Leiz Ryada

[hoffman]

[[Repost because the thread with Leiz & Myde's profiles got moved to the Dark XII section. I guess I'll keep them separate. ]]

Name: Leiz Ryada

Age: Biologically 16, Physically appears to be 16.

Gender: Male

Species: Belevadian (Humanoid)

Position: Neutral

Power(s):

• Survivalist: Leiz is a trained survivalist. If you gave him a few days or even hours in nearly any environment, he'd be able to figure out how it functions and thrives. Initially, Leiz's survival knowledge was intended for situations in which he's stranded in unfamiliar territory. However, this knowledge does extend itself to Leiz's current duties as a courier, especially when deliveries need to be made to worlds that are a bit more desolate and unpopulated.
  
• Intelligent and Constructive: Leiz only has a few years of schooling under his belt, but he's quite well-read in spite of that. He's not a genius, but he's a talented do-it-yourself kind of guy. Or at least, he was taught how to be that way in the military. Leiz is able to maintenance all of his equipment, drastically cutting the expenses of traveling on his own.
  
• Marksman: Leiz has also developed a good proficiency for long-range firearms as a result of his training. Though he only has a pistol on him nowadays, he's quite familiar with any type of conventional firearm that XMR manufactures.
  
• Pilot: Leiz pilots a Gummi Ship for XMR as a private courier. Being that he delivers quite a lot of packages, his ability to pilot is often his most practiced skill. Asides from the fact that he can outmaneuver most heartless in space, there's not much to say here of note.
  
• Magically Inept: The one major thing that Leiz isn't so great at is magic. The potential for using magic exists within this military boy, but it hasn't yet been awakened.

Equipment:

• Unarmed: As a result of his training with XMR's military, Leiz is a bit of a force to be reckoned with. Ideally, Leiz vies for disarming his foe before taking any other measures. If he really feels threatened, Leiz will fight back with force until his opponent is critically wounded or unconscious. Besides his unarmed knowledge, Leiz is also equally proficient with bladed or blunt weapons. But compared to more seasoned warriors such as keyblade wielders and nobodies, Leiz is 'green'. This may change due to the natural accumulation of experience, though he isn't doing any serious practicing at the moment. To summarize this the best, Leiz is a dangerous unarmed combatant with a preference for disarming his foes.
  
• Bruiser: The "Bruiser" is a directed energy weapon styled after a pistol that fires small bolts of plasma. These plasma bolts do not pierce, making it considerably less threatening than long-ranged weapons that use projectiles. Still, it is capable of different levels of impact force making it a weapon that is ideal for a variety of circumstances. The pistol takes specially-manufactured magazines that contain enough energy for six shots - regardless of the type of shot that is used. This is due to an inefficient use of the energy stored in the cartridge's battery and is the reason why XMR soldiers seldom carry this type of firearm.
  • Level One: Comparable to the pain one would feel if they were being zapped by a tazer for about a second.
    
  • Level Two: Level two shots have the impact force of a full-powered jab. The possibility to stun the enemy with these kinds of shots is present, but minimal.
    
  • Level Three: The highest level of output that a Bruiser is capable of. It has enough force to knock a humanoid back onto their rear, but does not cause any lasting damage.

[/size][/li][/ul]
[/li][li]Kilika Charm: Leiz received this charm from Hayner for helping him find some lost pictures. When activated, Leiz gains access to "Water" for six posts, and any other spells he's picked up temporarily raises up one level of power.
[/li][li]Snow Bear: A strange bar of ice cream that Leiz found in Radiant Garden. Rumored to give temporary access to ice magic, this powerful dessert empowers Leiz with 'diamond dust' for four posts. Though he often keeps it refrigerated on the ship, Leiz usually takes it around with him in a heat-voiding bag - courtesy of XMR.
[/li][li]Earth Crystal: While hiking in Radiant Garden's mountain range, Leiz happened to find this peculiar synthesis item, not sure what to use it for. When utilized in the synthesis of a weapon, it will endow that weapon with earth-element damage.[/li][/ul]

Picture:


Appearance: Leiz is a humanoid of Ebaujian and Tenurian descent who possesses a darker skin tone and wild, green hair. From a distance, he appears to be a lithe boy teetering between teenhood and adulthood. Standing at an unimpressive 5'7", he may be shorter than other men his age, but he's always found a way to compensate.

