Full Name: Suzuka Inzhu VarisseGender: Female
Age: 26
Element: None
Birthplace: Omashu
Position: Courtesan Assassin
Training: Poisons and Toxins (master), Disguise and Blending in (master), Tessenjutsu (expert)
Personality: (330/300) Quiet and demure, graceful, polite… delicate… refined, poised… even punctual. But really, training to be an assassin of upperclass men (and women on occasion) pretty much reworked Suzuka's personality until the only thing left was a perfect little porcelain doll. So much of her persona was scrapped and rebuilt for her mission that she probably couldn't even tell you what she'd been like as a child; tomboy, little princess, quiet scholar? Who knows?
So far as enjoying things, Suzuka does have preferences. She likes luxury over squalor, of course, and would prefer mild tastes to anything super spicy or sweet. While her favorite tea does have a pleasing aroma, it's actually a bit bitter to the taste, which the young woman seems to prefer. Her clothes are often elaborate and costly, particularly her court gowns, though even her casual things are still fairly elegant and fancy. Like all women of class, she can sing and dance, converse upon anything and nothing at all, as well as sit quietly for hours at a time.
Because of her background and career, it would be very difficult for her to create a meaningful, lasting relationship with someone. There's a wall there, built up with layers of indifference and the cold heart required of a murderess. Suzuka formed herself into an elaborate tool of revenge, but once her mission in life was over, there was still no going back. She has yet to find a way to awaken her passions.
Her anger is always kept under wraps, even when she lashes out at a target (figuratively, since the art of the courtesan assassin is lethal and silent). If Suzuka does happen to lose her cool, it can be certain that the person involved is
really getting under her skin - and is not currently on her hit list. Still, all things considered, she is not overtly violent (or even covertly), and settles her disputes with a sharp wit, or a silent dagger.
Abilities: (301/300) Because she has no affinity with the elements to speak of, Suzuka must carry out her tasks with the more mundane tools at her disposal. Still, she will always say that her most useful weapons are her charm and her appearance. Without mincing words, the young woman looks completely harmless. Petite, apparently quite meek, no noticeable physical prowess, and a beautiful movement-restricting dress; these are all points in her favor, when a murder has been committed at the same location. On top of that, her charismatic nature is practically a free pass into any party or soiree... as well as a free pass out of one.
A courtesan assassin does have trademark weapons as well, however. The hairpin needles are commonly carried and used because they look like ordinary hair ornaments unless examined very closely by an expert. Such tools are always coupled with poisons and toxins, of which an assassin is always an expert with those as well. The marks from these implements are also nearly undetectable because of how small the entry wound would be. The only way to really find it is if the target happened to be allergic to the toxin they were injected with, which would make the pinprick sized wound look rather like a bee sting. Still, that's rather innocuous.
Aside from the aforementioned very practical skills, another skilled courtesan assassin taught Suzuka bits of the martial art known as Tessenjutsu. Using an iron-ribbed fan, the assassin can ward off blows from something as small as a throwing knife or as powerful as a full-length blade. They can also be used to jab into pressure points or crush windpipes, making them extremely versatile. Their biggest attraction for these female assassins, however, is that - like the hairpins - they simple look like average ladies' fans.
Appearance:
Height: 5’3”
Weight: Slender
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Dark Brunette
Skin: Tanned
(282/260) Small (short) and petite, Suzuka seems about as threatening as a flower (one of the poisonous varieties, perhaps). Her skin is toned brown, like many women of the Earth Kingdom, though hers may be a bit lighter than some. Large brown eyes, along with thick dark eyelashes, give her a look that is almost without guile, and her long brunette hair is constantly styled up - generally with braids and a wrap-around bun. Her nose has a tiny little upturn to it, though it's shapely otherwise, and her lips are often curved into a smile - they are full and almost pouty, even if she doesn't have cosmetics on.
With small, soft hands, this young woman is rather beautiful, by most standards. She doesn't have much in the way of voluptuous curve, being so slender, but Suzuka knows how to dress in a way that plays to her assets. Otherwise, however, Suzuka has no real striking or unique features that couldn't be true of another dozen Earth Kingdom women in the vicinity.
Her colors tend to be pinks or yellows, occasionally light tints of blue. Oftentimes she wears dresses in the classical, elegant style so popular among the debutantes and their families. If a more formal setting, she would don a full gown or perhaps even a traditional robe, if the situation called for it. Underneath, Suzuka wears a silken chemise, rather than lingerie, because she's really not out to please anyone and values the comfort more. The one thing that tends to follow her, from outfit to outfit, are a pair of pearl earrings, which her father had promised her for her very own when she was only four years old.
Weaponry & Other Gear:
Ironwood FanMaterials: Ironwood ribs, patterned cloth
Description: Though it appears to be a standard fan used by maidens in a formal court setting, this Ironwood Fan is a weapon. Hardened ribs give it the weight to stop a blade as well as the force to hit a fatal pressure point. The design on the cloth portion is a scene of falling autumn leaves.
