Olympia no Miko
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| [[Image:|300px|]] | |
| Olympia no Miko | |
| Player: @Resurection Mary | |
| Origin: | Magic |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Defender |
| Security Level: | 45 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Arakaki Chou |
| Known Aliases: | Olympia |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | Unknown |
| Height: | 5' |
| Weight: | 130lbs. |
| Eye Color: | Brown |
| Hair Color: | Black |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Freelance exorcist, Republic Ranger medic/unofficial counselor |
| Place of Birth: | Olympia, WA. (alternate dimension version) |
| Base of Operations: | Paragon |
| Marital Status: | Dating |
| Known Relatives: | Arakaki Fuu (mother), Arakaki Shinji (father), Chiyo, Emi, Miyuki, Michiru, Akako, Haruko, Hachi (all sisters, from oldest to youngest) |
| Known Powers | |
| Healing, purification, ability to communicate with kami (spirits/gods/ghosts), various other mystical abilities | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Skilled battlefield medic; strange ability to play peacemaker in most situations. | |
| Equipment | |
| One handcrafted wooden bow | |
| Potent defensive magical force; poor physical capabilities. | |
Contents |
Personality
Chou is pleasant, polite, flirtatious and very nurturing. She dislikes confrontation between friends, and oftentimes plays the peacemaker between her teammates. She's very kind and generally soft-hearted, empathizing easily with those in pain. She tries her best to smile always and help whenever she can, any way she can. However, that's only one part to Chou.
Chou's abilities have always set her apart from those around her, as the ability to hear and see what she calls "kami" is a relatively uncommon one. Deep underneath her smile is something no one really sees. Since her before her arrival on Primal Earth, Chou has felt isolated because of her powers. She was often written off as a fraud or outright ridiculed; only when she joined the Repulic Rangers did she feel accepted even remotely. Joining the Rangers gave her hope at last she could find someone to understand her, instead of always being the only one to understand others. Lately she feels her faith, her religion, and the very source of her powers are often mocked and only humored because she is part of the team; all because of the different effects Primal Earth is having on herself and her teammates.
And the seed of resentment was planted...
History
Arakaki Chou was born to Fuu and Shinji on August 13, the third child of a brood that would grow to eight children total. From birth, she was different. She could see and hear the local kami, which caused her parents and older siblings no end of worry due to their inability to see the kami themselves. Chou's other powers slowly developed as she grew, the primary one people noticed was her innate understanding of how they were feeling even if they tried to hide it. Some didn't seem to mind, while others were unnerved by this lack of privacy they had around her. Poor Chou couldn't control this aspect of her power at first, and would inexplicably burst into tears for reasons unknown to those around her; often because of the nearby presence of a suffering person, animal, or spirit.
Despite the uneasiness her family often felt around her, they still loved Chou and her "quirks." They kept her and raised her lovingly. As she got older, Chou turned more towards Shintoism in order to understand and control her powers, taking pride in her family's ancestry and embracing a great deal of Japanese culture despite being born in America. It helped a great deal. She came to terms with the distrust her powers caused, even if she still desired someone to make the effort to understand her. She just ignored this desire as much as possible.
She worked mostly as an exorcist for those who relied more upon traditional healing than modern medicine, traveling all over Olympia, WA. to provide relief for people and kami alike. But for those who still needed the comfort of a legally recognized doctor, Chou went to medical school to balance herself out. Whenever she wasn't working an urgent case as an exorcist, Chou worked at her local hospital not only as a doctor but as a translator too, should the need arise.
Several years later, the U.S. government approached Chou with the offer of joining the Republic Rangers, a government approved metahuman and superhero team, as a means of counteracting any magical forces the Axis threw at them as well as being the team medic. Chou accepted, as World War II was the source of normally unchecked suffering and created many, many restless spirits. She felt she could help ease this pain of the world's populace. So Arakaki Chou was introduced to her teammates by the codename Olympia no Miko, or "Priestess of Olympia." During the early missions, Chou was wary of how her new team would react to her powers; a few heals there, cleansing of a battlefield to prevent malicious spirits there, a ward of protection on occasion...but while there was suprise and wonder, there was no amount of worry or fear in their hearts. Chou felt like she had finally found what she wanted; someone to connect to with.
