Post by Sesshoumaru / Yuunagi no Kimi on Dec 31, 2011 21:44:16 GMT -6
General Info
Full Name: Yuunagi
Title: Demon Prince turned Vagrant Polymath
Age: Apparent age similar to that of a human in their 40’s. | Real Age is approximately 1,000
Species: Daiyoukai / Obake (Shape-shifter) – He’s a water spirit whose true form manifests as a creature resembling a serpentine dragon. He is a hybrid between a snake obake (his father) and a dragon (his mother). Although, since dragons—especially his line—are a form of divine beast, he might actually be a form of daihanyou. However, rather than the term applying to a half-human half-demon mixture, his is a half-demon half-divine mixture.
Class: Artist, Scholar, Engineer, Scientist, and Humanologist
Gender: Male
Appearance
Skin: White
Hair: A dark violet-brown, although in the right light, it can take on a lavender hue.
Eyes: Pale blue like the cresting of ocean waves.
Height: 5’11”
Weight: Approximately 150 pounds
Picture:
Image 1, Image 2, Image 3, Image 4.
In-Depth Human Appearance: He is a shapeshifer who has the ability to appear fully human. He can also take on forms both male and female—however male is preferred form. He also tends to take on darker haired appearances and retains his blue eyes. The age may depend on what he is trying to do while taking on a human appearance.
In-Depth Demon Appearance: His “default” appearance is that of a male who looks to be in his thirties. He usually keeps his long hair swept back, and out of his face. He is a bit of a “pretty boy” due to having an angular face and narrow jaw. He tongue is forked. His figure is not at all bulky or muscular in appearance. Rather, he is a bit lanky. His complexion is pale, unless he spends too much time in the sun. He can get a rather uncomfortable sunburn if he’s not careful. He likes to be well dressed, and often wears fancy looking clothing. He likes embroidered patterns. He also tends to wear darker hues like blue or mahogany with golden accents. He has a tendency to frequently moisten his lips while speaking.
In-Depth Dragon Appearance: His dragon form is that of a serpentine dragon. His scales are blue in overall color, with a yellowed belly. On his head are two horns. There are no feet along his body, however, he does have a set of fins in the upper area of his body. He also has a spiked, eel-like fin that spans the length of his back. Another fin is at the end of his tail. His head is spade-shaped like snake, and contains sharp fangs. He can dislocate his jaw to consume food. In the manner common of Chinese dragons, he has feeler at the end of his mouth that resembles two long whispers near his nose, and a bear at the tip of his jaw. His overall body is very long and twisty. When in this form, his eyes glow a ruby red. His dragon form is a form he rarely takes.
Equipment
Mount: At moment, he enjoys keeping a mare named Aida. However, he is fully capable of getting around without one. He is capable of flight; however, it is not exactly a comfortable thing to do. It tires him out very easily. He prefers travel by sea. If traveling by air or land, a mount if more comfortable.
Workshop Inventory: Most of his tools are kept in his workshop. He has tools to use in Alchemy, as well as in painting and sculpture. He likes to construct apparatuses for his experiments, so he may also have carpentry tools. To further his studies in anatomy, he as a secondary workshop—a remote cave—where he dissects corpses.
Personal Inventory: When out, he does carry a dagger for protection. He may also have upon him a notebook in which he can draw or write, as well as ink, a brush, and charcoal. He keeps a coin pouch so that he may make purchases in human markets. He also has poisons, potions, and elixirs.
Armour/Garments/Jewellery: He has little in way of armor, for in demon form, his scales serve as a natural protection. He does not often take to wearing armor in human-form, if ever. When it comes to his garments, his tastes tend to lean towards the styles found in the Middle Kingdom. The clothing he wears can often be rather ostentatious looking, with things like gold embroidery and elaborate patterns. Perhaps as habit similar to those of western dragons, he likes to horde pretty things. He wears jewelry such as rings, and has pierce ears. He also wears an amulet with a red stone.
