Player Name: James
Name: Lu Jīnwū - The Sea Raven
Age: 30
Race: Human
Height: 5'1"
Weight: 145 lbs
===Physical Description===
Jīnwū is a small man for his profession, barely two inches over five feet in height. There have been times when, to Jīnwū's amusement, strangers have mistaken his much larger first mate Jun-Seong as captain. It has never bothered Jīnwū, as such misconceptions create an immediate advantage in negotiations when the captain's identity is revealed.
What the pirate captain lacks in physical presence, though, he makes up for in martial skill and strategy. The majority of his lean physique consists of wiry muscle built up through years of martial training and piracy.
===Possessions===
Weapons
2x Jiujiebian (nine-section chain whip),
2x Hu Tou Gou (Tiger Head Hook/hook sword)
2x Gōu Yú Biān (hook and chain)
Ship (To be named and described in more detail)
Personal belongings (to be expanded on)
===Powers or Strengths===
(To be expanded/clarified)
==Martial Arts==
Expert user of the Jiujiebian (nine-section chain whip), the Hu Tou Gou (Tiger Head Hook/hook sword) and the Gōu Yú Biān (hook and chain). Adept at Nian style empty-handed techniques.
==Acrobat==
(both aided and unaided by qigong)
==Skilled Pirate Captain==
(To be expanded, and also covered slightly in the history. Jīnwū learned under the tutelage of Nian Yi Sao, leader of the Nian Pirate Fleet)
==Magical Talent: Nian Family Qigong==
Jīnwū 's most useful Qigong technique is the art of 'Qinggong': with preparation through certain breathing exercises and physical motions to channel his qi (the term for an aspect of magical energy used by the Fenghuang, Tianlong, and Nian shifters), Jīnwū can gain limited and localised control over his own gravity, enabling incredible feats of gravity-defying acrobatics and mid-leap aerial combat.
Jīnwū has also developed admirable control of his Shang (upper) Dantien allowing him to, over time, sense the flow of qi. This can occasionally prove useful under combat conditions if a match becomes drawn out due to an equal match of ability and Jīnwū is thus provided the time to direct qi through his Shang Dantien.
===Weaknesses===
(To be expanded more.)
==Small==
Not so much a physical limitation as a social one. Jīnwū gives a poor first impression in a profession where brawn frequently triumphs over brains.
==Regret over life choices==
Leaving home for the wrong reasons, pursuing a life of piracy
==Inner conflict==
The necessity of killing vs loyalty to Nian Yi Sao
==Reputation: soft hearted==
Whilst in most societies compassion is seen as a good thing, within pirate circles it is shameful to spare victims a second thought. It's a cruel business, and soft-hearted pirates rarely survive long. Many captains in the Nian Fleet feel that Jīnwū is too soft to make a good captain, and many who wish to earn the right to captaincy give Jīnwū a special place in their dark ambitions. Jīnwū has been challenged under the formal code of the Nian Fleet several times by those who would see themselves as captain of his ship instead of 'the softhearted sea raven'. Thus far, Jīnwū's skill at combat and Qigong have periodically reminded such challengers of why he earned the name 'Sea Raven' to begin with.
=====History=====
===Childhood===
Jīnwū had nine brothers. Five died of plague, one died of tetanus after stepping on a rusted sickle, one was born with weak lungs and didn't last six months. The other two brothers, as part of the Tian Xian system of military conscription, had been serving in the Northern Army when a small outbreak of hostilities with Xiongnu tribesmen resulted in their deaths.
As the tenth son, his parents named him 'Jīnwū' after the sun raven spared by Houyi the archer when, according to one folk legend, the 10 Sun Ravens' (known as sanzuwu) combined presence were burning the world.
Coincidence or not, the tenth son has lived longer than any of his other brother's managed. Jīnwū's luck has always been good. Just, never quite working in the way he'd like.
===An Unusual Adoption===
It has been said that 'A single word, said or misheard, can change a man's fate'. For many people, it is just a saying. For Jīnwū, the saying defines the path his life has taken.
Jīnwū ran away from home as a young child to escape being conscripted into the army as a replacement for his brothers. It was a misunderstanding caused by the young child overhearing a section of a conversation between his parents regarding their hopes that Jīnwū would not be conscripted.
In the hindsight brought on by adulthood, Jīnwū blames his own stupidity for that turn of events, for some years later he realised he was too young at the time to have been conscripted - that realisation has taught Jīnwū the value of thinking things over.
However, at the time Jīnwū's decision was made, he thought with childish earnestness that his future was at stake. An intelligent child, despite his error, luck and a willingness to lie carried Jīnwū with a mostly-full belly and clean water from compassionate farmer ("I got lost, and am on my way home") to negligent innkeeper ("Nobody will notice me take a couple of milletcakes") right up until he stowed away on a wagon and arrived in the port town of Lianyungang ('The Port connected to the Clouds' near Lian island.
It was in the port that the luck of Jīnwū again showed its true double-edged nature. One evening, after several days of very little food, and failing to determine what he should do now he had run away, the young Jīnwū fell asleep in a dockside alley. Those with poor luck might have not awoken, or awoken in the company of a perverse predator. Those with good luck might have awoken to the realisation they'd made a terrible mistake and make their way home. Jīnwū's luck had him waketo the rocking sensation of a boat on water, and the sloshing of waves against a wooden hull.
The paths of a man's destiny can be strange, and few more so than the chain of events which led to Jīnwū's huddled form catching the sharp eyes of the pirate Nian Yi Sao. Circumstances had led to the pirate queen visiting port Lianyungang to replenish certain supplies in a ship only recently captured. Her cabin attendant had died in the most recent battle and something in Jīnwū's face, even when asleep, hinted at the child's determined personality.
It was an act of curiosity, not mercy, which caused Nian Yi Sao to pick Jīnwū to be her new cabin boy. Despite this fact Jīnwū, who felt Yi Sao had saved him from death by starvation, has carried a sense of life-debt towards the pirate queen from that time onwards.
===The Chains of Fate===
Jīnwū quickly learned that Yi Sao was a strict but fair mistress. All members of her fleet followed, and were punished or promoted in accordance to, the same set of rules. A powerful Nian shifter and martial artist, Yi Sao had ruled the fleet unchallenged for many years, as no other pirate had either the charisma, will, or strength of arms to press a viable claim to the title.
In Jīnwū she recognised a potential talent for the Nian family Qigong (a style which descended, through a complicated history, from a Feng School dissident who had left the Kunlun mountains several generations ago). Nian Yi Sao was a petite but fierce woman, whose martial arts were designed to accomodate her strengths. Jīnwū's physical growth was hampered by a history of poor eating, and was ill suited to many of the more popular pirate weapons. But the youth was quick of mind and reflex, and Yi Sao instructed one of her crew to instruct him the arts of the Jiujiebian (9-section chainwhip) and the Hu Tou Gou (Tiger head hooksword) as a way to see if her appraisal of the youth were correct.
The first few years as a pirate were difficult for Jīnwū, yet exciting. It was hard to remain homesick when one barely had a spare moment to scratch oneself. Every day was filled with non-stop activity, from learning the ropes of shiphandling, serving Yi Sao as a cabin boy, and martial training. Every crew member on Yi Sao's flagship was expected to practice diligently, with a roster set up to ensure no crewmember slacked off. The Nian fleet lived by the saying 'Strong Fist, Strong Fleet', and it was expected that the crew of Yi Sao's ship maintain peak fitness and combat readiness. Eventually, Nian Yi Sao and the crew of the ship replaced Jīnwū's parents when he thought of 'family', and his loyalty to Yi Sao bordered on fanatical.
