Shuunen

Shuunen
Vital Stats
Full Name:	Shuunen
Age:	Early 20s appearance, age unknown.
Date of Birth:	Unknown
Place of Birth:	Secca
Race:	Mixed breed
Appearance
Hair Color:	Black
Eye Color:	White
Height:	6'1"
Weight:	180
Additional Information
Nickname:	Shu, Skinny
Occupation:	The Lucky Nomad brothel proprietor. Tivaurd employee.
Marital Status:	Engaged
Player:	Alex

Character Background

Shuunen was abandoned within hours of his birth, dropped in a basket in front of an orphanage in West Secca. Growing up among other unwanted and undesirable children, he learned to fend for himself from an early age. His small frame and mixed ancestry made him a target for bullies, and he learned early on that the best way to win a fight was to fight dirty and be willing to do more than the Other Guy to win. His 'Other Guy' philosophy ended up becoming a cornerstone for him as he grew up. By the time he'd turned 9 or 10, he traded the life of a West Seccan orphan for the life of an East Seccan street rat.

Shuunen spent the next four years learning what it meant to go hungry. While the other children his age frolicked and played in Larkegow, he was busy fighting and stealing to scrape a meager living together on the banks of the Sekka River and among the warehouses, docks, and offices of the East Secca harbor. By the time he'd turned 14, he'd learned enough about harbor life to successfully land a job as cabin boy for a small shipping company. The vessel he began on was captained by a man that the crew affectionately dubbed Old Captain. Old Captain took a particular liking to Shuunen, and before long, the captain managed to help Shuunen acquire a more permanent position with the company. Shuunen would remain with this company well into his 20s, sailing all of the known world aboard the Old Captain's vessel.

One fateful evening, somewhere off the coast of Arangoth, Old Captain's vessel, freshly loaded with trade goods, was set upon by pirates. Any who resisted were killed without mercy, and once the white flag had been raised, half the crew lay dead or dying on the deck, including Old Captain. As the pirates came aboard, they gave the crew a simple choice: join them as pirates or be taken prisoner and ransomed back to their home country as soon as it was convenient. Shuunen made the easy decision, and spent the next several years of his life among them. He'd spent nearly a decade at sea by now, and considered the ocean to be his home. It was around this time that he began smoking opium, a habit he continues to this day.

After an indeterminate length of time among pirates, merchants, and even the navy for a brief period, Shuunen took it upon himself to desert his company and strike out on his own, intent upon seeking his fortune in the famous, cosmopolitan port city of Drache. It was here that he happened upon his next employer, Ravynetti Tivaurd, and gained a reputation as a consummate whoremonger.

Since 479, Shuunen has been in Ravynetti's employ, ostensibly working in intelligence. In reality Shuunen has evolved from a mundane scoundrel and pirate into a remarkably proficient rogue and assassin. By 481, Shuunen volunteered for an experimental procedure which grafted a ghost to his central nervous system, permanently bonding his very soul with the soul of one Vesper Sojourn. During the training he underwent afterward, a horrific accident cost him his right arm, which was replaced with a ghastly simulacrum. The arm's appearance is unsettling to most, and he leaves the limb wrapped in black cloth from fingertip to elbow. In 484 he was sent on a mission to the quiet, depressing township of Murkdusk to retrieve some sensitive items from a local vampire queen's residence. After several months of careful planning, the heist was successful. However, his cover was blown before he could make his exit, and the vampire queen attacked him. He survived the attack at the cost of his right eye and the tip of his right ear, which the vampire queen clawed away.

The rogue remains the only person, past or present, to ever manage to gain unauthorized access to the Royal Church Vault, which he managed after the Great Seal was damaged by the attack of a dracolich. He eventually earned enough through his secretive exploits to purchase The Lucky Nomad, one of the more upscale brothels in the Red Lantern District, in 484. The Lucky Nomad stands as one of the few places in Drache, aside from the BlkDragon Inn, where nobles and criminals can freely rub shoulders without fear of suspicion.

A year later, he bought the Drache Home for Wayward Children in the Back Alley District, having a bit of a soft spot for orphaned children. He purchased the institution through a front corporation, and occasionally visits in secret to read stories to the children, who have affectionately dubbed him Uncle Shuunen.

After several chance encounters with Idelle Sarault, former Arms-Lieutenant of the Royal Guard, over the last few years, the two eventually fell in love and announced their engagement in First Seed, 486.

Physical Description

Shuunen stands an inch or two over six feet tall and has sharp, angular features set off by strangely pointed ears, which points to some sort of mixed ancestry even he isn't completely clear on. He has handsome, youthful features marred by a series of four widely-spaced parallel scars running horizontally along the right side of his face and reaching behind his ear. His missing right eye and shorn off right eartip are both attributed to this wound. Black, shaggy hair hangs slightly over his face and down to his shoulder blades in the back.

Physically, he isn't particularly imposing. Overall, his physique is on the thin side, but over the years he's cultivated a hard layer of whipcord muscle. He's stronger than he looks, and about as fast as some savvy fighters might expect.

Talents, Skills, Quirks

Until recently, Shuunen was a bit of a whoremonger. His penchant for women of all kinds generally landed him in trouble. He remains addicted to opium since his days as a pirate all those years ago.

Between his time as a pirate, and later as a thief and assassin for the Tivaurd Familia, he has become remarkably agile and proficient with short bladed weapons, preferring an exotic katar forged for him by Ravynetti, which he affectionately dubbed Bad News. He can be remarkably insightful on the rare occasion, but is generally regarded as a carefree, jovial, impulsive sort of fellow who tends to solve his problems using the most direct possible methods.