Akira 'Shadow' Hakanochi's page

Is the fact that Akira is a kitsune common knowledge?

Waiting on your response to determine this.
Does Sandru know?

Most likely.
Is Akira friends with Sandru's brother?

Sandru's brother has always taken an interest in Akira. Ever since they were younger, Jubrayl knew there was always something more about Akira. One time, Jubrayl had an opportunity to take a peak at the Hakanochi scroll. Since that day, Jubrayl had a deep understanding of the potential of Akira and would always ask him about his "studies" and encourage him to continue when Sandru was not around. Would always hint, never outright saying it, but it was clear to Akira that Jubrayl had had meant to use him in some way for the Szcarni, Jubrayl seemed like he was checking in often to see whether Akira was ready or not.

Does he know about his involvement with the Szcarni?
Yes, Sandru has made it very clear about Jubrayl's occupation and intentions. Even though Sandru didn't agree with it, Akira couldn't help but feeling an empathy for Jubrayl. The Szcarni piqued Akira's curiosity, but never would betray his best friend to join up with Jubrayl and his cronies. Although the thought had crossed his mind, especially since Sandru might be leaving for awhile and Akira was trying to find more meaning to his life.

Is the Hakanochi clan one primarily dealing in information, sabotage and subterfuge or do they also assassinate people?

The Hakanochi clan dealt in deceit, it was believed that they recognized no law but their own, often time it was due to the clans purposeful misinformation that started skirmishes among others. Many times the Hakanochi clan would pit families against each other so that the Hakanochi clan would benefit the most. A plot was finally uncovered and the entire clan was destroyed. As far as the Hakanochi clan, they did not specialize in assassination in a public arena, it was only decided by the Hakanochi's that they would kill, but they were never hired to do such things. There was more money to be made keeping people alive.

Does Akira believe or know that there are more of his clan out there?
Much of the scroll details his true families nature, and while he loves and respects the parents who adopted him, one of his idle fantasies it to make it back to his clan as a master of their abilities, but doesn't believe he is ready to greet his family because he feels lacking in his ability. Even though they are dead and the clan is entirely destroyed he is unaware of it, he believes that this is a test given to all Hakanochi (even though it never implies it anywhere in the scroll or suggests it whatsoever)He is ready to move on to apply his techniques and master the arts of deception so that he can finally make it back to meet his family.

Does he know where he's from originally?
Akira knows where he is from originally but has never seen it on a map and no one really knows much about his hometown. The parents who adopted him only tell him that they met his grandmother and that his parents were dead when they met her, but never gave him any specific details. It never really bothered him to ask, he assumed his the reason for having the scroll was to practice and master the traditions of his family.

The waves were crashing hard. His fur was damp and his face was matted with tears. The boy's grandmother, a slender and graceful woman with such remarkable features that calling her anything other than beautiful wouldn't do her justice, looked down at her grandson sadly. Only a few weeks ago she had found her daughter and son-in-law murdered in their home, her grandson asleep in the next room. What the little boy didn't know was that this was to be the last time he would ever see her again. She had become very ill on the trip across the sea and she knew that the end of her days were coming.
"I love you" She said, finally. She sat down, held the boy and gave him a pat on the head.

The young man remembers none of what had taken place that day, but today walks a different road. A family was nice enough to take him, as they felt pity for the old woman, begging them to take her grandson as he had nobody and she was dying. They did what any good family does and raised him as one of their own, regardless of his differences. Before she died, she had told them, "His name is Akira, give him this scroll when he is 9 and force him to study it. This is his heritage, this is what his parents left to him."

When the family was on the way to their hometown of Sandpoint with a Kitsune baby in tow, they encountered a Caravan troupe headed back as well. A woman named Koya Mvashti had been with the caravans, she knew the family and was very intrigued by the little Kitsune bundle they had brought back with them.

After hearing the story of how they came to be carrying Akira, Koya's heart reached out to the young boy, she had an adopted son who's parents were both dead as well. His name is Sandru Vhiski.

Akira and Sandru grew up together and were best friends. Sandru would always come back from caravan trips and run straight over to Akira's house. They would spend all day, Sandru telling stories about traders and different cities, Akira listening. Sandru's life sounded very exciting to young Akira, while Sandru was out seeing the world, Akira spent much time reading and studying the traditions of his true parents. His parents now only told him that they had met his grandmother and did not know anything about them, other than that they left him with the scroll he is supposed to study.

After some time had past and the boys were older, Sandru kept coming back talking about how his mother Koya was pushing him to go on a long journey and wasn't sure when he would be coming back. Akira, in the meantime, had become practiced in the ways and techniques of his family. Their abilities were very detailed and required hundreds of hours of practice. Akira had spent alot of his time alone, waiting for his friend Sandru to come back. Feeling like he could only do so much with the scroll he realizes that leaving Sandpoint would be the first step to his road of becoming a Ninja. That is his heritage.

Shadow is very loyal to his friends. He has a precise manner about him, which is contrary to the easy way in which he speaks.

