History
Pre-Omniverse:
[spoiler]China was 'born' in a strange and fantastical world, filled to the brim with magic and supernatural beings... the only problem was that magic was notoriously difficult to learn, which meant that only a select few could really master it, and even then it almost invariably required decades of rigorous study. Inevitably, these elite individuals ended up as the planet's ruling class, whilst the lower orders waited on them hand and foot.
China was created many, many years ago by one such high-class individual, an Archmage whose speciality was what he liked to call 'Generation Magic'; a cross between Life Magic, Summoning Magic, and Enchantment Magic. It allowed him to imbue inanimate objects and animate life forms with all sorts of magical energies, shaping them and binding them to his will.
China was originally an old, cracked Ming vase, which he found sitting in one of his closets whilst drunk one night; he had invited over some friends and acquaintances for a party he was hosting, and had decided to entertain the ladies by showing off his skills, so was on the lookout for any random objects he didn't need anymore. He ended that night sharing a bed with a Witch forty-two years his junior; a sprightly young lass of only sixty-seven, she was.
In the meantime, 'the Ceramic Beast', as his master had christened him, spent the night wandering around and interacting with the master's other creations, and was given the name 'China' by them, since his full title (like the rest of the names the old man was fond of giving) was too much effort to use in casual conversation. It didn't take him long to realise that he was firmly at the bottom of the pecking order, though... even amongst the rest of those his master had made whilst utterly wasted.
Fine china may be beautiful, but it's hardly renowned as being the most effective weapon of war. Compared to the solid steel titans, vastly muscled demonic horrors, mysterious oaken sentinels and various and sundry other awe-inspiring beings, China was all but worthless. Thus, it came as no surprise to anyone when the Archmage booted him out of the house a few weeks later; Mages often warred amongst themselves, and the master didn't need any weaklings slowing his army down.
From there he wandered aimlessly all across the world, usually being chased off in short order by humans or more powerful beasts whenever he sought to settle, until at last he found a large, dense forest filled only with small and weak animals; it was perfect for him. He hunted there, very, very slowly growing more confident as he became acclimatised to his new home. It even got to the point where occasionally he would snatch something tasty from one of the nearby fields as well, when he was sure no one would spot him stealing their livestock.
Before long, the people of the nearby village grew tired of this thief, whom they assumed to be just another human, and began sending in small search parties to root him out... this proved to be a mistake, though, as they were but farmers, armed with nothing more dangerous than scythes and pitchforks. Attacking by dropping rocks from the trees above or by leaping out from the bushes, he was able to take them by surprise and slaughter them every time, usually without taking so much as a scratch...
And soon, China developed a taste for human flesh.
The forest was avoided altogether from that point on, the peasants calling it a cursed place... and as time passed, the rumours only grew as they were recounted, until they were all convinced that hordes of ferocious beasts lurked within those trees...
Eventually, the people's descendants grew fearful enough to hire a Mage, under the impression that whatever dwelled there could come out and slaughter them all on a whim... this man they paid was no Archmage, as the master had been, but he was exceptionally powerful for his age – no more than thirty-eight! – and a master of Celestial-Style Summoning Magic. In an attempt at showing off his awe-inspiring powers, as such young'uns are prone to doing, the man called forth a colossal, flying, Seige-Type Angel, hundreds of meters wide, its unfurled wings and sharp, inhuman body filling the sky in every direction, as it prepared to attack.
It was an utterly absurd level of overkill. There was absolutely nothing China, the weakest of his master's creations, could possibly do but watch, as it spat forth an orb of Divine Light, bright enough to incinerate the entire forest, along with any unfortunate man-eaters hiding within...
A fraction of a second before he ought to have died, though, that universe vanished from his sight, and a very confused Ceramic Beast found himself face-to-face with Omni...
Note on Timings:
He doesn't know this, due to not being intelligent enough to track time properly, but China spent several decades wandering before settling down in the forest, then over one hundred and fifty years living there, before being taken by Omni.[/spoiler]
Omniverse:
Arrival, Departure - In which China appears in the Omniverse, then immediately heads through a random gate.
Minds don't Matter (travel post) - In which China sees some smoke and approaches it, looking for food.
Mind vs Matter - In which China tries to eat some foods that are stronger than him, and gets beaten up and enslaved.
A-Myst the Forest - In which China meets more foods and gets punched in the face after trying to eat one.
Pacing Themselves - In which China crosses the big white place, again, and heads through another gate.
This Thing Don't Look So Tough (in progress) - In which China & Co visit a gloomy little city...
