Isamu, Zenkokhai

[zen]

Name:
Isamu, Zenkokhai

Nickname:
Zen

Age:
24

Gender:
Male

Species:
Human

Position:
Neutral

Powers:
Blade Dance: Over the years Isamu’s skill with the blade has only sky rocketed until it finally reached its peak, and his attacks became so swift and graceful that it appears as if he is dancing with silver flashes streaking the space around him.

5 Pronged Blind: This skill is the reason he has earned himself the nickname “The Illusionist of Death.” With this skill, he is able manipulate the 5 senses of another and have them experience what he wants them to experience. In all reality, what he is doing doesn’t exist but can be very convincing. He normally tries to avoid using this skill in order to bring harm upon another person, but if he does, what he has them see was the last thing they saw. This skill was acquired as he trained his mind at the same pace he trained his body. As he pondered the bases of reality, he was managed to actually remove all distractions of his mind and became aware of the very fabric of perceptive reality. Branching from that, he has learned ways to manipulate perceptive reality and create things out of nowhere. However, the truth is, nothing is there. (CD: Major uses of this skill last up to 5 character posts[10 total posts - Fellow RPer must gauge their characters ability] after a major use Zen must let the mind of his opponent refresh and become used to a world without maniplation and this process usually takes up to 5 character posts. [Solid number is a reflection of fellow RPers previous gauging] Minor uses of this skill -- for example creating a duplicate to take a hit or the imagination of multiple attacks -- can be used repetitively.)

Clear Sight: After training his mind to such an extent, Isamu has managed to look pass his own distractions and those of others. People usually put up masks, to hide something about them or to manipulate others feelings. Clearing his mind of distraction to open it to the truth of reality, he can pierce the shields others put up in order to see their true being. With this skill his eyes shine a bright blue and he can tell if the innocent are truly innocent and if the dark of heart are truly evil.

Since the orbs engraved into the side of are green and red materia, learning their uses Zen can expand his arsenal of abilities to the very limit of both colors. (Green materia's spells are here.) The origin of the powers behind the orbs are still unknown to him and he alone has only been able to discover the following.

Guardian: Engraved in his blades case is an orb of green material. Utilizing its abilities, Isamu is able to create barriers in order to protect himself or others. (When using the barrier beyond a parry with the virtually indestructable sheath, Zen has to wait 1 character post after a sucessful use and dispel before using it again. However, if the barrier is broken after absorbing as much of an attack as it could, it cannot be used again for 5 character posts and at this time his sheath and powers are most vulnerable)

Cure: Engraved in his blades case is a green orb. Utilizing its abilities, Isamu is able to implement aid to the hurt. (CD: Every other character post)

Blazing Blade: Engraved in his blades case is a red orb. Utilizing its abilities, Isamu can summon flames which in turn engulf his sword, giving the skill its name. When using this skill, every post the flames grow stronger and more unstable thus Zen cannot use the skill very long. After 3 posts Zen MUST release or endanger burning himself and loose his sword. (CD: 3 Character posts)
Blazing Blade – Release: Branching from his ability of blazing blade, Isamu channels the energy to the tip of his blade in order to release the flames in as a projectile. The power of the release is directly proportional to how long Zen held back the power and a third level release would require a cool down time of at least 3 character posts before using again at all. Otherwise, the release can be fired rapidly back to back up to 2 posts of time before requiring a cool down time of 3 posts again.

Summoning: Utilizing the red matria on his katana, he can summon the guardian sprite resident within it. The sprite original form is a 6 inch tall blue flowing dress woman with long dark hair that reaches just above her knee. If she choses to remain small her features are often over-shadowed by the blue radiant glow that surrounds her small body due to the suns reflection across her garments. If Sanzen ever chooses to enlarge her original form, which is rare since there is no benefits to doing so, she appears as previously described. The only difference when she gets larger is that her features become more noticeable and can be described accurately by the apitame of beauty. Soft inviting facial features with deep dark blue eyes that glisten happiness and an perfect female hourglass shape that is held tightly ONLY around her waste and loose everywhere else. Her clothing is mostly conservative and covers everything except her forearms and her lower thigh for ONLY her right leg. When her attire is defined by her size, its easy to notice she was wearing a split dress with a mildly silk see through poncho like accessory that covers her top and arms before falling down her sides.

