A Wanderer's Romance: Wuxia-Inspired Game of Dueling and Magic (Interest/Sign-Up Thread)

Redryhno

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Name: Ykesha

Gender: Female

Age: 16

Physical Description: How does your character look? Height? Weight? Eye color? Hair color? Interesting features? How do they move? How do they dress? So on an so forth.

A lithe individual, Ykesha doesn't have a large amount of visible muscle mass or body fat. Easily mistakable for a boy her same age. Her dark, though sun-bleached hair is kept short so as it interfere as little as possible in fighting, and her eyes hold an intensity someone her age should not have. Her already olive skin has been heavily tanned from her exposure to the sun for years on end. Along the right side of her ribs and most of her back are a bevy of scars, rips and tears like those of an animal that have since healed, but not disappeared from her body.

Physically, she is not of imposing stature or build, but her movements are precise, and no energy is wasted in them, gifting her a somewhat unearthly grace and something of a dangerous air.

Her clothing is minimal, a flowing tunic she wears for the world, and her bandage-wrapped chest for when she takes the tunic off for Combat. Her pants are loose in the leg, but fit her well, and shoes are something she may not like, but she does have a pair of sandals she can wear should the terrain demand it in the pack slung across her shoulder.

Philosophy:

"Knowledge grants ability, knowledge is gained through time, youth gives the time needed to be granted all the ability of the world I require."

Personality: Ykesha is a warm, if stand-offish figure. She has a desire for company, of course, but it is largely overshadowed by her competitiveness and ambition and that is something that drives people away quite easily. She's taken to a lone existence for the time being until she has Mastered all of the Legendary Styles.

She refuses to shy from a fight, often times to the point of looking for/instigating one to prove herself in. Hot-blooded and over-confident to a fault, she is certain of her abilities and wishes to grow them by any means necessary.


Elements: Personality and Elements are intrinsically linked. Your Elements define who you are, and vice versa. You have 6 points to spend, and all Elements start at 0.
Air: 2
Earth:0
Fire:2
Water:2
Balance: 3

Specialties:
Strategy (Air+Water)
Meditation(Fire+Water)


Armor: 0

Ykesha wears a chest of bandages and her pants in Combat, she believes herself to need nothing else, armor does not but slow the wearer down and potentially harm them.

Weapon:
Estoc(Straight Sword)
Large Sheath Knife(sidearm)

Styles:

Initiate: Thousand Raindrops (Straight Sword) - Air + Fire.

In the storm even the gnat is struck.

Initiate: Opponents cannot use Air to defend.
Student: Opponents cannot use Fire to defend.
Master: Opponents cannot use Earth or Water to defend.

Initiate: Meteor Dance (Straight Sword or Spear) - Air + Fire

When all around you is destruction you must find your sanctuary in places unseen.

Initiate: Add attacker's Armour value to defence rolls.
Student: Attackers may not use their Earth score.
Master: Add Air to Armour score.

History: Ykesha was too young to know where she came from exactly, only where she ended up and how it happened. Traveling with family, their ship was hit by a sudden, violent storm. Their relatively small vessel was torn asunder and Ykesha was thrown into the sea, left to fend for herself in the waves and the creatures of the deep as they came to devour her. Somehow, through a mix of her will and luck, she was thrown on the beach of an island to die, her back and side ripped apart and bleeding. Help came however and she was taken in by a young man. Her wounds were tended to and she was nursed back to health. This was when she met her Master, Yhas, a Student of Thousand Raindrops.

The next decade was spent learning what he himself had been taught by the Legendary Masters that occupied the island. Few were accepted into either Master's schools, much less both, as each despised the other with a passion, but a few were allowed, Ykesha and Yhas, father and daughter, as both proved to be exceptional combatants that the Masters were willing to overlook the disgust of the other's Legendary style. The Origins that governed the island were long thought to have either ascended once again or died in some titanic clash that resulted in their two respective Legendary Styles homes being clamped together by some earthshaking catastrophe.

This joyous existence was not to last however. Peace cannot be kept indefinitely, and the simmering feud that had been festering for decades finally broke out and sides were forced to be chosen. Though chosen may be an overly generous descriptor. Taken from their home by Students of both Styles, they were forced into war, the Meteor Dance Master hoping for Yhas specifically, the Thousand Raindrops Master hoping for Ykesha. Both were disappointed.

The next few weeks are largely considered her most traumatic. She still bore the scars of the Sea, of course, but they had healed, this was not what she had expected when she learned of the Legendary Styles. Forced into battle in what she had considered home for the longest time, she came across an armored practitioner of Thousand Raindrops, herself masked and covered in a cloth uniform of sorts. Fighting against one another, she eventually came out ahead as the one in armor was surprised through slicing off her mask and discovering the one beneath to be Ykesha. Taking her chance, she removed the helmet after a plea and grasping of her leg to discover her adoptive Father. She stayed by his side for the rest of the climactic battle as both Masters took to the field and clashed, her actions and those that forced her into the position she was now in crashing down on her.

When it was complete, both Masters lay dead, their age, wounds, and disregard for the Rules of Combat in their hate of one another, relinquishing them of their rights by the Origins awakening to the joined island. The majority of houses destroyed and both Styles decimated, Ykesha gathered her things and left the island, certain that the Legendary Styles could never exist in harmony without one Master to draw a direct line to and refusing to let more Students of any Style be forced into Combat, and the bystanders to be caught up in pointless feuds again.
 

Chilifro

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Don't suppose you've got room for one more in your band of murderhobos?

Name: Brother Shui Gang

Gender: Male

Age: 41

Physical Description: Brother Gang is, to put it simply, a very well-built man. His body has been torn apart and put back together again by the rigors of harsh daily training, molding it into a deadly weapon in and of itself. He stands at the modest height of five feet, six inches and, while it may not look it at a first glance due to the...more wide-set body that he sports, all of Brother Gang's 190 pounds stem from muscle, not fat. He may not have a six-pack, but he doesn't need one; all of the muscles do what they're told and that's all Brother Gang can ask for. If anything, Brother Gang is proud of his body, if the fact that he usually goes out with nothing but a vest covering his chest is any indication. Thankfully for most of us, Brother Gang has afforded more attention to his lower body; he wears loose-fitting pants and a pair of sandals, giving him the range of movement that he needs. Most of the time, Brother Gang moves with a surprising lightness to his step, hinting at the fact that the monk is ever-prepared for battle. With the same practicality in mind, Brother Gang keeps his scalp and face cleanly shaven, revealing his stern blue eyes and kind but hardened resting expression to the entire world.

Philosophy: "True honor comes from victory on the battlefield."

Personality: Brother Gang has known no other philosophy other than the one he was taught as a child, and he has no interest in learning about any others. He believes that he has been put in a very particular position in the pecking order of the universe, and he has no desire to ascend (or descend) from said position. As such, Brother Gang adheres to the philosophy of his homeland to the very letter, causing him to seem very uptight at times. That's not to say that the monk is completely unfriendly; far from it, actually. Brother Gang has grown old enough to know that the best thing a man can have in the world (other than individual honor) is a friend, and thus strives to be as friendly as he can to those he meets in his travels, especially his potential opponents. The keyword here is ?strives,? as you might imagine; Brother Gang, as mentioned, is definitely not an unfriendly man, but he is also a man who reserves his words for when they are necessary...which doesn't help his reputation as an uptight man in the slightest.

