21

Male

The Dragon Sea

Sun (Light)

Unfortunately, Chen’s Aether abilities are weak. The temple frequently warns its disciples that misusing Aether could lead to serious consequences and even self-destruction, and disciples are trained to only use Aether when absolutely necessary. The temple permits disciples to use Aether to promote harmony, keep peace, and to protect the community. As a result, Chen’s skills are mainly defensive and combative techniques are underdeveloped at best.

Master Lao would describe Chen’s personality as bright and playful, although other monks have described him as brash, a bit of an airhead, and even sacrilegious. He is generally gentle and fun-loving, and has taken the monks’ teachings somewhat literally. He is an eternal optimist and strangers may be unsettled by his naivety.

He has some habits that are markedly related to his upbringing at the temple. He enjoys drinking tea, dresses in simple robes, and tries to find joy in small, everyday things. He also recites poetry and quotes from the proverbs of wisdom using incorrect characters and in the wrong context.

Chen carries a flute and has a deep appreciation for music. The temple’s teachings encourage temperance and abstinence but Chen has a weakness for pleasure and beauty, indulging in art, food and wine.

One early morning, the monks prepared to perform the Ceremony of Spring at Xiaoyan Pagoda near the temple grounds. When the monks approached the pagoda at dawn, they discovered an infant crying on the steps below. The monks decided to name him "Chen," the spiritual character for "dawn." They gave him the surname "Xiaoyan" after the place where he was found.

It was widely known around the land that the temple followed a tradition of accepting orphans into their monastic community. The monks would educate the orphans as disciples of the temple, teaching them ethics, science, math, arts, spirituality, the history of the Seas and Aruth, and about Aether. After their education was completed, the young disciples would be given the choice to stay at the temple or to leave and pursue an independent life.

Despite being raised by monks, Chen grew up to be a cheerful and high-spirited youth, often running around the temple and climbing the trees and pagodas, splashing in the lotus ponds, and playing with whatever he could find—animals, plants, sacred artifacts. He grew up to be healthy and energetic, getting along well with the other young disciples. Chen was never rebellious, but always a bit too curious and perhaps a bit mischievous. He had trouble concentrating on his academic studies because he would not sit still long enough to concentrate.

His mentor, Master Lao, tried his best to instill the temple’s values in the young boy—virtue, harmony, modesty, patience, self-control. Master Lao decided that it would be good for the boy to channel his energy into martial arts, and so Chen began training to fight with a strong focus on self-defense. The temple grounds did not permit swords or knives, so Chen began training with a broomstick, eventually graduating to a bamboo staff.

After graduating from his studies, Chen was the only disciple in his class who decided to stay at the temple to remain as a monk. He had rarely traveled outside of the beautiful and peaceful temple, and his disenchanting glimpses of the outside world had been limited to the dirty, bustling city of Xi’An.

So Chen began his adult life as a monk, tending the temple grounds and teaching young disciples. But Master Lao soon fell ill with a mysterious, spiritual disease. The head priest of the temple found an ancient scroll with instructions for making the medicine that would cure Master Lao, but the ingredients needed to be sourced from outside. This prompted Chen to leave the temple for a couple years. He traveled across the archipelagos of the Dragon Sea to acquire different ingredients from merchants, doctors, artisans, shamans, and even pirates. Through this journey, he heard incredible stories from around the world about exotic places and people. In particular, he was fascinated by the stories of Divers and their great adventures.

He returned to the temple in time for the medicine to be brewed and Master Lao was cured. Chen considered Master Lao his father and was deeply moved, but the journey had changed his perspectives. Master Lao had just smiled knowingly when Chen announced that he would leave the temple to explore the world.

Chen carries his bo staff and flute and wears a jade talisman on his belt. The talisman has been with him since he was found as a baby and he believes it’s likely to be some kind of heirloom related to his parents. Generally, he travels light but likes to collect and trade small trinkets and souvenirs, sometimes carrying them around in a small pouch that also hangs from his belt.

Dr. Kramersen is a maritime archaeologist known for his contributions to the discovery of several shipwrecks including cargo steamers and treasure ships in the Caribbean. However, he is best known for his work on the commercial expedition that led to the 2008 discovery of Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia, an 18th century Spanish Manila galleon. The ship was discovered south of Japan using Kramersen’s reconstruction of its final voyage.

Dennis is 51 years old, born in 1971. He is 6’ tall and weighs 170 pounds. He has high cheekbones and traces of a scar across his nose, making him look considerably villainous when he was young. However, his heavy-lidded eyes have softened over time and his overall appearance has become gentler. His hair is light, with barely noticeable eyebrows and a mix of light brown and gray streaks on his head. He dresses rather casually, usually giving lectures in jeans, a simple shirt or sweater, and slippers. He is infamous for wearing a bathrobe in class and has also been seen wearing mismatched socks.

Dennis is passionate about maritime archaeology and the university has been willing to overlook certain eccentricities because he is well-respected for his work. His opponents at the university criticize his relaxed attitude and disregard for school policies and conventions, but he is popular among many students for his sincerity.

He often loses track of time and runs late to meetings, sometimes forgetting to go entirely. He also has a tendency to forget ordinary details about people and places. For example, he is prone to forgetting someone’s name but he may remember some random, minor detail about them instead. He jokes that it must be a sign of aging, but his colleagues remind him that he has always been this way. He is easily distracted and can become fascinated with something that captures his interest, sometimes forgetting to do basic tasks and chores in the process.

Dennis was born in Chicago, Illinois to Lennart and Anna Kramersen. His father was an architect originally from Copenhagen, Denmark and his mother was a Chicago native working for a small dental office. Both parents passed away due to natural causes with old age. He has an older brother named Marten who works as an accountant and lives in Florida.

Dennis received his bachelor's degree in Anthropology from Johns Hopkins University in 1994, a master’s degree in Nautical Archaeology from East Carolina University in 1999, and received his PhD in Anthropology with a specialization in Nautical Archaeology from Texas A&M in 2014.

Starting in the mid-90s, Dennis became a certified diver and participated in underwater exploration on his early expeditions in the Caribbean. After receiving his master’s degree, Dennis was able to take on more responsibility in bigger expeditions. He joined the search for Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia and headed the successful voyage reconstruction project that led to its discovery. He has written academic articles about the expeditions, as well as published a book about the discovery of Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia, which is considered his greatest achievement.

In 2016, Kramersen was appointed professor of nautical archaeology at East Carolina University. Despite the resentment from some of his peers and the monotonous day-to-day tasks of grading exams and papers, he has enjoyed his time as a professor. But when he was recently granted his first sabbatical, he knew he wanted another encounter with adventure, the kind of excitement that had characterized his work before his transition into an academic career. And so he was eager to accept the offer when he was invited to provide insight and guidance on the Charles Henshaw. He knew it would be his last opportunity to truly seek adventure, and possibly discover something extraordinary once more before his career finally runs out.

Archaeology: +3
Field Experience: +3
Observation: +2
Analysis: +2
Documentation: +2
History: +2
Creativity: +2
Oceanography: +1
Diving: +1
Tact: -1
Clumsiness: -1
Situational Awareness: -1