Name: Birth name Amaya, otherwise known as Daiyu and the Black Jade

Age: 22

Appearance: Standing at 5’9”, Amaya is a tall woman with an imposing presence. Icy blue eyes shine even brighter against her dark tanned skin. Her soft ash brown hair flows down her mid back, with cheekbone length bangs framing her round and striking eyes. She normally lets her hair down and loose, with the sides pulled into a single small braid on top of her cascade of soft hair. At first glance Amaya looks graceful and lithe, but her fluid movements hide her well toned muscles and athletic physique. There’s a certain something about Amaya, a calm amiability about her that belies the cold warrior spirit she has beneath that can be communicated in the way she walks and speaks. To accent her features, Amaya tends to wear yellow eyeshadow in light amounts and pink lipstick. She wears tends to wear clothes that are form fitting, preferring a sleeveless dark blue shirt, fastened with frog buttons near the neck. It is trimmed with gold and falls to her mid-thighs in the front and back. Matching armlets widen at the bottom, with an intricate gold and jade pattern. Form fitting dark grey pants are cut off by black boots, fastened at the top with dark brown fastenings. She is never seen without her water skein, and has been known to wear a navy blue and dark jade hooded cloak when the occasion arises.

Personality: Circumstances have turned a once sweet natured and caring girl into an evasive, quiet, and strong woman. Soft spoken and amiable, if not a little snarky, Amaya seems laid back, someone who would be easy to get along with. This geniality is a mask, however, as she hides her suspicions of others and increasingly dangerous behavior from everyone around her. There is also the hurt she harbors against most people. A woman of contradiction, she can be helpful and friendly while at the same time be wholly intimidating and distrustful. These days, she is always ready for another fight, and sometimes even relishes the experience. Her morals are quite skewed now, with lying and causing harm to others not being anathema to her.

History:

The cold and ice of the Northern Water Tribe were the first things Amaya knew, born to Miakoda, a competent waterbending healer, and Tao, a former student of Master Pakku. In her early years, Amaya lived a happy normal life. Her parents found out she was a waterbender early on, so she was sent to learn healing along with her friends, as was tradition of the women of the tribe. Waterbending came quite naturally to her, but her talents for healing took more arduous work. Somehow healing and Amaya didn’t click, and for a time she believed something to be wrong with her.

Her parents did the best they could to encourage their daughter. Miakoda tried to impart her healing wisdom on her daughter, though it did little to improve her technique. Tao stressed the importance of her healing lessons on Amaya, pushing her to become the best she could be. As she grew older, she felt stifled under the lessons, and tried to avoid them at all costs. Arguments in their house escalated, tension filling the small family as Amaya’s parents just wanted what was best for her while Amaya just wanted to be able to be herself.

After years of fighting, at age twelve, Amaya’s parents decided to leave for the Earth Kingdom, moving away from the traditions of the Northern Water Tribe. They could no longer bear the arguments with their daughter, the pain they saw in her eyes as she struggled with her lessons feeling more ostracized from her friends all the time. Moving to a well sized village by the sea and near a majestic mountain range, they decided that Tao would teach Amaya how to fight with waterbending.

The young girl flourished under her father’s tutelage, finding that this form of waterbending was what she was truly meant to do. With diligence and joy, Amaya practiced with her father for years, every single day. And although it took some time to get adjusted to the small village, she eventually made friends with several of the kids her age. She became best friends with Hotaru, a neighborhood girl who was her age. It took very little time for the two to become inseparable.

When she was sixteen, Amaya fell in love with a boy in her village, an earthbender named Iwao. There were bashful glances and awkward pauses between the two before they eventually admitted their feelings for each other and began a relationship, which eventually turned into an engagement. Perhaps the best time in her life, the young woman felt loved by her friends and family, in balance with herself, and happy in whatever task she undertook.

Trouble came to Amaya’s life when she was eighteen. Her best friend Hotaru started acting strangely. Many didn’t notice the subtle changes in her personality, the nervous glances she sometimes had, or the evasive answers to simple questions, but Amaya knew her best friend well. She just couldn’t figure out what the problem was. Things got worse when rumors spread that the Fire Nation sought to conquer the village. The town, surprisingly well equipped with earthbenders and strong smart folk, did their best to fortify their defenses.

Tension overcame the town, waiting what seemed like the inevitable fight. Amaya noticed Hotaru’s behavior getting even stranger, disappearing from the town at hours at a time. One time, she even noticed Iwao missing as well. The young waterbender couldn’t understand what they were doing, but intended to find out.

One night when she noticed Hotaru making a hasty retreat from yet another town meeting on the village’s defense, Amaya decided to follow her. Her best friend managed to weave through the wilderness with greater ease than Amaya could and eventually Hotaru fell out of sight. It didn’t matter at that point, Amaya knew where she was heading.

