__________________QUICK STATS
Name Genesis

Age Posititvely Ancient

Gender Technically genderless, but prefers masculine pronouns.

Species Magical Construct

Ethnicity N/A. The person that created him and the nation they are from no longer exists.

Height Varies depending on the state of his body, but generally pushing for seven feet.

Occupation None. He wanders, seeking purpose and fulfillment.

Residence See Occupation. He's known to loiter outside of taverns and inns, however, and wherever else people congregate.

__________________IN-DEPTH STUFF

Physical Description Describing Genesis physically is difficult, as he changes his "body" to suit his needs as necessary. However, most commonly, his body is fashioned of various metals, stone, and wood. He has three fingers on each hand, thick and powerful yet flexible enough to grip objects. He also has three toes on each foot, similarly thick and large to facilitate balance. His eyes, or what passes for them, are blue, bright and shining with a soft glow.

Inside the Construct Shell is Genesis' core or, rather, Genesis himself: a bright blue, shining mass, vaguely circular in shape, with a number of similarly shining and colored tendrils. These tendrils are what serve to control the limbs of Genesis' chosen shell, and also serve as the eyes. The eyes are, in actuality, nothing more than two tendrils poking into the eyeholes of the Construct's head.

Genesis' core serves as his heart and mind.

Personality Gruff and cranky, and reminiscent of an old soldier that hasn't quite realized the battles he fought in are long over.

Magic/Abilities Genesis is capable of drawing matter from his environment to build or replace pieces of his construct shell. He can do this on purpose, quickly, though it also happens over time. His body tends to take on a blend of matter from his environment, though he is capable of stopping passive integration if the alternative is to weaken his body by absorbing matter that is sub-par compared to what it is currently made of. For example, he won't trade granite for clay.

That said, Genesis was originally created for war. He's adept at the martial side of things, capable of using any weapon and, furthermore, literally integrating it into his body the same way he would absorb mass. He is also capable of using magic, though he has none of his own; Genesis is able to mimic the magic of others that are near him, whether they are people or simply magical beasts, drawing and taking their ability as his own, though he can only hold onto magic for about a day.

Relationships None.

History Coming Later

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The man spoke again, and though Rujia couldn't understand him, she did note a tone of fear and a bit of desperation in his voice. She noticed him looking to the Suturigoi nearest to him, it's body burnt and twisted from its encounter with Sukoru's lightning.

She sighed softly, eyes becoming serious. This was going nowhere fast. They couldn't understand each other, languages as radically different as they were, and staying here in one spot as they were was just asking for something else to creep up on them.

She gestured with one hand to the charred corpse of the bat-like monster lying on the ground, and spoke.

"Suturigoi." A single word, identifying the monster, trying to keep it simple.

She then gestured to herself, that same hand touching her collar just below her throat.

"Rujia," she then said, indicating her identity. And then, lastly, she pointed  inland, toward where her home was, and the town beyond.

"Home. Safe." She then began walking in that direction, moving past the man still holding his sword. Pointedly, she reached out and gently pushed it downward with two fingers.

"We go."

Riju immediately stopped as the man in front of her raised his blade as if to protect himself, regarding him oddly as he then shouted in a tongue she was unfamiliar with.

That's not Embass...

"Yeah, I gathered that..." she murmured in reply to the spirit in her head, her eyes locked on the blade in the man's hand, before her gaze slid to his hands, trembling in what she guessed was fear, and then to his own eyes, filled with shock as they were. From his reaction to the Suturigoi, it was more than apparent he had no idea where he was.

Rulastinia was likely going to give him a heart attack, at this rate.

She raised her hands placatingly, showing that they held no weapon. She had no idea how she was supposed to deal with this whatsoever, though, luckily, her social ineptitude probably wouldn't show through considering they couldn't understand each other anyway.

She remained where she was, watching him, wondering what he'd do next. She knew how she'd react if he attacked her, already anticipating an attack from three different vectors and working out how she'd counter each.

She also knew how she'd react if he chose to run. She'd have to protect him, seeing as how there were a great many things in this boggy land that'd love to have him for dinner, and not in the pleasant fashion.

