CHARACTER Name: Rayden Niles
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Symbol: Shield with a spike guarding a heart.
Occupation: Beacon 1st Year.
Appearance: 6’0” Medium length black hair and black irises. Having a muscular build that is closer to being bulky but still lean enough to allow for fast movements. Rayden is almost always wearing armour preferring to be able to react and defend on a moment’s notice. His armor is grey in colour and covers his entire body. The armour is based on the design of a knight who heavily influenced Rayden’s life. Rayden’s armour is nearly identical to the knight’s except for a few differences that Rayden needed to add. The first and most noticeable difference is Rayden’s left arm which seems to be much bulkier than the rest of his limbs and the right arm seems to have a small handle. When Rayden pulls on the handle, part of the armor peels off revealing another layer and the piece that was pulled off begins to morph. The pieces move around and make the shape of a helmet which Rayden wears. Unlike the rest of the armour, Rayden has seem to be only thinly protected. This was a necessary change Rayden had to make in order to be able to fire his rifle. On his hip Rayden also carries his weapon Chevalier a long sword with a grey scabbard. On his back is his rifle Obietivvo held on by a strap that goes over Rayden’s shoulder. On the rare occasions that Rayden is not wearing his armour he tries to dress in layers after having been accustomed to wearing his armour for such a long time. His two most commons forms of dress are a pair of thick black jeans with combat boots, a t-shirt, and an unbuttoned coat. The second outfit is a simple all black suit with dress shoes. No matter what he wears his sword never leaves his side.
Based on this armour
- Based on this armour:
History: When Rayden was still a young boy, in his village lived a retired knight. The knight was well highly respected and loved by everyone. No one knew of his origin but there were many speculations ranging from the Captain of a Queen’s Guard from some far off land to a skilled Hunter who had retired to die a simple death in a quiet village. Regardless of his past the people of the village loved his company. The knight would often hold classes for the younger children teaching them how to defend themselves, Rayden was one of his students. Not long after knowing the knight Rayden began to idolize him and strived to be like him. He would mimic his fighting style, his way of speaking, and even his sense of chivalry. After a few short years of lessons Rayden thought himself a full-fledged knight but in reality was far from it. Despite still being too young to fight Grimm alone, Rayden would often venture into the nearby forest trying to test his skills. Over the course of his adventures Rayden would have a number of close calls often having to be saved by the knight who had learned of his disciples training and kept watch over him. On one such adventure at the age of 13 Rayden decided to test himself and ventured far further than he ever had before. He encountered a small number of Grimm but was able to dispatch them with little effort using his sword and the skills he had learned and honed. Eventually Rayden realized he had gone too far and was now lost and began to wander trying to find some kind of indication of where to go. In his search for home Rayden accidently stumbled on a group of seven Ursas. As he watched the frightening scene Rayden tried to leave as quietly as possible but tripped over a root, falling with a loud thud. The sound was not too loud but loud enough to attract the Ursas which all headed for Rayden. With absolute fear in his eyes Rayden unsteadily raised his weapon against the Ursa closest to him only to have it swatted away as if it were a twig. Rayden knew he was going to die and tried to prepare himself for the inevitable. The Ursa’s paw rose about its head causing Rayden to look away in fear. Rayden braces himself for the pain but it never arrives. He opens his eyes to find himself looking at the knight’s back, a sight he was quite familiar with. The knight had sliced through the Ursa’s limb stopping the attack but enraging it. Seeing its ally hurt the other Ursas charge at the knight but are easily held off. One after another the knight brings down the Ursas but one seems to escape his vision and heads toward Rayden. Picking up his sword Rayden attempts to fight back but is quickly overwhelmed by Ursa and put back in the same position he was moments before. The knight finishes off his opponents and rushes toward Rayden. The night stands in between the attack and Rayden, becoming gravely wounded before decapitating the Ursa. As the knight fell to his knees from his injury Rayden screamed at the top of his lungs which caught the attention of the search party that had been sent in search of him. With Rayden safe the party tried to treat the knight’s wounds and take him back to the village. All along the way Rayden weeps for his mistakes that had cost the knight so much. The knight tried to console his disciple but his wounds leave him unable to speak. Despite the villagers best efforts the knight passes away from his injuries on the way back to the village, leaving Rayden feeling like a hollow shell knowing he was the cause of his death. He started to isolate himself from the rest of the village thinking they would blame him, despite their attempts to console him. As he avoided the others Rayden began to think of how he could repay the debt that he owed to the late knight. The image of the knights back as he protected Rayden constantly flashed through his head inspiring Rayden. He decided to take the knights place and become a shield for those who do not have the means to protect themselves. With renewed determination Rayden wasted no time and went back to training in an attempt to rid himself of the guilt he would always feel. For a year Rayden interacted with others as little as possible and focused on his training until he was of age to apply to a Hunter academy. He chose Signal due to its close distance and applied. Rayden was readily accepted and graduated with top marks. Once he graduated he knew it was time for the real challenge in his life, he applied to Beacon Academy knowing this would be the stage where he would know if his years of work and his resolve to protect others would help him succeed.