Weapons/Charms: The closest he would have to a formidable weapon are the chemicals he keeps in his workshop. He dabbles in alchemy, and knows how to brew poisons, potions and elixirs.
Attributes
Mortal/Immortal: Immortal
Blessings/Curses: Yuunagi likely doesn’t have any curses; however, his family probably considers Yuunagi, himself, to be a curse upon their line. As the son of a seasoned warrior, Yuunagi is a far cry away from being a formidable fighter. As far as blessings go, his high intelligence, creativity and unquenchable curiosity has made him something of a polymath among youkai. He’s more brains than brawn.
Resurrection/Reincarnation: n/a
Immunities: Being venomous himself, poison is generally not effective on him. He also has a high defense against weapon damage due to being of dragon blood.
Strengths: Intelligence and cunning. Yuunagi’s nose actually functions as an infrared receptor, which equates to thermal form of night vision. His tongue is able to both taste and smell simultaneously. It also provides a directional sense where he can track prey and their movement. He is also very sensitive to vibration—an ability that allows him to sense the movement that which he might not be able to see. He also becomes stronger in water, and his senses more potent.
Weaknesses: When it comes to sensitivity to temperature and humidity, it is his water dragon blood that came out dominant. He prefers locations of high humidity and moderately warm air. Places that are too cold or too hot are uncomfortable. He is not particularly fond of deserts because they tend to make him feel dehydrated, weak, and slow. He is also poorly skilled in weapons and combat. Due to his snake heritage, he is nearsighted (however, his close-up vision is very good). Due to his nearsightedness, he may often stand uncomfortably close to people while talking.
Abilities/Powers:While moderately capable of handling a sword, he prefers the quill. He is more of an orator, and prefers to solve problems through debate. He is an excellent swimmer. He has control over water, and can create clouds and floods if he so chose. He is also a shape-shifter. His viper heritage has made him venomous, but also immune to most toxins. Due to his hardiness, he can probably hold his own against a common human soldiers long enough that they will tire and afford him an opening. However, he would have a hard time fighting experienced warriors. He is more likely to flee, or try to talk his way out of trouble. In a way, it could be said that he’s more like a shield than a sword.
Personality
Traits:
--Intelligent - To the point that he often come off as arrogant. He can be very stubborn when he has his mind set about something he believes to be true. However, if faced with contradicting evidence, he will make changes as needed.
--Pacifist – He prefers discussion to battle. However, do not take that to mean he is a pushover. If he has to, he will fight for what he believes in.
-- Honest and Dishonest – He can fall either way depending on the situation. He holds honesty in the higher regard, but it is not always opportune.
-- Pragmatic with bouts of Optimism – He tends to to look at things rationally, but also tries to see if there can be a positive outcome. He's had enough misery in his life, and wishes not to perpetuate it.
-- Independent and Dependent – He is an odd mixture of both. He likes to be in crowded places, but still tends to keep others at a certain distance. In a way, he is a “city boy.” He left his family at a young age to travel abroad, thus forgoing his position as cloistered heir to a Demon Warlord. He prefers to live in larger cities—where a certain amount of animosity is afforded. He prefers human communities to demon, so that he may better study them. However, he tends to have to move every 10 or so years to avoid suspicion that he is not human.
-- Free Spirit – He is not often on to conform, or to follow rules and regulations. He believes that such can be restrictive to creativity. He prefers to be free and uninhibited.
Habits: As a fledgling-pup, he was often criticized for being too much of a dreamer, for he was always thinking about “pointless and nonsensical things.” He has been viewed as easily distracted, and often unable to focus on anything for too long a time. Boredom comes easily to him, so he often tries to find new things to keep his interest. He also does not like to remain in once place for too long, for it makes him antsy.
-- Flamboyant – He can sometimes be an attention seeker, and has a tendency toward wearing ostentatious clothing.
Hobbies: Reading, writing, philosophy, history, culture, mathematics, science, Chinese alchemy, and the arts.
Fears: When it comes to romance, he has a fear of commitment. He also has a fear of his father.
