Kahuna

Wes Chatham as Koa Akitoshi Turner

Name: Koa Akitoshi Turner Codename: Kahuna Faction: WAND, Consortium Arcana Position: Agent Age: 30 Hometown: N/A Gender: Male Height: 5'11" Build: Muscular Skin: Fair Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown

Details

Background

It all started when Koa Turner found an odd, out of place piece of chain at a dig in Crete during the summer of his junior year in college. Prior to that the Purdue archeology student and former Seattle resident hadn't particularly thought either himself or his world unusual. By the end of a harrowing twenty hour run through a labyrinth and a desperate fight against a seemingly unstoppable minotaur those convictions had been thoroughly shaken. To say the experience had been traumatic would be an understatement, and that was made more so by the fact that whatever had happened had awoken something within him causing him to see and hear unusual things wherever he went. The world that had seemed so normal was now filled with myth and spirits and fairy tales come to life.

So what does a man do with a rock that seems to be somehow magical, a newfound set of perceptions that other people don't seem to see and a weird affinity for water? Well if that man is Koa Turner, he studies. And study he did. Over the course of the rest of the summer Koa devoured every resource he could on the supernatural, as well as family history. And to be honest, he loved it. It was fascinating, if sometimes rather frustrating and sometimes frightening. Study wasn't always a matter of researching and reading. Conversations with spirit-beings were all well and good but his first encounter with a demon nearly did him in. Still, each encounter, each bit of weirdness he survived taught him something and by the time he returned to Purdue he had a pretty decent grounding in what seemed to be the basics of how the magical world seemed to work and in particular how his pendulum and his own odd abilities seemed to work.

Graduation came and went. Koa started working in artifact authentications and acquisitions, with a side business in dealing with supernatural issues. At first he worked for the New York Museum of Natural history but after about a year he went freelance. His work took him to interesting places and allowed him to further his own interests: searching for the remains of Earth's mystical past. A number of these he collected to study, to use and to keep safe. It quickly became apparent that he was not the only one seeking ancient treasures and some of them took a particular dislike to Koa. They attacked him often violently and sometimes called him Akua, a term that seemed to refer to magically adept beings connected in some way to old Hawaiian legends.

Careful investigation allowed Koa to eventually piece together that these hostile relic hunters and magic users belonged to a group calling themselves Thelema that seemed to associate with a fraternal order called the Ordo Templi Orientis. While the OTO itself appeared to be something of a charity organization with an esoteric bent, the magi controlled beings summoned from some dark realm and left polluted mana - the energy of life and living things - in their wake. What exactly they had aligned themselves with he did not know but he heard fearful rumors of a dark power whenever he investigated, though who or what it was he could not discern for those who knew spoke of it only in whispers and never by name.

The next six or so years were quite busy ones for Koa who split his time living in New York and journeying abroad. In the former he worked freelance for museums and collectors and offered magical assistance to those who knew to ask him for it, frequently those who had no other options. In the latter he participated in digs, acquired artifacts for museums or for his own use and played a game of cat and mouse with Thelema agents around the world. Of course, one does not engage in arcane duels in cultural heritage sites without getting noticed eventually and after a particularly flashy incident in the Yucatan which involved two Thelema mages, a small horde of ancient ghosts and a jungle spirit of predation Koa found himself on SHIELD's radar.

Fortunately Koa did not in fact wind up arrested and thrown into a deep dark hole. SHIELD, in fact, was somewhat interested in recruiting him for their relatively new supernatural division. After a couple more run ins also involving Thelema he was convinced to come on as a consultant. Two years and a half years ago he signed on as an agent of WAND. The job is largely the same these days and he still even does authentication and acquisitions. After all. What better way to keep an eye out for dangerous things than be embedded in the circles that trade in them?

And what better way to keep an ear to the ground for whatever it is that Thelema is doing.

Powers

Mana Attunement

Koa is deeply attuned to flows of supernatural power. He can see and interact with non corporeal magical beings and can sense magic from active use of supernatural powers or dormant artifacts both so long as they're within a quarter mile or so. Note that especially powerful magic might be detected at longer ranges, and also that this ability does not pierce the protections of magical beings, artifacts or enchantments whose presence is actively hidden.

