A note on dates

Throughout the Empire, people follow the Divine Era system of date notation which is counted from the establishment of the Common Law by Emperor Samut Sardakan. We are now in 1657 DE. Any date before the establishment of the Common Law is counted backwards from that day with a suffix BDE (Before Divine Era).

The tribal people of Amara, on the other hand, believe in cyclical time. According to them, time repeats itself in cycles called Yug. They place the present at year 663 of the Second Yug.



For an empire the size of this one, it is difficult for a historian like me to pick one day and say that was the beginning of it all. Should I consider the establishment of the Middle Kingdom as the seminal date? Or is it when the Tashi Republic unconditionally surrendered to the forces of Nakumoro Sardakan? There are many views on this matter. For me, personally, the coronation of Miaji Sardakan is perhaps the definitive beginning of the days of the Empire. This was 127 BDE.

Miaji, at the time of his coronation, was just 12. His father, the great general Nakumoro, had succumbed to the White Fever just the previous year. It is ironic that the legendary warrior who single-handedly conquered the three kingdoms finally went to the beyond in such a mundane fashion. With his death, the vassal nobles were sure that the newly founded Heavenly Kingdom would disintegrate through civil wars. But they hadn’t counted on the intervention of the mages - the Sendars as they are officially known. (See further below for a concise history of the Sendars.)

The Sendars used their considerable influence over the people to bring them in line. For reasons known only to them, the Sendars threw their lot in with the boy-king. The Mahdi - the head of the Sendars - proclaimed the young boy to be an aspect of the Creator himself. This attribution of divine prerogative to rule - this was something completely new to the people. And coming from the mouth of ones who cannot lie, the proclamation was received with religious fervor among the populace. The son of their celebrated general was none other than the Divine Father! This gave the throne a legitimacy undreamed of by previous monarchs.

Miaji embarked on a complete consolidation period. During his reign, the lands of the old three kingdoms were divided into smaller administrative prefectures. Each region was governed by a Prefect, and the prefects deferred to the provincial governors. The governors were ultimately answerable to the Emperor. By setting up an efficient bureaucratic system very early, the Empire was able to form a stable and powerful base.

Miaji’s son, Samut, succeeded his reformist father. Almost from the first year, the new Emperor exhibited the military genius and drive of his grandfather. Under his rule, the borders of the Empire expanded to include the desert lands of the fierce Tarrmen, the lush plains of the Ryanians and even the cold northern regions of the Balenians. And, unlike his grandfather, Samut was not just a conquering machine. He understood the inherent threat in any multicultural political entity. Thus, with the help of the Sendars, Samut put down the Common Law - a rigid constitution that ensured cultural and religious freedom to the people as long as they recognized the divinity of the Emperor and the primacy of the Sendars.

The establishment of the Common Law ushered in a new golden age for the Empire. The conquered people brought with them their own culture and traditions, their arts and ideas. It resulted in an explosion of literature and art. Calligraphy thrived and so did the arts of philosophy and discourse. Debate podiums were set up in many places, especially near the markets, that encouraged people of different ideas and faiths to debate in a non-violent but no less intense fashion. The court rituals became even more refined. Science and engineering flourished with the Emperor’s patronage. The Temple of the Sendars became a major center of study. Advances in farming and warfare, in economy and administration, and in governance, helped the Empire retain stability while small states rose and failed around it, only to be gobbled up by the ever expanding Empire.

Today, nearly 1700 years after the coronation of Miaji, the people of the Empire live the most comfortable lives. The Tarrmen in the desert are content because they don’t have to fight for water anymore. The Balenians are not amazed anymore that they can eat fish that was caught thousands of miles away from a distant ocean. The Ryanians have amalgamated their strong religion with the Emperor cult, making him yet another deity in their endless pantheon of gods. There is not a single prefecture within the Empire where regular prayers for the Emperor’s health are not held. The current monarch is Emperor Baishu Sardakan, who rules from the Crystal Throne in the beautiful capital city of Candorin.



Mana is a concept as old as life. Mana is the force of life that flows through every element in the universe. And throughout mankind’s history, there have been those few who are born with the ability to sense the mana. These people have been called many names - magicians, mages, wizards, witches. Every land has them. They can be seen practicing herbal healing or dispensing good advice. They were either advisors or teachers.

Mahdi Rudar Sya is often considered to be the first Sendar. He lived so many years ago that any story about him is bound to be a highly warped and distorted image of the truth. It is said that he made the once lush plains of Tarr into a desert in his anger by sucking all the water from there and dumping it to create the Sea of Storms. Naturally, such stories must be taken with a heavy helping of salt.

But there are a few facts about Rudar Sya that we can all agree upon. Namely, it was he who set up the Shrine of Elements - the Nogundai - on the banks of the Geerath river that flows through Candorin. It was he who brought together the eastern mages under this roof and established the Sendar Order. The word ‘sendar’ apparently meant ‘servant’ in the Old Tongue. But today, that word stands for power and piety.

