Momoida Jojoida

Momoida Jojoida was born to a couple of wealthy alchemists in a small village located on the western coast of Thavnair. His father, an industrious alchemist, spared no expense in instructing his son in the selfsame art at an early age. His mother, a physician with a compassionate and caring disposition, impressed upon him the nuanced and clinical side of the craft. His childhood was relatively uneventful, his days spent reading books, assisting his mother at her clinic or otherwise walking along the coastline, mingling with tradesmen and the like. This relative comfort would not last, for on a fateful day, a damnable group of marauders unleashed themselves unto the peaceful seaside village. Of this event, he would not remember much, save for the sounds of blade meeting bone and sinew. His only memory of him running eastward, into the wilderness of Thavnair, the sun at his back.Lacking in survival skills, he was found on the verge of death by a troupe of dancers who nursed him back to health, and he would soon enter in an agreement with them: In exchange for saving his life, he would join the troupe. He was to perform the role of entertainer and surrogate lover. As an entertainer, he would learn to move his body in dance. As a surrogate lover, he would reluctantly sell his body. This he would do for years until the debt was paid, but it was not something he would do alone, as he learned to place his trust in other members of the troupe and came to see them as family. Of note was a certain au ra who in her kindness and gentleness came to his aid many times. On their first meeting, she seemed fragile, almost ill, yet was possessed of an uncharacteristically regal beauty. She was a dancer by trade, and a much better one than he ever was. Her movements were graceful, filled with a certain sorrow which come to steal his heart. The following years would see them support each other through any obstacles as their feelings blossomed.In the wake of the calamity, and having seen 23 summers, his travels led him to the Black Shroud, where the troupe was waylaid by bandits. He managed to aid the wounded with what practical medicine he knew but, in a cruel twist of fate, his beloved would pass, the severity of her wounds being beyond his ability to mend. The memory of this event would haunt him for the rest of his days, resulting in many a sleepless night. A harrowing experience though it was, the leader of the troupe took pity on the lalafell, considering his debt to be paid, and releasing him from the troupe. Far from being flung to the winds, Jojoida was left in the care of Mother Miounne, who, upon hearing about the former’s adroitness in healing, was quick to entrust him to the Conjurer’s Guild that he may put his talents to use. This decision was in no small part influenced by the recency of the calamity and the great demand for healers that it engendered. Considering the nature of his circumstances, Jojoida’s induction into the guild was thus a rushed one, and his station as a “true” conjurer would be called into question several times.Although he had an appreciation for what the Guild had taught him, Jojoida held no particular predilection for conjury, as he had ever envisioned himself as an eclectic healer, choosing not to rely solely on any one specific branch of the medicinal arts. It was therefore not uncommon to see him weave conjury, alchemy, and other forms of medicine into his craft in as he saw fit, a practice which earned him derision from some of his compeers. His knowledge of alchemy landed him a position as a liaison between the Conjurer’s Guild and Ul’dah’s very own Alchemists’ Guild, a position which would no doubt help reinforce relations between the city-states. Nevertheless, his almost playful disregard for orthodoxy kindled the interest of the guild master, and Jojoida did quirk an eyebrow when brother E-Sumi-Yan himself urged him to learn white magic. Jojoida had his doubts, knowing white magic to be extremely dangerous, but he would eventually acquiesce to the recommendation and reach out to the Padjals for instruction on this forbidden art.Unbeknownst to either guild, Jojoida would continue to dance in hidden alleys and streets of Ul’dah for even as he performed his duties with great dedication his wanderings would dredge up memories of times past, and thus he would take to dancing. Each step, kick, and pirouette would ever draw him to the breeze of the western shores of Thavnair... and the embrace of his beloved. Perhaps it, too, could be a form of healing, or so he would say if inquiring minds ever brought up the subject.It was during one of his travels between Ul’dah and Gridania that he heard whispers of The Underdark. Although he would eventually join this organization, he initially harbored doubts due to the questionable nature of businesses conducted. The opportunity it granted him, however, was too vast to pass. The organization was based in the far east, and this afforded him previously unaccessible resources which he could use to further his craft, and so he would spend a long year working with The Underdark. In this time, he would form and break bonds with its members and ex-members. They would oftentimes be placed in precarious situations, and while Jojoida’s healing skills did grow because of it, it was his voracity for medical knowledge that led to his sudden departure. Feeling that his talents had hit a plateau within the organization's boundaries, he left in the middle of the night with nary a word to anyone... And so he took to traveling once more.His research eventually took him to Idyllshire. As his path cut through the heart of Dravania, the journey was without a doubt fraught with peril, but the possibility of lost Sharlayan knowledge and tales of the Antitower drove him forward. His stay in Idyllshire was fruitful indeed, for he came across several documents detailing ways of healing that had previously been unknown to him. These documents specifically made reference to a healing art known only as “somanoutics.” Alas, it was but in reference only, and so it appeared that if he wanted to expand his knowledge on it, he would have to expand his horizons.His eyes were set on Old Sharlayan, the location which he assumed to be the source of the documents, but before he started making preparations for the journey, he knew there was one more place he had to visit: the fabled Antitower. Although he did not know what he could stand to gain from venturing into such a place, what he did know is that he could not pass the chance to observe the aetherial sea with his own eyes. Perhaps (most certainly) it was hubris, then, when he came dangerously close to falling into this primordial sea. He was found along the western bank of the Thaliak, approximately two days after he decided to brave the Antitower. Of his experience he can recount very little, save for the sensation of his body disappearing… as well as a familiar, sweet scent…Background art by @simanokoB