Sheng Qingling [+]

"Meridians run through the body like strings on a harp. Hum the right note to a string, and it will vibrate in response."

Name:

Sheng Qingling

Titles: 

None, though rumors refer to him as the 'Venom Voice'

Age: 

14

Rank: 

Second Class-equivalent, offensive power wise, but not experience-wise

Allegiance: 

Recusant Clans (unaffiliated)

Appearance: 

Qingling appears to be in a perpetual state of poor health, though he tries to cover it up with nice clothes, makeup, and a weak smile. His small frame is dwarfed by the guqin (Chinese zither) that he insists on taking with him everywhere.

Personality: 

Inexperienced and naive, Qingling seeks stability and approval. Due to his upbringing, Qingling is a skilled actor and tends to lie and keep secrets compulsively. He'll try to get close to whoever he thinks can provide him protection since his life was suddenly pulled out from under him. As a hired musician by trade, all he has known is a sheltered life in some rich mansion, but as a con-artist, all he has known is the endless traveling from one mark to the next. Qingling tries to pretend that he is in control of his situation in order to mask the fear and insecurity of having had a near-death experience and being separated from his parents for the first time in his life.

History:

Sheng Yelang, Qingling's father, is a loud, burly, and boisterous man; proud, arrogant, and ill-tempered. A disagreement with a former master led to unsanctioned combat in which Yelang killed his master and fled the punishment of his sect. He never talks about his former sect, though rumor has it that he was a disciple of the Shaolin. His understanding of Buddhist cultivation practices attests to this, but to anyone who knows him, it is obvious that the tenets of celibacy, prohibition from alcohol, and veganism were not for Yelang. Yelang wandered the jianghu as a vagabond and mercenary, and though he remained unaffiliated, he cozied up with various recusant clans and criminal organizations, who were all too eager to hire him for his skill. His combat style is wild and unrestrained, releasing explosive qi through his strikes. This demeanor, coupled with his signature ability, infusing qi into his throat to release a devastating howl, earned him the nickname of 'The Wolf of the West'. His ambition has always been to make a name for himself and to live life to the fullest, even if it meant taking what wasn't his.

Yu Zheng'e, Qingling's mother, is a tall, hard, cruel, and gaunt woman. She comes from a recusant clan, known as the Immortal Tools, that specializes in meridian control, resulting in the hardening of the extremities. Zheng'e's meridian control is so good that she can feign lifelessness and hide her presence, making her the perfect ambush predator. Her attacks involve long arcing swings of her completely straightened arms and legs coming together in a snapping motion like scissor blades, coupled with her signature move of spinning her hardened body longitudinally while grasping an enemy's throat and pulling them into a death spiral where she breaks their neck and spine has earned her the nickname of 'Urban Alligator', especially since she often attacks her enemies unaware. Zheng'e has always been a studious member of her sect, and simply desires to perfect her craft, even if she has to test her brutal techniques on others.

The romance of the predators begins thusly, while under the employ of the Immortal Tools, Sheng Yelang and Yu Zheng'e took a strong liking to one another. He was the cocky bad boy, she was the quiet girl who'd twist your head off. Being a particularly unorthodox sect, the Immortal Tools did not have any qualms about 'not keeping things within the sect', and did not object to Yelang and Zheng'e's relationship. During the war, Yelang and Zheng'e formed a terrifying duo, his attention-grabbing style perfectly complemented her stealth. Despite being a recusant clan, the Immortal Tools were one of the least offensive to the Martial Alliance, so when it came time to form the Iron Concord, the leader of the Immortal Tools readily accepted as it aligned rather well with their isolationist and defensive doctrine. However, the envoy sent by the Martial Alliance was a member of Shaolin who recognized Yelang. To become a part of the Concord, the leader of the Immortal Tools was willing to tentatively end their dealings with Yelang, who would be exiled from their lands. Zheng'e knew full well that this was just a ruse to placate the envoy, and that their leader would go back on his word as soon as the backs of the Martial Alliance were turned, yet Zheng'e joined her now husband in his temporary exile as an opportunity to see the world and to raise their child with whom she was pregnant with in an open and free environment.

And so it was that Qingling was born to a pair of the jianghu's notable deviants. It was discovered at a young age that Qingling was blessed with an incredible sense of hearing. Zheng'e was prone to experimentation and, inspired by her husband's wolf howl technique, decided to train Qingling in the art of using sound as a weapon. Here Zheng'e merged different philosophies, starting with Buddhist mantric chanting as the foundation, though she quickly moved into the realm of music. She linked the five notes of the pentatonic scale with the five elements, linked the octave with the eight trigrams and the Buddhist principle of the Noble Eightfold Path, and linked the seven notes of the major scale with the seven chakras. In this way, she tied her son's understanding of sound with his meridians and humors, which followed similar principles as the five elements; and chakras could be construed as the Buddhist concept of meridians. This knowledge allowed Qingling's ability with sound-based martial arts to skyrocket in power, so to further the experiment, Zheng'e brought Qingling out into the streets as a performer and saw how her son's music could affect people in subtle ways.

Given that the family was traveling, they needed a means to support themselves, and though Yelang was fine with committing acts of robbery, Zheng'e wanted to try a more insidious approach. Qingling would play music in a village square, attracting a large crowd, who would shower them with coins. But inevitably, they would catch the ear of a greedy merchant who wanted Qingling's music all to himself. The family would be offered food, lodging and pay, if only they stayed at the merchant's mansion so that he could hear Qingling's songs as he wished. Yelang and Zheng'e would, of course, comply, and during these times, the family would live in the lap of luxury. However, another thought occurred to Zheng'e, who began to train Qingling in the art of hypnotism. By lacing his qi-infused music with subtle suggestions, they could collect greater riches from their patron, even going so far as to have him leave his inheritance for Qingling.

