@Yam I Am I can't say for sure, I hope to try and get a solid paragraph of background stuff. Just struggling to come up with something I like. I'll try to get it done today and hopefully be finished by tonight.
@Yam I Am I can't say for sure, I hope to try and get a solid paragraph of background stuff. Just struggling to come up with something I like. I'll try to get it done today and hopefully be finished by tonight.
Yeah, I got a couple others who are still working on theirs. If enough people say they need some more time, i'll give everyone some more leeway until everyone gets their shot.
I'm having trouble focusing, I feel like there's a kind of weight pushing down on my temples. Fuck.
Just take it easy. Finish it up in the next couple of days - the start of any IC takes a bit to get going, so you'll have some leeway.
It seems like most people could use a bit of extra time, anyway, so I think a better goal for now would be to get them finished and things going on Monday.
There's like one minor spelling issue in the 2nd paragraph of the History section:
On first impression Nerea didnāt think much of spectacled man, but after a couple of outings and seeing Ludwaldās capability in combat.. she would eventually come to respect him enough to join the Silver Hawks.
Jason is tall and lean, standing at exactly six feet tall. He does a lot of time doing physical labor on his familyās farm, and while he is not as big as his dad is, he still has a slender build with defined muscles that he is proud to show off. He spends plenty of time out in the sun, and thus has a tanned skin complexion. He has a boyish face, though he still possesses a firm jaw. He has a small nose, and large, expressive almond shaped eyes, which are a bright electric blue color. He has short dirty blonde hair which is always a mess, and frankly he likes it that way.
He dresses fairly simply. His family isnāt rich, so they donāt have nice clothes. Besides, fancy outfits are impractical for farmers anyway. To be honest, he spends most of his time shirtless? He wears a sleeveless light blue hooded cloak. He leaves it open all the time revealing his chest and abs. As bottoms he wears a pair of matching blue pants, that are held up by a beige belt. As footwear he wears a pair of sturdy beige boots that are comfortable to walk around and work in.
When in combat though he donās his brothers armor. Hence why he doesnāt look like what youād expect a dark knight to look. Itās and white plate that covers most of his body. He still wears his hooded cloak over the armor.
Personality Jason is brave, daring, and extremely determined. He can be very impatient, wanting to get stuff done as soon as possible. As such, he will often charge straight into danger, and often prefers to zap first and ask questions later. As such, he can be reckless and get himself into danger if he thinks he is right. Jason is also very blunt. He says exactly what he thinks no matter who he hurts. He lacks patience for people he deems to be slow.
Jason can be very stubborn, and itās difficult to get him to admit when heās wrong about something. He can also be hostile to people who have different opinions than him. He doesnāt like to accept help for things he knows he can do on his own. Heās confident in his own skills, and believes he can handle his own problems himself. The upside to this though, he doesnāt give up easily when things get hard. He also has no problems giving help to others when they need it.
Jason has a fascination with magic. He greatly appreciates good displays of magical power. It started as a curiosity about the subject. After the death of his twin brother, his fascination gradually grew into a desire to gain power for his own needs. He works hard everyday to master his magical abilities. On the subject of working hard, he actually doesnāt hate farm work. Itās exhausting work yes, but at the end of the day there is nothing more satisfying than a job well done. Even though being a powerful mage is important to him, he still hopes to take over the family farm one day when his parents retire.
Jason is still reeling from the death of his brother. While he doesnāt like standing there brooding about it all the time, it is on his mind, and it upsets him when heās alone. He hopes to one day avenge his brothers death. Jason is capable of being a friendly person. If youāre willing to tolerate the negative aspects of his personality, he can be a pleasant person to talk to. He empathizes with people in a similar situation as himself.
History Jason was born in the Kingdom of Cheve to an average family. The family worked on a farm. His father did all the physical labor that running a farm involves, his mother sold the stuff they produced on the farm at the market as well as ran the home, and Jason and his brother, William were expected to help out around the farm. They lived a fairly average life. Jason and his twin brother were very close. The two played together all the time, and got along great. They rarely fought, and when they did have a disagreement, they made up fairly quickly. Jasonās parents hated magic. They believed that relying on a dangerous and unpredictable force could lead to nothing but trouble. For a while, the brothers shared those feelings.
