[hider=The Heart of Bushido][center][h2][u]Wikooroh Aktichak Yiataktahm[/u][/h2] [img]https://i.imgur.com/J31Zkdl.jpg[/img][/center] [b][center]A single drop of water makes the ocean deeper still.[/center][/b] [center][h3][b] 20 | Male | Neemaiyak | Warrior | 6.71 [/b] [/h3][/center] [h3][u]P E R S O N A L I T Y [/u][/h3] [indent]❖ [ Proud ] ❖ [ Independent ] ❖ [ Thick Skinned ] ❖ [ Strong Willed ] ❖ [ Nomadic ][/indent] [h3][u]C H A R A C T E R A P P E A R A N C E [/u][/h3] Wikorooh is an atypical specimen of the Eeaiko. He has the same bluish colored skin and dark hair that blends in with the ocean abyss, but his body is larger and more muscular than a normal Eeaiko male. He is also a fair bit taller than the average Eeaiko. He is not handsome, but he is not ugly either. He bears a warrior’s countenance. Wikorooh dresses in a manner similar to that of humans. Following the example of the neighboring Nikanese, whose lands are not far from Neemaiyak, he wears a loose fitting [i]kosode[/i] made of sea silk. He imitates human culture by adorning himself with tattoos and using human weaponry, which has given him a strange reputation among his own people. In truth he admires mankind for their diversity, both in appearance and beliefs. Sometimes he thinks to himself, if he was born a human, then maybe he wouldn’t have felt so lonely during his formative years. [h3][u]L A N G U A G E S [/u][/h3] Wikorooh speaks the language of his own people just fine, but what is remarkable about him is how ably he can speak human tongues despite how recently he has begun to associate with them. From local human fishers and merchants, he has learned to communicate in both Avincian and Nikanese over the span of a few years. He has a broad understanding of vocabulary, but his accent may sound unusual, and like any Eeaiko his vocal patterns can be a bit alien. [h3][u]T H E G I F T [/u][/h3] Wikorooh’s magic use is focused on the fine art of underwater combat. With the power of kinetic enhancement he is able to match the speed of the threshers and sea dragons which he chases down for food and sport. Beneath the waves he is like a living bullet, able to reach speeds over 100 kilometers per hour no matter how strong the ocean current is. He is also very skilled in liquid manipulation and can effortlessly produce and shape water according to his will, using it for both offense and mobility when forced to fight on dry land. He has some experience in other types of magic as well; his aptitude in chemical and binding are intended to create self sufficiency, as being maimed by a sea monster’s teeth could easily spell the end of him during his long, solitary hunts. He knows a little bit of arcane magic too, to help regulate his body temperature in icy waters among other things. ❖ Arcane: Apprentice ❖ Binding: Apprentice ❖ Chemical: Adept ❖ Kinetic: Expert [b]Mana Type: Venomblood[/b] [h3][u]B A C K G R O U N D [/u][/h3] Born to a pair of subsistence fishers, Wikorooh was the eldest son of his family of twelve. Feeding so many mouths was hard work, and from an early age the oldest children were taught the family trade. While other kids spent their time after school gossiping with each other and playing games, Wikorooh was learning how to fully exploit the bounties of the sea to make ends meet. Trapping. Spearing. Cleaning. Preserving. Foraging. He could not boast to others of having great wealth to invest, and the amount of time spent putting food on the table left the young hunter with little time for creating new ideas. In their prosperous community his family was viewed as peasants that did little to contribute to the city’s grand projects, and while his childhood was not isolated he did encounter his fair share of bullies. Despite being a small boy from a low class family, Wikorooh had always carried himself with pride. He refused to suck up to the bigger, meaner children, and he was not afraid to share what he thought about their childish cruelty. They could never be as scary to him as being surrounded by a swarm of sea scorpions in the middle of a kelp forest. Perhaps it was this pride that made him a target for others to pick on. Like crabs in a bucket they descended on him, and while he was still a runt Wikorooh found himself subject to all manner of harassment. Though his mother always asked him why he came home covered in bruises, Wikorooh gave her a convenient excuse each time. He never let himself cry in front of his parents, not only because he wanted to reassure them, but because he was too stubborn to let the abuse demoralize him. Years passed and Wikorooh grew up. He became larger and stronger, until he was one of the tallest males in his community. As his skill with the spear grew, he alone could hunt prey that normally