Post by Zâbel Kohara on May 25, 2017 16:50:13 GMT -5
Kohara, Zâbel
Fourth Division Research Officer
Fourth Division Research Officer
AT A GLANCE
Age / Apparent Age: 482 / 27
Gender: Female
Height & Weight: 5’ 3” & 131 lbs.
Hair & Eye Color: Charcoal-grey hair and eyes
Positive Traits: Meticulous, Confident, Compassionate, Inquisitive, Passionate
Negative Traits: Private, Obsessive, Exploitative, Reclusive, Entrenched
Loyalties: Kohara Kenji, Kohara Moriya, The Gotei, The Fourth Division
Snapshots:
Origin:
- January 10, 1534: Born Aditi Baptista in Pornem Goem, Goa
- 1541 - 1561: Becomes Brahmavadini, studies Vedic Texts
- 1561: Death: Burned as an apostate; Awakens in Rukongai: District 61 - Kusajishi
- 1563 - 1593: Belongs to Tōzoku’s gang
- 1593: Arrested by Kohara Kenji, adopted, joins Seireitei
Call to Action:
- 1593- 1600: Academy years
- 1600 (The Culling): Joins the Fourth Division, Research Department
- 1691: Moriya (Kahomono) Kohara joins the clan as the elder brother, biological son of Kenji
- 1730: Unlocks Shikai
Rise To Power:
- 1889: Ryu and Kenji are declared dead after a mission
- 1889 - 2016: Resurrection Cycle Research
- 1890: Kohara Moriya disappears
- 1936: Mentors Mako Fujita
- 1970: Shikai research with Nagato
- 1973: Meets Ukita, Ryōma when assigned to be her bodyguard in the Rukongai
- 2013: “The Great Seireitei Massacre”
- 2016: Obsession’s attack on Seireitei, Kohara Hi-To disappears, Zâbel heir to Kohara Family
- 2017: New Horizons - training, contacts, research
ON THE SURFACE
Portraiture: Zâbel’s face is oval in shape with charcoal grey eyes beneath a fringe of thick dark lashes. While in conversation, she uses eye contact sparingly frequently becoming lost in thought with her gaze fixed in space. This vacant expression is readily replaced, however, when her sense of humor is awakened or she has a keen interest in the topic at hand. At such a time her eyes light up, narrowing as her cheeks rise, while her inviting grin transforms her face from aloof to engaging. Minute expressions will curl the edges of her mouth that hint toward amusement and while deep in thought she is prone to lightly nipping her lower lip between her teeth. Framing the features of her face are the charcoal locks of hair she leaves unbound to hang down upon her collar bones. Zâbel likes to keep the rest of her long hair drawn to the back of her crown in a tight pony tail, covered by a kerchief, for the sake of safety and hygiene.
Physique: Standing at five foot, three inches in height, Zâbel’s overall physique is petite without appearing gaunt or angular. In no way can she be called athletic and yet she retains a nominal level of fitness. Being somewhat frail in appearance, there is strength in her limbs acquired through years of labor at her chosen profession. Dexterous hands that are deceptively delicate provide the strength necessary to apply torque while using hand tools. Overall she is unconcerned about the art of window dressing her appearance choosing utility over fashion, Years of wandering through the Rukongai have kept her legs well tones and given her good endurance for long distance travel.
Movement: Zâbel walks with a lazy grace in every step she takes, believing that to rush is to miss opportunity along the way. Keeping her back erect, the line of her spine takes on a natural arch that sweeps from the angular lines of her shoulder blades down to the pronounced sway in the small of her back. She is prone to gesturing with her hands when speaking and fluttering her fingers in the air while deep in thought. When filled with the exuberance of inspiration, she will rush about her work space gathering materials and nearly bowling over anyone who dares to obstruct her path.
Clothing and Equipment: Wearing the traditional Shihakushō of the Shinigami while on duty, Zâbel changes into clothing that lets her blend into the local scene while patrolling the Rukongai. A gray blouse worn without sleeves is kept tucked into the charcoal hakama beneath her utility belt. Comprised of supple leather, this girdle conceals the obi of her hakama. Fitting snug over her lower abdomen and hips, it also sports long flaps hanging down to the front, back , and to either side. Along the girdle are compartments in which she keeps a variety of useful tools. A chain is affixed to the left side of the girdle to the sheath of her Zanpakutō. Regardless of occasion her feet are always clad in white tabi and zori.
Voice: Expressive of numerous emotions and attitudes, Zâbel’s vocal tones rise and fall when she speaks while staying well within a soprano range. While prone to humming or talking while deep in thought, this come across as more of a mumble than actual dialogue. She has no difficulty projecting her voice which might come as surprising in one mistaken for having a meek and mild persona. When discussing the non-sensitive aspects of her work with laymen she will have vocal hesitations as though finding the right words without employing the specialized terminology of her trade is a chore. Even with these minor oddities, her manner of address is over all polite and respectful.
Spiritual Description: Zabel’s Reiatsu is reminiscent of walking through deep hollows where heat wafting up from the earth lies trapped beneath a canopy of trees. There is a definite sense of moist heat that clings to her form bathed in an aura of rich browns and earthy scents. When actively employing her Reiryoku the sensations change, as though air currents are moving to bring in fresh scents and cooling sensations. This aura expands about her form into wispy tendrils while the color lightens from browns to shades of orange and gold.
Gigai's Description: Being prone to testing out the latest model of gigai’s the fourth has to offer, she does have a preference toward one with standard features against Reiatsu detection. Having to supply her body double with Gikongan in order to exit the body, the replacement soul animates the vacant form leaving its Shinigami free to proceed unconstrained.
Imprinted with Zabel’s own features and skin coloring, its hair is left unbound and her face adorned with a nose ring and gold bindi upon her forehead. Gold earrings and matching choker collar complete her jewlery while her body is attired in white cotton garments which are loose and allow for freedom of motion. In lieu of her utility belt, she carries a bag with shoulder strap.
BEHIND THE EYES
Personality:
“Life doesn't always give you what you want, and half the time not even what you need, but with a little invention and persistence a person can get by.” This is a tenet to which Zâbel adheres. While faith in herself sustains her focus and drive, it is her meticulous attention to detail frames the boundaries of her life. There is beauty is the balanced equation, harmony in a well maintained laboratory, and direction to be derived from a thoroughly cross referenced report.
Her sense of identity does not come through the eyes of others but through self assessment. She is more than content with her achievements and who she is as a person. To adorn herself in the expensive trappings of wealth or the accolades of her associates holds little appeal. Her passions lie in feeding her inquisitiveness, tending to the suffering in the Rukongai, and not in sharing the private details of her life.
Her compassionate nature gives her the desire to improve the lives of those she left behind in the Rukongai. After the loss of her family she took in the young Mako, mending his broken body, and aiding him in his first steps in developing his abilities toward his own dark goal. While certainly a bond grew there, she kept her distance allowing none to intrude upon her private world. Family were transient at best and adoption was not in the cards for young Mako. There is demarcation between her duties and that of her private world that she permits none to violate. Even though she knows that the little she does for those in need is better than nothing at all, the gulf between making a difference and effecting no real change is huge and frustrating to overcome.
Feeling the Shinigami are just treating the symptoms rather than the disease, the woman is certain that her energies would be better spent in researching the deeper meanings and inner workings of the life cycle. Her hope is to one day establish a more efficient solution to the imbalance of souls.
Her personal life is much more engaging and while not an active seeker of pleasures, she is no stoic and delights in good food, strong drink, beautiful surroundings, and congenial company. Her favorite days were spent round the dinner table listening to her father speak of his exploits or recount some humorous tale from a night out on the town, or just to lie on the grass and look up at the sky and listen to her brother share his dreams. This side of her personality, however, is hard to find being reserved for those she considers to be family.
The darker aspects of her personality have lead her into obsessive behaviors which drove her brother away after the death of their father and grandfather. Countless years were lost only to find out that it had all been a lie. Kenji had not been dead, but rather imprisoned. To this day he has not bothered to let her know he lives, something she discovered on her own, and she will never forgive him for that betrayal.
Positive Traits:
- Meticulous: Zâbel pays careful attention to the tasks she performs while keeping her work space organized. She works through mental checklists, visual memories, and a keen spacial awareness. An admirer of René Descartes, she uses the Scientific Method in her approach to the world.
- Confident: The woman has a definite picture of who she is and what she can accomplish. She knows that whatever the problem is, given time, she will find a suitable solution. Rarely will she second guess herself feeling sure she has fully weighed a given situation and has decided upon a reasonable approach. Quite aware of where her limitations lie, she acknowledges them as mere parameter in which she works rather than insurmountable issues. “Can I beat my brother in a sword fight? Well no, but there isn’t any reason why I couldn’t train and learn how to kick his ass.”
- Compassionate: The suffering of others bothers her and she does make attempts to find solutions and offer aid where she can in an almost motherly fashion. Zâbel often slips away to tend to those in the outer districts providing medical treatment as her skills permit and giving out words of encouragement. Her desire to ease suffering in others is coupled with great frustration in not being able to do enough. She acknowledges that it is a bigger issue than just one person can manage.
- Inquisitive: While not everything in the world will hold her attention, those things that cause questions to rise in her mind will. Her curiosity does not just extend to scientific inquiry, but also to the people she observes. The motivations of others has always been a source of intrigue. Her probing questions are typically not well received by those who view this more as an interrogation than congenial conversation.
- Passionate: Rarely does she halfheartedly engage in anything. If something is worth doing, then Zâbel throws herself into it with utter devotion. She is quite selective in where her passions lie, but once awakened they are quite unwavering no matter if that be a research project, cooking a fine dinner, or providing her medical services to those in need.
Negative Traits:
- Private: Regardless, or perhaps because, of the renown of certain members in her family she sees little point in discussing her personal life. Those closest to her have never heard her talk about her family, the things that excite her, or even those which cause her anger. When she talks with others, it is always about the task at hand revealing very little of who she is or what she may be feeling. To her, those details are extraneous.
- Obsessive: When the woman gets a notion in her head she rarely will give up on seeing it to fruition without drastic intervention. While this does her good service in her work, it has a way of getting out of control. The most notable example is her refusal to accept their father’s death to the point that her brother had to move on and worry about himself.
- Reclusive: Living her life largely alone, she is not a woman who chooses to socialize much. She never has company over or goes out to gatherings. Preferring to do her own cooking, and eat in her own home, it is rare to run into her in public. Even in the workplace she is not prone to collaboration and is either out collecting data and observations on her own or shut up in her lab.
- Entrenched: Despite her investigative nature, her tendency to become entrenched by her own insights or beliefs leads her to dismiss avenues of discovery and growth that otherwise would have been quite open to explore. Feeling martial arts were a waste of her time, she didn’t take advantage of those who could have trained her. Karmically indebted to her father, she throws away a large chunk of her life working it off. Used to being alone she does nothing to change the situation having become stuck in her ways.
- Unforgiving: First impressions mean a lot to Zabel and if they do not go well she hardly ever reevaluates. Sometimes she is spot on with her initial evaluation but at other times she can be dead wrong. Betrayal is something she refuses to forgive. Second chances are not in her nature for she feels that a person has a responsibility to say what they mean and mean what they say. Minor offenses are acceptable, people are flawed and thus prone to mistakes. However, those who have managed to evoke real feeling from her are held accountable on a higher standard than the average person. By default, being close to her infers some exemplary quality, some deeper understanding, and certainly leaves little room for excuses. Only those who are close to her have the power to hurt, and in turn must be fully aware of what that means, thus lacking the excuse of ignorance. While ignorance is unfortunate, it is excusable. Willful stupidity and thoughtlessness, however, are not.
Goals & Achievements:
- Relieving Karmic Debt: Doula is a construct of Zabel’s who serves as her personal lab assistant. Its primary function is to predict the resurrection site of deceased souls.
- Martial Training: Released from her obsession with finding her father’s resurrected soul, she seeks to gain back a measure of her wasted years. Her lack of training makes her less effective on missions and is intolerable. Currently she is working with Nagato Ishikawa and Li Yingfeng to rectify her deficits; develop a focus in Shunko.
- Create a Quincy Limiter: Given the mission by Captain Rania Fugikagi of the Fourth, she must collaborate with Shinsei Madarama and create a limiter to place upon the Quincy to reduce their ability to upset the balance. To this end she has joined Kido Club so she might immerse herself in collaborative efforts rather than continue with her solitary research.
- Relief Work: Within the Rukongai she uses her skill in small ways to ease the suffering there but wishes to establish a more permanent clinic/shelter for those souls who are at risk to be preyed upon by the lawless forces that rules the streets. The formation of a volunteer relief group is the next obvious step.
GUARDIAN ANGEL
Zanpakutō Spirit Name: Houwang
Zanpakutō Spirit's Physical Description: Zabel’s Zanpakutō Spirit assumes the form of one of the mythological Vanara beings, or the Monkey Race. His entire body is covered in hues of russet and blonde fur save for the blue skinned areas of his face, hands, and feet. Covering his head is a large mane of hair pushed back from his forehead by a small gold circlet, while the rest is left free to hang midway down his back. Red streaks of hair run through his mane and patches of his full beard beneath his bottom lip and to either side where his sideburns merge into his beard at the jowls. Although he sports a glorious beard, his upper lip is devoid of a mustache. Sprouting from the top of his head are two long locks of red hair marked by black bands that checker their length. They are better described as antenna than anything else by his ability to manipulate them at will.
While prone to changing the manner of his dress to include armor, for the most part he appears bare chested clad in blue trousers. About his loins he is girded with a tiger’s skin held in place by a gold colored obi. His shins are covered in leg wrappings, with bracers of red marked by gold embroidery depictions of clouds upon either wrist. His prehensile tail is a source of great vanity and quite unrestrained by any attire. He wields a long hardwood bo capped at the ends by gold engraved banding; a red tassel adorns one end. He can manipulate the bo to change size, multiply, or take on other weapon forms according to his design.
Zanpakutō Spirit's Personality: Houwang’s teachings often escape the understanding of Zâbel due to his use of humor and obscure references that fly over the woman’s head. Possessed of an overly vain and egotistical manner, his peculiar brand of intellect leaves her wondering if he is being serious or just pulling her leg. While the two share a keen curiosity for the world around them, her approach to finding answers is much more clinical while his embodies exploration through spontaneous revelation and whimsy. This is something Houwang often tries to share with Zâbel, in his attempts to lure her away from data that is collected and measured to life that is experienced and enjoyed, with minimal success.
Inner World: Much like the Spirit, the Inner World is an expression of the soul. It represents how the Shinigami feels about themselves on a subconscious level. Not only that, it is the only place where they can interact with their Spirit and, typically, the Spirit has far more control over this “realm” than the Shinigami themselves.
Sealed Zanpakutō: Zâbel’s Zanpakutō is a Chokutō straight blade measuring 28 ⅜ inches comprised of folded black steel. The tsuka is outfitted in the more modern tachi style with a hardwood handle wrapped in ray fish skin, grey silk, and charcoal cord bindings measuring 11 ½ inches in length. Combined with the blade, the overall length of her weapon is a total of forty inches. The tsuba is rectangular in shape composed of grey steel and embossed with an endless knot motif symbolic of the woven link between cause and effect in the Karmic cycle. A black lacquered wooden saya in which the blade is sheathed completes the ensemble. She wears it at her left hip with the sword sheathed blade up.
Kaigo (解号, Release Call): “Sun le zaraa [Hear my heart], Houwang”
Power: A brief (1-2 sentences) summary of your power. This only needs to be as complex or as simple as you want it to be, but remember that the full write up belongs in your second post!
Shikai (始解, Initial Release): Zâbel's Shikai is a Bhuj, or knife axe. It has a broad single-edged blade that measures 5 cm in width and 19.7 cm in length. Upon either side are silver-gilt panels overlaid by clouds pierced by mountain peaks. The blade is double-edged from its tip and running over the back of the blade for a length of 9.8 cm. The forte, where the blade is fixed to the haft, is a gilt-copper monkey's head set with garnet stones for eyes two emeralds upon its head. The face of the monkey is decorated with clouds while the curled tail is wrapped in metal bands.
This is mounted to a tubular haft making the total length of the weapon 65.2 cm. This too is silver-gilt and continues with the cloud motif along its surface. In the pommel is a foliate finial which unscrews to reveal a slender dagger with a silver grip. The scabbard is of wood-lined gilt-copper, covered with silver-gilt clouds against a punched background. It fits snugly in perfect alignment with the monkey head forte.
LEGACY CREATED
Origin: Each of these three sections should be at least a full paragraph (5-7 complete sentences). In your origin, you should talk about where your character was born, describe their death (if applicable) and talk about their time in the Rukongai. This should stop right at the part where they develop enough power to be accepted into the Academy.
Rise to Power: Rise to Power should include the Academy and any time you have spent grinding through the rank and file Shinigami events. This would include you unlocking Shikai and most of your notable events in your history. This is where you explain how your character has gotten so strong.
Call to Action: This is where you talk about the event that made your character shift from an NPC to a player character. For whatever reason, they need to be pulled away from the daily grind and put into the spotlight. In this section, you’ll want to highlight that event(s) and justify why your character is they way they are today.