Name: Ishmael Ridley (he prefers to be called Ridley).
Age: 21.
Gender: Male.
Hometown: Armkfish.
Appearance: Ishmael Ridley is thin to the point of malnutrition. He suffers from serious stomach ulcers, and finds eating intolerable at the best of times. He only eats when it is necessary. As a side effect of the ulcers, however, he finds most liquids extremely addictive and delicious, and is rarely seen without a cold lemonade can (his favourite drink) in his hand. Normally he wears polo shirts of varying colours or patterns (but most commonly white, grey, black and green) as well as shorts and runners. He also wears an ash-coloured (grey and black patterns) cap to shield his eyes.
Ishmael is around five foot twelve, relatively average. He has sandy-coloured hair that grows down to his shoulders and often falls in front of his eyes in loose spikes. His eyes are, perhaps, his most noticeable feature. Due to a rare genetic mutation, his eye colour is red – more specifically, he has no iris, and the red color is actually the muscle ring beneath. Because of this, his eyes are extremely photosensitive, and he often wears sunglasses on all but the darkest days. His eyes also possess a somewhat hypnotic quality, which he has attributed to the strange colour.
He is an expert in several martial arts, including karate, judo and taekwondo. What he lacks in brute force Ishmael more than makes up for in technique – while he will never win an arm wrestle, he is extremely good at using the opponent’s strength against them and disabling them. His hands are bony and rigid, and quite forceful. His skin is dark black, as a result of his ancestry. He once had the nickname the Black Devil as a child, until the boy who was the chief rumourmonger one day, stopped saying it. In addition, he could never look at Ishmael again, and had a nervous tic whenever somebody mentioned the word, “rod”. Ishmael was never proved to have caused it... officially.
Personality: Ridley is distrusting of most strangers, first and foremost. He has experienced first hand the ignorance, stupidity and cruelty of most people. While he is not exactly a misanthrope, he doesn’t talk to strangers often. However, he is a keen observer and learner of many subjects, and he is a good reader of people. Once he has certified what a person is like and how they generally act, he proceeds from there.
To his friends, he is loyal, determined and serious, and he possesses a very sobering wit, akin to black humour. He takes a very dim view of criminals and thugs, thanks to the heavy influence of both during his youth. He hates cowardice, betrayal and liars, as well – these are what shows him the worst in other people. He also is caring to his Natrelmon, thanks to the positive influence of his father and his father’s Natrelmon.
Relic Description: Ridley’s Relics take the form of small handheld mirrors. The mirrors are about as large as an adult man’s hand, with the handles about the same length and thickness as half a hand. The mirrors themselves are edged with steel, which changes from the blank white of an empty Relic to a colouration matching that of the Natrelmon in question. The handle changes accordingly, as does the back of the mirror, where the Natrelmon’s name will be written in one of its colours in ornate script on the back. The mirror itself reflects the status of the Relic – when blank, it merely functions as a normal mirror.
When used to house a Natrelmon, however, it shows the Natrelmon in its natural environment – in other words, a visual representation of the inner world of the Relic. When placed into close proximity with other Relics, it appears that even other Natrelmon can interact with the Relic, though this connection is subject to both of the Trainers AND the Natrelmon’s will, as well as other factors. It is not permanent, either, and the interacting Natrelmon is not explicitly stored in the mirrors. Ishmael keeps his mirrors in a specially-made series of holsters on his belt, nothing more than loops that can securely hold each mirror. To capture a Natrelmon, his phrase is “Come, now.” – to summon one, it is “Ride forth.”
Starting Natrelmon: Olena.
History: Ishmael Ridley was born and raised in Armkfish, as the son of a martial arts teacher-turned-fisherman and Natrelmon Trainer, and consequently developed a passion for the three of them (even being named for a famous fisherman from an “old novel”).
His mother died during childbirth. His father was tough, but never cruel or abusive towards his son, but he was fair. He developed a fearsome reputation as the father and son lived in a rough neighbourhood, and both of them regularly were forced to combat many unscrupulous characters.
After a while, Ishmael began to show an interest in capturing Natrelmon of his own and raising them. However, he hadn’t much spare time to devote to doing so. One day, watching a Natrelmon fire seeds around, he realised that the current single-barrel harpoon used for fishing could be modified.
With help from several local blacksmiths and engineers, Ishmael successfully invented the four-round harpoon gun, with one harpoon being loaded into the barrel and the other three stacked into the loading chamber, complete with a mechanism for attaching rope to the ring of the harpoon, then being able to jettison the other end of the rope once the prey has been speared.
This invention earned a fair amount of industry for Ishmael and his father, who were lower-middle class beforehand. Port cities like Atrew and Armkfish were in great need of the harpoon gun upgrades. With the money earned from it, Ishmael bought supplies for his journey as a Trainer, including a harpoon gun of his own.
Professions: Tracking and Fishing.
Noteworthy Skills:
- Martial arts.
- Fishing/cooking skills.
- Keen observation.
Subject: Ishmael Ridley 
Thu Apr 22, 2010 2:06 pm
