Hey there! This blog is gonna be dedicated to all my OCs, I'll update this post everytime there's new important tags, it'll probably be pretty empty for now.
I won't be reblogging anything on here except if it's directly connected to one of my OCs, I wanna keep this as clean as it can be.
Important tags/active OCs:
#mephistongodefroy - posts related to Ser Mephiston Godefroy, royal knight, old man, dhampir? who knows, you for sure don't.
#esquirethechief - posts related to Esquire, former street thug turned sophisticated squire of a knight of high esteem.
#dreadandapathy - posts related to Eris Dread, a witch and alchemist, a master of curses and seeker of knowledge as well as a revolutionary in the fight for liberation of spellcasters.
#seedofhope - posts related to Hope, a spirit of nature, created to restore and protect nature in the apocalyptic world they find themselves in.
#belovedartistry - art of my OCs
For conversations, each of my OCs has a color associated with them, for easier identification, these are:
I got another commission from the wonderful @artwins (THANK YOU AGAIN) !!!!!!!!
This time of my beloved certified old man Mephiston in an interpretation of the Strength tarot card :3 I LOVE IT SO MUCH
AHHHHHHHHH!!!! Look at this amazing drawing of Dread by the lovely @artwins!!! They really nailed that apathetic/indifferent look on Dreads face, I've been staring at it this piece all day since I received it today.
I made a very vague and incomplete timeline of Mephistons life (with some unnecessary details) some time ago and even though I'm not sure about some of the details in it anymore AND it's also missing stuff, I thought it might not hurt to throw it in here.
Name: Ser Mephiston "Brokencrown" Godefroy (Mefistone Goffredo among fellow high elves)
Age: 613
Height: 198cm (6'5)
Current profession: Royal Knight of Vitroneaux in service to the Royal family
Age 0-100
Born in Asca Losca 600 years ago into House Godefroy.
His father was a good-for-nothing former soldier, discharged for fleeing from a major battle.
He does not know anything about his mother except for her having been a vampire, or at least he assumes she was, as his father for sure is no vampire.
Due to more failings by his father, who was the last living member of House Godefroy alongside Mephiston, the noble house was officially stripped of its status and he and his father ended up on the street when Mephiston was still very young.
Left to fend for himself most of the time, the young boy resorted to all sorts of crime and ended up in a bunch of trouble, even ending up in jail for some time at one point or another, though he preferred that over life on the streets.
His Dhampiric nature revealed itself to him at some point during his adolescence, not knowing how to properly control the thirst it is likely that he killed a person or more through exsanguination, though he was not discovered or ever connected to those deaths.
Getting closer to reaching adulthood, Mephiston worked on getting his life together and eventually signed up to become a soldier for Asca Losca, having been able to call in some favors with old friends of the family.
Despite his fathers discharge and his own criminal record during adolescence, they decided to give him a chance to prove himself.
Age 100-400
Through a lot of hard work, he established himself to be a good soldier, eventually even being knighted and swearing a Paladins Oath to the Crown of Asca Losca.
He was not necessarily a prodigy, but nevertheless he was useful, competent, and most importantly, loyal.
Having earned enough gold to afford a house, he eventually bought a home for his father, though Mephiston himself preferred to live in the barracks, even if he was allowed to reside in a residence of his own.
During this period of his life, Mephiston suppressed his Dhampiric nature the most, starving himself of blood to a sickening extent and only drinking the blood of animals, as he was still blaming himself for the people that he had killed due to his thirst.
He fought in a great many battles as the Age of Pandaemonium raged on.
The Fall of Asca Losca
As the Ancestral Gold Dragon and his army of Gold Dragonborn attacked the Kingdom, Mephiston was chosen to act as a bodyguard to the King himself, though that was not all too special, as the King had to be guarded by quite a lot of Knights.
They fought and defended valiantly, yet eventually the King was slain before his very eyes.
During the final stand in which the king was slain, Mephiston was hit by the Fire Breath of a Gold Dragonborn, branding the Holy Symbol of Anhor, Sylvan God of Fire, that he was wearing, into his chest.
Though he was ready to die to avenge his King, he was ordered by King Regent Irmenegildo to fall back and flee.
Having lost almost everyone he knew, along with his King and his father, Mephiston followed Irmenegildos order and fled to the Kingdom of Vitroneaux with all the other survivors of the massacre.
