___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
same as it ever was...
_ THE PARIAH ___ __ _
Name: Torana Avaliona
Species: Toa
Sex: Female
Mask & Element: Kakama, Mask of Speed; Elemental Lightning
Appearance: Torana is fairly slender and generally fit, though lightly muscled. She’s around average size for a Toa, if not a bit taller, and has a bit of a lanky appearance, but this is mostly due to her relaxed posture more than anything else. Her voice has a sing-song quality to it, though her vocal range is low, almost contralto. She is primarily teal in colour, with silver plates. A black stripe runs vertically down her mask, over her left eye.
Personality: Torana has a languorous demeanour to her. She moves in a slow and loafing manner, reflected in her personality through a fairly reserved, if playful, attitude towards life in general. She’s more of a social creature, and tends to perk up around others, but is still quite comfortable alone. She tends to act impulsively and often has little regard for her own safety or well-being. Torana is often prone to spurts of anger or frustration, which she generally internalizes and tries to keep below an impassive exterior, though this is rare.
History: Born and raised in Le-Koro, the young Vo-Toa stayed in her home Wahi for the majority of her life. Her older brother, Kazon, often took Torana out into the jungle to hunt and provide for her family. Torana was content to stay and hunt within the Village of Air for many years, until she eventually fell in with a gang of delinquents, much to her family’s chagrin. Following the death of her brother and the dissolution of the gang, Torana spent a long while either grieving, in a cell, or dealing with being quasi-disowned by her resentful family. It wasn’t long after that she stole her family’s Yari, their prized heirloom, and began wandering the island, unwilling to return to Le-Koro.
Abilities: As a Vo-Toa, Torana has control over electricity. Couple this with the speed her Kakama provides, and you may just be able to call her Greased Lightning She was quite proficient hunting with a bow, but her lack of interest in the prospect of hunting as well as her newfound preference for the Yari have seen the skill decayed over time. She is moderately skilled with the swordspear in question and often uses it to better channel her elemental lightning. In her younger days, she exercised with her brother, who taught her some gymnastics as well. While she’s still fairly flexible, Tor’s not quite at the same level of ability as she used to be.
Personal Effects: The only thing she keeps on her person is the finely-crafted Yari, slung on her back.
Weaknesses: Her impulsive nature tends to get her in trouble a lot of the time, and has led to many a bad decision on her part. She’s prone to not thinking things completely through before she commits to something.
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_ THE PROSELYTE ___ __ _
Name: Gorro
Species: Toa
Sex: Male
Mask & Element: Sanok, Mask of Accuracy; Elemental Crystal
Appearance: Very much a scrawny young adult, Gorro is spry and lithe. His limbs seem a little too long and his head too big for his body; he’s still growing into it. His iridescent bluish-pinkish armour is fairly scuffed and dirty, owing to a vagabond lifestyle as he wanders from Koro to Koro doing odd jobs. He’s often clad in a worn brown travel cloak. There’s a certain measure of charm in his green eyes and boyish smile which more than compensates for his haggard appearance.
Personality: The best word to describe Gorro’s demeanour is “overeager”. Gorro maintains a chipper attitude through most situations, and aims to please whenever he’s on the job, even if he happens to fail spectacularly at most things. But hey, it’s the thought that counts, right?
History: Gorro doesn’t remember too much about his childhood, due to a youth full of imbibing dangerous amounts of psychedelics with other young vagrants in Le-Koro. He mainly remembers being alone for most of his youth. An incident in which he woke up nearly drowning in the rising tide of Lake Kanae with all of his possessions gone after a night of psychoactive libations is responsible for the greatest portion of his memory loss. He’s been sober since, and has pursued a wanderer’s life, roving around and picking up work for pennies on the dollar.
Abilities: Gorro is nimble and quick on his feet, and is fairly good with his hands (he likes to carve, chisel and craft in his spare time). He also has elemental control over Crystal, and his accuracy is greatly improved by his Sanok, though he mostly uses these powers in conjunction to leisurely throw small crystal daggers as a pastime.
Personal Effects: His travel cloak, some basic tools such as a small mallet and chisel, some tacks, and pocketknife, plus a flask usually filled with tea.
Weaknesses: Gorro usually fails to take dire situations seriously, often to his detriment. He also manages to find some way to screw up simple tasks most of the time, leading to chronic unemployment.
