CHARACTER

Name: Cyrus Blaze

Age: 18, Born 19th of Saule

Species and Gender: Male Peafowl Faunus

Symbol:

Occupation: Beacon First Year student, wannabe punk rock star

Appearance: Cyrus is a mountain of a man, almost seven feet tall and the thick layers of muscles under his tanned skin gives the Huntsman in training a very imposing physique. Surprisingly, however, that isn't Cyrus's most prominent feature. That would go to the massive azure coloured wings that dominate his back and profile. Mostly an iridescent blue the pinions are dotted with feathers similar to those found on a peacock's tail. Cyrus has no tattoos but a fair amount of scarring dotting his arms and chest, few deep but enough to make it clear Cyrus means business. Or he is just clumsy.

Regardless it is hard to miss the mass of scars as Cyrus rarely wears a lot of clothes. An unbuttoned leather vest adorned with a whole host of patches, metal spikes, two slits for Cyrus’s wings and his symbol in red printed on the back are all the Faunus wears on his upper body. Other than that Cyrus wears a pair of heavy-duty boots, with a deep rubber sole for extra grip while taking off and landing as well as a pair of tight faded blue jeans. Cyrus’s outfit doesn’t change much when expecting a fight and will leave the jacket and shirt unbuttoned if forced to wear the school uniform.

Red hair, styled into a mohawk leaving the sides tapered caps Cyrus’s handsome face reaching to the base of his head. Deep green eyes provide a stark colour contrast but Cyrus often hides them behind a pair of dark sunglasses. Cyrus has surprisingly good posture considering how lacking in discipline he is in other aspects although this is more because of how much he enjoys looming over people than any sort of military precision. Likewise, despite being a talented singer Cyrus has quite a harsh and loud voice with a preference for colourful curses.

A short time on stage has taught Cyrus some skill at using makeup which he utilises for subtle applications of eyeliner and eyeshadow to make his appearance more striking although not always more attractive. Similar is Cyrus’s take on jewellery, fingers and ears heavy with various skull-faced rings, all worn but most of all those on his index finger due to Cyrus’s bad habit of gnawing on them. Cyrus also almost always has a hand-rolled cigarette tucked behind his ear with the only exception being if he is smoking it.

History: In many ways Cyrus was born to be a warrior. Huntsman parents, several older siblings already going down the same path as well as a home life punctuated by years of brutal training but in the beginning, it was music that the Peacock Faunus had fallen in love with. Naturally, this was a great disappointment to his family and they had prepared a great big speech to remind Cyrus of all the good he could do as a Huntsman, the duty of the strong and the great pride of service but they never had the opportunity to give it. At fourteen years old Cyrus ran away from home, using all the skills taught to him by his family and leaving only a five-word goodbye letter. ‘See ya, won’t be back.’

At the start it was pretty rough, a highly-skilled kid wandering the streets of Vale with little more than a guitar, a fair few personal problems and a burning passion to play wasn’t exactly prime band material but Cyrus found ways to get by. His large size allowed him to pass himself off as someone older and he worked various part-time jobs from janitor to fry cook while sleeping at homeless shelters until he made enough friends to couch surf. A talented musician, powerful presence, a flashy semblance as well as more than a few fights to his name meant that after a couple of months Cyrus started to make a name for himself and through that find spots in bands. The fact Cyrus was still basically a kid and therefore fairly easy to exploit didn't hurt. It wasn’t anything special and basically just a step above a garage band but they played shows and that was all Cyrus wanted. Unfortunately, these bands never stuck together long, the hours required and poor if any payment made burnout a real risk but Cyrus kept at it, plugging holes in their band, fusing with others or being forced to join a completely new band on three separate occasions. Enter the Valish Irregulars.

It wasn’t that the Irregulars were that much more talented musicians than some of the other bands Cyrus had played with so far but they knew the game a lot better. How and when to record, where to sell and how to market themselves to record labels were all skills that Cyrus lacked, and still does in fact. The Peacock Faunus had grown a lot in the past year and continued to fill out as he spent all his free time practising music or swordcraft and working out which made him a natural fit for the Valish Irregular aesthetic. Wannabe Huntsman thugs; violent and loud, quick to anger and capable of incredible stupidity, the Irregulars boomed in popularity with the addition of their new lead guitarist.

