Bakuzan Burlycloud

Bakuzan Burlycloud "--a'th'Stoneplow Burlyclouds, Trade Baron a'th"Four Winds" -- Tillers' Union Chair for Export, Trade and Tourism, Grand Alliance Supplier, Witchberry magnate, Trade Baron of the Four Winds, accomplished chef and caterer -- is an Alliance-aligned Mainland Pandaren from Stoneplow in the Valley of the Four Winds. Motor-mouthed and blunt, Baku has no qualms about sharing her beloved Tillers-grown vegetables, noodle bowls and brews with the good people of the Alliance. 

After the events of Patch 6.2, Baku can be found managing her own small trade, export and enforcement company, the Four Winds Trade Company. Barring that, she's likely harvesting strange plants in the wilds of Draenor and beyond, sitting atop light posts in the Cathedral District, or serving new exotic dishes to the guinea pigs - that is to say, customers - of the Alliance.

At a Glance
Bakuzan, or 'Baku', as most folk call her, has a well-built frame with thick layers of muscle and fat hidden under a deceiving layer of fur, as is expected for a Pandaren in her station; she doesn't have abnormal Herculean strength, but she's lifted more than a few barrels in her time, so chucking around Human-sized miscreants isn't difficult for her at all. She's covered in a light layer of said coarse fur, the rich brown color of the soil she works in; she also has a slight paunch from insisting on trying every sort of food she can get her paws on ('for research!'). Her squished, heart-shaped face has large but non-obtrusive fuzzy eyebrows, and her good eye is extremely expressive; often sparkling with happiness or cloudy when she's downcast. Her left eye is a solid ice-blue hunk of titanium and cobalt; a mechanical marvel crafted by a Draenei Artificer-turned-Ebon Blade.

She has wispy brown and shock-white hair on her head, more often than not pinned up strategically out of the way, adorned with well-worn but cared-for ornaments; it's almost always cropped short and in some sort of bun or pigtails. She has the Tillers Union dual-scythe insignia branded on her right shoulder along with a small lotus under her left collarbone; ink tattoos don't really show up that well on Pandaren. Callouses on her hands show when they aren't covered with her normal pairs of thick leather gloves. She's seen walking with a relaxed, sauntering gait, often swinging her arms in rhythm and occasionally near-tripping on some microscopic obstacle.

Faint scars, lined patches where fur won't grow back in, are traced upwards across her ribcage and small chest in a semi-circle, leading down the center of her midsection and ending abruptly above her beltline; the shape is akin to a question mark curving around her torso. There are more of the same along her upper arms that she'll typically hide with some form of gauze or undershirt, even in blistering-hot weather. She appears to be self-conscious of them, and won't talk about their origin - especially with Barsos around.

Bakuzan is often found wearing varying degrees of loosely-fitting light leather armor, dyed in varying colors, riveted and tanned to withstand the rigors of tedious farmwork; most recently she proudly displays the colors of the Tillers Union in accordance with their sponsorship of her Company. She carries strapped inbetween her shoulderblades a medium-sized keg emblazoned with ornate carvings. It looks to be very old but incredibly durable, and is often filled with Jade Witch Brew, her personal favorite - made with Witchberries grown on her own land. Her good eye is constantly darting around, both wary and excited of whatever's happening in the vicinity. She has numerous tiny bottles and pouches strapped to one of two belts she always wears in the Pandaren Brewmaster tradition - filled with esoteric cooking ingredients, poison cures, seeds, jugs of tea and bags of rich Valley soil.

Baku smells faintly of fresh-cut oak, petrichor and cut grass at all times. She speaks with a clear-cut Valley of the Four Winds slur that intensifies based on mood or inebriation, and is often a point of ridicule or note by those listening.

Personality Traits
Inquisitive. Loudmouthed. Borderline hedonistic with food and drink. Always tries to find a way to work food into a situation, especially to provoke, comfort or defuse. Easily embarrassed, but just as easily recovers. Defensive of those with which she forms a bond; always the first to greet a stranger with a meal or a welcoming smile (yet the hand of friendship can just as easily curl up into a fist of animosity). Fidgets quite a bit; hates staying in one place for too long. Often jumps into conversations concerning topics of which she has faint knowledge. Constantly questioning others about their histories or appearances, often without regard for tact. Prone to exaggeration and over-embellishment.

