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"The Varjans are about to attack! Ready your defenses! Evaluate civilians! Alert your leaders! We don't have much time!"
The discussion about Komatsu Bay was suddenly interrupted when Eula barged into the temple, shouting about a Varjan attack. The refugees and monks dropped everything they were doing to listen could scarcely believe what she was saying... but then, the upper floors of a pagoda exploded! A flaming boulder was launched upon it, and it was followed with a couple more shots that landed on the temple grounds and the shelters.
The villagers panicked as fire quickly spread, but a leader was there to keep order. "Ayu! Lead the peasants into any cover you can find. Inside the temples, in cellars, anywhere so long as its hidden well." Takeshi ordered and the head spy nodded and ran off to fulfill it. "Warriors of Shizuyama! Taskforce of Lady Kyouko! The Varjans come in countless numbers! But so long as we stand, we will never give in!"
"I am with you, Takeshi..." Kikyo unsheathed her sword.
"Let us send them to their ancestors!" Takamori drew his dual blades.
"No mercy for the Varjans!" Sorae yelled.
"Never back down!" Nobutada raised his club to his shoulders.
"One strike, one kill!" Kageho let hang her sickles.
"Remember the fallen, but fight for the living!" Yurine exclaimed.
"These Varjans will fall before us!" Kazenosuke smiled, his sword already drawn.
There were also other warriors present, the remnants of Kikyo's forces and survivors who managed to find their way into the temple and did not mind the yokai. The combined troops of Terauchi Temple was a meager force, but one will see if quality trumps quantity in this fight.
The brutal horns of the Varjans sounded... from opposing sides of the temple. "They're attacking from two sides!" Takeshi pointed out. "We have to split up! We can't let a single Varjan get to the refugees! Lord Takamori, take Sorae, Nobutada and Kageho to the other side. Kikyo, Yurine, Kazenosuke, take this side. I'll join in a moment."
The renowned warriors all followed Takeshi's orders without question, leaving only the young lord with the taskforce. "It is unfortunate that Sir Shizuka and some of the others cannot join us. But the Varjans do not wait for anyone, we must do this ourselves." Takeshi said to them. "You're a smart bunch, go where you think you are needed the most." were his last words to the yokai before taking off.
The Great Change The event where the current Demon Lord ascended to take control of monsterkind, taking place one thousand years ago. Being a Succubus, all of monsterkind promptly took on Succubus characteristics and transformed into beauiful monster girls we know today. The Demon Lord also rewrote their natures to be more benevolent, running against the usual objectives of her position.
The Order The religious organization encompassing most of humanity, its members comprising of multiple countries. Based on the Sacred Isles and has major influence in the continents of Oa and Ui, it had been humanity's bulwark against monsterkind since its founding thousands of years ago. But after The Great Change, the Order has found itself impotent as their blessed Heroes cannot strike down the benevolent monsters without going against their doctrines of virtue and kindness. And without the external threat of the monsters, the Order now struggles to keep its members together amidst rising resentment of the organization's corruption and exploitation.
Varjo Once a kingdom of magic known as Razelia, the royalty was overthrown by Varjan Caldeyron who renamed the nation after himself. Taking place one hundred years after The Great Change, each generation of the new royalty increasingly concentrated all the kingdom's wealth and achievements to the capital and destroying those that cannot be moved. Known for their armies' brutality and ruthlessness, Varjo offered to lend their bloodthirsty troops to The Order in exchange for membership. The Order rebuffed these offers for obvious reasons but as their situation grew desperate, the organization relented and began wielding Varjo's armies to put down revolts or assassinate troublesome individuals, even Heroes.
Zipangu A relatively small group of islands in the far east of the world maps. Even before The Great Change, the Zipanguese humans had mostly cordial relations with the yokai in their lands and so, were not direly affected by The Great Change. Still, there are islands and clans in Zipangu that resist yokai and have relations to The Order. Most famous of these islands is Shizuyama.
Yokai The term the Zipanguese use for monsters.
The Long War What the Varjans call the Order-Alliance War that has been ongoing for a decade and a half, its belligerents being The Order and its member states against the breakaway Ortus and their pure Dwarven allies. While the fighting was intense for the first few years, the battles flickered into skirmishes once the battle lines were established. But the recent death of the current Varjan King, Joshua Caldeyron, moved his Sister-Queen Leyanne Caldeyron to escalate the war once more.
Varjan Warrior The main fighting unit of the Varjan military. Clad in thick, dark-colored armors, Varjan Warriors take to the battlefield hacking and slashing at the enemy in the name of earning favor, prestige and loot. Unlike the soldiers and Heroes of the Order, Varjan Warriors have no compunctions about murdering innocent and defenseless civilians and so, are useful in brutally putting down revolts or quelling protests.
Varjan Brigand When the Caldeyrons concentrated the kingdom's wealth to the capital, the villages and towns across Varjo suddenly found themselves penniless and without food. Unable to challenge the Varjan military, these villagers and townspeople took to banditry to make ends meet. Wearing simple leather and fur armors, they assaulted trading caravans and raided the villages of other kingdoms. Over the years, these people turned into full-time raiders and became proficient in battle and fighting. A good thing for them, as Varjan commanders typically call up these Brigands during an excursion and are rewarded with an ascension into a Varjan Warrior.
Footman All Order members are required to maintain a basic military unit comprised of these Footmen ready to be called upon by the Order or their native country. It did not matter how the Footmen were recruited by the nation, so long as they existed. While the quality of the Footmen differs from each country, they're generally given basic training and armed with average swords, spears, polearms and bows while wearing simple chainmails or gambesons for protection.
Varjan Elite Varjo's most powerful fighting force that answers only to the kingdom's royalty. Commanders wishing to field these highly-trained warriors will need to have some blessed to them personally by either the king or queen. Eerily silent on the battlefield, Varjan Elites can take on scores of infantry that one could mistake them for being Heroes blessed by gods. It is mostly a mystery how one can become a Varjan Elite, as no one can be promoted into one or join their ranks. But those who do know are usually disturbed as to how Varjan Elites are truly made.
Varjan Champion Warriors who prove themselves time and time again may find themselves serving as the right-hand men of their commanders or lords, leading contingents of the army in the name of their superiors. Honed and distinguished in battle, Champions are formidable warriors hardened with experience.
Varjan Warlock Magic is a powerful tool in battle, and Varjo is never lacking in this department. Warlocks take to the battlefield to unleash devastating magical spells against foes. They are also attuned to the energies all living beings passively emit so one must mask themselves thoroughly to elude the Warlocks' keen senses.
Varjan War Lord Powerful commanders of Varjo's armies. War Lords boast exceptional skill and sometimes inhuman strength which they use liberally to dominate the battlefield. Armed with the finest armor and weapons, War Lords inspire their fellow Varjans to become more like them. Usually through killing the War Lords themselves.
Varjan Master Warlock Spellcasters and commanders, Master Warlocks are able to conjure the most powerful spells to support their army in battle and lay waste to their foes. And with skill in tactics and strategies, Master Warlocks rarely go to battle unprepared. They are the envy of their Warlock underlings, usually to deadly results.
Varjan Wardogs The dog is man's best friend and the Varjans couldn't have agreed more. Bred to be ferocious and relentless, entire packs of these wolf-like Wardogs descend upon the warband's enemies with teeth sharp enough to pierce light armor and rend flesh. At the very least, they are annoying distractions for the enemy and their lithe speeds mean they are not easily taken down. They are also effective guards and patrols, able to sniff out hidden dangers to their Varjan masters.
Varjan Firethrowers Spellcasters specialized in casting one, particular spell called Unflame. Just by raising their arms and opening their palms, Firethrowers shoot out jets of the magical, blue Unflame that burns like normal flame but is not actually fire and so, cannot be manipulated by those that can control fire like the Ignis monster. Typically wearing loose robes and cloaks, Firethrowers join the battlefield to relish the screaming of their burning enemies.