Sexuality: Pansexual
In-Depth Personality: His temperament is mostly docile and gentle, however, there seems to be a darkness lurking under the surface. Yuunagi has a violent streak. While It does take a lot to irk him, when the dam finally breaks, his wrath can be a raging flood—literally. Fortunately, such anger is a rare occurrence. As a youkai of mixed heritage, he was born of a conflicting nature—one part malicious viper, one part benevolent dragon. The kinder part of him his conscious of his capacity for cruelty, and strives not let hit rule him.
In his interactions with others, he may speak in an earnest and friendly manner—sometimes overly so. His interest in humans may be something inherited from his mother’s dragon blood, for water dragons are said to be benevolent toward humans. Also, as a man who is unskilled in the ways of physical combat, he’s had to learn to use his words to survive—to this end, he’s become a bit of a silver tongue. He tries to get out of sticky situations with his words. If need be, he can be cunning and deceptive in his ways. He is the type of person that would kill an enemy through evasive means—such as poisoning. If there is anywhere in combat which Yuunagi might excel, it might be more on a tactical or logistic end. He is good at playing games like Go and Shogi. He learned Chess while in Europe, and become talented it at it as well.
When it comes to romance, he’s never been able to bring himself to take a permanent mate. Sure, he has experimented with other youkai as well as humans, but he has yet to settle down. He has not been able to find anyone with whom he can form a real connection. His romantic affaires tend to be short-lived bouts of passion that end as abruptly as they started. It would be save to say that Yuunagi has a fear of commitment.
Despite being a youkai, Yuunagi has come to subscribe an ideology similar to that of a mortal humanist. In essence, he is something of an umanista—a Renaissance Italian term meaning “a teacher or scholar of Classical Greek and Latin literature and the ethical philosophy behind it.” He has also studied the Lokayata system of Indian philosophy, as well as China’s Huangdi, the teachings of the Taoist Laozi, and Confucianism. In his youth, he was raised to believe that morality was determined by concepts of honor and dishonor. However, after his studies abroad, he has come to see it more as a matter right and wrong. He is one who prefers to settle disputes through discussion, rather than by steel. In a way, he is a “lover, not a fighter.”
One of his greatest fears might be that he sees that youkai kind are headed toward extinction—primarily due to their inability to adapt and their fears of change. Humans are advancing at an unprecedented rate, while youkai have become stagnant. They are becoming relics of an ancient time, and if they do not do something about it, they will become naught but figures of mythology. Some youkai may think that the solution would be to kill of the humans—Fuumori disagrees. Looking at history, humanity has faced extinction many times. However, each time, they survived and came out of it more populous than ever. All the while, greater and lesser youkai alike are vastly declining in number, as they are busy killing each other off and being killed by humans. He would be one to believe that the key to future survival could be found by studying humans, and learning what it is about them that makes them so hardy.
For these views, Fuumori has probably developed a negative reputation amongst the greater youkai as something of a joke, or an eccentric lunatic. To his family, he is the great disappointment that they prefer not to talk about—a prince who had sacrificed the pursuit power and prestige to a life of frivolity and human-mingling.
To youkai that like humans, he would be seen as one of one of their leading experts on the species.
History
Relatives:Viper Lord Nagahide (Father), Oryume-hime (Mother), Dragon King Au Run (Maternal great-grandfather)
Siblings: He had around 40 half-sibling brood-mates, of which only half survive, and fewer still whose names he knew.
He has no full-siblings, as that his egg was the only egg his mother laid.
Figures: Messer Leonardo da Vinci (master while in Milan), Jinenji (supplier of herbs)
Companions: Aida, his mare.
Friends: Fumori-sama (patron)
Enemies: Raccoons, skunks, owls, hawks, ducks, geese, and other snakes.
Mates:None
In-Depth History:
The son of a vicious viper lord, Nagahide, his decades spent as a fledgling-pup were rife with cruelty. He was his father’s heir, and much his youth was spent learning the ways of war. However, due to his lacking skill toward combat, he ended up being more so a disgrace. He ended up being looked down upon as the weakest of his brood, and a disappointment. Growing up, the other pups would often make fun of him for his failure to meet their father’s expectations.