The Pandaren are renowned for their steadfast neutrality, but if given the order to choose between their two traditional philosophies Bakuzan would - even with her Alliance favoritism - choose the Huojin way of life. To Baku, apathy is the worst injustice one can perform; sitting around and daydreaming your life away while waiting for your fields to till themselves is inane and insulting.

General History
Pandaren are known for their generosity, but the Burlycloud family is the rare exception. Warring brothers divided their farmlands between growing hops and barley or tobacco - relatively unused before the Mists parted in anything except ceremonies - and their infighting, mismanagement and poor treatment of their farmhands had driven a lot of the ancestors of other Valley residents away in disgust. During her cubhood, Baku had mostly kept to her own family at the insistence of their stubborn hatred, so she wouldn't know many Pandaren family names offhandedly. Eventually, the Burlycloud infighting drove their line to near starvation in their isolation, and an arranged marriage between the Burlyclouds and Shinebarrels' youngest cubs was the only solution that in their desperation could piece together.When the Mists parted and the Mantid swarmed the Serpent's Spine at the insane Empress Shek'zeer's command, the rural village of Stoneplow was the first and last line of defense for the unprepared Valley. A nearby Shado-Pan regiment moved quickly to evacuate its residents, but Bakuzan's family were both too close to the initial crack in the Wall and much too stubborn to leave their precious farmland. Bakuzan herself paid a heavy price for this; in the midst of the chaos her mother was attacked and carried off by a Mantid footsoldier. Baku was defenseless to help - she grabbed onto the Mantid's leg and tried to free her mother, but was heavily injured in the attempt. The foul creature swung down at her with one of its kyparite weapons and struck her in the face, knocking her hard back down to the ground from the altitude they'd reached. Bakuzan then blacked out, and when she woke up, she was alone in Halfhill with no recollection of how she arrived. Her superficial wounds eventually healed over with minimal scarring, but her eye had been irreparably damaged - for all appearances and purposes, the socket in her eye had healed over with a large chunk of Kyparite lodged within in place of a functional eye. Bakuzan was instructed to stay in Halfhill until the Mantid were cleared out, and was eventually hired on as a farmhand for the Tillers to earn her keep when it became clear to the Mudclaws that such a thing wasn't going to happen so easily. After some-odd years of working in Halfhill, word spread that Shunryu Shinebarrel, her arranged future husband, had been seen alive in the mountains of Kun-Lai and was making his way back to the Valley.

Bakuzan starkly objected to this reunion, and thanks to a hasty retreat facilitated through the timely arrival of a travelling Alliance merchant ship, Bakuzan stowed away and ended up alone in Stormwind's massive shipyard. Enamored by this new land, she joined up with the races of the Alliance, registering as a citizen of Stormwind and setting out to make her own fortune.

Baku made a name for herself upon arriving in Stormwind working as a 'meatshield for hire'; a cubhood spent building her hardiness up on the farm has toughened her skin and strengthened her muscles, and she took great pleasure in using her abilities to earn a few coins for a round of brews. Bakuzan never had lofty goals to become a famous adventurer, or a respected commander, or even a well traveled explorer; she ended up being just the right person at the right time for when she was needed. Her initial dream of becoming a Stormwind Guard nearly had the Pandaren laughed out of the city gates; only after turning to wearing false sets of armor and narrowly avoiding arrest for impersonation of an officer did Bakuzan finally wise up and look for more profitable business ventures elsewhere. Bakuzan eventually returned to her oft-rejected roots, and spent most of her time either working on her humble farm growing cabbages and witchberries in the Heartland of the Valley of Four Winds, hovering around Stormwind harassing the citizenry, filing paperwork for her Company or furthering her odd druidic-esque method of plant manipulation.

Using her clout as a Tillers Council sub-member, earned through tireless dedication towards promoting the Pandaren culture, Bakuzan funded a small start-up after the events of the Tanaan Jungle invasion. Known as the Four Winds Trade Company, Baku seeks to form supply chains and deliveries to the front lines of Alliance battles in order to aid the war effort (and make quick coin while she's at it, by picking up side jobs and odd contracts from unorthodox clientele).

