Akahoshi Ran

"There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything exists within. Seek nothing outside of yourself."

## Description

Ran is a beautiful young minkaian woman of average height and of a lithe frame, blessed with snow white hair and fierce golden eyes. She dresses most commonly in a scarlet kimono with copper patterns and fluffy white fox-fur trim. She wears it open at the top, exposing her shoulders and the white silk wraps she uses to cover and bind her chest. Her attire is held together at her waist with a thin black silk and copper trimmed obi tied with a bow at the front. In her right hand she is often seen carrying red wagasa in her right hand and is never without her katana belted to her right hip. She wears an ornate inari mask as though it were a hair ornament. Around her neck she wears a red ribbon rapped three times before being tied in a short bow with long tails. The left side of her neck and left shoulder bear scars that appear to be either from a beast or several old blade wounds.

## Personality

Ran was once a spirited and loyal daughter that enjoyed telling and hearing stories of all kinds. Cheerful and charitable to a fault.

These days, she adheres to the laws of the land quite staunchly and could be defined in a single word as a stoic. She is still friendly towards others, but when pressed about her past or pursued romantically, she can be quite prickly.

## Background

Akahoshi Toshiro, a fair minded and resolute man who was loyal to his Daimyo, became aware of a mysterious woman residing in the woods near his home rumored to be enticing the men in his charge to come to her so that she might feast upon their souls. Toshiro soon discovers the rumors were very true and in the dead of night went to deal with the threat. He was woefully unprepared, consumed with fantasy for her false form he too was lured into her embrace and found himself in his bed the next day with no memory of why he'd gone to the woods in the first place only dreams of a beautiful woman alone in the woods.

Over the next several years, he would rediscover that the woman in his dreams was real and that she was some form of demon and the events would play out again. Until their final encounter, when he found her holding a child. His child. This time was different then the others for his blade was stayed not by desire but confusion.  Laying down his blade, he sought to have the flurry of questions in his mind answered.  And they were, for when she was certain he would not again take up his blade against her, the succubus answered his every question and returned his memories to him. She asked only that he care for the child, their child, laying the bundle in her arms safely aside on a stump nearby and moving to prostrate herself before the man she'd grown to love.

Toshiro reached for his blade, moving to her side to free her head from her shoulders for her crimes against him and his men, he swung downward. Steel meeting earth, blade sinking into the ground to never be drawn forth again by his hand. "The succubus is dead, my wife and child saved from her foul clutches", Toshiro announced, kneeling down to help the woman to her feet. Collecting their child, he left the woods with a family.

Toshiro gave her the name Shinobu so she would be reminded always of her new purpose, and when they were united formally she took his family name. Their daughter would be named Ran and raised properly in public as a young lady of the court. In secret, he taught her his arts and ways to ensure Ran would be able to defend herself.

Ran had a mostly peaceful upbringing though it would not last.  Her father had been called to the side of his Daimyo, Kinoshita Domeki, who would soon grow jealous of Toshiro. Greed and lust consumed the Domeki who sent Toshiro on increasingly dangerous missions tasks.  Not because of Toshiro's skill, but to ensure his death that he might have Shinobu for himself. Eventually, Toshiro did fall in battle and the Domeki made his move. Unable to live with her broken heart, Shinobu took her own life, leaving Ran in the care of Toshiro's loyal subjects.

It would not until she came of age that her caretaker Akifumi told Ran the truth about about circumstances of Toshiro and Shinobu's deaths. Now the head of the family and enraged at the Domeki, Ran fell from grace swearing vengeance against the one who stole her family from her. Ran took her men to swear her loyalty to Domeki and would serve him for years to earn his trust. Then one night, the perfect opportunity presented itself. Domeki ordered her presence in his bedchambers, she was to become his concubine. Sending a message to her banner men she would land a decisive blow against the Domeki and the entire Kinoshita family. She followed his every desire until he finally wore himself out, and as she slept she gutted him like the pig she saw him to be and left him to die.

As she struck her blow so too had her banner men, cutting down everyone that had anything to do with Toshiro's death along with the entire Kinoshita family. Broken, bloody, and successful, she left with her banner men and gave them one last order. To survive and live as happy peaceful lives they could. She and her banner men fled Minkai, knowing it was only a matter of time before the crime was discovered.

