Name: Lady Taira Masako ("Miss Ma" to the folks at the Sodden Tanuki)
Age: 32
Gender: Female
Appearance: 
Personality: Like much of the native nobility in Hōnshu-kuo Masako is suffering through an identity crisis. She's the head of an ancient and storied family, her home belonging to her father and his father before him and so on, back for at least ten generations. She wears a sword as is customary for a samurai and spends much of what little free time she has patronizing traditional artists. But she was educated in a western-style academy where she studied alchemy, Ardelais literature and the archaic Veientine language. Her culture is a strange mix of foreign and native and it affects everything from the way she dresses to the way she speaks.
The traditional values of honor, dignity, and rectitude are more guidelines to her, nice thoughts but largely unhelpful in the modern day. Like many of her samurai forebears Masako chooses practicality over the moral high ground. She's loyal to House Taira above anyone and anything else, her work as a witch, madam, and huntress is only undertaken to try and rebuild her family's fortune.
She does her best to cultivate an image of a poised, professional scoundrel, a witch running a house of ill-repute to be sure but one that can be trusted with sensitive information. Lady Taira presents a polite portal to the underworld, her combined bar and brothel a place where nobility and entrepreneurs can rub shoulders with crime lords and prostitutes. And of course, the Kanbu flit between both sides, meeting at the Tanuki to organize their next hunt. For a fee Miss Ma will introduce people to the Kanbu but she'll often insert herself into the picture.
She's a Hunter herself after all. She enjoys a good fight, finding treks into the Tide perversely therapeutic. Such 'therapy" is certainly needed. Much like a functional alcoholic can fulfill their duties while drinking themselves to death Masako is slowly but surely being ground down by the lengths she goes to keep her family's lifestyle. She struggles with feelings of inadequacy and worries that she'll be unable to keep the Taira estate afloat, feeling the eyes of her ancestors upon her.
Lady Taira also suffers from insomnia, often resorting to magic to force herself to sleep. But this occurs only when she feels she can spare the time which isn't an everyday occurrence. There's always work to be done, a never-ending stream of fires to put out.
History: Before the Ardelais came to Honshu the Taira family worked solely for the monarchy, a house respected for its loyalty and long history of service. While not as influential as other, larger families the Tairas had power and wealth. Shrewd dealings and the pragmatic capitalizing on other clans' misfortunes solidified the Taira's place near the top of Hōnshu-kuo's hierarchy.
So when the foreigners came with promises and threats they were met with distrust, distrust that eventually boiled into hostility. As the Dominion formed the Tairas pushed back with means both martial and civil, trying to keep old allies loyal and fighting against those who weren't. But it was a futile endeavor. The outsiders had too much wealth and too many guns, their growing Dominion buying out some of those once sworn to Hōnshu-kuo and eliminating others.
Some of the Tairas began to doubt whether they were on the right side, especially younger members of the family. Tensions built over the years as more and more of the country fell into the Dominion until eventually, a violent conflict erupted within the family. By the end of it there were no more hardliners, those willing to keep fighting killed off or driven out.
The Tairas fell in line, quickly setting out to prove themselves to their new superiors. But while they managed to earn a fair bit of favor with the colonial overlords by putting down peasant revolts and quelling bandits they were simply too weak. The decades of resistance coupled with bloody infighting made the Tairas a family short on members and money. The scope of their influence was limited by the lack of resources, a problem that only got worse with the Great War and the rise of the Tide.
By the time Masako was born the family was reduced to a local power in Sainte-Azélie. While it still held onto its old estate and carried some weight it was challenged by the Kanbu, rendered just another group squabbling for dominance. Her mother died shortly after her birth, leaving her father Daiki as head of a diminished household. Outside of various retainers and staff the only people in the clan were the elder Taira, his daughter, a few scattered cousins, and some aunts and uncles.
