Post by zhi on Aug 21, 2008 18:31:34 GMT -5
Name: Than “Jitters” Kim-Pyun
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Group: Rebellion
Nation: Earth Kingdom
Bender?: No
Physical Appearance: A twiggy, seemingly malnourished looking man stands before you, he appears roughly five feet six inches in height and any guess made at his weight would likely be quite light, within a range bordering the unhealthy. The first thing that really stands out about Than, though, is his perpetually nervous behavior, his hands shake, he seems to look over his shoulder often and his movements seem jerky and quick.
Starting from the ground up, Than has rather small feet, long, slim legs and lanky arms ending in long, bony and often bandaged fingers. His slim and seemingly weak figure would suggest that he is employed in a non-labor intensive field though nothing about his appearance immediately suggests a specific line of work. Continuing on, his shoulders are bony and slight, seeming to slope downward due to poor posture.
Though it appears that Than is not very physically active, his skin seems to have a healthy tanned hue to it suggesting time often spent outdoors. Moving up, he seems to have a prominent collar bone and a longish neck. His face is long and thin with sharp cheek bones, a small nose and beady, shifty, dark brown eyes that seem to dart back and forth, constantly on the lookout for danger. His chin comes to a point and he sports a very small beard, perhaps closer in appearance to a goatee. His eyebrows are very thin and are obscured a bit at long range by straggling dark brown bangs and dark circles are faintly visible beneath his eyes.
His dark brown hair would be down to about his shoulders if it weren’t up in a messy, poorly done bun at the back and top of his head. Than’s hair looks as if it hasn’t seen a brush or comb in months and it seems the color has dulled some too, if one were to look carefully, up close, they might find a stray gray hair or two upon his head.
Though he may try to remain calm and blend in with the crowd, Than tends to stick out due to his anxious mannerisms and rather unhealthy appearance. Though he may seem unusual, very little about the man’s true nature can be gleaned from simply looking at him.
Clothing/Armor: Than actually possesses three different outfits, each to be worn at different times depending on what he is doing. He is most often seen wearing a simple and very Earth Kingdom typical outfit around town and when in public. When in this setting he tends to dress to fit in with the crowd, nothing that stands out or is particularly fancy, though he tries to not seem disheveled either, as any sort of extreme in his appearance could attract attention.
Than’s “blend in” outfit consists of three light layers, the first being a simple short-sleeved, white silk under-shirt and a pair of white linen trousers held up by a black leather belt with an iron buckle. Worn over the shirt, Than has a longer-sleeved shirt with a rigid collar, it is a French Beige with a lighter brown on the hemming and accenting the collar.
A long, Dark Spring Green Shenyi style robe makes up the outermost layer of this shifty fellow’s outfit. The robe is collarless and has lighter sea green colored hemming and lapel seams with a silken, jade green sash worn around his waist. The sleeves of the robe reach to Than’s knuckles and are fairly loose, allowing him to hide his shaky hands within the sleeves or to conceal items if need be. Upon his feet he typically wears white woolen socks and a pair of black slipper-like shoes.
He also often wears a large conical hat, a plain white in color with a green band running around the edges decorated with smaller dark green dots. The hat helps to keep the sun off and can also be pulled down a bit to conceal his face, making it easier to watch folks without them knowing they’re being watched.
Than’s next outfit is far less innocent and it would be extremely rare to ever see him wearing it. It is worn only when he is “working”. He made the outfit himself, using what he’d learned from his tailor parents, it is designed to be light, practical and to conceal his identity if spotted.
The first layer is made up of the same simple white silk undershirt he wears when out in public but this is where the similarities to his “blend in” outfit end. Instead of a robe he wears a Medium Jungle Green long sleeved shirt with dark gray hemming around the wrists and collar. A matching pair of Medium Jungle Green pants are worn as well, the shirt tucked into the pants with a tightly bound Charcoal gray sash worn around his waist.
Around his forearms, Than wears a pair of light Charcoal gray vambraces made of iron. These are not only useful as armor to block attacks if he were caught, but they also cover the semi-loose sleeves of his shirt, binding them so they don’t hang down and potentially catch on something. Upon his hands he wears a simple pair of drab olive green gloves, their ends tucked underneath the wrist guards at the ends of the armored vambraces.
Around the sash he wears a hand-made belt with many small pouches built into it, each designed to hold a lock-pick, small knife or other little tools that might prove useful while “at work”. The belt’s pouches keep each tool separate so they don’t clink together and produce noise that could otherwise alert someone to Than’s presence.
On the right side, the belt also provides a notch where Than often attaches a dagger sheath for one of his many small blade weapons. The left side also sports a similar notch that allows the top of a sword sheath to be tied to it. When wearing his sword with this outfit, Than doesn’t simply let the sheath dangle from the belt, that would allow it to sway and possibly hit something, making noise. Instead, he holds the top half of the sheath in place by strapping it to his thigh in two places with strips of black cloth, tightly tied around the sheath and his left leg.
His feet and shins are protected by a pair of what appear to be the boots often issued to Fire Nation infantrymen, though repainted and re-clothed in Charcoal gray to match the rest of the outfit. The armored shin-guard portions come up to just below his knees; the legs of his pants are tucked into the boots, beneath the armored guards.
The finishing touch of this covert activities outfit, however, would be the Olive drab and dark gray patterned keffiyeh headscarf that he wears around his head and face, concealing all but his shifty brown eyes.
Than’s final outfit would be his truly designed-for-battle set of armor, a veritable hodgepodge made up of various pieces of armor from both the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation militaries. How he came to acquire the armor is not immediately apparent but it is likely that Than did not come to possess it by any legal means. The pieces with obvious Fire Nation origin were likely taken either by force or quieter methods or perhaps even stripped from the bodies of dead soldiers. The latter could be assumed for the Earth Kingdom pieces as well. It appears that Than has found a way to fit all of the various pieces together into a decent suit of armor.
The first layer of Than’s armor outfit starts with a long sleeved, collared shirt, khaki in color with a matching pair of pants held up by a thin low profile leather belt. The buckle is small and flat as other layers are worn over it and it would cause wear and could possibly be uncomfortable if it were thicker.
Starting from the ground up, Than wears the same pair of Charcoal gray Fire Nation GI boots that he uses with his covert operations outfit, the khaki colored pants tucked in, beneath the shin guards, just below the knees.
Around his waist, Than wears a typical Earth Kingdom armored girdle, made of pear colored leather over mail, designed to protect the wearer’s sides. Around the girdle, holding it in place, he wears an Earth Kingdom military issue belt. The belt has the typical clasp on its left side to accommodate a sword sheath for a right-handed wielder. Upon the belt buckle, it seems the Earth Kingdom insignia has been repainted a bright orange with the background in black. A second belt is worn, at an angle, over the Earth Kingdom one; it is smaller, black in color with a brass buckle. This belt has a notch in the right side for a dagger sheath and it seems that several key-chains of lock picking tools also hang from it.
Beneath the girdle and over the khaki pants and shirt, Than wears the chest-plate of a Fire Nation Sergeant and the leg-protecting “gown” as well, with a tan colored square flap of cloth hanging down in front and back, hemmed with olive drab. The Fire Nation chest-plate and gown portion are a maroon overall with cardinal trim, the chest-plate is clearly made of iron plates that protect both his chest and parts of his back without hindering movement.
Over his shoulders, Than wears a pair of leather spaulders and over these the cloth shoulder cover often worn by non-bending Earth Kingdom soldiers and Cavalrymen. The shoulder cover is an olive color with Hunter green trim on the flap hems, the flaps themselves hang down over his arms to about the elbow and the front and back flaps hang down over his chest and back armor, down to about the center of the chest-plate. Sticking up through the neck hole, probably somehow attached to the shoulder cover, Than wears a burgundy and gold-trimmed Fire Nation armored collar guard.
Around his arms he wears thicker iron and leather vambraces, often worn by Earthbending soldiers, the sleeves of his khaki colored shirt tucked beneath the armor. On his hands, Than wears light charcoal gray gloves, the ends tucked beneath the armored vambraces.
The final piece of Than’s mismatched suit of armor would be his helmet. Bowl-shaped, olive in color with Hunter green trim around its rim and an olive veil hanging down to his shoulders from within it, the helmet is clearly one formally used by an Earth Kingdom Cavalryman. A dark green leather chin-strap holds the helmet in place upon his head.
Occasionally, or depending on the weather, Than wears a Fire Nation cloak/cape over his armor. The small clasp at the front, that sports the insignia of the Fire Nation, seems to have been painted over with black paint.
