Rika Saki

Name: Rika Saki
Gender: Male
Age: Looks to be 25 
Year in school: College
Mastery: Hunter
Dorm: Sage
Height: 5'8". He stays around the same height even as a dog.

Appearance:
Personality: Rika is a strange being to be around. He is curious, loves to explore and take on challenges. He loves art of all forms, seeming to dabble in writings and drawings on his own and occasionally a musical piece from time to time. He likes to hang around people, but doesn’t necessarily want to be bombarded by them preferring to deal with one or two people at the most. A crowd can be overwhelming and nerve wrecking to him even if he can be in one with a smile. He likes his quiet time and being alone, finding it quite comfortable to sit in a room reading a book or doing something else by himself. Though on occasion, he does like to go in a room with another and do said quiet active with them around if he wants company, but please do not see his presence as a sign he wants to be bothered.

He is gentle, caring, and kind for the most part doing almost anything he can to help others and make someone else’s life happy. He seems like a great guy…on the surface, but underneath it all he is not all he seems.

Rika doesn’t give his trust easily. Even though he can be friendly and open to a person, he keeps his private information to himself only letting those he allows close to him to maybe hear the story. He is also quite unpredictable in mood. He can be happy one moment, but just as quickly become depressed or agitated for apparently no reason. He doesn’t like to be pressured and will quickly snap at one that tries to get him to do what he doesn’t want to do.

While he isn’t a violent sort, he seems to hide something dark within and as a result has no issues switching from sweet to vicious if that is what it takes to protect himself or others….and usually if he falls into the latter mode, he shows no remorse for his actions. Outside of that he is a creature that seems to do as he wants not really caring too much for rules especially when it comes to doing what he feels is right in a matter.

History: Rika’s parents were a church grim and hellhound that fell in love in a time where sickness, death, and war ran rapid. They didn’t have much, but they lived the best way they could in such a harsh time. When Rika was born, his mother and father did everything they could to provide for him and make his life happy and for the most part they were able to do just that. For at least one year of his life, he lived a normal life, but then the war caught up to them. His father was called to the front line to defend their village and never came back and shortly after that, Rika mother died of heartache leaving the child with his aunt from his father’s side.

Being a widow barely scraping by for a house already full of children, Rika’s aunt did not really want to feed another mouth or try to open her heart up to a child that was not her own. Instead of catering to him like she did the other children, she put him to work from a young age teaching him how to do house work and be obedient to herself and the other children. He wasn’t allowed to have toys or nice clothing. He wasn’t even allowed to have a nice meal. During the day, his aunt kept him busy with house work and other chores he could do at his age, fed him mostly meals of simply rice or porridge, and kept him in the smallest room in her house with only a few blankets to call a bed. He was bullied by the other children and was taught he was beneath them in every way; however, no matter how harshly they treated him, he never complained or tried to fight back. He simply did what he was told and managed to survive the pain.

9 years passed and times became harder. Desperate for money, his aunt sold him off to a rich family seeking a servant for their twin daughters. Thrust into a place and world he was had never seen before, Rika quickly learned that this family was cruel and had no love for servants. On his first day there, he witnessed the mother of the house brutally beat her servant for simply putting the wrong color of nail polish on her fingers. And the next day he saw the father forcing a female servant to perform acts she clearly did not want to do; however, no one came to defend either of them….and no one would come to defend him when his turn rolled around.

While he was obedient and did everything the twins asked of him, the pair were never pleased. They always found excuses to yell at him, hit him, or torment him in some fashion just because it pleased them. Rika took the abuse without a word and at night when he was crammed in the room with all the other battered servants, he would do his best to rest only to repeat the same routine the next day.

The older he got the rougher his life became as the twins became more and more violent and demanding. While Rika did his best to keep them pleased it wasn’t enough and eventually they got bored of him and demanded a new servant which their parents were all too happy to get them.

Becoming part of the normal staff, Rika was subject to all forms of physical, mental, verbal and even sexual abuse by the masters of the house just like any other servant in the house. He took the abuse and survived quietly until he turned 17. It is unclear what caused Rika to do what he did. Maybe it was vengeance. Karma. The desire to live. Or maybe the young man simply went mad. It is hard to say. What is known is that a few days after Rika turned 18, he was called into a room by the father of the house who had some twisted idea of fun in his head.

Rika started off submissive enough allowing the guy to pull him close to begin his fun; however, instead of letting the guy get his way Rika bit his master in the neck as hard as he could shocking the guy and drawing blood for the first time. While the guy was able to get him off, he was far from forgiving the action. In a rage, the older gentleman tried to kill Rika, but ended up in a fight he ended up losing. It was the first time, Rika had killed and while the action should’ve frightened him or make him feel some form of regret, he felt nothing after performing the act and coming back to his senses.

He did not run or try to hide what he did. He was caught, beaten to near death and then thrown out with the rest of the trash. He was left to die and in all honesty was okay with the idea of death; however, it would seem it was not his time to go yet.

