[hider=Norio — The Fallen Soldier] [u] [b] Appearance [/b] [/u] [img]http://opus.fm/_assets/reviews/house-five-leaves.jpg[/img] [u] [b]Name[/b] [/u] Nakano Norio (Farmer) Saito Norio (Real Self) [u] [b] Age[/b] [/u] 32 [u] [b] Totem [/b] [/u] Fox [u] [b] Appearance [/b] [/u] Sullen, slouched and unassuming, Norio dresses plain; he looks like a typical rice farmer. Simple clothes, sedge shades, old ragged sandals; Norio's chosen colors are dull tans and dark browns. In fact, if you placed him among other farmers, he would disappear within the crowd. His face is thin and pale; as if he appears completely sickly. His body is a mixture of tan and white; his arms have become brown from his time working in the field. His eyes are consistently wide with terror or awe at the situation around him; and his hair remains messy regardless of his attempts at primping and preening. He's a loser. Unless of course he draws his sword. The moment his personality changes, so does his appearance. Standing tall, strong and with a piercing gaze, it's amazing to see such a transformation in a man. [u] [b]Personality [/b] [/u] Meek, timid, terrified and ridiculous, Nanako Norio is constantly in a state of refusal. He should not have been arrested. He should not have been slated for execution. He should just be back on his farm living a simple, quiet life. He is irritable and fearful, and seems to distrust any and all around him. Saito Norio is a man who has seen too much. The death of his lord. The death of his soldiers. The death of his wife and children. When he's finally trusted those enough to reveal his actual self; he's contemplative and not afraid to joke around with his compatriots. [u] [b]History [/b] [/u] Nakano Norio was a simple farmer claiming that he was a victim of mistaken identity. Arrested under the name Saito Norio, he swears that he was not the famous revolutionary soldier. It doesn't help that he has a similar face and is the same age as the man; as well as having the same name. Nakano Norio bought a farm three years ago, and has worked every day since; keeping his nose clean and his head down. Honestly, he's always been a model citizen, though he's always been aloof with his neighbors. Unmarried and keeping to himself, his fellow villagers did not try and fight or argue when he was taken away. The truth is always deeper and bloodier than a simple case of mistaken identity. Born to the Saito Clan, Norio was born to be the chief retainer for his lord, Oshiro Akira. A large, imposing but big hearted man, Lord Oshiro was one of the few lesser lords that showed compassion to their people; and wanted to fight against the injustices of the Empire. Lord Oshiro led a failed military revolt against the empire, known as the Winter Rebellion. The rebellion failed; and during an attack on Oshiro's castle, Norio was thrown off a rampart and into the river below. Norio lost everything. Anyone involved in the revolution was slaughtered without care. In his loss, Norio fell to despair and created a new life under a new name. Thus, Nakano Norio was born. Appearing in a small village, buying a farm and living the idyllic pastoral life, Norio thought he could escape his past and disappear into a false existence. With the sudden fears of demons, The Grant Imperial Military found a foothold in his village. Within a week he was arrested and charged with capital offenses against the Empire, and slated to be executed the following morning. [u] [b]Strengths [/b] [/u] [b]Expert Swordsman[/b] A master of the Saito family sword style: [i]Divine Soaring Sparrow[/i] Norio is capable of fast, graceful attacks. Most of his style involved drawing the blade and engaging in graceful slashes and spins, mixing footwork and using the terrain of combat to the user's advantage. It works best against groups of opponents, though it falls short in single combat against a well trained soldier focusing on a more brutish style. [b]Archery[/b] Norio has been trained with multiple weapons, but has always excelled with a bow. Norio is by no means an expert marksman, but he is capable of aiming with a modicum of accuracy. Norio was raised on strict religious principles disallowing the hunting of red meat (with the exception of dire circumstances) and is more trained in aiming for weak spots in armor or for a slow moving human target than a fast moving animal. [b]Spear Combat[/b] Skill with a sword was not the only weapon art Norio was expected to train in. Norio is capable of spear combat as well, but is by no means an expert at that. Norio is simply capable of the basic forms. He [i]does[/i] enjoy using a wooden spear for fishing in water sources, however. [b]Lordly Tactician[/b] Norio was the retainer for a lord, after all. He's a capable leader and is used to leading men into war. The fact that Norio is well read, has years of experience under his belt and is just plain [i]smart[/i] helps everyone. [u] [b]Weaknesses [/b] [/u] [b]Weak [/b] The past three years have not been kind to Norio. Living as a peasant is never a promising life; and with a lack of motivation to actually live, Norio's body has degraded from the man he once was. While he still has his memories and knowledge, he is incapable of fighting for long stretches of time, is easily winded, and cannot do too much. How he persisted as a rice farmer for so long is almost humorous, if it wasn't so pathetic. [b]Refusal of Self [/b] Norio doesn't want to admit who is is. As Nakano Norio he lives a simple life without having to admit the pain of loss. He doesn't have to open his eyes and look at the world he left behind, and see how horrible things have become. It's [i]easier[/i] for him to be a rice farmer, and he would prefer to stay like that as long as he can. [b]Rusty[/b] Norio hasn't engaged in combat in years. While one never truly forgets something they practiced nearly all their lives, Norio understands that he will not be able to keep up with trained soldiers right now; and is fearful of engaging in a duel. He knows his chances of winning are incredibly low. [u] [b]Likes [/b] [/u] Poetry Oolong Tea Sweets Fish [u] [b] Dislikes [/b] [/u] The Grand Empire Corruption Rice [u] [b]Theme[/b] [/u] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckyHanjGZU]"Gone Are The Days"-Nujabes[/url] [/hider]