Masako was raised in relative luxury compared to the masses in the danchi, given access to education and food more refined than snakefish and crickets. Daiki, well aware that the failure to adapt had been the Taira's downfall, arranged for his daughter to study alchemy. He reasoned that mastering such a useful field would be beneficial, perhaps even allowing her to make a name for herself as a scientist and healer.
Masako didn't have much interest in alchemy as a profession but she was obedient, learning how to turn water into wine or a simple stone into coal. Schoolwork was supplemented by time in the dojo and on the ranger, the little Lady Taira expected to be able to defend her house just like her ancestors had before the Dominion's creation.
As she grew older Masako began to feel confined by the strict etiquette required of a young noble but was too devoted to her family to break away like some of her cousins, electing to continue following the old routine while her peers eloped or joined Kanbus. Complicating the matter was her beloved uncle Goro, the last link to the mother she had never known.
Goro was something of a black mark on the family's reputation, a wild young man with a love of gambling and drinking. He was known as a hothead who was quick to react to perceived insults. His many fights and open association with hoodlums were indiscretions that Daiki was willing to sweep under the rug to protect his wife's little brother.
More serious were the accusations of witchcraft, and the discovery that Goro was using black magic to weaken his enemies one Daiki took poorly. He cast the sorcerer out into the streets and forbade the family from contacting him, writing him off as yet another embarrassment.
Masako loved her uncle and had spent many an afternoon wandering the markets or seeing shows at the Opera House, building up too many fond memories to just accept his excommunication. The now teenaged girl looked at her father with a dimmer view, growing increasingly discontent with her lot in life.
When Masako was 19 her father attempted a hunt, perhaps to try and live up to the legacy of the warriors of House Taira or because he felt increasingly emasculated by the ravages of time. Whatever the reason he was simply too old to escape unscathed, one of the monsters in the Tide grievously injuring him. He lingered for about a week before infection finished him off, Masako managing to reconcile with him before his passing.
Masako had no siblings, leaving her the last full-blooded Taira in the house. Thus the leadership of the family fell to her, a sudden burden she was not prepared for. The accountants and seneschals kept on payroll made things manageable but there was still a steep learning curve. It took time to get used to all the paperwork, not to mention the countless family "friends' that she had to meet with to keep up appearances.
Lady Taira was determined to build up her family again but was sure that her father's way was not going to work. He had tried to change with the times but hadn't gone far enough, merely setting his daughter up to become a professional of some sort so she could stick another title next to her name. Alchemy, while certainly a good trick to have on hand, was not enough.
Masako reconnected with her uncle and sought his tutorage. If he could introduce her to the criminal underworld and teach her witchcraft, she would be able to make the Tairas a respected name once more. Perhaps not trusted, but respected. Goro was happy to work with her, the partnership combining criminal know-how and the moderate wealth of a diminished noble house.
Once again Masako was studying under her elder, learning how to deal with the seedy underbelly of Sainte-Azélie. Goro introduced her to his contacts as a willing collaborator from uptown, someone with resources and a willingness to spend them on illicit investments.
She started off simply steering wealthy clients in the right direction, telling friends about gambling dens and brothels she had "heard of". She was a refined face acting as the entrance to the darker parts of town, offering to chaperone those too unnerved to enter by themselves. This friendly caretaking led to pushing them towards rigged games and professional blackmailers, subtly ensuring that they'd be repeat customers for her new friends.
Meanwhile, Goro taught Masako the basics of witchcraft, passing down the knowledge he had picked up through stolen notes, backroom lessons, and a whole lot of trial and error. It didn't come as naturally to her as alchemy had, the reliance on intuition a formidable hurdle for someone used to dusty tomes and boring lectures, but it was by far the more interesting subject. The ability to lay hexes and blessings upon people as she saw fit was an intoxicating power but Goro made sure to hammer in some sense of moderation.
