Aberrant: The Middle Children of History - Raijin

[Raijin]

sharp like an edge of a samurai sword

the mental blade cut through flesh and bone

though my mind's at peace, the world out of order

missing the inner heat, life gets colder

oh yes, I have to find my path

no less, walk on earth, water, and fire

the elements compose a magnum opus

my modus operandi is amalgam

steel packed tight in microchip

on my arm a sign of all-pro

the ultimate reward is honor, not awards

at odds with the times of wars with no lords

a freelancer,

a battle cry of a hawk make a dove fly and a tear dry

wonder why lone wolf don't run with a clan

only trust instincts and be one with the plan

some days, some nights

some live, some die

in the way of the samurai

some fight, some bleed

sun up to sun down

the sons of a battlecry

some days, some nights

some live, some die

in the name of the samurai

some fight, some bleed

sun up to sun down

the sons of a battlecry

a battlecry

look, just the air around him

an aura surrounding the heir apparent

he might be a peasant but shine like grand royalty

he to the people and land, loyalty

we witness above all to hear this,

sea sickness in the ocean of wickedness

set sail to the sun set no second guessing

far east style with the spirit of wild west

the "quote-unquote" code stands the test of

time for the chosen ones to find the best of

noble minds that ever graced the face of

a hemisphere with no fear, fly over

the blue yonder

where the sky meets the sea

and eye meets no eye

and boy meets world

and became a man to serve the world to

save the day, the night, and the girl too

some days, some nights

some live, some die

in the way of the samurai

some fight, some bleed

sun up to sun down

the sons of a battlecry

some days, some nights

some live, some die

in the name of the samurai

some fight, some bleed

sun up to sun down

the sons of a battlecry

a battlecry

~Battlecry

~~Nujabes, feat. Shing02

Public Knowledge

N-day marked the god's return to Earth, or so many believe. Much to the chagrin of Utopia and the scientific community, Novas have changed the face of modern religion and philosophy as well as the cosmology of the every day person. India Syndrome and Kamisama buddhism are a wildfire through much of Asia and the Churches of Michael Archangel and the Immanent Eschaton flourish in America. To these people, Novas are angels, demons, gods, and spirits.

And who can argue with them? For the questions of Science are not the questions of faith and one can never truly provide the answer to the other. In spite of the lay conception of the triumph of Science!, there are still vast mysteries yet unsolved, one of the most relevant being the form and function of the human brain. Regardless of the labels and explanations put forth by even the brightest minds, and the numbing desensitization of the media machine, the fact remains that novas achieve what is for the normal person, the power of the divine.

The one known to many as Raijen is one of these who inspire awe and worship. He appeared before the world on N-Day in the midst of a Typhoon the likes of which had not occured in over 700 years. During the Saisho, he became a symbol to the Japanese people (as he could not contribute to it's technological development). Nearly a decade later, he became one of Bodhisatva Masato's prime examples for the divinity of Novas, something Raijin himself has not disputed.

Over the next ten years he grew more active in the world community, often assisting (though never formally joining) Nippontai, as well as joint efforts with Utopia and the United Nations. In fact, more than most of the highly nationalistic Japanese Novas, Raijin seems to deal in the affairs of the greater world stage. In 2017, he was among a group of powerful Novas who faced and defeated the manifestation of a demonic creature in the Black Rock desert of Nevada, U.S.

Over the past few years the number of novas has been increasing dramatically, and the strain it puts on the world is beginning to show. There are many, including Raijin himself who talk of the calm before the storm. Now, with viable hyper fusion technology, mankind is entering a new Space Age, and with the ever growing numbers of Homo Sapiens Novus, change is inevitable.

In personality and reputation,Raijin is much like his mythological counterpart. He enjoys sake, gambling and women, usually in that order. Unfortunately he is not the best gambler and he eventually loses much of what he makes or spends it on alcohol. Also, in spite of being ugly as sin, he has no shortage of women to bed, and is possesed of an intense aura of power and animal magnetism.

Private History

The man the world knows as Raijen (or Raiden to the western world), was born Saigo Shinkeniki on March 23, 1905. He is the direct decendant and grandson of Saigo Takamori, widely considered to be the last true Samurai. Shinkeniki's father, Harataka watched Takamori die at the Battle of Shiroyama when he was only 9 years old. Raised with Takamori's traditional beliefs and pride, the young Harataka was greatly disillusioned and at the age of 12 contemplated an honorable death rather than face the depredations and compromise of western modernization. Fortunately he did not take his own life and,with time and maturity, came to accept the modern world, even falling in love with a fiery haired foriegner. At her urging, the young couple set sail for San Franciso to seek their fortune in the burgeoning Nihonmachi district. A year later, Shinkeniki was born.

