Harrow Lévesque
Devout of Halone and Champion of HydaelynWoL of @ne0dym
about
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 24-28 (ARR-EW) |
| Nameday | 8th Sun of 1st Astral Moon (Jan 8) |
| Height | 6'3 / 190cm |
| Physical attributes | Icy blue eyes, white hair, white sideburns and black facial hair, scar across the nose, muscular build and long fluffy tail |
| Personality traits | Reserved, chivalrous, self-sacrificing, brave, proud, submissive, aggressive in battle |
| Sexuality | Asexual, biromantic |
| Likes | Ishgard, chocobos, poutine |
| Dislikes | Trading, rowdy people, ships |
| Jobs | Dark Knight + Paladin / Black Mage / Former Dragoon |
Harrow Lévesque is a man of few words, driven by devotion to whatever cause he has sworn to uphold. His chivalrous demeanour cultivated by an Ishgardian upbringing masks a surprising social ineptitude; he would rather clash swords in a duel than haggle for lower prices. Having grown up surrounded by swords and books and not very many friends, he is quite introverted and slow to open up to others, but his journey as the Warrior of Light has made him a fierce and loyal ally, as well as more compassionate and open-minded.Yet underneath a polite and even gentle exterior lies a deeply flawed sense of self-worth, willing to go to extremes to prove himself. A devout man never refrains from penance, and Harrow's style of combat is a constant act of sacrifice: mixing the feared Dark Arts practised by Dark Knights of Ishgard with the holy magicks commonly associated with Paladins, Harrow lives up to his name as he cuts down his foes with zealous ferocity and spills his own blood to protect his allies.Although he feels most comfortable wielding a greatsword, certain injuries sustained throughout the years rendered his left leg weaker and prone to pangs of pain. In order to ease the stress on his bad leg, Harrow retired his Dragoon lance and took up thaumaturgy — which would eventually lead him to the occult arts of Black Mages. The long staff used to channel devastating magicks also serves as a cane when his leg decides to act up.Harrow rarely travels without his dark brown-feathered chocobo named Antoine. Having been gifted the bird by the Order of the Twin Adders early on in his journey, Harrow quickly became attached to his bird companion thanks to their shared Ishgardian origin.Harrow Lévesque has seen much over the course of his travels, yet his devotion to the Fury — and indeed, to Hydaelyn — inspires him to grow ever stronger, putting his life on the line to fight for justice and the future of the star.
Early life
A young Miqo'te of no more than three years of age arrives at a small village in the eastern plains of Coerthas. It is the turn of the year 1554 of the Sixth Astral Era, and an entire clan of Keeper of the Moon Miqo'te, who were migrating north from the heart of the Black Shroud, was claimed by cold winter and vicious scalekin.Perceval and Evangelyne Lévesque, Lord and Lady of Voile Rouge, had been expecting a child to ensure the future of their small noble house, but when their efforts proved unsuccessful, they turned to prayer. And on a cold morning of the First Astral Moon, the Fury Herself delivered a gift to the pious Ishgardians, a little boy of pale ashen skin, ice blue eyes and hair white as snow. The devoted nobles, overjoyed that Halone had heard their pleas, immediately gave the boy shelter, paying no mind to the obvious difference of race.Shaken by the tragedy that befell his clan, the Miqo'te could not remember anything, not even his name. So it was that the Lévesques gave him the name Harrow and decided to raise him in the culture and faith of Ishgard — and instructed the residents of Voile Rouge to treat him as one of their own.
+ Perceval Lévesque: an astrologian educated in the Holy See who was as respected as he was feared, due to his commanding personality and great knowledge. The youngest son of House Lévesque dedicated his life to the studies of the Enchiridion and the stars, as his fragile health made him unable to take on military duties. Frequently seen smoking a pipe, he continued his academic pursuits even in the remote village of Voile Rouge.+ Evangelyne Lévesque: only daughter of House Thibodeaux, she became a knight in her young adulthood thanks to her martial prowess and desire to bring honour to her House. Since being stationed in Eastern Coerthas, she oversaw the military affairs of Voile Rouge and trained young soldiers of Ishgard. Her kindness was rivalled only by her fierceness in combat in service of the Holy See's war against dragons.