Elements:

Air: 3

Earth: 0

Fire: 0

Water: 3

Balance: 2-1 Armor = 1 total Balance.

Specialties: Awareness and Strategy

Armor: 1. This point of armor comes from his body itself, which has been hardened over time to withstand most simple blows.

Weapon: Main Weapon: his fists. The rest of his body counts as a secondary weapon of sorts.

Styles:

Golden Fist (unarmed) - Air + Water.

The ultimate power of the fist is apparent to any who have seen it and unimaginable by all others.

Initiate: Double any bonuses gained from being Focused.

Student: Raise the lowest Attack die to match the highest when Focused.

History: Brother Gang was born sometime in June; that much he reveals to the public. He was born to a simple family of modest wealth, as most are on the island of Wutai, and raised according to the teachings of the former kings and queens. Ever since he was a young boy, Brother Gang ? then usually referred to as ?Shu? ? was trained in the martial arts by his father, who showed neither him nor his two brothers any sympathy just because of their blood relation. The three boys were pushed to their very limits day in and day out, in much the same manner that their father had been pushed some years earlier.

Besides that, however, most of Brother Gang's adolescent years were uneventful; he didn't even have a girl he fancied at any point, at least nothing beyond the normal pubescent fantasizing. As his eighteenth birthday drew nearer and nearer, however, he watched as his brothers ? both of them now accomplished Students of the Golden Fist ? set out on their own pilgrimages, destined to travel the world for at least five years, attempting to bring honor to themselves and to the Kingdom of Wutai.

And so it was for Brother Gang, as well; for on his eighteenth birthday, Brother Gang was promoted (after a series of tests, of course) to the rank of Student and sent on his own pilgrimage across the islands. For the next ten years (the decision to stay out for double the time was, of course, on purpose) Brother Gang hopped from island to island, engaging in honorable duels with countless souls that he deemed worthy. Sometimes he won, and sometimes he lost; such is the way of the battlefield.

At the age of 28, Brother Gang finally decided that it was time to return home, at least for a time. Once he arrived home, he quickly found a wife of his own to settle down with. They had no children, and for that Brother Gang would prove to be grateful, for at the age of 35, after seven long years of peaceful marriage (and training, of course) the monk came down with a terminal case of wanderlust once more. He longed to be on the battlefield once again. For a year longer, Brother Gang retrained himself, getting as close to his twenty-year-old self as a man twice that age is allowed and carefully, through the art of persuasion (and ass-kissing), persuading his lovely wife to allow him to leave. As the year drew to a close, Brother Gang found himself successful in both of these objectives...although he couldn't begin to tell you how he managed to convince his wife of the venture. At the age of 36, Brother Gang left his home island once more, and since then, he has traveled; to lands familiar and not, far and near, mundane and exotic...and still he does not tire.

Brother Gang finds himself on the island of Bastion for the same reason he finds himself of any island; to duel the one he deems most honorable. He has heard the call of King Sityr and has judged this to be the perfect opportunity. After all, who better to duel than one with the strength of kings? Keeping another kingdom from falling into turmoil is just a bonus.
 

Morsomk_v1legacy

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So here are questions about the Code of Combat.

How does it exactly work for pirates? Are pirates able to kill an entire crew of a trading vessel and just not care about any penalty? Or does the Code only work for people who learned style?

Are there like ways to circumnavigate through the rules? Like Person A ties Person B but throws him into like water filled with sharks that kill Person B or Person A can get Person C to kill Person B so Person C gets penalty but not Person A.

Can a captain of a ship be master of a legendary Style but still have his crew do the dirty work for him?
 

SamtheDeathclaw

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I apologize for the slow reply. I've been quite busy.
Morsomk said:
How does it exactly work for pirates? Are pirates able to kill an entire crew of a trading vessel and just not care about any penalty? Or does the Code only work for people who learned style?
Pirates are often don't make use of the Legendary Styles, so are not bound by its rules. Those that do, however, often challenge a ship to a duel between captains, winner take all. The harsher pirates simply keep a handful of people who don't know a Style and use them for clean-up duty.
Morsomk said:
Are there like ways to circumnavigate through the rules? Like Person A ties Person B but throws him into like water filled with sharks that kill Person B or Person A can get Person C to kill Person B so Person C gets penalty but not Person A.
Yes, both examples you listed are correct. Person A would not suffer the consequences in either scenario.
Morsomk said:
Can a captain of a ship be master of a legendary Style but still have his crew do the dirty work for him?
Yes. Ordering someone else to break the Code is considered shameful, but not breaking the code.

One thing to note, since I don't think I mentioned it in the first post: ships are rarely larger than 20-30 crew. Ships above this size tend to not pull into port after they leave. Even some that are within the guidelines don't.

Redryhno said:
Snip
Looks good to me.
Chilifro said:
snip
Same here, looks good to me.

Again, I apologize for the delay in getting to both of your sheets.

[HEADING=3]ANNOUNCEMENT[/HEADING]​
Entry officially closes Sunday, June 7th. I will post the list of accepted characters sometime tomorrow night, probably along the lines of 12a.m. CST. (26.5 hours after this post, roughly. .)
 

Neuromancer

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Mar 16, 2012
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Name: Michishige Sanosuke

Gender: Male

Age: 28

Physical Description: Sano stands at slightly above average height, with a toned body, emphasising agility over raw muscular power. Though not yet in his thirties, the stubble he sports along with his craggy, weather-beaten face and sharp features make him look somewhat older. The most notable characteristic about him is the jagged scar he sports over and under his left eye. He has long, dark brown hair fashioned into a ponytail.

Sano dresses lightly, wearing a green-and-white kimono along with a light green sash around his waist, sandals, a green-and-white shrug over his left shoulder,white gloves and a kasa.

He typically rests his left hand on the sheath of his sword and has a casual but aged saunter about him.


Philosophy: Life is pointless, and full of suffering. Yet, in facing adversity, man grows stronger and wiser, and may find their own meaning to it.

Personality: On the surface, Sano is introverted and tight-lipped, but underneath lies a sea of goodwill, good humor, and an honest readiness to help friends and strangers alike. Even so, his aloofness makes it difficult for him to properly express himself to others, and as he is a man of few words, they are often misunderstood.

Sano always addresses people politely, and is an extremely calm individual, one that never lets his emotions get the better of him. Unlike others who prefer to act first, he much prefers to contemplate all options presented to him before choosing the one that he finds to be best, an attitude that often left him accused of indolence. A pacifist, he dislikes battle and only seeks it when his back is against the wall.

Elements:
Air: 2
Earth: 2
Fire: 0
Water: 2
Balance: 3

Specialties:
Awareness: "Perceive that which cannot be seen with the eye, for sight is weak and danger ever-present."
Empathy: "One who has suffered knows to see suffering where others cannot."


Armor: 0

Weapon: Primary Weapon: Katana (curved sword)

Style:
Leaning Crane (Curved Sword) - Air + Water
That which cannot be done in a single movement, you are not yet ready to do.
Initiate: Add Balance to attack and damage rolls on your first attack against an opponent.
Student: You are always Focused until you miss an attack.

