Peerless - The Tale of Jade Rooster

[JadeRooster]

Prelude

Little is known of the origin of the boy named Jade Rooster. Orphaned or abandoned, he was left as an infant at the doorstep of an enigmatic hermit and martial sage known as Master Lei, the August Personage of Thunder. A sour old man of untold age, Lei had long since retreated from society to an abandoned temple in the Kunlun Mountains of western China, driven away by the controversy behind his revolutionary new style.

The style - dubbed the "Resplendant Iron Lotus Method" - was deemed recklessly powerful, and far too great a liability should it fall into the hands of the corrupt or superhuman. The technique promised incredible internal control, emphasizing acceleration of the body's healing process and a long-term delay in physical aging. The prospect of a student to carry his legacy on and perfect the Iron Lotus was irresistable to the old man, and so the boy gained a mentor and a home.

The boy's first years were harsh, and his master was unforgiving. Training constantly pushed his body, mind and spirit to their limits, and nothing short of perfection would appease the merciless Master Lei. His only respite was found in the evenings, when Lei would tell sweeping fables and boggling riddles to sharpen his wit and strengthen his morals. Stories of wisened animals and mighty heroes danced through his imagination, dazzling him with the prospect of achieving greatness.

The time came for the boy to choose his name, and it was in one such fable that he would find his inspiration. Master Lei had always called him "Sparrow," a humble title that was condescending at best. He needed something bold and brave, a name that would be remembered by the masses as the title of a hero. For excellence, he chose a character representing the flawlessness of a perfect piece of jade. For spirit, however, he chose the ideals of his favorite fable hero - Chantecleer, the rooster.

A decade passed, and the August Personage of Thunder found himself with a difficult decision to make. Word of the Iron Lotus prodigy had spread throughout the region. It would only be a matter of time until someone came looking for the secrets to the style. Feigning a mortal illness, Lei taught Jade Rooster what little he knew of English and the Western world. Having heard of Saint Joseph School on one of his rare trips down from the mountains, he used what little wealth he had and put the boy on a plane to Rhode Island.

[JadeRooster]

Strong Enough

Paragon City - and Saint Joseph School - proved to be the perfect environment for the eager young Rooster. The rigors and discipline of the school offered him comfort in its structure, and his training improved by leaps and bounds with the prospect of becoming a licensed hero. Even better, he quickly found his place in the social environment, forging lasting friendships and shrugging off any friction points with a combination of oblivious joy and an irrepressible enthusiasm. His life couldn't have been better. There was only one direction things could go.

The Spring Fling became a defining moment in Jade Rooster's life when Lycia, one of his dearest friends and then-date for the dance, was brutally murdered at the hands of a madman named Solomon Able. Having enamored himself on ideals of protecting those dear to him and laughing in the face of danger, he was wholly unprepared to confront the concept of death and was left severely emotionally rattled.

Struggling for a way to cope, he once again forced himself to the extremes of his earlier childhood. Sleep deprivation and physical overexertion proved to be the last thing he needed, however, leaving his internal alchemy in a state of dangerous instability. Confused by the mixed signals from his own body and emotions, he fled wordlessly back to Lei's temple in China to seek answers.

[JadeRooster]

Reunion

Returning to China, Jade Rooster's world was quickly turned on its head once more. Not only was his Master still alive, Lei had apparently been attacked and taken hostage shortly after Rooster's departure. Thanks to basic investigative skills he'd picked up in Paragon, he quickly discovered the culprit behind the kidnapping: Lue Vang, a shady civil lawyer in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and right-hand man for the crime lord Tub Ci. Rooster traveled to Hong Kong, only to find himself walking into a trap laid by a local underground cell of the Tsoo gang loyal to Vang.

The reunion with Master Lei was bittersweet. Imprisoned together, Lei offered Jade little comfort save for imparted wisdom. In a moment of epiphany, however, Rooster discovered the last few links to completing the Resplendant Iron Lotus and immediately staged a break-out with his master. In the process of the escape, Lei was struck a mortal blow by Lue Vang, offering one last piece of cryptic advice to his student before dying.

Forced to escape rather than confront Vang and his minions alone, the boy named Jade Rooster swore to avenge the death of his master and fled back to Paragon City.

[JadeRooster]

Hiding Behind a Smile

Rooster's return to Saint Joseph School was muted, but Lei's lingering advice on the necessity of spirit soon sunk in. He quickly rekindled his enthusiasm and recovered his morale, joining cheer squad to ensure that he maintained the optimism of both himself and the others around him.

The Rikti War was a harsh reminder of Jade's previous run-ins with death. The loss of the students around him - peers, acquaintainces, friends - continued to rattle his nerves, even as he fought vehemently against the invading forces. He continued to find solace in combat, turning to Tara as a confidant in the quiet times between training and school.

Since then, Jade has regained quite a bit of his cheeriness, though it's been tempered by a rarely-seen thoughtful side that will occasionally show itself in private moments. Wiser and weathered, his attitude remains upbeat and enthusiastic. He's still undeniably spirited. He's still unstoppable.

He's still Jade Rooster.