___ __ _
_ THE TINKERER ___ __ _
Name: Jokaro of Ostia
Species: Matoran
Sex: Male
Mask & Element: Powerless Noble Huna; Powerless Elemental Stone
Appearance: Jokaro’s seen his fair share of desert living, and sports a fairly sand-blasted appearance. He’s a bit rough around the edges - quite literally; his plates and mask are considerably scuffed and scratched in places. Golden-yellow eyes peek out from behind his Huna. His base colour, as well as his mask, are a light sandy beige, with bits of grey and darker brown throughout.
Personality: I think it’s fair to say most inventors and tinkerers are at least a little bit eccentric, and Jokaro is no exception. He thinks both creatively and practically, but with a shade of madness to his methodology. Despite his impressive level of patience, he tends to bore easily, and is constantly starting new projects, often without finishing the older ones first. He is generally indifferent towards others, and tends to be slightly anti-social, preferring his own company as he tinkers away in perfect, solitudinous concentration.
History: Jokaro grew up in Po-Koro back when it was a fledgling village that could barely build sturdy pens that would actually keep the Mahi in, much less entire railways. At a young age, his family emigrated to a small fishing village on the coast of Leva Bay - the same settlement that would later become Ostia. There, Jokaro worked as a fisherman and later, a mechanic and tinkerer, making a living out of fixing the broken items other residents would bring to him. The caravans between the village and Po-Koro proper would ensure a steady supply of material for his own crafts, which included small toys, clocks, telescopes, and other knick-knacks. The eventual construction and evolution of Ostia into a naval port town would see his skills put to good use in general construction, at the loss of his personal business as other tinkerers and caravaneers flocked to the port and set up their own businesses. Shortly after Ostia’s construction was complete, Jokaro was invited to Po-Koro by a former customer, where there was a better market and more readily available material for tinkering, and plenty of space for a small workshop. After eventually making his way to the Koro following an incident in which the caravan he was a part of was attacked by bandits, he eventually met Farzan, who invited him to work and showcase his goods at the Technology Emporium, famous within the Koro. There, Jokaro worked in relative solitude for a good while, building, tinkering and selling in peace. Eventually, he became restless, touring the whole of Mata Nui on a round trip in order to revitalise his affinity for obscure, improvisational methodology, as well as to find new avenues and skills for the inventing and crafting of handmade goods. He would later return to his workshop in Po-Koro with a fresh set of ideas in mind.
Abilities: Jokaro is quite a skilled engineer, and an avid tinkerer. His greatest strength is his ability to think outside the box and to make the most of the limited materials he has on hand or can source on his own. He excels at working with his hands.
Personal Effects: The bare minimum for him: A utility knife, other small tinkerer’s tools as well as woodworking equipment, basic provisions and some scrap materials, all packed neatly into a leather knapsack. He has lugged around an exceedingly heavy Patero launcher, as well as bundles of arrows for it, for the whole duration of his grand tour of the island.
Inventions:
V2 Patero: [Coming Soon] (Approved by Ghosthands)
Nanamu Gas Grenade: [Coming Soon] (Approved by Ghosthands)
???: [Coming Soon] (Approved by Ghosthands)
Weaknesses: Outside his ability to MacGyver nearly anything he can get his hands on, he is terribly inexperienced outside his proficiency at tinkering. He doesn’t really know how to fight, and tends to keep to himself and try to solve problems on his own rather than ask others for help, even if going it alone is a futile effort in certain situations.
___ __ _
_ THE DERELICT ___ __ _
Name: Baszlin
Species: Skakdi
Sex: Male
Vision Power & Element: Thermal Vision; Tandem Elemental Sonics
Appearance: Baszlin sports extensive damage all over his body - from heavy scarring on his face, to the partially-to-fully missing sections of his spine, to the mechanical brace on his leg, burn and bite-marks on his torso, and a fully mechanical left arm. Just looking at him might suggest he’s been ripped apart and put back together more than once - and there surely is some truth to that. He might’ve once been handsome (by Skakdi standards, at least) in the past, but any evidence of that has been erased through stitches, skin-grafts and badly-set bones. As the adage goes, “a face only a mother could love,” but that would seriously be stretching it. Otherwise, his colouration is a fairly typical black, grey and silver.
