Soon's Harbor<i></i>
This harbor connects Soon's Haven with the rest of the world. The smell of salt and fish permeates the air here. Some fish in these crystal blue waters while others spend their days sailing or even swimming. These waters are relatively safe as long as land is in sight, however for those who venture into deeper waters the potential for danger lurks just beneath the surface. Sailors also cite concerns over a growing population of pirates sailing the waters between Soon's Harbor and Tea Country.
Of particular note here is the fact that the Harbor is home to one of the Merchant Lords: Maki Shin the Supreme Fish Monger. While he prefers a simple life, his home still stands out from the rest of the homesteads located here. But in addition to serving as a harbor, this area also boasts a very large and fresh fish market. Famous for their sushi, this is the only place in the desert where it is actually 'safe' to eat raw fish.
[legend="Maki Shin the Supreme Fish Monger"]</FONTFACE>
Maki Shin the Supreme Fish Monger
Bloodline/Core Ability: Unknown
Age: 42
Physical Description: Almost shoulder-length dark hair and a rather plain face, he seems out of place in a suit-jacket and tie. Often he wears comfortable, daresay casual clothes because at heart he is a blue-collar type of man. He does not enjoy fine jewelry or expensive clothes, his one guilty pleasure is his ships. The sea and what he places in the sea is his pride and joy. While he could easily blend into a crowd with rubber shoes and plaid shirts tucked into blue jeans, he is best identified by his ship. He rarely leaves the water unless it is absolutely necessary and his boat is the largest and grandest in Soons Haven by far.
Mental Description: Quiet but seemingly kind, he does not have the look of a hardened businessman. He enjoys the company of others in small groups and is known to be a cordial host to those who spend time on his ships or demonstrate of love for the sea. He will, however become angry at the first sign of disrespect towards his wife or the sea itself. He claims that his wife is the most precious thing he was ever fished from these dark blue waters and that he will protect her with his life.
History: His name sounds out of place because it was a name created out of spite for this man. He is considered to be the 'least' of the Merchant Lords but he is also the one with the greatest power. While he comes from a line of fishermen, being that he is a first generation Merchant Lord who ascended to power when he traded his fishing line for a fleet of trade ships. While educated no more than the average man, he has a natural business savvy. His rise to power was initially innocuous, he simply provided a shipping service for cheaper than his rivals at a net loss that he made up for trapping crustaceans. When his rivals went out of business, Shin developed a monopoly on shipping in the bay area between Soons Haven and the rest of the world. He maintains his grip now not by keeping his prices dirt cheap but by ensuring his rivals experience a 'little accident' if they try to take some of his trade.
In his personal life, it is said that he is not a smart man but that behind every good man is a great woman. A year before he went from fisherman to trade ship fleet owner he took a wife. Said to be the distant relative of a disgraced merchant lord and trained as a shinobi in Sunagakure before she was retired at the age of 23, she is believed to be the "brains" behind Shin's business moves. They have three children, two boys and a girl all under the age of thirteen. The children are home-schooled by their mother.
Maki Kana<FONTFACE fontface="monospace">
Bloodline/Core Ability: Water Affinity
Age: 38
Appearance: Pretty and petite, she looks at least fifteen years younger than her stated age. With long dark tresses that reach her thighs and large, expressive eyes it is no surprise that she married well even if she made the man into what he is today. While she is commonly seen wearing formal wear in the form of simple presses in pastel colors they seem out of place much like in her husband's case. While it is also very hard to notice, she has a prosthetic right arm. It is uncanny how human the arm appears at first glance, it is not until you get up close that you can see the fine seams at the joints.
History: A distant relative of a former merchant Lord that specialized in banking that left their station in disgrace when they lost their wealth twenty five years ago, Kana had access to fine schools and was given an excellent early education. By the age of eighteen she had completed her schooling uneventfully and was considered a likely bride to one of the wealthiest families in Wind Country. Unfortunately that same year her uncle lost their wealth, while the details have always been sketchy it has been claimed that Aburabuta Corp sabotaged the business dealings in Sunagakure and crippled her uncle's business until it went under. With her name in disgrace, her education was essentially worthless and she entered the ranks of shinobi at the age of nineteen having no other place to go. She was an nontraditional student, being so much older than her peers and she was clumsy, having no honored shinobi lineage or bloodline limit to depend on but she had a noticeable affinity for water. Able to manipulate and even create bodies of water as an expression of her will, she was considered a necessary shinobi for many long-term desert missions.
She reached the rank of Jounin on her 23rd birthday. It was shortly after this that her life would change forever. She was mapping the tunnels that surrounded Sunagakure when they were betrayed by a member of their team. One of the team members planned to betray Sunagakure and leave for Sound and was going to use their excursion as a way to fake their own death. He collapsed the cavern, killing Kana's two team mates instantly and trapping her under the rubble where she was left for dead. Her arm was crushed by the massive boulders that came down, she was unable to use her skills as a ninjutsuist to escape and she remained there trapped for four days. She was eventually found, on the brink of death. Her arm had to be amputated, there was no saving the crushed limb that had went without care for so long. Incapable of serving as a shinobi she was honorably discharged from service but at the loss of a vocation and source of income she was forced to return to her extended family in Soons Haven in hopes that they would care for her.
