Name: Tatek (No last name. Pronounced: TAA-tehk)
Age: 25
Race: Enchanted Human (Type: Qixueye). Many of his ancestors were the subject of a semi-magical enchantment (actually more closely related to the Chinese term "chi"/"qi" or the Japanese term "ki", than magic) which made them immune to all forms of magic. This immunity is hardwired in their DNA, and so is passed on as a (in this case dominant) genetic trait. More on this ability in the skills/magic section.
Gender: Male
Hair & Eyes: None. Approximately 1 in 20 enchanted humans are born with no hair or eyes, but instead can see magic & chi/qi/ki (hereafter referred to as qi, pronounced identically to the term "chi") without peer. There is only skin where the eyes would've been.
Weight: 75kg
Height: 181cm (5 feet, 11 inches)
Weapon: None
Armor: *see Skills/Magic -> Qi Abilities*
Skills/Magic: While magic comes in many forms, qi is simply a being's internal energy focused to be usable outside or in a different part of the body, allowing for increased speed, strength, and with the particularly powerful, it allows for telekinesis and ranged attacks, plus more which Tatek has yet to even learn about.
Innate abilities:
Magical Immunity: Due to his powerful and unnaturally-structured qi aura, Tatek cannot be harmed or helped by magic. Any magic used on him will automatically be absorbed into his aura upon touching him, which lessens his ability to use his qi. Similarly, no kinds of telepathy work on him unless they are strictly technological in nature (eg. an MRI machine). This ability is always active as long as he is alive, and thus takes no effort whatsoever (except when his qi is depleted, but he replenishes it quickly when unconscious). To clarify, it is only magic itself he is immune to; a person using magic to hit him with, let's say, a rock, would still hurt him as it would a normal person.
Magic Banishment: Through his martial arts or through simple touching if he chooses, Tatek is able to forcefully dissipate magical energy, whether it be in an object, a creature, or just latent in the air. The more magic he wants to destroy, the more energy it takes him.
Second Sight: Tatek can see both latent and active magic & qi, simple as that. What magic looks like depends on the caster and/or the environment (of course, latent magic has no caster), while qi depends purely on the user. This ability includes magic which is normally invisible (yes, this includes qi and magic power which a person suppresses within themselves). The stronger the magic, the brighter Tatek sees it, and the further away he can see it from (although particularly far away things will be somewhat blurry and undefined). This ability is only inactive when Tatek is unconscious (asleep, coma, dead, etc.), and thus takes no energy to use. One downside is that he cannot "blink" away this form of vision as a normal person would blink to stop using their eyes. And a positive or negative thing, depending on the situation, this ability lets Tatek see straight through all non-living, non-magical objects.
Qi Abilities:
Super Strength: When fully focusing his qi, Tatek would be able to lift objects up to around what a mini-van weighs. His combat strength increases as well (up to around 10x)
Super Speed: When fully focusing his qi, Tatek's running speed increases four-fold, while his reaction time (including sharp turns while running) doubles. However, since his brain cannot be similarly powered-up, his reaction speed is the only complex action which is quickened. His normal, unpowered, running speed is around 20km/h (which is typical for a fit person of his age)
Telekinesis: Tatek can pick up or move any object he could normally, even if it is not near him. Combined with his qi-enhanced strength, this allows for large or heavy objects to be moved as well, however the further away the object is, the weaker his movement is. The range for moving something with his natural (1x) strength is 20m. (2x) is 15m. (4x) is 10m. (7.5x) is 5m. The full (10x) strength is not usable at range (ie. 0 metres). Everything in between is on a simple curved scale.
Armor of Qi: Surrounds himself with his qi to create a iron-strength armor around himself. Can be maintained indefinitely as long as he does not get hit, but halves the effectiveness of all his other qi abilities, including his Magic Immunity. If hurt, Tatek can choose to either restrengthen the shield (further lessening his capacity for other qi abilities) or leave it at lower power, with the latter being the default. The shield will lose defensive strength uniformly.
Shield of Qi: Like the Armor of Qi, but focused to a single part of his body. Tatek will usually make this steel-strength, which lowers his other qi-based abilities' potential power by around 25-50%, depending on the size of the area protected; a single limb is 25%, and each further limb is 5% more (including the torso and head each as limbs).
Bandage of Qi: Essentially the same as the Shield of Ki, only focused inwards, healing a part of his body. It takes between a few seconds to a few minutes to heal wounds between bruises and deep cuts, depending on the size of the wound, a few hours to repair broken bones, and full day to reattach dismembered limbs. Everything in between is on a fairly linear scale.
