melin's cool squadron
i got bored so i made them all outfits and made up lore for them
Captain Melin Nemelin is, officially, the leader of Ochu Squadron, a squadron of hired adventurers under the Order of the Twin Adder's Yellow Serpents division. She lives an exceptionally busy life and is often unable to find the time to return to Gridania, so her duties are typically handled by her subordinates. To say any more about her would be to invite a very long explanation of the many pies in which she has her fingers, none of which are particularly relevant here apart from the fact that she's gained widespread renown for them.
Chief Sergeant Martivains Lanelaut is a former Wood Wailer of Ochu Squad, a squad of Fourth Spears who were deployed to the East Shroud from thirty-five to fifteen years ago. In his time with Ochu Squad, he ascended from a mere recruit under the leadership of Nielie Alamberaux (Melin's adoptive mother) to the squad's leader. Following his further promotion from the position, he remained in an administrative position until the reformation of the Order of the Twin Adder, after which he chose to join the fledgling organization as logistics support and a combat instructor. He has risen through the ranks since then, eventually being chosen to be the sergeant-coordinator for this squadron, which he and Melin agreed to name Ochu Squadron in honor of the now-disbanded Ochu Squad.
Sergeant Second Class Cecily Rivers was raised in the Lavender Beds preceding its destruction in the Seventh Umbral Calamity. After surviving the devastation, she struck out on her own as a freelance conjurer, until she heard about her home's redevelopment into an adventurer's district and decided to return to Gridania in the hopes of one day reclaiming her family home there. After requesting to join Melin's squadron, she decided to train as a lancer instead and discovered a talent for it.
Sergeant Second Class Hastaloeya Lyngwintsyn hails from Red Rooster Stead in La Noscea, and trained as a marauder before becoming an adventurer. Eventually his travels brought him to the Black Shroud, where he became known for his fortitude and charity. When he heard that Melin's squadron was recruiting, he jumped at the chance. Though the regimented structure of Ochu Squadron chafed him for some time, he eventually adapted to it and became one of its strongest contributors.
Sergeant Third Class Khorchi Haragin hails from the Azim Steppe, but left her tribe at a young age and traveled to Kugane, where she signed aboard an Eorzean merchant vessel, the Venture. Before it reached its destination of Limsa Lominsa, the Venture was waylaid by pirates who took, in addition to their cargo, all of the female members of the crew — which Khorchi reacted to by staging a brig escape and overpowering the crew of the pirate vessel. Rechristening the pirate vessel the Nhaama's Grace, she and her fellow former captives made a living raiding vessels for several years before agreeing to disband and turn over their loot in return for amnesty from the Admiralty. Now a pirate with no vessel, Khorchi took to the adventuring life, eventually making a living in the Shroud by seeking bounties on poachers and bandits. A year or so into this, she learned that a squadron run by the supposedly famed Warrior of Light was recruiting new members. She put her name forward as a bid to meet the famed "hero," only to find a new community in the fledgling Ochu Squadron. Not accustomed to following any orders but her own, she initially struggled, but through the patience and support of her fellow squadron members, she's become a force to be reckoned with and an invaluable part of the team.
Sergeant Third Class Toragana Kharlu was raised by a famed hunter on the Azim Steppe, but quickly grew tired of a meager life of subsistence and departed as soon as she reached adulthood. After traveling across Othard, she grew irritated with imperial authority, and since she wasn't allowed anywhere in Hingashi but Kugane, she departed for Eorzea, where she traveled for a time before coming to Gridania, where the people had an entirely different style of archery than the one she had been raised with. She initially sought to join the Gods' Quiver, but faced barriers due to not being forestborn, and so she instead signed up to the Order of the Twin Adder, ascending through the ranks until learning that a squadron led by Melin Nemelin was recruiting and putting her name forward for recruitment. Since joining Ochu Squadron, she's discovered a talent for thaumaturgy, becoming the squadron's magical powerhouse. Her staff is an Allagan relic found in Mor Dhona, provided as compensation from the Scions of the Seventh Dawn for the captain's frequent absence.
Corporal Mujen Polajen originally hails from Candlekeep Quay in La Noscea. Despite a fortunate upbringing, he found from a young age that danger excited him, leading to jailtime for theft and disownment from his family. After being freed, he became an adventurer to make a living in the years following the fall of Dalamud. Ruins uncovered by the lesser moon's fall made exceptional places for an adventurer to make a fortune. When he heard that the up-and-coming hero of the Praetorium had a squadron hiring adventurers in Gridania, he jumped at the chance and was surprised when he actually got in. His expertise with dungeon delving means he often takes the lead of the squadron, despite his lower rank. His weapons come from a Dalamud shard the squadron delved into seeking Allagan-refined adamantite as a favor to their captain.
Corporal J'ludaba Abah was born in Gyr Abania, but her mother fled to Eorzea when she was an infant and settled in Moraby Bay in La Noscea, where she was raised. From a young age, she showed a skill for sums, which eventually led to her training as an arcanist at the guild at Mealvaan's Gate. Though her work as an assessor was fulfilling, an encounter with an adventurer who rescued her from a gang of smugglers inspired her to take up the adventurer's trade, eventually bringing her to Gridania, where she sought entry to Ochu Squadron, seeking to hone her abilities. She actually hadn't heard of Melin at the time, not being one to pay any mind to things which didn't draw her interest, such as current events. Though she can be somewhat scatterbrained, her breadth of knowledge and acuity of thinking drives the squadron's tactics. Her codex is made of lightning-aspected relics of Ramuh, who happened to be summoned while Melin was away on business in another world.
Corporal Labonrit Quallain hails from Bentbranch Meadows, where he was raised in the trade of chocobo-rearing. However, when he reached adulthood, he decided instead to travel to Ul'dah, where he spent years learning the thaumaturge's art and becoming a skilled wielder of the elements. Returning to his homeland in the wake of the fall of Dalamud, he took up with the Order of the Twin Adder, where his superiors' inability to appreciate his skills stalled his advancement through the ranks until he grew frustrated and signed on for Ochu Squadron in a bid to have his perspective respected... though the squadron needed a healer at the time, so he had to learn the conjurer's art as well. Luckily, he had a knack for it, and his attentiveness and calm in the face of chaos have saved the squadron from imminent death more than once when Melin wasn't present. His staff comes from an encounter the squadron had with Garuda in the North Shroad, who the Ixal summoned in an attempt to take Fallgourd Float.
Private First Class Yehn Amariyo is the squadron's most recent recruit and youngest member. Hailing from New Gridania, she's faced discrimination for being a Keeper of the Moon since she was able to walk, and has grown hardened to both criticism and praise, focusing solely on her own ability. Joining the Order of the Twin Adder not out of any particular loyalty to the city-state but rather just to support herself and her family, her skills quickly outpaced those of her comrades, earning her a reputation as an overly serious, somewhat bloodthirsty sort, which drove her to seek a place in Ochu Squadron, hoping that there, she might be able to fight alongside people who were a match for her. Though she sees little point in socializing with her fellow squadron members, her skill in battle is unmatched for a woman of only nineteen. Her equipment, including her weapons, are all of cobalt, the only easily-purchasable material up to her exacting standards of weight and durability. Recently, members of the squadron such as Khorchi and Mujen have been attempting to draw her out of her shell, with limited success.
Fuck this turned out longer than I intended it to! That does tend to happen with me. Well, sorry. My bad.
