Subject: Brennhart kir Ironsunder
Codename: Heartwell

1545 (27 Before Calamity): Brennhart Ironsunder is born in Ala Mhigo, under the oppressive rule of Garlean occupation. His early childhood is marked by constant pressure from the occupying forces, who impose harsh reeducation practices on the children of the land.

1549 - 1565 (23 - 7 Before Calamity): Selected for childhood conscription due to his natural affinity for restorative magicks, Brenn undergoes rigorous training and reeducation. He is integrated into the Imperial Auxiliary Corps, where he specializes as a combat medic, refining his skills in trauma stabilization and magical triage. His calm demeanor and discipline earn him early respect, as well as Garlean citizenship, becoming Brennhart jen Ironsunder.

1566–1569 (6 - 3 Before Calamity): Brenn gains frontline experience, building a reputation for steady composure and compassionate efficiency under fire. His emotional intelligence sharpens, enabling him to address both physical injuries and the psychological needs of comrades, strengthening unit cohesion.

1570 (2 Before Calamity): Brenn is promoted to Senior Medicus and 'kir'. He is assigned to Special Reconnaissance Detachment 17B, an intelligence unit under the XIIth Legion, where he provides critical medical support during covert operations deep behind enemy lines in Othard. His role includes care for both Imperial troops and high-value captives.

Year 0 (The Calamity): Amidst the Calamity’s chaos, Brenn partners with Saya oen Orben (codename Sakuragi), an emotionless operative stripped of her past. Their partnership begins with tension - Brenn’s protective nature clashes with Saya’s cold efficiency - but gradually evolves as Brenn senses remnants of her true self beneath the façade.

Year 1: As SRD-17B’s missions escalate in scope and intensity, Brenn and Saya function as a precise and efficient tactical unit. Their synergy in the field is undeniable - efficient, wordless, instinctive. But off the battlefield, they remain distant, their connection rooted in necessity more than trust. For now, their partnership is strictly professional, though Brenn begins to sense something beneath Saya’s controlled demeanor that he can’t quite name.

Year 2: On assignment in Amanshimo, Brenn witnesses the worst of the Empire’s occupation: starvation, displacement, and a deadly fever sweeping through the region. Forced to choose who lives and dies, Brenn’s medical expertise is stretched to its limits. Though the mission ends in the capture of a rogue Garlean officer, the weight of the choices he made — and those he couldn’t — leaves him shaken. Quiet doubts about the Empire’s cause begin to grow.

Year 3: During a mission gone wrong in a rebel-controlled coastal town, SRD-17B is devastated by unexpected artillery fire. Brenn holds the line under fire, tending the wounded while Saya eliminates gun emplacements to protect their retreat. In the chaos that follows, their bond deepens - first out of necessity, then something more personal. Command doesn’t acknowledge the shift between them, but they don’t stop it either. Brenn sees the cracks forming in Saya’s conditioning, and she, in turn, begins to let him in - just enough to stay afloat.

Year 4: While scouting an enemy stronghold, Brenn and Saya find a wounded resistance leader - someone they’ve crossed paths with before. They disobey orders to save him, trading medical aid for intelligence that changes the course of the mission. One prisoner dies during the escape, and the loss weighs heavily on Brenn. Saya withdraws further, her emotional detachment sharpening as a survival mechanism. Brenn sees how deeply the work is affecting her - even if she won’t admit it.

Year 5: Assigned to assassinate a Doman diplomat in Kugane, Brenn and Saya discover their target is pushing for peace, not rebellion. When the mission unravels, they let him go. Though command ultimately lets it slide, their standing within SRD-17B falters. The cost of their choice lingers between them - one more fracture in their faith, and in the Empire that made them.

Year 6: As the XIIth Legion collapses during the Fall of Doma, Brenn can no longer justify his loyalty. With Saya unraveling under the strain of resurfacing memories, he makes the decision for both of them: they desert. Disappearing into Eastern Othard, they survive while the Empire brands them traitors. Their Crimson Cord is revoked. Brenn doesn’t care. He only wants to protect her.