History: Sano hails from the Isle of Bushi, a large mountainous island known for its military tradition, isolationalist tendencies and amount of Kings. In Bushi, unlike other more centralised islands, each major town and stronghold is typically ruled by its own King, leading to its moniker, "The Isle of a hundred Kingdoms"

Sano was born to a commoner family in a coastal village at the outskirts of the kingdom of Sagara, a small kingdom situated in the northen coast of the isle, different from other kingdoms in that its ports were open to foreign trade, gaining a lot of wealth, but also the ire of its neighbours. Due to frequent attacks from neighbouring kingdoms, the coastal villages away from the capital were often prey to pirate attacks.

Sano's village was no exception. The pirates slaughtered the entire village, and Sano only survived due to the timely intervention of an old wanderer, who drove them off with his masterful use of the sword. Orphaned and without a place to go, the old man took Sano under his wing as he travelled around the various kingdoms offering protection and aid to those in need.

But the way of the wanderer is filled with hardship, and Sano had to quickly learn to live with little in the ways of food, security and comfort. Still, he quickly grew accustomed to it, and even grew to like the lifestyle, as he felt a certain degree of satisfaction in seeing people's plights solved by the old man. As he grew to adolescence, Sano requested to be taught the way of the sword, and soon started his training.

The training involved much more than just physical exercise. Sano was often tasked with dealing with the problems of the people that they met, and more often than not said problems were much more complex than they appeared at first. Nevertheless, the years of observing his master had gifted him with experience, and was able to pass his trials competently.

Alas, before he could finish his training, his master, old as he were, fell ill and, despite Sano's best efforts, passed away not too long afterwards. A humble funeral soon followed, and Sano, griefstricken but unfettered, doned his master's shrug on his left shoulder and set out to continue his legacy. Despite having travelled all around Bushi, he felt that there still was much he had to learn from the outside world and, at the age of 16, he returned to Sagara and boarded a ship to see more of the world.

12 years have passed since then, and now Sano, a much more learned and world-weary man, finds himself in the island of Bastion. Having experienced first-hand the plight of the people that were left in the wake of the kingslayer, he decided to lend his hand in the protection of Bastion's King, and hopefully understand the reason for this seemingly wanton killing.

Feedback is appreciated.
 

SamtheDeathclaw

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Neuromancer said:
snip
You mention towards the end that Sano has seen the handiwork of the kingkiller, but I don't see any other reference to it, so I'd like to hear more of that event. Besides that, I don't have any problems with your character.
 

Neuromancer

Endless Struggle
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Mar 16, 2012
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SamtheDeathclaw said:
You mention towards the end that Sano has seen the handiwork of the kingkiller, but I don't see any other reference to it, so I'd like to hear more of that event. Besides that, I don't have any problems with your character.
To clarify, Sano has not seen the killer in person, but the effects of the chaos that they spread to the common folk. Entire communities lacking protection falling prey to exploitation by bandits or pirates, roads that are no longer safe causing lack of trade and thus sometimes denying folk basic needs, all that kind of stuff.
 

SamtheDeathclaw

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Neuromancer said:
To clarify, Sano has not seen the killer in person, but the effects of the chaos that they spread to the common folk. Entire communities lacking protection falling prey to exploitation by bandits or pirates, roads that are no longer safe causing lack of trade and thus sometimes denying folk basic needs, all that kind of stuff.
That's what I figured. I just wanted to see what your plan for it was. Sounds good to me.
 

Morsomk_v1legacy

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Name: Djóck Sóhnmeer

Gender: Male

Age: 34

Physical Description:

Blonde hair, with brown eyes. Stands at 185 cm at height. Broad shoulders. Hair is long, he has stubbles on his chin. Thick arms with working hands. A tattoo on the backside of a smiling clown holding an axe in one hand and a top hat in the other. Plain faced.

His clothing consists of leather boots. An open blue shirt. Black pants. Brown leather coat.

Philosophy: ?The truth is not always the best option. I?d rather say lies that bring smiles than truths that bring tears?

Personality:
Djóck is always seen smiling. He has a very upbeat fun personality which some people can catch. But that is only a facade, because Djóck is actually a rather sad individual because of his former past which he cannot tell anyone about and thus he lies to almost anyone he ever meets. Not to mention the fact that he acts in theater, which requires him to perform a various number of different roles and personalities.

Thus Djóck often wonders if he is actually happy, or is it just him lying to everyone due to the nature of his former profession. He also tends to get a bit sad whenever he thinks about his origins, as he doesn?t even know where he originally hails from and he has nothing to give him a clue about it.

He feels as if he is a drifter in a world that would be hostile to him if it ever knew what he was.


Elements:
Air: 2
Earth:2
Fire: 2
Water: 0
Balance: 3

Specialties:
Carpentry
Acting

Armour: Nothing but the clothes on his back.


Weapon:
Primary Weapon: 1 handed Axe, the kind which you would use to chop wood.
Sidearm: A flintlock pistol that is mainly used to threaten people to either back off or force them to do something. Doesn't really have a bullet in it.


Styles:
Burrowing Shark (Unarmed or Axe) - Earth + Fire
Be the shark of the land, feast on the unsuspecting.
Initiate: Add Fire to Damage against any opponents you attack before they attack you.
Student: Always strike first in combat.


History:
Djóck is a former pirate. Not by choice, but rather because it seemed it?s what destiny held for him, having been dragged out of the ocean at the age of fifteen, all memory before the event lost..

Luckily though, he was dragged in by a group of actors turned pirates, though calling them pirates was like calling a coot a duck.
.
The ship was called ?The Playwright? and its captain was Willhjan Urchbeld. The story goes that Willhjan and his crew turned pirates when they freed a ship carrying a shipment of slaves that was under the ownership of prince of a now fallen kingdom. No good deed goes unpunished though, and the prince, boiling with anger that a ship of wandering minstrels foiled his plans and denied him profit, used whatever influence he had to smear their name and brand them as pirates.

That did little to discourage Willhjan and his crew, however. Being branded as pirates meant that they could no longer return to their previous lives, and so they decided to continue doing the same act that damned them in the first place: Freeing slaves.

After Djóck was fished out of the ocean, the crew decided to raise him as their own. They taught him how to act and he became the ward of the crew?s carpenter, so as to assist with ship repairs whenever they are needed, and dubbed him ?Son of the Sea?, for it was in the sea that they found him drifting. They had also taught him how to fight, in the style of the ?Burrowing Shark?


Djóck never did wonder who he was during those times, all he knew that he was happy among those who he called friends and family. The life on ?The Playwright? was the only one he knew. But on his 16th year at the ship, had the crew only just manage to survive from the bloodiest fight they had ever encountered. Half the crew had died and captain Willhjan barely survived, only to die 10 days later from especially high fever caused by an infected wound.

Thus the crew disbanded and each went their own way, hoping to be able to live a normal life somewhere. Djóck went to Bastion Isle, where he has been working as a carpenter and as an actor for three years. Living a life of lie, while also performing the art of deception has put Djóck into an identity crisis on Bastion, he feels like he has no true comrades and cannot be honest to anyone. Djóck isn?t even exactly sure on when was the last time he has said anything truthful to anyone. The life on Bastion Isle felt like a living hell for Djóck these past three years.

And then the past caught up with him. The spy network under the king found out who he truly was and gave him an option. Either Djóck worked for the king or he was to be put on the chopping block. He agreed on keeping his head.

For some reason, when I type Ó in a spoiler box, I get these weird Chinese looking letters and I'm not really sure how to fix that.