Except for one thing that he can't seem to elude or get around.

Up close, Leiz has looks so good that you'd swear he was a girl or a extremely effeminant guy. This has caused him more trauma than he could bear - as a result, he's often considered growing a beard or maiming his face, but hasn't because he'd look like a bearded lady or downright ugly. That, and he can't even manage to grow facial hair. At the same time, it can't be denied that Leiz's facial features seem hardened from several years of serious military and courier work. He has eyes as sharp as a hawk's, almost slanted in design, and carries with it dark violet pupils. Leiz's nose is averagely-sized and pointed... not so much to a tip, but rounded at the end. Then there is his mouth. With a subtle underbite from the jaw and thin sultry lips, Leiz's mouth is probably his most attractive feature.

Leiz's attire is rather glum and unsaturated. He is almost always seen with a black, short-sleeved windbreaker with an imprint of the old Belevadian flag on the back (which X.M.R. still uses to this day as a banner for the world, even though this is a bit misleading). He also often wears black capri jeans along with two mid-calf-high leather boots, though this is subject to change based on climate conditions.

Personality: Leiz is mainly introverted, almost always thinking about himself instead of other people. Although this makes him out to be rude, he doesn't always act like it. He's also rather cynical when it comes to working with others, believing that everyone else is incapable of doing anything the right way. This is almost perfect for his line of work, considering that it only takes one person to do his job.

If one were to take a look at his few decent traits, his most admirable qualities would have to be his loyalty, determination and discipline. When he has something on his to-do list, he'll deal with it as soon as he has the next available opportunity to do so. His determination is also strong: when Leiz is motivated to do something, he often pulls no stops in getting it done. Essentially, this leaves him with a strong heart (in the sense of determination), but also a stubborn nature. Almost in defiance of his introversion and short temper is the aforementioned loyalty he has to XMR as a soldier.

His loyalty is a quality least expected from him, but it can be achieved. His modus operandi for being loyal lies at his very core - his desire to be accepted. Given his introversion and cynicism, this may seem farfetched. But his motivation to prove his strength and capability shows that he is insecure at the core and ultimately wants to be loved and wanted by someone - no matter who that is. This is something that Leiz isn't always conscious of. Many other things could be said as well, such as that he doesn't understand where true strength comes from - or that he doesn't have to be so relentless in order to get what he wants. The saddest part of it all is that it is something that he has done to himself... his insecurities about his physical identity resulted in his breaking off from his family, ultimately losing his support structure. Will he ever return to his family or find the loving support that will get him back on his feet?

Ultimately, his desire for social acceptance is the driving factor behind many of his actions. And because he doesn't really understand how to be accepted as an individual, his tendency to display his bravado and strength have prevented him from going beyond the military.

He has some moral restraint and wouldn't do anything that would inadvertently cause the harm of someone that didn't deserve it. However, in his book, anyone that seriously gets under his skin qualifies as 'deserving'.

Leiz has the short end of the stick when it comes to his temper and patience. Almost anything that's intended to piss him off probably will, and if he's pissed off enough, he might just go into an ass-kicking rage. This is likely attributed to the bullies who insulted his lack of masculinity in his childhood. He wasn't fond of the remarks he received then, and he likely wouldn't be fond of them now.

In general, he's not that bad of a person, but not exactly the greatest person either.

Original World: Belevadia
Current Residing World: Belevadia

History/Background: Enter Leiz Ryada, a sixteen year old boy from Belevadia.

