Setsuko (Suko)

== Life in the Lin Kuei ==
== Found in a Ditch ==
She was warm. There was the sound of a crackling fire. There was common being spoken. She struggled to open her eyes, and was greeted by strange faces - commoner faces. They were all speaking at once, about something... they we're arguing. She realized she was the main subject of discussion and they were arguing whether or not to leave her here. Where was here? She finally opened her mouth.
After all questions were asked and answered given Setsuko discovered that she had been happened upon by some people from The Empire traveling to Antioch. They took her to a nearby farmer's cottage and were nursing her back to health using divine magic. She told them about herself, her name, what her job was, and why she had run.
Setsuko had considered herself dead, and very well would have been whether by starvation, animals, or exposure if they had not found her. She dedicated herself to them becoming their life-slave for as long as she had breath. It was the honorable thing to do. If not for them she would have died, so the rest of her life is only because of them and she be theirs by right, she felt. All seemed like it might start going well 'till she learned of their design. They were going to go back to Antioch! Though with all her soul she wished to continue running, her honor had her stay with them. She offered her services as a translator and guide to Antioch. That's when they heard the death machine.
This metal dragon terrified Suko. It made cacophonous sound with it's spinning wings. It roared music instead of a scream. It had a breath attack like a dragon, but a hail of metal came out instead of fire. But it was no match for the travelers from The Empire. They slew it's spawn and it ran away, no doubt limping! Suko would have been impressed if she wasn't so shocked by the whole experience, and her new wound.
A bullet found her from the helicopter. Thadius healed her again, saving her life yet again. She now had a debt she could never repay, she could not give him two lifetimes of service. The party discussed whether or not to continue to Antioch or go back to Korhal, what she learned was the capital of The Empire. They discussed their plans in front of her, as if she was some sort of confident to be trusted with their sensitive information. She appreciated the respect but much of what they said was so confusing to her that even if she wished to betray them she couldn't very well. They spoke of aliens to our world and other such nonsense. But in the end they decided to go back to Korhal, which filled Suko with joy, though she was sure to keep it hidden - as she had been trained her whole life to keep her emotions secret.
As they traveled she grew closer to Thadius' kindness, and farther away from Fenix's brutality. Even so could not save her from his wrath. One day Thadius commanded that she submit to Fenix and together Thadius and David held her down as Fenix drove a blade into her several times, digging out what was left over bullets from the helicopter's mini-gun. Fenix spoke as a man with no regard for anyone but himself and she knew that he had only helped her because it gave him an opportunity to inflict pain on her. She clung closer to Thadius.
== Captured and Recaptured ==
The party had gone back to Korhal and Suko marveled at the wonder of the city. It was gigantic, a humming metropolis, but it was so cold, so manufactured. Mungyeong was so integrated with nature that one could hardly tell nature from man-made, but Korhal looked as if it prided itself on the marvels of man-made work.
=== Interrogated ===
There she didn't have long to enjoy being 'free' as she was handed over to a man that reminded her of Fenix, but scarier. Fenix showed all his cards, but this man had the sense to hide himself. This made the evilness he did show all the scarier as the unknown is always scarier than the known. If he tried to hide himself, and this is what spilled out, what inky black depravity lied beneath? This man was Specialist Gordon Ramsey. Thadius himself gave her over, though she got the feeling that he did not fully understand what he was doing. Thadius had told her to help this man however she could and she obeyed to the best of her ability - but her best was not enough for Ramsey.
Special Ramsey imprisoned her in his own personal K.P.F. station. To her this was scarier than a standard prison, as a place under his command could certainly hide whatever he wanted to get away with. Everything he did seemed to strip away her dignity, her humanity. He made her strip off her of her clothes in front of the other officers, and took his time giving her her new outfit - a prisoner's outfit. Not only was it degrading to be so exposed in front of strangers in a strange land in a hostile place, but her tore up and threw away her old clothes - the clothes that the farmer gave her, the ones that belonged to his deceased daughter. She had valued them and now they were gone. He would have her interrogated for hours about the one thing she was trying to run away from: Oroku Saki. She told him all she knew, that he was a gangster in charge of the Lin Kuei in the north. She told him the very few facts she knew about his business, mostly some mundane things about the House of Hachiro, for that was all she knew. Ramsey did not accept that was all she knew. In all this Suko learned something that dropped her heart so low she thought she'd never find it again. Oroku Saki had recently been seen in Korhal. No, no this cannot be! Suko realized something that she'd never be unconvinced of. There is no escaping Oroku Saki. In her mind Oroku had come here for her, and from that moment she gave up hope, and hopeless became her descriptor for a long time after that moment.