Weapons: Being the suspicious fellow Than is, it’s not really surprising that he’d have a few weapons in his possession. He actually has quite a few small, concealable blade weapons, mostly little knives or daggers of very simple design, some made entirely of metal without a defined grip or handle. Generally no more than four to six inches in length total, some with a bit of cloth wrapped around the metal handles.
When it comes to serious weapons, however, Than owns two; a sword as his primary weapon and a combat knife as a secondary. Than’s Dha style sword is just shy of three feet in length, the aged, but seemingly well polished blade is just an inch under two feet in length, while the wooden handle is about a foot long. Overall, the sword seems like it has seen many years of use, the blade nicked slightly in places but appears to have been sharpened and polished recently.
The Dha has a slight curve to its blade and appears to be designed for slashing attacks. The blade thickens toward the end in a similar fashion to a Dao but the Dha’s blade is much thinner than a Dao’s. There is virtually no hand guard where the blade meets the handle. The handle itself is quite long, made of a hardwood with a twine wrapped around the grip to make it easier to hold without slipping.
The Dha sword fits into a wooden scabbard, rounded at the end and sides, made of a dark hardwood with white bands painted around it in three places. The top of the scabbard has bit of rope attached to it which can be attached to a belt or tied to the side of an Ostrich Horse saddle for quick access by the rider.
Than’s secondary weapon, his combat knife, is roughly ten inches in length, hardly concealable. The blade itself is about six and a half inches in length, made of steel with a sharpened clip-point. The knife has an iron V shaped guard at the start of the handle, while the handle itself is made of wood with leather strips tightly bound around it.
The knife has a leather sheath that it fits into, the top of the sheath cut at an inverted V to accommodate the hand guard on the blade. The sheath has a metal bar on its left side that allows it to clip onto the right side of a belt.
Than is skilled with the two weapons, more so with his sword, however, as he took formal lessons with the Dha during his teen years. Learning to use the sword effectively was one of his few legal passions during those times and his parents thoroughly supported his training, hoping it would keep him out of trouble. He has basic techniques down with the sword, though he tends to be a bit careless and flashy when using the weapon. Flourishes and tossing the blade from hand to hand always amused him, though he is right-handed and uses the sword in this hand at all times during combat.
When it comes to the knife, all of Than’s skills are self-taught. He’s never had any sort of formal training with the weapon, though he feels it probably wouldn’t take a great deal of practice to use it taking his sword skill into account.
Personality: Paranoid, shaky and shifty would sum up Than pretty well. He tends to keep to himself a lot, often feeling like someone is out to get him, always on the lookout for what might happen. His intense paranoia has made it difficult to socialize and, as a result, he has very few friends.
One could say gaining Than’s trust is like gaining the trust of an alley cat, it must be done slowly and carefully over time. If he gets any hint of something suspicious about a person he tends to disappear for long periods of time. He tends to do this often for no apparent reason as well, sometimes leaving, staying out of contact with friends and family, for months at a time and then simply showing back up.
Than tends to hold what friends he has managed to make in high regard, however, generally truly trusting them unless something gives him the feeling that they might be hiding something. Than, himself, has much to hide; since the age of ten he’s found breaking, entering and stealing to be an addictive hobby. He gets an immense thrill out of theft and trespassing, considering a well locked and secured home or shop a new challenge. At times, he may just break in and have a look around for the fun of it.
With the war on and after joining the Rebellion, Than has found a justified use for his criminal skills – stealing from the Fire Nation forces deployed in the Earth Kingdom. Finding a new outlet for his illegal pastime hasn’t done anything to alleviate his paranoia, however. The constant fear of being cornered, uncovered or otherwise found out either by the Fire Nation or, when in Ba Sing Se, the Dai Li, keeps Than ever-alert, considering everyone he may meet a threat until proven otherwise. It seems that, no matter where he may be, Than is never at ease.
This paranoia causes the poor fellow to be awfully jumpy, loud, unexpected noises or surprises tend to send him into a flight-or-fight mode at the drop of a hat. His hands shake uncontrollably at times, though when he is intently focused upon something they will remain relatively steady. What causes Than’s twitchiness has never really been explained, it might be stress related – from his paranoia and suspicion, or perhaps caused by some sort of neurological disorder.
When confronted, Than tends to be a bit defensive, he speaks quickly and tends to reuse certain turns of phrase over and over. He rarely makes eye contact, as he is nearly always scanning the area for potential danger. He often seems a bit sleep deprived at times as, primarily because he finds himself too nervous or wired at night to sleep.
There is more to Than then there may seem to be, though. Despite his nervousness he has developed an appreciation for music and theatre and often scrapes together the money needed to attend professional plays and concerts in Ba Sing Se. He is also a bit of a Seamster, having learned to sew and work with clothing from his mother and father; a designer and tailor, respectively.
Though he may have a bit of an obsession with theft and exploring places that are off limits, Than has realized the damage his actions can cause. He has worked hard to keep his hands in his sleeves when in shops or near vendors and has often fought the urge to squeeze through a half-open window to explore someone’s home. Beneath his defensive, paranoid and mistrusting exterior, Than has a more compassionate side, though he’s not exactly one to help a stranger out of the blue – anyone could be a threat, in Than’s mind.
Background: When Arun, a young tailor, having just gained his title after a lengthy apprenticeship met Chi, a promising clothing designer who’d just graduated from the Ba Sing Se University, the two really seemed to click. Both were from the middle ring from fairly well-to-do families and their courtship was encouraged and supported.
The two were eventually married and, with the help of their families, opened their own custom clothing design and tailoring shop just outside of the gates to the upper ring. Their unique but still formal styles gained the attention of many in the upper ring and business was excellent for the husband and wife team. Soon, they had enough saved up to purchase their first home, as they had originally lived in a studio style apartment above their shop.
The couple soon moved into their new home, a two-story place that seemed immense compared to the old apartment. It was squeezed in between two other homes that looked exactly like it and had a small backyard area surrounded by a stone wall. The front of the home opened directly onto the dirt street, the street leading up a row of similar houses to a small park with a fountain in the middle, all in all a good home in a good neighborhood.
Comfortably moved into their new home, Arun and Chi continued to grow their small shop into a fairly well known authority on custom clothing. With a year passed in their new place, the couple’s first child was born, a daughter they named Kanya.
Over the next four years, three more children were born, two more daughters, Ae Cha and Cho Hee and a son the couple named Than. As a baby, Than was very easy to set off, he often cried at the slightest disturbance or sound that wasn’t familiar. Young Kanya, at first, found it amusing to startle infant Than but his incessant crying quickly wore on her nerves and she came to resent him.
Ae Cha and Cho Hee hadn’t been as difficult as Than, and Kanya hadn’t felt like they took her parent’s time and love away from her. With Than, on the other hand, Chi spent long hours trying to soothe and quite the little boy which caused Kanya to feel rather neglected, fueling her bitterness toward her little brother.
As the years passed, Than did grow out of his hypersensitive phase but always remained rather on edge. His relationship with his eldest sister was less than pleasant, however, as she still held her resentment and often played tricks on young Than or simply bossed him around.
He came to think of Ae Cha and Cho Hee as protectors, and sought them out when Kanya was after him. The two sisters often defended their little brother but this only earned them Kanya’s wrath and she expanded her campaign of harassment to include them as well. Fortunately, however, Kanya was sent away to a girl’s boarding school at the age of eight and this allowed her three younger siblings to enjoy peace around the home.
The next year would be a tough one for Than, though, he would begin attending primary school at the age of five. This major change in his life thoroughly frightened the boy and he began clinging to his mother in the months before he was to begin his attendance. It took some convincing, but when school started, Than went off, albeit reluctantly, to class on the first day withal the other children.
School was rather difficult for Than, in the social sense, anyhow. He did exceptionally in his studies but he tended to avoid the other children, rarely speaking unless spoken too. For the most part, the other children were merciful toward Than and did not pick on him, they showed curiosity, however, at his reclusive behavior. Than didn’t have anything against the other children, he simply hadn’t developed any trust for them and their unpredictability frightened him.
During his second year of school, however, two other children, a boy and a girl, managed to pierce through Than’s distant nature and, though he originally found this alarming, they convinced him that they didn’t wish to harm him. Slowly he came to trust the two, eventually considering them friends.
The next three years went very well for Than; Kanya remained away at her school, visiting only on the first weekend of every month for two days. Each month, however, it seemed Kanya became more vicious, causing Than to find himself a hiding place in the attic of the family’s home. He kept the hiding place a secret from all but his two older sisters, not even his parents knew where he disappeared to when Kanya arrived.
