[hider=Master of Poison - Huang Lanfen]
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[b]Name:[/b] Huang Lanfen
[b]Age:[/b] 38
[b]Gender:[/b] Female

[b]Personality:[/b] Lanfen is a patient and methodical person, someone who understands the value of taking their time to ensure things are done properly, but this is due to a surplus of restraint rather than being her natural state. She is greedy, naturally avaricious and covetous;it is against her base nature to deny herself what she wants or to take things slow but these are the qualities that her family values. She was harshly taught to abide by them and she has enough self-control to do so.

Nonetheless Lanfen is one to set her sights high and always aim for the biggest reward possible; normally she is able to let an opportunity pass if pursuing it would put herself at risk, but with the grail at stake and with no-one from her family around to temper her worst aspects that might change.

Besides this, there is a cruel streak running through her that shows itself on occasion. While Lanfen does not actively seek to do harm to others, if doing so is the most efficient way to reach her goal then she will not hesitate; sometimes with a hint of eagerness. There is a mocking note to her personality that she is not always able to hide.

[b]Skills:[/b] Lanfen has few skills that are not related to magecraft in some way. She can draw quite well, but not enough to be called an artist, she can cook, but no better than anyone with a passing interest in it. Her life has been dedicated to advancing her talents in magecraft, which has left her somewhat useless at anything else.

[b]Abilities:[/b]
[u]Magecraft[/u] –  Although she has never attended the Clocktower, Lanfen is as versed in the basics of General Magecraft as any graduate of the Clocktower would be, having received a comprehensive education from her family. Aside from this she has a strong foundation in formal craft and cursing technique, both of which are geared towards working with her family’s specialty of Gu magecraft.

Gu magecraft utilises the practice of sealing several venomous creatures, such as spiders, scorpions, snakes and so on, in a container and waiting for them to devour each other; the poisons and grudges of those creatures are concentrated into the surviving creature and this creature is then used as a source of power or as a charm to perform various acts. The creature can either be used in its entirety or its poison can be extracted and used instead, depending on how much power is required.

As a type of magecraft that is very well suited to cultivating magical energy into containers, which can then be used by any Magus and not just the one who cultivated it, Gu magecraft has a good synergy with Formal Craft. The magical energy produced through Gu is also inherently negative, meaning it is well suited for use in cursing techniques; Gu practitioners often use their art either to accumulate wealth, usually at the expense of others, or as a means of enacting revenge and are well acquainted with curses as a result.

[u]Greater Gu Creature[/u] – The Huang family does not possess a Magic Crest in the traditional sense; they instead pass their knowledge down through more traditional means and instead cultivate power in a different way from Western Mage families.

For the past 600 years the Huang family have invested significant time and resources into cultivating a single Gu creature, one whose poisons have fuelled their magecraft for generations. Its original identity is unknown, as Gu creatures are able to shapeshift, but it often takes on the guise of an unnaturally large snake possessing features of many different species; though whatever its appearance it never looks entirely the same when you next see it. The efficacy of Gu magecraft greatly depends upon how much magical energy has been cultivated and as the focus of the Huang families efforts this particular creature has consumed tens of thousands of poisons and grudges. This creature, rather than a crest, is the backbone of their magecraft.

It has accompanied Lanfen to Sako.

[u]Mystic Codes[/u] – 
Concealing Umbrella: A mystic code capable of concealing the magical energies of a person by creating a weak effect not dissimilar to a bounded field. The effect does not reach very far, covering the person holding it and perhaps a couple of others standing in close proximity. The effect is more easily bypassed than that of a bounded field, but it works well at preventing detection from those who are not actively looking to find someone.

Magic Opium Pipe: A pipe used in order to spread poisonous vapours over a wide area. When packed with a form of solidified Gu poison and lit the smoke produced by this pipe can be controlled and directed by the Magus holding the pipe.

A dozen minor Gu creatures: While the Huang family may possess an extraordinarily powerful Gu creature, every Gu practitioner should regularly cultivate a number of their own creatures for their own use so as not to be tied to one location and so as not to be dependent on others. Lanfen has in her possession twelve minor Gu creatures that she keeps with her at all times to act as fuel for her magecraft when her family’s creature is not readily available. They are strong enough as to be able to shapeshift into different animals and Lanfen likes to have them take the form of blood-red butterflies, but they are able to take on more subtle forms if need be.