Protect him, while trying to herd him to her home. There, at least, he'd be safe. And it'd be easier to subdue him and, following that, hopefully show him he was in no danger in a slightly more hospitable location.

Just as Rujia was moving to make sure the last of the men on the beach wasn't about to crawl back to his feet and start eating his skin, she heard the sound of gagging and choking from beside her.

Look who's finally awake.

"Mmhmm..." she hummed, just before shoving her silvered blade into the last of the sailors washed up on the shore. It was then that she turned to look at the sole survivor of the ill-fated ship, as he began scrambling away from her and down the sandbank. She tilted a brow as he then tumbled down the rest of the way, and landed flat on his face.

"Well, this ought to be fun..." she mumbled, flicking her wakizashi clean of blood before smoothly sliding it back into its saya.

At least he hasn't tried to stab you yet. You should have taken his sword from him.

"You're probably right," she started, speaking quietly though she was almost sure the other man would be able to hear the one-sided conversation everyone else heard, "but I don't think he'd put up much of a fight, as drowned as he is."

Indeed, she watched as he found his feet again, gestured to the corpse she'd just confirmed the death of, and attempted to draw his sword...and promptly fell on his ass. She had to hold back the urge to giggle, though her seafoam eyes may have betrayed a hint of mirth.

It's not that funny.

"Isn't it, though...? You there," she said, louder now as she addressed the living castaway, "keep your blade where it is. I'm not here to harm you. I was here for them." She gestured to the charred, still smoking forms of the man-sized winged creatures lying around them on the beach.

"I saw your boat, and the beasts attacking, but arrived too late. But you're still alive, so..." she drew off, unsure what else to say. What could she even say in this situation? Once everything vaguely official sounding was said, she had nothing.

You're useless. Really, truly useless.

"Shut up, that's mean! So, um...I guess we should try and get you someplace safe?" Seamlessly, she went from apparently talking to herself to addressing the sodden man with his ass in the sand.

Little did she realize that language barriers were totally a thing.

The Shinobi watched impassively as the younger man on the ground vomited, curled in on himself, and vomited again. Well, he was alive, so there was that...Rujia had no idea how she should handle that, other than bringing him into Oshiren and making him someone else's problem...though with the way he was shivering and clutching his arm, not to mention half-drowned and vomiting up sea water, she figured she should at least make sure he wasn't going to die before he got there. That could happen once she was absolutely sure they were safe, however.

Some people attacked by Suturigoi had a tendency to get back up, after all. And when that happened, they could hardly be called people anymore.

And so, seeing as how the man - boy? Rujia wasn't sure, he seemed so much younger now that she'd seen his face - didn't seem to be in any immediate danger, she turned her attention to their surroundings. The sand around them had been glassed, scathed by lightning as it had been, and seven Suturigoi were lying not too far from the darkened, burned patches, burned themselves and smoking slightly. None of them appeared as if they were about to get back up again, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Walking some distance away from the boy-man, Rujia reached to unsheathe the silvered wakizashi from where it was strapped horizontally at her back, pulling it from its saya with only a whispered rasp. She moved to each demon in turn, plunging the blade into a chest cavity and giving it a rough twist before withdrawing it and moving onto the next.

Once that was done, she spared the boy a glance, before shaking her head and moving onto the other bodies. The human ones, all in their various states.

She repeated the actions she'd taken with the Suturigoi, cleanly piercing the heart, twisting her blade and withdrawing it, moving on from one torn body to the next. She didn't look to see if the boy was watching, seeing her as she confirmed each kill with cold practicality.

A storm was blowing in; the sky was dark, the air damp, and a chill wind gusting in from the sea. The water was rough and choppy, and in the distance, there were white capped waves rolling over the horizon. The gulls had flown south some time ago, and other than the sound of the surf and the wind, there was only silence.

In short, it was perfect. Rujia was a few miles out from her humble Minka-style house, fully geared for her own protection, though not on duty. It was technically a free day for her, but with the few people she could call friend still on duty or on other errands, she was alone for the day.

"You're never alone, girl. Don't you dare go trying to forget about me now."

Okay, well. Not alone, exactly. "Okay, you're not wrong Sukoru, but you're in my head. Your always in my head. You might as well just be another me at this point. Or like my...what do you call it. My conscience?"

