Desmond Paxton

Once a Temple Knight of some renown, he tries to forge ahead despite his ways. While he tends to be a lone wolf, he began to realize that life is only what you make of it and you must move forward in order to make it seem worth living...

• Glance
• Background
• Hooks
• Social Links
• OOC

AT A Glance

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BACKGROUND

SETTING THE TONE

Desmond was born to a pair of knights that belonged to The Order of Knights Dragoon. It was said that Patrice and Stephen were the few midlanders that were part of the order and they fell in love. Not letting their status as dragoons get in the way of their relationship, they would soon bear a child that Patrice named Desmond.After several years, however, it was not to be. Desmond was four years old and his parents succumbed to an attack by the Horde while protecting a post out in the Dravanian Forelands. Because Ishgard has no proper orphanage, Desmond was left to fend for himself. Thankfully, a small family in The Brume decided to take him in as their own. A decade later, however, history repeated itself and claimed the lives of his foster family due to another attack by the Horde, leaving Desmond alive and alone once again.At that point, Desmond was fourteen years old and decided that enough was enough. He was going to watch knights train and try to mimic their moves. After barely successfully stealing a sword and shield, he began practicing what he has seen. He had also snuck into the Proving Grounds to either watch demonstrations by the Temple Knights and other staged spectacles or to watch exhibition spars. If it was something that helped him learn more about the sword and shield, he would be there to watch it, mimic it, and practice it.

TO BE RECOGNIZED

It would not be until several more years that Desmond was recognized by actual knights themselves. One night when the Temple Knights decided to use the Proving Grounds to spar each other, Desmond decided he was going to participate. At first, this did not go as planned. Some haughty knights decided that he wasn't worth the time. A Lieutenant expressed that he should leave before they force him out of the Grounds. Without a moment's hesitation, one toss of his shield sent this Lieutenant off his feet. They proceeded to fight on the Grounds and Desmond handily won the bout, using the Lieutenant's anger against him.A half dozen other knights also decided to fight him and using the same tactics as before, Desmond ended up winning them. Soon enough, this "stowaway" caught the attention of then Captain Lucia, whom noticed that the exhibition bouts had been going on for far too long. Impressed that Desmond had bested six knights, three of whom were Lieutenants, Lucia decided to have a bout with him as well. Knowing he was going to lose, he had a spar with her anyway and the bout ended in less than a tick. While she did not have the power to knight him, she did offer him training with the other knights by making him a squire. A lieutenant oversaw his training, along with several others.

TO KNIGHTHOOD

After several years of proper training, Desmond and several others were then knighted. Some of these he was knighted with would become his closest friends: Norman, Felix, Lance, and Brendan. The five knights were usually placed in the same group, squad, or platoon. They fought together when the Horde descended upon the Steps of Faith when Vishap decided it was going to perch there, they also helped many people to safety when Nidhogg himself descended upon the Steps of Faith, and they also provided lessons to some nobles of High Houses, in addition to providing security services to the High Houses when requested.When the truth of the Dragonsong War came to pass, Desmond and his fellow knights started to question their service to Ishgard, as what they have always known had been a lie. However, both Lord Aymeric's and Commander Lucia's encouraging words reminded them that they are serving Ishgard of the present, not what it was in the past. So despite having been lied to about their nation's past, they have all been lied to together and they must move forward if they were to serve the nation properly.

NEW OPPORTUNITY

Even though Desmond and his knightly comrades were not selected to aid Lord Aymeric in helping to liberate Ala Mhigo, they continued to serve Ishgard in aiding the general public with more humanitarian duties and tutoring would-be squires, not only from high houses but also those from lower to middle class families.As the situation in Garlemald continued to deteriorate, Felix heard rumours of a contingency being formed to aid the Garleans. It was clear their society has been rendered in ruins due to Zenos. Felix's words rang true when, in confidence, all five of them were selected to take part in aiding the people in Garlemald. They were, in no way, required to take part in this but they have been hand-picked by Commander Lucia and represent Ishgard, as the other nations in Eorzea were to do the same. After all five of them agreed to do this together, they later set out with the rest of the selected knights (both Temple and Dragoon) to Ala Mhigo's Royal Menagerie. They were then surprised to see that not only were the Eorzean nations present, but also select samurai and ninjas from Doma, Xaela tribes from The Steppe and Resistance warriors from Bozja and Dalmasca. Desmond took note of the three nations that were once under Imperial rule were here.Desmond and his other knightly comrades assisted where they could, whether it was for guard duty, aiding in procuring supplies, readying facilities to take in those that were tempered, clearing paths, they had done what was asked of them. They provided comfort and company towards those that needed it.

MISADVENTURES

One night when things had calmed down for several moments, Norman brought up the idea of travelling and seeing the world. All their lives, they had been serving Ishgard diligently but all they knew was what happened within their reach. Felix later admitted the same, being in awe of the sights once he set foot in Gyr Abania. Lance, Brendan, and Desmond himself then admitted to the same, wondering what else lies out in the world. Lance then brought up the idea of becoming adventurers. He revealed to the others that he had been sneaking away whenever he could to Gridania and was training to become a conjurer, Brendan admitted to being trained with a lance, Felix has a fixation with the katana, and Norman wanted to learn how to wield axes. Egging Desmond on, they brought up the fact that he couldn't hide being curious about the stars and began studying about them thanks to Jannequinard while also in almost unanimous agreement that Desmond was the best sword and shield fighter out of all five of them.With all of this in mind and how they all had other combat and supportive talents, they all decided that once their time with the Ilsabard Contingent was over, they would resign their posts as Temple Knights and go out to see the world and become adventurers.Unfortunately, tragedy would strike many in the contingency. Once the skies over Garlemald became crimson, the unthinkable happened. Things became more and more dire and more and more people were becoming these abominations. Despite words from The Scions of The Seventh Dawn to remain calm and steel our souls and determination, one by one Desmond's comrades changed. If not due to the sheer terror of the situation then by succumbing to attacks by these abominations as they became one themselves. One by one, Desmond ended their agony by his hand. Before Desmond could lose himself to the grief and agony of losing his close comrades, he was aided by a Bozjan Resistance member to never lose sight and keep his mental faculties within him.Once the battle was over and he was tended to by menders, the other Bozjan Resistance members attempted to talk to him to further calm him down as they regaled him with similar stories and how they lost comrades as well. To make sure he kept his wits about him, these two Bozjans remained with Desmond to keep watch over him. While this was enough to make sure he himself didn't turn into an abomination, he was now by himself.With the Bozjans' words in mind, he continued to serve his civic duty as a representative of Ishgard's delegation and once the clear was given that they could return home, he did so without hesitation. Upon his return to Ishgard, he reported to acting Commander Handeloup that Norman, Felix, Lance, and Brendan had fallen in battle before informing him that he was resigning from his position in The Temple Knights in an attempt to fulfill his comrades' wishes of adventuring. While this would not have been possible in the past, the acting commander had no choice but to accept his resignation. The acting commander was well-aware of how close Desmond was to his comrades and to lose them in battle was not easy. While he was able to resign from being a Temple Knight, does one actually resign from knighthood?

NOMADIC LIFESTYLE

In the moons that followed up to today, Desmond still has no direction on where to go, only where jobs and leves took him. This effectively made him some sort of sellsword. Because of the number of leve opportunities that affords him, he mostly remained in Ul'dah while lodging within The Quicksands' Hourglass. Despite owning his own apartment in The Mists, it sees very little use. Occasionally, Desmond would return to his homeland and see how the other knights are doing, if only to feel a bit nostalgic about his comrades and what they've accomplished together. He has not yet allowed himself to grieve over the loss of his close comrades and friends. Additionally, he hesitantly takes on leves to instruct lordlings from the High Houses for ample pay. At times, The Congregation does not have enough instructors since many have either fallen in battle or have set out to become adventurers now that the world has been saved. Desmond does this for old times' sake, if nothing else.These days, however, he has come to appreciate life more with the new friends that he has made. Despite still wishing to honour his deceased comrades' wishes, he carries them because he wishes to do so as well. He has been in Tural for almost two years and has been teaching Shaaloani residents how to fight with a sword and shield. In return, the residents allow him refuge although he frequently lodges in Tuliyollal.

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SOME HOOKS

See below if your character might know of Desmond.

