Jude Paw
Of the Clockwork Heart
A man of two worlds, born from the space where magic and Allagan technology intersect.
He has traveled to the ends of the Earth and beyond in pursuit of the answers that have eluded him his entire life: the truth about what he is, and why he was made.
In his journeys, he has learned many things, and come to one conclusion above all:
The circumstances of his creation don't matter. They never did.
He is alive. He has a will all his own. His life is his own to lead
And he intends to live it to the fullest.
BASICS
Full Name:
Judith Langdon PawNickname:
Jude, JPAge/Race:
Jude is an ancient Allagan biological machine weapon.
The engineers that created him referred to him as an
aethero-mechanical construct.
In the strictest biological sense, he is well over 3000 years old.
For simplicity's sake, he claims to be twenty-two.Gender:
MaleOrientation:
Jude lacks the language to identify his sexual orientation. If you were to ask, he would simply say he loves whom he loves.Profession:
Adventurer (Former)
Security Consultant (Former)
Professional Blitzball Player (Captain, Ala Mhigo Griffins)Birthplace:
Crystal Tower R&D Sub-Basement, Ancient AllagPhysical Appearance:
HAIR: The color of spun gold and worn long, in the fashion of the storybook knights he admires and wishes to emulate.EYES: Blue as bright as the clear sky.BUILD: Short by miqo’te standards, thickset and stocky, Jude is powerfully built in a way that isn’t quite proportional with his diminutive frame, to the point that he sometimes has difficulty finding equipment that fits him properly.Hobbies:
Above all else, Jude is an adrenaline junkie. Whether it's the rush of a friendly sparring match, an intense game of blitzball, or a fight for his very life, he cherishes the feeling of physicality, and is always seeking his next challenge.Outside of this, Jude is a lover of stories of all kinds; he loves to listen to the tales of other adventurers’ past glories, and enjoys books very nearly as much, provided the words are not too challenging for him. He has particular affection for stories involving knights, heroes, princesses and monsters.Jude is also quite enamored with sweet food and drink, and enjoys honeyed Gridanian walnuts and ice cold, sweet Ala Mhigan red wine in particular. His ever-growing hunger for treats has lead to him becoming something of an unorthodox (but eternally determined) chef, experimenting with strange food combinations in search of uniquely satisfying sweet flavor.
OOC INFO
Contact
In-Game: Jude Paw (Excalibur)
Bluesky: @judepaw.bsky.social
Tumblr: @dat-paw
Discord: antipyretic
Availability
Time Zone: Eastern USA (EST)
Active Hours: Weeknights 6pm-10PM, Open Weekends
Platform Preference: Discord, in-game by request
RP Guidelines
‣ I have a preference for pre-established character relationships. I don't mind doing first time meetings, but I find them sort of awkward (and frankly a bit difficult), so don't hesitate to approach Jude as though you already know him if that's your preference too. We can discuss OOC where and when they would have previously met.‣ I try to match pace with my partner whenever possible, whether that means one line at a time or whole paragraphs.‣ I'm perfectly fine with lore bending/breaking/twisting/pulling/whatever, as long as we discuss it beforehand.‣ I have no issues with mature/darker roleplay themes, within reason, but I reserve the right to dial back or stop outright if I feel things are getting gratuitous.‣ There is a clear line between roleplay and my life outside of it, I need that distinction to be respected. I am not Jude, and he is not me. I tend to be a very private person, and I prefer to go at my own pace. I always look forward to meeting new people and starting new RP, but please respect my space and my right to use my free time as I wish. Also, I have no problem with romantic/shippy roleplay between OCs, but please don't take advantage of this to pursue any kind of OOC flirtation. I am not interested, and I will not tolerate having this boundary crossed, as it has been a problem in the past.
