Saru Usagi

General Info
Race: Miqo'te

Gender: Male - Keeper of the Moon

Age: 20

Occupation: Saru catches work here and there with his cousin Naya and spends a lot of time bumming on her couch or puttering in his shop.

Skills:
 * Proficient with sword and shield, training with them every day
 * A good shot with firearms
 * Self taught machining
 * Amateur blacksmithing

Background
Saru was born in his childhood home in Western Thanalan near the Silver Bazaar, looking out at the sea. Living in the harsh sunlight wasn't his favorite so he often spent the high noon hours indoors or lounging in the shade near Nophica's Wells, exploring little caves with his best friend Marcus or fishing with a little stick and a hook. He was always excited when he managed to catch his own lunch since fish and seafood of all kinds are his favorite. Saru's upbringing was by no means a hard one, his family lived about as comfortably as any other. His father would get work on night fishing boats and his mother ran a small shop that sold food, tools, home goods, and other odds and ends.

Before Saru was born, his mother Maeyan had had enough of the constant hassling by the Brass Blades and any other thugs from the darker, unsavory part of the Monetarist's organizations. When Maeyan decided she didn't feel like having the living her shop was earning for the family she was starting gouged anymore to go into the wealthy's infinitely deep pockets, she stopped paying. The next week her shop was ransacked and there was nobody to help since the people she would report it to were the ones who did it in the first place. With the fire of the Usagi name running in her veins, she didn't just turn the other cheek and take it like most would. She decided to stand up for herself and her neighbors, talking to them and eventually making a sort of association within the community to at least curtail the amount they were taken advantage of since there was no way a rag tag group of neighbors were going to withstand the full might of the Monetarists. Over the years, this organization grew and evolved to take on more challenges that faced their town. By the time Saru was born, they also pursued highway men and bandits in their immediate area to ensure that merchants would still come trade in their town and the local fishermen could get their catch to market. Maeyan became one of the unofficial leaders in their community along side a few other families, one of which was Marcus'. The leaders were well respected but didn't have any enforceable authority, rather people looked up to them.

Maeyan would occasionally take part in leading a party to run off bandits and highway men as she was skilled with a sword and fought bravely when she lead her companions. Though he would work on the fishing vessels, Saru's father Taeglin always made sure to be waiting for Maeyan when she returned home to help tend to her wounds. He never had any real training but did posses a natural knack for tending wounds and seemed to always make anyone he cared for feel better, the most plausible explanation being that he did in fact posses the ability to use healing magic and some effects tended to be felt by the ones he tended to.

The values instilled in Saru by both his parents from a very early age were bravery and an undying duty to one's family and loved ones. As much as he longed to follow his mother's example, the two were never incredibly close. Saru tended to spend more time with his father since he wasn't old enough to go out with his mother for most of his early life. He also spent a lot of time with his friend Marcus, a midlander son of another respected family close to the Usagi's. They went everywhere together.

Recent History
When Saru reached the age of 17, his mother realized how restless he was getting in their small town. She knew he would never reach his full potential there and had to face and overcome the adversities of the real world like she had when she was much younger. While she had sheltered her only child from the level of hardships she had faced after she escaped the Ala Mhigan slavers that took her older cousin and slaughtered the rest of her village when she was 5 years old, she decided it was time Saru made a name for himself in his own way. And so after talking it over with Taeglin, they sent him off with supplies, a little money, and the gift of a sword and well made shield. Maeyan always hoped in her heart that someone other from her village has managed to survive the raid from when she was a child. She finally shared the history of the Usagi family with him the night before he set off, something she had only done with Taeglin to that point. And so Saru set out to wander, not really sure what he was supposed to do or where he was supposed to be going but secretly sharing his mother's hope that one day he might meet any remnants of his family during his travels.

That wish came true but things never happen exactly as we hope they will. Saru had crossed Thanalan and made it to the Black Shroud when one day he got lost in the vast woods, never having gone too far from the desert. While he was wandering he happened on a young Miqo'te girl sitting up on a rock. Saru timidly approached her, hesitant to interrupt but a little worried about becoming really lost. The girl was cordial and politely offered to escort him to the nearest town. Social graces finally entering his mind, Saru tried to introduce himself as politely as possible but was bewildered when he was pinned to the ground and almost strangled once his last name left his lips. He had indeed happened upon his long lost cousin Naya. Unaware of the turmoil surrounding her part of the family at the time, he had unknowingly made himself suspicious but the more they talked, the more they realized they were indeed related.

Much to Naya's dismay, opening her couch to her wayward cousin until he got his feet underneath him evolved into Saru's living on her couch. They had many a half-hearted feud which continue to this day but they do both care about one another. After hearing about Naya's trouble's, Saru's upbringing immediately kicked in and he developed a deep desire to help and protect her any way he could, despite being far outclassed by her ability to defend her own self. Things were relatively quiet for Saru for a short time while he lived with Naya. As they got to know each other and Saru began to piece together the past of his Uncle and Aunt.

