Background/History: A miko (Shinto shrine maiden) living in Tokyo, Michiko Yamori first encountered Captain Lance Pallant and the crew of the Airracuda when the good Captain was embroiled in the midst of the infamous "Case of the One Hundred Hungry Ghosts." In the course of the case (which involved a plot to raise the dead and use them to rob from the living) Michiko not only helped the brave Captain (and his crew) solve the case, but proved her worth as an unarmed fighter (through the use of her jujutsu skills), used her knowledge of the supernatural to help deduce what was happening, and put her miko skills to the test in personally defeating several gaki (hungry ghosts). Impressed with her bravery, spunk, and skill (not to mention her obvious physical charms), Captain Pallant asked her to join him as one of the crew. Michiko, who found her recent adventure far more to her liking than her former tranquil temple life, readily accepted.
Together, the crew of the Airracuda ranged the length and breadth of the Far East, engaging in a life of high-adventure aboard their custom outfitted Sikorsky S-38 flying boat. In between cargo and passenger runs, they battled bandits and pirates, foiled criminal masterminds, fought with Triad and Yakuza gangsters, and occasionally encountered supernatural menaces of all sorts. Along the way, Michiko not only learned to fly the Airracuda herself, but became quite the skilled pilot, eventually acquiring the nickname Sora-hime ("sky princess").
Alas, the story of Captain Pallant, Sora-hime his love, and the rest of the Airracuda crew doesn't end on a happy note. The plane vanished over China in late 1938, the presumed victims of an Imperial Japanese air patrol. No wreckage has ever been found, and it is thought the passage of time has done more than enough to destroy any evidence of the plane. However, there are some, usually those skilled in the mystic arts, who claim the plane actually flew to the lost city of Shangri-la, where its passengers still dwell today.
Personality/Motivation: Although Michiko enjoyed her life as a miko, she's found she likes life on the Airracuda far more. As part of the crew, she's traded in the somewhat placid lifestyle of a shrine maiden for one of uncertainty, excitement and adventure, and to tell the truth, she rather not be anywhere else. She's found she likes travel, has become fond of her fellow crewmembers, adores the Airracuda (going so far to bless and purify it), and has fallen desperately in love with the handsome and dashing Captain Pallant.
Having grown up in the shrine, Michiko never had a real family, and has adopted the crew of the Airracuda as her own. She has become somewhat protective of them, and tends to look after everyone's well-being as best she can. And while she still retains a distinctly Shintoist view of how the world should work (mainly dealing with ghosts and spirits), she's also come to share the crew's views on opposing evil and upholding justice.
Quote: "Be gone foul yurei and trouble this place no more!"
Powers/Tactics: Sora-hime brings some rather unique abilities to the crew of the Airracuda, mainly expertise in dealing with ghosts and the power to banish and destroy them. Her primary weapon when dealing with the supernatural is her o-fuda, paper talismans with various holy/magical symbols and script written on them. When applied to a supernatural creature, these talismans burst into flame, damaging and destroying ghosts, demons, and other such monsters. Sora-hime can purify an area by using her harae-gushi, a wooden stick with prayer streamers attached. By brandishing the harae-gushi she can force evil spirits to vacate an area, rendering it safe for others to enter.
Aside from her powers as a Shinto priestess, Sora-hime has proven more than capable of handling herself in physical confrontations, as she is highly skilled in the art of jujutsu. Many times a foe has grabbed the seemingly helpless Sora-hime, only to end up flat on their backs from a powerful throw or slam. In addition, Sora-hime has done her best to learn how to help with the running of the Airracuda, from how to fly the plane itself, to navigation, to helping in keeping it in working order, and even how to operate the Lewis Gun mounted on the plane's nose.
Appearance: Sora-hime has long blue-black hair, brown eyes, and a curvaceous, well-endowed figure of the sort only seen in anime, comics, manga, and Pulp-era action-adventure fiction. She tends to wear the traditional clothing of a miko, consisting of scarlet red hakama and a white kimono with red trim. She ties her hair back with a length of ribbon, and tends to wear a pair of aviator's goggles perched atop her head. When not dressed as a miko, Sora-hime will usually wear traditional Japanese fashions, although she has been coxed into Western clothing from time to time.
Designer's Notes: Sora-Hime is derived from the Pulp-era character of Koyori, the busty shrine maiden from the Sengoku Ace and Sengoku Cannon line of games. I don't know much about Koyori beyond the basics, although I understand she either flies herself or pilots some sort of combat aircraft in the game. This version of the character is designed for a Pulp-era team of free-ranging adventurers who travel around the Pacific on their flying boat and get into all sorts of adventures (the perfect campaign set-up if you think about it). At 195 points she more expensive and powerful than the 150-point sample PCs in the Pulp HERO sourcebook, but I think that's okay—150 points is too low for most Pulp-era heroes anyways. To bring Sora-hime down to 150 points, remove her Danger Sense, and O-fuda, and leave any use of her harae-gushi rather vague as to if it "worked" or not. To make her more powerful, give her a SPD of 4, one Damage Class for her martial arts, and add in more Psychic powers (such as Aura Vision or the like). A really powerful version of Sora-hime would retain the medium abilities of the miko and should have the Medium power from Pulp HERO. I hope, one day, to write-up and present Captain Pallant, the Airracuda (a Sikorsky S-38 flying boat), and the rest of the crew.
Oddhat had this to say about Sora-hime on the HERO GAMES Discussion Boards:
A hit out of the park, Susano. She will immediately have a place in Saturday's game, which is the highest compliment I can give.
Thanks for posting her.