I have two characters, the main one is Christopher Barkins and the second is Micheal Mist.
Main
Name: Christopher M. Barkins
Age: 33
Race: Human
Description:
Christopher is a large man standing at six foot three and he weighs two hundred and thirty pounds, all of it functioning muscle. His eyes are a piercing blue and he always wears stubble on his chin though it appears he is incapable of growing a full beard much like the late Sun Tzu. His common attire is shown above with sturdy shoulder bracers and two swords at the ready, one for show and one for business as he would say.
The only other remarkable part of his wardrobe is his large, black boots which seem to be incredibly heavy and sound like a ton of bricks every time they hit the ground, it is often accepted that these are the weighted boots of his mystic training that endowed him with the ability to move like an eagle even when carrying up two thousand pounds on each foot.
History
Christopher was born and raised in a regal and esteemed Ninja village, hidden away from the influence of the rest of the world. They interacted to assassinate, purge and take jobs based on their skill and need. It was a society that was based on the strong, those that had skills or magic quickly rose to the top and became known as nobility. It was in turn their job to cultivate the soil from which they rose and give back to the village so that others could rise their level, in theory the village was a world of perfect freedom. In this village him and his family were considered middle class, they excelled in a few things but there was very little to define them from the rest of the village that surrounded them.
In that time, for it was very long ago, things seemed simpler. The concern was focused on how well you could meld with the shadows, the skill you possessed with a sword and if you could fight against magic or use it to your advantage. The code of the warrior were the words that every young child said at night before crawling into a hammock or a bed to sleep wonderful dreams of becoming a hero or a master of ninjutsu (the combination of all natural arts). If those times could have been prolonged it is quite likely that the man known as Christopher Barkins would have died long ago, happy and fulfilled without ever reaching his true potential.
(some other time)
Equipment
- The mighty shogi board of Sun Tzu complete with forty pieces, twenty for the enemy and twenty for yourself.
The ownership of the board itself provides a few perks even in the hands of someone who is not chosen of Sun Tzu though they are nothing compared to the powers of the owner that the spirit chooses. While Shogi is a Japanese game it was actually inspired and created for the amusement of Miyamoto Musashi by his brother Sun Tzu, they partook in the game often before the events of their earthly lives. The board and all the pieces are imbued with the abstract principle: To Stop or To Block.
- Completely indestructible.
- When set up for a game it seems to swallow up all forms of energy including kinnetic so that the pieces will not be disturbed no matter how hard someone strikes the board, the only way to move the pieces is to 'play'.
- Completely immune to magic and reality warping, the board and pieces exist as a physical embodiment of an abstract concept and as a result they have the same protection and status as that concept.
- The holder of the board is completely immune to telepathic assault and being hypnotized.
Powers of the Board
"Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance." - Sun Tzu
The board and all of its' pieces hold significant power, each piece granting a specific thing in accordance with the need of the holder. Also the chosen user of the board has the ability to dialogue directly with Sun Tzu to receive strategical advice, this happens in a sort of time freeze vision at any time that the user feels need.
The spirit of Sun Tzu feels less inclined to teach the player of his game rather than give advice and situations where they will best learn the nature of strategy and true victory. The art of war is a book that the spirit will often reference when trying to give a handle on the finesse of his abstract powers. Holding the board also bolsters the latent abilities of the user allowing them to understand themselves and their skills on a whole new level.
- Yǒnghéng de qīngchūn (Eternal Youth): Indeed, the owner of the game will stay young forever and they have total immunity from aging effects, disease and poison. Much like the fabled immortals of Chinese legend as long as a person owns the board they will live until the end of time or until Sun Tzu feels another, more worthy owner has emerged.
- Gāojí zhìlì (Superior Intellect): Superhuman intellect concerning languages, tactics, magic and technology to say that holding the board makes the owner a genius is an understatement because it expands the mind and accelerates the learning process over a thousand fold. They could very well learn to do anything they wanted in a short amount of time and they have the ability to understand most things at a glance, to give them time to examine would allow them to duplicate something if it is possible. Hypnosis is futile and telepathic assault will be met in full force with high telepathic abilities though it should be noted that the owner can not act offensively with their telepathic abilities, they only have the ability to lash out if they are attacked. In a nutshell this power is perfect understanding.
