matteo strom .

ex-member to the lambs of dalamud. eorzea's okay-est jack-of-all-trades. retired company delivery man / mercenary. absolute clown.

history .

born to poverty & left on the streets of ul'dah at a young age, he had not a home to call his own nor any to look after him. a hard and desperate life led to distrust in others and petty theft to survive. though, there was a light at the end of the tunnel; it wasn't long before a young matteo was taken in to live among other unfortunate children in a loving home. it was as if he stepped into a faerie tale. he was home. he had a loving family.alas, do good things fail to last.it wasn't long before his perfect home life of several doting adults and a crowded number of other children his age to take a foul turn. as he would take to looking after younger children in his excitement to be in a loving household, would matteo soon be introduced to the nature of this peculiar little home. over the next year, would he be brought into the religious practices of his family through long nights of sermons and preaching."offer yourself to the hound."─ that was something he heard often. sacrifice in the name of the hound. run the earth red in blood, and earn yourself a place in the new dawn of the world. prophetic spouting of the endtimes whence the second moon would fall; blood would be offered to sate the hound & gain it's favor. he didn't understand it, for a time. he went along with it─anything to appease those who pulled him from the streets and clothed and fed him and loved him so.oh, the late nights spent becoming acquainted with death. being forced to hold animals found dead (more likely slain 'fore they were handed to children) to test their mettle. children, soon made to kill animals on their own. children, soon to watch people be drained of their blood. all in the name of their lord dalamud.it wasn't long before matteo found he had no stomach for it. he had no will to be a lamb of dalamud. he tried to flee at one point─to run off, finding the cold streets of ul'dah safer than the overcrowded home he lived in. he was too quickly found and dragged back by his tail, kicking and screaming the entire way.deeper into the cult he was forced to dive.and again did he try to escape, some years after. he tried to escape, and drag one of the children he grew up with along─his thus adopted sister. she, however, was too used to the lifestyle they had been raised in, and refused to leave with him. no matter what he tried to say─his sister refused to go. matteo left regardless, hoping perhaps she too would not be far behind. yet when he managed to escape, matteo soon learned...there was nothing out there for him.
he had nowhere to turn, and none to turn to.he was forced to return, of his own accord this time. and a second time was he forced to submit to the will of the cult─now without his dear sister. such would be his life for several more years, 'til he could handle it no more.

having left the lambs of dalamud behind him, matteo never spoke again of it─deciding to instead ignore what had went on in the cult. he locked it away; shoved the memory of it into a tight little box and left it to fester and rot and eat at him for the rest of his life. he took on a new persona and left thanalan altogether, and thus named himself no more than a mere traveling bard.albeit, one of less-than-savory repute.not long after he left did he run into a trio of siblings who were also victimized by the cult. one of which was a familiar face from that time he's tried his damnedest to forget─now twice as broken and battered as he. matteo quickly befriended the siblings over their mutual experiences, and together they came to run and operate a little business intended to help others of similar plights. over the years did this spread to more than just victims of cults or trafficking, but to even those merely trying to make a living in eorzea.thus, does the farwind exchange come into being. and, for better or worse, does matteo work with the siblings as their courier.

for better, or for worse.as time goes on and one year turned to two, and two turned to ten more, matteo's history with the cult hadn't wholly disappeared from the record. no matter how hard he tried to maintain a stable life, albeit one of unhealthy habit, he found himself scorned time & time again for his old ties. though it's not openly known what he once lived by, and though he forsakes his family and upbringing in favor of pretending it never happened─it would always remain. a thorn in his side, controlling his every action regardless of what he did otherwise.paranoia took the forefront of his life. he became obsessed with their activity. he watched their every step, every move; he avoided travel at night. he refused to leave a city or his home when a new moon would come to pass. a map, mounted on his wall, would come to be littered and decorated with his excessive observations. no matter how much he said he's distanced himself, there lingered that one fear: ' what if they find me? 'surely it was but a baseless fear. they wouldn't come for a defector... right?such is as he's tried telling himself over the years. 'til it was near thirteen years since he's left them behind, matteo was sure that so long as he kept this habit of his up, they'd not have the chance to. he would be safe, if only from them. he wouldn't need to dirty his hands any longer, and he'd not risk losing the life he's tried to cultivate since. and so it would be.but he should know better─good things don't last. the past finds a way to catch up.the question was when, and if it would take him under.

