[OOC] Youso Betsu Shori: Light's Shadow

[Phoenix]

Currently OPEN

Interest Check
"Basic" Information

Synopsis: The country of 'Sobetsu' is in a state of turmoil. To the north of Kinzoku no Ageba is a coal mine founded by natives of the southern region of Kazan but is within the norther region of Beruga. Skirmishes for the mine have begun while the governments of each region have continued to go back and forth with legal claims for the mine.

The western region of Hisen and the eastern region of Hayate have kept from the illegitimate war between their sister regions, which puts Beruga on a losing end of the resource battle. Both the Monarchy of Hisen and the Parliament of Hayate have kept their neutrality in spite of Beruga's plea for assistance.

The Kyoujin (Shadow's Hand), an organization of Fairs (those without the talents of Elementals) which have been targeting the nobility of Beruga's Democracy and Kazan's Oligarchy, have attracted the attention of the Elemental Elders and, thus, the Masters' Council. The Council has been assigned to seek out their base and leader and devise a way to put an end to the organization. The Elemental Conclave, of Elders, has been debating amongst themselves whether or not to intervene in their daughter regions' current dispute.

Rules
- 3 paragraph minimum (exceptions apply).
- 3 days without activity in RP or OOC will result in the surrender of your character to the GM (Phoenix).
- Any and all questions and complaints may be stated here or PMed directly to me. Flaming within the OOC will not be permitted.
- Suggestions on plot are welcome.
- Collaborations are encouraged.

Sample Character Sheet
Name: Akimoto Kaito (formal)
Age: 25
Element: Fire
Appearance
6'2" 225 lbs.
Dark tan skin, mahogany hair, gray blue eyes, masculine jaw, unshaven, medium-thick brows, medium-long nose, medium lips, relatively lean and flexible, barefoot (callused), several scars across body (from hunting and sparring), burn from bottom left wrist to elbow
Born
13 Sakana, 1274 ZE (10:00 AM) in Kaito (outside Toushin, Kazan)
History
- Master Elemental mother and Weapons Specialist father. They trained him rigorously.
- Brother, Nikutaichi, born when 7 years old.
- Nikutaichi killed parents when Akimoto was 14. Lived on own and rebuilt house.
- Married Shinobu Satomi (formal) at 14. Had first Fair son, Masahiro, within the year.
- Next year had Fair daughter, Saruwatari..
- Great Aunt and Uncle (the Fire Elders) arrived when 16, brought him to Jisuikafuu Academy to study Element. (Satomi went with)
- Dropped out after first year. Trained more rigorously with Great Aunt and Uncle. (Practiced Sai and Bo staff with Great Aunt)
- Went back to Academy at 18. Dropped out after first semester.
- Retuns back to Kaito with wife and children.
- Recommended by Elders to apply for the open Master slot, passes successfully though controversially (only 20 at the time).
- Earth-Fire wars start when 22. Actively speaks against it. Recruitment occurs, refuses to go.
- "Mission" frequency for the Master's Council continues to increase. Forcibly takes sabbatical to be with family.
Martial Skills
Element
Fire (Master)

• Though he chooses not to utilize unless absolutely necessary, he applies his knowledge of Fire differently depending upon which element he is needing to fight against. Otherwise, he has not explored the changing of the color of his natural output of fire.
  - Against Fire, he is completely passive and receptive. He has a talent for absorbing other Firus' fire, which is difficult in itself. He rarely bothers to fight them with fire himself and, instead, attempt to defeat them through other martial methods.
  - Against Earth, he needs to keep observant and agile. Overpowering or keeping an Earthean on their defense is his best method of gaining any kind of upper hand. He believes Fire to be weaker than Earth and doesn't wish to expend so much energy to affect the composition of the earth being used to further control the flow of combat.
  - Against Air, he adapts a fast and flourishing approach. Though he believes Fire to be lesser than Air, he tries to intimidate them with flashy maneuvers and large attacks that have little power behind them before attempting victory over them with one powerful strike, be it of Fire or body.
  - Against Water, he simply tries to overpower Waterans. Since he thinks Water is stronger than Fire, he attempts to affect the composition of the water being used in order to throw off his opponent and sweep in quickly with a devastating attack. He tries to keep a balance between offensive and defensive tactics.

