![[Hino Rei]](rei2.jpg)
Rei is the only child of Hino Ichiryo, a Japanese politician, and his wife, Fujiko, the miko, or priestess, of a local Shinto shrine. Her mother raised her as an apprentice priestess from the time she was old enough to handle most small tasks at the shrine. Since her father's job took him away from home for long stretches of time, Rei saw him only infrequently.
Unbeknownst to Fujiko, Ichiryo's politics had caused him to run afoul of a local Yakuza gumi. By the time Rei had reached her teens, he feared so for his daughter's life that he decided to send her to live with her mother's sister Michie in California. Rei was less than thrilled about the move, but her father was implacable, and within a week she was on a plane to the United States.
Living with her aunt wasn't too bad; Rei learned English quickly, and was able to pretty much run the little Shinto shrine that her aunt maintained in San Tobal's Little Tokyo. She also discovered that there were certain things about Aunt Michie that struck her as, well, odd, even for a priestess. And some of her aunt's friends were just as strange, especially the way their presence gave her a sort of funny tingling feeling inside her head. It was even more astonishing when Aunt Michie told her that magic was real, and that she could teach Rei how to use it! The lessons began shortly after Rei's fifteenth birthday, and she soon found she was particularly adept with the use of Fire incantations.
By the time Rei was ready to start college, she was on her way to becoming an accomplished magician. Accepted at the University of California at San Tobal, she chose to major in International Studies. Her second language and her knowledge of traditional Japanese culture helped immensely, and she had little trouble with her studies.
During her junior year, she decided to take an easy elective, and chose Asian Folklore. At the first class, she noticed an attractive dark-haired young man sitting in front of her. She soon discovered that his name was Aidan Tregarde a few classes later, when he asked if they could study together that evening. She accepted, and found herself almost immediately attracted to the gentle young man. They began dating steadily soon afterwards, and Rei found herself wondering how to tell him about her magickal abilities. Before she could do so, however, things took a startling turn when Aidan revealed to her that he was a member of the Rosicrucian Brotherhood. Surprised, but somehow relieved as well, she told him of her own Gifted powers, and soon afterward she started working magic with him and a group of friends. Today, she continues to lead a sort of "triple life" - college student, miko, and magician. She'd prefer to concentrate on the first two, but somehow, the third keeps popping up, sometimes at the most inoppurtune moments....
Description: A pretty young Japanese woman of slightly below average height and slender build, Rei has long blue-black hair that falls to her waist, wide-set, mysterious dark eyes, and elfin features. When acting as a miko, she wears the traditional robes of her calling: a white kimono jacket and red hakama, or divided skirt. In her off-hours, she prefers stylish casual attire, often in shades of red and black. Wherever she is, she frequently carries a number of Japanese spell scrolls (ofuda) with her - these are small strips of paper marked with the Japanese characters for the words, "Evil spirit begone!"; she often uses them as a sort of focus for her Cleansing Incantations.
Life Points: 26
Endurance Points: 29
Speed: 10
Essence Points: 35
Channeling level: 2
Qualities: The Gift; Attractiveness (2 levels); Essence channeling (2 levels); Increased Essence (20 points)
Drawbacks: Honorable (1 level); Adversary (3 levels; Yakuza)
Metaphysics: Elemental Fire 5, Cleansing 4, Soulfire 3, Shielding 3
Skills: Dodge 2, Occult Knowledge 3, Myth and Legend (Japanese) 5, Theology (Shinto) 5, Rituals (Shinto) 5, Language (English) 4
Equipment: Casual clothes, miko robes, school supplies, a supply of ofuda.