But to cash in on their inheritance, the merchant would have to die. Though the family could murder the merchant easily, it would be too obvious, so Zheng'e decided that a slower approach was necessary. Qingling hadn't yet learned how to kill someone with his music, so Zheng'e gave him some 'help'. She began to slowly poison Qingling with drugs, while manipulating his meridians to throw his qi off-balance. This 'poisoned' qi would flow from Qingling's music and into the merchant, killing him slowly. Eventually, the merchant died, but one does not simply cheat the rich out of their inheritance. The merchant's sons as well as their friends and neighbors felt that it was improper to leave one's inheritance to strangers based on Confucian principles, and did not honor the merchant's will. The magistrate agreed, though he was likely bribed by the sons. Qingling's family were chased out of the household with nothing.

However, by now, Zheng'e had become slightly obsessed with her plan, and she felt that though things didn't work out this time, she could always try again, after they had relocated to a different city that hadn't heard of what they'd done. So the same tactic was attempted a few more times, but each time the rich man's family would sue for the inheritance and win. During their final attempt, rumor had gotten out about a 'venom voiced' child, and concerned parties quickly called up the local exorcists to investigate. The exorcist that arrived was a hero of Wudang and a powerful Taoist. he immediately realized what was happening and recognized Yelang and Zheng'e by their descriptions from the past, and attacked. At this point, Qingling had learned to weaponize his sound, and fired destructive shockwaves of sound from his instrument towards the Taoist. To defend himself, the Taoist leapt behind Qingling and struck a pressure point. Though he had only intended to stun Qingling, who was but a child, Qingling's twisted meridians unraveled from the strike, sending his qi spiraling out of control. It seemed like a fatal blow as blood gushed from Qingling's mouth while he collapsed in a heap, his heart having stopped. Realizing what had transpired, Zheng'e screamed, knowing that her 'training' and scheming had been partially responsible for her son's death. Though shocked by what he had done, the Taoist would not relent until he had brought Yelang and Zheng'e to justice, so Qingling's parents fled from the Taoist's pursuit, filled with rage and vowing to one day avenge their son.

As the Taoist went after the two deviant parents, the merchant's family's hired thugs had to deal with Qingling's body. Without the reverence to give the boy a proper burial, they simply took him out to a nearby forest and dumped his corpse near a creek. Yet Qingling was alive, and still conscious, though his internals were thoroughly messed up. In what seemed like his final moments, Qingling used the hearing that he had been blessed with to listen to the tranquil sounds of nature to find solace from the pain that wracked his body. For a moment, his soul harmonized with his environment. What Qingling didn't know was that for his type of martial arts, resonating with different sounds allowed him to draw energy from his surroundings. Unwittingly, Qingling was repairing some of the damage that had been done to his qi for years. He eventually drew enough energy from the sounds of nature that his heart leapt back into action. Qingling gasped for breath, reborn in a sense, and completely bewildered. For the first time in his life, he was alone in a vast world. Looking to his left, Qingling saw that the thugs had dumped his 'accursed' guqin next to him. Climbing to his feet, Qingling pulled the guqin up by the strap, shouldering it. He took one step, then another. He was still in pain, his meridians still in a precarious state. but he had only one thing in mind, and that was to survive and reunite with his parents, by any means necessary.

 
Body Enhancements:

Enhanced Hearing - Qingling was born with enhanced hearing, able to pick out a pin drop on a different floor of a busy inn, hearing sounds outside of normal human range, and even navigating in total darkness via echolocation. This coupled with a basic ability to sense qi makes it incredibly hard to hide from Qingling as one would need to not only suppress their qi, but also mute any bodily functions that make sound, such as a heartbeat.
Vocal Mimic - Qingling has trained his vocal cords to be able to mimic not only other people's voices, but also various sounds.

Equipment:

Guqin - The guqin is Qingling's instrument of choice, a gift from his parents.

Guqin [+]

Cultivation Base:

Zheng'e drew inspiration from Eastern and Western philosophy to develop Qingling's technique without fully understanding how they worked. The foundation is mantra, the resonant hum that allows one to harmonize with the universe. Sound is a relatively low form of energy, one could even consider it waste energy, and drawing power from it is almost impossible. Through resonating with the sound, instead of taking energy from it, the practitioner becomes one with it, and the energy from this harmonization is greater than merely the sum of its parts. Understanding the different aspects of the various sounds in nature, one can create a 'symphony' with one's qi. Following the principles of Taoism and internal alchemy, one can draw upon these aspects to balance, heal, and augment one's meridians. This requires mediation and contemplation in natural environments where there is a plethora of sounds that one can focus on at different intervals; animal sounds, plant sounds, water sounds, etc. While meditation is possible in urban environments, city life renders humans imbalanced, and the sounds they make and the qi they produce are of poor quality. A practitioner can also make their own sounds during meditation; Buddhist monks strike the wooden fish and chant Om as part of their practice, but the practitioner must know what they are lacking in order to choose the right sound. The beauty of this form of cultivation is that it can be done in a group, as more voices in harmony add to the process.

However, Qingling was trained by two parents who believed that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Following the Immortal Tools' philosophy, Zheng'e used risky shortcuts to power when raising her son, manipulating his meridians and feeding him pills to turn his qi into a poisonous weapon. Though reckless, this was not done out of cruelty or maliciousness, but out of a sincere desire to make Qingling stronger. This coupled with her own ignorance of the depths of sound-based martial arts and the foundations she borrowed from, means that Qingling does not know how to cultivate himself and will remain in poor health until he figures it out.

