Bian Tu' is one of the Chu-ih-yu. A beloved crafter who makes his home in the Western District of Hong Kong.
Biography
Bian Tu learned the art of carving wood from his father. He would carve everything from simple bamboo flutes to intricately done puzzle boxes. Soon his talent was outshining his fathers and he set upon himself almost impossible challenges. He would fashion pieces of wood with such subtlety and delicacy it was as if he were caving out the air itself.
Brian’s father died when he was 14. He inherited the business and began changing things to make long-desired dreams a reality. He stopped producing the easily made wooden trinkets that were favoured by tourists and instead concentrated on refining his technique and crafted elaborate screens from paper-thin sheets of teak and mahogany. Though his work drew an audience it did not draw in the cash.
He lost money hand over fist and when he was unable to pay his “protection” money he ran up against the local triads who warned him that he must do his “part” or face the consequences.
As the night before the payment was due, Bian Tu had a strange visitor. An old man in very antiquated clothing came in just before closing and instead of buying something he game Bian Tu a piece of wood unlike anything he had seen before. The old man cryptically said “Seek the form hiding winin and all will be well.” With that the old man left.
He spent the rest of the night in work. He concentrated on the elusive slab of translucent, fine grained wood and the world around him seemed to shift in and out of focus. He thought he heard voices singing to him from within the wood and he worked to free those voices from the wood. Finally, he slumped to the floor in exhaustion - his hands tightly gripping the tools of his trade.
The next morning, the wood was gone and in its place was a blue jade dragon. Bian Tu realized he had not been trying to carve the wood but himself. His life was never the same after that. The next day the Tong came to collect and thanked Bian for his contribution and left. Bian never saw the old man ever again but the dragon figurine is displayed prominently above his front door.
Soon after Bian started to receive a new set of clientele. Shen from all over Hong Kong and beyond would come to him and request weapons and other items. His business was once again prosperous, even more so becuase he no longer had to purchase large quantities of wood. All the new materials he carved came from the Dreaming.
Appearance
Bian Tu appears older than his actual years (mid-20s), becuase of his stooped posture from years of leaning over his workbench. His dark hair is long and tied back away from his face, which is marked with lines of worry. He wears a large apron over his clothes, though he rarely has to worry about wood shavings anymore.
Character Sheet
Bian Tu, The Discriminating Pursuit
Court: Shinma (Seelie) Legacies: Crafter / Riddler Physical: Strength: 3, Dexterity: 5, Stamina: 4 Social: Charisma: 2, Manipulation: 3, Appearance: 3 Mental: Perception: 4, Intelligence: 3, Wits: 4 Talents: Alertness: 2, Brawl: 2, Dodge: 3, Kenning: 4, Streetwise: 1 Skills: Crafts (Wood Carving): 5, Crafts (Metallurgy): 4, Drive: 1, Etiquette: 2, Melee: 3, Security: 3, Stealth: 2 Knowledges: Enigmas: 2, Linguistics: 2, Mythlore: 2, Occult: 3 Arts: Chicanery: 4, Legerdemain: 3, Primal: 4 Realms: Nature: 3, Prop: 5 Backgrounds: Lakshmi: 1, Mentor (the old Man): 4, Resources: 1, Treasures (katana): 3 Chi: Pa (Banality / Yin): 5, Yugen (Glamour / Yang): 7 Ninjo (Humanity): 8 Willpower: 8
References
- WOD: World of Darkness: Hong Kong, p. 98