[hider=Assassin]
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[h3][color=bc8dbf][i]“Attack swiftly, and without warning. This is the way of the scorpion.”[/i][/color][/h3]
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[color=a187be][b]Name[/b][/color]: Hei-Ran Mihn
[color=a187be][b]Alias[/b][/color]: N/A
[color=a187be][b]Nickname[/b][/color]: Striking Scorpion
[color=a187be][b]Age[/b][/color]: 26
[color=a187be][b]Region of Origin[/b][/color]: North
[color=a187be][b]Hometown[/b][/color]: Yuen, a medium-sized fishing village close to the north near a glacier that is creeping closer every year. It houses a population of slightly more than three hundred, with fishermen, skinners and alchemists with a specific skill set.
[color=a187be][b]Deity[/b][/color]: She most closely associate with the Phoenix of the South, as per the traditions of the orphanage’s matriarch.
[color=a187be][b]Master[/b][/color]: Assassin

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[color=a187be][b]Gender[/b][/color]: Female
[color=a187be][b]Race[/b][/color]: Yun
[color=a187be][b]Height[/b][/color]: 5’ 4” (164.5cm)
[color=a187be][b]Weight[/b][/color]: 126lbs (57kg)
[color=a187be][b]Hair[/b][/color]: Black
[color=a187be][b]Eyes[/b][/color]: Sea Green
[color=a187be][b]Skin[/b][/color]: Lightly tanned blemishless skin over lithe muscles. She has callouses on both palms from handling kunais and tanto. The lower half of her face (from her neck to the bottom of her eyes) is a shade lighter due to the mask covering it.
[color=a187be][b]Handedness[/b][/color]: Ambidextrous
[color=a187be][b]Scars[/b][/color]: She has several thin, light nicks (virtually non-visible unless you look very closely) littering the back and palm of her hands and fingers from early years of handling razor wires and blades. She has a long, rugged scar running from the top of her left ribs vertically down to her hip.
[color=a187be][b]Tattoos[/b][/color]: She has a small black tattoo of a scorpion on her right collarbone.

[color=a187be][b]Basic Description[/b][/color]: Hei-Ran has been likened to your classic porcelain doll in terms of facial appearance, slender figure and healthy light-tanned skin. Her black hair and green eyes make her stand out amongst her fairer Sisters, but worked to her advantage when blending in with crowds as it is not an unusual or more unique colour. She keeps her long hair tied back into a tight braid, and secured by a trio of senbon masquerading as hairpins. Long sidebangs frame her face while the rest of it is cut short to reach the top of her eyelids and swept to the side. Arching eyebrows, a delicate jawline, defined cheekbones and straight nose, one would think her a high-born woman of wealth and comfort if they did not look too closely. However, beneath her choice of attire - whether it be her standard grey assassin’s robes, mask and leather greaves or long casual robes when not on the job (very rarely) - lies a well-tone body with lithe muscles and little excess fat. Her skin may look soft and flawless from a distance, but up close, one would be able to see the various scars collected over the years if uncovered by clothes.

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[color=a187be][b]Likes[/b][/color]: Skill competitions amongst her Brothers and Sisters, experimenting and discovering new poisons and antidotes, sweet pastries, pleasantly cold nights, peaceful silence she can mediate in.
[color=a187be][b]Dislikes[/b][/color]: Unnecessary killings, harming children, being completely unarmed, mindless destruction and people who oppresses others for whatever reason, traitors, jellyfish.
[color=a187be][b]Goals[/b][/color]: To redeem the name of the Striking Scorpions after the evil deeds wrought by one of theirs.
[color=a187be][b]Fears[/b][/color]: Losing anymore of her Brothers and Sisters to the Dark, either by being converted or killed.
[color=a187be][b]Mannerisms[/b][/color]: Hei-Ran has many different aspects to her personality. She is often serious, maintaining a bland expression which can turn into a sharp glare if faced with something – or someone – she dislikes. As someone who does not like to be under the spotlight, she tries to appear bland and unassuming whenever she is out of gear. Her common looks, casual clothes that allows her to fade into the sea of people around her and polite, mild-mannered speech all contribute greatly in making her seem like an ordinary, boring person. 

But unknown to mere acquaintances, she has a humorous side, often displayed in the form of dry or sarcastic comments, especially when hanging around the few people she fully trusts. People on that list includes her chosen family, a few select childhood friends, and a little old lady running the local bakery. Hei-Ran rarely allows herself to be carefree, loud and active even when in a place she feels safe, such as her home. She is relatively caring in that while she doesn’t believe in sugar-coating the truth no matter how harsh it may be, she will break the news gently if that person is close to her, or is in visible distress, close to breaking down. 

