Post by Ambrose Grail on Jul 9, 2022 3:33:34 GMT -5
Re-apping the character as a power tier, as I don't actually have a use for Training Tier on this one. I'm aiming for Class 3, Rank 2 with 600+ SP and 5 to 7 techniques known. Or however much I can get for him, really.
Discord Username (include nicknames): Drammor#4666 (Ammutseba)
Password 1: Black Hole
Password 2: Moon Pray
Type: Kenpachi
Affiliation: Mercenary
Rank: Rank 3
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Name: Ambrose Grail
Real Age/Age of Appearance: 51/20
Age of Death/Damnation: 32/32
Birthday (Month/Day): October 31
Blood Type: O+
RP Sample (Optional): None.
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Height/Weight: 5’ 8” / 180 lbs
Physical Description: Ambrose is a short man by the modern standards of ideal masculinity, measuring up to four inches short of six feet even on a good day. His true complexion is a light sienna, but it’s nearly impossible to tell. He is heavily tanned and marred with massive, whorled burns that cover no less than four-fifths of his body and angry red scars of various shapes and sizes that cover no less than two-thirds of his body. His boyish, oval face, but for a patch of burn that covers only the back of his left cheek and the entirety of that ear, is untouched by either burn or scar, though a couple of lines from his tattoos do cross his face laterally. If it weren’t for the white mask he must wear to stay out of Hell, one might even say he was a handsome boy.
Muscular and statuesque, Ambrose’s body cuts a figure that makes heads turn. His hands and feet are rugged and calloused from many years of training, fighting, and laborious use. His deep black hair is wavy, wiry, and thick, often unkempt. He keeps it cropped short so that it neither becomes a bother nor a weakness. His eyes are a flat gold color, washed out as though he weren’t truly in focus. As he becomes more excited, the gold in his eyes brightens, awakens and begins to dance. Ambrose’s teeth are likewise unusual, being made of tightly structured organic steel, and casting his grin in a dark grey color, offsetting his otherwise attractive appearance. Whether this is the cause or the consequence of his habit to eat everything and anything is unknown.
At several points across his chest and shoulders, the burns covering most of Ambrose’s body culminate into dense, puckered swirls. When Ambrose is under extreme stress or highly excited, these swirls will accumulate pressure and bulge slightly before belching tiny plumes of acrid, smoky flame. As his reiatsu becomes more excited, these flames burn hotter and cleaner than before, gradually changing them from smoky, lazy orange tongues to bright, spiky yellow jets. Around his wrists, heavy black manacles dangle equally heavy black metal chains, which descend to his knees before cutting off abruptly, mid-link. His ankles are clad in heavy shackles, but the chains dangling from these are short enough that Ambrose doesn’t trip on them.
Inked in across his body, persisting through the burns and the scars, is a mural of thick black sections and many thin red lines, as if someone had wrapped a pair of interwoven, complex, powerful magic circles around him. There seems to be no discernable pattern or arrangement to these tattoos, but as Ambrose grows more excited, the more they glow like embers. This glow starts in his core, and then radiates out to his extremities from there.
Ambrose doesn’t dress in much. Owing to the jets of flame which frequently spew from his chest and shoulders, most clothing for the upper body is pointless to him. It would either burn up or fall off within days or even hours of getting it. The mask he wears over his face is stark white and mostly featureless, perfectly smooth, and oval-shaped but for a visor-shaped slot for his eyes, and a pair of small holes for him to breathe from. Unlike most Hell cloaks, Ambrose wears a dark red cloak that has been treated with an unknown oil, likely harvested from the depths of Hell itself. This oil is flame retardant, rendering the cloak immune to the fires his body belches.
Around his lower body, Ambrose wears a tattered crimson waistcloth, which extends down just past his knees, and stops halfway up his abs, leaving those and his chest exposed. Around his hands, wrists and forearms, he wears wrapped black bandages to protect his skin from wear and tear; he’s even gotten them under the manacles on his wrists. Bandages of the same design are wrapped around his calves, ankles and the first half of his feet, leaving a bit of foot and his toes exposed, and again, it would appear that the bandages persist even under his sinner’s chains, though doing so has done nothing about the constant discomfort surrounding them.
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Dislikes:
1. Undeserved authority. This is fine if you’ve earned it, but when power is just given to people like a handout, they do terribly irresponsible things with it. Ambrose can’t stand to see this happen and will do what it takes to wrench power over others from the undeserving.
2. Bad critics. Everyone’s a critic, or so they think. Unless you’ve got the chops to pass judgment on a dish, keep your comments to yourself and enjoy what you’ve been given.
3. Shinigami. It’s not their fault, but if they wanted to help people, they should find a way to do it without coming at someone with their sword drawn.
4. Other Saika and Hason. Something about other sinners tends to rub Ambrose the wrong way. He thinks it’s because they’re still wallowing in their punishments, refusing to stand above the challenge to manifest good in the world.
5. Being dismissed. Nobody likes to be dismissed, but Ambrose takes it to another level. Blowing off this youthful spitfire is likely the fastest way to find yourself in a fight with him. If you talk, you better walk.
6. Hollow flesh. It tastes awful, and you can never seem to get full on the stuff…
7. Mint. Almost as bad as Hollow flesh. The two should never be combined.
8. A bad insult. If you’re going to talk trash around Ambrose, try to do it right. Inserting the word “fuck” into everything won’t impress him, nor will resorting to lowbrow commentary.
9. Truffle oil and Saffron. The bane of amateur gourmets everywhere, as very few people understand how to use them properly. They'll just toss them into any dish they can in an effort to "fancy it up," but the flavor of the spices rarely matches the profile of the dish. It’s just sad and easy to hate.
10. Removal of agency. The benefit of choice should be ever-present. Ambrose believes this strongly, and will advocate for choice even when it’s detrimental to his desired outcome. He’ll get other people involved, as well, asking for them to weigh-in on the goal or process.
Likes:
1. Dudes. Aesthetically pleasing among other things, Ambrose is primarily interested in other guys. He can be friends with and appreciate women, but they should never expect anything more from him.
2. Textiles. Alexander grew up in Boston during the decline of the textile industry. Ambrose retains his appreciation of good-quality cloth and weaves. He pines for a sturdy, comfortable shirt that can resist his body’s fires.
3. Competition. It’s more fun when there’s someone, or multiple someones, to compete against. Set a goal, rack up a score. When the score no longer rises, tally up for a winner. Shower them with food and other prizes.
4. Rivalry. It’s even more fun when there’s a particular someone to compete against, on an ongoing basis. Someone you can measure yourself up to, or against, and spur on to greater heights with you. Ambrose would like to find that someone.
5. Distractions from Hell. An item for any sinner’s appreciation list, anything Ambrose can do in his rare escapes from the pit is a worthy pursuit.
6. Snow and ice cream. Entirely opposite to his day-to-day reality, and now an exotic pleasure, the gentle sensation of a few snowflakes on the skin or the taste of a frozen treat will shake Ambrose out of the doldrums of suffering and struggling, even if only for a time. Pineapple is the best flavor.
7. Bonsai trees. A curious thing that he saw just before he died, and one of the few memories he retains from his life. He finds these to be worthy pursuits of time, especially now that he has so much of it. Sadly, he cannot keep one of his own, owing to his afterlife in Hell.
8. A good insult. In contrast to a bad insult, Ambrose appreciates clever turn-of-phrase and creative ways of calling someone out. This isn’t to say he’s particularly skilled at it, but he can enjoy the company of those who are.
9. The little things. The right spice on a dish, an experiment gone well, an experiment gone poorly, a memory made, the color of the flowers in Spring… really, all the little things that can come together for the benefit of anyone.
10. Gardening. Primarily foodstuff and agricultural gardening. His favorites are flowers that are also food and spices. Dandelion and ginger count, too.
Flaws:
1. Holding back. Ambrose doesn’t like fighting at his full strength. In his opinion, that honor should be saved for worthy opponents, who have proven themselves to need such a level of violence.
2. Big ego. Ambrose is a big deal, and he knows it. The problem is that nobody else does. Yet. But they will. Everyone who meets him (and is worthy) will know that it’s his destiny to be the top dog.
3. Lust for power. Ambrose is strong, but he’s seen stronger. Far stronger. After his experiences in the lake of fire, he knows that even his condemner is not invincible, and that greater heights still exist. He wants them for himself. To see what it’s like to stand on that tall precipice and glare down at those who would take it from him. In his rise to power, he’ll step on a lot of toes and make enemies.
4. Reckless and rebellious. Prone to wild carelessness and casual disregard for the consequences of his actions, Ambrose would rather focus on the here and now than even the recent past.
5. Theatrical. When he finally does awaken completely, the fire in his eyes comes out for all the world to see. Prone to hamming it up even in the most desperate of situations, he’ll do what it takes to be “center stage” at the event.
6. Terrible slob. Ambrose has forgotten what it’s like to clean up after himself. He litters, he tosses his butts on the ground, and he leaves his messes behind everywhere he goes.
Habits:
1. Man of few words. Ambrose prefers action over talk, but when he does open his mouth to say something, it’s often something important to him. That is until he starts to get fired up. As that happens, he gradually opens further and becomes more talkative.
2. Fuel for the fire. There are not a lot of things Ambrose won’t eat. Whenever he manages to get out of Hell, finding food is usually the first thing on his mind. He’ll stock up, too. Walk around with multiple snack foods on his person, and sneak in bites even when the situation calls for restraint or decorum.
3. Heavy smoker. Any time he’s not in the kitchen, it will be rare to see Ambrose either not smoking or, failing that, not looking for a smoke. He’ll settle for cigarettes in an emergency but prefers a good cigar.
4. Uncompromising. Ambrose wants to do good in the world through measurable, permanent actions that will aid others. So, he doesn’t tolerate others wasting his time when he’s on the Hell clock, which is pretty much all the time.
5. Never forgets a face. Not always on-point about names, but the face will never escape him.
Fears:
1. Hell. Having endured mind-bending torture here for longer than he was ever alive, Ambrose sensibly fears returning to the pit, where he will be subject to yet more punishment, for all of eternity. It’s the inevitably that bothers him the most, and the complete dispassion that the inferno has for its guests.
2. Androids. Only if they’re too well done. For Ambrose, the uncanny valley is a wide chasm filled with fear. Any doll, puppet or robot designed to look human gives him a deep sense of the willies, no matter how poorly or well-done, and once the illusion of perfection is broken, his fear abides indefinitely.
3. Thunder. Something about the way the air and earth rumble in the wake of lightning; the way all that space was occupied by so little that the world itself snaps back into place with a tremorous retort… it makes his skin crawl.
Goals:
1. Self-Improvement. Perhaps Ambrose doesn’t know that he’s already been judged. Whether he does or not, he consumes knowledge and hones his body as if he were still alive, still experiencing everything for the first time.
2. Glory in battle. It’s not about who gets the most kills, or even who does it in the best way. It’s about, at the end of the day, when the big one comes and you bite the dust at last, whether you stayed true to yourself and held onto your honor. That’s what Ambrose believes.
3. Recover his life’s memories. Ambrose had to choose this name for himself. He has no memories of who he was or what his life was like before he died. He feels as though if he could remember them, he’d know why he was condemned to an eternity of suffering.
4. Absolution. He doesn’t know what it was he did in life to earn a place in the pit, but he hopes that by effecting enough good in the mortal world, he can offset his cosmic debt enough to earn a ticket back out of the fire.
5. Defeat the Shinigami who condemned him. A mysterious blond stranger appeared atop a tall building in Boston, wearing sunglasses and wielding a terrible sword. It was that man who sent Ambrose to Hell. He doesn’t want revenge, though. Just to settle the score.
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Aspect of Hell: Burning
Core of Sin: Gluttony
Overall Personality: Deep inside Ambrose is a flame that yearns to grow. This flame fuels his sense of goodness and compassion. Slow to start, Ambrose might come off as muted, somber or even solemn until he starts gaining momentum. As he gets going, he becomes more outgoing and animated. His face is the first thing to show his emotions, followed by his posture and body language, and he eventually uses his hands to do at least half of the talking for him.
