Post by Mikey on Jun 7, 2011 5:52:28 GMT
"To follow the path:
Look to the master,
Follow the master,
Walk with the master,
See through the master,
Become the master. "
- Old Zen Poem
Look to the master,
Follow the master,
Walk with the master,
See through the master,
Become the master. "
- Old Zen Poem
Name:
Ba Zeng
"The White Sign of the Past", "The Tyrannical"
Age: 44
Gender: Male
Style: Original-Canon, due to Site Story
Residence: Where the wind takes him. He sleeps wherever a comfortable place can be found, be it an inn or the side of the road.
Personality: Ba Zeng has matured, and the years have been kind to him. His name is now a mere legend, no one recognizes the tyrant that once was, the cunning butcher that defeated coalitions of great men. Ba Zeng is now something else entirely. He has grown older and abandoned his empire-dominating ways. Politics and strategy mean very little to him now, neglecting his previous pursuits of knowledge. Ba Zeng is still a very intelligent man, just not as dutiful or diligent as he once was.
Surprisingly, Ba Zeng's main goal is to help people. Having learnt the ways of medicine in India, Ba Zeng travels the country as a healer, hoping that his atrocious sins performed under his prior greed for power could one day be forgiven. His motivation is his wander-lust, and will to seek new adventures.
Ba Zeng has a new developed humble persona, he never challenges anything, he's a tea drinker, peaceful, calm, collecting, he appreciates nature in a way he's never have before. Deep down inside he misses the luxurious and glamorous life a dictatorship entailed, but his wanderer ways have greatly improved his life, at least he would reckon. Even sleeping on a hard rock on a particularly rainy day, Ba Zeng would say his life is better now than it ever has been, despite being on several thrones. He is a hermit now, kind-hearted and secluded, comparable to the likes of Sima Hui.
Appearance:
Ba Zeng has gray hairs, he doesn't like aging, but its a process--a cycle that life goes through. He knows this better than anyone else. Life as a adventurer has been great to Ba Zeng however, his body is strong. The recent practice Ba Zeng has taken up is yoga (also picked up from his Indian travels), and it has made his body flexible, strong and healthy. His mind, body, and soul are all one. Ba Zeng is of average height, that much hasn't changed. But his once dominating and knowledge-seeping demeanor is gone, his is cheerful now, happy. This shows simply by how he brightens the room, laughs or smiles.
Apparel/Armour:
Ba Zeng's attire doesn't change much. He has basically nothing in terms of a wardrobe. He wears a white robe, which is surprisingly still as bright and elaborate since the day he obtained it. On this robe's multiple signs can be read, specifically some Yoga symbols, but more importantly: in black ink 'Zen' and Ba Zeng's name, which translates into 'White Sign of the Past' are apparent on the robe.
Weapon(s):
Ba Zeng carries with him two weapons, both of which he uses very seldom. It's only when he encounters a wrong-doer such as a burglar or highwaymen does he use them. One weapon is a small crossbow. It can easily be shot using one hand, though two hands are used to reload the mechanism. Ba Zeng isn't the greatest marksman in the world, but he hunts regularly to feed himself.
The second weapon that Ba Zeng carries is actually a ceremonial sword that was crafted for Lu Bu's use. It was commissioned during his reign of the Xu Empire, but when it reached the palace, Ba Zeng took it. Surprisingly, Lu Bu never noticed that it never arrived in his hands. The sword is wonderfully crafted, only now--twenty years later-- showing the signs of a withering and jaded blade. Ba Zeng doesn't know what master blacksmith made the sword, but he thanks him, for the sword had carried him through much. And yet many more adventures await.
History: Born to a rich noble class family in Tian Shui, Ba Zeng's father instilled in Ba Zeng a great education. Though not present during Ba Zeng's early life, Ba Zeng loved his parents and his father instilled in Ba Zeng a sense of ambition. To always want to grab more for yourself than you really need. Ba Zeng's father sent him away to one of the greatest academies in the Central Plains. Ba Zeng became utterly involved in military tactics and history, reading Sun Tzu's text under candle light at night before sleeping. He would dream of winning great battles and be praised as one of the greatest commanders ever.
Discontent with his idle life and his parents, at the age of nine-teen Ba Zeng left his wealthy luxurious life in Tian Shui to peruse a political career in Lou Yang. Where he worked his way up from being the governor's assistant to an advisory domestic minister to the Emperor himself. When the coup came, Ba Zeng was made aware of the Eunuch's plot through one of the conspirators, but allowed them to proceed unhindered anyway.
Ba Zeng's transition from the Han court to Dong Zhou's was seamless. Dong Zhou recognized Ba Zeng's military talents and used him to defeat large coalition armies in conjunction with Lu Bu in the Iron Whale war. Ba Zeng, however, grew weary of Dong Zhou and his over-indulgence. Ba Zeng dreamed of having Dong Zhou's position for himself, and so he devised a plot with Diao Chan, a concubine in the court. Diao Chan would make Lu Bu fall in love with her, and then persuade Lu Bu to storm Dong Zhou's throne room and murder him. The plan went off like clockwork, and no one dared to stand in Lu Bu's way.
Ba Zeng was compensated for his due in the plot, but a power vacuum soon became very apparent in the new Xu Empire. A triumvirate was formed between Ba Zeng, Lu Bu and Diao Chan. Tensions grew between the former friends Ba Zeng and Diao Chan. Ba Zeng realized that whomever controlled Lu Bu, controlled the central plains, and went about devising a plot to rid Diao Chan from the court. His plan backfired however, leaving him in a most dire situation.
Diao Chan used her position with Lu Bu to convince him to distance himself with the new Prime Minister. Ba Zeng grew paranoid and afraid. Any day, he imagined, Lu Bu would slice his head in two pieces. Ba Zeng lost sleep, until one day he approached Lu Bu and set his troubles in the open. Lu Bu was insulted that Ba Zeng was more afraid of Diao Chan than himself, and he was about to kill the Prime Minister, but Lu Lingqi came to his rescue at the request of Kao Ba. Lu Bu exiled Ba Zeng, and the cunning former Prime Minister fled to Liu Bei's lands.
It was there that he ran into Zhao Yun, the general, instantly recognizing him, threatened to kill him. But Ba Zeng trades Lu Bu's military secrets to him in exchange for his life. Then Ba Zeng went to Lou Yang to lay low in plain sight. He encountered a boy named Ai Rui, whose family was murdered at Tiger Trap, Ba Zeng was shocked at what he really had done, he fled to Cheng Du.
In Cheng Du, Ba Zeng took refuge in an abandoned monastery. Ai Rui followed him, intrigued by his past. He haunted him, like a specter. Ba Zeng decided he needed to leave China: it was the best decision of his life. In India, Ba Zeng changed. He learned much from the monks at Pataliputra, in the Kushan Empire. Ba Zeng's transformation took place here, he learned Yoga, and practiced it on a daily basis. His once weak body became strong with the Buddhists' teachings. It was a challenge, so he was happy.
Soon the darkness in his soul abated, almost nothing of his evil existed now, twenty years later. Ba Zeng returned to China, after writing letters of his survival to his close friends: Sima Hui and Lei Yong.
Statistics:
Strength - 4
Perception - 6
Endurance - 6
Charisma - 6
Intelligence - 8
Agility - 10
Luck - 5
Gold: 200.
Alignment: 0
Reputation: 50
Entourage Units:
Personal Army:
