Ray Alparin

Ray Alparin (a.k.a. Hunter)

In a bustling city, rumour spreads fast. But in this city none spread with quite the ferocity or intrigue as the Phantom Thieves. From abusive tutors to corrupt officials, from violent workmen to the sleaziest underworld boss, no-one of distorted heart was safe from these rogues. Their calling cards signalled the intent to steal the treasures of a distorted heart. Regardless of what such treasures were, all that is known is that anyone who received a calling card from them had soon changed their ways. What exactly their methods were remains unclear to this day. Some believe the targets were tortured or coerced and have labelled the thieves as dangerous criminals. There may even be some merit to this idea, since a group changing people's hearts forcefully would not exactly be considered lawful. Others worried that the city had become too reliant on the Thieves to solve their problems, and would remain indolent and unwilling to fix their own problems. But such arguments glossed over the real underbelly of abuse that is so often overlooked. For the many who felt trapped in desperate situations with seemingly no escape, the Phantom Thieves offered a symbol of hope. A sign that their suffering was not set in stone, that they deserved help, and that there existed people willing to show a way forward. Regardless of who the victim or villain was, no-one was exempt from the justice of the Phantom Thieves.
For Ray Alparin, those days are an increasingly distant but forever cherished memory. Their final target defeated, the Phantom Thieves had largely split up to pursue their lives freed of chains and malice. As far as the rest of the world was concerned, the Phantom Thieves had simply disappeared from existence. Exactly why they had moved on is set to be an eternal mystery. Nobody outside their core circle of confidants managed to confirm their identities after all. Many pondered whether they existed at all.
But Ray had felt a calling from those days. He was the scout of the Phantoms, code named the "Hunter". A specialist in mobility and ranged combat, he wields a two handed reaper scythe and modified heavy crossbow sniper. The adventures fed to him during his pursuits as a Phantom Thief were truly exhilarating and, despite his enjoyment of quieter pastimes, he'd grown to miss them. Having taken to exploring the world, Ray eventually caught the attention of Guild-master Clarence. Having taken an interest in the Phantom Thief tales early on from their inception, Clarence had his suspicions about where this Ray fellow had learned his techniques. Regardless, the opportunity to recruit a "Hunter" was to good to overlook. Invitation received, Ray found the Guild of Cardinal Points to be a curious appetiser. Perhaps a chance to deploy his skills in a new field.

Physical Description

Apparel & Accessories

Sporting his Phantom Thief apparel, Ray wears a moderately long flowing black coat, leather hat, dark silver coloured thin scarf and black and silver mask.

Mental characteristics

Mental Trauma

Ray carries a small but deep piece of regret from his time with the Phantom Thieves. During a particularly dangerous encounter, he had attempted to save his teammates by taking himself out and their target along with them. However, in the process he had created an opportunity for the true culprit to capture him, almost compromising the entire group. Thankfully, his teammates were able to secure him and defeat the target successfully. Nonetheless, despite not disclosing anything which would compromise the team and his friends' forgiveness, Ray continues to carry a degree of personal blame for putting them in such a position despite them having already forgave him. They were truly important to him, and remain so despite them going about their separate ways. One teammate's words ring particularly true for him; "It's strange though. I can always forgive the mistakes of others, but never myself." Could this be a motivation for him using his skillset actively again and joining the guild? Who knows...

Morality & Philosophy

Perhaps in large part because of his background, Ray places great importance on trying to understand other people beyond the surface level. In his eyes, the ability to read and treat people equally regardless of origin is just as important a sign of intelligence as typical book smarts. As such, he feels great anger towards those who jump to conclusions unfairly or look down upon others. His growing discomfort with Heathcliffe's treatment of Edville can be seen as a recent example of this.

Species

Half-Elf

Gender

Male

Eyes

Brown

Hair

Darkish brown, mid-short length

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

White

Height

6'2