[hider=Master Outline: Khairi, the Scion of the Roaring Thunder] Name: Khairi Ilunga Titles: Scion of the Roaring Thunder Appearance: [img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/d0/6f/9e/d06f9e0622a99f5b0254721db6846794.jpg[/img] Sex: Male Alignment:Neutral Good History: Outline: The Ilunga family is ancient. When the practice of written records started to make its way to their territory, they were sharing stories with their communities that stretched back hundreds of years. Even as the colonizing forces of the western nations broke apart their lives and sought to suppress their beliefs and cultures in the name of their God, the Illunga kept their histories. Through magecraft, hidden artifacts, and communion with their ancestors, the Ilunga managed to keep on to their history, though not without some losses. Despite these losses, the Diviners of the Illunga clan kept to their policies of learning from those who came from elsewhere, allowing their culture and traditions to change and adapt to these new practices rather than break under their weight. As such, in the modern age, the Ilunga still maintain a place of prestige and respect amongst communities both mundane and magical within the Democratic Republic of Congo. For Khairi, his heritage and the history behind it has always been a matter of great importance and has served as the main motivator in his studies to follow in the footsteps of the man he respects more than anyone, his Father. A powerful magus, a firm but fair leader, and a man of near-infinite kindness, Khairi's father was a man many believed would bring the Ilunga into a new age of glory. A man who even managed to gain the respect and knowledge of foreign magi, a lot that has long been known to look down on any who were not a part of their enclosed circle of families. He was Khairi's hero. . . and thus, his tragic end was all the more traumatizing for his reverence. Betrayed by a foreign magi from the clocktower, a man his father had invited to discuss ways to bridge the gap between the traditions of the Diviners and the ways of the Western Magi, for an artifact he could not even hope to use, the Conga-scepter that served the Ilunga family as a mystic code and familial relic for untold generations. The magi had, in his arrogance and pride, thought to use it to cover his tracks by destroying the village that the murder had taken place in. He was unaware that the scepter was no mere tool, but possessing a spirit all its own, and it was filled with a dark fury at the atrocity it was being called forth to commit. The foreign magi was found dead in a smoking crater, struck seven times by Nkuba's concentrated wrath for his hubris and evil treachery. But rather than overjoyed by the man's karmic retribution, Khairi felt naught but a lack of closure at this knowledge. His father was gone, taken from him by a fool who had sealed his own doom and left the world a lesser place for the life he had stolen. That couldn't stand, not in his eyes. On the day of his father's funeral, as everyone cheered and celebrated that man he was and seemed ready to let this tragedy pass, as the tale of his father was passed into the legend of the Ilunga. . . Khairi swore to himself that this would not be how his father's legacy ended. The years that followed were a blur of vigorous study, both at home and abroad as he followed in the footsteps of the man he hoped to emulate, learning more of magecraft and mystery from numerous sources all across the globe and from many differing mentors. Some were great men and women, others conniving schemers or droll politicians, but all had something to teach him. he was voracious in his learning and prodigious in his talent. Many of his teachers could not hide their surprise that such a young boy from a "know-nothing backwater" could be a vessel for such magical insight. They did not understand that his knowledge was not his alone. That within him, in the tales he told to himself during long nights of study, the songs he had repeated so many times he sang them in his sleep, the ritualistic dances he performed in the wee hours of morning and night, in all of these things his ancestors were with him. Guiding him forward down this path, even if they did not wholly agree with his end goal. Often, in subtle ways, he was urged to give up his quest, to let his father go. Among these voices, he knew, was the very man he hoped to bring back. The boy knew his goal was not healthy, that he was doing a disservice to the very history and lineage he found so important. There were many excuses he told himself, to justify to the spirits and himself that what he was doing was not selfish, that it was for the good of his family and community. But in truth, as he discovered the history of the Holy Grail wars, and the recovery of the Fuyuki grail, the hope that sprang in his heart was not that of a man seeing the light that may bring a great wonder to his people. It was