Of course, the arrival of Noriko had been less of a shock and more of an extension of disappointing sights. She'd made a mess of herself, blood and all, and though she say it wasn't serious, a knife wound was still a knife wound to Ujiteru. He peered over her shoulder to get a gaze of the wound, though as she stood somewhat firmly in place, he quickly retracted his eyeballing and went back to standing around, with a low and tired posture. She came clean right there and then, in front of one of the new-bloods as well, of her little faith. Barely a leader? At any other point, if time had been on their side and there was wiggle room for being less professional, Ujiteru would've said something that could've soothed or distracted from the situation. But he chose the opposite. Why? Well, he couldn't answer that himself, really. Maybe it was simply the presence of another company member that compelled him to act as such. Image was everything, even to your own family.
"Noriko," he began with a short exhale, "you're not barely a leader, you are the leader. There's no dancing around that, anymore. It's best that you see how it'll work out, with the company at first in your mind."
Truth be told, he felt a small ounce of regret in speaking so freely on the day off. Things like those brought the mood down for everyone, even if sometimes he felt like he had to say something. She'd been put in a difficult spot, and Ujiteru figured that it was because of how long she remained a Sergeant-At-Arms that there was a chance she'd grown comfortable staying as such. Then again, she was a Kitsune. The years could've felt like months or days for all he knew. And maybe he was terrible at reading people.
Alas, he was the Company's Sergeant-At-Arms, not so much hers, much as she was the Company's Captain, and that it wasn't her Company. That sort of sentiment kept his mind in check, for it was all so simple to just take everyone off to do ones own goals, but those who came before them had shown them that so long as the Company was all together, there was plenty to gain. Ujiteru looked around for a while as he saw the bustle of the street move past. He didn't feel like lecturing her at all. She was twice his elder, and still in a position of leadership ahead of him. Even if he equated the role to the greater formation of the mercenary group, he still had his place to stand and shelves he wasn't supposed to reach up to. Any other mercenary might've done it more often, but that sewn shut mouth that came with Retaining political figures' ideals tended to keep the sly tongue sheathed.
"Yet - I cannot tell you how to relax. So long as you aren't out of action, then you know what you want to do." Finally, he took a breath and turned to Bhaskara, who'd patiently waited for the whole ordeal to be talked about. He nodded at him, lowering his head to both apologise and urge him that he had paid attention to what he'd said. "My apologies. And I wholeheartedly agree on the vastness of this place, though it does make the heart yearn for the cities of my homeland. Now that sort of vastness is something to behold as-"
Just as he was about to say it, his shoulder was barged past as a small flurry of additional bodies pushed past him in the market. He felt instantly vindicated in what he was trying to convey, so much so that he couldn't help but smile a titch. He fixed his clothing's folds created by the friction and cleared his throat again.
"-as back home I could at least get the space to breathe in the marketplace." And then, he moved to answer the red-headed mercenary's last question. "I haven't made any plans beyond what I'd already done the night before." He looked back to the inn, further down the street. Ujiteru could still hear the voices of the other occupants as clear as day. At any other place it'd be fine, mercenary's weren't exactly the type to abstain, but by the grace of pleading for a night's rest, he couldn't help but feel nothing but fear from those walls. "So, I might head back to wherever the encampment might be. Rest up there, keep things watched over. Might even wrestle a price or two from Beatrice, if she'll take interest in some wares I found."
There was a blissful view across a meadow, in which the farthest reaches of all of life's creations flourished and pranced, where man and woman flourished in love and tenderness beneath the snowfall that drifted from the mountains. Weeks of laughter and light, and the beautiful glistens of blossomed cheeks granted such unmatched scenes - and beyond it all sat the endless stretches of grain and wheat, and the wind passed through the bales with a caressing touch to each glade. It was the prettiest of all places, of all landscapes, and there wasn't a picture that could've matched what he saw. Where was that distant land? He did not know. No one knew. It was that everglade utopia sat far off out of the reaches of all, yet he had it in his sightline and he felt all his woes dissipate. There was tranquillity in beholding the beauty. There was ease in its gentle drifts and flowing rivers. The birds above circled not to find prey, but to take it all in from the clouds and to appreciate everything from afar. And he thought he was sat there, in the thick waves of greenery and pastures, until he felt the land snap black, and then an oak plank replaced the brilliant gaze.
His head was sore. More so, his back hurt. A lot. The morning cramp hadn't been from age nor weariness, but from the inexcusable quality of the mattress in which he lay upon. Toda Ujiteru was no stranger to discomforts, in fact the mercenary life had made it abundantly clear that those of his calibre were to get used to it, but the expectations of comfort from the bedding he had chosen had made the delivery of such a rough night all the worse. And when met with not a night sky, or the calming wave of a tent frame in harsh, mountainous gales, he was shown the unappealing shades of splintered wood-ceiling. The combination of what should've been luxury, at least compared to the sleeping kits of the encampment, with the execution of such a terrible excuse of a bed made it all the worst that Drakesrift had to offer. What spilled the milk bucket the most was the neighbouring room, of which a couple's embrace had snapped him from his dream so sharply he'd have guessed he slept in a brothel.
So to say, he wasn't anywhere of the sorts. The inn he'd wandered in the night before shortly after their arrival to the city had been what it was, a cheap getaway located in sidelines of the great market. He dragged himself from the concrete cushioning and rose to the mirror, where he was greeted with his bare body staring back at him. He frowned. The reflection frowned in return. Quickly, he turned to his right and started gathering his equipment. For cities as such, he tended to wear his usual light armour, for it could pass as something fashionable if it weren't for its intended use, however as it had been a granted day off, unofficially of course, he'd dressed down to his usual robes - black and white, with only a grey tone to separate the two colours down the middle. It was additionally married to additional scarves that tucked into the inside of his clothing, padding out the warmth whilst blending it into the loosened fit.
He walked to the window midway through his dressing session, and he opened it with the push of a single hand. It made a squeal, though not like the one of his neighbouring holiday-maker's wife, and he was met with the true blast of light of the morning. The city's layout had made it hard to see the shine of the day, with larger and more daunting heights in the streets than Osha's wall-like and spaced out towns, but the dustiness of his window had practically shielded him from it until he'd peered out.