River of Qi: Tatek can channel his qi through any object he is touching, giving it all the same benefits he gives himself. Only works on non-living things, and only works while he touches it.
Qi-insomnia: Due to his extraordinarily large Qi reservior, Tatek needs only half as much sleep as would a normal person with the same age and physical fitness as him.
Qi-equilibrium: Really a side effect of having used Armor of Qi so much during his training, Tatek has developed a permanent, yet very weak, layer of qi all over his body. This qi does essentially nothing to protect from enemy attacks, but does protect him from high or low temperatures, letting him feel little temperture change nearly no matter where on the planet he is. Excessively hot or cold temperatures will break this shield though.
Other:
Un-armed combat: Tatek began being taught at a very young age in the practise of an unnamed style of combat focusing on utilizing the versitility of the upper body in executing direct hits, feints and grabs. This style of combat focuses little on offensiveness, and instead works with the foe's momentum to tire them out until they can be subdued. (See footnote section for more information)
Zhonguen: Tatek does not speak English, or any other language essentially identical to English, but instead speaks "Zhonguen", which shares almost all its words and grammar with Chinese. (Note: As a translation convention, Tatek's speech shall always be surrounded by pointy brackets <Like this> instead of quotation marks "Like this", unless it's written exactly how he's saying it: in Zhonguen.)
Strengths: His speed & strength are superior to an average human's, and his immunity to all magic makes him stronger in combat than most magic-users. Tatek's combat style of evading and reciprocating enemy attacks means that he is at an advantage over many melee fighters too.
Weakness: He's blind, so moving around is a bit of a problem. Although his ability to sense magic & qi means he can "see" living things easily, inanimate objects are invisible to him unless they are magical in nature. In order to not look disabled to others, he forgoes the use of a walking stick or other guiding tool, and so can be clumsy if the ground is not flat or if there are many walls. Tatek is at a serious disadvantage when fighting foes who use weapons, especially large weapons, as he cannot see the weapons themselves, only anticipate where they are based on his foes' qi, and unless magical in nature, he cannot sense incoming attacks from ranged weapons by anything except sound.
Appearance: If you looked at him, you'd likely call him Asian, and if you were particularly skilled, you'd be able to tell that most of his lineage came from what amassed to the south-east Asia region equivalent on his world... but beyond that, Tatek is a bit of a pot luck.
He wears a large hood whenever he can to hide the fact that he has no eyes (which is made even creepier by the fact that he still has eyebrows). While travelling, he likes to wear an oriental-style silk robe which is white with an ornate red patterned lining. He also wears loose, open-ankled, pants of a similar design.
Personality: Tatek is the kind of person who will not get into a fight unless he wants to, and practically the only reason he'd want to would be if his foe is either magical or threatening his life, in which case he will remain calm even during the fight. Note that just because he is calm, it does not mean that he is kind. The only time his calmness would normally deviate would be if he was fighting something he really wanted gone, and in which case his mood can range anywhere from normal calm right up to a fanatical frenzy. (Only entering a frenzy against the strongest of opponents.) Tatek will back down from a fight if he knows he cannot win, but he tends to have a high opinion of his abilities, and so this doesn't happen as often as it should.
Biography: It was a warm summer night. The nomadic people known to some as the Chidun, or "Shield's breath", made camp for the night, halfway between the cities of Shou-du and Chengshi, a six-year-old Tatek asked of their travel-hardened leader, "Why do we fight the wūpo?"
"Ah... this is a long story. Bring here whichever other children want to hear, and I shall tell you all together." After a few minutes of convincing parents that they did not need the help of their sons and daughters, the nomads' leader Lingdao Ren began.
"Well you see children, long ago, before even my great-grandparents were born, our people lived in a small village near the base of Xueshan. Life was peaceful, and everybody helped where they were needed."
"One day, mere weeks after the flowers bloomed and it started to get warm again, a man came from the west, exhausted from traversing the mountain. Then, as we always had, we gave this man shelter, food and a promise of safe passage down to Gangkou when he was ready."
"Little did we know though, this man was a Class-A magician - a wūpo held with extremely high regard among their community - and he was not happy that we tried to help him. In hindsight, we think he deemed recieving help from us as an insult."