One day, while the boys were playing one day, away from the eyes of their parents. In their playing, William got hurt. He tried diving into a lake, and ended up cutting himself on a rock. Jason panicked. His brother was hurt, he had no idea how to make him not hurt anymore, and more importantly he didnāt want to have to tell his parents that his sibling got hurt on his watch. Fortunately for them, an older gentleman happened to be passing through. He saw what happened, and helped out. The man was a doctor. He used miracle magic and his own medical knowledge to fix the boy right up. After that, the boyās opinions on magic changed.
Life continued on after that, but now something was different. Now Jason was fascinated with magic. It had saved his brother, and now he was curious about what other things it could do. Whenever he had free time away from doing farm chores, Jason did all he could to learn about magic. He read every book on the subject he could get his hands on, and at night would practice spells. He wanted to learn healing magic, but at some point discovered he had more of an affinity for lightning magic, and soon changed course. He wasnāt sure what he was going to do with this power, but it was still cool all the same.
The only person who knew Jason was studying magic was William. He supported his brothers goals, but didnāt try learning magic himself for fear of getting his parents upset. Life continued on as normal, untill William turned 18. He decided to join the military, and become a knight. He wanted to serve his country. He left the family to go train. For a period of time, he wrote letters and kept in touch with his family. Then the letters stopped coming. They would come to find out that William was killed in combat.
Ever since, Jason devoted more of his time to studying magic, while also helping out on the farm. Eventually, he would leave the farm to join the Silver Hawks. His parents begged him not to go, but Jason couldnāt carry on like everything was ok. He wanted to avenge his twin.
Skills: Magic (Uses lightning magic mostly) Sword (Not as good with this as he is with magic, but his brother used it, how different could it be from using other sharp farming tools?) Farming, Fishing, Cooking, tending to animals, riding horses
Alba is a fair-skinned Wolfskin woman hailing from the region of Permia. She is of muscular build and has a fairly impressive height of 188cm (6'2"). Her unkempt locks of pale-blonde (white) hair are tied into a messy ponytail. A scar runs along her left cheek while another rests on the bridge of her nose.
As is common with most Wolfskins, Alba has red eyes that seem to glow in low light.
She wears a variety of both plate and padded armor with some modifications made for a more personal and comfortable fit.
Personality:
Alba is, to put it bluntly, an surly wisecracker who, despite wanting to seemingly know everything, is terrible at reading people. While, thankfully having enough sense and self-awareness to keep her mouth shut a majority of times, she has a tendency to annoy people who are around her too long. Perhaps due to the gaps in her memory, has both inquisitive and forgetful tendencies from which she seems to regularly alternate between.
Also quite notable are her own insecurities. She is constantly worried that she may lose control of herself should she use her shape-shifting abilities. Yet conversely, she also believes that it is her nonhuman abilities which make her valuable. As such she feels a need to overachieve what her body and mind are physically capable of.
History:
Banishment. That was the punishment given to a young Wolfskin girl after killing her own mother. Despite only being a child who barely even knew what she had done, a young Wolfskin girl was banished from her tribe after failing to control her powers. She was left in the frozen wasteland of Permia alone. She was alone and trapped in the beastial form all Wolfskins were cursed with from birth. Logic says such a creature should not have survived in such harsh lands. However, the Permian folktale of the Snow Devil says otherwise; the child lived and became a feral beasts which wandered the mountains and fed on human flesh.
The Snow Devil terrorized travelers for decades, untilā¦ One day, a mysterious hunter wandered into the mountains with the intent of slaying the beast. Perhaps he wanted the famous Snow Devil's pelt for himself. Perhaps he wanted to liberate Permia from the clutches of this vile creature. No one knows.
The two eventually found one another and had a mighty battle. It was a battle which rang throughout all of Permia for five days straight. The hunter was the victor, as he had used a stone to seal away the Snow Devil's strength. How the tale ends is unknown beyond this point as it varies between the many Permian peoples. To most Permian people, the tale of the Snow Devil is little more than a story. However, it is very real.
