Lenne Fletcher

A retired Gladiator looking for a new outlook on life.
New to FFXIV RP but happy to be here!

Server: Mateus
Sex: Female
Pronouns: She/Her
Sexuality: Bisexual
Race: Midlander
Nationality: Ul'dan
Age: 23
Occupation: Ex-Gladiator, Artist, Freelancer
OOC
-Walk ups and tells are a-okay when I have the RP tag on!
-IC does not equal OOC
-Looking to RP with 21+
-Time Zone: EST
-Player pronouns: They/Them/Any
-Please don't be weird or creepy. I'm okay pursuing a relationship story but only with someone looking for long term RP.

A Quick Look (TL;DR)

Lenne was originally born in the Twelveswood to parents who were woodworkers, but she was raised in Ul'dah and trained as a Gladiator. Her parents had moved to Ul'dah seeking riches in trade, but quickly lost their money to schemes and greed, and in a matter of years a local merchant paid her parents to bring Lenne into his home to care for her in their stead. While there, she was trained as a Gladiator in harsh conditions to earn the merchant more gil. She found reasonable success there, but wasn't happy with the lifestyle thrust upon her so one day she ran away to Othard.She grew to love the land, and used the skills she learned in Ul'dah to help protect the populace outside of the major settlements as she traveled. During the Final Days however, the constant sight of blood, loss, and tragedy weighed heavy on her heart and she swore to find a life outside of the sword once it was all over.In the time since the end of that nightmare, Lenne has followed through with what she swore. With the sword now set down, she's instead picked up brushes and stencils to try to learn to create something beautiful. Throughout her journeys in Othard she was witness to an untold amount of beauty. However, the memories of death and tragedy that haunt her dreams have made it hard to find the beauty in life to capture on paper.Lenne recently began working at a local museum and now searches for a way to grow past the events that have wracked her mind, learn how to create beautiful art on her own, and friends to help her in her journey.

The Path of Family

Lenne was originally born in the Twelveswood to a family of woodworkers. In an area such as the Twelveswood, where woodworkers were as common as the squirrels in the trees, her family found they couldn't make the living they'd always dreamed of. With greed in their hearts, they turned their eyes to the city of greed: Ul'dah.With their plans made and their toddler Lenne in tow, they left the Twelveswood with a caravan carrying the little savings and small supply of product they had.Lenne's parents found brief success upon arrival. They were able to sell the stock they had brought with them rather quickly, which bolstered their dreams of making it big. However, her parents were not aware of the politicking required to run a successful business in the city, and everywhere they turned they were swindled without them knowing.Unlike in the Twelveswood where lumber is plentiful and easily accessible, local lumber is a rarity in Thanalan and highly protected. In order to operate their business her parents needed to partner with a lumber supplier. In order to find a trustworthy lumber supplier they needed to rub elbows with the Trade Guilds. And in order to meet with the heads of the Trade Guilds you needed an unhealthy supply of gil. Which her parents did not have despite their small success upon moving to the city.By the time Lenne's parents learned how to properly play the game of business in Ul'dah, it was far too late for them to succeed. Their coin had been spent to find temporary lodging, clothes to fit in with the other businesspeople, a caretaker for Lenne, food, and an untold amount of other small expenses that all stacked up to plunder their coffers dry. They were penniless and desperate, and soon forced outside of the city walls with the various refugees and homeless peoples. They had no coin to join a caravan or hire a mercenary to escort them back to the Twelveswood, and even if they had, their pride kept them from wanting to return.In the following years, Lenne and her family found community unlike that which exists in the city outside of its walls. Many living in the refugee camp were selfish and fought for their own survival, however there were those that fostered community and care between themselves to take care of each other when in need. In the early years of Lenne's life these people often helped take care of her, and as she reached 5 years of age and gained slightly more independence, many of those same people started giving Lenne small jobs here or there in order to earn a gil or two.Lenne's parents however were not as fortunate. In the hard years, they had given up much of their food and supplies to ensure that Lenne was cared for and fed, but over time they grew weaker and sicker. When Lenne was nearly 7, she was helping deliver some local flowers and herbs to the city when a Lalafellian merchant saw her. He had one of his servants follow her and the refugee she was helping outside of the city, and in a matter of days the merchant had arrived to Lenne's family tent.Lenne was sent outside, but she was later told that his name was Duca Maca and that he'd be taking her into the city to care for her until her parents could get enough strength and money to return for her. In truth however, Duca had instead paid her parents to adopt her from them. Lenne likes to imagine that her parents were able to return to the Twelveswood with the money they received, or to seek medical attention for the illnesses they had fallen prey to. However, Lenne is too afraid to to find out. And she never has known what happened to her family.Instead, she was once again brought inside the walls of Ul'dah, into the home Duca Maca. Into a home of wealth and plenty. Into riches that would not be afforded her.

