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OOC INFO
_NAME: Aiden
_PLURK: owlcoholic
_AGE: 29
_CONCURRENT CHARACTERS: N/A


IC INFO
_CHARACTER'S NAME: Ser Aymeric
_CANON: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
_CANON POINT: Just after being led away from Ul'dah, in the events of patch 2.55
_CHARACTER'S (ACTUAL) AGE: Late 20s/early 30s
_CHARACTER'S (APPARENT) AGE: Same as above
_CHARACTER'S HAIR COLOR: Black
_TANAGURA (elite) OR MIDAS (mongrel)?: Midas/Mongrel
_HOUSING PREFERENCE: Anywhere in Mistral Park


_HISTORY: Wiki link!

_ABILITIES: As Lord Commander of Ishgard's Temple Knights, Aymeric is well studied in the arts of war and swordplay. He is strong, capable, and very controlled, and therefore easily able to keep a cool head while under high stress and great pressure. He's also quite a good diplomat, and enters into negotiations with the leaders of Eorzea and the Scions with ease, trusted by his superiors to represent the whole of the Holy See. He is a soldier, and an officer, possessing all of the qualities one might expect of a man of his station: quick thinking, decisiveness, charisma, and the ability to lead.

Aside from knowledge of the sword, he is also comfortable using heavy artillery. Against the dragons, the temple knights make use of cannons, harpoons and ballista quite often, and so he is well acquainted with all of these.

_PERSONALITY:

Do you know what sort of man becomes Lord Commander of the Temple Knights? One who comes from good stock.

I did not, yet here I am. Now why do you suppose that is?

Because I swiftly learned to tell the difference between words, deeds, and beliefs.

In many ways, Aymeric is very much unlike his peers, and different from what one might expect when encountering an elezen of Ishgard - and Lord Commander of the temple knights, at that. To better examine this, we must understand Ishgard and her ways, how her people behave, and reflect upon the world of Eorzea as a whole.

Until very, very recently, Ishgard has been an insular state, cut off from her sister states by choice, in self imposed isolation. From time immemorial, Ishgard has been at war with the Dravanian horde, and as such they show very little concern for Eorzea as a whole, given how wholly and entirely they are focused on battling the great wyrm Midgarsormr and his vast brood. Never in all her long years torn by battle has Ishgard ever reached out to her sister nations for assistance, and never have her gates been thrown open to solicit aid or welcome strangers (outsiders) within the walls of the city. Though travelers are tolerated within the Ishgardian controlled lands of Coerthas, none but Ishgardian natives are permitted to pass beyond the Gates of Judgment into the city proper. Very few natives take issue with this, and they are overall content to keep to themselves, and remain highly distrustful of strangers. Ishgard is also a theocracy based around the austere and severe Church of Halone, and overseen by the Archbishop above all. The temple knights serve the Archbishop directly, and Aymeric is their leader.

Given how closely tied these knights are to the theocracy, one might expect Aymeric to be as anyone might think such an influential Ishgardian figure to be - narrow minded and provincial, wary of outsiders. One could not be more wrong.

Aymeric is a surprisingly open-minded fellow, generally amiable, and easy to get along with. Though he retains a certain expected aloofness and severity, when compared with his peers he is positively cheerful, and almost shockingly malleable - though one must take it with a grain of salt, as 'cheerful and malleable' for an Ishgard is still somewhat chilly. Aymeric is sociable and receptive, but he is still Ishgardian, and he values his people and his home above any outsiders, or Eorzea as a whole, if it comes down to choice. This much is evident in his negotiations with Alphinaud, when he is first introduced. Though he states, in so many words, that he supports wholeheartedly the Holy See's consideration of opening the Gates of Judgment to allow outsiders within, he is coldly fierce when it comes to laying down his terms, offering very little past what Ishgard needs to give, and brooking very little compromise. The needs of his home and his people come before all else, and in this way he is unswerving in his loyalty to his state.

In this way, we are able to discern Aymeric's key personality traits - tenacity and loyalty, cool ferocity and workability. He is flexible in his own thoughts, and not an unreasonable negotiator, but when the time comes to lay down his boundaries he is not afraid to set them, especially when concerning his duties. And so he is a tireless and savage opponent across a war table, but on a personal level he is considerate and kind, ruthless to his enemies, charitable to his friends.

It is also of note that Aymeric is new to his position, and also quite young, but he is very quickly rising in fame and notoriety among the temple knights, and Ishgardian's peoples as a whole. His passion and ambition are remarkable enough that he is known throughout the nobility even by those who have not yet known him, thanks to his 'glowing reports', or so it is said.

Even more of note is that he holds this position and this power while possessing no titled name to speak of - he himself admits that he does not come of 'good stock', which is rather surprising, considering Ishgard's political climate, and the inclinations of her people. There is no direct caste system to speak of in place, but the majority of the populace's influence and power is held (aside from the archbishop) by Ishgard's four High Houses: Fortemps, Dzemael, Haillenarte, and Durendaire. These houses control their own troops and lay claim to most of the lands in Coerthas, and their names hold incredible weight. The city itself is divided into two levels: the Foundation, where the lower class dwell, and the Pillars above them, for those of higher birth. It is suggested that the common citizenry is good for little better than serving those above them, that they are even in a way 'disposable', so it can be surmised that Aymeric himself is among them, or that he at least once was. By his own merit he has risen in the ranks of the temple knights, and gained this significant and authoritative position through hard work and his own talents and initiative.

This would serve to explain why he, despite his prestigious rank, he is rather more compassionate and open-minded than those of a similar rank. Growing up poor has provided him with a far different outlook than the nobility he works beside. Still, it takes a sharp mind and great ability to climb so high and so far - Aymeric may be warm, but he is also sharp. He is intelligent and discerning, able to judge those around him quite keenly, to, as he states, see the differences between words, deeds, and beliefs. Not a single person does not at some point come under his inspection in one way or another, and there are very few details that would slip his notice. He is a man of action, unafraid to move boldly and with conviction whether it comes to rooting out heretics, bargaining terms with representatives, or leading troops against dragons, but he is cautions and prudent to a fault, and not wont to dive headlong into anything without first considering all angles and possibilities. He is considerate but capable, sympathetic but forward, incredibly loyal and completely pragmatic to his very core.

_ITEMS: His clothing/armor and sword, nothing else.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT MY CHARACTER IS THE FOLLOWING:
_SENTIENT: yes
_MENTALLY ADULT: yes
_CAPABLE OF CONSENT: yes
_CAPABLE OF SEXUAL AROUSAL: yes