"YOU DON'T GET TO DIE AND BE REBORN THE SAME. YOU COME BACK, BUT YOU COME BACK WRONG. THIS IS THE PRICE YOU PAY FOR RESURRECTION."

nathanial orion gk

Captain Kouneli @ Balmung - RP - 18+
WAR80 || SCH70 || CUL80
《 Novv Clutchmate 》《 The Strategist 》《 Philanthropist 》
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CAPTAIN KOUNELI
of the carrion bride

"The ship. My ship - the one destroyed by a thrash of Leviathan's gargantuan head, in a storm that haunts my waking hours and puts my nightmares to shame - it was called the Carrion Bride. Can you guess why?"The Captain shifts in his seat - his posture is calm, but his eyes are stone cold. "It's because that's what people used to see when they looked at me. They saw my people as nothing more than animals, brought to port for their pleasure. And I swore: for as long as I commanded that ship, no one would ever see me that way again."There's a pause; one of his long ears flicks. "And now it's gone, and a part of my soul with it. So do as you will. Just know the danger of playing with a man with nothing more to lose."

more info

common rumors

- if you've been around vylbrand a while, you may remember the erstwhile captain from before he had his title and his reputation. were you around when kouneli enlisted, and was subsequently assigned to the maelstrom's original raid on kobold territory? maybe you remember seeing a burring, quick-thinking viera assisting with logistics for refugees after the fall of dalamud?- if not that, you may still have heard of a ship called the carrion bride after its untimely disappearance in a harrowing excursion, the details of which differ depending entirely on who you ask. (among the most popular rumors? that the bride's captain went mad in leviathan's thrall, and killed his crew with his own hands.)- the captain served in ala mihgo; if you're connected to any other alliance soldiers, or even just their gossip, you may have heard about a storm captain who mowed through massive numbers of imperial footsoldiers in one swing. this feat of strength is discussed in mostly celebratory tones, but there's an unmistakable concistency: "i'm just glad he's on our side."

uncommon rumors

- TW: violence, blood, viera gender politics: another viera might know that kouneli's departure from his clan was far from amicable. not only did he cause problems by rejecting his assigned role, but when he was cornered in battle with another male viera and his pride on the line, he turned his back on his people for good. maybe you've only heard the rumors that he gored a man with his teeth like a beast; maybe you saw him do it. either way, what you know of him is a far cry from whatever poise he exhibits these days.- while the captain wears most of his myriad titles with pride, or at least a cheeky sort of acceptance, there's one that he carries silently: the canary killer, so bestowed when his efficient brutality led to him wiping out native kobolds to the last hope. to this day, he hides his face at overlook and the surrounding areas, in deference to the society of people he helped very nearly destroy. he seems to believe his only recourse is reparations, physical and financial, but his support always arrives anonymously.- as of late, the captain has been collecting reading material on an utterly disparate collection of subjects. among them: a famous ishgardian heretic from the end of the dragonsong war, serpents of legend both fiction and nonfiction, academic theory on egi, tempering, albathian heroes, and historical maps of vylbrand and the indigo deep. his needs are so specific that he's had to pull on many varied resources just to acquire the texts, much less translate and study them.- NSFW: put inelegantly, kouneli has a long history with a faraway BDSM scene. while he hung up the trappings of that life and now polishes his own boots, it's possible that any character could've come across him in similar circles. he doesn't do much casual sex these days, but he's likely to talk about his experience with those he trusts.- death penalty: whatever happened to the carrion bride, anyway...?

RP? yes! walkups, /tells, and approaching cap at events or venues are all fair game.
ERP? very, very rarely.
COMBAT? absolutely.
ROMANCE? not for this one!
DARK/MATURE THEMES? yes, but not exclusively. i need levity.
TRANSPHOBIA IC? if you want to permanently establish your character as a gross asshole, i guess.