Varjan Immortals Warriors that know a bit of magic and prove themselves may sometimes be inducted into a unit of Immortals and be awarded a set of Immortus Armor. Invented by ancient Varjan royalty, this initially pink-hued armor magically turns blue and resurrects its wearer upon death for a couple of minutes before the wearer expires permanently, likely giving the Immortal enough time and the opportunity to avenge their own death. However, the blow to activate the armor must be fatal making nonlethal takedowns completely nullify their gimmick. Despite being nigh useless against monsterkind, they can at least detect the energies monsters passively emit.
Varjan Black Discs Those unfortunate enough to be charred to a crisp by a Firethrower continue to suffer beyond fiery death. Thanks to the unusual properties of Unflame, the burned corpses still has spirit energy left behind that can be manipulated. Spellcasters can gather these charred bodies and mash them together into a platform and then cast a spell of levitation or flight to make the platform take to the sky. The burnt platform's flight, instead of consuming the spirit energy of the spellcaster, consumes that of the bodies it is made up of. Varjan Warlocks and Firethrowers are the usual riders of these Black Discs.
The Scarce Legion One of the twenty Legions founded by the Grand Hero Serena to fight in the Crusade Of Unification, a long and colossal campaign by the Order to finally unite the squabbling mankind against the monsters of the Demon Lord. Unfortunately, the Scarce Legion became one of the legions to betray Serena and undo all the accomplishments of the crusade. As per their namesake, there are not many legionnaires in this army but they do have more spellcasters in their ranks compared to the other legions.
Rubric Warriors In an attempt to shield themselves from the temptations of monsters, one of the greatest Master Warlocks of the Scarce Legion along with some assistant Warlocks cast a powerful spell over the entire legion. Those affected by spell found their bodies reduced to ash and their spirits fused with their armors. Their minds were also shattered, leaving them little more than automatons needing orders to function. They were then known as Rubric Warriors, named after the spell that created them. These warriors no longer needed rest nor food nor water, their innate spirit energy enough to sustain them indefinitely. Unfortunately, a glance of Demon Energy is usually enough to transform them into Living Armors while also restoring their minds, which were usually filled with thoughts of disbelief and vengeance.
Those who answered the Ryu's pleas have all made their preparations. They have packed their things, said their goodbyes to their homes and to anyone who would miss them and made their way to Akamagaseki island. Lady Kyouko said in her letter that she would meet them all in Otomo Village, the port in the island closest to the anti-monster island Shizuyama. Through one way or another, they have all arrived at Akamagaseki and reached the port village. At the same time with the others, coincidentally.
Otomo Village was a sizable settlement with a notable estate on a hill, presumably Lady Kyouko's home. The early morning of the day meant that there was little activity in the village. Only the sounds of the morning breeze, the flowing waves and the chirping of grasshoppers could be heard besides the odd cart moving around, the early risers of the village getting ready for the day.
The arriving group would see the aqua-haired, draconic, Ryu yokai Lady Kyouko. She would be witnessed explaining things to a certain Zipanguese man who was lazily sitting on a crate. He looked carefree, had short hair and was peacefully eating sashimi, seemingly unheeding of the words of the Ryu. He wore a hooded cloak that was as white as his hair.
"Ah, good! You're here! Not everyone I contacted, but you will more than suffice... hopefully." Lady Kyouko immediately noticed the arrival of her taskforce. "Ladies, this is Kannazuki Kirei, also known as Gāng Fēng Shén in the Mist Continent. He is one of the first people I've contacted for this... task and so, arrived earlier." The Ryu introduced the white-haired man eating seafood. "I've already discussed with him the finer details of your objectives so he will be taking the lead in this operation. In short, this team's objective is to infiltrate Shizuyama and uncover any information regarding the dealings between Clan Oja and the Varjan dignitaries."
"I'm very sorry for this quick briefing for you see, time is of the essence. A huge Varjan fleet has just arrived in northern Shizuyama, approaching the Saikoten region from the north." Lady Kyouko continued, her tone anxious and her face full of worry. "I fear... It is an ominous development. That is why I'd like the team to mobilize as soon as possible. Lots of innocent lives may be in danger."
"But seeing that you are all yokai, I must say this:" Lady Kyouko stared hard at her taskforce, making it clear that her words should be heeded. "You will be the first monsters in thousands of years to ever step foot in Shizuyama. You will be met with fear, possibly hatred and anger at worst, but please, be patient with them. Trust my word that they are good people. And if you give a good impression, perhaps they'll even change their minds."
"I have a... mage contact inside Shizuyama. I will be teleporting you all to his location, my energies will be spent sending you while the contact spends his receiving you." Lady Kyouko relayed the plan. "Are you all prepared? Do you have any questions? Ask them now since we cannot tarry any longer." She asked the newly-arrived taskforce. "Speaking of tarrying, I'm sure I told Nyla to meet me here an hour ago..."
Lady Kyouko is a mysterious but kind Ryu who watches over the island of Shizuyama for reasons she has not revealed to anyone.
Ayu is a stalwart servant to Lady Kyouko and acts as the Ryu's head spy in Shizuyama.
Former Scarce Legion Warlock Janus pledged his services to Lady Kyouko to settle old scores with his once-brothers in the Varjan armada.
PEOPLE OF SHIZUYAMA
Takeshi Oja is the reserved but responsible heir to Clan Oja, rulers of Shizuyama. And as the heir, he must make the hard decisions to protect the island and its people from the Varjan invasion.
The stalwart and courageous Island Lord of Shizuyama, Lord Hideo Oja is unflinching in the defense of his island and the traditions it has held for generations.
Childhood friend to Takeshi, Kikyo Kinkakuji is the only member of her clan who was permitted to stay when they were exiled. She is now a retainer to Clan Oja and faithfully serves them and their ideals.
Nobutada is a warm-hearted warrior monk who seeks after his missing monks, including his brother. He seeks to prove himself worthy of being a warrior monk by defending the people, places, and traditions he loves.
Sorae once disarmed a group of raiders with kind words alone. But when her family was slaughtered, she became a relentless and ruthless warrior who is obsessed with destroying those responsible.
As a master of shadows, Kageho can disappear into the lightest of shades. But neither she, nor her fellow shinobi, have the direct strength to effectively resist the Varjan invasion.
Yurine is an expert herbalist and grave keeper, but also Takeshi Oja's beloved childhood caretaker. As she grows ever older and sinks ever more deeply into her past, Takeshi learns long-buried secrets about his childhood and parents.
Takamori is a legendary samurai of Shizuyama, gifted with eyes that can see his opponent's next moves. He has settled down with his daughter, but then the Varjans came...
Once a childhood friend to Takeshi, the sword-for-hire Kazenosuke now weighs the choices before him in the wake of the chaos caused by the Varjan invasion.
"As the Earth lays marked by perfected ironworks and the bellows of the wind resound a sovereign shriek, I alone stand atop the mountain facing westward: Unchained and Unrivaled. Oh, don't mind me, that's just an old saying my master always told me!"
Name: Kannazuki Kirei (神無月 綺礼) Birth name / Gāng Fēng Shén (鋼風神) - Mist Continent Alias
*Note: The Mist Continent is the MGE Setting equivalent to China.
Race: Human
Magic/Abilities/Equipment: For combat, Kirei makes use of his immense strength and knowledge of battle tactics, tempted through intense training and numerous brawls. Most notably, he uses the Mitsurugi Takechi–ryū: (御剣 高地 剣流, Governing Highland Sword Style) to dispatch foes. It is a fighting style that applies aspects of the Mist Continent and Zipangu deity, known as Baihu or Byakko respectively, to its practitioners.. Being based on the White Tiger, Users combine aero and ferrokinesis to supplement their combat. This consists of peerless skill with various weapons, generated by the user’s metal control, along with martial arts reminiscent of a wild beast. His style is highly offensive and offers very little in lieu of defense, and relies on countering and enfeebling foes with blinding speed (Shinsoku) to avoid disadvantageous spots.
