Hayazo

The Tales of Winding

Nich's store did well enough for him to make a living off of, but the store rarely got this busy. The poor rat hardly knew how to handle all the customers. "Excuse me for a moment, will you father? Hello, hello! Welcome! I'll be with both of you momentarily. Just need to finish up some business with the father and-- Oi! Not so rough on the door! If you break it then-- A fire!? Oh dear, I'd better let you go, father. I'll be here when you get back. Don't worry, I won't up and disappear like that watchmaker. Now then..."

The priest rushed out of the shop to tend to the church, and Nich was able to turn his attention to the other two... He locked eyes with the creature sitting on his counter. It was a dainty little thing, and most people would have found the way it picked at Anzo's cheese sandwich adorable. But, Nich saw razor sharp claws and voracious fangs tearing at its prey. The rat took a step back away from the beast as he desperately tried to maintain his pleasant salesman's mask. It's just a house cat. We're prepared for this... "I-I'm s-sorry... If you t-two will e-excuse me for j-just a m-moment..." With each word he took a step closer to the back of the store, and finally slipped into his back room.

There was some rustling, muffled grumbling, and a crash, but a few moments later Nich emerged clutching what looked like a fishing net. He crouched low and approached his counter with silent footsteps, apparently ignorant of the fact that he was plainly visible to the cat. He stood a few feet away, hoping the sandwich would keep the beast distracted and raised the net. His hand was trembling, but he took a deep breath and pushed a button on the handle of the net. Suddenly, the handle extended, putting the cat right in range. In one swift motion, he brought the net down, shrieking, "Begone ye vandalous beast!"

Reign of the Nine-Tailed Fox

I've got an intro post up that gives a little description of Kado Shrine, so feel free to start posting. You may use whatever mystical means you like to arrive at Kado Shrine, but the point is that it's not a "regular" place that can be marked on a map.

@KOgaming I'd like to get it up within the next couple of days. If everybody wants to give some lore about their character's homeland, like Blight Bug did with Namchong, that'd be great too. If not, I'll fill in the gaps.

Reign of the Nine-Tailed Fox

Luo Dai wasn't sure how he had arrived at Kado Shrine. One moment he had been walking along a path through the woods, and the next thing he knew the forest had opened up. He stood before a pristine lake and walked along soft tufts of grass. The oppressive aura of prowling Youkai completely dissipated, and there was nothing but a sense of pure serenity. Luo Dai was sure it was still the afternoon, but the sky darkened ever so gently so that the constellations were just barely visible. In the middle of this strange clearing stood a modest shrine with a statue of a fox on display. Thanks to Anjou, many people feared such displays, deeming them taboo, but Luo Dai felt no apprehension approaching it. Kado Shrine. The name came to Luo Dai's head like a distant memory, yet he was certain that he had never been to this place before.

"Don't worry. I'll explain everything once the others arrive." The voice came from a small fox that was resting beside the shrine. Well, perhaps "voice" wasn't the best term for it. Rather, the pure meaning of those words was conveyed without the fox uttering a word.

Luo Dai gave the little fox a pleasant smile. "Others, you say?"

"But of course. Many threads of fate are converging. You would have met up one way or another. I'm just helping you along a bit."

"And who are you?" Luo Dai asked. "The guardian deity of this shrine?"

"Oh no, I'm nothing as grand as that. But I'd rather only introduce myself once, so let's wait for the others."

Luo Dai gave a gentle laugh. "Then I suppose I'd better make myself comfortable." With that, he sat down on the grass and crossed his legs, meditating in this tranquil clearing as he awaited the arrival of the "others," whoever they may be.

Reign of the Nine-Tailed Fox

@Fjord PentoSounds good!

So, I've got my own character up and a little index of all the approved characters. Intro post coming very soon!

The Tales of Winding

Alright, I'll just assume he ran off to the church and react to the horrific beast sitting on my counter.

Reign of the Nine-Tailed Fox

@Ojo chan 42 Let's keep it to one character for now, and if people drop out I'll consider letting people double.

Reign of the Nine-Tailed Fox

@Ojo chan 42 Sure. Once I have the intro post up it'll be more clear how they ought to find their way to Kado Shrine.

Also, let's move all discussion from this point on to the OOC

Reign of the Nine-Tailed Fox

@Ojo chan 42 Okay. That should be fine. I would recommend having that come at the end of the history though since all the characters will begin with their arrival at Kado Shrine.

Reign of the Nine-Tailed Fox

The OOC is up. If I've already approved your character go ahead and throw it in the characters tab. Otherwise, you can post it in the OOC when you're done. My own character and an intro post will be up soon.

Reign of the Nine-Tailed Fox

Luo Dai

Name: Luo Dai

Age: 85

Race: Human

Appearance:

Look pretty good for my age, eh?

Personality: Generally and calm and stoic man, Luo Dai often tries to see the better side of things. On a rainy day, at least the grass will grow. During a drought, at least the clothes will dry. He looks for the better side of people as well, being very forgiving of people's crimes and judging them for their merits rather than their faults. He has a good sense of humor and is not one to be easily insulted, nor is he one to pick a fight without reason. However, when it comes to protecting the innocent, he'll be the first to raise his fists in their defense. Luo Dai believes strongly in karma, and believes that a better life will await those who come to terms with their suffering.

History: Luo Dai has never been a fortunate man. He was born into poverty, and his father took to drinking and gambling. His mother was sold off to a whore house to cover a gambling debt, and he resorted to thievery at a very young age. Unfortunately, he was not a very good thief, and he was caught. The local minister was merciful, though, and rather than harshly punishing the boy, he sent him off to a temple to learn proper virtue.

Luo Dai was not receptive to the teachings at first, and he often tried to escape. However, he was always caught and strictly disciplined. Then, one day the head monk came to visit the boy and asked him why he was so rebellious to those who were just trying to help him. Luo Dai had no answer. The head monk then made a deal with the boy. If he followed their rules and studied diligently, then he would allow him to leave when he came of age. Luo Dai reluctantly agreed, and his education as well as his martial arts training began.

Luo Dai was neither the smartest nor the strongest of the students, and when he finally came of age, he took the head monk up on his deal and left the temple. The head monk was disappointed, but he kept his word and let Luo Dai leave. Luo Dai became a man of many vices, seeking all the worldly pleasures he was denied at the temple. Then, one day, he fell in love. He got married at the young age of 19, and he was excited for his first child. He wanted to give his family the life his father had denied him. However, there were complications during birth, and he lost both his wife and his child.

Luo Dai was overcome with grief and rage, and was arrested not long after for vandalizing a marketplace. After serving his time in prison, he decided to return to his old temple, for it was the only place he had left. He told the head monk what had happened and begged him to take him back in. The head monk agreed, but insisted that Luo Dai first see a priest to atone for his sinful life.

Luo Dai spent time meditating, and the priest eventually told him that there was a heavy karmic shadow over his spirit. The priest did not know what the source of it was, but it was probably the result of some grievous sin in a past life. So, Luo Dai spent the rest of his days training and meditating at the temple, working with the priest to attempt to clear the karmic shadow.

In the decades that followed, he achieved a calmness of mind, became a master martial artist, and learned to harness his ki to the point where he no longer felt the effects of aging. Then, while meditating on his karmic shadow, he achieved a moment of clarity: he saw the image of a nine-tailed fox. Luo Dai finally knew what he had to do to lift his karmic shadow...

Skills: Luo Dai has trained his body to achieve feats beyond what a normal human is capable of. He has great strength and speed, impeccable balance, and his fists are strong enough to crack stone. He is a master of the Piercing Fist style, a martial art that focuses on powerful closed-hand strikes to deal as much damage in one hit as possible. He is capable of using a scimitar or a staff, but he much prefers using his bare hands.

Powers: Luo Dai has learned to harness his ki and has mastered several techniques:

Timeless Form - Through regular meditation, Luo Dai uses his ki to slow the aging process on his body tremendously. At 85 years old, he still looks like he is in his 30s.

Crushing Blow - By channeling a surge ki into one of his limbs, he can add a burst of raw kinetic force to one of his strikes, allowing him to break through even steel armor.

Repulsive Force - Luo Dai lets out a burst of ki from his core, creating a sphere of kinetic energy that momentarily repels anything nearby.

Swift Foot - By channeling his ki into his lower body, Luo Dai can run across water, run along sheer cliffs, and jump great distances.

Equipment: His monk's robes and his bare hands.