character profile

Name: Reis Muscadet
Pronounced: I really don't care. I've heard "Rice" and "Rayce" but I don't have a preference.
Race/Clan: Rava Viera
Gender & pronouns: Female, she/her
Sexuality: Gray-ace
Birthplace: Muscadet, Dalmasca
Age: Early 40s
Height: 6'3"
Physical attributes: White hair, green eyes, warm brown skin, very straight ears
Primary jobs: RDM, SMN

So here's the thing about Reis: for the first few years, she didn't have a backstory at all. I didn't go into this game with the goal of making an OC, so Reis was only ever intended to be my player avatar.

The real problem is that I've never been able to decide if she's the Warrior of Light or not. On the one hand, she's who I first played through the MSQ with. On the other hand, being Warrior of Light is so central to Cálei's storyline that I don't really need it for Reis. (Also, to make things easier on everyone, the roleplaying community tends to frown upon having your character be the one and only Warrior of Light.) In any case, this means I have two versions of Reis, one as the Warrior of Light and one not.

Also, 90% of the inspiration for her is the fact that Viera in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance could combine the red mage and summoner jobs and doublecast summons on their turn. It was overpowered and very satisfying. FFXIV plays too differently for me to see it as quite the same here, but that's very much where she comes from.

Backstory

Hailing from the town of Muscadet somewhere deep in Dalmasca, Reis was raised in a small enclave of fellow spellcasters. Though she had an idyllic childhood, she grew dissatisfied with the choices her elders made for the clan at large, and chose to leave. Per the clan's rules, this meant she could never return unless she intended to stay in the village for the remainder of her life.

Reis spent her twenties and thirties travelling across Ilsabard and Othard, with a few brief trips to Aldenard and Thavnair. Prior to the fall of Ala Mhigo, she spent time with the Crimson Duelists and learned how to harness the power of red magic to go alongside her clan's style of arcanima.

Reis's closest companion, since her youth, is her carbuncle, Malheur. Though in practice Malheur is simply a part of her aether made manifest, she treats him as a dear friend. Malheur is always willing to follow her into the most dangerous situations. Though Reis spends half her time as a red mage, Malheur is nearly always with her.

Her storyline diverges here:

When Reis is the Warrior of Light, she follows the canon storyline, entering Limsa Lominsa with the intention of studying arcanima and working as an adventurer for hire. Circumstances find her invovled with the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, and before long she's hailed as the Champion of Eorzea and goes on to fight many more battles. I haven't quite decided if Dawntrail is canon for her; I'll see how the patches develop. If not, her story has a neat ending with Endwalker's conclusion.
- While close to the Scions, she doesn't form any romantic attachments; she's not interested. She's very close friends with Y'shtola, Alisaie, and G'raha.
When Reis is a regular adventurer, she's a little older and more world-weary, and much less likely to let people in. She's a reliable adventurer, but she tends to keep people at arm's length. Rather than Bahamut/Phoenix, she summons figures of Ivalician legend to come to her aid: Hashmal, Famfrit, and Belias.

Personality

Typically, Reis is quite reserved. She's not one to withhold a kind word, but she does not offer her thoughts freely. She is reticent about her past, not out of shame but a simple desire for privacy. Reis is enigmatic even to those she spends considerable time with.

If you manage to get past her façade, however, she's unfailingly warm and thoughtful. Part of the reason she's withdrawn is simply that she knows she will outlive many of the people she meets; she does not want to form bonds that won't last. Of course, this is often easier said than done.

character profile

Backstory

Personality

Further reading