Note [A]

Name: Note (Noh-teh) in the tradition of Viera only having four lettered names.

Nickname(optional): Notey (Noh-tee), though he highly dislikes it.

Age: Approximately 48, but appears to be at the very least in his early twenties.

Gender: Male

Species: Rava Viera

Position: Neutral

Theme: Desert Sunset
Battle Theme: Sacrifice

Power(s): Note has a very strong tie to nature, so it is not surprising that his powers are very Earth based. Of the Earth, it seems that he seems to have a special affinity with wood and leafs. His own weapon, a bow, seems to crawl with life, as if it were still part of a tree itself. He seems to be “branching out” to other forms of Earth magic as well.

“Weeping Willow”—Note wills the Earth to shoot roots through the ground. He commands them into forming snares, even traps.

“Vine Whip”—summons a live branch to form an almost snake-like being to whip and inflict damage upon enemies.

“Branch Arrow”—Wills vines to become the arrows for his bow.

“Leaf Shield”—Leafs appear from nowhere to form a temporary shield against lower level distance and magic attacks. Vulnerable to fire.

“Dark Woods Illusion”—based on the idea that you see things in the forest at night things that aren’t really there, Note has the ability to make himself appear more “human” like. He appears the same in his Appearance section, minus the large rabbit-like ears, smoothing out facial features, dulling the eyes, and browning of the hair. Easily seen through by frequent magic users.

“Diamond Crevasse”—Though Note has a hard time controlling this skill, he is rarely able to cause the ground to rush up to form spikes.

Though he is unable to heal through magical conventions, he is able to create salve from plant-life that has potion-like properties. These take longer to use, and thus, are not useful on the battle field.

Being Viera, his sense of hearing is a bit more sensitive than a Hume’s, and is naturally speedy. Note does not tend to do well with hand-to-hand or close-range fighting. His strength is in range fighting. Though if he is forced, like most Viera, he has rather long, hard, and sharp nails to use if he is backed into a corner.

Because Note is Viera, he can be heavily influenced by the substance Mist. Under heavy dosages of Mist, Note can fall into a trance-like, almost feral-like state, and loses a great deal of his humanity-like inhibitions. Note's claw's sharpen, his eyes and facial features become more animalistic, and he is able to do things that he would not normally be able to do--hand-to-hand fighting is crazily-increased, and the intensity of his spells increases as well. Though powerful, the major drawback to this is that he is unable to distinguish between friend-or-foe and will tend to fight until his body cannot take anymore. For these reasons, he will usually try to stay away from heavy amounts of Mist if he can.

Weapon(s): i825.photobucket.com/albums/zz173/Ossain/weapons/Fintansbow2.jpg ]“World of Elegance” is the name he has bestowed his bow. It is a gift of The Wood. In almost every sense, it looks as if a thick vine curled in on itself to create a cross-bow. At any time, World of Elegance may be sprouting leafs, since it is very much alive, and seems to have a mind of its own. It is rumored to bloom tiny buds if the weather conditions are just right.

Wooden Flute--not necessarily a weapon per say, though Note uses this item to play to his garden to help it grow.

Picture(optional):

Appearance:
Because Viera’s tend to have a lifespan which is three-times longer than a Hume’s (humans), Viera can appear to be in their prime even into their fifties. Note is no different. Although he is approximately 48 years old (he keeps his age a tight secret), at first glance, he appears to be approximately in his late teens to early twenties.

Though not particularly tall (6’2”) or particularly rippling with muscles, Note seems to radiate an essence of authority. Because of his Rava Viera ancestry, his skin is the color of rich tree bark. His face, though beautiful, seems to be composed of sharp angles. There is something slightly animalistic about his facial features, like the upturn of his nose. Eyes almond shaped, they take on the color of a dark garnet; a sort of reddish brown. In stark contrast to the color of his skin is a shock of white hair which is kept long (to about mid-back). The occasional random streak of soft earth brown adorns his hair sporadically. But perhaps the most predominant feature of his head are perhaps the long erect rabbit-like ears which take the same color of his hair, which eventually graduates into a dark brown. Spots of lighter brown dot the length of his ears. Along the sides of his left ear lay seven earrings, each silver one representing his six elder brothers. The seventh, a red stud, represents his lover that passed away.

