Arthur Inkwell

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Mini Background & Stats

Born Avi Rhen to his mother Ava Rhen, a Viera botanist and scholar living in the Sharlayan colony in the Dravanian Hinterlands, Arthur's early childhood years were spent in Dravania, living in the colony and making frequent trips to the Great Gubal Library. When he was seven, he and his mother left the colony to settle in Ul’dah, with Arthur’s new Hyuran stepfather and stepbrother. It was there he grew up, attended school, chose his Hyuran "city name," and fell in love with the magic and history of the nation of Nym.Armed with an insatiable thirst for knowledge and a quick, dry wit, Arthur set out from his home to learn more about Nym and its magics – and his adventures eventually landed him in possession of a Nymian soul crystal, as well as Clover, the faerie residing in the stone. One day, he hopes that his journeys will lead him back to the land of his childhood and the homeland of his mother, which he has heard so much about.

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Full Biography

Born Avi Rhen, the only child of Ava Rhen, a Viera botanist living in the Sharlayan colony in the Dravanian Hinterlands, Arthur spent his formative years steeped in everything the nation of scholars had to offer, including frequent trips to the towering, tome-filled halls of the Great Gubal Library. Much like his mother, he developed an insatiable love of knowledge, devouring piles of books at a time even at a young age. When he was about five years old, a Hyuran man named Hector Inkwell and his then fifteen year old son, Morgan, came through the colony. Hector was the keeper of the libraries and archives for the city of Ul’dah, and had come to see Gubal for himself. He and Arthur’s mother quickly captured each other’s hearts, and they began to court long-distance over the next couple of years. Eventually, Hector asked for Ava’s hand in marriage, to which she enthusiastically agreed. She packed up seven year old Arthur and moved to the arid city of Ul’dah.Though he was not raised among other Viera, save for those few who ventured to Sharlayan and made a home there, like his mother had, Arthur had some understanding of the customs of his people - namely, their penchant for selecting a “city name” after venturing from their secluded forest homes. Arthur loved the Sharlayan colony of his birth, but wanting to be closer to his new Hyuran family, he began drafting up a list of Hyuran names, mostly inspired by storybooks, to choose from when he was old enough. When Arthur came of age and grew into being male, he brought his list to his parents for approval. Eventually, they settled on “Arthur”. (His mother still calls him Avi as a term of endearment, however.)Arthur’s home life was largely one of love and support. He even found a best friend in his elder step-brother despite their difference in age. Morgan was a full decade older than him, and a born fighter on top of that. He’d learned to wield a sword as soon as he was able to lift one. He was fascinated by military history and the life of the soldier, and took up with the Immortal Flames once he was old enough. Arthur, on the other hand, would have been content to spend his days in his father’s libraries and archives, nose constantly buried in a book. He was curious and precocious but had trouble speaking up for himself or voicing his own opinions.At some point, Morgan made it his mission to break his quiet younger brother out of his shell. He began dragging poor Arthur out of bed at ungodly early hours to put him through combat lessons. Arthur was not a fan of these lessons at first, but they eventually became something the two of them bonded over. However, Morgan’s aim was not solely to teach Arthur how to fight, it was to get to know him, to lift him up. As they trained, they talked, and in these conversations, Arthur’s confidence began to grow. He proved himself to be possessed of a sharp wit and an unshakeable resolve, and he was at last able to stand up for himself with his words just as easily as a blade.It was also Morgan who introduced Arthur to his biggest passion, the history and magic of Nym. Hundreds of years ago, Nym was a thriving city, but it had been destroyed by an ancient war between rival nations of mages, known as the War of the Magi. Nym relied heavily on their scholars to guide their military. Nymian scholars were more than just learned men and women, they were strategists and healers, who commanded faerie companions to aid them in battle.From a young age, Arthur had exhibited some talent with magic, and was more or less a self-taught Arcanist of decent skill by the time he was a teenager. When his brother mentioned there had once been a nation of magically-inclined military strategists and healers, the idea instantly captured Arthur’s imagination. He threw himself into the pursuit of the magic of the Nymian scholars, digging up everything he could find, even going so far as to poke around the more restricted sections of his family’s archives. In a few years, Arthur had a basic grasp of the craft, though he had no faerie to call his own, never managing to summon anything more complex than a carbuncle.Well into his twenties, Arthur had barely set foot out of the city walls, save for a few trips with his father on business, though not for a lack of wanting to. He had devoted himself to the family business, spending his days in his father’s libraries and archives, learning the tools of the trade and immersing himself in any and every book that caught his interest. His parents and brother could tell, however, that Arthur’s insatiable curiosity would not be satisfied by books alone. So they handed him a simple task: He was to deliver a set of rare books to a researcher and old family friend of the Inkwells, currently taking up residence in the neighboring island nation of La Noscea, and after delivering the books, he was not to return until he had seen everything of the world he wanted to see.Arthur took the assignment to heart, and after spending some time in the port city of Limsa Lominsa, he took to the open road, determined to live the life of an adventurer and explorer, venturing to those far-flung places which had always captured his imagination.First on his list was Nym, of course, and since the nation had once existed in La Noscea, it was a natural first stop. While exploring what remains of the nation he could easily get to (as most of it was either suspended in the air by magicked crystals or half-submerged in the water), he came across a strange little creature collapsed in the mud and clad in the tattered garb of a Nymian Marine - a tonberry. As Arthur approached, a Nymian faerie suddenly materialized and flew into his face, as if trying to ward him off. She was trying to protect the tonberry, who was injured and fading fast. Arthur instead offered to heal the creature, but before he could, a hunter appeared through the ruins to finish what he’d started, claiming the tonberry had some sort of treasure. Although Arthur managed to keep the hunter at bay, he was unable to save the tonberry before it expired. The faerie, touched by Arthur’s kindness, retrieved a small, shining object from the tonberry’s person and pressed it into Arthur’s hand - a scholar's soul crystal.The faerie had found something worthy in Arthur, and offered to become his partner, sharing that her name was Clover. With her help, and the help of the memories kept in the soul stone, Arthur quickly came to hone his skills as a scholar. He also learned how to better hone the aether around him and form it into a weapon - a sword that he is able to call out of thin air to aid him in those moments where magic might not be enough.Clover would be his constant traveling companion from that day forward, always with him - though often hiding in the soul crystal - as Arthur continued his journey to parts unknown.

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