It was here that Cyrus was given his weapon, ‘The Sixth Major,’ a large black and red electric guitar with an inbuilt amp and an equally large twin sword form. Cyrus didn’t care for the Huntsman aesthetic, only really going along with it because it sold but he did take some joy in perverting the warrior ideal that his family and society at large held so much stake in. Cyrus was with the Irregulars for two years and in that time they produced four albums, doing small tours around most of Vale, but also occasional forays into the other kingdoms. It was a good time for Cyrus, they weren’t famous enough to be earning large amounts of money but it was enough that he could quit his part-time job and focus on the music and fighting. Part of the Irregulars aesthetic meant that they had to at least look like they could hold their own in a fight and this role was quickly taken over by Cyrus who started teaching his bandmates all he knew about fighting.

On the way back from their most successful tour yet the ship carrying the Irregulars, their equipment as well as another 100 souls was attacked by a horde of Grimm. The Huntsman guards managed to secure the most crowded areas and prevent the Grimm from sinking the boat but Cyrus and the rest of the Irregulars were doing what they do best, something stupid. Fooling around in the engine room the band were too drunk to care about the sirens going off and when the Grimm finally found them it was a blood bath. Or it would have been if Cyrus hadn’t thrown himself towards the surging Grimm and sealed the door behind him with his semblance. All things considered, Cyrus fought well, leaving several of the aquatic Grimm in pieces and others burnt to a crisp but it wasn’t enough and soon Cyrus was overwhelmed, only the arrival of one of the Huntsman guards saved his life that day.

Cyrus’s injuries were extensive, it took him four months to regain consciousness and even with all that time the doctors still couldn’t heal all of his wounds. The worst injuries were to his wings, his pride and joy. The Grimm had broken the already delicate bones in too many places for them to naturally heal so the entire skeletal structure had to be replaced. They do the job and may even be tougher than the previous hollow bones but they aren’t as resistant to shocks. When Cyrus finally regained consciousness he found a few members of his family waiting by his hospital bed, they revealed they had been keeping an eye on him throughout his travels so far. They were confident that Cryus would always return to them which is why they didn't feel the need to chase him down and asked now that he had experienced what the Grimm were inflicting on so many if he would rethink his objection to becoming a Huntsman.

Initially, Cyrus refused and demanded to see his bandmates, who he assumed would want to hear about his recovery. At that moment one of Cyrus’s sisters turned on the television and a tape played of the Valish Irregulars performing on one of Vale’s biggest stages, with a new lead guitarist. It wasn’t rational to assume that his friends would put their lives on hold for months not knowing if Cyrus would ever wake up but Cyrus was never the most rational person and he was hurting. Feeling betrayed and wanting to show your former friends how he never needed them anyway isn’t the best reason to want to become a Huntsman but his family took it. It would later become apparent that his family hadn’t been 100% forthcoming with all the information but by the time Cyrus became aware of this he had already given his word, something he wouldn’t break.

During this time Cyrus and his former bandmates managed to reconnect, the pain had softened with time and the situation was a little more complicated than his family let on. The story of the Valish Irregular’s fight against the Grimm boomed their popularity, they had their moment and they couldn’t exactly just let it pass. They even offered a spot in the band again, it was tempting for Cyrus to go back to the way things were but his experiences had opened his eyes to the harsh reality of their world and he couldn’t hide away from it anymore. Things had also changed within the rest of the band, where once the plan was to go through the Huntsman academies to prove how strong they were the reality of the Grimm proved how foolish that idea was. They left on the promise that at least one of them would ascend to greatness and still regularly keep in touch.

Luckily with the help of Cyrus’s powerful aura and skilled doctors, he was on his feet quickly. It took Cyrus the rest of the year in constant training to put back on the muscle and relearn the skills he lost during his recovery. It was gruelling but by the end of it Cyrus was ready to sit the Beacon entrance exam, it took a recommendation letter from a Huntress family friend for him to pass the written sections but he was nevertheless accepted. So Cyrus was one step further on his newly found quest to become both a punk rocker and a Huntsman.

Personality: Cyrus has a love-hate relationship with being a Huntsman. He loves fighting; the competition, the hard training sessions, looking deadly, the adrenaline high, the genuine life risk and the brutal satisfaction of cleaving into your opponent. But being expected to become a Huntsman from birth quickly soured the idea as Cyrus still has very childish ideas around the need to rebel. In the end, the only thing that could overcome that feeling was almost dying from a threat Cyrus had mostly dismissed as controlled. None of this dims the natural talent, nor the determination to succeed Cyrus has to the role rather highlighting how much better he still could be if he finally got his head out of his arse.