Aerokinesis: Kirei is able to generate and control wind with deadly efficiency within his general vicinity. This wind also allows him to lessen the power of lightning-based attacks and abilities.
Ferrokinesis: He is also able to create and control metal at will. With this ability, he is able to instantly generate various weapons and tools (Swords, polearms, sickles, flails, chains, etc.) to use in battle. He isn’t able to control metal that he didn’t create, however. In addition, he can also coat his skin in a layer of steel to increase his defense and add an extra punch to his attacks. This also increases the damage he takes from fire attacks.
Weapon Mastery: Kirei is essentially a master with any weapon he gets his hands on. From the precise and aesthetically pleasing katana and straight sword, to a crude and barbaric instrument like a club or flail, once it’s wielded by Kirei its threat level increases severely.
Martial Expert: Kirei’s hand-to-hand style consists of combining the grace of a martial mastery with that of a savage beast. His styles of martials arts come mainly from the Mist Continent, consisting of bone-breaking throws, forward strikes mean to incapacitate with one blow, and the predatory instinct of a tiger.
Vestige of the White Tiger: Kirei has also picked up a useful ability in the form of a buff for his allies. By emitting his chi, he can dispel negative mental ailments his allies may be suffering from and increase their fighting spirit. Those who are naturally not inclined to seek battle or violence may find that it has less of an effect. This buff applies to Kirei himself as well, his senses and willingness to engage gives him the air of a beastman mamono.
Personality: Kirei can be best described as a person that shows those around him different sides of himself, depending on his crowd. He usually, however, comes off as a polite and soft spoken individual. However, those perceptive will see that it’s more of him just going through the motions, and that there’s an underlying snarkiness and jovial man underneath the face. He can be rather brash and impulsive, making decisions that put him in harm’s way at times, as he feels it’s more fun that way. However, he never does anyway that would put his teammates at risk of that same harm. In his eyes, a leader should be the one to bear all the pain of their team and act as an unshakable beacon.
Kirei often acts like a cat, being playful and mischievous when the mood strikes him, in addition to being clever and insightful. He’s also an expert at holding grudges, being what some would describe as spiteful and short-tempered. Aside from all that, he’s actually surprisingly easy to talk to and get along with after he softens up.
Background: It’s no surprise that Lady Kyouko has connections in numerous places. These reach even as far as the Mist Continent, where some of her spies had given her whispers of a man who was part of a Triad syndicate that acted as vigilantes in the Mist Continent. Having reached out to the man, they explained the situation happening over in Zipangu. Kirei, not liking the idea of invaders wreaking havoc in his homeland, ultimately agrees to assist and sets sail for Akamagaseki. Much like a cat, he was curious why a mamono would track him down and request his aid so suddenly, which likely played a part in him agreeing in the first place.
Upon meeting with the Ryu and her peculiar Shoggo maid, she explained that she wanted Kirei to lead a small taskforce of mamono onto the island of Shizuyama, an anit-monster nation, and assess the situation and provide aid if needed. He agreed to the terms, and is now prepping for the operation and awaiting his fellow members.
”Yo! Name’s Gāng - whoops! No need for that alias here at home, we’re not in the Mist Continent after all. I’m Kannazuki Kirei, for now just think of me as a fighter-for-hire, here on behalf of little miss Ryu over there. Don’t mind Ms. Shoggo over there, she’s harmless from what I’ve gathered haha! Upon her request, I’ll be leading a little team of beasties over to Shizuyama in order to see what the hell those…What were they called again? Ah, Varjans, that’s right. I mean, anyone can already guess what it means when some assholes brings a whole damn fleet of troops to your doorstep. So, we’ll need to take ‘em out when things go south.
Keep in mind that the natives despise monsters and most of them haven’t seen one for ages, if that doesn’t bother you, then welcome abroad! Come to think of it, if it did bother you, why’d you come in the first place? But, I digress. You wanna grab some drinks and food before we head out, maybe? Careful, though, I wouldn’t trust the grub of Ms. Tentacles over there. Oh! Don’t tell her I said that…”
Theme song:
CV: Todd Haberkorn (Well known as Natsu Dragneel from Fairy Tail)
🔥Vară Riemsianne🔥
"Nothing's impossible for the next head of the Riemsianne family! (OK! Relax, Vară you got this...I hope...)
"Camael and I will torch you to cinders!"
Appearance: Vară stands at 5'4'', having a slender and delicate frame. She wears an elegant vermilion dress that at first glance looks to be made of autumn tree leaves. When she becomes excited or is in the midst of spellcasting the ends of her sleeves give off the afterglow of blue, red, and purple flames. Her vivid red eyes and bright, long orange hair often causes the males around her to blush and reminds others of the beauty of the setting sun.
While in her true demon form, her clothes become more risqué in appearance and she grows horns on the sides of her head. The most notable feature is the large and imposing familiar she summons, named Camael; it helps augment her fire magic and makes for a powerful battle weapon (though she's not very good at wielding it yet).
Name: Vară Riemsianne
Race: Fire Demon (Demonic beings who are born with the power of fire imbued in their souls)
Magic/Abilities/Equipment:
Being born into a clan of fire demons, the young heiress can innately use toasty magic to attack foes. While having high aptitude, she still has a lot to learn when it comes to combat. She mainly cast a small assortment of different fire-based spells, in addition to the crimson axe she has in her demon form. She can also turn her body into flames briefly, making herself intangible. She can also use this ability to escape disturbances.
Will-o'-wisp: Vară summons multiple small fireballs from the ground that form a haze of indigo light. The hazy light causes foes to see illusions and be throw astray. The wisps can also burn opponents that come into contact with them.
Firefly: Vară shoots out small orbs of fire that resemble fireflies fluttering around. She can make then hone in on opponents, and they explode upon impact.
Lotus Bloom: Shoots fireballs in the shape of lotus flowers.
Blaze Polearm:
While in her true demon form Vară gain access to a powerful familiar that has the ability to transform into a fire axe that helps augment her magical abilities. It also doubles as a melee weapon that can deal quite a bit of damage. However, due to the heavy and unwieldy nature of the weapon she mainly uses it as more of a magical staff. For this reason, she generally prefers it to fight alongside her to serve as an expendable meat shield a helpful ally.
"Go now Camael, defend your mistress! Then, I can make my escape. I'm too young to die, thank you very much!"
Personality: Vară presents herself as a spirited and tad overconfident young woman. While coming from a noble clan, she does very little to give off a befitting air. She is rather immature and self-centered at times, but for the most part her heart is in the right place. She tries to always be optimistic and give positive reinforcement whenever possible.
However, her high-spirited nature is just there to hide her insecurities. She knows that she's lacking in certain areas, and it causes her to doubt herself at times. While she puts on a brave face during fights, she actually gets very nervous and becomes unsure of herself. She often has to force herself to calm down and regain composure.
While not on the job, Vară can usually be found either napping the day away or stuffing her face full of sweets and pastries laced with spices. Hard shell candy pieces covered in dried red-hot chili pepper spice are her favorite. She also has a habit of giving people she associates with often, or leaves an otherwise lasting impression on her, dumb nicknames in order to make them easier to remember.
Background: Vară is a young fire demon who aspires become the next head of her clan. Thinking it'd be a good idea to travel and hone her knowledge and skills, Vara decides to set off on her own one day against the wishes of her parents.
She found life outside her home to be quite...different to say the least. She was able to survive for a while thanks to the funds she gained doing odd jobs and had taken from home, but because she has little to no concept of managing finances she quickly found herself lacking any funds, having spent most of it on frivolous pursuits useless trinkets.
Vară spent recent days searching for a guild to join, as she lacked the gold to buy supplies and a place to sleep. As fate would have it, a contact that worked on behalf of Lady Kyouko had reached out to her. The spy saw potential in the heirness and decided to pass her thoughts along to her master. She ultimately agreed to take Vară on as a member of the taskforce, in exchange for providing her with daily necessities. In addition to finally having a way to feed herself, Vară also saw this as a way to gain recognition for her clan in aiding a nation against the threat of an enemy invasion. With that, she gratefully accepted Kyouko's offer and went with the contact to Akamagaseki.
Although, whether she understood the full implications of what it meant to aid in defending against a full scale invasion or not remains to be seen...
"Hail there! Understand that you now lie in the presence of another noble, the great Vară Riemsianne! Perhaps you've heard of my house, wouldn't surprise me, we are a famous clan of fire demons after all.~ As the gracious Silver Savior ensure that I would no longer be plagued by starvation, I gracefully accepted her request to aid Shizuyama in it's time of need. Of course, as a fellow member of nobility, I simply couldn't turn down her plea in any facet. Aiding these people is something called Noblesse Oblige, you probably have no idea what that even is. Sigh, worry not, since I'm now here, The native people will be save and sound and those nasty Varjans will be sent back with their tails between their legs.
Now then, I believed you mentioned something about food??"
Theme song:
CV: Cherami Leigh (Well known as Lucy heartfilia from Fairy Tail.)
Appearance:
Name: Lavinia Isabella
Race: Pruina Bellum (Rime Hellkite) - A rather uncommon type of mamono that many scholars are still unsure about. Believed to have originated from the frozen mountains far to the north, they are a species that are of the Majin family and belong to the Beastman sub category. They are a race of spellcasters whose abilities allow them to assume more powerful and feral forms. In ancient times, they were feared for their predatory tendencies and rapacious nature.
They sailed the frozen heavens on wicked wings, which spelled the end for any unfortunate enough to see them silhouetted against the night sky. However, since the Great Change, their violent aggression towards humans have all but vanished. They are flirtatious and still quite mischievous, though, and their innate natures are still present to some degree.
Their beast forms have interesting characteristics, not quite like any other known species but possessing traits that are similar to several. Though, most members of this race have avian, lycan, and chiropteran (bat-like) traits.
Magic:
Hydrokinesis/Cryokinesis/Nephelokinesis - Lavinia’s species has the innate ability to control water in all its forms. Liquid, frost, and even as vapor within the air. She can sweep away foes in torrents of waves, freeze them to the bone along with creating objects of rime, and even create dense fog by manipulating vapor. She also uses this ability to purify the surrounding air and water sources of harmful toxins.
Umbrakinesis - Lavinia can also manipulate shadow magic to her advantage. She is able to trap foes in veils of darkness, obscuring their vision and casting doubt and fear among their ranks. Indeed the shadows can inflict mental debuffs on those of weak mind and without much resistance to curses. She can also use it to absorb minor elemental magic attacks thrown at her or her allies.
Abilities:
Heightened Senses - Thanks in part to her physiology, Lavinia has acute senses and is deeply intune with her environment. She has heightened hearing, smell, and like all monsters she can innately sense the mana signature of other humans. Her eyes are unique in the fact that they are more adapted for seeing in the dark, and thus have high photosensitivity. For this reason, Lavinia usually wears a mask that covers her eyes during the day.
Enhanced Strength - While she may be a spellcaster, Lavinia is no less a mamoni that relies on her monstrous strength just as much if not more so.
Transform - Lavinia's most notable ability is her race's namesake. She has the ability to transform into a beastly form to further increase her power. In addition to having her physical and magical strength increased, her agility does also and she gains the ability to fly. She rends apart foes with frost laced claws and talons, and is able to make loud shrieks that cause emotional and mental distress in her opponents. The only downside of this transformation is that it rapidly drains her mana, so Lavinia can't maintain it for very long.
Elite Sniper - Lavinia has also honed her skills with marksmanship. Despite wearing a band over her eyes, she can easily detect the movements and position of her targets by hearing their breathing and sensing their mana.
Equipment:
Hiems Scelus - A unique staff that acts as Lavinia's magical conduit, made of material that easily channels the elements through it. Due to its odd shape, it can also serve as a bow weapon for her, firing off bolts of the various elements she wields.
Witch Cult Locket - A locket that signifies Lavinia's membership as part of the Witch's Association. It must always be worn while witches are out on business.
Witch's Garb - Clothing design standard of spellcasting folk, fashionable and risque as one would expect.
Umbra Mask - A stylish mask that gives Lavinia the appearance of a stage performer. The actual reason she wears it is to assist with her eyes' photosensitivity, but thought it'd be nice if it looked nice too.
Personality: Lavinia in her base form can be described as a collected woman, poised and intellectual. She appreciates the gentle sounds of nature and enjoys reading, leading others to feel she is a rather reserved soul. Although she can be crafty and calculating when accomplishing a given task as well.
When transformed, her personality takes a complete 180, and instead becomes boisterous, savage, and sadistic. She enjoys hunting after fleeing foes and making ambush attacks on unsuspecting prey. She also may be sadomasochistic, as she enjoys being the target of and getting into punching matches with straight-laced anti-monster heroes and heroines. She plays up the part of being an evil monster that will terrorize the innocent if let alone.
Moreover, sometimes her two opposing natures bleed into the other persona. This, combined with her apparent reserved nature makes Lavinia hard to read at times.
Background: Lavinia was born and raised in a snow covered mountain range with a few others of her clan. When she came of age, she decided to depart from the mountains and begin her witch pilgrimage. She eventually joined the Witch's Association, an organization dedicated to further the studies of mamono sorcery and quell disputes caused by anti-monster groups. It was during this time she developed her sadomasochistic tendencies against the heroes and other warriors fighting against her kind.
One of Lady Kyouko's contacts had caught wind of Lavinia's exploits and had recommended that she be recruited to the taskforce. After Lavinia and Lady Kyouko spoke, she happily accepted the invitation. The witch was no stranger to fighting the Varjans, as many of human aggressors were members of their ranks. She also has a budding interest in turning the anti-monster Shizuyama into a Mamono Realm.
"Greetings and salutations. My name is Lavinia Isabella, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Many have come to know me as the Umbra Hiems Witch, but don't let that bother you too much. I simply wish to lend my aid to the people of Shizuyama, as the suffering of innocents will not be tolerated."
Lavinia's teeth suddenly elongate and sharpen, appearing as serrated edges that glistened in the light. Her voice now more beastial in tone.
"Indeed, those Varjans are all the same. Preach about power and showing no mercy, but once the shoe's on the other foot mercy is all they beg for. I will much enjoy watching their faces twist in fear, agonized by my permafrost and helpless as they whimper in eternal night~ She ended her sentence with a cackle that was both cute and sinister at the same time.
"Goodness, please accept my apologies! I honestly don't know what came over me just now…"
Character Theme:
CV: Michelle Ruff (Well known for her role as Rukia Kuchiki from Bleach)
Born under unusual circumstances, Umami had an unstable DNA structure, rifle with natural, yet recombinant DNA matching that of the known Werebeast; allowing her the power to shapeshift her body into another, such as:
Werebat
The least used of Umami's Werebeasts, she gains an exceptional sense of hearing and the power of flight at the cost of greatly diminishing her eyesight and compulsory shrieking to echolocate her surroundings. So, while offering a great advantage over terrestrial opposition, Umami will general opt to use this form for traveling long-distances.
