[img]http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/176/6/b/face_arab_man_by_mustafa3-d54ryl8.jpg[/img] [b]Name:[/b] Zayn [b]Age:[/b] 26 [b]Race:[/b] Human [b]Sex:[/b] Male [b]Homeland:[/b] The Free Holds [b]History:[/b] [hider=History] Eugh, [b]trigger warning[/b] here. Becoming a whore isn’t a nice story. --- In the markets of the Free Holds, you can find anything your desire, for a price. Flesh is a common commodity, both in slaves, in whores, or both. One of the more reputable pleasure houses, [i]The Rose’s Thorns[/i], was where Zayn’s mother spent her days. She was lucky - she was pretty. Her master sold her to the Rose after she was old enough to bleed. Compared to the other tasks assigned to slaves in Southblood, working in a pleasure house was paradise. She had regular clients, and not all were simply interested in her for carnal pleasures. There were more than a few naive young men who became enamored of her, or so Zayn was told. They brought her gifts, and for the first time, Zayn’s mother had things of her own. That was, as he was often told, before she became with child. The other girls said she was lucky that the child didn’t show through her stomach during the term, but the pregnancy was painful for her. She suffered from massive mood swings beyond the norm, had strange nightmares. When the child finally came, she was relieved that the trials were finally over. In the one moment of motherly grace she afforded him, she called the baby “Zayn”, meaning beauty. Zayn was quickly taken from his mother and given to one of the older crones - former whores, now to old to be of use, who instead cleaned the buildings. The owner of the Rose made sure all of his property was put to work. And so Zayn grew up among these former whores, and they taught him to walk, to talk, and then to walk quietly and when not to talk. As a young boy he began cleaning the Rose. A whorehouse has thin walls, and Zayn learned much throughout his childhood. He taught himself to read with the help of a kindly maid and discarded love letters. He watched people, both clients and workers, learning how they acted, and what their actions meant. His childhood as a janitor, however, quickly came to a crashing halt. Zayn was making his rounds of the buildings, cleaning as always, and passed through the Rose’s main lobby. Speaking to his master was a man, inquiring about ways to empty his heavy coinpurse. When this man saw Zayn, he told the master he wanted him. The Rose served to clients of any tastes, and Zayn’s master would do anything for coin -- including putting a boy of hardly thirteen summers into the business. Zayn hardly remembers anything about that night save for the pain, and the fact that he wanted the man to hurt as badly as he hurt him. Eventually, Zayn passed out. When he woke up, the man lay there, unmoving, eyes wide open and empty. His master was furious, deaths were bad for business after all. Zayn was thrown out of the rose, and forced to live on the streets. He eventually fell in with one of the various urchin gangs of the city. They became his family, and his brothers and sisters. During this time, his powers began to manifest themselves. After his tragic last night in the Rose, he began hearing whispers. Eventually he realized these as the thoughts of those around them. While running with the urchins, he began mastering his power in secret, always afraid that they might one day tear everything away from him again. Urchins grow up, and one day Zayn and many of his brothers were simply too old to continue as they were. They found themselves in with the actual gangs of the cities- criminals, murderers, the whole lot. Many of his brothers couldn't make the change, or couldn’t grow up, and now sleep beneath the dunes. After a few years of small larceny and cutting purses, one of the bosses thought of a better idea. Whoring was much more profitable and less dangerous than thieving. The boss set Zayn up in a small hovel down a decriped alleyway. She even allowed him to keep a small cut of the profits - though most went first to the game, and then a second portion to her. Zayn continued on this way, whoring, using his unique gifts to make patrons into repeat customers. From time to time, he’d learn juicy secrets worth some gold to someone, and the boss would reward him in kind if he ever provided anything profitable. Ten years after leaving the Rose, Zayn had done well for himself. He had a modicum of independence, more than many of his birth would ever have. His life would, however, be ripped from him again. Zayn was speaking to a new prospective client - a tall, kindly woman, older than most who would seek out his services, and far too clean. Zayn remembers them taking tea, and then his mind clouded and he woke up alone. He found an all-to-generous sum in his hovel. Later, he would learn that the woman was a mage, a mercenary who was helping the authorities deal with his gang. She has used her abilities to force him to tell her everything he knew! With his unique relationship to his boss - she had over the years become a good friend and an adoptive parental figure despite her ruthless attitude towards profit - it had been enough to seriously damage the organization. He was branded a traitor. He had to run. Using his savings and the money given to him by the mage (had she given it to him out of pity for the hell she caused him?), he booked passage over the blood