Altaani Qalli

Arbiter | Songbird | Wanderer |

IC Info

Full Name: Altaani Qalli
Title(s): The Shrike, Shame of the Qerel, Black Ram of the Steppe
Nicknames: Songbird, Lullaby, ThunderstormAge: 38 summers
Nameday: 11th Sun of the 6th Umbral Moon (December 11th)
Guardian: Nhaama, the Dusk MotherRace: Au Ra
Clan: Xaela
Nationality: Steppeborn, Qalli/QerelGender: Trans woman, she/her
Orientation: Lesbian
Relationship Status: Taken, but open to more (polyamorous!)Classes: DRKHeight: 6'10
Weight: Approx 350 ponze
Build: Muscular, heavyset, "like a brick shithouse!"Defining Features: Curled, imposing horns not unlike those of a Steppe dzo. Extensive scarring from many fights. Sharp fangs and a long forked tongue. Claws on both hands and feet; feet are digitigrade and possess reptilian toes and claws similar to those of a crocodile. Bright blue levinscars, like living conduits, span her flesh and scales.

IC Info

Personality: Standoffish and proud, Altaani is not an individual that most would consider easily approachable, despite the fact that every word she speaks is in a lilting singsong used by the Qalli tribe. An individual who speaks better with her sword than her words to the uninitiated, Altaani can be gruff and intimidating to those who have only just scratched the surface of her blackscaled bastion; persistence and determination will allow newfound acquaintances to catch a glimpse of the warmth and humanity that lingers within the shards of her shattered soul. To those who know her well, she is a generous and loving woman, playfully sarcastic and protective to a fault. No matter one's connection with her, Altaani is an individual who values highly the importance of honesty, and sees disdain in deception and lies.

OOC Info

Hi! I'm Shiloh, though I go by a handful of other aliases across various sites! I've got at least a decade of roleplay experience under my belt, and FFXIV has become my first and foremost haven for RP.1) I'm open for most types of roleplay, and have no problem with Altaani meeting folks from all walks of life! She's a bit rough around the edges herself, so mature and dark roleplay themes are acceptable as long as they're discussed beforehand.2) Walk-ups (provided my tag is on) and tells are always welcome - feel free to give me a holler if you want to set something up, whether you see me out in the field doing content or idling in the QS people-watching!3) Being homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist etc. around me will put you on a fast track to my blacklist. Altaani is a trans woman, and this does not give you permission to make tactless jokes about that fact, either. I will not roleplay with you if your character is blatantly fetishistic or labeled as such (ie. 'futa' or 'trap').4) Obvious but still needs to be said. Altaani's views on things IC don't always reflect my own. Please keep this in mind when roleplaying with me!5) Feel free to reach out to me with any questions or ideas you might have - or if you just wanna chat, that's okay too! I pride myself on being a pretty kind and open individual, and am online fairly frequently. The best way to reach me if I'm not online in FFXIV are through my social media links below! <3

shiloh#2084Please inform me in-game through /tell if you plan to add me on discord! I don't like to add unfamiliar names, sorry!

History

Born to a Qalli father and a Qerel mother on the Azim Steppe, Altaani was born into a life of adversity through no circumstance of her own. Raised under her mother's scrutinizing eye and held to sky-high standards of Qerel excellence, Altaani's solace was found beyond her grueling training - in particular, she took much enjoyment in bouts of Azim Bokh with her tribemates, and late-night indulgence in carafes of kumis around the campfire recounting Xaelic folkloric legends for those who cared to listen.As the years went on and she completely failed to manifest an Inner Beast in any shape or form - an expectation for any Qerel, notably for the daughter of an esteemed berserker - tensions between Altaani and her mother, Ankhbayar, began to mount, and she began to savor the first tastes of defiance of her established fate. With that defiance, however, came an innate shunning from her tribemates, orchestrated by her mother's wounded pride; lest she lose everything she had worked for, Altaani surrendered her defiance to bear her axe for the Qerel in her first Naadam.As if life had fated it to further alienate her from her peers, the silent shadows that had coalesced around an embittered Altaani manifested on the bloodied battlefield of the Naadam into the form of her twin Darksides, Sonata and Scorn, for the eyes of all to see and to further decry the outlandish circumstances of her existence. Two halves of a newly-shattered soul, one love and one loathing, took up blade against the other in a brutal, bloody battle for dominance over Altaani's soul that left the bodies of friend and foe alike strewn across the steppes - and cost the Qerel their much-desired victory in the wake of the pandemonium.With her tribe's blood on her hands and the loathing of the Qerel and her mother alike chasing her from the tribe, Altaani sought refuge in the only other home she'd ever known - amongst the ranks of the Qalli. Even here, however, her newfound scrutiny as the Black Ram of the Steppe and a curse hewn by Nhaama's hand meant she could not find solace; tormented by her twin Darksides and the abyssal magicks that had all but consumed her, Altaani found herself surrounded by bitterness for the world and every life left upon it.Even the continued love of her peaceful Qalli father for his daughter could not tame the abyss Altaani had tumbled into in a freefall; she left the Steppe as soon as she was capable of doing so in search of answers. She has been traveling across the star for a decade's worth of moons now, searching for a purpose and somewhere to belong.

RP Hooks

SoulshatteredThose familiar with matters of the soul may be able to sense or otherwise identify the fact that this Xaela's seems to have been tampered with; peculiar abyssal stitching weighs down her soul with fragments of those not her own, to be precise. Altaani is woefully unaware of the precise nature of her shattered soul; such knowledge will have to be broken gently.SongbirdAltaani's peculiar habit of singing her sentences to others may be unfamiliar to those hailing from Eorzea, but those who are acquainted with the Qalli tribe of Xaela hailing from the Azim Steppe will recognize her mannerisms with ease.The ShrikeWhile she has no interest in making a name for herself based on her grim skill with a blade, the title of The Shrike is one that has stuck to Altaani since her departure from the Steppe many moons ago. Adventurers may have heard rumours or murmurings of the Shrike's presence following in the wake of Altaani's travels, particularly given the presence of bloodshed - be it from her blade or another's.LevintouchedAltaani is oft likened to a storm; a result of the lightning aether coursing through her body lends credence to this comparison, particularly as she weaponizes it in combat to strike as quickly and decisively as a bolt from the heavens. Those proficient in reading aether may find themselves interested in her innate abilities.