At school, Than had his friends and remained with his peers who had come to respect his quiet and reclusive ways. He had some trouble with older students from grades above him, but these were never consistent issues. At home, Arun promised to help Than on a path toward becoming a Master Tailor as well, hopefully taking over the shop someday. Than was excited and hoped to live up to his family’s reputation as masterful in the creation of clothing for the upper classes.
And so the boy’s life consisted of school, time spent with his sisters and friends and occasional lessons with a needle and thread taught by his parents. This happy period of time in Than’s life would take a turn, however, when the family welcomed a new addition, another daughter.
Than was eight years old when little Minu was born, and he immediately decided that he wanted to treat the new baby the same way Ae Cha and Cho Hee had treated him – as a protector and friend. With the new baby, the family began to find that their first home was far too small; Arun and Chi decided that it was time to look for a larger, nicer home.
At first Than was excited about moving to a new home, but when his parents took the family to see the one they had chosen he became distraught. The new house was on the far side of the city, many miles from his old school and friends. Realizing this, Than was quick to suspect that he would have to attend a new school and that would mean he’d have to deal with new students.
Than begged his mother and father not to move, when that failed, he begged them to let him stay at his old school with his old friends, but the daily trip to school from home and back would take far too long. When the family finally made the move, Than was forced to start school at a new, closer site. As a result Than rarely got to see his old friends and the respect from his peers that he had had before was not yet established with the new kids he would be forced to deal with.
During his first year at the new school, Than’s hands began to shake. His peers quickly noticed this and were cautious around Than, such a strange disorder seemed rather frightening to some of the other children and for the most part they kept away from him just as Than avoided them. Once again he didn’t fit in, he was an outsider, and instead of blaming the move upon his new little sister, Than blamed only his parents.
When Than’s twitchiness became more pronounced, however, his mother took him to see a doctor. The doctor couldn’t find any real explanation for the strange condition and attributed it to stress, “likely from the move and having to fit in at a new school”. He also said that the shaking would go away over time and prescribed special oil that was to be rubbed into the boy’s hands to help “calm the muscles”.
The oil cure was, of course, a complete sham and did nothing to steady Than’s hands. His shakes not only caused him problems socially, but also made sewing difficult. His stitches were always crooked and he tended to poke his fingers often, but he continued to work at it.
When Than was thirteen, Kanya returned home, having completed her final term at the boarding school. Her presence around the house forced Than to stay away from home often, Kanya was less malicious than she had been, but she was still exceptionally cold when dealing with her siblings, even with Minu, now three years old.
Than had graduated from his first school that same year and the next, he’d be sent to a brand new secondary school to continue his education. Here, he found things much different, the students formed little cliques and bunched together, some by social status, others united by common interest. Than still found himself an outsider, that is, until the day his life took another drastic turn.
One of the cliques at the school was comprised of shifty teens from lower-middle class families, some even from the lower ring – a veritable bushel of bad apples. The group’s leader noticed Than all alone and decided to have some fun with the poor boy. He confronted him, with posse in tow, and dared him to slip into the classroom of a very strict teacher and steal their discipline stick.
Than, at first, refused, but the group’s leader threatened to harass him and called him a coward. Half out of fear and half out of determination to prove the boy wrong, Than accepted the challenge and swore to have the dreaded discipline stick in hand at lunch the next day.
The bully leader was pleased to see Than fold under pressure and awaited the next day, knowing full well that the particular teacher spent many hours working in his classroom after hours. In his mind, it was only a matter of time before Than was caught and severely punished.
Suspicious as ever, Than did not attempt to steal the stick during school or daylight hours and slipped out a window in the middle of the night without telling a soul. He reached the school under cover of darkness, managed to squeeze into the classroom through a partially opened window and retrieved the stick from its place behind the desk with little trouble.
Within the hour, Than was back home safe in his bed with the stick in his possession. The experience was invigorating for the teen, as he’d entered the classroom, his hands had steadied and he’d reached a state of great focus, never in his life had he felt such a thrill, so in control. He was so wired from the experience, and looking forward to showing up the bully the next day, that he barely slept.
That next day at school, Than snuck up on the bully leader and gave him a bit of a thwack with the stick from behind. The bully spun around, his posse surrounding Than, they were all shocked to see that he held the stick in his hands, a BAD!y grin upon his face.
The bully leader’s plan had backfired completely and now his group seemed to think Than was quite a capable thief. Defeated, the bully leader snatched the stick from Than’s hands and left the boy, his group in tow. The next day they accepted Than into the group, which came as a bit of a shock to the boy – he now fit in somewhere.
Soon, Than was spending time with the group outside of school. He stole more and more as well, eventually breaking into a home in the middle of the night, the thrill he received from such actions emboldened the boy. Soon he became quite confident in his abilities, but at the same time his paranoia grew with each illegal challenge he accepted.
Ae Cha and Cho Hee began to notice when Than slipped out at night and became worried about him. They told Arun and Chi and one night the parents stayed up and caught Than as he was slipping out. They questioned him and he was unable to come up with good excuse no matter how hard he tried, so being responsible parents, they grounded him.
This severely harmed Than’s standing with his “friends”, they mocked him for obeying his parents and bowing to their will. Than was left with little choice and returned to his solitary ways, though, he did not give up his new found passion and continued to prowl about homes and shops.
Eventually, despite his best efforts, Than was caught in the act while stealing apples from a vendor’s cart and punished. He was forced to repay the man and did so but this small slip up caught his parents’ attention once again and they began to keep him on a tighter leash. Angry at his parents for controlling him, Than sulked about the home, avoiding his family members for weeks.
Seeing their son in such a state, Arun and Chi decided to allow him a bit more freedom, and began to let him visit shops while escorted by his sisters on weekends. Than enjoyed the new freedom but his sisters kept a close eye upon him at all times, occasionally checking his sleeves after exiting shops.
Shortly after Than turned fifteen, he visited a pawn shop where something caught his eye. It was a well-worn Dha Sword sitting on a small stand on the shop’s counter. He carefully approached the sword, looking to the shop’s owner for approval before lifting the weapon to inspect it. The shop owner seemed rather eager to sell the weapon and allowed Than to look it over, commenting several times on the blade’s quality, value and low, low price.
Possessing a fair amount of money from his allowance, and with some help from his sisters, Than managed to purchase the sword on his second visit to the shop. He happily brought it home and showed it to his parents; they asked him just what he intended to do with it and he declared his interest in learning to use the sword professionally.
Both parents were pleased and relived to see their son taking an interest in something, not only legal, but also healthy, a hobby that might help to put some muscle upon Than’s gangly frame. Soon, they found him a martial arts school near to home where Than could take lessons with his sword after school. The couple figured that Than would be so tired after a long day at school and then training with his sword, that he’d have no time or energy left for sneaking about and getting in trouble.
For the most part, this was true and Than stayed out of trouble. Learning to use the Dha was exciting and new to the boy and, despite his shaky hands; he managed to pick up the techniques with little difficulty. The time he spent using his Dha was enjoyable, and Than committed himself to mastering it, but it still couldn’t add up to the thrill of theft and trespassing.
Over the next few years, Than completed his education, continued to attend sword lessons and kept up his shifty nighttime excursions to prowl the neighborhood. Fortunately, Kanya had since moved out of the house again, now staying with a boyfriend on the other side of the middle ring. Than rarely got to see his eldest sister and found this to be an immense relief. Though she had given up playing tricks, she was still the same cruel witch he’d known since his childhood.
When Than finished his schooling, however, his parents urged him to take up a part-time job, he searched around a bit but got bored and decided not to. Next they tried to get him to attend the University, but he didn’t get around to it and the first term started without him. All Than seemed to do was disappear in the mornings, return in the afternoons for his sword then come back for dinner. As time went by, Arun and Chi became weary of their son’s lack of direction.
Ae Cha and Cho Hee were still living at home, but the elder of the two was attending Ba Sing Se University and the other, a dance school, both had part-time jobs and both were quite productive. Little Minu was attending primary school, and Than often walked her there in the mornings, though this seemed to be the only truly helpful thing he did for the family.
So, fed up with Than’s mooching and unproductive lifestyle, as well as continued reports of his prowling and thieving, they decided to take some of Kanya’s advice. A few days after Than’s nineteenth birthday, Arun and Chi gently pushed him ‘out of the nest’, promising that, once he shaped up, got a job and could prove to them that he could support himself through legal means, they would be willing to help him financially with any goals he might set.