... and time came and went. the sun passed and so too, did moonless nights. over time, matteo thought he could lay to rest his demons and lead the life he otherwise didn't deserve. all was as it should be, quiet and comfortable.until it wasn't.it starts once more, when he lets his guard down on a walk home. tired, a couple drinks in and moseying his tail home to rest and hopefully sleep. nothing outside of his norm, and thus, he becomes easy picking. once more does he fall into the hands of the past he thought to have left behind, only for him to become the prey this time around. how he managed to be bled and bleed 'til no man ought to be able to bleed more was a mystery─how he managed to escape, an enigma. yet he wormed himself free, and made off well into the night 'til his legs could carry him no farther... and then, he came to. in a bed, alive, and quite coherent.but that was just the start of the changes.the first thing he noticed was his vision changing─that he saw the world around him for what felt like the first time. the verdant hues of the shroud. the dusty dunes of thanalan. the deep blues of the sea 'round la noscea. for the first time, matteo had known color. then, there was his teeth; flat edges were no longer such. sharp as knives, tougher than nails, so... so dangerous were those teeth of his. and with the teeth, came the hunger. the insatiable need to keep eating, the subconscious want to pit those awful teeth into anything he lain his eyes upon. food, flowers, bones, crystals, people. oh, the thought of it sent chills down his spine. it scared him as much as it tempted him.... it was fitting, wasn't it? he finally looked the part of someone who tormented others for years upon years. a monster, in a man's skin. why should he be surprised that he begun this odd downward spiral following getting attacked? it's as he deserves. and like all beasts, they get hunted.again was he cornered on his way home─again was he made victim to his past where the feel of a blade becomes so intimately familiar to him. no man should survive such an attack, yet still did he persist. despite all odds, despite all reason, did matteo survive. the one who sought to end his life, on the other hand... did not. all that would remain is the belief some poor soul got ran through by a wild beast. no one would come to truly know what fate awaited the assailant, merely this hearsay.it was the final straw.and like a man possessed by every demon and shade which haunted him, did matteo give into that impulse of his. he marched out when he bounced back from his miraculous recovery─and he would see to it that he could fully lay things to rest, even if that meant he hunt every last one of those he once called family. and how alive he felt, cutting each one down. following them to the ends of the earth to drag them back to the hell they put him through.he should know that it's not that easy. you cannot buy peace from the blood of others. even if they deserve it.things get worse. he is not rid of the paranoia, the fear, the crippling anxiety of being hunted still, despite his attempts to rid himself of his sins─to, in a way, fully close the box which houses his guilt. the hunger is worse. he becomes restless, a beast pacing it's cage. and all it takes is a little accident to set him off. a careless mistake from a couple of friends to make that spring snap and cause him to react on that instinct, that drive to draw blood. he flees, washes himself of his friend's blood, drinks the memory from his mind and otherwise does as he always did; ignore his problems and not speak of them. but no, of course not, that solves nothing. silence fixes nothing. all it does is push him further, and further into that catatonic state he's known for─the one where he does everything in his power to avoid discussion of what is on his mind.matteo becomes reckless in picking up his jobs. one of them will be the last, won't it? he'll get knocked down and not worry about getting up eventually, right? don't be ridiculous. it's never that easy. no blade, no magick, no concoction nor attempt would let his body lie still for long. he was damned to live, and live, and live, and live.what does one do if they cannot die? how does one eke out a life knowing they could not put themselves to the block no matter how hard they tried?this was something he competed with in his head. back and forth, back and forth, back. and. forth. what is he supposed to do, if he cannot die?

live, perhaps.he lives, for there is nothing else he could do. matteo lives, and lives, and e'er will he continue to live. such is how things are to be, and such is what he would learn to deal with.and with time and several very patient─if not incredibly persistent─people at his back, does he begin to open that rotten old box. for the very first time does matteo speak about his troubles to others, and start his life proper. for the first time, matteo begins to know freedom proper.... but, trouble always loomed near.