An evidently affable soul, Ambrose prefers to take the initiative at new relationships and opportunities, extending an invitation to a peer before giving them an opportunity to take advantage of his great listening skills and hospitality. Even when he isn’t being watched, Ambrose never lets up, even on himself. He’ll work in exercise or recipe planning wherever he’s at, working constantly. He thrives best under pressure, applies outside the box thing to frustrating situations to achieve results.
Unafraid to ask questions, courteous of others, eager to learn and self-motivated, he will listen to the thoughts and opinions of a new crowd, acclimating himself to new people before voicing his own beliefs and ideas. However, he is an independent thinker and not easily swayed by everything he hears.
Speaking of motivation, Ambrose is motivated primarily by two desires. First, he wants to redeem himself in the eyes of Hell, earning his way out of the Infernal Pit. He knows the road will be long, and perhaps even fruitless. He's certainly never heard of a condemned sinner earning their freedom, but on the other hand, he's also never met a sinner who's had the same change of heart that he did. The callow, cold disrespect that he once had for the dead is gone, replaced by compassion and reverence.
The second thing that motivates Ambrose is food. Sure, a good meal and a warm place to sleep for the night are fine motivators for him, but his food-related motivation doesn't come from himself, but a desire to provide for others. He feels that most people have never had truly good food; food that is worth a long day's work and miles of suffering. He aims to change that, to provide his charges and his patrons with a form of succor. Corollary to his desire to provide food is security, as it is difficult to enjoy a good meal when you're constantly watching your back.
There’s a sign on the way into Hell. You’re probably familiar with it. It reads, “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” Ambrose never read this sign, or if he did, he certainly didn’t take it seriously. He will not give in to hopelessness and despair. The flame within that drives him to succeed and improve will simply not allow Ambrose to be kept down. He is cheerful, even in the direst circumstances, and whether he is truly scared or intimidated, he will not allow his outside face to betray his feelings within, putting on a show of willpower simply to keep spirits up.
Ambrose never backs down from a challenge, regardless of the odds or consequences. Due to this, he’ll sometimes ask an opponent two or even three times if they’re sure they want to challenge him, and if they know what that means. Otherwise, he tries to make decisions based on logic and his survival instincts. Despite his outgoing and optimistic ways, he is still untrusting of others until they’ve shown evidence that they can be trusted on multiple occasions.
There is a certain cheeky quality to Ambrose’s personality. He is oblivious and conceited, prone to thinking lowly of his opponents, but thoughtful, taking extra care when considering his patrons’ needs. He prefers to fight opponents at their best, sometimes insisting on making a meal for an enemy before they fight— both because it helps others achieve their peak, and because everyone deserves a last meal.
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Fighting Style:
Overall. Ambrose has a very straightforward approach to combat. Close the gap, punch and kick things until the bleeding stops or the opponent is a fleshy red mass. Have fun while doing it. If a fight exceeds his normal, sustainable level of intensity, Ambrose need only turn up the heat and do more of the same. This is not to say that he's incapable of including tactics and strategy in his combat designs, of course. This wicked-good chef has learned his away around the way the beast is built, so he'll naturally include jabs and kicks at the weak points of the body and use the environment to his advantage.
Chains. Hellions like Ambrose are forever bound to Hell by the indestructible chains around their wrists and ankles. It’s pretty hard to forget they are there, but easy to eventually take them for granted. Ambrose’s wrist chains are long enough that he can grab onto them with his hands, wrap them around his arms, and even wrap them around enemy weapons and limbs. When he needs to stay close to someone or something, this is exactly what he does. He uses the chains to bind himself to another target, secure in the knowledge that no force can break these chains.
Punching and Kicking. Seen by him as the most important tools in his arsenal, Ambrose prefers to take out opponents with overwhelming physical force, plying his combat prowess quickly and brutally. He has incorporated elements from several disciplines into his own style, preferring to bust up opponents’ concentration with quick flurries of high-speed attacks, assail any flaws in their defenses with more powerful strikes to open their cores, and then finish them once they are fully exposed.
Dodging. Likely the second most important aspect of winning any fight is avoiding being hit, especially since in many fights worth your time, being hit even once spells the end. Punching things and proper breathing are not just about punching things and proper breathing-- both include techniques for how to give, receive and avoid a blow, and knowing which one is the most appropriate for the moment. As an avid pugilist, Ambrose is versed in punching things and proper breathing, and that means all aspects of those things.
Bleeding and Pain Tolerance. Well-accustomed to the torture of the Infernal Pit, Ambrose will also face the slings, arrows and whathaveyou of the mortal and spiritual worlds with equal or greater fervor. Nothing hurts quite as bad as having your soul ripped apart every time you die, multiple times a day, so whatever it is you’ve got for him will be fine.
Spirit Snacks. By infusing his cooking with the heat of his spiritual power, Ambrose has been able to develop and devise options for himself in a pinch. From weathering blows more easily to eking out a little more speed, to rarer and more exotic effects, Ambrose is developing it. Which is good, because those seem to happen to him a lot.
Close range and close-quarters combat. Excellent for Ambrose, especially if he’s been fighting for a while. As his Spirit of the Phoenix makes being close to him dangerous, he usually presses himself in close to enemies; the closer he can get to someone, the more effective he becomes, even when he’s traditionally outmatched by his opponent. When thusly overmatched, Ambrose spends his reiatsu quickly to amp up his phoenix aura and forces his opponents into a match of aggravated attrition.
Long range. Not good for Ambrose. To him, a long-range engagement is the same as a problem that must be solved. The goal is always the same: eliminate the distance. When that isn’t an option, he slows down and fights with attrition, instead, shifting into more sustainable and efficient modes of movement and presentation until he can get back into the thick of combat.
Force and Pressure, Stage Two. In Impel Mode, Ambrose benefits from being in close proximity to his targets, and is allowed to prioritize merely hitting over hitting hard. This makes committing to melee or close quarters combat with the hellion especially dangerous, as a simple slap to an attacker’s hand can both deflect an attack and inflict significant damage, as well as build up toward a disastrous chain reaction. On transferring Force stacks, he can aggravate the damage he deals with every blow, and limit the opponent’s options even if they choose to purge the stacks from themselves.
Partial Ignition. An emergency measure Ambrose keeps in his back pocket, while in Impel Mode he can ignite his own spiritual energy reserves, sending them into a destructive conflagration that radiates outward from him. Igniting his energy serves the hellion’s overall power well, effectively automatically purging negative effects from himself and magnifying the effects of both his other techniques and his personal power.
Full Ignition. Whereas Partial Ignition sets fire to Ambrose’s spiritual energy, Full Ignition catalyzes that reaction, amplifying the rate of the burn but also the effectiveness of the technique. Since Ignition cannot be stopped and Ambrose has only so much stamina to work with in the first place, this option is only the most logical extension of the previous tactic. Combined with Force and Pressure Stage Two’s Impel Mode, this dire resort allows him to rapidly purge Force stacks into enemies he can hit, speeding up the rate of triggering those dangerous chain reactions.
Speed Impeller, Stage One. There’s no good advantage like the mobility advantage. Outmaneuvering an attack is almost as good as dodging in place, and certainly more fun. In addition, this technique gives Ambrose the height and grid advantage, owing to its three-dimensional movement and ability to rapidly change directions at high speeds. Some people need air ground to participate in mid-air combats, but this option makes air grounding a thing of the past. After all, if you can fly, why not fly?
Bringer Light. Ambrose is not the fastest kenpachi there ever was. To make up for the disparity between him and his would-be peers, he has practiced the agility arts of the fullbringer. He benefits highly from not only the mounting speed of their technique, but the mounting cost, as well, since its increasing reiatsu demand feeds into his Spirit of the Phoenix. It doesn't hurt that there's theoretically no cap to how fast it can make him go, either.
Output and Willpower. Similar to his lacking speed, Ambrose is not the strongest kenpachi there ever was. Rather than focusing on his comparably weak body, he has learned how to augment his blows with expenditures of reiatsu, timing his punches to coincide with the natural flow of spirit energy through the body to maximize his impact. He may not be able to overtly control his energy, but by working together with what it's already doing, he can greatly increase his physical presence.
Ambrose is no fool. Cocky, boastful and a little arrogant, sure, but he’s not a slouch nor an idiot. When he’s fighting at a disadvantage, he’ll do little things to even out the difference. Eat a spirit snack, break a nose, disengage and use hit-and-run tactics. Whatever it is, if it’s not completely below the belt, he’ll do it. When the chips are really down though, and he has no hope of winning an engagement, he won’t just throw himself on the pyre. He’ll go all-out, and use his true power to dreadnought through even the harshest punishment, secure in the knowledge that should he die, the Spirit of the Phoenix will bring him back at full force. But if even that fails, he’s not above just running away. It may wound his pride, but he’d rather suffer a blow to his ego than be trapped in Hell forevermore.
You want to defeat Ambrose? Good luck. It’s not impossible, but you’ll likely find it difficult. Maybe if you can press him into Impel Mode and then keep your distance while peppering him down with strong attacks, you can get an edge over him. His high-speed regeneration will make even that tactic bear little fruit, however. A true beast, we should only count ourselves lucky that he’s a good-natured, wholesome hellion. There’s always beating him out with superior numbers, of course. If you can outspeed and outpower him, Ambrose will be limited to clever tricks, and his unfondness for the dirtier side of these tricks is perhaps his greatest true weakness. He’s a merciful soul, as well, so maybe some villain can take advantage of that fact.
Overall Ability: Spirit of the Phoenix
When Ambrose chooses to fight all-out, he may activate his Spirit of the Phoenix, consuming one post of Kenpachi stamina per post it remains active (as is normal for a Kenpachi).
1) Soul of Flame – As reiatsu leaves flows outward from within him, it burns at an increasingly high temperature, searing distractions, ailments, and invaders out of his body, mind and soul. Whenever Ambrose spends reiatsu over the course of a post, he cancels out negative effects affecting him that cost as much or less reiatsu to create or establish and that have an offensive stat less than his Spiritual Pressure. Furthermore, he must already has some measure of resistance to the condition in question. If his resist skill to a negative condition is enough to successfully mitigate that condition, and the above conditions are met, then his Soul of Flame will burn the condition out of him.
2) Phoenix Aura – As Ambrose approaches death and exhaustion, the intensity of his phoenix aura increases. Initially invisible to characters with less than 150 Energy Sensory and effectively cold, the aura is all but absent until Ambrose has 75% or less of his reiatsu remaining, when its minor effects come online. While Ambrose has 50% or less of his reiatsu remaining, the aura’s modest effects come into play, and when his remaining reiatsu is 25% or less of his maximum, the major effects of the aura activate. As the effects come from his own reiatsu, Ambrose is immune to the harmful effects of his phoenix aura.
Minor Aura (≤75%) – At this stage, the phoenix is only barely visible, appearing to be a vaguely bird-shaped avatar that surrounds Ambrose on all sides, cladding him in the continual expression of his reiatsu. The phoenix aura extends outward from his body by six inches at this stage. Characters within 10 feet (3 meters) of Ambrose are exposed to high heat, causing them to sweat and possibly suffer a less reliable grip on their weapon. Heat of this level inflicts first-degree burns on characters within its effect each post. Additionally, characters burn through stamina at double the normal rate when exposed to this aura.
Modest Aura (≤50%) – At this stage, the phoenix is plainly visible to anyone looking at Ambrose. The glow extends out to a foot around him in all directions. Within 10 feet of Ambrose, characters are exposed to searing heat, suffering second-degree burns and losing 1 post of stamina each post, on top of their other stamina loss for that post. Within the distal 10 feet of this aura, the effects of the Minor Phoenix Aura persist. At this point, the light of the phoenix aura makes Ambrose difficult to look at directly, requiring Battle Focus 1 or an equivalent level of glare resistance to overcome.
Major Aura (≤25%) – At this final stage of its development, the phoenix blazes around Ambrose like a beacon, extending two feet from his body in all directions and affecting a 30-foot (9 meter) area around him. Characters within 10 feet (3 meters) of Ambrose are exposed to extreme heat, suffering third-degree burns and losing 2 posts of stamina each post, on top of their other stamina loss for that post. Within the median 10 feet of this aura, the effects of the Modest Phoenix Aura persist, and within the distal 10 feet of this aura, the effects of the Minor Phoenix Aura remain in effect. The shining light emanating from Ambrose’s body is unforgiving, requiring Battle Focus 2 or an equivalent level of glare resistance to look past.