Age 400-613 (Current Day)
Though it took a few years to internalize what had happened, Mephiston eventually accepted that his homeland was lost forever, though many of his fellow High Elves did not agree with that view and were eager to raise an army to take back Asca Losca, something that has not happened up to current day, 200 years later.
Wanting to integrate himself into this new environment, Mephiston adopted the worship of Lenidas, God of Royalty, one of the gods of the Dodecatheon, a group of twelve gods which are primarily worshipped in the kingdom of Vitroneaux.
Following a recommendation by former King Regent of Asca Losca, Irmenegildo, Mephiston was appointed as a Royal Knight of Vitroneaux, an elite organization of Knights appointed to the Royal Family and essentially acting as their bodyguards.
Still remaining loyal to Irmenegildo and essentially being sworn to him, as the Oath of the Crown that he swore all those years ago was to the King of Asca Losca, and with Irmenegildo being the only known surviving candidate and Former King Regent, that falls to him, Mephiston often relays information about meetings that the King had to Irmenegildo, though "often" can range to once every few weeks to gaps of months or even years.
Despite the pay of a Royal Knight being good enough to afford a house in a wealthier district of Vitroneaux, Mephiston chooses to rent an apartment in one of the cheaper districts, only having a cheap bed, an expensive makeup table, a very extensive wardrobe and the remnants of abandoned projects, as he is on duty most of the time anyway he does not need much more than something to sleep in and whatever is needed to keep up a good appearance, which is very important to him.
Even though he still starves himself of blood to a good extent, it is no longer as bad as before, and he no longer lives off of animal blood but instead feeds on the wealthier members of Vitroneaux society, luring them into dark corners of the city at night whenever his thirst gets too unbearable.
Teehee, I totally didn't ask for people to send me more questions for Mephiston only to then let them rot in my inbox for a few months teehee *twirls hair*
Anyway THANK YOUUU for all the questions <3 HERE WE GO (beware as this is quite a lot)
3 - weapon of choice? any particular reason they chose their weapon?
The first weapon the old man was instructed in when he started his training to become a soldier of Asca Losca was the Halberd, and even though half a millennium has passed since then, it has stuck around.
He does, after all, love to choose one thing and stay loyal to it, be that a person, a beverage, or in this case, a weapon.
4 - how crafty/resourceful are they?
Old Godefroy can be very resourceful if a situation calls for it, but only if his usual ways absolutely do not work.
Though he is by no means brutish or stupid, if there is a way to brute force a situation without too much trouble, he will always prefer that over anything else, which does not mean that he couldn't solve it in a different way.
Know though, that brute forcing does not have to mean that he uses violence.
If the easy answer to a situation is using his charm on someone and seducing them, then that is his way of brute forcing it.
6 - how do they wear their hair? do they care a lot how their hair looks?
Being a worshipper of Lenidas, God of Royalty, and a Royal Knight that is often seen alongside the King, Mephiston cares a lot about his overall looks, and his hair is a large part of that.
Back in Asca Losca, where combat was a more regular occurrence in his life, he kept his hair fairly short so it did not distract and inconvenience him during a fight.
However as his duties as a Royal Knight involve combat less and less, he's chosen to grow it out and let it flow freely, only very rarely tying it up.
8 - do they have a nickname? who gave it to them? if it's not derived from their real name, what's the story behind it?
The name "Mephiston Godefroy" itself is kind of a nickname.
He was born as "Mefistone Goffredo", however as his house had close connections with Vitroneaux, they went by Godefroy to the outside world, and also used less Asca Loscan versions of their first names in the process, though in private they always used their unaltered names.
Aside from that, however, the nickname he is best known by is his knightly title "Brokencrown", a name he himself chose.
It is, of course, a reference to the fall of Asca Losca and the death and disappearance of its royalty, a royalty which the old man is still sworn to, his oath is one to a broken crown.
9 - favorite food? least favorite? are they a picky eater? do they have any dietary restrictions?
That would be Frutti di mare, as pasta and seafood were staples in his caste of fellow soldiers and later on, knights.
He has no real dietary restrictions, but he doesn't like to eat anything bloody, as he likes to separate regular food from his hunger for blood.
Therefore, his least favorite food would be something akin to blood sausage perhaps? Or a particularly bloody steak?
