[hider=Riardo Caso]
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[b]Name:[/b] Riardo Caso

[b]Age:[/b] 64

[b]Gender:[/b] Male

[b]Race:[/b] Moon Neokrin. Riardo is a Neokrin, a race of long lived humanoids that are divided into the Sun and Moon sub-races. The Sun Neokrin typically have gold skin and live in cities and are more civilized. The Moon Neokrin on the other hand are gray in skin color and live more as nomads, staying in the wilds and only coming to civilization occasionally. Both types tend to have magical powers, and the study of such powers is where they come together.

Another key aspect of Neokrin culture, both Sun and Moon, is the wearing of ceremonial masks. Only very young children are allowed to be seen without a mask on, as by age ten most Neokrin villages will start assigning chores to the children. Most Neokrin masks denote one’s rank or role in society, so that anyone would know just by looking. However, in extreme cases, a particular Neokrin will be gifted an unique mask in honor of some special achievement. No one else is allowed to wear the same style mask as the unique one.

[b]Appearance:[/b] Riardo stands at 6’3’’, a little tall for his people. Otherwise he looks like an average Moon Neokrin, with ashen gray skin, long black hair, bright red eyes, and long pointed ears. His build is quite athletic as he spends most of the time on the move. A life time of fighting monsters has left his body covered in scars, bruises and other damages. Like all Neokrin, Riardo wears a mask at all times. However, he was gifted an unique mask. This mask is silver in color, with long wings jutting out it’s sides, and three fangs going down to cover Riardo’s mouth.

Riardo tends to wear simple clothing, usually darker in color, such as a traveler’s robe and a plain shirt. On his feet are a pair of thick boots, the toughest piece in all of his attire. Around his waist, Riardo has a leather belt, with his various weapons attached to it. On his back is a small sack to carry other essentials and gold.

[b]Home World:[/b] Ahurea. This is a world comprised of a single super-continent, a gigantic mass of land that runs from the most northern seas to the most southern seas. A great wall divides north and south Ahurea, built by a rare alliance of Sun and Moon Neokrin to keep out the Saurians, the prominent species of south Ahurea. The various environments of Ahurea are mostly separate with a tundra to the north, a vast smattering of tropical islands to the west, a dense forest to the east, plains in the central lands, and a massive jungle to the south.

Neokrin mostly live in the central and western lands of Ahurea, having built huge cities across those lands. The Sun Neokrin mainly inhabit these cities, also having a complex religion that worships a Pantheon of Neokrin Gods and Goddesses. Moon Neokrin on the other hand are less religious and will inhabit parts of the eastern forest, even with it teeming with monsters.

In the last few generations, there was massive upheaval in the Neokrin religion when the former King of the Gods was killed in a coup by his siblings. His body fell from the heavens before landing in the tundra to the north. The Neokrin attempted to find the body, but learned that there bodies were not suitable for the cold of the north and called off the expedition. Since then, the former King of the Gods’ body has been absorbed into the world, saturating it in mana. With each new generation, it now seems that more and more Neokrin and Saurians are borne with magic. The most recent statistic is about 70% of newborns have innate magic.

South of the wall and in the massive jungle exists the Saurians, a race of dinosaur like people. Never united like the Neokrin, the Saurians will rob and pillage any nearby settlements never really forming alliances. The Neokrin look down on the Saurians for reasons like their primitive nature, short life span, and worshiping nature instead of Gods.

[b]Patron Deity:[/b] Yakig. The God of Stars, Travel, and Courage, Yakig was a fierce warrior among the Gods of Ahurea. However, he didn’t go along with the killing of the King of Gods, and left heaven to travel the stars. It was there that he encountered Pax Celestia, becoming a member. He now grants blessings to wandering loners, often making them his Champion.

[b]Champion’s Blessing:[/b] The Starlight Lance. Forged from the embers of a dying star, this lance is made of energy. It appears as a blue lance covered in stars, with a slight shimmer around it. This lance is unbreakable and can help channel mana, allowing Riardo to fire his lightning magic. When not in use, the Starlight Lance can combine with its user, appearing as a star burst tattoo on his left hand.

[b]Inventory:[/b] As a monster hunter, Riardo keeps various weapons on himself. On one hip is a short sword, while the other one has a Sun Neokrin made crossbow. Various small knives and bolts for the crossbow are stored around Riardo’s body. In his backpack, Riardo keeps some rations, a bedroll, healing potion, and a few coins of gold, seeing as most worlds accept gold pieces.

[b]Magic:[/b] Like most of his generation, Riardo was born with magical powers. By channeling the mana that permeates his world, Riardo can store it for later use. Riardo’s primary aptitude is in lightning magic and speed magic. Riardo can create a magic storm within his body, expelling it as lightning from his fingers. He can also burn his mana reserve to increase his natural speed, being able to outrun most mortals if he put all of his mana into it.

A downside to his lightning magic is Riardo’s lack of control. Having some dangerous mishaps in the past, Riardo is reluctant to use it at full power. He also knows not to use it while in water as it will hit himself as well. The speed magic on the other hand has a problem in that it burns through mana very fast. The faster Riardo moves, the faster his mana reserves deplete. Once out of mana Riardo can’t cast magic until he is able to recharge. While his body does naturally produce small quantities of mana, it is easier to recharge while being in a world heavy in natural mana.