[b]Brief Backstory:[/b] The Huang family has existed in some form or another for over 1000 years, although anti-sorcery purges and changes to the political climate in China mean that they have undergone several transitions during that time. Hailing from Southern China they are a group of Gu practitioners who used their abilities to quickly acquire a vast amount of wealth and power, using curses and poisons to eliminate rivals or prominent individuals and claim their fortunes as their own. However, such growth attracted attention and during one of China’s many purges of Gu practitioners and witches they were discovered and nearly eradicated; their work was destroyed, their members nearly wiped out and their fortune lost. Some of the family managed to survive, by luck or by design, and were able to rebuild from the ground up.

This story repeated itself several times; a swift rise and an even more abrupt fall as Gu practitioners were hunted and eradicated by whoever was in power at the time and all eyes turned towards those families who had no good explanation for where or how they had obtained what they had. All progress lost and all fortune scattered as the Huang’s were left to pick up the pieces and start again. Hard lessons were learnt along the way and a subtler, more careful approach was adopted; a slower accumulation of wealth, less obvious grabs for power and a lot of care given to staying in the shadows and giving people no reason to notice them.

This is the Huang family as Lanfen was born into it; careful, methodical and subdued. They yearned for the wealth and power they once achieved at their height, though they were not lacking in either, but restrained themselves and focused on slowly and steadily cultivating both in a manner that would benefit future generations more than themselves. Always with an eye to the future, the Huang family grows and grows and grows without exposing themselves to the world at large. She understood the reasons for it and absorbed the lessons on caution alongside those about her family’s magecraft, but Lanfen was an ambitious woman who often chafed under the restrictive practices and regularly came into conflict with them.

Over time she proved herself to be both talented and driven, a dangerous combination in this case; while she was able to accumulate large sums of money and even deal with a few troublesome individuals that no one else had managed to with the poisons of her potent Gu creatures, there were always those within the family who felt she did so by taking too many risks. Her plans were too grand and the results too obvious, they said. While some heralded her as the one who would return them to their former glory, when they would no longer need to hide away, others saw Lanfen only a dangerous radical who would bring destruction down on them with her arrogance and ruin everything they had built up.

When the command seal appeared on her hand it was as if the Grail was giving her a chance to answer that question once and for all.

Even being as wary as they were, her family could not resist the allure of the Holy Grail War; not when one of their own was chosen. To enter the war by sending a representative they would be risking exposing themselves after hiding for so long, but what they stood to gain if they claimed the Grail was potentially greater than what they might lose. After all, it’s not like they hadn’t rebuilt themselves several times over in the past and Lanfen was more than willing to make the journey to Japan. The loss of a single Magus was hardly comparable to the purges of the past.

They even consented to allow her to take their treasured creature with her, confident that [i]it[/i] would survive and return even should she not.
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[hider=Lancer – Jangar]
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[center]Warning: Spear size is not accurate[/center]

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[b]Class:[/b] Lancer
[b]True Name:[/b] Jangar
[b]Title:[/b] The Khan of Bomba
[b]Gender:[/b] Male
[b]Alignment:[/b] True Neutral

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[b]Short Bio/Synopsis:[/b] The circumstances on Jangar’s birth are somewhat unusual. His father was Ujung Aldar Khan of Bomba, his mother was a woman from another tribe; the two had tried for a child for two years unsuccessfully, they tried various medicines and cures but nothing worked and eventually sought the advice of a herdsman who had 19 children. They called the herdsman in and he explained his secret: when the horses began to rut, he and his wife would watch them mate, then go mate themselves. Promising to reward the herder if the trick worked, Ujung Aldar Khan agreed to try it.

The couple secretly stole out to the steppe and hid behind a large rock so that they could watch a stallion and mare mate. Afterwards, they returned to their palace and tried for a child. The trick worked, and several months later it became apparent that Urmaa was pregnant. Ujung Aldar Khan sent the herdsman 100 cows as a reward. Urmaa was pregnant for 10 months, but could not give birth. When she finally did give birth, it was to a strange red mass. Ujung Aldar ordered a servant to throw it out, but then a voice cried from within, "I'm suffocating! Let me out of here!" They tried to cut the red mass open with a sword, but the sword merely chipped. Master Choirom came and recommended that they use Sword given by the Jade Emperor, and with this sword they were able to cut the red mass and free the large baby boy within. The baby's skin had auspicious markings: a red mole and a birthmark on his butt. The child was strong and kicked his leather swaddling cloths to pieces, making Urmaa afraid that her son was ill-fated to cause destruction. She begged Ujung Aldar to let the child die, but he appreciated his son's strength and refused. The tribe celebrated the baby's birth together.