For the next few days all she knew was interrogation for questions she couldn't answer, and thus she had no power to stop what was being done to her. She was not treated well and they were beginning to starve her when she finally saw a familiar face - Thadius! She ran and game him a hug, hoping that it was all over. It took some arguing and exchange of words but Thadius took her back to his house. Her life was okay for the next few weeks. Her masters had gotten good jobs and seemed happy. Setsuko even had time to sneak away to the local church and learn a religious song to play for Thadius. When she practiced it enough she was going to surprise Thadius with it.
=== Captured ===
Unfortunately the only thing that surprised Thadius was the monster with the chainsaw! After the party defeated it she helped clean up the blood - she had to do that some times when she worked at the House of Hachiro so she knew how to do it. It took a few days, but when the job was finished she didn't have much time to rest. One night the party had left on an urgent late-night calling and in their absence Lin Kuei stormed the house and captured her. Suko remembers them being surprisingly gentle, but that did not change much. Soon she was in a locked carriage on her way back to Antioch where she would face certain death, and she would have nothing but time to dread her upcoming fate. She cried.
She heard a scuffle, sounds of screaming and of blades outside. What was happening? She got her answer soon enough when the sound of a key being turned was followed shortly by the sound of something big falling in the snow. She waited what seemed to be forever, but what was truly only a minute or two, before opening the door. She saw only the following: Fenix, passed out and heavy of breath lying on the snow in front of the door, and 6 pools of blood-stained snow. There were no Lin Kuei in sight. Setsuko cautiously got out and tried to wake Fenix, but he would not stir. He had suffered some severe wounds. Setsuko addressed them as well as he could but there wasn't much she could do, she knew she had to get both of them back to Korhal. She unhitched the horses from the carriage and grabbed one letting the others go free. She tried to lift Fenix onto the horse, but he was to heavy to dead-lift. So she unhitched all his armor, tired to hide it beneath a nearby tree, and then he was lite enough to get onto the horse with some finagling with the cart. Then she rode back to Korhal following the tracks of the cart and Fenix's horse, which was no where to be seen.
Returning him to the party's house she was filled in on what had happened. What she feared had come true, the Lin Kuei had threatened the party as a distraction in order to take her. The party then told her how in the past they had dealing with Oroku Saki in the past. Setsuko thought her luck the worst, she could not get away from Oroku Saki, even her saviors had been touched by him. Again she did not have long to rest as soon a face she wished never to see again peered at her though the open front door.
=== Interrogated Again ===
Specialist Ramsey came to collect Suko, and Thadius let him take her! She did not argue, she had promised to do whatever Thadius wanted and he wanted her to go with Ramsey so she did. This time Ramsey waited no time humiliating her and did nothing but interrogate her day and night. When I say nothing I mean they gave her nothing else but harsh words. No food, no bed, just interrogation from sunrise to sunrise. They were trying to break her, and they might succeed but since she had already told them everything she knew, it would not result in what they wanted.
This time is was not Thadius alone who came to her rescue, but Fenix of all people! Fenix escorted Thadius in, and beat up Ramsey, and gave Thadius the keys to Suko's room. Thadius freed her, and she got to see Fenix crush the hand and fingers of Ramsey. And with that she was free once more! But this freedom proved again to be disappointing. They were going north again, with Fenix on some task of his. While appreciating his help Suko knew that again Fenix only helped her because it allowed him to cause pain again, or maybe like with him saving her from the Lin Kuei, because he doesn't like to be stolen from and she was his life-servant after all.
== Tomb Raider ==
Traveling to Selver to help Fenix the party came across another alien to our world. This one forced her to drink poison against her will. She tried to stop but it was too late, she had drunken too much. She can't remember much of what happened here, only small glimpses filled with pain, but the truth is this: Thadius' prayers saved her. 'The Author' spared her life and sustained her until the party reached an alchemist to cure her poison.
After helping with Fenix's goals Setsuko had hoped the party and him would party ways, this did not end up being the case. Instead not only was the party going to continue where they left when the came across Setsuko - heading to Antioch, but Fenix was going to join them! How revolting. She had learned one thing on their journey that encouraged her, she learned that Fenix had wanted to leave her in the ditch to die, so she was not indebted to him.
=== Antioch ===
Upon reaching Antioch she quickly dawned a porcelain mask in order to try and hide in plain sight, as wearing porcelain masks was in fashion in Antioch. She kept her word and helped be a guide to the party regarding the ways, culture, and language of Antioch, translating and speaking for them often.
They had come to kill Oroku Saki, but the party seemed to have something else they wished to do first. They wanted to raid the Tomb of Ob'Nixilous in order to get his famed Ring of Wishes. Suko proved useful in their venture translating the writings found on and around the tomb. They were written in ancient Azlant, but she was able to make out enough to get the gist of the inscriptions. One spoke of a porcelain mask they had to obtain to gain entrance into the tomb. After finding it, she volunteered to be the one to put it on, as Fenix and Thadius already had helmets on, and David needed his vision obscured in order to fight effectively. In truth Suko simply wanted to be useful. When she dawned it terrible things happened to her, and she suffered excruciating pain (see Porcelain Mask for more info.).
