Ruairi Cromwell

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Ruairi Cromwell
Alternate Names	The Brightsword, Ruru
Pronouns	He/him
Species	Lesser Kindred
Subspecies	Rock hyrax
Division	Wayfarers' Division
Role	DPS
Height	6'1"
Age	127 (looks 25)
Birth Date	Reaping 6, 1103 (July 14)
Zodiac	Jealous Spectre
Aspect	Fire (born), Water (learned)
Family	Unnamed mother (deceased) Unnamed father (deceased)
Creator	HIRATELIER
Artist Credits	HIRATELIER

“Oh, are you referring to the big sword I have? Well, it's a long story, I'll tell you what...”

Ruairi Cromwell is a Lesser Kindred working for the Wayfarers' Division. Once a former traveling mercenary, he is now a highly skilled and capable Wayfarer and is no stranger to putting his combat prowess to use whenever he sets out on all sorts of quests, especially when it comes to monster hunting.

Appearance

Despite being over a century years old, Ruairi appears to be in his mid-twenties, and has a sleek yet toned build that's usually obscured by his baggy clothing. He has a pale complexion, pink eyes, and long, ruffled orange hair that's often tied up in a ponytail.

As a Lesser Kindred, his hyrax-like ears can be seen from his head, and his short, stumpy tail is obscured by his clothing.

He wears a pair of brown boots and baggy pants with a drop leg bag wrapped around his left leg, and a white collared shirt with belts that covers his black undershirt. He wears a bright red jacket over it, which he usually wears if it's rather cold outside.

Personality

Ruairi is described as carefree and calm. When you get to know him better (or if he likes you and really warms up to you quickly), he acts more like a golden retriever; he's much more caring, excitable, and a bit vulnerable if you're especially close to him. While he doesn't mind being alone, he hates being lonely more than anything else, possibly because he spent nearly a century traveling Castrella on his own, and that the ever-creeping feeling of loneliness is slowly getting to him. As a result, he secretly craves for companionship.

He used to be distrustful of others because of what happened early in his life, but ever since he met Hyde and joined the Adventurers' Guild, he's learned how to open up to and put his trust in others without pushing them away, so as long as they don't betray him in return. He's slowly learning how to trust in himself, though, given how much he's struggled with that.

In combat, he maintains a steady composure while making quick work of his opponents, always maintaining focus when he doesn't seem like it; some may perceive him as a bit cocky until they are at the mercy of his swordsmanship. There's a good chance that he might get way into the thrill of fighting, but only when he's really enjoying it. However, once things get extremely dire or when his life is in extreme danger, that lovely personality of his breaks immediately. He becomes more aloof, serious, and brutal, showing no mercy to those who stand in his way - a stark reflection of his former days as a mercenary. Those who have witnessed this side of Ruairi have commented on how terrifying he is, and his stare is the equivalent of staring directly into death. Even when he's more of a cold-hearted killer in such situations, there's no doubt that he still cares for his friends and comrades, even when it's not that apparent.

Ruairi is weak to teasing, flirting, and all displays of affection and interest; using that against him will put him at a massive disadvantage. This is probably because he used to turn away people out of fear that he will be betrayed later on, so he doesn't know how to respond to such acts as a result.

Outside of his duties, he likes partaking in sparring matches (but only if requested) and working out. At night, you might spot him either at a field stargazing or at Frog Jeff's, where he often reflects on whatever is on his mind while looking at the frogs.

Biography

Ruairi is originally from Bellvué, and was the only child of his family. When he was young, his parents worked for the Grand Library, and he appeared to have some sort of strained, distant relationship with them; he never got to know them personally as they were workaholics. Because his parents were almost always at the library, Ruairi would often be taken care of by an Eldritch caretaker. If he was lucky enough, said caretaker would take him to the library, where he would build up on initial knowledge of the world. He would also develop a desire to travel and get away from the confinements of his home, although any attempts to get out were quickly thwarted by his caretakers (and sometimes his parents, who would be greatly displeased of his actions).

