Ember, Disciple of the Wind

Appearance:

Ember is best known for her close cropped hair, and sinewy muscles. Despite her physical conditioning, she still is unmistakebly feminine. She stands at five foot four, and is nearly all muscle. Clothing is simple, she wears the accepted garb of a monk, generally a robe and sandals.

Unlike most monks however, her success has gone to her head. Her robes are all silk, and even the lacing of her sandals is silk. When she prepares for competition, be it a friendly sparring match, olympiad style eventing, or physical combat, she drops the large and bulky robes for her preferred fighter garb.

The monastic orders have chastized and censured (not censored) Ember for her provocative and extravagant manner of dressing. She wears a skin tight shirt that leaves her midriff completely exposed, shoulders bared, and little to the imagination. So of her competitors have complained that they were distracted by her garb as the reason for loosing to her.

Ember is proud, she can strut with the most cocky bard, and self righteous paladin. Her arrogance come from the fact that as a woman she is able to beat men in many physical contests and has made a living of it. Winning gambles and bets, entering into feastday contests and martial olympiads. She has accumulated a fan base, and a gold stash that would astonish even some jaded adventurers

Background:

Ember began life as the third daughter of a poor farmer. At the age of four she was taken to the monastary where she would be educated and raised in exchange for a portion of the farmers land. In the monastary she was an unhappy child until she discovered the physical training of the monks. She began to avoid her penmanship classes, hide during the theology exams, and could easily be found on the sparring ground, watching the novices and acolytes practice.

Once she was old enough to practice herself, she did with zeal. She soon outstripped the rest of her classmates, and soon rose to become the best student in physcial combat. The rest of her areas of study were deplorable and the senior monks tried to even out her learning. The trump came when the monastary was overrun by the forces of a local warlord who wanted the lands of the monks. In defence of the monastary, Ember proved herself a more than worthy combatant. She demonstrated the arrow snatching hand, shield breaking fist, and stunning palm attacks while turing the tide of the battle.

The monks could not chastise her any further, her exploits had been noticed by villagers who began to paint her as an embodyment of Michael, patron saint of warriors. Ember left the temple and discovered the world beyond its walls. Always a new challenge to overcome, always gold to be won, and the sumptuous life of the rich and decadent. No more sackcloth, rice and bread for this monk.

Roleplaying Notes:

Ember is superficial and has a marginal education. Despite her welath and adoring fans, she is not a happy woman. She despizes her father for selling her to the monks, and dispizes the monks for their life of obedience, poverty and chastity. She dislikes other women for being soft and frail, and men for being arrogant and strong. She will not rest until she has proven herself superior to any adventurer she comes across. Her gestures are strong and involve big arm movements, striking psuedo-combat stances, and tossing about her victories and the humiliation of her opponents.

Ember is a superstar athlete, but one who has turned against what they came from. Some whisper that she uses performance enhancing potions, or has augmented her abilities with magic, which would render most of her claims as...less than impressive.

Plot Hooks
The Big Game - Feastday games are to be held, and there will be competitions for running, leaping hurdles, casting javelins, and a sparring list. Ember is a competitor and intimidates the PCs by fighting bare handed, and ending each sparring duel with her opponents face in the dirt.

Celebrity - If the PCs have musical talent, or perhaps a bard, Ember approaches them with the idea of the PCs becoming her ensemble for her musical ventures. As with most athletes who become musicians, her ability is far behind her phyical skill.