the hope of a small, 13-year-old boy that he might once more be held in the arms of his father, to once more talk to the man as he is now, rather than speaking to the memory of what he once was. For the dead often provide cold comfort to the living,and in their company, one finds only a faint whisper of the vibrancy that was once known. Personality: Khairi is a studious and diligent young man, who always does his best to help those he finds in need. A natural-born leader of sorts, he greatly values his empathy and skills at working with the talents of others to work towards a common goal. That being said, the man is known for holding a grudge for longe rthan one can probably consider necessary or healthy, particularly against foreign magi. To Khairi, many of the magi he has encountered during his travels abroad have been arrogant, dismissive of people, and so caught up in their own searches for Truth that they don't care who or what gets hurt on their path towards it. It was a reality he was not completely unaware of, but seeing it with his own eyes did much to plant a number of prejudices in his head when dealing with other magi. No matter how polite they seem, no matter how good-hearted they seem, or open to conversation they claim to be, the young diviner is expecting callousness, deception, and arrogance to be hiding just under the surface. Perhaps not the best mindset to have in most circumstances, but he knows that for the coming Grail War, he'll have more justification than ever to be wary of other Magi. Magecraft: Possession(Ancestral): As the latest in a long line of Diviners from what is now known as the Kivu region, it has long been the young man's duty to act as a conduit between spiritual forces of the land and the members of his community. Through the use of ritualistic trance and communion with the realm of spirits, his family has developed considerable skill in calling forth the spirits of not only their ancestors but even ancient heroes and villains to help them reenact their legends within so that the mystery of their deeds continue on into the modern-day. As such, not only does this magecraft allow for Khairi to call upon the combined knowledge of his Magi ancestors while in such a trance, much in the same way one would use a magic crest, but through this accumulation of mystery, he has theorized the possibility of strengthening that of his Servant through this method through reenactments of their own legend. Not in any lasting way, of course, but perhaps through allowing his servant access to this well of spiritual belief, accumulated mysteries, and long ancient traditions, he is able to further refine the connection between him and his chosen hero. Evocation(Thunder): The Ilunga lineage claims to have gained their connection to the spiritual through the divine blood of Nkuba, god of Lightning, either through a blessing of descending from his coupling with amortal Diviner in times long past. While the veracity of this tale is certainly in question, what is apparent is how the Ilunga family has always boasted an impressive affinity for the element of lightning and electricity in their magecraft and Khairi is no exception. While not originally taught in the ways of offensive use of the spell, his time abroad has helped him formulate spells with which to utilize the fury of Nkuba against his foes in a more direct manner. He can also make use of natural sources of lightning and electricity as a source of magical energy through the Commune attribute, harmonizing himself with the raw energies of the natural world to better fuel his ceremonies, though the rate of conversion is often not tilted in his favor. However, that is not the only way he makes use of this connection to Lightning and Thunder. Through this devotion to Nkuba, god of Lightning, he is able to enact rituals to influence the weather of a region, as well as provide a more subtle play on the electrical connections found in all living things. Normally, he uses this as a form of aura reading or emotional dampening effect, allowing him to soothe those in pain or distress so that they may be more at ease in his presence. With his preparations for the Grail war, however, he has learned more deceptive and harmful ways to use this skill, such as curses that interfere with one's reaction time or ability to focus. Healing: As a Diviner, Khairi was given extensive teaching in magical healing through a variety of methods, most commonly that of herbal remedy infused with Mana. He has studied spiritual healing for the purposes of warding off evil curses and maladies of the soul, making him skilled in the understanding of and excising such curses. Divination: Another penchant of his role as a Diviner, Khairi uses a number of methods to divine the proper way forward in his day-to-day life. While never a precise form of intuition, the use of Divination magic does wonders for helping him to find out which of the paths of his future