Although it was terrible, she did succeed in being useful. It turned out the mask-wearer could activate various things around the tomb and allowed the party to progress. But something worse than an irremovable mask became a problem, a nightmare even.
Freddy Voorhees haunted her. She fell asleep after a long couple days of fighting and in her sleep the phantom tortured her in her dreams, and forced her to stay asleep. He carved into her back with his knives, "You want her? Come and get her asshole!" destroying whatever beauty her back tattoo previously provided. He strung her up by her veins and toyed and poked at her while Freddy waited for his bait to catch a bigger fish.
The party ended up saving her from her dream and she woke up to see the party fighting with Freddy in the real world. But things were going in his favor! Fenix was still asleep, Thadius was preoccupied with a Formian, and Freddy was on top of David ready to strike. Suko spotted the closest weapon to her, Freddy's machete, picked it up and brought it down on Freddy's hand. The party had been teaching her how to fight during their travels so she had the wherewithal to strike a crippling blow. Detaching his clawed hand she gave the party enough of an opportunity to finish him off, and slay the living nightmare. The entire party fell asleep out of exhaustion, and Suko had quite a different kind of dream.
She dreamt a strange scene. The party, including her, were all sleeping in the center of the platform while Formians began to surround them from all sides. Then out of nowhere men clothed in white, made of fire surrounded the party in between them and the Formians. These figures shone bright, so bright she couldn't stand to look out of them for fear of blindness. When the Formians saw the shining ones they backed away and the shining ones remained with the party for the duration of their sleep. One came to Setsuko and spoke a word to her, he said, "לחזור בתשובה ומאמין" which is Hebrew for 'repent and believe'. Setsuko did not understand that this was a vision and not a dream, and that these were angels but David and Thadius recognized it for what it was. This marked the second known time 'The Author' directly intervened to keep Suko alive.
The party completed the tomb's trials and escaped with their lives and the ring, though they were in very rough shape. The island the tomb was on collapsed and fell from the sky with them on it, severely injuring them to the point of near-death.
== A Deal Refused ==
Impossibly recovering the party attempted to leave Antioch but were quickly confronted by the Lin Kuei. Defeating the small force sent to them, the party was given a day for grieving out of respect before they were to be finished off.
Ever since Setsuko learned that she was not Fenix's life-slave, she continued to channel her inner Blanc and gave Fenix attitude every time he did something she disapproved of. While they were talking about their final day before the attack Setsuko had enough of Fenix's poisonous talk and jeered at him once again. This time Fenix had grown angry with Setsuko as she had probed him one too many times, and he had been stressed by current circumstances including his self-amputated foot, and he attacked her concluding with her being thrown into a window and her face was littered with glass. She left Fenix alone after that, but hated him even more wishing with all her soul that she could have vengeance on him for that moment. She never did get vengeance as he died before she could do anything, and this might explain why she held others, like David, responsible for what he did, so that she could exact her vengeance.
The party was settling with themselves that they were probably going to die come morning and were preparing for a final defensive when they were greeted by Lady Otsoa offering a deal.
Lady Otsoa said that if they gave her Setsuko she would give the rest of the party safe passage out of Antioch. The party eventually agreed, even Thadius. Knowing that she was never going to see them again she said that she'd agree to the deal as long as a guitar was added. Lady Otsoa agreed and brought them a guitar. Suko finally played for Thadius the song she had learned in Korhal. She could tell Thadius was moved by it as he spoke to her of religion and he usually did that only when he was emotional. But the words she spoke fell on deaf ears. He tried to be friendly to the person he was betraying to save his own neck, Suko thought his ignorance was palpable.
But the deal was not to be. As soon as Lady Otsoa examined Setsuko's face, she threw Setsuko back at the party and claimed that there was no deal. Everyone turned and looked at Fenix.
== Captured Again ==
The party decided that instead of defending until they inevitably die, to try and do one last offensive, that with it they might be able to touch Oroku Saki. They ventured out and ambushed Lady Otsoa and her team as they were heading to the Stronghold. They took their cargo and outfits disguising themselves as Lin Kuei. Setsuko wore Lady Otsoa's garb, and kinda liked it (aside from all the blood on it of course).
They got to the Stronghold but were captured. For the next few weeks Setsuko was tortured for more information she didn't have (where the Ring of Wishes was), and was imprisoned.
=== True Purpose ===
You see Setsuko was one of the few people in existence who had the unique essences necessary to power the Weather Emitter (see Oroku Saki the Merciful for more info.). But with her face wounded so grievously (and body before during the fall of the Tomb of Ob'Nixilous) her essence was tainted and no longer useful. This is why she was guarded so heavily since childhood. No longer being useful, and with all that she had done, and who she had been accomplices of her sentence was death. It was only the mercy of Oroku Saki that had her imprisoned instead of executed.
