Lance Harvey

Description

Standing at 2 yalms and 220 ponze, Lance is a little tall for a Midlander and lacks the features of a Highlander. This would be odd, but Lance is not an Eorzea native. Sculpted eyebrows and a loose ponytail make him appear a bit younger than his 30 seasons. Lance's eyes are a deep shade of green.Lance has a quick smile and infectious laugh and would like nothing better than to leave his royal heritage aside. But, just as the House of Harvey has created some of the most valorous Paladins in Baron... when his temper is pushed too far, one can see the more terrifying side of Baron's Dark Knights.

Origin

Lance hails from a group of kingdoms on the other side of the world from Eorzea that almost no one has ever ventured to. Nearly five years ago, Lance landed in Eorzea at the prompt of a Mysidian legend to restore peace to his homeland where monster attacks are multiplying at alarming rates. Being junior to his brother, Leodore, Lance is the Vice Commander of the Red Wings of Baron, the kingdom's royal airship force. As Leodore is also the Crown Prince of Baron, it gives Lance more freedom in what he is able to do, and thus he was tasked with the mission of coming to Eorzea at the behest of his father, the King of Baron.

Light and Dark, Righteousness and Rage

Before Lance ever landed in Eorzea, he was already a Master Paladin and Dark Knight. Some members of the Harvey line are able to master these roles to the point they can swap between those forms in the blink of an eye and this is a "gift" that Lance has inherited. However, Lance only turns to the power of the Dark Sword when his rage is out of control or during the most desperate of times. Unlike Eorzean Dark Knights, a Dark Knight of Baron's power is without limitation, but going too far can strip one of their Paladin abilities, or in a dire enough situation, outright kill the one who draws in too much of the destructive energy. This is typically reserved for the most desperate of situations as the wielder knows it will cost him his life to emerge victorious.

The Last Five Years

Lance landed in Ul'dah where he made contact with the Sultana and was granted an audience. There, he was able to provide a fair amount of proof of both heritage and the technology behind the airships he came with were vastly different than what they had seen before. Inspection by the Immortal Flames also showed the ships were obviously not Garlean. After proving himself by demonstrating his courage in assistance to the City-State, he was granted authority to create an Eorzean branch of the Red Wings, which is based out of the Mist as it is the most strategically aligned area to deploy from. Lance's mission would be two-fold: Locate the lost Mysidian girl from his homeland's legend and help Eorzea's causes as he did so.Lance operated in autonomy at first, being told that the heroes of Eorzea, the Scions of the Seventh Dawn were largely unaccounted for. As a personal favor to the Sultana, Lance assisted in the search efforts where he would end up finding allies and someone who Lance would become convinced was the lost girl of Mysidia. They fell in love and the Red Wings flourished, becoming the most powerful military force in Eorzea that did not officially belong to any of the city-states. With the help of his friends, Lance located and claimed the most powerful sword and shield he had ever seen, Excalibur and Aegis. Lance would find himself unworthy to wield Excalibur, breaking the blade the first time his mettle was tested.This situation would rock Lance to his core, and some of his friends left, not liking the events that were unfolding. Time marches on, however, and Lance turned his attention to Ishgard, hearing rumors that the champion of the Scions, "The Warrior of Light" had been sighted there. Lance would find himself in the middle of the Dragonsong War where he eventually met the Warrior of Light and found the Scions as well. After returning to Ul'dah to make a report to the Sultana, word would reach Lance that the capital of Ishgard was under attack by a fearsome dragon called Nidhogg and an enormous horde of dragons of incomprehensible size. Without a sword worthy of such a battle, Lance turned to the emergency relic he had brought with him from Baron, for use in the direst of circumstances: The Dark Sword, Deathbringer. Lance rallied the Red Wings and flew them into Ishgard, the airships being far superior to Eorzea's, the horde was largely defeated but at a significant cost: Three of the four ships sustained critical damage and were grounded, including Lance's flagship. Once it crash-landed, Lance assumed the mantle of the Dark Knight where he and the Warrior of Light engaged in a critical battle with Nidhogg. When the Warrior of Light was knocked unconscious, Lance drew entirely too much power from Deathbringer and laid the beast low. The price of this was Lance fell immediately ill; too weak to stand of his own accord and doomed to perish within a fortnight.Lance's old friends rallied around him, and with the remaining Baronian airship they traveled back to his homeland where they helped him climb Mount Ordeals where he was washed in sacred light, saving his life and making his Paladin form more powerful. This sacred light would also repair Excalibur and strengthen it as well. With everyone back together and Lance well again, he would introduce the girl he found as the supposed fulfillment of the Mysidian legend. He had to return to Eorzea to finish up some business before he would return home, side by side with this girl and his friends to save his homeland.Fate, however, had other plans...An Ascian took over the body of the girl and twisted the woman he loved into something disgusting and reprehensible. Completely shattered, Lance would mourn for months as the Red Wings would crumble around him. Lance roamed Eorzea and even Othard, meeting some new friends who joined him on his journeys. He eventually disbanded the Red Wings and reformed his Company into the Aegis Vanguard, its sole purpose being to work closely with the Scions to thwart Ascian plans.Over time, the Vanguard would thrive but this was to be short-lived as Lance's obsession with the mission mixed with his lack of sleep and mental anguish would make his temper volatile and push away many of his allies. He even fell in love again only to discover he had wasted his time and energy on a selfish hypocrite who never had his best interests at heart. She would move on to wreck lives and taint one of the largest Free Companies in Eorzea.With his resolve renewed, Lance recommissioned the Red Wings with the help of his few true friends. Worth their weight in gold, these individuals stuck with him through his best and worst times. As far as the problems with his homeland, Lance can only hope he was wrong about who the lost girl of Mysidia might be. He created a gathering spot within the headquarters of the Red Wings, House Baron. He named this new place The King's Bounty Cabaret, in honor of The King's Bounty Pub back home. By doing this, he has people coming to him instead of him searching the four corners of Eorzea to find the girl of the Mysidian legend. This also gives Lance a little more time to pursue his interests in music and as a florist, as he realized that more time for himself made him stronger than nonstop questing ever could.Lance may take a break, but his enemies never do. Be that as it may, Lance is ready. In the meantime, however - Lance ended up marrying his childhood sweetheart, Cayleigh Farrell. She had made the trip from Baron to Eorzea once before, but this time she was staying until his quest was finished. But all could not be well, as the two edged blade of tragedy would strike once more: Lance's sister Ashe had also made the journey back to Eorzea. She had always been more corrupted by the Dark Knight nature of the Harvey line and despite doing everything in his power to help her - her true nature eventually showed itself once more and in a fated encounter, Lance had to put her to the sword. He had always been her superior with a blade, but she had become so corrupted that she had honestly believed she could win. Lance lost his sister and gained yet one more scar upon his heart.

Hooks

1. Lance is the Leader of the Eorzean Red Wings of Baron. When not in the field, he is often at their headquarters, House Baron.2. Lance frequents Ul'dah, where he occasionally meets the Sultana for tea.3. If there is a battle of any significance occurring, Lance can typically be found there leading from the front.4. Lance is a florist by hobby and can often be found where unique flowers are plentiful.5. Also an amateur bard by hobby, Lance may be anywhere crowded or intimate, playing his newest favored ballads.6. Lance can potentially pop up anywhere due to his search for the lost girl of Mysidia.

Links

• Lodestone Profile
• Lance's Soundtrack

Lance and his Friends in the World

Art of Lance and his Companions