Avasara is the bastard daughter of the Dragon Lord, Zaio Tsui. Her father, a powerful sorcerer and the feared leader of the Tsui Tong, had taken several mistresses over the years. One such foreign woman had caught Zaio's attention at a local festival, and she was summoned for intimate affairs. The woman visited the Dragon Lord regularly, and her identity as a Kuo-Tan spy was not revealed until she was ready to give childbirth. As a way of removing all evidence of the affair, the Dragon Lord ordered his mistress to be executed once the child was born. The child, born on the day of the new year, was named Avasara.
From a young age, Avasara was disdained by her father. She seemed to lack the dark "mark in the eyes" that was typical for most children of the Tsui, and the clan was unsure if Avasara could call upon magic at all. The Dragon Lord, viewing a non-sorcerer, bastard daughter as "shame", planned to cast Avasara over the Kume Fortress walls. Only when the Dragon Lord's Tiger and Tigress Generals intervened did the Dragon Lord give his newborn daughter a chance.
Avasara was brought up alongside the sons and daughters of the Dragon Lord, but she never truly felt like part of the family. As a known bastard daughter, she had no claim to the political powers that her half-sisters and half-brothers had over various parts of the clan, nor the magic that they could call upon from their ancestry. Her own father seldom saw her, and she was mostly raised by clan members that took pity on her.
In her life, there was one person that was helpful to Avasara, one of the clan's Tigress Generals, Xia Shan. Xia, seeing part of herself in the young girl, taught Avasara that she should not feel ashamed for matters out of her control. Xia was a follower of the Nine Travelers and instilled the belief of them into Avasara by stating that they bestow blessings on those going through a worthy struggle. She trained Avasara during her early years into being an enforcer for the clan and taught her the ways of fighting so she could earn her own honour for the family.
After several years, Xia allowed a persistent, fifteen-year-old Avasara into a council with the Dragon Lord and some of the other Tiger generals. Avasara was instructed by her mentor not to speak during the meeting; however, when one general outlined a plan to execute an entire town of members to weed out a spy, Avasara fiercely spoke out against the general's suggestion, seeing it as a betrayal of the clan's loyalty. The insubordinate outburst was seen as a grave insult, and the Dragon Lord demanded that Avasara must participate in a duel to redeem her honour. She agreed, unaware that it was her father and not the general whom she had insulted with her comments. Upon turning to face her opponent, Avasara surprisingly found herself against her father. She immediately became penitent and fell to her knees, refusing to fight and begging for her father's forgiveness. The Dragon Lord declared her refusal a sign of cowardice and another display of disrespect, affirming that she will be taught respect and that suffering will be her teacher.
Avasara was struck by Zaio with a hand radiating necrotic energy, permanently scarring the bottom part of her face with the mark of the Tsui Tong. She was stripped of the family name, and exiled from Kao Shan, declaring that she could return only after having found the Silver Flower Sword of Tan Ming. It was an impossible quest by all accounts, but one to which Avasara clung desperately as her only hope of regaining her honour and everything she had lost. She was mocked by many as she departed, and named 'Avascara', the branded disgrace of the Tsui Tong.
Before departing her home, Avascara met with her mentor under cover of night. As a parting gift, Xia gave her a beautiful golden menpō so that she could hide her facial brand while abroad for she feared it would draw enmity to her. Avascara thanked her mentor, knowing that it would possibly be the last time they would ever see each other, and departed into the world.
Avascara spent the few years at sea, fruitlessly and desperately searching for the lost, ancient artifact. She explored numerous temples, and scoured Shou Long, travelling to even the most remote locations for her prize. It was during her travels in Wa that her life changed again. During one evening at an inn, her facial brand was spotted by an innkeeper when she removed her mask to eat in her private quarters. A local yakuza gang, tipped off by the spying innkeeper, ambushed Avascara at night believing she was a foreign agent. Avasara fought off many of the assailants, but finally succumbed to her injuries and died.
In her death, Avascara saw an image of a great and powerful dragon that called out to her. In the misty vision, she recognized the divine form of Chan Cheng, who had witnessed her life and asked her questions about her future. When Avascara responded, the mighty dragon breathed a powerful flame which burned deep into her body. To Avasara's surprise, she woke up alive after having fallen in battle.