== Daughter to Oroku Saki ==
"I don't care what you do with me." - Setsuko
One day, after a good deal of time had passed, she was summoned by Oroku Saki. Being freshened, she was taken to Oroku Saki, who did not look at all how she expected him to. He had different clothes on than before, and somehow looked thinner, but she did not have time to consider this. The Oroku Saki asked what he should do with her. Setsuko responded that after all she had been through she didn't really care.
Oroku Saki the Giver of Freedom laughed and lifted his mask, revealing himself to be in fact, David Cohen. Setsuko exclaimed with joy, "You jerk!" The two enjoyed a sweet reunion. Oroku declared Setsuko as his daughter and that she would be granted all the privileges that title and status demands. She still wanted to work though and accepted a job as Oroku Saki's personal maid.
=== Nightmares ===
Suko began to have nightmares. In these nightmares Freddy haunted her. While not the actual Freddy, Suko did not know this and was convinced he had returned. In truth it was something akin to P.T.S.D. She could do nothing to assuage these nightmares but David assured her of her safety and even attempted to get her help, though it proved unsuccessful.
One nightmare did stand out from the others though. The Man in White appeared to her in a dream and brought her to a representation of hell and told her to repent and believe. She did not understand the meaning of this dream, though David recognized it as something super-natural and told her to consider the Man in White's words.
During her time as daughter to Setsuko she found someone to love - Ichiro. He was a Lin Kuei boy, around her age, not very high in standing. Being the daughter of Oroku she was able to spend a great deal of time with him and loved his presence. She found that when she fell asleep in Ichiro's arms that she was not plagued with the nightmares that had been unceasingly haunting her.
Lightning turned David on to a danger he recognized and David affirmed. Setsuko was putting all her joy and happiness in Ichiro, and if anything were to happen, if they were to break up, or Ichiro was to die Setsuko might fall over the tipping point her fragile mental state was already on. When David tried to warn Setsuko of this she reacted as a child would react and had Ichiro reassigned to be her personal bodyguard, that way he wouldn't be in danger anymore. The side effect of being able to spend all day with him was a pleasant plus (see Ichiro for more info.).
=== Party ===
"As long as David's leader in the north, only death and destruction will follow him. You'll remind him of that won't you Suko?" - Kaizer Soze to Setsuko
Setsuko spent her day cleaning the Oroku's room and being with Ichiro but she needed something else to feel fulfilled. She decided that what everyone needed was day of celebration in honor of the Oroku Saki. Oroku approved the idea but changed the purpose for it to be a day of peace. Setsuko liked this idea better and spent the vast majority of her time preparing for the party.
The pressures of rule demanded that Oroku reassign the men who were helping Suko to other tasks. Setsuko took this as a personal offense and threw a childish tantrum. She did a lot to prepare for this party, even standing up to a dragon and inviting/making him come! She felt that Oroku knew all this but still did this to her, practically insulting her to her face saying that he didn't care about her at all! Realizing that she wasn't going to get her way she decided to once again take matters into her own hands. She went to the Wyvaran Caves alone, except for Ichiro, to talk to the Wyvarans who had been banished from the Lin Kuei.
She asked for their help in finding the escaped convicts. The Wyvarans asked what they would get out of it. She offered them what few things she could think of but none of them were sufficient. Seeing how they were all looking at her, she realized the one thing they wanted. She began undoing her clothes and said, "How about the body of the Oroku Saki's daughter? What better vengeance to the one who kicked you out of the Lin Kuei than to take his daughter over and over again 'till sunrise?" They agreed. Setsuko was ravished, used, and abused from then until sunrise by more Wyvarans than one could keep track of, and mostly many at a time. The entire time Setsuko wondered, "What if they don't keep the deal." They did.
Setsuko and the Wyvarans searched for, found, and captured Malpas. With him in tow, Setsuko stormed to Oroku Saki's room, changed more than she thought she would have by the experience, and in a lot of pain. She tried to strike a deal with Oroku Saki. He needed more men? Well here was a host of Wyvarans who would serve Oroku. If in a week she and her Wyvarans could capture enough of the escaped convicts to prove that the Wyvarans are useful, she'd be given back her men to get the party back on schedule. Oroku agreed with a twist, she had to capture all of the convicts. Setsuko felt defeated, she had given up so much for this opportunity and now if she is found lacking by even one it will be all for nothing. At that moment her resolve strengthened to more than any other persons at that moment in time. She and Wyvarans found all the men, and Oroku honored his deal. The party would go on as planned! She parted ways with the Wyvarans and went back to planning the party.
