[color=f08080][b]Name:[/b][/color] Mari Snowswept [color=f08080][b]Age:[/b][/color] 33 [color=f08080][b]Gender:[/b] [/color] Female [color=f08080][b]Sexual Orientation:[/b] [/color] ??? [color=f08080][b]Role in Society:[/b] [/color] Northern Mountain Monk/Nun [color=f08080][b]Occupation:[/b] [/color] (Warrior) Nun [color=f08080][b]Legend:[/b] [/color] Many tellings speak of the Warrior Monks and Nuns in the north. More tell of the individual that is said to be stronger than most. One said that she took on two Ogres at once, barehanded, and won in a straight up fist fight. Some even go so far as to say that she met one of the ogre’s fist with her own and did not even budge an inch, only to win that and continue to beat the Ogre senseless before moving to the other. Other stories tell of her brave defense of her monastery when a large band of monsters attacked. They say her leading of a small group of her fellow monks allowed for the rest of her fellows to ready themselves for the greater offensive. Still yet, there were rumors that the monks simply got many of the monsters drunk off of their great brews and dissuaded them from attacking. More rumors speak of a "Woman in the Bamboo Hat." A woman who traveled around and assisted those in need. There were even more rumors that spoke of her drunk and merry-making with many locals. [color=f08080][b]Appearence Picture:[/b] [/color] [img]http://ru.touhouwiki.net/images/thumb/b/bd/Th135_Byakuren1.png/350px-Th135_Byakuren1.png[/img] [color=f08080][b]Appearence:[/b] [/color] Typically she only wears the hat when she travels. [color=f08080][b]Personality:[/b] [/color] Mari is a typically happy and calm individual. She also enjoys helping others in need where she can. She considers herself a rather thick-skinned individual as well, able to take insult after insult without budging. However, everything has a breaking point, and Mari is a rather scary person to make an enemy of. When she does break, it is typically hazardous for the individual that has incurred her wrath, much like how she envisions Yumar. She is considered a fairly social person by her fellows in the Monastery, as her heavy social drinking would tell. On top of that, she is one of the kindest people in the place, willing to assist anyone with anything supposing it isn't anything of questionable content. Even assisting in a greatly dangerous situation with many of her peers in the past. [color=f08080][b]Skills:[/b] [/color] [i]Martial Artes Master:[/i] As with many of those at her place of residence, she is a practitioner of physical and hand to hand combat. Amongst her peers, she’s considered one of the masters with her many years of training. [i]Acrobatics Expert:[/i] As bladed weapons are hazard in a fight, sometimes one cannot help but want to dodge away in order to not take damage as opposed to taking a direct hit and have a gash and lose blood. [i]Brewmaster:[/i] Using ancient techniques, Mari and her other monks and nuns enjoy drinking and creating great brews as, at times, there is little other to do than drink, train and talk. [color=f08080][b]Combat Flaws:[/b][/color] [i]Blades Cut Deep[/i]: Aside from dodging and possibly catching a blade, Mari is rather defenseless to a bladed weapon. They'll stop at the bone, but it will slice her flesh and make her bleed, or possibly puncture a vital organ. [i]Lack of Range: [/i] Mari has little to no ability to attack from a range. Aside from picking up rocks and throwing them, which tend to be more ineffective. [color=f08080][b]Personality Flaws:[/b][/color] [i]Masterful Drunk:[/i] As she enjoys her drink too much, when she drinks, she drinks a lot. She has a high tolerance to the stuff, but if she drinks enough, she will be effected like most people which is very likely to happen when she starts. Typically, that involves passing out or walking in the streets not quite in a straight. [i]Kindness[/i] At times, she is altogether too kind. Sometimes, so kind it would get her killed had she had other circumstances. She is unafraid of assisting those she finds in a street that is being assaulted by thugs. Those struggling with carrying things. Now, she is able to even help those with their lives in danger. [b]Magic Spells:[/b] -[i] Mend Light Wounds: [/i] By focusing energy, the user of the spell is able to help mend wounds and cure bruises. This one takes a long time and must focus greatly. -[i] Everlight: [/i] After the spell is used, a small, but somewhat bright light appears at the users fingertip doing nothing more but providing light. [color=f08080][b]Abilities:[/b] [/color] [b]Physical Endowment[/b]: Many have called her strong as an Ox, that however may just be an understatement. Some might go so far as to say an Ogre. -[i]Powerful Muscles:[/i] Her punches have more force behind then than a physical fighter of her own level, years, and training as well as lifting up things many would not even consider lifting. Oddly, it seems to turn itself off when she is attacking one she doesn't want to harm. This includes mostly people. -[i]Reinforced Structure[/i]: Her bones are less brittle than most, as she is able to withstand many more things