Zou
Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 5:08 am
Player Name:
Zou
Name:
Zou
Age:
32
Race:
A Shifter of the rare Human/Markhor variety. (A Markhor is a species of goat/antelope found in the Himalayas, or in the world of Thar Shaddin, the mountains westward and across the lake from Odeijani. Its most distinctive feature is its long, corkscrew horns.)
Height:
(variable) an even six feet in human form, about nine feet when horned, and five feet (on four legs) when in full Markhor form.
Weight:
70 kg (human) to 90kg (Markhor)
Physical Description:
The first thing one notices about Zou, whatever form he is in, is his nose. It is skinless, a grotesque, jagged bone. In human form, his skin is tanned leather, brazen and rough, his eyes a scarred violet, and he sports a wispy white mane, both mildly winsome and thoroughly untamed, that, were it not for the intelligence in his eyes, would surely mark him as an utter madman in the minds of most. His frame is tall and lanky, boasting little muscular bulk. He has a friendly gait, and an easy way about him that belies his calculating mind.
In full Markhor form, he looks rather like an ordinary Markhor, if a little large. Only his ability to speak would defy this visual impression, for he manages to effect this change so completely that even his eyes appear savage and dumb, boasting the black pit and reflective, hourglass centre common to the Markhor.
His ideal form is predominantly human, but with the Markhor's brutish and beautiful horns, and strong, agile hind legs.
Possessions:
Zou carries nothing with him, and wears only a loose black garment that, though clothing him decently enough for most public affairs, does not hinder him from slipping into any degree of his Markhor form.
In his one-room home in the residential district of Marn, he keeps a tidy arrangement of literature, mostly to do with healthy eating, and various academic or philosophical pursuits, particularly those concerning the spirituality of water. Also in his room he keeps a strange, many-stringed instrument of unknown origin. Its sound has a gorgeous, soul-quavering timbre, and he plays it with a moving, expert touch.
Powers or Strengths:
Zou has a deep affinity with the cycle of the rains. His abilities to that effect reside dormant in his human mind, until his horns come out. His horns act as channelling spires, allowing him an impressive degree of telekinetic control over the rain/precipitation processes of nature. This influence can reach for up to two miles if Zou is at his mental peak (though it dissipates steadily from his bodily core and out towards the edge of this radius). This allows him to draw nearby rain clouds, aid in the precipitation of rain clouds from bodies of water, and, through great and prolonged effort, even shift bodies of water that fall within his sphere of influence. It should be noted that this power is not elemental: it is bound strictly to the guiding spirits of the rain cycle, and it does not extend to the water itself as a physical or magical entity.
Zou’s Shifter blood has also lent him some small natural ken for “side-stepping”, but he has found little use for it, considering its possibilities at his level of astral navigation only to be dangerously introspective, (though rather enjoyable). His sidestepping efforts thus far have proven mostly to be rather in contrast to his earthly desires, and have not aided him in endeavours magical or menial.
Zou's hearing is sharp, and he has brought his ability to gauge a sound's proximity to near perfection. He also boasts perfect pitch.
Zou is a very intelligent, philosophical man, whose seemingly infinite patience, skill with words and languages, inherent politeness, and charming (though often sharp) wit are a delight to his friends and acquaintances. He likes to theorize at length on matters astral and material, and finds few joys greater than an earnest intellectual discussion.
Weaknesses:
Zou is limited in his magical powers by the very strength of his spiritual bond to the rain cycle. He cannot simply drown large areas of land in torrents of forced rain, or deny a sea its intake of water for some petty reason that has nothing to do with the spirits of rain. His affinity carries with it great responsibility, the continued contempt of which would literally destroy Zou’s very soul.
Zou has no sense of smell whatsoever.
Finally, Zou was born a eunuch. While adding to his philosophical, gentle side, it makes him very weak in some ways. He has never been good at physically strenuous activities such as running or fighting, though he can climb rather well when he reverts to his animal form.
