Here I go again, eh? I have certainly put more work into this profile than any other yet, and do intend to put even more work into it. I even intend on making this one my main character alongside Nanoko... well... not technically "alongside"... but whenever I feel like playing an elementalist I can play Nanoko, and whenever I feel like using fists and steel I can play Saya! 3nodding
Now, because I put so much effort into it, I would hate it ever so much if those who read it couldn't fully enjoy it. So, if you are using pretty much any version of Windows except Vista and don't currently have the Japanese language installed go here!
And in case anything is wrong with that link:
http://www.white-clouds.com/iclc/cliej/cl16eng-install-xp.htm
Character’s Name: (相楽、鞘) Sagara Saya (Japanese Connotation, with family name first)
Nickname: (山吹) Yamabuki; the Wild Rose, (抜刀斎) Battosai; Master of Battojutsu, the art of drawing the sword.
Race: Human
Age: 27
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 145 lbs
Hair: Long, black, and rather unkempt. Most of it is tied up in a traditional Japanese bun, with the occasional strand sticking out and falling down to her chest or back. Three larger locks are braided and separated from the main bun, one in back acting as a hair-tie around the bun and dangling a short distance, one to the side and draped about randomly, and one consisting of a larger portion of her left bangs and mostly dangles over her shoulder or to her upper chest, shorter than the rest of her hair.
Eyes: Brown and distinctly Japanese.
Profile: While conceivably an ‘average’ person, Saya distinguishes herself with her eccentricities. Her skin is tanned, smooth, and tinted the standard Asian yellowish color. She has a toned, muscular build that still manages to conform to modern feminism, and while genetics dictates her to be lacking in a robust chest area, she can still be considered quite beautiful. Her curves are smooth and easy on the eye, the ideal body of an athlete. Then begins the eccentricities... aside from her hair, which is uniquely stylish yet terribly unkempt, she also adorns a somewhat unique outfit. She wears an ornate, billowing, white kimono that is quite large and loose-fitting from the bust down. It is patterned with an assortment of flowers ranging from white to red and its sleeves are long, flowing a good two feet down from her wrists (a symbol of an eligible bachelorette in Japan). The obi is black, decorated with the same flowers as the kimono, and tied into a fanciful bow at her back. She also wears white fingerless gloves that look suspiciously similar to American biker gloves, as well as a pair of white slipper-like shoes, padded and designed for comfortable, quick, and silent movement.
Weapons:
(剥き出しの女神) Mukidashi No Mekami; Exposed Goddess - An ornate Katana and her primary weapon. It’s main feature, and the reason behind its name, is its lack of a tsubasa, or hand guard of any kind, and as such she has never drawn the sword for defense. Its white scabbard and hilt fit seamlessly together, making it look like one piece while sheathed. It is decorated by a Chinese dragon bulging from the scabbard and carved as the hilt; the tail, legs, and body wrapped around the sheath while the head and front arms/legs make up the handle. Both hilt and scabbard are made of a chord reinforced stainless steel, putting them among the stronger metals and not easily dented or broken. The blade itself is comprised of a carbon steel alloy slightly more durable than standard stainless steel and sharpened to a paper-drop edge. (A quality determined by a blade’s cutting through a piece of paper dropped upon it.) From the mouth of the dragon at the end of the hilt hangs a string of black slate beads and a small white feather preserved at the end of the string.
Tanto - A standard sized Japanese dagger fastened in the knot behind the bow of her obi. This concealed weapon is made of the same material as her Katana, making it strong, durable, and sharp, and the tang is enforced through the full length of the hilt. The hilt is wrapped in traditional Japanese style cloth chord and both handle and sheath are made of a poly-fiber synthetic wood reinforced by a small layer of steel; not tremendously durable, but combat-efficient.
