Artwork by doubleleaf

Genji is originally from Minkai, where his name means "two beginnings." Born far from Ustalav, he has not called that distant empire home for a very long time. Though he looks human—and handsome, at that—the wizard is old; how old, it is impossible to truly know, because Genji does not say, politely and skillfully deflecting all inquiries into his background...though he occasionally references events that happened in the region at least a century ago as if he were there.

A scholarly and private person, Genji spends much of his time in study when he is not working, poring over notes from the last mission and making plans for the next. More a theoretician than a practical necromancer, his arcane powers have always been impressive, but he perhaps relies too much on the competence of his allies to tackle obstacles in the field.

Regardless, as long as you have known him, Genji has proven reliable and erudite, able to supply the team's need for skilled research and appropriate magic. The mage takes a reluctantly pragmatic approach to the undead, demonstrating a particular knack for seizing control of such creatures and turning them upon one another. He is hesitant to employ his craft to raise minions of his own, believing that the restless dead have a right to lie quietly, but Genji does what he must in the course of duty. His determination to solve whatever problem lies before him resolves the Tian man to practical solutions, even if those sometimes border on unsavory.

Dependable and conciliatory, Genji is never without his voluminous notebooks or his Tian-style staff, which he calls a shakujo—the symbol of an exorcist, he claims, and the source of much of the necromancer's power. If he has a flaw, it is that he is practically paranoid about his staff, keeping it close even in sleep as though afraid it might be snatched away at any moment. Though it may very well be a potent weapon in the hands of dark forces, Genji's caution regarding the object extends somewhat into the realm of obsession, and others have learned not even to touch the shakujo except in the case of dire emergency, for fear of the wizard's chill and lingering ire.

Fortunately, it is not a regular occurrence; Genji spends the majority of his time either at a base camp, performing investigations into the nature of the current case, or at the rear of the group, providing counsel when the need arises. He is most open with Geinhast and considers the aging Pharasman to be his closest friend, comparatively speaking, often confiding in or making allowances for the cleric when he doesn't do so for Annika, Percy, or Cesca. He still treats the others as equal partners in other respects, though, even if they have little access to the solemn watercolor that is Genji's innermost self.