#//cannibalizes this post for tanba's new info.

[iinexorabile]

TANBA,MAIN INFO (redux)

                       OVERVIEW

“MOMOCHI TANBA, THE IGA’S GRANDMASTER… HE’S CRUEL, BRUTAL; A NATURAL BORN KILLER.”

NAME: momochi tanba ALIAS(s): too many. AGE: 30 - 40 biologically BIRTH: 1600’s ORIGIN: japan CLASS: assassin EYES: gold HAIR: black HEIGHT: 5'8"default, but always changing ALIGNMENT: neutral evil ENNEAGRAM: 8w7 MBTI: ENTP-A

STORY

Born into one of Iga province’s greatest Shinobi clans– the Momochi– Yasumitsu was the youngest of his four siblings, and was not particularly favoured by his father at birth. Having three sons already, more than enough to ensure the stability of his family line, Yasumitsu’s father had hoped for a daughter, one he could eventually use as a political tool, and receiving yet another son did not sit well with him. In all likelihood, Yasumitsu would have been carted off to a monastery once he was old enough to speak, having no use to his family, at least in his father’s eyes, but destiny would have greater plans for the boy.

A great plague would one day strike the province, tearing through households like a raging fire, and the Momochi clan was not spared from the blaze. Each of Yasumitsu’s elder brothers perished to the blistering infection, dying slow, agonizing deaths, to which their father could do nothing but watch. Not Yasumitsu, though; strangely enough, this disease never touched the boy, even while those around him dropped like flies. When all was said and done, and the last of his brothers slipped away from this world, Yasumitsu was left as his father’s only male heir. The father had mixed feelings on this matter, wishing that it was Yasumitsu who perished instead, but like it or not, his father knew what this meant– Yasumitsu was the Momochi clan’s future.

For the rest of his childhood and later teenage years, Yasumitsu lived Kashiwara Castle, where he studied tirelessly under the tutelage of his father. Trained and conditioned in the ways of the Iga-ryu, Yasumitsu, to his father’s surprise, excelled in all areas, magic especially, and by age seventeen, he was regarded as one of Iga province’s fiercest, and brightest, a true shinobi prodigy if there ever was one. There was great hope for this to-be leader of the Momochi clan, and when Yasumitsu’s father finally passed away under ‘mysterious’ circumstances, Yasumitsu set in motion a series of events that would change Iga province forever.

Taking the name Tanba Momochi, he immediately called for a grand council of Iga’s three great shinobi clans, and there, they deliberated for four days straight. Tanba’s goal was to bring Iga’s great houses together under a single banner, to truly combine their strength and end the days where they played second to Nihon’s other major powers. Iga had been effectively independent for quite some time already, and the Divine Body that fueled the power of all Iga-ryu shinobi made them a force to be reckoned with, their but Tanba wanted to see Iga become a force that could rule all of Nihon one day.

There was great resistance to Tanba’s idea of course, and with good reason– working toward what he proposed would set many eyes upon Iga, and could easily put it in great danger. In the end, however, Tanba’s charismatic nature won out, and for the first time in history, Iga’s three great Shinobi clans, the Momochi, the Hattori, the Fujibayashi, and the smaller retainer clans beneath them, stood united under one cause, one banner, and one leader– Tanba himself. Being elevated to the post of Sōdai-shinobi (Grand Shinobi) by the heads of the Hattori and Fujibayashi, and self styling himself as the ‘Shinobi King’, Tanba immediately set out on making his goal a reality, becoming a feared presence across all of Nihon through his machinations, fighting prowess, and command of ancient magecraft, although the eventual rise of a certain warlord in Owari– Oda Nobunaga– would end up setting the stage for a war more difficult than originally expected.

For years, Tanba would go on to work against Nobunaga and their allies, even working behind the scenes to string together a coalition of warlord’s to oppose the Demon King at one point. In the end, however, Tanba’s hubris would spell the end for him and many of his people. Tanba’s actions and ambitions, you see, had not gone without notice, and inevitably, he ended up drawing too much attention to Iga, putting them in the direct sights of many, including Nobunaga, who, by 1580, had either killed or subjugated most of their enemies– save Tanba.