Cyrus is fire to the core. Loud, bright and in your face. Eye-catching, maybe a little painful but on many levels fundamentally immaterial. The most prominent way this manifest is Cryus’s anger problem sparked most commonly by reminders of his past or possible future failures. Someone as brash and irreverent as Cyrus is always quick with cruel jokes and expects the same in return but if the topic ever turns his abilities the Peacock Faunus is unlikely to even give a warning before the fists start swinging. Worst is when Cyrus does genuinely fail at something the underlying inferiority complex means the following outbursts often target whoever is nearby regardless of their respective blame. Despite, or perhaps because of this, Cryus puts on a show of having a lot of confidence in his abilities, something he has good reason to doubt but results in him rarely giving issues a first thought and instead of trusting his years of training rather than any logic. Cyrus also tends to get distracted easily, often wandering off to explore even when there is danger abound.

Although he may desire to rise to the top of the world in both music and being a Huntsman Cyrus does not take very good care of himself to ensure he survives long enough to get there. Years of being a punk rocker have given Cyrus a legion of bad tendencies and his body is already paying the price for them. Most obviously are the reconstruction of his wings but there are other scars too. Cyrus’s hearing has been damaged pretty badly due to his music and he has formed a pretty regular habit of consuming both alcohol and cigarettes, the only reason it wasn’t to something stronger was that either Cyrus had someone to hold him back or he was homeless at the time. Even Cyrus’s tireless work ethic tends to hurt him as much as it helps him, staying up until the early hours of the morning training and studying every day has left Cyrus sleep schedule in tatters meaning that he rarely wakes up before the first class.

As for hobbies, the obvious one is music. Cyrus is a very talented guitarist, singer and songwriter but he can also play with decent skill a whole range of other instruments. More so Cyrus enjoys performing in front of crowds, both delighting in the turn from shock into awe as most don’t expect someone of his size and build to play as well as he does but also the simple sound of cheering. As well as making music Cyrus enjoys going to concerts and is rarely without an earbud in one ear, songs blaring away at an unhealthy volume. Beyond music Cyrus is very interested in most forms of expression, finding something in every work of art worthwhile even if it is simply the value other people hold in it. One would never get to be as big as Cyrus is without adoring physical exertion and he is always up for another training session regardless of the opponent or the odds stacked against him. His general teenaged hatred of the world has found some positive targets and has joined activist groups particularly around Faunus rights and volunteers a lot of his free time there. For a while the White Fang looked like an attractive option, Cyrus felt alone and angry which meant the simplistic message of the White Fang was attractive but in the end, Cyrus couldn’t accept their utilitarian methods.

Despite all his negative traits, Cyrus isn’t all bad. Loyalty is a big thing for him, he places a lot of value in promises and is quick to try to befriend people although he isn’t very good at it. The other side of the coin is that he takes perceived betrayals hard and although he will eventually be able to look at the situation reasonably it can take a long time for Cyrus to cool off. Despite his cruel turn of phrase, Cyrus is always eager to help whether in sparing, music lessons or simply providing another pair of hands. Part of this is born out of a rejection of his families more utilitarian methods but mostly it is because Cyrus adores praise regardless of what it is for. More so than just helping Cyrus places of a lot of importance in humour and joy, seeing it as his fundamental mission and will go greatly out of his way to spread even a little bit around, laws and societal conventions be damned.

Most of Cyrus’s relationships are in a complicated place. His bonds with his family are reforming slowly, Cyrus knows he owes a great deal to them both recently and his initial training and strives to do all he can to pay that back. Still, there is a fundamental disconnect between their outlooks with Cyrus specifically choosing to be idealistic about their profession which puts enormous pressure on their relationships. Conversely, most of Cyrus’s bandmates feel bad about moving on without him and worry about him continuing to risk himself by becoming a Huntsman. These relationships are recovering a lot faster with Cyrus dragging his heels more than anything else due to him still holding on to some irrational feelings of hatred.

