[Hider=Ky Lien][center][h2][color=Lightcyan][b][u]Ky Lien[/u][/b][/color][/h2][hider=Appearance][img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c2/e8/4d/c2e84d8acda18bc880ecd113fc3d581f.jpg[/img][/hider][hr][color=LightCyan]✦[/color] Character Theme | [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QB8j-c0wCk][color=LightCyan]When I See Pigs Fly[/color][/url] ✦[/center][hr]
[b][u][color=LightCyan]Full Name[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]Ky Lien[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=LightCyan]Age[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]13[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=LightCyan]Gender[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]Male[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=LightCyan]Species[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]Human[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=LightCyan]Personality[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]There’s not much about Ky Lien that most won’t immediately recognise as the typical traits of any ordinary thirteen year old boy. He is possessed of a boundless energy, insatiable curiosity and a mischievous streak that his elders find both endearing and quite irksome at times. He’s as hard headed as the rocks he throws around; quick to show his bravado and spirit when either are challenged. He brings a playful energy to most situations and often plays the clown in lieu of treating a situation seriously.

Ky has a distinct lack of emotional maturity and often speaks his mind, which often comes off as insensitive or crass. Grappling with the emotional rollercoaster of adolescence and his own trauma often makes it hard for him to process emotional responses that are uncomfortable for him. When this panic grips him he has quite a temper and often regulates his feelings with violent outbursts against whatever inanimate object happens to draw his ire. Joining up with Rising Starborn has definitely been a welcome help in working to process those feelings; especially with so many friendly, experienced mages around to offer their support when needed. In a lot of ways, being with them reminds him of what his own family was once like before things got complicated.
[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=LightCyan]Strengths[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]✦ Confident. Ky is fearlessly naïve and willing to take on most challenges head on. 
✦ Lighthearted. He brings an energetic, positive vibe to almost every situation.
✦ Strength. Physically strong and able for his age.[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=LightCyan]Weaknesses[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]✦ Untrained. Has little martial or magical training.
✦ Stubborn. His hardheadedness is often a detriment.
✦ Emotional. He is easily flustered and prone to losing his cool.[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=LightCyan]Guild[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]Rising Starborn
Marked on his right shoulder.[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=LightCyan]Mage Rank[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]C Rank[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=lightcyan]Team Members[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]None[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=LightCyan]Magic[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent][i][u][color=LightCyan]Geomancy[/color][/u][/i]: Caster Magic that allows for the manipulation of earth and geomagnetic forces. Unlike Earth Make, Geomancy is focused around controlling the earth that is present nearby the caster. They are unable to produce their own matter. Earth is not an element that is easily tamed, requiring not only magical fortitude but also great physical strength in order to manipulate effectively. For this reason, Geomancer’s train their bodies to become exceptionally strong; able to shift and shape the earth with mighty blows.

[hider=Spell List][b][u][color=lightcyan]Lesser Geokinesis[/color][/u][/b]: Ky can manipulate small to moderate amounts of earthly material with his magic. He can shape this matter into basic forms, but not to the extent that they can be effectively weaponized.

[b][u][color=lightcyan]Rock Surfing[/color][/u][/b]: Ky kicks up a slab of earth from beneath him that he can freely maneuver around with. Allows for quick movement and repositioning.

[b][u][color=lightcyan]Stone Remnant[/color][/u][/b]: The Geomancer conjures an effigy of themselves from the earth at a desired location. The remnant remains and can be manipulated with their other abilities. In a pinch, Remnant’s can be used as cover. Ky can conjure up to 3 remnants currently.

[b][u][color=lightcyan]Stoneskin[/color][/u][/b]: The Geomancer encases parts of their body in a thick layer of earth, decreasing their speed and agility in exchange for enhanced durability and weight. Ky can encase both of his fists in [u][color=lightcyan]Stoneskin[/color][/u].

[b][u][color=lightcyan]Rock Sling[/color][/u][/b]: Claws up the ground to send a wide volley of jagged rocks in a targeted direction. While not the strongest of spells, it is very fast and can be easily chained into after other attacks.

[b][u][color=lightcyan]Threaded Volley[/color][/u][/b]: Ky tears up a series of five small to medium rocks that orbit him temporarily. On command, he can fire individual rocks at desired targets or volley all of them at once as a stronger attack.