The Sendars were initially a group of reclusive monks who were content to investigate the abstract nature of life sequestered in their Nogundai. People would seek them out for knowledge, for advice, for cures. Though these monks tried to keep the world out, the world wanted their guidance.

It was under Mahdi Visan Duran that the Sendars grew to become a moral authority. They officiated weddings, mediated separations, negotiated truces and generally made themselves indispensable to the society.

People fear what they do not understand, and the Sendars were far beyond anyone’s comprehension. In 534 BDE, the Shrine of Elements was put to the torch (not for the first time) and the Sendars were forced to seek exile. It was during this period the Sendars decided to take up what is now known as the Purity Vows: to never use the power of the mana to kill unless in self-defence; to never speak a word of falsehood; and to never seek a throne or any other form of political power. The vows were a masterstroke. By making these vows public (and by making them binding with the help of the mana), the Sendars managed to assuage most of the fears. Kings and Queens sought them for their knowledge, secure in the fact that they would never seek political power. The Sendars began to reemerge, stronger than before.

By 100 BDE, the Sendars had reestablished themselves in Candorin. The Nogundai was rebuilt. This time, it was no mere shrine. It was a massive temple complex straddling the Geerath - a symbol of power and divinity. At the time of the coronation of Miaji, there were nearly ten thousand Sendars in the land. Today, they are three times that many.

While the Sendars never sought to rule, they also never missed an opportunity to pull strings. While the Sendars never lied, they never missed an opportunity to twist the truth. Over the past thousand years, the Sendars have overseen so many political maneuvers that they now have a reputation. People still respect them, still treat them just one step below the Emperor. But unlike the Emperor, the Sendars don’t enjoy unbridled adoration. They are known as scheming magicians, capable of twisting your own words to suit their needs. If you shook hands with a Sendar, a saying goes, you always counted your fingers afterwards.



The thick forests covering the newly discovered lands in the west are collectively called Tengsho Forest by the people of the Empire. The word ‘tengsho’ means ‘dark’ in the Old Tongue. The same forest is called home by the people of Amara.

The Amara are a brown-skinned people who are, on an average, shorter than the Imperials. They claim to have inhabited these forests for two thousand years. Since no written records are kept among the Amara, there is no way to validate this claim.

The tribals worship nature as a mother goddess. They call her Uru and live in the belief that when Uru wakes, their life-dream would end. Once every year, the Amara celebrate Uru by singing lullabies to her through the night amidst feasting. Over the years, this day has become their day of the new year.

The Amara live as one cohesive tribe, but they are split into clans. In all, there are 18 clans. Some of the clans live far away from each other. Each clan has a chief who is elected by the elders of that clan. Typically a chief ‘rules’ till his or her death. The chiefs of all eighteen clans form the Circle - the highest ruling body of the tribe. In the Circle, a majority is needed to pass any laws among the Tribes.

What the Imperials call mana, the Amara call saa. And unlike the Sendars, the Amara focus on the saa as a life essence rather than a life force. The distinction is very important. By identifying the saa with life, the Amara saa-men (a word that has morphed these days into ‘shaman’) are able to manipulate the dormant spirit within plants and animals, and sometimes even humans. The Sendars, on the other hand, identify the mana with animation. To them, the mana is what makes up the wind and water, the mountains and fire. And they believe that these elements make up the component of life, as opposed to life being a direct result of the saa. Because of this distinction, the Amara cannot channel the elements like the way the Sendars can, and the Sendars cannot manipulate the life essence the way the Shaman can.

While the word shaman indicates a masculine aspect, there are women as well as men shamans. They are identified as such very early in their lives, as young as 8. Once recognized as a potential shaman, they undergo rigorous training - physical and mental. The shamans tend to live away from the regular tribals, preferring to commune with nature more than with men. But they are an integral part of the Tribe. They identify presence of underground water for the tribe to sink a well. They scout around the forests to find out the best places for planting corn. But most importantly, they act as messengers between faraway clans. They can freely traverse the dreams of men, and can jump into the dream to deliver important messages. Strict rules regulate dream walking activity among the shamans.

Though the tribe has not really conquered more land or fought external enemies, they are not without conflict. Honor and pride are important things for a tribal. More than life itself, a tribal sets much store by his/her honor. So, frequent clashes occur among the clans as matters of honor. These clashes can be quite bloody and intense.

Among the clans’ fighters, there are few who are called Urudhars (children of Uru). The Urudhars are fighters handpicked by their respective clans and sent to the shamans. The shamans use the saa to imbibe the aspect of a particular animal within the fighter, making him more powerful. The Urudhars are clearly identified by a number of tattoos covering their bodies. With the recent war with the Empire, the number of Urudhars have increased.

For centuries, the tribes have lived an earthy life. They hunt when they have to, wear the basic garments necessary to protect one’s dignity and live in houses constructed from mud or bamboo. Among the tribes, polygamy (and polyandry) is quite common. A woman can have up to four husbands while a man can have up to three wives. Since none of the positions of power are hereditary, the tribes do not have to worry about succession crises or warring sons.