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Werecat
One of Umami's favoured Werebeasts, she gained improved senses of hearing and smell, but more importantly, sharpened vision at night, and dramatically improved agility and balance. Her body also gain a sort of flexibility to move through tight spaces, and is handy to traverse urban buildings at night. This is also her go-to to be pampered by her sister.
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Wererabbit
A second-best for pampering among Umami's Werebeasts, this form boasts the highest speed and strongest legs among all, affording her brutal kicks and easy means to close the gap in combat. However, it is the most skittish of the quintet, and used more to rabbit, in the ironic sense, if a situation becomes too hairy to handle. Due to her speed, Umami is prone to running in a straight line, and fails to round corners. As such, this speed can be put towards digging holes to beat a hasty retreat whenever possible.
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Weresheep
Simultaneously the most docile and sturdiest of all of Umami's Werebeasts, this form has once defining feature above its kin: her almost unbreakable, curled horns. Though extremely pacifistic in this state, more prone to munch on some greens and vibe, if riled to a boiling point, Umami will plant her feet, and throw herself, literally, head first, into danger with the express purpose of breaking bones with a brutal headbutt.
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Werewolf
Excitable. Loveable. Powerful. This is Umami's go-to of her Werebeasts, as she afforded a little bit of everyone's strength in this canine package; speed, endurance, and brutality, all wrapped up in an... unfortunately... easily distracted bow. Puppy-like is a nice way to describe the drain on Umami's intelligence, and most of her destruction is born of her playing with her food.
In addition to her Werebeasts, Umami can tap into her unstable DNA to temporarily overwrite junk DNA, and allow her a unique shapeshift via:
Chimeravore
By sinking her teeth into her opponent, and drinking their blood, or take a chunk of flesh, Umami can temporarily add a sixth Werebeasts to her DNA, but only that sixth, as her body focuses, as struck by tunnel vision, on digesting that first meal and savouring that first bite for as long as possible.
Her final power is a double-edged blade given flesh and bone, turning her into something proclaimed to be a Baphomet, but called a:
Fauxphomet
The wings of a Werebat.
The claws of a Werecat.
The legs of a Wererabbit.
The horns of a Weresheep.
The fangs of a Werewolf.
The body of a Human.
Presenting as something akin to a Baphomet, Umami transforms into a hypersensitive Werebeast of aggression and of panic; a creature enraged by its nature born of fear, and determined to prove its apex existence.
Inept at magic in most known forms, and neither classically nor traditionally trained in martial weapons, Umami is reliant on her natural weapons in the form of her fingernails and teeth, which can easily break flesh like daggers, and her superhuman strength.
For everything else, there's Ripcord.
Personality:
A volatile bundle of energy just wanting to explode, go wild with playful glee, eat a big meal, and take a huge nap to recharge. Simultaneously cute and crude, Umami is loud and crass, and speaks with the bluntness of an untamed child; be it about her uneducated thoughts on the world or how good her last trip to the bathroom was.
However, underneath this all lies a cracking foundation of insecurity born of abandonment and confusion about her place in the world, being in the Nexus between Humans and Mamono - accepted by neither, but used by both.
A shaky smile is plastered to her face whenever her eyes are open, but when they are closed, her truth is laid bare upon her sleeping face.
Background:
Born under surgical lights, on a thunderstorming night, from a wet cradle of unknown chemicals and amniotic fluid, Homunculus Subject C-1019-2014, codenamed "Umami Claremont" came into world the screaming the loudest and the hungriest of her sisters. Into the arms of her sire, she would arrive, and unto the breasts of her carrier, she would be delivered, and developed the first and only true memory of her "parents": delicious, warm milk and a pat on the head.
From then on, gnawing hunger would be what she knew best for the longest, amidst the chaotic whirlwind of a childhood full of fun "games" that she played with her sisters, ten in all. It wouldn't be for a long time before she learned what was truly happening. Her playful, energetic nature being trained as a killer for the special forces of Varjo to topple the Mamono Realms, one by one, from within. At the age of six, Umami would be awoken by an explosion and panic, the scramble of bodies and voices, and the smell of blood.
The sweet, savory smell of blood.
That was a memory of a scent that she would never shake.
Attached to that memory, a single impassioned statement, "Run, Umami! There's better things to eat out there! Tastier things! You've a world of food beyond these walls! Delicious, hot, and luxurious meals and deserts as far as you can see! So, don't be scared! Follow your sisters, listen to them, and run! Live!"
And, run she would. Away, away, away, from days and nights, until she collapsed in the grass outside a satellite village of the Varjo superpower. A rural village that, despite being in its own hardships, would take on ten children, and do their best to house and feed them in their meager foster care system, until they were sixteen and able to break into the workforce - cast out to defend themselves, and make their own way in life.
Split into five groups, the sisters would make for one of the more populated cities and attempt to find work. Three years later, and Umami only knew the stress and strain of endless debt and poverty; her only job being a cleaner for a low-rank faction within the city she settled in. Her stomach was taken to task, as each body clean was credit, but the time she took to clean was debt, and regardless, none of the money was coming to her.
It was by the grace of whatever God the Varjans believed in that a Mamono was employed in Varjo, and not slaughtered on the spot. However, grace was finite, and quickly burned up. In a strike of nightmarish deja vu, Umami found herself running from unseen, unknown attackers, as the gangster than employed her to rise in the ranks had flew too close to the sun, and exposed their treasonous behavior for power to the royals.
However, there was none to save her this time. No-one to push her into the darkness to run, promises of food, and a tastier tomorrow. It was just a cold fire that surrounded her.
Wait.
Fire wasn't cold.
No, it was the woman that stood over her and her eldest sister who was cold. So cold that the fire froze solid in time, so it seemed. However, she was warm...
So warm that not following her wasn't even something that crossed her mind.
A warmth like this didn't ask to be followed.
You just did.
Umami felt like Shizuyama was going to be a tasty adventure.
"You look kinda tasty. Wanna be friends?"
Appearance:
Name: Ripcord Claremont
Race: Homunculus (Shoggoth mutation)
Magic/Abilities/Equipment:
Born, first, under the same unusual circumstances as her baby sister, Ripcord doesn't seem to possess the same mutation, but one of a Shoggoth allowing her the basic biomorphic abilities. However, her favoured biomorph is:
Gnash
"Rip and tear, until it is done," is the creed. And, while wielding Gnash, Ripcord will see His will be done.
Born of imagination, bedtime stories, and overhead conversations, as well as the power of Human conceptualization and Mamono actualization, Ripcord would perfect, inside herself, a weapon in that, “can be swung like a baseball bat, with the width of a wooden plank, and lined with pocketful of knives; spinning like a chain, yet cutting like saw.”
Forged of her own body, toothed by her own teeth, and oiled by her own acid, this improbable weapon can cut through almost any dissolvable material, and is swung with a strange combat style composed of deliberate, poppy movements that generate momentum and backing force to brutal swings.
Said combat style was taught to her by observing, and eventually, in person, by a wanderer of Varjo, and she called it:
Lollipop
A combat style invented by a greataxe-wielding wanderer, who never gave her name or purpose. Just her knowledge. Consisting of agile, springing movements, using Gnash as counterbalance, Ripcord was taught to utilize her oversized weapon as a weapon of mass ass kicking, and not just as a means to rend bodies into chunks for her sister.
By using Lollipop, Ripcord is surprisingly dangerous in single and group combat.
Inept at magic, herself, like all her siblings, Ripcord can generate slime balls from the ends of her hair, and fire silverware like darts - pretending like it's a very esoteric Summoning Magic, when in truth, her go-to is her chainsaw.
And, lastly, like all Shoggoth, she can denature her acid towards a base, allowing it to be used like an all-purpose soap and even consumed as food paste.