Hei-Ran is extremely practical, and strives to be a woman of sound moral principles, and would stand by them no matter what it cost her. She can be stubborn and hard-headed when she believes she is right, and refuses to be convinced otherwise unless the opponent manages to bring sound logic into the argument. She refrains from judging people by first impression alone, and usually reserves her opinion until she knows them better. While she might be a hard person to offend, she can't stand being belittled, and can get rather competitive, especially if that particular person proves rather challenging. Her temper is a slow simmering fire, not easily coerced to rearing up and retaliate, but the right trigger works like kerosene, making it explosive and abruptly, but dwindles down quickly. The right trigger? Threatening the young ones in the orphanage. The older ones can take care of themselves, but the younger were her responsibilities.

[color=a187be][b]Psychological Condition[/b][/color]: Having grown up and trained to be a hunter of the corrupted, Hei-Ran had been witness to some pretty horrific scenes and skirmishes that still haunts her memories at present. Hence, she is often plagued by bouts of nightmares, waking up in the middle of the night covered in sweat, eyes darting around to look for the enemy. After several years of this happening, she has taken to working herself to exhaustion before falling into a deep, dreamless slumber. This has resulted in her being an insomniac, only catching a few hours rest each day. She is also rather paranoid, worrying so much that enemies would come busting into their home and slaughtering everyone in their sleep. It is not unusual for her to sleep with a tanto clutched in her hand.
Superstitions: Members of the Striking Scorpions believe that losing control of one’s emotions before striking brings bad luck, for the spirit of the victim will latch onto such a strongly expelled emotion expressed through their final hours and continue to linger and influencing the person’s base emotions until their death is avenged. Thus, at an early age, they were taught to present themselves externally, while controlling themselves internally through deep meditation.

[color=a187be][b]Social Pressures/Problems[/b][/color]: Although she likes children, and would do anything to protect them, she has never felt comfortable around crying people and so has no clue on how to deal with them. Whenever there is a threat of waterworks starting, she is gone. Her paranoia also makes her nervous when forced to mingle at social events, and when she is nervous, she can’t help but be blunt and let her sarcastic side run loose, resulting in her offending quite a few guests before she leaves.

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[color=a187be][b]Parents[/b][/color]: Orphan (pseudo-mother – Sil-Sung – deceased)
[color=a187be][b]Siblings[/b][/color]: The members of the Striking Scorpions and those within the orphanage.
[color=a187be][b]Rivals[/b][/color]: Open to rivals.
[color=a187be][b]Enemies[/b][/color]: Tae-Jun Kan, the one who was converted to the Dark and slaughtered handfuls of innocent in a bout to prove that he has truly fallen. Sil-Sung was killed trying to stop him and Tae-Hun has disappeared ever since.

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[color=a187be][b]Weapons[/b][/color]: A brace of [url=https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ7t5bg9kIcl4YV6QP1AVC6FDXdFl0-mqkZjl4LgQI-vD9uzVAmFw]senbon[/url] wrapped around her right [url=https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQl9lAdkwc2-J7GL8kMjqNKQqVHB1YFpNdp4KMqncqfxZpd4PsS]vambrace[/url], ornamental [url=https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRYhb0YGf_FhwSjIOdZgYVWPaMnCZzrUT7JEUOJKTLEfcjN_kbwew]hairpins[/url] in her hair, two [url=https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQnBxrTW-NVbq7yuicUtwixAec3QxrOlBbTdCycOUcbJmzfptBtQw]tanto[/url] strapped horizontally at the small of her back (placed side by side of each other, one facing the left and the other right for easy access), thin ninja wire wrapped around the entire length of her left vambrace and a pouch of shuriken strapped to her right thigh.

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[color=a187be][b]Skills[/b][/color]: 
1) [color=a187be][b]Stealth[/b][/color]: She can blend in seamlessly in a place, can be utterly silent if she wished and is able to use corners, covers of darkness and the like to avoid detection if sneaking to a place.
2) [color=a187be][b]Sewing[/b][/color]: As an active combatant, her pseudo-mother made sure she is apt at mending her own clothes, or making new ones for herself in order not to waste money, and ensure no one else has the chance to temper with her clothes. 
3) [color=a187be][b]Music Instrument[/b][/color]: In order to improve finger dexterity, Hei-Ran learned to play the pipa (Chinese lute) and has taken a liking to the instrument. She uses it as a form of meditation or to simply unwind for the day. 