It is impossible to talk about the Amara without mentioning the extraordinary plant called maltahil. Maltahil is a sage that grows in the drier regions beyond the Amara forests. Once every six months, a harvesting party is sent from the tribal lands to procure the sage. The leaves are then cured for a fortnight and consecrated by the shamans. They are then distributed to the people who smoke it through clay pipes.

Maltahil has the power to cure virulent diseases like the red death and zeezee fever. It also prolongs a person’s life span. Among the tribals, it is not unheard of to live to 120. By regulating the use of the sage carefully, and by using various other contraceptive herbs like klapali, the tribe’s population stays at a sustainable level.

When the Empire first made contact with the tribe, a gift of the finest maltahil was presented by the oldest shaman to the Emperor. The gift was meant to be a peace offering, but it sowed the seeds of war. Within a couple of years, maltahil tea was all the rage in the Empire. It is a bitter concoction made by brewing the herb in hot water. And every noble household was drinking it.

Soon, regular trade was set up between the Empire and the Amara. The Amara were aware of the dangers in trading with an unequal partner. Thus, they imposed severe restrictions on the amount of maltahil traded. No more than 100 quintals would be traded in an entire year, and none of the exported maltahil shall be consecrated.

Naturally, the Empire had never dealt with such ‘arrogance’ before. The Empire has always had its reputation precede it. But now, a small tribe in a corner of the world was dictating terms. This was not acceptable.

On a warm morning nearly two years ago, Imperial forces stationed in Kuma (a treaty port on the coast bordering the Amara lands) seized the entire year’s consignment of maltahil and declared that the dry maltahil plains beyond the forest as Imperial property. Naturally, the tribes retaliated by raiding the port and burning down the ships. Thus began the current crisis.

It’s been two years and the conflict continues. The Imperial authorities are reluctant to directly declare war, for it would mean a direct commitment from the Emperor. Such a commitment can only be made when victory is assured. Considering the viciousness of the Urudhars and the craftiness of the shamans, considering the lukewarm support the Sendars have so far provided, such an assurance is not inherent in the campaign. General Akura Geerathan has been given command of the Imperial forces in the Amara lands. The General, a student of the Imperial Academy, is facing an enemy who knows the terrain better. The tribals’ insurgency tactics and raiding parties have been hugely successful, and the distance from home has had a demoralizing effect on the Imperial forces.

With every passing day, the Empire is beginning to lose more face. High ranking nobles have already started muttering about the Emperor’s fall from divine grace. The people, though they know little about what’s happening on the other side of the world, are nevertheless aware of the resistance. A flyspeck little tribe of forest dwellers was facing the might of the Empire and not blinking. Several governors have already indicated to the Emperor the possibility of widespread dissension. Two years of maltahil consumption have left the people of the Empire wanting more of the addictive beverage. And supplies are drying up.

For the Amara people, the problems they face are more nuanced. Deep in their hearts, they know that they cannot hold the Empire at bay for too long. Already, several titan ships have left the western ports of the Empire, carrying soldiers and weapons to the tribal lands. But even if the Empire were to seek truce, peace held as much threat as war. The life of the average Amaran had changed with the arrival of the Imperials. Bales of silk and caskets of perfume were the currency with which the Empire paid for the maltahil. That and other treasures from the east. The Amaran people, who had lived an almost ascetic life, were beginning to discover the softer things. The chiefs worry that the Amaran way of life (the Way of the Leaf as they call it) is at risk. How long, they ask, can the simple joys of communing with nature withstand the luxuries of the Empire? They had lived without knowledge of the outside. But how long can they keep that world out? A few young Amarans are already questioning the policy of the chiefs. Let them have the maltahil, they say. Let them have maltahil and let us have the world, they say.

Notes on mana/saa and its usage

The magic of the Sendars and the Shamans is basically the same but for the perspective on life. Because of this distinction, the Sendars channel the elements fire, water, earth and air, while the Shamans channel the spirit of living things. But the pitfalls and mechanics of this magic is the same for either group.

Mana is an infinite energy, like the light from the sun. But the human body can only handle so much. People who are born with the ability to sense mana - they are also born with an inherent strength. Some can hold more mana than others. The quantity a person can hold can be increased by constant practice. But trying to hold more than your limit can have fatal consequences. Holding too much can fry the brain to cinders, leaving behind just the husk of a body with the consciousness of a stone.

The quantity of mana a person channels can also be increased temporarily by linking with a fellow mage. It is a complex process that requires the linkers to know each other as well as possible. By linking, the mage can vastly increase the amount of mana he or she can hold.

The Sendars have taken magically binding oaths that prohibit them from killing unless in self-defence. The Shamans have no such restriction. Because of this, the Sendars of Nogundai have been debating on changes to the first oath. This is one of the reasons why the Sendars haven’t been too enthusiastic about supporting the troops.