Personality: Baszlin tries to maintain a zen state as often as possible, only made possible through his recovery and therapy as outlined below. Occasionally, he is prone to periods of mania and discontent, usually progressing into outbursts of anger if provoked. Satisfaction is a rare delicacy for him. The only thing that keeps him relatively grounded is a thirst for vengeance, deep in his core. Whatever remains of his former self has been worn down and eroded over time, stunted and locked behind a fractured psyche.
History: Much like his body, Baszlin’s recollection of his personal history is fragmented and distorted - highly amnestic, significant portions of Baszlin’s memory were returned through careful therapy and long lapses of isolation and meditation. From what he can stitch together, he lived a solitary and uneventful life in “a forest with no trees”. Anything before that is lost. A very distinct memory is the face of a Toa - wry grin and clever, amber eyes behind a green Hau. A companion - of what nature, Baszlin cannot say. The only two thoughts associated with this face are that of kinship, and that of betrayal. At some point many months - or perhaps years - after meeting this companion, Baszlin was duped, captured and presumably sold to an underground bloodsport gambling ring by the same Toa he had come to trust. The ringmasters mutilated his body with dangerously unconventional weaponry, and forced him and others in the same predicament to fight ferocious rahi every for endless hours until they could stand no longer and curled themselves up to endure maulings. The trauma from these gladiatorial battles and the gruesome modifications to himself are attributed as the cause of his amnesia. As a result, those days were mostly a blur - just a shame that those memories weren’t the ones that were lost. Eventually, the rahi pens were opened when they should not have been - either by accident on purpose - and set themselves upon the patrons of the den. The ensuing chaos provided Baszlin and his fellow pit fighters the opportunity to escape. The following years were spent wandering Mata Nui, scrounging for food, and occasionally getting into the odd skirmish, rinse and repeat. Baszlin spent most of his time alone, pondering his own death. After becoming severely injured participating in the defense of the Nuju-Marion Research Hospital, Baszlin was admitted to urgent care where skilled surgeons were able to remove the abhorrent modifications made to him, but at the cost of his left arm. The Skakdi underwent physical and mental therapy to bring him back to some semblance of normalcy, but many parts of him, both physical and mental, are irreparable. After regaining some portions of his memory, and fitting together what pieces he could, a fire of vengeance roiled up inside the Skakdi - a determination to find answers based on the single most vivid image in his memory: the Green-Faced Toa.
Abilities: Baszlin is a brutal, unhinged, no-holds-barred fighter. He’s used to others playing dirty to best him, and as such he shares the same philosophy. His elemental power of Sonics often goes unused; not just because he doesn’t have any other Skakdi to enable its use, but just because he prefers his hands and weapons. His thermal vision can be a useful utility in some occasions, but he limits its use, as well.
Personal Effects: Baszlin’s Scattergun is a heavy weapon of Skakdi make. Two large-bore barrels sit one on top of the other, with two chambers at their rear ends. Behind these chambers is a metal and wood buttstock, padded with leather in order to mitigate the kick of the weapon as much as possible. A simple wooden frame holds the weapon together, and serves as the mounting and housing for the weapon’s grip and trigger mechanism. The weapon can deliver two shots before needing to reload. To do so, a small lever is located behind the chamber of each barrel. Pushing one of these levers will hinge open that chamber’s respective bolt, allowing the fired cartridge to be extracted and ejected. Sliding a new round into the chamber will hit a spring-loaded catch and automatically close the bolt. The cartridges are akin to large shotgun shells, loaded with metal ball-bearings and a handful of flechettes. They are capable of dealing brutal damage to targets at close-range, but severely lack long-distance accuracy. He also carries a large knife as a more personal backup weapon, and can be attached to his scattergun under the barrels as a bayonet. [Illustration] (Approved by Ghosthands)
Weaknesses: I think you could probably infer his weaknesses just by reading the rest of his profile. Do I really need to massacre my boy even more?
___ __ _
_ THE ASCETIC ___ __ _
Name: Safina Orin
Species: Turaga
Sex: Female
Mask & Element: Noble Hau, Mask of Shielding; Weakened Elemental Stone
Appearance: Looking at Safina, one might fool themselves into thinking she is an odd-looking Matoran - though older than she looks, her posture remains immaculate and her face fairly youthful. Soft, unblemished facial features, coupled with her warm, golden-yellow eyes and generally contented demeanour serve to put those she mingles with at ease - occasionally to their undoing. Hidden beneath simple beige robes, the rest of her body is trimmed and fit unbecoming of someone of her age and her species. Rigorous exercise and a strict diet have allowed her to hone her body to one of peak fitness. Apart from her robe, she wears a bright red bandanna on her head.
