Player Name: JQ/ Sixth Gun
Character Number: 2
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Character Name and Pronunciation: Zhouran [show-ran (‘ow’ as in “Ow! that hurt!”, and soft ‘a’)]; also known as “the judge of the East” by those outside his band of raiders.
Gender: Male
Character Rank: Jr. Journeyman Seacrafter; Smuggler
Character Age/Date of birth: 26/ turn ‘19
Family: Father: Kuailan (kwailan) [Tanner. Age 50. D.]
Mother: Died in giving birth to him.
Siblings: None
Children: None
Other Significant: Crew members and the smugglers they now reside with.
Current location: Black Canyon River Caves
Physical description: Dark Brown hair, worn in dreadlocks that are long enough to reach his mid-back. Cutting and thoroughly washing his hair with any frequency is obviously something he does not do. HIs eyes are a dark sepia brown, almonde shaped and shallow set under a brow that only truly appears unkind when it’s furrowed -though he often wears such an expression. He is 5’11” in height and has a trim, flexible, medium frame with a \well-defined musculature built for the labours of the sea trade. His hands are well calloused and his skin is dark from being under the sun.
Keeping his long hair tame with the use of a burgundy scarf tied about his head, he accessorizes himself with the few things that he owns, as that is the easiest way of carrying things around -just wear them. A single silver hoop earring and a duo of necklaces, one of tarnishing silver worn close to his throat, the other of woven twine with a silver pendant hung from it. Four large silver rings adorn his hands, one of them set with a large stone of black obsidian. These pieces of jewelry are amoungst the valuable things he owns. The only thing more valuable, is his runner and his sword, which is similar to a scimitar in its curve. Wearing no proper shirt most of the time, he dons himself in loose, shalwar-like pants, knee-high boots and a typically open vest. Since the evening air often brings a chill and he is out of doors much of the time, he usually wears a long buccaneer coat of soft, weathered, dark brown leather, or of a weathered brocade fabric in black; both coats have large silver buttons adorning them, and wide cuffs at the wrist. A thick, silver and bronze studded belt sits securely at his hips, supporting his sword and a leather satchel for marks or other various items; a blade sheath, housing a dagger strapped to his thigh, was hidden beneath the fall of his coat. Rarely keeping more than one or two extra sets of clothing, he is able to carry all of his belongings with him, able to fit anything larger than his sword within the two saddle bags on his runner’s back wherever he goes; though recently, he’s settled down with another breed of smugglers. Most of what he owns is typically covered in a layer of dust, simply because its hard to keep very clean living like a nomad.
Play By: Wu Chun
Photo Reference: Personality:✣Natural leader, able to inspire (or intimidate) loyalty and unity in those who are a part of his holdless troupe. He is fair with those amoungst them, and treats their group like family. Together, they wrote their own set of laws to abide by while amoungst themselves, and were fairly democratic on their own, with deep respects for one another. Their rules of conduct were to uphold justice so that they did not become corrupt, and if anyone were to be lax in their upholding of them, punishment was swift.
✣Serious, direct and firm in his manner, Zhouran’s stature doesn’t necessarily bespeak him as being an exceptionally intimidating individual, but he is, indeed -most of all, to those who know him. He values life too greatly for his eyes to bear any cold blooded killer’s intent; and that’s not what he is about. He is perhaps most commanding of those closest to him, in order to ensure their vigilance. Of course, this is all a facade he maintains, knowing that such a show of strength is something not only required by them, but expected of him as their Head, and were he not to show that strength outwardly, they could replace him as their leader.
✣Enough wit and quick, tactical thinking to keep him alive this long, it is one trait that has allowed him to maintain his position as the desert privateers’ leader. He is no great strategist however. He has simply learned from their previous Captain, and learned from good life experience.
✣No man’s enemy, no man’s friend, he tries to remain on neutral ground with others, keeping a sort of balance where the expectations of others are concerned.
✣Being an pretty ethical person, even if a bit vengeful, and having been at the receiving end of great injustice himself, he has no qualms qualifying himself as the ‘judge of the East’. He and his band have been considered vigilantes at times, when they have gone after those more deserving of death. They don't terrorize others indiscriminately. Of course, he’s not really sure how he feels about being a ‘righteous’ bandit,and doesn’t want to be tagged with those kinds of expectations, nor the reputation, so he won’t risk his life or the lives of his troupe just to achieve some ‘greater good’. Zhouran doesn’t feel its right using the ‘greater good’ as an excuse to do do the kind of things they do. That’s not their goal, anyway. So, he’s content with simply getting revenge on those who deserve it, and achieving some kind of gain from it in the end. Their own ‘greater purpose’ is simply taking back the lives that were once theirs.
