Lihua "Tiě Lóng" Song

**Lihua Song** (送 麗華) is a member of the Chéngshì Shé's Unit 16, and an avid participant in several mage/martial arts arenas, such Chikabori's Hoshiguma, to the point where she earned the title of Clanfriend as and earned a powerful weapon known as "Shé Rèn". Originally a runaway from an abusive family, Lihua was picked up and trained by a martial artist named Yang and learned the ways of the "Hundred Pace Fist", paving her way into a life of martial arts and meditation. She joined the Snakes after fighting in their arena and was recruited after impressing the Snakes watching her fights. Precise, agile, and deadly, the Iron Dragon is the most deadly when you are within hundred paces from her.

## Background

Lihua was born in China to sleeper parents. She had the fortune of being born with a small mana lobe anyway, but it seemed unlikely that she would ever use it or even know it existed. Although she wishes she could say otherwise her childhood was not a very happy one. She grew up with an alcoholic mother and a father with intense anger issues. They often neglected her, yet also became angry and reacted harshly when she failed to live up to standards. Calling her an embarrassment and hitting her or restricting her to a single room for excessive amounts of time.

Lihua grew tired of this quickly, especially when her parents passed up every opportunity to change themselves. By the time she was nine she had saved up some money from odd jobs. Figuring being on her own was better than this, she left her home and became a runaway. At first things went ok but still being young, she had underestimated the cost of living and of course also had to avoid being brought back home. She quickly hit the bottom and, though she never seriously considered it, even occasionally thought of going back.

There was eventually a winter night where she was just trying to keep warm. Some bullies saw her, they decided to have some fun pushing her around and tried to take what little she had. She did her best to protect it but in the end she was still one little girl and couldn't stop them. Before they could actually take anything though, Lihua saw a sudden blur of motion. In an instant her assailants were knocked to the ground and a woman stood before her. "You have spirit, kid. Come with me and we might make something of it." Those were the first words she heard from her mentor, Yang.

Yang was a martial artist who was traveling the world to perfect her craft. She had been visiting her hometown again when she saw Lihua and decided to take her under her wing, temporarily taking a break from her travels for this purpose. Lihua was taught how to fend for herself and how to defend herself. Yang perhaps saw her as an heir. She never explicitly said one way or the other but she made sure to teach Lihua her martial art: Bǎi Bù Quán. Lihua was put through training and conditioning both mental and physical. It was hard work but in a good way, Yang never went easy on her yet neither did she expect too much.

Eventually Lihua had learned at least the basics of every technique and when she came of age, Yang declared her intention to continue exploring the world alone. She recommended that Lihua do the same if she wanted to progress as a martial artist. Yang had always taught Lihua that lessons may provide the foundation but experience is what builds true growth. Getting into a real fight exposes all the flaws and shortcomings you could get away with in training. As for exploration, travel broadens the mind and Yang taught her that those who remain narrow minded can not be true masters.

So Lihua began her own travels, starting off by heading in the opposite direction as her mentor so that if they meet again they can share stories of their different experiences. Wandering the Earth could of course be expensive at times but she was better prepared for that thanks to the knowledge her master gave her, especially the knowledge of the magical world. She would take on jobs as an enforcer or an escort.

When she reached Japan she ended up discovering Chikabori and with it a new way of funding her travels. In that city she came across the fighting arena and made a lot of money by betting on herself. It also served as an excellent opportunity to keep testing herself with real fights like her mentor had told her to. During her time in Chikabori she ended becoming known as the "Tiger of Chikabori" due to her exploits in the arena. It was also because of some exploits in the Oni district, brawls, small adventures, and good friends that have ended up giving her the title of Hoshiguma Clanfriend.

That was where she first really made a name for herself but it didn't stop there. Now that she had experienced the arena she began seeking out other arenas anywhere she went. Through this method she continued to fund her adventures and also faced many different fighters, honing her skills with experience. Every win and every loss contributed. When she was in her mid 20's she ended up signing up to fight in a Chéngshì Shé arena. Unknown to her they had heard of her reputation amongst the arenas of the world and were curious to see her in action. Members of the Tong's recruitment team were amongst the spectators watching her fight, after the fight they approached her with the offer to join them. The job promised good pay, the ability to continue going around the world, plenty of opportunity to test her skills, and she was beginning to think about setting up a more long term place to stay anyway.

