Mika Yin Qiao Bio

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The younger sister of Princess Rin, and youngest child of the King and Queen of Xerathis.  When she was born the kingdom rejoiced at seeing a mother princess to the head family, assumed that as she grew her single tail would turn into nine like Rin's.  As the years passed it became clear that no more tails would grow, and the visitors lessened every day.  Many saw her single tail as a bad omen, but most simply found her beneath their notice compared to her older sister.  Despite being a princess she found herself mostly ignored, and only given the bare minimum of respect tradition demanded, while her older sister was treated like a proper princess. Away from the spotlight, she began to study with her grandmother and learned to be a fighter instead of a princess. Whenever she was home however, she mostly slipped through the cracks became of a delinquent, acting out and playing tricks on people in order to actually be noticed by those around her. Eventually leading into enough trouble that she was sent off to learn proper respect and discipline from the Empress, though she still finds time to train with her grandmother.

The Spider

Art by http://kopianget.deviantart.com/

Will skip the concept for this one for the time being, and give her brief bio. Not as indepth as some of the other ones but that is because of her role in the story.  

The woman known as The Spider was once a promising fighter in Zhu society, seen as someone who would one day becoming a legendary martial artist due to her unique abilities and skills.  But following problems in her life she turned away from society and became a deadly fighter feared in distant lands.  No one knows what exactly she was doing in her absence, but the woman that came back was changed and beneath her polite actions were always sinister undertones.  She hangs around high society once more, but many feel she is plotting something and all fear the venom that her name implies.

Ing Rao Bio

Art by http://kopianget.deviantart.com/

A Tribal by birth Ing Rao spent her childhood in the jungles outside of the Empire. There she was trained to be a hunter, not only to catch food but to help defend her tribe from the various beasts and monsters that roam the wilderness.  As a young teenager she was hunting by herself when she wandered into a nearby village, there her life was changed forever when she met a retired chef once renown all throughout the Empire.  She returned every day and soon became his student, learning the cooking art of his family and using her hunting skills to gain more exotic ingredients for them to make use of.  As the years passed she became both a master chef and hunter/tracker, soon picking up his former name as she began to travel the Empire crafting dishes desired by even the highest nobles and foreign leaders. She continues to do so despite constant requests to hire her permanently, she instead focuses on building her knowledge and skills and increasing the honor of her art by attempting to craft a dish worthy of going down in their peoples legends. 

Xiao Quan Bio

Art by http://kopianget.deviantart.com/

Born to two lesser nobles she was groomed from as soon as she could talk to interact with the various factions and nations that involve themselves with the Empire. She was schooled and trained by them to be an ambassador of sorts with other nations as well helping to broker deals with the various guilds and groups. Unfortunately for them she never had much interest in that or anything else they tried to have her focus on. She was instead fascinated by the world of martial arts, starting one she saw an exhibition match between two local heroes. She fell in love with martial arts at that moment and would do anything to see more; she collected countless books and went to every tournament and event that she could.  By the time she was 13 she had an encyclopedia like knowledge of the fighting styles of her region as well as the techniques and family lines of various fighters.  While her parents supported her interest as a hobby they didn't allow her to actually pursue her dream of being a fighter herself.  Eventually she had enough of not being allowed to chase her dream, and with the help of her loyal retainer she ran away from her home in pursuit of dream of a martial arts adventure.

Eraeli Bio

Art by Henry

From a land beyond even the farthest corners of the Empire, Eraeli is known to her people as a Vahun-Raat. Meaning Child of the Gods, the Vahun-Raat are individuals given blessings from the gods of the land which for Eraeli meant a third eye.  The only one within her clan she was at one point being primed to be a spiritual leader of sorts, but instead found her true calling as the Avatar of Crafting.  Using her third eye to perceive and understand the true potential of anything (or anyone) she sees, Eraeli has become the most respected blacksmith within her lands as well as an excellent coach for aspiring hunters and warriors.  Eventually growing bored with her Vahun-Raat life she set out to go on an adventure to see distant lands, experience new techniques, craft with more exotic materials, and bring home new ideas and philosophies to her people.   During her travels she has already made quite a name for herself in other lands, with her unique abilities making her in high demand among the rich and powerful seeking someone to create the perfect monument or weapon in their honor. She finds herself in the Empire in hopes of gaining an audience with the Empress to fully explore Zhu materials and forge a weapon as a gesture of friendship from her distant people in case they ever have official contact.