There wasn't much to see. A few alleyways were below, where an armoured constable would walk with one boy to his side, and families, business partners and merchants scurried in crowds down in the pavements below. The city's bustle was to be expected, and he was sure that if he'd listened hard enough, he'd have heard Beato on the other side of the earth, haggling over a scabbard or piece of silk. Though in all honesty, the sound of a shouting merchant was preferable to the situation he was in. He finished getting himself dressed, then tucked his smaller blade into its sheath, which hung from his loose belt. Then, he gathered what little belongings he'd brought with him, including a small hand-drawn sketch. As it was scooped into his hand, he took a second to look at it.
It was colourless, sat upon beige parchment, and he gave himself a little smile. It wasn't the drawing itself that he drew pleasure from, but the act of having drawn had put his mind to ease the night before, after he'd decided to spend the night in the inn rather than prowl the streets back to the encampment. That sensations of graphite to page were where his mind returned, and as he did so, he'd sketched out a figure of a faceless woman, flowed with short hair that bristled down her spine. Of course, without the proper painting equipment, it was far less like he'd envision, but only those who cared about such things were the ones who hadn't created it. He put it into his pocket, at the very least, imagining that he could at least make half the coin back he spent on the inn room from some haggler merchant who thought way too much of its value, or too little.
Outside, the air was...fresh? Well, it was, but it wasn't exactly flowing meadows. Markets were like that. Morning meats and fresh fruit made for some scents, but the odours of crowds tended to be the strongest. It wasn't bad, per se, but it wasn't exactly perfume. As he came outside, a man walked past him, and Ujiteru - knowing full well the difficulties of getting one's attention in a busy street - gently grabbed onto his bicep to lurch his attention sideways. The streetwalker snapped out of his dreary state, having been brooding over some sort of business unknown to Ujiteru.
"What in-" He began, but the recently awoken Ujiteru paid his due politeness to the best of his ability.
"Excuse me, where is-"
"Get your hand off my arm, Sir!"
"Where is the way out of the city?" There was a short moment of pause as the two watched each other. Of course, the accent stood out, if the clothing hadn't sold it away, but in the moment all Ujiteru hoped for was that the man didn't mistake him for a Hoshidan, as the unwise might've.
"What?"
"Where's the-"
"Speak up!"
"The city exit! I need to find it!"
"Oh...right..." Ujiteru unhanded him, though he could've easily have shrugged it off with how feathered of a grasp it was. He patted himself down. The Oshan wasn't sure why. Maybe his fingers were dirty. Wouldn't have been uncommon. Then, the merchant cleared his throat and raised it above the chants of hagglers and salesmen. "Pass through the market place, straight down. It'll take you to the main road eventually, then you go out from there."
"You have my thanks."
Ujiteru watched as the fellow wanderer then disappeared off into the crowd. And as he did so, the Sergeant-At-Arms struck himself with the thought of his company. Where was he in relation to other Silver Hawks' members? Well, he couldn't have been too far, could have he? Surely another had entered that far in on the day off. Maybe Beato had beaten her way around the market. Maybe Bhaskara had innocently made a friend or some sort of city-side sweetheart. Or maybe Noriko had...- actually, he didn't want to think of what Noriko had done. Best to remain unassuming, he thought. And with that in mind, he made headway, albeit a little slow through the crowds, as he waded through the market, on his way back to the encampment - or rather whoever he'd find first.
___________________________________ Toda Ujiteru, 34 ________________________________________________________________________________________ Regito, South Osha | Oshan ___________________________________
▼ E X T R A I N F O R M A T I O N ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Y.O.B - 1462 ► Height - 5'10" / 178cm ► Weight - 179 lbs / 81.2kg ► Hair Colour - Blonde ► Eye Colour - Blue ► Class - Swordmaster ► Company Role - Sergeant-At-Arms ► 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.
Beatrice Rothschild - or the affectionately grateful Company-wide alias of Beato - is one of the strangest members to Ujiteru. Why? Well, she's one of the most lively and giddy-like members of the Silver Hawks. A barterer, a singer (or rather a "Belter"), and a lot of charm to boot. He really didn't like her at first. The whiplash from Osha's reserved political landscape and the nature of holding one's tongue as a Retainer left to an immediate clash between personalities, but he never showed much more than a stifled look. But as the months dragged on, he slowly found himself unable to separate the Silver Hawks from those like her, the people who had all the triumphant presence such as herself. The two share the common interest in singing, and whilst she is likely leagues ahead of himself, he has kept such an activity of his own a secret from her. And though he can joke around with her and talk very casually, that little bit of "holding his tongue" is still present, and he has been yet to tell her that he appreciates her.
---T R I V I A
► Immaterialist, exemptions from traditional items ► Stores a few of his artworks in a kitbag ► A somewhat gruff Oshan accent, but easily understandable ► A bit too caring for his swords
___________________________________ Toda Ujiteru, 34 ________________________________________________________________________________________ Regito, South Osha | Oshan ___________________________________
▼ E X T R A I N F O R M A T I O N ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Y.O.B - 1462 ► Height - 5'10" / 178cm ► Weight - 179 lbs / 81.2kg ► Hair Colour - Blonde ► Eye Colour - Blue ► Class - Swordmaster ► Company Role - Sergeant-At-Arms ► 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
► Immaterialist, exemptions from traditional items ► Stores a few of his artworks in a kitbag ► Voice rather gruff, but easily understandable ► A bit too caring for his swords
___________________________________ Toda Ujiteru, 34 ________________________________________________________________________________________ Regito, South Osha | Oshan ___________________________________
▼ E X T R A I N F O R M A T I O N ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Y.O.B - 1462 ► Height - 5'10" / 178cm ► Weight - 179 lbs / 81.2kg ► Hair Colour - Blonde ► Eye Colour - Blue ► Class - Swordmaster ► Company Role - Sergeant-At-Arms ► Previous Occupation - Retainer
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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, Toda 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 Toda 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 Toda'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.
Toda 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.
► Immaterialist, exemptions from traditional items ► Stores a few of his artworks in a kitbag ► Voice rather gruff, but easily understandable ► A bit of a returnable flirt ► A bit too caring for his swords
With Crimbo out of the way, I'm going to begin gearing up for writing the introductory post for this RP, but obviously I'd like to make sure people get their sheets in on time. Do keep in mind, if the RP starts, then that's not locking out any new sheets, I'll still be taking new ones as we go along. But I'd like a good update from all on how things are going, what people are planning and if you're busy and all that, just a friendly reminder so I don't bug you accidentally!
Sorry for the delays but the December start of a new RP is always a tricky one haha
The sky soon fell back to its whitened palette. The drain of colour was frantic as little snowflakes began to fall from the sky. Their amount was miniscule, but it was enough of a warning for Jean. The time was now. He pulled himself away from Senja and Luba, albeit a little reluctantly, and he made his way toward the step ahead of the rest of his group. The fog of war formed before his eyes as he exhaled up a storm. Of course he was nervous. Only those who accepted that they were dead held still their breathes as if absolution was to come. But Jean had been taught to have some hope. And it was a crux to the poet, and to the soldier, for hope gave the false notion that there was light at the end of the tunnel, and that he had something that could be taken away from him at the crack of a rifle's shot. Luckily, he was not aboard the group lurching into the enemy trenches, in the deadened winter's dew, and he counted the blessings to not be trusted with something so hastily. Of course, in hindsight, Jean would've pled for himself to refuse if he were to know how mere minutes apart their mission was from the opening act of the New Year's orchestra.
Captain Middleton made steady pace toward the two groups, separated by tens of metres down trench lanes and bodies. A few sentries were left perched on their firing steps, watching the icy prairies carefully. The fog had grown rather tremendously, but they could still make out the distant edge of the Imperial frontline, mostly made up of layers upon layers of barbed wire. Their voices were to remain hushed at the hour, for the quietest frontlines had the most eager ears.
"Alright, don't linger for too long," the Captain addressed the wire-layers, "and patch it up as quick as you can. You know the rules: stay low, stay quiet, and stay alert. As soon as you're done, pull back. If the trench raiders take too long, don't wait for them. They'll make it back on their own accord. And most importantly," his eyes fell upon Lucia, who's back was laboured by the weight of her wire pack, "get back safe. It'd be bad enough to have to write out a third of a platoon's worth of letters home."
He moved onward, more or less giving the same message to the trench-raiders. Their rules were articulated very differently: get in, grab one or three Imperials, and get out. Be fast. Be swift. Be merciless. Hesitation was their enemy. It seemed odd to a few as to why both tasks were happening simultaneously, but the growing paranoia of a Winter offensive was still fresh on the minds of every officer and soldier. There were some hopeful of a quiet snowfall, like that of 1911, but the strain and attrition each side had taken forced many to play their cards without mercy.
Jean had listened to the whispers of the men and women in Trebin and beyond. The words were no longer that of 'It'll be over when the snow falls' but they new that sooner rather than later, one side would break under the pressure, if not both entirely. The death toll was in the millions. Several generations had been shaken dry by the robbers of life. And if it were like such in the Atlantic Federation, then it too would've been the same in the Empire. Vinland had arrived, yes, but their Europan allies were reaching a breaking point. How far would their officers, their generals and leaders push themselves to defeat an enemy? He saw it in the cynicism of the Captain. He no longer spouted of glory like the young officers of yesteryear. He remained bitter. Jean didn't like him still, for the man had his prejudices, but at the very least Jean had the faintest idea of how tired all men were for the crimes they'd been drowned in.
So he snapped himself out of his thoughtless trance. There was a mission ahead. Lubna had told him to remain normal, or as normal as one could be, and he buckled up his webbing tighter than ever. He looked at Lucia, who's nerves showed in their own small way. Then again, there was a fire in her eyes. And Jean had heard things about her, back in Amone, back before they were introduced to one another, and before the 15th Atlantic Rifles.
"Alright, you know what's happening." He murmured aloud to his selected group. Whether he liked it or not, he still held rank over all but one woman, who's senior was only displaced by what little time she'd spent with that platoon. "Isaac, Britta, set up whatever positions you can that give us the best arc of fire. Make ready, but hold unless we're fired upon - or if instructed. Lucia has the main wire set, but I need a volunteer to help wind it through the fence posting. Other than that, everyone do what you can to unwind broken bits of wire, clear out any shrapnel and reinforce any fencing if need be. On your way over the top, grab a small log each."
By his feet, a small basket of wooden logs, stripped of their bark, were piled together. They were sharpened at one end for burying into the icy earth. And with what broke the fence in the first place - artillery fire and cannonades - the chances of repairing the fence itself were all but inevitable.
"If you're not doing something, stay low and keep rifles at the ready. We'll clear it up as quick as we can. The last thing we need is for the trench raid to alert our position and have us caught in the open. Are we all good?" He looked over to the nearest Sergeant, who was looking at his watch eagerly. He turned back to Jean and nodded. The affirmation was clear. There was no chance to revert back to the warm yet dilapidated room he'd sheltered himself in the night before. Any soldier's worst fear had arrived: not the bombing of artillery shells or the charging cry of the enemy, but setting foot beyond their trench walls and out into a land meant for slaughter. Jean grabbed a log for himself, and moved halfway up the ladder. "Alright, stay close, voices low, and let's move."
Jean ascended the ladder first. The pressure to do what he was asked of laid upon his shoulders immensely. So much judgement would come from his cock-ups and little would go towards his successes. He didn't care though in that moment. There was a job to do and as much as it pained him, he had to do it long enough to make it back alive. He lurked in a squat just at the top of the trench, whispering and holding a hand out for those who clambered up behind him: Cienie, Romijnsen, Black, Hagen, Vastergoth, Farris and Penttilä. All soldiers of different standards.
He made himself among the middle of the crowd, crawling and staggering their way into the first crater. A pit, six feet deep, waited for them just on the other side of the ladder. The dirt was cold and solid, tipped with the white frost that surrounded them. Jean could immediately feel the chill of the snow soak into his uniform and his hairs stood on their end, but he kept moving as to keep himself warm. They had to be slow, but at the same time hasty enough to get in and out without a moment too long. He looked behind him and saw Lucia struggle to clamber out the shell pit they'd first gone into, and he reached below and struggled to pull her up under the weight of the wire pack. He quietly waved a free hand back to keep the others moving so they could secure the fence hole ahead, whilst he struggled the last bit with Lucia to get her over out. She collapsed by his side, wheezing a little to herself, but the ever-looming threat of lingering forced Jean to push her back into motion. Lucia clambered out of the snow and crawled ahead with her Corporal.
Five minutes felt like forever. They couldn't have travelled more than thirty five metres at most, but the constant wreckage of the earth beneath them brought every covert movement to a halt. Fallen logs, splintered and cracked open like firework tubes, great pits where skeletal remains had been buried, and the devastation of corpses spread far and wide. A preserved horse's remains in the cold - the arm of an Imperial that stuck out from the earth, as if pleading for someone to pull them from hell.
The fog grew in density, and his voices became far more silent. He dashed between the rubble, and soon their broken fence was in sight. He lowered himself all the way down to his stomach, and with his hands he signalled for the others to begin work, with Lucia unloading the wire pack beside them. In the distance, there were gunshots from other sectors of the frontline, and he hoped they would remain there. But as the trench raiding group moved up, with not much time left before the gates of hell unknowingly opened, he remained defiant in working on their task with those he'd been assigned with.
Appearance | Lokea bears an uncanny resemblance to the asari commando Shiala, green skin and all. She maintains a fit physicality, her feminine curves noticeable and prominent, but not hindering. Surrounding her green eyes are a warm orange and red fade, as well as a variety of darker markings that surround her eyes. On-duty, she wears the standard issue Intervention uniform, but while she's off-duty, she sticks to a simple brown NAFB hoodie and black slacks. In combat missions, however, she wears a worn dark set of Ajax Armor, as well as a black breather mask with a painted skull on it. The Ajax Armor once had the emblems of the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion and her rank of Sergeant, but they were erased away. (Will update once I start creating character art, which will be hotlinked and posted below)
Personality | Like her clone sisters, she didn't really have much of a personality when she first emerged. Well, she did have hundreds of personalities, but they all came in the form of thoughts and memories planted into her from the Thorian that created her. It took a lot of time and experiences for her to figure out which of the memories and personalities she should rely on, and over time she found the ones she liked and came into her own being. As time went on, she became more of an expressive individual who enjoys the company of friendly creatures. From her planted memories and experiences at Zhu's Hope, she uses them in her attempts to be a kinder and friendlier person. She once struggled with the idea of being a clone, but thanks to her close friends, she was able to find security and grace within herself. Her expressive attitude compels her to create beauty, often in the form of drawings and paintings. Thanks to having the implanted memories of one asari and many humans, she's adopted expressions and body languages of both. As for the many values that have been planted, she stuck with the ones that she's liked the best (being kind, standing up for the weak, etc). On the other hand, she is a rather hedonistic individual who lives for the present. Thanks to the Reaper War, she doesn't really plan too far ahead. Despite being secure in herself, the Reaper War made her feel small again, and the loss of many of her friends gives her quite a bit of survivor's guilt. Regardless, she maintains a wanderlust that compels her to go see the stars for herself. (Will edit and develop through play)
Backstory | Long story short, Lokea Zhu is an Asari Clone born from the Thorian who made a name for herself in Illium. She spent some time on Feros helping out its residents, finding out who she was and who she wanted to be. She travelled the stars for a short period of time, eventually ending up on Korlus and working with a friendly krogan named Urdnot Stax. Their work on Korlus earned them residence on Illium, where they worked for an eccentric volus who went by Eppo Cal. When the Reapers arrived, she joined the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion, saved the lives of many with her abilities, and served with distinction. After the war ended, Lokea continued to serve with the NAFB for a bit, and after it disbanded, she was rehired by Eppo Cal and continued to work for him. It was only recently that she was poached by the Citadel Security Fleet, where she would be assigned to the Intervention.
Born from the genetic stock of the Asari Commando Shiala in 2183, Lokea was created under strange circumstances by the Thorian, an ancient sentient plant found on the planet of Feros. While the Thorian exerted its influence and control of the populace of the nearby colony of Zhu's Hope, it created strange green-skinned clones of Shiala in order to speak for it and defend it. While quite a few were deployed when Commander Shepard arrived in search of the conduit, some were stored in sacks as a quick response measure. Some were deployed in order to quickly stop Shepard as the Thorian resisted Shepard's attempts to dispose of it. However, Shepard's squad was able to quickly dispatch the clones, the creepers and the nodes that held the Thorian in the building. The Thorian was killed, Shiala and the Zhu's Hope colonists were freed, and Shepard was able to use the conduit as planned, getting closer to Saren.
However, not all of the sacs were destroyed, and not all of the clones were killed. Hours after the incident, Lokea surfaced from one of these sacs, free from the grasp of the Thorian. While she had a mixture of memories given to her by the Thorian when she was created, these memories were all scrambled, all from different minds and different bodies. She struggled to figure out who she was, what her name was, and who to speak for. As she walked amongst the corpses of the creepers and clones that had fallen in the battle earlier, two more clones like her emerged as well. They met and got acquainted, and knowing that they were all in the same boat, they worked together to get out of the ruins they were in. Once they got hungry, they worked together to hunt some varren that wandered around the ruins. The three clones wandered the ruins for three days, all while trying to figure out who they were and what they should do next. It wasn't long before they stumbled into some of the colonists at Zhu's Hope. The colonists immediately tended to their needs and sent them back to their colony, where all three of them met Shiala.
Shiala proved herself to be more than helpful to both the colony and the clones. As they were fed and sheltered at the colony, Shiala explained to them who they were and why their minds were so clouded with memories and thoughts from others. After some impromptu counseling from Shiala and Lizbeth Baynham, the three eventually picked their names. The two other clones came to be named Kielo and Numeka, taking on the last name of 'Zhu' from Lizbeth's suggestion. Lokea followed suit with her last name, chosing her first name from the word 'Hope' from an ancient asari language, her name roughly translating to that of The Hope of Zhu. All three of them were known in the colony as the Zhu Sisters. Over the period of a year, the sisters ingratiated themselves into the colony and functioned quite well. While Kielo and Numeka assisted Shiala in her efforts in rebuilding and healing the colony, Lokea carved a path of her own, often going out on hunts and scouting missions with Davin Reynolds. In that time, the biotics of Shiala and the Zhu Sisters degraded thanks to the effects of the Thorian, and the four of them had to adapt to that. As Lokea's planted memories gave her visions of different places, her wanderlust grew, especially after hearing about Shepard's galactic exploits from the news.
In 2184, Lokea made the difficult decision to move away from Zhu's Hope to go see the galaxy for herself. While she had grown very close to many of the members of the colony, she felt that she would find her true calling elsewhere, as there wasn't much left for her to do at the colony. Ledra gave Lokea a free ride to Eden Prime during one of his supply runs, and from then, she wandered across the Milky Way.
In her several months of travels, Lokea's been to Eden Prime, the Citadel, Bekenstein and Korlus, doing odd jobs and light mercenary work to put food on the table and pay for other expenses. Her planted memories gave her quite a unique advantage in most job markets, as she had the combined skills of most of the affected colonists from Zhu's Hope. In Eden Prime, she mostly did contract work in the construction of homes and small buildings to pay for her ticket to the Citadel, all while visiting the sites of where the first shots of the Eden Prime War took place. She quickly made her way to the Citadel, where she spent a month doing maintenance and security work. She got into a few light scuffles with petty criminals, but she was able to end them quickly without causing serious harm. It slowly became clear to her that she couldn't afford to live on the Citadel, so she kept moving. She spent a week at Bekenstein sightseeing before saddling up for Korlus.
The moment Lokea made landfall on Korlus, she knew already that she hated it. A hot, noxious scrapyard world almost uninhabitable, the asari spent most of her time there in a rather dilapidated climate-controlled motel room. Thanks to the rather cheap rates of almost everything here, Lokea was actually able to turn a profit this time around from the odd jobs she did here. When she wasn't doing security work, she was also performing maintenance and deliveries for a few tidy sums. After about two weeks, Lokea got her first taste of blood when she killed six batarian gangsters and wounded four more when they attempted to murder her and one of her clients. Despite the rather terrifying incident, Lokea's implanted combat experience helped her during the fight and after it. Since that incident, Lokea got more jobs and earned some notoriety from some of the local gangs. On a particular anti-gang job, she was hired by a friendly krogan named Urdnot Stax, whom she later befriended and nicknamed 'Fat Stax'. She did a few jobs with him, and thanks to how crazy effective they were as a team, both of them agreed to a partnership. The neighborhood they lived in noticeably improved with their presence, and inspired some of the residents to stand up to some of the gangs that ravaged it.
After a month of doing anti-gang and bodyguard jobs, work died down a bit, as their neighborhood became arguably one of the safest on the planet. More people came to the neighboorhood, and the cost of living started to climb there. Both Lokea and Stax knew that the positive direction the neighborhood was meant that they would have to move somewhere else to keep making money, and while they considered their options, a new job came in. A wealthy volus merchant named Eppo Cal contacted them, and told them that his brother Niftu Cal had been kidnapped and held for ransom by a group of slavers, who also kidnapped a number of Eppo's staff. Eppo tracked the slavers down to a large building in Korlus, and he is paying good money for the recovery of both his brother Niftu and his staff. They took the job, and were soon greeted by a small group of mercenaries from Illium. The team worked on a proper plan and executed it the next morning. While Lokea and some lighter members of the team came in from the roof by rappelling down along the wall, Stax and the heavier team members stormed the building from the ground floor. Lokea's team quickly found Niftu, and shot the slavers through the windows before bursting through. Stax's team located the missing staff, who were in the process of being auctioned off, and promptly rescued them after gunning down all hostiles in the room. The rest of the building was cleared out within minutes, and all hostages were safely rescued.
It wasn't long before Eppo recieved the good news on Illium. Due to their resounding success, he paid all involved what they were owed, along with a bonus. As a further token of gratitude, he offered Lokea and Stax a ride to Illium, as well as a free two-week stay at one of his resorts in Nos Astra. Lokea saw a means of leaving the planet, and Stax saw a business opportunity, and both immediately accepted.
It was clear to both Stax and Lokea that their free resort stay was to sweeten an upcoming deal Eppo had for them, so when it came, they kept their heads clear about it. Eppo offered both Stax and Lokea jobs as high ranking members of his security team, and after some calm negotiation, both Stax and Lokea agreed to it and signed on. The next day, they got acquainted with the rest of Eppo's team, a good portion of them being the same mercenaries that participated in the Korlus rescue mission. Eppo made sure to give both Stax and Lokea new weapons, and both continued to use their new toys well into the present. Since mid 2184, Stax and Lokea worked as members of Eppo's security team. Most of the work itself was rather boring, but it did pay well and the duo took every chance they got to live like monarchs, even if it was for a few days out of the month. While Lokea and Stax performed rather dull duties throughout their new career, the few oddball assignments they did get broke up the monotony. Some missions they performed involved hostage rescue, others involved a little bit of corporate espionage, and sometimes Eppo just liked going to dangerous places and forced both Lokea and Stax to tag along.
Both Stax and Lokea knew that Eppo was a biotic since they signed on with him, but they never knew the full extent of his powers until the beginning of 2185. During a "business trip" to Omega, Eppo and his security team were ambushed by some Blood Pack mercenaries, but the volus didn't fret in the slightest. The three krogan and five vorcha that came for them couldn't stand back up for hours after Eppo thrashed them with his biotic powers, and the duo couldn't help themselves but be incredibly impressed by Eppo's biotic ability. Lokea herself was only slightly jealous of his ability to perform a biotic charge, but she managed to keep these feelings to herself. They later found out that those Blood Pack mercenaries were sent by one of Eppo's rivals, and while Stax suggested reprisal, Eppo declined on the basis of principle.
Both Stax and Lokea continued working for Eppo, taking on assignments and completing them with ease. Their effectiveness earned them a little bit of notoriety, where the duo started getting job offers from other businessfolk with promises of higher payouts. The duo considered them, but a little research often revealed the would-be poachers to be rather shady and untrustworthy individuals at best. It took some time for the duo to start trusting Eppo, but they've grown to be rather fond of the eccentric volus. While the rest of Eppo's security team were at first cautious about the duo, they've also bonded well with Lokea and Stax. On days off, the whole security team threw parties at Eppo's Nos Astra resort (where he lets them live free of charge), parties that soon became the source of many of Lokea's positive memories.
When Lokea didn't feel like partying, she dabbled a bit in her artistic side, often painting and drawing digital art with the help of her omni-tool. Her artistic skills left much to be desired, but using implanted skills from some of the colonists, she got a small head start on some of the basics. At the time, her art hasn't really impressed anyone, but Stax and Eppo liked seeing this side to her.
The year of 2186 was one that was burned into the memory of the rest of the galaxy. The Reaper Invasion began with little warning, and the devastation was staggering. Thanks to the quick actions from most of the companies on Illium, the planetary fleet managed to keep most of Reapers from landing on the planet's surface by targeting the troop transports. For a while, the planetary fleet remained engaged with the Reaper capital ships, buying those on the surface enough time to evacuate to safer locations. However, while most of the Reaper's transport ships were destroyed by Illium's flotilla, a few made it through and landed on Nos Astra. The chaos of the evacuation and the battle in space made it rather difficult to really coordinate a ground defense, and Illium's authority had their hands full managing the situation.
At the first signs of the Reaper invasion, Eppo immediately liquidated all of his assets and went to work on purchasing weapons, armor and survival gear. He rallied all of his staff and immediately assigned them different jobs. All of his non-combat personnel were to build and maintain public shelters while his security teams were to form a militia. Eppo's quick actions garnered attention from other groups, and within a week, a tight alliance of various assembled militias became chartered as the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion. Consisting of mercenaries, law enforcement personnel and combat veterans, the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion became a well-regulated paramilitary force in its own right, and immediately began operations throughout the capital of Illium. Thanks to their experience, both Stax and Lokea were signed on as sergeants, and had their armor colored to match the battalion's uniform.
During the Reaper War, Lokea served with distinction. Her defensive biotics and her new cloaking ability allowed her to save the lives of countless civilians and combatants alike, often pulling them away from the line of fire to allow them to be evacuated to safer places. Most of the operations she participated in was in the evacuation of citizens, often attempting to bring them away from combat zones so the rest of Illium's forces could better fight the invading Reapers. The asari clone had a few close calls herself, having nearly been torn apart by the Banshees that the Reapers deployed on Illium's surface. Slowly but surely, Lokea and the rest of the NAFB were able to build up a proper resistance and keep the Reapers off the planet for the most part. Lokea's guerilla tactics proved to be quite effective, with Stax acting as the vanguard and Eppo providing shield support and aggressive biotic attacks. The three of them, along with most of the former security team they worked with, were able to cut through enemy resistance like hot knife through butter, allowing other elements of the NAFB to quickly complete their objectives. Reaper ground troops were only able to come in small numbers, and the NAFB made quick work of them anytime they landed in the city. Thanks to the NAFB, civilian losses were very limited, and the Reapers still had a hard time getting their troops onto the surface.
Despite the low casualty rate the NAFB suffered, the battalion still suffered some losses. Despite the Reaper's heavy disadvantage on the ground, their troops still didn't need to be fed, supplied or rested. Their relentless attacks wore down the NAFB and its allies, with some finding it difficult to keep fighting day in and day out. Some of the almost impervious Reaper capital ships made it onto the planets surface and laid waste to many of the settlements, and while civilian losses were still low thanks to the NAFB's efforts, many combatants lost their lives thanks to the capital ship's attacks. Lokea watched as many of her friends burned away in the death beams the Reapers fired, nearly avoiding the ship's gaze by sticking to the buildings. The NAFB had to maneuver around the capital ships to continue their operations, though they were able to neutralize at least two Reaper destroyers with what little heavy weapons they could get their hands on. And because of their actions, they continued to be a nuisance to the Reapers who tried to take Nos Astra.
As the months went on, normal life became a distant memory. Lokea could barely keep herself motivated anymore as the fight continued. Nos Astra was almost in ruins, and the life the city had once had was long gone. The only people that remained here at this point where just the soldiers who were doing their best to keep the Reapers away from the planet. Despite the presence of the capital ships and destroyers, the NAFB still did a good job at keeping the ground troops away. The only thing left on Lokea's mind was war. It felt like that was all her life at this point, and she felt a bit empty for it. The company of Eppo and Stax did keep her in moderate spirits, but when she was all alone, all she could do was draw and paint the pain away.
And then the Reapers fell. A massive wave of red static energy washed over the planet, and encased in red lightning, the Reapers ceased to function and all of them fell. The wave blown all Reaper ground forces to ashes. After the Reaper ships fell to the ground, there was an almost deafening silence. A cease of explosions, death beams and gunfire. A cease of blood-chilling screams, hostile or friendly. After three minutes of complete silence, a human member of the NAFB raised his rifle in victory and shouted at the top of his lungs. Lokea, Stax, Eppo and the rest of the NAFB followed suit in the celebration of galactic victory. They won.
And they were free.
After the Reapers were defeated, everyone had time to finally grieve. Many of Lokea's friends died during the war, but thankfully, many of those closest to her survived. Almost all of Zhu's Hope made it through the war unscathed, and both Stax and Eppo survived the war with her. Those that maintained the shelters went to the surface to help rebuild the city, and Lokea assisted in the NAFB's post-war peacekeeping efforts. Despite the grief and emptiness the whole galaxy felt after the war was over, there was still some celebration and partying happening. Eppo's element of the NAFB returned to his (now ruined) resort to party like old times, and despite the festivities, everyone knew in their hearts that nothing will be the same again.
Lokea did her best to apply her non-combat skills to the rebuilding efforts anytime she wasn't on peacekeeping duty. For the next year, she and the rest of Nos Astra's survivors helped rebuild the city, as well as some of its culture. A lot of things changed since then. As the economy slowly recovered, a greater emphasis was placed on the preservation of life, and the planet saw lots of reform. As Illium was rebuilding, Lokea and the NAFB continued in their peacekeeping duties, often fighting gangs and slavers that forgot the main lesson that the Reaper Invasion taught the galaxy. The NAFB's combined experience made them a feared fighting force, and it didn't take long for most of the local criminal elements to back off. Off-world criminal elements got the message too, but two years too late. Lokea herself was involved in many of the anti-gang and anti-slaver operations that the NAFB completed, many of them completed with the help of Stax. Eppo, however, had long since quit the NAFB and went to work on rebuilding his financial empire. While it would take years, Eppo promised all of his former staff that he would rehire them once he regained his wealth and assets, and that they were free to come visit him anytime they were on leave. Lokea, Stax and most of Eppo's surviving staff obliged him any chance they got.
As time went on, the NAFB's activities died down. By 2190, Illium had rebuilt most of its law enforcement and military, and the government made the rather controversial decision to disband the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion. Officially, they said that such a paramilitary organization was no longer necessary since most societal functions were now restored, but a popular conspiracy says that Illium's corporate elite pressured the government into disbanding the NAFB, as the group often hurt the profits of companies that relied on less ethical means. However, most members of the NAFB were reintegrated into Illium's military and law enforcement, and the rest were rehired by the companies they used to work for. Lokea and Stax found their way back to Eppo, who rehired them and a few other members of his security staff.
The next year was rather quiet. Since Eppo wasn't the tycoon he used to be, he had to hire all of his staff at a lower wage as he couldn't afford to pay them their old rate. He still housed them for free at his hotel, though it wasn't as good as his old resort was. Work was slow and dull, and while they still managed to salvage some good days, things still didn't feel the same. Lokea, like a good portion of the galaxy, had to battle with a lot of demons that the Reaper War gave her. She coped with it by painting and drawing, and Eppo offered to buy her art to fill up the space in his properties. Lokea agreed, and she created more pieces and tried new ways to breathe life into the places Eppo ran. Eppo ran friendly competitions with all of his staff to see who would make the best hotel room, and the results of the competitions brought more people to his hotels. Eppo slowly regained his wealth, and he slowly regained his old staff and his old resort. He slowly raised their wages to their old rates as he could afford them, and soon enough, things were kind of like old times again. Joy came back to the parties Eppo's staff threw, and Lokea found the warmth of new and familiar friends. It took years, but now Lokea felt like she was living again.
Life was good in late 2191. Almost all of Nos Astra had been rebuilt, and its economy was starting to boom again. Things were almost like they were before the war, with some downsides and some improvements. Every month, Eppo's staff would party in the memory of the friends they lost in the war, as that's what the dead would've wanted. Lokea and Stax went on their fun little adventures again, and Lokea herself continued to paint for Eppo. One day, Lokea got a letter in her virtual inbox, one from the Citadel Security Fleet. A representative came shortly after to discuss terms with Lokea, with the help of Eppo and Stax. The representative told all three of them that the Citadel Security Fleet was on a massive recruitment drive, and they were looking for skilled individuals from allied areas to help them in their new scout ship program. Lokea was personally on the fence about it, but after some discussion and consideration, her wanderlust grew once again and she decided to give it a shot. She could use some time away from Illium for a while, anyway. Eppo reassured her that there would always be a home for her within his company, and that she is more than welcome to come back after she served her tour. After some light prodding, Stax finally admitted that he would miss Lokea, and that things wouldn't really be the same without her. He did admit that he was proud of her, and he would be supportive of whatever decisions she would make. After lots of hugs and promises of frequent contact, Lokea set off for the Citadel, where she would soon be assigned to the Intervention.
Powers/Skills | Lokea herself is a rather skilled individual, who's capabilities can be best summed up as a healthy mix of Asari Commando and Alliance Marine. Thanks to the memories that were planted in her since creation, Lokea has access to a wide variety of skills acquired from Shiala and many of the colonists of Zhu's Hope. Despite her natural biotic potential, her thorian-based biology forces an instability in most of her biotic projection, limiting her mostly to using her biotics in a local or defensive capacity. Despite that, her planted memories and years of combat experience have allowed her to excel in the use of firearms and martial arts, among many other things.
Aegis Barrier - While it was Lokea's first and most basic biotic abilities, it is also the only stable one she could maintain control over. It acts in the same way kinetic shields would, but with only light focus, it can greatly reduce the effects of any incoming kinetic attacks. This barrier can be broken with enough force, or sustained force. However, Lokea has the ability to focus a lot of that protection into the form of a near-unbreakable aegis shield, not unlike that of the Backlash skill. The aegis barrier can withstand more damage than the standard one, as most of the energy is focused in a specific direction. Biotic Focus - If Lokea focused her biotics into herself, she could greatly increase her physical strength and speed, as well as greatly reduce the damage of melee attacks. The physical strength granted to her from this ability would allow her to stand up to even krogans. Tactical Cloak - Ever since Lokea joined the NAFB, she used concealment and cover to her advantage to surprise and ambush enemies. It wasn't long before she took it to the next step by the use of a tactical cloak. Using the energy from her shields, the cloak manipulates light in a way in which Lokea herself would nearly be invisible. She'd still have to be very quiet to completely evade detection, though.
Equipment | Most of Lokea's equipment came from both her security work under Eppo, as well as her service in the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion. She used to privately own her own equipment, but she sold all of it once Eppo issued her some new toys. She does her best to maintain all of her gear herself, but every now and then she might purchase a few new parts and upgrades. Since her enlistment in the Citadel Security Fleet and her assignment to the Intervention, she's gained access to some new tools to squeeze some better performance out of her gear.
