Highwayman Bordeaux [Approved 3-5]

• Name: Highwayman Bordeaux
• True Age: 815
• Appearance Age: Late Twenties (28)
• Gender: Male
• Orientation: Kurikku-2260-ABG



• Appearance:

The above picture matches the look of the Arrancar's face and hair. The body of Highwayman Bordeaux is tall and solidly built. He stands at around seven feet tall with a muscular body quite similar to that of an Olympic swimmer. Bordeaux's The clothes he wears resemble those of the type of bandits of which he shares a name.. The outfit consists of a dark blue puffy shirt with frilled cuffs, a black-colored, double-breasted vest, a black cravat made of what feels like oriental silk, a black, silk sash around his waist as a buffer for a white leather belt with the frog for his 'Zanpakutô,' navy blue pantaloons, white leather riding boots, and an ornately designed high-collared Highwayman overcoat decorated with silvery lacing, buttons and latches for the face-obscuring collar that made the coat so notorious. All of the clothes over and around his Hollow hole is shredded as if by a large amount of shrapnel, leaving the void exposed for all to see. The mantle cloth of the coat still drapes over his left shoulder, but there is no sleeve covering that arm, allowing the left handed man a wider range of motion with his sword arm.

• Bone Appearance: Two shards curl along Bordeaux's jawline before twisting together around his chin in a short spike.

• Hollow Hole: Located upper left torso; right where a human's heart should be.

• Reiatsu Colour: Maroon



Personality: Bordeaux attempts to uphold a high level of civility with his peers, superiors, and to a certain extent, his inferiors. He does his best to address people with 'monsieur,' 'madame' and 'mademoiselle' appropriately. He will bow as he enters and exits rooms with other people in them. He will pardon himself if he interrupts. He tries to show a certain level of chivalry to others. This often leaves him looking, acting, and sometimes even sounding like a boring, old stick-in-the-mud. Roiling beneath the surface of these manners, however, lies a beast of pure hatred.

The Arrancar no longer remembers the source of this rage, but it is so far embedded into his being, that he created a chivalrous facade in order to interact with his compatriots in the Kirikku. This is not necessarily how the Highwayman is, though. There are things that the Highwayman enjoys. He like fine music, especially from the violin. He enjoys rich foods, the rarer the better. If the word 'fine' or 'high' can be placed before it, he tends to enjoy whatever it is. He also has a petty obsession with shiny things. On a darker note, Bordeaux relishes cruelty and violence. He won't admit it in front of people, but he feels more he tortures his enemies and prey, the more at ease he feels within his own skin.

Despite his best attempts, the boiling anger dwelling beneath his surface easily can get the best of him. Usually resulting in rude remarks and a lot of yelling and cursing out. To his credit, Bordeaux is able to restrain himself from physically attack his peers and superiors most of the time. He is not above throwing a violent temper tantrum, though, if something does not go his way. Things and topics that tend to annoy and anger the Highwayman are as follows:

-Discussions about his French accent. It isn't that funny.
-The nation of Japan. He is not a fan of the country or the people, though he cannot remember why.
-Being talked back to or questioned by 'inferiors'.
-Sea-faring vessels.
-People touching his possessions.



• History: Life
Alexandre Jacques Castillion was the son of an incredibly wealthy French merchant who made his living off the blood, sweat and tears of laborers in the East Indies during the late 1590's and early 1600's. Born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth, Alexandre never had to worry about hardships. He had servants for that. He went to posh schools and ate rich food every day. The boy was spoiled rotten and it showed. Alexandre ruled his school as a typical rich bully. He mocked those who made less than 'Daddy' and would beat and steal whatever they had that he wanted. This kind of avaricious behavior continued on for the rest of his young life, reaching its peak when, as a young man, the Castillion boy took to banditry for fun.

For a year, Alexandre rode along the coach roads that lead inland from his hometown of La Rochelle, France. He terrorized common folk unfortunate enough to have shiny baubles that he wanted. His father was still quite wealthy, but the boy's greed was so great, that it didn't matter; he wanted their's and no other would suffice. The ominous shadow he and his gang of rogues cast on that road was only lifted when soldiers came to make the lane safe again. Both parties were armed, but Alexandre was a pampered boy. He'd never actually had to resort to killing before. When the soldiers descended on the bandits, a bloody skirmish took place around the merchant's son, who was too scared to draw a weapon. For every life the bandits stole, the soldiers took one themselves. This was the flow of the battle until it came down to just Alexandre and a single, wounded militiaman. It was at that time the Castillion boy drew his sabre. He walked up slowly behind the soldier, whose form was sitting on the grass, trying to stop the bleeding coming from his stomach. And without a word or warning, Alexandre slashed open the man's throat, staining his sword and his soul the the lifeblood of another man. That was the end of this Frenchman's criminal career.

Death
Fearing for his own life now, Alexandre fled back home to his father and begged to be on his next fleet's journey into the East. At first, his father refused, saying the trip was not meant for men of their calibre, but with a week of constant prodding and whining, the older Castillion gave in and signed his only son on as an Inventory Supervisor. They merchant fleet was to sail out to Japan along with various other ships. Their goal was to pull as many supplies out from their warehouses there as possible before the tense atmosphere broke and the people of the island nation did something drastic. Whether it was retribution from a higher power or just plain bad luck, the fleet found itself making port just as the decree came in that Japan was to being their state of isolationism. Their first act was the execution of western missionaries and the converts. Riots and manhunts spread like wildfire across the land. It was a fire that took the lives of many men and women, including those of a wicked and spoiled son of a merchant.

Alexandre was to take the last remnants of a stock of porcelain figurines back to his vessel, when he found himself surrounded by eight angry looking locals. The yelled and threatened him in a language he didn't know, putting fear into his soul and chasing him through the streets and into a secluded deadend. The merchant's son tried to bargain for his life. He offered them the figures. One of the men walked up and simply knocked the crate out of his hands. The sound of the delicate statues shattering snapped something in Alexandre's mind. With a cry, he drew his sabre and moved in to run the man through, but his sword never got to taste blood again. One of the other Japanese men, armed with a blunderbuss stolen from another French warehouse, quickly squeezed the trigger. The ammunition in the muzzle-loading precursor to the shotgun, was not of any grape shot or buck shot, but filled with scraps of metal and broken glass. At their range, the shot to the chest instantly killed the European man and sent his lifeless corpse flying back into the wall behind him, his body twitching as his blood pooled around him.

Alexandre Jacques Castillion was only 23 at the time of death in 1623. His father never tried to find the body as his life was claimed during the revolutions and riots that broke out the proceeding year. Surprised by their actions, the men responsible for this murder simply buried the body there in the alley in a shallow grave, along with his sword.

Post Death and the Path to Arrancar
The spirit of Alexandre Castillion was bound to the sword by which he'd lived. Unknown to the world at large, this French spirit stewed in hatred at the nation that killed him. He watched the ages change in what seemed like a blink to him. Stretching as far as he could, his ghost could only get as far as the alley's entrance to get a better view at the people he despised. Because it had been buried with his body, it was not found for nearly 300 year during some urban remodeling, when construction workers accidentally discovered the corpse and sabre. The body never made the papers as it was taken quietly to a hospital for autopsy and the bones were cataloged and sent to a museum for further study. The sword was briefly sent to the same place, with the angry soul of Alexandre still attached. With a lot of spiritual power, those who tried to touch his blade were bitten by it. And it was by this exertion of power that the last little bit of the spirit of Alexandre ceased being human.
Born from hatred and violence and power, a bestial Hollow formed. The monster took on a form that matched the former spirit's anger: that of a gargantuan scorpion. With its massive pincers, and the sword-like stinger on its tail, the creature quickly attacked and devoured the men who were touching its sabre.

The monster then fled the city, killing and devouring any soul, living or dead, it came across as it trekked to a secluded and lonesome road leading out of the port town. A rational, yet hate-filled mind slowly returned to the Hollow. It thought it best to lie low in the woods near the road and wait for its prey, like it had done in life. It started into some of the habits the young Frenchman had long ago. When it devoured its prey, it took with it shiny objects the they had with them. For a century, the Hollow that now called itself The Highwayman, lurked about the quiet roads of Southern Japan devouring any poor souls who found themselves in its sight. Piles of shiny jewelry and scraps of metal were piled up by the Hollow in the stumps of fallen trees in its forests. This life of devouring the souls of the people responsible for his creation filled the hole for a while, but he would eventually grow sick of the same food.

A very unlucky Shinigami was the finishing touch to throw the Hollow into the next stage of its 'life.' The Highwayman's consciousness dulled until he felt compelled by rage and instinct to tear his way into Hueco Mundo, where he started preying on lesser Hollows. As they futilely attempted to flee from the massive, evolving hollow, its body began growing and its mask distorted until the Hollow resembled the typical Gillian Menos.

He spent the next 200 years prowling the white sands of Hueco Mundo devouring any creature with reiryoku, favoring other strong hollows, of course. Its Gillian-class form quickly became bloated from its rich diet, and, eventually it began to evolve again. From within itself, the newly 'reborn' Highwayman' emerged as a monstrous scorpion that looked to be made of human tissue and pale white bone plates. While he lack his ability to speak like a humanoid, the Hollow was still capable of higher thought. It used this ability to prowl the white desert for the best spot to continue feeding. Highwayman Bordeaux buries himself in the sand and disguised himself and his presence as nothing more than the ruined scenery of Hueco Mundo, until something strong and worth his time approached. The Adjuchas-class would spring from the sands and devour its prey while it was still off-guard.

For another 150 years, The Highwayman continued this ambush method of feed; every so often changing locations to ensure he was not discovered by something even strong than himself. After one particularly tasty meal, a strange and overwhelming urge overtook Bordeaux. With his massive claws, he began to scratch and pull at his mask. It was painful, but refreshing at the same time; like ripping off an old scab. With each chunk of the mask that came off, bits of his bony form crumbled away, until only the humanoid form of the Arrancar that now refers to himself as The Highwayman Bordeaux. Soon after his transition, the Arrancar found refuge in the walls of the Kurikku's fortress. In gratification for their welcoming, Bordeaux spent the next 150 years 'playing nice' with his comrades and trying to be useful to those that took him in so readily.



• Sealed Zanpakutô: Highwayman Bordeaux's Zanpakutô takes the form of an French cavalry sabre. Its hilt and scabbard are decorated with carved ivory and a gold-plated guard. The carvings on the hard scabbard depict a a simplified image of the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. The curved blade of the sabre is mostly a shining steel, but the cutting edge of the blade is tinted a mixture of rusty red and black. As if it was stained long ago with blood and never cleaned.

• Racial Abilities: Bala (虚弾 (バラ), Bara; Spanish for "Bullet," Japanese for "Hollow Bullet")
A technique of firing his hardened spiritual pressure against his enemies. Less powerful than a Cero, but it can be successively fired at 20 times the rate.

Cero (虚閃 (セロ), Sero; Spanish for "Zero," Japanese for "Hollow Flash," "Doom Blast" in the Viz translation)
A powerful spiritual light fired by Menos Grandes and Arrancar.

Garganta (黒腔 (ガルガンタ), Garuganta; Spanish for "Throat", Japanese for "Black Cavity")
How Arrancar and Hollows are able to move in and out from Hueco Mundo. It is a spiritual pathway connecting the Arrancar's world, Hueco Mundo, to other worlds. Besides the World of the Living and the Soul Society, it can also open the gates of the Dangai and K-World. A turbulence of Reishi blows within Garganta. To move through it, travellers must create footholds using the Reishi.

Enhanced Hierro (鋼皮 (イエロ), Iero; Spanish for "Iron," Japanese for "Steel Skin")
An Arrancar's outer skin with high spiritual hardness that serves as armor.

Pesquisa (探査回路 (ペスキサ), Pesukisa; Spanish for "Inquiry," Japanese for "Probe Circuit")
An Arrancar ability to measure and locate spiritual pressure.

Sonído (響転 (ソニード), Sonīdo; Spanish for "Sound," Japanese for "Sound Ceremony")
The Arrancar equivalent to a Shinigami's Shunpo.

• Unique Abilities: (Explain any sealed abilities you know. For example, Ulqiorra's eye ability.) Furia Eterno- Resurgimiento; Undying Rage- Resurgence
An ability that, through the power of his anger, can regenerates a massive (roughly 75%) amount of damage taken to Highwayman Bordeaux's body. The rapid healing takes place over the course of 3 posts, only healing the damage sustained prior to the ability's activation. This power comes at a great cost, though. After its use, the Arrancar's stamina and fighting capabilities are drastically lowered as the energy requite for such massive and rapid regeneration needs to come from somewhere. While it lowers Bordeaux's ability to deal damage, Furia Eterno- Resurgimiento is an Active Passive ability and does not effect the Arrancar's ability to launch attacks. This ability can only be activated once every two combat threads.



• Resereccion Name: Aqrabuamelu (One of the names for the Scorpion men from Akkadian language myths. According to the myths, they were originally created by Tiamat to wage war against her mate Apsu, who had betrayed her.)

• Resereccion Release Phrase: ”Rage into Vengeance! Aqrabuamelu!”

• Release Actions: Bordeaux spins his sabre clockwise once before embedding its tip in the ground. He must then, snap the blade under his foot.

• Resereccion Appearance:

Highwayman Bordeaux's Resereccion is the Arrancar's rage and hatred for all life given the gargantuan form of a monstrous looking man with the lower half that of the body of a scorpion. From feet to head, aqrabuamelu stands at 40 feet tall. His two scorpion tails are double the length of his body, giving them the ability to strike at foes in front of him. Bone plating forms a chitinous shell that covers a large majority of Bordeaux's Resereccion's body. Sharpened claws of a scorpion replace his hands, making the behemoth a monster of pure destruction. With six legs for locomotion his speed does not suffer as highly as if he had remained bipedal at that size. As the embodiment of the Highwayman's mortal rage, Aqrabualmelu is not fast, but a powerful and persistent beast. While in this form Bordeaux has trouble differentiating friend and foe. Aqrabualmelu is incapable of normal speech, communicating in roars, growls and bellows.

• Resereccion Abilities: (Explain the several powers and abilities this form grants them) Concha del Escorpión; 'Shell of the Scorpion'
A modified and stylized version of Hierro that gives Bordeaux's armored Aqrabuamelu body a greater degree of defense against attacks of a physical nature (i.e. sword strikes and attacks that require weapons to physically strike the body). Concha del Escorpión is a passive ability providing superb physical defense at the cost of a weaker resistance to abilities like Cero and other energy-based attacks. Concha del Escorpión replaces the Hierro ability in the Resereccion form.

Endraigo Cero; 'Dragon Cero'
Named for the early scattershot gun made famous by French cavalry known as Dragoons, The Endraigo Cero is a release of five beams from his body. One from the tip of both stingers, one from both pincer claws, and one from his mouth, are shot simultaneously in a spread in front of the giant monster. The power of each beam is only a fifth of a normal Cero, but at close range, Endraigo is a harder move to avoid.

Furia Eterno- Venganza; Undying Rage- Vengeance
While sharing a name with a power limited to his normal form, the Resereccion version of this ability is the inverse of its counter-part. Again, the energy normally used for Concha del Escorpion is repurposed for this ability. Damaging Bordeaux while this ability is active adds to the fires of his rage and to his attacking power. Though the damage converted into raw attack power is only a tenth of each hit, each individual hit adds into his total attacking power to half over the power of the Resereccion's normal capabilities. This ability does not reduce any damage taken, but instead increases the damage to whatever can't be resisted by Bordeaux's physical defenses.


(Leave the skills alone until the application is approved. You can then go back and add them if you want to)

General Skills

• Durability: Adept
  
• General Speed: Beginner
  
• Strength: Beginner
  
• Weapon Skill: Beginner
  

Will Skills

• Willpower/Determination: Adept
  
• Mental Deduction: Beginner
  
• Pain Endurance: Adept
  
• Focus: Beginner
  

Racial Skills

• Perquisa: Beginner
  
• Sonido: Beginner
  
• Cero/Bala: Beginner
  
• Hierro: Adept
  

• RP Sample:

The duo had just finalized their 'adjustments' to the data file and started to feel really good about this job when the strange voice caused them to suffer what could only be described as a full body record scratch. Frozen in temporary fear, Jack and Chameleon bickered within the former's head.

"I thought you said you disabled external access to the cameras?"

"I did! thought you said you put the feeds on a loop?"

"Don't try to pin this on me. I'm the expert. You're obviously the one who messed this up."

"Don't you dare blame this on me. I've been working with you long enough to almost do this by myself while BLINDFOLDED"

This bickering went on during most of the mystery man's monologue, but they came back just in time to hear 'Dummy data.' Their arguing ended and once again united with a common irritation towards this voice. All the work they had just done. All the finesse to get past the firewalls and passwords. All of it. For absolutely nothing. Jack wouldn't get his pay and no pay meant no rent. More debt for him to try to pay back was the last thing he needed. All of that money meant little to Cham, but the blow to his pride as a sabotage Wizard has been dealt a critical blow.

This person with the funny accent challenged them to a duel. The prize was the data. Not being total fools, Jack and Chameleon knew this was most likely a trap. There would be backup data, but it would be somewhere off-site now. Somewhere where the duo could not reach... yet. They didn't know what prize this guy wanted, but it couldn't hurt to humor him a bit, right?

Either way they had to have a failsafe in case things went sour. A distraction if law enforcement showed up. Still at the computer, Chameleon quickly and expertly navigated his way to several remote systems. The one labeled 'PANIC' seemed to do nicely. After some quick digital rewiring, the wizard programmed the protocol to be enacted by Jack or Chameleon in the Noxious Chameleon armor when they touched the fire alarm on the wall behind the receptionist's desk in the lobby.

"All done. Now lets go see who this jerkoff is and kick him in the teeth." The wizard notified his muscle in a grumble and the two took off to the lobby.

It wouldn't take more than an elevator ride to get where they needed. Luckily the machine worked without setting any alarms off. Probably something to do with their new friend waiting for them.

"Alright, buddy." Jack proclaimed through his metallic filter. Hints of annoyance and similar emotions poked their way through the vocal masking despite the armor feature's best attempts. "You've really screwed over my job here. It was going to be quick and easy for me, too. In and out and several thousand Zenny richer in return for a few minor alterations. But no. You just had to get in the way. Now I won't be getting paid for anything I've done. If I'm lucky they'll at least give me enough to make rent this month for that data. Otherwise its as useless as you and me.

"I tell you what, kid. I'll fight you, but no matter the outcome, I am going to be leaving here with that data. I promise you that."

From his hip, the armored thief drew a strange weapon. It was obviously a whip, but it was shaped like a small lizard with a really long tongue. Even in the dark, it shimmered like it was covered in... something gross, most likely. On his free hand, a massive gauntlet appeared. It covered his hand and a trio of purple spikes came jutting out of the fist. The man took a fighting stance that seemed a cross between a boxer's and a Florentine swordsman's ready stance.

Jack could hear his own heart pounding in his ears. In his time as a thief and saboteur, he'd only been in a fight a handful of times, and all of them ended in him running away with his job completed. Not that great of a combat record, but that didn't matter now. Now there was only him and Chameleon versus this... kid and whatever he had up his sleeve.

• Name [X]
  
• Appropriate Age [X]
  
• Gender [X]
  
• Appearance Present [X]
  
• Appearance Described in Appropriate Length OR Picture is Visible [X]
  
• Appearance is Not Claimed [X]
  
• 10 sentences for personality [X]
  
• History is of appropriate length [X]
  
• Powers are not Godmod/Overpowered [X]
  
• Powers are described reasonably enough [X]
  
• Application/RP Sample is not in First Person [X]
  
• Skills are not filled in (Omit if a Hollow)[X]
  
• RP Sample Present (Omit if this is not the first character) [X]
  
• RP Sample is 10 sentences [X]
  

• Willpower/Determination: Adept
  
• Mental Deduction: Beginner
  
• Pain Endurance: Adept
  
• Focus: Beginner