Tao Ya Kang

## Early Childhood

A dirt floor, hide and seek from the tax collector, monster attacks daily.

## Adolescence

If you don’t hunt, you don’t eat, the ocean calls, how to find my way, how to find my way home, I can’t go back there, nothing to find, I wander to be lost, love sparks in the dark, farming in the land of the outcasts.

## Realms Career

(some things are grouped out of order but generally correct)

Hunting, A knight quests by, doing good things, the land of outcasts has a leader, time to hunt the monsters. Squire to the Death Knight, then Squire to the Angel, belted. The casino starts its journey. K takes over, we make him Duke. The stone is shattered, my love is freed. Lord, me a farmer, the Lord of Clontarf, A Lord of Blackwood. A lot of dead monsters, pointy teeth must die.

I practice more than I should as monsters still have to die. I am gifted with the champion of Tyche’s broken blade. Luck has found me and the casino, I am honored. Edaeonae calls to me, I am too busy, they put the Knighthood on me, we come together to find purpose. For a while it works, but it does not fit, I want too much, I cast out my brother. Edaeonae finds the time for me, Seagan will carry us. I have a squire, I knight, I have a squire again, and again. Others put a white belt on me, I thought my time had come and gone, I am honored beyond words.

In a span of 5 or so years, I general two different Queen of hearts teams, go for champion and lose by the smallest margin, go for mage and win. Compete, win, and lose in many individual tournaments, rat, archery, garb, take the first gambling tournament (and a few years later take it again), take the first ever Ace (of diamonds), all before the age of 50.

We make K the king. We have many in our ranks, and many banners in the hall. The nation's leaders gather, it is a spectacle. Sir Nos and I put the crown on his head.

It starts small, suddenly I have ears to hear, the lesson does not stick, I am weak, I have green skin, I have become the monster, Tao the Troll. I learn, I grow, I accept, I heal. I must find my own way back, Father Yule to the rescue. I am human again.

I bother, I bug, I make loud noise, finally the gamblers guild brings in new people after many, many years of obsolescence. I start tracking gambling tournaments, ask the guild to help me. Hold the first stacked deck final event with 6 finalists (which I lose) congratulations to Sir Mathies. Me and the guild go down different paths, but we are still partners to the stacked deck. 16 fantastic players the second year, I win but it was a coin flip last hand. (go pocket 5’s!). I then step out of competing for the final table, Sir Avendar takes the next year, Sir Zatarra the year after, and last year was Runaris. Me and the guild make up.

I have the king’s ear, I advise him he needs a second on the field, and it’s not me. The King names Saegan to be prince. But tricks me, and makes Sir Nos and myself Dukes? I am not sure I will wear this comfortably.

The King has a consort, he finally proposes, we have a hell of a party, a wedding, I put a crown on my former squire, my fellow knight’s head, Hail Queen Jinx.

Old rules say with three knighthoods you can claim the title of Paladin. I ask around, describe the casino as my way in, I make my gold from how the cards turn, or the wheel spins. No dice. A year goes by, at a celebration, I celebrate, a lot, I wake up with a new belt. The traveler, the wanderer, the simple farmer who was good with the bow, has become a Duke, Knight of three orders, Blackwood, Eternal Flame, and Chaos.

## Current day

I am a fighter, and I always will be, at heart. Last year I rediscovered my love of the bow. I learned spells for the first time I healed people. I am not sure how long it will last, but for now, this chapter has Tao supporting the line, shooting the bow, getting people up.