Martial Art (Journeyman/Expert)
Sangaku Kiban (mountain base) (Master)

• This is more a philosophy and style of combat than a formal martial art. Sangaku Kiban stresses endurance above all. Preventing the opponent from progressing past you is the goal of this style. Wide stances and subtle movements make up most of the maneuvers of Sangaku Kiban. One surprising aspect of it is immense strength. Though not utilized often, a skilled practitioner of Sangaku Kiban can easily knock opponents on their backs with seemingly little effort though through obvious motions (much like a rock or mud slide). It is believed that one should be able to take a beating before knowing how to give a beating. Even still, the philosophy of being an unmoving mountain is held in high regard.

Kosasu (small stab) (Master)

• His mother favored the sai, but she never practiced with them. His father taught him some of this art but his great uncle had him perfect it along with his Firus abilities. Kosasu is the most common implementation of the sai, and thus easily discernible. However, that does not make it easy to defend. The short and powerful strokes and slices made with the sai can catch a skilled weapons specialist off guard. When utilized properly, they can be used to disarm and incapacitate an opponent without killing them. Initially a gardening tool, this weapon and style is favored by assassins and body guards.

Kikyū (sphere of wood) (Master)

• His father favored the bo and his great uncle perfect the techniques with which to utilize it. Ki no Kyū is, again, the generic application of the bo, sweeping wide and thrusting for reach and to keep an opponent at a hindering distance. Of course, there are close-combat techniques of this style which are often disarming or or again create a distance between the self and the opponent, but he has adapted some more effective an incapacitating maneuvers for close-range combat that take advantage of his brute strength rather than utilizing leverage and inertia.

*Note: CS's need not be so detailed unless requested.

[Phoenix]

Character List
Akimoto Kaito - Phoenix

[Vinsanity]

Name: Akamu Elewani
Age: 25
Element: Earth
Appearance: Akamu stands at six feet and weighs about 173 LBS. He is lean and muscular with long black hair tied with a red tie for ponytails. He has icy blue eyes and fair skin. He wears a kimono which is gray on the outer layer and a shade of dark green for the inner layer. He has a black belt that wraps around his waist and keeps his two swords snug tightly through the belt and his side.
Born: Kana Isles
History:

Immigrated from Kana Isles of Beruga to the city called, Nobegane, his father found a job that would pay handsomely for his time. During the voyage to Nobegane, his father would pass from an illness and his mother would fall into depression. Akamu and his mother would end up in a small village called "Araga" around the town of En.

Akamu encounters an elder by the name of Kazuhito Mineo and finds himself training under this Elder for 10+ years in Ten No Ni Michi, Ishidatami, and controlling while expanding the abilities of manipulating the Elemental powers of Earth. He was Kazuhito's fifth student. Five more students would train under Kazuhito Mineo while Akamu was still training in Agara.

At some point when Akamu was 17, he had begun training his first student with Kazuhito, reaching 20 years of age, Akamu was put up against all of Kazuhito's students as a rite of passage to be considered a master of the system. Akamu fought 5 other students who were skilled and just as dedicated as he.
Akamu would leave Araga and venture off into the world, he wish to learn everything life had to offer and reach a completely new level of discipline within himself, and being able to push the limits of his spiritual and physical capabilities.

Martial Art:
Ishidatami: Stone Path/Mastered
Fighting with no rules, a rock is thrown at an opponent...does it follow any rules when engaging? Does it divert its path once thrown? Does it ever move back or retreat? Does it faulter even when the rock is smaller than its target? These are all answered with a NO! Then why should I...this is the way of Ishidatami.
Mentality is to always move forward and never lose ground, psychologically it will hinder your opponent into thinking they are losing even if they are not. When striking you must strike with purpose and you must never deviate from your path of attack. No second guessing, and rely on your sixth sense. It is an art that one must trust themselves before ever using in a real situation. Those who perfect Ishidatami aim to end fights without hesitation, without toying with their attacker, and without ever holding any doubt about their ability to win. They have no emotional feeling when in combat and thus will win at any cost...the only fair fight is the one fought by the loser.