Belevadia, a world ravaged by the corruption of nature, serves as the perfect breeding ground for boys like Leiz. The air is polluted and its once-radiant sky is now but a dull gray, always covered with smog. Majestic lakes and pastures that once populated the land are now barren wastelands and canyons. Ancient cities that would have told people of their past and heritage have either been worn down or decimated. Instead of the sights that would make this world a pleasant place to visit, it has large, industrial cities that only serve to further convolute the land. One major hand to blame in this is the shady and benevolent corporation known as XMR Industries.

But alas, this story is about Leiz and not so much about Belevadia's ebb and flow. Leiz was born into a family of four. He grew up in the slums of Geneil a city that served as XMR's main business and finance sector. Leiz's father, Usen Ryada, was a background finance salaryman for XMR. His position would have implied that they enjoyed a middle-class lifestyle, but that was quite untrue: XMR Industries was a large mountain to climb, and Usen wasn't even at the mountain! Although they still received a plethora of the social benefits that XMR had to offer, Usen was always struggling to keep his job secure. The fact that he had four mouths to feed didn't exactly help, either. Still, Usen persisted and did what he could to keep his family thriving.

At the age of six, Leiz was finally enrolled into primary school. At that time, he was a relatively normal boy, though he did have some quirks. He had inherited his father's negativity as well as a dislike for the system that kept his family financially shackled - other kids his age wouldn't have understood, but he did... albeit in terms that adults wouldn't use ("big mean jerks stopping you from becoming rich"). Leiz's enrollment was like a godsend for his mother who had wanted to return to working as a secretary across town (but couldn't because she was concerned with raising Leiz during the day). With both sons attending school, the Ryada family was slowly reaching a more stable standard of living.

Leiz had learned how to socialize and make friends in primary school, slowly carving out his own path in life. Although his grades weren't astounding in comparison to the school's honor roll, both his teachers and friends could see that he had some brains and respected him for it. Even still, Leiz had more talent up his sleeve than his classmates expected of him. He had a knack for sports: due to his lithe body and flexibility, he was quite capable of participating in many sports that didn't involve height (which he lacked). His athletic friends were envious. It also didn't help that he was appealing and received the attention of almost any girl on campus. Heck, all of his friends were envious. Even though they didn't want to get 'cooties', they certainly didn't like the fact that he was the only one getting them.

And as the years passed, his friends started developing into young men, losing much of that flexibility and petitness that was often associated with early childhood. In Leiz's case, however, these traits never seemed to diminish that much with time. He was ten now, and doctors were baffled at the curious case of the boy's almost “womanly” limberness. So, desiring to get to the source of the boy's physical development, the medical staff ran a few examinations. After running a few tests on the boy, the doctors eventually came to the conclusion that the boy was simply behind in his development and that he would begin to develop properly after puberty.

But not too long after his experience with the school's medical staff, he started noticing things about himself that hadn't been all that obvious until now. Previously, compliments towards his good looks were abound, but they had now ceased. He had found odd, contemplative stares in its stead, wondering why he received those kind of looks. His classmates started shrugging him off, and his inner circle – his proverbial 'justice league' of best friends - had found other kids to hang out with. Yet he never knew the reason why.

Until one day in gymnastics where the teams were being picked for a game of basketball. Leiz was sure that he wouldn't get picked for the team with the taller kids: he was six inches shorter than everyone else, after all. And just as he anticipated, he didn't get picked for that team. But he didn't get picked for the shorter team, either - even though the team numbers were uneven and both could have done better with an extra player, he was left out. When he confronted his classmates about it, they all gave him the same reason: "You'd give us cooties!". It was clear to him what they thought of him now - they thought he looked like a girl!

That was the first step of Leiz's hellish descent into childhood depression, and he now knew that he would never have the same respect that he had when he first started school. Every day from then on, Leiz feared that he would become less of a boy. Anything that came off as girlish to him was met with disdain: he hated their hair, he hated their clothing, and he most certainly hated their faces. And it only got worse from there. His former friends became bullies that preyed on his irritability. Leiz's patience and temper whithered away, leaving him a grim and tortured child. He began to distance himself from the real world, becoming antisocial as he bitterly carried on.

