An unnerving degree of charm serves as Claudius Quickwood's most elegant weapon.He wouldn't have survived long without it, and it shows in how he navigates the current life he's meticulously pieced together for himself. While his career and studies alike have plunged him into dark, unfathomable depths of moral depravity—his pleasant candor always resurfaces, hells or high water, eerily indiscriminate of his circumstances.The magitek device embedded in his jugular suggests a history with the Garlean Empire that stretches leagues beyond his third eye. Any memories of its former glory remain shattered and incomplete, all fading into obscurity before his escape from the VIIth Imperial Legion as a hypertuned test subject. Rather than mourn what was lost, he's devoted his newfound existence to repairing the devastation inflicted by imperial forces.Claudius walks a precarious line between enlightenment and the threat of self-destruction, and he's perfectly inclined to accept whichever comes his way first with open arms.
Name: Claudius Quickwood • (???)
Age: Unknown • (Appears 25-35)
Gender: Male • (Cisgender)
Orientation: Bisexual
Status: Taken • (Monogamous)
Nationality: Garlean • (Pureblood)
Occupation: Independent Retainer
Big Three: ♒︎ • ♓︎ • ♍︎
Myers–Briggs: INFJ-A
Height: 6'4" • (193 cm)
Weight: 212 lbs • (96 kg)
Hair: White • (Semi-Translucent)
Eyes: Jet Black • (No Pupils)
This section is due for a huge update, pardon the dust.
Disgraced Academic
Due to credible homicide allegations, Claudius has irreparably tarnished his reputation at Lunar Academy and his gleaner apprenticeship at the Valtin Institute. He's continued his education independently, relying on methods and resources that border on illegality. You're likely to find him snooping around unsavory crowds for knowledge on forbidden magicks.
Graveyard's Scavenger
Being a part-time grave robber isn't a venture he's particularly proud of. Unlike most of his ilk, his targets of choice are rarely of any monetary value; between the memorials of imperial columbaria, and ancient Ilsabardian mausoleums. Occasionally, he'll also scrape abandoned battlefields to collect soulbound weapons or armor for materia extraction.
Hopeful Soulsmith
Claudius' favorite branch of aetherology revolves around all things crystalline and auracite-based. Currently, his research has delved frightfully deep into the creation of soul crystals—verging on an unhealthy obsession. He'll go to incredible (and questionable) lengths to obtain viable specimens to advance his studies.
Stray No More
Now clinging to the outermost fringes of society, Claudius has found family and sanctuary within the walls of the renowned Quickwood Estate. He works as a specialized retainer involved in the transport of rare and magicked artifacts, currently employed by the enigmatic proprietress known only as 'Madame'.
The final mystery is oneself. When one has weighed the sun in the balance, measured the steps of the moon, and mapped out the seven heavens star by star, there still remains oneself.Who can calculate the orbit of his own soul?
Unreliable Narrator ◆ Too Broken to Break ◆ Amnesiac Hero ◆ Quest for Identity ◆ Pyrrhic Victory ◆ Your Mind Makes It Real ◆ Dissonant Serenity ◆ White Hair, Black Heart ◆ Karma Houdini Warranty ◆ Shocking Voice Identity Reveal ◆ Living Memory ◆ Existential Horror ◆ Defector from Decadence ◆ Rage Within the Machine ◆ Big Labyrinthine Building ◆ Strapped to an Operating Table ◆ Mind Rape ◆ Painless Death for a Price ◆ Transhuman ◆ Classified Information ◆ Horror Hates a Rulebreaker ◆ Dead All Along ◆ The Dog Bites Back
https://static.wixstatic.com/mp3/f4343b_8d1b4815d9fd4663a83feb7cd321cc55.mp3
| ENTRY 173 |
|---|
| After countless nights of reverse engineering remnants of Allagan technology, progress on the Weapons Project is underway at long last. Though our efforts in replicating the Ultima Weapon's framework were successful, every viable substitute for the Heart of Sabik has displayed less than adequate results. Six subjects in total have been annihilated by the high aetherical demands of the machina. |
| Our Seventh attempt, as fate would have it, has shown incredible potential. |
| The main obstacle lies in the transference of combat data to the pilot's consciousness. Fortunately, what our prototype lacks in finesse, it makes up for in brute strength. By commission of Emperor Galvus, our firstmost objective is to refine current systems and develop new methods of streamlining aether to the weapon's core. Future models will also include a more suitable, protective cockpit for their chosen pilots. |
| My Arch Ultima, can you sense it? The burden of Garlemald's future upon your shoulders? Together, you and I will raze the lands of any savages who dare stand in our path. You are my greatest triumph, my engine of destruction. |
| We will achieve perfection. |
| ENTRY 210 |
|---|
| As I type this, all research for the Weapons project is currently in the process of being outsourced to Werlyt. I have been placed under much duress, along with strict orders to stay in the capital with Arch Ultima. Valens has determined that I will no longer have involvement in future development of anti-eikon weaponry. What little faith I once had in him serving our cause has been crushed to dust, and my only wish is to throw it straight into his eyes. Should've known he only wanted the glory. |