Perceval
Evangelyne
Living far from the Holy See meant that Harrow could not get as formal an education as proper Ishgardians, and so his father took on the role of a tutor, teaching everything from Halonic faith to history and traditions, and even much of the same curriculum as the Scholasticate’s. His mother, on the other hand, trained her son in combat and taught him the skills required of a squire. The other residents also played a part in raising the Miqo’te in their culture, and as he grew, one could hardly tell he was originally an outsider.On a few occasions, the Lévesques had the opportunity to visit the Holy See for work and religious rites, and the rapidly growing and impressionable Miqo'te was able to see all the splendour of Ishgard — before its gates were closed indefinitely on the year 1562 of the Sixth Astral Era, following the coming of Dravanians and Garleans.For a decade more the family lived a relatively normal life in Coerthas, until the Seventh Umbral Calamity, in 1572, turned the lush green plains into an inhospitable cold landscape. Owing to Perceval's poor health, the Lévesques were forced to migrate south, towards Gridanian territory; settled in the outskirts of the city-state, the Ishgardian nobles soon found that their status offered them no privileges in the foreign territory.
Divine call
The phenomenon known as "the Echo" began to manifest in Harrow's mind at a young age, allowing him to experience other's memories as if he were in their shoes. Hearing a female voice calling to him from a colossal ice-like crystal, the Ishgardian Miqo'te and his caretakers were quick to interpret the psychic powers as a gift bestowed by Halone Herself, strengthening his devotion to the Fury. Though it occurred rarely and randomly, the Echo had a tendency to leave Harrow stunned as a sharp pain took over his head and transported his mind to another place and time. On one occasion, a vision of wars past hit Harrow during a training session with his mother, rendering him unresponsive as a blow dealt by Evangelyne went undeflected and slashed his face across the nose, a scar he bears to this day.With the coming of the Calamity, the frequency of such visions increased dramatically, prompting Evangelyne and Perceval to advise Harrow to leave their home in the woods and return to Ishgard. However, with the times changing and the gates of the Holy See closed to all, including its own citizens, it would be no easy task for the Miqo'te to cross the Gates of Judgment. Thus a plan was hatched: Harrow would travel to Gridania, enroll in the Lancer's guild, and from there let his Fate and Halone's guidance take him to Ishgard.
Becoming the warrior of light
a realm reborn
Harrow's exploits around the Twelveswood attracted the attention of the influential Scions of the Seventh Dawn, a group of scholars that claimed to know of Harrow's visions, a power they dubbed "the Echo". Although the voice in his visions had presented itself as the Mothercrystal Hydaelyn, Harrow continued to believe it was Halone's divine blessing, interpreting this "Hydaelyn" as merely an aspect of the Fury. And according to the Scions, it truly was a Blessing of Light, as the powers prevented the user from being enslaved by the creatures known as Primals. So it was that the Scions recruited Harrow to aid them in their quest to defeat these Primals, and despite seeming like an obstacle to his quest, the Ishgardian Miqo'te accepted, having faith that sooner or later he would be taken ever closer to the Holy See.Indeed, his travels in service of Scions and the Grand Companies of Eorzea took him the closest he'd ever been to Ishgard since he was a boy. As if mandated by Fate, in the Central Highlands he met Ser Alberic Bale, an old acquaintance of the lancers' Guildmaster and former Azure Dragoon, who asked for Harrow's help to locate a fugitive Ser Estinien, and in the process, taught him the very techniques used by the knights of Ishgard. Harrow thus became a mighty Dragoon, able to rival the current Azure Dragoon Estinien and harness the power of the Eye of Nidhogg — the great wyrm who had waged war on Ishgard for a thousand years.Although he was at that point practically at Ishgard's doorstep, the gates remained closed and he still had duties to fulfil with the Scions, including defeating the looming threat of the Garlean Empire, who had allied themselves with the mysterious Ascians to launch the devastating Ultima Weapon. It was only through Hydaelyn's intervention that Harrow Lévesque, the new Warrior of Light, would overcome this challenge.Peace was short-lived, however, as more threats emerged: new Primals, political disputes, Ascians, and even a call for help from Ishgard. This last issue was obviously of great interest to Harrow, as he would not only get to meet Lord Commander Aymeric de Borel himself, but also show his devotion to the city by slaying heretics and dragons. One of his targets was Midgardsormr, and though it gave Harrow great pride to face the Father of Dragons, the great wyrm ultimately stripped the Warrior of Light of Hydaelyn's blessing, intending to test him.Political turmoil would force Harrow and what little remained of the Scions to flee to Ishgard with the assistance of Lord Haurchefant; a turn of events that was secretly quite convenient to the devout Miqo'te.
