Shio Kuu Takanashi

"I am but an unholy copy of life... A mockery of its freedom... And born in the cruel betrayal of the noble ideals I would've served."

## Character Information

### Religion

Religion is a coping mechanism constructed by humans to deal with the existential dread of their short lives, and why so many who forsake it search for other methods of eternal life

## Social Description

### Relatives

Shiro Takanashi (Father), Makara Takanashi (Mother)

## History

#### Who is Shio?

Shio was once an obedient member of a religious cult. A follower of a dark god and a religious fanatic, but that is of little importance now. What matters now is that, somehow, she found it in her to free herself from the blind servitude and saw the error of her ways. Many innocents died by her hand - sacrificed on an altar or slain in raids. Brainwashed, drugged, or simply confused and misled she has committed crimes so heinous she could hardly ever ask for forgiveness. Nevertheless, Shio left the cult determined to seek a new life. Will it be a life of virtue in a pursuit of redemption or a lonesome journey of an embittered and broken individual trying to run away from their past? Left only with sleepless nights as burning questions haunt her: Why did she join the cult in the first place? What made her see through the veil of the cult indoctrination? How did she manage to escape?

Marred by this cult she carries a scar from the attempt at removing the cult's brand upon her otherwise untouched skin.

Her past still haunts her in her dreams. She often wakes up screaming or does not sleep at all. This has filled her with melancholy. She is constantly afraid.

Dark cults trifle with powers that are beyond their understanding or control. Those fools must be stopped.

#### How? Why?

Being born to a free agent cultist isn't the most ideal situation. Shio is no stranger to this. But to know about Shio we must first learn about her mother, Makara.

Makara was a misguided child, lured by promises and opportunities laced with veiled control and evil beyond anyone's understanding. Names never spoken or only referenced in hushed tones; she gained close ties to, even befriended. Her ascent wasn't pretty but it was certainly noteworthy. Shio's mother spent centuries building a following, not siding with any cult but building a rapport with all of them, an empire of depravity.

After several hundred years passed she came across a man who, much like her father and grandfather before him, sought to put his name everywhere. A genuine man, but a vainglorious man, Shiro Takanashi, a samurai. He was quiet, reserved and gentle when he spoke to those he cared for and cared about, but when the call to battle came, it was like a paradigm shift, his whole persona became fury, hunting for glory, making sure all had a reason to remember his name. He wore his banner proudly and stood atop the highest peaks when he could to make certain those around could see him.

These two meeting was like two cresting waves crashing into each other. They absolutely hated each other. They butted heads at every turn. It was a competition. A fever. Impassioned. Years, no decades of time passed as they grew to the point of respectful competitors rather than enemies, until in a sudden moment of desperation, a hand reached out and helped the other rise to his feet after a great battle ended in defeat. Makara saw a man she respected. She saw a man she loved. From the wake of battle a new bond formed and they spent not a second apart. It would be shortly after this that the ritual of marriage came to pass and Makara Takanashi was written into the ages.

Makara's allegiances and alliances stood firm, her cultist ideals did waver some as Shiro fought against them and opened her mind to the truth of it all, but as their child was born, some of those ideals, that influence fell upon them as well. Shio was born. Their child was inheriting a legacy bigger than she could plausibly ever know but just as things began to grow and build for her and she was beginning to grow up, everything was stripped from her and in a sudden unfortunate situation…

She found herself somewhere new. Somewhere foreign. A place she'd never seen. A world she'd never heard of. Her life would never be the same.

Shio stuck to what she knew, as a child was trained from a young age to be self-sufficient and resilient. She lived off the land and fell into what she knew. Unfortunately what she knew was how to live, how to survive and how to integrate herself into what felt like home…

She found herself within a room of robed figures with a bloody kunai in her hands standing over a pleading man, as if the time between had all but been a fever pitch and she suddenly saw through it all. She saw her actions were not her own. {Clang, Ka-clang, clang} the blade falls to the stone floor of the sacrificial chamber and splatters blood on her legs. She steps back. She does a light bow and walks away.

It wasn't unheard-of for a member to suddenly need to walk away for a moment or turn away from a sacrifice. Though she would be questioned later by the leader and potentially face a punishment for impeding the progress of a ritual...

It is within these moments following her exit from the chamber that she came to the conclusion: She no longer wished to be a part of this.

## Appearance

She wears a red cloak that drapes over her and nearly touches the ground. It has golden accents at the far end and resembles a bird wing. She wears what look like black skintight stockings up to the thighs and golden bangles around near her shin area. A red robe with a matching stitching around the edge and accented black belt with gold-colored accent in the center wrapped around her waist. A similar styling down her arms with skintight sleeves and golden bangles resting upon her wrists. She has two tall ears with white bright white fur that blend into her silky white locks of hair that hangs down to around the middle of her back. She has a red fringe hanging over her left eye, which is red, and notably her right eye is a softer shade of blue. The ears are tipped with the similar deep crimson found throughout her body. She is adorned with two matching pointed face tattoos on each cheek.

Her face looks almost... hurt like she's been wronged. It may very well just be her expression or perhaps she just wears her heart on her shoulder. It's not immediately obvious.

## Personality

Skittish and reclusive girl who is pretty enjoyable to be around once you break down the barrier of mistrust. She's pretty paranoid and fairly misbegotten, thinking she's haunted or otherwise being followed most of the time due to a fair bit of trauma from her upbringing.

## Fears

Cults, Rituals, Overly Happy People, Overly Nice People

## Hobbies

Collecting Names of people and knowing what they do.

## Family

* Grandfather: Fang Khan
* Grandmother: Fauh'Woon Khan
* Nanny/Teacher: Yōuyù Yìshù
* Father: Shiro Takanashi
* Mother: Makara Takanashi (Formerly Khan)

## Enemies

Cults, Spiritualists, Gypsies, anyone who deals with the supernatural or summoning. Her Mother.

## Aspirations

Aspires to demonstrate to the world her capabilities and dissociate herself from her past and her upbringing.