ROLEPLAY HOOKS
I, MYSELF, AM STRANGE AND UNUSUAL
Since learning of his origins as an Allagan weapon of war, Jude has decided to be the master of his own fate. With this determination came the realization that he wanted to help others like himself- if such beings do, in fact, exist. Jude is always searching for beings of unorthodox background with whom to commiserate, and help if necessary…
DEAR FRIENDS
For a number of years immediately following the Calamity, Jude Paw was a member of the Limsa Lominsa Adventurer’s Guild. He had many adventures of note in that time, and made many friends along the way. Some he has kept in touch with, others he has not, but either way, Jude is always pleased to reconnect with a familiar face from “the good old days”. Adventurers, sellswords and freeriders with a history of working with the three major city’s guilds may have met Jude before- though whether they met as allies or enemies depends on the occasion in question…
GEARHEAD MAGNET
Jude Paw represents some of the most advanced Allagan technology that survives in the world today. As rumors of this marvelous being continue to spread across Eorzea, engineers, tinkerers and gearheads of all stripes may find themselves compelled to seek Jude out- to learn from him, or perhaps to claim his technology for their own…
I'M HERE TO RESCUE YOU
In the deepest, most secret part of his heart, Jude longs to rescue a princess, the way the knights in his storybooks do. This desire to play the part of the knight in shining armor sometimes leads him into trouble…
A PLACE TO CALL HOME
Though Jude Paw is designed to resemble a Miqo’te Seeker of the Sun, he knows nothing of that race. Tentative explorations into the Sagolii Desert having ended in failure, Jude has given up trying to learn about their people firsthand, instead seeking the guidance of someone willing to teach. That Jude Paw lacks a tribe, and indeed is not truly a Seeker at all, are concerns that he has not fully considered…
I SOLVE PRACTICAL PROBLEMS
Though he does not do so as frequently as he has in years past, Jude remains a sword-for-hire, for those that can afford to pay. He won’t take on any job he finds objectionable, but if the nature of the work meets with his approval, he is a steadfast worker of near-limitless strength and stamina…
BLITZOFF!
Jude is the captain of the Ala Mhigo Griffins blitzball team. Fans of the fast and furious underwater sport may recognize him from having seen him play- or maybe from having played with or against him in the past...
THE HUNGER
Jude's clockwork body requires huge amounts of fuel to keep up with the energy it expends- and accordingly, Jude is well-known throughout the land as one of the biggest eaters around. If you run a restaurant or food stall, it's entirely possible that you have encountered him before...
LIFE DEBT
Where were you the day Zenos and the XIIth Imperial Legion attacked Rhalgr's Reach? Jude was serving as a fledgling member of the Ala Mhigan resistance on that dark day, and would have lost his life if not for the timely intervention of the Warrior of Light. If you play a character who is the Warrior of Light, it is extremely likely that Jude Paw knows you and idolizes you, as he considers you to be the person who saved his life.
GALLERY
BACKSTORY
The aftermath of the Calamity saw the formation of many free companies looking to capitalize on the chaos of Dalamud’s fall to earth. The Ul'dah-based Brotherhood of the Lotus Flower was one of a hundred such free companies, and with nothing to offer but their swords, they struggled to distinguish themselves from their rivals in the eyes of prospective clients, to whom one company of sellswords was as good as any.In an effort to set themselves apart, the Brotherhood’s mages began to research golems and the myriad methods of their creation, seeking a way to create a weapon they could use to dominate their rivals and corner the mercenary market. At great expense, and after much loss of life, they eventually uncovered something even more valuable: the buried remains of an artificial lifeform, interred with a tomestone chronicling the lifeform's construction- an ancient Allagan security droid, dead for centuries, but otherwise in perfect condition, and visually indistinguishable from a miqo'te youth of about twenty summers.Further study of the tomestone clutched in the youth's hands lead to the realization that the lifeform they'd found was not dead, but merely deactivated- with sufficient magical expertise, it could be revived, and reprogrammed to serve whatever purpose the owner desired. Once restored to working order, this being would seem to be a living, breathing person, but would have no past to be burdened by, nor a future to which it was beholden. It could be brought into world with a perfectly crafted body designed for peak fighting proficiency, loyal only to the Brotherhood of the Lotus Flower, the free company that restored it to life.More than just a living weapon, this being could be a truly perfect soldier that the company could rally around, capable of leading other fighters, yet never aspiring to rise above its station as a battle commander.However, theory and practice are rarely coincident, and as it turned out, the creation process was extremely difficult; the