The Azure Lions

"'Neath crashin' wave, it's sink or swim!"

The Lions patrol the seas of Tural, Vylbrand and Thavnair, protecting merchant ships from threats such as wavekin displaced by recent aetherial phenomena or ornery tural vidraal. This new-age privateer crew sails aboard the Qhapaqnian, a phrase taken from an old Turali tongue used to refer to the fabled city of gold. Having unearthed a certain "treasure" from said city, the Lions' captain charted this "opulent path" spanning half the star.Apart from veteran Lominsan sailors, the Azure Lions are comprised of Dustwatch members from Tural, as well as fishmongers and alchemists from Thavnair.(Note: Suggested timelime in all text here will imply that it has been four years from A Realm Reborn to Dawntrail.)

Rho'bin Audigir
Captain Redblue

Battle Role: Voyager
(VPR/ROG Mix,
Melee DPS/Tank)Companion: a white whittret
named Spencer
(disguised auspice)

Rogue, Ironworks errand boy, Maelstrom officer, gleaner. The former pirate of twenty-eight summers had gone through many a vocation before returning to a life at sea and captaining his own ship. For his final venture as a gleaner, Rho'bin collaborated with the Students of Baldesion—and by extension with the Warrior of Light and a number of former Scions of the Seventh Dawn—at the western continent of Tural. He responded to the summons with no qualms, spurred by a desire to discover the fabled city of gold.Before sailing westward, Rho'bin returned to Limsa Lominsa, informing his fellow rogues of the journey. Due to his lack of information on the west's violent fauna, he expressed worry over chipping his daggers on said unknown beasts' thick hides. His desire for longer, sturdier weapons was heard from the deep corners of the guild's stores, where a pair of interconnected swords collected dust. Since none among the rogues claimed ownership of the twin blades, he quickly had smiths refurbish them to his exacting standards and named the pair Edelweiss and Belladonna.Shortly after crossing the salt, Rho'bin stumbled upon an older Hhetsarro man with hair the exact shade of red as his. He saw this similarity with the local as a coincidence until he was asked about Quarrymill, his true birthplace. He could no longer deny his relation to the stranger, who introduced himself as Meruppe.Formerly a Sharlayan researcher, Meruppe studied the flora of the Twelveswood. However, an order to return to Dravania estranged him from his children yet born. The scholars' gradual departure from Eorzea transitioned to a full-blown exodus out of the continent. Demotivated from furthering his research, Meruppe returned to Tural without sparing a single day of rest at the Northern Empty. The Hhetsarro's knowledge was not put to total waste, however, as he earned his keep concocting medicinal draughts since his return.Rho'bin cursed the Spinner under his breath for the wretched chance encounter with the familiar stranger. Were it not for Spencer's strange fondness for Meruppe, he would have avoided the old man for the rest of his stay in Tural.Rho'bin's choice of wielding Turali twinfangs for the venture was pure coincidence; how the blades reached the Dutiful Sisters was anyone's guess. Under the reasoning of adding onto what he already knew, he studied the arts of the viper from the local hunters. By applying the lessons learned from Lominsan and Turali mentors alike, the miqo'te forged a dextrous combat style he could call his own. This act was the very first time Rho'bin honored his bloodline in any form. Meruppe might not have combat prowess, but he was his son's sole connection to Tural, and thus a connection to the west's swift hunters.Some time after Tural's rite of succession, the Dawnservants forged an alliance with the satrap of Thavnair. The two nations half the star apart had a mutual lack of naval force: a perfect opportunity for an enterprising seafarer. In the eyes of many a Lominsan, the flow of maritime trade is the beating heart of most international relations.Shortly after the matter with the city of gold was settled, Rho'bin boasted of his seafaring experience to Vows Koana and Wuk Lamat, appealing to the need for protection of potential future trade. The incumbent privateer captain also mentioned past relations with some of Thavnair's locals. Their fears of sending envoys to strange lands assuaged, the Dawnservants accepted his appeal.His dream near in sight due to the Vows' approval, Rho'bin needed to make one last appointment in Limsa Lominsa. Due to his impressive show of freelancing statecraft, a fair portion of the funding required for a brand new ship was shouldered by Admiral Bloefhiswyn. The vessel that would later be named the Qhapaqnian was constructed at the Moraby Drydocks.

V'kebbe the Stray
First Mate

Battle Role: ROG (Melee DPS)

Apart from fending off wavekin, the Azure Lions uphold Limsa Lominsa's underbelly code on a wider scale. By technicality, the Seeker of the Sun of twenty-odd summers is still a member of the Rogues' Guild. Like the captain and many other rogues within the Lions' ranks, she decided to keep her old guild moniker within the crew.V'kebbe has the misfortune of receiving numerous inquiries regarding her blood relation with Rho'bin, what with the similar shades of red in their hair (she does not have his "ridiculous" blue) and their tattooed right arms. The matter is exacerbated by the fact that the two were inked the same night, a mark on her flesh borne from peer pressure.V'kebbe lost her old crew to the Calamity and she resorted to a life of thievery. Rho'bin caught her in the act one night, and instead of exacting judgment per the code, the rogue beckoned her into the Dutiful Sisters of the Edelweiss' hall. He gave her a second chance at life, as the guild has done for him before. She went on to become a loyal light in the darkmans as one of the swiftest "stringers" the guild has ever recruited. Though comfortable with nearly nine years of routine, an offer to return to a life at sea—as her "irritating elder brother's" first mate besides—was not one she dared refuse.

