the memory hurts,
| QUICK INTRO |sawain is motivated by their pure, boundless love, their unwavering hope, and the weight of responsibility that they bear with honour. there is a hint of nostalgia, yearning, and melancholy that hangs over sawain like a cloud despite his best efforts to hide it. sawain is calm, graceful, musical, protective, sensitive, thoughtful, kind-hearted, curious, artistic, and measured. they are careful with their actions and words, but will never hesitate to lend aid.he is honey-voiced, honest yet gentle, whimsical yet dutiful, mournful yet bright. has a deep love for plants and wildlife and a knack for keeping journals, even designing the covers and binding the pages himself. since childhood, sawain has crafted his own botanical compendiums, bestiaries, foraging field guides, and his own personal journals. sawain's personal journals contain details of their adventures, sketches, the music and lyrics of their original songs, diary entries, musings, and pressed flowers. sawain journals often!about 50 years prior to the events of ffxiv, sawain's twin brother setanta burnt to ash in front of him, spending his life force to slay a monster. setanta's aether refused to rejoin the aetherial sea upon death, choosing to be absorbed by sawain instead. he can manifest freely in the dream realm, as a voice in sawain's head, or temporarily as a foggy apparition (like esteem). having developed a better understanding and full control of their soul situation, setanta opts to give sawain as much privacy as possible while maintaining a safe, close distance.think of me, and i will be with you. always.
for where else could i go? who else could i love but you?
but does me no harm.
TRAITS:
gentle, protective, loyal, dutiful, compassionate, sincere, loving, sentimental, artistic, whimsical, disarming, musical, curious, composed, graceful, nostalgic, melancholic, kind-hearted, thoughtful, resourceful.APPEARANCE DETAILS:
180 cm / 6’1”, prominent and sharp canine teeth, very long, wavy, dark purple hair almost always tied in a ponytail, with shorter pieces framing his face, cascading in soft waves just past his shoulders. piercing red eyes. black-tipped ears. muscular thighs and calves. lithe, elegant movements. typically composed and calculated, soft smiles and carefully-chosen words; his composure will likely break in the face of intense emotions. covered in freckles from head to toe, floral/botanical tattoos all over his body, scar under left eye (previously blinded; had setanta's eye transplanted in its place), puffy and reddish top surgery scars.
ATTIRE:
partial to wearing loose tops and tight bottoms, preferring clothes that do not pose a hindrance to movement. will wear light armour if the situation calls for it, but sawain relies on their grace, agility and speed in battle, so he would rather wear non-obstructive clothing. commonly worn items include cloaks, boots, and blouses, adorned with lace, bows, or botanical motifs. sawain is no stranger to wearing revealing or "risque" outfits and will opt for an outfit comprising an exposed chest, open-back, short and/or tight bottoms; they have a keen eye for aesthetics, even in battle. jewelry is includes a little bouquet comprised mostly of blue flowers and a menphina or lunar envoy earring on their bottom left ear. high on the right ear, sawain wears a gold bee earring high on his right ear. sawain almost always has flowers in their hair and they sometimes wear a crystal necklace.
INSTRUMENTS:
flute, harp, fiddle, pipes, guitar, & voice. was more of a performing musician in the past; most of the music sawain plays now is for himself and his companions for either leisurely, cathartic, or combat purposes. sawain's singing voice is rich and deep, but it can also take on a haunting, eerie quality that can be dangerously enchanting for those caught in their crooning.
BATTLE STYLE:
essentially a dark knight / dancer / samurai / viper blend with bard and white mage elements; sawain’s esteem takes the form of setanta. partial to swords of varying lengths; sometimes he dual-wields shortblades, other times he wields a single claymore or a thinner-bladed longsword. sawain emboldens and heals allies through olinde conjury — he sings during battle; healing wounds, lifting spirits, and inspiring hope.carries a weapon at all times! bare minimum, sawain has a concealed knife. typically, he has several, concealed in a boot and on display in a thigh holster, belt, strapped at their hip, or otherwise. he was given the moniker “bladedancer” for a reason. swords and daggers are sawain’s preferred weapons, and he battles with them in a choreographed, measured, elegant manner.generally fights in a composed, dance-like manner, but it should be noted that sawain can enter a riastrad state, courtesy of setanta and the wolves. his tactics change, taking on an unrelenting erratic rage that spurs each slash of his sword and toss of a dagger, igniting himself, his weapons, and his enemies in conjured flames.additionally, sawain has two wolf familiars (faewolves), one of which was acquired after setanta’s passing. they are not always visible despite always being near sawain; in combat, they can fuse with each other and with sawain, whom they are intrinsically tied to. with an innate sensitivity, sawain can sense and sometimes communicate with other unseen/unspoken/intangible beings (i.e. elementals, fairies, pixies, spirits/ghosts, etc.) as well.