stand the best chance of accomplishing his goals. Quality of Circuits: A+ Quantity of Circuits: B Elemental Affinity: Wind and Fire Attribute: Commune The attribute of the Ilunga family that begets their ability to foster connection and communication with the realm of the spiritual and esoteric. Through their use of magic, they do not just seek knowledge, but complete immersion in their craft and the ability to spread their understanding to others. Like other magi, the Diviners of the Ilunga see themselves as part of a winding chain of knowledge but rather than see their ancestors as being distant repositories of knowledge, they are still an active part of the family, alive in every Diviner of the family and guiding their actions with their combined experience and knowledge. Magecraft: See above, i guess General Magecraft Mystic Codes: Ancestral Conga-scepter, supposedly blessed by the deity Nkuba and used in the ritualistic retelling of the Epic of Mwindo for generations within the family. A temperamental mystic code relic, it offers a wielder who it deems worthy to a powerful conduit for their magecraft, particularly those related to that of calling Lightning or healing those near death's door. However, the scepter is no mere pliant artifact, but a thing with both a spirit and a temperament all its own. As such, if one seeks to misuse its power or ignore the temperament of the relic, they will find in it a tendency to fight and struggle against them, causing a chance of any use of its powers to backfire on the user. If this is done for long enough, then the wielder will be faced with the ultimate retribution as the sky erupts into seven bolts of thunderous might comes crashing down on the perpetrator with the intent of turning them to dust. A number of Fetishes and Masks with which he has imbued Mana and ancestral memories into. Some can be used as a source of power, while others help him accelerate his use of certain magics, or even grant him access to ones he has not formally studied. Some examples of this would be a necklace containing the finger bone of a Ilunga ancestor that was well-known in his ability to heal increasing the speed and effectiveness of his healing magecraft while in the spirit trance, or a mask that harnesses the memory of another ancestor to grant him some measure of pyromancy skill. These artifacts serve to give him a bit of a swiss-army knife approach to magecraft in the war, and while he doesn't believe it will let him face off against anyone actually trained in any of those adjacent fields, it may help;p to throw off his foes in what his expertise actually is. Any advantage he can gain, no matter how small, is one he'll need given his lack of other resources Non-Magecraft Abilities/Items: Empathy and Leadership: Khairi is a natural-born leader and a people person, often able to quickly read those he talks to and working with them to decide how best to help them achieve their goals or make better use of their own abilities. Dance: Along with the traditional dances he makes use of for his rituals, he's also a skilled breakdancer, having fallen somewhat in love with the frenetic energy of the style after watching some American television and doing some research on the side. He's quite good, and at times makes use of the moves to add a personal flair to his practices as a Magi. Medicine: Along with the more mystical arts, Khairi has done plenty of study in more mundane treatment methods, and often carries a first aid kit on his person in case of emergencies. While not a licensed medical professional by any measure, he is fully capable of performing quick diagnostics of symptoms and injuries and best immediate practices to put in place till a more qualified person comes to the scene(or till he makes use of his more magical expertise) Modern Tech: While far from a tech whiz, Khairi is pretty modern-minded as far as being a magus goes, able to use most amenities of modern living without much confusion. He's also a pretty good driver and carries around a smartphone for the sake of contacting his relatives back home. Everything important or compromising, however, he prefers to write down on paper. Just in case, especially during a grail war. Money: While not as absurdly wealthy as other Magus families tend to be, the Illunga are fairly well-off due to the demand for the services of Diviners in African culture, as well as the intense level of education required of their training. Even if the belief in the supernatural among the average citizen is starting to fade, the cultural power of the position still holds strong. [/hider] [hider=Servant Outline: The Mayan hero twins] Class: Assassin True Name: Hunahpu and Xbalanque Appearance: A pair of tanned skin young men, dressed in the skins of jaguars, one carrying a bow and blowgun at his back, the other holding a rubber ball between his hands. Hunahpu carries the bow, and is otherwise distinguished by the small mole under