Mako Stormbrew - Background
"I'd say hold my keg, but what else am I gonna slam through your fuckin' skull?"
Mako Stormbrew, as he now calls himself, seemed destined for greatness. From a young age, he was privileged enough to study under monastic teachings in his city that was typically known for pirates and...more pirates. He quickly became the shining star of his land. Never before had a child so young been openly invited to ascend into monkhood. His rigorous training and isolation from his peers left him with very little opportunity to interact and learn social skills, while his endless hours of meditation and training brought him cunning, peace, and wisdom.
On his tenth sun circle at the temple, he was told that his training would come to an end, and that he would be sent into the world to assist people in need, his one goal in life. The ceremony, which happened only once every few years, was to be held in the town square. It was there that he would undergo the Rite of the Seven Seals to prove himself worthy of his honor in combat against the seven Elder Monks. He fought vigorously, each calculated jab and kick landing with precision and grace - the likes of which his city had never seen in any of the previous Rites. Each master tested his strength in their specialized areas of the monastic traditions with obstacle courses and combat tests that took him to the limit of his abilities. After earning his sixth seal, the final master stepped forward and laid a string of prayer beads on the ground; this was to be Mako's reward for completing the seventh trial. As he crouched into a bow as a sign of respect for his highest master, he could feel his leg shaking from exhaustion - the other six trials had worn his endurance thin, he would have to give everything he had in his final test and make it fast if he was to pass.
His master's style of fighting was unlike any he had ever seen. Mako had never sparred with the highest elder before, and the intense sporadic movements threw him off guard. His master's blows left Mako staggering, he was unable to predict the movements his opponent would make. All the years of being in the temple, Mako was taught to stay four steps ahead of your opponent, more if you could help it, but in this case it was impossible to predict. His frustration grew more intense as each light speed blow hit him, as he continued to miss every single strike he aimed at his master. His frustration turned to panic as he could feel his master's blows striking at vital points to cut off his flow of ki. As one final palm strike was lashed in his direction - he quickly dodged the blow, leaning back while kicking his master's foot causing him to lose his balance. Mako swiftly backed up, waiting for his master to get up, partially out of respect and partially out of fear he was hurt.
Mako heard faint whispers and looked across the town square at his master, who was now chanting a prayer Mako recognized - The Storm Mother's Reprise. His master sought to unleash the power of a hurricane through his own body. As his master's fists began to glow, Mako quickly recited a chant of his own - The Chant of the Five Storms. With his master now circling him at extreme speeds to create a whirlwind, Mako focused his ki into his chest and prepared to counter whatever his master would throw at him. The elder monk lashed out and struck Mako with the force of a thousand storms, and Mako in turn retaliated with the strength that matches his master's. The destructive forces of these two techniques colliding created so much energy that the entire center of the city was caught in it's massive explosion. Smoke covered the entire battlefield and the only sound that was heard from the center was the clacking of prayer beads and a blood curdling scream from Mako. When the residual dust cleared, the citizens of the city looked on in horror at Mako, covered in blood, and what was left of his master sprawled in his arms.
He looked up at the crowd and the other elder monks who all looked back at him, some with fear and some with outright anger. Mako couldn't breathe, he couldn't utter a word. He ran. Prayer beads in one hand, and a scrap from his master's garment stuck in the other hand; too petrified to open. He ran for what seemed like days until he was far from his home and was never heard from again. Mako felt more pain than any physical harm he had felt in his life.
He discovered a way to take the pain away - a magical liquid called ale. Meditating to find inner peace only worked for so long before he was overwhelmed with guilt time and time again, but drinking himself into a stupor helped the rest of the time. It also gave him a better understanding of his master's sporadic and seemingly random fighting style. He can now be seen roaming the world, ultimately trying to help people while also trying to drown the guilt he feels for killing his master, and occasionally letting a sarcastic remark or twelve slip through his inebriation.