Isolated and surrounded on all sides, Iga was invaded by a vengeful Nobunaga in 1581, and in the fighting across the province that followed, Tanba and his forces were thoroughly routed. Whether Tanba himself was killed in the fighting or escaped is unclear, but what was clear was that he vanished from the pages of history afterword.

PERSONALITY

An eccentric who’s as kind as he is twisted and egotistical, “complicated” would be the easiest way to describe Momochi Tanba. Cordial and upbeat with those he encounters, and at times prodigal with his wealth, it would be easy to mistake Tanba for a genuinely “good” person, an undeniably strange person on account of his odd and at times over the top mannerisms, but a good one nonetheless. Stick around Tanba long enough, however, and one will quickly see how morally bankrupt the man truly is behind his smiles, pleasantries, and quirks. That’s not to say that what Tanba presents to others is a front, it isn’t, what you see (in most situations) is what you get with him, but his affability and eccentricities can easily be overshadowed by the more troubling aspects of his character.

Tanba is someone who can be deceptively intelligent and astute, being able to think quickly and efficiently on his feet with unparalleled wit in any given situation, making it a mistake to write him off as a “fool”. An even greater mistake, however, would be to write Tanba off as “harmless”, for he is anything but. Tanba is, in every sense of the term, a ruthless murderer, one who takes great joy in spilling the blood of others, often brutalizing his targets in displays that show a disturbing lack of humanity. Tanba’s standards on who or what he kills can be inconsistent, but he is generally open to and okay with killing anything and anyone if he see’s the need or feels the desire to, be it man or woman, enemy or bystander, human or beast– it matters not, if someone is his opponent, they are in his way, or if he just happens to be bored, he will kill them, and he will most likely enjoy it to the fullest extent.

The ego on this man is another issue entirely– it’s not the most deplorable facet of Tanba’s psyche by far, but it can be seen as problematic. Believing himself to be, quite literally, of higher status than everyone around him, Tanba automatically assumes that those he encounters are lesser than he is in every conceivable way. Tanba doesn’t make it a point to flaunt this idea in the faces of others all day and night, and he’s certainly not above paying someone compliments about their own skills, but he has no problems with letting others know of his superiority when he believes its necessary. By extension of his own ego, Tanba believes that Shinobi in general are superior to everyone else, especially samurai, it just happens that he is the most superior Shinobi.

Tanba is also highly ambitious, harboring a dream that, if fulfilled, would give birth to a world where Shinobi reigned supreme, with him seated upon a throne as ruler of humanity. Tanba is extremely passionate about this dream, and if you spend any amount of time around him, it won’t be unheard of for him to mention it. However, Tanba’s passion for this dream usually translates into him killing others to make it a reality, meaning he leaves quite a trail of blood behind in his wake.

Looking past everything else, deep down Tanba is someone who struggles with his emotional connections to others. Tanba is more than capable of forming platonic bonds, but when dealing with bonds of the romantic nature, he experiences great difficulties. Tanba’s fumbling and awkwardness when romance is involved aside, he struggles with romantic “love” itself. “Loving” someone in the romantic sense has proved near impossible for Tanba despite his best attempts and desires to return the feelings of his various partners. Tanba is someone who wants to love, but the strings of his heart play a tune he and others often fail to understand. Tanba’s inability to deal with the troubles that stem from his romantic failings– like his tendency to run from those problems and the people he is involved with– only make things worse, but if his heart ever truly settles on another, he will never, ever let go.

PARAMETERS

STR: B+ // END: C // AGI: A++ // MAG: A // NP: A++ // LCK: C

SKILLS

PRESENCE CONCEALMENT: EX MASTER OF THE IGA RYU: EX DUAL LEGEND: C CHARISMA: B EYE OF THE MIND (TRUE): B BATTLE CONTINUATION: A GOLDEN RULE (AMBITION): B

SKILLS (in depth)

Master of the Iga-ryu: Iga-ryū (伊賀流, “the Iga School”) is a historical school of ninjutsu, according to Japanese legend. It became one of the two most well-known ninja schools in Japan, along with the Kōga-ryu. An art that taught mental, physical and magical techniques, Tanba’s degree of mastery and innovation in every one of it’s facets broke the limits of what was thought possible and then some– he may as well have reinvented the art himself.

