W'akatsu Tia

Physical Appearance

Pre-Endwalker

The main points...- Born into poverty on the outskirts of Garlaen territory with two siblings, one being his twin. Parents were never home due to work.- Had very poor health from the time of his birth. Believed to be related to an autoimmune disorder, much of his early life was spent bedridden.- His twin disappeared in hopes of finding a cure for Katsu. Believed to be dead.- Parents lost their work and his remaining sibling died of an unknown disease. Katsu was deemed too costly a burden and accused of having infected their village.- Sold to the Garlaens, his memory fades as of this point. Ten years later, he woke in Maelstrom's infirmary, severely injured, nonverbal and with no recollection as to who he was.- Taken in by the head of Maelstrom's medical department, he was later found to be adept at medicine - both aetherical and traditional - and was quickly taught healing magic.- Katsu pursued his studies in Sharlayan, where he faced discrimination for his muddy background. Learned and mastered Sage nouliths, then returned to Lominsa. He later opened his own clinic.- Around this time, Katsu attempted to gain the trust of local beastkin to learn their ways with medicine in exchange for his. He later replicated this approach with the wandering miqo'te tribes of Gyr Abania and the Shroud in order to convince them to allow him to offer them medical aid.- Katsu faced great opposition, from having to physically challenge hostile Nunhs that saw him as a threat and argue with those of his field over the importance of supplying these communities with aid.- Applauded by some and scorned by others, his work has been deemed of great value, both politically (much to his irritation) and medically, and he has since become a known name in the Eorzean medical community.

A more thorough observation.

