Name: Edward Kitsuo
Age: 64
Race: Human
Sex: Male
Hair: Black but beginning to gray
Eyes: A glossy, faint blue because he is blind
Weight: 130 lbs.
Height: 5’7”

Weapon: A long, slender katana and an oak walking stick.

Strengths: Being stricken with blindness at a young age, Edward’s other senses have developed well beyond those of an average person. Although he is blind, his skills with the blade are superb. He is also very fast and agile. The blind swordsman is also very wise.

Weaknesses: Even though his other senses are at a much higher developed state than the normal person, Edward is still blind. His older age also leaves him at a disadvantage because his energy is not as great as it was when he was younger. He also wears no armor at all, so his body is subject to injury from any physical or magical attack.

Skills/Magic: None

Appearance: Edward carries all the features of an aging man. His face is slightly wrinkled and his long, black hair usually hangs in his face. He is attired in a traditional, eastern styled kimono with wooden sandals. His kimono is old, much like himself, and worn through in several places. He also wears a pair of black glasses so people cannot see his ghostly eyes.

Personality: The blind swordsman, Edward, is a very kind man to those who are pure at heart. His demeanor in battle is most strange, because he usually remains soft-spoken even when confronted or confronting others. When he does speak, he usually equates what is happening to a philosophy or to some sort of lesson. In many ways, he is a natural teacher providing life lessons to even those who would oppose him. Sadly, some do not live long enough to learn from those lessons.

Biography: Many years ago, Edward was born to a poor merchant and a housewife. His childhood was rather unexceptional until in his teenage years when he began to show a high aptitude for scholarly subjects. Using everything that they had, his poor parents managed to send him to a school within the kingdom of Coreelus. He excelled within the school and made top marks in all subjects. After spending several years in the school, Edward began having problems with his vision. Some days his vision would blur and darken. Most of his symptoms were accompanied by a splitting headache where he would have to spend most of the day in bed because of the pain. It was only a short time later when the young scholar lost his sight for good.

However, blindness was not enough to hold Edward back. He was specially tutored and continued to excel in his subjects, maybe even more so than before because the migraines and continual visual problems that plagued him stopped. Now, there was only blackness. It did not take too long before word of the young man spread throughout the kingdom. The king personally selected him to become the assistant to his royal scholar.

The now successful young man continued his studies under the royal scholar. The two mapped the stars, developed an elementary concept of meteorology, solved the Coreelus’s growing drainage problem, and came up with many of the concepts and principles that would eventually be followed in local and foreign regions years later. Being a very curious and ambitious man, Edward longed for even more than his studies. During his thorough research of history, he heard of the famous swordsmen known throughout the world. This sparked his interest and he desired to know all that he could about the way of the sword.

Combing through the dusty archives of the castle’s ancient library, Edward’s personal assistant read every single title to him. The scholar listened intently and soaked in every bit of knowledge behind the ways and life of a swordsman. He became learned in the various styles of swordsmanship, in the great masters of the sword, and in the ethics and traditions of an honorable warrior. He still yearned for more though. His quest for complete knowledge in this area would not be complete unless he learned to handle a sword. This would be unthinkable for a blind man though.

After a great deal of convincing on his part, Edward finally persuaded the Master of the Guard to tutor him in basic swordsmanship. The Master of the Guard, Coralis Coreelus, was the descendant of some of the founding fathers of Coreelus. He was a swordsman of legendary standing. Even after his many conquests and successes defending the kingdom, teaching a blind man the way of the sword would be his greatest challenge. The ambitious, blind, young man spent every waking hour in the presence of Coralis. The Master of the Guard did not go easy on him either. He put him through the same difficult training that he expected of anyone. Truthfully, he was more difficult on Edward than he had ever been with anyone before. He did this because he could see the true potential that resided in him. Past his blindness, he could sense that he had the ability to become truly great. He could sense that the young man could make those he encountered to be the ones with the disadvantage. Coralis knew that Edward could turn the vision of others into their own greatest weakness.

