Zeng Mei-Lai
Warden of the Great Principle
Retainer of His Holy Ancestry, Salo Kei
Shade Walker of the Court of the Prismatic Storm
Description
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 115 lb.
Ethnicity: East Asian
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Long simple black
Clothing: Black business casual
Comportment/Cadence: Threatening
Distinctions: Beautiful, conscientious young Chinese woman with a fierce and determined expression
Supernatural Qualities: A certain degree of fearless malice occupies her gaze; she is very well-known among Wan Kuei of her community both with fear and respect (no one calls her "Ancestor's pet" to her face)
Accoutrements: Moderate jewelry
Traits: Appearance 5 (bold demeanor); Style 2; Face 4
"His word is my law. The law is the Way."
History
Date of Birth: July 18th, 1884
Home: Chinatown, San Francisco, California, United States
Family: Zeng Luoyang and Feng Jie (parents)
Coming of Age: Preordainment (her father was the Mandator of the Court of Prismatic Storm, a Devil Tiger, her mother a wealthy merchant's daughter who died after giving birth; Mei-Lai was raised in court, trained in battle and taught the ways and protocols of the Wan Kuei, while learning the myths of the Jin-Hai and the mysteries of joss), 1900
Mentor: Zeng Luoyang, Salo Kei
The Test: Trial by Combat (she grew into a confident Chinese-American woman who was scornful of the West; eventually her skill equaled her father's and, enhanced with the blessings of joss, she managed to at least defeat him in a duel--urged on by his more and more deliberate attacks; having outgrown her father's guidance, the Ancestor took her under wing and trained her how to focus her inherent blessings of joss through meditation and incense/sensory acceleration)
Comrades: Salo Kei, Zhusong Huian, Enlai Mingxia
Key Event #1: War (she became an instrumental agent of the Court as a daytime enforcer, especially against Kin-jin and infiltration of their havens)
Key Event #2: War (from the 1920s through the 50s, San Francisco vampires engaged in the so-called Chinatown Wars, which was a pretense by the Wan Kuei under Salo Kei to purportedly seek expansion of influence and territory well beyond Chinatown; the Kin-jin reacted predictably, bringing full force against the "Cathayans", but the Wan Kuei picked careful pressure points that inflicted enough damage that the Kin-jin were willing to make a treaty that protected Chinatown and granted a measure of autonomy--which was really what the court wanted; Mei-Lai was vital in this war by spearheading daytime assaults against the Kin-jin's "Scarlet Screens", namely organized gangsters)
Key Event #3: Treachery (as her skills grew, so did her reputation and, to an extent, her ego--which tended to irritate Kôa, but what could they do when she held the Ancestor's favor and did so through obedience; primarily she proved this when her father, the Mandator, was assassinated by the Kin-jin in 1967; Salo Kei commanded she not retaliate, and she restrained her vengeance accordingly)
Key Event #4: Treachery (with Salo Kei's support, perhaps even respect, Mei-Lai's arrogance grew, until finally she insulted the wrong jina, a former disciple of her father's, who trashed her in a duel and took her down a peg, though at least she didn't lose her temper over the incident)
Key Event #5: War (partly, she channeled that ego-bruised rage against Kin-jin for several years, murdering a handful of Anarchs in Oakland until the Ancestor got wind of it and ordered her to stand down)
Key Event #6: Awe & Wonder (from the 1980s on, she served quietly at Salo Kei's side as internal security only)
Transition: Shift in Purpose (yet, as the Sixth Age neared, Mei-Lai grew antsier to gain more station and prowess, and she befriended other Wan Kuei in the court in the hopes of advancing laterally if not somehow earning appointment equal to jina or even Mandarin someday)
The P’o
Appearance: Her P'o over the years has grown louder, more intense and demanding, though she still doesn't have to deal with it as full-blooded Gui Ren must. It's a whisper--occasionally a demanding shout--in her mind most of her waking hours, and occasionally it haunts her dreams.
Trigger: Whenever the opportunity to play out one of the secret perversions or desires that her Devil Tiger upbringing encouraged presents itself.
Jade Talismans
Level: 1
Color: Green
Appearance: The pommel of her jin sword has been inlaid with this awakened creamy-green jade
Origin: Gift
Significant Other
Name: Zhusong Huian, 2008
Nature: Erotic
Huian
Weakness
Her Father's Daughter
Her ambitiousness is only compounded by her Devil Tiger upbringing: she's hungry and cruel, more than eager to mete out punishment to sinner and saint alike. She is heaven's little monster.
Likelihood of Corruption
Very high.
It's almost guaranteed at this point that whenever and however she dies, she will take the Second Breath. She almost wants to.
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