magic involved in the endeavor required so much aether from the creator that it was thought to be nigh impossible, though this did little to discourage the Brotherhood’s more daring mages from pushing themselves to the brink of death in the trying. Eventually, they were forced to conclude that the task set to them was beyond the scope of their not inconsiderable skills. Invested as they were, they were left with little recourse but to look for outside talent.Salvation came in the form of one Desdemona Thermidor, an Ishgardian noblewoman of some renown with a penchant for unconventional magic and a taste for coin. Loathe as the Brotherhood was to part with their swiftly dwindling resources, they gave Desdemona access to their studies, a well-stocked laboratory in Ul'dah’s Pearl Lane, and a considerable sum of gold, with the understanding that her experimentation would conclude with the creation of the perfect soldier they had so long coveted.Jude Paw is the result of that experimentation. Desdemona succeeded in reviving the droid, and successfully reprogrammed him- all memory of his previous life in Ancient Allag was locked away behind mental barriers he would never have the ability to breach, leaving only the impulse to fight and follow orders.For reasons known only to Desdemona herself, however, Jude's reprogrammer elected not to hand him over to the Brotherhood of the Lotus Flower upon his revival, instead taking him with her to Limsa Lominsa. He stayed there with Desdemona for a time, believing himself to be her son and never knowing the purpose for which he was made, or truly grasping the significance of his existence. His life was simple, but having never known anything else, he was content with it.Eventually, it became clear to Desdemona that she would not be able to evade the hired knives of her double-crossed enemies for very long with Jude in tow. She took her leave of Limsa Lominsa one foggy morning before Jude awoke, leaving him a hefty purse of coin and a letter of introduction to the Adventurer’s Guild, believing that with the martial skills coded into his body, he would survive well enough on his own.In that, she proved to be right. Though he was heartbroken by his mother’s sudden, unexplained departure, he had no trouble finding work with the Guild. His mother had taught him to read a little before she left him, and fighting came as naturally to Jude Paw as breathing- it was, after all, what he had been created to do, if not what he was necessarily meant to do. He served with the Guild for a number of years, having many adventures of note in that time.It was through the Guild that he eventually found himself in the service of a lesser lord of one of Ul'dah's noble houses. Serving as the noble’s guardsman while he traveled Eorzea, Jude and the noble became fast friends, an entirely new experience for Jude. The noble expanded on Desdemona’s lessons, teaching Jude to write and helping him to improve his reading, all the while telling him stories of Ishgard’s Knights Twelve. These stories, his travels through the land of Eorzea, and other stories he has since read in books, helped Jude decide on his path in life: he would become a knight, too, one who adventurers would tell stories of.This aspiration toward knighthood lead to Jude joining the ranks of the Riskbreakers, an Ala Mhigan free company dedicated to defending Eorzea from the threat of the Garlean Empire. His time with the company introduced him to the people and customs of Ala Mhigo, and he soon became embroiled in the occupied nation's struggle for freedom. A chance encounter with the terrifyingly powerful Zenos yae Galvus at Rhalgr's Reach, however, ended Jude's dreams of heroism, and drove him to flee from his free company, and from the life he had painstakingly built for himself.Alone and disgraced, he wandered the world in search of the truth behind his origins, eventually finding the answers he was looking for in the far-flung spires of Azys Lla. Discovering that he was Allagan in origin answered many of the questions he'd had all his life, though it did nothing to help him decide what he actually wanted to, or where he wanted to go. Bereft of purpose, he took to wandering again, eventually arriving in the Far East and serving with the pirate lords of the Ruby Sea, aiding them in collecting their Ruby Tithe. Before long, he discovered the sport of blitzball, a welcome escape from the near-constant violence that had defined his life until that moment. He joined the Ala Mhigan team and endeavored to once again put his past behind him.Though he could not fully outrun his past, he found fresh purpose in the world of professional blitzball, eventually rising to the position of captain as he came to understand how important the team was for the morale of the freshly liberated Ala Mhigan people. His time spent traveling with the team eventually helped him come to understand that the truth of his origins did not disqualify him from being a person, as entitled to a place in the world as anyone.Now afire with renewed zeal for life, Jude seeks others like himself, feeling it is his responsibility as a new lifeform ensure that if there are others like him out there somewhere in the world, they will not have to walk their path alone.