Either way, I hope everything is alright, description on personality and history could be a bit derpy and the phsycial description could be a bit basic. I'm not really the best when it comes to describing the physical look of characters.
 

SamtheDeathclaw

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Morsomk said:
snip

For some reason, when I type Ó in a spoiler box, I get these weird Chinese looking letters and I'm not really sure how to fix that.

Either way, I hope everything is alright, description on personality and history could be a bit derpy and the phsycial description could be a bit basic. I'm not really the best when it comes to describing the physical look of characters.
Flintlocks/firearms in general have yet to be invented, so another sidearm would be appropriate. Besides that, looks fine. And yeah, accents cause issues with the spoiler tags. No idea why, but it's been that way for as long as I can remember.
 

SamtheDeathclaw

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The following characters have been accepted into the roleplay:
hiei82 said:
Name: Nazli Shula Haddad

Gender: Woman

Age: 28

Physical Description: Nazli is built like a house; standing at over 6-and-a-half tall and weighing in at a little over 210 lbs (all of it muscle). Her eyes are a dark brown as is her long, tied-up hair. Her skin is of a darker-tanned shade than most and is marked with burns and a number of tattoos (visible include an Origin symbol for the elements of fire and earth). While she doesn't lack for grace in her movements, she tends to move in a more determined and direct way. She dresses in a long leather and cloth robe with many pockets and loops that hold many tools of smithing. Carefully concealed beneath the leather and cloth are chainmail and some metal plates. She wears a Hijab much of the time (though out of a memory of home and as protection from the sun rather than any religious reason) but takes it off while forging for obvious reasons.

Philosophy: "Origins grant me the strength to act, the wisdom to act well, and the courage to act well forever."

Personality: Nazli is a very spiritual person. She believes in the spirits and that they guide all people toward enlightenment. From this faith she draws the courage to act for the benefit of others. She knows she lacks the longevity of the spirits and will fade from this world in "a blink of their eyes". As such, she wants to ensure that she uses what she has to do the most good for the most people. Finally, she knows that all this will is meaningless without the power to act upon it. Courage, Wisdom, and Strength are therefore what she prizes most.

These have pushed her toward her 3 part goal: 1) travel the sea to train with the greatest blacksmiths in the world to 2) create a legendary weapon to last through the ages and 3) give that weapon to a person or people worthy of it.

Elements: Personality and Elements are intrinsically linked. Your Elements define who you are, and vice versa. You have 6 points to spend, and all Elements start at 0.
Air: 2
Earth: 2
Fire: 2
Water: 0
Balance: 3 Unencumbered - 2 Armor = 1 Modified

Specialties:
Metalworking: represents training as blacksmith
Persuasion: represents dedication to goal

Armor: A suit of scalemail (Rating 2) - mail covering most of body with interlocked plates covering vital areas covered by her blacksmith's apron/clothes.

Weapon:
Main Weapon: "Damascus-Steel" Scimitar (Curved Sword) - Her current Masterpiece
Sidearm: Blacksmith's Hammer (Improvised Maul) - mostly used to create weapons/armor OR latest creation if applicable.


Styles: Student of Flock of Doves (Glaive or Curved Sword) - Air + Fire
The softest diversion can lead to the hardest downfall.
Initiate: May be used Defensively.
Student: Opponent may be Weakened instead of rolling for damage normally.

History:Nazli was born the sixth child of a family from the island of "Damas". Her father was a smith of some repute for island, producing everything from tools for artisans to the weapons of war for the islands limited warriors. The island wasn't the most hospitable of islands - having more sand than water or vegetation - but it was rich in iron and steel and so could trade for what it lacked with those neighbors it had. In another life, Nazli might have been a simple smith or been married off to some rich land owner but fate decided otherwise.

During her 8th year, a plague swept across the island, killing nearly 80% of the populace. No one knew where the plague came from but the island was fully unprepared. What little protection they had came from the Origins who helped the small island nation. Of her family, only she and her father survived the plague. Lacking in "proper sons" to take over the and help with the forge and with so few people left on the island to replace them, he began - reluctantly - teaching her the way of the forge. From her father's perspective it was a task ill-suiting a woman and regretted it almost daily at first. However, as time passed Nazli matched and in some ways exceeded his skill. In time, he would likely have seen the error of his ways were it not for the final fate of the island.

The plague had it seemed came from infected food coming from their neighboring islands. These neighbors jealously coveted the wealth of resources of the island. Once they felt the island was ripe for conquest, they sent in their champions to challenge the island's leadership for the right to rule. Following the Code of Conduct to the letter, they saw their island fall. With that, the natives of the island found themselves second-class citizens in their own homes.

Her father, having recognized what these neighbors did to gain advantage and the cost it had taken on his family and friends, took it upon himself to see these monstrous men lose their prize. To this end, he called on his most loyal of friends to collapse the mines (giving their lives in the process), while he broke into the island's armory and destroyed all his prized weapons and armor in the way only a blacksmith could.

Nazli aided them as best she could by destroying the family forge and taking what tools and supplies they could down to the docks. The plan was to meet at daybreak and set sail for a new life. When daybreak came and her father did not arrive, Nazli knew it meant he'd been captured and so set sail for parts unknown.

During her travels, she's found most people are the same as those who took her home and family from her causing her to distrust most others even as she works with them. She's made it her life's goal to find someone of true nobility of character and craft for them the perfect tools for them. Toward this end, she's continued her traveling almost non-stop, stopping only for teachers in the ways of smithing and "just" jobs to fund her survival and travels.
Dogmatic99 said:
Name: Llyr Argall

Gender: Male

Age: 20

Physical description: Llyr is a fairly short and slender young man, most of the men of his home island have often joked about how his hands are so thin, like a girl or a child and how he should wear better boots to make himself look taller or so he can reach things high above him. He's shown them that he's capable of reaching things just fine but that hasn't stopped them. They've often used that, along with his dark brown hair and jade green eyes to suggest that Llyr must be descended from a fay origin that lacked the strength and fire that made up their ancestors. Llyr doesn't know, but it would help explain why he's so pale.

Despite his weak appearance no one will doubt Llyr's ability as a hunter, he moves with a greater ease than other, larger, men when in the dense forest that covers most of his homeland, skipping nimbly among the tangling roots and dancing through the trees until the time comes to slow his pace and move like a fox through the undergrowth. They actually compare him to a snake, but he prefers foxes. Though folks would prefer he kept that kind of thing to the forests, as Llyr is very light of foot and quiet in nature and tends to sneak up on people by accident. Fashion has never been a big thing among the men of Llyr's home, mostly they try to see who can wear the least amount of clothing and show off the most warpaint covered muscle. He foregoes this and dresses in a practical and conservative manner with whatever furs and leathers are to hand.

Though he does have some lean muscle, just no one to show it off to. Not that he'd want to.

Philosophy: The world is huge and I am small, all the easier to move through it unhindered.

Personality: Llyr is, as you may have guessed, not an alpha male. In fact he's kind of a loner. Softly spoken, when he deems to speak, Llyr has always preferred the quiet and the company of animals over that of his clansmen. Finding peace in the secluded instead. He doesn't deny that this is because of the culture he grew up in, where the women are the mystics and wise folk while the men are warriors, the tradesmen. And of course, Llyr isn't built to be a warrior. Rather than dwelling on being shunned as a runt though Llyr embraced this way of living. Not that he can live totally alone, as brash and loud and needlessly competitive as they are he doesn't hate his clansmen. He even made some friends with some of them, that was how he learned how to hunt. Though Llyr never managed to get truly close to someone. It's as if there is a final wall in his way that he can't quite pass.