After accepting the job offer she was brought back to the main territory of the snakes. Though she had been scouted for her fighting abilities she still had other tests to go through. She passed them easily enough and became a member of unit 16, one of the assault teams. A couple years after joining she was also approached about teaching the Hundred Pace Fist to snake recruits. Lihua stated that she preferred to keep working as an enforcer but did agree to teach some classes. She has gotten along fairly well with her teammates and has been a successful agent.

## Personality

Martial arts can be said to be Lihua's life to a certain extent. It was the first pursuit that she found herself succeeding at with a reasonable and knowledgeable mentor. She also finds it an excellent source of discipline and exercise, not to mention being useful for self-defense. She wants to become as much of a master as she can and sometimes wonders how her own master has progressed since they parted ways.

Lihua believes that martial arts is something that should be shared with anyone who wishes to learn and also enjoys passing on the knowledge of her master. Just like Yang did for her she is willing to teach anyone who wants to learn. In general Lihua teaches classes as part of her duties to the Chéngshì Shé but these classes are only the basics. For those who actively wish to learn more, she takes them on as apprentices. As a teacher she is strict and pushes her students to succeed, but she is not harsh and will just as often praise them for progress.

Something she has carried over from her master is a belief that experience is the true teacher. Because of this, she still regularly visits the arenas at Qingdao and Chikabori, whether to fight or to just spectate. This is especially true during times when unit 16 hasn't had any missions for a while. Part of her training and testing for protégés is to put them on real missions with her and let them take point. She leaves the plan up to them and will not make any suggestions or independent actions unless her pupil is in serious danger. Neither will she agree to any plans that try to cheat by just having her do everything.

Loyalty and friendship are vital to Lihua. She is open to conversation with anyone and likes when it can lead to a new bond. She's also a believer in "you scratch my back and I scratch yours". She always pays back debts and favors as soon as she can. This combined with her years of travel around the world have led to her establishing a variety of friends and contacts all over the place. She's glad that her unit members feel the same and considers them true friends and comrades.

Partly because of her past, Lihua tends to keep a difficult to read demeanor much of the time. She learned to hide her emotion when she was young because disappearing into the background helped with living with her parents. Then came her training as a martial artist which encouraged control of one's emotion as well. Because of this she tends to have a refined yet stern aura to her. She can come across as cold at times but this is not her intention and she is more able to express herself with people she knows.

In her free time Lihua is quite an avid poet. Poetry encourages her to think about different things in different ways, as well as to reflect on herself. Some of her few good early childhood memories also came from a poet that lived nearby her. Lihua writes her poems in the classic Chinese style, meant to be sung aloud. Frequent sources of inspiration for her poetry are her friends and comrades. With their agreement she puts to paper their lives, traits, exploits, dreams, etc. For example she has written a poem in honor of the Toxotai that speaks of tragic and valiant warriors seeking new ways of life, a poem for Ghaden praising her as a hunter, a poem that's boisterous and upbeat in tone meant to emulate the personality of a sworn-brother in America, etc.

Lihua is interested in having kids one day. She likes the idea of raising a family and maybe even passing on the torch to some of them. However, every time she thinks about it she is discouraged by a lingering fear of hers. This fear isn't that she is intimidated by children or that she waited too long or anything like that. Rather she is afraid that she will become her own parents. If she ever has children she would not want to put them through that, yet fears that she will continue the cycle anyway. She would make her partner promise that if this happened and she could not be changed, then they would leave her.

Because of her past with it, Lihua greatly dislikes alcohol and the effect it has on people. She has never so much as touched an alcoholic beverage or any recreational drug. She does not judge other people for drinking as long as they can moderate themselves properly or at least don't make a habit of getting wasted. Still even around people she likes, the mere smell of alcohol or signs of inebriated behavior make her uncomfortable.

