Name: Kei Kimura, of the
SaiseijinAge: 21
Gender: Female
Appearance: The vast majority of the time, one will encounter Kei while she's wearing her coven's traditional ritual garb: a bizarre suit and mask that encompasses her entire body. This grants her a not-unremarkable amount of inscrutability... or at least it would, if she wasn't so
animated. While certainly capable of being serious while out in the field, an earnest and curious personality shines through her eerie apparel, whether that be through the volume and speed of her speech, or the excited gestures that punctuate it.
Out of that garb, Kei is possibly not what you'd expect. At 5'9" with her coven's typical tanned skin and soft features, light and comfortable clothing worn over a slender frame and almost-white hair neatly kept in a single plait, she has a bearing not too dissimilar to a caring elder sister; and while that's not untrue of her, Kei 'off-duty' is not a far cry from Kei 'on-duty', differing only in how her volume and pace has slowed down slightly to accommodate expressive facial features.
Personality:Kei has been described by others in her coven as responsible and diligent… and while that assessment isn’t inaccurate, the uninitiated might struggle to see it. Prone to going off on a whim and given to rambling energetically about whatever morbid thought exercise or topic she’s entertaining that day, she often comes across as a rather unsettling individual, especially when adorned in her ritual garb and with her voice distorted by the influence of the spirits she evokes. The
Saiseijin are known even among other witches for having resisted giving up their traditional ways and pastoral lifestyle to integrate into society alongside other witches and the ever-modernising non-magical population, and she wears her love and zeal for them on her sleeve; if her ‘audience’ is discomforted, she’ll chide them for being softened by modern comforts, while any expressing outright distaste or disdain will rue the ensuing lecture.
But, as noted, her fellows’ assessment of her isn't without merit, and Kei herself is neither totally inflexible or immune to the delights of the modern age. She takes her work as a custodian for the labyrinth seriously, whether that be maintaining the delicate balance that prevents the dangerous magical creatures that prowl its depths coming close to the surface, or offering healing and support to those returning from an expedition to those same depths. She can still be a fairly difficult individual, as she's not afraid to speak her mind, especially to those she perceives as having a lack of respect for life or endangering others with wanton behaviour or selfishness, her own sense of responsibility combined with her past experience churning up real anger rather than consternation. But she's ultimately fairly tractable so long as one doesn't cross such a line, and is open to new experiences; and she certainly enjoys the company of other witches, whether they be of her coven or not, happily offering them hospitality around a pot of stew to share their thoughts on magic and swap stories from their travels.
Abilities: As a member of a notable coven of healers, it comes as little surprise to most that Kei is familiar with White magic. While her repertoire is limited, focusing on providing relief from common afflictions and maladies such as bleeding, poison and burns in either focused single-target or general area of effect based spells, creating wards that bolster the immune system and resistances to affliction of those within in amounts relative to their size, and inducing brief stasis in organic materials, they're certainly effective. A keen observer would note, however, she doesn't know any form of direct healing spell.
This is because, for Kei, White magic is simply a convenient means to an end. The true core of her skillset, and that of the
Saiseijin as a whole, can most readily be understood as a form of Evocation magic. By reaching out to the patron deity of her coven, the Harbinger of Decay, she can offer them a portion of her lifeforce to give substance to their kin, the 'Spirits of Decay', a horde of spirits resembling hymenopteran insects whose bodies serve as a vector for an incredibly potent corrosive effect. While the Spirits of Decay are manifest from her, Kei is considered to be the head of their collective, and so can direct them to swarm a target and eat away at their defences through to their physical form; inflicting a steadily creeping decay upon stronger and healthier targets, while potentially outright shredding weaker or flagging ones down to nothing but bones in seconds if they provide the spirits with sufficient energy.