Unlike his cruel father, his mother was comparatively kind. She had been a prize of conquest, when his father had conquered and plundered the territory of his mother’s father. Despite the turmoil of being mate to a man she hated, she was kind to their son. Unfortunately, there is little about her of which Yuunagi can remember—his time spent with her was more scare than he would have liked. During his adolescent years, his father had killed his mother. It was after his father had returned from battle, and had called for his mother. At the time, Yuunagi did not know the exact circumstance that lead to her murder—only that it was by his father’s venom. It would be many years before Yuunagi suspect this his father must have bitten her. It was a realization he had made only after he had taken his own first lover—one who, although by accident, nearly met the same fate.
In his fifth century, Yuunagi fled from his home. He did not fit in with his family, and had no desire to be a warrior. He set out to find his own path. He started out in the Middle Kingdom, he learned Alchemy from a Taoist who had caught his interest. Over time, Yuunagi continued moving westward. During his travels, humans and their development increasingly fascinated him. He particularly became interested in a new mortal philosophy called Humanism, and ended up spending many years in Italy, during the early Italian Renaissance, to study it. He was in Milan, Italy in the 1480’s where he went under of alias of Marcellino—a name that means “of the sea.” There, he became greatly impressed by a human named Leonardo da Vinci, and took on the appearance of a mortal youth so that he may apprentice the human’s workshop.
Yuunagi has only been back to Japan for the half-last decade, after word reached him about the death of his father and siblings. His family had been slain in battle by an enemy force who afterward seized control of the territory. The new lord then sent his youkai to capture the Sake Lord’s surviving son, as a measure to ensure that the estranged prince would not return to take revenge. Forced to return Japan, Yuunagi was brought before the territory’s new ruler—a fukuro (owl) daiyoukai named Fumori. Yuunagi fully expected to be slain, however the owl spared him. When he asked why, the owl’s only explanation was, “Curiosity, Yuunagi-no-kimi. Thou art… an aberration amongst the Viper Clan. We will see whereat this, thy research, leads.” This curiosity caused the owl to become a patron of Yuunagi. It is a patronage that that has allowed Yuunaki to take up residence near Hakata, a port in the south-western most area of Japan. There, he has set up his workshop since Hakata is a port known for trading ceramics and textiles with the mainland.
Role-Play Sample:
Yuunagi was a week’s journey from his workshop. He had been traveling toward the small village near which Jinenji, the horse-hanyou, lived when he had first caught wind of the smell. He pulled on his mare’s reins, directing her to turn and face the direction of its source—it was coming from beyond the mountains to his north. The mare reared and squealed in protest, spooked. She must have scented it, too. He leaned forward and rubbed his hand soothingly against her neck.
“Aida… Peace,” he commanded softly.
Slowly, she calmed.
He continued rubbing her neck with is left hand, to keep her calm, while he half turned his torso to look toward the mountain range. Inclining his head, the serpent drew his tongue across his lower lip as he tasted the air. The miasmic odor to the air was strong—it’s arced sent now clung to the flat of his tongue like a bad aftertaste. His brow furrowed as he focused, trying to pick apart the component smells. He found that it was an odor that he could not easily recognize, although, it did vaguely remind him of the aroma of putrifying flesh. There was more to it, though—the heady stench of malice.
Malice.
Malice, hatred, and despair.
What could this be? He wondered.
The part of him that was insatiably curious wanted to change course, to investigate. He was about to follow that every urge when Aida snorted and shook her head, as though to insist they not.
Yuunagi turned his pale gaze upon the back of Aid’s head.
“Are you sure?” He drawled as a slow, puckish, smile pulled at his lips, “It could prove most interesting.”
Her head shifted with a jolt, and she seemed to glower over her shoulder at him.
Aida gave a single snort.
“Mah-mah,” Yuunagi sighed. “Alright. Let us go.”