Riardo’s Champion’s blessing, the Starlight Lance, also can affect his mana use. The lance itself can store mana as well, giving Riardo a larger reserve to work with. The lance can also be a focus for his magic, allowing him to fire lightning bolts with greater ease and less of a chance of going wrong.

[b]Skills:[/b] From a young age Riardo has always been a natural athlete, outperforming his peers. This ability was only enhanced when he learned to use speed magic. Riardo’s mother was a herbalist and passed down those skills to her son. After becoming a monster hunter’s apprentice, Riardo was trained in sword fighting, crossbow accuracy, and tracking.

While Riardo won’t admit it, he really is a good cook, making tasty meals out of limited food choices. He really has a flair for baking, but can only really realistically use said skill while in civilization.

[b]Personality:[/b] Riardo is a very competitive person, always trying to one up his peers from a young age. This meant that he’s not always the easiest person to be around. However he does care about others, especially those who he views as not capable of helping themselves. This is why he exceeds as a monster hunter as he refuses to give up on a mission.

While Riardo is massively skilled, he has messed up bad from time to time. Misuse of his lightning magic resulted in the death of someone he cared about, causing him to second guess ever using that magic. To compensate for this error, Riardo spends plenty of time training, just to make sure that he is always prepared and will do the right thing.

Riardo also harbors a deep loneliness, finding it hard to truly connect with others. He is the perpetual wanderer, never laying down roots. This outlook on the world is actually what attracted Yakig to Riardo as it means he would be more willing to leave his world and fight as a Champion.

[b]History:[/b] Born on the same day as the 100th anniversary of the coronation of the Sun Neokrin king, Riardo’s birth was mostly ignored in his village. As he was not their first child, in fact their fifth, even Riardo’s parents mostly shrugged off his birth. Instead the young Neokrin would get along best with a brother that was only a year older. The two would play together and with the other mask less children of the village, getting into trouble quite often.

But then Riardo lost his play friend brother when he was given a mask and a role. Made a farm hand, the brother would work far from Riardo’s family’s hut. It wouldn’t be too long before Riardo himself was given a mask, however the village elder would declare him a scout. His family shocked by this, Riardo decided to go along with it. Sent away from from his village, Riardo would end up at an old church that doubled as an academy for scouts.

Physically, Riardo would excel in his studies, but academically he fell behind. As such he was sent to serve at an obscure outpost far away from Moon Neokrin society. Riardo hated this decision as he wanted to do something proper with his life. That chance came when he was traveling to the outpost with other failed cadets, when they were attacked by a roaming monster. In the ensuing battle, Riardo would call upon his lightning magic for the first time, killing the monster, but also injuring a fellow scout.

Following this incident, Riardo was recalled to the Neokrin capital city. This is where he first saw a Sun Neokrin and heard tales of the Saurians to the south. A Moon Neokrin lord would take Riardo under his wing, intending to make him a monster hunter. To that end, Riardo would train in the capital for several years, before being sent to a different master for a few years. This continued for about a dozen years, before Riardo was recognized as an official monster hunter.

Now with status, Riardo traveled to the east of Ahurea, right to the border with the dark woods. There he would meet and eventually fall in love with Ascelle, a female Moon Neokrin monster hunter. The two would work together, rising through the ranks of the monster hunters. The pair would even decide to hunt down a monster out of their league, the forest Behemoth. The pair would find the monster, only for it to be much stronger than they thought. Backed into a corner, Riardo released his full power lightning magic, destroying that part of the woods.

In the aftermath, the Behemoth was dead, but so was Ascelle, burnt alive by the magical outburst. Following this Riardo lied about how Ascelle died and also vowed to never use his magic at full power again. Instead he started to rely on his hunting lance, deciding to do things the old fashioned way. Riardo would continue to hunt monsters for several years, making his name known in the local region.

A turning point in Riardo’s life would happen when the Sun Neokrin king would come to the region on a trip. The king brought along his youngest son and daughter, only for them to be snatched by a Hag and taken to the dark woods. As soon as the king realized this, he ordered all monster hunters, knights, wizards, or other people who could fight to rescue them. Naturally Riardo would go as well, going headfirst into the woods.

By luck, Riardo would become the first one to find the Hag, operating out of a cave underneath a waterfall. Riardo would find that both royal heirs were still alive and would help them flee. The Hag would pursue, only for Riardo to impale it with his lance, breaking it in the process.

Riardo would emerge from the dark woods with the children in tow. The king was overwhelmed and offered Riardo the position of master monster hunter as a reward. Riardo would turn him down, not wanting a position of authority. However, the king would not let him turn down receiving an unique mask for his deeds.

Following these accolades, Riardo took a break from monster hunting to travel the countryside. He would eventually end up in his home village where he had become something of a celebrity. Wondering what to do with his life now, Riardo’s mother suggested looking for divine inspiration. So that night, Riardo prayed for the first time since being a child.

Surprisingly enough, a God answered. The elusive God Yakig had his eyes on Riardo and thus spoke to him. Impressed by his actions, Yakig would offer Riardo the chance to become his Champion, to serve the Gods. On an impulse, Riardo accepted. He would then be granted a new lance made of starlight, before being taken away from Ahurea. It would only be later that Riardo learned that Yakig’s previous Champion had died in a brutal battle that massively depleted the ranks of Pax Celestia.

[b]Extra/Notes:[/b] Riardo had never seen a Human before leaving his world, and now questions why they are so far spread across the Multiverse. Also his theme song is [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r9PoGewraI]this[/url] (or really anything else from this album.)
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