About Yamakawa Shinjuko
Y A M A K A W A S H I N J U K O
Tracking:
Arcane Pool:6/6 Blackblade Pool: 2/2 Cantrips—arcane mark, detect magic, ghost sound, ray of frost
Female Yuki Kōdai (Tian-Min) Magus (Bladebound, Kensai) 6
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AC 18, touch 17, flat-footed 11 (+1 armor, +3 dex, +4 dodge)
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Speed 30 ft.
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Cantrips—arcane mark, detect magic, ghost sound, ray of frost
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Blizzard Walker (Ex): Yuki Kōdai are at home in Cold climates, and may move normally through natural difficult terrain, though they are affected by magical difficult terrain normally. Frigid Predations (Ex): Perception and Stealth are always Class Skills for Yuki Kōdai. Frozen Immunity (Ex): Yuki Kōdai have the Cold subtype, granting them Immunity to Cold and Vulnerability to Fire. Icy Assault (Su) (4 rounds/day): Once per day as a swift action, a Yuki Kōdai can shroud her arms in Cold energies. This lasts for one round per level, and can be dismissed as a free action. Unarmed strikes with her arms or hands (or attacks with weapons held in those hands) deal +1d6 points of Cold damage. Winter Guise: Cold Terrain (ice, glaciers, snow, and tundra); +4 to Stealth Canny Defense (Ex): When wearing light or no armor and not using a shield, a duelist adds 1 point of Intelligence bonus (if any) per duelist class level as a dodge bonus to her Armor Class while wielding a melee weapon. If a duelist is caught flat-footed or otherwise denied her Dexterity bonus, she also loses this bonus. Arcane Pool (Su): [5] At 1st level, the magus gains a reservoir of mystical arcane energy that he can draw upon to fuel his powers and enhance his weapon. This arcane pool has a number of points equal to 1/3 his magus level (minimum 1) + his Intelligence modifier. The pool refreshes once per day when the magus prepares his spells. At 1st level, a magus can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a swift action to grant any weapon he is holding a +1 enhancement bonus for 1 minute. For every four levels beyond 1st, the weapon gains another +1 enhancement bonus, to a maximum of +5 at 17th level. These bonuses can be added to the weapon, stacking with existing weapon enhancement to a maximum of +5. Multiple uses of this ability do not stack with themselves. At 5th level, these bonuses can be used to add any of the following weapon properties: dancing, flaming, flaming burst, frost, icy burst, keen, shock, shocking burst, speed, or vorpal. Adding these properties consumes an amount of bonus equal to the property’s base price modifier. These properties are added to any the weapon already has, but duplicates do not stack. If the weapon is not magical, at least a +1 enhancement bonus must be added before any other properties can be added. These bonuses and properties are decided when the arcane pool point is spent and cannot be changed until the next time the magus uses this ability. These bonuses do not function if the weapon is wielded by anyone other than the magus. A magus can only enhance one weapon in this way at one time. If he uses this ability again, the first use immediately ends. Perfect Strike (Ex):At 4th level, when a kensai hits with his chosen weapon, he can spend 1 point from his arcane pool in order to maximize his weapon damage. Don’t roll for damage—the weapon deals maximum damage. This affects only the weapon’s base damage dice, not additional damage from sneak attack, magical weapon properties, spellstrike, or critical hits. If the kensai confirms a critical hit, he can instead spend 2 points from his arcane pool to increase his weapon’s critical multiplier by 1. Spell Combat (Ex): At 1st level, a magus learns to cast spells and wield his weapons at the same time. This functions much like two-weapon fighting, but the off-hand weapon is a spell that is being cast. To use this ability, the magus must have one hand free (even if the spell being cast does not have somatic components), while wielding a light or one-handed melee weapon in the other hand. As a full-round action, he can make all of his attacks with his melee weapon at a –2 penalty and can also cast any spell from the magus spell list with a casting time of 1 standard action (any attack roll made as part of this spell also takes this penalty). If he casts this spell defensively, he can decide to take an additional penalty on his attack rolls, up to his