Gonyaul'vaux

Gender: Male

Age: 26

Group: Characters

Game: Chronicles of Arcadia

Physical Appearance

Gonyaul’vaux is a 5’7” man, lean and athletic, with large dark parallelogram-like eyes and long straight jet-black hair which he usually has drawn up in a bun or braided. His skin color and facial features are quite stunning, feminine and youthful in appearance, as well as identifying of his people (Vaux). He is left-handed.

He is tattooed, front and back, with small calligraphic writing that run along the central contours of his body significant to his people's beliefs. Fortunately, they predominately follow along the central nervous system of human anatomy, and the patterns taper off as they venture along the parts of the body that the peripheral nervous system weaves; covered easily by clothing. The tattoos are in the Vaux language and are referring to kagim. They are purely decorative. To those that don't speak their language, they could be mistaken as nothing more than an interesting skin discoloration, such as vitiligo. The ink used to make the tattoos comes from a hard to procure plant in the Kru'll jungle known as the Atropa Abrus. The ink from the plant is toxic, but completely survivable. It destroys the pigment of the human cells. The ink doesn't last, but the discoloration of where the ink was in the design is permanent. The difficult process, from start to finish, of the tattooing is considered a rite of passage into adulthood, culturally significant and is unique like a fingerprint.

A precise scar of a giant Luger’s claw mark running across his upper back. Has a very thin and faint scar running horizontal across his face midway along the nose bridge and onto one upper cheek, thanks to a near deadly skirmish in the desert’s Holy City. The scar on the back blends in with the tattooing making it hard to notice, while the one on his face actually seems to add an exotic quality to his attractive allure.

He is typically wearing practical, simple, and modest work attire; or clothing which he manages to acquire during his time away from home. Whenever possible he will try piece together, or manipulate, articules of clothing to resemble his culture’s fashions.

Personality and interests

Gonyaul’vaux, according to his culture’s beliefs, lives life as if time can be experienced simultaneously: The past through his memories, the present through the process of his facilities, and the future through his imagination. Therefore, every moment of existence is of upmost importance, everything matters, and every moment is a gifted opportunity. Gonyaul’vaux is soft-spoken, creative, and mindful. He practices grateful living, which tends to anchor him in humility and contentment. He possess a hopeful sense of wonderment, an entrepreneurial spirit towards his actions, and a high regard for the sanctity of life.

His interests are found predominantly in creative endeavors, and he has a thirst for learning. His people’s mysterious beliefs are an integral part of his identity.

Skills

He was raised performing a style of martial arts which on the surface seems dance-like and acrobatic; however, has deep rooted meaning and origins. Outside his people, it no longer exists.

His responsibilities in the jungle gave him a lot of exposure and experience with nature, hunting/gathering, tracking, medicines, farming, and the problem solving process associated with survival. All these though, were particular to the jungle environment. He had to have a sharp learning curve in these areas when outside the jungle. He has the aptitude for engineering; however, any jobs he has had in Helias have been the absolute bottom of the barrel. This was in part due to his competency in the way Helias societies did things was nonexistent and due to discrimination due to his differences. Over six years he has picked up some basic trade skills from manual labor type gigs by doing, observing, or training by those over him.

He is multi-lingual. His people speak their own isolated language. They view verbal speech as akin to conjuring magik, and therefore, it is not uncommon for them to only speak audibly for ceremonial or "appropriate" occasions. Instead, the primary mode of communication is a form of sign language. Since he left his people, he has picked up the common tongue of the continent over six years. He speaks with a pleasant and distinct accent. He is not fully fluent in the common tongue, reading, and writing; however, he’s getting there. He is more of a listener than a talker.

Other skills are integrated from his upbringing and understanding of his people, Vaux, beliefs … history … and way of life.

Background

Gonyaul’vaux (known to his kin as Gonyaul, since vaux is just an extension of his connection to his ancestors) was born to a small, isolated, and forgotten people (known as the Vaux) in a remote pocket of the Kru’ll jungle. There are slightly fewer than 100 living there. His upbringing was one of peace, community, survival, and study.

