Pang Tong | NSFW Alt Scenario

Name: Pang Tong

Age: 32 (Born in 179 AD)

Appearance: Pang Tong’s appearance is actually a mystery. He’s a short man at 5’3”, but otherwise prefers to conceal himself in long robes, hats, and a cloth mask over his face, revealing only his sharp dark eyes. Some say he’s an ugly man with dark skin and odd facial features, others say he’s merely plain-looking, and others claim he’s just a normal-looking man that likes to mystify others by concealing himself. He never takes off his mask and layers, even on informal occasions. The most anyone ever sees of him is his hands and eyes.

Personality: Nihilistic, vain, and sometimes smarmy, Pang Tong is someone who spares sweet talk and stays focused on the heart of the matter. While he seeks practical solutions that grant the best results, his blunt statements may sometimes make him unpopular with others. Even so, his heart is in the right place and he is a bit playful; with each little insult that he may let slip, Pang Tong mends it with well-meaning advice as well as being more openly casual with others. While he may not always show it, he is just as loyal to his liege as any other member within Liu Bei's army. He speaks in a particularly sleazy and loose tone with an archaic dialect, and tends to come off as a bit off-putting and eccentric. He prefers to laze around and study versus fighting on the battlefield, but he’s a decent fighter with his shadow fan, able to harness wind and unusual, unpredictable movements to get a hand over his opponents. He’s fond of drinking and banquets, though will chide anyone who’s having a little too much fun.

He is good friends with Zhuge Liang and is one of the few in Shu who can talk as his intellectual equal, as well as being his loose-mouthed and less-cryptic foil to Zhuge Liang's more quiet and poker-faced nature. He sympathizes with Wei Yan and encourages his companion to stay true to his beliefs, which is also something he does differently compared to Zhuge Liang (as he doesn't often trust Wei Yan) while also telling Xu Shu directly to be more confident with himself. He’s good companions with his fellow strategist Jian Yong, who shares his same casual demeanor and playful nature, despite Jian Yong being significantly older.

Background: Pang Tong was from Xiangyang Commandery. In his youth, he looked plain and simple, so he was not highly regarded. When he reached adulthood (around 19 years old), he visited the hermit scholar Sima Hui, who was famous for spotting and recommending men of talent. They came to a mulberry tree, where Sima Hui climbed up to get the fruit while Pang Tong sat below, and they chatted for a whole day until nightfall. Sima Hui felt that Pang Tong was an extraordinary person. Subsequently, Pang Tong started gaining more recognition among the scholar-gentry.Like Zhuge Liang and Sima Hui who were respectively nicknamed “Crouching Dragon” and “Water Mirror” by the scholar-gentry, Pang Tong was nicknamed "Fledgling Phoenix.”

Pang Tong later served as an Officer of Merit in Nan Commandery. By nature, Pang Tong was sociable and diligent in fostering and mentoring. Hence, he was nominated to be an appraiser. When he reviewed people, he focused more on their personal virtues rather than their abilities. He was fond of ethical lessons and consistently strove to maintain high moral standards. He usually overpraised when he was asked to assess a person.

In 208, Pang Tong was enjoying a life of seclusion for his studies when he was contacted by Zhuge Liang. Although he initially only wanted to meet just for old time's sake, he is surprised to find his old friend employed by Liu Bei as well as being asked to help against Cao Cao's southern invasion. Pang Tong convinced Wei forces to chain their ships together, thus setting up for the ensuing fire attack during the battle of Chibi. Once Cao Cao was defeated by the allied forces at the main battle at Chibi, Pang Tong joined his friend's campaign of capturing Jing's southern cities while Sun Quan and Cao Cao's men were locked down at Nanjun.

In 210, Pang Tong encouraged (and convinced) Liu Bei to start making grounds towards capturing Liu Zhang’s territory, collaborating with Fa Zheng to do so.