The Urudhars

As explained earlier, the Urudhars are elite fighters among the Amara who have been imbibed with the aspect of certain animals by the shamans. A panther warrior can move as silently as the beast and hunt as effectively. A capybara warrior can burrow effectively and stay hidden better. An eagle warrior can see for leagues and can jump higher and farther. A turtle warrior can hold his breath underwater for far longer and so on.

The actual process of imbibing requires the warrior to fast for thirteen days without even the tiniest drop of water. On the fourteenth day, the warriors are given oosquai - a strong hallucinogenic beverage made from the oosan flowers. When in the throes of their astral trip, the shaman enters their visions and invokes the mother goddess Uru. The warriors see the world through the eyes of their spirit animal and assimilate its powers. After they wake, they are tattooed and blessed by the shaman.

Such powers demand a price. The price of life. Once imbibed, the life of a Urudhar is shortened by many years. Moreover, the mind of the Urudhar becomes fragile and progressively loses distinction between human and animal. In the end, the Urudhar becomes little more than a wild man with only a vague memory of humanity. Because of this inevitability, the Urudhars are mostly picked from unattached males, preferably with some physical deformity. Women are almost never selected as it would mean wasting a potential mother.



Submit your CS with these fields: Name, Age, Gender, Physical description (no pictures please), Background, Strengths and Weaknesses. Do not worry if you want to be a magic user but are wondering what is allowed and what is banned. Let your imagination run when it comes to what magic you want to perform and I will correct you if you exceed any limitations. Just remember that whether Imperial or Tribal, your character must start in the Tribal lands or must have a strong reason to get there.

Some notes on the setting

As you may have guessed, the Empire has a distinctive east asian flavor. This should guide you in any names you might want to come up with. The setting of the Empire is largely like medieval China or feudal Japan - with similar advancements in science and technology. Water wheels and mills have long been in operation. Gunpowder is used in cannons, though no handheld firearms have been invented.

The tribes, on the other hand, have a very obvious American flavor. They are an amalgamation of the republics of the native americans, the religious beliefs of the Mayans, and the pride of the Incans. Their names tend to be shorter, with more natural sounds. Since they live in the forest, they do not have access to a lot of metal. As such, their weapons are largely wood and stone. They are extremely proficient in the use of bows and spears.

Throughout the Empire, it is punishable by death to speak the name of the Emperor. And when anyone refers to the Emperor, they always follow it with "May he live for eternity." They address him as "Your Divine Majesty". People call nobles as lords and ladies. This includes governors and prefects. The Sendars are called Holy Ones or Teachers and addressed as "Your Excellency".

Just got finished reading the OOC.

I love the worldbuilding you've done, like...so much. This is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for.

As for potential characters, I'm thinking of either playing an Amaran double agent who has come over to the Imperials, or a scholarly-minded Sendar interested in cataloguing Amaran customs and in how the Amaran shamanism.

@babbysama - So glad that you like it so far. I like both your character ideas. I shall wait and see how you interpret this world and how your characters turn out.

@Joos I'll try and get a character sheet done tonight!

Working on a profile now.

Name: Kat(erina) Wythburn

Age: 27

Gender: Female

Description:
A tall, dark skinned woman with an athletic build and light brown eyes. Her hair is close to her scalp. She dresses in a bastardized version of the Imperial military officers uniform, reflecting her long time on the frontline. Much of the outfit has been replaced with materials that are better suited for the jungle. Much of her clothing is caked in mud and grime. Her hands are rough and callused. She has a notable scar on the back of her leg, and another just below her hairline. If she had lead a different life, she would have been called beautiful. Instead, she's called striking. Her teeth are stained the pearly white of a habitual Ladral user. Her mouth is grimly set, but on the rare occasion that she smiles, she looks like an entirely different person. On her shoulder blade she has a tattoo of a Candorian heraldic crest.

Bio:
The bastard child of a Tarrmenian kitchen maid and the heir apparent to a wealthy Candorin Earldom. Kat's early childhood was formed by the tenuous legal position she held. She was raised primarily by her mother in the servants quarters of her grandfather's- the Earl Wythburn- estate. In those early years, when her grandfather still possessed full health, and the concerns of succession were far from the minds of all, Kat's father, Jaxon Wythburn, would spend time with his daughter, playing with her and making sure that her and her mother were treated well. As she got older, her interactions with the royal side of her family became more and more tense, as they became more willing to show their disdain for her. The servants were also jealous of the favored position Kat and Kat's mother held with the future Earl, and would try to sabotage them both. Fortunately, Kat's aunt, Helena Wythburn, took pity on the young mother and her younger child, and would step in frequently to help care for her young, illegitimate niece. Helena taught Kat how to read, and inspired her love of reading. But as Kat's grandfather's health began to fail, and Jaxon started to look for a noblewoman to marry and have future children with, it became clear that Kat's time within the estate was coming to an end. And so Kat's father, the inheritor of an ancient and wealthy title, gave Katerina the best gift that he could. Ensuring that her mother would find employment as the head of the household in another noblefamily, Jaxon paid the full tuition for Kat to enroll in the Imperial military academy, and a commission for a minor officer position with an expeditionary force on the western outskirts of the Empire. And so Kat, having never traveled more than 50 miles from the estate, went 200 miles away to enter into the academy. Although she had initially hard time by not being a full blooded noble, there was a large contingent of royal bastards in the academy, so she fell into the social group happily. Kat excelled in the academy, and graduated 5th in the class of 300. During her time in the academy, she had a covert romantic relationship with a local Sendar. During this time, Kat discovered she had an aptitude for magic, and illegally learned the basics of using magic. She never swore the Vows of Purity. Although she and her romantic partner split shortly before Kat's graduation, they left each other amicably, and the Sendar promised not to reveal her secret magical power, in exchange that she not reveal who taught her.
Upon graduation, Kat was sent as an officer to oversee the western trading posts with the Tribals. A few months after she arrived, war broke out.
She's been there since, and has seen some of the heaviest fighting. To deal with the stress, she's taken to chewing Ladral, a narcotic made out of boiling certain Amaran flowers and shaping it into cakes, which are sliced and then chewed on.