But his situation wasn't so bleak. People who truly cared for Leiz tried to come to his aid. It started with his older brother, Odel, who attempted to console him. Several members of the school's faculty also tried to cheer the boy up, telling him that it didn't matter what he looked like on the outside. However, Leiz only felt that he was being patronized and lied to. With this belief, Leiz vainly decided that he had to do something so extreme and manly that it would get people to look past his girlish appearance.

At age twelve, Leiz joined the military... leaving his mentors, his school, and his family behind.

XMR Industries had a militant youth program dedicated to growing a new generation of "super soldiers" well-versed in all forms of combat. These soldiers would be the ideal solution to any problem that required finesse. The concept of a youth program was crucial to this plan of XMR's. Without a foundation built in a soldier's childhood, their cups would become too full too fast and they would never become the 'all-useful' soldiers that XMR intended for them to be. All that was required to join was a contract, and the terms of a contract weren't negotiable after it was signed. Leiz forged the signatures of his parents on the sheet and provided his information carelessly, not even considering the consequences. Leiz had unknowingly signed his life away.

As Leiz passed through the fold, he slowly transformed into a truly dangerous commodity. At the age of thirteen, he was already equipped with survival and hand-to-hand combat knowledge. He showed promise, but lacked the strength that his comrades had. Even after he started going through puberty, this fact remained consistent. Leiz realized that the doctors were quite wrong – not only was he not developing 'properly', he certainly wasn't all that manly, either. In fact, he couldn't tell the difference between his own face and a girl's. His frustration with this became a catalyst for his quick progression as a valued soldier.

Little did XMR know that they created a monster. Several monsters. Weapons of death. Their plans went off on a tangent: most of their guinae pig youths became incredibly specialized rather than all-knowing. Many of the few who did gain any sort of high-ranking overall proficency became dangerous and 'broken', while the remaining percentage became some of the best soldiers in XMR's military.

By the age of fifteen, Leiz had satisfied the conditions of the contract and had been released from the program. And amazingly, Leiz found himself somewhere amongst the members of the group that XMR had been aiming for. He was lucky to come out of the militant youth program with the knowledge that he had, not to mention his mental state. Were he any less vigilant or disciplined, he would have become broken like the lesser-willed children.

But in spite of his efforts, Leiz didn't come out on top. He wasn't the cream of the crop, but XMR did have an eye on him and put his talents to use. He, along with a few other soldiers, became a part of the "PURGE" unit, a special task-force dedicated to taking care of XMR's top-priority problems. Leiz's lone-wolf attitude, ingenuity and constructiveness made him an ideal candidate for the position of the PURGE unit's private courier, which involved a lot of alone-time and moving around... not to mention delivering some pretty important packages.

For the next year, Leiz started flying for XMR Industries as a private courier. His job was simple, but dangerous: delivering packages that they didn't feel comfortable shipping publicly. He had never flown gummi ships before, but he had a lot of time to get acquainted with flying one. Inevitably, each one of his skills had come into play at one point or another. Since a few of XMR's discrete clients were often paranoid, Leiz would find himself flying out to remote destinations and hiking to the exchange point. That would involve one aspect or another of his survival knowledge, not to mention his combative knowledge if he was obstructed by a heartless or two. Many of the worlds that Leiz visited as a courier were the more populated ones. For him to get clients from worlds like Deep Jungle or the Land of Dragons was rare, but it has happened. Since becoming a private courier, Leiz has visited Agrabah, Atlantica, Deep Jungle, the Land of Dragons, Twilight Town, Traverse Town, Radiant Garden and Olympus Coliseum.

