TAI

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Real Name: Tai
Aliases: None
Identity: Secret Identity
Occupation: Taylor Foundation Support Staff (House Keeper)
Citizenship: Cambodian Citizen, With No Known Criminal Record
Place of Birth: Undisclosed location in Cambodia
Known Relatives: Miyami (Daughter, Deceased), Andrew Chord (Son In Law), Silhouette Chord (Grand Daughter), Julia Chord (Great Grand Daughter)
Group Affiliation: The Pact, New Warriors
First Appearance: Thor #411 (V1)
History: The depth of Tai’s origins begins with the roots of her family. Tai’s nomadic ancestors came across The Well of All Things, from which mystical energies erupted from a hole, had settled near the Well, and for decades constructed a temple around the dimensional breach. Tai’s ancestors discovered, through careful planning and breeding, one day, the disciples of the prophecies would control the incredible energies of the Well.

Centuries of meticulous breeding followed. Mates were chosen based on likened abilities and affinities for the mystical ways. The people lived a isolated, controlled and secure existence, safe in the knowledge that their society was working towards a worthwhile goal – the eventual domination of the world. By the time Tai was born, her generation of children had been able to control the mystical energies of the Well better than any generation before them. Tai grew up knowing that her generation would be the ones to bear the children of the Pact.

Tai gave birth to Miyami after the events of World War II. Tai knew that, as a part of the prophecy, her daughter (as well as the others) were to mate with men from the East. In 1966, a Unit of American Soldiers, known as the “Half-Fulls” composed of: Lt. Mark Conroy, Private Diego Casseas, Sgt. Andrew Chord, Lt. Daryl Taylor, Lt. Go Vin Ng, Private Collier Mack, all stumbled across the Temple of the Dragon’s Breadth. Tai, who had recently slaughtered everyone in her tribe, save for the daughters who would bear the children of the Pact, ensnared the troop of men. When Lt. Mark Conroy spat at Tai, she took his spit and used it to burn a symbol on his chest; a symbol that would be inherited by his son, Eric Conroy (better known as the Folding Circle member, Bloodstrike).

Daryl Taylor refused the offer, because he was already married. Tai blasted Daryl, rendering him unconscious; and instinctively, Conroy, Mack and Ng charged Tai, only to have her teleport away and strike from a distance, effortlessly rendering the other three unconscious. Andrew Chord begged Tai to stop, refusing to be a part of the attack, hoping Tai would spare his men. All agreed, save Daryl, and returned to the states with their new wives.

As the years passed, the other children of the Pact were born – Eric Conroy (Bloodstrike), Aaron Chord (Midnight’s Fire), Silhouette Chord (Silhouette), Min Li Ng (Silk Fever), Conrad Mack (Smiling Tiger). However, tragedy struck Diego Casseas’ child – his daughter, along with his wife, fell several floors, trapped within an elevator, that plummeted to the bottom, instantly killing Diego’s wife, and putting his daughter in a coma.

Diego Casseas became obsessed with arcane magic, believing he could find a way to manipulate magic and bring his wife back to life and awaken his daughter from her coma. For ten long years, Diego Casseas studied and practiced magic, traveling all over the world, to gain whatever knowledge he could about the arcane arts. In that time, he discovered a way to wrestling the Darkforce abilities that had been born within his daughter and captured it for himself, extracting her powers and bringing them into himself, so that his left hand glowed with the Darkforce.

Miyami, Tai’s daughter, fearful of Tai’s ultimate plans, faked her own death, and the death of her two children.

Believing his wife and two kids dead, Andrew Chord had wandered the world, eventually returning to the site of the temple of The Dragon’s Breadth, where he found Tai again. Realizing that the Pact was falling apart, Tai returned to America with Andrew Chord. Andrew reacquainted himself with Daryl Taylor, and became a member of Taylor’s growing business. Daryl even named Andrew as Dwayne’s Godfather, and as the years passed, Andrew became an ‘Uncle’ to Dwayne. However, it became time to try and replace the deceased children of Andrew Chord, with that of Daryl’s son, Dwayne. Tai demanded that Andrew kill Dwayne’s parents; and when Andrew refused, Tai used magic to control Andrew’s actions. So, while Andrew was not in control of himself, he was still aware of the actions he committed as he walked up and gunned down Dwayne’s parents in front of his eyes. Tai then used her magic to scramble and alter Dwayne’s memory of the event, making Dwayne believe it had been a robbery that had gone wrong.