Appearances:

 * Invasion of Tanaan [ 625 K.C. ]
 * Tournament of Ages [ 625 K.C. ]
 * Army of the Truthful campaign [ 625 K.C. ]
 * Alexei's Trial [ 625 K.C. ]
 * Formation of the Light's Accord [ 625 K.C. ]
 * Honnoji's Return [ 625 K.C. ]

Bakuzan and the Strange Case of the Kyparite Eye
Bakuzan did not walk away unscathed from the initial swarm on Stoneplow - she sustained injuries to her face when she was struck by a Kyparite weapon, wielded by a Mantid footsoldier, as it was carrying off Baku's mother. The physical damages all but healed, except, strangely, her eye and the dead skin around it. For all intents and purposes, it appeared as though it'd been outright replaced with a Kyparite replica. For years, Bakuzan's left eye was a point of contention among her own kind and a curiosity for people who don't know her history. When confronted or mocked about it, there was no hesitation from the Pandaren in proving its functionality and uniqueness.

When looking at Baku from a distance, it almost looked as though her eye had been completely replaced with a false glass mock-up; fully functional despite its discoloration, Bakuzan never had issues with vision until overexertion and damage to it caused it to crack and splinter outward. After Company-related events in Uldum, her eye was damaged and subsequently repaired, but it appeared that its previous ability to unconsciously shield Bakuzan from harm with a spontaneous Kyparite shield when necessary had dissipated.

Present Day : Leaving the Whole World Blind
During the climax of an event in aiding a druid of Highguard, Bakuzan took a particularly nasty swipe from a saronite-plated undead wyrm, knocking her silly and finally fracturing her eye into irreparable shards - lost to the dry, dead earth of the Plaguelands forever. Coldmaul, a Draenei Artificer and member of the Ebon Blade, has arranged a deal with Bakuzan to replace the eye with a prosthetic - a Titanium/Cobalt apparatus, connected to the nerves in her brain, engineered and enchanted to allow her unhindered sight. This has been perfomed in exchange for compensated repairs to his trading vessels in all Jade Forest and Krasarang ports, along with a not-so-modest gold payment plan. So far, Bakuzan's been good on paying back the installments of this plan, dreading any sort of repossession that the Draenei may feel entitled to performing...

First Breath of the Four Winds
Upon Bakuzan's pilgrimage to Stoneplow, she was horrified to find her family homestead and its acres had been burned to the ground. After an untold time of kneeling in the blackened dirt, sobbing, she picked herself up to realize that the areas around the small village were littered with remnants of Alliance and Horde armaments alike; Baku then had a moment of brevity - the Alliance had attempted to aid her people ever since their untimely introduction on the Wandering Isle, going so far as to lay down their lives to amend the Sha situation they had unwittingly aided in unleashing. What had she done for them since arriving in Stormwind, other than sit on lightpoles and heckle passerby?

Nothing. Becoming a Stormwind Guard was a hopeless pipe dream; a waste of time - a farce, really. What was she going to protect? She couldn't protect her own family. Bakuzan rose off the ground and dusted herself off; mindlessly sifting through the rubble of her house, she finally retrieved an old shovel - the only thing she took from the wreckage - and set off towards the temple of the Black Ox, Niuzao, for meditation and self-reflection.

Upon arriving, Baku noticed the meager rations of the monks in training. They looked barren and bland; plain harvests from the Valley - brews, noodles, roasted fish, the occasional broth - but it filled up the trainees as if they were eating an entire banquet. That's when it hit her; Baku's way to aid the Alliance. Cooking for a handful of friends was one thing. Supplying meals to an entire army was definitely another. The disciples of Niuzao had given her many saying to reflect on during her stay in the temple; the saying that stood out the most hit Baku the hardest, as it spoke to her repressed feelings concerning her family's death -

 ' To fight out of fear or anger is to fight a war that never ends.'



Bakuzan could not continue to fight a war alone that had long since been over. The Mantid were all but wiped out; their Empress and murderous Klaxxi, deposed. There was no other way for Baku to move but forward; the path that lay ahead was one that she had tentatively stepped onto some time before - in service to the Grand Alliance that had so easily welcomed her in as one of their own.

