General InformationName: Masashi Reiko
Alia(s): The Red Prince
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Sex: Male
Eye Color: Red
Hair Color: Red
Height: 5'11"
Blood Type: 0
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Physical Description
Possessed of a lightly built frame, Masashi Reiko is tall but relatively thin for someone who possesses such physical strength. His body is a mass of tightly corded muscles that writhe with the energy of the blood spring making him unnaturally warm to the touch. Armed with a terminal case of resting bitch face, Reiko's face is typically hidden behind a visored mask that covers the top half of his face when engaged in a mission. He wears his crimson hair short and generally spiked upwards. Perhaps most notable about Reiko's appearance is a pair of dark brown horns that poke out from beneath the tips of his hair which appeared after his poor decision to drink the Black Blood.
Mental State
An experienced and studied fighter, Reiko knows his way around the battlefield perhaps too well. Growing up studying the old ways of the ranger order, Reiko's first thoughts when he walks into a room are what tools are available to gain an advantage if a fight were to break out and what avenues could be exploited for an escape if necessary but this is not only because of the training he received at a young age. Reiko harbors inside him a blood curse from having drank from an ancient blood spring far underground which drives him to do battle and spill the blood of others. He has taken to calling that urge the Hunger and though it cannot control him anymore as it did the first time he experienced it the Hunger is a constant influence in his decision making. As a young man that has experienced rock bottom, Reiko is humble and is trying to navigate around the shame he feels about losing control and forcing his brother to put him down so many years ago. Still, despite his aversion to hubris Reiko is a dangerous fighter that enjoys a good competition and shows no mercy during battles which have proven themselves to be matters of life and death. A subscriber to the old ways even though he feels unworthy of them, Reiko lives by the words of "Good is that which Evil fears and justice is when those fears are made reality".
Character History:
Reiko was born under auspicious circumstances. The first son of Masashi Hanzo, the Primarch of his clan, Reiko was brought back with his father from a particularly long hunt. His mother was not a member of the clan and his father refused to discuss his parentage outside of the statement that Reiko was his son and that was all that mattered.
It was not long after Reiko was brought back to the caravan that Hanzo would be gravely wounded while safe-guarding the return of his sister Masashi Inara to the caravan from her former home of Sunagakure. Strong as he was, Hanzo survived his injuries for a short time before eventually succumbing and passing the title of Primarch to Inara, his only living sibling, until his son became old enough and proved himself worthy of the title. Knowing that she owed her brother for the life of not only herself but her only son Katsuo, Inara took it upon herself to teach Reiko what he would need to know to become a skilled and proficient ranger of the Masashi Clan alongside his cousin Katsuo.
Growing up together the two were as inseparable as brothers and were each other's principle rival in all things and their teacher's approval was no exception. Where Katsuo excelled at the martial arts and the usage of their clan's doujutsu to enhance his physical reaction times, Reiko struggled to keep up with his adoptive older brother's successes. Whenever Reiko reached a new milestone and believed he had finally caught Katsuo or surpassed him it became apparent just how wide the gulf between them had grown in terms of skill. Then finally when the two young boys were mid-way through their teenage years and at the height of their rivalry, Katsuo left without saying goodbye. After a heated argument with their mother one night, Katsuo fled the caravan with nothing but a pack over his shoulder and disappeared into the night air of the Wind Country desert.