The Path of Blood

Having been unknowingly sold into a wealthy Ul'dan merchant family at the age of 6, Lenne was understandably upset. She missed her parents and the community she had come to know in the refugee camp, however she was no longer permitted to go out to the camps to see any of them, and she was regularly escorted by a guard hired by Daca Maca named Varin Thunder.For the first eight months of her new life, she was well taken care of. She received 3 nutritionally balanced meals a day and a tutor to teach her to read and write. While she didn't see Daca Maca himself very often, she grew familiar with the servants as well as Daca's family. Everyone was kind to her, and over time she grew more and more comfortable in their home. This would all change however after those eight months were over.Lenne was brought to the Gladiator's Guild and made an apprentice there. Normally, this sort of thing wouldn't be allowed for someone her age, however that rule was overlooked due to a sizeable investment from Daca Maca's coffers. Over the years, Lenne performed a variety of duties at the guild such as caring for the weapons and armor, giving first aid, and helping at the front desk. As she grew older, she began to learn how to use the sword and shield herself. First she learned the technique and the theory, then she began to spar.During all this time, Lenne was still receiving tutoring as well to teach her to read and write, but she also began to learn about anatomy, different styles of combat, monsters, and a variety of other topics that would aid her in her upbringing as a gladiator.Throughout this, Varin would be watching over her and reporting back to Daca. If she was performing well in her duties, she was met with reward. Meals as she remembered when she first arrived at the estate, a comfortable bed, clothes and jewelry. However if she was performing inadequately these things were taken away from her, and her life became much harsher. In the early days, as she grew accustomed to her new position in life, her days were more bad than good; and as she grew older, the expectations of what constituted an adequate performance grew harsher and harsher. It quickly became apparent to her that although she often ate with the Maca family, she was not one of them.Lenne thankfully was accustomed to work already due to her upbringing with the refugees, however work at the Gladiator's Guild was harder than she was used to, and it took some time for her body to adjust. Adjust it did however, and she often was able to stay in the good graces of Daca. When she was 8, she began her unofficial training in swordsmanship, and when she was 12 she was made an official member of the Gladiator's Guild.Though an official member, Lenne would not see her first days in the arena until she was 15, which meant instead she had 3 more years to officially train and challenge other Gladiators to spar.When she finally turned 15 she was finally eligible to enter the arena. She joined other groups of young Gladiators to fight large beasts, fought others in single combat, and quickly made a name for herself as a notable new figure in the arena for her age. A large percentage of the money she won of course went back to the Maca estate, and Lenne finally learned that the Maca family largely made its money through managing underground bets within the arena.At 18, Lenne was allowed to participate in tournaments. In her first tournament, many eyes were on her as a promising up and comer; however, she underperformed. She only won 2 fights out of the possible 6 she could have taken part in. After this, she learned the real reason Daca had originally brought her into his home. A rival merchant had sponsored another fighter a few months before Daca met Lenne and had seen incredible profits from the agreement. Daca got it in his mind he could train a child to eventually become the greatest Gladiator Ul'dah had ever seen to rub it in his rival's face and embarrass him. However, now with her official debut ending in disappointment, she faced Daca's fullest punishments.Throughout tournaments for the rest of the year, Daca made certain Lenne knew how important it was for her not to disappoint him again. Lenne steadily improved in the face of incredible competition, never facing the rival merchant's fighter who was almost twice her age, but always getting deep into the tournament brackets.Shortly after Lenne's 19th name day, another tournament was held where Lenne was finally pitted against the rival merchant's fighter. Before the fight, Daca sent word through Varin that he wanted her to kill the fighter in the fight. Accidents happened in the arena, and death was technically permitted however intentionally killing another Gladiator was heavily looked down on and shamed.Lenne was surprised by this message, but followed through with Daca's wishes. The fight was hard won, but won it was. During various exchanges Lenne was able to find an opportunity to slice the man's throat, and he quickly fell to the ground. Shocked gasps came from the crowd as Lenne quickly vacated the arena.Lenne was shaken through taking her first life, and the wait between matches where she had to face what she'd done in silence was hell. She lost her next fight and fell out of the tournament, but it seemed the person she was fighting was definitely trying to enact a vengeance of some sort on her for her dishonorable act, and it was all she could do to keep her life.Returning home, Lenne was dour and expecting some punishment for losing the tournament. However, Daca was elated that his rival merchant's champion was killed, and laugh and drank all through the night.Lenne laid in her room, staring into the darkness, remembering the man's face she killed and the panic in his eyes. She remembered the fighter she lost to and the fury in his eyes, and she wondered if everyone she fought in the arena would be trying to end her life for what she did. That night, Lenne didn't sleep. She didn't eat. She waited until Daca's laughter had silenced themselves and all the servants had retired for the night. And she left.She gathered the little possessions she owned, and the gil she had saved, and she set off for somewhere new. Somewhere that wasn't this place.