From the Private Journals of Yeyejeja Nanajeja,
First Triumvir of the Brotherhood of the Lotus Flower
"In relating the story of how the Brotherhood of the Lotus Flower came to be, I find that I must speak candidly of subjects that many consider to be uncomfortable, or even distasteful. Any organization with roots stemming from the Calamity will bear the weight of a history writ in blood, and on that score, the Brotherhood is no different. The solemn duty of ensuring that the past is not forgotten inevitably falls upon the shoulders of the brave men and women who presume to lead, and so it falls to me to redden both my hands and my quill."
"When considering the Battle of Carteneau as objectively as a veteran can, it becomes clear that the version of the battle that has been consigned to the history books has omitted certain facts. It is a matter of historical record that the three Grand Companies of Eorzea united to meet the forces of Garlemald in the field that day. It is also known that the battle was joined by unaffiliated sellswords and freeriders beyond counting, serving no particular cause other than want of glory, coin, or perhaps the larger, nobler goal of peace in our time.What is not as widely known is that a number of Free Companies were enlisted by the Allied Forces to fight as well, many of them on the promise of coin to be paid at the battle’s conclusion. The scholars that write of the Battle of Carteneau often omit this detail, and some would say that they do so with good reason, for that battle was nothing less than a struggle for the very life of Eorzea herself- what Free Company could lay claim to any semblance of honor, if it only joined the alliance against Garlemald in exchange for money? There are many who may say that it is kinder to let this detail be forgotten. Historians with soft hearts and delicate souls might say as much, in their eagerness to paint our side as a company of heroes. Already, these tender spirits endeavor to put word to deed, and labor even now to publish their books of heroic falsehoods that might serve as a balm for the troubled mind in uncertain times.It is fortunate, then, that I do not count myself among their number. Now committed to parchment, at least one account of the truth will exist in this world, and though it does me little good to know this, it will at least soothe my mind."
"I was at the Battle of Carteneau, and despite what the historians would have you believe, I was not there because I am a hero. I was there because I, like many others, was told that if my Free Company joined the Allied Forces, we would be accordingly paid for our services when the fighting was done. We were not presented with this offer from the first, mind you- some great, blustering noises were made about “serving one’s country” and “fighting off the wolves at our door”, the expectation being that the would-be heroes among us would agree to fight without expectation of recompense. I expect that many a loyal heart were touched by such rousing words, but I have never considered myself to be much of a nationalist. When it became clear that the patriot in me was not moved, a considerable sum was offered via promissory note, to be redeemed at the battle’s close. Blinded by the arrogance of youth and consumed with hunger for gold, I did not see the fall of Dalamud for the danger that it was, and even as I marched on Carteneau with the fullness of my strength, I treated it as little more than a boy’s game.""There were four hundred fighting men and women in the Burning Sword. That was what we called ourselves, back then. It was a name with no particular significance, other than my belief that it made for a striking banner. And oh, what a banner it was; a golden sword held aloft by a knight in similarly gilded armor, standing sentinel on a field of black, engulfed in bright red flames, yet showing no fear of the flames that consumed him.""On that day, we lived up to our names.""I lost all but twenty of my men to the clash with Garlemald’s host, and to the fires of Bahamut’s unholy rage. But you must not mistake my intentions in telling you this; we were a company of soldiers, and we lived with the knowledge that any day we picked up our weapons might well be our last day. This was not unusual, or uncommon. Then, as now, it was simply the way of life for anyone that earned their living by the strength of their sword arm. However, this does not mean that it ever gets any easier to bury men and women with whom you have fought, drank and diced, especially in such great numbers.""When I think back to that day and consider how things might have gone differently, I find that I am full of doubts that I did not have when I was a younger, bolder man. A change in any single tactic, any one order carried out a moment sooner, could have saved lives beyond counting. If I had given the command to withdrawal, many more yet may have been spared. I cannot know for certain, and that uncertainty sometimes keeps me awake at night even five years removed from the Calamity. I am, however, sure of one thing. Even with all the horror we endured, even as we waded hip deep in mud and blood and charred meat that used to be men we knew- I am certain that we could have borne it and moved on with our lives, if not for what was next to come."
