I travel by the Wind, for there's nothing holding me back anymore.
Gender: Male
Place Of Birth: Píngyuán
Weaponry: Twin Kris
Throwing Knives (Hidden within the confines of his clothing, usually six at a time)
Clawed Gauntlets
Age: 24
Zodiac:[] Sagittarius (nov 22 – dec 21)
Key Traits: Freedom-loving, straightforward, open-minded, philosophical, ethical, optimistic, enthusiastic, blunt, impatient, hotheaded, self-indulgent.
Blood Type:Type B+
Key Traits: Creative, passionate, optimistic, flexible, forgetful, irresponsible, individualistic.
Attributes
Strength:13
Vitality:17
Agility:25
Speed:25
Magic:20
Spirit15
Powers & Abilities
Wind Command
Type:Active
Spell: Yes
Type: Magic - Wind - Environmental Manipulation
Description – The Kaze family developed this particular Wind Spell that's taught to the PRC, this spell, while rather simple to learn, is difficult to master. It can only be utilized in open spaces, where there is easy access to the Winds. This spell allows the caster to command the winds for up to thirty minutes, an hour to the most skilled magi. They're not gale force, but enough to lift a man that is prepared for the flight. This spell is used by the PRC to aid them in scouting out potential Beastmen threats. Any user will need to rest for at least four hours before they can even attempt another partial flight, six for a full flight. Saru is only capable of the shorter thirty minute flights.
Slipstream
Type:Active
Spell: Yes
Type: Magic - Wind - Self-affecting
Description – After a short incantation, a powerful wind will propel the caster forwards at an incredible speed, potentially disorientating those around the caster. The effect is lessened when indoors, but it will still take effect.
Wind Barrier
Type: Active
Spell: Yes
Type: Magic - Wind - AoE Self
Description – This medium resource draining spell creates a barrier around the caster with a diameter of six feet, which will last for five minutes at the most. Depending on the strength of the caster, the barrier can deflect smaller projectiles like low-caliber bullets and arrows up to making it difficult to connect with bladestrokes or fists. Saru is only capable of deflecting projectiles.
Aero Blade(s)
Type: Active
Spell: Yes
Type: Magic - Wind - Mid-range Projectile
Description – After an approximately five to ten second charge time (depending on the number and size of the projectiles), Saru creates translucent bullet-shaped particles of air that can be fired at will or automatically seek their target, depending on the words uttered during the incantation. The speed of the projectile depends on the size and the amount of chi poured into the spell, but they can go as fast as a bullet to as slow as a thrown rock. This spell is of Saru's own creation, nobody else knows of it's existence other than he.
Skills
ACROBATICS - 16
Default Attribute: Agility (AGI) Type: Intuitive
A character with this Skill is flexible and coordinated enough to execute complex acrobatic maneuvers. A single Task Check is required for a set of maneuvers or feat of balance. Conditional Modifiers depend on both the complexity of the manuevers and the circumstances. The consequences for failure hinge on the feat being attempted.
AWARENESS - 25
Default Attribute: Magic (MAG) Type: Intuitive
This Skill measures a character’s collective sensory awareness. In the field, it is mainly used to spot hidden items, secret passages, and other incongruities that might not be noticeable at first glance. At higher levels, Characters with this Skill gain a certain sixth sense when it comes to spotting potential dangers or noticing when something isn’t quite right – a con-man attempting to swindle the party out of its Gil with counterfeit Elixirs is just as likely to get the neck-hairs tingling as a dozen slavering beasts waiting in ambush around the corner. (As a GM I will be the one to say if those with this skill realize anything).
COOKING - 15
Default Attribute: Magic (MAG) Type: Learned
Knowing haute cuisine may not improve one's reputation as a fearsome warrior, but when the alternative is another week's worth of dried meat, nobody's liable to complain. A character with this Skill knows how to prepare and identify all types of dishes with a successful Task Check. Often you can control this yourself but if a task check ever comes into play I'll let you know.
LORE (Beastmen) - 15
Default Attribute: Magic (MAG) Type: Learned
Skills that cover a character's understanding of a particular concept or area, abstract or not – facts, figures, and essential information relating to a subject the character has studied in at least some detail. The quality, quantity, and detail of a character's knowledge in a particular Lore will increase with the Skill Rating. Though the sample Lores given below are broad, they can be as specialised as the player wants – the advantage in doing so is that information considered 'obscure' in a general Lore can be common knowledge in a specialised one. As a result, a character with Lore (Horse) will know more about these riding animals than one with Lore (Animal).
ALCHEMY - 10
Default Attribute: Magic (MAG) Type: Learned
Knowledge of compounds and chemical principles allows a character with this Skill to brew up a wide variety of useful mixtures, potions and tinctures.
HEALING - 13
Default Attribute: Magic (MAG) Type: Learned
A character with this Skill knows enough about the body and its workings to diagnose and treat most kinds of sickness and injury. A successful Task Check is required for a correct diagnosis; another for the treatment if the character has the means to carry it out. Failure in either could have drastic consequences for the patient. Healing can also enhance a party's natural recovery (This can be first aid as well)
REPAIR - 10
Default Attribute: Magic (MAG) Type: Learned
Characters with the Repair Skill have the ability to fix things, whether it’s as simple as propping up a wobbling table or as complex as a malfunctioning engine. What a character can feasibly repair is determined by her other Skills – characters with Tailoring, for instance, can patch up clothing.
ESCAPE - 16
Default Attribute: Agility (AGI) Type: Intuitive
Everyone gets caught sometimes. For this reason, the ability to slip out of a tight bind can prove to be a valuable asset. A character with this Skill can use a successful Task Check to worm his way out of rope, manacles, or chains. Failure simply means a character remains trapped, while a Botch can easily result in injury, tangled bonds, or suspicious captors checking in to see what all the racket is about…
STEALTH - 25
Default Attribute: Agility (AGI) Type: Intuitive
This Skill gives the character a basic understanding of subterfuge, allowing him to secrete himself in darkened corners to escape detection and sneak around without arousing too much suspicion. If another party is in the vicinity and has the Skill Awareness, resolve the sneaking attempt with an Opposed Task Check. A character will always think a Task Check is successful regardless of the actual outcome.
TRAPS - 16
Default Attribute: Magic (MAG) Type: Learned
An essential talent for any successful thief, this Skill allows a character to disarm – or set – traps of varying complexity and
lethality with a successful Task Check
KNIVES - 22
Default Attribute: Agility (AGI) Type: Intuitive
This Skill covers smaller bladed weapons such as Knives and Ninja Blades.
TWO WEAPONS - 23
Default Attribute: Agility (AGI) Type: Learned
This Skill allows a character to fight effectively with a weapon in each hand.
NAVIGATION - 12
Default Attribute: Magic (MAG) Type: Intuitive
By using landmarks, the stars, and other environmental features, a character with this Skill can travel from location to location without losing his way. In addition, the character's well-honed sense of direction can be a valuable asset in mazes and other confusing locales. One Task Check is required for the character to find his way; subsequent Task Checks may be required in the case of particularly long or complex routes.
SURVIVAL - 14
Default Attribute: Magic (MAG) Type: Intuitive
A character with this Skill is able to locate drinking water, forage food and avoid natural hazards that could easily take the life of an inexperience traveller. One successful Survival Task Check is required for each day a character attempts to sustain herself in the wilderness; if the character is foraging for others, additional Task Checks may be needed. Survival can also be used to weather natural hazards.
TRACKING - 13
Default Attribute: Magic (MAG) Type: Intuitive
By combining clues with old-fashioned instinct, a character with this Skill can track a quarry – animal, human, or otherwise – over a distance. A character must make an initial Task Check to pick up a target's trail; more Task Checks may be required to stay on the trail if following the target over longer distances. Any failures during the tracking process mean that the character has lost the target, though the GM may allow her to make another Task Check with an increased modifier in order to resume pursuit. (If we ever come to a chase scene I will keep you informed if any checks will be needed – remember checks are totally up to you and I expect you to be fair
LANGUAGE – Common Tongue - 15
The standard Human tongue, lingua franca on most worlds. Most, if not all, adventurers will be fluent in this language to one degree or another. This Skill is given to all starting characters, regardless of Job.
Family Ties
The Kaze family were a pivotal family in the Beast Wars long ago. The Kaze family founded the Plains Reconnaissance Corps as a guerrilla warfare and reconnaissance unit that would warn the city of encroaching Beastman threats as well as pick off any scouting parties of that were sent their way.
Hunted
After Saru survived the eradication of his squad, which is considered to be abandoning his post according to the vows of the PRC. This action, considered a direct violation of his vows as a member of the PRC, is punishable by death by his fellow Corpsmen. Saru constantly tries to remain anonymous, and avoid traveling to the region surrounding Píngyuán, afraid he would be picked off by his former comrades.
Compulsion
Saru is a habitual smoker of a leaf from his homeland known as thanic. The leaf, which is essentially like tobacco, is smoked from a pipe. Saru keeps his long stem pipe in his pack.
Heightened Senses
Saru, as a result of the training processes for the PRC, possesses heightened senses of sight, hearing, and smell compared to the average man. These senses, like every other member of the PRC, played a key role in their scouting and guerrilla fighting style.
Lone Wolf
After the destruction of Saru's unit, he's had difficulty re-integrating into civilian life. Even after years working as a sell-sword, he cannot easily get along with others. He typically comes off as gruff, blunt, and generally unsociable.
Appearance
Saru stands at 6' tall, and weighing in at 184lbs. His body is finely muscled, like a long distance runner's. This is as a result of the PRC training so they would be able to be light enough to fly and glide, but strong enough of body to be able to fight the Beastmen in their limited engagements. As a result of his occasional scouting and guerrilla skirmishes, scars of varying sizes cover his body. His hair is a silvery blonde, typically styled in a wind-swept fashion. His eyes, a fierce icy blue.
Personality
Ordinarily, Saru enjoys every aspect of life, and thinks being overly-serious will lead to an early grave. He jokes, laughs, and makes sarcastic comments constantly. After the disaster, he has withdrawn into himself. He rarely cracks a joke, and keeps a grim facade most of the time. When he's inebriated, or otherwise out of his right state of mind, Saru will return to his joking, jovial self. Deep within himself, he hopes that he will find a group to loosen up around, and enjoy life again.
History
The Kaze Family, the Plains Reconnaissance Corps, and the Beast Wars
In the beginning of the Beast Wars, the forces of man were at a disadvantage. The Beastmen were an unknown threat, something that had never been seen or documented before. Mankind quickly gave up ground as the Beastmen war-machine overran everything that lay in their path. The powerful families in Píngyuán Hotly debated on a course of action to combat the Beastmen threat. Then, in a rather extravagant entrance, Jiromate Kaze, the current patriarch, proposed a specialized unit that would act as an advance force to attack the Beastmen before they could do further harm to Humanity. Twenty men volunteered to join this ambitious new group. It took five years for them to be finished, but his unit had changed from the men who left that city meeting. On their first mission, the group of men decimated a platoon of Beastman troops without losing a single man, or even having any casualties. More and more men joined the group and the Plains Reconnaissance Corps was born. With the FRC leading the charge, the Beastmen were repelled from the Píngyuán region and the Corps moved to other regions besieged by the Beastmen to aid in their struggles.
After the Beast Wars ended, and and at the beginning of the Clan Wars, the PRC watched and waited. Jiromate's second son, Taika, stepped up to lead the PRC so that the oldest child would be able to safely lead the family without worrying about mortal danger. The next generation to join the PRC declined the leadership position, instead letting it go to someone who knew more of the position than they. This tradition continued all the way until Saru joined their ranks.
Birth and Young Childhood
Saru's birth seemed to be a godsend for the Kaze family. His mother had been in a constant state of illness after his older sister, Kisara, but finally managed to give birth to him after four long years of sickness. A small celebration was held in the Kaze family when his birth was announced. As he developed, he developed a cheeky attitude and a habit of playing pranks on the family and hiding, fitting his name. On his sixth birthday, Saru's magic ability was, as custom dictated in the family, tested to determine if the potential to utilize chi. He passed, and showed great potential. From that day, he began training in preparation for joining the ranks of the PRC as was his duty.
Young Childhood to Entering the Corps Academy
Saru trained to excel in the Corps before most other children even knew what the Corps was. In tradition with the old ways from the Beast Wars, Saru would taken to an unknown location and be left alone for a week, be asked to draw accurate maps of varying areas, and strict combat training and fitness regimen. The first time he was left alone, he very nearly died of dehydration but managed to survive. His father held nothing back in training his son, and Saru knew it. His father would never let him die, but he would let him come to the very edge of death as a learning experience. His father often repeated "My son, Death comes for us all, but make sure you run him ragged while he tries to get you." Over the next few years, Saru's speed, ingenuity, and adaptability grew. His free spirit and willful nature never left him, however, and he almost saw the training as a permanent vacation that he wouldn't ever have to leave.