It's been long since he ate either, as he made that separation quite early in life, and he'd probably like the taste of them, but he much prefers not to find out.
Aside from that though, he's not a picky eater.
13 - what languages do they speak? how fluently?
As likely expected, he is fluent in both the common language of the world as well as Elvish, more specifically the high elven, Asca Loscan dialect.
He has, however, also picked up Infernal during his time in Vitroneaux, as he resides in a district of the city which houses quite a lot of Tieflings, and though he could, of course, talk to them in a common language, he prefers talking to them in their own language, as he himself often misses speaking elvish and feels more at ease when talking in his native tongue. I would, however, not say that he is quite fluent in Infernal yet, he's doing his best though.
14 - are they any good with numbers?
Godefroy is not by any means bad with numbers, though as he does not have to make use of that ability very often, he can be a bit rusty once it does come up.
Since he didn't go to school during his formative years and had only pursued academics on the side after he had become a soldier of Asca Losca, his connection to topics such as mathematics is relatively unique.
17 - how did they spend their summers/free time as a child?
As House Godefroy was stripped of its status and Mephiston, alongside his father, ended up on the streets quite early into his childhood, one could argue that he had nothing but free time.
As to how he spent it, well, he was never and will never be one to beg for things, so he ended up taking what he needed with no regard towards the legality of his actions.
I'm afraid crime of such sort defined most of his childhood, along with a few years in prison here and there and, of course, his discovery of as well as the following struggles with his vampiric nature and his first exsanguination of an innocent due to inability to control his urges.
Between all of that, there was little space left for a normal childhood to fit into.
Had he not been able to become a soldier of Asca Losca, due to a few strings his father was able to pull with old friends, once he reached elven adulthood at the age of 100, he would likely have met his end somewhere on the streets, not missed by anyone.
18 - their opinion on lying, stealing, and killing?
He's no hypocrite, he has to lie quite often, he's killed plenty, and he wouldn't be alive had he not stolen countless things in his childhood, he does not enjoy any of it, and he will not encourage anyone to follow in his footsteps, but he is well aware that sometimes there is no way around it, or at least he can acknowledge that at times it feels like there isn't.
19 - are they quick to anger? what sets them off?
Quite the opposite, due to the fact that he has had to keep his vampiric urges in check at all times, especially due to him practically starving himself, he has honed his emotions to an incredible degree, and he can keep himself in check no matter the situation, though I am sure there are ways to make him lose his temper, especially when it comes to the topic of Asca Losca.
21 - their favorite place to be?
There was a hill just outside Asca Losca that overlooked the city while also offering a beautiful view of the ocean beyond it.
The thought of trying to return to that place one last time has crossed Mephistons mind more than a few times, he is, however, well aware that it is too dangerous, and as much as he'd be ready to die for that view, he is needed in Vitroneaux.
If we're talking about a place in his new home, however, that would very likely be some niche tavern close to his place of residence, somewhere he can quickly escape to when he can feel the darkness of his solitary room get to his mind, a place where he can get some rest after a hard day on duty, without having to go too far to fall asleep afterwards.
24 - do they have any creative hobbies? (art, writing, music, etc)
If I were to say that the old man has no time for such things, I would be a liar.
He does get days off and has on many occasions been forced to take vacation, as he refuses to do so on his own accord.
Mephiston, however, is very much a liar, especially to himself. He's tried his hand at most things, be it painting, writing, making music or singing, cooking and even making his own clothes.
I dare say he was good at many of them too, likely he even had such a thing as fun, but at the end of the day he always tells himself he has no time to dedicate himself to them and returns to walking the streets and sitting around in taverns. His room is filled with abandoned projects and attempts to ignite a flame within himself that is not burning solely for his duty.
27 - if applicable, do they have a favorite sport? do they play any sports or prefer to watch?
A favorite of his is horse racing.
Though Signore del Tuono is technically a horse assigned to him for knightly duties, he has taken his lovely steed to a good few tournaments and perhaps even participated in an unapproved race or two, though you wouldn't hear that from him.
Besides that, he has taken quite a liking to jousting, as it keeps him on the edge, since he barely ever has real combat encounters anymore.
He does not much enjoy watching any sports, as he's physically capable enough to do whatever he deems interesting enough to try out and has no need to rely on others to perform it for him.
30 - do they smell like anything notable?