✣He does not take relationships, debts or loyalties with other people lightly, so those who are close to him are very close to him, and the entire group is very cautious about relationships outside of their ranks.
✣Adventurous and free-spirited.
✣Possesses little real greed, but is opportunistic enough to grab at the chance for gain when the chance is set before him. He, nor others within the group, are allowed to possess excessive greed because a desire in one person to possess more than what is necessary for them to survive becomes the downfall of the group as a whole. It creates an imbalance, distrust, encourages foul play, etc, and to ensure their survival and the recovery of their future together, they cannot allow themselves to be controlled by such an unnecessary thing.
✣Not quick to anger, but considers himself decisive or insightful enough to be quick to judge others. He is generally in good control of his temperament, and level headed. But just because he’s not quick to anger doesn’t mean that he’s not quick to defend his holdless troupe, or defend his position within it. He is swift to confront any threat, usually head-on.
✣Lives by the motto of “Strike before others strike”, often using swift, brute force to overcome obstacles, though it’s not completely unknown for him to strike up temporary alliances, or other deals, for gain.
Shortcomings: ✣Too self-righteous to some, but considered a vigilante to others. Thus, “Judge of the East”.
✣Seeing as he grew up without a mother and in a male dominated trade, his circle of peers rarely involved women, so it is no wonder he finds it an awkward thing for him to express any more gentle side of himself. That includes forgiveness.
Mannerisms or Habits:✣Tends to wear primarily serious expressions, not being an overly humourous sort because he feels as though he cannot allow himself that kind of luxury lest he should lose respect in the sight of his peers, thereby weakening his position amoungst them.
Skills/Likes: ✣
[Fighting]: Taught by his father the importance of life and how to be a strong man of good character, some form of self-defense was in order. Growing up in an almost strictly man’s trade, he was always brawling, fighting, rough housing, etc, so these things started to come naturally to him. He does utilize some recognizable technique, but ‘fighting is different than martial arts’. For him, as he’s grown up, especially now, it has become his survival.
✣
[Working toward and Fulfilling a purpose]: No leader can lead without a purpose, and inspiring the desire to fulfill that purpose within his people. Purpose unifies people. It lends a sense of gratification and makes people feel justified in their actions. Purpose makes people happy. And eventually, his purpose/ their purpose will allow them to reclaim their lives and status as rightful Seacrafters.
Dislikes/Unskillful at: ✣
[Injustice]: There is no need in the world for the hurt that injustice will inevitably cause -he and those close to him have suffered a great deal due to injustices which did not even directly involve them. But the fallout was enough to ruin them. They remember it all too clearly.
✣
[Greed]: Greed can be the cause of injustice. Often that is the case, but it all leads to a world of hurt and unhappiness. Often, he finds himself reminding their troupe of their purpose, and reminding them that they may not be righteous bandits, but that they are not simply out for the stockpiling of wealth either. They have a goal, and the resources they gather, and the information they gather, will allow them to be rectified. But greed alone, will never rectify them; it will draw them into deeper ruin and discord. With greed alone, they would fall apart.
Theme song: None
History:✣Mother having died in giving birth to him, Zhouran was raised by his father in a seaside cotholding north of East Hold. His father was a tanner and brought the boy up in a good home, without any tendency toward violence or other disreputable things. He thought that his son would want to follow in his own footsteps and become a tanner like he, because he’d always shown at least some interest in the craft. But when Zhouran turned the appropriate age to begin his apprenticeship, the boy had apparently gotten other ideas. His heart had turned to the freedom and excitement, and the mysticism of the sea.
Since they lived near East Hold, it was not a far jaunt to enroll him in the schooling he so desired. The boy was a hard worker and dedicated to the tasks given to him, never leaving a job undone, so his father was sure he would thrive in even the highly demanding seacraft professions.
Throughout his apprenticeship, he’d spent his days at East Hold, where his father traveled to see him every few days, unless he was kept out at sea for some longer period of time. Over time, his experience became more varied and he would have a broader choice in craft specialization as he advanced. Zhouran relished every day he was able to live free and on the sea, out of reach of the troubles that preoccupied the lives of most others. At least, that’s what he once believed.
He first worked under a master fisher, and after a turn of working in the fishercraft decided to try his hand at what he considered a more exciting branch of the trade. He decided to become a privateer, protecting from the smugglers along the coast. Only, there were a limited number of vessels that carried out such work and they were difficult to become a part of; many times, their crew were made up of soldierborn or those of similar background who took on special training for seacraft. So, though he was old enough to join them, Zhouran’s prior experience, he was afraid, might not be enough to admit him.
