Post by Hotori on Jul 31, 2014 15:49:33 GMT -5
Name: Izo Masanori
Gender: Male
Age: 24
Occupation: Specialty Soldier in the Konan Army. He is a soldier, but he is most often the one called upon when fighting a deity because he wields one of the dark blades.
Birthplace: A small village near the Konan capital.
Abilities:[/b]
Swordsmanship:[/b] Izo is a very skilled swordsman. Easily the best in his Regiment, and perhaps even one of the best in the Konan Army. He trained hard from the age of 10, and has managed to learn to use both hands equally. He can easily and skillfully wield two swords at once, though he rarely does.
Fighting: In addition to swordsmanship, he is skilled with hand-to-hand fighting against both armed and unarmed opponents. He does not practice a specific martial arts, instead taking elements from different styles he's encountered and forming his own. It is not as refined as many martial arts, but it gives him a greater range of motion, and more freedom to adapt to the situation.
Tracking: Izo is a skilled tracker and can track both humans and animals both in nature and in a town or village. If following someone, he can tell if they stopped at a particular inn or what path they took through town, so long as he has a good starting point. This aids him when he is sent to eliminate an enemy. If he knows where they were last spotted, he can track them, and lie in wait until the moment to strike presents itself.
Stealth: As the main part of his job is to eliminate those working for the Fiends, he has had to learn to be stealthy, slipping through the shadows to stalk his target until he can attack. When dealing with Gods and Goddesses, it is often wise to have the element of surprise, and he has finely honed that skill over the years.
Dancing: Because of his personality, as well as the fact that he is so tall and strong, it surprises many when they learn that he has a gift for and fondness of dancing. His mother taught him from the time he was very small, and he thinks of her whenever he dances now. It is one of the only things he has found that brings him true joy. Many who see him dance are surprised with how graceful he is, as if he is able to become one with the music. Because of his aversion to most people, however, he rarely gets to dance, and usually when he does, he soon grows annoyed with ladies flirting and clumsily stepping on his feet.
Weapons:
Katana: Standard issue for all members of the Konan army. He's very skilled with it.
Dark Blade:[/b] A black bladed sword created by a goddess to help battle the Fiends. Two were given to each of the the four kingdoms. After proving his skill and worth, he was given possession of one and uses it to kill gods and goddesses who have allied themselves with the Fiends. Shu usually carries the other one issued to Konan.
Personality:
Izo's name, which means Ice, suits him in many ways. Although he was a warm and friendly child, he underwent a change when his parents were killed. He became colder and more distance to all except his little brother Shu. He did not see value in making friends and being warm and trusting when such actions had led to his parents' deaths. He has distanced himself from many normal emotions and only smiles when he is with his brother. He would rather do all to make his brother happy and carefree than to worry about himself.
He is very devoted to his role in the Konan Army, and to Suzaku, and a lesser extent the other Gods, as well as the Seishi and Miko because they stand against everything he opposes. He knows they are the primary enemies of the Fiends, and so he gladly serves them and devotes himself to doing all he can to protect them. He is a good soldier, always following his orders without question, and thinking first and foremost of the well being of the Konan Empire and its people. For this reason, he cannot stand thugs and bandits, or anyone of the like, and will always do his best to defeat them.
He has a very black-and-white world view. Those who ally themselves with the Fiends must be as evil and heartless as they are, while anyone who stands against the Fiends must be good and honest. It is a child's outlook on life, but that is understandable as he formed it when he was only eight years old. Because of this world view, he values the lives of those he sees as good or innocent, but has no qualms taking the lives of those he sees as his enemy. He also values honesty, but again, has no issue with lying to or concealing information from his enemy. Perhaps it makes him hypocritical, but it is the only way he has ever known to look at things.
When in battle, he does not like to get too near his enemy. He recalls how the Fiend, Ignorance, deceived his parents into trusting her, and so he feels anyone allied with the Fiends could perhaps display similar skills of deceit. Because of this, he prefers not to talk to his opponent, and would rather focus on quickly winning the battle. Allowing them to get to him is a sure way, in his mind, to be fooled into losing, or worse, getting pulled over to the Fiends' side as well.
Despite all this, he does enjoy a few of the gentler things in life. He loves to dance, and is quite skilled and graceful when doing so. He also loves to read, and has read many books throughout his lifetime, often trading books he has read with book merchants in exchange for new books to read. Shu never developed this joy of dancing or reading, but often buys books for Izo, and enjoys listening to him recite the stories he's read.
Appearance: Image.