Personality: Just as Safina has honed her body through physical discipline, she has honed her mind and soul through careful study of philosophy regarding the elements, as well as long periods of meditation. Part of her belief is that, if one is to attain enlightenment by driving themselves to the best they can possibly be in every aspect of their physical life, they can achieve perfect understanding, and even control, of all of the elements that make up the waking world. Though strict and fully committed to pursuing the lifestyle this belief entails, she is quite calm and collected when interacting with others. Her beliefs are central to her life - and only to her life. She is willing to listen to and comment on the thoughts and musings of others whose beliefs and opinions differ from hers, but she seldom engages in discussion and never in argument regarding systems of belief. She is happy, however, to converse casually with others, and is more than willing to speak about her own beliefs if one is so interested. She is not a pacifist, but believes violence should be used in self defense or in the defense of others, and only as a last resort.
History: When she was much younger, a being whom she seldom speaks openly about introduced her to the philosophical concepts that would come to dominate her lifestyle today. They trained their bodies and minds together, ate together, studied together - they were inseparable, becoming more or less two halves of one person. It was years later that they would embark on a spiritual journey to the Kini Nui, where they sought to study the stars and meditate on the wisdom of the physical world. However, the two would not end up reaching their destination. On this fateful journey, deep in the midst of Le-Wahi, the two were assaulted by a group of bandits, and an altercation ensued, leaving Safina’s partner dead, and herself injured. In her own time she would grieve, lay her friend to rest, and heal. Following this, she continued honing herself twice as hard as she had in the past, making up for a part of herself that was no longer with her. She would eventually make her way to Kini Nui years later, sitting in the grass field under the stars and pondering how she would continue with her life. She eventually decided that she would redouble her efforts to her studies, and left the great temple to wander the island, seeking the wisdom she so desperately sought. As the years passed, she would eventually find herself in Onu-Koro when the village was subject to a Rahkshi attack. Safina and several others were quick to defeat the Rahkshi who were emerging from the Darkwalk. For her efforts, Akiri Nuparu awarded her an experimental new Exo-Matoran - constructed from parts of Rahkshi like the one she and the others had slew. She considered, for a moment, declining the gift as she had no practical use for the machine on her journey, but a thought plaguing the back of her mind stayed her tongue; what would it mean to achieve peak fitness when machines like this, which could amplify her strength tenfold, existed? Would it hamper her own growth, or enhance it? Eventually deciding that the Exo-Matoran could be a boon to her abilities, she gratefully accepted the gift and was provided with “B4U8”. Following this, she would travel with the group she had combatted Rahkshi with for a while, before eventually resuming her journey around the island. Over time, she found new challenges in maintaining and upgrading the suit - gaining her new skills she had previously deemed unimportant to her.
Abilities: Apart from her weakened powers of Elemental Stone, Safina has honed her physical abilities to their near-peak. Through a considerable amount of meditation, her sensory perception, specifically her eyesight and hearing, is excellent. Her physical training over many years has allowed her to become proficient in the martial arts, and can use her quarterstaff to great effect. She also has a developing understanding of mechanical systems, which she has needed in order to operate and maintain her Exo-Matoran.
Personal Effects: Her bandanna, a satchel of basic provisions, her wooden quarterstaff, and her Exo-Matoran:
Suit ID Number: B4U8, or ‘Bee-four’
Customization: B4 remains mostly stock, with a few modifications, implemented by Safina after visiting the Po-Koro Technology Emporium. These modifications include a metal blade affixed to the right arm, which can swivel forward and backward to stow itself when not in use; a lightstone torch affixed to the left arm, and a set of photovoltaic cells attached to the back of the suit which can recharge its batteries when the suit is idle.
Appearance: The suit is a stock black and grey with a handful of purple Rahkshi parts. Like her own bandanna, Safina has affixed red fabric cloths to both of the suit’s arms.
