Shizukana Mori (FFXI)

[Thenarius]

Under the feet of any other man, the fallen leaves in West Ronfaure would be crinkling loudly with each step he took.

But Thenarius was a Ranger, and was well versed in moving with stealth, even when it was not truly "necessary". The presence of the Knights of San d'Oria in the Ronfaure region was well-felt, and their influence in the region was only ever voluntarily toppled, once per year in fun sport between the three primary nations of Vana'diel. As such, the area was not at all a dangerous one to be walking in, and Thenarius knew well that every beast between those trees was just one arrow away from being his meal for that night. It wasn't necessary, though, and it is not respectful to take lives unnecessarily. Respect for Nature had been instilled into him by way of his Elvaan upbringing's value of respect for tradition. After all, nature had the greatest and longest-lasting tradition of all -- life. Still, he felt like he should keep any disturbance he made on the wildlife to a minimum, and thus he tred silently, with no beast or man recognizing his presence there, that early Lightsday morning, and to good end, too. It gave him time to think without interruption.

Ronfaure was not a strange land to him -- quite the opposite, in fact. He had perhaps spent more of his childhood life running through the forests than sitting still inside the city walls like some grown-ups insisted he must do, back when Ronfaure was a more dangerous area, with wilder beasts and beastmen lurking everywhere. The Knights were spread thin then, due to the war; their efforts were divided between many different fronts, and so the world was a wild place outside of the city. But Thenarius never cared. Everyday he would set out in the morning, and many he would not return until past sunset, when the torches outside the city burned against the silhouette of the night. He would go out and watch everything. He would sit and watch the rarabs hopping about, the flowing of the streams and the calmness of the lake, the wind making itself known by its touch upon the leaves, and the stars falling in the sky, blazing paths to places uncharted. Some Elvaan elders insisted that a boy of his class and intelligence ought to be sitting in school all of the time instead, but at the end of it all, he was given the leeway because his education was fulfilled quite fine in the outdoors. You couldn't teach tracking from a book, anyway, and his potential in that area far exceeded that of any other, even if his intellect was quite high. He preferred to make himself nature-wise than book-smart.

Thenarius smiled as the memories rushed through him, invigorating him as much as the breeze upon his skin did as it picked up, guiding him onwards to the city. But he lingered as long as he could, wherever he found something of interest. He studied the terrain with the eye of a well-traveled man now, without losing the echo of the wonder in his eyes as a child. He knew every shortcut through the area, but refused to take them, instead making his path more convoluted just so he could once again experience every place he once knew. It was for that experience that he had refused offers of teleportation or Chocobo on this journey; he knew he had to take the time to appreciate the world as it was. Many things were vastly different from the days of his youth -- the beasts were weaker and much more passive, for one, and the land was no longer scarred by the harsh warmachines of the Orcs. None of that was truly the important factor in his memories, though, and that which starred in those was ever present to that day. The spirit of the woodland could never be extinguished, no matter how hard some may try. Thenarius knew that the power of the Ranger was to study, understand, and live by that spirit, echoing the greatest tradition of all within his life as purely as he could.

It was that goal that drove him away from San d'Oria, in truth, many years ago, after he had grown from his childhood. The Elvaan were noble hunters, true, but he had learned all he could from nobility, and sought to hear the voice of the wind clearly. To this end he made his journey into Windurst, to seek the wisdom of the Mithra there -- specifically Perih Vashai. He clutched the fang he wore around his neck close to his heart at that memory. The cat knew how to teach, all right, but what she taught was not knowledge that belonged to her. It belonged to any that lived off the land, and was always there for those who could listen to find. He was a precocious child in that matter...

He thought on that journey and smiled as he remembered where he was know. Returning to his homeland, though, not to make his home there. Merely on matters of business. It was an unfortunate affair, but he knew he could not leave Windurst so easily now that he had made a life there. So he made a vow to experience as much of the charm of his childhood as he could in his childhood home -- Ronfaure. San d'Oria was just an accessory to the woodlands, though he admired the city greatly.

He was coming up at the gates of the city around dawnbreak. As he approached the guards, he turned back to watch the golden rays peeking over the hills and through the trees. It was a foggy morning, which delighted him, as he greatly appreciated the mix of fog and sun. He looked over the colors of the sky, grey and yellow and deep, dark blue, fading together into what would soon be a bright blue with perfect clouds within it. Stretching his arms, he embraced the breeze that blew into him, seemingly urging him into the city. He smiled slightly -- he knew he could not forget the reason he was here, even with how much he loved the feeling of being back home. He hummed a tune from his childhood as he turned back around, setting foot on the cold stone of San d'Oria, preparing himself to meet with the King.

[Bell]

I regret that you have but one "true" backstory to give for your country. It helps much though, I can see nuance that allows me to expand from here in both the directions of my own FF writing, especially if it references you, and in the adaptation of that Cardinal session we had, that you and I should collaborate on when we find time. I am glad you found time for this, as it chased away the memories of my nightmares.

Unlike the last, I read this all at once, given its nature and having more 'space' in my heart to intake it. I possibly overdid it because now I find myself filled with drive to create and aim to match your output, but alas, my time is constrained. I hope to use the energy to work on a specific aspect of Chaos Fractal as well, therefore, and will link you to that when I have finished, especially since you can most likely help with it.