The party was splendid. The entire nation showed up to celebrate peace, and have just one day without fear or violence. Setsuko ran to and fro doing various tasks in the party. She even narrated a play depicting various exploits of the Oroku Saki, with Vermithrax playing the evil dragon that David slayed. The party was going splendidly and she took a moment to appreciate how truly happy she was for once. That's when she spotted David - looming over a Wyvaran with a gun to his head. She booked it over to them and screamed, "Don't you dare! You yourself made today a day of peace!" Oroku shot anyway. He then looked up and demanded everyone kneel. Only she and Vermithrax did not, and she only out of utter shock. The Oroku dedicated the party and the day to himself and immediately left for the Stronghold.
Setsuko doesn't remember exactly what happened in the next few hours, she only remembers it as colors of dark black and red splashing around. Ichiro says that he came up to her and tried to comfort her, but in a blind anger she went to go confront Oroku. Ichiro says he was trying to calm her down all the way to the Stronghold and when they finally got to Oroku he ran like a man with the devil on his tail, to his room. She followed him to his room to find David and his confidant Thaurin in a trance. Setsuko recognized this, as she would be best in the world to do, as a supernatural trance caused by Freddy Voorhees. But there was something else to worry about. The sounds of battle - from inside the Stronghold! Tassadar burst into the room and surveyed the situation. He tried to wake Oroku but it didn't work. Setsuko joined in screaming, "Wake up!" She may have hated David in this moment more than she could even quantify, but no one deserves Freddy's nightmares. It took her a while but she remembered the one guaranteed way to wake someone from Freddy's nightmares, as she did Fenix she sliced David's arm with a knife. The pain jolted David awake and just as abruptly in came two mechanical creatures of death. Tassadar ordered that everyone protect Oroku Saki with their lives, and Ichiro obeyed. He attacked, but didn't stand a chance. The machines tore through Ichiro and Setsuko screamed and flew herself on him in bitter tears ignoring all the dangers around her, grieved by Ichiro's mortal wounding. Suko's memory starts after the bombs went off.
== Rebellion ==
"If a ruler has to order people to bow down to him, he's not worth bowing down to." - Setsuko regarding David
In the aftermath of Kaizer's death Setsuko found herself covering Ichiro, with her back wracked in pain from being shredded by shrapnel from David's pipe bombs. Shrapnel that, had she not been there to protect Ichiro, could have very well killed him and were killing Suko. Setsuko quickly was fed a healing potion, and now having enough strength she obtained another healing potion and gave it straightaway to Ichiro. Ichiro's life was mere seconds from being lost before she saved him. This was the last straw.
Setsuko thought, whatever he was, Kaizer was right, with David in charge there will only be death and destruction. Setsuko turned to David and tore into him with her words. Accusing him of being a selfish and terrible leader and nothing but a normal man deserving of no ones help or loyalty. She declared her independence and gave Ichiro an ultimatum, follow her or follow him. After a small period of internal debating Ichiro left with her.
=== Wyvaran Alliance ===
Setsuko grabbed the garb of Lady Otsoa, from her room and put it on. She then went directly to the Wyvarans and told them, "This Oroku has worn out his title," and she locked eyes with one of their elders, staring at him intently almost as if to say, "Are you with me or against me?" The Wyvaran returned her stare for a bit, nodded slightly turned to his Wyvarans and motioned with his head for them to follow. With that the Wyvarans followed Suko, and left what small part they had in the Lin Kuei.
The Wyvarans asked Setsuko what they were to do and where they were to go - they asked her if they were to go to the Wyvaran caves. She responded by sending a few out to gather the Wyvarans spread around Antioch and inform all of them to report to the ruins of the Tomb of Ob'Nixilous immediately, and to bring as many digging tools with them as they could get their hands on. They questioned why, and she remained silent.
Setsuko had the Wyvarans start digging down into the collapsed tomb. While waiting for the rest of the Wyvarans to arrive Setsuko was informed that Oroku Saki had ordered all supplies to be transferred from the Stronghold to the Palace. Setsuko quickly asked for six Wyvarans who were the most trusted by the Lin Kuei, specifically the people in the Stronghold. She sent those six to go to the stronghold to steal as much black powder as the could carry, and bring it here to the tomb. When worried they might be found out Suko responded, almost annoyingly, that in all the chaos no one would question or probably even notice them. If anyone asked just tell them you are doing so by orders of the Oroku Saki.
By the time the barrels of black powder arrived, so had most of the Wyvarans and they had made a sizable hole into the ruins, though not sizable compared to the size of the ruin. But she was interrupted by a Wyvaran scout who reported a Lin Kuei detachment heading towards them from the Palace. Setsuko swore to herself, she forgot about Oroku's eyes, the damn crows. Setsuko commanded half the Wyvarans kill all crows they could get their hands on the other half to bring the black powder to the bottom of the hole they had dug. They rigged half of the barrels to the bottom of the hole and then the Wyvarans all took to the skies and leaving everything behind, except for Setsuko, Ichiro, and the other half of the barrels of black powder. Setsuko looked down from above into the hole and dropped a torch lighting the black powder. After the smoke cleared Setsuko looked at the crater that was created and looked disappointed. The Wyvaran carrying her asked her what she expected to find down there, she responded, "Allies." The Wyvarans flew away, continuing to kill every crow they could find.