To understand a bit more of who he is, one must know the Vaux. The Vaux are a tribe from the Forsaken Lands that fled their lands during the Inquisition into the jungles of Kr'ull. On one side they had the magik users trying to eliminate them and on the other the Inquisition trying to enslave them. The reason for this pressure from both powers is because all Vaux are blessed due to a genetic marker. It is unique though to Vaux, in that magik doesn't work on them, it becomes nullified when around them, and this ability grows in strength proportionally to the amount of magik it is exposed to. Because of the persecution, they have strived to stay off the grid and under the radar; which is manageable because their ability isn't something that can be seen. Their goal is to be allowed to live their lifestyle in freedom and in peace.

The Vaux believe strongly in the natural order of things and kagim IS the natural order to them. All things are due to kagim. But when humans deface the natural order by wielding magik, twisting and distorting it for their own selfish use it goes against the natural order of life. It will always lead to ever increasing malevolence and suffering beyond that of the natural state. The Vaux believe if they live their lives along with the natural order then their actions and behaviors will reduce malevolence and suffering while promoting growth and prosperity.

To the Vaux, there are NO gods, there is just kagim.

According to his people, each member of their community is destined with a unique brand of empowered purpose; or kagim. The elders anointed Gonyaul at birth with the mark of generosity. It was scribed along his body as he grew up with their markings, as well as it was taught to him regarding his personal development. In short, Gonyaul believes that kagim and his existence are inseparably tied to the following thought process, “In every moment, who or what, can I be serving.” He does not believe kagim is something that one wields, but that he himself is a life that kagim flows through to increase the natural order of things.

Reason for being in Arcadia

When Gonyaul’vaux was 17 years of age, an outsider was found lost and near the brink of death near their territory. After they brought the man back to health, they equipped him for the journey home and sent him on his way. Serendipitously, Gonyaul was selected by the Elders to guide him out of the dense jungle while also making sure the stranger would not find his way back to them. He could have gone home upon completion of his task, yet the reason he didn't was because of his belief system. He has kept running into new people that needed help or problems that needed solving. His beliefs compel him to oblige. And therefore, Gonyaul has been going from one adventure to the next for the last 6 years.

His ventures have taken him to Mizar, the Kingdom of Toria, Garrah, and most recently the Empire of Salos. Along the way he has learned of the intolerance of others first hand and how to try and navigate it. In Salos, he has been working as a lowly farmhand for a small farming business that, in part due to Gonyaul, had found a way to optimize crop yield in more arid climates due to an innovative process. Gonyaul's contribution to the innovation was he was the one that came up with idea to use fungus. In the jungle, the tree and fungus develop a network system underground to reallocate resources and communicate. So they worked on finding a fungus to graph onto the crop roots. This helped the crops by aiding in retaining nutrients and water that would have been typically lost to diffusion, other root systems, or evaporation.

With growth and success on the rise, the owner of the farm (a patriot of the Empire of Salos) decided that his product and services would be instrumental in the expansion of the new frontier of Arcadia for his country; not to mention it could be potentially lucrative for him. With that goal in mind, he secured passage for himself and several of his farmhands to Arcadia. Gonyaul was one of them because of his contribution to the new farming technique.

Trinket

Gonyaul’vaux has only two items from his home. A handmade blindfold, from the fibers of a valued tree, that he covers his eyes and ears with when meditating in private. In addition, he has a simple necklace of a seed from a life sustaining fruit bearing plant that has been hardened by flame and sliced open to reveal the beautiful natural intricacies of its interior. He keeps his possessions to an absolute minimum and lives a garbage free lifestyle.

All his personal possessions have been lost at some point, but primarily from the troubling events from his time with Voah in the desert. He did acquire Voah’s jade comb; however, it was lost and then found by Shalia. Currently he still has some Lion Fig seeds left, a gift for helping Ostiarium with a cult. In addition to the orchard he planted at the Greyriver Homestead, he has been planting them wherever appropriate along his journeys; hoping in a few years they will bare good fruit to help feed the hungry that come by them.

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This character is owned by: Lorem