You've a wanderer's blood in you, lad.Born into poverty on the outskirts of Garlaen territory and to a Sun Seeker tribe, W'akatsu was not only an identical twin but the second of three children. As is often the case with twins, he was the weaker of the two and was chronically ill from the time of his birth.Once a nomadic tribe, this changed once they were found by the Garlaen and forbidden from wandering further. In order to support their children, his parents were forced to work far from home and under the employment of their oppressors. As a result, his twin had to grow up fast to take care of not only Katsu but also their younger sister. What little they had was often taken by Garlaen patrolling the area, causing further strife for their family. Although life was hard, it was peaceful.At some point, the Garlaens that occupied the land began to take further interest in the people who lived there. When a Garlaen scientist was given free reign over the region and its people, their oppression worsened. In addition to rigorous beatings, forced inspections, and starvation, a mandatory recruitment protocol was put into place for the good of the Empire, though it was never stated as to what they were recruiting people for. This worsened as conflicts arose elsewhere, driving the need for new soldiers and culling those too weak to be of use. Their only option was to enlist or die. Katsu and his siblings were beaten brutally and abused by the Garlaens, but managed to avoid being taken for many years. Be it by a stroke of luck or otherwise, that luck would very quickly run out.Nearing the age of seven, Katsu’s parents finally returned, but not with the lovely trinkets or smiles they often did when visiting before. Rather, they had lost their work and were forced to return home when they could find no more. By this time, Katsu’s twin had already disappeared. Having spent years trying to find a solution to cure their sibling, they were last seen leaving the village with a Garlaen scientist. They were never seen again and the child was later presumed dead.In their grief, his parents lashed out. This resulted in swift action, as the Garlaens subdued them and any other persons who had joined in their attempt at an uprising. To prevent further rebellion, many were executed and Katsu's sister, the last remaining healthy child of the family, was horribly maimed to set an example.Soon, desperate times fell upon their family as famine and disease set over the region. Katsu’s sister became ill and passed away soon after, her illness exacerbated by previous injuries suffered throughout her life. Angered by the toll their last son's failing health had taken on their resources, their happiness, and well being, W'akatsu's parents blamed him for their misfortune and accused him of infecting the village with his 'disease.' Even though he was not contagious and had suffered in silence since birth, this did little to quel the whispers that ran through their village like wildfire. Their rage took the form of physical and verbal abuse until, finally, they sought to rid themselves of their burden entirely. Sold to the Garlaens for little more than a few days' rations, he went missing for many years.Almost a decade later, Katsu was found adrift at sea off the coast of a Lominsan island by a fishing vessel. Unconscious and having suffered from severe head trauma, the boy was rushed to the nearest chirurgeons after being stabilized by their ship's doctor. When he woke, he had no recollection as to who he was, where he was, and was non-verbal. Estimated to be somewhere around the age of sixteen, he became a ward of the state and was made to be rehabilitated. However, his life going forward was not an easy one, as the months following were rife with sudden bursts of aggression, traumatic episodes, and so on. The head of medical at the time, a male Au Ra by the name of Braum, would later take him take pity on the boy, having been the one to operate on him when he first arrived. Braum would soon adopt Katsu and oversee his rehabilitation. The strange illness he suffered from was also, seemingly, gone.With Braum's help, the Seeker was slowly able to recover and would eventually be given the name of W'akatsu. While the au ra's intentions had been pure, he himself had grown up with mixed heritage and customs, having been orphaned at a young age and raised by an entirely different tribe before finding his way to Lominsa. As a result, Katsu was raised loosely following certain Au Ra (Qestir) customs mixed with Seeker ones, leading to confusion in many social settings. While he has tried to reconnect with his people and understand them, the level of disconnect he feels regarding their behaviors is quite vast. Where most Seeker males feel a need for aggression, Katsu is notably quite calm and collected.From desert sands to the sea's golden shores.In order to make him more independent, W'akatsu would be taught the basics of various trades by Braum. It was found that the miqo'te had a natural affinity for aetherical and traditional medicine and soon became the man's apprentice. After a few years of intensive study, he quickly mastered all that his mentor could teach him and would begin working as a member of Maelstorm's medical core shortly after reaching the age of 20. However, Braum believed he had potential for more and advised he continue to expand upon his knowledge elsewhere. After a