"We lasted three whole days and nights in the nearby caves as he took our town to rubble. It was just as he found us that the qilaoshi came. The fight was close, but our people could tell that we would not be saved if they stayed still and did nothing. It was from this realisation that they came up with a plan."
"The first step of the plan was to get the qilaoshi to keep the wūpo away for long enough for the rest of the plan to work. The second step was to get the qilaoshi to make us able to help him. Of the various options, only one was effective enough and quick enough to actually work - we would trade our magical potential for immunity to magic."
A girl a few years older than Tatek butted in to the leader's story, "ah, so that's why magic doesn't work on us."
"Yes Ke'ai, that's right. Now, where was I? Ah yes, the immunity." the leader shifted his sitting position when he began to speak again. "After the wūpo was defeated, many people asked if the immunity to magic could be removed, believing that they could better protect the village if they had magic. The qilaoshi was doubtful, but he agreed to try after he was feeling better - the fight took a lot out of him. When the reversal spell was cast, it didn't seem to work, but as payment for our people's hospitality, he decided to accompany us, and teach us of a power we
could use - qi. And so our people learnt.
When our ancestors chose to trade away their magic potential, on top of not realising that it could not be reversed, they were not aware that the children they were yet to have would also be affected, but they were lucky for one point: The children of two immune people would invariably become a qi prodigy. While many members of our wandering village have over the years partnered with people who were not born into the village, some have had children together with others here. Although these children may be blind like Tatek here, it is well known that they can see all the people around them." Lingdao Ren turned to face Tatek, "You dear boy, and the six other qixueye here, can see magic and qi. You also likely have a far higher potential for using your qi than almost anyone else."
"Anyway. It has been our mission since we were first given our immunity to eliminate or depower any and all of the wūpo we find, and to put your life on the line to do so. As you are all children, you are either in the middle of, or are soon going to start your qi training; once you have completed it, you and a number of others who completed it at the same time will go on a pilgramage to our old home by Xueshan."
When Tatek looked around as he noticed the leader had finished his story, he saw that most of the other children had fallen asleep, and were being carried to their huts by their parents, and the ones who weren't asleep looked like they soon would be. It was likely nearing midnight, he thought. "You'd better get to bed now too; your qi won't keep you awake forever," Lingdao Ren told him, "goodnight."
---
"I now declare your training officially over. We shall be waiting at Gangkou for your return," Lingdao Ren told the five teens gathered before him, "good luck." With that, the band of teens gathered their belongings and set out to their ancestral home.
Chao Lan, the eldest (at 18), was the self-declared leader of the group. She was a bit bossy when things needed to be done, but the others all knew that she was never afraid to show her lighter side. Weilding a pair of iron dao, she was the most proficient at offensive useage of qi.
Xu Xiang, one of a set of twins aged 16, was the antithesis of Chao Lan's business-first attitude; she always kept that a job done well is a job done slowly. A master of the qiang and the Magic Banishment ability.
Xu Roen, the younger twin, was always the brains behind his and Xiang's antics when they were little children. He would've finished his training when he was 11, but he wanted his sister to catch up. He spent the five years between his and his sister's end of trainings to learn the best ways to incorporate a gun into his qi useage. The gun he used when he was younger was wooden, but as he grew stronger he moved on to heavier, harder-hitting materials, finally settling on steel - A rare and powerful metal, considering that the gun is a blunt weapon.
Ke'ai Fu, mere days younger than Chao, was never really focused on her studies. A less-than-satisfactory effort put into her qi training meant that the only reason she was granted pilgrimage to Xueshan was so that she did not complain when her closest friends left. Ke'ai haphazardly weilds a steel jian into battle, and in the process neglects to actively use any of her qi abilities at all.
And Tatek, the only one without a family name, which is due to his mother not having one. Tatek began the trek to Xueshan as a 15 year old, but had his birthday before they reached their goal. Weilds no weapon, but is fairly good with most useages of qi, and acts as the team's radar due to his unique form of vision.
It was early afternoon of the fifth day when the group reached the twisted snowed-over wreckage of their ancestors' village. Having been told beforehand that they must stay there for three nights just as their ancestors did, Lan organised everyone into setting up their pinnacle camp.
The first day passed without a problem. Berry bushes were rich at this time of year, and fish, however small, loved the fresh running water in the nearby stream. It was the second day when the problem came. "Problem" being an understatement.
"Fu! What have you done now?" Lan berated the other.