Weaknesses: Safina is not knowledgeable about many topics outside of her own beliefs, and whatever information she has gained through necessity. Her daily routines take up a lot of her time, and she can become easily agitated if they are interrupted. Though patient, those challenging her beliefs only serve to increase her stubbornness and devotion to her studies.
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_ THE MARINER ___ __ _
Name: Ember Velliae
Species: Matoran
Sex: Female
Mask & Element: Powerless Noble Ruru; Powerless Elemental Fire
Appearance: Ember prefers to keep herself fit, and as such she’s got a fair amount of muscle, although age has seen her lose it little by little over time. Her body is generally a dark red in colour with some accents of black and gray, whilst her mask is bright golden-orange, framing light blue eyes. Her posture is fairly formal - some would say rigid - owing to years of disciplinary training in paramilitary, maritime, and other highly-structured groups. Likewise, she speaks in an even, almost soothing tone, but can turn hard and stern at a moment’s notice, almost imperceptibly so.
Personality: Ember is, at first glance, all work and no play. She is a no-nonsense military type, and is not tolerant of foolhardy or crass behaviour. Not to say she is completely cold, however. She recognizes the need for a more casual perception of life on certain occasions, and is privy to relaxing in her own reserved manner from time to time. Her history on both a fishing vessel and her experience with the Ga-Koro Navy has had a major impact on how she conducts herself, and her stiff demeanour is often offset by jaunting naval traditions - she feels more comfortable and at home on a ship, and therefore much more congenial when dealing with others.
History: Ember was raised in Ga-Koro, where she spent most of her adolescent years as a deckhand on a fishing vessel. Following the unfortunate sinking of the vessel as it ran aground in Naho Bay during a particularly violent storm, Ember eventually made her way to Ta-Koro and enlisted in the Guard. She spent several years serving the village, before being temporarily transferred across the Break to Ko-Koro during the construction of Ko-Koro’s early-warning and power generation systems for security detail. She was withdrawn back to Ta-Koro following the capture and successive assassination of the Turaga, where she continued her service for several more years, rising to the rank of Master Sergeant. Over time, she became increasingly wistful in her desire to be at sea - some might say homesick. Eventually, she expressed her interest in leaving the Guard to facilitate further training of the Ga-Koro Marines, and she was honourably discharged a short time later. Back home, Ember served in a freelance capacity as an instructor for the Ga-Koro Marines and facilitated the improvement of naval tactics and joint land-sea operations. She would later retire and live relatively comfortably in Ga-Koro, although the recent chaos spreading across Mata Nui has seen her interest in further career pursuits return.
Abilities: Despite her age, Ember is still fairly fit, and keeping herself in shape with rigorous exercise and a strict diet have seen her reflexes, strength and speed stay extraordinarily honed over time. She is skilled with a variety of martial weapons and is an avid disk-thrower, but she prefers a classic Koro Guard spear. Her maritime history has awarded her proficiency as a deckhand and naval officer.
Personal Effects: A simple sash and satchel, containing basic provisions as well as all of the rank insignia and medals acquired over her career, as well as a spyglass, compass and sextant. She also carries a retractable short-spear, commonly used by Guard forces across the island.
Weaknesses: Her strict attitude towards most aspects of life have made her cold and uncaring towards most individuals who do not particularly impress her. Years of drilling and military structure have made her stubborn and unwilling to compromise; her view of the world is highly ordered and she tends to apply this view anywhere she goes.
Shanties: Years spent at sea have given Ember a repository of shanties etched within her memory. Some of the most notable ones are...
"The Ol' Takea's Bite"
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_ THE ARMORER ___ __ _
Name: Verakastian bel Qiril
Species: Lesterin
Sex: Male
Mask & Element: Mahiki, Mask of Illusion; Passive Elemental Magnetism
Appearance: Scrawny and sullen-eyed, Verakastian (Verak or Ver for short) makes for a meek and unimposing figure. His disheveled face matches the clothing he prefers to wear, complimenting his seemingly-faded blue eyes and pale orange body accents. The one aberrant feature Verak sports on his body are that of his arms and hands - scarred, battered and blistered, they are more often than not covered in bandages, and serve as telltale signs of the countless hours spent at his workbench, toiling away through the late hours of the night.