The Path of Purpose

The night she fled from Ul'dah Lenne was able to secure passage to Limsa Lominsa. While there, she heard tell of a continent in the far east that trade had recently been re-established with. Using most of the gil she had on hand from her time in the arena, she was able to secure passage to Othard to get far away from her life and nightmares in Ul'dah. Finally she would be able to start a life all her own in a new land and make her life into whatever she dreamed it could be.The trek to Othard was long and arduous, however eventually Lenne made it through and arrived in the city of Kugane in Hingashi off the coast of the continent proper. As she stepped off the ship, she was overwhelmed by Kugane's beauty and how different it was from the life she was used to. She didn't have much gil left, but what she did have she used to try the various foods and hot springs.However, in a place so beautiful Lenne wasn't anticipating how cruel it could also be. As she stayed in Kugane longer, she began to recognize the greed in people's hearts as the same as what she experienced in Ul'dah. She started noticing the scams she was falling prey to, and before she completely ran out of gil she chartered a boat to Othard with hope that she'd find better luck in the countryside.Lenne wandered in Othard for 3 years. While there, she encountered a number of dangers on the road and had to rely on the skills she learned in the arena. At times, survival was brutal, however she managed and even thrived in the wilderness. Every time she stopped at a settlement she would gather provisions and learn from the locals the best way to survive in the area. She forged relationships, and helped these communities however she could whether it be problems with the local wildlife, or going into dangerous areas to gather herbs or recover lost items.Throughout this time, Lenne still struggled with nightmares of having taken a life from someone. She suffered from nightmares, and at times she struggled giving the killing blow against monsters she faced. And then the Final Days came to Hydaelyn.All of Lenne's nightmares were compounded and intensified during this time, however with the threat of death around every corner Lenne's anxieties turned off and her training took over. As the people around her transformed, she worked with the locals to protect the living from the onslaught of monsters while trying to keep everyone calm so no one else would transform. She had to kill many people she had grown relationships with because they turned into nightmarish creatures.Eventually the Final Days ended and peace was brought back to the land. And when peace was brought back, Lenne's survival instinct went away and all she was left with was her fears coming back to her. She mourned for the people she had to kill, and she was haunted by them. She stayed in the countryside to help the communities pay respect to their loved ones, but after this terrible experience and the feelings it left her with, Lenne couldn't stomach holding her sword any longer. She didn't want to take part in killing any longer. She couldn't. So she laid her weapon to rest in the country and decided she would take on a new life of peace.