On his fifteenth birthday, Saru's father came to take him for what would be his final training mission before he joined the PRC academy. His father explained that this would be his longest and most arduous trial yet, handed him a bundle of unknown items, and firmly embraced him before taking him to where his survival trial would be. Once his father had left, Saru opened the bundle. He found several vials filled with an unknown liquid that seemed to glow green without any other light, several water-proof packages of powdered herbs with markings on them, and a letter. The letter read:
My son, this is it. Your final trial. These vials will determine if you're truly ready to join the PRC as your great grandfather started years ago. These solutions and their accompanying herbs are a closely guarded secret of the family. You are not to tell any other soul. Here are detailed instructions on what to do in order to get the full effect of these concoctions. Do NOT mess up these instructions, it WILL kill you. Good luck, my son. I hope this will not change you. Good luck.
Saru sat in the thicket he'd been placed in, reading the instructions. These were strange formulas the likes of which he'd never before seen. Mixing the first packet of herbs with the green solution changed the shade to a deep purple that smoked. It emitted a rancid smell, yet Saru grudgingly swallowed it in one gulp. At first, nothing happened. He grimaced, both from the taste and the fact that he'd done that in the first place. The tincture took effect a moment later. The world pulsed, blurred, and spun. Saru pitched forward towards the ground. He fell face-first into the dirt, unconscious. Hours, or was it days, later, Saru woke. He shook his head and stood, gazing up at the canopy. How long had he been out? The sun shone brightly overhead, when it had been dusk before. His head ached, and his eyes teared up. When had the sun been so oppressively bright? Saru took shelter underneath a nearby tree and tried to make sense of what happened. The herbs and vials of liquid seemed to call to him, and he re-opened the letter to read the next instructions. Mixing the ingredients, the liquid turned an electric blue this time and bubbles ferociously. Saru hesitantly swallowed it, and the world instantly slowed down. He slumped next to the tree, watching world as if he were underwater. Time passed unabated. When the world returned to normal, Saru continued to mix and consume the rest of the chemicals in the order that was wirtten down. Each tincture caused differing effects, yet Saru knew somehow that something was changing.
A month later, Saru emerged from the woods a much different man than when he went it. His pupils had turned to slits, his body was devoid of almost any fat. His muscles were surging with new energy, yet slim and efficient. He returned to the Kaze estate to be greeted by his beaming family, astounded at his own changes. Two weeks later, Saru entered the Academy.
PRC Academy
Nothing beyond making a several friends and meeting his squad-mates really happened at the PRC academy. He made quite a scene during the initial training, as he exceeded all of the aptitude tests that were thrown his way. It wasn't long before he was placed at the top of his class, along with five other exceptional students. He, and the other five, became close friends and formed the premier squad among all the recruits in their hundred-man class. Those years seemed to fly by for Saru, and before he knew it graduation day was approaching, just shy of his twentieth birthday.
The ceremony, with all the higher ups present to commend the graduates, didn't make quite match the description his father had of the PRC of old. The ceremony hall was only a quarter of it's capacity full, and the officers in charge didn't seem to take the graduation seriously. While slightly saddened, he still seemed to be swelling with pride at the fact that he'd finally made it. He recited the code of the PRC with pride and gusto as all the trainees did at the end of graduation:
"We are the blades among the grass. We are the swords in the shadows. The falcons of the plains. Where the Beasts may roam, we will follow. We strike before they strike. We are the phantoms who haunt their dreams. We fulfill our duty to the end, even if it means to die on the field. For the cities of Man, we guard from the skies. We are the Plains Reconnaissance Corps! The Plains are ours!"
The cheering seemed to echo for ages after the last syllables were uttered.
The First Assignment
Post-graduation PRC life dulled Saru's once vibrant enthusiasm. Days filled with constant drilling and waiting were all that he had to look forward to. He began to question why he even needed to be here when his talents could be used elsewhere. One year later, Saru was called to the commandant's office. His unit's first assignment had been handed in. A small group of Beastmen had been scouted to the south, Saru and his unit were charged with rooting out the enemy and eliminating them if possible. What would follow was a nightmarish slaughter of his entire unit. Saru, bound by the vows of the PRC, couldn't return when he should have died, yet he tried to. After his debriefing, Saru was imprisoned, facing execution for deserting his unit when they needed him most. Saru managed to escape, but in doing so marked him for death by the PRC. He has since been selling his kris to whomever paid him the most, trying to live as best he could before the PRC finds him.