Nico Tempest

Beast of Earth and Quaking Winds
"Auspice of the Ruby Sea"

Things to know?

Name: Baracao
Nickname: Nico
Title: Baracao the Tempest
Full Honorific: Beast of Earth and Quaking Winds, Auspice of the Ruby Sea
Age: 1,406 Summers
Sex: Male
Pronouns: Any
Orientation: Pansexual
Race: Auspice (Tanuki)
Born: Tural
Raised: The Ruby SeaAppearance: Nico is massive. Standing at seven Fulm tall and built thick with muscle, his body carries the density of stone rather than the polish of a warrior sculpted for display. Broad shoulders, heavy arms, and a powerful core give the impression of something meant to endure rather than impress.He bears his tanuki nature openly. Rounded ears rise from his hair, a long, bushy tail striped in deep brown and black moves behind him, and the dark mask of skin around his eyes marks him unmistakably as non human. He makes no effort to soften or conceal these traits.His eyes are golden amber and pupil less, vacant in a way that unsettles most people. Though blind in the mortal sense, Nico sees through Aether Sight, perceiving the flow of energy, movement, and intent rather than form. Prolonged eye contact is avoided by most, for good reason.Floral and naturalistic tattoos trace across his arms, torso, and thighs, following muscle and motion instead of sitting atop the skin as decoration. They feel grown into him rather than applied.He is most often shirtless, wearing detachable black sleeves, hand wrappings, and a long black scarf edged in gold lace. His lower garments vary between loose trousers, hakama, oversized pants, or tribal robes secured at the waist. Everything he wears prioritizes movement, comfort, and familiarity over modesty or display.Family
Mother: Tiana — Tanuki Auspice, former tribal chief and island guardian of Tural. Practitioner of Vidraal ways. Deceased.
Father: Agüeybaná — Hhetsarro of Guami'ke'ni Cay, musician and scholar. Deceased.
Quadrouplet Siblings: Guanina Ortiz Guabancex (Elder Sister), Yuíza (Missing) and Caona (Missing)
Known commonly as Hoja Ortiz
Younger Half-Sister: Xandreas — Missing
Niece: Tanama
Nephew: YùNico has sired many children across his long life. These ties are distant and largely irrelevant to his current affairs.Occupations:Primary: Enforcer / Rogue — Lilium Aurum
Nico serves as muscle and shadow within the criminal organization Lilium Aurum. He handles intimidation, violence, and enforcement when subtlety fails, and infiltration, theft, and assassination when it does not.Secondary: Hot Springs Attendant — Bokairo Inn
On quieter days, Nico works the baths at Bokairo Inn, serving sake and water, assisting guests, and offering back washing services. It is one of the few routines in his life that does not demand violence.Side Hustle: Courtesan of a Hidden Redlight District — The Role Speaks for itself.Presence & Personality: Nico is volatile.On the surface, he often comes across as unserious, childish, and aloof, flirtatious, inappropriate, and sometimes Vulgar. He jokes when he shouldn’t, sulks when ignored, and reacts to small slights with exaggerated emotion. He forgets things he should remember, fixates on things that don’t matter, and treats life like a game even when it clearly isn’t.Centuries of loss, trauma, and aetheric self harm have eroded the discipline he once possessed. His moods shift violently. Calm turns to cruelty without warning. Laughter can curdle into something dangerous in a breath. His priorities are inconsistent, his emotional regulation shattered.And yet, beneath it all, the ancient Auspice still exists.When his family is threatened, Nico becomes something else entirely. Focused. Silent. Absolute. In those moments, the immaturity falls away, revealing a being of old discipline and merciless resolve. He will stand alone against impossible odds without hesitation if it means keeping his kin safe.There is no negotiation when Nico decides something belongs to him.Aether & Combat
Primary Affinities: Earth, Wind
Combat Style: Berserker, Martial CombatantNico fights with his bare hands.His style is a brutal fusion of disciplined martial technique, street brawling, and feral instinct. He moves like a storm breaking against a mountain, unpredictable but deliberate, shifting between overwhelming force and sudden precision.Through Earth aspected magicks, Nico fortifies his body to extreme levels. His skin hardens enough to deflect blades and bullets, his bones and fists reinforced to strike with crushing force. His strength borders on mythic, his stamina and endurance allowing him to fight long past the point most would fall.Wind aspected aether grants him speed, flight, and battlefield dominance. He sunders the air with tornados, vanishes in bursts of pressure, and manipulates wind to disorient, control space, or escape entirely. Distortions in air allow him to create illusions and misdirection, making it difficult to track him once he chooses to move.As a tanuki, he also possesses innate shapeshifting abilities, as well as subtle manipulation of fortune and luck.Together, his power is less spellwork and more natural disaster.Aramitama & The Gaze of Madness: Nico lost his physical sight in early youth when his mother, an Elder Auspice consumed by Aramitama, destroyed his eyes. By the time Nico reached the strength required for regeneration, the damage had already become permanent.To manage his own Aramitama, Nico devised a dangerous solution. He forces excess rage and instability into his eyes, using them as a vent to clear his mind and maintain a fragile sense of control.It worked.It also broke him.Over time, this method degraded his sanity, destabilized his emotions, and turned his eyes into an aetheric hazard. Those who meet his gaze directly may experience intrusive thoughts, emotional bleed, or brief episodes of madness. This phenomenon is now known as the Gaze of Madness.Because of this, Nico avoids direct eye contact whenever possible, keeping his eyes obscured by his bangs or adjusting his posture so others never meet them head on.

Nico's Logs

Nico