John "Briar-heart" Lowoden

### Dislikes

Big Corporations and individuals that cause deforestation and environmental devastation, U.S. Government magi

## Magic

### Principle

Nature, Spirits

**John Lowoden**, also known as *Briar-heart* or *Awsғnyahsa’ óíkdayë* is a member of the Snake Tong, specifically Unit 5. His time spent in the wilderness of Northern America and his time spent with Native Americans during the 1930s, as well as his isolated life in the Amazon for decades until 1999 has made him the best agents when it comes to forest and jungle environments. An expert survivalist and botanist magus, John could assume the properties of plants and even imbue plants with mana and use them as his own weapons. He is famous for his long-range fire support that rains down bullets that turn into vines or literal logs of trees for maximum damage.

## Background

### Early life

John was born to a rather reclusive family of magi that lived relatively near a Seneca reservation of Oil Springs. Their reverence for nature and respect for the Seneca, and their rather similar practices in magic and Spirit Evocation made the Lowoden and the Seneca live in harmony. But living in cooperation with the Seneca was not the end to their pursuit. The Lowoden ended up seeking the unconquered wilderness in the borders of Canada where they lived in tranquility for a decades, immersing in the simplicity of nature and developing their magic where civilization did not reach them. John was born in 1914 and would know little of the world until he was sent to live with the Seneca in his late teens to try and expand his knowledge with trusted friends of the family. He learned the art of Spiritual Invocation, channeling aspects of nature into spirit-like entities and temporarily borrowing their strength and letting them possess parts of his body, as well as the art of defending himself from the Seneca who maintained warrior and hunter traditions. He earned the name Awsғnyahsa’ óíkdayë or Briar-heart during his time there. While the briar was prickly, it still had a beautiful flower. From the Seneca he learned humility, and that while he and other people may have many flaws, there still lies beauty within them.

### Loss of Family

Unbeknownst to John, the US government was already increasing the influence of their secret magic divisions and were determined to track down as many mage families in the country and recruiting or pressganging them into joining and "contributing" to the US government's codex of magic. The Lowoden were not exempt from this and were eventually tracked down. As John traveled with companions from the Seneca across the east coast, his family was tracked by the government and were told to join or die. They chose the latter. When he returned to the Oil Springs, John was greeted with grief. News reached the Seneca about the destructive battle in the wilds were the Lowoden dwelled. Written off as a forest fire, the g-men were now after John. He escaped the United States with the Seneca's help. They even told the government agents that came to the reservation that John was banished from Seneca lands for theft.

Wracked with fear of his pursuers, John ended up escaping to the Amazon rainforest. While he did not know that his pursuers gave up after a week when they deemed finding him was not worth the manpower and resources. His spent the 1940s and 1950s in the Amazon, initially focusing on surviving and adapting to the new environment. He was used to the cold forests of the north, not the tropical climate after all. Eventually, the paranoia and struggle to survive died down the moment he realized the g-men gave up and forgotten about him. The trauma of his family's murder and his guilt of not being there to protect them haunted him for decades.

### Life in the Amazon

A life of solitude in the Amazon made him more introspective about what his purpose in the world was now. He no longer had a family, he could not bear to return to the Seneca and be that close to the country that killed his family. At times he would punish himself for not being there by him constantly seeking out danger, be it from animals or the environment itself. The challenge strengthened him physically but the guilt continued to stab into his soul. And then one day, on his walks, he collapsed underneath a giant Shihuahuaco tree for rest. When he looked up and saw the many animals that called the ancient tree home, something hit him. This tree, which takes a millennia to grow sixty meters is a tree of life in the Amazon. During the wet season, lilac flowers blossom in its upper canopy. By the dry season, these flower clusters have morphed into heavy fruit pods or legumes. Bats, spider monkeys, agoutis, possums, squirrels and spiny rats all rely on these fruits for food. Birds and insects made a home in the ancient bark and branches. He found himself in front of an ancient wonder. And that was when he had a revelation. Perhaps he survived with all the knowledge imparted by his family and the Seneca so that he could be like the Shihuahuaco, one who sustains life in nature. And with more and more loggers and industrialists creeping into the Amazon, there was no one who could protect these giants. Except maybe John. The Seneca taught him that humanity must be in symbiosis with nature, as nature gives its bounty to the people, the people must respect and carefully safeguard nature from those who harms them. It was that symbiosis that allowed him to draw strength from the Earth, and it was this strength that led him to find a new found purpose.