He's been told that it's because he always seems so distant, that people can never really read him or tell where they stand. They might be right, Llyr never really does anything because he wants to but because he has to. And he's always been that way. Happiness has never come easily to Llyr, the only time he really felt joy in something was when he learned the ways of the spear or when he could lose himself in the wild. Sometimes he thinks this could be enough for him but in his heart Llyr can't deny that even he doesn't want to live a life of isolation and apathy. This unquiet thought is what caused him to leave his home, to travel the world and seek out his passion and find his fire.

Elements:
Air - 2
Earth - 2
Fire - 0
Water - 2
Armour - 0
Balance - 3

Specialties:
Survival (Air + Earth)
Archery (Water + Earth)

Primary Weapon: Spear
Secondary: Bow

Styles:

Llyr's fighting style is that of a hunter, which he has honed on deer, boars and the occasional wolf. Inspired by the need to move freely and quietly. Each strike must be with purpose and not an ounce of energy wasted. A good hunter should always aim to fell his prey as swiftly as possible, this goes double for a dangerous opponent.

Seeking Killer (Spear) - Air + Water.
A war of a million spears can become a war of one with the proper thought.
Initiate: Become focused whenever your Balance is higher than the defender's.

Empty Vessel (Spear or Unarmed) - Earth + Water
Leave not a ripple in your wake.
Initiate: If you are not wearing armour add Balance to defense rolls.

History:

Llyr hails from the forested mountain island of Cader Idris, a place that knows only summer. It stands as one of a cluster of closely situated islands, each one ruled by a different clan. This loose collection of groups have formed a ragged alliance together, making them a kingdom in the vaguest sense of the word. Though which clan that claimed the king right is left open every five years, ready to be decided as warriors from each island gather for a great tournament where the winner is crowned. And then when politics aren't involved they have honour duels and skirmishes between warbands trying to win themselves glory the rest of the time. All according to the laws of combat of course but to Llyr's mind the whole thing just. Never. Stopped. And they never shut up about it. The closest thing to a gift these people could think of was to share the fighting styles their origins had once passed down to them! So Llyr would find his daily escape from clan life in the forest, until he was more at home there than back at his village.

Until one day when he lost himself in the mountain paths and found himself standing in a grove, hidden by the steep mountain walls and untouched by man, or so he thought. It was here that Llyr found the wanderer who would teach him the ways of the empty vessel, to rise above his journeyman skill and pass through the world like a ghost. He would stay in that place for three months, living off the land before his heart would ache for home and more. His teacher encouraged him to stay but it wasn't to be. The two parted ways, knowing they would never meet again. It didn't take much thought for Llyr to decide what he'd do next. He would leave his island as many young men had done before him, to seek adventure and new experiences. The clan always talked of those that brought back trophies, riches and fame and how it brought more glory to them. Llyr wouldn't do that, he was going for himself, to find the joy that had alluded him his whole life.
Terratina. said:
Name: Li Zhu
Gender: Male
Age: 24

Physical Description: Li would have a rather forgettable face if it wasn?t for the fact there Li is always wearing a smile of childish wonder, oh, and there are the scars. Only two though, one which cuts along his left cheek while other one is just a small cut which creeps up from his chin and stops near his ever smiling mouth. Li?s head and face are clean shaven, emphasising his boyish face. He dresses practically, usually wearing a dull coloured tangzhuang behind a tabard of padded leather armour along simple trousers and shoes, with his weapons in scabbards attached to his belt. While Li tries to cultivate a welcoming air, anyone with a bit of common sense concludes the smile is fake and are rather disconcerted. However, they are wrong: it?s not the smile that?s fake, rather it?s Li?s tolerance of other people.

Philosophy: ?True beauty lies in bloodshed.?

Personality: Li has a rather odd view of other people, to him they are just things. Ugly things. Pigs wrapped up in plant fibres who yammer on about nothing. In other words, he regards other people as a child would a fly. Unfortunately, he was the type of child who pulled the wings off them. To Li, the only truth and beauty there is in the world is within fighting, where words are forsaken and each participant justifies themselves by using their body as a weapon. The body is more honest than the mind, after all. Nevertheless, Li does not get the same thrill from hunting, humans have too much of an advantage after all. Some people assume Li is the scheming kind, but he only cares about finding beauty in the world. After a fair bit of wrestling with his feelings on the issue, Li views the Code of Combat as a necessary evil: sure it limits combat quite a bit but it allows for a slew of one-on-one fights where he can witness and judge his opponent closely.

Elements:
Air: 0
Earth: 2
Fire: 2
Water: 2
Balance: 3 - 1 Armour = 2

Specialties:

Acrobatics (Earth + Fire)
Meditation (Fire + Water)

Armour: 1

Weapons:

Primary - Jian (Straight Sword)
Secondary - Swordbreaker Dagger

Styles:

Closing Fangs (Unarmed or Straight Sword) - Earth + Water
For the unsuspecting prey the fangs close slowly.
Initiate: If you Weaken an opponent they are also Staggered.

Blood Sharer (Straight Sword, Curved Sword or Axe) - Earth + Fire
Share every drop your attacker draws from you.
Initiate: Whenever your opponent Weakens you they are Weakened themselves.

History: Li was taken in by the Xueshou monastery at an early age when the ship he and his parents were on crashed upon their shores. They were far from kind masters; the Xueshou meditate on various Legendary Styles hoping to fully comprehend the Origins and each Xueshou monk is expected to know at least four and master two in their lifetimes. Li?s training began at soon as he reached six years of age. As he grew older, he grew bored of bald old men teaching him how to kick and yammering on about philosophy. He?d rather spend time at the dock listening to sailors? tales of other islands and bloodthirsty pirates, how exciting!

Nevertheless, Li persevered with his training and it finally clicked: if the Origins were supreme supernatural beings and if Legendary Styles came from them, surely bloodshed was divine? Li then plunged himself into training, finding he enjoyed the no nonsense approach of Closing Fangs and Blood Sharer. His masters, however, quickly noticed Li?s rather... positive approach to hurting others and growing disdain for the Code of Combat. In the end, the head monk - or King of the monastery island - known as Grandmaster Guo came to Li?s quarters one night and suggested that Li should leave quietly in a couple of days. Li did, having been practically given a sentence of exile. Next morning, Li hitched passage to another island as a stowaway and has been working as a mercenary ever since.
EnigmaticSevens said:
Name: Ryael Astucizu Excaverra e Bruxar

Gender: Male

Age: 24

Physical Description: Ryael has a pleasant enough face, features gentle, somewhat boyish, and nearly always adorned with a slight smile and a few days worth of unshriven scruff, a land where laughter comes easily. Yet in the soft angles and lingering adolescent charms is a clear streak of mischief, a playfulness with a cutting edge, reminding all those who might forget, that even a young wolf has teeth and that the most beautifully colored serpents oft times conceal the deadliest venom. With dark hair and rosy, sun-kissed skin, Ryael is a picture of fine health and youthful vigor, form wiry, lean, and possessed of a greater strength than most might imagine. His eyes are bright, a shimmering grey run through at their center with a myriad colors, proof positive of one blessed by an Origin (or so he claims.) He?s not particularly tall, but he walks with a sort of constant cocksure swagger, a rutting sensuality behind each step and smile, and for better or worse, his presence seems to fill even a rather large room. Yet, for the most part, this is a boon in Ryael?s line of work. A bright eyed smile puts a soul at ease, a tricksy tongue set in a pleasant face can unwind the knot of worry from a husband?s heart even as it worries the knots on his wife?s bodice.

