Wai Li - Paladin of Helm

Character Biographies, Journals, and Stories

Moderators: Moderator, DM

Post Reply
calvinus
Posts: 703
Joined: Fri Oct 25, 2013 3:26 pm

Wai Li - Paladin of Helm

Unread post by calvinus »

Wai Li - Paladin of Helm

Image
Wai Li in her earlier years as a Paladin of Helm. ((Wonderful drawing by my good OOC friend JZ. Thanks JZ!))

First Name: Wai

Last Name: Li

Appearance: Athletically and powerfully built, human-looking female, with gray-pupiled eyes, broad shoulders, and Kara-Turian skin complexion and facial features. She has her jet black-graying hair tied in a bun. Her face also appears of middle age and displays numerous wrinkles of aging. She wears an amulet and plate armor each bearing the sigil of Helm, as does her cape.

Race: Aasimar

Sex: Female

Age: 50 as of 1359 DR

Height: 6' 0" -- she is unusually tall, for whatever genetic or other reason, and people typically notice this first about her.

Weight: 175 lbs -- she is remarkably muscular, with broad shoulders, and impressive girth of form throughout, even at 45 years of age.

Eyes: Grayish black pupils, with human looking white eyeballs.

Hair: Straight, jet black-yet graying colored hair, usually tied up, so as not to get in the way of physical activity and combat and in the traditional put-up hairstyle of her mother from Shou Lung.

Facial Hair Style: N/A, unless Helm has blessed her with the Silver Beard divine magical effect.

Personality Profile: Standing at 45 years of age as of 1355 DR, Wai Li is exceptionally gifted physically (in terms of her raw strength especially) and socially, in part perhaps due to her celestial lineage, but mostly due to her diligent, self-improving, hard-working, and meticulous nature. Wai is physically alluring, humble, friendly, diplomatic, and extremely protective of those not able to fend for themselves or otherwise already guarded by capable guardian. She loves to tell stories about her Shou Lung ancestry as told to her by her parents, but feels sad when people ask her if she knows any Shou Lung dialect -- she retains none from her dead parents. She sometimes belittles the achievements of the political powers of Faerun, only if Faerunians seem to be boasting about them, because in her opinion they pale in comparison to that of the mighty Shou Lung described to her by her parents (accurately or not she is not sure): millions of warriors in the imperial army, endless bags of gold in riches of the Emperor, a fleet of a thousand imperial warships, a capitol city of a million people. She has lived mostly in Amn the past ten years, so she has various Amnian cultural sensibilities, including saying “Good Business” as greeting, though she does not feel out of place in the north. She can switch her cultural language rather easily for the Western Heartlands and Amnian demographics before her as needed socially and for her duties.

She is insecure about where she fits into the Faerunian world culturally, but she at least knows that she fits into Faerun as a paladin agent of Helm. Her new family and culture is in many ways the paladin and religious orders that serve Helm and Helm's divine allies, after she was redeemed from adopting a more nefarious family in the company of wicked brigands. She is of about average intelligence and constitution and endurance when fully equipped -- after prolonged combat or a difficult and long mountain climb, she is often seen panting heavily, especially when wearing heavy armor. She is somewhat wiser than most people due in large part to her difficult upbringing, her paladin training, and lessons in the lore of the world by her father as well as from her storied Helmite career.

She appreciates humor and light heartedness as a leadership tool and means of mental relief and often cracks jokes at key moments to lighten the mood of sometimes stern occasions that could be stressful. She tries to delegate leadership as much as do it herself when in command and groom leaders to ideally replace or complement her one day in her command roles.

Wai has with time become an expert diplomat, able to read the nuances of complex political and social situations and respond with tact and grace and charisma and with a persuasive public or private persona.

General Health: In good health and peak physical condition, but as of 1355 DR she is struggling with the physical limitations of age and her responsibilities and suffers from emotional vulnerability from that.

Deity: Helm.

Initial Alignment: LG

Profession: Formerly an evil bandit group member as a younger being, but for many years now a redeemed paladin.

Base Class & Proposed Development: Fighter 4/ Paladin 26.