"Depleted though our numbers were, the Burning Sword remained a Free Company, and with the battle finished, it fell to me to collect the coin that so many of us had fought and died for. Until my dying day, I shall not forget the look on that man’s face the day I walked into his tent, promissory note in hand. He had the look of someone tasked with telling a man that he had been condemned to die, and in a manner of speaking, this is exactly what he did. He placed his hand upon my shoulder and spoke of “war’s terrible cost” and our need to “unite and rebuild”. It was in this spirit of unification and reconstruction that he advised me to destroy the promissory note and forgive the debt, in the same breath warning that if I declined to do so, the status of the Burning Sword as a legal and registered Free Company could not be guaranteed.""It goes without saying, I think, that I did not find such charity in my heart. I informed him that the debt would stand regardless, and asked when I could expect payment. His answer was… Unsatisfactory. My attempt to express my dissatisfaction with our arrangement ended with me clapped in irons and sent off to spend the night cooling my heels… But not before I watched my promissory note burn, and with it all hope for the Burning Sword.""In a sense, I suppose I owe him my thanks. That man is a cheat and a scoundrel, but if he had not imprisoned me, I might never have met the man and woman with whom I now lead the Brotherhood. You see, they, too, had been talked into joining the Allied Forces with promises of coin, and had been similarly incensed when they learned that those promises were worth less than the parchment they’d been written on. As we spent the night airing our many grievances against our shared enemy (I dare not name him, even in the privacy of my own journals- in the wake of the Calamity, he has risen higher than any of us suspected he would, and though violent retribution is not typically his way, I shudder to think what may come of those who impugn his honor), I came to learn that enmity for our gaoler was not our sole commonality. The Brothers Bold and the Iron Lotus, their respective Free Companies, had met the same fate that my Burning Sword had; devastated in the battle, their numbers reduced to the merest fraction of their former strength, and now cheated out of coin they could have used to rebuild. There was some question as to whether their Free Companies could endure such hefty losses. More than once, the notion of cutting losses to begin again elsewhere was mused upon, and I confess, the thought of disbanding what remained of the Burning Sword crossed my mind half-a-hundred times."
"It was only when we were brought our meager supper for the evening that I was struck by an idea. The quartermaster told us that because we were to be released in the morning, we had no value as prisoners. He did not, therefore, see any good purpose in opening his larder to us any more than necessary- honor demanded that he feed his prisoners, but nothing was ever said of how well. He placed a tin plate with a small portion of boiled beans on the floor of the cell and spoke the words that gave birth to the Brotherhood as it is today: “Share it, or else kill one another. I do not care what you do.”"His words made clear to me the truth that had always been there, yet remained just out of reach until that moment. We are all of us climbing a great ladder, and with each rung comes more wealth and influence. Most people never leave the ground- they lack the power to climb, or perhaps lack the courage to even try. I imagine there are many such people who do not see the great ladder at all. But those who do see, and do make the attempt, they have no reason to look back. Those who have climbed high will never have cause to look down at those who have not. It is not that they bear those lower than themselves any particular ill-will- only just that they do not matter. People like myself and my associates will never matter to the powerful, and we would be fools to look to them for help. It therefore stood to reason that cooperation was our only hope, for continuing in on isolation would surely result in our destruction- “Share it, or else kill one another. I do not care what you do.”"I shared my revelation with the others, and made my proposal- where three severely weakened Free Companies continuing alone could only limp on and eventually fall, if three were to become one, our chances of survival would increase dramatically. United, we might yet stand a chance to see done what we could not hope to accomplish alone. I could see at once that my idea inflamed their minds the very same way it did mine. When next the sun rose, we walked free, and the Burning Sword, the Iron Lotus and the Brothers Bold existed no longer. In their place stood a Free Company united by fate and tempered by the righteous fires of shared purpose, with we three serving as its Triumverate. From the ashes of our individual failures, the instrument of our final victory had risen at last- the Brotherhood of the Lotus Flower had been born."
