Scholar of the Wild
Seeker of Knowledge, Tamer of Spirits
Yayoi Kiyohara
Home: Shirogane
Job: Madoushi { 魔導師 }
Knowledge Is Power
Yayoi is studious, inquisitive, and calculating. She is loyal to her family but yearns to see the world beyond their corner of the East.
Binding Spirits
A geomancer and onmyouji by training, Yayoi has worked diligently to blend the two arts into a powerful form of her own.
Yayoi Kiyohara
Home: Shirogane
Job: Madoushi { 魔導師 } (Geomancer/Onmyouji)
Character Details
Nicknames: ---
Birth Name: Yayoi
Gender: Female
Race: Au Ra (Raen)
Clan: Kiyohara
Age: 25
Height: 155cm
Weight: 43.5kg
3S: ???
Sexuality: ???
Biographical Details
Birthplace: Doma
Hometown: Monzen (Formerly)
Residence: Shirogane
Occupation: Hunt Scholar, Diviner
Affiliation: Doman Liberation Front, Clan Centurio
Relationship Details
Mother: Chou Kiyohara
Father: Masatora Kiyohara
Friends: — — —
Romantic Interest(s): X'talyah Jinh (Exclusively Shipped)
Hooks
You might come across Yayoi if...
You're a member of Clan Centurio.You're in need of information on a hunt mark.You're in Kugane and you seek a geomancer or onmyouji.Your family fled Doma during the Garlean invasion.You served with the Doman Liberation Front.
Knowledge Is Power
Yayoi is studious, inquisitive, and calculating. She is loyal to her family but yearns to see the world beyond their corner of the East.
Born to a family of Doman court geomancers, Yayoi has grown up comfortably during their exile after the Garlean invasion. Having little memory of Doma, she wishes to go beyond the constraints of Hingashi to see her family's home and explore distant lands across the ocean.
A rather private individual, Yayoi makes few friends but will dutifully return any kindness shown to her. She understands the importance of preserving her family's name, and strives to bring honor and pride to her parents.
Yayoi's thirst for knowledge will bring her into danger and may sometimes cost her dearly, but a lesson learned is still a lesson - no matter how steep the price of tuition. She takes great care to understand her mistakes and avoid recurrences.
Exile of the East
A fortunate star shined over Yayoi's birth as she came to bear the name of the Kiyohara clan, a family of Doman court geomancers in the service of Lord Kaien and those who came before him. Blessed with wealth and privilege, Yayoi's earliest years in Doma were exceedingly comfortable - if only she'd been old enough to remember them.
When she was still a small child, the Garlean invasion came and with it, her family fled to the Hingan city of Kugane. Rather than see their clan end with the fall of Doma, the clan patriarch Kagetora moved heaven and earth to see the clan's wealth and resources spirited out of the fallen kingdom so that they might endure until the time came to reclaim their homeland.
Growing up in exile, Yayoi studied extensively under her father and mother, Masatora and Chou. While her father taught her the traditions of geomancy, her mother spent countless hours recounting the history of Othard. When she could, Chou tried to broaden Yayoi's worldview by showing her the city and introducing her to foreign ideas. Traditions were important, but even more so was survival. Sometimes, Chou explained to Yayoi, survival required growing beyond one's roots.
Yayoi took those words to heart. Whenever they went out about the city, she kept her eyes sharp and her mind open for any opportunity to learn. It was on one such occasion that she came across a beautifully bound copy of the Raimdelle Codex. While she couldn't read the foreign script, the merchant explained it was a compendium of foreign beasts and plants first written centuries ago. With bright eyes, she turned to Chou who sighed and opened her coinpurse to satisfy the curious youngster's endless thirst for knowledge. As a condition, however, Chou insisted Yayoi would learn the Eorzean script from a tutor so that the codex would be more than a picture book for her.
