Characters Mutants & Masterminds: Struggles of Iannin - Tora Zheng

[z-Tora Zheng]

Name: Tora Zheng

Personal Information:

Real Name: Tora Zheng

Nicknames: Tora, Torie, Fire-tongue, Smiles

Occupation: Traveling entertainer

Country of Origin: Muthay (in theory)

Marital Status: Unbound

Known Relatives: Alango (father), Alyisha (mother, deceased), Dougal (brother), Hykiefo (brother), Rocout (brother), Mikel (brother) and many more.

Allegiance(s): Zheng’s Caravan Company, Arak

Physical Traits:

Weight: 133lb

Height: 5’6”

Apparent age: late teens, early twenties

Gender: Female

Ethnic Background: Muthay (uncertain)

Eye Color: Gold

Hair Color: Brown

Handedness: Right

Actual Age: 19

Appearance: Not all Muthay are inthayim, and this tale-teller is one of those. She appears to be human, though someone skilled with thayim anatomy would notice some of her musculature is not ‘normal’. Tora is slight for her height, possessing no real mass. Her muscles are long and supple, revealing more nimbleness than brute strength. Her hair is a dark brown, always long and usually partially tied back from her face in a complex style. She wears clothing that is comfortable and easy to move in, allowing her freedom of motion.

Powers, Skills, and Personality:

Known Powers: Tora is fast on her feet and can jump farther than most, traits common to her father’s side of the family. From her mother’s side, she gets golden eyes and the ability to project a blast of fire of her mouth. Sadly, she didn’t inherit all of the internal armor that protects fire-breathers, so this talent is one rarely seen.

Abilities/Special Skills: Tora is skilled at music, storytelling and dancing. She’s not ready for a palace debut, but she is accomplished. She’s also picked up bits of lore from learning the old epics and comes up with odd facts at interesting times.

Personality: She was born smiling, or so Tora was told by her family. She is a cheerful girl, not at all shy or reserved. She likes to laugh and enjoys being the center of attention. Singing and dancing is as natural to her as walking, as she has been using those tools to get attention in her large family. Her emotions can swing the other way, but it tends to be a short burst of tears or outrage that subsides quickly.

Background:

The Zheng Caravan Company is well-known across the continent. They are the largest and farthest-roving such group, transporting goods across dangerous lands. Many are aware of them; traders and merchants in countless towns and cities have been on the receiving end of Alango Zheng’s hard bartering (and his father’s before him). Though he mercilessly seeks a profit, he’s also known to be fair, hard-working and a man of his word.

Few outside the caravan are aware that he’s the head of a massive family, all of whom work and live in the caravan. Many would assume the ‘long road’ is no life for a child, and in a way, they are right. But the Zhengs make it work through perseverance and pure stubbornness. The children grow up in a mobile village, with everyone taking care of them. The members of this family are careful to marry outside of their caravan, bringing in outsiders only after knowing them for long periods of time and determining if they’re a good match for the group mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

In spiritual matters, the Zhengs worship Beltok, but the degree of devotion varies among the family. While all do pay some homage, many in the family follow another god or all of them. Zahan-Thaya is another popular choice. Those who marry into the clan find it easy to continue their own spiritual practices.

What isn’t known outside of the caravan at all is that the lines between family blur occasionally. The Zhengs have distinct partnerships to outside points of view, but when outsiders aren’t looking, co-mingling occurs. Children are born from this mingling but they are all part of the family. No one is forced to co-mingle; the only hard and fast rule among the adults is that if you don’t like it, then at least don’t speak of it to outsiders. There are rumors of such things of course, but the caravan closes up tight when trouble comes around, and ugly words are treated no differently than any other conflict. To date, it seems that no one outside the family knows; any that might haven’t yet cared to drag proof into the public eye.

Tora grew up in this chaotic mess, her only constant the ever-turning wheels of their wagons. This life was hard and dangerous, but she was surrounded by constant guardians and devoted caregivers. Despite the threats that presented themselves almost daily, she never really knew true fear. There were times she was afraid, but her family always protected her.

Then they were attacked by a giant snake. The creature had been seen in the mountains between Thull and Thyrta. The militant Muthay city had sent out word that the snake was rampaging and the Zhengs had been watching for it. But that wasn’t enough to stop it from attacking them. The monster killed several of the members of the caravan before it was stopped, including Morla Zheng, Tora’s mother. The twelve-year old saw it all and it instilled in her a life-long fear and revulsion of snakes of all sizes.