Nowadays, he's still flying for XMR and hasn't seen his family since. Although Leiz has been toughened up by his job as a courier, it hasn't changed the fact that he looks effeminate. Leiz has often reflected on where his life could have gone had he not overreacted to the bullying in his childhood, but he is still insecure of his own masculinity. Leiz has made a vow to not regret the steps he had to take to reaffirm his identity as a man, though his actions will always be viewed by others as incredibly vain.

A SIDE-NOTE: MORE INFORMATION ABOUT XMR

• Origins: XMR Industries is a vague, corporate government. Not many people know of the corporation's exact origins, but it is generally accepted by commoners that they came into power around two-hundred years ago after what appeared to be a total collapse of civilization and governance. By offering social policies and strategically re-instituting an economic system, XMR's founders catapulted the expanding group to the status of an actual governing power. They are often referred to as "the first business", given the hard and unforgiving times in which they were founded in. Since then, XMR Industries' efforts have been aimed at innovative technological research... and their less admirable goal, "how to squeeze more money out of the public without getting them to hate you".
  
• Virtues: Since they regard themselves as a business before a government, XMR knows better than to lend a hand to people that aren't willing to "get with the program". Politically, XMR would have to be a mix of a socialist/fascist dictatorship that only offers security and aid to families where the highest income earner happens to be working for them.
  
• Profit source: XMR Industries is a diverse and multi-faceted company whose main source of income stems from research, manufacturing, providing securities and generating power. Oddly enough, another source of profit happens to come from their most recent endeavor as a sort of galactic trader. Thanks to the recent acquisition of Gummi Ship technology, XMR ships packages out to quite a few planets. Of course, they aren't all public about it. A lot of outgoing packages are discrete, shipped out to customers whose best interests might not be that of the universe's...
  
• Technology: Thanks to XMR funneling a lot of its income into research, Belevadia is considerably more technologically advanced than other planets. On Belevadia you might expect to find modern conveniences like computers, televisions and cars. Fifty years ago, XMR lobbied for a movement towards green energy and as such gas combustion in vehicles is a thing of the past.
  
• Gummi Ships: Around eight years ago, XMR came into contact with Gummi Blocks. Realizing its potential use for space travel, some of Belevadia's finest minds got together to form XMR's first space program... and subsequently their first Gummi Ship. More ships have followed since then, catalyzing the formation of XMR's universal presence as a galactic trade company.
  
• Not that dominant: As of the present, XMR has occupied a good 3/4ths of Belevadia. The rest are occupied by rebel gangs consumed with the thought of taking down this establishment that is ultimately detrimental to mother nature and individuals.

TIMELINE:

• Unknown Date: Belevadia, a once powerful country, falls. Several wars are fought in a massive event known as the "Great Close". States secede. Mysteriously, this planet's peaceful civilization has come to an end. A dark age descends upon its inhabitants...
  
• ~200 yrs ago XMR's first recorded presence in "Ebaujer", a slum city. XMR works towards restoring civilization and order, and ultimately, Belevadia.
  
• 195 yrs ago XMR consolidates their security officers into an actual military.
  
• 185 yrs ago Several Belevadian states reformed, though rebellions form to hinder their progress.
  
• 180 yrs ago XMR forays heavily into research: metallurgy, physics, etc.
  
• 160 yrs ago Rebel forces for the first time ever are actually beginning to be pushed back by XMR's growing military, forming a consistent boundary line.
  
• 150 yrs ago Combustion engine, first CRT television.
  
• 130 yrs ago Rebels begin to diminish in number and stay out of XMR's territories.
  
• 120 yrs ago XMR starts an education initiative that removes World history from the curriculum. The current president of XMR, Stadfonn, argues that knowing too much about the past might spur another war like the one that broke civilization countless years ago.
  
• 100 yrs ago Most previous Belevadian states have been reformed, but new areas have also been included into rebels go underground. In light of their dominant presence, X.M.R. changes the official title of their planet to "Belevadia". On an even more positive note, the first computer is created.
  
