Name: Fujioka Mitsuyo
Age: 30
Race: Human male
Appearance:i.imgur.com/Z4iiKrX.jpgThough he stands at a quite respectable 6 feet 2 and has a face that easily lends itself to sternness, Fujioka Mitsuyo appears quite harmless. Already wrinkly and graying around the temples, his expression is typically calm and relaxed and he carries himself so softly it makes him look older and shorter than he really is. He dresses in simple grey robes, brown nobakama (form-fitting hakama typically worn on fieldwork), greyed tabi and straw sandals, which makes him appear rather gaunt when combined with his height.
Underneath the robes and the manners of a rabbit, however,
lies a dangerous martial artist. Mitsuyo’s body is as though it was made from corded steel, all tightly packed and highly conditioned muscle. His skin is rough and scarred from training and much of his arms and legs are actually calloused into rock hard striking surfaces. His hands in particular have turned coarse and leathery, with prominent knuckles and seemingly inflamed joints, and so he typically wraps them in cloth so as to hide them away from prying eyes.
Personality:On the one hand, Fujioka Mitsuyo carries himself with all the dignity of true samurai. Calm and soft spoken, he rarely betrays agitation or excessive emotion and is seemingly always polite and courteous, helpful and kind even. On the other, he is also a trained and remorseless warrior, pragmatic and perfectly willing to resort to grievous violence without a second thought should he deem it necessary. Though he seems to much prefer to uphold his civilized side none can tell if it’s simply to keep up appearances, though he does value loyalty and detests treachery, making for a good friend and ally.
History:For centuries the Fujioka clan were the primary military advisors and martial arts instructors to the lords of Kumagai Province, a mountainside valley in the southernmost portion of the land known for its bountiful nature. Though its primary feature is its volcano and the natural hot springs it creates, the region also features densely forested areas heavily populated by bears within its borders and is often cited as one of the most beautiful provinces in the country. To govern it from the hillside Shiroji Castle is seen as a privilege and to be granted a large dojo within castle grounds was a great honor for the Fujioka.
Things changed, however, when Anjou’s reign began. The stalwart, honorable lords of Kumagai were hesitant to grovel and bend to the Fox’s wishes and so were slowly but surely replaced by vile officials who abused their position. The Fujioka themselves remained, ostensibly as honored retainers, but their importance diminished with time and soon they found themselves forced outside of the castle that had housed their line for generations. Still, it was not their place to dispute the lord of the land and they served relatively faithfully, though their advice and skills in the martial arts were often ignored and derided.
Things came to a head when Mitsuyo was 15. His father, Fujioka Kyuzo, was invited to a martial arts demonstration in Shiroji Castle as part of the reception for an envoy of Anjou called Yoshino Kousuke, a man known for his own martial aspirations. Kyuzo’s finely-honed skills stood out in a gathering mostly made up of the ruffians and brutes for hire favored by the new lords, and so at the end of the ceremonies Kousuke demanded to address him directly. Rather than offer words of encouragement or praise, however, Yoshino insulted the Fujioka school as one for flowery demonstrations rather than battle and challenged the samurai to a duel.
Yoshino Kousuke’s thinking was simple: Kyuzo could not let such a challenge go without forever tainting his reputation, but to injure an envoy of the Fox with a blade would be a grave offense that would likely bring extermination down on his clan. Confident that he would not be harmed because of this, Yoshino believed he’d be able to slay the head of the renowned Fujioka and bring great fame to his name. It was not to be. If Fujioka Kyuzo, 27th head of his clan, was to die then he would die with the honor of his school intact and all men, women and children under him would approve or denounce him as a shameful coward.
And so Yoshino Kousuke lost his head, and the wrath of the Fox befell the once prestigious clan. Though Kyuzo committed ritual suicide before the court of Shiroji Castle to atone for his crime, the family’s privileged position was swiftly revoked, their lands and goods confiscated and their martial school prohibited from taking students. The clan’s arms and armor, artifacts of the highest quality passed down for generations and symbols of their glory, were claimed as tribute for Anjou himself. Many of Kyuzo’s students and retainers chose accompany their head to the afterlife rather than subject themselves to less worthy masters.
It was not the case for Fujioka Mitsuyo. Before taking his own life, his father passed down a writ requesting he live and demanding vengeance for the great iniquity they had been made to suffer. Sensing that leaving the young heir alive would breed trouble in the future, Anjou’s agents attempted to take his life, but the teen proved a difficult prey. A tough martial artist trained since he could walk, and aided by a network of surviving retainers and friends of the family, Mitsuyo escaped to the volcanic mountain range of his homeland to train for revenge. He would spend the next decade there.
On the day of his father’s death, Mitsuyo swore that he would take up no arms or armor as his own until the ancestral arsenal that was his by birthright was returned or an equal price was paid. To achieve this he would need to hone himself to not rely on such tools, and he applied himself with fanatical zeal. It was a miserable existence, even with friends bringing him food and supplies on occasion, but the fire inside Mitsuyo could not be quelled. For ten years the youth lived in a hovel and focused on honing his body and mind in altitude, accosted by the extremely harsh conditions and the noxious, burning vapors of the mountains.
