Raven Chainheart



Raven is a Rikr Vigamadr of Einherjar, serving under Sephiro. He is known or his loyalty, and his brazen fighting style, becoming the "True Reaper of the Wold of the Living". He has served Einherjar for a little over a decade. He is usually seen as an estranged young man, searching for more power to avenge his only childhood friend and bloomed lover, Hato Lightsoul.

Appearance
Raven wears half of his shinigami uniform under a thick black cloak, custom made and fitting to his title as Reaper. He has a shoulder length cape, held together by a white belt with a skull symbol buckle. Instead of the normal sandals a Gotei officer wears, Raven wears short leather boots. He can be seen as a Western version of a Death God, being a shinigami and Grim Reaper-esk persona. He has a scar on his left cheek, and a scar on his left hand, both from the severe burning from Thailog. The rest of his body is heavily bandaged by gauze, covering his remaining scars from the hellfire burning.

Personality
Raven is quiet for the most part, preferring to silence himself in a conversation. When he does talk, he has a stoic type of voice, keeping it to a bored tone. If you peak his intrest, he will take more of a cocky, arrogant approach. If you can push him, only then will he treat people with respect, going all out til the final blow. He is philosophical and metaphorical, speaking

History
The Beginning

Raven was a humble soldier, working as a gravekeeper in Rukongai. He seldom took missions, only enough to keep him within the unseated officer rank. One mission led him to the graveyard in the human world, where he had to absolve a group of deranged Bounts. After this mission, he sensed presences in the mountains off in the distance, and quickly tracked it down. He was greeted by Jadan and Kazura, who were living in the remote lanscape. Raven inquired them, only recieving threats. Shortly, they were encountered by Thailog, the Legendary Rage of Purgatory. Raven foolishly asks Thailog of his name, becoming the recieving end of the Demon's rage. Jadan attacks Thailog, only to be swatted away, like a fly. Thailog challenges them to a fight, saying that they only have three chances to attack him. Raven and Jadan try to talk out of it, but this only tempted the Demon, saying "So... attacking with words? That's two chances gone then." Raven decides to escape, and uses the Senkai Gate to retreat. Once at the Seireitei, Hato greets him, asking him why he looks exhausted. He tells her the tale, only to recieve scorn for his cowardice. He returns to the mountain, to atone for this cowardice. He sacrifices himself to Thailog, asking for Jadan and Kazura to be free. Thailog laughs, and takes them to Fukumaden, the Abode of Demons.

Hope to Despair

Once Thailog takes them to Fukumaden, he orders them to clean it spotless. Thailog makes Kazura the leader of the ragtag group, taking no time to imasculate Raven for incompetency. They work on cleaning it for several days, practicing in between breaks. After a week or so into their janitorial tasks, Thailog calls them to order. He makes them Jackals, and ask for their emotions in combat. Raven chooses Hope, for he learns that the Gotei Thirteen have done nothing to protect the human city of Karakura. He vows to make them see that the only way to have true hope is to go through agonizing despair. He would be the hope for his allies, and the despair to his enemies. He leaves, gathering ancient armor to protect himself. Soon he is found and branded a traitor to the Court Guards, and is attacked several times. Raven then goes to the ruined city of Karakura, running into Sephiro, the masked Bount ninja. He inquires to Sephiro, who then places his sword to Raven's throat. Sephiro asks Raven to get him to Soul Society. Raven opens up a Garganta, granted to him by Thailog for a more convieniant travel way. Sephiro goes to Soul society, despite Raven's warnings of the Gotei Thirteen. Raven leaves for Hueco Mundo, bored of himself. He runs into Jadan and Kazura, who are rebuilding Los Noches for themselves. Raven offers his hand, but shortly after, they are greeted by the X-Laws, led by Van. Kazura tries to escape, but is cut off. Raven then takes the message to Thailog, who dispatches the X-Laws quickly. Once the X-Laws retreat, Thailog scorns the Jackals, telling them to return to Fukumaden immediatly. Raven dallies in the world of the living for a while before returning. Thailog punishes them for their cowardice, and not providing him with entertainment. Raven stands up against Thailog, only to be consumed by hellfire. Raven cringes from the pain. Either by illusion from the pain, or by his connection to her, Hato appears in a faint spirit, disappearing after Ravenreaches for her. He screams, claiming to return to her. Thailog laughs at this, saying he has the greatest potential, and renames Raven into Despair. Raven is given time to recover from the wounds, which then he leaves to got to the desert and the jungle, to get out of his funk. He returns more darkly than normal, wearing a helm to cover his face.

