JAAN
'Be kind, be courteous, and be ready to defeat everyone you meet.'
Character Age: Late Forties
Character Gender: Male
Character Race: Earth Kingdom
Bending: Earth Bending Mastery: Although his gifts have become rusted over the years through lack of proper practice, Jaan maintained his impressive prowess in the earth bending arts. What started off as raw talent, became honed into terrifying skill in the dojos of his home, where his wealthy parents tutored him under the best masters available at an outrageously young age. He became forged in the fires of war, where Jaan demonstrated his tact and patience, studying his opponents and letting them tire themselves on his defenses before resolving the battle using powerful, precision strikes.
Skills: Tactical Genius: Where, and when, how, and why; to defeat the enemy before the battle ever begins, Jaan could have written a book on the subject. The study of war is the domain of princes, and Jaan was no exception. He learned in the best battle schools, and read the writings of famed generals. Achieving victory through any means necessary was always his mindset, which set him apart. Jaan’s father thought he might become a competent general like his forefathers, winning wars for the Earth Kingdom in the name of the monarch. Instead Jaan went on fight the Earth King for his own title, and won the battles to prove it. If it were not for Shin Vou and the traitorous guard, he never would have lost a pitched battle, or so he claims.
Man of the Land: Since his self-imposed exile, Jaan has spent many long years humbling himself preforming the work of peasantry. Farming, and herding under the blazing sun. He proved quick at picking up the necessary skills to survive in the harsh climate bordering the desert wastes, where a strong back and a quick mind are just as necessary as they were on the battlefield. He even managed to move past working other’s farms and begin his own. The days are long, and the rewards are few but Jaan long ago accepted this new life and has embraced it.
Swordsman: The ways of a warrior are vast and learning to wield a sword is one of those numerous areas of study Jaan subjected himself too. Although he is no master, he is nevertheless a lethal fighter, able to incorporate the blade into his earth bending.
Weaknesses: Old Scars: War takes it toll, even on the most skill men. During his climatic duel against Shin Vou and the Traitor Guard Jaan was wounded, his leg shattered, and his shoulder battered into disrepair. He managed to escape alive, but only just and his body never truly recovered. Jaan is still plagued by a limp, and his aging bones protest every movement his shoulder makes.
Paranoid: Traitors come from everywhere, trusted advisors, incorruptible soldiers, hand chosen officers… Even the average peasant, his neighbors, and friends for decades, should they learn his true name they would turn him over to the Earth King and his allies in a second for a handful of coin. No doubt his son and wife would be imprisoned too! No one can be trusted.
Broken Pride: Defeat is a bitter drink to swallow, especially for a proud former king. The cries of those he hurt, in the pursuit of vengeance and his own selfish goals still ring in his ears. Every night he wonders if victory could have healed those wounds, if it was worth the price he paid? Should he have turned the other cheek, and saved his rule, or lost everything for the sake of pride?
Possessions:Sword of the Past: A relic of those days before his defeat. An heirloom of his clan. Jaan keeps the sword hidden away under the floorboards of his homestead, concealed from prying eyes, hidden from his family, and himself.
Baou: A trusty steed, and a good friend. Baou is an old ostrich horse gifted to him by a former employer before Jaan struck out to build his own life. The beast of burden has proved time and time again to be the lynchpin to Jaan’s success, helping him tame a wild piece of land and mold it into a functioning farm.
Biography: In those days, before his fall and humbling Jaan was known to the world as Prince Nelzu Beifou, son of Nelzu Zhei the King of Harushima City. A region located in the northwestern territories. They were an ancient clan governing in their province as “kings” under the true rule of the Earth King in Bae Sing Se. Beifou, from an early age showed great promise. He was intelligent, proud, and powerful. His father thought to fashion him into a proper warrior general and began grooming the child for the burden of leadership, enrolling him in the finest dojos, under the most esteemed masters available. Young Beifou flourished in this environment, becoming the hot-headed young commander his father always knew he could be. By age sixteen Beifou proved himself a competent leader, achieving success against a fire island raid. He went on to three other victories in important skirmishes across the Earth Kingdom, leading with great courage and distinction, catching the eye of several important officials in the monarchal hierarchy. His most notorious conquest at the time was his infamous sacking of Nishot, a rebellious city that thought to lessen its tax burden to the crown by force of arms. Beifou smashed their numerically superior armies and burned the city to the ground. His tactics were brutal, his victory absolute.
For a time Beifou was tolerated by the Earth Kingdom’s other ambitious leaders, showered in praise and adulation for his aptitudes. Everyone wanted the up and coming prince on their side, for now. However certain personages within the system were beginning to doubt whether the aspiring youth could be trusted. His people loved him, his men were loyal to a fault, and he simply could not be stopped. Should he gain thoughts of independence, many wondered if he could be effectively challenged. At the time he was only a prince, but once he became king…? The question hung unanswered, and ominously close. That day did eventually arrive on his twenty seventh year, he was crowned king of Harushima city. A momentous occasion, and the turning point for a new era. Beifou was sent a message by the Earth King himself, requesting Beifou’s presence in Ba Sing Se, to reaffirm his oaths of fealty to the crown. Lesser men it seemed had been whispering in the Earth King’s ear, warning that Beifou could be dangerous, and he must be controlled, and his power lessened.