Equipment:
(数珠) Juju; Buddhist Prayer Beads - A string with black slate beads strung across its short length. Beads such as these, in various lengths and sizes, are commonly used as a medium for Buddhist prayers and rituals. One part keepsake, one part supernatural enchantment, these Juju are the key to Saya’s superhuman abilities. Said to be blessed by a powerful entity, they grant the user incredible, albeit brief and physically taxing, enhancements to speed and strength. The power is far too advanced to draw on the user’s own energy, and so it is activated by mental ‘graces’ offered by giving respects to the deity during battle.
(偽りの視九) Itsuwari No Shiriyoku; False Sight - The second of the Sagara family heirlooms, this four inch long pure white feather also possesses an ancient enchantment. Tapping into the energy of the user, this artifact can create various illusions of sight and sound. Combining this with the beads creates the most powerful technique the Sagara family has ever forged.
Abilities: Saya is, for all intents and purposes, a master of the Japanese sword. Her form, style, and vast knowledge of Japanese combat could well exceed Musashi himself, and her accomplishments in Karate and Kendo are second only to her complete mastery of the Iaido arts and Battojutsu. Her non-enhanced abilities are equal to those of a gold medal Olympist.
Beads (戦勝を通じて血) Senshiyou wo Tsuujite Chi; Victory Trough Blood - As a means of tribute, Saya may gain an extra (total of 2) ‘grace’ point by striking the enemy with any solid blow, cut, or stab. The enemy must be injured, however slightly, by the blow for the deity to be pleased and grant the extra ‘grace’. (戦勝を通じて犠牲) Senshiyou wo Tsuujite Gisei; Victory Through Sacrifice - As a means of tribute, Saya may gain two extra (total of 3) ‘grace’ points by being struck with any solid blow, cut, or stab (including magical attacks). Saya must be injured, however slightly, by the blow for the deity to be empathetic and grant the extra ‘graces’. (神の恵み) Kami No Megumi; Divine Grace – Imbued with godly power, the performance of Saya’s muscles is multiplied by X, increasing strength, speed, and agility. X is equal to the number of ‘graces’ sacrificed to activate it plus one. This technique puts serious strain on her body, however, more so the higher level she activates. Cost: 1 ‘grace’ for every level of multiplication, where 1 = doubled, 2 = tripled, etc... (狂经脉) Kyokeimyaku; Frenzied Nerves - This imbuement causes the nerves throughout her entire body to bulge, creating a branching, veinous network of ridges on her skin which looks similar to swollen blood vessels. This ability causes her to become super sensitive to everything around her. In this state, Saya's senses, speed, and reaction time are dramatically increased, enabling her to immediately react to attacks before they're performed. With this ability, she claims she can see every drop of blood, hear every move of her enemy, and even feel every grain of sand that falls on her body. Cost: 2 ‘graces’ for each turn. (地龍閃) Ka-Ryusen; Air Dragon Strike - Containing all the power of the beads into just her arm, Saya can draw the sword with such force as to cause a gust of wind to erupt from the sheath. The blast is a mere two inches wide, extends the length of the draw, can travel up to 50 feet with full force, and delivers impact damage equal to that of a hard softball thrown at 75mph. (Like being hit by an intermediate-level batting cage pitching machine.) Cost: 1 ‘grace’. (龍鳴閃) Ryumeisen; Dragon Howl Strike - Containing all the power of the beads into just her arm, Saya can sheath the sword with such force as to cause an ear-splitting sonic boom. To unenhanced ears this sharp blast is not enough to cause bleeding, but it can still cause severe pain and disorientation including, among other things, slight loss of balance. Cost: 1 ‘grace’. (土龍閃) Doryusen; Earth Dragon Strike - Containing all the power of the beads into just her arm, Saya can deliver a heavy strike to the ground or an object with such force as to cause it to shatter and send a volley of debris flying at the enemy. The level of danger the debris hold is entirely dependant upon the material of the surface struck. Cost: 2 ‘graces’. (龍巣閃) Ryusosen; Dragon’s