Personality:
Rather reserved, Ripcord avoids unnecessary conversation - mostly because she wants to reduce the chance of Umami putting her foot in her mouth - and cuts straight to the point. Her serious nature however belies a much darker truth, in that Ripcord is an absolute siscon yandere, and had held her chainsaw at the throat of many would-be suitors to her baby sister.
Playing aloof and too cool for school masks how much Ripcord worships Umami's bubbly, brilliant personality, and how much she wants to see the world burn for daring to make her frown in her sleep.
Background:
From the beginning, she believed she would never know a mother's love or a father's warmth, even when held at the breasts of the mother that carried her, or in the arms of the father that sired her. Born as Homunculus Subject S-0629-2015, codenamed "Ripcord Claremont", the eldest of ten would come into the world growling; a protective guardian of those to follow her.
This defensive urge would never die down, even as they grew more powerful in their own ways. Smarter than most of her siblings, Ripcord sussed out their purpose wasn't a good one, but continued to play along for her sisters - especially her baby sister, Umami. Inarguably, her favourite of them all, even if she purported loved them all in equal measure. Unfortunately, there was no pretending when the rogue sect that created them was found, and eradicated without mercy.
Awoken from her sleep to be pushed to run down a corridor, Ripcord would be hustled into a hatch - too small for anything larger than a child to escape through. Behind her, saw the woman she called Mother for six years smiled at her once more with an impossible to forget praise, "Don't be afraid to show your fangs, Ripcord. Just like your namesake, your sisters are going to pull on you, and you need to stand strong and growl at the threat. Your stronger than they are, so protect them. I believe in you. Now, go!"
And, so she did - never to see the sword run through her mother, only what was in front of her. The winding tunnel that muffled the screams and executions, sheltered them from the massacre, and spilled out into a dark wood. They weren't safe, though. She felt it. Her sisters would pull on her, and she would growl at the darkness, before running them through it with her fangs bared. Eventually coming to a collapse before a rural village as far away as the children could run.
That would lead them into a life of realistic peace for her sisters. For her, it would lead to a strange run in with a wanderer of Varjo; a woman wielding an axe as tall as a man and as wide as two, yet swung like it was nothing more than a handaxe. For the longest, she would watch the woman train for an unknown reason, but, after a year, she roused the bravery to approach the woman who would become her teacher, teaching her her self-created combat style. By time it was mastered, the sisters would turn sixteen, and be turned out onto the world.
Find a job, or die. That was the way.
Deciding that it would be too suspicious to return to the city as a group of ten, Ripcord would split her sisters into pairs; a younger with an elder, 1-10, 2-9, and so on. Separate, but supported, the sisters would set out. Three years later, Ripcord hadn't sight or sound of her sisters beyond Umami, with whom she'd gone into "cleaning" for a low-rank gang. It wasn't commendable work. It wasn't pride-inducing. It wasn't even rewarding. They cleaned crime scenes for pay, but didn't get paid much, if they took too long, and even then, because they were Mamono, they weren't paid at all.
No. They made their way via food that Umami would bring in from dumpsters, which she'd process into a paste that she'd split between them. It wasn't glorious, but it was manageable. Unfortunately, their paltry luck was just that, paltry, and fizzled out with a bang. Inspiring PTSD, Ripcord would drag Umami as fast as she could, through the fire and blades, charging through the heat, and into the... rime...?
Surrounded by a ring of ice, coaxing fire and time into standing still, was a woman that carried the warmth of the flames, as if she stole it away. As she stole them away. Away from the Varjans. Away from Varjo. Away from Hell. Away from... everything.
Frozen Soul: Born of ice and feeding off of heat, Vivian's entire body is as cold as ice and outputs an aura of extreme cold. Thankfully for those around her, she can decrease this freezing aura's potency to only bring the temperature down a few degrees. When brought to full potency, Vivian can use her aura to freeze the ground solid enough to "skate" across it with her limbs of sharpened ice.
Frozen Heart: Glacies have frozen themselves, heart and soul, for their Queen. As such, while many Monsters are susceptible to demonic energy, Glacies are highly resistant to their monstrous nature and can hide their presence from Monster detection spells rather well.
Vaganova grand pas de glace: With their long graceful limbs and culture of arts, Glacies of the Queendom of Lyonesse fight not with spells or weapons, but with a combative form of dance similar to human ballet crossed with figure skating. Swift graceful movements are emphasized, as frozen limbs are sharpened to stand at toe-point and slice through man-made armor. Dances can be freeform, or follow plays much like human ballet, and even though the movements appear wasteful and full of openings, many soldiers have found themselves bewildered by the speed of ice cutting through steel.
Waterswan's Wings: A classic ballet in Lyonesse tells of the beautiful swan queen, born upon a lake of pure crystal who fell in love with a hunter who saved her from a pitch black vulture. Endebted to the man, she wove her feathers one by one into a vest as thanks, only for the man to meet his end before she finished. The swan's tears descended on the lake, freezing in the icy waters until they formed Lyonesse, its Queen, and her tears in turn made her subjects. Of course, its all just a story, but many young frostlings' imagination is sparked by this story of lost love, resulting in many aspiring to take part in the royal ballet. This garment, made of fabric so fine as to be near invisible, is a mark of honor for Vivian as one who played a part in the royal ballet. Provides marginal magic resistance, and is enchanted to never fray or tear so long as it is worn.
Personality: An emotionally stunted diva that has trouble relating to others, Vivian can often come across as incredibly curt, to the point, and melancholy. And...she is! But, as one gets a bit closer to the icy dancer, one can start to see the façade that's there. The inability to not scrutinize others due to expecting scrutiny of herself, the walls she built to peer past but never cross...beneath everything, Vivian is most scared of being hurt, and is almost incapable of trusting most. She seems to have at least opened up to Lady Kyouko enough to admit wanting to help, but is hesitant to trust in others, or rely upon them for help.
Background: "Work hard, and you too can bear your heart upon this stage! Bare your souls to the Queen, and dance until your heart is freed!"
Such were the first words that Vivian remembered, proclaimed by one of the Queen's most loyal knights. Born to the underwater city of Lyonesse, populated almost exclusively by Glacies and aquatic species that could tolerate the cold, Vivian grew up around those with identical dreams to her. To serve her queen, to hone her skills to perfection, to defend her home, and to relive the fairy tale ballet ballads of old. Body, mind, and soul were harnessed to their utmost limits, training through grueling weeks where she didn't stop to rest. Every glacies of Lyonesse shines like a jewel, but Vivian would settle for nothing less than the top.
Hard work didn't always provide results, but for Vivian, raw passion burned in her frozen heart. To outdo those around her, to shine for her Queen, and to one day see the sun...those dreams drove Vivian through her life. But, dreams and passion alone aren't all life is worth living for. Make no mistake: Vivian is endlessly talented, dedicated, and hard working. But this isn't the story of a girl who did everything right. Toes were stepped upon, friendships broken, ties severed. To reach the top required sacrifice, and Vivian would sacrifice anyone and anything to exist at the top. For her soul to be free.
Callous and melancholy, Vivian was only alive upon the stage. Outside of it, her heart was icier than any Glacies. Love was only for the Queen. Time was only for the dance. Words were only for "yes" and "no". Rest was only until the next show.
When finally her dream came true, Vivian shone brightly upon the ice. The Queen watching, the city in silence, rapt attention all upon her in the Royal Ballet.
Allegro giusto...waltz...moderato...
Like a machine she danced, marvelously cutting the ice under her feet with such movements the theater had never seen, or would see again for some time. The curtains fell, the roses were thrown, and the last bow was taken...