a normal human would not. -[i]Pain Killer:[/i] When it comes to taking a hit, not only does it not bother her bones, but neither does it bother her nerves either, at least, extensively. She still has a sense of pain, but it dulls down to the point that she can stand it without even considering flinching. [color=f08080][b]Backstory:[/b] [/color] [hider=Backstory]Mari was born in a small village in the north not too far from the mountains. Her parents were neither warriors or fighters, just simple villagers in an out of the way village that tried it’s best to just exist and survive. The village assists the nearby "Monastery of the Gods." Part of the exchange is food for brew, something the village trades and, of course, drinks for themselves. Mari herself assisted where she could around the house and property and farming. From time to time, a few of the monks and nuns would come down to the village to trade goods, philosophy and even entertain the village with shows of their skills. Mari was intrigued and asked what they did exactly. The nun she asked replied, "What we do is simple, yet it is somewhat difficult to explain. We hone our bodies to, in turn, hone our spirits. With our honed spirits, we can further devote our souls to our gods. I am a close follower of Yumar, and my fellow monks here follow others." A smile accompanied her explanation, "Some are merely there to assist their deities. Others find concern to help other people. Perhaps you would be interested in joining us?" Mari declined at the time, unsure if she could just leave her family behind nor did she really understand god worship. Her family supported the idea should she decide to do so. She mulled it over until she was fourteen. When the monks returned after that time she decided to join them. At first, she wasn't sure about the different deities, but quickly grew to appreciate Yumar and Wyrim. One day, a few years after she joined, her and the acolyte trainees were sent on a training mission, to better be use to the cold snowy area as well as train their senses. With none of the higher ranked monks with them, they had to use their wits and speed to help them if something dangerous happened. The group was fine, until something unimaginable happened, an Ogre attacked. An odd Ogre out in the middle of the mountains. Their camp was located in the mouth of a cave, one big enough for an ogre to enter without worrying about being limited in its movement. Mari was worried about her fellow trainees. In a bid for time, she diverted its attention moving a little further in the cave, long enough to let her friends to escape. No doubt, they would escape back to the Monastery, that wasn't an option for her though. She couldn't lead it back home. There was no way to easily escape this monstrosity, so she had to run. Finding a chance between it's strikes, Mari dove through it's legs and started to run. It followed her across the frozen mountain, angry she was still on its territory. After a while, tired from running so much, she slipped on the ice into a wall. The ogre caught up, bloodlust in its eye, and prepared a strike. In fear, she could only hold her arms up to protect herself. A vein effort in hindsight, but somehow it worked. Her arms felt. . . Weird. As if they were tingling from laying on her arms all night, but it dissipated quickly as it came. Her back also felt like they were pressed against the wall even more than before. Then she looked up at a surprised looking Ogre. Now she felt invigorated and, somehow, felt she could actually fight the creature. Taking the chance while the ogre was off guard, she struck. The beast was knocked back slightly, mostly due to the snow, slightly to her physical prowess. It came back to it's senses and struck back slamming into the wall. Running again, Mari formulated a plan. It was a mountain, couldn't she just knock it down and let the fall do the job for her? Luring it to a cliff-like area, she let it strike at her and dodged it. While it recovered from its massive swing, she delivered as massive a blow as she could to make it go over the edge. Unprepared the thing let out a cry as it feel to its doom many, many feet below. Exausted and feeling like she was put through some kind of outrageous crucible, she had plenty of time to think on her way home. Had she received a bless from fate himself? What exactly did "Fate" have in store for her? Did he merely take pity on her? Or did he have have a plan for the future that Mari did not know? Returning home, she told her story of how she disposed of the ogre and survived a blow that would have utterly decimated any of her fellow acolytes. Praised by all at the Monastery, she was instantly granted the rank of "Master" for her protection of the others from an Ogre. Over the next couple of years, she continued her martial training and discovered what exactly it was she gained on that mountains the few years back. Finally, she decided she needed to see the world and left the Monastery on a seven year journey before she returned older, stronger and most of all, wiser. She gathered a reputation as the "Woman with the Bamboo Hat" as well.[/hider]