Gowi — Roleplayer Guild

“They will regret crossing her, but she will regret pursuing them so much more.”

| Identity |

Ava Ayala
White Tiger
The Tiger of the Bronx

| Origin & Backstory |

The story of the White Tiger begins with the first one to supposedly don the name and costume. Hector Ayala was a nursing student at Empire State University when he found himself in the possession of The Amulet of the Jade Tiger after stumbling on the scene of a grizzly crime in his neighborhood. The scene was dark as two bodies laid in the street, one of them ending up being the elderly Lin Sun— as Hector came to stabilize his wounds he told Hector a phrasing that he wouldn’t quite understand until much later: “For each is born anew, the tiger’s son.” As Lin Sun drifted to his death Hector found he had been given an amulet in his hand shaped of the head of a tiger and made of jade. Failing to save the man’s life and with ambulance on its way, he felt something within the amulet that he would only discover in the succeeding days as the deity within spoke obscurely through to him in his sleep and he found himself stronger, quicker, and with a seemingly endless stream of energy. At first he wasn’t sure what to make of it—but when his younger brother resurfaces as a corpse after meddling with The Jackson Corporation, the medical student decides to take the lead of the heroes of the past and present and use the amulet to protect his family and neighbors within the Bronx so it would never happen again. 

Hector was no detective, but the criminal activities around the Bronx was clear and whilst his brother found himself with the wrong types of people he did still have friends. Tracking down the “crowd” his brother ran with in high school he realized that the gang his brother was a part of was a fringe operation of the mysterious “Corporation” as The Kingpin Syndicate had generally lacked much operations in The Bronx at this point rather focusing on Harlem at the time. This is where White Tiger armed in nothing but a hoody and a ski mask would eventually fight his first supervillain— Animus. The battle was long and fierce, one that the more experienced enemy had certainly had the edge on but in a mixture of surprise and celestial guidance it won out in Hector’s favor. In the shadows of the encounter was an injured photo-journalist by the name of Alexander Knox who would be the one to remark on the ferocity of Hector as like that of a tiger and would be the one to name Hector’s vigilante title: White Tiger. After defeating Animus, Hector discussed at length about the situation with the supposed criminal corporation and they shared notes which would foreshadow a long relationship between the vigilante and the reporter.

Despite uncovering that this criminal corporation was operating in the Bronx through a majority of smuggling, weapons distribution, and narcotics development—the newly named White Tiger hadn’t solved the murder of his dear brother completely yet. As his and Knox’s investigation continued they gathered a NYPD detective by the name of Nathaniel Byrd into their fold; eager to clean the streets of the unsaintly scum he found himself working the police angle and sharing non-essential information with the vigilante. These small tips would lead to the White Tiger decommissioning several of this corporations activities until they found themselves fed up and hired a hitman by the name of Gideon Mace to deal with him and to “send a message” to anybody else who could be inspired by this Tiger of the Bronx. Used to tracking military criminals and legal dodgers, Mace tracks White Tiger to his home and makes the connection between the Hispanic vigilante to his family & friends. The end of White Tiger’s first year against crime ends with the death of his parents in front of his sister, Ava Ayala. White Tiger arrives in time to stop his sister from joining his parents and a fight ensues between him and Mace—resulting in Mace being apprehended by Detective Byrd in the end.

Taking the guardianship of his sister and graduating from ESU, Hector realizes he needs employment to properly take care of his sister. Knowing such he ends up working at a small clinic in the Bronx as he continues his war on crime at night as he looks for justice for his parent’s execution under the orders of the corporation. After defeating Animus the year before, the criminal faction seemed to increase its manpower as it hired more specialists to oversee operations and specifically “deal” with White Tiger if he crossed their path. This would put Hector at odds with villains such as Kickback, Constrictor, Kangaroo, and Veil. In-between investigating the obscure criminal activities of the corporation Hector also had to deal with the mundane street crime of his city such as the expansion of the Golden Dragons Triad.

As time teetered on more pieces of the puzzle fell in place due to the investigative skills by Alexander Knox, Nathaniel Byrd, and the White Tiger. However the truth is larger than any of them could expect as the criminal network behind the strife they had been facing is the legitimate business of The Jackson Corporation led by the inner circle of entrepreneur Curtiss Jackson, politician Eugene Stivak, and prodigal scientist Dr. Karlin Malus. Attacking their main facility as Knox prepares an exposé, the White Tiger decides to damage their infrastructure whilst Detective Byrd gathers a warrant for a raid on their “legal” headquarters. The rest becomes history as the influence of The Jackson Corporation is wiped out from The Bronx—however, taking out one criminal faction leaves the borough open for entrance by other more dangerous elements…

The following years proved good for The Bronx as Hector continued to look after it, coming at odds with various criminal factions ranging from the Golden Dragons Triad to smaller groups and gangs. At home, Hector began to instruct his sister in self-defense using his knowledge of martial arts from the amulet as a medium to do so. Unlike other superheroes Hector was always straight with his sister, never hiding his secrets from her—believing that outside of their cousin that they were the only family they had left so by proxy secrets were pointless and toxic. However, in the fall of 2004 all of this would all collapse when the amulet Hector held ultimately costs him his life.