Her name is Sanzen and has the ability to transform into anything as long as she isnt larger than Zen. Normally she travels in a ferret like form.


Weaknesses:
Zen may be mentally strong in terms of how well he knows himself and the things around him; however, he is easily swayed by persuading arguments that use his own moral standing.

5 Pronged Blind: This skill is mostly used to overcome the weak minded and cannot work to full strength if its target is well put together. As far as practicality works the only part of this skill he could use on anyone is the visual illusions that don’t have any effect other than fool the target into thinking something is there. Normally the blind would cause the illusions to come to "life" through sound and even the ability to inflict pain; however, no actual harm would come to the target.

Clearsight: It’s mostly an RP tool used to aid his judgment of the people he is around before coming up to wrong conclusions. Strong minded people still have a relative immunity to this skill; however, there are still traces of a targets intention regardless of their mental strength. In those cases Zen is just skeptical since traces if a dark aura or light aura could just mean the target is confused.

Guardian: This skill is mostly used to enforce the defensive capability of his sheath. If Zen increases the size of the barrier around his sheath to protect his entire body (Or people around him) the strength of the barrier decreases proportionally with a greater chance of shattering.

Cure: When Zen uses this skill to heal, he can only heal wounds and prevent death, not revitalize.

Weapon:
Katana. Steal case with a small green orb which makes the case indestructible due to the barrier effect of the green orb. There is also a red orb on other side that he uses to summon his sprite aid Sanzen

Picture:


Appearance:
Zen has a standard athletic build in which no muscle can truly outperform the other, instead his muscles are built to work in perfect union with one another. Zen’s body muscle structure allow for him to be both agile and powerful enough to be a quick and deadly samurai. When focusing on the smaller details present on Zen’s body, it becomes clear that he stands to exactly 6 feet tall and has a battle scar across his chin that he obtained during one of his first violent clashes with a sword. Upon further speculation Zen’s features like his hair and skin tone are questionably odd since he is mildly tan, however, has natural 100% White hair that is normally found in a pony tail with a length reaching just pass his shoulders. Finally, Zen’s remaining physical features prove he is a visually peculiar man are his eyes, Zen’s eyes are heavily black with a noticeable (In light) dark blue ring around the middle of the iris.

Referring to what Zen wears on his body one may notice a rectangular shaped, slight prescription glasses found normally hanging loosely on his face that normally go unnoticed due to what seems like an invisible frame. Looking down from his face, the next thing to catch ones eye are the strings to the large cone shaped straw hat he has hanging loosely behind him covering his shoulder blades. Bellow the string is an open black-white hooded jacket with white rims followed by a silver hang that reaches just above his ankles. (Note: length is similar to a nobody robe) Certain things that separate this jacket from others that could be found like it is the ripped part of it that exposes his right forearm. The reason Zen’s jacket was ripped was in order to allow for him to equip a black. White rimmed arm guard that comfortably covers the back of his hand all the way up his forearm and is attached by strong black elastic bands that stretch across his forearm twice and once across his palm. Although Zen’s jacket is open, he does not wear a shirt under it of any sort, so his bare chest and stomach are easily visible. The only thing that may strain the option of being able to see Zen’s chest is the white sash like scarf that wrap loosely around his neck and mostly sit on his shoulders loosely enough to cover his upper chest area. Looking lower on Zen’s body, one would notice the black slacks with a white sash running around them that hold his weapon in place on the left side of his body. Finally, the last things one may notice when looking at Zen are his feet which are wrapped within straw sandals and white tabi. (SOCKS!)