While a terrifying form of magic, and one that Kei can certainly use to devastating effect, it isn't solely intended as a destructive power. Her coven's founder made contact with their patron deity because of their interest in the role of decay in the cycle of life and death; the death of one creature provides countenance for countless others, whether they feed directly on its corpse or benefit from the sustenance it offers to the earth once it's fully absorbed within. In accordance with this, the magic is most often used as a form of healing. By using the Spirits of Decay to convert organic matter into malleable life energy, Kei can supply it to allies who enter a pact with her or those who otherwise accept her help to stimulate recovery from all manner of wounds and maladies. The healing provided this way can be supplied in various forms, either keeping allies steadily topped up as the Spirits eat away at enemies during an encounter or providing a potent blast of rejuvenating energy when they shred a dead or dying target. The spirits can also be used, with a little precision and the aid of her equipment, to eat away diseased or cursed flesh, allowing new and healthy tissue to take its place.
Surplus life energy reclaimed by the Spirits can be isolated and sealed into biological material for later use, and Kei keeps and collects bones from non-human targets for this purpose, owing to their sturdiness and versatile use compared to other such materials. Besides using them to maintain the gardens she and her coven keep around the upper areas of the labyrinth, she often releases this stored power in blasts when dealing with inorganic obstacles and constructs during exploration; using the energy to stimulate the germination of mold and moss from the spores in the air around them to encumber their movement and function, and weakening their structure so the power of her Spirits can find purchase in them. This ability can also be used to siphon and isolate dangerous elements, such as a dragon's fuel or a hydra's poison, which she can apply her knowledge of fundamental magic to manipulate and use in emergency situations; though their utility in her hands pales compared to what someone with more specialized magic could make of them, and so during her time working the labyrinth, she's turned a small profit for herself selling on rare elements to alchemists in the Moon Circle Society or to parties heading deeper within.
Skills: Most notable among Kei's skills is her aptitude as a medic and apothecary: though her coven specialises in healing magic, and an extremely potent brand of it at that, improper healing and handling of wounds can have effects long after the immediate danger abates. Because of this, Kei has been taught how to clean, dress and treat wounds, and also what remedies to carry for common afflictions, ensuring adequate care and favourable prognoses for those she's entrusted with in a pinch.
Beyond that, growing up out in the frontier beyond Lumiere and having been expected to pull her weight from a young age has left Kei quite strong and physically fit compared to the average witch, though this doesn't translate to a knack for hand to hand combat beyond a certain confidence in beating back monsters that get too close with her stave. This upbringing has also made her a decent cook, albeit one who generally favours simple and hearty foods made from readily-available or long-lasting ingredients such as stews, sauces and soups, unless receiving or entertaining a group.
Equipment: Kei's main equipment are her mask and robes, traditional ritual garb of the
Saiseijin tailored for use alongside their 'unique' brand of magic. The mask possesses an effect that blocks outside influence and sharpens the mind so that the wearer can focus on commanding the Spirits of Decay, keeping their dangerous powers under control and allowing for precise instruction. The robes, meanwhile, help maintain the structure of the body across engagements, providing room for the Spirits to take form without their user having to worry about their body collapsing from overexertion. They also include a forager's pouch for keeping bones, generally carried at the hip for easy access.
Kei and the rest of her coven generally eschew magical equipment beyond these effects, but she at least keeps a wand and a broom. The former is closer to a stave in size and carved from the femur of a gryphon, used to direct and corral her Spirits. The latter is a tough and study-handled affair that she often assigns the role of carrying her heavier supplies, most notable among them being a bag of medical tools and supplies, a cooking pot, bowls and cutlery, as well as dry ingredients such as herbs and a handful of starches. Also included in these supplies are an assortment of sealable jars that can be used as a focal point for her temporary stasis spell; she uses this technique to both isolate the dangerous elements she recovers during forays into the labyrinth and store perishable ingredients and leftover food, and it's difficult to tell which is the original intent and which is the bonus.