1 Heat Tolerance will eliminate the minor aura’s effect on stamina. 2 Heat Tolerance will eliminate the minor aura’s burns, the modest aura’s effect on stamina and halve the severity of the modest aura’s burns. 3 Heat Tolerance will halve the major aura’s effect on stamina and the severity of its burns and eliminate the burns of the modest aura. 4 Heat Tolerance will eliminate the effect the major aura has on stamina and halve the severity of its burns.
3) Phoenix Rebirth – If Ambrose would die with at least one-quarter of his maximum reiatsu left (and no less than 250 reiatsu), his soul overflows with a ruby red phoenix fire that explodes outward from his core, restoring health and wholeness to his body and mind, at the cost of one-quarter of his maximum reiatsu. This explosion covers twice the area of his current Phoenix Aura, inflicting burns equal to the innermost range of the aura’s effectiveness on characters caught within it. As the explosion subsides, the flames will have restored Ambrose to a fit and fighting state, as if he were fresh to the thread (except that his Out of Hell posts and Kenpachi stamina are not refreshed. This effect can occur up to twice per thread or per eight hours (in an Adventure or Quest thread).
4) Fuel for the Fire – A guttering flame is the most dangerous. When reduced to ≤33% of his maximum reiatsu, Ambrose’s phoenix aura produces a continuous spiritual backdraft, pulling in spiritual effects for consumption. Each post, his guttering phoenix aura consumes up to 100 reiatsu from effects within it, adding the consumed figure to his own reiatsu total and dampening those effects by a commensurate figure.
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Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
Current Residence: Hell
Memorable Figures: Victoria Gold, Mark Gold, Onko, Shodayu, Mitsue, Wycliff
History: It would be a lie to say that Alexander Gold was an expected child, eighteen years into the marriage of Victoria and Mark Gold, on October 31, at the stroke of midnight and under the full moon, and after an unusually short but painful labor. The event was not considered a good omen. Less so still, because when Ambrose was born, his father was outside the building, fighting back the many Hollows that had been attracted to his wife’s screams.
They had found each other during the war, nineteen years to the day before. Both had been tracking the Hollow called Guggur K, and found it at the same time, cornering it from both sides in a cluttered alleyway amid a pouring thunderstorm. Its only way out was up, but as it leapt for the sky, Victoria opened her mouth and issued forth a clear, resounding note that split the raindrops, stopped the clouds, and grounded the Hollow. Given an entire moment of stillness before the beast hit the ground, Mark caught sight of her across the alley and fell in love.
Guggur K made impact with the ground, shaking Mark out of his giddy reverie. He transformed the rifle in his hands, revealing his pride and joy– the Headhunter. Angling himself in close and low, he switched into a firing stance at the last moment and shattered its mask with a single shot, killing the Hollow in an instant. While the rifle scored another mark into the side of its own stock, Victoria saw only a handsome soldier in the rain.
Despite the unusual circumstances of his birth, Alexander lived a fulfilling, straight-and-narrow life, with a white picket fence and a 9 to 5 until he was diagnosed with cancer in his late twenties. He changed careers, taking up firefighting, and met his end trying to save a young woman in a burning apartment complex. In those final moments, when the room collapsed on top of him and the searing pain set in, he forgot himself.
When he awoke, the room was ablaze, but he couldn’t feel its heat. It was as though he were in a dream, knowing neither who he was nor why he was here. He looked down at himself, assessing his form: a young man, no older than twenty years, dressed in primarily red and redder clothing, consisting of hakama and sandals, but with no top. A black chain extended from the center of his chest, dropped down a small number of links, and then cut off partway through that last link. Confused, he took stock of his surroundings. That’s when he noticed them. There were little creatures, all over everything. Like geckos with eerie white masks on. They were watching him with interest, heads all cocked the same direction.
Otherwise, he was standing in someone’s bedroom. She was still here, huddled in the corner, crying and coughing. He tried talking to her, but she couldn’t hear him. He tried touching her, but his hand passed through her. He was confused, but he wasn’t stupid. If he wasn’t dreaming, he was dead. Unable to process the depth of his reality, he turned to leave and flee from the building, but he was stopped. A large creature occupied the doorway, humanoid with a bestial orange body, and a large white mask that covered its face completely. It breathed slowly, as if it could barely restrain itself. “You will come with me,” it instructed him.
He couldn’t say he knows what drove him, then. He didn’t go with it, but he couldn’t run. He kicked the creature, square in the center of its body and smashed it through the wall behind it. It plummeted to the ground with a mighty thud, but he was on top of it in an instant, hurtling out of the same hole as it had. As though years of rage and joy and sadness had welled up into his body, he found his catharsis in the meaty impacts of his fists and feet against its flesh. It fought back, naturally. Anything would fight for its life if it needed to, but the boy would not relent. They traded blows for several seconds. Every time the monster hit him, he could feel the pain— and the rush— hit his soul in force. It wasn’t until the creature was well and truly dead that he came to his senses. He had punched it another four times for good measure after it stopped moving, despite being sure of when it had died.
A gecko landed on his hand. It bit him and drew blood; he returned the favor in kind, snatching the tiny creature of the back of his hand and tearing off its head with a single bite. The taste of its horrendous flesh lingers on his tongue to the day. Another gecko landed on him. Then another, and another. Like they were raining from the sky, sticky-footed masked lizards began to pelt and stick to him one after another. Wherever one landed, it bit him and drew a bit more blood… a death by a thousand stings, but he would endure. Smashing them under foot, crunching their little masks between his teeth and tearing them half from half, he slaughtered his way through dozens of tiny monsters until the weight of his instincts struck him, and he fled the scene.
He persisted for days and days turned into weeks, wandering from place to place as he hunted these monsters. Their flesh sustained him, but they were few and far between, and never interested in conversation. Not that he was one for much talking, but a few words here and there couldn’t hurt, he felt. It was while tracking a particularly small Hollow that something changed in his existence. He encountered another person.
A man in black robes was tending to another, younger person in a hotel room. She glowed brightly, then turned into a little blue spot and flew off into the sky. The black-robed man turned to face him then and looked down at the sword in his hand. He didn’t need to see any more than that. He’d made up his mind how this was going to happen.
“I can tell that you’re on edge,” the man said. “My name is Onko, and this is Ember-Moon,” he indicated to the sword he was holding. “Can you tell me your name?”
He had ruminated on it, naturally. A name for a spirit who didn’t know his own identity. He’d come up with a few names while gazing into a mirror one day. “Ambrose,” he lied. It was the first thing on his list that didn’t immediately offend him, and he needed an answer fast.
Onko took a beat, as if he recognized the lie, but chose not to address it. “Ambrose,” he began. “I’m a Shinigami, and I’m here to usher you on. If you’ll permit me, I’d like to send you on to the next world now.” Ambrose nodded, letting him approach. Onko lifted his sword and gently pushed its kashira toward Ambrose’s forehead. Onko closed his eyes for only a moment, but it was all the boy needed.
He seized the sword by its handle, flipping the blade to the right and slicing with it in a single motion. Onko’s head rolled off his shoulders and hit the floor. Onko had said he was a Shinigami. There would be more of them. Whatever the next world was, it was a risk, and Ambrose wouldn’t take it. But there was a problem. Now that Onko was dead, there was nowhere to hide the body, the clothes, the weapon… he had no choice. He became the beast.
The weeks wore on. Ambrose hunted monsters day and night and kept an eye out for those black robes. Ratu, Angulin, Acrid, Snakeskin. Those were the names he’d picked out for them. The ones he’d killed and eaten, just like the first two. By his count, it was a month before the next sighting. He introduced himself similarly to the last one. “Kiyoshi Shodayu,” he said, drawing his katana.
“Does your sword have a name too?” Ambrose inquired.
Shodayu’s eyebrows perked up. “Yes, she does!” he exclaimed, clearly excited that someone had taken an interest in his weapon. He showed it off with a flourish. “This is Heavenly Inferno. She’s pleased to make your acquaintance.” He stepped toward Ambrose, who paused, raising his guard. The Shinigami assured him it wouldn’t hurt, and that he was sending him on to a peaceful, heavenly place, and that if he didn’t, Ambrose’s Soul Chain would be in danger of eating itself, turning him into a monstrous Hollow. It was important, for the survival of others, that Shodayu do this. Nodding in understanding, Ambrose slowly began to let down his guard.
Shodayu moved in much the same way as the last one. He moved in close and gently pushed the kashira toward Ambrose’s forehead. Ambrose’s foot impacted with his stomach, and in the ensuing shock and confusion, he severed the Shinigami’s head just the same as before. There was still… nowhere to hide the body or the blade. As with any beast, he did what it took to survive.
Uddagal. Lasher. Much to Ambrose’s surprise, shortly before he beat it to death with his fists, one of them introduced itself, so it was nice to know they had names for themselves, too. Hideous X. It wasn’t really the best name, but it was damn accurate. Its mask was the worst combination of human and octopus in design. He’d have to remember that convention when it came to naming them in the future. Catclaw.
Two more weeks went by, and then came the young lady. Also in black robes, she wore a belt of thickly braided rope and identified herself as Ayurigae Mitsue, and her sword was called Eternal Spark. She approached him cautiously, asking if he had met Onko and Shodayu. He feigned ignorance, asking her instead what she was doing here, and what had happened to him. She explained to him, in simple terms, the basics of souls and their transfer into Soul Society and how it was a part of the cycle of rebirth. So, he would be reborn as someone else? He’d already done that once. He wanted no part in what she had to offer. Though he did not voice that desire, she urged him to be unafraid, as if reading his thoughts.
Rather than draw her sword, Mitsue took off her belt, and the sword came with it. The blade still in its sheath, she walked toward him slowly, eyes trained on his hands and core rather than his face. This woman was looking for a fight… without a second thought, Ambrose gave it to her. As he shifted into his fighting stance, she called out to her blade, “Blaze brightly, Eternal Spark!” The katana began to leave its sheath, but Ambrose’s hand was already there. Her eyes widened.
Despite his expectations, she wasn’t as strong as he. It was a struggle, but he could manage to keep her from drawing the sword. His forehead collided with her face, and it was a fast scrap from there. She lost her grip on the katana’s hilt for just a second, but it was all the time Ambrose needed to slip his own hand into the place of hers. He drew the blade and lunged, impaling her through the core with her personal weapon. Where its shining tip entered her flesh, a lotus of flames blossomed inside her. It branded its way through her skin, leaving the pattern of an ashen flower across her burnt-out body. As with the last, then… he opened his mouth.
The Shinigami were actively hunting him, now. That was fine. The Hollows around here had stopped posing a threat. He made no attempt to run. Rather, he stood atop the tallest building he could find, impatiently walking from one corner to another, until another sword-wielding, black-clad figure arrived. It took two days.
He didn’t notice when the blond man arrived, only that he had. He didn’t notice when the other man drew his sword, only that it gleamed in the light. “Hey bro,” the stranger began. “Ya gotta move on, ya know? Ya down or do we gotta, like, square up?”
Ambrose set himself into a fighting stance. He didn’t hear what the stranger said next, but rods of light slammed into him from all sides. He tried to move, to avoid them, but his body was already held fast. Transfixed, he watched in horror as this lanky, beach blonde asshole calmly approached him, and casually ran his sword through Ambrose’s left shoulder. He withdrew the blade and likewise disabled Ambrose’s right arm. “Pretty sad ya beat Mitsue. She was fire, bro. I guess that’s yer thing, now, ya know?”
The wind rushed through the sky as the Gates of Hell emerged from behind Ambrose. The stranger’s eyebrows rose. “Oh shit! That again, huh?” He remarked. Paralyzed as he was, the poor sinner couldn’t even turn to see them. His concerns were plain on his face as the air turned red. The stranger read him and replied. “Yeah, ya kind of evil don’t go to Soul Society…” he turned away as several chains shot out from the opening Gates, wrapped around the boy’s body and pulled him into his eternal fate.