Personality: Rayden’s key characteristics are his chivalry and his desire to serve. Rayden’s goal in life is to be a shield to those he finds worth protecting. He sets high standards for himself and is often very hard on himself when he is not able to reach those goals even if they are outside of his control. Rayden do things that would lower his senses always trying to stay on guard with a calm almost standoffish demeanor. Conversation is not seen as important to Rayden, rarely speaking more than a few words unless absolutely necessary. He does however make an exception to this rule when he is around people he cares about. Due to his disinterest in conversation Rayden lacks certain social skills such as reading the mood of a situation. Rayden has a hard time making friends, not from a lack of wanting them but from his desire to remain quite. However when he feels that he has found someone who he is able to connect to, he feels a strong bond form very quickly often leading him to give more meaning to a relationship than he should. Rayden’s desire to protect others often causes him to rush into a situation without waiting for others and hates to ask for help. This behavior makes him seem cocky as if he does not need the help of others but is really just him trying to keep them out of harm.
Strength: After years of training in various situations Rayden has become a well-rounded fighter. All of his physical attributes have been honed to react to any situation that should occur. His only aspect that is above the others is his ability to take damage from attacks. Training with the knight taught Rayden how to use a variety of styles in battle, the knight believed that having only one form of fighting could easily put a person at a disadvantage and taught his students to be diverse.
Weakness: The saying “Jack of all trades, master of none” suits Rayden perfectly. Rayden may be well rounded but his focusing on so many aspects of combat has left each of them lacking in some form. Should he be forced into a one on one duel with a swordsman he would lose unless he can think of some other way to defeat him. The same could be said against a gunslinger or any other fighter who has specialized. Due to his usual silence Rayden has a difficult time communicating with allies during combat, combined with his behavior of attacking an enemy without waiting for others and refusing to ask for help these aspects can easily cause him to be put into situations that are outside of Rayden’s ability.
Semblance: Fortaleza
Rayden becomes a living shield. Once Fortaleza is activated the effects are immediate; his joints lock up, his density increases, and the aura around his body intensifies increasing his level of defense. Rayden’s semblance is the manifestation of his desire to protect those important to him. Throwing away all caution for his wellbeing, Rayden can take attacks for someone else by putting himself between them. In this form Rayden is unable to move and his increase in weight causes him to be harder to move by an attack. Rayden is however not impervious to all attacks. His semblance increases his defense but only to a certain degree leaving him vulnerable to particularly powerful attacks. This form can last up 30 seconds but Rayden remains immobile for 5 seconds after without the benefit of the increased aura to defend himself regardless of how long he used it. Once the effect of Fortaleze wears off Rayden must wait 5 minutes before he is able to use it again. Despite his increased defense, Rayden’s sense of pain remains the same leaving him to experience every attack that he tries to shield others from. Due to the knights teaching once he discovered his semblance Rayden began training to increase its diversity. After a few months he was able to learn how to focus the ability to specific parts of his body. This however leaves him more physically drained than just letting it spread across his body as he must force the effect to remain in one area.