===The Sea Raven===
By the time Jīnwū reached age sixteen, life at sea under Nian Yi Sao had sculpted his body into a small bundle of wiry muscle and energy, perfectly suited for on-ship acrobatics and climbing. Though rarely able to win an arm-wrestling much, even prior to learning Qigong Jīnwū could jump higher than most, and land safely when jumping from the heights of a ship.
In this time Jīnwū had also achieved Yi Sao's expectations. The young pirate had felt an intense need to prove himself to the woman who had saved his life, and fought fiercely in every battle they were involved in. The folk legend behing his name, coupled with his penchant for acrobatic feats, earned him the nickname 'Sea Raven' among the crew.
However, at this time, the youth had in some ways started to become unsure of himself. Jīnwū realised quickly that he did not share in his comrades enjoyment, or indifference, with regards to killing. The only way Jīnwū could justify his actions was in the context of combat, when the other person was trying to kill him. Outside of battle, the idea of killing an unarmed man made the young Jīnwū feel ill. Although he tried to hide it, doing so in such a tightknit environment was impossible. However, as a mere crewmember, his reputation for softness outside of battle was overshadowed by his fierce effectiveness within battle, and the stigma which would later inconvenience his career was not yet felt. It was a credit to Nian Yi Sao that, recognising this 'weakness' in Jīnwū, she did not equate it to weakness as a pirate: so long as he fought well when it mattered, what he did or didn't do to the conquered was of little concern, so long as the battle was won.
It was around this period that Jīnwū and Ryu Jun-Seong became acquainted by a peculiar turn of events
===Sword and Whip===
(This section is very much a work in progress. I've put this in as a potential 'take' on the first meeting for inspiration)
Current notes on the topic from discussions:
1: Jun-Seong stowed away on a ship gathering supplies for Yi Sao's flagship
2: Jīnwū discovered Jun-Seong in the rice storage area. Given his distaste for killing outside of the heat of battle, Jīnwū is inclined towards seeking a solution which doesn't result in an unarmed child's blood on his hands.
3: Something about the interaction with Jun-Seong (yet to be described) impresses the young Jīnwū enough to approach Nian Yi Sao with a request to offer Jun-Seong 'The Captive's Choice' (Joining the Nian Shou fleet, death, or ransom)
4: Jun-Seong becomes a pirate alongside Jīnwū, with Jīnwū being held responsible for the youth until Jun-Seong reaches age 16.
===A Lion teaches the Raven flight===
Regardless of any personality defects, Jīnwū's unwavering loyalty and diligence in training persuaded Yi Sao that the young pirate was indeed worthy and ready to receive the teachings of Nian Qigong, as well as instruction in the Gōu Yú Biān (a weapon combining both hooksword and nine-section chainwhip)
As with any qigong descending from the Feng style, Jīnwū's physical training was but the preface for developing the true essence of Qigong. Having achieved physical readiness, Jīnwū must attain mental readiness, which involved cultivation of patience and control of his dantiens through special combinations of breathing and physical motion. Typically, this will prove difficult for someone used to the the physical intensity of the training up until that point, as remaining still or moving slowly for lengthy periods of time can seem counterintuitive by that stage. And yet,those who master such patience and mental control, after having mastered their body, have the potential to become powerful martial artists. In some ways, it was Jīnwū's compassion which allowed him to take in Yi Sao's training. The struggle between his own internal moral compass and his actions was akin to the struggle between action and inaction at the core of understanding the Nian lineage of Feng Qigong.
Years passed. Each year would see Jīnwū and the rest of the crew battling storms, calms, and the crews of other ships. Each year Jīnwū battled the contradiction of violent action in contrast for his desire to spare life. Each year Jīnwū practiced the extraordinarily slow and graceful movements of the Nian style taolu (qigong training forms) and the breathing meditations required to cultivate and sense the qi within and around him. The qigong training shaped Jīnwū's mind where the earlier training had shaped his body. Always quickwitted, Jīnwū developed patience and strategy under Yi Sao's tutelage.
Jīnwū did not realise it, focused as he was on learning and doing his duty, but Yi Sao had even then started considering the devoted pirate as a potential captain. When discussing this with one of her lieutenants in the fleet, the lieutenant questioned Jīnwū's qualms about killing the unarmed. Yi Sao responded by stating "Even the Crab has a soft centre".
At age 26, Jīnwū had become a proficient student of Nian Style Qigong, and was inevitably the first into battle during boarding actions due to his comfort with aerial acrobatics. Jīnwū's ferocity with the combination of Hooksword and Gōu Yú Biān frequently cleared a space in his wake allowing his crewmates to enter the fray behind him, earning him respect.
===The Reluctant Captain===
Jīnwū's double-edged fortune then took a hold. One of Yi Sao's many captains, a large man named Wei Gang, had been rumoured to be disobeying the Fleet's code. Although no evidence had been provided, Yi Sao needed the man replaced before things got out of hand. Yi Sao ordered Jīnwū to challenge the captain for his position. For Jīnwū, this was not the bounteous fortune which others of the crew assumed, for it involved a lose-lose situation: death if he lost or, if if he won, separation from the woman who had been his teacher and the anchor by which he had been able to weather the storms of his more troubling moral dilemmas.
The battle between Jīnwū and Wei Gang is still occasionally referred to. Wei Gang, a practitioner of Dong Family Qigong (A lineage descended from Huang Style Qigong), was a behemoth of a man when compared to the small and agile Jīnwū. Dong Family Qigong specialised in rock-like stability and the Iron Chest technique. The captains present for the challenge later described it as a battle between a snake and a giant. At first, Jīnwū's efforts seemed futile: every lash of the Gōu Yú Biān would be met with Wei Gang's intake of breath, and the bladed tip of Jīnwū's chain would bounce off his opponent. Likewise, Wei Gang's powerful and precise counterattacks with the Guandao polearm failed to find purchase on the swift Jīnwū.
In the end, it was Jīnwū's skill for strategy that changed the flow of the duel. With each exchange Jīnwū focused on using his Shang (upper) Dantien to sense the flow of his opponent's qi, rather than using his own qigong offensively or defensively. Constantly moving, the nine-section chain of his Gōu Yú Biān a blur, Jīnwū tested the swiftness of Wei Gang's Iron Chest technique. Jīnwū discerned a slight gap in the timing between the moment where Wei Gang dispersed his qi to protect his body, and when he performed his counterattack. The choice of a polearm by Wei Gang typically made that gap irrelevant, as to stay within its range after a failed blow would be deemed suicidal by most fighters. For Jīnwū, who had carefully studied his opponent, the weakness would be his one means of achieving a sound victory.
A flurry of whipping chain danced around the powerful and broad cuts of the Guandao and Jīnwū lead Wei Gang into a pattern of defense and attack against the serpentine strikes of the smaller pirate's Gōu Yú Biān. And then Jīnwū made his move, a feint seeming like all of his prior attacks, but which brought the smaller pirate a fraction closer. Instead of retreating to let his chain maintain momentum, Jīnwū timed himself to the flow of Wei Gang's qi, and as the large pirate gathered himself for a counter Jīnwū leaped. Adopting the tigerpaw fist, Jīnwū crushed Wei Gang's throat, preventing him from immediately drawing breath or qi. Wei Gang, much larger and stronger, released his right hand from the Guan Dao long enough to backhand Jīnwū across the deck. As the larger pirate fought for breath, he nonetheless bore down on Jīnwū with Guandao raised. Jīnwū, for the first time in that battle, concentrated his qi throughout his body. The small pirate rolled away from Wei Gang and onto his feet, leaping backwards to encourage Wei Gang to pursue him.