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[color=a187be][b]Powers[/b][/color]: 
1) [color=a187be][b]Wire Trap[/b][/color]: With this technique, ninja wire (a translucent string, both elastic and highly durable) is attached to a shuriken, making it possible to alter its path after having thrown it. She can then have the ability to freely glide the shuriken in any direction with just a single twitch of the finger the end of the wire is wrapped around. When multiple shuriken is employed, she can send them in seemingly random directions and end up with a near-visible web of wires that traps the enemy within, or bind them if they take the wrong step. The web only requires a trigger (cutting a string, removing a shuriken, pulling on or loosening a thread, etc) to cause the other threads to rearrange, making it adaptable to change in combat tactics and situations.  
2) [color=a187be][b]Iron Curtain[/b][/color]: Again using the wired shuriken, she can manipulate it to revolve around her instead, creating a 360 degrees curtain to deflect incoming projectiles.
3) [color=a187be][b]Needle Rain[/b][/color]: A sudden barrage of precisely targeted senbon, especially when unleashed in surprise, can be used to incapitate an opponent’s limbs or even paralyse them, making them an easier target. Lethality can be increased if the senbon is dipped in poison, or can save a life if dipped in antidote and delivered precisely into the bloodstream.
4)  [color=a187be][b]Trick of the Light[/b][/color]: When out in the open under sunlight, she can reflect/bend light off any reflective surfaces on her person to ‘cast’ minor illusions, usually distorting the opponent’s image of her or disorientating them for a few seconds, enough for them to be distracted. This bending of the light can extend to allies within her sight and/or touch.
5) [color=a187be][b]Scorpion’s Sting[/b][/color]: A length of wire is attached to the hilts of her tanto and a poisoned senbon is attached to the other end, so when she strikes with her blades, the opponent is not aware of the other weapon, and with a move of her wrists, she can flick the senbon around to pierce the back of the neck.
6) [color=a187be][b]Shadow’s Embrace[/b][/color]: When concealed in the shadows, she blends in thoroughly with it, making her virtually impossible to detect. 
7) [color=a187be][b]Shrapnel Bomb[/b][/color]: Imbued with ki, her hairpins and shurikens are dormant bombs that can be triggered on command. Although its explosive radius is small – capable of injuring only one or two people – it sprays small, red-hot shrapnel outwards in all direction after the explosion.
[hider=8) Dance of the Scorpion]
This kata is a mix of defence and offense that can be used with one or two blades of any length. It relies on speed first and foremost and the firmness of one’s stance when in the defensive position. It has two stances, the strike and the block.

[u]Stance One, Strike[/u]: The user does not need to settle into any set stance. As long as the blade(s) is positioned low, wrist loose and blade held behind their backs, they can strike out straight towards the opponent from any direction. Like a scorpion’s tail, the user brings the blade up from behind their backs, striking high and precise in one quick forward motion. This move can be done multiple times in quick succession even when their feet is moving. Like a dance, the user twirls and sidesteps around or circling the opponent as they strike.

[u]Stance Two, Block[/u]: If the opponent manages launch an attack during the time in which the user is about to launch an attack, in the middle of an attack or directly after the strike, this position would allow the user to switch instantly from offensive to defensive if they cannot dodge in time. The user clamps up instantly, firming their muscles and locking their joints in a way that doesn’t allow accidental shift or jarrings when the opponent’s blow hits. The blade(s) is held vertically in a slightly lose grip so minute movements to fully counter the opponent’s strike can be made.
[/hider]

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[color=a187be][b]Current Story[/b][/color]: The only orphanage in Yuen, Sil-Sung’s house is located at the north-western side of Yuen, a slowly dwindling town thanks to the creeping glacier. In one early morning near the start of the year, she found a Fire Egg sitting innocently at the bottom of her doorstep. With no letter nor any indication of how it turned up here, Sil-Sung took it in like she would any other child who turned up outside her door. A whole day later, the egg hatched, and out came a baby girl, who wasted no time bawling her eyes out. A fortnight went by without Sil-Sung naming the girl, having thought up nothing suitable. It was only when the baby’s face lit up the very first time she took her to her small indoor garden full of blooming flowers and various plants embracing spring that she bestowed upon her the name Hei-Ran, which meant graceful orchid. As orphaned babies were rare around these parts, Sil-Sung indulged herself in taking care of the Yun infant.

