Ruairi Cromwell
| Ruairi Cromwell | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 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 | N/A |
| Creator | HIRATELIER |
| Artist Credits | HIRATELIER |
“Awawa~!”
Ruairi Cromwell is a Lesser Kindred working for the Wayfarers' Division. A highly skilled and capable adventurer, Ruairi is no stranger to showing off his combat prowess 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 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 but somewhat reserved for the most part. When you get to know him better, he acts more like a golden retriever, and he's much more caring 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.
He used to be distrustful of others because of what happened early in his life, but ever since he 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.
In combat, he maintains a calm composure while making quick work of his opponents, always maintaining focus when it doesn't seem like it; some may perceive him as cocky until they are at the mercy of his swordsmanship. There's a good chance that he might way into fighting, but only when he's enjoying it. However, once things get extremely dire, that lovely golden retriever personality of his breaks immediately. He becomes more aloof, serious, and brutal, showing no mercy to those who stand in his way. 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.
However, 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.
Outside of his duties, he likes partaking in sparring matches and working out. At night, you might spot him at a field stargazing.
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. Because his parents were almost always at the library, Ruairi would often be taken care of by two Eldritch caretakers. If he was lucky enough, said caretakers 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).
One night, Ruairi would successfully run away from his home without either his caretakers or parents knowing, leading to the widespread belief that he mysteriously went missing out of nowhere. He would then spend nearly a century traveling Castrella, searching for some semblance of meaning in life. At that time, he was far more cautious and jaded due to his early life and initial experiences in traveling, and turned away anyone who tried to get close to him out of fear that he'll be betrayed in return. In his time traveling by himself, he built up on his combat and survival skills, as well as learning more about the world and how it functions. He also developed quite the reputation for his flashy yet brutal swordsmanship when taking on all kinds of opponents on his own, going as far as to attracting the attention of the Guild.
At some point, Ruairi did return to Bellvué, only to find out from his former caretakers that his parents have already passed away, presumably of old age. Following a brief reunion with his caretakers, he also started to realize how lonely he felt in his travels, and feared that it would eat him alive if he didn't do anything about it. He blamed himself for turning away every opportunity at trying to connect with someone. After nearly a century traveling the world, the last country Ruairi would visit is Eversun, as he had plans to settle in Eversun City and perhaps try to work on himself. From that point onwards, he would eventually join the Guild under the Wayfarers' Division, lending his combat prowess to whoever needed it the most.
Contributions
[TBA]
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.
Ruairi bought this weapon at a lower price during his travels to Umito. It did not have any elemental affinities at first, but Ruairi upgraded it so that it could have an elemental affinity to fire, maximizing its efficiency. It can also handle extremely high temperatures.
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.
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.
It's not known how the odachi was broken in the first place, and Ruairi has no clue either. He doesn't seem to have problems with that as he can use his fire aspect to reconstruct its blade with flames.
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
Weapon 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.
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:
- 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.
- 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,
- 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.
- 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.
Miscellaneous
He also 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.
Relationships
Creator's note: if you want to establish your character's relationship with Ruairi HMU
[TBA]
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 or happy.
- 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.
Gallery
Concepts
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Reference sheet -
Empyrea concept art -
When using his abilities -
Ponytail details
