Keiten

Setting: modern day Japan, the only difference being that the supernatural is very much real. Nothing's been scientifically proven, however. So skepticism and denial are still the norm. Keiten Ryugami appears to be a kind-looking man with short, dark grey hair and grey eyes. Somewhere in his mid 40's. Definitely on the younger side, but starting to show his age in little ways. A tall man, somewhere around 6'4", and dresses in clothes typically befitting a Shinto priest or onmyouji. The head priest of a small shrine with only a handful of junior priests, Keiten is a kind and gentle man. Very spiritual and wise in the ways of both the occult and in mythology or folklore. He's especially soft-hearted towards those down on their luck or in need, often offering them tea or snacks or just a shoulder to lean on. Even letting them spend the night in the shrine if they have nowhere to go, provided they don't go poking around where they shouldn't. Those who have gotten close to him say that they have no truer friend than Keiten. He's a man of simple and old-fashioned pleasures. Going for walks in the forest around his shrine, studying the folklore of countries he'll likely never have a chance to go to, calligraphy, caring for animals. He has a female black cat, Mirai, that he's very fond of. Despite not leaving his shrine often (if ever), he also enjoys Kabuki and Noh theater. If he can't attend in person, he deeply values recorded copies of performances that have been gifted to him. As for his dislikes? He's not terribly fond of social media of most kinds. Young folk have been getting a hoot from recording prank videos near his shrine, and sometimes stream themselves investigating some of the rumors they've heard about it. It's very annoying, and Keiten tends to just not use the internet at all. The shrine does have a land-line he uses for phone calls, but that's about it. He does, however, allow his junior priests and acolytes to have cellphones. Many things about Keiten are a fabrication. His personality is genuine, but the religion revolving around his shrine and his human appearance are not. Hundreds of years ago, Keiten was once a normal human onmyouji when his village was attacked by a gargantuan serpent. He had resolved himself to drive back the beast, but after days of fighting it...the people of his village had given into their fear. Cornering Keiten and beating him to death, they offered his body up to the serpent in exchange for it leaving their village in peace. But Keiten had perished feeling great rage and resentment towards his village. So as the serpent consumed his body, his spirit used this newfound power to kill it from the inside. With his spirit seeping into the serpents' body, Keiten found himself changed into what would become his true form. His upper half remained completely human, save for his eyes turning red and sprouting two more sets of arms with long and sharp nails. His bottom half, from the waist down, would become that of a black serpent. Not unlike a naga from other mythologies. His height would grow because of this, standing at 15 feet tall. Keiten had become a yokai, and with his transformation would come a title from those who caught glimpses of him over the years: Kankandara. But Keiten uses his magic abilities to maintain his typical human appearance. The less strangers know, the better. His precious black cat is his familiar from all those years ago, now a nekomata that masks its appearance as he does. As for his junior priests? They're actually a cult devoted to him. His relationship with his cult is symbiotic, they pray to Keiten and give him the strength he needs to restrain his urges and Keiten shares some of that power with them for their own intentions. Most of their worship revolves around prayer and harmless rituals, and it allows Keiten to live a comfortable and normal life...if one that's a bit lonely. He'd love to have someone he could truly be himself around, snake parts and all. Keiten is not a malicious man, nor does he enjoy the act of killing. That being said...people who abuse the weak or those he cares about, or dangerous criminals in the town near his shrine, do have a nasty tendency to go missing once he learns of their sins.