Jian Bai

Real Name: Jian Bai

Alias: Wudang Warrior

Title: The Serene Soldier

Identity: Secret

Age: 19

Species: Neohuman


Physical Appearance:

At 5’ 7” and 10 stone 6, Jian is of average height for a Chinese male and maintains a healthy weight with almost zero body fat. Lithe, lean and toned, his body is a result of years of training and self-discipline.

Jian has stark black hair and dark brown eyes that bear a calm serenity regardless of stress or celebration. His sharp Asian features denote his Chinese heritage and often maintain a warm, friendly demeanour when at rest. During fights however, his usually tranquil eyes contain a quiet intensity that conveys his unwavering determination.

Across Jian’s chest is a magical tattoo depicting a totem made of jade engraved with markings of hundreds of tiny animals. Surrounding the totem is Chinese oil-painting style smoke and behind the image is a long straight Chinese sword, his namesake the Jian. Within this tattoo dwells one half of the Wudang Totem, a magical relic his order has been sworn to protect for thousands of years. (See ‘Powers’ and ‘History’)

Jian wears a set of magically-imbued clothing from the monastery (See ‘Equipment’) that is composed of a form-fitting black top that leaves his arms exposed for ease of movement, embossed with a golden dragon. His legwear is loose but not baggy as to not restrict the movement of his legs and he often wears a pair of bracers if he expects a fight that have been reinforced to deflect strikes from bladed weapons.

Jian moves with graceful, effortless movements that make his body seem as though it was made of water. It’s clear to anyone with any knowledge that he is trained to fight and has worked on his flexibility, but juxtaposed to this is a strange lack of hardness or killer intent that usually comes with it. He keeps a non-threatening demeanour at all times, which would itself be unnerving to those who notice his training.


Personality:

Harmony, tranquillity, balance in all things. Those are the teachings of the Wudang. Those are the mantras Jian has been taught to follow since the day he was born into the order and thus, is at the very core of his personality.

To say that Jian is unfeeling would be a misnomer. He feels and accepts all emotions, positive and negative, the difference being that acting upon them is never his first port of call. He accepts that there will be pain and suffering in his life and that the next day that comes may be filled with joy and elation. Jian aims to always act in balance, to maintain a middle point that leans toward the common good, whatever that may be. Through meditation and centering of his spirit he has achieved a zen-like focus that allows him to filter out the good and bad for this purpose, at all times maintain a calm outward demeanour.

Honesty is one of the core principles of Jian’s nature. He sees lies and obfuscation as toxic to the mind and soul and as such follows the path of truth at all times, even if the truth is not what someone wants to hear. If a question is asked that could jeopardise someone’s life or wellbeing, instead of lying he will simply say nothing. Interrogation or torture be damned.

Having been raised in a monastery where all members are seen as spiritual family and they all follow the same mantras of life, there are some aspects of social education that have eluded him. One of these is personal space, as none who lived among the Wudang particularly cared to keep themselves at a distance. Jian is prone to touching people without notice for a variety of reasons, to inspect a wound, to elicit eye contact, to show solidarity or be comforting, but doesn’t realise that this might be the last thing that someone wants.

Jian’s philosophy of life fits somewhat closely to the teachings of the Open palm. Jian believes that it is the duty of the strong to nurture and protect the weak so that balance may be preserved between all things. However, this does not mean that he is entirely selfless. If a person refuses to help themselves, or expects everything to be handed to them on a silver platter without applying the proper effort then Jian will leave them by the wayside, refusing to reward selfishness and greed.

While Jian will usually try to solve problems in a peaceful manner, he understands that sometimes the root of a rotten tree must be pulled for other plants to grow. As such Jian has been known to act without mercy if one proves themselves to be too far gone to fit in the balance of the world. A source of chaos will be removed to maintain the order. Jian is willing and able to kill for this purpose.

Ignorance is something Jian takes in stride, understanding that there is much he doesn’t know about the world. He is willing to confront his own ignorance without embarrassment and ask for help if he needs it and so too understands that there is much others don’t know that he does. As such, he is always willing to provide wisdom where he can regardless of who is asking him, a further development of his belief in the truth.

Jian’s accepting nature and muted smile can seem a little unnerving to some people and often he can be mistaken for sounding condescending, an unfortunate downside of living in a world without scepticism. Those who get to know him however know that this is merely a misinterpretation of his tone and that he does truly mean to be a kind, helpful person.


Powers:

As the latest guardian of the Wudang Totem, Jian draws the following powers from this ancient relic.

Aspect Transformation:

The primary power of the Totem, Jian can call upon its power to transform his body into a hybrid of human and animal in order to combine the powers of both into a different superior being. Since the Totem was shattered much of its power has been lost, but as the Wudang Warrior Jian still has access to the following forms.

• Form of the Cat: Allows Jian to grow claws and harness the impeccable balance and speed of a feline.

• Form of the Dog: Allows Jian to make use of the heightened senses and powerful jaws of a canine.

• Form of the Monkey: Allows Jian to grow a prehensile tail, transform his feet into hands and experience heightened agility.