Keiji Bio

Art by http://mahenbu.deviantart.com/

The Shima Clan had traditionally stayed passive in the wars that ravaged their land, a collection of religious villages that focused more on dealings with the spirit world.  Over time they found themselves dragged into conflict more and more, the changing nature of war and politics of the region slowly building up more and more enemy clans that sought their destruction.  Shima had no choice but to embrace the old ways once more, their summoners and samurai retrained for war over the last few generations to face these new conflicts and more than capable of going on the offensive.  This new more war ready Shima clan was the one that Keiji was born into, one of Boss Shima's several sons his life was a mix of luxury and bloodshed.  While not next in line for control he was still expected to be a leader and began fighting in the wars of his clan when he was barely even a teenager.  He had received the best of training and been augmented with old Shima relics to further his potential, awakening a deadly killing machine beneath his soft girly appearance.  Outside of battle the young Lord always seems happy and cheerful and more focused on romantic pursuits than any glory.  Any familiar with him know however that regardless of his personality his loyalty to his clan means he will do anything to protect and hidden under his feminine gaze are the eyes of a hardened killer. 

Rin

Art by Henry

Princess Rin Yin Qiao, heir to the throne of Xerathis and niece to the Zhu Empress.  Developing nine tails as a young child she was considered a blessing from the Great Mother herself, the future queen being one of the select few to develop the holy nine tails.  Such a heavenly birth of course led to high expectations, made even higher by the fact that her mother was one of the daughters of the Matriarch Xing Yi Qiao.  Rin lived up to the expectations in terms of magic potential and beauty, but that was where it ended.  Instead of the driven young princess people expected Rin enjoys the perks of her status with none of the responsibility.  She is notorious for avoiding her studies and training, instead focusing on her own pleasure and entertainment at all times.  When it comes with politics and other important meetings she has to be dragged in, and even then she is more likely to spend the time flirting instead of seriously considering what is being discussed.  After a while her parents had enough and she was sent to stay with the Empress for a while, in hopes that her aunt would be able to force some discipline on the girl and make her see the seriousness of the future.

Rani Bio

Art by Henry

Rani Ibeshi is the daughter of legendary warrior and Imperial retainer Dokura Ibeshi, as such she was born into the high caste society and specifically spent her whole life around nobility.  Very early on it was decided she was be like her mother and be the retainer for Princess Aya, everyone expecting her to live up to the job and be great example of such an important and honorable role.  She was a little rough as a child but everyone assumed it was just natural energy from her father, but as she grew it became clear she was far from the perfect woman they expected.  She was violent, loud, foul mouthed, and all around thuggish.  She was nothing like her mother outside of both of them being skilled at fighting, and most people regarded her as yet another delinquent or hoodlum.  But she never does things that are overtly criminal, with most of her violence being directed towards other troublemakers and her high borne status and Imperial connections give her more leeway then the average citizen anyway. A lot of things get said about her, people on all levels of society speaking ill of her and even her mother is concerned with the person she became; but despite that there is one thing that is agreed on.  She is a great fighter and she always is there for the Princess when needed; she may not be the woman everyone wanted, but she is a good retainer and friend to Aya.

Aya pic 2

 

A different pic of Princess Aya by Henry in a different art style, mostly relevant due to showing more of the outfit as well as her blades.  Shows a nice amount of detail even if it isn't our preferred style.  I'll eventually right something about the swords specifically and post some weapon specific views.

Takuya Bio

By Henry

High Priestess Niang was always thought to be keeping things from the rest of the government, but no one was prepared to see just how many. The raid on her temple revealed hundreds of scrolls and evidence of secret experiments, many of which while not officially illegal would have been made so if it was known. But the one that sparked the whole investigation was the experiment that managed to escape: a young boy named Takuya.  Takuya selective breeding and experiments done on him from a fetus up until he escaped as a preteen, creating someone with so much magic floating through his body that he was partially a mana construct himself.  He managed to escape from the temple he was housed in during a chaotic battle between the priestesses and an enemy faction, and eventually ended up near the palace as the Empress was passing. 

Takuya's only knowledge of the Empress had come from Niang and the other priestesses at the temple, so when he came across her he  expected a fight. Instead the Empress saw what he was, and that he was hurt and went to help him up. Her guards were on edge but she stayed perfectly calm as she reached for his hand with a smile. Takuya looked up into the eyes of the most beautiful person he had ever seen, feeling a sense of caring and safety he didn't think possible. When he took her hand that day, his life changed forever. When his handler came demanding him back, the Empress defended him both out of wanting to know more and out of disgust from such things being kept from her. She fought and killed the handler before taking Takuya in for questioning. He explained what he was, and what he knew about their other experiments as well as what was planned for him in the future. He was given an offer he couldn't refuse, to stay in the palace and work for her against Niang. It was at that moment that he began to know what he now calls his real family, and he is forever grateful to Li Ling for giving him purpose and a home with her. Years later he still works for her with undying loyalty. Always ready to not only research for her to but to put his magical power to offensive use and kill those who would threaten his true mother, The Empress.