Beifou did as he was bid, traveling to the walled metropolis to deliver his promises, but what he found there outraged the new monarch. The Earth King was not satisfied with just oaths, but demanded Beifou abdicate his title, and step down to mere governorship of Harushima. Outraged Beifou refused and raged against this call, even throwing insults at the Earth King. The monarch, though in his seat of power and surrounded by supporters quailed against Beifou’s wrath and promised to rescind the decision. However, in the dead of night the King’s agents attacked Beifou’s temporary residence in the inner ring hoping to subdue him. Beifou proved a wily foe, and managed to escape, fleeing the city under the cover of darkness, riding hard for Harushima hoping to raise his forces before his city fell under attack.
The war that followed was long and terrible. Everything the Earth King’s agents feared came to pass, after their debacle attempt to stem Beifou’s power. Eight separate battles, thirteen sieges and countless skirmishes would destroy a good portion of the northwestern territories over the next seven years. Beifou could not be bested in any pitch battle, and he burned many royal loyalist cities to the ground, but even he could not be everywhere at once. The Earth Kingdom commanded vast legions, and they danced around Beifou’s army, bleeding him dry until the minor king retreated, barricading himself inside Harushima. There followed two years of endless siege warfare, they weighed upon Beifou’s people, until he could no longer look into their gaunt faces, and meet their tired eyes. Even his most trusted comrades and boisterous supporters plead for him to accept the Earth King’s treaty and give up this senseless rebellion. Beifou refused openly stating his intent to hold the city until his dying day.
One man, Beifou childhood friend and current confidant decided to take matters into his own hands and began secretly negotiating with the Earth King’s servants. His name was Shin Vou, and he found the high monarch’s terms agreeable. Gathering to him other disenfranchised officers and men amongst Beifou’s personal guard Shin attempted to force the lesser king to surrender. He kidnapped Beifou’s wife and children, and fortified himself inside the Rudou, a fortress within the walls of Harushima. Demanding that Beifou surrender the city for the good of its people or suffer the consequences. Enraged at this blatant betrayal Beifou assaulted the Rudou, storming its mighty walls. Meanwhile the Earth Kingdom army launched their own attack on Harushima’s outer defenses, and without their king to command them, the city defenders began to falter. The battle raged for two days and nights, until the city finally surrendered. The victorious attackers marched in to relieve the beleaguered defenders of the Rodou, only to discover the two former allies weeping over the rubble. In their struggle they brought the Rodou to the ground, toppling upon those they held dear. Down below, buried beneath the utter destruction Beifou’s family were lost forever. Beifou’s grief turned to rage when he saw the army and knew his city was lost and everything had been for not. He attacked Shin, but outnumbered to such a ridiculous degree the king was swiftly vanquished, his leg crushed, and his shoulder smashed until he fled, barely escaping Shin’s clutches. Promising terrible retribution he made his way south, hoping to find someone who could aid in his vengeful crusade.
Beifou would find no more allies, however. No one wanted to link themselves to a conquered former king, and instead attempted to turn him over to the Earth King. Beifou would be on the run for the next year until at last he vanished completely, without a trace. Some thought he perished, others wondered if he was still hiding in some sympathetic household, gathering allies, and plotting his next move. Many were glad he was gone, Beifou left a trail of destruction behind him, smoldering homes, and ruined lives. Finally peace could be returned to their desolate homeland, under the governorship of their liberator, Shin Vou.
For Beifou’s part, his former self was dead, and from the ashes a new man was born. A man by the name of Jaan. A farmhand, who kept his head down and did his work without complaint. Someone who could be trusted to run errands and lead the flocks, and garnered a reputation for being a good fellow, if a bit dour and tight lipped. Jaan did do some planning, at first, he plotted every night on how he might regather his loyal warriors and deliver impossible vengeance on those who wronged him and stole his crown. Every day that dream faded, and the fire of justice was replaced by the bitter acceptance of defeat. He instead found meaning in his simple work once a cover turned lifestyle, caring for his new wife, and young son, and building a homestead and existence on the flatland bordering the Si Wong wastes.
Supporting Cast: Meilou: Jaan’s loving wife of thirteen years. She is a good, hardworking woman who only knows a few details of Jaan’s true past. She does not pry, respecting his need for privacy on the matter. She knows she is not his first wife. She also knows of his paranoia, Meilou being the only person alive he has ever confided in, even to the small degree he shared.
Zhei: He is Jaan’s third born, and only living son. Zhei is a thirteen-year-old boy, and a natural earth bender like his father. He is headstrong and proud, and prone to getting himself into trouble much like his sire when he was younh. Jaan is extremely protective of the boy after the loss of his other children all those years ago, perhaps a bit too protective. Their relationship is strong, with Zhei often helping his father around the farm and delivering their produce to Si Wong. Still, the child knows nothing of his father’s past, and Jaan intends to keep it that way. Not even fully trusting his own son, though shame at what he had become is perhaps the more potent aspect.
Shin Vou: Once Shin Vou was Jaan’s trusted council, and his best friend, but the tragedy of war drove them apart. Now Shin is an Earth King Loyalist, and the governor of Jaan’s homeland. Deep down Shin Vou knows Jaan still lives, hiding somewhere and is a threat to his dynastic rule. Despite Jaan’s defeat being more than a decade past Shin still hunts his former comrade, promising a hefty sum for the bounty hunter who delivers.
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