Rhea'li Lyehga

Main job(s): DNC, SCH Server: Moogle (Chaos)

Personality

Rhea’li inherited the “worst of both worlds” from his father and biological mother, having Sihya’to’s social awkwardness combined with Rhea’s “serious face syndrome”; because of that, people often think he’s aloof and intimidating, although after actually getting to know him better, it’s obvious he’s just a kind, awkward young man. That said, he has gotten more confident and outspoken after adventuring for so long, but he still has his awkward moments from time to time.

Rhea’li loves experimenting with magic and has a fascination for ancient civilizations. He’s recently discovered himself an unexpected love for dancing as well.

Background

Pre-game

Rhea’li was born under another name, that he quickly did away with in his younger teen years, preferring to take his mother’s first name instead, as is typical for males in Keeper culture. With the help of his mother Rhea, they cast as spell on him so that his body would gradually change over the years, giving him a more masculine appearance.

Rhea’li lived together with his two mothers (Rhea & Zadhu) and his father (Sihya’to) as well as his three younger siblings (the twins Nazha & Zadhu’a, and the youngest Zadhu’to), the elder three (Suhma, Rhea’a, and Rhea’to) having already left home. When the Calamity struck, Rhea’li was separated from his parents and had to flee to Limsa Lominsa with the youngest three (who were 8 & 3 years old at the time) to seek refuge at the Arcanist’s Guild, where Rhea had old friends and colleagues. Thubyrgeim took them in and gave them food and shelter, and employed Rhea’li to work in customs once he hit 18.

A Realm Reborn

Rhea’li decided to take up adventuring to give his siblings a more comfortable life, as well as look for his missing family, and ended up getting caught up in various events despite himself. During that time, he befriended Y’mhitra which, in turn, led him to developing a tentative friendship with the much less sociable Y’shtola. He also got to make acquaintances with G’raha Tia, another young man fascinated by ancient civilizations, although he didn’t get to know him very well, Rhea’li’s own awkwardness and the short time they spent together contributing greatly to that.

After that, things kept happening left and right, and the next thing he knew, one moment he was acclaimed as the Hero of Eorzea, and the next he was falsely branded a traitor, forced to leave for Ishgard…

Heavensward

Ishgard was a rough time for Rhea’li, to say the least. Being accused of regicide certainly didn’t help, but the worst was losing most of the Scions during their escape. It hit way too close to home, especially since he had yet to have any news on his family. Then he was once again caught in events out of his control, met friends & foes, fought dragons, and helped put an end to a millennium war. Haurchefant was a breath of fresh air during those tough times, and anyone who looked could see the beginnings of a sweet romance…but in the end, the Elezen passed away before Rhea’li could fully realize how he felt. His biggest regret was not acting on his feelings before it was too late.

After everything, he was left emotionally drained, but surprises weren’t going to end there, although this one was a happy one. When he was finally able to come back home, a very familiar face greeted him. Suhma, his older sister, had a hard time getting a hold of her brother, despite (or maybe because of) his renown. Aside from a scar on her face (not that surprising for a fellow adventurer), she was unharmed and had information on their missing family as well.

At the end of that adventure, the stripe marks on Rhea’li’s cheeks, typically only present on female Miqo’tes, faded away completely.

Stormblood

The Ishgardian chapter closed, and the Doman-Mhigan one immediately opened, giving Rhea’li no respite. At least most of the Scions were found, though they had no time for celebrations. Things kept happening, and honestly, at this point Rhea’li thought he might be cursed. Except this time, instead of despairing, Rhea’li was…pretty pissed off. His friends keep getting kidnapped and threatened, people keep wanting to fight him, and he keeps getting involved into foreign political issues…he’s HAD IT. The meek young man is no more, replaced by an increasingly pissed-off Warrior of Light. At least he managed to be reunited with his brother Rhea’to, who also found the last sibling and eldest son : Rhea’a. This managed to quell his anger quite a bit, though he still wasn’t to be messed with.

And then his friends all collapsed one after another at the worst time possible. A curse, really.

Shadowbringers

Things. Kept. Happening. Rhea’li has accepted that things will never stop happening. It’s his curse. He’ll never lead a peaceful life, it seems. On the bright side, as soon as he came back from his first trip to the First, he was immediately jumped by a very familiar trio of middle-aged Miqo’tes who’d apparently given poor Tataru lots of grief, demanding to see their baby boy. After everything, it was a relief for Rhea’li to finally have his family whole, and he couldn’t be happier.

The calm before the storm. (He should have known, really.)

As his hair grew, so did his problems and responsibilities, courtesy of the Crystal Exarch, a strangely familiar man, which he later recognized to be G’raha Tia, an old friend he hadn’t seen in years. While trying to save the First, Rhea’li almost succumbed to the Light, leaving a permanent reminder in his hair, which now has lighter tips. He also changed his hairstyle on Rhea’s suggestion, since it was getting too long and fluffy for his usual braid.

After all was done in the First, Rhea’li once more realized a bit too late that he had feelings for G’raha. This time, though, he was given a second chance. Not wanting to let it slip, he confessed as soon as his friend awoke in the Crystal Tower. Perhaps not the most romantic place, but Rhea’li had decided that he wouldn’t commit the same mistake twice.

And, for the first time since Haurchefant’s untimely death, Rhea’li found himself able to visit his grave, having finally gotten some semblance of closure.

…Even so, the curse continues, and more trouble brews.

Trivia

• Rhea’li is a trans man, he took his mother’s name (as is traditional for Keepers of the Moon) when he was a young teenager.
• He is autistic and occasionally goes non-verbal.