( 0 - 13 )
the twins setanta and culann are born next to a large, warm bonfire one samhain.
culann is constantly lost in daydreams, more interested in the plants and creatures living around them than forming any friendships with school peers who've already deemed them as weird and off-putting mostly on account of their family business, yet setanta supports, protects and defends them. always. they're glued at the hip, two peas in a pod, never one without the other.the twins' echo manifests quite young. they meet hydaelyn, oneiros, and nemesis in a shared dream that befalls them suddenly one morning while exploring the woods near their family home. upon waking, culann and setanta both form familiar bonds with the two faewolves that had appeared, protectively watching over their sleeping bodies.sharlayan school isn't nearly as fun as what they learn from their mom and grandma at home, but the twins do well in all subjects nevertheless, making a few friends but mostly keeping to themselves. where one struggles, the other excels; through tutoring and being tutored by each other, they are star students. despite their academic prowess, the twins eventually make the decision not to continue their studium schooling, opting instead for an outdoor, hands-on education shadowing their mom and grandmother.
( 13 - 20 )
culann and setanta both do not anticipate nor enjoy the changes their bodies undergo. their mom and grandma are supportive, ensuring they have the space to process and discover things for themselves. both twins bind their chests and switch from they/them pronouns to he/him.culann continues to have weird dreams where he plays an active role, fully in control of himself while meeting strangers that feel oddly familiar. unbeknownst to him, he is travelling through the dream realm, entering the dreams of his living shards on other worlds.
( 20 - 30 )
culann and setanta both have top surgery in sharlayan before setting out on their adventure together. they travel first to dravania, followed by coerthas and la noscea, returning home to visit and help their mom and grandma infrequently over the next decade.culann and setanta are about to set off to the shroud - 10 years after the autumn war - when they have to change course after a raven brings them a message from their mother that summons them home. it's their birthday, samhain: lost souls, malevolent spirits, and everything else unseen and in between pose a heightened threat on this night which invigorates even the faintest of lingering wills and strong feelings to take shape. a particularly malevolent spirit has fully manifested, nurtured controversially by a researcher from the studium whose proposal had been previously denied by the faculty on account of their inability to confirm adequate safety measures.when a crisis of the supernatural kind strikes in sharlayan, the lasair family is called first. for generations, they've fought and aided such spirits; assisting the the non-violent ones with whatever they may be clinging to, and battling the violent ones to force them away.setanta meets the beast head on, calling for culann to watch his back; their typical formation. setanta launches, stabbing his spear through the beast's chest. the beast was wounded, but it wasn't enough. setanta let go of his spear, leaving it impaled in the beast while he curled into himself, cloaked in a radiating red glow. setanta was preparing to enter riastrad and culann needed to handle things while he shifted. leaping up and launching toward the beast, culann swung his sword as it wound its right claw back. culann's sword is smacked away when the beast's claw slashes down, its razor sharpness finding easy purchase through culann's left eye and down his face. the shock of the injury is unbearable, and culann blacks out.riastrad charged, setanta carefully lifts culann and carries them to safety, delicately placing him on the ground. with the steadiness of a surgeon, setanta uses his newly-formed claws to remove his own left eye, unflinching. he quickly hums a preservation spell around the eye as he gently cups culann's hands around it for safekeeping. after gently kissing culann's forehead, he whispers "i'll be back!" in a raspy, gravelly voice before he charges at the lingering will, engulfed in a blaze of conjured flames.when culann comes to, a shape reminiscent of his twin brother hovers over him, but it's too big, too bloody, too inhuman to be setanta. as it comes closer, culann notices the large, beastly stranger is missing an eye and cupping something in its blood-soaked claws. it's hard for culann to see clearly, barely able to keep his one good eye open to get a better look. his vision flickers and before long, his eyelid feels too heavy to lift open. in the darkness, culann relents.upon burning to ash and freeing the lingering will from the physical form shackling it, setanta's life force flew away from the aetherial sea and instead was absorbed by culann, resulting in setanta becoming a sort of “soul ghost” residing in culann's mind, soul, and dreams."don't worry, i can take care of it," a comforting, familiar voice echoes in culann's mind, assuring like a tight hug and he smiles, warmth washing over him. "i've got you, always. no matter what." relaxed, culann feels something gently press against the top of his face, and then nothing at all. "sweet dreams, brother."when culann wakes again, he is laying in his bed in his family's home, the bed on the other side of the room painfully empty, left unmade. his mother is there, eyes raw with tears as she explains setanta took his riastrad too far and went down with the beast. through sobs, she reveals that setanta had removed his own left eye before his body disintegrated from the effects of the riastrad to give to culann; she found culann performing the transplant on himself, though he has no recollection of that happening. culann later discovers that it was actually setanta taking over his body to implant the eye and heal the surrounding wounds.coping very poorly with everything, culann hides away in the black shroud, the place he and his brother had planned to adventure in next.