The Rangers were very successful in their purpose. They gave hope to the American people that the war would soon end, with the Nazis defeated. The Rangers pushed further into enemy territory than normal troops could have done on their own; whenever they were present, soldiers fought harder and longer than they would have ever tried otherwise. Despite all the suffering that Chou saw and felt go on around them, she herself couldn't help but be taken in by this idea as well. So overjoyed was she that it even resulted in a brief affair with the Rangers' leader, Captain Dallas. Of course, it never progressed beyond that one night, but neither party faults the other and even recalls it fondly; both have even gone on to wish eaach other good will with their newfound relationships. Dallas with Private Providence, and Chou with Seattle Sniper. However, fate decided to intervene with this happiness.
During one mission, the Rangers were locked in combat with their Axis counterparts, the Arish Krieger force, when an unidentified magical stone Dominess, a member of the Arish Kriegers, was holding caused an explosion. The stone was not included on their mission debriefing, so Chou was caught completely offguard and the team was scattered as they crossed dimensions and landed on Primal Earth. Due to the expression on Dominess' face shortly before the stone created the explosion, Chou can only guess that the Arish Kriegers didn't even realize what it could do in the first place themselves. Once on Primal Earth, Chou immediately sensed the presence of another version of herself, as her double immediately sensed her in turn. This double was twisted with hatred and grief, a malicious spirit that died years ago before World War II even ended. Chou tries her best to ignore this double, even months after her arrival on Primal Earth. However, due to the nature of this dimension, her team has had to adapt in ways that have hurt Chou, even if only indirectly. Meanwhile, this double whispers poison in her ears at night, words of betrayal and suffering at their hands...and with their behavior, how long before Chou caves completely?
Funhouse Mirrors
Chou ultimately succumbed to her Primal counterpart's unrelenting assaults, her mind twisted to the point she doubted and blamed her own friends for her ills. Sensing Dallas's doubts and worries, she mistook them for fear of her powers and acted out of pain. When her fellow Rangers returned to their base, Chou was waiting with a barrier for them. After a short confrontation she tore down the ofuda keeping various yokai at bay and teleported out, leaving her friends to die. Thankfully, they did not, and set out to find their missing Ranger.
Joshua Marks, an informant on the Council and 5th Column, managed to discover what happened to Chou's Primal counterpart. She had died before World War II was over, committed seppuku out of protest for her treatment and the treatment of her fellow Japanese Americans. However, her spirit could not rest. She remained behind on Earth, though she was not initially malicious. Chou's youngest sister, Hachi, had managed to conceal her powers and remained within the camp with her family for the duration of the war. When it was over she became twisted and corrupt by her own grief and loathing, and managed to do the same to the spirit of Primal Chou.
The Rangers took off on the only lead they had, towards the old internment camp that the U.S. government had no records of Hachi ever leaving. They were in luck, as she was still there, but a powerful barrier had been put in place and numerous yokai roamed the grounds. A tiny kami sent to help Chou managed to tell them what was going on, and with some effort the Rangers broke the barrier and made their way towards Hachi and the two Chous. After a good fight, the Rangers came out successful with Chou in company of her friends again.
Powers
Chou herself is nothing more than a normal human, though she does display amazing power often mistaken as "magic." In reality, her powers stem from her own potent spiritual essence, which she can extend past her body and use to various effects. The many rituals present in Shintoism are harnessed to control and focus her powers, making them more powerful.
- Empathy: Chou can innately feel others' emotions; it can be by subconscious understanding or by aura perception.
- Healing: Her empathy also drives her desire to heal, and can be channeled into such an ability.
- Warding: By embuing a piece of paper, known as an ofuda, Chou can create powerful barriers against various unwanted elements, mostly the malicious yokai.
- Binding/Sealing: By using ofuda, Chou can create a barrier that keeps things in, rather than out, effectively sealing and binding her target to a specific area, person or object.
- Purification: Usually with water as a focus, Chou can purify an area, object or person of negative energies they collect over time. This usually helps a land once dead become lush and fertile again, a person become more cheery and able to handle their problems, and an object once more able to be handled freely. Purification is rarely permanent, but Chou has no problems doing it multiple times until it's no longer necessary.
- Sight: Chou can speak/see the kami, which is roughly translated from Japanese to mean "spirit" or "god." However, Chou merely uses the term to loosely described the ethereal creatures she interacts with on a daily basis...be they ghosts, nature spirits, or ancient creatures of myth no one else can see.
- Teleportation: Chou has earned the approval and assistance of a local kami representing the concept of travel, allowing her to teleport herself, friends, or objects easily. This ability comes in handy during combat, as when a comrade falls she can pull him/her out of the fray to tend to their wounds.
Friends and IC Comments
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