Lian Feynman
| Biological | |
| Full name: | Lian Feynman |
|---|---|
| Born: | August 17 |
| Birthplace: | Hallowed Bastion/Siranoire |
| Sex: | Male |
| Race: | Human |
| Hair: | Blond |
| Eyes: | Blue |
| Height: | 5'7" |
| Weight: | 145 lbs |
| Personal | |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Family/Relationships: | {{{family}}} |
| Religion: | Bastion Elementalism (Light) |
| Title: | Royal Weapons Master |
| Nicknames: | Cloud, Cloudy |
| Hobbies: | Swords, chocobo riding, karaoke |
| Known skills: | Swordplay, Alchemy, Bastion Elementalist Sorcery (Light Specialization) |
| Favorite color: | Blue |
| Inspiration: | Gabriel Crescent, Ashley Fiennes |
| Motto: | "Nobody's perfect. Until, of course, you fall in love with them." |
Lian is a native of the Bastion, of Hyrulean descent. His family settled in the Bastion centuries ago after fleeing one of Hyrule's civil wars, and raised chocobos outside Traverse. Lian's parents moved to the Bastion proper, however, and were both Knights of the Bastion who perished defending Twilight from demonic forces in the tumultuous years following the end of the Great War, when he was just a baby. Lian was taken in by good friends of his parents, Professor Tanis "Pepper" Feynman, a Royal Alchemist in the Palace of Radiant Gardens, and his wife Dame Katriona, a Knight of the Order of the Heartsblade.
Lian had a fairly idyllic childhood, growing up among the splendor of the Palace's gardens. Though his parents' duties kept him away at times, Lian never wanted for anything. He was picked on at times for being smaller than the other children, but his mother taught him how to defend himself, and for the most part he managed to avoid fights.
It was in the Garden of a Thousand Roses that Lian met the man that would define his destiny. When he was twelve, he stumbled into the garden, where none but the Royal Family and a few select others were permitted and was playing there in the fountains when he was caught by the legendary knight Sir Gabriel Crescent, who'd recently returned from conducting a training mission in a far off land. Lian could barely register the scolding he got from the knight, because he was mesmerized by the older man's poise, beauty, and strength. He ran home and read the stories of Gabriel's exploits, and demanded every morsel of information he could get from his mother about him. He snuck out often to watch Gabriel going through katas in the training yard, and was enthralled--infatuated, even. It was then and there that Lian decided he was going to become a Knight of the Bastion and follow in his hero's footsteps.
When Lian was fifteen, he enlisted. He passed the written exam with flying colors, but came just short of passing the field test. Lian was dejected but determined, and cornered Gabriel himself, pleading for a second chance to prove himself. Gabriel was impressed by the young man's tenacity, and allowed Lian to serve as his personal Squire--giving him a chance to earn a full-fledged knighthood.
Lian was thrilled beyond belief, and threw himself into his duties. One could even say he tried a little too hard, thinking that if he could become the perfect knight, Gabriel would love him in return. Gabriel was a brutal taskmaster to be sure, but Lian took everything his master threw at him without complaint, even when he fell flat on his face. In time, he won Gabriel's respect. When Gabriel threw him a party on his sixteenth birthday to celebrate his coming-of-age, he confessed to Gabriel that his feelings toward him were more than just simple hero worship, and Gabriel admitted a certain amount of affection for the stubborn boy who wormed his way into his life and his heart. The two consumated their relationship in the very same Garden they'd met years before.
For propriety's sake, Gabriel insisted the relationship be kept a secret, though having to be discreet irritated Lian to no end. Several months passed without incident, until Lian accidentally let knowledge of the relationship slip to one of the other squires. It turned into a full-blown scandal when the gossip spread to the upper echelons of the Order of the Sacred Rose, who were incensed by what they felt was impropriety on the part of Sir Gabriel. The homosexual nature of the relationship was not an issue, not in the socially liberal Bastion, but rather the fact that Lian was Gabriel's squire and almost half his age. Dimetrius in his machiavellian calculations knew the Knights could not afford to lose Gabriel to such a scandal, not after the investments the Royal Alchemists made in his development and his role as a living legend and hero of the Bastion. The Sage used his influence to convince the Knights to spin the entire incident as Lian's fault, painting him as a licentious minx who seduced Gabriel and took advantage of the older man's trust in him. Wild lies were spread about Lian's "looseness". The end result was that Gabriel faced no punishment, and Lian was expelled from the Knights for Conduct Unbecoming of a Knight, in disgrace. He was thrown out of the Palace, effectively ending his relationship with Gabriel.
The Bastion is not so large a city, and the taint of the scandal made Lian a pariah among his fellow Bastioners, who generally believed every cruel word Dimetrius spread about him. The only job he could land was as a stable boy at an inn in Traverse, which is what he did for a few months, until Prince Ansem himself tracked him down and personally apologized for what had happened to him, though he had nothing to do with it. He offered to help Lian get back on his feet, but Lian refused; he felt he could not return to the Palace, not after what had happened. He found Ashley Fiennes' smithy, and begged the Riskbreaker to let him apprentice; Lian's father had taught him a great deal about alchemy and he was eager to see how he could incorporate the art into blacksmithing (not to mention the fact that Lian really, really likes swords). Ashley agreed after Lian told him his story, and Lian took to the art like a fish to water.
Lian eagerly joined The Resistance when Dimetrius ousted Prince Ansem in his coup, and went underground with Ashley. He even reconciled with Gabriel, and the two rekindled their romance, though it was shortlived; not very long after that was when Gabriel ran off to rescue the Lady of the Bastion and mysteriously disappeared. Lian sank into a terrible depression, and threw himself into his work. He clings to the stubborn hope that Gabriel is still alive, despite all evidence to the contrary, because it is simply impossible for him to believe that anything could defeat Gabriel.
Lian is a kind young man, and doesn't have a cruel bone in his body, though he has bouts of terrible depression at times. He's still a little naive, despite what happened to him, and his many friends and colleagues find his doe-eyed innocence endearing for the most part. The loss of Gabriel has shaken him to the core, however, and some of that innocence is likely lost forever.