✣Maybe it was pure dumb luck, but Zhouran managed to meet their entry qualifications, and one of the privateer vessels was looking to replace one of their injured sailors.
Zhouran felt as though he’d found his home away from home. He was comfortable with his station and this way of life, and it lent them all a sense of satisfaction to know that what they were doing -safeguarding the waters and the shores of Igen- would somehow make a difference in the lives of others. Their Master Captain was considered a very stern man, hardened by the lifestyle he led, but he’d made a family of the crew, and everyone respected him. In Igen, he had become known as a Judge of the Sea; his crew were the enforcers of his judgement.
At the age of 19, there was an unrest amoungst Eastern Hold’s ship Captains -a dispute over supremacy on the sea. One of the few privateering captains had vied to take credit for the tracking down of thieves/smugglers who’d fled for the islands located further North East, knowing that they could easily disappear there, but the credit was not theirs to be had, and the capture of the criminals was handled by Zhouran’s ship. Soon, Zhouran’s captain had been betrayed by those they’d thought were their friends. The Captain was removed of his title and his ship; and any who followed him would be given the same treatment.
The crew however, were dedicated to their captain, and followed after him, thinking that surely justice would be served and before long, they’d be returned to their stations on their ship. With the remaining few Captains poised to preserve their influence however, afraid that if he were to return, they would be ruined, there would be no such luck to act in their favour.
The Judge of the Seas of the East and his men were forced to leave the major hold and find other roads in life to tread. Funny then, that they landed themselves in a sea of open plains and steppes instead. Their captain bent on having their dignity and way of life returned to them, avenging those who’d betrayed them, they first had to keep themselves alive and learn to survive in a place where they would remain relatively unnoticed by the privateering captains until they were able to get themselves in an advantageous enough position to fight back against them. So, it was there that they began living like the nomadic holdless bands of Pern. To survive, they demanding goods and services of traders, holdless or cotholds they ran across, in exchange for protection or a guide along their way. It was shady, but it was the only way they could survive on their own without lowering themselves to being outright thieves; even if they did use bullying tactics and brute force to obtain what was necessary for them to live on. However, they had no qualms with taking what was left behind by the dead.
Eventually, since they were competing again for position, this time as the top dogs of their new territory, the troupe of wandering privateers began taking it on themselves to rid their particular region of any groups/ bandits/ holdless etc, that would otherwise make their lives more difficult. As the 30 of them swept the southern parts of Igen, either gaining the loyalties of or killing those groups who stood in their way, their Captain soon became known as the Judge of the East, and just as they’d done before, the rest of the crew were his enforcers. The corpses of those judged as ‘deserving of death’ are those they glean for what little wealth they had. They became one of the most formidable groups of holdless in the vast area surrounding East Hold, rarely making that journey back to their place of origin. At least not yet.
They’d acquired for themselves enough Runners for every one of them, and had become fairly well established, with a sizable, hidden outpost of their own, on their way to having a firm enough foothold that they would soon be able to wrest the advantage over the privateering captains back in their favour and begin planning their next series of moves.
Just before Zhouran’s 21st birthday, the troupe of men had come across a lead, which should have offered a great opportunity for them. A group of traders had traveled through the area, and during their journey, tipped off the plain’s privateers that their enemy in East Hold was ailing, and something had happened which caused quite an upset amoungst the small circle of privateering Captains. Right away, several of the troupe wanted to make haste for East Hold to position themselves to make the move to reclaim their ranks there amoungst the Seacrafters, but their Captain did not think it was time. It was too risky, and he didn’t want to act in haste with carelessness.
It was apparent that from that time, a division began to form amoungst them. And using a number of sabotaged events to discredit the captain, those who’d begun to oppose him, were solidifying their own resolves.
✣At the age of 21, Zhouran was returning to their camp from a five day journey to/from the nearest minor holding, where he’d been sent to gather a few supplies. Only, on their return, they would find that the group’s Captain and First Mate, along with four other men, had been slain. While they’d been away, tensions had come to a head, and those who’d secretly opposed their Captain, had used the absence of nearly ⅓ of the group to their advantage, taking control of the rest of them by force.
The leader of the mutiny however, seemed to think that if he’d already secured his dominance in the time the rest of them were away, that the others would simply fall into line, unable to take any action of their own. Of course it was not in Zhouran’s nature to stand idly by and allow the same kind of injustice that had been shown to them before.