Intelligence bonus, and add the same amount as a circumstance bonus on his concentration check. If the check fails, the spell is wasted, but the attacks still take the penalty. A magus can choose to cast the spell first or make the weapon attacks first, but if he has more than one attack, he cannot cast the spell between weapon attacks. Spellstrike (Su): At 2nd level, whenever a magus casts a spell with a range of “touch” from the magus spell list, he can deliver the spell through any weapon he is wielding as part of a melee attack. Instead of the free melee touch attack normally allowed to deliver the spell, a magus can make one free melee attack with his weapon (at his highest base attack bonus) as part of casting this spell. If successful, this melee attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell. If the magus makes this attack in concert with spell combat, this melee attack takes all the penalties accrued by spell combat melee attacks. This attack uses the weapon’s critical range (20, 19–20, or 18–20 and modified by the keen weapon property or similar effects), but the spell effect only deals ×2 damage on a successful critical hit, while the weapon damage uses its own critical modifier. See FAQ/Errata at right for more information. Black Blade (Ex)-- "Noriki no meiyo":
MAGUS ARCANA:
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Str 10, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 16
___________________ Traits: ___________________ Feats: ___________________ Skills: (12 [Ranks] + 24 [Int] + 6 [Craft] + 6 [Profession]) 40 Racial Modifiers: +4 Stealth in Cold terrain
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Combat Gear: Other Gear:
Currency 0 Pp 10gp 0sp 0cp
T H E Y A M A K A W A C I P H E R S:
一つの剣は、まだ気に ‘Hitotsu no ken wa, mada ki ni’
軽蔑を溶解
静かな心、速め魂 ‘Shizukana kokoro, hayame tamashī’
ツリーには、上にそびえ立つ
葦別れ ‘Ashi wakare’
剃刀の刃を踊る
***Add elemental touch, frigid touch, mirror image, spider climb
Background:
義 -- Gi "Set lies aside. A samurai does not make honesty or justice a matter for debate; he knows that there is only truth and falsehood, justice and injustice." << Mount Yogan, Hiyosai Province of Minkai | Very Cold, Blizzard | Lamashan 4691 AR >> Beautiful. It was a strange thought to have, watching the life slowly draining out of the young man's form. The unnatural gales and torrents of snow in the area had made tracking the ronin difficult, but Yamakawa Mifune was a formidable man of considerable resources. The younger brother of Yamakawa Hidemura and undisputed Master of the Yamaryū no gihō bushi maho-tsukai technique, his influence and prestige was already the stuff of legend. And yet, he could only watch in frozen, muted fascination as the creature before him slowly sucked all of the warmth out of the criminal he hunted. Beautiful. Finishing her grim enterprise, the Yuki-onna listed in the air in a curious position, reveling in the dead man's final moments before realizing there had been an observer. Yamakawa Mifune feared he would have to destroy the spirit, no matter how intoxicatingly beautiful. Instead, the creature merely lifted a white, slender finger to her lips as if to hush the man. She withdrew further into the mountain pass, and the frozen whip of the blizzard abated. Mifune was infatuated—obsessed. He had to have her. And so he never reported what he had found that day; only that the criminal had been dispatched. __________________________________________________
<< Hideyama Prefecture, Hiyosai Province of Minkai | Cold, Winter | Neth 4692 AR >> His search futile, Mifune was forced to resign his dangerous lust as an impossibility. It is during this time that he begins courting the beautiful Yuki Izanami. Such is her beauty that he forgets all about the haunting creature he had encountered on the slopes of Yogan. A slow, creeping malaise erases the encounter from his mind, replaced only by steadfast devotion to Izanami. The period of courtship is as brief as it is passionate. Mifune finds himself married and his new bride pregnant in short order. His older brother, Yamakawa Hidemura, grants him leniency on his duties, genuinely happy for the wealth of personal fortune his younger sibling had found himself in. Mifune's bride proves to be a bit of a recluse, however, and it is seldom that any encounter the woman. A rash of missing persons plagues the area all throughout the Prefecture soon after, as well as several blizzards of questionable ferocity. __________________________________________________