The Path of Beauty

Although Lenne knew she had to set down the sword for her own good, she wasn't sure what to do next. Practically all she had known in life was fighting and training. However, she did have some early memories of various minor bits of labor while living in the refugee camp. She knew she could likely find work in a major city doing manual labor, and the only major city she knew was Kugane. A place of beauty, but also a place with a level of greed that reminded her of Ul'dah. That scared her, but she lived around greed her entire life, so she knew how to navigate it.She returned to Kugane and although each morning she had to set out to find new jobs and nothing was ever guaranteed, she was able to carve out a living for herself. Even though Lenne was able to survive, she still had nightmares about having to kill people, and she still felt unfulfilled. She was grateful she no longer had to fight, but she recognized she still wanted more, and she wasn't sure what.One day, she was helping to transport some art pieces to an auction, and for one of the first times in her life she experienced a moment of peace. It was early morning and the sun was rising over the horizon, and as she looked at the painting she was wrapping she saw it for its beauty for the first time. A tear rolled down her face that she quickly had to suppress so that she could get back to work, but that day that piece of art didn't leave her mind. In the evening, she found herself walking through the town and truly taking in the beauty of it for the first time, the structures, the colors, the intention. It all began to inspire her.The following weeks were a blur. She could hardly focus on her jobs because she had this deep empty feeling within herself that she wasn't sure what to do with. She happened to stumble passed a merchant selling art supplies, and she bought a sketchpad and some pencils without thinking. That night, she climbed to the top of Kugane Tower and simply sketched, and she found a peace within herself.From that day, Lenne decided to try to dedicate herself to the arts whenever she could. She saved up for various bits of art supplies, and practiced every evening, but she found she didn't have much talent for it. That alone didn't deter her efforts however. She began to study other pieces of art and tried to understand how they were made, and did her best to copy those techniques on her own. She knew some artists were taught by others, but she felt she didn't have the gil or the opportunity to find someone to help her.Not all was easy for her however, as often when she fell deep into the artmaking process, her mind would travel to the people she killed or the horrors she had seen. These visions would break her out of her trance, and she would need to take breaks to calm down once again, sometimes having to break for the rest of the night.One evening Lenne was working late delivering supplies to a grocer when he heard someone talking to the vendor about a museum. She turned and saw a Raen male buying various cooking ingredients from the grocer while talking about a new exhibit being put up at a museum he worked at.He left before Lenne was finished with her delivery, but as she as she finished she ran off into the crowds hoping to find him. She had never been to a museum before, but no doubt there must be a lot she could learn there. When she caught up to him, she asked where this museum was, and he offered to give her a tour the next day.As soon as she stepped foot inside, she was inspired. The man, whose name was Akito Hinotori, walked her through the various exhibits, telling her about each of the pieces in as much detail as he could, but so much of the information passed through her ears as she was simply dazzled by everything there. Toward the end of the tour Akito made a comment that the museum was growing so much that they needed more caretakers, and Lenne jumped at the opportunity to be there more often.She was quickly hired onto the staff to clean and resupply the museum as well as fetch whatever odd items the staff of the museum had need of. While working there, she learned of an Art and Restoration department within the organization, and she immediately had the goal in mind to try to be a part of that department one day. For now however, she would need to prove herself where she was at while she did whatever she could to learn more about the exhibits and pieces here while continuing to practice her own art skills.

The Path of Knowledge

This chapter is currently being written by Lenne's in-game story as she works and studies at the museum. If you'd like to help shape this chapter, come RP with me!Lenne's current goals:
-Be a faithful steward to the museum that has brought her on and given her this opportunity.
-Finding someone to help her in her artistic journey, whether that be a fellow artist trying to learn, or a master to teach her.
-Learn more about the history of the world so she can better understand the art being made within it.
-Finding a way to overcome the horrors of her past that haunt her.
-Reconnecting with her familial roots by picking up Carpentry.
-For the first time in her life, finding friends that she can truly connect with.

RP Hooks

-If you grew up or trained in Ul'dah, perhaps you saw Lenne in the coliseum before she ran away.-If you traveled through Othard during the Final Days you possibly worked together with Lenne to protect travelers or small communities outside of the major settlements.-Lenne loves high up places, and especially loves the view from the top of Kugane Tower. It's possible she's helped you in the past, or you've seen her in the area.-Lenne is constantly looking for artistic inspiration. Perhaps you saw her sketchbook and are an artist yourself or know of a great spot?-Lenne is on the lookout to learn more about the history of beautiful things such as nature or art? Maybe you have some knowledge you could share?-Lenne is currently living a much slower paced lifestyle outside of the world of combat and there's a lot of the world she hasn't experienced. She always would love trying new foods, seeing new places, or making new friends!