Before Mephiston converted to the Dodecatheon of Vitroneaux, he worshipped Anhor, the Sylvan god of fire, as a nod to his god, but mostly because he liked the smell, he used a perfume that smelled like a burning campfire, though with an added flowery note of rose.
Though his days of worshipping Anhor are long over, the perfume stuck around.
As the old man is quite picky when it comes to his appearance and overall effect on people, which very much includes his smell, and the perfume was specifically sold by a friend of his in Asca Losca who sadly died during the fall, he had to make a contract with a perfumery of Vitroneaux to reproduce the perfume specifically for personal use.
32 - do they have any habits that aren't particularly self-destructive, just maybe odd?
Earlier, I mentioned that he tends to pick one thing he's loyal to and stay with it.
That extends to much more niche things than people, beverages, weapons or, as noted right before this, perfumes. He walks the same path to work every day, he visits specific taverns on specific days of the week or month, he checks in on acquaintances of his on a very regulated schedule.
Mephiston forged himself into a creature of habit, out of the hope that it would bring some kind of order, peace or tranquility to his life, all of that even more so after the fall of Asca Losca, but even after many hundreds of years, none of those things are anywhere to be seen, no matter how much it may seem like it to everyone around him.
if asked, what age would Mephiston say he became who he is?
and at what age did he actually become who he is once and for all?
Hiiii hello hiiii!! Thank you for the ask!!! Let's both pretend like it hasn't been a few months since you sent this :3
if asked, what age would Mephiston say he became who he is?
Putting a pin on something that is ever moving is quite hard, both for me and for the old man, but if forced to answer, he wouldn't go for a specific age but instead an event in his life, that being his knighting, as ever since then he's shaped his life around that title and the duties and responsibilities that come with it.
and at what age did he actually become who he is once and for all?
As noted above, it's hard to pinpoint when someone became who they are, and it's near impossible to say that this is who they will be once and for all.
Mephiston has changed quite a lot since his knighting and is most definitely not the same person that he was back then.
He changed a lot when Asca Losca fell, and he retreated to Vitroneaux, he changed a lot as he was getting used to life in that strange new environment, and he changed a lot many more times in the following 200 years, and will do so for the next few hundred too, even if he might pretend to be stagnant in who he is.
character ask meme - For dear Sir Mephiston: 7, 10, 25, 28
THANK YOUUUUUU FOR THE ASK, MWUAH
7 - favorite animal? why?
There isn't one particular animal that Mephiston calls his favorite, he is very fond of quite a few though:
Cats, as they're easily taken care of and very independent, traits that someone as busy as him can appreciate. His neighborhood in Vitroneaux houses many of them, and he's taken quite a liking to them over the almost 200 years he's been living there.
Lions, as he respects their well-earmed pride and, of course, due to their connection to Lenidas and royalty.
Horses, for their loyalty and bravery even in the midst of battle, he loves his own horse, 'Signore Del Tuono', and treated every horse he owned with respect.
And lastly, even if it may not count as a typical animal, the Phoenix, as the concept of something that returns better than before after being beaten down, most literally rising from the ashes, does give him some sense of hope that his people will escape their despairing hole at some point and return to the glory they once held, even if that might not mean reconquering Asca Losca.
10 - if they wear jewelry, what kind? do they prefer silver or gold? do they have a favorite gem?
He dislikes wearing necklaces and amulets due to an unfortunate event in his past, but he is very much a fan of all other kinds of jewelry, though not in excess.
Any kind of silver in contact with his skin is, even if not harmful, quite unpleasant. Therefore, gold is definitely his preferred metal, even more so due to, once again, his worship of Lenidas, and its association with royalty.
In all his years, he has definitely ended up in a conversation with someone that knows a lot about gems and their powers.
Being who he is, he, at the very least, pretended to be interested and picked up a thing or two, including a fondness for Amethysts, as those supposedly help with a great many things he struggles with and, just as importantly, because they look good.
25 - how good/bad is their hearing? what about their eyesight?
In his natural state, his eyesight and hearing are above-average for an adult high elf, which is quite impressive considering we're really stretching the term 'adult' for this old man.
However, when hungry his senses sharpen drastically, though that most often acts as a disadvantage, as the hunger draws his attention to the heartbeats of those around him, as well as the veins showing on their skin, distracting him from or even fully drowning out his surroundings.