Personality: A timid and excitable character, his only solace living at Fortress Khy;Barr is the protection offered to him by his patron, the Warlord known as ‘Arms’. He is paranoid, to put it lightly, and probably reasonably so - if it were not for his weaponsmithing skill that keeps a great deal of Zakaz armed, the hungry and malicious stares of the Skakdi around him - even his “compatriots'' within Khy;Barr itself - tell him that his life would be a much worse affair. As such, Verak prefers to steal himself away to the relative seclusion of his workshop and library - locations that he and a handful of other Lesterin workers within the fortress frequent, and Skakdi generally avoid.
History: Growing up dirt-poor in Jukvere, Verakastian and his brother Gatanka would usually roam the streets trying to pilfer, pickpocket or otherwise obtain whatever material goods they could get their hands on in order to support themselves. One such item was an old Lesterin text detailing the art of gunsmithing - this was the first book young Verak had ever laid his hands on, and instead of selling it as his brother wished, Verak treasured the book and kept it as his own. Though he was unable to read it, he became enamoured with the technical diagrams illustrated within. As he grew older, Verak would use his earnings to pay elders to teach him to read, often at the loss of a day’s meal. Some time later, he and his brother set off for the mainland, as Gatanka had secured them both positions within a trading caravan. Verakastian acquired two more engineering texts through trading, and was only allowed to keep them after they improved his ability to repair and maintain the weapons the caravaneers both used for protection and traded to locals. Eventually, Gatanka found work on a Lesterin merchant vessel, with Verak bidding his brother goodbye, opting to stay with the caravan, due to his fear of the water. In a twisted sense of fate, Verak discovered that the merchant vessel had disappeared at sea merely weeks later. One day, Verak’s caravan found itself advertising its wares outside a rocky fortress in the Eastern Lesteri;Dak mountains - an encroachment the local warlord did not take kindly to, dispatching his warriors to slay the caravaneers and pillage their wares. Verak was spared only by begging for his life and offering his skills as a weaponsmith to the warlord. He was subsequently taken to the fortress, and enslaved, working gruelling hours to provide his captor with weaponry that would increase his army’s potency tenfold. Years of captivity passed, and one day Verak found himself in the main chamber of the fortress, presenting to the warlord a stunning new rifle design, when a massive being unlike any other Verak had ever seen, strode in. Whatever words were exchanged between this hulking giant and the warlord have been completely forgotten by Verak, dominated only by the images of the warlord’s visage, fear in his eyes, filling Verak’s vision as he rushed for the closest weapon - and then said visage being no longer there, head ripped clean from his shoulders by the giant. Verak found himself free of his bonds, but was now shackled by fear - fear of the enormous being who had ousted the previous despot of the fortress. Verak has since continued his work in relative peace and comfort under Arms’ leadership, hiring a select few Lesterin to aid his endeavours under the new autonomy granted to him. He doesn’t want to think about what resignation would entail.
Abilities: Like his boss, Verakastian’s hands and arms are his greatest asset. Unlike his gargantuan boss, his hands aren’t used to reduce those who displease him to a bloody pulp - they’re used to create the weapons that do that, instead. He’s one of the few beings on Zakaz practised enough to both build and maintain firearms. Which is ironic, since his boss typically doesn’t use firearms. He uses forearms. Get it? Because Arms? I’m trying to make a joke. It didn’t turn out so good. Oh yeah, he’s got deft fingers because he spent his youth as a pickpocket, too.
Personal Effects: Several specialized tools used for weaponsmithing which he keeps on his person, as well as the three books he acquired in his youth, their corners showing wear from just how many times he’s pored over their pages. He additionally has a rudimentary set of magnifying lenses typically found atop his head.
His most prized possessions are a set of three Vortixx-made programmable-matter multitools. The largest of these tools can reform in seconds, and take on the shape of an axe, sledgehammer, pickaxe, or hoe. The mid-sized tool can form a crowbar, saw, hammer/mallet, or clamp. The smallest tool can form various screwdrivers, wrenches, chisels, and punches, as well as a small hammer and even tweezers. Verakastian isn’t quite sure how they work, his own engineering knowledge pitiful in comparison to the Vortixx; but they seem to be keyed to the user’s thoughts, and getting the tool to morph from one form to another requires some concentration and specificity in regards to what form one wishes a tool to take. Occasionally, the transformation will just not work. (Approved by Ghosthands)
Weaknesses: Verakastian is terribly paranoid that anyone other than a Lesterin or Warlord Arms are completely willing to kill him or worse if he so much as looks at them funny. When confronted, he’s much more liable to run than to fight, as he’s got no combat experience whatsoever, despite being a weaponsmith. He also has a phobia of the water and drowning.
