Li-Ming

Though the mages who taught her were reticent and unwilling to wantonly employ magic, they were quite capable of defending themselves. Starting with spells to create slashing blades and piercing bolts of force, the repertoire also expands into the typical fireballs and lightning bolts seen from casters throughout literature. Where she stands above her peers is her continued pursuit of particularly destructive brands of magic. Arcane rays that violently break apart matter, magical whirlwinds and showers of ice or magically conjured meteors all expand on her capacity to bring calamity against a foe and each requiring an expenditure of the arcane power all wizards in Sanctuary must wrangle at some risk to their bodies. A spell she picked up from her first teacher allows her to conjure a twisting mass of elemental serpents into being to harass an enemy by spitting bolts of fire about, though they're immobile and have a somewhat limited range they're still occasionally useful.

The power to manipulate time and space itself is an ambitious, dangerous ability and even a rebellious wizard like herself is forced to admit her understanding is far from complete. Still, she has garnered some use from this; the ability to teleport foremost among these. She can instantly travel to an unoccupied point within fifty yards that isn't obstructed or warded. She cannot, for instance, teleport into a sealed vault unless there is a physical pathway available into it. Failure will most often place her against the obstruction blocking her access. She can also generate pockets of distorted time that slow people or objects that enter, though a strong enough will can almost completely ignore the effect. Finally, she's able to violently distort space in such a way that it can emulate, though not quite replicate the effects of a black hole. She has taken some interest in the work of the archmage Vyr and his studies of the tremendous power of the arcane being known as the Archon.

Nephalem, a byproduct of the union of angel and demon, are simply more capable than even the most accomplished mortals of Sanctuary. The destruction of the Worldstone awakened their potential once again, perhaps allowing them to rival the powers of their ancestors, whose power originally dwarfed angels and demons alike. While physiologically identical to a human, nephalem are typically stronger, smarter and their feats of endurance can be unsettling to their peers as they're often noted going long periods without food or sleep with no ill effects. While resistant to the corruption that comes from dealing directly with death and hellish powers personified, they certainly aren't immune.

While her power has grown since she began her quest, battling the denizens of heaven and hell across Sanctuary, looting ancient tombs and raiding strange pocket dimensions has yielded a tremendous bounty of gear. In her travels, she's learned that relying completely on magical power, in spite of her almost arrogant confidence, could easily lead to a very ugly death. Rather than her lightweight robes, she's incorporated actual armor into her outfit. In a pinch, when she's truly pressed and desperate, she also carries a sword. While she can also use the blade as a focus to cast through, it mostly sees use in close quarters. Though her level of skill in melee combat is nothing compared to her years of training with magic, she is basically proficient with the sword she chooses to carry. NPC mooks don't stand a chance! PC's with any level of skill, however, will have the upper hand.

Even the well equipped are not always wearing their armor and Li-Ming began her quest with little more than the clothes on her back. She survived because of protective magic both formally taught and cobbled together on her own. She can conjure shields of ice or barriers of protective arcane energy, both requiring some of the power she might otherwise use offensively. She can actively defend with blasts of frost to immobilize an aggressor or pulses of force to knock away some projectiles she might be prepared to defend against, though such spells make further use of her reserves of power and would of course limit her ability to retaliate immediately. Finally, her last method for defense is a spell she mastered before ever leaving Caldeum. She can create two identical illusory copies of herself that can act independently from her, though they cause no actual harm by attacking and are destroyed by any hostile contact. However, the spell lasts only seconds and cannot be used repeatedly.

Whether by her nature or good fortune, Li-Ming was aided from the start by her ability to see magic laid bare before her as plainly as someone may read written script. By being able to see magical currents she can even be called upon to deconstruct a relatively recent spellcasting, though the window to gain specific information is relatively short. Finally, she can pull upon background magic to enhance the potency and scale of her spells, essentially channeling unsafe amounts of arcane power through her body and applying that excess to a task to finish it quickly and oftentimes spectacularly. Such as conjuring a storm or breaking open an underground aquifer to refill a dry well. However, time and intense concentration are required and there is a very real risk of that excess power causing unintended injury, death or longer lasting harm. Should she be required to challenge herself and reach out to attempt something so dramatic, Edge use would be required even in favorable circumstances.

After being destroyed, Zoltun Kulle was reduced to a spectral, ghostlike form that allows him relative freedom to manifest nearly anywhere he likes. Mostly, he chooses to lurk near other nephalem, offering condescension, complaint and unwelcome advice. For everyone to hear. There's also nothing stopping him from potentially revealing sensitive information to the wrong people at the wrong time. Though, on rare occasions, he's actually helpful. What he wants, truly, is anyone's guess.

From a young age, Li-Ming has always tried her best to lend aid wherever it may be needed. Even now, after her magic has caused almost as much trouble as she's helped to address, she remains undeterred. She'll lend aid even if it causes friction or conflict, even if the people she's helping are mistrustful.

Though her desire to help people is very much alive and probably her strongest motivator, she has grown to rely very heavily on the use of force to accomplish her goals. Whether it's prying ancient artifacts from the grip of long dead kings, smashing through cults or razing the place she spent her childhood Li-Ming has done violence to others to make it all happen. She's not proud, nor is she grimly penitent; it's a means to an end and she is quicker than some to lash out with all her fury to make what she wants to happen a reality.

Li-Ming is, very much like the nephalem and wizards before her, constantly seeking to further her understanding of the world and the arcane arts. This thirst for knowledge has demonstrated her lack of regard for her own safety as well as the ethical constraints placed upon her by her former peers on a number of occasions and even indirectly led to the death of a close friend. Despite her understanding of the risk, she presses on to ever greater heights of power and has even expressed interest in defying the concept of death. This could lead others to doubt her motives or draw unwanted attention from powers far greater than herself.

While her fear isn't debilitating, even the hint of the presence of spiders is enough to cause her great discomfort and anxiety. She's seen death, violence and the worst horrors the Burning Hells could muster but nothing quite bothers her like a simple spider. Monstrous, gigantic or even fiendish spiders are almost easier to deal with, perhaps but she's as likely to balk at a spider haunted hellpit as she is a dusty old basement littered with cobwebs. Moreover, people that keep or revere spiders will earn little more than revulsion from her.