Barrett Banner

Erstwhile Commander, The Red Wolf

FFXIV RP | Crystal | Mateus | | FC - Hounds of Annwn

"I became a creature of instinct, wherein I learned civility can be a frail illusion."

A man of self made scarcity. He is known to few, though one might chance whispers in martial circles; a short-lived run of brazen success against Beast Tribes and Garleans, snuffed by some unspoken failure. Though he was known to have lived from his losses, most considered it fatal in every figurative sense. Ever since a fateful day, "The Wolf" had disappeared from the frontiers and frontlines, and lingered in the shadows to succumb to obscurity.

Mirthful and jubilant; ferocious and indomitable; ruminant and intense; isolated and morose.Barrett Banner is sturdy, broad, and apparently powerful. Without effort, he is an intimidating sight as a purported Highlander with fully realized natural gifts. His fuzzy eyebrows and pale skin betray him as foreign to Gyr Abania. He stands above most of his kin, only eclipsed by the most burly and tall of Eorzea's races. His voice is sonorous, gruff, and gravely. He is more prone to roars and growls than screams and screeches.His rust tinted brown hair is well-kempt and often stylized. His piercing green eyes possess a quiet wistfulness that glimmers subtly to those who venture to study them. He is assumedly older, perhaps approaching mid-thirties, by his demeanor; diametrically, his spry athleticism and healthy body tells its own story.His is a severe disposition, yet he can be brought to bouts of levity and genuine playfulness. His quiet intensity is carried in his countenance when alone or focused, yet he seems to come through with a smile and lightened mood as others approach. His self-deprecating sense of humor; his sunken, tired eyes; his long stares; finally, his perennial dissatisfaction outside his work, all betray a deeper sadness which lingers with him and plagues his thoughts. Something is missing. Who or what is its own mystery.

Gallery

Hooks

Background

Barrett has a relatively dense history. Much had happened in a short amount of time, and in the years of Garlean invasions across Eorzea, it's no wonder. An austere man born to important times, he was understandably busy. For much of his past, it was hard to know Barrett outside the martial world. With his perpetuated absence, perhaps he'd hung up the sword for good?...who is he kidding?Here are some ways you might have known Barrett. The vast majority have to do with Thanalan and Ul'dah!Commander: Barrett was a Captain of House Rokufor's forces, a lesser noble family of Ul'dah's long forgotten royalty (OOC note: I took full creative license on the existence of nobility in Ul'dah. Though it is taken as obvious that a royal dynasty has nobility beneath them, they are never mentioned in canon lore). He led House forces into Thanalan to protect its fiefs and holdings, as well as aiding The Immortal Flame whenever so ordered. Veteran soldiers and officers from Ul'dah have likely known of his supplemental units used against Amal'jaa raids and other frontier threats.Mercenary Captain: After stepping away from House Rokufor, Barrett became a Mercenary Captain and started his own unit. Soldiers familiar with special operations and guerilla warfare against Imperials in Northern Thanalan may have seen Barrett here and there. He was an intermittent visitor at Immortal Flames' bases.Duelist: Barrett was the champion of House Rokufor early in his career. His ability with a sword is highly regarded, a quality he has cultivated since childhood. As a new champion, he was known for moving and acting like a veteran swordsman despite being eighteen at the time. Champions are largely from a bygone age of Ul'dahn nobility, and the position was held to honor a Lord by dueling in his name. Any who challenged Lord Rokufor to duel for his honor would typically face Barrett, the result thus redounding on his lord's status as much as his own. In its heyday, any appointment showed supreme trust in the champion's abilities, and tenures were usually decades-long for successful duelists. However, the position suffered degradation by the time of Barrett's own appointment, and champions had become an "honorific" for friends of a noble's court rather than a home to renowned fighters. The stakes were lowered, and the results of duels taken with reduced severity. In modernity, most promising Champions apply to become Gladiators after making their name, given the reduced status of lords in Ul'dah.Yet Champions can still be no trifle, and the truly talented within those ranks shine above political appointees easily. At first an unknown commodity, and given a chance under mysterious circumstances, Barrett proved himself immediately. He had several high profile duels in his brief tenure, going undefeated against relatively modest competition- though in one fight in particular, he came very close to losing.It would be outside the dueling ring, and in hard fought battles in the real world, where Barrett would come to know defeat...and terrible ones at that.

Rumors

"Heh, the guy's crazy! Saw him tackle an Amal'jaa after he lost his sword, and soon they came to blows- yeah, a fist fight! With an Amal'jaa! Actually held is own. I'm not fibbing!" (Foot soldiers, War veterans)"He could probably keep up with the best I've known. He wasn't a true master when I saw him fight, but he was so damn young. I saw him just last month, so he's still alive, and he's had a lotta time to hone his craft. The way you can pick the winners isn't about them never losing: they're...inspired? Yeah, inspired by losing- like they think if they work hard enough, it'll never happen again. He sure as shit was a sore loser after spars. He'd grind to get better, nonstop. If only he joined the Gladiators, but he had a chip on his shoulder." (Professional fighters, Gladiators, "Show Fighters"/Performers)"There was a duel in some shanty town outside Ul'dah. Craziest I had ever seen. This was back when the refugee crisis from Gyr Abania was real bad. I mean it: there were refugees even the OTHER refugees stayed away from. They had a leader- called himself 'The Bull', and this Roegadyn was a real showman on top of being a mean motherfucker. He got challenged by a young buck who just stomped in and started shouting, and you'd think he was insane! He demanded a duel to the death! Well, too much pride and honor between the two of 'em to back down. Uh-uh, not gonna tell it all for nothing! It's the best story I got!" (Criminal Underworld, Downtrodden)

About

The Author

I am a man with a background in performing arts between singing, dancing, and acting. Always in need of more creative outlets, RP has been critical to my social and artistic life. Meeting insanely talented and kind people has gone a long ways to elevating my work and changing my outlook on life.Though what we do is in the digital world, it gifts us very real experiences. The people we meet are real and the words they write are as real as any thought from their mind. When you meet a character on the street, in a bar, in a battle- just know you're meeting that person through a persona! With that in mind: I'm always willing to share the "real me" with those who get to know Barrett, but I conversely respect the desire for anonymity so many RPers have!I've been writing for fifteen years, give or take, with much of it being via Roleplay. One could say I have always viewed RP as a proving ground for character concepts, stylistic exploration, and basic competencies in the craft. I'm always down to hang out in RP, but the things that keeps me going are emotional/intense/serious stories!Never be afraid to reach out: I'd love to hear your /tell!You can also reach me on Discord! My ID is TinyTim.

OOC Basics

Like
Walk-Up/Tell RP
DMing Events and Telling Stories
Romance
Long-Form RPDislike
Random RP Fights (Nothing more pointless)
Unsolicited ERP
Disrespect/Abuse
God-Moding/Powergaming

Music

Why?

Because I love music, and it is key to how I conceptualize most any character, especially my own. So, enjoy a playlist/gallery of sorts for thematically relevant tunes. They all directly relate to some important event or emotion in his life, with music an important affective piece to understand him. Imagine this music playing during key portions of dialogue, and imagine how it could characterize his (or your) disposition!If you have music relevant to your character, please share it with me!! It certainly helps me better understand where you're coming from.

Tidus Barrett's Theme

Gone

Alone Again

Within The Mind