## Abilities

### Bǎi Bù Quán

The "Hundred Pace Fist" is a martial art of uncertain origin. Some say it came from a master who was challenged to beat a bow with his fist, some say it was an assassin developing a way to quickly kill targets and disappear just as suddenly, yet others say it was developed by a soldier who needed to fight as if he were many. It became a somewhat popular style for the mystically aware during the rise of firearms. This is because the discipline of Bǎi Bù Quán emphasizes great mobility and perception of one's surroundings. Footwork and total body movement are vital parts of the martial art, it even includes acrobatic techniques. For those who are aware of the magical world and true potential of martial arts, it possesses many reduced earth techniques for rapidly crossing distance. It's also meant to traverse any terrain and practitioners are almost always good climbers. The offensive techniques of Bǎi Bù Quán are all about explosively powerful strikes with fist, elbow, knee, shin, and foot. The defense techniques are less direct and more flowing, it encourages dodging and redirection rather than blocking or grappling. The combat philosophy of Bǎi Bù Quán is to suddenly cross the distance between you and your target, down or stun them in one or two blows, then move on before anyone can react.

Thanks to the conditioning that she's gone through since childhood, Lihua's body is beyond the limit of a sleeper. She is able to perform feats surpassing any athlete and when she combines it with her qi she could even kick down a tree or kill a man in a single blow. To maintain this, Lihua makes sure to always get in her daily exercise.

### Magic

Since being taken under Yang's tutelage, Lihua has been introduced to and enhanced her ability to engage with the mystical through martial arts. She has learned how to channel her energy as qi. It's more subtle than most magic, not involving fire balls or creating weapons from thin air, but combined with the martial skill needed to utilize it it's still deadly. Lihua mainly uses qi to enhance the speed and power of her body. She can also concentrate qi in a part of her body to briefly make it tough enough to stop or even shatter a sword, an arrow, or a bullet. Additionally it has some restorative properties, allowing her to heal faster than most and likely giving her a longer lifespan.

As part of her training she also learned meditative and mental techniques to clear the mind of distraction or falsehood, make one's presence fade into the world around it. She can do the inverse of concealing her presence and sense the energy of the world around her. She in fact regularly trains blindfolded so that even if her 5 physical senses are fooled she has a way to sense the true world around her.

### Equipment

#### Shé Rèn

A weapon that she earned in a fight in Chikabori. When not in use the Shé Rèn merely appears as a large metal ring which she often passes as a bracelet or keeps up her sleeve. Upon activation, two chains come from either end of the ring with blades tipping each chain. The weapon is under Lihua's command as long as she's holding onto it. Although she still has to wield it like a weapon, this trait allows the Shé Rèn to move more like a serpent under Lihua's command. Using this trait the Shé Rèn can wrap around a weapon to disarm an opponent then just as easily unwrap to throw it away, precisely slit multiple throats in a single swing, and attack from unusual angles.

#### Snake Key

The standard butterfly knife or "Balisong", and considered more of a tool than a weapon. The blade itself was made with special materials that are not necessarily strong enough for heavy combat. The pride of the Pranaja Empu smiths, the steel during forging blessed the property to disperse mana. Since it disperses magical energy, the blade of the knife can't be reinforced with magic. However, the reason why it's named a key is because users can create holes within certain points of a Bounded Field. Since the blade merely disperses mana and not outright destroys it, it creates thinned and weakened areas in a Bound Field that is more susceptible of being bypassed physically without triggering an alarm for the owner.

It can also be used against an enemy using Reinforcement on his body. If the Key is stabbed onto the target's arm, for example, the magical energy of the reinforcement spell disperses to other parts of his body and his arm is now more weakened thanks to the lower amount of mana for reinforcement.

#### S11 'BB' Bulletproof Body Suit

Standard issue magic armor that Snake Tong provides its members. It is a black suit which was made to be bulletproof (tested with 9mm, 7.62, NATO/.308) and provides magic resistance, dispelling low level spells. It is considered to be one of the iconic uniforms of the Shiai-shi. The suit is made with a composite of multiple magical materials, a major one being Huohuan Bu Silk from a Spider Yaoguai. This makes the Suit durable (enough to withstand modern gunfire and magical projectiles), easily enchantable with magic, and has innate fire resistance. If the Suit was stained, one simply needs to burn the area with the stain and the mess will soon disappear without damaging the cloth.

#### "Shroud Tie"

Shroud Ties are standard issue magic armor and head protection, cleverly disguised as neckties that allow them to blend in with the Bulletproof Snake suit style. By pulling down the tie and channeling mana through them, the ties transform into balaclava masks that provide full coverage of the head and neck. The material is made to be as bulletproof as the suits and also provide the same magical protection. The Shroud Tie can be deactivated by the user removing the mask, and it will turn back into their necktie forms.

Lihua's has been customized with the design of a Chinese dragon.