The voice in the back of her mind chuckled at that. "Well, someone's got to be. Spirits know you've hardly got one of your own...hmmm. That's some storm blowing in, there. Perhaps another spirit draws near...though if that's so, I sense it's none-too-happy. If that is the case, there may be problems further on."

He was right. Maybe. Many of the local beasts were tainted in one way or another, and, knowing the right signs, one could infer from how the environment responded that the spirits were less than happy with their presence. Perhaps that was why Rulastinia was always so dark and damp, infested with a plethora of beasts as it always was. Maybe if they were all culled, their dark little corner of the world would brighten up a little. The thought made her smile.

Not the thought of things calming down, to be sure. More the thought of what it would take to attain it. Fighting the beasts was always a rush for her.

"Always the bloodthirsty little girl, aren't you?"

"Hush, you. What is that ahead...? It looks like there's a- it is! There's a ship!" What was a ship doing in Rulastinia's waters? Surely it wouldn't be Nhoplan trying a different tactic, would it? No...she couldn't make out many details from this distance, but she could tell there was only the one boat, and it hardly looked outfitted for war. There wasn't much trade this time of year, not that many people made the attempt to even come to a land that most swore was cursed. Who in their right mind would be in these waters?

Someone unprepared, it looked like...she could see a swarm of black around the listing ship. The Suturigoi looked as if they were having a field day, hovering around the craft.

Rujia sighed, and lifted her half-mask from the hook on her belt, and clipped it to her gorget to secure it over her mouth and nose, donning the guise of a snarling beast. It was time to hunt, it seemed...not that she minded that part. But it was so far away! Getting to the beach wouldn't be so difficult, but she was hardly going to try and swim and fight. Someone on the boat would have seen land now, surely...perhaps some of the sailors would have made for the shore? It would be her only option. But first, she had to make to the beach.

"Better get moving, then. Use the wind, it'll-"

"I know, thank you Sukoru! Now shut up and let me do my thing, would you?"

"So angry! Very well. Make haste!"

Her head finally, blissfully silent, Rujia dashed forward, summoning the wind to gust from behind her to speed her onward. Her feet were swift, sure footed and agile as she picked her way across the landscape. Leaping over rocks and bounding around boulders, the distance became shorter with each and every step. Within minutes, the shinobi had come close enough for the beach to be within sight. She could no longer see the ship...or, rather, she could see it, or at least parts of it, washed up on the beach, large waves pushing them onto the shoreline. She could also see bodies.

And, of course, the Suturigoi swarming them. Rujia huffed as she slid the uchigatana at her back from its belt, saya and all, and held it at her right hip. She widened her stance, one leg ahead and to the left, one behind and to the right, and lowered her body.

The demons hadn't seen her yet. One, certainly, never would.

Once again summoning the wind, she compressed it into a spherical configuration behind her, small and tight. And then, once it was compressed enough, she released it in a single direction; from behind her, wind exploded forth, propelling her forward at speed. The wind whistling in her ears, Rujia kept her sight on a single target in front of her as she rushed forth, her feet a mere inch above the sand as she hurtled toward her chosen quarry.

In a single fluid movement, she drew her sword just before she would fly past the bat-like demon. With a twist, she turned her body into the swing of her sword; the silver edged blade made contact with the tainted flesh of the creature and seemed to pass clean through it. The thin edge of the uchigatana sliced into and through with little resistance, the lethally sharp blade combined with the force of her wind-propelled horizontal iai-strike cutting cleanly through the Suturigoi's midsection.

Continuing forward, Rujia threw her feet ahead of her, angling herself slightly to kill her momentum on the broken piece of the craft in front of her. Allowing her knees to bend with the impact, she then kicked off, reversing her trajectory entirely and, twisting in midair, angled her blade forward. The bat-like creature hadn't even fallen yet; it was still turning toward its attacker, mouth wide as it began to screech in rage, unaware that it was already dead.

Her initial cut was so clean, she couldn't even see it. Her next one, however, was much less so. The beasts call was suddenly cut off as the silvered blade separated everything above its nose from the rest of its body, and her knee impacted its chest, sending the upper body flying free from its legs to crash in a heap some distance away.