Philosophy: "Life is not some mystery to be solved but rather a reality to be experienced!"

Personality: Ryael rhymes with smile, and smile rhymes with guile, and some men were born to smile with guile and rile the complacent and self-assured. There?s something in Ryael?s manner, at the core of his nature, that most people find oddly attractive. The lad wreaks of the exotic and the exotic is always enticing. Life has a way of dulling men, of pulling their teeth and blunting them. The fiery passions burn out, the wanderlust fades, and the worries grow more mundane. Ryael is unblunted, and even more so, he sharpens those around him. Even the sternest minister or humblest farmer seems keen to admit that life is certainly more interesting with Ryael in it, for better or worse.

Jovial and clever, Ryael?s tongue is full of wit and witticism in equal measure, quick to conjure up gaiety and glee. An odd union of opposites lies bound up in the youth?s bones. As sultry and salacious as a buck in rut, yet possessed of an odd nobility, and a seemingly genuine respect for even the smallest of people. Be you pauper or prince, bastard or saint, Ryael knows there?s a song in you, somewhere, and he?s more than happy to weave it into something grand, something memorable, and quite possibly something shockingly tawdry and scandalous. There is a powerful magic in words, far grander than any fel sorcery, and Ryael knows this well. The lad was born and raised to live a life worthy of song and story, undoubtedly charmed if, quite possibly, regrettably short.

The people of Feijuadu, the Broken Land, excel at the imaginative, the creative, the unexpected, at twisty thinking and knives that bend in odd directions and Ryael is no exception. Among the Feiji, all things are a romance, and their own origins are no exception.

"Come Pravera, springtide daughter, to a land of flesh and clay, come to weave a world of beauty, come to break to the winter?s sway.
Harsh Invernu, icy lover, grieves for want of distant bride, grieves with lusty wroth and roaring, grieves with need and long bruised pride.
Flower daughter, snowborn son, wage their war and shatter stone, and where their blood does mix and mingle, spring forth heirs of broken homes.
Bleeding children, bleeding lovers, scattered ?cross the broken land, send their tears into the summer, seek the mother?s tender hand.
Ma Verao doth come with mercies, come to calm her wayward sired, come with love and light unending, come to set the world afire.

Mother, mother, set the lands, set them aright and give us peace
Feijuadu no more broken, welded tight beneath the seas."


To those born of the blood of clashing gods, what are the petty conflicts of men? Little more than opportunites ripe for the taking. As hot blooded as the lover?s spat they claim gave them birth, and gave rise to the tightly clustered archipelago that is Feijuadu, the Broken Land, a mad quilt of sand and swamp, the Feiji thrive in the fires of the crucible. Vigor, heat, industry, ever swelling aspiration- artistic or economic, all serve as fuel for a people who cherish movement and growth first and foremost, who call stillness stagnation, just a slower sort of death. Why shouldn?t such a people be glorious, why should they not seek mastery? Why shouldn?t the nomad bands scattered across a few resource poor islands, swell into an economic and cultural mecca to rival neighboring kingdoms, and rule as a tiny tyrant within their own region? Ask one of the Feiji for proof of his divinity, and he?ll gladly wave his nation?s history like a flag with one hand? and set about worrying the knots on your coin purse with the other.


Elements:
Air: 1
Earth: 1
Fire: 3
Water: 1
Balance: 3

Specialties:
Music
Seduction

Weapon:
Primary: A Kampilan, a single-edged sword of distinctive shape, well crafted and extremely ornate, made all the odder by the utter lack of a cross guard. It seems rather purposefully wrought to appear decorative, almost ornamental, all the better to draw attention away from the very well maintained edge.

Secondary: A trident dagger, a single mid-length double-edged blade flanked by two smaller blades extending at 45 degree angles from the hilt. Also quite heavily decorated, beautifully detailed with odd scenes wrought in inlaid golden filagree, a pretty bauble to look at? and never fear until the moment it traps a blade in its queer embrace.

Styles:
Gentleman's Tongue (Straight Sword) - Fire + Water.
Initiate: Double Fire when it is higher than the defender's.

Initiate Fire Mage

History: Ryael does not call himself a musician because he can pull a sound from any given instrument so sweet as to make the stones themselves weep. He does not call himself a musician because he has learned the magic that lies pent up in song, that cuts to the core of emotion and moves mountains. He does not call himself a musician because such a career is the surest way to drown oneself merrily in wine, women and song. Ryael calls himself a musician because jotting down spy, thief, saboteur, and occasional assassin in a harbormaster?s log book under ?Occupation? tends to raise eyebrows? and a fuss. Besides, those sorts of low individuals don?t get invited to fancy parties, and Ryael loves fancy parties. While quite skilled, in truth, with a number of instruments, a Musician of the Feiji is only an entertainer most of the time. In all other moments, such a one is the embodiment of the Feiji philosophy of ?pensantorcanto? or ?thinking around corners.?

Most men expect thieves to steal through the night and pick the locks on their treasure rooms, fewer expect their lonely, dutiful stewards to be swept away in a fit of passion and invite the thieves in for a midnight tryst. Most men expect light-fingered pickpockets to brush past them and secret away their coin purses with crafty fingers, fewer expect to get blindingly drunk while carousing with a witty new-found friend and awaken without coin purse or clothing for that matter. Most men expect assassins to come skulking through the night, stinking of desperation, rejected by the Origins and wielding poisoned knives. But when some fop of a musician blows into port and woos a wife, a sister, a daughter, or a friend into scintillating scandal, such men expect to challenge that peacocking fool to an honorable duel and give him a good thrashing. They make the most amusing faces when the real blow strikes and the lifeblood flows.

When trouble arises and must be dealt with, most men look to mercenaries or heroes for succor and salvation. The Feiji? send musicians.

At present, Ryael is representing the vested interests of some fourteen different trading consortia concerned with the economic devastation left in the wake of so many newly rudderless kingdoms. They?re quite aflutter over recent events, so aflutter that their accountants and watchdogs have yet to realize that their key agent on the scene isn?t precisely? exclusive in his devotions. As far as Ryael is concerned, the old adage is a good one, if you?re good at something, never do it for free? and if you?re really good at something, get paid for it a couple dozen times over.
Texas Joker 52 said:
Name: Wakahisa Daichi, or Daichi the Bottomless

Gender: Male

Age: 31

Physical Description: Daichi is a large, rather imposing man, standing at 6 feet with a stout build that consists mainly of hard fat and muscle. His skin is lightly tanned, while his long, dark hair is pulled back into a simple tail at the nape of his neck. His wide, face is usually smiling with a flattened nose and dark eyes underneath thick, slashing eyebrows, and he has a long, well-groomed Fu Manchu mustache. While he doesn't look blatantly overweight, he does appear to be bulky and slow, which couldn't be farther from the truth. He moves with a distinct air of grace and care, with each movement measured and fluid.

