Linh Chi (The Jade Octopus)

Name: Linh Chi
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Nation: Water Nation- Foggy Swamp Tribe

Physical Appearance:

Linh is an average height for a foggy swamp girl of her age, five foot five inches. She has an athletic build and is missing her left arm. She has black hair that she wears loose around her shoulders. It is often windblown and sticky with salt from the sea. Her eyes are a jade green in color. This trait was passed down from an earth-nation ancestor. She typically wears a confident and mischievous grin on her heart shaped face.

Her attire is a common southern water tribe garb, modified into the pirate style. As a child in the swamp she wore very little other than leaves, she chose to wear the southern water tribe’s colors in an attempt to better fit in among the pirates. She wears a shirt with one billowing sleeve to conceal her missing arm, and the vines which replace it. On her right arm she wears a leather bracer designed to match the rest of her outfit. She wears blue pants and a bandana.

Equipment:

She has a small Gourd of Water which she attaches to her belt. This is only used as a last resort. There may be times when she does not have access to a body of water or any plants.

Linh carries an Apothecary Satchel. This contains seeds of the vines which grow on the Banyan-grove tree. If the vines that wrap around her body die she has the seeds to replace them, however it takes some time. A poisonous White Jade blossom is kept in the satchel. She also carries Bacui Berries as an antidote for the poison.

As a pirate it is important she carry Navigational Tools, so she doesn't get lost. She carries a current map of all the ports and waterways.  She also carries a star chart and a compass. She was taught to use these items by the pirates. She also has a spyglass to see objects at great distances.

Combat Skills:

Linh’s father began teaching her Water Bending at a young age. By the age of twelve she had learned the basics of water bending and began swamp bending. After she lost her arm she developed a modified form of bending using her hips and leg movements to direct the water and the speed of such movements determines the intensity. The pirates use her water bending to give speed to their ships and protect them from harsh storms.

Having been raised in the swamp she found it easy to extend her water bending skills Plant Bending. She learned to manipulate the water in plants, causing them to move at her command. She has developed a style which makes her truly one with nature. Linh has vines growing up her back which extend as a sort of replacement for her missing left arm. She uses the subtle movements of the fingers on her right hand to control the vines which can extend up to five feet. Her plant bending can be used to grab things she wouldn’t normally be able to reach or capturing opponents.

Talents:

She is a skilled alchemist. Her grandmother taught her about the plants in the swamp when she was younger. Because of her ability to bend plants she has developed an interest in various herbs. They can be used to make deadly poisons and helpful remedies. She can identify most plants in the earth kingdom and maintains a small garden on the ship.

Another skill she possesses is hustling. After the pirates divvy up the gold from a job they often head to a town to spend their earnings. Linh has a bad habit of wasting her gold on Pai Sho. She is a skilled player who lures unsuspecting villagers into games by pretending to be a novice. Linh is an excellent liar who excels at feigning innocence when she chooses
Talents: One paragraph describing the characters hobbies and/or non combat related skills.

Flaws:

She cannot use a phase change in her water bending. Meaning she cannot use any attacks involving ice. This is because she cannot create the motions necessary with one arm. It is discouraging to Linh that she will never be able to fully master the Bending style that her father taught her. However, she has chosen to focus on plant bending rather than dwell on phase change.

She cannot use water for healing. She was taught the basics of healing by some of the women in her tribe. However, the swamp was a spiritual place and the extravagant and greedy lifestyle of a pirate changed Linh on the inside. She is not sure why she can no longer heal, as it is probably a spiritual or psychological block.

Linh is illiterate. The swamp tribe had no formal education system. She speaks with a Louisiana accent and bad grammar which was later reinforced by the pirates. She has also picked up a lot of pirate slang. Some of her crewmates did go to school, but left home to avoid such monotonous responsibilities. Therefore she was never able to find a teacher. She can read maps because they are image based and she can count up to a hundred gold pieces. She can recognize plants and understand what they do. She doesn't view her inability to read or write as a flaw. However, it does put her at a disadvantage in some situations.

