Eekum Bokum

Personality
Eekum is book smart and proud of it. He’s always eager to share his knowledge with anyone who would give him the time of day, and has a bad habit of correcting others when they say something he knows is factually incorrect. His time spent travelling, meeting others, and learning about different cultures has mellowed his pedantry out to an extent, but he still can’t help doing it from time to time. Thankfully his desire to learn outweighs his desire to be right.

Eekum wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s a deeply emotional lalafell and is not good at hiding his feelings in the slightest. As a child he was considered a crybaby by his siblings, and to this day he still cries very easily. These aspects make him far from the best choice for diplomacy (but he tries his best, bless his heart). On the plus side, you can always tell what he’s thinking.

Though he tries to be thoughtful and careful in his actions, Eekum often winds up leaping before he looks, especially in emotionally-charged situations. This has gotten him in a lot of trouble in the past, and he’s trying to not let his feelings control his actions so much anymore.

Due to events in his past Eekum has a fear of the ocean despite (or perhaps because of) growing up in Vylbrand. He’s more comfortable with the ocean now than he used to be, but the vast expanse of the sea still makes him anxious.

Eekum cares deeply for his friends, and considers his closest friends his family. He always feels safer and stronger when he’s among friends. Though he enjoys his alone time for reading or working on one of his hobbies, Eekum is happiest when he’s around the people he cares about. The losses he’s experienced in his life have led him to not take anyone for granted, and can sometimes make him seem clingy. He just doesn’t want to lose anyone ever again… he can’t stand the thought of being alone, and will do anything to keep his friends safe.

As far as gender goes, Eekum is gender nonconforming and enjoys wearing traditionally feminine outfits. This started when he was younger and occasionally received his older siblings’ hand-me-down clothes, including his older sisters’; he found he enjoyed wearing dresses and skirts. Though he initially shied away from doing it publicly he’s become more comfortable with his presentation and now ventures out in public wearing feminine clothing without thinking twice. Eekum uses they/them pronouns along with the usual he/him, but doesn’t really care what you use for him.

History
Eekum was adopted as an infant by a family of Plainsfolk farmers in Halfstone in Western La Noscea. Nothing about him was known, not even his birth name, so he was given the name Eekum Bokum in Plainsfolk style. He grew up alongside four older siblings (two brothers and two sisters).

From a young age Eekum showed an aptitude for magic and a thirst for knowledge. In between doing chores for the farm, Eekum spent much of his time reading books on magic theory, Eorzean history, and tales of adventure both fictional and historical. He also enjoyed spending time with the farm’s two chocobos, and as he grew older caring for the chocobos became his primary duty on the farm. 

Life was fairly simple for young Eekum and he often dreamt of adventure. He greatly enjoyed the occasional visits to Limsa Lominsa to sell crops, for it gave him a chance to meet travelers, sailors, and the occasional friendly pirate. One day Eekum hoped he could get on one of those ships and sail off to visit the places he read so much about, but for the time being his place was on the farm with his family.

Then, the Calamity occurred. Though far from Carteneau, Vylbrand was not spared the devastation wrought by the fall of Dalamud. In the chaos of the Calamity the farm was destroyed, and Eekum’s adopted father and one of the chocobos were killed. The rest of the family were lucky to escape with their lives, but with their home destroyed and their patriarch lost they were forced to start over again in Limsa Lominsa.

In order to help support the family after their move two of Eekum’s siblings, Joro Zidoro and Polili Poli, took on work as sailors on trade vessels. The rest of the family remained in Limsa working in various industries, be it fishing, metalworking, or cooking. Eekum’s remaining sister Nomeme Nome turned out to be a natural at fishing and became a member of the Fisher’s Guild. The family struggled to get by, and were forced to sell their remaining chocobo, much to Eekum’s disappointment.

Things carried on like this for a time, until the day the family received the news that Joro and Polili’s ship had been lost at sea. Eekum and his family did their best to hold onto hope that they would one day return. A month later they received news from the Maelstrom that Joro and Polili had been found wandering in Western La Noscea, along with much of the missing crew. Unfortunately, Joro and Polili were now among the Drowned, tempered to the will of the primal Leviathan. They were executed on the spot and their effects were delivered to the family. This tragedy caused Eekum to reconsider his desires to travel by sea, and made him nervous about venturing near the water.

