Ruairi Cromwell
Lore Relationships Events Gallery
| 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 | Lumina Cromwell (mother; deceased) Cillian Cromwell (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 with quite the reputation for his swordsmanship, 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 fighting and 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. His fang-like tusks can be seen at times.
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 on the outside. 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 morejoyful, 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 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 extremely distrustful of others because of what happened early in his life, but ever since he met Hyde and joined the Adventurers' Guild, he's been learning 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, and he has quite the long way to go.
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
Ruairi's parents, Cillian and Lumina Cromwell, worked as archivists at the Bellvué Grand Library. Due to them working for most of the day, the young Ruairi was placed under the care of an Eldritch caretaker to compensate.
Contributions
His contributions to the Valhalla Project include providing camping kits to the children as well as providing survival and camping lessons to go along with that.
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 Sketch
A sketch depicting a young Ruairi and his family; the artist who drew this is currently unknown. He's thought about burning it at times, but he can't bring himself to do that.
Another Photograph
A sketch depicting a pre-Guild Ruairi and Hyde, personally drawn by the latter.
First-Aid Kit
A makeshift first aid kit Ruairi carries with him whenever he embarks on a quest. Is capable of treating minor injuries on the fly.
Camping Set
Contains all the necessary essentials needed for camping comfortably. Ruairi will only carry this if he anticipates that the quest he will be taking will be far away from any outposts or inns.
Cooking Kit
A kit containing the essential cooking tools. Ruairi will carry this along with some ingredients that don't spoil too quickly if he really needs to cook meals on the go. He'll also carry some to-go meals just in case.
Water Bottle
Ruairi carries a large water bottle with him in case there are no other sources of drinkable water in sight.
Diary
Ruairi keeps and writes a diary that is located in his dorm. Only he can access it, as its locked in one of his desk drawers.
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.
Ruairi's arms alone cannot generate flames in a stable manner; instead, an object must be held by those arms so that it can be engulfed in fire, provided that it doesn't burn up too quickly. Despite this, Ruairi is still capable of generating things made out of fire using his arms (e.g. a flame-like odachi that he creates should both of his blades be unavailable); it's just what without an Arcane Focus to rely on, the shape of these flames will end up being unstable and difficult to control, something Ruairi barely uses. It also raises his body temperatures a little bit if this happens, so he must be careful when considering raising or lowering his heat output levels in combat.
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. 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. Body temperatures remain the same. Can be used indefinitely, risking no damage to the body if used for a long period of time.
- 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. Body temperatures rise up a little, but not too much, but he starts sweating. Like the low output setting, this can be used indefinitely without doing any damage to the body other than the sweating being a bit of a nuisance. Dehydration is another issue, but that can be fixed as long as there is a source of drinkable water Ruairi can use.
- 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. Body tempereatures rise a little higher, resulting in more sweating and possibly heat exhaustion if used for a prolonged period of time. It is recommended that Ruairi used this output setting for no more than an hour.
- 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 and overexertion 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. Body temperatures rise at dangerous levels, risking Ruairi the possibility of heat stroke (or worse, death) if this output setting is used for longer than intended. Because of this, it is recommended to use this setting for no more than 15 to 30 minutes, with the former being recommended to minimize possible damages to the body and the latter being the maximum time allowed before such damages get exponentially worse.
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.
When in combat, Ruairi will use his wakizashi to fight against most opponents. He will opt to use his odachi if the combat situation further escalates to the point where using a wakizashi won't do much. Rarely does he dual wield his blades, finding it tedious, though he does wonder how his late mentor used to do it.
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 (but not too dangerous) 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 so he doesn't sweat as much (hence he's mostly seen without his jacket).
- Makes some chirping, purring, and meowing noises depending on his mood.
- 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.