Pyralis
Mercier

H I S T O R Y“You stare at me like you've never seen a Xaela before.”Abandoned at birth, Pyralis was found by one of the commanders of the Temple Knights, Commander Mercier, during one of many years of the Dragonsong War in an empty house in Coerthas Central Highland. Allowing himself to be called his father, Commander Mercier raised Pyralis on his own along with the help of his trusted house servant after sneaking him into Ishgard. The commander also taught Pyralis how to play the piano and talked of bringing peace to both mankind and dragonkind.Throughout his entire childhood, Pyralis had to be dressed in ridiculous cloaks, hats, masks, and such to hide his Au Ri features whenever he had to go out. Most of the time, however, he stayed indoors in the Commander’s chambers. When he soon realized the disguise was because he was a threat to Ishgard and Her people due to his dragon-like features, he suffered deeply from depression to the point where he was once caught by the Commander trying to saw off his horns, scales, and his tail. It was extremely tough for him growing up in Ishgard with his only friend being the house servant, but he was always reminded by the Commander that the war will end and things will get better.Commander Mercier was unfortunately executed by the Heavens’ Ward when he was later reported for taking more Au Ra's to refuge. Although Pyralis was never caught, his father's death caused him to spiral deeper into depression. So, he continued to keep himself hidden in the Commander’s chambers while starving himself until the house servant convinced him to leave Ishgard to where he will have freedom. So, Pyralis, at the age of a young adult, snuck out of Ishgard with the help of the said house servant and traveled to Ul’dah alone to become a knight and carry on his father’s legacy of fighting for peace and justice. He trained under Mylla in the Gladiators’ Guild and mastered in becoming a Paladin before joining the Maelstrom for further training.After couple of years of being in the Maelstrom, he finally set foot returning to Ishgard to help bring an end to the Dragonsong War. There, Pyralis encountered a certain man who claimed to know the art of darkness and became interested in using said darkness to fight. He continued to study this mysterious power by training and traveling with this mentor of his and his companions. The life of his mentor, unfortunately, did not last very long and by the time Pyralis fully realized he had fallen in love with him, it was far too late.Because he was born and raised in Ishgard, Pyralis, unfortunately, does not know much about being a Xaela, their tribes, and culture. He does not quite find their traditions and such fitting to himself either, but he definitely tries his best to understand them. Being able to call himself an Ishgardian makes him happy and proud enough.

P E R S O N A L I T Y“Wearing the correct dress for any occasion is a matter of good manners.”Pyralis is generally a gentleman but he is also quite short-tempted at the same time. He typically tends to get angered easily when one's insulting his father and/or his hard work and achievements. He can also get pretty upset when someone insults his looks, too.Other than that, he always has his charming smile and is nice (maybe not exactly kind) to everyone he meets and talks to. If you're close to him, however, he may constantly stop by to hand you ridiculous amount of cosmetic samples he had been trying out. Or he would try to drag you to go shopping with him. It's his way of showing affection!

J O B S“Jewels, one can express their emotions with them and that is what I love about them the most.”While Pyralis goes on his duties most days in Maelstrom, he also runs his own business, Mercier Jewelry. So, you will sometimes see him mining or crafting new jewelry on his day-offs to accommodate his jewelry shop. He is known to be one of the finest goldsmiths, but a picky one at that - if he finds the task is something an amateur can accomplish easily or something of no good fashion sense, he will not take the commission.

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L I K E S“Mon Dieu, you're committing one of the worst crimes dressed like that!"Pyralis absolutely loves fashion! When you're in a dungeon with him, he may be busy looking for new attires from the treasure chests. You can also find him staring at the local market boards for hours and hours, or trying out all kinds of clothes for a long period of time. Pyralis also loves music as well. Far before his passing, Commander Mercier’s has taught Pyralis how to play the piano when he was still a child until he began teaching himself afterwards. When he’s not traveling or shopping, he’ll usually be at home, trying out new cosmetics. He probably won’t even mind you putting makeup on him either as long as you make him look good!