Landing and quickly finding her feet, Rujia took her right hand from her sword and made a fist, focusing on the storm in her heart. She could feel it there, buzzing and vibrating, yearning to break free.

She let it. First, there were sparks, blue and bright. Then there were arcs, leaping off and across her fingers. And then, when she raised her hand above her head and opened her fist to present her palm to the sky, there was lightning; a cage of light and fury burst into existence around her, bolts of violence ripping through her surroundings. Beyond the light, Rujia could just see the dark forms of the other Suturigoi flying towards her, eager to tackle her and tear her to pieces, to feast on her blood and turn her to naught but dust.

"Sukuro!"

"You'll have everything you need! Do it!"

Rujia smirked under her mask, the light from the cage of bolts reflecting in her eyes. She grabbed hold of the storm within her, raging without.

And then she pushed.

The cage turned into a wheel, deadly arcs of electricity arcing outwards, the spokes of the wheel like spears of light. The Suturigoi stopped in mid flight, lances of electricity piercing their forms, wracking their bodies and contorting their muscles.

And then it was over. The light disappeared and, all around her, Rujia could hear the sound of multiple bodies hitting the earth simultaneously.

Rujia grabbed her sword again, ready to go on the defensive, prepared for another attack when there couldn't possibly be one. When only the sound of the waves met her ears did she relax, straightening and sheathing her sword.

She let her breathe out in a whoosh, her skin feeling hot, the inside of her skull itching. The storm in her breast became tranquil yet again, its furious pounding lessening into a stable heartbeat. "You...may have given it a little much," she mumbled, stretching her arms as her muscles fought to contract against her bones.

"Any less, and you wouldn't have gotten them all. Plus, you missed something. Look down."

"Look down? What, at this guy?"

Lying face down on the wet sand was a man, garbed in clothing that was...well, outlandish would be a good way to describe it. She stuck her foot out and dug it into his ribs, pushing hard and rolling him over. She expected a corpse..surely the Suturigoi had already killed him.

And then the man groaned.

"Oh."

"Oh shit."

"He's-"

"Alive."

"...what do we do?"

Note: Rujia will likely never REALLY be finished. Those interested may want to check back now and again for updates to her character!


__________________QUICK STATS
Name Rujia Heiki

Age 27

Gender Female

Species and Ethnicity Anathanati Rulastinian

Height 5'2"

Occupation Hunter/Shinobi

Residence Rulastinia, western outskirts of Oshiren, close enough to the ocean to smell salt on the breeze.


__________________IN-DEPTH STUFF

Physical Description Outwardly, when not dressed in combat attire, Rujia can be described in a single word: beautiful. Her face holds a captivating mix of beauty and determination, skin lightly tanned as if kissed by the barely-present sun. Her hair is jet black, straight and thick, cut to hang low on her neck, and meticulously maintained. When not dressed for combat, she prefers soft hued robes, blue being the most dominant color, though her outermost layer is always black.

Her eyes are her most striking feature, deep and expressive with a vibrant shade of seafoam green. In pleasant company, they are bright and cheery and shine with a hint of mischief. Alone, or otherwise in the company of those she cares little for, they are frequently narrowed and focused, and if one looks closely enough, one can find in their expression the experience and secrets of a well trained and seasoned warrior. When she locks eyes with someone, the other person may feel as if she knows exactly who they are, what they are doing, why they are doing it, and whether they're a threat. Nine times out of ten, this feeling isn't actually too far off.

When geared up, Rujia's combat attire seems unorthodox compared to other hunters, built for mobility over durability. From the bottom of her neck to her midriff she wears a breastplate of overlapping lacquered wooden plates, and held in place over these plates by short, tiny nails is thick black cloth, both to further darken her armor as well as to inhibit any unintended noises. Similarly constructed armor covers her upper and lower arms, while leaving her hands, wrists, and elbows otherwise uncovered, save for thick, dark blue cloth padding worn under the armor. Her legs are armored similarly to her arms, completed with form-fitting, waterproof tabi formed of leather, with a single plate going over the top of the foot. Geared as such, Rujia keeps her hair bound in a tight bun and covered with a black cloth that drops over her forehead in front, and all the way to her shoulders in back. A wooden mask, carved in the likeness of a snarling beast, as dark as the rest of her armor, covers her face from her nose to her chin. Her neck is covered in front by a wooden half-gorget, while the back of her neck is covered in chain, hidden under her hair covering.