Techniques:

Sharps and Flats - Qingling strums the guqin forcefully, infusing his qi into a sonic blast in the direction of his arm. Different notes can produce blunt, forceful blasts, or slicing waves. The attacks can be spread out in a wide cone or concentrated into a single corridor.

Meridian Resonance - Qingling can play music to attack an opponent's meridian's directly. Though his qi enters primarily through the meridians of the ears, he can combine this technique with his sonic blasts to strike at pressure points on other parts of the body. This can be used to interfere with an opponent's internal energy, but it can also be used to supplement or boost an ally. However, Qingling's understanding of meridians is at the novice level, so he mostly just injects his own messed up qi into the opponent. While this technique can be used for hypnotism, hypnosis is subtle and weak, and any practitioner of the martial arts will not only be able to detect it, but will be able to 'block' the weak, hypnotic qi. Even against non-practitioners, hypnotic suggestion requires chronic application over weeks and months to truly take effect.

Sounding - Every object has a frequency at which it will shatter. By listening intently to the sound an object makes on impact under three different circumstances, Qingling is able to triangulate this frequency.

Shatter - Once Qingling knows an object's resonant frequency, he is able to replicate it using his guqin. If the object is within hearing range, it will shatter if Qingling holds the note for a long enough period of time. The period of time that the note needs to be held depends on the quality of the object.

The Immortal Tools [+]

The founding philosophy of the Immortal Tools is that the body is the tool of the immortal soul. And to shape a tool, it must be hammered into shape, honed, and maintained regularly. The Immortal Tools practice mental dissociation, allowing themselves to subject their bodies to cruel training that can strengthen them much faster than a healthier, less extreme regime would. But through this, they become masters over their bodies, and are often undeterred by pain. The Immortal Tools are an intellectual sect, often pursuing and discovering new ways to train themselves, and do not have a fixed style. The founder of the Immortal Tools believed that as long as the sect members focused on their techniques, they did not need to engage in the politics of the jianghu until they were powerful and ready, so for much of the sect's history, they have been isolationist and defensive, only occasionally drawing the ire of sects of the Martial Alliance. But their willingness to try out their techniques on living people, blatant disregard for tradition, extreme practices, and lack of a moral philosophy puts them squarely among the Recusant Clans.

Character philosophy [+]

Qingling is intended to fill the 'role' of a support mage. offensively he is quite powerful, able to strike from range, perform large area attacks, and cast meridian debuffs. However, he is quite immobile, needing to sit to use his instrument, and has little to no defensive capabilities; a 'glass cannon'. He can also buff his allies and counteract meridian/internal damage that they might receive.

I recognize that mind control in any form is usually a banned power, however, I hope that I have placed enough restrictions on it so as to render it harmless to other players and most NPCs, since martial artists can detect and block it easily, and it takes a long period of time to bear fruit. It is more of a 'flavor' ability than anything else.

Done

Shui Shan [+]

_{“Roots exist in all of us. Some are weak, others strong.”}

_______________________________________________ // INFO [+] P E R S O N A L D E T A I L S Name - Song Shi Titles - Shui Shan (水杉) Dawn Redwood Age - 23 Rank - First Class Allegiance - 茶花財團 | Camellia Consortium -