Wei Gang, unable to breathe, had little choice but to try and finish the fight quickly and fell into Jīnwū's trap. The Sea Raven flew, a gravity defying leap with chainwhip leading, its tip momentarily wrapping around the Guandao and giving Jīnwū the leverage he needed to arc higher than the descending cut of the Guandao. As Wei Gang began to spin and sweep the Guandao to cut down the enemy now behind him, Jīnwū placed the hook of his sword around Wei Gang's neck, its tip cutting open the larger pirate's throat.
Wei Gang did not fall for another minute, the large pirate's incredible endurance and rage keeping him upright and swinging his Guando wildly at Jīnwū. When Wei Gang finally fell to Jīnwū's chain whipping into his temple, Jīnwū gazed down at the corpse, his face an inscutable mask. As his soon-to-be-former crewmates cheered, and Nian Yi Sao smiled her satisfaction, Jīnwū mourned the loss of 'belonging' to a crew. Uneasy with thoughts of his change in status, Jīnwū acknowledged his victory with a bow, and cleaned the blood off his weapon while Yi Sao spoke the formal words of congratulations to a successful challenger. Only when she reached the words "..and keep the honour of the Nian Fleet and its leader" did Jīnwū's gaze regain focus. It was true, though separated from Nian Yi Sao, he could still honour her as a captain, though less directly than as one of her crew. It was cold comfort, but comfort nonetheless.
===The Sea Raven's new nest===
(Once I have a better feel for Jīnwū and Jun-Seong's interactions, I will need to update this with how Jun-Seong becomes first mate)
Taking command of another's ship is a difficult thing. Part of the Nian Fleet's enduring strength though was due to a consistent code of behaviour meant to be followed by each ship in the fleet. One of the provisions in the code had to do with challenging captains, and the consequences. For Jīnwū, this meant he had a responsibility to ensure the wellbeing and diligence of his crew in keeping with the objectives of the Nian Fleet. Thus, it was an accepted thing for a crew to have a new captain. However, when the replaced captain had been a large and powerful man, and the replacement is a small and unimpressive man, it makes for a difficult handover.
Jīnwū received no assistance, as per custom. Having left the crew of Yi Sao's flagship in a captain's challenge, by custom Jīnwū was to handle all difficulties with his own abilities and resources without calling upon former crewmates. Despite that, Jīnwū had not spent the better half of two decades as Nian Yi Sao's attendant without paying attention. He knew the habits of a captain, the mannerisms of a captain, and the decisions a captain needed to make. He had just never needed to take on that role before now.
Yi Sao gave Jīnwū one piece of advice before their parting: "Talk softly, so they must be quiet to hear you. Carry a whip to let them know you speak. In time, your voice will become the whip". As with all things, Jīnwū took Yi Sao's advice to heart, and examined the purpose and meanings of her statement.
Jīnwū never raised his voice. Even when in vehement arguments, he kept his voice soft and level. If one of his crew overstepped the bounds they would suddenly find the chainwhip in Jīnwū's hands and a vicious gleam to Jīnwū's eyes - another habit he had learned from Nian Yi Sao. Jīnwū never bluffed, never bragged, always kept his word with both pledges and punishments. In this way, and by continuing his tradition of leading all boarding actions, Jīnwū earned the respect of his crew, but not their friendship. Wei Gang had been their friend, and Gang's death was still a shadow over interactions between captain and crew in the early years.
===Recent Days===
(I will likely use this section to help segue into the first RP after discussion with Jer)
---Notes to Self---
* Discuss with Jer exactly how and when Jīnwū and Jun-Seong met (Current plan: when Jun-Seong was 13 and Jīnwū was 16), and maybe tweak one or both characters' ages/histories a bit to match up their timelines better.
* Negotiate details about the ship and its crew (I am, at present point, envisaging a primarily Tian Xian crew, with some mixed-blood crew) and figure out how Jīnwū and Jun-Seong have interacted from the time they have been acquainted. The two characters will need to mesh well for the present scenario to work out.
Lu Jīnwū
Re: Lu Jīnwū
Still a lot to do. Aspects of the history will likely be changed to better weave the characters of Lu Jīnwū and Ryu Jun-Seong together.
Re: Lu Jīnwū
(What was I thinking, back in the day, using my Darrik account to make new character app pages. Well, screw it, I logged in as Jinwu, and I'm posting the updated app as Jinwu =D )
Jinwu is ready for assessment as below:
--------------------------------------------------------
Player Name: James
Name: Lu Jīnwū - The Sea Raven
Age: 30
Race: Human
Height: 5'1"
Weight: 145 lbs
===Physical Description===
Jīnwū is a small man for his profession, barely two inches over five feet in height. There have been times when, to Jīnwū's amusement, strangers have mistaken his much larger first mate Jun-Seong as captain. It has never bothered Jīnwū, as such misconceptions create an immediate advantage in negotiations when the captain's identity is revealed.
What the pirate captain lacks in physical presence, though, he makes up for in martial skill and strategy. The majority of his lean physique consists of wiry muscle built up through years of martial training and piracy.
===Possessions===
Weapons
2x Jiujiebian (nine-section chain whip),
2x Hu Tou Gou (Tiger Head Hook/hook sword)
2x Gōu Yú Biān (hook and chain)
Ship The Sea Dragon (or Hailong Hao)
Personal belongings
Clothing for fighting, hardy clothing for daily sailing, and good clothing for formal events/shore visits.
Captains log.
===Powers or Strengths===
==Inevitable Martial Arts Badassery==
Expert user of the Jiujiebian (nine-section chain whip), the Hu Tou Gou (Tiger Head Hook/hook sword) and the Gōu Yú Biān (hook and chain). Adept at Nian style empty-handed techniques. Also known as the 'jumpy-flippy-nonsense' style of combat. How the hell does he even make it work? Magic, that's how. But here in Tian Xia that specific kind of physical/martial magic is called Qigong (see below)
==Acrobat==
He's like a monkey. A monkey with a license to plunder and kill. His acrobatic feats can be both aided and unaided by qigong. See 'jumpy-flippy-nonsense' above.
==Magical Talent: Nian Family Qigong==
Jīnwū's most useful Qigong technique is the art of 'Qinggong': with preparation through certain breathing exercises and physical motions to channel his qi (the term for an aspect of magical energy used by the Fenghuang, Tianlong, and Nian shifters), Jīnwū can gain limited and localised control over his own gravity, enabling incredible feats of gravity-defying acrobatics and mid-leap aerial combat.
Jīnwū has also developed admirable control of his Shang (upper) Dantien allowing him to, over time, sense the flow of qi. This can occasionally prove useful under combat conditions if a match becomes drawn out due to an equal match of ability and Jīnwū is thus provided the time to direct qi through his Shang Dantien.
==Prestigious position: Pirate Captain==
Jīnwū learned his craft under the tutelage of Nian Yi Sao, leader of the Nian Pirate Fleet. Although only a captain for four years as of present day, Jinwu has earned a reputation on his ship for fairness, courage, and competence.