- Huànyǐng shuòshì (Master of Illusion): The owner becomes a master illusionist, able to show someone whatever he wants to show them by simply skipping the senses and feeding the mind what it needs. This is a form of high and perfect hypnosis that slips in comfortably seeking to pass itself off as the actual perception, all it requires is that the target see any part of the board or its' pieces. Once that has been done any illusion can be created and fed to the subject to fuel any of their senses and it continues until the owner of the game dismisses it. This power also gives the user a highly persuasive vocal ability that may or may not be resisted depending on the target and immunity to the illusions of lesser than abstract beings.
- Yùzhī wèilái (Future Sight): The ability to see the future at any time and view any place. The hardest ability of the board to master because it requires that the owner ask the right questions and look for the right things, just because the answer is there doesn't mean that it will be blatant. The owner needs to find exactly what they want to see and check back often because even the smallest choice affects what the future holds. It has also been shown that this ability can show the past, allowing the owner to inhabit the body of someone else as he experiences the past from their perspective.
- Yùwàng zhī xīn (Desire of the Heart): The ability to see through anyone and find the thing that matters to them the most, the irrefutable desire of their heart. The owner can also invoke visions of the target gaining their ultimate goal or item, having them range from being heavenly dreams or frightful nightmares.
- Zài chǐcùn chǐcùn (Dimension upon Dimension): The ability to create a battleground or a thousand, in any shape and design. The only catch is that the dimension must have a door from the physical world, destroying the door would only result in closing the way to that dimension and a new door would need to be chosen. Though rest assured the only way to move in or out of these dimensions even for a being above abstract power is to use the door properly.
- Fǎshī de zhànshù (Master of Tactics): This empowers the owner with superhuman status if they do not already have it. Their strength will range anywhere from 10 to 300 ton weight limit with a speed between mach 10 and 150. The determining factor behind this is Sun Tzu for he chooses how powerful to make the owner of the board and can change his mind once a day upon the setting of the sun to expound even beyond these limits. If the owner has a 'piece' that is more powerful than himself then this ability will automatically adjust him to their current power level, in some cases abilities can also transfer, so sometimes being powerful yourself isn't the key but rather controlling great power.
- Diànyuán de shìxiàn (Power of sight): This allows the owner to see where all of their 'pieces' are at any time by looking at their board, in addition they can communicate with any of their 'pieces' by placing a hand on the piece. However, this ability does not apply to the Xīyān (Rook) before or after promotion.
Powers of the Pieces
The pieces of the board have different properties and remain as game pieces until they are called upon to transform and then they leave an ethereal counterpart behind so that the owner could still play shogi if they wished.
"The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand." - Sun Tzu
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- Diǎndàng (Pawn): The pawns are the wheels upon which a battle is carried and they represent the opportunity to fulfill need. A pawn can transform into anything the owner desires from mindless hordes of troops to a weapon of mystical properties, the only thing a pawn can not transform into is a free thinking individual. Whatever is created will always take orders from the owner that called it into existence and must always be something physical for instance the user can not wish for love nor can they create a being that truly loves them for that would require creating something beyond physical or creating a free thinking individual.
(The pawn will be promoted to be a Gold General once it reaches a certain point and bypass the laws governing its' existence.)
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- Máo (Lance): The lance represents forward motion, a battering ram that can only move in one direction at first. The lance is a piece that grants the user the ability to banish a target to anywhere they wish, even the farthest reaches of the universe. It is done by saying the name of the intended destination, then giving the piece to the victim. The target will feel as if they are being hurled beyond the speed of light to their destination and will have the kanji of the lance burnt into their palm. The actual piece itself will return to the board via teleportation but nothing prevents the banished individual from returning of their own power.
Those with a kanji burnt into their hands are immune from being banished again even in a promoted state.
(The Lance will be promoted to be a Gold General once it is used for the first time and bypass its' limitations to banish an individual permanently so that they can never come within seven thousand miles of the board again.)
