DAMAYANTI PADMANABHAN, black

Post by Damayanti Padmanabhan on Aug 2, 2014 17:32:50 GMT

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[attr="class","charname"]Damayanti Padmanabhan

[attr="class","charinfo"]SEVENTY THREE
FEMALE
MASTER OF BLACK SABER
BLACK
NEUTRAL GOOD
BELL PEPPER
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[attr="class","blackheading"]BACKGROUND
Rakshasa mixed bloods were at one point extremely common in India. They appear often in Hindu mythology, one famous one being Ghatotkacha of the Mahabharata. While there are some exceptions, they are for the most part extremely dangerous, violent creatures that only get worse when the sun sets. Their blood is extremely potent – it’s said that it only takes a drop of it to cause an inversion. That’s untrue, of course, but the amount needed is indeed relatively low compared to other creatures. As such, most Indian Rakshasa halfbreeds with high inheritance would wind up troublesome due to the potency of their blood.

Around seventy years ago, India organized a purge. The idea was to eliminate known Rakshasa families in order to prevent them from causing havoc in their country, which had suffered with them since the olden days. It was, for the most part, successful. Only those few clans with low enough blood content so as not to be immediately recognized managed to flee in time. The Padmanabhan were among them.

Padma, born Damayanti Padmanabhan, was thus raised on the road – anywhere but India. As Rakshasa tend to be concerned with the clan as a whole rather than the small family units that make it up, she was traded to different areas at different times to travel with cousins and distant relatives rather than her parents. During that time she was raised on animal meat rather than human meat. It wasn’t in an effort to be moral, though; more an attempt to lie low. It can, after all, be extremely evident in the appearance and the smell of a cannibal Rakshasi that they do indeed eat long pork. A “vegetarian” diet is easier to hide, if less satisfying.

It’s not as if she knows what she missed.

“Light – blooded” or not, they always had reason to worry. Hunting was and will always be a serious concern for their kind. Padma was raised to be acutely aware of this. When she was old enough to leave the larger traveling groups she was given a partner – her cousin – and the two of them were designated as “scouters”. In other words, a pair that was to scope out possible safe settlements for the larger group and report back. The two of them held this position for close to thirty years. After that, her partner became impatient.

His name as far as she knew it was Rajan (though it was not unheard of for them to take aliases in the way that she eventually did), and he became increasing uncomfortable with their diets as the years dragged on. He insisted that, if they were careful about it, it would be possible for them to consume human “stragglers” without much backlash. Though Padma was severely against the idea, Raj acted on it one day just a month or so ago in an effort to prove his point. As it happened, his chosen victim was a magus.

Fearing that they would be found, Padma left Rajan to his fate and left the country. In retrospect, she should have killed him. She heard later of a Padmanabhan Rakshasa being ambushed right around the area in which she’d left him, but no word on whether or not he’d been killed. It would be better for her if he was. He knew more about her than she cares to admit, and that information could easily lead to problems for her in the future.

And as it would happen, it did. It just didn’t happen the way she expected it to.

One night, as she was leaving a favorite haunt of hers, she was attacked by a group that she assumed had come from the Mage’s Association. Rajan had spilled the beans, she thought – this would be the end of her. To her surprise, this wasn’t the case. Her attackers were members of the Yddgmillenia family, or mafia, or…whatever it is they are. She’s never been sure exactly how to classify them. As it turned out, news of Rajan’s capture and subsequent execution had gotten to them, and they’d used it to track her down.

Rather than murdering her on the spot like she expected, the Yddgmillenia surprised Padma by offering food and shelter. While she found the whole thing more than a little bit shady, beggars can’t be choosers, and she was in no position to turn them down. All they asked for in return was loyalty and the occasional favor. Her illusion mastery made her extremely well suited for some of their odd jobs.

When the war came around, she was unexpectedly chosen by the Grail. This of course worked out extremely well for the Yddgmillenia, as they already had her in their back pocket. Her alliance with them is out of necessity rather than any kind of respect or affection, but…how bad can they really be?
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[attr="class","redheading"]PERSONALITY
Padma seems sort of rough around the edges when you first meet her, but in all honesty she’s a softie at heart. It wasn’t always that way. When she was younger, she was a little bit more like the rest of her family. Most of them are vicious – hell bent on continuing their quiet rebellion against everything Hindi despite being for the most part confined to places that don’t care either way. She was, admittedly, a punk growing up. She was bitter and short-tempered and overall unpleasant to be around. Maybe, back then, she was a more acceptable Rakshasi. It didn’t win her any prizes.

