Doryu

Doryu is a young man, barely into the age of adulthood. He was born to a less than noble family in the east. They barely managed to survive on the minimal wages the rice fields afforded them. His name was Tanshome, and he was his parents' first and only child. Although his parents cared for this child, he had come as a surprise to the elderly couple. At fifty-three, his mother was shocked that the gods had finally chosen to grant her a child. But her and her husband had long given up on becoming parents. This new addition was too much for the already poverty stricken family. After four years of constant struggle and frustration, the pair realized that they could no longer care for Tanshome. So the two made a trek to visit the local monastery, which was nestled in the distant foothills. It was not unheard of for these temples to take in orphans, and they were far more accepting than establishments of the noble caste.

The journey took two and a half days on foot, because they could not afford a horse. But eventually the trio came upon the monastery. The acceptance shown by the monks there was comforting, especially in light of the fact that the child was not an orphan, but was at that moment being abandoned. A seemingly simple choice was made. At four years and thirty one days of age, Tanshome became possession of the monastery.

Despite the unusual conditions of his birth, Tanshome remained healthy. His service in the monastery was diligent. And upon reaching his eighth birthday Tanshome was devoted into discipleship as a monk. The training was taxing, and proved to be too much for many of the other hopeful disciples. Many returned to service at the temple and caretakers of the monastery. As these disciples fell, all of the rest took another step forward. That is, all except for Tanshome. The elder monks began to worry about this child, taking close watch over him as he trained. As the other students gave up or progressed, Tanshome did neither. His perseverance was remarkable, but his capabilities proved to be severely lacking. It seemed that there were some side effects from being born so late in his parents' life after all. Perhaps he had not been such a blessing from the gods after all, but rather a mistake.

Constantly Tanshome was encouraged to step down. This was not to discourage the child, but to help him, because it was becoming clear that he was not physically capable of meeting the constant demands of a life of discipleship. But Tanshome refused to give in. Every day he would work harder than the last, yet the gap between him and the remaining hopefuls grew greater and greater. Meanwhile, a frustration was building within him.

Tanshome would work so hard that the monks feared his body would break down. Frustrated and enraged, he would struggle against this wall that so aptly ceased any progress on his part. Tanshome felt as though he was imprisoned in this frail body. Fighting against his own body, struggling to break free of his shackles of flesh, he got nowhere. After all, without a body, we are merely a soul. And Tanshome's body was severely limited. He was not quick, he was not strong, and his wisdom reflected his meager upbringing. Quite simply, he desired to become something that he was clearly never meant to be.

It was in the spring of his seventh year at the monastery that Tanshome learned of the death of his parents. Both had passed on from old age the previous year. Tanshome was eleven years old. The monks ceased his training for a month to allow for a period of mourning. Tanshome mourned, but more for himself than for his parents. He barely knew them, and although he used to treasure the life that they had given him, he now no longer appreciated that. How he wished that he could have passed from this life as well. Nothing seemed possible in this limited flesh that he had been cursed with. He despised this body more than anything else, and grew to despise his own existence as well. Many nights were spent crying out to the gods. Passing elders assumed that he was mourning for his parents, but instead he was asking to join them. Life no longer held anything for Tanshome, and all he desired was to escape this prison of skin and bone.

It didn't take long for the elders to take notice of Tanshome's worsening condition. It seemed that he had taken to an ascetic lifestyle, but continued to train vigorously; despite the break from scheduled training that he had been given. It was obvious that intentional or not, Tanshome was destroying his body. It became clear to the elders that his ruin was due to his own single-mindedness. The world existed in a balance. Unfortunately, Tanshome failed to recognize this. To the monastic order, nothing was revered more than the power of one's mind. However, Tanshome only sought to improve his body. Such a path does not lead to the divinity the monks were taught to seek.

Despite the elders' instructions, Tanshome neglected his soul, and his mind, focused only on improving or destroying his body. The young man was bruised, scarred, and broken down. Discouraged, the elders feared his death would come soon, and many prayers were committed in preparation of his passing. Even though his mourning period had ended, Tanshome would not be readmitted into the regular training along with the other disciples. But nevertheless he continued to train alone, battering his body.

When one chooses a path of ruin, it will always lead to destruction in one form or another. This was the path Tanshome had chosen. But this destruction is not always permanent, and those who have found the favor, or more appropriately the pity, of the gods can break through. Just short of his fifth year at the Asako monastery, at the early age of nine, Tanshome's body gave in to the beating. But to the surprise of many, the young man did not die. He had somehow broken the physical wall against which he had fought for so long. It was as if his old self had finally shattered, while a stronger more able body rose from the ashes. With new determination, Tanshome continued to train harder and longer, and for the first time in his life he grew stronger, faster as well. Rather cautiously, Tanshome was readmitted into regular training with the rest of the disciples.

When training began again for Tanshome, the change was phenomenal. He was still not remarkably skilled, but he progressed at an astonishing speed. Having broken through the barriers that confined his progress, and maintaining the determination that had kept him going for so long, he grew at a rate unseen for many years. It appeared that under such persistent pressure his body no longer had a choice but to conform. Tanshome progressed out of pure necessity.

At 16, Tanshome graduated with the rest of the disciples his age and became an adult, to the astonishment and satisfaction of many of his elders. He had gone through an amazing change over the past five years, and although he was not the greatest disciple his age, he had achieved a level that many had assumed would never be possible for him. Like the rest of the disciples, he too was a new creation. He had become faster and stronger than anyone imagined he could have become, but his single-mindedness was still his greatest hindrance. Enlightenment was still quite out of reach for the new monk, but he had managed to gain some level of insight through his journey at the monastery. Out of pure hindsight, he was able to recognize the folly of the path he had chosen. This struggle between his martial focuses, and his lack of attention to the enlightenment that was required, would remain with him forever. The elders hoped that experience would teach him to balance these. The goal for their students was to grow from within, with which the body would grow as well. But Tanshome seemed to do quite the opposite. His focus on growing without, finally yielded results, and through them his soul and wisdom increased a little as well. In view of his single-mindedness, as well as his determination (or rather, stubbornness), he was given the name Doryu (meaning "Way of the Dragon"). It was both an encouragement, and a warning. He had grown significantly, and his power could be matched by few. But although the legendary dragon is powerful, it relies more on its wisdom than sheer strength. It was a hope that Doryu would discover the same. From that day forward Tanshome was no longer a child, and likewise he would no longer go by his childish name.

Doryu spent a year in service to the monastery after graduating. Then at the age of 17 he left the hallowed walls to grow on his own. He was to submit himself to what the world around him had to teach him, lessons that could not be discovered at the monastery. This was expected of most monks, because often the protection of solitude hinders the progress that may only be achieved through experience.

Doryu is still a rather short man, standing only 5 feet and 2 inches tall. He has the obvious appearance of an easterner (Asian, in reference to our own world). He looks quite small and not exceptionally strong, but the well defined physique indicates otherwise. His body bears quite a few small scars, but mostly on his arms and legs. Remnants of the physical abuse he put himself through. On his back Doryu has a black and white tattoo of a two headed dragon, which he received just after completing his discipleship training. Doryu has short, almost spiky, jet black hair. His eyes are a light blue/grey color. He is still extremely martial in nature, but recognizes his need for enlightenment, even if he does not necessarily submit to it. It is a struggle that he is constantly dealing with.