After years of intense training and conditioning, Edward’s senses were awakened to a level where he could hear the nimble feet of ninjas in the forest. He could sense coming attacks greater than those with the sharpest eyes. What he did not possess in strength, he made up for with his almost hypnotic movements when attacking. His feet seemed to not even touch the ground as propelled himself toward the sky with only his toes. His body spun in the air as a piece of silk does when it’s thrown into a strong breeze. His attacks came quickly and deadly. He could not afford to waste movement because of his blindness. When Edward struck, he struck to kill. Coralis realized that the ability of his pupil surpassed even that of his own.

On a blustery fall day, the Master of the Guard gave his blind pupil the black kimono that he wore himself as a student. He also rewarded him with his most prized possession. Coralis presented Edward with the sleek katana that was handed down to him by his own master, a legendary samurai from the east. The blind pupil took the blade, but not before hearing what Coralis had to say about it.

“Edward, you have learned the way of a swordsman. I’ve taught you all that I know and you have managed to surpass me. I’ve nothing more to give you, but the katana that now lies in your hand. Use it well. It was specially crafted far in the east and presented to my master who later handed it down to me. I have now handed it down to you. The blade has a storied history, but I feel that you already know that.”

The young swordsman looked down to the blade in his hand. He reached up to the round black glasses he wore to cover his glossy eyes and removed them. He opened his non-seeing eyes wide and he could almost see the shimmering of the blade through the sheath.

“With that blade,” Coralis said solemnly, “If God should turn on you, He will be cut.”

.....

Edward went back to his scholarly duties for the king. He still practiced his swordsmanship everyday. Years later, Coralis died of old age. He died peacefully in the night in his own bed. For that, his most exceptional student was glad. Still, he was deeply saddened by the passing of his own master. Meanwhile, the kingdom was slipping into disarray.

The king died suddenly after the onset of an illness. His young and arrogant son succeeded him and almost immediately led the kingdom into conflicts with neighboring lands. The young king didn’t care much for scholarly matters and decided to do away with the royal scholar and his assistant. He offered Edward and the royal scholar a small parcel of land within the kingdom, but both soundly rejected the offer. The king was deeply offended, but both of the scholars knew that the kingdom would meet an ill-end with this king in control. The two moved far away into a deep forest together and built a very small home by a spring.

After a walk to the spring one cold day in winter, Edward strode toward his home. When he was only a few dozen yards away from the spring, he stopped. Small flurries of snow and a bitterly cold wind from the west brought the smell that alerted him that something was amiss. He could sense the figure leaping from a tree to his right. He pulled his katana from over his shoulder and with one spinning motion the would-be murderer was spilled over the snow-covered ground. Upon arriving at his home, he was greeted by two unfamiliar voices.

“You must be Edward,” one of the voices said.

“Yes, I am Edward,” he said, “What do you want with us?” A snicker came from one of the men.

“We want you dead,” a gruff voice answered.

“Before I die,” Edward started, “I think I should know what has brought you here to kill an old scholar and a blind man.”

“Fair enough,” the voice answered, “You were privy to far too much secretive information during your stint in Coreelus. The king has ordered us to execute you both. He has fears that you have betrayed the kingdom by sharing secrets with neighboring lands. You are guilty of treason, and that is why your friend is dead and why you have to die.”

The two assassins dashed at Edward and he dispatched them with ease. One tried to speak, but only a loud gurling was heard as bright blood spurted from his throat. In the house, he discovered the elderly scholar slain in bed. He dressed in the black kimono given to him by his master and placed his black glasses on the end of his nose. The blind swordsman began his long journey to Coreelus to make those pay who had this senseless murder committed.

.....

The king was killed, as was a large panel of his advisors and conspirators. That was over thirty years ago. The blind swordsman realized what great evil was dwelling in some men. Edward has spent his remaining days wandering throughout the lands and ridding the world of those that would do evil. He felt his fate was sealed with those that he had been forced to kill back in Coreelus, so he would continue this undesirable work until he fell to another’s blade or he went into an unending sleep. Tirelessly, he wanders the land without a place to call home and without mercy for those who seek to do harm to others.

He is actively sought after by assassins and others hired by those who have warranted a visit from the blind swordsman.