Naia Newpath
Adventurer, Retainer, Goof-off
Versatile, dependable, and too clever by half
Sometimes a self-indulgent fun-lover
The good kind of trouble
Introduction
Age: late-20s?
Pronoun type: she
Posture: ready-to-go, confident
Aether: balanced, plentiful, energetic
Orientation: demi-r, femme-leaning, partnered, ENM
Inner self: neutral good
After a hard day: passed-out sideways on her bed
Vibe: a job perfectly done, then a night messily fun
Associates: Keilis Starfall, Eveline Serra, Petra Sirocca, Aji Starshadow, Teva Lightstep, Ria Ril, Dowani Fa
Associations: The Rogues' Guild, the Maelstrom
Locations: Limsa Lominsa, Ul'dah, Gridania, Ishgard, Kugane
Typical adventures: sneaky business (recon, intel gathering, focused violence), fishing?, lazing about
Jobs: ninja, conjurer, thaumaturge, red mage
SummaryNaia's early life was one of promise, mischief, and loneliness. Precocious in the extreme, Naia found herself in the Sharlayan colony in western Dravania at a very young age, though for reasons she can't remember, her parents weren't with her. Her custodian was disengaged, disinterested, and often outright absent, so the young Keeper quickly learned to find her own way through each day, making frequent use of her talent at going unnoticed and slipping through the cracks; however, while her unusual situation gave her incredible freedom and taught her many useful lessons, it also meant that the evacuation plan was another crack she slipped through. She did make it onto a ship, but that ship didn't go to the Sharlayan homeland - it went to Limsa Lominsa.Clever, independent, and smart as a whip, young Naia did quite well for herself in the city of pirates, soon finding a family in the Rogues' Guild. From there, adventure followed, and a few years after the Calamity, she met Keilis, an adventurer with experience and drive Naia had never known. The two fell in together, each covering for the other's weaknesses and valuing the other's competency, but also simply enjoying each other's company. When they both independently tried to purchase the same house in Ishgard, it surprised none of their friends when they happily took the excuse to move in together. Today, when not pursuing her own interests, she assists him as an ally and friend, manages their shared finances, and, sometimes, they even share their hearts and their beds.As an adventurer, Naia's ability outweighs her ambition, and while she's excellent at accomplishing goals, she isn't great about making them. She can get a lot done, if a lot is asked of her. Her quick mind has made her a credible practitioner of several combat arts, but her tendency towards indolence has meant she's only truly excelled at one - that of the ninja. Between her time in the darkmans and learning catch-as-she-could of the shinobi arts, Naia has a great deal of skill and possesses bottomless potential, but her lack of formal training holds her back somewhat. Perhaps her greatest asset, though, is her ease with stealth, whether though sneakiness, assuming an unassuming presence, or the age-old tactic of simply acting like she's supposed to be there.
"Heck yeah we'll do it, easy! We'll be back in time
for drinks and cute dancers - and you're paying!"
Hooks
Her Passions
Naia excels when excellence is asked of her, and so she relishes opportunities to conquer difficult problems. This isn't to say that she's easily goaded into pointless-yet-challenging conflicts, but rather that, just as an easy task is lackadaisically done, a job she can sink her teeth into will pique her interest and inspire her cleverness, creativity, and perseverance.
Enjoying fun is far from a unique trait, but Naia leans into it harder than most. Left to her own devices, this miqo'te would spend every waking moment prowling whichever city she's in - mastering the ebb and flow of swirling shoppers and toiling workers, pathfinding through alleyways and across rooftops, and cheering on each and every dancing woman and man. While not much of a drinker herself, watering holes are always such interesting places to her, and she's even learned how to mix some drinks of her own!
If there's one thing Naia is a sucker for, it's a good cause, and if the leader is competent, charismatic, and has a virtuous vision, Naia will be sorely tempted to pitch in. Such was the case with Ishgard's various restoration projects - although she lives there, the cold city didn't capture Naia's heart, but a heart-felt speech from a very pretty Elezen lord was apparently more than enough to get Naia invested! So too did a short trip to Kugane become a long involvement with Doma's rebuilding, especially once she witnessed its handsome leader at work!(Lord Hien can totally get it.)
