[Female | 41 | Southern Air Temple(Originally Fire Nation)]
Zhing-Taoh is a firebending master, raised in the Fire Nation Capital, but who now resides in the Southern Air Temple, situated in the far flung Patola Mountains. Far away from the Phoenix King's interests, and subsequently left unchecked by his forces, the Southern Air Temple, the mountain range on which it sits and the surrounding islands all act as The Rising's most secret haven, though the Temple itself is no doubt the epicenter. There she guides and teaches many of the younger and more recent arrivals to "The Temple", instilling in them her unique philosophical outlook, with a strong focus on personal freedom, and a general disdain for forced organization, or authority in general. This initially put her at odds with the Air Nomads who had already been residing there, though, now, she has all but become the rebel outpost's mascot, and, ironically, one of it's de-facto leaders.
Traits
Firebending Master: Zhing-Taoh has, since a young age, exhibited a strong talent with bending, as well as an admirable perseverance in regard to her training. At the age of 24, Zhing had already been ordained a master of her art and is considered one of the most powerful firebenders of her age.
The Dancing Dragon: Master Zhing has found the lost original civilization of firebenders, and has had the pleasure of studying under the firebending masters Ran and Shaw, learning the truth behind fire, and it's integral connection to all life. During her time with the Sun Warriors, she was able to master the ancient form of The Dancing Dragon, a flowing yet powerful and direct approach to firebending. Her combat techniques are defined by flowing movements and strong, singular punches and kicks, as opposed to the flurry of jabs and sweeps usually employed by firebenders. Master Zhing is also disinclined to utilize jets of flame for propulsion, and has not trained in the creation of lightning. This is not because she is unable to learn such techniques, but, rather, unwilling, seeing such applications of bending as out of touch with the teachings of the Sun Warriors
Fire with Fire: One of Zhing's most notable skills is her incredible ability to redirect and disperse fire, even explosions, with the use of her bending. An effect of her training with the Sun Warriors, Zhing-Taoh is able to feel an empathy with the fire itself, allowing her a greater control over it, even when wielded against her.
Relations & Relationships
Jikyan: Zhing-Taoh's partner and confidant, Jikyan is a powerful airbender who stands as a voice for those of his people sickened by those who have chosen to abandon their heritage in favor of privilege within the hierarchy of the Phoenix Kingdom.
Zen-Laan: Zen-Laan fled the Earth Kingdom years ago, fearing for his family's security in the war torn province of his birth. Zen-Laan is one of Master Zhing's most trusted friends, as well as a highly skilled bender.
Galerru: One of her greatest assets, on or off the battlefield, Galerru has supported Master Zhing since her arrival at the Temple. Like all Air Nomads, she has exhibited talent with airbending since a young age, but also boasts a particularly strong connection with the spirits.
Iroh: Although the Fire Lord Regent is certainly no friend of the defected firebending master, fate has, on more than one occasion, seen Zhing-Taoh and Lord Iroh seated within the same room, though those days are now long past. Master Zhing holds a bitter disdain for the Fire Lord and his crusade against the majestic dragons, yet, through her encounters with the man, has gleaned a certain notion of reason and respectability not normally found in those inhabiting the upper echelons of the Phoenix Kingdom.
History
Master Zhing has changed much over the years. Beginning life and living out her youth in the lavish court of the Fire Lord, a stark contrast to her current home, Zhing was brought up to cherish and respect the majesty of royalty. Being a prodidous talent in the bending arts, young Zhing was soon taken from her home to be trained as a soldier in the Fire Nation Army, much to the joy and excitement of her parents. She was less enthused.
Though the separation from family and home still pained her, Zhing-Taoh grew to enjoy her training, transitioning from a merely talented individual into a skilled and studied practitioner, ravenously soaking up techniques and lore alike. As time went on, her skill would increase at a rate that astounded her masters and frustrated her peers to no end. By the time Zhing was fifteen, she had already been in five Agni Kais, not to mention countless sparring sessions that were more akin to true battle than training. Around this time, Zhing began to question what the nation had in store for her, what her destiny was, and if the two were one and the same. She had a feeling they were not.