D I S L I K E S“For Thal's sake, you live like this?”Unless you’re his closest friend or his significant other, he will absolutely not talk about his past and Commander Mercier with you aside other than that he was his father and that he passed away long ago - he does not like to show any sign of weakness to others.In addition, he has yet to gain his trust with the Temple Knights even after the end of the war due to his father's passing.Pyralis is also all about cleanliness, so he absolutely despises when things are messy and disorganized. Even in battle, he carries around a handkerchief or two and a pocket mirror to keep at least his face clean. And even when he’s mining, he really takes his time to make sure he still looks good.

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R E L A T I O N S H I P S
(To be updated occasionally)“You all are my most valuable gifts of all.”

Matou Liautroix - This girl is the nastiest skank bitch I've ever met. DO NOT TRUST HER. She is a fugly slut!
The inquisitor of the Holy See, who now apparently holds a judicial position in the city. Pyralis may only expose his ties with Matou to those who have a deeper bond with him. The first time they met, the inquisitor almost charged Pyralis with heresy - if you're good friends with Pyralis or if your character receives intel in Ishgard, they may have heard this story.Later on, Pyralis found out Matou was behind his father's execution, but Matou almost immediately offered exonerating Commander Mercier's name from his "crime." However, Pyralis also suspects the inquisitor had murdered many more innocent people during the Dragonsong War and it has been his goal since to shed light on his crimes.Unfortunately, Matou and his guard, Uriel soon witnessed Pyralis using the dark arts and therefore leaving him no choice but to keep his distance from them.

Odgan Tumet - Captain Mercier's Baby Girl
A Xaela who Pyralis greatly hesitates to call a friend despite everyone else seeing them as close friends. They met when Pyralis and his squadron members were urgently dispatched to Aleport due to a reported sighting of bandits causing trouble in the said area. When they arrived to the scene, they saw that this red-scaled Xaela had already taken care of the problem. But when Pyralis tried to interrogate Odgan for further information on what had happened, Odgan seemed more interested in Pyralis' scales that were indeed in terrible condition. And so, he miraculously found Pyralis' residential address, broke into his house to help him properly shed his scales.While Pyralis would say there is no friendship between Odgan and himself, the two have been seen together quite often. Everyone considers them oddly and extremely close. Pyralis was also frequently seen paying many things for Odgan...

Tielo Verast - Royal marine, WHO? Don't know her
Someone Pyralis should have not messed with. He bumped into Tielo in a cave at the Sea of Clouds, not knowing that she was also a captain in the Maelstrom. Although she is on a semi-retirement, Pyralis also didn't seem to understand the gap in hierarchy between a military captain and a royal marine. And so, he foolishly continues to accuse Tielo that she had mined his boulder that he marked without his consent and whatnot.Without a doubt, a report regarding Pyralis' immaturity got sent to the Admiral and instead of giving him a traditional discipline, the Admiral ordered a project for the two to work together on. Will they be able to develop a friendship or at least a positive working relationship? Or will they remain as enemies?

Callisto Dymion - Two of Them
One of Pyralis' few friends who seem to have a good sense of fashion. Pyralis stumbled upon Callisto at the Arc of Venerable when he was street-performing on his violin. He was quite captured by his performance that he had to stay until he was finished to ask for his name and the piece he played. He certainly did not expect to have even a couple of things in common with Callisto, though. They both claimed Ishgard as their home and were both also interested in fashion and music. Pyralis just still wished they did not meet wearing the exact same clothes as each other, though - he thinks it's terribly embarrassing, especially because the merchant he had bought his from said it was "one of a kind."

Myron Linwood - Good listeners, like precious gems, are to be treasured
One of very few people Pyralis truly finds comforting to talk to and to be with. The two met at a local bar in the Mist and immediately, Myron's odd, yet familiar way of speaking caught Pyralis' attention. Regardless, they ended up bonding together quite well by talking about rocks, gems, and mining in general. Myron has always been nothing but kind and a true friend to the Xaela, so Pyralis prays that he will be able to protect Myron and others he cares deeply for.