Izo is tall, but not the tallest man around. He stands at an even 6', and is well built from years of military service. Lean muscle rather than bulky, he is deceptively strong and graceful. His skin is very lightly tanned, and his hair is very short and choppy. It is a very dark brown that looks black in low light, but looks richer, especially in bright sunlight. His eyes are a deep, clear blue, that change slightly depending on his mood. They tend to darken when he is feeling sad, or focused in battle.
Uuually, he wears the Konan Army uniform, which is mostly black and red with gold accents and a Pheonix embroidered across the shirt, but when he his not on duty, he dresses in common, unexciting cloting.
Usually, black slacks and boots, a solid color shirt, well made but usually of common material like cotton, and when needed, a cloak. He wears gloves with his uniform, and any time he carries his swords, which is most of the time. They are black leather gloves with his uniform, but he switches to simpler cotton or brown leather gloves when off duty. He always carries his two swords on his belt. His katana to one side and his Dark Blade to his other. He also always wears a leather arm guard on his right arm under his shirt to allow Tsukai to land without hurting him.
History:
Izo had a quiet, happy childhood. Though his family originated in Hokkan, they traveled to Konan shortly after his parents married to take up jobs with a minor Konan noble. When Izo was born, they named him 'Ice' as a reminder of the land they'd left behind. His mother taught dancing to the noble's children and enjoyed showing her young son the proper way to do so, insisting that it would make him more of a gentleman, and would make it easier to find a lovely young lady some day. His father was a tutor for the noble's children, and instilled a love of reading in Izo almost from the time he was old enough to hold a book.
When he was six, his mother gave birth to his little brother Shu. From that moment, he declared himself his brother's protector and rarely let the baby out of his sight. He was a happy boy, always smiling and friendly, and loved playing with both his brother Shu, and the noble's children.
That happiness changed, however, just two short years after Shu was born. His family was on their way back to their small home after a day at the noble's house when a young bone woman approached them. She introduced herself as Chisetsu, and said she'd been traveling a long time. She asked if she could rest for a time in their home, and his parents happily agreed. They saw no need to turn anyone away, when they had seen such kindness in their lives. The woman made Shu cry, even though she did not act threateningly toward the toddler, and Izo couldn't help but think that she talked funny, and gave him an odd feeling.
Once they reached their home, his mother prepared a meal for them, and the woman gladly ate and smiled, and was perfectly polite and kind. Shortly after dinner, after his mother had put the boys to bed, Izo felt there was something wrong, so he sneaked to the living room and spied on the adults. From his hiding spot, he could not be seen, but could clearly see the horror that followed.
The woman, Chisetsu, stood up suddenly, and told them they had been foolish to be so welcoming, that things were changing and soon no one would be safe. Her blue eyes glowed red as she explained she was one of the four Fiends known as Ignorance, and then she used her powers to turn his parents into living dolls. She laughed cruelly as she carried the dolls from the house, despite their tiny please for her to stop, and think of their children.
Izo was frozen in shock, and could not move for some time. When he finally did, he ran to check on Shu, and then carrying his little brother, he ran to a neighbor's house for help. The neighbor assumed he'd had a nightmare, and walked him home. Upon finding his parents gone, she took the boys back to her home for the night.
The next morning, the neighbor was walking the boys home once more when Izo found a bundle on their doorstep. Pulling back the edge of the blanket, he found the bodies of his parents, dead and still doll sized. He knew instantly that Fiend was responsible, and decided then he would do all in his power to avenge his parents.
After that, he focused on protecting Shu, and practiced to make himself stronger. When Shu was old enough, he trained him as well, wanting him to be able to protect himself is he wasn't there to do so. His parents' employer took pity on the children and sent them a small monthly allowance to live on until Izo was old enough to find a job and support himself. He was grateful for this, but could not help being more cold and distant than he ever had before.
Despite this coldness, he felt drawn to a girl only a year younger than himself named Ayame. She was the first person besides his brother that he had let himself trust, and he cared for her very much. On his sixteenth birthday, he made his intentions clear to court and someday marry Ayame. At that time, he was working for her father who owned the local inn, doing small jobs whenever needed. One day, shortly after, a man stayed at the inn and took an interest in Ayame. He revealed himself to be a lesser god, and he lured her away, forcing himself upon her and, in her own mind, tainting her forever. Izo tried to confront the man for her honor, and discovered he was allied with the Fiends. He lost the fight, but injured the god. When he ran to Ayame, she felt she didn't deserve him, or anyone else anymore, and ignored when Izo insisted he didn't blame her, and wished for nothing to change. Just two weeks later, the shame and sadness proved to be too much, and Ayame took her life.
