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Aomori Himiko

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Just finished my midterms and projects!  So I did something quick before starting on the next batch of raffle prizes.

This is another old pencil drawing I did back in late 2011 that I cleaned up and enhanced in photoshop with new shading and a spiffy background. This is the other drawing that pairs with the Noel piece I updated last year:
[Twelve Guilds] Noel Levoisier by RobotCatArt

Himiko is the second main heroine  from my 12 Guilds world, and probably served as my 'muse' for the longest time, even more so than Noel.  I probably have done over 100 pieces of her in various forms and outfits...and maybe I'll update some of those later too although some will NEVER see the light of day!

Unlike Noel whos character and background I never quite settled on, Himiko's concept was finalized early on and as I made large changes to the world building her character simply evolved along with it, rather than go through re-designs every year as in Noel's case.  

-----INCOMING GIGANTIC WALL OF TEXT-----

The 12 Guilds world was heavily influenced by the Ravnica set from Magic the Gathering. If you're not familiar with Magic or that particular set in general, think Coruscant but with a blend of highly advanced science and magic. Like in Ravnica, the 'civilized' world is run by a number of Guilds that supersede governments, although in a few cases the Guild has become the government. The various guilds are influenced by notable cultures from Earth's history, although in some cases the mash-ups don't quite make a lot of sense given Earth's history, but that's intentional as a plot point.  For example, Eisura, the Guild that Himiko and Sui (the male hero) originate from is a combination of Chinese and Japanese culture while Jolr, Noel's origin, is a mix of late Roman culture combined with the European Renaissance. 

On the surface Himiko is my 'imouto' archetype character of the non-blood related kind (heresy, I know).  She has a really close sibling like relationship with Sui, partly due to the fact that they grew up together (imouto AND osananajimi??!!) but also due to the fact that they're both exiled from Eisura. In Himiko's case, the reason was taking the fall for her older sister's betrayal.

The Aomori Clan was one of the Four Guardian Clans of Eisura, and one of the oldest, tracing their origin back thousands of years to its original founding.  It is one of the Five Guilds that belong to the Western Federation of Guilds, who are engaged in a cold war with the Jolran Empire and its allies (Think NATO vs USSR). the major families of Eisura has a closely guarded ritual where the consolidated mana core and all developed techniques could be transferred directly from one mage to another, so the successive generations of the Four Guardian families have produced the strongest mages in the world, with the Aomori's unbroken lineage reigning supreme. The potency of the Four Guardian Leaders is what allowed Eisura to retain their position amongst the Western Federation, despite Eisuran territory consisting of only a few small islands far removed from the main mega-continent the rest of the Guilds reside on.  

Aomori Setsuna, Himiko's older sister, is a once in a millennium prodigy.  She pushed the limits of Metallurgic, Electric, and the Phase lines of magic, and was a master in the legendary Aomori sword techniques. When she succeeded the previous Clan Leader and gained the mana core and knowledge of the Aomori lineage the Western Federation believed the would finally be able to topple the Jolran Empire, as the recent death of the Jolran Emperor splintered the Empire as his sons fought for successorship.  Seizing the opportunity, the combined coalition of the Western Federation pierced through the Jolran defenses, but they were stopped just outside the Jolran capital, as the remaining Jolran forces rallied behind their new Emperor, the war of succession having ended just before the Western Federation was able to seize victory.  It was at this moment Setsuna defected to the Jorlan Empire, and turned the tides of battle, allowing Jolr to push the Western Federation back out of the Empire, even annexing additional territories before the final cease-fire.

For this act of treason, the main branch of the Aomori Clan was stripped of their position and wealth, and banished from Eisura as well as the rest of the Western Federation Guilds. With nowhere else to go the clan had to seek refuge in Soraccio, an neutral Guild situated on a floating city (as well as where the main story takes place).  Of course nothing is free, and in exchange for the Aomori Clan's asylum Himiko was forced to become Soraccio's tool as and experimental subject.

At her core Himiko is driven her desire to confront her sister over her betrayal.  To Himiko, Setsuna was almost like a god, so her betrayal completely shattered her world. As the only remaining successor for the family, the responsibilities of shouldering her family's burdens have all fallen to Himiko.  The Aomori Clan who Himiko was once so proud of became the chains that bound her to the path of revenge.  

Whenever Himiko is not working with Soraccio or making money to support the clan, she's training to surpass Setsuna. However, unlike her sister, Himiko is untalented.  Her swordsmanship is rough and her affinity for magic is poor, and with the powerful Aomori lineage residing in Setsuna, Himiko would have no hope of ever challenging her sister if not for the unprecedented size of her mana core.  What she lacks in technique or ability, she is able to make up in pure power output. It is also this special attribute of Himiko that Soraccio is interested in researching and developing.  

Himiko's fighting style is extremely rough compared to most of the reputable mages in 12 Guilds.  The Aomori lineage has traditionally specialized in the Metallurgic line of magic.  Setsuna's signature magic was pulling metal from her surroundings, and even the earth itself, and transforming them into elegantly crafted sword missiles. Himiko developed her magic while trying to imitate her sister, but her swords are more like large jagged slabs due to her poor control. While the famed Aomori sword style is known for its elegance, Himiko could only perform the motions, useful only for fighting low level opponents.  As battles against more experienced and capable opponents drag on, Himiko relies more and more on just her raw mana ouptut. Her mana enhanced body has nearly instant regeneration, and combined with her monstrous strength she ends becoming a berserker, throwing skill out the window and relying on pure instinct.  At that point she doesn't even bother using magic through technique, but rather the metals around her become bond to her overflowing mana, enveloping her body in an endless spiral of barbed shards and lashing out at enemies with seemingly animal-like sentience.  Its a very unelegant way of fighting, and would dishonor the Aomori name further, but to reach a level where she could confront her sister she has no other alternatives.

Oh, and she's also an idol for some reason XD  I think the reasoning I made up was because she needs a lot of money and this being a PG-13 story idol seemed most appropriate.  It's not very well integrated into my world building though...
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