Konaa Hirano

Konaa Hirano was a fire mage, occultist, and swordsman.  Throughout his 36 years he was a blade for hire, an acting general, a sworn sword of House Sakete, and finally, Lord of Nostvale.  He was active within Valmasia from 754 AC to his death in 776 AC.  He began as a mercenary of little note, before a brief but fateful stint as Commander of Nostvale's Emperyon Legion during the Western War chained into a series of events that ended with the young man bearing the Black Crown on his head.

A somewhat controversial figure in history due to the nature of his dark powers and the company he kept - he stated without shame that Vindicator Namarre Sakete was his foster sister, and he was known to have loyally served her and her husband, the Sin Mage Zahilekim Sakete, during their tenure over Nostvale.  However, his rule within Nostvale is remembered well for his devoted and vigorous service in defending the city from all manner of attacks in its time of healing.  He was by all accounts an extraordinarily compassionate and humble man who rarely spoke at any level above his subjects, remembering, perhaps, his own childhood as the lowest of the low.  He went to great lengths to found a new, competent military order for Nostvale - The Viridian Legion.

On suspicion of colluding with his sister's necromatic powers, Lord Hirano was confronted by Uriel Melym in late 776 AC.  The two fought a pitched duel to the death, ending in the Silver Monster's victory.  Konaa Hirano was executed at spearpoint, but not before the legendary warrior King praised his fighting spirit.

Appearance and personality

Konaa Hirano was never incredibly tall, maxing out at five feet, eight inches.  He was fair-skinned with hazel eyes and light brown hair that was constantly in a dishelved state throughout his life.  His body was neither lithe nor muscular, and in general he had the appearance of a very average sort of man.  In his youth, he typically dressed in a red tunic with black trousers and a black jacket, almost always in some state of disrepair.  After the Western War he began wearing the outfit he'd be most associated with, black armor with a bright red cloak.

Throughout his life, Konaa kept a few consistant personality traits - he was always rather sardonic and fond of jests and mockery, typically expressing his disdain for what he saw as idiocy with a sarcastic quip.  He remained somewhat socially awkward even after being crowned, often having difficulty holding casual conversation and seeming somewhat withdrawn and remote to strangers. 

As a boy, he was far more vitriolic and bitter in his witticisms, being cynical and distrusting of near everyone around him.  He seemed to live up to his status as a mercenary, bluntly stating that he was indifferent to the struggles of 'good' and 'evil' and preferred to simply get food and a clean bed by the end of the day.  Konaa was rather proudly unheroic, and claimed that honor and bravery were "synonymous with idiocy."  He was never malicious, however - even in those early days, his good heart would shine through on multiple occasions and he found himself begrudgingly assisting several who could not pay for his services.  His change into maturity would come about after a particularly grim example of cowardice - choosing to flee from Jetniss Ravehart during a confrontation in 755 AC, abandoning several of his closest friends.  Admitting afterward that he was disgusted by his own weakness, he resolved to better himself for the sake of those who had shown him kindness.

His decision to champion Nostvale's cause in the Western War would prove to be the turning point in his life.  Though defeated, he knew now that he could no longer pretend to have the stomach for the mercenary's life.  His compassion became a driving force for him, giving guidance and leading him through the world.  After reaching adulthood, he remained as jocular an individual as ever, but he allowed his kindness to be more visible and active in his life.  He was selfless to those in need and merciful to those who committed wrongs - within reason.  He chose to execute Emanuel Vansuan for his crimes, letting justice have its due when the law demanded it.  There was a driving passion within him to defeat those he considered 'evil' - those who disregarded callously the lives of others and attempted to force their vision of what the world should be on others.  It should come as no surprise that his greatest enemies in life were Jetniss Ravehart and Uriel Melym, the latter of whom he despised utterly.

Upon ascending to the throne of Nostvale, his demeanor matured to meet the responsibility he now faced. The need to interact with others on a regular basis saw him open up tremendously, and aside from his sense of humor there was little left of the suspicious, ill-tempered boy he had been. Konaa became outwardly friendly and welcoming, with a patient and calm ear toward the concerns of any. Even his former enemies who came before him were given civil conversation, and many would prove to become his friends in time.

History

Karma Born in Blood

Konaa Hirano was born in the year 740 AC in the village of Nostvale. While his mother, Fiona Hirano, was a documented citizen and easy to identify due to their shared surname, the identity of his father was unknown throughout his lifetime - not helped by his refusal to answer questions on the topic. It was only when his personal journal became public to Nostvale's historians that he gave his father's name as "Helios of Byson." A former member of the Society of Scholars and one of the occultists summoned by the Dark Call of Eline Sakete, Helios visited Nostvale sometime around 735 under the pretense of a shared scholarly pursuit, though in truth he was there to scout the city's defenses. The details are unknown, but by the time the Umbra Mortem conquered Nostvale, Helios had married Fiona Hirano and produced a set of twins.

For reasons unknown, Helios grew suspicious of the Empress upon her rise to ultimate power and fled Nostvale with his family shortly after Konaa's birth. Relocating to an abandoned keep in the depths of the woods east of Danarium, the occultist slowly began a descent into true insanity as a result of exposure to the cursed sword Durendal. He used his powers to command a small horde of lesser Yokai, abducting smallfolk from nearby villages and performing experiments of an unknown nature upon them.