[b][u][color=lightcyan]Boulder Smash[/color][/u][/b]: Winds up a heavy punch, encasing Ky’s fists in [u][color=lightcyan]Stoneskin[/color][/u] if not already applied, before delivering a solid haymaker to the opponent. Can also be used to shatter relatively solid constructs.

If used on a [u][color=lightcyan]Stone Remnant[/color][/u], the strike will send it flying a considerable distance before the effigy erupts for heavy damage when it collides with something.

[b][u][color=lightcyan]Upheaval[/color][/u][/b]: Ky raises up a large slab of earth to act as cover. Can be fired forward to slam into opponents.

[b][u][color=lightcyan]Earth Shock[/color][/u][/b]: Blasts a target with geomagnetic energy that shocks and [u][color=lightcyan]Magnetizes[/color][/u] them for a short duration. [u][color=lightcyan]Magnetized[/color][/u] targets charge any [u][color=lightcyan]Stone Remnants[/color][/u] near them, causing them to strike them with a lesser [u][color=lightcyan]Earth Shock[/color][/u]; refreshing the magnetized duration and destroying the remnant.

[b][u][color=lightcyan]Geomagnetic Grip[/color][/u][/b]: Pulls a [u][color=lightcyan]Magnetized[/color][/u] target towards Ky. Can also be used on [u][color=lightcyan]Stone Remnants[/color][/u] to quickly pull them back to Ky, colliding with anything along their path.[/hider][/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=lightcyan]Equipment[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]✦ Training Bo. A wooden staff with no remarkable qualities. The grain is splintered from excessive force being applied.

✦ Handwritten Note. The letter meant for his mother. He can't seem to part with it.

✦ Strange Rocks. Ky enjoys collecting any oddly shaped or coloured rocks and crystals he comes across.[/indent][/indent]

[b][u][color=LightCyan]]History[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]Ky, the younger of the two Lien sons, grew up with much adoration for his elder brother Kim. The two were inseparable and were the pride of their parents. The name Lien holds some significant weight in Fiore, being the namesake for a prominent  wizarding corporation. Ky’s great grandfather had originated the organization, passing it unto his son and so forth. It was expected that Kim was to be groomed to inherit his father’s position, but the boy had loftier ambitions. Their mother was far less stringent than the boy’s father was; a free spirit who fondly remembered the old ways. She shared stories of heroic mages banding together in guilds not out of some sense of profitable pragmatism, but real comradery and heart.

It was these tales that drew Kim to Pergrande in the first place - a land free of the bureaucracy that had tainted Fiore’s guilds. Of course, confessing his desire to migrate to a foreign nation did not go over well with his father. Ky was quite young at the time, but even he remembers the argument that tore their family apart. Feelings that sat just beneath the surface burst forth in a tidal wave of screaming and crying. Words said that could never be unsaid.
Their father offered an ultimatum. 
Leave and you will never be welcomed back.

Ky knew a choice had been made when he saw his brother slip away through the front door of their home for the last time.

Wracked by grief, resentment, and abandonment, the Lien family was never quite the same after Kim left. The father absorbed himself in his work and became irritable at any mention of his first born. His anger often misdirected towards Ky’s mother. She grew withdrawn, the flame of passion having sputtered and faded from her eyes on the night everything changed. Ky, too young to understand and process his own feelings, grew agitated and impulsive. Labeled a problem child and delinquent. Soon enough it felt as though everyone, even his parents, had simply forgotten he was still there. As though he had left with Kim that night.
Perhaps he should have.

The finality of that thought set things in motion. He packed a knapsack and pilfered a hefty amount of jewels appropriate for enticing a morally dubious ferryman into looking the other way while he stowed away on one of the trading ships headed to Pergrande. His hands clutched the handwritten note he had decided not to leave his mother. Doubt crept in but he pushed it out. Instead, he thought of his brother. Finding Kim was his priority. He wasn’t sure where to start, but his aimless wandering once the ship landed ashore eventually led to a chance encounter with Jenna Wolfsbane. She offered a warm bed and a chance to earn his keep. Ky accepted, joining up with the Rising Starborn guild in Rembrandt.[/indent][/indent][/hider]