As a servant, this skill serves as the overall representation of that mastery, allowing Tanba the use of Iga-ryu Ninjutsu and the use of Kuji-in (both on par with Magecraft from the Age of Gods thanks to their connection to a Divine Body), the knowledge to use a wide array of weaponry and tactics, and the ability to create / summon items suited to his profession in life (those of which can affect servants, but are more effective against masters or in stealth situations).

Dual Legend: A variant of the 'Double Summon' skill. According to legend, Momochi Tanba and Fujibayashi Nagato (one of Iga’s other great shinobi) were the same person, with the latter being one of Tanba’s many aliases, and while this is not true, their immaculate legends have still become mixed as a result, allowing them to benefit from one another’s individual reputations in the form of empowerment (rank up’s to each parameter, not counting personal skills, class skills, or noble phantasms), a higher leveled Saint Graph, and access to skills that would otherwise only be available to Tanba had he been summoned as a Caster (i.e Master of the Iga-ryu, which contains elements of the Item Creation skill and allows Tanba to use his unique magecraft/ninjutsu).

Technically, this skill also allows Tanba, and conversely, Fujibayashi Nagato if they are ever summoned as a servant, to use one another's Noble Phantasms, but only when they are within their Culture Sphere.

Charisma: A composite Skill consisting of a person’s charm as well as the natural talent to command or unify an army or country. Assassin first displayed this charisma when he was able unify Iga province without bloodshed, and displayed it time and time again as he led his people throughout the Sengoku Period, and strung together the Anti-Nobunaga Coalition.

Eye of The Mind (True): A heightened capacity for observation, refined through training, discipline and experience. Eye of the Mind (True) is a danger-avoidance ability that utilizes the intelligence collected up to the current time as the basis in order to predict the opponent’s activity and change the current situation. This is not a result of talent, but an overwhelming amount of combat experience. A weapon wielded by none other than a mortal, gained through tenacious training. So long there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chances of winning.

Battle Continuation: A Skill that allows for the continuation of combat after sustaining mortal wounds, and a skill that also reduces the mortality rate from injury. This Skill represents the ability to survive and/or the mentality of one who doesn’t know when to give up, consisting of one’s strength of vitality in predicaments.

The best result is achieved when a resilient body is combined with this Skill. Tanba’s ranking in this skill is a result of his reputation for surviving/fighting through wounds or situations that would have killed most other people, a point that turns up in his legend multiple times.

Golden Rule (Ambition): Firstly, this skill represents the fortune Assassin was able to acure in life, and how he lavishly spent or used it in some way on himself, his land, and his people. Secondly, it represents Assassin’s sheer ambition, in regards to how relentlessly he pursued his goals, either for his own benefit or for the benefit of Iga, regardless of the challenges he faced.

It is a passive composite skill, and as a result of it, Assassin is afforded two boons– first, Assassin is never without access to great wealth (this wealth usually being in the form of pure gold). Secondly, thanks to this skill, Assassin receives a temporary boost to his END parameter (+ modifier) after talking about and/or boasting about his ambitions– i.e, his desire to rule the world or anything related to it. (yes his ego is so big that it can literally somewhat empower him, crazy right?).

Presence Concealment: This skill is the capacity to hide one’s presence as a Servant. In life, Assassin shared an affinity with the shadows that could scarcely be matched, with it being said he and the shadows were at times one and the same. Assassin was never seen or detected if he did not wish to be, not once, even when he came up against the most keen minds or greatest of magical defenses. As a servant, Assassin’s presence, at his ranking, is completely hidden at all times, outside of combat or otherwise, making perfect sneak attacks always possible, though servants with Instinct or other supernatural abilities like Clairvoyance are far more likely to snuff those attacks out before they land. A target’s luck parameter, if high enough, may also cause Assassin’s otherwise ‘perfect’ sneak attacks to fail, even if he is not detected.

As a result of his ranking in this skill, Assassin’s parameters, skills, and even true class designation, cannot be reliably viewed by outside sources, save for those with the skill True Name Discernment, although Assassin can still evade this with a successful luck check.

