Part 82: Appendix: Mercenary Heroes (Sanctuary)
Appendix B - Mercenary Heroes (Sanctuary)Might Heroes (Samurai)
Atlas
Male
Gladiator: +2 Might Power.
Tears
Biography: Atlas was born and raised on the island of Hashima, in one of the many Human villages belonging to the Lotus Empire. His impressive size earned him the nickname of “mountain”.
Atlas was prepared to live a peaceful life as the town’s carpenter, until one fateful day, when the Daimyo Hitokage stopped in the village. During the festivities held in honor of the Snake-Lord, Atlas defeated the Daimyo’s personal champion in a contest of hand-to-hand combat. Hitokage was amused and impressed by the natural talents displayed by Atlas, and offered to take the Human with him to train in the art of combat. While he has regularly impressed the Nagas with his skills on the battlefield or the wrestler ring, Atlas equally gained their respect for his craftsmanship as a master-builder, sculptor and artisan.
Ciele
Female
Treefeller: +1 Wood/day.
Tears
Biography: Ciele is unmistakeably an Elf, but she wasn’t born in the shadows of the great trees of Irollan. Ciele was raised on the sea, upon one of the house-ships of her nomadic kindred, the Sea Elves, who worship both Sylanna (for her gifts) and Shalassa (for her hospitality). A long time ago these Elves belonged to the Shantiri Empire, but now they are gypsies of the ocean, wandering the seas of Ashan on makeshift vessels hewn from trees and wrought into boats. Each Sea Elf belongs to a particular clan, called the “crew”, to which he or she remains fiercely loyal.
Ciele is the last of her own crew, sundered and destroyed when a tidal wave wrecked their house-ship. She was saved by the Nagas, and now considers them her new family.
Hitomi
Female
Paragon of Vigour: Kenshi and Kensei have +25 Health.
Blood
Biography: Hitomi was born the only daughter of an incredibly gifted blacksmith in a reclusive and secluded mountain village of the Pearl Empire. In spite of this isolation, the smith’s reputation quickly spread both above and below the waters. Hitomi was present on the day the legendary Daimyo Manowa placed an order for a particular quartet of swords. The four-armed Naga War Master desired weapons that would function just as well underwater as above. Hitomi and her father worked for seven years forging, testing and enchanting their steel in every extreme condition imaginable.
Manowa was delighted and paid for the masterworks with four cups of pearls.
However, he returned a year later and drove two of the swords through the blacksmith’s heart, killing him instantly. He had lost a battle with pirates and claimed that the swords were useless above the waves.
Hitomi pulled the weapons from her father’s breathless chest and challenged a dozen of Manowa’s finest warriors to successive duels, besting them all. With proof of the weapons’ superiority demonstrated, Manowa made reparation for his error and cut off two of his fingers, presenting them to Hitomi.
It is said she wears them on a necklace to this very day.
Kenage
Male
Shark Guard: Wanizame's Blood Frenzy ability is 20% more effective.
Blood
Biography: Kenage was raised by Sharks, or so the legend goes. This brilliant military strategist gained his reputation when sent on a mission to investigate problems on a southern island, provided with nothing but a detachment of Shark Guards.
The “problem” turned out to be an Orc invasion, yet Kenage made rather short work of it by swimming up to their camp under cover of nightfall and capturing their Shaman. He served the Eternal Empress as a professor of wartime strategy for two decades in the prestigious Nariya Military Dojo, before establishing his own Dojo on a ship. Today, he sails the Jade Ocean and beyond in search of skirmishes and wars, which he asserts can teach more to his students than a thousand lessons on parchment.
A loyal detachment of Wanizame accompanies him always and would die for their Master, who they claim can breathe underwater.
Tsuan
Female
Explorer: +3 Land and Sea Movement.
Blood
Biogaphy: Born into a community of pirates, Tsuan was given command of her own vessel at a very young age, and she amassed quite a bit of booty by robbing merchant vessels from the Seven Cities on their way to the Jade Ocean.
Her destiny took an eventful turn when her ship was eaten by a giant sea monster and she awoke a thousand leagues below the ocean in the vast palace of a Naga Daimyo. Tsuan was appreciative to be alive, but quickly realized that she was a prisoner. After five years of captivity, during which she came to comprehend more than any Human before her about the vast and rich complexities of Naga underwater culture, she was awarded her freedom and given an island by the Daimyo, with which she could do as she pleased.