Personality:
Zen is an intellectual and thus thinks things through and would never do something without reason. Ever since the meaningless killing of his father, Zen has composed a strong sense of justice that can and has overwritten his better judgment and caused him to do things he normally wouldn’t have because he felt as though it was all for “The greater good.” Naturally Zen is a pacifist and would never raise his blade at any undeserving person, however, because of Zen’s hang ups in terms of justice, he would not think twice to attack and kill whomever necessary to achieve his perception of peace. Since Zen is a pacifist, under normal circumstances he would not attack someone even when provoked because his initial reactions would lead him to reasoning with another person. Even if someone Zen is trying to reason with is attacking him, he would do his best to avoid and parry up until the very moment he MUST fight back either for survival or “There is no other way – It cannot be helped.”

What caused Zen to become the person he is now are his self reflections upon previous actions he took during a massacre of his own doing. Zen had murdered hundreds upon the false belief of doing an overall “Justice” and upon looking back at the time could never forgive himself for being so careless. Ever since, Zen has put reason before everything else, however, due to his past he has realized his reason can be led astray and could never forgive himself for his actions. If Zen is ever put into a situation that reminds him of his past, he often falls into a state of such intense self reflection that he is stunned unable to “move on.”

Zen has evolved into a mostly peaceful person that thrives on tranquility and smiles. Whenever he has the chance Zen would easily lose himself in peace and slowly but surely silence and eliminate the storms of his mind. Assuming he is surrounded by people instead of nature, he shames himself upon accepting help and prides himself upon helping anyone in any way he can. For years Zen has been lost to misery presented daily to him by how his life has currently played out, however, whenever joy appears in his life Zen cannot help but indulge in the moment and forget. Sadly Zen doesn’t get happy often due to the mental “Barriers” he put up to maintain stable emotion, however, he like everyone else can be opened little by little.