Habits/Hobbies: Enjoys learning more about the country and culture of her original people: Shou Lung. Enjoys reading about new cultures and peoples in Faerun and comparing them to Shou Lung. Enjoys meeting and talking to normal Faerunian people and seeing if they need charity, guardianship, or other help. Enjoys reading and learning about trades and professions she is not familiar with and in self-improving and bettering herself and others.

Languages: Fluent in the common tongue and celestial perhaps magically because of her blood line, although she always prefers to speak common. The Shou she was taught as a younger woman, she has largely forgotten. She knows Chondathan and Thorass fluently as well.

Weapon of Choice: Long Sword. It was the weapon that she learned to fight with as a youngster from her father, and as a fighter bandit, so when she became a paladin, she decided to stick with it since she was already pretty handy with it.

Image
Wai Li in her duties as Head Watchknight of the Everwatch in more recent years.

Background: Wai was born to merchant parents from the Shou Lung Empire. Her parents were of strictly human descent as far as she was aware and successful and proud Shou Lung traveling merchants in Faerun. It is unknown to Wai why she has any celestial blood in her at all. Her parents never told her why she was so endowed, perhaps it was a distant celestial ancestor or a blessed birth, this remains unknown to her. She was only made aware of her Aasimar heritage after she became a Helmite.

Wai Li, given a common Shou Lung name, was born and raised in the capitol city of Tethyr, in a decent-sized urban home, as her parents ran a merchant business there. Her father and mother taught her everything they knew about Shou Lung culture and history, but not so much of the language, she was raised predominantly in the common tongue as it was the most flexible language of trade in the region. She worshipped her parents, father and mother both. Her father, a man oddly thrilled at the prospect of physical self-improvement, got her into heavy weight training and sword play to stay fit. Her mother, a woman that was wise far beyond her years, taught her many lessons about the nature of people, politics, and business. After living a lovely childhood through mid-adolescence, tragedy struck the Li family, however. The Li merchant business was attacked by a Tethyrian gang, possibly hired by their competitors, mortally wounding her mother and father and leaving Wai Li an orphan with no inheritance or wealth to speak of.

Wai Li at first tried to make an honest living, but she consistently failed to do so. She eventually moved to Amn when the civil violence in Tethyr grew too much, but still, moral work was scarce. The hopelessness and despair of her situation ate away at her morality, she became more and more selfish, more violent, angrier, and more oppressive of those she saw beneath her. One day, on an Amnian road, she impressed a captain of a brigand gang, showing off her strength and combat prowess as she killed a brigand that harassed her in a rather cruel and physically impressive manner - crushing his skull after grappling him to the ground. This man, Adolfo Bernat, eventually became her first and only lover, and she eventually came to be his most capable criminal lieutenant. She came to be passionately attached to him, much as she adored the sense of safety and family that her parents had once given her.

Through this gang she committed many evils: murdering, robbing, pillaging, standing by as men and women were forcibly taken advantage of, and torturing. She began to enjoy it, even mentally feeding off bloodlust for a time and even came close to following the god Bhaal, the lord of her lover. After a few years, however, her soul began to wear on her, maybe a reaction to her celestial blood, which at the time, she was not yet aware of possessing. This finally came to a head when her lover ordered Wai Li to commit the bloody execution of a child of a man who fought back against the bandits, as a public demonstration of their capabilities. Wai was warily going to do it, even though such violence seemed to bother her now more than in the past.

It was then, however, that a random female passer by walked by the altercation and boldly exclaimed that if the bandits killed the child, they would need to kill her first. When the bandits approached her to violently thrust her aside, the woman then dramatically revealed a silver amulet bearing a steel gauntlet and a great eye upon it and glowed with a holy light. The woman placed the amulet in front of her as she stood over the child and uttered in a firm and stern tone: "In the name of Helm, The Watcher, The Guardian, you will not harm this child." It was then that Wai's blood boiled, perhaps due to her celestial heritage or shame and guilt at the path she had been following since the death of her parents. The woman's words called to her soul, but before Wai could react, an arrow went through the skull of the Helmite woman and she fell dead. Wai never knew who she was or why she was there. It was then that Wai took up the amulet that she dropped, peered at it a moment in her hand, and stepped in front of the child and exclaimed: "Adolfo, do not touch this child, I am not doing this anymore. Take your men and leave." Adolfo was utterly shocked, but granted Wai's wish and motioned his men to leave the area, then paused, waiting for Wai to come with. Wai thought for a few seconds about whether to join him, memories of her parents bouncing through her mind. It was then that she realized if there had been a guardian for her folks, they might still live, just as she was just the guardian of this innocent child and she knew what she had to do.

