Name:
Noah Alstreim
Gender:
Female
Age:
18
Spirit:
Scathach
Type:
Mahozoku, Juzoku
Spiritual Powers:
[Mahozoku]
Druidic WisdomThe knowledge and use of ancient Celtic nature magic that uses runes and the occasional ritual for varying effects. By carving runes or painting them onto surfaces with one's own body fluids, the user can cast spells in short periods of time that would normally take an arduous chant or some type of ritual. Additionally, unlike other forms of magic this type doesn't usually require the user's Reiji. Rather it takes Reiji from the environment itself to weave spells together with symbols and words; only a handful of spells actually require Reiji from the user.
For example, Noah can inscribe the symbols representing fire, and the build up and release of power onto, say, a stone and create what roughly amounts to a magical fire bomb at zero Reiji cost. Or increasing the force of punches or sword swings by inscribing the rune of strengthening onto her arms and activating it with her Reiji, and then extending the duration by adding a few lines to the basic symbol and saying something along the lines of "Persist", if needed.
[Juzoku]
Dun ScaithA very, very strange variation on traditional Juzoku. Rather than summoning forth a familiar, it allows for a piece of the Country of Shadows to be materialized and projected onto reality. To those outside of the converted territory, it appears as nothing all too extraordinary. A optical illusion-like effect, perhaps, but nothing more. Physically entering the 'optical illusion' provides no change in surrounding to those without sufficient spiritual sensitivity, however if one had the ability, they could effectively 'hack' into it and enter the boundary of Dun Scaith without the user's authorization. The inside of this Juzoku appears to be generally the same as the corresponding area it was invoked, but with a few changes. The shadows become obvious, and the ground becomes dark and much like a forest - muddy, earthen, and almost completely covered in underbrush - with trees dotted in various locations and vines crawling up buildings. The sky is constantly cloudy, with the moon being the only thing that can be seen hanging in the sky, and time seems to be stuck in a perpetual twilight. No native sound can be heard other than that of crows and wind, and the smell of decay hangs in the air. Always in the distance sits an unreachable castle that stands tall with it’s imposing 7 great gates, with 7 great windows between each - Dun Scaith, the Fortress of Shadows.
The land is easy to get lost in, and seemingly endless in size, despite being only as large as the range the user had invoked. Attempting to leave by escaping the range merely loops you around to the other end. Though isn't just a mere scenery change. Monstrous versions of animals roam, controlled by nobody and attacking anybody in their way that isn't the caster, be them enemies, neutral parties, or allies. And the plant life actively attempts to hinder movement, whether by having a tree collapse in someone's way or a vine wrapping around a foot to trip someone up. Additionally, the user's Mahozoku receives a large boost in power, and due to a side-effect, has all Reiji costs rendered '0'. Upon dispelling Dun Scaith, everyone caught in it is dumped into the location roughly corresponding to where they last were within the Juzoku.
However, while it seems to be rather dangerous, it costs a great deal of Reiji from the user to construct it and keep it stabilized. This generally only allows it to be used for a few minutes, 10-15 at most, and at an average range of 2.5 km in diameter, but that's usually enough time and distance to make the most of it.
Personality:Noah is a someone who possesses a nigh-constant self-doubt brought about by an inferiority complex regarding his femininity. Her upbringing at the hands of an overzealous family, a rather hard to please mentor, and a chauvinistic society has established a desire for her achievements to be sufficiently recognized, which often causes her to become dissatisfied with herself for not doing better when they aren't. As such, she's often prone to going to lengths that could be considered extreme, perhaps even
too extreme at times. Incidentally it could be said that the very insecurities plaguing her are the things that drive Noah forth, that give her the necessary motivation and inner strength to try to improve herself so he can come closer to reaching her ideal.
While Noah does behave as a prim and proper noble(wo)man should, given her birth family, she's taken a few personality traits from her primary mother figure and mentor, namely the good-natured teasing, though Noah's has a more passive-aggressive/backhanded-compliment slant, and a love for a battle where she can lock blades with worthy opponents. Though this isn't out of bloodlust, rather, it is the desire to have an absolute confidence in her own skills and abilities.
For somewhat obvious reasons, Noah likes to maintain her distance to others emotionally, and does not truly let anyone get too close to her. In a way, she and her spirit live the same lives. A hermit who lives faraway, in an ‘island’ beyond the reach of most.
Biography:Noah is the first born of this generation of the Alstreim main branch. With their firstborn being a female in a chauvinistic society, the main Alstreim family stood to lose some reputation and influence. So they covered it all up. Changed the records to turn their 'weak female' into a 'strong man', and raised their 'dirtied' child as such. The
boy grew, not yet learning of the deception surrounding
his birth.
He was raised not by
his family, but by
his spirit. While the Alstreim family tolerated
him it was the appearance of
his spirit at an abnormally young age that truly became the turning point in Noah's life.
Scathach was quite the unrefined hero, to say the least. Amused with the Alstreim Clan's notion of male superiority, focus on feats of arms, and her own Connecter's gender confusion, the Witch of Dun Scaith decided to take Noah's training into her own hands. And just like the legends, Scathach proved to be one
damn good teacher. Sure, the training wasn't at all too pleasant nor was Scathach's harsh personality and funny-in-hindsight teasing ("I am
not a girl!"), but Noah wouldn't have preferred it any other way. Truly, this Scottish Warrior Maid became more of a mother to Noah than
his actual mother ever was. The kind of mother that would throw their kid in the wilderness for a week to see how they'd do, but a mother nonetheless.
Many years of training from
Hell Dun Scaith later, the feats of arms Noah was taught by the Scottish hero mentor garnered the attention of those at the School of Advanced Swordsmanship at the ripe young age of 12. Unfortunately, this was also the time secondary sexual characteristics began popping up. Upon confronting
his family, the secrets surrounding
her birth were revealed. The years of living as a male, seeing the treatment of women herself, and the words of her family instilled that if she ever revealed the fact that she was a woman, her achievements would never be truly validated by her peers, nor would she be treated as an equal in their society. And honestly? That pissed Noah right off, but it wasn't as if she could truly do anything against the system at her level.
So rather than channel her anger into, say, misandristic terrorism, Noah used it to fuel her efforts into becoming the paragon of knightliness - the kind of knight who protects the way of honor and chivalry just like you'd see in picture books. Noah worked hard daily to become that kind of ideal knight, despite how much she had come to hate almost all that the Alstreim Knights stood for. Naturally, the hard work paid off and Noah sped through the ranks of Alstreim Knighthood at a pace expected more for those who arrived at the regular age of 16 rather than 12, finally culminating in receiving the rank of Dawn Knight roughly a month before the recent terrorist event. Incidentally, Noah has also received a reputation as the owner of the 'most un-knight-like fighting style in Alstreim', but you can blame that Scathach's insistence upon teaching her martial arts...