===Weaknesses===
==Small==
Not so much a physical limitation, more of a social one. Jīnwū gives a poor first impression in a profession where brawn frequently triumphs over brains. When the average pirate captain is a mountain of muscle and beligerance, the small and softly-spoken Jīnwū is often overlooked by those who have not seen him in action first hand.
==Regret over life choices==
Jīnwū has reached a stage where he is wondering what he is doing with his life. His regrets include leaving home for the wrong reasons, pursuing a life of piracy, responsible for the death of many men whose misfortune was crossing paths with his ship. His sense of duty to Yi Sao overrides his qualms, but they still gnaw at his insides.
==Inner conflict==
Jīnwū's fierce loyalty to Yi Sao underpins his every action. But beneath that Jīnwū still questions the necessity of killing so many people over the course of his career. But the fleet's code is clear on the subject of a captive's choices, and disobedience would inevitably bring his own death. However, as a result Jinwu has been known to spend far too much effort trying to convince captives of an option which did not require their deaths. This has not gone unnoticed.
==Reputation: soft hearted==
Whilst in most societies compassion is seen as a good thing, within pirate circles it is commonly seen as shameful to spare victims a second thought. It's a cruel business, and soft-hearted pirates rarely survive long. Many captains in the Nian Fleet feel that Jīnwū is too soft to make a good captain, and many who wish to earn the right to captaincy give Jīnwū a special place in their dark ambitions. Jīnwū has been challenged under the formal code of the Nian Fleet several times in the past four years by those who would see themselves as captain of his ship instead of 'the softhearted sea raven'. Thus far, Jīnwū's skill at combat and Qigong have periodically reminded such challengers of why he earned the name 'Sea Raven' to begin with. However, Jīnwū is not the only talented martial artist in the fleet, and some of his crew wonder how long their captain can fend off such challenges.
==Fortunate Misfortune==
Jīnwū has frequently experienced strange twists of fate at every turning point of his life. Crises for Jīnwū often seem to work out favourably, somehow, but never in the way he'd particularly like and which frequently add to his list of regrets.
=====History=====
===Childhood===
Jīnwū was born to peasant parents in the Provice of Lu. He had nine brothers. Five died of plague, one died of tetanus after stepping on a rusted sickle, one was born with weak lungs and didn't last six months. The other two brothers, as part of the Tian Xian system of military conscription, had been serving in the Northern Army when a small outbreak of hostilities with Xiongnu tribesmen resulted in their deaths.
As the tenth son, his parents named him 'Jīnwū' after the sun raven spared by Houyi the archer when, according to one folk legend, the 10 Sun Ravens' (known as sanzuwu) combined presence were burning the world.
Coincidence or not, the tenth son has lived longer than any of his other brother's managed. Unfortunately, his longer lifespan has not brought an easy or peaceful passage of years.
===An Unusual Adoption===
It has been said that 'A single word, said or misheard, can change a man's fate'. For many people, it is just a saying. For Jīnwū, the saying defines the path his life has taken.
Jīnwū ran away from home as a young child to escape being conscripted into the army as a replacement for his brothers. It was a misunderstanding caused by the young child overhearing a section of a conversation between his parents regarding their hopes that Jīnwū would not be conscripted.
In the hindsight brought on by adulthood, Jīnwū blames his own stupidity for that turn of events, for some years later he realised he was too young at the time to have been conscripted - that realisation has taught Jīnwū the value of thinking things over.
However, at the time Jīnwū's decision was made, he thought with childish earnestness that his future was at stake. An intelligent child, despite his error, luck and a willingness to lie carried Jīnwū with a mostly-full belly and clean water from compassionate farmer ("I got lost, and am on my way home") to negligent innkeeper ("Nobody will notice me take a couple of milletcakes") right up until he stowed away on a wagon and arrived in the port town of Lianyungang ('The Port connected to the Clouds' near Lian island.
It was in the port that the luck of Jīnwū again showed its true double-edged nature. One evening, after several days of very little food, and failing to determine what he should do now he had run away, the young Jīnwū fell asleep in a dockside alley. Those with poor luck might have not awoken, or awoken in the company of a perverse predator. Those with good luck might have awoken to the realisation they'd made a terrible mistake and make their way home. Jīnwū's luck had him waketo the rocking sensation of a boat on water, and the sloshing of waves against a wooden hull.
The paths of a man's destiny can be strange, and few more so than the chain of events which led to Jīnwū's huddled form catching the sharp eyes of the pirate Nian Yi Sao. Circumstances had led to the pirate queen visiting port Lianyungang to replenish certain supplies in a ship only recently captured. Her cabin attendant had died in the most recent battle and something in Jīnwū's face, even when asleep, hinted at the child's determined personality.
It was an act of curiosity, not mercy, which caused Nian Yi Sao to pick Jīnwū to be her new cabin boy. Despite this fact Jīnwū, who felt Yi Sao had saved him from death by starvation, has carried a sense of life-debt towards the pirate queen from that time onwards.
===The Chains of Fate===
Jīnwū quickly learned that Yi Sao was a strict but fair mistress. All members of her fleet followed, and were punished or promoted in accordance to, the same set of rules. A powerful Nian shifter and martial artist, Yi Sao had ruled the fleet unchallenged for many years, as no other pirate had either the charisma, will, or strength of arms to press a viable claim to the title.
In Jīnwū she recognised a potential talent for the Nian family Qigong (a style which descended, through a complicated history, from a Feng School dissident who had left the Kunlun mountains several generations ago). Nian Yi Sao was a petite but fierce woman, whose martial arts were designed to accomodate her strengths. Jīnwū's physical growth was hampered by a history of poor eating, and was ill suited to many of the more popular pirate weapons. But the youth was quick of mind and reflex, and Yi Sao instructed one of her crew to instruct him the arts of the Jiujiebian (9-section chainwhip) and the Hu Tou Gou (Tiger head hooksword) as a way to see if her appraisal of the youth were correct.
The first few years as a pirate were difficult for Jīnwū, yet exciting. It was hard to remain homesick when one barely had a spare moment to scratch oneself. Every day was filled with non-stop activity, from learning the ropes of shiphandling, serving Yi Sao as a cabin boy, and martial training. Every crew member on Yi Sao's flagship was expected to practice diligently, with a roster set up to ensure no crewmember slacked off. The Nian fleet lived by the saying 'Strong Fist, Strong Fleet', and it was expected that the crew of Yi Sao's ship maintain peak fitness and combat readiness. Eventually, Nian Yi Sao and the crew of the ship replaced Jīnwū's parents when he thought of 'family', and his loyalty to Yi Sao bordered on fanatical.
===The Sea Raven===
By the time Jīnwū reached age sixteen, life at sea under Nian Yi Sao had sculpted his body into a small bundle of wiry muscle and energy, perfectly suited for on-ship acrobatics and climbing. Though rarely able to win an arm-wrestling much, even prior to learning Qigong Jīnwū could jump higher than most, and land safely when jumping from the heights of a ship.
In this time Jīnwū had also achieved Yi Sao's expectations. The young pirate had felt an intense need to prove himself to the woman who had saved his life, and fought fiercely in every battle they were involved in. The folk legend behing his name, coupled with his penchant for acrobatic feats, earned him the nickname 'Sea Raven' among the crew.