[hider=Kiba][center][h2][Color=CadetBlue][b][u]Kiba of the Empty Blade[/u][/b][/color][/h2][hider=Appearance][img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/a7/ef/87/a7ef87b0cb2a3b88ba89bc39871245a3.jpg[/img]
[/hider][hr][color=Cadetblue]✦[/color] Character Theme | [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LEs1yKXnb8][color=Cadetblue]Tek It (I Watch the Moon)[/color][/url] ✦[hr][/center]
[b][u][color=cadetblue]Full Name[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]Kiba of the Empty Blade[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=Cadetblue]Age[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]20[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=Cadetblue]Gender[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]Male[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=cadetblue]Species[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]Human[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=Cadetblue]Personality[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]Taught not to burden others with his presence from a young age, Kiba doesn’t seem to have much of an outward personality. He comes off as very stoic and uninterested,  reacting to most situations with the same relaxed glare and coy smile as always. Even when presented with something particularly confronting, the most you’ll get from him is a raised eyebrow or slight frown. He is the definition of a closed book.

Strong willed and silent, Kiba possesses a loyalty and drive that few can rival. He is a steadfast protector with a complete disregard for his own wellbeing - placing those he has sworn to defend before himself no matter the cost. His duty is all he needs to be fulfilled. He forces himself to suppress his own desires and wants due to his harsh upbringing. He has found comfort in the simpleness of his existence, and fears what would become of him if he were left to find his own reason for being.

It is easy to mistake Kiba’s social ineptitude for stoicism. Truthfully, the boy has spent so little time around actual people he just doesn’t know how to interact with them. He has become reclusive and shy, which is becoming more of a glaring issue as he grows older. He is a selective mute who struggles to get even a peep out when in any social situation despite being more than capable of speech. For those able to break through his shell, he may open up and speak to them in short, mumbled sentences.

He loves to be active and oftentimes loses his composure while training or sparring, revelling in the adrenaline of it all. He is a good sport and shows both reverence and respect to his opponents and allies alike.
[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=cadetblue]Strengths[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]✦ [color=cadetblue]Martial Poise[/color]: Years of dedicated training has honed Kiba's body into a cold, unfeeling weapon. He moves without hesitation with a certain grace and swiftness to his steps and strikes. He exerts his power efficiently with great precision and razor sharp reflexes; the traditions of the Isvanian warrior arts living on through him.

✦ [color=cadetblue]Adept Swordsman[/color]: To Kiba, the Empty Blade is but an extension of his own body. While he is no master, he takes to the sword as naturally as a fish does water.

✦ [color=cadetblue]Iron Will[/color]: It is quite difficult to sway Kiba from his duty. He is a very driven individual who places his mission before all else.[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=cadetblue]Weaknesses[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]

✦ [color=cadetblue]Underwhelming Strength[/color]: While not physically weak by any stretch of the imagination, Kiba's true strength relies in his finesse and the precision of his attacks. He isn't a physical powerhouse who can overpower opponents. He often needs to employ clever swordplay to surpass his foes.

✦ [color=cadetblue]Straightforward Thinker[/color]: Kiba doesn't really think outside of the box. A warrior at heart, his usual course of action is to draw his blade and settle matters with blows. Thinking beyond that is not his strong suit.

✦ [color=cadetblue]Naive[/color]: There is much Kiba does not know of this world. While he does possess a modicum of common sense, he is often the victim of trickery and silver tongued charlatans. Gullible to a tee, he is pretty easy to mislead provided you tailor your words to fit his current goal.[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=cadetblue]Guild[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]Rising Starborn[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=cadetblue]Mage Rank[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]B Rank[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=cadetblue]Guild Mark Location[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]Right Pectoral[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=cadetblue]Magic[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent][u][color=cadetblue]Empty Sky Form[/color][/u]

A Holder Magic channeled through [url=https://img2.finalfantasyxiv.com/accimg2/d9/83/d983b8c935a3b473284ef27636e4e4a44c359d20.jpg][i][color=cadetblue]Saint Shiva’s Empty Blade[/color][/i][/url], a katana imbued with Ice Magic that is said to freeze anything it cuts. Drawing the blade itself will drain the wielder of their magic power over time, but allows them to create and manipulate ice to enhance their swordplay.

[hider=Spell List][u][b][color=cadetblue]Frostbite[/color][/b][/u]: When drawn, the Empty Blade will begin to freeze anything it slices. This affects inanimate objects quicker than it does people. Causes the target to move and react slower, the effect increasing the more [u][color=cadetblue]Frostbite[/color][/u] is built up on them.

[u][b][color=cadetblue]Ice Blade[/color][/b][/u]: Conjures blades of ice at various sizes, angles and distances. Can be launched as projectiles. Kiba can employ this technique to varying degrees of power depending on how much magic he chooses to exert.

