Republic City: Ha Chou Quan

Name: Ha Chou Quan

Age: 62

Height: 6’4

Weight: 216lbs

Nationality: Fire Nation

Affinity: None (although a firebender)

Occupation: _technically retired mobster.

Background/Personality:

(Bolded words are personality keywords!)

Quan is a seemingly careless individual, with no little concern for the law or the well-being of others; as a technically retired member of the agni-kai triads, he enjoys respect from, and is somewhat protected by, the organisation – in part responsible for his lack of concern for the law and his willingness to commit heinous criminal acts.

Although incredibly wealthy – owing, for the best part, to his ‘career’ as a mobster – Quan’s forthright, uncouth demeanour and gravelly voice, when juxtaposed against his obvious material wealth, demonstrates ambiguity of character, which, in turn, often embodies an intimidating appearance: the perceived power of wealth combined with the perceived hardiness of lower working classes; really, Quan’s blithe attitude precedes the factor of intimidation, but few people remain long enough to notice this – and, in actuality, his blitheness is also preceded: by remoteness.

Quan was born a firebender, in the Fire Nation, to a firebending father and a non-bending mother – they were a fishing family. His father suffered from alcohol addiction, and this was sometimes manifested in physical abuse against Quan’s mother, often with fire. One night, when Quan was twelve, he attempted to stop his father from assaulting his mother; he was unable to do so, and was burned in the attack. Later that night, with his mother’s confidence, he left with little more than the clothes he wore, to start a new life in the new Republic City, where the world fell together in harmony. He was never to turn back.

After being treated at a city infirmary almost immediately after entering (and collapsing just within) the city boundaries, for burn wounds, exhaustion and emotional distress, Quan was accepted into the home of his new carer; when being questioned by hospital officials about his injuries and where he had come from, a shady individual had stepped forward and claimed to be Quan’s father, explaining that he had been searching all night for his son, who he suspected had been mugged by triad members. Afraid that he would be sent back home if the truth was revealed, Quan agreed to the stranger’s story and left the hospital behind, albeit filled with suspicious medical officials.

It was later revealed to Quan that his entrance to the city had been observed, and that his ‘father’ had noted his raw emotion and formidable size; he was to tutor Quan as a firebender, and would allow Quan to live with him. Only when he was 16 did Quan truly realise that he was being indoctrinated as a member of the Agni Kai Triads, and by this time he had already committed small crimes, and taken part in illegal contests of fighting; it was simply too late to withdraw.

Come 22 years-of-age, Quan had committed three horrendous crimes, but had also met a wonderful woman: Peng. Together, they had a daughter – Lu Lu – who Quan loved, just as he loved Peng – but Peng was aware of his role as a mobster, and when Quan found he was unable to leave the triad to live as a father and a partner, she left with Lu Lu.

About three years later, during a hiatus in Quan’s role in important operations of the triad, Peng agreed for Lu Lu to visit him infrequently, on the assurance that he was no longer operating as a mobster. On a weekend visit, Quan and Lu Lu had gone for a late night drive. He had stopped a car in a remote location, on an orchard just beyond the city boundaries. The headlights had glimpsed a wonderful looking fruit Lu Lu wanted him to pick – he obliged, and left the car to do so. By the time he had reached the tree, he was met with the shrillest, most bone-chilling screams that would haunt him to the present day. Quan turned to see a group, three or four silhouettes, hurtling away into the distance; he sprinted back to his car, to find Lu Lu... or, to his dismay, what remained of her. In an emotional fury, he burst flames in the direction the shadows had travelled, and back at the tree from which he had gone to pick the fruit. His whole world had turned to fire.

Earlier that day, he had refused a call from the Triad to work an important mission; he had still been working for them. He knew it was them. He had been fearful they would punish him for his actions, and had spent the day looking over his shoulder, holding Lu Lu close. He never forgave himself.

From then on, he shut down, working for the triads for decades after (like he had any choice). His emotional state forced his firebending to become too dangerous to use effectively, so instead he employed predominantly hand-to-hand combat. His crimes became worse, becoming unspeakable, as he willingly carried out operations for the triad – a cruel irony, as the very crimes he committed to satisfy his descent into schizophrenic turmoil were at the beck and call of those who created it.

He rarely sleeps now – instead sitting in his grand armchair, with a glass of wine, centred in his grand library, gazing out his grand windows, over the grand city, into the grand ocean, up to the grand skies. What is grandeur to the love that could have been? He does not sleep, no; he sits... wondering... why Peng never came to pick up Lu Lu. Loneliness is a bitter friend.

Additional/extra personality information:

- Quan doesn’t have any friends, really, so any interaction means something to him; he is well aware of what he has done, and is never more reminded of this than when he is alone – hence, he tries to communicate with people, should his troubled min allow him to.
- When bored of moping around his mansion, Quan roams the streets of Republic City, often buying from cafés and bars, just for somebody to talk to.
- As a part of his career in the triad, Quan was in charge of a large chain of bookmakers; his equivalent to a pension is the receipt of a small portion of their profit, although this is hardly necessary, atop the hefty sum of blood money already in Quan’s possession.
- Quan owns a mansion on the very outskirts of the city; he often stays in hotels within the city, however, as a mansion feels awfully big for just one lonely soul.
- His changeability means he often has difficulty holding down friendships.
- He is lost.


Likes:

• Wine
• Cigars
• Meddlers
• Interaction

Dislikes:

• Responsibility
• Loneliness

Skills:

Hand-to-hand combat: ever since the emotional backlash of bereavement during his 20s, Quan has had difficulty firebending without causing unmitigated destruction, endangering himself and others around him. As such, he has had to resort to learning hand-to-hand combat as a substitute for firebending; suffice to say, when combined with his size, strength and cunning, this is a formidable skill.

Strength: Quan was born strong, it seems, and despite his age, he retains much of the physical power of his younger days, which is helped in no small part by his hefty size (in his heyday, he weighed in at 246lbs).

Wiliness: it comes with the job.

Role-play sample:

“Next, please!” A spritely female; Quan could tell. He stepped up to the seaside tea stand, to be greeted with a beaming, youthful young lady, just as expected. She took his order of jasmine tea, with an engaging, friendly attitude – top notch customer service. Such youth, Quan thought, and such friendliness, was always a wonder to experience, no matter how small a dose. The sun dashed golden delight across the bay behind the tea stand, whilst gulls told the world the sea was a stone’s throw away – nothing but good omens, surely! Perhaps it was time for a new friend! Quan exchanged currency for tea, before proceeding to start a- “Next, please!” ... rather abrupt chat. Perhaps next time, he thought, as he skulked away, with a pint of blood diverting directly to his head for good measure.


NOTE:
His personality traits are not separated into positive or negative; that is for the interpretation of the character with whom he is interacting!

EDIT (11/03/2013):
GOOD LORD I NEED TO PROOF READ.