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Eternal as Hell might be, no good thing can truly last forever. Perhaps no terrible thing, either. With time and suffering and education, the man called Ambrose Grail eventually came to understand his place in the universe. He was here to be purified, so that he could be processed back into the cycle of reincarnation. For Ambrose, though, that process could not happen fast enough. In just thirty years of torture, he reclaimed his grip on his mind and soul. Unabsolved but more than willing to try, he took the initiative. To try to effect good in the world.
Years of aimless wandering bore little fruit for Ambrose. The bleakness of Hell set into his bones, but the fire inside denied it a place to stay. The more aware he became, the brighter that fire burned. He came to realize that he was a sinner, and that he was surrounded by sinners. People who had taken darkness into their hearts during their time alive. He had met so many of them, and so very few were not twisted by their time here into beings of darkness themselves.
They went by many names. Saika, hason, akki and even the rare nakabakki. Almost invariably, with the only real exception of the nakabakki, who had inherited the sins of their demonic parent, they were cruel, awful entities barely fit to be called people. Most wandered, caught in the fugue state of endless death, destruction and rebirth that Hell was wont to inflict on its inhabitants. The management here, Ambrose once mused, was truly terrible. But perhaps they weren't wrong. In all his years of wandering, Ambrose had never met another sinner who wanted nothing more than to be good again.
Eventually, he won moments of freedom. It started with finding the portals, deep in what he called the Spider Caves. They weren't real spiders, but the extensions of an akki that made its home in the caves. All legs and eyes and claws and fangs, they scrabbled up and down the caves, searching out sinners to fight, desecrate and devour. It was rare for a sinner to fight back, but since when was that going to stop Ambrose? Never. Not in this afterlife.
He left and experienced the feelings of sunlight, joy, and competition again. He left and met them. New people, bustling about in the world of the living. Though they thought lowly of him as a sinner, he understood. Something he had done in life had earned him his place in the pit, and through his excursions, it could be seen that he was avoiding his rightful punishment. Perhaps it was hubris, but he had learned from his own history: no good would ever come from helping the damned and the damnable. Or at least, this was what he thought.
It was in these Spider Caves that Ambrose found him. Von. Huge and shaggy, the dog had been found by the spiders and poisoned within an inch of his life. As if they knew exactly when to stop to keep his body seizing but alive. Someone had condemned a dog to Hell. A loyal, loving animal. Ambrose's heart overflowed with emotions, as if for the first time. It came out like a flood, and he was filled with flame and passion. How dare Hell do this? He knew what must be done, and he was willing to do it, no matter how the wicked world railed against him, no matter how destiny defied him.
Ambrose fought the spiders. He fought the akki and drove the beastly thing out. It would return, of course, as the caves were its lair, but for now, the caves were free of the spiders. He cared for Von, nursed him back to health, and took the poor beast through a portal, not knowing where it would. But fortune smiled on Ambrose that day. He found them in the Mortal World, and as the poison worked its way out of the canine's body, Ambrose came to learn that there was more to Von than met the eye.
He was not a sinner. Ambrose, against all reason and rationality, had bent open the iron bars of fate. He had finally effected a single good act in all of Hell. He had delivered Von to a place of safety. Whatever else followed, he had rescued and saved a single life. His first step on the road to redemption.
-Opening-
Discord Username (include nicknames): Drammor#4666 (Ammutseba)
Password 1: Black Hole
Password 2: Moon Pray
Type: Kenpachi
Affiliation: Mercenary
Rank: Rank 3
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-Basic Information-
Name: Ambrose Grail
Real Age/Age of Appearance: 51/20
Age of Death/Damnation: 32/32
Birthday (Month/Day): October 31
Blood Type: O+
RP Sample (Optional): None.
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-Appearance-
Height/Weight: 5’ 8” / 180 lbs
Physical Description: Ambrose is a short man by the modern standards of ideal masculinity, measuring up to four inches short of six feet even on a good day. His true complexion is a light sienna, but it’s nearly impossible to tell. He is heavily tanned and marred with massive, whorled burns that cover no less than four-fifths of his body and angry red scars of various shapes and sizes that cover no less than two-thirds of his body. His boyish, oval face, but for a patch of burn that covers only the back of his left cheek and the entirety of that ear, is untouched by either burn or scar, though a couple of lines from his tattoos do cross his face laterally. If it weren’t for the white mask he must wear to stay out of Hell, one might even say he was a handsome boy.
Muscular and statuesque, Ambrose’s body cuts a figure that makes heads turn. His hands and feet are rugged and calloused from many years of training, fighting, and laborious use. His deep black hair is wavy, wiry, and thick, often unkempt. He keeps it cropped short so that it neither becomes a bother nor a weakness. His eyes are a flat gold color, washed out as though he weren’t truly in focus. As he becomes more excited, the gold in his eyes brightens, awakens and begins to dance. Ambrose’s teeth are likewise unusual, being made of tightly structured organic steel, and casting his grin in a dark grey color, offsetting his otherwise attractive appearance. Whether this is the cause or the consequence of his habit to eat everything and anything is unknown.
At several points across his chest and shoulders, the burns covering most of Ambrose’s body culminate into dense, puckered swirls. When Ambrose is under extreme stress or highly excited, these swirls will accumulate pressure and bulge slightly before belching tiny plumes of acrid, smoky flame. As his reiatsu becomes more excited, these flames burn hotter and cleaner than before, gradually changing them from smoky, lazy orange tongues to bright, spiky yellow jets. Around his wrists, heavy black manacles dangle equally heavy black metal chains, which descend to his knees before cutting off abruptly, mid-link. His ankles are clad in heavy shackles, but the chains dangling from these are short enough that Ambrose doesn’t trip on them.
Inked in across his body, persisting through the burns and the scars, is a mural of thick black sections and many thin red lines, as if someone had wrapped a pair of interwoven, complex, powerful magic circles around him. There seems to be no discernable pattern or arrangement to these tattoos, but as Ambrose grows more excited, the more they glow like embers. This glow starts in his core, and then radiates out to his extremities from there.
Ambrose doesn’t dress in much. Owing to the jets of flame which frequently spew from his chest and shoulders, most clothing for the upper body is pointless to him. It would either burn up or fall off within days or even hours of getting it. The mask he wears over his face is stark white and mostly featureless, perfectly smooth, and oval-shaped but for a visor-shaped slot for his eyes, and a pair of small holes for him to breathe from. Unlike most Hell cloaks, Ambrose wears a dark red cloak that has been treated with an unknown oil, likely harvested from the depths of Hell itself. This oil is flame retardant, rendering the cloak immune to the fires his body belches.
Around his lower body, Ambrose wears a tattered crimson waistcloth, which extends down just past his knees, and stops halfway up his abs, leaving those and his chest exposed. Around his hands, wrists and forearms, he wears wrapped black bandages to protect his skin from wear and tear; he’s even gotten them under the manacles on his wrists. Bandages of the same design are wrapped around his calves, ankles and the first half of his feet, leaving a bit of foot and his toes exposed, and again, it would appear that the bandages persist even under his sinner’s chains, though doing so has done nothing about the constant discomfort surrounding them.
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-Personality-
Dislikes:
1. Undeserved authority. This is fine if you’ve earned it, but when power is just given to people like a handout, they do terribly irresponsible things with it. Ambrose can’t stand to see this happen and will do what it takes to wrench power over others from the undeserving.
2. Bad critics. Everyone’s a critic, or so they think. Unless you’ve got the chops to pass judgment on a dish, keep your comments to yourself and enjoy what you’ve been given.
3. Shinigami. It’s not their fault, but if they wanted to help people, they should find a way to do it without coming at someone with their sword drawn.
4. Other Saika and Hason. Something about other sinners tends to rub Ambrose the wrong way. He thinks it’s because they’re still wallowing in their punishments, refusing to stand above the challenge to manifest good in the world.
5. Being dismissed. Nobody likes to be dismissed, but Ambrose takes it to another level. Blowing off this youthful spitfire is likely the fastest way to find yourself in a fight with him. If you talk, you better walk.
6. Hollow flesh. It tastes awful, and you can never seem to get full on the stuff…
7. Mint. Almost as bad as Hollow flesh. The two should never be combined.
8. A bad insult. If you’re going to talk trash around Ambrose, try to do it right. Inserting the word “fuck” into everything won’t impress him, nor will resorting to lowbrow commentary.
9. Truffle oil and Saffron. The bane of amateur gourmets everywhere, as very few people understand how to use them properly. They'll just toss them into any dish they can in an effort to "fancy it up," but the flavor of the spices rarely matches the profile of the dish. It’s just sad and easy to hate.
10. Removal of agency. The benefit of choice should be ever-present. Ambrose believes this strongly, and will advocate for choice even when it’s detrimental to his desired outcome. He’ll get other people involved, as well, asking for them to weigh-in on the goal or process.
Likes:
1. Dudes. Aesthetically pleasing among other things, Ambrose is primarily interested in other guys. He can be friends with and appreciate women, but they should never expect anything more from him.
2. Textiles. Alexander grew up in Boston during the decline of the textile industry. Ambrose retains his appreciation of good-quality cloth and weaves. He pines for a sturdy, comfortable shirt that can resist his body’s fires.
3. Competition. It’s more fun when there’s someone, or multiple someones, to compete against. Set a goal, rack up a score. When the score no longer rises, tally up for a winner. Shower them with food and other prizes.
4. Rivalry. It’s even more fun when there’s a particular someone to compete against, on an ongoing basis. Someone you can measure yourself up to, or against, and spur on to greater heights with you. Ambrose would like to find that someone.
5. Distractions from Hell. An item for any sinner’s appreciation list, anything Ambrose can do in his rare escapes from the pit is a worthy pursuit.
6. Snow and ice cream. Entirely opposite to his day-to-day reality, and now an exotic pleasure, the gentle sensation of a few snowflakes on the skin or the taste of a frozen treat will shake Ambrose out of the doldrums of suffering and struggling, even if only for a time. Pineapple is the best flavor.
7. Bonsai trees. A curious thing that he saw just before he died, and one of the few memories he retains from his life. He finds these to be worthy pursuits of time, especially now that he has so much of it. Sadly, he cannot keep one of his own, owing to his afterlife in Hell.
8. A good insult. In contrast to a bad insult, Ambrose appreciates clever turn-of-phrase and creative ways of calling someone out. This isn’t to say he’s particularly skilled at it, but he can enjoy the company of those who are.
9. The little things. The right spice on a dish, an experiment gone well, an experiment gone poorly, a memory made, the color of the flowers in Spring… really, all the little things that can come together for the benefit of anyone.
10. Gardening. Primarily foodstuff and agricultural gardening. His favorites are flowers that are also food and spices. Dandelion and ginger count, too.
Flaws:
1. Holding back. Ambrose doesn’t like fighting at his full strength. In his opinion, that honor should be saved for worthy opponents, who have proven themselves to need such a level of violence.
2. Big ego. Ambrose is a big deal, and he knows it. The problem is that nobody else does. Yet. But they will. Everyone who meets him (and is worthy) will know that it’s his destiny to be the top dog.
3. Lust for power. Ambrose is strong, but he’s seen stronger. Far stronger. After his experiences in the lake of fire, he knows that even his condemner is not invincible, and that greater heights still exist. He wants them for himself. To see what it’s like to stand on that tall precipice and glare down at those who would take it from him. In his rise to power, he’ll step on a lot of toes and make enemies.
4. Reckless and rebellious. Prone to wild carelessness and casual disregard for the consequences of his actions, Ambrose would rather focus on the here and now than even the recent past.
5. Theatrical. When he finally does awaken completely, the fire in his eyes comes out for all the world to see. Prone to hamming it up even in the most desperate of situations, he’ll do what it takes to be “center stage” at the event.
6. Terrible slob. Ambrose has forgotten what it’s like to clean up after himself. He litters, he tosses his butts on the ground, and he leaves his messes behind everywhere he goes.
Habits:
1. Man of few words. Ambrose prefers action over talk, but when he does open his mouth to say something, it’s often something important to him. That is until he starts to get fired up. As that happens, he gradually opens further and becomes more talkative.
2. Fuel for the fire. There are not a lot of things Ambrose won’t eat. Whenever he manages to get out of Hell, finding food is usually the first thing on his mind. He’ll stock up, too. Walk around with multiple snack foods on his person, and sneak in bites even when the situation calls for restraint or decorum.