were it that the changes he had endured merely stayed there. were it that monstrous teeth & fearsome claws were all he need worry himself with. alas, the world ever has a different plan for matteo, and soon does it begin to unfold for him.hunger. ceaseless, maddening hunger is always there to claw at him; to chip away at his mind 'til he gives into that little impulse of his. it's no trouble just to eat your fill though, isn't it? aye, that would be the case if he could keep his wits about him when his hunger is all he could think about. and when hunger was on his mind... he would be as he always believed himself to be 'neath it all. a beast.it started small. the rare, brief moments where his memory lapsed and he had no idea how he would get from point a to point b, and that he might have stopped along the way for a spot of small game hunting to pass the time. then it would be more frequent. the blackouts would be longer. word began to spread that there was a ferocious beast who roamed the Shroud, and none were free of it's unseen gaze. travelers, prized horsebirds, oh, none were safe.why wouldn't he take a job to slay this foul thing when tale arose and jobs began circulating to see it taken down? it practically screamed up his alley. and he lay unaware of the truth, 'til he awakes following one of his grand hunts, tucked away with the remnants of his meal. he was the beast he sought to take down.

unsure of what to do with himself, now aware of the threat he poses to others─most importantly, to his own company & family─matteo begins telling his trusted partner of his trouble. and with many trials and errors along the way, they have devised a plan to cure matteo of his corruption, except... there was no real cure, was there? there was no ridding him of it. this was his life now.but then he humored an idea one day."why not give it form and function like one does a carbuncle?" well, matteo, aether does not inherently work that way, and there is no telling the effects─there could be a thousand other troubles that rise in doing so.but, what the hell, after everything so far, why not try to cause a divide in a man's soul and have aetheric corruption manifest on its own so that it can be controlled on a physical plane? t'would be easier, wouldn't it? well, yes, until said manifestation began to form thoughts and ideas on its own, thus spawning a persona based entirely on that which shakes the keeper to his core, and the memories of a life passed.not that it will slow further changes, but surely it will keep those blackouts to a minimum. right?

isr is what it became known as. a vitriolic beast of anger and hate. the very thing that mothers tell their children to fear. endless was isr's hunger and endless was his lust for destruction. ever at odd with one another was isr and matteo, both vying for control over the same body. it wasn't long before things came to a head.desperate for a solution─willing to do anything to see peace return to his life─matteo sought to end it all. to see isr removed from his life entirely, no matter what it took. thus did he look to unconventional magicks. nothing was off the table.thus does matteo come to a conclusion: rend isr wholly from his body, and see another damned to live under his crushing weight. let another wear the curse as a mantle; sentenced to a fate worse than death. and so, he saw it done.rent from his soul was isr's essence, and onto another was the beast foisted upon. matteo was freed from his personal hell, though the damage had been done; never again will he be as he once was. the changes done onto his body would remain. his life, eternal. damned to walk the realm 'til it's dying breath was he, but he was free. long at last, matteo was free. free to live, free to pursue his dreams of a quiet life, free to be by those he loves.

now that all is said and done? the story is drawn to a close. and so does he retire from the mercenary life. matteo leaves the farwind exchange as an owner, opting instead to be more present in the lives of his children. ears ever open for those who wish to reap those old favors he owes, but until then...well. matteo was never one to sit idle. winds are ever kept to his back, his boots to the road and eyes onto the horizon ahead, for wanderers rarely know rest. to better tomorrows and grander tales of the world's wonders does he look with renewed vigor.

tl;drcatboy is fucked up, and fucked up bad, but he got therapy and is working to better himself as a person.

  • previous cult ties / unresolved childhood trauma

  • self-destructive lifestyle borderline ruining all relationships and almost running company into the ground several times

  • snatched up for bs experiments without prior knowledge, forcibly warping his aether and self almost beyond recognition thanks to an otherworldly tapeworm (/j) taking him as a host

  • said tapeworm almost veers him down the course of a mad beast, ravaging the land & generally being a curse to existence

  • tapeworm turns out to have his own thoughts and feelings and after a two year long arc is finally shoved into his own host ( yes, they opted to shove him onto someone else )

  • had a long moment of introspection and probably intentional self harm to test limits of the body that spurred him to instead seek therapy and emotional support

  • he is simply a guy

specs .

NAME: matteo strom
AGE: 35
HEIGHT: 6'3
RACE: mix ─ miqo'te (keeper) / hyur (midlander)
GENDER: male
ORIENTATION: yes
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: the big homo, right here, very ride or die for one(1) equally chaotic gent and one(1) very unfortunate former scientist. unfortunately for everyone, he still sleeps around.
NAMEDAY: 6th sun of the 6th astral moon ( nov. 6th )
NATIONALITY: ul'dahn ; moved to limsa lominsa
OCCUPATION: retired merc; picks up jobs as favors to othersNOTABLE CHARACTERISTICS: no miqo'te facial markings. a collection of scars at the corner of his mouth. hit new feature called a deep scar running all the way around his throat, like he was beheaded before or something. old, linear scars on both palms. ( and more elsewhere on his body ) absolutely covered in freckles. some real messed up claws. big ol' fucky monster teeth. missing half his right ear. somewhat longer than average tail. overall well kept & clean more likely than not. thick ishgardian accent. *** severely voidtouched.*** now featuring pseudo digitigrade feet!