Strengths:
Officer: Kat can handle herself in a fight. She keeps her cool, can strategize on the fly, and issue orders. And she's not afraid to get dirty, either. She's comfortable with physical encounters herself, and has the scars, and the kills, to prove it.

Hedge-Sendar: Although she isn't capable of many of the complex spells that even the most novice Sendar can perform, Kat isn't limited by the Vows of Purity, and has become incredibly adept at creating violently effective combat spells.

Lover of Knowledge: Kat loves to read, and knows much more about the world than she lets on. She's a regular eavesdropper, and is always desiring to learn as much as she can, be it ancient, pre-imperial histories, or the gossip on who the postmaster is tupping.

Ruthless: Kat's conscience has been quieted on so many occasions, it's rare that she'll have qualms executing acts that many would hesitate at.

Weaknesses:

Ladral Addict: Although she only started chewing Ladral a year and a half ago, Kat now has trouble functioning without it. She's been through a withdrawal a few times when she couldn't get her hands on any, and has since tried to keep a reserve stash in case of any disruptions in her supplies.

Regrets of the Ruthless: Having a muted conscience isn't always a benefit. Although it's rare the she'll have qualms about her actions, it can be dangerous for her to reflect on past actions, lest she be subsumed by guilt and self hate. She doesn't like to think about what sort of person she's become since the war started.

Ruinous Secrets: Kat has managed to climb into a position of some importance through the generosity of others and her own unrelenting hard work. But she's afraid that if her exact history is revealed to the world, all of it will come crashing down around her.

And whoops, I assumed that the Empire was more of a European bent. Which explains my usage of 'Earl'.

(It's a bit long, and I still need to fill out the strengths and weaknesses (which I'll do tomorrow), but just let me know if there's anything in need of correction as it stands now)


Tai Enle


31


Male


Tai is of medium height, ruddy complexion, broad of shoulder and stout of build. His face is broad, and red of cheek, with a small nose, high cheekbones, nearly black epicanthic eyes, and the frail suggestion of a beard. He is not handsome, but his smile is friendly and instantly alluring, and his eyes have a kind of light behind them. His hair is, as per the Sendar style, done up in a topknot, and deep umber in color. His eyes are slightly weak, and at times, especially when he is reading, he must use a pince-nez. He wears for the most part the blue-and-saffron livery of the Sendar: tight breeches tucked into high calfskin boots, a belted tunic, and a long hooded robe which can itself be belted as befits the weather.


Tai Enle was born the fourth son of an affluent Candorin family whose lineage could be traced nearly to the time of Emperor Shinji——may he live for all eternity in the Thousand Blessed Halls——the many-laureled conqueror of Jodalanga. Many of his ancestors had served the Crystal Throne as ministers, magistrates, generals, advisers, and one, the esteemed Guro Enle, had served as the Emperor's own bodyguard and personal attendant.

The Enle family have proven themselves to be the servants of a grand posterity, a legacy of selfless service and indefatigable devotion which have marked them in the imperial chronicling for as long as the Empire remains.

Tai knew from very early in his life that he would not be one of those venerable ancestors to whom shrines are erected and who appear in the histories as "great and honorable personages". He always has felt uncomfortable with the burden lain upon his shoulders, and his father made sure to make a point of what was expected of him. He knew that, despite his best efforts, he would not live up to them, at least not to the standard set by his father and his brothers. His birth was both late and more-or-less unexpected. No one had thought that Lady Enle could have born a son at such an age——thirty is considered perhaps the latest stage at which a woman could come to term without difficulties, though it was not unheard of to see some pregnancies at thirty-five. But thirty-seven, most agreed, was unusual. And, no doubt, unnecessary. His brothers were, naturally, older, and had already achieved some status. The eldest son, Yu, was a cavalry captain in he army and known to be brilliant. The second eldest attained the post of Vice-Majordomo of the Treasury at court, one which promised a gilded career. The third eldest was yet a bachelor, but considered to be one of the premier matches of Candorin, and already tell could be heard of his inevitable engagement to Nila Qang, the chief daughter of the rising Qang family. His sister, Sha, herself was being courted by a coterie of promising suitors, and was a remarkable musician.

