"We can always try again tomorrow, don't worry about it!" ― Richard B. Reed
Who is Reed?[]
Richard B. Reed is a human afflicted with a curse upon his bloodline causing him to be weak. He is now in search of arcane knowledge in hopes to remove the curse, discover the nature of books he was sent by a mysterious stranger, and overall to make himself stronger. He is a member of Aegis and founder of the Book Club. He is played by Celtic.
| Please remember that events described in this article are roleplay and acting. Actions done in-character do not reflect on the actual person portraying the character! |
Lore[]
The Curse[]
A story has been passed down the Korishima line from parent to child since the late 600s. It's a story of their clan and how they had been ordained by a great spirit of the land to protect a grove that contained mystical deer that were white as snow and had the eyes of blood. Not a single deer was to be killed, nor blood shed in this divine forest. The Korishima were honored and had devoted their lives to the protection of that land they had been ordered to protect so many years ago. A schism occurred though, the reasons for which have been lost to time. What is known though, tensions rose and violence broke out. In the conflict, the mystical deer had been slaughtered and the grove defiled with their blood and of the clansmen. Once the act had been committed, all of the Korishima fell ill. Their skin had paled, their bodies becoming weak, even the slightest cut caused them to bleed profusely. Most of all, they soon found only blood could sustain them.
Other parts of the curse quickly appeared. Clansmen could hear the beating of nearby hearts, some could even see the flow of blood from behind walls. The scent of blood became so much stronger. This drove many into a blood-lust as they started hunting other natives and feasting upon them.
Many of the Korishima were killed by neighboring clans quickly, for allowing a sacred place to be desecrated and for becoming monsters who thirsted for blood. There were a few though who survived, relocating from the isolated island now known as Hokkaido, to the southern side of Japan known as Kagoshima on the island of Kyushu. It was there, far from their native home, they took the name Saito. Years later they found that their children were cursed with the same illness as they were. Now, out of necessity, children are taught the story in order to keep hidden and above all, keep them alive.
In order to sate their need for blood, they became a family of butchers after finding out they could live off the blood of animals. It wasn't long before blood sausage was a staple meal for the families. From then on, they kept to themselves. The clan now known as Saito were a well to-do family that didn't cause any trouble and weren't of any note. Prospective husbands and wives were carefully screened to prevent the secret from getting out.
This secret had been well kept well into the 20th century, until the 1980s when a U.S army soldier by the name of Jameson B. Reed, who was stationed in Japan fell in love with Ayame Saito. It was fortunate that Jameson was accepting of Ayame's affliction, but he refused to be confined to the prefecture of Kagoshima for the rest of his life. He convinced Ayame to run away with him back to the States, to his home in Pittsburg,Pennsylvania.
They settled down and Ayame continued the tradition of being a butcher, Jameson working under her. Eventually, they had a child they named Richard B. Reed. He was told of his heritage once he was older so he knew that he needed to eat blood sausage or some form of blood. He grew up in a suburban area without any problems. He was an A- student, had been the president of the book reading club, and went on to attend the University of Virgina, acquiring a bachelors in accounting.
The Books[]
A short time ago, he started receiving packages without a return address. Inside there would always be a handmade book. It was always a red leather with a ribbed spine with a red circle on the cover. The book would always say at the beginning that it had been translated by hand for him to enjoy, explicitly stating his name. It always sent a chill down his spine when he read that line. He couldn't help but be in awe of the penmanship of the translator. Inside were what could only be described as rituals and spells. He thought nothing of it, perusing through them and merely appreciating the effort that had been put into these works of art.
Then he came home one night from work early in the evening and found he received a letter with no return address in the fine script he had come to appreciate. What was written inside follows. “Dear Richard B. Reed, I will not be bothering you further with my work since you do not seem to understand what I have offered. You will not hear from me again, even if you make use of the tools I have set before you. You will learn to appreciate what you have before it is lost.” He was dumbfounded. The only thing he could think of was that he had been intended to use the spells and rituals in those books. Musing on these thoughts he went to his shelf were he opened a book to the first page, and it was blank. Page after page, blank. Then he opened another, nothing but blank pages. It was gone, all gone. He had been given everything and let it sit on the shelf collecting dust.
