Tsagaan Drong

From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe

This is the sorcerer described in Kassai's tale. I originally intended him to remain in the background, but an opportunity to RP the actual character came into play with Anathema, a VG associated with The Dauntless Reverie. Since then, I've grown to like playing "Teddy" and decided to give him his own dedicated page.

Wei yau 08:11, 24 March 2009 (MST)

Tsagaan Drong as "Teddy"
Tsagaan Drong
Player: Wei Yau
Origin:	Magic
Archetype:	Dominator
Threat Level:	20
Personal Data
Real Name:	Confidential
Known Aliases:	T.D. "Teddy" Wong, The White Yak, Mr. White
Species:	Human
Age:	unknown
Height:	Confidential
Weight:	Confidential
Eye Color:	Confidential
Hair Color:	Confidential
Biographical Data
Nationality:	Tibetan
Occupation:	Confidential
Place of Birth:	Tibet
Base of Operations:	The Rogue Isles
Marital Status:	Single
Known Relatives:	Confidential
Known Powers
Confidential
Known Abilities
Confidential
Equipment
Confidential
No additional information available.

"Excuse me, sir. Sorry for waking you, but the captain has turned on the fasten seatbelt sign."

Tsagaan stirred in his seat, he had to blink several times before his eyes could focus on the face of the flight attendant. She looked apologetic, but also a little annoyed. Tsagaan understood, customer service was an often thankless job. He knew she had much greater responsibilities than waking old men.

"No, no, it's quite alright. Thank you." said Tsagaan sincerely.

He found that he was dozing off quite a bit as of late. Despite his best efforts, he continued to age. He wondered where he was this time, when the flight attendant woke him. Perhaps it was in St. Petersburg, reveling in one of Rasputin's debaucheries. Or maybe he was serving in the Philippines with the Imperial Wind. He didn't think he was dreaming of the Mongolian tundra again. No, his chest didn't hurt, which was often the case whenever he dreamt of that far off place from so many centuries ago.

Tsagaan stretched and looked around the cabin. First class was pretty full, but that wasn't surprising. It was a Friday night flight out of Paragon City headed for Las Vegas. Even with all the excitement in Paragon City, its citizens craved the type of action that could be found only in Vegas. For himself, he was going to Vegas to celebrate. He had recently completed a goal he had set for himself.

As his eyes surveyed the cabin, he noticed someone watching him. He smiled at the young lady and nodded slightly. She was sitting next to a young man; the two were quite clearly newlyweds. The pair was sitting across the aisle from him and returned the smiles.

Tsagaan politely cleared his throat,"If I may ask, are you two newly married?"

The young lady answered, "Yes, as matter of fact, just today."

Tsagaan smiled, "Well, allow me to offer my congratulations. Vegas is a wonderful place for a honeymoon."

Her eyes brightened as the young lady replied, "Oh, we've never been, but we've heard so much about it."

"Indeed and all the stories are true. All of them. Ah, but forgive me for being so rude. I am T.D. Wong", said Tsagaan.

"I'm Anna and this is Brian", she said as she introduced her husband.

"Hello, Mr. Wong. It's a pleasure to meet you", said Brian.

"Please call me Teddy", replied Tsagaan, "And again, congratulations to the two of you. I was just telling Anna that Las Vegas is the perfect place for a honeymoon."

"Do you go to Vegas often?" asked Brian.

"Since I've retired, more often than I probably should; but, yes, Lady Vegas and I are quite familiar with one another. Though, I have to admit that her sister, Lady Luck, doesn't know me quite as well." said Tsagaan.

Brian chuckled politely, "Well, here's hoping that we all make Lady Luck's acquaintance on this trip."

Tsagaan smiled, "Of that I have no doubt; fortune must favor such a lovely couple as yourselves."

"So, Teddy, what are you retired from?" asked Anna.

"Mostly consulting work, I was what you might call a freelance problem-solver", answered Tsagaan. As he replied, he thought about his appearance. He looked like an older Asian gentleman, nicely groomed and in a fine suit. The corners of his eyes had deep laugh wrinkles and his hair was white and thinning. Of course, he only "looked" like this; it was really the effect of a minor magic glamour.

If Anna and Brian were to see his current true form, he doubted that they would be so keen to speak with him. As a matter of fact, the last time he was in his true form was the reason for his little celebratory trip.

He had decided to go to Las Vegas to celebrate his recent induction into Anathema. He had heard much of this confederation of residents of the Rogue Isles and was eager to join their ranks. He had a larger goal in mind and would need the resources and assistance of Anathema to realize it. For such an occasion, it was only proper for Tsagaan to meet Anathema in his true form.

"That sounds so mysterious", cooed Anna.

