Zheng Xiaoyu's page

About Zheng Xiaoyu

Appearance:

As a trained ninja, Zheng was taught that one's appearance should be modular. Common enough to disappear in a crowd, plain enough for no one feature to be recognizable under a disguise. This idea manifests in the Tian-Dan's very clean look today. His black hair is kept very short so as to not interfere with any wig a disguise might require. His somewhat sharp face is likewise kept free of hair for similar reasons; fake beards are easier to attach to a smooth chin. Zheng's pale brown skin is of course no stranger to makeup, just as his dark brown eyes are used to viewing the world through colored contacts.
This is not to say that the man spends all his time under some guise. No, the vast majority of the time Zheng appears as a humble craftsman, standing some 5'7'' tall with a thin but healthy frame. He strives to appear as painfully ordinary as possible, and, for the most part, succeeds. Only those with a penchant for pretty faces could pick him out, for Zheng can be handsome under the right circumstances. He tries to downplay this feature as much as possible, of course.
Zheng Xiaoyu's one immediately identifiable feature has been witnessed by few and he would like to keep it that way. His back is dominated by a vibrant tattoo, stretching all the way from the nape of his neck to the top of his buttocks. It depicts a leering black dragon on a background of dark blue clouds, heavily stylized and more than a little intimidating.

Personality:

For a man practiced with taking on whatever identity his mission requires of him, Zheng's own personality is underdeveloped. A life of servitude to his clan has left him with a continual professional demeanor, and when left to his own devices he hardly knows what to do with himself. When he was younger he tried 'slipping into' several personalities, often the same roles he practiced for his disguises, trying them on as other might try clothes, a natural consequence of not having much opportunity to explore himself growing up. He has only given this up relatively recently, now opting instead for casual detachment to his surroundings. The nature of his clan makes close bonds inadvisable.
Still, beneath his somewhat cold exterior lies the man Zheng might have become had his life taken a different route. He has taken to speaking to himself with an inner monologue, using a voice very different to that his acquaintances are familiar with. Only in this fashion does he allow himself to voice his stronger opinions and feelings. And feelings he does have. He even finds some amusement in his own existence. Zheng is still young enough to enjoy the sheer novelty of being a ninja. He can create shadowy duplicates, see in the dark and turn literally invisible with a single thought. This is, as his inner voice would say, "pretty awesome".
Zheng is a firm believer in the Tien idea of sangpotshi and as such has much reverence for nobility and others born into privilege. When not otherwise occupied he practices his two arts, tattooing and ninjutsu.

Background:

The Hei-Lóng is not a large clan of ninja. But it is old. And you have never heard of it. That's how you know they're good. Operating out of Xa Hoi, it was founded on the principle of sangpotshi, the idea that we reincarnate into higher stations in life if the actions of our previous selves were great and just. A nobleman wasn't simply born into wealth and luxury by sheer luck; he earned it because of his past lives. Likewise, the lowliest beggar deserves his humble station due to his poor choices and ill conduct in a previous life. It is an orderly and highly structural view of the world. But paradoxically, despite their unwavering faith in this idea the Hei-Lóng believe themselves the exception to the rule. They are reincarnated to either higher or lower stations, just as anyone else, but it's their belief that it is their fate to remain a Hei-Lóng always. Upon first being founded, several hundred years ago, the clan had 33 members. The Hei-Lóng still have only 33 members; specifically, the same members. Once a member dies the remaining ninja seek out the reincarnation of their fallen kin. When they believe that they have found him or her again, they are indoctrinated back into the clan. And so, the Hei-Lóng only counts 33 members; the same members it has always had. Because once a Hei-Lóng, always a Hei-Lóng, reincarnation be damned.
Zheng Xiaoyu was recruited as a child, believed to be one such reincarnation. His parents, humble folk hailing from a long line of tattooists, took this well. Once let in on the existence of the clan and especially its purpose, they considered it an honor for their son to join. Said purpose is fairly simple. The Hei-Lóng's stated goal is to serve the sangpotshi. They do this by freely offering their assistance and expertise to the high-born, both so that they can maintain their stations and so that the elite can ascend even higher in the next life. Such an ideal might not appeal in every culture, but in Xa Hoi, land of the dragon emperor, nothing could be more natural. After all, their rulers can hardly rise any higher, being glorious dragons, and the people have never known anything but prosperity under their draconic rulers. Why shouldn't this status quo be maintained? And furthermore, why shouldn't it be spread to other parts of Tian Xia?
It is one such mission Zheng is on. He has traveled to Goka to willingly and freely offer his services to Chyou Zeng, a noble soul he believes to be destined for great things in the future, whether in this life or the next, if she can just get a little help to blossom.