Wai told Adolfo that she was not joining them, that something had awakened in her soul in her blood that meant she could no longer follow her previous dark path. She kissed him goodbye, crying, and said farewell. He complied and left out of respect for their love. She never saw or heard from him again.

Wai buried the dead Helmite and then promptly took the child to an orphanage in Athkatla and then made her way to the Temple of Helm. She turned herself in for all of her crimes to the Amnian and Helmite authorities and made a plea deal: she would serve some time in prison, then swear celibacy, take the paladin oaths, and begin her training and life anew as a squire of Helm in the service of one of the paladins of the Helmite Church in Athkatla: Sir Victor Vernando. She served him for a few years, slowly redeeming herself, until one day, after many hours of grunt and secretarial work for him, she was given the honor of going out on her own. This is not to say that she still possessed some faults: she still had a bad and chaotic temper at times, but these vices had mostly receded. She was ordered to go north to Northern Amn and the Sword Coast, and offered paladin knighthood. Accepting this holy commission, she was then commanded to spread the word and code of Helm and the example and integrity of the paladin ethos and the exalted paladinite mission. She would attempt to be a paragon of guardianship, civility, vigilance, altruism, respect for life and the dignity of sentient life as well as obedience to legitimate authority, honor, trustworthiness, and reliability. She has not seen Sir Vernando often since she based north, except for occasional return missions in Tethyr. As far as she knows from Helmite priests spoken to of him, he is still living.

During her time in the north, she failed at her aims to be a paragon of law in some moments and at one point she almost fell as a paladin before she quickly atoned for her wrong, as she mouthed off to what she perceived to be an unprofessional Flaming Fist guard and was arrested and pillared for it in public, but this awful and traumatic experience permanently removed what chaotic and angry temperament remained in her and empowered her faith and code further. Subsequently, law and civility have been the norm for Wai. Eventually, after many patrols, missions, and quests, she came to join the Everwatch Knights of Helm in Northern Amn and after an internal leadership mix-up, she came to lead these knights under the clergy of the Temple of the Guardian in Nashkel. It is with this organization in this role that she now writes her story, with many like-minded friends and compatriots at her side in recent engagements such as protecting Northern Amn, the northern village of Farhill, Ulgoth's Beard, and a powerful ancient sentient blade from the forces of evil and consistently patrolling the lands between Baldur's Gate and the Cloud Peak Mountains and escorting Helmite pilgrims to the holy town of Nashkel. She now carries with her a permanent sense of mercy and a belief that almost anyone can be redeemed, as she once was, that violence and chaos are what killed her parents and what drove her on a previous evil path and that these are to be avoided at all costs except when absolutely necessary in the defense of good and law.


Goals: To be a lawful and vigilant guardian of those sentient beings plagued by the forces of evil and chaos, to show mercy and opportunities for redemption when possible, and to be a paragon of the paladin and Helmite ethos and codes. To find her cultural fit in Faerun. To learn more about her Shou Lung heritage. To protect the realms against the scourge of violence and war wherever possible and to help resolve the Tethyrian civil war and end other chaos and evil plagued areas of the realms where a lack of law and good leaves innocents defenseless from evil and chaos. To see Amn and the north at peace and not succumb to the chaos of Tethyr.

Possible Plot-Hook Ideas and Misc Facts: Any classic paladin or Helmite plot hooks: guarding someone innocent from a chaotic or evil force, redeeming evil enemies, etc. Opportunities to play a part in avoiding violence and war in Tethyr or closer lands. Opportunities to learn more about Shou Lung or her parents or family back in Shou Lung. Running into her old bandit lover. Opportunities to be more culturally at home with Faerun and the Baldur's Gate region. Opportunities to work with or run into her old paladin mentor in Athkatla. Running into other folks from Kara-Tur or Shou Lung or becoming involved with family she may not know of from Shou Lung. Fostering peace between the north and Amn and Beregost.
Last edited by calvinus on Sat Dec 30, 2023 4:52 pm, edited 22 times in total.
Wai Li - Paladin and Watcher of Helm and Head Watchknight of the Everwatch [bio]