Clothing wise, Note displays a lot of his Viera culture. Muscular chest and torso are exposed to the elements without much of a second thought, as is common of the Viera males from the Wood that he hails from. Below his waist, he is covered with loose, yet form fitting olive green pants. Due to being Viera, the need to be quick is a requirement, so the armor he wears is exceptionally tough yet light weight. This armor covers his shoulders, arms, knees, and legs. The material seems to be made of a living, yet shining black wood. Ornate detail is seen in the material—and, like his bow and arrow, seems to almost be alive. Spikes are apparent on shoulders, elbows, and wrists.

A silver Celtic cross adorns his neck with a leather chord. A garnet lays in the middle.

One more thing of interest is the large tree-like tattoo that runs along the spine of his back. The trunk of the tree crawls along his spine and seems to stop at his midback, where the branches of the tree wrap around the majority of his back, and show a bit on the front side of his body. The tattoo is a few shades lighter than his actual skin.

Due to his Viera bloodline, his fingers are a lot longer than humans, and end in claws. His feet also turn up at a strange angle, almost digitigrade, though not as high as a female Viera’s, though still high enough that heels on his shoes make it easier for him to balance.

And yes, he –does- have a fluffy tail.

Personality: Note is very down to Earth. He seems to carry with him a sense of reassurance, and calm elegance. Though he doesn’t stray too far from what Viera appear look like, his age betrays his youthful appearance, giving people the sense that he has more responsibility than he really does. Upon first meeting, Note may not be the most friendly of people—in fact, it may appear that he is downright ignoring you, but he is carefully listening (and not just because of his large ears!). He’s not the type of person to really show any sort of affection, or expression for that matter. This can make him appear cold and aloof.

When he opens up to someone, it’s a completely different matter. One can see that he is a very gentle individual, who does happen to care. A lot. Dark nor light matters not on who he befriends, though he is somewhat wary about befriending Humes. However, Note can hold a grudge very well—and considering that Viera life spans are three times longer than Humes, that grudge can last a very long time. Even when he befriends someone, he is a man of very few words—he feels that his actions speak a lot louder than words; and he is perfectly content with it.

Note, having very keen hearing, can become rather irritable around loud noises, so he tends to stay away from heavily populated areas. It is not that he is anti-social, he just chooses not to be around too many loud people at a time. He seems to like his private life, and doesn’t like standing out in a crowd to often—so he has adapted with a spell which creates an illusion to make him appear more “human” like.

In battle, he seems almost very serene and detached. Though not the best person to ask for opinions about battle strategy, he is reliable on the battle front in the sense that he won’t flip out or go berserk (unless he is exposed to high amounts of Mist). He is constantly analyzing what is going on. Being a range fighter allows him to do this.

He’s more likely to show more of a “kind” side to non-Humes like animals, and perhaps intelligent Heartless or Nobodies. He’ll interact more with youth, and often finds himself falling into a “father” or “older brother” role. He’s likely to help bring an injured person back to health, though he’ll quickly leave when the person comes back to consciousness—he’s a bit weary about being thanked or anyone owing him a favor. He does it just because he can.

Note rarely, if ever, smiles nowadays.

Original World: Elysium Village, Golomore Jungle, Ivalice

Current Residing World: Radiant Garden

History/Background:
Note’s life started out relatively normal. He was born into a large family in Elysium, the name of a village in the world of Ivalice. Like most Viera males, he vaguely remembers his mother, knows he has sisters that exist, but does not know them. Viera males and females rarely, if ever, interact unless there is a need to. The genders live separately. The seventh son of a seventh son, the Shaman thought his life was a blessing from the Wood.

He got along rather well with his older brothers—there was the occasional fight or so that occurred with all brothers, but he did everything with them. He listened to the old stories of the Wood, and even acted them out with the other village children. His life was simple, and happy. Note’s roles were written down by him by the village leader, the Shaman. On his 14th birthday, Note was temporarily pushed out of the Wood with his eldest brother, a Wood Warder. The command the Shaman gave him were to catch the Vorpal Bunny. More excited about seeing the outside world, it took at least a week to hunt down the mysterious Vorpal Bunny and catch it. It was also during this time that he had his first encounter with a Hume female—a young lady soldier of the Dalmascan army. Needless to say, it was love at first site. Interaction with Humes was forbidden, so, after successfully capturing the Vorpal Bunny, he was whisked by his eldest brother back to Elysium.

