Sun Dao

[Sun Dao]

ABOUT THE PLAYER

Player Name/Alias: Dave
Player Age: 22
Player Gender: Male
How did you find us?: Through the Looking Glass
What is the 5th bold rule point in section one of the rules?: OOC account

ABOUT THE CHARACTER

Name: Sun Dao
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Style: Original
Residence: No current place of residence.

THE PERSONALITY

A calm and collected man, Sun Dao does not lose his temper, does not engage in needless conflict or confrontation, and is by all accounts a pacifist. He is well educated, and enjoys being engaged in conversation. Sun Dao prefers to take his time in all things, and prioritizes things that he believes will further his development as a person or help the world and people around him, and so constantly forgets about engagements or plans that he thought were not worth the effort. This leads to him being late to, or completely missing important meetings that discuss things he does not deem important, such as bureaucratic meetings held simply to meet a requirement rather than solve a problem. He is carefree and walks where he pleases, says what he thinks, and would never dream of hurting an innocent person. He is dedicated to increasing his knowledge in all things, and is well known as a dedicated scholar. He does not talk about his family, though he cares for them, Sun Dao was born nobility of high rank, and prefers to keep his family's rank and identity secret, as there are those with unfavorable desires that might be tempted to kill or kidnap a noble for the potential ransom. Instead, he dresses well but seems to be no more than a well off scholar, a target for ransom to be sure, but less so than a well off noble.

THE APPEARANCE

A tall man, Sun Dao keeps his long black hair pulled back or in a traditional bun on top of his head. His face is warm and a smile is never far away, he has a tendency to put those around him at ease. He dresses well, in finely crafted silks giving a hint as to his upbringing. He seems to always be clean, and when traveling rarely seems to collect more than a fine layer of dust. His eyes are friendly in a way that can cause an angry man to forget why he lost his temper in the first place. Dao seems to always be relaxed, and the only part of him that hints at any possibility of aggression is his long bow and quiver of arrows, which he is never without. The satchel full of books, on the other hand, tends to balance out the effect of carrying a weapon.

He is considered tall by many, but not the tallest by a long shot. A bit taller than normal is the best way to describe it. He is slim and relatively well muscled, a life spent travelling and firing a bow have left him with strong legs and arms that are surprisingly powerful. He does not look like a strong man, and that works to his advantage, by all appearances he looks the part of an ordinary scholar.

THE HISTORY

Sun Dao was born the second of many sons to high ranking nobility in what would come to be known as the Korean Peninsula, and at a very young age acquired his taste for knowledge and archery, and quickly the two became tied into one art, with his knowledge of the world and skill with the bow increasing at a steady rate. The calming effect of his archery allowed his mind to absorb information better, and the new knowledge gained allowed him to effectively meditate upon what he learned, enhancing his ability to limit body movement while lining up the perfect shots. He practiced a form of archery relatively unseen outside of his homeland, a style which fires a very short arrow out of half of a tube, an extremely difficult style, but one which is deadly effective. The two arts are one within Sun Dao, and he was quickly recognized as a master archer and accomplished scholar. His days would be spent at various locations in his families estates, ranges, fields, anywhere open space was to be found, and some places it was not. Dao would spend the day with his teachers and instructors, studying texts and practicing his archery, it was not uncommon for a book to be read aloud to him as he practiced, pausing occasionally when the discussion became too involved to concentrate on the target down range.

Years of this passed, and he became fast friends with his retinue of teachers, and his family was always eager to put Sun Dao's skills on display at court. He was the talk of the region before he was half a man, but the time came when it became obvious that in order to further his crafts, Sun Dao would have to see more of the world. His teachers noticed long before Dao himself did, and began making preparations, teaching Dao from books penned by great traveling scholars, hunters, and survivalists. The knowledge gained during this time would save Sun Dao's life multiple times, when he needed to communicate in another language, find water, food, or properly treat wounds and sickness. After he had left, Dao realized how well his mentors had prepared him, and swore to himself to properly thank them all upon his return. While unhappy to let his second son leave, Sun Dao's father recognized the importance to his boy of going away, and with the line of succession already firmly secured, the risk was one worth taking.

It has been years since he left, but Sun Dao has matured and grown since those days, and is eager for the time his journey is complete and he can return home. He has made many friends and allies in these lands, but the constant wars make travel difficult, and he has for some time now considered joining the court of one of the three largest kingdoms. The benefits of putting himself into the service of a kingdom alone would be magnificent, for he would have access to libraries which an unknown traveler otherwise could not, an extremely enticing notion to Sun Dao.

THE WEAPONS

Sun Dao practices the style known as Pyeonjeon, or Pyunjun. It involves firing a "mini-arrow", less than half the size of a regular arrow, from a cut bamboo tube. The arrow flies faster and has greater penetration and accuracy than a typical arrow, as the length of the shaft and the nature of the fletchings, it can spin rather than oscillate in flight. It requires very careful crafting of the arrow, with a modified arrowhead, and the guide (the halved bamboo piece) something which Sun Dao has perfected after years of trial and error. He carries with him a typical curved bow, which along with his quiver and bag of books, is never out of reach. Most often he carries the bow unstrung and tied securely to his back. The disadvantage to this particular style is that Dao must take extra time to nock the next arrow, lowering the speed with which he can fire.

He also tends to carry a well used but well cared for knife tucked into his belt. It is a long blade for a knife, and was originally forged to be a weapon, but Sun Dao has little use for such things, and instead carries it for times when a knife is needed for simple tasks.

[Kyle]

I was wondering when/if good ol' Sun Dao was gonna make an appearance. Approved and shit.