Chizuki Ciani

⸻⸻⸻       exiled ishgardian; koto enthusiast    

skysinger    mythbreaker    he/him    mateus, crystal

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   A quiet man    who once purposefully strode through the streets of Ishgard now slinks silently in the back alleys of Kugane. Ever watchful, he seems to be involved in business which supersedes his well mannered upbringing and poise, yet a keen eye might discern that he actively avoids bringing undue stress to common civilians.

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• home.
• ooc.
• dossier.
• hooks.
• bonds.
• gallery.

Out of Character

    rules, boundaries, & more       ⸻⸻⸺⸻⸻

Seeking: Long or short term, dark, casual, comedy, adventure, rp partners over 21+, character development, psychological/moral dilemmas, friends, acquaintances, enemies, and everything in between.

    do's      ⸻⸻⸻

    dont's      ⸻⸻⸻

    about the writer      ⸻⸻

About Ciani

⸺⸻⸺⸻⸻       what do you want to know?    

A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.

    core info      ⸻⸻

    personality      ⸻⸻

A capable man if not for his lethargy debuff, Ciani's stoic face doesn't seem to be cut out for humor... Unless of the dry and sarcastic variety.

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   In the middle    of the journey of our life I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight way was lost.

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    appearance      ⸻⸻

    stats & proficiencies      ⸻⸻

Biography

    only partially lies     ⸻⸻

Hailing from Ishgard, Ciani was born as the only scion to an otherwise unremarkable minor noble house. While they applied themselves under the banner of dutiful citizens, they were almost suspiciously mundane, with no particular offenses nor spectacular achievements beyond that which earned their luxury in the first place.It's not until near the finale of the Dragonsong War that their neighbours and allies find that such forgettable existence was forged by design. Unbeknownst even to the rest of the family, the head of house was a loyal heretic, and as the other sympathizers breached the city state defenses, Ciani's father would have his kin join the fray.It was the servants who were forced to drink the blood concoction first. One by one, he watched them turn. Faced with the same fate, Ciani himself narrowly escapes when the house is stormed by temple knights and the chaotic massacre gave enough cover for his most loyal manservant to smuggle him away.With Rizent's help, Ciani steals from Ishgard into Gridania, where for a few winters he stayed to tend to his wounds. Having consumed a minute amount of the potion himself before the timely, albeit extremely violent, interception, Ciani's troubles included the necessity of undoing a half changed transformation with very little support or medicinal knowledge.As time marched on, news of the family's demise and Ciani's missing body reaches Kugane, whereby his grandfather on his mother's side starts a hopeful search for the missing boy. Understanding the expectation for a capable heir was no different than what his father wanted from him, Ciani accepts his grandfather's aid out of desperation.With that, Ciani and his two guards make way for foreign lands.He'd grown up knowing that the elezen noblewoman his (equally elezen) father married was not his real mother, though no one had breathed a word of his real parentage either. Not knowing what to expect, his arrival was met with a culture shock coldness and strict expectation of adherence to tradition that unsettled even one of Ishgardian heritage.Struggling immensely to rapidly acclimate, Ciani would find no comfort in his birth mother either. In no uncertain terms, she'd reprimanded her mistake on first meeting and prohibited any further contact. It had been against her wishes that her father forged a connection with Ciani at all, and as per his general temperament, the boy seemed to take it in stride. If she had wanted him in the first place, he would not have been abandoned-- he was one who could read glaring signs.Whether due to these series of events or his born disposition, Ciani kept mostly to himself after that. It took quite a few winters, but eventually he grew used to Kugane, and as he proved himself more and more capable with each passing day, his grandfather began to trust him with the trade empire that he ran.At first, Seimei was oblivious to his grandson's temperament. Since Ciani barely expressed emotions or said a word out of place, he was a useful tool who could achieve satisfactory results. Yet, as the seasons changed, he began to suspect that someone was sabotaging the family... Just never particularly in ways that one could clearly point at and have another take responsibility for. In fact, for a long while, tensions between other prominent families of the region had begun to rise over misattributed offenses, and it wasn't until recent months that Seimei began to suspect his grandson.By this point, Ciani has worked himself up into a comfortable position: crucial enough that he could not be easily replaced without good reason, yet not so much so that he needed to be hammered down. He continues to keep silent, biding his time and moving pieces into place while looking the other way from the lives he cannot save. It was no use salvaging just one or two-- his desire is to destroy the whole underground network that seduced society's most vulnerable, and while it was surprisingly idealistic for a man that seemed to have neither expressions nor humanity, he's determined to see how far his own wits can take him.

Events

    this too, shall pass     ⸻⸻

Hooks &Verses

    how about a duet?       ⸻⸻⸺⸺

Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back.
Those who wish to sing always find a song.

001.

    bards     ⸻⸻⸻

"If music be the food of love, play on."

Since his arrival in Kugane, Ciani has become fascinated with traditional Hingan instruments.As an accomplished koto player himself, he will always spare time and energy for those who are also masters of their musical craft, particularly if they are willing to grant him a performance.

002.

    yakuza     ⸻⸻⸻

"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around."

Settling into his new role as a shateigashira, Ciani is fast familiarizing himself with the underside of the Far East.If you have a character with any kind of criminal activity, it's likely they'd run into one another at some point.
Rival family? Unfortunate victim? Generic saved by a strange yakuza man that's not as bad as he appears?Feel free to throw ideas at me!

003.

    ishgardian defector      ⸺⸺

"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."

Given Ciani's history, those from Ishgard might recognize him as the scion to a family of dragon-turned heretics. Perhaps they still hold a grudge? Or perhaps they are aligned with the new principles espoused in the wake of the war?Regardless, those with ties to his home country are more than welcome to approach!

004.

    healers     ⸻⸻⸻

"The healthy man does not torture others; generally it is the tortured who turn into torturers."

Ciani has not entirely solved his little dragon turning problem. While he's managed to control the physical transformation to some degree, it needs ongoing support and knowledgeable experts to regulate the strange havoc it wrecks on his mixed blood.If you've a healer or anyone knowledgeable about dragon blood who can keep a secret, he could use the help!

005.

    do gooder     ⸻⸻⸻

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

Have an issue you need solved? Ciani does his best not to get involved, but unfortunately his moral compass gets him in more trouble than he cares for.Whether it's help carrying an old lady's belongings across the bridge or an untimely bandit situation, Ciani's policy of non-intervention tends to be violated more often than not.

006.

    tamer      ⸻⸻⸻

"It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere."

With trafficking being part of his line of work, Ciani has access to a wide array of aether manipulating tools to bind and bring to heel any wayward beings. Granted, he doesn't enjoy it, but if you're looking for a foil to any misbehaving voidsent, he can certainly act as the hunter.All told, however-- Ciani is mortal himself despite the dragon's blood, and any discussions regarding this hook will treat both characters as equals in battles of wit.

Bonds

⸻⸻⸺⸻⸻       the string that ties our souls    

We are all full of weakness and errors;
let us mutually pardon each other our follies -
it is the first law of nature.

Rizent

    manservant/knight      ⸻

"If you were my husband, sir, I’d give you a dose of poison."

Originally the illustrious second heir of House Vunois, Rizent was disowned after what he calls an 'accidental manslaughter' but was debatably just straight murder. He eventually becomes employed under Ciani's house banner, and was appointed to the young master as his sole task.A highly decorated knight in his own right, Rizent acts as manservant, steward, and protector of his charge.It is nearly by his hand alone that Ciani survives the aftermath of the Dragonsong War.

Khasar

    knight      ⸻

"If I were your husband, I’d take it! "

Caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, Khasar nearly died at Ishgard's gates had Ciani and Rizent not intervened. Mistaken for a dragon in the midst of their bloodied war, it took both master and knight to save him-- both on site and navigating the legislation after.Though Rizent had an equal hand in Khasar's salvation, Khasar swears allegiance only to Ciani and somewhat abhors the steward.Their sense of humor and methods of solving problems tend to not align...

Sino'a

    friend      ⸻

"Rest, dearest Ciani. May you ever dream of beautiful things."

An old family acquaintance who has known Ciani since his Ishgardian days.Resurfacing after many years apart, Ciani met up with him once more, and they've since gotten closer over shared stories of their ordeals.Ciani considers him a good friend.

Skugvr

    stranger      ⸻

"... Who?"

Fate brings them together against both their wills.They're effectively strangers, with Ciani still not knowing his name despite having known each other for years.Somehow, this Viera has managed to shift Ciani's apathy towards something akin to dislike, and if the half-Hyur had his way, he would never have anything to do with him again.

Gallery

    today's moments, tomorrow's memories       ⸻⸻⸺

Everything's fine today, that is our illusion.