As Yayoi grew, so too did her interests. When she turned 13, having mastered much of her father's teachings, she asked if she might be permitted to study the Hingan art of onmyoujutsu as well. Such a request was not without its concerns however, and so Masatora brought Yayoi before the aging patriarch, Kagetora.
Knelt before their clan's head, Masatora informed his father of Yayoi's request. The elder Raen looked sternly at Yayoi, appraising the girl. Drawing deeply upon his pipe and exhaling, Kagetora asked why she sought to study onmyoujutsu. Yayoi replied that while geomancy granted control of earth, wind, and water, learning onmyoujutsu would teach her to control the elements of fire, ice, and lightning while balancing that of light and dark. By controlling all the elements and mastering the art of shikigami familiars, wouldn't one be better equipped to serve Doma in future efforts to reclaim their homeland?
Kagetora pondered her argument for several moments before setting his pipe aside and chuckling loudly. Gesturing to Masatora, he grinned approvingly. The child had been raised well. Her argument did indeed have merit. If one could unify the two schools of magic, it stood to reason one could achieve even greater heights of power than previously known to Far Eastern practitioners. Yayoi would have his blessing to study onmyoujutsu if she so desired, provided she continued to refine her talents at geomancy as well. Kagetora was not without connections and knew several old masters of the art. He would send word and find one willing to teach the precocious girl.
After Kagetora had found a suitable teacher, Yayoi began her onmyouji training in earnest. Having studied geomancy at length, the girl had an understanding of magic's fundamentals. Harnessing the power of the elements was a core of her family's art, so to extend the same concepts towards controlling several more seemed plausible.
As it turned out, attunement to the elements of fire, ice, and lightning came smoothly enough as Yayoi applied her geomancer training in order to harness them. However, when it came time to study the use of shikigami, Yayoi struggled as there was no precedent for binding kami in geomancy. Try as she might, the girl failed repeatedly to conjure a familiar.
Yayoi's teacher, Takatsune, spoke with Kagetora at length about Yayoi's difficulties. The elder Kiyohara patriarch remarked with a sigh that it was no surprise. For generations, their clan had focused upon the energies of the earth without thoroughly studying the spirits inhabiting it. Bending the elements to their will by using their own energy, they lacked the onmyouji's intimate interactions with the kami. For Yayoi to succeed in her ambitions, she would need to first reframe her understanding of magic with the kami in mind.
So it was that Takatsune proposed he take Yayoi to visit the many shrines of kami throughout the land. By learning more about the myriad spirits and paying her respects, perhaps Yayoi might find them more amenable to lending her their strength. It would certainly ease her control of the elements and perhaps some spirits might even find themselves willing to serve as her shikigami.
Kagetora readily agreed. After summoning Masatora and Chou to inform them of the decision, he made arrangements for a retainer to accompany Takatsune and Yayoi on their journey.
After nearly three months, the group returned to Kugane. To their credit, the trip had been a fruitful one. It had taken time, but towards the end of their pilgrimage Yayoi had finally succeeded at summoning her first shikigami in the form of a butterfly. To summon more would be a matter of practice and communing further with the kami to find those willing to serve her. With this, Yayoi had achieved one of the fundamentals of the onmyouji art. To see that her progress continued, Takatsune would remain to oversee her training until such time that she could learn no more from him.
Flames of Freedom
By the time Yayoi reached adulthood, she'd begun to grow restless with wanderlust. Tired of stories and pictures, she wished to see the rest of the world for herself and learn as much as she could. Much of her desire stemmed from the Raimdelle Codex that she'd obtained as a young girl. Enamored with the plentiful details and images recorded within, Yayoi hoped to create her own codex documenting the beasts, flora, and kami of the Far East.
Of course, that goal was something she could not easily achieve while the Garlean Empire still held Yanxia in its grip. While her family had no objections with her wish, they were loath to let her run headfirst into danger. It would have to wait until they could return, they insisted.
Rather than wait idly for that day, Yayoi sought to do her part in the effort against the Empire. Seeing the determination in her eyes, Masatora brought her once more before Kagetora.