The status occupied by Tai in this arrangement was an ambivalent one, and made more awkward by his lack of ambition. Although not physically weak by any standard, he was as a child rotund, and thus prone to shyness. He shirked the endeavors of his attendants and parents to socialize him, and unfailingly proved a disappointment to them. He was naturally quite intelligent, but impeded by his nervousness and shyness. He was thought to be a dullard, a dolt, a stammering idiot.

Thus, when his magical ability manifested itself, it came rather as a relief to everyone. Although perhaps not precisely honorable according to the standards of the Enle, it was nevertheless respectable, although the Lord Enle had always harbored a certain measure of discomfort towards the mages. "Something about them makes one's skin crawl," he was wont to say, "There's something...disingenuous about them." Perhaps that kernel of discomfiture had always been an element of his distaste towards his son, though he had been unable to explain it.

In any case, Tai was sent off to be immersed in the art of the Sendar at the young age of eight. His mother, despite herself, wept at his leave taking.

Tai would not see either of them for another ten years, until his mother's funeral.

Tai was uncomfortable with his gift. It was not something he had ever thought he could have been capable of. He rejected it, although he was rather skilled. And this earned him the opprobrium of his instructors. He was considered surly——an uncouth whelp of a wealthy family, spoiled and irreverent to the hallowed teachings of the Sendar. He lashed out at others. He was cruel. And secretly he thought himself somehow special, somehow distinct from those around him. The typical defense of the disliked.

His cruelty was a simple thing to circumvent, and only deepened his ostracization. Like many, he found escape in literature.

He read voraciously, consumed knowledge by the bowlful as he did his rice. He grew broad, and tall, and his fat gradually waned to thick muscle. He had, long ago, forgotten his anger and now was simply neutral, uninterested, neither distinguishing himself nor failing to meet the requisite standards of skill. He had no friends or acquaintances, and neither did he have the expectation of acquiring them. He drifted, performing unconsciously and uncomplainingly the actions demanded of him, all while cultivating some internal efflorescence. He might not have thought it, but he was watched.

It came as rather a rude awakening to him when it was requested that he serve as a scribal assistant by Master Arishaka, the chief Calligraphist of the Temple. Tai's calligraphy was piddling at best, but Arishaka, with a characteristic serenity, said that he could learn.

And so, sullenly, he went. It came as a surprise to him that Arishaka's beatific façade secreted a barbarian. He often returned to his cot with welts and bruises, often weeping. But he learned. He was quiet, and seemed always to be simmering inside, but he acquiesced to the Master's teachings, and to the school's. He wrote beautifully, and efficaciously, and he, over time, came to earn the Master's respect.
He softened, though he did so with reluctance. He fought incessantly with his unseemly tongue, but he even made sallies forth to his peers, and despite his reputation did manage to earn some acquaintances. Eventually, he himself became a scribe, and, because he was quiet, began to accompany Sendar delegations to the court. And all the while, he read, and read, and read. Though he might not have recognized it or admitted it then, some part of him succumbed, and he vaguely began to realize that perhaps he was not so special after all.

Following his mother's death (to which he reacted with discomfort), Master Arishaka sent him with a letter of introduction to the Governor of Balenia, who deferred him to serve as a scribe of the Prefect of Jolborn. It was a kind of new beginning for Tai. He was sad to say goodbye to Master Arishaka, but realized that he, and his days with him at the escritoire, were perhaps the only thing he would miss of the Temple.

The Prefect was an equitable man, and a scholar himself, and enjoined Tai to his court quite naturally. Balenia was not precisely the most sought after posting, and perhaps he had merely been happy to see a new face. But he began sending Tai on all sorts of errands.

He learned Balenian——a requisite of the job, considering the nature of the missions upon which he was sent. Negotiating trade disputes with bearded northeners to whom Candorin was little more than a distant rumor, and the like. And in this way, he passed five years.

He changed much during that time. Though he was still awkward, his bumbling, coupled with his intelligence, earned him friends who at first found him to be amusing, and then fascinating. He was forced, after a time, to become more equanimous, given his task and post. He came to occupy a position of favor with the Prefect, who often passed along his advice to the governor. He took a kind of pleasure in the scarcity of the skirling vistas of hoarfrosted mountains, snowbound valleys, smiling cheeks red from the chill.

Although he was loath to take leave of him, the Prefect offered Tai a scribal position in the Governor's cabinet. It was here that his reputation as a diplomatist and scholar were made, and he cut a fine figure at the court of Földo. The governor's wife called him "charming".

Here Tai first learned of the imperial fascination with maltahil. Though he had heard of the herb from his readings on Amara, he had never himself sampled it. The trade seemed to have come out of nowhere; he had been gone, or had been disinterested, for too long to trace its rise.