long battle with bureaucracy - as Sharlayan was quite isolated at the time - and many trials were issued in order for Katsu to prove himself, Braum managed to secure him a sponsorship from Maelstrom to study in Sharlayan and become a chirurgeon.While initially thrilled to study at such a place, Katsu would soon face great adversity. In Sharlayan, he fought relentlessly against discrimination, as many looked down upon him for not having come from a prestigious institution, family, nor having any credible recommendations beyond Maelstrom's head of medical. His work and studies were subject to intense scrutiny and W'akatsu had to prove himself countless times to maintain his place there. At one point having even considered leaving all together, a professor finally took a chance on him and found that Katsu's affinity for healing magic also extended to his ability to use sage nouliths. Offered a place in a highly selective and competitive program, Katsu accepted and was trained to become a Sage.Having now mastered the art of Somanoutics and finished his studies within Sharlayan, Katsu has since returned to Lominsa. Yet, despite his many years spent studying, he maintains that he still has much to learn. With the hope of furthering his abilities as a healer, Katsu is on a constant lookout for new information or applications of medicine that would further develop his perspective. This has given him reason to seek out and convince local beast tribes to teach him their ways - both culturally and medically - in exchange for his own knowledge and medical aid. As a result, he has picked up a variety of different beastkin dialects, albeit with limited fluency and terrible pronunciation, alongside what is seen as, and sometimes even rejected for being, more 'exotic' or unusual methods of healing by the medical community.What Katsu learned from the beastkin tribes has been instrumental in treating aetherically sensitive or sickly patients who would otherwise have no options available to them. However, in spite of his colleague's reservations or outright disdain for his approach, the results of his work have proven that, no matter where one might learn their techniques, so long as they improved upon, or offered an valid alternative to, currently existing methods of healing then that is all that mattered.With the healing of his own injuries as a child and rehabilitation having been completed, W'akatsu has since opened a clinic of his own as the final step of his recovery at the insistence of his old mentor, Braum. Now, W’akatsu can be found working there alongside apprentices of his own as he seeks to treat patients ailing from various conditions. Yet, with all the progress he has made regarding his own recovery, studies, and establishing of independence, this is not what he is most proud of.Words lost on deaf ears...In the years W'akatsu had been studying medicine, he became increasingly aware of the plight of the many tribes of Eorzea. From beastkin to miqo'te, their tumultuous history with outsiders and their tendency to refuse medical aid out of ignorance and distrust for those beyond their isolated social ecosystems caught his eye. From then on, W'akatsu has traveled from Lominsa, to the Shroud and finally Gyr Abania where he has worked tirelessly to establish contact and build trust with these groups. Having since gained their confidence, he is often seen making trips out to them in order to offer basic medical aid. This has significantly decreased disease and infection among these communities. It is his work with these communities that Katsu takes the most pride in.While his work is seen to be significant, it has not been without resistance from both sides. Be it from those within his own field who believe it to be a waste of resources or more resistant tribes, wherein the reigning 'Nunh' or leader refused to accept aid out of pride and/or suspicion, W'akatsu is no stranger to opposition. With the more hostile tribes, Katsu has, on more than one occasion, challenged said Nunhs in order to force them to accept medical aid so that their people would not suffer from their leaders' territorial arrogance. He has not always been successful, regardless of the fight's outcome. For this reason, he has since become somewhat notorious among male Seekers and is often challenged by those wishing to seek revenge. This has been the primary cause for the number of scars Katsu has collected over the years, in addition to his deployment as a medical officer in various wars and/or territorial skirmishes. Yet, in spite of being challenged by many in his time, Katsu has no intention nor interest in taking on the role of a Nunh.It should be noted that he has had little to no issue when aiding Keeper tribes. It is believed his detachment from Seeker culture and their need for unnecessary and poorly channeled aggression has aided him greatly in bridging the gap with Keepers. While some praise him for it, others call it a betrayal of his people's customs.Given his experience with these tribes and the progress made, Katsu is often employed by the Grand Companies - usually Maelstrom - to perform health checks on more isolated groups scattered about the continent. It is not uncommon for him to take a small team of people along to help aid in his work. While these are usually apprentices who wish to learn from him, a mercenary hired to help guard the group is not an uncommon sight.