• If you are or were a part of The Temple Knights, you might likely know of Desmond, as he is the only one in the order, that we know of, to have bright harlequin green hair. You may also been witness to his defeating of three lieutenants way back when before he even became a squire.• If you served in the Ilsabard Contingency, you may also have seen him there despite the fact that this is a part of his own history he doesn't like looking back on.• If you frequented Ul'dah often enough in the past, you will see a green-haired midlander wallflowering at Pearl Lane. He may or may not have been with a friend or two.• Desmond frequently took leves that require security solutions, or exterminations that involve morbols or any of their counterparts. He may have been the one to take care of those things for you.• If you live in Shaaloani or frequent the region, you may have heard of or even seen Desmond teaching the locals sword and shield play.• Desmond also frequents Tuliyollal since he lodges there quite often and loves their cuisine. His favourite Turali dish is a rroneek taco with spicy sauce and something called "pico de gallo."

PERSONALITY

Perhaps it is because of the events of the past that Desmond always appears as if he is brooding on a wall. He always appears to be quiet, non-assuming, and cautious of his surroundings. However, getting to know him will yield some rather surprising results. He can be quite friendly, sociable, and dependable. While it is not easy for him to consider someone a friend due to the past, he will protect his friends to the end. Even to the point of being in trouble with the law, he will aid them in trying to find a hiding place or trying to distract law enforcement.However, it is because of the events of the past that Desmond feels that he doesn't deserve anything good in his life. Especially when it comes to being happy. He will happily put his friends and people he cares about first before himself. This is because he has lost a lot of people important to him and this is how he protects them and himself from it. He figures if they're happy, he won't lose them in the first place.Around friends, he can be fairly candid and perhaps a bit sassy while still being friendly and personable. He tends to be rather considerate of people and their boundaries and he will profusely apologize if he had unintentionally crossed said boundaries.Because of Desmond's rather quiet, seemingly aloof, and observant nature, he can be a hard read. This is intentional. He is careful of those he let's in and while he let's people scratch at the surface, it is rather difficult to get him to open up.Those who have gotten to know him well would probably say that the above still applies to him. However, he is much more open and casual with friends and those he cares about and oft strives to be a better version of himself.

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SOCIAL LINKS

These are the important people in Desmond's life. Past and present.

PAST

Norman Galford

Even though all men on this list were tutored and knighted at the same time, Norman was the first squire that Desmond encountered by accident. Like Desmond, Norman was orphaned at a young age. When they ran into each other in the mess hall knocking each others' food, Norman declared he was going to beat up Desmond. When Desmond demanded why, Norman had no answer. No one had ever questioned him and his intentions before. After Desmond brought up a point that would punish them both, Norman hesitated and respected his space. It wasn't until Felix came around that Norman became great friends with Desmond. Of the group, Norman was the most cocky and self-sure. This was mainly kept in check by Desmond and Felix once the group became much more closely knit. Unfortunately, his demise was brought on by an attack from a strong abomination and became one himself. Then, Desmond ended his agony.

Felix Coolridge

After Desmond ran into an altercation with Norman, Felix came over to try and console him. He already knew of Norman and his awful antics and was impressed when Desmond forced Norman to back off. After showing a display of having each others' backs, Norman became jealous that someone would be protective of another person for, what seemed to him, absolutely no reason. Norman later became great friends with Desmond and Felix. In the group, Felix was the voice of reason. Before any disagreements became altercations between the five of them, Felix would be the first to stop it from escalating. Later, Felix found himself not only physically but emotionally attached and attracted to Desmond. They soon began a relationship in secret, only for the others to discover it later even though it was kept secret from the other Temple Knights. During their stint with the Ilsabard Contingency, he succumbed to his agony and became an abomination with Desmond having to destroy him.

Brendan Stansfeld

Not soon after Norman came around, Brendan found himself to the rescue of both Desmond and Norman after he was being bullied by knights while they were still squires, especially by Elezen. In a seldom display of courage and perhaps of arrogance, Desmond challenged all of them to a bout. Three of these Elezen then agreed to no certain terms. However, Felix and Norman already knew that they were going to try to fight Desmond three against one. Much to the Elezen knights' embarrassments, Desmond, Felix, and Norman won and these knights were forced to vow to never again bully the other squires. Thankful for their aid, Brendan became friends with the others and he learned to stand up for himself and even defeat a senior knight in an exhibition bout while still a squire. In the group, Brendan is the most outspoken, excitable, and upbeat. Like Felix, Brendan succumbed to his fears and agonies and became an abomination. Desmond, as usual, had to destroy him.