3. Heavy smoker. Any time he’s not in the kitchen, it will be rare to see Ambrose either not smoking or, failing that, not looking for a smoke. He’ll settle for cigarettes in an emergency but prefers a good cigar.
4. Uncompromising. Ambrose wants to do good in the world through measurable, permanent actions that will aid others. So, he doesn’t tolerate others wasting his time when he’s on the Hell clock, which is pretty much all the time.
5. Never forgets a face. Not always on-point about names, but the face will never escape him.
Fears:
1. Hell. Having endured mind-bending torture here for longer than he was ever alive, Ambrose sensibly fears returning to the pit, where he will be subject to yet more punishment, for all of eternity. It’s the inevitably that bothers him the most, and the complete dispassion that the inferno has for its guests.
2. Androids. Only if they’re too well done. For Ambrose, the uncanny valley is a wide chasm filled with fear. Any doll, puppet or robot designed to look human gives him a deep sense of the willies, no matter how poorly or well-done, and once the illusion of perfection is broken, his fear abides indefinitely.
3. Thunder. Something about the way the air and earth rumble in the wake of lightning; the way all that space was occupied by so little that the world itself snaps back into place with a tremorous retort… it makes his skin crawl.
Goals:
1. Self-Improvement. Perhaps Ambrose doesn’t know that he’s already been judged. Whether he does or not, he consumes knowledge and hones his body as if he were still alive, still experiencing everything for the first time.
2. Glory in battle. It’s not about who gets the most kills, or even who does it in the best way. It’s about, at the end of the day, when the big one comes and you bite the dust at last, whether you stayed true to yourself and held onto your honor. That’s what Ambrose believes.
3. Recover his life’s memories. Ambrose had to choose this name for himself. He has no memories of who he was or what his life was like before he died. He feels as though if he could remember them, he’d know why he was condemned to an eternity of suffering.
4. Absolution. He doesn’t know what it was he did in life to earn a place in the pit, but he hopes that by effecting enough good in the mortal world, he can offset his cosmic debt enough to earn a ticket back out of the fire.
5. Defeat the Shinigami who condemned him. A mysterious blond stranger appeared atop a tall building in Boston, wearing sunglasses and wielding a terrible sword. It was that man who sent Ambrose to Hell. He doesn’t want revenge, though. Just to settle the score.
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Aspect of Hell: Burning
Core of Sin: Gluttony
Overall Personality: Deep inside Ambrose is a flame that yearns to grow. This flame fuels his sense of goodness and compassion. Slow to start, Ambrose might come off as muted, somber or even solemn until he starts gaining momentum. As he gets going, he becomes more outgoing and animated. His face is the first thing to show his emotions, followed by his posture and body language, and he eventually uses his hands to do at least half of the talking for him.
An evidently affable soul, Ambrose prefers to take the initiative at new relationships and opportunities, extending an invitation to a peer before giving them an opportunity to take advantage of his great listening skills and hospitality. Even when he isn’t being watched, Ambrose never lets up, even on himself. He’ll work in exercise or recipe planning wherever he’s at, working constantly. He thrives best under pressure, applies outside the box thing to frustrating situations to achieve results.
Unafraid to ask questions, courteous of others, eager to learn and self-motivated, he will listen to the thoughts and opinions of a new crowd, acclimating himself to new people before voicing his own beliefs and ideas. However, he is an independent thinker and not easily swayed by everything he hears.
Speaking of motivation, Ambrose is motivated primarily by two desires. First, he wants to redeem himself in the eyes of Hell, earning his way out of the Infernal Pit. He knows the road will be long, and perhaps even fruitless. He's certainly never heard of a condemned sinner earning their freedom, but on the other hand, he's also never met a sinner who's had the same change of heart that he did. The callow, cold disrespect that he once had for the dead is gone, replaced by compassion and reverence.
The second thing that motivates Ambrose is food. Sure, a good meal and a warm place to sleep for the night are fine motivators for him, but his food-related motivation doesn't come from himself, but a desire to provide for others. He feels that most people have never had truly good food; food that is worth a long day's work and miles of suffering. He aims to change that, to provide his charges and his patrons with a form of succor. Corollary to his desire to provide food is security, as it is difficult to enjoy a good meal when you're constantly watching your back.
There’s a sign on the way into Hell. You’re probably familiar with it. It reads, “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” Ambrose never read this sign, or if he did, he certainly didn’t take it seriously. He will not give in to hopelessness and despair. The flame within that drives him to succeed and improve will simply not allow Ambrose to be kept down. He is cheerful, even in the direst circumstances, and whether he is truly scared or intimidated, he will not allow his outside face to betray his feelings within, putting on a show of willpower simply to keep spirits up.
Ambrose never backs down from a challenge, regardless of the odds or consequences. Due to this, he’ll sometimes ask an opponent two or even three times if they’re sure they want to challenge him, and if they know what that means. Otherwise, he tries to make decisions based on logic and his survival instincts. Despite his outgoing and optimistic ways, he is still untrusting of others until they’ve shown evidence that they can be trusted on multiple occasions.
There is a certain cheeky quality to Ambrose’s personality. He is oblivious and conceited, prone to thinking lowly of his opponents, but thoughtful, taking extra care when considering his patrons’ needs. He prefers to fight opponents at their best, sometimes insisting on making a meal for an enemy before they fight— both because it helps others achieve their peak, and because everyone deserves a last meal.
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-Powers-
Fighting Style:
Overall. Ambrose has a very straightforward approach to combat. Close the gap, punch and kick things until the bleeding stops or the opponent is a fleshy red mass. Have fun while doing it. If a fight exceeds his normal, sustainable level of intensity, Ambrose need only turn up the heat and do more of the same. This is not to say that he's incapable of including tactics and strategy in his combat designs, of course. This wicked-good chef has learned his away around the way the beast is built, so he'll naturally include jabs and kicks at the weak points of the body and use the environment to his advantage.
Chains. Hellions like Ambrose are forever bound to Hell by the indestructible chains around their wrists and ankles. It’s pretty hard to forget they are there, but easy to eventually take them for granted. Ambrose’s wrist chains are long enough that he can grab onto them with his hands, wrap them around his arms, and even wrap them around enemy weapons and limbs. When he needs to stay close to someone or something, this is exactly what he does. He uses the chains to bind himself to another target, secure in the knowledge that no force can break these chains.
Punching and Kicking. Seen by him as the most important tools in his arsenal, Ambrose prefers to take out opponents with overwhelming physical force, plying his combat prowess quickly and brutally. He has incorporated elements from several disciplines into his own style, preferring to bust up opponents’ concentration with quick flurries of high-speed attacks, assail any flaws in their defenses with more powerful strikes to open their cores, and then finish them once they are fully exposed.
Dodging. Likely the second most important aspect of winning any fight is avoiding being hit, especially since in many fights worth your time, being hit even once spells the end. Punching things and proper breathing are not just about punching things and proper breathing-- both include techniques for how to give, receive and avoid a blow, and knowing which one is the most appropriate for the moment. As an avid pugilist, Ambrose is versed in punching things and proper breathing, and that means all aspects of those things.
Bleeding and Pain Tolerance. Well-accustomed to the torture of the Infernal Pit, Ambrose will also face the slings, arrows and whathaveyou of the mortal and spiritual worlds with equal or greater fervor. Nothing hurts quite as bad as having your soul ripped apart every time you die, multiple times a day, so whatever it is you’ve got for him will be fine.
Spirit Snacks. By infusing his cooking with the heat of his spiritual power, Ambrose has been able to develop and devise options for himself in a pinch. From weathering blows more easily to eking out a little more speed, to rarer and more exotic effects, Ambrose is developing it. Which is good, because those seem to happen to him a lot.
Close range and close-quarters combat. Excellent for Ambrose, especially if he’s been fighting for a while. As his Spirit of the Phoenix makes being close to him dangerous, he usually presses himself in close to enemies; the closer he can get to someone, the more effective he becomes, even when he’s traditionally outmatched by his opponent. When thusly overmatched, Ambrose spends his reiatsu quickly to amp up his phoenix aura and forces his opponents into a match of aggravated attrition.
Long range. Not good for Ambrose. To him, a long-range engagement is the same as a problem that must be solved. The goal is always the same: eliminate the distance. When that isn’t an option, he slows down and fights with attrition, instead, shifting into more sustainable and efficient modes of movement and presentation until he can get back into the thick of combat.
Force and Pressure, Stage Two. In Impel Mode, Ambrose benefits from being in close proximity to his targets, and is allowed to prioritize merely hitting over hitting hard. This makes committing to melee or close quarters combat with the hellion especially dangerous, as a simple slap to an attacker’s hand can both deflect an attack and inflict significant damage, as well as build up toward a disastrous chain reaction. On transferring Force stacks, he can aggravate the damage he deals with every blow, and limit the opponent’s options even if they choose to purge the stacks from themselves.
Partial Ignition. An emergency measure Ambrose keeps in his back pocket, while in Impel Mode he can ignite his own spiritual energy reserves, sending them into a destructive conflagration that radiates outward from him. Igniting his energy serves the hellion’s overall power well, effectively automatically purging negative effects from himself and magnifying the effects of both his other techniques and his personal power.
Full Ignition. Whereas Partial Ignition sets fire to Ambrose’s spiritual energy, Full Ignition catalyzes that reaction, amplifying the rate of the burn but also the effectiveness of the technique. Since Ignition cannot be stopped and Ambrose has only so much stamina to work with in the first place, this option is only the most logical extension of the previous tactic. Combined with Force and Pressure Stage Two’s Impel Mode, this dire resort allows him to rapidly purge Force stacks into enemies he can hit, speeding up the rate of triggering those dangerous chain reactions.
Speed Impeller, Stage One. There’s no good advantage like the mobility advantage. Outmaneuvering an attack is almost as good as dodging in place, and certainly more fun. In addition, this technique gives Ambrose the height and grid advantage, owing to its three-dimensional movement and ability to rapidly change directions at high speeds. Some people need air ground to participate in mid-air combats, but this option makes air grounding a thing of the past. After all, if you can fly, why not fly?
Bringer Light. Ambrose is not the fastest kenpachi there ever was. To make up for the disparity between him and his would-be peers, he has practiced the agility arts of the fullbringer. He benefits highly from not only the mounting speed of their technique, but the mounting cost, as well, since its increasing reiatsu demand feeds into his Spirit of the Phoenix. It doesn't hurt that there's theoretically no cap to how fast it can make him go, either.
Output and Willpower. Similar to his lacking speed, Ambrose is not the strongest kenpachi there ever was. Rather than focusing on his comparably weak body, he has learned how to augment his blows with expenditures of reiatsu, timing his punches to coincide with the natural flow of spirit energy through the body to maximize his impact. He may not be able to overtly control his energy, but by working together with what it's already doing, he can greatly increase his physical presence.
Ambrose is no fool. Cocky, boastful and a little arrogant, sure, but he’s not a slouch nor an idiot. When he’s fighting at a disadvantage, he’ll do little things to even out the difference. Eat a spirit snack, break a nose, disengage and use hit-and-run tactics. Whatever it is, if it’s not completely below the belt, he’ll do it. When the chips are really down though, and he has no hope of winning an engagement, he won’t just throw himself on the pyre. He’ll go all-out, and use his true power to dreadnought through even the harshest punishment, secure in the knowledge that should he die, the Spirit of the Phoenix will bring him back at full force. But if even that fails, he’s not above just running away. It may wound his pride, but he’d rather suffer a blow to his ego than be trapped in Hell forevermore.
You want to defeat Ambrose? Good luck. It’s not impossible, but you’ll likely find it difficult. Maybe if you can press him into Impel Mode and then keep your distance while peppering him down with strong attacks, you can get an edge over him. His high-speed regeneration will make even that tactic bear little fruit, however. A true beast, we should only count ourselves lucky that he’s a good-natured, wholesome hellion. There’s always beating him out with superior numbers, of course. If you can outspeed and outpower him, Ambrose will be limited to clever tricks, and his unfondness for the dirtier side of these tricks is perhaps his greatest true weakness. He’s a merciful soul, as well, so maybe some villain can take advantage of that fact.