( 30 - 87 )
lives as a hermit in a quaint little cottage tucked away near the sylph settlement and difficult to spot as it is camouflaged among the tree-trunks and foliage. helps lost children and others in need, befriends the sylphs, and fills the shroud with eerily beautiful music; heard, but seldom seen. after not being called it for a long time, he sheds the name "culann", opting instead to be called descriptors on the rare chance someone sees and interacts with him.they become mythologized by locals and travellers alike, often referred to as "treesinger" and spoken of in hushed, giddy tones. gridanian citizens begin seeking him out for various reasons; healing, help, or simply just to hear his music. often sought out by botanists, bards, and conjurers in particular.acquires his floral tattoos during this time - he did most of them himself, though the sylphs did help with some.when he confides in a few sylphs that he'd like to have a name again - but a new one, since he feels like a new person - he eventually settles on the name sawain after much consideration. he opts for an eorzean spelling of the festival he and his twin were born during. from here on, he will embody the brilliance and warmth of the samhain bonfire that burnt brightly outside their family home, that welcomed them both into the world simultaneously— sawain lasair; the flame of samhain.post-calamity, sawain becomes a little more social, spending more time engaging in human interactions, going out of his way to find down-on-their-luck folks in need of assistance to put his skills to good use. he teams up with a few adventurers he had previously helped, feeling inspired to tag along with them when they express they'd appreciate any skills and advice he has to offer.before becoming fully in control of communicating with ghost!setanta, most of their interactions happen in dreams or as setanta's disembodied voice in sawain's head; setanta and sawain both have not figured out a way for him to manifest a physical, corporeal form yet. while they have a handle on communicating, the possibilities and the limits of their soul connection turns out to be an ongoing development over the course of each expansion of the game. (i.e. learning esteem through drk questline = setanta temporary corporeal form; esteem looks like setanta in riastrad - upon dissipating, the riastrad reverts and a shadowy setanta smirks as they return to sawain)cue events of a realm reborn!
notes on each expansion.
Sawain is the Warrior of Light and though their story does not significantly deviate from the game's events, there are additions, alterations, elaborations, and divergencies that take place in his canon.(Sawain lore preceding the game's events can be found here.)
a realm reborn.
hee hoo hee hoo heeeeee hoooooo
yay there's an indent 123456789 0 987654321.
heavensward.
setanta manifesting as esteem.
stormblood.
Text
shadowbringers.
Text
endwalker.
Text
ancients sundered, fragments remain
venat was like a mother figure to the ancient twins, discovering them wandering the woods far outside of amaurot. she learned their parents had been researchers from elpis and carried out horrific experiments with their children as test subjects. venat took in the twins and raised them as her own.ONEIROS | the dreamkeeper and seat of azem | < sawain's ancient >
creator of fae-kind; deep affection for canid lifeforms.
dreams, memories, connections, love, and understanding others.
although they were ultimately sundered, their creation made from their own essence, possessing their memories, still lives fully intact. tasked with tending the dream realm and capable of crossing the veil between worlds, the familiar is capable of visiting the dreams of their whole self's shards as the dream realm threads all worlds together.
hydaelyn's azeyma was made from her memories of oneiros.NEMESIS | the retributor and aid of azem | < setanta's ancient >
leading authority of canid lifeforms, worked on behalf of oneiros.
loyalty, justice, retribution, and protecting the innocent.
nemesis created two wolves in particular to aid and protect oneiros - one wolf for the dream realm and one for the waking world. these wolves were tasked with following oneiros, as nemesis was their twin's protective shadow. where oneiros was whimsical and somewhat naive, nemesis was watchful, on guard, and discerning. menphina was created through hydaelyn's memories of nemesis.