Little did Saru know, things were going badly back home. While getting off his shift very early one morning Taeglin noticed a couple of shifty characters on the docks and couldn't help but overhear their conversation. He immediately figured out that they were involved in drug running, something the Monetarists did on the side but would never publicly admit to. He quickly turned to hurry home and inform his wife but the two caught up to him and the big Roegadyn was able to subdue him and take him away. Using all the resources she had, Maeyan learned the general area he was taken to near the Sagolii and sent word to Saru to come back home immediately. As soon as he got word, Saru rushed into Naya's office, grabbed her and drug her out to meet her aunt and help him get his father back. Maeyan was happy to meet her niece as her hopeless dream had actually come true. The pair stayed the night and Maeyan informed them that they would have to be the ones to go rescue Taeglin since she couldn't leave the Silver Bazaar unguarded with most of their best men and women away on a large mission to take care of a bandit encampment.

The rescue attempt ended in utter disaster. Saru and Naya met with Marcus in the Sagolii but once they found the drug warehouse where his father was being held, Marcus betrayed them and they were locked up as well. Naya was able to get them free by flaunting her womanly charms to the Lalafell guard but Marcus was one step ahead of them. After getting separated from Naya, Saru and his father were ambushed by Marcus, Taeglin being in no condition to fight. Naya did come to their aid as Saru tried desperately to defend his father but neither of them could stop the Roegadyn's spear that ran through Taeglin's stomach. Cutting down his childhood friend in a grief-filled rage, Saru was helpless to stop his father from dying in his arms. He took the ancient sword that was doubtlessly part of the rich allure of working for the criminals as he left his friend's body to the scavengers. As they left the secret complex, Naya left Saru alone as he cremated his father on top of a rocky bluff.

After this, Saru had finally found the drive he had lacked. He threw himself full force into training as he grieved for weeks then months. So much so that his usually voracious appetite had nearly disappeared, he did nothing but train and sleep, and his entire body was constantly sore and covered in bruises. Naya was worried about him in her own way and would take his mind off of things here and there when she saw he needed a break. After a while, Saru's grief faded but the guilt has never fully left him. In his own way of making up for his failure, he redoubled his commitment to help his cousin and friends, now much more capable than before. After the death of his father, he did not go home again for a long time. He couldn't face his mom knowing he had failed his father until time had healed their grief and circumstances drove the young Usagi's to ask for her help.

Present Day
Saru's undying need to train and better himself was the impetus behind his friendship with Gunnbjorn Darkblade who was Saru's best friend. They made a habit of training and sparring together quite often when Saru wasn't training alone or with Naya. Gunn broadened Saru's horizons to include all sorts of exotic beverages during his visits to the Oak Inn. More recently, Saru along with Gunn and Naya took up spelunking around old ruins. As such, Saru has a habit of carrying the journal Gunn gave him around in his pack all the time. Saru has also been doing odd jobs with his cousin here and there to get a little pocket money, though its not like he has much in the way of expenses since he basically lives on the couch be drug into the dojo that he and Naya had built in the company house or on Naya's couch.

Gunnbjorn's departure to travel the world and the Void alike left a bit of a hole in Saru's life for a while. He missed his friend so he made sure to keep up the training they had always done together. Other than that he tinkered and kept working odd jobs until they met Ulfbjorn Maekir. Ulfbjorn had run afoul of some bandits in the Shroud and took an ax to the stomach before Saru and Naya could take care of them. While Ulfbjorn healed at the Edge free company house, he lent them his blacksmithing skills and started to feel more at home. Old Ulffy, the traveling swordsman and smith has become Edge's mascot since then and Saru's best friend. They spar, work in the shop, get in trouble together, and Saru learns quite a lot improving his metal working and combat skills.

Traits and General Character

 * Saru is short. A trait seemingly common to the Usagi family as Naya is quite small as well
 * Saru is also a bit stocky. His smooth layer of fat has left him but his limbs, appendages, and tail are all short.
 * Saru is a little abrasive or socially clumsy at times. He is not without manners but social conventions aren't his strong suit and his filter doesn't always catch everything.
 * Saru eats a LOT. If he is offered food, he won't turn it down and if food is around he may be too shy to ask but it'll be apparent he would like some.
 * Saru's favorite kind of food is seafood since he grew up by the sea. His absolute favorite is crab.


 * Saru is a bit of a free spirit. If he is taking a break from training and not doing something else, he's probably wandering around fishing or exploring.
 * Saru is in a constant feud with Naya's pet bat, Bit over Bit's food.


 * Saru loves the stars. Ever since he was very young, he loved to get out away from town and camp out in the desert, looking up at the clear night sky.
 * Saru's wardrobe may seem limited to only a few sets of clothes. In reality, he has several duplicates of all of those clothes even though everyone he knows has tried to get him to diversify.
 * Saru squints a lot. Since he grew up in the desert, his squint has become almost permanent no matter where he is. His night vision also isn't quite as good as the average Keeper but he does have some.