{Known Techniques}Technique Name: Force and Pressure, Stage One
Class: 7
Technique Type: Other
Usable By: Kenpachi only
Technique Element: None
Technique Description and Effects: The user gains a capacity for Force stacks, up to 5.
At the cost of 300 reiatsu, the user may enter Impel Mode for the duration of 6 posts. Upon entering the mode and at the beginning of each post, the user gains 1 stack of Force.
Up to 1 Force stack can be transferred into an opponent on physical contact. In an opponent, Force stacks exacerbate damage taken, projecting a secondary, explosive spike with a combined Offensive Stat equal to 10% of the user's Reiatsu Strength per stack, out the opposite side of the body, whenever the victim suffers a physical injury. When 6 or more Force stacks accumulate, the next blow causes a volatile chain reaction, venting all accumulated Force out of the body and resetting the number of stacks to 0.
An opponent with Force stacks vents them automatically after going 2 posts without gaining a stack, at the rate of 1 Force stack per post. Alternatively, they can forcefully purge their reiatsu by paying 50 reiatsu to eliminate a stack of Force.
How to use technique: The user's capacity for Force stacks is a passive, always-active feature. To enter Impel Mode, the user partially traps their enormous reiatsu output inside their body, greatly increasing its pressure.
Technique Drawbacks: If the user's Force stacks exceed their capacity, the stacks vent forcefully out of their body, inflicting body-wide second-degree burns and inch-deep lacerations in an explosion 10 feet wide.
Made By: Ammutseba
Reserved? No
Technique Name: Force and Pressure, Stage Two
Class: 4
Technique Type: Other
Usable By: Kenpachi only
Technique Element: None
Technique Description and Effects: The user's capacity for Force stacks increases to 10. They may transfer up to 2 stacks of Force to an opponent with physical contact, and up to 1 stack of Force by being within 15 feet of them for one post. The secondary damage from the user's Force stacks increases to 15% of their Reiatsu Strength per stack, and your Force stacks trigger a chain reaction only after 11 or more have accumulated. Triggering a chain reaction uses one Short-Term Stat Boost per thread. Opponents begin venting Force stacks only after 3 posts without gaining a stack have passed, and they must pay 75 reiatsu to eliminate a stack of the user's Force.
How to use technique: This technique represents the user's increased resilience to and growing affinity for Force.
Technique Drawbacks: Before this technique can be learned, the user must first know Force and Pressure, Stage One. If the user's Force stacks exceed their capacity, the stacks vent forcefully out of their body, inflicting body-wide second-degree burns and two-inch-deep lacerations in an explosion 15 feet wide.
Made By: Ammutseba
Reserved? No
Technique Name: Speed Impeller, Stage One
Class: 6
Technique Type: Step
Usable By: Kenpachi only
Technique Element: None
Technique Description and Effects: This step technique allows the user to move at high speeds in any of three dimensions of movement with the same agility they would normally have on the ground.
How to use technique: The user must be in Impel Mode to use this technique, and must have at least 2 stacks of Force. To initiate, the user focuses reishi around the entire body and launches themselves into a continuous thrust of speed.
Technique Drawbacks: Each post this technique is used, it generates 1 stack of Force.
Made By: Ammutseba
Reserved? No
Technique Name: Partial Ignition
Class: 5
Technique Type: Other
Usable By: Kenpachi only
Technique Element: None
Technique Description and Effects: While their reiatsu is Partially Ignited, the outputs of the user's other techniques increase by 50%, where applicable. Ignited reiatsu does not increase the effects of passive techniques, stat boosts or step techniques.
How to use technique: Requires the user to be in Impel Mode for at least 1 post before use. The user ignites their own reiatsu, drawing additional power from its conflagration.
Technique Drawbacks: Once the Ignition process has been started, it does not stop until the user can no longer pay its reiatsu cost. Using Partial Ignition counts as a long-term stat boost. While using Partial Ignition, the technique consumes 100 reiatsu per post, and the user's reiatsu consumption for other purposes or non-step techniques increases by 100%. In any case, the benefits of this technique never apply to Clashes of Power, whether for the purpose of Class or effective Offensive Strength.
Made By: Ammutseba
Reserved? No
Technique Name: Full Ignition
Class: 3
Technique Type: Other
Usable By: Kenpachi only
Technique Element: None
Technique Description and Effects: When used, Full Ignition replaces the effects of Partial Ignition. While their reiatsu is Fully Ignited, the outputs of the user's other techniques increase by 100%, where applicable. Ignited reiatsu does not increase the effects of passive techniques, stat boosts or step techniques.
How to use technique: Requires the user to have been in Partial Ignition for at least 1 post before use. The user increases the ignition level of their reiatsu, burning it more brightly than before.
Technique Drawbacks: Once the Ignition process has been started, it does not stop until the user can no longer pay its reiatsu cost. While using Full Ignition, the technique consumes 200 reiatsu per post, and the user's reiatsu consumption for other purposes or non-step techniques increases by 200%. In any case, the benefits of this technique never apply to Clashes of Power, whether for the purpose of Class or effective Offensive Strength.
Made By: Ammutseba
Reserved? No
Technique Name: Bringer Light
Class: 4
Technique Type: Human Technique
Technique Element: None
Technique Description and Effects:
This is the stepping technique for humans. It increases their speed for a single step by 10 times for 50 Reiatsu. It leaves a column of flickering light in the place where the user previously occupied. Unlike other steps, this one can be used to build speed. If used in succession, the speed and cost go up with each additional step. The second step is a 13x increase, and costs 100 Reiatsu. The third step is a 15x increase, and costs 200 Reiatsu. From there, the cost doubles with each additional step, and the speed increase goes up by 1 time. Meaning the fourth step is 16x and 400 Reiatsu, the fifth is 17x and 800 Reiatsu, etc. Though at first the column of light is visible where the user was, once the third step is reached, the column of light is no longer there. This technique does not take up a technique slot.
How to use technique: To work, this technique manipulates the soul in whatever the user is standing on, allowing for feats such as high jumping, or the step which increases speed.
Drawback: None
Technique Name: Physical Manifestation: Willpower
Class: 3
Technique Type: Other
Technique Element: None
Technique Description and Effects:
Willpower is a technique that is available to most who dwell within the human world, and has a variety of effects that make it a versatile and useful technique. This technique is one that manifests the willpower of the physical body. It essentially causes spirit and physical body to "become one" and merge their powers. There are two uses of it. The first is a non battle use, and is the main use. The main use is simply to know the technique, which slows the aging process of the body and allows the possessor to live easily as long as a Shinigami or Arrancar. This is a will-based technique, however, and thus, if will vanishes, so does its power to stop the aging, which quickly catches up. Mod Souls and Bounts have a minor version of this part at all times, which allows them to age slowly at all times; humans and Quincy learn this version at Class 1.
Willpower has three stages that are associated with it, as listed below:
[Stage One: Cog]: By giving up 100 Reiatsu, the user pumps an explosive amount of intimidating power out. Anyone of inferior class will immediately be intimidated. This does not mean they won't fight. Those who are weak enough in comparison will feel a huge, exaggerated surge of power that will probably make them surrender. This can also be used on Hollows to actually scare them away instead of having to kill them. This does NOT work on animals! It only works on "intelligent beings." This means unless it has a similar to human intelligence, this wont' work on an animal.
[Stage Two: Pulley]: This causes physical output to increase based on draining spiritual energy. It costs 400 reiatsu. When activated, it increases physical stats by 50%. However, it causes the skin to begin to blister from pumped out Reiatsu. Essentially, skin begins to burn. It's a quick burn. Within 5 posts, burning will start to become quite serious. On top of that, statistic gain is lost by the post, starting after the second post of this being active. After that time, 10% of the gain is lost every post. It can only be restored by sacrificing 150 Reiatsu per 10%.
[Stage Three: Gate]: This has no initial cost. Reiatsu strength and Spiritual pressure (but NOT Reiatsu amount) both double. From there, reiatsu output goes up, meaning that costs are also doubled for everything. On top of that, 100 reiatsu is lost per post until this is deactivated.
Drawback: See each individual stage. Atop that, when Willpower is learned, it comes with all three stages, but costs double the TTP to learn. Humans, Mod Souls, Quincy, and Bounts only.
Technique Name: Output
Class: 2
Technique Type: Other
Technique Element: None
Technique Description and Effects:
This technique is one that makes use of the body directly, using the user’s spiritual strength to increase the body’s capabilities in specific ways. Like Willpower, this technique comes in stages as well, but is limited to two:
[Stage 1: Push]: This power coats the user in a sort of "Output Aura." It does two things. First, awareness can extend out by two more inches. This means someone will become more aware of an incoming attack two inches of distance from the attack earlier than normal. It means that one can try to use this to predict enemies, though not as successfully as actual prediction or reading. The secondary point expands "damage." Essentially, it bypasses defenses. A human using this is completely immune to cutback effect regardless of state, and this extends to weapon uses too. Hierro is also completely ignored during use of Push. This defense ignoring is only present during physical attacks. Reiatsu-based strikes can still meet Hierro resistance. This lasts for 5 posts, and costs 100 Reiatsu.
[Stage 2: Impact]: This stage can be used only for physical confrontation. When activated, hit strength quadruples. This means that one can activate it while punching an enemy. If the user has 200 strength, that strength will count as 800 during the instance of the punch. This is very physically draining, and quickly exhausts the body's nutrients. It shortens lifespan to use too often, and it weakens stamina very quickly. This lasts for 1 post, and costs 200 Reiatsu.
Class: 7
Technique Type: Other
Usable By: Kenpachi only
Technique Element: None
Technique Description and Effects: The user gains a capacity for Force stacks, up to 5.
At the cost of 300 reiatsu, the user may enter Impel Mode for the duration of 6 posts. Upon entering the mode and at the beginning of each post, the user gains 1 stack of Force.
Up to 1 Force stack can be transferred into an opponent on physical contact. In an opponent, Force stacks exacerbate damage taken, projecting a secondary, explosive spike with a combined Offensive Stat equal to 10% of the user's Reiatsu Strength per stack, out the opposite side of the body, whenever the victim suffers a physical injury. When 6 or more Force stacks accumulate, the next blow causes a volatile chain reaction, venting all accumulated Force out of the body and resetting the number of stacks to 0.
An opponent with Force stacks vents them automatically after going 2 posts without gaining a stack, at the rate of 1 Force stack per post. Alternatively, they can forcefully purge their reiatsu by paying 50 reiatsu to eliminate a stack of Force.
How to use technique: The user's capacity for Force stacks is a passive, always-active feature. To enter Impel Mode, the user partially traps their enormous reiatsu output inside their body, greatly increasing its pressure.
Technique Drawbacks: If the user's Force stacks exceed their capacity, the stacks vent forcefully out of their body, inflicting body-wide second-degree burns and inch-deep lacerations in an explosion 10 feet wide.
Made By: Ammutseba
Reserved? No
Technique Name: Force and Pressure, Stage Two
Class: 4
Technique Type: Other
Usable By: Kenpachi only
Technique Element: None
Technique Description and Effects: The user's capacity for Force stacks increases to 10. They may transfer up to 2 stacks of Force to an opponent with physical contact, and up to 1 stack of Force by being within 15 feet of them for one post. The secondary damage from the user's Force stacks increases to 15% of their Reiatsu Strength per stack, and your Force stacks trigger a chain reaction only after 11 or more have accumulated. Triggering a chain reaction uses one Short-Term Stat Boost per thread. Opponents begin venting Force stacks only after 3 posts without gaining a stack have passed, and they must pay 75 reiatsu to eliminate a stack of the user's Force.
How to use technique: This technique represents the user's increased resilience to and growing affinity for Force.
Technique Drawbacks: Before this technique can be learned, the user must first know Force and Pressure, Stage One. If the user's Force stacks exceed their capacity, the stacks vent forcefully out of their body, inflicting body-wide second-degree burns and two-inch-deep lacerations in an explosion 15 feet wide.
Made By: Ammutseba
Reserved? No
Technique Name: Speed Impeller, Stage One
Class: 6
Technique Type: Step
Usable By: Kenpachi only
Technique Element: None
Technique Description and Effects: This step technique allows the user to move at high speeds in any of three dimensions of movement with the same agility they would normally have on the ground.
How to use technique: The user must be in Impel Mode to use this technique, and must have at least 2 stacks of Force. To initiate, the user focuses reishi around the entire body and launches themselves into a continuous thrust of speed.
Technique Drawbacks: Each post this technique is used, it generates 1 stack of Force.
Made By: Ammutseba
Reserved? No
Technique Name: Partial Ignition
Class: 5
Technique Type: Other
Usable By: Kenpachi only
Technique Element: None
Technique Description and Effects: While their reiatsu is Partially Ignited, the outputs of the user's other techniques increase by 50%, where applicable. Ignited reiatsu does not increase the effects of passive techniques, stat boosts or step techniques.
How to use technique: Requires the user to be in Impel Mode for at least 1 post before use. The user ignites their own reiatsu, drawing additional power from its conflagration.
Technique Drawbacks: Once the Ignition process has been started, it does not stop until the user can no longer pay its reiatsu cost. Using Partial Ignition counts as a long-term stat boost. While using Partial Ignition, the technique consumes 100 reiatsu per post, and the user's reiatsu consumption for other purposes or non-step techniques increases by 100%. In any case, the benefits of this technique never apply to Clashes of Power, whether for the purpose of Class or effective Offensive Strength.
Made By: Ammutseba
Reserved? No
Technique Name: Full Ignition
Class: 3
Technique Type: Other
Usable By: Kenpachi only
Technique Element: None
Technique Description and Effects: When used, Full Ignition replaces the effects of Partial Ignition. While their reiatsu is Fully Ignited, the outputs of the user's other techniques increase by 100%, where applicable. Ignited reiatsu does not increase the effects of passive techniques, stat boosts or step techniques.
How to use technique: Requires the user to have been in Partial Ignition for at least 1 post before use. The user increases the ignition level of their reiatsu, burning it more brightly than before.
Technique Drawbacks: Once the Ignition process has been started, it does not stop until the user can no longer pay its reiatsu cost. While using Full Ignition, the technique consumes 200 reiatsu per post, and the user's reiatsu consumption for other purposes or non-step techniques increases by 200%. In any case, the benefits of this technique never apply to Clashes of Power, whether for the purpose of Class or effective Offensive Strength.
Made By: Ammutseba
Reserved? No
Technique Name: Bringer Light
Class: 4
Technique Type: Human Technique
Technique Element: None
Technique Description and Effects:
This is the stepping technique for humans. It increases their speed for a single step by 10 times for 50 Reiatsu. It leaves a column of flickering light in the place where the user previously occupied. Unlike other steps, this one can be used to build speed. If used in succession, the speed and cost go up with each additional step. The second step is a 13x increase, and costs 100 Reiatsu. The third step is a 15x increase, and costs 200 Reiatsu. From there, the cost doubles with each additional step, and the speed increase goes up by 1 time. Meaning the fourth step is 16x and 400 Reiatsu, the fifth is 17x and 800 Reiatsu, etc. Though at first the column of light is visible where the user was, once the third step is reached, the column of light is no longer there. This technique does not take up a technique slot.
How to use technique: To work, this technique manipulates the soul in whatever the user is standing on, allowing for feats such as high jumping, or the step which increases speed.
Drawback: None
Technique Name: Physical Manifestation: Willpower
Class: 3
Technique Type: Other
Technique Element: None
Technique Description and Effects:
Willpower is a technique that is available to most who dwell within the human world, and has a variety of effects that make it a versatile and useful technique. This technique is one that manifests the willpower of the physical body. It essentially causes spirit and physical body to "become one" and merge their powers. There are two uses of it. The first is a non battle use, and is the main use. The main use is simply to know the technique, which slows the aging process of the body and allows the possessor to live easily as long as a Shinigami or Arrancar. This is a will-based technique, however, and thus, if will vanishes, so does its power to stop the aging, which quickly catches up. Mod Souls and Bounts have a minor version of this part at all times, which allows them to age slowly at all times; humans and Quincy learn this version at Class 1.
Willpower has three stages that are associated with it, as listed below:
[Stage One: Cog]: By giving up 100 Reiatsu, the user pumps an explosive amount of intimidating power out. Anyone of inferior class will immediately be intimidated. This does not mean they won't fight. Those who are weak enough in comparison will feel a huge, exaggerated surge of power that will probably make them surrender. This can also be used on Hollows to actually scare them away instead of having to kill them. This does NOT work on animals! It only works on "intelligent beings." This means unless it has a similar to human intelligence, this wont' work on an animal.
[Stage Two: Pulley]: This causes physical output to increase based on draining spiritual energy. It costs 400 reiatsu. When activated, it increases physical stats by 50%. However, it causes the skin to begin to blister from pumped out Reiatsu. Essentially, skin begins to burn. It's a quick burn. Within 5 posts, burning will start to become quite serious. On top of that, statistic gain is lost by the post, starting after the second post of this being active. After that time, 10% of the gain is lost every post. It can only be restored by sacrificing 150 Reiatsu per 10%.
Drawback: See each individual stage. Atop that, when Willpower is learned, it comes with all three stages, but costs double the TTP to learn. Humans, Mod Souls, Quincy, and Bounts only.
Technique Name: Output
Class: 2
Technique Type: Other
Technique Element: None
Technique Description and Effects:
This technique is one that makes use of the body directly, using the user’s spiritual strength to increase the body’s capabilities in specific ways. Like Willpower, this technique comes in stages as well, but is limited to two:
[Stage 1: Push]: This power coats the user in a sort of "Output Aura." It does two things. First, awareness can extend out by two more inches. This means someone will become more aware of an incoming attack two inches of distance from the attack earlier than normal. It means that one can try to use this to predict enemies, though not as successfully as actual prediction or reading. The secondary point expands "damage." Essentially, it bypasses defenses. A human using this is completely immune to cutback effect regardless of state, and this extends to weapon uses too. Hierro is also completely ignored during use of Push. This defense ignoring is only present during physical attacks. Reiatsu-based strikes can still meet Hierro resistance. This lasts for 5 posts, and costs 100 Reiatsu.
[Stage 2: Impact]: This stage can be used only for physical confrontation. When activated, hit strength quadruples. This means that one can activate it while punching an enemy. If the user has 200 strength, that strength will count as 800 during the instance of the punch. This is very physically draining, and quickly exhausts the body's nutrients. It shortens lifespan to use too often, and it weakens stamina very quickly. This lasts for 1 post, and costs 200 Reiatsu.
Overall Ability: Spirit of the Phoenix
When Ambrose chooses to fight all-out, he may activate his Spirit of the Phoenix, consuming one post of Kenpachi stamina per post it remains active (as is normal for a Kenpachi).
1) Soul of Flame – As reiatsu leaves flows outward from within him, it burns at an increasingly high temperature, searing distractions, ailments, and invaders out of his body, mind and soul. Whenever Ambrose spends reiatsu over the course of a post, he cancels out negative effects affecting him that cost as much or less reiatsu to create or establish and that have an offensive stat less than his Spiritual Pressure. Furthermore, he must already has some measure of resistance to the condition in question. If his resist skill to a negative condition is enough to successfully mitigate that condition, and the above conditions are met, then his Soul of Flame will burn the condition out of him.
2) Phoenix Aura – As Ambrose approaches death and exhaustion, the intensity of his phoenix aura increases. Initially invisible to characters with less than 150 Energy Sensory and effectively cold, the aura is all but absent until Ambrose has 75% or less of his reiatsu remaining, when its minor effects come online. While Ambrose has 50% or less of his reiatsu remaining, the aura’s modest effects come into play, and when his remaining reiatsu is 25% or less of his maximum, the major effects of the aura activate. As the effects come from his own reiatsu, Ambrose is immune to the harmful effects of his phoenix aura.
Minor Aura (≤75%) – At this stage, the phoenix is only barely visible, appearing to be a vaguely bird-shaped avatar that surrounds Ambrose on all sides, cladding him in the continual expression of his reiatsu. The phoenix aura extends outward from his body by six inches at this stage. Characters within 10 feet (3 meters) of Ambrose are exposed to high heat, causing them to sweat and possibly suffer a less reliable grip on their weapon. Heat of this level inflicts first-degree burns on characters within its effect each post. Additionally, characters burn through stamina at double the normal rate when exposed to this aura.
Modest Aura (≤50%) – At this stage, the phoenix is plainly visible to anyone looking at Ambrose. The glow extends out to a foot around him in all directions. Within 10 feet of Ambrose, characters are exposed to searing heat, suffering second-degree burns and losing 1 post of stamina each post, on top of their other stamina loss for that post. Within the distal 10 feet of this aura, the effects of the Minor Phoenix Aura persist. At this point, the light of the phoenix aura makes Ambrose difficult to look at directly, requiring Battle Focus 1 or an equivalent level of glare resistance to overcome.
Major Aura (≤25%) – At this final stage of its development, the phoenix blazes around Ambrose like a beacon, extending two feet from his body in all directions and affecting a 30-foot (9 meter) area around him. Characters within 10 feet (3 meters) of Ambrose are exposed to extreme heat, suffering third-degree burns and losing 2 posts of stamina each post, on top of their other stamina loss for that post. Within the median 10 feet of this aura, the effects of the Modest Phoenix Aura persist, and within the distal 10 feet of this aura, the effects of the Minor Phoenix Aura remain in effect. The shining light emanating from Ambrose’s body is unforgiving, requiring Battle Focus 2 or an equivalent level of glare resistance to look past.
1 Heat Tolerance will eliminate the minor aura’s effect on stamina. 2 Heat Tolerance will eliminate the minor aura’s burns, the modest aura’s effect on stamina and halve the severity of the modest aura’s burns. 3 Heat Tolerance will halve the major aura’s effect on stamina and the severity of its burns and eliminate the burns of the modest aura. 4 Heat Tolerance will eliminate the effect the major aura has on stamina and halve the severity of its burns.
3) Phoenix Rebirth – If Ambrose would die with at least one-quarter of his maximum reiatsu left (and no less than 250 reiatsu), his soul overflows with a ruby red phoenix fire that explodes outward from his core, restoring health and wholeness to his body and mind, at the cost of one-quarter of his maximum reiatsu. This explosion covers twice the area of his current Phoenix Aura, inflicting burns equal to the innermost range of the aura’s effectiveness on characters caught within it. As the explosion subsides, the flames will have restored Ambrose to a fit and fighting state, as if he were fresh to the thread (except that his Out of Hell posts and Kenpachi stamina are not refreshed. This effect can occur up to twice per thread or per eight hours (in an Adventure or Quest thread).
4) Fuel for the Fire – A guttering flame is the most dangerous. When reduced to ≤33% of his maximum reiatsu, Ambrose’s phoenix aura produces a continuous spiritual backdraft, pulling in spiritual effects for consumption. Each post, his guttering phoenix aura consumes up to 100 reiatsu from effects within it, adding the consumed figure to his own reiatsu total and dampening those effects by a commensurate figure.
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-History-
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
Current Residence: Hell
Memorable Figures: Victoria Gold, Mark Gold, Onko, Shodayu, Mitsue, Wycliff
History: It would be a lie to say that Alexander Gold was an expected child, eighteen years into the marriage of Victoria and Mark Gold, on October 31, at the stroke of midnight and under the full moon, and after an unusually short but painful labor. The event was not considered a good omen. Less so still, because when Ambrose was born, his father was outside the building, fighting back the many Hollows that had been attracted to his wife’s screams.
They had found each other during the war, nineteen years to the day before. Both had been tracking the Hollow called Guggur K, and found it at the same time, cornering it from both sides in a cluttered alleyway amid a pouring thunderstorm. Its only way out was up, but as it leapt for the sky, Victoria opened her mouth and issued forth a clear, resounding note that split the raindrops, stopped the clouds, and grounded the Hollow. Given an entire moment of stillness before the beast hit the ground, Mark caught sight of her across the alley and fell in love.
Guggur K made impact with the ground, shaking Mark out of his giddy reverie. He transformed the rifle in his hands, revealing his pride and joy– the Headhunter. Angling himself in close and low, he switched into a firing stance at the last moment and shattered its mask with a single shot, killing the Hollow in an instant. While the rifle scored another mark into the side of its own stock, Victoria saw only a handsome soldier in the rain.