For a few days, after having fed the beast inside him and having calmed it down, his senses remain sharpened, as he does practically starve himself though, he cannot take advantage of that very often.
28 - how do they show that they care about someone? how do they express that they don't like someone?
At first glance, it's pretty hard to tell if Mephiston actually cares about someone, especially since he treats the vast majority of people politely, with respect and general interest.
A clear-cut sign that Godefroy cares about someone though, is him talking to them about his troubles, even if he may not discuss his deeper problems, complaints about everyday stuff he experiences are already enough to show he really, really cares for and trusts someone, as usually he likes to project the image of a perfect knight who has it all figured out.
The opposite, however, is relatively easy to tell.
Even if he mostly keeps his politeness towards people he dislikes, Mephiston can be, for lack of a better word, a real bitch. If someone annoys him or there is some other reason for disliking them, he doesn't necessarily hide that fact and will, without any hesitation, make disrespectful remarks.
I wanted some more non-humans in period accurate clothing to use as generic NPCs for the campaign run by my fiance @vondieerde! The Player Characters and some named NPCs also made their way onto the page tho.
This compilation of a news article and a few goodbye letters marks the end of Mephiston Godefroy and Ryker Grimm in the FF14 universe, though at the very least one of them will live on somewhere else.
KNIGHT OF HOUSE FORTEMPS FOUND DEAD, PRESUMABLY KILLED BY FORMER KNIGHT CAPTAIN
"The Congregation of Our Knights Most Heavenly was riled up after Fortemps Knight Ryker Grimm sent a message accusing Mephiston Godefroy, former Knight Captain of House Fortemps in charge of their forces within the Holy See of Ishgard, of high heresy.
Due to former accusations and investigations regarding the former Knight Captain, a force of Temple Knights was immediately sent out towards his residence within the Empyreum.
After storming the office of Mephiston, they discovered the dead body of Ryker Grimm, wittnesses say he almost looked like he was drained of energy.
Following said discovery, the Temple Knights sent out search teams throughout the entire City, looking for the former Knight Captain.
It did not take long before a group of Knights found him standing on an edge near the Fortemps Manor in the Pillars. Witnesses report that he had stood there for quite a while before the Knights arrived, looking out at the horizon.
After he had noticed the Knights approaching him, he stepped forward and fell from the edge, getting impaled by a pillar on a lower level of the City, he has been confirmed deceased.
Futher investigation will occur, however current evidence suggests Mephiston Godefroy was responsible for the death of Ser Ryker Grimm."
------------
"Dearest family de Marteau,
I have caused you many troubles in my short time of knowing you, troubles that can never be truly excused, however despite my frankly impressive ability to make your life hard you have always been good to me.
Several months ago I had the device that was supposed to hold my urges at bay removed; I have been working with a learned Scholar to completely eliminate my nightkin curse and get rid of said urges entirely, however that pursuit has proven quite fruitless.
Though I could simply ask to have the device attached to me again to avoid risk of submitting to the curse, I have decided that perhaps I should let the inevitable pass.
It has been getting harder and harder to stay sane and I am afraid by the time you read this letter it may already be too late.
I cannot tell you what exactly will happen; While I can still think freely though, I want to thank you for what you have done for me once again.
My life has been long and though Knightdom has certainly kept me from being bored, the past year and a half has been by far the most adventurous and fun time of it all.
I'm afraid my legacy will not be a good one, but I hope that I will not be remembered as an aether-thirsty creature in your hearts and minds and instead as a friend.
Sincerely
Mephiston Godefroy"
------------
"Dearest Anithiya,
I do not know how aware of the troubles I have been going through you are, especially as you yourself had to deal with the nature of your own being, however I believe you have heard at least a little about my own condition.
Not all too long ago, after I ended my time in hiding, Frayeur attached a device that supressed the urges that my nightkin curse wrought upon me, however in my frustration of being shackled, I established contact with someone that could remove said device and perhaps help me remove the curse entirely.
To my dismay, though the device was removed, the curse still remains, as our efforts have proven quite fruitless. Now while urges grow stronger and stronger everyday, as I am getting worse and worse at resisting them, I feel my end is near.
We planned to do so much together, you wanted to teach me some magic, I wanted to perhaps show you a trick or two with the sword, however all our plans have never quite come to pass and I'm afraid now they never will.
