samureyeout | Ieyori's Backstory

Pre-Canon

Ieyori has never known a free Doma. Born four years after the Imperial invasion to a fairly well-off lord, Iekane Miyake, and a concubine, Ieyori (then Torii) was the only son of five girls and the youngest to boot. His father’s wife had died shortly before he was born and then his own mother was killed by the Imperials for something her brother had done. Her sister, working as a maid in his father’s house, stepped up to help raise him and his sisters in place of their mothers, and it is Yuwashi Ieyori considers his mother to this day.

As the only son of a samurai who had never quite got with the times regarding the roles of sons and daughters, young Torii was thrown into samurai training as soon as he was old enough to sit still. An illness as a child put most of his martial training off for a few years more than his father would have liked, but it gave Torii time to learn the fine arts expected of a samurai’s son.

Not that he wanted to, however. Torii was young and his sisters and cousins had much more freedom than he did; he was jealous. One day, after throwing a fit over being forced to attend yet another poetry lesson, Iekane took his son aside. Rather than the strict physical discipline Torii expected, Iekane sat him down to ask why he was so angry. The young Torii explained that he hated the restrictions and anyway it didn’t matter because the Empire was in charge now. The future of Doma was in magitek and slavery, not haiku and the katana. Iekane heard his son out and then very calmly explained why it was important that Torii attend his lessons. Yes, the Empire had invaded but they had not yet won. So long as there was a single man willing to call himself Doman, willing to sacrifice himself for the good if his lord and country, then the Empire would never win.

"And," he added as he pulled his son into a hug, "iaijustu is much more impressive than climbing your aunt’s trees and getting in trouble, isn’t it?"

Young though he was, something about his father’s words stuck with the young boy and he promised to try and not get so annoyed at his lessons. In exchange, his father arranged to let his son have a few days a week with time to go play with his sisters and cousins.

As he grew, the lessons chafed less and less. By the time Torii was fifteen and properly called Ieteru (he would not become Ieyori until much later, but for the sake of simplicity we’re using his current name from here on), the free time he had was spent not with roughhousing or going out with his cousins (his sisters all married off or away in Kugane by this point) but practicing or helping his father, who at this point was losing his sight and had difficulty with some of the paperwork. This continued for several years, their home in the countryside largely spared the worst of the Imperial brutality.

Until, of course, the rebellion. Ieyori had just been given his katana, made by a family friend in secret, when the word went out about the rebellion. Iekane agreed to join, denying his son that same privilege, charging him with protection of their home and his aunt and his sisters, should they show up. "Kaien is my lord, Ieyori, but he is not yet yours. Do not be so quick to die."

To this day, Ieyori wonders if his father knew that he would die and the rebellion be crushed.

When a friend of his father’s arrived at their house with Iekane’s helmet, Ieyori knew they had to leave. His sisters had never shown up, but he left word with the family friend just in case. Soon, Ieyori and Yuwashi joined the refugees fleeing Doma with Lady Yugiri. On the way, he learned that two of his sisters had died when the Empire struck back at the rebels. The other two, thankfully, were still alive. One was too injured to leave Doma, but his eldest sister and her family met up with them as they made for the boats. Five of his niblings also met up with them, having escaped the massacre of their families. (The remaining sister had married a Kugane merchant and would not be escaping to the west with the rest of her family.)

It would not be easy to reach the boats, however. Although they were in a large group, the group was too large to travel together and were often in smaller, more easily hidden groups as they trekked to the ports. Ieyori, being a fighter, was put in charge of a group of those who were unable to fight (including his family). They were to take a path that had previously been known for bandits but intelligence indicated was now largely abandoned thanks to the rebellion.

Intelligence was wrong. While the bandits had fled, other desperate souls had moved in and they did not appreciate this group of refugees "trespassing" on their land. Ieyori instructed his older niblings to start getting everyone away while he fought off as many people as he could. And he did well! These ruffians weren’t trained, they were hungry and scared and tired and it was easy to send most of them packing. Content that they would leave them alone as they hurried to the docks, Ieyori turned to run after his family.

Only to see that his nephew, Kei, had been caught by one of the attackers as she had fled Ieyori, a knife held to the young boy’s throat. Ieyori lunged forward--

He was found by the next group of refugees passing that way, his sword stolen by the ruffians and an injured Kei sobbing over his uncle’s bloody body. The group was shocked to see that Ieyori wasn’t dead and quickly patched him up before loading him and Kei into their supply wagon.

When Ieyori awoke, he was on one of the ships and they had just set sail. He could no longer see out of his left eye thanks to both injury and infection, but he was alive. Unfortunately, Kei’s injuries had also grown infected and unlike Ieyori, the boy could not fight it off. He had made it to the docks, but that was as far as he made it.

Ieyori spent the entire trip to Eorzea laid up in the ship’s sickbay, silent and grieving. Kei’s mother assured her brother that no one blamed him for Kei’s death, but Ieyori could not shake the depression and self-loathing that now colored his life. Not only had he failed to protect his family, he had allowed himself to be bested in battle and humiliated by the theft of his sword. If his father had survived the rebellion, what would he have to say to his disgraced son? His pride and joy?

By the time the ships reached Eorzea, Ieyori had managed to shake himself out of his depression long enough to inform his family that wherever they went, he would not be joining them right away. He needed time, he explained, but he would eventually join them once he had forgiven himself for that disaster. His family was upset but knew that Ieyori needed this. After recovering from the transition from sea to land, Ieyori left the gathered refugees on Eorzea’s shores and went to make his way as one of these western "adventurers".

Just Before Joining DOINK

Ieyori had been trained in archery back home, so picking up the bow and joining the archer’s guild in Gridania had been the obvious choice. There was very little training he needed to do, but the guildmaster had suggested staying in the area for a while while he adjusted to western techniques and weaponry. Ieyori was more than happy to take her advice and for a few months he rented a room in Miounne’s inn and hunted Ixal and beastkin for the guild.

Eventually he heard about the Doman refugee crisis in Ul’dah and although he didn’t feel quite ready to rejoin his people in exile, Ieyori felt compelled to at least check up on them. Careful to appear as Gridanian as possible so as not to invite prejudice, Ieyori made his way to Ul’dah.

Where he was then promptly "enlisted" by W’vani to try and sort out a solution to the refugee crisis. And then to help get them to Mor Dhona, as there is a significant benefit to speaking to people in their native language when you want to get them to go places. And then he was literally dragged into the escape wagon after the banquet in Ul’dah because he was a known associate of Everybody's Grudge and at that point he really had no choice but to officially enlist.

Shortly after arriving in Ul’dah and being enlisted by W’vani, Ieyori learned of Musosai and sought him out for guidance. He was still reeling from the loss of his nephew and his sword and he felt the older samurai might be able to help. He suggested that Ieyori consider the man he had been dead and to take up a new name and a new sword.

Thus the man named Ieteru by his father passed and Ieyori rose in his place.

That was a complicated thing to explain to Miounne when he went back to adjust the paperwork for the adventurer’s guild.