Pre-Omniverse:
[spoiler]China was 'born' in a strange and fantastical world, filled to the brim with magic and supernatural beings... the only problem was that magic was notoriously difficult to learn, which meant that only a select few could really master it, and even then it almost invariably required decades of rigorous study. Inevitably, these elite individuals ended up as the planet's ruling class, whilst the lower orders waited on them hand and foot.
China was created many, many years ago by one such high-class individual, an Archmage whose speciality was what he liked to call 'Generation Magic'; a cross between Life Magic, Summoning Magic, and Enchantment Magic. It allowed him to imbue inanimate objects and animate life forms with all sorts of magical energies, shaping them and binding them to his will.
China was originally an old, cracked Ming vase, which he found sitting in one of his closets whilst drunk one night; he had invited over some friends and acquaintances for a party he was hosting, and had decided to entertain the ladies by showing off his skills, so was on the lookout for any random objects he didn't need anymore. He ended that night sharing a bed with a Witch forty-two years his junior; a sprightly young lass of only sixty-seven, she was.
In the meantime, 'the Ceramic Beast', as his master had christened him, spent the night wandering around and interacting with the master's other creations, and was given the name 'China' by them, since his full title (like the rest of the names the old man was fond of giving) was too much effort to use in casual conversation. It didn't take him long to realise that he was firmly at the bottom of the pecking order, though... even amongst the rest of those his master had made whilst utterly wasted.
Fine china may be beautiful, but it's hardly renowned as being the most effective weapon of war. Compared to the solid steel titans, vastly muscled demonic horrors, mysterious oaken sentinels and various and sundry other awe-inspiring beings, China was all but worthless. Thus, it came as no surprise to anyone when the Archmage booted him out of the house a few weeks later; Mages often warred amongst themselves, and the master didn't need any weaklings slowing his army down.
From there he wandered aimlessly all across the world, usually being chased off in short order by humans or more powerful beasts whenever he sought to settle, until at last he found a large, dense forest filled only with small and weak animals; it was perfect for him. He hunted there, very, very slowly growing more confident as he became acclimatised to his new home. It even got to the point where occasionally he would snatch something tasty from one of the nearby fields as well, when he was sure no one would spot him stealing their livestock.
Before long, the people of the nearby village grew tired of this thief, whom they assumed to be just another human, and began sending in small search parties to root him out... this proved to be a mistake, though, as they were but farmers, armed with nothing more dangerous than scythes and pitchforks. Attacking by dropping rocks from the trees above or by leaping out from the bushes, he was able to take them by surprise and slaughter them every time, usually without taking so much as a scratch...
And soon, China developed a taste for human flesh.
The forest was avoided altogether from that point on, the peasants calling it a cursed place... and as time passed, the rumours only grew as they were recounted, until they were all convinced that hordes of ferocious beasts lurked within those trees...
Eventually, the people's descendants grew fearful enough to hire a Mage, under the impression that whatever dwelled there could come out and slaughter them all on a whim... this man they paid was no Archmage, as the master had been, but he was exceptionally powerful for his age – no more than thirty-eight! – and a master of Celestial-Style Summoning Magic. In an attempt at showing off his awe-inspiring powers, as such young'uns are prone to doing, the man called forth a colossal, flying, Seige-Type Angel, hundreds of meters wide, its unfurled wings and sharp, inhuman body filling the sky in every direction, as it prepared to attack.
It was an utterly absurd level of overkill. There was absolutely nothing China, the weakest of his master's creations, could possibly do but watch, as it spat forth an orb of Divine Light, bright enough to incinerate the entire forest, along with any unfortunate man-eaters hiding within...
A fraction of a second before he ought to have died, though, that universe vanished from his sight, and a very confused Ceramic Beast found himself face-to-face with Omni...
Note on Timings:
He doesn't know this, due to not being intelligent enough to track time properly, but China spent several decades wandering before settling down in the forest, then over one hundred and fifty years living there, before being taken by Omni.[/spoiler]
Omniverse:
Arrival, Departure - In which China appears in the Omniverse, then immediately heads through a random gate.
Minds don't Matter (travel post) - In which China sees some smoke and approaches it, looking for food.
Mind vs Matter - In which China tries to eat some foods that are stronger than him, and gets beaten up and enslaved.
A-Myst the Forest - In which China meets more foods and gets punched in the face after trying to eat one.
Pacing Themselves - In which China crosses the big white place, again, and heads through another gate.
This Thing Don't Look So Tough (in progress) - In which China & Co visit a gloomy little city...