The elderly patriarch was now in his twilight years, but his mind remained sharp as ever. Whispers of war against the Empire in Gyr Abania had spread to the Far East, sparking hope among those still loyal to Doma. And rumors of Hien's survival had given those with doubts something they might yet rally behind. If ever there was a time, now was the time to redouble their efforts for freedom.
Kagetora spoke quietly to Yayoi, asking if she still remembered what she'd said years ago when she chose to pursue onmyoujutsu. Recalling that moment, Yayoi repeated them as best as she could: That mastery of the combined arts might better equip her to serve Doma in reclaiming their homeland. The patriarch then asked if she still believed in those words.
Yayoi bowed her head and replied with one word. Yes.
With a nod of approval, Kagetora rapped his knuckles twice against the table beside him. Before Yayoi could react, a masked figure emerged from behind her and knelt before her grandfather. Kagetora smiled grimly. It was time she took part in their clan's singularly important goal: The liberation of Doma.
Introducing the figure as a member of the Doman Liberation Front, Kagetora explained that after the fall of Doma, the clan joined forces with the Liberation Front. While they were not warriors, the clan had considerable wealth and connections at their disposal even in exile. Through various networks, the Kiyohara clan had contributed to the continued efforts of the Liberation Front over the years.
Now, with the Garlean Empire's attention freshly occupied in Gyr Abania, the time was ripe. If only they could find Lord Hien...
Months passed from Yayoi's introduction to her clan's involvement with the Doman Liberation Front. In that time, they continued to search for Lord Hien while secretively funneling resources to the beleaguered Doman irregulars. As the search dragged on, at times hope began to fade as some questioned if there really was any chance of finding Hien - or whether he could even lead them after hiding for so many years.
When at long last they received firm word of Hien's reappearance and his alliance with the Xaela of the Azim Steppe, there was a feeling of relief. Their efforts had not been meaningless after all. With news of newfound allies and the return of their leader, it appeared that their struggle's end was in sight.
As much as she would have liked to serve alongside their leader and join the battle for Doma Castle, however, Yayoi would not have the chance. At the request of their clan's primary liaison in the Liberation Front, Yayoi and several others took up a defensive position at one of the scattered Doman villages throughout the Yanxian lands.
To their alarm, a squad of Imperial soldiers was spotted near the village on the eve before the planned assault on Doma Castle. As they monitored the squad's movements, it became readily apparent that this group was not on a routine patrol. If anything, it appeared that they were a rogue unit, intent on bullying the villagers into giving up food and possessions to avoid more vicious abuses.
Angry whispers passed between the hidden irregulars as they watched the events unfold. With the decisive battle at Doma Castle fast approaching, they and several other groups had been tasked with ensuring that the numerous Doman villages were protected. If they were to act, they would need to either kill or capture the Imperials - there could be no escapees.
As the others sprinted into action, Yayoi drew upon her mastery of the elements and the blessings of the kami. Summoning one of her shikigami, she commanded the ferocious tiger spirit to attack as she cast a potent combination of wind and earthen magics to disrupt the movement of the Imperials.
The skirmish ended just as quickly as it started, as the unsuspecting Imperials were caught completely unprepared by the sudden attack. Expecting a quiet village with no meaningful threats, the surprise of the Doman ambush brought the soldiers to their knees after a pitifully quick exchange of blows.
Much to Yayoi's disgust, it turned out that the Imperials were in fact Domans masquerading in stolen Imperial equipment, so as to better intimidate their fellows and improve their own lot in life. This was of course nothing new to the other Liberation Front members, but the disdain they held for the cowards remained all the same. After tying them up and throwing the group in a storehouse, several members spit on the would-be bandits for good measure.
The dawn of the decisive battle came and went as Yayoi's group continued to guard the village. Uneasy anticipation tugged at everyone's minds as the question of whether their comrades would succeed gripped them with anxiety. Yayoi paced back and forth at her post, wishing desperately that she could have been part of the attacking force. Her talents were meant to serve Doma, but waiting here in this sleepy village they felt underused to say the least. Still, she appreciated that they had thought to call upon her at all.
