“It’s all quite fascinating, really! You see, the aether accelerates breakdown of the humours in the body and…why is everyone looking at me like that?”

LEGAL NAME: Shinju Toyotama
NICKNAME[S]: Shiin, “Shinju of the Deep Tides”
DATE OF BIRTH: 4th sun of the 2nd Umbral Moon (April 4) (age 23)
GENDER | SPECIES: Female | Au Ra (Raen)
PRONOUNS: She/Her
PLACE OF BIRTH: Sui-no-Sato, the Ruby Sea

CURRENT LIVING CONDITIONS: Mealvaan’s Gate dormitories
SPOKEN LANGUAGES: Common, Hingan

RELIGION: Venerates local kami
CLASS: Arcanist
OCCUPATION: Adventurer, trainee assessor
FINANCIAL SITUATION: Middling
ALIGNMENT: True Neutral
CRIMINAL RECORD: N/A
DRINK | SMOKE | DRUGS: N/A
LIKE[S]: Cute things, carbuncles, flowers, deep water, swimming, fish, complicated mathematics, elegant surroundings, paper crafts, boats, red meat, vegetables, fashion
DISLIKE[S]: Fur, feathers, anything messy, small children, chocobos, seaweed, rule-breakers, her many allergies, dairy products, slow learners
HOBBIES: Swimming, solving math problems, singing, catching fish, calligraphy
FEAR[S]: Being tempered, her parents’ disapproval, failure, having to return home

PERSONALITY TRAITS: Level-headed, rational, cautious, snobbish, shy, aloof, fastidious, serious, dutiful, quick-witted

{ P H Y S I C A L I N F O R M A T I O N }

HAIR COLOR/TYPE: Very pale bluish-green; sleek, straight, and worn long
EYE COLOR: Greenish-blue
HEIGHT: 5’2”
WEIGHT: Light
BUILD: Slender; appears delicate at first glance until you see the muscles built up from swimming
SKIN: Pale blue-tinged gray
SCARS: Ragged scar on left elbow
TATTOOS: N/A
DISTINGUISHING MARKS
–The spines at the end of her tail are quite long and connected by thin, tough, translucent webbing, enabling it to act as something of a rudder when she swims.

–Her tongue and gums are bright blue; her teeth are pointed, sharklike, and viciously sharp.

–Though she speaks Common and Hingan flawlessly, she has an accent that’s hard to place and tends to hiss when she gets excited.

COMMON ACCESSORIES
–She seems to have forgone the typical arcanist’s tome for waterproof scroll cases attached to her belt; each one is labeled and color-coded.

–Always accompanied by at least one carbuncle; hers are sleek, streamlined, and bear a strong resemblance to otters. They appreciate head scratches.

–Usually sports glasses or a monocle, though more for fine print than for everyday use.

FIGHTING STYLE

aggressive | cautious | hard-and-fast | tactical | defensive | protective | all out | wait-and-see | charge in headlong | reckless | self-sacrificing | party-oriented | loner |

DIFFICULTIES: Cannot take hits; physically weak w/no training in physical combat

{ F A M I L Y I N F O R M A T I O N }

SIBLING[S]: N/A
PARENT[S]: Hiroko Buhen, mother; Isamu Toyotama, father
CHILDREN: N/A
PETS[S]: N/A, but considers her carbuncles (green Hisui, red Sango, and yellow Kinko) as pets.

{ R E L A T I O N S H I P I N F O R M A T I O N }

SEXUAL PREFERENCE: Heterosexual
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single
FRIENDS: Maelline and P’tenjhari, roommates; Ritanelle Soleil, senior Mealvaan’s Gate alumna
ENEMIES: Strongly dislikes pirates

{ P E R S O N A L }

HISTORY: Shinju is the only child of a Raen couple living in Sui-no-sato, under the Ruby Sea. Though she didn’t see the surface until she was almost twelve, she didn’t feel its lack; everything she needed was in the depths. Here were her friends, her people, the boy she knew she’d probably wind up marrying one day if their families had any say in it. She grew up fishing, singing, and helping her parents with their jewelry business. The outside world didn’t touch her.

And then the Ruby Princess went into seclusion, and it took a band of outsiders—powerful adventurers wielding weapons and magic Shinju had never heard of—to save her and their kingdom. She was entranced, and she knew she had to learn it as well. Her parents didn’t approve; the arguments raged for days before an agreement was reached. She would go to Eorzea, but with the knowledge that there was a husband waiting for her in Sui-no-Sato when she had completed her studies. Neither she nor her new intended Haruto (the son of a family friend, who longed to merge their businesses) were especially thrilled with the arrangement, but it was…bearable. Tolerable. And she would have years to consider it.

Kugane was enough of a culture shock that it almost stopped her in her tracks, but she would not be daunted by anything less than Eorzea itself. The adventurers with their books and sums and strange, adorable familiars had credited Limsa Lominsa as their origins, and so she resolved to learn there. Not only could their magic work terrible wonders, their “carbuncles” seemed to be the only surface creature that didn’t make her eyes and nose itch unbearably. It was a long sea journey, but at the end of it she found herself in Mealvaan’s Gate being tested for her mathematical aptitude; when it was judged sufficient, she was welcomed into the Arcanist’s Guild as a trainee assessor. She quickly discovered a natural skill for damaging spells, but her true loves were the round, playful, lethal little carbuncles that served as both protection and comrades on her rounds of the docks. For long months, she thought she’d found teachers and friends, a place to belong. Arcanists and Lominsans are accustomed to seeing her trotting along the landings or surfacing from the water accompanied by one or more carbuncles; they are less accustomed to her fondness for discussing the minutia of Miasma over lunch.

It was not to last. One of the senior arcanists was a Scion of the Seventh Dawn; when Ritanelle Soleil dropped by the guild to ask if she’d mind giving her tips on her first trip to Othard, a wave of homesickness prompted Shinju to offer to accompany her. They were within malms of Sui-no-sato before she fully realized her mistake—as much as she missed her parents, she was not ready to return. And she certainly was not ready to marry Haruto.

Though she left as soon as she could, it wasn’t without consequence. Her parents and fiance, realizing that the time for her return had passed, took the extraordinary step of hiring adventurers to find her and bring her back. As yet, they haven’t found her—but they’ve gotten close enough for her to realize they’re looking. She’s been trying to keep her head down as much as she can, but Raen with her unusual traits aren’t common in Eorzea.

Currently, she can be found in Limsa Lominsa, honing her craft and studying for a degree in aetherochemistry.

YOU MIGHT KNOW HER IF…

–you’re from Sui-no-Sato

–you live or work in Limsa Lominsa

–you’re a fellow arcanist or Mealvaan’s Gate assessor

–you deal in books, scrolls, imported Doman goods or large quantities of paper

–you like carbuncles; she’s often accompanied by Hisui, Kinko, or Sango

–you sell ointments and lotions designed to keep Au Ra scales healthy

–you enjoy swimming or boating in La Noscea

–you’re an adventurer who’s spent time in the Ruby Sea

RP HOOKS:

• “Me cargo was right ‘ere! Someone’s nicked it!” - While theft is really supposed to be a matter for the Yellowjackets, Shinju is still a Mealvaan’s Gate assessor and is more than happy to help you locate misplaced property.

• “Books for sale! I say, have you read the latest paper from…” - Shinju would, and has, walked into walls and off piers while reading. Fellow book-lovers will find an immediate friend.

• “Forgive me, but are you…Toyotama-no-Shinju?” - You might be looking for her; her parents have offered quite a lucrative reward. Or perhaps you’re sympathetic, and wish to warn her that there are those trying to uproot her from her studies?