<< Hideyama Prefecture, Hiyosai Province of Minkai | Mild, Spring | Erastus 4693 AR >> Mifune's child is born under the pall of foreboding omens, and he refuses any of the local priests or magistrates from visiting his house for long after the child's birth. He has been grown steadily more remiss in his duties, much to the chagrin of his lord and brother Hidemura. Given the sudden mysterious bent of his once dutiful brother, the daimyo begins fielding a private investigation into his brother's activities. Family and responsibility melts away for Mifune. There is only Izanami and his child Shinjuko. Izanami does little to dissuade his utter devotion and overprotectiveness, often being the sole voice to convince him away from his obligations to his station. It would prove to be her undoing, as the ever worsening secrecy of Mifune soon suffers under the pressure of a fully mounted inquisition by Hidemura's vassals and the local temple of Tsukiyo. The nature of his brother's corruption is soon revealed, and the Yuki-onna (Izanami) revealed for what it truly is. Though great is the creature's power, it was ill prepared for the full contingent of Tsukiyo sohei that descended on her chosen lair. Subdued, bound, and ultimately destroyed, her hold over Mifune waned and vanished, leaving a depressed and nearly empty shell of a man in her wake. Most assumed that Mifune would be ordered to commit seppuku for his weakness. Instead, his brother stripped him of his position and proclaimed him banished for fifty full years under pain of death as penance. Mifune absorbed the punishment in defeated silence. He soon gathered his belongings and his Yuki Kōdai daughter Shinjuko and sets his gaze westward. Those of Minkai might guess at the infant's heritage and put it to the sword. His brother had shown great compassion in allowing the "snowspawn" to live, but the bushi maho-tsukai had no intention of testing the tolerance of Minkai further. He would take the child to the strange lands far to the west, where her questionable heritage's true roots would be unknown. __________________________________________________
<< Restov, Brevoy | Cold, Fall | Lamashan 4708 AR >> The political climate of Brevoy is volatile when the aging form of Mifune arrives with his teenage daughter in tow. Now 15, Shinjuko has long since firmly established herself in her father's teachings. Her grasp of the Ciphers are remarkable, and the nature of her focused studies (as opposed to an entire class of disciples) yields faster results than even her Mifune had been capable of at a similar age. It would be a welcome relief. The roll of years were beginning to take their toll on Mifune, and the life of a traveling sellsword with accompanying daughter was not an easy life. With Shinjuko coming into her own, however, she would be able to assist with earning their keep. Unfortunately for the pair, however, Rostland did not tolerate challenges to their "superior fighting styles" lightly. Mifune's approach was simple: pit his fighting style against those of the Issians and Rostlanders that purported to be peerless. There was little contest to be had, though plenty of coin. Yamakawa Mifune had long since mastered his technique, and the veteran sword-saint's speed and precision was more than a match for anything Restov seemed to be able to muster. Most had not even cleared their sheaths when Mifune's tachi came to rest a breath from their necks. The wise saw the futility of the duel at this point and forfeited in awe. The proud, stubborn, and foolish pressed the issue and suffered an even more humiliating defeat at the hands of their vastly superior opponent. Some of these men and women belonged to important houses, however, and would not take the perceived sleight sitting down. Wishing to salvage their name, a pitiful band of glorified brigands under the auspices of House Surtova emerged with a chosen champion to put the wayward Minkai native in his place. Accounts of the duel vary, though it is generally agreed upon by all those not of Surtovan allegiance that Mifune's alacrity was noticeably dulled. Furthermore, his daughter was mysteriously absent from the affair, resurfacing some time later after Mifune did what could only be construed as taking a dive. He received the message clearly, and the pair soon found themselves wandering once again, lest their overspent welcome warrant further visitations of underhanded dealings with Brevoy's royal family. Shinjuko did not immediately understand why they had to depart, blissfully unaware that she had been subtlely taken hostage by the noble born Issians. Mifune would late profess that his lapse in reasoning allowed him to profane his adherence to bushido by way of arrogance. He had sought to humiliate strangers by way of his gifted swordplay. Their pride wounded, they retaliated in a way that might save them face under the public's scrutiny, which happened to be veiled threats against his daughter's life in this case. Such lessons were to be appreciated, he informed her, lest the mistakes be repeated. __________________________________________________