Elysium Hawthorn - Feeling cute, might investigate some heresy in Ishgard later!
A detective that Pyralis had aided in an off-record investigation. Elysium first visited Pyralis at his jewelry shop after hearing of his position in the Maelstrom and wanted to request his aid in investigating a theft that happened in La Noscea. Because the stolen items belonged to a noble in Thavnair, Elysium wanted to quietly perform the investigation to prevent the suspects from being alerted of it. Pyralis denied to lend a hand at first, but upon compromising on the rewards, he rather quickly changed his mind.Although they were not able to retrieve all of the goods, they were able to retrieve the most important one to satisfy their client. In return for his aid, Pyralis had requested Elysium to investigate a murder that took place in Ishgard during the Dragonsong War for him. And even though the two have started a little rough, so far they seem to have developed a decent working relationship.

Jarchigu Dokumo - When you were gambling at the Saucer, I studied the Blade...
Pyralis' mentor who helped him study the blade. He met Jarchigu during one of his many trips to Kugane, performing unique, never-seen moves with the katana on a striking dummy. Intrigued, he came up to the man, pestered him to teach him the art of the blade. Ever since, Jarchigu has been training him to wield the katana. And although Pyralis tends to get distracted and try to get Jarchigu to start following his extensive skin and scale care routines, Pyralis seems to be learning quick.

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R E S I D E N C Y“I feel most at home when I'm in my favorite attire.”Pyralis currently resides in the Mist, Ward 5, Plot 23. Despite being in the Mist, his residence is heavily inspired by Ishgard. Perhaps he misses his home, the home he lived in with Commander Mercier.

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O T H E R - C A N O N S1. Pyralis tends to be a bit direct with his words especially when it comes to him commenting on another person's sense of fashion.2. He's a bad actor.3. Gossip. He loves to gossip. He's well known among the ladies in Ishgard and whenever he visits, he's spending half his time catching up on the latest juice with them.4. Despite his quirkiness and occasional bluntness, he's extremely well-respected in the Maelstrom.5. Being extroverted, Pyralis prefers to go out (shopping and the likes) with friends.6. Pyralis still doesn't have a clue about his biological parents. Although, there had been a story in the Azim Steppe about a Hotgo woman and a Dotharl man, who fell in love and had a child in secrecy. But due to conflicts in their tribes against each other, they had escaped to Coerthas with their newborn child and was never seen again.7. He tends to get a bit jealous and try one-up when he meets someone more attractive than himself.8. Pyralis does extensive hair, skin, and scale care routines daily and nightly. He also loves getting his nails done weekly.9. As a captain in the Maelstrom, Pyralis has been working on becoming promoted to a commander rank in the grand company as well.10. He only smokes when something heavy is on his mind or when he's incredibly depressed, but he also does this when no one's around as he dislikes showing his vulnerable side.11. While he's busy with the Maelstrom and his side job as a goldsmith, he actively donates a good portion of his income to various charities.12. The Goldsmith's Guild knows Pyralis well on how picky of a goldsmith he is, but they're also aware of his high reputation regarding his remarkable and unique works.13. He has a hawk companion named Dior and she was gifted to him as a nameday present by a Steppe woman he was acquainted with. She's very obedient and you'll almost always see her perched on Pyralis' shoulder.

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R O L E P L A YFeel free to /tell a starter anytime to Pyralis! You’ll find him in Ul'Dah or Limsa Lominsa most often. Don’t hesitate to talk to him even when the RP sign is not on display! ERP is acceptable with OOC consent unless my character is already in a relationship.If you'd like to schedule a roleplay session with Pyralis, please feel free to schedule one here.

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M Y - O C SIf you're interested, here is my other OC in FFXIV:Eden Tsurugi: Gridanian mercenary

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