"Stone-Fist" Houzen

Houzen
Class	Cleric
Occupation	Performer, Martial Artist, Thief
Tier	Trainee
Ancestry	Ragdyan Vanara
Heritage	Mountains of the Old Country
Alias(es)	Stone-Fist
Pronouns	he/him
Age	22
Height	4'2"
Partner	none
Status	Alive
Player	Augus Zeppeli
Storyteller	None

"Stone-fist" Houzen is a vanaran martial artist, performer, and thief devoted to the religious teachings of the monkey king, Sun Wukong. As a follower of the Great Sage, Houzen is dedicated to a life of fun, mischief, and the pursuit of "True Freedom". A member of the associates, Houzen came to Onadbyr from the Old country, and was joined by his "little brother", Seiten or Sai for short. The two spend each day exploring the city and the surrounding areas, or performing theatrical re-tellings of stories from the Old Country. When duty calls, he approaches most missions with a laid back demeanor and an insatiable wanderlust, sometimes to his fellow associate's annoyance. When a fight starts, Houzen sees all combat as a dance of magic, mischief, and martial arts. To him, fighting is a game and games should be fun, even if his opponent isn't having any.

The Huaguo Tribe

Long ago, a group of vanara left their ancestral home and made their way across the sea to a new land to settle. This group originally worshiped the monkey gods Ragdya and Lahkgya. When the clan arrived into what would eventually become The Old Country, they attempted to find a new home to settle. At first, the tribe ran into many issues finding a place to settle. The tribe prefered secluded areas away from more modern cities at the time but anywhere they found, they would often be driven off due to local wildlife attacks or simply harsh living conditions. That was until, as the story goes, the Great Sage Sun Wukong appeared before the tribe. Taking pity on them, the monkey king led them to a mountain range he knew of. The location was well hidden, contained multiple peach trees, caves, and hot springs. The group quickly settled in and declared themselves the Huaguo Tribe naming themselves after the beautiful peach trees that encompass the mountains. As thanks for his generosity, the tribe said they would add Wukong to their prays and worship along side the other gods. Wukong, never turning down praise for his efforts, accepted the tribes worship and ensured that as long as they lived by his tenets, they would always have his favor. The group settled for a few generations before an encounter with pilgrimaging monks who also introduced them to the teachings of Korada, and soon he too was added to the tribes worship.

Not long after the tribe decided they would declare four of their rank as elders of the tribe. These elders, known as the Four Virtues, each represent one of the four major gods worshiped by the tribe, each one reflected by a specific title. The first title is Six-Ear, the virtue of wisdom representing Korada. The second is Red-Eyes, the virtue of joy representing Ragdya. The third is Long-Arms, the virtue of cunning representing Lahkgya. And lastly is Stone-Fist, the virtue of Glory representing Sun Wukong. The tribe still exists to this day even in these trying times, typically keeping to themselves unless anyone enters their territory without permission. When that happens, some travelers and caravans may realize that their inventory is significantly less than before. Those with inflated egos and heavy pockets who wanderer even further in risk an encounter with tribe's bandit protectors. Today, the tribes currently elder have had concerns about the tribes place in the modern world and have considered letting members of the tribe going out into the world, hoping the tribe will grow wiser from the experience.

Houzen's Background

While growing up, Houzen lived a peaceful life along side his fellow tribe members eating from the nearby peach trees, relaxing in the hot springs, and enjoying stories and lessons from the tribes elders. Houzen, even by the tribes standards, was often seen as brash, rebellious and impulsive. This caught the eye of "Stone-Fist" Wuzhiqi. Elder Wu took a liking to Houzen's antics and attitude, deciding that if he could teach Houzen to focus his mischief on more productive means, he would make an exceptional "Stone-fist". Houzen became his apprentice and trained under him for years. He would eventually form a brotherhood with the elder's other apprentices where he met Seitan, the youngest apprentice and next in line for the title "Six-Ear". The two would form a brotherly bond and them along with the other two apprentices became sworn brothers. Houzen enjoyed his time until chaos became more common in the Old Country. Elder Wu, fearing that the chaos would rattle the Huaguo's calm life style, decided that the time had come to send vanara as representatives into the broader world to establish connections with potential allies and do some good in the world. Houzen and Sai were both sent out, with emphasis on Houzen trying to teach Sai due to his younger age. The two would travel place to place helping other and causing mischief where ever they went. Until one day when the portal to Onadbyr opened.

Houzen in Onadbyr

It didn't take long for Houzen to determine what the portal was seeing people of many varieties enter. He decided then that Sai and himself would sneak into the next group, not wanting to stick out. They did so successfully and found themselves in Onadbyr. The two never saw a place like it before and decided to scout around abit before making himself truly known. After some scoping, Houzen decided that this was the two's new home away from home. He to the associates guild, boasted on about abunch of stories that may or may not be exaggerated and got himself signed up. He began communicating with Elder Wu via letters he has sent through various methods as not to reveal the location of his home and the two settled not long after.

Trivia

• Houzen and Sai make small money on the side performing street shows that tell old folk tales from their home. These stories vary from exploits of the monkey king, scary stories about local monsters and myths, and cautionary tales with meaningful lessons at the end.
  

• Houzen is still training for the Stone-Fist role. Regard he still refers to himself as Stone-Fist, some people even noting that despite his title, he uses a bo staff. This is because the titles are treated as a surname by the elders, retired or dead elders, and their apprentices.
  

• Each of the tribes elder titles are not literal. The titles actually have metaphorical meaning behind them. Six-Ear refers to the idea of being perceptive of all things. Red-eyes refers to the idea of seeing on a spiritual level. Determining the state of ones soul just from a look. Long-arms refers to the idea of all things being in reach of them like a thief being able to steal whatever they need. Finally, Stone-fist refers to the idea of being an unstoppable force that can over come any obsatcle no matter the danger. While the elders represent one each, it is taught that one should still acknowledge all for to become truly great.
  

• Houzen's favorite fruit is peaches. He almost always seems to have some no matter the situation. When asked about it, he usually replies with a swift "Don't worry about it.". In short, DON'T QUESTION THE PEACHES!