Spectre

**Spectre**, his true name only known by Fenghuang, and his clan who took it to the grave, is an Aprósopi of Clan Bakunawa and an agent of The Snake Tong. A proud warrior and preserver of his Clan's legacy, Spectre is one of the rare agents of the Tong that does not have magical capabilities but is able to go toe-to-toe against foes with superior magic. Armed and armored to the teeth, Spectre is a prime example of the Aprósopi, or Faceless Warrior, a living weapon.

## Background

At a very young age, Spectre’s family was killed by the experiment of a mage that had gone wrong. He himself would have died too if not for the arrival of an Aprósopi clan. Clan Bakunawa, named for a legend of its new home and its informal connection to the local Snakes, had been sent to deal with the magus as concerns over them grew. Unfortunately, they were too late to prevent what happened but they were able to save Spectre and a few others. As is dictated by creed, he and the others became “foundlings” of the clan.

He was raised as though he had always been one of the Aprósopi, some of the other foundlings preferred being returned to extended family or a new home but Spectre was among those who wanted to stay. He had no home and no family, besides that he wanted to repay the people who had saved him and to become like them one day. So he continued to train to one day become a warrior of the Aprósopi. He learned their skills, their honor, and their beliefs.

Eventually he was able to take the creed and become a full Aprósopi. It was a happy and proud day for him and his mentor but this would not last as long as they hoped. Tensions had been rising within the clan. Disagreements over the creed, their connection to the Tong, and other such things. It had practically divided the clan into two factions. These factions quarreled, sometimes had a brawl, but about a year later it turned into a full on civil war. He fought alongside his mentor and adoptive father with the loyalists. Ultimately the war was brief but bloody, the Loyalists “won” but by the end, it was only Spectre and his father, the latter of who had received a fatal wound.

In his final moments, his father reaffirmed his pride before giving the Blade of Clan Bakunawa to Spectre and telling him to find shelter with the Snake Tong. Although the clan had never joined the Snakes out of pride, they did have somewhat friendly ties from fighting alongside them when the clan was still only a few families and the Shiai-shi had not yet even become the dominant power in their country. Saddened but determined, he promised the clan would live with him and began his search for the Snakes.

For a few days he was unsuccessful until eventually he was approached by a woman. Even before he learned who the woman was he could feel a sense of danger from her and was on guard until realizing that this woman was in fact the leader of the Snakes he was looking for. So without hesitation, he requested to join. His request was accepted, being from clan Bakunawa made him a friend and as an Aprósopi he would of course be an excellent addition to the agents of the Tong.

Due to feeling that he had failed his clan, after joining the Snakes he took a vow that until he had rebuilt his clan or at least started the process he would dedicate himself fully to the idea that an Aprósopi is nothing more than a weapon. He has never once taken off his helmet around anyone else and stopped using his name, instead choosing to be called Spectre as a “specter” of himself in a way. Only once he considers himself redeemed will he restore his identity as a person as well.

In regards to his career as a Snake he has served well for almost two decades. He joined unit 11, the Peacekeepers. The unit is focused on fighting or intimidating other organizations which appeals to him because it means he can help keep Snake dominance while also fighting stronger and more organized opponents. Although not intentional he has picked up an admirer in the form of one Yurie Mitsurugi. A young woman who has been on a few missions with him and decided he’s one of the coolest agents around. Although she isn’t a foundling due to her having her own family and legacy he still tries to act as a responsible senior.

## Personality

While on the job, Spectre always composes himself as a perfect professional. He looks at the job and/or his orders, considers the best ways to carry it out, and then does the job. He is respectful and calm when talking with a client or a superior and he always goes through with his job once he’s taken it.

Although he is willing to do so if he has to for a job Spectre prefers to avoid civilian casualties and does his best to not harm innocents. He also dislikes taking a hostage unless he thinks they deserve it for some reason, otherwise he sees it as a dishonorable and immoral way to achieve victory. Especially when it’s someone who has done nothing wrong at all.

When it comes to his free time he isn’t the most social or adventurous individual. He doesn’t really talk with others unless they initiate the conversation and he doesn’t go out often. Instead much of his time is spent in further training to hone his skills even more. He also spends a lot of his time searching for potential foundlings or survivors for Clan Bakunawa to rebuild.

Despite his professional and stoic demeanor, which is especially prominent due to his helmet always covering his face, he can be surprisingly pleasant to speak to. He is always polite and kind to his fellow Snakes when they want to talk with him or need his help with something. This has come as a bit of a shock to newer members whose first impression of him was an intimidating silence and mystery only to learn that he is indeed capable of casual and full conversation. He simply does not often initiate the conversation.

When it comes to Yurie he isn’t always sure what to do. Being admired isn’t his goal yet he’s ok with it, but she certainly takes it to another level. He doesn’t hold it against her or anything since he prefers to maintain a professional and amicable relationship with his comrades. He’s especially uncomfortable about any attraction she shows towards him, partly because he’s over a decade older and how she can sometimes be comically smitten. Still he remains as cordial and polite with her as anyone else, not wanting to completely brush her off or avoid her. Not that it would be possible to completely ignore her anyway considering she joined the same squad as him.

While he has joined the Snakes and for now the vast majority of his duties are to them, he will always consider himself an Aprósopi first before anything else. This has led to him doing things like refusing to share the techniques for forging Aima Tu Ari with the Materia division. He has always intended to rebuild his clan and is often on the lookout for any foundlings. He has a lot of pride in his identity as an Aprósopi and insulting them is one of the rare few ways to break his cool.

## Abilities

**Physical Capabilities**

Due to his vigorous training as one of the Aprósopi he has reached a level of physical capability thought impossible by sleepers. Able to launch opponents with a punch and react to gunfire. Rumors say he was once disarmed of his weapons but still managed to kill a group of magi with only a rock.

**Martial arts**

As an Aprósopi, Spectre has been trained since he was young to be a perfect warrior. He has studied many disciplines but two stick out. Perhaps due to living in the martial art’s native land, his clan learned arnis beyond most other clans. The other is pankration which the clan had continued to practice ever since their early days as Greek warriors. Whether with a blade, staff, baton, or empty hands he is a formidable foe.

**Marksmanship**

Spectre excels at using guns and gun-like weapons. While not on the same level as the absolute top-tier shooters he is still capable of pulling off difficult shots that most others wouldn’t even bother attempting. His most favored weapon is dual wielded handguns, not often practical but for those who treat weapons as a part of their religion it is not beyond them.

**Smithing**

Although he was not the smith of his clan he has since studied the writings on forging Aprósopi weapons and armor so as to continue the cycle of passing on this knowledge to the next generation of Aprósopi. Given the right tools, he could forge the armor of the Aprósopi and its accessories.

### Equipment

**Snake Key**

A standard issue Balisong knife made with special material. These materials are able to disperse magic without alerting the source, allowing agents to create holes in magical defenses undetected, hence the title of a key. As a bit of a trade off the material is not suited for battle and as such Spectre doesn’t use it much outside of stealth missions or fighting against opponents that heavily rely on enhancement magic.

**Jetpack**

The Aprósopi commonly seek ways to take to the sky, granting them further options in battles or jobs and granting them more mobility. The jetpack of his clan is a combination of magic and technology that does not require him to be a mage himself to operate just as well as anyone else. With this he is able to  boost his jumps, move at high speeds through the air, or slow down a fall.

**Aima Tu Ari armor**

Aima Tu Ari, or “Wargod’s Blood”, is a metal that the Aprósopi are famous for being able to shape. It is extremely durable while still remaining light and practical. Although many would like to know its secrets only the Aprósopi smiths know how to actually turn the metal into something useful. Wearing this armor, Spectre could even survive an explosion, although he would still be staggered or dazed by a direct impact. It is also resistant to magic and able to almost completely cancel out basic offensive spells. The Aprósopi reverence of weapons and of their armor have combined over time and many clans now integrate weapons into their armor, most often the vambraces. Spectre himself possesses: a deployable knife that vibrates for added cutting power on his left vambrace, a small magical barrier generator on his left vambrace, a dart launcher that can fire electric or explosive darts on his left vambrace, a flame thrower on his right vambrace, a magic bullet generator on his right vambrace, a grappling/restraining line on his right vambrace, a guided explosive on his jetpack, and a single-shot explosive spell on each of his knee guards.

**The Blade of Clan Bakunawa**

A sword said to have been forged by an ancestor of their first clan leader. It is a hand-and-a-half straight blade made with the sacred metal of the Aprósopi, granting it near unparalleled durability. More than that it is able to gather wind along the blade of the sword which can be used to give it an extraordinarily sharp blade of wind, release the wind in a destructive blast, invisibly extend the length of the blade, launch it in projectile-like attacks, etc. Spectre himself cannot fully master the blade’s mystical traits due to not being a mage. For that reason and for safekeeping he does not often bring the blade into the field.