A Warrior's Lore

Backstory

Akane was born as the second child of Yumeko Merlin, a craftswoman specialising in jewellery and trinkets, and a man who was banished from Sui-no-Sato shortly after Akane was born. He is considered unimportant to their life there, to the point Akane has never even learned his name. Raised by her mother and older sister, Rina, Akane quickly learned how to make herself useful to the entire village, appearing whenever someone needed an extra hand. It wasn't long until she was tending to jellyfish stings and other injuries with Sui-no-Sato's resident conjurer. Quickly realizing how much an impact magic could have, she begged until she was allowed to become an apprentice. Gifted with aether, she took to conjury as she took to the water: instantly and completely.

The world outside the village fascinated her, and her curiosity and imagination would often get the better of her. Akane would stay out late when sent fishing or gathering, watching ships pass on the surface, earning the ire of her mother and sister. But it wasn't until the banishment of another resident by the Ruby Princess that the consequences really hit her: if she strayed too far, she would lose her home and family. This kept her from exploring as much, but the longing never left her, and was never far from the surface of her emotions.

Following Yumeko's family tradition, when Akane turned fifteen, she was given a secondary name that matched an auspice of some repute - one that reflected her personality. Cheshire is a cat auspice known to be a trickster who helps and hinders heroes in equal measure. Yumeko selected this name as she made another exasperated (and ultimately futile) attempt to keep Akane out of her baking.

One day while spearfishing, Akane discovered an unconscious, drowning Confederacy pirate. She took him back to Sui-no-Sato in order to nurse him back to health, despite her elders' protests. When the man recovers enough to speak, he gives her something she craves in payment: stories from the outside world. It's then Akane learns of the tragedies in Eorzea and Othard as a result of the Calamity and Garlean rule.

It is her turning point. Akane can no longer justify staying home when people she could help are elsewhere, dying - nor can she keep a lid on her unending curiosity any longer. Despite her family's attempts to change her mind, Akane is resolved, and they share a tearful goodbye once the pirate is healed. He escorts her first to the Confederacy headquarters, where they honour her as one of their own, and then to Kugane, where she secures passage to Limsa Lominsa. With her conjury and confidence well in hand, Akane makes her way to the slums of Ul'dah, ready to help the Ala Mhigan refugees however she can...

Personality

Akane grew up sheltered and isolated underwater, but she's convinced she can figure Eorzea out. This naïvety leads to many misunderstandings, but her obvious embarrassment and willingness to make amends usually keeps her out of trouble. She's very gullible and blissfully ignorant of being taken advantage of. To wit, she is also extremely trusting, choosing to believe the best in people until they prove her wrong…and even then she may keep her hopes up.

Like the infamous trickster auspice she's named after, Akane has a mischievous side. She enjoys teasing her friends with playful banter, nicknames, and pranks (though she would never do this to a stranger). Akane has a sweet tooth and can be bribed with candy or a baked good.

Overall, she tries her best to be kind and thoughtful in her actions, always willing to listen, chat, and help those in need. She puts the needs and wants of others above her own at all times, even to her own detriment. She has a tough core despite her ditzy nature and she never truly gives up, for better or worse.

Important Relationships

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Affiliations

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Trivia

• Her inspiration was that I wanted to make a character based on the Cheshire Cat who was not a Miqo'te. No idea why I had this compulsion, but I did
• 'Akane' was chosen because it is one of my favourite names of all time
• Her Azem is Aphrodite, The Lover, who basically went around sleeping with everyone in addition to her Azem duties. Mischevous like Akane, but more selfish and cunning, Aphrodite was a force to be feared and loved in equal measure, and she always got what she wanted

More to come when I fix the formatting on these bullets.