Appearance The most notable feature that stands out for Song isn’t her beauty or her grace but her silent disposition. This is mostly seen in the nature of her constantly keeping her eyes closed. Some interpret her to be blind while others think she has a condition that prevents her from looking at the sun. Of course, neither are true, and Song just prefers to see the world through her touch and the actions of others before passing judgment on a visual basis. With her heightened senses, it’s easier to walk around the world electively and essentially blind. However, this doesn’t mean she cannot see. There are times, albeit rare ones, where she will gaze upon others. Perhaps when she’s in the presence of those higher than her in rank, when facing opposition, or flooded with emotions she cannot seem to contain. Her iris’s are a fierce green that rival the evergreen surrounding the forests and flora. Her hair is very light and wispy, constantly on the verge of crashing down if not for her head piece. The color is reminiscent to an immature chestnut but appearing to fade to a lighter grey. She has a distinct red pattern starting from the eye ducts and encircling the eyes underneath across the bridge of her nose. No one knows what these markings mean, but again no one dare ask. Besides her heavenly regalia there’s not much to her. Her height is an average 167 cm accompanied by 63 kg of mass. Not an ounce of that is wasted on fat however. Knowing the art of acupuncture with intimate knowledge of health and the way muscles and the body react she keeps her body a well composed and curated temple. To complete her looks is a Jian she carries somewhere under her persons. Personality Like her art, Song is direct in her actions and words. She doesn’t feel the need to mince words or fill her sentences with contradictions that go against her teachings and own governance. She sees the world as a revolving door of qi and tries to emulate that direct flow mirrored in her actions and morales. Dancing around the issue, which at first was her speciality, seems to disrupt the flow and cause a multitude of chain reactions which are most unsavory. Hesitation is defeat. And so while her outward appearance is a gentle resonance with a mild manor and a softness to her movement and actions, she is still as forceful and direct as a flowing stream of water with no stopping. Like water, she can navigate obstacles and take shape to move past whatever is hindering her path. This doesn’t change when faced with an opponent or some kind of adversity. While she is direct, she is still a herald in compassion, teaching, and overall human interaction. Song wasn’t always like this. Her warm but silent aura was very diminished and opaque when she first started working. The ideal courtesan was someone who was docile, quite, and catered to the curt and aggressive customers they dealed with. This meant that Song was very passive and suffered from the inability to make up her mind or voice her actual concerns without forming an incoherent broken sentence. It wasn’t until she learned the arts of Jianghu that she was able to molt from that husk of her personality. History Song had a relatively easy life. Like most of the people who occupied her country, she was raised in a poor household. Not to the extremes where they were severely emaciated and had to reside themselves to anything that moved or fruited during specific seasons. It was far to say the were hovering the line between poverty and being invited to participate in society. This was mostly from the money gained by her mother. During the era of peace between the factions of Jianghu there was no necessity to fight and so the soldiers, martial artists, and the others of the same ilk found themselves idle and with time on hand. Having nothing in the way of entertainment outside of food and drink, saw the meteoric rise of the two mixed together with the newest flavor of 歌女. They go by many sobriquets, Sing-song girls, flower girls, courtesans what have you. While not exactly prostitutes, they were still a form of entertainer and sometimes concubines for wealthy men. Song was unsure of how or who trained her mother from an early age to be a Flower girl, but she excelled at it. She was proficient in instruments, singing, dancing, many a things except for being a ‘lover’. Of her peers she was considered a Shuyu (story teller) and was of the highest class of performer within the ranks. Eventually she saw her own rise and was able to secure a position as the mother or owner of her own establishment. She watched over many girls who had similar troubles as she. Around this time she met Song’s father. His life before her was and still is shrouded in much secrecy. Some speculate he was part of Wilted lotus and was a foreigner while others imagine he was just a nobody coming to pillage their lands. Either way they met and became married. Her father was injured, to the point he was unable to work due to his circumstances. This left her mother to be the bread winner and keep them and Song afloat. Eventually time would pass and Song herself would grow into a refined beauty almost like jade forged in the mountains. It could have been the mixture of genes from two different countries, but who could really say. Like her mother she would follow in her footsteps as being a flower girl. Yet instead of taking the name of a flower she chose a tree instead. She named herself after the native tree Shui Shan or Dawn Redwood. A tree though to be extinct but symbolizes wellness, safety, longevity, wisdom, and communication. The other girls simply saw this as arrogance or a desperate attempt to stand out and take business away seeing as she was the headmistresses kin. Regardless she worked her way up the ranks in a similar fashion as her mother. Expanding her roots and branches until she blossomed into the radiant tree she was named after. While she did enjoy working and providing for her family, the desire to be a flower girl began to waver. Her experiences with male patrons and that of her mothers left an unsettling taste in her mouth. She was starting to believe all men were beasts and only thought of war and drink. That was until she met him. A member of the Yuán clan who stopped by and requested her. He was gentle and compassionate without a farce. He had explained that a Great War was starting to take place that would shatter the peace. He was so intoxicated by her acrobatic abilities and intricate dances he proposed that he teach her a similar kind of dance. One that used your fingers to dance, but not on the ground, instead, a human body. In their time together he would constantly arrive at the 茶花財團 Camellia Consortium, the establishment her mom had created and housed her girls in. They would share stories, although she had few in comparison, tea, and Jianghu. She didn’t know it was Jianghu at first, but the way Yide could explore the human body and relieve its ailments was incredible. This was when she became a practitioner of acupuncture and pressure point martial arts (Kyusho Jitsu). After a few months she could run her fingers along bodies with her eyes closed and find the ailment, exorcise it, healing the person within. Her final test being that of her father, who she was able to remove the disease plaguing him from walking once more. It was after that the two fell in love and were set to become married. They planned while also practicing martial arts and sword play in addition to the pressure points. Until, Yide was called away to take part in the War a few days before they were to wed. Like all tragic tales this one is no less painful, especially for Song. Yide had died in the war or so she was led to believe. This tragedy crushed her, but instead of reserving herself back into that helpless girl she gave birth to a new tenacity. She would rely on no one else but herself and use the love and tools Yide gave her to find justice and end the war that’s plaguing her country, even if that meant she take it on by herself. Other Information Song is ambidextrous in both combat and non-combat instances.

---

Cultivation Base

Most of Song’s cultivation is derived from teachings and a basis from Yide and his affiliation with the Yuán Clan. Song is able to use the spiritual ability shared with herself of the Yuán Clan to create qi. The way Song’s qi manifests in no elements outside the marriage of Yin and Yang. Int this she’s manipulate her qi and the use of pressure points to create a ‘supernatural’ healing effect. Meaning she can heal cuts, wounds, broken bones, damage inflicted by other more advanced cultivation techniques from other practitioners and the such. It can also augment and endow people with enhancements or ‘buffs’ in their martial arts whether that means they feel no pain or fully open the pressure points to allow peak strength and movement.

She calls her technique “Heavenly Dance of the Crane and Viper”. The crane symbolizing longevity and life lends itself to her healing applications meanwhile the Viper encapsulates the marital arts and poison qi application. Like the viper she can create a venom within her body by molding the qi within and around her. This venom poses no threat to her but simply sits within her until she can inject it via pressure points into someone else. The poison once it takes root, will travel and block pressure points and act in the same way snake venom does when coursing through the human body. While she does have poison she forms with qi the poison is always different in assemblage like a cone snail. Not any one poison she injects is the same as the one before, thus creating no antidote.

She does not need to form the poison through her qi it is simply the most efficient way. Using herbal concoctions and coating them on her finger is another application that is more natural than spiritual with lesser effects and easier defense. Song also knows the 20 pressure points that compromise a majority of the teachings.

