Basics

Gender: Unspecified. Gaia is both male and female and yet neither.
Species/Race: Horseman of the apocalypse
Age: As old as time and then some.
Height: Varies
Weight: Varies
Hair Color: Varies
Eye Color: Varies
Skin Color: Varies
Figure: Varies
Job: Whatever the master desires or whatever is asked of him/her when the seal breaks.

Powers

Natural Horsemanship - Cosmos - Gaia can summon a majestic steed named Cosmos.(See below) This steed is fast and doesn't suffer from fatigue as mortal animals would. Trained in the heat of battle, he is a fearless companion and enables Gaia to utilise the rest of her/his power. Cosmos does not willingly allow others to ride him, it is unclear whether he could be detained by another being. (This excludes Carmen Calandra, as she was also born of the stars, Cosmos would most likely allow her to ride him if she so wished)

Verdant Force - Gaia is a force of nature, when combined with Cosmos she/he can command the earth around them. Gaia can make anything that is a natural part of the earth move or grow, this includes the very ground itself. Gaia considers any earthly substance that has been tampered with by humans such as concrete, tiles or cut rocks such as gravel to be lifeless and thus unresponsive to his/her requests.

Fusion - Unlike the other horseman, Gaia has the ability to fuse with her steed. Becoming a centaur in effect. Gaia will inform his/her master that there are two versions of this form:





(Passive Abilities)

Immortal - Gaia does not physically age, though he/she can be killed by normal means they do not die. Their soul returns to the seal and will remain there until they have recovered. During this time the seal becomes inactive and Gaia cannot be summoned from it, even if it changes hands. It can take days, years or even centuries for Gaia to recover again.

Fifth horseman of the apocalypse - Providence - Gaia has the ability to distil the destruction and unrest left behind by the four horseman of the apocalypse whilst remaining their kin. He/she is the sign of renewal and rebirth. Despite being a more positive force than her/his kinsman, Gaia is naturally neither a force of good or evil, simply a way to balance out the world. Gaia is the horseman of providence. Destined to follow the four horseman of the apocalypse and end their charge. To create and shape the new world behind them, in the ashes of its destruction a new civilisation will be born anew like the Phoenix.

Weapons Master - Being as old as time Gaia has obtained a knowledge of many different weapons and thus can use near enough any of them. She/he favours feudal pole weapons with some form of blade. At this time Gaia favours the Bisento.

Weaknesses

The Seventh Seal - Gaia can only be released once the seventh seal has been broken, she/he is the cataclysmic event that refreshes the earth. However, if the first six seals have not been broken then the seventh cannot be broken but Gaia can be summoned by whomever holds the seal. If she/he is summoned in this manner she/he is then bound to whomever possesses the seventh seal, Gaia must obey their orders despite his/her personal feelings and must remain close at hand.

(Note: When the seventh seal has been obtained by someone they can change the seal's appearance to suit their needs, though it will remain metal meaning it can either be turned into a weapon or a piece of jewellery. Alongside this they can decide whether Gaia can remain neutral, evil or good, they can also decide whether Gaia looks female or male.)

Amnesia - Every time Gaia's seal switches hands or she/he is laid to rest, they tend to lose their older memories. The maximum number of memories they can retain are four, four cycles to be exact. They can recall the people in these past lives, what gender they were and what they did. Though they are unable to remember what alignment they were, they can recall their past acts and if they wanted to piece them together to get an idea of what went on (If they could be bothered, generally they cannot). They also tend to look upon their memories in a rather platonic manner, feeling little to no connection to their pasts. (Note: If the emotions Gaia felt in one of his/her past lives is strong enough, they can cause a more emotional reaction when they are recalled. The stronger the emotion the more chance Gaia has of retaining the memory.)

Cosmos - Though Cosmos is immortal as Gaia is, he is also a part of Gaia. Their bond is incredibly strong and Gaia is undeniably attached to the beast, so much so that he/she finds it upsetting and maddening when she/he is forcefully separated from Cosmos. Gaia is not concerned about Cosmos's well being if they battle together, as he/she cannot battle efficiently without him. Cosmos is basically made up of half of Gaia's power, he is the embodiment of his/her cosmic abilities. If Cosmos was turned against Gaia, he/she would be unable to harm him regardless of what alignment they are.

Personality

Gaia's personality cannot be chosen by his/her master, it is something Gaia is able to retain regardless of who she/he works for though it tends to be influenced by those around her/him. Gaia is not fond of expressing emotions though finds that the more time he/she spends around people the harder it becomes to control them.

Traditionally Gaia is indifferent about near enough everything, she/he does not understand how emotions work and why people are obsessed with them.

