Yazan Seiken

A Raen hailing from the distant shores of Hingashi. Yazan (夜山 - night mountain) grew up in a countryside village on the isle of Shishu, and served in the Sekiseigumi of Kugane for over a decade before brokering a resignation. With a newfound freedom, this self-assured samurai is finally picking up the pieces of their family's tarnished name, and seeks to rebuild the lands that rightfully belong to them.With a trusty retainer overseeing the work in the village, Yazan has instead chosen to find willing business partners overseas, despite the restrictions put on foreign trade. This young "Lord" seems confident that a path lies ahead in these endeavours.

• Personality
• Armoury
• Clan and Family
• Skills
• RP Hooks
• Music etc.

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Personality

Cocky at the best of times, Yazan often ends up either befriending or agitating people in record time. Not much for pretense or formality, Yazan will usually forgo the typical politeness that is commonplace for the people of Hingashi; she takes a more direct approach, bantering and cracking jokes after only barely getting past introductions -- and sometimes even before then. There's little concern about status when it comes to Yazan as well; actions and skill speak volumes compared to the place and circumstances of one's birth for her. While she may have presumptions when it comes to race, she is more than open to being proven wrong by the people she meets.Despite the cockiness, Yazan takes pride in her own sense of duty - even should that not always align with the usual code of the samurai. She takes her jobs seriously - if she's paid, at least - and strives to bring results. The rare exception comes with jobs concerning ashkin or voidsent; with a family whose history is steeped in spiritual belief, Yazan finds it her personal duty to meet these creatures with due caution and respect - even if no one is paying her to.Yazan has her own sense of loyalty, often bound to whatever group she is most tied to at any given moment in time; in Hingashi, it is her and her sister's familial ties, and in Eorzea, the hunters of Wehs Lahr have impressed her enough for her to cast her lot in with them. Though family will always take precedence, those threatening the people she considers friends and allies will find only an enemy in her; an insult to a member of the pack is an insult to Yazan as well.

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Armoury

Tenromaru Kazusada (天狼丸 一定 - "Heavenly Wolf") - A family heirloom, and twin blade to her younger sister's Tasogarekiri Kazusada (黄昏切 一定, "Twilight-Cutter"). As the local legends tell it, a pair of children dressed in rags once sought out a smith to forge them a matching pair of swords. Dismissed by most, the two eventually found one willing to humour them - convinced only by his belief that these children were not as poor as they seemed. It was at their request that the blades were left on a mountainside, as a tribute to the mountain kami; and it is perhaps not a coincidence that the smith found great fortune in his work for years to come.
A family of warriors were later guided there by visions of wolves; young cubs leading them to the location of the blades. Believed to be the very same as the children who had the sword made, they were hailed as the mountain kami's messengers, and the blades became a symbol of the warrior family's vow to safeguard their haven. This did the Seiken family earn its name, and the village of Hasuyama was soon established as their lands for their past deeds to the great lords of Hingashi.
Tenromaru was named for the shape of the kami's messengers, but there was a period of time during which it came to be known under another name: Onryogiri (怨霊切), the Slayer of Vengeful Spirits. With the Seiken family establishing itself as hunters of ashkin and guides of lost spirits, the sword saw its share of combat against creatures not meant to remain in the world of the living. Under Yazan's care, she has a preference for calling it by its original name, Tenromaru.Zenkomaru (善狐丸, “Benevolent fox”) - Yazan’s wakizashi. Stories claim the smith used the blade to save a white fox from a wild beast, and was thus blessed, while some more fantastical versions of the story claim the fox became the blade. Either way, its connection to foxes and the divine led to Yazan purchasing the blade, out of reverence for the kami of her birthplace. The wakizashi has since been used to grant merciful deaths to people or spirits, while also serving its wielder well as a defensive weapon.

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Clan and Family

Yazan was born with the Suijin (水刃 - Water Blade) clan name as the firstborn child of Ayaka Suijin (恵花 - blessed flower) and Yasei Seiken (夜声 - voice of night). Her birth name was Sayuka (幸結花 - flower of a happy union), but as she came of age, she changed it to Yazan to establish her own identity away from her hometown, as well as pay her respects to the father she barely knew.
The Suijin family was founded by Suijin no Soran (草嵐 - tempest of grass), a Doman-born warrior who came to make a name for himself after journeying to Hingashi in ages past. The Suijin came to serve as rear vassals of the Hyuran Mitsuhara (三原 - three fields) clan for generations to come. Yazan's sister, Haruka, has since been adopted into the Mitsuhara family, and thus no one currently carries the Suijin name.The Seiken (聖剣 - sacred sword) clan that Yazan descends from through her father was founded in ages past, when the first head of the family obtained two swords said to be a gift from the kami. They went on to establish a shrine and a village at the site, acting as rulers of the small region and as protectors of the mountain to keep the kami's home safe from harm.
The Seiken family forged an alliance with the Chihara (血原 - Field of Blood) clan some few decades ago after increasing pressure from the Chihara. Yasei, the only son at the time, agreed to a marriage with Narue Chihara (生枝 - Branch of Life) after the Seiken lands were left nearly desolate -- the villagers had left for better lands, and trade was the worst it had ever been, thanks in no small part to the Chihara interfering with it. Though the Chihara gained control of much of the Seiken fortune, the family's treasured blades were kept out of their reach.Yasei fathered two children, though not with his wife. The then-heir of the Suijin family, Ayaka, bore both; Yazan and Haruka.
Yasei and his family faced much disgrace and dishonour through their life with the Chihara. When Yasei disappeared, rumours spread of his betrayal to Hingashi -- that he left for Yanxia to join the Imperial forces during the occupation of Doma. These lies have since been disproven; the Chihara saw him dead when he lost his value to them, and he never even set foot outside of Hingashi's shores.Now, having reclaimed the Seiken name and the lands tied to it, Yazan works tirelessly to restore not only the pride and honour the family name once carried, but also the lands they once governed.

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Skills

Swordsmanship -- Yazan grew up with the teachings and style of the Suijin school of swordsmanship, treasuring adaptability and flowing movements. After her move to Kugane to join the Sekiseigumi, she rediscovered the soul crystal of her father, and spent near a decade honing her skills to bring back the Seiken style before passing the crystal on to her sister. Her skill with a sword is one of the things she takes the most pride in when in comes to herself.Ghost-hunting -- With a combat style mainly developed to face off against beings not meant to be in the world of the living, Yazan's techniques are often based on the use of aether -- both to empower her own attacks, and to disrupt the essence and aether of her opponent. Though she is capable of holding her own against living beings, ashkin and voidsent are her specialty.Mischief - Not one to shy away from a bit of fun, Yazan has a knack for ending up involved in trouble of varying degrees of severity. Somehow, this ends up balanced out by her ability to also get out of it. Most of the time, at least, but not always without repercussions. The downsides have never managed to stop her from jumping in on more dumb ideas, though.Perceptive -- Though Yazan rarely bothers with proper etiquette and formality, she still has a keen awareness of when such things are necessary. With a keen ability to read the room, she knows when her jokes go to far, and when she might need to tone things down; things are only fun if everyone is in on it, after all. Likewise, she'll show due respect to her superiors in Kugane, and act professionally when dealing with jobs within Eorzea -- at least when the client calls for it.

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RP Hooks

I am generally very open to RP and meeting other characters IC! However, just so there are no misunderstandings, here's what I'm mostly looking for and interested in with my RP, and what to not expect me to agree to. More on RP hooks below!

Yazan is a rather social and open character, and thus not difficult to get into a conversation with. Here are some hooks to get started though, for some of the best ways to get interacting with her!• Former Sekiseigumi. Yazan served with the peacekeepers of Kugane for over a decade, and makes no secret of it. She left very recently after a longer trip to Eorzea, and it would not be strange for there to be internal rumours as to her reasonings. I am open to characters having had run-ins with her in Kugane previously (or even served alongside her) -- just talk to me about it first so we can sort the details!• Hingan samurai. Yazan is a bona fide samurai of Hingashi, and tends to carry her katana with her. Won't take much to get her talking about family history, swords, or samurai history in general.• Hunter of Wehs Lahr. While staying in Eorzea, she's taken up work with Wehs Lahr, a group of hunters situated in Mist. They tend to handle jobs that locals can't handle on their own -- whether due to facing wild creatures or harassment from the lawless.• Zealous tavern-goer. Whether to simply mingle, kick back and relax, or get the latest news, Yazan can often be found venturing into taverns and bars. She's more than happy to make new contacts (and especially drinking buddies).Feel free to reach out to me on Discord as well for planning and discussing RP! My tag is Cat#9167.

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Music etc.

Artwork by @est_arts

Artwork by vibesauze -- Other fantasy AU

Artwork by @matchstix