She spent the next several years, earning coin as a gladiator and roaming sell sword. Moving from place to place to keep one step ahead of any potential pursuit. Until she heard of a new land and dared to dream she could start anew.

## Life in Abrogail

Upon arriving in Abrogail, she came across a half-succubus who not only gave her a place to stay and companionship, but also helped her to understand her own gifts. She considered her like an older sister and remained close until Mia left one evening without a word.

She met many other people during her stay there, mostly through her work collecting bounties placed by the locals. She soon found herself with more wealth than she'd ever imagined possible, many stalwart allies, and a number of close friends who have helped her over the recent months.

More recently she has become the primary diplomat for Civitas Umbra, falling back on her talents for storytelling and knowledge of historical events, nobility, and local laws and customs to get by whenever diplomacy simply wasn't enough. After an encounter with several balor and an inevitable, she decided to take stock of her life and consider what to do next. Inspired by the generosity of a close friend, she decided to open a military academy and tournament grounds to fund a cathedral she had built in honor of Shizuru so that the clergy would have no want for funds to support the sick, injured, hungry, and homeless in need. Directly after construction ended, she sequestered herself within to consecrate it with fervent prayer to her goddess. Upon emerging, she'd found herself severely weakened. Now drained of her fury and unable to work magic, she fell back on her original training to pursue a new path, cloaked in the favor of Shizuru.

## Family

**Akahoshi Toshiro**: Father, minkaian human, vassal to Kinoshita family, head of household. (Deceased)

**Akahoshi Shinobu**: Mother, succubus, wife of Toshiro. (Deceased)

**Akahoshi Yamato**: Cousin, advisor and caretaker of Ran after death of parents. (Cohort).

**House** **Aakahoshi**: other members of head and branch families of the Akahoshi line are scattered across the western lands at Ran's. Current status unknown.

**Haku**: She considers Haku a adoptive brother and to be as close as any blood relative, though they do not get much time to visit with each other since he became romantically involved and she became a diplomat.

## Friends

**Mia**: Ran's first friend in Abrogail whom she is currently staying with in the noble district. Though some things about Mia worry her, she for the most part trusts the tiefling woman and adores the children Mia adopted. Some time after Ran began to come into her own as a half-succubus, Mia moved on from Abrogail without a word. This left the children in her care, which she passed on to the care of another friend.

**Immie**: A martial artist, caregiver, and knight beyond reproach in many regards was counted a staunch ally and welcome friend. She left Mia's adopted children in her care up until she too moved on from Abrogail.

**Julius & Vavi:** An interesting husband and wife duo who were among Ran's first few friends in Abrogail and have served as a bit of a steadying rock for her emotionally. She counts them as close friends though they rarely get an opportunity to visit with each other.

**Rawcrag:** A local chef that owns a stall in the Market District of Abrogail. She met him first when dealing with a haunt together but soon got to know him personally. She enjoys his cooking and cannot get enough of it, taking every opportunity she can to have more.

**Civitas Umbra Leadership:** Since becoming the Grand Diplomat of Civitas Umbra, she has become close with the other members of the council and remains on amicable terms or better with most of them.

## Enemies

**Kinoshita** **Domeki**: Daimyo of the Aogaito Island, minkai. Sent her father on many perilous missions with little to no respite resulting in his death in an attempt to claim her mother as a concubine that ultimately failed. In later years attempted to claim Ran as a concubine, Ran used this to not only end his life but attempt to end his entire family. (Presumed dead by Ran, unconfirmed by her or her banner men)

**House Kinoshita**: Any still living head and branch family members are considered her enemies for the crimes of Domeki against her and her family.

**Grimm Stone:** A self proclaimed son of Urgathoa that lives ostentatiously has earned her watchful eye. He has yet to do anything, and she hopes it will remain that way.

## Goals

Having more or less accomplished her initial goal, calling forth her banner men and family members to Abrogail after making friends in Abrogail and a home for herself in Civitas Umbra she has set forth a new goal for herself. Going forth she wishes only to prove herself worthy of their loyalty and the faith placed into her by the rest of the Civitas Umbra leadership.