And, behind those closed curtains, the limbs of Vivian had reached their breaking point and snapped. Flawless ice meant to last a lifetime broken down into irreparable pieces. To freeze new materials into place for a Glacies was child's play...but there was an ugliness to it as well. Perhaps it was a punishment. Her one moment in the spotlight was her last, as the ruined Vivian was wheeled off by those she despised as talentless, tended to by those she'd severed her heart from, and her new, blackened limbs made of beautifully cut obsidian inlaid with gold, all replaced save her left hand, the one left clutching the rose at curtain call.
She would never be the peerless, perfect ballerina the Queen had once seen. Would never take to the stage out of fear of her movements, now slower, weighed differently by the lovingly crafted replacements for her body, became a sluggish thing that she hated most of all. And so, she would leave Lyonesse behind without a word of thanks to anyone. Not for those who cheered for her, cared for her, or yearned for her return to the stage. A broken thing had no place in the perfect Royal Ballet.
Making her way across the ocean, Vivian would find herself at odds between a Varjan vessel and a boat from a no-name, no-consequence island called "Shizuyama". Something stirred in her chest upon seeing humans fighting their hardest. Their ugly, hard-fought battle, wherein they had no choice but to shed their lives, their bodies, their very souls for it. ...What purpose was there, in lives so small, so talentless, ignorant and indifferent, that she felt might as well have never been brought to this world at all?
...But, even ugly, shattered things, flailing as desperately as they can and wailing at the world were beautiful in their own way. With one grand movement that seemed to jump from the moon itself down, she would sink the Varjan ship with a gargantuan slice along its hull, before gliding along the water once more.
...Perhaps...here, her heart really could be free.
"Hm. So many types of people...I don't know how you stand this heat. And humidity. But, you're rather lucky. Not many would get the chance in all their lives to see a Royal Ballerina, especially not outsiders. Keep your eyes on me, if you want to be impressed."
Name: Matsuri Okitsu
Race: Inari (Single-Tailed Fledgeling)
Magic/Abilities/Equipment:
Black-Burnt Bamboo Cannon: One of the first fireworks cannons used in her family's history, this charred black tube has one very simple function: Launch some fireworks! It also just so happens to be pretty heavy, making it function well as a battering ram if needed.
Summertime Memory: Matsuri can virtually always be seen wearing her yukata, albeit a bit loosened to make moving around a lot easier. The fabric has seen a few years of use, but her Inari nature has kept it strong and vibrant.
Papa's Charm: A little talisman with the faintest fragrance of home. A little reminder that she'll always have somewhere to return to.
Single Tailed Inari: Despite lacking any experience using magic prior to her becoming a Monster, Matsuri's Inari powers manifest as simple magics that allow her to create objects, small flames, gusts of wind, and minor illusions...and, ironically, have given her a near-infinite supply of fireworks for her personal ammo storage. She isn't skilled enough at using her own powers to hide her yokai nature.
Okitsu Hanabi Catalog: A collection of fireworks of various sizes, colors, and brightnesses, serving as ammo for Matsuri's Bamboo Cannon. Each of these are beautiful works of art and chemistry in and of themselves, but can be used as disorienting and powerful weapons. Channeling her demonic energy, can almost infinitely generate the pieces of her catalog, making them closer to magic than simple fireworks.
Starlight Sparkler: Demonic energy is infused into a simple hand-held sparkler, turning it into a flaming torch capable of weakening metal over continued contact, and causing the trail of multi-colored sparks to form a roughly whip-like shape that can grasp objects. Typically used in one's hand, but can be launched from the Bamboo Cannon.
Bang-Bang Bomber: An extremely simple firework that does one thing: Blow up extremely loud. Effectively the "normal" ammo for her Bamboo Cannon, this is Matsuri's go-to, given the strong impact, loud explosion, and ease of use. Can even be thrown as a grenade if she doesn't want to use her cannon.
Never-Ending Starry Night: The most simple launched firework Matsuri has available, in the style of a Chrysanthemum shell. A beautiful golden rain of sparks in a sphere erupts from the shell, radiating light continually in a spherical radius. Useful for lighting up an area, or serving as a flash bomb for enemies. The sphere will persist for about ten seconds.
Kyuubi Buster: A shell that Matsuri devised herself after taking over the business, a nine-stage bursting shell that lets off brilliant white streaks of light that loop back around on themselves as they descended, forming a twirling stream of lights. When launched by Matsuri, the nine-stage shell will quickly go through each stage, having enough speed to even knock a grown man down as it flies, with the ninth stage of explosive release resulting in a magical spiral of fire that's as deadly as it is beautiful.
Matsuri Color Bomber: A somewhat pointless firework meant to serve as a signal more than anything, Color Bomber makes a giant symbol in the sky designed to look like Matsuri sticking her tongue out and giving a thumbs-up. ...That's it. That's all it does. "Papa...I hope you see this wherever you are! I'm doing great!"
Personality: Kind and dignified, Matsuri carries herself with a surprising amount of dignity given her humble origins. With a can-do attitude and a lot of guts, she's braver than most would expect a girl who, quite literally a month ago, couldn't stand on her own two feet. Still, just because she's dignified doesn't mean she can't be rowdy when pushed, having enough bumpkin in her to tussle if need be. More than anything, Matsuri enjoys making people smile, and lighting up the lives of others whether it be with fireworks or conversation.
Background: "Hey...did you hear? Okitsu's little girl got sick real bad."
"How horrible...she isn't even hardly a lady, and her life's already being cut short..."
"The boss has holed himself up for days...can't blame him. I don't know what I'd do if my kid was coughing up blood."
"Hope the boss snaps out of it soon but...hell, we'll all pitch in! Okitsu Fireworks won't be going under while we're still breathin'!"
It was an utterly ordinary life, lived in an utterly ordinary way, cut short in a strange, extraordinary way. Matsuri Okitsu had lived an ordinary life in her home, the daughter of a fireworks maker who had raised her all on his own. Having found the child abandoned in the mountains, Makoto Okitsu would raise her as if she were his flesh and blood. Makoto's luck suddenly took a major turn after his act of kindness, receiving a great amount of money from the local lord for a plethora of fireworks...enough so, that Okitsu Hanabi went from a one-man operation, to a village-scale production that could deliver fireworks around the entirety of Zipangu!
Teaching his adoptive daughter everything he knew, Makoto would become wealthy enough to give the both of them a good life, all while teaching Matsuri the in's and out's of making fireworks and running their new explosive empire. The workers were just as much family to Matsuri as her own father was, with countless aunts, uncles, and even a few yokai in the mix working to make the best fireworks that Zipangu had ever seen. Life couldn't be better, until a week after Matsuri's 17th birthday, she suddenly collapsed, coughing up blood. All at once, Makoto's spirit broke and he sought every cure possible for his daughter, eventually seeing the knowledgeable Ryu known as Lady Kyouko who would deliver a terrifying revelation:
Matsuri had been abandoned as a baby due to a curse on her, that would end her life before she turned 18. She'd been a ticking time bomb from the start. Thrown into despair, Makoto devoted every waking hour of his life to Matsuri, wanting to at least make the last year of her life as happy as possible. On what would have been the last night of her life, cradled in her father's arms, Makoto would receive an offer from one of the most powerful Inari in the region:
"Give yourself over to me, and I'll ensure your daughter lives. Even if she won't be human anymore...she'll be happy. I can promise you that."
On that night, Makoto vanished, along with Matsuri's illness...and her humanity. Awakening as an Inari, Matsuri was...disoriented at first, but was in perfect health, and now left with the reins to the business. It was tough getting by without her father, but...Matsuri knew that he was alive, and probably happy, and would carry on running his dream, waiting for him to return one day. That was, until she heard about the Varjan invasion of Shizuyama, one of the nearby islands. Bidding farewell to her large family of workers and yokai alike, Matsuri would storm off to Lady Kyouko herself, desperate to help. Why? Simple.