<< Detmer, Druma | Warm, Early Summer | Sarenith 4710 AR >> Avistan had not been kind to Mifune. The River Kingdoms proved to be a ruthless place, even for one so talented as he. To further complicate matters, it seemed just as Shinjuko had grown formidable enough to begin handling aiding in their mercenary work Mifune's health began to fail him. The Blinding Sickness they called it. Their revenue was not nearly enough to treat the ailment, either naturally or by divine methods. Word of the mercenary state, Druma, reached Mifune's ears during their time spent in Pitax, and he resolved to travel therein to gain the necessary coin to sustain he and his daughter as well as perhaps mitigate the onset of his developing affliction. Druma, as it would turn out, was not quite the promised land they had expected. In a country laden so heavily with mercenary companies and bureaucrats has little need for a father-and-daughter enterprise. Worse still, there were no guilds willing to take on a diseased warrior and his inexperienced scion; at least, not on terms that Mifune or Shinjuko found acceptable. They languished for a time in Detmer, the opulence of the Sapphire Harbour an ever present mockery as they wallowed in destitution. Even under such strain, however, Mifune maintained his strict code. Humility gave rise to a strength that comfort could never teach. Now sounding more like the aged monks that wander the whole of Minkai and crowd the monasteries, shrines, and temples, Mifune would remark that "it is often not until one has reached the bottom of the mountain that they can begin their ascension." Shinjuko, remarkably and admirably, mirrored her father's positivity and steadfastness in the face of adversity. Fortunately for the pair, eyes had been upon them for some time—calculating eyes concerned primarily with matters of commerce and economy that now saw a mutually beneficial use for the blinding kensai and his would-be successor daughter. __________________________________________________
<< Westcrown, Cheliax | Cool, Late Fall | Neth 4710 AR >> Alastor Henderthane, more commonly known as "The Partisan of Henderthane," had kept close tabs on Mifune all the way from Iobaria to Druma. Where many saw a failing swordsman in the twilight of his years, Alastor saw an opportunity; an opportunity to ingratiate a man of considerable talents and secure his successor's servitude for years to come. His 'Bronzers' had assured Henderthane that Shinjuko would surpass even Mifune if current exhibitions were adequate judge of potential. In the mean time, providing the pair of ronin with a new liege, scrupulous or otherwise, and tending to the elder's health would no doubt secure their undying loyalty—and coming from samurai that meant plenty. Answering a summons in distant Cheliax and being fetched by lavish carriage, Alastor arranged to have the pair transported to Westcrown to make proper introductions. The meeting resolved under favorable circumstances, and a retinue of Abadaran clergymen soon began tending to Mifune's condition (though never curing it; a stipulation "The Partisan" was very adamant on) while his daughter Shinjuko was given regular assignments as a new Bronze Agent in the Consortium. __________________________________________________
<< Katapesh, Docks District | 13:45 | Very Hot | Sunday, Rova 15th, 4713 AR >> While Yamakawa Shinjuko has not exactly reveled in the duties thrust upon her during her time as a retainer for Lord Henderthane, she has performed admirably, dutifully, and without hesitation whenever called upon. It is likely for this reason that she is summoned to such a private meeting of Bronzers in Katapesh, so far away from her usual stomping grounds around the city of Westcrown guarding weapon shipments and rooting out thieves. Though her visits with Mifune seem to grow sparser by the year, she is assured that her father is being well treated and recovering from his vile affliction. The aged Mifune