Her Interests
Naia's interest in gil isn't about the acquisition or even the spending of it (though she definitely enjoys that, too!), but rather the managing of it - it's like a huge, shifting puzzle that's never fully solved. While she's free with her own gil, she's dutiful with the gil she and her adventuring partner's share - spending, saving, and investing it with care. They don't have enough wealth to be ostentatious with it, but thanks to Naia's enjoyment of minding it, the pair have enough for all their needs without having to go out of their way to acquire more.
Naia has something of a passion for fishing, which is to say that she likes to have a good excuse on-hand when lazing about water-side. When she has a mind to show something for her work, she can usually manage to reel in something worth showing, but if not, the fishers whose finances she manages are often happy to help!
Bathhouses are a lot of fun for this miqo'te. While the soothing magic of a hot soak isn't so important to her, she's always rejuvenated by the fun vibe of communal bathing, and also the always-interesting experience of making new friends while partially undressed. Sadly, such places also attract weirdos, creeps, and other public-shenanigans-with-strangers aficionados, but Naia has way too much self-respect to let such behavior get her down - there are always other places to go, new friends to meet, and new adventures to have!
Her Disinterests
From bandits and cultists to Garlean soldiers, Naia's no stranger to lethal violence against the Spoken, but she isn't quite so cavalier about taking lives as some of her close companions. She won't hesitate to harshly defend herself or deliver clear-cut justice with a clean cut, but a hapless stooge or inexperienced mugger will typically survive their encounter with Naia. They'll wake up with a splitting headache and a distinct lack of pants, but they'll still have their lives.
"'Bored?' That's a you problem!"Naia's mind is always going, and there's always something to be curious about or puzzle through, so when someone complains about boredom, she'll likely leave them to it and go have fun elsewhere.
Naia gets along with guys just fine... as long as they keep it platonic. As with many young people, Naia's first attempt at love didn't go as well as she'd hoped, but it went particularly badly for her. So badly, in fact, that she would only consider closeness, of any sort, with other women. She still appreciated the male form, but with detachment.Eventually, Naia did roll the dice again, and it worked out great, but she figures that 50/50 is the best she'll do, so she won't roll again.(Lord Hein can totally get it, though.)
Her Reputations
Though never more than an honorary Rogue herself, Naia was something of a mascot of theirs when she was young. Homeless, precocious, and rarely noticed, she caught the keen eyes of the Dutiful Sisters of the Edelweiss, who saw her for what she could be and gave her a home in their "convent". Growing there from a child into a young woman, Naia learned lessons beyond counting and repaid them with secrets overheard, ill-gotten treasures re-stolen, and many other shadowy services. As she blossomed into adulthood, however, she chose not to join, instead spreading her wings and adventuring throughout Eorzea. Those who'd watched her grow were happy to see her soar.These days, there's always a good time to be had when she visits the old crew - tales told (both short and tall!), shadowtag, and twelve-too-many finger sandwiches. Her favorite moments, though, are when she sometimes joins the gang on one of their jobs!
Though neither side is always entirely happy with it, there's a strong relationship between the Maelstrom and the Rogues' Guild, and so Naia's always been on the good side of those in-the-know. Smartly, Naia maintained her contacts with the Maelstrom even after leaving Limsa and the Rogues, keeping as close a relationship with them as any civilian adventurer. She was particularly useful to them for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, doing things few solders could do well, and going places the Rogues didn't.Around the time of the Ultima Weapon crisis, Naia finally joined them as an allied adventurer, and although she acquitted herself well during missions, she and the Maelstrom were otherwise poor fits for each other. Even so, the end result of it all was an even closer relationship, with Naia able to call in a variety of personal favors, and more than a few personnel knowing just the right adventurer for certain tricky tasks.