his left eye and the golden tint to his eyes. Xbalanque, on the other hand, bears some less than human additions to his appearance due to his relation to jaguars. His skin is spotted in a pattern similar to one of big cats, and his ears have likewise been replaced. He bears claws and fangs, tho neither tend to be bared that often, and between the two, he bears a more effeminate pretty boy appeal, owing ot his slender frame and longer lashes. [s]If anyone mutters the word Cat boy to him, they will find themselves getting a ball chucked at their head very quickly in one of his few easily triggered bits of anger[/s] Sex: Male Alignment: Chaotic Good Attribute: Earth History: The tale of the Hero twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque, begins a fair amount of time before the two were born when their father lost his life playing a ballgame with the Lords of Xibalba. But from the spit of their father's decapitated head, their mother managed to bear his children and, in fear, fled from the underworld to hide her children in the land of the living. The twins were well-behaved and polite in their younger years, always deferring to their grandmother and her children despite the cruel and untoward treatment they were given since the moment they were born. But this was just the first of their many deceptions, as one day they asked for their elder siblings to help them take some birds they had hunted from a tree. However, when they went to retrieve the supposed fowl, the twins use magic all their own to cause the trees to grow much higher than the others could reasonably descend from, adding further insult to the injury by turning them into monkeys. Even the twin's grandmother couldn't help but laugh at the state of her children, who quickly ran off in shame and humiliation. From then on, the twins continued to prove their wit, their cunning, and above all their love for taking down those who basked in their own strength. Be it knocking the gemstone teeth of Seven Macaw for daring to anoint himself as the Sun and Moon, to defeating his sons through exploiting their hunger and slaying them in traps designed to exploit their weaknesses. They proved themselves Apt god slayers, but their greatest test came soon after discovering the gaming equipment of their father, Hun-hunahpu, deciphering its hidden location through the interrogation of a small rat in exchange for mercy. So did the Twins learn of the fate of their father and so did they deem it time to pay the Lords of Xibalba a visit themselves. Playing in the same ball court as their father and uncle had, they brought upon the wrath of the Lords and were called into the Underworld to play their games and face their trials. But the Lords were unaware of who they trifled with and unknowingly sealed their doom. With wit and wiles, they uncovered every trick devised to humiliate them and avoided every trap meant to harm them. When they played in the mighty ball court against the lords, they were quick to uncover the bladed ball meant to slay them, threatening to leave unless the lords played fair. And while the twins could have won against the lords, that would not do. For the best way to humiliate the gods that had sought to demean so many that had come before them was to beat them at their own game and dismantle the authority, they had sought to keep. And so, they lost the game purposefully and as agreed, were taken to one of the many House of trial within the City of Xibalba. And with ease, they beat the House of Dark, surviving the night with their torch intact within the blackness, and after another game "lost" defeated the House of Blades as well with but a whispered word. Even when treachery was used to keep them from their rewards, petals from the gardens of Xibalba, they succeeded in taking them through the assistance of leafcutter ants. The houses of Cold, Bats, and Jaguars came next and for each house the Twins proved themselves victorious with splendid ease, though Hunahpu nearly lost his head to the Bat god Camazotz. It was in the final house, the Hot house, that the twin began their greatest deception. Within the hot house, which in truth was not but a burning oven made to incinerate them, the twins allowed their deaths to pass, their bodies to be ground into not but dust and bones to be flung into the Underworld's river. But as the Xibalbans cheered the victory, the twins were far from done with them, even in what seemed like death. For when cast into the river, they became a pair of catfish, swimming downstream in a synchronous dance before coming to shore as a pair of young boys, alive and well and fully ready for the next stage of their scheme. The Xibalbans marveled at the young men's transformation, not seeing them for the foes they had just slain, and the boys were only too eager to stay and make themselves known as grand miracle workers and entertains. They burned houses to ashes then rose them back to prominence