• Form of the Ox: Allows Jian to grow horns and benefit from increased strength

• Form of the Bird: Allows Jian to replace his arms with wings, allowing him to glide great distances. Unfortunately, due to his form still being that of a humanoid, his shape and size preclude him from properly flying. This form also boasts improved eyesight.

• Form of the Snake: Allows Jian to exhibit the flexibility of a snake, becoming an unparalleled contortionist that can collapse his bones to fit through spaces the size of his head. The scaled skin is also resistant to cuts and abrasions.

• Form of the Fish: Allows Jian to grow gills and fins, allowing him to breathe underwater and become an expert swimmer.

Nature’s Tongue:

The magic of the totem allows Jian to commune with animals with minimal effort. This also lets Jian talk to other humans speaking different languages, but doesn’t help him with written word, leaving him with some difficulty if he has no guide with which to speak in a foreign land.

It should be noted that the magic of the totem translates what Jian says and hears into the native tongue. If speaking to a Russian, it will seem as though he is speaking Russian to them and they to him like they’re speaking ancient Chinese, even though it is actually the opposite. This makes it incredibly difficult for people to lip read Jian and to those with this talent he’ll seem like an actor in a badly dubbed Kung Fu movie. This power does not apply to his thoughts, which will always be in an ancient dialect of Chinese unless he properly learns and applies effort to think in another language.

Magic Resistance:

As a host for the Wudang Totem, its magical properties interferes with magic used on him, both harmful and beneficial. These effects are minor for the most part, except that it provides a total immunity to magic that would attempt to change Jian’s shape, as that is where the Totem’s power is strongest.


Abilities:

Peak Physical Conditioning: Trained from infancy, Jian maintains a strict regimen to ensure that his body has reached the very peak that the human form can offer. At this point, Jian is only limited by his age and will only grow stronger with time.

Martial Arts Master: Three millennia of martial arts mastery have been boiled down into several fighting styles that have been taught to Jian since birth. These are ancient Chinese forms that mostly resemble the animal ‘Kung Fu’ styles as acclaimed in movies, but with a more practical edge.

Weapons Training: Jian is trained to use many forms of old world weaponry, including but not limited to; Staves, Nunchaku, Tonfa, Swords and Polearms.

Arcane Knowledge: The Wudang order has taught Jian to recognise magic in all its forms, though he is by no means a wizard himself. Through use of this knowledge and his magical affinity with the Wudang totem, he has a limited magical sense.

Stealth Training: As part of his training to be prepared for any situation, Jian has undergone extensive training in the way of the predator. This extends to knowledge of camouflage and how to move silently, but is more suited to rural environments than urban ones.

Meditation Master: Jian has achieved a sense of inner peace through meditation and mantras. This ability to quiet his mind assists him greatly by allowing him to control the tempest of his emotions, as well as providing a resistance to psychic and torture methods.

Indomitable Will: Through training bordering on brainwashing, meditation and a strong sense of self and duty, Jian has developed an insurmountable will in the face of most adversities.

Acrobatics: Though often assisted by the powers of the totem, even without it Jian is a capable acrobat worthy of Olympic competition.

Animal Empathy: Even before becoming the Wudang Warrior, Jian has shown a high affinity for animals. Since obtaining the totem, he has turned this affinity into an effective means of obtaining information and completing tasks.

Chinese Medicine: Jian has been taught the ancient ways of traditional Chinese medicine including herbal remedies and acupuncture. These methods are particularly useful at alleviating stress and centering the mind and body.

Pressure-Point Precision: A combination of his martial arts and knowledge of acupuncture, Jian has a keen sense of where a body can and cannot take damage. This can lead to interesting outcomes to his strikes in combat such as involuntary muscle tension, muscle weakness, throat collapse or even nausea if hit in the right spots.


Weapons/Equipment:

Shifting Raiments: Made by the Monks with enchanted Ramie fibre, the clothing Jian wears is durable, weather resistant and easy to clean. Moreover, the clothing changes its shape when the power of the Wudang totem is invoked, preventing it from tearing when his body changes to assume a form.

Shifting Weapon: Made of enchanted wood and steel, the Wudang Warrior carries a weapon that can alter its form the way its wielder changes their body, assuming whatever shape it needs to to effectively serve its master. Primarily this takes the form of a quarterstaff (Jian’s weapon of choice), but can be anything without moving parts (e.g. not a firearm, crossbow, etc.).

As it is linked to the totem it will not bend its shape in the hands of anyone else, and can be called to him in the form of green smoke when nearby.


History:

In ancient times in the heart of China, man discovered a beating heart of the world. A vein of magic that ran through the ground spoke in whispers on the wind that brought all that heard it together in harmony.

And then the darkness came.

The magic called to dark forces like a beacon and those who sought to use its power for evil purposes flocked in droves to destroy the harmony and blight the land with their influence. It was clear that the land needed a protector and so the Wudang were born.