Over the years, Naia found time to train with the conjurers of Stillglade Fane and the thaumaturges of the Arrzaneth Ossuary. In both cases, she was a very quick study, much to the annoyance of some, and she benefited from well-connected mentors, also much to the annoyance of some. While she made more than her fair share of friends, allies, and friendly acquaintances, there may be a few individuals who'd be happier not seeing her again.In Gridania, some aspects of conjury didn't come easily to Naia (most notably any sort of communing), but even when she struggled she still excelled over many pupils' strengths. While her own talent for learning was the largest part of that, she also benefited from counting Eveline Serra, a veteran of the guild and one of the early non-Padjal white mages, as a personal friend. Although she didn't continue her studies at the Fane into the white, she's as effective a healer as any conjurer-adventurer, and when she left, she did so in the guild's good graces.In Ul'dah, Naia's lack of spirituality wasn't a problem for the cabal of gremlins that taught the thaumaturgic arts. If anything, they appreciated the sheer fun she had when blowing things up. Among her fellow students, however, her reputation was a bit mixed. For one thing, she didn't need nearly as much studying or practice as many others, but neither did she make for a good study partner. She didn't have much money, which was certainly a sin to some, but she was also very clever with what she did have, earning begrudging respect when she somehow always managed to have what she needed without appealing to a sponsor or parent. She was also very quick to learn the favorite lessons of new thaumaturges - how to chill your drink, warm your soup, and how to use cold, heat, and levin for all manner of fun, mischievous or otherwise! Finally, though their identity was a secret, that she had a black mage mentor was no secret at all. Naia finished her time with the guild in their good graces as well, but no one spends a day in Ul'dah without earning someone's ire, the one thing there that's always free.
Naia isn't particularly well-known among adventurers, but she's held in good regard by those who know her work. Never one of those driven adventurers, Naia nearly always got the job done when she bothered to actually take a job, which was only after spending away her gil on food, music, and exotic dancers - a bon vivant as long as there was a coin in her pouch. Things eventually did settle out for her once she started taking on retainer work, which got her in contact with more-focused adventurers, most notably Keilis Starfall. Their skills paired well, and their partnership brought her both the challenge and the consistency she needed.Those few that have worked with her in recent years know that she's just as clever and daring as she always was, but with significantly more tricks, training, and experience to bring to bear. While not a "proper" shinobi, her skills in silent sneaking and subtle action rival any, and she's much more capable of swift and decisive violence than her usual demeanor - enthusiastic and cheery - might suggest.
A Ritual
This page will host a short story describing an aetherically empowered reading of the night sky.
Gallery
MiqoMarch '23 - Sprout
MiqoMarch '23 - Home
RP Notes
What I'm Looking ForCompetence, adventure, magic, occult, grounded, mature, experienced, emotional intimacy, atypical romancesMy favorite sort of RP explores, through our characters, what it means to live in this world and have agency in it. It can be dramatic or calm, action-packed or slice-of-life, but it's firmly rooted in the world and engages with it.I prefer characters and situations consistent with the MSQ's setting and tone.In-game RP is wonderful, but I also enjoy Discord RP, and sometimes prefer it! Feel free to give me a poke: kay.lis
What I'm Not Looking ForIncompetence, purple prose, petty crime, pointless antagonism, fetishes, macho insecurity, jealousyNo minors - adult players and characters only.Some of the things I like to explore - love, conflict, sex - attract players who aren't ready to do so in mature, grounded, and believable ways, and those are characteristics I'm not interested in compromising on.I very rarely RP opposed actions with unknown players. I'm happy to have such things with mutual trust and a system for resolving conflicts, but lacking those, I find it best to avoid it altogether. Miss me with pointless random pick-pocketing.
People write things like "IC ≠OOC" and such, but I really mean it, and I insist upon it. I'm a dude who lives on Earth and enjoys RPing - I'm not a sorcerer and I don't solve problems with a sword, and you're a real person on Earth, too. If someone struggles to maintain firm IC/OOC separation, I feel that they probably shouldn't be roleplaying. That said, even if someone is well-adjusted, deliberate, and intentional in their RP, things like emotional bleeding can still happen, and the solution is to communicate about it, rather than blithely dismiss it.Also, IC/OOC separation is no excuse to be an asshole - I've been RPing for about 20 years, and "but it's what my character would do" has nearly always been about trying to be shitty without the consequences.
Along the lines of IC/OOC separation, while I love making new friends, I'm not here to be your internet boyfriend, real-life dom, sugar daddy, or amateur therapist. All of these have been asked of me, and often with attempts at emotional manipulation.I'm just here to play a dang computer game, y'all.
If either you or your character don't care to distinguish between ethical non-monogamy, open relationships, polygamy, and cheating, don't bother interacting with me. Even if such things will never be relevant between us, I just don't want anything to do with players or characters scared of nuance, honesty, self-awareness, and communication, regardless of whether it's due to trauma, immaturity, or simply too much exposure to QS cat/bun/xaela fuckboys. This isn't to say that your character needs to be into them, just that there needs to be enough social competency to distinguish between them.I don't want to interact with characters that use the game's world as nothing more than a launchpad into self-indulgent bizarro land - Bahamut's shape-shifting bar-hopping daughter, "Unsundered Azem", etc.No fetish/kink/ERP-only characters.
I'm very much not into the Second Life-ification of FF14. Sure, the Garleans have cars, but once people start ordering DoorDash on their tomesmartstonephones while wearing Nikes, I'm out. And yes, I've seen exactly that, plastic bags and all.
RP Style and PreferencesMirror-style RPer, mostly. I feel very strongly that there's a distinction to make between roleplaying and writing - they are very different activities with different goals and methods. Two or more players mutually pursuing a satisfying scene via character interactions is entirely different from authors taking turns writing paragraphs of an uncoordinated, improvised story. I'm very much for the former, so my focus is on being relevant, realistic, interesting, and timely, which usually results in a bit more than a full FF14 text box per post. I'm very much for one-liners when appropriate - which they sometimes are - and in the style of snappy, Sorkin-esque dialogue.In terms of post content, my preference is to emote relevant things that other characters might perceive and then interpret on their own, not broadcast my character's thoughts as though everyone's playing telepaths - my posts are meant to engage the five senses, not the sixth. Of course, an occasional bit of special insight can be handy to help move things along.I will be intentional, considerate, and mature in our interactions, and I trust that you will do the same.
I tend to not pursue specific goals with my characters, e.g., avenging a loved one, settling an old score, reuniting with a lost companion, etc. Rather than focusing on attaining certain story beats or specific arcs, when I roleplay with someone I typically want to explore the fertile fields of our mutual and complimentary themes, interests, and perspectives, dotted as they are with our compelling differences, and see where we're drawn to! I find the experiences that arise from that often get more personal investment from everyone involved, and have far more satisfying results. That said, even when one intends to wander, it's smart to have a map, just in case.
Romantic RP is on the table, but there are a few things worth knowing ahead of time. First, all of my characters are either ethically non-monogamous or aromantic. Polyamory gets somewhat of a bad wrap in the FF14 community thanks to bad actors and shitty people, but for my characters it isn't about having multiple life partners or sexual companions; instead, it's more about having allies with whom they can share emotional intimacy and companionship. Mutual vulnerability and solace, providing relief or distraction, knowing that someone is truly in your corner - these are what my characters want to express and honor when they can. After all, the adventuring life can be hard on people in every sense of it, and death is a regular risk, so why not share warmth, appreciation, and affection while you can? Though love isn't my focus in roleplaying, expressing and receiving love, and how that can change a person, plays an important role in my romanceable characters. Along these lines, while "emotionally-intimate allies with benefits" are more the norm for several of my characters than typical girl/boyfriends or spouses, there may well be room in their lives for more conventional relationships.Finally, pregnancy or parenting RP are a limit for me OOC and for my characters IC, all having taken multiple steps to prevent such things.
I rarely engage in ERP, but I do enjoy IRP, or intimate roleplaying. Emotional and intellectual intimacy, intimacy of purpose, romantic love and platonic love. That said, physical intimacy is often an accompanying element of these, but I go into such scenes with the expectation that we will explore something about our characters and their relationship. Further relevant information and gposes are available on this carrd, but there's no link to it, so you'll have to ask me directly or guess the url for the NSFW portion. WIP!
I do use Mare and am generally happy to pair with others. Personally, I go for a "Vanilla+" look, but I don't mind people choosing to go a bit more extravagant. That said, I do pause sounds and most VFX, and I also pause or unpair ridiculous-looking characters - GMO viera, 9-foot tall miqo'te, fetish/kink/wish-fulfillment characters, and other people who obviously can't be left alone with Customize+. If such things are the only way you can find fulfillment, then sure, I wish you the joy of it, but I have no interest in being an audience to it.