Ujung Aldar became so preoccupied with his new son that he began to neglect the affairs of the tribe, particularly the defenses. A Manggus, or devil, called Goljing had long been an enemy of Bomba. Seeing Ujung Aldar's weakness, he attacked with 10,000 warriors on black horses and easily captured Bomba. Ujung Aldar Khan and his wife and son were besieged in their palace. Seeking to save his son's life, Ujung Aldar put a piece of white jade in his son's mouth, placed him on the horse Aranjagaan, and sent his servant Menhbayar to take the child to safety. He also gave the servant the Aram spear, a weapon that had been passed down for generations. Then Ujang Aldar fought the invaders until he and his wife were cut down.

The servant took the child to Big Black Mountain and hid him in a cave, then walked back to the palace to see what had happened. Discovering everything destroyed and the Khan dead, he decided to take his revenge by attacking some of the invaders as they sat around a fire. He killed one of them, but was soon killed himself. In the mountain cave, the boy sucked the white jade to keep himself from growing hungry or thirsty for a few days. But eventually he began to cry. A man named Mengen Xigxirge was hunting nearby, and he noticed the horse Aranjagaan grazing. Wanting to see what the horse was doing there, he went closer, and heard the baby crying. He followed the noise and discovered the cave. At first Mengen Xigxirge wanted to adopt the boy, so he decided to give him the name "Jangar." The boy immediately agreed that this should be his name and declared that he would become master of the world. This frightened Mengen Xigxirge, who was worried that Jangar might dispossess his own son, Hongor. So he decided to leave Jangar there with some food and water and left.

Jangar went outside and roared, and all the animals living nearby came to see what the noise was. He befriended them and they fed him and taught him their skills. She-wolves suckled him, and deer brought him fruit. He learned to roar from a tiger, to hunt from an eagle, and to run from an antelope. Jangar lived in the wild for two years, soon attaining the age of three.

One day an old man appeared while Jangar was sitting under a tree. The man told him about what had happened to his parents and trained him in martial arts and magic. But no sooner had Jangar learned these things than he woke up—it was morning, and it had all been a dream. Nonetheless, he felt strong, and discovered that he could uproot a tree and smash a camel-sized rock with it. He mounted Aranjagaan and went home to kill Goljing.

Three-year-old Jangar fought his way to Goljing's palace, destroying three strongholds on the way, and thrust his spear into the Manggus' chest, killing him. Then Jangar climbed up on the roof of the palace and called back all the people who had fled after the invasion. He became Khan and Bomba flourished again.

Meanwhile, another ruler named Shar Durdeng began raiding the outskirts of Bomba for livestock, women and children. Jangar was upset, and the three-year-old Khan took up his spear and rode alone to face his new enemy. To reach Shar Durdeng's palace, Jangar had to fight for seven months and 19 days. He overthrew four strongholds, and finally reached the crystal palace by the sea where his enemy dwelt. He snuck inside and found everyone drunk. Taking hold of the intoxicated Shar Durdeng, Jangar threw him off his throne, and proceeded to break ribs and spinal bones until Shar Durdeng agreed to leave Bomba in peace and pay taxes and tribute. By the age of five, Jangar had defeated five Mangguses and quintupled the size of the Bomba's territory.

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[b]Parameters:[/b]
[i]Strength:[/i] B+
[i]Endurance:[/i] B 
[i]Agility:[/i] B
[i]Mana:[/i] D
[i]Luck:[/i] E

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[u][b]Class Skills:[/b][/u] 
[i]Magic Resistance (C)[/i] – Cancel spells with a chant below two verses. Cannot defend against magecraft on the level of High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals. Despite being versed in shamanism, Jangar does not have much experience fighting against magically inclined opponents and as such has negligible resistance against such attacks.

[u][b]Personal Skills:[/b][/u]
[i]Animal Dialogue (C)[/i] – While in hiding on Big Black Mountain after the destruction of Bomba at the hands of the Manggus Goljing, Jangar befriended many of the animals living nearby and was taught their skills; She-wolves suckled him, and deer brought him fruit. He learned to roar from a tiger, to hunt from an eagle, and to run from an antelope. Jangar lived in the wild for two years and during this time learned to communicate with animals of all kinds.