Also, while not visible, there are other important aspects: always hidden from view, under her skin in the middle of her chest, next to her heart there is a pulsing blue light, just visible beneath the skin.

When one is around her and she is in a happy or neutral mood, one may detect the faint scent of salt spray, as if they are next to the ocean. If she's is angry or otherwise stressed, one may instead smell the harsh scent of ozone, as if lightning had just struck in the area.

Personality Rujia's personality is multifaceted and layered, her training allowing her to easily hide her true feelings. She is more than adept at concealing the truth, or outright lying and passing that off as truth instead with no one being the wiser. No one, save an extremely limited and trusted few, know what really goes on in her head.

Frequently, she puts off an easygoing, carefree and teasing air, building camaraderie with her compatriots and partners in arms, always willing to help and listen and joke. With others though, she won't interact unless absolutely necessary; she can't relate to normal citizenry, having hardly been exposed to the everyday life of a regular person, and finds it very difficult to speak with non-hunters in general.

When she's alone, however, the real Rujia finally makes an appearance. This is the girl with deep rooted fear, and a lack of understanding of many things, chief of which being, "what even am I?"

Magic/Abilities

Duality of Soul, Mind, and Heart
First and foremost, to understand Rujia one must first understand that she isn't the only inhabitant of her body. Some few years past, in an effort to create what could only be called the perfect hunter of beasts, Rujia was implanted with an imprisoned storm spirit, which, combined with the nature of this operation, has changed her on a fundamental level. The most apparent effects are that there is another that shares her mind and her senses; the spirit, named Sukoru, sees through her eyes, hears with her ears, feels with her skin, and knows what she knows and more. This offers several benefits, such as a second perspective of all things, a "second set" of eyes and ears that can focus on something other than what she sees or hears, and, above all, a suite of abilities borne from the storm. With Sukoru's power, she can command the elements of wind, water, and lightning at will, giving her a wide skill set.

Wind
Rujia primarily uses this to help her to achieve things that otherwise wouldn't be possible, such as creating a powerful gust to aid her in high and distance jumping, or creating a cushion of compressed air to slow a descent. She can also use blasts of air to quickly maneuver herself, even in midair.

Water
Rujia admittedly doesn't have much utility with this element as of yet, though there are some things she's been trying to perfect, such as creating and manipulating mist to hide herself and others. She can only create and manipulate water and not destroy it, so, unfortunately, the marshlands of Rulastinia will remain wet. She's handy when you're thirsty, though!

Lightning
Lightning, and the accompanying thunder. This is where Rujia truly shines, although using this element for too long or too often does have its drawbacks. She can use it to attack, both directly with bolts of lightning and indirectly by channeling it through her weapons, and she can also use it to fortify herself, hyper stimulating her muscles to give her extreme bursts of speed and strength, as well as shortening her reaction times to nearly instantaneous. Lightning is indiscriminate, however, and using it in either way does cause her some harm. She does have some resistance, thanks to Sukoru's influence, but attacking with it in any way causes minor burns, and repeated use can make them very debilitating. Channeling it through her body weakens and damages her muscles bit by bit, as well as overloading her brain, until she is quite literally unable to move.

Martial Training
Before having Sukoru implanted within her, Rujia was trained from early childhood both in the techniques of the samurai and the shinobi. As such, she had learned to wield the uchigatana and wakizashi in tandem for direct, frontal combat, as well as dual tantos for more a more evasive and acrobatic assault.

The Way of the Shinobi
Rujia's Shinobi training was perhaps the most grueling out of the two. Along with learning short-blade combat styles and the art of throwing weapons, this training imparted the arts of stealth, deception, and misdirection. It's trained her mind, allowing her to hide her thoughts and eliminate subtle body language. It's also trained her body, boosting her unenhanced strength and agility to levels that the common person could only hope to one day achieve.

