Makura

[Makura]

(( General Information ))

Character Name: Makura (Ma'Xuan Kueng Zai Ranshao being the full name he has shortened for the sake of anonymity)
Age: Suffice to say, he's been around for a long, long time.
Identified Court: Fire
Fey Blood: Full blood Fire Fey
Appearance: Even at first glance, it is painfully obvious that Makura is a Fire fey, from his hair and eyes all the way down to the way in which he carries himself.

His hair alone is enough to give him away to his element, styled short in back and layered past his jaw in front its color is highlighted in reds, oranges and yellows, variable in the light like a flickering flame. On top of that, his eyes seem to be holding a flame in their depths, the exact color of the iris often quite variable between a dark, smoldering red and a much more fiery orange with traces of yellow.

He stands at a height of 5'10.5", his frame almost delicate in appearance though not overly thin, near androgynous. The best way to describe his features would likely be 'pretty', possibly even 'elegant' or 'feminine', and though he spends much of his time in the sunlight, his complexion sits on the lighter edge of what is typical for Fire fey. Despite having a slender frame, he holds himself with a powerful poise and grace, his presence not something that one can easily overlook. Over his torso and arms are a series of flamelike scars from a battle in his youth with a Fey who wielded a frigid fire.

His attire usually consists of various silks, the colors of which encompass a rather fiery spectrum all the way from ash black to near white.

His wings are a sight to behold, grand and adorned with long, slender feathers like those of the phoenix, the longest of which sweep the ground even when the wings are extended their highest. The look of burning is one that is no trick of the light, for the feathers are indeed coated in fire, and in extreme cases the ends seem to be almost liquid flame.

Inner Court: None, though he held one in the past.
Level: Level 3
Powers: First and foremost, Makura has the ability to manipulate fire. His control over the element is absolute, and he can even produce a flame from water or rain fire from the sky. The flames which he control can vary in intensity on up through a heat strong enough to reduce almost anything to ashes and to melt almost any metal. What he can do with the fire he conjures is nearly limitless in its destructive capability.

Seemingly a side effect of his ability, Makura's body temperature fluctuates between feverish and hot enough to set fire to things with a mere touch, and he seems impervious to flame and to even the most intense heat. As a result of this extreme temperature, his blood, upon leaving his body, is practically boiling, and can be used as a weapon in a pinch. Cold, on the other hand, is something he is incapable of withstanding, and he rarely leaves the Fire kingdom in winter, never venturing farther north than Bellgrinde's middle latitudes at any time of year even though his internal temperature can melt snow and ice and turn rain to steam (water usually boils and evaporates on contact). The colder the climate, however, the less control he has over his element, a fatal flaw that keeps him grounded in warmer areas.

In a sharp contrast to the destructive power his flame holds, he is also capable of using it to heal, though even when he was among the court regularly there were few who knew of this. To an even greater extreme, he holds an ability termed the Rise of the Phoenix, able to restore life to the dead in a rebirth of fire, in much the same way a phoenix is reborn from its own ashes. This ability is one that he confided in only one person, who is now dead, and one that he has only used twice before due to its high price (both times it was used sapped him so dry of energy that he slept in a state of stasis for nearly half a century).

Magical Knowledge: Makura has written books on Fire weaving, and over the centuries has absorbed knowledge of every other type of weaving aside from Death weaving, having plenty of time to learn and a thirst for learning. Despite knowledge of Ice and Water weaving, however, it is these two elements he finds the most difficult to utilize.

(( Personality ))

Makura's personality is nearly as volatile as the flames which he controls, though over the years it has calmed from the easily provoked and violent days of his youth into something that may be most easily likened to smoldering embers. There are still times in which his volatile nature is provoked, however, and the result is usually not pleasant.

He has a habit of being overly cryptic, however, and is almost as playful as foxfire in the right situation. Despite his vast knowledge he is always eager to learn something new, and so inclined he can be convinced to teach (though good luck understanding how he explains the concepts). He rarely speaks any vulgarities, and even when he does they're usually far from standard profanity, as he prefers to speak eloquently. He finds moonlight incredibly drab and can get rather testy in a rainstorm, easily preferring a bright, sunny day to any other type of weather (quite reasonably), abhorring winter as much as the next Fire fey is apt to.

Despite his previous connection to the court, he holds no particular opinion of the current inner courts, considering he lives rather secretly, passing himself off as much younger than he is for good reason and never flaunting his powers. One can assume by talking to him long enough, though, that he is either extremely eccentric or wise beyond the years he claims. Even with the abilities he possesses, he is not as quick to use them as he once was, not exactly wanting to have to deal with the greed of those who would want his knowledge, as he only divulges such information at his own whim.

He has yet to make himself known to the new ruler, or to offer his assistance to the kingdom since he fell out of the loop centuries ago, but if recognized or approached he may consider it in order to protect the kingdom.

(( History ))

Ma'Xuan's birth into the world was a brilliant, but tragic one. His mother, during the birthing process, burst into flames for reasons unknown, the fire so intense that it consumed the attending medic and his father as well, and from their ashes came the sound of an infant's crying. He was found by his mother's only sister, and she raised him as her own son, putting him through schooling and not telling him of his real parents.

Throughout his early schooling he showed no real signs of harboring any power, but showed a natural talent for Fire weaving, which came as no surprise to his aunt because his father had been quite proficient in it as well. His schooling continued with this talent as a focus for many years, and upon graduation, his aunt finally told him the truth about his parents. Feeling no connection to them for having never known them, he harbored no curiosity or sadness about the incident, a fact which his aunt resented of him, for as much as she loved him as her own son she resented him for surviving when her sister did not. Because of this, he started to grow distant from his family.

He left his home to study abroad after that, hungry for knowledge, and continued in this manner for many years before running across the path of a rogue Ice fey with a deep seated hatred for Fire. His combat skill at the time was minimal, but when his assailant drew upon a power of ice cold flames, Ma'Xuan's own power awoke within him, and his Wings, late bloomers, appeared. Having been unaware of the dormant power, he had no idea how to control it in that moment, and the Ice fey met his end rather swiftly. It was after this incident that he moved to the capitol to hone his skills.

Fast forward few relatively uneventful but progressive centuries of training and learning later... Ma'Xuan found a place among the fey who protected and guarded the kingdom, his power proving useful to their efforts in the growing conflict. While practicing with his power, he had come to realize that he could use it to heal as well as destroy, and over time, his control became more and more advanced. It wasn't until what had seemed like an easy victory went terribly wrong that he realized his ability to resurrect the dead, when one of his female squadmates (he had been somewhat fond of her) received a fatal blow, and he had to watch her die. In the moments before death he had been trying to heal her, but as she slipped away the power he was using shifted, changed, and the last thing he remembered was a blinding flame.

He awoke nearly half a century later only to learn that she was indeed alive, and had been responsible for getting him back home (though she had been unaware of Death for the short duration it was upon her, and believed that he had healed her before its embrace took her). Upon being told of how long he'd been sleeping, a mild shock set in, and it was another few weeks before he was fully back to himself again. It was at that point that he confided his newfound power in his commander, who, as the Warrior of Fire, gave recommendation to the king. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed as Untouchable. At this point in time, however, he had been lying about his age for several centuries.

Time went on, and news reached him of the deaths of his aunt and uncle in a raid, and though a part of him grieved, the distance he had kept for so long made it short lived.

As the war escalated, he gained more and more opportunity to further develop both his power and his weaving arts, a formidable force in battle, however, years before the Fissure of Woe was upon them, the Warrior, his good friend, lost his wife, and in grief begged that Ma'Xuan bring her back. Knowing the potential cost, he told his friend, who in turn swore to him that his position would be safe and his body taken care of if he would do it for him, and because they were close, Ma'Xuan reluctantly agreed.

By the time he awoke (from dreams of Death fey), the Fissure of Woe was a wound upon the world, and his good friend as well as many of his comrades were dead. His friend's wife, however, was alive, but after he woke she told him to leave and he never saw her again. The king he had served was no longer in his seat, either, and for all intents and purposes he was dead to the world, and being such a dangerous thing, he chose to continue life under the guise of a simple, though eccentric, wanderer, giving all who asked the name Makura.

He continues living in this fashion now, though if discovered and requested to, he would consider retaking a position in the inner courts.