Ryoko, Shiren

Ryoko, Shiren

by =Vlandorn, Sep 7, 2012, 4:23:02 AM
Literature / Characters & Settings / Sci-Fi & Fantasy / Profiles

Ryokô, Shiren – Trials of the Journey – Shinigami

General Information
Rank: Captain - Division 13 – Kidô Corps Commander
Age: 2612
Apparent Age: 29
Height: 5'10
Eyes: Greyish blue with a sunburst of bright orange about the pupil.
Hair: Light brown to dark blonde.
General Appearance: Shiren is fundamentally a beautiful person to behold, a slender and elegant man, every action he makes is a statement of his otherworldly grace. Not being muscular in the slightest leads to many people believing he is not fit to be a Captain or even wield a sword, those who do say such things to his face swiftly regret it. Shiren's hair is slightly wavy, its curls hanging down around his face to neck length, the fringe is swept over to the left hand side keeping it out of the way. The hair is so light that a single light breeze would shift the way it falls like leaves on the ground, but somehow, no matter how messed up Shiren's hair gets, it still looks amazing. His hair only seeks to highlight the intensity of his slate grey blue eyes with the shock of orange splashing out from the centre. His face is perfectly proportioned, with no feature out of place, nor too large or too small.
The Captain wears his Shihakusho uniform itself entirely unaltered, with only a few small additions other than the Haori taking the form of dark blue metallic greaves and boots that match the colour of the mantle, these greaves cover from the knees to the end of the feet.
The Haori of Squad 13 has always been associated with the Kidô Corps and as such has been altered to reflect that in all senses. Whereas once the Kidô Commander would wear a cloak over the Haori, over time the Haori and cloak became one and the same, the once white coat becoming dark blue, the once black markings becoming golden. The diamond around the Division Insignia (the number) has become the very symbol of the Kidô Corps, the hollow circle with three outward facing points, and the circles that run around the base of the coat are also the symbol. The Haori is thin and elegant, flowing like water around Shiren as he moves, the shoulders are narrow and slightly pointed, setting the tone for the rest of the Kidô cloak. The Haori itself is adorned with a stiff collar about the neck with golden tassels along the front, and similar golden tassels connecting the two sides of the blue coat, the two split tails of the coat coming to points, curling around Shiren's shins.
Human Appearance: N/A
Personality: Like his appearance, Shiren is calm and tranquil and his personality is utterly breathtaking. He is kind and gentle, treating all within his Division and the Soul Society equally and respectfully, from the other Captains to the Unseated Officers which has made him and his Division by far the most popular of the Gotei as only those who fit his beliefs are allowed in, the members not judged by their merit or skills alone, but by personality too. Captain Ryokô is the calm before a storm that never comes, eternally patient. His calm even extends to combat, where even the most compassionate of warriors can lose themselves to a bloodthirsty beast, Shiren remains pleasant and generous and even his Zanpaku-tô is not especially a weapon. It is because of Shiren's disdain towards combat that he took it upon himself to master the arts of Kidô in all of its forms, so as he would never have to cross swords in his life, and to this day, he has succeeded.

Skills

Vast Spirit Energy: As the Kidô Corps Commander, Ryokô's reserves of Reiryoku are incredible meaning that he can very easily launch barrage after barrage of Kidô spells at his foes without seeming to tire.
Zanjutsu Specialist: Captain Ryokô is useless the a sword, any Seated officer probably outstripping him with little effort.
Kidô Legend: The Captain's lack of combat prowess is made up by his mastery of Kidô, said to be the greatest Kidô mind there has ever been. He has mastered every last spell known to the Seireitei and has perfected his Reiryoku and skills with Kidô to such a point that he is able to use spells in unique ways that no normal Shinigami could even attempt.
Kidô Theory Legend: Through extensive training and research in the fields of Kidô, Shiren has long since mastered the subtle arts of Kidô Theory. He completely understands the flow of Reiatsu, not just through spells but also through life itself. This knowledge, paired with the wisdom of his Zanpaku-tô, Erimaki and the ability Kaihen (Alteration) makes Shiren the deadliest Kidô Master of the age, if not all time.
Hakuda Novice: By no means a master, Shiren is still capable of engaging a foe with nought but his fists should such a need ever arise. Luckily, it has yet to.
Hohô Master: Shiren, as a ranged fighter has long since mastered the skills of Shunpo and its teachings making him a truly deadly foe, sending wave after wave of spells from every conceivable angle.