in seconds, killed one another in sacrifice only to rise up whole and hearty in a few short moments, and many other true and honest miracles that their powers did allow for. So great became their fam that the Lords of Xibalba called them out to their court, eager to be entertained as their subject had been. For no cost, and with the Lords none the wiser, they performed many a miracle for them all. And for the finale, the lords asked for the grandest trick yet: To be slain themselves and brought back just as the two boys had done for themselves and others time and time again. And so. . . the twins obliged. But the Lords of Xibalba were not brought back after their sacrificial death, and as the court began to whisper, the twins would make their grand announcement to the Xibalbans. With a flash of smoke, they revealed their identities to all around and brought forth the crimes of the Xibalbans in the murder of their father and uncle years ago. So great was the shame and fear of the Xibalbans then that they confessed to their wickedness, and s the Twins laid down a punishment most severe: no longer would Xibalba gain succor from worship and prayer, no longer would it serve as a place of greatness. As their birthright decreed it, so it came to pass that the Underworld was cut off from its source of strength and soon after fell into despair and decay. After this deed, the Twins were now fully attuned to their divinity, ascending into the heavens above to take their own places as the Sun and Moon, Hunahpu, ever watchful for the next deity to overstep his bounds and Xbalanque, eager to dive in for the killing blow. Personality: Hunahpu and Xbalanque are a wily pair of brothers, always eager to play a good prank on those around them or simply laze about if it suits their needs. When it comes to work, they'd often much rather play ball games, not quite being lazy but both only finding joy in tasks that motivate them. And for both twins, there is no task more motivating than finding someone powerful and arrogant, and forcing them to the dirt where they feel such people belong or facing off against foes that think themselves greater and making their strength into their demise. Between the two twins, Hunahpu is the more openly cheery and friendly of the pair, often ignoring things like personal space, conversational boundaries, and other such social norms that get in the way of him getting to know someone. Surprisingly, he's also the more likely of the two to hold a grudge, fully capable of laughing off insults and humiliations in the moment as he quickly begins thinking up a number of ways to make the person who did so pay dearly for it. Xbalanque is the more relaxed and laid-back of the pair, not in as much of a hurry as his brother to get into a fight. No, he prefers to sit back and plan with what info his brother gives him, clearly though Hunahou is definitely the brains of their duo. Parameters: Strength: C Agility: A Endurance: B Mana: B Luck: A Class Skills Presence Concealment:A+ [i]Sealed[/i] Personal Skills Combination(Heroic Twins):B Along with allowing the two to be summoned at the same time into this grail war, so closely tied are the bonds of the two that even their magical ability is connected. As such, when making use of magecraft or similar ritualistic abilities, the Twins are able to treat their opposite as the origin point of any such spells they enact. They may also assist each other in the incantation of these spells either through speeding up the cast time, or continuing the chant in place of the other twin if they are either interrupt or to surprise their foes with powerful magic at what appears to be instant speed to an outside observer. Battle Continuation: Ex As long as one of the twins is alive and the core of their spirit remains damaged, the twins are able to recover and reanimate each other from even the most grave of injuries through ritual and their ancestry as children of the underworld goddess, Xquic. This ancestry also grants them a heightened resistance to the aspect of the Underworld, which held no measure for keeping them out or keeping them contained. Eye of Mind(True): A Wily enough to see through the deceptions of the gods of the underworld, and confident enough in their wits to purposefully fail numerous ball games in order to face all the trials they had to offer, the twins were men of incapable insight into those around them. Not even the illusions of the gods of the Underworld could hide the deceptions of their trials from their eyes. Magecraft: B Twins are known to have a variety of magical abilities, not the least of which being them constantly reanimating both themselves and others through ritual. As assassins, these magical abilities are not as strong, but they still have the ability to cast magecraft which allows them to cast illusions, heal wounds, treat with/command animals and objects to do their bidding, and some control over plants. Shapeshifting/disguises