Angry and hurt that his brother would just leave him, Reiko spent the next few years training harder than ever with their mother Inara with the intent of becoming a ranger and finally being able to best his brother the next time they met until finally he became a ranger himself and struck out on his own. Under the guise of a hunt, Reiko left the caravan with the intention of tracking Katsuo down and finding answers for why he'd left them. Following rumors of a green-haired ranger called himself the Iron Wolf, Reiko went from homestead to rural village following the exploits of this folk hero that reminded him of his brother by description and after a year and half of searching he finally found him but not as he expected him. His first glimpse of Katsuo in nearly five years was while the Iron Wolf was engaged in battle with a colossal spider youkai that had been attacking trade merchants in the area and while Reiko's first instinct had been to leap into battle at his borther's side it quickly became apparent that Katsuo did not need his help. With his own eyes he watched Katsuo utterly dominate the creature that Reiko would have considered an insurmountable foe on his own and in that moment it became clear that the gap between their respective abilities was as large as ever. Perhaps even greater than it had been when they'd been together. While Reiko had thought of nothing but becoming stronger to impress his brother during the intervening years, Katsuo had gone on to become strong for his own reasons.
Motivated more than ever to become stronger than his brother, Reiko joined Katsuo and the two journeyed for some time together as a team and their time together was telling. Katsuo had studied under a great martial artist and become a skilled warrior in a number of different combat styles. Eventually the two got separated during en excursion into a crumbling ruin to root out the source of marauding creatures that fed on anything living they could get their hands on and Reiko found himself alone within those darkened halls... and something in him came to life. The ruins themselves did not speak to him but there blossomed an urge in his heart to find the center of the ruin. With an explicable need governing his actions and the strings of destiny pulling at his legs, Reiko navigated those dessicated corridors with an eerie accuracy until he found himself at his destination; a natural spring that ran red and black with a thick viscous liquid the consistency of blood.
Blood of my blood. Drink. Urged something in his selfconscious. He did not hear the words because they weren't spoken. He just knew them. Like remembering something someone had said to you years ago. If you would sacrifice what you are for what you could become then drink and become strong. Drink and be complete.
And even though every conscious nerve in his body fought against the urge that suddenly attacked him, Reiko did just that. He knelt beside that cursed spring of black blood that vomited forth from the rocks and... suddenly felt great. Energy coursed through his body like it never had before. His senses honed and clarified. Feeling like lightning trapped in a bottle, Reiko had never felt more alive than in the first few moments after taking from the spring. But that power came at a price. Only moments after experiencing the rush of power from the gulp of blood he'd taken, Reiko felt his mind turn to what else it needed.
Hunt. Chase. Kill. Consume.
Those four words thundered in the back of his mind like the beat of a drum and though he tried to shut out the sensation he found the more he resisted it the more worse the demand from his subconscious became.
Hunt. Chase. Kill. Consume.
When Katsuo found Reiko at the heart of the ruin, he came upon him just as Reiko's mind gave out to the desire and Katsuo found himself face to face not with his younger brother but a ravening beast who thought of nothing but ripping and tearing through his prey. Reiko's assault was savage but experienced and it was everything that Katsuo could do at first to defend himself from his possessed sibling. Eventually putting two and two together, Katsuo realized that Reiko had for some reason chosen to drink from the blood spring and become possessed by it... but he had no way of subduing him without killing him and so Katsuo did the thing which he thought was the most merciful at the time and made the decision to slay him. With his right arm entirely cleaved from his body, Reiko fell before Katsuo and the Iron Wolf died alongside him. Katsuo would go on to journey to Sunagakure after burying the brother he thought he killed, feeling the pull of destiny and finally deciding to cease running away from the fate that was promised to him.
For Reiko's part, their battle in those blood-soaked ruins would not be the end of his story either. Some time later, Reiko awoke from near-death coughing and sputtering -- buried beneath a layer of dirt and sand that he pushed through with surprising ease though he lacked any memories of himself or why he'd been buried just outside the city limits of a small frontier town. Journeying into town hoping to find out something about himself and of course find something to satisfy the ravenous hunger which he felt, Reiko caught the eye of a traveling machinist named Tanaka Shen that took him in and in exchange for food and board used Reiko as a test subject for his mechanized prosthetic procedures that he was working on and other menial labor jobs. Years passed with Reiko serving as Shen's apprentice and assistant as his memories slowly came back to him. Passing through Soon's Haven and hearing of the tyranny of Sunagakure and their evil Kazekage Takahashi Sousuke, Reiko was struck with an irresistible urge to journey to Sunagakure and find what it was that drew him there. Bidding his farewell to his friend Shen that had helped him so much through such a hard period in his life, Reiko went forth to find his destiny in the Village of Sand.