Brief Backstory:Kei's coven, the
Saiseijin, originate from outside of Refne, in a country to the far east. Their founder was a healer who lived in the rural countryside during a long period of drought and famine, and who began to gravitate away from 'orthodox' magic as their studies into the cycle of life and death around her drew her attention and fascination towards the essential role of decay within. Traditional white magic was reaching its limit, only able to provide palliative care as her charges' suffering continued because of factors beyond their and her control; and so she made contact with one of her homeland's minor deities, the Harbinger of Decay, entering a pact with them to evoke their power of decay to develop her understanding further.
It worked frighteningly well. Despite some early stumbles, the power of decay harnessed through the lens of an accomplished healer was able to convert the inedible or otherwise inaccessible sources of life energy in the afflicted countryside into workable sources; besides providing ample energy to sustain the ailing people under her care, it helped to restore the land around the frontier hamlets into a arable state, accelerating the natural process of recovery. The newly-founded
Saiseijin refined their craft further and further over the next century and a half, attracting many other healers who had struggled in their own demesne, as well as taking in and training up a number of magically-gifted children who had been left orphaned or destitute. Even once the long drought passed, they held strong, offering their services not only as healers, but as cullers for wildlife that grew unruly or beyond the ability of the enviroment to sustain, and cleaning up battlefields of both the corpses of invading soldiers and the supernatural beasts that their country's military was despatched to deal with.
Unfortunately, however, not only was distrust of witches rampant at the time, the magic of the
Saiseijin was perceived by their country's government and spiritual body as particularly base and filthy, and their attitudes towards death and the handling of even human remains as heretical. While those out in the frontier were generally happy to accept what help they could get, and even those who professed distaste for them were interested in their services all the same, as 'freaks who dwell alongside death', they were ostracized and denied entry to major settlements for their perceived blasphemy and impurity, if not treated with outright hostility and aggression by travelling warriors, holy men and the soldiers accompanying them. Some weathered the hatred, banding together and forming their own little communes to protect each-other; but after experiencing the loss of their hamlets, a number of families opted to band together and leave their homeland, taking their teachings west in hope of finding greater acceptance there.
Kei belongs to a coven of
Saiseijin descended from a handful of those families that travelled all the way to Refne two centuries ago, and while 'welcome' may be a stretch to describe how her coven is viewed, the concentration of witches around the country's capital of Lumiere and the lesser emphasis on purity and inherent stigma against their teachings and magic has allowed them to eke out a fairly steady existence. Often referred to as 'Keepers of the Rot' by Refne natives (a nickname they feel ambivalently towards, but appreciate more than the equivalent from their homeland), the services they offer are much the same as they once offered in the old country, and the handful of families belonging to the Refne coven each maintain a hamlet in the frontier beyond the capital, providing relief to travellers, maintaining the environment around their homes and taking in children either temporarily or more long-term to train them up in their arts.
Kei is one such child who joined the coven through adoption. Born to a non-magical family as 'Kei Clair', she was initially raised at a farm some distance from Lumiere, where her parents lived and worked as hands. The farm had business with the nearest family of the
Saiseijin, the Kimura, and the strange figures weren't unfamiliar to the very young Kei as they came and went through the nearby countryside. Most working on the farm other than its owner would keep a respectful or at least wary distance from the 'Keepers of Rot', and even the older children on the farm were intimidated by their bizarre appearances and the unnerving sounds that accompanied them. Her mother, however, hailed from the same part of the world as them and spoke often with the Kimura when they visited, befriending one of the family's most up and coming witches- Atsuko Kimura- and soon introducing her daughter to them so that she could learn about their shared history.
Life on the farm was steady but peaceful, and it likely would have continued in such a fashion if not for the onset of tragedy. When Kei was five years old, a hunting party passing through the area carelessly lost track of their mark, a gryphon that they had already severely wounded. Tiring of the hunt and wanting to move on to new targets, they left the beast to fester and suffer the loss of its ability to fly or pursue faster quarry, forcing it towards the easiest prey within claw's reach; the farm.