required two or three grown men to slay. As time went by his tormentor’s eyes became filled with uneasiness rather than disdain. He was not a target to them now, but a threat. His newfound strength earned him respite from his childhood enemies, but it did not make him any more popular. Up until he became an adult Wikorooh had few friends and no lovers to speak of. This didn’t bother him much. He was focused on continuing the family trade, and his brothers and sisters were as good friends as any other. He was content. The turning point in Wikorooh’s life came when his manas started to fully express their characteristics. He could not commune with other Goldbloods the way all Eeaiko are meant to. He could not share his magic with others. To make things worse, it seemed that his mere presence was enough to make other magic users sick. His blood was cursed, and in order to separate him from the wider population he was declared a pariah. His parents did their best to defend him, but ultimately Wikorooh became an alien to all except his own flesh and blood. Even his siblings grew more distant. For all the love they had between them, Wikorooh could not control his abilities well enough to keep from hurting them, and their association with him was making it difficult to pursue their aspirations in Eeaiko society. Something had to change before his existence became a burden to the family. Wikorooh took matters into his own hands. He was the oldest and strongest of his father’s children. He had the necessary skills to survive the ocean’s cruel depths. On an unremarkable date in the middle of the night, he gathered his meager belongings and ran away from home. He knew little of the outside world and had no destination in particular to go to. There was a very real possibility that he might die in a cold, dark place with nobody to mourn him. The young Wikorooh knew this, but love overpowered the fear. He left his family’s future in the hands of his brothers and sisters, whose talents he always believed to be far more valuable than his own. Someday they could become artists. Builders. Leaders. His only regret was that he would not be there to see them grow. At fifteen years old, Wikorooh spent several months in solitude at sea. He ate whatever he could fish or scavenged off the corals, and when nightfall came he slept in caves or wrapped himself in the leaves of balloon kelp. During that time he met few members of his species, and the ones who did happen to cross his path instinctively kept their distance from him. After all, he was a strange Eeaiko without a place to call home. He could be nothing other than an outcast. The act of surviving was enough to occupy his thoughts most of the time, but Wikorooh eventually felt the loneliness creeping into his mind. As going back home was no longer an option, and with the isolation steadily driving him mad, Wikorooh chose to do something many Eeaiko considered taboo. Wikorooh knew of humans. He had seen their shipwrecks scattered across the sea floor, and he had seen the shape of their galleons casting shadows at the water’s surface. History taught that they were a species full of thieves and conmen. In the past they had committed great injustices to the Eeaiko. But if his own people did not love him, what harm was there in seeking companionship among thieves? When the seas were calm and the sky was full of blue, Wikorooh darted towards the first ship he could find in hopes of finding another mind to connect with. What he found was not a merchant galleon, but a puny boat not much bigger than a canoe. Inside this little wooden craft Wikorooh met his first human. He was a skinny sort of fellow, with narrow eyes and pale skin blistered by the sun’s rays. He wore robes that the lone fisherman had never seen before, and judging by the state of his body the man seemed to be starving and unconscious. Fearing that his first human contact might be a dead man, Wikorooh poked his head over the side of the boat and raised his voice. With a combination of shouting and shaking the boat, he was able to rouse the human from his state of unconsciousness. The man was too weak to raise his head, and his human tongue was unintelligible to Wikorooh. However, unlike everyone else he had met, the stranger’s eyes betrayed no fear. The Eeaiko could not explain why, but he felt drawn to those eyes. There was a language barrier between them, yet it was clear to Wikorooh that this human would not survive without his help. He took pity on the land dweller and, over the course of the next few days, nursed the marooned sailor back to health. There was no helping the lack of freshwater out at sea, but raw fish and sea fruit both had plenty of moisture and essential vitamins. It was enough at least to keep