His Crafts:
“Kosskaa”
“Tahto;jin”
Quadshot
Wristbreaker
___ __ _
_ THE RANGER ___ __ _
Name: Shavrakk
Species: Skakdi
Sex: Male
Vision Power & Element: Impact Vision; Tandem Elemental Air
Appearance: Cleanliness is paramount to Shavrakk, and he makes a great effort to keep a standard of good hygiene whenever possible, in spite of the conditions and physical rigors experienced by traversing Zakaz on foot for a living. His angular, chiseled face is fairly unblemished by spots and scars and his teeth are particularly unstained. This urge to keep tidy and clean also extends to his garb and equipment - dark brown hide covers most of his body, concealing the lean but fairly muscled physique of green, gold and gray underneath. A tunic of pale cloth enshrouds his leather armor, and includes a hood from which deep crimson eyes peek out. An equipment-bearing belt and sling fastens the whole affair. All of this is kept washed and polished by Shavrakk whenever he can spare the time to do so.
Personality: Confident, analytical, meticulous, obsessive. Shavrakk is a Skakdi who knows the value of careful contemplation, but sometimes struggles to be humble about it. He has little patience with those who he deems foolish, and occasionally butts heads with individuals whomst he has openly voiced disdain for, usually in the form of Sarke. Despite this, his attitude towards tradition and honor are fairly typical for Zakazian Skakdi, though he holds Lesterin in somewhat higher regard than his brethren do, and consorts with them often to glean information, wares, and other activities. It is this willingness to do what others will not that, in his eyes, elevates him above the common people of Zakaz.
History: Much of Shavrakk’s childhood was spent within the Fortress of some local Warlord lost to time, having been ravaged by conquest. There, he was conscripted into the Warlord’s army at a young age and received the traditional training of a warrior through to his young adulthood. Unfortunately, in the waning years of that Fortress’ existence, discipline became lackluster within the ranks and insubordination was common; attempts to remedy this through increasingly-cruel punishments found middling success. This, however, did not stop a hormonal Shavrakk from bedding the wife of one of his superior officers, and later found it impressive that she had poisoned his ale that earlier that same evening in order to preserve her honor; sadly Shavrakk survived the dosage and fled the Fortress lest he face execution of a more reliable manner. Three days later, the Fortress was sacked and many within were killed or absorbed into the army of the conqueror. It was at the youth’s destination, Irnakk’s Tooth, that he learned of the destruction of his home and, consequently, the value of information, for it was known to many people in the Tooth that his home was being marched upon more than a week before his departure. Operating as a mercenary for a time, Shavrakk would later fashion himself a scout of sorts, surveying the movements of certain armies, surveying terrain hazards, and investigating rumors on the commision of various Warlords. He continues to roam the island to this day, pursuing the career of garnering information.
Abilities: Many years of nomadic living have honed his skills as a frontiersman - he knows much of Zakaz’ geography by heart and is incredibly knowledgeable about the flora and fauna of the island. He is quick on his feet, cleans wounds well and aims truly with his revolver when the need arises. He is fairly competent in hand-to-hand combat, but not any more so than your average Skakdi. His strength lies primarily within his ability to track, chart, record and convey.
Personal Effects: Field provisions, a first aid kit, chart paper and a pencil, three cleaning kits (one for his weapons, one for his garb, and one for himself), a pair of binoculars and a utility knife make up the bulk of his gear, stored either on his belt or in his backpack. Apart from these, he also carries his undecorated .40 Tahto;jin revolver (see Verakastian’s profile above) as well as a pair of exotic items received as payment from Warlords for his services:
The Lance of Gakree: A high-powered particle rifle of Vortixx make. The nature of the weapon makes it useful for firing incredibly accurately at long-range, but the length and weight of the rifle hinder it during close-in engagements. Additionally, the complexity of maintenance and relative scarcity of its ammunition mean that it is seldom-used as a primary weapon. The Lance has a capacity of two shots before needing to replace the power cell, and each shot requires the trigger to be held down for about a second’s worth of charge-up time before it is fired. The power cell must be manually switched in order to fire its second shot. Additional implements include a sturdy bipod (ideally one is using this while firing the Lance), a carrying handle, and a scope capable of up to 10x magnification. (Approved by Ghosthands)
The Eye of Ulan: A milky-white orb of hard, glasslike material about the size of a Madu fruit. Depressing an indentation on the Eye makes it thrum to life in a bright white radiance, and it will begin floating above the shoulder of the user, following them as they move. Gesturing using the arm and hand that was used to activate the Eye will cause it to move where the user desires, in an arc up to 15 meters away in any direction. (Approved by Ghosthands)
Weaknesses: Shavrakk obsesses over his appearance and hygiene to the point of it being a compulsion and can lead to moments of frustration as he feels he cannot properly function if every aspect of his being is not entirely “clean”. Insults leveled at or detractions of his intelligence will often elicit negative reactions of varying intensity from him.