Aya Li Qiao

Art by Henry

Princess Aya Li Qiao is the eldest daughter of Empress Li Ling Qiao and the heir to the Imperial throne.  Born for the sole purpose of one day replacing her mother, instead of a child out of love she has struggled with understanding her place from a young age. Her mother is very strict and constantly pushes for Aya to be better in everywhere and was never really there emotionally. Such a way of raising resulted in a young girl who always felt the only way to earn her mothers love to constantly prove herself. So she strives to learn and understand the political intricacies as well as mastering the family martial arts.  She has very little friends outside of her family and palace staff, any outside social interaction almost always being for the sole purpose of learning how to deal with people as a princess and sitting in on meetings regarding law or trade.  Most of her free-time is spent training instead of hanging out with others leading to a more introverted princess who rarely has the patience to really deal with those outside her circle and struggles to define herself beyond the fact that she is the daughter of a loved and feared Empress.

VN Menu 2

New design

The colored lights change color when the mouse is over them

Ko-Shin and Nan-Su (The Zuni Twins)

Art by Henry

Ko-Shin and Nan-Su are twin Zhuni sisters and the sole students/daughters of respected martial arts master Ban "Cannon Fist" Liao.  They have a rather unique mutation of being born twins, their dantian and their very souls became connected to the point that neither can access the full extent at the same time as the other.  While this isn't a problem or even noticeable while just moving around and being calm, the moment one gets excited or expresses any big emotion the other feels less.  If one becomes filled with an emotion or feeling to extreme levels the other becomes a passive body just following her sister around and maneuver based on base instinct if danger comes until she calms down.  Doing this also transfer recent thoughts and feelings to the other, allowing them to send messages across any distance without speaking and if only one closes her eyes she can see through her sister's.  Due this level of a bond they are extremely close and always right next to each other unless they are needed by their father in two places at once.  Building on their bond their father has trained them in a variation of his fighting style built to be used by two people at once, the two sisters fighting as extensions of the other with every movement chained and built on.  They are capable of switching offense and defense as needed with no noticeable communication with the other sister chaining an attack off of the block or parry right as it happens.

Much like their father they don't have real jobs, though they do have a house and land thanks to their wealthy mother instead they let her handle everything and travel around fighting people and training in their martial art.  Much like him they normally pay off debts and bills via beating up trouble makers and doing shows.  Their goal in life is to become a legendary martial arts hero that is spoken about for generations, and to that end they seek out anything and anyone related to martial arts and constantly enter tournaments.  Their father having successfully convinced several high ranking officials that his daughters were one person with a chi technique that splits them in two, allowing them to fight in single tournaments if they want to.  Where they often develop one sided rivalries with people of great skill or children of other masters swearing to overcome them and prove that their father is the greatest master no matter if the other side cares or not. 

Dokura Ibeshi

Art by Henry

Xing Yi's most loyal follower and retainer, the woman known as Dokura is mostly an enigma to Zhu society. She is regarded as a hero and patriot but all records are very vague on her past with the only solid information being that she has followed the matriarch since she was a teenager.  Both a bodyguard and an assassin she puts her all into serving the Imperial family and doing what she can to ensure that Xing Yi is safe and her will is carried out.  A sense of duty and tradition that she tries very hard to pass on to her own teenage daughter to mixed success.  On the surface she maintains a strong presence and unwavering confidence and loyalty but beneath it she has her own set of issues. A daughter that forsakes tradition being at the top of her list, but there is also a creeping sense of doubt in regards to her Matriarch as she begins to wonder if Xing Yi is losing her way and becoming something other than the woman she'd give her life for. She had also been a symbol of Zhu strength and loyalty, and the problems she is starting to face may be signs of what is happening to her society as a whole.  