History:
Zou was born into Pal Tahrenor deep in the mountains , the sixteenth in a long line of Zou's. His father, according to an ancient custom long since forgotten outside of their mountain dwelling, committed ritual suicide upon the moment of his birth, impaling himself upon little Zou's horns as the child exited the birth canal. In this way would the father return himself to the birthing cycle and enter his own child. Thus was Zou carrying fifteen cycles of Zou within himself, within his soul.
Soon after birth, little Zou displayed his obvious love for three things: water, music, and philosophy. Unfortunately, in his mother's opinion, this was not enough. Even late into adulthood, his love for the opposite gender was sorely lacking. With no ability to breed, he was considered by his clan to be useless, and his mother, unloving and practical woman that she was, kept him only as long as she considered it necessary under the conventions of a family-oriented society.
He suffered a rather lonely childhood, and was the victim of many beatings, the most severe of which left him with nothing but bone for a nose. The carving away of flesh from the face is one of the most demeaning acts a Markhor shifter can commit upon a fellow clansman, and he suffered it alone, with no wish or will to retaliate. His natural ability to regenerate could not keep up with the repeated removal of flesh by his tormentors, and he was eventually left with nothing but stark, dry and lifeless bone for a nose.
At age sixteen, with a storehouse of knowledge in his mind, and on his back in the form of books, and a thirst for adventure, young Zou set out for the world beyond his birthplace. Years of wandering led him to many wondrous places, and served only to increase his thirst for knowledge.
Finally, he found a life in Marn as a mentor. At first, he had not planned to remain in the city, considering it sheltered and closed-minded in the most appalling way. Soon, however, a reason to leave became a reason to stay. He reckoned that here in Marn, more than anywhere else, young minds were in need of his services, and he began to develop a careful social network, teaching true world history, music, philosophy, and even magical theory to the children of willing and discreet parents. Careful to keep his magical craft a matter of secrecy, he has imparted its existence only to a select few, and otherwise keeps his social encounters to a minimum.
Zou
Name:
Zou
Age:
32
Race:
A Shifter of the rare Human/Markhor variety. (A Markhor is a species of goat/antelope found in the Himalayas, or in the world of Thar Shaddin, the mountains westward and across the lake from Odeijani. Its most distinctive feature is its long, corkscrew horns.)
Height:
(variable) an even six feet in human form, about nine feet when horned, and five feet (on four legs) when in full Markhor form.
Weight:
70 kg (human) to 90kg (Markhor)
Physical Description:
The first thing one notices about Zou, whatever form he is in, is his nose. It is skinless, a grotesque, jagged bone. In human form, his skin is tanned leather, brazen and rough, his eyes a scarred violet, and he sports a wispy white mane, both mildly winsome and thoroughly untamed, that, were it not for the intelligence in his eyes, would surely mark him as an utter madman in the minds of most. His frame is tall and lanky, boasting little muscular bulk. He has a friendly gait, and an easy way about him that belies his calculating mind.
In full Markhor form, he looks rather like an ordinary Markhor, if a little large. Only his ability to speak would defy this visual impression, for he manages to effect this change so completely that even his eyes appear savage and dumb, boasting the black pit and reflective, hourglass centre common to the Markhor.
His ideal form is predominantly human, but with the Markhor's brutish and beautiful horns, and strong, agile hind legs.
Possessions:
Zou carries nothing with him, and wears only a loose black garment that, though clothing him decently enough for most public affairs, does not hinder him from slipping into any degree of his Markhor form.
In his one-room home in the residential district of Marn, he keeps a tidy arrangement of literature, mostly to do with healthy eating, and various academic or philosophical pursuits, particularly those concerning the spirituality of water. Also in his room he keeps a strange, many-stringed instrument of unknown origin. Its sound has a gorgeous, soul-quavering timbre, and he plays it with a moving, expert touch.
