled in business that demands he journey the realm. Even for him, there's some relief in a friendly face among the various networks between the settlements of the star.
- Is your character in need of someone who can tinker with magitek or machinery? He doesn't carry the prestige of studying at the Magitek Academy, but Ganzorig's an Imperial-trained engineer all the same. Watching him work, it almost seems like he's having fun puzzling through a tough job.
- Ganzorig is also capable of working as hired muscle. He's good with a gunblade and can take a few hits, but he's leery of proffering his arms to serve the ends of stangers. You'd need to work to earn his cooperation.
Ganzorig Tomorbaatar: ((lost country, lost legs. can't have shit in detroit))
OOC Bullshit
- Hi. I take it that if you've read this far, you're interested in writing with me. Shoot me a message and we can hash out a scene. I can also RP over discord if that's more convenient.
- I usually default to para-style RP, but I'm kind of a slow writer. Sometimes I find it tough to string words together in a way that feels satisfactory to me, or I need to mull over a character's reaction for a minute. I still try to keep the back-and-forth flowing at a decent pace, but I like to mention it to inform partners.
- I don't like to participate in venues or very crowded scenes too often - when a lot of posts are flying in I easily get lost in the sauce. Some chat tools help mitigate this, but I still get wrecked and miss posts or details despite that. If we're in an RP event or something and I miss your post or skip over an important detail, please do inform me because I'm probs just drowning lmao
- IC and OOC are separate blah blah yeah hopefully we both knew this anyway, OOC bleed ain't good.
- I'm not really interested in ERP and am more of a fade-to-black person. Romance is cool, but the characters need to be compatible and I'd prefer to have written with you a few times. I like having a chance to know that our writing styles mesh, and prefer slow burns besides.