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- Qíshì (Knight): The knight symbolizes a valiant leader or hero that will go to great lengths for their general and place their life on the line to achieve greatness. The knight is a piece that involves a deal with another individual and once used can not be used again until the deal is revoked or broken. The knight will grant the victim complete immunity from magic, give them the gift of Yǒnghéng de qīngchūn (Eternal Youth) and elevate their status to superhuman or enhance it double if it is already considered superhuman. The catch is that the 'knight' can never harm the owner of the game or lie to them and must always follow a direct order. Once the deal is made the victim has the kanji of the knight burnt into their chest.
(The Knight may be promoted to be a Gold General once it reaches a certain point and bypass the limitations of before meaning the victim will also gain another gift. The right hand Knight will gain Gāojí zhìlì (Superior Intellect) and the left hand Knight will become powerful again by double.)
(The owner may hold the knight in hand to gain its' powers or the powers of whoever the deal has been made with.)
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- Yín yībān (Silver General): The silver general symbolizes a powerful ally that is often used as a bodyguard due to their versatility and intellect. The silver general is a piece that involves a deal with another individual and once used can not be used again until the deal is revoked or broken. The silver general will grant the victim the gift of Yǒnghéng de qīngchūn (Eternal Youth) and enhance their status to superhuman or enhance it by triple if it is already considered superhuman. The catch is that the 'silver general' can never harm the owner of the game or lie to them, they must always follow a direct order and stay within one mile to guard the owner's body. Once the deal is made the victim has the kanji of the silver general burnt into their chest.
In addition the silver general gains one Diǎndàng (Pawn) that can fulfill whatever need it desires.
(The Silver General may be promoted to be a gold general once it reaches a certain point and bypass the limitations of before meaning the victim will also gain another gift. The right hand Silver General will gain Huànyǐng shuòshì (Master of Illusion) along with complete immunity from the powers associated with it while the left hand Silver General will gain the immunity and become powerful again by triple.)
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- Jīn jiāngjūn (Gold General): The gold general symbolizes a powerful and trusted ally that is often used as a close adviser or part of the royal guard due to their loyalty and power. The golden general is a piece that involves a deal with another individual and once used can not be used again until the deal is revoked or broken. The gold general will grant the victim Yǒnghéng de qīngchūn (Eternal Youth), Gāojí zhìlì (Superior Intellect) and elevate their status to that of a demi-god if it is not already considered demi-god (tenfold increase). The catch is that the gold general retains all of their will and can do as they please up to staying within one mile of the owner, however if the owner would die then the chosen gold general will die instead; trading one life for another. Once the deal is made the victim has the kanji of the golden general burnt into their chest.
In addition golden general gains one Diǎndàng (Pawn) that can fulfill whatever need it desires with an added bonus. This one has the ability to grant the desire of the heart, whatever it may be though if this option is chosen it must be the true desire of the heart and not proposed wish.
(The Gold General can not be promoted.)
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- Zhǔjiào (Bishop): The bishop represents a powerful speaker or diplomatic ally that often doubles as a spy. The bishop is a piece that involves a deal with another individual and once used can not be used again until the deal is revoked or broken. The bishop will grant the holder immense speed to equal that of a demi-god or if their status is already that then it will be increased by tenfold. Also the gift of complete stealth, as long as the bishop stands still they are intangible and unperceived by the physical world. The catch is that they are completely loyal to the owner, have no power to harm him, can not lie and must follow a direct order. Once the deal is made the victim has the kanji of the bishop burnt into their chest.
The Bishop may be promoted to a Mǎ (Horse) and choose between having their already immense speed or trading it for immense strength instead and losing their status as a spy. They would become one of the royal guard and their kanji would change. They would also gain the gift of Yǒnghéng de qīngchūn (Eternal Youth) no matter what they choose.
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Xīyān (Rook): The rook is a piece that symbolizes mobility, the vehicle of the king that he may use to trample anything in his path. Whoever holds the rook gains the ability to transport themselves to anywhere they know instantly even if they are not the owner of the game. The owner of the board also has no ability to track the rook so it may very well be the best gift he can give or the best gift to tempt someone with. When activated the rook will leave behind an ethereal token so the owner can still play, though when owners change the rook will return to the game and leave whoever had it before.