After having sealed away the Snow Devil's monstrous powers, the hunter realized that this "monster" was, in truth, just a frightened child. The hunter took further pity on the young girl when he realized that she'd forgotten most of who she was prior. Only vague memories and a name remained.
Alba. Her name was Alba and she knew one thing for certain; she never wanted to be a monster again.
Ultimately, the hunter betrayed his initial goal of killing Alba. Instead, he took her in and raised her as his own. He taught Alba all that he knew. Both were well aware of the irony that came with teaching a beast-man to hunt other beasts in the human way.
Eventually, Alba was deemed fit enough to leave her surrogate father. Following in the hunter's footsteps, Alba began her adult journey as a hunter. She was successful at first, but her fortune dried out quickly. Desperate to make ends meet, Alba turned to mercenary work.
Skills:
Tracking - Due to her enhanced senses, Alba has a natural talent for tracing a wide variety of small and large game...even people.
Survivalist - Highly skilled in surviving in even the most extreme of locations.
Improvised Weapons - Exactly what it sounds like. Give her a pen, and she'll find a way to use it better than any sword.
Throwing - She throws things well. What more is there to say?
Beast Form - While reluctant to do so, Alba can assume her beast form for any scenario which might require it.
Trivia:
- Despite wanting to distance herself from her Wolfskin heritage, Alba has several behavioral ticks (such as growling when agitated) that she can't seem to control.
- Alba's preferred polearm of choice is a halberd.
___________________________________ Toda Ujiteru, 34 ________________________________________________________________________________________ Regito, South Osha | Oshan ___________________________________
ā¼ E X T R A I N F O R M A T I O N āāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāā āŗ Y.O.B - 1462 āŗ Height - 5'10" / 178cm āŗ Weight - 179 lbs / 81.2kg āŗ Hair Colour - Blonde āŗ Eye Colour - Blue āŗ Class - Swordmaster āŗ Company Role - Sergeant-At-Arms āŗ Previous Occupation - Retainer
-
D E T A I L E D A P P E A R A N C E
One Toda Ujiteru has quite the build. Though not nearly as imposing and stocky as some of his mercenary counterparts, there's still quite a lot of meat on the bone from his 179lbs of muscle. However, such a below-peak stature has worked more favourably with his persistent fighting style. Of course, the blonde hair and blue eyes of the ex-Retainer were once a stand out feature in his home town, but as his travels have since taken over his life the features have simply faded into that of a normal travelling man. Surrounding his chin and mouth is the darker-toned beard that, whilst quite thin, does give that additional gristle to a somewhat stoic natural expression. And the dangerous life of Oshan political servitude has brought his face and torso with a few notable scars, with one prominent one located down his thigh.
He is something of a rag-tagged traditionalist when it comes to his usual sense of fashion. The life of a mercenary is one of convenience to a state of affairs, and so he has made little effort to abandon the attires of which he brought and maintains with him. Outside of combat, he typically wears a faded and lacking-in-beauty robe, with lighter toned shirts beneath them. Though, that's mostly for other climates, the true homely attire comes when he stacks it with layers upon layers of scarfs to match the mountains and reaches of his homeland. But most definitely, his combat attire and armour remains the most familiar. A scuffed and largely unceremonious set of light, flexible retainer armour hailed from Osha, also padded out with warmer sets of clothing.
---P E R S O N A L I T Y
Outside the hours of combat and work, there lives a sort of mixed-bag of moods. He's professional in most senses, but that hasn't stopped him from easing up around the mercenaries around him. It's a trait he's carried with him for a while, that business-like sense, but the business of a Retainer often gave him ample opportunity to speak out. His reservations are loosely kept if he feels strongly otherwise and has, in the past, been outspoken towards a few contracts and group performances in debriefs. But the hardened side is easily let loose when the mood calls for it. There's benefit to being able to unwind, to drink and to sing in the hours of success, but unless the individual has prompted him with a topic far less serious than that of the Company's functionality, he remains staunch on his approaches to most on-the-job scenarios.
Alternatively, as previously mentioned, there is a side of relaxation. Some may have called him a bore for his love of reading, and the occasional pastime of painting when the days are set to be long and eventless, but he persists, for the decorations bring out a new set of life and, in some swindles, profit. But he's a mercenary, and mercenaries aren't known for being entirely quiet. The rowdiness can persist to levels of his companions, but in dangerous scenarios, it's with focused eyes that he remains calculated and quick on his feet. As such, there's a small aspect of deviance as to why he bands with such mercenaries.
---B I O G R A P H Y
Osha's brilliance stemmed from what many considered to be its thriving place on the continent. Trade was guaranteed in most large towns, and down in the south, by the waters of the coast, but a few notable ports were hosts to trade, influential business meetings and, more importantly, the diplomacies that occurred outside of Queen Ilha Fujuri's earshot. It was almost the perfect setting for a young Toda Ujiteru to thrive. Born to a merchant family, Ujiteru instead took inspiration from a local teacher - his uncle, Toda Iemochi. Unlike his father, his uncle had taken the fruitful life of a Retainer, heavily leaning into political protection and a life of graceful defence. And, as most fighting men do, he went against the wishes of his family and fell under his Uncle's tutelage, where he began his specialisation of blades and swords. But of course, the training life of a Retainer came with the skills of reservation, diplomatic insight and the loyalty instilled within those they serve, so long as the price remains right.
At age seventeen, a young Toda Ujiteru emerged as a secondary Retainer beneath his uncle, who in turn answered to a local Lord, Bito Nobusane. Banditry could be an occasional problem the further north tradesmen went, and in the mountains lurked many threats to the personal gains of lords across the South. Bito Nobusane's influence, however, resided within those mountains, and he saw fit to barter and disrupt the schemes of vultures on high rocks. The Lord himself attended many of the diplomatic meetings with his Retainers, and Toda Ujiteru learned greatly of the weaponised tongue. Stoicism in an approach, whilst not always successful, led to prominent influence, and the earliest teachings of politics within Osha surfaced. However, the Lord's efforts were mostly in vein, and skirmishes between his hired forces and the bandits were frequent, allowing the younger Retainer to spend two years honing his skills.
He became enamoured with a pride that came from Osha's rich landscapes. The markets that sold, bought and expanded profits throughout the towns became something to protect, rather than something to crack down upon, bar illegal sales, but as his role became less caught in the conflicts of interests with banditry, he fell further into the knowledge of wider influences.
He never saw himself as anything other than a Retainer for his life, as his Uncle had done so for the entirety of his, but it was when a supposed shipwreck victim was placed in Nobusane's holding cell that he was indirectly faced with a future employment opportunity. The Kitsune washup went through standard procedures, and Toda Ujiteru was given ample opportunity in the day she spent in holding to question her. In talks about their lives, he suggested that she were to turn to mercenary work, so long as her work never brought her within Osha's borders - unless she were under their contract. This conversation instilled the mercenary life within his mind, though always at the back, as he soon became bogged down with the politics of Osha.
There weren't many who paid much attention to the flow of diplomats and reaches of foreign superpowers. Many Oshans remained unbothered by the greater meddling of Nohr and the far closer Hoshido Empires. But when Ujiteru was twenty-five, Lord Nobusane was murdered after he became very vocal over portside diplomatic dealings. It was as he lobbied for Lords and Ladies, even the Queen herself, to begin vetting the claims of legitimate undermining from, particularly, Hoshidan political figures. Of course, the desire to stray further and further from the Solar Throne painted a great target against the culturally similar, yet far removed society that Osha boasted, and the Gulf it primarily traded through was a thriving hotspot of convenience for all nations that held prominence there. Nobusane's murder was discovered to have been done by Ujiteru's uncle, a man who'd been bought out and - from the younger Retainer's point of view - had become disillusioned with ideas of sphering creating prospective growth at the cost of an independent culture.