It didn't take long for the Kimura to discover what had happened, but by then, it was already too late. The gryphon had spent a few days picking off the farm's livestock before the lack of consequence and its hunger led it to become bolder and attack the farm directly, shredding through the unprepared common folk there with little trouble. When they arrived, they found Kei as the sole survivor, hiding in the wreckage of the farmhouse from the beast as it picked through the destruction it had caused in desperate search for any remaining morsels of food. They hadn't arrived in time to save the farm, or even her family, but Atsuko herself took the gryphon on to protect the one thing that was left to save, digging through the wreckage to rescue Kei before setting her Spirits to deliver overdue mercy and release to the beast.
The Kimura notified the local government of the farm's destruction and the deaths of those who lived there, and their kin arrived to pay their respects, and collect their belongings and remains to be buried. But as the last mourners filed out and the remains of the gryphon were buried at the site of its demise, there was no family surviving outside of the farm that came to collect Kei. Unwilling to simply let her become a ward of the state to be passed between homes, Atsuko took it upon herself to offer shelter to the young and grieving Kei, at least until she and the rest of the family could figure out a better arrangement. As time went on, however, and they helped her to come to terms with what happened the best they could, she found herself settling into life with the family as easily as she had before. Life at the hamlet was much alike to her previous life, a pastoral environment with a number of non-magical people both passing through and living there temporarily or permanently and with a number of children for her to bond with. That and her familiarity with the Kimura gave her something comforting and familiar to hold on to, and so before long her unofficial adoption by Atsuko soon became an official one, taking up their name to become 'Kei Kimura'.
Kei spent the rest of her childhood living with the Kimura, joining them in looking after their demesne and the younger children that lived there; and as soon as she was old enough to understand how it worked, she insisted on learning the coven's magic to be able to support her mother and aunts in looking after those who passed through. While Atsuko was initially hesitant, not wanting to put her adopted daughter in any more danger after what had happened, she soon relented as she found Kei possessed an aptitude for their arts; she took readily to commanding even the spirits her adoptive mother loaned her control of, soon becoming her apprentice as well as her adoptive daughter.
When Kei was thirteen, she was permitted to form her own pact with the Harbinger of Decay and properly inducted as a novice of the
Saiseijin, allowing her to accompany Atsuko on her on her travels to and from the nearest towns and cities to their hamlet. For the next few years, she continued her tutelage by directly supporting her adoptive mother, sisters and aunts in their roles as healers and guardians, gaining direct experience in the field; and finally getting the opportunity to talk with other witches outside the confines of her home and the arrangements that existed there.
Over the next few years as she honed her craft in the field in-between continuing her tutelage and duties at the Kimura hamlet, she grew steadily more curious of the world beyond those confines; while ambivalent towards 'modern comforts', she was fascinated by other witches and their magic, and of the mysteries and complexities of the world beyond. In particular, during their visits to Lumiere to meet with their aunts and sisters in the Moon Circle Society, she became fascinated with the idea of Notte's Labyrinth, the seemingly never-ending dungeon-cum-ecosystem teeming beneath the city of lights, and which a number of their coven, nicknamed the 'Labyrinth Keepers' helped to manage.
When Kei reached the age of eighteen, finally a fully-fledged if unproven witch, Atsuko accepted an offer from the Moon Circle Society to replace a previous representative of the
Saiseijin who had stepped down. While at this point Kei was free to do as she wished, being both an adult in the eyes of the law and a practicing healer under the Kimura, she chose to accompany her adoptive mother to Lumiere. While she was sad to leave her home behind, the city seemed to offer the most ample opportunity to further develop her magic; and after a few years of plying her trade around the city limits, the Council approved her request to join her kin in helping support exploration of Notte's Labyrinth, alternating with the existing Labyrinth Keepers to tend to those on the surface and those charting the subterranean depths.
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