"I don't know Lan; I just went to look up this little path... I think I tripped over a rock, and then heard that huge noise..." Fu didn't really seem to notice that Lan was angry. "And now I'm stuck under this avalanche."
"Ugh. I'll go get Roen; He'll know what to do."
After a few minutes, when Roen and Xiang had arrived, Fu had begun to complain louder, although she stopped when she heard Roen's voice.
"Now Fu, I need you to make a Shield of Qi around each of your hands - that should give you enough strength to dig your way out."
"But it's too cold! I can't concentrate my qi at all!" Fu complained.
"Well, if you want to freeze to death, you stay there and die," Lan brutally responded.
Ignoring her plees, they left Fu one-by-one, with Xiang staying the longest. Just as she too started to leave, a man suddenly appeared in front of her. "Now just what are you doing on this fine afternoon young lady?" He said.
"Why does it matter?" She answered, "and who are you anyway? This place isn't even on any maps, and hasn't been for more than 100 years."
"100 years, eh? The Dome has a lot to answer for then; it keeps sending..." The man trailed off mid-sentence. "Regardless, where are my manners? Pelarn Veyer, mage of the balance elements Light and Dark, at your service."
Upon hearing the word "mage", Xiang's demeanor shifted to the right a notch, making her choose to whistle out to the rest of the people in her group. "Mage? Then you won't leave here alive."
"...You picked the wrong man to pick a fight with. I've destroyed this place before, and dammit, I can do it again." The mage pulled a small orb out of his pocket and formed a wall of darkness between himself and the people coming up behind him. "I can see you have no magic, so this will be a piece of cake."
After blasting Xiang with a bolt of Light, he was surprised to see that she had not moved. "You... How?"
"Why should we tell you?" Tatek called out from behind the mage.
"Oh great, and now you completely ignore my wall of darkness. Four against one isn't in my odds if my magic won't work against you, so I'm outta here." Pelarn quickly looked around for an escape route and decided that up the mountain would be the best option. After creating a giant flash of Light magic, he ran up the mountain.
"Get him!" Lan commanded.
"But what about Fu?" Xiang asked.
"Ugh... Roen, can you get her out quickly while the rest of us chase the mage?" Chao groaned.
"I can do that. Don't have all the fun though." he answered.
"He's pretty quick; if we don't leave now, he's going to get away," Tatek said as he looked up the mountain. "I'll lead the way."
And they ran.
---
It had been almost ten years since she last saw her friends. Xiang may have been the only one to catch up to the mage that fateful day, but she was no match for him in a one-on-one fight. Bringing out her diary, she began to write.
At least I know that the others are okay. Lan was taken as a wife by the Emperor of Zhongguo merely two years after the incident. It meant no one was allowed to see her unless they were of the imperial family, but she's always been at home in politics, so she's fine. She'll probably be Empress soon too, considering the Emperor's health.
When I went back down to Gangkou after the encounter with Pelarn Veyer, I had heard from multiple sources of people matching the descriptions of Roen and Fu had joined back up with Chidun on their way leaving the city.
And of course, Tatek is hard to miss. Like me, he's been travelling rather randomly around the world, but I know it's him because he's the only person who could fit the description of "has no eyes". I hope I catch up to him soon.
---
Bio Glossary: It's mostly based closely on Chinese words, so I shall just give translations direct to english from their chinese origins. Note that I used each of these with artistic licence, so there's nothing really
wrong with, for example, calling a large city "Chengshi".
Chidun - Qi Shield/Qi Armor. "Shield's breath" is also correct.
Shou-du - Capital (city)
Chengshi - "Large city"
wūpo - witches
Lingdao Ren - "One who leads"
Xueshan - snow (Xue) mountain (Shan)
Gangkou - harbor/port
qilaoshi - Qi teacher
Ke'ai Fu - cute (Ke'ai) shallow (Fu)
qixueye - qi blood
Dao - Sabre
Qiang - spear
Gun - staff
Jian - (double-edged) sword
Note that as in Chinese style, a person's first name here is their family name, while their given name is their second name. Also note that it is the mother's family name, not the father's, which gets passed down to descendants.
Tatek's unarmed combat style has many similarities to Bāguā zhăng, the Chinese martial art on which airbending (from Avatar: The Last Airbender) and the fighting style of the Hyuuga family (from Naruto) were based, except that Tatek's style also incorporates grabs and holds if dodging and direct attacks don't work. So if you can't picture properly what I write, then just think of one of these other fighting styles.
11-20-2008, 08:06 PM