Ujiteru was shortly whiplashed into subtle, quiet and largely unseen political rivalry. Lords and Ladies feuded in secret, mostly beneath the Queen's nose, to better gain a foothold in what exploded into a cesspool of futures for Osha and its throne. It was during these times when, after months of drifting and switching Lords, Toda Ujiteru fell under the servitude of one Lady Naitou, an eccentric sleuth who seemed more mysteriously driven to retain Osha's complete independence. However, her methods were bolder, typically making chess pieces out of her contacts, and though he remained as her Retainer for a year longer, she soon convinced him to assist the cause beyond Osha's borders. He was given no direction, only a few contacts to begin life as a Mercenary, sacrificing the Retainer life for what she saw was a mean to an end. And through a few pulled strings, Toda Ujiteru arrived at the amassed Silver Hawks as a forgettable addition to their ranks.
And slowly, over time, he felt his distance from his homeland show as he grew attached to the band in which he'd been given to. He still heard from Lady Naitou, through small and subtle means, and still retains a sense of attachment to her, though his options and knowledge of where he sits has grown so muddied that the Silver Hawks themselves have become a home for him. It was only recently, however, with the ascension of a familiar Kitsune that Toda Ujiteru was pulled into a state of importance, as the Sergeant-At-Arms, in what was to be an uncertain future for the Mercenaries.
---S K I L L S
Light-footed: Paired with great stamina and quick-thinking, Toda maintains his combat style with speed to greatly empower his sharpened strikes against opponents. And though his armour is durable, its comparably flexible to opposing platemail armour sets that rely far more on taking hits than avoiding them.
Man of the Arts: Aforementioned was his interest in painting and, on a lesser known scale, singing. Between the violent life of mercenary work and the brash splendours of inter-battle life throughout the Silver Hawks, the hours that be equally spent working on visual or aural crafts help to hone the stress-less attitude towards his position of responsibility.
The Virtue of Patience: A benefit of being a retainer before a mercenary was that the expectations of lucrative results were tendered and brought down to reality. To him, there was no gold in rushing into the silver mine.
Hands covered in Dirt: Though ultimately locked to an ideal, he remains unafraid to paint his hands in dirt and blood, should it be for a purpose. Senselessness may be his enemy, however he knows that cleanliness requires the removal of grime, and one can only do so without impunity.
Noriko Aburaage, having recently ascended to the rank of Captain, must have a lick of trust and respect for Ujiteru in order for him to be selected as the Sergeant-At-Arms. He was unaware as to why, specifically, as the reasons tended not to be disclosed beyond the odd 'getting the job done' motif, but it did come as a slight shock to himself. Ujiteru had thus learned to respect her, though with one eye shut. She's interesting, albeit how the two would work together in the Silver Hawks' hierarchy is yet to be tested.
Matsuyama Izumi: the closest reminder of his own sponsor. He couldn't say whether she'd made her place within the Silver Hawks or not, so much so with all the distance she had made in the menial tasks of training and so forth - yet he'd worked with her before. He'd once considered her to be more of a lapdog of his own benefactor, more so catering to the idealist than the ideal, yet he eased that mindset over the first weeks, simply keeping an eye on her from afar. Either way, a second Oshan was all but the best for him.
---T R I V I A
āŗ Immaterialist, exemptions from traditional items āŗ Stores a few of his artworks in a kitbag āŗ Voice rather gruff, but easily understandable āŗ A bit too caring for his swords
Hey @Yam I Am I'm gonna have to take an L here and drop out. Writers block is a bitch and I can't seem to come up with anything. I wish you and everyone else a long and successful rp.
Hey @Yam I Am I'm gonna have to take an L here and drop out. Writers block is a bitch and I can't seem to come up with anything. I wish you and everyone else a long and successful rp.
Personality: A friendly and fairly easy going guy with a strong desire to prove himself as more than where he came from.
History: Born to a family of blacksmiths, Satoshi is the youngest of three sons. While they had a relatively quaint life, Satoshi was taking notice that as things were, it was likely that he and his family would be stuck where they were for the rest of their lives. As he got older, that feeling persisted. Vowing to himself to not stay here and grow resentful, he decided to go his own path. For the sake of himself and his family.
He took to the bow at a young age, as a way to help hunt for the family. As his desire to be something more grew over the years, he put more time in honing his skills. Satoshi would see his chance when the Silver Hawks came through his village. Now he has been with them for the past couple years and takes pride in his work, giving his all to the group that gives him this chance.