Powers or Strengths:
Zou has a deep affinity with the cycle of the rains. His abilities to that effect reside dormant in his human mind, until his horns come out. His horns act as channelling spires, allowing him an impressive degree of telekinetic control over the rain/precipitation processes of nature. This influence can reach for up to two miles if Zou is at his mental peak (though it dissipates steadily from his bodily core and out towards the edge of this radius). This allows him to draw nearby rain clouds, aid in the precipitation of rain clouds from bodies of water, and, through great and prolonged effort, even shift bodies of water that fall within his sphere of influence. It should be noted that this power is not elemental: it is bound strictly to the guiding spirits of the rain cycle, and it does not extend to the water itself as a physical or magical entity.
Zou’s Shifter blood has also lent him some small natural ken for “side-stepping”, but he has found little use for it, considering its possibilities at his level of astral navigation only to be dangerously introspective, (though rather enjoyable). His sidestepping efforts thus far have proven mostly to be rather in contrast to his earthly desires, and have not aided him in endeavours magical or menial.
Zou's hearing is sharp, and he has brought his ability to gauge a sound's proximity to near perfection. He also boasts perfect pitch.
Zou is a very intelligent, philosophical man, whose seemingly infinite patience, skill with words and languages, inherent politeness, and charming (though often sharp) wit are a delight to his friends and acquaintances. He likes to theorize at length on matters astral and material, and finds few joys greater than an earnest intellectual discussion.
Weaknesses:
Zou is limited in his magical powers by the very strength of his spiritual bond to the rain cycle. He cannot simply drown large areas of land in torrents of forced rain, or deny a sea its intake of water for some petty reason that has nothing to do with the spirits of rain. His affinity carries with it great responsibility, the continued contempt of which would literally destroy Zou’s very soul.
Zou has no sense of smell whatsoever.
Finally, Zou was born a eunuch. While adding to his philosophical, gentle side, it makes him very weak in some ways. He has never been good at physically strenuous activities such as running or fighting, though he can climb rather well when he reverts to his animal form.
History:
Zou was born into Pal Tahrenor deep in the mountains , the sixteenth in a long line of Zou's. His father, according to an ancient custom long since forgotten outside of their mountain dwelling, committed ritual suicide upon the moment of his birth, impaling himself upon little Zou's horns as the child exited the birth canal. In this way would the father return himself to the birthing cycle and enter his own child. Thus was Zou carrying fifteen cycles of Zou within himself, within his soul.
Soon after birth, little Zou displayed his obvious love for three things: water, music, and philosophy. Unfortunately, in his mother's opinion, this was not enough. Even late into adulthood, his love for the opposite gender was sorely lacking. With no ability to breed, he was considered by his clan to be useless, and his mother, unloving and practical woman that she was, kept him only as long as she considered it necessary under the conventions of a family-oriented society.
He suffered a rather lonely childhood, and was the victim of many beatings, the most severe of which left him with nothing but bone for a nose. The carving away of flesh from the face is one of the most demeaning acts a Markhor shifter can commit upon a fellow clansman, and he suffered it alone, with no wish or will to retaliate. His natural ability to regenerate could not keep up with the repeated removal of flesh by his tormentors, and he was eventually left with nothing but stark, dry and lifeless bone for a nose.
At age sixteen, with a storehouse of knowledge in his mind, and on his back in the form of books, and a thirst for adventure, young Zou set out for the world beyond his birthplace. Years of wandering led him to many wondrous places, and served only to increase his thirst for knowledge.
Finally, he found a life in Marn as a mentor. At first, he had not planned to remain in the city, considering it sheltered and closed-minded in the most appalling way. Soon, however, a reason to leave became a reason to stay. He reckoned that here in Marn, more than anywhere else, young minds were in need of his services, and he began to develop a careful social network, teaching true world history, music, philosophy, and even magical theory to the children of willing and discreet parents. Careful to keep his magical craft a matter of secrecy, he has imparted its existence only to a select few, and otherwise keeps his social encounters to a minimum.