#severia lore

[otherworldseekers]

Everything seemed warm. The colors, the sunlight, the breeze in the trees. And she began to hope this was at last the place she needed to be to find a purpose for herself in this world.

Severia arrives in Gridania for the first time, age 21.

[otherworldseekers]

Freshly arrived in Eorzea from Othard, Severia (though she did not yet call herself that) did not speak the language and spent much time simply watching and listening to those around her. She walked from place to place, playing her shamisen in the hope of a few coins. It was a year of near starvation, lack of shelter, and occasionally dangerous encounters, but she survived. She explored the safer regions around Ul'dah and Limsa, picking up the common tongue, learning to communicate, learning how these lands and their peoples lived, learning to play for an audience. Eventually she would hear tell of a large forest to the north that piqued her interest and she set off once again.

[otherworldseekers]

Gridania, they say, is a land belonging to the elements and she cannot deny the way its forests and streams stir her heart. And yet, she senses an undercurrent of pain and sorrow in its people that no amount of natural beauty can mend.

Severia spends about a year living in Gridania, joining the Archer's Guild, learning to be an adventurer, and exploring the nearer parts of the Shroud. And then one day she meets a most unusual pair.

[otherworldseekers]

Severia came to Eorzea at age 20 after stowing away on a ship in Kugane. She didn't know where it was going. She didn't care. The farther the better. All she had with her were the clothes on her back and her beloved, battered old shamisen. Her kimono was impractical, so she stole clothes on the ship, keeping only her straw woven sandals and the bracelets her guardian had made for her to hide her scars.

The ship reached its destination in Vesper Bay and Severia managed to sneak off. It was the start of a very difficult time for her, but also opened her horizons more than she could have ever dreamed.

(Imagine there's a plain, old shamisen strapped to her back. Unfortunately, there's nothing like that available to use that I know of.)

[otherworldseekers]

There was a WoL question recently about how educated your WoL is and this is something I think about a lot.

Severia has never had any formal education. She learned basic reading, writing and arithmetic from her guardian after leaving the Steppe. Interestingly, she didn't learn to read or write in the Xaela language, but in Doman, since they were living in Yanxia at the time. After going to Eorzea she had to learn to speak, read and write the Common tongue on her own slowly through assimilation. She picked up the basics quickly but her vocabulary was small until she joined the Scions and got access to more books.

Sometimes when I'm writing her I have to stop and remind myself she would not use those big words yet!

Once she joined the Scions she felt very self conscious about her lack of knowledge and began to read voraciously to educate herself. She would often consult Urianger about what books to read. To this day she still mostly reads nonfiction because she feels like she never knows enough. Especially now that she's with Nero who knows so much!

Though Nero tries hard to never make her feel inadequate. He has always admired her mind. Because despite not being educated she is very intelligent. She learns quickly and makes connections and sees patterns easily. She is very observant and is always absorbing knowledge whenever she can.

She and Nero's minds tend to work in different but complimentary ways. Because she wasn't taught how to think but has always thought for herself she will often notice things or ask questions that Nero wouldn't have. He always finds the way she thinks stimulating and she always appreciates his help learning things she's unfamiliar with.

They both value each other's ways of thinking.

[otherworldseekers]

Severia in Gridania

Age 21. Fun Fact: the first time Severia uses her name is when she tells it to Mother Miounne.

[otherworldseekers]

Thinking about how Severia's prescient visions work.

They are very rare.

They happen when there is a decision she can make that will alter the course of her life dramatically.

They are only from her own point of view.

They do not show her specific events, like her Echo visions, but brief images that point toward possibilities.

They are a power inherited from Azem, but in Azem's case they were much more clear. Severia is only capable of using a little of the power.

The first one happens after the raid on the Waking Sands. Fresh off her victory against Titan, Severia wants to rush off and rescue the Scions herself. But she takes a moment to stop and wonder aloud, "What should I do, Minfilia?" She receives a vision of Cid in the church as an answer.

The third time it happens is while the Scions are fleeing Ul'dah after the banquet. Minfilia tells her to go, Severia insists she won't. She receives a quick image of Minfilia's body lying dead beneath a rock fall in the tunnel and from the point of view of the vision she can tell that she is also trapped there beside Minfilia. She takes it as a sign they should separate after all.

I'll probably use this as a device to explain when she has to do something that technically goes against her nature for the sake of the narrative.

[otherworldseekers]

Tumet Tribe Headcanons and Young Severia Lore

The children of the Tumet, upon seeing their tenth summer, are tied to a sacred tree while the remainder of the tribe packs up and moves to their next location. Those children who manage to break free from their bonds and catch up with the tribe at that next location, are given a name and allowed into the tribe. ~Official Tumet Lore

Because Tumet children do not earn their names until they undergo their tribe’s ritual, it is common practice to have a “childhood name”. This childhood name is often something very simple. It might be the color of the child’s hair or eyes. Or it might be their place within the family, i.e. “first daughter”, “third son”. However, some parents choose to use an “taboo name”. The purpose of the taboo name is to make any source of ill fortune or evil influence would overlook the child and thus make it more likely for the child to reach its tenth summer. These names take forms such as Nergüi 'No Name', or Enebish 'Not This One'. They are merely temporary and not considered a “true name”. 

Any child who cannot succeed in the tribal ritual to earn their name and place in the tribe is effectively banished from the tribe. It is taboo to aid any child in the midst of their ritual. Any child who receives help is also banished. Their parents are to live as if the child never existed. 

When Severia’s mother became pregnant with her, her mother had already suffered through two miscarriages and a stillbirth. It was considered a miracle that Severia survived and her father immediately insisted on using a taboo name to avert any ill luck that might take the child from them. The name they chose was Khünbish meaning 'Not a Human Being'. But Severia proved to be a frail child who was allergic to sheep, the source of their livelihood. Deeply disappointed and bitter, Severia’s father blamed his wife and had only contempt for his daughter. 

When the time approached for her naming ritual, an influence came upon her father and whispered in his mind that it was his opportunity to rid himself of the useless child. And so when the day came, Severia’s father tied the ropes more tightly and securely than was generally done. He did not want her to have any chance of escape. The tribe moved on and the child could not loosen the ropes or free herself. For three days and nights she was bound to the tree. 

Nearby there was a young man of the Mol tribe, a singer of healing songs, who traveled much to practice his art. In the midst of his travels he heard the voice of one of his gods urging him to change course. Thus did he come upon the nearly dead child tied to the tree. Had he not possessed the gift of healing, she would surely have died. But she lived and could not go back to her tribe. Young Ayanga Mol had committed a taboo of the Steppe. 

The voice of his god directed his footsteps southward towards Yanxia and he brought the child with him. He was a mere 9 years her elder, but had no choice but to become her guardian, at least for the time being. Ayanga was reluctant to call her by her childhood name, the meaning of which made him uncomfortable. Yet also the child resisted the idea of being given a name by him. So it was that he took to calling her emegtei düü, or little sister.