"Why must the cook be happy with his job? If he is good at his job and it makes ends meet what does such a trivial emotion matter. I admit that emotions have their perks and indulging them every once in a while is worth while but I cannot understand how you can allow yourselves to be governed by them"

She/he does enjoy using sarcasm and mentioning things at inappropriate times. Then again Gaia does not strive to gain anyone's acceptance, she/he doesn't care whether she/he is liked by other people or not. Gaia believes she/he is a force above and beyond everyone else so why should he/she seek the acceptance of lesser beings?

That said Gaia is capable of feeling, whether he/she can admit it or not, they remember being 'Mamoru' because of their attachment to their mistress. And will openly express the fact they felt remorse at her passing and were hurt by the fact she sent them away before passing on...probably not advised to point this fact out to Gaia however, it may lead to explosive results.

Gaia is capable of being wise and serious as well as being childish and unreasonable, because he/she lacks any kind of 'self' they tend to flit between different persona's continuously, making them as inconsistent as the weather.

Background

I am Gaia, known differently among the races. I am the shaper of the earth to some and a mother to others. I am everything they believe and yet nothing they believe, for I am the fifth horseman of the apocalypse. I do not know what my purpose is or what I am, I simply live within the Seventh Seal waiting for it to be broken so that I can be released.

Don't get me wrong, the fact you are reading this suggests I have been summoned yet again from my seal. It is something I am accustomed too. My memory does not reach back very far...but I assume I have lived through many cycles, past lives where I have been summoned by an unknowing mortal and bound to their will.

I do not believe that this is my purpose but I am content with the way the cycle goes for now, I like to assume I have a grander purpose than being a slave to whatever gets its hands on my seal. Why else would I be sealed away in the first place? I am aware that I am the fifth horseman of the apocalypse, though I do not understand what that means yet. Cosmos has always been with me, it is almost as if he is a part of who I am, no matter what form I take on he remains the same to me, sometimes he appears differently to others to put them at ease but to me he never changes.

You're wondering what I mean by that, you see when someone picks up my seal as you have, you gain the ability to change things about me, here let me share with you the remaining remnants of my memory. I can only remember the two of my past lives...

My first memory is when I took on the form of a woman in Scandinavia, among the Norse people. People do not think before they pick up old things, an old war chief came across my seal, when he first obtained it he did not activate it. It wasn't until he was in the middle of a war that he did, one evening when he was dining with his second. I was told they were discussing their gods and the subject of the Valkyrie came up. Need I continue? The idiot man was unaware of what he had done, when I appeared I scared him and his men half to death, though he recovered fairly quickly and went about attempting to rationalise it.

He remained unaware of his control throughout our partnership, simply believing me to be a symbol of Odin's favour. He believed I was choosing his best and brightest when they fell on the battlefield and taking them to Odin in valhalla. He was a foolish man in some respects but clever in others, he ordered me to join with the shieldmaidens and with my power was able to turn the tides of many of his battles. Not that it did him much good, he met his untimely demise when his second buried a dagger, hilt deep into his chest. With my master slain I had little need to stay and the second stupidly misplaced my seal...it ended up travelling quite a distance.

The last time I was summoned, it was by a young Japanese woman. During the Meiji era, when the Samurai were in decline and change was sweeping across the land. At the very beginning of the Satsuma rebellion the young warrior stumbled across the Seventh seal without any knowledge of what it was and summoned me when her need was great. Unlike before I was instantly pulled from my seal and thrown into the heat of battle...it was quite spectacular really, all knowledge of the samurai and the Bushido ways poured into my mind merging with my own knowledge of battle. It didn't take us long to dispatch her enemies, neither did it take her long to adjust to the fact a man had literally just materialised in front of her...which was surprising. Believing me to a be a fellow samurai she led me back to Saigō Takamori's forces that were camped outside of Kumamoto Castle. During the siege and the aftermath I stayed with her as was my duty, she was a strange one...but strong. In both body and in spirit, she was indomitable. Admirable. She held the Seventh seal until her dying day, I remained by her side as both her protector and lover, she had a partner before me but he had perished in the last 'showing' of the samurai during the Boshin War. She had bore him two children which was good as that was the one thing I couldn't give to her.

Before she died, she sent me away. Undoing whatever magic she had used to summon me...I suppose she thought it was for the best, unlike her I didn't age. I was a well kept secret between her and her children. I...regret that she sent me away...without me, there would have been no-one there for her at the end. All the same whilst I've rested it appears my seal has been on yet another grand old journey...a continent of magic, who would have thought.

So keeper of the seal, you have heard my tale or at least what I can remember of it...what do you plan to do now?

Although Cosmos is his own being, he is also a part of Gaia. He shares some of Gaia's natural traits and his/her history. He holds a large portion of Gaia's power.

Cosmic Constellation: Cosmos has three abilities that he can utilise only when he is with Gaia.

Cosmos can be controlled by outside influences if separated from Gaia, he is susceptible to mind control when away from his master. (Note: Warning to those that attempt this, Cosmos's loyalty is a rare prize only Gaia has ever been able to gain...good luck standing between that.)