Toshiro Hakunetsu

Toshiro Hakunetsu
Profile
Status:	Alive
Age:	69
Race:	Human
Gender:	Male
Class:	Black Mage
Nation:	Yamato (Third Age) Valencia (Fourth Age)
Faction:	Clergy of Tiamat Clergy of Mardük (formerly)
Era:	Third Age Fourth Age

Abbot Toshiro Hakunetsu used to be the leading cleric of Mardük in Libaterra during the Yamatian Invasion and the Great War and acted as General Chouwa Kyouko's advisor. When Lutherin fell in the Reactor Core Explosion in the Third Age, he fled back to his homeland and witnessed the Cataclysm. He later ended up in Shipwreck Cove where he joined the Clergy of Tiamat as he no longer felt having any real purpose after Mardük's demise. Following the fall of Shipwreck Cove during the Catastrophe, Toshiro fled to the new Northern Continent and settled into Reign in Valencia where he founded Valencia's branch of the Temple of Tiamat in the Fourth Age. He continues to serve as abbot in Reign to this day.

Biography

Third Age

Early Years

Toshiro Hakunetsu was born in Yamato. He became a member of the Clergy of Mardük and followed Mardük's teachings closely. He eventually rose to the rank of Abbot and served as one of the high-ranking clerics under Distreyd Thanadar XI and later Distreyd Thanadar XII.

Distreyd Era

Aiding the Empire

"I am a servant of Mardük, but my work as such is not befitting. Neither is the work of quarrelling welcomed at this time. Finish this: Trinity Gask and the Rebels within. They should fall apart soon after, neh? We have most of the surrounding country land in our hands, so there should be no escape. Then settle this dispute as it needs be done."

—Toshiro Hakunetsu to Chouwa Kyouko and Yousei Kaizoku

After rising to power, Distreyd XII ordered Hakunetsu to lead a strike force of clerics of Mardük and Chaos Dwarves against the Clergy of Hephaestus on Falgorn, intending to finish the elven genocide the previous Distreyds had begun. The raid on the Temple of Hephaestus was successful, wiping out the High Cleric of Hephaestus and all the elves save one survivor, Schuldich Cedheros, who managed to flee the carnage unseen. After the raid, Hakunetsu's razed the temple of anything valuable, leaving only the immovable and seemingly indesctructible Forge of Creation within its depths.

As Distreyd aligned himself with Shogun Masamori Hyuga's forces in the Unification of Yamato, several high-ranking clerics of Mardük were assigned as advisors for Yamatian commanders. Hakunetsu ended up assisting Admiral Yasuo Fukuda's fleet in the Battle of Jade Sea which saw the decimation of the Blue Dragon pirate fleet.

During the Yamatian Invasion, Hakunetsu accompanied General Chouwa Kyouko and Admiral Yousei Kaizoku to Libaterra and participated in the battles there, acting as their advisor. When Trinity Gask proved to be difficult to conquer due to the actions of a mysterious hooded man and Kyouko and Kaizoku began quarrelling as a result, Hakunetsu acted as a mediator in the commanders' heated dispute. He reminded them of how important it was to work together to subdue the resisting kingdoms under the shogunate's rule. He suggested that after the conflict was over, the two commanders could fight against each other to their heart's content.

Libaterra was eventually conquered by the Yamatian forces, and Hakunetsu remained in the conquered kingdom, acting as General Kyouko's advisor while secretly promoting the dark clergy's agenda as per Distreyd's orders. He was secretly grateful that Admiral Kaizoku was assigned to Remon so he would no longer have to worry about mediating peace between the two hot-headed commanders.

Losing Faith

The Great War began a few years later, and the army of Yamato faced the Grand Alliance. When the Alliance came to liberate Libaterra, Hakunetsu was planning a way to subjugate the Sarquil who had been resisting Yamatian invasion attempts earlier. However, as word spread of the Reactor Core Explosion and the Faerfolc Rampage which left devastation in their wake, Hakunetsu chose to abandon General Kyouko's doomed forces and headed back to Yamato, only to see the Alliance's army invade his homeland not long after.