With a whinny, the Aida took off galloping southward. Meanwhile, Yuunagi gave a partying glance toward the mountains. He had an errand to run, after all. He would just have to look into that later.
Full Name: Yuunagi
Title: Demon Prince turned Vagrant Polymath
Age: Apparent age similar to that of a human in their 40’s. | Real Age is approximately 1,000
Species: Daiyoukai / Obake (Shape-shifter) – He’s a water spirit whose true form manifests as a creature resembling a serpentine dragon. He is a hybrid between a snake obake (his father) and a dragon (his mother). Although, since dragons—especially his line—are a form of divine beast, he might actually be a form of daihanyou. However, rather than the term applying to a half-human half-demon mixture, his is a half-demon half-divine mixture.
Class: Artist, Scholar, Engineer, Scientist, and Humanologist
Gender: Male
Appearance
Skin: White
Hair: A dark violet-brown, although in the right light, it can take on a lavender hue.
Eyes: Pale blue like the cresting of ocean waves.
Height: 5’11”
Weight: Approximately 150 pounds
Picture:
Image 1, Image 2, Image 3, Image 4.
In-Depth Human Appearance: He is a shapeshifer who has the ability to appear fully human. He can also take on forms both male and female—however male is preferred form. He also tends to take on darker haired appearances and retains his blue eyes. The age may depend on what he is trying to do while taking on a human appearance.
In-Depth Demon Appearance: His “default” appearance is that of a male who looks to be in his thirties. He usually keeps his long hair swept back, and out of his face. He is a bit of a “pretty boy” due to having an angular face and narrow jaw. He tongue is forked. His figure is not at all bulky or muscular in appearance. Rather, he is a bit lanky. His complexion is pale, unless he spends too much time in the sun. He can get a rather uncomfortable sunburn if he’s not careful. He likes to be well dressed, and often wears fancy looking clothing. He likes embroidered patterns. He also tends to wear darker hues like blue or mahogany with golden accents. He has a tendency to frequently moisten his lips while speaking.
In-Depth Dragon Appearance: His dragon form is that of a serpentine dragon. His scales are blue in overall color, with a yellowed belly. On his head are two horns. There are no feet along his body, however, he does have a set of fins in the upper area of his body. He also has a spiked, eel-like fin that spans the length of his back. Another fin is at the end of his tail. His head is spade-shaped like snake, and contains sharp fangs. He can dislocate his jaw to consume food. In the manner common of Chinese dragons, he has feeler at the end of his mouth that resembles two long whispers near his nose, and a bear at the tip of his jaw. His overall body is very long and twisty. When in this form, his eyes glow a ruby red. His dragon form is a form he rarely takes.
Equipment
Mount: At moment, he enjoys keeping a mare named Aida. However, he is fully capable of getting around without one. He is capable of flight; however, it is not exactly a comfortable thing to do. It tires him out very easily. He prefers travel by sea. If traveling by air or land, a mount if more comfortable.
Workshop Inventory: Most of his tools are kept in his workshop. He has tools to use in Alchemy, as well as in painting and sculpture. He likes to construct apparatuses for his experiments, so he may also have carpentry tools. To further his studies in anatomy, he as a secondary workshop—a remote cave—where he dissects corpses.
Personal Inventory: When out, he does carry a dagger for protection. He may also have upon him a notebook in which he can draw or write, as well as ink, a brush, and charcoal. He keeps a coin pouch so that he may make purchases in human markets. He also has poisons, potions, and elixirs.
Armour/Garments/Jewellery: He has little in way of armor, for in demon form, his scales serve as a natural protection. He does not often take to wearing armor in human-form, if ever. When it comes to his garments, his tastes tend to lean towards the styles found in the Middle Kingdom. The clothing he wears can often be rather ostentatious looking, with things like gold embroidery and elaborate patterns. Perhaps as habit similar to those of western dragons, he likes to horde pretty things. He wears jewelry such as rings, and has pierce ears. He also wears an amulet with a red stone.