After a period spent in meditation, Baku left the temple and headed for the first portal back to Stormwind. She had work to do. Many sleepless nights passed, and Bakuzan perfected, of all things, an instant noodle ration that Alliance infantry could keep with them for sustenance during long campaigns. Sure, a mage can magically conjure food with the Arcane arts, but nothing like what the Pandaren are capable of cooking - chiefly when its ingredients are enriched by Valley soil and Vale waters. When tested with late-night patrolling members of the Stormwind Guard, the meal was a resounding success - using the kit provided the 'customer' with a piping hot bowl of nutritious and filling noodles. The profit of these instant meals, in addition to the funding provided by the Tillers' Union and Bakuzan's witchberry near-monopoly, have aided in funding the Four Winds Trade Company operations. Bakuzan's instant meals continue to be produced at a local level in the Jade Forest and shipped out to Alliance encampments all across Azeroth; primarily in the Ashran territories, where they're a local favorite with Pandaren conscripts (for obvious reason).

Romance / Relationships
Bakuzan is currently engaged to Barsos Ironhide. A thick silver ring rests on her middle finger of her left hand, hand-forged from the metal dog tags he'd given her to wear as a token of affection. Bouts of nonprofessional behavior and general complaints by the populace - including 'mishaps' with unrefined Saronite ore - have lead her to reconsider his proposal on a near-daily basis, but the ring stays on, its presence unwavering - much like her steadfast love for the Dwarf.

On any given day, if you listen hard enough above the din of criers, recruiters or vendors in the Cathedral Square, you'll hear the sounds of a pair arguing; one, a varied-in-pitch female voice, speaking in an oft-admonishing tone, and the other, a ghostly echo, near-metallic, echoing eerily off the open walls of the Square and its Fountain. These two voices would be likely from none other than Bakuzan and her objectly confusing relationship with Barsos Ironhide, an undead Dwarven Ebon Knight and general multi-purpose criminal element. Their romance-tinged enmity with each other is nearly always displayed prominently by their offbeat conversations, filled with threats of casual violence, lewd language and raucous laughter.

A twice-risen Son of Ironforge and a displaced Pandaren Tiller. Who comes up with this stuff.

It's soon made abundantly clear that Bakuzan holds Barsos in high regard, tolerating his ridiculous (and sometimes illegal) antics in oft-swooning admiration of his physical strength, sporadic charms, dogged determination and pragmatism. The beard doesn't hurt, either. Barsos in return is steadfast in his role in protecting her from harm, referring to her as his 'Applebottom' (among other lewd and lascivious terms), and showering the hapless Pandaren in sporadic bouts of heavy-handed physical affections (much to the chagrin of anyone else within eyesight). Being able to fondle Baku's stubby tail every once in a while is more than enough incentive for him to stay around, apparently. After aiding in resurrecting him from the dead - again - Baku's not likely to let him wander off, and the two are nigh-inseparable.

While Barsos and Bakuzan generally respect each others' opinions, actions or mutual presence, arguments between the two can take any road viable; a casual disagreement can branch out from anywhere on a scale of 'playful slapfighting' to 'nuclear knock-down-drag-out'. More often than not their dramatic shouting quickly dissolves into passionate make-up make-outs and all is quickly forgiven. If you hear them squabbling, hit the dirt before their voices ramp up too high - for your own safety.

Otherwise, Baku has made several close friends during her adventures in Stormwind. She's generally friendly to everyone she meets during her outings; far from any prejudices towards appearance - even towards Death Knights. Knowing what it feels like to be alone in the city, Baku is more than willing to show around new visitors to Stormwind, or intervene when she deems it necessary when someone might be in trouble (or rarely, is the source of the trouble). Due to her rough-and-tumble, flighty and oft-obsessive demeanor, Baku's on a first name basis with many of Stormwind's inhabitants and visitors - for good or for worse.