History:

Linh was raised by her parents and grandma in the Foggy Swamp. Her tribe was a close knit group who lived in harmony with nature. Water bending came naturally to her, and she received training from her father. Eventually she began plant bending. She began by simply forcing flowers to bloom and working her way up to manipulating vines.
When she was fourteen a group of pirates attacked. It seemed they had gotten lost in the swamp and they took Linh as a guide. The pirates needed a water bender and she was forced to serve on their ship. The teenage girl hated her captors and thought of nothing but escape.

The pirate ship was named after The Cuttlefish which is known for its ability to change its skin to blend in with its surroundings. A few months after she was captured the men got paid and so did she. The pirates handed her a bag of gold and took her to Omashu with them. It was her first time in a big city and although they left her alone she did not run. She ate new and delicious foods and slept on a proper bed for the first time. She let go of her dreams of returning to the swamp and the pirates quickly grew fond of the girl.

She still resented the Captain for abducting her. Two years ago she led a failed mutiny against the Captain. During the battle he sliced off her left arm. She learned to bend with one arm and the Captain who admired her determination allowed her to stay on board. She does not blame him for the loss of her arm, but their relationship remains understandably tense. 
 
Personality:

Linh is arrogant and condescending. She often plays the role of devil's advocate. She is angry that she was taken from her home, but is too materialistic and greedy to return to the swamp. She tries to manipulate others to get what she wants but she isn't afraid to fight. After being forced to prove herself to the sexist pirates, she doesn't feel sympathy for those who are easily tricked into underestimating her. She loves the freedom of traveling by sea, the thrill of winning, and luxurious living.

Pet: Catgator

Whiskers is a dark green reptile that is nine and a half feet long from snout to tail. He is seven years old. His back is lined with small darker ridges. Whiskers has a flat head with long catlike whiskers coming from the snout. He has sharp teeth and a wide jaw for snatching large animals and its tail has a small fin.

On land the creature moves on its four short legs with its body close to the ground. However, it travels faster through water. Linh can ride Whiskers when they are in the water. He can protect her from danger by intimidating or even biting potential threats.

His appearance frightens most people. He is not welcome on the ship or in most towns. For this reason he is often forced to follow Linh from a distance or wait for her return. He is not particularly aggressive in battle. He is only really dangerous in water.

He is a loyal pet. He was given to Linh when he was a baby in the swamp and followed the ship when she was taken. He looks ferocious so most people are afraid of him, but he is quite docile. Whiskers is fond of letting Linh ride on his back and loves belly rubs.

Writing Sample:

The young woman ran down the crowded market street brushing the shoulders of passersby and knocking one child to the ground. Tears streamed down her face as she screamed, “Help! Somebody help me!” An older woman and her teenage son stopped and grabbed hold of the girl. “What’s wrong child?” asked the mother in an urgent and concerned tone. The young women struggled to catch her breath. Her face was pale from fear but she spoke, “Dose men was followin’ me. De pirates took me, but I got away.” She looked back towards the harbor, but there were no suspicious looking men. Some of the merchants came over to see what the commotion had been. The older woman looked down on Linh with pity, “Come dear, you can stay the night at our house.” The young man smiled awkwardly at the pretty girl before the two led her away from the crowd and up towards their home.

Linh was quiet while they sat around the table to eat. Finally, the teenage boy spoke. “It must have been awful being held captive by pirates. Did they hurt you?” “Bo!” The mother scolded, “You shouldn’t ask so many questions.” Linh swallowed her soup and looked up, “Dat’s alright.” She turned to Bo. “De Capt’n took me arm see?” She patted down her left sleeve to show there was nothing there. Bo’s eyes widened in surprise, “Wow! That must have been painful.” Linh winced, “Aye.”

The mother gave a surprised look and Linh corrected herself quickly. “I… I’ve never felt anything worse.” The three began to eat their soup again and Linh breathed a sigh of relief. She was led to a small guest room and began settling in for the evening. Just after midnight she crept into the hallway and made her way back down the stairs. She quickly found the room she was looking for and tried the knob. It was locked.

The young pirate crouched down and slowly extended the fingers on her right hand causing small vines to sprout from beneath the billowing cloth of her left sleeve. They crept under the crack at the bottom of the door and slid up the other side. Linh waited until she heard the click on the other side and balled her fingers into a fist. The vines withdrew into her sleeve as the door swung open with a creak. The moon reflected off of something gold and shiny and Linh’s eyes lit up with excitement as she caught sight of the treasures within.