With most of his things packed into a large bag, Dha included, Than set out to wander the city in hopes of finding a place to live and a job to support himself with. His parents had given him a bit of start up money, but it wouldn’t last long very long and Than quickly found that it was barely enough for a night or two in a small, nearby hotel.
He remained in the city for a few more days, unable to find a decent job and when what little money he had ran out, he made up his mind to leave Ba Sing Se. At first, Than had considered moving down into the lower ring of the city in hopes of finding cheaper lodging, but the seedy portion of the city sent chills up his spine and caused his hands to shake madly.
Content with no alternatives, Than left the city. It was the first time in his life that he’d left Ba Sing Se but he felt that there wasn’t much point in staying. So, before he ventured off, he sent a final letter to his family stating his intentions and then passed through the great gates of the city, through the Agrarian Zone and beyond the outer wall.
Wandering southwest down a main road, Than found himself in a small town, Ba Sing Se’s great wall still visible off in the distance back toward the north. The sun was low in the sky at the time and Than had just enough money for a room at the local inn, though he would have to skip dinner that night.
The next day, Than searched the town for work, stealing from a fruit vendor for his breakfast. Of the many small shops and stands he visited none seemed in need of help until he visited one with a sign out front that read ‘Makura Sundries’. Slipping into the shop nonchalantly, Than strolled about, inspecting the merchandise as if he were interested in buying.
It seemed a young man owned the shop, or at the very least, was managing the counter at the moment and, to Than, it appeared he was rather bored. As he wandered about the shop, Than began to feel the urge to snatch something up, but before he got a chance to stuff a rather valuable looking dagger sheath up his sleeve, the fellow at the counter addressed him.
Reluctantly, Than entered into a conversation with the man, whose name was revealed to be Shu-zu Makura, the actual owner of the shop. He eventually managed to get Than to explain a bit about his situation and explained a bit about himself and the store in return. Interestingly, Than learned that Shu-zu was indeed in need of help around the shop, he let the younger man know he’d consider the job, not wanting to sound desperate, as he was, and get back to him in a few days.
After three days passed of living off his shifty skills, Than returned to the shop and took a job that involved clerical work – inventory, records, jobs that didn’t require a lot of physical effort or social interaction with customers. Shu-zu paid him decently and the arrangement worked well.
Eventually, however, Than was a bit late on his room payments, while attempting to save up, and the landlord evicted him. With no place to live, he wandered back to work, feeling quite uncertain. Shu-zu got him to explain what had happened and offered to let him sleep in the shop, much to Than’s relief.
With a roof over his head and money to live on, Than came to trust Shu-zu, considering him one of his closest friends – and that, coming from Than, is saying something. Eventually he was able to get another room at a smaller place farther away, but the rate was better and Than could continue saving up his extra money for a rainy day.
The night after Than moved back into a hotel, however, the shop was robbed, nearly everything taken in the span of one evening. The theft had been so thorough, that the shop would likely have to close down until Shu-zu’s next, rather mysterious, shipment of merchandise could arrive and Than would have to go without pay.
Instead of just moving on to a new town, as he might have done before, Than promised to help his friend find the stolen goods and the two eventually tracked down the culprits. A relatively well-funded gang of outlaws were responsible for the theft, and thanks to Than’s shifty skills they managed to break into the earthen warehouse where the items, along with many other stolen things, were being kept.
Unfortunately there was far too much in the warehouse for Shu-zu and Than to retrieve alone and they planned another visit to the location in a few days. When Than reached the shop for the next infiltration, Shu-zu had brought three suspicious looking characters with Ostrich Horses along.
Immediately Than was paranoid, but he trusted Shu-zu to the point where he wouldn’t outright question the strangers’ presence. Throughout the break in at the warehouse and the retrieval of the stolen goods, he kept a close eye on the men, who seemed to speak only in whispers. When nearly all of the loot had been transferred back to the shop, including extra goods they had found in the warehouse, the mysterious fellows carved the symbol of a well known local gang into the sides of the walls to throw off the outlaws.
When the group returned to the shop, Shu-zu conversed with the men in the backroom while Than was instructed to wait out in the main shop. Shaking, paranoid and extremely nervous, Than waited, the idea of slipping out the back door and not coming back crossed his mind several times.
Eventually Shu-zu called Than in to join the group in the backroom, nervously he complied. He took a seat and listened as the men from the raid on the warehouse explained things to him. They were all, Shu-zu included, part of a group calling itself The Rebellion – an organized resistance against the Fire Nation made up of both Earth Kingdom Citizens and folks actually within the Fire Nation itself.
Than was shocked, he knew of the war, yes, and had hoped to avoid it, but he’d heard nothing of a Rebellion. Those present explained more thoroughly and eventually they offered Than acceptance into the group on a low level basis, citing his shifty skills as potentially useful.
Feeling a bit overwhelmed, Than promised he’d keep everything he’d been told a secret but felt that he needed time to think things over before committing. The Rebels seemed a bit reluctant and conversed with Shu-zu privately for a time before leaving the shop in silence.
Shu-zu informed his friend that the Rebels would allow him three days to decided, and then the offer would no longer be available, Than thanked him for his patience in return. Two days later, while working in the shop, Than worked up his courage and let Shu-zu know he was in. The Rebellion would be a great way for Than to indulge in his illegal passions, utilize his sword skills, help his country and also aid his friend.
After being accepted, he continued to work with Shu-zu for a few months more, than traveled southwest into the Si Wong to join up with other Rebels, here he partook in several raids against Fire Nation supply convoys. Over the next few years, Than found himself traveling the country working to further the Rebellion wherever he was needed, occasionally stopping by the shop outside of Ba Sing Se to visit his friend and Ba Sing Se itself to visit his family.
At present, he has left a group in the eastern Earth Kingdom, near Chameleon Bay, and is now on his way to Tachi Dai to learn of the Rebellions newest plans and perhaps find some old friends when he gets there.
Sample RP: Than guided Burcu, his Ostrich Horse, along, down the dirt path heading west. The old mare moved along at an even trot, seemingly oblivious to the world around her, or perhaps she just didn’t care, simply looking forward the next stream of water and bag of oats.
Than, on the other hand, was ever alert, his eyes surveying his surroundings constantly, head turning to check over his shoulder, ears perking at the slightest sound. Nothing would sneak up on him, nothing. The shifty Rebel peered off up ahead, spotting a few large trees that lined the path. In his mind, the trees could conceal something or someone and as he approached, he reached down and gripped the handle of his Dha sword, just to be ready.
A creak caught Than’s attention though, before he could reach the trees and he turned around to look behind him. Coming up on the path, he was shocked to spot a wagon pulled by a single Ostrich Horse. A man and his young daughter were sitting up at the front of the wagon, it appeared they were talking to each other, but the wagon was far enough back to where Than could not make out what they were saying.
He’d seen the wagon before! In the last town, the wagon had pulled in behind him then disappeared, he’d though they had turned off somewhere back behind him, but no, here they were, still on his tail. They’re just far enough back there to keep an eye on me while staying out of range, they don’t know I know that they’re following me! thought Than, his mind fabricating a “plausible” explanation for the Wagon’s reappearance.
With tension mounting, Than and Burcu reached the trees. To the right, between two thick leafy trees, Than could see a relatively clear field of grass. To his left, he found a large collection of bushes blocking his view of what lay on the other side. The wagon was approaching and there was little time, so Than tugged the reigns and dug his heels in sending Burcu charging to the left through the brush. The father and daughter riding upon the wagon heard the crunch of the plants and looked up ahead to see the man on the Ostrich Horse veer off the path wildly.
Madly, man and Ostrich Horse plunged through the brush, Than was certain he was being chased now and pressed poor Burcu on to a full frenzied gallop. The two burst forth from the bushes and back onto the path. A ways ahead, a fork in the road was coming up with a blind corner to the right.
Than guided Burcu around the turn to the right and came to an abrupt halt, a look of utter shock upon his face at the sight before him. Blocking the path, there sat a cartload of cabbages, the cart seemed to have lost a wheel and an older looking man was kneeling beside it, inspecting the axel.
“Road block! Oh no!” shouted Than, in a high-pitched shriek of a voice. The old man turned and looked at him, startled, but before he could speak, Than had yanked the reigns and sent Burcu charging forward and to the left, the edge of her saddle catching the cart’s front handles sending it over onto its side.
As Than rode madly away from the scene the old man cried out after him, something about his cabbages. It served him right for using his cart as a road block, thought Than as he circled back onto the main road, a ways away. Letting Burcu slow to a trot, he looked around; checking back over his shoulder to be certain no one was on his tail. It seemed he was now in the clear and he turned Burcu back toward Tachi Dai – his eventual destination.