the human alive, and the more he ate the healthier he became. During this time the two of them tried to communicate with each other, but they could only convey basic ideas via hand gestures and body language. Wikorooh would never learn why the man was lost at sea nor what he did for a living. He only knew that his name was “Hiroshi”. None of it really mattered anyways. For the first time in months, the outsider could feel the joy of connecting with another sentient. A few days after meeting each other, during one of their fruitless “conversations”, the sailor gestured rather insistently towards a small dot on the horizon. An island. Wikorooh understood what the human wanted. The boat had no sails and its oars were long gone. He wanted to go home, but he needed Wikorooh’s assistance. The idea of there being other humans made Wikorooh anxious, but at the same time he was excited. He fashioned a rope out of monkey vine and used it to slowly drag the human to land. He was unable to swim at his usual speed for fear of capsizing the vessel, and he had to spend more time fishing and foraging to feed an extra mouth. Slowly and steadily the two traveled together. Along the way they tried to teach each other words from their respective languages. When Wikorooh greeted the human, it was no longer “maun hoorek”, but “ohayou gozaimasu.” The two had gained a rare bond. To the human, Wikorooh was his savior, but he had also saved Wikorooh even if he didn’t know it. To feel companionship and purpose again after months of living alone was a blessing. When Wikorooh and Hiroshi made landfall, the Eeaiko discovered the land he would later learn was Nikan, home of the samurai. The two unlikely friends parted ways then, but not for good. While Hiroshi went back to his home, Wikorooh discovered that other Eeaiko had built a small settlement called Neemaiyak not far from the island’s shore. Unlike his rather isolated community, these fellows were familiar with human culture and language. They even had a tentative trade agreement with the Nikanese. To an isolated village on the edge of Eeaiko civilization, a strong warrior like Wikorooh was a welcome sight regardless of his past. He continues to live there to this day, protecting his new family while learning more and more about the humans who he gained a newfound curiosity towards. Over time he adopted Nikanese clothing and weaponry, adding his own Eeaiko flavor to their manner of dress and fighting styles. In time, he even became brave enough to visit their settlements. The Nikanese people could be vicious and warlike, but they also produced great works of art and culture. Sometimes they could be quite selfish and isolated, and other times they showed even more cooperation than the Eeaiko peoples. It is that duality of man that Wikorooh finds fascinating, and for the time being he has decided to continue observing human society from a respectful distance, once in a while lending a hand to others lost at sea. Perhaps you might meet him someday? [h3][u]M O T I V A T I O N [/u][/h3] Wikorooh wants to experience more of human culture. He is interested in their food, their music, their language, and everything else besides. He spends a lot of time prodding the locals for rumors and information. He is also trying to become more educated, as he was not able to receive more than a basic education due to growing up poor. Wikorooh spends a lot of his free time reading human literature so he can learn about not only the Nikanese, but other human cultures as well, like the neighboring Rettanese to the northwest. He has recently taken an interest in the humanities, and is sometimes inspired to write his own poetry. [h3][u]I N V E N T O R Y [/u][/h3] Wikorooh has a hoard of oddities that he has collected from the human shipwrecks and trash piles. He has pilfered everything from coins to crab pots. Perhaps there are valuable relics and artifacts hidden within his hoard, but he wouldn’t know enough about human craftsmanship to realize it. He also has a pile of colorful shells, pearls, and sea sapphires collected from his foraging trips. His current weapon of choice is a naginata that he salvaged from the site of an old battlefield from the Nikanese civil war. He doesn’t know enough about their superstitions to fear the vengeance of the dead. [h3][u]S T R E N G T H S & S K I L L S [/u][/h3] [indent]❖ Underwater hunter ❖ Trained warrior ❖ Weapon based martial artist ❖ Survivalist ❖ Xenophile [/indent] [h3][u]W E A K N E S S E S & F L A W S [/u][/h3] [indent]❖ Stubborn ❖ Overconfident in his strength ❖ Difficult to fight alongside [/indent] [h3][u]M I S C E L L A N E O U S [/u][/h3] Hex code: [color=ccf7ff]ccf7ff[/color] [/hider] NPC character sheet made out of boredom. Let me know what you think!