Secret Plotting Non-Good Characters
- "Muahahaha."
User avatar
DM VileThings
Posts: 187
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 3:08 am

Re: Wai Li - A Paladin of Helm with Shou Parents

Unread post by DM VileThings »

Checked and gold granted.
Vile things are afoot in the realm.
calvinus
Posts: 703
Joined: Fri Oct 25, 2013 3:26 pm

Re: Wai Li - A Paladin of Helm with Shou Parents

Unread post by calvinus »

Updated, with a lot of things retconned in light of bio mistakes I made when I wrote this originally for Wai as a total noob!

I will try to update with recent events as time goes by.
Last edited by calvinus on Fri Feb 12, 2016 10:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Wai Li - Paladin and Watcher of Helm and Head Watchknight of the Everwatch [bio]

Secret Plotting Non-Good Characters
- "Muahahaha."
calvinus
Posts: 703
Joined: Fri Oct 25, 2013 3:26 pm

Re: Wai Li - A Paladin of Helm with Shou Parents

Unread post by calvinus »

Wai Li Activities

Everwatch Knights Feats, Defense of Farhill, and Amn Economic and Security Improvement

http://bgtscc.net/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=37160

The Ghost Ship of Ulgoth's Beard

http://www.bgtscc.net/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=40995

The Sword Called Sventar

http://bgtscc.net/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=41273
Last edited by calvinus on Sat Jan 19, 2019 11:48 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Wai Li - Paladin and Watcher of Helm and Head Watchknight of the Everwatch [bio]

Secret Plotting Non-Good Characters
- "Muahahaha."
calvinus
Posts: 703
Joined: Fri Oct 25, 2013 3:26 pm

Re: Wai Li - Paladin of Helm; Shou, Tethyrian, and Amnian Roots

Unread post by calvinus »

Further Adventures of Wai Li to Date...

Defeat of the bandits of Dan the Caravanman

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=37160&start=45

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=37160&start=60

Hosting of the Northern Amn Exposition Fair in Beregost by the Everwatch

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=37160&start=60

Overcoming Violating Her Paladin Vows Due to the Struggle of Age

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=37160&start=75

Aiding Everwatch with the Discovery of Old Helmite Artifacts

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=37160&start=120

The Organization and Leadership of Various Martial Training Programs and Schools

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=37160&start=120

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=37160&start=135

Presiding Over a Tribunal Deciding on Accusations Against Squire Eleanor

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=37160&start=135

Expedition Against the Dragon Cult and Wyrm on Speartop in the Cloud Peaks

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=37160&start=165

Expedition to Dragonspear Castle

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=37160&start=180

Patrols of Amn

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=37160&start=195

Negotiations for the Independence of Beregost from Amn and Custodianship of Beregost’s Neutrality by the Everwatch

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=37160&start=255

Patrols of the North

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=37160&start=255

Rescue of the Pryat Mae

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=37160&start=270

((Updated page and bio as of 2019, had not updated since 2014!

P.S. Wai Li is in the server trailer video in the last screenshot frame walking into the Duchal Court with Watchknight Asperan, woohoo!

https://www.bgtscc.net/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=52574 ))
Wai Li - Paladin and Watcher of Helm and Head Watchknight of the Everwatch [bio]

Secret Plotting Non-Good Characters
- "Muahahaha."
calvinus
Posts: 703
Joined: Fri Oct 25, 2013 3:26 pm

Re: Wai Li - Paladin of Helm

Unread post by calvinus »

((Updated with a wonderful drawing of Wai Li by my good OOC friend JZ. Thanks JZ!))
Wai Li - Paladin and Watcher of Helm and Head Watchknight of the Everwatch [bio]

Secret Plotting Non-Good Characters
- "Muahahaha."
calvinus
Posts: 703
Joined: Fri Oct 25, 2013 3:26 pm

Re: Wai Li - Paladin of Helm

Unread post by calvinus »

((Updated age as of 1359 DR.))
Wai Li - Paladin and Watcher of Helm and Head Watchknight of the Everwatch [bio]

Secret Plotting Non-Good Characters
- "Muahahaha."
Post Reply

Return to “Character Biographies and Journals”