History

Since childhood, Lang possessed high sensitivity to the aether, and for this reason he was sent to the First Observatorium to become an apprentice astrologian. He completed his studies at 18 and was sent to work in a remote mountaintop observatory. One day, he was visited by a group of adventurers who called themselves the Twelve's Scribes. Inspired by their deeds and aspirations, he left his post and joined them to travel all over Eorzea.

The band of adventurers were led by an Ala Mhigan highlander named Lybek Fairscribe. Although Lybek was once a follower of Rhalgr, he was a man of peace. He founded the Scribes in hope of understanding the true nature of the Twelve, so that they could unite the fractured nations of Eorzea who waged war in the name of the gods. Under Lybek's tutelage, Lang's strength and magic flourished, and he began to question the strict teachings he grew up with.

The Twelve's Scribes became an accomplished order, wielding powerful magic born of their faith in the Twelve. But they disbanded in the wake of the Ala Mhigan revolution, when Lybek was captured and executed by King Theodoric. Lang had little time to grieve for his mentor in the chaos of the following Imperial annexation. He noticed signs fortelling Nidhogg's reawakening in the stars, and returned to Ishgard alone. He offered what aid he could, but there seemed to be no hope that his homeland could ever be freed from its eternal war. Lang was more lost and unsure of his role in the Twelve's plans than ever before, and he realized he was deeply estranged from his own countrymen, who viewed him as a heretic.

After Lang pledged himself to the service of House Leonguin, he confronted the dragon Arvakr. He defeated the wyrm, yet he could not bring himself to strike the final blow. He made an offer to the dragon: he would spare Arvakr his life, if he would learn to live in peace among mortals. This was accepted, and Lang casted a transmutation spell on Arvakr. He expended all of his aether to make the transformation permanent, giving up his ability to use magic. Though he was relieved to be freed from the burden of his powers, he came to regret this act of mercy, a final unforgivable sin committed in a moment of weakness. Yet, he still could not bring himself to kill Arvakr, who had committed no crime since his transformation. Instead he kept him close, to keep him under watchful gaze.

Nearly two decades passed fairly uneventfully. Lang started a family, and his steadfast service to his House was rewarded with some measure of peace. The adventures of his youth faded to a distant memory, yet he still felt as if a wall of ice stood between himself and his loved ones. He remained within Ishgard’s walls as it weathered the chaos descending upon the rest of Eorzea, even through the Seventh Umbral Calamity.

Then one day, he was seized and imprisoned by the Inquisition. Arvakr, with the aid of Lang's son, had found a way to undo the transmutation and escaped Ishgard. As a consequence, House Leonguin was eradicated for heresy. Lang himself was subjected to a trial by combat. He expected Halone to grant him no mercy, but miraculously his aetherical abilities returned during the trial, saving his life.

Lying in a hospital ward, Lang mourned his fallen house, his mistakes, and the hope he had abandoned long ago. Though he was exonerated, he struggled to understand why the Fury forgave him. Once he recovered, he quietly left Ishgard and headed south.

In Gridania, he unexpectedly found an old friend from the past: the Scribe of Menphina, Naji Olahli, now enjoying a peaceful retirement in the Shroud. She invited him to stay with her and encouraged him to join the Conjurer's guild. Lang adapted to the life of a simple healer, with no particular goals in mind other than to live day to day. This quiet state of affairs was not to last, for one day, he heard Hydaelyn call to him again, after she had been silent for almost twenty years...

Abilities

Lang is proficient with a variety of weapons as well as conjury. He mainly wields a sword or a spear, either paired with a shield or without. This allows him a great deal of flexibility in combat. He can also wield powerful ice-aspected thaumaturgy spells, but they tend to drain his aether and leave him weakened.

He is a practitioner of Ishgardian astrology, the art of using celestial observations and arithmetics to predict the future. He is well-versed in mathematics and astronomy.

The Echo grants him the ability to read and manipulate memory aether. He can extract ambient memories left in the environment, or disentangle memories from the souls of the deceased. He is capable of extracting memory aether from a living mind as well, but this is a dangerous process and often inflicts amnesia on the target. Hence, he refrains from using this ability on living beings.

Portrait by @wolfpuff

Lang first met X'rhun Tia in Ala Mhigo, when the Crimson Duelists still in the early stages of reviving the lost art of red magic. Their orders became close allies, for despite their differences in combat style, they shared a common goal of protecting Ala Mhigo. Lang and X'rhun bonded over their mutual interest in studying magic, and they looked forward to sharing their research whenever they met. Their relationship stayed platonic, as Lang had a fiancée in Ishgard at the time.

As the tide of the Ala Mhigan revolution began to swell, the two crossed paths less often. In the chaos of the Garlean annexation they parted ways, and did not hear from each other again.

By circumstance, they ran into each other outside the gates of Ul'dah, five years after the Calamity. They caught up on the last twenty years. Lang learned that the Crimson Duelists had been betrayed by one of their own number. X'rhun had tried to take on apprentices a few times since then, but fearing he'd create another Lambard, he did not have success as a mentor.

Lang was glad to see an old friend, but they had their own places to be. Lang went to deal with the threat of Bahamut, where he met Alisaie and recommended she seek out X'rhun as a mentor. Not long after that, the Bloody Banquet forced Lang to return to Ishgard.

The next time they met was after the end of the Dragonsong war. Lang helped X'rhun with mentoring Arya and defeating Lambard. As they spent time together, their old and familiar friendship was renewed, as if they had never separated in the last twenty years, yet feelings both old and new were burgeoning. They spent one night of intimacy together, but went no further after that.

A few months later, Lang joined the Alliance forces in the fight to liberate Ala Mhigo. To his surprise, X'rhun declined to join him, explaining that his presence was unwelcome in Ala Mhigo due to his past involvement with the bloodiest faction of the resistance - associated with the Griffin. They parted ways on uncertain terms, unsure if and how their relationship could proceed in the future.

When Lang returned nearly a year later, he helped X'rhun uncover the root of Arya's illness. They confronted the voidsent queen Lilith, but the battle went terribly wrong, and Lang ended up being possessed by her while trying to protect Arya. Shaken by the near-death experience, Lang and X'rhun admitted the feelings they still held for each other.

They attempted to find ways to exorcise Lilith to no avail, and Lang was growing steadily weaker as Lilith fed on his aether. In desperation, they sought out the Lemures in Ul'dah. Drusilla agreed to teach Lang the secrets of the reapers, in exchange for their aid in hunting down the voidsent Orcus. Lang forged a voidsent pact with Lilith and began to gradually recover his strength. In the meantime, X'rhun aided the Lemures in defeating Orcus.

While Lang was spirited away to the First, X'rhun decided to travel to Bozja to learn more about the red magic practitioners there. He was able to help Meryall rescue Lovro, and was glad to finally meet the man who had kept the spirit of red magic alive on the opposite side of the world in person.