When the Cataclysm struck and Yamato fell into chaos as demons appeared and began conquering it, Hakunetsu fled. Having witnessed Mardük's demise firsthand, his faith in the god's agenda was crushed, and he realized all he had done in service of the clergy had been for nothing. He was injured during the demon rampage and ended up adrift, eventually waking up in what turned out to be Shipwreck Cove.

Hakunetsu was driven to despair now that his god Mardük and the clergy he had once served were gone, so he chose to live among the pirates who mistreated him but also tolerated him because of his skills in medicine. He found solace by drinking sake and rum, and eventually joined the only notable clergy in the Cove, the Clergy of Tiamat, to fill the hole Mardük's demise had left in his heart.

Godslayer Era

Changing Captains

Hakunetsu spent his days either serving as a cleric aboard Captain Kusotare's ship or on land drinking in many local taverns. Thanks to his socializing and drinking habits he got to know many figures in the Cove and befriended the people he drank with, including a few gaijin who had been stranded in the Cove as well.

After Kusotare had rebelled against Pirate King Kuro Tori's authority and was executed along with his crew, Hakunetsu was the only member of the rebellious crew to be spared partly because Kuro Tori wished not harm a man of his faith but also because Hakunetsu had been indifferent to Kusotare and the rogue captain's plans to begin with. Oscar Locke, who had helped bring Kusotare down, was promoted to captain and was given the task of selecting a crew for Kusotare's ship which he now owned and had renamed the Seastrider. Oscar chose to keep Hakunetsu as a cleric aboard his ship, seeing value in the man who many in the Cove had ridiculed. Hakunetsu responded positively to Oscar's show of faith, aiming to serve his new captain to the best of his abilities...although he was not going to abandon his trusty bottle either.

Hakunetsu accompanied the crew of the Seastrider as well as the fellow Blue Dragon ships called the Moldy Crow and the Morning Star to hunt down a sea serpent which had kidnapped Unithien Greyrain, a cleric who Kuro Tori desired to be brought back to him, from the Cove. While following the serpent's trail, the crew of the Seastrider came upon a stranded man, Jonathan Ferron, who had tried to go after the serpent on his own before he had been forced to swim to a small island. Oscar, recognizing Ferron as one of Unithien's companions in the Cove, took him aboard to be treated. Hakunetsu also recognized Ferron as having been a fellow cleric of Mardük but remained silent on the matter.

The voyage would lead the three ships into Devilfish Strait, a notorious, seemingly haunted location which Hakunetsu was familiar with by having heard many nautical stories and old folktales about it. Despite his misgivings and cynicism about the crews surviving the trip, he nevertheless followed Oscar and the others to the strait, praying for Tiamat's mercy although not fully believing the Goddess of the Sea would listen to his pleas anyway.

After a fierce battle against the creatures inhabiting the strait, the ships found their way into a cave in which they found Unithien in the company of someone who turned out to be a siren called Vellamo, an enchantress who used magical songs to control people and beasts in the region. Hakunetsu watched as the events in the cave unfolded and witnessed Oscar and Marcus Sarillius, who remained unaware of Hakunetsu's dark past, confront the siren while the crews attacked the sea serpents that dwelled in the cave.

Finding Faith

More info later.

Fourth Age

Interim Years

After the Catastrophe that ushered in the Fourth Age, Hakunetsu fled from the ruined Shipwreck Cove and settled into Reign on the newly formed Northern Continent. As Reign was eventually annexed into the Kingdom of Valencia, Hakunetsu was allowed to build a temple for Tiamat in the city where he served as abbot and gathered a small but dedicated following. During this time he fathered a bastard daughter, Unabara, and took her in to be raised as an acolyte although he could not bring himself to tell her about her parentage.

While serving in Reign, Hakunetsu got tangled into Emerald Legion politics as he was coerced into providing intel for the Andarian Empire who wanted to spy on Valencia via multiple moles. Hakunetsu was conflicted about his station in life but found it difficult to wrestle free from his new demon acquaintances who had the means to make him obey them if he tried to walk away.