The waves were crashing hard. His fur was damp and his face was matted with tears. The boy's mother, a slender and graceful woman with such remarkable features that calling her anything less than perfect wouldn't do her justice, looked down at her son sadly. What the little boy didn't know was that this was to be the last time he would ever see her again. The boy's mother knew it, but the boy didn't.
"I love you" She said, finally. She sat down, held the boy and gave him a pat on the head.
"Stay alive and use your head, my baby boy." She whispered in between sobs, pressing the boy hard to her body.
"You need to look like mommy does, like a hu-man, go ahead and try for me." Her sobbing had lessened as she had become extremely absorbed in the moment, knowing it could be the end for her son as well.
Not entirely understanding what she had meant, but feeling very scared, the young fox-like boy did what his mother had asked of him. With his life on the line, he gave her her final wish.

The young man remembers none of what had taken place that day, but today walks a different road. In the Meraz Desert, his face behind a veil, the young man walked. The men accompanying him, together like a pack of dogs, they called themselves 'Merc-un-air-ees' but the young man wasn't sure what it meant. The men had picked him up a while back, it was actually right after the young man had gotten beat up by a group of older boys, in desperate shape and leaning against a wall in an alley between two buildings the young man had shifted back into his true form. Looking like a fox with auburn thick tufted coat of fur that had thin streaks of black and gray mottling running from the top of his forehead and along the back of his head and neck. The fur around his eyes were black like around the eyes of a raccoon and his eyes shined golden. (It should be mentioned that the angle of the sun at that very moment cast an ever so tempting glint of light across the dark alleyway, the golden shine of the young man's eyes, through no fault of their own whatsover, were the critical component in the fatal attraction of the gang of older boys)

Even though it may have been a moment of bad luck, it was the beginning of a new chapter in his life. As he was getting a thorough thrashing, a couple of stubbly and angular looking men appeared in the mouth of the alleyway, blocking the light. Well, those men snatched out the young man from under the grasp of the boys. They then proceeded to scare the rascals away without causing them any harm, the mere shaking of a fist and a stern 'OY!' was enough to send off even the most vicious of the bullies.

After that he lived in a small hovel with the men, 6 of them, for a few months.
"OY, you'll be lookin' after our stuff, hmm,eh?" The finicky one says. "Otherwise you'll be stayin' out of sight of people, hmm,eh? OY, stay in the shadows boy, hmm,eh?"
That's what he did, they enlisted in him all sorts of menial tasks of keeping up tiny hovel, grooming camels that occupied the stall next to the hovel. Every once in a while, sent to follow a man or a woman, just to watch. They knew his secret, his animal heritage, and even one of the men explained it to him.
"Yer a..uhh, Kat-Soo-Knee, I seen yer kind!" The stocky one says and then spits on the floor. "Keep it clean in here boy, clean it up! Then back to the shadows, boy!"
The shadows, always in the shadows, my name isn't boy. It's...shadow.
So that was all he got, just a name. He did for them what they had asked however, they kept him alive, safe.

Then one day they packed up all the camels and started walking. Brandishing long blades and sticking to a strict regimen of hard jerky, stale water, and the road, the gang carried on. The Zho Mountains obscuring the line of the horizon kept attracting his eye. He had never seen mountains before, he was always used to looking down for any scraps of food on the ground that the birds hadn't already scrounged away.

So they walked, men came up to them as they walked with caravans, some men with blades. The men with blades were always turned away, this wolf pack kept together, but mainly kept the boy safe. Finally, they had finished their walk and made it to Katheer. The capital, overlooking the Plains of Paresh. But, life stayed the same. Surrounded by races of all kinds, cultures of all kinds, they had manage to find a small hovel and set up a camel stable.

Shadow now tends to the camels that come and go, the men have begun to send him on more errands however, once they had been there and settled in to the city. Follow this person, find this out, trick this person into being your friend. Get this woman drunk, play on her emotions and find where her husband keeps his fortune. Shadow became their novice and accomplished their tasks without fail. He was proud of his position in life and he always kept his fox-like secret.

At a very young age, Shadow went through a traumatic experience and lost his mother. Without hope and without anyone to love him, a group of mercenaries picked him up from out of the gutter because they saw that he was a Kitsune and knew of their naturally likeable and limber nature.

Shadow is very loyal to his friends. He has a precise manner about him, which is contrary to the easy way in which he speaks. He has learned to blend in to the crowd, it is something he enjoys doing because he likes to meet many people. Plus, many times it is his job to mitigate the guard of a rich man's wife, or an aspiring revolutionary, harlots and wordsmiths alike. Shadow has many acquaintances because of the nature of the work he does for his gang. But friends he has few, only the six brothers he lives with, brothers in bond. Many of the traders in town come to their camel stables so his social network is pretty large and at times for good humor, he likes to do impersonations of the people he meets for his friends. Something he has also become fairly good at. The men love him as a son and give him respect, but often times Shadow lurks in the ... well, shadows. Lately, however, he is feeling very mischievous and considers lurking the shadows in his true form.

Goals: He likes the shadows he likes the contracts. But, he enjoyed the walk to the city and liked the chance encounters it provided. He is a true adventuring spirit and has a passion for his talents.
Party Role: A loyal friend, he will stay to the end. Mischievous at times, but all around a good guy. He will keep an eye out for his group in many ways and tries to remain aloof of the enemy. Not one to rush into anything unprepared, but always willing to follow an orderly plan of action.