In the early stages of her childhood, Hei-Ran was already proving to be a serious and reserved child by nature. She preferred to listen in on conversations, adding in her piece when she felt necessary, but otherwise content in letting others talk. In showing affection, however, she was not the least bit reserved. As a couple more orphans arrived, she would more often than not sneak into their room to make sure they were settling in well, or show people affection by placing a quick peck on their cheeks. The first time her abilities manifested was under duress. For Hei-Ran, that is. For everyone else, it was a hilarious incident. It was a prank set up by the older occupants of the orphanage, a payback for the numerous times the younger have annoyed them. At dinner, they struck, throwing all manners of insects on the younger children. Freaked, Hei-Ran screamed as an older boy aimed at her, preparing to drop a spider. However, the spoon she was clutching like a lifeline reflected a short, sharp jab of light from the candles around, momentarily blinding him. He bumped into the table, jostling it and a stunned silence settled, for Jon-Doh was known for his amazing spatial awareness. Mightily embarrassed by her scream and the stares of everyone, Hei-Ran fled, not noticing the look Sil-Sung and a few other exchanged. Curiosity made her think back about the incident a few days later, pushing her to uncover what that really was all about, and if she could recreate that effect again.

When she turned seven, Sil-Sung approached her with an offer. A chance to join the vigilante group known as the ‘Striking Scorpions’, who took it upon themselves to protect their town and those close-by from dark ki/chi users. In addition to that, she would learn about the theory of ki/chi in the world, how to harness her abilities, and of course, and later, combat skills best suited for her structure while also allowing her to use her abilities to the fullest. By telling Hei-Ran she was going to be protecting people as well as learning how to harness her abilities, she was sold on the spot, not even bothering to protest when Sil-Sung emphasised she would not be going out of town or considered a full-fledged member until she is sixteen, and even then, only if she manages to pass. The first couple of years were intense, focusing on building up stamina, strength and endurance while maximizing the areas she had advantage in, like flexibility, speed and forming plans on the spot. Together with her five fellow trainees, they steadily advanced through the years, discovering new abilities and modifying their individual gears to suit them. Hei-Ran eventually decided to go down the path of an Assassin, which she feels fully utilises her expertise in wires, senbon, shuriken and the tanto, all of which are suited for striking from the shadows, taking the opponent by surprise or trapping them before they could move. One by one, as each trainee hit sixteen, they disappeared for a week or more, and came back either in triumph or defeat. The day she finally turned sixteen came, and she was tasked with observing a certain village south of theirs to subdue a necromancer. Unbeknownst to her, a more experienced member was shadowing her just in case things went wrong. Hei-Ran managed to get close enough to the plain looking woman, catching her off guard. From the shadows, she threw her shuriken, binding her immobile and struck her down before the woman could break free. Thus, she earned her tattoo and place within the group.

The member who had shadowed her introduced himself after as Tae-Jun Kan, a Blades master. He helped her polish her skills with the tanto, and more often than not, they found themselves as a tag team, one going up close while the other supporting at a distance if the enemy proves to be more powerful then one of them can handle. At nineteen, when soloing against demon, she thought it was dead, only to be caught off guard when it moved, slicing her from rib to hip. Fortunately, it was only a flesh wound and damaged nothing vital. However, she now had a constant reminder what happened when you didn’t ensure an enemy was fully dead. 

For three years, things quietened down a little, and the only drama within the group was the strange behaviour of Tae-Jun. While he was still charming and mischievous like before, there were periods of him losing focus, staring off into the distance for a while, and nothing they did – shaking him, slapping him and the like – worked in breaking him out of it. It didn’t happen during his missions, so they didn’t press, instead keeping an eye on him. Then one night, the town next to Yuen was drenched in a sea of fire, with handfuls of demons cutting a bloody path through. Everyone currently not on duty was dispatched to help. However, Hei-Ran and a few of the other more experienced members were not amongst them, having been misled by Tae-Jun to a secluded spot to be ambushed. Hei-Ran managed to escape, meeting up with two others along the way back to Yuen. But they were too late. By the time they got back, Sil-Sung was dead, the House destroyed and everyone who survived went into hiding. The name of the Striking Scorpions had been tainted by Tae-Jun due to him causing destruction in their name. While some of the stigma was cleared when they made it clear Tae-Jun was a traitor to the group, it didn’t restore their reputation, for they failed to kill the traitor and lots of lives were lost. There was also the thought that if the charismatic Tae-Jun could cover his corruption so thoroughly only the Scorpions suspected but didn’t fully know, then how many other members could be corrupted, or approaching corruption themselves?

With confidence in them all but destroyed, the group faded into the shadows, still protecting, but not declaring. Lesser members and lesser drive to continue, they became a pitiful shadow of their former self. Sickened by the death of her mother figure and not being able to bare looking at the pathetic group any longer, Hei-Ran took up Sil-Sung’s family name and vowed to track Tae-Jun down and kill him in revenge. Only when that is done will she turn her attention to restoring the honour of the Scorpions, as it is Sil-Sung and her ancestor’s pride. Two years of hunting his trail has brought her to many places and across the East, West and South. When word of impending trouble in the North reached her ears, she decided to head back to her homeland, a place she had not set foot in for more than a year. 

[/hider]