PERSONALITY: charming and charismatic; playful and flirty. theatrical at times. he does not emote with ears or tail, however is highly expressive with hand movements and facial expressions. he has been known to be fickle and flaky in times of stress. a gigantic clown.

ETC. : experienced in all your favorite things related to ritualistic sacrifice, summoning voidsent and cult-and-thief-based shenanigans. keen sense in aether but not particularly talented in magicks. he knows some small amount, however.extra:
• there is a running joke of there being an undisclosed amount of knives on his person at any given moment. the gag of being over-equipped.
• loves stories in and around the fantastical and mysterious.
• absolutely is a gossip.
• is aware of his inability to die, and as a result has become increasingly more and more reckless in what jobs he picks up.
• added onto the recklessness, he has recently started the habit of just... eating random things.
• absolutely has no sense of taste anymore and will just eat foods and drinks without batting an eye.

CERAMIC PLATES CONSUMED: 3.5
BOOKS DEVOURED: 1
ROCKS SNACKED ON: 2
RATS EATEN: MANY
CHOCOBOS: 2
(very) LARGE SNAKE: 1
THROWING STARS: .5
VARIOUS MONSTERS: yes
PEOPLE: please dont tell his wife or partner. it was an accident. four times.
GIL: 500
BONES: a lot.
FINE CHINA: yeah.

hooks .

○• need something picked up or delivered? matteo may not be the most renowned courier, but he's an easy to find one who's quite content to not ask many questions. grade a customer service at a reasonable and negotiable price!○• not needing a courier? hardly his only profession─matteo is, as he would often state, a man of many talents. something needs to be hunted? someone needs to be found? or maybe another pair of eyes or ( part of ) a pair of ears is needed to snoop around? he'll ask few questions, so long as the pay provides.○• though of chipper attitude and a social butterfly, those who are aetherically inclined can't help but notice... something is off about matteo. perhaps it's nothing─maybe he just radiates sketchiness. but, those teeth... those don't belong to a keeper of the moon, do they?○• there's oft word of some peculiar beast which stalks the shroud─something known to stalk it's prey for malms 'fore it strikes down it's next meal. travelers are oft warned that a voidsent has risen from the darkest recess of the realm, and has taken a fancy to devour anything from passerby to wildlife and everything in between. such a beast has not been spotted long enough to ascertain it's size nor appearance proper, yet matteo has an idea what it may be. he is determined to put it to rest, and yet, he is curiously reluctant to take help when offered...

ooc .

hi! hello! thank you for reading this section! ( and this carrd, as a whole ) i'll briefly go over all my little out of character information to make ooc interactions as smooth as possible!

i have 10+ years experience with writing and rp as a whole. i'm pretty straightforward and to the point, but i'm a known lover of goofing off and being silly when i don't have my rp tag on. i can be asked to tone down the buffoonery though, as a whole.i have discord / twitter, and both can be grabbed off me at any time if asked!i'm EXTREMELY supportive of lgbtq+ and will not tolerate any amount of anti-lgbtq+ commentary or behavior. period.

DO'S:
• walk-ups allowed!
• /tell's welcome!
• erp is ... ok. not my preferred thing to write, but is open for discussion and/or fade to black. that said, it will NOT be considered or humored if player and/or character are under +18.
• dark material? absolutely! sign me up!
• general buffoonery, please, yes. absolutely.
• super lore-bending friendly!!
• hey talk to me about cults
• headpets are a form of miqo'te currency, trust me, i'm an expert

DON'TS:
• don't blend ic / ooc.
• godmodding? in a serious rp? in this day an age? please do not.
• being transphobic/homophobic? get outta here. don't care if it's ic or ooc, not in this house buddy.
• don't be rude??? just. don't. i don't have the energy to be mean. i really do not.
• i will not interact with minors.
• i will not interact with futas/traps and any variation of d-girl/c-boy. i do not care. it's not up for discussion. 0% welcome.
• i cannot believe i have to emphasize this.