Seijiro

Seijiro, a Doman cultural naming convention from his father, was born in the Sharlayan Colony in the Hinterlands near the end of the Sixth Astral Era. His father, Kenji, was once a reputable Samurai near Yanxia but left his home while he was young to pursue a simpler and more altruistic life. While embarking on his own journey as an adult he met Mottione, a Sharlayan Elezen with sharp wits and a similar knack for finding trouble. Archon Mottione was a respected Scholar who studied ancient civilizations and their use of aether technologies during her time in Old Sharlayan before she left for the Colony to purse studies regarding Nym and its lost culture. It was during one of these excavations she met Kenji and the two grew as close friends before lovers and eventually married. Seiji was the result of their love, being born two years before their marriage out of wedlock but loved regardless by his parents much to the shame and disdain on both sides of his family being a halfling.
Born to an incredibly intelligent Archon and an equally respectable swordsman, Seiji was held to high standards by his peers. But it would be his mother's footsteps he would follow in, showing a bright and curious mind for the world around him. As he grew, Seiji found himself far more interested in books, studies, poetry, literature, and philosophy over strength and more athletic interests. When Seiji turned 8 his parents had another child, this time a girl Ryoku, and Seiji would absolutely love to read to and spend time with his little sister. He enjoyed studying things and teaching her the things he learned or animating the various odd objects around their home to put on puppet shows at the giggle and delight of young Ryo. At 15, Seiji was traveling cross seas back to Old Sharlyan to enroll in the Studium at his pleading to his parents who would eventually relent and agree. The Studium held some of the best years for Seiji as it allowed himself to flourish and challenge with like minded individuals. He had a handful of bullies who sought to make his days works but nothing too taxing. That was until he found a mentor he wanted to learn under: An Archon by the name of Y'mhino.
Y'mhino had... certainly a reputation. He was a well respected forum member and author of countless works- some even the Studium itself used in its teachings. Those close to Mhino found his personality to be rude, cocky, and abrasive. Rumors amongst some of the dropouts with less then stellar reputations would claim Mhino was abusive and used his power to discredit anyone who spoke against him. This is when his personality began to change. He was far more walled up, silent, almost glaring at others around him. The happy sweet and go lucky child was no more and in its place was a far more colder individual. He's been asked before about his time in Y'mhino's care but the subject would end far too quick with a topic change. Yet despite it all, Seiji worked hard to keep his mentor viewing him over other interns in the best light, completing various research and studies with little to no help.
Seiji would go to spend 5 years abroad of his 7 years to earn his Archon, dedicating his dissertation into a study of the Akyaali tribe in Thavnair. There he focused on learning their language, social norm, expectations and etiquette, their social structure, and their religion. He not only did his best to archive, transcribe, and offer possible ideas into the social psychology behind a lot of the tribe's customs. He also, in his time, attempted to meld, abide, and adopt them as his own during his time there out of respect and courtesy to his hosts. Despite the turmoil of his mentor back home, these years are regarded by Seiji as some of the happiest in his life. Arriving back in Old Sharlayan, Seiji would submit his Archon dissertation to the forum where it would be accepted and rewarded for its value in linguistics and anthropology. A prized experience in Seijiro's eyes.
As word reached Old Sharlayan about the colony's mass exodus, Seiji was faced with a larger challenge from his mentor. His mother's actions of refusing to return to the colony and instead willingly embarking to Limsa with the goal of using her knowledge gained over the years (both in her own work and with access to the restricted knowledge of the Forum) in offering Aid to the Erozeans against the Garleans was seen as a form of Treason. To avoid his mother's capture and trial, the Archon told him he would obscure her crimes against the Forum if he brought back her studies, her tome, and her soul gem. Valuing his future in Old Sharlayan above all else, Seiji agreed and returned home with the goal of stealing his mother's work to return before the Exodus.
