Toshikazu Tri'nakrha'hea

Kazu's character page!

Character's Name:
Toshikazu Tri'nakrha'hea
(Toshikazu Shadowwalker)

Nicknames:
Kazu

Age:
Unknown

Gender:
Male

Species:
Sphinx

Abilities:
Kazu has a very unusual gift for a sphinx: shadow magic. He can manipulate shadows. He often phases in and out of shadows, using them as an unusual form of teleportation. When standing in the shadows of others, Kazu can sense how they’re feeling as well as gauge vital signs. While no mind reader, he is also able to use shadows to tell when people are lying. Combat wise, Kazu can solidify shadows and make them take whatever shape he fancies. When in a nearby shadow he can bind people’s legs to the ground, using their own shadow against them. He generally opts not to do this, since violence is something he’s against. Kazu can also grab people’s shadows, or the shadow they’re standing in, and pull them in whatever direction he chooses. His magic is flexible, allowing him to use it in many ways, but he can only work with the amount of shadows around, and total darkness renders him useless.

Kazu is very skilled in hand to hand combat, though he has little to no experience with weapons. He prefers evasive maneuvers, or striking nerve clusters to disable his opponent without harming them.

Appearance:
As a human, Kazu stands at roughly six feet tall. He has a slender, lean build that makes him appear rather feminine, though he doesn't mind this too much. His slender musculature allows him greater flexibility, and it's quite apparent that the man is in decent shape, though he's not as young as he once was. With a fair complexion and narrow facial features, it's not a surprise that many consider him for feminine than masculine. He carries himself with grace and power, held held high and back straight. His almond-shaped eyes stand in dark contrast to his fair skin, being such a dark shade they appear almost black in color. They do, at times, gleam silver, mostly when the moon is full. His unbound hair rests at about shoulder length, though he ties it back into a messy bun to keep it out of the way, though it's not uncommon for several strands to fall out of place.

He prefers to wear loose clothing, and if often seen in lose navy colored trousers with a luxurious and ornate orchid colored shirt, with billowing lilac sleeves and a blue sash around his waist. In spite of his, usually, spectacular eyesight, Kazu has taken to wearing a pair of delicate silver reading glasses, which he keeps in his pocket at all times.

As a sphinx, Kazu stands at a rather impressive five feet tall at the shoulders. His pelt gleams in the palest metallic gold, making him appear almost silver in color. While nothing is out of the ordinary, as he has no patterns or distinct markings, Kazu does possess a beautiful pair of wings in the same color as his coat, marked with ticked markings just a hair darker. These feathers are metallic, and sharp enough to cut. 

Personality:
Toshikazu is an enigma. He specializes in being cryptic and cold when it suits him, and he can be incredibly warm and outgoing the next. He can even be downright silly. Of course, this all depends on who he’s talking to and how he’s feeling. You see, Kazu could be described as a man with many faces. He portrays different parts of himself to different people in different situations. No, he doesn’t have multiple personalities, he just knows how to keep his true motives hidden, as a man of many secrets should. He would rather make friends over enemies, but has no issue resorting to trickery if the situation demands it. Situation dictates most of the man’s behavior. His actions are always fluid and courteous, but his manner of speech is dictated by what the situation at hand demands. He is incredibly tactful and deep, often spending time lost in thought.

But don’t let his secretive nature fool you. Kazu is a very sweet man and a doting father--or he would be, had he not been forced to flee; something that still fills him with guilt. In fact, a large part of him wants to make up for lost time. He is incredibly protective of her to a point where it could be considered obsessive. He has a habit of acting as a father figure or mentor to those who need it, regardless of age.

One of his faults is that he’s so secretive. He’s prone to pushing people away, even without meaning to. But this doesn’t make befriending him a challenge. Kazu is open about certain subjects, mostly superficial problems, but when it comes to deeper problems he prefers to share them only with the closest of friends. This former ladies man still retains his charm and wit, but he lacks the lacks the ability to move past the most traumatic event in his life. The death of his wife has rendered him unable to deal with family or relationship oriented stress well, if at all. He’ll close himself off from the world and become cold to everyone with the exception of Sk'brea. The man is so incredibly wracked with guilt and sorrow that even now, over a hundred years after the loss of his wife, he blames himself for her death and broods silently. He is still stuck in the past, and finds it difficult to get over her. This is partly because Kazu was never really in love with her. He liked Shii, true, but she was just an attempt at heteronormality. A reason for him to deny and hide his sexuality, and this weighs on him heavily. Though the healing process has begun, Kazu can't yet forgive himself.

Kazu can be rather dangerous, if provoked enough. While usually a man of great restraint, Kazu will not hesitate to use his powers to take down who he sees as an enemy, or protect the people he cares about. He is ruthless, and will use anything at his disposal to quickly eliminate whatever he deems a threat. He is a man that demands respect, whether it is given with ease or force is not his concern. 

History:
No one is quite sure when Kazu was born, or if he was even born at all. Some speculate that he just stepped out of a beam of sunlight one day, and that was that.

But that's not what's important.

Kazu lived most of his life in pursuit of knowledge. His library is vast, containing books from all continents, all races, in all languages--some even in languages lost to the world. It was during his travels that he met a woman named Shiihara, whom he married. The two were happy enough, and they had a child together; a little girl they named Brianna. She became the light of Kazu's life. He doted on her, night and day, telling her stories from his travels in far off lands, of monsters and heroes, of dangerous villains... For him, life was perfect.

But word of a sphinx travels quickly, especially of a male sphinx with wings rumored to be as old as sunlight. His peace was not to last.

He was forced to leave his family for their protection, to deny he ever knew them. Unable to see his daughter grow, Kazu continued to travel, eventually finding himself deep in the desert, where mortal men dared not follow. For years he remained there, until finally he ventured out again. It was only then did he learn the fate of his wife; she was killed in a dragon raid on her village. The fate of his daughter was unknown, though all presumed her to be dead, as no one else from the village survived. So, heartbroken, he returned to his library, drowning himself in books.