He was picked up from the allies by a gentleman that frequent the allies looking for the poor, hungry, and desperate. While the dying wasn’t particularly to his taste, he saw Rika not as a person, but as the creature he was underneath and so took him in. During the day time hours, Rika was cared for by a gentle servant girl and at night the gentleman that had saved him would take up the shift.

It took a whole year for Rika to heal and relearn to how to move and do normal things again. It was quite a miracle he recovered at all, but he did; however, once back on his feet he expected to be treated as a servant once more. Why else would he have been nursed back to health for someone who was apparently wealthy?

However, the servant girl nor the gentleman ever asked him to do anything. In fact, they didn’t seem to care what he did as long as he wasn’t hurting them in any fashion. The concept of not being ordered around and not being punished or bullied was strange to Rika and to be frank took him a long while to get used to.

With no where to go, Rika began helping around the mansion during the day and exploring the large home and the surrounding areas in his free time. He familiarized himself with the place and found himself easily attaching to the servant girl who seemed to enjoy his company. From the servant girl, he learned kindness and love. She helped bring out the gentler side of Rika and taught him the art of healing and using the elements of the world as power. She taught him that not everyone in the world was cruel and that no one was beneath another no matter what class they were in life.

As for the gentleman that appeared at night. It took a little longer for Rika to warm up to the strange and mysterious man, the young hellhound/church grim feeling a certain amount of unease around the other who always seemed to watch the world with keen eyes. It took about six months of observation and sitting within the same room as the other for Rika to finally get the courage to try and get to know the man.

The gentleman was not an ordinary man. In fact, he was a vampire that loved a good hunt as well knowledge. Once Rika trusted him, the man taught him how to hunt and kill while also educating him about the world around them. He taught Rika about balance in life and how to be respectful and appreciative about it. The vampire taught him through death of creatures just how precious life was and through protecting his servant from danger, he taught Rika what was worth fighting for in life and what was simply best left alone. Between the pair, Rika was able to pull himself back to his feet and become his own person….even if his past was something he struggled with daily.


Name of Species: Church Grim/Hellhound

The Church Grim:

Baseline Dimension: Minimum two feet tall at shoulder, maximum eight feet tall. Average is generally 4-6 feet tall at the shoulder. Length varies.

Baseline Appearance: Church Grim are animals, typically dogs, and have black fur, almost any eye color, abnormally long and flowing tails, and white fangs. Their fur is shadow-like in nature and flows unnaturally with a black aura.

Culture/Origin of Species: As per tradition in some Skiagis cultures, the people of the church were to bury a dumb animal, usually a dog, alive for it to become the designated soul to protect and guard the graveyard. The rule was simple; the first being buried after the opening of the cemetery was fated to protect it for eternity. Their soul would remain alive and bound to the yard as they upheld the duty of protecting the cemetery from demons, gravediggers, trespassers with ill intent, and the like. The task was said to be from an ancient agreement with a god and was a sacred duty for an animal to uphold.


The Hellhound: 

Baseline Dimension: (Human) || General dimensions of a Hellhound when maintaining a humanoid form will - more often than not - take after the common averages that legitimate humans would; implying that fully grown heights would likely average anywhere between 5'4" (~162-163 cm) to 5'10" (~177-178 cm) on average, though these heights are subjective altogether, and any Hellhound could very well exceed these averages, or perhaps fall short of them. To match, their weights and builds are often differing as a result, though are normally of the average weight that a human would be at any given height, with some influence from his or her gender.

(Wolf) || Often times, male Hellhounds stand at a shoulder height of approximately 13 feet (~396 cm), as well as a nose to tail tip measurement of about 16 1/2 (~502-503 cm), all while weighing in at an average of 900 lbs (~408 kg). Females, on the other hand, have been recorded to stand at a shoulder height of 10 feet (~304-305 cm), as well as a a nose to tail tip length of 13 1/2 (~411 cm), while holding an approximated weight of 700 lbs (~317-318 kg) on average. Those of the male variation have been known to host bulkier bodies with more muscle and definition within their forms, while females are lighter and more agile. However, builds among different Hellhounds could easily differ and stray away from the norm.

Baseline Appearance: (Human) || Regardless of gender, a given Hellhound's appearance will likely reflect their pelt color within their lupine forms, if not take on the standard, black hair, and crimson eyes, that most Hellhounds are known to have. If the aforementioned appearance isn't the one that they take on, then any Hellhound could possibly have the natural hair and eye colors that existing wolf breeds would have within their pelt and eyes alike; thus making it possible for someone of this species to naturally have white hair, as well as golden or amber eyes. Forms could easily differ depending upon the various factors of one's biology - such as metabolism, eating habits, exercise routines, and other things of the sort - but generally, males hold a well build and toned build, while females generally follow suit, although with a thinner body in order to enable room for more natural agility and flexibility.

