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Zhōu Wěi Gāng (周伟刚, / dʒoʊ weɪ ɡɑːŋ/ joh-way-ghong) is a Shi vagrant living in the Westside neighborhood of New Vegas in 2281.
Background[]
Early life[]
Zhōu was born in Chinatown in the city of San Francisco, California on November 15, 2218 to Zhōu Chāo, a Shi Palace guard, and Chén Yàn, a fishwife. As the son of a Shi Palace guard, he enjoyed an affluent childhood (especially for the wasteland) and was taught to hold a healthy distrust for the Hubologists, despite being generally accepting of other outsiders. He was quite a bright child, but he did not care for technology like most other Shi. Being taught any science whether it was biology, chemistry or physics bored him tremendously; his teacher refused to teaching him any further to save himself the effort when he realized his pupil would rather daydream about Chinatown martial artists than study organelles, redox reactions or forces. When Wěi Gāng delivered the news of his scientific disinterest and being rejected by his educator, his father was disappointed but understood Wěi Gāng's motives; the path of a martial artist is one of dedication, honor, humility, perseverance, and respect – plus, Wěi Gāng would continue in the footsteps of his father as a Steel Palace guard.
Chāo spoke to Head Adviser Ken Lee and arranged for Wěi Gāng to be taught the martial disciplines of wǔshù, in hopes that he would join his father one day in protecting the Shi and their Emperor. Wěi Gāng approached learning the wǔshù style of Caijia Quan with unbelievable devotion, significantly more than any science; every movement he made in training increased his strength, stamina and flexibility, and he become an incredibly capable martial artist. His sīfu and other accomplished martial artists stated that Wěi Gāng was a very promising student. With over nine years of training and conditioning, his martial capabilities grew to the level of his sīfu and even surpassed his father.
Palace guard[]
When Zhōu was nineteen, he passed the trials to become an official guard of the Steel Palace; he more than proved his capabilities as a martial artist and, more importantly, demonstrated his loyalty to the Shi Emperor by executing a man who attempted to bribe the Emperor's Head Adviser. From then on, he guarded the Steel Palace with his life making sure threats, no matter how small, did not make it to the Emperor, Ken Lee, or other Shi officials.
In 2242, a tribal wearing a blue jumpsuit came to Chinatown and entered the Steel Palace. His pale complexion and round eyes made him stick out like a sore thumb, so Zhōu kept a close eye on him. The tribal entered Ken Lee's office and Zhōu followed in suit. While standing by the door, hand on sword, he overheard the conversation between the tribal and Ken, especially their discussion about the Brotherhood of Steel. The tribal left the office shortly after the discussion ended and Zhōu followed him out. Zhōu stood by the door to Ken's office along with another guard, his friend Guō Mǐn; he said something to Guō out of passing, musing that the Shi and Brotherhood of Steel have such similar goals, they might as well join into one force and save the wasteland together.
Later that night, while Zhōu was sleeping, Guō approached Head Adviser Ken and brought up the musings about a Shi-Brotherhood merging. Ken interpreted Zhōu's idea as a lapse in loyalty to the Emperor and the Shi as a whole; the Shi would never lower themselves to the level of such backwards tech hoarders. It was obvious that Zhōu's heart was not entirely dedicated to the Shi. Likely being a Brotherhood agent and having deceived the Emperor for five years, Ken ordered Zhōu's execution for treason. Believing Zhōu would never harm his friend, Ken ordered Guō to personally execute him, which would double as a loyalty test. Because of his keen ear, Zhōu was awoken from his sleep by Ken and Guō's mumblings. He was fully awoken when Guō entered his room; seeing his friend's sword drawn, Zhōu responded in suit and a clash of steel ensued between the two friends. Zhōu's training, however, proved to be advantageous in the clash, allowing him to disarm Guō and escape the Steel Palace.
On the run in Westside[]
Zhōu ran from the palace, through Chinatown and out of San Francisco altogether. Knowing the Shi would send spies and assassins after him, he continued running everywhere he could, taking care not to attract attention to himself or leave evidence of his stays. He wandered as a vagrant all over California and Nevada, to Redding, Modoc, Vault City and Gecko, sometimes staying months at a time before leaving to live off the wasteland. He continued his vagrancy further west into Nevada.
In 2252, exhausted, dehydrated and starving, he had all but lost hope in surviving until he saw the beacon of the Lucky 38 and the glow of New Vegas crest over the hills. Zhōu pressed on, following the beacon toward civilization. He wandered into the neighborhood of Westside, where a man named Judah Kreger took the vagrant into his home and cared for him back to health. Since then, Zhōu has been a permanent facet to Westside, fending off Fiends and other undesirables in return for food and shelter. No Shi assassins have shown up in Westside, so Zhōu intends to stay in the neighborhood until he is pushed out by his past.
Appearance and abilities[]
Zhōu is rather small in stature, standing at 5 feet, 7 inches (1.7 meters) and weighing 145 pounds (66 kilograms) and his physique is thin, yet muscular. He has a wiry and patchy mustache and goatee, and is also balding which has formed a grey cul-de-sac. Zhōu also wears eyeglasses for myopia (nearsightedness).
Having trained his body since he was twelve years old – more than 50 years – Zhōu is an adept martial artist, proficient with lightweight blades and hand to hand combat, specializing in low stances, swift footwork and rapid strikes. He is deceptively strong and agile, striking similar to a snake. Coming from a highly technological society like the Shi has trained Zhōu to be more than proficient with energy-based weaponry. His years on the run have also taught him how not be seen and even blend into crowds if need be.
Not for lack of trying, but Zhōu is not very diplomatic and will usually resort to force to deter danger if a problem cannot be solved without bloodshed. Because he is elderly, people sometimes dismiss or don't take him seriously, resulting in them trying to take advantage of him.
Equipment[]
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items | On death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wasteland settler outfit Eyeglasses |
Kuàisù fēng (快速風, "Swift Wind") PPK12 Gauss pistol |
2mm EC (72) 12 bottle caps |
Zhōu amulet "Scribbles" |
Weapons[]
A swordsman is just a man unless he has a sword; Zhōu has had his, Kuàisù fēng, since he was 19 years old. Kuàisù fēng is a high carbon steel jian with a decorative imperial guardian lion pressed into the cross guard. Even if disarmed, his body can also be considered a dangerous weapon. However, for times when getting up close and personal is not feasible, Zhōu also has a PPK12 Gauss pistol.
Apparel[]
To blend in with wasteland denizens, Zhōu wears simple and worn clothing with dirty cotton wrappings around his arms and legs. He still has his old Steel Palace guard uniform, but he keeps that hidden from public view out of paranoia. He also wears simple black wire spectacles to compensate for his deteriorating sight.
Miscellaneous[]
Zhōu spent much of his time on the run writing in a diary of his experiences in the wasteland and what remains of the diary is in his pocket. Also in his pocket is an round and ornate, gold and red amulet with the mark of the Zhōu family (周) pressed into it.
Personality[]
Zhōu is generally wary of newcomers and strangers on account of his troubled past. To people that he knows will bring him no harm, he is very personable even if he can be soft spoken. Once Zhōu gets to know someone, he will treat them like family. He is not one to go looking for trouble and is confrontational only when the safety of Westside (or wherever he may be at the time) is threatened.
Because of his age, he likes to believe he is a source of wisdom and reverence. Above all else, he values respect, in addition to humility, perseverance, and discipline; as such, he is a very respectful, humble, and disciplined man with a well-developed sense of duty and honor. Everything he does is in an effort to honor his family and revert the damage that sullied his family reputation when he escaped execution.
Theme song[]
Qinghia-Tibet Plateau