At the age of 12, Ruairi would successfully sneak away from his home without either his caretaker knowing. In all of his visits to the Grand Library, he became increasingly curious of what was lurking beneath and wanted to investigate whether it could be the source of all of the building's structural issues. As further he went down, he saw the sight of an Eldritch beast that was feeding off the written words within the books stored in the Library, but it was struggling to do so. Terrified at the sight of it, Ruairi unintentionally awakened his Fire aspect, and it further drove him to be more terrified that it got out of control, resulting in a catastrophic fire that nearly burned down the Library. Ruairi's caretaker sacrificed themselves to get the young Kindred out of the flaming wreckage, but when he tried to look for his parents, they were nowhere to be found, and the heat of the flames was too much for the child to bear. Realizing that the fire was caused by his own abilities and the (assumed) deaths of his parents, Ruairi began to break down in tears, at least until a wandering mercenary by the name of Hyde, who arrived at the Library to pick up some books only to be greeted by a flaming wreckage. Feeling pity for the lost child, the mercenary took in the Kindred under her wing and they left Bellvué together. Shortly after that, Ruairi's parents were rescued from the fire, but could not find their son. Refusing to believe that their son is dead, they set up missing posters across Bellvué. Some of these posters would eventually reach Eversun City, with the Civil Affairs Division keeping notes on the lost child at some point.

Under Hyde's care and guidance, the young Ruairi would grow up to become a fine mercenary like her, becoming trained in combat and survival. They would travel together while taking on the toughest of errands. Initially, Ruairi was distrustful of Hyde and was jaded due to his past life, but knew that he would not survive for long if he was on his own. For this reason, he would ask Hyde to teach him the art of combat and survival so that he can travel the world by himself should his mentor pass away.

During their trip to Umito, Hyde purchased a daisho for Ruairi, much like how she wielded one. She would teach him how to use the weapon through training, sparring, and so on. While Hyde had a daisho herself, she dual wielded her blades while Ruairi preferred to switch blades mid-combat. Ruairi would often lose to his mentor in sparring duels, but that did not stop him from working on his swordsmanship. Additionally, Ruairi asked Hyde on how to use aspects, as he was never taught how to use his fire aspect but wanted to work on it, knowing well that he can't use it without losing control out of nowhere. Hyde rejected the idea and emphasised that pure, raw physical strength was far more important and powerful than any kind of aether aspect - at least to her that is. Because of this, Ruairi would try practice using his fire aspect while Hyde wasn't looking.

From their travels, Ruairi would learn that Hyde was a former sword dancer with the title of Empyrea, but switched to the life of a mercenary after losing her entire dancing troupe to a certain tragedy. Through Ruairi's relentless nagging, Hyde would teach him the art of sword dancing.

Unbeknownst to Ruairi, Hyde was slowly dying of Law corruption, as she was corrupted due to a certain incident. She believed that such corruption was not that much of a big deal at first, but she ended up facing the consequences as her body changed over time. However, instead of treating the corruption properly, she only trained herself to push the limits of her body to become stronger than before in the hopes of overcoming that corruption - which was fruitless in the end.

When Ruairi was 42, Hyde requested him to duel with her for the final time, knowing that she was on the brink of death - but even then she wanted to spend those last moments fighting for the thrill of it. During the match, Hyde managed to shatter the blade of Ruairi's odachi. However, Ruairi, at his wit's end, managed to manifest a fiery blade on the broken hilt with his fire aspect, ultimately besting Hyde after losing to her so many times. Seeing that the student has finally surpassed the master, Hyde would peacefully pass away of Law corruption at the age of 76 the next day, as she left her daisho a note behind on the field of their last duel and wandered on until she faded into the morning sky. Ruairi would make a makeshift grave beside the sea to honour her according to her note, and name his daisho Empyrea after her title as a sword dancer. He would leave the odachi hilt broken so he could take advantage of it using his fire aspect.

Because of Hyde, Ruairi was a little more trustful and carefree, somewhat just like her but a little less. Still, a more brutal, merciless side of his was still prominent, but would only surface in emergency situations the more Ruairi lived on.