Weapons/Charms: The closest he would have to a formidable weapon are the chemicals he keeps in his workshop. He dabbles in alchemy, and knows how to brew poisons, potions and elixirs.
Attributes
Mortal/Immortal: Immortal
Blessings/Curses: Yuunagi likely doesn’t have any curses; however, his family probably considers Yuunagi, himself, to be a curse upon their line. As the son of a seasoned warrior, Yuunagi is a far cry away from being a formidable fighter. As far as blessings go, his high intelligence, creativity and unquenchable curiosity has made him something of a polymath among youkai. He’s more brains than brawn.
Resurrection/Reincarnation: n/a
Immunities: Being venomous himself, poison is generally not effective on him. He also has a high defense against weapon damage due to being of dragon blood.
Strengths: Intelligence and cunning. Yuunagi’s nose actually functions as an infrared receptor, which equates to thermal form of night vision. His tongue is able to both taste and smell simultaneously. It also provides a directional sense where he can track prey and their movement. He is also very sensitive to vibration—an ability that allows him to sense the movement that which he might not be able to see. He also becomes stronger in water, and his senses more potent.
Weaknesses: When it comes to sensitivity to temperature and humidity, it is his water dragon blood that came out dominant. He prefers locations of high humidity and moderately warm air. Places that are too cold or too hot are uncomfortable. He is not particularly fond of deserts because they tend to make him feel dehydrated, weak, and slow. He is also poorly skilled in weapons and combat. Due to his snake heritage, he is nearsighted (however, his close-up vision is very good). Due to his nearsightedness, he may often stand uncomfortably close to people while talking.
Abilities/Powers:While moderately capable of handling a sword, he prefers the quill. He is more of an orator, and prefers to solve problems through debate. He is an excellent swimmer. He has control over water, and can create clouds and floods if he so chose. He is also a shape-shifter. His viper heritage has made him venomous, but also immune to most toxins. Due to his hardiness, he can probably hold his own against a common human soldiers long enough that they will tire and afford him an opening. However, he would have a hard time fighting experienced warriors. He is more likely to flee, or try to talk his way out of trouble. In a way, it could be said that he’s more like a shield than a sword.
Personality
Traits:
--Intelligent - To the point that he often come off as arrogant. He can be very stubborn when he has his mind set about something he believes to be true. However, if faced with contradicting evidence, he will make changes as needed.
--Pacifist – He prefers discussion to battle. However, do not take that to mean he is a pushover. If he has to, he will fight for what he believes in.
-- Honest and Dishonest – He can fall either way depending on the situation. He holds honesty in the higher regard, but it is not always opportune.
-- Pragmatic with bouts of Optimism – He tends to to look at things rationally, but also tries to see if there can be a positive outcome. He's had enough misery in his life, and wishes not to perpetuate it.
-- Independent and Dependent – He is an odd mixture of both. He likes to be in crowded places, but still tends to keep others at a certain distance. In a way, he is a “city boy.” He left his family at a young age to travel abroad, thus forgoing his position as cloistered heir to a Demon Warlord. He prefers to live in larger cities—where a certain amount of animosity is afforded. He prefers human communities to demon, so that he may better study them. However, he tends to have to move every 10 or so years to avoid suspicion that he is not human.
-- Free Spirit – He is not often on to conform, or to follow rules and regulations. He believes that such can be restrictive to creativity. He prefers to be free and uninhibited.
Habits: As a fledgling-pup, he was often criticized for being too much of a dreamer, for he was always thinking about “pointless and nonsensical things.” He has been viewed as easily distracted, and often unable to focus on anything for too long a time. Boredom comes easily to him, so he often tries to find new things to keep his interest. He also does not like to remain in once place for too long, for it makes him antsy.
-- Flamboyant – He can sometimes be an attention seeker, and has a tendency toward wearing ostentatious clothing.
Hobbies: Reading, writing, philosophy, history, culture, mathematics, science, Chinese alchemy, and the arts.
Fears: When it comes to romance, he has a fear of commitment. He also has a fear of his father.