Raised between two extremes of culture, possesed of his father's discipline and his mother's fiery and free spirited temperment, the young "Ken," as his American friends called him, was often in trouble. When the prohibition hit, the 16 year old Shinken defied his strict father and snuck off to the speakeasies. It was here where he got hs first taste for booze, women and jazz music.

One night, in 1922, his propensity to land in fights took a turn for the worse when he and a group of other toughs decided to invade nearby Chinatown for a little rabble-rousing. They pissed off some Chinese Tong members something fierce and several on each side ended up dead. Bleeding and badly injured in spite of his prodigous martial talent, the young Shin tapped into unknown reserves of power. Little did he know, over 2000 miles away, Hammersmith's incredible telluric Engine had just exploded into the beginning of a new era.

Unfortunatly, the group of gang members defeated by Shinkeniki belonged to a larger organization, the Dragon's Coil. When the Dragon found out what had happened he sent some of his own empowered enforcers to deal with the upstart. In true Tong fashion, they dramatically firebombed the Saigo residence, killing both of Shinken's parents and his baby brother and sister. By the time the Æon Society began it's investigations into the Ubiquitous Dragon's west coast operations, Shinken was already embroiled in his own shadow war.

The rest as they say is history. Shinkeniki was invited to Chicago and enjoyed the golden age of Stalwarts, Mesmerists, and Jazz. For over 20 years, he went on many Adventures, exploring the hidden regions and forbidden secrets revealed in the wake of Hammersmith's "accident." Like many of his peers, he was himself disillusioned by the horrors of World War II and the coming of the nuclear age. Like many of them in the wake of Æon's fateful confrontation with Primoris and the disappearance of Max, he put away his cap and knuckledusters, fading into obscurity.

Shinkeniki's retirement lasted for 50 years. The evening of March 23rd, 1998, at the age of 92, his wife died in his arms. Shinken had seemingly not aged a day since they met. Stricken with grief, enraged with sake, Shinkeniki bellowed at the heavens and was shocked when a star exploded in the sky. Erupting into a fully empowered nova, Shinken's roiling emotions created a storm of epic proportions, adding to the chaos of N-Day. His anger also boiled forth to the surface, forever altering his features and his faith.

[Raijin]

Real Name: Saigo Shinkeniki

Nicknames:Shinken, Shin, Ken

Occupation: Freelance God of Thunder

Legal Status: Dual Citezenship, America and Japan

Identity: High Profile but Semi-reclusive

Aliases: Raijin, Raiden

Place of birth: San Francisco, California, March 23, 1905

Age: 120

Marital Status: Single

Known Relatives: Two children, numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Group Affiliation: Kamisama Buddhist Sect

Base of Operations: Japan

Eruption: July, 22, 1922, Hammersmith Event (Stalwart level). Q6 on N-Day

Height: 7'0"

Weight: 395 lbs.

Eyes: Red

Hair: Red

Distinguishing Marks: Pointed Feral ears. Sharpened teeth with lower canine tusks. Brutish features, mixed Japanese/Irish blood. Blood Red eyes flare with power. Always goes barefoot.

Strength Level: Low Level Nova. Able to engage in feats of raw force far beyond what his strength should allow for.

Known Quantum Powers: Raijin's powers manifest as ultimate mastery over Ki or the primal force of the universe as viewed through a mystical eastern perspective. He manifests many uses of this power, from hardening his body through cultivation and shaping of Ki, to the practice of Geomancy, allowing him to control the weather and travel on "Dragon Roads" or "Ley Lines" to anywhere he can visualize.

Abilities/Special Skills: Raijin has mastered the human form to its highest possible human potential. He is a grandmaster of unarmed combat, as well as Eastern medicine. Traditional culture taught that a warrior must know how to heal as well as how to take lives. He also enjoys gambling quite a bit, though he is rather terrible at it.

Personality: Blunt and Boisterous

Personal Interests: Training, Drinking, Gambling, Fucking, Fighting, More Training.