It was shortly after that she met her husband and they fell in love. As her husband rose in power and prestige she was fitted with a prosthetic but it is unknown if she is still capable of manipulating the elements as she once had.[/legend]
This harbor connects Soon's Haven with the rest of the world. The smell of salt and fish permeates the air here. Some fish in these crystal blue waters while others spend their days sailing or even swimming. These waters are relatively safe as long as land is in sight, however for those who venture into deeper waters the potential for danger lurks just beneath the surface. Sailors also cite concerns over a growing population of pirates sailing the waters between Soon's Harbor and Tea Country.
Of particular note here is the fact that the Harbor is home to one of the Merchant Lords: Maki Shin the Supreme Fish Monger. While he prefers a simple life, his home still stands out from the rest of the homesteads located here. But in addition to serving as a harbor, this area also boasts a very large and fresh fish market. Famous for their sushi, this is the only place in the desert where it is actually 'safe' to eat raw fish.
[legend="Maki Shin the Supreme Fish Monger"]</FONTFACE>
Maki Shin the Supreme Fish Monger
Bloodline/Core Ability: Unknown
Age: 42
Physical Description: Almost shoulder-length dark hair and a rather plain face, he seems out of place in a suit-jacket and tie. Often he wears comfortable, daresay casual clothes because at heart he is a blue-collar type of man. He does not enjoy fine jewelry or expensive clothes, his one guilty pleasure is his ships. The sea and what he places in the sea is his pride and joy. While he could easily blend into a crowd with rubber shoes and plaid shirts tucked into blue jeans, he is best identified by his ship. He rarely leaves the water unless it is absolutely necessary and his boat is the largest and grandest in Soons Haven by far.
Mental Description: Quiet but seemingly kind, he does not have the look of a hardened businessman. He enjoys the company of others in small groups and is known to be a cordial host to those who spend time on his ships or demonstrate of love for the sea. He will, however become angry at the first sign of disrespect towards his wife or the sea itself. He claims that his wife is the most precious thing he was ever fished from these dark blue waters and that he will protect her with his life.
History: His name sounds out of place because it was a name created out of spite for this man. He is considered to be the 'least' of the Merchant Lords but he is also the one with the greatest power. While he comes from a line of fishermen, being that he is a first generation Merchant Lord who ascended to power when he traded his fishing line for a fleet of trade ships. While educated no more than the average man, he has a natural business savvy. His rise to power was initially innocuous, he simply provided a shipping service for cheaper than his rivals at a net loss that he made up for trapping crustaceans. When his rivals went out of business, Shin developed a monopoly on shipping in the bay area between Soons Haven and the rest of the world. He maintains his grip now not by keeping his prices dirt cheap but by ensuring his rivals experience a 'little accident' if they try to take some of his trade.
In his personal life, it is said that he is not a smart man but that behind every good man is a great woman. A year before he went from fisherman to trade ship fleet owner he took a wife. Said to be the distant relative of a disgraced merchant lord and trained as a shinobi in Sunagakure before she was retired at the age of 23, she is believed to be the "brains" behind Shin's business moves. They have three children, two boys and a girl all under the age of thirteen. The children are home-schooled by their mother.
Maki Kana
Bloodline/Core Ability: Water Affinity
Age: 38
Appearance: Pretty and petite, she looks at least fifteen years younger than her stated age. With long dark tresses that reach her thighs and large, expressive eyes it is no surprise that she married well even if she made the man into what he is today. While she is commonly seen wearing formal wear in the form of simple presses in pastel colors they seem out of place much like in her husband's case. While it is also very hard to notice, she has a prosthetic right arm. It is uncanny how human the arm appears at first glance, it is not until you get up close that you can see the fine seams at the joints.
History: A distant relative of a former merchant Lord that specialized in banking that left their station in disgrace when they lost their wealth twenty five years ago, Kana had access to fine schools and was given an excellent early education. By the age of eighteen she had completed her schooling uneventfully and was considered a likely bride to one of the wealthiest families in Wind Country. Unfortunately that same year her uncle lost their wealth, while the details have always been sketchy it has been claimed that Aburabuta Corp sabotaged the business dealings in Sunagakure and crippled her uncle's business until it went under. With her name in disgrace, her education was essentially worthless and she entered the ranks of shinobi at the age of nineteen having no other place to go. She was an nontraditional student, being so much older than her peers and she was clumsy, having no honored shinobi lineage or bloodline limit to depend on but she had a noticeable affinity for water. Able to manipulate and even create bodies of water as an expression of her will, she was considered a necessary shinobi for many long-term desert missions.
She reached the rank of Jounin on her 23rd birthday. It was shortly after this that her life would change forever. She was mapping the tunnels that surrounded Sunagakure when they were betrayed by a member of their team. One of the team members planned to betray Sunagakure and leave for Sound and was going to use their excursion as a way to fake their own death. He collapsed the cavern, killing Kana's two team mates instantly and trapping her under the rubble where she was left for dead. Her arm was crushed by the massive boulders that came down, she was unable to use her skills as a ninjutsuist to escape and she remained there trapped for four days. She was eventually found, on the brink of death. Her arm had to be amputated, there was no saving the crushed limb that had went without care for so long. Incapable of serving as a shinobi she was honorably discharged from service but at the loss of a vocation and source of income she was forced to return to her extended family in Soons Haven in hopes that they would care for her.
It was shortly after that she met her husband and they fell in love. As her husband rose in power and prestige she was fitted with a prosthetic but it is unknown if she is still capable of manipulating the elements as she once had.[/legend]