Winds of Change

In 20 AC, Hakunetsu met with Oscar's son Osmond Cordae Locke who was inquiring him about Tiamat's whereabouts after nothing had been heard from the goddess since the encounter in Devilfish Strait. Despite being one of Tiamat's priests, Hakunetsu admitted to not knowing what his goddess had been doing for the past two decades or if it even was possible to reach her anymore. Despite his reservations, the abbot did provide Osmond with information about the legendary tidesages who might be able to help the paladin locate Tiamat if they managed to sing an ancient song of the sea from the Lebenslied tome which contained songs from many long forgotten cultures.

During the same day, Hakunetsu also met with brothers who presented themselves as representatives from the Bank of Wealthy Hands: Hans and Julius Lain. Hakunetsu sensed something strange about the pair, and his suspicions were confirmed when the pair revealed how they were aware of Hakunetsu's dealings with Emerald Legion spies and that he had fathered an illegitimate daughter who continued being oblivious of her father.

After a lengthy chat during which Hans revealed a shocking secret to Hakunetsu, the abbot realized he could not deny the pair's request for several reasons: the pair might be able to help him get rid of his connections to the Emerald Legion for good while keeping his life, and his daughter would remain unharmed as long as he cooperated while he would also receive monetary compensation to ensure a bright future for her.

Although Hakunetsu agreed to the bankers' terms, he sneaked away from the temple after their departure and headed for the Crafty Crow inn to speak with Fehr Sirius about his predicament. However, the brothers had anticipated the abbot's potential treachery and met him at the entrance as they accompanied him to the inn. Despite feeling threatened by the brothers, Hakunetsu was surprised that Hans was still willing to trust him due to believing that Hakunetsu was a man of his word who would not betray his oath lightly. Ever conflicted, Hakunetsu was let go and rushed to Fehr who heard him out. Soon after, the master of the inn called for another party to meet with him and Hakunetsu as he believed Hakunetsu and the other party could help one another out in their respective quests.

Aliases and Nicknames

Abbot

What he was called in the Clergy of Mardük and is still called among pirates of the Cove and as head of Tiamat's clergy in Reign.

Appearance

After departing from Shipwreck Cove, he has begun wearing loose and dirty clothes with a mix of blue and black, signifying his shifting position in two clergies. The years and heavy drinking have had their toll on him, making his beard, moustache and eyebrows grey prematurely. Most of his hair is still black, though, and his eyes are a shade of grey, blurry yet still somewhat observant.

Personality and Traits

Calm and polite, Hakunetsu is a natural mediator. Unbeknownst to most he secretly promoted his first clergy's agenda by using Yamato for what Distreyd had in mind for it. After the Cataclysm and the Catastrophe, his demeanour has changed. He is now often seen drunk, preaching to people on the street who either ignore him or make fun of him. Despite his shortcomings, he has proven himself to be an adequate cleric who has kept the Clergy of Tiamat active for decades while gaining a small but dedicated following.

Powers and Abilities

Hakunetsu is an above average black mage with knowledge of the arcane. He also has some knowledge in herbology, one of the reasons why he was not gutted outright after ending up in Shipwreck Cove, as the pirates often used his skills to heal their hangover.

Relationships

Chouwa Kyouko

Kyouko tolerated Hakunetsu and listened to his advice even though he felt the cleric was a weakling compared to his warriors. Hakunetsu often acted as a diplomat to cool down the sparks of anger between Kaizoku and Kyouko and was rather successful in it.

Jonathan Ferron

Hakunetsu knew Ferron who was once a high-ranking cleric of Mardük like he was. Both of them had chosen different paths after Mardük's demise, however, but both knew that the past had a way of affecting the present.

Oscar Locke

Hakunetsu got along with Oscar and appreciated Oscar's straightforwardness. Oscar likewise seemed to acknowledge Hakunetsu's skills and trusted that the abbot would do his part in his crew.

See also

• Chouwa Kyouko
• Jonathan Ferron
• Oscar Locke
• Raid on the Temple of Hephaestus