User Profile

This is very much a work in progress...

Player Name: Stef

AIM Screen Name: WomenAtArms

Character Name: Cloud Strife

Series: FF:VII

Age: 21

Physical Description:
At 5’7”, Cloud Strife is not the tallest man on Aegis. Slimly built, with bright, blue eyes and unruly blond hair he gives the impression that he is a pretty boy, lacking the tanned skin of a true Narakan. Appearances, however, can be deceiving. Cloud may not look much at a glance, but the muscular arms and fighting stance are enough of a warning to the brash and foolhardy. The young man hardly smiles, instead choosing to survey the world from behind a permanent scowl.

The sweltering heat during the day means heavy cloaks are not necessary. Cloud dresses simply in a lose cotton shirt and breeches, both light in colour to combat the heat. His footwear is simple, a pair of roughly made and well worn sandals, and a cheap belt of the same, crude material hangs loosely at his waist. There is a pouch for money, which hangs unusually heavy, the faint jingle as he walks suggesting far more than his cheap clothes ever could.

Adding to the suspicion that poverty is an act is Cloud’s sole weapon. He carries a sword, three feet in length, slung across his back, held in place by an intricate halter of badger-dragon hide. Cloud doesn’t hide the blade from view—he takes good care of it and it shimmers in the sunlight, a far better deterrent than his looks alone.

Hidden from view, in a trunk beneath his bed, is a thick black cloak and a pair of well made, badger-dragon boots. There is a well-worn feel to both the items, however they—like the sword—are well maintained. It does, however, beg the question; what does a Narakan need good boots and a thick cloak for?

Personality:
Cloud comes across as a stoic and unfriendly person, more likely to look out for himself in a fight than help other people. His scowl is accompanied by typically one-worded responses. However to his friends Cloud shows an undying loyalty, risking life and limb to keep them safe, and if a casual acquaintance was in trouble they’d find they could rely on Cloud. Whether or not he complains, however, is a different matter.

Cloud is intelligent in matters concerning politics, fighting or keeping out of trouble. However where friendships, family ties and the opposite sex are involved he fails completely. Commitment is hard for a man that has seen so much hardship, and whilst he is fiercely loyal, in relationships he could definitely be classed as terminally useless.

Abilities/Strengths/Weaponry:
Cloud can look after himself. He is a deadly serious young man and this is unsettling enough, and he is very skilled with his weapon of choice. He is well trained, but not in the fancy, upper class manner. Cloud is a firm believer in a simple philosophy: if a man is coming at you with a weapon someone will get killed; it sure as hell shouldn’t be you.

Weaknesses:
Cloud comes across as sarcastic and aloof, but if someone is in trouble he will help them, especially those that appear weaker. This makes women a serious weakness, although not in a sexual manner. A woman that needs help can be sure to find it in Cloud, a characteristic that would be very easy to take advantage of.

Cloud also likes rules. While fighting anything goes, but he likes his actions elsewhere to be carefully planned. He doesn’t deal with spontaneity well, and where split-second decisions are concerned he is more than likely to make the wrong one.

History:
Cloud’s early history is patchy at best. There are definite facts in his life, he’s a good swordsman, for example, but he couldn’t tell you how this came to be. There are scattered memories, glimpses of children’s faces, a blonde woman with a pretty smile, the smell of the sea air and a definite feeling of happiness… But that is all he has to go on. To someone to who rules and obedience is so ingrained it’s hard for such a flimsy, sketchy past to be acceptable. He solves the problem by revealing as little as possible. He would rather be an enigma than pathetic or weak.

More solid are Cloud’s later memories, of his life in Dardanelles. He worked as a mercenary, shifting from side to side as events spiralled out of control, working for those that could pay him the most. The moral implications never bothered him. As young man without a past, with no idea which side of the social chasm he belonged on, work was something of a necessity. It was easier to kill where necessary and reap the rewards, rather than die alone and penniless on the moral high ground.

He finished the war on the side of the elite, who noticed him for his seeming lack of remorse and his ability to follow orders. He was promised a career as a solider, a keeper of the peace, just as soon as the war ended, with the security of a good salary and a roof over his head. The offer was tempting, and Cloud—along with so many others—was reeled in by it.

A career as an elite soldier was never to be. Worried by the skills of the young mercenaries and the way their loyalty was so easily bought, the elite decided it would be best if they were disposed of, quietly. As familiar faces began to disappear around him, Cloud panicked, and along with another mercenary he plotted his escape.

Chased out of Elysium by soldiers, the two men borrowed a small boat, hoping that searching the open ocean would deter their pursuers. This was not the case. With the Sanzu in sight, and the soldiers gaining fast, Cloud and his companion were forced to halt their escape and attempt to fight. Without long-range weaponry, lacking the experience of the pirates and sailors, they soon found themselves in trouble. In the ensuing fight Cloud’s companion lost his life, and a wounded, angry Cloud was forced to flee the scene as best he could. The soldiers didn’t give chase. They believed their prey to be too weak to get much further, destined to die from his injuries long before his damaged boat sank. The general consensus was that he’d be dead by nightfall.

This might have been the case, had he not been found by traders, on the way home from a days trading in Epidarus. After negotiating an earlier passage across the Sanzu, the traders were in good spirits, and were only too happy to help the wounded man. Convinced by the well-made clothes that this was a member of the elite, and therefore a useful bargaining tool, they helped him aboard their ship and took him back to Naraka.

Upon finding out that Cloud was not a member of the elite, but was actually a wanted man, the traders were wary. However, Cloud, not a man to miss an opportunity, offered his services on the island, saying that he really had nowhere else to go and was wanted due to his services to the revolutionaries. Convinced by the lie the residents welcomed him, and Cloud has lived in Naraka ever since. He disappears occasionally, and returns days later with his money pouch considerably heavier, but nobody asks him where he goes. He works hard, asking only for shelter in return, and that's good enough for the locals.

Friends (62):

Mutual Friends (44):

Also Friend of (1):