The Shinebarrel Family
Meanwhile, Bakuzan unfortunately does have an arranged-marriage fiancee, Shunryu Shinebarrel, that absolutely repulses her. Not much is known about the Shinebarrel family at present - only that they were once a prominent source for materials grown in the Valley and used for production of Pandaren brews. Their granary has been destroyed in the Mantid raid on Stoneplow, and their fortunes scattered to the wind along with their product, and the once-prideful, snobby family members were forced to live as beggars; like the Burlyclouds, the Shinebarrels were not gun-shy about creating enemies in higher places, and to this day not a soul in the Valley can say either family name without a grimace or, at best, a look of pity. The youngest Shinebarrel, Shiyu-Nei, was sent off to the Eastern Kingdoms to train up her innate skills in the Arcane. Sources say the slovenly Shunryu can often be found sleeping under the steps of any bar in Pandaria. So far he hasn't found Bakuzan, and she's personally trying her hardest to keep it that way.

Combat
Despite the casual assumptions she gets thanks to her species, Bakuzan is not a traditional monk; as a cub, she had no patience for their renowned meditation techniques or spirituality. She spent her childhood on a farm lifting heavy barrels, eating sparsely and fighting off virmen and other pests, toughening up her body with the rigors of farmwork. At best, her fighting style can be boiled down to a stubborn refusal to die, supplemented by naturally augmented accelerated healing abilities. She rarely brute-forces her opponents out with pure strength; instead, she toughs it out until she's worn them down, and her innate healing allows her to shrug off most blows that would incapacitate lesser humanoids - at the expense of pure offense, Bakuzan favors a spongy, tanking defensive style of combat, allowing herself to be hit to spare others in harm's way. Despite Bakuzan's constant struggle to act as a responsible business owner and keep her rather raucous employees in line, she doesn't mind getting into spats when sufficiently irked - or inebriated - and won't hesitate to physically start a fight when incensed enough by way of insults to her species, her Company or her employees.

Since starting the Company, however, Bakuzan has taken to more of a backseat healing role; choosing to use her innate talents with plant life siphoning and redirection to aid her allies in battle instead of staying on the front lines. That's what bodyguards are for. When all else fails, Baku can always rely on her trusty shovel to bash the heads in of foes that get too close - just like whacking Vermin on the farm back home. When the Pandaren is in prime form, her Dirtbringer is a force to be reckoned with. Bakuzan rarely drinks alcohol, a somewhat rarity of her species, but when she does imbibe, her tolerance for pain skyrockets, turning the ordinarily-agreeable woman into a bulldozing berserker. Jade Witch Brew is Bakuzan's favored brew, made with witchberries grown on her own farmstead - it serves to clear her head and focus her plant-channeling, and as such is kept close by in the moderately-sized brew keg on her back.

As far as her healing goes, think in the terms of a restoration-focused druid, drawing upon powers of nature for healing, but in a much more rough-and-tumble fashion. Unlike followers of Remulos, those whom may show restraint out of respect or empathy for its life, Bakuzan will not hesitate to physically pull the life forces out of a nearby plant if necessary to imbue her allies with life-saving energies. She views them as a means to an end; much in a fashion to be expected by a Tiller-by-birth, plants are grown to be used in meaningful ways, not merely fawned over or coddled.

Due to her upbringing in the Valley and subsequent work as a farmhand, Bakuzan is attuned to the natural energies that flow from both the Mists and the magical Valley soil. Thanks to this, she has a special way with nearly all plants; more than just a green-thumb, she can 'understand' them, in a way; both to accelerate growth for her own gain, and to be used as siphons in healing batteries for others in dire situations. In addition, her resistance to and awareness of poisons and disease are greatly heightened. We're talking elephant tranquilizer dose sizes of poison or knockout materials to affect her. This is a Pandaren; they routinely drink until they can't stand up, and that's just the non-Tiller-oriented; you'll have to try pretty hard to knock Bakuzan on her ass.

Overall, the Bakuzan running the Company is much different than the Bakuzan that landed alone in Stormwind's harbor - she's much more likely to try and end disputes with a compromise or a cold shoulder. Smashing a potential contact in the face with her shovel doesn't bode well for business. Unfortunately, pride is still Baku's biggest downfall; when provoked she puts more into showmanship and bluffing than any actual combat, and due to lack of decent experience, odds are she'll trip or knock herself out first when sober. Despite said bravado and swaggering when finally pushed to violence, Bakuzan will never kill or seriously injure anyone she's in a fight with unless it's absolutely necessary for her own survival, or she's incredibly intoxicated and has no control of her faculties. She talks a mean game, but will absolutely not perform a killing blow unless she's backed into a corner, and often has to stop Barsos from doing so on her behalf.