The change came mostly because she realized that her being jaded wasn’t bringing her happiness. That doesn’t mean she’s become a good Hindu, though – that’s likely not even possible. She eats as much meat as she wants, downs as much booze as she wants, and has an admittedly filthy mouth. She does, however, try her best to be a reasonable person. Bullies won’t be tolerated. She can recognize them because she was one. She’ll be the first to cut you to ribbons whether with words or her nails if you so much as think about tearing into someone smaller and weaker than you. Maybe she’s got some pent-up sisterly-ness to her.

Or maybe, deep down, she really would like to be accepted. A Rakshasi is, as far as she knows, not the same as a human in the sense that they can be reincarnated above their current station. Padma’s an old woman and thus does buy into the idea of castes. The good are born up high and the bad are born down low. She probably did something bad in a past life, which resulted in her demon blood. Even if the Rakshasi aren’t included in that cycle normally, she human too. She can’t say she’d mind being normal, even if it cost her all her abilities. It would be nice not to worry about being hunted.

So at the end of the day, she’s agreeable enough and – she likes to think – fair. If you have a problem with her she could really care less. Unless you act on it, obviously. Then she’ll scratch your eyes out. There’s an underlying current of paranoia in just about everything she does these days. There’s fear, hurt, and anger too, she just likes to keep that bottled up.

She doesn’t talk about her wish much, not that people really…ask. If you’d told her twenty years ago that she was going to be competing in the Grail War, she’d have laughed at you. She knows as well as anyone what an incredibly messy business this is, and at the time she’d have sworn that no wish could possibly be worth it. Now that she’s older, she’s having second thoughts.

Traveling is fun, sure, but her unique brand of traveling is also incredibly lonely. Years and years of living in constant fear and isolation have worn on her, and so Padma has decided that it’s time to settle down. Unfortunately, that’s rather unrealistic for one of her heritage. If she were to stop running, the Association would surely find and kill her. She sees this war as a way to wish away her troubles and – finally – find a home. Maybe she’d even be able to go back to India. It’s been so damn long…
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[attr="class","blackheading"]COMBAT
  • Rakshasi Heritage :: The original patriarch of clan Padmanabhan was, according to Padma’s great grandparents, a full-blooded Rakshasa. Not that they’d know for sure – they weren’t there. Theirs is an old family whose demon blood has thinned over time. That’s just fine with them. Given how potent Rakshasi blood can be, anything above 10% is more than likely to send the subject into nightly bestial rages. They are thus some of the only mixed bloods to be able to invert despite relatively low inheritance. At 10%, Padma has developed a number of abilities related to her heritage.

    Inversion Impulse :: Rakshasi :: B+ (A)
    As far as inversion impulses go, "light blooded" Rakshasi have it easy. Theirs is a very light, manageable change – albeit a frequent one. Every night their blood “boils”, resulting in a surge of power that lasts for the duration of the night. It is accompanied by a few minor physical changes such as elongated fingernails and abnormally bright eyes, but for the most part, it can be difficult to tell when this change occurs just by looking at them quickly. When angered or otherwise disturbed, the changes tend to become more prominent. Their nails will lengthen into claws and their teeth into fangs. Eye color can also shift to yellow or red depending on the situation. It’s not uncommon for the Rakshasi to use illusion magecraft to mask these changes, especially if they go out in public.

    During the nighttime, Padma’s agility, strength, endurance, and mana rise. The change is also accompanied by a sharp increase in appetite. Since she’s been experiencing this every night of her life for over seventy years in a setting that doesn’t exactly condone feasting on innocent bystanders, Padma is able to lead a “vegetarian” lifestyle. In other words, she survives by eating extremely large portions of regular things – steak, pork, chicken, greens, etc. It’s not as filling as human flesh, but it does the job. To normal folks, it just seems like she eats a lot.

    If for some reason she was to go several days without eating properly, Padma may fly into a kind of "blood rage" during her nightly Inversions. Her physical power would increase, but a kind of bestial madness would set in that Padma would much rather avoid.

    Note :: The inversion would be ranked at about A if Padma ate the way a Rakshasi ought to – in other words, if she lived on human flesh. Since she doesn’t, it remains at B+. Were she to begin eating bodies she would become stronger, but cannibalism is frowned upon in most human societies. It’s also not really her style.

    Decelerated Aging :: There’s no exact formula for this. Some years she feels like she ages more than others, but then she’ll go for six more without changing at all. Right now she’s pushing seventy and could pass for twenty. It’s something she’s certainly not complaining about. Full Rakshasa were said to have been immortal just so long as they weren't killed. Her family seems to have inherited the longevity.