Whenever he isn't in combat, he prefers to wear simple, but elegant, robes, often in a sedate patterns and darker colors such as navy blue or forest green, and plain sandals.

Whenever he is prepared for battle, however, he wears heavy armor without a helmet, that also leaves the part of his chest and right arm almost completely uncovered.

Philosophy: "There is more to valor than fighting only when you think you'll win. If defeat is certain, fight with honor and accept defeat with grace."

Personality: Normally a quiet, unassuming man, Daichi is in actuality a very passionate warrior who believes wholeheartedly in the virtues of a swordsman: Honor, Valor, and Wisdom. As such he has a very strong sense of justice, and will never stay quiet whenever he sees something that goes against what he believes is truly right. Though he will not hesitate to cut down an opponent in a fight whenever he truly sets his mind to the task, he prefers to simply defeat an enemy, and usually sees death as wasteful and unnecessary. As such, he comes across as a man who knows his own strength, and is very restrained because of it.

If there is anything Daichi truly appreciates, it is kindness and beauty in all its forms, be it nature, women, but especially good food. It has been said that, without the self-control and discipline that his Master had taught him, Daichi would never stop eating everything around him, because he has never truly been satisfied by any meal. Said appreciation causes him to be rather serene on his own, taking in his surroundings with a sense of contentment. It was also a small part of the reason behind his travels: The Last Ocean is a big place, and there is surely plenty of gorgeous sights, smells, and foods to be taken in that what happens to be on the Isle of Shuu, his home island.

Elements:

Air: 0
Earth: 2
Fire: 2
Water: 2
Balance: 3 - 3 Armor

Specialties:

Cooking: Daichi is quite the accomplished amateur cook, due in no small part to his unending appetite. As such, he is always on the lookout for any new recipes he can find.

Painting: As a man who appreciates beauty in all it's forms, he has dabbled in painting not only portraits but landscapes as well, though it is clear he still has quite a bit to learn.

Armor: Daichi wears heavy plate armor that focuses on protecting his stomach, upper left torso, left arm, and legs, with the heaviest plating on his left shoulder and around his waist. The plating is painted a dark blue, with the pauldron emblazoned with a simple red flower. His armor leaves his right arm and the top right half of his chest completely bare, save for a simple armored glove covering his right hand.

Weapon:

Primary Weapon: Uchigatana

Sidearm: Reinforced Sheath

Styles:

Dragonfly's Weave (Curved Sword, Glaive or Axe) - Fire + Water
The fragile must be untouchable, the slow must be strong. The wise can be both.
Initiate: Whenever an attack misses you, become Focused.
Student: Add Water to Defence rolls when Focused.

History: Daichi grew up on the Isle of Shuu, a place well-known for the lush gardens of wildflowers and fruit orchards that stretch across almost the entire island, the mild weather it has year-round, as well as the fact that it was the birthplace of the Dragonfly's Weave style. His parents were simple folk who tended to the flowers there, selling them whenever they had the opportunity. But as a boy, he didn't care about flowers or pretty things. Instead, he was more interested in eating, playing, or watching the Sages of his small village undergo their rituals and training.

Out of all the children in his village, however, Daichi was easily the biggest and the strongest. So when play would turn into a scuffle, and then a fight, he would often hurt someone in the process. And after one fight too many, his mother pulled him aside to scold him, telling him that just because he was the strongest boy on the island, didn't mean he should use that strength to hurt others. If anything, his strength meant that he needed to be more gentle and careful than everyone else.

He thought on what she said for hours that day, all while watching the Sages train, until one of them came over and sat next to him. The man, Sage Kaito, asked him what happened to be the matter, and Daichi told him about the fights he would get into, and what his mother had said. Sage Kaito listened patiently to the young boy, and asked if he wanted to learn how to control his strength. Daichi looked up at him and promptly said yes, because he didn't really like hurting his friends, especially without really meaning to. At that point, Sage Kaito took him back to his parents and asked if they were willing to let their son be a student of the Dragonfly's Weave style, and went on to explain that knowing how to use ones strength required discipline and control, which Daichi surely needed. After a few days, they agreed.

The next decade were some of Daichi's best years. Training was hard, but before long he came to appreciate it, and he seemed to almost blossom thanks to it. He became more soft spoken and gentle, and even came to regard the island with a new sense of wonder at it's beauty. He not only learned the art of swordsmanship, but started to learn how to cook, as well as paint, immortalizing the world around him in the process. The only things that didn't change were his strength, his steadfast sense of right and wrong, and his appetite, which often baffled his teachers and drove the cook of the temple mad.

After ten years of training, however, Daichi decided that it was time he traveled abroad to see the world, and that he could only learn so much just on the Isle of Shuu. Sage Kaito understood, and with his Master's blessing, he was given a sword and a newly-crafted set of armor, knowing that given state of the world, he would undoubtedly get involved in duels all along the way. And as he started to go from island to island, he proved them right. At each new place he visited, his reputation grew as both a quiet swordsman, and as a person one never said "All-You-Can-Eat" to.

Six years after he started his travels, he heard of Island Kings and their elite guards being killed without being replaced, he quickly realized just what kind of chaos would be spread in this manslayer's wake. So when King Sityr called for warriors to help prevent more anarchy, Daichi decided then and there that he would help, and began to make his way to Bastion Island.
Chilifro said:
Name: Brother Shui Gang

Gender: Male

Age: 41

Physical Description: Brother Gang is, to put it simply, a very well-built man. His body has been torn apart and put back together again by the rigors of harsh daily training, molding it into a deadly weapon in and of itself. He stands at the modest height of five feet, six inches and, while it may not look it at a first glance due to the...more wide-set body that he sports, all of Brother Gang's 190 pounds stem from muscle, not fat. He may not have a six-pack, but he doesn't need one; all of the muscles do what they're told and that's all Brother Gang can ask for. If anything, Brother Gang is proud of his body, if the fact that he usually goes out with nothing but a vest covering his chest is any indication. Thankfully for most of us, Brother Gang has afforded more attention to his lower body; he wears loose-fitting pants and a pair of sandals, giving him the range of movement that he needs. Most of the time, Brother Gang moves with a surprising lightness to his step, hinting at the fact that the monk is ever-prepared for battle. With the same practicality in mind, Brother Gang keeps his scalp and face cleanly shaven, revealing his stern blue eyes and kind but hardened resting expression to the entire world.

Philosophy: "True honor comes from victory on the battlefield."

Personality: Brother Gang has known no other philosophy other than the one he was taught as a child, and he has no interest in learning about any others. He believes that he has been put in a very particular position in the pecking order of the universe, and he has no desire to ascend (or descend) from said position. As such, Brother Gang adheres to the philosophy of his homeland to the very letter, causing him to seem very uptight at times. That's not to say that the monk is completely unfriendly; far from it, actually. Brother Gang has grown old enough to know that the best thing a man can have in the world (other than individual honor) is a friend, and thus strives to be as friendly as he can to those he meets in his travels, especially his potential opponents. The keyword here is ?strives,? as you might imagine; Brother Gang, as mentioned, is definitely not an unfriendly man, but he is also a man who reserves his words for when they are necessary...which doesn't help his reputation as an uptight man in the slightest.

Elements:

Air: 3

Earth: 0

Fire: 0

Water: 3

Balance: 2-1 Armor = 1 total Balance.