[b][u][color=cadetblue]Crystal Slash[/color][/u][/b]: Empowers sword strikes with ice that extend the range and cutting power of the Empty Blade. Can be used with the blade sheathed but will not build [u][color=cadetblue]Frostbite[/color][/u] if used in such manner. These slashes can be launched at foes at a distance.

[b][u][color=cadetblue]Permafrost[/color][/u][/b]: Delivers a sword slash with the drawn Empty Blade, causing targets afflicted with [u][color=cadetblue]Frostbite[/color][/u] to become [i][color=cadetblue]Frozen[/color][/i]. 

[i][color=cadetblue]Frozen[/color][/i]: Target is trapped in ice, unable to take any movement action for a brief period. Ice will melt at the end of the effect, leaving them unharmed. Targets afflicted with higher amounts of [u][color=cadetblue]Frostbite[/color][/u] are trapped longer.

[u][b][color=cadetblue]Shatter[/color][/b][/u]: Sheathes the Empty Blade, shattering the ice around any [i][color=cadetblue]Frozen[/color][/i] targets for heavy damage.

[b][u][color=cadetblue]Dual Ice Strike[/color][/u][/b]: Strikes twice in a wide arc before the caster in quick succession. The first slash applies [u][color=cadetblue]Frostbite[/color][/u] whilst the second applies [u][color=cadetblue]Permafrost[/color][/u].

[u][b][color=cadetblue]Snow Flower Storm[/color][/b][/u]: An Iaijutsu technique that delivers a series of weak slashes to the target that rapidly applies [u][color=cadetblue]Frostbite[/color][/u] before sheathing the blade. Possessing such speed that the wielder appears to never draw their blade.

[b][u][color=cadetblue]Blizzard[/color][/u][/b]: An Iaijutsu technique that strikes a target with [u][color=cadetblue]Permafrost[/color][/u] before sheathing the blade to [u][color=cadetblue]Shatter[/color][/u] any [i][color=cadetblue]Frozen[/color][/i] targets. Possesses the same bewildering speed of other Iaijutsu techniques.

[b][u][color=cadetblue]Empty Sky Form - Winter’s Riposte[/color][/u][/b]: An Iaijutsu technique that has the wielder assume a defensive stance. If struck by any physical attack, the wielder will dash through their target with a heavy [u][color=cadetblue]Permafrost[/color][/u] slash before sheathing their blade to [u][color=cadetblue]Shatter[/color][/u] them.

[b][u][color=cadetblue]Driving Frost[/color][/u][/b]: An Iaijutsu technique that has the wielder gather energy whilst their blade is sheathed. After a brief moment, the energy is released in a long ranged, ninety degree [u][color=cadetblue]Frostbite[/color][/u] slash in any direction.

[b][u][color=cadetblue]Biting Frost[/color][/u][/b]: As [color=cadetblue][u]Driving Frost[/u][/color], requiring a longer channel time but instead covering a two-hundred and seventy degree angle.

[u][b][color=cadetblue]Diamond Frost - Axe[/color][/b][/u]: An Iaijutsu technique that has the wielder gather energy while their blade is sheathed. Cleaves a moderate area around them with a [u][color=cadetblue]Permafrost[/color][/u] slash.

[u][b][color=cadetblue]Diamond Frost - Scythe[/color][/b][/u]: As [u][color=cadetblue]Diamond Frost - Axe[/color][/u] but instead cleaving a larger area; with the exception of a moderate area in melee range of the wielder.

[b][u][color=cadetblue]Empty Sky Form - Heavenly Moon Strike[/color][/u][/b]: An Iaijutsu technique that has the wielder slicing through their opponent with a quick, mid ranged dash. Applies [u][color=cadetblue]Permafrost[/color][/u].[/hider][/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=cadetblue]Equipment[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]✦ [url=https://img2.finalfantasyxiv.com/accimg2/d9/83/d983b8c935a3b473284ef27636e4e4a44c359d20.jpg][color=cadetblue][b][u]Saint Shiva's Empty Blade[/u][/b][/color][/url]: An Isvanian relic that is said to have once belonged to Saint Shiva, a prominent mythological figure in the Isvanian faith. The blade is made from [u][color=cadetblue]Perfect Ice[/color][/u] that is enchanted to never melt and freezes anything it cuts. Similar to a lacrima, the blade seems to radiate it's own magical aura. Though this magic cannot be tapped into as additional reserves. It is simply what sustains the magic of the blade itself.