Original World:
World of Dragons

Current World:
World of Dragons

History:
Zen used to live in a small town, untapped by urbanization and left as it traditionally was. A respectful place where things weren’t settled by war, if anything, it was settled by a simple duel. These duels weren’t to death, only to victory. Everyone was skilled in the ways of the sword, some more than others. Still, in comparison to the rest of the world, it was a pretty peaceful place.
Since he was old enough to walk, his father one of the most respected swordsman in the town, taught him how to wield a sword. Even then his father’s lessons were brutal. The rigorous hours his father put him through left him bare and unable to stay on his feet. Many times Zen stayed out on the grass and went to sleep there instead of his bed from pure exhaustion. At first Zen did argue that his father was being harsh, but he was never able to win since it would always end in a duel he couldn’t win. Their duels were never like the real thing, they always used wooden swords and his father would win all the same.
Zen does have to admit that there were times when he hated his father for what he did, but by the time he hit 15 he came to realize it was exactly that which made him the great person he was. In time, Zen became just as respectable as his father was and became confronted with many challenges. His training made it easy for him to win until he came across this one person. The exalted child of a rival family, Choiji, got into an argument with Zen. The feud led to a duel, and this time, with actual swords. Sparks flew as theirs katanas clashed. Almost every swing was blocked and countered. At first neither of them made progress until Zen tried dodging to make an unorthodox move. The move led him to victory, but left him with a scar. Zen was left with a scar down his chin since.
The fight with Choiji angered Zen’s father when he found out. Zen was left with a punishment for the mules; he had to carry 2 gigantic sacks of wood up a mountain and back when his father got their. His father didn’t go up with him to see whether or not he did take the sacks up, he only told him he would meet Zen up there after he did something. Zen only nodded as he walked over to the 2 sacks and began his punishment while he saw his father take his katana and walk out the door in the direction to town.
It didn’t take long for Zen to make it to the top of the mountain. He made it to the top within 2 hours. What surprised him thought was that he didn’t see his father. This punishment was a usual and he would always spot his father near a small pond at the top. But this time around, he wasn’t there. Zen waited with the 2 sacks until nightfall. Zen found it odd that his father still didn’t make it up. With concern for his father, Zen rushed down the mountain leaving the sacks at the top. On the way down he noticed a big circle of people near the center of town. At that point he knew something was wrong, and not seeing his father at the mountain made him feel even worse.
Just as Zen reached the large group of people, he took a short second to catch his breath before be began to plow through the people towards the middle. People gave him sad looks as he went though. Wondering why, Zen rushed faster to the middle. When he got to the middle he finally understood why, his father was lying down dead with a katana in his chest.
With a heavy heart Zen rushed towards his father’s corpse as tears and anger began to build up. The sudden news of his father being killed struck Zen down as his knees became weak and he fell to his father’s side. “Why…,” Zen asked as he looked over his father, staring at the wound the katana was in as if it could blink, “WHY!?” The people around him only watched as they began to disperse out of respect.
Looking up at the katana itself Zen noticed something different about it. At that point Zen was overcome with great anger as he noticed the pattern of the katana. The pattern was the same one used by the Choiji’s family. Zen grits his teeth against each other as he stood back up to pull the sword out of his father. “I’m going to kill them,” he whispered to himself as he threw the katana to the side away from him or his father, “I WILL AVENGE YOU!” Thoughts were his last words before he ran off back to his home in preparation.
That same night Zen went to strike down Choiji’s family. The only thing he brought with him was 2 canisters, one filled with a lighter fluid and another with water. As he walked through the abandoned streets of his town, he came up to his father still lying dead in the middle. Zen walked over to him and took his father’s katana. It was a family passed down blade; he couldn’t just leave it there. Zen rose the blade up to his head as he took note of 2 jewels on it. One jewel was red and the other was green, looking as the blade reminded him of his father’s multiple lectures of what they meant. Zen remembered his father mentioning how the red jewel stood for the soul of the family and how the green stood for new beginning. There were many times when he wanted to use the katana before, but his father always turn his plead down as he mentioned the kind of deal it was for their family.
As Zen held his families katana in his hand, he felt a great power(awakening of his illusion power). He felt as if he was being backed up by his whole family as he held the blade in place. Zen tilted his head onto the katana as he closed his eyes, paying respect to his ancestors. “Thank you,” he whispered as he ran on ahead to Choiji’s house.
When he reached the house, great angered ruled his heart. Zen went over to the side he knew all the bedrooms were and set a small corner ablaze using the liter fluid he had in a canister. After he lit that side of the house, Zen went over to all the other exits and did the same. Soon enough, they would all die. Knowing this, Zen went back to his father’s corpse to pay his final respect as he took his dead body and buried it on the mountain, next to that same pond he was supposed to find him in the first place.
Ever since, Zen’s life changed. After that night, he never set foot on that town again as he made a new path away from it. Along this path, Zen became the greatest Samurai. As Zen walked the path he set since that night, Zen went from town to town, correcting the wrong that was committed in each. Soon enough he became known as “The Liberator.” However, others called him, “The Illusionist Of Death,” due to an ability he had. Whatever the case may have been in the town he visited, he always did what he thought was right as he ended the life of many. He only did it trying to prevent people like Choiji’s family from running amok until he realized he was the only one doing a greater wrong. Zen noticed that he was the only one running amok, he was the enemy.
At that point he decided to take another path. Not the path of another, but his own path. When Zen finally awakened to himself, this is when the sword did the same as a sprite showed herself to him. The sprite has a warm glow that gave comfort to Zen in his knew state of confusion. “I’ll walk the path with you,” The sprite said to Zen as she floated around him. Zen just smiled as he looked ahead and signaled for the sprite to come along.


^2 Years ago^


Role Playing Sample:
It was a warm fall day in the land of dragons as a gentle wind lightly pushed the leaves off their branches and onto the ground. Most of the trees in the area were cherry blossoms so the landscape was covered in a bright pink color. The beautiful scene gave a feeling of peace and tranquility, allowing for uninterrupted thought.

"It reminds me much of home," Zen muttered into the air as he sat, legs crossed, against at the base of a cherry blossom. Zen had been relaxing under the tree for quite some time now so his body caught onto countless pedals. Under the tree he meditated as he put the storms of his mind to rest. Zen was in complete tranquility until his silence was broken by his guardian sprite who was awoken by what he had said before.