### The Chicxulub Incident

Evoking the Shihuahuaco's enduring life and its sturdy body that could withstand the toughest of storms, John sustained a youthful and powerful body, even when he was in his fifties, he did not look a day over 30. Utilizing his magic, he fought off illegal loggers, industrial projects, and even magi who looked for magical resources in the Amazon for decades. He disguised himself as if he was part of the forest itself, sprouting leaves around his body and skin that looked like bark. He became a local legend, the spirit of the Amazon, that personified nature's wrath against those who harmed mother Earth. This carried on until the US government got involved when private companies went to them to investigate what is causing this hurdle in their profits and endeavors in South America. Records were dug up and an old case was brought back to life, the last Lowoden who escaped to the Amazon was rediscovered by the government. Backed by several companies, agents secretly working for the US government protected the latest logging and mining expedition into the Amazon, hoping to track down this so-called nature-spirit and stopping him from getting in the way of an important operation. In the public eyes, this was just another case of resource extraction, but in truth, the US government was looking for an ancient slumbering body underneath a spot in the Amazon, said to be a being that came riding with the Chicxulub meteor that devastated the world and absorbed the souls of countless living beings that died in 65 million years ago and hiding in what was now the Amazon rainforest.

The Martyrdom also learned of this being's existence and unlike the US government, wanted it captured and studied by their Ordinators exclusively. John unwittingly found himself in a shadow war between the US government and their the Grand Order collaborators, the Martyrdom, and an unexpected 3rd Party of Snakes during what would later be called The Chicxulub Incident of 1999, 17 days of jungle combat between magi and inquisitors. For a week, John had to pick his own battles and observe what these magi were actually doing, only for him to meet a strike force led by Fenghuang and her Snakes. The Snakes were the only ones who actually treated him with courtesy and not attack him on sight, and Fenghuang explained what the two major powers were looking for. They expected to find a powerful and giant eldritch entity, but Fenghuang revealed that the true entity that they are looking for is nothing more than a shriveled husk hiding in the Earth and living out its remaining years in silent peace. Fenghuang was here to give the entity a painless death and prevent it from dying in Martyr or Order captivity. John was convinced that she had the best intentions and he used his knowledge of the jungle to help them find the husk. During this time he also met Aika Kannazuki, a member of the Snake strike force and they particularly fought together during the following encounters with both Martyr and US magi. Thanks to his assistance, the Snakes got to the entity first and they discovered it to be a shriveled up pale spider-like creature hiding in the depths of a cavern underneath the Amazon river. What once was carved by a giant creature was now just a final resting place. What John assumed as a ritual to put the creature to a peaceful final sleep, Fenghuang "read" the flow of memories within the husk that lasted hours, in which John and the strike team had to defend her from Inquisitors, Veil agents, and US special magi forces. In the end, Fenghuang painlessly made the flow of the creature's heart cease and its body scattered like dust in the wind. They escaped in a rather hectic pursuit across the jungle. By the time they reached their escape ship in the Amazon River, Fenghuang offered John a place a place in her organization, a place where he could continue to fight against these powerful corporations, these political entities and he could join her in her pursuit for utopia, a world where mankind does not exploit nature but lives alongside it in peaceful harmony. Seeing that he found allies for his new purpose and also a place where he can be safe from the death mark he inevitably placed on himself by going against the US government again.