He sat there for hours in stunned silence. It wasn't until late that night that Richard finally got to his feet. He had to know who sent those books and learn the knowledge they had tried to pass onto him. He went to his computer and put in his immediate resignation from the firm, apologizing for the trouble he would be causing. Then, with care, he placed every one of the books back on the shelf. Richard knew he needed a group with resources beyond what he had now. If he'd tell his family about this, he could only imagine the problems it'd cause. There was one option, the only efficient option he could think of. It would provide him with the people who could help him, give him the skills he might need in order to find this translator, and give him the foundation to build on after he did. He would join Aegis.
History/Biography[]
Aegis[]
On October 10th Reed attends the interviews for new Aegis recruits. During Reed’s interview he states that he was Initially was an accountant but recently had a change in interest and decided to join Aegis. Reed says that through joining Aegis he hopes to be trained to learn magic in order help people, along with discovering the mysteries behind books he was sent that have gone blank. His current strengths are stated are his intelligence and being a blank slate so he's willing to put in the effort to train and learn. When asked of any abilities he might have Reed tells Hybris and Satchi that he can hear heartbeats from a short distance away, not through walls however. Richard is then asked how he’d fair in a fight to which he responds he’ll probably be incapable in a fight but would be willing to train. Reed then leaves the interview with Hybris and Satchi saying that he might be a good investment since he's willing to stay with Aegis for so long.
On November 7th Reed attends the Aegis induction ceremony being officially accepted into Aegis Core. After the ceremony has concluded Reed is sent with the first group of Aegis recruits on Beedle Vaughx’s mission. During the first encounter with the ZOO Reed picked up a stick and hit a demon with it. Moving along through the mission the group came across a traveler named Whimsy who could help the group with their mission if they answered a riddle. “What is in the middle of March and April but not at the beginning or end of either.” Richard quickly answers R and Whimsy opens a barrier allowing them to retrieve their objective. Once the group made it to the end of their mission they are asked by Beedle to land an attack on him which all fail. The Aegis recruits are then returned to the Stranger’s Cathedral to heal up after a semi successful mission.
Training[]
Reed in his hopes to become stronger frequently attends Sethia’s training sessions for Aegis recruits and other visitors. These sessions have had mixed results usually leading to Reed coming back the next time still bruised. On one training session Reed was able to encounter the Lich named Krazhul. Seeing a man of intense magical capabilities Reed asks to be trained under him to which Kraz initially states it would not be worth his time if he wasnt going to get anything out of it. After being sent away Reed returns frustrated with his own weakness and determined to become strong which the Lich takes note of and hands Reed a beginners guide to magic to serve as his first step in learning magic.
After reading the book in full Krazhul then is able to teach Reed how to use the cantrip prestidigitation. The process by which was Krazhul attacking Reed constantly while he tried to maintain focus. Eventually Reed nearly passed out from blood loss but was healed by Krazhul. From there Reed continued his training which eventually lead to sparring fights with Andraste and Nom. He's now become much stronger and looks to be another one of Krazhul's promising students on their way to become true heroes.
Personality[]
Reed is a very passive and non confrontational person choosing to avoid conflict which leads to people walking all over him. With sufficient enough reason and pushing however Reed can show himself to be assertive. He is very positive but lacks much self confidence.
Family[]
Richard Reed was born to his father, Jameson B. Reed and his mother, Ayame Reed.
Powers & Abilities[]
- Accounting - Reed has a reasonably high intellect from going to college (a monumental task in itself) and working in accounting.
- Curse of the Koroshima - Due to his cursed lineage Reed has the ability to hear heart beats within 30ft and know their relative direction from him so long as there are no obstructions thicker than 3 inches and made of anything sturdier than wood/plastic. The side effects of the curse leave him weaker than most humans, with a need to digest blood, and bleeding easily when wounded.
- Geomancer - Reed shows an affinity for geomancy being able to lift small pebbles so far. He has trained to now be able to lift small to medium sized rocks and throw them.
Trivia[]
- He is likely the weakest member of Aegis, if not at least tied with Vincent Von Kingsley for this position.
- He has a love for reading which inspired him to make a Book Club for other more passive individuals.
- During the fight against Arcadum Reed was able to assist greatly by casting Magic Pebble.