Nationality: Nohrian, but sheās barely beholden to her home country.
Class: Merchant ā prefers the bow, but can use lances in a pinch.
Role: Treasurer
Appearance:
Almost entirely average in stature, build, and appearance, Beato stands at 165cm, barely imposing by a warriorās standards. Donāt be fooled, though. Sheās got a groin-shattering kick strong enough to make the tallest warrior crumple down to her height, courtesy of the teachings of her equally-average mother. Otherwise, her brown hair, light eyes, and plain clothing barely work to differentiate her from the rest of the Nohrian population.
Personality:
V-O-L-U-M-E, what does that spell? Beato, of course! She was gifted with a powerful set of lungs and by golly she will USE THEM! āCourse, the work of a treasurer is supposed to be subtle, but that doesnāt mean the treasurer herself has to be! Beato is always serious about her work (money is NOT a laughing matter) but sheās always MORE than ready to join her comrades in songs, arguments, face-offs, rants, and insult wars with the best of āem. Hear the cackling laugh of a hyena in camp? Thatās Beato! Make sure to say hi, stop for some tea and snacks, and try not get your nads blown out when she hears you broke your fifth lance this month. Cheers!
History:
The Rothschilds had always been tied to money, ever since Beatoās great-great-a-buncha-greats-grandfather established the very first Bank of Nohr (unofficial). Unfortunately, they fell victim to an unfortunate series of mishaps (Beato will tell the story for 5g), leading to the family taking up their arms and becoming merchants instead! Beato was trained from a young age to measure, count, and calculate with the best, and those steady hands and keen eyes proved to be a boon for combat as well. Bow and pack in tow, Beato signed onto the Silver Hawks at 23, and rose to the position of Treasurer a year later after her predecessor found himself caught in the jaws of some loan sharks. Now, she wonāt let something as measly as monsters or politics get in her wayānot when there are checkbooks to balance and ledgers to file. The āSilverā in the Silver Hawks is in good hands.
Skills:
Calculator ~ Very quick and accurate mental calculationsācan do up to 5 digits in her head, 10 digits with an abacus.
Scale ~ Incredible sense of weight and distanceāshe can pick something up and give an excellent estimate of its dimensions and mass.
Haggler ~ Rather than talking prices down, Beato excels at driving up the value of her goods. Comes in handy when selling various pelts or valuables the company picks up along their adventures.
Recall ~ Frighteningly good memory.
Foghorn ~ Loudest in any given competition, whether it's shouting, singing, whistling, clanging, stealth missionsā¦
Trivia:
Atrocious cook ~ Creates edible but incredibly disheartening food, even with recipes
Appearance: Standing at a height of 5"8', Celeste is a lovely girl with fair skin and long, red hair. Her big, sky blue eyes are her second most noticeable feature, her heart-shaped face giving her a rather innocent look, hiding her true nature rather well. She has a fairly slim body type with a modest bust and hips and willowy legs and little muscle. She tends to move gracefully and often has a gentle expression that contrasts her words. As she likes to surround herself with opulence, she often dresses to the nines, wearing clothes and jewelry that could easily be sold or traded for land.
Personality: Charming, sarcastic, and above all, mischievous, Celeste is the pinnacle of a vexatious noblewoman, being all too happy to stir up some good-natured trouble to entertain herself with. She is very observant, often studying the person she's speaking with and has an uncanny ability at spotting social weak points. While pleasant to any who speak to her, she doesn't let the conversation carry on for too long unless she can get something worthwhile out of it. Her impeccable memory is likely to blame, often using what she's learned to her advantage. It's difficult to tell what her motivations are as she keeps people at arms' length, though even those she is close to never really know what she's thinking.
History: According to the buzz around the tents, Celeste is a disowned daughter who had to part with her life of luxury due to having one too many parties at her estate. While her reputation for entertainment is on the wild side, she has stated that she wishes to leave that life behind by working with the mercenary group. Of course, while she doesn't have the same level of standard of living as before, that isn't to say she has given it all up, as she is constantly tended to by her ever-faithful servant, Kaitlyn. She frequently sings and dances for entertainment, crediting her Nestran mother for teaching her.
