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[kesi]

Notes!
Information on the world he lives on can be found here. Most of Takame’s life is spent in the Far East and events of the main story don’t affect him directly. He arrives in Eorzea around the time of Main Story Quest "Flame General Affairs".

With that all out of the way, let’s talk about Takame’s history.


The subjugation of Doma was on the horizon when Takame was born in Sui-no-Sato. He scarce lived his first year before his parents sought to leave the sanctuary in search of a life more fulfilling for their new family. And so did they travel to Isari on the East Othard Coast and eventually settling in Doma.

They shouldn’t have left. A year passed in peace before the Garlean Empire’s aggression stretched across the lands of Yanxia. Instead of delivering brutal death to all, some were spared such a fate. Included among those “lucky few” was Takame’s father Shiden. He delivered himself freely into the Empire’s hands to spare his wife and son. He wouldn’t be seen again for the next four years, leaving his mother Minami to flee the Doman Enclave to Namai and care for him alone.

Takame was taken care of, taught to speak little by little and of the kami who watch over them. But in all her valiance, Minami rushed into situations that would leave lasting harm to her body all for the sake of her son. By the time Takame was four she was barely mobile.

Eventually, Shiden returned. But he was a changed man, going from passive and shy to aggressively believing the Empire’s means to be that which would lead to prosperity for Othard. He returned as a foot soldier accompanying a superior on an outing to conscript even more. He barely recognized Minami when she confronted him but unfortunately this bold action and her immobility lead to her supposed death at Imperial hands. And he did nothing to stop it. The sole reason he found and took Takame again was because he demanded a villager lead him to his son. When the boy asked where his mother was, he was told she was gone but not told how.

And thus did Takame spent a large portion of his life under Garlean thumb, travelling throughout Othard for Its sake, learning the ways of the Shadow Walkers and Samurai, gaining an Imperial education and being brought up to obey all orders given by their masters.


The young Takame was very curious, asking a lot of “why”’s and “who”’s. All these would earn him is physical abuse by his father who knew and was told no better with his only “comfort” being that had he been anyone else, Takame would have been killed without restraint. From dawn till dawn he was made to train. When not learning letters, he would study the blade inside and out. He would become the blade and nothing else. Blades need not rest. Exhaustion would be met with reprimand, tears would be met with discipline, slacking off would be met with more beatings and questions would be met with starvation. He was a slave despite being told he would be working for the greater good. He didn’t even understand what the greater good was and the lack of liberty to learn made him grow up angry. He took this anger out on anyone who would stand in his way, it became his outlet.

In between these cycles of abusiveness, Shiden managed to befriend an Imperial engineer by the name of Jethro nan Kesona who worked up ranks enough to be able to give Shiden direct commands. The two hit it off very quickly as Jethro had a great interest in the cultures of Othard and Hingashi and less in the army. The man expected daughter recently in fact and settled in Hingashi.

As the years went on, Shiden’s health deteriorated. Eventually the illness killed him. By this point Takame was a well established soldier, always the first to quash even the smallest hints of rebellion. In fact, a mission to investigate possible insurgence near the village a lake in the vicinity of Namai is what caused him to meet someone. A young Sun Seeker Miqo’te named O’zhian. He saw her leaving the village and thinking her to be said insurgent being a foreigner, only drew his blade and pointed it at her neck demanding to know if she knew the anyone involved in the rebellion. This horrified her and yet she didn’t run away. Mostly because she was petrified in fear and knew nothing, which she told him. He didn’t believe her for a second and spouted all manner of expletives at her… which she spat out right back at him with tears in her eyes and they went back and forth like the teenagers they were. It was a pathetic display really and the only reason he didn’t kill her on the spot was because if she wasn't the source, she was not worth his time.

His commander after his father’s death ended up being Jethro of all people. Under his wing Takame had been entrusted with countless missions, most of them bringing him in and out of Kugane to, of all things, deliver paperwork to his young daughter Helena Kesona. He was also asked to conceal his face every time. A strange detail, but the armor he wore often had a helm that did so either way. It wasn’t long after Jethro assumed command that he summoned Takame and gave him a simple order; “We’re leaving the army. Nothing for me here.” This absolutely baffled Takame but at the same time. The order was given while the Hyur was his commander still. He would do what he was told.

They went to Kugane and established themselves there in secret where he continued to raise his daughter who Takame grew very close with. Of course the fact that Jethro deserted was still an issue, thus did he start going by Jed Kesi, telling his daughter to introduce herself as Hina going forward and offering Takame the surname to use as well. Such is where he spent the next three years, essentially caring for Jed's daughter while he gallivanted all over Hingashi and Othard for his own purposes.



Over this time, Hina baffled him with her optimism, smiles, friendliness and concern for his well being. He didn’t know anyone could be like that and as a result he became very protective of her like an older brother. The way she expressed her distaste for the Empire despite being Garlean, her desire for everyone to get along and for wars to cease. It was through her that he considered what he did, the subjugation, the killing, the violence, was not a good thing because of the horror in Hina’s eyes every time she would ruminate on it. The idea for peace that she painted for him inspired him to keep her dream alive because she couldn’t be wrong. She had such conviction, there was no way. She asked him one day to make her dreams real and being the one to do what he’s told, he did. When he was 18 Hina made him leave Jed’s custody to accompany her on a journey all across Othard to see everything it had to offer. He went everywhere with her, did everything she asked of him because he never knew anyone so incredible in his life. She became like his sister, he would do anything for her.

Some years ;ater, he came across a familiar face on the border of the Azim Steppe. The Miqo’te girl he nearly killed that one time, O’zhian, and was surprised to learn that she met and befriended Hina a short time after he encountered her. Explaining that she hails from Eorzea but refusing to elaborate on why she was this far, she joined them in their travels for the next five years. By this point the three became fast friends.



The half decade period was quiet, Takame continued to do everything that Hina wanted, not thinking about why or what they were. Everything she did was the right thing in his eyes, even her out of nowhere whim to travel to Eorzea where tales of a famous Adventurer were sung. In the midst of this, Takame began having strange dreams where he floated in an aetherial rift surrounded by floating crystals and a voice echoed in his mind. Hear… feel… think… Not only that, but their third party grew concerned for the Au Ra as over the course of their travels Hina asked of him more and more demanding tasks to facilitate their trip to Eorzea. Takame was being taken advantage of and tensions began to grow high between Hina and O’zhian as a result.

Things came to a head one day after an argument between Hina and O’zhian reached a boiling point and she screamed at Takame, asking him if he was going to spent his entire life as Hina’s shadow. The fact that his paragon of virtue, his only family was being questioned for no reason made Takame fly into a rage. Emotions ran high, so much so that Takame’s head began to pound, he felt as if his mind went into a fog. And he passed out, dreaming of a young Miqo’te hiding from others of her kind in fear.

When he awoke, Hina and O’zhian had long since apologized to each other and he, not understanding the dream he had, apologized as well. He then asked to be left alone for a while. He recalled the voice telling him to hear, feel and think. And he did. For once, he thought. Thought about himself. Who was he, what was he, why was he here, did he want to stay in the shadow of his sister? It was overwhelming, and when he found that he had no answer to any of those questions... he was disgusted with himself.

A short time later he called to them, the two people he loved like sisters, to tell them he would be making the journey to Eorzea alone to find his calling. The girls were shocked and concerned for him, but wished him well, proud that he finally made a choice for himself. And he was too.

Thus did he travel from Kugane to Eorzea, registering Limsa Lominsa’s Adventurer’s Guild to find his purpose in life, meeting with other adventurers along the way.