RP HOOKS:OLD GHOSTS >>
kouneli's soul isn't quite right - housing some broken vestige of the primal leviathan will do that. any character who is particularly sensitive to bizarre or dangerous aether would know immediately that he isn't as docile as he appears. so saying, he does not seem eager to hear about it. yikes!NO BARGAINS >>
other viera probably see cap as either shamefully ignorant or unreasonably uptight. he wouldn't go back to the forest even if he could, but he does still adhere to a sense of duty and obligation to the sacred wood; if pressed, he might say that he's protecting it in his own way. he seems to have a complex past with his clan, and views most others of his kind with suspicion.FISH AND SHIPS >>
the good captain has been a foremost aide in connecting the maelstrom to sahagin tribes. he is often pinging across vylbrand as a beleagured go-between, and characters with opinions about these relations always seem to wind up in his office.NOT AGAIN >>
kouneli has a habit of bothering baderon's guests at the drowning wench, where everyone knows his name. he will frequently eavesdrop on conversations and insert himself into other characters' business with charm, wit, violence, or all three.TECHNICALLY NOT ILLEGAL >>
cap is always in need of useful contacts who might further pad his little black book. if you have a unique skill or particularly juicy information you can offer him with some kind of regularity, he may be interested in supporting - and financing - your work.SOMETHING ELSE...? >>
some of the main themes i like to play with on cap are: grief & loss, survivor's guilt, beasthood/the grotesque, transition, personal spirituality, overworking, accountability & atonement, food as love language, and chosen family. if any of that sparks your interest too, don't be afraid to reach out and ask! let's make something weird.

THE BASICS >>name: captain kouneli kharis
age: 145 (appears 30s)
birthday: 18th sun/3rd astral moon
race: viera (rava)
gender: transmasculine
sexuality: homosexual
relationship status: married to his workPHYSICAL APPEARANCE >>hair: muted green with choppy red highlights; its length and style changes based on the weather and his mood.
eyes: one blood red, one pearl white both blood red, following actualization with his powers!
height: six feet in the heels
build: tall and sharp. good posture with a feral step. (flat-chested as one would expect after top surgery, no matter what the game thinks.)
distinguishing marks: sunspot freckles and various other weird moles. a smile full of shark teeth.
common accessories: round, brass-rimmed glasses, a distinguished cravat, and gloves to keep his claws modestly hidden.
smells like: (faintly) cinnamon cookies, salty sea breeze, ink, armor polish. earthy.PERSONAL >>personality: eccentric, forthright, businesslike, cheeky
profession: grounded naval captain working as what he describes as "a go-between for more powerful people." also a freelance chocolatier of some niche renown.
hobbies: cooking, dancing, reading. more reserved than he acts.
languages: common, thieves' cant
residence: currently living in his office above the bismarck.
birthplace: golmore
religion: not in so many words... he sure does spend a lot of time with the sahagin, though.
patron god: althyk, the keeper
fears: going back to the jungle, being outed as a fraud, the primal leviathan

LIKES- a stiff drink- spicy food- homoerotic sparring- the sense of pride in a job well done

DISLIKES- being away from the city too long- being underwater- most other viera- not living up to expectations

the captain's memory of his fateful final voyage isn't as complete as he'd like - but neither is it as far behind him as he lets on.the last night the crew of the carrion bride spent alive was a stormy one. no one has since arrived at a clear picture of what occurred, other than that something violent befell the familiar ship, and kouneli was the single navigator-blessed survivor.the bride was only one of many casualties of leviathan's rampaging through the indigo deep, reducing the humble privateer's vessel to splinters and blood in an instant. its crew - the men kouneli had sworn every oath to protect and guide - were all tempered or killed, the ends of their lives as quick and brutal as the bride's forthright captain was rumored to be.of course, what of kouneli himself? that he was under the primal's thrall, there can be no question. but he doesn't understand how he survived, and his men did not; all he can assume is that he made another choice that left yet more blood on his hands. he believes, somewhat grimly, that his gut instinct must have been to save himself, to make some kind of awful bargain, and that the residual survivor's guilt is the least of what he deserves for his betrayal. among his fragmented memories are howls that haunt his nightmares, sounds of his tempered loved ones being rent apart by teeth and claws... though the question remains: what did happen on the open sea that night?if your character is clever and well-researched, with access to the right resources, they may be able to come close to the truth. depending on how they know each other, kouneli may even probe them for information. but ultimately, it's a part of his past he feels no need to share. after all, he's been availed of a fresh start, and one could say he's taken to the warrior's inner beast like a fish to water...