Abilities

Zanpaku-tô (Shikai): Erimaki – Scarf
Zanpaku-tô (Bankai): Kanemitsu Erimaki – Gold Light Scarf
Other Abilities:
Kidô Corps Haori: The Haori of the Kidô Corps Commander is an incredible feat of design, using the knowledge of underlying Kidô Theory to create an unbelievably strong artefact. By utilizing Kidô Theory, the art of understanding the flow of Reiatsu and Reiryoku, the Haori is able to draw on Shiren's truly massive wells of Reiryoku to make the cloth more resistant than steel, easily stronger than Bakudo #81 Dankû, absorbing any possibly backlash from Kidô. Furthermore, the Haori is able to draw on more than just Shiren's ambient power and he is able to empower it further to make it unbreakable.
Beyond even this though do the effects of the Kidô Corps Haori extend, as it is designed in such a way that whenever Shiren uses a Kidô whilst wearing it, the Haori will enhance the Kidô's strength with a fragment of the power it has drawn from the wearer.
Due to the immense power stored within the cloth of the Kidô Corps Haori, the weave of the cloth has taken a dark, almost metallic blue hue to it that grows in intensity dependant on Shiren's ambient Reiryoku. It is this Haori that is the basis for the legendary Meikyû Gaitô worn by the Shidô of C.O.R.E, Heiwa, Kokoro.
Reikaikyû Kidô (Zero Class Kidô)/Kidô Creator: Due to Shiren's massive knowledge of Kidô and the aid from his Zanpaku-tô, Erimaki he has been able to create unique Kidô that only he is able to cast. These elite Reikaikyû Kidô cause immense strain on Shiren's body, mind and Reiatsu even with the aid from Erimaki hence why the Captain of 13th Division saves these incredible Kidô for only the rarest of events.

Kidô

Reikaikyû Hadô: Unmei Tenseifuku (Zero Class Hadô: Heavenly Subjugation of Fate)
Incantation: Light of the faithless heart scream, hope of the lost dreamer cry, bend the the will of the eternal deity; Reikaikyû Hadô: Unmei Tenseifuku.
Once Shiren has released the immense power of Unmei Tenseifuku, it manifests itself around him in the form of organised and orderly tiny spheres of golden light, each roughly one inch across. There are thousands upon thousands of these, each at the very most five inches apart from one another forming a practically impassable minefield of tiny orbs of light. Each of these orbs are comprised of incredibly unstable Reiatsu that are only maintained by the equilibrium of the other orbs around them. The moment one of the orbs is disturbed, every orb within thirty inches is attracted to it, collapsing inwards in an enormous explosion of Reiatsu.
Of course though, as the orbs that move to the first disturbed orb, they in turn, disturb more orbs, causing more orbs to collapse in on the original anomaly. This often results in an enormous explosion that grows in size to the point of near nuclear.

Reikaikyû Hadô: Unmei-Ki-Ryoku (Zero Class Hadô: Doom Breaker Force)
Incantation: Inverted spire of the sky realm, skin that reaves and crawls and bones that beg for mercy feed the immutable wrath; Reikaikyû Hadô: Unmei-Ki-Ryoku.
For a moment after casting Unmei-Ki-Ryoku, Shiren has a moment brace himself for the cataclysmic release of energy. The moment quickly passes and through is body an apocalyptic proportion of power is unleashed. Shiren's body begins to crackle and spark with hellish flames of black and red, the jagged edges of flames cutting through his robes, the flickering jolts of crimson lightning dancing like demons along his flesh. He immediately begins drawing this energy away from himself, forming it into an ever shifting sphere of dark intent, holding it in the air between his open palms. As the ball of energy grows as he draws the energy away from himself it begins to strike outwards at Shiren's hands before he pulls them away leaving the orb suspended for a moment alone. The orb quickly launches away, skittering in a random and unpredictable path at a breakneck speed that only those who had time to prepare an escape or the very swiftest of Hohô masters could hope to dodge.
Upon impact, something akin to the force of being slammed by a bullet train, much the same affect of the genesis of the spell happens on the target, only in reverse. Instead of the energy working its way out of the body, on the target, it works its way in. The destructive force that was unleashed upon Shiren's body as he prepared the spell is nothing by comparison to the pure and unadulterated devastation it wreaks upon the targets body. The hellfire of dark and crimson incinerates practically all skin of the impact zone and deeper and lacerates away the rest, the sparks of lightning dancing over the exposed wound causing unimaginable pain. Once the sphere has fully worked its way inside the body of the target, it then explodes outwards once more, mighty arcs of crimson lightning flashing away, intense bursts of dark fire ravaging the nearby area. Only those of the highest durability would have a chance of surviving this spell and even they would be gravely wounded and most likely rendered unable to continue the fight.