Andrew Chord adopted Dwayne Taylor and helped him as he grew older. It was Andrew who provided Dwayne with the weapons and armor, and trained him relentlessly, perhaps preparing him for the fight of his life against Tai, that he knew would one day come.

Under Tai’s guidance, Dwayne formed the New Warriors, which consisted of himself (as Night Thrasher), the mutants Firestar and Marvel Boy, the Atlantian Namorita, the bubbling Speedball, and the intergalactic hero, Nova. Together, they faced everything from the Punisher, to Terrax, to the Forces of Nature and everything in between.

Later, when Dwayne was investigating Taylor Foundation, he found evidence that he believed led to corruption within the company. Chasing the leads down, it eventually led to Andrew Chord, who – overcome with guilt about what he had done to Dwayne’s parents – attempted to take his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. He was immediately rushed to the hospital by Marvel Boy, who used his telekinesis to move him.

Hearing of Andrew’s suicide attempt, Miyami came back to see if Andrew was all right. Unfortunately, Tai sensed her daughter’s presence and tracked her down to a restaurant, where she learned that her daughter’s death had clearly been fabricated, as well as that of her two children. When Tai asked what Miyami had done with her children, she explained she had left them in Chinatown – that’s when Tai realized who her children were – none other than Sihouette and Midnight’s Fire. Tai then proceeded to kill her own daughter by rendering her flesh apart with razor sharp talons.

While Silhouette was visiting Andrew Chord in the hospital, Tai attempted to kill Silhouette, fearful that the Pact would be ruined. But before doing so, Tai revealed that she had also killed Silhouette’s mother, who happened to be Tai’s daughter. Silhouette survived the attack, by shadow melting at the last moment. Tai then used her own magic to save Chord’s life, telling him to tell the New Warriors that if they wanted to save Dwayne’s life, they’d have to come to her – at the temple of the Dragon’s Breadth.

During all this, Diego Casseas, who adopted the name The Left Hand, had recruited and formed the Folding Circle. The two teams came to a head at the Temple. Tai manages to capture both the New Warriors and the Folding Circle, in which she revealed to Dwayne that she had manipulated Chord into convincing Dwayne to form the New Warriors – for one purpose alone – to be sacrificial lambs to the Well of All Things; the Prophecy speaks that there must be a willing sacrifice for it to come together. Dwayne explains none of them would ever willingly help Tai; to which Tai explained she’d be glad to torture the members of the New Warriors until Dwayne was willing to jump into the Well to spare them.

Silhouette manages to shadow melt and stun Tai for a brief moment; which is enough time for the Folding Circle and New Warriors to break free of Tai’s hold. However, Tai escapes to the Well, stepping inside of its energies; allowing her to strike down several members of both teams in single strikes, taking them out. The few who escape, regroup and press the attack after a moment. Tai endures a great many assortment of assaults, ranging from Night Thrasher’s spike across the face, Midnight Fire’s blade through her abdomen, Left Hand’s dark touch on her brain; all of it manages to weaken her, but not kill her. Tai manages to grab Diego and Dwayne and is about to throw them down the Well, when Night Thrasher pulls out a machine gun, and puts it against her stomach and pulls the trigger. Tai, Night Thrasher and Left Hand all fall into the Well, but Night Thrasher is saved by Nova at the last moment.

The Well begins spitting out all kinds of energy, before finally pulling in the temple, and collapsing into itself. Both Tai and Left Hand perish.

Height: 5’10”
Weight: 165 lbs.
Eyes: Black
Hair: Black

Powers: Tai had mastered control over several form of Mystical Arts, that allowed her to do an assortment of things. Through magic, she was able to teleport, move at great speeds, control her body’s density, turn to mist, heal herself and others, as well as other such powers as blasts of powerful magic that could do a variety of effects, from rendering someone unconscious to killing them. She was also, through magic, able to shape shift her body (most notably her hands), where she would often extend her finger nails into vicious talons that were capable of easily rendering flesh apart.