The bitter brew allowed him to concentrate, while simultaneously relaxing him deeply. He drank it late into the night while he did his reading, and soon he had become quite addicted. Indeed, he was in love. Out of perfunctory interest, he delved deeper into the known scholarship on Amara, and found it to be lacking. He thought it ludicrous that the largest empire in the known world could know so little; they hardly even knew where maltahil came from, and much less about the people who grew it or consumed it. It was a deep, furtive jungle, yes; but Tarrmenia was a sun-baked desert, and that had not stopped their forebears, had it? There had not even been a rigorous study of their language mounted.

And it was thus, quite unexpectedly, that he became fascinated with Amara.

He remained at Földo for three years. At the news of Master Arishaka's passing, he returned to Candorin. His father was ill, and his siblings more illuminated than ever. They treated him like a stranger, for after all, he was.

Following Arishaka's funeral, he went to the Temple and requested a posting at the treaty port of Kuma, with the express intention of preparing a study of Amaran language and culture for the Empire. Initially he was balked at——was he not a student of Balenia, after all? But his breadth and depth of knowledge surprised the Sendar masters, and the letter of introduction from the Governor of Balenia he brought spoke gushingly of his exploits and virtues. Interest in Amara was growing in the Empire, and already a Sendar chapter had been established in Kuma, though there was not yet an effort to mount an effort such as Tai desired.

Perhaps a bit reluctantly, they agreed. And in the span of three months, he was on a ship on his way to Kuma. He was twenty-seven.

The change of climate shocked him, but he soon was able to apply the knowledge he had learned of Amara. Although he was able to conduct a great deal of research in the year before the outbreak of the Crisis, it was lamentably insufficient, and tensions between the imperials and the natives steadily mounted. The surprise feint of the Empire did not take him by surprise, and he, and a number of Sendar, managed to escape the carnage of the sack of Kuma. He, along with the other Sendar, were nominally enjoined to the forces of the Master Monukut and the staff of General Geerathan. For the first time in his life, Tai was forced to fight, and found it distasteful. Their sallies against the shamans were always turned back, and he saw scores of his compatriots slain by the cunning of their enemy, one which they could not attack if they did not attack them first. The Vow consumed legions of Sendar, and continued to do so. And Tai's project, with the very little that he had, fell by the wayside.

He currently serves as an adjutant to Master Mori, penning attachés and status reports for the chain-of-command. And all the while, he is uncertain of what the future may hold, and whether or not there is any end in sight to the Crisis.

Updates on this?

Updates on this?

I thoroughly enjoyed your character. It almost makes the Strengths & Weaknesses section redundant as you have painted quite a clear picture. You are accepted, but I encourage you to at least summarise in bullet points under the missing two sections for quick reference.

And I think top-knots for male Sendars can be made official.

I hope there are others who want to apply as well. In the meantime, I will put up my primary character.

@Sypherkhode822 - I'm afraid you'll have to make huge changes to your character beyond just terminology. Firstly, the Imperial culture is rather patriarchal. They may accept the occasional queen or dowager empress, but they won't stand for women in the army. I am sorry if that wasn't apparent from my OOC. The tribals, on the other hand, will gladly let women fight if they have to. So you might want to become a tribal if you want to play a combat-oriented female character.

Second - it is quite quite difficult for a potential magic user to stay undiscovered in the Empire for as long as Kat has. The Sendars have regular recruiting parties and it will be an exceptionally rare occurrence to miss one. Again, if you want to be a magic user unbound by the purity vows, go tribal.

And I also find one of your strengths and one of your weaknesses to be paradoxical. She has no conscience and can be ruthless. That is her strength. And yet she has a conscience and can be guilt-ridden. Her weakness. You might want to take a look at that.

Name: General Akura Geerathan
Age: 45
Gender: Male

Physical description: For a man of his age, Akura is a fit man. Age has been creeping up on him though, evidenced by a slight widening around the hips and a silvering of his hair. He still is a man in his prime, with wide shoulders and a towering frame. Unlike the other generals, he refuses to grow a beard - preferring a thin, curled moustache after the fashion of the Emperor. Among the younger lot, it is all the rage.

Background: The best thing that can be said about Akura is that he is loyal. He is loyal to his Emperor. He is loyal to men he considers his superiors. He is loyal to his dead father whose dying wish he is still carrying out.

Akura comes from a family of faithful soldiers to His Divine Majesty. His great-grandfather had fought alongside Emperor Kumoto himself during the siege of Al Eban deep in Tarrmen lands. He had been raised to nobility for his valour that day. Since those days, the Geerathan Family has grown in strength and stature. Akura's father, Okanori Geerathan, had earned his salt by quelling the Sanghuk Rebellion fifty years ago - the last big dissension against the Emperor, may he live for eternity.

And when his father lay dying on his massive bed in the family mansion, the great general had looked at his only son with eyes brimming with sadness, and said "I wish you were not such a disappointment."