It was not long after Reiko was brought back to the caravan that Hanzo would be gravely wounded while safe-guarding the return of his sister Masashi Inara to the caravan from her former home of Sunagakure. Strong as he was, Hanzo survived his injuries for a short time before eventually succumbing and passing the title of Primarch to Inara, his only living sibling, until his son became old enough and proved himself worthy of the title. Knowing that she owed her brother for the life of not only herself but her only son Katsuo, Inara took it upon herself to teach Reiko what he would need to know to become a skilled and proficient ranger of the Masashi Clan alongside his cousin Katsuo.
Growing up together the two were as inseparable as brothers and were each other's principle rival in all things and their teacher's approval was no exception. Where Katsuo excelled at the martial arts and the usage of their clan's doujutsu to enhance his physical reaction times, Reiko struggled to keep up with his adoptive older brother's successes. Whenever Reiko reached a new milestone and believed he had finally caught Katsuo or surpassed him it became apparent just how wide the gulf between them had grown in terms of skill. Then finally when the two young boys were mid-way through their teenage years and at the height of their rivalry, Katsuo left without saying goodbye. After a heated argument with their mother one night, Katsuo fled the caravan with nothing but a pack over his shoulder and disappeared into the night air of the Wind Country desert.
Angry and hurt that his brother would just leave him, Reiko spent the next few years training harder than ever with their mother Inara with the intent of becoming a ranger and finally being able to best his brother the next time they met until finally he became a ranger himself and struck out on his own. Under the guise of a hunt, Reiko left the caravan with the intention of tracking Katsuo down and finding answers for why he'd left them. Following rumors of a green-haired ranger called himself the Iron Wolf, Reiko went from homestead to rural village following the exploits of this folk hero that reminded him of his brother by description and after a year and half of searching he finally found him but not as he expected him. His first glimpse of Katsuo in nearly five years was while the Iron Wolf was engaged in battle with a colossal spider youkai that had been attacking trade merchants in the area and while Reiko's first instinct had been to leap into battle at his borther's side it quickly became apparent that Katsuo did not need his help. With his own eyes he watched Katsuo utterly dominate the creature that Reiko would have considered an insurmountable foe on his own and in that moment it became clear that the gap between their respective abilities was as large as ever. Perhaps even greater than it had been when they'd been together. While Reiko had thought of nothing but becoming stronger to impress his brother during the intervening years, Katsuo had gone on to become strong for his own reasons.
Motivated more than ever to become stronger than his brother, Reiko joined Katsuo and the two journeyed for some time together as a team and their time together was telling. Katsuo had studied under a great martial artist and become a skilled warrior in a number of different combat styles. Eventually the two got separated during en excursion into a crumbling ruin to root out the source of marauding creatures that fed on anything living they could get their hands on and Reiko found himself alone within those darkened halls... and something in him came to life. The ruins themselves did not speak to him but there blossomed an urge in his heart to find the center of the ruin. With an explicable need governing his actions and the strings of destiny pulling at his legs, Reiko navigated those dessicated corridors with an eerie accuracy until he found himself at his destination; a natural spring that ran red and black with a thick viscous liquid the consistency of blood.
Blood of my blood. Drink. Urged something in his selfconscious. He did not hear the words because they weren't spoken. He just knew them. Like remembering something someone had said to you years ago. If you would sacrifice what you are for what you could become then drink and become strong. Drink and be complete.