Fundamentally Cryus does want to make the world a better place, originally he thought being a musician would be the best way to accomplish that as everyone he knew was a Huntsman and therefore a little bit of a saturated market. However, as Cyrus grew older and experienced first-hand how much of the world still lives in fear of Grimm attacks he knew he had a responsibility to help those in need. As Cyrus still does agree with a lot of the lessons his family taught him only struggling with the predetermined nature of it all. The other major clash is that Cryus is defiantly idealistic which annoyingly puts him closer to societies image of Huntsmen than the more pragmatic approach his family has taken. But because of that idealism, Cyrus needs to care his naivety isn’t taken advantage of turning him into something altogether much darker.

Aura and Semblance: Cyrus’s aura is Red and his semblance is pyrokinesis. Cyrus can’t create fire but he can control and expand fires within a couple of meters of himself. Small acts of control like lighting a cigarette or spelling a word out with fire take very little stamina to use but to create an inferno that can damage an aura protected person or a Grimm is intense. As well as being used for pure offence Cyrus also uses his fires to assist with his flying as well as distracting his opponents.

Combat Behavior: All of Cyrus’s strategies revolve around overwhelming strength. Wielding his two large Koptesh-like greatswords augmented with his flames there is very little that can stand in the way of Cyrus’s concerted attacks. Also because of his wings and dust supplies, Cyrus is a lot more manoeuvrable and faster than the average man of his size as well as having the obvious advantage in any aerial engagement but when they fade so does his speed. Speaking of his wings Cyrus is unable to fly unaided but through careful use of updrafts from his semblance and a mixture of gravity, wind and fire dust which Cyrus calls Fly Dust the giant can approximate flight for a time. The sheer size of his weapons’ sword form is that, as well as Cyrus arm span, gives him a huge reach advantage over his opponents who try to fight him in melee. When it comes to stamina Cyrus has a huge tank but also has a habit of overexerting himself and the heat of his flames can exhaust him just by proximity.

The most obvious weakness that Cyrus has is his lack of range options, it is something that his family has brought up to him multiple times but still, he ignores it. Part of it is because of the famous image of a Huntsman is always them rushing into battle not sitting back, picking foes off but a large one is because of how much he enjoys being in the thick of things. The second more personal weakness is how quickly Cyrus can lose his temper in battle, resulting in a devastating rage but barely any thought of defending himself. Another person issue that Cyrus has is that he will never back down from a fight regardless of how lost the cause is, this will continue to smaller issues like refusing to abandon strategies even when they are clearly not working. Otherwise, Cyrus’s flames give him some answer to large hordes of enemies but he can only keep them up for so long and once they fade away it reveals that he may be a talented one-on-one fighter he struggles a lot while outnumbered. Cyrus’s wings are also vulnerable to attack, not just because they are still sensitive from the accident and hard to defend but because the Peacock Faunus angers very quickly if they are attacked.

WEAPON

Name: The Sixth Major

Primary Form: Black electric guitar with red highlights and an amp built in. 

Secondary Form: Folding in on itself the Sixth Major reveals two enormous Khotesh-like greatswords, only really wieldable by someone as enormous as Cyrus. Both almost three meters long and 20kg/44lbs it took years of training for Cyrus to use them effectively, it may still not be the most efficient weapon but it is one of the most intimidating which Cyrus cares more for. The weapons have significant dust reserves stored within the handle and back of the blade with exhaust points and additional supplies stored at the blade's tips and Cyrus belt respectively.

Dust Functions: The Sixth Major use all kinds of dust in it's twin sword form. The fire dust mostly fuels Cyrus’s semblance but it also can be used to attack within its own right. The wind dust is mostly used for manoeuvrability such as bursts of speed or to keep himself aloft. Lightning dust is used to stun larger foes as well as combining with gravity dust to create a powerful magnetic field capable of disarming opponents not paying attention. Gravity dust on its own is used more as a brute force push/pull. Hard light dust along with earth dust can create cover and help Cyrus's teammates pass over difficult terrain as well as setting up difficult terrain in the first place. Ice dust is usually used to trap opponents, holding them in place for a finishing blow, it can also be combined with fire dust to create a dense fog for escape or to avoid range fire.

History: The Sixth Major was given to Cyrus by his bandmates in the Valish Irregulars. The weapon has seen a lot of modification over time but the core build remains the same and acts as a constant reminder of the promises Cyrus made to his old band.