✦ [url=https://sekiroshadowsdietwice.wiki.fextralife.com/file/Sekiro-Shadows-Die-Twice/ceremonial_tanto-quick-item-sekiro-wiki-guide.png][b][u][color=cadetblue]Ceremonial Tanto[/color][/u][/b][/url]: A dagger used in Isvanian practices. It is anathema to wield to blade against another. It is a sentimental belonging to Kiba that he often finds himself grasping for in uncertain times.

✦ [b][u][color=cadetblue]Pan Flute[/color][/u][/b]: A simple wind instrument for passing time on the road.[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=cadetblue]History[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]His story is not unlike many of orphaned street urchins that roam the Isvanian capital. A member of the nobility will often scour the slums for promising trainees; the ones who still possess that spark of life in their eyes. That desire to survive, no matter the cost. They are taken in, given food, a bed and a roof over their heads. Then, once they are comfortable and eternally grateful to their saviors, the re-education begins.

Their old names are abandoned, for they are not permitted to be named as a person does. They are taught that they are no longer people. They are given an identifier that reflects their purpose in life, a moniker that makes their role easily identifiable whilst still reminding them that they are mere tools - nothing more.

One such tool was given the name Kiba, meaning ‘Fang’. One of many fangs in the maw of the Isvanian Guards, he was trained to be a weapon who struck down the enemies of his lord without hesitation or emotion. For years he trained under many different mentors, each one's grueling challenges further cementing his new way of life through their cruel trials and torture. Finally he was given to another tool to finish his training. Tsume. 'Claw'. They spent many years together, Tsume imparting the warrior arts upon Kiba as was his purpose. Though he was not supposed to, Tsume grew to care deeply for this one particular Fang. Kiba looked fondly upon his mentor as well; the unspoken bond of father and son tethering one’s heart to the other.

The day would come when Kiba’s training would end and he would be designated amongst the Isvanian nobility to fulfill his purpose until his life was spent. His final meal with Tsume and the others he trained with was a somber one, but he did not lament his situation. He knew he would have died on the streets, and a life in service to others was better than none at all. Yet Tsume had other plans for the child he cared so much for.

Kiba was awoken in the middle of the night by his mentor. Tsume’s voice was hoarse and his hands trembled. As though every part of his nature was rejecting the choice he was about to make. The two stowed away to the town docks where a trading vessel was loading cargo. A masked woman by the name of Crow awaited them. Tsume, wanting a better life for Kiba, had arranged to have him taken to Pergrande. The young boy was perplexed by the sudden change of plans, the instincts of his training fighting against Tsume’s decision. The older man just smiled, explaining to him that he was not suited to be a tool. Because tools are not loved, and cannot love. Yet Tsume loved him. As much as any father could love their child. He apologised for the upset, but hoped that one day Kiba would see himself as so much more than just a weapon. He handed his sword to the boy, as well as a sacred ritual dagger, before exchanging coin with Crow and bidding them farewell.

Kiba, resigned to his mentor's decision, was frisked away under the cover of moonlight to Pergrande. He never knew what became of Tsume, but he was not so naive to believe that his treachery would stay uncovered for long. Upon landing, Crow took pity on the lad, who stood in a strange land as a lost lamb without a flock. She arranged for Kiba to be placed in the service of Jenna Wolfsbane, an old colleague. This suited Kiba fine; offering his blade to Jenna in lieu of some Isvanian noble.

With the advent of Rising Starborn, Kiba was one of the founding members who helped see Jenna's vision to fruition. His time in Pergrande has done him good, but he still has much further to go before Tsume's dream for him can be realised.
[/indent][/indent]
[b][u][color=cadetblue]Extra Information[/color][/u][/b]

[indent][indent]✦ [b][u][color=cadetblue]Nameless[/color][/u][/b]: Children trained under the Isvanian nobility are not permitted to take a traditional name as a person would. They are given a title that reflects their life's purpose. Kiba means 'Fang'. It is indicative of his role as a weapon.

✦ [u][b][color=cadetblue]Selective Mute[/color][/b][/u]: Kiba can talk, but he often chooses not to. This is generally a byproduct of severe social anxieties as well as his harsh training that sought to dehumanize him.[/indent][/indent][/hider]