Kodai Takahashi
Sobriquet: Akio
History: Kodai was a Ninja. While the Ninja didn't officially worked for the japanese government in the World War Two, some were paid well enough to forget their hatred for the Emperor. While the Blood Dragons had refused to act when Japan invaded China, they accepted to help when the U.S.A. entered the war.
Kodai was a spy, suited to most environements, from city to jungle. And he was used as a scout by the japanese army. But soon came Hiroshima, and Nagazaki. The horror of the japanese was only dwarfed by the horror felt by the supernatural races of Asia: The Westerners had this kind of magic!?!
Kodai felt the shame of Japan so much he asked his own Ninja Clan the right to commit suicide. The Blood Dragons weren't kind to those who failed, but Kodai took on his shoulders the failures of others. The Clanmaster came to him at night, while he was waiting in meditation for the decision of his Clan.
Hsing Lao have been pleased by the reaction of Kodai, but felt shame as Kodai simply abandonned the fight. Why, the clanmaster asked. Kodai, under the scrutiny of those eyes as red as molten metal, explained he felt powerless against such magic. He knew the master was believed to be chinese, and a great magician, but he never believed his powers could give him this appearance. He explained him thought revenge was impossible, even with his own surprising capacities.
Hsing Lao offered him to accept his claim to death to the condition Kodai would swear over the souls of his ancestors that he would continue to serve his Clan and obey his master even beyond death. Kodai didn't fully understood the scope of this commitment when he gave his word. He was surprised to wake up as one of the Undead.
Kodai worked with the Blood Dragons, expanding the territory of the Ninja Clan, and accepting contracts of murders and spying from the Yakuza.
He even won the right to create his own Progeny, and choose Naoko, his own mortal daughter, who worked for the Clan as a Geisha.
But one night, the Kuei-Jin came in the Clan headquarters, and talked to Hsing Lao. The Clanmaster offered them his help in the form of Kodai. Kodai was explained the situation in Paris, and was told he had 10 years to prepare himself.
Kodai learnt all he could from France's culture and language, as well as the biography of the criminal organizations of Paris. The Maffia of Paris was visibly in control even if there was a war between a handful of families, the most powerful being controlled by a Kin-Jin. The Triads had been infiltrated the same moment they put a feet on Paris' grounds and were now probably controlled or influenced by a Mage who was of chinese origins. Only the Yakuza were not represented (little japanese immigration in France) and had no power. So Kodai understood he and the Clan of the Blood Dragons would pass as Yakuza, to clean off the corrupted Triads, and after, weaken then destroy the Maffia.
Kodai arrived recently in France, with his Childe. His organization is still small, but very aggressive. They concentrate their attentions over weakening the other criminal organizations to take their turfs. The Maffia was its principal aim, as he saw no need to compete with the Chinese Tongs who kept to themselves and to the chinese population of Paris first, and he had placed spies (and highly paid moles) to track down the supernatural influences behind the Maffia. He detected a Ventrue called Leonard (not a great source of danger), a Brujah called Dona Vanessa who had the greatest influence over the underworld, and the Giovanni Don Ernesto, who was new in Paris, but made up with his cunning and aggressivity.
Appearance: While Kodai is small by european standards and appears slim, he is quite well built, and his standing can awe the most bored Maffia capo. He has black hair cut short, pale skin and always wears black shades to hide the luminous red color of his eyes. He always wear high-stylish clothes, favoring whole black or whole white Armani ones. He wears most of the time a long, black trench coat where he hides his wakizashi.
We wears also a great tattoo representing a blood-red dragon all around his torso (tattooed before his Embrace). His personal symbol, tattooed in black between the claws of the dragon is the black panther.
Behavior: Kodai appears as a cold man, with the arrogance only the Yakuza is inconscious enough to bear in a western world where the criminal organization doesn't fit well in the open.
He speaks with a japanese accent (the tone of his voice is that of the typical --mythical?-- male-brutal-voiced japanese). He is not above abusing, killing or torturing others, but his honor is sacred, and unless he finds his interlocutor to be honorless, he won't lie or betray the trust of others if he tells them he won't.
Kodai is quite ignorant of the complex internal working of the Camarilla, and in particular, the true extend of the power and influence of the Masques and the existence of the Veilleurs. He is for a surprise when he will realize the organization in Europe is more complex and efficient than in the U.S.A..
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