"I wish it were so, but things are not always as they seem; especially when a foolish old man dresses up his profession when speaking with a beautiful young lady." said Tsagaan, "In actuality, it was little more than helping various corporations and organizations become more efficient."

"Oh, we had an efficiency expert visit my company a couple of years back" interjected Brian, "They ended up laying a lot of people off."

Tsagaan thought about whenever he was asked to make an organization more "efficient". It typically began with screaming and cries for mercy and would end with deathly silence punctuated by the mewling of the grievously wounded.

"Yes, that is a regrettable outcome, though sometimes wholly unavoidable", said Tsagaan. Their conversation paused as the attendants served their meals. None of the three were particularly hungry. Anna and Brian were too excited to eat and even first class food did not suit Tsagaan's palate. They continued to talk after the attendants had finished.

"Tell me, Brian, what is it that you do?" asked Tsagaan.

"I work in City Hall, actually so does Anna. That's where we met", answered Brian, "We both work in Hero Registration, although on different shifts. We met when there was a Rikti raid during shift change. We ended up in a shelter together and well, things just kinda took off from there."

Outwardly, Tsagaan smiled at Brian, but inside he grimaced. This city was full of altogether too many so-called heroes. Fools who would interfere with his plans, some were veterans but many more were just neophytes. He wasn't sure which were worse.

Tsagaan would never choose to have come to Paragon City, if it weren't for a compulsion to be here. But, for a little more than a year now, he felt a tickling in the back of his mind, urging him to go to Paragon City. He had little desire to do so, he was old, older than he wanted to be and simply no longer had the patience for such a loud and boisterous place.

But, he knew why he was being compelled to make the trip. He knew it because it was the one thing he had been waiting for nearly a thousand years now. He felt a tremendous amount of relief and the annoyance of having to relocate to Paragon City was quite minor in comparison.

Returning to the conversation, Tsagaan said, "Well, then the two of you are most fortunate to have found one another. Even more fortunate to have endured the Rikti attack, they are very fearsome."

Brian smiled at Anna, "Oh you don't know how lucky I am. As a matter of fact, we'd never be able to afford to fly First Class on our salaries. But, just before the wedding I won a small lottery and we decided to splurge."

Anna added, "After all, we're only going to do this once, right?"

Brian continued, "Yeah, I've always been a little lucky here and there. I mean, the biggest payoff is meeting Anna, of course. But, sometimes things just happen my way. I'm hoping that I get a good run in Vegas, you know?"

Tsagaan perked up at this bit of information. It could very well have been random chance, but he had lived long enough to know that luck wasn't always as it seemed. For many, it truly was random, but for a select few the luck was actually a manifestation of a minor bit of clairvoyance. It was not enough to be useful on a regular basis, but could occasionally bring about some fortune. It seems that this young man may have possessed this minor talent.

Tsagaan decided to probe a little further; this could be an interesting diversion while in Las Vegas.

"If I may ask, then, where are you staying", asked Tsagaan.

Anna answered, "Oh nowhere special. City Hall is great, but it doesn’t pay much. We're staying at a little place off the main strip."

Tsagaan took the opportunity, "Well, then you must allow me to give you a wedding gift. I will not take no for an answer. I must insist."

"Oh no, we couldn't" protested Anna.

"Nonsense, of course you could. Indulge a lonely old man in this one small thing. The two of you have made this flight very pleasant for me. I have some friends, more like business colleagues, who are placing me at the Grand Celestial hotel. It would be simplicity itself to extend their hospitality to the two of you."

Tsagaan could see that the two would accept his generosity. The Grand Celestial Hotel was an extravagant location and newly opened. Even if they could afford it, it was doubtful that they would have found a vacancy. His "business colleagues" were the Tsoo. He was currently engaged with them as an advisor. They were largely petty criminals, despite their pretensions to loftier ideals. But, their contacts were useful in helping Tsagaan establish a foothold in the Rogue Isles.

He did not necessarily share their goals and was largely unconcerned by their activities. However, he was more than willing to use them to achieve his own goals, as well as provide a leisurely distraction such as this trip.

Brian would be the first to accept; "Mr. Wong, that is so nice of you. We really shouldn't, but the Grand Celestial is supposed to be amazing."

"It is, it is. And please, do call me Teddy", said Tsagaan, "You see, your luck continues already, Brian. And I am honored to be the medium in which Lady Luck has chosen to act."

Anna and Brian thanked Tsagaan profusely, before turning to their brochures. The two were excitedly planning their trip, in light of Tsagaan's generous gift. Tsagaan decided to return to sleep to pass the time. He would awaken himself before landing in Las Vegas.