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Group: Rebellion
Nation: Earth Kingdom
Bender?: No
Physical Appearance: A twiggy, seemingly malnourished looking man stands before you, he appears roughly five feet six inches in height and any guess made at his weight would likely be quite light, within a range bordering the unhealthy. The first thing that really stands out about Than, though, is his perpetually nervous behavior, his hands shake, he seems to look over his shoulder often and his movements seem jerky and quick.
Starting from the ground up, Than has rather small feet, long, slim legs and lanky arms ending in long, bony and often bandaged fingers. His slim and seemingly weak figure would suggest that he is employed in a non-labor intensive field though nothing about his appearance immediately suggests a specific line of work. Continuing on, his shoulders are bony and slight, seeming to slope downward due to poor posture.
Though it appears that Than is not very physically active, his skin seems to have a healthy tanned hue to it suggesting time often spent outdoors. Moving up, he seems to have a prominent collar bone and a longish neck. His face is long and thin with sharp cheek bones, a small nose and beady, shifty, dark brown eyes that seem to dart back and forth, constantly on the lookout for danger. His chin comes to a point and he sports a very small beard, perhaps closer in appearance to a goatee. His eyebrows are very thin and are obscured a bit at long range by straggling dark brown bangs and dark circles are faintly visible beneath his eyes.
His dark brown hair would be down to about his shoulders if it weren’t up in a messy, poorly done bun at the back and top of his head. Than’s hair looks as if it hasn’t seen a brush or comb in months and it seems the color has dulled some too, if one were to look carefully, up close, they might find a stray gray hair or two upon his head.
Though he may try to remain calm and blend in with the crowd, Than tends to stick out due to his anxious mannerisms and rather unhealthy appearance. Though he may seem unusual, very little about the man’s true nature can be gleaned from simply looking at him.
Clothing/Armor: Than actually possesses three different outfits, each to be worn at different times depending on what he is doing. He is most often seen wearing a simple and very Earth Kingdom typical outfit around town and when in public. When in this setting he tends to dress to fit in with the crowd, nothing that stands out or is particularly fancy, though he tries to not seem disheveled either, as any sort of extreme in his appearance could attract attention.
Than’s “blend in” outfit consists of three light layers, the first being a simple short-sleeved, white silk under-shirt and a pair of white linen trousers held up by a black leather belt with an iron buckle. Worn over the shirt, Than has a longer-sleeved shirt with a rigid collar, it is a French Beige with a lighter brown on the hemming and accenting the collar.
A long, Dark Spring Green Shenyi style robe makes up the outermost layer of this shifty fellow’s outfit. The robe is collarless and has lighter sea green colored hemming and lapel seams with a silken, jade green sash worn around his waist. The sleeves of the robe reach to Than’s knuckles and are fairly loose, allowing him to hide his shaky hands within the sleeves or to conceal items if need be. Upon his feet he typically wears white woolen socks and a pair of black slipper-like shoes.
He also often wears a large conical hat, a plain white in color with a green band running around the edges decorated with smaller dark green dots. The hat helps to keep the sun off and can also be pulled down a bit to conceal his face, making it easier to watch folks without them knowing they’re being watched.
Than’s next outfit is far less innocent and it would be extremely rare to ever see him wearing it. It is worn only when he is “working”. He made the outfit himself, using what he’d learned from his tailor parents, it is designed to be light, practical and to conceal his identity if spotted.
The first layer is made up of the same simple white silk undershirt he wears when out in public but this is where the similarities to his “blend in” outfit end. Instead of a robe he wears a Medium Jungle Green long sleeved shirt with dark gray hemming around the wrists and collar. A matching pair of Medium Jungle Green pants are worn as well, the shirt tucked into the pants with a tightly bound Charcoal gray sash worn around his waist.
Around his forearms, Than wears a pair of light Charcoal gray vambraces made of iron. These are not only useful as armor to block attacks if he were caught, but they also cover the semi-loose sleeves of his shirt, binding them so they don’t hang down and potentially catch on something. Upon his hands he wears a simple pair of drab olive green gloves, their ends tucked underneath the wrist guards at the ends of the armored vambraces.
Around the sash he wears a hand-made belt with many small pouches built into it, each designed to hold a lock-pick, small knife or other little tools that might prove useful while “at work”. The belt’s pouches keep each tool separate so they don’t clink together and produce noise that could otherwise alert someone to Than’s presence.
On the right side, the belt also provides a notch where Than often attaches a dagger sheath for one of his many small blade weapons. The left side also sports a similar notch that allows the top of a sword sheath to be tied to it. When wearing his sword with this outfit, Than doesn’t simply let the sheath dangle from the belt, that would allow it to sway and possibly hit something, making noise. Instead, he holds the top half of the sheath in place by strapping it to his thigh in two places with strips of black cloth, tightly tied around the sheath and his left leg.
His feet and shins are protected by a pair of what appear to be the boots often issued to Fire Nation infantrymen, though repainted and re-clothed in Charcoal gray to match the rest of the outfit. The armored shin-guard portions come up to just below his knees; the legs of his pants are tucked into the boots, beneath the armored guards.
The finishing touch of this covert activities outfit, however, would be the Olive drab and dark gray patterned keffiyeh headscarf that he wears around his head and face, concealing all but his shifty brown eyes.
Than’s final outfit would be his truly designed-for-battle set of armor, a veritable hodgepodge made up of various pieces of armor from both the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation militaries. How he came to acquire the armor is not immediately apparent but it is likely that Than did not come to possess it by any legal means. The pieces with obvious Fire Nation origin were likely taken either by force or quieter methods or perhaps even stripped from the bodies of dead soldiers. The latter could be assumed for the Earth Kingdom pieces as well. It appears that Than has found a way to fit all of the various pieces together into a decent suit of armor.
The first layer of Than’s armor outfit starts with a long sleeved, collared shirt, khaki in color with a matching pair of pants held up by a thin low profile leather belt. The buckle is small and flat as other layers are worn over it and it would cause wear and could possibly be uncomfortable if it were thicker.
Starting from the ground up, Than wears the same pair of Charcoal gray Fire Nation GI boots that he uses with his covert operations outfit, the khaki colored pants tucked in, beneath the shin guards, just below the knees.
Around his waist, Than wears a typical Earth Kingdom armored girdle, made of pear colored leather over mail, designed to protect the wearer’s sides. Around the girdle, holding it in place, he wears an Earth Kingdom military issue belt. The belt has the typical clasp on its left side to accommodate a sword sheath for a right-handed wielder. Upon the belt buckle, it seems the Earth Kingdom insignia has been repainted a bright orange with the background in black. A second belt is worn, at an angle, over the Earth Kingdom one; it is smaller, black in color with a brass buckle. This belt has a notch in the right side for a dagger sheath and it seems that several key-chains of lock picking tools also hang from it.
Beneath the girdle and over the khaki pants and shirt, Than wears the chest-plate of a Fire Nation Sergeant and the leg-protecting “gown” as well, with a tan colored square flap of cloth hanging down in front and back, hemmed with olive drab. The Fire Nation chest-plate and gown portion are a maroon overall with cardinal trim, the chest-plate is clearly made of iron plates that protect both his chest and parts of his back without hindering movement.
Over his shoulders, Than wears a pair of leather spaulders and over these the cloth shoulder cover often worn by non-bending Earth Kingdom soldiers and Cavalrymen. The shoulder cover is an olive color with Hunter green trim on the flap hems, the flaps themselves hang down over his arms to about the elbow and the front and back flaps hang down over his chest and back armor, down to about the center of the chest-plate. Sticking up through the neck hole, probably somehow attached to the shoulder cover, Than wears a burgundy and gold-trimmed Fire Nation armored collar guard.
Around his arms he wears thicker iron and leather vambraces, often worn by Earthbending soldiers, the sleeves of his khaki colored shirt tucked beneath the armor. On his hands, Than wears light charcoal gray gloves, the ends tucked beneath the armored vambraces.
The final piece of Than’s mismatched suit of armor would be his helmet. Bowl-shaped, olive in color with Hunter green trim around its rim and an olive veil hanging down to his shoulders from within it, the helmet is clearly one formally used by an Earth Kingdom Cavalryman. A dark green leather chin-strap holds the helmet in place upon his head.
Occasionally, or depending on the weather, Than wears a Fire Nation cloak/cape over his armor. The small clasp at the front, that sports the insignia of the Fire Nation, seems to have been painted over with black paint.