### Enter the Tong

His time in the Snake Tong reintroduced him to modern society, a shock to be sure. He was trained in the Snake ways of fighting and also how to further expand his magic into a better weapon to be used against his enemies. His experiences throughout many missions further honed his skills and he earned a spot in the Tong's Unit 5 assault team. He personally volunteered to missions that undermined the authority of the powers in the world that were threats to the environment. John's skill in forest and jungle survival earned him an unofficial role of a trainer for surviving in hostile natural environments. It was during his time with the Tong that he got to know Aika more and romance blossomed between the two and they eventually got married, a surprise to John at the start since he was convinced that he was more of a plant than a human at this point and thought that relationships beyond friends and comrades were possible. Aika saw in him that there was still the soul of a man on a mission, and the two shared interests, both preferring the peaceful silence of nature than the hustle and approaching life with a more introspective view.

## Personality

John possesses a deep connection to nature and a profound respect for the environment, instilled in him by his reclusive family of magi and the Seneca people. John values the harmony between humanity and nature and believes in the symbiotic relationship that should exist between the two. The loss of his family and the traumatic events surrounding their murder have left a lasting impact on John. He carries a deep sense of guilt for not being able to protect them and often punishes himself by seeking out danger. This guilt fuels his desire to protect nature and its inhabitants from those who seek to harm them, which becomes his newfound purpose in life. John is introspective and contemplative, spending much of his time reflecting on his purpose and role in the world. He sees himself as a guardian of nature, drawing strength from the Earth and using his magical abilities to fight against illegal loggers, industrial projects, and other forces that threaten the environment. He is also an avid defender of Native American rights and lands, occasionally visiting the old Oil Springs Reservation, where only one lone Seneca lives in the modern day, as well as the nearby Senaca living more modern lives. He is known to donate part of his earnings from the Tong to their communities as a sign of his eternal gratitude to the people who gave him a home in his youth and saved his life. He is also fluent in the Seneca language, Onöndowaʼga thanks to his time with them, much to people unaware of his past's surprise. They would never expect the Scottish-American to know how to speak an Iroquois language.

John is a rather calm person, he doesn't like talking much often staying quiet during discussions but is a keen listener. While he has lived away from the wilderness for decades ever since joining the Tong, he still shows remnants of the isolated and solitary figure, forsaking social interaction and becoming one with nature. He takes time to trust people prefers to keeping things to himself when with unfamiliar people. When he finally trusts someone, however, his more talkative side comes out, reminiscent of the times when he was young and lived with the Seneca. He also becomes protective towards the people he cares about, afraid to lose them like his family.

He dislikes places that are too noisy or crowded, unnatural noises like traffic, airplanes, music blaring from stereos and other noises associated with civilization. uncomfortable with people, it is also why he prefers suppressed weapons. Since he and Aika prefer quiet and simple living, they settled in the rural regions near Agihan City, a major Snake Tong territory. That way they can be close to nature and have a place to spend their days meditating and taking care of nature while also near enough in case they are summoned for a mission. Despite his solitary life in the past, John found love and companionship in Aika, their shared values and appreciation for nature strengthen their bond. John's experiences with the Snake Tong also exposed him to the complexities of the modern world and provide him with new skills and knowledge to further his mission of protecting the environment. It also made him realize that he could not change the world alone, a world with powerful actors like the Order or the US government, and the best way to fight them is to find comrades.

John is a determined and resilient individual, able to endure physically and emotionally challenging situations. He also became resourceful and adaptive, thanks to his time spent with the Seneca and his life of isolation in the Amazon, able to survive in diverse environments and use his knowledge of the forests or jungles to his advantage.

## Abilities

### Magic

The Senaca practiced a unique form of magic that intertwines botany and spiritual invocation known as **Dó ja’já’göh** translated as "Hail Spirit, Divided Body". It is a sacred discipline passed down through generations of magi in their tribe, combining deep knowledge of plants, the invocation of the aspects and traits of plants into spirits, and attunement to the natural world.

Both the Lowoden and the Senaca possessed an intimate understanding of plants and their properties. John is no different. Through careful study and observation, he has learned to identify specific plants and their magical attributes. He recognizes that every plant possesses distinct energies and properties that can be harnessed for various magical purposes. Mastery of Dó ja’já’göh required extensive knowledge of plant identification, growth cycles, medicinal properties, and the relationships between plants and their environments. By studying the properties of plants, John could isolate these properties into "Aspects" and manifesting them as spiritual entities that he could commune with and seek assistance from, this assistance comes in the form of "possession" in a way, where the spirit willingly enters the John's body and grants him their aspect. Prime example is John manifesting the aspect of longevity from the Shihuahuaco tree of the Amazon, causing him to slow down his aging drastically. He can also call upon other aspects of different plant-life, from the hard bark of an oak to the flexible endurance of bamboo, to the fragrant scent of flowers, to the adaptations of cacti for surviving the desert. He describes it as painful whenever his physical body transforms to fit an aspect, but he has gotten used to it.

Other than Dó ja’já’göh, he is also knowledgeable of the Botanical magic of the Lowoden before they came to the New World, and he mostly uses it as weapons and defenses for himself. Lowoden Botany includes spells that can link plants with him so he can fill them with magical energy and make them grow at an accelerated pace. Another spell is to link his mind to plant life, giving them a sort of sentience that he can control, and further modifying their properties through Alteration. He primarily uses this to lay traps with vines, carnivorous plants, or any flora that he is familiar with. This makes him extremely powerful in jungle or forest environments where there's a variety of flora he can use. He can even have tiny vines imbued into bullets that burst into giant entangling and thorny masses upon impact, a technique he uses for crowd-control.

### Martial Arts

He picked up several skills of close quarters combat, complimented by his naturally strong and sturdy physique from living in the Amazon for decades. John incorporated techniques from the Seneca warriors that he learned with Snake styles, such as Kali or Jiu Jitsu. He has truly adopted the philosophy of the Tong's Forest Fist, a title which he found fitting for someone like him, where he adopts multiple useful techniques from different styles, different trees, and he combines them all into one vast forest of techniques. He also picked up firearms training from the Tong, first so he could learn how to counter enemy gunmen, but he got skilled enough that he realized it's another type of fighting he can adapt to his "forest". While not the best sharpshooter in the organization, he is proficient enough to become Unit 5's Sniper, delivering enchanted plant-bullets from a distance or from the air inside their assault helicopter.

### Equipment

#### Snake Key

A standard issue Balisong knife made to disperse magic without alerting the source, allowing agents to create holes in magical defenses undetected, hence the title of a key. It is not suited for intense battle and John mostly uses it for utility and weakening the magical defenses of an enemy via Reinforcement or Alteration.

#### S11 'BB' Bulletproof Body Suit

Standard issue magic armor that Snake Tong provides its members. It is a black suit which was made to be bulletproof (tested with 9mm, 7.62, NATO/.308) and provides magic resistance, dispelling low level spells. It is considered to be one of the iconic uniforms of the Shiai-shi. The suit is made with a composite of multiple magical materials, a major one being Huohuan Bu Silk from a Spider Yaoguai. This makes the Suit durable (enough to withstand modern gunfire and magical projectiles), easily enchantable with magic, and has innate fire resistance. If the Suit was stained, one simply needs to burn the area with the stain and the mess will soon disappear without damaging the cloth.

#### "Shroud Ties"

Shroud Ties are standard issue magic armor and head protection, cleverly disguised as neckties that allow them to blend in with the Bulletproof Snake suit style. By pulling down the tie and channeling mana through them, the ties transform into balaclava masks that provide full coverage of the head and neck. The material is made to be as bulletproof as the suits and also provide the same magical protection. The Shroud Tie can be deactivated by the user removing the mask, and it will turn back into their necktie forms.

John has the standard issue black mask, featuring a logo of the Shihuahuaco tree in the back.