Azukh Oronir

"I know these lands like the lines of my scales."

Behemoth horns, ridged and goring, crown his skull with four points of adamant challenge, their headstrong tenacity jutting forth over thick brows. Grand as antlers and sturdy as an ox's, they are threatening warnings and effective weapons one and the same. Symbols of both might and prowess as one, his horns stand proud in part of his very identity.A bristling, thick mane of ash-streaked sable hair runs in wild waves and large braids from his scalp, descending mountainous shoulders over the chiseled frame of his back, down to the cusp of his waist. On special occasions, he collects the wild chaos of his leonine mane into a tapering plait as one large, sectioned braid.Hellish eyes ringed by radiant aether pierce the untamed night, observing with the ferocity of a stalking predator; watching through the dark, discerning shrouded things unseen by most. Just so, the deep russet of his own irises is all too obscured within the eclipses of his stare.Halfway hidden behind supple, dark lips, scarred from cheek to chin, clench monstrous jaws—dozens of ruinous fangs serrating a yawning maw itching for a terrible bite. The largest of them cross his lips in plain sight, a pair of tusks jutting up from the corners of his mouth.Rogue, wild locks hang over his mighty chest, inked by sprawling patterns of unknowable marks and runes, a map engraved in flesh. Each hooked and curving glyph, black with nascent aether, seals something invisible to most. Only the most discerning few, with a keen eye for aetherology, might discover the flow of primal chaos stemmed through the dendritic ley-lines of ink.Tough, hardened scales form the natural plates of iron-tinged, onyx scutes armoring his dermis. This second skin of dense lamellar is tough enough to deflect glancing blows and stop blades in their path, vastly more durable than the intricate, iridescent scales most common among au ra.Large spines extend from his vertebrae, laying flush against his back when relaxed and standing on end when agitated. The scales of his posterior bridge from the nape of his neck to the small of his back, running the distance down his torso to the root of his tail. His fifth limb reaches longer than the rest; a mighty crocodilian tail sweeping and swaying about the ground behind him, flitting and gesturing with its own tells while poised to grapple or strike.The wild itself adorns what little of him he does not simply leave bare— fur and hide of the behemoth, mammoth, and tiger; yol feathers and dragonscale ornamenting his frame from horns to heels. He shields his spirit with sacred bone sanctified by ritual, shamanistic charms carved of wisteria purified by the blessed smoke of sage and juniper. A sleeve of holy linen seals his left arm taught from shoulder to knuckles within its ever-mending embrace; skin and scales beneath charred black by malignant darkness.

virtual photos by @hol, character art by @Ken and @SYR

"Tomorrow will not be easily tamed."

Azukh is a lone warrior seasoned by conflict, turmoil, and ferocious brutality — roiling blood running swift and thick. Old wounds and scorching rage ache across body and soul, battle scars visible in plain sight through gaps in his garb. Known to some and well-known to none, the whispers of unseen spirits weigh heavy on the slopes of his shoulders, the creases of his brow, the shadows around his gaze, and the dull gleam of his stare. Faded scars of his past temper an instinct of second nature: to speak with the voice of the wild and take up the mantle of austere protector in defense of the chaos of life. His faith is instinct borne by the legends of his ancestors burned into his mind, whose might preserved the motherland of his people for generations. Still, his eyes have witnessed the fading flicker of too many mortal flames.The hunter is all too often regarded hastily, as no more than his monstrous shape. Prejudice has formed impressions impossible to overturn, yet at times ringing of truth. Prone to an insatiable thirst for painting the world red with violence, Azukh rarely risks mingling with others or braving crowds of the masses. Quick to the blade, slow on the uptake, the wolves within him at each other's throats smother what charisma he might muster. Survival stands above all, survival against all odds, and through it, the bloody right to claim power — of heavens and hells alike. Power, to discover the answers he seeks - so close he can almost taste them. His unending sojourn unfolds as an eternal test of spirit, the hunter's determination everlasting as the dragons he worships.New faces and their wary stares meet the same in turn, a pantherish gaze and wolfish vigilance analyzing their every breath from a wide berth. While protective of those he cares for, strangers face a great ordeal against his thick skin, tough scales, and dense skull. To this end, he favors the companionship of beasts and non-humans like himself, who might choose to find a place under his wing or beside his fire. All ye of civilization beware.Mutually beneficial acquaintance is almost exclusively what he seeks from others. The nuances of romance, navigation of intimacy, and sentimental bonding are all strange concepts he has little reason to see comfort in. Attempts to flirt with and talk up the giant more often fall flat against a wall of oblivious confusion than they meet success. Never wont to stay in one place for long, those seeking to keep him around should prepare to keep up else they fall behind.To those with a sense of the ephemeral, his sheer presence bears the teeth of a dangerous hunger, one not so easily sated by mere food and drink. The man is a mutant, black-blooded through and through. Primal magic has transformed the hunter and altered his aether, flesh, and bone through esoteric ritual and enigmatic alchemy by methods scholars east to west can only scratch their heads at, confounded. The most evident of his strange, supernatural traits are the elements of his soul: astral fire and umbral earth, and of them, his affinities with sunlight, magma, and magnetism.

"We watch, we wait — we hunt."

• Wherever men walk, monsters lurk close behind. Sanctioned by Clan Centurio, under private contract, or by bloody oath, there are always things that need killing. As far as Azukh is concerned, none kill better. He hunts for the will of his gods, the pursuit of power, and the art of survival — in that order. Known among rival hunters and familiar clients alike, the dreaded infamy of his prowess lives up to its reputation.• An upbringing among the occult, esoteric traditions of his nameless tribe, and a life spent honoring those tenets have formed an arcane insight through his perception. Those who look into his eyes can see that he has faced unimaginable horror and is no stranger to the umbral. With an affinity for the dark, perhaps he can help you out of the shadows. For a price.• A transient visitor of the world's more discrete, obscure establishments. Azukh can occasionally be found haunting empty tables in dark corners of these places, hidden in plain sight between hunting grounds with pipe and smoke in hand. Most often found camped in the furthest reaches from civilization, he takes up ruins and derelict groves as his own temporary sanctuaries. A good, sturdy tree bough is just as good as any bed to him.• Blasphemous ritual has mutated his body and forged his flesh and bone to adapt and survive against all odds. Despite his unnatural state of being, he champions the cause of the wild. Maybe you like freaks of nature. Maybe you really don't. He can be prickly about this fact, so one should take care in broaching the subject.• A veteran of the Dragonsong War, his survival was marked by a strip of crimson dragonhide wrapped around his right arm. For which side he fought is dangerous to question. There are days when he wakes still in the thick of war, at the frozen wastes of the western front, nights when he swears he can still hear Dragonsong wailing in his horns.• And many more— the hooks above are in no way exhaustive, only recommendations for walk-up RP, long and short-term plotting, and whatever else you can think of. Discussion is always welcome.

Interactions with Azukh often bear on themes of folk horror, dark realism, and mature grit (sex, violence, drug use, etc) of varying intensity. Comedy and slice-of-life are fair game on occasion, but I go out of my way not to make either my focus. Adventure and progression-heavy plots, helping other people meet IC goals, and plots with notable direction are the approaches to RP I enjoy the most.Azukh seldom seeks out friendship; his interest in most people remains strictly transactional. This doesn't mean he can't warm up to people and make friends. What I'm looking for is a dynamic between our characters, whatever that might be. A mutual need and use for one another are always favored over the ambiguity of friendship.

"Listen. Learn."

In-game: Azukh Oronir @ Balmung
Mare/Mods: Ask
Discord: Ask
Bluesky: @wyrmtotemI go by Ram, writing is what I do. My objective is simple; to intrigue and entertain, provoke thought, and inspire feeling.• I'm down for long-term, short-term, and even occasional one-shot RP.
• Dark fantasy, horror, supernatural themes, mythology, and folklore are a few tasty flavors I enjoy. Character development, humble adventure, and a little slice of life are great too.
• Flex between RP on Discord and in-game with a balanced mix of both.
• This character's concept, themes, skills, and traits may bend hard lore rules. FFXIV is a versatile setting that allows room for and execution of most fantasy concepts, so long as they adhere to sense and reason with respect for officially developed worldbuilding.
• I don't tolerate overzealous strictness when it comes to enforcing lore in RP so feel free to keep that shit to yourself if gatekeeping is your thing.If you got this far, you da bomb brah.