When at last word came of the assault's success, the Domans broke out in celebratory cheers. Tears streamed down the faces of many, especially those who'd lost loved ones under the Imperial occupation. More than two decades of suffering had finally come to an end. Now, the time for rebuilding was beginning. Yayoi sighed with relief as she set her magical tools aside and accepted a hot drink from one of the villagers. Sitting by a fire in the middle of the village with her fellow Domans, together they toasted their newfound freedom and prayed for a prosperous future.
A New Codex
Following the liberation of Doma, Yayoi went before her family to once again present her request to explore the lands beyond Hingashi. With Yanxia freed from the Imperial grasp, she could now travel unimpeded and document the wildlife to her heart's content.
Masatora and Chou still had their reservations, but with a laugh the elder Kagetora waved their concerns aside. Yayoi had proven herself capable over the many months she dedicated to the clan and the Doman Liberation Front. Provided that she returned periodically to continue aiding the reconstruction, she had his blessing.
With the clan patriarch's blessing to pursue her ambitions, Yayoi eagerly sought out the most direct way of gathering data for her codex. After speaking with a member of Clan Centurio, she signed on without hesitation. However, her attempts to join their hunters in the field nearly always ended in rejection, as many scoffed at the thought of bringing the fledgling hunter with them.
Not one to give up altogether, Yayoi decided that if none would take her, she would find another way to get what she wanted. Using the connections she'd made over the years, she began to dip into the information trade. In exchange for coin, she gathered whatever knowledge she could on the marks sought by Centurio's hunters. At the same time, she paid well for any samples and information the hunters could bring back from their efforts.
For a brief time, this arrangement seemed to work. But Yayoi still wished to go into the field herself, even if it were riskier than using others to do the work for her.
To her good fortune, one day a young Xaela woman approached her as she sat in the Shiokaze Hostelry reviewing her notes. Introducing herself as Talyah, the woman inquired about the book in her lap, and seemed rather pleased with Yayoi's response that she was a hunt scholar. As it turned out, Talyah was a newly arrived hunter from Eorzea. After a long time away from her homeland, she'd returned to the Far East in search of greater prey. In order to do so, she sought potential allies, not the least of which was a reliable source of information.
Still, Yayoi was wary given the numerous rejections she'd faced before. If Talyah sought allies, she would need to provide something in return to procure her services. What could she offer?
Talyah's answer was surprisingly pragmatic. So long as Yayoi provided her with information, she would return with materials and samples for her studies. As it were, she guessed that a scholar probably could not obtain them easily otherwise, so it would be a worthwhile exchange.
Of course, this was the arrangement Yayoi already had secured from other hunters, after some persuasion. So to Talyah, she made another proposal. If Talyah was willing to take her into the field, she would be able to gather data firsthand instead of depending on other hunters or scholars. Yayoi promised Talyah that if she would have her, she would use every resource at her disposal to ensure their success.
The Xaela seemed caught off guard by Yayoi's request. The thought of bringing a scholar into the field gave her pause, much like it did for the others before her. Seeing her hesitation, Yayoi grimaced and looked away, only to hear Talyah ask what skills she might bring to the hunt.
With a confident gesture towards herself, Yayoi described herself as a capable healer and combat magic user. Should Talyah have need of her abilities, she would be happy to assist in battle. It seemed that was what the Xaela hoped to hear, as she eagerly grabbed a bottle from the table and poured for the two of them. With a grin, Talyah raised a cup and told Yayoi she looked forward to a fruitful relationship for many hunts to come.
Taken aback by the acceptance, Yayoi hesitantly raised her cup as well. It was what she'd wanted, but after so many rejections the feeling of finally succeeding was strange. Nevertheless, with a slight smile she joined Talyah in a toast to their new partnership.