As she grew, Zhing-Taoh was pressed into true military service, sent to participate in a joint effort with the Phoenix Kingdom Police to put down spats of rebellion and insurrection in the provinces around Ba Sing Se. The young bender found the operations they engaged in and the tactics they employed highly distasteful, at times even vicious and cruel. Though her many years in the service of the Fire Lord and his nation gave her pride, from the very first day she set foot in the "Earth Kingdom", serious misgiving began to surface in her mind.
Now a grown adult, and with years of recognition and a lifetime of training to her credit, Zhing-Taoh was christened by her masters "Master Zhing", one of the youngest firebending masters in recent memory. With the title came a certain amount of freedom and time to set aside for herself, and so the young master eventually decided to, as much as possible, leave the ugly business of putting down riots to others, and, instead, pursue one of the few things that had made her truly happy: studying ancient lore. Using her new-found influence along with the modest amount wealth of she had obtained over the years, Zhing scoured the Fire Nation's libraries, absorbing their scrolls and tomes as if they were the most exciting and enthralling tales one could imagine, though most bore but simple and mundane knowledge that seemingly didn't apply in this world. She delved deep, and soon these ancient writings became her obsession. Her entire life became devoted to studying long dead gurus and poets, drifting further and further from the ridged teaching of her youth, and ever more toward philosophy so old and rudimentary that it had been lost to this world, so lost it would be labeled radically new were she to apply it in her age.
Desperate for more secret knowledge, Master Zhing sought out the ancient city of the Sun Warlords. Learning the Dancing Dragon from the statues there, though, being alone in her travels, she was unable to summon the Sun Stone. She surmised the tiles corresponding to the steps of the Dancing Dragon must unlock SOMETHING when pushed in sequence, but, after hours of pressing the entire sequence herself, she soon realized she would require a partner to make anything happen. As she was about to depart, Zhing was out in the courtyard packing her thing, when, looking up, she suddenly found herself surrounded by fifty or so tribals, some who were holding small fires in their hands as lamps; these were the Sun Warriors themselves! Talking to the young master, the tribe's chief laughed as he told Zhing how they took pity on her for not realizing that she needed a partner sooner, telling her they had been watching the entire time, viewing her frustration as high entertainment. The tribe ended up empathizing with the young firebender's sentiments gleaned through their short conversation, and deemed her worthy to be trained by "The Masters", Ran and Shaw.
After completing her training with the masters, who turned out to be two very old, wise dragons, Zhing decided to stay for an extended period, casting her responsibilities as a military instructor and commander to the wind altogether. Over the next eleven years, Zhing would truly learn the ways and teachings of her adopted people, all but completely assimilating into their culture. There she learned the ways of respect and harmony, and saw it as a stark contrast to the "prosperity" the Phoenix Kingdom sought to bring about through harsh domination. Once she had learned all she believed possible from her new brethren, she bid them farewell, promising to return before her death. As a token of their esteem and affection for the foreigner who had become as their own, the Sun Warriors bestowed Zhing with a beautiful white dragon. The young dragon, named Lo-Kai, had already formed a bond with Zhing-Taoh during her time there, and would grow to be one of her closest friends.
Now well into middle age, the much wiser, more balanced Zhing-Taoh left her adopted home and traveled north to the Western Air Temple, deciding to continue her learning by studying the culture of the Air Nomads in the world's air temples. Over the next two years, Zhing traveled around the rim of the world, slowly making her way from the first temple to the last. While passing through the Earth Kingdom, Zhing found that she had been officially discharged from the Fire Nation's Army, and that there was a sizable bounty on her head for desertion. Here, she also heard rumors of a growing group of rebels known as the rising, which intrigued her.
Finally finding herself at, to her surprise, a particularly bustling Southern Air Temple, Master Zhing quickly befriended many at what she soon found to be an out of the way refuge used by the Rising as a hideaway for those seeking permanent sanctuary from the Phoenix Kingdom. She saw this as providence, and set down in the new community. Now, with a burgeoning life in yet another adopted home, Zhing again sought spiritual enlightenment, this time from the wise monks and even the other refugees who have found their way to The Temple.
