Vashti, Fierce and Invincible Lion Queen

Name: Vashti

Official Name: Fierce and Invincible Lion

Exaltation: Solar

Caste: Zenith

Anima: a Rampant Lion

Supernality: War

Essence: 1

Limit Trigger: Being denied what she wants

Experience: 5/5 unspent

Solar XP: 2/2 unspent

Attributes

Strength: 2

Dexterity: 5

Stamina: 2

Charisma: 2

Manipulation: 4

Appearance: 5

Perception: 1

Intelligence: 3

Wits: 3

Abilities

(10 BP)

Archery 2

Athletics 1

Awareness 1

Brawl

Bureaucracy 5

Craft (specify)

Dodge

Integrity

Investigation

Larceny

Linguistics 2

Lore 2

Martial Arts (specify)

Medicine

Melee 5

Occult

Performance 4

Presence 1

Resistance

Ride 5

Sail

Socialize 5

Stealth

Survival

Thrown

War 5

Specialities

Archery: While Riding

Melee: While Riding

Bureaucracy: Trade

War: Royal Army

Vital Statistics

Essence: 13/13 (33/33)

Willpower: 5/5

Health

A bunch of random static values for physical and social combat

Charms

By Ability

Athletics

Graceful Crane Stance

3 Motes

Perfect Balance

Bureaucracy

Frugal Merchant Method

1 Mote

Tell exact quality of any goods for sale

Insightful Buyer Technique

3 Motes

Tell What Goods will sell well in a given market

Deft Official’s Way

5 Motes

Adds Bureaucracy to motive finding in bureaucratic social combat

Measuring Glance

5 Motes

Gives([Social or Mental Attribute] + Bureaucracy) roll to

Speed the Wheels

8 Motes

Speeds up organizational actions by a number of degrees equal to a solars essence.

Melee

Excellent Strike

2 Motes

Gain 1 automatic success, reroll all 1s until there are no 1s

Dipping Swallow Defense

2 Motes

Ignore all parry penalties on a full defense, gain 1 initative on a successful parry

Socialize

Motive Discerning Technique

3 Motes

Doubles 9s, allows substitution of Wits for perception

Shadow Over Day

2 Motes

Raises Guile by 1

Ride

Master Horsewoman Technique

Pick 3 techniques

Harmonious Spirit Style

Spend 1 essence to stay on your mount, gain +1 defence against anything that'd knock you off

Speed-Sustaining Technique:

1 mote to sustain speed of mount for 2 hours

Spirit-Steadying Assurances:

1 Mote to stop mount from panicking

Flashing Thunderbolt Steed

4 Motes

Mount can sustain maximum speed for 1 hour, and gets an automatic success to all movement and balance rolls. Gains graceful crane or monkey leap if the solar has them

Elusive Mount Technique

4 Motes

Reflexively disengage while mounted

War

Wargod Descendant

3 Motes

ignores -1 drill penalty, adds 1 effective unit size

League Iron Preparation

5 Motes

Troops cannot be demoralized except by magic, ignore hunger and harsh conditions

Tiger Warrior Training

10 Motes, 1 Will

Trains elite troops

Merits and Intimacies

Merits

(5 BP)

Allies 3 (Iris-of-Shamal, Air Aspect Dragon Blooded)

Allies 3 (Aster-of-Flame Fire Aspect Dragon Blooded)

Command (Royal Army) 5 (Five Size 5, might 0 groups with Average Drill)

Followers (Court Staff) 2

Familiar (Lion Llama!) 2

Influence 4

Resources 5

Languages 1

Intimacies

A World of Peace and Prosperity (Defining)

Her People (Protective) (defining)

To Indulge in all the world's vices (defining)

Hieroglyph (Respect/annoyance) (Major)

Vinty (affection/rivalry) (Major)

A Beautiful World is a Prosperous world (Major)

The South Wind Twins (Affection) (Major)

To be a Wise Ruler (Major)

Monster boys/girls Beautiful and Strange Partners (loves) (Major)

Open Trade brings a better world

Order is beauty and beauty order

Handsome men and beautiful women (Loves)

Fine things

Corrupt Gods(Hatred)

Afarshi

History

The Kingdom of Afarshi lies in the South of creation, and is built in a series of fortified villages, each with surrounding crop lands and an internal water source. Set in a relatively water rich area of the South, the desirability of Afarshi's water sources have made it the scene of conflict, both sedentary against nomad, and tribe against tribe. While most of these were no more than small raids and skirmishes, they left the region open to exploitation for other powers, and for a long time the area was a set of vassal states, for the Realm, for Distant Gem, or for the fabled Risen Empire before it sunk below the dunes.

This changed four centuries ago when a mysterious warrior rose in the area. None know his name or origin, but he is recorded as a giant of a man, unmatched in skill and strength. Some say he was of one of the distant tribes destroyed by a raid, others that he was the child of mortal and god, a few even whisper he was one of the fabled lunar anathema. Such was his ability, it is whispered, he managed to defeat even several dragon blooded. His aspect is said to have been that of a bull, and he wore a crown of silver horns.