Ruairi would continue to perfect the use of his fire aspect and swordsmanship as he traveled the world and worked as a mercenary, gaining more knowledge and becoming stronger in the process. Since his victory over Hyde, Ruairi would seem to have his victory streak unbroken for nearly a century, besting even the most powerful of opponents whenever he was approached. He would also upgrade his weapon many times so that it was more in-tune with his fire aspect, and would integrate his fire powers into his swordsmanship, developing a combat style that was brutal, hard-hitting, and fast overall.

As decades passed, Ruairi's reputation as a powerful mercenary and swordsman would be spread across the world, and he went by the name of “the Brightsword.” His real name was never disclosed up until he joined the Guild. Those who were able to witness his combat capabilities would consider themselves lucky, and some were even brazen enough to challenge him to a duel, only to be bested in the process. Eventually, Ruairi's reputation attracted the attention of the Guild, with some members witnessing his prowess or just catching a glimpse of him. Kailan was one of those members, having witnessed him in combat. They tried to reach out to him, only for the Kindred to disappear without a trace. Unbeknownst to the Guild, none of them have figured out that "the Brightsword" was in fact the child in the missing posters, possibly due to Ruairi never using his real name for most of his life.

At the age of 105, Ruairi returned to Bellvué, and seeing that there were missing posters of his younger self, he knew that something was wrong. After receiving word of what happened back then - from his mother dying to an unknown illness to his father dying of old age - Ruairi realized that the died without ever seeing their son come back and that he ignored the change to at least make amends with his family, Ruairi finally broke down, but knew he could not spend forever grieving like this. He stayed in Bellvué for much longer so he could at least come to terms with what happened, all while talking to those who knew of the situation back then. Even though he was known by his mercenary name, some of the inhabitants knew his real name and comforted him, worried where he went instead of being more concerned that he caused the fire at the Grand Library, even though he was just a child back then. Perhaps Ruairi was relieved that the Grand Library has been rebuilt in his time away from home, but he couldn't call Bellvué home anymore.

Inspired and motivated from his recent travels and finally piquing some interest in the Guild after hearing about it for decades, Ruairi then traveled to Eversun - the final region that he didn't visit just yet. There, he met Kailan again; though they got off on a rocky start due to Ruairi's personality and Hyde's account of her relations with the Dragon, they soon became good friends, with Kailan bringing out the most positive traits of the mercenary - especially his golden retriever side. After getting to know more about him, they would help Ruairi in getting settled in Eversun and granting him a new lease in life as he was now interested in joining the Guild.

At the age of 106, Ruairi would then join the Guild under the Wayfarer's Division, providing his expertise as a mercenary to those who needed it the most. Perhaps by revealing his true identity, it caused some commotion now that the child in the missing posters has been found and is the same legendary mercenary and swordman. As of 1230, he has served the Guild for 21 years at least. He would end up having his victory streak broken at some point.

Contributions

His contributions to the Valhalla Project include providing camping kits to the children as well as providing survival and camping lessons.

On Hands

Empyrea

Ruairi's main weapon of choice, which is a daisho consisting of a wakizashi, a hilt belonging to that of a broken odachi, and a sheath. Ruairi carries this around during quests and sparring duels. The hilts for the wakizashi and the odachi also act as an Arcane Focus for channeling his Aether abilities.

Hyde, Ruairi's mentor, bought this weapon for him as a gift and as a way for him to protect himself during their travels to Umito. During a certain sparring match, Hyde shattered the blade of the odachi, only for Ruairi to finally realize his potential and use his fire aether to recreate it by constructing a fiery blade, which resulted in his eventual but final victory over her. The name Empyrea is taken from Hyde's dancer name.

It did not have any elemental affinities at first, but Ruairi upgraded it significantly so that it could have an elemental affinity to fire, maximizing its efficiency. It can also handle extremely high temperatures. Still, the odachi hilt remains broken out of choice.

Sheath

The sheath is magnetically attached to his belt, and can be taken off at any time. Ruairi uses this as a shield to block enemy attacks or to deliver blunt blows. It holds both the wakizashi and what remains of the odachi.

Wakizashi

A short sword that Ruairi uses for combat.