The yakuza that stood around her were surprised at her revival. Some were afraid for the roar of a great dragon was heard as she spoke, and her numerous injuries glowed with energy. Not knowing what to do, they called for their leader for judgement. The leader of the yakuza branch, a man named Kazuki, spoke to Avascara and questioned her on her revival. After explaining the vision she saw, Kazuki spared her life and shared his belief of the Nine. Avascara was offered the opportunity to join the yakuza gang, the Yamatos, where she could forge her own destiny. Believing that Chan Cheng had guided her to this encounter, she joined the clan and discarded her fruitless quest, bearing her mocked name with pride and looking to now form her own path.
Backstory Characters
Father: Zaoi Tsui, “The Dragon Lord”
Zaoi was a powerful sorcerer and the feared leader of the Tsui Tong. He was a reclusive man who secluded himself to his chambers in the Black Rock Fortress of Kume in Kai Shan, attended to only by his most trusted servants, family members, Tiger Generals, and hand-picked concubines. As the ruling power of the Tsui Tong and the province of Kao Shan, he took all aspects of his life seriously. Many knew he had been the leader as far as anyone could remember, gaining the title ‘The Dragon of Shadows’. While few had ever seen him, everyone in the organization knew that Zaoi held more secrets and power than several other prominent figures and entire nations on Toril combined.
Zaoi was seldom seen outside of Kume Fortress, and rarely attended family dinners and events. He was a cold and dark man whose mere presence could invoke fear in the most stalwart of men. He shared little to no empathy for anyone, even members of his own family. He was ruthless in his methods, and would have no problems in sacrificing members of the Tsui tong to cut off loose ends, gain a tactical advantage, or learn forbidden secrets.
Mother: Unknown (Deceased)
Kuo-tan spy who had an affair with Zaoi Tsui. Executed once Avasara was born. Name and origin were unknown.
Half-Sister (Older): Daiyu Tsui, “The Shadow Princess”
Daiyu was Avasara’s older sister who was a master experimenter in magical arts. Daiyu was on the sidelines of her younger sisters’ heated rivalry, for she secluded herself to do her own experiments. A renowned sorceress prodigy in the magical arts, Daiyu was thought to be the next in line to inherit her father’s title as leader of the Tsui Tong.
Half-Sister (Younger): Lanying Tsui, “The Dark Spark”
Lanying was an ambitious younger sister to Avasara. Lanying always felt superior to her half-sister due to her link to shadow magic. While the two had grown up closely together, it was not long before they had become rivals. While Avasara practiced martial skills, Lanying worked tirelessly to outdo her older sisters in the magical arts, threatening to surpass Avasara and Daiyu by enhancing herself.
Half-Brother (Older): Fang Tsui, “The Night Blade”
Fang was Avasara’s brother and a renowned warrior of the family. Fang had a high degree of skill with martial weapons. He also had an impressive display of tactics in combat for he regularly trained with veteran fighters, and performed raids on rival organizations. While he did haves some degree of magical ability, he preferred martial combat. Avasara and Fang had a mutual respect for one and other.
Tiger General: Molytalu “Whispering Wind”
Molytalu was the general administrator of the Tsui Tong. As the administrator, he ensured everything in the central Fortress itself ran smoothly. He was Zaio’s right hand man and most trusted servant.
Tigress General: Xia Shan, “Western Rain”
As a Tigress General of the Tsui Tong, Xia was the master of enforcement.
Tiger General: Keiko Fen, “Eastern Storm”
As a Tiger General of the Tsui Tong, Keiko was the master of raids and ambushes.
Tiger General: King Mao, “Northern Sleet”
As a Tiger General of the Tsui Tong, King was the master of information and espionage.
Tiger General: Yen Lu, “Southern Mist”
As a Tiger General of the Tsui Tong, Yen was the master of poisons and assassinations.
Spice Master: Zulon Vu, “The Ascendant Flame”
As the Spice Master, Zulon is responsible for the Tsui Tong rituals, ceremonies of initiation and promotion.
Vanguard: Jinro Khan, “The Glimmering Eye”
As the Vanguard, Jinro is responsible for recruitment, organizing and assisting ceremonies.