Do not mourn me in any way, truth be told I do not know how exactly I will pass, but I feel it won't be pretty, as by the time I will truly perish, the Mephiston you knew will already be long gone.
Your condition remains a mystery to me and I never got around to talking to you about it, truth be told I do not know if you ever found a solution to your troubles, but if you did not, please do not give up for I do not want you to end up like me.
I loved talking to you Ani, and I hope you shared a similar feeling.
Sincerely
Mephiston Godefroy"
------------
"Hey, Ant,
this is the third time I have started writing this letter, with the previous two attempts I tried to stay professional as that has been the measure of our relationship ever since I returned, however I see no point in keeping my manners for my last words to you.
As you know I had the device that kept my nightkin curse at bay removed a few months ago, I have rarely been around anywhere since then as Veldreth and I had been hard at work looking for a way to completely remove the curse and rid myself of these urges entirely, however we have not made any progress.
I will not act like I have no options, afterall I could come running to Frayeur and shackle myself again, but I would rather not repeat that mistake and instead just let fate take its toll on me.
The urges are actively taking me over and I'm afraid my age is showing, as it is getting harder and harder to resist; The recent lack of the daily training I had undergone during my Knightdom has proven to weaken my willpower quite a lot and it feels like I will be gone entirely any day now.
While I'm still somewhat sane, if I ever truly was, I have something to tell you though.
I've known you for just a little more than a year and we've both caused each other a non insignificant amount of trouble, but I'm glad to have experienced every little bit of it, no matter how unpleasant it was.
You don't need to feel the same and frankly I couldn't care less if you simply just hate me, for I won't be here to know.
We fought quite a lot, some people have probably never seen us talk normally to each other, without you calling me a coward for one thing or another, but now here I am, having gotten rid of my shackles and bearing the fruits of it, you were right, I should never have been the coward I was in rejecting my curse, I should have accepted my end long ago.
Whether you like it or not and whether these feelings were shared at any point of our friendship or not, you were one of my closest friends, and I hope you will at the very least not remember me as the coward that disappeared without warning.
Sincerely
Mephiston Godefroy"
------------
"My only remaining Patron,
I do not presume you will care about this letter, frankly I do not expect you to, as I have caused you quite a lot of trouble, but nevertheless I felt it appropriate.
Though in the other letters I will send out I went into detail as to why, those details don't really matter to you, so I will get straight to the point; In the following days, presumably by the time this letter reaches you, I will die.
The details as to how exactly I die are a mystery to me, but I do know that it will happen, for the urges of my nightkin curse grow stronger and stronger and soon enough Mephiston will be gone, for my power to resist it has been dwindling as of recently.
You and I aren't so different in many ways, you might not agree but I certainly feel that way, therefore I do believe many words I could say right now can remain unsaid and you will understand me regardless.
Though you certainly make no efforts to prove the opposite, somewhere deep within your bastard heart you're not as miserable and bad as you act.
I've already asked much of you, but please take care of Ant, you need each other.
Your personal Barkeep
Mephiston Godefroy"
Mephiston was approaching the Saint Reymanaud Cathedral as he had so many times before, barely paying attention to his surroundings as he was dead set on the Scholasticate Library when he was stopped by Veldreth.
It was unusual seeing the scholar outside of the Library; Mephiston had grown used to seeing him there and only there, however before the old man could think any more about the strangeness of the situation, Veldreth demanded blatantly, "Follow me."
Not having much of a choice, as he was there for Veldreth anyway, he followed. Before he had the chance to question where they were going, they arrived at the Aetheryte plaza of Ishgard, when Veldreth started to explain, "You fulfilled your part of the deal, so I will now start fulfilling mine. For this, however, we will need to pay a visit to my tower. Due to the distance to my tower's Aetheryte and your stunted Aether, this will be quite a rough teleport, so prepare yourself."
Not quite sure what would await him, Mephiston said, "I suppose it's too late to turn back now! I will manage; we can go ahead whenever you're ready," to which Veldreth answered with a simple "Hm," as he took the old man's arm and started attuning to the Aetheryte.
What exactly followed right after is unknown to Mephiston, for he did not, in fact, 'manage'. All he remembers is the sight of a blue sky and the feeling of dirt in his face.