Hair sticksMaterials: Wooden sticks, iron tips
Description: Once again appearing as something that any maiden in a formal court setting could have, these hair sticks have a secret; iron tips used for either jabbing into the throat or side of the neck, or else dripping with neurotoxins. Small ornaments dangle from the ends on dainty little chains – usually beads, bells or flowers.
Custom Tea BagsMaterials: Tea Leaves, tea cloth twists, deadly poison
Description: Used, quite simply, to kill unsuspecting lords as they enjoy their evening tea. Generally made one at a time beforehand, so that they cannot be traced after the fact.
History: (857/720) Hundreds of years ago, the predecessors of the Varisse family were simply humble traders who walked the many paths across the Nations, dragging their merchandise behind them. Their fate was turned when one of the large family's sons, Amirrin, chose to travel a new path up into the lost mountains, hoping to find something new. He succeeded, stumbling across a small village in the Earth Kingdom, whose people created fine silk and fragrant tea - he became the first to open trade with these people, and thus made a fortune.
Amirrin's son, Jakurr, had a similar destiny, finding a group of waterbenders who lived on the beaches of the Fire Nation, so far through the jungle growth that they hadn't been seen for tens of generations. With these people, he traded for pearls and seafood and the pelts of more unusual swimming creatures. Again, he was the first to bring these treasures to the rest of the world, and thus doubled his family's wealth.
Rather than Jakurr's son, it was his daughter, Lu, would would increase the family fortune once again. She spoke to many women who traveled far and wide, learning about herbs from exotic, hard to reach places. Arranging trips to have these herbs, flowers and plants brought to her home, Lu created blends which were used in medical treatments, fine foods and teas. These things were valued far and wide as the best of the best, and thus she secured her place in the family lineage.
This same pattern repeated itself throughout the generations, line a finely woven tapestry, until the mantel was passed to Suzuka's father, Kelune. He, too, sought to extend his family's wealth and influence... but he was not successful. Several other wealthy men, jealous of the Varisse empire, used their own wealth, connections and murderous tricks to bring Kelune to his knees, stripping him of almost everything he owned. Suzuka was only a child when her father took his own life, because of the doings of four greedy men. Though she was only a girl, her beloved papa's death, and her mother's tears, along with the hardships that followed, shaped her thirst for revenge.
For years, she was brought up and trained in the art of the courtesan, learning - as she would have in the Varisse family regardless - the many ways of the wealthy woman. Suzuka was taught to dance in the elegant, sweeping styles preferred at formal affairs, she was taught to sing in a pleasing tone and the proper pitch, she was taught how to manage herself in conversation and how to answer a diplomat in a dozen ways without promising so much as a copper to their pocket. Driven as she was, Suzuka learned all of these things in no time at all, and was ready for more.
Finding her next teacher proved far more difficult than her past learnings combined, but the young girl managed to do so by the time she was twelve years old - before her womanhood had begun. In secret, she trained with the secret order of female assassins, learning their ways and mastering their tricks. While it was difficult, and she failed several times - nearly succumbing to death from her own mistakes with poisons - Suzuka survived. She was now considered immune to the ways of men, untouchable by the most common of poisons, and a lethal weapon.
When she was sixteen, Suzuka took the life of the first man who had destroyed her happy family. The assassination was classified as safe, simple and open - meaning that she survived, the man had no idea what was coming, and the concealment of her deed was immaterial. He had died in his home, at his own table, killed by the toxin that had been dissolved into his morning cup of tea. Nothing linked the young Varisse woman to the crime.
Her next killing was safe, simple, but terroristic - which meant that she again survived, her target had no idea she was going to kill him, but that, rather than being hidden, the man died in the middle of a lavish party, grasping at his throat while it swelled shut, suffocating him. Suzuka was once again on the move, with only two men left to take care of before her vengeance would be complete.
Though her next two targets sought to protect themselves, knowing that there was something amiss... it made no difference. Still they fell at the hands of the courtesan assassin, still she walked free of suspicion. After this, Suzuka took the name 'Orchid Mantis', because of her ability to lurk among the roses and destroy the men who thought she was no threat. Even after her mission was complete, at the tender age of twenty, Suzuka remained inside the circle of silent female assassins - though she also opened up a nice tea shop in Omashu, called Tea Spirits.
During her 'down time', she manages her shop and enjoys the finer things in life. Suzuka is still welcome in high society circles, having never been so much as a vague suspect in any of her murders.
**Required of ALL Master Tier Characters**Character Box:
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Suzuka Inzhu Varisse
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Cute little petite assassin lady. Looks totally harmless, even when she strikes. Good for court killings, cozying up to state officials, and she even makes a good cup of tea.
| Mood: Serene
Condition: Good | Link: Character Sheet |
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