Matsu Yogozohime

Age in 433: 19

Chosen Gempukku Name: Matsu Yogozohime

Background
Matsu Nami was born into an unknown Matsu household in Otosan Uchi. When she was four years old, her family was killed in circumstances not known to her. Her father's grave in Matsu Lands bares the name: "Matsu Goheiyo," and her Sensei have told her that he was a brave hero who died in service to his Clan. An only child, effectively adopted by the Lion embassy in Otosan Uchi, Nami was raised by retainers until she was eight, when she was sent to the lands of the Lion Clan to train under the Cresting Wave School of Swordsmanship.

An abnormally bright and thoughtful child, Nami flourished under the rigid structure of the dojo, becoming one of the top students there. She distinguished herself with her tendency to ask pointed and relevant questions, her prowess with the sword, and by prevailing in team-oriented situations. She received extra attention and personal instruction from her two Sensei, the Monk Mituyuki, and the Honored Sensei Matsu Yogozo. She considers them both to be her parental figures, and likewise, she was treated like an honored daughter.

During the end of her 15th year, her Sensei Matsu Yogozo passed away peacefully. This caused Nami to become more withdrawn and quiet than she was before, and some say that she has taken it upon herself to live up to the ideal that Yogozo presented to her. She was one of the only three Lion selected to attend the tournament in Tsuma, and she is determined to bring prestige to the Cresting Wave dojo.

Nami remembers nothing of her life in Otosan Uchi, recalling only hazy, disconnected images and vague emotions. Possessing an inherent dislike of anything she cannot reason for herself, she has cast aside these memories and merely accepted the past as described to her by her Sensei. To her, it does not matter where she came from, or that she was not born in the ancestral lands of her parents. All that matters is who she is now, and the committment to be the best asset to the clan that she can possibly be.

The Topaz Championship
During her time at the Topaz Championship, Nami made friends with a Doji named Narumi. Although their clans are not friendly, Nami was willing to cast aside her preconcieved notions about the Crane and accepted the young courtier's friendship.

Later in the Championship, Nami was invited to eat dinner with one of the Champion's sons, Doji Sekidera. She was so concerned over the protocol of sharing dinner that she forgot her grandfather's blade in the judge's quarters. This was a horrible crisis for her, proof that she was not ready to be a Samurai. But with the help of the PCs, it was recovered with minimal fuss, and allowed Nami to save face. When that happened, she promised that she was in their debt, and however she could repay them, she one day would.

Honoring her Sensei
When Nami passed her Gempukku, she took the name of her late Sensei, to honor his teachings to her. Claiming to be her last student, she named herself "Yogozohime," claiming the -hime suffix to make it an arrogant name in the tradition of the Matsu Family.

So she became known as Matsu Yogozohime.

Personality
Matsu Yogozohime is ISTJ - Guardian Temperament, Inspector Type.

Yogozohime is an ideal Matsu: Traditionalist, but challenging, introspective, yet quick to act, independant, yet ready to follow orders. When she catches sight of a goal she commits herself fully to it, often to the blatant disregard of anything else. Generally friendly, if more reserved than the average Matsu, she is extremely dependable and loyal to a fault.

She may seem cold at first, but truly, she is just quiet. She has been taught not to speak needlessly; she lets actions speak for her. She has a strong sense of Honor and Justice, typical of a Matsu warrior that has so far been untested. Compared to other Matsu, she is surprisingly practical. While others tend to take things at face value, Yogozohime is likely to question what she is seeing. She strongly values facts and logic, believing her ideals about Bushido to ultimately support them. She is surprisingly accepting of people who differ in their views from her, believing everyone to serve a function in the Empire.

Yogozohime possesses a playful, tomboyish side, which only shines when she is not in armor or taking to the field in service to her Clan. In these situations, she smiles often. A born athelete, she enjoys physical activity and games that test both her body and her ability to think quickly. She values teamwork and, as a result, tends to be very socially-oriented, even though she is usually quiet.

Yogozohime is supremely organized. She thrives on order. There is a set structure to everything that she does, and everything that belongs to her (she has very few belongings and prefers an unhindered lifestyle) has a place. She keeps a rigid schedule and sticks to it. Nami asks many questions until she understands a concept or task, then devotes herself fully to the defense or completion of that concept or task without hesitation or reservation. When working on a task, or focusing on an idea, few things can distract or dissuade her. She hates to leave tasks unfinished. Some would accuse her of having a one-track mind, and they would not be unreasonable in the accusation.

Some might consider her to be level-headed, but this is generally an inaccurate observation. In truth, she possesses very strong emotions... she just keeps them to herself. She is a strong idealist and wholly believes in the value of Bushido, trusting that a true Bushi has an answer to any situation. Even so, she also values facts and logic, and even her thoughts have an organized method to them. She does not perform well if the task at hand makes little sense to her. Likewise, she becomes stressed or worried if others are not following the same structure as she is, or when expectations and results are unclear. Rather than criticize others, however, Yogozohime usually responds by taking on the burdens herself, and is likely to become overworked in those cases.

Yogozohime is generally quiet and reserved, but becomes explosive if provoked. In battle, like in any other task, she holds nothing back. As a student of the Cresting Wave, she has learned that to give any quarter is a distinct disadvantage. Like the wave of the ocean, she seeks to crash down upon her opponent relentlessly until they are down for good.

Quiet Struggle with Dyslexia
Relatively early in their time in Tsuma, the Player Characters discovered that Matsu Nami could not read. They deduced this while witnessing her staring at the announcement board in town, and her actions afterwards. According to rumors they later uncovered, the Air Kami like to play tricks on Nami, causing the Kanji of the words she is looking at to dance around and re-arrange themselves, so that the word appears naturally backwards or mixed-up to her eyes.

Meta
Insight Rank 2 Matsu Bushi 2

Matsu Yogozohime is a strong Bushi character with a high honor value. Her strongest skills are Kenjutsu, Jiujutsu, Battle, and Etiquette. Her highest rings are Water and Void. She is a Paragon of Courage and is designed for DPS and Party Buffing.

Matsu Yogozohime possesses the Leadership Advantage, which allows her to temporarily add a bonus to an ally's Initiative score once per Round. Furthermore, her Battle skill allows her to detect ambushes and set up beneficial attacks beforehand.

She is also well-liked by the Heimin, and held in high regard by the Lion and Crab.

When the party requires a warrior with tactical knowledge and strong attacks, she is a wise choice.