Liu Shao

History
Growing up among the Boat people, Liu Shao's clear, melodious singing voice and feminine features marked him as unusual. While others saw a girlish-boy ill-suited for life out in the bay, Shao’s grandmother saw a child with a special destiny. After consulting with fortune-tellers and giving offering to the gods, she secured Shao an audition with the Peking Opera Company.

The boy was accepted. Shao became an apprentice to the company and even though he regretted his severing of ties to his family, he took to his new life almost immediately. The intricate costumes, the make-up and the joy of performing for an audience more than made up for the sacrifices made.

Shao’s more feminine aspects made woman’s roles more natural and soon he was adopting a female persona offstage as well. He took both sexes and lovers but felt more comfortable with male partners, especially if role playing a tragic heroine was involved.

One evening Shao accepted an invitation for a casual tryst with a wealthy fan, or so it seemed. Shao did not survive the evening with the psychopath.

Having awoken again in Yomi, Shao faced his abandonment issues while being forced to sing his responses to the agonies he suffered. Finally he snapped and his violent P’o escaped into the Middle Kingdom, sought out his killer and devoured the screaming man of his flesh, blood and bones. After being found by the other Kuei-jin of Hong Kong he begged forgiveness of the court. He was assigned to the Sublime Caretakers due to his background.

He has reconnected with his family roots, he still performs for a select clientele. He occasionally visits the Opera and has become a silent benefactor of his old company. He hopes and is determined that the cultural excellence of Hong Kong is not changed by the politics of the region.

Whether dressed as a man or a woman, Shao is achingly beautiful. His finely sculpted features and slender body are simultaneously otherworldly and erotic. His manners border on the effeminate, though he is far from stereotypical; rather, he is quiet and self-effacing, except when performing. (World of Darkness: Hong Kong, p. 72)

Character
Nature: Deviant

P'o Nature: The Monkey

Demeanour: Traditionalist

Chi Balance: Yin

Direction: North

Dharma: Song of the Shadow: 3

Physical: Strength: 2, Dexterity: 5, Stamina: 3

Social: Charisma: 5, Manipulation: 1, Appearance: 5

Mental: Perception: 2, Intelligence: 3, Wits: 4

Abilities: Acting 5, Alertness: 2, Athletics: 3, Brawl: 1, Crafts (Mask Making): 2; Dodge: 4, Empathy: 3; Etiquette: 4, Linguistics: 3, Melee: 1, Mythology: 2, Occult: 3, Performance (Chinese Opera): 5, Stealth: 3

Disciplines: Black Wind: 2, Blood Shintai: 2, Bone Shintai: 1, Internalize: 1, Yin Prana: 3

Backgrounds: Allies: 2, Horoscope: 3, Resources: 3

Chi Virtues: Yin: 6, Yang: 3

Soul Virtues: Hun: 5, P'o: 5

Willpower: 6