Weapons: Being the suspicious fellow Than is, it’s not really surprising that he’d have a few weapons in his possession. He actually has quite a few small, concealable blade weapons, mostly little knives or daggers of very simple design, some made entirely of metal without a defined grip or handle. Generally no more than four to six inches in length total, some with a bit of cloth wrapped around the metal handles.
When it comes to serious weapons, however, Than owns two; a sword as his primary weapon and a combat knife as a secondary. Than’s Dha style sword is just shy of three feet in length, the aged, but seemingly well polished blade is just an inch under two feet in length, while the wooden handle is about a foot long. Overall, the sword seems like it has seen many years of use, the blade nicked slightly in places but appears to have been sharpened and polished recently.
The Dha has a slight curve to its blade and appears to be designed for slashing attacks. The blade thickens toward the end in a similar fashion to a Dao but the Dha’s blade is much thinner than a Dao’s. There is virtually no hand guard where the blade meets the handle. The handle itself is quite long, made of a hardwood with a twine wrapped around the grip to make it easier to hold without slipping.
The Dha sword fits into a wooden scabbard, rounded at the end and sides, made of a dark hardwood with white bands painted around it in three places. The top of the scabbard has bit of rope attached to it which can be attached to a belt or tied to the side of an Ostrich Horse saddle for quick access by the rider.
Than’s secondary weapon, his combat knife, is roughly ten inches in length, hardly concealable. The blade itself is about six and a half inches in length, made of steel with a sharpened clip-point. The knife has an iron V shaped guard at the start of the handle, while the handle itself is made of wood with leather strips tightly bound around it.
The knife has a leather sheath that it fits into, the top of the sheath cut at an inverted V to accommodate the hand guard on the blade. The sheath has a metal bar on its left side that allows it to clip onto the right side of a belt.
Than is skilled with the two weapons, more so with his sword, however, as he took formal lessons with the Dha during his teen years. Learning to use the sword effectively was one of his few legal passions during those times and his parents thoroughly supported his training, hoping it would keep him out of trouble. He has basic techniques down with the sword, though he tends to be a bit careless and flashy when using the weapon. Flourishes and tossing the blade from hand to hand always amused him, though he is right-handed and uses the sword in this hand at all times during combat.
When it comes to the knife, all of Than’s skills are self-taught. He’s never had any sort of formal training with the weapon, though he feels it probably wouldn’t take a great deal of practice to use it taking his sword skill into account.
Personality: Paranoid, shaky and shifty would sum up Than pretty well. He tends to keep to himself a lot, often feeling like someone is out to get him, always on the lookout for what might happen. His intense paranoia has made it difficult to socialize and, as a result, he has very few friends.
One could say gaining Than’s trust is like gaining the trust of an alley cat, it must be done slowly and carefully over time. If he gets any hint of something suspicious about a person he tends to disappear for long periods of time. He tends to do this often for no apparent reason as well, sometimes leaving, staying out of contact with friends and family, for months at a time and then simply showing back up.
Than tends to hold what friends he has managed to make in high regard, however, generally truly trusting them unless something gives him the feeling that they might be hiding something. Than, himself, has much to hide; since the age of ten he’s found breaking, entering and stealing to be an addictive hobby. He gets an immense thrill out of theft and trespassing, considering a well locked and secured home or shop a new challenge. At times, he may just break in and have a look around for the fun of it.
With the war on and after joining the Rebellion, Than has found a justified use for his criminal skills – stealing from the Fire Nation forces deployed in the Earth Kingdom. Finding a new outlet for his illegal pastime hasn’t done anything to alleviate his paranoia, however. The constant fear of being cornered, uncovered or otherwise found out either by the Fire Nation or, when in Ba Sing Se, the Dai Li, keeps Than ever-alert, considering everyone he may meet a threat until proven otherwise. It seems that, no matter where he may be, Than is never at ease.
This paranoia causes the poor fellow to be awfully jumpy, loud, unexpected noises or surprises tend to send him into a flight-or-fight mode at the drop of a hat. His hands shake uncontrollably at times, though when he is intently focused upon something they will remain relatively steady. What causes Than’s twitchiness has never really been explained, it might be stress related – from his paranoia and suspicion, or perhaps caused by some sort of neurological disorder.
When confronted, Than tends to be a bit defensive, he speaks quickly and tends to reuse certain turns of phrase over and over. He rarely makes eye contact, as he is nearly always scanning the area for potential danger. He often seems a bit sleep deprived at times as, primarily because he finds himself too nervous or wired at night to sleep.
There is more to Than then there may seem to be, though. Despite his nervousness he has developed an appreciation for music and theatre and often scrapes together the money needed to attend professional plays and concerts in Ba Sing Se. He is also a bit of a Seamster, having learned to sew and work with clothing from his mother and father; a designer and tailor, respectively.
Though he may have a bit of an obsession with theft and exploring places that are off limits, Than has realized the damage his actions can cause. He has worked hard to keep his hands in his sleeves when in shops or near vendors and has often fought the urge to squeeze through a half-open window to explore someone’s home. Beneath his defensive, paranoid and mistrusting exterior, Than has a more compassionate side, though he’s not exactly one to help a stranger out of the blue – anyone could be a threat, in Than’s mind.
Background: When Arun, a young tailor, having just gained his title after a lengthy apprenticeship met Chi, a promising clothing designer who’d just graduated from the Ba Sing Se University, the two really seemed to click. Both were from the middle ring from fairly well-to-do families and their courtship was encouraged and supported.
The two were eventually married and, with the help of their families, opened their own custom clothing design and tailoring shop just outside of the gates to the upper ring. Their unique but still formal styles gained the attention of many in the upper ring and business was excellent for the husband and wife team. Soon, they had enough saved up to purchase their first home, as they had originally lived in a studio style apartment above their shop.
The couple soon moved into their new home, a two-story place that seemed immense compared to the old apartment. It was squeezed in between two other homes that looked exactly like it and had a small backyard area surrounded by a stone wall. The front of the home opened directly onto the dirt street, the street leading up a row of similar houses to a small park with a fountain in the middle, all in all a good home in a good neighborhood.
Comfortably moved into their new home, Arun and Chi continued to grow their small shop into a fairly well known authority on custom clothing. With a year passed in their new place, the couple’s first child was born, a daughter they named Kanya.
Over the next four years, three more children were born, two more daughters, Ae Cha and Cho Hee and a son the couple named Than. As a baby, Than was very easy to set off, he often cried at the slightest disturbance or sound that wasn’t familiar. Young Kanya, at first, found it amusing to startle infant Than but his incessant crying quickly wore on her nerves and she came to resent him.
Ae Cha and Cho Hee hadn’t been as difficult as Than, and Kanya hadn’t felt like they took her parent’s time and love away from her. With Than, on the other hand, Chi spent long hours trying to soothe and quite the little boy which caused Kanya to feel rather neglected, fueling her bitterness toward her little brother.
As the years passed, Than did grow out of his hypersensitive phase but always remained rather on edge. His relationship with his eldest sister was less than pleasant, however, as she still held her resentment and often played tricks on young Than or simply bossed him around.
He came to think of Ae Cha and Cho Hee as protectors, and sought them out when Kanya was after him. The two sisters often defended their little brother but this only earned them Kanya’s wrath and she expanded her campaign of harassment to include them as well. Fortunately, however, Kanya was sent away to a girl’s boarding school at the age of eight and this allowed her three younger siblings to enjoy peace around the home.
The next year would be a tough one for Than, though, he would begin attending primary school at the age of five. This major change in his life thoroughly frightened the boy and he began clinging to his mother in the months before he was to begin his attendance. It took some convincing, but when school started, Than went off, albeit reluctantly, to class on the first day withal the other children.
School was rather difficult for Than, in the social sense, anyhow. He did exceptionally in his studies but he tended to avoid the other children, rarely speaking unless spoken too. For the most part, the other children were merciful toward Than and did not pick on him, they showed curiosity, however, at his reclusive behavior. Than didn’t have anything against the other children, he simply hadn’t developed any trust for them and their unpredictability frightened him.
During his second year of school, however, two other children, a boy and a girl, managed to pierce through Than’s distant nature and, though he originally found this alarming, they convinced him that they didn’t wish to harm him. Slowly he came to trust the two, eventually considering them friends.
The next three years went very well for Than; Kanya remained away at her school, visiting only on the first weekend of every month for two days. Each month, however, it seemed Kanya became more vicious, causing Than to find himself a hiding place in the attic of the family’s home. He kept the hiding place a secret from all but his two older sisters, not even his parents knew where he disappeared to when Kanya arrived.