Mana Absorption

Thanks to his heritage, Koa can absorb and use Mana - the force of life and living things to which the Akua are deeply connected - to power magic or artifacts. Unfortunately it isn't just laying around and he doesn't make it, so it has to be taken from living things: usually plants, animals or spirits within about 10 feet of him. Doing so always withers and can destroy he's harvesting from. Intelligent spirits must either be willing or defeated before they can be harvested. He never tries this on people.

Legacy of Hawaiki

Koa can use harvested mana to express his heritage. When so empowered he can increase his strength to lift up to two and a half tons, his reaction times increase to the point that dodging anything shy of a bullet is easy given the room, speed and leap to slightly above peak human capacity and, conveniently make himself bullet… resistant. Able to withstand a few gunshots without more than bruising so long as they're not from something like a military grade crew served weapon.

Blood of the Elements

Harvesting elementally flavored mana found near water, fire or molten substances allows Koa to attune himself to these elements. If attuned to water he can swim at 100 mph, breathe normally while immersed, operate unhindered by even very great depths and can mentally control bodies of water or ice equal to the displacement of a small warship. If attuned to fire he becomes highly resistant but not immune to heat and fire. This lets him brave otherwise very hazardous environments but he WILL burn eventually, just on the timescale of fire retardant building materials rather than human flesh.

Astral Embodiment

Koa is capable of projecting his consciousness into a body made out of mana, though it IS a bit inhuman with features reminiscent of both canines and sharks. While doing so, he is strong enough to lift 15 tons, has jaws and claws capable of shredding hardened steel, can phase through non magical barriers, interact with corporeal and incorporeal beings and can run at 40 mph, or swim/fly at 100. Doing this requires enough mana to wither a small tree at least.

Skills

Spark of Magic

Koa has extensive working knowledge of a number of styles of magic native to Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and the Far East. This knowledge helps him identify and understand situations, spellwork and supernatural beings, but he can't actually USE magic without the aid of his artifacts.

Occult Antiquarian

By training and profession Koa is an archeologist. He's got a strong knowledge of European, North African and East Asian history and the artifacts that go with them. He's also well versed in the hidden history of these regions, in their legends and secrets and in a variety of artifacts both famed and obscure.

Lingua Franca

Koa can speak Arabic, French and Chinese well enough to get around areas he works in. He can also read Ancient Greek and Chinese and Egyptian, Cuneiform, Runic and Linear.

Tomb Raider

Koa is the kind of professional that people who have only seen Indiana Jones think are archeologists. He prefers acquisitions agent, though the more unflattering appellation of tomb raider is sometimes applied. He has above average fitness and reactions, is quick on his feet and has a variety of survival skills that come of spending time in genuine booby trapped tombs, undersea caves and other rather hostile environments.

Combatant

As a practical matter of survival and these days also as an Agent of WAND, Koa is trained in both firearms and hand to hand combat. He won't be winning tournaments any time soon but he certainly knows what he's doing. He's also proficient with ancient weapons - swords and flails and the like - at roughly the same level.

Advantages

The Seaheart Pendulum

A dowsing pendulum with a thin silvery chain. The weighted end is a weathered octahedral stone that appears to be far older and possibly chipped off a larger whole. When charged with Mana it allows the user to form shields that will protect against physical and magical, though spells and attacks capable of harming advanced armor or beings like an average asgardian will crack and destroy these protections in a few hits. The weighted end can also be used to scribe wards which protect primarily against supernatural intrusion and scrying, though they can also be used to reinforce mundane materials.

The Asp Goddess' Bracer

A golden bracer shaped like a coiled snake with a head at each end which lays flat against the arm. When charged with mana an aura of emerald magical energy lends supernatural force to attacks made with that hand or by any weapons held with that hand. In addition the aura itself can strike out to a distance of twenty feet, taking the form of a great asp when it does so. The strength of these attacks is roughly equal to a repulsor beam or various energy blasts produced by mutants, and weapons so empowered are rendered unbreakable.

The Shattered Fetter

A length of iron chain about two and a half feet long with cracks in the links at various places. When charged with mana it can be flung at spirit beings and similarly incorporeal supernaturals which it stretches to immobilize when it strikes. Once bound, spirits can subjected to a contest of wills to imprison them or compel them to render the wielder a service. If used in a physical context it is simply a very tough chain (equal in toughness to something like tungsten carbide) that can extend itself up to twenty feet and reforms itself over the course of a few minutes if broken.