[ on the olinde and sharlayan ]
heavily influenced by the leabhar gabhála érenn. sawain's ancestors reflect the tuatha dé danann (aislingeach) and the fomorians (feilmeanta); their arrivals and conflict are inspired specifically by the second battle of magh tuireadh. the people of nyunkrepf's ark reflect the milesians."olinde" is tolkien's elvish word for harmony,
literally meaning "together (o-) + singing / music (lindë)."
⁎ ⁂ ⁎ ⁂ ⁎ ⁂ ⁎
typical physical traits of the olinde include black-tipped ears and sharp fangs.olinde conjury is similar to white magic and the conjury practiced in the shroud, but without the need for a conduit; healing magic is hands-free (aside from the accompaniment of a herbal medicine during or after the spell) and with the addition of channeling and amplifying through song and dance. the use of music and dance enhances healing spells and buffs allies in a variety of ways.in essence, they are WHM / BRD / DNC / BTN / ALC hybrids!some olinde warriors are able to use riastrad — a monstrous, battle-frenzied, berserker-like state — as a result of their feilmeanta ancestry, but its usage is highly discouraged due to the dangers it poses to the body and mind, often leading the user to death. regardless, some olinde still practice it, teaching and learning in secret. practitioners are frowned upon and as such, they lead solitary lives or leave sharlayan altogether to make a living (generally as mercenaries) elsewhere.somewhat similar to WAR's inner release / inner beast, but more volatile and results in a beastly physical transformation. overuse will lead to complications when reverting back to normal (like retaining features of the transformation) and eventually death.
⁎ ⁂ ⁎ ⁂ ⁎ ⁂ ⁎
prior to the arrival of nyunkrepf’s ark and the establishment of sharlayan, other waylaid peoples had arrived in the northern empty seeking refuge and a place to call home
a great battle ensued for many years between the first two groups who arrived around the same time — the aislingeach and the feilmeanta
the aislingeach chose to work with the land they had arrived at, embracing it as it was. they were reverently devoted to learning everything they could about the aether-rich land they had arrived at to protect it from harm. they quickly devised an art that blended botany and conjury with their tradition of song and dance. not only did this enable them to connect with and play an active role in maintaining the land, they had also developed a means to heal, support, and embolden the might of their warriors. forming pacts with animal familiars became commonplace, and many warriors were practitioners themselves
meanwhile, the feilmeanta focused more on increasing their brute strength, carving rock and felling trees while sapping aether for their warriors' destructive battle-frenzy states. the strongest among them could shapeshift into enraged monstrosities embodying the chaotic forces of nature — a practice known as riastrad — though it was often at the expense of self-control that required external means to revert. they believed it would take overwhelming might by any means necessary to carve themselves a permanent home on this land and overcome the harsh conditions they had grown accustomed to after many years at sea
with efforts focused mostly on combat, illness and starvation swept through the feilmeanta, resulting in many choosing to live with and even fight alongside the aislingeach. with their combined pools of knowledge and practices, the aislingeach and allied feilmeanta pushed the relentless yet dwindling force of the hostile feilmeanta back out to the increasingly violent sea. the aislingeach and feilmeanta who remained declared a new name for their unified people: olinde
when nyunkrepf’s ark came into view, many feared that the feilmeanta must have found a terrifying power and were emboldened for battle once more. as they prepared for the presumed siege, the land and surrounding sea were enshrouded by a conjured mist
hoping to prevent further damage that the olinde were still working to repair, a representative from their number approached the ark before any could take up arms; a leader among her people by the name of anu. unbeknownst to all, she was a shard of azem and possessed the echo, factors that lent themselves to their conjury's development and pact-making with animal familiars
she spoke with nyunkrepf and learnt of his astrological prediction, of those he took in and the hardships they faced along the way. he told her of the war of the magi that had led to the flood which had enraged the very tides that had brought them all to this land, the olinde included
anu could discern these exhausted, wayfaring people spoke true and simply wanted a place to call home - just like the olinde. her land and people could deliver nyunkrepf’s from suffering by welcoming them and sharing all that they had learnt of this place, and so they would. together, they establish sharlayan
profile + extra info for setanta ?