Rhea Heartsflame

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Rhea Heartsflame
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Species	Toa
Element	Plasma
Kanohi	Great Kanohi Kaukau, custom-forged to resemble a Mask of Possibilities
Alignment	Lawful neutral, leaning towards evil
Weapons/Tools	Dual protosteel tactical longswords / throwing spikes / various knives
Powers	Elemental manipulation / radiation-, glare-, and heat-resistance
Occupation	Professional lavasurfer / bounty hunter / 'gypsy'
Group	Acts as head of a loosely-knit, as-yet-unnamed mercenary's coalition
Creator	Shadowhawk
{{{Row 10 title}}}	No information
Too many parameters

Rhea Heartsflame, more commonly known by her first name only, is a fiery and ambitious female Su-Toa bounty hunter.

Biography

Original Backstory (pre-2013)

A native of Ta-Koro, Rhea was born approximately two hundred years ago, in the heat of the Great War. Being of Toa parentage, she never had a Matoran form; rather, she is what they call a ‘natural’ specimen of the race. Both her parents were involved in the struggle against Makuta’s infected legions; both perished long decades before the arrival of the legendary Toa Mata. Orphaned, Rhea grew up entirely on her own in the back alleys of the Village of Fire, earning a tough, hand-to-mouth living as a rookie lavasurfer, but flatly refusing aid of any sort. It was during this period of her life that she calmly and firmly resolved to one day raise an empire from the dust and become its queen. Already, her thirst for power had become her most defining trait. She wished to command, and the more the better. After all, why not?

As Makuta’s presence strengthened with the disappearance of the Spirit Toa, the Guard began an increasingly desperate recruitment campaign. By this time, Rhea was well old enough to join, and promptly did so. Exhibiting a natural skill with weaponry and combat tactics in the continual skirmishes against marauding Rahi, she soon earned the respect of her fellow warriors, although her easily aroused temper and fiercely independent attitude clashed severely with the strict, organized discipline of the Guards, worried her superiors, and significantly narrowed her chances of promotion. By the time she earned her officer’s stripes, the Toa Maru’s final, decisive battle against Makuta was only a few years distant.

Still a devoted lavasurfer in her free time, Rhea supplemented her modest income of her military years with winnings earned in competitions of every sort. She lived (and still does) on the bare minimum, spending as little as possible and accumulating riches with a methodical purpose, knowing they would (and will) be inevitably crucial to her goals.

Having obtained her honorable discharge from the Guard only mere weeks after the climatic overthrow of the Master of Shadows, she has recently turned to bounty hunting as an exciting, high-paying replacement for her former primary occupation. Her hunts, quite numerous in the aftermath of the dark legions’ breakdown, not to mention the sinking of the infamous Xa-Koro, have taken her to remote and exotic locations across the entire island, as well as to all six of the main villages. Often, job situations require her to travel incognito; hence, she takes the role of ‘gypsy’, a foot-loose wanderer with no particular purpose save the search for new horizons. Taking advantage of locals’ willingness to talk freely with an attractive, wide-eyed female, she has been able to dig up numerous bits and pieces of information, some relevant to her employers’ interests, some perhaps a bit more relevant to her own. And all the while, her funds keep building, and so she waits... waits and watches with narrowed eyes as the dense shadow of cold distrust spreads and strengthens across the land. Unity rots, Duty weakens, and Destiny spells opportunity... for the predators. Makuta is gone, and with him, the immortal strength of an island allied.

She has waited long. Great Beings willing, she need wait no longer.

Notable IC posts

• Début
• Stats and Schematics
• Beauty and the Beast
• Brimstone Princess - (continuation of prev. listed post)
• Hot Steel (part 1/2)
• Hot Steel (part 2/2)
• Wild Thing
• Renegade Tactical - (group 'jam' post)

Personality and Traits

Psychological Description

Who, they ask, is this Rhea? Pray tell us, if words fail not, what manner of female is this brimstone princess of the fiery Mangai’s burning core, this untamed rider of the unleashed flows, this white-hot blade of steel-fibred courage and blazing passion? Independence, intelligence, irreverence... from whence cometh this devil unleashed, this infernal ambition, this arrogant beauty of a thousand schemes? A force as elemental as the pit itself, as the whirling claws of flame ne’er quenched, as the surging tides of a thousand boiling seas; what is the energy, what is the catch phrase, what is the key?

In a word, heat. Rhea embodies the term. Each and all of its blistering facets, she is and has been and always will be. Aggressive, competitive, and intense, she thrives on challenge, hazard, and raw adrenaline; charismatic, manipulative, and power-smitten to the core, she revels in all things of the type. Thirst for command is her greatest inner drive; danger and drama are her sisters in quest. Ruthless, adaptable, and extremely resourceful, she is well-nigh impervious to complete defeat; as the legend of legends himself once said, “Fire always finds a way.”

He spoke of fire, of the dramatic and the unpredictable; he shunned the strength and the wisdom of its near-opposite, water. Yet it is the borderland, where these two primal forces of surging power overlap and mingle, that dwells Plasma, and where such dwells, so too does Rhea. Even as at the center of the flame burns the steady white-hot blue, so too the heart of her being is as clear and level as the solid ice, cold and patient as the biting frost. She has the raw and driving heat... she has the cunning, quiet chill to match and balance. It is a deadly combination, infinitely subtle, infinitely crafty, and infinitely dangerous.

World domination is a cliché, and even the most hot-blooded gypsy dreamer must acknowledge it as such, but she is perfectly willing to settle for command of a sprawling empire. It is a high focus indeed, but then, after all, why not?

Why not?

Psychological Vulnerabilities

Despite habitual calculation and consideration, is still prone to a certain amount of recklessness; finds it difficult to properly evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of others without egoism getting in the way; her sheer level of ‘attitude’ puts her at a disadvantage in many social situations.

Physical Description

Rhea stands an inch or two taller than her race’s gender/subspecies average, being slender of build, willowy of frame, and undeniably attractive. At first glance, and despite her trim, well-balanced figure, she appears almost a bit... fragile, or delicate; in actuality, however, she’s a finely-toned athlete, built for speed, dexterity, and precision coordination. Her extensive military training, combined with a natural knack for swordplay, makes her a worthy rival of all but the most legendary warriors, and she exhibits a naturally acute sense of balance and physical proximity; very useful in close-quarters combat.

As regards superficial appearance, Rhea radiates an aura of gracious feminine charm and unmistakable authority. Her physical coloration is predominantly white, with a few eye-catching orange highlights, as befits a Toa of her element. Her facial structure and features are finely-shaped and aristocratic, strikingly beautiful, with a vaguely elvish cast. Her large eyes blaze a deep, vivid green in color, with an eerily high level of natural luminescence, and her heartlight consists of this same color as well. She moves with an easy, imperious grace, wasting little motion.

Like most inhabitants of the BZPRPG world, Rhea is far more organic than mechanical in body structure. As such, she is equipped with very little built-in armor plating, and when in battle, she instead wears a layer of light chain mail over her normal clothing. This armor matches her natural coloration; white, with a few chrome and orange highlights. Her garments themselves are also white in color, modest yet flattering, custom-woven and fitted by one of the island’s most skilled (and expensive) tailors. When operating in formal social settings, she usually wears a luxurious orange cape, embroidered with decorative silver thread; when in more rugged, ‘adventurous’ conditions, she wears a hooded white traveler’s cloak. Her swordbelt, custom-fitted hunting boots, and traveler’s knapsack are all constructed of durable white Rahi-leather. She normally shuns jewelry of any sort, but does own and wear a simple silver bracelet, of which she seems to be rather fond.

Physical Vulnerabilities

Unaccustomed to facing multiple opponents in battle; tends to rely a bit too heavily on visual sensory data input, putting her at a disadvantage in low-visibility conditions; relatively low levels of strength and stamina present a glaring vulnerability in close-quarters warfare, an occupation generally claimed by big, muscular males; vulnerable to Ice-based elemental energy.

Powers

Like all Toa of Plasma, Rhea’s innate elemental energies grant her a high level of passive resistance to heat, radiation, and blinding sunlight. In addition, they allow her to consciously manipulate her element in various ways, such as using its power to melt through nearly any known substance, unleash raw blasts of destructive plasmatic energy, and so forth. She has trained extensively in elemental control, and utilizes her skills often, for a wide variety of tasks.

Relationships

Friends and Allies

In the quest for command, a lone blade stands at a definite disadvantage, regardless of the skill, intelligence, and determination behind it. In a word, Rhea cannot conquer the universe without allies, minions, or sponsors, and she knows it. She knows, too, that in her position, absolute loyalty, utter secrecy, and ruthless competence are imperative, nay, crucial to eventual success. Although ever alert for, and constantly in contact with, the darker elements of the island’s populace, she has, thus far, found (and what is more, successfully recruited) no more than a scant handful of qualified individuals. As yet unnamed, this informal but formidable fighting unit numbers the following:

• Mar - male De-Toa mercenary
• Avier - male Fa-Toa ne'er-do-well
• Kubrick - male Fe-Toa mercenary
• Zelvin - female Kru-Toa bounty hunter
• Elysi - female Vo-Toa bounty hunter

Distinct from, and perhaps more notable than these, however, is Nero. They call him, simply, ‘the Axe’. Where and how Rhea recruited him is uncertain, and the exact nature of their present relationship is unclear, but it is a safe bet that where Rhea is, her feral Le-Toa bodyguard is never far away. His loyalty to his employer is unquestionable, almost fanatical; his frighteningly bestial penchant for violence makes him an invaluable asset. One word, one order, and be the target in question Toa Maru or Matoran, he’ll rip apart its vitals or go down trying.

Enemies

• Any and all who seek to do her harm, thwart her plots, or otherwise directly oppose her will.

Inventory and Possessions

Kanohi

Rhea wears a Great Kanohi Kaukau, Mask of Water-Breathing, custom-forged in the likeness of a Mask of Possibilities. When worn, the mask assumes a color scheme corresponding with that of her body and armor; namely, white with orange and chrome highlights.

Weaponry

A former officer of the Ta-Koro Guards, Rhea is a honed product of one of the most highly-trained and effective fighting forces in the known universe. As such, she is extremely skilled with any sort of fighting style or weapon you care to name, including unarmed martial arts. Her situational specialty, however, is one-on-one duelists’ swordplay; her weapon of choice, the tactical longsword.

She carries two of them, both forged of the finest white protosteel and etched with her name, military ID number, and the mottos ‘Sparks Will Fly’ and ‘Feel the Burn’. Obviously well used, they bear a multitude of minor scuffs and scratches, though nothing that hinders their combat effectiveness.

In addition to these, Rhea carries a covert ops blade in a low-profile sheath under her left forearm, two throwing spikes in a holster at her belt, and a tiny folding knife/rasp that slides directly into a concealed slot in the mechanical components of her right shoulder.

Tools and Equipment

• x1 knapsack (white Rahi-hide)
• x1 military survival blanket (black camouflage)
• x1 military medical kit
• x1 military handcuffs (protosteel)
• x1 waterskin
• x1 rope w/grappling hook (100 ft., silk-woven)
• x1 red lightstone
• x1 whetstone
• x1 lockpick

Widgets and Treasure

• x95,000 widgets (majority stored in private Ta-Koro bank vault)
• x272 assorted gemstones (majority stored in private Onu-Koro bank vault)
• x14 pearls (stored in private Ga-Koro bank vault)
• x1 silver bracelet

Miscellaneous Items

• x1 lavaboard
• x2 vials of poison (temporary paralysis)