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_ THE SPARROW ___ __ _
Name: Daikura Suzume
Species: Dasaka
Sex: Female
Mask & Menti Discipline: Miru, Mask of Levitation; no Menti discipline
Appearance: Twin orbs of pale violet light are set within a youthful and unblemished visage. Below her rosy cheeks and awkward smile is an ornately-patterned shibori scarf of blue and silver and gives the young Dasaka a peculiar turtle-like appearance. Suzume is not the tallest Dasaka to ever live, and her wiry, bronze-and-indigo frame is fairly willowy and bordering on malnourished underneath her typical adornment of silver robes.
Personality: Stubborn to a fault, it would be an understatement to say that Suzume has never seen eye-to-eye with her elders (more on this below). Most of the time, she is demure and shy, talking little and moving around even less so. In a crowded room, she prefers the far corner where she is least likely to be spoken to. The only time when Suzume is able to free herself from this social barrier is when she is playing the shinobue - her bamboo flute and her obsession, which she practices so fervently to the point of forgetting to eat.
History: On a breezy summer day in one of a dozen open squares on the edges of Sado, the hollow and haunting sounds of a shinobue player filled the air, carried down the crystalline avenues by the wind to fall on young Suzume’s ears. Entranced, she tugged at her mother Hiromi’s arm and bade her stay in the square for a little while so she could hear the old Datsue finish her sonata. Reluctantly, Hiromi agreed, marking the biggest mistake of her life. An interest became a hobby became an obsession, and before long Suzume had begun to creep from her house during the earliest hours of the morning when her mother was still asleep so she could elope with those same tones she had heard playing in the square, now rising with the sun. It was at some point after Suzume had spent the entire day absent from her home in order to fashion a crude shinobue of her own, much to the vexation of her mother, that a Ringti tutor was hired and a proper shinobue purchased. It was the intention that going through the proper avenues for a pastime would instill a greater sense of order in Suzume and keep her from wandering off until she was ready to begin Menti training.
Big mistake number two.
No longer did Suzume wander off, and so a minor victory seemed to have been won, but the solution worked too well; more infrequently did Suzume leave the house, and her mother had to practically drag her to the expected functions and classes that were required of her. Increasing frustration with Suzume’s poor performance at school and her distaste for any component of high society other than the musical entertainment only served as fuel for the young Dasaka to continue her proficiency with the flute, and the lessons with her tutor only became more frequent. Frustration turned to shame, and before long Hiromi could not get her daughter to even leave the house for her attendance at Arohi, the sound of the shinobue within their home becoming a form of torture. Her spirit broken and her family shamed, Hiromi reluctantly allowed Suzume to continue as she pleased as she grew older at home. Hiromi herself grew older and more exhausted with her daughter, whom she had to homeschool whenever she could get her daughter to sit down for a lesson, but ceased to hinder her daughter’s obsession any longer for her own sanity.
Abilities: Due to her limited education, Suzume has had no formal Menti training, nor does she have any survival or combat skills whatsoever. She is, at the very least, knowledgeable enough to know how to use her Kanohi, and is quite skilled at playing her shinobue. At least the lessons weren’t for nothing.
Personal Effects: Her clothes, her shinobue flute, and a bracelet of vibrant blue crystal with an inset bead of silver.
Weaknesses: She doesn’t have Menti training, she can’t fight, she’s socially awkward, she’s stubborn, she has no sense of direction, she’s Suzume.
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Name: Gabe:Dii the Hatmaster
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