“How so?” Sanzen asked as she removed the countless pedals over her head in order to look up at Zen. Opening his eyes to the now setting sun of The land of Dragons, Zen squinted trying to keep the sun out of his eyes as he looked down at the sprite struggling to get out of the pool of pedals on his lap. “The tranquility of the area, and the peaceful nature of the humble villagers,” Zen stated as he tried to recall his old home, “I only wished my home could always stay the way this place is now…” There was a short pause as Zen rose his hand to his face, pinching the top of his nose trying to forget of his past. Sanzen noticed what she had said put Zen in a mental place he didn’t want to be, so she decided to leave the topic.

“We should go,” Zen stated as he lowered his hand from his face, “Before it becomes dark and the scourge come to claim the night.” Sanzen only nodded as she transformed into a ferret and scurried up his robe in order to rest behind the flap of the chest piece. With Sanzen safely in her usual spot, Zen got up as all the pedals tumbled off his clothing and fell to the ground. Some pedals were still on his robe, but he ignored them as he made his way to the nearest town, leaving a trail of pedals behind him.

Before Zen could make it to the town, darkness fell and the beings of night came alive. Zen eventually could spot the light of the town ahead, but it soon disappeared as the darkness began to shift. “This is just great,” Zen uttered knowing what was going to come next, “They are coming.” Immediately Zen turned around to find himself confronted with a small legion of dark yellow eyed beings. Lowering his gaze a bit Zen took notice of the trail of pedals behind him. “We were followed,” Zen said surprised to find out that the heartless were able to even take the pedals as a hint. “Would you like help?” Sanzen squeaked from inside Zens jacket as she stuck her head out to the heartless standing in front of them. “No thank you. You stay inside, I have it this time,” Zen said as pulled out his sword case with his left hand and held it horizontally in front of him. In a small flash of light, Zen unsheathed his sword and lowered himself into a battle position.

With his sword firmly pointing at the heartless and the case at his side in a defensive position, he was ready for what ever the heartless could dish out as they began their onslaught. The heartless descended onto Zen in waves and one by one they all disappeared into a puff of smoke as Zens blade flashed through them. Zen’s movements were graceful as he danced with his blade in order to kill. The numbers of the heartless dwindled until what seemed like three remained. When the remaining heartless attacked they all met their end to Zen's blade almost instantaneously with their decision to attack. Confident of his triumph over the heartless Zen lowered his guard to an unseen shadow rise at him. Only having enough time to turn his head, Zens eyes widened as he saw the heartless reach him from his blind side. ‘Oh no,’ Zen thought as he realized his error knowing he wont be able to recover from it.

Before Zen realized it, even that heartless exploded into nothingness as Sanzen had disobeyed his wishes of allowing him to fight alone and killed it. With the last heartless of the gone, the darkness around them lifted as Zen could return his attention back to Sanzen and himself. Although Sanzen disregarded Zen's orders, he was just relieved to still be alive after a sloppy mistake. Zen returned to a neutral stance and took a deep breath before concerning himself over Sanzen's silence. Sanzen was in a bladed form that resembled a Jaguar and stood deathly still. Normally Sanzen may have taunted Zen for needing her help in the end, but for once she didn't. When Sanzen finally move she raised her head to let out a metallic roar before tensing her body and growling viciously while baring her fangs.

Sanzen's absent taunts were explained by her actions, she clearly noticed something or someone that caused her to act so aggressively. Zen's curiosity over Sanzen's actions compelled him to look about. Zen's eyes shined a brilliant blue as he and Sanzen scanned the area around them in search for anything potentially malicious. Through his search it became clear that Sanzen wasn't concerned with a pending second wave of heartless, but her concern did come from the curious shade that followed his patch of petals. The full moon may have been high in the night sky but its light wasn't enough to illuminate the figure enough from the shade of a Cherry Blossom. "Yes?" Zen questioned as his Clear Sight diminished after not being able to reveal anything of the figure's character. Zen couldn't tell whether or not the figure had ill intentions and it seemed as though Sanzen wasn't going to take any chances.