People would tolerate a witch that was eccentric yet inoffensive, they'd lynch one that pushed her luck. Curses would be reserved for use on low lives, the bandits and smugglers who hadn't kicked up to the right bosses and thus had no friends on either side of the law. Some of the first spells Masako cast were to inhibit those sorts of unfortunates, acts that further ingratiated her to associates.
By her mid-20s Lady Taira had earned enough goodwill to set up her own establishment without interference from the rest of Sainte-Azélie's criminal class. When the proprietor of one of the many brothels was murdered by his mistress Masako stepped in to purchase the place, dubbing it The Sodden Tanuki. It gained a reputation as a place where deals were made, various Kanbu clans using the Tanuki as a place to unwind after a hunt or seek new patrons.
It was through these customers that Masako began to dabble in hunting, the memory of her father's death ignored in favor of thrill-seeking. It was the same sort of adrenaline rush that had pushed her to practice witchcraft, a dangerous decision influenced by the need to make her family famous. If people didn't like her because she was a witch, they'd like her as one of the brave souls keeping the Tide at bay.
Skills/Talents: Samurai- The days of the warring daimyos might be over but there is still plenty of reason to keep some of the old ways alive. Lady Taira was raised to fight, trained to use the traditional weapons of Honshu as well as the more modern firearms brought over by the Ardelais. She doesn't formlessly swing clubs or take pot-shots with converted muzzleloaders like some ragtag militiaman, she fights with skill befitting a professional soldier.
Managerial Mastermind- Part of Masako's schooling was learning to handle the family estate, studying financial planning and business to keep the Taira clan always in the black. Those lessons serve her well now that she's managing a small army of staff at home and her brothel, not to mention tracking income from sources legal, illicit, and everywhere in-between.
Classically Educated- Having grown up in one of the local families that help prop up what remains of the Dominion Masako was taught in the western style, not simply instructed on letters and numbers but expected to gain a basis in the arts, sciences, and rhetoric. While not a master (or even a journeyman) at any of these skills they do give her some useful groundwork. She can hold her own in a high society conversation, a must-have for someone trying to offset the taint of witchcraft on their reputation.
Alchemical Inclination- Masako's parents had her study under noted alchemists so that she might have a trade outside of fighting, the transmutation of materials is just a generally useful skill to have. She's studied and practiced in her own time since then, using her creations to combat the things dwelling in the Tide. While no master of the art she is a competent journeyman, easily performing the basic transmutations and quite capable of some trickier substances.
Witchcraft- Traditionally shunned and far less socially acceptable than the more scientifically-minded practice of alchemy but still useful nonetheless. The Sodden Tanuki serves up charms right alongside drinks and 'services', Miss Ma offering remedies to help recover from illness or ensure pregnancy does or does not come to pass. Malicious hexes weaken her quarry so that she can line a killing blow or make it harder to hit her.
Equipment of Note: Fischer Modell 6- A powerful sidearm, high in capacity and velocity. It's more a work of art than a weapon, and Masako hates it. The fine engravings and Ardagne-style enamelwork are far too ostentatious for her taste and if it hadn't been a gift from her father on his deathbed she would have pawned it off.
"Kiriotosu"- One-half of the familial daishō, its bigger brother auctioned off to help the estate remain solvent. Only the fittings, hilt, and scabbard are original to the weapon, the traditionally-made blade was replaced by factory-produced carbon steel after a Blighted One snapped it clean off. As the head of a noble household (albeit a minor and much-diminished one) Masako has the right to wear her sword openly, a privilege she takes full advantage of.
Levesque Boucher- The Butcher is aptly named, taking a common hunting shotgun and upgrading it for proper combat via the addition of a heat shield and bayonet lug. As useful against home invaders and unruly clients as it is against crimson-infested monsters.
Respirator and
Full Hood Protection from the Tide. Masako will generally only use the respirator but keeps the hood around for extreme Red Weather events.
Favourite dish/food: Masako has a love of pork shabu-shabu and is privileged enough to afford such a meal as a semi-common luxury.