Catching the Vorpal Bunny gave him the ability to create Salves—and that seemed to be where his path was supposed to be going, as a Salve Maker. Unfortunately, the encounter with the Hume-Girl seemed to have led him off his path. So, while he did learn how to create Salves, he began dreaming of leaving the Wood—which was forbidden. He began questioning his way of life, and dreaming of what was beyond his home. He made the mistake of asking his brothers, and was responded with outrage. Note felt it went better than expected, until he woke up the same night, tied stomach-down to his bed.

Apparently the fear of having Note leave the Wood for the Hume world scared his eldest brother so much so that he had contacted the Shaman and the father, along with his older brothers. He felt a searing pain go down his back—-each of his brothers held him down so that he would not escape. The tattoo on his back was drawn then—if he ever left the Wood, the Wood would never leave him. Clearly dismayed by this, Note ran further into the Wood, away from his village. He hid, letting his newly formed wound recover. During this time, he discovered that he had formed a deeper understanding of The Wood—he could bend the Earth to his will.

Years passed—and though he still dreamt of leaving his village, he kept his thoughts to himself in fear of being assaulted by his brothers once more. Strange creatures began to appear in Elysium—-dark shadows that could not be explained by the normal events of the forest. People in his tribe started disappearing, and the Wood—his home, started to become darker. He could hear the Wood dying, whispers. The entire village knew that it was near the end.

He was awakened another night near his 20th birthday to shouts—his entire village was in chaos. Yet, he could not find any of his older brothers. Desperately searching for his brothers amid the chaos, he encountered the Heartless the first time—black things, with yellow eyes. Things not native to the Wood. A sickness. He found his oldest brother who dragged him out of the fight. Near the entrance of the village he found the Shaman—he was given a pack with supplies and World of Elegance. Not sure what was happening, his oldest brother told him to plant the seeds of Elysium in a new place—and was promptly shoved out of his home village. He tried to enter, but every time an attempt was made, he only found himself walking away from Elysium. It seemed that Elysium was going to deal with the Heartless themselves.

Note wandered the new world by himself, but it did not take him very long to find others. An older woman by the name of Veronique, a sky pirate—and inevitably, the same girl he had met seven years prior when trying to catch the Vorpal Bunny. Only, she was being chased by bandits who called themselves Sky Pirates for treasure she had looted, fair and square. Note didn’t intentionally mean to interfere, though through circumstances of almost becoming a hostage, he had to. Needless to say, Veronique owed Note one—and that’s where their story began.

Veronique had become a Sky Pirate to escape poverty, and to stay out of being involved in Dalmasca’s wars. While various militaries had tried to put a tight collar around the Sky Pirates and use them for their own violation, Veronique had somehow, in her early 30’s, managed to stay away from the politics—managing to live her life free, and in the air with an old, yet elegant ship she had inherited from her father.

So, for years, Note and Veronique traveled the world of Ivalice—having all sorts of adventures. Getting in and out of trouble, sometimes siding with the Dalmascan Army, sometimes siding with other Sky Pirates as they saw fit for treasure or their morals, they lived a good life—never boring, and free. It wasn’t a lie to say the two were deeply in love; you couldn’t find one without the other. This wasn’t always met with sympathy, however, considering Veronique was Hume, no matter what, and Note, although he was considered an Exiled by other Viera, was still Viera. Need caused him to adopt a Hume Illusion so that he could be by Veronique’s side as much as possible. They couldn’t technically be married as the relationship was pretty much forbidden, and Note didn’t completely understand Hume ceremonies too well. Nonetheless, he did manage to forage Veronique a ring, through his own learning of geokinesis—he created the stone from the Earth, a garnet. He bought silver from one of the cities and managed it into a ring. She bought him a Celtic cross that he continues to wear to this day.

