Ayane Kawanami

Characteristics

Gender:

Female (She/Her)

Race:

Au Ra, Raen

Nationality:

Hingan

Age:

Early Twenties

Nameday:

26th Sun of the 1st Umbral Moon (02/26)

Birthplace:

Niishima, Bukyo province, Hingashi

Height:

4 fulms, 11 ilms (152cm)

Build:

Ayane is a woman of lissome build and petite stature, most of which she elects to shroud under the traditional kimono of her homeland. Though possessed of a naturally delicate physique, she has gained a faint amount of muscle through her training - mainly in her arms and legs.

Hair Color:

Burgundy Red

Eye Color:

Lilac

Skin Color:

Ivory

Distinctive Features:

  • Freckles (face & body)

  • Small scar across her left brow

  • Longer than average tail

Accessories:

Seeming to favor adornment, Ayane is seldom seen without her hair pulled back and tied together with an ornamental Hingan-style ribbon. A set of prayer beads, simple in design, can be seen wrapped multiple times about her left wrist. She wears upon the end of her tail a collection of golden jewelry; rings, a chain, and a cap. These trinkets shimmer in the light and clink as her tail shifts.

Positive Traits:

Perceptive, courteous, dependable, nurturing, whimsical, traditional

Negative Traits:

Fussy, sheltered, impulsive, perfectionist, superstitious, naïve

Interests:

The world (outside Hingashi), Swordsmanship, Alchemy, Poetry, Plays/Theatre

Skills:

Kenbu/Kenshibu, Tea-making, Herbalism, Calligraphy

Beliefs:

The Kami

Residence:

Yielding Veil Headquarters, Empyreum, Ishgard

Employer:

Unemployed. Temporarily working as a servant for the Yielding Veil Holdings

Occupation:

Rōnin

Profile

Strength:
Dexterity:
Constitution:
Intelligence:
Wisdom:
Charisma:

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Katana:
Her late husband's blade, which she carries in his honor. The people of Hingashi believe that a samurai's sword is their soul; this weapon's simplicity indicates a person of sincere character and unshakeable will. Though somewhat large for Ayane's small frame, she wields it with a level of skill that indicates years of practice.

Ofuda:
Rectangular slips of paper which are normally prepared and blessed at a local shrine. Using a technique passed down by her mother, Ayane can imbue ki into the ink used in her calligraphy. Each brush-stroke suffuses her ofuda with potent magic, which she can then use as a supplement to her fighting style.

  • Flame Blessing: An imbuement of flame, which Ayane presses into her blade to wreathe it in powerful fire magick.

  • Levin Blessing: A single-use ofuda that summons a roiling bolt of lightning from the firmament.

  • Gale Blessing: Tempestuous wind, which Ayane can use to create a stationary barrier around herself.

Iaijutsu:
The basic principle of this technique is to quickdraw a katana from its sheathe and deliver a single, decisive strike. Though effective enough on its own, Ayane augments it with her onmyo magic. Combined with her Flame Blessing, she can sheathe and re-draw her blade to carve a blazing swathe through the air.

Dance of the Scarlet Heron:
A technique of Ayane's own design, combining her knowledge of kenshibu, onmyo magic, and swordplay. While shrouded by her Gale Blessing, she makes a series of dancing cuts across the inner surface of the barrier. With a final flourish, her blade is sheathed and the barrier explodes outward in a cyclone of cutting wind.

Thank you Esmond Forester!

RP Hooks

Daughter of a Distant Land

Ayane has spent her entire young life in Hingashi, a nation known for its policy of strict isolationism. As such, she's only ever known life under the bakufu and has seen nothing of the outside world. Despite this, she's eager to learn the customs of Eorzea and other lands abroad and will happily interact with anyone who is willing to share their culture.

A Dance of Blades

Being from a very traditional family, Ayane was only expected to wield a weapon during training, or while defending her home. However, she was quite taken with kenshibu from a young age and was allowed to practice it under supervision. This style of interpretive dance, a creation of her homeland, is a marriage of katana and fan dancing. Bards and other performers might find themselves drawn to this unique form of dance, as the grace of the performance comes alive when accompanied by song and poetry both.

The Way of the Samurai

Ayane carries with her a katana that seems far too large for her small frame, meaning it was most likely crafted for someone else's use. Swordsmen of Far Eastern descent, as well as those of foreign lands, might find this intriguing as she doesn't acquit herself as a warrior.

Mage of the Far East

Following a long tradition passed down by the women of her family, Ayane has learned the ways of the 'onmyoji' - Far Eastern spiritualists who are equal part religious figure and shaman. Expected to surpass all who had come before her, she turned her back on both destiny and birthright when she departed Hingashi. Now she hopes to gain practical experience, as well as broaden her own understanding of her faith and the natural elements. Perhaps there are mages abroad from whom she might continue to learn?

...And Others

Feel free to reach out in-game if Ayane might fit into an idea you have for RP. She's inexperienced with the greater world but is willing to learn, so there are plenty of excellent opportunities for interaction with a wide range of characters and ideas!

Connections and Companions

Annalise Forester

Kindred Spirit | Bespectacled Bestie | Colleague

Miss Annalise? We have not known each other for long, but I believe we possess what my people call the 'shinzoku no seishin' - the spirit of kinship! We share in many similar tastes, and I feel at ease around her in a way that I do with few other people. Though I have no sisters by blood, I feel as though I have gained one in spirit through her. I ought to invite her for tea again once events around the Holdings settle. Our lives have been chaotic enough as it is, and I am sure it would do her some good!

Esmond Forester

Respected Swordsman | Superior

Esmond strikes me as the kind of man that one could look toward for help even in the darkest of times. He is resolute and good-natured to a fault. Having witnessed his skill with a blade myself, I have no doubt that he would be hailed as a legendary Samurai had he been born in Hingashi. It is also clear how much he means to Annalise, and in this world... love like that is a rare thing indeed.

Akitomaru

Constant Companion

This is Aki! He has been my shadow since I was small, and one could not ask for a more faithful companion. When I decided to leave Niishima, he looked at me with a gaze that could pierce even the most hardened soul. In that moment I knew his intent; he would not allow me to make the journey alone. Do not let his diminutive stature fool you - the soul of a warrior burns within him, and full glad am I to have him by my side.

Minogase Kagehide

A Tender Memory

My dear Kage... I remember when first we met, as though it were just yesterday. You were a young samurai then, barely tested, but already so full of a desire to do good for those around you. To stand in open defiance of my father, and your liege lord... most would have deemed it beyond foolishness. But I could see the truth of your soul, and I think he saw it too."Here is a worthy samurai," I thought... then you later asked if we could share tea, and if you might sing for me. Oh, how my heart soared! Ours was an unlikely union but, with no small amount of urging, my family approved. And I believe father came to respect you, in his own way. We were even happy for a little while... before the sickness took you. I wish every day that you could still be by my side.

OOC

  • I prefer to roleplay with more grounded characters if possible. No WoLs, resonant, hypertuned, voidsent hybrids, or anything like that.

  • 10+ years of RP experience and somehow I still have no idea what I'm doing.

  • I'm fairly easygoing both IRL and from an RP perspective. That being said, there are some concepts I absolutely will not touch. Please, just ask OOC before introducing something that could be heavy, offensive, or have a tangible effect on Ayane in the long term. That's the best way to know whether I'm okay with it or not. Communication is important!

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US-Mateus