Cursed with poor luck and having failed to learn until too late that something that seems too good to be true often is, Taji now seeks to salve his own soul (and put off dealing with problems) by saving others from getting jerked around by life as he has.
A merchant who took a shot for the big score and missed, Taji hit bottom hard enough to bounce. The rebound carried him to pick up a paladin's shield and focus on aiding others while he puts off dealing with his own problems.
- Age
- Middle-aged
- Date of Birth
- 25th Sun of the 4th Umbral Moon
- Gender
- Male
- Eyes
- Purple
- Hair
- Black
- Skin Tone/Pigmentation
- Grey and black fur
- Height
- 6ft 11in
- Weight
- 280 lbs
Appearance
Physical Description
Typical beefy male Hrothgar. Pray, dost thou yet hoist, friend?
Body Features
Mostly black and grey fur, with some white striping patterns on his back, shoulders, and tail. His winter coat is particularly thick around his neck and shoulders.
Facial Features
Calm resting face that some claim is a feigned look of innocence. Taji wears the typical slender braid down one side of his face. One of his long fangs is slightly shorter than the others after being chipped.
Identifying Characteristics
Even if it's hard to tell Hrothgar apart by their stripes, Taji's violet eyes and amused smirk are well known by those who know him. Oh, and then there's the horns.
Physical quirks
He seems to lack pain sensation in his tail, as is evidenced by sometimes finding things sticking through it.
Apparel & Accessories
Taji wears the typical full plate favored by paladins.
Mentality
Personal history
Very much WIP.
Taji put his sensitive snoot to work as a merchant specializing in coffee, tea, and wine. Unfortunately his lack of grip on the common trading language of Eorzea held him back, and enterprising middle-men have taken advantage of this, carving off most of the profits of his work.
The day came where he'd made the big score, or so he thought. Following a monster of a trade deal, the after party raged into the night, with many a fine vintage of wine being opened, followed by the hard stuff. He woke up the next morning in his room, or more specifically, a room - not the fancy one he'd paid for, nor even at the same hotel. It wasn't clear which was causing the lion's share of pain in his head, the hangover, or the new pair of bloody demon horns that had torn his scalp open after sprouting. The booze, the pain, and anything else had pushed all memories of the night prior from his mind; all that lingered were a couple of faces and scents, no doubt, he thought, of those that had wronged him.
Now fully cleaned out of all worldly possessions, the humiliated Hrothgar returned to his home village, only to quickly be cast out, as they wanted no part of whatever problems and bad juju surrounded him. He was sent away with a paltry amount of spending gil, a name, and an old journal about the trials of another who'd also been somehow corrupted. It was from the journal that he got the idea to follow the path of a paladin, as doing so would create instincts to fight off the ill impulses that were sure to come.
Education
- Self-taught connoisseur
- Some formal training from traveling paladins
Employment
Sword and shield for hire, it's rare these days that people look to his expertise in foodstuffs.
Accomplishments & Achievements
- Arranged a fantastic merchant deal to re-purchase a stolen golden idol belonging to his village
- Has a history for taking on rescue missions, most of which have been successful
Failures & Embarrassments
- Promptly managed to get swindled out of the recovered idol long before it made it back to the village, and he got himself cleaned out financially and corrupted in the process
Mental Trauma
- There is a Thing that happened not long after the deal gone bad. Shh. It's a secret.
Intellectual Characteristics
In terms of raw smarts, he's not particularly noteworthy, but he's got a pretty good nose for trouble. Unfortunately, he often ignores it.
Morality & Philosophy
Focusing on his own problems has gotten him nowhere, so in recent years Taji is putting his effort into helping others. He'll still take the gil for the work, of course, but fixing others' problems makes him feel better, simple as that.
Known Languages
- Hrothgar - fluent
- Eorzean Common
- Understanding - Conversational
- Writing - Fluent
- Speaking - Poor
- Various Others - A smattering of many languages, words and phrases related mainly to travel and trade.
fds
Personality
Motivation
To help others and forget about his own problems for a while. Long-term, find those that wronged him and get payback.
Savvies & Ineptitudes
- Pretty good at reading people
- Quite good at sniffing out trouble
- Unfortunately, also good at ignoring the aforementioned instincts at the worst times
Likes & Dislikes
Likes
- Napuccino. A stiff coffee followed by a nap in the sun is the best thing ever.
- Mojitos. Delicious. But tip the bartender well, they're a pain to make.
- The smell of fresh-cut grass.
- The look of relief on rescued victims' faces before he hugs them and makes sure they get a trip home.
- The satisfaction of the perfect sword strike or well-cast spell.
Dislikes
- Champagne - never again. Associates it with the deal gone bad, plus the hangovers are miserable.
- Loud people who speak a lot and say little.
- Noise in general
Virtues & Personality perks
Taji seems to exude warmth, both physical and emotional. He's one of those people that it often just feels good to be around. Unless you're allergic.
Hygiene
He keeps clean. No, he doesn't use his tongue. Usually.
Social
Birthplace
A remote village
Current Residence
Limsa Lominsa
Contacts & Relations
- A number of merchants here and there
- A number of members of the Maelstrom from whom he's taken a number of jobs
Wealth & Financial state
Very little at this point
Family Ties
Other than his younger sister, the rest of his family was all too quick to turn their backs on him along with the rest of his village. Whether because they genuinely want him gone, or they are merely going along with the will of the elders, he's not sure.
Religious Views
He's quite spiritual, but he mostly keeps it to himself.
Social Aptitude
Can be quiet in a crowd, but will also crack a joke from time to time.
Speech
Bassy and rumbly as one might expect, he speaks heavily accented Eorzean, with some odd quirks brought on by his long fangs.
Social
Birthplace
A remote village
Current Residence
Limsa Lominsa
Contacts & Relations
Wealth & Financial state
Very little at this point
Family Ties
Other than his younger sister, the rest of his family was all too quick to turn their backs on him along with the rest of his village. Whether because they genuinely want him gone, or they are merely going along with the will of the elders, he's not sure.
Religious Views
He's quite spiritual, but he mostly keeps it to himself.
Social Aptitude
Can be quiet in a crowd, but will also crack a joke from time to time.
Speech
Bassy and rumbly as one might expect, he speaks heavily accented Eorzean, with some odd quirks brought on by his long fangs.