Ruairi Cromwell
Overview Lore Relationships Gallery
| Ruairi Cromwell | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 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.
When it comes to his mentor, Hyde, Ruairi becomes very sentimental about her, recalling the many memories he made while she was alive. Should the conversation involve Hyde, anyone in it would find that the late mentor has left a large positive impact on the Kindred.
Outside of his duties, he likes partaking in sparring matches (usually if requested) and training. 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. He is looking into partaking other hobbies that don't involve combat one way or another.
Biography
To be worked on heehee
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:
- 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. Extremely prolonged use may result in scarring and temporary numbness.
- 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, though in most circumstances, he prefers to wear loose, breathable clothing (hence he's mostly seen without his jacket).
- Sometimes makes "awawa" noises whenever he's startled.
- Ruairi has been offered (or maybe even nagged on) 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. He attributes the broken blade and how powerful it is to his final duel with Hyde.
- Is a frequent customer at Frog Jeff's. Should one take a visit there, it's most likely that they might come across the ex-mercenary, provided that they do so during the evening.
- Has a high alcohol tolerance, though he doesn't drink a lot in one sitting.
- Has tried to put keychains on the handles of his blades several times, only for them to burn up when he starts fighting.
- He has extremely keen hearing and a sense of smell.
- Likes sunny weather, but he loves rainy weather the most, as it compels him to stay inside and relax for the day.
- He keeps his hair long and tied up in a ponytail as a tribute to Hyde.