Akura had always had things easy in his life. By very nature of his blood, he was accepted into the Imperial Academy. He was not surprised to find out that, despite his poor performance and his constant flouting of authority, he was passed with flying colors. His first posting was one most Academy graduates would die for - in the scenic Balenian prefecture of Wardin. The Balenians had taken to Imperial culture quicker than the headstrong Tarrmen and almost never rebelled. The few independent principalities were quite content to pay tribute to the Emperor with their tails firmly tucked. Akura spent four glorious years inspecting his soldiers, filing reports, carousing with thick bodied Balenian girls, hunting bears and fathering two bastards.

From there, he was transferred to the coastal Gungyang prefecture deep in the heart of the Empire. It was here he met his future wife Rumiki. The Lady Rumiki Mori came from a very ancient and proud Family with numerous marriage ties to the Emperor. There were at least three Moris who were governors, and many more prefects. The hands of fate and the machinations of his father brought them together. It was supposed to be a political marriage, meant to strengthen the Geerathan legitimacy. But Akura was smitten. No lady had ever deigned to lie with him and he had only known the uncouth barmaids and peasant girls. But Rumiki was a student of the arts of seduction and lovemaking. She studied the Jendai Book of Love religiously and constantly tried her tricks on Akura, binding him to her like a puppy on a leash.

His father's health progressively declined in the following years, and the old man used all his influence to get Akura promoted to Captain. But the Geerathan name only went so far. His father had always wanted to see the golden stars of a general pinned on his son's shoulders. And the dying man knew he was never going to live long enough to see it, if it ever happened.

With the passing of the great general, the Family name steadily lost value. Akura was just a captain in a minor province. He was content to remain so, but not Rumiki. She wanted to be the wife of a general. She got them posted to the restive prefecture of Al Kudan. Akura initially baulked at the posting, but she convinced him that a year's service in Al Kudan would earn him bigger repute than serving ten years in Wardin. Akura earned his first battle scar in Al Kudan when ambushed by separatists in the narrow streets.

Yet, somehow, he had survived. Perhaps it was his wife's constant chiding; perhaps it was the ghost of his dead father echoing his dying words; or perhaps Akura did have hitherto undiscovered martial skills. But he survived three gruelling years in the scorching heat and the constant hatred. He returned to Candorin assured of his golden stars.

But he hadn't counted on the Tongun. The Tongun is the High Commander of the army - a man who acts as the Emperor's right hand. The current Tongun was Lord Goran Ishiwara - a ruthless man who jealously guarded his position and who actively pursued power. Lord Goran had no patience for men like Akura - borderline soldiers who were just lucky to have been born in a noble family. He flatly declined to entertain any notions of promotion. Akura assumed he had reached the limit of his career.

But Rumiki would not give up so easily. No one was sure quite how she did it. Many whispered within Akura's earshot that she had performed the Jendai arts on Tongun Ishiwara. Akura refused to believe his loving wife would betray his trust like that. He assumed she had used her family's connections to get the Tongun to agree. In the end, Akura joined his illustrious ancestors in becoming the fourth general in the Geerathan family.

But whatever influences his wife may have exerted over the Tongun, it ended with the promotion. Almost as if in vengeance, the Tongun had him posted to Kuma. Rumiki was shattered, of course. She couldn't bear moving a thousand leagues across seas to some flea-ridden jungle. She offered to manage the family estates while he was off earning honour as she put it. Akura had no illusions about the posting. The Crisis was two years old now and already there were murmurs of it being a lost cause. All those involved in the crisis would be quickly renounced in that scenario lest failure be laid at the Emperor's feet. Even the Tongun might be asked to fall on his sword. Akura did not fancy his chances. And yet...

And yet, should he be successful in turning the tide, should he manage to snatch even a tiny semblance of victory, anything to save his and the Emperor's face, he would be rewarded beyond his wildest dreams. He could even be granted a prefecture or, he dared not hope, a governorship. But all that depended on how he performed in these thick forests. Or how he seemed to perform.

Strengths:
- Akura is a bootlicker, pure and simple. That is an advantage in certain political scenarios.
- Akura, despite his less-than-stellar reputation, commands the respect of his soldiers by being nice to them. He is more forgiving than most when it comes to discipline.
- Akura is a military theoretician. He understands the science of warfare better than the actual fighting of it. This does help in the planning stages.
- Akura is a decent cavalryman.

Weaknesses:
- He is very trusting, sometimes at the expense of people's real failings.
- He is quite a liability when it comes to actual fighting. He prefers to hang back and delegate.
- He can be quickly intimidated by show of authority.
- He considers himself quite the ladies man. In reality, he is easily beguiled by sensual charms.
- He drinks quite heavily at times.

@Joos Will do, captain.

Glad to see that this is still going!

@Joos Will do, captain.

Glad to see that this is still going!

Better believe it! :) We need more people though.

@Joos Yes indeed. Maybe try and bump/repost the interest check?