Gan Ning | Wu

Name: Gan Ning

Age: 32 (Born 176 AD)

Appearance: Gan Ning is a tall, well-built man with a lean body and muscular form. His reddish brown hair is left wild and spiked, and he’s got sharp gray eyes and never fails to have a grin in a fight. He’s often decked out in jewelry, from his old pirate days-- though he never buys anything new unless it’s as gifts for his men. He really, really doesn’t like shirts and is often just shirtless with a belt of bells strapped around his body, to let his enemies know he’s coming. Yes, even in battle. He’s that cocky. He has an array of intricate tattoos on his chest, arms, and shoulders.

Personality: Dubbing himself "Gan Ning of the Bells”, Gan Ning is a man of action who doesn't like proper etiquette. Wild and fearless, he is merely satisfied with a good brawl in battle. He's confident in his abilities and, though he seems arrogant, he has a good head on his shoulders and knows when to rely on teamwork. He especially likes his private army of sailors and they fondly call him "Big Bro". However, he's fickle about who he'll take orders from. Putting up a tough front, he occasionally has difficulty expressing his opinions in a nicer tone. He tends to be quite bashful when he’s being genuine. Gan Ning has a hard time sleeping when he can’t hear water, and often sleeps on his boat or naps at riversides.

His relationship with Ling Tong is a strained rivalry, since Gan Ning killed Ling Tong’s father. Gan Ning is personally more agitated by Ling Tong's haughty attitude and persistent insults. He respects Lu Meng as his good word helped him enter Wu. They share a mentor-student relationship, as Lu Meng often chides him for his reckless and nonuniform behavior. Gan Ning acts as though he doesn't care and often shrugs off the strategist's concerns. He nicknames Lu Meng, "Old man", despite the fact that Gan Ning is actually older-- he just does it to annoy Lu Meng.

Gan Ning is rough and violent; moreover he takes pleasure in killing. However, he is also jovial, gregarious and capable of using strategy. He respects virtuous persons and has little regard for monetary wealth. He treats his men well and they are willing to fight for him with their lives. His morals are questionable, but his skill in battle never is. Gan Ning’s weapon of choice varies-- he’s got a scimitar, a chain and sickle, a pair of knives he can wield, and a flail. His fighting style is extremely fast, chaotic, and often bloody.

Background: Gan Ning, from Ba Commandery, led a gang of young men as a youth, living by robbery and plunder. Known for their flamboyant attire, bells that signaled their presence, and extravagant acts like using and discarding silk ropes, his gang became infamous for their killing and theft. Local officials alternately befriended or suffered from his actions, while even government forces were not spared.

After rebelling against Liu Zhang following Liu Yan’s death, Gan Ning fled to Jing Province, eventually deciding to abandon his marauding ways. He studied philosophy and joined Liu Biao, though he foresaw Liu's downfall. Unable to cross into Sun Quan’s territory due to ongoing conflict, Gan Ning reluctantly served Huang Zu, who treated him poorly despite his loyalty, even after Gan Ning saved Huang’s life at the Battle of Xiakou by killing Ling Cao. Frustrated, Gan Ning defected to Sun Quan's Jiangdong with a small following, aided by Su Fei’s covert help.

When Gan Ning brought his followers to Jiangdong, Zhou Yu and Lü Meng recommended him as a talent to their lord, Sun Quan. Sun Quan felt that Gan Ning was an extraordinary man and treated him like an old friend.

Once, one of Gan Ning's servants committed an offense and was afraid of being punished so he sought shelter under Lü Meng. Lü Meng feared that Gan Ning would kill the servant, a young boy. Later, Gan Ning promised to spare the servant. However, Gan Ning reneged on his word and he tied the servant to a tree and personally killed him by firing arrows at him. After that, he went back to his boat. Lü Meng was furious when he heard that Gan Ning had killed the servant so he gathered his own men and prepared to confront Gan. Gan Ning continued resting when he heard Lü Meng approaching, and pretty much only made it out because Lu Meng’s mother told him it would be a bad idea to kill him.