Nino Hana

The courtesan and scholar

There is something to be said about a woman who knows what she wants, and if Nino ever stopped for long enough to hear it, she might know what that something was.
Instead, she blazes forward with her pursuit of the scholarly arts. Her thirst for knowledge knowing no bounds - not even what most would consider taboo. Whether it be in a tome or in bed, Nino seeks to learn and understand everything there is to know - and if she oft finds herself seeking a refresher in the carnal pleasures, then someone will have to teach her again, no?
With her passion, Nino is sure to make an impression. Though as much of an open book as she appears to be, there are yet secrets to discover about her - for the adventurous and willing, that is.

Origins

With a Hingan name like Hana, Nino has an origin that one might expect. She was born to a relatively well-to-do family (Mother, Father, and Sister) in Doma who sought greener pastures west, moving to Gridania and making their coin with various 'exotic' remedies and healing magic. Nino herself took up the art of conjury, working as a nurse in the depths of the Shroud.
However, this peace was not destined to remain, especially not once the calamity descended upon Eorzea. At the ripe age of 16 summers, Nino found herself losing everything - including her family. Alone, she travelled ahead into Gridania proper, beginning a new life as an adventurer and seeking to further her mastery of the healing arts lest others suffer the same loss she did.

MSQ Spoilers ahead! Continue at your own risk.

A Realm reborn

What adventurer doesn't have humble beginnings? From boxes to letters, Nino's carried them all - and for very little coin. Still, her deeds and adventures around the Shroud were enough to attract the attention of the Twin Adders, and with encouragement from Mother Miounne, she found herself helping defeat the Ascians as they attempted to usurp the natural order of the Twelveswood.
From there, most know the story. She stumbled upon the bumbling pair of Papalymo and Yda, was inducted into the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, and has known little peace since. The Scions were her home - her new family, yet no one knew then the turmoil that she was going to face.
Between the invasion and subsequent battle against Garlemald, Nino only grew in her mastery of the healing arts and the devastating understanding that not everyone could be saved.
This understanding was only tested further as the Sultana was poisoned, and Nino's new family thrown into complete disarray.
Still, Nino did what she did best. She pressed on.

Heavensward

Nino pressed on until she couldn't. Shoved into a new city, left bereft of almost all of her friends, she started anew yet again. Frozen crates and colder letters were her burdens of choice, although none were worn quite so heavy as the memories of her comrades.
There were still battles to fight, of course, power to gain, new techniques to master. And master them she did, though it did little to help once she freed Aymeric from the Vault.
Haurchefant warned her of the danger of sprinting ahead. If only he'd known the price that she would pay.
Haurchefant was not fast enough to stop that spear of light from piercing Nino. He was not skilled enough to overcome the light that prevented any healing magicks from stemming the fatal tide of aether.
However, Hydaelyn was. She would not see her champion taken too early, and took matters into her own hands. There was nothing stopping her from counteracting the light - save the fact that it would require her to touch Nino's aether with the void.
It was not Hydaelyn's decision to make, but make it she did. And so, her champion miraculously rose, barely surviving the wound that should have been destined to reap one soul that fateful day.
She seemed the same, yes, and thanks to Hydaelyn's blessing, she was the same, but there are consequences to being void-touched that Nino would have to live with for the rest of her life.
"What are you?!" Thordan cried. If only she had an answer.

They say it is the darkest before dawn. Nino would agree. Between quite literally dying, having to pick up a nation still reeling from truths yet unearthed, the light on the horizon seemed permanently far away.
Friends new and old came into the picture. Y'sayle came and went too quickly for Nino's taste, yet another that Nino could do nothing but let sacrifice themselves. They say that the worst curse upon someone is one of an interesting life, and Nino's was brilliant enough to fill several tomes.
Still there were bright sparks of happiness, saving Estinien and reuniting with the Scions chief among them. As always, her life was doomed to be interesting, and between warriors from another world and Yda revealing her true self, Nino could but brace herself for yet another adventure.

Stormblood

If an adventure was what Nino wanted, an adventure was what Nino got. She could mention any of her many deeds throughout Doma: uniting the tribes of the Steppe as Khagan, freeing Rhalgr's Reach...
But those are not what comes to mind. What traps her mind is Zenos yae Galvus, the psychopathic prince that seems to be the only one that can understand her life of strife and battle - of being the most surpassing warrior in Eorzea. She hated him. She loved him. Her friend. Her enemy.

Shadowbringers

There are only so many things that Nino can dream up on her own, and all of her closest allies getting transported to a separate shard is absolutely not one of them.
Her reunions are sweet, filled with joy as she reunites with the Scions. She could immediately tell who the Exarch was - G'raha never did do a good job of hiding himself.
There was an almost continuous sense of irony. A void-touched saving a light bleached world? If Emet-Selch cared enough to actually look at Nino's aether, mayhaps he would have found it hilarious. Ardbert certainly didn't, though a voidsent was a welcome change of pace from the sin eaters.
Her adventures took her all around Norvrandt, slaying the sin eaters with the morbid curiosity of what would happen to the void within her as her soul grew suffused with light. The answer was nothing good. Minor aetheric sickness was her constant companion, though that was far drowned out by the light threatening to overtake her.
Despite it all, she saved the First. Called upon the rest of her shards and challenged a member of the convocation himself. If only it hadn't required yet more sacrifice from Ardbert.
She managed to save Emet-Selch. Grant him a new lease on his immortal life by carving out his tempering with a blade of her own light. The darkness to her light indeed. Despite not being romantically inclined, Emet-Selch is not far from Nino's side, feigning disinterest in the adventures of his best friend's shard.
With all due haste, she joined the Scions in searching for a way home. Searching fruitlessly until Elidibus decided to push the issue. She discovered that she was once a member of this convocation, and has to wonder if she was always destined to get on the nerves of the Ascians.
It takes much and more to lay Elidibus low, a timely save from Emet-Selch and yet more aetheric cutting, and Nino seems to be amassing ascian friends at a rather steady rate. She doesn't escape concern over her aetheric balance.
"I hope Hydaelyn understood what she was doing, putting that void into you. Foolish beyond measure, that is exactly the sort of thing she would do."
- Emet-Selch