    Poison Immunity :: Due to her Rakshasi physiology, Padma cannot be affected by poison of any kind.

    Illusion Detector
    :: Padma cannot be affected by illusions of any kind due to her Rakshasi heritage.

    Venomous Nails :: Padma’s nails are infused with a very potent poison - getting scratched is roughly equivalent to being bitten by a king cobra. She is capable of producing an antivenom and of putting a “safety coat” on them to keep them from harming people she touches on a day to day basis. Most of the time she’ll also wear gloves.

    Sharp Claws and Teeth :: In addition to being poisonous, Padma’s nails are incredibly sturdy and sharp. Both her nails and her teeth are strong enough to slice through metal. They lengthen at night.

    Maya Mastery :: The Rakshasa trump card is their mastery of Maya, an ancient form of Mana. It’s a bit more potent than modern Mana, and so Padma has some incredible Mana reserves – she’s just a step under homunculus.

    This also gives her a natural talent for three Rakshasa-specific spells that are officially typed under Maya. These three spells appear to rank lower than they actually do, allowing Padma to cast them for cheaper than a non-Rakshasi magus would be able to.

    SPELLS:

    Maya Illusionist :: ( D - A ) :: Single Action :: The Rakshasi are some of the most accomplished illusionists in the world. This is due to their mastery of "Maya" – an ancient form of Mana necessary to cast three Rakshasa-specific spells. As such, Padma is capable of creating amazing illusions that would trick even the most powerful of magi.

    Her illusions cannot cause real harm in the sense that an imagined sword could actually stab you. They will never cause real physical pain. They can, however, be so convincing that the victim thinks that they have indeed been stabbed and goes into shock as a result. Frightening or exciting illusions can cause heart attacks. Pleasant illusions can ensnare the victim and make them extremely reluctant to return to reality. At worst, a Maya Illusion can break apart a victim’s mind. Prolonged exposure can trap them in the fantasy forever.

    Maya Shifting :: C ( B ) :: One Line :: Nighttime Only :: Padma can alter her size a will. She can also take on characteristics of any animal that she has seen before. This sort of shapeshifting doesn’t allow for human, object, or full creature transformations, nor does it allow her to take on traits of phantasmal beasts or creatures that do not exist on earth. It's worth noting that this is an extremely draining process. Padma can only keep this active for as long as she can spare the energy. She runs the risk of tiring herself out.

    Maya Curse :: B ( A ) :: Single Action :: In addition to being fantastic illusionists, the Rakshasi have long been feared for their ability to ruin rituals. Since the majority of magecraft is ritual-based, this means that Padma can halt any spell that requires any sort of long setup. One liners are safe, but anything longer than that will likely be stopped. This also allows her to break most sorcery augmented contracts. She cannot cancel the effects of a spell that has already been cast or debuff someone who has already been buffed. All she can do is stop a spell before it happens.

    WEAKNESSES:

    Weakness :: Distinctive Scent :: Padma has a very particular scent about her. It’s not exactly bad – just strange. People tend to notice it and remember it. She covers it up with excessive amounts of perfume. The smell becomes even stronger at night to the point where it's impossible to cover completely.

    Weakness :: Brass :: According to legend, Rakshasa are susceptible to injury by brass. Padma is noticeably weakened when in contact with it. She also seems to be allergic to it.

    Weakness :: Daylight :: Padma simply doesn’t like daylight. It makes her feel sluggish. She prefers to work at night and sleep during the day.

    Weakness :: Hunger :: To say that Padma is a big eater would be the understatement of the century. She’s almost constantly eating whatever remotely edible thing happens to be within her line of sight when a craving hits. This is necessary due to the fact that she doesn’t live on human flesh. If she can’t have what she’s meant to survive on, she’s got to eat twice as much “regular” food to make up for it. If given the option, she actually prefers rotten things. You’ll find her dumpster diving most nights. Luckily, her stomach is body is capable of consuming all sorts of nasty things safely – she’s built like a tank. Along with this comes an amazing sense of smell, ensuring that she can always pinpoint a food source. Her metabolism combined with her body's tendency to stave off illness especially where food is concerned makes it very difficult for Padma to get drunk.

    Unfortunately, this all means that Padma is constantly scrambling to find her next meal. The longer she goes without food, the more her Rakshasi blood boils. If she starves herself for too long, she runs the risk of losing control.
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I play Ying Zhemg, Li Xin, Wang Ben, Marcos Amuro, Luca Barany, Kiritsugu Emiya-Yggdm., and Jin.
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