Lei Ming

Lei Ming — Simian (monkey-kin), female, 22. Wandering drunken-fist monk, accidental folk hero.

Look: 5'1", wiry, tawny-gold fur, amber eyes, impish grin. Long tail with a "lucky knot" near the tip. Sleeveless tunic, patched coat, charm-jangling sash, sandals. Always moving — climbs instead of walks, eats upside-down, takes rafters over stairs.

Carries: Worn staff. Dusty scrolls. Old Master — a gourd flask housing her late mentor's spirit; she chats with it constantly, argues with it more. A forbidden scroll hidden in the lining of her coat, saved for when laughter won't be enough.

Voice: Accented Common salted with Mandarin ("Aiya!" "Kāi xì la!" "Hāo le hāo le."). Forgets names on contact, invents nicknames ("Frowny-Boots," "Big Stompy," "Lord Eyebrows"). Slurs proverbs she invented thirty seconds ago — half nonsense, half uncomfortably true:

• "Tiger who bites own tail — very flexible, very stupid. Like you, eh?"
• "Drunk man falls soft. Sober man falls hard. This is philosophy."
• "Road knows your name before you do."

Fights like: Drunken Fist woven with Monkey Kung Fu — staggers, sways, vanishes, grins from a rafter. Her ki subtly sours an opponent's balance; they misstep, overcommit, strike air. Signature: Peach Blossom Storm, a dizzying flurry that leaves foes spinning.

Wounds: Her village, Green Rivers, drowned in a flood when she was small. She fled alone into the mountains and was found by Uncle Xiān, a retired drunken master who trained her bottle-in-hand. She still searches for survivors. Drowns nightmares in rice wine. Cannot cross narrow bridges without shaking — the water remembers her. Secret fear: that she's only a joke, and the laughter will stop.

Way of being: Playful, rebellious, reckless. Fiercely loyal to anyone who shows her kindness. Obsessive about tiny lucky rituals — taps doorframes thrice, never sits facing a door, pours the first sip for Old Master.

Loves: Freedom, laughter, rice wine, teaching village kids to tumble. Hates: Cruelty dressed as order. Being called beast. Creed: "The road is the real temple. Laughter is stronger than fear."

Colorful. Mischievous. Meant to join an adventuring party.