=== Formian Alliance ===
The Wyvarans kept on the move, going no where in particular just trying not be caught. They would constantly send out scouts to the ruins of the tomb and one day they reported back something greater than Setsuko had hoped. Setsuko was trying to plan a way to re-take the tomb when the report came in that something had happened and all the Lin Kuei at the tomb were dead. Setsuko immediately had the Wyvarans fly back to the tomb. Everything confirmed her suspicions, from the ichor and bits of chitin on the ground to the crater showing a hole deeper than one could see. Setsuko walked to the hole, without any caution, and yelled down it, "I am Setsuko. I wish to speak with the Formians, I come bearing a deal, a deal that will allow you to take vengeance on he who destroyed your home." It didn't take long for her to get an answer. It didn't happen for a bit, but when it did happen it was lightning fast. The sounds of chittering as a few dozen Formians poured out of the hole all seemingly not un-powerful warriors surrounded Suko. Suko waved off the Wyvarans signaling them to stand down. One significant looking Formian stepped towards Suko and spoke to her, "I know you. You were one of the ones who destroyed our home! If you offer us vengeance on those who destroy our home, then you are first to make good on that offer!" Setsuko with the confidence only granted to those who no longer fear death due to mental illness spoke back to the creature, "What I did I did under coercion. I was a slave to the ones who tore your home from the sky," she leaned in and spoke in such a way as you could hear her smile, "but I am a slave no longer." She continued, "I wish to speak with your leader, if memory serves that'd be a Queen yes?" "You speak with her now," the obvious underling said, "for I am in the minds of all my people, the hive is life and in it I feel all. I am the Matriarch." Setsuko responded, "I see. Well oh Matriarch, I have come to make a deal. All those who destroyed your home have died except for one, the one known as David Cohen, now falsely called Oroku Saki. You would know him as the one who wielded the firearms that shot hot metal that tore through your people like knives through paper." The Formian studied her for a bit then responded, "It is only because none of us died by your hand that we will hear your offer. But be warned, your role and responsibility in the destruction of our home is still to be determined. We will determine your guilt. Follow my warriors down into our caves and we will converse further." Setsuko disappeared into the blackness of the hole.
The Wyvarans debated among themselves how long to wait, and what to do. Before a consensus had been formed Setsuko returned with a couple Formians at her back. She addressed the Wyvarans, "I have struck a deal with the Formians and their Matriarch. They seek justice against the Oroku Saki for offenses he has visited upon them. I certainly don't need to tell you that you deserve that same justice for his treatment of you. I propose we join forces with the Formians and work together to kill Oroku Saki and tear his title from his freshly slain corpse. And with the Lin Kuei under our control bring the Wyvarans back to their rightful place. The Formians have skills that will help us hide and strike at the Lin Kuei from the very shadows they pride themselves on knowing so well. What say you?" It did not take long for the Wyvarans to agree. And with that Setsuko had an army.
Only once was her 'rule' ever questioned. One of the Wyvarans began inciting rebellion questioning why they were following a weak girl. When Setsuko came to deal with the ruckus, he got her by surprise, grabbed her by the hair, forced her onto her knees, and raped her mouth saying, "I am now in charge." Suko disagreed. She took it as deep as she physically could, clamped down hard and bit off his member tearing it off with her teeth, bringing the Wyvaran to his knees. She stood up, spat out his part, kicked him over and stomped on his wound, digging her foot back and forth. She asked if anyone else wanted to be leader. No one spoke up.
=== Attack 1 - Destruction of the Embassy ===
Setsuko wanted to destabilize the newly reestablished Lin Kuei. She wanted to make people wonder if the Oroku Saki's commands and cause were just. She knew exactly where to hit. The Oroku Saki had shown to the people signs of working with the empire, and even know where building an embassy for them. Setsuko knew that the people were weary of this deal and in their hearts had always been weary of outside influence for generations. So she struck the nerve where she saw it exposed. She had the Formians dig a tunnel to the embassy and then rigged the remainder of the barrels of black powder underneath it. She had a length of wood made and a flag which bore the words, "With the Empire there can be no peace," written in Azlanti on it. She had these materials treated so they would not burn, at least not right away. As soon as the explosion took place, she had the pole and flag lifted, all traces of the tunnel hidden, and escaped away. With this, she had hoped to loose some support Oroku and the Lin Kuei had with the people.
