Abandoned Hope

A striking Duskwight whose military bearing belies his artistic soul, Aurele carries the weight of his past in every precise movement. Years of Garlean conscription have left their mark - in his rigid posture, in his measured steps, in the way his eyes constantly scan his surroundings. Though he fights to break free from this conditioning, the drilled-in disciplines of Imperial service remain stubbornly ingrained.Before the Empire claimed him, he was known in the caves of the Shroud for his hunting prowess and his poetry, twin pursuits that spoke to both his physical grace and emotional depth. These earlier passions occasionally surface in his speech, particularly in unguarded moments when his carefully maintained façade cracks. His words can shift from clipped military precision to flowing verse, revealing glimpses of the man he once was - and perhaps might be again.

Deep in the North Shroud's caverns, Aurele was born to a close-knit Duskwight community that sustained themselves through mushroom cultivation and crystal mining. Their troupe maintained a delicate balance between self-sufficiency and careful trade with the surface world. Under his uncle's guidance, Aurele flourished, learning both the practical arts of hunting and the subtle beauties of poetry and literature. These twin passions shaped his early years, marking him as someone who could bridge the gap between survival and culture.The sudden loss of his uncle to a hunting accident forced Aurele to mature quickly. Taking up his mentor's mantle, he proved himself a capable provider for his people, his understanding of both cave systems and wildlife making him an exceptionally skilled hunter. His future seemed set - until a routine hunting expedition became a turning point in his life.A Garlean regiment, operating deep in Gridanian territory, captured him during one of his hunts. Transported to Garlemald as a conscript, Aurele initially resisted his captors with all the fierce determination of his people. However, the Empire's brutal conditioning methods eventually broke through his defiance. As his spirit cracked under their systematic pressure, his anger transformed - not just at his captors, but at his own people, bitter that they had proven too weak to resist Garlemald's advance.When the Empire finally crumbled, Aurele found himself unmoored. Years of servitude had stripped away his identity, leaving him with nothing but his gunblade and imperial uniform. Now he wanders Eorzea, a man caught between worlds - too changed to return to his former life in the caves, yet unable to fully shed the military conditioning that both saved and destroyed him. His search for purpose has become a solitary journey, each step an attempt to reconcile the hunter-poet he once was with the hardened soldier he was forced to become.

The Basics

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