House of the Rising Sun

Gazing At Sirius

Born in the Azim Steppe as Nagerel of the Oronir, Anri's earliest days were spent much the same as any other child of the Steppe. However, shortly after his sixth summer, his father would make a bargain that would result in his exile from the tribe...And although it was never intended to include Anri, this did not stop his father from taking him along.

The Man Who Sold the World

For the next two years the two of them traveled the East, eventually coming to briefly reside in Kugane. During that time, they would happen to cross paths with a touring Ishgardian songstress by the name of Julianna Velabon.This chance encounter would eventually result in Anri being dragged all of the way across the sea to Ishgard.

Somewhere to Belong

The culture shock was difficult for Anri at first. Although having spent the last couple of years drifing from place to place seemed to be somewhat desensitizing. Julianna's influence would also prove to be a massive source of comfort and stability for him as time goes on.Despite the initial awkwardness in Kugane, Julianna came to take Anri in as her own, taking her time to teach him everything she could about Coerthan customs and life as a whole. She was always there to reassure him whenever he got picked on for being different....And although he avoids the subject or publicly utilizing any of these skills, being a musician, Julianna made certain Anri was at least basically competent with most instruments.Due to how much he stood out, Anri generally spent a lot of time reading in his room. His favorite stories tended to either be fantasy adventures or embellished histories of the Temple Knights.Wanting to fit in, he would eventually decide to abandon his given name, deciding instead to go by the name of a knight from one of his favorite fantasy novels.

"...But I'll know."

All was finally somewhat stable for Anri in Ishgard. Until his father vanished without a trace one morning and was eventually presumed dead.An ominous confrontation between the two of them, which had occured the night before the Oronir's disappearance, would haunt the young Xaela as he quietly carried on; left now solely within Julianna's care, and with a small scar on his right hand to remind him of that night's events.

Omens

Completely directionless given his new-found independence as an adult, and with a notable lack of any sense of belonging, Anri decides to travel. During this time he spends his days completing odd jobs, doing general adventuring work, and honing his martial skills. Out of all of the weapons he initially tries, he finds the axe suits him best. For some reason, he lacked the focus and mental clarity to really click with anything else at this point....And somehow eventually all of this aimless wandering leads him to the right people.

Guardian of Starlight

Among the many faces he would meet throughout his aimless wandering across Eorzea, one of them, met on a whim while passing through Revenant's Toll, would prove to be unexpectedly influential.This encounter would eventually result in his initial affiliation with The Kitsune Star.For the first time, Anri would feel as though he had found somewhere he could truly belong.

let the Flames Begin

Recklessly naive optimism and ambition eventually led him on a diverging path.Although this initially went well, it would slowly become clear that the unattended ghosts of his past were affecting him, and those around him, much more than he realized.This was something he would not come to understand until it felt as though his entire world had practically collapsed. It was as if he were being consumed from within, ever eternally obscured by the very same looming shadow he had been attempting to run from since first venturing out on his own.Since that night.Initially he returned to Ishgard, where he spent many long hours reading in an attempt to distract from the destruction left in his wake.In the midst of this somber retreat, he received an unexpected letter, entirely unrelated, at least directly, to his own recent personal failings, that would prompt a long overdue reunion.He is given a choice.Submit, or overcome.The resulting confrontation leaves him fundamentally altered; both physically and otherwise. Although vision in his right eye is lost as a result, he is finally free from much of what weighed on his psyche.

Fighting Gold

Once recovered from his injuries, at least somewhat... He made the decision to reach out to a familiar doctor in red. As he emerged from the rubble and stepped out from the ashes of what had been lost, it occured to him just how much he deeply missed the family he had found in Kitsune. He expected, at best, to be politely turned away after the way in which he had vanished... But to his surprise, and great relief, he was welcomed back with open arms.As he tries his best to find his footing again, to locate some sense of normalcy, he comes to notice that he no longer seems capable of wielding his axe with the same drive that he used to. He realizes then that, as a consequence of recent events, his state of mind had fundamentally shifted. He no longer carried that same inner turmoil that used to serve as his primary motivator.What once was anger and resentment had turned to unshakable resolve. What he carried now was a solemn but firm sense of duty; to attone for his mistakes... Both for others and for himself.The storybooks of his childhood spring to the forefront of his mind.Even in those days, he had aspired to be like the knights in those stories, or like the Temple Knights he would watch through his window...... And yet, discouraged by failure after struggling with the art years ago, he had resorted to the axe, a style of combat that better suited his mindset at the time.Now that things had changed,It was only right to try again.

Apex of The World

Anri spends the next several weeks buried in books, teaching himself basic sword and shield techniques. The efforts don't go unnoticed either... And thanks to some consistent encouragement, he would eventually work up the courage to reach out to a much more experienced paladin, Captain Kist Thalren of the Immortal Flames, for guidance.Any excess free time outside of his rigorous training was spent quietly searching for information regarding the aetheric trauma attained prior to his reunion with Kitsune.However, thankfully, he would eventually also find the courage to be transparent about the condition of his aether with those closest to him. As a result, through a combination of modified weaponry and a steady intake of supplemental aether, through aetherically dense food for example, Anri has largely been able to adapt to the challenges of his condition.Notable effects of his aetheric condition, specifically due to their means of accquisition, include a heightened sensitivity to voidal presences as well as a significant weakness to those same entities. Other notable effects include blindness in his right eye, and an initial generalized weakness on the right side of his body that required significant training to compensate for over the course of several moons. Despite that, it is still noticeably weaker at times.As of now, Anri remains primarily focused on his training, and learning how best to implement the teachings provided to him. While not focused on this primary goal, he spends the time that he can with those closest to him, such as his friends and new partner; having unexpectedly forged that bond over time as a result of happenstace stemming from a sparring tournament he had attended on a whim on the outskirts of Ul'dah.