Nest Strike - Containing all the power of the beads into just one arm, Saya can deliver a flurry of thrusts at the enemy fast enough that they appear to be occurring almost simultaneously. Due to the enhancements on her muscles, each thrust is still as powerful as one of her unfatigued, unenchanced thrusts. Cost: 2 ‘grace’ for each 5 stabs. (九頭龍閃) Kuzu-Ryusen; Nine-Headed Dragon - Pushing her body to the absolute limit (with the help of the beads, of course), Saya attains a state of god-like speed and power. With this she unleashed nine attacks, one at each of the standard points-of-attack, so insanely fast that they appear to all be striking at the same time. This is said to be the ultimate attack for which there is no defense since all nine points-of-attack are struck simultaneously with no loss in power for any of them. The previous proprietors of this technique were all fairly muscular, as mass significantly affects the power of the strikes, and therefore had enough fortitude to withstand the extreme stress it puts on the body. Saya, being of a smaller, slimmer build, is strained to the point of near collapse and her combat-efficiency is significantly diminished after using this technique. Cost: 9 ‘graces’. (天翔龍閃) Amakakeru Ryu No Hirameki; Heaven’s Bridging Dragon Spark - Pushing her body to the absolute limit, Saya attains a state of god-like speed and power. With every fiber of her strength, she unsheathes her sword in a standard Battojutsu attack. This attack is accented by stepping forward with the back foot, an extremely dangerous maneuver that defies all Iaido teachings, to attain a draw speed that surpasses the gods. This attack is said to be the ultimate counter for two reasons; 1) the speed at which the attack is unleashed can strike down a foe even as their attack begins to touch Saya, and 2) the speed at which the sword is drawn creates a vacuum in the sheath that is powerful enough to suck an unsuspecting foe into range of the attack, preventing it from being dodged even by the fastest of foes. This attack puts significant strain on Saya’s body, but is far more suited to her build than the Kuzu-Ryusen. Cost: 9 ‘graces’; however, if Saya does not have enough ‘graces’, she may sacrifice 10% health for each ‘grace’ she lacks to use this technique at any time.
Feather (残像) Korizou; Afterimage – Tapping into Saya’s energy, the feather projects an illusion of Saya onto the field. This illusion is controlled by Saya’s will, but is merely a trick to the eye and can be discerned by an ever-so-slight distortion in the air around it that can barely be recognized by a very cautious eye. Cost: 10 energy to cast and 2 to maintain. (偽りの像) Itsuwari No Zou; False Image - Tapping into Saya’s energy, the feather projects a perfect illusion of anything she wishes. This illusion is controlled by Saya’s will and perfectly simulates both sight and sound of the thing being simulated. Cost: 20 energy to cast, 10 to maintain.
(絶技ー9の像の最後の踊る) Zetsugi – Kyuu No Zou No Saigo No Odoru; Image of Nine’s Final Dance - The Sagara ultimate technique, developed by Saya herself, utilized both the beads and the feather to launch a devastating attack that requires far less physical strain than the other finishing techniques. As a bonus, because of how much less strain it causes, and through the deity’s “Victory Through Blood”, this technique often leaves Saya with an opportunity to launch a second finishing technique in the case that the enemy did not fall entirely to this one. The speeds at which the transitions are made in this technique make a counterattack nearly impossible. (Total Cost: 9 ‘graces’ and 450 energy.)
(一つ) Hitotsu; First Strike - Saya creates a False Image of herself drawing her sword in a standard Battojutsu attack as a feign to convince the enemy to parry prematurely, then follows up with a bead-enhanced draw attack of her own. Cost: 1 ‘grace’ and 20 energy.
(二つ) Futatsu; Second Strike - Because Saya and the False Image of her previous attack ended at the same point, the enemy would be unable to discern between the two when she has it round up and attack one of the nine points-of-attack while she attacks a second, usually on the opposite end of the body. Cost: 1 ‘grace’ and 10 energy.