Body Enhancements

• Enhanced Senses - The only senses really enhanced here are her sense of touch and sound. Sound mostly to aid in her ability to perceive the world outside of sight and touch which she’s honed through her skill of acupuncture and affinity for physical prowess.

• Acrobatic Expert - From her time as a Flower girl and training in martial arts, Song has been able to elevate her affinity for acrobatics. Meaning she is able to stay perfectly balanced in precarious situations which would normally see others fall. This also allows her to attempt and succeed in a variety of stunts such as rolls and dives. Much like running water she can move in ways that the human body shouldn’t be able to exist at.

Techniques

• Viper Sting - Song can mold and create a poison through the manifestation of negative qi. Once created she can inject eh qi through the utilization of pressure points to inject the opponent. The poison will block pressure points, paralyze parts of the body in which struck, and increase intensity of pain felt from subsequent attacks.

• Needle - Rather than using a needle like a regular acupuncturist, Song can accumulate qi into the tips of her fingers to create a needle-like aura around the tips of her fingers to emulate and mimic a real needle.

• Crane’s Roost - Similar to how a crane will roost to keep body temperature at equilibrium by switching feet. Song will heal herself through acupuncture to revert herself to a state in which she is at peak performance.

Equipment

• Standard Jian - Nothing really special just a normal sword.

Done

Shui Shan [+]

_{“Roots exist in all of us. Some are weak, others strong.”}

_______________________________________________ // INFO [+] P E R S O N A L D E T A I L S Name - Song Shi Titles - Shui Shan (水杉) Dawn Redwood Age - 23 Rank - First Class Allegiance - 茶花財團 | Camellia Consortium -

Appearance The most notable feature that stands out for Song isn’t her beauty or her grace but her silent disposition. This is mostly seen in the nature of her constantly keeping her eyes closed. Some interpret her to be blind while others think she has a condition that prevents her from looking at the sun. Of course, neither are true, and Song just prefers to see the world through her touch and the actions of others before passing judgment on a visual basis. With her heightened senses, it’s easier to walk around the world electively and essentially blind. However, this doesn’t mean she cannot see. There are times, albeit rare ones, where she will gaze upon others. Perhaps when she’s in the presence of those higher than her in rank, when facing opposition, or flooded with emotions she cannot seem to contain. Her iris’s are a fierce green that rival the evergreen surrounding the forests and flora. Her hair is very light and wispy, constantly on the verge of crashing down if not for her head piece. The color is reminiscent to an immature chestnut but appearing to fade to a lighter grey. She has a distinct red pattern starting from the eye ducts and encircling the eyes underneath across the bridge of her nose. No one knows what these markings mean, but again no one dare ask. Besides her heavenly regalia there’s not much to her. Her height is an average 167 cm accompanied by 63 kg of mass. Not an ounce of that is wasted on fat however. Knowing the art of acupuncture with intimate knowledge of health and the way muscles and the body react she keeps her body a well composed and curated temple. To complete her looks is a Jian she carries somewhere under her persons. Personality Like her art, Song is direct in her actions and words. She doesn’t feel the need to mince words or fill her sentences with contradictions that go against her teachings and own governance. She sees the world as a revolving door of qi and tries to emulate that direct flow mirrored in her actions and morales. Dancing around the issue, which at first was her speciality, seems to disrupt the flow and cause a multitude of chain reactions which are most unsavory. Hesitation is defeat. And so while her outward appearance is a gentle resonance with a mild manor and a softness to her movement and actions, she is still as forceful and direct as a flowing stream of water with no stopping. Like water, she can navigate obstacles and take shape to move past whatever is hindering her path. This doesn’t change when faced with an opponent or some kind of adversity. While she is direct, she is still a herald in compassion, teaching, and overall human interaction. Song wasn’t always like this. Her warm but silent aura was very diminished and opaque when she first started working. The ideal courtesan was someone who was docile, quite, and catered to the curt and aggressive customers they dealed with. This meant that Song was very passive and suffered from the inability to make up her mind or voice her actual concerns without forming an incoherent broken sentence. It wasn’t until she learned the arts of Jianghu that she was able to molt from that husk of her personality. History Song had a relatively easy life. Like most of the people who occupied her country, she was raised in a poor household. Not to the extremes where they were severely emaciated and had to reside themselves to anything that moved or fruited during specific seasons. It was far to say the were hovering the line between poverty and being invited to participate in society. This was mostly from the money gained by her mother. During the era of peace between the factions of Jianghu there was no necessity to fight and so the soldiers, martial artists, and the others of the same ilk found themselves idle and with time on hand. Having nothing in the way of entertainment outside of food and drink, saw the meteoric rise of the two mixed together with the newest flavor of 歌女. They go by many sobriquets, Sing-song girls, flower girls, courtesans what have you. While not exactly prostitutes, they were still a form of entertainer and sometimes concubines for wealthy men. Song was unsure of how or who trained her mother from an early age to be a Flower girl, but she excelled at it. She was proficient in instruments, singing, dancing, many a things except for being a ‘lover’. Of her peers she was considered a Shuyu (story teller) and was of the highest class of performer within the ranks. Eventually she saw her own rise and was able to secure a position as the mother or owner of her own establishment. She watched over many girls who had similar troubles as she. Around this time she met Song’s father. His life before her was and still is shrouded in much secrecy. Some speculate he was part of Wilted lotus and was a foreigner while others imagine he was just a nobody coming to pillage their lands. Either way they met and became married. Her father was injured, to the point he was unable to work due to his circumstances. This left her mother to be the bread winner and keep them and Song afloat. Eventually time would pass and Song herself would grow into a refined beauty almost like jade forged in the mountains. It could have been the mixture of genes from two different countries, but who could really say. Like her mother she would follow in her footsteps as being a flower girl. Yet instead of taking the name of a flower she chose a tree instead. She named herself after the native tree Shui Shan or Dawn Redwood. A tree though to be extinct but symbolizes wellness, safety, longevity, wisdom, and communication. The other girls simply saw this as arrogance or a desperate attempt to stand out and take business away seeing as she was the headmistresses kin. Regardless she worked her way up the ranks in a similar fashion as her mother. Expanding her roots and branches until she blossomed into the radiant tree she was named after. While she did enjoy working and providing for her family, the desire to be a flower girl began to waver. Her experiences with male patrons and that of her mothers left an unsettling taste in her mouth. She was starting to believe all men were beasts and only thought of war and drink. That was until she met him. A member of the Kongdong Pai (空洞派) clan who stopped by and requested her. He was gentle and compassionate without a farce. He had explained that a Great War was starting to take place that would shatter the peace. He was so intoxicated by her acrobatic abilities and intricate dances he proposed that he teach her a similar kind of dance. One that used your fingers to dance, but not on the ground, instead, a human body. In their time together he would constantly arrive at the 茶花財團 Camellia Consortium, the establishment her mom had created and housed her girls in. They would share stories, although she had few in comparison, tea, and Jianghu. She didn’t know it was Jianghu at first, but the way Yide could explore the human body and relieve its ailments was incredible. This was when she became a practitioner of acupuncture and pressure point martial arts (Kyusho Jitsu). After a few months she could run her fingers along bodies with her eyes closed and find the ailment, exorcise it, healing the person within. Her final test being that of her father, who she was able to remove the disease plaguing him from walking once more. It was after that the two fell in love and were set to become married. They planned while also practicing martial arts and sword play in addition to the pressure points. Until, Yide was called away to take part in the War a few days before they were to wed. Like all tragic tales this one is no less painful, especially for Song. Yide had died in the war or so she was led to believe. This tragedy crushed her, but instead of reserving herself back into that helpless girl she gave birth to a new tenacity. She would rely on no one else but herself and use the love and tools Yide gave her to find justice and stomp out any remnants of the war that would perpetuate the vicious cycle that’s plaguing her country, even if that meant she take the responsibility on by herself. Other Information Song is ambidextrous in both combat and non-combat instances.

