LunarTotems/Sloth

Introduction

'Consul Logar was a horrible piece of humanity' decided Captain Gort Avram, 'sure, he may be a diplomat of the Realm, and a Dynast of the Noble Tepet family. But he was a sick creature, with tastes that could turn the hardiest soldiers stomache, playing at diplomat to keep him out of his families way.'

"Captain, how much longer is this trip going to take?"

Logars nasal voice, and effeminate whine irritated the young Captain, but he responded politely, "another night Consul, and you will be safely tucked away in the finest Inn Saris can offer you." Inwardly he added, 'and out of my hair you filthy little bastard.'

Still whining, Logar continued, "I ope this collection of mud huts you call home will atleast have a decent brothel, I haven't tasted of a womans flesh for a week."

Avrams stomache twisted as he remembered the last prostitute they had procured for the Consul.....no matter how hard he tried to forget, the images of the womans mangled face kept returning. 'I had no way of knowing what he was' he pleaded to himself, but no matter, he still felt guilty for the young harlots death and he felt as though he would never wash the stain of his compliance from his soul.

"Sir. There is a scruffy stranger standing in the middle of the road, he says, hand over the Consul or we all will die."

The incongruity of the situation caught Avram off guard for a moment, "is this stranger a Small God?"

"No, Sir, he appears to be a scruffy swordsman,he doesn't appear to have bathed lately, but his sword is clean...and Sir....there's something strange about him."

Spurring his Horse on, Avram rode to the head of the caravan to see this person for himself.

The man was indeed scruffy, his robes and skin dirty and suty, but the immensely long slender silver blade was immaculate. And, despite the easy stance, it was abvious this man was a talented bladesmaster.

Then the stranger spoke, "my name is Kaftan Hu, I have come to avenge the death of inumerable prostitutes and children at the hands of the monster you escort. Hand over the murderer, or I will be forced to kill you and your men."

Even with a squad of twenty soldiers and approximately thirty courtiers, Avram believed the stranger. "I cannot stranger, I have been told to escort the Consul to my hometown, and I cannot disobey."

The stranger nodded and said, "then, put your soul at rest Captain, for tonight you go to the heavens."

As he spoke, the stranger shifted upwards, into a warform of a Three-toed Sloth wielding a deadly moon silver blade.

And soon it was over, and the spirits of the dead were appeased.

Kaftan Hu, the Wanderer

I took most of my inspiration from Akira Kurosawas various Ronin characters, and combined it with the image of the Samaurai Sloth from Roman Dirges short piece in the Lenore series. As an added note, Sloths appear to move slowly and be animals of easy going tempers, this is an illusion, though usually calm, a Sloth when angered can move unusually fast and have immense strength.

Charms :
Finding the Spirits Shape: Three-Toed Sloth
Deadly Beastman Transformation
Sensing the Deadly Flow
Striking Mospid Method
Dance of the Living Blade
Knowing Weapon Technique
Ox Body Technique (2x-2)
Steel Paw Style
Golden Tiger Block

Sloth Form : Str 4, Stam 3, Claws, Prehensile Feet, Fangs.

Beastwoman Form : Str: +2 Dex: +1 Stam: +1, Spider Foot, Climbing, Rugged Hide.

Really the image of a Lone Wandering Sloth Samaurai, paying tribute to spirits and fighting for food just appealed to me.