Ikselam/Yieng
Contents
Min Shan Yieng
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Character Background
Backstory
Min Shan Yieng was born in the shadow of the Lonely Mountain which rises above the Eastern plains. Her appearance and the astrological circumstances surrounding her birth left little doubt that she was the child of ancient prophecy, and thus she was given into the care of the spirits who lived atop the mountain on her fifth birthday. The little gods treated her as an honored guest, as commanded by the temple's master, the great Earth Dragon Fei Tau.
Yieng grew up in the midst of one of the few spirit courts which still paid more than lip service to its duties in the Celestial Bureaucracy. From an early age, she was taught the importance of always knowing one's duties, and performing them diligently. Although, as a mortal, she was weaker than even the least of the Lonely Mountain gods, she was assigned duties alongside the spirits and elementals. Many of them were upset that a human should intrude upon their business, but they bowed to Fei Tau's authority and suffered her presence. Yieng had been told all her life that her destiny was to serve the mighty dragon of the mountain, and even as a small child she was determined to rise to the challenge, attacking even the most menial chores with commendable zeal. Her dedication won her the admiration of the spirits, and by her tenth birthday they accepted her as a true member of the court (albeit a young and weak one).
Up until this time, Fei Tau had always closely observed Yieng's progress, but had left the details of her upbriging to his subordinates. Now, he took personal charge of her education, instructing her in meditation, virtuous conduct, and her station in the Celestial Order. The dragon also decreed that she should become one of the temple guardians. This move provoked some consternation; while undoubtedly pious and dedicated, the girl was hardly a match for any being who might attack the Lonely Mountain. However, the existing guardians acquiesced to their leader's wishes, and took it upon themselves to train their mortal sister in the art of fighting.
Yieng eagerly absorbed every bit of Fei Tau's teaching, growing ever more awed by his wisdom and knowledge; however, she pursued her studies with the guardians even more intently. This was the first real duty entrusted to her, and she was bursting with the desire to vindicate the dragon's faith in her. The lion dogs were harsh teachers, but fair; by the time she was sixteen, Yieng had become a skilled swordfighter. The lion dogs praised her, in their own gruff way, and Fei Tau himself congratulated her on her progress. Yieng fairly glowed when he officially made her the head guardian of the temple's East Gate.
A month later, as a night-long vigil drew to a close, the sun's rays struck the place where Yieng stood upon the temple's marble steps. She had seen the sunrise a thousand times before, but this time, the light shone into her soul and Yieng was Exalted. Her cry of astonishment drew the attention of the spirits; in moments, their master knew of the new development, and made uncharacteristic haste to the East Gate. As his protege shakily knelt before him, illuminating the courtyard with her golden aura, a smile was seen upon Fei Tau's face.
In the days that followed, Yieng looked to her mentor for guidance more than ever before. He revealed that she had been Exalted by the Unconquered Sun, king of the Gods, and told her of the Solar Exalted's great deeds in the war against the Primordials. He also helped her understand her new duties as a member of the Dawn Caste: to protect the weak and oppose the wicked, to uphold the laws of Heaven, and to be a shining light of purity in a world which had fallen into strife and unrighteousness.
Not long afterward, the Lonely Mountain was visited by a Solar Exalted named Star Sapphire, a wandering shaman from the Northeast. The dragon spent a great deal of time speaking with the young woman in his private garden, and when she made ready to leave, he bade Yieng accompany her. The time had come, he said, for her to see the world, and to learn from one of the Zenith Caste, the priest-kings of the Solars.
Description
Yieng could pass for a native of the Blessed Isle, with pale skin, dark purple eyes and long black hair, usually tied in a flowing topknot. She is slightly taller than average, and athletically slim. Her frequent smiles light up her face in a cliched, but nonetheless winning, manner; she blushes bright red when telling even the smallest lie. Yieng wears a white linen jacket over ankle-length culottes, cinched with her Steel Dragon Sash, and normally binds her chest with a long strip of cloth to keep things snug and secure in crisis situations. She has a distinctive birthmark on her left shoulder.
Yieng is agreeable and friendly, and virtuous almost to excess. Purity is a very big deal to her, and she follows a code of conduct almost identical to that of Third Coil Immaculates. Having been raised by spirits, she doesn't really comprehend that it's possible to have doubts about one's role in life; she has total confidence that her heart will always lead her to the correct course of action. She idolizes Fei Tau, believing him to be the wisest and most noble creature in all of Creation. It is pretty obvious that she has a humongous crush on him.
Yieng's strengths are her purity and the fact that she holds to her beliefs with all her heart. Her weaknesses are that she has led a somewhat sheltered life, and is often rather haughty towards those who don't measure up to her exacting standards of virtue. Her strongest wish is to use her powers as they are meant to be used. Her greatest fear is of being untrue to herself.
Yieng is left-handed. She loves watching sunsets and sunrises.
