Inokio

The Honourable Inokio of Clan Korae
RPG	BZPRPG III
Titles	First Son of Clan Korae and Battlemaster; Formerly: Member of Rora Yusanora's bodyguard
Element	Psionics
Species	Menti
Gender	Male
Equipment & Traits
Kanohi	Great Huna, Mask of Concealment
Menti Disciplines	Master of Willhammer, Soulsword and Mindarm disciplines
History & Relationships
Native To	Kentoku Archipelago
Occupation(s)	Menti instructor, honorary retainer to Yumiwa, political adviser Clandestine: Fursic sleeper egent, assassin
OOC Information
Status (IC)	Unknown
Status (OOC)	Unknown
Creator	EmperorWhenua

Inokio is the First Son of Clan Korae and one of the very few Menti warriors who can claim to be Battlemasters. He spent most of his years on Sado and the majority of those in the service of the Royal Family as a member of Rora Yusanora's elite bodyguard squad until his retirement. He later was selected to tutor then-Chōjo Yumiwa in the Menti arts, but eventually became more of a personal trainer and adviser to the heiress. Upon her ascention to the throne, his importance doubled as she called upon his experience and wisdom to counsel her, and she chose him to be her chief retainer. Inokio, to his distaste, could ever truly escape the intrigue of the throne.

In secret, Inokio had been a sleeper agent for Clan Fursic, selling information to the clan in exchange for secret knowledge to master the fourth form of Menti discipline.

Biography

Early Life

Born from a ignoble mother, Inokio's future took a turn when every elder male in Clan Korae perished in the latest Fursic uprising. Suddenly catapulted to First Son status, he was sent to Sado as a youth to train as a noble Menti warrior, his education backed by patrons from the Umbralines as a token of goodwill towards his devastated clan.

He excelled in his trainings, quickly becoming a star pupil and a skilled Soulsword, however his prowess was not without controversy. He became known for his combat prowess and brutal honesty, and confessed he relished conflict. However, he also detested raw strength, instead preferring to give people fear. This personal philosophy caused him to be labeled a "black child" by his teachers, a title he took with ironic pride. 

Imperial Retainer and Retirement

Sometime after his graduation as a Menti warrior he was recruited as a member of Yusanora's retainer squad. As an added bonus, he was trained in their Willhammer arts and mastered it as well. As a member of the rora's detail he was exposed to the political struggles of court, though never as an activist and only as an observer. Nevertheless, he grew to hate politics despite becoming very knowlegeble in its matters.

The Rora became fond of him and kept him beside her more than any other member of the detail, and became very trusting of him. Inokio dutifully served her but wisely avoided outside attention, always listening to Yusanora but never speaking back. Always looking to better himself, he mastered his third Menti discipline, the Mindarm, and officially became a Battlemaster. Eventually, when he was arguably at his peak, he honourably retired from the rora's service and took residence in a modest villa situated on the docks of the Yards. 

Abilities and Traits

Inokio is one of only a handful of warriors called the Battlemasters, masters of three Menti disciplines and virtually unparalleled martial skill and dedication. Even among the most powerful Menti he's considered a legend, if not for his affinity to the arts then for his reputation as a duelist, but despite the fame he commands he also wisely avoids confrontation and rarely asserts himself without provocation. 

He mastered the arts of the Soulsword, Willhammer and Mindarm to their highest degrees, a match for any peer in those fields. His weapon of choice is a shimmering nodachi as long as his height which he uses with practical lethality both up close and at full reach, and manifests mentally as a den of great cats. His Mindarm capabilities are famously potent and versatile, as well. 

He tends to be gracious, open-minded and cool, though never casual and always mindful of discipline. He's also confident, as displayed by opting to not wear much of his armour unless in an official capacity as a Menti, since he believes his powers are more than competent to make short work of any adversaries he meets, but is not prideful. Despite being a famed pinnacle of the warrior-scholar type, Inokio maintains the belief that there is always someone better than him, so arrogance, no matter how seemingly well founded it may be, can only lead to destruction.

Relationships

Friends

• Umbraline Yumiwa
• Herupa Hanako
• Umbraline Rayuke (professionally)
• Clan Fursic (in secret)

Adversaries

• Enemies of the throne
  • Toroshu Fursic Nera
  • Dastana Jasik and Arsix
  • The Dastana Alliance

• The Royal Family (in secret)

Undecided

• Vilda Kulrik
• Umbraline Rayuke (personally)

Quotes

• "Only a child can be mislead by the allure of strength, but I'm not just a child anymore, ma'am—I am a Menti. I fight for a purpose. You asked what delights me and I answered truthfully, and I've learned there is nothing beautiful in raw strength. Strength falls victim to deception, and when pillars fall my enemies understand the fear I give them."
• .:Apathy will be our death,:. he concluded. .:In order to maintain Order in the realm we have to act quickly and prove that we mean well, and while we will use Honor by default we have to be ready to use Power if war truly comes.:.
• I [Rayuke] paused, Inokio standing before me. He stood in a combat-ready stance, his right hand sparking as Soulsword energy pulsed through it, ready to summon his weapon at a moment's notice... or attempt to separate myself from my niece with his impressive control of the Mindarm discipline. He was as much as a legend in the combat arena, a Battlemaster of the top degree, a natural choice for the then-heir's personal bodyguard, someone few would stupid enough to tangle with. His voice had an unusual amount of force in it, his demeanor threatening but not explicit. He was at least giving me the honor of standing down.

Trivia

• Inokio is suffers from severe anxiety and constantly fidgets, primarily with his fingers. High-stress situations make it worse and easily detectable.
• His toroshu "adopted" him when his real mother died. Tyee feels she has obligations to him and frequently reminds him to marry and have children to repopulate the almost extinct Clan Korae. 
• He sends poetry to his toroshu and signs his work as "Atramantous," a nickname she gave him. 
• He has been described as a "black child" by several people, including his mother, his toroshu and a school dean. His "blackness" has been a shaping characteristic of his life and he has embraced it.