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The Rook may be promoted to the Lóng wūyā (Dragon Rook) after its' first journey by whomever holds it. The dragon rook is the piece transformed into a large beast as shown below that is completely immune to magic and indestructible, it will have a strength limit of 100 tons and a speed equal to lightning. Its' job is to guard whoever promoted it and still serve as instantaneous teleportation for whoever chooses to ride it though it bears a fierce loyalty to whoever promotes it. Promotion occurs by merely taking a journey with the rook and letting nature do the rest.
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Wáng (King):
The piece that symbolizes the owner of the board or what they are fighting for, if it is a selfish intention then this is simply a piece without any additional power. However, if the owner is one that has something important to protect or some selfless intent then this piece will transform them into a guardian imbued with the abstract power 'to block'. They would be elevated far above other superhumans with a weight class of a thousands of tons and speed equal to that of light but they would be unable to deal any damage to anyone while under this transformation, they would only be able 'to block' and defend unless given the express permission of Sun Tzu in which case the only thing out of their reach would be killing. Encased in all encompassing armor and wielding a blunted sword with the same properties as the board itself their appearance would resemble the picture below.
The pieces and the board have many powers in and of themselves but their final ability is often overlooked, the ability to label other people as the enemy pieces. Doing so will allow you to look in on them at any time like a crystal ball effect. Also if enemies were to 'turn colors' or be defeated the owner will simply switch their sides, much like in actual shogi when a piece is captured. It is said there is more behind this ability but Christopher Barkins has not discovered it yet, mayhaps he never will.
Each side of the board has twenty pieces:
9x Pawn (Two of these are currently in use)
2x Lance
2x Knight
2x Silver General
2x Golden General
1x Bishop
1x Rook
1x King
Powers
The powers of Christopher Barkins outside of the shogi board.
- Expert swordsmen and unarmed fighter, his weakest combat area is firearms.
- Superhuman physiology that came from enchanted weight training in the Asian mountains allowing him to send cars toppling and keep up with bullets using his sword. His durability has allowed him to take hits from foes much stronger than himself and continue to fight.
- Necromancer of fearful proportions, as a natural user he has been noted as one of the most fearsome on earth.
- Summoning ability aligned with insects and bugs.
- Charisma, Christopher comes off as a very likeable guy to most people despite his inner darkness.
Weapons
While one of the pawns from the shogi game transformed into a massive and near limitless undead army the other has transformed into two swords that share the material qualities that the shogi board does. Though anyone can use them. Note that the ability to cancel all kinetic energy out also is granted by the swords so the strength of the opponent does not matter when he blocks and the edges are sharpened down to the molecule so that with enough force he can cleave anything in two that can not stand up to their material.
In addition to their other qualities these swords appear to be weightless in anyone's hands and easily wielded.
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Timeline
Canon appearances in order. (Comic Vine Prime)
Canon appeareances in order. (CVnU)
Teams
Some other time
Secondary
Name: Micheal X. Mist
Alias: Tattered Leaf
Age: 22.5
Race: Human
Description:
Micheal stands at five foot five, rather short and light but his body is suited for the work he does quite easily. He weighs only a hundred and fifty pounds, but all of it is built into the right stuff to be a springy and agile opponent, his skin is always pale despite how much time he spends out in the sun but he dismisses it as a byproduct of his training. The young man smiles often, most of them are very real too but he has always shown a direct connection to his emotions which he is unafraid to display.
He can often be seen wearing buckles and straps, even zipper items like a rag-tag character from a video game but when asked he will just say it makes it harder for him to be stealthy that way so he enjoys the challenge.
History
Micheal Mist was brought up in a traditional setting for a shinobi, it was the family business for those that lived in Asia so he merely did the thing he was expected to do and entered his training. His combat skills followed the same path as his father but he never forsook the abilities that his mother tried to press forward, sensible things like art and cooking as well as the study of nature. While he tried to balance these two worlds he found himself becoming a quiet individual that was more concerned with the people around him then becoming the best killer in his line, and it eventually led to the creation of a very colorful concept.