The Start of Einherjar
Raven returns to Fukumaden, seeing a new member with them. Sephiro the Bount ninja, now known as Pain. Thilog tells them they will be invading Soul Society, to stur them up. They had remained complacent. When arriving in Rukongai, Thailog pairs up Sephiro and Raven to go one way, the other in another. Sephiro and Raven encounter weak attack forces, which gave them time to talk. Sephiro challenged Raven, asking him his purpose. Raven tells him that his cowardice had been his sin, and to become what Soul Society should be was his goal. Sephiro retorts, saying "People are capable of kindness beyond angels, yet we also commit sins that would put a demon to shame... " Sephiro turned Raven from a despair/hope prophet of death to something Raven wanted to be... a beacon of hope. After the invasion was a success, Raven led Hato from the Seireitei, and abandoning the Warriors of Purgatory. He finds Sephiro, and asks to join him, for Raven wanted to better himself. The words Sephiro said in the Soul Society changed Raven, looking for the right path to his goals. Sephiro was that path. Raven begins training with Sephiro, guarding the city from within and without. He became known with Sephiro. He had found a father figure and friend. Soon, Raven introduced Kuraitoru Yakedo, and Ex-Captain Commander and Captain of First Division, to Sephiro. Soon, many challenges and battles were overcame, and Sephiro, with a handfull of others, soon became Einherjar, an elite, tight knit group of individuals that protects the city, and defends it from the outsides planes.

Envy and Despair
Raven lives a peace filled life

Powers and Abilities
Captain Level Reiatsu- Raven has the same amount of reiatsu as a Captain class shinigami. His reiatsu also has the feeling of despair, and in large concentrated amounts, slow decomposition. On rare occasions, the reiatsu can take a physical form of burning black and white wings. He can also use it to cause a curse mark on an opponent to sap their movement.

Swordsmenship Expert- Raven has skilled uses with his sword, capable of defending against Vice Captains. Raven's style typically revolves around wide sweeping and hooking.

Shunpo Expert- Raven is highly proficient in shunpo, using it in combat frequently to attack the enemy at high speeds. He can also travel long distances with almost little effort.

Adept Strategist- Raven, though reckless in certain situations, has shown to think of mulitple counters and planning in his moves. He also is hard to trick over, picking out details to opponent's powers, as seen when fighting Keitaro's clones.

Kido Expert- Raven knows and uses kido spells up to #88, some of them without incantations. His favorite is Hado # 88.

Zanpakto
Shikyo no Tenshi- The blade is the shape of a katana. The cutting edge is pure black, and the dull back is pure white. The guard is a gold bracer. The hilt is blood red, and the end has a long, black cloth ribbon.

Shikai - (Rot, Shikyo no Tenshi, Angel of Death) Once the release incantation is said, the zanpakto makes a dramatic change. It transforms into a scythe. The heel of the scythe has three skulls, each with some gruesome symbols: One wears an iron crown (Death by Cause), One with a blindfold (Death by Emotions), and one with an iron ball in it's mouth (Death by False Accusations). The chine of the scythe has a jutting part, to increase damage. The snath is pure white and curved, and the butt has a short blade, to stab foes while they are on the ground, or for stabbing.

Rotting of flesh- Whatever the scythe cuts causes decomposition of flesh, festering afterwards with necrosis. Einherjar members know of the rotting, and are nervous of it. Kuraitoru has noted several times that the rotting ability is "Truly frightening".

Bankai - (Daiougaikarite Shikyo no Tenshi, King Reaper Scythe Angel of Death) The scythe transforms, making four chines, two facing forward for thrusting, while the other two are normal. They are helf firm by an elongated ring for stability. The snath is straightened, ending with a spear point.

Total Decomposition- The rotting power of the scythe increases a hundred fold, able to rot anything short of hellfire. It breaks down anything it touches to it's lowest state (Fire into sparks, stone to sand, plants die, etc.)