Despite the unusual circumstances of his birth, Alexander lived a fulfilling, straight-and-narrow life, with a white picket fence and a 9 to 5 until he was diagnosed with cancer in his late twenties. He changed careers, taking up firefighting, and met his end trying to save a young woman in a burning apartment complex. In those final moments, when the room collapsed on top of him and the searing pain set in, he forgot himself.
When he awoke, the room was ablaze, but he couldn’t feel its heat. It was as though he were in a dream, knowing neither who he was nor why he was here. He looked down at himself, assessing his form: a young man, no older than twenty years, dressed in primarily red and redder clothing, consisting of hakama and sandals, but with no top. A black chain extended from the center of his chest, dropped down a small number of links, and then cut off partway through that last link. Confused, he took stock of his surroundings. That’s when he noticed them. There were little creatures, all over everything. Like geckos with eerie white masks on. They were watching him with interest, heads all cocked the same direction.
Otherwise, he was standing in someone’s bedroom. She was still here, huddled in the corner, crying and coughing. He tried talking to her, but she couldn’t hear him. He tried touching her, but his hand passed through her. He was confused, but he wasn’t stupid. If he wasn’t dreaming, he was dead. Unable to process the depth of his reality, he turned to leave and flee from the building, but he was stopped. A large creature occupied the doorway, humanoid with a bestial orange body, and a large white mask that covered its face completely. It breathed slowly, as if it could barely restrain itself. “You will come with me,” it instructed him.
He couldn’t say he knows what drove him, then. He didn’t go with it, but he couldn’t run. He kicked the creature, square in the center of its body and smashed it through the wall behind it. It plummeted to the ground with a mighty thud, but he was on top of it in an instant, hurtling out of the same hole as it had. As though years of rage and joy and sadness had welled up into his body, he found his catharsis in the meaty impacts of his fists and feet against its flesh. It fought back, naturally. Anything would fight for its life if it needed to, but the boy would not relent. They traded blows for several seconds. Every time the monster hit him, he could feel the pain— and the rush— hit his soul in force. It wasn’t until the creature was well and truly dead that he came to his senses. He had punched it another four times for good measure after it stopped moving, despite being sure of when it had died.
A gecko landed on his hand. It bit him and drew blood; he returned the favor in kind, snatching the tiny creature of the back of his hand and tearing off its head with a single bite. The taste of its horrendous flesh lingers on his tongue to the day. Another gecko landed on him. Then another, and another. Like they were raining from the sky, sticky-footed masked lizards began to pelt and stick to him one after another. Wherever one landed, it bit him and drew a bit more blood… a death by a thousand stings, but he would endure. Smashing them under foot, crunching their little masks between his teeth and tearing them half from half, he slaughtered his way through dozens of tiny monsters until the weight of his instincts struck him, and he fled the scene.
He persisted for days and days turned into weeks, wandering from place to place as he hunted these monsters. Their flesh sustained him, but they were few and far between, and never interested in conversation. Not that he was one for much talking, but a few words here and there couldn’t hurt, he felt. It was while tracking a particularly small Hollow that something changed in his existence. He encountered another person.
A man in black robes was tending to another, younger person in a hotel room. She glowed brightly, then turned into a little blue spot and flew off into the sky. The black-robed man turned to face him then and looked down at the sword in his hand. He didn’t need to see any more than that. He’d made up his mind how this was going to happen.
“I can tell that you’re on edge,” the man said. “My name is Onko, and this is Ember-Moon,” he indicated to the sword he was holding. “Can you tell me your name?”
He had ruminated on it, naturally. A name for a spirit who didn’t know his own identity. He’d come up with a few names while gazing into a mirror one day. “Ambrose,” he lied. It was the first thing on his list that didn’t immediately offend him, and he needed an answer fast.
Onko took a beat, as if he recognized the lie, but chose not to address it. “Ambrose,” he began. “I’m a Shinigami, and I’m here to usher you on. If you’ll permit me, I’d like to send you on to the next world now.” Ambrose nodded, letting him approach. Onko lifted his sword and gently pushed its kashira toward Ambrose’s forehead. Onko closed his eyes for only a moment, but it was all the boy needed.
He seized the sword by its handle, flipping the blade to the right and slicing with it in a single motion. Onko’s head rolled off his shoulders and hit the floor. Onko had said he was a Shinigami. There would be more of them. Whatever the next world was, it was a risk, and Ambrose wouldn’t take it. But there was a problem. Now that Onko was dead, there was nowhere to hide the body, the clothes, the weapon… he had no choice. He became the beast.
The weeks wore on. Ambrose hunted monsters day and night and kept an eye out for those black robes. Ratu, Angulin, Acrid, Snakeskin. Those were the names he’d picked out for them. The ones he’d killed and eaten, just like the first two. By his count, it was a month before the next sighting. He introduced himself similarly to the last one. “Kiyoshi Shodayu,” he said, drawing his katana.
“Does your sword have a name too?” Ambrose inquired.
Shodayu’s eyebrows perked up. “Yes, she does!” he exclaimed, clearly excited that someone had taken an interest in his weapon. He showed it off with a flourish. “This is Heavenly Inferno. She’s pleased to make your acquaintance.” He stepped toward Ambrose, who paused, raising his guard. The Shinigami assured him it wouldn’t hurt, and that he was sending him on to a peaceful, heavenly place, and that if he didn’t, Ambrose’s Soul Chain would be in danger of eating itself, turning him into a monstrous Hollow. It was important, for the survival of others, that Shodayu do this. Nodding in understanding, Ambrose slowly began to let down his guard.
Shodayu moved in much the same way as the last one. He moved in close and gently pushed the kashira toward Ambrose’s forehead. Ambrose’s foot impacted with his stomach, and in the ensuing shock and confusion, he severed the Shinigami’s head just the same as before. There was still… nowhere to hide the body or the blade. As with any beast, he did what it took to survive.
Uddagal. Lasher. Much to Ambrose’s surprise, shortly before he beat it to death with his fists, one of them introduced itself, so it was nice to know they had names for themselves, too. Hideous X. It wasn’t really the best name, but it was damn accurate. Its mask was the worst combination of human and octopus in design. He’d have to remember that convention when it came to naming them in the future. Catclaw.
Two more weeks went by, and then came the young lady. Also in black robes, she wore a belt of thickly braided rope and identified herself as Ayurigae Mitsue, and her sword was called Eternal Spark. She approached him cautiously, asking if he had met Onko and Shodayu. He feigned ignorance, asking her instead what she was doing here, and what had happened to him. She explained to him, in simple terms, the basics of souls and their transfer into Soul Society and how it was a part of the cycle of rebirth. So, he would be reborn as someone else? He’d already done that once. He wanted no part in what she had to offer. Though he did not voice that desire, she urged him to be unafraid, as if reading his thoughts.
Rather than draw her sword, Mitsue took off her belt, and the sword came with it. The blade still in its sheath, she walked toward him slowly, eyes trained on his hands and core rather than his face. This woman was looking for a fight… without a second thought, Ambrose gave it to her. As he shifted into his fighting stance, she called out to her blade, “Blaze brightly, Eternal Spark!” The katana began to leave its sheath, but Ambrose’s hand was already there. Her eyes widened.
Despite his expectations, she wasn’t as strong as he. It was a struggle, but he could manage to keep her from drawing the sword. His forehead collided with her face, and it was a fast scrap from there. She lost her grip on the katana’s hilt for just a second, but it was all the time Ambrose needed to slip his own hand into the place of hers. He drew the blade and lunged, impaling her through the core with her personal weapon. Where its shining tip entered her flesh, a lotus of flames blossomed inside her. It branded its way through her skin, leaving the pattern of an ashen flower across her burnt-out body. As with the last, then… he opened his mouth.
The Shinigami were actively hunting him, now. That was fine. The Hollows around here had stopped posing a threat. He made no attempt to run. Rather, he stood atop the tallest building he could find, impatiently walking from one corner to another, until another sword-wielding, black-clad figure arrived. It took two days.
He didn’t notice when the blond man arrived, only that he had. He didn’t notice when the other man drew his sword, only that it gleamed in the light. “Hey bro,” the stranger began. “Ya gotta move on, ya know? Ya down or do we gotta, like, square up?”
Ambrose set himself into a fighting stance. He didn’t hear what the stranger said next, but rods of light slammed into him from all sides. He tried to move, to avoid them, but his body was already held fast. Transfixed, he watched in horror as this lanky, beach blonde asshole calmly approached him, and casually ran his sword through Ambrose’s left shoulder. He withdrew the blade and likewise disabled Ambrose’s right arm. “Pretty sad ya beat Mitsue. She was fire, bro. I guess that’s yer thing, now, ya know?”
The wind rushed through the sky as the Gates of Hell emerged from behind Ambrose. The stranger’s eyebrows rose. “Oh shit! That again, huh?” He remarked. Paralyzed as he was, the poor sinner couldn’t even turn to see them. His concerns were plain on his face as the air turned red. The stranger read him and replied. “Yeah, ya kind of evil don’t go to Soul Society…” he turned away as several chains shot out from the opening Gates, wrapped around the boy’s body and pulled him into his eternal fate.
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Eternal as Hell might be, no good thing can truly last forever. Perhaps no terrible thing, either. With time and suffering and education, the man called Ambrose Grail eventually came to understand his place in the universe. He was here to be purified, so that he could be processed back into the cycle of reincarnation. For Ambrose, though, that process could not happen fast enough. In just thirty years of torture, he reclaimed his grip on his mind and soul. Unabsolved but more than willing to try, he took the initiative. To try to effect good in the world.
Years of aimless wandering bore little fruit for Ambrose. The bleakness of Hell set into his bones, but the fire inside denied it a place to stay. The more aware he became, the brighter that fire burned. He came to realize that he was a sinner, and that he was surrounded by sinners. People who had taken darkness into their hearts during their time alive. He had met so many of them, and so very few were not twisted by their time here into beings of darkness themselves.
They went by many names. Saika, hason, akki and even the rare nakabakki. Almost invariably, with the only real exception of the nakabakki, who had inherited the sins of their demonic parent, they were cruel, awful entities barely fit to be called people. Most wandered, caught in the fugue state of endless death, destruction and rebirth that Hell was wont to inflict on its inhabitants. The management here, Ambrose once mused, was truly terrible. But perhaps they weren't wrong. In all his years of wandering, Ambrose had never met another sinner who wanted nothing more than to be good again.
Eventually, he won moments of freedom. It started with finding the portals, deep in what he called the Spider Caves. They weren't real spiders, but the extensions of an akki that made its home in the caves. All legs and eyes and claws and fangs, they scrabbled up and down the caves, searching out sinners to fight, desecrate and devour. It was rare for a sinner to fight back, but since when was that going to stop Ambrose? Never. Not in this afterlife.
He left and experienced the feelings of sunlight, joy, and competition again. He left and met them. New people, bustling about in the world of the living. Though they thought lowly of him as a sinner, he understood. Something he had done in life had earned him his place in the pit, and through his excursions, it could be seen that he was avoiding his rightful punishment. Perhaps it was hubris, but he had learned from his own history: no good would ever come from helping the damned and the damnable. Or at least, this was what he thought.
It was in these Spider Caves that Ambrose found him. Von. Huge and shaggy, the dog had been found by the spiders and poisoned within an inch of his life. As if they knew exactly when to stop to keep his body seizing but alive. Someone had condemned a dog to Hell. A loyal, loving animal. Ambrose's heart overflowed with emotions, as if for the first time. It came out like a flood, and he was filled with flame and passion. How dare Hell do this? He knew what must be done, and he was willing to do it, no matter how the wicked world railed against him, no matter how destiny defied him.
Ambrose fought the spiders. He fought the akki and drove the beastly thing out. It would return, of course, as the caves were its lair, but for now, the caves were free of the spiders. He cared for Von, nursed him back to health, and took the poor beast through a portal, not knowing where it would. But fortune smiled on Ambrose that day. He found them in the Mortal World, and as the poison worked its way out of the canine's body, Ambrose came to learn that there was more to Von than met the eye.
He was not a sinner. Ambrose, against all reason and rationality, had bent open the iron bars of fate. He had finally effected a single good act in all of Hell. He had delivered Von to a place of safety. Whatever else followed, he had rescued and saved a single life. His first step on the road to redemption.