However, at this time, the youth had in some ways started to become unsure of himself. Jīnwū realised quickly that he did not share in his comrades enjoyment, or indifference, with regards to killing. The only way Jīnwū could justify his actions was in the context of combat, when the other person was trying to kill him. Outside of battle, the idea of killing an unarmed man made the young Jīnwū feel ill. Although he tried to hide it, doing so in such a tightknit environment was impossible. However, as a mere crewmember, his reputation for softness outside of battle was overshadowed by his fierce effectiveness within battle, and the stigma which would later inconvenience his career was not yet felt. It was a credit to Nian Yi Sao that, recognising this 'weakness' in Jīnwū, she did not equate it to weakness as a pirate: so long as he fought well when it mattered, what he did or didn't do to the conquered was of little concern, so long as the battle was won.
===A Lion teaches the Raven flight===
Regardless of any personality defects, Jīnwū's unwavering loyalty and diligence in training persuaded Yi Sao that the young pirate was indeed worthy and ready to receive the teachings of Nian Qigong, as well as instruction in the Gōu Yú Biān (a weapon combining both hooksword and nine-section chainwhip)
As with any qigong descending from the Feng style, Jīnwū's physical training was but the preface for developing the true essence of Qigong. Having achieved physical readiness, Jīnwū must attain mental readiness, which involved cultivation of patience and control of his dantiens through special combinations of breathing and physical motion. Typically, this will prove difficult for someone used to the the physical intensity of the training up until that point, as remaining still or moving slowly for lengthy periods of time can seem counterintuitive by that stage. And yet,those who master such patience and mental control, after having mastered their body, have the potential to become powerful martial artists. In some ways, it was Jīnwū's compassion which allowed him to absorb Yi Sao's training so effectively. The struggle between his own internal moral compass and his actions was akin to the struggle between action and inaction at the core of understanding the Nian lineage of Feng Qigong.
Years passed. Each year would see Jīnwū and the rest of the crew battling storms, calms, and the crews of other ships. Each year Jīnwū battled the contradiction of violent action in contrast for his desire to spare life. Each year Jīnwū practiced the extraordinarily slow and graceful movements of the Nian style taolu (qigong training forms) and the breathing meditations required to cultivate and sense the qi within and around him. The qigong training shaped Jīnwū's mind where the earlier training had shaped his body. Always quickwitted, Jīnwū developed patience and strategy under Yi Sao's tutelage.
Jīnwū did not realise it, focused as he was on learning and doing his duty, but Yi Sao had even then started considering the devoted pirate as a potential captain. When discussing this with one of her lieutenants in the fleet, the lieutenant questioned Jīnwū's qualms about killing the unarmed. Yi Sao responded simply by stating "Even the Crab has a soft centre".
At age 26, Jīnwū had become a proficient student of Nian Style Qigong, and was inevitably the first into battle during boarding actions due to his comfort with aerial acrobatics. Jīnwū's ferocity with the combination of Hooksword and Gōu Yú Biān frequently cleared a space in his wake allowing his crewmates to enter the fray behind him, earning him respect among his peers.
===The Reluctant Captain===
Jīnwū's double-edged fortune then took a hold. One of Yi Sao's many captains, a large man named Wei Gang, had been rumoured to be disobeying the Fleet's code. Although no evidence had been provided, Yi Sao needed the man replaced before things got out of hand. Yi Sao ordered Jīnwū to challenge the captain for his position. For Jīnwū, this was not the bounteous fortune which others of the crew assumed, for it involved a lose-lose situation: death if he lost or, if if he won, separation from the woman who had been his teacher and the anchor by which he had been able to weather the storms of his more troubling moral dilemmas.
The battle between Jīnwū and Wei Gang is still occasionally referred to. Wei Gang, a practitioner of Dong Family Qigong (A lineage descended from Huang Style Qigong), was a behemoth of a man when compared to the small and agile Jīnwū. Dong Family Qigong specialised in rock-like stability and the Iron Chest technique. The captains present for the challenge later described it as a battle between a snake and a giant. At first, Jīnwū's efforts seemed futile: every lash of the Gōu Yú Biān would be met with Wei Gang's intake of breath, and the bladed tip of Jīnwū's chain would bounce off his opponent. Likewise, Wei Gang's powerful and precise counterattacks with the Guandao polearm failed to find purchase on the swift Jīnwū.
In the end, it was Jīnwū's skill for strategy that changed the flow of the duel. With each exchange Jīnwū focused on using his Shang (upper) Dantien to sense the flow of his opponent's qi, rather than using his own qigong offensively or defensively. Constantly moving, the nine-section chain of his Gōu Yú Biān a blur, Jīnwū tested the swiftness of Wei Gang's Iron Chest technique. Jīnwū discerned a slight gap in the timing between the moment where Wei Gang dispersed his qi to protect his body, and when he performed his counterattack. The choice of a polearm by Wei Gang typically made that gap irrelevant, as to stay within its range after a failed blow would be deemed suicidal by most fighters. For Jīnwū, who had carefully studied his opponent, the weakness would be his one means of achieving a sound victory.
A flurry of whipping chain danced around the powerful and broad cuts of the Guandao and Jīnwū lead Wei Gang into a pattern of defense and attack against the serpentine strikes of the smaller pirate's Gōu Yú Biān. And then Jīnwū made his move, a feint seeming like all of his prior attacks, but which brought the smaller pirate a fraction closer. Instead of retreating to let his chain maintain momentum, Jīnwū timed himself to the flow of Wei Gang's qi, and as the large pirate gathered himself for a counter Jīnwū leaped. Adopting the tigerpaw fist, Jīnwū crushed Wei Gang's throat, preventing him from immediately drawing breath or qi. Wei Gang, much larger and stronger, released his right hand from the Guan Dao long enough to backhand Jīnwū across the deck. As the larger pirate fought for breath, he nonetheless bore down on Jīnwū with Guandao raised. Jīnwū, for the first time in that battle, concentrated his qi throughout his body. The small pirate rolled away from Wei Gang and onto his feet, leaping backwards to encourage Wei Gang to pursue him.
Wei Gang, unable to breathe, had little choice but to try and finish the fight quickly and fell into Jīnwū's trap. The Sea Raven flew, a gravity defying leap with chainwhip leading, its tip momentarily wrapping around the Guandao and giving Jīnwū the leverage he needed to arc higher than the descending cut of the Guandao. As Wei Gang began to spin and sweep the Guandao to cut down the enemy now behind him, Jīnwū placed the hook of his sword around Wei Gang's neck, its tip cutting open the larger pirate's throat.
Wei Gang did not fall for another minute, the large pirate's incredible endurance and rage keeping him upright and swinging his Guando wildly at Jīnwū. When Wei Gang finally fell to Jīnwū's chain whipping into his temple, Jīnwū gazed down at the corpse, his face an inscutable mask. As his soon-to-be-former crewmates cheered, and Nian Yi Sao smiled her satisfaction, Jīnwū mourned the loss of 'belonging' to a crew. Uneasy with thoughts of his change in status, Jīnwū acknowledged his victory with a bow, and cleaned the blood off his weapon while Yi Sao spoke the formal words of congratulations to a successful challenger. Only when she reached the words "..and keep the honour of the Nian Fleet and its leader" did Jīnwū's gaze regain focus. It was true, though separated from Nian Yi Sao, he could still honour her as a captain, though less directly than as one of her crew. It was cold comfort, but comfort nonetheless.