Skills:
Powerful offensive magic
Her songs often provide beneficial effects on the battlefield
Has minor healing magic in her repertoire
Needs no staff or tome to use her magic
Trivia:
Despite being the camp's official cook, it is Kaitlyn that does all the real cooking to feed everyone while Celeste assists
Has a surprisingly good rapport with most animals, often befriending them quickly
Has pathetic physical strength
Carries her fan with her at all times, snapping it for emphasis, and flourishing it when needed
"At your service."
Name: Kaitlyn
Age: Appears to be around twenty years old
Nationality: Nestran
Class: Maid
Role: Cook
Personality:
Quiet
Obeys her lady at every command
Polite
History: She has served Lady Celeste for most of her life. Aside from that, no one actually knows anything else about her history, though a few tidbits have come out:
She hails from Nestra
She is adept at wielding anything with a blade
Her cleanliness is impeccable, but she has mentioned having to clean blood more than once
Her cooking skills are unrivaled--if she does not know a recipe, she will perfect it within a fortnight. This is due to needing to memorize things on the fly...for some reason
Her ability to disappear into the background and reappear point to excellent stealth skils
Skills:
Supreme chef
Cleaning skills are unparalleled
She can play any instrument on demand to accompany her lady's singing
Weapon maintenance
Can pinpoint an enemy's neck from approximately fifty meters
She has extremely accurate knowledge of human anatomy
Trivia:
Does most tasks assigned to Celeste
Allergic to honey
Cats tend to appear to interact with her no matter where she is
((Note: You would not believe how hard it is to find decent, completely non-suggestive art of a (non-Naruto) kunoichi. I suppose that's an inherent part of their appeal. Switch these clothes out for a less anachronistic, and more conventional full-body ninja attire.))
Standing at 5"4 and weighing roughly 120 lbs, she has a rather unassuming stature. Still, with her fierce red eyes and short black hair, Izumi does not look much like a conventional woman in the slightest. Her body is lean and catlike, toned over decades of training and combat. Her facial expressions always seems to default to being dour and irritated-- an unfortunate quality for someone in her line of work.
Depending on the mission, Izumi will change her outfit and loadout to best suit the situation. If stealth is required, she wears dark clothes that cover her entire body, or shift into a kimono, yukata, or hakama to blend in. If, for some reason Izumi is deployed onto an open field, or some other area that will involve intense fighting, she will typically don a set of metal arm and shin guards in addition to some lighter armor. She prefers to be armed at all times, and does her best to hide a set of knives on her person, even when in disguise.
Personality: Utterly devoted to her tasks, and prepared to perform her duties by any means necessary, Izumi is the ideal kunoichi. When she is on a mission, she does her job with cool efficiency, and isn't afraid to die if it means the completion of an important task. She does, however, have her pride as a professional, and isn't afraid to praise good work and admonish poor performance, be it that of a friend, an enemy, or her herself.
Outside of battle, however, she's aloof and reserved, even among trusted comrades. She almost never talks about her past. Those closest to her know that this is simply how she is... but she has walls that she rarely ever lets down, and that's evident to pretty much everyone. Izumi can often be found training alone to keep her skills sharp, or producing materials for the next operation-- a testament to her dedication.
History:
Born to a diminishing clan of ninja in service to Lord Utsunomiya Morihiro, a Hoshidan Liege Lord on the Hoshido-Osha border, Izumi was the youngest (and only) daughter raised among four other sons. Still, she was raised to fight for her clan, and trained in the arts of a shinobi. Although she did not possess the same raw talent as her brothers, she worked twice as hard to overcome her deficiencies. She could never win a spar, but each time she was defeated, she returned with the same fiery hunger in her eyes.
As Izumi grew older, her work ethic had come to trump the natural talent of her siblings. She still lost most clashes of brute strength, but she was twice as cunning, and was never afraid to resort to trickery to win. With their skills now developed, the shinobi of the Kurokumo Clan eventually went on to complete various missions for the Lord Utsunomiya, earning them his favor.