His children were both shielded and abused. While he was apparently nothing but jovial and loving to Konaa and his two older siblings, Helios' perception of what was best for their well-being had been tragically warped. He became convinced that there was a way to alter the human body, that it would accept Dark Magic with the same natural affinity as the Yokai. Even within Konaa's most private journals, he refuses to speak specifics of those days, but a few facts are known - both his brother and sister were natural born occultists like their father, and therefore allowed some level of freedom within the keep. As Konaa had only manifested fire magic, an ability inherited from his mother, Helios seemed to believe that there was something "wrong" with him - And kept him locked away in the library tower for most of his childhood.

While he became quite knowledgeable due to his father's extensive collection, the young boy was lonely and fearful of their oppressive father and neglectful mother, his only regular contact with others being whispered conversations with his siblings through the cracks of his door. He learned from a young age to fear and hate the Yokai that kept him imprisoned, a resentment that would carry over into prejudice in his adult life. His only solace was found in heroic tales - He would come to idolize the Knights of the Round Table as many youth did, dreaming of becoming a holy warrior of Kraus who would protect the innocent from monsters and evil men.

On his eighth birthday, he received a gift from his father. Forcibly infusing dark energy into the boy's bloodstream, Helios turned his own son into an artificial occultist, overwriting his very mana circuits. To young Konaa, this was nothing short of a tortuous curse, to say nothing of how painful the experience had been. From that day on, he lived with the knowledge that he would never be King Arthor, or Sir Lancelot - only Tristan the Betrayer.

The Band of Four

How the next three years passed is not noted. Konaa had escaped from the family keep by the age of 11, alluding to his siblings no longer being among the living. His first forays into the wide open world were not overly pleasant, even compared to what he had escaped from. Recognized as the son of Helios by the local villagers and hounded for his dark powers, the young boy was driven out at swordpoint, forced into the wild to fend for himself. And fend he did - somehow, by the year 754, Konaa Hirano was still alive at 14 years of age, taking up odd jobs as a "mercenary" in the Danarium and Frostvale area, though he was more along the lines of a courier.

One day while practicing swordsmanship in the Wychwood, he encountered two older teens - One a knight errant and holy mage, the other a local thug and conwoman. As he himself put it - "He found me training myself - Though it was more apt to dropping my sword onto Lessers and hoping for the best, as he was quick to point out. Seconds later, a woman with auburn hair barrels out of the undergrowth on the heels of some poor Yokai bastard, laughing like a maniac. That was how I met George Hastings and Katherine Raspumilaj." The three struck up an unlikely partnership, working several odd jobs for pay alongside one another. To test their skills and perhaps earn a bit of gold, they entered Frostvale's Shattered Ice Tournament in the year 755. Konaa was matched against the future Draco Nivis Adain, Rasha - although it was less of a fight and more of a game of tag, as the ookami woman hounded the fleeing boy for several laps around the ring before belting him over the head.

Prone to depressive slumps, Hirano moved away to nurse his wounds, when he was approached by a strange little girl, with green markings on her dark skin. His compatriots had rescued her from the Deadland Marshes. She displayed a curious ability, through use of some medical supplies, to heal his wounds in spite of his occult powers. The surly teen was gratified - And it was in that moment that Konaa Hirano and Namarre Sakete effectively adopted one another.

Known Abilities

A magi who amassed well over twenty years of combat experience, Konaa Hirano was known to utilize both swordplay and sorcery in battle, adjusting his style between blasts of magic and close range assaults depending on the situation at hand.  His fighting form was self-taught and unorthodox - coupling that with his jocular personality made for a confusing opponent to face.  He was not a warrior on the level of the former Empyreal Watchmen, but he still ended life as a powerful individual.

Shadowflame Magic

Konaa's signature school of magic - combining his fire affinity with the occult, he was able to project waves of black flame that seared to the bone with unholy might.  The development of his ability to use this type of magic was known to have taken him several years - he noted in his personal journal that it was "a union of what came naturally and what was forced upon me."  Whatever the case, he wielded Shadowflame Magic with nothing short of absolute mastery, being perhaps the most powerful mage of this type in his time.

Fire Magic

Hirano was noted to possess many of the traits commonly associated with fire mage - being a determined and passionate individual.  Indeed, he was often spotted wielding fire magic as opposed to shadowflame during many minor encounters, saving the dark fire for more important battles.  His affinity for flames was unquestionable - he wielded enough mastery to be capable of burning opponents to ash and cinders, though he rarely if ever utilized such overwhelming force.  He was even able to briefly wrest control of both magical and nonmagical flames, as seen when he protected Nostvale from a wave of dragonfire.  This ability extended to enemy shadowflame, as well.

Such was his mastery over fire magic that Hirano eventually gained the ability to transform himself into a fire elemental for a boost of power mid-battle - an ability he used sparingly.

Darkness Magic

Easily his least utilized tree of spells, Hirano was nontheless a fairly accomplished occultist, often falling back of the power of darkness to aid him in his youthful fights as a mercenary.  He was known not for mastering the use of darkness, but more for mastering its use of him.  Konaa Hirano is one of the few occultists recorded as able to almost completely shake off the mental corruption the occult naturally brings upon its wielders.  A great personal struggle throughout his life, Hirano alluded many times that his ability to use dark magic was something gained artifically and against his will, but no details were ever discovered.

Swordsmanship

An accomplished swordsman, Hirano preferred wielding a hand-and-a-half sword in combat, noting its adaptability as being invaluable.  His fighting style was self-taught, but incorporated elements of Vritra style.

Trivia

• In Eternia's Power Ranking, Konaa Hirano's stats are: Strength (B), Durability (B), Agility (C), Magic Power (C),Magic Damage (B+), Intelligence (C+), Willpower (S).