Seeking to progress their goals and believing The Bronx’s vigilante to be in possession with the amulet they have been seeking for years, The Cult of Khan rears its head into the New York borough and attack Hector Ayala at his home as he is eating dinner with his sister. He is killed, much like his predecessor was and states the same chant that he had heard on his first day to preserve the Jade Tiger. Ava Ayala succeeds her brother as the wielder of the Jade Tiger. In the aftermath, guardianship of Ava goes to her cousin- a detective for the NYPD and Bronx native. However, Ava would not forget what she had seen or what she had been gifted with; the retribution of the tiger would be swift. But she would not know in her anger what she had really gotten involved into as the surviving members of the clan who killed her brother report back to their master...

| Attributes |

The Amulet of the Jade Tiger – Removed from it's sacred temple, the legendary amulet is linked to a celestial spirit that resides in K’un Lun. Whilst imbuing the user with the unique chi of the Jade Tiger and knowledge of martial arts it also grants the attributes of a tiger to the user such as smell, reflexes, agility, and strength. It is said as a link direct to the jade tiger itself it can also be seen when used in unison with other fragments can serve as a gateway to K’un Lun which is more dangerous than the abilities the Jade Tiger grants through their sacred amulet.

Hand-to-Hand Combat – Despite the benefit of being the holder of an amulet of power, Ava has been mentored in martial arts previously by her brother, leading up to his death. This made the transition to using the powers of the amulet more cohesive for her. 

Intelligence – While not a genius intelligence, Ava is quite astute and is dedicated to understanding more about the world and other cultures; perhaps due to her dual interests in her own culture and that the Jade Tiger originates from.

Meditation – In order to keep the precious balance of the amulet’s power and her own state of mind, Ava has been known to be adept at meditation, for if she did not find her “center” then the chances of the animistic natures of the Jade Tiger could end up corrupting her.  

Physical Conditioning – Despite being a teenager, it is wise for Ava to keep her body dieted and exercised; for if it isn’t the amulet can put massive strain on the body.

| Character Notes |

Alexander Knox – A photojournalist in his late thirties, Alexander Knox is an "old approach" investigator who digs for the truth. He has been covering stories in the Bronx for nearly a decade and is seen as an old ally of the White Tiger. 

Angela del Toro – After the death of Ava’s parents and brother she has found herself in the care of her cousin, an ex-FBI agent who is currently working for the NYPD.

Detective Nathaniel Byrd – A no-nonsense detective who happened to be the police ally to the first White Tiger.

The Defenders – A to-be group that is beginning to take shape in New York City led by Luke Cage to protect innocent people from the large syndicates and criminal factions growing in the city. Ava will encounter the group very soon.

Prowler – Hobie Brown was reformed by the original White Tiger when the inventor found himself on the wrong end of the law.

Animus – Denise Baranger was an ex-SHIELD agent who operated as head of security for The Jackson Corporation. She came at odds with the first White Tiger when he discovered her attempting to execute a witness to their operations. In the years since she has avoided capture by the police and has found employment as an independent "problem solver".

Black Cat – Secretly Felicia Hardy, The Kingpin's resident thief and occasional problem solver; trained by Taskmaster and in possession of an x-gene that allows subconscious probability manipulation. Will cross paths with Ava eventually.

Cult of Khan – Responsible for the death of her brother, Ava seeks vengeance for their deeds.

Doctor Fang – A member of the Golden Dragons Triad and leader of the branch located in New York City.

The Jackson Corporation – A successful business enterprise headed by Curtiss Jackson based in New York City, the Corporation also served as a criminal epicenter that included narcotic productions centrally located in the Bronx. Initially ruined by cooperation between journalist Alexander Knox and the first White Tiger, Hector Ayala. Most of their territory scooped up by fringe operations by The Kingpin Operation, the Jackson Corporation now exists as a shamble of associates scorned by the White Tiger legacy will do anything to get their revenge.

The Foot – A faction growing in power in New York's criminal vacuum that is likely to cross paths with White Tiger in the near future.

Gideon Mace – A disgruntled military colonel who found a new career as a talented hitman, Gideon Mace was assigned a mission by Curtis Jackson to execute the White Tiger and his family as a message to all interfering superheroes in the syndicates business. Mace was apprehended by the police before he could finish the job, but the White Tiger paid a terrible toll as he lost his parents and found his sister scarred for life by witnessing the near death fiasco.  

The Kingpin Syndicate – The Kingpin Syndicate have expanded their territory into the Bronx, putting them at odds with the White Tiger.

The Si-Fan – Led by the mysterious Fu Manchu, the Si-Fan are an obscure threat to White Tiger who very well may seek her amulet of power like so many others in the past.

TBD

| Character Goals |

The depth of plans go beyond me simply wanting to do “White Tiger” stuff, which I imagine would be a main concern. But what I have in mind here is a character that I’ve taken a lot of time looking into that whilst I’m fairly new to feel like giving a non-Avengers Academy origin by taking nods to several incarnations including the less than stellar animated series that actually introduced me to this particular identity of the White Tiger in Ava Ayala. Stories that I intend to tell will vary from a very vital plot that brings New York together in the form of The Defenders, her origin story which has massive tie-in material to our Iron Fist-centric lore, crime-fighting in the Bronx and continuing a legacy instilled by her elder brother, and of course shenanigans that fall somewhere inbetween. 

| References |

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