Gyoki, the Morning Lion

Basic Info

Name: Gyoki
Title: The Morning Lion
Age: Unknown, known to be alive during the Shogunate era
Type: Unknown
Concept: Wizened, eccentric spymaster
Motivation: Teach others the importance of excellence.
Political Affiliation: The Hallowed Order of the Grass Spiders
Likes: Gateway, tea, gardening, a complete breakfast, the circus, marijuana, First Age architecture, excellence, beards, wisdom, Lunar Exalted, non-traditional art forms (assassination - obviously, hiking, smoking, eating, swordplay, etc.), the present
Dislikes: Inaction, compromises, the past, the future

Background

The most publicly seen of the Elite Fiends and the most or least enigmatic (depending on who you ask) of their number. Gyoki is ancient, completely senile, and does not appear to be aware of the fact that he is running Creation's most feared order of assassins. Given his heavy elemental affiliations, he is probably an extremely old Dragon-Blood, but usually agrees to whatever the first suggestion made about his nature is. If nobody offers up any ideas, he typically claims to be a Deathlord, the Kukla, or Marukani muckraker who got lost and wandered into the forest.

Whatever he is, age hasn't treated him well - Gyoki has lost a great a deal of his long-term memory and attention span. He lives entirely in the present. He has long lost track of his Order's roster - he knows only that he can count on his crew to carry out any contracts he accepts. His literal inability to live anywhere but in the moment does give him an air of enlightened wisdom - he is the ultimate ascetic, utterly unconcerned by anything that does not immediately matter. The members of the Order have learned to trust his suggestions - Gyoki is happy to provide straightforward wisdom to his assassins, and although this advice rarely considers long-term consequences or makes sense, it almost always (somehow) produces the desired short-term outcome. Despite his apparent unfamiliarity with his assassins, his mission assignments have a fortuitous way of working themselves out - somehow, the person who is right for the job always gets it (Aleni would refute this notion, although senior members would point that out that Aleni became a much better assassin after being impassioned by her defeat.)

His physical form isn't much better - he leans heavily on his walking staff at all times, and walks slowly with a hunched back. Despite his frail demeanor, he does have a mind for ruthless efficiency - befitting of a leader of the Order, Gyoki, although almost unceasingly jovial, orders brutal killings, kidnappings, and worse; almost nothing is off-limits in the name of a better kill. Although he does seem to have an encyclopedic knowledge of Creation's supernatural martial arts, he has never been known to employ them, at least not recently - even beings of Gyoki's power eventually grow too old to fight. His only known offensive tactic is the use of his (and everyone's) favorite charm - Elemental Bolt Attack. In a pinch, his staff acts as an Essence lens. He has, on various occasions, utilized blasts of all five elements, sunlight, necrotic energy, and vitriol.

Gyoki is equally shrewd and bizzare in his business dealings. Once again, his fractured mind keeps him true to the Order's cause - he is not aware of Creation's current political situation and cannot focus on any task long enough to develop any sort of an agenda. One thing he has not lost, however, is a sense of style - he has a sharp eye for what sort of tasks will engender brilliant hits and heists, and accepts or denies contracts solely on this basis. He is an absolute master of disguise (even when he doesn't seem to realize he's doing so, he meets with Factors in almost every visage imaginable), and he, along with the other Fiends, have showcased disguise powers on par with or exceeding the sneakiest Solars and Abyssals.

He thinks the Lunars are the coolest type of Exalt (this probably has something to do with their shapeshifting abilities), and will generally make a point to sit down and meet with any whom he knows are passing through the area near the range homes.