Waking up with a splitting headache, Mephiston scanned his surroundings and felt lost. What he saw was unlike anything he'd ever seen before; it was as if he was inside of a giant mushroom with corridors left, right, and even above. The walls were weird and twisted, and the air was strange. As he stood up from the bed he found himself in, it felt like the ground was moving beneath his feet, however before Mephiston had any more time to take it all in, Veldreth approached from one of the many corridors.
"It seems you were not quite prepared after all. You were gone for a day, but aside from the headache you're most likely experiencing currently, there shouldn't be any other side effects," he said mockingly, noticing the obvious confusion in the old man's face and continuing before Mephiston got a chance to talk. "This is Tel Dun, my tower off the northern coast of Ilsabard. All the equipment I require for the removal of the device on your neck is already ready in an adjacent chamber. I'd appreciate it if we could get it over with; I don't quite enjoy visitors."
Still a bit overwhelmed, the old man noted, "I'm guessing any questions as to the nature of this place wouldn't end up with me getting an answer, so aye, I suppose the faster we get it over with, the better," and followed the scholar, who had already gone ahead, through the maze-like corridors, ending up in what looked like a laboratory of some kind.
"Would you like to be conscious during the operation, or do you want me to put you to sleep?" Veldreth asked, to which Mephiston answered, "I've been out for a day already. I suppose another one won't be too bad on my track record," chuckling slightly and laying down on the table in the middle of the chamber.
Veldreth just nodded and approached the table, saying, "You know where to find me. I'll await you there once you're ready for the continuation of our deal," and putting Mephiston to sleep with a spell.
Once again waking up, the old man recognized his surroundings immediately. He was in his room in Ishgard, though he had been away for around two days. To him, it felt like it was just a few hours since he was last here, for he was unconscious for most of that time.
Standing up, Mephiston approached a mirror to see if the device was gone, and to his relief, it was.
Though he already felt much more energized than he had the past few weeks, actually seeing that it was gone gave him another boost.
Preparing to head out already, he found a note reading "Send my regards to Haustefort" in his pockets, so he decided that he might as well do that, surely he'd be able to find Antares somewhere.
Before he would go on that journey though, he really needed to find something to eat, for he was incredibly hungry.
I gotta throw a few asks at Ryker bc I enjoy the angry little man more than he rightfully deserves:
LEAVE, LOSS, PAYCHECK, ENEMY.
Wahoo!!! I will gladly answer a few asks about the most pathetic of my little men (that says a lot), so here I go!
LEAVE: What was the first time your OC left home? Why? If they’ve never left home, do they want to? Where would they go?
Ryker left Gridania when he was 17 years old, he knew he wanted to serve in a military of some kind but the Serpents of Gridania weren't to his taste and the thought of becoming a righteous Knight of Ishgard was too tempting not to pursue.
----------------
LOSS: What was the first significant loss that affected your OC? What made it significant? How did they deal with it? Have they gotten over it since it happened?
Though nowadays Ryker doesn't get too close to his fellow Knights, he did befriend a few during the start of his career, however as you might guess from where I'm going with this, the Dragons did not care if someone was a friend of his or not.
Even though the War is over, Ryker is far too deep in the hole he's found himself in to go back up again.
----------------
PAYCHECK: What did your OC spend their first paycheck on? If they’ve never had a paycheck, what would they buy if they were to get a sudden windfall today?
Though it is a bit unspectacular, he started serving Ishgard while the Dragonsong War was still very much going so Knights of Ishgard didn't get the best provisions and lived mostly on scraps, therefore his first paycheck was spent on getting some proper food and drink at whatever establishment he found first.
What would he do if he were to get a sudden windfall? I have no clue, he has no clue either, Ryker barely uses his current paychecks for anything, if he were to suddenly get a lot more he'd just.... put it away.
----------------
ENEMY: Who was your OC’s first enemy? What was that relationship like? Do they still consider that person an enemy, or have they moved past that?
Though the easiest answer would be "The Dravanian Horde" or "That one bully from his Childhood" I wouldn't say he actually has or had an "Enemy", sure, there was Rivals and such, but the word Enemy is quite extreme for such relationships.
I am, however, very sure that he's made a lot of people consider him an "Enemy" of theirs.
Decided to do a little close-up photoshoot of Mephiston after I realized I barely had any screenshots of him without his glasses, his eyes and makeup are barely ever visible on the pictures I have of him.
So uhh, this is entirely self indulgent but here you go, have them too:
