Izu Okami
Izu Okami
Izu Okami comes from a long line of temple guardians, hidden somewhere in the foot of the Crest Mountains, assigned to guard the remnants of old and forgotten beings. Despite having exceptional talent and potential as a guardian and priest, Izu's aspirations couldn't be further from his preordained destiny. His peers respected tradition and feared outsider influence, but Izu loved learning, experimenting, and incorporating foreign speech and customs into his everyday life. He discovered a talent of using magic to animate and reinforce objects, and after seeing a performance show from a group of visiting travelers, was inspired to combine his talent and new passion together: he would create his own troupe of animated beings to enact plays and perform dances for audiences around the world.
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When asked about his home, Izu always joked that his village banished him for his beliefs and antics, but further inquiries for details caused his smile to stiffen and incite a quick change of subject. Acquaintances of Izu all mention that Izu carries around the ruined fragments of what appears to be a puppet and is constantly working on it. Some swear they sense the faintest divinity from the vessel, but Izu dismisses the claims.
"It WAS the vessel of an ancient god that was long sealed away in the shrine, but with the heavy modifications I made, none of their original power remains. But the vessel of a god will surely make a fine framework for my magnum opus!"
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One day, Izu returned from sneaking out to be greeted by the temple, the only place he knew his entire life, reduced to ash and rubble. Bandits had discovered the location and attacked. The other guardians put up a valiant defense, but an otherworldly force annihilated them and bandits alike. The invaders made off with the temple's safeguarded relics, each said to contain an entity of evil and disaster. Some had shattered in the chaos, releasing their prisoners to likely wreak havoc among the living. Izu resolved himself to fulfill his duty as the last shrine guardian to recover all the relics and defeat the evils that escaped. To do this, he would need connections, and what better way to do that than to follow his dream?
"To think I'd have to use my dream as a front for my duty... I mean, that's not to say I won't give entertainer work my all too, because I certainly will. Suffice it to say, I'll wear two figurative hats, and I already wear one quite well."
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The puppet husk Izu carries was once the vessel of an ancient god that protected the shrine it was sealed in. He brought it with him to symbolize his regrets and good fortune. Despite being a broken puppet with sentimental value at best, Izu constant adds to it and modifies it, imagining and reimagining it as a finished product. He believes that one day, his duty will be over, and he will be free to dream. At the end of this long journey, Izu hopes to begin life in a new world not as a guardian, but as a normal person.
"I want to see the outside world with my own eyes! But where to start... Well, I guess the adventurer's guild is as good a place as any."
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