M-8 Avenger Assault Rifle - This tough, reliable firearm has been a design success, and thanks to its cheap and reliable nature, it was fielded to militaries and militia groups the galaxy over during the Reaper War. Issued to Lokea when she joined the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion, she used this weapon well, and upgraded it to her liking, installing a power condenser and rate of fire selector to give it comparable performance to that of a Mattock in single fire mode. Accurate and deadly in single fire mode and devastating in full auto, this weapon has only failed unskilled users. M-5 Phalanx Handgun - Issued to her when she started working for Eppo Cal, this versatile handgun served with distinction as Lokea's sidearm. With some slight modifications, this weapon found the perfect balance between fire rate, power, range and heat capacity. She has also kitted it out with a green laser sight, which she can activate with a switch. Since Illium, this gun has always been at Lokea's side. Omni-forge - While the standard configuration of such weapon is usually an omni-blade, Lokea often uses the omni-knuckles configuration to augment her biotic punches as well. Sometimes, she uses both in conjuction with her Disruptor modifier, adding an electrical shock. Disruptor Ammo - When activated, Lokea's weapon is empowered by an electric field that causes additional damage to shields. The ammo also deals increased damage to synthetic enemies and adds a chance to temporarily disable them. In addition, the ammo has a chance to overheat enemy weapons thereby disabling them. Arc Grenade - Depending on what setting she uses, Lokea could either uses these grenades as a way to non-lethally stun targets, or absolutely fry and destroy everything within a large radius via electric shock. Ajax-class Kinetic Barrier - Thanks to the Ajax-class armor that Lokea's wearing, her kinetic barriers can withstand quite a bit of a beating, and can regenerate in a reasonable amount of time. However, like all kinetic barriers, while they can absorb damage from most ranged weapons and explosions, they do not protect from melee strikes. While the kinetic barrier is small enough to be worn on normal clothing, without the armor conduits the shield loses some of its capacity. Combined with the Ajax armor's shield conduits and ceramic plating, the shield provides a decent amount of defense. Thermal Clips - Lokea's thermal clips are only used in emergencies. In extended periods of fire, when Lokea is often using single-shot fire modes, she doesn't use thermal clips, and instead waits for the weapons to cool. However, in the event when the weapon is needed in that moment, she uses the thermal clip to change out the heat sinks and keep firing. Rangefinder - This rangefinder is a smart scope that allows Lokea to see very far distances, and she has employed it when acting as a spotter for the Nos Astra Freedom Battalion sniper groups. Omni-Tool Modules
Medigel/Healing Module - This omni-tool module allows her to perform basic first aid easily on any wounded victims. While it doesn't cure them, it can buy wounded victims enough time to get proper help. Uses this module primarily in her combat lifesaving duties. 'Swiss Army Knife' Module - Using the omni-gel converter that comes with the omni-tool, it can forge small tools that can be used for any basic need. Knives, screwdrivers, powersaws, corkscrews, nails... there's nothing the Omni-tool can't do! Almost. Digital Art Module - Lokea often likes to paint and draw with this digital interface, her Omni-tool projecting a canvas on any flat surface for her to use. In the absence of one, one is created on the omni-tool interface itself.
Affiliations | Lokea still maintains frequent contact with most of those on this list, as she has them to thank for her growth and development, as well as her survival. She has made more friends than listed below, but these are the more prominent figures in her life.
Nos Astra Freedom Battalion - A tight alliance of militias that formed in the capital of Illium during the Reaper War. Was crazy effective at guerilla tactics and anti-gang operations until they were forcibly shut down by the reformist Illium government. Lokea was once a proud member, came in as a Sergeant and left as a Staff Sergeant once the whole group got demobilized.
Eppo Cal - Alive. A wealthy and eccentric business tycoon, and a powerful biotic volus. Was a bit of a 'crazy cool uncle' for Lokea, if she had the closest human description for him. Was her boss before, during and after their tour in the NAFB, but he treated her and her friends quite well and the two became close friends. Urdnot Stax - Alive. Nicknamed "Fat Stax", this friendly krogan is the closest friend Lokea ever had. The two of them kicked ass together before, during and after the Reaper War, and hope to do so long after Lokea's tour in the Intervention. To Lokea, he's more akin to a big brother than just a business partner, despite starting as such on Korlus.
Zhu's Hope - A colony from Feros that experienced some of the opening shots of the Eden Prime War in 2183. Lokea came from here, or rather the Thorian that lived here, and spent the first year of her life on this little colony.
Shiala - Alive. An asari commando that provided the basis for the clones the Thorian created. She was there to help Lokea get her mind back on track, and work through her problems. Kielo Zhu - Alive. One of the other clones that emerged with her. Lokea owes her survival to her, as they were able to get through the first three days together. Ended up being one of the colony's doctors. Numeka Zhu - Deceased. Another clone that emerged with her, who also helped Lokea out in the first three days. She helped out with the colony's defense, but perished in the Reaper War. Davin Reynolds - Alive. Hunting partner and drinking buddy, Lokea and Davin were decent friends who hunted animals together on Feros. With Davin's help, Lokea was able to keep her skills sharp.
(Verse 1) Feels like I've been drifting Away from home Another night of wishin' I had control My thoughts drown me like a river Oh-oh-oh Always stuck in the middle
(Pre-Chorus) Wish I wasn't falling slowly Never thought it'd be so lonely Walls are closing in Don't wanna be another sad story
(Chorus) When it's all over I want you to know It was all worth it, oh Promise I won't be, I won't be another sad story
(Drop) I won't be another sad story Oh, I will never be Oh, I won't be another sad story
(Verse 2) I don't wanna watch myself fall apart 'Cause I've seen all of the pieces of myself I didn't know I had My thoughts drown me like a river Woah-oh-oh Always stuck in the middle
(Pre-Chorus) Wish I wasn't falling slowly Never thought it'd be so lonely Walls are closing in Don't wanna be another sad story
(Chorus) When it's all over I want you to know It was all worth it, oh Promise I won't be, I won't be another sad story
(Drop) I won't be another sad story Oh, I will never be Don't wanna be another sad story
When it's all over I want you to know It was all worth it, oh Promise I won't be, I won't be another sad story
Picture Gallery | Just Lokea's character art. All are hidden below here to make the character sheet neater and easier to read.
This character sheet format was poached from someone eons ago, while Lokea herself was an older character concept that I had for another Mass Effect RP 3 years back. However, she's a bit different this time around. I would consider this the best CS I ever wrote in my 6 year tenure on this site. Despite that, I wrote most of this while being super tired and braindead thanks to my job, so if there's any questions or suggestions for improvement, please don't hesitate to let me know. Thank you!
Changelog _______________________________________________ 12/12/2021 - Created character sheet.
Banned
M-8 Avenger Assault Rifle
M-5 Phalanx Handgun