This was a turning point in Izo's life. He could not bear to give his heart away again, and could not forgive those allied with the Fiends, now sure they were all as evil as Ignorance had been. The day after she died, he took Shu and left their small town for the capital. He lied about his age, saying he was eighteen so he could enlist in the Konan Army. He was sure he could protect others from the evils of the Fiends if he were part of the army, and his small salary was enough to take care of himself and Shu. He trained hard to master the blade, and in the process taught Shu to do the same. He was a quick study and proved from the beginning to be a good soldier. Two years after joining, when he was eighteen but claimed to be twenty, he was handpicked by General Morimoto to join a small force specifically designed to battle the Fiends and their allies. He was glad to get the chance to finally exact revenge on those who had caused him such pain. He was soon gifted with one of the two Dark Blades, and proved himself to be an efficient master to it. His first mission after receiving the Dark Blade was to go take out a lesser god who worked for the Fiends. He was shocked to discover it was the god who had led to Ayame's death, and he was annoyed that the god did not even remember the girl who's life he had ruined. Izo dispatched him quickly, and vowed to do the same for all of those like him. He hoped to one day be able to kill Ignorance in return for the death of his parents.
When Shu was sixteen, he wished to follow in his brothers footsteps, and so he also lied about his age to enlist. Izo was angry at first, but soon spoke to Morimoto to have Shu assigned to their Regiment so he could keep watch on him. He was almost as skilled a swordsman as Izo was, and so he was often given the second Dark Blade and sent to help Izo with his missions. Because of the specialty nature of their task, they are usually spared from actual combat. Now, two years later, Izo has passed up many chances for promotion, fearing that they would take his Dark Blade away from him if he was to become a Captain.
Important NPCs:
Tsukai: Izo's pet hawk. He often carries messages and orders back and forth to Izo from his superiors and his brother.
Shu Masanori: Izo's younger brother, He is 18 and is the polar opposite of Izo personality wise. He is fun loving and friendly, and constantly cheerful. He is the only person Izo fully trusts without question, and he does his best to make sure his big brother is happy.
General Morimoto: Izo's superior and the one who gives him his orders. He is a stern man in his late forties.
Anything Else: N/A
Gender: Male
Age: 24
Occupation: Specialty Soldier in the Konan Army. He is a soldier, but he is most often the one called upon when fighting a deity because he wields one of the dark blades.
Birthplace: A small village near the Konan capital.
Abilities:[/b]
Swordsmanship:[/b] Izo is a very skilled swordsman. Easily the best in his Regiment, and perhaps even one of the best in the Konan Army. He trained hard from the age of 10, and has managed to learn to use both hands equally. He can easily and skillfully wield two swords at once, though he rarely does.
Fighting: In addition to swordsmanship, he is skilled with hand-to-hand fighting against both armed and unarmed opponents. He does not practice a specific martial arts, instead taking elements from different styles he's encountered and forming his own. It is not as refined as many martial arts, but it gives him a greater range of motion, and more freedom to adapt to the situation.
Tracking: Izo is a skilled tracker and can track both humans and animals both in nature and in a town or village. If following someone, he can tell if they stopped at a particular inn or what path they took through town, so long as he has a good starting point. This aids him when he is sent to eliminate an enemy. If he knows where they were last spotted, he can track them, and lie in wait until the moment to strike presents itself.
Stealth: As the main part of his job is to eliminate those working for the Fiends, he has had to learn to be stealthy, slipping through the shadows to stalk his target until he can attack. When dealing with Gods and Goddesses, it is often wise to have the element of surprise, and he has finely honed that skill over the years.
Dancing: Because of his personality, as well as the fact that he is so tall and strong, it surprises many when they learn that he has a gift for and fondness of dancing. His mother taught him from the time he was very small, and he thinks of her whenever he dances now. It is one of the only things he has found that brings him true joy. Many who see him dance are surprised with how graceful he is, as if he is able to become one with the music. Because of his aversion to most people, however, he rarely gets to dance, and usually when he does, he soon grows annoyed with ladies flirting and clumsily stepping on his feet.
Weapons:
Katana: Standard issue for all members of the Konan army. He's very skilled with it.
Dark Blade:[/b] A black bladed sword created by a goddess to help battle the Fiends. Two were given to each of the the four kingdoms. After proving his skill and worth, he was given possession of one and uses it to kill gods and goddesses who have allied themselves with the Fiends. Shu usually carries the other one issued to Konan.