===The Sea Raven's new nest===
Taking command of another's ship is a difficult thing. Part of the Nian Fleet's enduring strength though was due to a consistent code of behaviour meant to be followed by each ship in the fleet. One of the provisions in the code had to do with challenging captains, and the consequences. For Jīnwū, this meant he had a responsibility to ensure the wellbeing and diligence of his crew in keeping with the objectives of the Nian Fleet. Thus, it was an accepted thing for a crew to have a new captain. However, when the replaced captain had been a large and powerful man, and the replacement is a small and unimpressive man, it makes for a difficult handover. Especially when the existing First Mate, Ryu Jun-Seong, was also a large and physically impressive man.
Jīnwū received no assistance in his new role, as per custom, from the fleet commanders. Having left the crew of Yi Sao's flagship in a captain's challenge, by custom Jīnwū was to handle all difficulties with his own abilities and resources without calling upon former crewmates. Despite that, Jīnwū had not spent the better half of two decades as Nian Yi Sao's attendant without paying attention. He knew the habits of a captain, the mannerisms of a captain, and the decisions a captain needed to make. He had just never needed to take on that role before now.
Yi Sao gave Jīnwū one piece of advice before their parting: "Talk softly, so they must be quiet to hear you. Carry a whip to let them know you speak. In time, your voice will become the whip". As with all things, Jīnwū took Yi Sao's advice to heart, and examined the purpose and meanings of her statement.
Jīnwū never raised his voice. Even when in vehement arguments, he kept his voice soft and level. If one of his crew overstepped the bounds they would suddenly find the chainwhip in Jīnwū's hands and a vicious gleam to Jīnwū's eyes - another habit he had learned from Nian Yi Sao. Jīnwū never bluffed, never bragged, always kept his word with both pledges and punishments. In this way, and by continuing his tradition of leading all boarding actions, Jīnwū eventually earned the respect of his crew, but not necessarily their friendship. Wei Gang had been their friend, and Gang's death was still a shadow over interactions between captain and crew in the early years.
The full story of Jīnwū and Jun-Seong, and of the ship Sea Dragon, has yet to be told in full.
Jinwu is ready for assessment as below:
--------------------------------------------------------
Player Name: James
Name: Lu Jīnwū - The Sea Raven
Age: 30
Race: Human
Height: 5'1"
Weight: 145 lbs
===Physical Description===
Jīnwū is a small man for his profession, barely two inches over five feet in height. There have been times when, to Jīnwū's amusement, strangers have mistaken his much larger first mate Jun-Seong as captain. It has never bothered Jīnwū, as such misconceptions create an immediate advantage in negotiations when the captain's identity is revealed.
What the pirate captain lacks in physical presence, though, he makes up for in martial skill and strategy. The majority of his lean physique consists of wiry muscle built up through years of martial training and piracy.
===Possessions===
Weapons
2x Jiujiebian (nine-section chain whip),
2x Hu Tou Gou (Tiger Head Hook/hook sword)
2x Gōu Yú Biān (hook and chain)
Ship The Sea Dragon (or Hailong Hao)
Personal belongings
Clothing for fighting, hardy clothing for daily sailing, and good clothing for formal events/shore visits.
Captains log.
===Powers or Strengths===
==Inevitable Martial Arts Badassery==
Expert user of the Jiujiebian (nine-section chain whip), the Hu Tou Gou (Tiger Head Hook/hook sword) and the Gōu Yú Biān (hook and chain). Adept at Nian style empty-handed techniques. Also known as the 'jumpy-flippy-nonsense' style of combat. How the hell does he even make it work? Magic, that's how. But here in Tian Xia that specific kind of physical/martial magic is called Qigong (see below)
==Acrobat==
He's like a monkey. A monkey with a license to plunder and kill. His acrobatic feats can be both aided and unaided by qigong. See 'jumpy-flippy-nonsense' above.
==Magical Talent: Nian Family Qigong==
Jīnwū's most useful Qigong technique is the art of 'Qinggong': with preparation through certain breathing exercises and physical motions to channel his qi (the term for an aspect of magical energy used by the Fenghuang, Tianlong, and Nian shifters), Jīnwū can gain limited and localised control over his own gravity, enabling incredible feats of gravity-defying acrobatics and mid-leap aerial combat.
Jīnwū has also developed admirable control of his Shang (upper) Dantien allowing him to, over time, sense the flow of qi. This can occasionally prove useful under combat conditions if a match becomes drawn out due to an equal match of ability and Jīnwū is thus provided the time to direct qi through his Shang Dantien.
==Prestigious position: Pirate Captain==
Jīnwū learned his craft under the tutelage of Nian Yi Sao, leader of the Nian Pirate Fleet. Although only a captain for four years as of present day, Jinwu has earned a reputation on his ship for fairness, courage, and competence.
===Weaknesses===
==Small==
Not so much a physical limitation, more of a social one. Jīnwū gives a poor first impression in a profession where brawn frequently triumphs over brains. When the average pirate captain is a mountain of muscle and beligerance, the small and softly-spoken Jīnwū is often overlooked by those who have not seen him in action first hand.
==Regret over life choices==
Jīnwū has reached a stage where he is wondering what he is doing with his life. His regrets include leaving home for the wrong reasons, pursuing a life of piracy, responsible for the death of many men whose misfortune was crossing paths with his ship. His sense of duty to Yi Sao overrides his qualms, but they still gnaw at his insides.
==Inner conflict==
Jīnwū's fierce loyalty to Yi Sao underpins his every action. But beneath that Jīnwū still questions the necessity of killing so many people over the course of his career. But the fleet's code is clear on the subject of a captive's choices, and disobedience would inevitably bring his own death. However, as a result Jinwu has been known to spend far too much effort trying to convince captives of an option which did not require their deaths. This has not gone unnoticed.
==Reputation: soft hearted==
Whilst in most societies compassion is seen as a good thing, within pirate circles it is commonly seen as shameful to spare victims a second thought. It's a cruel business, and soft-hearted pirates rarely survive long. Many captains in the Nian Fleet feel that Jīnwū is too soft to make a good captain, and many who wish to earn the right to captaincy give Jīnwū a special place in their dark ambitions. Jīnwū has been challenged under the formal code of the Nian Fleet several times in the past four years by those who would see themselves as captain of his ship instead of 'the softhearted sea raven'. Thus far, Jīnwū's skill at combat and Qigong have periodically reminded such challengers of why he earned the name 'Sea Raven' to begin with. However, Jīnwū is not the only talented martial artist in the fleet, and some of his crew wonder how long their captain can fend off such challenges.
==Fortunate Misfortune==
Jīnwū has frequently experienced strange twists of fate at every turning point of his life. Crises for Jīnwū often seem to work out favourably, somehow, but never in the way he'd particularly like and which frequently add to his list of regrets.
=====History=====
===Childhood===
Jīnwū was born to peasant parents in the Provice of Lu. He had nine brothers. Five died of plague, one died of tetanus after stepping on a rusted sickle, one was born with weak lungs and didn't last six months. The other two brothers, as part of the Tian Xian system of military conscription, had been serving in the Northern Army when a small outbreak of hostilities with Xiongnu tribesmen resulted in their deaths.
As the tenth son, his parents named him 'Jīnwū' after the sun raven spared by Houyi the archer when, according to one folk legend, the 10 Sun Ravens' (known as sanzuwu) combined presence were burning the world.