• Endwalker

Side Note //... W'akatsu has no recollection of his life prior to waking up in Lominsa. Having suffered severe head trauma, and now well into his third decade with no improvement, it is unlikely he ever will. However, should he meet someone of his past, it is possible a memory may be uncovered. It is unclear as to how he would react, however.

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TW: Dark Themes, War Related Trauma, Death, etc.During the events of Endwalker, W'akatsu was drafted by Maelstrom and sent to Garlemald to aid in the war efforts. However, he and his team were soon made aware of the Garlaen's plight as they bore witness to many of their lower-class citizens suffering and their failed attempts to flee. What was once yet another struggle against the Garlaens had become a refugee crisis, and Katsu and his team of primarily medical officers offered aid to not only soldiers but also refugees and those who had surrendered from the opposing side. However, his nightmare had only just begun.Bound by red tape and forbidden from making efforts to save more beyond those few who reached their encampment, Katsu was forced to watch as men, women, and children starved to death, died of cold, and chased their own ends in their ever-desperate attempts to free themselves of their torment. With every corpse they would come across in the snow, it took its toll on not only him but also his team. Still, the horrors of war raged on.Later in the war, Katsu and his team were finally given authorization to go beyond, as the situation had reached a critical point. He and his team immediately set out to gather and treat as many as they could, but the opposition from both sides remained great. The Garlaen's distrust of outsiders and the allied forces' refusal to help unless ordered to from above, neither side was keen to accept or enable further aid. Some even went so far as to sabotage their efforts in its entirety. Even so, they would work tirelessly to ensure that, of those willing to accept their help, as many people as possible were recovered.On Katsu's last mission in Garlemald, he and his team were informed of a group of refugees who may be hiding in an orphanage. Joined by his old mentor, they immediately set out with supplies in an effort to reach them before an approaching storm. Upon arriving, they found mostly children and a few adults hidden in the basement. Offering what aid they could, his team set up camp in the otherwise abandoned town to wait out the weather. However, it was around this time that they received word that the area was rigged to explode. Rushing to evacuate all those inside, it was not long before they realized their mistake.The Garlaens knew they would try to evacuate, but they cared not for their own people. They were only a means to an end. Katsu made it no more than thirty fulms before the bombs started going off. Hidden beneath the snow and in the surrounding environment, previously inactive mines came to life all at once. Screams rang out across the open landscape as one mine after another went off. Shrapnel tore through Katsu's lower back as he was thrown several yalms, severing his spine and knocking him unconscious. He was among the lucky ones, though. What he would find when he woke was nothing short of a blood bath.Surrounded by the bodies of his companions and those they had tried to save, Katsu found he could barely move. The trauma to his back was great, and, in his agony, he could only listen to the wailing cries of those who had survived the blast, but would not the oncoming blizzard. With what strength he had left, Katsu dragged himself to their emergency rescue beacon. However, help was unlikely. Several kilometers out, it was unclear when or how they would be saved, or if anything would be left by the time anyone arrived.A hidden Garlaen patrol then began its approach, and, as they picked through the bodies and wreckage, Katsu succumbed to panic. The last thing he saw was Braum, his mentor and one of the few who had survived, being shot dead in front of him. Katsu then blacked out, the blood loss and cold finally taking its toll.When Katsu next woke, it was from a coma and to the sight of Maelstrom's infirmary. The allied forces of Eorzea had reached them, but by then there were only a handful left to save. Many more died in transit, leaving Katsu as the last of his team. Months had passed, and by then the damage done to him had been healed to the best of Maelstrom's abilities. Still, he would need extensive treatment.In his efforts to reclaim some normalcy in his life, Katsu scoured Eorzea for the better part of a year and eventually found a former Garlaen scientist and chirurgeon who specialized in magitek. Determined, Katsu managed to convince the man to perform a risky and highly experimental operation on him. With a magitek implant now in place and covering his spinal column, Katsu has since returned to some semblance of a normal life and his work. But, due to his condition, he has been medically discharged from active duty by Maelstrom, and this remains a point of contention for him.Post-Endwalker
Following the events of the war, his removal from the military against his will, and subsequent recovery from war-related injuries, W'akatsu has become disillusioned with the world. Having previously held to a strong sense of morality, this has begun to slip. Added to by the revelation that he suffers from a severe and gradually worsening aetheric disorder, one he cannot seemingly cure, he has fallen firmly into neutral alignment. Suffering from the beginning stages of crystalization, what zeal he once had for the world is diminished.

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RP Preference and Availability

( Disclaimer )      I am a very direct person and my tone can seem somewhat blunt at times. While I do my best to mitigate this somewhat, speaking over text can be difficult. I ask that you be patient and understand this is not my intention.

* Interested in romancing my character? Please note that, while I am happy to plot out romance, my characters are strictly monogamous. AU romances are fine and can take a variety of forms, from FWBs, one offs, to something deeper. However, these will not carry over into my character's canonical storyline unless discussed prior. I also do not typically write PwP romances and have a strong preferrence for slowburn and genuine connections.