Specialties: Awareness and Strategy

Armor: 1. This point of armor comes from his body itself, which has been hardened over time to withstand most simple blows.

Weapon: Main Weapon: his fists. The rest of his body counts as a secondary weapon of sorts.

Styles:

Golden Fist (unarmed) - Air + Water.

The ultimate power of the fist is apparent to any who have seen it and unimaginable by all others.

Initiate: Double any bonuses gained from being Focused.

Student: Raise the lowest Attack die to match the highest when Focused.

History: Brother Gang was born sometime in June; that much he reveals to the public. He was born to a simple family of modest wealth, as most are on the island of Wutai, and raised according to the teachings of the former kings and queens. Ever since he was a young boy, Brother Gang ? then usually referred to as ?Shu? ? was trained in the martial arts by his father, who showed neither him nor his two brothers any sympathy just because of their blood relation. The three boys were pushed to their very limits day in and day out, in much the same manner that their father had been pushed some years earlier.

Besides that, however, most of Brother Gang's adolescent years were uneventful; he didn't even have a girl he fancied at any point, at least nothing beyond the normal pubescent fantasizing. As his eighteenth birthday drew nearer and nearer, however, he watched as his brothers ? both of them now accomplished Students of the Golden Fist ? set out on their own pilgrimages, destined to travel the world for at least five years, attempting to bring honor to themselves and to the Kingdom of Wutai.

And so it was for Brother Gang, as well; for on his eighteenth birthday, Brother Gang was promoted (after a series of tests, of course) to the rank of Student and sent on his own pilgrimage across the islands. For the next ten years (the decision to stay out for double the time was, of course, on purpose) Brother Gang hopped from island to island, engaging in honorable duels with countless souls that he deemed worthy. Sometimes he won, and sometimes he lost; such is the way of the battlefield.

At the age of 28, Brother Gang finally decided that it was time to return home, at least for a time. Once he arrived home, he quickly found a wife of his own to settle down with. They had no children, and for that Brother Gang would prove to be grateful, for at the age of 35, after seven long years of peaceful marriage (and training, of course) the monk came down with a terminal case of wanderlust once more. He longed to be on the battlefield once again. For a year longer, Brother Gang retrained himself, getting as close to his twenty-year-old self as a man twice that age is allowed and carefully, through the art of persuasion (and ass-kissing), persuading his lovely wife to allow him to leave. As the year drew to a close, Brother Gang found himself successful in both of these objectives...although he couldn't begin to tell you how he managed to convince his wife of the venture. At the age of 36, Brother Gang left his home island once more, and since then, he has traveled; to lands familiar and not, far and near, mundane and exotic...and still he does not tire.

Brother Gang finds himself on the island of Bastion for the same reason he finds himself of any island; to duel the one he deems most honorable. He has heard the call of King Sityr and has judged this to be the perfect opportunity. After all, who better to duel than one with the strength of kings? Keeping another kingdom from falling into turmoil is just a bonus.
Neuromancer said:
Name: Michishige Sanosuke

Gender: Male

Age: 28

Physical Description: Sano stands at slightly above average height, with a toned body, emphasising agility over raw muscular power. Though not yet in his thirties, the stubble he sports along with his craggy, weather-beaten face and sharp features make him look somewhat older. The most notable characteristic about him is the jagged scar he sports over and under his left eye. He has long, dark brown hair fashioned into a ponytail.

Sano dresses lightly, wearing a green-and-white kimono along with a light green sash around his waist, sandals, a green-and-white shrug over his left shoulder,white gloves and a kasa.

He typically rests his left hand on the sheath of his sword and has a casual but aged saunter about him.


Philosophy: Life is pointless, and full of suffering. Yet, in facing adversity, man grows stronger and wiser, and may find their own meaning to it.

Personality: On the surface, Sano is introverted and tight-lipped, but underneath lies a sea of goodwill, good humor, and an honest readiness to help friends and strangers alike. Even so, his aloofness makes it difficult for him to properly express himself to others, and as he is a man of few words, they are often misunderstood.

Sano always addresses people politely, and is an extremely calm individual, one that never lets his emotions get the better of him. Unlike others who prefer to act first, he much prefers to contemplate all options presented to him before choosing the one that he finds to be best, an attitude that often left him accused of indolence. A pacifist, he dislikes battle and only seeks it when his back is against the wall.

Elements:
Air: 2
Earth: 2
Fire: 0
Water: 2
Balance: 3

Specialties:
Awareness: "Perceive that which cannot be seen with the eye, for sight is weak and danger ever-present."
Empathy: "One who has suffered knows to see suffering where others cannot."


Armor: 0

Weapon: Primary Weapon: Katana (curved sword)

Style:
Leaning Crane (Curved Sword) - Air + Water
That which cannot be done in a single movement, you are not yet ready to do.
Initiate: Add Balance to attack and damage rolls on your first attack against an opponent.
Student: You are always Focused until you miss an attack.

History: Sano hails from the Isle of Bushi, a large mountainous island known for its military tradition, isolationalist tendencies and amount of Kings. In Bushi, unlike other more centralised islands, each major town and stronghold is typically ruled by its own King, leading to its moniker, "The Isle of a hundred Kingdoms"

Sano was born to a commoner family in a coastal village at the outskirts of the kingdom of Sagara, a small kingdom situated in the northen coast of the isle, different from other kingdoms in that its ports were open to foreign trade, gaining a lot of wealth, but also the ire of its neighbours. Due to frequent attacks from neighbouring kingdoms, the coastal villages away from the capital were often prey to pirate attacks.

Sano's village was no exception. The pirates slaughtered the entire village, and Sano only survived due to the timely intervention of an old wanderer, who drove them off with his masterful use of the sword. Orphaned and without a place to go, the old man took Sano under his wing as he travelled around the various kingdoms offering protection and aid to those in need.

But the way of the wanderer is filled with hardship, and Sano had to quickly learn to live with little in the ways of food, security and comfort. Still, he quickly grew accustomed to it, and even grew to like the lifestyle, as he felt a certain degree of satisfaction in seeing people's plights solved by the old man. As he grew to adolescence, Sano requested to be taught the way of the sword, and soon started his training.

The training involved much more than just physical exercise. Sano was often tasked with dealing with the problems of the people that they met, and more often than not said problems were much more complex than they appeared at first. Nevertheless, the years of observing his master had gifted him with experience, and was able to pass his trials competently.

Alas, before he could finish his training, his master, old as he were, fell ill and, despite Sano's best efforts, passed away not too long afterwards. A humble funeral soon followed, and Sano, griefstricken but unfettered, doned his master's shrug on his left shoulder and set out to continue his legacy. Despite having travelled all around Bushi, he felt that there still was much he had to learn from the outside world and, at the age of 16, he returned to Sagara and boarded a ship to see more of the world.

12 years have passed since then, and now Sano, a much more learned and world-weary man, finds himself in the island of Bastion. Having experienced first-hand the plight of the people that were left in the wake of the kingslayer, he decided to lend his hand in the protection of Bastion's King, and hopefully understand the reason for this seemingly wanton killing.
Congratulations. Your invitations to the user group will be along shortly, and the first post will be put up before I go to bed.

To those whose characters were not accepted, I offer my apologies, and sincere thanks for applying. There wasn't a single character who didn't deserve a place in the game. I simply didn't have enough room for everyone. I hope you understand.