(三つ) Mittsu; Third Strike - Making sure the False Image ends at the same point as her again, she creates a second and repeats the previous maneuver with each attacking a separate point, further decreasing the opponent’s chance at guessing the correct point at which to block. Cost: 1 ‘grace’ and 30 energy.
(四つ) Yottsu; Fourth Strike - The same maneuver as above with a third False Image. Cost: 1 ‘grace’ and 40 energy.
(五つ) Ittsu; Fifth Strike - The same maneuver as above with a fourth False Image. Cost: 1 ‘grace’ and 50 energy.
(六つ) Muttsu; Sixth Strike - The same maneuver as above with a fifth False Image. Cost: 1 ‘grace’ and 60 energy.
(七つ) Nanatsu; Seventh Strike - The same maneuver as above with a sixth False Image. Cost: 1 ‘grace’ and 70 energy.
(八つ) Yattsu; Eighth Strike - The same maneuver as above with a seventh False Image. Cost: 1 ‘grace’ and 80 energy.
(九つ) Kokonotsu; Ninth Strike - The same maneuver as above with an eighth False Image, completing the illusion of striking all nine points-of-attack and making a block extremely unlikely. Cost: 1 ‘grace’ and 90 energy.
A Brief History: Saya was born into a warrior clan in feudal Japan, and, as the firstborn to the head of the clan, she had a very rough childhood. Raised by the men as a warrior and successor to everything they had and represented, and trained by the women as a courtier and proper lady, her early life was full of extremely hard work and contradiction. Despite the overwhelming pressure, Saya persevered and grew to be a prodigy. Her intelligence and tactics rivaled those of experienced generals at a very young age, and she had mastered nearly all forms of the Japanese sword faster than any man had ever been known to. By the age of 14 she could already best most of the warriors in her clan in both combat and tactics, and could even pass for a proper lady to those who weren’t already preconceived at her notorious combat reputation. By the age of 20 she was everything the clan could ever hope for in a successor and more, and even already looked upon as being superior to her father and the true leader of the clan.
It was then that the leaders began to grow jealous of her fame and talents. As both a younger warrior as well as a woman, Saya was looked upon with the utmost respect and the leaders could not stand such a person being respected above them. They finally decided to send her away on a journey of self-discovery on her 21st birthday and told her that when she returned she would undoubtedly be ready to assume the mantel of clan leader. Thus, with their “blessing”, as well as a few family heirlooms, she left.
After about a month of wandering, she found herself in a busy port town and was passing the time by drinking in a local pub. It was there that she met, enraged, and subsequently humiliated the captain of a notorious pirate crew that had been terrorizing the Chinese coast for years. The Captain, not one to pass up such tremendous opportunities for reasons so simple as total humiliation, later enticed Saya to join his crew with the promise of riches and glory. Saya, fingering her already near empty coin-purse, agreed.
The six years she spent as a member of this pirate crew honed her skills and talents to a level that was unsurpassed in all the known world, and it wasn’t until one fateful day that her skills would truly begin to be tested. The hearty pirate crew had weathered many a storm upon the open seas, and the ship had been built by a master and wasn’t easily damaged... but nothing could compare to this storm; the hurricane was the strongest this side of the Pacific had ever seen. After what might could be conceived as a valiant fight, the ship was destroyed.
No one knows what happened after that... one moment Saya was sailing through the air with a one-way ticket to the deathly enraged waters below, the next moment she was lying peacefully upon a beach with all of her things in tact. Her sword, beads, feather, money... even her kimono was still in one piece, although quite wet and sandy. A short, disoriented walk would reveal her to be on the shores of the great Gambino Island! The people of the island were kind enough; it was obvious she was shipwrecked and needed tending to, but the only problem was they spoke an entirely different language and could not assess any more than that. Thusly, after she got washed and cleaned up, the exploration of this strange new land would begin!
 Seena Brighteyes · Fri Aug 31, 2007 @ 04:01pm · 0 Comments |