FF14 HeadcanonsThis game's narrative, like any other, is full of gaps and inconsistencies, and those lead us all to develop headcanons unique to each of us. That's simply the way of things, but it's easy for us to forget that our headcanons are only those. With that in mind, by explicitly addressing my headcanons, I hope to reaffirm that, while I feel they're in-line with the game's lore, they aren't the game's lore. Also, it's good for potential RP partners to know my take on things ahead of time.As roleplayers, one of our jobs is to be flexible about these things and adapt to those we're roleplaying with. Being dogmatic about the game's lore is one thing, but being dogmatic about one's headcanons is very much another.
One of the things about roleplaying in most MMOs is that there's a fundamental disconnect between the world we experience playing the game and a world we can reasonably roleplay in. A major point of dissonance in this game is the Warrior of Light, our identity when going through the game's story, which is narratively a single-player affair that glosses over our characters' particulars. When RPing, no one can definitively say anything about who or what the WoL is. Due to that, my characters' approaches to "the" WoL are all along the lines of:"No one can agree on a single thing about them, and those who would know - the Scions and various world leaders - aren't saying anything. In light of that, I doubt there's a single 'Warrior of Light'. Most likely to me is that the things attributed to them were likely accomplished by a bunch of different people, and the 'Warrior of Light' is probably a modern myth, born out of both our want to solve mysteries and our veneration of the Warriors of Light - the unknown number of heroes saved from Carteneau by Archon Louisoix - that so many of us adventurers have forgotten about so quickly. The only ones who do know anything are tight-lipped about it, and their tacit endorsement of the growing myth seems a wise half-lie."
Some people feel really strongly that everything from the Ultima Weapon to the latest patch happened within a year, whether it's a matter of things happening with comical rapidity or that there's some sort of weird timey-wimey magical effect at play. The thing is, while some NPC dialogue does support everything happening so fast, other NPC dialogue contradicts this. Also, there are meaningful differences regarding time between the game's localizations. Finally, and most importantly, Yoshi-P has outright said that he does not have a specific timeline in mind for the game nor cares to establish one, and that each player is welcome to adopt whatever timeline works for them. Yeah, it's hard for me to wrap my head around, too, but a specific timeline just isn't going to be defined, and that's the world they've given us. My way of making sense of this is to assume things have taken place within a reasonable but vague number of years, maybe five-ish, and to refer to anything since ARR as "the recent troubles". That, and all my characters have doubts about Althyk's sobriety, too.
WIP while I'm replaying the Black Mage class quests for the ninth time.Short and temporary version - Black and White magic were as "illegal" as the boogeyman, Greek fire, or Martian death rays are IRL. That said, they can definitely be taboo. It's worth noting that, as per the level 80 Black Mage quest, Black magic is taught at the Thaumaturges' Guild in Ul'dah, though they're probably pretty picky about prospective pupils. Also, soul crystals for those arts aren't as common as, say, Dragoon or Machinist, but the ones our characters get in the job quests aren't the only ones - they're just specific crystals.The Heavensward Black Mage quests are definitely worth discussing, but that'll come later.
It seems to me that people in Eorzea would feel rather differently about death than people do in real life. In real life, we don't know of anything we can't describe physically or mathematically, and we are unaware of any part of us that might persist beyond death. When something dies, the only thing left of who they were are the memories held by others, but in the world of FF14, souls are absolutely real, and it's a settled fact that a person's essential nature survives death, returning to the aetherial sea to eventually be reborn. In such a world, death would still be a terrible thing, but it wouldn't be a final thing, and my characters' attitudes are informed by that.
OOC
~Hi, I'm Tom (he) - a cis-het (-ish) man (I reject immature ideas of masculinity and instead hold to my own ) long past 21, and while I'm very much to the left, I'm hashtag- and catchphrase-averse. Though once a working musician, I'm now my mother's full-time caregiver, and with that comes a fairly open but awfully inconsistent schedule, to say the least! Other interests of mine include high-immersion boffer LARPing, tabletop games, GW2, WoW, and CoH, and my DuoLingo streak is over 950 days! (Esperanto, French, German, and Spanish all at the same time, sheesh. Such ridiculousness was not my intention!)~In regards to RP experience, I've been RPing since '04, though I only started doing it in FF14 in mid '22. My RP background is primarily in weekend-long, immersion-focused LARPs, but I've RPed in MMOs and tabletop games for a long time as well, both playing and staffing/DMing/running.~Beyond RP, I love PvE content and trying to do it well. While I haven't gotten into serious raiding in this game yet, I've been doing it for 15+ years in other games and I'm excited to give it a go here. While I love overcoming challenges, I might just love teaching even more, so if you're intimidated by Black Mage or confused about Ninja, I'm happy to help!~I'm all for making new friends! I definitely appreciate that some prefer total OOC anonymity, but I feel that RP is a shared endeavor, and I really value the collaborativeness of it. That, and I'm always happy to have more buddies to play games with! I'm very much an open book and I'm totally fine with hopping into voice chat.Other carrds: Keilis Starfall, Eveline Serra (major WIP), Dowani FaDiscord: kay.lisFinally, for getting to the end, here - have a bonus!