WEAPONS Primary Weapon Name: Chevalier
Primary Form: A standard looking double edged long sword. The sword measures roughly 3.5 feet from the tip to the pommel. At the end of the sword is a strange looking pommel. This pommel appears to be twice the size of the pommel on an ordinary sword. The hilt of the sword has enough space to be used by two hands but Rayden rarely uses it in such a manner preferring to use one hand for his sword and the other for his shield. The entire sword is a dark grey except for the pommel which is all black. Each side of the guard also has a small button, one of the buttons is in the form of a triangle and the other is in the form of a square. (Each transformation will take roughly 3 seconds.)
Secondary Form: With the press of the triangle button Chevalier begins to change. The blade bends at a 90° angle near the middle and then at another 90° angle at the midpoint after the bend near the tip.
- Visual:
Once the blade changes form, the pommel falls out to the grip and pulls a chain behind it. The chain itself is 15 ft. long and is attached to the rest of the weapon. By pressing the button once more the chain retracts and the blade shifts back to its initial position.
Tertiary Form: When the square button is pressed the blade spreads out and forms a rectangular shape attached to the sword’s hilt. In this form the edges remain sharp but is rarely used for cutting. This form is used by Rayden as a quick shield should his other not be available. It can also be swung using its broadside to cause blunt force damage.
Secondary Weapon Name: Sistete
If one looks closely at Rayden’s massive left arm they would notice that part of the armour appears movable. When it is moved in the same fashion as cocking a gun the armour begins to move toward his forearm and extends outward forming a rectangular shield. The shield extends to 3 feet and is attached to Rayden’s arm but still leaves his hand useable. On the inside of the shield is a small mechanism which can release the shield from Rayden’s arm letting him put it down somewhere or give it to another person.
Tertiary Weapon: Obiettivo
Obietivvo is the rifle Rayden carries on his back. The rifle is a dull grey color with black lines running the length of the weapon. It does not require a scope as its range would make the scope useless. The rifle is able to fire a variety of dusts including fire, ice, lightning, and repulsion dust as well as regular ammunition and tranquilizer darts.
- Based on M14:
Weapon History: During his start at Signal Rayden used a simple long sword. However after a few months he learned that a simple sword was nowhere near enough to survive in the unforgiving environment that he had thrown himself into. Remembering the knight’s policy on being ready for any situation, Rayden went to a workshop and began creating designs for his next weapons. As he created his weapons he tried to cover all his bases. Sistete for his defense, Chevalier for his close to mid-range combat, and Obiettivo for his long range. Satisfied with his weapons’ diversity Rayden integrated the shield into his armour, slung Obiettivo onto his back, and carried Chevalier on his hip.
Vehicle: Black Knight
Black Knight is a motorcycle that Rayden purchased and customized using money he saved up from taking various odd jobs during his time at Signal. When customizing Black Knight, Rayden’s goal was to create something that could offer him support during and outside of battle. The original design of Black Knight was a 4 wheeled motorcycle with two wheels joined at the front and the back giving the appearance of one large wheel on each end. The vehicle is a simple black matte in color but with Rayden’s symbol of a shield protecting a heart near the front. The vehicle as a whole is bullet proof giving whoever is next to the vehicle a good cover. On the either side of Black Knight Rayden has built weapon holders for Obiettivo (Left Side) and Chevalier (Right Side) both of which are reachable as Rayden drives. Knowing he would likely have to fight and drive at the same time, Rayden also added a foot throttle and made the bike steerable with his hips allowing him to fight with both hands and still drive, should the need arise. At the very end of the Black Knight Rayden built a secret compartment filled with emergency supplies such as a medical kit, rope, flares, and tools for repairs. Black knight was not designed with speed in mind but with versatility. Although the bike is not the fastest, it can still hold its own in a race as well as function as an all terrain vehicle. Just as with his fighting style, Rayden’s vehicle is able to endure though moderate conditions in almost any environment such as mountains, deserts, or city streets but when the conditions become too much the vehicle could be overwhelmed.
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Subject: Rayden Niles 
Sat Feb 01, 2014 8:32 am