Zanpaku-tô – Erimaki

Inner World
Shiren's Inner World is an enormous and expansive desert scattered with the ruins of a civilisation that once stood, only crumbling pillars now remaining as a testament to their great strength. From the fallen ruins there are hundreds of long scraps of white scarf billowing in the wind and floating in the breeze smaller, shorter scraps still dominate the sky. The sun in the Inner World is eternal and beats down in unfathomable heat making the endless sand-scape practically impossible to bear. In the cloudless sky, it is possible to see the Spirit of the world, Erimaki itself. Unknown to most, including Shiren himself, there are hundreds of underground tunnels and catacombs beneath the golden sands of the desert.

In the far off distance, on the horizon, there is a huge peak, seemingly split in two, surrounded by the only clouds in sight for as far as the eye can see. In the gap of the mountain, there is a huge pillar of light connecting earth to heaven, the mists swathed around it invitingly.

Zanpaku-tô Spirit
The Spirit of Erimaki takes on the appearance of a strange dragon-like creature with a hammerhead made entirely of white cloth patterned with silvery white rectangular markings that glow golden in the bright sun. It is truly a huge creature made of hundreds upon thousands of segments of cloth, each floating by itself yet flowing with the whole creature, its head is wide and featureless and the length of its body is covered with fins flicking outwards. This serpentine dragon flies through sky and dives into the sand, lively and beautiful to behold.

The dragon, although lively is serene and utterly calm, a source of great knowledge and inspiration to Shiren. The Spirit is a genius at Kidô, his mind a fathomless library of knowledge of the art, a gift that Shiren is welcome to use at any time, it has been with Erimaki's help that Shiren has been able to create the Kidô he has. Erimaki seems to be a lonely mind, but in fact is surrounded with the teeming numbers of his smaller cousins, much smaller than the dragon himself, they fly around him like birds and airborne jellyfish, communicating with tonal chimes.

Sealed Form
Erimaki's sealed form is unmistakable, a weapon of unworldly grace and beauty, the sheath that holds the sword is made of the same white silken cloth as the Spirit of the blade, marked with the same silvery square angular that reflect gold in the light. The blade itself, although it has never been seen, is a pure crystal white. Even the handle is wrapped in the immaculate white silk, the angular marks running down the length, intersecting perfectly, as if playing together. Its tsuba is utterly non-existent, instead, the join between blade and handle is bound in the same white cloth as the sheath and handle, loose strips hanging about the hand.

Release Transition
Release Command: Journey, Erimaki
Upon calling the release for Erimaki Shiren draws his sheathed Zanpaku-tô, although no blade is seen, instead, as he pulls, the entire weapon unravels. From sheath to pommel the silken cloth that wraps the blade untwines, the blade along with it, leaving only the white scarfs hanging in the air, light as gossamer. These scarfs then fall down around Shiren's shoulders, long strips hanging down his front and back.