Whatever the truth of the matter, he lead a brilliant campaign across the what is now Afarshi, defeating every army in the area, and causing them to join with him in a new, unified kingdom. At the end of his campaign, he created a series of laws which would bind the new kingdom together, and, rather than rule himself, held a series of trials, in these trials, the best would win out, and would marry, forming the dynasty of of Afarshi.

Afarshi won several wars with its neighbors, but any plans of conquest were bought short by the potential of conflict with the realm. Wisely, Afarshi's rulers paid tribute, and notionally bent the knee to the realm, while retaining most of their sovereignty. The realm, in turn, felt it would take too many resources to crush Afarshi, and Afarshi forces had done well in several skirmishes, so a somewhat uneasy peace broke out. Afarshi became a reasonably prosperous trading power, with silk and spices flowing in from the realm, to be traded for fire dust, camels, llamas, elephants and ivory from the deeper deserts and the warm forests of the Eastern part of the Kingdom. Another major export has always been mercenaries.

Sages say that over time the Afarshi dynasty grew more moribund, but in truth, perhaps they simply had a series of bad rulers. The last King of Afarshi was enfeebled by disease, and left most of the running of his kingdom to his eldest daughter (who favoured the realm) and his eldest son (favoured by most of the non-immaculate priests.) This conflict grew into a near civil war, until the family's third daughter, Vashti, returned from her studies at the Verdant Solarium of and, rallying support from various younger tribal leaders and military officers, staged a coup, slaughtered her family and installed herself as queen.

Politics and Society

In many ways there are two parallel systems in Afarshi. The royal house collects taxes from the roads, from salt, and from the use of various royal water sources. Meantime, the actual people swear loyalty to a variety of tribal chiefs and village headmen. Those who believe their nobles have wronged them may petition the Royal house for redress, while those councils of nobles may equally demand answers from the crown. This system has lately been under pressure, with the royal family trying to centralize more control, however Queen Vashti has worked to reverse this trend, and restore the traditional rights of the local aristocracy. In the nomadic tribes, loyalty tends to be informal, with hereditary and the blessings of the spirits used to determine who rules. Meantime in villages, the ruler is the family who owns the largest well.

By tradition, leaders of village factions tend to be male, while nomadic tribes are lead by women. Local tribes often marry their heads together to affirm bonds of affection and loyalty. This in turn has meant many nomad tribes move extensively around the kingdom to prevent inbreeding and marry their daughters to many villages. In turn, some villages will trade off rulership between generations.

A major force in politics was once the royal guard, but they were eliminated completely in Vashti's coup.

Economy

Afarshi's economy is based on trade, with the water sources of its villages and the extensiveness of its roads has long allowed for trade to flow through it, with guild and independent caravans bringing cargos of raw materials from the interior to the hungry markets of the coast, and bringing back various produce in return. The kingdom grows much of its own food, but most citizens of any means leaven their diet with imported fruit and spices.

Salt is a major trade item, and Afarshi's rulers have long sought a non-costal supply to decrease realm influence. The Verdant Solarium is the latest, and best of these sources.

Slavery is legal in Afarshi, but is mostly the province of the rich, as most agricultural land is owned by small holders too poor to afford many, or any such.

Religion and Legends

Afarshi pays lip service to the immaculate order, but mostly gives direct worship to various local spirits and elemental. Ahlat is a popular deity, as is Sarshia, the Lady of Wells, who has stewardship over the local water sources, and various local spirits. The Kingdom's new queen is encouraged the worship of E-Naluna, in her role of goddess of strategy.

Local legends say that in a time of great need, or if the rulers of the kingdom grow corrupt, that the Nameless warrior may return. Some whisper that Queen Vashti's coup, a dishonorable act of kinslaying, is likely to bring about just that.

Military

The military of Afarshi is a somewhat strange hybrid. While it is definitely a cavalry based force, it includes far more infantry than an average group of step nomads. Cavalry are the main striking arm however, and are mounted on a mix of camels, horses, simharta and elephants. Most are fairly light cavalry, wearing leather or reinforced leather armour, and armed with lances and bows. Heavier horse using fully armoured mounts and themselves in full armour are also employed, usually armed only with melee weapons. Step riding and cavalry warfare are traditionally a female profession, with males needing to protect their vitals from such unhealthy work.

Men however dominate the infantry professions. Most infantry are formed from the better off men of a village, who can afford heavy infantry equipment and armour. Marking this good status, they will own a family suit of armour, usually at least a Hauberk, a spear, or heavy axe, a large shield, along with a compound bow, javelins, or sometimes a fire wand. Light infantry also exists, but is generally regarded as too vulnerable to cavalry attacks. Men of the lower classes mostly fight as archers, usually from the walls of villages or from the windows of fortified homes. When a poorer family falls on hard times, they will usually send daughters off to join nomad bands and send money home, while the sons remain to work the fields.

The most powerful infantry unit in the kingdom is made up of the sons and fathers of the rich families who live in the Capital of Lake Point.

The royal army is kept in arms year round, with the funds provided by hiring them out to various other powers and the guild to work as mercenaries recruited from outside. The royal house has long wished to train its own group of artillerists, and has even experimented with elephant mounted artillery weapons.