heavensward
Now finally in the city he had idolised his entire life, Harrow began to see a side of the Holy See he could never have imagined, one marked by corruption, abuse and injustice. One fateful day, he came across the corpse of a knight felled in trial by combat, and a soul crystal that seemed to have channeled the knight's spirit back to life. Fray, as he was called, would serve as Harrow's master in the Dark Arts, teaching him the esoteric techniques of Dark Knights and harnessing his sorrow as his whole worldview came crashing down.Harrow's faith in Ishgardian doctrine was challenged as his travels with Alphinaud, Estinien and Ysayle revealed the sins of the Chuch, but it took the sacrifice of a dear friend, Haurchefant, to allow the Dark Arts to consume Harrow. A final confrontation with Fray gave form to the Warrior of Light's suppressed emotions, but the new Dark Knight at last overcame his buried denial, anger and frustration. Despite the stains in Ishgardian history, Harrow's devotion triumphed as he turned once more to the Fury, embracing the Dark Arts as a way to uphold Halone's justice and protect the people of Ishgard. With his newfound powers, Harrow was able to avenge his fallen friend by defeating the corrupted Archbishop, his Knights of the Round and his Ascian associates — however, the Warrior of Light wasn't able to stop his fellow Azure Dragoon from being taken by Nidhogg's essence.Distraught over his former rival-turned companion's disappearance, Harrow could hardly enjoy such a historical moment, as numerous attempts were made by some citizens to break peace — including a rogue Estinien, who seemed to have become one with Nidhogg. But with the wyrm Hraesvelgr's blessing, Harrow finally defeated Nidhogg for good and saved Estinien's life; and being able to see the proud dragoon in such a vulnerable state, after having travelled and fought alongside him for so long, Harrow couldn't help but feel sad when Estinien departed on a soul-searching journey.As a man devoted to Halone above all deities, it was hard for Harrow to grasp the full scope of the cosmic struggle as told by Hydaelyn's avatar Minfilia and the so-called Warriors of Darkness. The encounter with the Mothercrystal gave Harrow much to think about, but new developments in the Ala Mhigan resistance forced him to abandon his reflections as the Scions were called to deal with a fanatical leader — whose actions ended up costing Papalymo's life.
stormblood
Summoned to help the Ala Mhigan resistance, Harrow was personally not quite so thrilled to be involved in a conflict in which he had no stakes. Yet he kept his insatisfaction hidden, as by this point he was not only an ally to the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, but also a friend.TBC
trivia
+ Harrow, meaning "to torment or traumatise", is a dark priest-themed character in the game Warframe, associated with the faction "Red Veil" (Voile Rouge in French). The names of his adoptive parents are references to French animated series Wakfu.
+ Lévesque is a French surname derived from the word for "bishop" (évêque). I chose this name as a tribute to my good friend Jim Bishop of Gilgamesh. It is pronounced "lev-eye-k".
+ Given the popular headcanon that Ishgard = Québec and that I coincidentally picked a very common Québecois surname, it follows that Harrow speaks in a strong French-Canadian accent and uses sacres and other typical idioms in his speech.
+ Harrow is freakishly tall for a Miqo'te, standing at 6'3. Admirers of the Warrior of Light claim that it was the typical cuisine of Ishgardian Elezens that helped him grow to such an impressive height.
+ Since he was raised by Ishgardians, he has no Miqo'te clan markings and his body language is reminiscent of an Elezen's (/bow in particular).
+ As a proper Ishgardian gentleman, Harrow as a rule uses honorifics when speaking to and of others: for example, "master Alphinaud" and "lady Alisaie", "my lord" for the Crystal Exarch, and "my lady" for Venat.
+ My friend Jim is canon in Harrow’s story, he and his wife Athena introduced him to this magical plant that can be smoked or baked into various sweets to induce euphoric relaxation, increased creativity, introspection and sensations, distortion of perception of time, among many other effects. Harrow claims the drug enhances his connection to Halone and Hydaelyn, and also eases the constant pain of his injuries.
+ Despite being a Miqo'te, some of Harrow’s helmets, including his current one, have pointy Elezen ears instead. When inquired how his ears fit, he just gets nervous and refuses to elaborate. The OOC reason is because I actually have been playing as an Elezen for ages now and I like their models better so might as well make them canon somehow.
This is neo, thanks for checking out my WoL profile. While I have lovingly crafted a story for Harrow and generally enjoy learning about other people's WoLs, I am not interested in RP. I am, however, willing to trade HCs and brainstorm scenarios!I am currently based in Gilgamesh and have an apartment in Empyreum Ward 16.At the moment I enjoy playing DRK in Savage and Ultimate raids, having cleared: Eden's Promise, Asphodelos, Abyssos, Anabaseios, Delubrum Reginae Savage, UWU, UCoB, TEA, DSR and TOP. I also play PvP occasionally.Check out my Lodestone and FFLogs pages!