At school, Than had his friends and remained with his peers who had come to respect his quiet and reclusive ways. He had some trouble with older students from grades above him, but these were never consistent issues. At home, Arun promised to help Than on a path toward becoming a Master Tailor as well, hopefully taking over the shop someday. Than was excited and hoped to live up to his family’s reputation as masterful in the creation of clothing for the upper classes.
And so the boy’s life consisted of school, time spent with his sisters and friends and occasional lessons with a needle and thread taught by his parents. This happy period of time in Than’s life would take a turn, however, when the family welcomed a new addition, another daughter.
Than was eight years old when little Minu was born, and he immediately decided that he wanted to treat the new baby the same way Ae Cha and Cho Hee had treated him – as a protector and friend. With the new baby, the family began to find that their first home was far too small; Arun and Chi decided that it was time to look for a larger, nicer home.
At first Than was excited about moving to a new home, but when his parents took the family to see the one they had chosen he became distraught. The new house was on the far side of the city, many miles from his old school and friends. Realizing this, Than was quick to suspect that he would have to attend a new school and that would mean he’d have to deal with new students.
Than begged his mother and father not to move, when that failed, he begged them to let him stay at his old school with his old friends, but the daily trip to school from home and back would take far too long. When the family finally made the move, Than was forced to start school at a new, closer site. As a result Than rarely got to see his old friends and the respect from his peers that he had had before was not yet established with the new kids he would be forced to deal with.
During his first year at the new school, Than’s hands began to shake. His peers quickly noticed this and were cautious around Than, such a strange disorder seemed rather frightening to some of the other children and for the most part they kept away from him just as Than avoided them. Once again he didn’t fit in, he was an outsider, and instead of blaming the move upon his new little sister, Than blamed only his parents.
When Than’s twitchiness became more pronounced, however, his mother took him to see a doctor. The doctor couldn’t find any real explanation for the strange condition and attributed it to stress, “likely from the move and having to fit in at a new school”. He also said that the shaking would go away over time and prescribed special oil that was to be rubbed into the boy’s hands to help “calm the muscles”.
The oil cure was, of course, a complete sham and did nothing to steady Than’s hands. His shakes not only caused him problems socially, but also made sewing difficult. His stitches were always crooked and he tended to poke his fingers often, but he continued to work at it.
When Than was thirteen, Kanya returned home, having completed her final term at the boarding school. Her presence around the house forced Than to stay away from home often, Kanya was less malicious than she had been, but she was still exceptionally cold when dealing with her siblings, even with Minu, now three years old.
Than had graduated from his first school that same year and the next, he’d be sent to a brand new secondary school to continue his education. Here, he found things much different, the students formed little cliques and bunched together, some by social status, others united by common interest. Than still found himself an outsider, that is, until the day his life took another drastic turn.
One of the cliques at the school was comprised of shifty teens from lower-middle class families, some even from the lower ring – a veritable bushel of bad apples. The group’s leader noticed Than all alone and decided to have some fun with the poor boy. He confronted him, with posse in tow, and dared him to slip into the classroom of a very strict teacher and steal their discipline stick.
Than, at first, refused, but the group’s leader threatened to harass him and called him a coward. Half out of fear and half out of determination to prove the boy wrong, Than accepted the challenge and swore to have the dreaded discipline stick in hand at lunch the next day.
The bully leader was pleased to see Than fold under pressure and awaited the next day, knowing full well that the particular teacher spent many hours working in his classroom after hours. In his mind, it was only a matter of time before Than was caught and severely punished.
Suspicious as ever, Than did not attempt to steal the stick during school or daylight hours and slipped out a window in the middle of the night without telling a soul. He reached the school under cover of darkness, managed to squeeze into the classroom through a partially opened window and retrieved the stick from its place behind the desk with little trouble.
Within the hour, Than was back home safe in his bed with the stick in his possession. The experience was invigorating for the teen, as he’d entered the classroom, his hands had steadied and he’d reached a state of great focus, never in his life had he felt such a thrill, so in control. He was so wired from the experience, and looking forward to showing up the bully the next day, that he barely slept.
That next day at school, Than snuck up on the bully leader and gave him a bit of a thwack with the stick from behind. The bully spun around, his posse surrounding Than, they were all shocked to see that he held the stick in his hands, a BAD!y grin upon his face.
The bully leader’s plan had backfired completely and now his group seemed to think Than was quite a capable thief. Defeated, the bully leader snatched the stick from Than’s hands and left the boy, his group in tow. The next day they accepted Than into the group, which came as a bit of a shock to the boy – he now fit in somewhere.
Soon, Than was spending time with the group outside of school. He stole more and more as well, eventually breaking into a home in the middle of the night, the thrill he received from such actions emboldened the boy. Soon he became quite confident in his abilities, but at the same time his paranoia grew with each illegal challenge he accepted.
Ae Cha and Cho Hee began to notice when Than slipped out at night and became worried about him. They told Arun and Chi and one night the parents stayed up and caught Than as he was slipping out. They questioned him and he was unable to come up with good excuse no matter how hard he tried, so being responsible parents, they grounded him.
This severely harmed Than’s standing with his “friends”, they mocked him for obeying his parents and bowing to their will. Than was left with little choice and returned to his solitary ways, though, he did not give up his new found passion and continued to prowl about homes and shops.
Eventually, despite his best efforts, Than was caught in the act while stealing apples from a vendor’s cart and punished. He was forced to repay the man and did so but this small slip up caught his parents’ attention once again and they began to keep him on a tighter leash. Angry at his parents for controlling him, Than sulked about the home, avoiding his family members for weeks.
Seeing their son in such a state, Arun and Chi decided to allow him a bit more freedom, and began to let him visit shops while escorted by his sisters on weekends. Than enjoyed the new freedom but his sisters kept a close eye upon him at all times, occasionally checking his sleeves after exiting shops.
Shortly after Than turned fifteen, he visited a pawn shop where something caught his eye. It was a well-worn Dha Sword sitting on a small stand on the shop’s counter. He carefully approached the sword, looking to the shop’s owner for approval before lifting the weapon to inspect it. The shop owner seemed rather eager to sell the weapon and allowed Than to look it over, commenting several times on the blade’s quality, value and low, low price.
Possessing a fair amount of money from his allowance, and with some help from his sisters, Than managed to purchase the sword on his second visit to the shop. He happily brought it home and showed it to his parents; they asked him just what he intended to do with it and he declared his interest in learning to use the sword professionally.
Both parents were pleased and relived to see their son taking an interest in something, not only legal, but also healthy, a hobby that might help to put some muscle upon Than’s gangly frame. Soon, they found him a martial arts school near to home where Than could take lessons with his sword after school. The couple figured that Than would be so tired after a long day at school and then training with his sword, that he’d have no time or energy left for sneaking about and getting in trouble.
For the most part, this was true and Than stayed out of trouble. Learning to use the Dha was exciting and new to the boy and, despite his shaky hands; he managed to pick up the techniques with little difficulty. The time he spent using his Dha was enjoyable, and Than committed himself to mastering it, but it still couldn’t add up to the thrill of theft and trespassing.
Over the next few years, Than completed his education, continued to attend sword lessons and kept up his shifty nighttime excursions to prowl the neighborhood. Fortunately, Kanya had since moved out of the house again, now staying with a boyfriend on the other side of the middle ring. Than rarely got to see his eldest sister and found this to be an immense relief. Though she had given up playing tricks, she was still the same cruel witch he’d known since his childhood.
When Than finished his schooling, however, his parents urged him to take up a part-time job, he searched around a bit but got bored and decided not to. Next they tried to get him to attend the University, but he didn’t get around to it and the first term started without him. All Than seemed to do was disappear in the mornings, return in the afternoons for his sword then come back for dinner. As time went by, Arun and Chi became weary of their son’s lack of direction.
Ae Cha and Cho Hee were still living at home, but the elder of the two was attending Ba Sing Se University and the other, a dance school, both had part-time jobs and both were quite productive. Little Minu was attending primary school, and Than often walked her there in the mornings, though this seemed to be the only truly helpful thing he did for the family.
So, fed up with Than’s mooching and unproductive lifestyle, as well as continued reports of his prowling and thieving, they decided to take some of Kanya’s advice. A few days after Than’s nineteenth birthday, Arun and Chi gently pushed him ‘out of the nest’, promising that, once he shaped up, got a job and could prove to them that he could support himself through legal means, they would be willing to help him financially with any goals he might set.
With most of his things packed into a large bag, Dha included, Than set out to wander the city in hopes of finding a place to live and a job to support himself with. His parents had given him a bit of start up money, but it wouldn’t last long very long and Than quickly found that it was barely enough for a night or two in a small, nearby hotel.
