Kökecü Orben

Born into the Tumet tribe, Kökecü failed the trial that all must face at the age of ten and were left behind. After attempting to survive on their own, they were found on the brink of death on the riverbank by an Orben lesbian couple who took them in. It took nearly two years, but they finally allowed their adoptive parents to name them, as Tumet were only supposed to earn their names after passing the trial. Thus was Kökecü raised, educated, and re-socialized with the Orben.Perhaps as a consequence of how they came to to the tribe, they were possessed of a unique fervor to prove themselves at any occasion, resulting in a highly competitive nature. They took great pride in thrashing their opponents in all forms of contest, from fighting to strategy games (which they weren't particularly good at but got very adept at cheating in them). Their place amongst their peers was fiercely earned, making as many enemies as they did friends. Still, they often struggled to remain part of the group, wandering off on their own to work on some new bit of art they had set their heart upon crafting. Thus did they find a certain comfortable degree of ostracization, having the space they needed to create but always being welcomed back to present their new pieces to a tribe that (for the most part) cheered at their efforts.As the Orben traversed the rivers of the region and traded regularly with other tribes and outsiders alike, Kökecü was very aware of the outside world. They began to collect recreations of foreign art, books on new techniques, even oral stories of grand spectacles; desperate to learn everything they could about the world of creativity outside their homeland. Kugane, specifically, captured their ambitions, imagining a city filled to the brim with beautiful works of art and the life they could lead there as a valued artisan amongst the upper echelons. Though they had come to love their adoptive tribe and family dearly, they dreamed of accomplishing something truly great with their art. Their mothers disapproved vehemently, one on the grounds of the home and traditions Kökecü would be turning their back on. The other worried for how an unfamiliar land and people would treat someone like Kökecü, who defied gender norms that even certain peoples of the Steppe still adhered. Not to mention their 'somewhat antisocial' (i.e. neurodivergent) tendencies.But they were undeterred. Setting out with a determination only the folly of a youth just cresting adulthood can possess, they left their home abruptly and with little to their name. After managing to slip past the Garlean hold on the surrounding regions, Kökecü reached Hingashi's Kugane. They began working the docks as a fisher, slowly but surely selling pieces of art that began to catch the right attention. Unfortunately, they also had a propensity to get the attention of the Sekiseigumi and underworld figures alike. Their competitiveness and rejection of anything even remotely unjust, which had never been an issue in their home culture, led to many conflicts.Lured in by the promise of entertaining games that could earn them coin, they quickly found that gambling parlors were both unwinnable and not particularly fun. Even fighting rings couldn't be trusted, as the people here had learned arts that did not always correlate one's strength with their size. They grew distrustful of anyone that invited them in with a smile, knowing they were probably about to be fleeced. Thus did their aspiring reputation as a highly skilled artisan never amount to more coin than what they needed to live almost comfortably. With a growing list of enemies, mediocre prospects, and a newfound wanderlust, it was hardly surprising that they chased the tales of magical artists abroad without ever looking back.They travelled across the world after mere rumors of these practitioners, from Thavnair, to Golmorra, and finally Eorzea. Upon a La Noscean dock, they found a stray Sharlayan Pictomancer ((Middle-aged trans woman, name TBD, referred to as [S.P.] from here on)) and her assisting Gleaner. Seeing the pair struggling to catch a peculiar type of fish [S.P.] needed for its scales, Kökecü offered to help but was rebuffed brusquely. Challenging the Gleaner's competency, they made a bet with the Sharlayans: if they could catch quadruple the Gleaner's in the same amount of time, [S.P.] would have to teach them something. It wasn't even a contest when Kökecü returned with a whole net's fill to the Gleaner's single catch.Begrudgingly, [S.P.] agreed to a single basic lesson. But Kökecü immediately demonstrated understanding of the fundamentals, having researched and trailed leads on Pictomancy for so long. Floored by the sheer knack for the art, both Sharlayans agreed that this was a talent worth fostering. But besides the difficulty of admitting Kökecü as a student in Sharlayan, [S.P.] still had research to be completed in Eorzea. And so, as the Gleaner returned to the Studium, [S.P.] allowed Kökecü to accompany them for proper training.Becoming [S.P.]'s apprentice, both took on adventuring work while they traveled the lands and learned of the myriad of different peoples' arts. In time, [S.P.] shared their true purpose in Eorzea: to gather examples or recreate them, record the processes, and master as many art forms as possible. (Unbeknownst to [S.P.], this was in service of the Forum's grand plan to collect as many forms of Ethierys's culture possible.) [S.P.] even learned a thing or two from Kökecü, as they shared art forms that hadn't yet been explored outside the Steppe. Meanwhile, the Gleaner would send them whatever rare or exotic ingredients they needed for their projects that couldn't otherwise be sourced in Eorzea. This continued on for several years, until the two chose to make their way to Thavnair.The pair of Pictomancers had only been there a month when the Final Days began, and the skies of that colorful land burned. They did their best to aid the local village they'd been staying with, but it wasn't long before they were overwhelmed. Kökecü was gravely injured trying to protect their master's priceless journals filled with everything the two had learned, failing as the collection was torn to shreds or burned. Only one tome were they able to clutch safely in their arms. [S.P.]--trapped in a nightmare far from home, watching their life's work destroyed before them, and believing they had failed their brightest prodigy, their truest masterpiece--fell to despair. Kökecü awoke to find the Landsguard having quelled most of the threat, though the Blasphemy their master had become escaped.When at last the apocalypse subsided, Kökecü sent word to the Gleaner of the tragic loss of [S.P.]. For a time, Kokecu lingered in Thavnair, attempting to lift spirits by working with local communities to create art for them. But most pieces they created were memorials, and soon their bright spark began to wither. The Gleaner arrived to find them deeply depressed, on the verge of giving up Pictomancy altogether and returning to the Steppe. The Gleaner was able to convince Kökecü to instead return to Eorzea and take up their lat master's work--not knowing that the point of it had become moot now. The Gleaner saw them safely back to La Noscea, where the trio had first met, and assured Kökecü that they would honor the agreement they had with their master to help provide them whatever they needed.On their own once more, it took some time for Kökecü's aimless wanderings to lead them to Gridania again. They hadn't adventured since they'd left the continent with [S.P.], but their coin purse was perilously light and they had more than enough emotional baggage to work through. And so, they signed on with a local adventuring company: the Nomad Aegis....
TO BE CONTINUED (as the character progresses)

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