Ten no ni Michi: Way of Two Heavens/Mastered
This sword play style is designed to have one long sword pointing up and a companion blade facing down, although the blades can be held in any way, it is preferable to hold them the fore mentioned way. The companion blade is typically used as a defensive weapon, while the long blade is used for offense. They can interchange their role but so must the strategy of the wielder.

Tsuchi-Furo: Earths Flow/Apprentice
Tsuchi uses the movement and momentum of ones attacker against them, it is a art that uses precision, fluid movements, and targets specific joints to create a reaction that cannot be countered. It does not aim to injure the attacker, but it does aim to cease their advance or stop them from a fury or combination of attacks. This typically will always have an attacker end in an uncomfortable position on the ground with a limb in a position of discomfort that either warrants a submit or a breaking of the tendons and bones.

Significant Notes:
"Anju" is the name of his Companion Blade, it was given to him by the council after showing his capabilities at the "Gauntlet". A friendly competition within the village to see who is the most skilled in combat.
"Mineo Choten" is the name of his long sword, crafted and forged by his mentor as a gift for completing his mastery under him.
Akamu Elewani is blind in both eyes and has a scar across his right forearm, coconut wood of a tortoise is loosely wrapped around his neck with leather and a sentimental threaded bracelet given to him by his mother is adorned on his left wrist.

[Phoenix]

I really love what you've come up with here.
There are three things in question, however:
1.) What doesn't "Elewani" mean? (curious is all)
2.) What about his Earth skill? I know you mentioned in the IntChk that he would be an Expert, but you didn't list it under Martial Arts. I am also curious as to how he might implement it in his own way (which I will do in a bit for my own character).
3.) When did he start practicing Tsuchi-Furo? It does not say when in the History. If he just picked it up or began to experiment with it, that'd be interesting to know as well.

Overall, very interesting character. Seems cliche (darn you A:tLA) that he's blind, but I still love the idea. I can tell we're going to have fun. ^^

[Phoenix]

If you enter the combat (which is suppose you might), don't go too far since he still has tricks (being a Firus, this should be obvious). If you want, we can use TitanPad to collaborate the scene. Just let me know what you want to do if you think it might interfere with anything. ^^

[Vinsanity]

Apologies, I figured I just leave an exoskeleton and reveal as we go. Tsuchi Furo is his system he is currently developing and therefore he is an Apprentice because its in the development process.

I have the martial arts and what he has mastered along with his weapons which would infer he is an Expert. I apologize I did not clarify in the post. He is an expert.

I did not ever see the Last Airbender, I had to look up what your acronym was and now I kind of what to turn away from the cliche...oh well

[Phoenix]

Oh no, that's fine. If you were going to allude to it ICly, then I would have been satisfied. I was mostly curious, is all. ;)
The Ranks weren't entirely straightforward. Element, Weapon, and Martial are all separate in ranks.

Any questions about the IC?

[Phoenix]

I apologize for being inactive for so long. I was sick and then attached to my 3DS when finally getting to a playthrough of FE: Awakening.

Anyway, a few things with the ending there. Considering his blindness, I'm wondering how he knew items only a psychic could know.
How was the chase unfair? This is more curiosity than anything else.
How does he know they are "dark individuals"? I feel like vibrations from the earth wouldn't be able to discern whether or not someone's intentions are good or bad. I'm not sure how positivity and negativity can be transferred into the earth.
How does he know they're Kyoujin? Does he even know who or what they are (It's not supposed to be common knowledge as most people may have heard the term but know nothing about it)? How are they not just assassins or mercenaries or even law enforcement? Perhaps he had a run-in with them recently. Since they openly discriminate against Elementals but they haven't yet killed any, they've only been hired to take out governmental figures, or so has been reported.

These are more questions about the nature in which he sees (which I would assume is actually hearing and feeling). I don't want to needlessly inhibit your character but I feel like making him blind, even when Earthean, inhibits the character in itself. I can see him having a great sense of distance and also know how many people are walking and such, but what about jumping or "flying" (in the case of Akimoto's ability to use fire to fly) opponents?

I should have written this the day you posted (since that's when I read it)...but I'm a terrible person. >.<