Shikai Form
After releasing to Shikai, the form of Erimaki is quite simply its namesake, scarfs, woven over each other. They cover Shiren's shoulders and twist up loosely around his neck leaving him plenty of room to move, hiding the lower half of his face in the beautiful golden and white cloth. Down his back there hangs an incredibly long length of scarf, reaching a length of about ten metres when fully stretched out, however, this huge length is always floating around Shiren, coiling about his feet or his torso or simply curling behind him as he moves. Similarly, down his front a shorter length of scarf hangs, this one only reaching about three metres, but again, this always flows as if it weighs no more than mist.
One of the real wonders of Erimaki is that it allows Shiren to cast Kidô not only from his hands, but also from any point along the scarf, in fact from any of the square markings, increasing his range and diversity immensely.
Shikai Abilities:
Mugon Eishô (Wordless Chant): Erimaki is entirely a Kidô based Zanpaku-tô and it presents itself to its user as the perfect creation. Its first ability, Mugon Eishô, allows Shiren to cast Kidô spells and not use the incantation without sacrificing any of its power. This is entirely down to the scarf length that hides his mouth as when he speaks the name and number of the Kidô he is about to cast, the markings on scarf about his mouth glows bright for an instant, this glow is the scarf, the Spirit, "saying" the incantation for him, because of this, this ability is passive.
Kaihen (Alteration): Erimaki's knowledge of Kidô is a great boon to Shiren, as with the Spirit's help he is able to completely alter the nature of any Kidô he may cast, making it entirely passive. This may be only the size and shape, making Hadô #90 Kurohitsugi as small as a dice or making a Hadô #33 Sôkatsui as large as a skyscraper. Kaihen can do more than that though, not only changing the shape of a spell, but completely altering how the spell itself works, making Hadô #4 Byakurai an entire lightning storm as opposed to a single bolt.
Kassô (Glide): This ability requires no calling out of the name which allows Shiren to stay mobile in the air, literally gliding through the sky, causing the markings upon the scarf to glow, as is the way with all the abilities of Erimaki. This ability is most frequently used parallel to his impressive Hohô skills, allowing him to barrage enemies with aerial Kidô before vanishing in an instant.

Inner World (Bankai)
The Inner World of the Bankai is utterly unlike the Shikai, instead of the barren sands, the entire world is above the clouds that surround the mountain of the Shikai, the split peak now within touching distance, the light descending from above unbearably pure and bright, lighting up the clouds as if the Spirits of heaven were dancing upon the mist. Above the clouds the sky is bright and blue, a feeling a triumph flowing through whoever has the opportunity to see such a wonder. Down in the split peak, white snow is visible, turned gold by the light from above, almost like a portal into a different existence.

Zanpaku-tô Spirit (Bankai)
Whereas in Shikai there was but one Spirit, surrounded by smaller brethren, above the clouds of the mountain, the cloth creatures are plentiful, from larger dragons to the darting shoals of aerial fish and the hanging jellyfish as tall as ten men standing atop each other's shoulders. Here, any feeling of barren loneliness felt in the Inner World of the Shikai is long gone, the true nature of Erimaki now revealed. There is no one Spirit of Kanemitsu Erimaki. There are thousands.

The Spirits of Kanemitsu Erimaki are even more knowing of the depths of Kidô than just Erimaki on its own, acting like a world of interconnected libraries, each one unique with its own books and pools of understanding to be delved, their wisdom shared through the chimes.

Release Transition
Release Command: Bankai... Kanemitsu Erimaki
Once Shiren reaches a point of such desperation to release his Bankai, he will quickly blaze his Reiatsu high, giving him the initial blast of power to start the transformation. As he raises his ambient Spiritual Pressure, he declares Bankai causing the markings on the scarf to glow an even more vibrant gold. The now completely golden scarfs wrap themselves tightly around Shiren, obscuring him from view. After he emerges from the cocoon of cloth Shiren quietly states the name of his Bankai, Kanemitsu Erimaki.