He would be unsuccessful in this venture and in returning home would find himself questioning who he was and who he was becoming. But before he could find himself fixing that gap and following those thoughts along, Seiji would bare witness to the guiltiest moment of his life. Seized by pirates, the ship Seiji's family was headed to Limsa on was attempting to be taken captive before the crew fought back and the seas erupted into chaos. But like the hero his father always thought himself of, he threw himself into the fray and into the swords of the pirates. Seiji's mother jumped to his aide but she was none the stronger and in the midst of the chaos on the ship, Seiji was forced to witness both of his parents' death. Seiji barely managed enough time to gather his mother's discarded tome and soul gem before a pirate stepped forward and lunged at Seiji's youngest adopted siblings, twins both aged 4. In sheer panic, Seiji wrestled the dagger from the pirate before using it to impale him. An absolute pacifist and non interventionalist, Seiji has never moved past this experience and while he saved his sibling, its one that haunts him frequently.
While the chaos and the tides of the sea turned, the crew of the ship were able to manage the upper hand and gain control back from the pirates. Some fled, some were captured, and some fought till their final breaths. The ship turned back to Limsa and soon his siblings (Ryo, Usami, and Kyo) would arrive at shore with Seiji but he found himself lost at what to do. The oldest, the others looked to him for guidance. But what was he to say? What was he to do? Gathering what was left and what he could, he found first a temporary home at the inn for them and then with the remaining funds, planned a proper Doman funeral for his parents. But that would be only the beginning. As the oldest, Seiji held it as on him to figure out where his family would go from here. And, pulling himself together as best as he could without grieving, he did that. He picked up jobs in Limsa, first helping with treaties and charters at the docks, helping in the kitchen at the Inn to cover their home and finally fishing at odd hours to make ends meet. He picked up house chores to save on costs, sewing his siblings clothes when they ended up torn or tattered. Leaning on the soul gem his mother left, Seiji grew close with her two faeries in this time (Olette and Maiys), and the three would learn to lean, work, and rely on one another which strengthened Seiji's bond into that of a Scholar.
He would eventually save enough to invest in an apartment and from there he focused his earnings on making his siblings happy, paying for their studies, and making ends meet. While Seiji tried to continue his own studies, he found himself putting his life on hold to tend and care to his siblings, raising them as best and as stable as he could. During the Calamity, Seiji and his twin siblings were in Limsa and nearly drowned though the three would survive and go on to lend their aid to others. In time, the siblings would grow into young adults and Seiji would be able to once again focus on the question he avoided for years. Who he was, and what he wanted. Unsure, Seji continues the path of ghosts - following his mother's studies and work and ghost writing in her place, adding to her legacy and working to make the knowledge he can accessible to all.

During one of his trips to wrap up his final research regarding the Dataq tribe, Seiji came across what he saw as a fairy or pixie like creature that was collecting some sort of flora. Perplexed, Seiji called out to the creature which seemed at first shocked he could see them before intrigued by him and his faries but would vanish before he could say anything else. Unsure what to make of the encounter, Seiji wrote off the experience and returned home where he ended up falling asleep tired from his work and travels. But he would not wake from this rest - atleast not on the Source for a time.
Waking up in Il Mheg, Seiji and his fairies were spiritually borrowed by some pixies. Intrigued they could be seen, the pixies honed in on Seiji and brought him back to play with them. Utterly confused at first, when he realized the possibility of being turned into a leafman or drowned, he obliged and played the faes games. Seiji would go on to spend 5 years on the first while seeking a way back home. He would find a way in the form of repairs, lending his help and aide to Tyr Beq in restoring the kingdom of Lyre Mheg. Seiji’s experiences and knowledge of the First being completely gated and unknown outside of the Fae Folk and Il Mheg and the occasional travels to track and fight nightmares with the help of Weaver and Ezel II.
After restoring Lyre Mheg back to its glory and bringing dreams once more to the children of the land, Seiji was granted a favor by Tyr Beq which he used to plead his case to return. “A home for a home.” He said and the deal was made. Seiji was brought back to his body on the source where he discovered he was in a coma for a month. While he’s since made a slow recovery, Seiji occasionally still has dreams of Lyre Mheg and playing once more with the fae while he sleeps.