In his sleep, Tsagaan reviewed his situation. He had come to the Rogue Isles to establish a base from which he could operate in Paragon City. There were far too many "heroes" for him to live comfortably in the city itself. Many were of magic origin and could detect him. Still others may have even been foes of his, he did not remember the names and faces of those he had wronged in his long life, but a few always turned up wherever he went. Even in the Rogue Isles, he had encountered a handful of long-forgotten enemies.

What had brought him to Paragon City was simply revenge. Vengeance for an affront committed against him over 800 years ago in the Mongolian steppes. It had come time for Tsagaan to renew his sacrificial covenant with certain demons to extend his life. He needed to make a compact with an ice demon to preserve his body, while a separate agreement was made with a fire demon to extend his life force. All was in place, his victims had been slaughtered according to the dictates of the ritual. Tsagaan had just completed the summoning incantation when he felt a pain in his chest.

He looked down to see an arrow protruding from his heart. As he fell, he saw a mere wisp of a girl with a bow in her hand. Her face was a mix of fear and triumph. She must have been a survivor of the clan he had just killed. A young girl, just barely of age to be a horse archer, had avenged her murdered clansmen. Tsagaan crumpled to the ground, his hands already making the signs for a healing spell.

Tsagaan witnessed the ice demon take hold of the girl. He knew that the ice demon was already infusing her with its preservative magicks. Tsagaan had to act quickly before the fire demon did the same, leaving Tsagaan to freeze to death in the frozen tundra. The healing spell complete, Tsagaan rose to his knees and commanded the fire demon to return to him. The blood of the sacrifices were let by Tsagaan, not this foolish interloper.

The fire demon did return to Tsagaan, but only after imparting some of his touch to the girl. The fire demon declared that Tsagaan would receive the full benefit of its touch, but the girl would remain in Tsagaan's destiny. The two would meet once more. Tsagaan was always annoyed at the way demons tried to be enigmatic.

So it came to be that Tsagaan would have years, centuries, added to his life. But, without the preservative power of ice, he would age. Tsagaan would employ various methods to forestall the aging or even reverse it on occasion. But, they all would be temporary. The only way to achieve a more permanent restoration and preservation of his younger form was to transfer the ice demon's magic from the girl to himself.

Tsagaan spent the intervening years from then until now, hunting for the girl. He would allow himself to be distracted, as he did with his time served under the Lord of Storms and the Imperial Wind. But, even then, he kept himself aware of any signs of the girl. He knew that the fire demon's touch had caused the girl to travel through time. At first, he was very passive about the hunt for her. But, as the decades turned into centuries, his search became increasingly urgent. And now, with only 200 years remaining in his life-force and having aged beyond anything a mortal man should witness…Tsagaan received a sign.

His watching spells had alerted him to the return of the girl. She had re-appeared somewhere in Paragon City. Various attempts to pinpoint her location failed, but being the nexus of so many great powers, Paragon City was notoriously shielded from his efforts. He had little choice but to move closer to the city and find the girl by himself.

It was for this reason; Tsagaan found himself renewing his allegiances with the Tsoo. They had grown substantially since he first worked with them in what is known today as Hong Kong. Though, in many ways, they remained an organization of petty criminals. Still, they would prove useful in getting Tsagaan to the Rogue Isles. Eventually, he learned that the Tsoo were limited and Tsagaan decided to find other resources to aid him. It was this search that led him to Anathema.

Tsagaan woke as the plane began its descent. As always, whenever he recalled the events in Mongolia, he felt heartburn in his chest. If he were a man of science, he would attribute it to a psychosomatic reaction. But, as it was, Tsagaan knew it was the arrow wound in his heart.

After disembarking from the plane, Tsagaan led Anna and Brian to a limousine waiting for him at the airport. The couple became increasingly excited as they approached the Grand Celestial. With a few short commands, Tsagaan secured the Imperial Honeymoon suite for the two.

"Now, I must leave the two of you. I have some business to attend. The concierge will attend to all your needs. Please do me the honor of having dinner with me tonight." and with that Tsagaan left the couple to their own devices.

Tsagaan met with the Tsoo representatives at the hotel. They had a controlling interest in the property and welcomed Tsagaan with all the honors befitting one such as him. He made some arrangements with them for entertainment during his stay. When the time for dinner had arrived, Anna and Brian would find him waiting for them at their table.

"Mr. Wong…I mean, Teddy, thank you so much. The honeymoon suite is simply incredible!" gushed Anna "Everything is just so nice! We can't thank you enough!"

"Please, just witnessing your joy and knowing that I played a minor role in it is thanks enough", replied Tsagaan.

