Tierh'a / Theo Tolahko

Cactuar - Aether
RP Tag = In-character - WU/T OK! - All RP Types
Imperial refugee born in northern Ilsabard, awkwardly trying to move on from his past and integrate into Eorzean society.
last updated 10/28/2022
Profile
■ Basics
Birth Name: Tierh'a oen Tolahko
Chosen Name: "Tolahko" only. Theo (Theodore/Theodorus) to close friends.
Age: Late 30s. (He'll tell you a different number every time.)
Gender: Male, he/him
Race/Clan: Miqo'te / Keeper of the Moon
Soul Color/Aether: Platinum ◆
■ Physical
Height: 5'1"
Build: Deceptively strong -- he covers up a lot, but there's real muscle.
Details: Face is scarred (cuts, animal bites), right ear is notched. Noticeable accent.
■ Mental
Orientation: [dismissive wave] (gray-aro/ace)
Class: Swordsman and lancer with limited magic.
Profession: Adventurer, wilderness expert, occasional chef.
Languages: (If this is something you roleplay)
- Garlean, fluent, first language.
- Eorzean, fluent, second language.
- Ishgardian, conversational, currently learning.

art by yours truly
■ History
Born in the rural foothills of Ilsabard's mountain range to impoverished peregrini, Theo spent his early childhood in relative peace listening to his father's stories of adventuring and heroism. It didn't take long, however, for the Empire to take its due—involving his father's early death, the breaking of his mother's psyche, and birth of his younger sister.He desperately tried to adapt to Garlean society to survive. He took on a new name, parroted their propaganda, and voluntarily went into military service—all explicitly against his mother's wishes. He saw no other option to win a better life—and maybe, someday, citizenship.Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't change being a so-called savage. After several years of suffering at the hands of his superiors, he escaped and fled south with his sister. After years of traveling and being on the run, he's made it to Eorzea with hopes for, finally, a better life.
■ Personality
While Theo is doing his best to adapt to Eorzean society, he's still very socially awkward. He can be rude or dismissive, and speaks very formally most of the time. He often plays off his discomfort in social situations with comedy, and has a very self-derogatory sense of humor that doesn't quite always land right.He doesn't like going by his first name because his chosen name feels very personal and his birth name is, in Keeper tradition, his mother's.As a result, he prefers to go by his last name, and finds it extremely uncomfortable if someone refers to him by his first name without explicit permission.
Info & Hooks
■ Garlemald Sucks
Theo was born into an annexed region of Garlemald that had long lost its unique identity, and it's left more than just physical scars on his being. Others from the empire might recognize his idiosyncrasies or accent—it's not hard to tell that he's not from around here. Particularly, his accent would strike someone as being from a rural part of the mountains.He has little love for the Empire, but it is where he grew up and spent most of his life, so there's a certain sense of nostalgia for maybe the things that weren't all so bad. He enjoys sharing his few pleasant memories, depending on how you've approached the subject. He does not take well to being called a Garlean and prefers to simply identify as being from Ilsabard, viewing himself as never having been treated as a "real" Garlean even while he was a soldier.Former (or current) imperials will certainly recognize his country of origin. He's technically still a wanted murderer and defector of the VIth Legion, but it's been many years and he's not notorious by any means. That said, even after its fall, he's liable to get uneasy around people who still consider themselves part of the Empire.
■ Magic... Bad?
He has his father's old soulstone, which he knows nothing about but still fumblingly attempts to use.The only thing he's been able to derive is shielding or protective magic—things that allow him to resist pain and push himself beyond his natural physical limits, though it's hard for him to do so intentionally. It's more of a reflex than anything, and he's very unaware of any time he uses magic.Given he was very subject to Imperial propaganda, he is also far more fearful of magic than any normal Eorzean. He's not an idiot, but he's flighty around mages, seeing them as an unpredictable force of nature outside of his knowledge.Be warned: any unexpected attempt to use magic on him is going to go very, very poorly.
■ A Cat of Many Talents
After years spent drifting, he's found employ with a rather eccentric Ishgardian noble lady, serving somewhat reluctantly as her personal adventurer and guide.He's also available as a guide and bodyguard to anybody else who'd care to brave the wilderness. It also happens that he's an excellent cook, and is always more than happy to treat everyone while they're on the road!
■ Social Skills -1000
He's terrible at getting along with other people... but he craves companionship anyways. He forces himself to spend time at bars and clubs in an attempt to get better at making friends, with mixed results. He's extremely dense, and very easily flustered. Any flirting or teasing, from anyone, is guaranteed to end up hilarious. Just don't expect it to be reciprocated... unless you fit a certain, secret criteria.
■ Edgy Dramatic Backstory!
Theo's story is very fleshed out. If your character has the Echo, there's tons of stuff that they could potentially see. Just let me know what kind of memories you see (traumatic, pleasant, funny, his soul stone instead of his own memories, etc), and we'll go from there.
Gallery
For drawing references, go here!
Meta

Hey, I'm Toko! I'm relatively new to XIV, but I've been playing MMOs for years. I am in my mid 20's and go by they/he pronouns.
I took a break from roleplaying for a very long time, and I'm slowly getting back into it. I have a bit of anxiety about roleplay, so I ask that you please be patient with me! I might take a little longer to reply than you're used to.
- 90% of the time, he goes by Tolahko. If you accidentally say Tierh'a or whatever, it's fine, I'll just assume you said Tolahko instead. There are very few instances where your character would actually be aware of his birth name—if you're on a first name basis, it'd be Theo instead.
- Walk up and tells are more than welcome! I'm bad at making the first move, so it's always appreciated. Feel free to hit me up even if my RP tag isn't on—we can always plan something for later! I will need a solid date and time, though. My schedule and energy are very limited, so I'm liable to forget to follow up or get too shy or whatever. I promise you, it's not out of lack of interest!
- I'm fine with all types of roleplay, even (especially?) dark themes. Feel free to be as much of an asshole to Theo as you'd like. You don't even have to warn me ahead of time! I am not intimidated by any level of blood, gore, bullying, etc. Go nuts—he can absolutely take a beating. That said, if we're gonna be doing anything that might cause permanent harm, let's talk it over OOC.
- Please remember to keep IC/OOC separate. I am not Theo, and Theo is not me. He can be kind of an asshole, but I promise that isn't a judgement on you OOC! I, myself, think you're pretty cool.
- All that said, Theo's story might have serious themes, but I don't take RP that seriously. I'll probably shitpost a little in my replies, and the tone of my posts will vary a lot depending on where I'm currently vibing. like theo is friends with a lalafell it can't be that serious y'know
- please, please don't be weird about garlemald at me.
Contact
/tell me for my discord!