Final Fantasy pick-up lines, innuendo, and euphemisms!Thanks for checking out my carrd! As a thanks to you and as a celebration of the Final Fantasy series, please enjoy this list of FF-themed off-color remarks!
If you have any to share, let me know and I'll add them to the list!
"Are you a phoenix? You look like you wanna get down.""Stick with me, hot stuff, and you'll definitely have a Limit Break tonight!""What'll it be tonight - turn-based or ATB?""If you wanna get 100% completion, you first gotta get me to 100% completion!""How many turns is your binding coil?""Forget the fairy, how 'bout you give me an Embrace?""I appreciate my husband's Innovation & Ingenuity, but not his Hasty Touch.""Honey, you must be a White Mage because you just gave me a Raise.""You must be a Black Mage, 'cause you just proc'd Firestarter in my heart!""You must be a Paladin - I see your Spirits Within under your Cover!""You must be a Monk - your Internal Release brings me to my Mythril Peak!""Nothing mini 'bout my Cactpot!""I keep striking out... guess I'll be 'punching the moogle' tonight...""I must be a SeeD candidate, because I want to junction you in my GF slot!"Finally, my favorite:
"Ride ze shoopuf?"
Naia and Keilis
Keilis Starfall - Adventurer, Sorcerer, AstrologianAssociations: Athenaeum Astrologicum, the Temple Knights, Order of the Twin AdderNaia and Keilis met years ago, when she was inexperienced and he was still building his reputation. The two were birds of a feather, alike in their use of shadows and silence, and flanking their foes like they shared a mind. Where they differed, their strengths covered the other's weaknesses, and it didn't take long for them to build an unshakable trust during adventure, which quickly spread to all their other endeavors.Today, the two are partners in a way that works for them - adventuring together when they can, sharing a home and their wealth, and sometimes their beds. Neither is jealous in the least of the other's partners, and though Keilis would rather he and Naia were even closer, they're both very happy with how they've come together, especially with how difficult it was for their relationship to begin!While the two differ in regards to adventuring ambition, when Naia wants to engage in daring-do, Keilis nearly always has an opportunity for her, and at more low-key time, she's happy to play a role for him rather like a retainer. When the going gets tough, though, these two shine like stars together, whether on the field of battle or off!
Keilis and Velyt
Velyt Nienne - WordsAssociations: The Students of Baldesion, The Immortal FlamesEarly historyToday,Together
Keilis and Naia
Naia Newpath - WordsAssociations: The Rogues' Guild, The MaelstromEarly historyToday,Together
Keilis and Aji
Aji Starshadow - WordsAssociations: Athenaeum AstrologicumEarly historyToday,Together
Keilis and Teva
Teva Lightstep - WordsAssociations: Order of the Twin AdderEarly historyToday,Together
Keilis and Atrienne
Atrienne Erevei - WordsAssociations:Early historyToday,Together
Keilis and Dowani
Dowani Fa - WordsAssociations:Early historyToday,Together
Aether, Rent and Mended
Kintsugi
Beautiful, spiritual, and philosophical, kintsugi is the art of mending the broken with the precious, such as shattered pottery with gold. In this way, the wear and damage is illuminated rather than hidden, flaws are embraced, and imperfection celebrated. It teaches that experience is to be treasured and impossible expectations discarded.In the recent past, Keilis participated in a magical ritual that was interrupted with a terrible backlash of sorcerous energies. The man was lucky to survive it, though his aether was shredded and a long magical convalescence awaited him even after waking from his coma. Today, he is stronger for it all, but is also changed by the injury, his experiences during recovery, and the strange particulars of how he repaired his soul.