Game Stats
Name: Min Shan Yieng
Caste: Dawn
Nature: Paragon
Anima: Celestial dragon
Concept: Shrine maiden
Attributes:
Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4
Charisma 3, Manipulation 1, Appearance 3
Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 4
Abilities:
Archery 1, Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Dodge 3, Endurance 2, Linguistics 1 (Riverspeak, Old Realm), Lore 1, Martial Arts 2, Melee 4 (Unencumbered +1), Occult 2 (Celestial Bureaucracy +1), Presence 2, Resistance 1
Backgrounds: Artifact 4, Backing 1, Mentor 4
Virtues:
Compassion 3, Conviction 3, Temperance 3, Valor 3
Virtue Flaw: Contempt of the Virtuous (Temperance)
Willpower: 6
Health: -0,-1,-1,-1,-1,-2,-2,-4,Incap
Essence: 2
Essence pool: 12/24(32)
Charms:
- Athletics
Graceful Crane Stance
Increasing Strength Exercise
- Dodge
Reed in the Wind
- Endurance
Ox-Body Technique (-1x2)
- Medicine
Body-Mending Meditation
- Melee
Excellent Strike
Hungry Tiger Technique
Golden Essence Block
Dipping Swallow Defense
Bulwark Stance
Equipment: Shrine maiden outfit, conical straw hat, sturdy duffel bag, woolen blanket, prayer beads, small metal bowl and cup, bag of rice, Unsullied Flame of Purity (and elegant scabbard), Steel Dragon Sash
Combat:
Base initiative: 8
Soak: 3B/1L/0A (unarmored)
Dodge: 7
Attacks:
Unsullied Flame of Purity: Spd 14, Acc 11(12), Dmg 7L, Def 11(12)
Punch: Spd 8, Acc 6, Dmg 3B, Def 6
Kick: Spd 5, Acc 5, Dmg 5B, Def 5
Yieng's Expanded Backgrounds
Artifact ••••
Unsullied Flame of Purity</b>
Artifact <b>••</b>
Orichalcum slashing sword
Speed +(Conviction+3), Accuracy +(Temperance), Damage +4L, Defense +3 (including material bonus)
Commitment: 5 (orichalcum)
This orichalcum-inlaid slashing sword trails streaks of brilliant blue fire when in use, drawing strength from its wielder's Virtues. The effect can be suppressed for up to a scene with the reflexive expenditure of a willpower point; in this state, the sword has Accuracy +1 and Speed +3. Even inactive, it remains unnaturally sharp; keen eyes can discern a faint actinic flicker along the cutting edge. Unsullied Flame of Purity requires the commitment of 5 motes.
<b>Steel Dragon Sash</b>
Artifact <b>••</b>
Orichalcum, moonsilver, and silk sash
Commitment: 3
This long silk sash is embroidered in gold and moonsilver thread with the image of a celestial dragon. When its wearer is threatened, the sash has the power to magically unwind from her waist and spring into the air, swirling about under its own power. It is unnaturally strong, and attempts to knock blows aside as well as distracting attackers. This power can be activated reflexively at a cost of one mote, and lasts for a scene. During this time, all melee attacks against the character are at +3 difficulty; missile attacks are at only +1. The Steel Dragon Sash requires a commitment of 3 motes.
Both these artifacts were given to Yieng by Fei Tau when he sent her away with Sapphire. Although she doesn't know it, they were crafted by her First Age incarnation (see "Fei Tau's Big Secret," below).
Backing <b>•
Yieng technically falls under the aegis of the Lonely Mountain spirit court. However, she ranks near the bottom of the hierarchy, and can't expect any real help from the court unless she is on official business for it.
Mentor ••••
Fei Tau, "The Dragon Who Waits," is a lesser elemental dragon of Earth, serving as a censor for the Celestial Bureaucracy in the East. Unlike many of his colleagues, he still takes his job seriously, and is renowned for his wisdom and fairness. He makes his home in the temple atop Lonely Mountain, an aptly-named solitary peak which rises above the Eastern plains. There, he divides his time between quiet contemplation and the performance of his duties (in which he is assisted by a small court of loyal spirits and elementals). In recent years, he has devoted a surprising amount of time to caring for and personally instructing his young mortal protege. Most of the spirits in Fei Tau's court believe that Yieng is what the Dragon has been Waiting for all these centuries.
Fei Tau appears as a great eight-legged serpentine dragon, with lustrous sepia and mahogany scales. His head is as much doglike as crocodilian, and sports a full mane, damp nose, and floppy ears in addition to two pairs of horns. His eyes are huge and liquid brown. In human form, he is a short, solidly-built black man, head shaven in the manner of a monk, with the same beautiful brown eyes as his dragon form.
Fei Tau once defeated 100 men by meditating so serenely that they could not bear to disturb him. He has a great love for calligraphy, and corresponds regularly with several other dragons from all across Creation.
Fei Tau's Big Secret
Fei Tau is positive that Yieng is the reincarnation of his First Age wife, the Solar Exalted Hue Yanwen. His love for her has endured unabated for centuries; he still guards her tomb, which lies deep beneath his temple, itself built atop the manse which was their home in the First Age. The dragon has purposefully kept Yieng in the dark about this, wishing her to come to love him on her own. Right now she is slavishly adoring, which isn't quite what he was shooting for.
Star Sapphire is privy to this information, but agrees that it is best kept secret for now.
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