It might have been the loss of her mother that compelled Tora to follow in her footsteps; the young woman was already proficient in many musical arts but now it became her life’s focus. Music, dancing and storytelling became the passion of her free time. Coupled with her natural appreciation of people and lore, she became the caravan’s rising star. An entertainer is always welcome on the long road; a good one is cherished. Tora would never have to worry about proving herself through making good trades, or finding some way to contribute. She was already doing so.

The young dancer isn’t completely without her defenses; she’s fairly adept with the bow, largely due to her brothers drilling her with the weapon. She wasn’t really unwilling, but it certainly wasn’t her favorite thing to do. Still, all of her brothers made sure that she knew how to skewer her enemies.

Then Arak unintentionally ruined that for her. He had joined them in Ka’chuun on the road between Thall and the Peace Pass, traveling with them. Like many outsiders who joined with them for a while, he earned his way by helping out where he could. A stop at a town near S’ur bound the two together.

The Festival of Flowers was in full swing and spirits were running high as Zheng’s Caravan Company rolled into town. News and trade goods were always welcome and this just added to the good mood. Once work was done, members of the caravan went to have some fun. One of those things was a prize fight. Tora’s brother Dougal stepped forward, only to face a small New Fen man. Dougal was big and strapping, the foremost wrestler among the Zheng. Impulsively, Tora put a wager favoring her brother to win, and Arak accepted. When Dougal lost, Tora found herself owing Arak quite a bit of money. It was more than she had, so she turned to her father for the difference.

She had known that Alango would be disappointed. Gambling was considered a waste of money in the caravan, an expenditure of resources that almost never netted a profit. Tora had assumed she’d be rebuked and chided. What she hadn’t expected was that Alango would refuse to pay her debt. Instead, he told her she’d repay it, even if that meant she was working for Arak instead of the caravan.

When Arak left the caravan, Tora was compelled to leave with him. She did speak to her father, hoping that he’d miss her enough to buy out her debt and let her stay after all. But her father didn’t; instead he gave her two gifts. The first was a suit of leather armor that he’d had made for her in secret. The second was her mother’s lute, a beautiful instrument made, supposedly, of Amaranath wood. Whether this is true, it is a lovely instrument.

Complications

• Honor: The Zheng family is well-known for their honesty and fairness, traits they have taught (some say bred into) their children.
• Obsession: Tora is obsessed with finding old lore, particularly old songs. She wants to find and preserve them all.
• Phobia: Few things will upset Tora more than a snake. Even the smallest baby snake will turn her into a terrified girl who seeks to immediately climb as high as she can - even if the only height available is other people.

Combat

• Initiative +2
• Close Attacks
  • Unarmed +0 Damage DC 15
  • Grab +0 DC 10
  • Throw +2 Damage DC 15
• Ranged Attacks
  • Bow +7 Damage DC 18
  • Fire-Tongue +4 DC 17
• Saves
  • Dodge +2
  • Parry +2
  • Fortitude +2
  • Will +3
  • Toughness +4/0

[z-Tora Zheng]

Character Sheet

Strength 0, Stamina 0, Agility 2, Dexterity 2, Fighting 0, Intellect 2, Awareness 1, Presence 3

Defense:

Dodge: +2 / +0 / = +2

Parry: +0 / +2 / = +2

Fortitude +0 / +2 / = +2

Toughness +0 / +3/0 / +1/+0 = +4/+0

Will +1 / +2 / = +3

Advantages: Beginner's Luck, Benefit, Status: Zheng Family, Connected, Defensive Roll 3, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 2, Improved Aim, Improved Critical 2: Bow, Move-by Action, Ranged Attack 2, Well-informed

Languages: Thayim, Muthay (native)

Skills (15 PP, 30 ranks):

Acrobatics 2 (+4), Deception 2 (+5), Expertise (AGL): Dancing 3 (+5), Expertise (PRE): Music 2 (+5), Expertise (PRE): Singing 3 (+6), Expertise: Lore 4 (+6), Expertise: Storytelling 3 (+5), Expertise: Trader 2 (+4), Insight 2 (+3), Perception 2 (+3), Persuasion 2 (+5), Ranged Combat: Bow 3 (+5)

Powers:

• Tak-rok-blooded:Speed 1 [4 miles/hour, 60 feet/round), Leaping 1 (15 feet at 4 miles/hour] – 2 pp
• Ankassim-blooded: Blast 2 (Fire) [DC 17; Tiring, Side Effect on Fortitude check failure: Burned Throat] – 1 PP

Equipment (10 ep):

Bow (6 ep), Leather Armor (1 ep), Amaranth Psaltry (3 ep)

Abilities 20 + Powers 3 + Advantages 16 + Skills 15 (30 ranks) + Defenses 6 = 60

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