Shigenoi "Mariko" Kateko
Storm-Stranded
Geisha of the Fist of Nippon
Agent of the Court of the Silver Censer
Description
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 120 lb.
Ethnicity: East Asian
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Long elaborate black
Clothing: Gold and crimson ethnic
Comportment/Cadence: Bashful
Distinctions: A dreamy Japanese flower, this lovely young woman was clearly taken in her prime; her garb, from the houmangi-styled kimono she wears to the wig and make-up, indicate she was (is?) geisha
Supernatural Qualities: Something vibrant about the young lady seems to light up her entire Haunt or anywhere else she goes, even as striations of white and black pass over her Corpus, and yet a quiet and lonely breeze seems always to blow nearby
Accoutrements: Light jewelry, white-jade tanto
Traits: Appearance 5 (beautiful); Style 4 (ethnic); Bright; Death's Sigil: quiet breeze (1)
"I lived my life for love. I still exist. Nothing has changed. Nothing."
History
Date of Birth: January 2nd, 1986
Home: Miyagawacho, Gion, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Honshu, Japan
Family: Yoshida Masu and Sakai Seki (parents)
Death: Personal Tragedy (born into a hanamachi in the "red-light" district in Japan, she was groomed from birth to become geisha, her "professional" name was inherited from her "older sister" geiko who helped train her; her primary danna patron was Shusen, who sponsored her expensive maiko materials and education and room & board; he always treated her well and visited her often, and the shy maiko fell for him; he purchased her mizuage and took her out of the okiya and home with him to Little Asia; there she lived with him more like a wife than a mere courtesan, and while the revelations of shen frightened her, as did the strange if cozy place in which he dwelled, she remained faithful and certain he would always protect her from the monsters, which he did...right up until he failed; spectres stole into his Sanctum and drained her life away while she slept), 2008
Mentor: Shusen
The Test: Trial by Influence (Shusen himself Reaped her, proving he was a powerful necromancer; he taught her how to exist as a wraith, and reassured her that he'd already taken revenge in her name, obliterating numerous dark spirits; if anything, this new existence scared Mariko even more)
Comrades: Shusen
Key Event #1: Awe & Wonder (between her Arcanoi and his magick, their relationship easily picked back up where it left off, with barely any interruption such that she felt like she had barely even died)
Transition: Shift in Nature (they renewed their vows to each other, both of love and protection, promising to protect each other and never betray each other, an oath she hoped she could maintain)
The P'o
Appearance: Mariko is haunted by how her P'o portrays itself as her happy and "normal", just an ordinary Japanese girl, at least as to how she imagined that life would be.
Trigger: Whenever she lacks solid foreknowledge of an impending conflict.
The Empty Hall (Haunt)
Location: Little Asia, Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Structure: Bunker
Stock: A mausoleum that her danna, the shinta Shusen, has taken as his Sanctum and modified into a macabre but quite livable place, where she dwelled while alive and now does still.
Traits: Haunt 4
Artifacts & Relics
Tanto (Relic)
Appearance: A common and sharp white-jade Japanese dagger given to her by the Fist of Nippon
Origin: Gift
Significant Other
Name: Shusen, 2004
Nature: Romantic
Shusen
Weakness
Devoted Courtesan
Contrary to popular belief, geisha particularly from wealthy areas like Kyoto were not prostitutes but entertainers, musicians and/or dancers. If they chose to sleep with anyone, it was purely by their own choice, like any independent woman. Only when and where times were especially rough did geisha have to prostitute themselves out just to survive (more commonly found in small resort towns). So, when Mariko swears her heart to Shusen, she means it. With all attendant baggage.
Likelihood of Corruption
Low.
Now that she is no "mere" mortal, she can protect herself better, and Shusen has become far more protective of her, too. Furthermore, he has begun helping her learn how to meditate and defeat her own P'o.
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Coalition of Little Asia
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