Toshiro Kurogane [Approved; No Tier]

Basics

Name: Toshiro Kurogane
ALIAS:  
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Height: 6'0
Weight: 160 lbs

Personality:

Toshiro is a very interesting man.  This is a man who spent his life perfecting his swordplay, as well as his skill with just about any weapon.  Why?  Because life is cruel and if you don't smash it over the head with a Morning Star, then it'll just waltz right in to your house and drink your milkshake...and then proceed to try and kill your entire family.  He lives his life under the basis of "prepare for the inevitable".  If one can master self defense, and how to fight, then a lot of the worst things life can throw at you can be stopped.  He lost a lot of things when he was a child, so he keeps himself at top performance in order to prevent it from happening again.  Is he a tad bitter?  Secretly yes, I mean his father and brother were slaughtered when he was a child.  He doesn't take that out on people (unless they pull a "too far" moment).  Still, the whole thing left him a tad sore and sometimes he might be slightly avoidant in getting close to people.  This might contradict his theory of stopping problems by nipping it in the bud and overpowering the problem, but still.  He can't be around someone every moment of every day, and if they die away from him, then it'll just be a repeat of his childhood to him and he'll get a little pissed.

At the same time, he is also a gentle man.  Sure, he by no means acts gentle, but deep down he is.  Someone who is observant might find that he is a gentle soul.  He is very poetic at heart, and he can write stories that can touch people's hearts.  Stories of heroism, romance, and sacrifice.  The stories often have the underdog who is a runt manage to defeat the supreme evil, representing how he wishes he could handle the man who destroyed his village.  He isn't stupid though, and knowing that he will never be able to handle Nobunaga, he will never once try to fight him.  Another village gets razed, he will just lead the effort to evacuate, as well as take out the peons.  When interacting with people he is confident, has a lot of wit and snarky humor, and just seems to do his own thing.  Still, if you get to know him you'll see the gentler side of him, a side of him that can be very comforting and calming.  On the other hand, if you are his enemy you get confidence, a bit of toughness, and flat out sarcasm at times.  You also do NOT disrespect Toshiro.  His demeanor demands respect, and to show disrespect is a horrible idea.  He won't put up with disrespect.  He just won't.  You will get snark, sarcasm, and if it is bad enough there may even be passive hostility within it.  He won't challenge someone to a battle unless he considers them a fighter or warrior, so non-combatants who disrespect him will just get the cold shoulder.  Even people who can fight won't get him to fight them unless they disrespect him poorly enough, and if someone declines the challenge he won't fight them unless it was REALLY REALLY bad.  As a random note, he does NOT like being caught with his hair down.  Being caught with his hair down is like catching him naked, only worse.  There will be anger, annoyance, and he will force you from the room.  Regardless though, despite his demeanor, after all that's happened to him, he needs some friends or love to comfort him.

Appearance

Appearance:

Spoiler:

Combat

Equipment:

In his travels he has acquired expensive and high quality weapons, such as a Katana, a standard sword, a chain and sickle, a spear, a pike, and a morning star.  He does not carry them all at once, but usually has several stored back at his home in Zhilihan.

Skills:

Master Swordsman:  Despite having no arcane powers to speak of, Toshiro is a god with a sword.  Without magic to augment him, he put all his training into his physical self, both with raw strength and finesse. He is strong enough that he can actually manage to fight many arcanists and actually hold his own despite no magical augmentation.  He has no enchanted equipment, no fancy spells to fire off, but when it comes to games of pure skill, he generally comes out on top.  If someone is an equal to him in skill and strength, then which wins is up to that fight.  Naturally the strongest of Arcanists and Evokers will probably have the upper hand, but most beings will lose to him if you take magic out of the equation.  He is also an expert with various other weapons, such as the chain and sickle, the spear, the pike, and the oh so infamous morning star (and all it's variations).  His skill with those isn't quite up to par with his swordplay, but he strives to not only improve them to the same level as his swordplay, but to improve his swordplay further.

Expert Martial Artist:  Toshiro is skilled at martial arts.  He knows many fighting styles, and can be almost as deadly unarmed as he is armed.  Disarming him is NOT a way to make him non-lethal.

Writer:  Toshiro is actually a good writer.  His stories can touch the hearts and souls of those who read them, and they are quite poetic. Speaking of, he also writes poetry.

History and Roleplay Sample

History:  Toshiro was born in a small town in Zhilihan.  It wasn't much, but it was a thriving community and the people were all really nice to each other.  This is where Toshiro spent the early years of his life.  He had a father, a mother, and an older brother, Toshizou.  They were a close and happy family.  The father and mother worked every day, but they always came home and spent time with their children.  Toshiro and Toshizou were very close as well.  As little children would, they would play together and run throughout the town and the fields.  Unfortunately, this was only the first few years of his life.  A terrible catastrophe, he was 7 years old.  The village became engulfed in flames one night.  Arrows tipped with fire rained from the sky.  A dark and ominous energy covered the sky, the sun being blotted out by the corrupted power.  Strange men clad in armor rampaged through the city, setting everything ablaze and slaughtering everyone.  Toshiro's family was on the other end of town, so as the blaze approached they attempted to escape.  The sound of blade and spear hitting flesh was strong, and the death hordes were quickly approaching.  Their parents were fast though, and they lead the children out of the village quickly.  Unfortunately, they ran into him.  The man wore armor of black and a cape of crimson.  He looked down upon them with soulless eyes.  As Toshiro's father attempted to protect their family, a mere swat of the crimson cape sent him flying into a tree.  Toshizou screamed and ran for his father, but a click could be heard as a shotgun pressed against his head.  The trigger was pulled, Toshiro's brother was dead.  His father got back up and asked why he would do something like this, but his questions were met with another swat of the cape, he got sent hurdling into yet another tree.  "Run..."  Were his father's last words.  "Take Toshiro and run."  Toshiro's mother took her child into her arms and ran as fast as she could.  The demonic figure would have chased and caught them, but Toshiro's father used the last of his strength and once again got in his way.  Toshiro's father and brother both died that day, but his mother refused to lose Toshiro too.  She ran and ran, never stopping to even look back.  Eventually her strength gave out, and she collapsed.

Toshiro cried out, begging his mother to get up.  It never happened though.  She gave everything, every last ounce of strength in an attempt to preserve the life of her child.  She used it all, running as far as she could to ensure the man who slaughtered her husband and son wouldn't get the last of her family.  He sat there for days, no food or even water just staring at his mother and crying, knowing everyone was gone.  He'd have died out there if it wasn't for one man.  A kind old man happened upon the scene.  He comforted Toshiro, not asking what happened, but merely comforting that everything would be okay.  This man, Kenshin, took Toshiro.  He ended up saving Toshiro's life, but Toshiro would never forget the name Nobunaga Oda.  The old man raised Toshiro out in the woods.  Toshiro helped the man with a lot of the hard work, and thanks to the old man's kindness and teachings, was growing up to be a fine young man.  When Toshiro was 12 though, something happened. Early in the morning there was a knock at the door.  It woke him up, and he went to go see what was going on.  Upon reaching the living area, he found Kenshin negotiating with a bunch of rather burly threatening men.  Toshiro had flashbacks to what happened to his family, and got worried.  However, when the kind old man's words failed to deter the brutes, he resorted to his fists.  Despite the size difference, Kenshin took down each and every man effortlessly.  This concept amazed Toshiro, what could have been a repeat of his childhood trauma was averted through skill in combat.  He begged and pleaded for Kenshin to teach him how to fight, and after a time the old man agree'd.  For years Toshiro was taught martial arts and the way of weapons.  He was also taught the way of literature and learning, in order to keep balance in his life.  Upon reaching age 18, he was an expert and Kenshin had nothing else to teach him.  Still, the old man knew that Toshiro needed more than solitary life in the forest could give him.  He needed to go out into the world, interact with people.  Toshiro explained all this to Toshiro and by age 19 Toshiro was out in the world.

It took some adapting, but Toshiro traveled all over the world.  He learned the ways of people, even made a few scattered acquaintances.  An identity began to form, and his personality began to truly reveal itself.  He even picked up many new types of weapons and trained to master all of them.  He has been to every country at least once, and is an expert of travel.  He often hitches rides with caravan's, using his skills to protect them in exchange for the travel, and sometimes money and food.  Still, he would always remember Kenshin, and his teachings.  He did have a sense of justice, and as it turns out one of the kind caravaneers who let him travel with them recently had his daughter abducted and taken to a strange place, and perhaps a rescue was in order.

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Comments/Notes:
Tier: No Tier