It was apparent, however, that Veronique was clearly aging while Note kept his youthful appearance. Veronique has already been ten years older than Note when they met when he was 14—and it was clear her age was starting to show. Note became slightly obsessed with finding anything that would prolong Veronique’s life.

On one of their Quest’s—though Note had no leads as to how to prolong Veronique’s life, they came across a large Block or unknown material. It didn’t seem like it was of their world, but it was apparent it was some part of a ship. Further investigation would have shown it was a remnant of a Gummi Ship. After installing it into the engine, Veronique and Note had a hard time getting the Air Ship to, well, go. After a couple of tries, and just when they thought they were going to have to delve out some serious money to fix the Air Ship—there was a sound. And then they realized they weren’t in Ivalice anymore.

Next thing they knew, they were in Radiant Garden. The Air Ship crashed, wouldn’t start again, and it seemed they were stranded. Veronique didn’t seem too frightened though—in her old age, she seemed more…at ease. That she thought it was time for her to settle down, anyway.

Radiant Garden inhabitants (are invited to) know that Note had been happy for a time, taking care of his “wife” under the disguise of a Hume. They were introduced to the concept of Heartless, and learned about the existence of other worlds. Veronique’s heart, though, was growing weak, in a medical sense.

Just as they were tending to the garden, Veronique’s heart fluttered. At the age of 56, she died of a heart-attack. Note held her in his arms as he watched his “wife” die. He tried everything to stop the process, but he knew that it was inevitable.

Since then, he has been residing in the broken Air Ship. He hasn’t spoken to many people since then, though he has taken in the occasional wandering soul. His smile has long since faded though. In his mind, his story ended when Veronique passed away—it just goes to show though, that good stories never quite end when you quite expect them to.

He mainly keeps to himself nowadays, only interacting when he needs to. He continues to dabble in Earth magic, perhaps, thinking, that if he becomes strong enough, he’ll be able to revive his wife.


Role Playing Sample:
The Celtic cross jingled against his neck as he kneeled over the newly blooming flowers. Note had never understood the entire concept of religions; his deceased wife had given him the pendant as a gift, however, so it was not easily thrown away. Her ring interloped the cross—any treasure of hers that he could carry with him, he carried constantly. As a child, he believed in The Wood—the all-loving Mother and Father—and its teachings. But he could hear The Wood back then—and on this desolate world, he could still sometimes hear its soft whispers.

Veronique had loved this town—she had especially loved the pathetic excuse for a garden. The town back then did not own up to its name—Radiant Garden. But over the years, with Veronique’s loving help, it had indeed bloomed into something somewhat radiant. Perhaps it was why, even though it wasn’t necessarily his duty, that he attempted to take care of the flowers that she loved so much.

His large clawed hands kneaded the Earth as he hummed spells to assist the flowers in their growing. As if these flowers needed magic to bloom. They were well loved by everyone. And flowers and plants that were loved tended to flourish easily. He carefully plucked weeds out from their roots, and gathered them in a small pile by his side. He enjoyed the sunshine beating on his back, warming the old scars that painted a tree along his spine. How could something, so well loved, so beautiful, be so delicate?

He held a flower in his hand, the stem still connected to roots, buried deep into the Earth. Garnet eyes fluttering closed, he felt everything connected to the flower—the air from the sky, the soil below—and the soil and plants that touched everything—other flowers, grass, trees, buildings, and even Humes. It was a network of delicate omnipresence. A simple thing could kill it., destroy it. He could pluck it, a disease could ravage it, or a mere footstep could crush it in its weight. An animal could come across and eat it. What happened when such a fragile part of that web was so casually destroyed?

His clawed hands let go as a shadow fell over him, a large foot followed by a large leg filling his eyesight. The flower he had been delicately held smashed to the Earth. Garnet eyes, which had been dulled by his Dark Woods Illusion, stared at the Hume who dared to tramp haphazardly into the garden. Humes here were just the same as they were anywhere—here, or Ivalice, or any other world that existed. Trampling over flowers, that bloomed from the soil of their deceased ancestors. From his Veronique, who had become one with this foreign terra oh so long ago. Without so much as a second thought. It was the lack of remorse that truly annoyed him the most. His face was frozen into something expressionless. But his temper was flaring, licking and fluttering just below the surface.