=== Attack 2 - Lightning's Death ===
Setsuko loved Ichiro, and Ichiro loved her back, but some part of her twisted mind had her make the following plan and lovers infatuation had Ichiro agree to it. Ichiro was to be tied to a tree where he could be found and he was to act as if he had been casted out from Setsuko's presence for questioning her mental state (which ironically enough he truly did). Ichiro was to re-gain the trust of Oroku Saki, and then kill Lightning at the most opportune moment.
Setsuko was confident in this plan, banking on David's mental state. She had figured that David had to be struggling in some way, whether silently or even unknowingly with the fact that near everyone who knew him for any significant length of time had died. David was lacking for companionship. The only people who knew David from back in the day as a companion aside from herself was Lightning. So David would probably be predisposed to reinstall Ichiro out of some misplaced need for familiarity. And when in there, he would be the only person able to get to Lightning and kill him - leaving David with no one, leaving him alone.
Both Setsuko and Ichiro knew it would cost him his life, but Setsuko thought it worth it. Worth it to tear down this man who needed to be killed, who needed to be deposed. She had to win, at any cost! She had to get vengeance! Ichiro thought it was worth it not for those reasons, but because she thought it worth it. He knew all that she had gone through, all that she had done. Ichiro even had to watch as she was practically raped by all those Wyvarans, and did so only because she ordered him not to stop them, even though every bone he had wanted him to take out his sword and relieve the world of several Wyvarans. He loved her and did what she wanted, 'till the end (see Ichiro for more info.).
When word came back that Ichiro had been torn to pieces and displayed on pikes in front of the Palace and Lightning still alive Setsuko cried. The weeping was bitter, as she finally had let herself feel all the terrible emotions she had been feeling for so long. When the tears finally subsided she reaffirmed her desire to kill David, adding this to his list of sins.
Setsuko was to receive a stroke of luck as it seemed. Reports came in from scouts that Lightning had been screaming in the fields for hours, yelling that he wanted to talk to Suko. She had some Wyvarans cautiously go and capture him, taking precautions in case this was a trap. Lightning and his translator were brought to her and there Lightning pleaded to plea with Setsuko to leave all of what happened in the past, he told her he didn't want any recompense for his attempted murder, he just wanted to be a family again. And if he could forgo that, couldn't everyone else forgo what each other had done to everyone else? Setsuko felt a stab of pain as she decided what she had to do. For a moment she honestly felt sorry and perhaps even guilty. She looked up at Lightning and told him she'd do it. Lighting turned around and with hopefulness said, "It'll be just like old times." She signaled for the interpreter's throat to be silently cut. She took out her knife and looked at it drinking in the terrible feelings she was fighting with, "Yeah... just like old times," she said. She plunged the knife into Lightning's back and with his last breath, there was no one left who would be David's friend, only those that would know him as Oroku Saki.
She ran outside desperately clinging to breaths of air, and as soon as she got outside threw up and began to weep again. She lifted her head and stared at the shattered moon, continuing to weep. A Formian came out to meet her. The Matriarch asked through the Formian, "Why are you crying, why do you cry?" Setsuko responded, "Because I just had to kill someone who maybe once I would of considered a friend, and that's not the easiest thing to do..." "No, you misunderstand my question," the Matriarch responded, "Why do you cry, why do people cry, why do the denizens of this rock have water come out of their eyes." "Oh," Setsuko nearly laughed as she actually almost thought someone cared about her, "we cry cause were sad. Why does blood come out of a vein when you cut it, it's just the reaction to the stimuli I guess. We're sad we cry, sometimes when we're angry we cry. I guess you don't cry, huh?" The Formian responded, "No but we do get sad, we do get angry. We were both sad and angry when we lost our home!" Suko nodded, "Yeah, I understand that. Well the good thing about what happened today is that we're one step closer to getting back to the guy who took away your home, turn that sadness and anger into resolve and catharsis. You know what," she put her hand on the Formian's shoulder, "I think that's what makes us the greatest of allies, we're both angry and sad at the same person for ruining both our lives. I don't think there's a thing that could split us apart."
Setsuko had a surprise for David. She had the Wyvarans keep all the dead bodies of the crows, and then had them kidnap a wizard. She piled all the carrion into a pile, and set Lighting's body at the top, and placed a chair on top of him. She had the wizard teleport the pile into Oroku Saki's room, and had the wizard project her into the chair. She played the song she had heard Harry Heck sing, finding it's words appropriate.
: I can hear what you're thinkin'
: All your doubts and fear
: And if you look in my eyes in time
: You'll find the reason I'm here
: You know your days are numbered
: Count 'em one by one
: Like notches in the handle of an outlaw's gun
: You can outrun the Devil if you try
: But you will never outrun the hands of time
: In time there'll surely come a day
: In time, all things shall pass away
: In time, you may come back some say
: To live once more or die once more
: But in time, your time will be no more
In this way she reminded him that not only was she harassing him, but that she wasn't the only one hunting him. She taunted him with a smileless stare as her image faded away.