Lancelot Fitzroy

If you thought Desmond was quiet and aloof and always kept to himself, it's probably because he got it from this guy. Lancelot hated his own name so he compromised with being called "Lance." As squires, a group exercise was assigned to all five of them. Because Lance was uncooperative, they failed. Desmond wasted no time giving Lance a piece of his mind. Despite being very harsh and critical of Lance, Desmond was still determined to help him pass this exercise. Even with the harsh words, Lance never had anyone wanting to help him willingly like this. He later realized that the four of them were closely knit and, like Norman before, became jealous, wishing he had friends like them. Lance later came around became close with the others, Desmond most of all. Lance was usually the silent one in the group, preferring to listen to everyone else and often giving witty remarks when he sees fit. Like Norman, Lance succumbed to an attack by an abomination and became one himself. Desmond had no choice but to end him.

PRESENT

"Noe"

The irony of meeting Noe is that Desmond first met his ex-husband, Angellos. However, he has run into Noe at least a dozen more times after meeting Angellos. To this day, Desmond is unsure what to make of Noe but would, without hesitation, consider him a friend. It was made clear to Desmond that he cares about his well-being after suffering from aetheric poisoning. It is also made clear to Desmond that there are parts about him that Noe is unwilling to divulge and respects his space when it comes to that. Desmond figures that if needs to know, he will know.

"Uri"

His extended 'hang outs' at Pearl Lane eventually led to a meeting with a Dalmascan named Uriel. "Uri", it seemed to Desmond, took a liking to him really fast. Initially being drawn to him by his vibrant green hair, Uri took a further liking to Desmond when they discovered their mutual likeness for travel and seeing the world, and also for Desmond being a former knight. When they further got to know each other, Desmond even stopped doing leves that involved killing infestations since Uri is a beastmaster. (Unless it was morbols, Desmond will kill morbols on sight.) A most recent event involving alcohol put both of them at weird odds but Desmond does whatever he can to make the situation as best as possible without any awkwardness. They both seem to enjoy taking walks together. Uri looks forward to the day he can spar with him. Desmond is sure he admires Uri but isn't sure just how much...

"Leon"

Desmond met Leon through Uri in Pearl Lane. Desmond discovered that Leon had a small curiosity when it came to Ishgard, especially its inner workings with the Houses and the knight orders. When Leon heard that Desmond was going to try to attune to an aetheryte in Kugane and Desmond was going to try to ride the aether, Leon said he'd provide an aid that would help him combat aether sickness. However, before the aid was provided, Desmond had already made the attempt. He nevertheless took the object to aid him in the future. Desmond admits that there is quite a bit about the man he doesn't know about but nevertheless considers him a friend since he is willing to help him.

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OOC NOTES

ME? --
Hey everyone. Thanks for stopping by. I'm looking forward to writing and character-developing! I'm in the Pacific Northwest of the US so I'm GMT -8 (-7 on DST) and I'm usually on during the evenings. If my RP icon is present, then I am open for RP. Go ahead and walk on up, or send me a tell. I'm good with both. I would also highly prefer that you and your character are at least 18 years old if you'd like to RP. Especially if we're getting down to more adult-themed situations. For context, I am 21+. A bit far from it, too.APPROVE --
I'm okay with most types of RP, though mainly adventure, slice of life, mystery, combat, and some dark themes. I am okay with one-off and long-term RP. I'm also okay with romance and erotic topics as long as our characters have established a deeper connection than just a meeting here and there, and it isn't the only thing driving our RP.LET'S NOT --
Some of the things I can't deal with are death, dismemberment, metagaming, doing things that require permission when it is not obtained, and other basic things that should be considered NO. I like to think I'm approachable so if you have any questions, please ask.CONTACT --
You are more than welcome to send me a tell in-game if and when you see me. This is really the only game I play so chances are, you'll find me. I also have a Discord but I'd prefer that we make first contact in-game so that we can get an idea of how we mesh together.COMBAT --
Yes. I am open to combat RP but I'd like it if we do a small bit of planning first. I am open to both dice rolls and non-dice rolls but let's discuss first.LAST UPDATE --
This page was last updated on 8 July 2024.

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