After this event the family continued to work in Limsa, until the day that Swiftperch in Western La Noscea was established. Eekum’s mother decided to return to farming, along with Eekum’s remaining brother Apodee Cepodee and Eekum himself, while Nomeme remained in Limsa. At Swiftperch the family was reunited with the chocobo they had sold a couple years ago, to Eekum’s surprise and joy.

Roughly five years after the Calamity that completely upended his life and shattered his family, Eekum decided that he couldn’t stay in La Noscea forever. He had put his dreams of adventure on hold for the sake of his family for too long, and it was time to do something for himself for once. He planned to set out for Ul’dah and become a thaumaturge, reasoning that if he was able to establish himself as an adventurer in the wealthiest city of Eorzea he could help support his family while living out his dream. Quietly he also wished to travel to Thanalan to learn more about the home of his fellow dunesfolk, and possibly find his blood relatives, but he never shared this reason with his adopted family.

Eekum initially wanted to bring the family chocobo with him on his journey, but he recognized that it was too old to travel and deserved to stay with his mother and brother in Swiftperch. On the day of his departure Eekum’s mother painted a chocobo on his face, telling him that this way he’ll always have a chocobo from home with him on his journey. With that Eekum boarded a ship to Vesper Bay, and from there set out to Ul’dah, where his adventure began.

Miscellaneous

Eekum is very nearsighted and cannot see very well without his glasses.

Eekum’s chocobo is a celeste green Belah’dian jennet he obtained from the Immortal Flames shortly after his enlistment. Due to the large lalafellin population of Thanalan there were very few jennets left for Eekum to choose from; the one that caught his eye had a sign that read “NO TOUCH.” When asked about it, Eekum was told that this particular chocobo had a habit of biting and was considered too dangerous to hand out. Eekum insisted on taking it with him, and reluctantly he was allowed to have the chocobo, which he playfully named Notouch. At first Notouch lived up to his name and did not allow Eekum to ride him, but with patience and time Eekum gained his trust and now they are best friends.

Because of what happened to Joro and Polili, Eekum started his journey with a fear of primals and tempering. When he learned he had the Echo and was thus immune to tempering, it came as a massive relief, and he is all too eager to slay any primal that presents itself. He’s very invested in the prospect of curing tempering entirely.

Eekum doesn’t have any faith in the Twelve. He finds them interesting, though, and isn’t bothered by the faith of others.

Family Notes

Mumbo Jumbo: Deceased (died at 57). The patriarch of the family. Ran the farm with pride. Loved cracking jokes and making games out of work for his kids. A good cook. Lost his life during the Calamity while trying to save the farm’s chocobos.

Oshishi Oshi: 58. The matriarch of the family. Inherited the family farm from her parents. Also inherited their tough love style of parenting. Guarded with her emotions, though the walls have come done somewhat since the Calamity. Determined to return Western La Noscea to its verdant state even if it kills her.

Apodee Cepodee: 34. The eldest sibling. 35 inches tall. Bore the brunt of Oshishi’s harshness growing up. Has a strong work ethic but low self-esteem; the only future he sees for himself is on the farm. After the death of his father and two of his siblings he has resigned himself to the fate of a farmer and caretaker for his mother, so that his remaining siblings can pursue their dreams. Hoping to find a nice woman to marry before Oshishi passes away; he asks his siblings to introduce him to Lalafellin women they meet in hopes of hitting it off. A little desperate, but he means well.

Polili Poli: Deceased (died at 31). The second sibling. 

Nomeme Nome: 30. The third sibling. Lost an eye in the Calamity. Feisty and free-spirited, Nomeme is easily the most outgoing of the family. Loves living by the sea and spends as much time near the ocean as she can. She taught Eekum how to swim and fish. Currently a member of the Fisher’s Guild and an expert at ocean fishing.

Joro Zidoro: Deceased (died at 23). The fourth sibling.