*****************************

Character Sheet

Nature

Virtue: Expert

Vice: Hedonist

Attributes:

Str: 5 (Yoked)

Dex: 6 (Explosive)

Sta: 6 (Tireless)

Per: 5 (Observant)

Int: 6 (Discerning)

Wit: 6 (Shrewd)

App: 1 (Brutishly Feral)

Man: 6 (Authoritative)

Cha: 1 (Blunt)

Abilities:

Might 5, Athletics 5, Martial Arts 5, Endurance 3, Resistance 3, Awareness 1, Gambling 1, Linguistics 2 (Japanese, Chinese, English), Medicine 5, Meditation 5, Intimidation 5, Seduction 5, Savvy 2

Backgrounds:

Attunement: 1

Cipher: 3

Fame: 3

Resources: 1

Influence: 3 (Kamisama Buddhist sect)

Influence: 2 (Aeon Society)

Willpower: 8

Quantum: 6

Taint: 4

Aberrations:

Aberrant eyes

Initiative:

1d10+14

Movement:

Base/Enhanced Movement

Walk:

7m (4.8 mph)/ 14m (9.5 mph)

Run:

19m (13 mph)/ 38m (26 mph)

Sprint:

41m (28 mph)/ 82m (56 mph)

Flight(combat):

88m (60 mph)/ 176m (120 mph)

Flight(non-combat):

700 mph/ 1400 mph

Soak:

Default:

32B / 29L

Vs. Ranged Attacks:

Variable (Average: 56B / 53L)

Health Levels: Bruised 0, Hurt -0, Injured -0, Wounded –1, Maimed -2, Crippled -3, Incapacitated, Death

Mega Attributes:

Mega Strength: 1

[irresistable Force]

Mega Dexterity: 1

[Enhanced Movement]

Mega Stamina: 1

[Adaptability]

[Hardbody]

[Resiliency]

Mega Perception: 1

[Quantum Attunemet]

[That Creepy Feeling]

Mega Inteligence: 1

[Analyze Weakness]

Mega Wits: 1

[Lie Detector]

Mega Manipulation: 1

[symphony of Touch]

Quantum Powers:

Ki Mastery

Elemental Mastery: 6

[Extra: Reduced Quantum Cost]

[Extra: Q6 Mastery Level 1]

Mastered Techniques:

Body Ki: Shield

Ki Deflection: Ripple Shield

Ki Disruption: Askew

Reiatsu/Ki Channel: Spatial Shockwave

Reiatsu Crush: Crush

Geomancy: Alter Temperature

Geomancy: Weather Control

Breath of the Dragon: Fog

Ley Line Levitation

Flight: 1

[Extra: Reduced Quantum Cost]

[Extra: Mastery]

Ride the Dragon's Back

Teleport: 1

[Extra: Reduced Quantum Cost]

[Extra: Combat Teleport]

Flaws:

Enemy: 4 (Corruption/Humiliation, More Powerful)

Eufiber Rejection: 2

Lusty: 1

Points Breakdown:

Bonus Points: 22 (15+7 Flaws)

+ 3 Quantum: 21

+ 1 Background: 1

Nova Points: 90

+18 Atts: 6

+18 Abilities: 3

+ 5 Willpower: 5

+ 2 Quamtum: 10

5 Mega Atts: 15

+ 1 Enhancement: 3

Flight 1: 3

Tport 1: 3

Elemental Mastery 6 with Mastery, L4 (2 Tainted): 36

Reduced Q Cost applied first: 5

Code:

XP LOG
Date       Item                                Rank  Gain/Spent  Balance
01 JUL 08  XP Earned for June                    -      20         20
02 JUL 08  extra: RQC to flight                  -      -6         14
02 JUL 08  extra mastery to flight               -      -3         11
02 JUL 08  enhancement: Hardbody                 1      -5          6
02 JUL 08  Mega Manipulation 1                   1      -6          0
01 AUG 08  XP Earned for July                    -      20         20
07 AUG 08  Mega Strength 1                       1      -6         14
07 AUG 08  Resiliency                            1      -5          9
07 AUG 08  Extra: RQC to Teleport                -      -6          3
07 AUG 08  Extra: Combat Teleport                -      -3          0
01 SEP 08  XP Earned for August                  -      20         20

Quote:

Nemesis:The Ubiquitous Dragon

My version of this classic villain is an update of the Adventure Template. He is a Sphynx and Criminal Mastermind of the Highest order. Though not as capable of direct combat, his resources and propensity for Cloning mean he is nearly impossible to ever truly defeat. He possesses Wealth Beyond Avarice, is an Enigma level Cipher, Kingpin of Contacts and the keeper of a Sanctum Sanctorum.

Like Shin he is built with Q6 as well as about 100 NPs.

Mega Manipulation: 3 [Hypnotic Gaze]

Mega Intelligence: 2 [Tactical Prodigy, Strategic Prodigy]

Mega Perception: 1 [EM Vision]

Mega Stamina: 1 [Adaptability]

Clone: 6 [Extra: Mind Link][Extra: Q6 Mastery Level 1]

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