Lo Chen
Captain Lo Chen (a.k.a. Guǐ lǎoshī)
Captain Lo Chen is the Seafaring teacher at Taru International Academy. He is a playable character that is planned to be released in the First Wave.
Known to be grumpy, stubborn and painfully to the point, Captain Lo Chen is a tough teacher to his students, and a terrifying opponent to his enemies. Responsible for Taru's surprise victory in the Second Armada, Lo Chen is famous throughout the Cantarian continent and beyond as a powerful Magi and Captain. His serious nature despises parades and idolism, so he prefers to avoid the limelight whenever possible.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Lo Chen grew up in a slum district in Taru. As a young boy he would catch fish which his mother, Hua Chen, would sell on at the market. One day when Lo Chen returned, he unknowingly performed a Calling spell which Hua recognised. Unsettled by her discovery, Hua sought advice from her father in law, who took it upon himself to train Lo Chen. Lo Chen continued to work for his mother during the day, but would receive training with his grandpa in the late afternoon and would often stay at his grandpa's home overnight, leaving Hua's hot meals go cold. Lo Chen's brother, Qing Chen , later received training from their grandpa as well, however he stopped attending after deciding to look after his mother.
As Lo Chen's grandpa became old and frail, Lo Chen ensured his care. During his grandpa's last moments, he expressed fear for the future and mentioned the Forbidden Eyes. Lo Chen didn't understand his grandpa's reference, until during the Second Armada, when life in Taru changed radically. War between various nations and empires were declared, but the seas and shores by Taru were their battle ground.
War of the Flags
Hua died shortly after the first blockade became violent, destroying prominent piers as punishment for intervening. Stricken with grief and impassioned by his late grandpa's influence, Lo Chen joined a freedom group that promised Taru Independence known as 'Red Flag', yet left as the group sided to being Pro-Cantari. A pro-Federation group, 'Blue Flag', was founded by other Taruans with equal standing. The two groups tore family bonds with blood, as Taruans were caught between a war and desperate for resources. Refusing to join either side, 17-year-old Lo Chen joined a much smaller underground organisation first named as the 'Grey Flag'. This group focused on distributing resources between Taruans and were largely left alone. That was until the admiral of Grey Flag died as his ship was caught between crossfire between Blue Flag and Red Flag. Grey Flag became scattered and leaderless. It was during this time, that Lo Chen and his brother, Qing Chen, rose to prominence."You always ask if I was on this side or that. The problem is, you don't get it at all. War isn't neat and it isn't glorious. We were dirty, we were hungry, and we didn't want to die." - Lo Chen, after finally agreeing to an interview with the Taru press in a 20 year deal that they leave him the 'heck alone'.After receiving the Show Spoiler Lo Chen and Qing recruited new crewmates and encouraged vessels to follow their command. Angered by the death of their admiral and disgusted by Taruan's needlessly killing each other, the brothers strategically ended the fighting between flags. United, Taruans became hopeful that they could defend themselves. Yet, without the infighting, Taru became a greater target in the war.
Victory in the Second Armada
The main aggressors in the Second Armada; The Federation and Cantari, noticed Taru's uprising fleets and publicly warned Taru citizens to stay away from the battle. The Taruan fleet was much weaker than The Federation and Cantarian frigates, and while Taruans had hope that they could have an impact on Taru's defense, Lo Chen knew it was hopeless. Lo Chen took a sloop alone one night to contemplate and pray to the spirits for guidance. After observing human-like shadows in the water, Lo Chen became inspired. He dived down and discovered the Merfolk, a then unknown species of people. After convincing them of their similar goals, Lo Chen led the vessels into a surprise attack between both Cantari fleets and The Federation. The battle was not easily won, yet with thanks to the Merfolk's efforts and Lo Chen's calling magic, the Armada ended and the surviving fleets fled home.Recovering from the war
After the Second Armada, after years of negotiation, The Federation handed control of Taru to Cantari, who in return, promised Taru greater freedoms. The civil unrest ended and celebrations ensued. Lo Chen hated the celebrations, not trusting Cantari to keep their word but not wanting to be involved in the political scene. He travelled at sea with his crew for a short while, then sailed alone. Lonely, but unable to form any meaningful friendships, Lo Chen became addicted to drink. He finally meet Captain Alice Monaghan who persuaded him to keep alive the Taruan tradition of Seafaring by teaching it at the Taru International AcademyEducation
Lo Chen was educated by his grandpa who priortised training on the most powerful yet unpredictable concept of magic, Calling. Lo Chen holds no particular degree or education certificate and 'likes it that way'. His famous deeds during the Second Armada War is likely qualification enough for his current position.
Employment
Lo Chen never aspired by a teacher, and to this day, remains unsure exactly how Alice persuaded him to accept the role. Yet, despite his serious composure and his strict style, Lo Chen enjoys teaching at Taru International Academy. He strongly believes that Taru should continue to celebrate their unique culture and heritage, despite many traditions being slowly overridden by cultural influences from other nations. Through teaching Seafaring, Lo Chen feels he is contributing to this belief. Seafaring is one of the least popular classes at the academy, but it can't be denied that it has brought students a great deal of confidence in teamwork and leadership skills.
Social
Family Ties
After the Second Armada, Lo Chen and his brother became distant, both seeking to deal with the horrors of war in their own ways. Lo Chen rarely keeps in touch with his brother, despite Alice threatening to invite him to the island one day.
Religious Views
“I only believe in what I see.” Lo Chen said, while brushing the fish spirit off his shoulder.Lo Chen follows many Taruan spiritual traditions as part of his cultural identity. As most Taruans, he does not follow a religion as such, but he would not disregard tradition either. He feels these things are a personal manner.
Relationships
Relationship Reasoning
Due to Lo Chen's gift, the relationship between himself and Abraham Zhang can be interpreted as uneasy. Lo Chen will avoid Zhang, and Zhang won't make an effort to develop a friendship between them, despite secretly respecting Lo Chen.
Lo Chen Portrait by Sailing Ocelot Studios
Playable Character
Species
Conditions
Ethnicity
Currently Held Titles
Age
42
Date of Birth
21st Shyan
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Gender
Male
Eyes
Brown - Left Eye:
Show spoiler
Eye of Potential (yellow glow)
Interesting character, very well developed. If you have as much interest in naval history as this article might suggest, and if you've not heard of him yet, you might enjoy looking up Admiral Yi Sun-sin, of the Korean Navy in the latter half of the 16th century.
Thank you for your feedback, Rashkavar! Admiral Yi Sun-sin's legacy is very interesting. I'll continue to research :)!