And with that, the trio enjoyed a luxurious dinner before proceeding to the gaming tables. Tsagaan wanted to see firsthand if Brian's luck was indeed simple luck or something more. They played various games of chance and met with a fair amount of success. Brian did not do so well with games such as poker or blackjack. But games which relied on pure random chance, such as roulette or craps (when Brian was not the roller) were fabulously rewarding for Brian.

"I can't believe this streak! It's amazing!", crowed Brian.

Tsagaan simply smiled, "Indeed, your fortune seems to have followed you all the way from Paragon City. It must be because of your good luck charm here." said Tsagaan as he gestured toward Anna.

Anna stifled a yawn, "I'm sorry, but this good luck charm needs to sleep. It's been such a long day. Why don't you boys continue to play and I'll see you in the morning. Besides, I want to get some rest so I can get up early to use the pool and sauna. Nothing like a refreshing dip first thing in the morning."

Brian barely looked up from the roulette wheel, "Okay, babe. I'll probably be up soon. Just as soon as this streak ends". And with that, Brian gave Anna a small kiss.

Tsagaan and Brian would spend many more hours at the games. Tsagaan was satisfied that Brian did indeed possess some trivial form of clairvoyance. As the night progressed, however, Brian's lucky streak began to die down. The result of him being tired and the substantial number of drinks Tsagaan had ordered for the two of them.

Now, it was Brian's turn to yawn, "Oh man, Teddy, I gotta go. I didn't mean to keep Anna waiting this long, but I've just never been this lucky before. Thanks again for everything and maybe we'll see you around."

"Go, go, Brian. I am glad that you are enjoying yourself. If you find that anything displeases you, let me know. Anything at all."

At dawn, Tsagaan emerged from his own room. He went out to the balcony and greeted the rising sun. With a few utterances, Tsagaan began to rise into the air. The Imperial Honeymoon suite was directly above his room. Moments earlier he had heard Anna depart the room as she headed for the pool area. Tsagaan arrived at their balcony and a minor unlocking spell granted him access into their room.

Brian laid sprawled out on the bed. The previous night's activities had truly worn him down and he would not have heard Tsagaan even if he had broken the door down.

Tsagaan looked down at Brian, "My young friend, I do not envy the headache you'll awaken with…but, fortunately you will not awaken at all."

Sometime later, the door chimed as Anna returned to the room. She padded into the bedroom calling "Brian, you've got to see the pool! It is beautiful and the sauna is so relaxing. Brian? Are you up yet?"

Tsagaan looked in the bathroom mirror, he had just gone in to clean up. A wide grin spread across his face as he heard Anna scream.

"Whatever is the matter, my dear", said Tsagaan as he entered the bedroom.

Anna turned around, her face pale white and tears already streaming down her face.

"Teddy? What? Something happened to Brian? I think he's hurt….what are you doing here?", stuttered Anna.

Tsagaan sighed, "Well, Anna dear. You see, Brian is…, no, was…a lucky man. His kind of luck is a gift of sorts. There's a small area in his brain, just behind the eyes, which allowed him to catch a glimpse of the future. It is trivial, nothing of great importance, but it served him well in life. At least until now."

Anna looked uncomprehendingly at Tsagaan and then at Brian's corpse. Her eyes widened as she took the grisly scene in. Brian body remained untouched, but his head was a different story. The skull appeared to have been pried opened. Gouges on his scalp showed where a hand must have simply penetrated the skull and pulled the top of his head off. His brains were a scattered mess over the plush pillows.

Tsagaan approached Anna, "If it means anything, I doubt he felt a thing. I extended him that small mercy, at least."

Anna could not turn around to face Tsagaan, "Why….why….?"

"Ahh, you see I've come to Vegas to celebrate. And it would not be celebratory at all if I were to lose. I do so enjoy playing the games, but I do hate to lose. There are other ways I could guarantee winning, but they would largely be unsportsmanlike. No, this way is better. I simply had to take Brian's luck.", whispered Tsagaan.

Anna slowly turned around, surprised to see Tsagaan had gotten so close and was directly behind her, "I…I don't understand…"

Tsagaan took hold of Anna gently, "No, no. Of course, you don't. It doesn't really matter. It is most unfortunate that it has to come to this, it seems that Brian's luck didn’t extend to you. Had you delayed your return just a little bit later, you would have found nothing. This room would have been cleaned by my associates and Brian would simply have been reported as missing. Not the first honeymooner to run off in this town, I can assure you. But, as it is…well, I am sorry."

Anna finally focused on Tsagaan. He looked different now; older, much older. The eyes were milky white, as if blind. The skin was wrinkled and thin like parchment, veins visible underneath. And his smile, his smile was the last thing she saw. The lips were stretched and horribly bloodstained. She noticed there were bits of gristle inbetween the teeth. Her last thought was the terrible realization of just how Tsagaan took Brian's luck.