Kabaylo "Lord" Laksamana San Balete

### Likes

A thrilling battle of magi in their prime, collecting swords, authority earned through power

### Dislikes

The weak-willed, people who let their fate decided by others

## Magic

### Principle

Theft, Application

**Kabalyo Laksamana San Balete** is a member of the Balete, from Clan Laksamana, an old clan of mage-warriors. Unlike many Balete, Kabalyo is a more open to the world outside of the Border Realm and its people. Fed up with the boring life isolated in the Balete territories in the Border, he plundered a rival clan's property and used it to fund his adventure into the Physical Realm. He joined the Snake Tong, seeing as it was a good place to further finance his life outside, and his talents in battle and plundering the spells of his enemies have earned him the role of leader for Unit 13, the Spellswords, an aptly named squad for a man of his talents.

## Background

Among the many families and clans within the Balete were the Laksamana, one of several lineages who distinguished themselves in the past as magi of war. If not dealing with rivals in the shadows, they fought their enemies in open combat through might and magic.

Instead of the usual Balete , Kabaylo found the old traditions restricting. He did not just want to sit around all day and train in the Border Zone and only be deployed when his clan needed a battle fought for them. No, he decided to set out on his own to forge his own fate. He did not want it to be decided by someone else. Kabaylo was of the few who were more open to outsiders, and this was all the more reason why he left his rather comfy life behind. One night he broke into one of the homes of a rival clan's member, killed every familiar guarding it, and stole enough valuables that could finance him for awhile outside the Border Zone. While other groups would take grave offense to this, no one except for the party that got their property broken into and stolen cared in the Balete. After all, in their eyes, if you stole it and lived, you deserved whatever it was you stole.

Already privy to the Shiai-shi's reputation in the Philippines, he quickly caught their attention as that one Balete who immediately walked into one of their establishments, a bar, and demanded he speak to a member of the Tong and demanded membership into the organization. While he knew he could make it out there on his own, it would be best to make connections and earn a living to finance his adventures more conveniently. He was immediately deemed suspicious, since he quickly introduced himself as a member of another organization that had frequent conflicts with the Tong in the past.

He was tested thoroughly, even if when he explained that he struck out on his own with no other motive than to see the world outside of the isolated islands. and not to mention he was pretty much a going rogue, and even though only a single clan out of the dozens in the Balete actually cared about the incident, despite his honest declarations. It took him a year to convince them that he had no connections or loyalty to the aloof members of the Laksamana clan who was busy either bickering with other clans to actually scheme against the Snakes, as well as prove his worth as a mage and agent, at the cost of his ego.

After finally earning his place in the organization, he quickly took every job that brought him across the globe. He slowly but surely amassed a collection of loot an trophies that he claimed from defeated enemies, many of which included swords and other blades. Overtime, his martial and magical prowess earned him a spot in Unit 13, the Spellswords. His skill with magic rivaled his fighting capabilities and he fit into the Unit naturally. He also took the position of Unit 13's leader after only 6 years, replacing the old leader who retired. As a result, Kabaylo is a seen in a lot of operations, leading his Unit with a charisma expected from a confident Balete magus, to the point where his peers jokingly call him "Lord" since he acts like a noble leading his retinue to battle. And when he's not working, he is visiting different countries, or revisiting Balete lands, finding thrills, trophies, and trouble along the way .

## Personality

Although a more open-minded person than most Balete magi, Kabaylo still upholds the idea of authority being earned through power, and he greatly respects those who maintain their positions and showing their abilities that let them keep such a rank. What he doesn't like about his peers in the Balete is the detachment from the rest of the world, a world that he views as a place with many interesting places to go to, people to meet, and most importantly, a place with many stuff that he doesn't mind adding to his collection. Blades are his favorite to collect, the more ornate their design the more he is interested in them.

Uncommon in the Balete, he is open to outsiders and has no problem treating them like equals, although what he considers his equals are based on skill not their origins or ethnicity. He respects his fellow Spellswords like Charles or his unorthodox creativity, Asuka and Mathilde for their prowess in battle, and Elsie for her talent in illusion and infiltration. He still has that Balete arrogance however, and finds weakness to be undesirable, even more so when people simply give up not bother lifting themselves up from their weakness.

Other than his aura of smug mage superiority, he is a rather upbeat person, a bit too blunt in his manner of speaking, but that's just how he always was as he grew up with the Balete, bold and direct. If someone or something ticks him off, he will not stand idly by and will say what's on his mind. He is also very possessive, be it with his personal belongings or his relationships.

As a proud warrior, he regularly trains with his peers and relishes the thrill of combat. But instead of brute force, he is more of a tactical fighter and applies such strategic thinking to his approach with magic as well. This earned him a position with the Spellswords, thanks to his uncanny ability to  "steal" incoming spells in his swords and other enchanted catalysts, storing their effects and returning them to their user, usually by stabbing them with said catalyst.

Born into Balete culture, Kabaylo is fluent in his native Balete language, along with English and Tagalog. Even if his clan disliked dealing with outsiders, they still made sure to learn the languages of their potential enemies.

## Abilities

### Magic

A very versatile magus, Kabaylo utilizes his talents as a warrior and a magus by having a vast array of magic in his arsenal like many 1st rate magi. However, he turns it up a notch by utilizing various "Neutrals", Items made with versatility in mind that normally do not possess any effect, but can be quickly be enchanted to possess different spells from various magic variants' from Runic Curses to Healing. Most of the time he provides Neutrals pre-enchanted to his teammates and once the enchantments run out, he can quickly reapply the old ones or apply new ones, very versatile and a skill that Kabaylo utilizes effectively and efficiently. His usual Neutrals are usually made as weapons such as swords or knives, but he also makes less obvious ones like rings, necklaces, and other ornaments that people could overlook.

**Manakawat: Spellstealer**

A technique utilized by the Laksamana to counter enemy magi, especially if they have dangerous spells. Utilizing their Neutrals, Kabaylo can store an incoming spell's effect inside said Neutral, saving it for later use or immediately returning the spell back to the enemy either by physically hitting the enemy with the Neutral, or utilizing his own mana to launch the spell back to the original caster. He can only store a spell if the Neutral is stable and powerful enough to match the magnitude of the spell, and against particularly strong magic, the Neutral could just break.

### Martial Arts

Kaliradman Laksamana is the fighting style he utilizes the most, a weapon-based martial art intertwined with magic as the practitioner is expected to combine their skills in magic to augment both their bodies and weapons with multiple spells and effects. This ranges from Sharpening or Strengthening their weapons to applying elemental fire and other spell effects such as paralysis or poison.

### 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 is mostly used it for utility and weakening the magical defenses of an enemy via Reinforcement or Alteration. Kabaylo has had his Key made in Balete fashion, handle decorated with gold and small gems, and the blade given an elaborate Pamor.

**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.

Kabaylo's Mask feature the visage of Baylohayan, one of the Harrier entities from Pagsuki tradition., two distinct red lines underneath the eye sockets and the motiff of a four-armed goddess.