Personality:
Izo's name, which means Ice, suits him in many ways. Although he was a warm and friendly child, he underwent a change when his parents were killed. He became colder and more distance to all except his little brother Shu. He did not see value in making friends and being warm and trusting when such actions had led to his parents' deaths. He has distanced himself from many normal emotions and only smiles when he is with his brother. He would rather do all to make his brother happy and carefree than to worry about himself.
He is very devoted to his role in the Konan Army, and to Suzaku, and a lesser extent the other Gods, as well as the Seishi and Miko because they stand against everything he opposes. He knows they are the primary enemies of the Fiends, and so he gladly serves them and devotes himself to doing all he can to protect them. He is a good soldier, always following his orders without question, and thinking first and foremost of the well being of the Konan Empire and its people. For this reason, he cannot stand thugs and bandits, or anyone of the like, and will always do his best to defeat them.
He has a very black-and-white world view. Those who ally themselves with the Fiends must be as evil and heartless as they are, while anyone who stands against the Fiends must be good and honest. It is a child's outlook on life, but that is understandable as he formed it when he was only eight years old. Because of this world view, he values the lives of those he sees as good or innocent, but has no qualms taking the lives of those he sees as his enemy. He also values honesty, but again, has no issue with lying to or concealing information from his enemy. Perhaps it makes him hypocritical, but it is the only way he has ever known to look at things.
When in battle, he does not like to get too near his enemy. He recalls how the Fiend, Ignorance, deceived his parents into trusting her, and so he feels anyone allied with the Fiends could perhaps display similar skills of deceit. Because of this, he prefers not to talk to his opponent, and would rather focus on quickly winning the battle. Allowing them to get to him is a sure way, in his mind, to be fooled into losing, or worse, getting pulled over to the Fiends' side as well.
Despite all this, he does enjoy a few of the gentler things in life. He loves to dance, and is quite skilled and graceful when doing so. He also loves to read, and has read many books throughout his lifetime, often trading books he has read with book merchants in exchange for new books to read. Shu never developed this joy of dancing or reading, but often buys books for Izo, and enjoys listening to him recite the stories he's read.
Appearance: Image.
Izo is tall, but not the tallest man around. He stands at an even 6', and is well built from years of military service. Lean muscle rather than bulky, he is deceptively strong and graceful. His skin is very lightly tanned, and his hair is very short and choppy. It is a very dark brown that looks black in low light, but looks richer, especially in bright sunlight. His eyes are a deep, clear blue, that change slightly depending on his mood. They tend to darken when he is feeling sad, or focused in battle.
Uuually, he wears the Konan Army uniform, which is mostly black and red with gold accents and a Pheonix embroidered across the shirt, but when he his not on duty, he dresses in common, unexciting cloting.
Usually, black slacks and boots, a solid color shirt, well made but usually of common material like cotton, and when needed, a cloak. He wears gloves with his uniform, and any time he carries his swords, which is most of the time. They are black leather gloves with his uniform, but he switches to simpler cotton or brown leather gloves when off duty. He always carries his two swords on his belt. His katana to one side and his Dark Blade to his other. He also always wears a leather arm guard on his right arm under his shirt to allow Tsukai to land without hurting him.
History:
Izo had a quiet, happy childhood. Though his family originated in Hokkan, they traveled to Konan shortly after his parents married to take up jobs with a minor Konan noble. When Izo was born, they named him 'Ice' as a reminder of the land they'd left behind. His mother taught dancing to the noble's children and enjoyed showing her young son the proper way to do so, insisting that it would make him more of a gentleman, and would make it easier to find a lovely young lady some day. His father was a tutor for the noble's children, and instilled a love of reading in Izo almost from the time he was old enough to hold a book.
When he was six, his mother gave birth to his little brother Shu. From that moment, he declared himself his brother's protector and rarely let the baby out of his sight. He was a happy boy, always smiling and friendly, and loved playing with both his brother Shu, and the noble's children.
That happiness changed, however, just two short years after Shu was born. His family was on their way back to their small home after a day at the noble's house when a young bone woman approached them. She introduced herself as Chisetsu, and said she'd been traveling a long time. She asked if she could rest for a time in their home, and his parents happily agreed. They saw no need to turn anyone away, when they had seen such kindness in their lives. The woman made Shu cry, even though she did not act threateningly toward the toddler, and Izo couldn't help but think that she talked funny, and gave him an odd feeling.