sea. He landed in the Rheinfield Republic, in the midst of their civil war. He moved to Veldhausen, trying to become lost amongst the throng. In Rheinfield, he picked up some of the basics of how to defend himself against magic. He was determined to never let his mind be controlled by another. Veldhausen is a great place to hide, but a horrible place to live. Spurred by the constant talk of the glory of Renalta reborn, he joined a caravan headed that way. A member of the Queen’s Blade was likewise on the way back home. Zayn had head of the group - Kouri’s elite task force, recruiting ‘exceptional’ characters from across the world… He determined that he should join them. So, after some talk, and showcasing the errant Blade an [i]exceptional[/i] abilities, he was extended an invitation. The rest is history. [/hider] [b]Motivation:[/b] Power. Growing up as a slave to the whims of whoever had gold has planted a deep desire in Zayn to strive to have power over himself, his own actions, and others. The Queen’s Blades provide a perfect opportunity to fufill these ends. --- [center][b]Traits & Equipment[/b][/center] [b]General Traits[/b] [b]Sharp[/b]: Learning to read people is an invaluable skill to have. It helps one avoid the less desirable clients, and helps in finding the ways to give them their money’s worth. [b]--Investigator[/b] (Sharp Rank 2): Knowing your enemy is important. Hopefully being able to read his opponents will help Zayn in the hundreds of battles to come. [b]Stealthy[/b]: Secrets go hand in hand with the profession, and learning how to keep them, and how to be quiet enough to learn them, is something any ambitious person should consider. [b]Fortitude[/b]: Having learned so many secrets, magic, especially magic that manipulates the mind, is dangerous. Having learned from past experience Zayn has taken steps to protect himself from the arcane arts. [b]--Slippery[/b]: Zayn was lucky to survive his first real combat after joining the Blades. Realizing that no one’s luck holds forever, Zayn is taking advantage of the Queens’ resources to learn a valuable lesson: how not to get hit. [b]Unique Traits[/b] [b]Telepathy[/b]: Zayn is a telepath. He can, over short distances, read the surface thoughts of others, as well as communicating mentally with others. The range of this power is increased when dealing with other telepaths, but those with stronger minds or practice in dealing with these techniques are better equipped to resist it. Physical contact makes the use of his powers much easier, and allows him to attempt to dig deeper into the minds of others, or to even modify or implant memories in extreme moments. Doing so is extraordinarily uncomforting and unsettling, as trying to sort through the input of two brains at once is not an easy task. This a biological, rather than a magical, ability. [b]Empathic Link[/b] After discovering his telepathic talent during adolescence, Zayn has worked at applying it to his work. He discovered that emotions are far easier to manipulate than memories or thoughts. Zayn can subtly influence the emotions of those around him, and, given physical contact, can strongly influence what someone is feeling. While doing this, Zayn forms an empathic link with the subject(s), where he can feel what the subject is feeling. He can suppress these shared feelings slightly, but not entirely (i.e., if he uses this to inflict great pain onto someone, he’ll likewise suffer through pain, though not nearly as much as the subject). It is easier to cause positive emotions (hapipness, lust, glee , etc) than it is to cause negative emotions (grief, anguish, pain, nausea, etc..) [b]--Perfidious Pathos (Improve Empathic Link):[/b]The mind is the most powerful weapon at Zayn’s disposal, and the telepath is taking steps to sharpen it. He is now able to more aggressively project emotions on to others in combat, and can more easily suppress the emotional feedback such an attack would cause him.. [b]--Hostile Fauna:[/b] Animals are fueled by emotion and instinct. As a budding empath, Zayn is quickly discovering the uses his powers could have on such creatures. He is able to manipulate animals to perform actions. The effect is subtle: convincing a rabbit to attack a wolf is hard; convincing a wolf that your enemy looks delicious is less so. If Zayn spends significant time with an animal, the bonds he forms can be made deeper and more profound, granting him more control over the beast in question. [b]Equipment List[/b] Various outfits for any occasion. A few small knives, shivs and daggers. A whore is always armed, though the weapons are never seen. Nothing flashy, but everything sharp. --- [center][b]Personal Section[/b][/center] [b]Romance:[/b] Anything’s possible. [b]Does the Kouri Plushie exist?:[/b] Yes [b]Signature:[/b] Alex agrees to all the rules and regulations and agree that the GM may ruthlessly kill my character without my consent in heart wrenching fashion. --- [center][b]Achievements:[/b][/center] --Combat Negotiator: This character has a way with words, and enemies are more likely to listen to pleas for mercy or to stand down. (Minor bonus to convincing enemy NPC's to do as you wish.) --That's Mine!: Mission important objectives, or just straight up notable and/or powerful items, just seem to fall into this character's lap. (Minor bonus to finding and acquiring items. Enemies also have a subtle tendency to lose theirs around this character)