| Legatus Varro—loathe as I am to call him such—has also used his newfound power to file an investigation with the ethics department on our "behalf". The irony would be a joke if it weren't so underhanded. Our use of imprisoned convicts for biomedical engineering has been granted clearance by eight of the Decemviri's ten magistrates. There's nothing to investigate; it is merely a ploy to make me look like a fool. |
| Valens' refusal to utilize healthy specimens that display "pure-blooded" characteristics is nothing beyond a farce, a petty insult meant to test my will. It's nothing but another lob of spit flung at my face. I can only assume he's fled to Werlyt to further molest the young conscripts under his command. After all, everyone knows Valens is nothing without something weak cowering beneath him, lapping at the filth on his boots. |
| The fact of the matter is that I'm the only one with the stones to put it in writing. |
| I don't care who reads these reports anymore. |
| ENTRY 189 |
|---|
| Today, the entire VIIth legion has been restructured under the command of my colleague, Valens van Varro. Though I have no authority to contest this decision, I harbor concerns over how his new rank may impact our work. Rarely do we see eye-to-eye on matters regarding scientific dissertations, even with his talents as an engineer. |
| ENTRY 202 |
|---|
| Our development team has completed the synthetic auracite system to better facilitate synchronization between Arch Ultima's pilot and core. While multiple simulations have revealed higher rates of efficacy over drawing directly from the pilot's aether, one caveat remains. Leaving the system active for any extended period of time will cause irrevocable damage to the subject in question; rewriting their aetherical composition on a molecular level, and warping them beyond recognition. |
| We have named this phenomenon the Oversoul Effect. |
| The manufactured catalyst, our synthetic auracite, continues to prove itself as an unstable liability. There must be another method that I haven't yet considered. I am unable to find any practicality in a weapon that's to be piloted only once, regardless of how devastating its output may be. My doubts weigh heavy, and my frustration grows. |
| Even so, Valens reassures me that he has a solution. I must keep patience. |
| ENTRY 221 |
|---|
| The capital is under siege. Our emperor has fallen. |
| My greatest creation has been laid to waste by the Azure Dragoon and Gaius Baelsar's defectors. The fires of war burn bright at my heels, and there's nowhere left to run. The clock is ticking. This final message will serve as a testament to my life's work. |
| My Arch Ultima, though your body lies destroyed, your core will live on to herald our legacy. When this chaos falls to an eventual standstill, we will meet again. Until that day comes to pass, the most I can accomplish is to preserve what remains of your data; to keep your pilot in stasis. After everything we've experienced together, I refuse to accept defeat. We mustn't surrender, for your resurrection will pave the path to our revenge. Garlemald, our beloved empire, will rise again. By any means necessary. |
| United we prevail. |
| END OF TRANSMISSION..._ |
OOC Tells: Sure! • Walk-Ups: When I'm RP-tagged. • ERP: Nope. •
Hello, I'm Mezza! Thank you for taking interest in my narrative-doomed anime protagonist.
Claudius has been my main for a while, and has some hefty lore to his character as a result.I've played XIV regularly for about five years now, but have been role-playing through several mediums for well over a decade. With post length, I lean towards paragraph format, though usually make an effort to mirror my RP partners. I'm a slow typist sometimes, so please be patient!In-game scenes are my preference for casual interactions, while Discord threads are preferable for more in-depth scenes that require theater of the mind. I'm open to either, though my replies will be less frequent over Discord. My timezone is Eastern Standard, and I'm a huge night owl.I'm a 30-something, happily married woman, and only write with people over 21. Most of all, I strongly value the distinction between IC and OOC, and believe that communication is the most important aspect of this hobby. If our values don't align there, we probably won't be a good match.
What I'm About:
Long-term plots with overlapping arcs and some light slice-of-life inbetween. Balance and variety are crucial when it comes to keeping my interest.
Dark themes! Survival/horror, action, adventure, mystery. The good shit.
Developing intense, excruciatingly slow burn interpersonal relationships. Friends, rivals, colleagues, etc.
OOC friendships! Sharing memes, shitposts, playlists... I love all of it!
Bending XIV's lore within reason.
Decorating my housing spaces to suit the needs of specific settings/scenes.
DM'ing scenes with dice systems, playing NPCs for story purposes.
Crime Times and Moon Codes.
Not Interested:
Romance & ERP. Claudius isn't seeking a relationship, and I only write smut with close friends. Please don't ask me for it.
WoL/canon characters. They just don't vibe with what I usually enjoy writing.
Overly modern aesthetics. Aside from obvious exceptions for S9 characters, this is my biggest immersion-killer.
OOC Politics. FFXIV is my vehicle of choice for escapism. I'm almost never interested in discussing heavy topics pertaining to the real world, sorry.
Anyone under 18. This applies to both writers and characters. No exceptions.
I have zero tolerance for bigoted, demanding, or jealous RP partners. Anyone who doesn't understand that real life > role-play can fuck off.