NOBLE PHANTASMS

Getsuruitō - Sword of Lunar Tears (Massacre by Moonlight) | Anti-Unit / Anti-Army / Anti-Fortress C ~ A++ Said to have originally been forged by the moon god Tsukuyomi, it is a katana-like blade that was passed down between leaders of the Momochi clan, and was bestowed upon Tanba when he became head of his family. When activated by the phrase ’watch now as the moon weeps; Getsuruitō!’, this noble phantasm gains the ability to manipulate moonlight and the shadows it casts, allowing it a number of effects. This noble phantasm’s classification, power, and ranking vary depending on what phase the moon is currently in.

The Thousand Golden Blades | Anti-Unit / Anti Army D They are kunai-shaped daggers with golden trimmings (similar to the Dirk’s used by the Hassan) that Assassin uses as throwing weapons or for close melee. They are noble phantasms of the passive nature, their blades inflicting a devastating poison-like effect upon enemies, but they are weak enough to be deflected by most magical armours. They are most effective when used in mass, and can utilized in such a way easily, with Assassin being able to multiply their number whenever they are thrown at a target if he wishes. The Thousand Golden Blades are especially effective during surprise attacks, too, though Assassin can utilize them in just about any combat situation with deadly skill.

Hensōjutsu - The Seven Ways of Going (Art of the Many-Faced Crow) | Anti-Unit (self) EX While Assassin has access to a wide array of Ninjutsu based magecraft, this specific area was converted into one of his noble phantasms due to his sheer level of skill in this particular area and how much his use of it influenced his legend. 'Hensōjutsu' itself is the art of disguise and impersonation, but in life, Tanba took it to levels never seen before him. Tanba did not merely disguise himself as a foe or impersonate them with simple shapeshifting, he rediscovered, tapped into, and then improved upon the Iga-ryu's most ancient and taboo arts that hailed from the Age of Gods, and used them to change his being and truly become whoever or whatever he wanted.

As a servant, Assassin need only look upon a target and hear their voice once to assume their complete identity, while also gaining the skills, powers, and/ or noble phantasm’s they have displayed despite not truly possessing them himself.

Replicating the full power of Noble Phantasm’s that are beyond the destructive anti-army classification is also not possible (unless he is within his culture sphere), though Assassin can still use said Noble Phantasm’s at anti-army capacity, regardless of their true classification. This Noble Phantasm’s ability to let Assassin assume different forms or identities extends far beyond human targets as well, giving it a wide variety of applications in truth.

Being ‘killed’ while assuming the form of someone else does not kill Assassin himself, but it will force him back to his normal appearance, and leave him in a severely injured state. It can be partially utilized without a chant, and is technically always active for Assassin in a passive-effect sense, but to activate its true power, Assassin must speak the phrase 'This crow has many faces, as the world will soon see; Writhe in fear, for I now walk the Seven Ways of Going’.

Tsuki no kage (Shadow of the Moon) | Anti-Unit (self) B At one point crafted by the same deity responsible for Getsuruitō, this set of light armour was passed down between leaders of the Momochi clan, and like Getsuruitō, it was bestowed upon Tanba when he became head of his family. From dusk till dawn, this armour will completely protect the wearer from projectile attacks, hostile magical attacks/effects (including those dealt by noble phantasm’s), curses, and from the effects of poison, with the arm and shin guards in particular resisting all manners of damage. However, weapon’s, magic’s, poisons, and beings of demonic nature can bypass these defenses with ease.

Raijū (Thunder Beast) | Anti-Unit / Anti Army D An obsidian colored kusarigama with gold trimmings, it was said to possesses qualities that likened its slashes to bolts of lightning, and was recorded to have been used during a few of Tanba's engagements against Oda forces. In life, this weapon's origins were unclear, with some saying it was personally forged for Tanba, and others saying it was passed down to him. As a servant, Assassin does not utilize it as much as he does his other lesser Noble Phantasm, the Thousand Golden Blades, and depending on the power of his Master, he may not even be summoned with it, but if he does possess it, Raijū can have many useful applications during combat against single or multiple opponents.