Sexuality: Pansexual
In-Depth Personality: His temperament is mostly docile and gentle, however, there seems to be a darkness lurking under the surface. Yuunagi has a violent streak. While It does take a lot to irk him, when the dam finally breaks, his wrath can be a raging flood—literally. Fortunately, such anger is a rare occurrence. As a youkai of mixed heritage, he was born of a conflicting nature—one part malicious viper, one part benevolent dragon. The kinder part of him his conscious of his capacity for cruelty, and strives not let hit rule him.
In his interactions with others, he may speak in an earnest and friendly manner—sometimes overly so. His interest in humans may be something inherited from his mother’s dragon blood, for water dragons are said to be benevolent toward humans. Also, as a man who is unskilled in the ways of physical combat, he’s had to learn to use his words to survive—to this end, he’s become a bit of a silver tongue. He tries to get out of sticky situations with his words. If need be, he can be cunning and deceptive in his ways. He is the type of person that would kill an enemy through evasive means—such as poisoning. If there is anywhere in combat which Yuunagi might excel, it might be more on a tactical or logistic end. He is good at playing games like Go and Shogi. He learned Chess while in Europe, and become talented it at it as well.
When it comes to romance, he’s never been able to bring himself to take a permanent mate. Sure, he has experimented with other youkai as well as humans, but he has yet to settle down. He has not been able to find anyone with whom he can form a real connection. His romantic affaires tend to be short-lived bouts of passion that end as abruptly as they started. It would be save to say that Yuunagi has a fear of commitment.
Despite being a youkai, Yuunagi has come to subscribe an ideology similar to that of a mortal humanist. In essence, he is something of an umanista—a Renaissance Italian term meaning “a teacher or scholar of Classical Greek and Latin literature and the ethical philosophy behind it.” He has also studied the Lokayata system of Indian philosophy, as well as China’s Huangdi, the teachings of the Taoist Laozi, and Confucianism. In his youth, he was raised to believe that morality was determined by concepts of honor and dishonor. However, after his studies abroad, he has come to see it more as a matter right and wrong. He is one who prefers to settle disputes through discussion, rather than by steel. In a way, he is a “lover, not a fighter.”
One of his greatest fears might be that he sees that youkai kind are headed toward extinction—primarily due to their inability to adapt and their fears of change. Humans are advancing at an unprecedented rate, while youkai have become stagnant. They are becoming relics of an ancient time, and if they do not do something about it, they will become naught but figures of mythology. Some youkai may think that the solution would be to kill of the humans—Fuumori disagrees. Looking at history, humanity has faced extinction many times. However, each time, they survived and came out of it more populous than ever. All the while, greater and lesser youkai alike are vastly declining in number, as they are busy killing each other off and being killed by humans. He would be one to believe that the key to future survival could be found by studying humans, and learning what it is about them that makes them so hardy.
For these views, Fuumori has probably developed a negative reputation amongst the greater youkai as something of a joke, or an eccentric lunatic. To his family, he is the great disappointment that they prefer not to talk about—a prince who had sacrificed the pursuit power and prestige to a life of frivolity and human-mingling.
To youkai that like humans, he would be seen as one of one of their leading experts on the species.
History
Relatives:
Siblings: He had around 40 half-sibling brood-mates, of which only half survive, and fewer still whose names he knew.
He has no full-siblings, as that his egg was the only egg his mother laid.
Figures: Messer Leonardo da Vinci (master while in Milan), Jinenji (supplier of herbs)
Companions: Aida, his mare.
Friends: Fumori-sama (patron)
Enemies: Raccoons, skunks, owls, hawks, ducks, geese, and other snakes.
Mates:None
In-Depth History:
The son of a vicious viper lord, Nagahide, his decades spent as a fledgling-pup were rife with cruelty. He was his father’s heir, and much his youth was spent learning the ways of war. However, due to his lacking skill toward combat, he ended up being more so a disgrace. He ended up being looked down upon as the weakest of his brood, and a disappointment. Growing up, the other pups would often make fun of him for his failure to meet their father’s expectations.
Unlike his cruel father, his mother was comparatively kind. She had been a prize of conquest, when his father had conquered and plundered the territory of his mother’s father. Despite the turmoil of being mate to a man she hated, she was kind to their son. Unfortunately, there is little about her of which Yuunagi can remember—his time spent with her was more scare than he would have liked. During his adolescent years, his father had killed his mother. It was after his father had returned from battle, and had called for his mother. At the time, Yuunagi did not know the exact circumstance that lead to her murder—only that it was by his father’s venom. It would be many years before Yuunagi suspect this his father must have bitten her. It was a realization he had made only after he had taken his own first lover—one who, although by accident, nearly met the same fate.
In his fifth century, Yuunagi fled from his home. He did not fit in with his family, and had no desire to be a warrior. He set out to find his own path. He started out in the Middle Kingdom, he learned Alchemy from a Taoist who had caught his interest. Over time, Yuunagi continued moving westward. During his travels, humans and their development increasingly fascinated him. He particularly became interested in a new mortal philosophy called Humanism, and ended up spending many years in Italy, during the early Italian Renaissance, to study it. He was in Milan, Italy in the 1480’s where he went under of alias of Marcellino—a name that means “of the sea.” There, he became greatly impressed by a human named Leonardo da Vinci, and took on the appearance of a mortal youth so that he may apprentice the human’s workshop.
Yuunagi has only been back to Japan for the half-last decade, after word reached him about the death of his father and siblings. His family had been slain in battle by an enemy force who afterward seized control of the territory. The new lord then sent his youkai to capture the Sake Lord’s surviving son, as a measure to ensure that the estranged prince would not return to take revenge. Forced to return Japan, Yuunagi was brought before the territory’s new ruler—a fukuro (owl) daiyoukai named Fumori. Yuunagi fully expected to be slain, however the owl spared him. When he asked why, the owl’s only explanation was, “Curiosity, Yuunagi-no-kimi. Thou art… an aberration amongst the Viper Clan. We will see whereat this, thy research, leads.” This curiosity caused the owl to become a patron of Yuunagi. It is a patronage that that has allowed Yuunaki to take up residence near Hakata, a port in the south-western most area of Japan. There, he has set up his workshop since Hakata is a port known for trading ceramics and textiles with the mainland.
Role-Play Sample:
Yuunagi was a week’s journey from his workshop. He had been traveling toward the small village near which Jinenji, the horse-hanyou, lived when he had first caught wind of the smell. He pulled on his mare’s reins, directing her to turn and face the direction of its source—it was coming from beyond the mountains to his north. The mare reared and squealed in protest, spooked. She must have scented it, too. He leaned forward and rubbed his hand soothingly against her neck.
“Aida… Peace,” he commanded softly.
Slowly, she calmed.
He continued rubbing her neck with is left hand, to keep her calm, while he half turned his torso to look toward the mountain range. Inclining his head, the serpent drew his tongue across his lower lip as he tasted the air. The miasmic odor to the air was strong—it’s arced sent now clung to the flat of his tongue like a bad aftertaste. His brow furrowed as he focused, trying to pick apart the component smells. He found that it was an odor that he could not easily recognize, although, it did vaguely remind him of the aroma of putrifying flesh. There was more to it, though—the heady stench of malice.
Malice.
Malice, hatred, and despair.
What could this be? He wondered.
The part of him that was insatiably curious wanted to change course, to investigate. He was about to follow that every urge when Aida snorted and shook her head, as though to insist they not.
Yuunagi turned his pale gaze upon the back of Aid’s head.
“Are you sure?” He drawled as a slow, puckish, smile pulled at his lips, “It could prove most interesting.”
Her head shifted with a jolt, and she seemed to glower over her shoulder at him.
Aida gave a single snort.
“Mah-mah,” Yuunagi sighed. “Alright. Let us go.”
With a whinny, the Aida took off galloping southward. Meanwhile, Yuunagi gave a partying glance toward the mountains. He had an errand to run, after all. He would just have to look into that later.