---

Cultivation Base

Most of Song’s cultivation is derived from teachings and a basis from Yide and his affiliation with the Yuán Clan. Song is able to use the spiritual ability shared with herself of the Yuán Clan to create qi. The way Song’s qi manifests in no elements outside the marriage of Yin and Yang. Int this she’s manipulate her qi and the use of pressure points to create a ‘supernatural’ healing effect. Meaning she can heal cuts, wounds, broken bones, damage inflicted by other more advanced cultivation techniques from other practitioners and the such. It can also augment and endow people with enhancements or ‘buffs’ in their martial arts whether that means they feel no pain or fully open the pressure points to allow peak strength and movement.

She calls her technique “Heavenly Dance of the Crane and Viper”. The crane symbolizing longevity and life lends itself to her healing applications meanwhile the Viper encapsulates the marital arts and poison qi application. Like the viper she can create a venom within her body by molding the qi within and around her. This venom poses no threat to her but simply sits within her until she can inject it via pressure points into someone else. The poison once it takes root, will travel and block pressure points and act in the same way snake venom does when coursing through the human body. While she does have poison she forms with qi the poison is always different in assemblage like a cone snail. Not any one poison she injects is the same as the one before, thus creating no antidote.

She does not need to form the poison through her qi it is simply the most efficient way. Using herbal concoctions and coating them on her finger is another application that is more natural than spiritual with lesser effects and easier defense. Song also knows the 20 pressure points that compromise a majority of the teachings.

Body Enhancements

• Enhanced Senses - The only senses really enhanced here are her sense of touch and sound. Sound mostly to aid in her ability to perceive the world outside of sight and touch which she’s honed through her skill of acupuncture and affinity for physical prowess.

• Acrobatic Expert - From her time as a Flower girl and training in martial arts, Song has been able to elevate her affinity for acrobatics. Meaning she is able to stay perfectly balanced in precarious situations which would normally see others fall. This also allows her to attempt and succeed in a variety of stunts such as rolls and dives. Much like running water she can move in ways that the human body shouldn’t be able to exist at.

Techniques

• Viper Sting - Song can mold and create a poison through the manifestation of negative qi. Once created she can inject eh qi through the utilization of pressure points to inject the opponent. The poison will block pressure points, paralyze parts of the body in which struck, and increase intensity of pain felt from subsequent attacks.

• Needle - Rather than using a needle like a regular acupuncturist, Song can accumulate qi into the tips of her fingers to create a needle-like aura around the tips of her fingers to emulate and mimic a real needle.

• Crane’s Roost - Similar to how a crane will roost to keep body temperature at equilibrium by switching feet. Song will heal herself through acupuncture to revert herself to a state in which she is at peak performance.

Equipment

• Standard Jian - Nothing really special just a normal sword.

My application!

Be Lao Hu, "White Tiger" [+]

Name: Be Lao Hu
Titles: None
Age: 35
Rank: Second-class
Allegiance: Neutral. Former member of the Blood Crow Clan (a Devil Clan) before the clan's destruction at the end of the war
Appearance: As you can see, he is massive!
Personality:

Sociopathic - he has learned from an early age that there is no place for morality in living. At the same time, there is a place for the appearance of lawfulness and social altruism.