Magic Heroes (Monk)
Jun
Male
Master Diplomat: Automatically starts with the Diplomacy skill, and increases its effectiveness by 10%.
Tears
Biography: The Matsuno tribe of fishermen and pearl divers holds the belief that when good women and men die, they return as Nagas. Every seven years, they organize a diving and swimming competition, and the winner is awarded a great honor: they are offered to the Nagas as tribute, to serve in the land temples dedicated to the Dragon Goddess of Water, Shalassa.
Jun was born a Matsuno and he won this adulation. In spite of Jun’s quiet manner and sparse use of words, he was found to be an exceptionally potent diplomat, and is utilised by the Nagas for affairs concerning Human and Orc populations in the island realms of the Jade Ocean.
As a man of few words, it is said that he can intimate a man’s desires simply by peering into the water in his eyes. He is also an expert on determining the value of gems, pearls and magical items, though he is suspected of divining this information from behind the eyes of those with whom he negotiates.
Kalindra
Female
Ice Bolt Master: Automatically starts with the Ice Bolt spell, and gains a +10% effect when using it.
Blood
Biography: Calling herself a princess, Kalindra boasts that she can trace her ancestry back to the lost Shantiri civilization. But then again, so too can most of the denizens of southern Ashan in one way or another. Her golden skin and ebony hair, not to mention her taste in luxurious clothes and jewels, have rendered her quite the attraction in the courts of the lords of the Free Cities. Against all odds, it was her extravagant way of life that brought her to the attention of a priestess of Shalassa, who instantly understood that this nobleblooded lady was in fact marked by the Dragon Goddess of Water.
It tested the venerable snake-lady’s untold patience to convince Kalindra to come to the temple and become a disciple, but she eventually succeeded. In truth, the young woman had finally grown tired of the vanity of her life and felt ready at last to start a new life of asceticism.
Mei-Lien
Female
Devotee of the Spring: +2 Spring Spirits/Mizu-Kami growth.
Tears
Biography: The beautiful Mei-Lien was educated by the finest of courtesans in the art of entertaining the dignitaries of the Naga Empire. Mei-Lien’s beauty, poise, and clever wit have been remarked upon by numerous leaders, including a powerful Naga Daimyo who sought to avail of her presence as frequently as was respectfully possible.
The Daimyo’s attention nearly cost Mei-Lien her life, as she was accused of his assassination by poison. Escaping to a Pearl Priestess temple, she accepted the interrogation of the sacred water and was found innocent of the crime. The trying ritual, which opened her mind and memories to an audience of judges, nearly killed the young woman, and she fell into a deep sleep which reportedly lasted a full year.
When Mei-Lien awoke, she had received a blessing from Shalassa, the Dragon of Water: the power to interpret dreams. There are those that say the Eternal Empress herself has consulted Mei-Lien, and a few who claim she has become the monarch’s most powerful spy.
Yugen
Male
Master of Water: Increases the effectiveness of Magic (Water) by 6%.
Tears
Biography: Yugen was trained to be a dancer in Nariya’s imperial company. the Silk Waves. This all-Human troupe of over a hundred men and women performs twice a year, when the Eternal Empress leaves her immense palace beneath the oceans to visit her island provinces above the waters. The prestigious company was decimated by assassins for reasons that are still unknown. Yugen was one of only three survivors, and he became a priest of Shalassa to thank the Dragon Goddess of Water for his miraculous escape.
The Eternal Empress still asks the surviving trio to perform for her once a year; these spectacles mark the only occasions Yugen still dances in public. It is said that his dance is so melancholic that even the Dragon Eels cry when he performs.
Zhaoyu
Tears
Ice Armor Master: Automatically starts with the Ice Armor spell, and gains a +10% effect when using it.
Tears
Biography: Zhaoyu comes from the eastern islands of the Jade Ocean, and is of peculiar descent: his father Sheng was a Human merchant, but his mother was a Naga. Desperately in love with the snake-woman despite their being of different species, Sheng challenged his beloved’s father to obtain the right to marry her. Tragically, Sheng was killed during the duel. Heartbroken, the Naga woman gave her life to Shalassa in exchange for the resurrection of her Human lover.
The Dragon-Goddess of Water accepted her offering but, deeply moved by the selflessness of her love, Shalassa asked Asha to reincarnate them both as Human babies. It took twenty years and many more adventures to reunite the two lovers, but Zhaoyu was eventually born as testament to their devotion.