== Victory ==
Suko learned from Lightning's speech of the necromancer that was going to revive Thadius. This would have the opposite effect of what she had been striving for, trying to be sure David had no friends. She had him kidnapped and when confronted with her, Mal'Ganis revealed everything to Setsuko. Setsuko considered his words. Mal'Ganis told her how they could help each other out. With Vermithrax's death he no longer would honor his deal with Vermithrax but he still needed protection for his master's rebirth. He offered Setsuko Thaurin's part - the opportunity to be the one to kill Oroku Saki and take his title, all in exchange for protection. Setsuko agreed, threatening the necromancer and reminding him that she knows who he and his master are. And so the deal was done (see Vermithrax and Mal'Ganis for more info.).
At the ritual when David and Thaurin realized the deception Setsuko's Formians came in and protected the necromancers performing the ritual. As Thaurin was vanquished, Setsuko sneaked up on David and drove a poisoned dagger into his spine. The dagger had 'tears of death' on it, paralyzing David, but not killing him. Even so, it felt so good to drive that dagger into the bastard. She loved it so much. Not in the way that a murder loves the feeling of killing a man, and not the way an animal would love the feeling of blade through flesh and bone, but in a way solely belonging to her.
The ritual completed and the Lich reformed. Setsuko enacted her deception, with her Wyvarans and Formians close by as backup in case it didn't work or if Mal'Ganis did not honor their pact. She declared her part done, David dead, and demanded her end of the bargain. Anub'rekhan was not as agreeable as Mal'Ganis but he honored the pact nonetheless, citing the pact meaningless to him although.
With the Lich and his cohorts gone, she flipped David over on his back and straddled him looking at his face from different angels. She used her words to revel in her victory for a bit, then she started explaining to him why she did not kill him. She took off her face coverings, and shirt. She recounted her trauma to David, saying that while she had been with him she had been shot by a helicopter from his world, had a knife dug into her several times after she had healed in order to get bullets out (she pointed to the scars); been brought to a Foreign land where she was interrogated, starved, and made to be nude in front of strangers in a strange land; kidnapped, recaptured; poisoned; forced to return to a land she almost died to get away from; made to wear a mask that nearly killed her; was tortured in an unspeakably excruciating fashion by a nightmare creature from his world, had her back carved up by him so she forever has to go through life with a sentence in scars on her back (she twisted to show him her back); had her face sliced up and disfigured by his friend who everyone knew was a lunatic (she pointed to the scars on her face); recaptured by those she ran away from and tortured by them; disgraced herself by giving away her body to be violated by more Wyvaran than she could count in order to throw a party that meant the world to her that David had the power to just make happen but refused to; and after all she did to throw the party had it ruined by David; was orally raped, though she pointed out she left on the standing end of that little scuffle; and lost Ichiro. But all of that she could see how in some twisted view those things could be considered not his fault. But the one thing that was undoubtedly his fault, that he had to admit was his fault was the scars she had on her back from the shrapnel from David's pipe bombs (she twisted and pointed at the scars on her back). Those were directly from him.
For all those things she had more of a right to his head than any man had to another. But in the time that she spent with David she couldn't rightfully say that there wasn't some good times. So in honor of that she wasn't going to let a Necromancer have his way with David's dead body. Instead she gave David the same chance she had, leaving his fate to dumb luck. She had David and Thaurin stripped to rags, beaten, and delivered near-death to the same ditch she had been left in. Her final words to David were this, "You better hope the people that find you are more like Thadius than they are like you. Cause after all, like you reminded me so many times before, you were just gonna leave me there."
Setsuko took David's belongings and marched, out in the open with her Formians and Wyvarans, straight to the Palace. Rothrid came out to meet her. Suko took David's things and threw them down in front of Rothrid and spoke to the crowd gathered saying that she had killed David and by right of succession she was now the rightful Oroku Saki. She challenged anyone to examine David's belongings and claim that they weren't his. No one refuted that claim. After a brief word battle between Rothrid and Setsuko, Rothrid declared that she was the rightful leader of the Lin Kuei, and ordered that the ceremonial gold paint be prepared and everyone gathered to recognize Oroku Saki. Rothrid did this because he knew that with the war with The Empire Antioch would loose if they were involved in a civil war, and with Setsuko's leadership the Formians and Wyvarans would be added to the Lin Kuei's number.
Setsuko stood before the entire Lin Kuei naked covered in gold paint. There she gave the sign of the Lin Kuei that David had installed, and the Lin Kuei gave it back. She had won.
== Final Vision ==
== War with The Empire & The World War ==
See Antioch for more information.
== Death ==
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Category:Character
Category:Major
Category:Lin Kuei
Category:Villain
Category:T2
Category:Season 1