Presenting: Raksha, apprentice of Shura the Destroyer

Raksha is a martial scientist, which means that he walks a martial Path, and he is proficient in several martial Forms.

The Path of the Conflagration

A Path refers to the specific means through which a martial scientist channels his internal energy.

Raksha’s martial Path is the Conflagration, given life through by burning internal energy through the nine Solar Gates. It encases his body in an energy field that excels at both offense and defense.

Strength, Speed, and Imperviousness

With the Fifth Solar Gate ignited, Raksha can slice through plate steel with his sword, move and react faster than sound, and shrug off explosives and heavy machinegun fire, taking minor bruises or cuts at most in the process. His aegis, however, can be pierced by a stronger one or by sheer overwhelming physical force, such as multiple direct hits from cannon-fire or heavy artillery.

Regeneration

The Conflagration heals his wounds rapidly. Wreathed in its aegis, Raksha can recover from broken bones, cuts, and minor to moderate degrees of internal bleeding within minutes. Compound fractures or major organ trauma will set him back for many hours, if not several days. He fares as well as anyone if his heart, brain, or spine are destroyed. Raksha’s ability to regenerate is also significantly weakened if his major channels or meridians are damaged.

Manifestation

When the Conflagration’s aegis is active, Raksha body emits immense amounts of heat. He can lower or intensify the heat radiating from his skin at will. Currently, Raksha’s mastery of the Conflagration is not advanced enough for him to weaponize this heat. It is a minor distraction at best to powerful foes.

He speculates, however, that if he can burn the Conflagration at the Ninth and final Solar Gate, he can turn steel molten or set his enemies ablaze with his touch.

Internal Mastery

The Conflagration’s most unique property is its augmentation of Raksha’s cerebral functions. The First Solar Gate is located at the top of one’s head. By channeling his internal energy through it, Raksha has managed to heal much of the brain damage caused by the Stormbringer, a Forbidden Path that drives its user to madness. His already prodigious ability to control and manipulate his internal energy has also been enhanced. This allows him to mimic and master new martial Forms with ease and apply the Forms he already knows in innovative, unpredictable ways.

Defiance

Unlike Sadea, Raksha only has a baseline psychic capacity, like the vast majority of humanity. However, by enhancing his brainwaves, the Conflagration’s aegis becomes an impregnable field of “normalcy” which snuffs out any psychic phenomenon or sorcery that bends the laws of physics. This means that Raksha’s aegis can cause great damage to unnatural entities like demons, undead constructs, or mutants too steeped in the corruption of the Ethereal Tides. Nevertheless, a sorcerer of overwhelming power can overcome Raksha’s anti-metaphysical resistance through sheer strength of will or arcane mastery.

Martial Forms

A martial Form refers to a specific style or pattern of armed or unarmed combat. A Form that revolves around the use of a sword would be a Sword Form, and one that employs palm strikes would be a Palm Form.

Over the years, Raksha has managed to learn and employ several martial Forms.

I. Weapon

Raging Claw Blade Form: This is the preferred martial Form of Raksha’s Master, Shura the Destroyer. It puts a single edged heavy blade, such as a battle axe or cleaver, through frenetic, sweeping cuts and propels its user across the battlefield with swift and brutal footwork. The Raging Claw excels at fighting numerous weaker foes, but its user would be at a disadvantage against a duelist of equal or greater strength.

Starlight Arc Sword Form: Raksha learned this Form in his battle against Lin Kung, former Sword Master of Wu Dang. One of Wu Dang’s most advanced martial Forms, the Starlight Arc is defensive in nature, relying on intricate and dazzling swordplay to deflect and counter an enemy’s attacks. The stronger a foe’s attack, the greater an opening the Starlight Arc can create for its user. However, this Sword Form’s emphasis on defense and counterattacks means that it is lacking in offense.

Icewind Flash Blade Form: Raksha picked this singular Blade Form up from Lan Feng, the Azure Flash. It is entirely encompassed by a singular, highly focused attack, in which its user draws and cleaves through the enemy’s weapon hand and neck in one motion. The Icewind Flash Blade Form is a blindingly fast and overwhelmingly powerful attack, but it is also one-dimensional and predictable to a canny foe that somehow survives its first strike.

II. Unarmed

Harmonic Palm Form: This is another Form Raksha learned from Lin Kung. Like the Starlight Arc, the Harmonic Palm is defensive in nature, relying on the complex manipulation of its user’s aegis around the main palm channels to redirect and reverse momentum. Using this Form, Raksha has caught arrows out of the air with the back of his palm, turned them around, and redirected their flight right back to the shooter. He has also recently figured out how to use the Harmonic Palm with his feet, allowing him to run on walls for extended distances. In Blood Rose, he was also able to redirect the force of a palm strike from Lin Kung, whose aegis was at least ten times stronger, back at the former Sword Master, decisively defeating him in their duel.

III. Internal

The Lion’s Roar: More of a singular technique than an entire Form, Raksha concocted this in his battle with the Chimera. After taking a deep breath, he projects his aegis outward in a deafening roar. The Lion’s Roar is effective up to ten feet from Raksha, after which its strength drastically weakens. With the Conflagration burning at the Fifth Solar Gate, Raksha’s roar can strip the flesh from an unarmored person’s bones. However, this technique is relatively ineffective against a foe whose aegis is equal or greater in strength to Raksha’s; neither does it work very well against heavily armored enemies.

Since Raksha projects his aegis outward and across a distance through the Lion’s Roar, he can also use this technique to counter any sorcerous phenomenon and grievously injure entities suffused with psychic energy.

Equipment

Clothing

Raksha has been wearing the traveling robe Maki Yagyu gave him for over a year. It’s worn out, repeatedly patched, and only occasionally laundered. Nevertheless, the fact that it still hasn’t fallen apart is a testament to Maki’s craftsmanship. The robe is finely cut and threaded cotton and canvas, with inner pockets of leather in which armored plates can be inserted. Raksha has never bothered to do so, however. Other than that, he wears oversized manufactory trousers of synthetic canvas and a pair of battered leather boots scavenged from a rubbish heap.

Equipment

Raksha’s only weapon is a sword named Steelbreaker. It was a gift from Shadow Master Megumi Yagyu as thanks for saving her children’s lives. It has a long, curved, and heavy blade balanced and weighted to cleave chain and plate mail. For most warriors, Steelbreaker would be a two-handed weapon, thanks to its length and heft. Raksha’s massive physique, however, allows him to use this sword with one hand as easily as he would with two.

Steelbreaker is a well-forged blade, but it bears no enchantment. Nor is it an exceptional masterpiece. In fact, Raksha has already broken the weapon twice. Fortunately for him, he was able to get Steelbreaker repaired on both occasions.

Other possessions

He carries a belt-pouch to store whatever provisions, currency, or miscellaneous items he possesses at the moment. Raksha likes to travel light.