Private Collection

Over the course of his career Koa has acquired a number of artifacts which he studies in his spare time. Most of them don't do much. There's the drinking horn that can be full of any kind of spirits desired and the cauldron boils the meat of a brave man in minutes. It is possible that some of these might yet prove useful in his work, but only after a great deal of study. (Note, this is only to be used for interesting but inconsequential knick-knacks, artifact-study scenes and possible justification for future artifact based abilities which will always be run through the usual request and approval process).

WAND Agent

Being a WAND agent gives Koa official standing and a support network, albeit not one as broad as the general SHIELD network. Occult resources are rarer and significantly more skittish. This can open a lot of doors but because WAND is relatively new in the occult world and because it is openly affiliated with SHIELD, it is not always entirely trusted which can close doors just as easily. Knowing when to break out the badge or call for support is always a balancing act.

The Artifact Trade

Koa has been working in the antiquities trade for nearly ten years and in occult communities connected to that trade for nearly as long. He is very familiar with the players in both games and at this point they're also quite familiar with him.

Flaws

Thaumivore

Koa's only method of harvesting power is violent, there's no way around that fact even if he usually only employs it on beings like plants, small insects and animals and their spirit equivalents. Large scale harvesting or chronic small scale harvesting in a given area can damage an area, making it harder and slower for life (physical or spiritual) to regrow. Left unchecked this can create barren wastelands, in theory. The violence of the act also warps Koa's aura. Beings that can perceive auras or true natures will recognize him as a dangerous predator, which has earned him no shortage of enemies in the spirit world.

Perils of Projection

The power of Koa's astral form isn't without its price. While projected he is cut off from his other magic and while able to interact with the world physically, fine manipulation and tool use is beyond him. His body also becomes comatose and if he can't see it, he won't know what is happening to it even if it is grievously harmed. Projecting also puts Koa in a rather bestial mindset in which he views things through the lens of predator and prey, which makes him much more aggressive and impulsive. Finally, he cannot hold this form for more than half an hour at a time and if he does not climb physically back into his body before that time ends, he'll 'snap back' to find himself disoriented for a few minutes and exhausted until he can sleep again.

Mortal Coil

Koa's abilities stress and strain his mortal form. Even casting a few simple spells or fortifying himself for 20 minutes leaves him sore and aching as if he'd run a marathon. Casting more frequently, more potently or really pushing his body for long periods of time can actually injure him - usually in the form of burns and bruises. The more powerful the thing he attempts, the bigger the price he has to pay later. The one exception to this is water attunement. He can do that seemingly forever with no ill effects.

Mana Burn

The problem with filling Koa's body with magic is that while it's hell physically after the fact it's an absolute rush while it's happening. The inhuman spark within him craves contact with mana, and the euphoric rush that using the power gives him is a hell of a drug in its own right. Like any mere mortal, he can and has gotten carried away by that rush. So far this hasn't resulted in anything too disastrous, but the temptation to draw on power simply to feel it constantly gnaws at the back of his mind.

Fluid Potential

The mana that empowers Koa can also affect him in other ways, not all of them good. Taking in polluted or tainted power - whatever the source - can tilt him toward those forces in the same way that taking in elementally flavored power can. While it doesn't necessarily make him align with those forces, it is dangerous and depending on the amount taken in the effects can range from mild personality shifts to full blown temporary madness. Usually these effects wear off a few minutes after the mana has been 'metabolized' but repeated or long term exposure can have lasting impact on him, just as his predatory was have caused his aura and astral form to warp.

Family Business

Koa has never met an Akua that he knows of, and all of his knowledge of this seemingly alien race comes second or third hand. This distance doesn't keep him out of the Akua's shadow, though. A great many beings know him and his connection to them and that DEFINITELY colors their reactions. Some have obligations they'll want him to fulfill. Others have grudges, grudges they're willing to apply to anyone of Akua blood no matter how dilute.

Servants of the Dark

Thelema is organized, zealous in its pursuit of artifacts and magical sites and dangerously violent. They're also numerous enough that he's run into them and their allies over and over again over the course of several years. They definitely know who Koa is. It's possible that whatever dark power backs them knows as well, but at the moment his main problem is Thelema itself. They really don't like him and will actively work in any way they can to see him out of their way. Permanently.