Her father was born in Shizuyama, and had emigrated to the mainland as a young boy.
If the land ever had any meaning to her father at all, she'd fight for it...and make sure to lighten up the hearts of those who'd lost people, homes, and land to the Varjans.
"Hey, Hey! Matsuri Okitsu has arrived! Nice to meet you! If you ever want to see something really cool, or have any idea for special fireworks, just come find me. Hehe...I bet even Lord Oja'd be floored with the fireworks I can fire off. Oh and uh...kon-kon? Is that how Inari talk? I'm a little new to all this...hehe..."
Appearance: Instead of yellow, the color of her clothes are dark silver. She has tanned skin and her hair has navy highlights.
Name: Zeka Willows
Race: Large Mouse
Magic/Abilities/Equipment: The Umbral Orb- A powerful artifact filled with ancient dark energies of a bygone era that Zeka managed to steal from a Baphomet. It hangs as an amulet on the side of her pants. With it, she can: Create and manipulate dark energy, create dark copies of herself, can use umbrakinesis, can become dark mist, shadow walk(teleporting through shadows) and summon dark familiars in the forms of.....well, rats. She can even create spectral weapons, with preference being daggers and bows. Zeka can also create what she dubbed as the Null Cloak, a hood-like shroud of darkness that lets her become transparent in dim light and near invisible in the dark, going completely invisible at midnight for one minute.
Quiet as a Mouse- Small and agile, Zeka excels at hit and run tactics in a fight, as well as being an silent and elusive skirmisher in larger fights.
Personality: Adventurous, mischievous, rebellious yet down to earth, smart and willing to do the right thing. A chaotic rat with a heart of gold, always ready for the next big score.
Backstory:
Born from the union of a stealthy large mouse who caught the eye of an exiled ex-Order sorcerer, Zeka spent much of her childhood exploring and causing mischief in her hometown of Gnoll City, a quiant yet prospering mamono-friendly port town on the edge of the Old Continent. Naturally, seeing such a restless and eager spirit in their daughter, Zeka's parents knew she will soon outgrow her stomping grounds and yearn for the world beyond her home. And so, as any loving parent would, they prepared her. Her mother taught Zeka what it means to be a large mouse, how being quick, quiet and smart made a world of difference. Her father taught her magic, even though he told her that, despite being blessed with his genes, she would need a catalyst to help unlock her magical potential. This would not discourage her, as she vowed to find a way. When she finally came of age, with heartfelt goodbyes, Zeka bid her friends and family farewell and set out on her new journey.
Her opportunity came in the form of a group of witches searching for new recruits for their local Sabbath. Pretending to be interested in joining, Zeka followed the witches back to their headquarters, a castle ruled by their baphomet. As they gave her a tour, she managed to slip away and began exploring the castle on her own. Soon, she found room containing and an ominous looking orb. Before she could make a grab for it, Zeka was caught red-handed by the baphomet and her witches. As the witches held her down, the leader decided the mouse's fate:
Corrupted into a lust-crazed minion by the very orb she tried to steal.
However, as she was being subjected to the orb's energies, to everyone's shock, Zeka did not become corrupted. In fact, the very opposite happened: The orb reacted favorably to the mouse and was giving her power. At that moment, Zeka had finally found it......Her catalyst. Taking advantage of this newfound gift, the mouse caused the entire room to be engulfed in a dark fog, blinding and confusing everyone. She snatched the orb out of the baphomet's hand before escaping through the glass window, inadvertently becoming invisible as she vanished into the woods.
As Zeka explored new places and took in new sights, her need to cause trouble didn't subside. And with dark powers at her disposal, she found herself with a new job:
Thievery.
Every city and town she went, she offered services as a thief. And with her skills and powers, she became good at it. Great, as a matter of fact. Earning the title "The Shadow Rat" for her ability to get in and out of highly secured fortresses, Zeka's name quickly became known across the land....
It was through this that her name became known to a certain Inari, who just so happen to be in need of such skilled individuals for the crisis in Shizuyama.
Zeka didn't know who this Lady Kyouko was or how the ryu's letter got to her, but one thing was certain: A new adventure was calling...
....and she'd be a fool to not answer it.
"Hey, is this yours? Hehe, nah, I'm kidding, I didn't take anything. You wouldn't have noticed if I did. Only if it's something of worth do I even bother. Finacial, sentimental, informational. Doesn't matter. If you want it, I can get it. So....what needs stealing?"
Golden horns sprout from Tomi's locks of blond hair. Her eyes, the color of wealth, betray her origins as a Gold Dragon. The era of great flying scaly lizards is long gone, and nowadays, people encounter Tomi in the guise of a pale-skinned, medium-sized monster girl with a formidable tail covered in iron-strong scales. Most of the time, she prefers minimal clothing or, to be precise, lazy attire, opting for a veil or loose clothing. However, if necessity arises, Tomi dons golden scale-like armor over her arms, legs, shoulders, and chest, leaving her belly area exposed. This armor seems to appear at will, most similar to the pair of dragon wings that seamlessly materialize and disappear from her lower back.
Personality Tomi embodies laziness, finding solace in the embrace of sleep and activities that demand minimal effort. While the majority of dragons exude an arrogant air toward others, Tomi predominantly adopts an uninterested stance in most matters — except when it comes to treasures and what she deems significant. Despite the potential perception of arrogance stemming from her indifferent approach, it doesn't imply any malicious intent. Rather, it is an inherent aspect of her nature, for dragons are fundamentally guided by instinct more than many other monsters.
Abilities
Dragon Wings - Tomi has seemingly no wings, but can make them appear or disappear from her lower back and take flight if necessary. An ability born from dragon natural abilities mixed with a bit of magic.
Inferno - No surprises here to anyone who's ever stepped outside or read a book - as other members of her species, Tomi has access to her fire breathing ability. Whether in human or dragon form, her breath seem to have the same destructive power. However it also takes a toll on Tomi, making her very tired...like most other actions she does.
Immense Strength - Perhaps less spread among all species of dragons, Tomi is incredibly strong physically. All dragons are strong and intelligent, but Tomi - or perhaps gold dragons, as she never met another - has access to incredible strength when she feels like putting effort into it.
Dragon Form - As most people are probably aware of due to their original power levels, dragons have not completely fallen under the spell of the New Demon Lord. That is to say, they retained the ability to temporarily change back to their dragon form from before the new Demon Lord took over. This is not often used, unless in dire danger or to carry treasures - any treasures - back to their lair with ease.
Background Tomi was born as a dragon monster girl. The first few years of her life were spent with what she guessed was her mother, but ended up quickly being left on her own as was probably custom for Gold Dragons. With the instincts kicking in, she did not struggle that much to carve a place for herself in the wilderness. Life was incredibly lonely, but she actually did not mind it at all and was content with her lot, not even imagining for a second that there could be more to life than this - which was, living as an absolute Ruler of the Earth on anything inside her immediate territory.
Indeed, for it is possible for a dragon to never meet, or mate, with a human male for their whole life contrary to some other monsters. One day, though, Tomi learned of the fate that would befall her if that was to happen and did not exactly enjoy the fact. That is exactly why she made the trip. One day, after she had killed off a few would-be dragon slayers, the still alive 'intellectual' of the group threatened her by telling her what would happen if she was to stay around here all her life. Tomi did not believe at first, and set out to do some research which included books, libraries and maybe even speaking to other dragon monster girls. Sadly - or not, depending on your position on this whole monster girl business - what the man had said was true. Annoyed but determined, Tomi left her territory to seek a mate. Not anyone would do, though, as it would have to be a worthy human male that stroke her fancy.
Her travels and goal were what led her, one way or another, to Shizuyama Island.
Quote: And here I was having such a nice, long nap... what is all this then? Are you the ones I - is that an icicle?
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Xaltwind
