Name : Kurenai Mashin (aka. Mokurei)
Race : Elf of the Hayashi (Forest) Clan
Age : 20 (in elven years)
Hair color : crimson
Eye color : originally yellow, now colorless
Weight : 133 lb
Height : 5.4"

Weapon : Katana, Shinobi blade (assassin's dagger)
Element : Fire

Personality : Prior to Mokurei's birth, there existed a tenuous truce between the two ruling Elven Clans: the Hayashi (Forest Elves) and the Sougen (Plains Elves). However, shortly after Mokurei was born, the peace was shattered by a terrible act of betrayal committed by a single Sougen Elf named Glothinel, which resulted in the beginning of the Black Genesis War. The War lasted a decade before it was ended by the sacrifice of Mokurei's mother, Lady Shialla.

Growing up, Mokurei felt spurned by the rest of the Hayashi community for his inability to fight in the War. For Mokurei, his blindness was a weakness that made him a burden to the Clan. Following his mother's death, Mokurei felt that his inability to fight forced his mother to sacrifice her own life ... a sacrifice that Mokurei knew would have fallen to him if he had been able to fight on his own. Filled with self-loathing and an overwhelming desire to repent for his failures, Mokurei broke a cardinal rule of the Clan and left Hayashi lands before he became of age. By doing so, he abandoned all his ties to Clan life and was denounced and forgotten by all but a handful of elves.

Some years later, Mokurei resurfaced as the Kurenai Mashin, one of the most feared members of the Shouten Assassin Guild, one who has never been defeated in battle. His abilities are surrounded by superstition, for rumor has it that anyone who utters his name will die by his hand.

Name : Itaka
Race : Elf of the Sougen (Plains) Clan
Age : 29 (in elven years)
Hair color : blonde
Eye color : blue
Weight : 140 lb
Height : 6.2"

Weapon : Chokoriden staff
Element : Water

Personality : The breadth of Itaka's irrepressible cheerfulness is surpassed only by the size of her stomach. Having grown accustomed to the regular meals in her Sougen village, Itaka is hard pressed to survive the meagre meals she is able to scrape together on her own. Having been an uncharacteristically atrocious Hunter (she always preferred to beat things over the head than to stabbing them), Itaka had been consigned to the duties of a Healer. This compromise, while contrary to family tradition, was acceptable until the recent curse. This curse, Thamona's Taint, destroys the natural order of Sougen magic, forcing the spell caster to expend an inordinate amount of energy to cast even the simplest of spells. Many Sougen have died after having pushed themselves to the limits of their magic.

Along with many others, Itaka began researching ways to defeat Thamona's Taint. One day, she stumbled upon a piece of an ancient map, which she is convinced will lead her to Anubell's Tear, a legendary (some say mythic) artifact containing ancient Sougen magic. This magic, Itaka believes, will have the ability to reverse the curse. The leaders of the Sougen clan, however, are unconvinced, which leaves Itaka alone in her determination to seek out the Tear.

Magic : Healing magic. Usually fairly powerful, but now limited by Thamona's Taint. Casting spells saps from her an enormous amount of energy, and so Itaka keeps her casting to a minimum knowing that any consistent use of her magic might one day kill her.

Name : Takura
Race : Elf of the Hayashi (Forest) Clan
Age : 26 (in elven years)
Hair color : white
Eye color : turquoise
Weight : 129 lb
Height : 5.4"

Weapon : Illusionary magic

Element : Spirit

Personality : Takura is a trickster. He can often be seen with a mischievous grin across his face as he plots against some unfortunate soul. However, because he is a Prince of the Hayashi Clan, Takura is never punished for his various misdeeds. Takura uses his free reign to playfully wreak havoc upon everyone in the Clan, except, of course, upon his father. The King, aware of Takura's lack of discipline, often burdens his son with unsavory and secret missions in order to instill a sense of discipline and duty in his unruly son.

Magic : Takura is the Master of Illusions. While his magic in this area is unsurpassed, Takura confines his casting to tricks and humor. Though his father has attempted to convince him to use his magic to spy on the Sougen, Takura steadfastly refuses to do so.

Hogosha : Takura's hogosha (= protector), Kiri. is a baby WhiteFox. Like Takura, Kiri enjoys devoting his time to disturbing the lives of others. As they grew up together, their bond grew so close that Takura's once black hair turned white to match the color of Kiri's fur. Such symmetry of appearance is the ultimate sign of the bond between master and hogosha. Like all hogoshas, Kiri can only be heard by his master, through a bond that mimics telepathy.

Name : Daitsu
Race : Elf of the Hayashi (Forest) Clan
Age : 23 (in elven years)
Hair color : violet
Eye color : crimson
Weight : 127 lb
Height : 5.6"
Element : Ice

Personality : Daitsu is the Third Hikagura Prince. At a young age, he began his training as the protector of the Hayashi Clan. Daitsu can rarely be seen around the villages, for he prefers to train with his hogosha on the outskirts of Hayashi territory. He is determined and stubborn, but unlike his brothers, Daitsu rarely questions his father's decisions.

Magic : Daitsu is a virtually genius when it comes to magic, and he knows it. His ability to cast offensive and defensive ice element magic is unsurpassed.

Hogosha : Daitsu's hogosha goes by the name of Mishiru. A large, cat-like creature, Mishiru acts as Daitsu's protector, trainer and friend. Unlike Takura, Daitsu's bond with his hogosha is not as strong. Despite all his efforts to forge a tight bond with Mishiru, it is not inherent in Daitsu's nature to befriend another ... even his hogosha. Daitsu realized this truth at an early age, and in the face of Takura and Kiri's close friendship, Daitsu was determined to do whatever was necessary to achieve the ultimate bond with his hogosha - even if only as a pretense. So as a child, Daitsu had jewels impressed upon his forehead, so that he and Mishiru would forever be linked by a common bond. Some might regard this as being obsessive, but as son of the Hayashi King and destined protector of his people, Daitsu believes it his duty and responsibility to strive for perfection.

Name : Hyouden ("hyouden" = "field of eternal snow")
Race : Elf of the Hayashi (Forest) Clan
Age : 31 (in elven years)
Hair color : white gold
Eye color : sky blue
Weight : 150 lb
Height : 5.8"
Element : Water

Personality : Hyouden possesses the pale beauty of freshly fallen snow, but carries a firey passion for his people. The successor to the Hikagura throne, Hyouden struggles with the Machiavellian order of the King. Despite his ideological disagreement over his father's decisions, however, Hyouden's sense of honor compels him to fulfill the role of the dutiful son, and remain ever loyal to his father. Though he might question his father's decisions, in the end, he usually acquiesces.

Magic : Hyouden controls the element of water. He generally doesn't like using magic as a weapon. He feels that magic is better used to improve that quality of the villagers' lives when necessary. However, he often spars with Daitsu and is rarely defeated, proving that his control of magic is strong, no matter what he uses it for.

Hogosha : Being of royal Hayashi blood, Hyouden has a protector, or Hogosha, bound to his service. Hyouden's Hogosha takes the form of a snow owl who bears the name "Xiekaifuru". Xiekaifuru, with the boundless patience and practical wisdom of an ancient being, regards Hyouden's conflicts with his father as being rather rash and unnecessary.

Name : Tiall'eyn
Race : Elf of the Hayashi (Forest) Clan
Age : 125 (in elven years)
Hair color : white gold
Eye color : crimson
Weight : 155 lb
Height : 5.9"
Element : Earth

Personality : The King is the second oldest Hayashi elf, after Pokata. His rule is unrelentingly severe, and his word is the utmost law. Fortunately, he has left the mundane duties of royalty to his sons, thus the Clan rarely suffers the King's wrath. He has a vengeful nature, and focuses all his energies on fighting old battles until he can claim utter victory. Much to the dismay of Hyouden and Takura, the King continues to plan for a war against the Sougen Elves, dismissing the fact that the last battle was fought decades ago, and that the Sougen have shown no signs of hostility since.

Magic : The magic of the Hayashi Clan is closely tied together with their hogosha. Since Tiall'eyn hogosha died, he has not been seen using magic, so it it doubtful whether he still has control over his power.

Hogosha : Tiall'eyn's Hogosha died when he was a child. The King refuses to speak about her, and forbids any questions concerning the subject. The only thing known about the King's Hogosha is that she was an avian type, for her perch still stand next to the King's throne, as if in reminder of what he lost. For his sons, the seemingly sentimental object stands jarringly at odds with the King's calculating nature. The only Elf who could possibly shed light on the story of the King's Hogosha is Pokata, but she gave the King her word that she would never divulge the tale.

Name : Sagituro (Turo)
Race : Elf of the Hayashi (Forest) Clan
Age : 14
Hair color : turquoise
Eye color : purple
Weight : 125 lb
Height : 5.5"

Personality : An inquisitive elf by nature, Turo is forever inventing things without thinking about the consequences. Though he has seen much in his relatively short life, having lived through the Black Genesis War, Turo always looks at the positive side of any situation, and is often quick to take advantage of it. He enjoys causing mischief and rebelling against his grandmother, Pokata, who has taken care of him ever since his parents were killed in the Black Genesis War.

Name : Loki
Race : Cat-like humanoid
Age : 42 human years
Hair color : white
Eye color : yellow
Weight : 172 lb
Height : 6.3"
Element : Light

Personality : Loki is a mysterious cat-like creature who is very whimsical in nature. He is very selfish and feels no sympathy for others. To him, life is a game, and those who can't play the game should just stay out of his way.

Magic : Loki manipulates light in order to disappear and reappear at will. He can also manipulate the emotions of those around him and make them see things that aren't really there. His most common use of this ability is to make people see what they fear most.

Name : Tyranis
Race : human
Age : 29
Hair color : black
Eye color : black
Weight : 167 lb
Height : 5.7"
Weapon : Double Broadswords

Personality : Tyranis follows the idealistic code of honor once held by knights of old. He never makes a promise lightly, and those who know him know that he can be trusted to keep his word, no matter what. He is childhood friend of Katrina L'ytiannel, a spoiled young lady whose father accedes to virtually every one of her whims. She left home on one of those whims, and she was permitted to leave only because her father made Tyranis promise to protect her.

Though he is very mature and practical and comes from a family of fighters, Tyr is rather directionless. He's a skilled and honorable fighter when skill and honor aren't attributes that people consider important any more. He's been working for Katrina's father for most of his life, confined to a single swath of land. When Katrina decided to leave home, she gave Tyranis an opportunity to escape the little box he'd lived in for so long.