Shin came into his profession the same way most are, he was born into it.

His Father was a struggling Kabuki actor. His mother was a Geisha. But thats only the surface, for the truth one must look beyond. His father worked for the Ko clan, a small sect of the larger Kodama family. His means were kept a secret. He was an information gatherer, assasin, and all around go to guy for some of the foulest things his Lord needed. He travled around as a wandering actor. It granted him access into many areas to ply his trade.

His mother was a prostitute. O yes, they used nicer words... but she slept with men for money. The tea house she worked out of was quite busy, and common Bushi talked more then they should. She was a skilled spy they say. Then something changed as the way most tragedies do... she fell in love.

He was born to the name Shu. When he was old enough to understand duty, about 6, he began to train with his father. Acrobatics mostly, skills a actor or performer might use. The martial skills his father taught were in private but the boy learned everything he could. He knew he was lowborn. As laughable as it seemed he wanted to be a Samurai, not that it was possible. Boys can dream.

He gave up that dream less than 6 years later. Well skilled in his craft by his father, he began to learn from his mother. Every social skill he learned was from her. He became well learned from books she had stole, begged or borrowed for him. Between her and his father his skill in the arts of conversation became honed to a fine degree. He could lie with complete sincerity, or root out some of the most hidden falsehoods of others. His skill in combat grew as well. His father added poison and medicine training for him to learn. He began to serve the Ko as his parents did. That changed when his father failed a task. As punishment the Lord killed his wife, for he still needed his skills. Enraged at this betrail he attacked the Ko.
The boy, now young man learned his most important lesson that day. His father was no Samurai. The arts of the shadow were powerful, but no match for trained warriors. His father was killed in one blow.

What would a man do? Avenge his father. A simple answer. How? That was the more difficult answer. He went into the moutains and lived the life of a wandering monk. He took the name Shin, which ment truth, and trained. He would live and breath the life of the warrior.
The fates have an odd way of doing things. While Shin was training he worked on his other arts as well. One day he overheard the plight of an old woman begging at a shrine for the fates to aid her. She was sick, and the village she lived in was raided often by bandits. The local Lord did not care for her suffering. She begged the fates to show her a way to keep her family safe. She asked nothing for herself, though she was old, and would likely die in a few years.

Shin was shamed, his life was focused on the self. He had never cared for the suffering of another. He walked out of the woods that day hidden as a wandering blind monk. The old woman showed him kindness and offered him shelter. Moved more by her kindness to see someone with nothing give so much he stayed. The bandits came the next day like tax collectors. No fear in their hearts. They stayed the night eating their fill and drinking sake. A dark shadow they say came to town that day. Not one lived the to see the morning. What they had taken was returned as if by magic. The old woman found many coins upon her table. She asked Shin about this when she saw since he was a monk and would understand such things. His answer was simple. "Perhaps the fates wish it?"

He began wandering from town to town. Lordless, homeless, and with only the honor he carried with him. The dark arts he knew was used to protect the people.

A strange thing happened to him a few years later. The Ko clan had caught up with him one day. He was runing way when he hid in a bank of fog. When he came out of the fog he was in a distant land. A new land he would find out was called beware. He belived he had died at first and gone to the land of Oni. He would learn how wrong he was.

He by change found himself upon a great tree that had many roms inside. He spent the next 6 months within that tree. Cleaning, healing, and learning about this new land. He made many friends, things he had not had ever. He drifted every now and then to learn about the world at large of gather herbs for the Healers of the tree.
His downfall was greed. While he had a honorable purpose, he still wished to learn a craft called alchemy. He traded or baught any book he could find upon the craft. Eventualy his coin ran out. He began to pull bounties to make a bit of extra coin. Soon even that was not enough. He apprenticed for two monthes with a potion maker to learn more of the basics of the craft. When he came home nothing was the same. There was much strife in the shop.

It finaly came to a head when the demon lil mischief attacked him and placed a mark upon him. Binding him to her. He had told the other healers... but most seemed to not care, being far too busy with all the other strife. He tried to handle it on his own to the worst possible result. He was slain. More to the point he was trapped.. a slave forever and he asked the Dragon Katharsis@soi to end his life. The only way to be free. He was wrong. What happened was his soul was torn in two, she gained one half and lil mischief got the other. Together with the Goddess of death he was changed, reborn as liquid shadow. Now he walks a fine line between darkness and light. ((Player prefers PvP play. All he asks is to keep your play realistic and with the setting. Game on))