Like many young men he participated in the death matches and spars that were held often in his village, often losing and sometimes winning in the lower tiers. He stayed away from the people that were considered elites and had mastered elemental affinities due to the fact that they played by a harsher set of rules, yet that was not fated to be.
One day when he was out painting on a hill outside the village his younger brother was sent to get him, the child was yelling and crying as he pulled Michael to come along with him. There one of his friends, a girl two years younger than him that was smart enough to be in the same class, was in the middle of a match and she had suffered many bad burns. Michael watched a moment and found that it was against one of the more prominent elemental shinobi of the school, it was obvious that the fight was long over yet it was being prolonged because the girl would not admit defeat.
Micheal stepped in place of her, signing his name on the waiver in her place and that was when he found out why he had been told to come; it was a death waiver. However, he didn't have any real desire to kill much less use deadly force. The young man switched out with the girl and wore an easy smile, acting as if he was doing something quite natural but it was obvious that he was outmatched.
It was a fight that he lost badly right from the start, his lack of an elemental affinity was the worst part of his failing ability and the second was that he had come to an open air fight during the day without any ninja tools to aid him. However, he forced the confrontation to a hand to hand fight were he could actually stand a chance of using his best abilities despite taking massive burn damage. This brought him a close fight but still a painful defeat, however the opponent was no evil man and called a victory based on his opponent giving up; it saved his life.
When questioned about it later the other shinobi simply said that he let him out of it because he wasn't ready to be signing a death waver fight, only someone with the intent to kill should be placed against someone else with a death wish. From that point Mist turned his attention to his studies more harshly but he still lacked the ability to align himself with an element, his skills stayed in the realm of physical fighting while the power of his lineage laid dormant in his blood waiting for a truly powerful enemy to awaken it. Though that power was unknown to him as it had not surfaced in his family for over ten generations, it was thought to be a myth by the time he came to be.
Equipment
- 3x Think smoke that blocks out both sight and scent (Colored black).
- 3x Tear gas (Colored blue).
- 3x Nervous system poison, require inhalation but smells and looks the same as the smoke bomb (Colored green).
- 3x Flash grenade capable of leaving the opponents reeling in pain even through closed eyes (Colored yellow).
- One of these is a simple scroll where he keeps poetry that he writes and a detailed journal about his custom fighting style and the techniques he uses.
- The second is a scroll that is enchanted, he opens it before every fight for it is a death waver contract. If someone agrees to the death waver then their name appears on the contract, it is a method of honor that has long been recognized between practitioners of the martial art but it is only used for formal duels and not random brawls.
- Both of these scrolls look exactly the same from the outside but there is a slight weight difference that only Micheal knows.
- One bag is tied on his right thigh and the other on the back of his belt.
- Kunai and stars are separated equally between the bags.
- The fans and kama are stored in the bag on his leg.
- Ninja wire is stored in the one on his belt along with the collapsible staff (see the round objects above).
- Explosive tags are stored in the bag on his belt.
- Smoke bombs are divided between the two bags equally.
That concludes the list of his normal equipment, more may be added or subtracted in the future.
Powers
Micheal Mist is slightly above a peak human ninja without an elemental affinity as of yet but he makes up for it with a strong skill set that has done him well over the years.
- Master of custom martial arts and proficient will any Asian weaponry.
- Moderate intelligence of things over a broad field including cooking.
- High level stealth ability.
- Master Marksmen with thrown objects.
- Capable of short bursts of speed that render him nearly impossible to track through use of his chi, the trademark movement of a ninja, he has responded to gunfire with this method.
- Senses that are above the level of a blind man, darkness is very comfortable for him to fight in.
- Ability to block out those that can track movements or predict the future by his natural blood. While he has no knowledge of this his lineage specialized in hunting down magic casters and those with precognition at one point in time, as such his future movements cannot be predicted even by one with the power of a sharingan or similar gifts.
- Practitioner of the drunken fist.
- A guarded mind that allows him to focus on his mission and block out most common telepaths.
Timeline
Teams
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