However, this seemed to be a double-edged blade, as the lord began sending the shinobi of Kurokumo Clan on progressively more dangerous missions, with little time to recuperate after losses and injuries. As her friends, clanmates, and siblings began to fall, Izumi began to harden her heart, and focus on the missions ahead. After a string of difficult missions, they were given one final task: to assassinate one of the lords of Igasato-- an attempt to snatch land and power in the region.
The Kurokumo Clan nearly succeeded on the attempt, but had failed on their last crucial step. The offending ninja were quickly killed or subdued, and the rest of the clan in their mountain home were rounded up. For their crimes, the entire clan would be subjected to the Execution of the Five Kindred. An execution as thorough as this guaranteed that there would be no attempt for revenge, as everyone starting from the great-grandfather, all the way down to the great-grandson would be put to the sword.
More than enough to decimate their small clan of shinobi.
Naturally, this was the end for their clan. Lord Utsunomiya would not dare lift a finger-- doing something now would incriminate him as the mastermind, and moreover, he had always planned on using the ninja of the Kurokumo Clan as fodder in his game. The king need not put himself in check to save a pawn.
Still, as was her oath, Izumi resisted torture and refused to give up the name of her employer. Each day, they would execute one member of the Kurokumo Clan at random, and the first to give them the information they needed would go free. Nobody would speak, but the torturers made good on their promise. She was the last one alive-- Izumi knew she was dead already, and so, she would take her secrets to her grave.
Or so she thought.
Thanks to the timely intervention of a mysterious benefactor, Izumi had somehow managed to escape the keep. Now on the run from Hoshidan lawbringers, she planned to flee to Nohr-- as far as she was concerned, as the last remaining member of the Kurokumo Clan, her contract to the Lord Utsunomiya was completed. She made it as far as Osha, before she was caught by the authorities. Quite mysteriously, however, they instead sought to bring her to Lady Naitou, the apparent benefactor for Izumi's escape.
Oshan officials made a show of executing the captive shinobi, and soon, the Execution of the Five Kindred was complete. The black clouds of the Kurokumo was nothing more but ashes in the wind, scattered by the light of the Solar Throne... but they did not seem realize that it was a body double. In the years since, the Wraith of the Kurokumo has faithfully served Lady Naitou in all aspects. Izumi had grown weary of the infighting of Hoshido, and had found great purpose in fighting for her new master.
In the years following, Izumi has cut her hair short, and has changed her family name to "Matsuyama", after the Yukigara Mountains. As retainer to Lady Naitou, she's since gone on multiple missions. On a few of those operations, she has worked in tandem with Toda Ujiteru and other such retainers. Her most recent mission, however, is to offer her talents to the Silver Hawks, where she will serve as Lady Naitou's eyes and ears. She has since worked for the mercenary band for several years now, earning their trust (as much as one can trust a ninja, at any rate)... and a decent paycheck for it, too.
For now, she carries on her mission. Only time will tell if her loyalty to Lady Naitou remains strong, or if her allegiances will align with that of the Silver Hawks.
Skills:
Infiltrator - As a shinobi, Izumi is capable of all manners of subterfuge. She can blend in with the shadows, unseen, or hide in plain sight, in disguise. She can also pick locks, set and disarm traps, and decipher coded messages, so long as she's given enough time to work. Her skill in athletics and acrobatics also allows her to reach high places quickly and quietly, and evade capture if need be.
Pinpoint Precision - Having been rigorously trained since childhood, Izumi can reliably hit a target's vitals from twenty paces away. She acts with speed and accuracy-- it is said that all of her attacks are her simply emulating her first, perfect throw, over and over again. In addition, she is well-versed in anatomy and pressure points, and can even fight to disable or subdue targets, with a bit of effort.
Alchemist - Poison is a useful tool in any shinobi's arsenal. Although her knowledge of medicine is rather rudimentary, Izumi's knowledge of poison is staggering. She can concoct poisons in the field, and neutralize enemy poisons with her own, if need be. If provided with time and materials, she can also craft smoke bombs, flash bombs, firecrackers, and other pyrotechnics to use in field operations.
Trivia: Izumi has a bit of a sweet tooth-- a guilty pleasure of hers, really.