- OOC =/= IC- cap is, in-universe, a socially powerful and influential character. that said, i have no interest in god-modding or one-sided dynamics. feel free to work with me if you think your character would have more influence in a situation!- continually misgendering kouneli OOC is a one-way ticket to block town. IC will be dealt with case-by-case, but if i don't know you, you're on thin ice. lore compliance is not an excuse.

i'm grey! i'm a 29yo gay trans activist, artist, critic, and consultant on the west coast of the US. i picked up XIV since we've all been on lockdown, and love it dearly even if i will probably never get the fabulously feral title for kouneli. my favorite things to write are often a mix of rollicking adventure, queer intimacy, unnecessarily loaded descriptions of food, and wry sexual humor.black lives matter, abolish police and prisons.

THE NEW CARRION BRIDE
or, the ballad of kouneli kharissince his inception, this character has come a long way! and of course, quite a bit of that is through collaborative rp with others over the last year. i'm lucky enough to have a few rp partners who have really helped me develop cap in play, and i'd like to at least summarize some of the major arcs he's gone through with their help![THE TEMPEST]
feat: saint morning, rumi tatsumi, go'wo molkoh; hyrtwyda eyhafrynwyn, faurox darloix- in which what lurks in the deep finally comes to the surface. though his grief and fear are well-practiced, the captain at last turns his eyes to the sea monster in the room; his long moons of research finally culminate in the knowledge that, for better or for worse, he'd been tempered along with his crew. his strange aether and beastlike features indeed come from leviathan himself - but the story that he sacrificed his crew doesn't match this new knowledge. though it appeared that he traded them for his power, it was a trade made against his will, a fate chosen for him by a weak but water-aspected echo. he's made his peace with the howling beast inside, and has taken to researching what his survival means with renewed vigor and hope.[WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD]
feat: faurox darloix, norhi morovine, brave horizon, verideus- as a major collaborator in kouneli's successful research, faurox darloix remained at the captain's side to continue his work. unfortunately, a pair of time bombs had been ticking down steadily in the background of their domesticity, and his time was up. the reveal of a new enemy, the reappearance of an old one, and the bare wire of his unusual illness draw his plucky rabbit boss into the fray; where he earns new scars to help win faurox's safety and ensure he'll never have need to uproot his life and run away again.[FORGET-ME-NOT]
feat: faurox darloix; kiona kharis, elliot cadieux, nephrite wilk, dantisdon stillforest, khajakan hatasashi- after a long and intimate friendship, faurox left the captain behind - with his aether sickness stabilized and the world at his newly-free fingertips, kouneli's gloomy elezen companion finally decided to go somewhere he'd meant to see for some time: sharlayan. of course kouneli bid him farewell with professionalism and grace, but an unexpected loneliness has come with his idle hands. to combat it, he's taken up work for a small patisserie, making the sweets his dear faurox always loved for a handful of regular customers.[WAKING UP THE GIANTS]
feat: khajakan hatasashi, miden rouge; leviathan- (mild spoilers for endwalker)
- kouneli hasn't taken to the front lines in some time, but he can't shake the feeling that something is calling to him. that he has business yet unfinished. as fortune would have it, the captain became a key figure in the maelstrom's battle with lunar leviathan; and that drive for closure almost kills him. he is injured in that battle gravely, and released from active duty after many years of service. and yet... he seems at peace with this, as though his adventure has finally come full circle.[THE NEW CARRION BRIDE]
feat: kiona kharis, glazgeim thatcherwyn, victoria castle, faurox darloix, khajakan hatasashi, stalwart bison- when he wasn't looking, a new crew formed around the captain. it's taken him quite some time to accept this, given his intense survivor's guilt and habitual prickliness, but even he has come to admit that he's surrounded himself with people who make him feel brave enough to take to the seas again. though rather than reliving his old life, kouneli has decided to embrace his new one: as a professional chef of niche renown, running a humble gay bar that only inherited the old ship's name.