Keen Kutiiye
Second Mate

Battle Role: Sharpshooter
(MCH variation,
Physical Ranged DPS)

A Hhetsarro of twenty-six years, Kutiiye is a reconnaissance specialist from the Dustwatch with great respect for Chief Kemakka. True to his codename among the Lions, the young man's naked eye has served him better than any scope.Rho'bin was witness to the marksmanship that accompanied Kutiiye's sight. To win a saloon bet, the Hhetsarro needed to shoot five tossed coins out of the sky before they kissed the earth. He did so with just a single bullet. A few moons after their first meeting, Rho'bin returned to Shaaloani in an attempt to rally some of Tural's locals to his cause. Kutiiye saw an opportunity to extend the watch's reach beyond Xak Tural and joined up alongside a few others.The captain made Kutiiye second mate, a decision under the notion that there would be no inherent bias towards the other Lominsans aboard the ship. Many veteran topmen and deckhands initially objected, considering the fact that Kutiiye himself had never been at sea before. Even with the prestige of being mate, he still went on voluntary crow's nest duty. Undaunting in his role as the Qhapaqnian's eyes in the sky, he earned the respect of his doubters. Kutiiye quickly became a popular drinking companion for many a Lion.

Swygynharr
the Poised
Chief Carpenter

Battle Role: MRD (Tank)

A former Knight of the Barracuda of forty-six summers, Swygynharr turned to the crafts of a shipwright after retiring from the peacekeeping life, eventually aiding in the construction of the Qhapaqnian. His colleagues were aware of his disdain for the old age of piracy, so it came as a surprise when he near instantly joined the Azure Lions. Eager to see where the new "age of sail" would take the star, Swygynharr saw it best to sail alongside a captain that would pioneer such change.

Prismatic Shaa'kepya
Chief Engineer

Battle Role: Sapper (GNB variation, Tank/Melee DPS)

Though born an Eldite, Shaa'kepya had a warm Shetona upbringing in the outskirts of Everkeep Ward. A natural tinker with a curiosity about electrope, they can ascertain any mechanism's workings. Their decision to shirk regulator use garnered the attention of resistance group Oblivion, later becoming their resident sapper. At twenty and seven, they passed the barrier between realms to explore the star their foster mother missed for decades. Though the Source's magitek do not use electrope, there were more than enough similarities for inquisitive Shaa'kepya to become the reliable chief engineer for the Azure Lions.

Bright-eyed
Daksina
Helmsman

Battle Role: Lodestar
(AST variation,
Healer/Caster DPS)

A woman of thirty-six years, Daksina inherited her mother's pointed ears while most of the rest were taken from her highlander father. Honoring her parents of differing faiths, Daksina's magicks are derived from astromancy and spells based off the manusyan Magus Sisters. She jokingly refers to her time in Old Sharlayan as punishment for her nightly sneaks into Akyaali as a child. Apart from said astromancy, her fascination with the stars on high brought her to study the ways of navigation while "punished" by her parents, knowledge she would later use at the Qhapaqnian's helm.

Tender Aleimont
Chirurgeon

Battle Role: SGE (Healer)

Aleimont shares the shades of his hair and skin with his father, while all else about him took after his elezen mother. When the Final Days struck Thavnair, the man of thirty-two summers returned to his father's homeland to render aid by way of Sharlayan somanoutics. The dust long settled, a calling to protect Thavnair's shores compelled Aleimont into aiding the Azure Lions. He is no stranger to healing the loud and unruly patients aboard the Qhapaqnian. That being said, Aleimont often bites back at remarks from his elder sister Daksina, causing some deckhands to become uncertain if his smile for a given day served to relieve or unnverve them.

Ahthota the
Eighth Bell
Bosun/Purser

Battle Role: Marine
(ACN variation,
Caster DPS/Healer)

Ahthota is a Sea Wolf of twenty-nine years formerly employed as a Mealvaan's Gate bookkeeper. Her thirst for knowledge can rival that of an eager Sharlayan student, exemplified by her use of South Sea arcanima and Nymian stratagems. The South Sea Isles' proximity to Thavnair was what gave Ahthota the push to join the Azure Lions. Though her formality ill befits the typical sailor, none among the crew can fault her prowess in logistics, calculations and battle tactics. Delegated to double duty as the Azure Lions' bosun and purser, Ahthota is in her element with her nose to a ledger or when bringing a semblance of order to an otherwise rowdy bunch.