Loyalty to family members - except he has no family members as all of his relatives are dead due to being exterminated at the end of the war

Vengeful - he wants to kill all the people who killed his family. His family was the blood crow clan (a Devil Clan). That is one of his primary missions: he wants to find out who ordered and carried out the murder of his family

Hallucinations - he hallucinates a lot of stuff!

Nightmares - he has a lot of nightmares of the war and dreams that are connected to his mission of vengeance

Yearns for blood sacrifice - as a former blood crow clan member, he is always seeking for blood so he can burn it in order to replenish his qi

History:

During the war, he fought valiantly and bravely for his Blood Crow clan. His clan was once a very vital part of the Devil Clans Pact. Unfortunately, during a fateful mission, his family was deceived into attacking the enemy and was trapped and slaughtered. He was the only survivor. He will always remember seeing his mother and father burned alive. They told him to run away. "Avenge us!" they said. He was the only one quick enough to run away from the showers of arrows.

To this day, he aims to avenge the death of his family through whatever means he can find.

Other:

Body Enhancements:

Equipment:
He has a massive sword and a dagger that he uses on unsuspecting victims or lifestock.
Cultivation Base:
As a former blood crow clan member, he needs blood in order to replenish his qi.
Techniques:
He has the ability to turn blood into fire in order to replenish his qi by inhaling the smoke.
When he has enough Qi, he has the ability to augment his strength beyond his normal physical abilities. He becomes super fast and super strong, and can weather physical damage by healing wounds.

Then can I have control of one of your antagonists or at least make a minor antagonist that isn't part of the overall group whose high-level actions are under your direction?

Honestly, I thought the character I just made was pretty light and pretty nice.

In other words, I don't think I have it in me to make a purely nice, altruistic, sympathetic character that bonds well with other people that doesn't have a dark psychopathic side that also wants to harm someone. I would pass out from the boredom.

In other words, I don't think I have it in me to make a purely nice, altruistic, sympathetic character that bonds well with other people that doesn't have a dark psychopathic side that also wants to harm someone. I would pass out from the boredom.

I think he's done now [EDIT - 7/16 12:57]

Tse Hyu-Lin [+]

"The song of the siren holds mysterious we can't begin to fathom, but listening means certain death."

Titles: Lunar Moth/Poison Moon
Age: 23
Rank: First Class Warrior
Allegiance:
Once a part of The Heavenly Demonic Cult, Tse Hyu-Lin one day found his alignment on a different wavelength, and although The Martial Alliance is where he learned a great deal of humility, things within the faction are a cause for worry.
Appearance:
Tse Hyu-Lin is most known for his captivating eyes and his slightly sunkissed skin. Notably, his hair is long enough to reach the back of his thighs. His eyes are a beautiful light brown. Hyu-Lin is around five foot seven inches in height. He prefers garments that add elegance to his appearance. His garments are often very flowy and usually consist of the colors black, white, red, blue, and gold. Hyu-Lin prefers to wear trinkets in his hair that allows him to maintain the length. He carries himself well, but with all the training he's gone through, he is one of the most approachable in his field. The life he has lived should have removed the smile from his face long ago, but Hyu-Lin has managed to keep it, even in the face of uncertainty.

Personality:
Tse Hyu-Lin seems divided into two personas. On one hand, he is strict with his training and cultivation practices. He is analytical and processes information thoroughly. Then there's the easy-going side which is often present. Very few are privy to the other side. Hyu-Lin has a hard time trusting others. He doesn't have many friends, but even still he doesn't trust them fully. The one person he allowed in betrayed him and left a scar that has never healed. Tse Hyu-Lin tries hard to help others. He tries hard to live a life of no regret.
History:
It is unclear what his backstory is. Throughout the years, Tse Hyu-Lin has come to terms with not knowing his past. All he knows and what can be revealed now is that he grew up without a mother or father. He heard rumors that he may have been kidnapped and put to work in his old sect, but there has never been any hard evidence to back up the rumors. Regardless of his origin, Tse Hyu-Lin dedicated his life to the world of Jianhu. Moreso, while training within the Heavenly Demonic Cult, he uncovered secrets and techniques long thought lost.

It was on a mission, at the age of 17, that he discovered the love of his life, a man who would forever change his way of thinking. For two years they met in secret. Partly because Tse Hyu-Lin did not want him to get in trouble, but also because his lover belonged to the Martial Alliance. Of course, secrets can never stay this way for long. The happiness that he had was stripped away from him when it was discovered. Tse Hyu-Lin never wanted to renounce the ways of The Heavenly Demonic Cult, but after watching his lover die at the hands of men who shared the same allegiance as he did, he found it hard to allow such allegiance to remain.

He was able to return the body of his lover back to the Martial Alliance, and although nearly put to death for it, he eventually made a name for himself within the faction. The Silver Moon Sect, the clan his lover belonged to within the Martial Alliance, adopted him, and his master stood up for him when the decision was made to allow Tse Hyu-Lin into the faction. He knows that many in the faction are always watching, wondering when he, if at all, will return his allegiance back to The Heavenly Demonic Cult. For that reason, he is often put to the test by his master and those within the Martial Alliance that does not trust him.
Other:

Body Enhancements:
Tse Hyu-Lin, through intense training and focus, has strengthened his body to tolerate toxins allowing for a swift recovery. Using his qi, Hyu-Lin can break down the chemical makeup of many toxins and render them useless against him; however, he can also change the chemical makeup of a toxin and create his own. Doing so has caused his blood to be extremely toxic, acting as a neurotoxin and hemotoxin. His body has withstood the most immense training anyone would dare undergo, and as such minor wounds and damage that seem severe to others have lost their sting, and to him, they are but mere annoyances.