Outside of combat, Ruairi tends to use the wakizashi for utility purposes such as cutting large ingredients up and clearing through bushes.

Odachi

A broken hilt belonging to that of an odachi, which Ruairi can use his Fire aether to reconstruct its lost blade with fire. He uses this when facing off against larger enemies or when his wakizashi is rendered ineffective.

Ruairi accidentally broke the blade during a disastrous sparring match in his early mercenary days. Despite this, he managed to figure out a way to "reconstruct" it using his Fire aether, and has found the weapon to be more effective with this.

Family Photograph

A photograph depicting a young Ruairi and his family. He's thought about burning it at times, but he can't bring himself to do that.

Abilities

Pyro Materialization (Fire)

Using his fire aspect, Ruairi can temporarily construct weapons out of flames. He often uses this ability to materialize a flame-like blade on the odachi hilt, and it boasts extremely destructive power. The hilt acts as a stabilizer and allows Ruairi to refine the shape of the blade better.

Should Ruairi lose his hilt, he can choose to materialize an odachi made of pure flames. It consumes a lot more Aether than usual and is far more destructive. The resulting form of the pure flame odachi is much more loose and wild, and Ruairi has less focus (or rather troubles) on refining its shape.

Blazing Augmentation (Fire)

Ruairi can use his fire aspect to engulf his weapon in flames for a short period of time. He tends to use this ability a lot in combat, but he can use it to make his weapon function more like a torch. He can also use his flame-augmented weapon to unleash devastating sword waves made out of fire.

Heat Adjustment (Fire)

Ruairi is able to adjust the heat of his flames. He can make the flames so hot that when his flame-augmented weapon cuts into an opponent, it quickly cauterizes the inflicted wounds and leaves no traces of battle on the weapon that was used. The higher the heat output, the more Aether is used up, so Ruairi tends to keep the heat levels of his flames on a normal to low setting. He usually keeps it at a low setting during sparring matches, and at a normal setting during missions. The only time he increases the heat output is when he finds himself facing against a powerful opponent, usually during quests.

Whenever Ruairi uses this ability or any other fire-related ability mentioned in this section, his lower arms turn a crimson red gradient with glowing orange streaks. They're also noted to be warmer in this state. There are four known output settings:

1. Low output: Consumes less Aether and outputs low levels of heat. Gradient reaches up to the hands, and light streaks are faint and few. Often used for utility purposes or if Ruairi doesn't want to raise his output level.
2. Medium output: Consumes an average amount of Aether and outputs normal levels of heat. Gradient reaches up to the lower arms, and light streaks are visible. This is what Ruairi uses during quests and sparring matches.
3. High output: Consumes more Aether than usual and outputs higher levels of heat. Gradient reaches up to the upper arms, and light streaks are brighter and numerous. Can cauterize wounds in this state. Extremely prolonged use may result in scarring and temporary numbness.
4. Maximum output: Consumes dangerous amounts of Aether and outputs extremely high levels of heat. Gradient reaches up to the shoulders, and light streaks are at their brightest and appear more fractured. Prolonged use may result in permanent, life-altering injuries to the arms and the Aether-producing organ. Is extremely difficult to get into this state as Ruairi would just pass out or fall ill from Aether exhaustion, but it is considered an absolute last resort option if it can be pulled off.

Swordsmanship

Ruairi displays exceptional swordmanship skills, and his proficiency in using the daisho is noted to be "devastatingly brutal." He's also known to hit hard and fast against his opponents, showing little to no mercy. Reference to how he fights can be found here.

Trivia

• Japanese voiceclaim: Josuke Higashikata / Yūki Ono
• His first name is pronounced as "Rory," which is also an alternate version of Ruairi.
• Has slightly higher body temperatures due to being fire aspected. He makes for great toasty hugs because of that.
• Sometimes makes "awawa" noises whenever he's startled.
• Ruairi has been offered to have his odachi hilt repaired many times, but has declined any and all requests to this day. He thinks that by having the hilt repaired, it'll become a useless weapon.
• Is a frequent customer at Frog Jeff's.