• 75 yrs ago Some rebels disperse to another end of the globe, forming 'Tenurae' - the "wild continent".
  
• 58 yrs ago Raa`en Olweus, Leiz's future supervisor, is born.
  
• 50 yrs ago Gas engines scrapped, Hydrogen fuel cells made commercial in fear of environmentalists conspiring against XMR.
  
• 47 yrs ago Usen Ryada is born in Tenurae.
  
• 40 yrs ago Rolou Anried is born in Ebaujer.
  
• 37 yrs ago Usen Ryada moves to Geneil.
  
• 32 yrs ago Usen Ryada is inspired by news of rebels fighting for a noble cause: the protection of mother nature from XMR's prying, industrial hands. He joins a gang, hoping to funnel its actions towards a rebel agenda.
  
• 27 yrs ago Usen Ryada damages his back in a gang fight, compromising his goal of leading a successful rebellion against XMR in Geneil.
  
• 23 yrs ago Usen is talked out of his gang by a certain pretty woman named 'Rolou'. Usen becomes complacent and gets a job at XMR as a financial paper-pusher.
  
• 22 yrs ago Usen and Rolou wed. Odel is born.
  
• 16 yrs ago Leiz is born.
  
• ~8 yrs ago Gummi Blocks & Ship discovered. Space program started. XMR starts sending pilots out to other worlds, uncovering other civilizations at a slow but consistent pace.
  
• Present XMR firmly established as a galactical trading company.

Role Playing Sample:

"Ha ha, ha. Thank you, stranger."

The hunched, cloaked elder took the package in his feeble arms, his eyes gazing at a sheet of paper sandwiched between flesh and crate. The delivery-boy's eyes took notice and he promptly snatched it with a gloved hand just as it was about to be blown away by a gust of wind. He sighed in relief.

"Remember, it's a secret to everybody. We're not going to go around telling people who we're making deliveries to. That contract you signed was written confirmation that your lips are as sealed as ours."

"Oh, hee hee. It doesn't mattah, there ain't no one out here anyone anyway. Not fer miles." And the centenarian was quite right... Radiant Garden was probably about twenty-five miles away. It would be quite a feat for someone of his advanced age to get out that far. Amongst the rocky purple dunes, the only other beings out here were shadows.

Still, the boy honestly had to wonder how he managed - the elder lived in some small shack this far out into the mountains without so much as an apple-bearing tree. Where did he get food from? Was he the one delivering the food? And, more importantly, where did the old man even get the means to contact XMR?

These thoughts were almost immediately dismissed at the admittance that there were individuals far more shady than this senior. It wasn't really his place to inquire about things that did not concern him. The impact that knowing about these kind of things would be absolutely trivial and that is why he believed XMR to have a "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

"Pfft. You're off your rocker, old man. Maybe you'd be better off if you had someone watching you."
Having completed his business there, the adolescent turned around and began to walk away, concealing his hands in the large pockets of his windbreaker. He headed straight for what seemed to be a large, multicolored piece of architecture. Its geometry was non-complex, composed mainly of interlocking cubes save for two right-angle triangles jutting out from the sides of the large prism. It was a Gummi Ship like any other, not looking to be the least bit conventional or aerodynamic.

On his walk to the ship, Leiz hadn't quite realized two vital things: That in an ironic twist, his inner child screamed for the love and company that he thought the old man had lacked and needed. He was the one that needed someone watching him.

And then there was two: the lecherous old twat mistook the boy for the fairer sex and had been eying his posterior for the duration of this brief little adventure. An action so morbid to Leiz that it likely would have stuck with him for the rest of his days. Fortunately, in this momentous occasion of ignorance... it didn't.

A cleverly hidden hatch about the size of a human made its existence known as it slid out sideways along the ship's starboard, letting light pour out from the interior. Leiz stepped through the opening as the hatch began to close shut, obscuring the view of the Gummi Ship's inner workings and sole occupant from the environment.