Ground Rules

1 . I prefer to rp with those of a similar style to my own and those who will actively contribute to the rp's story.2 . When it comes to IC and OOC, I keep them separate. I am not my character, nor do they represent my personal beliefs or behaviors. I expect my RP partners to be mature enough to make this distinction and do the same.3 . If I feel that our styles, characters, or something does not mesh well, I will tell you. If I lose interest in an RP or feel uncomfortable, you will be informed and we can work it out. However, I in turn expect those I RP with to do the same and communicate properly with me.4 . Keep in mind basic RP etiquette when power scaling and the lore surrounding such things. My characters are often low-moderate in power, and I do not RP with WoLs or other typically game breaking individuals without prior discussion.5 . My characters do not do well with easily spooked, clingy, or overly anxious characters. While usually kind to varying degrees, they are often times serious and will not coddle you and are more direct than most. Please keep this in mind.---( !!! ) Katsu's story can vary greatly between FCs and rp groups depending on their limitations and needs. While what is listed in his background remains largely the same, other information and events that took place but are not mentioned may or may not be omitted depending on the group. Events that take place in the FC, rp group, or otherwise are generally kept as though they are their own alternative timeline. This is to prevent overlap and story related conflict between the groups I rp and interact with.E.g Katsu is injured in an attack in one group, therefore unable to walk/leave the infirmary. This information is only relevant to that group. For another, he is perfectly healthy and still working as usual.

RP Hooks

Custom Concepts are always encouraged!Sick Leave
Injured or feeling unwell? A visit to the nearest clinic might do you some good. From what you have heard, this cat is said to know a remedy or cure for far more than the average doctor. Be you aether sensitive, suffering from a void-related affliction, or some other obscure malady, W'akatsu has a curious mind and would no doubt wish to see you.Hired Help // On the Road Again
Looking for work or looking to hire a healer for a period of time? Katsu is often traveling from place to place, be it to gather supplies not commonly found on the market or of a specific quality otherwise not available. As such, it is not uncommon for him to hire a mercenary or two to accompany him to more dangerous areas wherein conflict with violent creatures is likely to be unavoidable. Or, perhaps you are headed in the same direction and, in exchange for his services as a healer, offer to have Katsu tag along and gather what he needs on the way.Bar Patron
Every so often W'akatsu will take a break from his work. Despite being known as a workaholic by his colleagues, he does enjoy a drink every now and then and will visit other bars to try out new flavors and themes different from his usual ones. Have you seen Katsu before? Feel free to try and grab the miqo'te's attention and he just might bite.Bruised Pride (Seekers)
"Bruise your ego that bad?" || Perhaps you are a Seeker (Tia) related to a Nunh Katsu challenged or 'dethroned'. Or perhaps you are that same Nunh and were humiliated when the outsider refused to take your rank as tradition demands it. Even if Katsu's reasons were innocent, wishing only to treat a sickly or dying member of your tribe, his actions are unforgivable. A stain on your reputation. And, if his bored and tired expression is anything to go by, he couldn't give any less of a damn. Like salt in a wound, let's see if you can best him this time.History of the World // Medical Advancements
In recent years, W'akatsu has developed a fascination for ancient cultures and civilizations. Having gathered a collection of tomestones, Katsu is known for attempting to and has successfully decoded a number of them in an effort to hopefully find information that could have medical applications. This information will often times be included in his research. Curious about his work? He is more than happy to share his knowledge with others.RaidersHunters of the Lost... ArkRelic?
Looking for information on a lost relic and can't find it? Perhaps Katsu is said to have information regarding it given his collection of tomestones. Feel free to approach the male and see if you can convince him to help you or guide you to it - be it in his possession or another's. (Long Term, rolled event determines if someone stole it from him, thereby sending them on a quest to find it.)"I need healing!" (Mercenaries/Freelancers)
As a known and skilled healer in Lominsa, it is not uncommon for W'akatsu to be hired by various groups for his expertise. But... not everyone is good at following orders. Be you a part of a Grand Company, a group of mercenaries, or otherwise, the background and status of Katsu's patients means little to him, and he is all too familiar with wrestling patients into staying where they're told to. Perhaps you are injured, one of said rowdy patients, or are a concerned third party. Be it to help or hinder, feel free to intervene, but know that Katsu is not above knocking sense into those around him.(No, there is no such thing as the Hippocratic Oath in FFXIV.)

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