The Way of the Samurai
The Art of the Sword has proven again and again to be useful. Where a short blade may stab or cut, a full length sword may impale, dismember, or decapitate. Rujia is trained extensively in iaijutsu, or quick-draw sword techniques. She has honed the art of single-strike kills to an impressive degree, especially when her strikes are empowered by lightning and quickened with wind. She's also capable drawn out encounters, though she will always seek a way to lethally end combat as quickly as possible.

Other Traits
The implanting of Sukoru within her has changed Rujia on a fundamental level in many ways, some of which she isn't even aware of yet.

-She does not need to eat or drink, though she does anyway in an effort to "fit in." As an aside, she's a total foodie.
-She heals quickly, recovering from injuries that would put most down for weeks in only a couple of days, leaving not a scar behind.
-She can sleep, though she cannot dream.
-Poisons and medicines have absolutely no effect on her.

Character Quirks
-Struggles with the question of whether or not she's even human anymore
-Absolutely hopeless in common social interactions
-TBD

Relationships
Family: Rujia has no idea if she has any family out there, only that her parents were killed, leaving her an orphan. And even if any extended family still lives, it's doubtful they'd recognize her after so many years, as even her original name has been taken from her.

All of her other relationships are with either fellow hunters, or those that trained and raised her from childhood. She doesn't even know who it was that made her what she is; that particular part of her life was apparently too traumatic for her mind to hold on to.

History
Orphaned at a young age, alone and wandering the streets of Tsubai, a young girl is taken in. A young girl has her name taken from her, in exchange for a new one: Rujia, a name with no meaning, and Heiki, a word meaning, literally, "Weapon." And so, the girl ceases to be. And so, A Weapon is born.

A Weapon is trained. A Weapon is honed. A Weapon becomes a most efficient killing tool. A Weapon never learns what it is to be anything but A Weapon.

A Weapon is taught that it is meant only to die. A Weapon continues its training for nineteen long years. A Weapon is given poison; A Weapon drinks it, willingly. A Weapon dies.

A Weapon lives again. A Weapon is more than it was before. A Weapon becomes powerful.

A Weapon fights. A Weapon kills.

A Weapon Kills.

A Weapon Kills.

A Weapon Kills.

But can A Weapon ever be more than just A Weapon?


Plot Hooks
What does it mean to be human, anyway?

Stay out when I'm in the bath.

Let's eat!

Let's go kill something.
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Thank you! And I have joined the discord, but my active hours seem to be pretty different from everyone else's there so I haven't really seen much point in saying anything yet. >_>

Quote from: GoblinFae on August 02, 2023, 04:29:44 AMWelcome!

Glad you could join us. ^-^ Don't worry about sporadic posting, we're more than happy to wait for posts as a rule and understand real life comes first.

As you get settled in and read up on lore, do let us know if you have any questions. We're a friendly bunch and eager to assist.

Also if you haven't stumbled upon it yet, we do have a Discord server where you can find some of us. It's not mandatory to join but is a great place to hang out, advertise characters and plots, or get out of a creative rut.

I look forward to working with you in the future and seeing what you come up with! ^-^

Happy writing!

I'm not actually sure I have a favorite! I like being a part of a good story (or five >_>), and I'm not really picky on what the story is actually about! So long as it keeps me and whomever I'm writing with engaged and entertained, I'm good!

That said though, I tend to make combat-oriented characters more often in settings such as this, such as soldiers or mercenaries and the like. I'm not so great at actually writing combat, but the gritty lifestyle of such a character is fun to write about! Not to mention all the potential things that could happen to a character in such a position...camaraderie, victory or loss, losing friends, hardship, or any of a multitude of things!

Quote from: visualspice on August 02, 2023, 06:39:01 AMWelcome to the site! What's your favorite type of characters to rp?

Hello! I'm Starwalker, I also go by my online handle, Aki. It's been quite awhile since I've been on a forum RP, but this place seems pretty cool. Um...about me...hmm. Well, I'm a third shifter, so my activity might be sporadic. Mostly weekends. I'm a gamer, though most of my attention has been devoted and divided between FFXIV and, lately, Remnant 2.

Not sure what else to put here, as I just got off work and I'm about brain-dead, but I'm gonna explore some when I get some time and hopefully jump in soonish! o7