When the tenth year passed, a man dressed in tatters with wild, savage hair descended from the peaks. He appeared to be a caveman or some sort of ogre, but Fujioka Mitsuyo had returned. His body was now a deadly tool, but a tool without the proper usage is worth nothing. His family’s style of martial arts taught unarmed combat, but as part of a whole along with the sword, the dagger, the spear, the staff, armored combat and more. It was an excellent base, but it would not do for his purpose. It would not do for his purpose. And so for the next five years word spread of this strange savage roaming the land, challenging dojos.
The rumors often exaggerate and cloud the truth, indeed none speak of defeats though he suffered many at the start, but soon the wandering Fighting Ogre became a feared legend amongst martial arts circles. It should be said, however, that reputable dojos were rarely targeted and when they were the challenge was formal and controlled. Schools that trained soldiers for Anjou were the most common prey, and often found their members crippled for life or even struck dead on the spot. None suspected this to be the heir to the Fujioka, indeed few even thought of him as human, but the Ogre learned, polished his skills and planned to further his revenge.
And so we come to the current year. Rather than the now famous dojo breaking savage, what wonders the land is an unassuming middle aged man, seemingly a masseuse and bonesetter out to make a living in a harsh world. Who in their right mind would think of him as Fujioka Mitsuyo, heir to a disgraced clan and a disbanded school of ancient martial arts? Who would believe this unknown ronin plans to wage a one man war on the ruler of the land? It has been 15 years, but revenge is timeless.
Skills:-Fujioka-ryu Sogo Taijutsu (Fujioka-school comprehensive body skills): Mitsuyo is a dangerous combatant that needs neither arms nor armor to bring opponents to heel. His fighting style is a composite creation that draws influence primarily from the Fujioka School of Ancient Martial Arts, which focused primarily on armed and armored methods developed for use on the battlefield by samurai, as well as the skills cultivated from five years of fighting with a myriad of exponents of all kinds of styles from local sumo wrestlers and jujutsu experts to a large variety of foreign Quan Fa representatives.
True to its roots in the Jujutsu of samurai the school places great focus on effective grappling and control of the opponent. Takedowns, throws, trips, trapping, wrestling on the feet and on the ground, submission holds and escaping or neutralizing these things are where Mitsuyo excels. He supplements this with basic, straightforward striking, but polished and practical simplicity is often best in a fight over more "unique" techniques. Perhaps most important is a strong grasp on the less tangible concepts of battle such as timing, distance, positioning, balance and momentum to redirect and utilize opposing force to his favor.
-Physical therapist: As part of his cover Mitsuyo is a fairly skilled masseuse and bonesetter, understandable as one learns a solid deal of anatomy when seeking the best ways of harming others. Although not a true doctor, he can relieve muscular or skeletal pains and other similar ailments through massage and general manipulation of joints. He is also capable of restoring fractured or dislocated bones to their correct alignment, which should not be taken to mean he is fully capable of mending these issues, he can simply provide an important step to ensure the bones can heal back to their anatomically correct positions without deformity.
-Educated and well traveled: Unlike the typical cliche of physically-focused people being dim-witted, Mitsuyo received a good education and is fairly well travelled. He’s no genius, but he’s definitely not slow in the head, is actually decently read and aware of the world at large if not at depth and can speak NotChinese halfway fluently.
Powers:-Body of steel: Mitsuyo’s body does not really require armor, particularly when it comes to the striking surfaces employed in martial arts, and his muscles have been toned for the right mixture of strength, speed and flexibility needed for fighting. When combined with proper technique, he produces explosive movement and crushing blows or inexorable throws, and his grip is particularly strong even when taking the rest of his abilities into account. What’s more, he has immense stamina reserves and is quite resistant to poisons, illness and the like thanks to his hellish training.
He is not, however, some kind of invincible perfect athlete. He won’t beat an ogre or similar creatures in pure weightlifting or sheer strength competitions, he won’t outrun athletes of similar caliber who train specifically to sprint or be more flexible than a cat burglar or gymnast. His body is built specifically for the purpose of fighting even if he does have the cardio to engage in marathon-like pursuits. Though he is very hard to harm, human skin is not unfeeling metal and so he can still feel pain and bleed.
-Fortress of the mind: Thanks to his training Mitsuyo is mentally and spiritually incredibly strong, more due to force of personality and sheer willpower than any kind of enlightenment. He’s capable of fighting off psychic assaults or other unwanted attempts to influence him and to continue pushing himself through pain and fear. Illusions and hallucinations might fool him initially, but he can rely on his polished instincts to carry him through and discern truth from falsehood, especially should his life be threatened.
Equipment:The clothes on his back and some money hidden in a variety of pockets.
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