SAFFRON

Contact info: Blade, kumonryuu@hotmail.com

Full Name: That's it, though it's often preceded by "God-King", "his
eternal and divine majesty", and other such honourifics.

"Place" in GRIT: Semi-antagonistic ruler of a destroyed race.

Residence: He and the remnants of the Phoenix are encamped in the
wilderness a considerable distance from Tokyo.

Height: 96cm

Weight: 16.3kg

Eyes: Golden

Hair: The majority is black, with two shimmering forelocks which seem to
shift through a rainbow of colours as light shines upon them.  If exposed
to great heat, his hair changes colour to gold and red, and very much
resembles flame itself.

Birthday: Unknown.

Blood Type: Unknown.

Curse: Not a Jyusenkyou curse, but he is currently stuck in the body of a
six-year-old-child.

Other:  An immortal, semi-divine being, though currently having access to
almost none of his immense power.  He still, however, has the knowledge and
experience of an unknown but obviously vast amount of years.  Has small,
glittering rainbow-coloured wings, which change colour to gold when exposed
to great heat.

Clothing: Normally wears his royal garb; a complex set of clothing
involving sashes, armor, fine (fireproof) cloth, jewellry and a long cape.
It is designed for his wings to be used freely, and he can move, fight or
fly in it with comfort and ease.  He also almost always carries the
Kinjaken, a metallic, ornate staff with three rings on the bottom and a
large loop on the top.

Personality:  Little is known of Saffron's origins or true age.  For as
long as anyone has known, he has been a combination monarch and god of the
Phoenix people, providing them with heat and light as well as
(infrequently-exercised but still absolute) rulership.  For centuries, very
few ever saw the God-King except at a distance, and only his closest
seneschals knew of his need to renew his body, his vulnerability at that
time, or the full process needed to allow him to regain his power.

All that changed when Ranma Saotome and his friends, through a series of
misunderstandings and coincidences, were drawn into a conflict with first
the Phoenix and then Saffron himself.  His ceremony of rebirth was
prematurely disrupted by the conflict, and an enraged Saffron struck back
with the fraction of his true power he wielded.  That fraction was still
enough to make an epic battle that literally shattered mountains, but
eventually the Phoenix King was defeated by Ranma (with the extensive aid
of powerful magical weaponry, his friends, and Akane) and forced to
regenerate his body from scratch, ending up as a baby once more.

Though the conflict had shattered the myths about Saffron's invincibility,
tradition and the strong support of many of his underlings (particularly
Kiima) ensured he kept his defacto rulership, though with a less firm grip
than before.  As the infant monarch grew older, many wondered whether he
would seek vengeance upon Ranma, and there was much debate on whether he
should be followed and obeyed if he chose to do so...and even if he should
be allowed to regain his power.

This become a moot point on the day that the stranger, looking like and
calling himself Ranma, came to Phoenix Mountain and utterly annihilated it
with a technique called the Nexus Flare.  Most of the Phoenix were wiped
from existence, and those that remained were only too willing to heed
Saffron's calls for vengeance upon the murderer who had slain their people.

The God-King himself is still seemingly young and he frequently acts the
part, making childish and petulant demands and decisions.  Underestimating
him based on this could be an extremely costly mistake.  The knowledge and
experience of millennia lies within him, and he is far from stupid.
Saffron has both outwitted and thought tactical circles around both his
best general and the Ranma crew before; he is certainly able to do so
again.  Nonetheless, he is arrogant, extremely sure of himself, and used to
unquestioned obedience, which sometimes limit his ability to predict the
results of a situation.

Saffron cares about his people, but in the sort of paternalistic way that a
farmer cares about his animals: while he is interested in the whole,
individuals can be readily sacrificed if it serves the greater good.
However, he is reluctant to expose them to too much danger at this point,
if only because so many have -already- been sacrificed that the race is in
danger of extinction.  He does -not- consider himself Phoenix, human, or
even mortal...he is a superior being, and expects to be treated with the
respect due such.  Anyone neglecting to show this respect will not be met
with favor, though he may still work with them if he considers it a
(distasteful) necessity.

It didn't take much surveillance by his minions to determine what Saffron
had already expected: whoever it was that destroyed the Phoenix was clearly
NOT the real Ranma.  This conclusion is one he has kept to himself thus
far, both to ensure his people stay motivated and in hopes that a pursuit
of Ranma (which is clearly what he was expected to do) will bring his true
foe out into the open.

Identifying quote: "When in my presence, human, you would do well to
comport yourself with a modicum of dignity.  (pause)  Now, where is my
royal bubble bath!?"