Artifact Empowered

It's worth noting that there's nothing particularly to prevent the artifacts that Koa uses from being used by someone else. Unlike some of the greater artifacts in the mystical world, these tools have no loyalty. They'll work just as well for Koa's enemies as for him and they CAN be taken away.

Contacts

• Keiko Kurita: Magical tattoos and a bad attitude. Around her the night closes.
• Illyana Rasputina: Shattered Lords, or Ladies, are always to be treated with caution.
• Lady Sif: Do not call her Xena. Just a hunch.

Gallery

Logs

2020-08-10 - Gunfight on The Rooftops
Summary: Koa finds himself in trouble Log Info: Storyteller: None Date: Mon Aug 10 06:44:32 2020...
(keiko koa-turner plot)

2020-08-03 - Hellqueen on Earth
Summary: May gets to interrogate one of the Atlantean prisoners Log Info: Storyteller: None Date:...
(keiko koa-turner melinda-may plot)

2020-07-26 - Sub Rosa: Beachfront Battle
Summary: Koa, Keiko, Mera and Hercules defend a Naval base against rampaging hybrid Atlanteans and...
(hercules keiko koa-turner mera plot)

2020-07-12 - The Jonah Incident
Summary: An incident with Atlanteans in New York Harbor leads a team of heroes to a transformed...
(brandon-davis gwen-stacy hercules keiko koa-turner laynia-petrovna plot)

2020-07-10 - Chilly Lead
Summary: Koa gives his welcome speech and passes information to Steve Log Info: Storyteller: None...
(keiko koa-turner plot steve-rogers)

2020-07-05 - Give It Back
Summary: Keiko has to give back Steves jacket and there's a briefing about HYDRA's latest activities...
(keiko koa-turner melinda-may plot steve-rogers)

2020-07-01 - Was There A Disk?
Summary: There's a visitor to the Rasputin home . well, a resident returns. Maybe. Log Info:...
(illyana-rasputina keiko koa-turner plot silence)

2020-06-27 - Prized Possession
Summary: A charity concert is crashed by powered thugs looking for a crystal. Log Info: Storyteller:...
(gwen-stacy hank-mccoy keiko koa-turner mera plot priscilla-kitaen steve-rogers)

2020-06-25 - Lost Heirlooms
Summary: A search for lost goods starts a treasure hunt Log Info: Storyteller: None Date: Thu Jun 25...
(keiko koa-turner plot)

2020-06-20 - Why Do We Need Goats?
Summary: Koa has legwork to do, which means research and Keiko has to learn to do it. Log Info:...
(keiko koa-turner plot)

2020-06-19 - New York Confidential
Summary: A meeting with a goddess in disguise adds urgency to a WAND investigation. Log Info:...
(keiko koa-turner plot)

2020-06-12 - Careless
Summary: Koa inspects his office after the bombing Log Info: Storyteller: None Date: Fri Jun 12...
(keiko koa-turner plot)

2020-06-01 - Roads Not Taken
Summary: Illyana has to decide whether or not she really wants to remember, with all the baggage...
(illyana-rasputina keiko koa-turner plot silence)

2020-05-30 - Blown Up, Sir!
Summary: Koas office gets blown up. Log Info: Storyteller: None Date: Sat May 30 03:45:53 2020...
(keiko koa-turner plot)

2020-05-08 - Listening to a Nightmare
Summary: Elena goes missing from DayCare and Koa gets called. Not Keiko. Wonder why. Log Info:...
(keiko koa-turner plot silence)

2020-04-25 - yield
Summary: With Belasco seen to, Koa needs to work through his issues. Keiko doesn't help. Log Info:...
(keiko koa-turner plot silence)

2020-04-14 - Empathic Overload
Summary: Back Dated: Nick collects Isis after the Flea Market Log Info: Storyteller: None Date: Tue...
(keiko koa-turner plot)

2020-04-11 - Dual Souled
Summary: Koa and Keiko finally confront Belasco Log Info: Storyteller: None Date: Sat Apr 11...
(keiko koa-turner plot silence)

2020-03-27 - Confrontational
Summary: The wards in Limbo are tripped again. This time, it's Belasco. Log Info: Storyteller: None...
(keiko koa-turner plot silence)

2020-03-25 - Darque Times
Summary: It's time to return Keiko's tattooes to her Log Info: Storyteller: None Date: Wed Mar 25...
(keiko koa-turner pepper-potts plot silence steve-rogers)

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