As the young woman reached the bottom of the mountain range she heard angered voices and a cry of pain. The cry sounded familiar somehow…Wasting not a moment, Amaya raced through the rest of the brush to the bottom of the mountain where she found a sight that haunts her to this day.

Iwao was dead. Hotaru was nowhere to be seen. She couldn’t understand it. When had he disappeared from the village? What was he doing out there? An endless stream of questions overflowed in her mind, threatening the break the dam of her very sanity.

Then there was the voice of men. Many men. Stifling her sorrow as well she could, she edged around the mountain. The rumors had been true. A large troop of soldiers from the Fire Nation sat camped. It would only be a matter of time before they took the town. Their plans were not in vain…but none of that mattered. What mattered was Iwao. The girl ran from the encampment, ran to the side of her lost love. Her resolve eroded, Amaya wept in silence for him, and for the love and future that had died with him.

It was many hours later that Amaya returned to the village, doing her best to bring Iwao back with her. A million thoughts sped through her mind while at the same time she felt devoid of emotion and true thought. She expected the town to be horrified at the arrival of Iwao in his current state. What she never expected ever was the welcome she received when she returned.

All the villagers saw Amaya and Iwao return, their faces furious and angry. There was immediate shouting and accusations, and very worst of all, what struck down into Amaya’s very soul, was that they blamed her. Amaya, shocked and disgusted, had to shout out her story, mentioning the Fire Nation army’s arrival over the angry mob. But they already knew of them. Somehow, they already knew of the Fire Nation.

They said little else except that Amaya was to blame for Iwao’s death, that he had found her out near the mountain making a deal to ensure the town’s surrender and she killed her fiancée to prevent him from warning the town. As much as she vehemently denied this, no one believed her. Amaya looked upon her parents, knowing that they would believe her. Out of anyone in the entire world, they would. They even moved to another country to let her be herself, how could they not have faith in her?

Anger, disappointment and shame shone back in their eyes. Amaya’s heart broke for the second time that day as her parents looked upon her as if they didn’t even know who she was. They could take no more, looking away and letting the mob take over.

‘Throw her in prison!’ some demanded. ‘No, throw her to the Fire Nation, that traitor!’ others cried.

It was all too overwhelming. As Amaya stood motionless over the body of her beloved Iwao, as the mob all demanded justice for the so-called murderer and traitor, something in her broke. No, her heart had already been broken that day multiple times. Something else broke, and the dam in her mind seemed to burst. Her jaw clenched with her fists, her eyes red from tears. She glared at the villagers, her face twisted into raw hatred. With fluid motion she waved her arms back and forth in a rhythmic pattern. Water from the well and troughs near by sprung up from their homes, flowing with great speed in front of the young waterbender.

One push of both arms and the water spilled forth in a forced wave, crashing against the villagers in front of her. In one last desperate act, Amaya declared her innocence once more. Then she ran. With madness coursing through her, the girl ran to her home and grabbed whatever she could.

Then she ran some more. Ran from her home, from the villagers, from the impending invasion of the Fire Nation. Amaya ran and left her destroyed life behind.

Four years have passed since that time. During this time, Amaya discovered she had been declared wanted for Iwao’s death, posters of her the way she looked when she was eighteen displayed everywhere. She has spent much time traveling the Earth Kingdom, doing whatever she could to survive. To avoid suspicion the young waterbender started calling herself Daiyu while new wanted posters of her dubbed her 'The Black Jade' which she found very ironic. Amaya, or now Daiyu, at one time stumbled upon a large swamp only to discover different waterbenders in it. She spent time learning from them before moving on again. On the road she learned to fight, the kind of fighting that doesn’t rely on bending and eventually became quite proficient with a segmented metal whip through trial and error. She would sometimes experiment with ways to combine it with her waterbending, to form a deadlier weapon.

Harsh times on the road further changed her outlook on life. No longer caring for the rules of the land, for what good did they do for her anyway, Daiyu took from others whenever she needed to. Donning her hooded cloak, Daiyu would strike at night, hurting any that stood in her way. When in towns, she would sometimes cause brawls in taverns when too inebriated, in need of a distraction, bored or in a bad mood. Daiyu made little notice of anyone or anything, and continued in her path, just doing whatever she pleased.

There is so much pain hidden beneath Daiyu’s calm exterior and mental barriers. Everything she has ever loved has been taken away from her, leaving nothing but coldness. Only her strong will and knowledge that she is innocent has kept the woman from outright giving into insanity. She has developed into a deadly fighter, in hand to hand combat, and improvised weapons. Her waterbending has excelled, with her technique both fluid and dangerous. Some part of her still wishes to prove her innocence, that she may one day be able to call herself Amaya once more. That perhaps, she will someday find the person responsible for her misery and repay that in kind.

From a Poster Found in Ba Sing Se:



'The scoundrel known as the 'Black Jade' is wanted throughout the Earth Kingdom on numerous accounts of theft and assault. Has been recently spotting in the Earth Kingdom capital Ba Sing Se. Wanted dead or alive.'