An order of monks dedicated to balance and serenity took it upon themselves to forge a relic to contain the magic so that it could be protected in the form of a totem of pure jade. A Monastery was built on a mountain cloaked with magic, secluded from the world and for thousands of years the Wudang order kept the totem safe.

Tradition and training in the martial and magical arts have been handed down for generation to generation with the title of Wudang Warrior handed down to those who show true talent and dedication to the cause. The title is one held for life and those who grow too old to fight select their successor and take the mantle of advisor to help the next generation control their power, a cycle of master and apprentice to last throughout the ages.

For the last 500 years the Bai family have held the title proudly, representing the pinnacle of the order’s strength both in body and mind, so when twin boys where born it was debated who would prove themselves worthy of the position.

Jian and Dao were trained rigorously from an early age and shown no quarter, arguably even more so than all that had come before. They had a rivalry and the greatest training partner ever in each other. They were dubbed the Dragon and the Tiger after ancient mythos and the only way they differed was in the philosophy of their arts.

Jian believed in the path of the open palm, that it was the responsibility of the strong to protect and nurture the weak. Dao believed in the closed fist, that those who did not endeavour to be strong themselves deserved nothing. So close were the twins in ability that this was the only element that could be used to separate them, so when the decision of who the next warrior would be came to be made, this is what it was decided on.

In an unprecedented decision, it was decided that the two would hold the title together, but as only one could carry the totem, they would share the burden depending on what the world needed from its guardian. Whether it needed the palm or the fist.

All was set to be a golden age for the monastery and the order, but fate had other plans.

As the world became aware of those with powers in the world, so too did those without it covet it even more. Assailants arrived at the monastery the likes of which the order had never seen, not those who fought with magic as they were accustomed but with fire and steel. Ultimately, their ancient ways and seclusion had become the very thing that proved their downfall. In the face of modern technology their resistance proved insufficient.

Before the totem could be passed on to its next protector, the monastery was raided and burned to the ground. The fight was fierce, with many on both sides meeting a bloody end. When all was done there were only three survivors. Jian, Dao and their grandfather.

But worst of all, during the fight the totem which contained great power had been shattered. They had failed in their mission to keep the magic safe. The mantle of Wudang Warrior had come to an end. Or so Jian thought.

Jian’s Grandfather, the Wudang advisor, used what magic he had left to re-forge the totem as best he could, resulting in two halves with lesser power. He bequeathed each half to a different twin and opened portals to either end of the world to seek old allies and new in order to keep what remained of the magic safe.

For the first time in thousands of years, the Wudang walk the world once more. And have found that it has changed.


Weaknesses:

Only Human: Despite his magical heritage and the power of the totem housed within him, Jian is ultimately human and can suffer from all the normal illnesses and wounds that are fatal to humans.

Technologically Impaired: Being raised in a monastery with the sole purpose of defending the Totem, Jian’s knowledge lies with the arcane and fighting arts leaving a gaping hole where knowledge of modern technology should be.

Old School Mentality: Part of an ancient and secluded order of monks, Jian has no experience with modern life. This leaves him vulnerable to those who can exploit the intricacies of civilisation to get the upper hand on him.

Duty Bound: Jian exhibits unwavering loyalty to his cause, placing the safety of his charge above his own well-being. This fact can be exploited in order to force his hand should he feel he must to continue his mission.

Stunted Education: Due to the focus on martial arts and the arcane, Jian does not possess what most would consider a proper education. His knowledge of science and modern history are particularly bad subjects, as are written languages.

Oath of honesty: Jian will not lie under any circumstances, choosing instead to remain silent if the truth would knowingly bring harm to others. This means that there is possibility that his truthful nature could be exploited with the proper application of deception.

Socially Uneducated: Due to how he was raised, Jian is ignorant of many social cues developed in the modern world. Manipulation is not his strong suit and he doesn’t realise that much of the world would prefer to keep others at arm’s length. This can lead to some awkward exchanges or at its worst, a complete misunderstanding of his relationships with others if not explicitly told.

Fear– Guns: Due to the role that firearms played in the destruction of the totem and the massacre of the Wudang order, Jian is very wary of guns of all kinds. As they are the accumulation of modern fighting technology, they represent change to him; encouraging him to avoid them as much as possible.

Fear – Future: Ultimately Jian fears one thing above all else; he fears that he will be unable to adapt to the threats of the modern world. As the first Wudang Warrior to leave the monastery, he feels exceptional pressure to learn the new ways, lest his order end with him.


Other Information:

Due to the monastery’s teachings concerning balance of emotion, Jian has not been in a position to have ever experienced the emotion of love. Much of his understanding of relationships comes from a place of procreation for the purpose of continuing family lines, believing that too strong an attachment to someone can be a source of weakness that the order could not afford. As such, Jian is somewhat oblivious to what attraction and affection really mean and is likely to miss these social cues.

The Wudang Order is its own kind of religion centred on focus, spirituality, harmony and balance. While it is similar to other Asian religions, it is not strictly the same as Buddhism, Taoism and the like.






OOC Information

OOC Name: Gel / Geluvir

Character color: Firebrick

Face Claim: Shang-Chi from marvel series