seems content, and stresses the importance of duty and loyalty to one's liege lord when visiting is possible. Shinjuko obliges, and strives to uphold the tenets of bushido when capable, though finds it difficult at times given the nature of some of the assignments she is forced to undertake. Her last visit to Westcrown was a bit of a tearful affair, as she was confronted with Mifune's decision to formally retire his charge as custodian of both The Yamakawa Ciphers and the "Noriki no meiyo". Instead, the poorly aging Tian-Min has elected to seek further penance for his past mistakes as an ascetic monk, repaying the kindness visited him by the Abadarans in Westcrown as a willing servant. Though privately overjoyed at inheriting the responsibility of her father's charge, she found herself slightly uneasy with the idea of him laboring in such a manner under these Westerners (even if she understood the reasoning behind it). Her trip to Katapesh would be one of introspection and considerable meditation. Writing Sample Ascending the stairs with invariable grace, Shinjuko is a paragon of composure. She does not flinch under the thug's scrutiny, showing no reaction as his eyes linger where they shouldn't. Eventually, he accepts her very plainly proffered badge and opens the door before allowing her egress. Her eyes widen slightly as the posh room beyond greets her. Of particular interest are the silken tapestries hanging about the room—clearly objects hailing from her long forgotten homelands far to the east. While she is not overcome by melancholy, as she was far too young to remember any details of her infantile years in Minkai, there is always the burning desire to know more of where she comes from. Her father had educated her as best he could, but it could never compare with the seeing—truly experiencing the culture that both welcomed and spurned her. She had little time for such idolatries however; there was work to be done. She would not disappoint The Partisan in this. She was honorbound to serve as his proxy, and she would see the task realized with its due diligence. As her eyes relinquish their vice on the tapestries, they come to rest on the golden medal. Exercising self control, Yamakawa Shinjuko does not visibly react to the clearly superior party within the room. Her mind does race to an inevitable question, however: where did Alastor figure in The Consortium's hierarchy? A Patron? Golden? Or merely Silvered? The question hangs in the recesses of her mind as she offers a polite bow in the nature of her homeland—as her father had often taught her—to the golden agent before her. She bows low and maintains the gesture for several moments in a show of respect to the authority of she who played host to the meeting, her composure the very image of perfection as she does so. Head still bowed and gaze not meeting that of the woman's, Shinjuko more proclaims than speaks, "Esteemed patron, I am sent as representative and proxy for our mutual friend in Cheliax; to serve as deemed necessary for as long as is required. I express thanks on behalf of my lord for the extended invitation and bear his enthusiasm for this place of meeting as surely as it were my own. Arigato!" Shinjuko regains her normal posture finally, and awaits the pleased woman's gesture before finding herself a seat at the mahogany table. The question of her lord's position yet rattles around her skull. Her position at the table was a reflection of her lord's influence, of course. But she could only guess at his influence within the Consortium. Sitting too close to the present patron might lend insult if she overestimated herself; too far away and it would be her own lord who bore the weight of the insult. Ultimately, she elects to sit closer to the head, though not close enough to give great offense if her estimation proves incorrect. She waits patiently for the room to fill and the report to be given. Shinjuko does not allow herself to sample any of the provided refreshments. It was imperative that her reception be perfect. Helping herself slovenly to the provided banquet would no doubt present a beggar's image. She elects instead to sit in silence, paying close attention to every minute detail recounted of the mysterious land's discovery. I want you to lead it. This struck Shinjuko unexpectedly. She had expected to represent her lord in a capacity as willing servant. Being invested with such a measure of responsibility was an honor. Shinjuko rises in an instant and offers another quick bow before speaking