also fall under their purview through this skill, whether it be a simple change of their appearances to taking on the shapes of mundane animals. Espionage: A+ The skill that allowed them to blend in with the inhabitants of Xibalba and get close to the Lords without them ever suspecting their true identities. When invoked, this skillfully encases their being as Servants or even anyone out of the ordinary, allowing them to appear as just normal humans, or animals if they wear the shape of one. Not only that, but while so cloaked, they tend to easily gain the trust of those around them, especially if they present themselves as entertainers or affable individuals. Additionally, if the Twins are so disguised as a specific individual, this spell will so shift their aura to properly mimic the one they are imitating, making them appear to be that person under any close examination of their nature. Noble Phantasms: Name: Seven Macaw/Cabrakan Title: May your Hubris be knocked Down Rank: B Type: Anti-Unit Range: 40/Self Targets: 1 Description: Two of the Twin's less celebrated victories through trickery crystalized into potent curses tied to each brother's touch. For Hunahpu, he bears the curse of Seven Macaw which, upon invocation, grants any projectile he launches an ephemeral curse against the treasures and signs of power of any spiritual being, such as Servants. Through the activation of an NP if the target was struck by the projectile(with said impact dealing no injury to them) or upon making contact with a foe's noble Phantasm the curse will crack the foundations of the legend behind it, lowering its rank of effectiveness by a level and increasing the amount of mana it takes to form/use by a notable margin. The effect is largely temporary, only lasting a few hours for NPs of equal strength to Seven Macaw. However, for NPs of a stronger tier, this curse can last for a few days unless some method of potent cure removal is found or the twins are killed and for NPs of a divine origin or bearing strong themes of divinity, the effect lasts permanently unless similar methods are met. Hunahpu usually carries a bow or blowgun to act as his typical form of using this ability, and tends to make it seem like the weapons themselves are the source of the curse, so as to lure his foes into false security. For Xbalanque, the poison that killed Cabrakan is the curse he brings to bear, an insidious poison that can be applied to any object the twin touches. Instead of targetting the legends of heroic treasures, Cabrakan instead attacks the core of spirit itself to do its work, tearing at the mystery of Spiritual beings. This causes the servants to require much more Mana to maintain their physical forms as well as weakening their physical stats and skills as terrible pain rolls through their body. Similar to Seven Macaw, the curse has a much more pronounced and long-lasting effect on Servants of a higher level of mystery and requires similar means of removal. Xbalanque uses a set of play balls to act as he decoy for the noble phantasm, but like Hunahpu, it's his touch that lays the curse. The curse can linger on a surface for a long time in an inactive state, and it's only when the name is invoked that the poison will take hold, though the twin does need to be within a certain range to activate it in this case. Name: Trials of Xibalba Title: Rejected from the world, denied of it's succor Rank: A+ Type: Anti-Unit Range: Unsure Targets: 1 Description: A finishing combo attack between the two twins representing their trials within Xibalba. A strike for each of the six houses, with a doublestrike finisher making up the seventh to represent their conquest of Xibalba itself. Each attack bears with it the attributes of the Underworld that ramp up with every strike until the last, which strikes at their very core as a Servant, likely dealing a hefty level of injury by the end of it. Rather than a sure-kill technique, this Phantasm is meant to cripple and humiliate the target, and as such the final strike also cuts off their connection to the World and the Grail. While they may still exist after this, they can no longer receive mana from their master, from the grail, nor any source that draws from the energy of the World, leaving them to a pathetic death through starvation if they can't somehow find some other way to sustain themselves, much less power their abilities. Before this finishing move can be invoked, however, several preparations must be made: The target must be under the curse of both Seven Macaw and Cabrakan, it must be performed either at night or within a space conceptually tied to death, the underworld, or the liminal boundaries between life and death, and both Twins must be present and reveal themselves to their foe. While the Noble phantasm can be invoked outside of these parameters, if all these conditions are met, then only a Servant with high luck can hope to avoid their doomed fate. [/hider]