He remained in the city for a few more days, unable to find a decent job and when what little money he had ran out, he made up his mind to leave Ba Sing Se. At first, Than had considered moving down into the lower ring of the city in hopes of finding cheaper lodging, but the seedy portion of the city sent chills up his spine and caused his hands to shake madly.
Content with no alternatives, Than left the city. It was the first time in his life that he’d left Ba Sing Se but he felt that there wasn’t much point in staying. So, before he ventured off, he sent a final letter to his family stating his intentions and then passed through the great gates of the city, through the Agrarian Zone and beyond the outer wall.
Wandering southwest down a main road, Than found himself in a small town, Ba Sing Se’s great wall still visible off in the distance back toward the north. The sun was low in the sky at the time and Than had just enough money for a room at the local inn, though he would have to skip dinner that night.
The next day, Than searched the town for work, stealing from a fruit vendor for his breakfast. Of the many small shops and stands he visited none seemed in need of help until he visited one with a sign out front that read ‘Makura Sundries’. Slipping into the shop nonchalantly, Than strolled about, inspecting the merchandise as if he were interested in buying.
It seemed a young man owned the shop, or at the very least, was managing the counter at the moment and, to Than, it appeared he was rather bored. As he wandered about the shop, Than began to feel the urge to snatch something up, but before he got a chance to stuff a rather valuable looking dagger sheath up his sleeve, the fellow at the counter addressed him.
Reluctantly, Than entered into a conversation with the man, whose name was revealed to be Shu-zu Makura, the actual owner of the shop. He eventually managed to get Than to explain a bit about his situation and explained a bit about himself and the store in return. Interestingly, Than learned that Shu-zu was indeed in need of help around the shop, he let the younger man know he’d consider the job, not wanting to sound desperate, as he was, and get back to him in a few days.
After three days passed of living off his shifty skills, Than returned to the shop and took a job that involved clerical work – inventory, records, jobs that didn’t require a lot of physical effort or social interaction with customers. Shu-zu paid him decently and the arrangement worked well.
Eventually, however, Than was a bit late on his room payments, while attempting to save up, and the landlord evicted him. With no place to live, he wandered back to work, feeling quite uncertain. Shu-zu got him to explain what had happened and offered to let him sleep in the shop, much to Than’s relief.
With a roof over his head and money to live on, Than came to trust Shu-zu, considering him one of his closest friends – and that, coming from Than, is saying something. Eventually he was able to get another room at a smaller place farther away, but the rate was better and Than could continue saving up his extra money for a rainy day.
The night after Than moved back into a hotel, however, the shop was robbed, nearly everything taken in the span of one evening. The theft had been so thorough, that the shop would likely have to close down until Shu-zu’s next, rather mysterious, shipment of merchandise could arrive and Than would have to go without pay.
Instead of just moving on to a new town, as he might have done before, Than promised to help his friend find the stolen goods and the two eventually tracked down the culprits. A relatively well-funded gang of outlaws were responsible for the theft, and thanks to Than’s shifty skills they managed to break into the earthen warehouse where the items, along with many other stolen things, were being kept.
Unfortunately there was far too much in the warehouse for Shu-zu and Than to retrieve alone and they planned another visit to the location in a few days. When Than reached the shop for the next infiltration, Shu-zu had brought three suspicious looking characters with Ostrich Horses along.
Immediately Than was paranoid, but he trusted Shu-zu to the point where he wouldn’t outright question the strangers’ presence. Throughout the break in at the warehouse and the retrieval of the stolen goods, he kept a close eye on the men, who seemed to speak only in whispers. When nearly all of the loot had been transferred back to the shop, including extra goods they had found in the warehouse, the mysterious fellows carved the symbol of a well known local gang into the sides of the walls to throw off the outlaws.
When the group returned to the shop, Shu-zu conversed with the men in the backroom while Than was instructed to wait out in the main shop. Shaking, paranoid and extremely nervous, Than waited, the idea of slipping out the back door and not coming back crossed his mind several times.
Eventually Shu-zu called Than in to join the group in the backroom, nervously he complied. He took a seat and listened as the men from the raid on the warehouse explained things to him. They were all, Shu-zu included, part of a group calling itself The Rebellion – an organized resistance against the Fire Nation made up of both Earth Kingdom Citizens and folks actually within the Fire Nation itself.
Than was shocked, he knew of the war, yes, and had hoped to avoid it, but he’d heard nothing of a Rebellion. Those present explained more thoroughly and eventually they offered Than acceptance into the group on a low level basis, citing his shifty skills as potentially useful.
Feeling a bit overwhelmed, Than promised he’d keep everything he’d been told a secret but felt that he needed time to think things over before committing. The Rebels seemed a bit reluctant and conversed with Shu-zu privately for a time before leaving the shop in silence.
Shu-zu informed his friend that the Rebels would allow him three days to decided, and then the offer would no longer be available, Than thanked him for his patience in return. Two days later, while working in the shop, Than worked up his courage and let Shu-zu know he was in. The Rebellion would be a great way for Than to indulge in his illegal passions, utilize his sword skills, help his country and also aid his friend.
After being accepted, he continued to work with Shu-zu for a few months more, than traveled southwest into the Si Wong to join up with other Rebels, here he partook in several raids against Fire Nation supply convoys. Over the next few years, Than found himself traveling the country working to further the Rebellion wherever he was needed, occasionally stopping by the shop outside of Ba Sing Se to visit his friend and Ba Sing Se itself to visit his family.
At present, he has left a group in the eastern Earth Kingdom, near Chameleon Bay, and is now on his way to Tachi Dai to learn of the Rebellions newest plans and perhaps find some old friends when he gets there.
Sample RP: Than guided Burcu, his Ostrich Horse, along, down the dirt path heading west. The old mare moved along at an even trot, seemingly oblivious to the world around her, or perhaps she just didn’t care, simply looking forward the next stream of water and bag of oats.
Than, on the other hand, was ever alert, his eyes surveying his surroundings constantly, head turning to check over his shoulder, ears perking at the slightest sound. Nothing would sneak up on him, nothing. The shifty Rebel peered off up ahead, spotting a few large trees that lined the path. In his mind, the trees could conceal something or someone and as he approached, he reached down and gripped the handle of his Dha sword, just to be ready.
A creak caught Than’s attention though, before he could reach the trees and he turned around to look behind him. Coming up on the path, he was shocked to spot a wagon pulled by a single Ostrich Horse. A man and his young daughter were sitting up at the front of the wagon, it appeared they were talking to each other, but the wagon was far enough back to where Than could not make out what they were saying.
He’d seen the wagon before! In the last town, the wagon had pulled in behind him then disappeared, he’d though they had turned off somewhere back behind him, but no, here they were, still on his tail. They’re just far enough back there to keep an eye on me while staying out of range, they don’t know I know that they’re following me! thought Than, his mind fabricating a “plausible” explanation for the Wagon’s reappearance.
With tension mounting, Than and Burcu reached the trees. To the right, between two thick leafy trees, Than could see a relatively clear field of grass. To his left, he found a large collection of bushes blocking his view of what lay on the other side. The wagon was approaching and there was little time, so Than tugged the reigns and dug his heels in sending Burcu charging to the left through the brush. The father and daughter riding upon the wagon heard the crunch of the plants and looked up ahead to see the man on the Ostrich Horse veer off the path wildly.
Madly, man and Ostrich Horse plunged through the brush, Than was certain he was being chased now and pressed poor Burcu on to a full frenzied gallop. The two burst forth from the bushes and back onto the path. A ways ahead, a fork in the road was coming up with a blind corner to the right.
Than guided Burcu around the turn to the right and came to an abrupt halt, a look of utter shock upon his face at the sight before him. Blocking the path, there sat a cartload of cabbages, the cart seemed to have lost a wheel and an older looking man was kneeling beside it, inspecting the axel.
“Road block! Oh no!” shouted Than, in a high-pitched shriek of a voice. The old man turned and looked at him, startled, but before he could speak, Than had yanked the reigns and sent Burcu charging forward and to the left, the edge of her saddle catching the cart’s front handles sending it over onto its side.
As Than rode madly away from the scene the old man cried out after him, something about his cabbages. It served him right for using his cart as a road block, thought Than as he circled back onto the main road, a ways away. Letting Burcu slow to a trot, he looked around; checking back over his shoulder to be certain no one was on his tail. It seemed he was now in the clear and he turned Burcu back toward Tachi Dai – his eventual destination.