About

Mhiri was born to a very small clan that lurked within the shadows of the Black Shroud, though she experienced little of what it meant to be part of said clan. When she was only five, her clan was attacked, caught off guard while they slept during the day, their camp brought to ruin by a group of bandits. While her mother, older sisters (and one older brother), and the few other clansmen fought, she did as she was told and ran. She didn't know where she was going, but she continued on with the hopes that before sunset, her mother or one of her older siblings would track her down and bring her home.

But they never did. Night came, and Mhiri was exhausted, hungry, and alone, but she continued to walk, and walk, avoiding the Shroud's creatures, hoping she would be found. Instead, she found something else:

Gridania. She had never seen the city-state up-close, only heard about it. Her clan had avoided trade with the other races, fending for themselves and generally speaking ill of the villagers, but with no other options, Mhiri pressed towards the gate, covered in dirt and cuts, her knees skinned from falling one too many times while she ran, tears streaking down her face.

She never could have imagined how much her life would change the moment she stepped through those gates.

She got help, of course. The guards posted at the gate were quick to rush to the small girl's aid, one of them running off for help while the female Elezen stayed to console the child, who was shuddering with fear despite the furrow in her brow, fire in her eyes, and tears down her cheeks. She was able to tell her tale of what happened, and after a big meal (for a child, of course), she was off with a group of knights, hoping to escort the girl back to her family.

They wouldn't find her family, though--at least... not alive. What they did find was a decimated camp, tents and brush scorched, every chest and bag looted and upturned... and the bodies of Mhiri's family, slung and strewn over one another, proof of how they'd fought and fallen.

The knights didn't let her look, even as she cried for her mother, for her sisters and her brother, but she was too young they said. One of the knights--a Hyur with an understanding of Keeper traditions--held Mhiri even as she fought and flailed, reassuring her that her family had returned to Menphina after serving her well. Mhiri didn't care about that, of course. All she cared about was her family, too young to understand that she would never see any of them again.

They returned to Gridania after their discovery. It was there that Mhiri would continue to grow, joining a group of orphanned children. She was young enough to adapt well enough to a different way of living, but it was... jarring at first. Fortunately for Mhiri though, she had a mind for learning, and was incredibly curious about everything.

So that's what she did: she learned. She asked questions, following around guards, innkeeps, archers, clerics, mages, sailors, merchants, everyone and anyone she could talk to and learn. It was through her curiosity that she became enamored with the beyond--in the sense of what was literally beyond Gridania and the Black Shroud. She spent nocturnal nights staring at the sky from the docks in New Gridania--or once she was a bit older, using the moon as light to read any book she could get her hands on.

Her curiosity was a large part of what kept her going in the wake of the Calamity.

Eventually, her aptitude for reading lead her to learning more about the Primals, and about people who could summon lesser mirrors of them known as Egis. That resonated with her as an older child, and more than once she wondered to herself: If she could summon one of these powerful creatures, would she have been able to save her family? (Of course as she grew into her teens she knew it wasn't that simple, given how young she was when she lost her clan.)

That insistence stuck with the Miqo'te as she grew into a teen. She learned of the Arcanist's Guild in Limsa Lominsa, and from that point spent the next year working and saving, determined to pay a sailor to take her across the sea, past the deserts of Thanalan, to the hearty land of La Noscea, so she could try her hand at becoming an arcanist herself.

She was successful, of course, and Mhiri proceeded to spend the rest of her teenage years studying, practicing, and growing as an arcanist. Over time she did in fact learn how to summon a number of creatures--some like those she read about in her books, some greater. Her love and pursuit of knowledge never ceased of course, a fact that eventually had Mhiri once again leaving La Noscea in pursuit of adventure.

She still adventures to this day, lending her hand and knowledge wherever it is needed. Fortunately however, Mhiri is no longer alone. Along the way, she met her now-partner, a mysterious Seeker of the Sun who simply goes by Min. Together they own a home in Shirogane, the place they first met years ago.