Year 7: Now fugitives, Brenn and Saya turn to aid work - running supplies, healing civilians, offering shelter. Brenn watches her teeter more frequently between Sakuragi and something softer, something forgotten. When they reach the Orben's ancestral home of Stillwater and find only ruins, Saya is haunted by a past she can’t name. Brenn knows. He stays quiet. He stays with her, hoping she’ll remember - and still want him there when she does.

Year 8: In a Kugane shop, Brenn sees Saya freeze at a poster of The Emberstorm. He recognizes the moment everything changes - her memories clawing back in, the fracture deepening. She grows quieter, more distant. He doesn’t push, only waits, ready to help when she asks. Quietly, he begins compiling what he can: intelligence, names, fragments of her past - including Mina’s. He keeps it hidden, hoping to shield her from the trauma of rediscovery. One night, she tells him: “I’m not going anywhere.” It steadies him - but the fear lingers. He’s losing her to something he can’t fight, and all he can do is hold on until she reaches back.

Year 9: As Saya becomes increasingly consumed by her fixation on Mina, Brenn notices the toll it’s taking. The worn poster of The Emberstorm is a constant reminder of her unresolved past, and though she tries to focus on their humanitarian efforts, the internal struggle threatens their fragile peace. Brenn remains her anchor, offering quiet comfort, but the strain is undeniable. SRD-17B’s watchful eyes add pressure, aware of their instability and waiting for a moment of weakness. Brenn is resolute in his support, but the fear that he might lose her grows, knowing the delicate balance they’ve built could shatter at any moment.

Year 10: After moving to Ul’dah, Brenn and Saya try to carve out a semblance of normalcy amid their ongoing relief work. Saya’s focus sharpens on finding Mina, driven by a desperate need for answers and closure. Brenn watches this shift with growing concern, aware of the mounting emotional toll it takes on her - and on their fragile relationship. The constant shadow of SRD-17B’s surveillance and the ghosts of their past weigh heavily on both, making every day feel like a battle to hold on. Though Brenn quietly promises to stay by her side through it all, he senses the widening gap between them, and fears he may be losing her to memories she can no longer control.

While Brenn is away scouting supply routes, Saya discovers a stash of secret notes he had kept - detailed records of Mina’s life, her own history, and all the fragments Brenn had collected in an effort to protect her from the trauma of reliving it. To Brenn, this was an act of care, a way to prepare for what might come without forcing her to face it unprepared. To Saya, however, it feels like a deep betrayal. She never gave him permission to probe into her past or keep secrets that shaped their lives. The breach fractures the fragile trust between them, unraveling the bond they’d fought so hard to preserve.

When Brenn returns, he finds only a cold letter in her place. Saya tells him she intends to dismantle SRD-17B, who she now knows is watching Mina and her friends, to protect those she loves. She warns Brenn plainly that if he follows her, he will share their fate. Heartbroken and adrift, Brenn remains behind in Ul’dah, crushed by guilt and loss. He’s left to grapple with the wreckage of what was, uncertain if there’s any path left to make amends - or if everything he valued is already lost.

Disillusioned Healer: Once an unwavering soldier of the Empire, Brenn now offers his skills to those who need them most—those who have been abandoned or oppressed. Disillusioned with the very system he once served, he’s dedicated to helping those he may have once hurt, offering medical care and protection to the less fortunate. He may have been a tool of war, but now he’s determined to heal the wounds he once inflicted...

Humanitarian Outcast: Brenn is no longer the soldier he once was. Instead, he uses his expertise to care for those without means - refugees, the injured, and the disenfranchised. After deserting the Empire, he found solace in helping those whose lives had been shattered by the same power that once commanded him. Though he carries the weight of his past, he’s committed to making amends by offering the care and support others desperately need...

Unshakable Loyalty: Brenn’s devotion to Saya was once his anchor, the last thread tying him to a life that’s now slipping away. After being abandoned, he’s left adrift - unsure what remains or where he belongs. Yet even in the chaos of loss and doubt, that loyalty still burns quietly within him, pushing him to find a way to make things right, no matter the cost.