Coincidence or not, the tenth son has lived longer than any of his other brother's managed. Unfortunately, his longer lifespan has not brought an easy or peaceful passage of years.
===An Unusual Adoption===
It has been said that 'A single word, said or misheard, can change a man's fate'. For many people, it is just a saying. For Jīnwū, the saying defines the path his life has taken.
Jīnwū ran away from home as a young child to escape being conscripted into the army as a replacement for his brothers. It was a misunderstanding caused by the young child overhearing a section of a conversation between his parents regarding their hopes that Jīnwū would not be conscripted.
In the hindsight brought on by adulthood, Jīnwū blames his own stupidity for that turn of events, for some years later he realised he was too young at the time to have been conscripted - that realisation has taught Jīnwū the value of thinking things over.
However, at the time Jīnwū's decision was made, he thought with childish earnestness that his future was at stake. An intelligent child, despite his error, luck and a willingness to lie carried Jīnwū with a mostly-full belly and clean water from compassionate farmer ("I got lost, and am on my way home") to negligent innkeeper ("Nobody will notice me take a couple of milletcakes") right up until he stowed away on a wagon and arrived in the port town of Lianyungang ('The Port connected to the Clouds' near Lian island.
It was in the port that the luck of Jīnwū again showed its true double-edged nature. One evening, after several days of very little food, and failing to determine what he should do now he had run away, the young Jīnwū fell asleep in a dockside alley. Those with poor luck might have not awoken, or awoken in the company of a perverse predator. Those with good luck might have awoken to the realisation they'd made a terrible mistake and make their way home. Jīnwū's luck had him waketo the rocking sensation of a boat on water, and the sloshing of waves against a wooden hull.
The paths of a man's destiny can be strange, and few more so than the chain of events which led to Jīnwū's huddled form catching the sharp eyes of the pirate Nian Yi Sao. Circumstances had led to the pirate queen visiting port Lianyungang to replenish certain supplies in a ship only recently captured. Her cabin attendant had died in the most recent battle and something in Jīnwū's face, even when asleep, hinted at the child's determined personality.
It was an act of curiosity, not mercy, which caused Nian Yi Sao to pick Jīnwū to be her new cabin boy. Despite this fact Jīnwū, who felt Yi Sao had saved him from death by starvation, has carried a sense of life-debt towards the pirate queen from that time onwards.
===The Chains of Fate===
Jīnwū quickly learned that Yi Sao was a strict but fair mistress. All members of her fleet followed, and were punished or promoted in accordance to, the same set of rules. A powerful Nian shifter and martial artist, Yi Sao had ruled the fleet unchallenged for many years, as no other pirate had either the charisma, will, or strength of arms to press a viable claim to the title.
In Jīnwū she recognised a potential talent for the Nian family Qigong (a style which descended, through a complicated history, from a Feng School dissident who had left the Kunlun mountains several generations ago). Nian Yi Sao was a petite but fierce woman, whose martial arts were designed to accomodate her strengths. Jīnwū's physical growth was hampered by a history of poor eating, and was ill suited to many of the more popular pirate weapons. But the youth was quick of mind and reflex, and Yi Sao instructed one of her crew to instruct him the arts of the Jiujiebian (9-section chainwhip) and the Hu Tou Gou (Tiger head hooksword) as a way to see if her appraisal of the youth were correct.
The first few years as a pirate were difficult for Jīnwū, yet exciting. It was hard to remain homesick when one barely had a spare moment to scratch oneself. Every day was filled with non-stop activity, from learning the ropes of shiphandling, serving Yi Sao as a cabin boy, and martial training. Every crew member on Yi Sao's flagship was expected to practice diligently, with a roster set up to ensure no crewmember slacked off. The Nian fleet lived by the saying 'Strong Fist, Strong Fleet', and it was expected that the crew of Yi Sao's ship maintain peak fitness and combat readiness. Eventually, Nian Yi Sao and the crew of the ship replaced Jīnwū's parents when he thought of 'family', and his loyalty to Yi Sao bordered on fanatical.
===The Sea Raven===
By the time Jīnwū reached age sixteen, life at sea under Nian Yi Sao had sculpted his body into a small bundle of wiry muscle and energy, perfectly suited for on-ship acrobatics and climbing. Though rarely able to win an arm-wrestling much, even prior to learning Qigong Jīnwū could jump higher than most, and land safely when jumping from the heights of a ship.
In this time Jīnwū had also achieved Yi Sao's expectations. The young pirate had felt an intense need to prove himself to the woman who had saved his life, and fought fiercely in every battle they were involved in. The folk legend behing his name, coupled with his penchant for acrobatic feats, earned him the nickname 'Sea Raven' among the crew.
However, at this time, the youth had in some ways started to become unsure of himself. Jīnwū realised quickly that he did not share in his comrades enjoyment, or indifference, with regards to killing. The only way Jīnwū could justify his actions was in the context of combat, when the other person was trying to kill him. Outside of battle, the idea of killing an unarmed man made the young Jīnwū feel ill. Although he tried to hide it, doing so in such a tightknit environment was impossible. However, as a mere crewmember, his reputation for softness outside of battle was overshadowed by his fierce effectiveness within battle, and the stigma which would later inconvenience his career was not yet felt. It was a credit to Nian Yi Sao that, recognising this 'weakness' in Jīnwū, she did not equate it to weakness as a pirate: so long as he fought well when it mattered, what he did or didn't do to the conquered was of little concern, so long as the battle was won.
===A Lion teaches the Raven flight===
Regardless of any personality defects, Jīnwū's unwavering loyalty and diligence in training persuaded Yi Sao that the young pirate was indeed worthy and ready to receive the teachings of Nian Qigong, as well as instruction in the Gōu Yú Biān (a weapon combining both hooksword and nine-section chainwhip)
As with any qigong descending from the Feng style, Jīnwū's physical training was but the preface for developing the true essence of Qigong. Having achieved physical readiness, Jīnwū must attain mental readiness, which involved cultivation of patience and control of his dantiens through special combinations of breathing and physical motion. Typically, this will prove difficult for someone used to the the physical intensity of the training up until that point, as remaining still or moving slowly for lengthy periods of time can seem counterintuitive by that stage. And yet,those who master such patience and mental control, after having mastered their body, have the potential to become powerful martial artists. In some ways, it was Jīnwū's compassion which allowed him to absorb Yi Sao's training so effectively. The struggle between his own internal moral compass and his actions was akin to the struggle between action and inaction at the core of understanding the Nian lineage of Feng Qigong.
Years passed. Each year would see Jīnwū and the rest of the crew battling storms, calms, and the crews of other ships. Each year Jīnwū battled the contradiction of violent action in contrast for his desire to spare life. Each year Jīnwū practiced the extraordinarily slow and graceful movements of the Nian style taolu (qigong training forms) and the breathing meditations required to cultivate and sense the qi within and around him. The qigong training shaped Jīnwū's mind where the earlier training had shaped his body. Always quickwitted, Jīnwū developed patience and strategy under Yi Sao's tutelage.
Jīnwū did not realise it, focused as he was on learning and doing his duty, but Yi Sao had even then started considering the devoted pirate as a potential captain. When discussing this with one of her lieutenants in the fleet, the lieutenant questioned Jīnwū's qualms about killing the unarmed. Yi Sao responded simply by stating "Even the Crab has a soft centre".