to the woman with as respectful a tone as she can muster. "Hai! I formally offer my considerable expertise to this cause. Whatever danger or madness was visited upon your previous expedition therein; whatever threats await in anticipation of a new wave; I swear this: they will be denied. I shall gain you foothold in this place by blood, steel, and more." Yamakawa Shinjuko ignores the awkward stares from those that yet remain seated around the table. Her fortunes had changed greatly on this day. Her prominence swelled. She would not disappoint her lord or any present. The land would belong to them, even if it meant purging its entirety by herself. It would belong to them. Description:
Shinjuko
Still gripped by the vestiges of a youth spent in secluded naiveté, Shinjuko's countenance carries with it the enthusiasm and innocence of a child. At the same time, she possesses an immutably haunting grace that manages to permeate the air around her like a palpable aura. It is a phenomenon that is as beautiful as it is dreadful. Like most women of Tian-Min descent, Shinjuko's long, straight hair is ink black. She allows the majority of her mane to hang freely about her shoulders and spill down to her mid-back, though she will restrain it in a tightly bound pony tail if faced with a situation that would render loose tresses an imprudent decision. When the opportunity presents, she tends to keep the hair brushed and well maintained; her locks often smell faintly of lavender or plums. Shinjuko's eyes are haunting, pearly orbs—an inheritance afforded her by the vile nature of her Yuki-onna progenitor. They are framed by perfect, smooth skin the color of porcelain and rest beneath thin, dark eyebrows. Her facial features are soft and subdued, but well proportioned and symmetrical. Her lips bear a light blue hue, not so different from someone who has succumbed to a frozen death. Despite her considerable training as a bushi maho-tsukai, Shinjuko shows no signs of toned muscles or definition. Instead, her frame is slight in fullness, tending towards the scrawny side. She is tall for a Tian girl, though not especially so by the standards of western civilization. Despite her diminutive bearing, she manages to carry herself with a profound measure of confidence and resolve. Her inexperience in the ways of western cultures often undercuts her attempts at severity when she encounters something that fascinates her, though none who have made her acquaintance deny her prowess with the Yamakawa tachi that rests firmly between the folds of her obi. Her clothing is unmistakably of Minkai origin. Whether traveling formally as a representative of her new benefactors in practical clothing or dressed in the well made silk finery the east is famous for, she manages to pull off a graceful look with alarming success. Her clothes tend to range on the paler side of the spectrum, often whites and blues with subtle hints of black or gray. Even her finery is practically made, however, and serves not to confine or impede the movements necessary to perform the complex range of motions involved in the Yamakawa technique of bushi maho-tsukai.
Ht: 5'7"
Personality:
PROUD | "I am of the Yamakawa line; charged with the soul of my ancestors, I shall mete out the wrath of thousands of years of perfection upon any who stand in opposition!" As most samurai are famous for, the well of feisty energy harbored within the small frame of Shinjuko is a force to be reckoned with (despite her not actually being a samurai-ko). Owing to her father Mifune's past indiscretions, the Yamakawa line is a pale shadow of its former self, though the methods of the bushi maho-tsukai they are famous for have lessened little in potential. Shinjuko's pride should not be confused with arrogance, however; while she is fiercely defensive of her family's name and honor, she understands full and well that it is a name fallen from grace. There are lessons to be learned from humility, and she seeks to impart them even as she heeds them. LOYAL | "In the sight of gods and man; by the charge bestowed me by the soul of my forebears; I swear to pledge my loyalty and fealty to your cause until such a time that my very life and soul are forfeit."
FORTHRIGHT | "I have no desire to shed blood in these halls, but know this: insult my lord again and you will die before your body finds the ground."
NAIVE | "The teachings of my ancestors shall guide me in all things; I've no need for your prayers, chaplain."
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