Hirara Bio

Art by Henry

Hirara is an anomaly, not a single person alive knows where she came from or has any memory of her being a child or even when she first appeared.  There are no records of her family or any jobs she held in the past.  All people know is that she tends to show up wherever large scale events happen, always offering her assistance for whatever is going on.  Outside of that it was more likely for people to encounter her at random, the woman seemingly walking towards and unknown destination always willing to help out anyone she meets along the way or at least talk to them.   While always known, Hirara reached Empire wide fame after effortlessly beating several high profile martial arts masters who challenged her to a duel over what they saw as a slight against them.  Her combat prowess soon being what she was most known for as people from all over the universe came to either fight her or to try and learn from her, very few actually being taken as students (most notable of which is Xing Yi)

Nowadays Hirara can be found hanging around the Heaven's Gate monastery as an unofficial monk of discipline, but she still wanders about from time to time and is always willing to speak to and assist people.  Although her and Xing Yi apparently had a falling out there has been no government decree against her, and the rulers who followed the Matriarch have all held a great respect for Hirara and used her insight on many occasions. While she is respected there are many who worry about what her knowledge may cause, fear that she may cause them to be an early target of the System or that she may attempt to control the strings of future herself.

Matriarch Xing Yi Qiao

By Henry

Years of studying with a shady mentor, and dealing with personal tragedy has brought changes in the once idealistic and eager princess.  When she became Empress she was much harsher than people expected,  her rule cold and deadly while still ensuring the prosperity of her people, often at the cost of several others.  The typical mostly hands off approach was gone, replaced with what many referred to as the iron fist of progress.  She soon became one of the most feared leaders on several worlds, a war criminal and heartless tyrant to seem a beacon of hope and restoring former glory to others.  While her presence was everywhere in her reign, what she actually did outsides of policies and punishments is unknown to the majority of people. But she would frequently vanish for a while leaving her followers to simply follower directions laid out, as soon as her daughter became of age she left the Empire for over a decade with no sightings.  Only returned after her granddaughter began to go through training, and leaving once more (with the granddaughter) when the then current Empress died.  Now in present day she sort of just floats in and out, rumors about her personally dealing with those who know too much or she holds a grudge against. Despite being retired she holds a lot of influence and many remain loyal to her and many believe that she may still secretly run the Empire and that Empress Li Hua could be merely a puppet following her grandmothers commands. 

Dokura Ibeshi Concept

By Henry

The idea behind this character actually goes back several projects and many iterations, but I'm going to focus on the idea behind the final version.  I decided to work with the idea of retainers for the Imperial family and decided each member would have their own head retainer/body guard normally one that mixes with their own style and personality.  These individuals would often be picked at an earlier age by older family members based on their chi potential and trained to cover the perceived weaknesses of the royal they would guard.  They would be conditioned to be loyal to them, often to the point of love to ensure that they would protect them at all costs and always try to keep them happy.  The last part is the biggest reason for Dokura, a character that loves her master so much that even when her master seems to have lost her way she will aid her darker plans.  She was made to be sort of a side kick role in the 1st timeline, and sort of a reluctant antagonist/frenemy in the 2nd.   The claws are there just because I've loved them as martial arts weapons ever since I played dynasty warriors as a child.

Visual Novel test

So decided to push forward with the visual novel idea to sort of set up the lore and the setting, while taking a break from the much more time consuming game project.  Just a martial arts themed tale focusing on the later generation of the Imperial family, showing what the world is like in current times.

A screen shot from a test of mine on the look.

Empress Bio

Art once again by Henry

The Empress is as the name suggests the ruler of a place known as the Zhu Empire, the main setting of my current projects.  She serves as the main protagonist of the second time line, representing a leader caught between the traditions of her society and the increasing need to modernize in a more complex world.   

Li Ling is the daughter of the one of the more loved Empresses of recent times, her parents teaching her some degree of duty and responsibility but mostly allowing her to learn on her own.  As such her youth was mostly spent trying to find new ways to have fun and throwing parties, even the skills she gained from training were mostly applied for tricks.  She had numerous misadventures that will stick with her for the rest of her life, but her story really begins at age 18.  A few weeks past her birthday a demon mostly known through legend mysteriously got into the palace him and his minions assaulting the place from within suddenly and without warning.  Despite their best efforts, her mother was killed and her gravely injured, her father having to give his life to destroy the demon.  Unable to handle what had occurred the now Empress left with her grandmother, leaving the Empire to fall upon it's back up government measures as she left her nation behind.

Several years later she returned, finding herself mentally ready to take the throne.  It was a long journey of her traveling around and working to muster up enough support to claim the throne of her various family members vying for the Imperial seat above the other kings and queens, but eventually she carved out her true place at the head. Since then her rule has been a very controversial one her policies moving more and more into an area many find uncomfortable as she seems to regard less and less of tradition as the years go by.  She is loved for her strong dislike of bureaucracy and focus on defending and helping even the smallest part of society, but the massive love for her is becoming more and more towards her as a person and less as a leader as time goes on.  With already major internal conflict under her belt, only time will tell where her rule will lead and if the martial strength she possesses will be enough to face the next coup.