At age 26, Jīnwū had become a proficient student of Nian Style Qigong, and was inevitably the first into battle during boarding actions due to his comfort with aerial acrobatics. Jīnwū's ferocity with the combination of Hooksword and Gōu Yú Biān frequently cleared a space in his wake allowing his crewmates to enter the fray behind him, earning him respect among his peers.
===The Reluctant Captain===
Jīnwū's double-edged fortune then took a hold. One of Yi Sao's many captains, a large man named Wei Gang, had been rumoured to be disobeying the Fleet's code. Although no evidence had been provided, Yi Sao needed the man replaced before things got out of hand. Yi Sao ordered Jīnwū to challenge the captain for his position. For Jīnwū, this was not the bounteous fortune which others of the crew assumed, for it involved a lose-lose situation: death if he lost or, if if he won, separation from the woman who had been his teacher and the anchor by which he had been able to weather the storms of his more troubling moral dilemmas.
The battle between Jīnwū and Wei Gang is still occasionally referred to. Wei Gang, a practitioner of Dong Family Qigong (A lineage descended from Huang Style Qigong), was a behemoth of a man when compared to the small and agile Jīnwū. Dong Family Qigong specialised in rock-like stability and the Iron Chest technique. The captains present for the challenge later described it as a battle between a snake and a giant. At first, Jīnwū's efforts seemed futile: every lash of the Gōu Yú Biān would be met with Wei Gang's intake of breath, and the bladed tip of Jīnwū's chain would bounce off his opponent. Likewise, Wei Gang's powerful and precise counterattacks with the Guandao polearm failed to find purchase on the swift Jīnwū.
In the end, it was Jīnwū's skill for strategy that changed the flow of the duel. With each exchange Jīnwū focused on using his Shang (upper) Dantien to sense the flow of his opponent's qi, rather than using his own qigong offensively or defensively. Constantly moving, the nine-section chain of his Gōu Yú Biān a blur, Jīnwū tested the swiftness of Wei Gang's Iron Chest technique. Jīnwū discerned a slight gap in the timing between the moment where Wei Gang dispersed his qi to protect his body, and when he performed his counterattack. The choice of a polearm by Wei Gang typically made that gap irrelevant, as to stay within its range after a failed blow would be deemed suicidal by most fighters. For Jīnwū, who had carefully studied his opponent, the weakness would be his one means of achieving a sound victory.
A flurry of whipping chain danced around the powerful and broad cuts of the Guandao and Jīnwū lead Wei Gang into a pattern of defense and attack against the serpentine strikes of the smaller pirate's Gōu Yú Biān. And then Jīnwū made his move, a feint seeming like all of his prior attacks, but which brought the smaller pirate a fraction closer. Instead of retreating to let his chain maintain momentum, Jīnwū timed himself to the flow of Wei Gang's qi, and as the large pirate gathered himself for a counter Jīnwū leaped. Adopting the tigerpaw fist, Jīnwū crushed Wei Gang's throat, preventing him from immediately drawing breath or qi. Wei Gang, much larger and stronger, released his right hand from the Guan Dao long enough to backhand Jīnwū across the deck. As the larger pirate fought for breath, he nonetheless bore down on Jīnwū with Guandao raised. Jīnwū, for the first time in that battle, concentrated his qi throughout his body. The small pirate rolled away from Wei Gang and onto his feet, leaping backwards to encourage Wei Gang to pursue him.
Wei Gang, unable to breathe, had little choice but to try and finish the fight quickly and fell into Jīnwū's trap. The Sea Raven flew, a gravity defying leap with chainwhip leading, its tip momentarily wrapping around the Guandao and giving Jīnwū the leverage he needed to arc higher than the descending cut of the Guandao. As Wei Gang began to spin and sweep the Guandao to cut down the enemy now behind him, Jīnwū placed the hook of his sword around Wei Gang's neck, its tip cutting open the larger pirate's throat.
Wei Gang did not fall for another minute, the large pirate's incredible endurance and rage keeping him upright and swinging his Guando wildly at Jīnwū. When Wei Gang finally fell to Jīnwū's chain whipping into his temple, Jīnwū gazed down at the corpse, his face an inscutable mask. As his soon-to-be-former crewmates cheered, and Nian Yi Sao smiled her satisfaction, Jīnwū mourned the loss of 'belonging' to a crew. Uneasy with thoughts of his change in status, Jīnwū acknowledged his victory with a bow, and cleaned the blood off his weapon while Yi Sao spoke the formal words of congratulations to a successful challenger. Only when she reached the words "..and keep the honour of the Nian Fleet and its leader" did Jīnwū's gaze regain focus. It was true, though separated from Nian Yi Sao, he could still honour her as a captain, though less directly than as one of her crew. It was cold comfort, but comfort nonetheless.
===The Sea Raven's new nest===
Taking command of another's ship is a difficult thing. Part of the Nian Fleet's enduring strength though was due to a consistent code of behaviour meant to be followed by each ship in the fleet. One of the provisions in the code had to do with challenging captains, and the consequences. For Jīnwū, this meant he had a responsibility to ensure the wellbeing and diligence of his crew in keeping with the objectives of the Nian Fleet. Thus, it was an accepted thing for a crew to have a new captain. However, when the replaced captain had been a large and powerful man, and the replacement is a small and unimpressive man, it makes for a difficult handover. Especially when the existing First Mate, Ryu Jun-Seong, was also a large and physically impressive man.
Jīnwū received no assistance in his new role, as per custom, from the fleet commanders. Having left the crew of Yi Sao's flagship in a captain's challenge, by custom Jīnwū was to handle all difficulties with his own abilities and resources without calling upon former crewmates. Despite that, Jīnwū had not spent the better half of two decades as Nian Yi Sao's attendant without paying attention. He knew the habits of a captain, the mannerisms of a captain, and the decisions a captain needed to make. He had just never needed to take on that role before now.
Yi Sao gave Jīnwū one piece of advice before their parting: "Talk softly, so they must be quiet to hear you. Carry a whip to let them know you speak. In time, your voice will become the whip". As with all things, Jīnwū took Yi Sao's advice to heart, and examined the purpose and meanings of her statement.
Jīnwū never raised his voice. Even when in vehement arguments, he kept his voice soft and level. If one of his crew overstepped the bounds they would suddenly find the chainwhip in Jīnwū's hands and a vicious gleam to Jīnwū's eyes - another habit he had learned from Nian Yi Sao. Jīnwū never bluffed, never bragged, always kept his word with both pledges and punishments. In this way, and by continuing his tradition of leading all boarding actions, Jīnwū eventually earned the respect of his crew, but not necessarily their friendship. Wei Gang had been their friend, and Gang's death was still a shadow over interactions between captain and crew in the early years.
The full story of Jīnwū and Jun-Seong, and of the ship Sea Dragon, has yet to be told in full.
Re: Lu Jīnwū
We can change the poster name if need be 
You just have to ask.
side note: The picture does not make me think of Jinwu. It makes me think of Drogo.
Need some caveats on the app - as with Cai, this guy's potential to be crazy powerful must be monitored. Watch yourself!
Approved.
You just have to ask.side note: The picture does not make me think of Jinwu. It makes me think of Drogo.
Need some caveats on the app - as with Cai, this guy's potential to be crazy powerful must be monitored. Watch yourself!
Approved.
A story is like a tapestry; it is never finished until the final thread is sewn.
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