Armaments
Baku made off with an old brew keg as a souvenir while visiting the Stormstout brewery. The keg is of medium size, made of old, tough Jade Forest-oriented wood and is durable with hard metal bands holding it together. Bakuzan carries it strapped in-between her shoulders by way of a complicated self-made mushan-leather harness. Anytime you 'see' her throwing a keg, it's this one! She yo-yos it back towards her with the decorative ribbon bands tied around the metal holding it together. Very tactical and practical. It's more often than not filled a third of the way with Jade Witch Brew, her pride and joy - but also a false bottom, carrying heavy weights for subtle endurance training. Most importantly, Baku unearthed a shovel in the burnt ruins of her family's farmstead; uncharred by the flames that took the small house, but still scuffed and worn from years of age, it's the only relic she was able to recover, and thus very important to her family's storied heritage. The underside of the handle is emblazoned with an ornate 'B'; the metal looks worn and rusted, and appears as if it would be extremely heavy to wield - but Baku is able to carry it as if it weighed nothing at all. If one were to look hard enough at the shovel's head and shaft, it glows an almost imperceptible green-white. Her best guess is decades of use in the nutritive Valley soil had imbued it to somehow never break or bend -- until Barsos Ironhide snapped it in two during an altercation in the Square. With equal parts affection and guilt, Barsos repaired the broken shovel, reforging the once-noble farm implement into a tool of horticultural destruction he since dubbed 'The Dirtbringer '. Made of thickly folded layers of pressed Titanium with an ironwood hilt, the spade has lost its green glow associated with the healthy farmlands of the Valley, but is infinitely more durable in terms of bashing baddies upside the noggin. Dwarven-smithed weapons are tools to be feared despite sometimes unorthodox appearances. The Dirtbringer is a prime example of such philosophy, moreover serving as a symbol for Barsos and Bakuzan's equally unorthodox relationship.

Bakuzan has recently begun carrying a secondary weapon; a scythe, symbolic of the Tillers' Union emblem. The tool was tempered in the Valley with an imported hardened adamantite blade and staff, and glows faintly with Valley energies in the same way her shovel once did. The handle and pole are sheathed in a light layer of Jade Forest bamboo, giving the illusion of it being much less durable than it is. What with hardened adamantite being one of very few known materials to combat saronite, it's quite obvious what the Pandaren keeps it around for...

In addition to her shovel and brew keg, Bakuzan always keeps a floating Thalassian planter next to her as a 'battery' in areas where reliable, healthy flora is scarce. Gifted by a well-meaning Elven ambassador, the admittedly garish planter was passed around from Tiller to Tiller with oh, I couldn'ts and please, I insists - until it ended up in Bakuzan's care. While trying to impress the Elves of the Highguard, it ironically ended up with her in the cockpit of their Silver Reaver during her capture, and quite possibly saved her life in the toxic environment of Tanaan with its life-giving air filtering. Since being rescued, the planter is kept at a manageable distance at all times, serving as an emotional and physical ballast for Bakuzan. She draws from it when there's no healthy flora, keeps fresh Valley soil in the bowl to aid in growth and will channel bioenergies from it in order to patch up her allies.

Musical Influences
Keep these in mind if you're actively interacting with Bakuzan; they help set the mood in context!
 * - ODESZA // Kusanagi [ MAIN ARRANGEMENT ]
 * - Jamiroquai // Soul Education [ MAIN THEME ]


 * - I Will Follow You Into the Dark // Death Cab for Cutie [ Theme of BARSOS & BAKUZAN ]
 * - Sly Cooper & The Thievius Raccoonus -Piranha Lake [ Theme of OI! DEY FIGHTIN'! ]
 * - OFF - Pepper Steak [ Theme of THE FOUR WINDS ARE UP TO SHENANIGANS ]


 * - Monokuma-Sensei's Lesson (Dangan Ronpa OST) [ Theme of DRUNK AGAIN... ]


 * - Happy Boy // Harrison[ Theme of THINKIN' BOUT BARSOS' RIPPLING DWARF ABS ]