Equipment:
Lunar Moth Darts - Beautiful razor-sharp crystals shaped like luna moths. Some of them are laced with toxins from various plants. Those struck by the poisonous darts will develop intense sickness, immobilizing, but not fatal as the toxins leave the body within 12 hours.
Lunarres - Lunarres is a blade said to be forged from the essence of the moon by a legendary blacksmith who retired after creating it. The blade is made from Damascus steel and meteorites from the moon. In the moonlight, the blade is said to glow with an immense aura that can allow it to slice through solid rock. The blade is immensely black, like staring into the void, and thus is hard to see at night, but Hyu-Lin can pinpoint its exact location.

Cultivation Base:
Belonging to two different sects proves interesting for Tse Hyu-Lin. Within the Heavenly Demonic Cult, he was a part of the Poison Shadow Sect, and there he learned the art of utilizing one's qi with deadly precision. Attacking to overwhelm, enhancing one's own strength, senses, and agility. Tse Hyu-Lin learned a great deal from the Poison Shadow Sect who taught him how to bewilder the mind and ensnare the senses. How to develop a poison so strong it can render the mind useless, or the body ineffective. Such techniques required an understanding of the human anatomy and the flow of qi through the body. Understanding where to strike and how effective striking a point is.

From the Silver Moon Sect, he has come to know the Moon, and how it pushes and pulls, how it captivates without any effort. The moon's effect on the planet is the key focus within the Silver Moon Sect. Looking into how powerful one can become when one understands the push and pull between Earth and the Moon. The key element of the Silver Moon Sect is water, the fluid that grants life to everything. Moving like the waves reacting to the moon is evident in the styles learned within the Silver Moon Sect.

Techniques:

Shattered Moon - By striking four points on the body with poison embued darts or his sword, he can cause hallucinations that feel real to the victim. One final strike will cause the poison within the bloodstream to coagulate and shatter causing internal bleeding.

Lunar Swarm - A dazzling display of skill. Tse Hyu-Lin focuses his qi and unleashes a barrage of Luna Moth Darts. Each dart is sharp enough to slice through bamboo.

Lunar Eclipse - Tse Hyu-Lin focuses his qi and channels the power of the Moon causing Lunarres to flood with strength. Lunarres can strike through solid rock and becomes near impossible to see when in motion.

Blood Moon Rage - Focusing his qi on his movement like raging flood waters, Tse Hyu-Lin strikes unrelentingly damaging the nerves with each strike. Striking particular nerves or "cords" can render specific body parts useless. This technique is known as "cord cutting" and can be reversed; however, allowing the nerve to remain severed for too long can cause long-term damage.

My second application!

Xiao Ge, "Little Brother" [+]

Name: Xiao Ge
Titles: No title
Age: 24
Rank: Second Class Warrior
Allegiance: Broken Mountain Sect
Appearance: A nice looking handsome father who is searching for his lost daughter and wife. His body has a lot scars due to having been beaten bloody many times in the past
Personality:

A generous poor man with an ambition to find his wife and daughter, who had been kidnapped from him when his clan was attacked in the dark by the Devil Clans in the war. He misses his wife and daughter

Conscientious - he is dedicated towards his main goal, but isn't insusceptible to other goals and quests if they convince him of their urgency

Emotionally balanced - he experiences a large array of appropriate emotions depending on the situation. An even tempered man, he occasionally cries in his sleep when he dreams of his kid in his arms and his wife's embrace

Low dominance - he has never really been a leader and never intends to. He just wants to find his lost family

Open to new ideas and training that will enable him to travel the world in order to find his lost family

Friendly to strangers and even friendlier to friends - with a naturally kind disposition, he loves connecting with new people

History:

His earliest memories are his kind mother and father. His strongest memories are finding the love of his life and making love to her. He remembers his wife giving birth to his daughter.

Then one day, his clan was attacked by the Blood Crow clan (a devil clan) while everyone was asleep. The blood crow clan killed his father and mother and took his wife and daughter captive. He never saw them again. Instead, he was taken to the Blood Crow clan headquarters where he was tortured for many days for answers that he did not know. Just when he thought he was going to die, the Blood Crow clan threw his body away into the forest.

He did not die, and after several weeks of hunger, he was able to recover and stand up all by himself using his Qi cultivation abilities and his self-healing abilities.

Now, he wants to find his wife and kid by finding out what happened to the Blood Crow Clan and the the Devil Clans.
Other:

Body Enhancements:
Self Healing - he has the ability to heal himself using his Qi
Super strength and speed - he has the ability to use his Qi to augment his muscles
Equipment:
A normal spear and wooden shield
Cultivation Base:
Memories of his lost friends and family give him energy that can be turned into Qi. He doesn't know why but whenever he thinks of the people in his past, his Qi level increases. The stronger his ties to the people in his memory, the greater his Qi increases.
Techniques:

He has two abilities that can be activated using his Qi:

Hevenly Muscular and Bone Regeneration - this technique uses the Qi that is in his body to heal his wounds. His memories of his closest people creates the benevolent Qi that extracts the pain and damage he may have sustained in a fight so that his body returns to its natural state

Hevenly Muscular and Bone Augmentation - as explained above, but this time his Qi makes his body even stronger than it would naturally be

I edited my character profile after reading your post. @OwO
Honestly, i'm still not too sure how qi works even after zeroth explained it to me.

I edited my character profile after reading your post. @OwO
Honestly, i'm still not too sure how qi works even after zeroth explained it to me.

Hey, is there still time to apply? I have a character from an old RP that I could repurpose here really quickly, if so! Thanks ^^