[i]Shamanism (D)[/i] – One day an old man appeared while the young Jangar was sitting under a tree. The man told him about what had happened to his parents and trained him in martial arts and the shamanistic magic of his homeland. Jangar is proficient with common shamanistic skills just as communication with spirits, healing sickness caused by malevolent spirits and the usage of spirits as guides or messengers. He can also perform simple divination rites such as dream interpretation.

[i]Natural Body (A)[/i] – As a baby Jangar was able to kick apart his leather swaddling clothes and possessed the ability to speak from the moment he was born. By the age of three he had defeated the monster who had killed his father and reclaimed his kingdom. By five he had killed four more similar monsters and quadrupled the size of the Bomba’s territory.

Grants a plus modifier to his STR. Furthermore, even without training, he's still beyond brawny. No matter how many calories he ingests, his body shape will not change.

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[b]Noble Phantasm[/b]
[hider=Noble Phantasms]
[i]Title:[/i] Aram Spear; The Spear that protects Bomba
[i]Rank:[/i] B
[i]NP Type:[/i] Anti-Unit
[i]Range:[/i] 6-8
[i]Maximum Number of Targets:[/i] 1
[i]Description:[/i] A weapon passed down the line of Khan’s for generations; carried by Jangar’s father, his grandfather and those before them, the spear carries the aspirations and desires of Jangar’s ancestors to found and create a place where no suffering or pain exists. The nation of Bomba was that place, founded by Jangar’s grandfather, destroyed by his father’s negligence and resurrected and protected by Jangar throughout his life; it is a place where there are no orphans or widows, where no one grows old and is remembered today both as a golden age and as a land of the future the people of Mongolia continue to aspire towards.

As the Khan and protector of Bomba, Jangar wielded the Aram Spear in its defence many times and against many foes, as did his ancestors before him and his descendants after him. The Aram Spear has been a constant throughout the entirety of the kingdom’s history, no matter who the current Khan is or what befalls them; it is the symbol of the Khan and the defender of Bomba. Bomba will continue to exist as long as this spear and its defender exist to protect it. This long history has given rise to the Aram Spear as a conceptual weapon which sublimates its myth into an ability that protects the wielder from death; Bomba will exist as long as the wielder of this spear lives, and the wielder of this spear will live as long as he holds this spear. This effect fortifies the user against death itself making even great wounds a negligible factor. Healing abilities will also have their efficiency drastically raised. It is particularly useful against status effects, and grants resistance alongside advantageous checks to resist or clear them each turn.

By activating the true name of this spear Jangar is able to establish a territory that will be designated as the new Bomba wherever he is standing in a radius around him. This removes the Aram Spears protections as a conceptual weapon and instead brings that protection across a wider area; any citizen of Bomba, which in this case includes the Khan and anyone the Khan considers a citizen, will be protected while standing within the borders of Bomba established by this effect. This protection acts as the passive ability of the Noble Phantasm albeit at reduced power.

Even without taking its powers into account it is a monstrous weapon; twelve feet in length, as wide around the haft as a small tree and with a weight to match, the Aram Spear requires superhuman strength to even lift, let alone wield effectively, and crushes those it is used against as much as it pierces them.

[i]Title:[/i] White Jade; Stone of Purification and Healing
[i]Rank:[/i] C
[i]NP Type:[/i] Anti-Unit (Self)
[i]Range:[/i] N/A
[i]Maximum Number of Targets:[/i] 1
[i]Description:[/i] When the Manggus Goljing attacked Bomba, Jangar’s father Ujung Aldar Khan sought to save his son’s life by sending him away. He placed a piece of white jade in his son’s mouth, placed him on the red steed Aranjagaan and sent him away with his servant Menhbayar to take the child to safety. He also gave the servant the Aram spear, a weapon that had been passed down for generations. Then Ujang Aldar fought the invaders until he and his wife were cut down.

The servant took Jangar to Big Black Mountain and hid him in a cave before returning to Bomba to find out what had happened. The jade sustained Jangar for several days, keeping him from feeling hunger or thirst. Years later, when Jangar was fighting the archer Altan Gheej and was struck by his arrow, Jangar placed the same piece of white jade in his mouth to stave off the poison it carried.

The White Jade is an item given to Jangar by his father as a child to keep him safe. It is abundant in healing and purifying energy and was used by Jangar several times during his life to keep himself alive or to fight off harmful effects, whether that is poison or even starvation. When this Noble Phantasm in held it boosts the natural healing abilities of the holder, allowing them to recover from wounds faster than they would otherwise, and grants extra resistance against the effects of poison or other harmful substances.
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