Once they reached their home, his mother prepared a meal for them, and the woman gladly ate and smiled, and was perfectly polite and kind. Shortly after dinner, after his mother had put the boys to bed, Izo felt there was something wrong, so he sneaked to the living room and spied on the adults. From his hiding spot, he could not be seen, but could clearly see the horror that followed.
The woman, Chisetsu, stood up suddenly, and told them they had been foolish to be so welcoming, that things were changing and soon no one would be safe. Her blue eyes glowed red as she explained she was one of the four Fiends known as Ignorance, and then she used her powers to turn his parents into living dolls. She laughed cruelly as she carried the dolls from the house, despite their tiny please for her to stop, and think of their children.
Izo was frozen in shock, and could not move for some time. When he finally did, he ran to check on Shu, and then carrying his little brother, he ran to a neighbor's house for help. The neighbor assumed he'd had a nightmare, and walked him home. Upon finding his parents gone, she took the boys back to her home for the night.
The next morning, the neighbor was walking the boys home once more when Izo found a bundle on their doorstep. Pulling back the edge of the blanket, he found the bodies of his parents, dead and still doll sized. He knew instantly that Fiend was responsible, and decided then he would do all in his power to avenge his parents.
After that, he focused on protecting Shu, and practiced to make himself stronger. When Shu was old enough, he trained him as well, wanting him to be able to protect himself is he wasn't there to do so. His parents' employer took pity on the children and sent them a small monthly allowance to live on until Izo was old enough to find a job and support himself. He was grateful for this, but could not help being more cold and distant than he ever had before.
Despite this coldness, he felt drawn to a girl only a year younger than himself named Ayame. She was the first person besides his brother that he had let himself trust, and he cared for her very much. On his sixteenth birthday, he made his intentions clear to court and someday marry Ayame. At that time, he was working for her father who owned the local inn, doing small jobs whenever needed. One day, shortly after, a man stayed at the inn and took an interest in Ayame. He revealed himself to be a lesser god, and he lured her away, forcing himself upon her and, in her own mind, tainting her forever. Izo tried to confront the man for her honor, and discovered he was allied with the Fiends. He lost the fight, but injured the god. When he ran to Ayame, she felt she didn't deserve him, or anyone else anymore, and ignored when Izo insisted he didn't blame her, and wished for nothing to change. Just two weeks later, the shame and sadness proved to be too much, and Ayame took her life.
This was a turning point in Izo's life. He could not bear to give his heart away again, and could not forgive those allied with the Fiends, now sure they were all as evil as Ignorance had been. The day after she died, he took Shu and left their small town for the capital. He lied about his age, saying he was eighteen so he could enlist in the Konan Army. He was sure he could protect others from the evils of the Fiends if he were part of the army, and his small salary was enough to take care of himself and Shu. He trained hard to master the blade, and in the process taught Shu to do the same. He was a quick study and proved from the beginning to be a good soldier. Two years after joining, when he was eighteen but claimed to be twenty, he was handpicked by General Morimoto to join a small force specifically designed to battle the Fiends and their allies. He was glad to get the chance to finally exact revenge on those who had caused him such pain. He was soon gifted with one of the two Dark Blades, and proved himself to be an efficient master to it. His first mission after receiving the Dark Blade was to go take out a lesser god who worked for the Fiends. He was shocked to discover it was the god who had led to Ayame's death, and he was annoyed that the god did not even remember the girl who's life he had ruined. Izo dispatched him quickly, and vowed to do the same for all of those like him. He hoped to one day be able to kill Ignorance in return for the death of his parents.
When Shu was sixteen, he wished to follow in his brothers footsteps, and so he also lied about his age to enlist. Izo was angry at first, but soon spoke to Morimoto to have Shu assigned to their Regiment so he could keep watch on him. He was almost as skilled a swordsman as Izo was, and so he was often given the second Dark Blade and sent to help Izo with his missions. Because of the specialty nature of their task, they are usually spared from actual combat. Now, two years later, Izo has passed up many chances for promotion, fearing that they would take his Dark Blade away from him if he was to become a Captain.
Important NPCs:
Tsukai: Izo's pet hawk. He often carries messages and orders back and forth to Izo from his superiors and his brother.
Shu Masanori: Izo's younger brother, He is 18 and is the polar opposite of Izo personality wise. He is fun loving and friendly, and constantly cheerful. He is the only person Izo fully trusts without question, and he does his best to make sure his big brother is happy.
General Morimoto: Izo's superior and the one who gives him his orders. He is a stern man in his late forties.
Anything Else: N/A
