Glorious Ruby
Vitam suam plenissime vivere
[To live one's life to the fullest]
Before times
Where was she born, how did her childhood go and who were her parents.
Recent Times
What happened just before and after the Calamity and before the fateful carriage trip to Ul'dah.
Life and Times
Notes and short stories on the adventures of Glorious Ruby.
Before times
Somewhere on the trade routes of Southern Thanalan, 23 years before the Calamity, Glorious Ruby was born to proud parents of Solid Granite (Father) and White Emerald (Mother). As far as Ruby knows both of her parents hail from Ul'dah, but her father always said that Ruby took after her maternal grandmother in Ala Mhigo. Ruby's family made their livelyhood from running a trade caravan traveling between Forgotten Springs and Ishgard. The life on the road was rewarding but hard for young Ruby. Also living in their trade caravan she learned how to survive in the wilds and get along with all kinds of different people.Unfortunately living on the road meant that Ruby needed to grow up fast and in her early teens she had already learned how to protect her family's caravan. Attacks by bandits, brigants and hostile tribes were a regular ocurance, so Ruby had to learn how to kill or she would be killed. During this time she picket up the rudimentary skills of a Gladiator and excelled in it. She is ruthless to her enemies and doesn't hesitate in killing them. While dealing with the raiders and observing their behaviour, she learned to abhor torture and slavery. As the caravan moved constantly between Forgotten Springs and Ishgard there was no time or changes to make friends. And as such Ruby felt lonely on the road as being the only one of her age, but during their longer stays at the end points she had finally time to explore and start to make friends.So in the route ends Ruby managed to form solid friendships with U'mollpa in Forgotten Springs and Ephionne Chaubette in Ishgard. Mollpa remains her friend to this day, but sadly because of the Dragonsong War Ruby eventually lost touch with Ephionne Chaubette, and to this day she has no idea if they are alive or dead. But thanks to them Ruby discovered Halone and chose Her as her primary Goddess. Although Ruby's father worshipped Nald'thal, he approved of her choice. Ruby's mother's reaction the her Goddess was just a laconic saying "Better Halone than Rhalgar".
Recent Times
When Dalamud loomed low and the armies of the Eorzean Alliance and the Garlean Empire prepared for a battle at the Carteneu flats, even Ruby started to worry about what would the future bring. As the crisis was coming to ahead Solid Granite and White Emerald decided to lend a helping hand to the Alliance. They decided to take half of the caravan with them and go to help ferry supplies and wounded to and from the Carteneau flats.Sadly their valiant efforts were not rewarded and both Solid Granite and White Emerald perished in the firestorm unleashed by the cracking of the Dalamud and the release of Bahamut. This was devasteting news for young Ruby as now she would have to carry on her parents legacy. She did her best with the caravan, but the Calamity and changes in the attitudes of people and most significantly her lack of business skills made the caravan just lose money on every trip. Ruby tried to compensate this by taking on loans, but it was for naught and in the end she and her family's business went bancrupt.Five years after the Calamity Ruby was at crossroads. She had failed in keeping the family trade caravan going and had to sell everything that was left of it and basically everything else she owned to pay off her debts. As U'dah was impossible to live in without any means, Ruby had to make a though choice. She could leave Thanalan and start over somewhere else or go to Ul'dah and fight on the blood sands of the colosseum as a gladiator.As Ruby dislikes violence for violence's sake, this was reletively hard decision for her. But in the end there was no other choice for her. Ruby didn't want to leave Thanalan and her home, so the only way forward for her was to become a gladiator in the colosseum. And to this end Ruby boarded the first Chocobo carriage bound for Ul'dah, carrying her meager possessions. She had no idea what the road ahead for her would be, but that is a story too long to repeat here.
Life and Times
[RP and Story note]
There are two Glorious Rubys. The one that is the WoL, is labelled WoL-Ruby for story descriptions, and is the hero of the FFXIV MSQ story. The other one, labeled as AU-Ruby for story descriptions, is just a side character in someone elses WoL story. Currently AU-Ruby is working as a trusted courier for lord Lolorito Nanarito and as a captain in the Immortal Flames diplomacy corp.
[End of note][Note on Canon]
For WoL-Ruby the full MSQ, all job quests plus unlock quests are canon and affect her story. For AU NonWoL-Ruby only sidequests and some of job quests are canon. Most importantly she has not been to the First or any other shard during her adventures.
[End of note]
"Behind the mask of smile"
WoL-Ruby short story. The story happens after EW 6.0 MSQ credits and before Alphinauds letter.
"Never do this again"
AU-Ruby short story. This story has no specific time when it happens, but it is most likely set during ShB on the Source.