R'amai Anto
When I dance, nothing matters but me and the moment
Dancer
Trained in ballet and a practitioner of the Kriegstanz, R'amai views all of life as one continuous dance
hunter
Trained as a Wood Wailer and blessed with the Echo, R'amai searches for ever more dangerous prey
soldier
A decorated hero of the Dragonsong War, R'amai fights with ferocity and leads with dignity
Dancer
R’amai was born to a merchant in limsa (R’anto Nuhn) who owned a shipping company. He was well-traveled and his ships ventured all over the world. R’amai has two older brothers, twins named R’aden and R’addoh. Her father enrolled her in traditional dance classes because it was the high-culture thing to do, and also because he was smitten with the ballet instructor. R’amai enjoyed dancing, but she had crippling stage fright that resulted in a few very awful performances.
After a few years her young teen brothers enrolled in dance alongside her, hoping to impress R'amai's classmates. Both brothers quickly surpassed R’amai in both dance skill and stage presence, and were adored by Limsan merchant high society. R’amai was tutored by another teacher from Radz-at-Han, who became a mentor and mother figure to her. With her mother disinterested in basically everything and her father deep in an affair with the ballet instructor, R’amai often spent time in the markets and docks to be alone with her thoughts. She hated the formalism of ballet, was envious of her brothers’ success, and terrified to dance in front of an audience.
One night when R’amai was 13, after watching a particularly spectacular performance by her brothers R’amai was wandering among the docks. She overheard some young seawolf boys making jokes and rude comments about two “unmanly” miquo dancers. She flew into a rage and attacked them for insulting her family. Her ass was soundly handed to her by the much larger roegadyn kids, who beat her up and threw her into the harbor.
R’amai fled to her mentor and told the whole story. Her mentor decided to teach her Kriegstanz as a means of self-defence. R’amai took to it like a fish to water. She loved the athleticism and free-flowing nature of the style. She poured herself into learning its forms, steps, and attacks.
As they all grew older, R’amai drifted apart from her brothers. No longer forced by her father or teacher to perform, R’amai had even more time to herself. She began to spend more time in disguise around the docks, often picking fights with people bigger than her.
Soldier
During the Dragonsong War, R’amai volunteered with the Twin Adders to join the defence of Ishgard against the Dravanian Horde. She was given a small squad and was stationed near Camp Dragonhead. They were unexpectedly attacked by several wyverns and a larger dragon. The squad took down the wyverns without much trouble, but was nearly wiped out in the battle with the dragon. In the end, R’amai was left standing alone between her wounded and dying soldiers and a very angry dragon. She managed to kill the beast minutes before a squad of Ishgardian dragoons arrived as reinforcements. Because of her heroic stand, many of the wounded were saved and the settlement itself was left relatively unharmed. R’amai herself walked away with 3 parallel lacerations across her back.
For her heroism in that and several other battles, R’amai was presented with special honors by Aymeric de Borel himself. He presented her with a pair of chakrams in the form of coiled dragons.
On a chance encounter with Archon Krile during the Ala Mhigan liberation, R’amai discovered she has a small amount of the Echo. Her Echo manifests as extra high coordination and the ability to empathically understand her opponent in single combat. After a time fighting a foe she begins to subconsciously predict their movements and dodge their attacks. Krile recruited her to join Arenvald’s team of primal-killers, so now R’amai occasionally has to drop whatever she is doing and rush off to defeat another incarnation of some beast tribe god. R’amai keeps her Scion affiliation a close secret, as she prefers to stand on her own name rather than that of the Scions.
Today R’amai spends her time traveling Eorzea and beyond, hunting dangerous beasts, killing primals, and sampling the culture of the places she finds herself.
Hunter
When R’amai was 18, she was swept up by a Yellowjacket sting operation on an illegal fighting club being run off a ship in the harbor. Turns out R’amai was the reigning lightweight champion. Her father pulled some strings to keep her identity secret, but was very concerned because that kind of scandal could damage his reputation and hurt the family business. After a long conversation, R’anto offered that R’amai could go train under a friend of his in the Wood Wailers of Gridania. He believed that militia discipline would benefit her, and the distance would help protect the family name. R’amai leapt at the opportunity to use her skills and train without having to keep it secret.
In her time with the Wood Wailers R’amai learned tracking and fieldcraft, hunting and stealth. She picked up new fighting styles and weapons, to use on their own and to incorporate her favorite elements into her own distinct flavor of Kriegstanz. After her 3-year tour of duty in the Wood Wailers was complete, R’amai traveled to Kugane and became a beast hunter for hire. She made a name for herself in hunting circles, both for her efficacy and for her unique style of fighting.
In the Azim Steppe R’amai undertook the hunt for Rathalos. While tracking her prey near Mol Iloh, she met a handsome Xaela shepherd named Tabur Mol. They fell for each other instantly. He was nurturing, sweet, and loving to her; and a good dancer too. They flirted for a few days until R’amai was certain she had Rathlos cornered. On the day she was to trap the beast, Tabur went to move his flock. Rather than fly into R’amai’s trap, the Rathlos attacked the flock and severely injured Tabur. R’amai arrived in time to kill the monster, but sustained major burns to her left arm and leg. Though the flock was safe, R'amai was unable to save Tabur. He bled out in her arms.
In her grief, R’amai fled back to Eorzea. She was taken in by her brother R’addoh and his wife. They, along with their two young children, supported and cared for R’amai as she grieved and recovered from her wounds. She got a tattoo of a Mol burial shroud over the burn on her arm in memory of Tabur.