Deep within their own consciousness though, those who’d opposed the Captain understood that Zhouran and the others were going to be an impressive force to have to rise against if they decided to resist; they just couldn’t admit it to themselves how great a threat Zhouran was going to be to their success. They’d hoped for the best and not planned for the worst, like they should have. Of course, it was likely that it wouldn’t have mattered either way. Zhouran became a torrent of targeted malevolence, and with the help of those who had been loyal to their previous Captain, destroyed everyone involved in the mutiny, and anyone whose loyalty he questioned.
It was from that day forward that Zhouran took their Captain’s place. He was not experienced enough to be a captain of the seacraft, but he possessed the the strength and the wit, enough tactical ability to lead them. He was no cruel dictator, but has maintained an unwavering dominance within their ranks to maintain order and set the troupe back in the right direction, making sure that they don’t lose sight of their true goal. First he dominated by sheer willpower and brute force, but gradually then, earned their respect by other means, to act as their leader.
He makes no room for greed or traitors. They only survive as a group/ a family. They can only carry on as a perfectly unified force. There was and is no other way for them. So, that is how he has maintained them over these last few turns as the new ‘Judge of the desert’.
Their number has grown back to its original 30 since then, now incorporating at least a couple of women, but no children. They still harbour their grudge against those who caused them to fall so far from where they once stood. With that bit of vengeance in mind, they continue to strive toward that goal of reclaiming their lost lives.
✣Fairly recently, he heard that his father passed away, but Zhouran has yet to travel back to his place of birth to verify those claims. In part because of his commitment to the now-holdless group he leads, and in part because he would rather remember his father and the home he grew up in as they are in his memories. Then, in that way, his father will never be dead to him. Zhouran also does not wish to return to the home of his father with nothing to admit to family or friends except that he now lives life like the holdless -though he could say ‘privateer of the plains’. But that sort of claim would never be acceptable to them; so he must reclaim his life first. And the lives of the crew who now follow him.
Though their turns together since having left Eastern Hold were not completely without incident, mutiny aside, there are still at least 14 or so of the original crew left alive. Some have died of disease or, of course, mutiny, but those remaining form a strong bunch. There are those of the group who have the experience to possibly take up the Captain's old position once they return to the seas, but living life as bandits hasn't required them to arrange that kind of hierarchy amoungst themselves. For now, leadership in their band is determined by he who has the firmest hand of justice and the ferocity to carry out punishment.
In the five years since the mutiny, there has been no other opportunity to make a move at Eastern Hold to reclaim their places there. That chance had been lost with the death of their Captain and the mutiny. Even after there was an establishing of hierarchy again, they didn't have the capability at that point to try to make a move on their own. It might take turns to regroup all their efforts and find another opportunity to strike at those who'd made them what they were.
By chance, Zhouran recently ran across a men who were running in league with Distillers and smugglers, who'd fallen on their own hard times. Hearing what they could tell him of their tale, Zhouran empathized with the group, thinking that together, they could find strength in numbers and with their varied talents, work for one another's benefit. Zhouran needed to find a ship for his crew if they were ever going to compete on the open seas again, and the distillers needed a better way to get around blockades and privateers who were positioned to stop them from transporting their goods. Thus, an agreement for an exchanged of services rendered was made, though Zhouran let them know up front that he would find qualm with being asked to steal something from those who were not deserving of having their lives taken. Zhouran did not appreciate wanton murder where the victims were innocent, nor would he steal from those who were; but he would not hold back if there was a chance to kill or steal those who were deserving of it.
Zhouran and his crew then, prepared to relocate, moving themselves to a camp off the banks of the Black Rock River. The move took them many weeks, and the trek was difficult, but they were a troupe of hardened men. They were glad to arrive at their final destination however, each of them feeling a little closer to attaining what they'd so longed for. It was hardly a matter that the smugglers had yet invited them into their hidden canyon hide aways.
Craft: Seacrafter
Rank: Jr. Journeyman (Only because their work on the sea came to a halt a little while back, thus putting a hold on his training as it were. Though that doesn’t mean that life experience amoungst the dynamics of that same group didn’t continue to teach him some things while they were doing other things.)
Training location: East Hold
Specialty: Privateer. (Now Smuggling). Is familiar with the work of a Swabbie, Oarsman, Rigger, Cabin Boy, Cargo Master, and Sailing Master. He knows little about the work of Carpenter-Surgeons, First Mates and Captains outside the obvious, but knows enough about the other positions taken by crew on a ship to make due in their oversight, or in order to assist in performing them. Of course, every day is an adventure in learning, but eventually perhaps he’ll become a master of something.