And even though every conscious nerve in his body fought against the urge that suddenly attacked him, Reiko did just that. He knelt beside that cursed spring of black blood that vomited forth from the rocks and... suddenly felt great. Energy coursed through his body like it never had before. His senses honed and clarified. Feeling like lightning trapped in a bottle, Reiko had never felt more alive than in the first few moments after taking from the spring. But that power came at a price. Only moments after experiencing the rush of power from the gulp of blood he'd taken, Reiko felt his mind turn to what else it needed.
Hunt. Chase. Kill. Consume.
Those four words thundered in the back of his mind like the beat of a drum and though he tried to shut out the sensation he found the more he resisted it the more worse the demand from his subconscious became.
Hunt. Chase. Kill. Consume.
When Katsuo found Reiko at the heart of the ruin, he came upon him just as Reiko's mind gave out to the desire and Katsuo found himself face to face not with his younger brother but a ravening beast who thought of nothing but ripping and tearing through his prey. Reiko's assault was savage but experienced and it was everything that Katsuo could do at first to defend himself from his possessed sibling. Eventually putting two and two together, Katsuo realized that Reiko had for some reason chosen to drink from the blood spring and become possessed by it... but he had no way of subduing him without killing him and so Katsuo did the thing which he thought was the most merciful at the time and made the decision to slay him. With his right arm entirely cleaved from his body, Reiko fell before Katsuo and the Iron Wolf died alongside him. Katsuo would go on to journey to Sunagakure after burying the brother he thought he killed, feeling the pull of destiny and finally deciding to cease running away from the fate that was promised to him.
For Reiko's part, their battle in those blood-soaked ruins would not be the end of his story either. Some time later, Reiko awoke from near-death coughing and sputtering -- buried beneath a layer of dirt and sand that he pushed through with surprising ease though he lacked any memories of himself or why he'd been buried just outside the city limits of a small frontier town. Journeying into town hoping to find out something about himself and of course find something to satisfy the ravenous hunger which he felt, Reiko caught the eye of a traveling machinist named Tanaka Shen that took him in and in exchange for food and board used Reiko as a test subject for his mechanized prosthetic procedures that he was working on and other menial labor jobs. Years passed with Reiko serving as Shen's apprentice and assistant as his memories slowly came back to him. Passing through Soon's Haven and hearing of the tyranny of Sunagakure and their evil Kazekage Takahashi Sousuke, Reiko was struck with an irresistible urge to journey to Sunagakure and find what it was that drew him there. Bidding his farewell to his friend Shen that had helped him so much through such a hard period in his life, Reiko went forth to find his destiny in the Village of Sand.
Play-List
- 1. The Hunger
- Reiko is extremely sensitive about his horns. He will almost always ignore questions about them and will grow agitated if someone presses the topic of discussion on them and will absolutely not let others touch them.
- His physical form is unnaturally hot to the touch. Not enough to burn or cause pain but his internal temperature is noticeably warmer than the average person which often can cause his breath to appear in puffs of condensation even in what most might consider warm weather.
- By drinking the blood of Orochi, Reiko's body was physically and spiritually altered at a fundamental level. As a result he carries with him a physical and spiritual presence reminiscent of an ancient of the Wild Hunt despite their kind being extinct-- specifically he carries the "scent" of Orochi on him. To those who are sensitive to such matters or familiar with ancients or Orochi they would sense it almost immediately.
- When agitated or the Hunger's influence is growing strong on him, Reiko's breath sometimes manifests as puffs of black vapor which are somewhat reminiscent of cigarette smoke. It is a strong acrid vapor that lingers around his body and smells strongly of ash and blood. Should someone else breath the vapor it is an experience similar to that of breathing extremely hot smoke as it both burns and agitates at the same time. In addition Reiko's poisonous breath carries with it a dangerous factor of contamination with a dangerous hemovirus if steps are not taken to protect oneself.
- Reiko has next to no reputation of note in Sunagakure.
1. Gift of Lifehunt
2. Patient Zero
Gift of Lifehunt said:
Patient Zero said: