The Long Journey

Name: Green Rivers
Age/18+?: 32+
Contact: GreenRivers
Other Characters Played: Klaus Von Reinherz
Most Recent AC Link: N/A

Name: The Medicine Seller
Canon: Mononoke
Canon Point: After the last Bakeneko arc.
Age: Unknown but heavily implied to be old as balls. I put him at approximately 900 - 1000
Type of Character: CRAU

Reference:
His first appearance was in the Bakeneko arc of Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales, an anthology of horror stories.
He later got his own spinoff series Mononoke

Personality:
The enigmatic Medicine Seller is not a particularly nice person. He’s certainly polite and observes all the niceties befitting his social superiors (which is literally everyone, yay feudalism), but there is little warmth in his interactions and he can come across as insincere or even mocking. His outward personality is soft spoken, cold, and quite formal. He keeps his composure, even in the midsts of pure chaos. When confronted with his deepest fear of a world with no Form, Truth, or Regret, and thus, an absence of purpose, he faces it calmly and accepts his end. Very little surprises him, though it's not entirely impossible to ruffle him either - usually acts of callousness or cruelty will do the trick. The thin veneer of observing etiquette and the strict social hierarchy breaks down instantly when shit hits the fan, and while he's still technically polite, the Medicine Seller is much more brusque and assertive.

He is singularly focused on his duty to sever the Mononoke from this world and while he makes an effort to protect those on the receiving end of their wrath (often by giving them ample opportunity to come clean with the information he needs), he’s stated that he has no obligation to save the people involved. Indeed, he rarely shows remorse when people die, but on the other hand they’ve been, almost without exception, irredeemable assholes. And hey, it’s not like he didn’t try.

He’s not completely devoid of compassion, however - he is shown to sympathize with regards to the suffering that made the Mononoke what they are. It is important to note that for the sword to be drawn, it requires that the Medicine Seller first empathize with the Mononoke on at least some level by understanding their motives. Tamaki and Ochou's plights struck a particular chord with the Medicine Seller.

He does have a moral compass, even if the needle may point a bit on the grey side. He believes in a person’s right to make their own choices, tempered with a measure of personal responsibility and that no one has the right to control another. He shows affection towards people who are assertive and compassionate and abhors abusers and people who force their will on others - his distaste for some of the other murderers in the series makes that much evident.

Despite his aloof demeanor, the Medicine Seller does have of a sense of humour - though it is rather dry and sarcastic. He takes delight in teasing those who are easily riled (such as Odajima and the detective), or sharing gossip. Sometimes this playfulness serves a purpose, either as a form of gathering information, or in one instance, to draw out a Mononoke. Other times it is merely for the Medicine Seller’s own amusement.

He also seems to have a particular affinity for cats.

Appearance: Let's just start with the fact that the Medicine Seller doesn't exactly fade into the background. While individual oddities don't really stick out until one takes in the whole big trippy picture, there are a number of distinguishing features. First and foremost, he is very pretty. Pretty enough to get quite a few women (of any age) flushed and stammering. His attire can only be described as eclectic.

....Actually, it could also apply the terms 'gaudy', 'ostentatious', and 'peculiar' to the mix, but let's go with 'eclectic' for now.

His light blue robe seems to be some kind of mix of a kimono and what a monk might wear, with eye-like patterns of purples, greens, and reds, evocative of those one would see on certain types of moths. It's tied with an elaborate brocade obi which trails almost to his feet. He's not particularly tall, but the two-toothed geta add a few inches to his height.

He carries a well made and sturdy (and very clearly heavy) medicine box on his back, with the motif of an eye on it. The eye motif is repeated constantly in both his clothes and possessions.

The Medicine Seller's skin is unnaturally pale - one could easily mistake it for make up, especially given the red markings on his nose, and around his eyes. His ears are pointed and the tips extend to the top of his head, and he has a pair of fangs that seem to become more prominent in times of crisis.

Abilities:
The Magical:

↠ Spiritually powerful. The Medicine Seller’s style of exorcism seems to be derived from Mikkyo Buddhism’s Sammitsu (a portmanteau of San Himitsu, or Three Secrets). There are also more than a few nods to Taoism and Shinto methods.
Even without the sword of exorcism (and, by proxy, the power of his other self), the Medicine Seller is still capable of creating powerful barriers and holding off Mononoke (though not indefinitely and, if they’re particularly strong, not coming out of it unscathed). His specific abilities shown in the series are such:

↠ Creating powerful barriers with his ofuda (paper charms where the writing changes form and colour depending on the proximity of the Mononoke) and protecting people they’re attached to from possession. He is also able to ward off spirits without the aid of the ofuda, but it was shown to be physically detrimental (lacerations appeared all over his hand and started bleeding heavily) and he grew fatigued very quickly.

↠ Being able to manipulate objects without touching them. The general rule of thumb here is that these objects seem to have to be linked to him somehow such as the ofuda, mirror, scales, his medicine pack, or sword. When he’s moving other objects such as doors or the handle of the Utsurobune, he’s attached his ofuda to them beforehand.

↠The Umibozu arc implies that the Medicine Seller can sense or outright see Ayakashi that others cannot.

↠ The Mirror. The little hand mirror the Medicine Seller wears around his neck can grow to the height of a man and acts as a shield from magical attacks. He also uses it to reveal Ochou’s Form.

↠ The Noppera Bo arc can be read as an elaborate illusion that the Medicine Seller created to draw out Ochou’s truth, form and regret. This is pretty ambiguous because it’s hard to say if he was exerting some kind illusion or if it was the Noppera Bo (implied to be his Other Self) doing it or a combined effort on both their parts or if it was mostly symbolism filtered through Ochou’s warped perception or a mix of all of the above. My own interpretation is that he did craft some manner of illusion, though it was fueled by Ochou’s own desire to escape her terrible situation.

↠ The Sword of Exorcism / The Other Self. When the Medicine Seller acquires a Mononoke’s Truth, Form, and Regret, he is able to unsheathe the sword of exorcism. The Medicine Seller seems to transform into (or be replaced by) another individual that wields the blade.
Nothing is known about the Other Self beyond the fact he is linked to the unsheathing of the blade. Whether the Other Self is the sword, a form or facet of the Medicine Seller, or a separate being entirely is never explained. What is evident is that the Other Self can absolutely decimate Mononoke, having superhuman strength and speed, and seemingly able to defy gravity. This is likely the reason why such specific conditions need to be met before the sword can be released.
The blade, when unsheathed, appears to be made of pure energy rather than metal. It extends, distorts, and bends as necessary, sometimes even acting on its own. Kayo asks in one episode if the sword is alive though the Medicine Seller's only response to this is a vague "I wonder". So so helpful.
For the sake of RP, I generally headcanon the Other Self as a facet of the Medicine Seller, rather than an entirely separate entity, that’s held in check via the sword and the need for the Mononokes’ Form, Truth, and Regret.

↠Long life. The Medicine Seller is not human. By the end of the series, he’s been around for at least two - three hundred years, and probably quite a bit longer even than that.

The Mundane:

↠ The bulk of his abilities is shown in his spiritual power, but he’s no slouch physically either. He’s got a quick enough reaction time to stop a body guard charging him, strength enough to force a man to re-sheathe his sword mid draw, kick a grown man over, and he generally moves pretty nimbly. None of his physical acts seem supernaturally powered, however. His strength is that of a physically fit man, and his dexterity comes from simple experience. A blade will cut him, and barring his long life span, he’s otherwise vulnerable to physical threats.

↠ Despite the fact that being a medicine seller is more or less a ruse so he can get to where he wants to go without seeming to be a threat, he still seems to know how to do his job. He carries a variety of exotic imports, is shown mixing the ingredients for what was essentially a magical flash grenade, is adept at mixing incense, and offers to mix up a tonic for the newspaper man in the last arc.

↠ Sharp senses. In the first Bakeneko arc, he is shown to have excellent hearing, being able to track the Mononoke’s path by the sound of the scales tipping from a room away. In the Nue arc, he is shown to have a formidable sense of smell, having concocted a strange incense of agar for the competition with only subtle differences between each blend.

↠ Intelligent. The Medicine Seller retains a wealth of knowledge with regards to medicine, supernatural beings (Ayakashi and Mononoke in particular) and many years of experience. He's also good at analyzing a situation and he knows when to ask those rather pointed questions and when to shut up and let people's bickering give him the information he needs.

↠ Pretty. Let's be real, if it weren't for his good looks, he'd probably get the boot more often than not because his personality sure leaves a lot to be desired.

Suitability:
While the Medicine Seller doesn't get too deeply involved with politics, he does tend to offer useful insight to others. He also has a knack for picking at the dark underbelly of things, and bringing various truths to light. Even if there aren't Mononoke to slay, having a skilled exorcist around could certainly come in handy.

Inventory:
↠ Clothes: Gaudy and bright and incorporating some very feminine elements including a brocade obi and an inordinate amount of jewelry (such as a necklace of what appears to be magatama made from red jade and in the last arc he’s got a pair of earrings and a fancy new ring). He wears brightly coloured blue robes would look out of place on any humble medicine seller, though he states that the reason he dresses the way he does is that people expect a peddler of exotic remedies to look… well, exotic.

↠ Mirror: A circular hand mirror the Medicine Seller wears around his neck like a pendant. It can reveal the true reflection of things and can grow quite large and act as a shield or a means of reflecting hostile elements back. Also great for checking to make sure your make-up is on point.

↠ Ofuda: Paper charms that serve two major purposes - the writing on them appears and changes in form and colour depending on the proximity of a spirit (and turn gold when the sword is released). They also serve as a powerful ward against spirits, able to repel or ensnare them. The Medicine Seller can wield a great number of them - he also attaches them to objects to be able to move them without touching them.

↠ Medicine Pack: A lovely though otherwise seemingly typical pack for a medicine seller. It’s definitely bigger on the inside, given that it houses an inordinate amount of paraphernalia that couldn’t fit otherwise.

It contains:

↠ Misc Meds and Paraphernalia: Kept in the bottom drawer. There are many varieties including medicine imported from China and India (including a small store of opium and Indian hemp), what amounts to essentially herbal viagra, gunpowder, oleander, ingredients for incense, kizami (a type of tobacco) and a kiseru, paper lanterns, various mixing bowls and other tools, and a bunch of statues, incense holders, 'marital aids', little charms, and whatever other miscellaneous crap the Medicine Seller might have taken a fancy to. Including what appears to be an octopus. I hope it’s a just statue and not some hapless creature the Medicine Seller decided to pluck out of the ocean.
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↠ Scales: A legion of tiny, bird shaped scales kept in the middle drawer. They measure distance, not weight and when a Mononoke is close, they drop bells from their trays and lean in the direction of the Mononoke. They seem to be somewhat sentient, as they are controlled with only small gestures, and the Medicine Seller even remarks they’ve taken a liking to Kayo. When confused, they fall over, much to the Medicine Seller’s chagrin.

↠ Porn: Top two drawers contain kōshokubon ('lewdness books') that depict every conceivable combination of genders and cephalopods. Enjoy. The Medicine Seller certainly does (though he may be embarrassed if you discover his stash).

↠ Personal Effects: Likely what the large, middle compartment is for. This could contain food supplies, blankets, spare clothes, and possibly a pair of masks.

↠ Sword of Exorcism: Kept in an elaborate jeweled box and housed in the top compartment. It has the head of what is either a shiisaa or a kirin on the end of the handle. Both creatures are noted for being able to detect and ward off evil. Much more decorative and bejeweled than your average Taoist sword of exorcism, this one is also unique in that it can't be unsheathed until the Medicine Seller has found the Form, Truth, and Regret of the Mononoke. It may also be sentient.
Talent Preferences: Restoration, Illusion, Alteration

Game Origin: Fade Rift -or- Dragon Age Inquisition: The DW Game. Essentially it's a panfandom game that takes place in the Dragon Age world during the events of the latest installment - Inquisition. A big hole opened in the sky, demons and Rifters (what canon characters from other worlds are called) poured out, and this guy with like, poprocks growing out of his face is kind of making things terrible for everyone because he wants to bring back the glory of an old empire. Also Rifters get weird green shards in their hands that allow them to close rifts. I would be perfectly happy with that vanishing somewhere between Thedas and Konryu though since it would be utterly useless in Khu.

CRAU Changes: Personality-wise the Medicine Seller hasn't changed on some profound, fundamental levels, and beyond the fade shard lodged in his hand, hasn't really undergone any physiological ones. For about a year now, he's been in situations that have forced him out of his solitary comfort zone and had to work with others. He's also lived in close proximity with the same people in the same place - an unusual change of pace, given his wanderlust. The Fade Shard made it so he couldn't just fuck off into the blue without dealing with extreme pain, so he's grown to tolerate others and has opened himself up a bit to interpersonal relationships. He's a little more comfortable with the whole teamwork thing, and some of his sharper edges have softened a little. He's still fairly cold and cynical and generally expects the worst of any new encounters, but he's a tad better at giving people the benefit of the doubt.