Bankai Form
As the cloth unravels, Shiren can be seen in his Bankai state, light pouring from the cloth as it unwinds away, revealing a blinding light that is Shiren. The scarf from the Shikai remains, gaining in length, but now also wrapping up the back of Shiren's head like a hood, glowing golden even brighter than the transition from Shikai. His forearms remain bound, luminescent scarfs wrapped haphazardly from his elbows to his fingertips, trailing bits of silken cloth flowing from the fingers and elbows. Yet more glowing scarfs seem to just hang in the air, floating around Shiren.
As Shiren releases his Bankai, the Kidô Corps Haori and greaves begin to draw more of his ambient Reiryoku, now enhanced beyond all measure due to his Bankai. As the Haori draws more Reiryoku than normal, the blue hue begins to brighten, no longer the dark metallic shade, it is illuminated into a bright glowing azure that is hard to look upon and as such is often mistaken for a silvery white.
Captain Ryokô is surrounded by ethereal, translucent marks, similar in design to the square angular shapes that cover the scarfs. As with the Shikai, Shiren can fire Kidô from any of the square markings, either floating in the air like mist or the thicker, fog-like cloth of the scarfs, or use the square marks to redirect Kidô at his will.
Enhanced Shikai Abilities:
Mugon Eishô (Wordless Chant): Erimaki is entirely a Kidô based Zanpaku-tô and it presents itself to its user as the perfect creation. Its first ability, Mugon Eishô, allows Shiren to cast Kidô spells and not use the incantation without sacrificing any of its power. This is entirely down to the scarf length that hides his mouth as when he speaks the name and number of the Kidô he is about to cast, the markings on scarf about his mouth glows bright for an instant, this glow is the scarf, the Spirit, "saying" the incantation for him, because of this, this ability is passive.
Kaihen (Alteration): Erimaki's knowledge of Kidô is a great boon to Shiren, as with the Spirit's help he is able to completely alter the nature of any Kidô he may cast, making it entirely passive. This may be only the size and shape, making Hadô #90 Kurohitsugi as small as a dice or making a Hadô #33 Sôkatsui as large as a skyscraper. Kaihen can do more than that though, not only changing the shape of a spell, but completely altering how the spell itself works, making Hadô #4 Byakurai an entire lightning storm as opposed to a single bolt.
Kassô (Glide): This ability requires no calling out of the name which allows Shiren to stay mobile in the air, literally gliding through the sky, causing the markings upon the scarf to glow, as is the way with all the abilities of Erimaki. This ability is most frequently used parallel to his impressive Hohô skills, allowing him to barrage enemies with aerial Kidô before vanishing in an instant.
Bankai Abilities:
Seneishô (Thousand Chants): In Bankai, Kanemitsu Erimaki becomes even more deadly, not only allowing Shiren to cast Kidô without the incantation and sacrifice none of their power, but also furthering the power of Kidô should Shiren utter the chant. As the Kidô Corps Commander begins to recite the words of empowerment, a faint and subtle whispering can be heard, muttering the same words overlapping one another. These are the voices of the thousands of Zanpaku-tô Spirits that are Kanemitsu Erimaki lending Shiren their knowledge and power, further enhancing the already devastating Kidô with the power of a thousand mantras.
Shinsei Taihô (Sacred Cannon): This is the only ability of Erimaki which requires a verbal activation, but once the words are spoken, the scarfs around Shiren twist into a helix, before tightening into a hollow cylinder about a foot in diameter. Shiren can fire Kidô, namely projectile Hadô, through the Shinsei Taihô which greatly increases their destructive potential, a Hadô #1 Shô could demolish an entire building and the destructive potential of Hadô above #35 is yet to be discovered and Shiren dare not run the risk of using them. Of course, Shinsei Taihô still uses Mugon Eishô and Kaihen, allowing the cannon to change the nature of the Kidô itself.
Shinsei Taihô: Hôhei (Sacred Cannon: Artillery): Very similar to Shinsei Taihô, causing the scarfs to twist into a helix, tightening into a hollow cylinder. Unlike Shinsei Taihô, Hôhei can be used without naming it, simply multiplying the single cannon into a force of huge numbers. This ability, due to not needing its name called, is incredibly dangerous, forcing a foe to suddenly face down an army of Kidô cannons. Due to the number of cannons that Hôhei creates at a nigh instant speed, their power is slightly lower than the standard, and far more frequently used, Shinsei Taihô, yet, with a weaker power comes a much faster firing speed. Like Shinsei Taihô, Hôhei uses Mugon Eishô and Kaihen through the cannon itself.
Shinsei Taihô: Denji-Hô (Sacred Cannon: Railgun): Again, similar to its parent ability, Shinsei Taihô Denji-Hô twines scarfs into a helix however, unlike its other incarnations, Denji-Hô is made of far more than just two lengths of scarf. This enormous number of scarfs, ranging around five to ten lengths of cloth, tighten into a huge hollow cylinder of silken silver cloth that hovers behind Shiren over his head, still connected to the many scarfs around his neck. Denji-Hô does need its name calling, although not always in full, as should Shiren have time to allow the full power to gather he will declare fully its name causing ten lengths of cloth to form the helix, but should he not need the full power, only the latter part is needed, causing five lengths of scarf to twist about. Denji-Hô, like its parent ability uses the abilities Mugon Eishô and Kaihen and increases the power of a Kidô fired through exponentially, a simple Shô being enough to reduce even the tallest mountains of the Seireitei to mere dust, however, with greater power the cannon fires at a much slower rate.