(Wolf) || While many Hellhounds boast a sleek, shining fur coat of ebony, as well as eyes of crimson to match, the fact of the matter is that Hellhounds altogether aren't strictly limited to the aforementioned appearance altogether. Most may host the given look, though others - more often than not - also host features similar to common wolves in accordance to their specimens. As such, if a Hellhound doesn't have the black fur and red eyes that most of their race would, then fur possibilities could range anywhere between russet, to grey, to even white, among the colors of other, natural wolves. Alongside this, their eyes would likely take some hue of amber, brown, gold, gray, blue, or green. Unlike the restrictions set upon common wolves, however, these colors are capable of being mixed and matched, so a given Hellhound could also hold a mixture of colors within eyes and pelt alike that a legitimate breed of wolf wouldn't be able to have; such as a white pelted wolf with amber or gold colored eyes. Abstract pelt colors such as pink or purple are impossible, with the same applying to eye color, unless the Hellhound in question happens to be a hybrid of a specimen that is capable of holding colors of this sort as the natural hue within their features.

In addition, the forms of most Hellhounds in their lupine form tend to be rather toned, alongside large, in general. Their fur coats are also soft and warm for sake of bodily insulation, and could measure anywhere between short to long as far as fur length is concerned. However, these aren't necessarily the strict features to be seen upon a Hellhound within their wolf form, and differences could be seen within individuals, as features altogether would depend vastly upon the being in question.

Culture/Origin of Species: While the beliefs altogether waver in faith between many individuals within the current day and age, legends within the ancient past of Mistere mention beings of a lupine form being both blessed and cursed alike by the keepers of the underworld in order to petition their aid in watching over the souls of the underworld. With the calm intimidation of curses had they been blessed; as they had been with flame, fury, and sense, among other factors, as well. Within this day and age, it is said that dogs are man's best friend.

These particular legends could very well promote this in a more fierce and ancient sense.

According to legend, the gods of eld had taken it upon themselves to search for companions to aid them; not within the guidance of souls, but rather, the keeping and security. As such, they required beings that boasted but authority and strength to interact with even the fiercest of the fierce for sake of keeping them within their places when their time upon the lands had come to a close. Hunters are what they required for this duty.

Hunters. Protectors.

As such, they extended their reaches to various sources; eventually finding themselves at a clash with the beasts of the wild, and - in time - soon finding the resolve and tenacity that they very much needed. Finding themselves not at the mercy, but at the interest and curiosity of a pack of lupine beings, they found themselves at a gradually progressing impasse. Naturally, the beasts themselves chose not to trust them with each, closer step that they took towards them, and their own; baring fang and claw alike within sheer tenacity with intentions of protecting their kin in the face of these foreign gods. The first encounters had been those of skepticism and hostility towards the gods of eld, though in time, they had managed to gain a small degree of trust from these fantastic beasts in order to observe them from a closer level.

Moons passed, and as they did, they managed to grow closer; soon enough spurring these gods to bestow blessings upon these creatures, as well as their family and kin. Initially, they gave them the power to communicate within their own forms; thus deepening their bonds even more before bestowing further capabilities upon them. Next came the blessing of strength, and - once they had deeper discussions of their futures, as well as promises and suggestions of greater powers - convinced this first pack of beasts to be the first bearers of the damned and the underworld.

With trust accumulated over time, these gods had eventually bestowed greater capabilities upon the pack; enabling them the soon ability to assume a form much like their own. While lupine at heart, these beings had been granted a human build - alongside the varied other powers bestowed upon them - and gradually began to adjust to life both within the wild, as well as within civilizations, in accordance to their own motivations. As time went on, and the beliefs of those upon the surface began to dwindle in regards to the existence of heaven, Hell, and everything in between, many of these beings have strayed from the initial duties of their ancestors for sake of making their lives their own with their abilities to integrate into society.

Traits

From the Church Grim: 

• Faire Chlaidh, the graveyard watch - Church Grim can walk invisible- unseen, unheard, untouched, and unscented at will.

• Buried alive - Having faced a mortal death once before, Church Grim do not age or die by natural causes, but simply fade away or eventually pass on. They have +2 to their Resilience Aspect.

From the Hellhound:

•Heightened Senses || Due to being of partial wolf blood in one way or another, those of this species host heightened senses of hearing, smell, and other things of the sort.

•Lunar Blessing || The gods of the past have bestowed an extra degree of strength upon these beings in with the intention of aiding them in their ventures to protect the gates of the underworld. Characters gain +1 Strength.

•Telepathy || For sake of allowing easy communication - particularly within their lupine forms - Hellhounds are enabled the ability of telepathy. They can plant thoughts and parts of conversations within the surface minds of others; regardless of the form that they maintain at a given time.

Flaws

From The Church Grim:

• Kilgrim Bridge - Due to having been once tied strongly to land and duty, Church Grim hold an innate sense of loyalty that is more of a curse than a blessing. They become easily attached to people, places, and things, and if they are away from their cemetery or it has been destroyed, they will feel a constant void and depression within. If they become too loyal to one individual, they can be easily taken advantage of and used.

From the Hellhound: 

•Feral Instincts || Characters will likely host more feral tendencies; be it something as small to growling in response to a threat out of instinct, or perhaps even giving into hunter or seasonal influences that other animals of the sort would likely experience. Depending upon the person, these instincts may be harder to resist.